- Title: The Sun Awoke First
- Author: Keidara DeWolfe
- Pairing(s): Tenpou/Kenren, Hakkai/Gojyo, Sanzo+Goku, Konzen+Goku, and even a few "mystery" pairings that are really easy to figure out, if you think about it. They involve all four of the bishounen previously mentioned, and another member of their group. Who? Read and find out. ^.~
- Rating: PG-13, at the most
- Summary: Goku, Sanzo, Hakkai, and Gojyo are usually plagued by some sort of dream of their past: Why can't a member of the past dream for the future?
- Word count: Around 2,500

- Disclaimer: Though I sadly do not own these bishies, it would probably be sadder if I did, considering that I cannot at all portray them decently... This story means no disrespect to anyone whatsoever: just a little homage to a great authoress and mangaka, and the bishounen she has instilled within our hearts.
- Email: Starinafay (at) gmail (dot) com
- Warnings: Sake mentioned. A single bad word that I remember. Anything else? I hope not... tell me if I missed anything!
- Notes/Comments/anything else: Dedicated to Marisa DeWolfe (my beloved sister), Ritsu-chan (a yaoi goddess!), Susy G (my beloved hentai), and Nikkei, Baku-chan, and Em from first period -- they know who they are. 

It was in a time when I didn't understand why dreams couldn't come true. I thought 'Surely, if miracles such as this can happen, then can a dream be put within my grasp?' …Maybe I hadn't thought it in those words, but it was what I thought. If miracles come true, can a dream?

And it all started with just that. A dream.

While on their endless journey, two misfortunes struck our unique group of boys. One misfortune was having only one choice of room at the village's only inn. The room consisted of only two beds, a bathroom, and a table. The other misfortune was having a miniature epidemic…

It started with the blonde, not that he'd admit it. A few sniffles in the morning turned quickly into another excuse for him to shoot the whole group to pieces—minus one, of course, for they always needed transportation. Soon, however, Gojyo was accosted by sniffles as well. Hakuryuu was unable to pass the terrain and the group spent the night out doors, leaving them open for the epidemic to spread…

By the next morning, both Sanzo and Gojyo had minor fevers. Sanzo blamed it on Gojyo, who (of course) said it was all Goku's fault. (How Goku could give him a cold when he was healthy was beyond my knowledge, and probably beyond logic as well.) The reasoning was all ridiculous but Hakkai managed to calm the kindergartners and get them back on the road. By this time, even Hakuryuu was sniffling.

When the group entered the next village, the whole party was ready to crash. Gojyo didn't even try his ritual flirt with the daughter of the innkeeper. It was all a facade by now, anyway. As she brought them up to their room, they walked in an ill silence. Goku wasn't even making his usual complaints about hunger (well, not as loudly as usual).

The discovery of only two beds came as a surprise.

The temporary ownership of the first bed was solved by many swears, much screaming, and five bullet holes in the walls. Sanzo instantly reclined on the mattress and pulled up the covers with the proclamation, "If any of you wake me, I'll kill you all!"

"Harahetta!" broke the silence that had followed his statement. A revolver clicked slowly. It was just a warning, for now...

The dream went on like that for some time. Gojyo ended up passing out within an hour, and both Hakkai and Goku agreed to let him keep the bed. Having no extra blankets was a problem, but Goku resolved it by remaining at Sanzo's bedside all night long. Hakkai took from his example and remained a silent sentinel at Gojyo's fevered side, Hakuryuu in his arms.

By the time midnight rolled around, Hakuryuu was fevered as well. Hakkai had little choice but to place him in bed next to Gojyo. Though Gojyo and Hakuryuu don't get along, at least Hakuryuu would be in one piece in the morning (rather than the unfortunate Swiss cheese-effect that laying him with Sanzo would have had).

Morning found both Goku and Hakkai in similar positions. A head of brown adorned the side of each bed, pillowed upon the owner's arms. Gojyo was awakened by Hakuryuu's pitiful "kyuu~"ing. Though annoyed at the rude awakening, he was still sick enough not to protest too loudly. Hakkai still managed to hear enough to wake up.

