***

Tenpou didn't answer the door. Not like he ever did, so Kenren just waltzed right on it and nearly died of a heart attack. The place was clean. Impeccably clean. Not a single book out of place...save for one. Not one paper out of file. Not a speck of dust. Maybe he took a wrong turn, he thought. This was not Tenpou's room.

But sure enough, he found the marshal in his usual spot- in the nook between the war history of this century and the war history of that. Right on the border separating two different eras, but to Kenren it was all the same. War was war after all.

Hmmm...sleeping. Tenpou's brown hair was slightly disheveled, falling across his eyes and face. "Ten-chan." he said a bit more endearingly, saw the flinch at the corner of his eyes.

Gotcha.

Without further adieu, he was by the other man's side. Whispering in his ear, Kenren said, "You, Tenpou Gensui, are the worst liar I've ever met." So with that, took hold the marshal's chin and leaned forward to claim the waiting mouth...

But soon found himself in a gentle liplock with "Brave New World" by an author he didn't bother to know. Nor did he care, especially now.

"And you, Kenren Taishou, are the most persistent hound I've ever met." retorted Hakkai as he hid his face behind the book, only daring to reveal his twin emerald eyes. "Don't you ever tire of this?"

The raven-haired man backed off and sat cross-legged in front of him. He scratched the back of his head, his smile never faltering. "Not if you keep playing hard to get like that."

"I am not playing hard to get." The book was tentatively lowered, but remained poised in the event of another attack. "I'm playing 'not going to get,' Gojyo, so if you would just-"

"Gojyo?" The general quirked his head to the side.