Happosai
Cologne warily kept an eye on Happosai as she made her way into the kitchen. Happosai kept his seat and sipped his cup of tea. Cologne noticed a second cup setting on the table along with some pastries on a plate. She scanned him and could barely detect his aura. That meant nothing, Happosai was a master at manipulating chi. She readied herself to strike him down in an instant if he made the wrong move.
"Would you join me for a cup of tea and some chit-chat, Cologne?" asked Happosai.
She checked the area carefully before sitting down. Happosai had already poured for her and was offering the pastries when she had settled herself. Waving aside the pastries, she picked up the cup and examined the rim for any sheen of dried potion. She inhaled a brief wisp of steam then touched the tip of her tongue to the tea. She couldn't detect anything, but, she would wait a couple of minutes to see if there were any effects.
She looked at Happosai. He had watched her in silence while she tested the tea. Setting his cup on the table, he folded his hands in front of him and looked at her with a wry smile on his face.
"I get the impression that you don't trust me, Cologne" said Happosai.
"Elder Kuh Lon, not Cologne." said Kuh Lon.
"Why?" asked a perplexed Happosai.
"You have returned somehow. It is now a matter of Amazon law. I must decide, as an Elder, how to handle this situation." said Kuh Lon.
"Situation. Amazon law. Elder." muttered Happosai, looking down at his clasped hands.
"Why am I a situation, Elder Kuh Lon?" Happosai asked in a low voice.
"You know how the Amazon nation sees the one called Happosai. Perverted, lecher, defiler, enemy of women. Well, you are all that and more." said Kuh Lon.
"I'm not, not anymore. Haven't been for twenty-five years!" Happosai said in a raised voice.
"Because the curse of the virtuous man kept you from doing it!" shouted Kuh Lon.
Happosai looked at her with bitterness.
"Did you and the other Elders know what would happen to me or even care?" Happosai asked with a voice that dripped acid.
Kuh Lon didn't say a word.
"Yeah. Yeah, that answers that question." muttered Happosai.
"Do you Amazons, with your three thousand years of knowledge, know what that curse does?" asked Happosai wearily.
"Of course, it holds your perverted nature at bay and enhances your virtuous nature." answered Kuh Lon.
"Oh yes, of course. How foolish of me to doubt the wisdom of the Amazons." said Happosai sarcastically.
"Let me enlarge your store of knowledge, from personal experience. First, don't call him, it. He didn't like it but was too nice to tell anyone off." Happosai said.
"He? There was no he, it was a curse." said Kuh Lon in a sure voice.
"Really? What is virtue, Kuh Lon? Is there somewhere in the body that it can be cut out?" asked Happosai.
"Well, no." she began.
"Are you born virtuous?" interrupted Happosai.
"No, it has to be taught." began Kuh Lon. She stopped and put a hand over her mouth as she realized what Happosai was trying to say.
Happosai nodded.
"You can't add a moral attribute and expect it to stop a person's behavior. The person will keep behaving as usual. A person lacking morals and restraint needs to be held in check while relearning. That needs an awareness to act for the personality. One moment, I was alone in my head, the next moment, he was introducing himself. He asked me to consider him a friend and teacher. His purpose was to guide me to redemption and help rehabilitate my life. He couldn't remember how he became a cure, but was sure he volunteered. I thought he might have been a bit too overly virtuous and offended someone, so they offed him." Happosai said in a matter of fact voice.
Happosai looked straight at Kuh Lon and gave her a cocky grin.
"You thought the pools were used as a punishment and that is how you have used it for centuries. He told me, that it actually was a spiritual healing center. Healers would determine what aspect was missing or weak in a person's spirit. The person would be lowered into the appropriate pool to receive the cure. Each person was told to meditate on their behavior just before they changed. Their changed form was the outward manifestation of the spirit cure. A coward becomes a lion, a cowardly lion at first, but as he gains confidence in himself, the cure will gradually disappear." he said.
Kuh Lon had a dazed look on her face as the implications of what Happosai said sank in. Happosai tapped on the table to regain her attention then continued.
