Plenty to Learn

Author: lillypuff 

Email: lilly_puff22 (at) yahoo (dot) com

LiveJournal: http://lillypuff.livejournal.com

Pairing(s): Kenren x Tenpou, plus other implications
Rating: PG-13

Written For: minuswave.com, Challenge: Lessons

Warnings: language, implied sexuality, ass grabbing, some kissing

Summary: Kenren cops a feel, Goujun learns a new word and Tenpou looks damned fine in leather…
Disclaimer: Sadly, Saiyuki does not belong to me.

"Aw, come on Gou-…sir, it's not what you think," Kenren remarked, trying his best to sound casual about their recent sticky situation. Goujun's eyebrows rose slowly, as if giving the general one last chance to amend his statement before all of his disbelief came through. Kenren sighed, "OK, so it probably was what you thought. But I swear it was a fuckin' accident."

The dragon king's eyebrows hit their peek as he rose slowly and gracefully from his chair. Kenren instinctively took a step back and immediately chided himself for it; the last thing he wanted to do was feed the dragon's ego.

When Goujun began to walk around his large, intricately detailed desk Kenren followed the man's movements, not sure what to expect from the dragon king; but when Goujun finally did speak Kenren found that he didn't sound nearly as angry as he should have which only unnerved the general further.

"Two things General," Goujun began, adopting a posture Kenren would almost call casual if not for the fact that the dragon king's pride seemed to tower above everything, no matter how he stood. "First, you will curb your tongue in my presence. Understood?"

Kenren nodded.

"Good. Second, if it was indeed an accident, then please explain exactly how one accidentally grabs another man's behind."

"Ass," Kenren amended through a mumble. He knew he was pushing boundaries but he was unable to help himself.

"What was that General?" Goujun asked sharply.

"I said, I grabbed your ass," Kenren replied, trying to adopt a serious posture, "not your behind."

Goujun sighed heavily as he took a step forward and this time Kenren held his ground; he had a reputation to keep after all.

"General, did I not just ask you to curb your tongue?"

"Sorry sir," Kenren replied, unsure if he really was, "but when you say behind like that it sounds so…dainty."

"Dainty?"

"Yeah. I mean, come on, you're a dragon king. Your ass sure as fu-…shi-…hell ain't dainty."

"No?" Goujun asked through a slightly amused smile.

"Not at all," Kenren replied, unsure of why he continued the conversation, aside from the fact that it had detoured them from Goujun's original question. "You're a fierce, strong creature who strikes fear in the hearts of men, you can't go around kicking behinds and taking names, it just doesn't work that way."

"Ah. Well, thank you for that brilliant insight General," Goujun responded, still looking mildly amused but also equally confused, "but that still doesn't explain why you were grabbing my…ass, as you so eloquently put it, at the banquet."

Kenren winced as a string of curses he couldn't say out loud ran through his head, "I'd rather not answer that, sir."

"Oh, I do not doubt that General, but I get the feeling you would rather tell me then, say, clean the latrines at the soldiers' barracks for the rest of the foreseeable future."

Kenren groaned. The dragon's statement was more then correct. "Well, it's sort of complicated."

"You'd be surprised by what I know about complicated matters, General."

"Whatever," Kenren replied, not sure how to take that statement, "Fine, look…I…I thought you were Marshal Tenpou."

Wincing one more, Kenren prepared himself for whatever the dragon king would unleash on him, but when no outburst came the general slowly opened his eyes to find Goujun staring back at him blankly. It was hard to tell, but Kenren thought that the dragon king had actually gone a shade paler.

Tilting his head, Kenren tried to get Goujun's attention with a wave of his hand, "Sir?"

For a moment the dragon's eyes flickered around the room then Goujun straightened and addressed the General as if nothing had happened.

"Some would say that mistaking me for another would be rather difficult. We dragons do stand out in a crowd."

Kenren sighed, "I know. Look, he was standing right next to me, then I turned away to talk to one of our men and I guess he wandered off and you took his place."

