Saiyuki Gaiden fic: The Sea
Mar. 7th, 2007 01:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
louiseluxHappy birthday ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
emungere! Fic for you ♥
Fandom: Saiyuki Gaiden
Title: The Sea
Pairing: Tenpou/Kenren, sort of...
Rating: worksafe
Notes: many thanks todaegaer for the patient and helpful beta. This is set before the events in Saiyuki Gaiden and there are not really any particular spoilers for the series.
Summary: the balance of power in Heaven is changing
"Why are we here?" Kenren said.
"Humans ask themselves that all the time," said Tenpou. He was searching for something in his pockets. After a short silence, where Kenren waited with a familiar sense of growing exasperation, he fished out a plastic card and peered at it. "I don't know the answer. But this gets me a 10 percent discount."
"It wasn't a philosophical question," Kenren said.
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked around, taking in the long aisles lined with books. People stood about, silently flipping pages. He wondered vaguely where the erotica section was.
"Heaven's ordering system is awkward," Tenpou said. "It's easier to come down to earth to get the latest things."
He pulled a book from a shelf, apparently at random, and began to read. Kenren studied his face for a few seconds, but Tenpou didn't look up.
"So, why did I need to come?"
"I thought you might like it."
"Not that I'm questioning your orders, Marshal," he said, "but am I here just to carry your books home?"
Tenpou didn't seem able to drag his eyes away from printed words, but his lips quirked at the corners.
"No, I really did think you might like to get away."
Heaven was perfectly beautiful and as dull as death. Nothing moved and the gods wandered through it, slowly rotting as they played along with the farce. Around them the people in the shop moved and talked and bought and sold, living fast. The two of them stood out, slow moving, not living, at least not in the hot blooded, heart thumping way that humans did; reckless and careening head-on into certain death. Even in a book shop.
"Yeah," Kenren said, thinking of Nataku Taishi's little-boy face and permanently down-turned mouth. The boy looked grey with fatigue half the time. It turned his stomach. "I do like to. Thanks," he said.
They'd never talked about Nataku, or the sudden rise to power of his father. They didn't need to: it stank and they both knew it. There were faint lines of tension on Tenpou’s face, hardly there unless one cared to study that secretive face, and Kenren did, as if at a page of text he couldn't quite decipher.
"Hmmm," said Tenpou. "Good."
"But I might like it more if you took me for lunch afterwards."
"Ah." Tenpou touched the pages of the book he was holding, fingertips moving as if he was caressing skin. "Yes. I'd like to, very much." He looked up at Kenren, a slow sweep of lashes and an almost-not-there smile. "General Kenren?"
"Yes?"
"The erotica is on the far wall, near the staircase," he said. .
It took a few moments for Kenren to think of a reply, and even then it was only a muttered "Thanks."
The shop had a musty undertone of ageing woodpulp, cut through by the chemical smell of freshly printed ink. The scent of invention, and perhaps also of lust, he thought; two things that Heaven was notably lacking. He ran a finger along the spines, content just to touch them, to note the artistry of their covers and the names stamped or printed on their spines. This place reminded him of Tenpou's office.
He wandered back some time later to find that Tenpou had slid down the bookcase and was sitting with a large volume open on his knees.
"What's that?" Kenren said, leaning over. "Not your sort of thing. I thought you were all about the words."
He gazed down at Tenpou Gensui's beautiful upturned face. He was as perfect as anything in Heaven, dark and light like cherry blossoms at night, pale swags dressing the bare black branches. He'd look good naked, Kenren thought, spread out on a carpet of petals. He wondered if Tenpou could see all this in his eyes. Very probably. That kind of thing was difficult to hide, and Kenren wasn't trying very hard.
"Look at them," Tenpou said.
Kenren obediently studied the pictures: they looked like crumpled up brown paper and dark blue ribbons, twisting like snakes.
"Huh," he said, squinting down at the images. "What are they?"
"Views of the earth from above," Tenpou said. "It's an interesting perspective."
He didn't see Tenpou for a while after that. Nataku Taishi was busy and Kenren was seconded to his squadron.
"General Kenren," Tenpou said. He was lying on the floor of his office, in front of the bookshelves on the western wall, just recently woken up. His lab coat had picked up balls of grey dust and hair from the polished wooden floor. "Thank you for coming at such short notice."
