New Life, Old Bonds

By Babbling Brook42

Rating: R – for language

Disclaimer: See Prologue

I think I have covered everything….

Japanese words uses:

Baka = idiot

Hai - Yes

Thanks goes to Xellas for suggesting a sparing scene between Genrou and Houjun.  I hope I did it justice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 3 – Collecting Pieces (Houjun's POV)

I succeed in not thinking about the redhead again till after I walk out of my last class and head to my office.  I replay the exchange looking for a clue to what happened to me.  What caused me to freeze?  No one ever affects me like this, and I want to understand what it is.

"Hey, kid," calls Yoichi Orika from her office as I pass by her open door.  "How are you holding up?"

I stop and return to the opening.

Yoichi-san sits behind her desk with cigarette in hand.  A thin ribbon of blue-gray smoke rises from its tip and joins the hazy cloud above her. 

Before I even answer she flicks her ashes into the ashtray on her desk and says, "You look like they ran you through the ringer, my boy."

I laugh lightly and feel the edge of the day's tension wear away.

"I feel like it," I answer realizing I feel weary down to a cellular level.

"General required classes, ne," she says.  "Those general classes will take it out of you faster than a stray mongrel snapping up a discarded sandwich."  She leans back in her chair.  "Take it from an old battle warn comrade, it will get better."  She smiles, and the twinkle in her eyes once more defies her age.

"I can only hope," I respond.

"It will," she nods before leaning forward on her desk and pinning me with her dark eyes.  "Now," she points a finger at me, "off with you to your office and then home.  You need rest to deal with those hellions tomorrow."

She waves her hand at me in a shooing gesture.

"Hai, Yoichi-san," I say bowing playfully and exit.

~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~ 

I enter my apartment, drop my books on the table and change clothes.  The redhead is still muddling my thoughts.  I definitely need to do yoga and meditate to sort things out.  I work through the poses stretching and breathing.  I concentrate on the movement and let it pull me from the stress of my day.  Forty-five minutes later I am sitting on the floor with tension gone and ready to meditate on the problems of the day. 

The first one I pull from the pile is the giggling girls in my classes.  It is more of an annoyance than a real problem.  They look at me then giggle and whisper behind their hands as if that will hide their true intent.  There is nothing I can do about that one but ignore them.  It will probably get better in a few weeks.

I quickly work through the other little annoyances before examining the most puzzling – the redhead.  I do not even know his name, and in that size class it will be hard to get.  First off, where have I seen that fanged grin before?  No one comes to mind, yet in the recesses of my memory there are reminiscent images of that smile.  Before I become too caught up with the un-answerability of that question, I let it slip away and pick up another.

Half an hour later, I open my eyes no more the wiser.  The only thing I truly gained from it was the strengthening of familiarity the boy holds for me.  I hope as time passes, I can find the answers.  

~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~ 

Several weeks have passed.  Things have settled down into a routine.  The students are easier to manage.  Overall it is going well just like Yoichi-san said it would.  The girls don't twitter nearly as much, but it is obvious some of them are still drooling over me.  It's odd, I never thought of myself as droolable material.  I am much younger than most of the other teachers and figure that is probably the driving force behind it.

Tuesdays and Thursdays have become the highlights of my week much to my bewilderment on the issue.  It is the redhead.  I am way more eager to see him than I like.  I find myself looking forward to my history class with him, and then it is too short. 

My eyes drift to him more frequently than any other person in the room.  There is something different about him.  I have cautiously examined his ki.  His ki is strong and familiar.  I bet he has some form of training for it to be that strong.  He seems unaware of my prying which surprises me.  Average people are unaware of such probes, but someone with a level matching his should feel something.  Maybe he just is not showing it.

He is my mystery that I have resigned will take time to solve, especially since I am running out of ideas for where to look for answers.  If I still lived in my birth-town, I would bring this up with Bonrou, my former sensei.  He suggested I consult his friend Hakurou for guidance or any further training I might need for my special abilities.  I have arranged a meeting with Hakurou in hopes he might be able to point me in the right direction.

I finish one more lecture to the red-head's history class and gather my things.  Since I have another class in another part of the building after this, I slip out of the room quickly.  I am not far down the hall when I halt with the call of "Ri-sensei."  I turn to identify the origin of the call.  My red-headed student is moving towards me.  I arch one eyebrow wondering what he needs.  My calm mask hides the sudden turmoil I feel.  I wonder if he has noticed my scrutiny of him during class even thought I try to keep it to a minimum.  Hundreds of ghastly reasons for him following me gush to my mind.

