Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki or any of the characters. That honor belongs to Kazuya Minekura.
This was another challenge in the livejournal group, Saiyuki time. The prompt was uncharted territory and had to be completed in under 40 minutes.
"Kenren! Just the person I needed." Tenpou turned around from his desk, a strange looking item in front of him on his desk.
Kenren Taisho could see the black leather item with towels sticking out of the zippered top. And laying by the odd item, there was a rolled up map. Shit. Not another fucking map. That meant one of two things. Either they were going on a mission or Tenpou found something interesting on the map and wanted to show Kenren. Neither option held much interest for Kenren. Tenpou muttered to himself as he zipped up the thing and stuck the map in a side pocket.
"Do you have your pistol?" Kenren nodded, finally realizing that Tenpou had his Field Marshall uniform on and not his usual rumpled shirt and tie. As he sheathed his sword, Tenpou went around his office, turning off lights, closing windows and making sure the entire messy office was to his satisfaction.
"I didn't know we had orders to go anywhere." Lighting a cigarette, Kenren cocked his head and waited for Tenpou to stop fussing with his possessions. Kenren scratched an itchy spot above his collarbone.
"We don't but as you know, it's my duty as Field Marshall to look over maps and chart uncharted territory." Clicking off the last light, Tenpou put his hands on Kenren's shoulders and turned him around, pushing Kenren in the direction of the door. "I found a map crammed amongst some of my things two days ago."
Kenren rolled his eyes. "Imagine that. Finding something in all this mess." Tenpou smiled and chuckled. This wasn't like Tenpou. Sure, he smiled a lot and would laugh but he never seemed this carefree and happy. Poking Kenren on the shoulder, Tenpou marched his General to the elevators to the lower world. Hitting the button, they waited for the slow moving elevator.
Dropping his hands from Kenren's shoulders, Tenpou ignored the smart remark and pulled out the map. "What the hell is that thing, Tenpou?" Turning Tenpou around, Kenren studied the strange object. It was made of black leather, had two straps that went over Tenpou's shoulder and three zippers. Opening the smallest pocket of them, Kenren found their cigarettes and a lighter. The next pocket had towels. The largest pocket had Tenpou's "nap blanket", the red and green plaid blanket that Tenpou loved to curl up in when he took one of his many naps.
Kenren had to ask the question again because Tenpou was engrossed in the map. "Oh, this? It's called a backpack and I found it on one of my journeys down below. You pack things in it and wear it on your back, hence the name…backpack!" The elevator doors finally opened and once again, Tenpou was behind Kenren, hands on his shoulders, pushing Kenren into the elevator. "It's very convenient. I have everything we need for this trip." Tenpou pushed a button and the doors closed.
"See this area of the map? It's blank." Putting his arm over Tenpou's shoulder, Kenren looked at the map. A big white area with the words, 'Unknown" took up a small section of the map. "I went down the other day to see what it was and…"
"What the fuck, Tenpou?! You went down below by yourself? What if a youkai attacked?" Anger and worry shone in Kenren's chocolate brown eyes.
"I'm here, aren't I?" Soft emerald eyes looked into Kenren's eyes. The elevator door opened and both men exited the elevator. "We just have a small trek through these woods and soon…" Tenpou's face split into a huge smile and he was off, leaving Kenren jogging through the woods after him. Three miles later, a strange sound hit Kenren's ears. "Come on!" Tenpou ran into a clearing, stopping so sudden, Kenren ran smack into Tenpou's back. Taking off the backpack, Tenpou turned his head and smiled at Kenren.
"What the…?" There in front of them was a small lake with a waterfall. Colorful birds sang as they flew from tree to tree, dipping into the water for a drink. Lush, soft grass under their booted feet, a warm breeze with just a hint of citrus ruffled Tenpou's hair. Large rocks surrounded half of the lake, making it a private paradise. The water bubbled as it tumbled over the rocks, hitting the lake, sending out ripples that were soon flat.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Tenpou spoke in a whisper, almost as if he was afraid to speak too loud for fear this paradise would disappear in a puff of smoke. Leaning back against Kenren's chest, Tenpou tugged at Kenren's arms until they surrounded him.
"Are you going to chart this territory so everyone else knows about it?" Whispering in Tenpou's ear, Kenren could feel the shudders of pleasure rippling over Tenpou's body. Kissing the side of Tenpou's neck, Kenren tightened his arms around his lover. Turning in Kenren's arms, Tenpou brushed his lips against Kenren's, making the general groan with need.
"Absolutely not."