"It's nothing," he said, thinking of his hot bath and sake. It could wait. Most things in Heaven could. Besides, he'd been taking pains to keep his time free for Tenpou. He was the only commander here worth anything. "What do you need?"
Tenpou scratched at his hair and hummed for a few moments.
"Help getting up?" he said, sticking his hand out.
Kenren took it. It was cool and firm as it slid into his and Tenpou's grip was surprisingly powerful, almost painful. Tenpou's fingertips were cold and they curled around his wrist, sliding over the thin skin there. The gesture caught his eye and he stared down at Tenpou's long pale scholarly hand clasping his own. They both had bitten-down nails, although Tenpou's had black rims underneath.
Kenren failed to let go, even when Tenpou was on his feet. He hadn’t meant to cling on, not at all, but here he was, holding his hand like a fool and something was happening to the air in the room. The moment stretched out, unmistakeable for what it was. Kenren's cover was blown. He rubbed his thumb over the back of Tenpou's hand, just once.
"General Kenren," Tenpou said, very softly.
"You-- "
An officer knocked and then entered.
"Marshal Tenpou, sir," said the man, bowing and clicking his heels together. "General Kenren," he said, and his gaze flicked to their joined hands.
"That's me," said Tenpou, as if the officer might not know. He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. "What is it?" he said, after a pause.
"Sir. It's another beast, this time in the eastern seas."
“Oh. I see.”
Kenren frowned.
"What do you mean, another? How many have there been so far?" he said.
"It’s the seventh this week," said Tenpou, with a smile.
"What? Why didn't you tell me? And why are they bothering you with this crap?"
He glared at the officer, who cringed and bowed his head. Tenpou shrugged, wide eyed, like he'd never thought to ask.
"It keeps me busy," he said.
"It's our orders, sir," the officer muttered.
"Who's orders?" Kenren said. "Who's giving the orders for this?"
The officer gazed mutely at Tenpou.
"Leave it, General Kenren," Tenpou said. His voice was cool and quiet. "Please go on," he said to the officer.
The officer bowed, so that all Kenren could see was the top of his head. "Sir. The beast has already destroyed three ships and has cost many lives. We've pinpointed its location. What action shall we take?"
“Bring me maps of that area," Tenpou said. He pulled on his uniform jacket and buckled it, seeming to stand straighter like he was shaking off sleep. It lit something in the pit of Kenren’s stomach. "General Kenren, mobilise a naval squadron immediately. I’ll meet you on the surface.”
"Yes, sir," Kenren said
The naval squadrons of Heaven were trained in theory more than practice, Kenren soon realised, viewing the controlled chaos on deck. The ship swayed through heavy seas and the creaking wooden deck was lashed with foam and spray. Kenren sniffed the air and breathed deep. The sky was blue and white with racing clouds and the sun would burst from them, turning the sea spray into dazzling white lace and specks of crystal. Excitement shivered down Kenren's spine.
The men shouted and raced about the boat, while Tenpou stood on the bridge, a slight still figure against the chaos. His hair was blowing stiffly in the wind, tangling over his eyes until he dragged it back over his ears. He should get it cut, Kenren thought. It might be dangerous in battle.
"What are we fighting?" he asked, coming to stand at Tenpou's shoulder.
"Imagine a giant squid-like beast, but much larger and with a beaked mouth the size of a man. Bring me the gun," he said, turning to one of his men, who was standing by. "I think we'll need the largest gauge darts."
"Yes, Marshal Tenpou," the man said, with an adoring look, then ran off.
"That's a lot of squid," said Kenren.
"The fisherman of this area have always told stories of a monster, although it's rarely been seen and it hasn't attacked in living memory," Tenpou said. "But recently it's become very aggressive." He frowned. "Strange behaviour, don't you think?"
Kenren shrugged. "Someone made it angry?" he said.
"Maybe so," Tenpou said, gazing at the sea.
"What are my orders, Marshal?"
He wanted to ask if Tenpou was going to run off and try and do everything himself, like he always did, but before he could even decide if that was wise, the boat juddered as if it had run into a wall. A wave crashed against the side and then the whole ship lurched, hard. Kenren cursed and grabbed Tenpou's arm to steady him. That wasn't a wave.
"It's under us," cried the first mate, the wind blowing his shrill words across the deck.
As if waiting for the introduction, a tentacle flung itself from the water. It was barbed with long claws, grey and gleaming like sharpened flint. It lashed across the deck with a shriek of torn wood, shattering the boards into kindling. A second tentacle reared from the sea, foam pouring off it like a waterfall. The tip was curled tight, like a huge grey fist, and it was falling down on them in an inevitable slow arc.