In a few quick strides, he is standing before me and quickly thrusts a paper at me.  I have not given this class an assignment due today, so I am a bit baffled at his actions.

"My sister can't make it to y'r class and wanted me to turn this in for her," he says and ends with an impish smile.

I really like his smile.

I accept the report and glance over it.  It is from Kou Meru for my next class.  They do have an assignment due today.  She is one of the bubbly girls in that class.  Not as bad as some but still annoying.  So she is his sister.  They do resemble each other I realize now that I know of the connection.  I keep from smiling because I now know his family name at least and can find out who he is from the class list.  I am one step closer to solving my mystery, but there is a long way to go yet.   

I remember her telling me she had to miss class today and say so.

"Thank you, Kou," I say.

"Genrou," he says giving me his first name.  "Later, I've another class to get to," he says dashing away.

I watch him disappear down the hall and around the corner. 

"What makes you so special, Kou Genrou?" I ask myself.

I shake my head and force my feet to carry me to the next classroom. 

~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~ 

I enter the dojo and ask for Hakurou.  They show me to a room upstairs to wait.  Being in the dojo brings back memories of Bonrou and all that he taught me.  I do not know what I would have done without his training and guidance.   

From around the age of ten, I could sense auras.  My family and friends would tease me about it when I tried to explain it to them.  So I stopped trying to convince them and resigned myself to learn what I could in secret, with a bit of prodding from the chibi.

I spent a lot of time in the library reading through books I did not dare take home for fear of ridicule.  Mom was beginning to fret about the unusually unhealthy amount of time I spent there and was very relieved when I asked to study a martial art.  From my research, many of the martial arts and meditation would help me develop my ability.   I just had to find the right teacher.

My search brought me to Bonrou when I was twelve.  He was the first person to take my claims seriously.  We talked for hours about what I sensed and my willingness to commit to a time consuming and many times stringent regiment required to understand and manage my gift.  He was pleased with my affirmative answer.

"Good, my boy.  You have a great potential that would cause you more problems in life if not developed," he told me before establishing a schedule for training my mind and my body.

As the years passed, I was grateful for the training.  On many occasions it was the only thing that kept my teenage temper in line.  It helped me to learn patience and control.

Around the time I entered college, Bonrou started teaching me the handful of ways he knew to use my ki for defensive.  They were techniques that most would consider impossible or mythical – erecting a protective ki shield around me, moving small objects, etc.  They are also not something I use in everyday life. 

I pull my thoughts from the past as I sense someone approaching.  I suspect it is Sensei Hakurou, and hope he will provide me with the guidance I seek.

"Ri Houjun, it is a pleasure to meet you," a solid built man of fifty says on entering the room.

I bow in greeting.

"Bonrou has told me much of you.  I was hoping you would stop by.  How can I be of assistance?"

He motions for me to take a seat across from him.  I sink gracefully to the ground.

"Sensei Bonrou suggested you as a source of wisdom and guidance."

He chuckles lightly at my statement.

"I see.  On what do you seek guidance?" he asks, eyes gently and patient.

I fumble for the words to express my dilemma.  My hands fidget in my lap for the first time in many years.  He waits for me to gather my thoughts.  I inhale deeply and let it out slowly through my nose.

"I recently came across an individual that … puzzles me," I begin.  "There is something about him that reminds me of someone, but I can not remember who."  That does not sound like a problem to bring up to this man.

He motions for me to continue as I pause.

"I only know this person in passing, yet he …" I search for the right word to explain what Genrou does to me, "has this aura about him that demands my attention."  He did.  When he is in a room, I am aware of the lively red aura swirling over his skin.  It is like a candle flame in a dark room.  "This all sounds so childish to be sharing with you," I groan dropping my head.

"Not at all," he assures.  "It is obviously bothering you for you to come to me.  So this boy reminds you of someone and has a strong presence.  In what ways does this bother you?"

I force myself not to fidget.  It is harder than when I was twelve and first training. 

"I do not understand…," attraction is not how I want to describe it, "my reactions to him and his familiarity, and I find no answers through my meditation."

"Hmm," Hakurou says as if contemplating a problem on a global scale.

