Title - Fishes in a Pond

Author - Blizzy (thuderstorm.livejournal.com)

Pairing - Kenren/Tenpou

Rating - R

Summary - Of Marshals and Generals with a fishy night pastime.

Warnings - none, save the fact that English isn't my native language.

Disclaimer - no poor fish were harmed and obviously, I don't own Saiyuki.

The summer was slowly reaching it's peak, yet the night wasn't hot. Nor damp. Neither cold, nor chilly either. It simply felt as any summertime night would, refreshing yet warm.

Footsteps echoed dully on the stone floor, being the only sound that followed Tenkai's Field Marshal's late-night return from work. Long, slow, yet determined strides carried him forward through the poorly lit hallways of the old, unused wing of the palace of the Western Army.

Some would suspect he would be tired, dragging himself forward, only the idea of booze, shower and a short nap keeping him to move forward. But the Marshal did not drag himself, his steps confident, full of quiet, stored, unseen energy, moving swiftly, the shadow of his lab coat dancing behind him as the wall-mounted oil lamps flickered wildly.

He let his nose guide the way, filtering out the perpetual scent of old stone, wood and crumbling plaster. The palace bore no luxury some of the gods enjoyed, yet the austerity made the building strangely calming, much more than the pompous palaces all around. Soon, his nose started to pick up what he has been looking for.

The blooming cherry trees covered the whole night in their fleeting sweet smell, but even they couldn't overpower the other flavors that made up the unique night scent. The faint smell of water, the light and distinctive undertone of conifers, old wood, fresh, wet and rich soil. But most of all, the smell reminded Tenpou of freshly hung laundry.

When arriving in the small atrium garden, the only sound Tenpou heard was made by his well-worn shoes as they hit the old, weathered wooden pathway.

And the loud splashing, too, of course.

There he was, fully clothed, short spiky hair wet, a dark silhouette against the moonlit water, amidst a rain of cherry petals slowly spiraling downwards to the surface, spinning as they landed.

"General, that's a fishpond you are currently standing in," Tenpou noted after enjoying the view for a while, sliding the glasses up his nose.

The world was silenced save for the tiny droplets dripping down from Kenren's soaked sleeves.

A smile rippled on Kenren's face, his feet sloshing among the water lilies as he shifted into a more stable position.

"Got hungry, so I thought I might as well get myself something to eat, uh, Marshal, sir," he added, saluting poorly with the sake cup still in his hand.

An unreadable expression flashed across Tenpou's face, skillfully changing back into his small, unpredictable smile he always wore. He bent down, putting his books and papers neatly aside on the path.

"Still, that is a fishpond. Not a kitchen."

"Naw, that'd be too troublesome," Kenren countered, taking a tiny sip of his sake. "Heard from the guys argue that goldfish can be eaten, ya know, so I was givin' it a try. Sir."

The Marshal shrugged, the while lab coat sliding down his shoulders effortlessly, landing on the ground in a heap as Tenpou took a step forward the pond, leaving his shoes on the path as well.

"That's a koi carp pond, General," he corrected. Lazily, he removed the beige shirt he wore instead of the heavy army overcoat Kenren did and took another step forward.

"Those are fishes. Shiny, sparkley fishes. And so freakin' slippery one can't grab 'em. So, therefore, definitely and by all means, those are goldfishes, Marshal."

"Definitely and by all means, those are Cyprinus carpii, common koi. Carps." Tenpou didn't bother to use Kenren's rank and took his time to oh-so-carefully remove his dark red tie, tossing it carelessly aside. Only his gray pants remained.

"G-goldfish."

"Koi carps."

Tenpou reached the edge of the crystal clear pond, fish darting around madly near his feet, scared by all the ruckus Kenren made. Shedding the last pieces of clothes he had, he slowly dipped his foot in the water, circles rippling on the surface, pink-tinted white petals swirling.

There was a plop as Kenren lost his grip on the sake cup. "Goldfish."

The Marshall just smiled, setting his glasses aside on one of the stones that rimmed the pond. He turned, his movements graceful and languidly slow, gently wading through the blooming water lilies.

Kenren blinked, his eyes shining. It wasn't the dull shine that often accompanied drinking binges and inebriation in general. The light in Tenpou's eyes wasn't the one of a reprimanding superior officer who sought revenge, offering punishment. Nor it had anything to do with the large, silent moon above.

The last few steps were quick, Tenpou hanging his hand low, his fingertips brushing the silvery water surface, then sliding across the bare skin of Kenren's chest as far as the army coat allowed.

"If you desire to feast on live, squirming, slippery fish so much, how about eating this particular goldfish?" the Marshal whispered, edging closer, his other hand trailing down his own chest.

Tenpou wasn't a mere goldfish. Soon, his taut, wiry body glistened like silver, like white gold, droplets of water like diamonds on his skin, like the starts themselves in his wet, pitch black hair.

There was a loud splash as two bodies crashed into each other, mouths devouring hungrily, hands clawing until their feet gave way under them, sending them plummeting in the shallow water.

Water turned Tenpou's hair jet-black, sticking to his skin as Kenren's mouth devoured his chest. There was a moan and sloshing of water as Kenren slid back, resting against a sandstone boulder, dragging Tenpou with him. The Marshal towered over him, then breathed heavily and slid down to Kenren's lap, droplets of water hugging every curve of his body. There was a shiver, caused by outer cold and inner heat fuelled by passion that begged to be released. They sought out each other's warmth, frantically, skin to skin, body to body, trying to devour or at least taste the other. To taste the pleasant light flavor of sake of Kenren, the distant tang of tobacco of Tenpou. They moved together with practiced ease, always in synch, craving and getting much more than simple heat of a human's body. Breaths, gasps, lapping of the water against the stones, moans, rustling of the cherry branches, loud groans of satisfaction followed by rapid, shallow and uneven pants. And then again, the vibrant stillness of the night continued to rule.

The panting slowly subsided into deep, lazy breaths, and Tenpou still rested atop Kenren, in the unwavering but gentle grip of his arms.

"You weren't trying to eat the goldfish. You just jumped down from the cherry tree just when I arrived, didn't you? he whispered, too tired and contented to raise his voice.

Kenren sighed, breathing warmly over the sensitive skin of Tenpou's ear. "Yes? No? Maybe," he mused. "Either way, you said it yourself; it is a koi carp pond to begin with."

Tenpou smiled against his skin.

Epilogue

Kenren twisted painfully in his chair, frowning at his paperwork. No matter how pleasant last night was, his body felt sore all over from having the boulder dig into his back every time he rose to meet Tenpou's hips. Not to mention the numerous deep-red trails of Tenpou's nails adorning his torso. There was no point in saying that he didn't catch any sleep either.

His mind was happily drifting back to the pond, but before he could recall anything worth daydreaming about, his thoughts were interrupted by a frightened shriek coming from the hallway followed by thunderous footsteps. Kenren even spotted the ripples they caused on his morning coffee.

The door was slammed open with such force the plaster came off as it bounced off the wall.

In the doorway stood a dark cloud of poorly controlled dragon fury. Gojun's glare was merciless as he cleared his throat gravely.

"This morning," he begun, hissing. "I went to meditate in my secluded private garden, only to find all the sand patterns trampled, many bonsai pines broken and crushed to splinters, the rare water lilies rumpled and torn. Not to mention the six dead Orenji Ogon carps. And Marshal Tenpou's tie stuck in the branches of the cherry tree, flapping all merrily in the breeze! Again!"

Kenren gulped.

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