Lost Together

Chapter 17

----------------------------------------

Wind blew into Ryoga's ears like a silent whisper, reminding him of the seemingly insurmountable task presented to him. Had he backed himself into a corner? Had he ruined his chances of reuniting his girlfriend with the only other person she could call a friend? These thoughts were what plagued Ryoga's mind, though, said mind reminded him of all the things Ranko had done for him and how even though the moment her memory could return, he could very likely become entirely irrelevant to her. His causes for worry came in the form of images and words exchanged between them.

All of a sudden it dawned on him! Within the depths of his subconscious, he had always known that everything surrounding him and Ranko was a risk. Even if he didn’t have anything at the moment, he couldn’t just stop trying!

A light in his eyes shined brightly through the fog.

Wu's eyes widened slightly as he noticed the change to Ryoga's demeanor.

"Just say the word and we'll tag team this guy…" Ranko's voice trailed as she met the larger than life Lucky God's eyes.

"Thanks but that won't be necessary," Ryoga responded calmly, putting his arm out in front of her, keeping her from interfering as he decided to save his Shishi Hokodan as a last resort.

Ranko didn't know why but the burning determination in Ryoga's voice reached out to some part of her. The redhead's boyfriend was betting it all just so she could have as best a chance as she could to save her friend Lychee.

“You don’t gotta’ act so tough to impress me, ya know?” Ranko asked, turning away from him with a rather ticked off mood before respecting his wishes, walking off to the side with her hands behind her head.

“I know, hell, the fact that we’re dating should’ve been enough to let me know that! Remember though, Lychee's my friend too and if she’s this important to you then I’d gladly do this as many times as it takes!” Ryoga declared. He didn’t have a plan in mind but his instincts hadn’t failed him yet in these fights.

Stalling ever so slightly, the redhead’s eyes widened as a vibrant tinge of pink nestled itself onto her face, “Go get’em big guy,” She muttered to herself, her somewhat annoyed disposition replaced with a warm smile, keeping it even as she turned around to watch the fight proceed.

Silently gauging his opponent, Ryoga paused for a second longer. ‘Body blows didn’t work the first time, even his arms look about as thick as tree trunks! So maybe if I hit him where his head is, maybe I can disorient him? It’s not a fool-proof plan but what other choice have I got?’ He thought somewhat begrudgingly, questioning whether or not he could do this before taking a literal leap of faith, once again relying on his monstrous strength to launch himself like a torpedo from the ground, lifting his leg so that his foot would meet with the center of Wu’s bulbous face.

“No way you can dodge-” Ryoga only got as far as saying before getting interrupted.

Wu’s eyes widened in amazement, catching a glimpse of what crazy amount of strength the boy packed into one well timed kick. With a gleeful smile he shut his eyes and simply met Ryoga’s foot with a powerful headbutt.

Horror filled Ryoga’s eyes as he saw his attack dissipating in the form of ripples throughout Wu’s blubbery head. Not getting much time to dwell on this, he was sent hurling backward near Ranko’s direction.

Gritting his teeth Ryoga focused on the memory of his and Taro’s fight, remembering how he had watched him twist and turn in the air, feeling that the tables were turned so drastically around that he could only do his best to mimic the memory of Panty Hose Taro’s landing.

“Whoa!” Ryoga exclaimed as his feet touched the ground but not in a proper upright position, causing him to drop to a knee while digging his hands into the ground to keep himself from being sent back any further.

“Needs work but good landing,” Wu commented casually, obviously not bothered by Ryoga’s kick to his mushy face.

“Not a scratch on ya, huh?” Ryoga ignored Wu’s comment, deciding to ask a question.

With a knowing smile Wu shook his head as though he was having a pleasant conversation with a friend.

The instant Ryoga’s foot collided with Wu’s face the blue-eyed beauty found herself celebrating prematurely. Remembering where she had seen that landing before though, it hit her then! She couldn’t imagine a guy as big as Wu could do something like that!

“Ryoga!” She exclaimed, putting her hand near mouth.

“What is it, Ranko?” Ryoga inquired, narrowing his eyes at the massive God of luck.

“Instead of hitting him or shoving him!…” She made a pause, “Try throwing that big lug!”

“Come to think of it, you do have a pretty good point,” Ryoga mumbled in disbelief, shifting his gaze onto hers. “You’re-”

Wu noticed the exchange between the teenagers, blinking about two times before closing his eyes and silently leaping into the air, willing to take full advantage of their distraction.

“Get out of the way!” Ranko exclaimed as she looked up, having noticed a large shadow above Ryoga rapidly expanding.

Sensing that he was in immediate danger the Lost Man noticed his shadow start to take on a ball-like shape. Looking up, he grit his teeth and used his powerful legs to launch himself backward.

“Ha!” Ryoga exhaled in triumph, “Huh!?” he gawked, spotting Wu’s peculiar white-ish aura.

WHOOSH!

An intense gust of wind smacked into the other two martial artists, for Ranko it was like standing near a hurricane.

“What’s with this guy!?” she demanded to know as she looked away, trying to keep dust or anything from getting into her eyes and doing her best not to be blown away by the shockwaves Wu’s fall had unleashed. She avoided falling, but was pushed back several steps until her shoulders hit the mountain’s side behind her.

Unable to hear her, Ryoga’s instincts kicked in as he crossed his arms trying to hold back some of the wind, ‘I can’t fall on my back! Not when we’re so close! Not when Ranko’s counting on me!’ he thought, the despair of messing up fueling his determination.

“Haaa!” Ryoga’s roar pierced the raging winds.

Shielding her eyes with her forearms, Ranko managed to peer between her arms to see Ryoga lurch forward, slamming his hands into the ground in front of him, slowly yanking himself down onto his knees while the hurricane-like gusts died down.

With hair covering his eyes, the young Hibiki raised his head suddenly and set his sights on the Lucky God, ‘Did all he really do was jump up and then down?’ Ryoga pondered.

“It was almost like he sat on a spring then released a ki shockwave but without damaging the ground…” Ryoga’s soft voice trailed in concern, though he was also honestly impressed by the slight smirk on his face.

After getting back on his feet, Wu held his hands out to his sides, looking as though he was a massively out of shape gymnast sticking to their landing. Opening his eyes the third gate keeper smiled.

“Kyojin no ken, finishing move: Kyodaina aki,” Wu iterated slowly and with heavy breathing pauses.

The moment Wu’s words left his slow moving mouth, the Raven haired teen’s smirk reverted to a calm and calculating frown, “You didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who had any special techniques,” Ryoga commented.

"This isn't good. I didn't think the guy had anything besides being so fat, a big damage sponge and slaps! Now he's showing us a fighting style he calls Fist of the Giant and a technique named Giant Fall?" Ranko worriedly whispered to herself, looking down as she weighed her options.

'Maybe I oughta just help him! Even if Ryoga is trying to help me! It won't matter if we're-' Ranko thought, sounding a bit frantic, although she couldn't quite bring herself to do so, for it felt as though her throat had closed up.

"Was underestimating this giant doughboy a mistake?" Ranko wondered softly, worriedly looking at her boyfriend.

During this time Ryoga had gone back on the assault, trying different ways to strike the squishy giant Lucky God. Only for him to retreat after every kick or punch bounced without causing any harm.

“There’s gotta be something! Anything! Maybe if Ryoga uses his bandannas and his iron cloth technique?” She questioned herself, looking down as she clenched her fists, the scenario playing out in her head as Ryoga’s bandannas just getting sucked into their enemy’s malleable skin or worse actually working and making Ryoga a murderer.

The thought of the Shishihokodan came into mind, ”And who's to say the same couldn’t be said for his blast?” Ranko questioned, still at a loss for what to do.

Ryoga continued dodging to his left before Wu’s palm smack could land, yet again surprised by how strangely nimble the rotund Gate Keeper was. His wide eyes watching as the pressure from Wu’s hand alone was enough to make Ryoga’s hair sway away from it.

Taking this as a chance to displace Wu or make him lose his balance by leaning in to grab Wu by the belt the teen moved in. ‘Maybe if I can pull hard enough!’ Ryoga thought, imagining himself tugging on his belt hard enough to start spinning the powerfully fat man.

“Hmph!” Wu grunted, punching down at the Lost Man the moment he got too close, stopping him before he could try anything.

“Ryoga!” Ranko seized her thinking to call out to Ryoga.

“Argh!” Ryoga raised both of his arms to stop the attack, catching his fist with both forearms in time before his head got squashed.

Cracks beneath Ryoga began spreading out in a web pattern, only growing as Wu shut his eyes as he applied more force. Ryoga’s legs began to shake as he continued to fight against the incredible strength of the powerful Lucky God.

“Dammit!” Ryoga groaned loudly as he was forced down to his knees, the ground beneath crumbling little by little.

