"So the child is causing trouble already is he?" I was currently walking with Tenpou who I had met earlier for a good game of strategy. It was one of those rare days where I managed to outwit him and win a match.
"Oh yes, he runs around with a shred of worry and tends to make a general mess out of Konzen's work. He's furious." I smiled. Earlier that day the child had folded all of the important documents into origami airplanes. Despite the obvious mistreatment of the rules I thought they were well done though I didn't tell dearest Konzen that. He was probably still running around trying to find the kid.
"Has he named the boy yet?" Tenpou asked. I shook my head.
"No, I think he needs to want a name first. I'd give him one but somehow I don't think it's my place." And it wasn't. The child had attached himself to Konzen and though he seemed interested in me he was much more fascinated with the blond man he said resembled the sun. I still grinned at the reference.
"I see. Perhaps soon then for when I meet him I shall have idea what to call him." There had been a lot of confusion with that. We were currently calling him "boy" which I didn't like but it was something.
"If Konzen doesn't choose one soon I might just do it. He's so stubborn." I huffed. My companion laughted.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you two were parents of an adopted child." The implication made me blush.
"Please, I'm barely even a friend if that. Kanzeon just has it in her head that we should be married." I told him. He raised an eyebrow.
"And you disagree?" He asked. I stopped walking.
"Are you on the band wagon to marry me to Konzen too? I have to say I really don't try for someone who obviously feels nothing for me..."
"Ah but there is where you may be wrong. Konzen is very good at hiding his feelings, especially when it comes to women. It's true I've never seen him attracted to someone enough to make a move but I believe that someone like you could turn his head. Besides, you'd be good for one another I think." He gave me the whole speech huh? His words did ring true though I supposed. Konzen hated most people because they were foolish….no I shouldn't get my hopes up.
"I'm afraid a year will end Tenpou with no wedding bells if I go after Konzen Douji, no I think I'll stick to my plan of widening my net." The brought a sigh to the Marshals lips but he said nothing more. We continued our walk until we reached Konzen's office. The man in question was sitting at his desk with a hand over his face in exasperation. The whole room looked like a war zone.
"Oh dear, I haven't visited in such a long time but I hadn't expected it to be so lively." Tenpou smiled.
"You could say that." Konzen muffled into his hand. He caught sight of me and quickly looked away. Tenpou took out a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it. I started to tidy up a bit, trying to at least make the place look halfway decent when the child came in.
"Konzen!" He called in a sing song voice. When he caught sight of the Marshal though his gaze became curious again.
"A visitor?" He cocked his head to the side. I placed a few books onto the edge of the desk and the child noticed me. He grinned happily and came smacking into my side. The force of his embrace caught me off guard but didn't knock me over.
"Hey Kaguya! I have a name now! Konzen gave me one! You can call me Goku!" I looked over at the blond male who looked extremely frustrated.
"Goku huh? I think it suits you, he chose well." The words made the boy beam even brighter. He looked practically giddy at my approval.
"Goku, this is Tenpou, he's a good friend of mine and Konzens." I pointed out the tall man who was now puffing out the smoke from his clove cigarette.
"Please call me Ten-chan." He said with the brighest smile on his face. Goku got pretty excited but he kept a grip on my kimono as if it were a lifeline. He hadn't seemed close to me before, maybe I was wrong. Konzen got Tenpous attention and began engaging him in conversation. I was going to listen when I felt Goku pull on the silk he was gripping. I bent down so I could be closer to him for a moment.
"You're my friend right Kaguya? I mean you aren't super mean like Konzen so you like me right?" He seemed very sincere in his questions.
"Of course Goku and I wouldn't count Konzen out just yet. He's just slow to show it but I think he likes you." This made the boy grin again.
"I made a new friend yesterday! He said he played a funny prank and drew nose hairs on somebody's face." He snickered a bit, obviously finding the stunt hilarious.
"Oh? This new friend of yours is sneaky indeed. Tell me Goku, was he your age?" I asked. He nodded vigourously.
"Yeah! He had bright blue hair and a diamond on his forehead!" I looked over to see if the other two had heard but they seemed to be in deep conversation and didn't notice. No doubt Tenpou was telling Konzen what he'd told me earlier today, his worries of the military and of course of Kenren who was beginning to cause a great deal of trouble for the upper ranks. I turned back to Goku who was already fiddling with the bottom of my veil.
"Do you see everything blue with this thing on?" He changed the subject so quickly. Of course as a mindless creature his curiousity would always get the better of him.
