Heaven's in the West
Author: lillypuff
Email: lilly_puff22 (at) yahoo (dot) com
LiveJournal: http://lillypuff.livejournal.com
Characters From: Saiyuki/Saiyuki Gaiden
Pairing(s): Konzen/Sanzo
Rating: NC-17
Written For: 7thnight_smut
Warnings: m/m smut & implied relations, language,
violence/blood
Summary: The
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
Random Notes:
Written for the
7thnight_smut gift exchange for meicdon13.
Sanzo, Gojyo & Hakkai get new names in this, but Konzen &
It's as hot as a
whore house on nickel night, but then again, it always is. The wind that blows through the town in sporadic
gusts does nothing to help and as far as Deputy Gideon Hart is concerned, hot
wind is always the worst kind; especially
when it blows sand and dirt at you at high speeds. Gideon would thank the lord above -- if he
believed the drivel that came out of the gospel mills -- that he didn't have to
be out in the pastures counting cattle all morning; but he preferred to thank
Lady Luck instead. She always seemed to
have his back, be it at poker, or the daily grind. She was the only female he'd ever really trusted,
with the exception of his mare, but horses were an altogether different matter,
and far easier to get along with.
Gideon stretches
and yawns, surprised that Harold's usually eye opening cup of Joe wasn't
working for him like it normally did. If
it weren't so blasted hot he'd just pop back over to the inn before lunch for a
second round, but a hot beverage was the last thing he needed now.
Sighing, Gideon rests
his feet up on the small office's even smaller desk and pulls his hat down over
his eyes, his long red hair acting like blinders on both sides of his head. The jail's empty and quite as it usually
is. Old Man Leary, the town drunk, has
seen the inside of the cells more often than any real crook ever had, which
Gideon is thankful for. It makes his job
that much easier.
Listening to the
howl of the wind as it makes its course through the town, Gideon starts to
think that a nap might be in order, because really, there's nothing else to do,
and it's too early to start drinking. He
shifts his body in the old wooden chair, a piece of furniture obviously
designed less for comfort and more for keeping people awake, and tries to doze
off, and it would have worked too, if not for a sudden bout of excited laughter
and high speed babble coming from outside the jail. Not bothering to move from his less-than-comfortable
position, Gideon reaches above his head and pops open the shutters of the
office's only window.
"Lucius
Carver, is that you makin' all that fuss out there?" he yells, head tilted
up and eyes closed against the puff of loose earth that flies in through the
open window.
"Yes, sir,"
is the meek reply.
Gideon stifles a
laugh, "Well, get in here boy and fill me in on the gossip."
"Ok!"
Lucius replies enthusiastically, and in seconds Gideon finds himself staring under
the brim of his hat at one Lucius Carver, the dark-haired, youngest son of the
town's widowed mayor.
"Sorry to
disturb you like that Deputy, but we're gettin' visitors in a couple days."
Gideon shrugs, as
if uninterested. "What's so excitin'
about that? We get visitors every day,
or haven't you been payin' any attention?"
"I know, I
know, but these are a different kind.
At least, that's what the help's been sayin'."
"Well, spill
it, then," Gideon replies, feigning irritation.
"They're
from the East," Lucius
announces, rather proudly.
Gideon snorts. "Have you been nippin' at your father's hooch
again, boy? We're in the west.
Most everyone that comes round here is from the east."
"No,
sir. They're from the
At that, Gideon
actually raises his eyebrows, obscured as they are by his hat, "The Far
East, you say?"
"Yes sir,"
Lucius replies with a nod of his head, "Ornamentals, or somethin' like
that."
Gideon can't help
but laugh, "I think the word you're lookin' for is Orientals."
"Oh yeah,
that's it," the boy mutters, blushing.
"Your father
knows about this, yes?"
"Yes sir."
"Did he go
out to the pastures with the Sheriff this mornin'?"
"Yes sir, he
did."
Gideon sighs, "Alright,
I guess I should go up there 'n have a talk with the boys, then. Do me a favor, will ya?"
"Sure thing
Deputy," Lucius replies, perhaps a bit too
enthusiastically. Gideon has come to
suspect it's mostly because Lucius, being the youngest of five, feels like he
needs to do an extra bit of boot-lickin' in order to get noticed.
"Run down to
the inn, tell Harold what you just told me so he can be ready to give a warm
welcome."
"Yes,
sir. Anythin' else?"
"No, that'll
do for now Lucius."
Gideon waits
until Lucius leaves the office before swinging his legs off the desk with far
less enthusiasm than the kid had displayed when entering.
So much for that nap, he thinks to himself as he prepares to face
the dust storm outside. How Lucius could
enjoy running around in it, he had no idea.
*****
Sheriff Eli Baker
surveys the wide open plains before him, silently cursing his luck. Of all the days they could have picked to
take a head count, they had to pick today; though he supposes he can count his
blessing that he isn't down there doing the actual counting.
