-Chapter 18-

Racing Drama

Shengcun

"Here you are, ma'am," said a street vendor, handing out several pieces of white, thready confectionery in a paper wrapping.

"Thank you," replied his customer, who handed him a large stack of Mobiums.

"Not to pry, but that's a lot of food you have there. You sure you're gonna eat all that?"

"Not by myself," she replied with a knowing grin.

"Ahhhh…" the vendor replied, his expression matching. "Well, you two enjoy yourselves, alright?"

"We intend to."

With a quick bow, the woman took her leave. Walking along the riverbed, she plucked a piece of her snack and popped it into her mouth, shuddering in delight as soon as it graced her tongue.

"Mhmhmhmhmhmhm! Amazing!" she giggled. "Now I see why that fool was so insistent I try this. This is simply heavenly!"

She popped another one in her mouth, getting a slight skip in her step. The world around her almost disappeared as she lost herself in the sweet flavors…almost.

"Speaking of fools…" She looked ahead to see a lone figure in a simple, but well-made traveler's jacket and a straw hat sitting on a stone bench. His arms clasped together, hidden under his sleeves. He sat as still as a statue, not even his breathing was noticeable.

"You know the entire point of going incognito is not to stand out, right?"

The figure looked up at the woman, his turquoise eyes glaring at her smug, feline grin.

"Where have you been?" Flare demanded softly.

"I should be asking you that." Rantao took a seat next to him, setting her treat between them. "We were supposed to meet here an hour ago."

"The route I was meant to take was compromised." Flare made flapping motions with his hands. "So, I had to make a detour."

"You're lucky you aren't a Raiju." Rantao picked another piece of food. "If Hanayome-sama saw you taking so long, you'd be doing weighted bunny hops around the province until your grandchildren became Chunin."

She popped it into her mouth, mewling in delight at the taste. "Haaaa… so good!"

"What. In the world. Is that?" Flare asked, his eyes going down toward the food Rantao had brought.

"I believe this is called Dragon Beard Candy. It is sweet cotton with a savory brown dust." She held one up. "The Chun-ese have such interesting confections."

"It looks like a dirty cleaning rag," Flare sneered, his beak turned up in disgust.

"Hm! More for me then." She plucked out a larger piece before practically shoving it into her mouth, giggle-humming the entire time.

"Rantao… the plan?" Flare growled out in annoyance.

"Right…" Rantao replied, wiping away some dust with the sleeve of her robe. "As you've no doubt noticed, the race has begun. Winters and her 'family' should be arriving right about…"

"Left! LEFT!"

"Oh good, here they are now."

-X-

Meanwhile, Kat and the echidnas were attempting to row the boat, with limited success.

"Damn it, Wynmacher, I paddle left!" Locke snapped.

"I am trying, Head Guardian!" the Guardian pleaded. "But the current is…Ah! Strong!"

"Well, try harder! It's costing us the race!"

"Will both of you calm down?!" Kat shouted. "For the love of... this shouldn't be this hard!"

"Kathryn, I am attempting to get things back on track! Please let me concentrate!" Locke ordered. "Now, from the top, to the left… No, blast it, right!"

"Ahhhh… Gǔn dàn!"

"Kathryn, calm down!" Lara pleaded. "You're breathing smoke."

"I know, Mom! I know!"

She exhaled harshly, unleashing a plume of smoke. Unfortunately, there was a downwind, sending it behind them… right into Locke.

"Gah! Oh, Aurora!"

Locke began coughing violently, causing him to drop his oar, and the boat to veer toward the portside bank.

"Crap! We're heading for the bank!" Kat shouted.

"We're going to crash!" Lara cried.

"No, we won't!" Wynmacher spoke up. "Kathryn, Paddle as fast as you can against the current. That should get back on course. Lara, once we're a good distance, you and I will paddle just as fast with the current to stabilize it."

"Got it!"

"Understood!"

Kat immediately began paddling with all her might, causing the boat to veer heavily to starboard.

"Lara, now!" Wyn shouted.

"Right!"

Without hesitation, Wyn and Lara began paddling with all their might as well. As they did, the boat's course slowly started to straighten out, until finally, they were back on track and moving forward once more.

"Ha-haaaaa! Success!"

"Woot! Yeah! Nice going, Wyn!" Kat cheered.