Gojyo invited Hakkai to share the bed, on the excuse that 'we can't get anywhere if our driver is sick'. Just so that it wasn't misunderstood as an act of kindness, Gojyo complained about the 'flying rat stealin' the pillows' and added in a few swear words for a colorful affect. And with a few more grumbles, the three fell back asleep, Hakuryuu between the two abnormal youkai.

Across the room, Sanzo had also awakened. The first thing he laid eyes on was of the diadem that sat upon Goku's head, like an elegant collar. Though Sanzo would never admit it, he wished that Goku didn't have to be treated like a pet. Even Hakuryuu had more liberties. He would never have admitted to wanting to, but he almost told Goku to get under the covers as well.

Almost.

But instead, he closed his eyes to the situation.

In his sleep, his body betrayed him. An arm was flung out to the side of the bed, the fingers resting in the brunette locks just above the diadem.

It had been over two months since that dream had last accosted him. The recurring dream had captivated him for over a year (in Earth's time, of course) and he had found himself wondering who it depicted. The short brunette with the diadem was obviously Goku (whom he had heard quite a bit of, usually complaints or rumors), but the blonde was definitely not his owner, Konzen (though there were similarities). The other two almost reminded him of two of his subordinates, a field marshal and his general, though there were very few similarities between the dream's people and his subordinates from what he knew of the dream.

He had wondered over this dream for months now. He thought briefly that he might have made it all up, but that was impossible. He hadn't even known of Goku's existence when the dream began, so how could he have dreamed up the mirror image of the boy? Not to mention that he never would have thought of Konzen as anything more than a bystander to everything, not the type to go -anywhere-, much less with a group of men.

He toyed with the idea of finding out what would happen if those subordinates of his were in a similar position. He believed the dream-people were ill, but, as there was no illness in heaven, he was at a loss as to how he could recreate the situation.

It was actually Kenren who gave him the idea. The sake he carried with him everywhere sparked an idea that turned what could have been a minor occasion into something much more. A miracle had occurred; no one in their squadron had been injured in the most recent battle. Considering the number of enemies they had faced, it was truly a miracle. Someone usually did something stupid and got hit, or sprained an ankle, but this time everyone came home hale.

Kenren woke up first: he had been away from his sake too long. Or maybe it wasn't a lack of alcohol that made his body ache as it did. Knowing instantly that something was wrong with him, he pulled the covers up to his neck and snuggled closer to… FUCK! 

He sat up straight, his heart beating wildly. He could have sworn the last thing he did had something to do with alcohol and a group of men, but he NEVER would have guessed he'd end up with the only sober one of the group!  

Kenren's heart was like a bongo band until he realized (with relief or regret?) that they were both still in their field uniforms. 'That's right,' he thought to himself, 'we had gone drinking with our men to celebrate.' All sixteen members of the group (fourteen plus Kenren and Tenpou) had gone back to Heaven and gathered all the alcohol Kenren could find, with Gojun's permission. Having forgotten to mention a place to meet, they ended up meeting at a random office room whose location Kenren couldn't quite recall…

Kenren's action disturbed his bed partner. He blinked awake, causing brown bangs to fall over his eyes. Just briefly, Tenpou imagined a red corona above him, mirroring the sun. Blinking again cleared his eyes, revealing Kenren leaning over him partially and worrying about what they might have done. Tenpou briefly wondered how he had gotten in bed with the man.

Had they done anything last night? The scent of sake was still faintly permeating the room, though that might just be from Kenren's breath. Either way, whether they had made drunken love to each other or not, they had ended up together in a bed. Was there a kind of manual for this kind of thing? Do you just go out on a limb and say, "Excuse me, I believe we may have attempted reproduction together last night. Is this true?" ?

Tenpou broke the silence by standing and stretching. He was saying something but his words were missed by anyone except his bed partner. The sight was a rare one at that moment. Kenren's cheeks flushed and he stood indignantly, getting his legs tangled in the blankets and ending up falling on Tenpou. Now on the ground, blankets twisted around their legs, they faced each other.

I held my breath.

And the moment was over. Kenren was refusing to even look at Tenpou now. It was cute, how he blushed so readily just this one time. Kenren was usually in control, never flustered, but that one comment by Tenpou being backed up by gravity just threw his control out the window.

