Lost Together

Chapter 10

Written by:

DaisukiFox & Doctor Facer

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Mint and Lime exited the lateral dirt road they were on and made their way to the wide stoned paved one that leads to the tall gates surrounding the imposing Musk citadel. It didn't take them long to get to the entrance and, after identifying themselves, they were quickly allowed to enter the city. The two friends were in a good mood and as they walked down the streets through the area of town where the younger men who were still single and in training lived, they could not help but remember the delicious taste of the mushroom croquettes they had earlier that morning.

"You know, Mint… I really hope we can meet Pink and Link again soon," Lime confided with a happy grin. "It's so nice to have a girlfriend!"

"Yeah, they're great, aren't they?" Mint said and smiled back as he followed Lime. "If we meet them, it'd be great to ask them to cook something else for us! Do you think they know how to bake? Bread from them would be awesome!"

"Maybe we can even get some pastries!" Lime dreamed, already imagining the flavor of the treat in his mouth.

"And maybe…" Mint lowered her voice a little. "Maybe they can let us see their breasts at last."

Lime felt his temperature raise a bit at the idea, as he completely agreed with his friend. "Not just see them but maybe even touching them!"

"I heard girls like it when you lick their chest…" Mint recalled then, scratching his head. "That's weird don't you think? I wouldn't like it."

"Yeah, but we're men...?" Lime said a bit confused because he also couldn't really see how licking somebody's chest could be nice or romantic.

The two continued chatting for a few more minutes, taking a shortcut through a few narrow streets, exchanging the occasional greeting with other teenagers they knew until they reached the end of the square on that side of the city. There, ample marble and stone stairs ascended to where the Musk Castle, home of the Dragon Clan, had been built many, many years ago. The castle always managed to impress them, and they admired it for a moment before approaching the Boar clansmen guarding the steps.

"We're here to see Prince Herb," Lime announced, turning serious.

"We've got information for him," Mint completed.

"Good. The Prince is expecting you two, he did send word that you should be returning soon, possibly with the person we're looking for," said the first guard.

"I see you're alone," interjected the other.

"That's none of your business," Mint said, crossing his arms.

"But we didn't fail, if that is what you're suggesting," Lime affirmed.

"I guess Prince Herb will determine that," the first tracker said.

"Go on, children, don't make the Prince wait," the second recommended.

Eyeing the guards with a hint of annoyance, both teenagers proceeded to climb the stairs, their joyful mood left behind as they grew more serious the closer they got to the actual castle.

A few minutes later…

Herb, sitting on his throne, listened closely as his two personal bodyguards told him about the results of their expedition. A few things grabbed his attention, but Mint and Lime had not yet touched on the subject he was most interested in, and besides, the rural dramas of the region were something he could listen to at another time.

"You can tell me about the shops in Bao later," Herb said, raising his hand to silence Mint and Lime. "Right now I want to know why you haven't mentioned anything about the ring or the thief I asked you to bring back."

"We were getting to that part," Lime said, feeling lucky he had useful information to share. "We met two girls who saw that redhead we're looking for!"

"Tell me more," Herb urged, hoping to finally listen to something helpful.

"Well, those girls told us the redhead escaped into the forest, and that she was all alone," Lime concluded, scratching the back of his head, wondering if he was forgetting anything important.

"We were going to bring the two girls we met to the castle so you could interrogate them," Mint said then. "We thought you may want to ask them other questions, but…"

"But?" Herb asked.

"We…" Lime started, then blinked, thoughtful. "I don't know, for some reason, we just… left them alone and returned here. And we were getting along, actually, I really thought they would come to the city with us."

"I think…" Mint frowned, trying to understand why they left the twins behind and not quite figuring it out. "We decided that after eating the mushroom croquettes those girls gave us… no, not then… it was after one of them clapped?"

"What do you mean?" Herb pressed, confused by what he was hearing. He spared a glance to his left, to where his advisor, Sumac, stood, but the old Wolf Clansman simply shrugged, indicating he was not sure of what his grandson was talking about.

"We mean that… after we heard the clapping we just really wanted to come back home?" Both Mint and Lime guessed.

"I don't understand you," the prince said as he stood up and started pacing in front of his bodyguards. "They clapped their hands and you simply left them there?"

"I think I can explain what happened," Sumac said then, finally approaching from where he was as he now had enough information and felt confident he knew the right answer.

"Do tell," Herb invited, crossing his arms. "Because I can't imagine what happened out there between them and those girls."

"I just need to confirm something first," the old man said and leaned forward, smelling the air around his grandson first, and then proceeded to do the same with Lime. "Just as I thought."

"What is it, grandpa?" Asked a worried Mint. "Is there something wrong with us?"

"Not really. But you and Lime ate Kairaishi mushrooms," Sumac revealed as he ran a hand over his gray hair. This discovery meant something that he had failed to consider and he hoped it didn't bring any further trouble, as the current situation was already starting to complicate beyond what he considered adequate.

"Kairaishi mushrooms?" Herb interjected, tapping his fingers over his arm. "What are they?"

"Basically, they are a species of hypnotic fungus," the wise wolf said with a sigh. "Any person who eats them has no choice but to obey whichever command they receive when they listen to a signal sound. And that sound can be anything… observe, Prince."

Not waiting for a reply, Sumac simply clapped his hands, which caused a very interesting reaction in Mint and Lime. The two teenagers stared at each other, then at Herb, and bowed in respect.

"It's time we go home," Lime announced.

"Yes, so please excuse us," Mint continued.

"We'll be in the hut we share on the training grounds!" Both friends said with a smile.

"Call us if you need us!" Lime concluded as he and Mint walked out of the throne room, leaving a sighing Sumac and a perplexed Herb behind.

"Don't think ill of those two," Sumac advised. "They were unfortunate to meet two females from Yakusai, I think. The herbalists from that village often use Kairaishi Mushrooms to escape trouble. The effects should pass soon, a couple of hours, I believe."

"I'm not angry at them," the dragon prince said, moving towards the large windows and looking out at his city. "They've been doing as best as they can… I just, well, I can't believe nobody can find Chervil, or that other redhead either."

"My lord, remember that Chervil is a member of the feline clans, and they have always been particularly good at hiding. Besides, she knows our methods; I'm afraid that we won't find her unless she wants to be found."

'Perhaps I should have been nicer to her that day…' Herb thought, thinking that his first meeting with Chervil could have indeed gone a lot better.

"I agree, the other girl shouldn't be so difficult to find, however," Sumac continued. "That she can avoid even my grandson and Lime is really something out of the ordinary."

"They did say that girl is alone now," Herb recalled. "Last we heard she was traveling with a man. A strong man at that."

"Maybe he was only taking her to Yakusai and they split afterward," the old wolf offered.

"That could be possible," the prince agreed with a nod, turning back to the throne, glancing at it with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. "Tell me, Sumac, have my parents sent any messages?"

"No, my lord," the counselor replied, approaching the prince in case he had further questions. "I am afraid your parents have not tried to reach us yet. But you know they are not expected to return from beyond the mountains for another three months."

"That means we still have some time to recover the ring without my parents getting involved in this debacle," Herb muttered, thoughtfully looking at the painting of his parents that hung from a wall on the other end of the room. The dragon prince was a man who greatly respected tradition as his parents did, and he would not see them disappointed. He would recover the ring before they returned. 'I must find it...' Herb thought begrudgingly.

"May I suggest we send someone to Yakusai?" Sumac asked. "The girl we want may still be there for all we know, or perhaps she told someone where she would go."

"We already sent trackers there, and also to Jusenkyo, Tong Po harbor, and Joketsuzoku," Herb recalled. "They found no traces of Chevril or the other redhead."

"We could ask the Phoenix people, they…"

"You already suggested that and they would have contacted us by now if they had captured a member of the Musk Dynasty hiding in Ho'O Peak; those Bird People are exceptionally territorial," Herb added.

"Then the only places we are not covering are Bao and Shangjie," the old man said. "Shall I send someone there?"

"No, don't… I've been passive long enough, Sumac; I need to leave the castle and do something or I may start losing my patience with our people," the dragon prince declared, straightening and looking at his fists. "I'll go visit The Seven, they should know if something strange has happened in those two villages."

"Prince Herb… are you sure you want to meet with the Nekonronians?"

"I am sure, go and tell Mint and Lime to prepare my boat," Herb ordered. "We'll travel through the river up north, it's the fastest route to Seven Luck Mountain and Nekonron."

"Very well, as you wish, my prince," Sumac agreed and, bowing, walked out of the throne room.

Once alone…

Herb sat on the throne again and rested his chin on his right palm, considering the recent events as he tried to see if he was overlooking anything important. His boar trackers had successfully cornered Chervil on that farm and it all should have ended then and there, with her captured and back in the city receiving her royal induction training and with the ring safely in his hands again.

'But then that other redhead interfered and complicated everything,' the prince thought with a frown. 'Well, perhaps it's not all so bad? I'm sure I'll get the ring back eventually, and her interference did save me a trip to Jusenkyo, something I wasn't looking forward to doing...'

Herb allowed himself a small smile as he remembered he had briefly considered transforming some random forest animal into a woman and then locking her in human form with the Pail of Preservation, just so he could see a nude female body as preparation for his upcoming arranged marriage.

'But I'll get to see her naked after the wedding, so why rush things? And to think I almost did something so stupid, what an impatient fool I was being,' thinking then that this situation with the missing ring would make an interesting story someday in the future, the dragon prince managed to relax again, and wondered if The Seven would cooperate or not.

He hoped they would.

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Outside…

Sumac was not pleased with the current turn of events. He was a man who preferred to bet on the side of caution, at all times and felt that involving the Nekonronians was nothing but a way to complicate things needlessly. He had the impression that the ring had not left the area formed by Jusenkyo, Yakusai, and Joketsuzoku, and believed they had to focus their efforts there.

"Not to mention The Seven are… strange," the wolf mumbled as he walked, recalling the odd, and to him very unnerving, eating habits of the people of Nekonron and the irritating air of Seven Luck Mountain.

'Hmm… I do wonder if the Amazons are doing what we asked them,' Sumac thought then. He was already about to enter the training grounds and realized they had no way to confirm if the Joketsuzoku teenagers they released delivered the message. 'Well, that can be easily fixed.'

The wolf eyed the training grounds, studying the young men practicing with the adults until he settled on two that were sparring on their own. He was familiar with them; a pair of advanced students who were progressing quickly. Thinking this could be a good training exercise, Sumac approached the teenagers.

"Fennel, Dill," the wolf called, interrupting their sparring match. "Come here, I have work for you."

"Master Sumac," the one called Fennel said as he respectfully bowed, waiting in silence for the elder to continue. Fennel wasn't very tall, perhaps only as tall as Mint, but he was stockier and his arms were slim and long, clearly very strong.

"It would be an honor to assist you," the other said, likewise bowing in front of the royal advisor. The second teen, Dill, was almost as tall as Lime, but he was as thin as a scarecrow yet he appeared to be fast and quite resilient. "What can we do for you?"

"I need you to go to the Amazon village. I want you to spy on the Amazons and confirm if they are sending people to find the redheaded thief we have an interest in," Sumac ordered in a very serious tone. "After that, you will go to Yakusai, I need to know if the herbalists are helping the Amazons and how. Now, this is very important, children, when you return, you will report to me personally, do you understand?"

Dill and Fennel nodded, knowing quite well that disobeying Sumac was not in their best interests.

"Good, go now, and try to avoid conflict if possible, I'd rather no Musk be involved in any fights before the time we gave the Amazons ends."

The teenagers nodded again and quickly made their way out of the training grounds.

'Good, it seems those kids will do a nice job,' he thought, knowing quite well that if Herb was going to leave the city for a day or two, he would need all the information necessary in order to make an adequate decision if he had to act when the prince was not present. 'Very well, now all that's left is to tell Mint and Lime they have to prepare Herb's boat.'

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And far from the Musk Citadel…

Ryoga, who was following Ranko and was devoting most of his attention to keeping her in his line of sight to avoid getting lost, couldn't help but spare a thought to trying to understand the way she had been acting since they both left Dan Lo's cabin earlier that morning. She was mostly ignoring him as they walked through the forest path, and only replied to him when she absolutely had to. This puzzled him, as he didn't think he'd done anything to upset her.

'I just don't get it, what's going on with her?' he pondered and recalled everything since the night before when they went to sleep. He, of course, had let Ranko take the bed, and while he had entertained the idea of sharing it with her, in the end, he used a sleeping bag they found in a closet, it just seemed the polite thing to do. She'd been up and about first that morning, and instead of softly waking him up as he always imagined a girlfriend would, Ranko simply poked at his chest hard until he opened his eyes; when he complained about it she shrugged and stated he wouldn't wake up when she called him and asked if he'd rather she had punched him instead.

'I know she's kind of a tomboy, but I always thought girlfriends…' Ryoga blushed at the idea, he now had a girlfriend as it still felt a bit unreal. 'I thought they would be nicer to their boyfriends? I mean, we're a couple now, right? But she's not giving me any signs that she's happy about yesterday or anything, I just don't understand…'

"Ryo, where are ya going? Shanjie is this way, don't get distracted!" Ranko warned.

Freezing as he heard Ranko's voice, Ryoga blinked and looked around, noticing he had walked out of the road and was now a few steps into the forest. Scratching the back of his head and smiling nervously at the clearly annoyed redhead, he kept his eyes on her and returned to the dirt path, hoping she wouldn't get angry at him.