"Countin'
these damned cattle would go a lot faster if they stood still for more then
five seconds at a time," Eli grumbles to the man who sits astride a large
gray stallion beside him. "Idiot
creatures, if you ask me."
"Well
Sheriff," Mayor Carver replies, "I reckon their intelligence is what
keeps them from herding us around all day instead of the other way 'round."
Eli rolls his
eyes and snorts charitably, before a loud, piercing whistle stops him from
firing back a callous remark. Both Eli
and the mayor half turn in their saddles and the sheriff spots his deputy in a
blur of dust almost immediately. "Huh. Wonder what he's doin' out here."
"He must be
pretty bored if he's venturing out into the dust storm this early in the
day. Perhaps it's not such a good thing
that your reputation precedes you, Sheriff."
"
The mayor laughs.
"What brings
you out here, Gideon?" Eli asks when the deputy is in hearing range. "Any trouble in town?"
"That's a
laugh," Gideon replies, though he's not actually laughing. "I just had a run in with your son,
Mayor. He tells me we should be expectin'
some company, soon."
"Ah yes,
well, I am sorry you had to hear it from him first. I just finished telling the good Sheriff
about it myself."
Eli notices when
Gideon's eyes shift over to him.
"From the
way Mayor Carter tells it, they're big
money from the east. Their family is
relocating to
"Why didn't
they just take a boat directly to San Fran?" Gideon asks suspiciously and Eli has to
remind himself that his deputy is no idiot.
"Seems like they are takin' the long way."
"Apparently
they had some business to attend to in
"That's one hell
of trip to make. When will they be here?"
"Two days,
as long as the wind doesn't get worse. They'll
be coming from Reighly."
"Reighly?"
Gideon repeats with a shake of his head.
"That's unfortunate, for them; too much thievery goin' on in that
area these days."
"Well, from
what I hear, they haven't been havin' much trouble. Seems they've got a couple guards. I've heard they're right scary fellows."
"Huh. Sounds like you might have some competition,
Sheriff."
"I doubt it,"
Eli replies through a snort, amused by his so called reputation. He hasn't fired a round outside of practice
for a couple years now, all because he had taken out a group of bandits before
the thieves could even get their weapons sighted. News traveled fast after that, and since then
he'd been seen as a harbinger of God's wrath, or the Devil's, depending on your
view of things. In the west, people were
quick to throw around praise; but in the end, it made his job easier.
"Well, it's
better to be safe than sorry," the mayor says as a group of cowhands and
ranchers pull up beside them. The mayor
turns his attention to the new arrivals.
"You gents all done?"
"Yes sir,"
replies the area's most prominent rancher, Francis White, "We think we got
an accurate count."
"Good, that's
what I like to hear. Now how 'bout we
head on back to town and see if Harold can set us up with a nice meal and
something cold to drink." The mayor's
suggestion gets a hardy round of agreement.
"You boys are going to join us, aren't you?"
Gideon replies
with a "you bet" and Eli nods in agreement, though the two stay back
a moment when the rest of riders start on their way.
"So what do
you think of these visitors, Sheriff?"
Eli hold back his
response until the latest gust of dusty wind passes them by. His blond hair flutters under his hat, but
not nearly as much as Gideon's. After a
moment, a tired half smile passes across his face.
"I do
believe that we are in for one fuck of an ass kissin' session."
Gideon laughs and
appears to go through great lengths to keep himself upright in his saddle. "I couldn't have said it better myself."
*****
Harold Stiles -- owner
of the Holy Moses Saloon, the Holly Day Inn, and the Circle K General Store --
is a man who always has something to do; which is why he is rather surprised to
find himself leaning against his saloon's bar twiddling his thumbs. He had spent the last day and a half running around;
making sure everything was just so
for their soon to be arriving guests -- who were to be considered people of
import, though Harold knew not why -- and what he originally thought was not
enough time, turned out to be more than plenty.
Of course, he'd had the help of several eager youngsters and a few
others who needed some quick money, plus his usual night time help from the
Holy Moses, but he was still worried that he might have missed something. To
top things off, business seemed unusually slow, only Old Man Leary, Deputy
Hart, and a couple others dotted the saloon.
If he didn't know better, he'd think it was a Sunday.
"Sure is
quiet," Harold mutters. "You
don't think it has anything to do with these Easterners, do you? It's like everyone's afraid to come out."
Beside him,
Gideon shifts and takes a long drag from his cigarette, "Maybe. It's past noon, this place should be
swamped. But you know how people are
when it comes to strangers."
Harold rolls his
eyes. "We get lots of strangers
here. I would think everyone would be
used to it by now."
"Well,
people are fickle," Gideon replies, and Harold doesn't miss the look the
deputy gives him. "Especially when
it comes to people who are different than
they are,"
"It's a
pity, but I suppose your right," Harold says through a sigh. "I guess we can only hope that everyone
will warm up to the idea of them being here.
At least it's only for a couple days; they should be able to deal with…"
Unable to finish
his thought, Harold has to hold back a grin when Lucius Carver bounces into the
saloon with a dopey grin on his face.
