Chapter 4

Farewells

After several minutes of running, Mariko brought herself and Haokan back to the alleyway where the rope to her room was still dangling from the window of her Bedroom. Haokan was panting hard, trying to catch his breath, while Mariko seemed just fine. "How… Can you… Not be… Tired…?" Haokan asked between heavy breaths, not understanding how her endurance was so great. She just giggled, noticing how he had nearly passed out while trying to keep up with her. Once Haokan eventually recovered, he asked, "And how did you fight off those crooks without even getting a scratch?" She smiled and replied to him, "Okay, I'll answer your question, but in return, you'll have to answer one of my questions! Deal?" Haokan folded his arms and thought, 'Okay, so that's how it's gonna be… Then I'll play your game.' "Okay, deal." He answered as he walked over to the rope. "Wait, where are you going? Don't you want me to answer your question?" "When we get back into your room. I don't want us to be heard by anyone this late at night. It's safer in the tower." And with that, the cub began to climb the rope of tightly tied cloths.

(If you're wondering, even as cubs, Tigers and other felines are excellent climbers.)

Shortly after, the two reached the top of the rope and Haokan climbed through the window. He then offered a helping hand up to Mariko who was about to reach the top as well. She smiled and took his hand, allowing him to pull her in through the window and into the room. She was relieved to be back in her room, she didn't naturally have a fear of heights, but climbing that rope to the very top could make anyone a bit unnerved. The only thing lighting the room was the moonlight which came in through the window. But Haokan quickly changed that, pulling the rope up from the ground and back into the room where he hid it away behind the wardrobe once more. He then went over and shut the window shutters. "What are you doing?" She asked. But before she knew it, a scratching sound was heard and the dim light from a candle appeared as Haokan placed the candle holder on a table beside her bed.

"So… You were gonna tell me how you fought off those crooks?" He asked as he sat down on the floor of the carpet floor. Mariko also sat down next to him and answered, "Oh yeah, my Mommy and Daddy have taught me how to fight a bit, I only started learning last year." "Really? What kind of parents teach their kid to fight so young?" Haokan asked, thinking the whole thing was just nonsense. "Well, my Mommy and Daddy are both really good Kung Fu Masters, they always keep the valley safe from bad guys." She answered proudly. "Your parents are Kung Fu Masters?" Haokan asked in disbelief. "Yeah! My Daddy is actually the Dragon Warrior! He's told me lots of awesome stories of his adventures and all the times he's saved China!" If Haokan's brain could pop out of his head, now would be the time, as it was being overloaded with information. "Hold up, you're Dad is THE Dragon Warrior?" "Umm, yes?" Mariko answered skeptically. "That's so cool! I've heard so many stories about the Dragon Warrior! But I never thought he was actually your Dad!" Haokan added.

Mariko giggled a bit at the Leopard's reaction, but she remembered her deal from before, "Now that I've answered your question, it's time for you to answer one of mine!" Haokan suddenly lost a bit of his energy and he replied, "Oh...Yes...Ask away then..." Mariko then asked him, "So why does you're father not allow you to leave the tower? And why do you not like talking about him?" He sighed and thought, 'Okay, a deal is a deal...'

"My father tries to keep me inside this tower so that I don't get captured, or killed. If I didn't escape some of the time, I would never know what it's like to roam the streets of the city, or talk to others besides the royal workers in the tower." Mariko was intrigued by his answer, but she wished to know more, "And why do you not like talking about him? If he's just trying to protect you then he can't be that bad, can he?" He sighed again and replied, "You would think so, but it's quite the opposite, he despises me." Mariko was taken back by this, "What do you mean." He replied, "I have never told anyone this before, so please promise to keep it a secret." She nodded and he continued,

"My Dad hates me because I'm the reason my Mom died."

