"Stripes, what are you doing here? I see you still got the cub hanging around your neck." Uriko looked at Gado confused.
"Shen what's going on?" She asked hesitantly before Shenlong was let into the room.
"Oh nothing just had to talk to Gado first. Hey, you go wait on the couch with Jenny for a minute and I'll call you when its time to go." He said with a smile leading Gado out to the balcony.
"Ummm, ok." She said sitting next to the scandily clad blonde woman.
"I can't belive you fell for that one darling." Jenny said with a sarcastic smile.
"What are you talking about?" She looked to the older woman naivly, as Gado came back into the room… alone.
"Looks like you're stuck here for the night cub." Gado said rubbing his eyelids. "Stripes doesn't think it would be safe for you to go to the pit just yet so he asked me to watch you until he comes back." He looked up to see Uriko run over to the balcony and start screaming into the night sky.
"YOU JACK-ASS! I TOLD YOU I COULD HANDLE IT!" She shrieked in frustration. Gado came and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey calm down kiddo. You know your brother's just looking out for you. Besides a couple thugs from China have be sturring up a bit of trouble around the city so it's probably best that you stay with us for now." He turned and walked back toward the kitchen. "So are you hungry or anything?" He asked opening the fridge, but before he could turn to get his response a flash of light and a feril 'MEOW' came from where he left the girl. "Dammit! Maybe she really was Stripes' sister in a past life, she's just as stubborn as he is!" he rubbed his head. Uriko had transformed and taken to the roof following Shenlong's fresh scent.
"Guess she just would take no for an answer." Jenny said coming to stand next to her burly mate. "So what do you want to do? We can't just leave her out there by herself. Shenlong's much too fast for her and she'll lose his trale in no time." She said in a matter-of-fact tone. Gado growled under his breath. His daghter and Shenlong were enough of a headache. A crazy kitten thrown into the mix was more than he cared to deal with.
"You go high and keep an eye on the cub. I'll head over to the pit and meet you guys there. Something tells me that girl would follow him to the edge of the earth to prove herself." He finshed before walking over to the fire escape, and leaping down to the ground below. Jenny transformed and took flight into the night sky following the sound of Uriko's heavy breathing and claws scraping against the concrete building tops.
"I know you're trying to protect me like a good brother should, but Shenlong you have no idea what I'm capable of." Uriko said to herself leaping from one building to another. After a few more buildings, she had lost the trail and wasn't sure which way to go. Unbeknownst to her, she was being followed by someone, and he was closing in fast. Certain that she was on her own, Xie silently made his way toward Uriko. He leaped over an alleyway, but half way across Jenny swooped in grabbing him in her talons. In a swift move, she flipped and sent him streaking to the ground below. Uriko turned around to see Jenny recover from the technique, but completely missed the assassin coming for her.
"Ms. Jenny, what are you doing here?" She asked nervously. "I'm not going back if that was your plan." She said assertively before extending her claws and lowering into a fighting stance.
"Calm down kitten. I'm not here to take you back. Actually I think you're more than grown up enough to handle yourself." Jenny said smoothly. "So if you really want to go, hold your hands up and brace yourself." Jenny said before taking off high into the sky.
"What like this?" Uriko said to herself holding her hands high above her head. "Now whaaaaaaaaa AHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed. Jenny had swooped down at speed and grabbed the cat's claws in her own and taking off into the sky again.
"Calm down kid! With my speed, he won't get there very far ahead of us." She laughed loudly and flapped toward the pit.
"Shenlong, I was starting to wonder if you were comeing tonight." Scarlette said in a flirtatios tone. Javier growled to himself lightly, but was conforted by Scarlette's hand on his cheek.
"Good to see both of you as well. Javier, have there been any promising fighters tonight?" Shenlong asked while taking a seat beside Scarlette across from Javier.
"The warm weather lately has brought out quite a few reptile zoanthrope. You missed a visious battle between a Diamond back and a Copperhead. It was quite the interesting dance." She finished with a purr in Javier's ear.
