Hana looked to Suteko, whose eyes were closed. She was taking deep, slow breaths, her hands resting loosely on the table before her. Hana wasn’t sure if she was angry or calm till she spoke. “Okay so you came back to do what exactly, Sensei.?” Train the Kouhei or mother us?” She opened eyes that glowed in the darkening shadows. That is they did till Cologne rapped her on the skull with her pipe.
“You are acting like ex-son-in-law girl. Where is your control? Which type of example are you for Hana here?”
Suteko let out a whoosh of breath as she winced and then chuckled. “That bad Cologne-sama?” She shook her head, hiding her eyes under her long lashes. “All right, give me your poison. I obviously need to rest.”
“What?” Hana looked back and forth confused before Suteko gave her a half smile.
“I know confusing. The wise one here was my brother’s teacher for a while and well he isn’t the best student of things not physical.”
Cologne chuckled. “We could talk all night of his stubbornness but you both need to heal your auras and a good night’s sleep. One that is Protected. Go, set up a place.” She smiled, "You can even include your young men. I think they need to be within sight of you both.” She smiled. “Young Jaeoh has been standing just outside with this massive bear since we started talking.”
Suteko looked over and tried not to laugh. It was true that Gregor looked like a bear, looming over Jaeoh’s shoulder, his shock of white hair almost glowing in the dim light of the hallway. Hana moved out past Jaeoh with a nod and stood in front of Gregor. The big man narrowed his eyes at the elder. Never one to trust easily, this Amazon elder raised the hairs on the back of his neck. He was unconsciously growling. When Hana placed her hand in his the growl snapped off and he looked down to his woman and tried to hide the sudden goofy grin. “What’s going on Mouse? This old ghoul picking on you?”
Suteko lifted a brow at Gregor’s words. His choice sent a brief stab to her heart, his words echoing her brother’s favorite term for Cologne. “Please Gregor, Cologne is a wise elder. Here to help us all.” As she spoke, Suteko realized she had been acting like her much younger self. Back before she learned to trust others. When had she lost that?
“What do you wish us to do?” Hana asked softly.
***
The smaller of the workout rooms was the perfect size for what Cologne had in mind. She spent a brief moment poised in the center of the room and then nodded as the calm and peace of the room touched her. "This is the best place."
Cologne gently urged the young warriors into a lotus, easing all four young people into a meditative state. It was Suteko’s strong belief that let the others follow the elder’s lead. Her empathy was no longer latent Cologne had discovered. A true, sending and receiving empath with hard won shields and something of a surprise to Cologne. She took the lead, allowing her aura to rise, making the room glow. To the watching eye it was clear now that there was damage. The extent was more than Cologne had let on.
The root of chi powers came from the soul and the outward manifestations known as aura. Ranma and his friends had mastered the outward control of their chi in different ways. Using depression, anger and confidence, they channeled immense power. Suteko, not as wild and flamboyant as her brother could not tap the energy in the same way. The wounds in her aura made it a wonder she could channel energies at all.
Pulling herbs from her satchel with hands that flew, Cologne made four mixtures. Mixing them rapidly into a fine paste, she then darted about, quickly applying dabs between the eyes of the two men before touching Hana at head, heart and diaphragm. She moved then to her once student, pausing to study her closely. The mixtures for the men had put them in a more relaxed and acceptant state. Not controlled but more willing to listen and learn.
“Stretch them out please boys.” She gestured. Gregor moved to Hana’s head, letting her rest on his folded knees. Cologne moved to her side and leaned down, whispering. “Sleep safe child. Your bear will protect you always.” Gregor’s eyes darted from Hana’s relaxed face to Cologne’s. He searched her eyes and nodded. She sat back and mumbled something in Chinese that he could not understand. Briefly Hana flared purple and he could see ragged holes that slowly closed over and then Hana drew a soft breath. Her whole being seeming to surrender a burden and relax. The black shadowy energy dissipated and she relaxed into a true sleep.
Next she turned to Jaeoh and Suteko. This time the holes in the aura were sharply defined. The healing done before had cleansed the body of the shadow poison and healed the burns and tears of the flesh. And it seemed that the time with Jaeoh was starting to heal the heart of the forgotten child but her aura was showing wounds long overlooked.
Jaeoh was no novice to aural sight. He had avoided looking out of a sense of privacy for the woman whose head rested in his lap. Watching as little Hana produced a deep purple glow he saw a second Hana seeming to float above her body. An older, wiser and more powerful self that was and somehow was not Kouhei Time.
He turned his eyes back down. Suteko’s aural self looked even worse than she had after being in Pain’s hands. All the wounds seemed healed but he could see the white light leaking from her temple, her leg and below her navel. The last was what worried him the most.
Instead of applying her salve herself, Cologne handed the jar to Jaeoh. Silently he nodded and with light fingers spread the ointment on Suteko’s temple. Cologne exposed the flat belly and the faint scars that lay there. There should have been no scars left after magical healing and that bothered both the elder and the Kouhei. Jaeoh slowly worked the salve into the skin with light fingers. Silently they had agreed to wait on the leg. If the first two wounds were not dealt with the leg would not matter. The ointment seemed to sizzle on the scar. More than a shadow blade had done damage and the essence of the herbs fought it. Jaeoh lightly tested the bond he shared with Suteko. New and untried, it let him know she was in a deep trance. That trance kept her from reacting to what was going on with her body. He looked up at the old woman as she let out a small gasp.
