[Fic] Better Than Sake 1/1 (TenKen)

Pairing: TenKen



Rated: PG13 for a brief passage or two



Disclaimer: The many incarnations and characters of Saiyuki were

created by the wonderfully talented Kazuya Minekura--may she be forever

blessed and properly deified for sharing her vision with the rest of

us.  I venture onto her playground in the name of entertainment and

maintaining my sanity; in so doing I mean no disrespect or copyright

infringement...



Summary: Mildly-hung-over Kenren, mildly-bitchy Tenpou, and a rather

roundabout discussion of their relationship...





A/N: Just to clarify, this fic features Manga-Kenren--with the nice

black hair, not that nasty garish pink dye-job--despite the fact that I

gave him his anime boots.  Also, he's paired with Manga-Tenpou and his

vaguely-goofy prettiness rather than Anime-Tenpou, with his

usually-too-pinched face and washed-out coloring and funky plastic

action-figure hair...



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Better Than Sake

By TJ Dragonblade

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It was approaching mid-day by the time that General Kenren finally

managed to drag himself from his quarters to knock at the heavy door of

Tenpou's office, persistently dogged by the tenacious echoes of the

Hangover From Hell all the way.  Part of him regretted the extent to

which he had indulged himself at the previous evening's banquet; and

yet part of him knew that he would do exactly the same thing next time

around despite the fact that he had spent most of the morning getting

intimately acquainted with the commode in his private washroom. And

while his head still felt a bit hammered and tenderized--leaving him

somewhat sensitive to everyday noises and wishing the sun filtering

through the windows were just a *bit* less bright--by now the dry-mouth

and the nausea and the worst of the physical symptoms had passed, more

or less, and he figured it was high time he made an appearance. 



Especially considering the resignedly-disapproving look on Tenpou's

face when they'd parted company last night in the banquet hall...



Receiving no discernible answer to his knock--not that he'd truly

expected any; the gesture was one of habitual courtesy more than

anything else--he cracked the door open and peered around it.  "Oi.

Tenpou.  You in here?"



The absently-rumpled figure hunched over the desk shifted

non-committally in response; Kenren took it as invitation and slipped

into the cozy, blessed quiet of the diffusely-lit chamber, nudging the

door gently closed again behind him.



Tenpou said nothing, hardly even acknowledged the additional presence

in the room, appearing completely absorbed in the over-sized book open

on the desk before him, tie comfortably loose beneath his unbuttoned

collar, the tip of one finger tracking lightly down the page before he

turned to the next.



Kenren blew out a sigh and sank into the nearest chair--or rather, the

nearest chair that didn't require relocating more than three books to

be serviceable--and slouched gratefully, fragile head resting tilted

over the back.  He scanned the room idly, wondering--and not for the

first time--how on earth the field marshal could manage to return the

office to this level of complete disorganization so thoroughly on a

regular basis, much less ever find *anything* in such a state of

perpetual disarray.  "...Time to straighten up again already, eh?" he

asked conversationally, lifting his head into a less apathetic

position.



Tenpou said nothing still, simply turned his page again.



Kenren frowned.  Certainly, Tenpou was not always the most socially

gifted of men, particularly when ensconced in the comfortable chaos of

his own office; but this was stretching the bounds of politeness even

for him.



"Hey.  Don't I warrant even a 'hello'?"



Tenpou glanced up briefly over the rims of his glasses, fixing Kenren

with a weighted look that made the general feel like a mis-behaved

adolescent pinned beneath the scrutiny of a stern headmaster once

again. 



Kenren blinked, resisting the sudden compulsion to squirm, and Tenpou's

sharp green eyes flicked back to the book as he spoke at last.



"From the lateness of the hour and the fact that you've only *just*

ventured forth from your bed, can I assume that you made a drunken

spectacle of yourself yet again at the banquet last night once I left?"



Oh.  So that's all that was bothering him?  Despite the lingering

sensation of fractures in his skull, Kenren couldn't help but crack

into a fond grin of reverie as he answered.  "Tenpou, darling, you

would have been *appalled*." 



He may just as well have said 'proud' for all the remorse in his tone.



Tenpou merely shook his head slightly with a sound somewhere between a

long-suffering sigh and a mothering cluck of disapproval and turned

another page of the tome before him.