"Si, those rattles came in handy for him. Pero no olvidemos the Iguana." Javier added. "He was quite the skilled fighter."
"Oh really? How skilled are we talking?" Shenlong asked slyly.
"He defeated the mongoose who took down a king cobra, who knocked out the diamond back we just told you about." Scarlette said smoothly. Shenlong was impressed by the tonight's events.
"Wow that's so cool!" A small voice called from just behind a crowd.
"What was that?" Scarlette asked raising an eyebrow. Javier growled at the unfamiliar voice and Shenlong could only palm his forehead knowing what was coming next.
"That would be… my kid sister…" He said almost embarrassed hoping to grab a drink before it was too late. But he wasn't so lucky. Just as he turned away, the small cat zoanthrope leaped from the crowd and landed smoothly on his shoulders.
"Você tem uma irmã?" Javier asked shocked. "You have a sister?" he made sure to clarify for those who didn't understand puertoguese.
"You didn't think you could just ditch me, did you?" She asked looking at Shenlong smugly.
"I told you it would be dangerous for you if I had to fight tonight!" She gripped back at her.
"Well, hello there little kitty." Scarlette said sweetly. "What might your name be?" She finished with an entrigued smile. She was loving every minute of this.
"Oh, excuse me. My name is Uriko; Shenlong's little sister." She said proudly.
"Well Uriko it is very nice to meet you. I'm Scarlette and this big cuddly guy is Javier." She said politely reaching her hand to greet the young girl. Javier gently shook her hand between a few of his large fingers. The two of them faught back fits of laughter as Shenlong burried his face in his palms.
"The pleasure is mine." She smiled brightly. "Shenlong I thought you said this place was dangerous! Your friends here are so nice." She grinned.
"How the hell did you even get here? I thought I told Gado to watch you." He asked annoyed.
"I am watching her Stripes." Gado finally managed to fight his way through the crowd with Jenny close behind him. "She's your sister. You should have known something like this would happen."
"You can thank Jenny for bringing me here so fast. I almost lost you, but Uriko never gives up!" The young girl proclaimed triumphantly.
"Ah, Scarlette. It's been a while old friend. I see you still look as fierce as ever." Jenny complimented while giving the cheetah a hug and a peck on the cheek.
"The same could be said for you blondey. The whole never ageing thing really works wonders doesn't it?" Scarlette returned with a giggle.
"Well it looks like this place is really the cat's meow." Jenny punned noting the collection of felines she was with. A lion, tiger, cheetah, jaguar and a house cat made for an interesting pride indeed.
"Haha, very funny Jenn." Shenlong moaned still annoyed. "Seriously, Uriko. Who is going to watch you if someone challenges me?" He asked obviously concerned. Uriko simply looked over her shoulder at the collection of strong fighters behind her, and then back to Shenlong.
"Umm, how about these guys?" she said in a very 'duh' tone.
"It's not fair to ask Gado and Jenny to stay here just for you." He said qwickly hoping they would back him up.
"Actually Stripes, it's been a while since I've been to one of these. Who knows, I might get in there myself." Gado answered in a mocking tone.
"And you know I always enjoy a good party." Jenny added.
"Really Shenlong, you hurt our feeling with that little statement." Scarlette laughed. "If nothing else, you know Javier and I would gladly watch over your sister. No one would harm a hair on her head under our watch. Isnt the right sweetheart." She motioned to Javier, who reached out and patted Uriko on the head.
"Parece bom garoto. She's a nice kid." Javier added kindly.
"Aww you all are sweet." Uriko clapped her hands together and gave them all a sweet childish grin. "So it's decided. I'll come watch you fight as long as someone is willing watch over me while you fight. And afterward, you can train me." She finished in the same sweet tone, leaving no room for argument. Shenlong started to argue, but after everyones response, he knew it was pointless by now.
"Fine, do whatever you want." He waved them off. "I think I need to test some of these living belts out for my self." He said before leaping from his seat into the pit. "Who wants a piece of the king?" He roared into the crowd. There was an uproar of applause from the crowd as a few strong looking men stepped forward. The announcer took the mic and began hypeing the crowd even more.
