But he never would have thought...

"You know what?" said Kenren as apathetically as he could manage. "I think I've outworn my wee with you."

"Kenren-"

"I don't care, really. No promises. I remember."

"Kenren."

Then he produced from his pocket a rumpled square of paper- small enough so to be fit into the message vial of a carrier bird-and tossed it at Hakkai's feet. It read:

/They're ready for Kenren Taishou and his men at the mountain path. Surveillance round. Thirty including the general. Orders understood. They won't return. /

Hakkai scrutinized it. "I don't remember..." Well of course he didn't. "General, what is this?" His answer came in the form of a punch to the jaw and he stumbled back. Before he knew it, Kenren was on top of him, seizing the collar of his shirt.

"Cut the crap." he snarled fiercely, as his eyes lit up with pent up resentment. "You fucking know what I'm talking about. I've played the willful ignorant. Believed you and blamed Litouten all the way. Why the hell I did, I don't know. I just *did*. So shoot me for being so fucking stupid. Found this on your desk this morning."

Suddenly taken with the realization that he was shouting, Kenren lowered his voice to a mere whisper and lowered his head to Hakkai's ear as one hand cupped the side of his face as if he were acting like a lover which, god forbid, he wasn't. Hakkai was almost trembling with shock and the fear that he was going to face some terrible fate in the library of his dreams. His mind conjured up the worst and for once, Tenpou's body agreed. Then the ever-present question: What did Tenpou do? And the ever-present non-consoling thought: I don't deserve this. Nevertheless, he allowed Kenren to continue torturing him. Hakkai c