A few days later was the festival to celebrate Taitei's birthday. It was the greatest party of the upper world and everyone was supposed to attend. I'd chosen a more beautiful kimono for the celebration, dark blue silk affair with silver and golden cranes beneath silver and gold sakura trees.
"Hey Konzen come on! I really wanna go!" Goku was pushing his caretaker to take him down to the festival as soon as possible.
"I'm busy baka-saru, go bother Kaguya." There was the patter of feet as Goku made his way across the room next to mine. I'd taken up chambers next to Konzen since it made taking care of the young heretic much easier. I was extremely surprised when said blond god hadn't protested but let it go.
"Kaguya! I wanna gooooo!" I heard Goku call from the other side of the door. I giggled.
"Come in Goku, you can help me finish getting ready and then I'll take you." The boy swung the door open, not even bothering to close it behind him. My diadem and veil weren't currently on but I wasn't to worried about that. I stood from my chair to face a sparkling eyed Goku.
"You look so pretty! Why can't you just walk around like this?" He asked me. I placed a gentle hand on his head.
"The ways of men are still strange to you sweetheart but trust me when I say it's for the best that no one knows what my face looks like." I reached down to take up the crystal diadem. This one had dangling teardrops hanging down over my half down styled hair.
"Even Konzen?" He whispered. I put a finger to my lips.
"Yes, even Konzen." I settled the diadem onto my head, obscuring my face from view. Goku frowned but said nothing. He told me a lot these days that I should keep the veil off as I was pretty without it. I found the compliment flattering and adorable. After the night he was found with Nataku we had grown close. He wasn't just attached to the cranky blond anymore. It made my heart soar. He was practically my own child, I treated him as such. I loved Goku and I felt that he loved me too if he wasn't so sure of it. He led me out of the room and I saw Konzen sitting at his desk. He didn't look up.
"Hey Konzen! Look! Doesn't Kaguya look super pretty?" He called, trying to get his masters attention. The blond was having none of it though, he grunted and tried to get back to work. I made my way over to him with a great rustle of silk and bent down to where he had no choice but to look at me. His violet eyes were fixed upon my veil, trying to penetrate it like he had been attempting for a few days now.
"Come on now Douji-danna. Surely you want to spend the night with us? I promise it will be fun." I was calm when I spoke, but he still didn't look convinced. There was, however, a light blush on his cheeks.
"Yay! Let's go! Let's go!" Goku called from behind us. I held out a slender hand to Konzen which he slapped gently away before standing up. This made the boy even more excited. I took Goku's hand and allowed the blond to lead us out. There were already noises of revelry coming from the courtyard and the closer we got the tighter my hand got squeezed. The little monkey who was pulling me along got more happy with every step. I didn't have the heart to tell him that this whole celebration was going to be boring. I had planned to see my father but he was to be at the Emperor's table so I wouldn't be able to see him until the festivites were over.
"Now Goku, don't run off and don't try even after I just said so." We had gotten to the edge of the crowd and the kid was already making to leave us behind. I took his hand in mine. In truth I was worried that these people would be cruel to Goku. I'd had little interaction with others on the matter of heretics but I knew they weren't liked. The child beside me didn't deserve such unwarranted hatred and I swore that I'd protect him at all costs.
We made our way into the crowd of people before the Jade Temple. I felt Goku begin to pull away so I grasped tighter. The ebb and flow of people began to lead us away from Konzen. I tried to get the man's attention but we were cut off before I could say a thing. There was chatter all around but at least it seemed like people were ignoring us.
"Ah! We lost Konzen!" Goku panicked. He let go of me but I grabbed his wrist.
"It's okay Goku, stay close and we'll find him." I told him. He nodded, relaxing a bit.
"Hey what's with the dirty brat Kaguya? He yours?" I looked over at a dark haired god who had spoken. I didn't know him by name but I'd probably met him at some point or another.