"Did you wanna go to da bathroom or something?" She asked once he was near her. "I swear if I hadn't looked back… why didn't ya ask me to wait a bit?"

"Sorry, I-I just thought I saw a few chickens near those trees and…" he quickly said, hoping his lie sounded convincing.

"What, Ryoga?" Ranko insisted, arms akimbo as she stared at the direction he had been going in.

"Well, you know, chicken's good to eat, right?"

"You have a point," she admitted with a nod, calming down and chuckling immediately. "But… Ryoga, I thought you've had enough of 'em after feeding Lotion's chickens. Or do ya want ta be pecked at and get covered in feathers again?" she asked, a sly smirk at the corner of her lips.

"I'd mercifully forgotten about that, thank you very much," he groaned, remembering his hard time with the old woman's annoying birds.

"Oh, but you can definitively pull that farmer look, Ryo," she said and this time openly laughed.

"I'm glad to be a source of entertainment," Ryoga mumbled as he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, at least you still have shoes!" She said and pointed at her feet, reminding him she was going barefoot. "I lost mine durin' the fight with that minotaur jackass yesterday!"

"I know that I'm sorry..."

"I mean, they were oversized and stuff, but they were mine," she sighed then and pulled at the sides of the really too large for her jacket she was currently wearing. "And I hafta also wear this dumb, ancient jacket, and it's too hot and too big and it smells like dirt and grass!" Ranko complained.

"Well, your clothes were kind of a mess…" Ryoga said, recalling how her shirt and pants were torn in several places. "And that's the only thing we found in the cabin that you could borrow."

"Yeah, but why are yer clothes fine? Not fair," she complained.

"I was lucky, that's all," Ryoga said and shrugged. He didn't know he instinctively soaked his clothes with ki, making them more durable, and even if he did, he probably wouldn't have told the pretty redhead, if only to avoid angering her over the fact he could do something like that.

"Well, send some of that luck my way, wouldja?" She huffed, suddenly remembering they didn't find anything edible in the cabin and were forced to skip breakfast as a result. "Oh well, let's move! Shangjie isn't that far now and we can get something ta eat then!"

Not waiting for a reply, Ranko turned and started walking again, though she purposefully kept her pace slow. She had already noticed Ryoga often wandered off when he was distracted, and she didn't feel like looking back every few steps to check if he was still behind her. Sure, she could maybe, kind of, hold his hand but… what if he didn't want to do the whole romantic thing so early, and, did he even want it? She wasn't exactly sure.

If she had to be honest, Ranko really didn't know what to do with the whole thing that was going on between her and Ryoga. She clearly had strong feelings for him, but she had no idea how to behave around him now that they had taken the next step in their relationship. Should they try to go back to how things were before they kissed?

'But he's so good at kissing,' she sighed, feeling her temperature rise a little as she remembered the moment he kissed her just the night before. 'I didn't think it would feel so nice…' Ranko's thoughts trailed and her inner monologue got softer.

No, she decided, she didn't want to go back to how things were before. The problem was she also didn't know how often they should get… affectionate with each other. What if he hated clingy girls? Not that she was one but what if she ended up acting like one?

'Ugh… this is making my head hurt,' Ranko thought. 'Why the heck are relationships so damn complicated?'

Thinking that maybe it would be best if she just followed the mood when they were together, the redhead moved to other things, or returned, as she once again started thinking about her clothes. It finally caught her eye that she was wearing pants and shirts several sizes bigger.

"They're too big," Ranko muttered.

"What is?" Ryoga asked, only a few steps behind her now.

"My clothes," she clarified. "They're too big for me."

"Now that you mention it… yeah, they kind of are," he agreed. "Maybe you borrowed them from someone when you were escaping from the Amazons?"

"Could be," she conceded. "Yeah, I probably did that..."

Ranko kept walking in silence after that, absentmindedly tying her hair back into a pigtail using a string she'd found in the jacket's pockets, much to Ryoga's dismay, who for an instant thought about mentioning he liked her better with her hair unbound, but Shangjie came into view then and he lost the chance to say it.

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After, in the streets of Shangjie…

"Ya mind if we stop here for a bit?" Ranko asked and pointed at the same store they had visited the day before. "I think they had shoes."

"No problem, let's ask," Ryoga said. "I can buy them for you if you want."

"Nah, I still have the tip money from the time we worked at that Inn," she answered. "If you want to buy me something, make sure it's breakfast, I am hungry."

"Alright, Ranko, breakfast it is," he answered with a chuckle and followed her into Hui Qing's shop.

The merchant was surprised to see the two peculiar teenagers back so soon, as he had imagined they were on their way to Tong Po Harbor. Nonetheless, he was glad at the prospect of making the first sale of the day.

"Good morning, nice to see you again!" he greeted. "What can I do for you today?"

"Shoes," Ranko answered as she eyed the items on the shelves, hoping to find what she wanted. "I need a pair."

"Certainly, let me get some from the back, I'm sure I have ones that'll fit you," the storeowner said and went to the other room. He returned a few minutes later, finding the teenagers were now busy looking at some of his wares, the boy clearly interested in a huge Maneki-Neko he had for sale, but he doubted the teenager had enough money to afford that particular beckoning cat.

"I may come back for this one later, as a souvenir," Ryoga said, still looking at the feline statue.

"If you're interested I could offer you a discount next time," Hui Qing offered with a smile worthy of an experienced salesman. "And by the way, here are some shoes for the lady to try."

"Let me see them," Ranko said and grabbed the five boxes from the merchant's hands. She opened them to find two pairs of wooden sandals, a pair of white tennis shoes and two pairs of black martial arts slippers similar to the ones she lost. She ignored the sandals and picked up the other three pairs. "A towel, please? I need to clean a bit before I try these on."

A few minutes later…

Ranko, wearing a new pair of slippers, smiled happily as she slipped two other shoe boxes inside Ryoga's backpack. She felt glad she had managed to obtain the three pairs. She had used all her money, but getting three for the price of two was a real bargain she couldn't let pass.

"You really are something else," Ryoga said once she was again in front of him. "I didn't think you'd spend almost half an hour haggling with Mister Qing."

"Oh, can it, will ya?" she told him and punched him playfully in the shoulder. "I needed the shoes and he was game, win-win situation, get it?"

"No, I think I don't," he shrugged. Ryoga was not used to bargaining over merchandise, normally paying the price he was asked for anything he bought. "Anyway, let's go get breakfast."

"Now you're talking!" Ranko smiled, "We can…"

She stopped mid-sentence and frowned, her good mood immediately forgotten. In front of her, walking next to a slim woman in her late thirties was none other than Taro.

"What are you doing here?" Ryoga asked, feeling as surprised as the redhead.

"Why should I answer you?" Taro retorted.

The atmosphere between the three teenagers grew tense and the air itself seemed to go cold. Each of them was on guard, and ready to strike if the other made the wrong move. And then…

"Are these your friends, son?" the older woman asked with a happy tone in her voice. "You didn't tell me you finally made some friends!"

"Uh… they're…" Taro started, uncertain about what to do now that his mother believed the other two pests were more than annoyances to him. "They're some people I met yesterday, mother. They were with my boss."

"Oh, I see. They also work for Dan Lo, how nice," Taro's mother assumed, smiling at Ranko and Ryoga. "Nice to meet you, and thank you for being nice to my son; I hope you all can be friends."

"No need to thank us," Ryoga said, forcing out a smile for the kind woman in front of him, though he had no intention of being friends with Taro, or to meet him again if he could help it.

"…We could try, maybe… I guess," Ranko said just to be polite but felt like gagging at the idea of being friends with idiot prime. "So… you… live here?"

"Yes, this is our town," Taro indicated. "I came here to tell my parents about my new job; happy now, or do you two have any more questions?"

"None at all," Ryoga said. "In fact, if you would excuse us…"

"We really have to go," Ranko completed. "We have to be back home today and it's a long way."

"Of course, and please drop by if you're in town," Taro's mother said. "I'm always happy to talk with my son's friends."

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The two teenagers stopped at the edge of Shangjie, a restaurant that greeted those entering the small town behind them. The two had tried to eat there, but a certain, unfortunate event prevented them from even getting a glass of water. Ryoga sighed in defeat and carefully eyed Ranko, who was literally radiating despair, and nervously cleared his throat as if to say something. The redhead heard him, huffed, and lifted her left hand while giving him a cold stare that sent chills down his spine.

"Don't. Say. A. Thing," she sentenced. "Just don't."

"But… I'm sorry," he offered. "I know you're hungry, but…"

"You forgot to bring your money, you jackass!" Ranko shouted, hitting him on the head. "And the owner didn't even let us work for some food, what's wrong with him!?"

"I can hunt something to eat on the way to the farm…" he suggested, but loud crashing and screams coming from the restaurant interrupted him.

Before Ryoga could continue, a strange, bald man came running out of the restaurant, carrying a large bowl full of something that appeared to be rice porridge. The food thief was laughing maniacally and seemed to be ready to eat the food as he escaped.

"Stop! You don't know what you're doing!" The chef yelled as he prepared to give chase.

"Maybe we oughta' help," Ryoga said.

"He's got Food!" Exclaimed Ranko, who ignored the Lost Boy's heroic suggestion, clearly being blinded by her appetite she rushed to meet the thief and kicked him far into the distance all while at the same time using her Amaguriken hand speed to grab the bowl and wolf down the cold rice soup before Ryoga could even blink. Cold soup may not have been appealing, but the redhead was so hungry she felt as if she had tasted something fit for a king. "Oh yeah, that hit the spot!"

"I don't think the chef is going to like what you just did," Ryoga observed with a sigh, noticing the cook was indeed approaching them. He prepared to excuse Ranko's behavior, but he didn't have the chance.

Because the chef stuck his hands under the redhead's jacket and squeezed her breasts.

"It's a good thing you're a girl," he said, still grabbing Ranko's chest.

This, of course, earned the man two things. One was Ryoga's fist colliding hard with the top of his skull, the other was Ranko's own impacting his chin, effectively sandwiching his head between the two angry teen's punches.

"I… think I shouldn't have done that…" the cook managed to say before falling on his back while rubbing his head with both hands.

"What's the big idea, you stinkin' perv?" Ranko screamed, preparing to kick the groper into a bloody pulp.

"You better apologize to her or you'll be sorry!" Ryoga seconded, cracking his knuckles and staring at the chef with fire in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I can explain, I swear!" The chef yelled, now on all fours and pressing his forehead to the ground, hoping for forgiveness. "That rice porridge was special, only women and men suffering a special condition should ever eat it, because…"

"You ate our rice!" A voice said then.

"Yeah, we saw you!" A second one stated.

"That's unforgivable!" A third raged.

"We'll punish you for that!" A fourth said, sentencing Ranko's actions.

Ryoga and Ranko blinked as they saw the ones threatening her were a quartet of very short bald men, all holding shears and razors in their hands. Confused, the redhead turned to look at Ryoga, as if she expected him to have an answer that would fix this stupid situation.

"Just who or what are these guys?" the Lost Boy asked.

"We're the Niku Men gang!" the offended quartet said. "And we've been waiting years to eat that porridge!"

"If I may…" the cook tried to say but was completely ignored.

"Prepare to suffer as we do, we'll take those crimson locks from your head!" the four little martial artists screamed then jumped at Ranko, aiming for her hair. The redhead prepared to defend but…

"Don't you dare touch her you creeps!" Ryoga screamed, dashing in and swiftly punching the four bald men into the restaurant's wall, effectively smashing the fight out of them.

"If you're all done with your useless displays of violence…" the chef rejoined, crouching next to the barely conscious Niku Men, "I do have another Dragon Whisker, and I can cook more porridge for you if you can wait for an hour or so."

"Is that true?" Asked one of the small martial artists, his eyes glimmering with hope.

"Yes, it is," the restauranteur said, then turned to look at the two teenagers, as they still had to pay for the rice porridge the girl ate but… they were nowhere to be found!

'Oh, well… I guess I'll just charge the Niku Men double the price,' he thought, knowing the four short bald men would pay anything for some more Dragon Whisker soup.

Later, far from Shangjie…

Ranko walked with a grin, still feeling quite pleased after getting a free meal out of that cheap cook. She had grabbed Ryoga by the wrist and ran for the hills the moment the chef got distracted by those four short baldies, effectively skipping on the tab. The pair were now on the road that would take them back to Lotion's farm and if nothing else happened they should be back in less than an hour.

"That wasn't right," Ryoga sighed, feeling some remorse for what the redhead did.

"Don't feel sorry," Ranko said, walking with her hands behind her head. "I stopped the thief, the chef groped me and those four creeps attacked me, I'd say some free food is almost enough compensation for all our troubles..."

"Well… when you say it like that," he took in a deep breath and shook his head. "But I still feel responsible, I'll pay him if we return to Shangjie sometime..."

The redhead stopped to look at Ryoga, finding him leaning on a tree, staring at the road and apparently deep in thought. He seemed a little down, and she felt a bit sorry for him. Sighing, she got close to him and tried to think of a way to make him feel better. Once she was close enough, she couldn't help staring at him. Ryoga was handsome, at least she was convinced he was, but she definitively liked him more when he was happy.

'I wanna see that smile of yours, Ryo…' she thought, thinking about the way his fangs peeked out when he smiled. 'How can I get you to smile for me, big guy... maybe if I…?'

With a playful smirk, Ranko walked up to Ryoga and once she was next to him, she went on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his cheek, enjoying the surprised look on his face after the quick kiss she gave him.

"Ranko?" He gasped, hand on his face, blushing fiercely.

