*Insert self-depreciating comment about not updating for so long...*

*insert another self-depreciating comment about not updating 'Rise of a Fallen Phoenix' since last November...*

ALRIGHTY! Got that out of the way, let's begin!

Lian really didn't know what to think of the Wu Sisters at first glance; three of the deadliest and most notorious female warriors in China, taking her in. Of course she thought they were strange for doing so, and they didn't even bother denying it. In fact, if anything, they seem to believe that being considered normal is downright insulting. They embraced their eccentricity with all of their heart and soul.

And she's being dragged into their rather strange lifestyle. It was quite a drastic change, and she admits to being slightly afraid. Of course she's never going to say that aloud to their faces. She's been through scary stuff before, obviously! Three crazy murderous women isn't nearly enough to get a rise out of her!

...Okay, maybe a little. But it isn't enough to be noticable! That counts for something! Her self preservation skills were in high gear...and the highest chance of survival was with the three mentioned women.

That's a pretty decent summarization of how much her life sucked before they agreed to take her in. She's looking to infamous criminals for safe haven...she's really desperate. Still, it wasn't something she couldn't handle.

...She hoped.

"Alright leader, we took in a brat. And what's more, we don't know shit about taking care of brats. What do we do?" Wing said as the three of them were sitting within a nearby cave, just far enough away from the city to avoid anyone following them. And even if someone did, they would notice...then it would get bloody.

"Well first, we need to take care of her basic needs. Food, safety...personal hygiene." Su says slightly, in which Lian felt a vein pulse in her head.

"Are you calling me dirty?!"

"Can you claim to be clean?" Su says slyly. The grumpy silence that followed submitted her answer for her. "I thought so. Like I said, we will have to feed you, bathe you, and keep you safe."

"That is until we get sick of you and throw you back into th-OW!" Wing started, only for Wan to harshly elbow her in the ribs, making her groan and fall to her knees. "I was only joking, you ass!"

"What my sister means to say is that we're glad to have you and I hope we can get along!~" Wan beaked, ignoring her for the most part, much to her grave annoyance. "Alrighty then! We can start by getting you some food! Food in your belly is always a good way to start a day! Hooray!~"

"...Is there something wrong with you? I know you three are bat-shit crazy, but she seems to be the worst." Lian asked bluntly.

"You ask that of her, knowing what she is." Wing shook her head. "Can't really say I blame her. I sometimes ask myself the same thing."

Su Wu lightly clapped. "Alright, we have a routine to follow. First we get the little one some food, then a bath. Then a proper place to stay where she can stretch her legs and train."

"Train?" Lian repeated.

"Of course, my child. You wish to help your homeless friends, but you cannot. You're too weak." Su Wu certainly didn't mince words, as Lian's glare could attest to. "But that is alright. Being wish is not in itself a bad thing. It only becomes problematic when you stay weak. And I see that fire your eyes. You most certainly have the will. It's just that right now, your body cannot back it up. That's what we wish to change as soon as possible."

"How...?"

"You'll be going on excursion with us. The best teacher is very likely to be experience itself." Su Wu answered with folded arms. "Now then, we'll have to take care of the issue of your homeless friends as soon as possible."

Lian blinked. "W-Wait...you mean you're actually going to help?!"

"Why of course we are. Besides, if you're so busy worrying about them, even if you never voice it to us, your focus and concentration will be fragmented. That simply won't do. For you need all of your mental fortitude simply to withstand the physical aspects of training. The actual mental aspeft will admittedly be much worse."

"How is that even possible?"

"You'll experience it for yourself. Experience does tend to be the best teacher."

"I'd rather avoid several bad experiences, thank you. Like being locked in a room with a sweaty, smelly boar." Wing grimaced. "Takes overwhelming willpower for me to not simply kill him. A corpse smells better than a sweaty, smelly boar."

Wan raised her paw. "Ooh! But wouldn't he then be a sweaty, smelly and dead boar? The dead smell pretty bad already, sis. Wouldn't that make the smell worse?"

"..."

"You didn't think of that, did you?"

"...So how are we gonna start the brat's training?"

She outright dodged the question...

"We get her some food first. Concentration is less likely to work out an empty belly." A low grumble from Lian's midsection seemed to confirm this, and make the young feline blush. "Case in point."

"Shut up..."

"Alright, so it goes like so: Feed. Bathe. Assist. Train. I think I can commit that to memory." Wing nods. "Didja get that, Wan?"