Mariko took a second to comprehend what he told her. "Wait, what?" She asked, to which he answered, "It's true, I'm the reason my Mom died. She died while giving birth to me, and ever since that day, my father has constantly ignored me, scolded me and even abused me sometimes." Mariko was appalled from hearing the Cub's story, "That's terrible..." She said, feeling sympathetic for him. "He never sees me as anything more than a nuisance, he has always treated me like garbage, and constantly restricts me and forbids me from any type of freedom. He's always made me feel worthless..." But just as he finished, he began to feel someone take hold of his paw, it was Mariko. "I don't believe him. You're not worthless, and you're definitely not a nuisance." She said genuinely as she looked into his eyes. The candle light from the table made his sky blue eyes look orange instead. She hadn't noticed it before, but the look on his face seemed like he was in doubt. "But I am! If I hadn't been born, my Mother would still be alive! It's all my fault-" He was interrupted from his rant when he felt a paw pressed against his mouth. "Don't think like that! I'm sure your mother wouldn't have wanted you to saw such things about yourself." Mariko told him optimistically before being cut off by Haokan who angrily replied, "Don't you get it!? My Mom is gone! She'd probably think of me as a disgrace as well-"

Haokan was about to continue to self loath and contemplate his existence further until he was interrupted mid sentence when Mariko pressed her lips against his and began to kiss him. This action was completely out of the norm for him, and so he had absolutely no idea how to react. But to her surprise and to his own, he didn't seem to push away from her, instead he almost allowed it. Mariko released herself from him a second later and looked at his flustered emotions, his cheeks were the color of crimson, and his mouth was slightly open, as if he was at loss for words. Mariko also blushed from the action, though not nearly as much as the Leopard who literally looked like his brain had frozen. She giggled at his expression before she replied to him in a more serious tone, "Your Mother would never think that of you, I know it." "I… Do you really think that?" He stuttered as he looked at her in the eyes. "I do, no Mother could ever dislike their child. It's just not possible."

The two spent the next half an hour with each other, just talking, getting to know each other a bit more. That was until Haokan came to a realization, "Oh my, how long have I been here? What is the time!?" He asked as he sounded like he was panicking. "You've only been here for about an hour, why?" Mariko asked, not understanding the Cub's reason for his distress. "I've got to get back to my chambers now! Or else they might alert my Dad that I've been gone for too long!" He stated as he began to rush over to the door which he had come in through initially. Mariko understood why the Cub had to go, but that didn't prevent her from disliking the whole situation. She ran up to stop him before he left and addressed him, "Hey! Before you go… Do you wanna… You know, hang out tomorrow?" Haokan's expression changed from one of worry to one of happiness, "Of course I would." He answered very simply. But before he opened the doors and left, he hugged Mariko which came as a surprise to her. "See you soon!" He said as he opened the door, looked both ways and then quietly rushed through the hallway leaving Mariko behind. She closed her door shortly after and looked over to the dim lighting of the candle which he had lit earlier. Right near the candle stick was the portrait of herself and Haokan, which they had gotten earlier that day while they were touring the tower. A warm feeling suddenly engulfed her as she thought about him, she giggle and thought, 'I guess I'm in love.'

Back with Haokan, he was in a much different state of mind, he instead was worried that the guards would have told Pingbi about his escape. "I have to find Pingbi before he tells Dad. Or else Dad will probably take away my meals for another 3 days…" And so he rushed off to find the Rhino guard as quickly as he could. He ran back towards the staircase up to the top floor of the tower, it was here that he began to hear chatter. As he stealthily ascended the stairs, he recognized the voices were those of the guards who had chased after him after he had left his room earlier that night. "He must have left! He wasn't in his room when we checked! We must let Lord Xiong know that his Son is missing!" One of the guards ranted, then another spoke up, "Yes! It's true! You must let the Emperor know Pingbi!" Haokan kept listening in on the conversation, and he then heard the Rhino guard speak up, "We don't know for sure if he escaped the tower, for all we know, he could have just gone to the bathroom when you checked." The guards replied, "But Master Pingbi! You said yourself that he would probably try to escape tonight-" "I know what I said. But that doesn't mean he has escaped-" Pingbi interrupted them before he himself was interrupted, "Pingbi? What's all this noise about?" Haokan asked as he walked over to the three guards. "Ah, Master Haokan, we were just internally conversing. I apologize for making so much noise, but why are you still awake at this hour?" Haokan came up with an excuse and went with it, "My throat feels dry and I was thirsty, can I get a glass of water?" Pingbi nodded and answered, "Of course Master Haokan, follow me." And with that, Pingbi took the Cub along the halls away from the two dumbstruck guards, "I thought he had escaped!?" The one guard asked in disbelief. "Quiet you fool! You're going to wake up Emperor Xiong!" The other guard scolded him quietly.

