A Long Line of Firsts - Tenpou - PG
A Long Line of Firsts
Author: lillypuff
Characters From: Saiyuki Gaiden
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Tenpou centric, I imagine there is implied 10k somewhere in here
Rating: PG
Warnings: none - worksafe
Summary: To him, it seems only natural that in a long line of first times that some memories would fall by the wayside and become forgotten…
Disclaimer: Sadly, Saiyuki does not belong to me.
Notes: Prompt - First Time, Time Taken - 51 minutes, Con-crit is welcome =)
Tenpou can no longer remember the first cigarette he smoked or the first time he tasted fine sake as he peered out the window of his office and looked down on the world as it moved below him. He can’t remember the first salute he ever gave, can’t remember the first salute he ever received, and to his dismay he can’t remember the first time he’d sat and watched the sakura trees bloom; though he does remember the most recent time and how beautiful it had been.
The marshal assumes this is normal, considering how long he has existed. He has seen a lot of firsts -- first promotions, first citations, first banquets -- and not just his own, but also those of the men who served him loyally. To him, it seems only natural that in a long line of first times that some memories would fall by the wayside and become forgotten, that some memories just wouldn’t hold a candle to others, no matter how bright they had been when he was first experiencing them. It seems that for every hundred memories he forgets, he only has one or two truly memorable moments that he can recall at will; but it doesn’t really bother him, he likes it that way.
Tenpou can however remember the first time he ever stepped foot in the spacious living quarters that would one day become his own and he can remember the first time the Dragon King had invited him to his palace for drinks and idle chit chat, something the marshal never thought the dragon was capable of. He also remembers the first time he’d met Kenren and how the general had given him a confused and weary smile as he’d helped to fish the trapped marshal from a sea of books. Those are the things he remembers easily and fondly and he hopes that no matter how long he lives, he’ll never forget them.
But just like there are moments he wishes he could recall but can’t, Tenpou also remembers things he’d like nothing more then to forget -- like the first time he lost a man on the battle field and the first time he’d stormed out of Kenren’s quarters, annoyed, angry and utterly confused, wanting nothing more then to take a long soak in his tub, alone, the way he liked it.
The marshal assumes that this too is normal; to have memories of your less glorious days that you wished you could forget, or that you wished had never happened in the first place. He supposes it’s all a part of life, a part of living, a part of existing, and he wonders if the soldiers he is currently looking down upon feel the same way, he wonders if they too have the same thoughts.
Tenpou inhales deeply on a cigarette that is not his first and surely not his last. Smiling he continues to watch the activities of the Western Army Compound from his elevated view and somewhere in the back of his mind he wonders idly if perhaps, five hundred years from now, he’ll be able to remember this day. To remember such a mundane afternoon would be a first.