By the time the sky had gone from orange to dark blue, only a dozen boars remained standing, and a good thing too, for Yojin was getting tired. Even better, Master Shifu had just slammed down on the boar that had been sneakily approaching the raccoon dog's back. "Shifu sensei!"
"Are you alright?" Shifu asked from on top to the downed boar. He glanced around at the others, who were mopping up the last eleven boars around them.
"Yeah."
"Good." Shifu replied. A second later he swung his staff at Yojin.
"Whoa, what are you-" Tunk!
Shifu lowered his staff, which had just been struck by a tiny wooden dart. "Oh crap." Yojin muttered. He looked up at the sky, saw a big hornet flying right at them. "Guys, incoming!"
Sutoraiki let fly, sending dozens of little darts at the fighters below in a deadly shower. Tigress looked up just in time to knock a dart away from Po's back. Crane deflected countless darts with his wings just as he would with arrows. Everyone else dodged.
Yojin grabbed a small knife from a fallen boar to return the favor, but when he looked up again the hornet had disappeared. "He went that way!" Shifu pointed towards the east. "Hurry, he may be returning to his comrades!"
"Wait, what about Su?" Viper demanded.
"She's safe with Master Chao." Shifu replied. Viper looked giddy.
"Oh thank gods." Po breathed.
Yojin had the honor of taking down the last remaining boar with a roundhouse kick. He stretched his tired arms and sheathed his sword. "What are we waiting for? Let's catch those guys!"
As the others started running, Yojin took a moment to rub his thigh where a bandit had managed to hit him. No broken bones, thank gods, but it still hurt like a son of a-
"Oh, hell..."
Yojin turned. "Yoko san?"
Yoko rotated her shoulder, likely quite sore from all the tonfa swinging. "It's nothing. I'm just a little hyped up from the fight." She said. "Where's Ginka chan?"
Ginka was secure. The gang leader had been given his final payment. Sutoraiki had rejoined them with the news that phase one of Plan B was a success. Everything was going to plan. And now it was time to leave.
It was pitch black in the forest. Chibiki did not permit any of them to use a torch, not wanting to risk giving away their position. Instead they would use their natural night vision to navigate through the trees. Chibiki and Izumi, who had the best night vision of the four, would lead the way. Sutoraiki rested on Buruto's shoulder. On his other shoulder the gorilla carried the limp Ginka.
"How long 'till we get back to that stupid bridge?" Izumi asked, not looking very keen on having to cross that rickety Thread of Hope again. The side of her face had been heavily bandaged up. Sutoraiki had told her that the cuts wouldn't go away for a while, and when they did some scars could remain. That did nothing to help the cat's mood, and afterwards she had spent some time muttering about all the ways she could kill 'that stupid no-legger' until Chibiki ordered her to shut up.
"At least a day and a half." Chibiki replied. "And no resting until we reach the bridge. The kid's friends will be after us, and after the stunt Izumi pulled their Jade Palace friends will no doubt be joining them."
Ginka could do nothing but listen as they continued to speak. Unable to even turn his head, he saw nothing but the fur on Buruto's back. He had never felt so vulnerable or so stupid in his life. What had he been thinking, just running blindly after 'Hoku'? Masuta and Tigress had both warned him. He should have listened to them. He should have listened. Why didn't he listen? At least Su was safe. When he had heard Buruto tell the others how he had stopped the boars he would have laughed if he hadn't been paralyzed.
They moved silently through the dark forest. Not wanting to make too much noise, they kept to a brisk walk, avoiding branches and dry leaves as they went. Taking him farther from the Jade Palace, and farther from his friends. Farther from Yoko.
"Buruto?" Chibiki said suddenly.
"Yeah?"
"... Nothing."
Ginka wondered if Chibiki was getting paranoid. It wasn't surprising. He did just say that Ginka's friends would be after them. He hoped they weren't too far. Master, why didn't you stay?
The sound of their footsteps changed slightly. They were slowing down just a little. Ginka tried to turn his head, but whatever poison Chibiki had used was still keeping him immobilized.
"Chibiki, do you think the Jade Palace masters will follow us back to Ja-"
"Quiet, Izumi."
They kept walking. Eventually Ginka realized he could blink again, but the rest of his body still refused to move. He thought of the Silver Fang, now in Chibiki's possession. It was all he had left of his father. It was his fault he had lost it.
"Chibiki, what's wrong?" Sutoraiki asked. They slowed down some more.
"I thought I might have heard something." Chibiki replied. "Wait."
They stopped, Ginka's head lightly bouncing against Buruto's body as they did so. The forest was dark and silent. "Well?" Izumi eventually said.
Someone sighed. Ginka guessed it was Chibiki. "Keep moving."
