Chapter 17 What Hurts You, Hurts Me

Edited by R3D Fawkes & KungFuFreak07

Capitán Hopps wiped at the smear on her left cheek, the red stain thankfully growing no larger across the single crimson line crossing from her chin to her mouth. It wasn't a large cut, but she was glad to have had the glass of the broken lantern at her feet cut her rather than the rusted metal that made up the rest of the now broken device. She shivered, remembering how her cousin had stepped on a rusty pitchfork back home in Bunnyburrow and had died of the fever and lockjaw five days later.

She eyed the bottle in her other paw, griping it tightly as she thought to how she receive her latest battle scar.

The bunny looked around the warehouse, noting how quiet it was compared to just a few minutes earlier, her eyes stopping upon the open window in the back corner, where a large Z was burned into the wood by a flaming blade.

A sound came from behind her, her ears turning towards the noise as she heard the voice of Corporal Wolford breaking the silence.

"¿Que pasó aquí?" the startled voice of the lupine rang out before his eyes caught hold of the rabbit standing in the middle of the warehouse. The groans of several criminals came from random place throughout the building, including a tiger and cheetah who's tails were tied together around a pole while hanging upside down from the second floor rafters. The wolf's eyes bulged at the sight of one of the felines.

"Is that señorita Tigress? The most wanted feline in Furizona? What is she doing here?"

"Wolford, see to it that the criminals are secured and ready for transport when the rest of the platoon arrives," Judy replied flatly, giving the large tigress a furtive look, finally recognizing the Chinning floral print dress the feline had been wearing.

" ¡Si, Capitán!"

The wolf saluted, then grabbed several lengths of cord sitting atop the remains of a crushed box, deftly tying the arms together of the panda that had crushed the container, and still lay comatose upon it.

Surveying the scene as the jangle of swords and claws on cobblestone reached her ears, signaling the arrival of her platoon, her eyes again fell upon that one letter, marked in black. Her paw reached up to touch her cheek as she sighed in frustration.

He had escaped her again.

(Twenty Minutes earlier)

"What mess?" the wolf whimpered, as the rabbit rolled her shoulders and popped her neck, eyes set upon the nearest animals running towards her.

"The one I'm about to create!" Judy thundered, as she raced towards the approaching group. Easily sidestepping the approaching sword thrust of a mongoose, she smashed the hilt of her sword into the mammals nose, knocking him out nearly instantly. In what seemed like an effortless motion, she leaned down while sliding forward on her knees, dodging the swing of a machete that would have neatly sliced her in two, straight underneath the legs of a warthog. The thug now looked down in alarm as she slid under him, Judy's sword slicing through his hamstring, and making the mammal collapse to the ground. The other four mammals, a cheetah, raccoon, tiger and a bear, blinked in surprise at how suddenly the rabbit had dispatched two of their friends.

It was the bear that reacted first.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that you cute little..."

"I wouldn't have called her that!" a voice interrupted from across the warehouse. The bear turned to see Zorro grinning at him as he jumped onto scaffolding and out of reach of the two remaining pandas, with one laying prone on the ground, a large canvas sack slumped atop him, sand spilling out of several holes in the burlap.

"And why not?" the bear growled, as he saw The Fox point back behind the ursine while deftly parrying a blow from a short staff one of the pandas swung at him. The grizzly turned, just in time to see a pair of grey paws connect straight into his muzzle.

He only saw stars after that as his frame shook the warehouse as he crumpled to the floor. Not out, but severely dazed.

"That would be why, my fine furry friend," Zorro laughed, before jumping off the scaffolding just as one of the pandas smashed its supports with a sledgehammer. The wooden structure crashed to the ground as Zorro jumped to a nearby platform, grinning as he grabbed a length of cords, as one of the pandas climbed up a nearby stairwell to get to him.

"I see, this must be a beary special occasion for The Po gang to be teaming up with the Bearstein Bears."

"Yeah," the panda replied with a growl as he climbed to the floor, grunting as he hefted his rather large body onto the platform. "You're funeral."

Zorro tsked. "Now that can't be, as I haven't received the invite in the mail yet."

The panda gasped as he finally reached the top of the stairs, climbing on all fours for the last few steps.

"Stairs...my old foe," the dual-colored mammal gasped, pushing himself to his feet as he swung a loose punch as the fox. Zorro dodged out of the way as the meaty appendage crunched into a support beam behind him, the panda howling in pain as Nick danced around behind him, slicing the rope belt the panda used to hold his shorts up while wrapping the length of cord around the larger mammals feet.

The massive bear leaned over to grab at his clothes, his face blushing as The Fox got behind him and gave the panda's rear a healthy kick. The mammal, already unstable, now flew forward and off the platform. The rope around his feet went taut before the panda hit the ground, causing him to swing sideways and into a nearby support beam.

