Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and whoever she sold the rights to.

In the valley of Jusenkyo, in the hut of the Jusenkyo Guide, the Guide himself was busy placing all of the strewn furniture and pottery back into their original positions. While he did this, he ruminated on all of the strange happenings that had been taking place in this cursed valley lately. First, those strange foreigners that had mistaken this place for some type of training grounds and had ultimately been cursed. Why they simply didn't read the warning signs that were in plain Chinese, he'd never understand. Then there were the Musk, the beastmen that had used Jusenkyo for breeding purposes in ages past. The Guide had wondered if they were going to start up that practice once again when the leader had asked for the Spring of Drowned Girl, but whatever plans he had in mind had been interrupted when a Joketsuzoku girl had literally flown in out of nowhere. The resulting confusion would have been problem enough but on top of all that, the reclusive Phoenix people had appeared, causing even more of a ruckus. Luckily, nobody had been hurt and only the warrior girl had suffered the fate that many succumbed to when entering Jusenkyo.

Somehow, someway, all three of the major powers in this area were suddenly making their presence known. For so long each group had been content to keep to their own but in one day, that had all changed. The Guide wondered half-seriously if the fabled Seven Lucky Gods of Nekonron would show their faces at some point. With the way things were going, he wouldn't doubt it. He just hoped that things cooled down soon because getting caught up in the goings-ons of such powerful people was not a pretty prospect to consider.

Which led him to the latest incident to come to his doorstep. A few days ago, a figure clad in concealing robes had barged in and demanded the Jusenkyo registry book. It was a book that the Guide updated whenever someone came to the valley. It held records dating back hundreds of years from when his predecessors had begun monitoring the grounds and studying them. The mysterious person didn't even wait for the Guide to protest before turning the house upside down in his search for the book. The figure had found it eventually and had left just as quickly as it had arrived. The Guide's house was in shambles afterwards and he had been busy getting things back in order. He was just glad that his wife and daughter had decided to go to his private Jusendo vacationing home before this frightening incident happened. They would be safe there.

No sooner had he placed the final fixture back into place to hang a fallen picture of his family, then the door burst open and his daughter, Plum, came barreling in.

"Father!" she gasped out. She came to a stop and bent over, huffing in air from having run the last few miles to get here. Once she had regained enough breath to speak, she said, "You won't believe this! When mother and I got to Jusendo, there was a big hole in the side of the mountain! You could see right in it! There were these two huge statues in there. But before we could check it out more, these people with wings showed up! We hid in the house until they were gone and found that they had sealed up the mountain. Then we came back to tell you!"

The Guide blinked at the rapid fire speech that Plum had blurted out before murmuring, "This does not bode well. Where's your mother?"

"She headed back to work to make sure that none of this reaches the government," Plum explained, now calmed down enough to speak more slowly. "She said it would be bad if they got involved in all of this."

"A wise decision," the Guide agreed. "It's good that you are safe, but I don't think that will last long. Get packed up and ready to leave."

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere but here. I'm not sure what the bird people are up to but I'd rather not be around to find out. I have a map of Jusendo and I'm afraid they might come here looking for it." He had survived one encounter with someone looking for information but he wasn't going to chance it again. Not with his daughter here. It would be best to lay low for a while until all this unpleasant business was past.

This certainly did not bode well at all.

As soon as Cologne checked Shampoo's room in the morning, she knew something was wrong. When Shampoo hadn't come down for breakfast after being called to several times, Cologne decided to drag her out and force her to spend time with her family. The girl may have been in no mood to deal with anybody after her stern lecture yesterday but that was no excuse to avoid everyone. However, what Cologne found after opening Shampoo's door was not a troublesome teenager, but an empty bed.

Cologne wasn't gullible enough to believe that her great-granddaughter may have just woken up early and was now strolling the streets. She knew exactly where she had gone and a quick check of the storage closet confirmed that Shampoo's backup equipment was missing. Cursing her wayward student for being this rash so soon, Cologne left the house and began discretely asking the guards from last night's shift at the watch towers if they had noticed anyone being where they shouldn't be. No one had seen anything, much to Cologne's relief. That meant that she could leave and drag Shampoo back before anybody could notice. Tensions were high at the moment and if anybody knew that Shampoo had gone to kick over the hornet's nest as it were, then there would be little Cologne could do to keep the calm.

'Damnit, Shampoo,' Cologne cursed once again to herself. 'Why couldn't you just let it go? You have far too much pride for your own good, even for a Joketsuzoku. Well, once I bring you back, I'll be sure to drill into that thick head of yours just why it's not wise to disobey me.'

Cologne was quick to make her preparations to leave. She didn't know how much of a lead Shampoo had on her and time was wasting. She left a brief note at her home to let anyone looking for her know that she would be gone for some time and then left the village proper.

She hadn't gone more than a mile out when she sensed the presence of someone following her. Cologne hid herself behind an outcropping of rocks and waited. A few minutes later, a figure appeared from further down the road, running at a good pace. When the person reached her position, Cologne leapt out and stuck out her cane. The figure tripped over it, and with a surprised squawk, face-planted into the road.

"A little off the mark from your home, aren't you Mousse?" Cologne drawled at the sprawled out boy before her. "Even your sight isn't bad enough for you to get lost this far out."

Mousse sat up and wiped his face clean with a robed sleeve and then glared at the old woman. "I'm not lost! I was following you, you dried up crone!"

Cologne smacked him over the head with her cane, burying his face back into the dirt.

"Don't test me, boy," Cologne warned. "I'm not in the mood. Now tell my why you're here."

Mousse pulled himself back up and swayed a bit in dizziness before slapping himself to regain focus. He stared hard at Cologne, his glasses shadowing his eyes in such a way as to give him an even more intense look. "I'm here to help rescue Shampoo."

Cologne's expression didn't change but none-the-less she was a bit surprised. No one should have known what she was attempting to do. Keeping her voice neutral, she said, "I don't know what you are talking about. I merely have business at another town. You go home."

Mousse sprang to his feet and moved to block Cologne's path. "Don't give me that! I saw what Shampoo was doing yesterday. She was getting ready for something, I could tell."

"From what I heard, you where too busy crying over her to notice anything."

"That's because you forced her to go through that stupid Breaking Point training! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that she hadn't been challenged in some time." Cologne raised up her staff, readying it for attack. "Now move aside. This conversation is over."

"Wait!" Mousse desperately waved his hands in front of him. "I can help! I'll do anything to make sure Shampoo comes back safe!"

Cologne was rapidly losing her patience. Mousse simply didn't know when to take a hint, otherwise he would have stopped his futile efforts to win over Shampoo long ago. She was about to bash him into unconsciousness but stopped herself when she got a good look at his expression. He was genuinely worried about Shampoo, despite not knowing what it was she was involved in. For all the faults that Cologne could list against Mousse, one thing in his favor was that he would do everything in his power to make good on his word to help Shampoo. Perhaps letting him come along would tip things in her favor. Even she wasn't sure just what it would take to get Shampoo back from the Musk and Phoenix.