"Yes, excellent work, dear!" Lara chimed in, sneaking a quick kiss for her boyfriend.

"L-Lara, please!" Wyn replied sheepishly, his face redder than ever. "Wait until after the race."

As Kat and Lara giggled at Wyn's expense, Locke sat there, fuming angrily. He was fortunate the boat was wet. If it wasn't, he would've been able to get a better grip and ended up breaking a piece of it off.

"Alright, everyone!" Kat spoke up. "As awesome as that was, that was still a really close call. If we're gonna get through this, we need to get out and act together. So, from here on out, I'm calling the shots. Got it?"

"Right!" Wyn shouted.

"Understood, dear," Lara replied.

"Hrrrrm… very well," Locke groused.

Kat nodded. "Good. Now… let's do this!"

And with that, the Angel Island crew set off down the river, disappearing into the horizon..

-X-

"Well, that was…"

"Embarrassing," Flare finished in annoyance. "But, if nothing else, they're proceeding along as scheduled."

"Meaning now, we can proceed to phase two."

"Indeed." Rantao stood up, grabbing her candy as she walked off.

"Hold on, where are you going?" Flare demanded.

"To prepare for phase two."

Flare's eyes widened in anger. "What do you mean 'prepare'!? You told me your clones would be ready by now!"

"They will be." She gave her small collection of candy a shake. "Just give me five minutes."

-X-

Meanwhile… Kat's House

Jade stood outside the doorway to the guest bedroom where Knuckles was staying. The echidna's condition had improved tremendously and his electrical burns had almost disappeared; thanks to his powerful Chaos Energy and the fresh herbal remedies from the infirmary. But, despite that, he still had yet to awaken; much to the concern of…almost everyone.

Dammit… Jade whispered. Why hasn't he woken up yet? Isn't he supposed to be a 'living Chaos Emerald' or some other nonsense?

She thought back to the letters and conversations Kat had sent the day they had finally reunited. Tales of lost civilizations and ancient technology and monsters and mad Chaos demigods capable of literally leveling entire empires overnight. It was almost too crazy to be believed. And yet, she could see the truth carved into her friend's skin. The scars on her body and the trauma in her eyes. And then, there was when she returned after her deviation. What was supposed to be a brief medical sabbatical had her dragged into a war of succession over the throne of a dead kingdom involving qi-drinking zombies. Now, they were getting ready to battle one of Yurashia's most deadly ninja assassins.

Jade had her own adventures, to be sure. Battling hordes of killer robots. Securing the alliance of not one, but two ninjas clans. Even reclaiming one of the Five Treasured Tools! But even her most fantastical tale was but another day at school compared to what Kat had been doing. Honestly, it was little wonder that she…

"Nnnnrrgh…" Her fists trembled as she bit her lower lip. Why you? What does she see in you? Why does she insist on calling you family? I just don't get it!

"Jade?"

Jade spun around, drawing her bladed bo staff with lightning speed.

"Whoa! Easy there, it's me!" Julie-Su cried out, the tip of the blade mere centimeters from her throat.

"Oh…" Jade calmed down, sheathing her weapon. "It's only you."

The threat of impromptu tracheotomy gone, Julie-Su let out a sigh of relief.

"Well now…" she exhaled. "I think I just dropped my life expectancy by about a decade or two."

"At least," Jade chimed in. "What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be, I dunno, circling the perimeter or whatever?"

"I was. And I finished. So, now it's time for us to switch places. That was the plan we made last night, remember?"

"Ahhhhhhhh… So sorry. No speech command," Jade let out in a heavy accent, clearly faking it.

Julie gave her a flat look, not sure what to make of what she'd just witnessed, nor sure if she wanted to.

"Anyway… how's Knux doing? Has he…?"

"Nope," Jade replied in her normal voice. "Hasn't even opened his eyes yet… Wú jiàzhí de xiánrén ."

"Huh?"

"I said too bad for us. He could be actually doing some work rather than taking up space."

Julie knew that wasn't what she'd said, but the last thing they needed was to get distracted fighting each other (Dulcy and Jian had that more than covered).

"Well, thanks for looking after him for me," she replied.

"Didn't do it for you…" Jade scoffed as she walked off. "Anyway, I'll be back in about an hour. Try not to wreck the place."