"You're really noble, Ryo. I like it when you're noble," she whispered at him. "And you were kind of cool when you defeated those four bald morons, too..."

"I… I was?" Ryoga asked, stammering.

"Yes, and…" she said with a nod, then she smiled and winked at him. "…I may let you kiss me again later, once we're back home, kay?"

Saying nothing more, Ranko started walking again, moving her hips alluringly side to side. Blinking once, then twice, Ryoga understood she was waiting for him to catch up, or at least he hoped that's what she wanted. Deciding to chance it, he rushed until he was walking by her side, and noticed her hand was open, and slightly in his direction.

'Her hand… does that mean?' taking in a deep breath, Ryoga shyly reached for it, and she quickly intertwined her fingers with his.

"Took ya a while to figure out," she said with a smile. "But this is nice, right?" she asked as her voice seemed a bit more gentle than usual.

"Yes… yes, it is." He told her, returning the smile. He didn't say anything after that; he felt it was not necessary. All Ryoga did as they walked together, was simply enjoy the warm feeling of her hand in his...

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

Meanwhile…

In the Amazon training grounds surrounded by thick wooden walls, the training zone was littered with various kinds of training equipment used to hone one's senses. Though there were many students throughout the courses and obstacles, only four were being closely watched by the Saotome father; he hummed to himself as he studied the moves of the students before him, running along the bamboo balancing beams so easily that they seemed to be running on the ground.

"Now that's balance..." Genma mumbled, crossing his arms and then pushing his glasses up after.

Shortly after those words escaped his lips the two girls fighting against the other leaped into the air and traded blows for a split second before touching down so they could jump back and repeat the process.

"Oh...?" Genma paused in curious wonder, looking to his right.

He could see two girls dressed in the standard Amazonian warrior garb and breastplate armor jumping into the air with their legs extended. From the looks of it, the girl with the longer leg won as she struck the shorter one on the cheek. Although her kick was strong, apparently her opponent could take a hit by the looks of it and even found a way to contort herself into a landing position.

"They're even better at fighting in the air now..." Genma commented, sounding as though he were gloating.

"Argh!" the two male Amazons groaned in frustration as they relentlessly attacked one another.

"Hm...?" Genma turned his attention back to the other two and noticed that despite how infuriated the two looked, neither could land a solid hit on the other.

Every swing was either evaded or blocked, neither letting up, not even for an instant. The two had forgone the aerial combat and settled on the katas they had learned from Genma.

"Thought you were supposed to be the best in hand-to-hand," Said the spiky-haired teen, swinging right, then left before spinning around for a high-kick.

"Aren't you supposed to be the upstart prodigy that could take anyone...?" the silver-haired teen with a stone cold-voiced questioned. He shifted his right shoulder blade backward for the first hit, and ducked under the second only to be greeted by a spinning heel kick, to which, he blocked at just the last second with his forearm.

"And these two are just waiting for the other to slip up!" Genma laughed, putting his hands to his hips and letting out a hearty laugh.

Although it was rather amusing there was still quite a bit for the bald man to accept, 'All that aside, it's still crazy how quickly these snotnosed punks picked up the katas I taught them...' Genma wondered as he was drawn back into the fight between the two Amazonian boys. "And in an hour, no less..." he mumbled.

"Argh!" one of the two girls screamed as she whipped her snow-white hair back out in front of her, she took a fist to her cheek before blocking an ankle kick, raising her shin to safely absorb the attack.

"Losing it?" the purple-haired girl who had a regal air and currently had the upper hand mocked before getting a low torso blow on the opposite side of her shin strike.

"No! How about you!?" she questioned with a cocky look, retracting her fist before feeling the other girl grab her arm by the wrist, yanking her in for a head butt.

"They weren't kidding when they said they'd send me some of their best..." Genma said aloud to himself, humming contentedly.

"Why can't you commoners learn to obey your superiors!?" shouted the supposed prodigy while both ran sideways across the balancing act that was their fighting platform.

"Why can't you accept that anyone with the dedication…!" he fired back, leaping into the air with his leg extended over his head for an ax kick. "Can be strong!?" he demanded to know while his opponent crossed his arms over his face, he leaned back and took the blow, launching his opponent backward shortly after; like a catapult.

Seeing this as his opportunity the spiky-haired teen narrowed his eyes, quickly reaching behind his hip, he plucked a small bag filled with dark purple powder from his ninja pouch.

Opening his eyes the silver-haired teen could see what looked like a small white tea bag coming his way, he straightened his posture and stood as though he was some military cadet, arms to his sides and legs sticking down directly as he went through a gap in between the bamboo beams but before he could hit the ground he latched to a bamboo stock with both arms.

"Why can't I hit you, Dai..." the spiky-haired Amazon muttered in annoyance as he dashed forward, trying to take advantage of this moment.

"Hiro!? Is that what you call su-" the fellow Amazon demanded, already trying to scale his way back up. "Huh!?" he stopped mid-sentence to avoid what was coming.

Before he could reach the top, Hiro was already trying to run over and kick the poles his adversary was using as a means to return. "Somebody of your status needs to stay out of my way!" he exclaimed but saw that he only succeeded in meeting his enemy head-to-head once again.

There was a brief but calm silence between them, all other noises irrelevant as they watched one another before charging back into the fray.

"Alright, enough of that, time to mix it up!" Genma exclaimed as he called out to his students.

The two boys stopped as they looked away for a split second, actually managing to land their attacks, the both of them hitting the other on the cheek as they fell on their backs.

Back and forth, left and right, the two girls were in a heated battle as they kept trading blows. That was until their ears heard Genma's words and both stopped mid-attack, both stopping their kicks as they had almost connected to one another's faces. "You got lucky..." they both said.

Both pouted and dropped their legs as they turned to their latest sensei and began walking over to him, hopping down the bamboo beams.

The other two sat up, rubbing their cheeks and glaring the other down as they stood up and went to stand next to the girls. To see how obediently his pupils responded to him gave Genma a sense of pride, possibly to the point of actually wanting to teach classes.

Considering how uppity Ranma could get, that was probably a good reason for his prideful feeling. Genma cleared his throat before putting his hands behind his back, giving himself an air of superiority as he marched forward and away from his students. "Your balance is great but now we have to fine-tune your aerial combat even further..."

"How do you purpose we do that?" the purple-haired Amazon questioned.

"By switching up opponents, of course!" Genma exclaimed, doing an about-face. "I'm thinking..." he paused as he eyed his students.

They all stood there, silent and patiently as he chooses among the teens.

"Jun against..." He started, pointing to the purple-haired girl then slowly and uncertainly deciding between the two boys until his finger settled on the boy with spiky black hair. "Hiro."

"I've never actually thought about fighting him..." Jun admitted but shrugged as she smiled, looking eager.

"Shouldn't we stick to fighting the same gender...?" the male with shoulder-length silver hair asked.

"Fighting opponents of all kinds is key to winning any fight..." Genma replied, asserting his point as though it were matter-of-fact.

"So like... you're testing our ability to adapt?" the snowy white maiden questioned.

"What if someone tries to take out any illegal weapons during sparing...?" Asked the silver-haired teen as he eyed his previous training partner from the corner of his eyes.

"It won't come to that because I'll call it off before anyone can cheat..." Genma explained, lowering his head with a gleam over his glasses.

"He's got an answer for everything!" the girl next to Jun congratulated, clapping her hands.

"Thanks, Hanabi..." Genma replied before pushing up his glasses, to which she bowed with a chipper smile.

"Guess that means you're against me then, huh...?" the boy who had questioned the weapons rules asked the delightfully energetic girl, turning to face her.

"Too bad there's no guy I've lost to, huh, Dai...?" she asked, putting her hands to her hips and winking.

The boy in question gulped and looked to the purple-haired girl with her arms crossed noticing that even his latest sparring partner's flirting hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Could you have some warrior's pride...?" Jun questioned with a rolling of her eyes.

"I'll have my warrior's pride anyway I want..." Hanabi casually shrugged off Jun's suggestion, clearly not caring for it as she checked her nails.

"Enuff flirting," Genma said with an annoyed-sounding scoff. "I want all of you to practice properly. Go sparring in that forest section!" he commanded as he looked to it on his right and across from his pupils.

"Is that it...?" Hiro inquired with a quirked brow, having expected more.

"He mentioned aerial training so maybe we're supposed to fight on the branches and treetops..." Dai questioned with his hand on his chin, his eyes meeting Genma's light-reflecting specs.

"Smart kid, that's exactly what I want," the hairless master said, gesturing to the trees with a swaying of his head.

They all turn to their respective enemy and nodded once before dashing to the nearby trees, bouncing off the trunks and branches as they went up, readying themselves for their new fighting stage.

As they started they were immediately watched from the sidelines by their sensei as he walked around the forest section, staring at the exit but knowing there was nothing he could do to escape. Genma was literally flanked from all sides, even the walls that separated the teens themselves had guard posts stationed there, 'Wonder if I should try to escape on my own already, starting to wonder if that boy is still even...' he thought, his inner monologue sounding nervous and uncertain.

"No. I trained Ranma myself; I'm probably worried over nothing..." Genma muttered, putting his hand over his stomach.

"So then why's my gut say otherwise...?" he asked himself with a hint of concern in his voice.

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

Standing outside the gates of Joketsuzoku with her hands behind her back, the aged master Cologne was leading a few members of her tribe out of town; three females, and one male. Though no words passed their lips, still, they marched onward.

"I know you all are aware of the dangers but our village and our very way of life may be at stake..." Cologne began as she then looked over her shoulder.

"We are, honorable elder," said the woman in the dark green garb, bowing in respect.

"And we will do as much as we're able to, honored elder," the male in sky blue cloth replied, shoving his arms into his sleeves before bowing respectfully.

"We need you four to gather information," the aged mystic said with a narrowing of her eyes as she looked down. "So the council has suggested we start with Mount Phoenix and Tong Po Harbor," she finished.

"I take it you had squads in mind?" Another woman asked, this one, however, in beige clothes.

There was no immediate reply but rather a simple nod of her head, "You two need to start gathering information on our enemies around Mount Phoenix," she began by pointing at the women in the green and beige warrior garbs.

"That leaves Tong Po Harbor to us..." The man in the blue outfit commented as he tucked his arms into his sleeves.

"Anything else, Honored Elder?" the woman in black standing next to the one man asked, making her presence known.

"Hm..." Cologne hummed for a second, before smiling. "Yes... I was wondering if you could ask a few questions in an inn along the way, the one near Tong Po harbor. I want to know if they've seen or heard anything..." the wrinkled Great-Grandmother chuckled dryly.

Everyone looked to their respective teammates, clasping their hands together before looking to Cologne. They bowed their heads in respect before all of them tightened their grips on their traveling gear and walked down the road, going on different paths once they reached the first fork ahead of the Amazon village.

Turning around as the winds blew Cologne's hair from behind her, it was almost as if she commanded nature itself by just how in sync it looked with her first step back to the village.

She hummed to herself, looking back over to the trackers she sent out. "I think it is time for you two to come out," the village elder mumbled, concentrating her attention on the nearby trees.

Nothing but the serene sounds of nature replied to her words, followed by the sounds of various birds and strange animal calls echoing in the distance. "I can feel both of your ki signatures, don't make me go find you," she announced rising her voice steadily as she spoke.

Endless animal calls echoed or swaying forestry was her only response. "We Amazons don't take too kindly to spies so I suggest you show yourselves!" she ordered but rather than shouting, she instead decided she'd try speaking louder and a tad more aggressively.

It was then that two young Musk warriors jumped down from trees opposite to one another, landing calmly, they quickly stood upright.

Cologne zeroed in on their animal-like qualities, watching as the first to step forward was the one with the long staff resting on his shoulder; his ears were round and his mouth wide, hair lining his face along with intelligent eyes and a small nose. This child's belt was decorated with a monkey tail, which swayed about slowly as the wind blew through the road.

"Monkey clan," Cologne whispered tilting her head before her eyes drifted to the other intruder. His friend, however, was silently watching from the sidelines.

The tall, slim teenager studied her reactions, waiting before deciding to move. This second one was notably thin and his limbs and neck were a little longer than normal, but despite his gawky looks, he carried himself like an apex predator stalking its prey. He too stepped forward then, his palm rested atop the pommel of his dadao.

"Snake or lizard clan for sure," she muttered.

Despite hearing the slow-burning rage in her voice, neither seemed shaken by her assertions.

"Why are you two here?" Cologne questioned, narrowing her eyes, her hands kept in her sleeves.

All she could see was the two outsiders looking at one another, their entire conversation expressed with looks of concern. Eventually, they closed their eyes and nodded their heads. "We were sent to see if you were doing as Lord Herb had asked..." the slit-eyed warrior answered.

"We have yet to find the ring thief but we can assure you that if the Musk clan wishes to attack Joketsuzoku…" Cologne announced to the unwelcome visitors. "That even if you were to be victorious, it would not be so easily won," she finished and placed her hands behind her back.

"As if you've seen the strength of our Dragon Prince!" protested the staff using primate-themed Musk. "Even the weakest member of the royal family could…!"

The child's rant ended when Cologne's aura flared to life, its mere presence was enough for them to sense how outclassed they in fact were. From their point of view, it was like staring down a burning phoenix as it spread its flaming wings.

The kids froze like scared forest critters until they managed to close their gaping mouths. Trembling, the now terrified teenagers stared at each other and, with a nod, turned around and leaped up into the nearby trees, hopping away on their branches as fast as they could, both knowing they had no chance to ever touch the Amazon elder.

