-Chapter 16-

Crumbling Down

Shengcun - Kat's House

A dumpling sits upon a plate all by its lonesome, steam softly rising from its plump, bulbous form, filling the air with warmth and the smell of cabbage and pork. Blissfully unaware of the pair of wooden chopsticks slowly descending toward it, ready to pick it up and put it on the plate of the hungry giant holding them. But, right as the sticks were about to squeeze into its pillowy, doughy goodness…

YOINK!

…another pair of sticks swept and swiped it up! Like a hawk catching a field mouse.

"Hey!" Dulcy shouted as Jian chewed up her meal. "That was mine!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jian retorted, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "Were you going to eat that?"

"Uhhhh, yeah?" the dragon replied. "My chopsticks were just about to grab it!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, here." The tigress opened her mouth and extended her tongue, revealing the half-eaten dumpling. "Bleeeeeeeeeh…"

"AAAGH!" Dulcy cried out, sharply looking away in disgust.

"You snooze, you lose, ryu," Jian replied, swallowing her food. "Next time, don't spend so much time deciding which one to take."

Dulcy growled, smoke billowing from her nostrils. "Shifu! Jian's sniping my food again!"

"It was only one baozi , it's not as though we have a dozen or anything."

"That's not the point!"

"Dulcinea, settle down," Bunker calmly scolded as she stirred her noodles. "As Jian said, we have plenty of food, simply take another one."

Dulcy let out a pout as Jian grinned smugly.

"And Jian…" Bunker cut in, causing her to stiffen. "That kind of childish behavior is unbecoming of a warrior, much less the guardian of one as young as Cinder. Think of the example you are setting for her."

"I don't think that's going to be a problem, Master Bunker," Jade chimed in, motioning to Cinder, who was calmly and neatly eating her food with the perfect etiquette expected of a Suzaku royal. "If anything, Jian should be learning from her example."

"Seriously, Oneechan…" Cinder dabbed some soy sauce off her mouth with a napkin. "That was gross,"

This time, Jian was the one pouting as Dulcy grinned smugly. Jade just chuckled at everyone's antics before leaning over to where Kat was sitting.

"An eight-year-old has better manners than two grown adults. What is this world coming to, eh Kat?"

But Kat didn't respond. Her eyes were distant as she mindlessly slurped at her noodles. Physically, she looked better, having received both a hot bath and some much-needed acupuncture from her Shizun. But mentally, she was completely checked out.

"Kat?" Jade repeated.

"Kathryn, are you alright?" Lara asked.

"Huh?" Kat shook her head, blearily pinching the bridge of her nose. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, just… feeling a little on edge after everything."

Just then, there was a clatter, followed by a roar of anger.

"Oh dear…" Lara sighed.

"Having some trouble, Wynmacher?" Locke asked with a grin.

"Nothing that I cannot handle, Head Guardian."

Wynmacher was attempting to use his chopsticks, which was proving difficult due to the sheer size of his hands. His boxing glove-esque gloves certainly weren't helping either and he found himself unable to even scoop up rice.

"Rrrgh! Accursed sticks of cuisine consumption! Cease this obstinate behavior at once and grant. Me. Nourishment!"

With some effort, he finally managed to get them under his thumb…

SNAP!

"No!"

…only for them to break from his enhanced strength.

"Haaaa… foiled again," the woodcutter-turned-Guardian sighed.

"Guardian Wynmacher, if you don't mind me saying, perhaps you would have an easier time with your chopsticks if you removed your gloves?" Bunker suggested.

Wynmacher gasped in horror as he recoiled dramatically. "Remove my Guardian Battle Gauntlets!?" he cried out. "Sacrilege!"

"Ooooh…" Kat took a sharp breath as she winced awkwardly. "Right, I never told you, did I?"

"I am assuming my suggestion was out of line," Bunker surmised, concern evident in her tone.

"Yeah. Removing an echidna's gloves outside of bathing is heavily frowned upon."

"Indeed," Locke nodded, smiling at Kat's remembrance of her etiquette lessons. "We Echidna must always be prepared to defend our home and our loved ones. To be without our gloves is to be without our greatest weapons. It would be akin to one of your swordsmen walking around without their blade."

