[Episode 38769] [Episode 38769]His head snapped up, his focus on his Silky Darlings fading from mind as something he had been waiting years for finally occurred. Eyes long since attuned to the various weaves of life that surrounds and saturates the world in its heavenly call, stared intently into the nearly morning sky. Few people besides him and his Cologne-chan, and to a lesser extent Ranma and that Uber-hulk Ryoga, could see the etheral beauty of the weave. However, it wasn't the normal weaves, such as the flaring of a battle aura in preperation for a fight, or the subtle breaks of the over all weave that denotes a death nearby that caught his attention. No, it was instead a thread that he watched very closely at all times. It was the very weave of some one he considered his daughter.
Happosai hmm'ed and puffed his pipe from the top of the Tendo Dojo as he watched a mistake of so many years ago correct itself.
Hinako's weave, or Ki if you wish, was an oddity, of this he could assure you. When he first met the child, her Ki was bloated, and tinged with shades of gray, the first sign that death would soon come and visit the girl. At first glance, he had been ready to simply turn away and go about his business, but there was something within that child that kept him from moving on. Death was close, and she was already in quite alot of pain from that damnable illness, yet still she perserved and kept that loveable innocent attitude.
Looking upon the child go about her day, playing with toys and dollies while bravely ignoring the pain sparked something within his chest that he thought long since dead; His love for innocence. He had always regretted not having children, never finding the love he had always wished for. While he and Cologne had come close, they had never made it all the way. Petty differences and his own hot head saw to that.
The look on that childs face when he began to cure her was enough for him to know that what he was doing would be best for all.
Happosai bit down on his pipe, an audible sigh escaping his lips while he remained lost in thought. It was partially his fault she turned out the way she did. The process he used to cure her was never finished, his bungling boobs of students had sealed him away before he could complete it.
Were he to have finished it, he had no doubt that Hinako could have grown up to be a normal every day woman. Not feared and generally ridiculed for being differnt as she was to this very day. Her vampiric Chi draining techique, which was a temporary side effect of the cure, drove all those away who would call her family, friend, and lover. But because of his students he didn't get a chance to finish the cure, by the time he had gotten out it was far to late. The child he had known had grown up, the half ass finished cure had become essential to her survival. For so long she had to steal the life weaves of others to survive, it was only natural that her body would adapt to such.
He grinned despite his mistakes of the past. From the looks of things, she had finally stumbled on the only process with which to finish the cure after so long a delay in the process; Sex.
Happosai shook his head, realizing he was wrong in such thoughts. Sex wouldn't be the only requiset to such a change. Her emotions and their effect on her Ki force along with sex was the answer. Whomever she had just bedded down with owned a part of her heart, else she could have never taken this final step. But who could it be? Happosai didn't know anyone who moved the woman in such a way, which was strange. When she appeared here he had begun keeping a close eye on the girl, at first to see if there was anything he could do to help her, and then to learn more about the child he had been forced to abandon so long ago.
His heart broke every night he watched her fall asleep, tears that should never have been shed were, because of all those socially unbendable fools. She was differnt, thus ostracised for her difference. That old saying 'Sticks and Stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me' is a crock of shit. Words stabbed more deeply than a stick could, crushed more throughly then a stone ever could.
Happosai smiled in contentment. It didn't matter anymore, she had found some one to be with, some one who, if they valued their lives, wouldn't hurt her like so many others. But who could it be? That question still filtered through his head.
Happosai jumped from his perch, begining the short roof hop to Hinako's location. Half way through the trip he realized his destination; Hinako's apartment. This was certainly strange, around this time she would be teaching the idiotic youth of Furikan High, so what on earth was she doing at home in the middle of the morning?
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Happosai stiffened, his pipe falling from his hands to clatter harmlessly to the ground, seconds before he lost his balance and toppled from his perch. He had been prepared for anyone, for anyone except RANMA!
Picking himself up from the ground, Happosai shook his head dispelling the picture of Ranma taking his adopted child, Hinako, from behind like a dog. This had to be a dream, a cruel dream! Ranma wouldn't do something like that, he was to niave.. to honorable.. to freaken stupid to pull a stunt like this!
Happosai didn't give a shit about Honor. Like Genma, he paid it lip service and only kept with it when it was to his benefit to do such. Ranma, he knew, valued honor more than his own life! Or so he had thought. No, that couldn't have been Ranma! There was no way.. absolutly no freaking way he would do something like this!
Unless..
Happosai shivered slightly at that thought. Unless he knew to take the art of manipulation and trickery to a level that not even he and Cologne could penetrate. No! It couldn't be possible! That pup couldn't be that smart!
Taking aim, Happosai jumped back to his peerch and peered through the window to Hinako's bedroom. He stared, and stared, and stared, trying to come to terms with what he was witnessing.
.
..
...
It was Ranma.
Happosai frowned deeply at that, but not interrupting the two just yet. He focused on Hinako's aura first, studying the intricate weave of her life force before gasping at what he found. Her Chi draining power was still there!
Her aura was stable, that much he had already felt, but there seemed to be small numerous pockets of empty space outlining her being.
Happosai narrowed his eyes, pondering this puzzel momentairly. Some how, some way, she had managed to keep her ability to steal Chi from others, her Aura had adapted to the change. Before now, she simply had one big pocket of nothingness within her being, when she drained chi from outside sources she would grow and assume an Adult Hinako as a side effect to filling that void until such time that her store of Chi faded away or she expended it all, either through time or with a technique like 'Happo 5 Yen Return'. Now her aura showed numerous small gaps outlining the weave of her life force. The only draw back to this being that she was now limited in how much life force she could actually absorb before having to expell herself of it. A curious side effect if he ever saw one.
Then there was Ranma. His aura, despite being predominated by his overwhelming Confidence, generally held a mismash of conflicting colors beneath the surface that rarely ever saw the light of day. Now though there wasn't an inkling of his overpowering arrogance, but general caring. Not that he could tell you what the differnt colors meant, his understanding being on the more darker aspects of emotions, but he would bet his silky darlings there was at least some affection and deep caring mixed in there.
Happosai let go of his perch, falling to the ground silently. He quickly gathered his pipe and took to the roofs, a smile etched on his face, "Thank Kami, my heir finally caught a clue.. and a fox! Time to hit the sake.." he grinned malicously, "I'll even drag my two worthless disciples along. They won't know that were drinking to the union of my child and to the destruction of their dreams of joining the two houses. Heh."
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Genma felt a feeling of impending doom creep up his back, his eyes darting desperatly to Tendo sitting across from him, where they were cheating each out stupid at a game of Go. From the look of unbridled horror in his friends eyes, he must have felt it too. What could this mean?
Happosai came bounding in, crashing into their game board causing all its peices to fly haphazardly about the room. The master had a smile on his face. Genma shuddered, it wasn't a 'Prepare for a training trip boys' but a 'I'm so happy I'm going to do something unprecedented' look. No good could come from this.
"Genma! Soun! Were going to get a drink!" Happosai pronouced happily.
Soun flinched, "B-but Master! We spent all our money last night when you took us drinking!"
Genma nodded quickly, pulling out his wallet and opening it for all to see. Nothing but a peice of lint lined the bottom.
Happosai shrugged, his smile growing, ".. I'll pay this time!" and that was when Genma knew he, or something of equal importance, was going to die.
But before that...
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(Posted Fri, 02 May 2003 16:29)
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