Ohayo, I'm so sorry I haven't updated, but the things that have been happening these last few weeks I wouldn't wish on anyone. Anyway, this is another instalment or scenes if you will, and this one is a sort of counter to all the angsting that I've been reading/experiencing. I hope you like it and review it and I'm so sorry that its so very very late!
First Time
First Meetings
There was a knock at the door of Tenpou Gensui's onetime office, now a library – or maybe playroom - of sorts. Normally at this time in the evening Tenpou didn't answer just waited until the people outside either let themselves in or bloodied their knuckles knocking through lack of brains to actually try the door. This time however he knew who it was, so he abandoned his chair and book of military diaries to open the door.
"Konzen." He smiled.
The blond aristocrat was indeed in the doorway, clad in a purple tunic and black leggings rather than the icy white he normally wore. His golden hair hung haphazardly in his face and he looked confused at both Tenpou's smile and the lack of noise.
"Where's the saru?" he asked then looked angry. "He hasn't run off to Litouten's again looking for Nataku has he? Because if he has I'll fucking-" his voice rising. Tenpou placed a finger to his lips, stopping him mid-rant.
"Shhh. Sleeping." He said with a wink. "Utterly exhausted."
Konzen actually looked shocked at that and wordlessly stepped inside Tenpou's library. For once the room was tidy, not spotless, for spotless was a word and state that was the South to Tenpou's North, but the floor was mostly clear and it had the odd few books here and there giving it the impression of actually being a room that was loved in not just lived in. Konzen looked around.
"Where?"
Tenpou pointed to one of the sofas. Exactly where he pointed there was ball of sleeping monkey curled up on a battered red velvet cushion, covered with a ludicrously bright and yet ludicrously comfortable patchwork quilt. Goku was murmuring something in his sleep and had a shining smile on his face.
"Tenpou, I want to ask you what you've done to him but I really don't want to know, just that you've shut him up." Said Konzen sitting down next to the snoozing Goku, grateful to see that somehow, Tenpou had managed the bath the boy and get him to go to bed – and to sleep - clean.
Tenpou laughed quietly and reached into a bookcase for a steaming green teapot with two mismatching cups.
"It's called fun and games, Konzen." He said, offering a cup of tea, Konzen declined with a nod of politeness that he rarely bestowed on anyone. "Goku spends so many hours cooped up and unable to run around for the stigma that surrounds heretics. I took him out to the meadows of Tenkai. You know, climbing trees, chasing butterflies and running around until you are exhausted."
Konzen looked confused for a moment, the god wasn't wholly aware that children needed such things, his own childhood being one of closeted ritual, stuffy ceremonies and the occasional uplifting visits from his Aunt.
"I didn't know you were that sort of person." Said Konzen resting his hands on silk-covered knees.
"It was Kenren's idea." Admitted Tenpou, pulling out his lighter and cigarettes, but resting them on the desk, knowing that Konzen wasn't fond of tobacco smoke. "He did much of the running and games, I just convinced them both to take a bath afterwards." He smiled.
"So where is the rebellious little brat now?" asked Konzen. Tenpou grinned.
"Now now Konzen, just because you're jaded there's no need to drag everyone else in. Kenren's gone to bed too. It's only myself who is the night owl." He said serenely, meeting Konzen's violet gaze with sincerity. Tenpou could read Konzen like a book at times and right now, the gaze was 'in-your-bed-no-doubt' which Tenpou was answering with his 'I-don't-know-what-on-earth-you-mean' gaze, which would have had the desired effect if Tenpou hadn't yawned.
Konzen sighed.
"Thank you for taking care of Goku anyway." He said softly, reaching to take the quilt off Goku and frowning when the boy didn't wake up. Tenpou nodded.
"It's never a problem, Konzen, you know that. It's quite refreshing in light of the stuffiness and there's nothing like a nice bit of innocent rebellion you know." He said, holding out a silk drawstring bag. "I put some more books for Goku in here; some An-pan and a book of folktales. He seemed to enjoy the few stories that you told him … showing your softer side again, Konzen, you should watch that otherwise people might start to think you're being nice."
The aristocrat ignored him.