‘I can’t move! I don’t have any other options! I need to risk the Shishihokodan! If-if I can-can just endure this hit then maybe if I fall into a deep despair we-we can!’ Ryoga’s thoughts raced around in his head as he pursed his lips, not sure if he could withstand letting his enemy nearly flatten him to death.

“Use the Bakusai Tenketsu!” Ranko shouted, pumping her fists to her sides, hoping that her words would reach him.

Looking down he considered the possibility of the Bakusai Tenketsu but wouldn’t that require him to endure being flattened as well? Though he was wondering how to apply it, Ryoga’s eyes focused on Wu’s feet.

“I-I get it!” Ryoga stuttered, gritting his teeth right after, realizing Ranko’s idea may just be what he needed to defeat Wu’s challenge.

‘I can use it without taking the whole hit but-but there’s still a chance he could just finish me! It’s the only shot I got, though!’ he thought, recognizing the price he’d have to pay in order to use Ranko’s suggestion.

Lowering his head as well as his arms, the young Hibiki fought against the force of Wu’s punch, which fell fully between his shoulder blades.

“Argh!” Ryoga screamed in pain as well as fierce tenacity, dropping down to his hands and knees, struggling to resist the titanic pressure that had suddenly fallen on his back.

“Want to give up?” Wu asked with a strained voice, feeling Ryoga’s arms shake from how hard he needed to push against him.

“Like… hell!” He roared as he shot his right arm out, the muscles in all his other limbs tensed so tightly that the veins throughout his body expanded.

“Huh!?” Wu gasped in bewilderment.

“Bakusai Tenketsu!”

BOOM!

Ryoga’s finger nailed the breaking point under Wu’s form, right behind his heels, the blast sending out shards and fragments of the battlefield against Wu’s back.

“Argh!” Wu screamed as an instinctual part of being surprised, but sensing no lasting battle damage, the giant opened his eyes wider, looking behind him to see that Ryoga’s technique had only made a rather large hole.

“Ah!” Ryoga let out a loud battlecry as he rose to his feet, shoving both of his arms into Wu’s belly, allowing his arms to get sucked in to try to push the Lucky God into the newly-created ditch behind him.

“Uh!?” Wu tried to steady his footing but couldn’t as the edge of the hole behind him began to fall apart.

Ryoga shouted while putting everything he had into his arms and legs, making the massive Lucky God fall into the hole behind him as if in slow motion.

“Noooo!” Wu shouted with his eyes closed, flailing his arms as he fell.

SMASH!

With a tensed face, Wu slowly relaxed his expression and saw that he was now staring into the sky.

“I…” Wu’s voice began trailing, then noticed the young man staring at him from the edge of the hole he was now laying in. “...Lost?” He questioned in disbelief, mouth hanging open, not believing he had been defeated in his own game.

----------------------------------------

Back at Nekonron’s Royal Tower…

Kirin spent a moment lost in the depth of Lychee’s eyes, wondering if feeling so comfortable around her was normal, and he could only thank his luck for delivering someone with such innocence and obvious goodness to him. The idea that this young, pretty and humble waitress had what it took to become not just his princess, but a good queen for his people entered his mind, and he had to blink to clear away those thoughts. No need to get carried away and build castles in the sand, their engagement was hanging by a thread as it was.

‘But only because my agreement with the Musk Prince has put me in a collision course with Lychee’s best friend…’ Kirin thought, setting aside a feeling of frustration caused by this unexpected complication. ‘As things stand, I can only try to leave her with a good impression and hope she can forgive me when I deliver her redheaded friend to Herb…’

“Is something wrong?” Lychee asked then, worrying that she had overstepped. “You… can’t share more of Nekonron’s history with me?”

“Oh? Apologies, I was simply…” Kirin chuckled and lowered his face as he composed himself before continuing. “I was lost in thought, trying to decide which of the many stories of our past would be the most entertaining.”

“I’m sure anything you wish to share will be interesting,” she offered, leaning forward and staring at him, wondering if she was really worthy of him, or if their engagement would even continue if Ranko defeated him or escaped.

‘Perhaps I should just wait until Ranko comes here,’ Lychee thought, hoping for the best. ‘Once she’s in the tower we’ll all talk and fix this misunderstanding, I’m sure of it.’

“Have you heard of the Phantom Claw Gang?” Kirin said then, relaxing a little on his seat, as he believed this was a story his fiancee would enjoy, and he rather liked telling it, too.

“The Phantom…” Lychee blinked a couple of times as she struggled to remember. That name was oddly familiar to her, if only… then, it suddenly clicked in place. “Weren’t they a band of criminals from many years ago? I was very little when they were causing trouble, but my father told me they always robbed people traveling by the river… it is them, isn’t it?”

“Yes, and it was the might of Nekonron that stopped them,” Kirin said with a tone of pride. “My father and his Lucky Gods defeated them in battle ten years ago.”

“If it took The Seven to stop them…” Lychee frowned in concern. “Then that means the Phantom Claw was very strong, right?”

“Yes, but more than strength, they had numbers,” the prince said. “Those criminals controlled the river and charged protection to the merchants who wanted to travel from Tong Po Harbor to Shangjie, Nekonron, Bao and further north. Sinking the boats of those who wouldn’t pay. With their loot, the Phantom Claw was able to recruit a mercenary army strong enough to attack Nekonron. They wanted to replace my family and rule our kingdom, you see.”

“But to do that they would need to…” Lychee started and then stopped as an idea that she found too terrible to consider formed in her mind.

“Kill all of us,” Kirin completed with a stern tone of voice.

“But you were a boy back then!” she disputed, surprised by how worried the idea of Kirin being a target for assassination made her feel. “Surely they wouldn’t…”

“They would, their threats to my life is what forced my parents to do what was necessary to end the Phantom Claw permanently.”

“You mean…”

“They attacked Nekonron and my family directly,” Kirin provided, his expression serious. “They forced our men and The Seven to meet them in battle. It was the biggest battle ever fought in our lands.”

“But you were not in it, were you?” Lychee asked, her hands on her chest as she felt her heart beat faster in worry.

“No, of course not. I was left here at the tower,” Kirin said with a smile. “Ebiten’s students were in charge of protecting me.”

“I knew a little about the Phantom Claw, but I never heard about this battle,” she admitted, feeling a little ashamed by her lack of knowledge.

“Unsurprising. The Phantom Claw didn’t terrorize Bao, and they never attacked the Musk or the Bird people because they feared them, and they never tried to blackmail Yakusai merchants because it would put them in conflict with the Amazons,” the prince said after drinking the last of the tea in his cup. “My father believes they thought by controlling our kingdom they would eventually have the power to challenge Joketsuzoku and Yakusai… they made the mistake of thinking we were weak, and it was the last one they made.”

“Was the battle difficult?” Lychee asked. “You said they had an army.”

“Our soldiers are better trained than mercenary riffraff,” Kirin said while motioning for the maid to approach. He pointed at his cup when she did so, and she obediently and silently refilled both the prince and Lychee’s cups before moving to a spot near a window, waiting in case she was needed again. “But I must admit the four generals of the Phantom Claw did cause trouble.”

“How?” Lychee asked with honest interest. “Were they really that strong?”

“No, but they had stolen four magical weapons and used them in battle, one from Yakusai, one from Joketsuzoku, one from Ho’O Peak and the last one from the Musk Citadel,” Kirin replied after taking a sip of tea. “It gave them a dishonest advantage, but the Seven prevailed in the end.”

“I didn’t know magical weapons existed,” Lychee said and blinked. She felt a bit confused by all this new information, so she decided to simply mimic Kirin and drink some tea. “There are many things that I don’t know… but I am glad your parents won the battle.”

“We also recovered three of those weapons, and…” Kirin started.

“You recovered three of them?” The maid gasped then, cutting the prince’s words short. “Are they here in the Royal Tower?”

Kirin frowned at the interruption and placed his cup on the table before staring sternly at the maid. This was unheard of, and he decided the fact that this maid was new and young didn’t excuse her improper behavior. “You may be new here, but you should know by now that it is not acceptable for you to interrupt when the royal family or the Seven are speaking, particularly when…”

“Please don’t scold her,” Lychee interrupted then, placing her hand on Kirin’s arm, which was enough for him to calm down. “I am new here too, and I don’t know all the rules yet… she’s a bit like me… besides, I am wondering the same thing, what happened to those magical weapons?”

“We returned them to their owners, the last one was lost in battle,” Kirin explained. The prince, strangely calm after feeling Lychee touch him, took in a deep breath and returned his attention to the maid. “You can leave us now. Return to the maid’s quarters and wait for Yún Fūrén, the Housekeeper will give you new instructions later.”

“Yes, my Lord, thank you for your patience,” the maid said after bowing. “I assure you I won’t make any more mistakes.”