Once Jade had rounded the corner, Julie-Su let out a loud sigh. "Good grief… and I thought Lien-Da was frosty."

With that out of the way, she went inside, carefully making her way to Knuckles' bedside. She knelt down next to him, taking in his prone, sleeping form. She closed her, eyes taking a slow deep breath as she focused. A soft ringing sensation filled her ears as her eyes briefly flashed pink, signifying the connection of their Soultouch. She probed about Knuckles' mind, hoping to find something - anything - that might rouse him from his slumber. A stray thought. A wayward dream. A lingering emotion. Anything that might finally jumpstart his brain; but, to no avail.

"Why won't you wake up?" she muttered under her breath, coming down from the trance. "C'mon Knux, you've been through worse than this. Are you really gonna let some ninja bitch-kitty take you down like this? Are you really gonna let her hurt your sister?"

She took hold of his hand, clutching it tightly.

"Come on… I know you're in there somewhere. We need you!" Her eyes began to mist slightly. " I need…"

A loud squawk from the walkie on her hip pulled her from her reverie. "Hey Pinkie Pie, heads up."

"What is it?"

"I just saw a couple of weirdos in cloaks creeping around the forest. Looks like Rantao's finally made her move."

-X-

Shengcun

Back in the village, Cinder and Bunker had gone to join the other viewers at the riverside to watch the race. The crowd roared with excitement, cheering on their favorite racers as they sailed down the rapids.

"Go Kaitian! Show them the fruits of your training!" Bunker called out, unable to resist the infectiousness of the crowd's energy. "Hoho! I should get out of the temple more often. I haven't seen a race this exhilarating in centuries! Isn't this fun, Cinder?"

She turned to her youngest apprentice, only to find her sitting sullenly, a cone of Dragon's Beard in her hands.

"Cinder? Cinder!"

"Huh!?" the little bird yelped, startled by the noise.

"Cinder, is something wrong?" Bunker asked. "You've hardly touched your candy."

"I-It's nothing, Sensei," she replied, taking a bite of her snack. "I'm fine, honest."

Bunker, however, was not convinced. "You're still worried about Jian and Dulcinea, aren't you?"

To her surprise, Cinder shook her head. "It's not that. I…" She hesitated for a moment, her eyes and voice filled with uncertainty. "Sensei… I think I saw Oniisama."

That got Bunker's attention. "Your brother? Flare?"

Cinder nodded. "In the crowd while we were on the day here. He passed me in the street. But… it couldn't be him! Flare never leaves Suzaku, ever!"

"That's true." Bunker nodded thoughtfully. "I recall him saying on more than one occasion that he would rather die than set foot in 'dirty dragon land'."

"Exactly!" Cinder pointed out. "Back when I still lived in the castle, whenever he needed to meet with the other rulers, he'd always make them come to him, send an emissary in his place, or speak to them from far away using the Mirror of Farsight."

"No matter how serious the circumstances," Bunker added, remembering how she was summoned during the incident that led to her last meeting with the Entei."

"Sensei…" Cinder swallowed nervously, her hands trembling. "If… If Oniisama is here. He's… He's gonna try and take me back home. He may have exiled me, but he needs my power, and he'll do anything to get it. He'll hurt you and Oneechan and Kacchan and Dulcy-sempai. He might even threaten to destroy the village! I-I…"

"Shhhh…" Bunker cut in, putting a hand on Cinder's head. "Listen to me carefully, Cinder. Your brother may be a king, but he isn't as powerful as you think he is. And even if he was, that wouldn't matter. If he wants to take you back to Suzaku, he will have to go through us to do it."

Cinder smiled. "Thank you, Sensei."

"Anytime," the tortoise replied, only for her expression to suddenly turn serious.

"Sensei?"

"Cinder, why don't we go somewhere…further down the river?" she suggested as she took Cinder's hand and walked off with her, the tone of her voice leaving no room for argument.

"O-Okaaaay…"

-X-

Shengcun - Village Square

Once again, Jian found herself running along the rooftops at lightning speed; this time more determined than ever. Rantao had already bested her once, she refused to let her do so again.

"Nothing here…nothing there…" she gritted out.

Her eyes darted about the village; keeping her head movements to a bare minimum to conserve energy and avoid giving herself away.

"Kusoooo… Where are you, you pointy-eared bitch!?"

