Red-Weasel-Chan: Here is the latest chapter of Saiyuki Gaiden~! I apologize for the wait. I've been overwhelmed with trying to find a place to move out and then work is being a jerk.

But enough about me~! Here is the chapter you've all been waiting for~! :D I hope you enjoy because this is one of favorite chapters so far!

Enjoy~!

We do not own Saiyuki Gaiden. It belongs to the lovely Kazuya Minekura.

Chapter 6 –The Punishment

It was beautiful. It was so unique and beautiful. It seems only a few people actually saw this beauty.

'The secret places that nobody else knows about.

The places where tall trees grow.

And the places where lots of wild berries grow…'

The blonde child was perched in a tree. His violet eyes were so full of joy and happiness as he saw what nobody else did. The trees leaves were so vibrant and lively. It wasn't like anything he's ever seen.

Laughter echoed through the branches by his company. The child looked and saw the guy he met a few days ago, his face spread into a smile. He was pointing to a nest of eggs from a bird, asking what they are and how they got there. The child took the time to explain to his friend what they are, enjoying the feeling that it was giving him.

It was so peaceful and relaxing. He had nothing to worry about.

It felt amazing.

'Let's go together!'

"…sama. Nataku-sama," a voice interrupted his dream.

Violet eyes fluttered open to see the ceiling of his room. He was disappointed to see it. He wanted to his dream. Not this.

"Your father has sent for you," the voice of the servant interrupted the silence once again.

Nataku narrowed his eyes at the mention of his father but got up, ignoring the servant for he had woke him up from his dream.

'Someday…' he thought as he moved to start his day.

"Ten-chan!" an excited voice rang in the room. "Where do I put these?"

The Field Marshal, who was looking through a book, pointed to a nearby shelf, "Just line them up on the shelf inside, please."

"Ok!" the heretic child said, balancing the stack of stuff in his short arms as he walked to the shelf.

Tenpou smiled as the boy did his job, "You're so helpful Goku."

"I know~!" a cheerful woman squealed. "He's so helpful when I have to organize documents as well!"

Tenpou set his book down and looked at Yuki, who was going through books on the floor, with a smile, "Really? Isn't he sweet?"

Yuki nodded enthusiastically like a proud parent. She was proud of the child she was in charge of and to hear it from someone else made her happy.

"I just dropped by because Goku begged me to and Yuki wanted to see her brat of a sister but why do I have to help you clean up your room?!" Konzen growled out, dusting the clean empty shelves.

"You look surprisingly good in that!" Tenpou laughed at the blonde who was wearing a white bandana with pink flowers. He turned towards the secretary with a smile, "Good job getting him to wear it!"

Yuki had to force herself to not blush. She had the bandana just in case Goku needed it. When they arrived at the officer's room, they ended up cleaning with the lazy man. Not even a few minutes in of cleaning, her boss kept on complaining about his hair getting in the way. That's when she offered the bandana and surprisingly he took it.

"She didn't make me! My hair got in the way and it was the only solution!" Konzen argued even though he secretly appreciated the kind gesture.

He also did like the bandana. It was cute.

Goku appeared next to the Field Marshal and asked, "Hey Ten-chan! Why isn't Ken-Nii and Aya-Nee here today?"

"They were helping me a while ago but then they had to go to a military gathering at the main building," Tenpou replied thinking back to the mess and argument that happened about an hour ago. He had to crack a smile at the thought of the two yelling at each other.

"Then why didn't you go?" Konzen asked as he took the bandana off to take a break.

"Because it wasn't my division that was called. The ones who were called were under the command of Nataku Taishi," Tenpou said, lighting a cigarette.

That raised eyebrows of the two adults in the room. "Isn't Nataku still under medical treatment?" Konzen questioned. That was the last he heard of the Fighting God.

Yuki gasped silently at the news. She looked at the child in sadness who was looking through the clean shelves. How could they do that to a child?

"Yes," Tenpou said, "but the upper levels have never cared about that. After all, he's their 'killing puppet'."

Konzen and Yuki could only stand there in silence as they listened. Both of them don't know much about the army so this was all new information.

"As you know, the main work of the army of Heaven is to seal Gods or people of Gekai with a harmful influence in Heaven," Tenpou began to explain. "To subdue an imprison those who would do evil but in the end they are just fighting those who are a threat to Heaven."

Konzen nodded while Yuki stared at the officer very seriously. They knew that the work of the army was to protect Heaven and all the people in it.