Once Pingbi and Haokan were out of earshot of everyone else, the Rhino told him, "I know you escaped this night Haokan." To which the Cub didn't reply. Pingbi sighed and continued, "You know how much trouble your father would put you in if he knew what you're up to at night." The Cub stayed silent for a second, until he replied, "Father doesn't understand me, and he doesn't care for me at all." Pingbi shook his head and told the Cub, "You're wrong, he cares deeply for you, that is why he keeps you cooped up in this tower. There are many dangers in the outside world which you don't understand, he only wishes to keep you safe from them." Again Haokan didn't reply back, which prompted Pingbi to continue, "This is the last time I stick my neck up for you. The next time you sneak out I will have to report it to your father." Pingbi finished by pouring the Cub a glass of cold water from the kitchen and telling him, "Someday you'll understand that this is for your own good-" "More like for my own imprisonment…" The Cub interrupted as he headed back to his bedchambers. Pingbi looked on at the Cub, shaking his head and thinking, 'If only you understood how much you are cared for.'

The Next Morning…

Mariko awoke from her slumber to be greeted by the light of the sun entering through the thin paper walls of her bedchamber. Her sleep had been made nice due to her dreams that night. All night, she had dreamed of spending time with Haokan, even now as she thought of this it made her blush. She got out of bed to begin to get ready, but before she could even place her clothes on, her door was opened and in walked an adult female Black Bear who carried a tub of water. The tub looked very heavy to Mariko, but the fact that the bear effortlessly carried the tub wasn't what surprised her, it was that a complete stranger had just walked into her room unannounced while she was completely undressed. Mariko immediately covered her parts in embarrassment and panicked, "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!?" To which the Bear looked confused and asked in return, "Whatever do you mean dearest? I'm just the maid." Mariko was now also confused, "What's a maid?" She asked, clearly not understanding the Bear's reasoning. "Well, a Maid is someone who takes care of responsibilities around the tower. I am to see that guests are bathed, dressed and properly groomed before they leave their rooms." Mariko was still confused, 'Can't people do all those things by themselves?' She thought, but decided ignore the issue and instead allow the maid to do her job.

Once the maid was nearly done with attending to Mariko's appearance, the young female Cub looked at her reflection in the styling mirror which the maid was using to detail her fur perfectly. Mariko was naturally concerned of her appearance, but not THIS concerned. It was as if every strand of hair on her fur coat had to be absolutely perfect. She had never looked this good before, it was almost like she was flawless. "There you are dearest, you look absolutely stunning!" The maid complimented her as she looked at the Cub through the reflection of the mirror.

"She's absolutely right, Sweetheart."

Mariko jerked her head over towards the door and noticed that her father was watching with a proud smile. Mariko instantly felt happy and ran over to her father and hugged him at his knees since he was so tall. He in turn scooped her up in his arms and the two began laughing happily. He noticed that today she wore several beautiful opal earrings, something he had never seen her wear before. 'Did she always have those?' Po thought to himself until he was interrupted when she spoke up, "You wouldn't believe what Haokan and I did yesterday Daddy!" Mariko told him as he put her back down. "Oh? What did you two do? Did you tour the massive tower?" Mariko nodded her head and ran over to the portrait which she had encased in a wooden frame. "And look! We got a portrait together! Isn't it great!?" She asked, showing him the picture up close. The Portrait was very well drawn, and the details on the two Cubs made it look uncannily realistic. Though this wasn't the highlight, the thing that attracted the most attention were the positions which the two Cubs were in, Mariko was painted in the picture as almost dragging Haokan into the picture, while he reluctantly resisted. Mariko's expression looking of excitement and joy like it almost always was, while Haokan's was more worried and skeptical. Po chuckled at the picture and told her, "It's a great portrait Mariko, you should keep it forever." Suddenly, Mariko was hit by that same warm sensation she had the night prior when he had hugged her before he left. Unbeknownst to her, she began to blush and stutter as she tried to say, "I-I guess s-so." Po was puzzled by her reaction and he asked, "Are you okay sweetheart?" He had no idea why all of a sudden his daughter's cheeks turned a rosy red color and she began to stutter. She shook her head and replied, "I'm fine Daddy." He smiled in content, "Good, because we have a long journey again today." "Wait what? I thought we were staying for a week?" Mariko asked in a confused and upset tone. Po was surprised by her reaction and he explained, "I never said we were going to stay here for a week Sweetheart." "But the Emperor told us we could!" She argued, and she had a point, the Emperor had indeed offered for them to stay longer. "I'm sorry Mariko, but we can't stay, I'm afraid if we don't return home soon it will worry everyone, especially your mother."