“When?” She asked.
Sighing, he answered. “Five years ago, after she left Japan.” Jaeoh knew that Suteko had kept this to herself for all those years. The past month had her having to bare her soul too often for his comfort, and he knew that she would rather no one learned just exactly what she has been through.
The Amazon in Cologne grew both angry and saddened. This child of her heart had gone unprotected back to her birthplace. She had not had time to teach her how to protect her center from that sadly too common crime. If she had been born Amazon instead of Wairen, she would have been trained how to separate the mind and soul from the body. Rape still happened, even to the strongest warrior and without help it damaged the center. The anger in her soul matched that of the reborn prince. “You will need to be a partner, not protector with this one Prince.”
Jaeoh looked down at Suteko’s face. Relaxed, in the trance state, the tension lines were eased, making her look younger. He knew she was strong but he was man enough to admit he wanted to be the one to defeat her enemies and be the hero. Luckily he was adult enough to know that it would take working together to defeat Kaneda. Her light powers alone would not finish the Shadow Master, that she knew from hard experience.
Once the ointment had sunk in the aural power flared brighter. Almost blindingly white in the small room. Forced to look away for a moment he saw that Gregor was looking back and forth. The big man was trying to be the strong and reliable second in command and the protective lover.
“Relax,” he mouthed to Gregor before turning his eyes back to Cologne. His aural sight showed him a much younger, prouder woman. The Amazon matriarch had once been like Suteko, a warrior for light but her culture had restricted her to protecting only those within her valley home.
Following some inner knowledge he held one hand over his lover’s belly and called
his own power. The green flame seemed both brighter yet cooler against the bright white filling the room. He had not used the dragon fire as other than a weapon before meeting Suteko but he tried to repeat what he did back during her fight with the Tengu.
Slowly the green flames licked off his palm to blend with her glow. As he watched the green spread over the holes in her aura, slowly forcing the leakage back. The glow was growing warmer as it moved across her body. His other hand softly caressed her temple and the wound there closed slowly till the leakage stopped. Suteko’s breathing hitched for a moment and then sped up.
Gregor moved from his kneeling position to slowly scoop up Hana. His inner alarms were starting to go off as he watched the other couple. Hana was out of it but she seemed stronger. Whatever the old woman put on her seemed to help but he wanted Hana out of this room. The knight was glowing like a bomb ready to explode. He slowly moved them out of the room. He whispered, “Later,” and headed out. Uhanzee was standing guard and opened doors for the big man. Hana continued to sleep as he placed her in the passenger side of her car and then folded himself into the driver’s seat. “Only for you, Mouse.” He grumbled softly. He then drove off into the gathering night.
Uhanzee scanned the streets. The night seemed empty but nothing was ever what it seemed in Tokyo. He stepped back into the Dojo, closing the door silently. “Gregor should have Hana at their place in ten minutes," he spoke into the new communicator given to him by Pluto. Without waiting for a reply he headed back to the kitchen to await the elder.
Jaeoh continued the slow feed of his dragon fire into the aural damage. The patch on Suteko’s temple was clear and healed completely. Her lower body was slow going. Her aura would flare brighter each time his energy flowed over the wound. The damage was condensing, the hole growing smaller as the light grew stronger. Her body was fighting the patch, like a volcano it kept pouring more and more energy out to overlap his green power. Finally after a long, breathless time and flare after flare of blinding white light the tear was reduced to a single slash across her belly. The faint scar gleamed pure and as he lay the last of his dragon fire as a gentle balm across it, she arched off the floor, body quivering, then slumped back as the slash closed. The sizzle as it did sounded too much like frying meat and the spray of dust/ash was startling.
Jaeoh heaved a tired sigh as he feather stroked Suteko’s cheek. Turning his black eyes to Cologne, he lifted his brows. She nodded, “That is enough for tonight. She should sleep peacefully now.”
Neither the elder nor the Kouhei leader remembered the remaining leg tear. They softly spoke for a few moments before Cologne wearily climbed back onto her staff. “Both children should rest peacefully now.” She relit her pipe and gestured. “Put yourself to bed boy. This should keep both of our walking wounded down for the full night.” She grinned as she hopped toward the entrance way. “Sleep well boy. The morning will be quite a workout for you and the bear boy.”
Jaeoh blinked as he scooped up Suteko. “A workout?” He shook his head and headed into into his apartment in the back. Tonight he was too tired to puzzle out the elder’s vague comments.
He passed Shayla, who was tidying up the kitchen. She smiled and spoke softly. “Once Uhanzee is back from escorting the elder, we will head over to Suteko’s for the night. You too need to sleep.” She too was smiling with a glimmer of humor in her eyes.
Jaeoh nodded and entered the bedroom, easing the door shut with his foot before laying his mate down. Yawning hugely he lay down at her side and joined her in a dreamless slumber. Across town Gregor did the same with Hana.
