Red-Weasel-Chan: Hello once again! I apologize about the wait but this chapter did not want to come out. I think it was more or less a really happy chapter and I was expecting death and gore. BUT that will happen later on so I'm saving my tears for this!

Also, A Dark Lullaby says hi~! And she misses you guys. She's currently drowning in class work but she's enjoying it! I barely get to see her anymore. Only Skype once in awhile.

Anyways, here is the latest chapter of Thanks For The Memories!

Enjoy!

Chapter 10 - Under the Cherry Blossom Tree

That night before I went to bed, Ken-Nii-chan, Ten-chan, Aya-Nee, Yuki, Chao Li and Yun Li unexpectedly showed up. Konzen and I were confused at their appearance. I didn't think Konzen invited them over so we stared at them with blank looks.

Ken-Nii-chan was the first to speak. "Tonight I'm really in the mood to drink," he said. I looked over to Ten-chan to see him nod in agreement.

"Then why is Yuki with you guys?" Konzen asked, a glare aimed at our visitors.

Yuki smiled but didn't say anything. "She was with me when these two showed up and invited her," Amaya spoke up for her sibling.

"And who wouldn't want to have this sweetheart around?" Kenren said, wrapping an arm around Yuki's shoulders. I silently agreed with him. It was always a lot more fun with Yuki around.

I saw Konzen's glare harden but he didn't do anything. He just scoffed and shook his head at Ken-Nii-chan.

"So, do you want to join us Goku?" Ten-chan asked. Even though I was tired, I suddenly became excited and nodded my head. Ten-chan laughed and said, "Ok. Let's go."

"To where?" Konzen asked as he stood up to follow the group.

Kenren smirked, "Where else?"

Konzen and I were confused once again. It seemed we were the only two to not know where we were going.

Yuki grabbed my hand and started to lead me out of the room. She smiled down at me, causing me to smile back. I heard footsteps behind me and I knew the rest of our friends were following. Even Konzen.

Becoming even more curious, I looked back up to Yuki and asked, "Yuki, where are we going?"

She glanced down at me, still smiling that infectious smile. "Underneath the cherry blossom trees," she answered.

And so, we all went to see the cherry blossoms.

Pretty soon, all of us were underneath the brightly blooming cherry blossom tree.

Once we were all settled, Konzen shook his head at the officers, "You three really do have a lot of time on your hands."

Ten-chan just laughed, "Don't say that!" He was already a little drunk.

"We already have a bad reputation. No need to make it worse by saying that," Aya-Nee lectured. She wasn't drinking what Ten-chan and Ken-Nii-chan had. I think it was some kind of juice.

"Well, I guess you could call it free time," Ken-Nii-chan said in a haze. He was definitely drunk. "They leave everything to Toushin's army. We're just the post-disposal unit."

I was confused so I looked to Yuki and asked, "What does that mean?"

Yuki looked to her sister, pleading in her eyes. Aya-Nee rolled her eyes and said, "Basically if they don't feel like doing something, they send us."

"Oh!" I said in understanding. I turned my gaze to Ken-Nii-chan to ask what they do when they went down below but stopped at the sight.

"Hey~! Surely you're gonna drink, right Konzen?" Ken-Nii asked as he was already pouring the liquid into Konzen's cup.

Konzen kept still, trying to keep the drink from spilling. "Stop it! Don't fill my cup as you please!" Konzen growled out. Ken-Nii just continued to fill the cup until it was near overflowing.

Ten-chan drank some more and ended up talking to me and Yuki a lot as Aya-Nee kept an eye on Ken-Nii-chan and Konzen. "And then when talking about the dietary culture down below, ramen can't be forgotten," Ten-chan said with a smile.

"Ah, Konzen makes ramen sometimes when Yuki isn't around."

Ten-chan looked at Yuki with a look I didn't recognize. Yuki blushed, quickly looking away from us. "Well Goku, in one bite of what they call ramen, there's diversity. You can reasonably call it a cuisine with deep insides," Ten-chan told me. "Tonkatsu and miso corn are hard to do without, but I personally proscribe to the school of salt ramen."

"Aya and I love salt ramen," Yuki said, her face back to regular color. "We used to eat that all the time when we were younger."

"Maybe I can make it for all of us next time?" Ten-chan suggested. That made me happy to hear. Eating and hanging out with everybody sounded fun.

I heard laughter a bit away and looked to see Chao Li and Yun Li sitting there. They were drinking what Ten-chan, Ken-Nii and Konzen had but not as much. They also kept on glancing over, mainly at Aya-Nee and Yuki. They caught me looking their way, smiling and waving at me. I returned their gesture and they went back to talking and laughing.

