A/N: I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to get where I'm going with this fic. I can see the ending quite clearly – it's the bit in the middle that's hazy. So I'm open to any and all suggestions for the middle of the story. Please leave your suggestions in the reviews – what shamless plug for reviews? I know nothing of this shameless. -YoukaiNemisis P.S_ It also gives me a reason why this is so short. -YN
Houtou Castle
There was a loud bang, followed by the musical crashing of many bricks tumbling to the ground. Ni suppressed his wince. Here I am, he sighed to himself as he opened his door and peered out of his office in a manner that was in-no-way fearful, bio-mechanical engineer, martial arts expert, and zoo keeper. Breathing deeply, he strapped a bit of mental steel to his backbone and approached the cloud of dust that used to be the wall separating corridor and garden. It had been a good idea, hadn't it? If he'd given Goku a place to train further away... wait, how did that logic go again? Doctor Ni managed to keep his expression calm and reasonable as he looked over the three-foot high tumble of masonry that used to be a foot thick brick wall.
Goku and Lirin stood in the courtyard just beyond. They'd removed the small fountain and pond that used to be the centrepiece, and replaced it with mats, weapons racks and the like. Out of the corner of his eye, Ni noticed the remains of paint on a surviving segment of wall and guessed the rest.
"Out of curiosity, whose idea was it to paint the bullseye on the wall?" Ni pitched his voice to carry, interrupting the argument going on in the middle of the courtyard. He picked his way through the rubble and approached the pair, pinning each of them under his stare for a few moments. "And what were you throwing at it?" Goku and Lirin shared a glance, squirming under his glare.
"Wasn't throwin' nuthin'," Lirin muttered, resentfully.
"Just punchin' an' kickin'," Goku mumbled. Just barely, Ni kept his mouth shut. They were just... punching and kicking. Right.
"Very well," Ni managed, surprised at his own ability to be coherent. "The pair of you will clean this mess up. I will speak to the castle mason to get the damage repaired." He frowned at the pair of them, using his most severe expression. "This will never happen again. We will never talk about this again. Understood?" He received two mute nods. Turning on his heel, he re-entered the corridor and walked along it, wondering where the castle mason could actually be found. Did they even have a castle mason?
The story of Goku and Lirin's dispute with the wall reached the castle workshops before Ni did. Over the chuckles of the burly demons who worked at the smithing, carpentry and stonework that kept the castle running, he managed to secure an order for a repair. It was only a few hours later when workers replaced the wall - with a sliding screen, giving Goku easy access to Ni's lab from his 'yard'. Any protests he would have made were silenced as he watched Goku help the demons, laughing and chattering with them as if he'd really been living in Houtou Castle all his life. As he closed his door and returned to his seat, Ni considered the ramifications of that easy familiarity.
Goku's friendship with the servants of Houtou Castle had been entirely unexpected. On the very first day he was out of Ni's lab, the golden eyed boy had offered to help a laundry maid with a load of wet towels. Unlike the other residents of the castle, he actually made friends with the staff. If Ni ever lost track of the youth, he knew Goku would eventually end up in the kitchens, where he'd carry enormous loads of wood and feed the ever hungry cooking fires in exchange for tasting whatever Cook was making for dinner.
Ni leaned back in his chair, propping his slippered feet on the edge of his desk. Prince Kougaiji was not happy with Goku's return to the castle. Ni grinned and lit a cigarette. The sweet irony was that the boy was doing exactly what Kougaiji himself had done several times in the past – running away to get stronger. Not for the first time, Ni considered using the Seiten Taisei. But Goku's true form could never be controlled, never be trusted enough to bring back the scripture Genjyo Sanzo carried. But to use him as a tool of pure, complete destruction, what fun, he thought. Then Ni frowned. He was honest enough with himself to admit to the funny pang that thought brought, along with the normal shivery excitement the contemplation of chaos always gave him. Ni's dark eyes widened, and he gave a small, bemused laugh. I'll actually miss Goku when he's gone.