"However, Nataku Taishi is different. All enemies who are a threat to Heaven, Nataku will eliminate. It sounds stupid, but we as people of Heaven, cannot kill. Nataku Taishi is the only one authorized to. It's just one of the methods that the upper levels use to keep themselves from being 'unclean'."

"Hey Ten-chan!" Goku popped up between the Field Marshal and his caretakers, not realizing he interrupted a serious moment. He lifted a book in front of his face and asked, "This book! Can I borrow it for a little while?"

Tenpou blinked a few times before smiling at the boy and said, "Sure."

"You have an interest in books?" Konzen was slightly surprised the child read any books. It seems his only interest was food and annoying him. Yuki just stared at the chibi in awe at how adorable he was. Her little one is growing up!

The blonde's surprise was killed when he heard Goku talking about the book.

"Awesome~! The pork bun can fly in the sky!" Goku gushed as he looked through the book, his eyes sparkling in delight.

Konzen sighed and was about to look to his secretary to give her a look that said the child is stupid, hoping she would agree. He was surprised to see her kneeling by the boy with same look of excitement.

"Look Goku! There are lots of buns here!" Yuki pointed on the other page where a group of steamed buns were.

Goku looked and laughed, "Yeah! Hey look! Even the curry bun appeared!"

"Oh! It sure did!"

"Enough," Konzen killed the moment. He looked away from the sad eyes from the two but he would never tell them he thought they were cute gushing over the child's book. That would be something he would be taking to his deathbed.

"Would you like me to read it to you Goku?" Yuki asked, sitting next to the child.

"You would really do that?!" the heretic looked at the woman with bright eyes.

"Of course dear!" the kind woman replied with a motherly smile.

Goku jumped for joy and handed his caretaker the book, sitting down next to her so he could see the pages.

Konzen watched the two and shook his head but was struggling to not smile. It warmed his heart to see them like that. He loved seeing Yuki smiling and happy. Goku was also making an impact on him so seeing his happy as well was heartwarming.

Tenpou saw his friend shake his head and chuckled, "It's not too bad Konzen. I think Goku's already mastered the basics of reading and writing. He absorbs a lot if he's interested in it."

The blonde gave a side look to the military officer, "Hey…"

"Hm?"

"You have every book here, don't you?"

Tenpou looked at his friend with a confused gaze, "Huh? Yeah, it's my hobby you know. Everything from philosophy to more popular stuff."

"Whatever it is," Konzen looked to the child and woman, "just pick me something interesting to read next time I come over."

That slightly surprised the Field Marshal but he smiled nonetheless and said, "Sure. Gladly."

In another room nearby, two bodyguards could be heard talking. Well, only one could be heard because he was bitching about a certain woman.

"And then she told me to get lost! Can you believe her?!" Chao Li finished his story. He was sitting on the window, his right leg propped up next to him and his right arm on top of it.

Yun Li, who was standing across from the aggravated male, was leaning against the window and listening to the story. "Hm," was his only reply to the situation.

"Damn, sometimes I wish I could … I don't know! Punch her! Or something!" Chao sighed out after his anger settled. "You're lucky you have Yuki. You don't have to deal with Amaya."

"And yet you wouldn't have it any other way, right?" Yun asked with a knowing look.

Chao scoffed at the question and had to smile. His friend knew him so well. He knew that he loved the crazy woman and her stupid antics. He just had to vent at first then it hits him that it was quite fun. "Yeah. Got to have some kind of chaos in this boring place."

"Yeah," Yun agrees with a smile. "That's why I have you for that."

"Hey!" Chao looks at the man and sees a rare smile on the normally expressionless face. He let his own true smile show and lightly pokes the aqua haired male. "Hey, you should do that more often."

Realizing he let his true emotions show and his lover caught him, Yun Li looked away to hide his blushing face. "Shut up," he grumbled out.

"Come on~. You can do it~," Chao continued to poke the man as he teased him. He saw the blush and knew another smile was about to show. "Come on~. Please babe?"

The nickname did it for him. Yun couldn't stop his lips from curving upward into a smile. It faltered for a moment when he felt arms wrap around his waist but came back when he realized what was going on.

"That's better," Chao said, pulling the man in his arms closer.

Yun returned the hug, his heart in cloud nine. He doesn't know how this loud and obnoxious man did it but he always manages to make him break out of his emotionless self. It felt nice feeling this way.

Blue eyes peered out the window and watched the sakura petals flow. He wished this moment would never end.

In another building, a meeting was being held for a certain war god. He was feeling better and God summoned him. Around him were people who gathered to see him and what his mission was.

"They keep on sending more men to the front line…" one person mumbled, unsure of this decision.