"Ow!"

Nick winced as he watched the panda swing the opposite direction, shaking as the panda collided with a support column underneath him.

"Sorry Po," Nick chuckled heartily, "that was slightly im-Po-lite of me to do that to you."

The fox's ears flicked as he heard movement behind him. Expecting the other panda to appear, he quickly turned around, sword held forward, only for his eyes to widen in surprise as Capitán Hopps landed gracefully atop the platform he stood upon.

"Why Capitán, I didn't expect you to deal with our cities unwelcomed guests so quickly," Zorro laughed, making sure his voice was low and deeper than normal, circling to his right as Judy drew her own sword and circled around to his left. "If I would have known the rest of these gang members weren't a challenge for you, we could have switched whom we had fought."

The bunnies eyes narrowed. "Zorro, you are under arrest for multiple accounts of assault, destruction of property and vigilantism."

"Is that all?" The Fox replied casually, though never letting his gaze leave the rabbit's movements. He'd learned from his last fight with Judy, as well as secretly watching from afar several more she had while cleaning up the city, that she was not a rabbit to be underestimated. "I would have thought I'd have more charges by now."

At that Judy smirked. "I could always add more."

"'You're welcome' should be topping that list señorita," Zorro chimed back, his words smooth as silk. "If not for me, you'd have never found this little den of thieves."

"And 'I surrender' should be topping yours," Judy quipped back, before leaping forward, her blade aimed at the fox's left foot. Zorro jumped backwards while tossing his sword to his side, twisting in midair as he grabbed at a horizontal pole level with the platform, using it to fling himself further forward and safely onto the ground. The fox turned and grinned at Judy, who sheathed her own blade before leaping at the beam.

The rabbit twirled not once, but twice around the wooden pole, flipping through the air and landing behind the vulpine, quickly drawing her sword and leveling it at Zorro's throat. She smiled at the shocked expression upon his face.

"Who trained you?" Zorro questioned, his gravelly voice hinting amusement.

"No one you'd know," Judy shot back, stepping forward as Zorro stepped backwards.

"I must know," the vulpine requested, the thinnest hint of nervousness in his voice as he again shifted to his right.

"Get used to disappointment," Judy growled, taking another step forward onto a creaking board.

Zorro smirked. "I'm never disappointed though, especially now that I've seen a rabbit fly."

The look of confusion on Judy's face was only momentary before the fox's foot slammed down upon the edge of the creaking board Judy was standing on. The wood groaned beneath his feet, but stayed where it was.

"Huh, usually that works," Zorro murmured, only confusing Judy more before he smashed his foot against the board a second time.

"Woooah!"

Judy felt herself being flung airborne, spinning head over paws towards the ceiling of the warehouse.

"Now it worked," The Fox laughed, watching as the rabbit began her downward descent. Ambling forward, he looked straight ahead, reaching out his arms and catching the surprised bunny just before she hit the ground.

"I know the ladies always fall for me, but this is on a whole different level, no?"

Judy blinked in surprise, before squirming out of the fox's grasp and onto the floor. She brought her blade forward, only to growl in frustration as Zorro countered it with his own. The pair danced across the floor of the warehouse, their blades throwing sparks across the ground as metal struck metal. For every thrust, the other parried, and for every slice, there was a dodge. For minutes they dueled, neither gaining the advantage as with The Fox's left paw use for his sword was frustrating her efforts. She had grown so used to dueling those who fought right pawed, that this fox's left paw swordsmammalship was causing her to become quite frustrated. Judy's eyes narrowed as another thrust was blocked, Zorro's sword and her own locking between them.

"I have not met such a wonderful swordsmammal as yourself, Capitán, in quite a long time," Zorro stated. At least Judy was comforted by the fact that the fox was breathing heavily.

"Fifteen years I've trained so I can hunt down brigands like you."

She jumped away from him, causing him to stumble forward. Judy spun, bringing her sword around in a horizontal slice, only to grow annoyed as her blow was parried by Zorro's blade. In a move that shocked her, Zorro reached out and brought her close to him in what to any mammal would appear an intimate embrace, their bodies separated only by their clothing.

"I think you deserve a reward for such efforts, no?" The Fox laughed in his deep baritone. Judy was still so flustered by their sudden embrace, that what happened next nearly caused her to drop her sword.

Zorro leaned in and placed a kiss against her lips.

"What the...?!" Judy shouted, pushing the fox away as he laughed, her ears turning bright red as her anger matched her embarrassment.

"I can see why foxes chased rabbits back in the stone age, as you taste quite delicious," Zorro soothed, his unbearable grin causing her own anger to double.

