He awoke sometime later in the Headman's room, surrounded by a great many people. The first ones to catch his eye were, Chief Aramai, the Headman, the young translator(as Drake would forever think of him), and the one called Shou. The first to speak, however, was Shou.
"You have techniques like that, and you wish to train with me? I think that it is I who should train with you."
Drake was floored when he realized that he understood what Shou had said, then it hit him. His mind was open and he was reading the thoughts behind the words, not understanding the words themselves. With a grin he mentally replied, "But most of my techniques are for fighting; you were training your chakra itself, building its strength." Drake was delighted to see the look on Shou's face, indicating that he had "heard" everything Drake said. Everyone looked at Drake, wondering what had Shou so confused; the former shook his head and laughed, while the latter simply shrugged. With the confusion mounting, Drake took stock of himself.
He could feel no injuries, but that didn't mean that sitting up would be entirely possible; he planned to try anyway. With a grunt and a curse, Drake managed to get into a sitting position, the angered and worried thoughts trying to talk him back down notwithstanding. Grinning he told his crowd that he would like some time to himself, to meditate and calm his heart. Without questions everyone left him in the room, and silence pervaded his mind instantly. Drake thought that the quick silence had something to do with the immense amounts of chakra in the area.
"Why? Why of all things did that damnable thing have to take her voice? Why not try to convince me that Anne was dead? Or Mother? Shit, Russ, even! Bastard!" with that curse a small bottle of incense shattered, telling Drake that he needed to get control. As the scent of myrrh began to pervade the room, Drake took the half lotus position and began to meditate.
Elsewhere, a dark figure in front of a large mirror laughed, knowing that the great Drake Masters had a weakness. A small Imp floated at his shoulder, and began to whisper to his master, who began to laugh with the twisted irony of the mad.
Sending his mind out to cool, Drake's consciousness went first to his home back in Ireland, to see how faired his family. His máthair was baking again, so Drake knew that bills and other things were on her mind again. Drake chuckled, because baking was the only form of cooking that he could never master. Sensing her mac, Drake's mother simply said, "You'll get the hang of this yet. You just need to learn to walk more softly." With a laugh, Drake "kissed" his mother and went to check on his baby sister. Now 10, she was beginning to blossom into a grand beauty. Between her eyes, and her masses of long, curly raven locks, she would be a vision. Knowing her deartháir was about she started to look for him. "No, sweetling, I'm not here physically, I'm still in Japan." he said, so she wouldn't wander the room looking for him.
"Oh, okay. Hey, Drake? Why hasn't Russ come back from the big ships?"
Cyruss had joined the Marines about a three years ago, and Anne still didn't grasp that he wouldn't be back for several months yet. As blessed as they were to have her, Drake was still saddened that she would be the one to get the odd gene from their father, slowing her mind somewhat. Most things were fine, but time, death, and money would always be beyond her.
"He still has about 8 months left to his service. He should be home in time for us to all celebrate your birthday. You'll just have to continue helping momma 'til then, okay?"
"You bet, Danny!"
Hearing his bBirns name from her always brought a smile to his face; it was her first word, since she couldn't say "Drake".
"Have you been trying to find a ghost?"
She always wanted to know what his task at hand was, since her power was nearly as great as his own.
"No, my target is a corruption. You remember what I told you on the phone before I got to Japan?"
"Yep, he was a good thing that went sour."
"That's right, and he might be under someone else's control. I just took care of a demon that was plaguing a temple here. That is why I cam to visit."
"Oh. You had a headache." That was the only way that she could describe the confusion she could feel in his heart.
"Yeah. Sure did, but you always make it better." Drake smiled as she giggled, both knowing that she was always his best medicine.
"Gimme a smile, Anne, I've gotta go back and finish my job."
Her face lit as she smiled, her big sapphire eyes shining. "Be safe, Drake." she said as he prepared to leave.
"You to, kiddo. Grás tú."
"Grás tú!" Her reply echoed in his mind as he returned to his body.
His return was short, though, because he wanted to go say hi to Russ. Glancing at his watch, he saw that a few hours had passed, and dinner was waiting for him. "Eh, piffle to dinner. I want to know how that lunkhead is."
Sending out again, Drake traced his brother to a ship in the South Pacific. Concealing himself as best as he could, Drake began to pick on Russ. Moving items out of his reach was hard, but the training it gave was as worth it as the looks on Russ' face. Finally, after he 'misplaced' his razor for the third time, he caught on to what was happening.