“Remember to ask permission to talk next time,” Kirin said to conclude the conversation, as he felt nothing else needed to be said on his part.

“And thank you, Lady Lychee, I am in your debt,” the young servant said, bowing again for the new princess. “I’ll work hard to serve the Royal Family to the best of my abilities from now on.”

“Ah… you’re welcome,” Lychee said with a smile. She still was not used to people treating her this way, but tried to look friendly and elegant at the same time even if she felt she was not doing a good job at it. Perhaps, she thought, taking lessons from the Queen and the Housekeeper wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“I think,” Kirin started once they were alone, “that I should tell you more about what happened after the battle with the Phantom Claw…”

----------------------------------------

Back at the Third Gate…

A gentle but faint looking group of clouds drifted into the endless blue skies, its lax manner proved to be a pleasing sight to the massive titan of a Lucky God. It helped him as he continued to process what had happened in an oh-so befuddled way.

Dust clouds rose from within the hole, Wu’s body having kicked up some dirt after hitting the ground on his back.

Amidst the clearing stoney haze was the fanged teenager, staggering his way back to his feet and arched his head back when he came to a stand. Breathing heavily his arms hung at his sides, eventually a smile spread across his face, glad that he needn’t exert himself for a while.

“That’s my man!” Ranko congratulated with a grin, making her way over to him, changing her grin into a proud smile.

Blinking twice her man looked over his shoulder, smiling gently as he saw her cross her arms while getting closer.

Wu’s lumbering form slowly sat up from the hole he fell in, staring at Ryoga with his usual vacant stare.

Not knowing what to expect the other two martial artists returned to attention and immediately tensed, unsure if who they were dealing with would suddenly change their minds and go in for a sneak attack.

Instead, Wu began to laugh all of a sudden, growing louder by the second as he tilted his head back a little; smacking his hands onto his stomach as if it were some sort of gigantic drum.

“What’s so-” Ranko asked, taking an offensive stance, legs parted with clenched fist out and the other bent at the side of her torso.

Getting up the largest of The Seven smiled at them before wiping a tear from his eye, nodding, he smiled with his mouth open as he then pointed to his open gate.

“You may pass,” Wu announced.

With skeptical looks they turned to glance at one another then back at their enemy. Studying his face for any signs but finding nothing really screamed evil intent and the fact that Wu even managed to help the two before their fight helped to relax again, but not completely.

Noticing their hesitance, and to further prove he meant no harm, Wu climbed out of the hole and stepped aside so the teenagers had better access to the Gate. Nodding his head, gesturing to it all the while to indicate the path was free.

Cautiously Ranko took Ryoga’s hand, leading them past the docile giant with uncertain looks on their faces. Once they had gotten a few feet behind them they turned around to spot him still staring at them.

Needing no words, Ryoga looked at Ranko as she stopped them in front of the gate doors, guessing she wanted to show some respect towards their enemy, he bowed his head along with his girlfriend.

Not expecting that, Wu blinked a few times before watching as they raised their heads from bowing, clapping his own hands together he returned their sign of gratitude. Once he opened his eyes he stood there for a while, watching them go until they were no longer visible to one another.

Once completely alone, Wu strode over to his Gate. He kept moving until he could find an old rotary phone. Taking the phone off the hook he dialed the necessary numbers and waited, placing the hook of the phone to his ear as best he could, as it was rather small for him.

“Hello? Wu? Have you-” Ebiten’s voice echoed in the phone speaker.

“The redhead and her boyfriend defeated Bishamonten and the twins. They even passed one of my challenges, so I let them through…” Wu explained, being uncharacteristically talkative for once as he cut his fellow member of The Seven off.

“How is that possible? You told them to try getting you on your back, right?” Ebiten inquired over the line.

His question was met with a soft hum and a nod of Wu’s head, as if Ebiten could see the gesture.

“That usually works with how strong you are, did they somehow trick you?” Ebiten pressed for more answers.

“Yes. Also, Jurojin is here on the mountain,” Wu replied plainly.

“He’s here?... How do you know that?” Ebiten’s voice inquired, the surprise in his tone evident.

“Felt him pass by my gate earlier,” Wu answered as plainly as one might expect from him.

“That’s actually some good news! Had it only been Monlon I might have been more worried…” Ebiten’s voice trailed before humming in contentment.

It was then that Wu heard Ebiten hanging up.

----------------------------------------

Further ahead…

Inside the couple’s mind they couldn’t help but feel excited for what was to come next, walking with their heads held up high. Instances of the events prior came into mind, all that they had accomplished and all the new heights they could reach just over the horizon.

In their moment of triumph they looked to one another, something new coming between them, there weren’t any words but it was as if they were sharing a sensation. From what the two could see, they were even breathing at the same rate.

“Thanks for the help earlier, I really couldn't have done it without you…” Ryoga said as his voice trailed softly, his expression matching the tone of his voice.

Their eyes trembled as they gazed into the depths of their eyes, something inside of her wanted to do something for him to reinforce her faith in him. How to do it though? She noticed that he seemed especially weak to her when she’d take charge.

Ignoring her usual mannerisms she shut her eyes to prepare herself, acting out of instinct Ranko looked at his arm and latched both of hers onto it, resting the side of her head against his bicep.

“You did it yourself, even if I helped you get to it, it was only ‘cause you could see what I was getting at an’ so when I saw that you got it, it made me, I don’t know, glad that I can trust you…?” Ranko asked with a soft tone, speaking to her boyfriend without looking at him, until nearing the end of her answer where she seemed confused but still ultimately happy.

How was it that Ranko was able to take his breath away whenever she got the chance? He often wondered if he was in a way being charmed. Before he had come to know Ranko, he had always thought that maybe the charm was left to the men in these scenarios. Though, here he was, finding himself at a loss for words. ‘What could I say to her? I-I just feel unworthy around you sometimes,’ he pondered while watching Ranko’s serious look transition to a warm but genuinely happy smile.

“Gotta’ admit, you looked really badass when you turned things around, showing that Wu guy what a real man among men looks like,” She answered with a chuckle then a snort.

Feeling as though he had actually just taken a breath of fresh air, the fang toothed teen knew he had to say something. All he could do was blush with his eyes stuck in a perpetual state of unrest.

‘I’ve been trained to be a man amongst men! Sorry you’re a big fish in a small pond but I ain’t even broken a sweat yet…’

Before Ryoga had a chance to delve into the meaning behind the words echoing in his subconscious, he found his eyes widening further than he even thought possible as he felt the touch of a pair of soft lips, his heart pumping in his chest like an impassioned drummer.

Pulling back her head after kissing Ryoga’s right cheek, Ranko shut her eyes before merrily speed walking her way in front of him, hands behind her back.

“Hehehe,” Ranko giggled, taking the lead as she skipped ahead of him.

Ryoga wanted to indulge the redhead but couldn’t help but see the slightest of pink tinges on her face while she expressed herself in this new way to him. The way her smile radiated from her was more than enough to get his attention, unknowingly he returned the smile.

The redhead turned around while walking backwards and she opened her arms wide, “Gotta’ say Ryo, I’m feeling pretty good about our chances at rescuing Lychee! Hell! As long as we’re together, we’re invincible!” Ranko announced proudly as if daring anyone to contradict her words.

“I’m surprised we’ve already taken down four of these Seven Lucky Gods,” Ryoga commented while holding onto the warm feeling inside his chest.

“They ain’t as tough as Lotion made ‘em out to be!” Ranko commented in a cocky way, scoffing before putting her hands down onto her hips.

“I’m glad things are going well so far but we shouldn’t be getting too cocky, Ranko, you never know if the next one could be way stronger than all the others…” Ryoga’s voice trailed in a cautious but still controlled manner.

Seeing that there was genuine concern in his eyes, the redhead blinked a few times, needing a hot second to figure out what exactly to say in response. Putting a hand to her chin she found it easier to think while not focusing enough to walk backward.

“I guess you’re…” Ranko began but stopped as she saw what had been ahead of her.

“Hey, what’s got-” He stared but near the end of asking what was wrong he instead found the answer in the form of a man dressed in black and gray clothes standing right in the middle of the road a few steps away from them. When did he get there?

Said man held his cane with both hands, one looking to be presenting the walking tool while the other clenched it firmly, the back of his palm facing up towards the great blue yonder. He stood as silently as a statue, from what either Ranko and Ryoga could tell he wasn’t even breathing from the looks of it.

His calm but piercing look met their gazes, completely unfazed by the fact that these two people had already taken down four of the Lucky Gods.

“You the next Lucky God?” Ranko inquired while still walking forward, cracking her knuckles then popping her neck to her right.

“No. I’m not of The Seven, I’m but a man looking to make sure you’re both arrested by any means necessary.” The stranger spoke calmly and firmly.

