...and the queen stopped her chant, turned towards the two men, and opened her eyes...black and blue and gold whirlpools; tantalizing and seductive...they pulled...tugged at their minds... 'so cold'...they said... 'so tired'...they said... 'so still' the bewitching orbs called out...And Sanzo's body suddenly felt so...so...
"Sanzo!" Tenpou clapped a hand over Sanzo's eyes.
"Tenpou, get off!"
"Don't look at her. She's a...a...gorgon!"
The feeling that was there before was suddenly shattered. Only then did he sense that the fringes of his robe were solid ice. "A what?"
The chanting resumed; this time undulating and less hectic, causing the violent winds around them to cease completely. The air died and an absolute stillness fell down upon them with the shock of thunder.
"A medusa. If you look into her eyes, you'll turn into ice." Tenpou murmured, his eyes squinted shut. "And as pretty as you are, I don't think I want to see you as a statue."
Sanzo pushed him off... "Say that again and die."...but before Tenpou could completely back away, the monk grabbed his wrist. "Stay HERE you idiot!"
"I must say though..." Tenpou continued uneasily. "...having my eyes closed whilst surrounded by enemies is an invitation for a quick execution."
"You think that too?" Sanzo retorted sarcastically, his grip on Tenpou's wrist tightening by the second.
The queen's voice changed, omitting an ear-splitting shriek that sent the ground beneath them shaking. Something like a rushing wave could be heard at a distance, getting closer and closer...their legs started to sink into the snow...
"Fuck." Blindly, Sanzo aimed and shot, but to no avail. He had to take the chance...so when he opened his eyes, it was enough to see a tornado ripping its way through the ground towards them.
At its approach, Tenpou followed suit. "Gods..." he gasped. "Sanzo! We have to get out of the snow!"
"No shit!" Having the rest of his body torn from his legs was definitely NOT something he wanted to think about right now...or ever. Dammit, it was hard to think, especially with that hellstorm getting nearer. He almost didn't hear Tenpou speak...stay close to me?...is that what he said?...Then a green bubble began to form around them- close, warm, slightly suffocating, but it melted the snow...the earth was convulsing more as the tornado neared ...or was that him shaking? A strong arm wrapped around his shoulders. A calm voice whispered in his ear. "Trust me. Just stay close, ne?" Like the earth was being severed from his very feet...and then there was total blackness. And then there was nothing.
****
The blood ran warm over his hands, ran in little rivulets on the floor, little rivers of tainted celestial blood. Hakkai rammed the sword through the gut of his fifteenth, leaving fifteen more. The body fell against him and he shrugged it off. Wet and sticky, the red fluid stuck to his boots as he kicked one corpse to the side, as he swung back and beheaded another one. That's sixteen.
Smoke crept over his head, the fire that he started spreading from its source into other rooms. He checked his shoulder wound. It had reopened, yet he didn't feel it. Another scream, another stab, but this time, Hakkai fell to the ground as well. The room was spinning, suddenly getting colder. He felt a gust of icy wind, his vision going blurry and for a moment...a flash of an instant...he could see the snowy mountain town where he had been...no...not now... The healer shook his head. Stay here! he scolded himself stubbornly.
In a fit of desperation, Hakkai heaved himself up and impaled two youkai into the wall as if they were butterflies. He didn't bother retrieving the sword. Instead, he picked up a dagger dropped by a fallen enemy, trying to ignore the sound of pouring rain that was echoing in his ears.
Twelve more.
When Tenpou opened his eyes, his gaze was met by two beady blood red jewels ingrained in the head of a small creature...white...with wings...that looked like...
"Kyuu!" Hakuuryuu squeaked.
"Sir?" Tenpou responded.
"Kyuu!" Hakuuryuu replied.
Tenpou paled. "My god..." Goujun...what have you done to yourself?
"Kyuuuuuuuuu!" the little dragon was frantically pulling at his sleeve.
"Okay, okay, I'm up sir...errrr...you." This was certainly one more thing to think about. Tenpou gingerly rubbed his head, not surprised to find a few sore spots. A quick glance at his surroundings told him that the tornado had carried them rather far; maybe a mile or so.
Now where was Toto?