"Deputy! Mr. Stiles!
They're almost here," the boy practically shouts, even though they
are only a few feet away. "I could
see the dust clouds from their stage!"
"That's
great Lucius," Harold replies, patient and all smiles, as he usually
is. "We'll be outside in just a few
minutes."
With a nod of his
head, Lucius turns around and runs back out the saloon doors, which still haven't
stopped swinging from his entrance.
"Well, at
least the younger generation seems interested enough," Gideon replies,
laughing, as he grinds out his cigarette with a boot. Harold gives him a look for it, but the
deputy either doesn't notice it, or chooses to ignore it. Gideon's next words are slightly whispered, "Come
on, you old
Harold
sighs. "And what, pray tell, is
that?"
"Being our
Ambassador of Good Will, of course. You'd
be crazy to let me or the Sheriff welcome these boys to town on our own. And who knows what the Mayor will do,
especially if there's a woman traveling with them. Poor man really misses his old lady."
Harold shakes his
head, but pushes himself away from the bar none the less. "I suppose you're right. Sometimes I wonder how any of you ever
managed to get to where you are now."
"I'm sure it
has something to do with our good looks," Gideon replies and Harold tries
to pretend that the deputy does not, if however briefly, grab his ass on their
way out of the saloon.
*****
The coach bounces
and sways on the uneven dirt road below it, but none of its three occupants
seem to notice. They've been traveling
long enough that it doesn't faze them anymore.
On one side of
the coach, Konzen Douji sits with his arms crossed in front of his chest, his
head bobbing to and fro as he tries to doze. Unfortunately -- much like a certain Deputy a
few days earlier -- he isn't having much luck, for something is pounding rather
insistently on his silk clad leg.
"Konzen,
where's Ken-nii-chan and Ten-chan? I can't
see them," Goku half-whines, his face plastered up against the small
porthole-like window across from the door of the coach.
Grumbling, Konzen
leans forward and tries to peer around Goku's head and out the window. He barely gets a glimpse, but it's enough to
tell him that neither of their escorts are within their limited seeing
range. It's odd because throughout most
of the trip, one or the other, if not both, usually hung around, if for no
other reason than to keep Goku amused and otherwise distracted during their
long days of travel.
Setting his gaze
forward again, Konzen raises his eyebrows at the woman sitting across from him,
"Where do you think they ran off to?"
The woman in
question snorts, "Who knows with those two. I wouldn't worry about it; we should be
arriving soon, anyway."
Konzen shrugs and
shakes his head in annoyance, looking back towards Goku. "Don't worry about them Goku, they'll
meet us at the next stop, ok?"
Goku nods but
continues to stare out the window.
*****
Kenren sits
uneasy in his saddle, his eyebrows creased, as he stares at the fast moving
cloud of dust on the horizon.
"How long do
you think 'till they get here?" he asks as he turns to look at Tenpou.
"Ten
minutes, maybe. They look like they are
moving pretty fast."
"You think
they're after us?"
"I don't know. They must be.
Guess we should have carried around a sign that says we travel light."
Kenren snorts and
shifts uneasily, a reaction mimicked by the horse beneath him. "Well, personal items aside, I'm sure
they could get a good price out of Konzen and Goku; Kanzeon too, 'till they
realize what she's hiding underneath all that silk."
Tenpou laughs,
though it sounds like it's only halfhearted, "I suppose they will want us dead."
"Yeah,"
Kenren says, with a sigh, "it's a shame they won't realize how much of a
price we could fetch."
"Indeed. Do you think we should head for the town, or
try and cut them off here?"
Kenren shrugs and
places a hand on the hilt of his sword. "I
dunno. They probably have guns, we don't." There's something in his voice that says he
might be a little bitter about this.
"True. We are
pretty talented though," Tenpou replies, straightening in his saddle.
"And lucky,"
Kenren adds. "What the hell, lets
give it a go. What's the worst that
could happen?"
*****
By the time the
coach rolls into town, small groups of curious townspeople have begun to form
on various porches and strangely enough, this comforts Eli. It's not until the coach comes to a stop in
front of the jailhouse that the sheriff notices their guests' guards are
nowhere in sight, which quickly erases any ease he'd regained.
Eli watches as an
older gentlemen makes his way down from the front of the coach, immediately
going to its door. He can tell by the
way the man moves and reacts to all of the people around him -- which is to say
he barely notices -- that the man is likely a servant, or perhaps an advisor
that doesn't mind playing butler from time to time.
With finesses,
the gray haired man pulls open the coach door and from its confines appears a
woman who is, to put it mildly, scantly clad.
Eli can hear more than a few men mutter at the sight of the busty woman
in all of her fine sheer and silk.
"It is a
pleasure to make your acquaintance," Mayor Carver practically croons as he
seems to appear out of nowhere at the lady's side, taking her hand and helping
her down from the coach. Eli watches
with raised eyebrows as the mayor places a chaste kiss on the back of the woman's
hand. "Mayor Jonas Carver, at your
service."