"I see," Goujun replied stoically, "Unfortunately that only creates more questions."

"Dare I ask?" Kenren replied and immediately he was sorry that he even opened his mouth.

"No, but I will," Goujun replied with a half frown that said a lot despite the fact that Kenren couldn't really read it, "What made you think that the Marshal would appreciate such attentions?"

Kenren groaned, "Sir, I think that's a bit personal."

Goujun merely snorted, "You are my subordinate General, there is no such thing as personal."

"Is that an order, Commander?"

"You know it is."

Closing his eyes, Kenren sighed. He was beginning to think he'd give his left arm for a…

*thump, thump, thump*

…distraction.

Both Kenren and Goujun quickly turned their attention to the dragon king's door which was taking a beating from someone in a hurry.

"Enter," Goujun ordered and almost immediately the door to the dragon's office popped open revealing a slightly alarmed soldier that Kenren only knew as one of Goujun's little errand boys. Kenren watched the exchange that took place and he quietly thanked whichever god necessary for the interruption.

"Orders from the Jade Emperor sir, the Western Army is to assemble," the soldier stated as he handed a folder to the waiting dragon king who took it and began to skim the pages.

"Very well, thank you Sergeant. Please alert Field Marshal Tenpou and have him present himself immediately."

"Yes sir," the soldier replied with a salute before neatly turning and exiting.

For a moment silence descended in the large office as the dragon continued to skim his paperwork.

"Sir," Kenren interrupted when the silence became thick, "Permission to be excused."

Goujun shook his head, "Stay, you need to be briefed as well."

The general ran a hand through his hair, "I know sir, but...sh-…damn. Um…Marshal Tenpou has a tendency to misplace his uniform. He's gonna need help finding it, considering what a mess his office has been lately."

For a moment Goujun was silent, though Kenren could tell he had stopped skimming the documents for his eyes had stopped moving in his skull. When he finally did look up Kenren noticed a much softer, almost pitying expression on the dragon's face.

"He doesn't misplace it, General."

"Oh, I know. It's hard to keep track of anything in that mess…"

Goujun shook his head, "That is not what I mean."

Kenren blinked hard, "Huh?"

The dragon sighed, "Tenpou does not misplace his uniform, he hides it…on purpose."

Kenren blinked harder, slower, "What?"

"He does not like it," Goujun replied as he set his paperwork aside, "he never has. He only wears it when he has to and he hides it from his sight afterwards. Why do you think he wears that inane getup?"

Kenren chuckled, "I thought it was just part of his charm, a quirk so to speak."

At that Goujun actually smiled, "It is, one of many."

For a moment Kenren could think of nothing to say, he was too focused on the odd tingling sensation that felt like it was spreading its way through his veins. It angered him slightly to know that Goujun knew something about Tenpou that he did not, even if the dragon king had know the marshal for far longer then he had.

"Excuse me if this is forward," Kenren began when he had finally regained his senses, "but how the fu-…how exactly do you know this?"

Slowly, Goujun's smile began to fade, "Do you remember when I said I was experienced with complicated matters?"

"Yeah," Kenren replied following it with a slightly shocked 'oh' when the meaning of the dragon king's words finally dawned on him.

"It would appear you still have plenty to learn about the Field Marshal," Goujun commented, sounding more smug then Kenren liked, "But I imagine that will resolve itself in time."

"Let's hope," Kenren mumbled, frustrated.

A moment of silence passed between the two soldiers before Goujun spoke again, the soft tone gone from his voice as if it had never really been there, "Now then, we have wasted enough time. Go assist Marshal Tenpou. I want you both to return here post haste."

For a moment Kenren continued to stare at the dragon then nodded his head with a "Yes sir" and began to walk towards the office door, but before he could make his exit the dragon king spoke again.

"And General, do not think our earlier conversation will be forgotten. The matter is not yet settled."