"Very well, Mousse," Cologne said at length.

"You can't stop me! I'm going with you no matter what!-Wait. What did you say?"

Cologne rolled her eyes and repeated, "I said you can come."

Mousse just stood there, blinking and mouth agape. He wasn't sure what to say. He had been denied by this old woman so many times that arguing back at her was a conditioned reflex. Getting her to accept his help was akin to experiencing a minor miracle.

Cologne hopped up onto her staff and bounced past the unmoving young man. "Come on, boy!" she called back to him. "Keep up! I'm not going to wait for you!"

Mousse unfroze and scrambled to catch up to the pogoing elder with both of them heading off. Their destination: Phoenix mountain.

The trio of two men and one woman walking briskly through the wilderness of China was an uncomfortably quiet affair. Herb took the lead with Shampoo trailing behind and Mint bringing up the rear. No one had said anything since leaving earlier that morning but that sat fine with Shampoo. While she did have questions for them, most of her concentration was on what she would do once she got her hands on the little twerp known as Saffron. She couldn't wait to exact her vengeance on him and all the problems he had brought into her life.

However, the looks she was getting from her traveling companions since they started was really beginning to get on her nerves.

"Why do you two keep staring at me?" she finally shouted out. She whipped her head back and forth and caught Herb trying to discretely look away while Mint didn't even try to hide his interest. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Oh, no. It's nothing like that," Mint said as he followed eagerly behind. "It's just that I've never been this long with a wom-"

"Enough, Mint!" Herb interrupted angrily. "Keep moving and stay silent!"

Shampoo turned to him next. "Oh? You've been no better. I see your face getting red." While she held a large amount of caution around these men, there were some things she was not going to tolerate. "It's like you've never seen a girl before."

"We haven't," Mint piped up.

"Mint!"

Shampoo looked back and forth between the two odd individuals. Despite the warnings that her great-grandmother had given her about the Musk, curiosity was getting the better of her. "Really? Don't you have mothers and sisters?"

Herb was on the verge of just telling her to shut up. Being questioned like this was irritating and he had no intentions of giving out secrets of his people. However, there were some things that he was interesting in knowing and since Shampoo had started questioning them, it was time to turn things around and ask her a few things.

Keeping his face forward in order to hide the blush that was still covering his face, he asked, "What did you do to get that brat so angry at you?"

The mention of Saffron riled Shampoo enough that she didn't even take notice that her question had been dodged. "He had it coming! I was just minding my own business when he came in and tried to kill me! Spanking him was the least I wanted to do!"

Herb chuckled upon hearing that. That would have been a sight he'd would have loved to have seen.

"I'm going to make sure that he knows better than to mess with a Joketsuzoku. Especially since he ruined my journey."

"Journey?"

Shampoo took a moment to think about how much she wanted to tell him. "Things were getting boring at my village so I decided to leave for a while and see the outside world. I barely even started when this happened." She was silent for a time then thought of something to ask. "Why were you at Jusenkyo anyway? Seems strange that someone like you would be there."

"Herb wanted to see a woman before his marriage interview!" Mint happily supplied.

Herb slapped his hand against his face. That boy really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.

Shampoo was suddenly reminded of her previous question. "What's with you guys and women? Jusenkyo seems like a really bad place to get a date."

Herb growled at the pestering girl. Though perhaps if he answered her, she'd stop talking. "If you must know," Herb bit out, "we Musk are separated from the women at birth. That way we have no distractions when we train."

"Really? Even we don't do that with our men."

"Which is why our way is superior."

Shampoo snorted. "Right. And now you can't even look at me without getting nervous."

Herb suddenly whirled around and held up the hand not carrying the Gekkaja. The hand hummed and a knife of pure chi formed out of it. The chi knife was now being held just below Shampoo's chin.

"Listen, woman," Herb said threateningly. "I need you alive. That doesn't mean I need you in one piece."

Shampoo tried not to gulp, even as she could feel the heat coming near to her throat. She was quickly reminded of her great-grandmother's warning about these people. Looking at Herb's expression, she knew that he meant every word. However, that didn't mean that she was going to let them bully her around.

Keeping her voice level, she said, "I should warn you. There are rules that I must follow should an outsider man beat me."

Herb laughed in contempt. "Ha! I'm familiar with some of your laws. Let me guess. You have to track me down to the ends of the Earth and kill me." His condescending smile clearly showed how little he took that threat. "Right?"

"Worse. Marriage."

His look changed to that of confusion so Shampoo continued, "If an outsider man defeats me, then I am bound by my village's laws to marry him."

Herb stared at her a few seconds more before his eyes widened and the chi knife sputtered out. He stepped back and there was a noticeable blush to his face. Clearly flustered, Herb quickly turned back around and began marching again. "C-come on!" he commanded, trying not to let his voice crack. "We're wasting time!"

Shampoo and Mint did so, though now Shampoo was sporting a victorious smirk. It seemed that these big bad men weren't so tough after all.

Mint came up next to her and asked eagerly, "Is that true? We get to marry who we beat up at your village?"

"Mmhmm," Shampoo confirmed.

"Don't give him any ideas!" Herb yelled from his position in front. "He'll be getting his own interview, soon enough! Now, silence!"

With that, conversation ended, though there was plenty on all of their minds to keep them occupied as they continued.

In the royal courtroom of Mt. Phoenix, Saffron was hearing the reports from the scouting party he had sent to Jusendo a few days ago. As always, Kiima stood next to him as he sat on his throne.

"There was this big opening right where the taps were located," Saffron's manservant explained excitedly from his kneeling position. "We didn't even have to look that hard!"

"Most likely caused by the Gekkaja," Saffron surmised.

"That's what I thought as well," his manservant continued. "But don't worry, my lord. Neither of the taps appeared damaged or turned on. Once we were sure of this, we sealed it back up so that it cannot be found by anyone else."

Saffron nodded his head in approval. "Good. Good. Did you mark down where we need to go when we need them again?"

"..."

"You didn't think that far ahead, did you?" Saffron deadpanned.

"Ah...well, that is..."

Saffron grabbed his hair and began pulling it in frustration. "I'm surrounded by freakin' idiots! Now we do need the map!"

Just then a guard ran into the room crying, "My lord! My lord!"

"What is it now?" Saffron bellowed.

The guard stopped short, no longer so eager to give his report.

"Speak!" Kiima snapped at him. "Or be gone!"

Regaining his composure, the guard straightened up and said, "There are three landlings heading this way. They match the descriptions of the two men you had ordered to get the girl you wanted. It appears she is with them."

Saffron lightened up immediately upon hearing the news. "At last." He hopped down from his throne and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Did one of them have the Gekkaja?"

"Yes. The one in the lead held it."

"Excellent."

Saffron fell silent and after a few moments, his manservant suggested, "Should we prepare for battle, your highness?"