"He said originally there were four aware cures: his, priest, man and woman. He and the priest were for rehabilitation of sinners and religious fanatics. The man and woman were for gender confused people. Over time, the man and woman lost awareness and became like the other cures, only able to change a person's form. An aware cure controls the magic and it's release. If a person refused to accept redemption and might throw off the cure, the magic would be released explosively. That was to allow them the ability to destroy the person the cure had been placed on, if needed. If the rehabilitation was successful, the cure would remove itself. If the person was almost cured, the cure would keep out of the way, only returning if necessary." he said.
Happosai sighed and looked out the window.
"I fought him at first. We fought tooth and nail, day and night, for what seemed forever. I finally had to concede and found out that it really had been for nothing. Granted, he was in control of my body, but, he was willing to let me have a large measure of my life back. Martial Arts, moderate amount of alcohol, look at pretty girls, things like that. He held the reins and if I started to do anything wrong, it was, whoa boy. That was around the time we were starting to regain trust and respect from other martial artists." continued Happosai.
Happosai refreshed his tea and held the pot out for Kuh Lon. She was startled to realize she had emptied the cup while Happosai talked. She let him fill it and took a pastry. Happosai sipped some tea and gazed vacantly out the window as he touched his memories.
"Ahem." coughed Kuh Lon.
Happosai gave a slight start and sheepishly looked at Kuh Lon.
"Ah. Must be getting old. Next thing you know, I'll be sitting asleep in the sun with drool on my chin." laughed Happosai.
"Where was I? Oh, yeah, trust and respect. I liked feeling proud of being a respected master again. I enjoyed the satisfaction of teaching eager students and relished sparring against worthy opponents. I also felt shame and self-loathing that I had thrown it all away so long ago to satisfy self-serving needs. It didn't happen overnight and I had reverses, but, I vowed, on what honor I had left, that I wouldn't be what I had been, ever again." murmured Happosai.
Kuh Lon pushed the plate of pastries over to Happosai. He took one without paying attention and took a bite. He looked at the pastry filling that had squirted onto the table.
"Oops! Heh! Well, I better get a towel and." began Happosai.
He stopped when a flaring aura got his attention. Kuh Lon would have looked frightening, scary even, except for the blob of filling on her face.
"Eh, calm down, Kuh Lon. Please, it was an accident. I apologize." babbled Happosai.
She held her hand up to stop his babbling. Taking some calming breaths, she centered herself and returned to calm. She stood and walked off, returning after a few minutes sans filling. Seating herself, she looked across the cleaned table and bowed her head to Happosai.
"Of course, it was an accident. I shouldn't have over-reacted as I did. Accept my apology in return." she said.
Happosai poured freshly brewed tea for both. While sipping her tea, Kuh Lon pondered her observation of Happosai during the incident. Happosai didn't place a defensive barrier around himself. In fact, it looked like he couldn't. She remembered the weak aura she had detected this morning. If that is his true aura, he is no longer capable of chi manipulation. Still, with his skills, he would be a formidable opponent even limited to only physical attacks.
Happosai coughed to get her attention.
Happosai said. "Just a few more things to mention. He and I, from then on, acted in concert. No friction, no dissent, an amicable arrangement. Almost like sharing an apartment. We were like that American TV show, The Odd Couple. The incident at the village was our first struggle for control in years and wasted a major portion of the chi reserve. Destroying the demon took the rest."
Happosai took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was a hint of gravel in his voice at what he said next.
"We were dying last night, Kuh Lon. We had no regrets. I had passed on my school to two fine students. You were going to help Nodoka. I left you my sealed techniques to review before passing the acceptable scrolls on to my students. Everything that needed to be done, had been. It was just a matter of waiting." Happosai said sadly.
Happosai looked down at the table. Kuh Lon was surprised to see tears dropping to the table.
"My friend asked me, he asked me, would I take it wrong, if he went first. I told him not to be in such a hurry, besides I might go first. He said no, if he went first, it would be awhile before I joined him. He would remove the curse and slowly channel the energy into our body. He would cease to be, but, I would live." Happosai said in a rough voice.
