But he never would have thought...

"You know what?" said Kenren as apathetically as he could manage. "I think I've outworn my welcome with you."

"Kenren-"

"I don't care, really. No promises. I remember."

"Kenren."

Then he produced from his pocket a rumpled square of paper- small enough so to be fit into the message vial of a carrier bird-and tossed it at Hakkai's feet. It read:

/They're ready for Kenren Taishou and his men at the mountain path. Surveillance round. Thirty including the general. Orders understood. They won't return. /

Hakkai scrutinized it. "I don't remember..." Well of course he didn't. "General, what is this?" His answer came in the form of a punch to the jaw and he stumbled back. Before he knew it, Kenren was on top of him, seizing the collar of his shirt.

"Cut the crap." he snarled fiercely, as his eyes lit up with pent up resentment. "You fucking know what I'm talking about. I've played the willful ignorant. Believed you and blamed Litouten all the way. Why the hell I did, I don't know. I just *did*. So shoot me for being so fucking stupid. Found this on your desk this morning."

Suddenly taken with the realization that he was shouting, Kenren lowered his voice to a mere whisper and lowered his head to Hakkai's ear as one hand cupped the side of his face as if he were acting like a lover which, god forbid, he wasn't. Hakkai was almost trembling with shock and the fear that he was going to face some terrible fate in the library of his dreams. His mind conjured up the worst and for once, Tenpou's body agreed. Then the ever-present question: What did Tenpou do? And the ever-present non-consoling thought: I don't deserve this. Nevertheless, he allowed Kenren to continue torturing him. Hakkai could take it- with his confused detachment- he could take it.

"I should have seen it before. You took my men away from me. I know that much, and I won't let you take away anything else. I won't beg for something you won't give, now that I know that you gave to someone else..."

It still didn't explain anything to the healer, only reaffirmed the fact that he had jeopardized Tenpou's fine threads of secrets. The web was collapsing.

The hand at his cheek stayed surprisingly gentle. Hakkai had expected it to come flying down and pound him into the floor, but it didn't. It cradled his face, though in its stiffness he could sense Kenren's reluctance. "Kenren I-" he spoke for Tenpou, not for himself. "There's no one else." but when he had uttered those last words, he realized how empty they sounded. Something not even Goku would believe. Kenren must have thought it a blatant lie.

"I don't care, *marshal*." the man's voice had grown dispassionate though their faces were only mere centimeters apart. Hakkai flinched at the scorn imbued with the mention of Tenpou's title.

Then lips descended on his own in a soft kiss like the one from this morning. Softer even. But bitter. "I'll request that Goujin reassign me in the morning. I'll be out of your hair from now on." Kenren's mouth hovered over his own, their breaths mingling as he received one bitter kiss after another.

"But Tenpou...mess with me or my soldiers again and I'll make you know what hell feels like."

Cho Gonou smiled cruelly up at him, piqued by the mention of absolute misery. "I already do."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, breaking both of them from their spell of hatred. For an eternity, neither moved. They stared at each other in disbelief- at the words they had exchanged, the threats...

Kenren pushed himself off the floor and quickly snatched up the cigarette he had dropped before it burned the entire place down. Not that he cared, of course. Hakkai took advantage of the disruption and tried not to race to the door. Upon opening it, he was met by an impassive face. /God, doesn't anybody smile in heaven?/

"I was sent by Goujin to convey a message."

It took Hakkai's muddled brain a good minute to register the sight before him. Heaven knows he'd seen this man enough.

"Marshal?" Shien prompted as he scrutinized Tenpou's astounded expression.

"Ah, yes." Hakkai apologized sheepishly. "Forgive me, Shien. What is it that were you sent to tell me?"

"Kenren Taishou's missing troops have returned. They were caught in a storm and had lost their way on earth. With all the turbulence, they say, access to the gate back to heaven was near impossible. They had to wait it out." the man reported verbatim from the written paper in his hand which he then gave to Hakkai.

"I see. Thank you."

"They will be marching through the streets as soon as they enter the holy city."

At the mention of his troop, Kenren jumped and made his way to the door. "See, Marshal?" he said, brushing roughly against Hakkai's shoulder as he walked out. "This bastard general can sure train his soldiers, even when he had to keep you in check too."