He never intended to leave the boy alone.
He anticipated a strong opening move and prepared for it in a way he thought would give him the most freedom of manoeuvre. Also, Kouryou’s face as he proclaimed him a Sanzo was positively priceless.
But Koumyou didn’t expect his opponent to strike so early in such a bold and radical fashion, forcing him to play the gambit he didn’t particularly like.
Even as he was busy shuffling his mortal coil, handling the pain and terror with much less calm and dignity than he was hoping to, he mentally gave credit where the credit was due. He should have seen this coming a mile away: this was exactly how the other thought; anything more conventional would be considered “boring”.
Well, in this game there were no take-backs, so Koumyou accepted the loss and began to move on. The match could continue without his direct interference, but he wanted to be there. Not just because he dearly loved the world below with its blue sky, bright orange sunsets, light summer breezes, sweet-smelling pipeweed and easy, enjoyable friendships. He also had a feeling he didn’t do a very good job with a boy, didn’t prepare him enough to face the world all by himself. For example, he wasn’t sure if Kouryou really understood the coan about killing Buddha.
He decided to head back at first good opportunity, but, much to his shock, the Heaven was laced with red tape. By the time he made it to the source, he was getting annoyed.
The stunning creature behind the desk raised hir head and looked at him in confusion:
“Is it the time already?”
They drank together, looking at the lotuses, and talked about the boy for what felt like aeons. The time wasn’t truly passing here, but Koumyou was still consciously attached to the transient, so he felt it, and it felt odd.
“You’ve raised him wonderfully,” assured him Kanzeon. “I’ve never seen him having so much fun. The only time I’ve gotten him to unclench a little was when I gave him a pet.”
His boy was almost a grown man by now, proud, bright and beautiful, fragile as the first blades of grass poking through snow, and just as unstoppable. But he was desperately lonely, and it broke Koumyou’s heart every time he gazed into the pond.
“A pet? Now that’s an idea,” he said hopefully. Far, far below the boy lowered a gun and furiously rubbed at his temple, cursing and shaking his head, looking around as if trying to pinpoint a source of some annoying, unsettling sound. “Oh, what was that just now?”
“I don’t know, he’s probably hungover,” shrugged Kanzeon. “Speaking of pets, maybe we can arrange it. I doubt anyone’s still paying attention to the monkey. Aspects? Guys?”
And so it came to be that on a way to his next assignment Genjo Sanzo had to pass near mount Gogyo, and two days later Koumyou saw him looking at the small sleeping boy and smiling for the first time in three years.
Koumyou still looked for the opportunity to return, and it took some time, but when he saw that woman, he knew. She had everything he wanted his new mother to possess: gentle spirit, great mind, steel-strong will, rage she could ride like a wave, untapped yet power singing in her blood, smile like a ray of sunshine. She would be so good for his boy as well; he needed a girl like that in his life. He showed her to Kanzeon, and se laughed:
“Oh, that sneaky bastard, there is two of him this time! I always knew he was full of himself, but this? Totally takes the cake.”
“Well, shall we?”
“Wait, you don’t want to be inbred, do you? I have an idea.”
When a clawed hand closed around her slender wrist, Koumyou protested and pleaded, but the merciful one didn’t budge, patiently repeating: “What does not kill them makes them stronger. This is perfect, trust me.”
With hir help, the seed took and started growing. Koumyou half-stayed at the pond, half-floated in the warm soft darkness, the body too small yet to contain all of him, but pulling him closer daily, snapping the links between his mind and soul one by one.
Kanzeon was very excited.
“As a hanyo with Chi, you’ll be kicking ass like nobody’s business. And think of the pretty! Violet, gold, green and red: you say tacky, I say fabulous!”
“I’m quite fond of the bold contrasts myself.”
The girl lived one minute at a time, shutting her mind against the dreadful reality, while her brother ended one life after another, getting closer and closer, tightening the knot between them and Sanzo with every drop of blood he spilled.
He grabbed her hands through the cold iron bars; Koumyou, connected with her tighter than with his own self by now, felt love and affection crashing through her with unbearable intensity and knew right then that she couldn’t do this to her sweet Gonou couldn’t let him touch her dirty ruined couldn’t have this monster in her body any longer could never survive this…
Koumyou outlived her by several long minutes and was slammed back into his celestial body with jarring force. Kanzeon dropped hir divine head on the desk and moaned:
“Frigging free will.”
Ripped from his Yin, mutilated and twisted beyond recognition, the green-eyed man stumbled through the rain without purpose and finally fell, bleeding his life into the mud.
“I only hope this will be the last death caused by this,” sourly noted Koumyou. He was out of his league here; that was another reason why he wanted to return.
“Oh, he won’t die. This one never dies alone. Look…”
Sound of steps, a voice, an impatient shove, and with the last of his strength the murderer managed to lift his head. Red eyes met the green and blinked in stunned surprise.
“And see, from here dear Marshal always becomes mortal,” explained Kanzeon. “Aspects, get Sanzo on this murder case, will you?”
Se stretched, heavy breasts swaying under the gauze:
“Well, it didn’t quite work out like we planned, but at least we have our players in places and plenty of time before the next move. And we still have our colour scheme going on! More sake?”