"It just looks blue, I see everything the same way you do." He lifted up the veil again and let it fall on top of his head as he inspected my face. His eyes ran over the wide almond shaped blue-violet portals that gazed back at him with amusement. He looked at my nose, wiggling his own as if to see if they were similar though I'm sure mine was smaller. Then he flitted over my cheeks, my plump red lips, the delicate curve of my chin, before resting on the dot upon my brow.
"Konzen has one of these, what's it mean?" He asked. He touched it, sending a tingle through the nerves close by.
"This is tenkai's seal. It is he proof of our closeness to heaven." I told him. He looked fascinated for a moment before someone cleared their throat. Goku jerked back and I stood back up. Tenpou was grinning.
"I'm afraid I'm leaving for the moment." He announced.
"You're going home Ten-chan? Bye-Bye!" Goku waved jovially.
"Yes goodbye, see you again." Tenpou waved back just as enthusiastically. There was one point in time when the man had confided in me that he wished he had married and had children. He was very good with kids and that was obvious in the way he spoke to Goku. With that he was gone leaving the three of us alone once more. Konzen looked thoughtful for a moment and I decided to confront him.
"So, what do you think?" I asked. He looked up at me.
"Of what?" He asked.
"Of Kenren of course and the problems Tenpou has with military action. He told me yesterday he'd see what you said and Goku distracted me." I pointed to the boy who was now folding non important pieces of paper into cranes.
"Maybe you should listen better." He grunted.
"Maybe YOU should. Did you know that Goku met Nataku yesterday?" His eyes met the area where mine should be.
"I suspected." He huffed and I frowned.
"All of this could spell trouble Konzen, I'm not a fool like everyone seems to think. By now they are sending the war god to the world below to deal with another threat. Not to mention the fact that General Kenren is causing a great deal of unrest in the upper ranks due to his disapproval of using a child. I suppose I won't get your thoughts on the matter since I can't multitask?" He actually looked stunned. Good, he needed to know I wasn't an idiot.
"Look, I'm a woman and I can do little for military matters but I do know Kenren and one day he'll get himself killed being as foolish as he is. As for Nataku I think you should let Goku interact with him for now, I'm curious enough that the consequences might return in my favor for such a friendship." I continued as he had said nothing.
"Whatever." He responded. I shook my head again.
"One day you'll regret not being my friend Konzen." I stood to leave. Maybe I could get in to speak to Kenren after the meeting held in the jade hall. Goku waved happily at me as I left, placing a small crane into my hands. Whatever the issues we would face I quite liked this boy and Konzen had named him well. I'd heard Tenpou's description of the name and felt that it suited this strange creature. I patted Goku on the head before leaving the room. Maybe I could get Konzen to stew long enough to actually trust me.
!
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!
"My Lady Kaguya, what a surprise." I bowed before the man standing before me.
"I'm sorry to bother you Gojun-sama, but I came to ask whether you'd seen General Kenren around." You could see the contempt in the man's red eyes ask I asked. The rest of him stayed passive, not giving anything away.
"As it so happens I did run into him earlier. He seemed to be in a great hurry." He pointed me in the right direction and I thanked him before moving on. Those fighting clan warriors always freaked me out a bit, so serious and stern. Maybe he'd gone to see Tenpou? It had been a day since Nataku had been sent down to the lower world to subjugate Gyaomaoh. I'd been looking for Kenren for a while now and it seemed like he was avoiding me. I hadn't gotten any closer to finding him until just now. Maybe I'd just go sit with Tenpou, he was bound to show up one way or another. So I walked over to the small house of the Field Marshal. There were voices inside and I stood to listen.
"Nataku Taisho has returned."
"That's a bit quick isn't it? I mean I know that the upper levels are being cautious but..." Tenpou's muffled voice came to my ears.
"This time he came back pretty badly injured too, he's still unconcious." Kenren, there he was. There was a pause between the men and I thought I might have been caught until the General spoke again.
"There's one thing that's still bothering me. The other soldiers who went along came back injury-free." I covered my mouth at the news.
"So they did rely on the killing puppet for everything then." Tenpou answered. I finally knocked on the door. There was silence within.
"Come in!" Tenpou called. I swung the door open only to find that the whole place was a mess with books and papers. I could barely get inside let alone walk over to the two men.
"You have been avoiding me!" I accused Kenren who was grinning.
"Who me?" He looked so shocked but I could tell he was being sarcastic.
"Yes you General Kenren. You owe me a great deal and until I get what I want I'm not leaving you alone." I hissed. Tenpou was chuckling.