Popping her neck on the opposite side now, the redhead readied herself with a smirk and a face that said she was just itching for a fight.

“Doesn’t look like you’re just some guy,” Ranko remarked in a low gravelly voice.

The man in black and gray removed his presenting hand while using the other to point the end of his cane at Ryoga.

“You can pass, girl. But your boyfriend I cannot let go any further…” Jurojin’s voice trailed as he positioned his cane to his side as if it were some sort of medieval javelin about to be thrust into someone’s breastplate.

“And why can’t I go any further?” Ryoga asked, taking a concerned step forward.

“I’ve got my reasons, let’s leave it at that.” Their mysterious new arrival responded as if they were having the most casual conversation in the world.

“There ain’t no way I’m leaving my Ryoga behind!” Ranko protested, dropping her clenched hands down at her sides.

“It’s fine if you want to reject my offer, you're both more than welcome to come at me…” Jurojin’s voice trailed softly again, a slight smirk taking shape on his face.

“No. I think-” Ryoga started but seized when he saw Ranko ignoring him, causing him to extend his hand out to her.

Reverting back to her previous fighting stance, the redheaded amnesiac reeled her right arm back, “Ha!” she screamed as she launched the first attack with that speed Ryoga always found impressive.

The brown haired teen narrowed his eyes, timing it for just the right moment, ducking under Ranko’s swing then side stepping away while twisting his body to one side.

“Huh!?” Ranko gasped as she saw one of Jurojin’s arms reaching for his cane, unsheathing the hidden blade within the seemingly normal walking stick.

Shiiinnng!

Dodging Ranko’s swing while twirling around, Jurojin slashed at the floor between them, cleaving the air so intensely that it even slashed at the ground.

Creating a nearly perfect line.

“Did you crack that with just wind pressure?” Ranko blinked as she shielded her eyes from the debris. “This oughta be interesting’,” she added softly, putting her hands to her sides and taking a deep breath to ready herself.

“Ranko, stop!” Ryoga shouted to catch her attention, putting one of his hands on her shoulder as he had been getting closer this whole time.

“Why should I? We can take this guy together!” Ranko defended as she turned to look at her man, her pigtail whipping behind her.

“Think about it, this guy is just here to make us waste time so you should go ahead while I take care of whoever this is…” Ryoga’s voice trailed as his eyes never left their enemy, getting the feeling that if they let their guards down they might not live to regret it or at the least, the Lost Man was the one getting that sensation.

“I’m not leaving you behind, and I’m not going to say this again!” Ranko declared one last time.

“It’s all the same really, why might you be wondering that? It’s because Monlon of The Seven is at the next gate and she’ll be the one to arrest you two, should I happen to fail,” Jurojin asked before answering with a stern voice before they could answer themselves, holding his sword out in front of him, the mysterious man’s blade reflecting his face across it.

“Monlon?” Ranko questioned while still facing Ryoga, slowly turning to Jurojin as she suddenly recalled the name of the person who kidnapped Lychee.

Tightening her closed fists ‘till the point her knuckles went white she suddenly felt a scowl spread across her face, ‘That witch needs an ass kicking! Lychee is just some innocent girl!’ she thought with an enraged inner voice.

Ryoga knew that hitch in Ranko’s voice all too well, his redhead was fired up and from the sounds of it, ready for some much needed payback.

“Ran-” He started but cut himself off when she saw her look at him.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Promise me you won’t lose!” Ranko ordered as she met his eyes.

“I won’t, I swear.” Ryoga swore as he spoke calmly, changing his study to the unofficial Lucky God, removing his backpack so he could toss it safely aside.

“You gonna’ let me through?” Ranko inquired skeptically, raising a brow.

To show them he was a man of his word, Jurojin simply bowed while waving his hand forward.

“You better catch up to me soon!” Ranko exclaimed before moving over to Ryoga and giving him a quick hug from his side, blushing the slightest bit as she then opened her eyes.

Knowing she could trust Ryoga completely, she released him and nodded at him before running out ahead and past Jurojin, ‘It’s better this way, Ryoga’s overcome everything they’ve thrown at us, And so can I! So watch out, Monlon ‘cause I’m gunning for ya!’ she thought.

Once composing himself but never changing his focus, Ryoga waited until his redhead was no longer visible as well as the rosy dusting of his cheeks to die down.

“Why did you let Ranko pass?” Ryoga asked as he closed a bit more of the distance between them, his arms hanging to his sides.

“I’m not interested in fighting your girlfriend, besides, I know Monlon will be the one to defeat her.”

----------------------------------------

Meanwhile, far from Seven Luck Mountain…

She stood in silence, observing the small building and the house that was next to it. It was a school, she was certain of it. This surprised her a little, as she was not aware the Joketsuzoku Amazons had allowed a regular school to open next to their village. Feeling curious, Chervil hid her presence so it wouldn’t be detected and approached using the trees for cover, stealthily making her way until she could look through the windows. There were many children there, paying attention to class, though one look at the clock on the classroom wall told her school day was pretty much over… if this school followed the same schedule as hers did when she was a little girl, anyway.

It was then that Chervil caught the sounds of steps approaching, which was not strange all things considered, but she didn’t want to be seen, so she swiftly dashed back to the thicket behind the school for cover. She was planning on going to Joketsuzoku from there, but she spared a glance back to the school and saw a long haired teenager carrying a box full of books entering the school. Chervil was familiar with him; she was certain that boy was the one she had fought before, the one who was with that odd girl who had promised her help.

“Excellent, I can talk to him once he’s out of the school,” she muttered. Deciding it would be worth her time to wait, Chervil jumped up and grabbed a tree branch. She pulled herself up and then sat on it, making herself as comfortable as she could.

‘It’s a good thing he seems to work at the school…’ the lion girl thought, bringing her hands to the back of her head and resting her back on the tree trunk. ‘I hope he knows where that weird girl he’s friends with is…’’

Closing her eyes as she did her best to relax, Chervil took in a deep breath and allowed her mind to wander back to her past, fishing for a pleasant memory of her childhood until she finally found it. She smiled at the memory, as it had been very special for her. Her smile growing, the would-be princess of the Musk allowed her memories of that important event to take form...

“Alright everyone, stop the practice!” Chingkiang sensei called, smiling as the girls in her class stopped sparring one on one and approached her to listen to what she had to say. “It’s time for breakfast, after that we will start sparring above the trees, to help you learn improvisation during combat.”

“Treetop fighting? That’s gonna be easy for me!” A girl from the monkey clan boasted.

“Don’t be overconfident just because you have an edge there,” Chingkiang chided, sparing a glance at the cute, bubbly monkey clan girl. “Members of the cat clans and even wolves like myself are not too bad when it comes to fighting on trees.”

“You’re right,” the girl admitted. “I guess I need to remember that other clans can do that too.”

“Always keep in mind others can match your gifts, so you must remember to improve both your skills and your natural strengths,” the wolf clan instructor said, addressing the whole class. “But that will come later, breakfast first, ladies! You’ve been here since dawn and I bet you’re starving.”

The last sentence was met with glee by all the girls in the class, for they were all indeed very hungry after hours of exercising under the watchful eye of their teacher. It didn’t take the class too long before they were all sitting in small groups, chatting amiably as they were getting ready to eat.

“What did you bring?” Papri asked, staring at the inside of her bag and not feeling too happy her mother had packed only three meat buns for her. “If it’s nice I can trade you one of my meat buns, what do you say?”

“Tough luck, I got meat buns too,” Chervil replied with a chuckle, sitting next to her best friend under the shadow of a large tree. “I was hoping you had one of those red-bean ones that your mom makes sometimes.”

“Me too,” Papri sighed, a bit disappointed her mother didn’t make her a sweet treat. “Oh well, at least I have bamboo juice, that’s sweet enough for me.”

“Lucky, I got green tea,” Chervil said and made a face, cold green tea was not something she enjoyed drinking at all. “Trade?”

“Nu-huh! This juice is all mine,” Papri smirked. “But I may give you a sip, though.”

“Give me half and I’ll help you clean your room,” Chervil offered.

“Well…” Papri started, but before she could continue, a loud flash illuminated the sky beyond the forest, which was followed by a loud BOOM a second after.

The blast was not followed by a heat wave, so it hadn’t been an explosion caused by dynamite or any sort of fuel or explosive, but it had managed to shake the trees all the same, scaring the girls and putting the teacher in high alarm, as she had seen something like this before and knew quite well what had caused it.

“Pick up your things right now!” Chingkiang ordered, her tone of voice leaving no room for argument. “And hurry back to the Citadel, hurry!”

“But… what was that?” A girl asked, but was silenced by a hard stare from the teacher.

“No time to answer, just hurry!” Chingkiang insisted, who didn’t move herself until she was sure every girl in the class was rushing back to the Musk Citadel.