"Yes he is." I wrapped my arms protectively around the boys torso, shielding him from this man and his companion. The second man seemed to notice something.
"Hey, that kid's got golden eyes! He must be that heretic they brought from the lower world." Oh no, I gripped Goku tighter which made him look up at me. He didn't understand what was going on.
"He can't be your's if he's Douji's little pet. You hiding the mighty assholes pedophilic tendencies?" The crack against Konzen made me clench my fists.
"Take that back!" I spoke through gritted teeth. Goku seemed to catch on and broke free of my grasp. He kicked one of the men hard in the leg. The weight of those shackles alone but the offender on his knees, cursing in pain.
"You aren't allowed to say mean things about Konzen or Kaguya so take it back!" Goku was defending me. I felt a surge of pride but held it back. The second man came in running a fist ready.
"Dirty little brat!" He yelled. His punch wasn't even close when a figure appeared from the crowd, catching the mans wrist.
"It's tasteless to use violence against an undisciplined child who is obviously trying to defend a lady." Tenpou had appeared to save the day, snapping the mans wrist backward.
"You're..."
"General Tenpou of the Western Army?!" The group exclaimed.
"Ten-chan!" Goku smiled, his anger easily ebbing. The man nodded with a smile at Goku and then at me.
"Are you alright Kaguya, Goku?" He asked, ignoring the ever growing group of people surprised by Goku's appearance.
"We're fine, thank you." I gave Tenpou my gratitude. Being who I was it would probably look weird to know as much about fighting as I actually did. However, despite the cumbersome silk I was willing to defend Goku should I need to.
"How about leaving the lady and her child alone? Please look at your own immature attitude before blaming others." The man was giving them that dangerous smile again. I made to grab onto Goku again but he shook his head at me.
"You're always so kind to me, let me be kind to you." I fought the sudden sob of happiness that his words brought me. Alright, I'd let him.
"Okay Goku." I stepped back and noticed that our little confrontation was beginning to gain attention. Even the men on stage were looking around to find the cause of the commotion. No one was looking at the palace anymore. Instead they were gazing at us. Son the guards were upon us.
"Lady Kaguya! What is the cause of this interuption?" One of them asked. This was rather embarassing. I'd never gotten in trouble before but something about it made me feel...alive.
"Nothing sir, we have it handled." I muttered. The guard wouldn't have it though. They went around me going straight for Goku. I had no choice. I stepped in front of one and straight out tripped him. He fell to the ground with a thump. The second man came charging and I landed a quick blow to his stomach before kicking him back against a pillar.
"Ow let go you brat!" One of the soldiers had gotten past me but the kid was biting into his arm. I found myself smiling.
"Seize him!" More guards appeared on all sides.
"Wait!" I called out, trying to stop them. Suddenly my favorite miscreant appeared, giving a swift kick to the man charging in our direction.
"Hey." He winked in my direction. I shook my head.
"Sorry Kagu, this looked much more interesting than that speech. Let me join." It wasn't a question but a statement.
"Ken-niichan!" Goku called out. I'd never seen the two interact but the child seemed just as enthusiastic about Kenren as he was about Tenpou.
"If you make it worse I'll cut it off." I huffed. Tenpou chuckled and Kenren raised his hands in the air.
"I'll keep it at exactly the same level as you kicking that guy into the post." He pointed out the man I'd knocked out before grinning. His arm slithered around my shoulders.
"You just keep surprising me babe." God could he be anymore lecherous right now.
"No matter your rank we will not allow you to use violence in front of the Emperor!" One man screamed. Kenren took a puff of his cigarette.
"That speech was so fucking dull though, I was getting bored. I'd say this is a good opportunity to shake off my sleepiness." He relented his grip on my shoulders. Goku immediately ran to my side looking upset. He didn't like Kenren being near me it seemed. On occasion the feeling was mutual.