"Or me without my bat…" Kat muttered under her breath.

The others winced upon being reminded of the destruction of Kat's Megatal bat during her battle with Rantao. The pieces were still laid out on a small end table, laid out like an offering to a God who wasn't listening. The feeling was only worsened by the fact that the bat wasn't just a weapon to Kat. It was a gift from someone she deeply cared about. Someone who wanted to make sure she always had the means to fight back. So she would never feel powerless again. The Raiju had done more than just destroy her weapon, she destroyed a part of herself.

"Uh… So…" Locke cleared his throat, attempting to shift the conversation back to a happier track. "May I inquire as to the itinerary for tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Kat paused, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" He took a breath, choosing his words carefully to not come as insensitive. "I am referring to the race, of course."

"Oh, right…" Kat sighed, then lowered her bowl. Her eyes were downcast as she spoke. "Honestly... I was thinking maybe it would be better if we left in the morning."

The room went silent as all eyes turned to Kat, each wide with shock.

"Left?" Jade whispered in horror.

"But Kacchan, you can't leave, you just got here!" Cinder pleaded.

"Cinder, it's not that simple." Kat gave the young pheasant a sympathetic look. "Someone's hired an assassin to come after me; one of the best in Yurashia. If I stay in Shengcun, I'll just be putting a target on the backs of everyone living here. The best thing to do is go back to Angel Island and hunker down until we can figure out who wants me dead."

The Shijin Warriors winced in sympathy. Kat's argument made sense, and given what Rantao did the first time she attacked, a second attack would be…

"Ridiculous!" Wyn shouted, slamming his fist on the table. "I have never heard such utter nonsense in my entire life!"

"Wyn?" Kat let out, shocked by the outburst.

"Wynmacher!" Lara cried out.

"Forgive my outburst, Lara, but I will not sit idly by and allow Young Kathryn to utter this cowardly drivel!"

"Cowardly…" Now it was Kat's turn to slam her hands on the table. "Wynmacher, you saw what happened today! How Rantao tore through our best fighters! How she broke my bat! Now Knuckles is down for the count, Jian and Dulcy are both nursing some serious wounds, and I'm weaponless! We can't protect this village like this!"

"Fights she only won through deceit and trickery," Wyn corrected. "And while what happened to Young Knuckles is tragic, the others are making a more than speedy recovery. And as for the loss of your weapon, I seem to recall tales of you protecting entire cities, nay, the entire world with less."

"I was just a cog in a much bigger machine! But the Freedom Fighters aren't here! And given the fact that she failed this time, she's going to be pulling out the stops to ensure she doesn't this time. We got lucky that the damage to the village was minimal but… our luck may not hold out when she returns."

"And she will return," Jian chimed in. "Rantao isn't just relentless, she's prideful. She had us at her mercy, only to fail at the last moment. And if what you said about how she was bested are true, then she will be truly bent on avenging her honor."

"See?" Kat gestured to Jian with both of her arms. "We can't stay here. We need to head home first thing in the morning."

"And you truly think that will stop her? That she will just give up her pursuit and return home?" Wyn replied, looking Kat dead in the eyes.

"At the very least, Shengchun will be spared." Kat's fists were clenched so tight her knuckles were white. "I can't…. I can't watch this place burn again…"

"And what of Echidnapolis?"

Kat flinched but quickly regained her composure. "A city on a floating island nigh impossible to reach."

"And Rantao can control the weather," Wyn countered. "I am sorry, Kathryn, but this is not something you can run from."

"So what do you suggest I do, huh?" Kat threw her hands up in the air. "Stay here? Let Rantao torch my home again?"

"No." Wyn shook his head. " We stay here and we defeat her together."

Jade glanced up at Wynmacher like he was crazy. "Listen, you got lucky with that sucker punch. Do you really think you're gonna be able to best the Yamaneko Rantao?"

"Divide and conquer," Wyn cut in.

"Right," Julie muttered. "Cause that worked so well last time."

"Julie-Su…" Wyn cut in, giving her a serious look. "Please, allow me to finish."

Julie flinched at Wyn's look, before motioning for him to continue.

Wyn nodded thankfully. "Rantao split us up using the colorful, masked replicas as a diversion. What does that tell us about her?"