"Think whatever the hell you like." He said, not confirming the statement but not refuting it either. He raised himself up off the couch, and then reached over to remove the pillow from Goku's iron-like grasp. Tenpou came over to help disentangle Goku from his nest and assisted the blond in hoisting the heavy child onto his back. Tenpou was astonished to see the slender ghost that was Konzen manage to carry Goku without his legs buckling. With his shackles around his limbs, even Kenren struggled to pick the boy up. Tenpou then attached the bag to Goku's back.
"I've also put a book in there for you too, Konzen. I think you'll like it; it's some classical mythology."
Konzen nodded then corrected his expression to look angry.
"There better be no one outside." He said although his tone of voice not really matching the expression. "I look ridiculous, godsdamned bakasaru, I'll kill him for making me do this."
Tenpou looked him up and down. Goku was draped over his back and the tall blond was nearly bent double with the weight. Goku had his head against Konzen's left shoulder and was gently running the golden ponytail through his fingers with a serene smile. Tenpou gave a soft smile at the sight.
"Actually Konzen, you look more alive then when you first came in." he said, watching the realisation of the statement dawn on his friend's face.
"Shut up, Tenpou." Came the retort but with the slightest, smallest, barely noticeable hint of a smile.
"Of course, Konzen Douji-sama." Answered Tenpou, opening the door for him with a half-hearted salute. "Same time tomorrow?" he added
"Hmph … maybe." Came the god's reply, which was as close to an affirmation as he was going to get. Tenpou waved a goodbye then gently closed the door.
"Growing softer, Konzen. It's starting to show now." He chuckled softly, closing the door loudly and switching the light off. He heard a rustling of sheets from his bedchamber and gave a smile, reaching to open the door to his barely-lit bedroom.
"Must that baka always make caring for that kid a chore?" moaned Kenren from the pile of blankets, sheets and pillows that once resembled a bed.
Tenpou slung his white coat onto a mahogany hatstand and reached over to his latest Gekai-delight that rested the corner. It was a dried out tree branch slung with a row of lanterns and Tenpou took great delight in lighting them and seeing the different lights flicker on the ceiling. He lit each one individually and saw the coloured paper of the lanterns create little circles of red, green, purple, blue and yellow on the ceiling that chased each other like butterflies.
"I thought you'd be asleep." Answered Tenpou, sliding off his sandals and pulling off his tie with one practised motion. Kenren lounged back on the bed, blatantly refusing to disguise the fact he was naked.
"Shoulda done but was too interested in what you and pretty boy were saying and now I'm awake…So get naked and come to bed."
"I don't jump to your orders." Said Tenpou sensuously sliding off his tabi socks and unbuttoned his shirt, leaving it open. "I am your superior remember, don't make me court-martial you." he waggled a finger in front of Kenren with a wink. Kenren grinned.
"Oh come on Tenpou, you know that I can convince you to get naked anytime, any place, anywhere." He held out a hand and counted off his fingers. "During that fancy dinner, during combat training … Goujun's office."
Tenpou bopped him neatly on the head with one of the pillows, silencing the list.
"Okay okay, that's enough, Kenren." He said with a slightly icy touch to his expression. Kenren acquiesced.
"Okay, I'm sorry, that was uncalled for …" he put his hands to Tenpou's shoulders and calmly slid the shirt down his pale arms, leaving it on the bed. "So, how the hell did you become friends with that aristo-ice-statue anyway?"
Tenpou's warm smile returned
"Does Taisho want a bedtime story?" He teased, letting the shirt roll down his arms and fall onto the floor. Kenren looked petulant.
"You read Goku one and it had magic stuff in it." He grinned and tugged on Tenpou's hair as the Gensui sat on the bed. "Go on, get into bed and tell me the story about how Magical Girl Ten-Chan defeated the big blond monster." He ducked to avoid the next incoming pillow.
"Keep saying that and you'll go back to your quarters." He said with a glint in his eye. Kenren smirked.
"You wouldn't." he said confidently. "If you come to bed and tell a story then I will tell one too."
Tenpou pulled the covers over him and unbuckled his pants, letting them fall to the floor. He then climbed into bed, completely missing Kenren's satisfied smile and lounged against the headboard.