"Anybody who holds a grudge against me or the Lady Kaguya for spurning your advances come at me all at once. I'll take you all on." He just had to bring me into it didn't he? I huffed, trying the fight the urge to kick him in the shin. If I really wanted to I could catch him off guard pretty quickly. There was an uproar from the crowd and people came out of the woodwork to get a chance at Kenren. He smacked all of them down but I didn't get the chance to watch for long. I had my own cue of people who desperately begged for me to pay attention to them. They were being rather aggressive about it too. Goku made to interfere but I held him back.
"No Goku, let me fight my own battles okay?" I smiled down at him. He blinked, confused but nodded. I untied the sash holding up my kimono letting it fall to the ground. Beneath was a rather risque black gown with high collar, no back, and slits up both of my legs. Kanzeon had chosen it for me so I had to wear it even if it was underclothing. One man charged and I dodged to the side, my knee coming up to meet his diaphragm. He lost his breath and I swung my leg wide to knock him into the ground. One after another they came at my. My veil was in danger of being compromised if I went on like this. I thanked myself for choosing the one closer to my face for tonight.
One of the men snatched at it, ripping the bottom. I reared back and punched him hard in the jaw. He collapsed, holding the now severely wounded cheek. My rings had made him bleed and his eye was closed.
"Kaguya!" I turned, managing to knock out one Kenren's "friends" with a well aimed elbow to the back of the neck.
"What?!" I called, rather irritated that I was being distracted. This was honestly relieving a ton of stress for me. The voice was that of my father. I froze...oh shit. Another man charged and I dispatched him without looking away from the furious man in front of me. At his side was Konzen who looked equally angry but at Goku not me.
"You idiot I told you not to stray!" Konzen approached Goku, rubbing his knuckles into the childs head. I looked up into the deep blue of eyes of my father. He looked down at my torn veil and then my attire.
"Foolish girl! What do you think you are doing embarrassing not only yourself but me on the most important day of the year?!" He screamed. I sank inwards, shame beginning to lap at my heart.
"I'm sorry father, they were attacking me..." This was the first time I actually feared my father. He was always so kind and gentle, what was this side? Hadn't he been the one who wanted me to learn to fight anyway?
"I'm afraid I'm the one to blame Tsukiyomi. She was only attempting to protect herself and the child in her charge." I was more than a little surprised to see that the speaker was Konzen. He bowed to my father, his long blond hair falling to the sides of his face.
"You're Konzen Douji, the nephew of the Kanzeon who watches over my daughter. I cannot accept your guilt. She should know better than to be so unladylike." My heart sank. Was this really my father? He never talked to me like this before. In fact, he was all about breaking boundaries and letting me be as free as I wished within certain restrictions. While he would have been embarrassed he would have usually confronted me in secret, not in public. Was the Emperor behind this?
"Forgive me father." At this Kenren stepped forward followed by Goku and Tenpou. My father's gaze swept over them and there was something akin to fear in his eyes.
"We'll speak of this later. Be gone from my sight." He waved me away. I bowed to him again collecting my forgotten kimono and fastening it back over the dress with my sash. With that we all walked through the crowds and away from one of the most curious events I'd ever been to in my life. We moved in silence towards Konzen's palace. Goku took a place next to me and just behind the blond. Kenren and Tenpou too were following us along for some reason. At first I figured our resident master didn't care, that is until we entered his home.
"How long do you plan on following us?" He yelled.
"You're the one who said Let's go." Tenpou pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. That's when I first began to see it. There was something connecting all of us together, a strange string of fate that had us all together.
"Come on now this is some kind of destiny right? Let's get drunk!" Kenren suggested. He got too close to Konzen whose rather famous temper kicked in.
"Don't be so friendly!" He smacked the general hard on the head. I giggled, covering my mouth only to remember that part of my veil was missing. Of course I hadn't been very quiet and all eyes turned to me.
"Hey Kaguya, your..."
"One of those beasts ripped the bottom of it." I sighed, suddenly realizing that Kenren and Konzen were staring at me rather expectantly.