They started walking again. Ginka tried moving again. His limbs remained still. His head would not turn. His ears, however, twitched very slightly. That proved it. As slowly as it was, the poison was wearing off. Not that it would do him much good at the moment. Chibiki had bound him with rope as an extra precaution. He wondered how they were going to smuggle him out of China once they escaped the valley. Chibiki was smart. He would know a way. Ginka wondered how Hoku would react once he was back in that murderer's clutches. Would he taunt him? Show satisfaction? Punish him for running away and delaying his plans for months? What does he want with him in the first place?
"Wait!"
They all stopped at Chibiki's command. Izumi hissed in exasperation. "Chibiki, what is it now?"
"Shut it!" Chibiki was serious now. Ginka heard the sound of him pulling out a weapon. He hoped it wasn't the Silver Fang.
They all stayed silent. There was a gentle breeze that stirred the branches. Other than that the night was still. They all listened, Ginka included.
"It must be the kid's clothes rustling." Sutoraiki said. "His vest is pretty loose."
"It's not him. I hear it when we move. When we stop, it stops too." Chibiki spoke quickly.
Izumi didn't seem convinced. "What do you suggest we do?"
Chibiki didn't answer right away. "We keep moving, and keep our eyes and ears open."
They set off once more. Ginka didn't try moving this time. Instead he kept listening. It seemed that Izumi, Buruto and Sutoraiki couldn't hear whatever had Chibiki on edge, but with his larger ears maybe their captive could. His ears strained, blocking out the sound of their footsteps and soft breathing. Eventually, he heard it. That is not me.
"It may be the kid's friends." Chibiki spoke. "They're probably stalking us, waiting for the right moment."
"Then let's not keep them waiting." Ginka heard Izumi pull out a knife or two. Before Chibiki could stop her she released a shout. "YOU WANT THE KID? COME AND GET HIM!"
They all stopped. Buruto tightened his grip on Ginka and Sutoraiki left the gorilla's shoulder and hovered in the air.
There was no reply to Izumi's taunt. The trees rustled softly above their heads. If it was Ginka's friends they should have acted by now. Instead the forest was as quiet and cold as death.
"Are you sure you heard someone?" Buruto asked.
"Definitely. Sutoraiki, drug the kid. The paralytic will be wearing off by now."
"Yes, sir."
Ginka felt the painful sting in the back of his neck. Almost at once he felt drowsy. This time the poison was meant to knock him out. He heard Chibiki speak again. "Get moving, and stay alert."
They resumed walking. Ginka was getting sleepier by the minute. He could no longer focus on that tiny sound that was spooking Chibiki. Master... where are you... help me...
Limply, his head turned just a little, so he could now see something other than Buruto's back. They were now walking alongside a steep slope that stretched down into darkness. There was no telling how far it went down. Chibiki must have given a signal, for they stopped again.
Then it happened.
There was a tiny explosion and then white smoke was everywhere, obscuring anything and everything. "Ambush!" Chibiki roared. Izumi snarled furiously, Blinded, Buruto staggered, still holding Ginka. Through his distorted vision Ginka saw something small and metallic fly through the smoke directly towards him. It broke apart in midair, becoming a dozen tiny needles that sank into Buruto's arm. The gorilla roared and released Ginka.
Ginka fell through the thick smoke, hit the slope and startled tumbling. Helpless with the paralytic, Sutoraiki's drug and the ropes binding him, Ginka rolled lifelessly down the rugged landscape, moving farther away from him captors by the second. How long until they realized he was gone and went after him? That train of thought was cut off when he hit a tree with a painful smack.
That was where the drug overcame him and he fell into a dreamless sleep.
Kuroo watched his quarry tumble down the slope before turning his attention back to the massive smoke screen his rivals were now trapped in. He pulled out a needle bomb and tossed it into the smoke. There was a pause, then he heard the bang as the bomb exploded, releasing hundreds of tiny needles coated with a non-lethal poison designed to incapacitate the enemy through intense pain. He heard the cries of the brotherhood as the needles did their work. It would only last a few minutes, but that was all Kuroo needed.
For good measure Kuroo tossed three more spoke pellets to prolong the smoke screen. "That'll keep them distracted." He muttered. He tossed one more item into the smoke: his calling card, a black pebble engraved with his name. Chibiki will know who was responsible, and when he does, he would surely go mad with rage. Kuroo chuckled at the thought. Revenge is sweet.
He rushed to the slope and made his way done. He hoped the kid hadn't fallen too far, but then again the farther he was from Chibiki the better. A part of Kuroo worried that Ginka had been injured by the fall, for he still had doubts that Hoku had been honest about the boy's guilt.