"Of course I do! I'll do anything for our new daughter!"

"She's not our daughter..."

"Our daughter is so cute!"

"Will ya quit saying that before you start believing it?"

"Ah yes, how I've missed these two." Su sighed fondly before gazing back to Lian and patting her head. "Alright then, let us be off. Climb onto my back."

"What? Why?"

"You're hungry. Keep moving as you are and you'll become an even bigger burden to yourself. Plus, I'm not too comfortable with the idea of leaving you on your own just yet." Su said sternly while turning with her paws out. "Now come. On my back, child."

"Fiiinne..." Lian rolled her eyes as she climbed up on Su's back, before sliding her arms around her shoulders to get a better, safer grip. "Will this do?"

"Nicely. Ladies, lets move." Su commanded. Wing and Wan ceased their bickering and nodded. Soon three shadows with swiftly dash out and about. Despite having a child attached to her back, Su wasn't slowed down at all, and was moving as silently and swiftly as ever.

Lian was admittedly impressed, wondering if she could mimic that some day.

"Alright, time to feed the kid. What places do we know gives out decent food without question?" Wing stated quickly while leaping across the rooftops. "We're gonna need something pretty filling, so what will those things be? Dumplings? Bean Buns? Noodles? All of the above?"

"Perhaps. Though I suppose she has already learned her lesson about pickiness, no?" Su questioned. Lian didn't answer her verbally, but Su did feel her nod once. "Ah, so it won't really matter what we get for her, so long as she actually eats. That may make thongs a bit easier for us so long as we get something to feed her."

"Yeah, it would have been a real bother if she got all picky about her food..." Wing grumbled while keeping her eyes out. "We'd better be quick about it though. I'm sure it'll be fine, but we're still escaped convicts. I'm not saying we rush, but our time window for leaving isn't very large if they do get a lead on us."

"Hm...?" Lian mumbled while adjusting her head. "You mean...you won't be staying long? And...I'll have to come with you?"

"Most likely. You'll be traveling with us for a short while...perhaps not necessarily short. But you definitely won't be seeing your friends for a long time, if you are dedicated to growing stronger."

Lian lowered her eyes slightly. "I'm...unsure if i'll be able to do that...I don't even know if I'll really be up to it..."

"Ah, self-doubt. That is fine, we will be working on that as well."

"It's our jobs as mothers to give our child unconditional love and support!" Wan beamed.

"We are NOT her mothers! We're...caretakers! That's a far better term. Ya know why? caretakers can mess up, that's to be expected. We would be shitty mothers, Wan. We're killers for crying out loud!" Wing shouted.

"...What's your point?"

"...Ugh. I can't even..." Wing grumbled again. She blinked quietly as she hushed slightly. "Hold on...I think I see something...possible grub up ahead for the brat."

"We finally found some noms for our aspiring nommer?!"

"Seems like it." Su observed as she landed on a roof ahead of her sisters. She pointed forward as she would see several looking houses...houses that likely belong to nobles. They also noticed how the houses seem much cleaner and shinier than others...they definitely belong to nobles. "Noble houses...very good. Ideal target indeed."

"I dunno, sis. They seem like a pretty high target to be messin' with, sis." Wing wondered.

"Will that be a problem?"

"So long as we don't get caught, we won't have to worry too much. We will have to be swift." Su Wu nodded quietly. "Do what we always do, ladies. Stick to the shadows, don't make a sound...we ransack these stuck-ups blind."

"Righto!~" Wan beamed.

"Got it." Wing hummed.

"Lian. Hang on to me. You'll be seeing how we tend to do things in a more covert manner." Su Wu instructed.

"Right..." Lian nodded nervously.

"Try not to vomit from all the swift movement, dear. I'd like to keep my clothes as clean as possible, if I can."

"S-Shut up, dammit..."

With that, the Wu Sisters were on the move, with Lian in tow. It was a silent, swift operation, much more than Lian anticipated. They really didn't make too much of a sound as they snuck into the separate noble homes and snatched up as much food as they could fit in their bags. Lian wasn't exactly against it since she's done some stealing herself. It's just a bit curious when she sees more experienced people do the same, with her as an audience.

As Su said, they were out around as swiftly as they snuck in, with two full bags of food each, and they carried them near effortlessly. Once they were far enough away, they stopped on one roof and checked to see they weren't being followed. It seemed to be successful.

"Alright. We have about six bags of grub here...don't tell me we're gonna give it all to the kid." Wing deadpanned.