Chapter Eighteen
The city slumbered peacefully but Shadow never sleeps. The activities at the Green Dragon Dojo had been closely watched. Even the bright flare of Light energy had been noted by silent watchers. The time was near, the master's plan was coming to fruition. No amount of healing would clear the damage that had settled deep down inside.
Aki watched the night, debating. The shadow he commanded brought back tales of the old one who had once trained his sensei. She had entered the dojo at midday and was only now preparing to leave. A part of him wanted to surrender, to go to his old master and hope for forgiveness. He fought that part.. He had chosen five years before and while he found much distasteful he did not want ot give up the power he gained. Stepping off the pole, he floated down to the ground and leaned against the pole. With a thumb flick he lit a thin cigarette and watched as the Amazon elder left.
The game had been interesting enough as he avoided the Senshi. While strong warriors, avoiding them was child's play. They just weren't up to the levels of surveillance required. The Kouhei now, they gave him a challenge. Escorting the elder was the Indian Oak. The tall man with the raven's wing hair was the tracker of the group. Rarely seen but very effective in routing out the shadows he sent. Bringing him back was a serious misstep by Kaneda. Somehow he could work together with the healer and that was playing havoc with the Shadow Master's plans.
The fact that Suteko and the little time Kouhei had escaped had annoyed Kaneda to no end. But the thought that they would be effectively out of any battle had kept him from raging. The Kouhei healer though seemed to be stronger than expected. Unicorn had jumped into a street fight with the gajjin bear, something she should not have been able to do so soon after torture.
Melting into the shadows, he watched that old woman hop about on her staff. She was another wildcard. Someone they didn't know enough about. The old woman had some type of effect on Suteko, a positive effect that could cost them the battle.
Cologne narrowed her eyes. In the shadows across the intersection was a young punk. Or more something pretending to be one. She made a small gesture and nodded. "My bag," She said softly to her escort.
Uhanzee nodded, passing the bag to the elder and moved on silent feet to just behind her shoulder. While the elder was in the past a great warrior, she now deserved to be protected. Her warrior spirit was strong but her body no longer was. This neighborhood was not ideal for Uhanzee's natural talents but he picked out plenty of cover. When the elder gestured again he ghosted out. Generations of scouts and years of being a Kouhei had made Uhanzee difficult to spot when he decided to blend. Using only a touch of his powers he moved from tree to bush, circling toward the shadow general.
Cologne hopped forward after palming a packet of herbs. "It is rude to stare, boy." She addressed Aki form her staff. "Ruder to hang about like a delinquent."
Aki lifted a brow. "Are you speaking to me old woman?" Aki smiled in the shadows, his cigarette glowing in the dark.
"Who else, silly child?" Cologne used her best annoyed voice. She did not like that Suteko's haven was being watched by a shadow minion. The girl was healed but she needed time to recoup her energies.
Aki flicked his eyes to the side, searching for the Cheyenne warrior. Even though his powers made shadow as easy to see as daylight, the Kouhei was hidden to his sight. He stepped from the comforting shadow and flicked ash in the old woman's direction. "So what if I am, hag." The derision in his voice held a note of doubt, clear to the ancient one. "It is not often we see a gnome moving about on the street."
Cologne stifled a laugh. "Gnome? Watching too much gajjin tv boy?"
Aki narrowed his eyes. He may look like a Japanese street punk but he wasn't. He was much more powerful than anything roaming the dark streets. "I recommend you go back to your shop and stay there. It will be safer for you and your family." The derision in his voice actually amused Cologne. Young men, no matter the race or alignment, always underestimated the small and elderly. She slowly nodded as she hopped closer. "True, it would seem to be wiser to step away. After all you are a tall, strong boy." She puffed her pipe, "But Suteko is like a grandchild to me and I do not appreciate you or your master's attention." She hopped off her staff.
Aki shook his head. This old crone belie
ved her veiled threats would work on a Shadow soldier? Time to teach her that allies of the Star Knight would suffer. He flicked his butt to the side and stepped closer. "She belongs to Him. It is foreordained woman. Fighting for the Light will only get you and your family killed." He smiled, hiding his discomfort. There was no way the tall Kouhei had left this woman unguarded. When she dropped off her staff he snapped his fingers to call up his simple shadows.
"First you betray your sensei, then you threaten children? You are definitely unworthy." She started circling him moving faster than a woman her age should.
Aki watched as the tiny elder sped up. Her image seeming to break into many others. He smiled, the splitting hairs technique was a powerful tool when used against students and mortal opponents. But she wasn't facing a student or someone truly mortal any more. As the old woman blurred from one, to two, to four, Aki kept his contempously relaxed stance. He knew which was her actual form by the shadow she cast. The drawback to any illusion is that they never cast shadows. As the current general of the Shadow army this amused him. Once her form seemed to split into eight he lifted off the ground, crossing his arms, and started to spin. He did not split his image but he did continue to face the true elder, his mocking smile in place. When the images started flashing blows, he shook his head, not even pretending to dodge the illusionary blows. "This all you got?"
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