A/N: Early Christmas present for all of you! Not only is it an early update, but it's a long update! Unbelievable, but true.

The content of this chapter requires a bit of justification though. See, when I first started writing fanfiction, most of my work was about secret agents running around beating the crap out of everybody, with shootouts, car chases, helicopters, and all that jazz. It was, overall, very immature writing, but I discovered in writing this part of RM that sometimes you have to regress in order to progress. Therefore, a lot of the content in this chapter is reminiscent of my old action writing, and consequently it isn't all that great. Guess it's only fair to warn you.

With that said, do try to enjoy this chapter as much as you can. Hope you guys are having a fun Christmas vacation. I just got back from San Francisco, and I'm feeling pretty bad right now because I didn't get enough sleep in the hotel. But that's a different story. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everybody!

RESCUE ME: CHAPTER XXI

The sky was a dirty reddish-gray by the time Usui Horokeu and Gei Yin found themselves crouched in the shrubbery outside the gates of the Reshin facility. Horohoro frowned. It was a simple building, single-storied with thick steel walls and metal doors. Two sentries stood guard outside the front door while several others patrolled the surrounding area.

Gei Yin turned to him, her voice slightly muffled by the mask she was wearing. "Any questions?"

Horohoro shook his head, and Gei Yin nodded with approval before turning. "Yugai," she called, and her spirit obediently materialized beside her. "You know what to do." Yugai nodded and disappeared. Half a second later one of the sentries who had just been crossing the yard gave a surprised cry before doubling over in pain. A guard nearby turned his head curiously before diving to the floor as the first man opened fire with his gun, tearing holes into the walls of the building or simply firing into the air. He spun madly around and around, keeping his finger always pressed on the trigger, making odd sounds in his throat. The rest of the guards, including the two sentries at the door, immediately responded, rushing to their comrade, leaving the path clear for the two shaman.

"Hn," Gei Yin whispered with a proud smile. "Told you Yugai was good with possessions."

Horohoro frowned. "Don't blame me," he said, holding up Kororo who was perched on his palm. "Does she look like the type to possess?"

Gei Yin rolled her eyes. "Just do it already. We haven't got all day."

"Yes, ma'am," Horohoro said before lifting his palm. "Go on, Kororo." The little Koropokkur flew forward and in a flash a large section of the gate was frozen solid. Leaping forward, Gei Yin kicked the gate with as much force as she could muster. With a shuddering groan the icy metal broke and the entire section crashed to the floor.

Immediately both Ainu and Tao looked up, guns cocked, but the guards were still busy with their colleague and no one had even noticed the sound amidst the gunfire. Smiling at each other, Gei Yin and Horohoro crossed the yard, making their way quickly up to the front door. Once there, the Tao stepped resolutely up to the keypad next to the door and entered a four-digit passcode. There was the click of a lock springing open, and Horohoro reached forward and pulled the door open a crack, allowing Gei Yin to slip inside before following.

They found themselves in a long, bare hallway with nothing but doors on both sides. "Okay, we have to work fast," Gei Yin said. "Main control room shouldn't be too far from here. Follow me." Horohoro tailed her down several hallways until they arrived before a wooden door. Peering through the glass windows, both could see two operators seated before a wall covered with computer monitors, all apparently displaying various security footage from different areas of the facility.

Gei Yin turned to look at Horohoro, lifting her tranquilizer. He responded in kind, and with a nod from the Tao they kicked the door open and burst into the room. The two operators went down immediately, and as Horohoro hauled the limp men aside Gei Yin hurried to the computer, typing furiously.

"Let's see now," she muttered, peering carefully at the screen. "404-A…404-A…huh?"

Horohoro came up beside her. "What's wrong?" he asked. The screen was a confusion of Chinese characters and numbers.

Gei Yin frowned. "There are two prisoners registed under 404-A," she said. "They have the same records, and they've both been in solitary for the past month."

"A glitch, maybe?"

"No." Gei Yin shook her head. "Something's not right. They're situated on opposite sides of the compound."

Horohoro glanced nervously over his shoulder. "We have to hurry," he whispered.

"Yes, I know," Gei Yin answered impatiently. "Here, let's split up and explore each cell separately. We're bound to find Ren in one of them. As for the other…I smell a rat."