“I was not told the royal family would train here today!” The teacher muttered as she followed her students, not noticing one of them, a certain redheaded lion clan girl, was still within earshot. “Can’t risk one of the girls being hit by a ki blade, we must run!”

Hoping nothing bad would happen to her students, Chingkiang simply kept running, her eyes set on the girls ahead of them, making sure none of them left her sight.

It didn’t take the teacher and class long before they reached the Citadel, and only when all the girls were safely behind the gates of the women’s side, did Chingkiang dared to relax. The teacher counted her students and was satisfied to see the group was complete, no stragglers.

“What happened out there? I’m quite sure that was a ki blast,” a girl from the bear clan asked.

“And it was very powerful,” another girl seconded. “Is the Citadel under attack?”

“It was a ki blast,” the teacher said, bringing a hand to her left temple as it seemed she was not expecting those questions. “And no, the city won’t be attacked. From what I can tell our soldiers were having advanced practice in the forest today, probably members of the Lion clan.”

“Can we go home early?” The monkey clan girl from before asked.

“Well, I suppose it is fine for today,” Chingkiang said after considering it for a moment. “We will practice treetop combat tomorrow. Go home and rest, we’ll meet here at the gates early tomorrow, don’t be late.”

Happy with the news, the girls quickly disbanded, ready to enjoy their free afternoon. A few of them walked back to the town square with the teacher, distracting her enough that she didn’t notice two girls who stayed behind, sitting next to an empty cart so that their tutor didn’t notice them, but at the same time visible enough that the three female soldiers guarding the gate wouldn’t become suspicious of them.

“Why are we still here?” Papri asked once Chingkiang and the rest of the class were gone.

“I’m going back,” Chervil declared, her voice low. “I wanna see who threw that ki blast.”

“Are you nuts?” The tiger girl rejoined, doing her best not to raise her voice. “It’s dangerous, and the soldiers won’t let you out!”

“They’re distracted,” Chervil said, pointing at how the soldiers were busy chatting while eating their own breakfast. “They’re eating again and the gate is open, they won’t see me.”

“But… but…” Papri blinked. “We’re gonna get grounded because of you! You’re always dragging me into your stupid plans!”

“You don’t have to come,” the lion girl whispered. “Just cover for me, okay? If my mom asks you, tell her I went to the training grounds or something.”

“You really are crazy, you know? Your mom is going to be very angry if she finds out,” Papri said in a defeated tone. “...Alright, fine, I’ll do it, but you’ll have to clean my room for a month!”

“I’ll be back before my mom notices I’m gone,” Chervil assured. “And don’t worry, I’ll clean your room, I promise.”

“You better keep that promise, and come back without getting hurt,” the tiger girl said, watching as her best friend slid unseen out of the Citadel. “You’re nuts, Chervil, you’re really nuts.”

Leaving the city without being seen had been easy, and now Chervil was running to where she believed the ki blast had hit. She had heard the teacher mention the royal family was training there which meant that, if she was lucky, she could see Herb again, and closer than when she spied on him from the culvert under the wall.

‘I hope I don’t run into the king…’ Chervil thought once she reached her destination. ‘I bet he’d get angry because I’m interrupting and I’d be in real trouble.’

But the chance of seeing Herb practicing martial arts was too alluring, and the girl just couldn’t resist it. After all, for Chervil having a chance to look at her secret crush was worth any risk. As for the law that prevented Musk males and females from meeting each other until sixteen, the girl didn’t care, it wasn’t like she would talk to the prince anyway.

“It should be around here,” the girl muttered as she reached a tree covered hill just beyond the spot she and her classmates had been practicing earlier. “I wish I’d paid more attention when that ki blast hit…”

Thinking this, Chervil finally made it up the hill, and was greeted with a sight of destruction that shocked the breath out of her. There was a rather large hole down there, surrounded by felled trees that looked as if a cyclone had ripped through them. What she saw on the other end of the crater, however, brought her back to her senses. There was a boy there, a year or two older than she was. His bicolored hair was disheveled and his clothes torn, panting as he leaned on what remained of a tree to remain on his feet. The boy was, of course, young prince Herb, and someone had beaten him severely. Unsure of what to do, Chervil didn’t dare move until Herb finally sat, keeping his back to the tree for support.

‘I have to help him,’ Chervil thought, and carefully approached the prince, hoping he would accept her help, if she could even help him. She was so concerned that she didn’t feel any trace of shyness, all that mattered to her was helping her prince; nothing else.

“Who goes there?” Herb asked, bringing his hand up to wipe a trail of blood from his lips.

The prince turned to where Chervil was and revealed his left eye was swollen shut and he couldn’t open the right one.

“...I… I’m sorry…” Chervil managed, feeling pained just by looking at how hurt Herb seemed to be. “I know I shouldn’t be here, my prince, but…”

“You sound like a little boy,” Herb interrupted, apparently relaxing now that he believed he wasn’t in danger. “It’s not safe for you here, my grandfather will come soon, and he won’t be happy to see you interrupting our training… you should leave.”

“He did that to you?” the girl gasped, having trouble believing Herb’s grandfather had beaten his own grandson that way. “It’s… terrible!”

“It’s the way of the dragon, and the only way we can pass on our skills,” he answered and then coughed twice, flinching a little and then leaning on the tree again to find a position that was more comfortable. He stared at the newcomer, but shrugged and gave up. “A shame I can’t see right now… I woulda liked to see who’s stupid enough to interrupt the royal training. Are you a farmer’s son?”

“No, but I was worried,” Chervil answered, feeling a little annoyed by Herb’s words. “What if you were really hurt?”

“Then that means I don’t deserve the title of prince,” Herb answered, coughing again and swallowing with some difficulty. “Stupid dirt…”

“Want something to drink?” she offered, reaching for her bag and fishing out her bottle of green tea. “It may help you.”

“No. I am not supposed to get help,” Herb said again trying to decipher the identity of the child in front of him. He coughed again and had to spit and clear his throat loudly.

“I won’t tell anyone,” Chervil promised, holding the bottle as close to him as she could without actually touching him. “And it’ll help your throat.”

“I said… no,” Herb refused again, doing his best to hold back another bout of coughing but not being very successful. “I…*coff*…don’t…*wheeze*…need it.”

“I promise this will be our secret,” she insisted, clearly wondering why Herb was being so difficult, but fascinated by him at the same time. Chervil never expected to have the opportunity to be so close to him so soon, and to think she was talking to him so naturally!

‘But it’s only because he’s hurt, you dummy,’ she berated herself silently. ‘ And you can’t help him, so you should leave right now, you’re not supposed to meet a boy until you’re sixteen…’

“Do you… *coff*... really promise… not to tell?” Herb asked then, grabbing Chervil’s attention.

“I swear on my honor as a Musk,” Chervil swore. “I won’t tell even if they torture me.”

“I… admit I am a little thirsty,” the prince sighed. “And my… throat is dry…”

“The bottle is right in front of you,” she said.

Saying nothing and moving very slowly, Herb reached in front of him with his right hand, and after two tries managed to find the bottle and grab it. He ended up covering Chervil’s hand as he did, and was a little surprised by how quickly the other hand was retrieved.

“Your hand is small,” Herb said after taking a long drink of tea, he kept his eyes closed, having given up on seeing the other kid. “You must be six or seven, right?”

“...I’m a little older than that,” Chervil sighed, her eyes on her palm, feeling unsure of what to do about the nice tingling she felt going from her fingertips to her shoulder. She was certain her face was as red as a strawberry.

“And thinking of it… you kind of sound like a girl,” Herb chuckled. “But there shouldn’t be any girls around.”

“I… guess there wouldn’t…” she answered, wondering how it would be to touch him a little more, perhaps cleaning his face with a wet cloth. She thought he’d probably like it.

“Thanks for the tea,” Herb said then, tossing the bottle in Chervil’s general direction, trusting the other kid would be able to catch it. “It did help.”

“Oh… I’m glad,” she said, the smile evident in her voice. Was this even real? Helping Herb, talking to him… Chervil felt this was a dream!

‘Are you dense?’ she thought, feeling like smacking herself on the head. ‘The prince is hurt and you’re thinking those things, don’t be silly and find a way to help him!’

“What’s your name?” Herb asked then. “I want to know who I should thank for the tea.”

“My… my name?” She blinked, the question catching her unprepared. “It’s… uh…”

“Herb, you better not be hiding!” a rough voice was heard then, and it was clear the owner was not far from there and it was quickly approaching. “That ki blast didn’t hit you that hard!”

“That’s my grandfather,” Herb said, bringing a hand up to his eyes and then blinking. “You… have red hair… you must be from a cat clan, right?... It doesn’t matter, if my grandfather sees you interrupting our training session he’ll probably force you to train with us, and I don’t think you’d be able to take it… leave, quickly!”

