SAIYUKI FANFICTION:
Through the Looking Glass
(Chapter 1 - The Looking Glass)

by Mitsima (click here for more of this author's work)

The walls were stained with dried blood.

Different blood from different youkai who had united their minds, souls and bodies towards the defense of their king. A vain battle, but nevertheless bravely fought. Not that he wanted to be contemplating messy skirmishes at this moment. That was for the strategy table and his study, not for here.

Regardless of his weak resolution, though, a grim part of his mind was bemusing itself with gruesome thoughts.

Now those youkai were now...truly...unified. Yes, altogether now as a collective splotch of redness upon the castle grounds. Beautiful...that is...to a more morbid eye. And not to Tenpou’s myopic orbs. He looked at it all with distaste.

He hated the red. It made him think of mortality, which (he believed) all gods feared. Then it made him think of losing battles, which was something all soldiers feared. Then it made him think of losing friends...which was something //Goku// greatly feared. Of course, being a god, Tenpou was beyond that. Should have been beyond that. But if he were truly honest with himself, could never be beyond that.

Then it made him think of losing himself, as selfish as it was to think of such things. Tenpou smiled, if not a little morosely. “Sell fish?” Goku would say. He didn’t know the meaning of the word, nor did he need to. ‘Sell fless’ was more fitting for the forbidden child. But Tenpou couldn’t be like that, as much as he felt he should be.

There was too much at risk. The field marshal’s arms were already occupied in performing a huge balancing act with “heaven’s fate”- the outcome of which he was still unsure- and he wasn’t really willing to unburden anybody else for the sake of generosity. Too much at stake and too much to lose. The higher up you are, the harder you fall and Tenpou was really really high up. He wasn’t about to gamble to his decimation.

“Can I hold that for you?” No, that meant involvement with someone else and involvement with someone else complicated the web and jolted the equilibrium of the situation in someone else’s favor.

Hence, the reason he slept with Kenren.

Tenpou smiled to himself again, this time a little devilishly. Well, first of all it was fun. Can’t rule that out completely. But second of all, Kenren never asked questions. Not anymore, at least. And not since they’d started having sex because the Taishou (sensible man that he is) had figured out that if he wanted to keep having sex, then the topic of political/military motives would have to be shut up tight in some dark corner of his lust-driven, alcohol tinged head.

Then there was Konzen, whose tendency not to pry was dissipating every day he saw Goku mope over the inability to see Nataku. “What’s wrong with Nataku, Konzen? Konzen...Konzen! What’s happening? And who’s that mean old man always with him? Why does Nataku rather spend his time with him than me? Konzen...Konzen! And why did That nasty old guy hit Ten-chan?”

That last one with a slip-up. Poor kid. Couldn’t keep a secret even his lunch depended on it.

Anyway, Konzen got riled up, gave Tenpou the third degree (futile as it was) then went straight to Tentei. STRAIGHT TO TENTEI to clear his friend’s names, to apologize for them- though his sincerity was a bit strained- and to get the ex-Taishou reinstated. Maybe Goku was getting to him. High marks for selflessness there. And this was Konzen for goodness’ sake...

Konzen-I-don’t-care-to-do-anybody-favors-because-you’re-all-dust-to-me-douji.

Literally, with the ‘holier than thou’ attitude radiating from him like sunlight.

Albeit the price for all his kindness was an explanation, reported by Tenpou himself in its abridged, revised, edited, censored and summarized version which came down to one simple, non-self-explanatory conclusion: all’s bad in the holy land. It was enough to keep Konzen at bay for now.

But any thoughts of Konzen were quickly pushed away by the grim sensation of stepping in a puddle of still unsolidified blood, staining parts of his black army boots with the acrid crimson. Tenpou swallowed the bile that rose in his throat and kicked any loose drops off his foot, //Disgusting//, then presumed surveying the ghastly empty interior of Gyuumao’s castle.

Two pairs of footsteps echoed throughout the main hall. Kenren was right behind him. Silent for once, but with his finger ready at the trigger. Tenpou could tell that his lover...or rather...bed mate... was wary of this place. As if checking the barrel eight times wasn’t enough.

“I don’t like it.” said Kenren for the umpteenth time.

“What’s there to like?”

//Nothing//, but that, if anything, was self explanatory. “What the hell are you lookin’ for anyway? We’re not fucking ghostbusters, you know.”

“I never said we were looking for ghosts, Taishou.” replied Tenpou as pleasantly as he could. “I distinctly remember telling you that we were going down ‘to look.’ But if you’re scared, Taishou...” he taunted playfully.

“Oh, cut the crap. All I’m goin’ to say is that I had better get good compensation for being made to work while off duty.”

Tenpou decided to play along. “I’ll talk to Goujin about giving you a short vacation in a century or two. Not now though. Busy times, these are.”

“Idiot.” That wasn’t the type of compensation he had been asking for. “Well, since you were the one who dragged me down here, you have to give the compensation, not Goujin.” He shuddered at the thought.

“Okay then!” the field marshal replied, overly-cheery. “I’ll give you a...”

He paused.

