[closed] nothing we can call our own but death

[bon_bon]

Who: Tenpou and Konzen
What: After the mayhem, a little catching up
When: 6 April
Where: Konzen's house
Warnings: n/a


The things he saw, he can't unsee. It's there when he closes his eyes. They haunt his dreams, if by some miracle he sleeps. The fault is his, and his alone. In that do or die moment, he made a choice. The akayashi loomed above, trapping them inside. They had to do something. And maybe in his own selfish way, he wanted to be connected to Goku again in some way, even if it meant binding him in this strange unnatural manner. Branding him with a new name -- one that was different from the first one he gave him. What came afterward was almost too painful to bear.

There was never much of a chance anyway. But somewhere along the way, he had built up so much hope. There were promises to keep, a new and different world to discover. Even if they couldn't be together then, they would find each other eventually under the cherry trees. A fool's hope, from the very beginning. When he saw the world painted red in Goku's blood, the vision of his death piled heavy on his conscience and his heart. It was like being squeezed all over again, only this time, he couldn't hope for the oblivion that the gate would deliver when it slammed shut.

The night draws close. He sits on the floor in his empty house, by the terrace doors that look out into the courtyard. All the glass doors are open, letting in the spring air. It smells like flowers and water, but he doesn't really pay it much attention. The house is so quiet at this time of day. Though maybe at some point in the the next hour, he might see a welcome face. They have much to discuss, after all. Even if he's not sure he's ready.

Comments

[bon_bon]

Gyumaou? The one that Nataku got hurt defeating? This is the first Konzen has heard of a resurrection, and his surprise shows in his face. If it really has been five hundred years, why would anyone bring him back now? Everything feels uncomfortably circular. The familiar faces that gathered to Goku, the involvement of heaven in their lives, and now even Gyumaou? The fallout from their time in heaven is still haunting them to this day. Maybe if they're real lucky, Litouten will make an appearance too. And that would just make this whole shit show complete.

He frowns a little when Tenpou inquires further. But of course he needs to know these things, doesn't he? Konzen isn't sure how helpful he can be. But he'll push his own pain aside if it'll be even barely useful.

"They weren't expecting it, no. They were talking one minute, and then there was..."

There was no weapon. None that Konzen could see, anyway. He furrows his brow and continues.

"A lot of blood. I don't think even Sanzo knew what hit him. And there wasn't a sound, so it couldn't be a gun. Does it ... do you think this is related to Gyumaou?"

Konzen doesn't know what sort of powers Gyumaou had. Indeed, there's much he doesn't know much at all about the World Below.

[blossomstorm]

That kind of attack doesn't seem like Heaven's style, but that doesn't mean it won't mean anything to Gojyo. He'll have to see if he can get Kenren to ask him about it later, or have that conversation himself if the other man seems open to it. Since they have so many pieces of this puzzle, they should at least try to put them together... But not around Konzen-- not unless he asks. As far as Tenpou is concerned, he's done enough.

"It's a possibility. It's probably related to their mission, at any rate. And I don't think we are unrelated to that. Assuming that Nataku never recovered, it would make sense for Heaven to seek out Goku and... our doubles, to stop Gyumaou's resurrection." He scratches his head absently. Calling them doubles seems more pointless by the second. "Although I'm not sure why Goku was imprisoned instead of taken back to Heaven in that case, or how a resurrection could be accomplished in the first place." He certainly didn't remember reading anything about that. Another taboo?

[bon_bon]

"Hn."

Damn hypocrites, all of them. They cast out Goku and shut him up into a cave for five hundred years, and now they want his help? This was bullshit.

"Whatever is going on, someone needs to answer for it. I need to talk to the hag. Have you heard anything about her?"

[blossomstorm]

"Nothing. I asked Kenren about that as well, but he didn't know anything either," he replies calmly enough. "I hope we can find her. I'd like to ask a few questions myself." That last comment wasn't all that calm, though.

As they turn right, a doric style building can be seen at the distance. "Ah, there it is... That's Athena's temple." It doesn't look too big, but it is big enough to be potentially disastrous in the hands of someone like Tenpou.

