Finally had a chance to sit down and write a chapter!! Nursing school take up WAY too much time and is WAY too stressful. I recommend it for the pay, but if you're afraid of gaining weight or can't handle a busy schedule or stress, don't take the class!! Anyone else, go for it. But enough about my class, on to the story!!!

Chapter 2

The sun was bright and warm as usual, though there were clouds in the sky for once. It was a nice change to the usual clear, sunny skies that normally graced us. Every once in a while we'd get a stronger than normal breeze that pushed some clouds by, but that was rare.

I always thought it weird that the clouds here were pure white, never a mixture of white and gray like they did in the lower world. To me, the lower world had it made. The beautiful women they were free to love, the flaws of a flower that makes it more beautiful than the rest, the way the sky during the sunset never looks the same way twice.

My favorite thing about the lower world was how well they made their drinks. Sipping the sake from the small cup in my hand, I savored the taste on my tongue. A smile lingered on my lips as the petals from the sakura blossoms of the tree I currently sat in fell like snow flakes around me. Here in heaven is seemed as though they never ended. Even as the petals continued to fall, there never seemed to be any fewer flowers in the trees nor did it seem like you had to rake up piles and piles of petals from the ground. It almost seemed like at the end of each day, the petals on the ground reattached themselves to the trees. I'll have to ask Tenpou about that later.

I sighed as I brought the small cup back to my lips again. The smell of the sake alone was addicting. If anyone found out I had it, I'd be hearing about it for a week. Another thing I liked about the lower world is that they were not confined to such silly rules as no alcoholic drinks, no smoking, no public disturbances, hell no talking while the emperor is talking! Could it get any worse? And don't even get me started on the women. Here, they're so proper, stuck up, and boring as all hell. They wore the same type of traditional clothes and used the same type of done up hairstyle every day of every week. You couldn't tell one woman from the next!!

Blinking, I looked around the area, hearing the faint sound of someone breathing harshly, as though running through the field of sakura trees. I watched as a woman with long black hair flowing behind her as she ran under me, weaving a labyrinth of a path through the many tree trunks. Not too far behind her were several women following at a somewhat slower pace. One seemed to have some type of comb and brush in her hands while another was carrying the worst looking kimono I had ever seen. The last one had a set of red prayer beads and a pair of those hard as hell to walk in shoes.

"Kimi-sama! Please! Those clothes aren't appropriate to wear!" The first woman yelled as she looked around for the running woman, apparently named Kimi.

I watched as Kimi climbed one of the trees and hid within the many blossoms. It was a surprise that she could even run let alone climb in those heals. The women searching for her ran straight under the tree she hid in, still calling her name and looking for her. I smirked and hoped down off my post walking over towards the tree she occupied. She was kneeled down on a branch, looking out between the branches in the direction the women had disappeared in.

Up close, she was quite attractive. While most people had paler than hell skin, hers was gorgeously tan, contrasting well with her long black hair. Her well toned muscles could be seen across her stomach with her low slung, worn out jeans and her midriff blue shirt with matching beads in her hair and belt.

"I think they're gone," I said, smirking a bit as she jumped, startled. I was surprised when she looked at me with bright green eyes. Most gods had either blue or black eyes. It wasn't often you found someone with a set of green eyes like that.

She blinked at me as though I had two heads. "I guess so," she said as she climbed back down from the tree, dusting herself off.

"So, may I ask what it is they wanted from you?" I asked while taking out a pack of cigarettes from my pocket and pulling one out.

"Apparently I'm not dressed very appropriately in their opinion and they wanted to cover me up. Mind if I bum a smoke?" she asked, putting two fingers up to her pale lips.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "It's not often I find a fellow smoker," I said as I held the pack out to her.

She smirked as she took one. "My friend's always telling me about how I should quit." I held a light out to her. Lighting her cigarette, she smiled at me. "Thanks. Name's Kimi."

"Kenren," I replied, lighting my own. The smoke felt good as it filled my lungs. I watched her as she took a nice long drag of her own cigarette, savoring the taste and feel of it, letting the nicotine run through her veins. She let out the smoke in a long breath, her shoulders relaxing some and an arm coming around to wrap around her stomach loosely. There was a pleased glint in her eyes when she opened them, the green seeming to deepen more and become almost impossibly bright.

"So," she said. "Kenren. You have an affinity for the lower world's goods, too?"

"One could say that," I replied, letting my cigarette hang loosely from my lips.

She smirked as she leaned her back against the tree, cigarette hanging from her long fingers. "You must be very good at keeping it a secret considering you store your sake in an unmarked bottle."

My eyebrows raised in yet another surprise, my own smirk playing across my lips as I pulled the said bottle from my belt and poured a small class. "Either you have x-ray vision or you've heard of me from some of my friends."

"Actually I could smell it. It's one of my favorite drinks from the lower world. And it's best when drank with a cigarette," she replied, taking another long drag to emphasize her point.

I put my arm up on the tree above her head and leaned in close to her, offering her the poured glass. "Why I do believe you're right. Care to share with me?" She smirked again and reached up towards the glass, but instead took a hold of my hand. Placing her lips on the glass she tilted my hand to tilt the glass. Clever. I could feel blood rushing south as she licked away the small drops that still clung to her lips.

"Mm. I haven't had pure sake in a while. It's a taste of flawed perfection," she replied, licking the rim of the glass with the tip of her tongue before letting my hand go.

"I don't think I've ever had someone call sake flawed perfection." I poured another glass drinking it down myself.

"It's what I love about the lower world. The flaws of their world make it that much more beautiful." She took another drag of her cigarette, savoring the taste before stubbing the rest out against the trunk of the tree. "I gotta run. My friends are expecting me."

As I watched her walk away, she paused only to look over her shoulder at me. "I'll see you around, Kenren," she said before continuing to walk away with a slight sway to her hips. I had to smirk as I took another sip of flawed perfection.

Yay!!! Finally!! It's done!!!! I am soooo sorry for taking so long in getting this up!!! I hope you enjoy and that you'll review and keep up with my stories!! The more reviews the more motivated I get!!