Red-Weasel-Chan: It is finally done! I finished this chapter after months of having a block! I hope you guys enjoy it because the next chapter is sadness induced crying which is the same thing as being sad anyways but you get the point.

Also, I hope all you lovelies had an amazing Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holidays time or just a great few months I was gone. :)

Love you guys long time!

Lullaby says she loves you guys too~! :3

Saiyuki Gaiden - Chapter 12

"Ah, I see the number of injuries has increased," Li Touten said in a gentle voice. "That must undoubtedly be painful, poor child."

Nataku looked into his father's eyes, somewhat mesmerized by how he was staring back.

"Nataku. You're always doing so well for me. You are my pride," Li Touten continued to praise his son. He even had a small smile on his face.

The heretic was still in his trance, unable to move. Every time they were alone, Li Touten became kind. It made him more fearful in what the evil man would do. Despite that fear, Nataku became unable to move or say anything. He couldn't run away like what he wanted to.

"You're an extension of myself," Li Touten said as he unrobed his son to view the rest of his injuries. "You alone are my everything, Nataku."

'I become entranced by his affection.'

"Just around that time, an unusually high number of powerful monsters appeared in the lower world," Tenpou continued his story. "Naturally, the Heavenly Army was dispatched more often since then."

"Amaya! Can you clean the washroom?"

"Admiral! Please pick up the training room! Eizen and I need to go!"

"Amaya! Glad I caught you. I need you to iron my shirt for a date I'm going on. Need to impress the lady right?"

"Hey princess. Take these papers to Goujun. Also, he's really pissed at us so beware. Thanks!"

"What are you doing?! You can't go out there! Only real men like us can fight!"

"Sorry to bother you Admiral but can you clean my office?"

That was basically the story of the new Admiral's three months. There were times she snapped but she did so in private. She didn't want her idiot squad members to see her break. Even though she hated every moment the past three months, she refused to let them see her crack.

So, she did every single request they asked of her. She even talked normally to the rest of the squad except for her superiors. She wanted to wring their necks because every time she saw them, she ended up doing a stupid task. She was even asked to be their maid but she yelled at them for that.

Amaya fell on her bed face first, getting back from cleaning up a mess her squad made. She really wanted to quit. She wanted to throw in the towel and be done with this kind of torture but she knew if she did, she would be angry with herself.

She felt her eyelids start to shut, telling her to take a nap but she jumped up when her door was slammed open. "Amaya. We got another monster down below," she heard her bodyguard say. "We need to meet everybody at the gate."

Amaya sighed as she got up, not looking forward to another expedition where she was thrown behind all the men and being told to not get in the way. "Alright, let's get this show on the road," she grumbled, picking up her dual elbow blades as she exited her room.

"So, you think we won?" Kenren asked his friend who was reading another one of his many books.

Tenpou didn't even look up as he said, "Won what?"

"Won the deal with Goujun," Kenren clarified.

"Ah, maybe."

"Why do you say maybe?" the General questioned, curious as to why he said so.

"Because we have until tomorrow to see if we really did win," Tenpou replied, slapping his book closed to find another. "Always remember that a lot can happen in a short amount of time."

Kenren grunted, seeing as his friend was right. Their moment was interrupted when one of their soldiers barged in. "I apologize for interrupting but we have another monster down below! An immediate expedition is needed to subdue the beast!"

The two superiors let out a sigh. "Go alert the others and we will meet at the gate," Tenpou ordered.

"Yes sir!"

"With so many monsters, I honestly have to say that it was too much for us to handle."

"Gah! Fall back!"

"Sir, it's impossible!"

"Even if we try containing them in the lower world, with these numbers…"

"And the reinforcements?" Tenpou asked in a calm tone so that he wouldn't freak out his soldiers.

"I've contacted the Eastern Army but they've already been deployed. We're shorthanded," a blonde soldier answered with a down look.

"I guess it can't be helped," Tenpou said as he pushed up his glasses. "So you're saying that either way we've got our hands full?"

"He's saying that there are too many of those beasts," Kenren said, glaring at his two targets close by. "Maybe we should start advertising for new recruits…"

Tenpou scoffed lightly, "I doubt anyone would show up, considering the circumstances."

