Wuya and Hannibal landed atop a rocky cliff in a barren and mountainous region. "This should be a good place for my new palace once I get my powers back," Wuya mused.

"All in good time, Wuya. We have bigger fish to fry," Hannibal reminded her. "Treasure of the Blind Swordsman!"

In a puff of smoke, the black treasure chest opened up and allowed a pale genie to rise up from it. With a patient expression, the swordsman waited for Hannibal to make his request. "Would you be so kind to bring about a Heylin Eclipse for us?"

With a nod of his head, the Blind Swordsman swung his sword a few times before pointing it up at the sky. From where he pointed, the sky slowly began to bleed red and the sun was quickly overshadowed and darkened. For the evildoers, it was a beautiful sight. Wuya laughed darkly before once again using the Genggai Gecko. "Genggai Gecko!" Wuya exclaimed and transformed the Gecko into the Golden Tiger Claws. With twin looks of cruelty, Wuya and Hannibal leapt through the portal and arrived in Chase's throne room. They spotted Chase hunched over on the floors with Hitomi supporting him and his jungle cats all passed out around them.

"Well, isn't this sweet? I think I'm going to puke," Wuya snarled before leaping into action.

~:~

Hitomi was getting seriously concerned. How was Chase able to hide so well!? She knew that this was his lair, but there were only so many places he could hide from her. Hitomi huffed. "Whatever," Hitomi declared and did an about-face. She would just return to her room then. Chase obviously didn't want her around. Maybe she would sneak out later just to spite him. It would TOTALLY be his fault for leaving her alone. So wrapped in her grumbling, Hitomi had almost missed Chase sitting on his throne as she passed by his throne room.

With a surprised expression, she watched him sit regally upon his throne and scratch behind the ears of a leopard. Hitomi blinked owlishly at him as she approached. "Have you...always been here?" she asked him as she pointed to his throne.

"No. I was meditating before I came in. Why do you ask?" Chase responded with a brow raised.

"No...reason. I just passed through here not too long ago and I didn't see you," Hitomi explained.

"When you were looking for me?" Chase went on with a sly look.

"Ah-ha! So you knew that I was looking for you. Why are you avoiding me?" Hitomi questioned with her hands on her hips.

"Because did not wish to see you," Chase replied.

Hitomi recoiled quickly. She hadn't expected him to be so blunt. At Chase's level gaze, Hitomi straightened up. She wouldn't gain any respect from him if she didn't fight for it now. "Chase, I don't know what I did to you to make you want to avoid me like the plague-"

"I do not worry myself with petty infections," Chase interjected.

Hitomi shot him an unamused look as she cocked her hip and folded her arms. "Will you just tell me what crawled up your butt and died? Why didn't you want to see me? Was it something I did?" Hitomi questioned as she stepped closer.

Chase tensed as his eyes narrowed at her. The warning was clear- stay FAR away. She came in closer. Chase was about to warn her to keep her distance when he felt it. His strength was being sucked right out of him. One by one, his jungle cats fell to the ground unconsciously. Chase's eyes widened. Rising quickly, he reached out for Hitomi. "Run. Now!" He growled at her.

Hitomi had been startled by Chase's sudden shift in demeanor and the jungle cats' lack of consciousness. She had almost backed away, but when Chase suddenly fell forward, she quickly ran to his side. "Chase! What's wrong?"

"Get out of here. Now! I will not tell you again," Chase warned as his eyes shifted around worriedly. He could feel the effects of the Heylin Eclipse setting in. It was early. Someone was obviously working against him.

Suddenly, a sharp, jagged portal ripped into his throne room. Chase tensed as Wuya and Hannibal stepped out. "Well, isn't this sweet?" Wuya questioned with sneer. "I think I'm going to puke."

Chase had seen the shift in her stance from miles away. With wide eyes, he roughly shoved Hitomi away from him before rising to block Wuya's attack. "Don't you think the sun looks so pretty in that shade of black, Chase?" Wuya laughed before bringing her knee up to strike Chase in the gut.

Chase growled lowly as he dodged the attack before swinging Wuya away from himself. Quickly, his eyes shot to where Hitomi was picking herself up from the floor. "Run! Now!" Chase ordered her.

With only a few seconds of hesitation, Hitomi got up before dashing towards the exit. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to go back and help Chase. She couldn't just leave him! She wouldn't make it too far, however.

"Moby Morpher!"