"Looks like things just got interesting around here! So who's up first?" The announcer asked excitedly.
"NO!" Shenlong roared over the announcer and the crowed went silent. "I'll take you all on!" He shouted and transformed. Nine large muscular men jumped down into the ring, all of them transformed as they hit the grownd. The place was looking more and more like a zoo by the second. A bison, alligator, hyena, and a couple others all beared their fangs and claws at Shenlong who grinned and licked his chops.
"Hold on Stripes!" Gado called from above the pit. He and Javier leaped down to Shenlong's side.
"Amigo. You didn't think you could have all the fun did you?" Javier grinned before he and Gado transformed. Shenlong looked to both of them then back up at their seats.
"YOU GOT THIS COVERED BROTHER! SKIN THOSE LOSERS!" Uriko shouted from above with Scarlette and Jenny waving playfully by her side.
He smiled a toothy grin, then looked over to his comrades. They nodded at one another, and the battle was on. Literally, the night roared on as body after body was thrown from the pit. There were no casualties tonight, but some serious limps to be walked off. There were a couple more fights that night, even Uriko got in the ring with some pretty strong humans, but everyone agreed that she was far to inexperienced to go up against another zoanthrope. At the end of the night, the cats went there separate ways, with Shenlong, Uriko, Gado and Jenny riding back to the condos. Shenlong had been planning on tuning one of the bed rooms into a weight room, but with Uriko needing a place to stay, that would have to be put on hold. With the help of an air mattress some lamps and a bed spread, the end result was a decent looking bedroom for a young girl. She spent the next couple hours talking to Kenji about her day before finally falling asleep.
The next week consisted mostly of the same routine. Durring the day, Shenlong and her would practice what she already knew and exercise with her in the park or gym. They made absolutely sure to avoid Alice and Mitsuko at all costs. Xie and Hung kept their distance, but were always watching. Whenever Shenlong had to work she would pass time with Jenny and Gado. There were even a few occasions when Scarlette and Javier were asked to help out. At night, they would go to the pit so she could observe the fights and pick up a few tips. Uriko became quite popular among Shenlong's little group and even made cookies for them once. Saturday evening was when Shenlong planned for them to go into the mountain to contune her training, unfortunately for them, that plan would have to be put on hold. One of the people Uriko beat ended up getting sent to the hospitol where Alice works. While she treated his wounds, he talked on and on about a young gir with a braded ponytail who could transform into a cat. That was all the description Alice needed to inform her mother and the two of them to start snooping around the city. It was Friday afternoon, and Shenlong took Uriko for an early dinner at one of her favorite places before they got packed for their trip.
"Thanks a ton Shenlong. This week has been so much fun! I can't wait to do some real training with you, I bet it will be great." She hadn't been this happy in ages. There were no worries, and she was getting some real training. Shenlong really understood her more than Alice or her mom ever had. With him, it wasn't like she was being pampered and caudled every minute. Instead he was helping her when she needed him, but still giving her the room to be her own person.
"Yea kiddo, I've had lots of fun too. Don't think once we get to the mountain everything will be easy though. I'm going to teach you to do more than just fight. You're going to learn how to survive up there. Do you think you can handle that?" He said with a smirk
"Don't you know by now, I can handle anything you throw at me." She said with a wink and a thumbs up. The clouds overhead rumbled and rain started to fall, so they hurried down the street. Suddenly a station wagond screeched to a hault beside them and two people burst from the car.
"Oh shit." Both of them said at the same time.
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER YOU MONSTER!" Mistuko shrieked as Alice ran over and grabbed her.
"Alice not this again! Wait, no stop!" Uriko protested as her sister lifted her off the ground and ran back to the car.