He asks a few questions, and I am soon explaining everything from the first day I saw him.  I finish and Hakurou sits motionless with eyes closed.

"I can not say what the exact source of you problem is.  Maybe you knew him in a past life, or maybe there is a fated connection between the two of you.  A long lost brother or something.  I suggest you continue as you have.  Possibly get to know him better, and the reason might become apparent."

"He is a student.  I think it would be inappropriate," I point out, "especially since the staff is highly sensitive about such things at the moment."

"Wait till the semester is over, and he is no longer in your class.  It would not be inappropriate then" he says.

After the semester, I will have no need of contact with him.  I could let him fade from memory then.

"But that will not solve your mystery, no da," chibi chirps in knowing my propensity to need the answer to a problem once I have started working on it. 

We discus a few other theoretical options, and he directs me to a few books.

"Also, I would like to arrange to study with you, if you will have me," I broach the subject at the end of our conversation.

"I believe that can be arranged," he says.

We discuss times and areas of training before we rise.  He shows me out of the room and down the stairs.

He's here!

I pause on the step as I become aware of HIS ki beyond the wall.  Hakurou notices.

"He is in there," I say pointing to the other room.

"Let's have a look," Hakurou smiles alighting off the stairway and moving to the door.

He slips into the practice room leaving the door open for me.  I recognize his voice now the door no longer muffles it.  I hesitantly follow.  Quietly I take my place beside Hakurou.  My eyes are instantly locked on Genrou.  He is teaching a class of pre-teens with his back to us.  The neat three rows of children follow his movements.

Genrou's red aura intensifies in strength with the exercise but stays controlled.  His right arm comes to his side with the movement of the drill revealing a symbol.  It is not a tattoo.  It is not something that most people can see.  But, I can see the unidentifiable character drawn in thin red lines of power that pulsates under his skin.  It is just like the "well" symbol that appears on my knee during practice.

"So it is our wolf," Hakurou says in a low tone.  "Not surprising.  Your auras have a similar uniqueness to them."

"Hai," I whisper.  "I think I see the link."

I focus on the character still unable to make it out because of his movements and distance.

"You should watch him run," Hakurou says catching me off guard.

"Da?" I question.  Gods, I have not used that expression in a while.  This situation must have me highly off balance for that to escape from my lip.

"He runs track.  Fastest person out there," he answers.  "He is quite impressive to watch.  There is a meet this Saturday at the school if you want to watch him in action."

I nod noncommittally at the suggestion.

Genrou moves around to the group of students and sees us.  His eyes widen momentarily showing his shock at my presence, but he quickly focuses on the students.

"Class is almost over.  Stay and I'll introduce you," Hakurou says.

It is a command, and I know it.  I nod yielding to my new sensei.  We watch the class wrap up.  Hakurou makes light-hearted comments as we wait.

The room fills with youthful chatter once Genrou releases the class.  The students gather their belongings and join one of the various parents that slipped into the room in the past five minutes.  One little boy chatters quickly with Genrou.  Genrou grins at the boy.  His pointed canines are exposed, but the expression holds much tenderness and caring.  Vastly different from the challenging smiles he usually flashes me.  This new smile resonates with something deep within me invoking whispered promises.

"Please come here, Genrou," Hakurou calls after the young boy sprints off to his mother.

I glance at his arm as he approaches.  The character is no longer visible.

"Hai," sensei," he says lacking his normal bravado.

"I would like to introduce you to Ri Houjun," Hakurou says.  "I have agreed to take him on for advanced training and was showing him around."

We bow to each other at our introduction.  Genrou eyes me in a wary animal way.  I keep my expression neutral.

"Nice to see you again," I say.

"So you know each other?" Hakurou asks.

"Ri-san is my history teacher," Genrou responds rolling his shoulders and suddenly relaxing into his normal tepid personality.

"Small world," Hakurou comments.  "Genrou has been training here for ten years."

"Eleven," Genrou amends.

"Eleven," Hakurou says ruffling Genrou's hair, "and teaching for eight.  He is one of my prized pupils."

Genrou looks at the floor and blushes at the comment.  This is a new side to the boy.  Admittedly, observing him in class gives me a limited amount of information about him.

"Of course I am," he looks up grinning trying to hide the effect his sensei's praise has on him.  I can tell he respects Hakurou very much, and Hakurou is fond of the boy as well. 