Kenren nodded in agreement as he looked at the scary sight. Two of his comrades were running away from two huge beasts that looked like a weird kind of fish creature. Their roar rumbled the ground, sending fear down anybody's spines. He held up his arm to shield his eyes from rubble coming his way.

"Ah!" another soldier screamed out, more rocks coming their way from the attacks of the monsters.

"Admiral! Get back! This is way too dangerous!"

"I can handle myself! Worry about your own asses!" the Admiral growled out. She heard another loud boom behind her, expecting a rock to hit her but was surprised when she didn't feel anything. She looked behind her and saw her bodyguard protecting her from a few huge rocks. "Thanks Chao Li," she said with a small smile.

"Don't worry about it. It's my job to look after your troublesome ass," Chao Li teased but with serious intent behind it. He refused to let his ward get hurt under his watch.

Amaya shot a quick glare at her friend but caught a glance of her two superiors nearby. She started to slowly make her way towards them to come up with a plan but she had to go slow between the rocks still flying around and the ground breaking beneath her.

"It would probably be more economical if less people were lured out," Tenpou grumbled under his breath as he tied his hair in a ponytail. "Alright. All troops, stay clear of the lower world and await my orders."

"What?!" Kenren exclaimed in shock. "Are you going to-Hey! Wait!" The General could only watch as his superior started to run towards the beasts.

"I'm leaving the squad in your care!" Tenpou called out, not even looking back. All he could hear was his soldiers yelling at him to come back but he didn't listen. He needed to save his friends.

The Marshal ran past the beasts and yelled as loud as possible, "Where are you looking at?! I'm over here!"

The beasts heard him and looked away from the squad, focusing on their leader. Tenpou sprinted a bit faster in order to avoid a clawed foot coming his way. He looked behind him to see both monsters following him. 'Yes. If I could just lure them away a little further…' he thought as he continued to run.

He was so focused on luring them away he didn't notice the ground in front of him begin to crumble. He didn't notice until another huge beast with horns sticking out of his mouth popped out, ready to strike. "Shit!" Tenpou cursed, trying to find a way out of the deadly situation but couldn't find one. He was trapped. The only thing he could do was brace himself for the attack.

Tenpou closed his eyes, bracing for the attack when he felt himself being pushed down. He managed to look to see who it was that knocked him off his feet and was surprised to see black hair and red eyes. He couldn't even say the woman's name to warn her that the beast was about to attack.

She was already hit.

Amaya was slammed into a nearby boulder, the monster not even noticing it hit the wrong person. It looked at the woman it hit, relishing in the fact it nearly killed somebody coming after it. Tenpou was too shocked to react as the beast went after his Admiral. The only thing he could do was watch as it took a few steps to reach its next meal.

Luckily, a flash of purple cut the monster's ankle, causing it to fall on its face. It groaned in pain, unable to stand back up from how clumsy it was. Chao Li, the one who knocked it down, didn't even care about it anymore. He called out his ward's name to find out if she was still conscious. He panicked a little when no response came. He ran to the boulder and started to dig through rubble to find his reckless friend.

Tenpou stood up, his shock wearing off, and went towards the bodyguard to help but was stopped when the beast made another move to stand up. It was stopped when it was shot by a few rounds by Kenren, who was just now running up to the scene. He jumped up on top of the beast's head and fired a few more shots to make sure the anesthetic kicked in soon.

Tenpou let out a small sigh, looking around to see the other two beasts already sedated. That made things a lot easier now that all three monsters were out cold. He looked at his friend coming his way and said, "The anesthetic is working."

"Yeah. Just bites that we can't even kill when you want to," Kenren grumbled out, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Makes us, who live here in Heaven, look pitiful."

Tenpou saw the way the man's shoulders were tense, like he was ready to punch the next thing that came up to him. "You're angry, huh?" he asked the obvious question.

"Angry doesn't even cut it!" Kenren snapped but sighed once he heard multiple footsteps running towards them. "And I'm not the only one."