"Drake, Imeacht gan teacht ort."
"Aww, what's the matter, Russ? Not in the mood for joking?"
"Actually, no. I just landed swabbie for a month and a half. And all I did was pour a bucket of clean water on a PFC that called me and Irish pig bastard. How the hell was I supposed to know that he was my CO's nephew?"
"Oh, shit, Cyruss, I'm sorry. I really didn't know."
"Get on your horse. You know I'm not mad."
Drake smiled. Back when the were both little more than kids, Drake had mis-said the phrase "Get off your high horse" and it ended up as "Get on your horse". It became a joke between them when they came older and understood the joke. It was more or less an apology phrase.
"Aye, I know you're not mad, but I still feel bad." Drake shifted his mental stance and blurted, "The kid's askin'' about you. You not been writing again?"
Russ flinched at the accusation. But instead of replying, he simply continued shaving. Drake knew that he hadn't been.
"Come on, damn it. You and I have this same discussion every time we talk. That kid loves you to death, same as I do. Mom would prob'ly like to hear from you too, ya' know."
Russ sighed. "Yeah, aye, Drake, you're right again. Same as always. It's just...it pisses me off knowing that all out mail is screened for information leaks, and none of my conversations are private. Last time half the ship was put on full alert against me because me and Mom had been conversing in Gaelic and they thought I was talking to a spy or something. I can't wait for this to be over so I can sit behind a goddamn mule with that old blade plow and grow a year of crops myself."
Drake grinned knowing what was coming next.
"Shit, I came here to get away from all that labor, and I want to go back." He shook his head with a laugh. "Mumma was right. I ain't nothin' but a farmer, true to the core."
He and Drake shared a good laugh, which was revitalized twice when Cyruss snorted. After it all tapered off, Cyruss turned to the area Drake was at, solemn.
"I can't see ya' but I can feel ya'. You'll have to teach me to at least see your floaty-ass. I love you, ya shit, no matter how often I don't say it. Be safe, 'cause I know what you do isn't. I've seen the scars under your shirts and jeans, since you do spend your first hour awake in your boxers. When I get home, you, me, Mom and Anne are gonna go out on that boat of yours for an afternoon, and you're gonna hang about the homestead for a few months, deal?"
Drake loved the idea. "Deal."
"All right. Good. Now, before my CO or someone walks in, get goin'', you got work to do you asshole."
"Yeah, I'll see you soon, ya' jerk off."
Pulling back to his body, Drake let himself come up from his state slowly, so he didn't pass out from lack of oxygen. When he was fully up, he opened his eyes to a bright sun. Realizing that he had gone from sunset to sun up talking, he knew that if anyone were waiting for him, the would be plenty upset. With a groan, a grunt and a symphony of cracks from his long inactive joints, he went to go back to the top of the grounds and see who-or what- was about. As he was leaving the room, he saw that the dinner left the night before had been replaced with a pot of Green Tea. He stopped long enough to enjoy a cup, and then resumed his trek to the grounds of the Temple.
On his way up, he ran into Shou again. He stopped Drake, and inquired if Drake would like to join him for a training session.
"I would love to, but I should go see if anyone is waiting for me."
"Actually, no one has stopped, but there are a couple of notes for you. I really would like you to come train with me, though, if you don't mind."
Drake knew that the boy wouldn't lie to him, so he accepted his offer. When the two of them arrived at the bell, Drake asked him how he should go about things.
"Well, we all know much of your power is telekinetic, we felt that the day you stopped the demon."
"Wait. "The day"? I just did that yesterday...didn't I"
"You mean, you didn't know? You slept for two days after you passed out."
Drake wasn't sure he liked that idea, but he decided he would worry about it later. "So, I assume that I should block all of my telekinesis off, right?"
"Yes, after that, we'll go from there."
For the next eight hours, Drake learned to control his chakra without boosting it with his telekinesis. He found out quickly, though, to do so was quite tiring. Drake forced himself to keep up with Shou, though, because he could feel a deep build in the core of his power; almost like something was emerging. Pushing harder, Drake began to notice that Shou hadn't been extending his arms to push the bell; Drake had been doing it for some time. Letting his power fall, he took a moment to sit.
"So...how long was I pushing the bell without you?"
Shou laughed, realizing that his deception had been caught. "In truth? I never touched the bell after the first ring. You did it on your own almost the whole day."