I felt a smile on my face when they did after Chao Li said something.

They looked so happy.

My attention went back to Yuki when I heard Aya-Nee speak. I didn't hear much but I happened to catch, "…and then the guy tried to pull some kind of tackle but he missed! He ended up tackling big boss man!" Amaya finished her story, bursting into laughter at the end.

Yuki joined in as well. I didn't understand what was going on but hearing them two laugh was contagious. I ended up laughing with them, still unsure what was going on. I stopped laughing first and noticed the guys weren't joining in. Ten-chan had a smile on his face while Konzen and Ken-Nii were slightly red in the face.

"Hey Konzen, Ken-Nii. Why are your faces red?" I asked, curious if they were all right or if they needed help.

Both Konzen and Ken-Nii jumped a little when I pointed it out. Konzen looked away, refusing to look at anybody while Ken-Nii laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. I was confused, wondering why they wouldn't tell me what's wrong. Amaya and Yuki looked just as confused I was. The only person that didn't look lost was Ten-chan who was still smiling.

Ken-Nii finally caught my gaze and smirked, "Goku. This is why you shouldn't drink sake."

"What's that?" I asked, not knowing what sake was.

Everybody burst into laughter at what I said as I sat there in confusion but soon joined them in their laughter. Somehow through all this, knowing I wasn't supposed to be up and about at this time, I felt happy. I felt happy with everybody together. I looked to Konzen and even though he had that sour look (Ken-Nii-chan and Aya-Nee called it that), I knew he didn't mind. He even looked happy when I saw his eyes.

Ken-Nii-chan stood up after a while and smirked my way. "Alright then, hey Goku! Wanna climb this tree?" he asked with a little bit of excitement.

His excitement wore off on me as I jumped up and said, "Yeah! Let's race to the top!"

Ken-Nii laughed but looked at Aya-Nee who was taking a sip of her drink. "Hey Aya-babe, wanna join us?"

"Aya-babe?" I heard Konzen say with a bit of disbelief. I didn't know what was going on but I saw Yuki hiding her laughter behind her sleeve as Aya-Nee was choking. I think she swallowed her drink wrong.

"What the hell kind of name is that?! And no! I don't want to join you!" Aya-Nee nearly yelled out but was still coughing from her drink.

Ken-Nii shrugged his shoulders and started climbing the tree. "Come on Goku! I'm going to win at this rate!"

I snapped out of it and started to climb the tree as well. "Yeah right! I'll still beat you up there!"

"Ah, please be careful Goku!" I heard Yuki call out with a worried tone. "Oh, this is not such a good idea."

"They'll be fine Yuki. Kenren won't let him hurt himself," Konzen reassured with a small smile.

Yuki's nerves settled at the reassurance but she tensed up at Tenpou's next words. "If you fall, I'll laugh at you, drunkard!"

Yuki looked at the Field Marshal with wide eyes, not believing he just said that. She was about to scold him for saying that but his suggestion was backed up by his Admiral. "Yeah! Go on and fall drunkard!" Amaya shouted with a huge smirk. "Oh! Maybe I can get him to fall by throwing rocks at him."

Yuki squeaked, jumping at her sister to stop her from searching for any rocks. "Aya! Do not throw rocks at Kenren and Goku!"

"I wasn't going to throw them at the little monkey! I'm only aiming at the giant idiot," Aya tried to reason but her sister still had a solid grip on her arms. "Let go of me Yuki!"

"I will not until you promise to not throw rocks at them!"

"I already told you I'm just aiming for the gorilla! Not the little monkey!"

"You could accidentally hit Goku and make him fall!"

After that, their fighting got quieter the higher I climbed. I looked down to see how high I was and was a decent ways from the ground. I looked back up to see where Ken-Nii was and he wasn't too far from where I was. I guess Konzen was right to say he wouldn't let me hurt myself.

"Tenpou," I heard Konzen say. After that I couldn't hear much of what they were saying but all I knew was that it was serious. They had difficult expressions on their face and Tenpou's smile was now a serious frown.

"The Toushin, is it possible for them to make two or more at a time?" Konzen asked.

Tenpou didn't say anything at first but replied, "You're thinking about that too?" His answer was a slight nod from the blonde and the attention from the two women. "Actually, in the succession of Toushin, there are precedents of having more than one at the time. If there's the right man for the position, they'll appoint him. That's all there is to it."

"Then why are they holding Goku here?" Amaya questioned.

"If Goku ends up where he's made Toushin at the same time as Nataku, with the grip that Li Touten has been using on that power, then from the beginning, Goku…" Tenpou trailed off, realizing something as he looked between the two caretakers of the heretic.