The woman bows
low, "Pleased to meet you," she replies in nearly perfect English,
though Eli isn't too surprised, considering they were supposed to be
diplomats. "I am Kanzeon Bosatsu."
"Mrs.
Bosatsu," the mayor repeats with a nod of his head and she laughs
pleasantly.
"None of
that 'Mrs.' business, Mayor. Please,
call me Kanzeon."
"As you
wish," he replies, but Eli barely hears it because his attention is
suddenly focused on the man that is exiting the coach.
Eli blinks as the
man's unbelievably long blond hair catches the rays of the afternoon sun. Even the slightest shake of his head makes
the golden strands flicker with shades of yellow he never knew existed. Eli takes notice of the blond's outfit, black
and red silk, almost like a dress, with how wavy and flowing it is. Eli can't deny that the blond is pretty, for
he is, and it's been awhile since he's laid eyes on a truly pretty man. Behind the blond, a young boy jumps out of
the coach.
"Mayor, this
is my nephew, Konzen Douji and the little monkey hiding behind him is his ward,
Goku.
"Howdy!"
Goku says enthusiastically and Eli snorts while everyone else chuckles in
amusement.
"Well, your
on your way to becoming a fine cowboy," Harold says somewhere off to Eli's
left. When his attention goes back to Konzen, Eli notices that Goku is staring
at him intently.
"Wow,"
the boy says, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"You're hair's almost as pretty as Konzen's!"
At that, Gideon
and Harold -- and a few others -- laugh even harder.
"
"It is a
pleasure to meet you all," the Mayor replies as he turns to face the small
crowed that has gathered. "This is
Sheriff Baker, Deputy Hart and Harold Stiles, who owns the inn you'll be
staying at, among other pieces of prime property."
Everyone makes
their proper hellos, though Eli's are mildly distracted. His thoughts, however, are broken when he
hears the older man say something to Kanzeon in a tongue he doesn't recognize
and can't understand.
Kanzeon nods her
head in reply then turns her attention back to the group. "Jiroshin wants to know where your
livery is, so he can settle the horses."
"Oh, of
course, I'll show him," Harold replies, taking a step forward. "Er…does he speak any English?"
Jiroshin and
Kanzeon both chuckle. "No, he doesn't. But he understands it perfectly."
"Ah,"
Hakkai says, sort of stunned, before smiling, "Well, that should be good
enough."
Following the old
man, Harold hops up onto the coach.
"Any of you
boys want to help?" the Mayor asks and he gets several affirmatives from
some of the gathered youngsters, the most enthusiastic coming from Lucius and
two of his brothers, which was not in the least bit surprising. When coach beings to roll forward, the young
men follow after it with enthusiasm.
"If I
remember correctly, you were supposed to have a few guards with you, were you
not?" Eli asks, now that his distraction seems to be waning and his need
to do his job is ever nagging in the back of his head.
"Yes, we
did. But they've been delayed. I'm sure they'll be around shortly."
"That's
fine, ma'am," the mayor replies, all teeth and smiles. "Now what do you say we go inside and
get you fine folks some food and drinks.
You must be starving and in need of refreshment."
"Oh, that
would be most delightful," Kanzeon replies, hooking her arm around the
mayor's, as they begin to make their way to the inn. "I bet your hungry, aren't you Goku?"
Goku nods his
head enthusiastically, not that Eli thought he could respond in any other
way. He watches as Goku chases after
Kanzeon and the mayor.
Barely audible,
Eli hears Konzen snort. "She's such
an attention whore," he says with a sigh.
Laughing loudly
beside him, Gideon thumps Eli on the back.
"Oh he's gonna fit in here just perfectly."
Eli just shakes
his head and follows the rest of the crowd back to the inn.
*****
"Are you
alright?" Tenpou asks, his gaze falling upon the wound on Kenren's arm.
"Yeah, fine,"
he replies, wincing as he brushes a hand over the small hole in his arm. "Just wish I had a fucking gun."
"Well, there
are plenty to choose from, now."
Kenren snorts, "Yeah,
and they'll probably blow up in my face, the cheap pieces of shit."
Tenpou chooses to
ignore Kenren's last remark, probably because he's always felt more comfortable
with a sword in his hand anyway. "I
don't think these guys are after us."
"Gee,
whatever gave you that idea?" Kenren replies, and Tenpou knows that he is
rolling his eyes, though he's too busy staring at what appears to be the second
wave coming their way, to look at Kenren.
Sliding out of
his saddle, Tenpou starts to look over the bodies that litter the ground around
them, hoping to spot one that's still alive.
As it turns out, Kenren was right in what he'd said earlier, they were
indeed pretty lucky.
"Who are you
after?" Tenpou nearly bellows -- in rough, but passable English -- as he
holds the edge of his katana against the bandit's throat.
