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Stars
Chapter Three:
Hidden
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Fugen woke up later than usual and yawned delicately, a pale hand covering his mouth as he did so. He blinked, sleepy violet eyes opening to search for his lover.
"Good morning, Bou-chan." Fugen yawned again, waiting patiently for his usual morning peck on the cheek before Bou rolled over and fell asleep again. When it didn't come, he opened his eyes, looking around curiously.
"Bou?"
Stretching, the angel sat up, tsking disdainfully at his wrinkled clothes that he'd fallen asleep in.
He looked around for his lover but the rest of the window seat beside him held only beams of light, too bright to be early morning.
Getting up and straightening his clothes as much as he could, Fugen realized with a start that he'd missed the usual early morning gathering of the sennins with Genshitenson at the top of the mountain. Collecting his paopei which was lay at the foot of the window seat, Fugen hurried to Genshitenson's chambers.
He rushed in, shoes quietly tapping on the polished floor and murmured a shame-faced apology to the old god who peered at him ominously from under shadowing eyebrows.
"I'm sorry, Genshitenson-sama," Fugen apologized quietly, bowing his haloed head. "I-I overslept."
A light blush spread over Fugen's pale skin as he admitted to the oversight but Genshitenson stayed silent for so long that he couldn't resist looking up. The older sennin's face was unreadable as always yet something was there in his expression. Something.
"Genshitenson-sama," Fugen suddenly asked, unease building in the pit of his stomach, "Where's Bou-chan?"
The angelic sennin completely forgot himself, revealing the pet name to the old man whose lips curled up the smallest fraction at the corners in a condescending smirk. His eyes which had been covered by bushy eyebrows showed a twinkle that only added to Fugen's unease.
"Why Fugen Shinjin, we discussed this." Fugen hung on to his every word, knowing yet still not allowing himself to believe it, "Taikoubou was cast out of heaven." Fugen froze. "He's no longer immortal," Genshitenson spat, eyes focused on Fugen's paling skin, almost white on his ashen face. "He's to live out the rest of his mortal life on Earth."
Fugen said nothing, completely still and eyes wide open, staring as he tried to comprehend it, what had happened while he slept in. He didn't even get a chance to say good bye.
"And further," Genshitenson continued, showing his sadistic streak much more than he'd ever let it, "the council decided that to prevent this kind of thing from happening again in the future…" Genshitenson practically gloated, "journeys between the heavens and Earth and indefinitely suspended."
A choked cry was Fugen's only sound as he fled Genshitenson's chambers mindlessly, fingers clutching onto his paopei as he ran, as if it was the only thing, the only tangible thing that could keep him grounded after that terrible revelation, that he'd never seen Bou-chan again.
Indefinitely…long years of suffering for an immortal. It would have been bearable if it held the promise of someday seeing Bou again. But his lover was mortal and he'd die long before Fugen ever got the chance to descend to Earth and death would be their final parting, because a heavenly immortal can't descend to the depths of the earth that human spirits went after death. Genshitenson had sealed their fates and he wouldn't even get to say one final good bye to his lover, his love.
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by the way, the game was in fact "Go" or "wei chi" and might I add, a wonderful headache inducer.
3 chapters left! (this is much more a ficlet than a fic...o.o;)