I finally emerged from the alleyway, but as they say, out of the frying pan and into the fire as I found several croc bandits armed with spears and axes already battling Po and the other members of the furious five who hadn't dealt with Le Dong. This would be fun, I've never gone against an armed opponent before, save for those rats at the food storage facility. Then again, they had chopsticks while these guys had weapons that would slice through or even decapitate me.

I hesitated a few seconds before rushing out, attacking the nearest croc who had his back to me, not knowing I was there. I struck him instantly, throwing my tail around his left arm and spun him round to face me, throwing him off balance. Once he noted my presence he swung the axe in his right hand downwards in an attempt to cut me in half. Before he could hit me I jumped to the side and watched as the axe buried itself in the soil. I quickly coiled around the weapon and pulled as hard as I could until I could hear the wooden handle snap. I pulled away and watched as the croc pulled the remains of the weapon to his side. He had to look at the broken handle and me twice before he had figured out what happened. I was a little surprised that I managed to break it myself but put the thought aside as the bandit charged again, raising his hands and ready to slam them into the ground. I simply shot myself between his legs and tripped him up and was able to knock him out with an accurate jab to the back of the head before he got the chance to.

The more I fought, the easier the battle became. I managed to deal with another three bandits before everyone else had finished off the other remaining goons and were now advancing on the leader, holding a sack of money in both his scaly arms and looking upon the verge of passing out.

"Uhhh... I surrender"? He spoke nervously, trying to negotiate.

Unlucky for him it didn't work as Mantis hopped onto him and pinched his shoulder. The croc leader fell to the floor, still holding onto the sack of money. I slithered up behind Po.

"That went well I suppose". I spoke up, startling Po.

"AH! Mike, when did you get here"?

"What do you mean, I've been helping you fight these guys for the last couple of minutes".

"Really"? "

You mean to say you didn't see me take out four guys for you"?

"...No"?

I facepalmed. "I guess it doesn't matter. So I take it this guy is going to jail"?

"Yup". Mantis said jumping off the leader.

"So is Le Dong taken care of"? Crane asked.

"Tigress and Monkey should be done tying him up by now". "

Run into any more of these guys on your way"?

I wondered to myself if I should tell them about my encounter in the alleyway. Seemed like the smartest thing to do. But then again, if Yinshen was now trying to kill me, why didn't she when she had the chance? It didn't add up. Maybe she was the type to play with her prey before killing it. It would suit her personality. The last thing I needed was for everyone else to risk their lives for me.

"No".

"Alright, Me and Po will round up the bandits. Everyone else take five". Monkey spoke up, letting the rest of us leave as they begun hauling all the crocs in one cart.

"Mike, I've been meaning to ask lately". Viper begun, causing Mantis to listen in. Viper noticed this. "In private".

I looked to see Mantis sigh before hopping away, muttering something angrily. Crane just gladly stepped away, respecting our privacy. Mantis could learn some manners from the avian. "What's up"? I asked once making sure that both masters had left.

"I was just wanting to talk to you about our second date".

"Oh, okay".

"How does a walk around town sound"?

"Sounds nice and relaxing. I'd love to". I smiled.

"Great. How about tonight"?

"At seven"?

"Seems like a good time to me". On the bright side, at least I've got something to do tonight.

...

SIX HOURS LATER

Somehow, in some unknown way, Po had already learned about the date tonight and had spent a good two thirds of the time "offering" his assistance. And by that I mean overreacting and dragging me all over town for a second time, when all we're doing is having a simple walk around town. Even though I tried to tell him that, he wouldn't listen. Luckily I had been paid an extra hundred and fifty yuan for the week for protecting the valley. Not that I needed that much money but I'm sure Po will find a way to spend every single coin on this date for me. Just to cut it short, I ended up getting a box of chocolates. That was it. But wait, it wasn't that simple as Po kindly and gladly decided to go and get the bloody biggest box in the most expensive store in town! WHICH COST FIFTY YUAN I MIGHT ADD!

