Chapter Seven: Won't say I'm in love…

A/N: Okay, I'm gonna say this once more, and that's it. Certain reviewers are starting to get on my nerves. Maybeh you don't MEAN what you say to come out like an insult to meh, and maybeh you do. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here. So if you could, can you try to put your words into more of a constructive format? Thankehs.

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Kenren had been looking for Tenpou since he'd seen the brunette leave his office with Gojun. Whether or not the gensui actually WANTED to talk to him wasn't a factor in this.

It was time to straighten this out once and for all.

They both had to make up their minds. Kenren didn't think he could possibly be without Tenpou, but if he had to play happy little family with Gojun, then he was going to have to find a way.

"Dragon germs…yuck."

"That's amusing, coming from someone who survives entirely off of spreading his own germs…" a quiet voice retorted. Kenren looked around, not seeing anyone, until his eyes came to rest on Tenpou, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall.

"Ten? What the hell are you doing there?"

Tenpou smiled with anything but humour. "Would you believe I'm in hiding?"

"Not really," Kenren drawled, offering a hand to pull the brunette up. "But lately I'm starting to think anything goes."

The gensui took the outstretched hand, and felt himself lifted up effortlessly. "As am I."

"So what was so important that you finally left your cloister?" Kenren started walking down the hall, arms clasped behind his head.

Tenpou matched the taisho's stride. "Getting away from Gojun," he blurted before he thought of who he was talking to.

Kenren raised an eyebrow. "Hiding from Gojun? Why would you be wanting to hide from him. I thought you two had a little fling going on…"

"Er…well, we did…" Tenpou cringed, "but…I broke it off."

"Well, that's good. I was just trying to find you to talk about that. Saves me the trouble."

Now it was Tenpou's turn for a curious look. "Oh? Why would you want to talk to me about that?"

Kenren shrugged. "It's not important now."

Tenpou smiled for real this time, arms behind his back. "I suppose it isn't. But would it have anything to do with your visit to Konzen today?"

"Maybe," he muttered, almost embarrassed. "How do you know about that?"

"He told me when I went up there. Said you were sitting at the window with a stupid expression on your face."

Kenren laughed. "Any look is a stupid expression to him. He's just a cranky old man."

Tenpou shook his head, admonishing without anger. "I forgot just how much of a smart ass you are…"

The taisho grinned. "I know, right? We really haven't had much time to be together lately, with Gojun and…" he trailed off.

"Tara?" Tenpou supplied matter-of-factly.

"Yeeeeah…"

"Well…I suppose when you're trying to split your attention between two different people, one person inherently gets left out."

Kenren took a moment to decode what had been said. "I guess…Hey Tenpou?"

"Hmm?"

"Are we…alright now? We've been getting more and more distant lately, and I don't want that to happen."

They reached Tenpou's office. He opened the door, and for a moment, Kenren didn't think he was going to answer. But as he went inside, he turned back to look at him, halfway through the door.

"We're whatever you want us to be, my dear Taisho."

Then he closed the door. Kenren stood there for awhile, staring at it in shock. Finally he tested it, finding it open, and went inside. Tenpou was leaning against his desk, arms crossed and gaze expectant.

"Took you long enough…"

"I've decided what I want us to be," Kenren couldn't help but smirk.

Tenpou feigned confusion. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Kenren moved toward him, pushing him back until the gensui's back hit the side of the bookshelf. He held the brunette's face with both of his hands, looking straight into his eyes.

"I want us to be right here, right now."

Tenpou smiled. "That's more poetic than you know."

"Who says it wasn't supposed to be?" he grinned, before busying himself with a certain field marshal's lips.

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Kenren had just gotten back to his room when someone knocked on his door. Briefly, he considered not answering it. He was in a particularly good mood—something he'd been missing a lot lately—and he didn't want anything messing it up.

Finally he got up to get it. Tara stood there, looking out of place. She smiled sadly. "I've come to say goodbye."

Kenren nodded. "I figured as much. Want to come in?"