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

Climbing atop a great oak tree a small group of monkeys scaled the trunk, leaping from branch to branch. Excitedly, they raced to the top, doing anything they could to gain the lead. One particularly clever little simian took what remained of a fruit it was eating and tossed it at the already celebrating victor. It howled in surprise, screeching and closing its eyes just a bit too early as its hand was reaching out to one of the last few tree arms, missing it by just a hair.

Snatching victory from the supposed winner, the cheeky little scamp ascended to the peak; proudly gloating while pumping its fist.

The little ape that fell landed on its stomach, groaning before raising its fist in anger at the rotten cheater.

It slipped again on fruit juice, and stumbled backward, crashing into a Musk warriors shin, all capable hands warding evil as its tongue stuck out as it was flung into the air.

The once sore loser chimp stared in disbelief before laughing as its rival landed in a bush, eyes resembling circling spiral swirls.

"Fennel! Was that a monkey I just tossed?" The snake Musk member questioned in confusion while in mid-air.

"Dill..." Fennel warned as he felt a vein expand on his head, seeing that it was the animal he was most like.

"Don't give me that look, especially after you nearly got us killed by an Amazon Elder..." Dill said as he scoffed at his monkey friend.

"Arrrgh… don't remind me of that scary old crone!" Fennel groaned angrily in his throat, still ashamed of succumbing to fear in front of a superior foe.

"Forget it, we've both heard tales of Amazon elders before, let's just be glad she didn't attack us back there. Hey, I think I can see Yukusai in the distance," Dill narrowed his eyes as he looked ahead. "We sure covered a long distance and fairly quickly at that too…"

"Think we oughta head to the main road?" Fennel questioned as they both looked off to the side.

"Best not to stand out for a while," Dill answered with a nod of his head.

Jumping down they continued on their way to the herbalist village, remaining relatively quiet as they walked the rest of the way to Yakusai.

The Wukong resembling Musk warrior walked alongside Dill, possibly zoning out from the lack of anything interesting going on around him.

"Huh...?" Dill gawked as he narrowed his eyes, spotting something in the distance.

"Hmmm...?" Fennel groaned as he turned to look to his serpent ally.

"Is that a cart?" Dill inquired curiously, squinting in hopes of focusing his vision under the sun.

"Think we should hide in the woods?" Fennel asked as he clenched his staff.

"And let it pass?" Dill wondered as he furrowed his brow.

"Something could have happened in their village for all we know," Fennel commented as he could see that whoever was out in the distance was at least heading towards them.

"Then maybe we should ask," Dill added as they set off, walking towards what looked like a mule-pulled cart.

Sitting at the helm of a new, shiny wagon, carried only by the finest wooden wheels, our red and blue Chinese herbalists appeared as ornery as a mother bear protecting her cubs. Their eyes shut in a discouraged and demoralized way.

Pink and Link had been given harnesses to steer their own mule, although, given the linear nature of their traveling path, the roles they served seemed rather abysmal.

There is always that one moment where even twins that despised mimicking each other sometimes could agree that even though they were a mirror image of each other, their reasons were justified, especially given that their punishment seemed more like a reason to keep them from getting in trouble or just plain out of sight.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Link's mouth line began to quiver in disgruntled annoyance, her anger and sense of duty the only thing really keeping her going at this point. At the very least she wasn't suffering by herself. That feeling alone was enough to shift some weight off the Red Kanji sister.

"Sister, I know it may not seem an ideal situation but..." Link closed her eyes, swallowing a bit of her pride, hoping to lighten the mood but also show her appreciation. "I'm glad we're not alone..."

She waited with bated breath, hoping to at least keep them from arguing with some somber words. It was pretty much all she could do, anything was better than sitting there silently watching the dirt road.

"Oh Li~ime," Pink muttered in her sleep.

"Huh...?" Link squeaked out.

"You can take them all on..." Pink said, beginning to drool.

It was as if someone had taken a pair of scissors and snipped the last line Pink needed to stay in control. To think that her sister would be sleeping in the one rare instance where she'd open up!

Link gathered her rage quicker than a bull being taunted by some cocky matador, "How do you even manage to fall asleep like that!?" Link both whispered and half-shouted as she let go of her own meaningless harness, proceeding by shaking her sister by the collar.

"Huh!?" Pink snorted loudly as she was being shaken like some child's plaything.

"What happened to them being from the Musk!?" Link mumbled lowly and angrily, her voice carrying angry heat like flames escaping the corners of her mouth like a dragon on the verge of scorching some poor soul.

"Sister, if you please!" Pink protested, especially given the fact that she didn't even know what was going on.

"What's that supposed to mean...?"

In their own separate world, the two newly engaged Amazons sat in the back of the cart. Leisurely lounging as they watched the beauty and majesty of the forest gently pass them by; birds flocked by in majestic harmony, flying towards the sun on the horizon.

"That had to be the most romantic battle I've ever had," Shampoo's voice echoed behind the twins.

"Certainly one we'll pass down to our..." Mousse suggested in a somewhat dreamy state.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shampoo asked in a cutesy voice.

"I-I meant that as in like the- the-the future of the Amazons!" he weakly corrected, recovering quickly but with far too much damage having been done by now.

"Oh?" Shampoo took on an adorable but playfully questioning look.

"The Tamashi no Bakudan Ko-!" Mousse clarified, his glasses fogging as he put a hand up to clear his throat.

"Mousse..."Shampoo whispered as she put her pointer finger and middle fingertips over the panicking hidden weapons master, "you won, if you want to talk about family then I'm more than fine with that…" she smiled encouragingly.

Their breaths caught short as the prospect of a family was not a light topic, especially considering the two in question thought this day would never come. Both nodded their heads at the same time, her fingers releasing his lips as they stared at each other.

Back with the twins they heard Shampoo's innocent banter bounce around in their ears, to which they could only grunt in disapproval.

Pink for her obvious dislike of the two upper-class warriors and Link because she perhaps assumed that Mousse was too good for Shampoo. With all those thoughts in mind, the two couldn't help but be plunged back into those sweet, tender moments with Lime and Mint.

"I don't know what I did sister but if you please..." Pink mumbled as she hung from Link's gripe, pointing to her neck.

"It was nothing..." Link responded in a dismissal way, releasing her sister's shirt.

They sat quietly as they focused on the road; sadly the same couldn't be said for Mousse and Shampoo as they whispered sweet nothings in each other's ears, much to the irritation of the herbalist sisters who tried their best to tolerate the romantic teens sitting behind them.

To anyone that wasn't the twins, this would probably be worthy of some praise but in the case of the two herbalists? They could only bitterly scuff at the affectionate couple.

"They should go find a room," Pink muttered and was the first to cross her arms, looking as peeved as someone who was just given an intentionally negative compliment.

"Bray!" Pink's mule uttered as it then snorted its nose.

"Wonder if Lime could teach Shampoo some manners..." she whispered to herself.

Her sister, on the other hand, returned to their assigned charade holding onto the harness around her assigned mule, 'I wonder how many herbs and medicinal plants Mint and I could gather if we had a whole day to ourselves...' Link mused to herself with a bittersweet smile accompanying her thought.

Digging their hooves into the ground the mules brayed loudly as they scurried back against the cart, catching Pink and Link by surprise. The twin Herbilsts noticeably flinched during their daydreams; they opened their eyes just about to give the donkeys a firm scolding.

That was until they saw who was blocking their path, two men with unmistakably animalistic traits. Out of fear they hugged one another, both cursing their luck.

"Not again!" they cried out.

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

Shampoo positioned herself so that she was resting her head against Mousse's shoulder and then softly hugged Mousse's arm. With thoughtful expressions, they looked up to the sky as the sun's light leaked out from the spaces between the surrounding trees' leaves. They looked as though someone had asked them a very difficult question by how their brows were furrowed.

"I think I've got a girl's name!" Shampoo revealed, pulling back suddenly.

"Huh?" Mousse seized, weighing through possible names, looking to his fiancé-to-be.

"What do you think of..." The lavender-haired girl paused, closing her eyes.

Mousse waited patiently for her response, watching her quiver her lip, 'She's so cute when she's thinking...' he thought in an almost dream-like state.

"Ma-Xiara...?" She suggested, even sounding uncertain herself.

"…Mascara… why that name...?" Mousse asked, tilting his head, not noticing the way the name could be pronounced similarly to a beauty product.

"I think it came from one of my other Great-Grandmothers…" She said, remembering when she had heard that name but not exactly which great-grandmother it was.

"Naming her after one of the previous Elders?" Mousse questioned, mulling over his feelings.

"You don't like it...?" Shampoo asked, lifting her left brow.

"I think it'd be an honor that you'd want to name 'our' child after one of the most respected elders in Amazonian history," Mousse replied, blushing as he grinned at his lavender-haired beauty.

Now as red as a radish, she closed her eyes before looking down, "I think if we were to have a son maybe you should name him…?" She offered, sounding a little meek when doing so.

To see Shampoo considering his feelings in the equation touched the nearly blind martial artist to the core. "If I can't bear you any daughters, I'll make sure you get to name one of our children anyway you want," Mousse counter-offered, reaching his hand out to caress her cheek.

"Not again!" the Yakusai herbalists shrieked.

The traveling hybrid equines brayed in terror as standing before them were Dill and Fennel.

Their supply, as well as the cosmetics-themed couple, found themselves shaking violently before coming to a screeching halt.

"Ow! What's going on up there!?" Shampoo asked after a small box from atop a stack of wooden boxes conked her on the head.

"Shampoo, use this," Mousse said as he retrieved from his sleeve a small ice bag, despite seemingly having nothing to keep the ice from melting.

"Not again?" Dill questioned as he tilted his head in confusion at the twin's exclamation, eyes widening as he heard someone screaming in pain behind the cart.

"Hello there!" Fennel greeted as he rubbed the back of his head.

"He-hello..." Link began, trying to politely speak to the Musk members in a way that hopefully would keep Link and her Sister from being taken against their wills again.

"What's the holdup?" Shampoo demanded to know as she popped out from behind the pile of boxes.

"We were having a moment!" Mousse exclaimed while he adjusted his glasses as he joined Shampoo, eyes widening as he became aware of the kind of enemy before them. A ball and chain slid out from his right sleeve, hidden from Dill and Fennel as he sat behind some crates with his fiancé, 'Musk...' he thought bitterly.

"We were wondering if either of you has heard any strange news coming from Yakusai," Dill explained quickly, trying to ease the tension by waving his hand dismissively.

"And by the looks of it, I'd say your two friends here are definitely from Yakusai," Fennel commented on Pink and Link's attires, his staff plopped against his shoulder.

It was then that the two began to walk closer to the two Herbalists and Joketsuzoku couple, the twins panicking while behind their harnesses.

"I can assure you we don't mean you..." Dill's eyes opened and it was in that instance he got a clear and hard look at the symbol for poison written on the side of a crate. "Any harm..." he finished slowly.

"Something wrong...?" Fennel questioned while looking over his shoulder, arms crossed.

Shampoo reached for her nearby pair of Chui's, her eyes stealing glances at Mousse. Judging by the look of things, her boyfriend was also on the same page, their eyes meeting one another at the same time.

"They're shipping poisons and dangerous plants to the Joketsuzoku Amazons!" Dill explained just in time to jump back from a flying pair of daggers, looking upwards to see the lavender-haired woman and a long-haired man with glasses leap from the back of the cart.

"What the!?" Fennel's eyes widened at the sound of the flying projectiles coming his way.

"Just try and stop this cart!" both Shampoo and Mousse exclaimed, maintaining the same frequency.

Reacting with what seemed like inhuman senses, the Musk teens evaded the Amazonian's surprise attack. Fennel reacted much less gracefully and while dodging he shrieked like a cocky monkey before slinging his weapon over his shoulder, defensively batting away anything thrown his way.

Fennel's snake-like companion dodged and even deflected some of the knives flying towards him with his dadao, digging his heels as they were now a safer distance away from the cart, mainly to the sides of the enemy's cart.

"Ah!" Pink exclaimed as she dodged a stray knife, moving away at the last second so that it'd get stuck in the upper portion of her driver's seat.

Her sister, on the other hand, was forced to duck her head as a stray iron ball flew by her head, shocking her with how close it was.

"Stop fighting over the cart!" she half-shouted before adding. "If you please!" she pleaded, tugging at her harness as a stray knife cut one side of it.

"Listen, you two!" Shampoo shouted at Pink and Link as she faced Dill, her weapons of choice at the ready. "Make sure this cart gets to the Amazon village!" she ordered while making sure she knew exactly where her enemies were; at all times.

"On it!" Pink exclaimed as he yanked the knife out next to her, holding it as she took her harness with both hands.

Link quickly tied her harness, both mashing the two frightened mules at the same time. Only to see that they hadn't even started moving as the two beasts refused to budge.

"What's happening?" The Sister with the medicine kanji screamed, looking around for any sort of mule treat they could use to coerce the animals.

"What do we do!?" Pink shouted, darting her eyes around until looking at the knife she had just plucked from the cart, getting an idea. "Link! Get a knife so at the same time we can poke their behinds!" she suggested.

"Forgive me!" Link exclaimed, reaching for a nearby sharp object and plucking it from the side of the cart like some flower on the ground.

"Like hell!" Fennel interjected as he swung his staff in the direction of the cart, moving his weapon so fast he created a sliver of wind that was headed towards the twins.

