Chapter Nine: A Culmination of All Your Sins
Crane landed on the ground, finding Po and Mr. Ping shifting through the ashes of what was once Katayama's hut, the wolf himself in the process of digging, desperately trying to find something that survived the attack.
"What are you looking for?" Mr. Ping asked curiously, for it was obvious that whatever Katayama was looking for it was specific.
"A medallion" Katayama answered, not bothering to stop from his work, "The symbol of my people. Asena's face on the back."
Po raised his eyebrows in confusion and turned towards the temple, for something that specific would logically be in a sacred place of worship, not in the chest of a farmer. Mr. Ping, likewise, thought the same and casually approached the steps of the temple, his fear subsided in place of curiosity and concern for Katayama.
"What about the temple?" Mr. Ping continued, "Could it be there?"
Katayama shook his head in disagreement, as his hole became large and increasingly hopeless.
"No" he explained, "The priests blessed each of us with a medallion, as a welcome into the pack. Each one is personal, inscribed with the immediate family members of the bearer. Worn on special occasions: wedding ceremonies, funerals, harvest festivals, and the like. It is a personal thing, I don't expect you to understand, just to help me search."
Walking over, his steps cautious and afraid, Crane slowly pulled Katayama out of his hole, disrupting his work and generally annoying him, and turned to the others, his eyes bearing news that his heart and head were not ready to give.
"We must go to the Jade Palace" Crane said sternly, "If my suspicions are correct, and I believe they are, then we're going to need my scrolls, my memory is faulty on the subject and they have the information we need."
Katayama growled and groaned, refusing to be cast aside as if his problems did not matter. Crane however, was having none of it.
"The medallion of yours can wait" Crane continued, "It is probably already destroyed, and if it is not, it is a waste of time searching for it. I'm sorry, but we have more pressing concerns."
Po was completely confused, having no idea what was going on, his face riddled with questions and seeking answers. As the gears began turning in his head, Po immediately felt as if he were used, to what end he did not know, but he knew that he was tired of it.
"What are you talking about?" Po asked, on the verge of demanding, "You're not making any sense. What's going on?"
Crane sighed and bowed as low as he could, trying to show his sincerity even though he was well past such formalities. Lifting his head and seeing Po's urgency, Crane straightened himself.
"I have not been entirely truthful" Crane explained, hanging his head in shame, "Most of what you know about me is based on a lie. My name is Crane, I am-was-a member of the Furious Five. I came out here hoping to find myself, that I might be complete-"
"So you used me!" Po replied, cutting him off, "Why drag me into this? Why am I so important?"
Crane laughed disrespectfully and shook his head in pity, brushing him off with the nonchalant wave of his wing, glancing towards his left.
"Use you?" Crane retorted, "I did nothing of the sort; there was nothing to use you for. As for your importance, in all honesty you are not."
Po folded his arms and huffed, unimpressed, Crane's explanation bringing more questions than answers and the answers he did receive were inadequate to his liking.
"Why do this Crane?" Po pressed, "Why go through all this trouble? What was there to gain?"
Crane stepped back a few steps and hung his head once again, for in honesty he knew the answer to the question but was too afraid, or perhaps too embarrassed to answer it directly. Still, swallowing his pride and figuring that he owed Po at least that much, he relented and gave a partial answer.
"Cranes are not looked upon favorably in society. We are seen as overly pragmatic and incapable of producing real emotion or having actual conversation. This stigma has caused many cranes to resent the other species; some try to defy what they have been called and live their lives the best they can, others embody it, seeing no other alternative. Some, take it to another extreme altogether and use the stigma as a rallying cry for the ultimate social justice crusade. As for myself, I am somewhere in-between: a grey area."
Crane, at this point, had begun to cry, still he did not let his emotion overpower him to the point where speech was impossible, and so continued without hesitation. Po, throughout all of this, maintained a stony disposition, taking in the information with general indifference, for the crane largely ignored the question in favor of vindicating himself.
"All I want is a chance. To be more than what people have told me that I am. To not be presented as Crane: kung-fu master; or Crane: the pragmatic; or Crane: the representative of his people; but to simply be Crane and all that it encompasses. But I can't be any of those things without this; without going out into the world and figuring things out for myself. Until I figure out who I am, the fact that I am Crane doesn't mean a thing."
The sky slowly began to darken as cloud began to form, blocking the sun and creating a somewhat dismal atmosphere to an already dismal scene. This did not concern anyone in the slightest, save for the acknowledgement of time passing with relative quickness, and so Crane, pausing for breath, continued once more.