Tenpou dragged his arm free and began to run forward, just as the men on deck began to fall back.
"Marshal Tenpou," Kenren yelled, above the roar of the water. "Be careful. You can't even swim!"
Tenpou looked back over his shoulder. His eyes were wide open and his gaze was burning hot and eager. He was smiling, even as a sickening thump and crack came from below decks. "I know. I'm relying on you to jump in and save me. Lead my men - I'll deal with the target."
"Man your posts," Kenren cried.
He swore as he ran to the men, shouting commands. He watched Tenpou leap over the ripped boards and jam himself up against the rail, the huge tranquilliser gun braced on his shoulder.
"Sir, the hull's been breached," his first officer said, running up. "We can’t fix it. We have to abandon ship." He was soaked and shivering; frightened and clearly trying to hide it.
"Not yet," Kenren said. "Contact the port. We're not too far out for them to send a ship."
Water boiled around them and something broke the waves; it looked like the back of a whale, except it kept on rising. Its skin looked too smooth and it was glossy with water. Its beak was yellowed and cracked and as it opened a wail ripped through the air, as if it was trying to say something. Flat black eyes gazed at them, permanently open and staring. Even from this distance, Kenren could see the fluid in them pulsing.
The gun held a volley of six darts. Tenpou, looking small and fragile and in danger of tipping into the sea at any moment, fired them all. He was aiming for the brain, Kenren guessed. If it had one. Another scream as they hit, sticking into its flesh like tiny red-tipped feathers.
"Too late," he heard one of his men moan, as a shadow fell across the deck.
"Move," Kenren screamed. His eyes were still fixed on Tenpou, who was turning too slowly, moving far too sluggishly to get away in time, and then the huge arm crashed down and he was gone.
"No," Kenren heard himself saying, as he swayed and slid across the deck.
His chest hurt and his mouth was full of the taste of salt. Hot adrenaline squirted into his system and he thought he might be sick. The ship groaned and lurched as the tentacle slithered back into the boiling sea. Another low wail and the creature began to sink under the water, thrashing its limbs. Freezing water sloshed across the deck, rising fast as the ship began to go down. He could see the creature under the surface of the water, a dark mass. There was no sign of Tenpou.
The men were silent and white faced. They seemed frozen in place, even though the ship was breaking apart around them.
"The lifeboat," Kenren said. "Get it ready. We're leaving."
"Sir," the man said. "But-- "
"Do as I say. And get me a rope." He shrugged off his coat. If he was going to have to jump in he didn’t want it dragging him under. And he wanted someone strong on the other end of the rope. "That friggin' idiot," he swore. "I'm gonna kick his ass so hard."
"I'm sorry, General Kenren?"
"Doesn’t matter," he said.
"Wait, look," someone cried. "It's coming back."
A slender tentacle rose high above the waves. It swayed backwards and forwards, almost uncertainly. It was holding something; a small dark bundle. The tentacle moved, flicked forwards with a quick graceful movement and the thing it was holding flew through the air in an arc and landed with a thud on the deck.
"Oww," Tenpou groaned, rolling over. He choked up a mouthful of water and then collapsed onto his back. The tranquilliser gun clattered down after him, skidding across the deck. It was bent in two. "Has it gone?" he said, in a scratchy voice, looking up at Kenren through his wet hair.
"It gave him back," someone breathed.
The tip of a fleshy grey tentacle whipped across the surface of the water, almost as if in salute, and then it vanished.
"Yeah," Kenren said, biting down every else he wanted to say. His hands were shaking, he realised now. He grabbed his soaking wet coat and threw it over his shoulders, then dragged the rope from around his waist. "It's gone. We have to leave. Now."
"Marshal," said the officer, dropping to his knees at Tenpou's side. "Are you hurt?"
"Not really," Tenpou said, meeting Kenren's eyes. "But I could do with some help standing up. Please."
He held out his hand.
Kenren's coat was ruined. The soft leather was stiff with salt and the whole thing smelled of seafood. It stuck to his bare shoulders like a cold, wet second skin.
"I've had this since I first joined up," he said.
Tenpou was next to him, sipping coffee from a plastic cup. He wore a rough pink blanket over his shoulders. His hair stuck out, thick with salt.