Having slid off
his horse as well, Kenren walks up beside Tenpou, who remains focused on the
sputtering man lying on a ground.
"We're…we're
after…Sheriff Baker…" the man manages to wheeze out.
"Aw, fuck,"
Kenren curses, "Just want we needed; to roll into town in the middle of
someone else's fucking battle."
"How many
men?" Tenpou asks the wounded and likely dying man. For all he knows, he could have been the one
to have shot Kenren, and that makes him that much angrier. When the man does not answer, Tenpou presses
the blade harder against his throat. "Answer
me."
"More than
you can handle."
"You don't
know us very well." Tenpou's
expression twists as the blade of his sword drags across the bandit's
throat. He doesn't look away when the
blood beings to flow. "We need to
get to the town."
"Yeah,"
Kenren replies, quietly.
"Are you
sure you're ok?"
"Funny, I
was about to ask you the same thing."
*****
Harold almost
drops the shot glass he is holding when he hears the sudden outburst of shouts
coming from the street. He has no idea
what is actually being said, but he recognizes the language that is being
spoken. Judging by the harsh way in
which the words seem to be spat into the air, Harold guesses that a lot of them
are curses.
When he looks up,
he sees the small crowd that had gathered near the door disperse in quite the
panicked fashion; though he certainly can't blame them when he see the two men
who burst into the inn a few moments later.
Immediately, Eli
and Gideon are on their feet, hands on their pistol grips; but before anything
can be said, Goku bolts across the room with a sudden burst of speed.
"Ten-chan! Ken-nii-chan!" Goku yells in excitement
as he nearly tackles the taller of the two men.
Harold sighs in
relief, though it's short lived when he realizes that both men are trying to
hold their weapons away from the child because they are, quite obviously,
stained with blood.
The man that Goku
has attached himself to says something to the child, in their native tongue,
before prying him from his leg and walking towards Konzen.
"Which one
of you is Sheriff Baker?" he asks, and all heads turn towards Eli, who
rolls his eyes.
Eli raises his
hand, reluctantly.
"You'll be
sorry you admitted that in a second.
Looks like you've got some head hunters after you."
"Shit!" a voice chimes in, and
Harold knows who that voice belongs
to.
"Who are
you?" Eli asks, suspiciously, as if Goku's display wasn't proof enough
that they were on their side. Harold
sighs.
"Sheriff,"
Kanzeon responds before anyone else has a chance to speak, "This is Tenpou
Gensui and Kenren Taishou. They have
both served my family for many years. I'm
guessing from the look of things, you might want to hear them out. I doubt they bloodied themselves up."
Harold doesn't
miss the odd little smirk that Kenren seems to give Kanzeon, as if they were
sharing an inside joke.
"Alright
then, what exactly is going on?" Eli asks and Gideon moves in closer.
Tenpou wastes no
time in telling them, and in the process he learns a whole new string of western swear words.
*****
Gideon watches as
Harold pours whiskey over Kenren's exposed bullet wound. Kenren forces a string of foreign words --
plus a couple four letter words Gideon is quite familiar with -- through
clenched teeth.
"Sorry,"
Harold mutters, though Gideon sorely doubts it the truth of that statement. Harold wasn't usually sorry about things he
had no control over. Silently he watches
as Harold deftly digs around in the hole with a pair of oversized tweezers,
until he's pulling out the offending bullet.
Kenren squirms once or twice, but remains silent for the rest of the 'procedure'.
"Thanks,"
he says, with a bow of his head as Harold wraps the wounded arm in a bandage.
"You're
welcome," Harold replies, frowning.
"It's not a very good job, but it'll do for now."
"You wouldn't
happen to have an extra one of those?"
Kenren asks, gesturing to the guns hung low on Gideon's hips, then towards
Tenpou. "He didn't think we'd need
them. And he's supposed to be the brilliant strategist."
The deputy
laughs. "Not on me, no. But Harold does."
Kenren turns back
towards Harold who has already dipped below the bar and brought up a couple
double barreled shot guns. "I've
never been a fan of revolvers, myself."
Kenren snorts as
he picks up one of the shotguns and an ammo belt, giving it a strange look.
"Ever use
one before?" Gideon asks and Kenren shakes his head as he rests the barrel
against his shoulder. "Huh. Well, looks like you'll be a natural, really."
Gideon uses the
other gun on the counter top to give Kenren a quick lesson. From the corner of his eye he can see Eli and
Tenpou walking back towards them.
"It's pretty
easy, just point 'n' shoot. Hell, you
don't even have to have good aim with these babies, though, that's not
necessarily a good thing."
"I'll keep
that in mind."
*****
"Alright
boys, listen up," Eli bellows as he makes his way back to the bar. "Anybody with a gun stays here. Everyone else, I want upstairs taking cover
in the rooms. Understood?"
To Eli's
satisfaction, everyone nods, or shouts affirmatively.
"Gideon, I
sent Mayor Carver out to get some more men.
They're arming themselves at the jail.
Go over there and give 'em a hand."
