The bright sun came burning through the window, waking Kaia up. It had been a couple days that she had laid in bed to recooperate. She was sure she could get up and move around by now. Her muscles were sore and it hurt to sit up but she made it without terribly hurting herself. Her body was mostly wrapped in bandages, wearing only a t-shirt and shorts. She used the wall as a support as she stumbled through the hall into the dining room. Several heads turned to meet her gaze as she appeared in the doorway, none of them were Turbine's or Peyote's.
"Where's Turbine?" She asked, her voice hoarse from lack of use.
"He went on a mission with Peyote and Zang-Ching to the bridge." Bill told her.
"Kaia, it's best if you rest." Blocken said as he walked up to her.
"I've been laying in bed for days now." She complained when he motioned her to seat down with them.
"What did Peyote say to you when I left?" Blocken asked curiously, sitting beside her at the table.
"Why are you concerned?" She eyed him carefully.
"I think that's why Turbine went with him." He stared absent-mindedly at the table.
It started to come clear to Kaia. Peyote must have said something and Turbine wanted to set him straight. She knew how much they fought and argued in the first place. Things did not look good.
"It's been awhile!" Peyote exclaimed, strumming down on his guitar as Zang-Ching and Turbine walked up to either sides of him.
"Cheh...Why is it you guys again?" Zang-Ching asked.
"This is our mission. Don't complain, Zang-Ching." Turbine said through his veil.
"What!?" Horohoro shouted in surprise.
"What's going on here!?" Chocolove held his head in despair.
"You guys were too slow, no wonder Mariachi is troubled." A Patch official said from the side of the bridge. He stood beside a young Patch boy, Nichrome. They gazed out over the bank of the river at Turbine, Peyote and Zang-Ching.
"It took me awhile to shave off that beard, Magna." Peyote snapped.
Kaia grabbed her staff and stumbled through the house and out the door. Physically, she shouldn't be doing this, she might die but something inside her was telling her to hurry to the bridge. Blocken chased her out the door but was stopped by Bill.
"You can't stop her." He smirked in her direction.
"But she'll get hurt." Blocken said in the doorway.
"With her new furyoku power, she'll be able to take care of herself. I'm sure she'll send for help if she needs us." He assured him.
Blocken watched as Kaia jogged off. He admired her determination. She was really brave to have gone through all that training. It would be a shame if she was to end up like him, she had a lot of potential. Of course, she would only get stronger. He grinned at the thought.
"This is so troublesome." Zang-Ching rubbed the back of his head. "But what to do?" He asked himself as he pulled his gong from the carrier on his back and held it up beside him. "Let's slaughter these kids for lunch. How does that sound, Shion-Shion?" He asked as a giant panda bear spirit appeared behind him. "Take that." He declared, slinging his gong at Chocolove and Horohoro. Peyote held on to his hat as the sudden attack passed by him.
"Holy crap!" Chocolove exclaimed as they jumped out of the way.
"What was that?" Horohoro asked.
"A panda?" Chocolove suggested. "He attacked so suddenly."
"Well, of course. He's not here for the competition." Zang-Ching said. "Don't underestimate him because he looks cute." He smiled. "My oversoul, Dorakuma Neko."
Suddenly, Ren jumped and kicked Zang-Ching square in the face, sending him flying. "This isn't a competition, I totally agree." Ren said.
"I was kind enough to tell you, kid. But you dare bully my Shion-Shion?" He grinned as his nose bled. "I'll make you regret this, Kurakuma Nekote!" He shouted, slinging the panda gong at Ren when he touched his feet to the ground.
Ren's sword became a giant axe-like weapon with a mace club on the other end and he brought it down on the gong and Zang-Ching's face, breaking the gong in half and Zang-Ching's nose.
"You totally agree?" Turbine asked as he appeared behind Ren, surprising him. "Is that all you can do?" His hand wrap with the yellow gem in it began to hum as it charged up with energy. "BEAM!"
A bright yellow beam blasted at Ren, blowing everything up as it hit.
"What a special technique." Ren said to Turbine as he leaped up behind him. "Is that your medium? What spirit is inside it?" Turbine's eyes widened when he realized he didn't blast him to Kingdom Come. "Whatever, I don't care anyway." He said, swinging the Iron Mace at Turbine.
Turbine defended himself with his left arm, preventing him from being impaled on the giant two foot spikes. Pushing himself away from the mace, he retaliated as he brought his right arm out in front of him, charging the yellow gem. "BEA-"
Ren disappeared, and leaped up onto the aura concentration of Turbine, totally avoiding its extreme, mystic power and appearing behind him, slashing at his back with his sword.
"MU!?" Turbine muttered the end of the spell as he was sent flying towards Peyote, who was idley playing on his guitar as the others battled.
Peyote strummed hard on his guitar, his puppets leaping up at Turbine and punching him out of the way. "Don't come flying towards me!" He exclaimed. Turbine landed on the hard rocks on the riverbank. "How embarrassing!" Peyote laughed.
Kaia stumbled and fell to her knees in the forest. She had opened up a gash in her side and it was bleeding through the bandanges and her shirt. She was gasping for breath, her ribs hurt from jogging too much and her feet were cut up and bloody. She shouldn't be out here. She should be resting. But something told her to come. Something was going to happen and she felt that it involved Turbine and Peyote.
To be continued in Chapter 26!