A/N: Sorry for the late update. Have been busy with school and now I hope this chapter will make it up for the time being until I am able to write up another on.

Feedbacks and critiques will be loved.

Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki.


Chapter Two

Two days had passed since the return of Jian. After the first day of his arrival, he has been busy being questioned by others on how he would like the banquet to be held, which will take place in three days. And here he is, slacking off when he should be doing his usual routine in going over important documents, too preoccupied with is own thoughts to get up and lend a hand to his cousin. As if he would ever do a stunt like that. Surprisingly, the Goddess of Mercy didn't even barge in to force him to accompany Jian in making the arrangements. It has been quiet the past two days, not counting the bustling people outside, intent on making the event perfect on the day itself.

Leaning back on his chair, he had his legs propped on his desk, the documents on one side so that he wouldn't accidentally crumple them, with fingers entwined together on his lap as he absentmindedly stared at the ceiling. All of a sudden, he wasn't in the mood to do any work. And even if he finishes the documents he has, more would come. It seems like the officials don't get tired of writing reports, make proposals and whatever it is they write on paper. Sure he reads them, but most of them seem to be unimportant, except for some alarming report. But, other than that, it's painfully boring, reading documents day after day. This has been going on for as long as he can remember.

No change at all…

His amethyst eyes half-veiled, he continued on ponder on these thoughts. Perhaps, his cousin's sudden return is a sign? Except, what is it that needs to be done? Until the other day, no thought on this relative of his had invaded his mind, not after that last argument they had before Jian set off to the world below. His eyebrows furrowed as he recalled that time, but it wasn't anything serious. Although it was bad enough to have him almost forget about that squabble they had.

At that moment, the memories of the day of his cousin's arrival rushed into his mind. Konzen then recalled the difference he had noticed in Jian. The way he had accepted their warm welcome (from the others, not from him) and how he was overly delighted to be back. Then there was the manner of him being all friendly towards Konzen. Odd, when Jian first greeted, it seemed like he had long forgotten that they ever fought over something, like he had forgiven him.

Forgiven…him…?

"Tch…what am I thinking?" he grumbled, and closed his eyes. Mildly frustrated as to why he was suddenly being concerned over these details. Is he not the type to look pass things such as these?

No…for some reason he cannot…not this time…

And this isn't because of Jian…it seems to be that there is something else…

Only, what is it?

Slowly, his eyelids revealed orbs of purple, filled with confusion, something that he has not encountered for a long time. It bothered him, it bothers him a lot and he could only want it to stop. But surely, one day it will stop and he can return to his normal-

Wait…

Normal? Is his life really normal? It was dull to him, as he what he does everyday was the same thing.

Perplexity seeping in, slowly becoming stronger, he continued to remain in that position, eyes transfixed on a random spot above him. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he failed to sense the presence of another deity. One who was deeply interested in his odd behavior. It was none other than the Goddess of Mercy, seeking for something or someone to entertain her today. Delighted she may be on the return of her other nephew, but his full schedule has become a hindrance to her plans for fun. So there was only one person left to go to.

And it seems that he has finally decided to become aware of the things around him.

A slender hand resting on her hip, the other on the doorframe, with her upper torso slightly leaning to the side, she continued to observe him. The sight of him thinking so deeply intrigued her. An idea on what was currently invading his mind popped into her head, but she doesn't plan on telling him. That would take the fun out of everything.

Kanzeon chuckled inwardly and lowered her hand that had been perched on the doorway to allow it to rest at her side. "I see someone is dawdling today…" she stated, clearly amused. Without his consent, or approval for her sudden appearance, she stepped inside his office and situated herself directly in front of him, the desk being the barrier between them.

Her voice had put a halt to his train of thought. Immediately knowing who it was, a frown descended on to his face. His droopy eyes traveled from the ceiling to her face that had that annoying smirk glued to her lips. To his dismay, a part of him was relieved that there was something to distract him from these troubling thoughts, but a bigger portion of his self was irritated by her intrusion.

He removed his long legs from the surface of his desk and sat up. "What do you want now?" he asked irately and reached for the documents that were in need of being signed.

At the tone of his voice, the playful spark in her dark eyes danced gleefully. "Hmm? Aren't I allowed to pay a visit to my favorite nephew?" she replied mockingly. The smirk on her painted lips widened when he scowled at her.

"I'm busy," he said sharply. "So if you don't need anything then leave." Konzen was about to stamp one of the papers when her chuckle caught his attention. Hand poised to approve the paper in his hands, his eyes darted back to her face. "What?"

"When I came, you didn't look busy to me." She said pointedly and stepped up to the open window at the side. Watching the branches of the trees sway to the gentle breeze, she added casually, "It looked as if something is bothering you."

The frown on his face deepened. He was caught red-handed, but he was never going to admit it. Her being able to catch a glimpse or more than just a glimpse, so it seems, being in this state strengthened his frustration, something that he was definitely not opting for. Of all the people, it had to be this hermaphrodite deity. Any other being would not have been alerted by his delay in work, but this Goddess of Mercy is the sadistic type, in a terribly irritating way.