She had only been a foot away from the doorway when she felt something round and squishy collide with her back and send her sprawling into the ground. All the air had been knocked out of her chest with immense force. Whatever it was weighed a ton and was crushing her chest. Hitomi gasped as she tried to push herself up. She could hear a deep voice laugh loudly from above her. "She's got some fight in her. I like this one, Chase. She's a keeper," the voice drawled.

"Hannibal!" Chase growled the name like a threat. Before he could help Hitomi, he sensed Wuya flying at him from behind. Twisting quickly, he grabbed the witch by her arm and leg before sending her flying into Hannibal. The two fell in a tangled pile a way's away from Hitomi. Moving quickly, Chase was at her side before helping her stand. "Get out of here. Go to the monks if you have to, but don't make yourself such an easy target," Chase ordered her before pushing her behind and away from him.

"There's nowhere that she can hide now," Wuya chuckled. "She's dead meat without her faithful protector."

"I have to say, Chase. Fifteen hundred years is a long time to pine over a girl. I wonder how long it will take you to get over this one after we do away with her the same way I did to Mei," Hannibal chuckled with a crooked grin.

Chase's blood ran cold just as his heart momentarily stopped beating. Suddenly, his jaw clenched and his shoulders tensed. He shot Hitomi a warning look over his shoulder that he was sure looked more threatening than anything else. With a surprised expression, she backed away from him. His eyes glanced over to a gargoyle poised nearby before facing Wuya and Hannibal again.

"Give it up, Chase. If you cooperate, we'll spare you and the girl," Hannibal bargained in his smooth tone.

"I'll make you pay for what you did," Chase promised before leaping at Hannibal.

Hitomi moved quickly. Dashing over to the gargoyle, she tried examining it for a weapon or anything. When the head moved downwards like a lever and revealed a pit fall in the floor, Hitomi let out a gasp. He couldn't really want her to run and leave him behind!

"And where do you think you're going?"

Hitomi heard the words just before she was slammed roughly into the wall. "I have to say, it's nothing personal," Wuya said with a cruel grin.

"I've never done anything to you. What's your deal!?" Hitomi shouted at Wuya while trying to push her away, but Wuya's grip was firm. Hitomi could see Chase being tossed around behind Wuya's back. Her struggles increased ten-fold.

"Like I said, It's nothing personal. If you want someone to blame, blame Chase," Wuya shrugged and brandished a black-bladed dagger.

Hitomi gasped just before using both her legs to kick Wuya in her stomach. Wuya stumbled backwards with a pained grunt while clutching her stomach. Without letting Wuya catch her breath, Hitomi sent a strong kick towards Wuya's head that sent her sprawling into the floors. While she was still dazed, Hitomi grabbed the Genggai Gecko and ran back over to the gargoyle.

Chase was in the middle of having his back bent in an unnatural position as Hannibal tried to fold his body in half when he heard Wuya's shout. "The little floozy stole the Genggai Gecko! She got away!"

"You let her get away!?" Hannibal barked back.

This momentary distraction was all Chase needed to slip away out of Hannibal's grasp. The damage had already been done, however. Chase nearly cursed. He couldn't feel his legs. From where he laid on the floors, he could see Wuya's tanned feet next to Hannibal's round, red bottom. With a growl, he hung his head.

"Relax, Chase. We ain't gonna kill you," Hannibal said.

"At least not yet," Wuya interjected with a smirk.

"We just need you to do us a favor first. And then you're free to go. My partner would like her powers back," Hannibal said.

"Tick tock, Chase. I don't have all day. I've got a world to take over," Wuya taunted.

"You think you both can rule? Oh, please. You're fighting together now, but you'll turn against each other when the moment's right. And trust that I'll be there to destroy you both when that happens," Chase promised and offered Wuya his hand. The eclipse wouldn't last forever. He just needed to wait it out. Then, he would find Hitomi. Once she was safe, Hannibal and Wuya would have hell to pay.

Wuya gripped Chase's hand eagerly. The second her flesh touched his glove, she felt the rush of her powers come over her. Her eyes nearly rolled back. Finally, she was whole again. Once the transfer was complete, Wuya sighed happily. "Thanks, Chase. You're a real help," Wuya said with a smirk. Moving too quickly to be seen, Wuya sunk her dagger into Chase's neck with a low chuckle. It was the only place she could see that wasn't being covered by his armor. He was lucky she didn't put his eye out.

"He's a real team player," Hannibal said with a laugh before the two left together.

"Now, let's go find us a floozy," Wuya said with a malicious grin as she sashayed away from Chase's fallen body.