"Oh, it wasn't *that* bad."  Kenren waved dismissively.  "The entire

evening is still clear in my memory--"  He briefly assumed the tone of

a soldier reporting to his superior officer.  "In no way did my

behavior reflect shamefully on the Western Army nor do I really have

any reason to be personally embarrassed."  His tone slipped back to

casual.  "On top of that, I retired to bed alone and I woke up alone.

And I certainly wasn't the only one drinking.  Goujun was putting them

away fast and furious, too--I never would've guessed the old boy could

hold his liquor so well..."

 

"Oh, a most fitting accomplishment *indeed* for his subordinates to be

bragging about the next day..."



"Feh--it's good for morale.  The soldiers were *very* impressed, I tell

you.  After all, who wants to serve under a commander who can't loosen

up with his troops every once in awhile?"



"Every *once* in awhile is perfectly acceptable, Kenren, and I think

that Goujun understands that.  *You*, however, seem to have decided

that the notion should be 'as often as possible'; and I'm afraid you're

going to *lose* the respect of your troops if you keep this up..."  The

note of concern in his voice belied the coldness of his outward

demeanor.



Kenren shook his head, regretting it almost instantly as the room

swayed and tilted sharply in the wake of the motion.  "I know my

limits."



Tenpou arched a highly skeptical eyebrow in reply; his eyes continued

dodging back and forth across the text before him all the while.



Kenren crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest, the folds of his

uniform coat creaking softly in emphasis.  "When *you* manage to keep

this library of yours tidied for more than three days running, *that's*

when I give up the drinking."



Tenpou's head tilted away slightly in a disdainfully noncommittal sort

of gesture as he turned his page; and Kenren found himself almost

annoyed at how well the other could express himself without saying a

word.  The general's eyes narrowed slightly in response; he never *had*

appreciated being treated so dismissively, particularly when Tenpou was

indulging in this vaguely holier-than-thou demeanor.



Lucky for him, he knew just the buttons to push that would bring the

marshal down a notch or two...



He stretched casually, lacing his hands behind his head and directing

his gaze toward the ceiling once more.  "That Goujun, though...he

certainly is a lovely creature," he remarked idly, his tone very

carefully innocent.  "I wonder if all that sake he drank last night

would've been sufficient to give me a chance at taking him to bed..."



Tenpou snorted, a haughty, derisive sound, and adjusted his spectacles

primly.  "I find that *highly* unlikely."  His eyes barely flicked up

from his book, their expression mildly venomous.  "Nor do I think it

would be a particularly good idea..."



Well, at least he wasn't too put out to feel a little jealousy this

afternoon...  Kenren grinned, not able to care that doing so would only

serve to irk Tenpou further.



That jealousy...it was one of the many little quirks that he so liked

about Tenpou.  He could ogle or even bed any woman he cared to, and

Tenpou never batted an eye; but mention an interest in some other man

and Tenpou would turn possessive in a flash.



It was always nice to know that one was fully appreciated.



And the fact that Tenpou would never admit to being jealous--that was

rather endearing, too; the way he acted like he couldn't be bothered to

care one way or the other despite the sharp bite of his words, or the

way his nose would turn up just the slightest bit in unconcerned

superiority even as his eyes betrayed his true annoyance, as they did

now...



Kenren's grin softened slightly, turning fondly introspective.  Really,

there was a lot to like about Tenpou.  He was...a distinctly quirky

individual, to be sure, as had been Kenren's intial impression; but the

general had swiftly found that quirkiness rather endearing and greatly

to his liking.  Tenpou was an oddity among the kami upper ranks--a man

saddled with high authority and power who yet preferred to stay quietly

in the background for the most part, more interested in researching the

history of various wars than actively participating in current affairs.

Which was certainly an attitude that Kenren could understand--the

beaurocracy they served was a web of corruptible officials and

soft-bellied intrigue chock-full of smarmy folk with petty squabbles

over insignificant trivialities, and dealing with it all soured his

stomach on a daily basis.  Especially when there were serious issues

lurking amongst all the pompous fluff and red tape that went utterly

ignored for the most part.