"Must be your imagination," he replied abruptly and firmly pressed the stamp on the sheet of paper.

Her back resting against the window frame, she replied. "Fine." Voice only filled with amusement at his denial, like always.

His mouth may have said 'no', but she was confident that she had hit the mark and is correct. Leaving him to go on with his work, Kanzeon stared as the cherry blossoms lazily fluttered to the ground, inhaling the sweet scent and began to wonder if more things will happen. Well, they should as hardly anything exciting has occurred on these grounds.

"Oh, have you heard? There is a new face in the palace."

This did not affect him at all, as he was able to maintain the repetition of stamping at a moderate pace. "So what? Not like it would change anything…"

Change…there it was again…that word…

He paused, but quickly made it seem as if a line on the paper he had in his hands had caught his interest then went right back to placing his seal. Konzen was silently relieved that he did not make any obvious signs of hesitation when that thought struck him. Whether his aunt noticed it not or not, as she continued with her update.

"But isn't it strange?" she said, stretching the last word a bit and glanced back at him. He was still in the process of going through the pile of papers. "This man applied for a position right after it was announced that Jian would be returning."

"Must be a coincidence," he said simply. But he has to say, she was right, to his dismay, for it does sound a tad bit too suspicious. Then again, he may be right that it just so happened that this new person applied for a position after they were told that Jian would be coming back. Konzen shook the thought out of his head. This was getting ridiculous…

Perplexed by why she was telling this to him, he asked, "Anyway, why should I be concerned about it?"

All of a sudden, a piece of truth set in. For some reason, he has to be worried; he has to find out why things are happening at the same time. Without realizing it, he had already finished the pile of documents, but when he reached for another; his hand only felt the smooth surface of his desk. Slightly shocked and confused, he stared at the back of his palm, how his silk glove wrapped his wrist and arm perfectly, the ring gleaming in the light.

Engrossed in his personal discovery he lifted his hand off the table and stared at his palm. Taking in how many creases there, the length of his fingers, the absence of signs of him doing any labor work, his mind started to wander. The answer was slowly descending unto him, bits and pieces of it. It just seemed to have revealed a preview of itself then flickered away before he could grasp it. Konzen was so enamored in analyzing this odd precision, he had almost completely forgotten about the fact that he has an audience.

However, she has no intention of interrupting his pondering. Konzen beginning to walk on the path destined to him greatly pleased her. Most of all, it fascinated her to witness that he was complying to the order of (for once) straying away from the enclosed world he has himself living in for a very long time. Kanzeon took in the pleasure of watching him for a bit longer, taking note of the look in his eyes, the yearning look for a sign or an answer before averting her gaze back to flowery shrubbery outside in the gardens.

Indeed, changes were going to take place.

Only takes a matter of time, and one's consent.

-------------

A hand descended sharply on the polished surface of the desk. The sound cut swiftly through the chatter in the office, causing everyone transfix their attention on to the angered man behind his desk. Raven black hair flowed from his head and stopped above his waist. His hair curtained his face, barely covering his livid gray eyes. He is a very handsome man, with almost flawless physical aspects but the hatred that had been ignited inside soon stole all of that away. A snarl rose from his throat and he abruptly brushed his whole arm across the desk, tossing everything on to the ground. The other occupants could only stare and flinch as office things broke. Silence hung in the air as everybody stared at the outraged man.

"Master Shou?"

"How dare he show his face?" he growled, taking long breaths. Jian Long had long arrived since the other day, but word of it came to him only now. He whipped his head to his assistant who let out a yelp and took a step backward. "And why did you tell me this only now?" he scowled.

The assistant swallowed the huge lump in his throat and started to dab at his forehead with the hem of his sleeve. "W-Well, you've been so busy so I thought-"

Shou didn't bother to wait for him to finish his sentence. "You thought? You thought?"His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. In a flash, he was right in front of the stammering man and had him by the collar. "Do you not remember that he is a threatto me?" he said hotly.

Out of frustration, he punched the wall on his left, earning more yelps from his staff. Fear filled his assistant's eyes as he watched his Shou's eyes swirl in anger that continued to grow. "O-Of course I do sir…I-I-I"

Shou closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to hear any more of the man's excuses. He could feel a migraine coming. When the poor man in his clutch had not stopped spluttering ridiculous words, he let go with a push. "Enough, I don't want to hear anymore of your blabbering…" he muttered and retreated to his seat.

The assistant let out an embarrassing squeal and began to hastily fix himself. All other eyes were on Shou who is currently working on regaining his composure. With his head resting on the back of his hands, he began to take deep breaths, his anger slowly ebbing away. No one in the room dared to speak in fear of disturbing him. Some even took care as not to breathe loudly or cough as they waited for Shou to break the silence. Yes, it was no secret to them that the warrior, Jian Long, is Shou Liu's long-time rival.

Once he felt that majority of him had calmed down, he briefly opened his eyes and started to reminiscence on the memories of Jian before he left to the world below. Since the day they met, he knew that they were equal, but that was what he hated the most about Jian. Knowing someone who was of equal standards to him only pressured him. His clasped hands tightened their grip as he recalled the days when Jian would always outdo him. Then the day came when Jian was assigned to a duty that required him to be away for a long period of time.