"I don't expect you to forgive me or to understand. I would not blame if you hated me for the rest of your life and wanted nothing to do with me. That is your right and you are welcome to it. But this, this destruction around us, it is bigger than the both of us. The world cares nothing for our problems and concerns, only that things continue, either as they were, or as they will be."
Mr. Ping stepped forward, trying to find the right words to say; to possibly earn the high pedestal that Crane had placed him on from the beginning. Turning towards his son, Mr. Ping nodded and smiled.
"Po" Mr. Ping began, "Please try to understand. Mister Crane was only trying to do the right thing. He didn't want you to be disappointed."
Po huffed and rolled his eyes, for that was the understatement of the year as far as he was concerned.
"Disappointed?" Po exclaimed, "He was worried about me being disappointed! Who does he think I am?"
Crane sighed once more and laughed.
"Good question" he answered in turn, "One that I should have asked you a long time ago. Who do you think I am? Before all of this, what was your opinion of Crane? Did you perhaps, in your arrogance, think that I was holier-than-thou? That I was somehow superior and worthy of praise and recognition? You think that I'm some kind of hero? Heroes save people; heroes do what is right even when it easier and more profitable not to; heroes protect those they care about and are willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. You want heroes Po? Look at your father. He's about as close as you're ever going to find. Otherwise, heroes don't exist. I'm nothing. I'm not a warrior, warriors have names, and do great big things."
Po, although refusing to believe Crane in his entirety, for it was entirely out of his character for him to believe such things whole-heartedly, he was not willing to argue about the subject, in favor of immediate action. It was clear, even to Po, that doing nothing was not an option, and they had come too far in the grand scheme of things to simply leave things as they were.
"You're right about one thing Crane" Po said, accepting the situation for what it was, "Things cannot remain as they are; I don't know if they'll ever be back to the way things were before, but if this is the future we can't allow it to happen. And no matter what you say, no matter what you might believe, you're a hero. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to stop this; the question is, are you?"
Mantis had pondered and battled the questions that were rattling in his head; Crane's writings having presented astute judgement and sound reason, pointing to the flaws and inconsistencies of the methods and practices of the Jade Palace. He didn't necessarily agree with Crane on the majority of his views, but that was beside the point; for he still found them interesting and worth study. Mantis hoped, that in reading Crane's scrolls, he could find a reason for his journey and try to make sense of things to the others. Walking carefully across the room and finding Viper and Monkey partaking in a light lunch, Mantis smiled and tried to think of something that Crane would say.
"Hey come guys" Mantis said as he made his way over, carrying Crane's scroll in his hands, "Things aren't so bad right? Look on the bright side, at least now we don't have to worry about food shortages with one less mouth to feed."
Viper rolled her eyes and callously pulled her bowl of rice closer to herself as if Mantis were intending on stealing it; Monkey however, after a brief moment of silence and temporary confusion, let out an overzealous laugh and a slap to his side for dramatic effect.
"Good one Mantis" Monkey replied, pathetically hamming it up in an attempt for normalcy, "Just like Crane himself. Why it's almost like he's here."
Mantis nodded and graciously unrolled the scroll before them, presenting it as if it foretold the Prophecy of the Dragon Warrior, minding the edges and smoothing out any rogue creases, for clarity's sake. Viper, curiosity getting the better of him, and her heart in turmoil from Crane's absence, longing to hear his voice and see his face, leaned in and began to read.
"Personal Philosophy #1: There is no greater judge of character than how you see yourself. Once you love yourself, everything else becomes relative."
Viper smiled and nodded in content, for she liked Crane's philosophies, it reminded her that the world still turned. Mantis, in turned, laughed and shook his head in remembrance; thinking back to the many philosophies that Crane possessed, none of them contradictory to any other when taken at its surface level meaning.
"One of my favorites is Number 14" Mantis exclaimed, skimming down, "'never look a mantis in the eye and tell him he is small, especially if said mantis is a kung-fu master, for they are big in the areas that count.'"
Mantis laughed to himself and slapped the paper showing vindication, after which he jumped on top of the highest thing he could, a nearby box, and projected his voice as loud as he was able.
"Ha!" he cried, "You hear that world? I'm freaking huge!"