"How dare you take my daughter and force her to fight thugs in the street! I don't know what is wrong with you, but I swear you will NEVER come near my little girl again!" Mitsuko punched Shenlong in the jaw before getting back in the car and speeding away. Shenlong got up and started to follow them, but decided it would be better if he didn't. He started to walked through the city considering weather he should continue as planned and go into the mountain without Uriko or if he should wait. The truth was, he wanted Uriko to come with him. The chance to mentor the little sister he always wanted was a wonderful idea. However, the fact that she wasn't really his sister and that she had her own family to spend time wit was like a smack back to reality for him. Now he had to choose weather to accept that or to fight for her. The choice wasn't very hard really, but it was made much easier when the sound of rushed flapping wings were heard in the distance.
"Shenlong! Come quickly! There was a car wreck, and Uriko was taken!" Jenny shouted franticly barely a second after taking her human form. Shenlong's eyes went wide and his soul sank.
"TAKE ME THERE NOW!" He roared taking his tiger form and sprinting back to where Uriko and her family left him. Jenny transformed and took off high into the sky, once they reached the spot Shenlong was headed, she took the lead. They moved as fast as they could, and Jenny finally stopped to circle over a smoking vehicle before landing.
"What happened here?" He asked hastily as he helped Mitsuko from the wreck. Alice's door had been ripped off and she had fallen onto the street. She was knocked out, but otherwise fine. Mitsuko on the other hand was bleeding from her head, had a broken arm and a broken leg along with a couple bruses.
"This… this is all your fault!..." She said in a raspy tone. "He said… they were waiting for you… for you to leave her side… They want you. 'Cough, cough' Why did they have to take my baby girl?" She forced out with hatred and sadness in her eyes. Jenny had been on the phone talking to Gado and Scarlette telling them what was going on. Both of them were on the way, and it would only take them a short while to get there. Shenlong sniffed the wet night air rampantly trying to get a scent. He propped Mitsuko against a bulding away from the car and started to retrieve Alice as well. When he got to her side of the car, he saw the claw marks in the side panel. There was still some hair in the gash from the attacker; when he picked up the scent of bear, he knew exactly what had happened. He was snapped out of his thoughts, as the engine compartment suddenly caught on fire and the vehicle was engulfed in flame. He wuickly moved Alice and her mother further away before the gas tank ignighted as well. He had just gotten around a corner when the whole thing went up in an explosion. As the massive fireball rippled into the air, a large truck and a red sports car skidded to a hault a few yards away. Shina was riding with Gado and jumped out of the truck as quickly as she could. From the sports car came Scarlette and Javier. They all rushed to get Mitsuko and Alice to safety as sirens and lights could be heard wailing in the distance.
"Stripes! How did this happen?" Gado asked angrily.
"I don't know for sure! These two showed up out of nowhere and took Uriko. Next thing I know, Jenny is leading me back here and telling me about the accident, and that Uriko was taken." He said almost desperately.
"A menina? The girl?" Javier clarified.
"Taken by who?" Shina asked before thinking to herself. "Shenlong… you don't think… those two from the subway…" She said shakily.
"What?" Gado wipped his head to his daughter.
"The guys I told you about! The ones that were trying to get into the pit!" She said almost furiously.
"I WILL KILL THOSE BASTARDS!" Shenlong roared. That's when Long rushed onto the scene. Shina had called him on the way over and he ran there as fast as he could.
"Alice… Mitsuko… Shenlong what happened?" He asked joining the other in panic.
"It was an ambush." Scarlette spoke up as calmly as she could. But that calmness faded as she tried to finish explaining. "A couple low lives were waiting for Uriko to leave Shenlong's side and when she did, they took her." She finished biting her lower lip.
"What? Why?" He asked loudly.
"They want me and Shenlong. We kicked their asses and now they must be out for revenge!" Shina said through gritted teeth.
"But why Uriko?" Gado asked.
"They may have been following you since the alley incident." Jenny said nervously. "Gado the first nigh Shenlong tried to leave her with us, one of them tried to attack her on the roof. I took him out quickly and we went to the pit, but I don't know how long he has been watching her."
"What are we dealing with exactly?" Scarllette asked trying to restrain her outrage.