“But… wait, are your eyes getting better?”

“A little, now leave!” Herb repeated. “Hurry, go before my grandfather gets here!”

“O-okay…” Chervil said and rushed back from where she came, leaving Herb behind to continue training with his grandfather.

And as she ran back to the Citadel, Chervil could not help to look at her hand again, remembering the way Herb’s fingers felt over hers, how warm and soft his skin was… her heart was beating so fast and so strong that she felt it would burst, and she wouldn’t have minded one bit.

Because she had spoken to Herb, and she had helped him. And for little Chervil there was nothing better than that…

“Perhaps one day soon we’ll be able to hold hands for real…” Chervil muttered with a sigh. “Yes, I’m sure we will.”

The school bell rang then, and Chervil sat straight as she placed her memories to the side. Turning to the right, she saw the children rushing out of the school, all of them heading straight to the Amazon village, as if someone had told them to avoid wasting time on the woods.

“Their parents, I bet,” Chervil whispered, waiting for the long haired teenager to come out of the school. “Alright, boy, what are you doing in there? I need to talk to you.”

Not feeling like waiting on the tree, the lion clan girl jumped down and landed gracefully, not disrupting even a single dry leaf as she touched down and made her way towards the school. She couldn’t miss that boy with the glasses, he was her only lead to the redhead who quite possibly had the Musk royal ring.

----------------------------------------

Somewhere else…

The farm was silent at that time of day, most of the animals were dozing off in their pens and inside the house, the soft wind filtering through the windows kept the house fresh and ventilated, something the old woman currently sitting on a chair found extremely pleasant. She patted her cat’s head and watched as the feline stretched and then jumped off her lap and quickly vanished somewhere. Deciding she should also do something to pass the time, Lotion left the comfort of her chair and went to the guests room. Once there she nodded in silent appreciation at how tidy and neat the room was. Despite her tomboyish behavior, Ranko had turned out to be neater than one would expect from a girl who was as active as she was. It always surprised the elder how Ranko always managed to keep this room in order.

“She even did it when that boy slept here, too. Must be something she learned since she was little, and now does it out of habit,” Lotion whispered while looking at the contents of the wicker basket where the redhead kept her laundry. Ranko had not washed some of them, not that she had the time, considering what happened to Lychee. Digging further, the old Amazon found a pair of pants that were in a really poor state, the ones she was wearing when she first came to her farm. “Hmm… I see she hasn’t fixed these ones that got ruined when she and Ryoga fought that Jusenkyo-cursed boy not too long ago… that girl really needs to pay more attention when I’m teaching her how to mend clothes.”

‘I guess it wouldn’t hurt fixing them for her,’ she thought and sighing in resignation, bringing the pants back to the living room. Lotion was planning on sending Ranko and Ryoga to Joketsuzoku as soon as they had their cures and enough training to survive an encounter with Cologne or Rinse, so fixing these pants for the hyperactive redhead was the least that she could do. ‘And they may not make it back, but… those two kids are my best chance to recover all the things the Amazon Council wouldn’t let me bring with me.’

“Might as well make these so they fit her properly, they’re too loose,” the old woman muttered once she was ready to start working on the pants. Placing needle and thread to the side, Lotion did a routine check in case the girl had left something in the pockets when she felt something small and hard in one of them. “Hm? What could this be? Feels like metal.”

Not expecting to find anything of notice, Lotion reached into the pocket and pulled out a ring so tangled in loose thread, it would have been impossible for it to fall off by chance. Frowning, the woman applied some force to snap the thread and release the piece of jewelry and better appraise it.

“This… this can’t be…!” Lotion whispered, staring at the elaborate dragon carved into the ring and the two tiny diamonds marking its eyes. This was clearly an invaluable treasure, and the craftsmanship alone would have told the Amazon where it came from. But Lotion had seen this ring before when she was young and on a mission to Musk territory. “It belongs to Musk royalty. They use it for their wedding ceremonies! Why does Ranko have it?”

Feeling a chill running down her spine just by holding the ring, Lotion ended up going to a small table in the corner of the living room, opening the drawer and placing the ring inside. This was a very unexpected development, and she was having trouble deciding how it would affect her. Would it eventually bring Musk soldiers to her farm? One or two of them she could probably handle, but if they sent several members of the strongest clans she would lose everything in an instant.

‘Is this related to how Ranko lost her memories?’ Lotion pondered while walking in circles around her living room. Concern for herself and Ranko, who had somehow wormed her way into her life to the point she had to admit she now cared for her enough to worry for her wellbeing, filled her thoughts as she moved. ‘Maybe she stole it and only barely escaped after fighting a Musk guard, she may have gotten hurt and that’s why she can’t remember anything…’

No. That idea was ridiculous. Lotion had trained Ranko and knew her strength quite well. There was no way Ranko could have entered the Musk Citadel and walked out with the royal ring. No way, no how. She would have ended up captured and married into the family of the first man who captured her, as the Musk usually did.

‘But perhaps that’s how she got it, by becoming the bride of the current prince?’ The old Amazon wondered. But after pondering on that idea for a few seconds Lotion decided it wasn’t possible either. ‘Ranko would have needed to be much stronger to impress the Dragon Clan enough for them to decide to bring her into their family.’.

‘The only other option that makes sense is that she found it somewhere,’ Lotion thought, bringing her hand to her chin as she continued going through the information she had. ‘Ranko must have found the ring somewhere before losing her memories, and since the ring was so tightly tangled in her pocket, she simply forgot about it, being more worried about getting an amnesia cure from me and about her relationship with Ryoga.’

“Hm… and if we consider those things, it does make sense she never even noticed she was carrying a treasure the Musk would kill to recover,” The old amazon concluded with a whisper, finally feeling she had come to the most probable reason Ranko ended up with the Musk ring in her possession, even if she had forgotten about it: a simple case of rotten luck.

‘Well, at least I’ve taught you techniques that should give you a fighting chance if the Musk Dynasty is really after you,’ Lotion sighed as she returned to her chair and started working on Ranko’s pants. ‘I do hope you don’t bring them here, girl; the last thing I need is a Musk squadron visiting my farm and causing trouble.’

Deciding she would have to talk about the ring with Ranko once she and Ryoga came back from Nekonron, Lotion returned to the simple task of mending and fitting the girl’s torn pants. Using this simple chore to find a convenient distraction from the danger the Musk ring represented.

Meanwhile, at Joketsuzoku…

“This is the only one that I recommend you never use unless you have no other choice,” Genma said as he finished writing the instructions to one of his special techniques on a roll of paper. He was at the bar, and there were five men surrounding him, amongst them were Chu Chou Ji the bartender and the archer Zhang Wei. “It does require a fairly advanced level of ki manipulation, as you can see here…”

“Battle aura projection…” the bartender said once Genma handed him the scroll. “I’m sorry, Saotome, but I don’t see how projecting your ki to build a giant energy construction of yourself could be useful in battle.”

“I agree with Chu Chou Ji,” Said Zhang Wei. “Using it would leave you defenseless afterwards.”

“It is meant to be used for intimidation,” Genma indicated. “But if you master this skill and your ki is powerful enough you could use the projection to cause severe damage to your surroundings. And before you ask, I can’t use this technique that way, my ki isn’t that strong.”

“Then why share it with us?” The bartender said, his tone of voice clearly showing he didn’t believe what Genma was telling him. “And what kind of damage? Because from what you say this sounds like the user would be projecting nothing but a harmless mirage.”

“I share it because you asked for my techniques, and I assure you it’s not harmless.” Genma said, his face serious as he remembered how Happosai had used the technique once to destroy a bridge and stop an angry mob that was chasing him back to the camp he and Soun were waiting. “A powerful martial artist who masters Battle Aura projection could bring a village to its knees in minutes.”

“You aren’t lying, are you?” Zhang Wei asked.

“No, I am not,” Genma answered. “You have felt the intimidating battle aura of your Amazon elders, haven’t you? Well, this technique I’m sharing could easily counter that, but…”

“Neither you nor any of us are strong enough to use it properly,” Chu Chou Ji said, completing the sentence. “Well, I guess it’s not bad to have it; if we can’t use it ourselves we can let the Amazon elders look at it and see if they want it.”

“Is your master still alive?” Zhang Wei asked then.

“No, he’s gone,” Genma answered quickly and stood up, moving towards the bar’s door to avoid more questions about his deranged master. “And speaking of going, I think it’s best if I leave for today, I don’t want to be on Cologne’s bad books.”

“We can relate with that,” Chu Chou Ji said. “That’s fine, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Until then,” Zhang Wei said.

“Until then,” replied Genma.