Saffron continued to think to himself a bit more. Finally, he said, "They brought the girl but I don't think they are going to just give her up without a fuss. Kiima, have some of your soldiers slow them down but don't let them fight them directly. Make sure that they have the one with the Gekkaja find his way here. I will deal with him then."

"Sire, that's too dangerous," Kiima cautioned. "The one called Herb is too powerful for you right now. Let's just give them their friend and be done with it."

"He won't make the switch without trying to get to me. I saw it in his eyes. His arrogance won't allow him to leave without getting paypack." He smiled wickedly. "So we'll let him have it."

Kiima sighed. This was not a wise move but she had received her orders and Saffron seemed to have some type of plan. "The other two, then?"

"Let Lime deal with them. Just be sure that he brings the girl back to me alive." He chuckled darkly. "Once I'm done with her, she'll wish she had never been born."

Shampoo, Herb and Mint all looked up at the mountain that they had traveled half the day to arrive at. It was a rock spire, much like many of the other mountains in this part of the country. Its height was so great that its peak was obscured by clouds and judging by the lack of ledges and footholds, no one would be able to climb up to see it.

Unless someone could fly.

"You two," Herb said to the others. "Come here."

Shampoo and Mint stepped up next to him. Herb had attached the Gekkaja to his back with a strip of rope so that he had both hands free. He spread out his arms and gestured for them to come closer. "Hold onto me. There's no way up besides flying."

"You can fly without wings?" Shampoo asked in surprise.

"If one knows how to wield his chi right, then anyone can fly," Herb explained. "Though the control necessary for it is almost exclusive to my line. Now come."

"Don't try anything funny," Shampoo warned as she reluctantly wrapped her arms around Herb's shoulder and neck while Mint eagerly did the same. Flying with Herb was exhilarating the very few times he allowed it. Herb wrapped his own arms around their waists and held them close and prepared himself.

Two minutes later and they hadn't budged.

"Well?" Shampoo whined impatiently.

"What's the matter, Herb?" Mint asked with more concern. "Are we too heavy?"

"N-n-n-no!" Herb snapped, though with the way his voice stuttered, it didn't come out very forceful.

"Then what is it?" Mint urged.

The what were the two very female breast pressed up against his side. He'd never felt such a sensation before and it was shattering his concentration completely. Sweat began to pure down his brow with the effort he made in trying to ignore them but no matter what meditation technique he used, the feeling of their softness wouldn't go away. He was so mortified with embarrassment that he simply didn't know what to do. He couldn't say anything either or Mint would never stop pestering him about it.

Shampoo huffed in annoyance. Herb wasn't fooling her with his bravado, not with the way his face was completely red. He was worse than Mousse when it came to girls. Seeing as though they'd be here until winter fell, Shampoo decided to get his mind out of the cesspool. She quickly reached into her hair, pulled out a pin and aimed for a tender spot.

"YEEAAAHHHH!"

Herb sprang more than a hundred feet into the air, bringing his two bundles with him. The stab of pain to his rear ended and he suddenly realized that they were airborne and dropping quickly. He pushed out his aura by sheer reflex and bounced off the rocks, propelling them higher up the slope. There was no time to stop as there was nowhere to land that would support them so he was forced to continue bounding further and further upwards.

After a particularly high jump, Herb had enough time to yell out, "Don't ever do that to me again, woman!"

"It got you going, didn't it?" Shampoo yelled back, hanging on for dear life. She dared not look down for fear of losing the contents of her stomach.

After a few more hops, Herb was able to say back, "I should drop you for this insolence!"

Shampoo risked letting go long enough to flash the pin she still held in her hand so that Herb saw it then reaffirmed her grip. "If you do, I'm taking you with me!"

Herb's face contorted with rage but he had no choice but to focus on the task at hand. Timing his use of the Dragon's Spirit Flight while carrying two people was taking all of his concentration. At least it was keeping his mind off of other things.

Finally, after several minutes of death defying rock hopping, Herb spotted an opening and hurled them all through it. The group tumbled forward until coming to an unglorified stop. They all groaned in pain and nausea before slowly climbing to their feet. Mint was the first up and he rushed over to help Herb. However, Herb angrily pushed him away and drew himself up to his full height. He unstrapped the Gekkaja and brandished it towards Shampoo. By now, Shampoo had gained some distance, brought out her sword and held it at the ready. The two starred at each other, neither appearing to back down.

"You are resourceful, I'll give you that," Herb finally said, letting a little respect enter his voice. "But know that my patience with you is nearing its end. Soon, this will end, and I'll be glad to be rid of you."

"Then let us take her off your hands."

Herb, Mint and Shampoo all blinked and turned their heads. They had landed in a large, brightly lit hall carved out of the mountain. On either side of them were dozens of armed, winged soldiers.

The speaker of the troupe stepped forward. "Give her to us and we'll release the prisoner as agreed."

Shampoo looked over to Herb and wasn't surprised that he appeared to be thinking it over. Too bad for him that she had no intentions of being his bargaining chip.

"You'll never take me alive!" she cried out. She stabbed the wall she was nearest to with a single finger and yelled out, "Breaking Point!" The wall exploded outwards, raining chucks of rock down on the soldiers next to her. The bird men fell back to avoid the hail of sharp stone but it had given Shampoo time to swap out her sword for her chúi and plow into them. The dual weapons worked better in crowds and she put them to great affect by battering around an unlucky soldier in her way. The soldiers were too unprepared for the onslaught and were forced to retreat the way they came. Shampoo gave a battle cry and chased after them.

On the other side of the hall, Herb had been as surprised as the others when Shampoo had launched her attack but only momentarily. Seeing as how negotiations had broken down, he took aim and shot out a medium sized blast to scatter the soldiers nearest him. Herb then raised the Gekkaja and began advancing on the disorganized troops. The bird men gathered themselves up and ran off further down the hall.

Just as Herb was about to give chase, he noticed Mint by his side with his sword drawn and looking ready to dart down the hall to pick off stragglers one by one. "Hold, Mint!" Mint stumbled from the unexpected order and gave his leader a quizzical look. "You go with the girl. Find Lime and figure out some way to get him back on our side."

"But what about you?" Mint prompted, disappointed that he would be split up from his lord.

Herb strode past him, an intense look to his eyes. "I've got a runt to meet. Remember, the girl is expendable. Now go."

Mint wanted to protest but a sharp look from Herb stopped him. He nodded sadly and shot down the hall in the direction that Shampoo had gone. It didn't take him long for him to pick up the sounds of battle coming from further ahead. He exited the hall and came into a room that looked to be used as some type of communal area. There were tables and chairs set up for people to lounge in and a fountain with bird decorations off to the side, near a window. It wasn't spouting any water though. Shampoo was in the center, a pile of unconscious bird men at her feet. In front of her stood two very familiar figures, Koruma and Masala. Towering behind them was Lime who wasn't wearing his traditional tiger striped outfit. Instead, his armor was more bird like, with feathered decorations and black, white and red coloring.

"You two," Shampoo seethed through clenched teeth. She unconsciously touched the area where her hair tassel had been severed and then entered a stance. "First I'll make you pay and then it will be your child-king."