Tenpou also heard the footsteps coming their way, already knowing it was the rest of their squad. He looked at them once they stopped in front of them, all looking like they were offended to some degree. He was slightly confused but had a feeling why.

"Marshal! Are you alright, Marshal?!" one soldier yelled, concerned for his superior.

"General! Is everything alright?!" another asked the officer that beat them to the scene.

"Where is the Admiral?"

That seemed to clear Tenpou's mind, as he jolted a little from the realization. He looked behind him and saw Chao Li had already dug her out of the rubble. She did not look well. Blood was falling from her head and it looked like her arm might have been broken. That's just from the outside. Who knew what else was broken that wasn't showing.

The rest of the soldiers followed their superior's gaze and were shocked to see the woman in such terrible shape.

"Oh no!"

"What happened to the Admiral?!"

"We told her not to get in our way and now look!"

"Shut up!" Chao Li shouted, tired of the men's words. He glared at them, especially at the two superiors. "She just saved your Marshal's life! Stop looking down on her so much and maybe you'll see how strong she really is!"

That shut the squad's mouths really quick. This guy was right. They spent so much time and effort to try to make her quit that they didn't realize that she was someone that could watch over them like an Admiral should. They suddenly felt like shit. This woman, the very one that they thought was useless, just risked her own life to save their superior.

"Get her to the medical unit immediately," Tenpou's order broke the silence.

The soldiers didn't need to be told twice. "Yes sir!" was the unison reply. Half the squad left to get the gate ready while the other half stayed behind to tend to their superiors. Tenpou waved off his help, seeing as he only had small scratch and Kenren waved off his help, his only injury a cut on his forehead. Both men looked on as two soldiers went to help Chao Li with Amaya but he shoved them away.

"I can take care of her," was his only answer when asked if he was sure.

Kenren and Tenpou went up to the bodyguard when the soldiers left. They didn't know what to say or do but they felt the need to make sure the woman was ok. Chao Li seemed to sense their unease as they just stood there, staring at the woman in his arms.

"Don't worry about her," the bodyguard broke the awkward silence. "She may not look like it, but she can handle a lot worse."

Kenren and Tenpou could only nod stiffly, not knowing how to reply. They were worried about the woman for the first time since they met and they didn't know how to react. "Need any help?" Kenren asked, moving to assist the man in carrying the admiral.

Chao Li shook his head, "Nah. She's as light as a feather. Plus, take care of yourself first."

The men looked over their injuries. To them it was simple stuff but maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be carrying someone in their condition.

"Marshal! The gate is ready!"

"That's our cue. Let's hurry up and get her to the medics," Chao Li said, taking the first steps towards the direction of the gate. At first he didn't hear footsteps behind him to indicate that his superiors were following but a few moments later, he did. He had to hold in his smirk.

These guys finally figured it out.

The silence in the room was near suffocating. After they walked the Admiral and her bodyguard to the medical unit, they were kicked out once Kenren's head was bandaged up. They couldn't even tell the medic to let them know when it will be ok to come back because the door was slammed in their face.

Seeing as they had nothing to do there, the two superiors headed back to their office. Tenpou was leaning on his desk, his face in his arms as he smoked a cigarette. Kenren was lounging on the couch a few feet away, also smoking a cigarette. The two men didn't say much at first. Their minds clouded with what transpired an hour ago.

Tenpou glanced at his friend, seeing him with a bored look but knew he was deep in thought. He felt bad for what he did. For running off and leaving his men without a second thought. "My apologies. I acted rashly," Tenpou finally said.

Kenren didn't even look back at the lazy man. He was still focused on something else. "Well, everything turned out ok," he replied.

"Besides having our admiral almost killed," Tenpou reminded. That brought a downer in the room. The two men sighed, their thoughts still troubled. "I think we lost."

"Heh, you too?" Kenren asked his friend with a smirk.

Tenpou hummed in agreement. "You see, not too long ago I let one of my men get killed."

"Is that so?"

"I think the reason why I froze is because I had a moment of déjà vu. Seeing her sacrifice herself brought back memories of when I let my soldier get killed," Tenpou confessed, taking a long drag from his cigarette. The only people that knew about this incident was the few that knew the soldier. They didn't blame him though and that's what made him upset. He could take the yelling and the blame but hearing his men say that it wasn't his fault made him feel horrible.