"Sure thing,
Eli."
"Don't think
those bandits won't see you, they're getting close, you won't have any advantage
over them, you understand?"
"Yeah, no
sweat." Gideon replies, before turning to Kenren, "Wanna come with?"
Kenren considers
this, glances briefly at Tenpou, then nods, "Sure."
"No! Don't leave Ken-nii!" Goku yells from
the top of the stairs and all eyes turn to see Konzen trying to keep the kid
from bolting down the steps.
"Mah, don't
worry Goku," Kenren replies, smiling, "Tenpou and the rest of these
guys will protect you, isn't that right, Sheriff?"
Eli nods, "Of
course."
"See, nothin'
to worry about, I'll be back before you know it. Now go with Konzen, or I won't finish telling
you that story about the kid who fell in the well."
"Alright,"
Goku replies before disappearing back up the steps with Konzen.
After that,
everyone seems to focus on the task at hand as Gideon and Kenren creep out of
the inn. Eli surveys the common room,
noticing that Kanzeon and Jiroshin still remain at the table they'd been
sitting at since they'd first arrived.
"What do you
think you're doing?" Eli asks, irritated.
"I do
believe the view will be far better from down here," Kanzeon replies,
smiling.
Eli arcs his
eyebrows. "Be that as it may, you
should really go upstairs and take cover."
"I'll be
fine Sheriff; I can take care of myself."
"And him?"
Eli asks, nodding in Jiroshin's direction.
"Him too,"
Kanzeon replies, still smiling.
"
*****
Like the calm
before the storm, the outside world is silent before the bandits stampede into
town, hooting and hollering and shooting their guns off into the air.
"Idiots,"
Eli mumbles under his breath as he picks out his first target and takes aim. From beside him, Tenpou snorts.
When Eli squeezes
the trigger, all hell breaks loose.
*****
At the sound of
the first gunshot, Goku practically jumps into Konzen's lap, burying his head
in Konzen's fine silks.
"Relax
monkey," Konzen whispers, his arms unconsciously wrapping around the boys
shaking frame. Sometimes he can't help
but wonder why they ever left home.
*****
When the bullets
start to fly, Jiroshin flinches, "Merciful Goddess!" he mumbles under
his breath.
Beside him,
Kanzeon grins like a kid in a candy store.
*****
Eli has little
time to think and lucky for him, a gunfight isn't really something that
requires him to think much. At least,
not anymore. He's been doing this long
enough that is second nature for him. It's
a simple as breathing, always had been really, ever since the first time he'd
fired a gun. He hadn't been much older than
Goku.
Pushing the
revolver's cylinder out in one easy motion, Eli starts to reload the chambers,
nearly fumbling a bullet when he sees Tenpou charge out of the inn, his still
bloody sword in hand.
"Son of a
bitch!" Eli curses as he slides the remaining rounds into the chambers,
flicks the cylinder back in, and quickly takes aim once more.
"That man is
either very brave, or very stupid," Harold says from somewhere behind him.
Further away, Eli
hears an amused chuckle from Kanzeon, "You'd be surprised how often those
two traits go hand in hand."
*****
"Jesus,
Mary, 'n' Joseph," Gideon barks as he watches Tenpou run out into the
streets, somehow managing to dodge bullets coming from all directions. "What the hell does he think he's doin'?"
From beside him,
Kenren laughs and reloads the shotgun. "He's
just being Tenpou."
"He's gonna
get himself killed," Gideon replies as he watches Tenpou pull one of the
men off his horse before finishing him off with one precise slash. Gideon blinks, then raises his eyebrows. "Or maybe not."
"Don't let
him fool you," Kenren replies before firing off a round in the opposite
direction of where Tenpou is fighting. "Usually
he's much faster than this."
Gideon laughs and
takes aim once more.
*****
Occasionally a
bullet whizzes past his ear, but Eli barely notices, too focused on his targets
and making sure he doesn't
accidentally shoot Tenpou. He blocks out
the screams, the shouts, the cries of pain and especially the occasional spray of blood that manages to fly in his
direction.
The sound of
gunshots ring in Eli's ears, echoing their battle song, comforting and
terrifying all at once, until they start to die away one by one. Its over too fast, and yet, not fast
enough.
Eli revels in the
regained silence for a moment before calling out, "How's it look out
there?"
From down the
street he hears Gideon answer back. "It's
messy, but I think we're all clear."
Tenpou echoes his
agreement as he begins to walk back towards the inn. Tired, Eli sinks down to the floor, peering
out at the mess of bodies and blood that cover the dusty road. When he glances over towards the jailhouse,
Eli can't help but laugh, exhausted as he is.
Strutting their
stuff like they own the place, Gideon and Kenren are making their way back
towards the inn; Gideon's hands resting on his pistol grips and Kenren's
shotgun once again resting against his shoulder.
Eli snorts and glances
at Tenpou. "Looks like Kenren is
getting a hang of being a cowboy."
