Chapter 5: Abduction
Gen Fu strolled outside into the gloomy weather of night, while he knew the others had fallen off into their slumber, aiming his view at the tall, massive mountains that stood beyond the woods like fortresses of rock. He withdrew his leg behind the other as he tilted the weight of his head up toward the moon, noting the present stars in the sky, giving off a shimmering twinkle. Releasing the faint sigh in his voice, he had been cogitating back to the moment when Jann Lee made mention of Tengu. It was the only thing invading, running rampant through the tunnels of his mind, stuck there as if someone had injected the thought into his brain with a syringe.
Back peddling thoughts from the day of the Dead or Alive Tournament, Tengu was supposed to have perished, his life slain away by a young Shinobi. Gen Fu had witnessed the battle after his loss at the tournament, watching the warrior's sword plunge right into the creature's flesh, a splatter of blood following the impaled stab. Once the fighting dissolved, the Shinobi cocked his head to Gen Fu, a gleam of silence rolling in between them. Gen Fu held his position as he watched the ninja come forth, his mouth not finding any words to speak. The Tengu slayer went off into a blank stare, using a rag to remove the stains and debris spat on his blade. Sheathing his sword into the holster strapped to his back, he left a few words for Gen Fu as he parted from the mountainous terrain in a swirl of leaves.
"Evil has been vanquished. Farewell!"Gen Fu remembered those exact words as if they had hatched from his own tongue. If Tengu was alive, those words no longer held any sense of truth to them. If a veteran ninja could not defeat Tengu, he wondered at the thought of how could three young teenagers do any better. He chose to keep Lei Fang, Jann Lee, and Hitomi safe from harm, confining them to his home. They were still young, close to reaching adulthood, not yet having the chance to live their lives to the fullest. They did not deserve to die so young.
A sudden cold rush then hit the inside of Gen Fu's stomach, scurrying away within the next moment. He sauntered back into the courtyard house, sprawling into his bed. By sunrise, he would have to make a choice.
Ascending in the air was the admirable presence of the warm, glowing beams of the morning sunrise, smiling down at the soiled floor of the China woods. Lei Fang had awakened from her prolonged rest, roaming the outdoors, letting her toes nestle in the plentiful dirt as she began practicing her Tai Chi to start the morning. The chirping birds, rush of the decorous river, wind gliding back and forth, all far too accepting for her not to practice there.
A simple stretch of the arms and legs she did first before the rest could start. Her bodily movements were slow as her arms fluttered about, controlling the released flow of exhaled breaths from her lungs as she took in the pleasant air. No longer was stiff pain in attendance to twist at the hem of her ankle, hindering her ability to walk as she continued. A good over night rest had put the pain aside, the restoration taking effect.
A light muffled cough from the background disrupted her concentration, breaking her tranquil peace, her eyes darting around to see where it had originated. Against one of the haggard trees, Jann Lee sat with his back arched up against the bark, in the world of his own quiet meditation, his eyes shut, his legs folded into a stationary cross with hands resting upon the caps of his knees.
Lei Fang averted her head back, away from Jann Lee as she brought her focus back on her usual routine. However, another random noise came to intrude, this time in speech, with Lei Fang shifting her body toward it, swinging her head up in its direction. Hitomi had slid open the door, a lively smile expanding upon her lips, passing a comb through the locks of her hair, awakened with what Lei Fang thought was curiosity foaming within her eyes as she walked over. "Good morning, Lei Fang!" She said, her voicing sounding cheery as always.
"Good morning, Hitomi," Lei Fang greeted, continuing her slow movements.
"What exactly is that you're doing?"
"I'm practicing."
Lei Fang reached her arms out in front of her, as if she was pushing something loaded with the weight of over a dozen stones. She slid her foot against the ground, her arms cycling free in the air as she came to a stop, raising an opposed hand to block the sunbeams from her face, glancing at Hitomi.
"That was great. Could you teach me how to do that?" Hitomi asked.
Lei Fang nodded as she fetched her heels by the wall of the house, slipping them back on her feet. "Sure, but only if you're serious about it."
Gen Fu then barged out of the courthouse, shirt unbuttoned, his breathing scarce. Lei Fang turned to him, seeing his face in such high alarm, something was wrong within the old man. "Hitomi! Lei Fang!" He shouted. "Have you seen Mei Lin?"
Lei Fang turned to the German and looked back at Gen Fu, shaking her head, answering to fulfill the response. "No. I have not seen her since last night. I thought she left the room to go see you."
"I haven't seen her this morning either," Hitomi answered frailly. Gen Fu did not appear to be one to go into such a high state of troubled panic, but judging by the expression on his face, Lei Fang assumed he was not enduring the experience of remaining calm too well, noting the hefty frown toughening behind his beard as he called his granddaughter's name across the land of trees.
As the loudening calls died out, an infant like scream touched Lei Fang ears, the familiarity of its voice hooking her. The heart inside her drummed at a rapid pace, each beat clubbing the inside of her chest harder than the last. Oh no, she thought
Guessing the voice belonged to Mei Lin, Lei Fang's legs broke into a rushing jog as she moved past Hitomi and into the depths of the woods to follow the pitching screams. She fought through a fence of branches, leaping over a stack of logs that sought to blockade the path ahead. The yell was getting stronger, sounding clearer as she went through the last fence of branches, her thudding heart still racing. When she emerged through the pathway that led out of the woods, she saw a quivering Mei Lin huddled up against a rock, her eyes puffy from shedding tears. Before her was Tengu, his claw shaped nails seeming ready to pounce on her.
In response, Lei Fang shot her legs forward, jumping in the path between Mei Lin and Tengu, letting the beast taste the sole of her heel as she swung it across his face. The blow seemed to have caught Tengu off guard as he tumbled over, rolling into a ball until his body came to a quick stop.
Mei Lin quickly ran to Lei Fang, gripped the bottom of her leg, and hugged it with a tight grasp as she gave out a faint whimper. Lei Fang saw Jann Lee and Gen Fu dash ahead of her, shifting into combative stances as Tengu rose to stand on the balls of his feet, patting the dirt off his plump body. He fixed a glare at Lei Fang and then retraced it toward Mei Lin. "You brat! He screamed, his voice echoing through the mountains with powerful bass. "That little girl was going to be my breakfast!"
"Consider your meal plans cancelled," Gen Fu countered. He walked over to Lei Fang, looking down to inspect Mei Lin as he delivered her a hug, his arms fastening around her flesh.
"Thank goodness your safe. I almost feared the worst for you."