"Yeah, that would be a bit much. Wouldn't want her to get big and fat like Wing.~"

"You're making a real big effort to piss me off today, huh? And what's this about being big and fat? YOU'RE the one who's-" Wing paused, and the smug face on Wan forced her to turn away. "Nevermind."

"Oh come now, Wing. Speak your mind.~"

"With my foot currently in my mouth? No thanks."

"I swear, you two..." Su Wu shook her head. "Regardless, we have what we came for. Lot of food within each of these bags. We give half of them to the building where Lian's friends are to be."

"R-Really?!" Lian said, slightly surprised.

"Of course their housing will have to be figured out another time, it is not too serious an issue. Right now we simply make sure they have plenty to eat tonight. Come, ladies." Su Wu leaps off again with Lian holding onto her really tight. Wing and Wan followed her afterwards, both a bit pouty about having to give away so much food for kids they don't even know.

And they couldn't even let them see them either. They just chose to deliver the food inside of the building by dropping them through the open window then swiftly behind hopping back before anyone suspected. Though Lian stopped them just a pace before, so she could see.

Numerous children, ox, bunny, goose, pig, many gathered around the food that has miraculously dropped at their doorstep. They happily take it inside so as to eat it in their house. Lian watched them from a distance, smiling quietly.

It was only then, when they gained much more distance from the villages that they found it safe enough to stop and eventually dig into their own food and occasional jarred drinks. Only then when they double checked to make sure they weren't followed, we they able to relax a bit and recall what they've achieved in under a few moments.

"Think they're gonna be upset?" Wan wondered. "We've stolen from nobility, after all."

"It won't be too hard to find guys to make more food for them. Besides, we've stolen from worse people and we've still managed to turn out alright, so I'm not really worried." Wing shrugged. She turned to Lian. "How about you, brat? Having any last-minute regrets about this call?"

"Not really, no." Lian shook her head. "The kids will be eating much better tonight. That's all I needed to know for tonight."

"Ugh. You have a filthy mouth for your age yet you still come with a bleeding heart. You make no sense to me."

"There's no need to be a jackass about it."

"SEE?!"

"You're just a big baby, Wing.~"

"YOU STAY OUTTA THIS!"

"A job well done as usual, ladies. It seems our coordination hasn't worn off a bit from our years apart." Su smiled, lightly bonking Wing and Wan on their heads before they grumbled and ceased their bickering. "Now that's been taken care of, we can focus on figuring out how to improve those children's living condition. We won't be able to do so tonight. Perhaps tomorrow, when we're well-rested. For now, there's supper. And just around supper..." She turned to Lian with a sly smile. "There's bathtime.~"

Lian laughed awkwardly. I had hoped she'd forget about that. Dammit.

"Woooowwww..."

Lian knew they wouldn't be using traditional baths to get themselves cleaned up. Though to think They would lead her a decent distance away from the village only to come across something like this. Lian was looking at a majestic waterfall. The water itself looked nice and clean, the foliage around them served as beautiful green backdrop, the large pond connecting to the bottom of said waterfall was complete with a glowing cave within, and best of all-according to the sisters-no one else came to this place. It was completely private.

"...We're going to bathe under a waterfall...?"

"Sometimes you don't really get a choice on how you clean yourself. Instead you work with what you have. And this is what we currently have." Su Wu smiled while nonchalantly undoing her vest, surprising Lian a little. "What is it? Surely you don't expect us to bathe with our bandages on, do you? Preposterous. It would stick too tightly afterwards."

"Well, yeah, but..." Lian paused slightly as she looked at Su Wu's form. She was very feminine indeed, but she was still a warrior. Vague but very existent muscles pulsed from her arms and stomach despite their slender appearance. She didn't overly look like someone who could do too much damage, but Lian knew better. "It's just..."

"Just what, kid?" Wing rolled her eyes as she too began undressing. "Quite stalling already and get in the water."

"I..."

"Don't fear bathtime, Lian! Bathtime is your ally!" Wan beamed, having already jumped into the water with a resounding splash. She resurfaced quickly, smiling at her sisters and Lian. Lian, however, was surprised by something of Wan's that she chose to keep in her head, wary of Wing's possibly negative reaction to it.

They're...they're floating...!

"You heard my sisters. In you go." Su Wu gently punted Lian into the water while simultaneous taking her cloak off. A gasp resonated throughout the area as she splashed face first into the water, quickly resurfacing moments later.