"Ha! Not gonna happen!" Masala crowed. "You should just give up now. Things will go much smoother for-"

"Lime!"

Masala and Koruma blanched as Mint suddenly appeared between them and was staring up at Lime excitedly. "There you are! I was so worried about you."

"Hey, Mint!" Lime smiled and waved down to him. "You shouldn't have worried. I've been doing alright."

"Really? They didn't stick you into a dank and clammy cell and only feed you slop twice a day?"

"Nah. I get my own room and get to eat whenever I want. They eat a lot of bread around here so the food is dull."

"Well, that's disappointing. The people around here really need to learn how to treat prisoners properly."

Shampoo and Koruma bobbed their respective partners over the head.

"You're suppose to be fighting them!" they exclaimed.

"Oh, right," Lime said, slapping a fist into his hand in remembrance. "Hey, Mint. Hold still for a moment so that I can capture you." He reached out to grab his fellow Musk.

"No way!" Mint dashed away, taking up position next to Shampoo. "C'mon, Lime! You're not one of them! You're one of us! Stop listening to them and help us out!"

"There's nothing you can say that will make your friend listen to you," Koruma explained triumphantly. "He'll only take orders from us."

"Really," Mint commented. "Then that just means that I have to take you two out then." With that, he moved forward, crossing the distance between himself and Kiima's right hand men nigh instantaneously.

Even though Koruma and Masala had experience fighting Mint from their encounter at Jusenkyo, they still had trouble tracking his movements. They dove out of the way in time to miss Mint's sword swipe and took to the air, readying their weapons to try to box him in. Koruma noticed Lime coming to help but what hope he had of using his newfound muscle man was interrupted when Shampoo stepped into the tiger man's path.

"Not so fast," she said to him. "You get to play with me."

Lime blinked and then pointed a finger at her. "Are you a woman?"

Shampoo groaned. "Not you too?"

Lime payed no attention to that and instead focused on something else. "Are those breasts? Can I see them?"

A chúi slammed into his face.

"No! Now fight!"

While that was going on, Mint tried pinning down his chosen opponents with his Wolf Fang Shooting Star Bullets technique. He had found that his speed advantage had little use against foes that could fly out of his sword range so he was forced to resort to his only distance attack. He threw his daggers with pin-point precision but Koruma was showing his adept skills with a sword by blocking the incoming projectiles while Masala countered by flapping his wings and sending his feathers to fly out like darts to intercept any knives sent his way. Before long, Mint was down to only a few daggers left and nothing to show for it but an empty holster.

"We're ready for you this time, landling!" Masala taunted from his perch on an ornamental statue set further up the room. "There's no way you're winning this time!"

"Oh, yeah?" Mint roared up at him. "You haven't seen anything yet!" He ran towards a wall, building up speed and then jumped towards it. He twisted himself so that his feet touched the wall first then quickly pushed back off. He rocketed higher than he would have if he had jumped from the floor, reaching the height necessary to launch a sword attack against a stunned Masala. Only Koruma came in at the last second, blocking the thrust with his own sword and then pushed Mint away.

Mint plummeted to the floor briefly before reaching for his ball and chain and throwing it at the closest wall decoration, that of a swan in flight. The chain wrapped around the statue's neck and Mint swung himself back up, aiming for Koruma this time. The Phoenix warrior wasn't ready for such a quick counter attack and could only brace himself for the collision but then a stream of arrows shot past him and towards Mint. Mint's sword blurred and the arrows were reduced to kindling but his trajectory was off now and sailed past Koruma. Mint landed on a small ledge and with a flick of his wrist, untangled his ball and chain which he pulled back to him. He then reassessed his position and that of his enemies. Koruma and Masala circled once around the room and then both dived down at him.

Meanwhile, down on the floor, Shampoo was finding out once again just how dangerous the Musk were when provoked. The cheap shot she had landed to start things off was the first and only clean hit she had been able to connect with. Lime was now properly focused on the battle and was fighting back with more than respectable skill. He was also faster than Shampoo had anticipated but she still held an advantage there by being a tad bit quicker. However, what was really catching her off guard was his monstrous strength. She had stopped blocking his blows early on since it felt as though he could punch right through her with little effort. That meant anticipating his strikes and then countering the milliseconds it took for him to reset himself.

It was actually really exciting.

Shampoo hadn't had a challenge like this for some time now. Before leaving the village, many of her fellow peers hadn't been able to offer a proper fight to her in weeks, making battles stale and predictable. She hadn't expected to meet anybody to give her a run for her money but having found such a person made her realize just how much she had been missing the thrill of being taken to her limits. The fact that more than just wounded pride was at stake only heightened her excitement.

She hopped out of the way of one of Lime's punches and retaliated with a two strike combination with her chúi to his head. Lime ducked under the blows and tried to come in low but Shampoo jumped up and planted her feet into the back of his skull before bounding off and stepping away for the next round. Lime turned to find her, more frustrated than hurt and was able to deflect the incoming chúi strikes targeting his vital areas off his arms. He then sprung forward again, trying to grapple her and bring his superior strength into play.

Shampoo continued this dance with him for another minute, making sure that all of her attacks were aiming high. Finally, Lime lessened his guard below his midsection to concentrate further up and that's when Shampoo took a chance. She charged at him, her weapons poised to strike upwards, then completely threw him off when she slid forward, sliding under his feet and let loose the hardest blow she could muster in this position to his left knee. Her chúi slammed into the unarmored joint and she heard Lime cry out at the actual pain he was feeling. Shampoo zipped to her feet even as Lime fell to his good knee and held the other. With his guard wide open, Shampoo smiled in victory, reared back and thrust her weapon towards the fallen warrior's head.

Only to have Lime reach up with a single hand and stop the chúi dead in its path. Shampoo grunted and stumbled forward in surprise which brought her in range for Lime to turn the tables on her. He pushed off with his good leg and caught Shampoo full in the stomach with his fist. The impact sent her sailing to the other end of the room where she crashed into a wall, causing a crater to form around her.

Lime gave a toothy grin at her unmoving body. He carefully put weight on his injured knee, finding that it wasn't broken but would be sore for some time. However, another blow like that and it definitely would have been shattered. Just who was this girl?

Well, it didn't matter. His opponent was down and it was only a matter of time before Mint was subdued, even as the sound of fighting continued from above. Then he could take care of Herb and use the magic eggs on them so they could be happy living here.

The sound of coughing caught his attention. He looked across the room and boggled that Shampoo was actually coming around. He saw her grimace mightily before propping her hands against the edges of the crater around her and pulled herself out. She stumbled forward a few steps, causing stone and masonry from the wall to fall off of her and rain down to the floor. She took a careful breath of air then looked back up at him, stubborn determination etched across her face.

"I'm...not beaten yet," Shampoo painfully wheezed out. She hurt all over. If it weren't for her recent training in the Breaking Point, she doubted she'd be alive now. Even then it was taking considerable effort in staying upright. One stupid punch and now she was in worse shape than Lime, though it perked her up to see that he was favoring his injured knee heavily. If she could buy a little more time, then she'd show the overpowered jerk a thing or two.