“Do you think he’s ripping us off?” One of the other men asked once Genma was gone. “Almost every single technique he’s shared with us is either stupid, designed to flee battle or to grovel and apologize.”

“But this one is lethal, even if nobody in the village can use it,” Zhang Wei said, still busy studying the instructions to perform the Battle Aura projection Genma had left for them. “I admit the others were beyond idiotic, but the man’s style seems to be completely focused on misdirecting opponents.”

“The first one he shared wasn’t that bad either,” Chu Chou Ji recalled. “That Meteor Kick of his is surprisingly powerful, it complements his style quite well and it’s easy to learn, it took me half a day to master it.”

“Oh yeah, the Ryuseikyaku,” one of the men said with a nod. “My son just started practicing it. He should be able to break a boulder the size of a bull once he’s mastered it in a day or two.”

“We’ll have to see if he has more techniques like that to share, then,” Zhang Wei stated thoughtfully. “Because we’re running out of time and we need all the help we can get before the Musk Dynasty comes here.”

Knowing full well how dire the situation Joketsuzoku was in, all the other men could do was silently nod.

----------------------------------------

A few minutes later…

Genma entered his cell to find his food waiting for him. The tea was still hot and the food warm, which pleased him. Sure, the amount they served him was as limited as usual, but he had already eaten meat and fried rice at the bar so the meager dinner didn’t bother him that much. It would be a nice snack, and having some extra food in his belly was never a bad thing.

‘I must get out of here before whatever trouble the elders are expecting happens,’ Genma thought while munching on his food. ‘There’s no way I’m getting more involved than this, not when I’m so close to getting Ranma engaged to one of Tendo’s daughters…’

His main problem, and Genma knew it quite well, was that escaping was still very much impossible. The men were giving him food and information, but they weren’t the ones guarding the village’s front gates or the other points of access, which meant their cooperation was not as useful as he had imagined it would be.

“And I’m sure they knew that when we made that deal,” Genma muttered while pouring some tea into his cup. “Eh, no use getting mad about it now, it’s nothing I wouldn’t have done if our places were reversed, after all.”

There was another problem that was also bothering him, and that was Ranma. Did something happen to him while trapped in female form? It would be the only reason why his son was taking so long coming back to help him escape. There’s no way Ranma would’ve deserted his own father… right?

‘Of course not, don’t be so negative!’ Genma berated himself while he finished his meal. ‘There is no way that son of mine isn’t thinking about a way to enter the village undetected!’

Yes, that was probably all it was. Entering Joketsozuko undetected when the Amazons were on high alert was probably as difficult as trying to get out unseen. It wouldn’t be a surprise to learn Ranma had been circling the village for days trying to find a way in. It was a bit strange he had not tried to establish some form of communication with him, however.

‘I’m sure he’ll be here soon, he’s probably thinking of a strategy, or trying to find a cure to whatever it was Cologne did to him,’ the Saotome master thought and then another idea struck him. ‘Perhaps Ranma returned to Jusenkyo? It would be lucky if he did, and he may even bring some water from the spring of the drowned man for me, too!’

Daring to hope, Genma finished his tea and was about to take off his shirt and prepare to take a nap when the door opened. A woman entered then. For an instant Genma expected to see Zhang Gwei’s wife again, but this was a different Amazon. Glancing at her, Genma estimated the woman was in her mid to late thirties, and going by the way her clothes hugged her athletic figure he realized her breasts were particularly big. Looking away before the woman noticed he was staring, Genma remained very still, waiting in case the Amazon was here to take him back to the council room to see the elders.

“Greetings, master Saotome,” the woman said with a certain tone of respect that Genma caught on right away. “My name is Cotton, I’ll be in charge of bringing your meals from now on.”

“Thank you,” Genma nodded. He studied the woman discreetly as she entered and picked up the plates, noticing she had spared a few looks in his direction.

‘She’s definitely curious,’ he decided. ‘Perhaps I can use that.’

“Is there something else you need?” Cotton asked on her way to the door. “Depending on what it is I may see if it’s possible to get it for you.”

“Well… I do need to leave and meet my son,” Genma said with a smile, faking shyness as best as he could. “I am worried, you see?”

“I’m afraid that is not possible,” she said. “But I’m sure your son will be here soon, I heard the elders had asked for some favors and if someone sees him they’ll let the village know.”

“I see… then I guess I’ll keep waiting,” he answered with a nod. “Thank you for the information, you are very kind to this tired, old man.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” the Amazon said with a polite smile. “And I’ve seen you when you train our girls, I don’t think you’re a tired, old man… not at all.”

“You flatter me,” Genma chuckled and crossed his arms, doing his best to give her his wise martial arts master look. “But I’m sure your husband wouldn’t approve of those words.”

“He wouldn’t, if he were alive,” Cotton answered. “He died years ago.”

“Oh… I apologize for my lack of tact,” Genma said, lowering his head in a show of respect, but at the same time feeling very interested in this bit of information.

“No need to apologize,” she said. “In fact, I wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me, why?”

“Your classes helped my daughter catch up with Rin and Ran,” the Amazon answered. “It seems your training regime was what she needed to become interested in martial arts again.”

“I see… well in that case I’m glad to hear I was able to help.”

“You really were,” said Cotton, smiling discreetly. She remained silent, waiting to see if Genma would say anything, when it was clear he wouldn’t, the Amazon gave a quick nod and decided it was time to leave the cell. “Anyway, I must go, I have other things to do but I’ll come back with your dinner later, would you like anything in particular? I may be able to get it for you.”

“Some Xing ren tofu would be nice, if possible made by you?” Genma requested, paying close attention to the woman’s reaction. The dessert he requested would take hours to prepare, if she agreed then he’d have a clear indication of interest from her, which could be useful for him later.

“Almond jelly would take too long to prepare and like I said I do have other things to do, but…” the woman made a pause and then sighed. “But I can bring it to you from the village’s inn. You’re not supposed to get dessert, so keep it a secret between us, alright?”

“Of course I will,” Genma smiled, pleased with the response. While not as good as her preparing the snack, that she was willing to go out of her way to get it was all he needed to know she was at least somewhat interested, and he could work with that. “Thank you, I’ll be waiting.”

“I’m sure you’ll like it,” Cotton told him. “See you later, master Saotome.”

And not waiting for his reply, Cotton closed the door, leaving a very pleased Genma Saotome behind.

‘Good enough,’ Genma thought. ‘If I can get that woman on my side I may have a chance to finally escape this horrible village.’

Hoping he wouldn’t have to go as far as to actually sleeping with the Amazon, Genma refocused his thoughts on his son. It really was taking Ranma too long, and that worried him greatly.

‘I hope you’re not hurt, boy…’ he silently hoped, honestly concerned for once for his son’s wellbeing. ‘I can’t bring you wounded to meet Tendo’s daughters, and what would Nodoka do if you’re hurt? She’d probably have my head!’

Once again struggling with the fear that something was really wrong with his child, Genma could do nothing but to look out the window and hope Ranma would return to the Amazon village soon.

----------------------------------------

Back at Seven Luck Mountain…

“You should know that Ranko’s not weak, none of you should be underestimating her.” Ryoga stated in slight annoyance.

“That’s the thing stranger, I’m not, I simply trust Monlon’s skills that much.” He answered calmly as well as confidently.

Ryoga’s brow perked up in interest, head tilting in an inquisitive way.

“I’m also not about to let a man who’s strong enough to defeat Bishamonten, Wu, Daikokuse and Daihakuse…” Jurojin’s voice trailed but in it he had accidentally revealed how worried he was about the last two with an almost mute growl in his tone.

“Ranko was the one who dealt with the twins,” Ryoga corrected as he stared Jurojin down.

“Were they hurt?” The brown-haired teen asked as his eyes trembled in worry, ‘I swear if he says they’re-’ his inner voice quaked with pain and a tense fury.

“She left them unconscious but they oughta be fine when they wake up, they’re probably going to be too sore to fight for a little while though,” Ryoga paused awkwardly as he explained, avoiding Jurojin’s gaze now as he remembered that his redhead uppercutted the two twins onto the ceiling.

Humming with his eyes shut, the unofficial Lucky God nodded his head, appearing to relax a little now.

“Did you manage to defeat Bishamonten and even Wu?” Jurojin inquired but began inspecting Ryoga’s attire and the torn and somewhat battered condition to it as well as the fang toothed teen’s bruises and cuts.

“That was me, I won’t deny that,” Ryoga said sternly, pausing after a moment before locking eyes with his latest enemy.

At first he could just stare in awe, dumbfounded by what he was hearing and from the sounds of this, it wasn’t a bluff.

It was then that Jurojin’s eyes widened as he saw something familiar in Ryoga’s eyes, ‘That looks in his eyes, he isn’t lying but there’s something else, it’s like I’m looking into a mirror but why am I getting that feeling? Could he have?’ he thought, unable to finish his sentence.