His attack was interrupted by Shampoo, his elemental attack dispersed by the purple-haired Amazon when she parted her crossed Chui's. The blast released from Fennel's failed air pressure bomb kicked up all their clothes, signaling the bell for Dill to jump back in.

The snake-man charged with his saber out in front of him, only to see that Mousse's chained ball lash out and wrap around the serpent man's dadao blade.

"You again!" Dill said, narrowing his eyes.

"Now!" Pink exclaimed as the twins shot their hands out as their mule's eyes widened, the two leaning their heads on each other before whaling in pain and stampeding as fast as they possibly could.

"Good luck!" Link exclaimed over her shoulder with a hand near her mouth.

Dill and Fennel could do little to stop them as whenever they tried to attack the twins from the side, both Shampoo and Mousse were there to interfere. Mousse and Dill were currently engaged in an intense game of tug-o-war, the long-haired teen trying to disarm his opponent.

Fennel found himself launching various air-compressed attacks at Shampoo, but to no avail, as she was more than capable of either dodging his attacks or dispersing them with one mighty swing of her maces.

Dill grunted and twisted his blade to one side and then slipped his blade out from the chain, watching as Mousse reeled it back in and let it hang from his sleeve as an iron mace appeared from his other sleeve.

Jumping back into it they rushed the other, Dill reaching for Mousse's throat after a failed attempt at slashing the spectacled Amazon.

Dodging by sidestepping to his left and flinging the hanging iron ball straight from his sleeve as a sort of guard to prevent Dill from grabbing his neck with his longer-than-average fingers. The feint allowed Mousse to spin and smash the iron Mace on his opponent with brutal force.

"Argh!" The snake-themed Musk screamed and felt the heavy iron collide with his sternum but the impact was so strong that he was unable to stop himself from crashing into the nearest tree behind him.

"Ahhh… stop resisting, you!" Fennel screamed in anger as he swung left then right.

"You wish!" Shampoo grunted, meeting the first left with her right Chui and then jumping back when Fennel made his right swing. "I won't let you through!" Shampoo let out as she took some steps backward, blocking the road.

"Haaaaa...!" Fennel screamed as he leaped into the air, staff above his head as he brought it down towards Shampoo.

She ducked and rolled at the last second. "Haaa...!" She let out her own war cry, right before delivering a fierce rising kick to the Monkey-man's chin, sending him flying across the road and near his friend.

"Oomph!" Fennel groaned in pain as he landed on his back, opening his eyes to see that everything around him was spinning.

Having gotten enough breathes in while sitting up, the Snake Musk member got on his feet and began helping his comrade to his feet as well.

The two Amazons stood side-by-side with their arms next to each other, their respective weapons in hand as their poses seemed to be mirroring the other. "Do you still wish to fight?" Shampoo asked in a stern voice.

"If so then there's plenty more where that came from!" Mousse warned as the light from the sun gleamed off his glasses.

Both Musk Dynasty warriors looked to the other and then back to Mousse and Shampoo, shaking their heads as they grudgingly lowered their weapons in defeat.

"We have what we need anyway..." Dill said as they took a few steps back before turning around and quickly vanishing into the dense forestry.

Relaxing their postures Mousse and Shampoo sighed contently, watching the other two take their leave they closed their eyes and leaned on one another. Being the confident soul Shampoo was, she reached her hand out to take Mousse's hand, giving him an appreciative squeeze.

"You've gotten stronger," Shampoo commented with a small smile. "Faster too… I didn't think you could be faster," she added with a slight laugh.

"I'm not the only one," he answered, opening his eyes as he pulled back a little to take Shampoo's cheek in his hand.

Shampoo's eyes gleamed as she could see her own reflection in Mousse's glasses; calmly she reached out and took them. Once again looking at the face of the man she had come to accept as the owner of her heart.

"W-we should catch up with Pink and Link..." She said, swallowing hard as she put his glasses back on.

"Y-yeah..." Mousse calmly replied, having a slight hitch in his tone.

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

At Lotion's farm…

Ranko, nude and kneeling on her bed, stared intently at the tattered remains of her once comfortable set of clothes, which she had spread in front of her. Though while inspecting her shirt and then her pants, she couldn't help but pause and stare at her also damaged underwear and wondered why she wore those white boxers. She tilted her head, putting her hands on her hips.

'These're just as oversized as dose guy shoes I lost during the fight...' she thought.

"Pretty damn sure these are guy's clothes too..." Ranko muttered, looking down at her lovely frame. 'How come it didn't hit me before?' she thought, resting her chin on her closed palm.

She couldn't help but remember all the instances where she could have noticed at Lady Chuntao's Inn but figured her first attempt at a warm bath was probably the cause for that. 'Guessing I was always more worried about how 'getting clean' meant scrubbing myself with cold water...' she thought, a shiver running down her spine.

Humming she forced herself to think about something else. "But…what 'bout here at Lotion's place?" she asked herself, posing a new question while rolling her eyes upwards.

For this she started to scratch her chin; if they weren't training then they were either too exhausted or too flustered to worry about something as trivial as clothes sizes. "Ryoga's also kinda distracting..." she admitted, looking back down.

"I might've thought it was just normal too…" she thought, closing her eyes and trying to imagine wearing a pair of panties and a bra.

Crossing her arms she couldn't quite focus on the idea as it seemed that whenever she tried, her vision of herself would become oddly blurred and while doing so, she felt a tension spread across her like a sudden queasiness.

Not sure how to take this, the girl with limited memory slouched forward, "Why's this so hard...?" Ranko asked herself while groaning, her closed eyes resembling simple horizontal lines.

"Maybe Ryoga's right," she concluded with a defeated-sounding sigh. "I probably needed ta escape the Amazons and somehow along the way… I just borrowed some guy's clothing," she figured, opening her eyes, and going right back to staring at her clothes.

The image of her first kiss with her yellow-clad prince charming abruptly made an appearance in Ranko's mind. "But now I'm somebody's girlfriend," Ranko mumbled and straightened her back.

"I'm Ryoga's girlfriend..." she whispered softly, sounding to be in a pleasant state of disbelief.

A smile formed at the corners of her lips as she recalled the embrace that got them to finally become official, for the first time feeling what some girls would probably call giddy.

"Probably don't even need these rags now..." she said looking back to them, only for the several memories to come flooding into her mind.

Ranko's urge to get rid of these garments slowly diminished, 'These were the duds I met Ryo with so I don't have ta' get rid of em' but maybe refitted in that Shangjie place instead...' she mused before shutting her eyes and nodding her head.

"Might be a while before I get the spending cash for dat though..." Ranko concluded in dismay. She closed her eyes and flopped on her back with her hands behind her head. 'I don't have anything to wear and I really doubt that old crone has anything in my size?' she pondered, looking for a solution to her current predicament.

Instinctually she sat up and started checking her surroundings until she spotted Ryoga's backpack.

Hopping off the bed in one fluid motion she streaked across the room before reaching inside Ryoga's backpack, she quickly found the large sweater she had first seen Ryoga wearing, 'Would this cover me down there too...?' she wondered in her thoughts, blushing a little as she then looked in the direction of the window. Briskly jogging over while covering her front side she approached the window from the side to peek her head out.

Outside and on his knees, the Lost Boy used a trowel to casually make a hole with a few scoops; right after he finished, he carefully placed the Corly Weed in and held it upright while he covered some of the roots with dirt to help the plant stand on its own. He then looked over his shoulder to Lotion, as though he was asking their Master a question from the redhead's point of view.

She noticed Lotion pulling out a bag from her sleeve, she could only watch as Lotion flapped her lips, the Lost Boy following after.

Taking the bag the lost boy opened it and began dumping it down the hole he had just dug up. This caused the redhead's brow to quirk upwards in intrigue, 'Guess it's gonna need some time...' she figured.

During her internal monologue, she witnessed their sensei walking over to Ryoga's side while he patted down the dirt surrounding the Corly weed finally covering it. When the boy finished, she reached her hand out to the plant, plucking a single leaf.

Ranko sighed in relief and moved her head back out of sight and looked to Ryoga's sweater, then to the mostly ruined clothes on her bed. With a sigh, she glanced at the oversized boxers, as she figured she had better wash those too. She shook her head, realizing that at least a pair of bras and panties would really be necessary soon, but first…

"Oughtta' get dose washed before worryin' about fixin' them," she mumbled to herself, rising the sweater up over her head and dragging it down. Popping her head out from the collar, she saw that Ryoga's warm clothing thankfully acted as a sufficient enough dress to cover her entire body as it easily reached to her knees.

"Gotta' hurry," Ranko said while pulling up her sleeve far enough for her to open her door.

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

Looking as though she was wearing an odd sundress, the long-haired redhead walked with two buckets hanging at the ends of a wooden staff. Somehow able to maintain her hold on it, despite looking as though she were some child wearing a dress too big for her hands to even poke out of the sleeves.

At the end of the washroom, near the bathing stool was the soap she had gotten earlier, 'Really hope nobody sees me like dis!' she thought with a frantic look. Thinking she was in the clear, the redhead narrowed her eyes, she picked up her pace as she managed to maintain quiet control over the swinging pails of water.

Running inside with her eyes closed she tried to kick the door behind her shut, but the second she was about to close the door. Ranko opened her eyes to see the Lost Boy's back while he was examining her ruined duds.

"Huh...?" Ryoga's eyes widened as tried to look over his shoulder.

Mistakenly coming into what she thought was an empty washroom, she attempted to cover her shame before the fang-toothed boy could see but in her haste, she failed to see that she made some water splash out from one of the buckets.

"Wha!?" Ranko gasped in horror as her heel slipped against the wet floor, landing on her back as her buckets miraculously landed safely on their bases.

"Ranko?" Ryoga gasped as he turned around to see Ranko's gloriously half-nude body on the ground. The first thing he noticed and would always remember, however, was that she was wearing his sweater, but only barely given how much had been pulled up during the fall.

Although he spoke loudly it was obvious that Ranko was far too disoriented from her fall to voice her discomfort, only groaning as she felt a stinging pain on her lower back. Worried, Ryoga moved to help her, but as he tried to do so his mind finally registered the fact the beautiful redhead was baring almost all in front of him. The result was obvious: his nose started to bleed as his pupils shrank to the size of pin needles.

Because in front of Ryoga was truly a sight of enthralling magnificence. The redhead's beautiful legs were closed and only slightly open from the knees down, giving him a nice view of how well-shaped and appealing they were as his eyes traveled up to her wide and alluring hips before daring to venture further as his breath cut short, his face starting to glow a vibrant red.

Though once he did, Ranko finally noted that her right breast was now exposed along with the rest of her. She suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed, letting him see her in such an undignified situation was humiliating!

"Do-don't look!" Ranko ordered in a panic, sitting up and dragging Ryoga's sweater down to cover herself up.

"I-I-I… err… sorry…" he uttered out, turning to give her space, only managing to mutter incoherently as his hand reached out to pinch his nose.

If there was anything to accurately compare the color of Ranko's face and the rest of her skin tone, it had to be the same color tone as her hair. Once she had covered herself back up with his sweater she moved so that her back would be facing the Lost Boy.

"S-sorry bout wearing your sweater! I-I swear I didn't have anythin' else ta wear and-and it was supposed to be only for a little!" she apologized while trying to keep her eyes from swirling in embarrassment.

With his hand over his nose, he managed to contain the crimson geyser he was well known for unleashing. Though his blush remained present the whole time that hadn't kept the fact that Ranko was wearing his shirt; that mental image flashed in his mind again... before it went to what immediately followed, forcing Ryoga to put more pressure on his nose.

"Why were you even in there, ya' pervert!?" Ranko demanded as she clenched a fist while looking over her shoulder.

The instant those words hit Ryoga's ears his eyes shot open, and his urge to calm the tensions between him and the girl of dreams rose drastically. The cogs in his brain spun faster than usual, putting him on high alert.

"I-I was just thinking about taking a bath and I wondered why those were in there!" he stammered out as he looked back to the redhead, watching her come to a stand, reminding him of why his nose had bled just moments ago.

"O-oh..." Ranko uttered but refused to meet Ryoga's eyes the entire time, opting to stare at the ground.

The simple fact that Ranko was using Ryoga's sweater as makeshift clothing was enough to give the Lost Boy some oddly specific fantasies, the fact that he knew it was because she had no more clothes didn't help his current predicament or kept him from being able to recognize how utterly stunning Ranko looked with her hair down as well.

Intentional or not, to Ryoga, this gave her a much more feminine appeal. It wasn't to say that her regular style wasn't in its own way nearly as beautiful but to him, this was just a step further than the first. His thoughts could only be interrupted by the sound of Ranko's voice.

"Guess I wasn't quick enough, I'm sorry ya' had to se-" Ranko began.

"Don't say that!" Ryoga said, speaking up as he clenched his fists in front of him.

"H-huh...?" Ranko stuttered when he did, leaning her head back.

There was a moment of silence as Ryoga stared into Ranko's shimmering blue pools, suppressing his fears to the best of his abilities he took a deep breath, 'I can't ruin this with a bloody nose! I-if this keeps up who knows how often she'll want to kiss me!' he thought, letting out his held breath but slowly coming to realize what he had just defended.

"Ryoga," Ranko began, either paralyzed in fear or intrigue; both could be accurate for all she knew about herself. "You're staring..." she mumbled.

Right there, that was his chance, Ryoga's hand shot out and over his nose as he took a step toward the lovely tomboy martial artist. "Ranko! To me... y-you're probably the most beautiful woman in the entire world..." he declared, starting off a little meek but after getting her attention he took on a more stern and certain voice.