Kenren looked back at the marshal with a raised eyebrow. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was about to let my superior officer get killed along with the admiral."

Tenpou's gloom lifted a bit at those words. He scratched the back of his head, then chuckled, "Somehow, both of us look like losers."

"Pfft, yeah right! I always look awesome," Kenren said, his confidence filling the whole room.

"It would've been cooler if you hadn't said that yourself, you know," Tenpou teased with his own smirk, the gloominess of the moment lifting.

"Shut up!" Kenren grumbled, his confidence going down a few notches. "Hey, but seriously. What are we going to do about our hero?"

"What else are we supposed to do? We can't kick out our hero after what she's done," Tenpou replied, putting out his cigarette in the frog ashtray.

Kenren chuckled, "Hell yeah. Plus, she kinda grew on me."

"I as well."

"Marshal! General!"

The two men jumped a bit at the door slamming open. They looked to see one of their men, panting heavily. "What is it?" Tenpou asked, a bit worried about the news.

The soldier took a second to compose himself before he smiled, "She's awake."

"Stop scratching your cast! You're going to need more medical work if you keep this up idiot!"

"But it itches!"

"Stop bending your body! You already have two broken ribs!"

"I need to pop my back and you won't help me!"

"Because it's going to make your situation even worse! Now lay down and rest stupid!"

"You're not the boss of me! Lay off!"

"Don't make me call your father over here! Or would you rather have Yuki on your ass?"

That seemed to shut the woman up. She stopped moving around crazily and actually laid on the bed, but she crossed her arms in a bratty way.

Chao Li let out a heavy sigh, "Seriously, you've been knocked out cold from serious injuries and the first thing you do is try to make it worse. How are you even still alive?"

Amaya just kept her gaze anywhere but her bodyguard.

"Hey, stop pouting. Be thankful that you are still alive," Chao Li reminded. He crossed his arms in front of him as well, sighing for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "Because if you did die, your father would kill my ass and then Yuki would kill me again."

Amaya let out a chuckle, thinking about it. Her father would definitely kill her bodyguard if she died. He was always super protective of his daughters after their mother's passing. That was why he hired the two best bodyguards for her and her sibling.

"And I don't want to hear those two idiots complaining as I go either," Chao Li added with a grumble. "They need to get their shit straight."

That made the woman curious seeing as he was no longer talking about her family members. "Who are you talking about idiot?"

Chao Li threw a glare her way, "Who do you think? Your two superiors."

Amaya raised an eyebrow, "What the hell are you talking about? Have you not been here at all for the past three months? They obviously want me out of the squad."

It was the bodyguard's turn to raise his eyebrow before he let out a laugh. "You're so oblivious sometimes," he snickered. Amaya went to try and smack him but her ribs didn't allow her to go far. Chao Li noticed it and shook his head, "Idiot. They love you."

Amaya nearly fell out of her bed from how hard she jumped. She shook her head furiously, ignoring the headache coming forward. "I-I-Impossible! Don't say stupid things like that Chao Li!"

"I'm not lying!" Chao Li argued, trying to get his ward to understand the situation. "They were worried about you. Hell, they nearly knocked down anyone in their path to get you here."

Amaya continued to shake her head in denial. There was no way her two superiors would do that for her. They wanted her to leave. Right?

"And don't even get me started on the squad. They were twice as bad. Eizen was a nervous wreck when they said they couldn't see you. Goyou had to drag him away from the door. Rikuou looked like a sad puppy. Pretty sure he's still the closest one to the door," Chao Li rambled, thinking back to when he had to step over a few people on his way here. He even admits that it's kind of strange how easily the men of the Western Army changed their view on his ward but he is also glad. They needed to see that she wasn't useless and this incident showed them that.

"Y-You really think so Chao Li?" the admiral mumbled, her loud voice now a near whisper.

