Chapter 8: Raccordement

The forty-year old Champion raised an eyebrow at the direction of his daughter. "Pardon me? Would you care to repeat that?" his tone sounded quite incredulous and even disbelieving at the words of his own offspring, but she ignored his unconvinced tone and repeated every word filled with spite.

"I said, Father," she started, emphasizing on the word 'father' that made Mikhail's eyes turn into mere slits but was ignored by the peony. "that that so-called student of yours raped me."

Haine Zeke, who had finally stood up after discreetly trying to heal his wounds after the blows he had received from his former master, said nothing, for it was the first time in his life that he felt guilt slowly eating him up. Not only did he felt guilt, but also embarrassment.

After the series of complaints voiced out by his daughter, the Champion merely glanced at his student. "Zeke, is she the one whom you have thought of as the murderer?"

"Yes sir." He answered quietly, eyes still downcast on the floor.

"I am NOT a murderer!" she screamed angrily. "And to think that you are my father, Hyuga Mikhail; you are the cause of my mother's bedridden state for the past twelve years of her life and still you side with this criminal?"

"Then why have you not done your Elder duties during that incident in Al de Baran?" came the irritated snap from her father. "Zeke has told me that he would give what is due to the one responsible for his sister's death!"

The aquamarine-haired girl's brown eyes stared back in anger at her father's crimson colored spheres. The nerve of him to say such things to her when he was the actual reason why she had not been with the other Elders to fight those half-blood vigilantes who mass-murdered the pure bloods of Al de Baran!

"Then why don't we start by having a flashback, Father?" she said sarcastically. "Do you remember the time when you and Mother had a huge fight just because you did not want to marry into the Orihara family? Remember that, the 'misunderstanding' that caused our family to be broken apart?"

As soon as she said the words of accusations, for the first time since she had known the dark-haired Hyuga, his stoic composure had shattered and his face turned red. When he said nothing, she continued, "You lashed out at her and left Juno for good. Mother was crying the whole time and before we know it, she passed out and had slipped into a coma due to a major depression since you two have always been fighting." With this, she gave him a dirty look. "When she woke up months later, she wouldn't even talk to her own children! She had been always looking for that no-good husband of hers who caused her so much pain.

"And because of that, Satsuki had forbidden me to join the war, for I had to take care of MY Mother." Her gaze became affixed at the Monk. "You hear me? I wasn't there, so stop blaming me for your sister's death, you brainless idiot! Use some logic, and not your muscles, for Odin's sake! Haine, you're too brainless to be a Monk! Damned if I knew as to why you became a Monk! It is probably because you know my Father more than I do, and you had a connection to help you win over the Champions who tested you!"

A hard slap came in contact with her face, but she did not care; all of the hatred in her heart was finally said and she had no regrets. Even if her father killed her because of that speech, at least she would die happy. Her Mother's feelings were at stake!

"You ungrateful bitch; be thankful at least I have let you live to see your twenty-sixth year on this world." Hyuga said scornfully.

"Do you feel guilty that you made my Mother cry endlessly for you?" she asked haughtily.

Mikhail wanted desperately to pound that ungrateful woman that stood in front of him but for some reason, something was preventing him from hurting her. Was it because her own daughter was like the spitting image of his 'wife', except for the hair that made her look like young, adolescent boy? "No." he said, his voice strangely calm.

Botan was just about ready to take out her spare weaponries tucked under the cotton shirt she wore when her father's protégé grabbed her roughly by the wrist. "Let me go, Haine!" she demanded.

"I will not allow you to hurt your Father." He said simply.

"That man is no father of mine!" she screamed angrily. "I do not care if I kill him with my own hands or that I go to jail just because of this; I want to avenge my own mother! It is his entire fault that she's always a nervous wreck!"

"Go ahead, you foolish child. See that by hurting me, you're going to soothe Leina's pain away." Mikhail shot back in anger.

"You have no right to call my mother by her name." Botan hissed.

The Champion turned his back at her. "You have three days before the whole Army of Juno escorts you back to the Republic; I suggest that you start moving out if you plan to give this child his future." He motions at Lemuig, who was hiding behind his brother's pants. "Everyone thinks that you have been abducted by my student."

The Elder sighed in defeat; she may not have won the war against her father, but there was always a next time for everything. And when that next time comes, she would be the victor and not that pitiful excuse for a father named Hyuga Mikhail who thought of Haine Zeke as his own family. "Then I will seek help from Hayate while I am here."

"That Wizard, you mean?" Hyuga asked. Botan nodded in response to her father. "Fine, do what you wish; however, when will you leave these two in peace?"

"As long as it takes me to convince Hayate to let me sleep in his former bachelor's pad." With that, the Assassin ran limping upstairs to change her clothes.

"Then I'll be taking my leave." The Hyuga said. "Zeke, practice more on your combos; it can make or break your abilities as a Monk, alright?" for the first time, she saw her father flash a smile at his student.

"Yes sir." Zeke finally grinned. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Excuse me, but please stop acting like father and son in front of me, as well as pretending that I don't exist." Botan, who was now wearing the traditional yellow-colored Elder of Juno garb that consisted of a plunging short-sleeved top with a yellow micro miniskirt that had only consisted of three thick, strap-like designs for the sides, showing off some of the skin in her thighs. On the back of the skirt, it was the same thing, except it was on the left side and it showed an ample amount of skin in her buttocks, as well as her own underwear. Her footwear consisted of knee high black socks, as well as white boots that were at least two inches shorter than the socks.

"What in Odin's name are you wearing?" her father demanded.

"An Elder's outfit, what else?" she challenged.

"No wonder Zeke raped you; you enticed him to do so." Yet again, it was her first time to hear her father laugh like a maniac, already hanging unto the nearby doorpost.

"What the hell does that mean?" she screeched.

"Nothing, just a… private joke between me and Zeke; don't bother to know." He snorted once more before patting the girl's head. "Meet that Wizard as soon as possible and get back to Juno. Everyone is waiting for you and for the meantime, take care of your mother." before she could question him further, the Champion left hurriedly, leaving his daughter to her own thoughts, so many questions left unanswered…

Hyuga Mikhail gave out a sigh of relief as soon as the house of his former student had disappeared from his line of sight. It had been some years that he had seen his own daughter and to his utter shock, she was the exact replica of his former lover. From inside out, Botan was exactly like Leina, from the way she replied to his monotone questions to her insults at him.

So many memories have haunted him once more…

"Sorry, but it is still not my time to return to you, Leina… I still have so many things to settle. Wait for me; just hang on for now."