Happosai stopped and had to compose himself.
"I told him not to do it. I didn't need to live if it would destroy my friend." he said.
He gave a weak chuckle.
"He told me, tough, he learned to be just as stubborn as I was, so there. I swear somehow he gave me the red-eye mentally. Next, it felt like he and I shifted positions. He started to fade and somehow I was able to hold him, for just a few moments. As he faded to nothing, I think, I pray, a part of him merged with me. I don't feel the same as I did before, so maybe..." he trailed off.
He gave slight cough and furtively wiped his eyes.
"He told me, just before he faded, that he could have removed the curse some years before. He didn't, because he feared what fate might befall him. He has existed for untold centuries, but only has a suspicion of what happens after the curse is released. He feared he would return to Jusenkyo. He prayed that if he did, he would have been stripped of memory. The memory of each life would only force him to realize he was doomed for eternity." he said in a sorrowful voice.
They sat in silence again.
Happosai scrubbed his face with his hands and took a deep breath. He looked over at Kuh Lon.
"Well! Thats what happened." said Happosai briskly.
"What is your intention for this gift of life?" asked a stony-faced Kuh Lon.
"My intention? To live how I want until I die." said a grinning Happosai.
"As I thought, you haven't changed." began Kuh Lon.
"Oh, give it a rest, Kuh Lon. Would you have believed me if I said anything different?" he asked.
"Probably not." she agreed ruefully.
Happosai looked at the ceiling and repeated. "To live how I want until I die."
He looked at Kuh Lon from the corner of his eye.
"I have changed. He said I had redeemed myself. I've vowed, on what remains of my honor, to remain worthy of the respect and honor people show me. I will not prove unworthy of this gift. I can not allow myself to dishonor my friend's sacrifice." Happosai said softly.
Kuh Lon closed her eyes and considered what Happosai had told her. She decided to place him on parole and send a letter detailing what she learned to the Elders. She would have to take him at his word that he wouldn't revert.
"Very well, Happosai, you're on parole. I will send word to the Elders and explain the situation. This concludes our business." said Kuh Lon.
"Kuh Lon, I." began Happosai.
"We're done with Amazon business, Happosai, you can call me Cologne again." said Cologne.
"Er, right. I don't think you need to worry about my breaking parole. I'm limited to what physical strength I have. I won't be able to roof-hop or do any other chi based techniques I needed for my, eh, excursions. I'll just be an average old man. Of course, average old men watch pretty girls so you might catch me at that." he said with a chuckle.
He shriveled under the heated glare she gave him.
"Or not." he squeaked.
Happosai thought Cologne would keep keep him under close observation. He was careful to keep from showing his surprise when she and Nodoka went shopping. Cologne didn't give any sort of warning to him as they left. He went over to Soun's dojo to be a judge for a practice tournament between Genma and Soun's students. He was sitting on the dojo steps discussing the results with Soun and Genma when some of the students approached them. The students bowed in respect to the three masters. Happosai bowed in return and excused himself from the conversation.
"Why, that old bat! I guess I better ask Mariko for a chair and shawl so I can nap in the sun like all the other senile old men." he thought.
He was disgusted with himself for not realizing sooner why he wasn't being watched.
"Only took some students bowing to remind me of what parole is based on. Trust. Integrity. Honor. She is trusting me to have the integrity to honor our agreement. Well, I stand by my promises, Cologne. I won't do anything to lose your trust." he pledged silently.
Happosai continued updating Soun and Genma on the moves he had developed. While they sparred, he watched and fine-tuned.
Happosai mused as he watched the two men spar "Genma Saotome. Looking at him, you wouldn't think he would be suited to martial arts. Stocky, thick, dockworker maybe. I saw what was within him. His spirit. His element. Air. Able to move with the silence of a gentle breeze or level a forest with the power of a typhoon. He chose wisely in his wife. Nodoka tries to hide her nature but it is hard to disguise. Fire. It moves within her as she wields her katana. Kept within bounds, strong and useful. Unleashed, deadly and destructive. She'll show her temper with the right trigger."