Amaya didn't like that look, her nerves itching for an answer. "Then what Tenpou?"

"Konzen. Yuki. Then you two, as the 'Toushin's Protectors', have become a hindrance for Li Touten," Tenpou finished with a glum look.

As they continued to talk, I stood on the branch and looked out. I thought that the cherry blossoms were so pretty. How they flowed with the wind and how they made the world that much brighter. The more I looked, I felt like Nataku should have been here to see this.

But I suddenly felt a little lonely with that thought.

I really do wish he was there to witness the cherry blossoms.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Ken-Nii yelling down to the others. "Hey! You four down there! Stop talking about boring things. Enjoy the flowers and sake."

Tenpou's serious face faded into a small smile as he looked up at Ken-Nii, "Yes yes. We know."

"Hey! Don't tell us what to do!" Aya-Nee yelled back, shaking her fist at Ken-Nii.

I heard them fighting but I was focused on Konzen and Yuki. They looked at each other with a different look. Konzen with a scowl and Yuki with a worried look. Yuki then smiled brightly at Konzen and said something I couldn't hear because of Aya-Nee and Ken-Nii fighting but Konzen's eyes widened by her words.

I kind of wish I knew what she said.

"You know," Ken-Nii said as he took out a cigarette from his back pocket, "the cherry blossoms down there are much more of a babe than these."

I was confused by his words but apparently Aya-Nee understood what he said. "Yeah. They are so much more beautiful down there," Aya-Nee agreed with a tiny smile aimed up at Ken-Nii. Even Ten-chan nodded his head in agreement.

Konzen and Yuki looked just as confused as I did. Konzen looked up at Ken-Nii and asked, "Aren't they the same type of tree?"

Ken-Nii smirked, "Yeah, but their way of life is different."

I still didn't understand what he meant but Konzen and Yuki's faces showed they did. "I see," Yuki barely whispered out with smile.

Konzen looked at her sideways, his own small smile showing. He then tilted his head to the cherry blossoms and said, "That's something I'd like to see."

I don't know why, but his words made my heart kind of squeeze. I felt really happy, more than I did before but I didn't know why. I just was. I was so caught up in my happiness that I didn't hear a snap from below. The next thing I knew, I unintentionally fell right on top of Konzen.

"Ah! I'm sorry Konzen!" I exclaimed, worried he might smack me. "I-I didn't mean to-."

"Goku! Konzen!" I heard Yuki's voice coming closer. She grabbed my face and arms like she did at the festival and looked me over. "Are you ok?"

"Yes Yuki. I'm fine. I don't know about Konzen though!" I said, pointing to Konzen who was still laying on the ground.

Yuki went up to him and helped him sit up. "Are you alright Konzen?" she asked, looking for any scratches like she did to me but not as crazy.

Konzen's face was dark and scary, like he wanted to yell. I was about to apologize even more but the laughter from Ken-Nii stopped me. "Hahaha! Nice catch, Konzen! That's our daddy!" he said through laughing. I was surprised he didn't fall off the tree from how hard he was laughing.

Konzen's scary look increased at Ken-Nii's words. "And let's not forget our sweet mother that looks after the two~," Ten-chan added as he smiled towards Yuki.

Yuki's face turned a light red at his words and Aya-Nee started laughing at her. "Aww~! Is big sister embarrassed?"

"N-No!" Yuki stuttered out, waving her hand like she was trying to shoo her away.

I was so caught up in their banter that Konzen's yell startled me. "Stupid monkey! What the hell do you think you're doing, falling on me like that?!"

More laughter was heard as I was yelled at. "But wasn't it your fault Konzen?" Ten-chan questioned.

"How was it my fault?!"

"It's because those shackles make Goku weigh more than 100 kg. That's why the branch broke," Ten-chan said with a knowing look that said he won.

Konzen wouldn't have it. He was still upset about me falling on him. "This is why I told you not to climb the tree!"

"Wasn't it Yuki who said that?" Ten-chan reminded.

As Konzen continued to argue with Ten-chan, I happened to look up to see what Ken-Nii was doing. I saw him standing on the tree branch, ready to do something. He noticed me staring at him and he winked, putting a finger to his lips. I couldn't even ask what he meant as I saw him fall the next second and landed on top of Aya-Nee.

I heard her scream in surprise as Ken-Nii collided with her. Everybody looked to what happened and saw Ken-Nii on top of Aya-Nee, his arms holding her in a hug as his face was on her chest. She was super red in the face while Ken-Nii was smiling away. He used his arms to pull himself up to face her, his smile still in place.