An older woman enters and tells Hakurou that his tea is ready.

"Come join me," he says to us.

We both follow him back to the room I originally met him in.  A low table is now set with a teapot and cups.  We settle around it, and Hakurou serves us each a cup of tea.

"Genrou, why don't you tell Ri about your time here," Hakurou says lifting his cup.

Once Genrou starts talking, he does not quit.  I soon learn how Hakurou offered him lessons and why he now teaches.  His eyes tell me how much he enjoys it and appreciates the opportunity he was offered.  

Our conversation becomes less one-sided and drifts from martial arts to various topics.  When the insightful evening comes to an end, I know more about Genrou than before and have an inkling as to what pulls me to him.  I ponder all of this on my way home.

I have never met anyone else with a symbol.  I wonder if he knows it is there.  I only became aware of mine in college.  I was working on creating a shield under Bonrou's guidance.  When I finally succeeded, there was a feeling of warmth and power from my right knee that surprised me.  I examined my knee when I changed, but found nothing out of the ordinary.  The feeling became a frequent visitor in my training.  I finally sat down in my room clad in a pair of shorts and created a shield.  The feeling on my knee returned.  I slowly opened my eyes and glanced down to find the glowing character for "well."

I had no idea what it meant, and when questioned, my sensei had no knowledge on the topic either.

Now there is another like me.  That could explain the connection I feel at times with Genrou even if the reason for the symbol is still unknown.  I think I will watch him run.          

~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~ 

I settle into the crowd setting on the bleachers overlooking the track.  I once more question why I am doing this.  The runners line up for the first race.  Genrou is not present in this race, but I can feel him along the sideline.  I look where I know he is and watch him perform warm-up stretches.

The gun fires.  The runners bolt from their starting blocks.  Their feet pound the dirt track swiftly carrying them to the end.  The winner is announced along with the time.  The process is repeated twice more before Genrou takes his spot on the blocks.

I watch only him as he resettles his footing.  His aura gathers around him as he prepares to race.  It flares with the gun, and he is off easily in the lead.  The character on his arm is visible as he stretches his legs before him to cover the ground.  He stays just ahead of his closes competitor to claim the win.

I watch him run a few more times.  He is fast – almost blurring as he covers the track.  The character is present each time.  I try to ponder out why.  Why is it active when he runs?  Why is mine visible when I train?  I do not have enough pieces yet to understand.

~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~ 

I have pondered over the meaning of Genrou having a symbol many days now.  It is something that makes us unique.  Does it blind us together?  I think there is a connection somehow.  It would explain what I experience in his presence.  Now I just have to figure out what it means.  I also wonder if there are others like us.  I have a feeling there are and suspect another of my students of being among our number.

I look up from my papers and scan the room once more.  My philosophy students are hunched over their tests, pens scratching out their answers.  My eyes rest on one particular student.  His pinkish-brown bangs hid his face as he studies his paper.  The rest of his shoulder length hair is pulled back in a low ponytail.  He is a smart industrious student.  He has always been respectful in my dealings with him.  There is something special about him.  It is akin to what I sense with Genrou.  With Doukun it is an easygoing brotherly connection in contrast to Genrou's intense compelling one.  Maybe it has something to do with their personalities.

Doukun looks into the air thoughtfully.  His aura changes – increases.  It is exactly what Genrou's did.  I anxiously canvass his body for a symbol.  I do not know why I expect to see it.  The only visible flesh is his hands and face.  The rest is covered by clothing.  I look back at my papers and tally the scores.  Disappointment creeps outward from the center of my being.  I was so hoping to find another clue to my mystery. 

I can feel his aura settle into the new level as he writes.  It is steady, pulsating with calm capability.

I flip through the pages of the paper I am grading a bit aggressively in my flustered state.  I know he has a symbol someplace.  I just know it.  I look at him once more in the guise of checking on the class.  He obliviously works through the test questions.  I drop my eyes in disenchantment.

Wait!  What was that?

I caught a flash of red beneath his aura as I looked away.  My eyes focus in on the location – his sandaled feet.  His left foot twitches while he pauses to think.  Peeking out from a sandal strap is a red line –  a red line that joins others hidden from my eyes to make up a character.

My lips curl in triumph. 

