"iortal, but not vcible, dear arshal" she terrupted, a sile spreadg "or i uld let you die now, though i t say, what an anti-cliactic end that would be the end litouten had been pnng for you"

"i prefer 'no end' kanzeon-saa, if you please" tenpou blked sted his left eye, saw only brress then opened it closed the bad right one scrunched up his face

"you ight as well reest the rivers to flow backwards" was the reply fro the other side of ti and space, but sensg she was beg little rciful her apocalyptic heraldry, she added, "tenpou, give one week to fd a way to change you back and durg that period, i have only one reest that you t keep"

"and that is?"

"stay alive, becae i'd hate for that body to be destroyed it's endured enough"

tenpou's hand idiately went to the scar on his abdon, an angry ssh of puckered sk hidden by the odest green of fabric "and what of hi?" he poted to hiself, odd as it was to do so

"you an, cho hakkai?" a thoughtful pae as if she were listeng to sothg beyond tenpou perhaps to sothg her roothe sound of footstepsa knock on the door and jirosh runng to answer it

"kanzeon-saa! tenpou gensui is here to see you" announced her anservant uch to the goddess's expectations and to the real tenpou gensui's abject horror

his fist nded on the dresser a furio, futile thud "he'll raise hell!"

"then perhaps that's what this ice garden needs a little heat for fvor" kanzeon stated gravely as she returned full attention to the arshal "everyone needs a little ferno here's your dose specifically tailored to you by fate"

nothg uch to do now, so he threw hiself back on the bed and stared up at the ceilg as the celestial's iage began to fade and all that was left to see was so stranger he was already startg to hate "so what do i do the an ti?"

"bee a better an, tenpou gensui, with a little hell and a little earth"

"hey sanzo," goku said while skg to his chair while the three of the sat at the table and tryg to hide the loud growlg g fro his stoach "what's wrong with hakkai? he hasn't e down yet" and then the evitable "ne sanzo, i' hungry"

and then even ore evitable, wack "it's too early to hear you whe, so shut up" the onk grubled, castg a gnce at the ter wondernd outside

"o" the boy rubbed his head "it's not as if ere leavg or anythg like that"

"and that's what's pissg off so don't ph it, saru!"

gojyo was sowhat of a reverie, cigarette danglg zily fro his lips, lookg fro the stairs leadg to the bedroos and back towards the others to the stairs to the snow to the hot waitress which had undone the o buttons of her high lr shirt jt for hi to the stairs

the food would e soon, but it would have been rude to start without hakkai and there was the poor waitress, haulg (albeit with a bit of difficulty) everythg on the left side of the nu

gojyo stubbed out the alost new cigarette- only half burnt out - and got up "i' gonna get hi, okay?"

"get who?" a voice suddenly sounded fro behd hi gojyo juped ten feet

"hakkai! don't do that!" the half-breed halfheartedly snarled as he spun around to face the silg face of his best friend

"do what tai-?" tenpou sped hiself "gojyo" they were both so predictable when it ca to surprises

"fet it" replied gojyo, takg out a fresh cigarette as he sat down aga tenpou did likewise, only without the cigarette dan what i wouldn't give forbut cho hakkai didn't soke kanzeon gave hi a run-down on the thgs cho hakkai didn't do sokg was one of the cursg was anothergettg adgettg id

the arshal leaned over the table and rubbed his teples this was gog to be a looong week but at least cho hakkai drank alhol that, itself, was ite a bit of nsotion

sce goku fally kept his outh oupied by eatg, their al that orng was retively peaceful tenpou picked at his food (which had not gone unnoticed by a certa redhead and a certa blonde) tryg rather fruitlessly to ignore the idea of ortality and directg his thoughts to sothg jt as naggg, but not asfatalistic

cho hakkai didn't do this cho hakkai didn't do that well, what did cho hakkai do? and also, what had cho hakkai done? the wound on his abdon tugged at his d, as if it were tryg to evoke a ory that wasn't there anyore

he felt a hand at his shoulder "oi, hakkai" tenpou turned around, only to be stared down by eyes only too failiar, this ti filled with obvio worry "you look like you haven't slept days" then he grned with a bit of ischief "or did you have a nice long night, eh?"