And Tenpou thought the same way he did, hid a very sharp intellect

behind that absently cheerful persona, which was probably one of the

reasons they'd gotten along so well from the start.  After all,

like-minded individuals thrust into proximity by circumstance had a way

of banding together against the currents trying to sweep them into the

crowd.  Kenren had grown quite attached to his eccentric marshal,

comfortable in the easy rapport that had developed so quickly between

them.  They'd gone from comrades to bedmates in no time at all, and

over the course of their affair, they'd become...well, in all honesty,

Kenren supposed he'd have to call them friends.     



And 'friend' was a word that Kenren had never tossed about so casually

as most of heaven's denizens were inclined to do.



He levelled a measuring gaze at Tenpou a moment, studying the marshal

while the marshal studied his book.



People were right to call the man pretty, no doubt about it--that dark

hair feathering carelessly over smooth porcelain-fair skin; those

green, green bespactacled eyes that could see right through a person

when they wanted to; the deceptively delicate curve of those

cheekbones; that lovely slender neck and that invitingly sculpted mouth

that was simply begging to be kissed; the lean, simple body hidden

under those plain clothes that did nothing to mask the memories Kenren

held of that body warm and alive in his bed...and he couldn't help

recalling, then, the way that Tenpou moved beneath him, deliberate and

sure, arching and twisting with that smugly calculating gleam in his

eye, expertly driving Kenren out of his mind; the thrill that he always

felt when Tenpou finally lost his control and fell into helpless

passion; the way Tenpou's elegant hands clutched at him and Tenpou's

lips trembled at his ear as that soft voice gasped fervently wicked

words of fulfillment at last... 



Kenren smiled slightly, watching as those lips turned down a bit and a

faint frown of mild consternation creased the marshal's brow as Tenpou

flipped through another few pages.  Yes, the man was undoubtedly

lovely; and--back to the point--definitely qualified as his friend,

quirks and beauty and all.  But it certainly didn't hurt matters any

that Tenpou was ingeniously talented in the bedchamber, an absolute

delight between the sheets.  And in the bath.  And in private hidden

bowers of the gardens.  And, on occasion, in this very office, atop the

desk or otherwise.  And once or twice in some dark forgotten corner of

the prison block.  And even in the banquet hall that one time, well

into the wee hours of the morning when they had both been rather

inebriated and the few other celebrants still present had finally

succumbed to the inevitable alcoholic stupor...



Kenren wiped the silly grin from his face before Tenpou could start to

wonder just what had so amused him.



After all, they'd been discussing his drinking habits; and while he

would never let on that he put serious value in Tenpou's opinion of

such things, the truth was that if Tenpou had broached the subject to

him, then it was definitely worth the mulling over...



He stood and stretched, demeanor casual to downplay his serious

consideration of Tenpou's reprimands.  "...So you really think I'm too

free with the alcohol?"



Tenpou leafed absently through a few more pages, the crease between his

eyebrows deepening.  "I think you are a man who indulges his passions

as he sees fit and rarely has any regard for concepts such as

'moderation' or 'temperence'."



Kenren opened his mouth to make reply, but Tenpou wasn't finished yet.



"You are none too popular with certain powerful individuals, as I'm

sure you're aware; and in all honesty, I'd rather not see you

transferred again or dismissed for disgraceful reasons of any sort,

particularly as your assignment to the Western Army was precipitated by

scandalous circumstances to begin with."  His eyes never left the book.



Kenren sighed, bristling mildly at the implied slight to his military

service.  "For the ten-thousandth time, *she* came on to *me*.  I was

only there to inform her of the...altercation I'd had with her husband,

and apologize for the state I'd put him in; but...she wasn't interested

in listening.  She seemed quite set on seducing me.  I did everything I

could to talk sense into the woman, but she was having none of it--"



"Ahh, but Kenren, the way I hear the story, she was certainly having

quite a lot of *something*..."



Kenren shook his head and continued on, unwilling to cater further to

Tenpou's bemused sense of humor at the moment.  "I can't help the fact

that her husband came to and came home before I could get things under

control."



"Your clothes were in the other *room*, Kenren."



"She tore them off of me and forcibly dragged me to the bedchamber."



"So you've maintained all this time.  Tell me, though--how far did you

intend to let things progress before 'getting them under control',

hmm?"



"...I didn't want to hurt her.  I'd already made quite a mess of her

husband, after all..."