Chao Li smirked, "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Amaya was confused at her bodyguard's response, watching him stand up and go to her door. He opened it and her answer was clear. Out in the hallway from what she could see, was her entire squad. Some were sitting in chairs that were offered while the rest were on the floor, leaning against the wall as support as they slept. Her heart fluttered, feeling overjoyed at the sight. Her bodyguard was right.

"And speak of the devils, here comes your superiors," Chao Li said, stepping aside to let the two men come in. "News went out fast. I'm surprised you guys got here so quick."

"Well, we couldn't wait to see our knight in shining armor," Kenren teased, winking at the woman. Amaya threw a glare his way, which he chuckled at.

"And we could've gotten here sooner but the men in the hallway made it difficult," Tenpou gestured to the still snoring men in the hall.

"Didn't know you were such a magnet for men sweetheart," the general said with a smirk.

"I didn't know they were there. I thought they all hated me," Amaya honestly said, looking down at her hands. "Like you guys."

The two men shuffled their feet, suddenly nervous. They didn't know how to voice out their thoughts correctly to the woman. Tenpou knew how to plan battle strategies while Kenren knew how to get into a woman's pants. They weren't sure about admitting they were wrong and wanting their admiral to stay.

Amaya looked away from her twiddling fingers to her superiors when they were silent. Her heart dropped at their expressions. Maybe her bodyguard was wrong. Maybe they still hated her and just showed up to finalize her transfer.

"Ok, I get it," she broke the silence. The men's heads shot up, thinking that was the easiest emotional talk ever. Their faces dropped at her next words. "Once I'm checked out, I'll go sign the papers with Goujun and leave."

"W-What?" Kenren barely whispered, not believing his ears. Tenpou was shocked as well, staring at the woman with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"Wait," Kenren said, his voice a bit louder now.

"I'll leave by tomorrow."

"Admiral," Tenpou's voice finally worked, trying to stop his soldier from rambling.

"It was nice working under you tw-."

"Amaya!" Kenren's yell startled everyone, even the entire squad in the hallway. Once it was quiet, the general took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, I know at first we didn't like you. All of us tried to get you to quit. But…"

"But you proved to us that we were wrong," Tenpou admitted with a small smile. "You proved to us that you deserved a spot here. Without you, I wouldn't be here. So, thank you for saving me Admiral."

"Thank you for ironing my shirt! My date loved it!" a soldier yelled from the back.

"Thank you for cleaning up the training area! We promise to pick up after ourselves from now on!"

"Thank you for keeping the washroom clean! It's like showering in an even better heaven!"

"Thank you for the meal you cooked! It was delicious!"

Kenren chuckled lightly at all the 'thank you's his men were spouting. He turned to the admiral and smiled, "And thanks for putting up with us ants."

Amaya could feel her face flush, her heart beating erratically from all the happiness she was feeling. She looked at her superiors and the group of men huddled around her door, feeling their sincere gazes at her. It almost made her cry.

"So, I guess what we're trying to say," Tenpou drawled out, feeling his nerves get to him again.

Kenren noticed his friend's uneasiness and finished it up. He held out his hand, his smile still shining and asked, "Would you please stay with us?"

Amaya couldn't stop them. Her tears broke free and they fell down her cheeks, surprising everybody in the room, except her bodyguard who was laughing at the chaos she started. The squad freaked out seeing the normally strong woman break down and started yelling.

"General! Marshal! Why did you make her cry?!" Rikuou exclaimed, holding his head in panic.

"I didn't mean to!" Kenren argued. "I thought it was a cool move!"

"Well now look! She's crying! Way to go guys!" Eizen accused.

"We're sorry Amaya! Please forgive us!" Tenpou apologized, feeling like the bad guy.

"Hey! How about we bring you some food? Girls like food when they're upset right?" Kenren desperately asked, trying to fix the problem he created.

"Chocolate usually helps!" Rikuou offered. "I have some from the last time we went Down Below!"

"Great! We can use that!"

"Not unless she's allergic," Eizen broke the happiness.

The squad felt their plan crack in half and shatter.

"Shit! We can't poison her!"

"Oh! How about a gift? Girl's like gifts right?"

"Yes! We can get her some flowers or maybe a vase?"