"Gah...hah...ha...what the hell...?!"

"You can't expect an auditory warning every time something is about to happen. You'll have to be able to sense it in other ways."

"Screw that! You just like to mess with me!"

"...I won't lie and say that your face of surprise does not amuse me.~"

"Asshole..."

"Now now, don't be that way. You're fine, aren't you? And the water is quite refreshing, is it not?" Su Su smirked as she moves closer to Lian and helped her bathe. "Besides, the sooner you get this over with, the sooner you can get out. How does that sound?"

"Hmph."

"I knew you'd understand.~"

"Sheesh, she's being this difficult as a damn ten year old kid. Makes me a bit irritable when I think about how difficult she'll be as a teen, if she even sticks around for that long." Wing grumbled.

"Maybe she will, who knows? It'll be a really amazing treat to have a fourth member of our group, don't you think?" Wan beamer, going under for a bit before rising up, scratching her ear.

"Four Wu sisters...? Nah, doesn't quite roll off the tongue." Wing shook her head. "I'm still not willing to call her 'daughter' though. Like I said before, we'd be shitty mothers."

"Well...how will we know that for sure if we don't try?"

"I...I..." Wing temporarily looked lost, then she shook her head. "Look, even if we wanted to, it wouldn't work out. Not too long ago you and I broke Su outta jail and killed anyone and everyone who tried to stop us. Doesn't really sound like a motherly quality, does it?"

"We don't have to be the best mothers in the world, Wing. We just have to do our best for Lian. I'm willing to put in that effort, are you?"

"Tch...the better question is...will she accept us like that?"

Lian blinked owlishly as their eyes turned towards her. "I...I...I don't...I mean..." Instinctively, she retreated slightly into Wu's bosom, who gently patted her head.

"Don't pressure the poor child too much, girls. She's been through enough as it is." Su gently scolded, convincing the two to silently mumble an apology. "How Lian wishes to see us is her own choice. Be it mothers, masters, both, or none. It's ultimately her choice in the endgame." She says while turning Lian around and looking her in the eye. "Do you hear that, Lian? You can say no. I know all I've said before sounds like you don't have a choice...but being involved with us is quite a dangerous thing, no matter how small. We will happily keep our promise. But if you wish us not to interfere with your life after that...we will accept it, and quietly walk away."

"...I wouldn't to that far..." Lian mumbled. "Let's...let's just see where things end up...maybe...maybe I can come to a decision then." She looked towards the other sisters. "Did you really go through so much trouble just to break your sister out of jail?"

"Course we did. She's our sis. Our family."

"The Wu Sisters just aren't complete if all of us aren't together."

Wing and Wan answered without hesitation, which surprised Lian quite a bit."

"Our bond is something we hold dear, more than any treasure in the world. And believe me, there are some valuable ones worth quite a lot of coin." Su chuckled. "But I digress. I love my sisters. They love me. Life without each other...is simply meaningless. That is why the Kung Fu Council separating us and putting us in different prisons is far worse a punishment than the prisons themselves. It always will be in our minds."

Lian looked ay the trio again, a bit in aw from how sincere their words were. Everyone else sees them as these rampant female warriors who cause as much chaos as they can. They were the bad guys-or 'girls' in those occasion-but here they were, in no uncertain terms, declaring their sisterly love for one another. She always assume that bad guys cared for no one, not even each other...clearly she misunderstood.

"Listen well, kid." Wing spoke up. "Given how the three of us were raised, society was never gonna accept is no matter what we did. They struck first. Our retaliation was heavy."

"In this world where society doesn't think too much of you, and have more stock in protecting their reputation, their pride than their friends...we can't rely on anyone but each other." Wan nodded.

"It came to a head when that old fool Shifu put more worth in his Master's words than believing in his son, Tai Lung. That ended as well as we thought it would." Su grumbled while placing a paw on her blue eye, snarling. "It's especially annoying, because much earlier than that, he was the one who nearly blinded me in this eye..."

"Blinded...?!" Lian gasped.

"Yeah..." Wing Wu clenched her fists. "He was much younger back then, and he was cocky as hell. Tai Lung wanted a challenge, so he was sent after the three of us. We were strong...but he was stronger. He crushed us mercilessly. When Su tried to strike back one last time when we couldn't retaliate, he struck her harder than he did any of us, knocking her into a coma. They hauled our sis away, and us from each other, while he stood there with that fucking satisfied smirk on his face. We were pissed when we later saw her eye like that. It's full vision is never coming back..."

