"what!?"

but before he could even look up to meet tenpou's eyes, something sharp met his arm and he winced in pain. then from that point, everything started to go numb, spreading from his arm and down into his legs until he collapsed into tenpou's embrace.

"this is for your own sake, taishou, because i know you value the lives of your men. so this time, again, the responsibility is out of your hands and back into mine. i'm not even asking you to trust me, just allow me to free your conscience this time around."

and the obvious answer: "fuck you."

"i need you to cooperate with me." hakkai continued, putting the fired tranquilizer gun back on the desk and easing the general onto the floor. "taishou, you are in no position for dishonesty. and so i ask for a single answer to a single question and then i can leave you in peace to insult me at will whenever you awake, if that is what you find pleasure in doing." he paused. "in any case, that is just a disclaimer because i mixed truth syrum into the dart. you will be truthful whether you want to be or not."

"manipulative bastard." his head was suddenly growing fuzzy, that sense of foreboding churning his gut making him wish that the unconsciousness would come just a bit faster.

hakkai ruffled his hair. "that's me, but don't you worry. it's a simple yes or no question."

come on. knock me out already. sleep. sleep. go to sleep. i'm not ...

"are you in love with me?"

shit.

there was a knock on the door, a bit lazy this time so it couldn't be goujun.

"come in!" hakkai called, getting up from his desk to meet the visitor yet making no move to hide the unconscious general at his feet.

through the entranceway walked a man with wild, orange hair. one eye visible while the other was covered with a patch that was insufficient in hiding the angry scar that ran across it. "zenon." hakkai greeted with a nod.

"mn." the man looked over to kenren, dead asleep. "is this how you deal with all of them?"

a smile, but he refused to acknowledge the question. "i want all units, except for the regiment that had just returned, to evacuate the building. discretion is necessary."

"and you?"

"i'll stay for the time being. play it by ear."

zenon looked up from the floor towards the marshal. the other man's mind was wandering, a small smile playing on his lips. he could ask, but they were never on such familiar grounds. how shien managed to do it eluded him completely. so instead of frivolous words, he retreated to going about doing what he knew.