Chapter Thirteen- Of Siren and Chao
Shifu opened his eyes and saw Junjie standing in front of him.
Jiao-long pulled his knife free and Junjie fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding chest. Shifu finally heard the click of his chains being released and gave Jiao-long a hard kick to the shin. While the lizard was distracted, Shifu grabbed Jiao-long's shirt and threw him into the mountain wall. Shifu knelt next to Junjie.
"Junjie?" he whispered. "What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't." Junjie coughed, cracking a smile.
Shifu shook his head. "Just stay still. You'll be fine."
Jiao-long hissed from where he was. Fuming, he advanced towards the two masters, his dagger gripped tightly in his hand. Blood dripped from the blade; Junjie's blood. Shifu immediately stood protectively in front of the fox, glaring hard.
"Pathetic." Jiao-long laughed. He held the dagger high and brought it down fast.
Shifu was prepared to dodge and attack, but the knife was too fast. It connected with his head before he could move.
No, it connected with some invisible force field and shattered. Jiao-long jumped back in fear.
"Jiao-long!"
Everyone turned and saw Siren standing on the ledge. Even with her angel-like appearance, she looked ready to kill a certain reptile. Siren stomped towards said reptile, who backed up fearfully.
"S-Siren!" Jiao-long stuttered. "I w-was simply t-trying to….uh…..make you stronger! Yes! By sacrificing these warriors, your powers will increase a hundredfold!"
Siren grabbed Jiao-long by the throat to make him stop talking. "No amount of power is worth taking someone's life." She growled. She threw him to the ground before turning to walk back to Junjie and Shifu. She knelt next to Junjie and rolled him to his back, placing a hand over his wound. "Hold still; this may sting just a little." Siren took a breath. Shifu watched in amazement as her bright green irises turned pure white. Her hand glowed. Junjie grit his teeth against the pain, but it was gone as quick as it had come. Siren sighed and took her hand away, her eyes returning to normal. Junjie sat up and felt where the wound was. Except, it wasn't there. Even the blood stains were gone.
"How did you do that?" Junjie whispered.
Siren shrugged. "My powers are always surprising me. Even I can't explain it." She stood, turned, and glared and Jiao-long. "You will release Fenghuang immediately. Then I'm going to escort these three out of here and you will not touch them. There's also a praying mantis on Death Row that I want you to free along with them."
"But I-" Jiao-long protested.
Siren raised a hand threateningly. "Now, or I'll make you spontaneously combust!" Jiao-long nodded quickly, freed Fenghuang, and ran down the mountain to the dungeons.
"Could you really make him burst into flames?" Shifu asked.
"I think so." Siren nodded. "It's hard to explain how I control my powers."
"We should go." Fenghuang said. "I want to leave here as soon as possible. Shall we fly?"
"No way." Siren shook her head. "Besides, we aren't that far up." Rather than argue, the three warriors followed the girl down the trail.
"How did you do it?" Junjie asked as they walked. "It's like the wound was never there."
"Like I said, it's hard to explain." Siren said. "While I was gone, I practiced using my powers. I always knew there was something different about me. Really, all I do is concentrate on what I want to happen. The rest kinda flows….naturally, I guess?"
"Nothing about your powers is natural." Junjie laughed. "You saved my life."
"Don't worry about it." Siren said. "I look out for my family." They arrived at the gate of the castle. Jiao-long was waiting with Mantis in his cage.
"Here's your friend." Jiao-long said. "Now out!" He threw the cage to Shifu, who caught it easily. He opened the door to the cage to let Mantis out.
"Can we have a minute?" Siren asked. Jiao-long glared at the warriors, but nodded. He walked out of earshot, but not eyesight.
"Let's run now." Fenghuang urged. "Come with us, Siren."
Siren shook her head. She looked down at Shifu. "Shifu, I want you to tell my dad that you didn't fail. Tell him about what happened. And tell him that I'm sorry. For everything." Siren walked off, the gate to the castle closing. The four warriors stared for a moment.