Monkey chuckled and took Mantis' place of skimming the page, finding one relating to monkeys. Viper, who was doing the same as Monkey, found one further down relating to snakes. Looking over the words and then up at each other, Monkey and Viper each came to the singular conclusion. They dared not say what it was, for in truth it was obvious and simple; as if speaking it aloud would ruin the message and degrade its importance. Embracing each other, having reached the point beyond words, Monkey, Viper, and a returning Mantis, become one solid entity, united in their memories and eternal affection, both for each other and for Crane.
Breaking away and wiping his eyes, Mantis, sniffling a bit due to tears, flipped the scroll over, on which was another philosophy, the 18th, followed by a journal entry was transcribed: "Cranes work in black and white, either things are or they are not, we do not understand grey". It was surprising, to find someone who spoke so freely and highly of others be so self-conscious and worrisome about himself; as if he believed that he held no value of his own, that the value of others was merely reflected off, like a mirror. This theme, common among the last days of Crane's life at the Palace, was one that on a personal level, Mantis was getting tired of hearing.
"If Crane wants to believe that he's worthless, fine" Mantis said, rallying the others, "I for one am not going to stand for it. It's time we re-written some history. Prove Crane wrong."
Monkey raised his hand, if only to be snobbish and to make a point that didn't necessarily need to be made.
"How exactly are we going to do that genius?" Monkey asked, "It's not like he's just going to walk through the front door."
It was at this moment that Crane flew through the window, landing on the rafters. Shaking himself off, for it had once again begun to rain in the area, Crane, taking off his hat, allowing himself to breathe, calmly looked about the room, taking no notice of any of them.
"Crane!" the three said in unison, rushing to their feet and standing tall, anticipating a warm reception.
Crane jumped down and glazed them over, giving a small, but significant smile. Looking down and seeing the scrolls, the bird picked them up and examined them.
"Ah" Crane exclaimed, "I see you have been reading my philosophies. Tell me, how did you like them? Not by far my best work, but it does the job. I myself prefer the Story of the River, simple and nice, romantic and tragic, all the things that make a gripping melodrama. But I digress. How long did it take for you to start missing me?"
Monkey shrugged, although recognizing the rhetorical nature of the question, being the general prankster that he is, he decided to answer in spite of himself, speaking for the group.
"We never stopped missing you" Monkey replied, a bit over-dramatic for its own sake, "What were you thinking, running off like that? Kept us up all night, worried sick with your big talk and your big walk. Now you come back in less than a day's time, what's up with that?"
Crane laughed and shook his head, for it was typical of Monkey to say such things. Patting him gently on the shoulder, the bird carefully made his way towards the foyer, beckoning the others to follow. Viper and Mantis, confused and curious at Crane's sudden appearance, immediately decided to take action, and so began walking with Crane. Monkey, for his part, quietly blew out the candles that were lit in the room and then praised his ancestors, grateful that he was taken literally.
Coming into the foyer with the grace and pose of walking through a serene park, Crane glanced casually over to his left towards the courtyard. Leaning his head slightly upward, he could hear the sound of distant fighting, he paid no mind for he knew exactly what it was and simply continued walking. The others, who did not possess much in terms of hearing compared to Crane, took no notice of anything out of the ordinary and continued their current purpose in following Crane.
"Don't think that I'm back" Crane declared, stopping in the middle of the hallway, his whistling coming to a halt, "I'm just here for the scrolls and then I'm gone."
Viper moved forward, her heart and her head equally confused and desperately seeking answers to questions that she did not know or even think to ask.
"What's going on Crane?" Viper said, pleading, "Why do you need them? What's so important?"
Crane laughed and shook his head pitifully; still, despite this, he gave an answer.
"My scrolls are many things Viper" Crane explained, "Besides a detailed and meticulous early account of my life, it is also, rather cleverly, an encoded map; that only I know how to properly read. A necessary security measure, I assure you, given what it leads to."
The battle outside the walls moved closer, finally drawing itself to the attention of the others; before anything could be done about it, the combatants, Katayama, Mr. Ping, Po, flying through the air and Tigress, their assailant, came crashing down into the courtyard. Mr. Ping, catching Po and landing safely to the ground, immediately switched gears, his brain moving to diplomacy.
"Is all of this necessary?" Mr. Ping asked, "Can't we just talk this out?"
Katayama barked excessively, annoyed that the option was even brought up, considering the beating that they had collectively received. It was an embarrassment, to surrender so easily and without considering the possibility of a death match; which for wolves was almost always the case.