A groan and a curse escaped a pile of snow next to him.
"Ah! There you are. Thought I had lost you." Tenpou said cheerily as he stuck his arm in and hauled the monk out by the collar. Sanzo came out choking and coughing.
"You only wish."
"Now that wouldn't be a very Hakkai thing to do."
"Ch." the monk mumbled. "At least you got our asses out of there in once piece."
Tenpou shrugged. "Your welcome."
They were by the lake now, far from the battle that was still raging farther up the mountain. From the sounds of it- the squeals of dying youkai- Gojyo and Goku hadn't been touched.
"So..." the marshal said, getting up and walking to the edge of the frozen water. "Do you think she's finished with us?" Sanzo followed suit, violet eyes scanning the darkness and finding nothing but the glaring moon.
"Doubt it. She seemed really pissed."
"No thanks to you."
The priest didn't dignify the comment with an answer, nor did Tenpou seem to be expecting one. The kami was too deeply engrossed in the reflection staring back at him lit by moonlight and fireflies. Kneeling, he saw that it was his own- the one with two good eyes, long hair and a labcoat. The fool who thought that he could change heaven by himself.
"An idiotic desire." Tenpou scoffed quietly, unaware of Konzen's reflection staring critically back at him.
"Well you've always been an idiot." shot Sanzo. "You always will be, whether it's this life or the next. Not that I blame you too much. It takes a crapload idiots to take on the jobs we do."
"Touché." the marshal replied with a sad smile, petting the dragon's head as the creature landed on his shoulder to nuzzle him. "At least I won't go alone, right?"
"A wise man never does."
Tenpou laughed, probably more than he should have, but it felt nice and rather silly to be outwitted by a human. Scratch that, it was amazingly ridiculous to be outwitted by Konzen, out of all people!
At that moment, he laughed at everything...That the incredibly dense bureaucrat would become an enlightened priest. That the highest ranking general of the Western Army would become a backwater gambler. That the messiest, most powerful marshal that had ever existed would become housewife obsessed with cleanliness... That his own commander would become his pet...
"Kyuuuu!"
...friend.
At that moment, he laughed at fate because fate had a wonderful sense of humor that restored his spirits somewhat; for it meant that heaven's time would come as well. That it would transform into something halfway decent.
Sanzo snorted, "Baka." then went as if to return to where the battle was. He didn't hear the soft beating of wings that loomed overhead, or maybe he thought it was Hakuuryuu because when he heard Tenpou shout out his name, he didn't know what was happening until strong hands pushed him sharply to the side and the god was blown clear across the ice.
"Agh! Damn." Tenpou cursed before attempting to pick himself up. Everything hurt and he only ended up falling again on the ice, the gravity of his condition revealed by the blood he smeared across the shimmering surface. It was so cold...the weight of the weather bringing his very thoughts to a standstill, tempting him to simply close his eyes...
Perhaps he would have done it too, if he hadn't heard the ice crack beneath him.
"Tenpou! Don't move!" Sanzo ordered. He squinted his eyes and looked for her.
There was a pond right outside Tenpou's study; one that was always so still that it was a delicate and perfect mirror of the heaven's flawless sky. He remembered journeying to Under Heaven, simply to get four or five fish to stick in there so that the water would always move, so that it wouldn't be such a perfect mirror of death. Now here he was, on the brink of death, splayed out and frozen, and feeling as feeble as a fish out of water- yet being out of the water would not be a problem for very long, judging on how fast the ice was cracking under his weight. Like breaking glass, it had a nice melody.
A rose scented breeze tickled his skin coming from behind. Above the breeze, he could hear flapping in the darkness. Curious, he thought, why the sweet attention? Then he remembered what sweet attention was from a witch like this one. He was being seasoned up to be eaten. Stricken by paralysis, Tenpou couldn't even conjure up the energy to scream when she dove in his direction.
What a horrible way to die, he repeated to himself pitifully until a gun pierced the ice inches from his body. Sanzo fired again, this time near his feet. Again and again and again...and the cracks in the ice spread...and there was a splash of water as Tenpou fell through...