"Oh. I'll buy you a new one," he said.
"Nah. I can get another from stores."
They were sitting on a bench at the back of the rescue ship, away from the other men. A wake of foam trailed behind the boat, a pathway leading back out to nothing but empty sea. It was peaceful now and the sky was turning gold as the sun dropped. This could almost be the end of a peaceful day's fishing, Kenren thought.
"Are you very angry with me?" Tenpou said, quietly.
Kenren stared down at his squelchy boots. His hands were shaking now, after the rush of shock. He couldn’t work out what was going on inside his head. He could still see Tenpou standing on the deck, there one moment and gone the next. He thought of Heaven with no Tenpou in it. The coffee in his cup had gone cold.
"We sank the boat. You nearly drowned and were saved by an angry squid. That's a fuck of a lot of paperwork," he said.
"I wonder why it threw me back onto the boat?"
"You probably annoyed the piss out if it," Kenren said. "I'm just guessing."
There was a lengthy pause.
"I'm sorry," Tenpou said, at last.
Kenren turned his head but didn’t meet his eyes.
"You will be. I'm not doing a single report for you this time."
He rested his elbows on his knees and listened to the quiet slurping sounds Tenpou made as he drank his coffee. Gulls were shrieking overhead, following the boat back to port. He could hear their men inside the ship. They were singing now, in victory.
"Someone wants you dead," he said, not caring to hide the anger in his voice.
Tenpou slurped more coffee.
"That’s a little too dramatic for my tastes. Perhaps they just want to keep me very busy."
Kenren didn't ask who ‘they’ referred to, because he thought he could guess very well. He looked down at Tenpou's boots; the laces were trailing and half knotted where he hadn’t had time to lace them. He pictured Litouten's charmless smile and had the urge to punch it.
"General Kenren," Tenpou said, in such an odd tone of voice that Kenren looked up at him. He sounded almost shy. "I trust you."
He'd lost his spectacles in the sea and his eyes were very blue, like the colour of the deep ocean. The curve of the bridge of his nose looked vulnerable and there were two red marks were his glasses usually sat.
"Thanks," Kenren said, eventually. "What brought that on?"
"I'm giving you command of my forces," Tenpou said.
"But." He stopped, wondering if he'd misunderstood. "What? What are you gonna do?"
"Planning and strategy," Tenpou said. "As your... aide. Your private secretary. Your adjutant."
"My what? You're demoting yourself?"
"Oh yes," Tenpou said. He pulled the blanket more tightly round himself. "Right now."
Kenren thought about it, imagining wild scenes of Tenpou doing his filing.
"It'll look like you're backing down," he said, finally.
"Then let people think that," Tenpou said. "Let me fade into the background. Behind you," he added, quietly.
The noise and clatter of the boat drifted away and it seemed like silence washed over them. Kenren thought of the last time they were alone; Tenpou's hand in his and the rush of simple naked lust that the touch had provoked. It was still there, waiting, like a living thing inside him. Kenren sipped his coffee to hide the singing of his nerves.
""It'll piss off the higher-ups," he said, then threw the dregs of his drink over the side of the boat where they were sucked away by the wind.
Tenpou touched his hand, as if they were making a pact. His fingertips were faintly warm. "Hmm. You very likely will. Do you accept?"
"Okay," he said. He could do that for Tenpou. He'd do a lot more. At some point in the last few minutes, his heartbeat had picked up and now it was thumping in his chest. "Yeah. Of course."
Tenpou sat still, watching him with owlish eyes as if waiting for Kenren to break into song or something.
"I mean." He bowed his head. "Thank you, sir. I, General Kenren of the Western Army, humbly accept the duties placed upon me by your honourable higher-up self." He looked up. "That okay?"
"Yes," Tenpou said, with a small contended-looking smile. "It's settled."
"So, what now?" said Kenren, when Tenpou didn't say anything else.
Tenpou closed his eyes and sighed, leaning back against the bulkhead. His shoulder pressed against Kenren's, warm and solid against the chill of the evening air. The tips of his fingers brushed over Kenren's knuckles.
"General Kenren," he said, into the dusk. "It seems I'm yours to command."
emungere! Fic for you ♥Fandom: Saiyuki Gaiden
Title: The Sea
Pairing: Tenpou/Kenren, sort of...