"She said her father." Junjie said. "She didn't say 'Tell Chao'."
"She still cares." Shifu nodded. "Let's go." The four of them ran off.
Siren walked back to Jiao-long. "They're gone. Now leave them alone." She walked past him, aimed for her room.
"Siren." Jiao-long called. "If the army attacks, I will have no choice but to fight back."
"Just remember our deal." Siren said simply.
Chao paced back and forth across the ground. The sun had risen already and Shifu, Junjie, Fenghuang, and Mantis couldn't be found. But something held him back from calling someone to find them.
"They here yet?" Po asked.
"Not yet." Chao shook his head. "But they should-" Then, he noticed three shapes in the distance. "They're here!"
Shifu, Junjie, Fenghuang, and Mantis slowed as the approached the camp. Chao and Po ran up to them excitedly. But Chao's face fell. "Where's Siren?"
Junjie gently touched his chest, where his fatal wound had been healed. Fenghuang hung her head. Shifu was the only one to speak. "Chao, we need to talk." He motioned for him to follow. Chao was confused, but obeyed. Mantis, Junjie and Fenghuang joined Po as they went back to the camp. Shifu led Chao through the forest a ways from the camp. They only stopped when the camp was barely seen through the trees. Shifu sighed and told Chao about what had happened at the castle. Chao listened silently, trying to absorb everything carefully and register it through his brain. When Shifu finished, he finally turned to Chao with a solemn look.
"She wanted me to tell you she was sorry." Shifu finished. "For everything. Does that mean anything to you?"
Chao shook his head slowly. "She hates me."
"She wouldn't apologize if she hated you." Shifu assured. "I'm sure she's just trying to keep you safe, so she's trying to drive you away."
"But why else would she not leave the castle?" Chao asked.
"She said something about an agreement between her and Jiao-long." Shifu shrugged. "I'm sure she's just trying to do the right thing. You've taught her well."
Chao scoffed. "Oh yes, I must've taught her very well." He rubbed his temples and started pacing. "She wasn't taken; she obviously heard about Jiao-long and ran away to go after him. Then her plan went wrong. No, maybe she found something and got scared. Or maybe Jiao-long threatened her! She could be in danger right now and it's my fault!"
"Chao, what on earth makes you say that?" Shifu asked.
"Because I couldn't protect her!" Chao shouted. He spun around and punched a hole clean through nearest tree. He stomped towards Jiao-long's castle.
"Where are you going?" Shifu asked worriedly, trailing after him.
"I'm going to find Jiao-long and tear him scale from scale." Chao said. "Nobody touches my daughter."
"Chao, you can't just run into this." Shifu tried to step in front of Chao, but he was pushed aside. "Jiao-long knows Siren cares about you and he wants you dead anyhow."
"I don't care." Chao growled. Shifu frowned, grabbed Chao's sleeve, and promptly threw the lizard master into a tree. Chao glared hard and stood, brushing himself off. "I hope you have a very good reason for doing that."
"I'm trying to protect you from getting killed." Shifu said. "And apparently that was the only way to get your attention." Chao opened his mouth to speak, but Shifu cut him off. "I told you I would bring her home. I know where she is and I intend to go back and find her. I'm going to try and get her to come home, but I can't have you running off on a suicidal mission. Besides, if Siren really is trying to drive you away to keep you safe, then I don't want her to go through the suffering she'll experience telling you off."
Chao looked down at the ground. His claws dug into the ground in frustration. Then he sighed. "I just want her home. She's all I have." He closed his eyes, as though trying to suppress bad memories. "Ren died, remember? She died, and I wasn't even there with her. Siren is my child. I can't lose her."
Shifu turned and looked towards the castle. He thought about Siren, alone, but not afraid. She was smart. She was brave. Siren could do anything. Literally, considering the powers she has. And she was kind, just like her mother; kind enough to be willing to do anything to keep her family safe. But now, she only had a father. That's her only family.