"No, I don't think so," she crossed her arms. "I…I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but…I know it wasn't me that you wanted."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Don't get me wrong, you're nice and everything. But…I just didn't know what I wanted until it was taken away."

She hugged him. "Just don't do anything stupid," she smiled, backing away. "Well, anything more stupid than you've already done."

"What do you mean by that?"

She shook her head a little piteously, then turned on her heel and walked away.

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Tenpou had decided he'd spent enough time trapped in his office for awhile. Things were finally looking up. Kenren and himself were close to normal again, and since the encounter in the hall outside Konzen's office, he hadn't seen Gojun.

He was outside with Goku, watching the boy run around in the flower field. Even he had started noticing something was wrong. It had been stupid, upon retrospect, to behave like he did. Both he and the taisho had been acting like more of a child lately than Goku.

Suddenly, he became aware of someone walking up the path behind them. Tenpou whirled around, coming almost face to face with the dragon officer. His face was unreadable, set in scaly stone. He regarded the marshal with cool red eyes.

"We need to have a few words."

Tenpou weighed his options. Finally he nodded. They needed to get this over and done with, for good. Time to stop acting like some lovesick teenage love triangle.

He called Goku over to him. "Go ahead back to Konzen, okay?"

Goku nodded, taking off down the path. Gojun stepped closer, arms crossed. "I apologize for my behaviour the other day."

Tenpou nodded. "I as well. None of us were acting right the past few days it seems."

"I suppose so. I just wanted to be perfectly clear on this."

"I'm sorry, but there is absolutely nothing between us. And I feel horrible for giving you the wrong idea."

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Goku had sensed trouble the moment the dragon officer had started up the path. Ten-chan had noticed it as well, albeit later than the boy. He knew Konzen wouldn't really do anything. Konzen really did care, but he figured that everyone could care for themselves.

So he went to Kenren. Unfortunately, the taisho wasn't so easily found. Running through the halls, he finally found him heading toward Tenpou's office.

"KENNI-CHAN!"

Kenren turned sharply, as the boy skidded to a halt in front of him. "Goku?"

"I think—I think Ten-chan—he might be…" out of breath, Goku supported his arms on his knees.

"Whoa, whoa…breathe, kid. What's up with Tenpou?"

"I think he might be in trouble."

"Shit…" he ran a hand through his hair. "Where's he at?"

"In the field."

Kenren took on the relay there, breaking out into his own run.

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OMAKE THEATER!

Tenpou: I'm in trouble?

Gojun: -grins evilly-

Kenren: Hey, I thought all the tough stuff was over!

Konzen: Did you really think she'd leave it at that?

Tara: Hey, I'm in the Omake! Finally!

Karu: -kicks Tara out- And you're done. Pick up your check and leave.

Tara: TT

Kenren: Hey, she gets PAID?

Karu: Err…bye everyone!

Kenren: Hey!

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Notes: Okay, I think there might beh…one or two chappehs left to this.

thorned roses: Please see author's note above. Thankehs!

lalalanottellinglalala: Nice name. -grins- Glad you're enjoying it!

narrizan: Don't worry, I understand. And I've never seen that movie, but I think I know what you're getting at. Hope he was better in this chappeh!

Madame Maya: -laughs- It looks a lot better in my head too... And actually, I'd prolly take the Tenpou way out. Wait...I DID.

Illusions of Myth: Glad to have you aboard. Please watch out you don't step on the cat. Have fun! Or...angst? -grins-

Attiqah Gensui: Wow, thankehs!

Yit-ha: I've got an expectation to fufill now, huh? -smiles- I'll try.

shanna, the sane reviewer: -laughs- I agree.

thorned roses: -rolls eyes- Yeah, I wake up and wonder how I can piss off people I don't know. Sorry, I wake up and wonder how much time I have before I miss my bus to work thankehs. This is a hobby. And a GOOD WRITER doesn't care about what people think, because they write for themselves and not others.

lilly and her kitty: Well, at least it'd beh interesting. And Kitty, you can stay with meh if you don't mind a tempramental roomate named Mieko.

Er...next time?