"Ah, we don't have to worry thanks to the 'killing puppet' over there," another person said as he gestured to the boy in the middle of the huge room. "Nataku Taishi…"

"Silence," a servant next to God yelled to gain everybody's attention.

A few moments of silence passed until God spoke, "News has come in that there are people causing a disturbance on Earth. To overlook this would jeopardize our authority. Therefore…We order Nataku Taishi's forces to depart for battle. Understood?"

Nataku jolted at the order. So soon? He had no choice but to bow his head and say, "Yeah…"

"A moment please," a man's voice broke through the silent crowd. Everybody near the voice moved away to let the man through.

"Who is it?" God asked.

Kenren arrived out of the crowd and kneeled in a formal fashion to show respect towards the elder. "General of the Western Sea Dragon Goujun's Army, Kenren Taisho," he introduced himself.

Goujun, who was standing next to Li Touten, was surprised to see his General there. Nataku was also surprised to see someone interrupt. Nobody has done so before. Nearby, Amaya, who joined the General to the meeting, was trying to get his attention.

"Kenren!" she whisper-yelled but with no luck. What is he doing?! He knows better than to do this.

"What is the matter, General?" God questioned, keeping a straight face but was curious to hear what this man had to say.

"Well…" Kenren looked up at the Emperor, contemplating his words, "If I may be so bold to speak, but it would seem that the wounds Nataku Taishi sustained from subduing Gyumao have not fully healed. I beg you to consider giving my troops the appointment instead."

The crowd gasped at the offer. What kind of question was this?

Nataku looked at the man in shock. He now knew where he saw him. He was at the festival with that 'guy'. What is he doing here? Li Touten watched as the General caused a bunch of ruckus with an evil smirk.

"A mere soldier dares to…" one person growls out.

"Does a bastard like you really think he can take Nataku's place?!" another argues through gritted teeth.

"Not at all," Kenren brushed off easily as he stood up, "But I would like to think that I'm better than the lot that disappeared and came back without a single scratch."

"Wha?!"

"What exactly do you mean by that, Kenren Taisho?!"

"Kenren!" Amaya yelled above the crowd but it fell on deaf ears. She needs to keep somewhere hidden just in case it goes bad. She slowly moved closer to Li Touten in the crowd so her superior could see her.

Goujun could not believe his soldier was picking a fight here. "Kenren! Stop this insolence!"

"Ah wait," Li Touten interrupts the banter. He looks to the side in thought and says, "Kenren right? It's a puzzle how you can underestimate my son." He then turns to glower at the General, "My son Nataku is the perfect warrior. Such a small wound is nothing. He is prepared to sacrifice himself for the sake of Heaven. He is eager for battle. Isn't that so, Nataku?"

Nataku's eyes widened for a second, but clenched his fist to stop himself from showing his true feelings. "Of course," he replied in his monotonous way when facing these kinds of situations.

Kenren looked at the boy with sad eyes. He had no choice but to follow orders. These people had no heart. They only cared about themselves and they used Nataku as a pawn.

Seeing there were no more objections, God nodded his head and said, "You may step down Nataku."

"…yeah," the War God resigns. He stood up and walked towards the exit but not before giving the General a light punch to the gut. "Thank you."

Kenren was shocked by that small action. That small punch spoke a million words. He didn't even need to see the boy's face to see what he was thinking. He already knew by that simple gesture.

When Nataku was out of the room, Li Touten was sneering at the man. "Well now, since you've finished," he looked to the nearby guards, "escort Kenren Taisho to be disciplined."

There was a hum of agreement from the guards as they approached the man. The crowd seemed to agree to the orders but there was one person who didn't.

"Kenren!" Amaya yelled but nobody seemed to hear her. She made a move to stop them but a clawed hand stopped her. She looked up to see her big boss shaking his head.

"Don't do it," he says. "It wouldn't be worth it if both of you were punished."

Amaya wanted to tell him he was wrong and stop her superior from being punished for something stupid but she also knew he was right. Her getting punished with him didn't do anything except cause more problems and more eyes on their unit. They didn't need that. Especially now.

The Admiral looked away from Goujun to see Kenren be escorted out, her heart heavy with guilt.

"Huh?!" a child's voice rang outside Nataku's castle. "I still can't visit Nataku? He hasn't seen anyone in ages. Is he really that sick? That guy…"

"Yes, at the moment I'm afraid you can't see Nataku-sama now," the woman Goku was talking too said. "You come every day too. I'm sorry…"

"I see," Goku sighed out in disappointment, "If he's that sick, I there's nothing I can do."