If avalanches could fall in reverse, that's how Ranko would describe the chills that went up to her spine, feeling warm in the face, "You mean that...?" she asked, looking baffled and shocked.

"Of course I do and I'm lucky I even saw it..." he assured the perplexed blue-eyed warrior, looking down as he felt his eyes about to resemble swirls, 'Calm down...! I can-can do this!' the bandanna-wearing boy pondered.

Getting a massive boost in ego, the redhead's eyes widened, knowing very well what he meant, "Y-you bet I am but still don't stare so much...!" she shifted her head to one side swiftly.

"I'm sorry for staring..." Ryoga felt that he had been able to turn this around and if he had been reading the moment correctly, he was sure they were going to kiss.

She clenched her fist a little when she could hear the sound of defeat in Ryoga's breath, she saw he had even dropped his hand and appeared disappointed in his failure.

The Lost Boy dropped his hand and allowed his nose to bleed, 'The guy says he loves the way I look, even if I'm some tomboy that can probably take em' in a fight...' she thought bemusedly, a gentle smile appearing on her face.

"I'll just get going..." Ryoga announced, about to go take his leave.

"It's-It's okay if it's you who looks..." Ranko bashfully encouraged.

"What did you say...?" Ryoga asked as he jolted his head to look at Ranko.

Ranko reached her hand out to wipe the blood off of Ryoga's face with her sleeve, "I said it's-it's okay… if it's you…" she repeated, taking a deep but slow breath.

Taken totally by surprise the Lost Boy's instincts took over, putting his hands on the redhead's shoulders. Ryoga found his lips wandering over to hers, although before he had, he stole a glance long enough to see that Ranko had also begun closing her eyes just as slowly as he had, 'This has to be one of those moments, I have to get this right...' he thought with a quivering inner voice.

"Ranko..." he whispered as his head tilted.

"Ryoga..." Ranko whispered out as tears began to run down her eyes the second Ryoga was unable to see, flowing as though two tiny rivers streaking across her cheeks.

The romantic air was abruptly split in half by a slamming noise from outside the window, dramatically reducing the tension and replacing it with frightened and nervous mini-panic attacks.

She looked at Ryoga from the corner of her eyes and could see that he, much like her, was very shy when it came to public displays of affection.

"Ryoga!" Lotion called out in a commanding tone.

The ketchup and mustard-colored couple stood at attention, their arms to their sides and their eyes in shock, their mouths contorted into nervous attempts at nonchalant smiles.

"I need you to gather wood from the pile," Lotion informed the Lost Boy before noticing the puddle of water beneath her two pupil's feet. "I'd like to get dinner started..." she said, her voice sounding a bit quizzical.

"Yes! Of course!" Ryoga spoke in a robotic voice, his heart thumping so loudly that he appeared overwhelmed by the amount of steam shooting out from his ears.

To this, Lotion quirked a brow and hummed, narrowing her eyes she saw that Ranko was in a similar state but when she took a closer look she could see that her outfit was one fight away from being indecent, "Ranko wash your clothes..." she ordered, jumping down and landing safely away from their watery mess.

"Right away!" Ranko saluted before shaking her head and closing her eyes, power walking with her hands swaying by her sides.

"When you finish go find me, there's something I wish to discuss with you..." Lotion mumbled as she walked behind the girl, heading in the direction of the kitchen.

Later, inside the room of the wise elder, Ranko and her sensei stood among several boxes littered throughout the room as upon a large queen size bed with two pillows were several pieces of Chinese silk clothing. At the corner of the room was Lotion's wardrobe with several more outfits and other unmarked boxes or unopened cardboard containers.

Decorative but traditional Chinese knick-knacks hung from the wall, most of their symbolism or meanings lost on the redhead as she followed the old-timer in.

"Should have known this would have come up sooner or later..." Lotion mumbled as she stopped in front of a box, shuffling through the outfits. "Thankfully, I was prepared..." she added, humming shortly after.

"You mean to tell me you had clothes in my size you dried up-" Ranko found her eye twitching in annoyance, all this time she could have taken a spare set of clothes.

"Don't use that tone with me, child. I had my reasons," Lotion warned as she slowly looked over her shoulder, flaring her aura for an instant, resembling an inky black demon-imp with long hair and piercing white eyes.

Ranko was actually frozen in fear for once, the sage-like woman's battle aura was so intense that it was like staring into an abyss of infinite anger. She had no other choice but to yield, leaning her chest back Ranko warded evil with her right hand and it looked as though she was about to turn around and leave. "S-sorry but why da hold up, huh!?" she asked, sounding a little less agitated.

"Better..." Lotion mumbled, her appearance returning to normal.

Ranko groaned in her throat, hating how much she paled in comparison to Lotion's aura, 'I know she's an elder in the arts and junk but something about her doin' whatever she wants just...' Ranko thought only to see Lotion looking her dead in the eyes.

"I kept meaning to but I honestly didn't trust you, especially given the circumstances of our arrangements," She explained, looking to a different box and finding a few dresses in her size but the only problem was that there was nothing she knew would express that fiery, almost, man-like nature of the girl before her.

"You're starting to trust us, then?" The redhead quirked a skeptical brow, relaxing her posture.

"Don't let it go to your head," The Great-Great-Grandmother said as she studied the clothes before giving Ranko a quick glance. "Now let's see if I have something that ensures our male friend doesn't suffer too much blood loss when he looks at you," she finished, smirking.

To this Ranko scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, knowing damn well she was the reason for their troubled friend's issues and lack of focus. "Anyways, why do you got so many new clothes hanging around?" Ranko asked casually, looking away with a slight rosy tint to her cheeks.

"Sometimes I would buy and sell clothing between Shanjie and Bao up to the north," Lotion clarified as she moved to a box with two characters on it "内衣"(Underwear) written on the side.

"What for?" Ranko questioned, her brow lowering the slightest bit.

"Just for some easy extra money, I sometimes need to buy things from Yakusai and the herbalists' products aren't cheap, you know?" Lotion casually told her as one of her fingernails glided across the tape on top of the box she was opening.

Ranko wanted to comment on it but felt that she didn't really have much to add. "Guess I was expecting more..." she admitted, averting her eyes and hoping they could find her something soon.

'So far none of this junk looks like it could handle my training...' she pondered bitterly as she eyed all the dresses within her sight.

"I haven't needed to go recently, and sales are down this time of year anyway," Lotion told her as she grabbed a pair of matching panties and bra.

"Lucky for me," Ranko replied sarcastically, cringing at the overly frilly Pink dress she noticed in the wardrobe behind Lotion.

"I don't come across many tomboys, so finding something suitable for a girl like you is quite challenging," Lotion explained, sounding as if she was teasing the redhead.

"Let me look through some of these myself," Ranko was about to go bend down over a box but stopped as she could feel a draft when doing so, making her eyes widen and causing her to stand at attention with her hands over her rear.

"Perhaps you can at least start with the necessities," Lotion advised, holding the undergarments in her hand out to Ranko.

Like an animal seeing something for the first time, the redhead looked to this new set of clothing and knew what she had to do but couldn't help but be somewhat hesitant. "You sure I can have these?" she asked, sounding rather nervous.

"Anything you need to get back into some normal clothes," Lotion verified before looking off to the side. "Long as you pay for it with some work on the farm…" The elder chuckled as she could hear Ranko pushing back her disappointment.

"Should've known there'd be a catch…" Ranko grumbled as she took the underwear and now that they weren't clenched in Lotion's hand, she could see that in her hands was a frilly set.

"Something wrong?" Lotion raised a brow.

"Don't rush me...!" Ranko replied with closed eyes.

The wise elder rolled her eyes, knowing that her student would like a moment's privacy, looking away as Ranko formulated a strategy for her getting dressed. The redhead sighed heavily as she turned around and threw the bra away. Bending over in such a way to keep Ryoga's sweater from exposing her rump, she slipped a foot through and then proceeded with the other before dragging them all the way up until vanishing just above the back of her knees.

"Having trouble?" Lotion looked out the corner of her eye to see Ranko squirming with the pair of undies.

"N-not at all…" Ranko replied, playing it cool as she let them go.

"Positive?" Lotion inquired further.

"Y-yeah! I just don't want that bra, it's all… weird?" Ranko huffed, doing an about-face.

"Thought this was one of the least girly but perhaps I can find something else," Lotion responded, moving over to another box and opening it to retrieve a black sports bra. This piqued Ranko's interest as she noticed it the second it came out.

"Huh?" Ranko tilted her head.

"This here is a sports bra," Lotion said, dangling it by its thick bra straps. "It should fit you well, and perhaps it's the best type for you considering your size."

"Not bad, gimme it," The redheaded girl said, she felt slightly irritated by the mention of how big her chest was, so she swiftly tried to take it with her chestnut fist without previous warning.

"Manners, child…" Lotion warned, clenching the bra closer to her chest and out of Ranko's reach.

The redhead pursed her lips in annoyance. "Sure, whatever," she said, reluctantly holding out her hand.

"Better," the aged master mumbled as she dropped the bra into her hands.

Taking it quickly the redhead began slipping into the sports bra under Ryoga's sweater and fiddling around until she could get the thing on while still wearing Ryoga's sweater, her sleeves hanging like limp noodles to her sides.

"Hey, these ain't half bad!" Ranko commented as she adjusted the straps under the Lost Boy's clothing. "I'll keep 'em!"

"I figured someone as active as you might like those," Lotion commented, stuffing her hands up her sleeves.

"Must have been a while since I wore stuff like this…" Ranko wondered as she calmed down the red hue to her cheeks and looked around, spotting a beautiful sky blue qipao she hadn't noticed before.

"What makes you say that?" Lotion asked.

"It felt all weird at first," Ranko commented as then looked at her sensei.

"I take it you'd like some privacy?" Lotion asked as she moved towards the door and past Ranko.

"If ya' don't mind…" Ranko said, squinting her eyes shut as she put one hand down to the lower portion of Ryoga's sweater.

Once she was sure Lotion wasn't looking, the redhead put the dress down on the bed next to her and with both hands reached for the bottom half of the sweater she was wearing. Quickly she pulled it up, her breasts bouncing very minimally due to her sports bra, 'The skirt's pretty short but I wonder if Ryoga would like seeing dis much of my legs...' she thought as what she just considered registered in her brain.

Lotion snickered before looking over her shoulder, stifling her laughter with her sleeve she could see that Ranko paused for a second before she finished trying out the lovely sleeveless dress while throwing Ryoga's sweater over her shoulder, using her chest-nut fist to get the process over with.

"Enuff with the laughing, ya old-" Ranko began with her eyes shut, turning around just in time to hear the room door creaking.

"Why did you ask me to-" Ryoga started as the door was nearly fully open but stopped when he saw the surprise at the other end.

"R-Ryoga!?" Ranko blushed wildly and put her hands over her bust but then closed her eyes and tried to cover her legs, suddenly feeling very shy again.

At that one moment, he finally saw the girl he had come to know and love wearing a dress that truly accentuated her delicate but strong features. Although her dress paled in comparison to Ranko's shimmering blue eyes.

"Y-You look great… I…" Ryoga muttered but halfway through showing his support he was unable to keep going, the door in front of him closed, cutting him off.

Lotion chuckled with a sleeve over her mouth, using her cane to hold the door open before shutting it, "Young love," she muttered with closed eyes as she walked over to Ranko with her hands in her sleeves.

"Why the hell did ya' do that!?" Ranko exclaimed with her eyes closed, opening them in anger while feeling her face going red far too often for her liking.

"I could tell you wanted that by the look on your face so I planned ahead," Lotion answered, opening one of her eyes with her own playful look.

"What, Ryoga looking at me?" Ranko blinked, pouting but didn't sound as disappointed as she'd usually be.

"Now I can hear it in your voice!" Lotion teased, her grin turning into a smirk. Then as if to confirm her suspicions, the redhead was once again squirming.

With the shadow of the front of her hair, Ranko was able to cover her eyes and look away in a way that made her seem just flat-out irritated. 'Why do I feel so dirty...?' she thought, letting out a disgruntled moan. "Are you off your rocker!?" she accused.

"Am I?" Lotion asked, humoring her and looking away in a clearly mocking fashion.

"You-you…!" the redhead protested, Ryoga's words echoing in her mind. "Just shut it," she sighed out before plopping down on a stool, slouched forward while as red as a tomato.

"Although I suppose that qipao does look rather good on you," Lotion began, shutting her eyes while suppressing some laughter. "Perhaps something more practical would be better," she continued as she hopped over to a box with pants and then to another she dug through, pulling out a shirt.

"What ya got there?" Ranko had her hand to her cheek, pursing her lips in focus before seeing Lotion hand her clothes from the corners of her eyes.

"Go on, unlike the qipao you can have these for free," Lotion said, knowing Ranko would understand the qipao added even more to the two's bill.

"Sure are generous, ain't ya'...?" The teenage student asked sarcastically.

"That qipao is made from very expensive silk." The elder responded with a stern expression.

What was in Ranko's hands however was a set of Chinese pants and a long-sleeved blouse; the pants were a sea-green color while the shirt was clean white.

"Fine, I'll take em'..." she mumbled in a defeated tone. Repeating her clothing process she masterfully changed clothes with her incomplete technique.

"Those colors suit you well..." Lotion said, nodding her head.

"Not too shabby..." Ranko commented as she put her hands on her hips, 'A little loose but comfortable I guess,' she thought. "Elegant even..." she added, giving an appreciative nod.