The god didn't remember much after that, simply a voice that shook the waters, surrounding him in gold light. The dying cry of the witch...and a hand that reached in and grabbed his own...an incantation filtering through the surface and to his ears...and then he heard nothing.
****
"Tenpou!" he heard Gojyo calling him. "Where the hell are you?"
"Mmmmh..." It was so hot that the possibility hit him that he may have gone to hell, that not even the pretty gold light could save him from the inevitable. Oh. It was one of those, Tenpou contemplated, his eyes remaining closed- one of those effective modes of sub-Under-Heaven torture wherein the victim can still hear the living voice of his lover, friend or whatnot...
"Tenpou!"
...and so adding to the torment, the victim is drenched head to toe in the most disagreeable substance in his eyes...In Tenpou's case: blood, still a bit warm and sticky...which leads to the victim thinking thoughts he never thought before: I really need to shower. It was silly, because there were no showers in hell.
Nevertheless, one cannot crawl up from the depths of purgatory without opening one's eyes and seeing it for oneself. So Tenpou opened his eyes and found that hell looked exactly like heaven except that hell had the stereotypical flames.
...then again, he *could* be in heaven, in his own home which was now transforming into ash as he contemplated absurdities.
...and he should get up, run out, and see what more havoc his doppleganger had committed.
...or what good he had done- and judging from the scarcely identifiable corpses of Kenren's regiment, Hakkai had taken care of things his way and not Tenpou's way and he'd be dammed if nobody figured out the difference already. Regardless, his counterpart deserved a 'thank you' for taking pains to burn the evidence- and a good 'fuck you' for setting himself down to burn with it.
...and he could run and escape.
...and he would, if he could only move.
Kenren found the marshal lying in the midst of gutted bodies. It was a sickening sight that made him want to wretch, but he suppressed the feeling and the alarms going off in his head telling him that Tenpou was one of the gutted. He laid so still.
"Tenp-" he broke off in a fit of cough and got down on his knees to crawl. The entire place was a labyrinth of fire. In the air, ravenous heat prowled and feasted on his lungs. The suicidal bastard, fucking suicidal bastard always doing things alone, always thinking he was alone enough to do suicidal things like this and too dense to know there were always people following him to make sure he was never alone and that he never went alone. Tenpou's fingers moved. He groaned, then stilled.
Blood was smeared all across his face, but Kenren didn't care and kissed him anyway.
The marshal moaned weakly, his head lolling back. "Come on now." Kenren said encouragingly as he gently lifted Tenpou from the carnage. "Anything happens to you, Konzen's gonna have my ass."
"To kick to hell, of course." a voice growled from behind. "Not for anything else." There, Kanzeon's nephew stood, his mouth covered. "Now let's get out of this shithole! You've been in here too long."
"Konzeeeeeeen!" Goku called from down the hall.
"Baka! I told you to stay outside." The blonde registered the scene before him. Goku didn't have to see this. Hell, not even *he* wanted to be around to see this, but he just *had* to go with his idiotic impulses. Messy, golden strands falling about his waist, and amethyst eyes radiating cold fury- even the encroaching flames seemed to make a conscientious effort to avoid him.
"But Konzen..."
"Stay there!" and then to Kenren. "Let's go."
Cautiously, the four made their way to the main entrance, only to be stopped by Goujun who stood there so calmly that he seemed oblivious to the blood, fire, and heat. His critical eyes slowly looked over his wounded marshal- blood soaked with blood not his own. He would be convicted, and Goujun would lose his most effective subordinate.
"Not that way." the dragon king said bluntly before taking the lead and bringing them to the side entrance where a silent pool reflected the bitterness of the entire inferno. "Lay him down there and get him clean, then take him out the back."
"Gettin' your claws dirty?" Kenren remarked.
"Remember your place, Taishou."
"My apologies."
And with that, Goujun left, but not before throwing one of his extra uniforms at Tenpou's feet. There's going to be a lot of paperwork involving this incident. Best get started.
Tenpou finally came to in the midst of all the washing, re-clothing, and general pampering.
"What...what happened?"
Unceremoniously, Konzen dumped a bucketful of water on top of his head.
"Keep saying that and you'll have your position longer."
"No, really, what happened?" he sputtered water.