Tenpou looks in
the direction of the two men and snorts before shaking his head. "I was afraid of that."
*****
Barely two hours
after the fighting stopped, the streets were clear of bodies and the town's
mortician was earning his keep, plus a little overtime. The ranchers helped herd up the now abandoned
horses that had stuck around the town, and only one had to be put down because
of its injuries. Many fallen weapons
were collected and from what Eli gathered, Kenren was now rather pleased to
have his own pair of revolvers, which he thought were of higher quality than
the ones from the first wave.
"What's the
damage report?" Eli asks Harold as he leans up against the bar, sipping a
very tall glass of Harold's finest whiskey; the kind he usually kept in a
safe. All around him people were
gathering in both the inn and the saloon, ready to celebrate the day's victory.
"Well,
nothing too serious. The doctor has seen
to the worst cases. No deaths, and none
are likely to die, lest they take a strange and sudden turn for the worse."
"That's
good," Eli replies, still miffed that it had taken two years for any
retribution to come down on his from his last tangle with roaming bandits. Of course, considering their numbers, it was
a wonder it didn't take longer. The
petty thieves and murderers of the world weren't exactly known for their
planning.
"Have you
seen Kenren, Eli?" Harold asks and
Eli gives the man a strange look. Harold
returns it with a look of his own. "I
haven't been able to properly clean and bandage his wound yet."
"I think he's
upstairs making good on his promise to Goku," Eli replies and when Harold
moves to head towards the rooms, Eli stops him.
"I'll get him; you've done enough running about these last couple
hours.
"Thanks,"
Harold replies and Eli waves it off as if it was nothing, and frankly, in the
great scheme of this, it really was.
*****
Eli knocks gently
on the door to Konzen's room and a few moments later, Kenren answers it, a
finger pressed against his lips.
"He just
fell asleep," Kenren says as he steps outside of the room, "What's
up?"
"Harold
wants to see you, said he needs to do some make up work on that arm of yours."
"Oh, right,
almost forgot about it," Kenren replies with a grin, but Eli can see the
pain hidden behind the smile. "Can
you keep an eye on him 'till Konzen gets back? He went to get some stuff from the coach."
Eli shrugs
apathetically, "Sure, as long as you go straight down to Harold. He'll likely reward you with some better than
average rotgut if you are a good little patient."
Kenren laughs,
before giving Eli a half-wave, half-salute and making his way downstairs.
*****
Almost
half-asleep himself, Eli barely notices when Konzen enters the room and it's
not until he feels like he's being watched that he looks up. For a moment, the two blonds stare at each
other, as if drinking each other in after going a day with out water.
"He's out
like a light," Eli whispers and Konzen actually smiles a little.
"Did you do
that?" Konzen asks and Eli has to keep from laughing.
"No, that
was all Kenny Chan, or whatever he calls Kenren."
Konzen's smile
brightens and Eli thinks that if it weren't for the sleeping kid, he'd probably
be laughing. "Ken-nii-chan," Konzen replies,
stressing the syllables.
"Oh."
"It means 'big
brother'. It's figurative, of course."
"Of course." Well, things made a little more sense now
that he knew that. For an almost awkward
moment, silence reigned. "Well, I
guess I should let you have some privacy."
Konzen bows
slightly, then follows Eli out of the room, closing the door behind him when
they are both in the narrow hallway.
"Thank you
for keeping an eye on him."
"Not a
problem," Eli replies before he begins to lean forward towards
Konzen. He isn't sure why he does it -- lingering post battle
adrenaline, he tries to convince himself -- but he grabs Konzen's shoulders
firmly, pulling the blond close, bringing their lips together in a soft
kiss. To Eli, Konzen tastes like nothing
he's ever tasted before. His lips are
soft and sweet and exotic, and it makes Eli's stomach twist in a way that
worries him; though not as much as the fact that Konzen's not really
protesting, but at the same time, not really joining in either.
Pulling away, Eli
stares into Konzen's strange violet eyes, really seeing how vibrant they are
for the first time.
"This might
not be the best place," Konzen says in a low voice as he nods towards the
door to his room.
Eli refrains from
cursing out loud and instead mentally kicks himself square in the ass. "We can stop," he replies, through
slightly clenched teeth.
"We could,"
Konzen agrees, "or we could find another room."
A satisfied half-smile
crosses Eli's face as he pulls Konzen towards the room next door, relieved to
find it unlocked and unoccupied when they burst in and head straight for the
bed. When they hit the mattress, Eli
resumes his taste test of Konzen's lips and mouth and this time the man
responds in kind as their tongues begin to twist and tangle.
As enjoyable as
the silk is against his skin, Eli finds that it's too much of a hindrance with
all of its folds, and slowly he begins to work it off of Konzen, following the
garment down his body with his lips. Every
inch of bare skin he exposes he gives a bit of attention to, with lips and
tongue and teeth, electing pleasant little moans and groans from the man that
writhes beneath him.
