"Tenpou!"

...and so adding to the torment, the victim is drenched head to toe in the most disagreeable substance in his eyes...In Tenpou's case: blood, still a bit warm and sticky...which leads to the victim thinking thoughts he never thought before: I really need to shower. It was silly, because there were no showers in hell.

Nevertheless, one cannot crawl up from the depths of purgatory without opening one's eyes and seeing it for oneself. So Tenpou opened his eyes and found that hell looked exactly like heaven except that hell had the stereotypical flames.

...then again, he *could* be in heaven, in his own home which was now transforming into ash as he contemplated absurdities.

...and he should get up, run out, and see what more havoc his doppleganger had committed.

...or what good he had done- and judging from the scarcely identifiable corpses of Kenren's regiment, Hakkai had taken care of things his way and not Tenpou's way and he'd be dammed if nobody figured out the difference already. Regardless, his counterpart deserved a 'thank you' for taking pains to burn the evidence- and a good 'fuck you' for setting himself down to burn with it.

...and he could run and escape.

...and he would, if he could only move.

Kenren found the marshal lying in the midst of gutted bodies. It was a sickening sight that made him want to wretch, but he suppressed the feeling and the alarms going off in his head telling him that Tenpou was one of the gutted. He laid so still.

"Tenp-" he broke off in a fit of cough and got down on his knees to crawl. The entire place was a labyrinth of fire. In the air, ravenous heat prowled and feasted on his lungs. The suicidal bastard, fucking suicidal bastard always doing things alone, always thinking he was alone enough to do suicidal things like this and too dense to know there were always people following him to make sure he was never alone and that he never went alone. Tenpou's fingers moved. He groaned, then stilled.

Blood was smeared all across his face, but Kenren didn't care and kissed him anyway.

The marshal moaned weakly, his head lolling back. "Come on now." Kenren said encouragingly as he gently lifted Tenpou from the carnage. "Anything happens to you, Konzen's gonna have my ass."

"To kick to hell, of course." a voice growled from behind. "Not for anything else." There, Kanzeon's nephew stood, his mouth covered. "Now let's get out of this shithole! You've been in here too long."

"Konzeeeeeeen!" Goku called from down the hall.

"Baka! I told you to stay outside." The blonde registered the scene before him. Goku didn't have to see this. Hell, not even *he* wanted to be around to see this, but he just *had* to go with his idiotic impulses. Messy, golden strands falling about his waist, and amethyst eyes radiating cold fury- even the encroaching flames seemed to make a conscientious effort to avoid him.

"But Konzen..."

"Stay there!" and then to Kenren. "Let's go."

Cautiously, the four made their way to the main entrance, only to be stopped by Goujun who stood there so calmly that he seemed oblivious to the blood, fire, and heat. His critical eyes slowly looked over his wounded marshal- blood soaked with blood not his own. He would be convicted, and Goujun would lose his most effective subordinate.

"Not that way." the dragon king said bluntly before taking the lead and bringing them to the side entrance where a silent pool reflected the bitterness of the entire inferno. "Lay him down there and get him clean, then take him out the back."

"Gettin' your claws dirty?" Kenren remarked.

"Remember your place, Taishou."

"My apologies."

And with that, Goujun left, but not before throwing one of his extra uniforms at Tenpou's feet. There's going to be a lot of paperwork involving this incident. Best get started.

Tenpou finally came to in the midst of all the washing, re-clothing, and general pampering.

"What...what happened?"

Unceremoniously, Konzen dumped a bucketful of water on top of his head.

"Keep saying that and you'll have your position longer."

"No, really, what happened?" he sputtered water.

"You're playing stupid, that's what." the blonde said, the calmness in his voice taking the edge from his words. "Just say it. You started the fire, didn't you?"

"I didn't." Well it was true.

"Of course he didn't." Kenren said, grinning and slinging his arm around the marshal. "He was with me the entire time."

Konzen gracefully arched a brow. "Doing *what* may I ask? I will not allow anything so inappropriate to reach Tentei."

"Scouting."

"Down below." added Tenpou with his own secret smile.

"Konzen, what do I do with this?" Goku held up Tenpou's bloodied uniform.

"Toss it into the fire."

A crash shook the ground as the main pillars fell, causing the roof to collapse. This was heaven's first fire, and they all knew that many more would come: hotter and wilder giving way to many a new dawn just as it was doing now. The sunrise was fresh this day.