Cinder perked up, immediately throwing her hand in the air. "Ooh! Ooh! I know! She knows she can't handle all of us so she split us up!"

"Exactly!" Wyn turned to Jian. "Rantao is an assassin, not a warrior. Assassins do not face their foes head-on. They strike when they are most vulnerable. When they are sure they can win. Is that correct, Young Jian?"

Jian found herself speechless, unable to refute Wynmacher's words. Rantao's attacks had been pre-planned traps with strategies that relied on deception and misdirection. Wordlessly, she nodded in agreement with the larger Echidna.

"That's what I thought." Wynmacher turned to face everyone. "Rantao is not an opponent to be underestimated, she has made that abundantly clear. But, she is not invincible. She is not untouchable. And she is certainly not unbeatable. She was able to defeat us that easily because we did not know what she was capable of and because she had time to plan and prepare. Now, she is without those advantages. And more importantly…" Wyn gave an eager grin. " We are with them."

"Wynmacher is correct," Bunker spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. "Rantao is a formidable opponent, but her victories were gained because of her underhanded tactics and the element of surprise. Without those, her chances of success are lowered. And, if we make proper use of this advantage, we could potentially bring about her capture, thus ending her threat once and for all."

"Shifu's right," Dulcy piped up. "It would take some doing, not to mention a lot of luck and guts, but it just might work. Plus, Jian used to work with Rantao, so she probably knows most, if not all of her tricks and techniques."

Jian grimaced. "That is… true."

"We could keep an eye on Kacchan and when the bad kitty strikes again, WHAM! We all jump out and get her!" Cinder declared.

Wynmacher nodded. "And more importantly than that, even if you no longer live here, this village is your home, and if I know you as well as I think I do, if you allowed her to chase you out of it, you would regret it for the rest of your life."

Kat looked over her friends and family in surprise. How quickly they'd managed to bounce back and come together, ready to defend her home. Defend her. She still had her doubts - who wouldn't after facing someone like that - but the more she thought about what Wyn said…

"Alright, alright." Kat sighed, putting her hands up in surrender. "I know when I'm beat. We won't be leaving just yet. However… if we are to stick around, there is one issue we've yet to resolve… the Dragon Boat race."

That gave everyone pause.

"Namely, who's going to fill in for Knuckles. And likely Julie too."

"She's right," Julie spoke up. "I still have phantom pains in my… everywhere." She winced as she clutched her arm. "I can probably help out with patrols, but rowing a boat? Uh-uh."

"And none of us could do it either," Dulcy added. "I'm too big, Jian's too injured, Shifu and Cinder are too small."

"And unfortunately, the boat requires four people," Kat lamented.

"Perhaps Jade would be willing to fill in?" Locke offered.

"I usually did back before the sh…. poo hit the fan," Jade spoke up, side-eying Cinder briefly. "I didn't this time 'cause I wanted Kat to be able to do the race with her… new family. But even if I do step up this time, we're still short a person."

The room went almost silent as the group murmured, uncertain what to do. All save for one. While they saw a problem, Locke saw an opportunity. This was it! The chance he had been waiting for. A chance to step up and show them, show Lara that he was a capable, supportive father and husband!

"I will do it!" he declared as he rose from his seat, only to pause when he discovered he'd done so in tandem with another.

"Hoo boy…" Kat whispered as Locke turned to face said other.

"Is something wrong, Head Guardian?" Wynmacher asked. "You seem upset."

Locke paused for a moment before realizing he was scowling.

"Oh!" He shook his head, pulling himself together. "A-Apologies, what were we talking about?"

"Who would replace Young Knuckles and Julie-Su in the race," Wyn reminded. "And we both volunteered at the same time."

"Ah! Right, of course." Locke chuckled awkwardly. "Well, that's no longer a problem. I will gladly enter the competition in my son's place."

"Are you sure that is wise, sir?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, with all due respect, sir, you faced off against one of the assassin Rantao's replicas," Wyn pointed out. "And from how you appeared when we found you, you were badly wounded."

"Those?" Locke scoffed, firmly patting where his head had been wounded. "My Chaos healed those hours ago. You forget I'm Head Guardian."