She increased her speed and began leaping from building to building until she finally reached the highest point in the village; hoping a bird's eye view would make it easier to find her target. But, no matter where she looked, she couldn't find a trace of black, orange, orchid, or white with colorful accents.

"Damn it!" she cursed. "Kilometers of the village searched and not a cloak or mask to be found!"

With a roar of frustration, she punched the stone structure she'd been standing on…

"Ggh! I-tetetetetetetetete!" …only to hurt her hand.

After making sure her hand wasn't broken (which it wasn't, thankfully), Jian took a moment to look over the village and its people as they went about the festival. A group of children happily ran through the streets, laughing as they "flew" their bamboo butterflies. A young girl urged her grandmother to walk faster so they could get a good spot to watch the race. A family had set up a stand, selling buns to a crowd (sweet AND meat, from the delectable aroma of pork and sugar).

"Look at them…" Jian sighed. "So happy. Blissfully unaware of the monster lurking among them. Who could kill them all in a heartbeat, if she wanted to."

She was about to move on to another part of the village when something caught her eye. A young couple, no older than seventeen, stopped by the bun stand. After making their order, the owners popped out a pair of meat buns from the wooden steamer they'd set up and wrapped them up with all the care of swaddling a newborn babe. The couple handed them a few Mobiums, gave them their regards, and then left, happily laughing and chatting as they walked off, hand-in-hand.

"You should be here," she whispered, eyes beginning to mist. "You're supposed to be here, helping us. Not…"

"Jian!" …only to be pulled out of it by a harsh whisper.

"Dammit…"

Jian looked over her shoulder to find Dulcy flying toward her, looking furious and more than a little terrified.

"Jian!" she repeated in a harsh whisper. "What the hell are you doing!?"

"Keeping watch for Rantao," she replied plainly. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you've just lost your damned mind! Do you know what you're standing on!?"

"The highest point in the village. I needed a better view."

Dulcy leaned in closer, her muzzle right in Jian's ear. "You're standing on the Shengchun Memorial Plinth!"

"Memorial…?" Jian went bug-eyed as she looked downward, biting down on her lip to keep from screaming as she realized she was standing atop a large, stone column covered in talismans and surrounded by offerings of flowers, incense, and similar gifts to the departed.

"Shit!"

Without a second thought, Jian leaped off her perch toward the first rooftop she could see.

"Jian, wait! Let me…"

"I'm fine, ryu! Let me…"

Unfortunately, in her haste, she failed to judge the distance and height of her destination or properly prepare herself. Thus, she missed her landing entirely, ending up several feet up in the air.

"Uh-oh…"

She plummeted several feet down, frantically flailing and twisting about as she attempted to right her position…

THUD!

"Agh!"

…only to mess up her landing; causing her to trip and roll off the rooftop.

"Nonononono…!"

Fortunately, Dulcy managed to swoop in and catch her before she hit the ground.

"Gotcha!" Dulcy let out. "Don't worry, Jian, you're safe."

"Great… lucky me," the tigress sighed in annoyance.

Ignoring her partner's sarcasm, Dulcy flew out toward a part of the village further away from the memorial.

"Alright, this should be far enough," she said. "With any luck, nobody saw you."

"Good," Jian let out as she began climbing off the dragoness. "Bad enough I was saved by you, the last thing I need is anyone finding out I set foot on sacred… Agh!"

As soon as Jian hit the ground, she fell to her knees; wincing and hissing in pain as she clutched her right foot.

"Agh! Dammit!"

"Jian! Are you okay!?"

"My… foot…"

"Lemme see…" Dulcy leaned down, taking a moment to examine the tigress' foot. "You sprained your ankle."

"It's… just a little sore, that's…Ergh!" Jian's winced as she clutched her foot, her eyes actually watering a little from the pain. "Kuso ~tsu! Sugoku itai yo!"

"Hang on!" Dulcy untied her scarf. "Alright, summon some ice with your ninpo."

Jian raised an eyebrow. "Summon ice? Why?"

"Because that's how you treat a sprained ankle, now do it!"

"Alright, alright!" Jian put her hands together and focused her qi. Blue lights shimmered from between her fingers, followed by a cool, white mist. She opened her hands, revealing a clump of ice resting on her palms.