Shifu blinked. "No….."
Chao opened his eyes. "What?"
Shifu turned to him. "I'm going back. I'm going to find Siren and try one more time to get her out. I think I know what to say."
"Let me come." Chao insisted. "I want to see her."
"I know." Shifu nodded in understanding. "But please let me talk to her first. I need you to trust me."
Chao didn't look so happy about it, but nodded. "Fine. Just tell me what to do."
"Just make sure the army is ready to attack at any given moment." Shifu ordered. "No matter what happens, we're going to finish this." Chao nodded and walked off. Shifu sprinted off in the other direction. Soon, though, he felt a pair of talons catch his sleeves and lift him into the air. He looked up and saw Fenghuang with Junjie on her back.
"Need a lift?" Fenghuang smirked.
"What are you doing?" Shifu demanded. "Put me down and go back."
"Not a chance." Junjie said. "We know you're going after Siren and we're coming with you."
"Junjie-"
"We're supposed to be the Tri-Dragon of Death." Junjie interrupted. "That makes us a team. That means we fight together and we stay together." He pulled Shifu up. "Under normal circumstances, I would never say that. But these aren't normal circumstances."
Shifu rolled his eyes and smirked. "Fenghuang, fly fast. We have to get to Siren immediately."
"Just hang on." Fenghuang ordered. She flapped her wings harder as they sped off. They reached Jiao-long's castle in minutes. Fenghuang ducked behind some trees right outside the gates. The courtyard and the walls were bare; not a soul could be seen.
"Where is everyone?" Fenghuang asked. "It looks like a ghost town."
"No idea." Shifu shook his head. "But I have a bad feeling about it."
"On the bright side, we can probably sneak right in." Junjie said.
"No, fly up to Siren's window." Shifu ordered. "The guards are probably inside the castle." Fenghuang obeyed, staying close to the tower in case someone saw them. She hovered right in front of the window as Shifu and Junjie jumped off. They parted the curtains and saw Siren on her bed, singing to herself as she braided her long hair. She was in her black hooded cape, black pants, and her favorite sky-blue vest with the jade trim. Junjie yawned, but shook his head to stay awake.
Siren turned to him and laughed. "Maybe I shouldn't be singing with you in the room."
Junjie smiled. "You look and sound more and more like your mother every day."
Siren gave a sad smile. "That's what Master Oogway always said. I remember how I kept looking in the mirror to see the resemblance. I always denied that I looked like my mom."
"You always said your mother was prettier." Junjie smirked.
Siren laughed. "Yep. But now, I look in the mirror…." Her smile disappeared. "I see my mom. How she looked before I never saw her again."
"How did she die?" Fenghuang asked. Shifu elbowed the owl.
"No, it's ok." Siren assured. "She was taken from me. When I was six, she and my stepdad got into an argument. We were driving home from school. Mom was telling my stepdad to slow down; we must've been going pretty fast, but I couldn't tell. I could see another car speeding down the road right towards us. I tried to tell my stepdad to stop, but he only shouted at me. My mom punched him. Then, the other car crashed into us. My stepdad got some pretty serious injuries and I got a concussion. But Mom died instantly." A tear fell from Siren's eyes. "I wish Mom had stayed here, in this world. Maybe then we would be here. Chao is the only real family I have."
"What about us?" Shifu asked. "Me and Junjie? You grew up in the palace along with us. I can remember you constantly tugging at my ears because you were fascinated by how big they were." Siren giggled a little. "You look to us like a family, right?" Siren thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Then you can't say your father is the only family you have."
Siren turned and smiled. "Thanks. But I'm afraid you coming here is a waste of time." She stood up and walked to them. "I know you want me safe. And I know you want to bring me home. But I can't; my being here is the only way to keep you safe."
"Jiao-long will kill us anyway." Fenghuang protested.
"He fears me." Siren said. "Besides, you guys have an army of your own, right? He can't win against you."
"How do you know that?" Shifu asked.