"How dare you Ping!" Katayama exclaimed, scowling as he stood, his wounds re-opening and causing him to wheeze and cough, "Never accept defeat, not when victory is so close at hand!"
Mr. Ping rolled his eyes and brushed him off, for he would hardly call a victory one that resulted in bleeding out in the courtyard.
"Don't be so over-dramatic" Mr. Ping retorted, "Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. No wonder wolves have such a bad reputation around here."
Tigress glared at them both, mentally calculating which one of them was the greater threat. While she was doing this, she relaxed, giving the appearance of letting down her guard, in the hope that one of them would take the bait. It didn't work, but they still commended her for the effort.
"Leave" Tigress declared warningly, flashing her teeth in an attempt to be threatening, "Whatever you've came here for, you won't find it."
Katayama, who had just about enough of getting pushed around and stepped on, stepped forward, wincing in the effort, and did his best to hold his ground. Growling and flashing his own set of teeth, the hairs on the good side of his body standing on their ends and the other side pulsing in pain.
"We want no trouble" the wolf replied, repeating himself from earlier, having tried diplomacy earlier, "Maybe if you listened with your ears instead of your eyes you would know that. Why do you think so many of us live in seclusion and resort to violence? I'm starting Careen has a point. You get whatever you deserve. May your ancestors protector you, if you still remember them."
Katayama slowly made his way towards the entrance of the palace, Tigress however, pushed him back with a roundhouse kick, knocking him down to the ground and back in his place next to Mr. Ping; who immediately took his protective stance once again and began tending to him as best he was able. The wolf, who no longer seemed to mind the care of Mr. Ping, glanced pleadingly at him and then at Crane, who passively watched. Po, through all of this, observed, not really sure what to believe or if any of it was real.
"You" Tigress said, focusing her attention on Po, "What the hell are you staring at, you stupid or something?"
Po folded his arms and shook his head, on one hand he was ecstatic that Tigress had spoken directly to him, having followed her and the other members of the Five for years; yet on the other, he was morally offended.
"Hey" Po replied, "Can't we just talk this out?"
Tigress, moving her arms around, regaining her chi, shook her head in response and huffed, insulted by the notion.
"The time for talk has long since passed" Tigress answered, inching forward, "Now, leave or fight. Your choice."
Po turned towards Crane, his eyes sad, for the last thing he wanted to do was fight Tigress, especially considering the beating he had just received.
"Master" Po said, his voice matching his eyes in their softness, hoping against hope that Crane would intervene, if only to take away the awkwardness of the situation, "Please."
Crane, setting down his scrolls and sighing deeply, calmly walked over and placed his wing gently on Po, who then stepped aside, bringing Katayama and Mr. Ping with him, leaving Crane and Tigress to themselves. Tigress, at Crane's approach, relaxed once again, confused by his presence, too focused on Katayama and the others to notice his presence.
"Crane?" Tigress began, "I thought you were gone? Did you even need soul-searching?"
Crane nodded and laughed to himself, for it was just like Tigress to openly criticize, for if it wasn't related to kung-fu than she normally had nothing to do with it. On a personal level, he found it sad, but it was simply the way that things were.
"How blind you are!" Crane chastised, preparing himself, "You never stop changing, never stop searching; that is the beauty of life. Maybe if you saw that, you would be happier."
Tigress groaned and shook her head, annoyed that Crane was entering a battle of wit rather than one of skill. She would have none of it; because if such a contest were to be had, she would lose every time.
"Stop being so self-righteous" Tigress retorted, "It's annoying. Now are we going to fight or not!"
Crane laughed again, this time with more pity and hung his head, sighing a bit; for like Po, he had no wish to fight anyone if he could help it. He believed as he always had, that kung-fu should only be used for self-defense, never for personal gain. It was a difficult situation then, being faced with friends on all sides and yet feeling completely isolated from them all, as if he were on another planet altogether.
"I won't fight you" Crane said solemnly, "Today has been hard enough already. Don't make it any worse. Just let us leave as we are."
Tigress shook her head in full disagreement, as far as she was concerned Crane's disavowal of the Furious Five was enough to bar him from the palace; at least until enough time had passed and the belief of true change within him had come and resonated itself. It was cruel, and an act of betrayal, for Crane to appear so sudden after having so recently left, his intentions made clear and his resolve sound. To Tigress, it showed weakness, which was something that she could not allow; not in herself, and certainly not in Crane, whom she respected too much to see falter in any capacity.
"I'm sorry Crane" Tigress replied, "But I can't let you leave. There's no honor in it. But if you must, leave fighting."