"We didn't see each other for years after that." Wan mumbled, pushing her paw through the water for a bit. "And when we broke Su out of jail last time, we were defeated by the Kung Fu Council, who were only mercenaries back then...now they're stronger than ever. But that's beside the point, we were thrown back in jail, once again separated for years. And..." Wan paused for a bit. Su and Wing's sensitive ears picked up on something dripping into the water. Tears. "...I just...I just don't think I can go through that again!"

"Wan...?!" Su and Wing exclaimed in surprise. Lian also stepped back a bit.

"Twice now, we've been separated for years. That time could have been spent with each other, causing a bit of mischief here and there, killing the occasional jerkface that tries to directly mess with us...it was fun. I enjoy being with you two, no matter how much we bicker! The idea that if we mess up once more, we'll for real NEVER see each other again..." Wan looked up towards them, her eyes shimmering gold with tears running down her cheeks. "That's more torturous than ANYTHING those bastards could possibly do to me in their hellhole prisons!"

Su and Wing were stunned silent by their youngest triplet's tears, even more so since she's kept this under wraps for about a week for their sake. Lian didn't say a word. What could she possibly say about any of this? She had no family to speak of...she couldn't relate to these feelings at all. Even her 'friends' was somewhat questionable at best.

"...I didn't want to say anything...Su...you're always so ambitious, so strong, so confident...I didn't want to do or say anything to compromise that, since I do like that about you. And Wing, you're always raring to go, looking for a possibly worthy fight, probably bathe in a jerk's blood...you have fun. And I have fun too in my own way, looking for the best of certain situations, wanting to try nee things, admiring beautiful women...it's all treasured memories I share with you both, when we're together." Wan whispered, hugging her arms with closed eyes. "...I can't go through being separated like that again...I just...can't. I love you both far too much to endure it again. I wanna be with my sisters forever..."

Su was far more shocked by this than Wing, for a different reason. Both times, her sisters have been separated for years, because they were far too dangerous together. And clearly they're all deeply hurt by how long they've been separated, but have taken it in stride when they eventually reunited. However, as she has seen from Wan's tearful confession of her true feelings, going through that extended separation a third time might just break her spirit for good.

She couldn't let that happen.

"We won't be separated again, Wan. I promise you that." Su said strongly, moving over to her sister and gently wiping the tears from her eyes. "Nothing like that will ever happen again. This time we're together for good."

"I kept thinking that everything was fine. Shaky, but fine. I...I had no idea..." Wing mumbled while scratching the back of her head. "That shit's not gonna happen again, Wan. We'll be stronger than that, much stronger. We're the only family we got, so we won't lose it again." She waded towards Wan as well, gently petting her head. "C'mon. No more crying for tonight, okay?"

"...Mhm..." Wan reluctantly nodded, the trio then proceeding to hug each other, their foreheads pressing against one another.

Su, admittedly being lost in the moment, blinked and noticed that Lian had silently climbed out of the water, already beginning to dry herself off. What really tipped off that something was wrong was the expressionless face she wore while walking away. Realizing what their display has caused, Su cursed her carelessness, Wing nearly doing the same, and the anguish that spread across Wan's face was immediate."

"Oh no...I didn't mean...Lian...!" Wan reached out, but Su spread her arm out to stop her.

"Let her cool down. Any chance of her willingly conversing with us further has just been snuffed out." Su said.

"We're family to each other...Lian has nothing like that." Wing muttered while punching the cave wall aside of them. "And we just very blatantly reminded of her of that, even if it's by accident...damn it!"

"There's nothing we can do about it right now. Let's just stay close enough to her as to not invade her personal space and call it a night. Our heads will be much clearer in the morning." Su advised.

There were no objections.

Lian didn't know why, but she woke up fairly early the next morning. And to be clearer, it wasn't eben fully morning yet. It was dawn at best, with the sun having not yet appeared over the horizon. Though that isn't what's gotten her up and about.

She sensed that something was dreadfully wrong.

Lian got up quickly, moving as swiftly as she could back to the village, not noticing that the Wu Sisters were nowhere in sight. She couldn't quite put her paw on it, but she just KNEW that something horrible has just happened while she was asleep. And somehow, that was a major factor that has saved her life. She didn't know why her life had anything to do with it, but she strongly knew that it was true.

It was only when she got to the cliff overseeing her village did she stop. Her heart almost did the same, as her eyes widened in disbelief, clearly having trouble comprehending the sight before her. she had no idea as to how or why.