Grinning crookedly, Kenren turned his head to answer back to the dragon king, "Of course not sir," he replied with a wink before exiting, "be back in a jiff."

*****

When he burst into Tenpou's office -- as he often did -- Kenren expected to find the man rummaging around his quarters looking for his 'misplaced' uniform, but instead found Tenpou standing in the entryway between his office and his sitting room, head slightly bowed, a single boot dangling at his side by its laces. The marshal's expression was nearly blank and Kenren knew that look, knew it very well in fact; Tenpou was thinking, and thinking hard.

Under normal circumstances Kenren would have waited until Tenpou acknowledged his presence or he would have just left quietly, but he knew time was not on their side at the moment -- or at least not his -- as far as the dragon king was concerned and he was set on not giving Goujun another reason to be angry with him, if the dragon was indeed angry to begin with.

"Yo, Tenpou, you ok?" he asked when he was a foot or so away. For a split second there was no response from the marshal, then he suddenly looked up to meet Kenren's eyes and the general took a startled step back for the second time that day. Tenpou's eyes always seemed to scream at him, though much like Goujun's facial expressions Kenren never really knew what they were trying to say.

"Hello, Kenren," Tenpou said casually a moment later, his voice smooth, calm and in control -- as always, "How did your tête-à-tête with Goujun go?"

"We were interrupted," Kenren replied through a groan as he gestured towards the boot that dangled from Tenpou's hand.

"Ah yes," Tenpou said with a lopsided frown, "probably better that way."

Kenren shrugged, "Are you sure you're ok?"

Tenpou nodded slowly, "I'm sure, though I could use help finding the rest of this damned uniform."

Kenren smiled though he could tell from how it felt on his face that it wasn't the happiest smile he'd ever worn, "That's what I'm here for."

After that, the two soldiers had begun to rummage around the three rooms that made up Tenpou's quarters and Kenren made a mental note to pay more attention to where Tenpou stashed the pieces of his uniform when they returned; anything to make the next time easier.

Knowing what he knew, Kenren gave up his usual search routine and looked in places that seemed to be stacked unusually high with papers, books and other random junk. He checked the backs of drawers where something could be easier hidden then lost and one by one he found the pieces of Tenpou's uniform…and nearly jumped out of his skin when the silence was broken by Tenpou's voice coming from behind him.

"That was fast," the marshal remarked quietly.

"What can I say? I'm gettin' good at this," Kenren replied casually as he started to hand the uniform and accessories over to his superior, "Besides, Goujun wants us back fast, and I'm not gonna disappoint, not today at least."

For a moment Tenpou responded only with silence, then he nodded and quickly began to undress. Kenren watched intently as the marshal changed taking in the sight of the body he had recently gotten to know so well and he tried oh so hard not to reach out for a grab at the ass he missed the night before and somehow, against all odds, he succeeded.

Kenren remained silent as Tenpou redressed, afraid to open his mouth for he was a long time sufferer of 'foot in mouth' disease whenever delicate matters concerning the marshal arose. He'd just never been good at that sort of thing, no matter who it was, but things seemed even worse when Tenpou was involved.

He wanted to know what Tenpou's deal was; especially since it was just a uniform and Kenren thought the man was lucky it was something he could take off whenever he wanted instead of something more permanent. Frankly, if it were up to him he'd make the marshal wear it all the time, the man looked damned fine in leather.

Despite his curiosity, Kenren just couldn't find the words to ask. He thought it might be a bit odd if he suddenly told the marshal that his own ex-lover had informed him of his strange habit. In fact odd would probably be just the beginning of it and odd would be followed by strange and strange by awkward and god knew what after that and Kenren really didn't want to deal with it; not then, not ever.

Before long Tenpou was dressed and Kenren found himself handing the marshal's katana to him, the one part of his uniform that never seemed to disappear amongst the clutter of the man's office -- it was the one thing that was always visible and always proudly displayed.

"Ready?" Kenren asked as Tenpou finished securing the sword to his side.