Mariko however wasn't so keen on this idea even after the reasoning, "But we just got here! I don't want to leave yet! Can't we just stay a little longer Daddy!?" She asked whilst putting her innocent face on to try to sway her father to side with her. This unfortunately was in vain, as Po would not give in to his daughter's cuteness this time, "I'm sorry Sweetheart, but we can't, I made a promise to your mother that we would return within two days." Mariko looked down and frowned, she was really disapointed that her they could not stay longer, there were many things she wanted to see and do while still in this amazing city, but she knew that her Father was right, they must return home. Po looked at the expression of his daughter and he couldn't bear to see her so unhappy, "Tell you what, you can spend the next half of the day to do whatever you want, and then we will leave shortly after noon." Mariko instantly cheered up, "Thanks Daddy!" She said, and with that she ran out into the hallway. Po smiled in satisfaction, he cared deeply for the happiness of his daughter, and seeing her mood brighten had the same effect on him.

Mariko was much more cheerful as she ran off towards Haokan's room, which she had seen when he had shown her around the tower the day before. But when she arrived at the room, she noticed that the Rhino guard from yesterday was in front of the door. "Excuse me mister Pingbi? Do you know where I can find Haokan?" She asked politely and innocently. Pingbi nodded and replied, "Master Haokan is with Emperor Xiong in his personal quarters. Shall I take you to him?" She nodded, and Pingbi signaled her to follow.

Pingbi lightly knocked on the Emperor's door and announced, "My Lord, Mariko wishes to see Master Haokan." Within a moment, the door was opened by Emperor Xiong and the adult Leopard smiled while looking down towards the small female Cub, "Greetings Mariko, you wish to see Haokan?" His voice always seemed to intimidate Mariko for some reason, it had the feel of authority and power, though she managed to compose herself and nod in approval. Cishan turned and addressed his son, "Haokan!" "Yes father?" Haokan asked as he walked over from the balcony which he had been staying. "Oh, hi Mariko." He remarked as he hadn't noticed her before. "Hi Haokan, do you wanna hang out for a while before Daddy and I leave?" Haokan raised an eyebrow and responded in a seemingly worried tone, "You're leaving already!? I thought you were to stay another week?" At this, Haokan's father looked down at him with a gaze that looked as if he were trying to read his son's expression. Mariko replied in a sad tone, "Yeah, I'm sorry we couldn't stay longer, but Daddy says that Mommy will get worried if we're away for too long…" Haokan was saddened by this, he too wanted for Mariko to stay longer, she was probably the first person who he had really taken a liking to in his entire life. "Well, why don't we check out the plants in the greenhouse near the bottom of the tower?" Haokan said whilst looking up to his father for approval. Cishan did not respond but rather waved his hand as he turned his back to his son, it was a very impolite way of saying, "Begone!"

The two Cubs wasted no time in getting to the bottom floors, they wanted to maximize the time they had left with each other. They had been to the greenhouse of the tower the day before, but Haokan hadn't really felt like showing Mariko all the flowers and plants in great detail, so they had mostly ignored it. "I can't believe how many different types of beautiful flowers there are in China!" Mariko said as she began to examine the different varieties. Haokan smiled and proudly replied, "Almost all the types of common flowers in the country can be found in this greenhouse, it really is incredible." Haokan explained, while clearly enjoying his time with the young female Cub. Unfortunately for them however, their time was drawing near an end, and they both knew it. "I'm sorry I have to leave Haokan, I really wanted to stay here with you and get to know you better, but I also have a family…" Haokan frowned, he knew she was right, and he couldn't argue, so instead he comforted her, "Hey, it's alright, you and I will see each other again some day, I know it!" This cheered her up and she replied, "Of course! I will ask Daddy if one day we can return, but for now, I have to go." Mariko's smile began to fade. But before she went to leave, she hugged her friend one last time. Haokan welcomed the hug, but he didn't notice Mariko remove one of her new Opal Earrings and place it on his right ear. She then released him and waved him goodbye while saying, "See you soon Haokan!" To which he waved back, and once she was out of earshot he replied almost to himself, "Farewell Mariko, I hope we see each other again..."

A/N: There's Chapter 4 everyone, hope yall enjoyed it. Sorry it took so long to publish, school and other commitments take up a lot of my time, however I plan to finish this story and so I will dedicate more time to it. If you're enjoying this story, or any of my other works, be sure to favorite, follow, and most importantly,

Review!