But her village has been reduced to smoking ruins.

"...Wha...?" That was all she could emit at the moment. What followed was her sliding down the cliff and running desperately towards the ruins to confirm if it was true or not. She hoped against all odds that it wasn't. Even though this village was a bit of a hellhole to live in, it was still her home. She didn't have anywhere to go, nor anyone to take her anywhere.

Complete silence overtook her as she tried to find any survivors...there didn't seem to be any. She had no idea what or why. All she saw were numerous craters and crevices, as well as scorch marks. To her repulsion, several corpses were scorched as well, while others were half buried within several crevices, and others had entire homes collapsed right on top of them.

A bloodied paw of a young bunny was underneath one of them, and she saw it was reaching towards another who was probably their mother. Her corpse was scorched as well.

Lian couldn't help but look away.

What the hell, WHAT THE HELL?! Everything was fine yesterday, everything was intact and everyone wasn't dead! How did this happen?!

She didn't have time to ponder. For she was suddenly grabbed by the scruff of her neck and smashed into the wall of a ruined building, taking the wind out of her. Her back stung greatly from the pain it just endured.

"Didn't think there would actually be any survivors here..." What appeared to be a large gorilla said roughly while holding her by the throat.

"I mean the place is littered with corpses and all the homes are destroyed. It's almost as of someone wiped this place off the map." A boar next to him would ask.

"It ain't something to weep over, though. This place has been a ruinous cesspool for quite a long time now. The entire thing being destroyed, people and all...it isn't as big a deal as one might think." A croc would later put in. "Though I have to say, I'm surprised one kid managed to survive this disaster. Maybe she's lucky?"

"If she's so lucky, what do you think she could be sold for?"

"Would anyone really want her, though?"

"I'm sure we could find somebody."

Scavengers. She saw at least ten others here from the corners of her eye. That's the word that came to mind when she listened to them for a bit. They were not responsible for this they simply stumbled upon the remains and are trying to see what they can profit off of. Apparently she was the biggest catch of all. And Lian was no fool. She was a young girl who's yet to blossom into a young woman. Who would br willing to buy her in the meantime?

Hell no.

The gorilla suddenly shouted in pain as he drew his arm back, as Lian as dug her class into his wrist as deeply as she could. She as dropped to the ground, panting for breath, her throat sore. But her eyes remained defiant.

No one was taking her anywhere without her say-so.

"Grah...that hurt, you stupid brat!"

"Like...I give a damn...you shitty gorilla. I'm not going...anywhere with...any of you...!" She hoarsely forced out, but it was a stern voice all the same.

"You don't really have a choice in the ma-" The boar would begin to argue. But he was cut short by something standing atop the roof of the building behind Lian. His eyes widened in abject terror. "W...W...What the...?!"

The Wu Sisters stood atop the roof with different expressions. Wing was ecstatic, Wan was upset, and Su...was disturbingly calm. Their claws were coated with blood, and yet another of them seemed a bit bothered by that. All they focused on right now was their latest prey.

"There were about like, eighteen other guys with you, right? They were scavenging off other corpses here." Wan said with a pout and folded arms.

"And it took half as many seconds to slaughter them all. I have to thank you boys. I was getting kinda bored." Wing grinned dangerously while lifting her paw and licking the blood from it.

"It's highly unfortunate that this village was destroyed like this. We don't know the cause, but it's definitely supernatural. Elemental magic, most likely." Su deduced calmly.

Supernatural...? Lian thought in confusion.

"...But alas, that's a mystery to be bookmarked. We have more important things to do." Su Wu said, almost looked bored. Though only Lian could see how disturbing that calm was, especially since it did nothing to distract from the killing intent coming from her from waves in a yellow, malefic chi aura, which almost made her vomit from how intense it was. Almost as if she noticed this, Su toned it down, and Lian could breathe again. Su's order was simple, and to the point. And most chillingly, it wasn't even vocal.

She simply snapped her fingers.

The next moment, a shadow that was Wing swiftly jumped by the boar, with him gasping as there were deep claw marks across his throat, before he fell over, quickly dying. The croc was about to cry out, but that proved fruitless once Wan passed him and swiftly struck him in his abdomen. His ribs puncturing his lungs, he could only cough once before she struck even harder, sending him flying with blood spewing from his jaws. Seeing the commotion, the remaining scavengers charged at the Wu Sisters. They had no idea of their fate. Even if they did the smarter thing and retreat, they wouldn't have gotten far.

