Tenpou noticed the flower on Konzen's desk, standing upright in a clear vase made of glass, and smiled. No doubt, it would be Ryurei's work of art, but he had never seen anything like it before. "A very nice Onee-san gave it to me so I could give it to Konzen!" Goku chirped, as though being able to read his mind. "And guess what, her hair was as shiny as Konzen's too!" It was a lily, yellow, like the color of the sun, flecked with speckles of red, as though they had been stained with blood. A rather strange combination, making it even more exotic… It was beautiful, to say the least, and a sparkling new creation.
"I heard from a child this morning that you made a new genus of lily," he told Ryurei later that day, as she sipped her wine, and he took a puff of his cigarette. Each one of them had their own vices, she mused, his large hand covering hers. "Just for Konzen Douji…" There were few in Heaven who knew of their relationship, and Konzen was one of them, being a mutual friend. Ryurei had been known Konzen through the various play-dates with her that Kazeon Bosatsu had forced upon him when they were children, so that he could learn to "appreciate beauty" and not be so bored all the time, to no avail. Oftentimes, she would have to refrain herself from trying to mince him into pieces and feed him to her brother for lunch.
Chuckling, she leaned her head on his shoulder, and said, "He was too adorable to ignore, Tenpou. No wonder a no-life like Konzen would take him in…" Goku had wandered into her gardens as she was coming up with something new, and helped her to create the lily. Wanting to show Konzen the product of their joined labors, Goku asked her if he could take one back with him. "His eyes were so big that I just had to give in, even if it was just a prototype."
But Ryurei knew that Goku was no mere child. The diadem on his head, it was a clear sign that it was a limiter. A being that was born out of the World itself, his powers would have been great and disastrous if left unchecked and unchallenged. Goku was brought to the courts of Heaven so that he could be monitored, and who better than Konzen Douji, who had so much free time on his hands? "Come to think of it, Konzen actually smiled when Goku gave him the lily," she added after another sip of wine. Goku really is affecting him, in a good way, of course."
Tenpou could not agree with her more. There was indeed a change in Konzen. He was actually less bored and smiled slightly more often. However, he was afraid that things were going to change soon. Although Heaven seemed like a genuinely peaceful place, there was something amiss, as though whatever that had happened was just an image, a figment of an imagined reality… As the violence in the realms below grew with more powerful and strange Youkai than the Heavenly Army could ever handle, and in the corner of his mind, he knew that it was not that simple at all.
With all the disturbances going on, he hoped that Ryurei would be far from danger. Yes, she was trained in combat, and yes, her abilities could match that of her brother's, but so long she was the Goddess of Flowers, she would be the Key of Life. Apart from the Tenchi Kaigen Kyoumon, she would be the only one with the power to create life, and if there would be a plot of a coup, or something else, she would definitely be one of the targets. He wanted her to be safe, and judging on his involvement from the current turn of events, he would only bring danger to her.
"Do you think that my ears are deaf and my eyes are blind?" she asked him, her voice suddenly serious, as though demanding a straight answer from him. Turning to face him, Ryurei's sapphire eyes were filled with poison as they pierced his emerald ones. "I know what troubles you, and it has much to do with Nataku Taishi and his father…" Li Touten had been a junior official in the Court of Heaven until Nataku was born, when there was no news that his wife had been pregnant at all. When the young Toushin Taishi rose in the ranks of the Heavenly Army, so did his own, and Li Touten grabbed every shred of power that he had gained. With the same amber eyes of gold, Goku would be a threat to Nataku, given his power and strength, and it was a risk that Li Touten would not hesitate to remove at the slightest notice.
His arms encircled her waist, holding her close to him. "I cannot risk losing you, Ryurei," he told her, "Every single day my men and I are being called down to subdue new Youkai-monsters, and we cannot handle them without giving a hard fight… I fear that it is much more than just coincidence…" He had feared that all those appearances; they were staged, staged in order to move the attention of the Heavenly Army to the realms below, for an even greater plan.
"Baka!" she scolded, slamming her fist into his shoulder, "Just say the word, and I would have joined you down there," she told him, "Do you know how worried I get whenever you are fighting, and I have to wait at our meadow for hours and hours? You know very well that I can fight!"
It was his turn to stare her down this time. "But you are the Key of Life. If you are lost, terrible things would happen to the world!" he exclaimed, cupping her flawless face. "That is why your brother protects you so, that is why I cannot risk your safety!" There was anguish in his emerald eyes, and she could tell badly he meant those words. "Ryurei, please, for your own sake, and that of the World's, leave the fighting to me."
Ryurei did not say anything, nor did she look at him. Turning away from him, she sat on his desk, fingering his toad-shaped ashtray. He was just like her brother! So obstinate about her safety, even all she ever wanted was to lighten the burdens upon their shoulders, and not become one! What use was she in being the Key of Life when she could not protect the ones she loved? What use was she in being a Dragon-Princess when she could not swing her weapon to help those who need her? She felt him holding her hands in his, and their warmth immediately radiated, causing her to turn to him, involuntarily.