[bon_bon]

Konzen nods. He's quite sure that Tenpou does have a few things to ask her. And by the tone of his voice, he won't be especially pleased. Someone has to explain why things went so sideways. The Bodhisattva is a powerful presence, but how much did she really contribute to how things went down? He won't know unless he tracks her down. Litouten claimed that they were all mere cogs in his grand revenge. He would have marveled at the opportunity to bring down the great gods of heaven, including her.

(Yeah, Konzen's angry. But he's also worried).

They come up on the place Tenpou's been staying, and it actually looks like a temple. Pillars line the outside and it looks large enough to house a lot of libraries and places to disappear into for a long time. Konzen snorts.

"And how are you finding it?"

[blossomstorm]

"This place? It's comfortable, even if it looks like this. There must be thousands of books I haven't read in here. And there's also statues, sculptures and other works of art." He pauses, admiring the columns. He really should read more on classic Greek architecture later... And Roman? Yes, Roman as well. "The main hall is a little cold, but most of the rooms are modern and have central heating."

Bringing Konzen to his new place wasn't what he had in mind at first, but then he got distracted with their conversation and his feet led them here instead of taking that turn left and then another turn right. Well, nothing keeps them from resuming their walk, if Konzen still feels like it.

"Do you want to come in?"

[bon_bon]

Thousands of books and crammed full of art and statues. It sounds like Tenpou could get lost in there and be perfectly contented for quite some time. Wouldn't be such a bad place to be, if there weren't other things to keep them occupied. After all, Tenpou's own collection had been destroyed in the explosion they'd set in their escape from heaven.

"It's not a disaster area already, is it?" he says with a snort. But his feet turn toward the path to the temple as he speaks.

[blossomstorm]

"I haven't had much time to look through it," he admits, walking slightly behind him for a bit before catching up. He has mixed feelings about this, including his inherited collection, but he has to start somewhere. They all do.

In fact, he found a few young adult mystery novel sagas in one of the rooms earlier, and immediately thought of Konzen. "Let me know if you'd like something to read. I saw a few books you might enjoy."

[bon_bon]

The last time Konzen borrowed a book from Tenpou, he ended up staying up late finishing it. Weird thing was, he didn't think he'd like it as much as he did. Pick something you thought was interesting, he'd said to Tenpou. But 'interesting' was a relative thing, and Tenpou tended to find a lot of odd things interesting.

Konzen had been pleasantly surprised.

The continuation. He asked for it, as Tenpou handed him the pass-code to the Dimension Gate.

Of course.

As though such a promise could be kept.

Maybe not everything is so excruciating, here. He glances at his friend as they fall into step toward the path to the temple, his expression softening.

"Set them aside, then. You still owe me one."

[blossomstorm]

"Certainly."

If Konzen is able to to tie that in so easily, isn't he the one who's able to move forward more honestly, out of the two of them?

...Well, of course he is. If anything, dwelling on the past is Tenpou's bad habit, not Konzen's.

"I'll try to find that one for you, anyway. But I can't promise that--"

[blossomstorm]

At that moment, he's interrupted by a noise. It's a short generic melody, meant to attract his attention.

"Oh, give me a second. I think that was my phone," he says as he takes it out of his pocket to check his messages while walking.

[bon_bon]

Really, it doesn't matter if Tenpou can find that particular book or not. It's mostly the idea that he can exist in order to borrow any book from Tenpou again that matters.

Goku used to like the books about food. Like the one about a meatbun (or was it a sweet bun?) that wore a cape and flew around fighting crime. Something like that, anyway. A lot of silliness for a simpler time.

He tilts his head when Tenpou gets a call.

"...since when did you get a phone?"

[blossomstorm]

"This? I found it on a desk at Athena's temple... Ah, it's a text from Kenren."

Several drunk texts from Kenren... He types a reply with one finger, walking a little slower until he hits the send button because he isn't very used to this. But he knows enough. Once he's done, he looks at Konzen again.

"I assumed it was something they gave everyone, since there is a heavenly bulletin board system. Do you not have one?"