I found myself wondering if Kenren could get flustered in other ways. He didn't seem like the type, so this little incident was even more precious. What kinds of things did Kenren show only Tenpou? And in turn, what did Tenpou share?

Was Tenpou able to be flustered as well?

The redhead in the dream (that half-breed youkai) had invited the green-eyed man into his bed so easily: unlike Kenren, he'd accepted the situation simply, only using complaints to pretend he still had the upper hand in the relationship. The trust the man had shown as he lay by the redhead's side, and, not only that, but the care in his eyes as well, proved that they shared a relationship beyond the norm.

Whether that norm was just 'friends' or just sexual, the green- and red-eyed men had a deep bond between them. I could easily see the beginning of a similar bond materializing between Kenren and Tenpou-- maybe that was why the two couples seemed so similar?

I admit the existence of jealousy within me as I watched them.  I wanted a bond like that for myself, and I didn't even care what shape it (or I) came in. This was a dream I could never regret.

Some time during the night, Konzen had received an anonymous letter signed with a cigarette burn, obviously from someone who knew them well. The handwriting was familiar but neither could place it: Determined to solve the mystery, Goku had followed the directions on the letter and led Konzen to a drunken bash. Tenpou had informed them of the current situation, while Goku slipped away to dance with Gojyo on the table, and Konzen stared in utter bafflement.

The dancing had exhausted the young non-human boy, and Goku had fallen asleep by Konzen's side where he sat talking with Tenpou. Two cots had been brought into the room for them, since Goku obviously couldn't be moved far with those impossibly heavy chains on him. Instead of leaving Goku's side, however, Konzen ended up falling asleep with the youth in his lap.

I had ushered most of the conscious people out of the room; Tenpou was invited to stay. He accepted (he had to report here for a debriefing in four hours anyway) and took the second cot. I had left Kenren where he lay, sprawled in the corner of the room. Afterward, I turned off the lights and left, giving the four a chance at rest.

Four hours later, I had returned to the office. Silver, scaled skin was shining in the dawn light. I witnessed the scene pass between Kenren and Tenpou, and I alone realized that Konzen had also awoken. He was curled around Goku like a mother cat trying to protect her kitten-- or rather, a father trying to protect his kitten-of-a-son.

There was love in the blonde's eyes. It wasn't a kind of love that anyone could see, but for someone who had known the group for as long as I had, it was just common sense. The love was sharp and new still, despite the time that had been spent since it had sprouted. Despite the appearance of things, the love that was the foundation of the blonde's actions was very much a part of his life. It was an exclusive kind of love, meant for specifically three people, but it was a type of love all the same.

 The closeness between the four of them shocked me. As Konzen pulled the still-slumbering Goku close to his body, I realized that I desired them. The raw power of youth within Goku inspired a sensation I had never felt before: the desire to be parented. On the flip-side, Konzen's newly awakened maternal (paternal? nah--) instincts gave birth the desire to raise a child.

I had new emotions now.

I wanted to be loved without chains, as Tenpou's relationship with Kenren was, but I also wanted the trust to get permission to see Kenren cry-- maybe even be the one to make him blush. I wanted not only a lover, but also a friend, an equal perhaps, whom I could teach and maybe even learn from. To finish, I wanted 'parents' to complete the family.

I think I'd really like that, someday...It'd be like returning to a dream...

"Bakazaru! What are you doing in my bed?!?!" *ThwackThwackThwack!* goes the harisen.

"Ahh, Sanzo-houshi-sama, taking a new interest, are we?" Mr. Sha is obviously healthy again, also.

"You're all DEAD!" Sanzo's back to normal. He's even got the banishing gun out. Hakkai had already started calculating the money all the furniture in the room would cost to replace. He felt glad that it wasn't his card.

Goku's plunge across the room to safety destroyed the table**. "Uaahh!!!!"

Ah. The sweet smell of love in the morning. And gunpowder. "Kyuu!"

 And the dream begins again....

---

*Ah hah! So Tenpou wasn't drunk!

**Good call, Hakkai. Good call.

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