Happosai watched Soun absorb a fierce kick to the chest without moving the slightest. He struck back at Genma with a hand thrust. Genma's only chance to avoid it was to leap backwards several feet.
"Soun Tendo. Earth. Power. Solid. Unmovable. Seemingly slow movements that deliver unexpected force or rapid attacks with the explosive power of an earthquake. Mariko is a good match. Water. Her motions in her art are as fluid as her nature, as forceful as a river in flood," thought Happosai.
He thought about the children such unions may produce. They may well exceed their parents abilities.
He would try to help mold the chosen heirs to be the best of their generation. He would train them as long as he was capable.
Nodoka returned to the house with the daily mail delivery. Mixed in with the usual bills and junk mail, Nodoka spied an unusually marked thick envelope. Unable to read any name, she was able to see it was properly addressed to be delivered to their home. She decided to leave it on the table and hope that whoever it was destined for finds it.
Cologne spotted the envelope with her name written in Chinese characters. She sat at the table and read the contents carefully. She frowned as she read the missive and scowled at the letter as she threw it onto the table.
Furious, Cologne thought. "What is it with a bureaucracy? Won't accept the information because it came from an unacceptable source! Conflicts with our research findings! Can't be true! He's lying!"
She grabbed the letter again and hissed in frustration.
"How dare they question my reliability! If I didn't have to stay here, the council would have quite a few openings!" thought Cologne.
She re-read the instructions about Happosai.
"Hmph! At least, someone can think rationally, its exactly what I would have wrote." Cologne mumbled quietly.
She read silently, "Observe. Kill, as needed. Return with the body."
Happosai continued to train Genma and Soun while Cologne trained Nodoka and Mariko. Nodoka and Mariko were content to have some measure of skill with Anything Goes techniques. Either of the two women were able to defend themselves without weapons. With a staff in hand, let alone a katana, deadly. Cologne was surprised one day to see them reinforcing their training weapons with chi as they practiced against training dummies.
She wondered "Are they consciously or unconsciously doing that?"
She told them about what she saw. Nodoka and Mariko looked at each other then at Cologne with blank looks. Cologne asked them what state of mind they were in at that moment. Nodoka had a look of enlightenment flash across her face.
"Mariko! I think she means the ZZ state.!" Nodoka said with excitement.
Mariko looked startled for a second, then started nodding her agreement.
"ZZ state?" asked a confused Cologne.
"Our schools train us to focus our attention on being one with the sword. When you're in that state, you are aware of everything around you, but you feel as if you are drawn into the blade. You are the blade and the blade is you. So, since it sounded like something a Zen monk would say, we started calling it the Zen Zone." explained Nodoka.
Cologne asked the women to continue training and walked over to where Happosai sat.
"Happosai, have you taught your students chi techniques?" asked Cologne as she sat down.
"Yes, while they were still in high school." he said.
"Were they unconsciously using it first?" she asked.
"Yes, thats when you have to begin lessons, otherwise serious injuries can result." said Happosi.
He looked at her with curiosity all over his face.
"Do you know if Nodoka's or Mariko's schools use chi techniques?" she asked.
"It wasn't mentioned when I spoke with their Masters, but it may be a family secret." explained Happosai.
"Mm, could be. It doesn't really matter one way or the other. Those two are using chi when they enter total awareness." Cologne nodded toward the two women.
The next day, Cologne had Nodoka and Mariko join her in the Saotome dojo.
"Today, ladies, begins the most grueling training you will ever undertake." growled Cologne.
Nodoka and Mariko looked at her with sickly smiles on their faces. What could be tougher than what she has already thrown at them? The answer surprised them.
"Thinking!" she said with her hands on her hips.
"Uh, how is it." began Nodoka.
Somehow, Cologne was right in her face and snarling. "If you stop flapping those lips, you'll find out!"
"When did she get so tall?" Nodoka thought to herself in shock.