"Agreed. Well Konzen and I have been friends for years, Kenren. Before I was even a Gensui, when I was still a Taisho." He said. "You ever hear of a Hirata Gensui?"
Kenren looked blank for a second then closed one eye, picturing the man who had once come to the Eastern Army to assist in training exercises.
"Big guy, grey hair scraped back and a stripy beard? Had a voice that made you actually want to run your nails down a blackboard for something better to listen to?" he asked, flinging Tenpou's shirt to the corner of the room.
"That would be him; he used to be Tenkai Seihougan Gensui before me when I had been promoted to Taisho." Said Tenpou with a grin, exhaling a cloud of tobacco smoke. "Utterly unreliable, inept and couldn't lead an army to save his own hide. He only got the position because of some well-placed relatives."
"I remember him. Didn't he get dismissed for some fucked-up subjugation of some peace-lovin youkai? Said Kenren suddenly. Tenpou nodded.
"It was small community to the North of Shangri-La, who had come to our attention due to some coincidental stories. It was supposed to be a routine trip to the Gekai; just a quick scout around to see what was going on then hop back up. However, the charming Gensui ordered an attack on them instead and despite our best efforts to halt our troops, it still went ahead and many were injured." He shook his head, remembering that he had managed to halt his own battalion before they had descended but had been too late for the others. "Obviously the mistake was chronicled and reported and needless to say Hirata didn't come out well. This was compounded by Hirata's discovery of an earlier recommendation from Goujun that I had been lined up for promotion."
"Ha, Hirata never wanted to be out-ranked." Said Kenren, Tenpou nodded.
"After some searching and various bribes to minions, Hirata found out where those documents had gone, namely to a new bureaucrat in the system; our erstwhile Konzen Douji, so he went to find him."
"Where do you come into all this then, apart from the promotion?" asked Kenren. Tenpou sighed.
"I was the one who had counter-signed the report and was actually delivering it to Konzen. Being honest, it was for mainly my own interests."
"Everything is with you." Murmured Kenren, reaching under the covers and squeezing a pale thigh, discovering that Tenpou was still wearing his boxers; he tugged at the fabric. Tenpou ignored him and continued.
"Funny. No, I didn't want a cover-up of this, so the faster it went through the faster the fuck-up would be dealt with. Unfortunately as I was delivering the documents one way to Konzen, Hirata Gensui was coming the other way to demand them back."
Kenren raised an eyebrow.
"Am I thinking right in what happened? I remember Old Fart Hirata being known for
his explosive temper." He grinned. "When I was a lieutenant I remember him belting some poor bastard over the head with his tranquilliser gun over something like falling out of line during a drill."
"Oh yes, his temper was legendary." Nodded Tenpou. "I was attacked in the hallway, taken by surprise actually and a bit disappointing on my own part because I was usually on my guard around him, due to his constant attentions."
"He attacked you?" asked Kenren suddenly, Tenpou twitched an eyelid.
"Attacked isn't the word, lets just say he attempted to do what you did to me under that cherry tree two days ago."
Kenren nodded in agreement then stopped, realising exactly what he HAD done to Tenpou under that cherry tree two days ago.
"What the -?! Do you mean that he tried it on?" Tenpou nodded. "The dirty bastard! I'll fucking kill him."
"Oh cool it Taisho, I'm not a damsel in distress. Yes, Hirata Gensui had formed an … well had formed a preference for me since assuming command, ironic really, ne Taisho?"
Kenren growled.
"Oh fuck off, rent boy." He retorted with a grin. "So go on."
"Well Hirata had the upper hand and Konzen Douji himself came up of his office to find the spectacular sight of myself being slammed against his office wall with my uniform half off and Hirata yelling abuse at me." Tenpou flicked ash into the bedside ashtray and sighed.
"Ha, what did blondie say to that?" chuckled Kenren, imagining Konzen's prissy face turning every shade of pink, purple and red.
"He spluttered for a bit and shouted, then when Hirata didn't seem to notice, and told him to 'fuck off' Konzen punched him."
Kenren nearly spat his cigarette onto the sheets.
"Konzen, Kon-zen Dou-ji, prissy bitch extraordinaire punched him?!" he started to laugh. Tenpou chuckled.