~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~ 

I have been working with Sensei Hakurou for close to a month.  I have not seen nor felt Genrou in the dojo since my first visit.  I have mixed feelings on this.  I want to get to the bottom of this, but caution calls out to tread slowly for there is much at stake.  

I enter the dojo not to work with Hakurou but to help him in one of his classes.  He asked me to give a demonstration on ki sensing, and I agreed.

There is a class in the main room.  I spare a moment to watch the practicing students before making my way to one of the side doors.  I walk to the room he said the class would be in and find it empty.  I shed my coat and drop my things in a chair.  I start preparing by stretching.

I feel Hakurou enter as I sit with face to the floor as my upper body extends toward my toes. 

"Have you solved your mystery?" Hakurou asks.

I gracefully sit up.

"I have a few more facts, but no answers," I answer.

He nods and I slip into a cross-legged position on the floor.

"The others should be here soon," he says.

I can feel an approaching ki as he talks.  The young man who had been teaching the class earlier enters the room. He is lean, almost wiry.  His short dark brown hair flops as he moves.  He bows to Hakurou. 

"Touta," Hakurou says in greeting.

Three others soon follow.  They all look at me inquisitively after entering.

I stand and move to Hakurou's side.

"This is my new student, Ri Houjun," Hakurou says to the group.  "I asked him to come and give a demonstration." 

He introduces them each in turn: Touta, Wakui, Joben, and Furan.

I watch the others as he starts to explain the object of today's class.  They seem a bit wary of Hakurou's claims about sensing ki when a perfect example presents itself. 

"Genrou just entered and is headed this way," I say.

Five seconds later the sound of pounding feet nears through the hallway.  

"Sorry I'm later, sensei," Genrou says dashing into the room breathing heavy.  "Track practice ran long."

Nice to know it is not only my class he comes late for.

Hakurou slightly scowls.

"Join the others," Hakurou says.

Genrou moves to join the others and looks shocked when he sees me here.  He recovers quickly.

Hakurou finishes his explanations and calls for a demonstration.

I take my place in the center of the mat.  I secure the blindfold over my eyes.  Hakurou commands the others to stand in a circle around me.  They noisily shuffle about till the five of them are in a loose circle.

"Houjun, please identify everyone," Hakurou says.

I bow to the blue grey aura of Touta standing before me and greet him by name.  I turn to my right to the agitated muddy brown aura and bow to the broad shouldered Wakui.   Genrou's familiar red is next.  The pale orange of the nondescript Joben and the ice blue of the burly Fruan finish out the circle.  A few of them are impressed with my accuracy.

"The ability to sense and identify ki is a useful skill to have especially when your sight is hindered or the attack is coming from behind," Hakurou instructs.

"So he guessed where we were," Wakui says doubting.  "Doesn't mean a thing."

Genrou and Furan murmur their agreement.

"Next part of the demonstration then," Hakurou says.  "When I point to you, I want you to attack Houjun, and he will deflect it."

"We can't just beat up a handicapped opponent," Genrou says.  "That would not be fair."

I smirk knowing what I can handle. 

"He will be fine.  He can give even you a run for your money," Hakurou says.

Genrou snorts doubting the statement.

"Watch and see, Genrou," Hakurou says.

Before he finishes speaking, the first attack comes from Joben to my left.  I block his punch with a downward sweep of my arm.  I follow through with my right palm to his chest.  He stumbles back, and I turn to confront Wakui.  I counter his kick just as easily. 

Touta attacks from my right.  I block his three punches before catching him in the side with my foot.  Touta moves back and is replaced by Furan.  He circles me, and I wait.  He jumps and aims a spinning kick at my head.  I push his leg to the left and step to the right to avoid the attack.  My right arm makes contact with his midsection throwing him to the floor.

  There is a pause in the attacks.  I stand still waiting and ready for what Hakurou will have his students throw at me next.

Touta and Wakui come at me at the same time.  I dodge the simultaneous attacks by dropping to the floor and take out Wakui with a sweeping kick.  Touta tries to catch me from behind with a downward kick to my head.  I cross my arms above my head to block.  His leg rests momentarily in the X of my arms.  Swiftly, I grab his leg just above the ankle, turn to face him and pull as I stand forcing him to tumble to the mat.