Rating: worksafe
Notes: many thanks to
daegaer for the patient and helpful beta. This is set before the events in Saiyuki Gaiden and there are not really any particular spoilers for the series.Summary: the balance of power in Heaven is changing
The Sea
"Why are we here?" Kenren said.
"Humans ask themselves that all the time," said Tenpou. He was searching for something in his pockets. After a short silence, where Kenren waited with a familiar sense of growing exasperation, he fished out a plastic card and peered at it. "I don't know the answer. But this gets me a 10 percent discount."
"It wasn't a philosophical question," Kenren said.
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked around, taking in the long aisles lined with books. People stood about, silently flipping pages. He wondered vaguely where the erotica section was.
"Heaven's ordering system is awkward," Tenpou said. "It's easier to come down to earth to get the latest things."
He pulled a book from a shelf, apparently at random, and began to read. Kenren studied his face for a few seconds, but Tenpou didn't look up.
"So, why did I need to come?"
"I thought you might like it."
"Not that I'm questioning your orders, Marshal," he said, "but am I here just to carry your books home?"
Tenpou didn't seem able to drag his eyes away from printed words, but his lips quirked at the corners.
"No, I really did think you might like to get away."
Heaven was perfectly beautiful and as dull as death. Nothing moved and the gods wandered through it, slowly rotting as they played along with the farce. Around them the people in the shop moved and talked and bought and sold, living fast. The two of them stood out, slow moving, not living, at least not in the hot blooded, heart thumping way that humans did; reckless and careening head-on into certain death. Even in a book shop.
"Yeah," Kenren said, thinking of Nataku Taishi's little-boy face and permanently down-turned mouth. The boy looked grey with fatigue half the time. It turned his stomach. "I do like to. Thanks," he said.
They'd never talked about Nataku, or the sudden rise to power of his father. They didn't need to: it stank and they both knew it. There were faint lines of tension on Tenpou’s face, hardly there unless one cared to study that secretive face, and Kenren did, as if at a page of text he couldn't quite decipher.
"Hmmm," said Tenpou. "Good."
"But I might like it more if you took me for lunch afterwards."
"Ah." Tenpou touched the pages of the book he was holding, fingertips moving as if he was caressing skin. "Yes. I'd like to, very much." He looked up at Kenren, a slow sweep of lashes and an almost-not-there smile. "General Kenren?"
"Yes?"
"The erotica is on the far wall, near the staircase," he said. .
It took a few moments for Kenren to think of a reply, and even then it was only a muttered "Thanks."
The shop had a musty undertone of ageing woodpulp, cut through by the chemical smell of freshly printed ink. The scent of invention, and perhaps also of lust, he thought; two things that Heaven was notably lacking. He ran a finger along the spines, content just to touch them, to note the artistry of their covers and the names stamped or printed on their spines. This place reminded him of Tenpou's office.
He wandered back some time later to find that Tenpou had slid down the bookcase and was sitting with a large volume open on his knees.
"What's that?" Kenren said, leaning over. "Not your sort of thing. I thought you were all about the words."
He gazed down at Tenpou Gensui's beautiful upturned face. He was as perfect as anything in Heaven, dark and light like cherry blossoms at night, pale swags dressing the bare black branches. He'd look good naked, Kenren thought, spread out on a carpet of petals. He wondered if Tenpou could see all this in his eyes. Very probably. That kind of thing was difficult to hide, and Kenren wasn't trying very hard.
"Look at them," Tenpou said.
Kenren obediently studied the pictures: they looked like crumpled up brown paper and dark blue ribbons, twisting like snakes.
"Huh," he said, squinting down at the images. "What are they?"
"Views of the earth from above," Tenpou said. "It's an interesting perspective."
***
He didn't see Tenpou for a while after that. Nataku Taishi was busy and Kenren was seconded to his squadron.
"General Kenren," Tenpou said. He was lying on the floor of his office, in front of the bookshelves on the western wall, just recently woken up. His lab coat had picked up balls of grey dust and hair from the polished wooden floor. "Thank you for coming at such short notice."
"It's nothing," he said, thinking of his hot bath and sake. It could wait. Most things in Heaven could. Besides, he'd been taking pains to keep his time free for Tenpou. He was the only commander here worth anything. "What do you need?"
Tenpou scratched at his hair and hummed for a few moments.
"Help getting up?" he said, sticking his hand out.