"A godamn bug and a bush pig!" Shenlong shouted to her.
"Two zoanthropes." Jenny clarified. "A thin guy, he's a scorpion and his partner is a bear. One is skilled and the other is strong, but I never thought they would be capable of something like this." She finished regretfully.
"You knew..." Shenlong glared at her."They came for her before? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" He roared stomping towards her. Gado and Javier managed to catch him before he could reach her, but he was furious. "Why didn't you say anything? I would have gotten her out of the city long before any of this could happen!" He shouted. Jenny was at a loss for words.
"We all under estimated them and now look what happened!" Shina shouted at Shenlong. Everyone at this point was full of dispair. But they all had to turn their attention to the fire crew that had arrived to douse the flaming car. Long waved down an E.M.T. to come get Mitsuko and Alice. After the truck left, everyone decided to go to Long's place to escape the rain and figure out their next course of action. Well… almost everyone. Shenlong transformed and took off into the city. The rain had washed away all traces of the assailants, but he didn't care. He wanted to search for her and would not stop until he found her and made sure the two who took her payed dearly for this.
He raced intot he stormy night over buildings searching the streets for any sign of his precious sister, but there was nothing. Between the grids of city streets, criss crossing subway stations and endless number of people outside at any given moment, it was impossible for Shenlong to track them. He stood atop a hotel building staring down into the city lights threw the rain. There was no sign of them. He had failed her… again. Shenlong let out a painful roar that rang through the night air like thunder.
"How could I let this happen?" He cursed himself through gritted teeth. He fell to his knees and pounded the roof of the building. "She was counting on me. She was safe at my side! Why did I let her go? STUPID!"
"Shenlong we will find her." Long said, arriving with the others after hearing his roar. "I promise you, we will get her back."
"This never should have happened! It's my fault!" He said between sobs with tears welling. The rain would have hid them, but the reddening of his eyes betrayed him.
"No Stripes. You're not to blame for this. A child should be safest with her mother. Any of us would have done the same." Gado said stepping beside Shenlong and placing a hand on his shoulder. Shenlong looked up at him and saw the seriousness in his face. He looked to the others around him; Javier, Scarlette, Shina, and Jenny all nodded as well.
"Come on Stripes. Lets get those clowns." Shina said slamming her fist into her palm and cracking her knuckles. Shenlong stood to his feet and whipped his face. He had gotten his nerve back and was ready to protect his baby sister.
"Thank you. All of you for helping me when I need you there the most." He said greatfully.
"So whats the plan sugar?" Scralette asked confudently. And right then, Shenlong had formulated a plan.
"Shina we know they were after us, so they will be looking for us soon." He said confidently. "If they want to fight in the pit so bad, I say we bring the pit to them." He finished looking over to Scarlette and Javier. The smirked and gave a nod understanding what he had in mind. "Fine. First we get a few recruits." He said with a smirk. With that, they were all off to the docks. After explaining the situation to the fighters of the pit everyone rallied to help them.
First, they needed to have eyes all over the city. Every zoanthroap with wings took to the sky with Jenny. Small animal zoanthrope moved through the underground. Every back alley, subway and street corner had someone patrolling it. Aquatic and amphibious zoanthrope took to the water and sewer systems. Human fighters were on every bus and at every stop in the city. Gado used his connections to close every international transport leaving the city while Long stayed with Mitsuko and Alice in the hospitol. Shenlong and Shina simply walked the streets making themselves as noticeable as possible wating for a sign.
"This is taking too long!" Shenlong griped as thought of what could be happening to Uriko rushed through his head.
"Calm down Shenlong. This was your plan remember. We have eyes all over the city, and they wont be able to leave for at least a few days. We WILL find her." Shina reassured him and kissed his cheek. The notion calmed him a little, but he couldn't help but worry. Over at the hospitol, Alice was waking up with Long at her bedside.
"Long! What happened? Where are we? Where's Uriko?" Alice asked frantically but groggily still under the effects of the painkillers the doctors gave her while she slept. Long calmed her down so he could explain the situation.