"Yes," Wyn conceded. "But…"

"Then, there shouldn't be any objections to my participation," Locke interrupted.

"Actually, there is. When was the last time you sailed a boat?"

"Well…" Locke began, only to pause. "There was…" he picked up. Again, he paused. "When I…" Another continuation. Another pause. "I… I…" He sat down. "I… cannot remember."

"Because you never did," Lara cut in dryly, eliciting a wince from her ex.

"Ahh… that's right," Locke recalled with a grimace. "But! Neither has Wynmacher."

"This is true…." the other Guardian cut in, eliciting a grin from Locke. "But I have transported lumber back to the village by raft, so I have some marinal experience."

Locke grimaced. "Right… E-Even still, I imagine it shouldn't be too difficult to learn. All you're doing is sitting in a boat and swishing a paddle through the water."

"Yes," Wynmacher began. "While also having to contend with rocks, fallen tree branches, fish and other aquatic denizens, strong currents pushing you about, wind pushing you about, other boats pushing you about, and…"

"Thank you! Wynmacher…" Locke suddenly shouted. "That will be all."

"Actually, come to think of it, the echidna don't use boats," Kat recalled, tapping her chin with her knuckle. "We only have canoes and rafts, not full-on boats."

Locke winced. "True… But! That should be no problem. If this is a race, naturally there will be rowing. Canoes require rowing, so the skill is there."

"He's got you there, Kat," Jade chimed in. "And since you had two volunteers, I see no reason for me to step in. I'll just pig out on Dragon Beard candy like I'd planned to from the beginning."

"No!" Locke shouted, startling the others before quickly calming down. "Y-You must join us, Jade! While it will doubtless be easy to learn, at least half of the team should be… well-experienced. Lest something… unfortunate occur."

"But if something unfortunate were to occur, wouldn't it make more sense to have three adults with your freaky Chaos strength?" Jade countered, not even batting an eye. "I'd just get in the way."

"Errrrrr…" Locke grits his teeth anxiously, trying to think of another way to get Wyn out of the picture. "W-Well yes, but… as Kathryn said, this is a family event. And Wynmacher is not…" He motioned awkwardly, desperately looking for the correct phrasing.

"Wynmacher isn't what, Locke?" Lara questioned, her tone hard and her glare even harder as she inadvertently reminded him why he fell for her in the first place.

"Uhhh… W-Wynmacher…" Locke swallowed nervously. "Wynmacher… technically… isn't family?"

He smiled awkwardly, sweat droplets dripping down his brow.

Wow, he is really digging his own grave, Dulcy muttered in Chun-ese.

Ten mobiums on the Ex-Wife stabbing him with the chopsticks, Jade whispered.

Tw…Twen…ty. Am… feeling… luck, Jian cut in reaching for another baozi , her speech stilted by the foreign tongue she was using.

Lara's glare redoubled at Locke as she calmly got up from her seat and walked over to him.

"Locke…" she calmly began. "Would you please stand up?"

Locke blinked in confusion, then did as he was told. "L-Lara, I…"

SMACK!

The entire room went bug-eyed and completely silent as Lara-Le calmly walked back to her seat, smiling the most pleasant of smiles. Jian nearly choked on her dumpling. Cinder almost spit out her drink. And Julie-Su had to manually close her mouth as it was hanging open so low.

"Never mind," Locke whimpered as he rubbed his blistering, red-as-his-spines cheek.

"Well then," Bunker began, clearing her throat slightly. "I do believe you have your racing team, A-tian."

"Yaaaaaay!" Cinder cheered.

"Looks like," Kat agreed, though she seemed hesitant. "But Locke, I need you to promise me that you can work well with our entire team. Not just me and Mom, but Wyn too. This won't work if we're out of sync."

"Errr…" Locke paused, still rubbing his cheek. "I-I…"

"Head Guardian…" Wynmacher began. "Are you sure you are alright?"

"I…!" Locke stopped himself, clearing his throat. "I am fine, Wynmacher. Just…fine. And yes, Kathryn. I… I promise."

She met his gaze for a good minute, just staring into his eyes. Then, she sighed.

"I'll hold you to that, old man."