Seconds later, a sheathed dagger appeared in her hands, where he had been holding them. "I want you to use this if you need to defend yourself," he told her, unsheathing it for her, revealing its blade dotted with sparkling emeralds. "When you look at this dagger, think of it, as you are looking at me," he begged. She had told him the first time they met, that his eyes were like emeralds. "If I am not here to protect you, this dagger will."
Tears started to well in her eyes, but they did not fall. Ryurei was too strong for that… She threw herself into his arms and embraced him as tightly as she could. "Tenpou, you are speaking as if we would never meet again," she said, scared of that prospect. "Please, whatever you are planning, please, tell me…" He was a brilliant strategist, that could never be denied, but he was always acting alone… Although the appearance of Kenren Taisho as his subordinate had somewhat lessened that already, he was still so solitary.
Embracing her as well, Tenpou drew a long, hard breath. He loved her so much, but it was what he had to do, to keep her safe. He did not know what path he was about to take, but he knew that only sorrow and pain would come to her, if she had followed him. It would be better that she remained as she was, the Goddess of Flowers, loved by all, and protected by her brother. He had to protect her from his own destiny, and it was the best way he knew how.
"I love you," he whispered to her, before kissing her, putting in everything he felt for her. It was she who had given his life so much color; she that had given him a reason to smile. Her existence had given him something to protect, something to cherish, and there was nothing than he wanted for. She, too, gave everything she had into the kiss, knowing that it could be very well the last time that she would see him. He was as stubborn as her brother could be, and she knew that he would risk everything to get what he wanted… After what seemed like a sweet eternity, their kiss broke, and he drew her into his arms once again, tucking her head under his chin. "Ryurei, forgive me… This is the only way I know to protect you," he murmured. She was crying now, having caved in from the brave front she had tried to create. "Remember, no matter whatever happens to me, or whatever I become, you will always have a place in my heart."
It took a great amount of courage for Ryurei to acknowledge those words. She looked at him with those sapphire eyes that pleaded for him to stay with her, but he knew that nothing could be as they wished. They might be Gods, but even they could not disobey Fate. They shared another kiss, this one, bittersweet and tear-filled before she picked up the dagger and started to walk towards the door of his office. He could not stand it; he tried to steel himself from the image of her moving away from him, and held her once again. Both of them remained like that for the longest while…
The next morning, Nataku Taishi was ordered to kill Son Goku by his own father. The young God of War looked at his friend and found the same amber eyes, and decided once and for all. He decided to be free, and so, he cut himself instead. It was the only way…
Hours later, news came to Ryurei that Son Goku, Tenpou, Kenren Taisho and Konzen Douji had held Tenpou's regiment in their barracks hostage, along with her brother, Gojun, who apparently willingly went with them. Li Touten would surround the complex with his men, and the greatest massacre in Heaven was to continue, while the four of them were accused of assassinating the Jade Emperor, amongst other crimes. In exchange of the lives of the Western Army's soldiers, they demanded for exile into the Realms below, to be free from the laws and dirty politics of Heaven, if they could make it there alive…
Sadly, only Son Goku descended the elevator. Kenren Taisho died fighting the countless "Nataku" experiments deep in Li Touten's laboratories, while Tenpou died after defeating the countless Heavenly soldiers that swarmed towards the pathway that led to the Gate of Heaven which linked Heaven and the Lower Realms. Konzen Douji, he was crushed by the elevator of the Gate, in order to get Goku inside… In the end, Son Goku was sentenced to imprisonment in the summit of Mount Gogyou, never to age or to feel hunger… It was the greatest torment and punishment Heaven could decree.
After that day, the flowers of Heaven were no longer the fairest in existence, and the laughter of the Dragon-Princess was rarely heard again.
Hakkai woke up from another dream of blood and gore. Once again, he was the perpetrator, but those that he had killed, were not Youkai, but soldiers. Scores and scores of soldiers. Once again, he had seen the Goddess that had appeared in his dreams, and now he knew that he had once loved her. That dagger that he had given her, it was created by using his own Ki at that time… That was why it still came back to him, even if he had left it at the Dragon Temple…
Ryurei… That name rolled off his tongue so easily, leaving a fragrant taste in his mouth, once again reminding him of roses. Why was he fighting, or rather, what was he fighting for? And to make things even more complicated, Goku was in the picture as well, just that he was smaller and shorter… The other two men, that Konzen Douji, he looked uncannily like Sanzo, and Kenren Taisho's appearance was like that of Gojyo's, if the half-Youkai had short hair. If this was a message from the heavens, what are the Gods trying to tell him? What did they want him to know?
Playlist:
Tenpou and Ryurei: Evenstar, The Two Towers OST