"You mean someone did this on purpose?" Horohoro asked.

"I don't know." Gei Yin frowned. "Either way, you take Cell 81-B in the eastern wing, here." She tapped the screen. "I'll go after the one in the western wing. We'll meet down by the river where I left my boat, and from there I'll take you guys down to the docks to Shen Li."

"All right," Horohoro said. "See you." He turned and jogged out of the room. Gei Yin frowned once again at the computer screen before doing the same.

81-B…81-B…Horohoro frowned as he jogged down the hallways, glancing from side to side at the cell numbers. He was so pre-occupied with his goal that he did not notice the shadows approaching the corner from the opposite side. Rounding the corner, he yelped as he collided with two guards, sending them sprawling in a huge heap onto the floor. Instinct reacted and Horohoro slammed his fist into the first guard's face, knocking him out instantly. The other yelled something in Mandarin and reached for the gun on his belt, but Horohoro kicked out, catching him in the stomach and knocking out his wind. Leaping to his feet, he grabbed his own gun and slammed the butt of the weapon into the back of the guard's neck. The man's entire body gave a shudder before he slumped forward onto the floor.

For a moment Horohoro only stood where he was, taking deep breaths and trying to quiet the adrenaline rush that was causing his limbs to shake. There was not much time now, he knew. He had to find Ren quickly.

Not bothering to get rid of the guards' still bodies, he turned and continued down the hall.

The sound awoke him. It crashed in his ears like a thunderbolt, even though it could have been nothing more than a scratch on the wall. He had been surrounded by silence for too long.

Very slowly, he stirred and turned slightly toward where he thought the source of the sound was, though it was hard to tell because all around him there was only darkness. Darkness, darkness, darkness…

(where am i oh yes i'm alone alone ALONE)

Tao Ren blinked—or at least, he thought he did. It was impossible to tell because having his eyes open or closed made no difference in the pitch black that surrounded him.

(poor little tao ren locked up in a dark room like hide and go seek little ren hm ? ok you hide i seek heeheehee)

Suddenly the world ripped apart as a crash exploded in the room, and suddenly there was a white light. It was barely a crack but already it stung Ren's sensitive eyes with the force of a thousand prickling needles, and he gave an animal-like cry of terror and shrank into the corner farthest from the opening door, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

(hide and go seek hide and go seek you can't hide but i can seek)

The sound of shoes hitting the concrete floor erupted in his ears, every footstep a crash in his skull. There was another…thing…in the room. Something other than himself.

(you can't hide but i can seek heehee little ren i found you at last)

The voice came to him, eerie, distorted as if he was hearing it from a great vibrating distance, low and almost moaning. "R…en?"

All of a sudden it seemed as if his entire world was undulating, up and down, up and down, like disgusting ocean waves. And still the voice spoke, frightening him. "Ren? A…re you a…ll r…igh…t?"

He opened his mouth, and suddenly there was a new sound in the room. It was another voice, except this time it sounded a little bit more familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

"Who are you?" The voice was high-pitched, terrified. It took Ren a moment to realize that it was his own, and another moment to notice that he was not speaking in Mandarin. What strange language was this? When had he learnt it?

"It's me, Ren. Don't you remember?" The strange voice was becoming clearer to him now, and Ren began to realize that it was familiar, though he could not yet remember to whom it belonged. He opened his eyes just a crack, trying to keep from being blinded by the light, only to discover that there was no light. A tall dark figure was standing silhouetted in white, facing him, blocking most of the stinging rays. An angel?

"No." Ren's head was pounding from the sensations of light and sound, both of which he had been deprived of for the past month. "No! Go away!" He closed his eyes and placed both hands on the sides of his head, shaking violently.

Suddenly he felt a new sensation, a feeling on his skin that hurt at first but then receded to nothing but a dull tingling. Then he remembered—it was touch, the sensation of touch. But who…

He felt something gently touch his lips, and then he knew that it was someone else's lips, and then he knew who that someone else was, and then he knew everything. His body reacted almost on reflex and he reached up, grabbing the not-stranger's shirt and pulling him down to deepen the kiss, all his senses coming alert and with them the memories that had lain dormant for the past month.