Fight or flight, they were going to die.

They were all cut down in one way or another. Jugulars slashed open with surgical precision, throwing daggers puncturing their throat, their skulls being smashed into the concrete, one of their swords piercing their hearts...they were brutal, they merciless, and their bloodlust was made clear once they had an acceptable target.

Su landed in front of the facedown Lian and stared up at the gorilla, who was sweating bullets at the sight of his comrades effortlessly being slaughtered. He saw the look in Su's eyes...she wasn't going to let him leave alive. She refused. So, foolish as it made be, he roared and threw a desperate punch towards her head...she caught it without a problem. She then proceeded to bend his arm back while walking forward, which didn't do wonders for the horrible pain building up in that arm.

"Lian has been through enough already. A cesspool of crime where no one wants her. An apathetic neighborhood where no one seriously pays her any heed. Having to stoop to stealing amd scavenging just to have a chance. And now, in her sleep, everything is gone. Her home, no matter how desolate it was, was the only one she knew. And yet you still try to make things worse by attempting to sell her off. Can't you see? The poor girl has nothing left to give, to strive for."

Lian was pretty sure arms aren't meant to bend the way Su bended her prey's for he was now wailing while holding his limp arm.

"When notorious criminals like myself and my sisters are the only ones to genuinely reach out to her, something is wrong. She doesn't need you making it worse." She held up a paw as Wan through a sword in her direction, as she forcefully drove it through the gorilla's arm, not helping his pained cries at all. She pulled it out and drove it through his side, leaving it there and very roughly twisting it. "I felt sympathy for her, which is rare. I decided to protect her. You not only blatantly harmed my protectorate, but you intended to force her into a fate possibly worse than death. Do you see where you have grossly miscalculated? My name is Su Wu. And you tried to take what is under MY protection. You tried to take. What. Is. Mine."

"I-I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll leave her alone! I'll leave completely! J-Just, let me go!"

"I refuse." Su stated bluntly as a hard step on his other arm broke it entirely, he could only hoarsely shout at the moment, having exhausted his lungs. Su could care less, holding a paw out as Wing tossed her a dagger, catching it. "This place was certainly a hellhole, but she couldn't fo anywhere else, not on her own. Like it or not, this was her home. Not only did you not care enough to leave this unfortunate place be, you tried to worsen the pain of someone I consider holding dear to me, which is now solidified since she now has nothing of her own, nowhere to go, and no one else to accept her. Knowingly or not, you crossed me in a very personal manner by trying to rid her of the only thing she has left: Her life."

"I-I..."

"I shall not forgive this. No matter how you repent."

"W-Wait! P-"

Su would hear none of it. She covered his mouth with a paw, her other paw lifting up slightly, pressing her finger to her lips, gently whispering, "Shhhh...".

The dagger slammed down.

Silence.

Su sighed and cracked her neck a bit as she hopped off the gorilla's corpse. She slowly moved towards Lian, who eventually sits up on her knees with her cloak wrapped around her, staring idly at the ground. Wan and Wing were next to her, kneeling close to her. The child was quiet as well, clutching her cloak.

"Lian..." Wing said softly.

"...This place was shit. It was dirty, it was messed up, it was lonely, it was mean...everything about it was stupid and shitty...but it was all I had. It was the only thing I've known, the only place I've known." Lian mumbled. "I got used to it. I knew I wasn't supposed to, but I did. I could only look after myself. No one risked anything to help me, even if I helped them. Those kids? They...they weren't really my friends. Due to this environment, no matter what I said, they were becoming just as bad. I couldn't turn my back on them and let them starve...even if it meant I would have to starve sometimes."

"Lian..." Wan said sadly.

"It sucked. Everything and everyone sucked! Most of them were assholes with the good ones buried under all the garbage with no hopes of escaping! No matter what I did, no matter what I tried, no matter what I changed, I always ended up on the short end of the stick! No one even had the decency to say thanks. Or even look in my direction in a positive way. Nothing of the sort. But I didn't give up. I couldn't. No one else did what I tried to do. No one else would."

"Lian..." Su said calmly.

Lian clenched onto her cloak further, her teeth gritting. "And look where that all amounted to? Nothing! It doesn't matter who, how, or why this happened, it's all gone! It's all been for nothing! Everything I did, tried to do...reduced...to nothing..." She sniffed, tears leaving her eyes, her tough facade falling to pieces. "I had nothing...I had no one...and now, I have nowhere to go...what now...what do I do...?" The crying soon turned to broken sobbing. "What am I supposed to do now...?"