She carefully set herself into an unarmed stance since her weapons had been lost when she had been hit. That made things significantly more difficult as the extra reach would come in very handy. She didn't think she'd be able to get to them before Lime was upon her which would be a wasted effort that she could ill afford now. It was mano e mano time.

That is until she noticed that Lime was looking at her with a glassy eyed expression. Shampoo frowned in confusion and followed his gaze only to realize that a rip in her outfit from the fight had caused a fair amount of cleavage to be exposed. She was about to hastily cover up when a plan began to take form in her head. It would be taking a risk but it may be the only way to get out of this.

Shampoo exited her stance and instead walked up to Lime with a sultry smirk and a suggestive sway to her hips. Lime was entranced by every movement. "See something you like?" she purred as she came closer to him. Lime nodded dumbly, drool beginning to leak from his wide open mouth. "That's good. Joketsuzoku women are raised to find strong men attractive." Whether Lime heard that last bit or not she couldn't tell but she knew this would get his attention. She parted her ruined dress further apart, showing off even more of her assets to him. "Do you want to see more?"

Koruma, Masala and Mint suddenly landed before her. "I DO! I DO!" they all exclaimed excitedly.

Shampoo punted them into a wall.

She twirled back around, causing her breasts to jiggle and giving Lime a nosebleed. Not that he cared. Shampoo spread her arms wide and said invitingly, "Come and get them!"

Lime needed no further encouragement. With a cry of "BANZAI!" he launched himself at her, leaving himself completely open. As he neared, Shampoo reached into her hair and pulled out a comb and a shampoo bottle.

Herb slashed at another volley of arrows sent his way with the Gekkaja, removing the pesky projectiles from his path. The Phoenix guards were keeping their distance from him, relying on ranged attacks to try and stop him. It was a futile attempt. No matter what they threw at him, Herb continued on steadily, barely raising a sweat. However, Herb was still being cautious. It wouldn't do to let his guard down and for one of the bird men to get lucky and use some sort of magical item like the rope that Lime had used. So far nothing like that had happened but he stayed vigilant none-the-less.

Eventually, the size of the troops ahead of him began to get bigger and their attacks more frenzied. They were doubling their efforts to stop him, which meant he was getting closer to something that they didn't want him to get to. Deciding to act now before the soldiers could form a solid defence, Herb charged and sent multiple chi bolts into their midst. The blasts struck stone and men alike, resulting in chaos for the Phoenix guards and forcing them further back. Herb continued to surge forward and came across one final group of twenty men that was holding their ground in front of a set of large stone double doors.

Less than thirty seconds later, they were all unconscious.

Herb strode up to the doors and rather than open them normally, cut them to pieces with the Gekkaja's superior blade. He walked into the room beyond the crumbling doors and found what he had been looking for. Saffron was standing on his thrown, the Kinjakan in his grasp. Standing next to him was Kiima who was then flanked by a dozen heavily armed guards.

"You could have knocked," Saffron quipped.

Herb declined to respond to that comment and instead walked boldly into the throne room. He stopped just a few feet from the guards who were tensed to act at any second. He then raised up the Gekkaja, making sure they all got a good look at it.

"You probably already know what this is," Herb began, "so I don't have to explain it to you. What I am going to say is that this will be the instrument to end you. I'm going to take your head and display it upon the entrance to my palace. It will make a perfect decoration and a reminder to anyone that I'm not to be trifled with."

Saffron's eyes narrowed but then he snorted in derision. "If that was your plan, then why go to the trouble of tracking the girl down and bringing her here? We could have kept our deal and avoided all of this unpleasantness."

"She was merely a bargaining chip should I have need of one. Since I made it this far, it doesn't matter what happens to her now. I'll be taking my servant back, along with your skull." His threat over, he moved forward once again.

"Kill him!" Kiima shouted, drawing her sword.

The guards gave a rallying cry and charged. They didn't make it four steps before Herb flashed his arm and sent multiple chi balls at them. The shots were pinpoint and struck the guards in gaps in their armor. One by one, they fell to the ground.

"Thousand Wings of a Seabird!"

Herb sidestepped away from the streaking chi feathers and raised his hand once again to fire off a much larger blast up at Kiima than the ones from before. Kiima tried shredding it with another Thousand Wings of a Seabird attack but the feathers were completely absorbed. The blast was too fast and too big for her to get out of its way and took it full on, flying back and colliding with the throne room wall. She collapsed to the ground in an undignified heap.

"If there are no more interruptions, I'd like to get this over with," Herb stated. He jumped once and landed just in front of Saffron. Herb smiled in satisfaction as Saffron's confidence from before quickly turned to dread. The bird king raised the Kinjakan before him in a futile effort to try and protect himself. Herb could see him cowering behind it, waiting for the end to come. He obliged by stabbing down with the Gekkaja, intent on knocking the Kinjakan away so that he would have a clear path to Saffron's neck.

The moment the two keys of Jusendo touched each other, Herb's plan was shot to Hell.

Instantly, Herb was engulfed in a freezing wind blasting away from the Gekkaja. He was so shocked and the sudden cold was so strong that he couldn't even pull himself away. He tried desperately to flare up his aura but the wind cut through that just as easily as the Gekkaja's blade would have. On the other side of the interlocked staffs, Saffron was being barraged by his own wind, only this one was hot. Not that it bothered Saffron in the least. The mask of fear that he had worn was gone, to be replaced by a gloating smile as he basked in the heat the Kinjakan was sending his way.

"Surprised, Musk?" Saffron called out. "I knew you would be coming for me. Did you think that I wouldn't be prepared? You thought you could use a weapon against me when you had no idea of its true power? Such a fool!"

Herb couldn't spare the effort to retort back. He was losing feeling in his whole body and could see ice crystals forming on his eyelashes. He was suddenly reminded of one of the weaknesses that his kind succumbed to: cold. It didn't affect him very often but whenever a severe chill came to the environment, his dragon heritage responded by going dormant. The condition left him sick or weak for a short time but it was enough to be a concern. It was a secret that was kept well guarded as it could be exploited during battle. Like now.

Herb summoned every iota of power that he had left. In one final attempt to break away, he raised up his free hand and shot a chi bolt at where the weapons were connected. The bolt was successful in dislodging them, ending the bitter wind and finally allowing him to fall back. Herb dropped the Gekkaja from his nerveless fingers and huddled on the floor, shivering uncontrollably. Ever so slowly, he summoned the fire living inside him and forced the cold away, feeling glorious warmth return to him. If he could just keep this up for another minute, then he'd finish the job he had come here to do.

Only Saffron had no intentions of letting him do that. He pulled out more of the special rope that could bind dragons, came up to Herb's helpless form and looped a pre-made noose around his neck. Saffron tightened the noose and then saw the returning color drain from Herb's face as the Musk prince's power left him.