So that being that, I had twenty minutes until the date started so I decided that it would be a good idea to go ahead and deliver the box of chocolates to Viper while I still had time. Once I had arrived outside her room, I simply knocked once and the door opened. "For you". I smiled, giving her the box. The look on her face was priceless upon seeing the size of the box, pretty much the same reaction I had when I found out how much it cost. It was so big that I had to turn the thing sideways to get it to fit through the door. It was lighter than it looked so lifting it wasn't an issue. I was expecting a thank you, but instead Viper raised one of her eyes.

"Mike, how much did this cost"? She asked, hissing slightly.

"Not much, just maybe"... I trailed off and muttered some gibberish, trying to avoid the question.

"Mike. How much"? She asked once more, narrowing her eyes, daring me to trail off again. No way of getting around this so I might as well tell her. I braced myself as I was sure I would be slapped.

"Fifty yuan". I said, lowering my head somewhat dissapointed with myself. I didn't even see Vipers expression upon telling her but I knew that it was bad due to the silence. I tilted my head up to see her eyes wide open. I could only imagine what she was thinking. "Viper"? I asked gently. Viper blinked and looked back at me. She was not happy. Instead of speaking, she went over to her bed, grabbed her money bag and offered me fifty yuan. I knew what she was doing, trying to pay me back. I wasn't going to let her pay for something that I got her.

"Viper, I'm not taking your money".

"You can't just throw your money away on me like this. The least you could let me do is pay you back"!

"... I'm not taking your money".

I repeated, narrowing my eyes. Viper put the money back in the bag somewhat forcibly and before I could say anything, *SLAP* Should have seen that coming. "... So that's the way it is". I spoke calmly though on the inside I was quite mad. After trying to show how much I care, this is the thanks

"I guess this whole thing was a mistake to begin with". I muttered.

"What do you mean"? Viper asked, calming down slightly. I just slithered out of the room. "Mike, what do you mean it's a mistake"? Viper spoke up, trying to grab me by the tail before I got too far, in which response I pulled it out of her grip harshly.

"I mean, WE. We are a mistake. You and I together! So this should make your night. We're through"!

I took my leave. Out of the barracks, down the stairs and into the town, wanting to get far away from Viper as I could. I didn't even give myself a moment to see her response.

Did I overreact? Perhaps. Did I care? Not even a little. And if I'm to be honest with myself, I'm glad I did what I did. For Gods sake, I'm still human on the inside! What was I thinking? I should have known better than to love a snake! And even if Tigress carries out her threat on me for hurting Viper emotionally, it would still be worth it. I wanted to be mad at Po for all of this as he was the one who got me to buy the box in the first place. But then again, who is worse? The fool or the one that follows him? Eventually I sat down on a bench and gathered my thoughts. My head was swimming from everything that had happened Eventually I heard a noise from down the street. My anger rose once more upon seeing a shadow that looked like Tigress.

"Just leave me alone".

I moaned to myself. A few seconds of silence passed, and as though the shadow heard me, it retreated into the darkness. Thank goodness. However my luck ran out as a sharp pain entered my neck, making me jolt in pain. I felt something stick out of my neck and tried to pull it out with my tail. I successfully removed it and looked at what had hit me. It looked like some sort of dart. Why would... someone... try to... hiuuuuhhhh...

I then fell asleep, but not before seeing an unknown figure loom over me, smiling evilly.

...

Ooooh, I know I said I'd post this on Wednesday but I couldn't help myself. I'm just having too much fun getting into the tension part of the story. Next chapter, Who is pulling Yinshens strings? You'll find out in time. Maybe in a few days if I can write fast enough. Oh and for those who want to know what of Mike and Viper, if they'll get back together? Who knows? I certainly don't as I'm still deciding. All I know is that it's Po's fault.

Cheerio!