Crane turned towards Po and Mr. Ping, smiled and casually nodded; then back to Mantis, Viper, and Monkey, who became frozen in place, only able to look on helplessly, shock having taken over all other action and rendering them incapacitated.
"So be it" the bird answered, preparing himself once more, "I guess friendship counts for nothing these days."
"No" Tigress answered directly, "I guess it doesn't."
The tiger charged as fast as she was able; giving Crane just enough time to take to the air and make proper use of his tactical advantage, grabbing Tigress' tail and swinging her around, ultimately throwing her against the nearest wall. Pulling herself up, caring little for the dent that had been caused in the innocent wall, Tigress immediately restored to her age-old routine, pouncing between right and left fields, which only caused Crane to take the offense, deflect her attacks, and jab with his beak as soon as he found an available opening.
It was here that Po lost his composure and his general calm demeanor and receded back into his usual behavior, his fanboy tendencies rising to heights unseen as he began cheering them both on, his brain unable to decide which one he liked better. Technically speaking he knew that in a prolonged struggle, providing that certain conditions were met, Tigress would win on account of her strength; but here, in an open space, Crane had the advantage. Mr. Ping, in contrast, immediately began counting in his head the numerous injuries that Crane was receiving, particularly in the torso, for despite his best efforts, the bird had allowed some of Tigress' actions to fall through.
The fight culminated on the roof of the palace. Crane, who was in the air at this point, hovering just out of Tigress' reach, suddenly for no particular reason, began to cry.
"Please" Crane said, begging, reiterating, "Don't let today end like this. It's not worth it. Let me go!"
Tigress growled, spitting out blood in the process, refusing to back down.
"Why did you leave Crane if you were just going to come back?" Tigress demanded, "What gives you the right!"
Crane, landing on the opposite side, keeping as much distance between them as possible for security reasons, now began to understand. It was comforting, in its own way, to hear the words come from Tigress; it meant that his absence meant something and held significance even to her, who maintained a hard disposition.
"All that talk" Crane exclaimed, answering, "It is merely a shield for your pain. You fight not because it is the only thing you know but because it is the only way to express yourself. I fight to protect others; however, I express myself through non-violent action: words, poetry, music, dance, in some cases. Regardless, I am not immune to pain. Maybe that is the reason why I came back, to develop an immunity. Maybe not, in any case, it does not really concern you."
Tigress slowly began to relax, Crane's words lowering her defenses and causing her to finally see reason. She was hurt, in more ways than one, to find that Crane was developing an immunity to them, which she interpreted as a way of casting them off and preventing emotion from entering his heart and his head and developing into internal conflict. It was sad, but it was the way things were.
"The panda called you Master" Tigress noted as she walked forward, all notion of combat having left her mind for the time being, "When did you get promoted?"
"Self-promotion" Crane answered promptly, "It's not official. Not yet. But I have taken them- the panda and the goose- under my wing. The wolf is my second."
Tigress shook her head and sighed, slight guilt overtaking her.
"You know that's against protocol" she pointed out critically, "You cannot call yourself a Master when you merely a practitioner. There's a process Crane. It goes against all our traditions, everything we've been taught."
Crane smiled and huffed, secretly enjoying the fact that he was being reprimanded, it reminded him that the world still turned.
"Do you remember what I said?" Crane exclaimed rhetorically, "That just because things were changing doesn't mean they always should? How some things should stay as they are? Although that is true in many things, in this, it is false. Because what is coming; it relies on the blindness of sameness. The old rules can no longer apply."
Before Tigress could even come up with a response, for Crane was playing an advanced version of the pronoun game, the bird had already taken his leave and returned to the courtyard. Jumping down with relative ease, the tiger found herself standing beside Viper, Mantis, and Monkey, who had unfrozen themselves and regained their confidence to the point where they were able to ask questions and possibly seek answers. Mantis, who had a million and a half things going through his head, having read Crane's scrolls meticulously and finding many questioning and confusing things within, slowly approached Crane with the carefulness and curiosity that is keen to his species, the discarded but not forgotten scrolls in his hands.
"Crane" Mantis began, trying to find words, "What happens now?"
Crane looked down at his diminutive friend and smiled calmly, trying to communicate comfort despite the overwhelming fear and devastation that had consumed his thoughts since the village. There was only one reasonable course of action that he could see, and, for the time being, it involved none of the practitioners.