"I think, it might be time." Tenpou was grinning.
"I was hoping to wait a bit longer but I guess now is as good a time as any." I muttered. I reached up and pulled the diadem off my forehead taking the blue veil with it. Goku was squealing with delight as I looked upon them all together for the first time without that enchanted veil obscuring my vision. It all looked much the same but everything was sharper, more in focus.
"Holy hell! If I knew that's what you looked like I'd have tried harder." Kenren laughed. I frowned.
"Don't be a pervert General, this is exactly why I kept the veil." I crossed my arms over my chest. I was already rather nervous about this being pushed onto me so quickly and he was making it worse.
"I'm going to work. Anyone who interupts me gets beat up." Konzen turned on his heel, walking towards his desk. I was actually a bit upset by this. I'd always wondered what his reaction would be to my appearance but this was a bit underwhelming.
"Jack ass, don't worry Kaguya, its a big moment for me." Kenren winked. I know he was trying to make me feel better which made me smile. Was that a blush that rose on his cheeks? I came forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. He was a great deal taller than me so my face ended up buried into his chest. He froze up, not used to such affection.
"Thank you for being you." I whispered. He was shaking as he patted my back. When I pulled away Goku was upon me.
"Let's play Kaguya! Ken-nii and Ten-chan can play too!" He suggested. The four of us agreed but I was still frowning.
"Goku, how come those two get cute names but me and Konzen have to just be us?" I asked him. At the time I was joking being jealous but of course Goku was one to take everything literally. I don't know why I didn't think of it but he took my hands in his, shaking his head.
"Konzen would kill me and you're just...Kaguya. You don't need a nickname." That smile melted my heart. I pressed a kiss to his forehead and he blushed like crazy.
"You better watch it monkey, that's my territory you're squaring in on." Kenren came forward to place an arm on my shoulder. We all laughed while the little monkey just fidgeted.
"Don't tease Kenren, come on Goku pick a game we can play." I smiled at him. He got out of his funk quickly like he always did.
"Well I found a bat and a ball in the storage shed earlier."
"Baseball then, that'll be interesting." Tenpou said. Goku got the bat and ball from one of the nearby corners.
"I'll throw." Tenpou called.
"I'll catch then." I spoke up.
"I got the bat, you run for the ball Goku." We were going to play inside. This might end up being a disaster. I kneeled down behind Kenren who held the bat ready. Tenpou threw the ball and of course the general smacked it hard with the baseball bat.
"I got it! I got it!" But of course the boy didn't have it. The ball went sailing in the air only to smack right into the inkwell on Konzen's desk. It littered his work with black as well as his face and clothes. I couldn't help it, I fell over laughing. The others seemed quite nervous but I just couldn't stop. Konzen picked up the ball, gripping it tightly.
"You..."
"Come on Konzen pass the ball!" Goku was jumping up and down in excitement.
"Oops, my bad." Kenren didn't sound sorry at all. In fact he was more watching me fall over with a stitch in my side.
"I will fucking kill you!" Konzen threw the ball only to have Kenren smack it through one of the windows. I laughed even harder.
"Konzen's killing Kaguya!" The men started to argue and I felt tears of laughter running down my cheeks. I felt so light, my heart fluttering. This was happiness, being around those you cared for more than anything in this life. I'd been wrong, a husband meant nothing if I could be with these idiots for the rest of my life.
"Are you okay Kaguya?! You're crying!" Goku came to my side. I held my side, finally able to calm down and wipe the tears away.
"They are happy tears, promise. I was just thinking how much I adore you idiots." I grabbed the boy around the neck and rubbed my knuckles into this hair. He laughed, trying to push me away.
"Well you know what they say, Good friendship is a beautiful thing." Tenpou commented. Konzen who was still fuming shook his head.
"Agreed." I stood and pulled Goku with me. Everyone but the blond god was grinning. He scoffed but I could see the ghost of a smile on his lips. He liked us, he just didn't want to admit it yet.