Kenren pushed him to continue, a little hopefulness in his voice. “A...”

“A hug.” replied Tenpou with simple decision.

“A hug.” Kenren was incredulous.

“Or is that too intimate?”

“A hug.” A...hug?

“What did you think I’d give you?”

Fine, if the marshal wanted to play the damn innocent, he could very well do it. Kenren had threats. Very good threats.

“I...” the raven-haired general stated with obstinate resolution, wishing the loudness of his voice (and the provocativeness of the thought) would banish that eerie gut feeling he was getting from this place . “WILL get something VERY, VERY GOOD from you TONIGHT because I ain’t prancing around in youkai guts for NOTHING. And you had better promise me something VERY, VERY GOOD or else I’ll take you right here and now...on the damn FLOOR and I won’t give a damn if the whole western army came in looking for us and found me screwing you senseless.”

“Well, if you put it that way, I guess I’ll have to...” but his voice faded when he caught sight of a faint glow coming from a far off room. It disappeared. “One moment, please.” And he quickened his pace to a slow jog until he reached the decrepit door which housed the “mysterious glowing thing.” Farther behind him, he heard Kenren cursing as he smacked his own face with consternation.

“Dammit Tenpou!”

“Don’t worry, Taishou.” he called over his shoulder. “You’ll receive fair rewards for your efforts.”

Kenren grinned and vowed to make sure that Tenpou lived up to his word. ‘Rewards’ not ‘reward.’ Tonight...will be a very very fine night indeed. Taking the time to make short celebration of this little victory, he lit a cigarette and posted himself outside the door, gun ready, while Tenpou foraged inside. “Hurry up Tenpou, this place is really too fucking creepy. I’m gonna have nightmares.”

“Didn’t I say that I’d help you deal with that?” he heard the voice mix with sounds of wooden boxes being open and shut. Open and shut.

Drawers opened and shut. Opened and shut.

Shelves being moved. “You’re telling me now, and I’m gonna remember it.” Books being opened... “And don’t tell me you came here looking for books, dammit!”...and shut.

But Tenpou didn’t answer. After two minutes of random treasure hunting, he found the rumored relic. Supposedly something that one of the demon king’s spies stole from heaven years ago. So much for border security.

From beneath a silken cloth, he found a mirror, and upon exposing its pristine surface, he nearly stumbled back from shock.

The reflection he saw was not of himself...or it may have been...or might have not...

His same hair, only shorter.

His same face, only kinder.

His same ears, only with cuffs.

His same eyes, only...with a monocle?

His same lips, but instead of the grim line of abject horror Tenpou knew he wore, his reflection simply...smiled.

It followed, his movements...the reflection did...just like any obedient reflection.

“Oi, Tenpou, what’s takin so long?”

He didn’t hear Kenren’s voice, only a little hum ticking the back of his mind, saying...

“A pity isn’t it? That this isn’t hell?” Tenpou whispered the words to himself.

Then behind his reflection...in the mirror...was a shadow. A specter of some sort. Hazy. Ambiguous. Tenpou checked behind him. Nothing. Looked back at the mirror. Definitely...something. So he neared the glassy surface, touched its coldness and looked deeper. Into his own strange eyes, but also into that shadow which seemed to move and take shape until his reflection wavered...transformed into something else...into some...youkai?

“Tenpou? You okay?”

Again, he didn’t hear it.

Suddenly something roared in his ears: wild, vicious and unrestrained. Tenpou tried to stagger back, but could not. His hand was paralyzed, locked palm to palm with that of his mirror image which seemed to oscillate before his eyes...from youkai to that other form. From gentle to malicious. Malicious to gentle.

He felt pain...rushing through his abdomen like a claw being dug into him.

Felt the rain, when he was nowhere near water. It drove him half mad and he cried out. Tried to. No sound emerged from his throat.

Rain and roars. The smell of blood. Pouring rain and pouring blood. Before his eyes. He hated it. Hungered for it. Pounding rain and blood pounding through his ears. Then...

Soft rain...soft bed, and a voice. “Did you want to die?”

No. No. No. Nononoonononono...He screamed...

The mirror shattered. Now a broken piece of nothing with a bullet hole.

***

500 years later...on the road...

The jeep screeched to a halt, its driver leaning forward over the wheel...his skin growing pale and his eyes dimming with extreme fatigue.

“Oi, Hakkai!” Sanzo’s harsh tone woke him up.

“Sorry...Sanzo.” Hakkai apologized sheepishly. “I guess I’m just tired, that’s all...but I’m fine now. Really. The next town shouldn’t be more than ten min-”

“Just shut up and drive. The faster we get there, the better.” He paused, then adding in a kinder (as kind as Sanzo can get) tone, he said, “Sleep later, not now. I’m not in the mood to be road kill.”

“H...hai.”

And so Hakkai continued driving. Then...in an ever so rare and ever so awkward silence that permeated the air, he heard... “You okay?”...and it echoed.

“I’m fine, Gojyo, really.”

The halfbreed lifted a slender brow. “But I didn’t even say anything...”

Part 2

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