I turn to face Genrou who is now coming at me.  With one step back, I turn sideways evading his hesitant punch.  I grab his arm extended before me.  Before I can do more, Genrou starts to take this seriously and rolls in so his captured arm is between us while his outside left hand is coming in for a strike.  I use his right arm to deflect his left and follow up with a tug on his right to off balance him.  In his moment of unstable footing, a quick sweep of my foot sends him to the ground.

"Ouch!" he exclaims and follows with cursing.

His brightly raging ki tells me he is pissed.  I hear him stand.  "It's easy to know where I am when ya have a hold of y'r opponent!" he growls.  "I was going easy on ya before…"

He silently takes up his position preparing another assault. 

Since Hakurou has not called a stop to what is obvious becoming a one-on-one battle, I ready to fight.

Genrou comes at me with a string of straight forward punches and kicks that I easily block.  He is taking me seriously this time and is testing my defenses.  The barrage halts and I stand still sensing him moving around me.  I smirk before turning and lashing out at him with a series of kicks.  He lets out a small surprised gasp of air when my foot makes contact with his side.

"Shit," he groans and blocks my next set of kicks.

I move back just before he takes the offensive again so his first blow misses.  His ki is growing in intensity as he becomes more and more serious about our match.  I know the mark on his arm would be visible if I was not blindfolded.  The pace of his attacks quickens to an almost inhuman speed.  I struggle to keep up and slowly give ground under his attacks.

The other students murmur in wonder as we trade blows. 

Neither of us is untouched by our exchange.  He has managed to get through my defenses three times already to my two on him.  Just when I think I can not keep up, he backs off pausing momentarily as we both breathe heavily.  I can feel the sweat trickling down to be absorbed by the blindfold.  Strands of escaped hair stick to the side of my face and neck.  I do not dare push them away because then he will attack.

He moves.  Before he gets close, I know what he will do and know how to end this.  He attacks with a punch that I block, but he quickly follows with a rounding kick.  I grab his leg and throw him to the mat.  I drop to one knee beside him holding one of his arms down with my left hand and my right hand hovers over him to deliver the final blow if needed.

He knows he has lost.  I can sense it as his body relaxes under my hand.  The fierce fighting spirit recedes and is replaces with… exhilaration at first then embarrassment… uneasiness… a mixture of muddy emotions.

"That is enough," Hakurou says.

I yank off the blindfold and look down at Genrou.  His hair is damp with sweat.  His breathing has almost returned to normal.  His golden eyes meet mine momentarily, and he suddenly looks very picturesque. 

I lean away from him and offer him my hand.  He momentarily looks unsure before he clasps my forearm.  I securely wrap my fingers around his arm and pull him up as I stand.  He quickly releases his hold and dusts off his pants. 

"Ya could probably pound me inta the ground without the blindfold," he says surprisingly uneasy.

He will not look me in the eyes.

"Actually there is not much difference," I admit to him.

Hakurou calls for the class to sit on the floor and starts explaining how to sense ki.  He runs them through some beginning exercises the last half of the class time. 

I either sit watching or help out when needed. 

I try not to laugh as Genrou sits on the floor with eyes squeezed shut, obviously trying too hard to sense what is around him.  I ease up behind him and lean over to his ear.

"You're trying to hard," I whisper.  He jumps startled at my presence.  "Relax.  It is not something you can force.  You have to be open to your surroundings to learn what to look for," I say before standing to see how the others are doing.

He mumbles something about that being easy for me.  I glance back at him, but his eyes are gently closed and he appears to be concentrating on doing as I instructed. 

By the end of class, none of the students came close to sensing anyone's ki, but Hakurou was not dismayed.  It takes a long time to master.

Poor Genrou had the hardest time of it.  I think his mind must run at the same speed and in as many directions as his punches.  He could not seem to maintain the required level of tranquility and focus.  It was like there was something distracting him. 

~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~ 

It is time to start, and he is not here.  He is always here.  His dark blue haired friend is in his normal seat, but Genrou's seat is painfully empty.

He is only one student out of two hundred.  So what if he misses one class.  I am sure there are those that only grace my presence on test days.

I start the class with a sense of disappointment.

Do you really look forward to seeing him that much?  What has gotten into you, Houjun?  You barely know him.  Talking in the hallway and two encounters at the dojo does not make you the best of friends.

Since the first day of class, he has had a hold on me in some way.  Subconsciously I know it is more than our unique symbols, but I do not want to explore that train of thought too far.

I hope he is all right.