When they at last pulled apart, Ren blinked as his vision finally succeeded in focusing enough of the light to allow him to make out a decent picture of the man crouched over him. It took him a moment to recall the name, but it came to him eventually. "Horohoro…?"

Usui Horokeu smiled through his tears of relief. "Yeah, it's me," he said, looking down at Ren beneath him. The other shaman looked like hell: his face smeared with dirt, his purple hair dirty and unkempt, his clothing torn and ragged, and his golden eyes barely holding a glimmer of the life with which they had once overflowed. Reaching down, he gathered Ren to him in a warm embrace, trying to keep himself from breaking down altogether. "God, Ren, I'm so glad you're okay…"

"Yeah." Ren sighed, relaxing completely into him. "Me too."

It took Ren another few minutes before Horohoro was finally able to haul him to his feet and help him toward the door which he had somehow managed to force open after breaking the lock. The Tao had not been touched or spoken to in a month, and the signs were evident in his uncertain stride and how he leaned heavily on Horohoro for support. Under normal circumstances the Ainu would have considered making a crack about his friend's apparent weakness, but as it were, these circumstances were far from normal.

The instant they stepped out into the lighted hallway, Ren gave a sharp cry of agony as the light pierced his sensitive eyes, turning almost instinctively toward Horohoro and shutting his eyes. The Ainu instantly wrapped a protective arm around the smaller shaman and led him slowly down the hallway, and it was not until they had traveled several meters that Ren was finally able to open his eyes without pain. So they journeyed, and it seemed that the light and the free air were rapidly rejuvenating the young Tao, returning the strength to his weary limbs so that he began to quicken his originally dragging pace, relying less and less on the Ainu to keep him from slipping to the ground.

Only when he was able to walk by himself did Ren find the strength to speak again. "How did you find me?" he asked as they peeked cautiously around the corner before turning into another hallway.

Horohoro shook his head. "You won't believe this," he said, "but it was Gei Yin."

Ren stopped in mid-stride and turned to the Ainu, mouth slightly open in astonishment. "You can't be serious."

The blue-haired shaman only shrugged. "Hey, she was my only option," he said.

Ren's eyes narrowed. "Horo, she can't be trusted. Or have you forgotten that she tried to kill me?"

"Yeah, well…" Horohoro sighed. "Look, even people like Gei Yin can change. Besides, it beats being locked in your cell for another month, doesn't it?"

Ren frowned. "That's not the point," he said. "If you—" He paused, his eyes widening slightly in surprise before narrowing in apprehension. Without a word he seized Horohoro's arm and pulled him into a darkened hallway, clapping a hand over the Ainu's mouth to quiet his protests. An instant later Horohoro heard what Ren's trained ears had picked up: the sound of approaching footsteps. He found himself holding his breath as two guards marched past them without glancing in their direction. Only when their footsteps had faded away and silence had settled once again did Horohoro dare to let out that sweet breath.

"That was too close," he whispered.

Ren nodded. "We'd better hurry," he said, releasing the Ainu's wrist. "How much further to the exit?"

"Just a little ways," Horohoro answered. "Turn that corner and it should be a couple of hallways down."

"All right." Together they hurried down the hall, skidding around the corner—and coming face-to-face with at least two dozen pistols pointed straight at them.

Immediately both Tao and Ainu came to a stop, staring in shock at the Chinese guards. Horohoro felt his head spinning with confusion. How had they known—

"Take out your weapons. Place them on the floor."

Horohoro jumped at the voice, and Ren felt his entire body turn cold when the slim Chinese woman stepped out from behind the soldiers. "Jun…" he whispered.

Tao Jun stood tall and resolute before them, her violet eyes cold. Beside her stood Lee Bailong. "Don't make me repeat myself," the daoshi said. Horohoro did not dare take his eyes off of her as he obeyed, unclipping his guns and setting them carefully on the cold concrete floor.

When he had finished, Ren spoke. "Jun, why…?"

When his sister answered, her voice was cold. "Because you are betraying our family, Ren," she said. Horohoro saw that she had not changed much during the war: her eyes had hardened and darkened in color and her hair was now tied in a loose bun, but otherwise she was the same as that night when she had left four years ago.