He saw Ginka lying limp against a tree halfway down the slope. He was unconscious, likely from Sutoraiki's drug. Once Kuroo brought him to his hideout, he would question the boy, and make absolutely sure he deserved to be put in prison. If there was one part his old life the bounty hunter had, it was his honor.
He was fifty feet from the boy when he froze. Someone was coming. Kuroo nearly pulled out his twin katanas, but then considered the possibility that this was an innocent bystander. He climbed up the nearest tree, concealed himself in the leaves and watched warily.
The person came into view seconds later. Kuroo's heart leapt as he recognized him. The person whispered Ginka's name and rushed to him. He checked for a heartbeat, sighed in relief when he found it, then cut Ginka's bonds with a thin weapon. When the ropes were gone, Ginka's rescuer embraced him tightly. "You're safe now, boy. I'm here." Kuroo heard him whisper. "You were right. I never should have left. I'm so sorry, Ginka."
Kuroo's paw moved away from the smoke pellet on his belt. He watched as the person lifted Ginka effortlessly and carried him away into the darkness, in the direction of the Jade Palace.
He is no criminal, Kuroo thought, his suspicions confirmed. My old master would never show so much love for a criminal.
When the drug wore off and Ginka awoke, he found that he was no longer in the forest. Golden daylight illuminated his room in the student barracks. His bed was warm and comforting. His head throbbed, but Ginka had never felt so happy in his life. If he was back in the Jade Palace, then it must surely have been his friends who had ambushed his abductors. The price for his stupidity had not been steep. He was safe.
There was a small bandage on his right arm. He touched it lightly, and felt no pain. Whatever injury he had must be minor. He turned his head to the door. It was wide open. Through it he saw that the damaged walls had not yet been repaired. He turned his head to the other side. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Master Masuta standing at the window, gazing silently at the view outside.
"Sensei?" He spoke, hardly daring to believe it.
Masuta spun round. Relief flashed across his face for an instant before his expression turned cold.
"What... what are you doing here?" Ginka asked.
Masuta wordlessly walked to Ginka's bedside and sat down on a stool. "Sakrura san and myself were almost to the Thread of Hope when we discovered the bodies of some unsavory birds, clearly victims of Sutoraiki. I knew right away that I had made a mistake in leaving you."
"Where is Sakura?"
"Having breakfast with the others."
"What happened?" Ginka remembered nothing after hitting the tree. Masuta's coldness worried him.
"We got back just as our friends were dealing with a bandit attack. When you weren't accounted for, I knew right away that the brotherhood had gotten to you. I confess that I panicked a little during the search, and separated from the others. Fortunately that turned out a be a good thing."
"It was you who found me." Ginka muttered, stunned.
Masuta nodded. "Yes. You were lying on the ground, all alone when I found you. What on earth happened?"
"They got ambushed." Ginka explained. "They were carrying me through the forest when someone tossed a smoke pellet. Buruto dropped me in the confusion and I fell down the slope. I hit a tree. I don't remember anything after that. Was that you who threw the pellet?" Masuta shook his head, looking deep in thought. "Then who did it?"
"That I don't know." Masuta said. His gaze remained icy. Ginka couldn't stand it any longer.
"What is it, Master? Are you mad?" He asked.
Masuta rested his walking stick on his lap. "I am not angry. I was just wondering how the brotherhood were able to capture you so effortlessly."
Ginka looked away, ashamed. After a moment he told his master what had happened, how Chibiki had tricked him with the shift stone.
"And I got so angry when I saw him. I followed him into the forest and..." Ginka didn't finish. Masuta knew the rest.
"Oh Ginka..." Masuta's coldness melted away and he covered his face. "I warned you..."
"I know. I should have listened to you. I am so sorry." Ginka looked at him with eyes pleading for forgiveness.
Masuta moved his stool closer. "I'm sorry too." He said. "You only acted so foolishly because you're still in pain over your father. I should have done more to help you cope."
The sunlight shining through the window was lukewarm. Dust twinkled in the brightness. The sound of their friends dining in the kitchen could be faintly heard.
"I guess you'll be on your way again, huh?" Ginka asked.
Masuta shook his head. "No. Not when the brotherhood knows where you are."
"They're going to try and get at me again, aren't they?" Ginka replied.
"Yes. And when they do, we'll be ready for them." Masuta's eyes glinted. "And once they're out of the way, we'll return home and take down Hoku. Together."
Ginka couldn't believe what Masuta had just said. "You mean it?"
"Yes. I was told of how you held your own against those boars. I think you're up for it."
And just like that, the wall between them was gone. Ginka grinned, accepted Masuta's suggestion that they go join the others, and followed his beloved master out the sunlit bedroom. It was a very beautiful day.