Dropping his guard the sword welder lowered his blade down to his chest area before letting it flop to his side. Smirking, he then looked up to the sky, as if looking for some sort of’ answer from it but for Ryoga it almost looked as though he had already been defeated.

Perplexed by this change in demeanor, the eternally lost man could do nothing but wait. There was something about Jurojin that kept him at a perpetual state of unease, ‘Did he just give up or is he just ready to risk it all?’ he thought as he gradually shifted his posture into a fighting one.

“I can see it in your eyes, you’re not lying,” Jurojin commented all of a sudden, lowering his chin so he could look back at this enemy of Nekonron.

“Then you know what I’m capable of so you can choose to stand down!” Ryoga asserted to the newcomer, finally easing into a combative stance.

“I have my duty to those my services keep safe, all of them are depending on me too much to just up and surrender, that is why I have to stop you here! Even if it costs me my life!” Jurojin spoke as though he knew this might have been pointless, the strength in his tone magnifying the longer he spoke.

“Then you’re going back to them in a body cast if that’s what it takes, because I’m not here to end anyone’s life, all I want is to go with my girlfriend and rescue our friend Lychee.” Ryoga warned as his eyes narrowed in on the cane slash sword using rouge.

Upon taking in Ryoga’s declaration the browned hair shadowhand held up his sword and then looked at it for a brief moment before throwing it and the sheath near Ryoga’s backpack.

Clank! Clank! Ting!

Thunk!

“Using a blade against you would be detrimental to me, besides, I know you can just use the iron cloth technique if I did,” Jurojin explained, also revealing to Ryoga that he knew more than he let on.

“How do you know-” Ryoga muttered then recalled some words between him and his tomboyish girlfriend.

"I felt something watching us, don't know what though…"

“Tell me, are you really willing to do anything for that redhead of yours?” Jurojin asked in a harsh but determined way, breaking Ryoga away from his thoughts.

“I am and always will!” Ryoga answered in a similarly determined way.

Scoffing with a smile the devilishly handsome rogue nodded once. “If you happen to beat me, then I’ll personally make sure you find your way to Prince Kirin directly,” Jurojin offered.

“And if I lose instead?” Ryoga questioned with a hint of distrust.

“You’ll leave Nekonron and let the Lucky Gods and my Lord do with your Ranko as they see fit,” Jurojin answered with his smirk now becoming somewhat of a playful one.

“I accept! But I’m warning you right now…” Ryoga shouted his answer but then parted his legs and threw his arms out to his sides as he continued, his hands clenched out in front of him.

Amused by his opponent’s declaration, Jurojin’s left brow rose while waiting for this Ryoga person to finish his oath.

“...I don’t intend to break my promise!”

“Good, because I won’t break mine, either!” the unofficial Lucky God replied as he also took an offensive stance.

Silence fell between them, until a geyser suddenly shot up to the sky, and that was the signal for both young men to make their first move…

----------------------------------------

Approaching the next gate was the redheaded beauty known as Ranko, she knew she was running into what could easily be called certain danger but that had been the case since the first Lucky God. Far as she was concerned it was of little importance.

For Ranko it began as if it were a normal travel up towards a spiral mountain, though she hadn’t noticed that the further she got to the top the denser an unknown fog had gotten. The instant she recognized this she slowed down, ‘Okay, now it’s getting hard to see the edge…’ her thoughts trailed as her vision blurred, the mist overtaking her ability to see anything beyond several meters.

Despite her dwindling field of view Ranko continued the path but walked closer towards where she thought the mountain to be. Being far too focused on not being near the edge, she unknowingly came up to a turn, where she was immediately surrounded by an even denser fog than before.

Ranko’s eyes widened when she noticed the sudden change in the mist and how heavy and dense it had gotten. Confused, the redhead looked from her right and then to her left.

It was then that the tomboy of a martial artist felt a sense of weightlessness as she took a step forward with her left foot, within an instant, Ranko’s eyes ventured downward as she saw that the closest thing she had to being able to see where she was going was disappearing into a cloud of haze.

“Aaaahh craaaaap...!" Ranko screamed as she lost her footing and plummeted into the precipice!

Crumble…

Inhaling sharply over the ledge was Ranko, her right hand’s fingertips scraping across the edge of her walkway.

Hanging there she couldn’t even make out most of the lovely if kind of majestic looking scenery of Nekonron. Surrounded by the thick fog, Ranko felt as if around her was nothing but a seemingly endless void, giving her that sensation of having entered another, unsettling world.

“Really glad no one was here to see this,” Ranko grumbled to herself as she then swung her torso so that her chest would be facing the side of the mountain’s path.

Hoisting herself up with both hands now and paying close attention not to collapse the edge of the ledge, Ranko pulled herself up and onto her knees, her left eye starting to twitch at the close call she’d just experienced.

“Dammit,” The martial artist muttered harshly to herself as she got back on her feet and went on, albeit with slower and more calculated pauses and steps to avoid another accident.

Carefully ascending the mountain she eventually heard a light lute string being strung, echoing like a warning call to all those that dared enter the dense mist. Her pace began to increase the closer Ranko drew herself to the source.

Eventually her vision began to clear, arriving to find a beautiful silver haired woman playing a lute in the distance. For the redheaded martial artist it was more like she had entered a supernatural realm.

With a strumming of her lute it appeared as though she had cleared the fog around herself, revealing her to be seated atop her castle gate.

Monlon’s eyes remained shut as she slowly started to play again, she began an eerie melody that grew in tempo, though Monlon looked completely at peace while doing so.

“Monlon!” Ranko called out to the spirit-like member of The Seven.

A gentle breeze blew behind Monlon as she continued to make sweet yet intimidating music, her small plectrum gliding against her strings before stopping as a voice echoed in her ears, causing her to perk her head up a little.

Ranko hadn’t even noticed but she had a permanent scowl on her face, her brows furrowed in a calm rage as she approached the Castle Gate.

Spotting the redhead a few meters away, Monlon hummed curiously to herself before vanishing like some sort of apparition, only to suddenly reappear…

Right in front of Ranko, who was caught off guard but responded by taking a leap back, readying her stance and intensifying her scowl by baring her teeth.

Monlon gently opened her eyes, unfazed by Ranko’s obvious feelings. It was almost like she was somewhat glad or maybe even amused by them.

“Tell me, was your precious boyfriend defeated by Jurojin?” She inquired with a low humming in her voice, her smile was downright unsettling.

“Ryoga is actually just about to beat that Jurojin guy into a pulp! Just like you’re about to be for abducting my one and only good friend and causing this whole mess to begin with!” Ranko declared as she pointed her finger at the other woman.

Tilting her head like an amused cat, the silver haired woman hadn’t expected that sort of an answer, blinking once and then regaining her bemused demeanor before holding in an almost wicked sounding laugh in her throat.

“You’d be right in saying I was the one who kidnapped her, took her straight from her parents arms practically…” Her voice trailed as she met Ranko’s eyes and noticed them quaking.

Ranko’s flats scraped across the floor as the girl with the crimson locks readied herself for some much owed revenge. ‘Don’t let ‘er psych you out, girl! She’s just tryin’ to mess with you,’ the orange-clad girl coached herself inside her head, regaining a bit of her focus.

“Make no mistake, I did it because my duty to my lord and country gave me no other choice…” Monlon replied, closing her eyes and shaking her head gently. “I don’t expect you to understand but even if I had been given a choice, there is nothing to apologize for. Fate has deemed your friend worthy enough to become the Princess of Nekonron, I merely ended up ferrying her to her kingdom nothing more,” She voiced softly if somewhat creepily, opening her eyes as she watched Ranko’s burning anger get taken down to an uncertain simmer.

“That scroll was actually real and-and…” Ranko stammered a bit while looking off to the side quite a few times.

A smirk grew across Monlon’s face as she dropped her head down, bringing her lute and pick closer to her body.

“I’m certain by now your supposed friend Lychee has probably already fallen in love with our Prince Kirin and by the time you manage to reach her, if you ever do, she’ll more than likely not even wish to see you anymore,” Monlon speculated to herself with a mocking hum, this was the point, any mental edge she could have over her enemy the easier it’d be to catch them off guard.

“I ain’t buying none of that! Even if Lychee’s a princess now! Even if she becomes a Queen! I know she’d never up and throw away our friendship!” Ranko defied that trick, she wouldn’t be shaken off this path, not until the words came straight from the horse's mouth or rather Lychee’s mouth specifically.

“Your friendship with our new princess matters very little to me, all that matters to me is that I finish my duty, which is to bring you in,” Monlon explained in a calm but confident way.

Ranko roared as she rushed the otherworldly goddess, aiming to deliver the first attack. “I dare ya’ to try!”