The Wu Sisters were briefly at a loss on what do do. They had a deal with Lian at first...but now things have changed for the worst. However this mess happened, Lian was now left with nothing to her name, no one to call friend or family, and nowhere to go. She was truly and utterly alone.

"...Su. What do we do?" Wing asked her sister seriously. "Authorities are bound to come investigate this place in days. We can't stay here."

"She's right, sis." Wan agreed worriedly. "There's absolutely no way Lian is going to trust any of them, not with her life."

Su agreed. There was a strange saying. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. Lian has no home to speak of, and she clearly can't stay here amongst the dead, nor for official authorities to take her. They've done nothing to help this place up to it's bitter end, no way will she accept them now. What could they do? And even if they did stay with her to make sure they took care of her on the off-chance she would accept them...that would greatly risk their third capture.

...I can't go through being separated like that again...I just...can't.

Su Wu made her decision.

"Lian." Su said firmly, gaining the girl's attention via lifting her eyes towards her. "You have nothing to call your own, nowhere to call home, and no one to call you friend or family. That changes now. You shall come with us."

"W-What...?" Lian's eyes widened.

"Ya sure about this, sis?" Wing asked.

"What about your plan, Su?" Wan wondered curiously.

"Forget about the plan. Forget everything about it. Taking over China is a miniscule goal, no longer worth my time. The only thing worth my time is being with and protecting my sisters." Su looked down at Lian. "And you as well, Lian."

"H-Huh...?"

"I'm changing my offer. I'm turning it into a promise. We will take care of you. We will make you strong, strong enough to stand on your own. Strong enough to deny anyone who tries to forcefully take your freedom from you. If you so decide, we will be able to part ways with satisfied hearts when we deem you strong enough to travel on your own, and to forge your own path." Su Wu kneeled closer and gently patted Lian on her head, then lowered it to cup her cheek. "But for now, and for the time being...your path is intertwined with ours. And even even when the day comes when you do venture off on your own...we will surely meet again."

Lian blinked, sniffling slightly. "...W...What are you saying...?"

Su Wu flashed her a genuine, gentle smile. "Lian...we will be your family."

Lian almost didn't believe her. Yet nothing, both in her healthy eye and her half-blind one, did she see any deceit. Su's promise was a true one. It was too much for her to handle. The tears flowed again, heavier than before, making her close her eyes. She shook her head and flung herself into Su Wu's arms, wrapping her own around her and fully succumbing to her heavy crying, muffled by Wu's bosom. Su calmly smiles and begins to gently pet her head. It was still coated in blood, but given what she's just been through, Lian wouldn't really notice or care about that. Another heavy duty bath would fix the issue right up.

"Ah damn. Listen to her wailing. It's much louder than before." Wing grumbled while picking her ear with a claw. "Guess we really are gonna take her with us..."

"We really are mothers! Yay!~" Wan beamed with her paws in the air, hopping excitedly.

"I keep telling you, we're not gonna be very good at this."

"I think young Lian is now more than willing to take whatever she can get." Su chuckled slightly, even though one thing saddened her. It took a lot of pain and cruelty for the world to dish out on Lian for her to accept, jump into, and tearfully cry in the arms of a killer, when no one else would open their arms at all. What kind of dark world would treat a child so harshly?

Su Wu decided it didn't matter. It didn't matter how hard the world fought them, the Wu Sisters had, and always will, fight back. They will never take what the world dishes out to them lying down. They recover and retaliate harder than ever. A Wu will always find a way to survive, then thrive. That's what a Wu does.

"You have the will, but not yet the strength. That is fine. In time, my child, you shall prove yourself strong enough to defy the world. From now on, you are our daughter. From now on...you are Lian Wu."

Alright. Time for bad things to stop happening to poor Lian, and for good things to start happening in return. A desperate need to have a place to belong...she's had none.

You know something's seriously whack with the world when the WU SISTERS are your last and only sources of genuine salvation.

Plus, now ya know why they dislike Tai Lung. A much younger buff snow leopard, he was the one who brutally crushed them the first time for a 'worthy challenge',-as well as nearly blinding Su in one eye-which makes things ridiculously awkward for him in the present since things have been going seriously wrong for him as well afterwards.

That's one relationship not getting patched any time soon...

In any case, one more part to go!