"You mean I was trying to keep up with you, and I was only besting myself! That's unfair...and I love it. You got me training in a way that I should do more often."
"So you did discover something?"
"Not yet, but I think I might be close. I have you to thank for that."
Shou nodded and then looked thoughtfully at the bell. "I had been training for 10 years to touch the bell like you did in just a few minutes. You have a very thorough grasp of yourself, Drake. You are probably stronger than many of us here that have been doing nothing but training our whole lives."
Drake blushed and said, "That's not entirely true, Shou. I had no idea that I was using my chakra when I fought. I thought that it was pure telekinesis. And I, too have trained my whole life; you just started sooner than I did. Plus you showed me a training form that I would never have learned otherwise."
Shou began to blush, realizing that he had done more for the large man than he had thought he did. Standing he motioned for Drake to start with the bell again. "I am allowed one 30 minute break a day, which I split into two 15 minute breaks. I've given you the same. Let us recommence."
Standing, Drake began as he was instructed. Taking a deep breath, he started against the bell again. Hours passed as the two trained, ringing the bell in tandem, until Shou changed positions to stand on the opposite side of the bell. He did so without a word and began to push the be against Drake; forcing him to take shorter time between rings and pushing him harder. With a grunt of effort, Drake decided to train the boy as well. He began to push harder at every stroke, knowing that it would be a test of wills, and not just a simple training. He heard Shou laugh, and they began to "fight".
Harder and faster they began to strike, the bell's ring a constant sound. A crowd began to form watching the two as the exercise began to take a less playful turn, each striking the bell harder and faster ever time. Suddenly, they both went to strike at the same time and instead of collapsing, the bell funneled their strikes at each other. At the impact, both were knocked to opposite walls, panting. Drake felt a subtle release, and the power that had been building awoke. Shou, too, released something, but Drake couldn't identify it. Maxed out, but happy, both of them fell asleep the bell swaying between them.
The Headman had watched the whole thing, and was glad to see the results. Drake had such a potent grip on his chakra that he would have a new ability come morning; Shou too would share the technique, because of the severe training he had both given and received. "To give training is to help you mind,"reflected the Headman, "and to receive training from your student is to train your heart. You both will have an interesting morning."
Drake awoke, still beside the bell early the next morning. His hands felt odd, like they were disconnected from him. With a mental shrug, he stood up to go get something to relieve his cotton mouth. Looking over, he saw that Shou, too, was still asleep. He was in awe of the boy, softhearted as a big teddy bear, but tough as damn nails. He would like to have someone like Shou around for a lot of his tasks, but knew that the boy would live and die at the temple; probably training others like himself. He went to poke Shou, but he felt his hands come into contact with the boy well before they should have. Drake stood for a moment, placing the sensation, when he realized that he could feel his chakra flowing powerfully from his true hands, to the point where he could feel Shou.
Closing his eyes, he opened them with the intention of auric vision; to see the energy. When he did, he could plainly see to large-ish hands that were the same color as his chakra. He decided to see what was what, and gave Shou a gentle poke. He realized that he could feel pressure, but he got no actual sensation from the silk outfit Shou wore. "This could become a "handy" technique...Have to give it a name so I can form it faster. First..." He wanted to know what the strengths were of the technique, so he tried to lift Shou. The pressure indicated that Shou weighed, to him, little more than a baby chicken. He knew instantly that if he were to pour more chakra into the tech, he could lift many a heavy item. He gave Shou a gentle shake, and stood him on his feet.
"Morning, Sunshine."
"Graa...what the...I feel odd."
Drake could see massive energy pulsing around Shou, making him appear several feet taller than his 5' 2" frame. In all he seemed to be about 12 feet tall. Before Drake could say anything, Shou noticed on his own. Without a word, Shou began to concentrate, and the aura dicipated until it was back at normal ranges.
"Drake, could you see my chakra?" Drake nodded. "That must've been what I felt...I tapped into the heart of my chakra. Such power..."
Drake grinned, and said, "You're not the only one here guy."
Shou smiled, yes I felt your hands change as I fell asleep. What happened?"
Drake explained as best as he could, and even showed Shou, who gave the tech a simple, but appropriate, name. "Yes, Helping Hands would fit it well, Drake. Don't you agree?" The Irishman smiled his approval. "Good. Now then, I can hear both our stomachs. How about some breakfast?"