Ren frowned. "I am doing nothing of the sort," he said.

Jun's expression was almost as hard as her little brother's. "If you were truly dedicated to the well-being of the Tao family, you would have stayed in your cell," she said.

"Yeah, and go completely crazy?" Horohoro snapped. "How the hell did you find out about this anyway?"

Ren's eyes narrowed. "It was Gei Yin, wasn't it?"

To their surprise, Jun shook her head. "We are aware of Gei Yin's involvement in this," she said, "and she was duly captured and executed not five minutes ago." She continued smoothly on as if the news was inconsequential. "As for the information leak…many poor Chinese citizens are willing to trade intel for cash, and one of them is Shen Li, the captain of a boat you were apparently going to use to get back to Japan."

"No way." Horohoro's hands clenched into hard fists. "That bastard…"

"Why don't you just finish us off then?" Ren snapped bitterly.

"No," Jun answered, speaking slowly, her voice softening. "I am not here today to kill you."

"Really?" Ren cocked an eyebrow at the soldiers surrounding them, each of which had a gun pointed straight at the two shaman.

"I am here to deliver a message from Tao En," Jun said. "How you respond will determine whether or not you walk out of here alive."

Ren's eyebrow remained raised; Horohoro had to give him credit for being able to keep a calm composure despite being targeted by at least twenty pistols. "A message from ba?" he asked. "This just keeps getting better and better."

"This is the proposal," Jun said. "You have two choices. Ren can come with us, swearing allegiance once again to the Tao family and going back into battle, whereas Horohoro will be released to the rebels as a Tao spy, and they will deal with him as they see fit."

"What?" Horohoro cried immediately. "What the hell kind of deal is that?" He turned suddenly. "Kororo—"

"Your spiritual ally was sealed a long time ago," Jun interrupted smoothly. "Or did you not notice that one of the guards you beat up in the hallway had a mortuary tablet with him?"

Horohoro was unable to reply, and so Jun continued on. "We have recently employed several skilled Japanese spies, one of which's position has been compromised. We are in need of a…decoy." She paused. "At least this option presents you with a chance of survival," she said softly. "Your other option, of course, is to be gunned down and killed right here, right now."

Horohoro's mind worked quickly. Yes, the first option sounded appealing, but the truth was that it was only a thinly veiled death sentence. If Ren went back to war he would surely die, if not from physical wounds then from psychological ones. And Horohoro was not bound to get red-carpet treatment from people who thought he was a spy for their mortal enemies. So it really came down to a choice of die now or die later.

When he spoke, his voice was so steady that it startled even himself. "We die here, together," he said. "Ren and—"

"No." He turned, startled, and saw Ren standing beside him, face set and impossible to read. Very slowly, the Chinese shaman lifted his head and locked eyes with his sister. "All right, Jun, you win," he said. "I'll go with you. Do what you want with Horo—just don't kill him."

For a moment Horohoro was struck completely speechless. "R-Ren?" he finally managed to splutter. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Giving us both a chance," Ren answered, walking slowly forward toward Jun, who smiled.

"Thank you, Ren," she whispered. "I'm glad I didn't have to watch you die."

"Ren, you can't do this!" Horohoro tried to follow him, but found himself restrained by several of the soldiers, holding him down even as he struggled to free himself. "Agh—no, Ren! Ren!"

Tao Ren walked right past his sister, head down, Horohoro's cries ringing in his ears. "Ren, don't do this to me! Please!"

He heard one of the soldiers curse, and immediately afterward the Ainu gave a cry of pain as the soldier's knee sank into his stomach. "Ahh—Ren! Don't leave me, you bastard! Don't you dare—argh—"

Ren's hands began to shake as blows continued to rain down on the helpless Ainu. "Ren, help me!" Horohoro yelled, his voice hoarse and cracked.

Ren spun. That was it; they had taken this too far—he had to save Horohoro. Who cared if they got shot—

"Damnit, Horo, hold on—" But then he felt something slam into the back of his head, and immediately he sank to his knees. His entire world spun once in a slow, fluid motion, and he was barely aware that Bailong had probably struck him with a strong blow. Somewhere in the far distance he heard Horohoro calling his name, and then it all became black.