"Glad you've taken a liking to them." Lotion began as she walked away from the redhead.

"Ain't like I've got many choices..." Ranko shrugged as she picked up the dress she had been given and began to fold it gently.

"If you'd like I could perhaps teach you how to sew and fit your own clothing," Lotion suggested hoping to take the 'teach a man to fish' approach.

"Why the offer…?" Ranko asked, to think she'd offer to spend time like that, to her, it was a bit out of the blue for her.

"It's better that you learn on your own so you don't always have to come to me," Lotion answered with a slightly amused tone.

"Can't do me the favor, huh?" Ranko asked, grumbling a little.

"Stop being so lazy child, I'm not your mother," Lotion rolled her eyes, looking more like a disappointed parent.

"Fiiiine...!" Ranko pouted and crossed her arms.

"Besides, this should allow you to repair those rags you came back wearing," Lotion snickered while walking to the door. "I have the feeling you would like to keep them."

"Guess it would be nice doin' it myself," Ranko replied, blushing a little as that idea reminded her of the moment she and Ryoga met.

"No doubt they have some value to you," Lotion commented, her voice snapping Ranko back to reality.

"Whatever..." Ranko replied, playing it off as if it were nothing.

"Put everything back in the boxes and the wardrobe," Lotion started as she then looked over her shoulder.

She received a passive-aggressive nod from the redhead.

"Once you're done here, I want you to remind Ryoga to finish with those boards in the attic; then you can come to help me prepare dinner for the night," Lotion finished while opening the door, shutting it behind her with the end of her cane.

Ranko seemed unphased by the noise as she held the dress to her chest, 'I wonder why this all feels so weird to me, I mean...' the redhead mused to herself as she began putting away the clothes they had taken out.

"I mean, come on!" she said aloud, chuckling weakly.

Her eyes softened as she hung the qipao. "I'm sure I had a family," she mumbled as her voice dropped a few octaves. Feeling like she was choking she swallowed hard and pushed the confusing feelings down as best she could, completing her task when closing the wardrobe.

No longer certain of what to do after finishing his garden work the Lost Boy stood outside Lotion's room, waiting outside with his arms crossed, 'I wonder what that was about...' he thought, visualizing what he had seen Ranko in moments ago.

To think he had also kissed a girl like her so passionately the day before, it was more than he could handle so he cupped his nose once again, 'I can't let this happen so often! Not anymore!' he thought, shaking his head while fighting off his imagination.

The door to Lotion's room opened as the strict master quirked a quizzical brow at the Lost Boy before rolling her eyes yet again, walking past him.

"Alright, I've got this," Ryoga muttered as he took a deep breath, clenching a fist out in front of him.

A slow creaking noise followed the redhead as in her hands were her worn-out pants and shirt, while under her other arm was the oversized sweater she had borrowed from Ryoga.

"Ryoga?" Ranko called a skeptical brow lifting as a tiny blush spread across her face.

Looking to her faster than he probably intended to, the Lost Boy wondered what else she would happen to wear and whether or not he should give his opinion, although this time seeing her in something a little more modest helped ease the tension. "Y-you really do look g-good in anything..." Ryoga uttered in shock, nose giving in with a tiny bleed.

"T-thanks..." Ranko said in response, throwing him his shirt as she tightened her lips, marching past him.

Dragging his sweater down the teen looked at her as she walked by and saw her looking over her shoulder, "Where are..." he began only to see Ranko about to speak.

"Lotion wants ya' ta' get started on replacing those boards in the attic," Ranko spoke in a hurried tone, having stopped when she replied.

"O-oh, okay..." Ryoga looked off to the side, unsure of how to respond but looking a bit disappointed.

"I gotta go help with dinner..." Ranko said, trying to excuse herself.

"Is something wrong?" Ryoga pressed, looking down before his eyes were staring at the back of Ranko's head.

"Don't worry about me, I'm just tired that's all," Ranko answered plainly as she tilted her head up and continued in the direction of the kitchen.

Ryoga watched as she disappeared behind a corner, all the while, having a longing look on his face as he held his sweater. Making sure that his hand never left the wall, the Lost Boy made his way out and from there to the attic, getting there after only taking two wrong turns, none of them out of Lotion's farm.

'It has to be love... right?' he wondered as he started working, amazed that he hadn't gotten lost that day.

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

At the same time, far from the farm…

"The pier-master assured me nobody will touch our boat," Lime said, joining Mint and Herb, who already waited at the pier's exit. The three Musk warriors had disembarked only minutes before, but the Dragon Prince was unwilling to leave until Lime had made arrangements to keep their ship safe. "He promised to look after it, and will have some of his people wash the deck for free, too."

"Well done, Lime," the prince approved. "Let's go then, I want to be in Nekonron before dusk if possible..."

"I just remembered," Mint said as he followed Herb and Lime into the road. "Nekonronians only eat pickles and rice… I wonder why?"

"Because the water in Nekonron is not normal," Herb started to explain as he kept walking. "The soil here has a high concentration of minerals, and that turns the water in the lakes and streams in this area into something almost like brine or vinegar. The people of the region adapted to this over the generations, as a result, they now can't eat anything that isn't rice or pickled."

"That explains the smell," the wolf boy said as he sniffed. "The breeze that comes from the mountain does carry a scent that reminds me of vinaigrette."

"Once we're there and reach the geysers it will get worse for us," Herb warned as he frowned, not looking forward to tolerating the stench. "The mineral concentration is higher in the mountain, the air up there is beyond foul..."

"Ugh… I wish we didn't have to go," Mint sighed, rubbing his nose with his palm and finally understanding why his grandfather hated visiting this region so much. It was simply because the Musk had a better sense of smell than regular people, and while an average person could ignore the odor without trouble, walking around Seven Luck Mountain would irritate any Musk's nose so badly that for them the mere idea of going to Nekonron made their stomachs twist into knots.

"I hope we don't have to stay long," Lime groused, as disappointed as his friend with the prospect of spending more than a few hours in the mountain.

"It is quite possible we may end up staying until tomorrow," Herb informed them. "But I have something that will help us."

"You do?" Mint and Lime asked.

"Yes, I wouldn't come here unprepared," the Dragon Prince indicated as he fished something from his pocket and held it in his right palm.

"What are those?" Lime wanted to know, looking at the six little pellets on Herb's hand.

"Nose filters I got from Yakusai last year," Herb said as he handed one pair to each of his bodyguards. "Made with a combination of leaves that will neuter any unpleasant smells; put them in your nose when we reach the mountain, otherwise breathing there will be unbearable."

A few hours later, at dusk…

"You know, the town wasn't shabby at all," Mint said, looking back at Nekonron behind them. They had visited it earlier, and the young wolf teenager had been impressed to see it rivaled the Musk citadel in size and surpassed it in population.

"Yeah, it's a shame about the smell," Lime told him while adjusting his hold on the large backpack he carried. "Speaking of that, these nose filters work great I can't smell even the faintest hint of vinegar!"

"They are worth every single yuan I paid for them," Herb said, checking his filters were still properly in place. "It's a good thing my parents told me about them. Anyway, let's keep moving."

In silence, the Musk warriors marched on, following the path that went up all the way to the summit of Seven Luck Mountain. The three knew they would have to cross the Four Gates watched over by The Seven Lucky Gods before they reached Royal Tower at the peak, where the dragon prince would meet with the ruler of Nekonron.

"It's interesting how they carved statues on the side of the mountain," Lime observed, staring as they walked at one of the many gigantic sculptures adorning the ascending mountain road.

"I don't like them," Mint sighed. "They're ugly and kind of creep me out."

"What I don't like…" the Tiger Clansman started but was briefly interrupted by a pillar of water suddenly erupting behind them. "Is those cursed geysers, it would be awful to get hit by one… we'd be stinking like vinegar for months!"

Conversation drying again after the short exchange, the three Musk martial artists continued on their way, going up and up until they reached the first of the Gates, a five-story tall construction that blocked the road, the only way to go forward being crossing through it. Before any of the Musk reached the door, however, a tall man walked out to meet them; a muscular bearded warrior who carried a halberd that matched his armor. He appeared to be very strong, and quite skilled with his weapon. Mint and Lime observed him, and after reaching out with their senses to gauge his ki, he decided that this Nekonron soldier was weak, at least when compared to themselves and Herb.

"Why is the Musk Prince here?" The bearded warrior asked as he finally took another step forward. "Nobody told us you would visit."

"And who might you be?" Herb asked, ignoring the soldier's inquiry as he wondered which one of The Seven this warrior was.

"I am Bishamonten, guardian of the First Gate," the man answered. "It is my duty to keep the entrance to Seven Luck Mountain safe."

"I came to see the Prince of Nekonron," Herb said then, standing tall with his arms crossed. "I request free passage through the Five Gates of Seven Luck Mountain for me and my bodyguards."

"We need to know why you wish to see Prince Kirin before we consider granting what you request," Bishamonten said, spreading his arms to signal the Musk soldiers they could not pass.

"My businesses are my own," Herb said, his voice slightly cold now as he didn't like to be questioned in this manner. "But know this: if you don't let us pass, we will walk through you and destroy all gates in our path."

To Bishamonten's credit, he was able to stand his ground even after he felt the powerful battle aura Herb, Mint and Lime suddenly manifested, though he instantly realized a battle against the Dragon Prince and his bodyguards would end with him dead or in the hospital because he now knew none of The Seven could compare with the three Musk warriors in front of him. Knowing he had no other option but to obey, the bearded warrior nodded and respectfully bowed his head.

"It was not my intention to upset you, Lord Herb," he apologized. "If you could please wait for a moment, I will announce your arrival and request all the gates are opened for you."

"Make haste, then," Herb ordered, holding back his battle aura, his two bodyguards following his example as well. "We have already wasted enough time here."

"Y-yes… your highness!" The man said and gulped, rushing back to his tower.

Once inside his personal fortress, Bishamonten wasted no time in calling Ebiten, the second in command of The Seven, to ask for instructions. As he dialed the numbers on his old rotary phone, the panicked Nekonronian silently hoped they didn't have to ask him to stop Herb by force.

'Ebiten here, what's the matter?' A voice answered quickly, much to Bishamonten's relief.

"The Musk Prince and his bodyguards are here at the First Gate and want to see Lord Kirin!" The bearded warrior informed. "They say they'll destroy all Gates if we try to stop them!"

'Prince Herb is in Seven Luck Mountain?' a clearly terrified Ebiten screamed on the phone. 'And he isn't alone, you say?'

"Do… do I let him pass?" Bishamonten asked, fingers crossed for an affirmative answer.

'Of course, you let him pass, you dolt!' Ebiten said, urgency evident in his voice. 'But offer them something to drink or to eat, give me a few minutes to warn the others so they all leave their gates open… I also have to tell Monlon to hide, if the Musk saw her they may try to take her as a bride.'

"…Very well, I'll try to stall them for a bit," the spear-master offered. "But I can't promise anything, Herb didn't seem to be interested in waiting."

'Try!' Ebiten told him and ended the call.

Bishamonten wiped the sweat off his brown and hurried out of his tower, finding Herb's mood had not improved in the slightest. Swallowing his fear, he approached the Dragon Prince and bowed again. "I have informed of your request, it has been granted; you may pass, my Lord."

"Excellent," said Herb, who then called his bodyguards. "Mint, Lime, let's go."

"Uh… Prince Herb… before you go…" Bishamonten called, hoping this wouldn't earn him a trip to the hospital.

"What?"

"Would you like to have something to drink?" the spear master invited. "I have wine, water, rice, and pickles if you wish I could…"

"No. Your offer is appreciated, but we are in a hurry," Herb interrupted coldly, and saying nothing more, he, Mint and Lime went through the First Gate.

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

Later still…

Nekonron Tower was an imposing, fifteen stories tall building erected at the center of the plateau crowning the peak of Seven Luck Mountain, allowing the leaders of the clan a full view of their domain. Herb, Mint, and Lime spared a moment to look back, admiring the breathtaking view of Nekonron during the sunset, and gazing at the village built at the feet of the mountain. The river and the hills beyond it and how the orange light of the setting sun gave it all an almost magical touch. The climb may have been a boring chore, but the three young Musk royals could easily admit this spectacle alone was worth it.

"Greetings, Prince Herb," a voice said behind the young dragon, capturing his attention. The Musk warriors had to give this man credit, as he managed to approach them without making a single sound that revealed his presence.

Herb turned slowly and was met by a short, stocky, and big-eared man who was on his knee, showing him the proper respect. "Greetings… are you the second in command of the Seven?"

"That I am," the man said as he got back on his feet. "I am Ebiten, royal adviser to Prince Kirin. It is an honor to receive such distinguished guests, would you like to enjoy the view for a while longer, or would you prefer to go and meet my lord?"

"We'll meet him now," the dragon prince said. "Lead the way, Ebiten."

"Very well, please follow me."

Once inside the tower, Herb was met by two rows of soldiers standing at attention, bowing respectfully as he passed by. Ebiten then led them to a large room, where comfortable cushions, water, and rice cooked in several different ways were served on trays and, much to Mint and Lime's surprise, there were actual meats and fruit juices on the table, too.

"We prepared some food for you and your companions in case you wished to eat something before meeting Lord Kirin," Ebiten offered, standing next to a large door.

"I see you were considerate enough to cook something that's not pickled," Herb noted. "I am not hungry, but I feel my bodyguards may enjoy an early dinner."