"You alright darlin'?" Ken-Nii asked.

Aya-Nee's face turned even redder as she attempted to push him off of her, "Y-Yeah. Just get off me already!"

"Yes, please do! There are children in the vicinity. At least find a room you two," Ten-chan said with a chuckle.

Yuki already had her hands over my eyes so I didn't see much after Ken-Nii asked if Aya-Nee was alright. I heard shuffling around until my eyesight was restored and found Aya-Nee as far away as possible from Ken-Nii. "What's wrong Aya-Nee?" I asked, worried she was angry with him.

Aya-Nee looked away, her face still red in her cheeks. "Don't mind her Goku. She's just a little embarrassed," Ken-Nii answered for me.

"Karma hurts, doesn't it Aya?" Yuki teased.

"Shut it Yuki," Aya-Nee growled out, still keeping her eyes away from us.

The rest of the group laughed at her response. I joined in a bit later as Aya-Nee and Yuki continued to bicker. It was always interesting to see them interact. They may have been different but they got along so well.

We stayed like that for a few more hours. We talked, laughed, joked around. It was an amazing night. I will never forget it. Everyone I liked the best were here. We were all smiling like nothing was wrong. Even though that was all we did, that much was ok.

At least, that's what I've always thought.

When it got darker, we finally decided to pack up and head back to our homes. We walked a bit together since we were all going the same way. It was quiet between all of us. I was a bit tired so I couldn't wait to fall asleep. I think everybody else thought the same thing.

The silence was interrupted by Ken-Nii once again. "Hey. I have a question."

"Is it an intelligent one, drunkard?" Ten-chan asked next to him.

"Yeah," Ken-Nii said slowly, clearly trying to keep balance from all the sake he drank. He then turned towards Chao Li and Yun Li with a pointed finger, "Are you two fucking?"

I jumped at the squeal Yuki made and the laughter coming from Ten-chan. Konzen was glaring at Ken-Nii like he wanted to throw something at him and Aya-Nee slapped her hand on her forehead. I looked to the two bodyguards and saw the mixed response. Chao Li looked ready to kill while Yun Li looked like Aya-Nee when Ken-Nii was on her.

"Kenren! Don't say it like that!" Yuki scolded, her face a little red.

"He's so stupid," Aya-Nee grumbled under her breath.

"What?! I just really want to know!" Ken-Nii defended. "I don't want to make Chao Li angry if I decided to hit on Yun Li, you know?"

"Don't you dare you perverted bastard!" Chao Li suddenly yelled.

"And that's all I needed to know~," Ken-Nii said in a sing-song tone.

Ken-Nii laughed as Chao Li continued to yell at him to never talk to Yun Li unless he was around. I didn't understand why he was acting like that but maybe he cared for Yun Li that much. I looked at Yun Li to see him still slightly red in the face but shaking his head. Maybe not so much…

Before more yelling could be made, I noticed that we were in front Konzen and I's room. I felt my sleepiness kick in and couldn't wait to fall asleep. Yuki must have noticed my sleepiness because she kneeled in front of me and ruffled my hair. "Are you ready for bed, little one?"

I nodded my head, feeling my eyes droop a little. Next thing I knew, I felt her kiss my forehead and that made my heart squeeze once again. I looked into her chocolate red eyes as she smiled at me.

"Goodnight Goku. Sweet dreams," Yuki said. I was still in shock but saw her stand and look at Konzen. "Goodnight to you too, Konzen. See you tomorrow."

Konzen's face turned a light pink from her words. I think he was feeling the same way I did.

Very happy.

"Awww~ Can't I get a kiss from Mama too?" Ken-Nii teased, going so far as to go towards Yuki.

He was stopped by Aya-Nee holding him back, "Don't you dare touch Yuki you stupid drunkard!"

"Fine, I guess I'll just order you to kiss me goodnight~," Ken-Nii said as he turned around in the hold to hug Aya-Nee. He leaned down to get closer to her but she stopped him with her free hand.

"Don't think so asshole! And you don't order me around! Tenpou does!" Aya-Nee argued.

Ken-Nii looked at Ten-chan with a pleading look, "Hey buddy! Help a guy out."

Ten-chan just laughed, clearly feeling a bit light headed from the sake as well. Yuki shook her head as she watched her sister hold back Ken-Nii-chan. Chao Li and Yun Li looked unamused by the whole situation. Konzen, however, glared at Ken-Nii like he wanted to kill him. I think he was just tired like me and wanted to end the night already.

After all our goodbyes, Konzen and I got ready for bed once again. We quickly fell asleep but my happiness was still with me. This night, was something I would never forget.