"Oh, indeed."  Tenpou licked the tip of one finger and turned his page,

eyes still fixed to the text.  "And I'm quite sure her husband

appreciated the sentiment; but the fact remains that the incident

landed you here under my authority and I don't want disgraceful

behaviour of any sort whisking you away again."



"And you think my drinking habits border on disgraceful."



"I think that you would do well to consider what those with higher

authority would label them."



And again, that was just so like Tenpou, answering questions without

really answering them, leaving room for interpretation in more than one

direction; giving answers of the sort that would satisfy those who had

heard what they'd wanted to hear whether or not the marshal truly

agreed with them.  Tenpou had such guileless ambiguity down to a fine

art.



But Kenren had known him long enough by now to have become quite adept

at reading between the lines.



Tenpou didn't really care one way or the other about how much he drank,

or even what any higher-ups thought; Tenpou's concern was whether or

not his love for the sake would end up splitting them under seperate

commands again.



Tenpou didn't want to lose his companionship.



And truthfully, Kenren reciprocated the sentiment wholeheartedly.  Not

that either of them would ever say as much so directly, of course--that

would be entirely too trite, and too...well, sentimental.



But really, life with Tenpou was far more entertaining than it had any

right to be.  And with the two of them being so much alike in their

views of the world and their opinions of the state of affairs in

Tenkai, Kenren was definitely in no hurry to be shifted to some other

command or booted from the military entirely.



Tenpou was quite important to him.  He could admit as much in the

privacy of his own thoughts if nowhere else. 



And maybe it really wouldn't hurt to convey a little of that to the

marshal, try to allay some of those unpsoken insecurities, especially

in light of Tenpou's own indirect and somewhat back-handed admission...



He settled against the side of Tenpou's desk, perching on the edge of

it and loosely folding his arms.  "There are few things in life more

delightful than drinking, Tenpou."



Another page turned.  "Yes, you *do* love your sake..."



Kenren waved one hand in impatient dismissal.  "Yes, yes--I'm a

hopeless lush and an irredeemable drunkard, we've established that; but

I wanted to talk about those other things."



Abruptly, he boosted himself onto the desk and swung his legs around in

front of Tenpou, intending to interpose himself between the marshal and

that oh-so-fascinating text.  But Tenpou, somehow, was one step ahead

of him and simply scooted back casually, quite unperturbed, sliding the

book into his lap and refusing to allow his reading to be interrupted

despite Kenren's increasingly-less-than-subtle efforts, by all

appearances oblivious to the fact that his lover was trying to hold a

conversation with him. 



Biting back a sigh, Kenren hunched over a little, hands planted on the

edge of the desk beside him, leaning toward Tenpou, who just kept

skimming through the book.



"As I was saying--there are few things more delightful than drinking in

this life.  And when a person finds one of those things, it ought to

be..."  He searched for his words.  "Treated with the proper

importance, yes?"



Tenpou nodded absently and turned a page.



"Like friends, for example.  A good friend is both more valuable and

more fulfilling than a good drink, and far more difficult to come by."



"Indeed."  Another page turned.



"And far more difficult to replace..." Kenren trailed off, not even

sure if Tenpou was truly listening to him and just a bit self-conscious

about whether or not his words were coming out right--despite his

undeniably silver tongue, he never had possessed much of a gift for

expressing himself sincerely in meaningful conversation.  He shook his

head slightly and started again from another angle.



"How long has it been since we started sleeping together?"



"I've lost track," Tenpou answered blithely, skimming down the page

before turning it again.



That book...that damned book and his lover's absorption in it were

starting to get on Kenren's nerves.  "What are you looking for,

anyway?"



Tenpou glanced up, blinking, appearing vaguely startled. "Hmm?"



Kenren gestured at the open tome in Tenpou's lap.  "What are you trying

to find in that thing?"



"Oh."  Green eyes flicked back to the parchment pages.  "Nothing in

particular..."



Well, wasn't *that* just peachy.  Annoyed, Kenren abruptly toed the

cover closed and set his boot firmly atop it, a faint jingle from the

hardware along the calf emphasizing his act.  "Dammit, then, pay

*attention* to me when I'm speaking, will you?" he demanded, somewhat

petulantly.