"Why you little cretinous, carrot-plucking, cabbage shredding..."

"Language," Zorro chided, only causing Judy to become further angered. "I wouldn't want to have to quiet you again like before, no?"

"I'll show you language!" Judy shouted as the rabbit ran forward and attacked. With each strike, her movements became quicker until she steadily began pushing the larger mammal back against his will.

I think I may have pushed her a little too far that time...Nick thought, realizing that he may have finally bitten on more than he could chew. Note to self, she won't drop her sword when kissed like Skye did...

Her name brought a moment's hesitation to his thoughts, of which Judy took full advantage of. With a quick twirl of her blade, Zorro felt a slight prick on his wrist as her sword caught his skin, his sword clattering to the ground besides him. He couldn't miss the grin the rabbit had even if he was blind.

"Surrender Zorro," she huffed, breathing heavily as she again leveled her blade at his chest. "And I'll let you walk to the jail rather than drag your unconscious form by your tail."

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Judy growled in frustration, realizing that the only way to force The Fox to surrender, would be to knock him out completely. Silver tongue and all.

She twisted her pommel in her paw, readying her hilt to smash directly into the fox's head. In reaction, Zorro did the only thing he could.

Reaching behind him, his paw found a hanging lantern and pulled it from its hanger. Judy didn't even have time to duck before the lantern smashed into her face, knocking her sideways and her sword from her paw. Judy hit the ground hard, gasping in pain as she struggled to her feet, before slumping to the ground disoriented and vision blurred. A stinging sensation caught her attention on her cheek, and when her paw wiped at the spot, she pulled it away with a hiss and a streak of crimson covering her white paw. Groaning, she tried to push herself up again, but failed, falling again into the hay she had luckily been knocked into.

It wasn't the blow that surprised her though, it was what she thought she heard right before it.

"I'm sorry Judy."

It was then she felt herself being flipped over, and found herself staring into the eyes of Zorro that were filled with...

...was it concern?

She watched as The Fox pulled something from his pocket, a small vial of liquid. Her heartbeat quickened, nose twitching as she watched him undo the cork and bring it to her face.

He paused, and again she saw what looked like sorrow in his eyes.

"Capitán, I did not wish to hurt you, but you gave me no choice. I still have work to do before I can let you do with me what you will, but until then...please, for your sake and mine, remember that as long as you continue doing what you are doing, I am on your side."

"You're a rouge and a vigilante," Judy groaned, wincing as the words seemed to hurt as she spoke them.

"I did not chose this life, señorita," Zorro state calmly, bringing the bottle to Judy's cheek, letting three small drops fall upon her wound.

"Gah!" Judy screamed, feeling the liquid burning into her skin, thrashing about until she felt two strong arms holding her down into the hay, and again found Zorro looking into her eyes, his face mere inches away from her own.

"That will clean the wound so it does not become infected. You're lucky the glass cut you and not the rusted metal. I'll leave you the bottle so that you can continue to clean the wound."

Judy was surprised by his statement as the throbbing died down into a dull ache. "Why would you do this?"

His answer came almost immediately.

"You care...just like she did. And I will not let another good Capitán be destroyed by this town."

"Wait...what do you mean?" Judy asked, but The Fox was already leaving, disappearing into the shadows. Catching movement at the edge of her vision as she pushed herself to her feet, she saw Zorro climbing up and towards the top window of the warehouse, his sword glowing red as he brought it three times across the beams of the wood above the window. He turned and caught her eye for the third time in as many minutes, shaking his head.

"Remember Capitán," Zorro stated, his voice softening and instead of the deeper, harsher tones of each previous meeting, she sensed an undertone of warmth and something else in his words. "I have a mission just as important as yours to fulfill. It is once it is complete, I will gladly turn myself in to a honest soldier like yourself."

Then with a swish of his cape, The Fox was gone. Yet his words and sudden disappearance weren't the things on her mind as the final bit of his cape and pure black tail fluttered from view. It was something that caused a knot of worry to form in her stomach.

Why did he sound so much like Don Wilde just now?

AN: This is why I had to break this into two parts. I wanted this fight scene to be the entire chapter and that previous break was the best place to divide this up like this. Please let me know if the fight scene felt real or if you could follow it. I think I managed it, but I'd love to hear from all of you what your thoughts were about it. :)

Oh, and for those wondering how Judy was able to tie the tails together so quickly. 1) You don't call her cute and get away with it and 2) Here's her description of events to her soldiers when asked about it.

""So after tying their tails together, I used the support beam to spin around and kick the tiger in her jaw with enough force to knock her up and over the beam on the second floor, bringing along the cheetah with her."