Chao Li continued to watch the squad think up a plan to stop his ward from crying. He wanted to tell them that she didn't like any of the stuff they thought up of but it was still so amusing to watch. He was so caught up in watching the chaos that he almost didn't see the woman move. He needed to tell her that it's not a good idea to move but something told him not to stop her. So, he watched as she slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed and carefully stood up.

"Ok! We have a plan guys! Now let's go get – Huh?" Kenren stopped barking orders when he felt an arm around his shoulders. Tenpou also stopped his actions when the same thing happened to him. The two superiors looked between them to see a head of long black hair.

"I'll stay," Amaya barely whispered out, all her strength nearly gone from her standing up to hug her bosses. "Just please, stop yelling."

Kenren and Tenpou looked at each other, giving the other a knowing look. They may have lost, but they gained something near irreplaceable. They returned the hug, careful not to squeeze her too much because of her ribs.

"Ok darlin'. We won't yell anymore today," Kenren gently said.

"Just promise us that you will rest up well," Tenpou said as he watched her breathing turn steady.

Amaya could only hum in response, lightly squeezing the men in her arms to show she heard them.

"Good. Now – AH! Amaya!" Kenren quickly grabbed the woman falling and held her close to him. "Hey! Hey! Amaya! Shit! We need to-!"

Chao Li popped up in front of the general and looked at his ward with calculating eyes. He checked her pulse and breathing, nodding his head. "She's fine. Just overexerted herself."

"How do you know?" Tenpou asked, worried about his new friend.

"She's breathing normally and her pulse is fine. If she wasn't, her breathing would be erratic and her pulse would be sky high," Chao Li replied like it was nothing. "You guys should know this. It's simple medical stuff." The entire squad, except Eizen, looked away to show they didn't know a thing about medical stuff. Chao Li shook his head as he grumbled, "Idiots."

"So, she just needs to rest?" Kenren asked as he put the woman back on the bed and put the blanket on her.

Chao Li nodded, "Yeah. But can one of you guys stay here for a second? I need to go tell her family what happened."

"We'll stay," Tenpou answered for the entire squad.

Chao Li was a bit shocked by the response but thought nothing of it. Before he left, he looked back one last time and saw the most guarded room in all medical history. He smirked and couldn't help but think: You're no longer lonely Amaya.

Few days later, Amaya was back on her feet but still had to be careful not to strain herself. Yesterday, they met up with their superior to tell him that she's staying. Goujun wasn't too shocked about the news but he was surprised to see the entire Western Army behind the three officers. It was like a huge barrier around the woman and she wasn't too thrilled about it. Goujun had to stop himself from smiling at the annoyed look she had.

Now, as the admiral was walking to turn in some papers, the situation didn't change. She was still in the middle of the barrier of soldiers with her bodyguard next to her. "You know, if you guys were coming with me, you could've turned in the papers and I could've stayed at the office."

"But then we would've stayed with you and the papers wouldn't have been turned in," Tenpou replied from in front of her.

"And Goujun wouldn't be happy sweetheart," Kenren added to the stupid logic.

Amaya glared at the tall men in front of her, "This is ridiculous. How long are you guys going to do this?"

"Until you're back at 100% Admiral," Eizen said to the left of her.

"Yeah, we don't need you to go back to the medical unit again because you fell on your healing ribs," Rikuou lectured to the right of her.

"She won't fall because I'm with her 24/7," Chao Li reminded, also a bit annoyed at how protective the squad was acting.

"She might fall when she's using the bathroom. That's why we're all here," Goyou argued, a smirk on his face.

"Speaking of, we need to talk about bathroom privacy," Amaya groaned out, thinking about the last time she had to use the women's room. It was an absolute nightmare.

As the squad continued to talk, Kenren and Tenpou saw a guy coming their way at the end of the hall. "Men. Eyes front," Kenren interrupted the conversation. The squad turned their attention to the front of them and got into position. Amaya and Chao Li just rolled their eyes at how stupid the men were acting. The guy in question was a simple servant holding a few papers. Probably doing what they were doing and returning them to somebody.

The poor guy didn't even get three feet from the barrier and Kenren already pushed him roughly to the side. His papers went everywhere and he hit the wall with great force.

