Chapter Nine

"Where`s it at?" Suno asked, stepping forward and lowering her hood to see better.

Hachan stuck out a cautioning arm, and Suno stopped. "There," Hachan shouted over the wind, pointing toward a snow covered thicket. He dropped the sled's rope and it sank down in the gritty new snow.

Hachan`s enhanced eyes saw through the blowing snow and early morning darkness, and he spotted the semi-conscious lion easily.

Leaving Suno behind, Hachan moved toward the lion, and that was when Raditsu hit him, jumping from the bush so quickly that Suno wasn`t sure what had happened until it was long over. Raditsu recognized Hachan a spilt-second before he hit the Jinzoningen, and may have stopped had there been time, but it was too late.

Hachan raised his arm to block, and this doubtlessly saved his life. Raditsu`s fist hit Hachan`s wrist, breaking it off and sending it bouncing along the snow covered earth. The mechanical hand hit a tree trunk and fell to the ground spasming briefly, the dying wires sending out a few weak sparks before becoming still.

Hachan took a long look at the stub of his arm, before turning his eyes to the Saiyajin. "Why did you do that, Raditsu?"

It was clear enough that these weren`t the ones, everything else aside Hachan had been with him at the tavern. But two people, one a complete stranger and the other just as good as, apparently on the blood trail of his lion, dragging a sled which seemed the perfect size for the animal`s body; what more could be expected? Nothing in Raditsu`s experience suggested to him that they might have come with any intention other than cruelty.

"Go away, Hachan, or I`ll kill you."

"I`m sure you`d try!" Suno said, stepping forward. Hachan laid a hand on her shoulder, warning her to stay close. "That`s how you people work--" She noticed Raditsu`s tail, its tip lashing angrily, and she paled. "Goku? Are you Son Goku?"

"Of course not!" Raditsu said, personal insult added to anger.

"Then who are you?"

All the noise, and the scent of nearby strangers had frightened the lion even more. He lifted his head, and without wasting energy on baring his teeth, began dragging himself back into hiding.

Suno headed toward the lion, sick of waiting, and Raditsu moved into her path. "Don`t touch my lion," he growled, his tail bristling. Hachan moved to Suno`s side protectively.

"But he`s hurt!" Suno said, desperate to help the animal, but certain she couldn`t force her way through. The tailed-person had hurt Hachan and Suno`d never seen anyone powerful enough to do that, except maybe Goku. Not that many people had found cause to strike the good-natured Jinzoningen.

"That`s not your business."

"It is!" Suno said, raising herself to her full height, which wasn`t much. "It`s my job to protect him from people like you. Killing one of those lions is a felony, you know. If he dies you`re going to prison. So you`d better let me through!"

Raditsu might have laughed -- he would like to see them try to lock him up, but right now nothing seemed funny. "You`re not here to help."

"Why else would I be here? Not that a killer like you could understand that."

"You don`t know what you`re talking about!" Raditsu shouted, before he realized she thought he`d hurt the lion and nothing else. "I didn`t do it. It was one of you vermin."

"I don`t have time for this," Suno said, keeping her voice down in respect for the lion`s frayed nerves. "Let me through."

Raditsu didn`t move.

"Look!" she said, speaking slowly and as carefully as impatience would allow, for it had become clear that the tailed-person was not only very powerful, he was also stupid and/or crazy. All this ranting about them shooting the lion -- nonsense -- she certainly hadn`t done it, and Hachan wouldn`t have hurt a fly for his own life, then this about the lion being his. Suno knew for a fact that wasn`t true; she microchipped the lion herself when he was just a cub and had been tracked him ever since. And taming an adult, wild-born lion was impossible; she`d tried. "Where`s the harm in me taking him? If we get him back in time he might even live. He`s dead if he stays here."

"You intend to heal the lion, then?"

"I can`t by myself, but I can try to get help."

It might be worth considering, Raditsu thought. After all, if she tried to pull any tricks... well if she knew what was good for her she just wouldn`t. Raditsu moved to the side, giving Suno room to pass but instead of heading to the lion, Suno turned her back to Raditsu and walked away. She retrieved Hachan`s hand and returned it to him.

"Can it be fixed?" she asked Hachan anxiously.

"I think so. It can," Hachan said. He took the hand, its exposed circuits cooling in the early morning air and tucked it under his damaged arm. "It`s okay."

"Thank you, Hachan. This shouldn`t take long."

"Hurry up!" Raditsu shouted from beside the lion. He had been trying to comfort the golden mane by patting his head and scratching between his shoulder blades (much of the hide below was a blood mess). Suno and Hachan hadn`t seen. Raditsu was standing now.

She approached the lion, Hachan began to follow her but she said "It`s all right, Hachan. Stay here."

"You," Suno said to Raditsu. "You`re strong. Hold him. Just get his head and front leg -- yes, that`s right." Suno got to her knees beside the lion and looking over his flank said, "My kamisama, he`s been here for hours. What the hell have you been doing? Sitting here?"

Raditsu considered releasing the lion. He probably had enough strength left to rip the woman`s throat out. "How`d you know he was here?"

"Hachan was built with a tracking system. We just inject the chips under their skin and it works great. The lion`s barely moved in ten hours, thought we should check it out." She took a vial filled with clear liquid and a large syringe out of her bag. Suno uncapped the needle and holding the vial upside down filled the syringe. "He`s one of twenty-seven, I think it is, breedable males in the area; can`t afford to lose him. Move over a bit, I need to get at that leg." She injected the sedative, set the cap on the ground and slid the needle into it carefully, then backed away, motioning over her shoulder for Hachan to bring the sled closer.

"Thanks to you," Suno said to Raditsu, "Poor Hachan can`t lift the lion. What do you suggest we do?"

"That you shut your mouth before I do it for you," Raditsu said, and bent over.

Raditsu picked up the lion -- "Keep his back straight," Suno cautioned -- and laid him on the sled. Suno lashed the lion to the sled, checking each strap to make sure it was tight but not hurting the animal. When she looked up a few minutes later Raditsu was gone.

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