"Hmph! The purpose of this training is to teach chi control. Both of you are unconsciously using it at times. The danger comes from unintentionally killing or maiming someone. Chi-enhanced swords have been known to slice armored warriors in half, either vertically or across. Good for use in battle but not for sparring." said Cologne.
Cologne laughed at the expressions of horrified anxiety both women had.
"Good God! You both look like you're holding snakes in your hands. Don't want to hold them and afraid to let them go." she said.
The training was easy, physically. Sit on the floor and look at the sword in your hand. Mentally? Cologne wanted them to reach the ZZ state without sparring. Easy? Hardly. Both women had to fight distractions constantly. Mariko had to ignore noises made by Kasumi and Nabiki. Nodoka had to ignore her envy of Mariko and her desire for children of her own.
One month. It took them one month of exhausting concentration. Cologne looked at her students and nodded. She could see the chi as a slight shimmering in the air. Nodoka and Mariko had pleased looks on their faces as they thought training was over. Cologne was smiling, but, it was the kind of smile a crocodile greets it's dinner with.
Cologne had them spar. Spar with bokken until they unconsciously reached for chi then she would leg sweep the offender and put her on her butt. She didn't explain what she was doing, after all, intelligent women should be able to figure it out. Soon, both women were able spar while in ZZ state and withhold their chi.
Cologne had them practice until they were able use chi at will without being in ZZ state.
"I'm going to show you how to make a weapon for defense out of anything and then out of thin air." said Cologne.
She used a piece of newspaper for her example. She cut out a small square of newspaper with a pair of scissors. Nodoka and Mariko were handed the paper to see for themselves how ordinary it was. Cologne enhanced the square with chi and threw it at a practice post like a shurikan. The paper disappeared after touching the post, the post fell apart a second later.
She held her hand as if to hold something handed to her. A shimmer in the air began and solidified into a sword of chi.
"I made a sword because, for an Amazon, the best defense is offense. Your sub-conscious has a lot to do with what manifests." said Cologne.
"Is that only made of chi?" asked Mariko.
"No. It needs a framework to attach itself to, otherwise chi will form a sphere." explained Cologne.
"The shimmer in the air, just before the sword formed, was the framework?" asked Nodoka.
"What was it made of?" asked Mariko.
"Dust." answered Cologne.
Nodoka and Mariko wanted to believe her but thought she might be yanking their chains.
"How can dust be strong enough for a sword?" asked Mariko.
"How can newspaper be strong enough for a shurikan?" countered Cologne.
"So far, nothing has been found that chi can't cut or burn through. Use your will to command its strength and its framework like you reinforced your bokken." explained Cologne.
Their first lesson was to gather enough dust to make a framework.
"Cologne? Can this be used to clean house?" asked Mariko.
"No, settled dust won't work, just airborne dust." laughed Cologne.
Soon, Cologne was content that they could gather dust.
"Now, think of a form that can be used for defense or discipline. When you have one, visualize it as a very faded, almost invisible, form. When you can see the form, push your chi into it." explained Cologne.
Mariko thought. "What form to use? Used for defense? I don't know what to use for defense except a staff. Discipline? Well, I could use...no, thats too silly."
Her musing was interrupted, when Soun came running into the dojo.
"Cologne, I apologize for interrupting, but I need to speak with Mariko." Soun said with a worried expression.
Cologne nodded and Soun and Mariko walked aside for privacy.
She watched as Soun began telling Mariko whatever it was he needed to tell her. She watched Mariko turn an interesting shade of red and noticed a faint shimmer of chi by her hand.
Mariko suddenly shouted out. "She flushed what down the toilet and did what in my kitchen? Where were you? Shogi! SOUN NO BAKA!"
A sudden shock was felt through the floor. Mariko stood over a flattened Soun with a chi mallet in hand. She bowed to Cologne and walked out of the dojo to repair the damage made by an unsupervised two year old.
Cologne raised an eyebrow at a giggling Nodoka.
Nodoka shrugged and said. "She and I use wood meat tenderizing mallets to make our husbands aware of how mad we are. One bop on the head usually convinces them. Mariko needed a mallet and she made one."