"Kenren," Amaya sighed out, not believing her general did that.

Kenren instead smirked smugly at the guy who was just now gathering his scattered papers. "Sorry but next time, watch where you're going," he said instead of apologizing.

The servant just watched as the barrier around the woman continued on. "I wasn't anywhere close!" he harshly whispered, terrified he might be pushed down again. He now knew to never mess with the black haired woman if he ever saw her again. She had a whole army under her wing that would do anything for her.

On the other side of Heaven, something not so happy was going on.

"What did you want to show me, Li Touten?" God asked the man kneeling before him.

"Well, presently it appears that the Heavenly Army is having a hard time," Li Touten cautiously began, "At this point, don't you agree that we're in need of a being permitted to kill; The Fighting God?"

God looked at the man with a raised eyebrow, "What are you saying?'

Li Touten turned to the entrance causing the others to look as well. "Please enter, Nataku."

The door opened to reveal a blonde boy wearing a large, almost baggy white robe.

"This is the new Fighting God and you know what happened after that," Tenpou finished his story. "Nataku was found suitable to be the Fighting God."

Konzen and Yuki stared at the man with a confused look. Konzen was more or less glaring while Yuki was honestly just confused. "Hang on a sec!" Konzen growled out. "Didn't you leave out something important just now?"

Tenpou chuckled and waved his hand nonchalantly, "It can't be helped. That's as much of the story as I've heard. Anything more than that would simply be my own speculations."

Konzen and Yuki let out a sigh, feeling more or less unsatisfied. They needed to know more but like Tenpou, they were left to wonder.

"The truth about Nataku is kept top secret by the Emperor himself and those at the very top," Tenpou continued, taking a small drag from his cigarette. "It's highly possible the Li Touten created Nataku himself. An artificial being like that, it'd be fine to consider it as a weapon. A plausible rumor, spreading throughout the army, even says that he's the spawn of a God and a Demon."

"Something like that wouldn't be permitted," Konzen quickly replied. He looked to his secretary and saw her eyes wide with shock. She couldn't believe her ears. How could Li Touten do something like this?

Tenpou also saw the kind woman's expression. He didn't want her to be involved but it also was her choice. It was for Goku in her eyes. "But it was permitted. Since Heaven needed a Fighting God so desperately. But I suspect that the one who created the need for a fighting God was Li Touten himself."

That made Konzen shocked. "W-What are you saying?"

"I think it's highly probable," Tenpou said his speculation. "The recent surges of troop deployments, the lack of new troop recruitments, and the sudden appearance of a new Fighting God. It's all too perfect."

It did make sense. Everything seemed to fight perfectly and it all started with Li Touten's burning hate for the upper level.

"Undoubtedly, Li Touten holds a grudge against the upper level of Heaven, so he must have some ulterior motives. Currently, the one who threatens his position is Goku who might become the Fighting God."

"So what you're saying Tenpou, is that he intends to get rid of Goku's existence. Even if he has to use Nataku to do it?" Yuki asked, a bit afraid of the answer.

Tenpou nodded slowly, "That is correct."

"What are you guys talking about?"

That voice startled everyone. The three adults looked to the door to see Goku standing there, his eyes wide like he's seen a ghost. He was holding a few books he brought so Yuki could read them to him but it was long forgotten. He heard what they said.

"Goku?!" Konzen exclaimed, his heart dropping at the look the child was giving them.

Yuki stood up and slowly walked towards the child, "Sweetie, what do you have the-."

"What do you guys mean by getting rid of my existence?" Goku interrupted his caretaker which was surprising since he never did that to the woman.

Yuki looked back at the two men, almost pleading for help but they were as silent as her. None of them knew what to do.

"It's a lie, right?" Goku asked, wanting someone to answer him. "Nataku wouldn't do that to me, right?"

Goku waited for what felt like forever to hear an answer but never did. He dropped the books and bolted out the door.

"Goku! That idiot!" he heard Konzen call out.

"Goku! Please wait!" Yuki's voice was next.