Shou can clearly remember how euphoric he became upon receiving the news. He had thought that he was finally free from the disturbing presence of that God. Shou even started to feel more at peace at his job now and was even waitlisted for a much higher position. Except, now that Jian has returned, his chances of acquiring that spot will be depleted and surely his dream will be tossed into the trash bin.

When he shifted in his chair, many were startled and began to brace themselves for another enraged act from their master. But all Shou did was lean to the side, his read resting on one palm while the other was settled on the desk. His things that he had tossed to the ground laid forgotten as he began to think carefully on this situation. How was he going to deal with this now? All of the days when Jian could come back, he arrives just when Shou is in the middle of fulfilling his life-long ambition.

After what felt like ages to the others, he sighed and said, "Alright, get back to work and I don't want to hear a word about that man in my presence." The threatening tone was enough to have them obey his command and without questioning him, they all started to proceed with their tasks. One of them took the initiative to clean the mess up while Shou was left to his pondering.

Now what? That nuisance is here and it won't that easy anymore to get around here… he thought wearily. It took a while before it sank into that this is what the banquet is all about. Just yesterday, he had overheard two maids talking about the event that will take place very soon and that everyone was just working their backs off to prepare for it. It perplexed him as to what would have caused such a stir in the palace that had been almost stagnant for a while now.

All this for him… These words crossed his mind as he stared blankly at the space before him. He had isolated himself from the happenings in his office. The mere fact that the upcoming celebration is for his dear rival almost sickened him. If he ever sees him he is going to-

A stroke of brilliance struck him, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. Shou sat up at once. His sudden movement stole the attention of his staff and all of them paused in the middle of their work. All eyes were on him as a smile slowly crept its way to his lips. A soft sound suddenly came and it wasn't long before they realized that it was Shou laughing.

"That's right…I can use that…" he said softly. His laugh had turned from a chuckle into a maniacal laugh. He tossed his head back and laughed aloud. He didn't care that the others were staring at him as though he was crazy. All that matters is that he has a plan on to solve this little problem of his.

Only one person can make it possible.

-------------

Why? Why? Why can't they just leave me alone? Konzen ranted inwardly as he sulkily walked behind his hermaphrodite aunt and cousin. Both of them were conversing with one another and reliving the good times in the past. He was in the middle of work when the two suddenly ambushed him. Literally. They just walked right in and demanded that he dropped whatever he was doing so that he could join them on an 'important' errand.

And that errand was to have a picnic.

A picnic.

Just when he was suppose to be inside and finish up the documents before they pile up again.

But no, they didn't' consider that as a reasonable excuse from having to join them and dawdle around. A frown creased his handsome features as he glared at the back of the two who were oblivious to his scowling. In fact, they seemed to be relishing in the bad vibes her was sending out to them. That ticked him off some more and finally, he tore his violet gaze from them to distract himself. The two had led him to one of the many gardens in the palace. Nothing special was around to amuse him. Everywhere he looks, there was green. There were some other colors occasionally standing out amidst the sea of greenery, but it didn't stir any interest in him at all.

"Look at that…even some time off work can't relax him…" Kanzeon muttered, glancing back at her nephew. "He isn't even making any effort to get himself to be at peace even for a little while…" she added with a sigh.

Jian also couldn't resist the urge to look back and see how Konzen was doing. "My, he really won't change…" he said amusedly, a small smile nestled on his lips. He then shifted his focus to his aunt. "Don't you get tired of him?"

Kanzeon laughed softly and shook her head. "Not at all," She cast her eyes to the sky and added, "In fact, it only gets more entertaining each day."

The warrior could only smile. There were no other words to describe it, but he could tell that there was just something unique about all of this. He too looked upward and it was then he saw the beauty of the clouds swimming across the sea of blue.

"Hey Konzen, are you going to just stand there and space out or are you going to join us for a snack?"

The Merciful Goddess' deep voice interrupted Konzen's thoughts. His frown deepened as he turned to them. "Actually, I prefer that I was back inside but I don't have much of a choice, so I?" he grumbled, walking up to them. Konzen stopped once he was in front of them.

"That's right." Kanzeon said smugly and pointed her thumb at something behind. "Come on, Jiroushin should have set everything by now."

Jian nodded and smiled at his cousin. "He was the one who prepared the food so we better hurry up if we want to eat."

Konzen's reply was a short snort and brushed past between them. The two could only watch him in amusement before joining him to walk to the spot where their other friend was waiting. In the distant, they heard their names being called. It was Jiroushin waving his arms, telling them to hurry up. The four gathered around beneath a tall and mighty tree that seemed to be the tallest around.

Everyone except for Konzen talked happily to one another, although he was in and out of the conversations from time to time. It almost startled him when it occurred to him that he was almost contented in drinking sake under the bright blue sky. He wasn't the least stressed that there was still paperwork waiting for him on his desk.

Even these people are his guides on the path that he is trekking on.