"Yes, straight in the jaw. Unfortunately, dear Hirata punched back without thinking and bloodied Konzen's nose. By which time servants had already gone for help."
"And you became friends because of that?" exclaimed Kenren. Tenpou smirked.
"Yes, I patched up Konzen's nose for him and he bound up my head. We then both wrote reports on what happened and verified each other's over a flask of particularly good sake. I was promoted soon after. It also helped that we had absolutely nothing in common and neither had thoughts of inflicting our interests on the other, and so such a friendship stuck and that's the end of the story."
Tenpou then swiftly stubbed out his cigarette, burrowed down into the sheets and blankets and sought out Kenren's side, planting his feet firmly on the backs of Kenren's warm legs. Kenren yelped and squirmed away reaching out to tickle Tenpou.
"Hey! Quit it! Your feet are like ice blocks, and you're still wearing those boxers." He said, starting to tickle viciously until Tenpou started to squirm himself and kick out.
"Okay! Stop!" Kenren stopped tickling but kept his hands poised. "I give in!" Tenpou cried, the hands drew away and he caught his breath. "Now, it's your turn, tell me a story."
"Don't know if I should now if you're gonna do that … and I had such a good one too." Teased Kenren.
"Now now Taisho, stop being sulky and tell me your story." Said Tenpou with a pout.
"I'll only tell you the story if you take the boxers off." Retorted Kenren quickly, Tenpou's hands disappeared beneath the blankets and emerged scant seconds later, throwing a pair of black cotton boxers across the room. Kenren nodded.
"Well, once upon a time, long, long, looooong ago." He started, suddenly ducking the pillow that Tenpou flung at him. "Nah Ten-chan you wanted a story and this is a story."
"Can't you ever be mature, Kenren?" Tenpou asked. Kenren grinned and in one smooth movement pushed Tenpou down onto the bed, drawing the covers up beneath his chin and kissing his nose.
"Says he who won't put his uniform on in the morning, now be a good Tenpou and listen." He stared into Tenpou's eyes and the brunette nodded. "Once upon a time I was kicked out of the Eastern Army and placed in the West."
"Ken-ren, I know this one already." Whined Tenpou. Kenren manoeuvred himself on the bed so he was straddling Tenpou's naked hips.
"Ah but you don't know all of it, do you Ten-chan, because I never told you, now listen." Tenpou folded his arms. "Well before I went to find my new Gensui I had a little talk with the other ranks to see what this guy was like."
Tenpou raised a single eyebrow and Kenren dropped down onto his elbows; his nose millimetres away from Tenpou's.
"Yeah, a group of drinking buddies said that he was utterly mental, some said that he was a good commander but had a habit of putting himself into the line of fire at the most inappropriate times, but they all agreed that he was too pretty to be a soldier."
Tenpou drew in a breath to retort but Kenren clapped a hand over his mouth.
"So I went along to see for myself and I found the most bizarre bookworm hiding in a nest of hardbacks and that all the rumours were true." He said. "so I decided that it would be better all around if I simply hooked up with him … ad he brought along a little monkey and snobby ice statue who weren't half-bad really … the end."
"That was rubbish, Kenren." Said Tenpou folding his arms.
"Yeah but it got you into bed properly didn't it?" snickered Kenren. "And it got you to drop your pants too … see … I told you I could get you naked anytime."
Tenpou's jaw dropped and he looked down at himself as if refusing to believe the fact that he was naked. He really didn't give his lover enough credit sometimes.
"Kenren …" he started, Kenren put a finger to his lips.
"Don't worry, I promise I won't do it again, I know it's not fair." He kissed Tenpou's neck and drew him down into a tight embrace. Tenpou accepted the apologies that were whispered to his lips and allowed Kenren to make gentle love to his body by means of fleeting kisses and soft touches.
As Tenpou melted back into the pillows, he heard Kenren whisper to his stomach.
"Besides, how am I get you to play Magical Girl Ten-chan if you're naked all the time…"
Tee hee hee. I should have called this "There was a knock at the door" really but c'est la vie. There are a few more instalments in the making for this and I will update a lot more often. I can't believe the last thing I posted was Midnight Lessons (it didn't get that many reviews, I don't know why … I liked it … -- Never mind ), but tell me please what you thought of this one. Thank you very much.