The woman smiled sadly at the boy and waited for him to leave but he made a noise like he remembered something.

"Ah! That's right." Goku pulled out a flower crown behind him and presented it to the woman. Tenpou told him that bringing flowers to a sick person was good and thoughtful so he spent all day making it just for Nataku. "Will you give this to Nataku for me?"

"Yes, I can do that," the woman replied with a smile, taking the crown.

"Thanks! And also my name is Goku. Please tell that to Nataku too!" Goku turned to leave, feeling good about what he did.

Behind him, the woman continued to watch the child leave with a smile. When he was out of sight, her smile fell from her face, a dark glower taking its place.

Underground in a prison to keep people, the General was sitting on the ground behind bars, his hands bound above him. He was sporting a lot of cuts and red marks from a whip. A large gash below his eye was still dripping of blood but it didn't seem to bother him. The silence around him was interrupted by two sets of steps coming his way.

Kenren looked up and sees two pairs of red eyes looking back at him. "Come for the grand tour?" he asks with a smirk.

Goujun narrows his eyes at the stupid remark, not believing this man is so stupid. "I always thought you were a fool," the superior officer said slowly then ended with, "but I didn't suspect you were this big of one."

The General just smiled at the insult, "Tiresome, isn't it?" He then turned his smile to the woman next to Goujun. "Amaya here knows all about it! Right sweetheart?"

Amaya looked away, not able to face the man properly. She didn't even notice the General's smile fell when she didn't acknowledge him. It kind of stung when she did that.

Noticing the Admiral had nothing to say, Goujun took the moment to toss the keys he had for the cell by the man's foot. "I'm your Commanding Officer. Why didn't you ask me before asking the Emperor? If it had been a suggestion from me, he might have listened."

"Is that so?" Kenren questioned in an almost sarcastic tone. He managed to grab the keys with his foot and started the process of freeing his binds. "I think it would have turned out the same. Besides," he grunted when the last bind was released, "I just had to say something out there, you know? Whatever it was…"

Goujun crossed his arms as he listened to what his underling had to say. "Even though you knew you'd end up here, it still had to be said?" He was trying to figure out why this man did what he did.

"This is nothing," Kenren shook it off to prove his point. "It hurt a lot more when Nataku punched me."

Amaya clenched her fist at the man's words. Did he not know the extent to his injuries?

"He always has to act like an adult when he's just a kid," Kenren looked up, thinking back to the many times Nataku had to do the missions with no say. "Seeing him act like that, is always so painful."

The General's words were stopped by a loud bang caused by the woman's fist colliding with the cell bars. "Do you not realize that it hurts to see you like this?!" the Admiral yelled, her voice bouncing off the walls.

Kenren blinked in surprised by the woman's outburst. Goujun was also surprised but didn't stop her, sensing that she needed to say this.

You talk about how it hurts to see Nataku acting like that and I understand. What the higher ups are doing to him is not right but what you did, stepping out and asking the Emperor that, getting yourself like this because of your recklessness, is not right either!" Amaya argued, glaring at the man in the cell. She gripped the bar by her hand, feeling tears pricking at her eyes.

"Amaya…" Kenren breathed out, not sure how to respond.

"The Admiral willed her tears to go away and was thankful her voice didn't show she was breaking down. "I don't want to see you like this Kenren. Not now. Not ever."

Kenren looked deeply at the woman and saw her unshed tears in the dim light, automatically feeling guilty. How could he make her feel this way? He wished he could promise her that he won't end up like this again but that was a lie for both of them since they were in the army.

He decided to do the next best thing.

"I'm sorry Amaya. I'll try to stay out of trouble so you don't have to kick my ass."

Amaya couldn't help but smile at the apology. "You better you jerk."

Kenren chuckles, feeling a bit better now that the tense moment ended. "But I'll kick your ass at shogi," he threatens.

"Because Tenpou taught you how to play and he's a master!"

As the two officers continue to argue who is better, Goujun could only shake his head as one thought came to mind.

These two idiots were perfect for each other.

"Kanzeon Bosatsu," Jiroushin called to the Goddess. "Please look at these documents…" His voice trailed off when he saw what the woman was wearing around her neck. He blinked a few times before asking, "What is that?"

"It suits me, doesn't it?" Kanzeon prided with a wink.

"No way!" the assistant argued, couldn't believing she made it. "Did you make it yourself?"

"No, I didn't make it," the Goddess said as she turned the page of the newspaper she was reading. "I found it."

"You found it?!"
"Yeah," Kanzeon nodded but felt sad for the flowers for she knew what they were for. "These flowers left their maker's hands and were thrown out."