But he didn't stop. He continued to run away, to get away from the people that told him lies about his best friend. He didn't even realize where he was going. He just needed to see Nataku and see if it was true.

'My name. I need to tell Nataku my name!' he thought as he headed towards Nataku's house.

"Goku! Ugh, please Goku! Wait a moment!" Tenpou called out to the child with Konzen, Yuki and Yun Li behind him. They ran after the heretic but he slowly got further and further away. Konzen and Yuki, not used to this kind of physical exertion, fell behind and Tenpou left them.

Konzen leaned against the wall, holding his chest to try and get his breathing back together. Yuki stood next him, her hands on her knees to keep herself from falling. Yun Li was behind them, breathing a bit more than usual but he was fine. He kept an eye on his ward, making sure she didn't faint.

Konzen's mind was racing. He tried so hard to catch up to the child but he could never do so. His aunt's words rang in his mind. "Can you be the sun for that little one?" He slammed his fist on the wall, angry with himself. "What can I do?"

Yuki looked up to her boss, waiting for him to clarify what he meant.

Konzen didn't even notice her curious eyes. He was only focused on the heretic being that they were chasing after. "There must be something I can do for Goku!"

Yuki finally understood what he meant. He was upset with himself over Goku. She knew what he was going through because she was also going through the same thing. How could they do something for this innocent child that was brought here for the all the wrong reasons? This boy deserved something better. Her mind flashed her an image of the three together.

They were under the cherry blossom tree, smiling and laughing. Goku didn't have on the shackles and Konzen was holding him in his arms as she stood next to them. It brought her so much joy to see that picture. They were a happy family.

Konzen was startled out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. He looked to find reassuring brown eyes, relaxing him a little bit. "It's ok Konzen. We will find him and take him to the cherry blossom tree. "

The blonde's heart stuttered for a moment then began to fill with determination. He grabbed the woman's hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "Let's go get our troublesome monkey."

Yuki nodded her head, "Yeah."

"Fighting God Nataku, please step forward!"

The crowd of people gathered around where the Fighting God would appear. They would mumble and talk to themselves as they waited for the God to show up. "Nataku's army is getting deployed again."

"Thanks to him we can relax."

"Yeah, it's all thanks to our gracious Fighting God."

Kenren was also part of the crowd but hiding from the guard's views. He couldn't stand what the people were saying. If only they knew what was going on behind the curtains. His company next to him thought the same thing. All three of them wanted to stop the gathering but with what happened a few days ago, it would not be wise.

"Li Touten. We're entrusting the matter of subjugation to you," God ordered from his throne.

"As you wish," Li Touten replied as he bowed his head. He and his son began to stand up to leave but yelling behind them interrupted them.

"What's up with this kid?!"

"Let go of me! Let go!"

"Stop struggling!"

"Nataku!" the door slammed open as the yell echoed through the hall.

Nataku looked at their guest, shocked to see the boy he met awhile back. He was breathing heavily like he had been running for a great distance. "You…" was the only word he could say before a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders.

"It's a lie, right?!" Goku yelled, his eyes showing all the worry he was feeling. "That you're going to kill me. It's a lie! Isn't it, Nataku?"

Nataku could only stare at his friend with wide eyes.

"Goku?!" Kenren jumped at the child's voice. He was trying to get to him once he saw the head of brown hair by the War God. "Amaya! We need to get to him. Fast!"

Amaya was already maneuvering around the crowd of people. She may not know the full story behind Goku and Nataku but anything with Li Touten meant trouble. Chao Li was behind her, shoving behind away from him. He knew that this was going to turn to shit real soon if they didn't get Goku out of there.

"Who's this kid?! Throw him out!" a guard yelled next to Li Touten.

Li Touten simply raised his hand to halt the guard from taking action. "Wait a moment," he said as he walked up to his son. "Seems like he got wind of something. From Tenpou perhaps?"

Nataku jumped slightly when he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.

"It's fine. Nataku, kill him right where he stands," Li Touten whispered to the War God.

"So, it has begun. I won't help or hinder it, because this is your battle," Kanzeon told to nobody in particular as she watched the chaos brewing in front of her. Fate has already begun playing in this story.