Saiyuki (Gaiden):Goujun/Tenpou
Fandom: Saiyuki Gaiden; Goujun/Tenpou
Title: Essence of Loss
Author/Artist: i_am_zan
Rating: Gen. Sorry ladies and gents, it is work safe.
Warnings: Sadly, none.
Word count: 508
Summary: Prompt - Military - "honour demands no less"
A/N: Dr Samuel Johnson, in his A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), defined honour as having several senses, the first of which was "nobility of soul, magnanimity, and a scorn of meanness."
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Essence of Loss by Zan
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The Commander of the Western Armies would be welcoming a new officer today. He sat at his desk and read over the résumé. The candidate was intelligent, well read and according to all reports, he was a strategist with a finely tuned mind. Goujun was impressed. Of course, what was on paper did not give him any indication of what he was actually like. Thus, he sat with his back nice and straight in his chair as relaxed as he was ever likely to be, waiting to meet Tenpou.
~~~~~~
It seemed like they would have an eternity to know each other. As a leader of his troops, Goujun trusted and relied upon Tenpou implicitly. Goujun found him to be a cut above the rest of the Kami. Certainly, in the grand scheme of the Jade Emperor’s court, Tenpou was like a breath of fresh air and whilst most of the others kept their distance, Tenpou actually took the time to brook the gap between the Supreme Commander and himself. Goujun liked to think even so far as to say they had an understanding of sorts. To have it all end like this was almost unacceptable, but it seemed a small price to pay for freedom.
He was a creature borne of duty, into duty. In those final moments, he was not sure how Honour would weigh against Treason. In an odd sort of way, the traitorous actions came out of a belief in doing right. Goujun was trying very hard to understand the loss he was feeling. Perhaps writing an account of the events of that first night and the dawn that came after would help him find closure, or, perhaps not.
The Dragon King had not walked up those rebuilt corridors since that flight into uncertainty. He had not wanted to go walk those halls where he did not have any reason to be, not anymore. He did not need reminding of how Tenpou accepted orders with a nod and a look over the rim of those ridiculous spectacles. Tenpou was Kami, for Heaven’s sake. It was as if emulating human imperfection was a way of life for his Marshall. Goujun did not need reminders of how empty the air was, how the soft sakura scent could not disguise the lack of the essence of his Marshall’s smoke and cigarettes. He missed the flash of that laboratory coat flapping behind Tenpou like dirty angel wings, when he should have been in uniform. Goujun smiled a little at that. He could not remember stopping the Marshall of that habit and he wondered why. In wondering of it, he pinned down the why of it. That was it. Goujun missed Tenpou.
The Dragon King stopped his writing and placed the feathered quill back into the inkwell. He sat with his back nice and straight in his chair as relaxed as he was ever going to be. The realisation that he could not have asked for more than was given did not dampen the loss any, but it helped.
Owari
Title: Essence of Loss
Author/Artist: i_am_zan
Rating: Gen. Sorry ladies and gents, it is work safe.
Warnings: Sadly, none.
Word count: 508
Summary: Prompt - Military - "honour demands no less"
A/N: Dr Samuel Johnson, in his A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), defined honour as having several senses, the first of which was "nobility of soul, magnanimity, and a scorn of meanness."
.
Essence of Loss by Zan
.
The Commander of the Western Armies would be welcoming a new officer today. He sat at his desk and read over the résumé. The candidate was intelligent, well read and according to all reports, he was a strategist with a finely tuned mind. Goujun was impressed. Of course, what was on paper did not give him any indication of what he was actually like. Thus, he sat with his back nice and straight in his chair as relaxed as he was ever likely to be, waiting to meet Tenpou.
~~~~~~
It seemed like they would have an eternity to know each other. As a leader of his troops, Goujun trusted and relied upon Tenpou implicitly. Goujun found him to be a cut above the rest of the Kami. Certainly, in the grand scheme of the Jade Emperor’s court, Tenpou was like a breath of fresh air and whilst most of the others kept their distance, Tenpou actually took the time to brook the gap between the Supreme Commander and himself. Goujun liked to think even so far as to say they had an understanding of sorts. To have it all end like this was almost unacceptable, but it seemed a small price to pay for freedom.
He was a creature borne of duty, into duty. In those final moments, he was not sure how Honour would weigh against Treason. In an odd sort of way, the traitorous actions came out of a belief in doing right. Goujun was trying very hard to understand the loss he was feeling. Perhaps writing an account of the events of that first night and the dawn that came after would help him find closure, or, perhaps not.
The Dragon King had not walked up those rebuilt corridors since that flight into uncertainty. He had not wanted to go walk those halls where he did not have any reason to be, not anymore. He did not need reminding of how Tenpou accepted orders with a nod and a look over the rim of those ridiculous spectacles. Tenpou was Kami, for Heaven’s sake. It was as if emulating human imperfection was a way of life for his Marshall. Goujun did not need reminders of how empty the air was, how the soft sakura scent could not disguise the lack of the essence of his Marshall’s smoke and cigarettes. He missed the flash of that laboratory coat flapping behind Tenpou like dirty angel wings, when he should have been in uniform. Goujun smiled a little at that. He could not remember stopping the Marshall of that habit and he wondered why. In wondering of it, he pinned down the why of it. That was it. Goujun missed Tenpou.
The Dragon King stopped his writing and placed the feathered quill back into the inkwell. He sat with his back nice and straight in his chair as relaxed as he was ever going to be. The realisation that he could not have asked for more than was given did not dampen the loss any, but it helped.
Owari