Kenren took it. It was cool and firm as it slid into his and Tenpou's grip was surprisingly powerful, almost painful. Tenpou's fingertips were cold and they curled around his wrist, sliding over the thin skin there. The gesture caught his eye and he stared down at Tenpou's long pale scholarly hand clasping his own. They both had bitten-down nails, although Tenpou's had black rims underneath.
Kenren failed to let go, even when Tenpou was on his feet. He hadn’t meant to cling on, not at all, but here he was, holding his hand like a fool and something was happening to the air in the room. The moment stretched out, unmistakeable for what it was. Kenren's cover was blown. He rubbed his thumb over the back of Tenpou's hand, just once.
"General Kenren," Tenpou said, very softly.
"You-- "
An officer knocked and then entered.
"Marshal Tenpou, sir," said the man, bowing and clicking his heels together. "General Kenren," he said, and his gaze flicked to their joined hands.
"That's me," said Tenpou, as if the officer might not know. He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. "What is it?" he said, after a pause.
"Sir. It's another beast, this time in the eastern seas."
“Oh. I see.”
Kenren frowned.
"What do you mean, another? How many have there been so far?" he said.
"It’s the seventh this week," said Tenpou, with a smile.
"What? Why didn't you tell me? And why are they bothering you with this crap?"
He glared at the officer, who cringed and bowed his head. Tenpou shrugged, wide eyed, like he'd never thought to ask.
"It keeps me busy," he said.
"It's our orders, sir," the officer muttered.
"Who's orders?" Kenren said. "Who's giving the orders for this?"
The officer gazed mutely at Tenpou.
"Leave it, General Kenren," Tenpou said. His voice was cool and quiet. "Please go on," he said to the officer.
The officer bowed, so that all Kenren could see was the top of his head. "Sir. The beast has already destroyed three ships and has cost many lives. We've pinpointed its location. What action shall we take?"
“Bring me maps of that area," Tenpou said. He pulled on his uniform jacket and buckled it, seeming to stand straighter like he was shaking off sleep. It lit something in the pit of Kenren’s stomach. "General Kenren, mobilise a naval squadron immediately. I’ll meet you on the surface.”
"Yes, sir," Kenren said
***
The naval squadrons of Heaven were trained in theory more than practice, Kenren soon realised, viewing the controlled chaos on deck. The ship swayed through heavy seas and the creaking wooden deck was lashed with foam and spray. Kenren sniffed the air and breathed deep. The sky was blue and white with racing clouds and the sun would burst from them, turning the sea spray into dazzling white lace and specks of crystal. Excitement shivered down Kenren's spine.
The men shouted and raced about the boat, while Tenpou stood on the bridge, a slight still figure against the chaos. His hair was blowing stiffly in the wind, tangling over his eyes until he dragged it back over his ears. He should get it cut, Kenren thought. It might be dangerous in battle.
"What are we fighting?" he asked, coming to stand at Tenpou's shoulder.
"Imagine a giant squid-like beast, but much larger and with a beaked mouth the size of a man. Bring me the gun," he said, turning to one of his men, who was standing by. "I think we'll need the largest gauge darts."
"Yes, Marshal Tenpou," the man said, with an adoring look, then ran off.
"That's a lot of squid," said Kenren.
"The fisherman of this area have always told stories of a monster, although it's rarely been seen and it hasn't attacked in living memory," Tenpou said. "But recently it's become very aggressive." He frowned. "Strange behaviour, don't you think?"
Kenren shrugged. "Someone made it angry?" he said.
"Maybe so," Tenpou said, gazing at the sea.
"What are my orders, Marshal?"
He wanted to ask if Tenpou was going to run off and try and do everything himself, like he always did, but before he could even decide if that was wise, the boat juddered as if it had run into a wall. A wave crashed against the side and then the whole ship lurched, hard. Kenren cursed and grabbed Tenpou's arm to steady him. That wasn't a wave.
"It's under us," cried the first mate, the wind blowing his shrill words across the deck.
As if waiting for the introduction, a tentacle flung itself from the water. It was barbed with long claws, grey and gleaming like sharpened flint. It lashed across the deck with a shriek of torn wood, shattering the boards into kindling. A second tentacle reared from the sea, foam pouring off it like a waterfall. The tip was curled tight, like a huge grey fist, and it was falling down on them in an inevitable slow arc.
Tenpou dragged his arm free and began to run forward, just as the men on deck began to fall back.
"Marshal Tenpou," Kenren yelled, above the roar of the water. "Be careful. You can't even swim!"