"You and the others train" Crane answered, "Prepare for the absolute worst case scenario. Get a contingency plan, and then another contingency plan for the first contingency plan."
Mantis raised his eyebrows, for he did not receive an answer to the question nor was he comforted by Crane's words.
"What are you talking about?" Mantis pried, "Is something coming? Tell us what's going on damn it, how are we supposed to prepare if we don't what we're preparing for?"
Crane sighed and hung his head in shame. Taking the scrolls and absent-minded flipping through them, for he knew their contents by heart, the bird, after finding the one that he needed, handed it back to Mantis, keeping the rest.
"Read it" Crane said solemnly, "It will paint a clearer picture. Do not worry, I won't be needing it."
Figuring there was no point in pushing any further, for he was doubtful that he would get a straight answer, Mantis took solace in the scroll and hopped away, reading as he went inside the palace. Glancing at the others, who stood beside themselves, Crane said nothing; only casually whistled, summoning his traveling companions to his side, signaling them to take their leave. Po, who was sad to go so suddenly, nodded, knowing that this was part of a much greater adventure, grateful that under Crane's leadership he was guaranteed the right to enter the palace. Mr. Ping, who was also sad to leave, for it also meant leaving the Imperial City, took comfort in the fact that whatever evil was coming that it would be stopped, that he would have a part in it, and that his son would be by his side. Katayama, who in contrast was all too happy to leave, licked his wounds and limped off palace grounds, grumbling and cursing to himself.
"I hope that plan of yours paid off Crane" Katayama answered as he passed, walking down the steps, "I'm getting sick and tired of getting my ass kicked. There's only so much pain a wolf can take."
"Then fight harder" Crane suggested sarcastically, leaving the conservation as it was; mostly out of annoyance, expressing his desire to be left alone.
"Don't worry Mister Crane" Mr. Ping said in passing, following Katayama, "Everything will turn out for the best, you'll see."
Embracing Crane and patting him on the back, Mr. Ping felt vindicated, a new sense of purpose washing over him; one that he had not felt since taking in Po. It was a good feeling. Crane, too lost in himself to return the affection, which was indeed mutual, merely smiled as meekly as he could, feigning normalcy and continued his way down the steps, waiting for Po to come and meet him.
Po, walking beside Crane and matching his pace, being as polite as possible, said nothing, mirroring Crane's silence. Crane, who expected Po to greet him as the others had, raised his eyebrows in anticipation, his glare condescending, and his mood generally uninviting.
"Go ahead" Crane said, breaking his silence for a second time, "Tell me how awesome it was. Seeing the Jade Palace, fighting Tigress, meeting the Four. Go ahead, give me your exciting account of the great battle you witnessed."
Po twiddled his thumbs, nervous and unsettled. He didn't want to talk about his excitement, however true it was, for he knew that was exactly what Crane was expecting; the kind of behavior that confirmed the bird's initial observations, making everything that was said about him, ring all the truer. Placing his hand on Crane's shoulder, Po gently patted it, looked into his eyes and said:
"I'm sorry"
Crane nodded, saying nothing as his silence returned and he retreated back into the safest place available ultimately resorting to flying down the reminder of the stairs.
Reaching the city gate and handing the rolled up scrolls to Po, Crane sighed and haphazardly began giving them instructions.
"You and Mr. Ping are going north to Neimongol. The village of Kharn is your destination. Look for Shen-Fe, if anyone will know where the temple is, she will."
Po and Mr. Ping nodded and placed the scrolls in Po's knapsack, ensuring their protection. Crane, meanwhile turned to Katayama, who bowed as low as he was able and smiled.
"I wish you luck Master Crane" Katayama declared, struggling in the effort, "May you find all that you are looking for in this life and the next."
Crane bowed in turn, rose, and smiled; trying his best to show his gratitude.
"I wish you could journey with us" Crane returned, "But in your condition I simply could not allow it."
Katayama laughed and brushed him off, refusing to acknowledge his circumstances further.
"They're not wounds Crane they're battle scars" Katayama corrected, guessing the bird's feelings, "Besides, I never said about leaving the fight. Careen must pay for what he's done. Consider this an intermission on my part. The first act written in ink, the second act in blood. Farewell my friends, pray this is not the last time we meet."
With this Katayama walked through the gates and ran into the forest, his mission, a personal one, undertaken in full stride. Crane, Mr. Ping and Po watched for as long as they dared, after which they bade each other goodbye, father and son heading for the north and Crane to the south to Fujian.