"I watched you guys fight." Siren replied. "Jiao-long's men don't stand a chance. You should go. Jiao-long is going to send his troops out to take China, and you need to stop him."
"Siren, are you really going to go through with this?" Shifu asked. "If we fail, China will fall."
"You won't fail." Siren assured. "I know you won't. Now go. I have to get ready. You have to warn your army and meet Jiao-long's army before he moves out."
Suddenly, there was the whistling sound of a firework being set off. The four of them ran to the window and leaned out to see fireworks being shot into the sky. Underneath the bursting colors was the Rebel Army. Taotie was at the controls of his machine, recently fixed, and was launching fireworks into the sky.
"Hey Jiao-long!" He shouted. "Why don't you come out and stop being a wimpy little lizard!"
Jiao-long walked out into the courtyard. His robes had been freshly washed and his sword was at his hip. "Do you honestly believe you can defeat my army?" he called out. "You're, what, a half dozen warriors and a hunk of wood? What chance do you have?" His men suddenly came pouring out in the courtyard, their numbers far greater than the Rebel Army's.
"A pretty good one!" Su shouted. "Considering our friends." Then, figures came from the trees. Clouded leopards, rhinos, water buffalos, and more, led by a familiar desert monitor.
"Chao?" Shifu asked.
"Daddy?" Siren whispered.
"Surrender now, Jiao-long." Chao ordered. "And surrender Siren Jin. Do as I say and I promise not to kill you."
Jiao-long laughed and drew his sword. "You're a foolish old man. The Siren's Gem is mine, and you will fall." He pointed his sword towards the armies. "Men, kill them all!" The army of gorillas and elephants charged forward.
"Stay strong!" Chao ordered. "Let's finish this!" The Jade Palace and Rebel Armies surged forward, ready as they've ever been. The two armies clashed in a flurry of fur, claws, and miscellaneous sharp objects. Chao fought his way until he reached Jiao-long. Chao glared hard. "Where's Siren?"
"You mean the Siren's Gem?" Jiao-long repeated. "That's none of your concern."
"Let her go." Chao ordered. "Or you'll answer to me."
Jiao-long twirled his sword around. "You think I'm afraid of you?" Chao drew his own sword, a beautiful, silver bladed jian with a red ribbon tied to the hilt. Jiao-long frowned. "I see. Well t hen, let's see how well the great Master Oogway has taught you." Jiao-long made the first move, lunging with this sword. Chao instinctively sidestepped and swung his jian towards Jiao-long's head. The Komodo dragon ducked and hissed as he went for another attack.
"That's my dad." Siren whispered. She suddenly got excited. "That's my dad!"
"We have to get down there." Junjie urged. "They'll need our help!"
"Siren." Shifu turned to the girl. "Please come help us."
Before Siren could answer, there was the sound of heavy footsteps. Siren pushed Junjie and Shifu under her bed and Fenghuang under her desk. She rushed to the door as a gorilla forcefully opened it.
"Haven't you ever heard of privacy?" Siren snapped.
"We need your help!" the gorilla said hurriedly. "We must go power the machine." He grabbed Siren's arm and started dragging her away. Siren pulled herself free and followed the gorilla, shutting the door behind him. Shifu, Junjie, and Fenghuang emerged from their hiding spots.
"Now what?" Junjie asked.
"We go fight." Shifu said, running to the window. Junjie grabbed his wrist.
"Are you crazy?" he snapped. "Siren's power makes Jiao-long's death machine come to life! We have to find her and stop her!"
"But they need us down there!" Shifu protested. "You go find Siren and stop her, but I'm going down there."
"But you-"
Fenghuang suddenly lunged forward and grabbed both of the boys' arms in her foot. Instantly, glowing Chinese dragons appeared. The marks of the Tri-Dragon of Death.
"Are you forgetting already?" Fenghuang asked. "We're a Tri-Dragon of Death; a team. We stay together; we fight together."
Shifu and Junjie exchanged looks.