Tenpou looked back over his shoulder. His eyes were wide open and his gaze was burning hot and eager. He was smiling, even as a sickening thump and crack came from below decks. "I know. I'm relying on you to jump in and save me. Lead my men - I'll deal with the target."
"Man your posts," Kenren cried.
He swore as he ran to the men, shouting commands. He watched Tenpou leap over the ripped boards and jam himself up against the rail, the huge tranquilliser gun braced on his shoulder.
"Sir, the hull's been breached," his first officer said, running up. "We can’t fix it. We have to abandon ship." He was soaked and shivering; frightened and clearly trying to hide it.
"Not yet," Kenren said. "Contact the port. We're not too far out for them to send a ship."
Water boiled around them and something broke the waves; it looked like the back of a whale, except it kept on rising. Its skin looked too smooth and it was glossy with water. Its beak was yellowed and cracked and as it opened a wail ripped through the air, as if it was trying to say something. Flat black eyes gazed at them, permanently open and staring. Even from this distance, Kenren could see the fluid in them pulsing.
The gun held a volley of six darts. Tenpou, looking small and fragile and in danger of tipping into the sea at any moment, fired them all. He was aiming for the brain, Kenren guessed. If it had one. Another scream as they hit, sticking into its flesh like tiny red-tipped feathers.
"Too late," he heard one of his men moan, as a shadow fell across the deck.
"Move," Kenren screamed. His eyes were still fixed on Tenpou, who was turning too slowly, moving far too sluggishly to get away in time, and then the huge arm crashed down and he was gone.
"No," Kenren heard himself saying, as he swayed and slid across the deck.
His chest hurt and his mouth was full of the taste of salt. Hot adrenaline squirted into his system and he thought he might be sick. The ship groaned and lurched as the tentacle slithered back into the boiling sea. Another low wail and the creature began to sink under the water, thrashing its limbs. Freezing water sloshed across the deck, rising fast as the ship began to go down. He could see the creature under the surface of the water, a dark mass. There was no sign of Tenpou.
The men were silent and white faced. They seemed frozen in place, even though the ship was breaking apart around them.
"The lifeboat," Kenren said. "Get it ready. We're leaving."
"Sir," the man said. "But-- "
"Do as I say. And get me a rope." He shrugged off his coat. If he was going to have to jump in he didn’t want it dragging him under. And he wanted someone strong on the other end of the rope. "That friggin' idiot," he swore. "I'm gonna kick his ass so hard."
"I'm sorry, General Kenren?"
"Doesn’t matter," he said.
"Wait, look," someone cried. "It's coming back."
A slender tentacle rose high above the waves. It swayed backwards and forwards, almost uncertainly. It was holding something; a small dark bundle. The tentacle moved, flicked forwards with a quick graceful movement and the thing it was holding flew through the air in an arc and landed with a thud on the deck.
"Oww," Tenpou groaned, rolling over. He choked up a mouthful of water and then collapsed onto his back. The tranquilliser gun clattered down after him, skidding across the deck. It was bent in two. "Has it gone?" he said, in a scratchy voice, looking up at Kenren through his wet hair.
"It gave him back," someone breathed.
The tip of a fleshy grey tentacle whipped across the surface of the water, almost as if in salute, and then it vanished.
"Yeah," Kenren said, biting down every else he wanted to say. His hands were shaking, he realised now. He grabbed his soaking wet coat and threw it over his shoulders, then dragged the rope from around his waist. "It's gone. We have to leave. Now."
"Marshal," said the officer, dropping to his knees at Tenpou's side. "Are you hurt?"
"Not really," Tenpou said, meeting Kenren's eyes. "But I could do with some help standing up. Please."
He held out his hand.
***
Kenren's coat was ruined. The soft leather was stiff with salt and the whole thing smelled of seafood. It stuck to his bare shoulders like a cold, wet second skin.
"I've had this since I first joined up," he said.
Tenpou was next to him, sipping coffee from a plastic cup. He wore a rough pink blanket over his shoulders. His hair stuck out, thick with salt.
"Oh. I'll buy you a new one," he said.
"Nah. I can get another from stores."
They were sitting on a bench at the back of the rescue ship, away from the other men. A wake of foam trailed behind the boat, a pathway leading back out to nothing but empty sea. It was peaceful now and the sky was turning gold as the sun dropped. This could almost be the end of a peaceful day's fishing, Kenren thought.