"She's got her claws into you Kenren, you won't be able to escape." He took a puff off of his cigarette, smiling from his place on the floor. Kenren pushed himself off of the bookshelf and walked over to me.
"Fine." He muttered. I smiled.
"Weren't you saying something about Goku?" Tenpou asked. The general nodded.
"Oh yeah, that's the first time I've ever met someone with eyes like that. I felt like they were too harsh on him, chains weighing 80+ kg on him just being a kid. Is there a need for that?" He asked, his question towards me and Tenpou.
"People in heaven were never kind to heretics even if they don't show it on the surface. It is almost like Nataku Taishi in a sense." Tenpou spoke. I shook my head.
"No I have to disagree with you Tenpou. They are similar yes...but no one has been openly cruel to Goku. While I'm not sure why I think it has something to do with the way he is. It's strange, as if he is tied to the world around him without trying. I sense a power within him that hasn't surfaced but an innocence that craves to know about the world around him. He is...much different." I spoke. The men looked at me curiously.
"You two are...close?" Kenren asked. I nodded.
"I think so. He has a rather firm attachment to Konzen but I'm pretty sure he likes me enough. I'm technically his secondary caretaker." Again the two seemed surprised.
"That I didn't know, I thought he was Konzen's responsibility alone." Tenpou said.
"I thought I'd told you. I handle him when the great sun can't." I explained. There was silence for a while. What else was there to say?
"I overheard about Nataku, do you think it's infiltration again?" I asked Tenpou. He nodded in agreement.
"I would have told you as soon as I saw you but I think our certain man is moving forward." I knew who he was talking about of course. Li Touten, the head of a family fallen from grace and the father of Nataku. I had very little assurance that Nataku had been born from his wife though. She was a meek woman and the son looked like neither parent. It was fishy and the more I thought about it the more it made my skin crawl.
"Keep an eye on him Kenren, it's all I wanted to say. I'd heard that they sent the kid to subjugate Gyumaoh and it never felt right. The fact that he was the only one injured raises the stakes. Goku is going to be crushed." I muttered.
"When Nataku came back Goku was there. He collapsed in Goku's arms." Oh no, that was going to be catastrophic.
"I have to go. We still need to talk." I poked Kenren before leaving. I needed to get to Goku to make sure he was okay. Even if I hadn't known him that long I felt a strange connection to him. As I left the giant library that was Tenpou's place I went to the medical wing. There were voices coming from one of the suites so I went with the crowd. A bunch of people were standing around whispering. I pushed through them to find Konzen holding a sleeping Goku.
"Oh poor child." I whispered, approaching them and brushing some of his hair from his forehead.
"He was sleeping with Nataku. We should take him home." Konzen was calm for once, almost relaxed. I nodded in agreement, following him away from the eyes of the curious. I wondered if this friendship would really lead to something beneficial for the two boys. Nataku wasn't a bad child as I had already discovered some time ago, maybe Goku could give him the push he needed to become independent of his abusive father.
"I'm sorry." Konzen suddenly said. I looked away from the serene face of the sleeping boy to stare at him.
"What?" I wasn't sure I'd heard him correctly.
"My aunt trusts you, Tenpou trusts you, I figure so should I." I was surprised by this admission but it made my heart soar in ways I never thought it would.
"Thank you, but what really changed your mind?" I asked him. He knew all of that to begin with so there had to have been something that made him decide otherwise.
"What you said it was true. I'd regret not making you an ally." He muttered. I brushed my fingers through Goku's hair, accidentally running them over Konzen's skin. He tensed but didn't say anything. I chanced the accident again, prolonging the touch. This time he pretended not to notice. Goku grumbled in his sleep which took my attention away from Konzen for a moment. The boy looked so content as he slept. Another brush through his hair and he grabbed my hand. Then I remembered something.
"He has shackles that weigh over 80 kg, how can you carry him?" I asked him. Konzen blinked.
"He's kind of light." When he said that it made me think. Maybe the bond between them was stronger than I'd first anticipated. The weight of Goku's shackles were nothing to Konzen, it was interesting. We hurried back to the house and laid the young boy to rest. I was able to retrieve my hand from his grasp. Without thinking I pulled up part of my veil so that I could press a gentle kiss to the monkey's head. He smiled in his sleep, curling up even closer beneath the covers. Unknown to me the blond god had seen everything. His eyes were still fixed on the space my lips had once been visible in. Little did I know that this was the start of something more...something that would change my life forever.