"My, how fitting this is," Saffron said as he held the rope like a leash. "I'll be sure to have this day passed down in our glorious history as the day the Dragon kneels before the Phoenix in his final moments. In a way you'll live on, if only as a memory."

"B-b-b-b-bas-s-s-s-s-terd!" Herb snarled through chattering teeth.

Saffron noticed Kiima and the rest of his guards recovering and picking themselves up. He motioned Kiima to come over and handed her the rope. "Make sure he stays still," he ordered and then placed the Kinjakan aside and picked up the Gekkaja. He stabbed the blade end into the floor and then to Herb's confusion, bent the handle so that it was now perpendicular to the crescent end. Saffron pulled and the Gekkaja came free but not without taking some of the floor with it. Herb could see that the stone still stuck on the end was frozen solid. Saffron struck the stone onto floor, shattering it and sending ice particles everywhere.

"This means that the Gekkaja is now turned on," Saffron explained. "Just like the Phoenix and Dragon taps that you saw, the two staffs are a pair of opposites. One of fire and the other of ice. Since you were so kind as to bring this to me, allow me to demonstrate its power on you as a way of thanks."

Herb tried to rise but Kiima grabbed him by the hair and pushed him back down. "You should have kept your deal with us, landling," she spat down to him. "This is what happens to those that don't follow our Lord's commands."

Herb struggled but it did him no good. With his chi sealed away and still feeling terrible from the cold, he was as easy to deal with as a child for Kiima. She held him down and could only watch as Saffron raised the Gekkaja up and then stab it down. Herb gasped as he felt the tips of the weapon penetrate his armor but go no further. However, stabbing him to death was not what Saffron had in mind. In seconds, ice began to spread away from where the Gekkaja was embedded and circle around Herb's body. Herb choked in renewed agony as he was being covered. Finally, Saffron pulled the Gekkaja free and stepped back to view his masterpiece. Other than his head, Herb was completely encased in ice.

"Lovely," Saffron crooned.

Just then, movement at the entrance caught his eye. The guards saw it too and prepared themselves. What came through made Saffron's day even better. Lime walked in but he wasn't empty handed. His arms were looped around two unconscious bodies; Herb's other servant Mint...

...and the girl.

"Perfect!" Saffron cried out. "Absolutely, perfect!"

Lime stopped halfway into the room and dropped his two burdens to the floor. He then knelt down and said, "I've brought them just like you told me to."

Saffron was so giddy that he was tempted to perform a little dance of joy. That wouldn't have been very king like so he settled for throwing his head back and laughing long and hard instead. Finally, he calmed down and regarded all the people that had tried to stand before him. His gaze eventually settled on Herb, who was fighting to remain conscious. Seeing as how the upstart prince didn't have much time left, Saffron decided to deal with him first. The girl could wait.

How to end things though. He had planned on just letting Herb succumb to the cold but that didn't seem as epic now. He looked over to Lime and a fantastic idea came forth. What better way to show his dominance as the upcoming King of Jusenkyo than to have Herb's own friend do the final honors?

"Lime. Would you like to free your former master of his torment?" Lime nodded eagerly. "Then come up here and end his suffering. Show him that I am to be obeyed above all else and that nothing can overcome my will."

Lime got up and headed over. He stood over the trapped form of his prince and raised a fist.

"Lime..." Herb moaned weakly. His heart was beating more and more slowly and darkness was creeping into the edges of his vision. "Please..."

"Do it, Lime," Saffron commanded. "Send him to the next life with the knowledge that he was killed by one of his closest friends. Do it!"

Lime closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. He then snapped them open and struck down with all his might.

With a single blow, the ice around Herb was completely shattered.

Lime quickly grabbed up Herb and darted back, neither one noticing when the Locking Ladle and its bucket, both strapped to Herb's side the entire time, were left behind. In the same moment, Mint and Shampoo sprang up and attacked the unsuspecting guards surrounding them. In moments, they had the room cleared of any threats and then stood next to Lime in guarding positions. Mint took a second to slice off the rope around Herb's neck.

Saffron was speechless. His mouth had hung open through the whole thing and had watched as all his helpless prisoners suddenly weren't so helpless anymore. One question came to the forefront though.

"How did you cure him of our control?" he screeched.

Smirking, Shampoo reached into her hair and pulled out a shampoo bottle with 999 printed on its label. " Xi Fa Xiang Gao. Version: Universal Nullifier," she gloated. "Used to wash out any enchantments applied to the mind." She placed away the bottle and raised up her sword. "And now it's time to get my due."

Kiima stepped in front of Saffron, brandishing her own sword. "You will never touch him," she promised.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Mint piped up. "This wasn't part of the plan! We got Lime and we got Herb. Let's just get out of here!"

"You think they are just going to let us leave?" Shampoo shot back. "If we take care of them now, they will never bother us again!"

"It doesn't have to be that way," Saffron said as he stepped forward. "How about it, Prince Herb? We can keep our deal. Hand over the girl and you and your friends can leave without a fuss."

Shampoo looked down at Herb and was disheartened to see that he appeared to be thinking it over. Her spirits sank further when Herb cleared his throat and said through clattering teeth, "V-v-v-very well."

"You can't be serious!" Shampoo spat.

"Oh, b-b-b-but I am."

"I saved you! I saved your friend!"

"Which w-w-w-wouldn't have hap-p-pened if not for you in the f-f-frist place."

"That's right," Saffron second. "It's your fault, girl. Everything that has happened, the reason why we are here is because of you. I know this. Herb knows this. You know this. Give it up for everyone's sake."

Shampoo whirled around, finding nothing but accusatory stares directed her way. She saw Mint and Lime beginning to tense in case she tried attacking them. Kiima was inching closer, getting into position to subdue her. She was surrounded.

It wasn't fair. She hadn't done anything to deserve this. She wished her great-grandmother was here. She always knew what to do. She'd be able to make things right.

However, Shampoo was alone. The allies that she thought she had were turning against her and the enemies that she had come to punish were closing in. Nothing had gone right ever since she had decided to leave the village what felt like an eternity ago. If only she had stayed, everything would have been fine.

"Get her!" she heard Saffron command.

"NEVER!" Screaming her defiance and with nothing left to lose, Shampoo stabbed the floor with her finger. A huge explosion of rocks erupted, spraying the whole area in shrapnel. Mint moved to block the rocks coming towards them while Kiima snapped her wings forward and draped them in front of herself. She waited for the storm of stone to pass then opened them back up.

Only to see Shampoo launch herself out of the clearing dust and receive a punch to her face. Kiima was sent to the fare side of the room and collapsed to the ground, once again unconscious. Shampoo charged forward and flung a chúi at Saffron, knocking the Gekkaja from his hand where it fell to the floor besides him. Panicked, Saffron reached down to grab it-

-and then a sword was planted between him and the staff. He slowly looked up and beheld his death.