Locke sagged in relief. He'd done it. It wasn't perfect, but he'd done it. He was on the team. He had his chance! He was…

"But just so you know, if something happens to my family's boat because you can't play nice, I won't need my bat to make you pay."

"Erk!"

Doomed, he was doomed.

-X-

That night…

After dinner, the rest of the evening went by uneventfully and everyone returned to their rooms for some much-needed sleep. Everyone except for Locke. The Head of the Guardians was lying on his futon, wide awake in nothing but his breechcloth as he engaged in a staring contest with the ceiling. One he was winning, not through skill and fortitude, but sheer terror.

"This… This isn't going to work. This isn't going to work at all." He sat up. "Lara was right, I don't know the first thing about piloting a boat!" He grits his teeth. "And then there's Wynmacher …" He let out a frustrated growl as he clenched his fists. "Not only do I have to be on the same team as him , but he's more experienced! How am I supposed to impress Lara when I have to compete with that!?"

Locke sighed, his frustration giving away to hopelessness. "Maybe I should just give this up. This is clearly a losing battle. Besides, you knew this was going to happen the moment she gave you that ultimatum. That she didn't leave you after what happened that night at the Master Emerald Shrine is a miracle!"

He sighed, a look of longing coming over his face. "But still…" Only for him to shake it off as he punched himself. "No! Stop it!"

He got up, pacing around the room as he angrily whispered to himself.

"You swore it! You swore it with the Ancient Walkers, Chaos, and Tikal herself as your witnesses! 'I accept full responsibility for what I am about to do!' That means you were willing to accept the consequences of your actions, no matter how much they hurt! So stop this foolishness and… and… AGH!"

Locke slammed his fist into the wall, his gloves muffling the sound and preventing him from leaving any major damage. He panted angrily, his eyes wide open and bloodshot. His sharp fangs bared as his spines stood on end. The dusty cloud of his Chaos aura spiraled around him, caking the surrounding area with dust. But after only a few seconds, his aura died down. His loud, heavy breathing turned to soft, pitiful wheezing. Then to whimpering.

"Lara…" Locke sobbed as he fell to his knees. "I'm sorry… Don't go… Don't leave me all alone…"

Tiny droplets trickled onto the floor as Locke struggled to keep from wailing. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, nothing he did was working.

"Ancient Walkers… Master Chaos… Great Tikal…" he sniffled loudly. "I… I don't know what to do anymore. I… I swore that I'd let go, but… Hic! I can't… I… I just can't…" He closed his eyes harder, his fists clenching even tighter. "Please, I beg you, give me a sign! Tell me if there's ever a chance I can bring Lara back to me… or this was all doomed from the start."

There was a long moment of silence. It was only for a minute, but to Locke, it might as well have been a thousand years. He was about ready to give up and accept. He'd go back to sleep. Then, the next day, he'd go up to Lara and the others and tell them everything. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too upset with him. He'd apologize to Wynmacher, wish him and Lara the best of luck, maybe threaten to punch his head off his neck if he hurt her, and then, he'd go back to protecting the Master Emerald, and everything would go back to normal.

Yes, that would be for the best.

THUNK!

Locke immediately stood up, fists raised in a combat stance. "Who's there!?"

His eyes darted around the room, scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary, but found...

"Nothing…" he whispered. "But then what…?"

THUNK!

There was the noise again! This time, he paid closer attention to where it was coming from. It was close. Very close. Had Rantao already come back for revenge? He activated his Chaos sense, but nothing was showing up.

"Damnation, where are you, you…?"

THUNK!

Locke looked to the side and found the source of the noise… the wind had blown the window open, causing the shutters to knock against the wall.

"Oh… that's all it was," he said, sagging in relief and a little embarrassment. He walked over to the window and closed the shutters before refastening the lock.

"There, that should do it." With the problem resolved, Locke made his way back to his futon. "Blasted wind…" He grumbled as he knelt down and lifted the covers. "Honestly, how do surface dwellers put up with it blowing this hard all the…"

As he rested his head on the pillow, he heard yet another sound. This time, a soft crinkling noise.

"What the…?"

He pressed down against the pillow again. Again, the crinkle played. He looked around and found something sticking out from underneath.