When he reaches
Konzen's stomach, Eli, for the moment, tries to ignore Konzen's obvious
erection, moving back up the man's body with long, languid licks against his
slightly tanned flesh. Konzen shudders
beneath him and Eli begins to undo his belt and holster as the lips press
firmly against each other once more.
Belt gone, Konzen
beings to unbutton the front of Eli's shirt as the sheriff gives attention to
Konzen's small nipples. On anyone else,
the would seem horribly out of place, but on this thin, fragile looking man,
the fit so well, though Eli has a sneaking suspicion that Konzen isn't nearly
as breakable as he looks.
His shirt gone,
Eli beings to relish the feel of Konzen's fingers against his flesh, especially
when the long fingers pinch and twist at his own nipples. In his tight jeans, Eli's erection throbs and
he can't take the torture anymore.
Quickly he beings to undo the buttons on his pants, but before he has a
chance to free his erection on his own, Konzen's hand his snaking it's way into
his pants and Eli is shutting his eyes tight as he hold back a moan that so badly
wants to escape his lips. Instead, he
takes a handful of Konzen's long hair in his hand as he tries to slide his
pants off with the other. It's not an
easy task, but with some help from Konzen, he makes do.
His erection free
of its constraints, Eli focuses on the pleasant strokes that Konzen is working
his cock with and he has to fight the urge to thrust into the tightness. The last thing he wants to do is seem
needy. Of course, this thought doesn't
stop him from moaning wantonly when Konzen suddenly takes his cock into his
mouth, sucking gently at first around the head, then harder and deeper as he
takes more of it in.
Eli runs dull
nails up and down Konzen's spine as the man sucks him harder and with
increasing speed. Almost as if an
afterthought, Eli sticks a couple of fingers in his own mouth to slick them up
a little before trailing his fingers down Konzen's spine, letting his finger
tips tease gently at Konzen's puckered hole.
When he slides one finger in, to tease and fuck Konzen, the man sucks
even harder at Eli's cock.
Gasping, Eli
fights off his need to orgasm as he slides the second finger inside Konzen, who
moans beautifully, even if it does cause his cock to slide from the blonde's
mouth. Allowing himself a second to
regroup from the edge he was so closely teetering on, Eli wiggles and bends and
scissors his fingers inside of Konzen until neither of them seem to be able to
wait any longer. Untangling his fingers
from Konzen's long strands of hair, Eli brings Konzen's head back into his lap
and Konzen sucks at his erection a few more times before Eli pulls him up so
that he straddles his lap, his throbbing, aching cock wanting very much to be
inside the strange, exotic man.
When the tip
begins to slide inside Konzen, Eli grabs the blond's erection in his hand, and
squeezes firmly. Konzen squirms on top
of him, his muscles clenching tight around Eli's cock, once more bringing him
painfully close to the edge. Eli groans
and pulls Konzen down to him so that their lips can meet in a searing kiss
mixed with tongues and teeth and moans as Konzen begins to ride Eli with reckless
abandon.
Moaning into each
other's mouths, both men revel in the feel of each other as Konzen rocks on Eli's
cock and Eli strokes and squeeze, and bites and nibbles, his free hand
returning to Konzen's hair, where the long strands tangle around his fingers.
With a tug to his
hair and a bite to Konzen's shoulder, Eli increases his pace inside of him and
suddenly feels a wet warmth spilling over his hand. Konzen makes the most delicious noises as Eli
also finds his release with grunts and moans and an incredibly large amount of
body spasms.
Exhausted from
the trying day they've had, both men slump over on the bed dazed and
lightheaded, and for one brief, fleeting moment, they feel like they are one.
*****
Morning finds a
quarter of the townspeople hung-over and many others recovering from their
wounds. Kanzeon -- being one of those to be suffering
from the former ailment -- decides that one more day off the road can't
hurt. Or at the very least, it won't
hurt nearly as much as the bumpy roads will if they leave right away.
Those that are
able begin to help with the repairs to both the exterior and interiors of the
buildings along the main road that lead into town, and Harold and his staff cook
up meals for everyone that's helped out.
After lunch, Eli
and Konzen manage to slip away while Goku is occupied with chasing -- and being
chased by -- Lucius and some of the other youngsters and Eli thinks it might be
amusing if their last roll in the hay is exactly that.
To their
surprise, for they are too busy exploring each other's mouths with their
tongues to notice right away, they find the stables already occupied. Muttering apologies and curses, they
backpedal out of the barn, lickety-split.
Wide eyed, Eli
turns to Konzen, trying hard not to laugh, or be freaked out, he isn't sure
which. "Did you know about those
two?"
"
He shakes his
head and sighs. "Fuck it; we're
going to my place."
"I don't
suppose I have a say in this, do I?" Konzen asks, trying to act as if he
has at least a mild sense of propriety.
"None at
all," Eli replies as he leads the way.
Konzen smiles
brightly, almost as brightly as the sun that shines down upon them.
"I didn't
think so."
|
_____________ |