Shampoo's eyes were so hard and cold that they almost appeared lifeless. But nothing could hide the bitter rage that flickered in her red irises. "If I'm going to die today," she said in a voice as cold as the Gekkaja's wind, "then I'm going to at least see you die first." She pulled the sword out of the floor and slowly advanced.

Saffron, more scared than he could ever remember through dozens of past lives, fell back and tried to scramble away. His hands desperately sought for something, anything, that could help him. However, the Gekkaja was behind Shampoo and the Kinjakan was too far away to get to in time.

"I've read in storybooks that the Phoenix is able to be reborn," Shampoo commented in a almost calm manner. Too calm. "Maybe in your next life you won't grow up to be such a brat." She lashed out with a foot, catching Saffron in the face. He fell to his back and then felt a foot pin him down by the chest. He looked up and saw Shampoo lifting her sword in a two handed grip, preparing it to be thrust down.

With no time left, his hands finally caught hold of something. Not knowing what it was or if it could help him, but having no other options, Saffron griped it and then flung it upwards just as Shampoo brought her sword downwards. He closed his eyes and waited for the end.

There was a crack of wood, the sound of a sword being embedded into the floor, a splash of water and then silence.

Hesitantly, Saffron cracked open an eye. A flash of metal next to him caught his attention first. He turned and saw Shampoo's sword buried halfway into the ground, missing his neck by millimeters. He gulped and gazed upwards but there was no sign of Shampoo. Now confused, he sat up and felt dampness in his clothes. He grimaced, hoping he hadn't wet himself. No subjects could be allowed to see that.

Checking around some more, he spotted clothes next to his feet. The same clothes Shampoo had been wearing. Besides them was some sort of bucket but it had been cleaved in half. That's when Saffron saw something crawling under the clothes. His curiosity getting the better of him, he lifted some of them up.

A dark shape flew out from the clothes and attached itself to his face.

"Yeow! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!"

Saffron ran around the room in a panic, flailing his arms and screaming at the top of his lungs as whatever it was that was on him was biting his head.

He stopped when he ran right into Lime's outstretched fist.

Lime grabbed hold of the baby dragon trying to nibble its way through Saffron's skull and pulled it off. He then tossed Saffron's dazed form to land on his throne in an unglorified heap.

"Mint! Get the pieces of the Locking Ladle!" Herb called out, some of his vigor returning. "Quick!"

"Right!" Mint responded, dashing over to grab up the ladle and the broken pieces of the bucket and then returning just as fast.

Herb tried standing up but a dizzy spell hit him and he collapsed back down. Lime caught him before he hit the ground. "Let me carry you, master." Herb didn't have the strength to protest. He nodded weakly and Lime scooped him up in one arm while holding the squirming whelp in the other.

"I'll be damned," Herb breathed as he caught sight of the creature with the steak of purple hair. "She had a Jusenkyo curse the entire time."

"We'll worry about that later!" Lime interrupted. "Let's get out of here!"

No one able to speak objected and so the Musk trio and the one transformed Joketsuzoku rushed out of the desecrated throne room and down the hall. Lime lead the way, having gained a layout of some of the corridors of the mountain during his time here. Unfortunately, the place was still on high alert and so they couldn't avoid running into more bird people no matter where they went. Some turned out to be regular civilians who ran away as soon as they caught sight of them. Others had weapons and chased them.

"Ignore them," Herb directed. "Just get us out. Mint, cover our backs."

It was slow going but Lime was able to get them down a few levels to where they might be able to climb down the mountain. He reached what he believed to be a passage that lead to the opening he was looking for. Running for all he was worth, Lime barrelled through anyone in his way and came to the door he was expecting to find. He kicked it open, ripping the door off its hinges and where it crashed to the rocks below. Lime peered out.

"Crap."

There was nothing but a steep ledge before them. The ground was hundreds of feet below. No handholds were found as anyone with wings wouldn't have need of them.

"They're right behind us!" Mint warned from within.

"Do we jump?" Lime suggested. He might survive the landing but he wasn't so sure of anybody else.

Just then, a tornado of all things came whirling up from below. The group watched in fascination as they beheld the impossible as the tornado came rushing up the side, right for them. They backed away but stared as they saw someone inside of it as it drew closer. Two people that is. One was a teenage boy with white robes and just below him was a shriveled up gnome thing who was furiously twirling a wooden staff. Somehow, it alone was what was creating and controlling the tornado.

"Now, Mousse!" the thing, a woman from the sounds of it, yelled out in a strained voice. Beads of sweat were flying away from the woman's forehead, the focus necessary to continue this technique almost too much to endure.

The boy, Mousse, snapped out his hands, sending several chains out and wrapping themselves around the surprised escapees. Before they could shake them off, Mousse pulled mightily and they were ripped away from the mountain entrance and right into the tornado with him. Their cries of shock and outrage were drowned out by the nonstop howling winds around them. Then the woman changed direction of her staff twirling and the unnatural storm whisked them away from Mt. Phoenix.

A mile out was all Cologne was capable of. She brought them in as close to the ground as she could before ending the tornado and falling to the earth below. She landed lightly but her passengers weren't so graceful. They collided with the ground, all of them landing in a pile. There was much groaning and slow movements until Lime, Mint and Mousse's faces turned green and they rushed to some nearby bushes. Cologne could hear them puking their guts out so she tuned them out and scanned the group before her.

"Shampoo?" she called out hopefully. "Where are you?"

A green blur appeared from where Lime had gone and latched itself to Cologne's front, crying and squeaking its happiness to see her the whole time. It gave the biggest hug it could which meant that it wrapped its claws around her neck and coiled its tail around her waist. Cologne sighed in relief and stroked the whelp's mane with a gnarled hand.

"It's okay now, Shampoo," Cologne soothed to her changed great-granddaughter. "You're safe now."

After a minute, the men came back, looking sickly but glad to be alive regardless. Cologne released Shampoo and walked up to the only one that had managed to keep his food down. "Are you Herb, Prince of the Musk?"

"I am," Herb answered. He tried appearing as regal as possible even if his outfit was ripped to shreds from the tornado's winds. Someone of his position always had to appear the part when in front of authority.

"I'm not sure if I should be thanking you for dragging my little Shampoo into your business but she's alive and that's what is important. So, thank you." She heard Shampoo screeching angrily from behind her.

"That was only to lower their guard!" Herb defended. "Everything went exactly as planned!"

"Uh, she was thanking you, Herb," Mint said from beside him. "Not questioning you."

Herb blinked as a realization hit him. He opened his mouth to speak but Cologne beat him to it.

"We'll talk later. We need to get away from this area before the bird people send scouts to look for us. Come on." Without another word, she began bounding away. Shampoo gave a searing glare at Herb before scampering after her. Mousse wasn't too far behind.

"Do we follow them?" Lime asked.

Herb wanted desperately to say no. He was still reeling from being nearly frozen to death and then churned inside of a whirlwind. He felt awful and was struggling to stay on his feet. Looking over his companions, he saw they weren't in much better shape. He had noticed that Lime had been limping considerably their entire time fleeing through the mountain and Mint was sporting bruises and slashes all over his body. If they were to encounter anymore enemies from the Phoenix then it may be their last.