"What's this?" He reached over and pulled it out, revealing it to be some kind of paper covered in big, Chunese characters and big, colorful photographs of people sailing along the river in boats carved to look like…

"Dragons," Locke whispered. "Is this a pamphlet for the race?"

Curious, Locke opens it up. Sure enough, it contained several advertisements and schedules for the events. He didn't bother reading it, he couldn't if he wanted to, but the formatting made it clear enough. He was about to throw it aside when something on one of the pages caught his eye; something that made his eyes widen in shock.

"By the Walkers…"

It was a map. Not just any map, however. It was a map of the entire race course, likely included to allow the audience to follow along. The map detailed everything. From the positions of the start and finish line to different branching paths. It even included all the different hazards each route had to offer!

Locke smiled excitedly. He could use this. Even if he couldn't impress Lara with his superior boating abilities, he could use this to help guide the team through the obstacles flawlessly! Pick the best path! Maybe even… beat all the other racers!

"Yes…" he whispered. "This could work. No, this will work! I'm sure of it! Thank you, Ancient Walkers! Thank you!"

Locke laughed and cried joyfully as he clutched his literal gift from the gods. But as he relished in his newfound hope, he failed to notice that he was being watched…

-X-

Elsewhere...

"See, what did I tell you?" Rantao asked smugly as Locke continued to weep in joy in the Mirror of Farsight.

"My word… that was pathetically easy," Flare said, sneering in disgust. "I don't know what irks me more, that this fool is the leader of a sacred order of warriors, that none of his allies heard his outburst, or that entire dumbshow at dinner."

"They may be skilled fighters, but they're imbeciles." Rantao stretched as she sank deeper into the bubbling, steaming water of the impromptu onsen they'd made from the lake. "Weak-willed, weak-minded fools easily swayed by their hearts and passions."

"Yes," Flare concurred, reaching for a gourd of sake and a set of saucers he'd left by his and Rantao's discarded clothing. "And do not even get me started on how he let his wife and children cow him into submission like that." He poured himself a saucer. "If anyone in my family showed such insolence, their ashes would fertilize the garden."

"Is that what happened to Ember?" Rantao asked coyly.

"What do you think?" Flare replied as he downed his drink.

"I'm not one to stop and smell the spider lilies," Rantao replied. "Also, the water is starting to cool down."

"Ah." Flare set the sake saucer down. "One moment."

Rantao watched curiously as Flare reached over and grabbed his sword. He removed it from its scabbard, then to the lynx's surprise, dipped the blade into the water.

"Moeagaru…. Goshiki Enchou."

The katana seemed to shudder for a brief moment before giving off a fiery, orange glow. Within seconds, the lake began to steam and bubble anew.

"Ahhh… much better," Rantao sighed, letting the hot water soothe her. "I'm surprised, Entei. To think one of the renowned Ancient Weapons consents to such usage."

"Goshiki Echou does whatever I command it to," Flare said as he dried off the blade and set it aside. "After all, I am the heir of Suzaku. I'm more surprised to find that the great Yamaneko Rantao consents to being naked in a hot spring with a man." He gave her a coy smirk. "I thought you considered such things for the weak-minded?"

Rantao scoffed, her face turning red. "Do not flatter yourself. My body is still aching from my fight with those idiots and I needed a way to relieve the tension." This time, she gave Flare a coy grin. "Besides, you're the one who decided to join me, Flare-sama."

Now, it was Flare's turn to blush. "Well, it's not as if we haven't seen each other already."

Rantao chuckled with an almost playful tone. "You are just too easy to rile up." Flare grumbled in response. "I almost find it adorable."

Flare glared at Rantao out of the corner of his eye before sighing in resignation.

"Sake?" he offered with a smile.

Rantao nodded.

Flare picked up the gourd and saucers, pouring himself and his…guest a drink. He took them both in his hands, extending on to her.

"To the deaths of our enemies," the Entei offered.

"And the dawn of our empires," the Raiju replied as she took the drink.

Saucers clinked. Drinks were consumed. Bodies drew closer together as minds reveled in victory. Nothing would stand in their way.

Author's Note:

Oh Locke... this is not going to end well. We'll see how next time.

Until then, please R&R.