"Always," Tenpou replied, though Kenren wasn't sure how true that was; though he'd never say it out loud.

For a moment, Kenren continued to stare at his marshal. It really was a shame about the uniform; it completely sealed the deal for him; all the leather and buttons and buckles. And the boots; gods the boots.

Without thinking Kenren leaned in closely, not giving Tenpou much of a chance to react before their lips were firmly pressed together. Kenren could feel Tenpou purr slightly as he parted the marshal's lips with his tongue and he could feel hands on his waist as Tenpou's tongue joined in.

The kiss lasted only a few moments but for Kenren it felt like a lifetime, one he'd gladly live over and over again, and he was starting to think he might need to if he was to have enough time to learn everything there was to learn about his marshal.

When the two men parted, Tenpou simply stared at Kenren, eyebrows arched.

"Just a little preview of what's to follow our next assignment," Kenren said in response to the look, adding a wink for good measure.

"Mmm," was Tenpou's only response.

*****

Exiting the marshal's quarters, the two soldiers walked side by side down the army complex hallways. For a few moments there was only silence and the sounds of their footsteps, but soon Kenren caught Tenpou grinning slightly and the silence was broken.

"What?" Kenren asked, truly unsure of what Tenpou might be thinking.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing, really. I was just wondering, did you at least apologize to the dragon king?"

The general snorted, "I told him it was an accident."

"But you didn't apologize?"

"No. Why should I?"

"Kenren, you grabbed the man's ass, in public no less. That sort of thing deserves some sort of apology."

"What do you want me to do?" Kenren replied trying to glare at the marshal without actually looking at him, "Should I enter his office on my knees, flowers in one hand, a box of chocolates in the other, begging for his forgiveness?"

At that, Tenpou actually laughed, "As much of a sight as that would be, I really don't think it would help your situation."

"My situation?" Kenren echoed as he unconsciously picked up the pace, "If you hadn't suddenly been overcome with a case of itchy feet I wouldn't be in this situation."

Tenpou sighed as he matched Kenren's strides, "Look, all I'm saying is that a small token and an apology would go a long way to bettering your relations with our commander. It would be good to have him on your side; or at least not wanting to take your head off every time he sees you."

For a moment Kenren made no response, instead he chose to hear only the sound of their boots as they fell against the marble floors. They were two individual men, but from the sound of it they were walking as one.

Kenren sighed, "Fuck…fine, what do you suggest I do?" he asked as he peered at the marshal from the corner of his eye just in time to see that half smile when it returned to the marshal's face.

"Hmm…well, he is rather fond of that sake you usually keep squirreled away."

Kenren shook his head, "No, no way. I only have a few of those left…"

"Which would further show your sincerity…"

"I won those fair and square…and I'm…I'm…fuck. You're serious, aren't you?"

Tenpou merely nodded as the two men approached the door to Goujun's office. For a moment they simply stood before it, staring at each other like quarreling lovers might.

"Alright, fine," Kenren finally replied barely above a whisper, "But only if it will get you off my back."

"As far as this subject is concerned, yes, it will."

"Great," Kenren replied sarcastically, "I can't believe this shit."

"Mmm, yes, well perhaps it will teach you to look before you grab next time."

"Indeed," Kenren replied as he tried to keep his voice from going above a whisper. Silence fell upon them again and Kenren raised a fist to knock at the dragon's door, allowing it to stay suspended for a moment as he let out an exaggerated sigh, "It's a shame though…"

"What is?"

"That I'll have to be careful from now on..."

"Why's that?" Tenpou asked, looking truly curious.

"Because he's got one hell of an ass," Kenren replied nonchalantly.

For a brief second there was silence, and Kenren thought that maybe he'd inserted that foot into his mouth again, but then Tenpou chuckled quietly, "Yes, that he does."

After that Kenren let his fist rap against the door before them and when the two officers entered Goujun's office a few second later both men were grinning like the devil.

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