"For now," he said at last.

The group traveled in silence for the rest of the day, putting as many miles between them and the home of Saffron as they could. When night finally fell, Cologne selected a cove nestled in the side of an unnamed mountain and told Mousse to get a fire going. This far out, they shouldn't be identified as anything other than cross-county wayfarers. Once a fire was ready, Cologne asked for Mousse to heat up some water. He nodded and produced a kettle of water from his sleeves and placed it over the fire.

"I have questions for all of you but I'd like for Shampoo to be human to help answer them," she explained. Herb looked away. When the water inside was ready, Mousse poured some over Shampoo's whelp body.

Nothing happened.

"What the?" Mousse tested the water on his palm but it should have been warm enough to transform Shampoo back. At least that was his understanding since Cologne had told him of Jusenkyo on his way to rescue her.

"Let me check." Cologne took the kettle and tested the water herself. It was warm enough. She was about to try it on Shampoo when Herb spoke up.

"That won't work now."

Cologne dumped water over Shampoo anyway but still no transformation. Narrowing her eyes, she turned towards where the Musk prince was sitting. "Explain."

Herb took out the severed pieces of his bucket and held up the ladle. "This is what we call the Locking Ladle. It is what we use when we need to lock cursed beasts as women. At least that's what we used to do.

"During our battle with Saffron, the girl there got splashed with its water."

"But it was empty when we went in," Mint pointed out.

"The ice that I was trapped in must have gotten into the bucket when Lime freed me. It has magical properties so it turned the ice into cold water. When she broke it open the water hit her. She's now stuck that way."

There was silence for a time. Then Mousse suddenly charged forward and lifted Herb by his tunic. "Then how do we change her back?" he shouted into his face.

Before Herb could pry him off, Lime reached forward and separated them. He tossed Mousse away and the bespectacled boy plowed into the ground, creating a small trench of upturned dirt. "Don't touch him, again!" Lime warned.

"Mousse, stay put," Cologne told him as he pried himself out of the earth. She turned back to Herb, her face darkening. "He asks a fair question though. How do we change Shampoo back? My memory is fuzzy but I believe there's something that releases the lock. Am I right?"

Herb settled himself pack down, not answering. Why should he give his people's secrets away so easily? He had already said too much. It was the girl's fault anyway.

However, he then felt power building from the old woman. Power that nearly rivaled his own at his best. He looked up and saw Cologne glowing like a beacon from a lighthouse. Her words as she spoke reverberated through his very being, threatening to churn his insides into mush.

"DO NOT THINK ME AN OLD, HELPLESS WOMAN, BOY. I AM AN ELDER OF THE JOKESTUZOKU. IF NECESSARY, I WILL TORTURE YOU AND WIPE YOUR MIND CLEAN TO GET THE ANSWERS I WANT. DON'T LET PRIDE COST YOU ANY MORE THAN IT ALREADY HAS TODAY." Cologne let her aura die back down but that didn't mean that it was completely gone. She could summon it back in an instant.

Herb suppressed his urge to gulp. He hadn't felt this cowed since his late father had trained him. He doubted he'd come out of any confrontation with this woman alive, even if he weren't so weakened. He forced himself to steady his nerves before he dared to speak. "There is a way, like you said. There is an object that counteracts the Locking Ladle called the Open Water Kettle. My people don't have it though. It's lost and hidden away."

"Do you know where?" Cologne prodded.

"Yes. It's in Japan. But that's all I know."

Cologne watched his face carefully for a moment but then nodded and let the rest of her power drain away. She then reached into her robes and pulled out a rolled up parchment of paper. "I think this is what you need in order to find it. It's a map that shows the location of a treasure somewhere on a mountain in Japan. I didn't know what it was at first until you described the kettle. I'll give this to you if you promise to cure Shampoo when you find it."

Herb scoffed at first but then his eyes took on a calculated look. If he could bring back the Open Water Kettle, then he could explain away to his people why he had been gone for so long. He wouldn't have to tell them about the Phoenix or of all his failures. He could instead come back as a hero, bringer of one of the lost treasures of their kingdom. All he had to do in return was use it on the girl first. It was perfect!

"Agreed."

"Can I trust you though?" Cologne wondered.

Herb stood up to his full height, letting all of his bearing as a prince come forth. "I am the future ruler of our people. I do not make bargains that I do not intend to keep."

Cologne regarded him a second more before tossing him the map. "Very well. Take good care of my great-granddaughter."

"You're not coming?"

Cologne looked away and sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. "No. I must go back to my village and tell them of what has happened." Next to her, Shampoo gave a worrying squawk and rubbed her head up against her side. Cologen reached down and pattered her head. "I have to Shampoo. It's my responsibility. We have to be prepared in case the bird people seek retribution."

"After what she did to that twerp, I wouldn't doubt it," Mint said as he walked around, knelt down and poked at Shampoo. "What are you suppose to be anyway? A lizard?"

Shampoo chomped down on the finger prodding her.

"Ow!" Mint pulled his finger away and began sucking on it. He backed up when Shampoo got into his face and screeched at him.

Herb couldn't help laughing. "She says she's not a lizard. She's a dragon whelp."

Everyone turned to stare at him. Herb himself was taken aback by what he had just said.

"You can understand her?" Lime questioned in awe.

"...A little," Herb admitted. "She speaks like a child though, as though she's just beginning to learn the language."

Shampoo stuck out her forked tongue at him.

Before anyone could continue questioning him, a rustling in some bushes nearby alerted them all. Everyone jumped to their feet and readied themselves. Slowly, the face of a little girl poked out of the bushes. She timidly looked them over and saw two people she recognized. Well, one person and one dragon.

"Shampoo!" Plum cried and ran forward. She knelt down and looked the whelp in the face. "You have to help me!" She then turned to Mint next to her. "The bird men! They took my dad!"

The group looked at each other in confusion before Cologne took charge and asked, "Who are you and what would the Phoenix want with your father?"

"I'm the Jusenkyo Guide's daughter!" She pulled out a piece of paper from her backpack and held it forth. It looked much like the paper that Cologne had given to Herb. "This is a map to Jusendo! They kidnapped him looking for this! They were trying to find some other people when they found us. Dad said that if they get a hold of this, then Jusenkyo will be destroyed!"

Unbeknownst to anyone in the group next to the mountain, nearby an innocent looking flower with a long vine that snaked around the hill transmitted what they were saying to a pair of girls. They listened intently and with glee until they heard something that didn't sit well with them at all.

"So, Shampoo's been to Jusenkyo, over."

"Yes, and she's stuck as she is, over!"

"Not for long it seems. They're going to get a cure for her, over."

"We can't let that happen! We'll stop them and then she'll be trapped that way forever, over!"

In total agreement with each other, the two twin herbalists known as Pink and Link began to plan.

Note: Universal Nullifier has been used in a few fics over the years. The version that I got my inspiration from the most was from Judah's, "Right Moments."