[bon_bon]

Hmph. Kenren. The fight had been messy and aggravating. But mostly it was painful. If Konzen focuses on Kenren's stupidity instead, it doesn't hurt as much, remembering.

"Er. I'm not sure."

It's possible there is one in the house, somewhere. Even if it had been sitting on a desk, Konzen would not have just assumed it was for him. The place still feels like a stranger's house.

"What's he want?"

[blossomstorm]

Tenpou was loading the BBS on his phone to show it to Konzen as they spoke, but he changes his mind when he actually reads the latest post by Gojyo. The tone of this post might not make a good first impression of the usefulness of a bulletin board system for Konzen. There's no harm in waiting.

"That's what I'd like to know," he says instead. "He's being redundant, and bad at typing. But it looks like he's at Gojyo's now. Have you met him?"

[bon_bon]

Hmph. Gojyo. He showed up at a very vexing scene, so by default, Konzen also finds him vexing. Besides, he's apparently connected to Sanzo, which makes him immediately suspect.

He just grunts in response, which could be interpreted as a yes.

Konzen tries to peer into the screen, if only because he thinks that maybe Tenpou isn't telling him what's written there on purpose.

"What is that?"

Tenpou will have to explain what a 'BBS' is.

[blossomstorm]

Well, if Konzen wants to know, he'll show it, of course. But there are a lot of small words here. And they scroll by so quickly!

"Ah, it's the bulletin board system I mentioned before. It's meant for everyone who lives here in the Far Shore to use, as an alternative to physical bulletin boards since this is easier to access. People use it mainly for information sharing." He goes back to the main page and now he does scroll slowly through the different posts for Konzen's benefit. "Some people ask questions about this world, others make announcements, sometimes there is casual conversation... I only had the time to check it out briefly, but it seems to be a good way to meet other gods and shinki. If you don't have a phone, you can access it through a computer as well."

[bon_bon]

The words scroll past with so much speed it's impossible to make out. Konzen finds this a little irritating, if only because Tenpou seems to be doing it deliberately.

At least his explanation of this so-called 'bulletin' is helpful. It figures that Tenpou has already learned about such things so soon upon arrival. Konzen is determined to catch up.

"Questions? Have you learned anything useful yet?"

[blossomstorm]

"Not much," he replies, handing him the phone so he can check things out for himself if he wants. "There is a post with information about shinki that I found useful, but most of the questions people ask aren't too straightforward. It's probably better that way, since it must be monitored. But it means you have to read between the lines."

He doesn't sound too thrilled about that. And just as he finishes talking, the sound for a new message plays again. He'll wait until Konzen is finished with the phone to check that, though. Kenren's drunken messages are fun, but they have also been pretty redundant so far.

[bon_bon]

"Monitored?" Konzen says with a slight frown as he scrolls through the postings. Tenpou is right, a lot of it looks like nonsense. But if he says there's some information there, Konzen will take a closer look later. He hands the phone back.

"By Amaterasu?" Kenren had mentioned that that's who is allegedly in charge of this heaven.

[blossomstorm]

"Or her advisers. I doubt someone important would do that kind of work themselves." He looks at his messages, and types something in response. "Some people seem to be careful about what they say or who they ask questions about this place. There's probably something to it--"

He pauses as another message arrives. "By the way, Kenren asks if we'd like to join them."

[bon_bon]

"Hn." Yeah, probably not. The Jade Emperor certainly was like that too. Sat around on his ass while he let other people do all the work. Same with the military too, putting all the dirty work onto Nataku's shoulders.

He pauses for a second, quirking his eyebrow.

"Them?"

[blossomstorm]

"Them. He's still at Gojyo's." And it doesn't look like he'll be able to go elsewhere on his own anytime soon, anyway. "He says they still have wine left and we should go drink with them."

[bon_bon]

"....."

Konzen already has a bad feeling about this. Call it a hunch.

"...what did you tell him?"

[blossomstorm]

"Hm? I said I'd ask you." He certainly doesn't seem to be hiding anything now. And the messages have stopped, as if waiting for an answer.

Konzen's hunch is not inaccurate, though...