Tenpou's eyes lifted again, meeting his boldly with a look of polite

inquiry underlaid by a hint of vindictive satisfaction.  The marshal

folded his arms over his chest, leaning back and arching one eyebrow

slightly.  "Not only was I paying attention, Kenren; I commented where

appropriate and answered nearly every question put to me."  His voice

was mellow, mild as a young spring breeze.



"I'd like your *undivided* attention," Kenren growled, removing his

boot from Tenpou's lap and setting the book aside, aggravation creeping

up his spine. 



"Ah, well, I'm terribly sorry but the nature of my job requires that my

attention be constantly divided."  Tenpou brushed him off with a

dismissive air, the sparkle of infinite amusement in his eyes only

irritating Kenren all the more.



"Dammit, I'm trying to say something important here!"  How had he gone

so quickly from gleefully pushing Tenpou's buttons only moments before

to having his own expertly pushed in return?



"Words of importance from the tongue of General Kenren, subordinate to

the Dragon King of the Western Seas?"  Tenpou rested his jaw on the

heel of one hand in a mockery of rapt attention, index finger laid

against his cheek while his knuckles curled at his mouth, ready to hide

any hint of a smile--a vaguely snobbish gesture of amused superiority

set off to perfection by the upward tilt of his eyebrows.  "Do tell..."



"Can you *never* take me seriously, then?"



"Now Kenren, really--where would be the sense in that?"



"You...self-righteous, empty-headed arrogant little--" Enough was

enough.  Kenren was no good with putting delicate sentiments into

proper words, and Tenpou clearly held little stock in the value of his

words as it was.  Exasperated, the general fell back on the one sure

way he knew of to *make* Tenpou pay him the proper mind.



He pulled the marshal abruptly forward with a quick yank to the tie,

seized Tenpou's face, and kissed him soundly, muffling the little

startled yelp that escaped his lover's throat.



It would be quite difficult for Tenpou to talk back while his mouth was

otherwise occupied, after all.  Particularly with Kenren putting the

whole of his considerable talents of seduction into the effort--Tenpou

likely wouldn't have a single quick-witted sharp-tongued thought in his

head by the time that kiss was through.



And certainly, kissing the man really was a delightful pastime, Kenren

concluded, pressing closer, charming his way easily through Tenpou's

defenses, teasing at the soft tobacco-and-mint taste of his quirky

marshal, irritation bleeding out of him quite suddenly.  Tenpou's mouth

was so *nice*, firm yet yielding, all warm and supple and

responsive--Kenren's hands gentled slightly, stroking the back of his

lover's neck and playing up under that lovely dark mink-like hair; and

he indulged a flare of smug complacency as he felt Tenpou positively

melt beneath his touch.  Savoring his victory, he deftly countered

Tenpou's parrying tongue and tasted as deeply as he pleased, assured

that he had finally gained the marshal's full attention.



And at long last he broke off, slightly breathless himself, quite

satisfied with the rapt expression on Tenpou's face as those green eyes

blinked open, soft behind their lenses, sharpening a bit as they

focused but falling quite short of the bite they'd possessed just

moments before.  



Kenren allowed himself the barest hint of a smile, the perfect words

he'd needed suddenly clear in his mind.



"All the time we've been together, as much of a pain in the ass as you

are, this--" he lapped briefly at the cleft of Tenpou's mouth again

"--that...it's still better than sake..."



Tenpou made no move to pull away from the hands that yet held him fast.

"Oh, *I'm* the pain, am I?" 



"Yes.  But you're still better than sake."



"Well.  I suppose I can live with that..."  Tenpou's mouth twisted in a

wry smirk, but his eyes were soft with a genuine smile.



And that warmed Kenren better than any drink ever could.

-------

Fin

-------

Beg: 7/13/04

End: 9/24/04



C&C welcome - tj.dragonblade@gmail.com



=====

TJ Dragonblade

Badge-toting officer of the DWPS

Reincarnated English Teacher & Custodian of Wufei's kinky streak

http://www.livejournal.com/users/tj_dragonblade/



"Please don't use holy magic on civilians."

    Cho Hakkai  ~Saiyuki~ (manga)

********************************.

This beautiful story is not mine. Received in my daily e from Saiyuki Yaoi group mailing list.
I thought the story was great, just fab, and wanted to share it with my loyal fanbase.