"Alice I need you to remain calm and understand that everything is being taken care of as we speak." He waited for her to acknowledge this before continuing. She nodded and listened intently.
"Good. First, you and your mother are in the hospitol where you work. Two men from China who have been persuing Uriko attacked you. They destroyed your car and took her." He said solumly. The last part of his explanation had Alice struggling against her casts. Only when the sharp pain hit her did she realize that she had a broken leg, arm and clavical as well as some serious bruising over most of her body. She looked over to see her mother was in even worst shape than she was.
"Shenlong!" she cursed his name as she processed everything in her mind. "All of this started because of him."
"Well… yes. They went after your sister as a way to get to Shenlong and Shina. Ironically though, he was all that kept them from attacking her sooner." He finished attempting to redirect her thoughts and shift he blame.
"That's a lie!" She forced out as loud as she could manage. If she had gone to Chicago with Yugo and Kenji they would have never gotten to her. Or better yet, if she never met Shenlong, she wouldn't be involved at all!" Long couldn't deny the truth in her words, however that didn't matter now. What did matter was how they were going to get Uriko back.
"I suppose you're right. As it stands, Gado my self and some others are scouring the city looking for her. Do not worry yourself, I promise on my honor we will get her back safely and unharmed." He stood and gave a bow. Alice smiled lightly and nodded to him before allowing herselft to relax. Long started to leave the room before pausing to hear Alice add, "As long as Shenlong is out of the picture, I know things will turn out fine." Long looked over his shoulder, but continued out he door without saying anything. There was no point in upsetting her as long as the goal was achieved.
"Excellent work Hung. Now that we've got the girl, the pit and soon the whole city's underground will be ours." Xie said while staring at Uriko's unconscious body sinisterly.
Uriko had been knocked out in the crash, and was now hog-tied and stuffed in a dark corner. A new hotel was going up in the cities tourist area and it made for an excellent hide out. Xie decided the buildings basement would be perfect since the lowest levels of the building were nearly complete and they could easily go undetected.
"I don't know what I want more. To hear this brat scream while I crush her bones or the look on those bastards faces when he sees what I've done." He said with a wicked grin as lightning crackled outside.
"Yes, they shall pay dearly for the humiliation they dealt us. The time of our conquest is near, my friend. I can feel it." He finished with a laugh. "By tomorrow, those fools will give us what we want if they ever want to see her alive again."
Uriko began to stur in the corner and hazily opened her eyes to see her captors staring down at her and laughing maniacly. She didn't have the strength to struggle against her bonds or even make a sound before slipping back into unconsciousness again. The rain and thunder continued o fall all through the night. Shenlong and Shina had do call off their hunt and regroup with the others. On their way back something caught Shenlong's eye. It was Uriko's jacket wrapped around a bus stop sign. Shenlong made a mad dash across the street and quickly retrieved it. He quickly smelled it and let out a feral growl. He frantically whipped his head back and forth looking for any sine of Xie or Hung as both of their scents were still on the damp cloth.
"Is it hers?" Shina asked as she finally caught up to him.
"Yea, and the scent of those freaks are all over it!" He growled in frustration. "I can't track them in this damn rain! Everything is getting washed out!" Shina searched the jacket for clues and found a note.
"Come on, let's get this to the others." She said showing him the note. He nodded and the two of them took off to Long's apartment.
"Have their been any new leads?" Long asked entering his apartment.
"None. Our scouts are still scanning the city, but the rain makes it impossible for anyone to pick up a scent trail." Gado said heavily.
"Even our eyes in the sky havn't picked up anythinhg. The storm is to dangerous for them to fly any higher." Jenny added; the bolts of lightning that lit the night sky emphasized her point. As a clap of thunder sounded, the door opened again as Shenlong entered holding the jacket and Shina came in holding the note.
"We're going to get her back… and I know how we're going to do it." Shenlong said gruffly. Everyone in the room stood and looked to Shenlong.
"Whats the plan Stripes?" Gado asked folding his arms.