"Good." Dulcy took the ice and wrapped it in her scarf, then applied it to Jian's ankle. The tigress hissing from the cold and the contact. "Alright, hold that in place, it'll reduce the swelling. I'm gonna go get a splint."

As Jian held the ice down, Dulcy looked about for something she could use as a splint, stopping as soon as she saw some bamboo growing in the wooded outskirts.

"Perfect!" She ran over and broke off a piece, carefully snapping off pieces before smoothing it out with her claws. Once she was finished, she tore off a piece of her gown, and then headed back to her patient.

"Alright, you can let go now, I'll take it from here."

"Take what from here? You just broke some bamboo and ripped your…"

"Will you just let me do this!?"

Startled by Dulcy's outburst, Jian removed her hands, allowing her to continue her work. She placed the bamboo splint against the ice, then wrapped it up with the shred of her fabric from her gown before tying it into a knot.

"And there! All done!" she declared, taking a moment to admire her handiwork. "Once the race is over, we can let Shifu and Kaitian take a better look at it. Kaitian can probably show us some good pain remedies."

Jian looked over her ankle with an expression of shock and wonder. "The pain… it's…gone! How did you…?"

"Every dragon falls when learning to fly, so spraining ankles and wrists are common. You learn quickly how to take care of such injuries until healers can get to you."

"I…see…" Jian let out.

"Seriously, Jian, what were you thinking just jumping off like that? All you had to do was ask and I would've flown you down. Seriously, I know you hate dragons, but that…" Dulcy shook her head. "How did you even get up there?"

"I told you, I was trying to look for Rantao, so I went to the highest point to get a bird's eye view. It just so happened that the highest point was the memorial."

"And you didn't notice the giant slab of stone adorned with talismans and countless offerings?" Dulcy replied flatly. "If I hadn't found you, someone could've seen you and had you arrested. Then we would've been one person short when Rantao finally decided to attack."

"I know. It was dumb," Jian grits out.

"Seriously, you've been stubborn before, but when Rantao got involved, you've gotten even worse. You're getting sloppy and unfocused, and if you keep this up it could cost us the entire battle." Dulcy looked right at her, her expression turning serious. "Look me in the eyes and tell me I'm wrong."

Jian narrowed her eyes, making to say something, only to sigh as she realized she didn't have a leg to stand on… figuratively and literally.

"I…" Just then, Jian froze. "Get down!"

The tigress tackled Dulcy to the ground, just in time for a set of kunai to lodge themselves in the wall right where her head would've been.

By the Ancients! Dulcy shouted.

"Kuso…" Jian cursed.

"Damn…" a third voice let out. "That echidna hit me harder than I thought if I failed to hit a giant yutz of a target like you."

Footsteps came from the bamboo forest, prompting the two Shijin Warriors to look toward it.

"Hello, Janjan," Rantao greeted, her face in a malicious grin. "I'm back."

-X-

Forests outside Shengcun

Meanwhile, Cinder and Bunker's walk had taken them deep into the forests outside the village. They'd arrived at a secluded clearing, far away from the village, but also the river.

"Sensei, where are we going?" Cinder asked.

"Patience, Cinder," Bunker urged. "We're almost there."

"But we're not even by the river anymore, what are–Ah!" Cinder tensed, a chilling tingle shooting up her spine and before flowing through her whole body. The cold chill one feels when their instincts tell them there's danger nearby. But Cinder felt another sensation as well, one that made her feel far more uneasy: Heat. An eerily familiar heat.

"Sensei…" she whispered. "This qi…"

"I know, dear." Bunker turned toward the forest, her expression turning grave. "You can come out now!" she called out. "It's not polite to skulk about and eavesdrop on people!"

Slow, rustling footsteps echoed through the clearing as a shadowy figure walked into the clearing. From his cloth belt hung a black katana with gold accents, and a guard that resembled the kanji for fire and an ornate, black sheathe with golden flame patterns on it. He wore a dark-colored cloak and a Ryuese-style straw hat that covered a good portion of his face, save his beak… a turquoise beak locked in a perpetual scowl.

"Master Bunker…" Flare the Pheasant greeted. "Good of you to come."

Author's Note:

Uh-oh, the bad guys are closing in. How are our heroes going to get out of this one!?

For now, don't forget to R&R. See you next time!