"You can ask his sister.  No da." 

Yes, that is what I will do.

With my course of action planed, I teach my lesson trying to ignore the absence of one specific ki.  It is the longest class I have ever taught.

~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~  ~=88=~ 

I dismiss my religious study class.

"Kou, may I have a word with you?" I ask.

"Hai, sensei," she responds pleased.

The girls around her giggle and whisper as they exit flashing shy looks at me and envious ones at Kou.

I sit down so the desk is between us.

"I noticed your brother was not in class today.  Is he all right?" I ask trying not to sound too concerned.

"Hai.  The baka got himself hit by a car Friday night," she tosses out like it is nothing while I have to force my breathing to remain even.  "We were worried about him for a while – being in a coma and everything, but he woke up yesterday and will be released from the hospital today.  Knew that thick head of his would come in handy some day."

I let her ramble on about her brother's short-fallings a few moments more before thanking her for the information.

"No problem, Ri-san.  It is awful nice of you to be concerned by one student's absence especially my obnoxious brother.  You are a very considerate teacher," she says airily.

"Your brother's presence is hard not to notice," I carefully say.

She laughs like it is the funniest thing she ever heard.

"He does have an annoying habit of drawing attention to himself in the most inappropriate ways," she says.

I can tell she will continue to ramble if I do not halt it.

"Once more, thank you for the information.  I must be going," I say picking up my things and walk out the door.

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Author's Notes and Answers/Comments to Reviews:

Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews.  :: happy dance ::  I love to find them in my mail box.  I appreciate your opinions on the story, your questions, your error finding, and your suggested plot ideas.  Even if I have the story mostly lined out, I still have holes that need filled.

I know nothing about auras nor sensing of ki or chi so everything in this story about it is made up.  I picked the aura colours just because I felt like it.  

Posting Schedule: My goal is to update once a week.  Most probably sometime during the weekend depending on what is going on and if I have the chapter done.

Kouryou Sanomi: Houjun will get to read it, but it will not be quite like that.  I am trying not to be too predictable.

Yaoi-Rules: Glad you love the story.  Thanks for telling me.

Xellas: Thanks.  No, one semester is not long to wait.  Thanks for the idea of a sparing scene.  I needed more in this chapter.  ^_^  I don't know if it was what you had in mind.

Thanks for pointing out the mistakes in the last chapter.  I read over it again for the 100th time and think I found what you were referring too.  I also found a few places where I shifted to past tense.  I corrected them.  Fresh eyes are always better at catching such things.

Kitsuna-Ri: Thank you. 

Ambika-san: I know what you mean.  I am SO with you in your obsession.  I think I read almost all the Tas/Chi stories out there when I first started reading this pair.  After a constant diet of Tas/Chi… I had to find more.  It is like withdraw… I avidly searched for new Tas/Chi stories to feed the need and re-read favorites to get me by till a new story came along.  Finally I decided to write my own, and this is the result of close to three months of working on it.

SinigamiGod of Death: Nuriko and Hotohori will not be appearing for several more chapters – chapter 8 if I don't do some reorganizing.  Are you a Nuriko/Hotohori fan?  If you are interested, I am working on a companion story to this one about Nuriko and Hotohori, but it is not coming along very quickly.  :-(

I am sure Yui is in Genrou's story, but I have not mentioned her being there.  I have not mentioned her in my story either, but maybe I should….

Tasuki will get his memory back, but I am not telling how.  But you don't have to wait too much longer to learn that.  ^_~

Not confused here; I followed it.

Thanks for not threatening.  Your inquisitiveness about the story tells me I have been successful in capturing people's interest.  Yeah!  

Unofficial Schwarz: So happy you like the story.  I have tried really hard to make it unique and captivating.  Oh… the Tas/Chi bits are coming… a bit here, a bit there… nothing too serious for a while yet.  It's a long story and chapters 1 and 2 only introduce them to each other.

The Ring's Spirit: Houjun will get to read it at some point, but as far as that being the trigger to his past you will have to wait and see.  ^_~   The Suzaku sieshi and Miaka will enter in time.

I knew that I did not accept anonymous reviews but forgot that I did not.  I don't remember why at this point, so I turned it off.

I keep threatening to take French lessons (but never have) just to lean how to spell French words.  The words in the English language that originate from French give me fits to spell correctly. 

Akennea: Thanks for your encouragement.