"Are you very angry with me?" Tenpou said, quietly.
Kenren stared down at his squelchy boots. His hands were shaking now, after the rush of shock. He couldn’t work out what was going on inside his head. He could still see Tenpou standing on the deck, there one moment and gone the next. He thought of Heaven with no Tenpou in it. The coffee in his cup had gone cold.
"We sank the boat. You nearly drowned and were saved by an angry squid. That's a fuck of a lot of paperwork," he said.
"I wonder why it threw me back onto the boat?"
"You probably annoyed the piss out if it," Kenren said. "I'm just guessing."
There was a lengthy pause.
"I'm sorry," Tenpou said, at last.
Kenren turned his head but didn’t meet his eyes.
"You will be. I'm not doing a single report for you this time."
He rested his elbows on his knees and listened to the quiet slurping sounds Tenpou made as he drank his coffee. Gulls were shrieking overhead, following the boat back to port. He could hear their men inside the ship. They were singing now, in victory.
"Someone wants you dead," he said, not caring to hide the anger in his voice.
Tenpou slurped more coffee.
"That’s a little too dramatic for my tastes. Perhaps they just want to keep me very busy."
Kenren didn't ask who ‘they’ referred to, because he thought he could guess very well. He looked down at Tenpou's boots; the laces were trailing and half knotted where he hadn’t had time to lace them. He pictured Litouten's charmless smile and had the urge to punch it.
"General Kenren," Tenpou said, in such an odd tone of voice that Kenren looked up at him. He sounded almost shy. "I trust you."
He'd lost his spectacles in the sea and his eyes were very blue, like the colour of the deep ocean. The curve of the bridge of his nose looked vulnerable and there were two red marks were his glasses usually sat.
"Thanks," Kenren said, eventually. "What brought that on?"
"I'm giving you command of my forces," Tenpou said.
"But." He stopped, wondering if he'd misunderstood. "What? What are you gonna do?"
"Planning and strategy," Tenpou said. "As your... aide. Your private secretary. Your adjutant."
"My what? You're demoting yourself?"
"Oh yes," Tenpou said. He pulled the blanket more tightly round himself. "Right now."
Kenren thought about it, imagining wild scenes of Tenpou doing his filing.
"It'll look like you're backing down," he said, finally.
"Then let people think that," Tenpou said. "Let me fade into the background. Behind you," he added, quietly.
The noise and clatter of the boat drifted away and it seemed like silence washed over them. Kenren thought of the last time they were alone; Tenpou's hand in his and the rush of simple naked lust that the touch had provoked. It was still there, waiting, like a living thing inside him. Kenren sipped his coffee to hide the singing of his nerves.
""It'll piss off the higher-ups," he said, then threw the dregs of his drink over the side of the boat where they were sucked away by the wind.
Tenpou touched his hand, as if they were making a pact. His fingertips were faintly warm. "Hmm. You very likely will. Do you accept?"
"Okay," he said. He could do that for Tenpou. He'd do a lot more. At some point in the last few minutes, his heartbeat had picked up and now it was thumping in his chest. "Yeah. Of course."
Tenpou sat still, watching him with owlish eyes as if waiting for Kenren to break into song or something.
"I mean." He bowed his head. "Thank you, sir. I, General Kenren of the Western Army, humbly accept the duties placed upon me by your honourable higher-up self." He looked up. "That okay?"
"Yes," Tenpou said, with a small contended-looking smile. "It's settled."
"So, what now?" said Kenren, when Tenpou didn't say anything else.
Tenpou closed his eyes and sighed, leaning back against the bulkhead. His shoulder pressed against Kenren's, warm and solid against the chill of the evening air. The tips of his fingers brushed over Kenren's knuckles.
"General Kenren," he said, into the dusk. "It seems I'm yours to command."
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Date: 2007-03-07 07:17 pm (UTC)I know it's already been said, but this line cracked me up. It's so in character.
Can't say "You nearly died on me, you bastard!" so he'll just complain about the paperwork."Someone wants you dead," he said, not caring to hide the anger in his voice.
Oooh, that's very interesting. I like that Tenpou is totally willing to look like he's backing down, and that he trusts Kenren enough to essentially put himself in Kenren's hands.
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Date: 2007-03-09 11:25 am (UTC)Thanks so much for the beta, btw. I totally understand about it getting to me late - real life interferes sometimes. :) No worries, and thank you.