"If they wish to eat, they are free to do so," the short martial artist said. Ebiten was nervous, but he was doing a good job hiding it and was truly hoping the food would keep the Musk happy. It had not been easy to prepare this feast on such short notice and he was extremely thankful that they always kept some 'normal' food in case important visitors arrived.

"Can we, Prince Herb?" Mint asked, remembering to use Herb's title while talking to him in front of other people.

"We would really appreciate it," Lime seconded.

"You may eat your fill," Herb allowed. "I'll probably have dinner with Kirin after we talk, so wait here until I need you. I trust my men will be treated well?"

"As well as your majesty," Ebiten promised. "Prince Kirin is waiting at the top; would you rather take the elevator, or… maybe the stairs? I'll accompany you either way."

"Elevator," the dragon prince said.

"Of course, my Lord, just a moment," the little martial arts master said, pulling a lever discreetly hidden behind a tapestry, activating the clever water-based mechanism that moved the tower's elevator up and down the edifice.

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

A few minutes later…

Herb walked out of the elevator and signaled Ebiten to wait. "I will talk to Kirin alone, stay here and make sure we are not disturbed."

"As you wish," the diminutive fighter said. "Prince Kirin is in the throne room, it's the large door at the end of this hallway."

The Dragon Prince nodded and without answering, made his way down the hall, reaching the door quickly. He reached with his senses and confirmed a strong presence waiting on the other side. This was the strongest power signature he had felt on Seven Luck Mountain; strong enough to impress him, as he imagined Kirin's battle aura at full power would easily be double of what he was letting out.

'It seems at least one of The Seven is a fighter worthy of notice,' Herb thought. While it was true Kirin could not compare to him or any other member of the Dragon Clan, the Nekonron noble was certainly above many Musk warriors, a truly notable feat for a normal human. 'I didn't think Kirin would progress this much in six years… I understand now why my parents respect Nekonron's royal family; they are strong enough to be our allies.'

Thinking this, Herb entered the room.

Kirin, tall and regal, waited while standing next to one of the room's many windows. As usual for him, he carried a bowl of rice in one hand and held long chopsticks in the other. He had been studying when Ebiten told him the prince of the Musk Dynasty was on his way and ordered that they were treated as honored guests once they reached his tower. Not just for his convenience, but because he knew it was the proper, diplomatic thing to do. What he had not expected was to literally feel Herb's powerful ki the moment he reached the peak of the mountain. Herb was clearly much stronger now than when they met six years before when they both were fourteen, and if he had to be honest, Kirin found the dragon prince very intimidating, as he understood now that facing Herb in battle would mean absolute, painful defeat. This was not an appealing thought, so Kirin pushed it out of his mind and instead focused on keeping things amiably with his fellow prince, after all, everything pointed at Herb wanting to discuss something that, with luck, could be beneficial for both the Musk and Nekonronians. Besides, his pride as the Prince of Nekonron demanded he remained calm, and fear was below him anyway. Thus convinced this was not a crisis as Ebiten had warned, Kirin turned to meet Herb.

"It is nice to see you again, Prince Herb," Kirin said. "What brings you to Nekonron?"

"Thank you for seeing me unannounced," Herb replied. "I have come to request assistance."

"I see… perhaps you want to sit down while we speak?" The Nekonron Prince said as he pointed at a table with his chopsticks. "We can have some refreshments brought in if you wish."

"It's not necessary, I don't think our conversation will be long," the young dragon said, just remembering tea made with water from Nekonron had a vinegary taste that he detested, and would rather not have to drink out of compromise.

"Then you can join me for dinner afterward," Kirin invited.

"I accept, dinner will be nice," Herb said and grabbed a seat.

"Very well, what is it you need assistance with?" The Prince of Nekonron asked as he sat in front of the Musk royal.

"I would be very grateful if you arrested any redheaded girls that enter your territory," Herb said after taking in a deep breath, as he knew his request was far from ordinary. "The girls should be between fifteen and nineteen of age if that helps you..."

"This is… unusual," Kirin placed his chopsticks and his rice bowl on the table and linked his fingers as he stared at the Musk Prince. "I'm afraid I need more information before I agree to do this. We don't normally arrest people who enter Nekonron without a good reason, Herb. Doing such would tarnish the reputation of the Seven Lucky Gods."

"I understand, and it is a reasonable question, Kirin," the other prince nodded. "I would ask the same if you came to my castle with a similar request."

Silence fell between the two royal heirs, Kirin giving Herb time to gather his thoughts, as he imagined sharing the reason why he was asking something so strange was not something easy, particularly for someone as prideful as Herb.

"A redheaded girl stole a family treasure from us," the dragon admitted then. "We have not been able to find her. We heard she visited Joketsuzoku and Yakusai, but we lost her after that. We believe she has not left the region because nobody has seen her in Tong Po harbor, but she may try to leave the mountain range by going through Nekonron."

"Or through Ho'O peak," Kirin pointed out. "But the Phoenix people would arrest her the moment they see her, they are not fond of strangers. I imagine that is why you decided I should know about the theft."

"Exactly," Herb said. "Will you help me?"

"Are your parents in the Musk citadel?" Kirin asked after a moment of silence. "I would not like to go behind King Dasuan and Queen Zhima."

"They were summoned to the Capital by the Central Government, same as your parents," Herb replied. "Or are King Hirin and Queen Lirin here?"

"No, they are not," the Nekonron Prince said. "They are also in the Capital. You do understand that if we do this, we will be acting without our parents' approval, Herb?"

"Recovering this family heirloom is a very important matter for the Musk Dynasty, Kirin, and it justifies acting without permission from a higher authority."

"So it seems."

"Must I remind you there is a pact of cooperation between Nekonron and the Dynasty?" Herb said then. "This precedent requires our people working together..."

"The pact our grandparents signed, I know," Kirin recalled. "It is indeed still valid, but it also indicates the party that helps the other will get something in return."

"And I am prepared to offer something," the dragon smiled, as he had expected something like this would happen. "You help me with this, and I am willing to sign a no aggression pact between Nekonron and the Dynasty, effective as soon as both of us are crowned kings of our respective kingdoms."

Kirin's eyebrow rose at the offer, as he realized this would be a great achievement for him, one that would impress his father and work in favor of his people. If Herb kept his word on this and signed such a document, Nekonron would not have had to fear war against The Musk during his lifetime and beyond.

"Do I have your word that you will sign a no aggression treaty?" Kirin asked. "Swear on it and The Seven will do as you request."

"You have my word, which is not lightly given," Herb promised, offering his hand and smiling when Kirin took it. "This pleases me, and I expect both our lands will remain partners and allies for ages to come, my friend."

"Same as I," Kirin smiled back. "Will you travel tonight? I would be honored if you and your bodyguards spend the night at my tower."

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

The redheaded girl appeared to be trapped in a pit of endless darkness with only a corridor leading to a bright but hazy white light in the far-off distance. Despite its eerie appearance, it was the only thing to head for as whenever she looked behind her she could only see the infinite abyss creeping up behind her, trying to take her back, to keep her trapped in the blackness.

"Almost there…" she muttered with worried eyes as the haze of the light enveloped her completely and entirely.

Ranko found herself standing in a rather large and ample room. It was familiar yet not, and much like a typical household living room it was warm and quiet, but it made her feel slightly odd, almost on edge even.

"Have I been here before...?" she wondered as she looked around, going towards the door leading out of the house and, she hoped, to somewhere she was familiar with.

Checking her left side she barely noticed the sound of someone's shoes on the floor right in front of her, an unseen stranger who suddenly appeared in the room and was now keeping Ranko from proceeding further. Blinking her surprise, the redhead found she was now facing a tall boy in red and black clothes just like the ones she was wearing but what shocked her most was the fierce determination in his deep blue eyes.

"I can't let ya' go out there anymore," he declared in a deep and partially aggravated voice.

Ranko froze in terror at the sight of the teenager, given his disposition she could tell it wasn't someone who was looking for a friendly talk.

'Why am I scared? He's not even saying anything terrifying but-but then why is my body damn near paralyzed!?' she thought as she closed her eyes and took a step back.

"Why'd you say that!?" she managed to force herself to ask.

The unknown boy took a deep breath. "It's just been long enough, I need ta' come back… and those things you're doing…"

"Come back?" Ranko repeated, raising her fists just in case she was attacked.

"Don't worry. Once I'm out I'll fix everything, I promise." The young man said. He offered her a smile and reached his hand out to her as if asking her to take it. "You just have ta stay here and…"

"Back off!" the redhead barked as she shivered like some cornered animal. "Don't touch me!"

'Why are we wearing the same clothes!?' she thought now rushing towards the door, escaping him the only thing that suddenly mattered. The boy's hands were mere inches from grabbing her by the shoulders now. She couldn't let him! With one last titanic effort, she gained the door and slammed it shut behind her.

"AAhhh!" Ranko screamed as she sat up on her bed, her brow covered in sweat and her skin still crawling in despair.

"Ra-Ranko?" Ryoga muttered in his sleep as his eyes gently opened.

Frantically, Ranko began to pat herself down, checking her attire even as she saw that she was just in the pajamas Lotion had given her. She relaxed a little, ignoring Ryoga's worried stare even though she knew he was in the bed to her left expecting an answer.

'He almost got me!' she thought as she could feel her quickened breath and sweat dripping off from her chin like morning dew off the blade of some grass.

Sitting up now himself the Lost Boy ignored his need for sleep and blinked a few times. Helping Ranko with whatever worried her was far more important than his sleep. "Hey… are you really alright, Ran?" He inquired with a worried demeanor.

Off to her left, she could see Ryoga was fully awake and about to get off his bed, she took in a deep breath and understood it had all been a very bad, very scary dream. A little calmer now, she managed to finally answer him. "Yes… it was just a nightmare, I'm… I'm ok, Ryo."

"Are you sure?" Ryoga asked, hurriedly moving over so that his hand was touching her forehead.

For Ranko, the way he had moved so quickly to check her temperature was enough to fluster the girl as her cheeks went red. "I'm fine! Really!" she assured as she looked away, seeing that outside it was still really dark.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm right here," Ryoga offered a gentle smile, hoping to encourage her and or just help her calm down.

"You worry too much," Ranko half-heartedly pouted, closing her eyes and crossing her arms.

"Sorry," Ryoga smiled awkwardly while scratching his cheek with his index finger. 'Guess that dream really shook her, hope she's alright.' he considered the notion in his head.

"Just get some sleep," she added as she flipped herself so that her back was facing the Lost Boy.

"Right, you too," Ryoga responded as he made his way back over to his bed, climbing in and resting on his back, falling asleep shortly after.

Internally berating herself for not thanking him, the redhead allowed her expression to soften as she closed her eyes. This attempt lasted a good while but as Ranko tried to fall asleep her mind kept wandering back to that black-haired, blue-eyed boy. She pursed her lips ever so slightly as she struggled to relax well enough to get some actual sleep.

"Ugh…" she groaned, flipping onto her back and opening her eyes, now just staring at the ceiling, "who was that guy anyway?"

She brought her hands to her sides as she reflected again on the dream from earlier. 'Maybe my real boyfriend?' she humored the idea, trying to see if the thought stirred any familiar feelings or memories, it didn't.

"Can't be, then," Ranko dismissed the thought as she didn't experience the tense or lightheadedness feeling she got whenever she was around Ryoga. "That guy definitely felt… he felt like family, maybe?" She pondered as she put a hand to her chin.

"Some brother I'm just 'now' remembering?" The redhead whispered, her voice getting softer to avoid waking Ryoga.

"If so then why did he terrify me so much?" she puzzled, her eyes wandering the ceiling as they appeared to be losing focus. "Felt like sumthin' real bad would've happened if he-"

Ranko left the phrase incomplete for a long while as she rested in silence, listening only to Ryoga's steady breathing as he slept.

"It could've been bad if he got me…" Ranko mumbled tiredly before slowly drifting back to sleep.

The night had come and gone, only to be replaced by the warm light of day. Lotion leads the two young martial artists back to the clearing they used for training. They tiredly followed the ancient master as she leads them to the top of some hill.

"Why are we up so early?" Ranko inquired with a begrudging yawn.

"How come we aren't having breakfast?" Ryoga followed Ranko's question with one of his own.

"You'll get your breakfast when I've heard what I want," Lotion answered, narrowing her eyes and looking at the Lost Boy as she spoke.

Confounding the two they woke up a bit more to quirk their brows in suspicion, seeing as Lotion was asking things like when she first met them. Neither knowing what to expect they stared at her in silence.

"You, boy…" she started by pointing at the Raven-haired teen, meeting Ryoga eye-to-eye.

"Yeah…?" Ryoga questioned cautiously.

"I'd like you to show me the Shishi Hokodan you mentioned before," Lotion confirmed as she put her hands in her sleeves.

"I guess I can try," Ryoga blinked for a moment, wondering where this was going as he closed his eyes and focused on how conflicted he'd be if he got lost and separated from Ranko again.

His own aura began to flicker around him before spreading out surrounding him with an eerie glow. To anyone else they might just notice the sickly glow, but to the trained martial artists around him, they could see the surge of energy fueled by emotion coalescing from his entire being.

"Shishi..." he started as his voice dropped, crossing his arms against each other by his forearms.

To Lotion and Ranko the Lost Boy's aura was now channeling itself through his arms, gathering his power.

"Whoa…" Ranko mumbled as she watched with her arms crossed.

"Hoko..." he continued as his arms loosened, holding his hands out as though he were holding some ball he couldn't quite touch.

"Hmmm…" The Chinese Amazon hummed deeply, narrowing her eyes.

"What exactly did that weird construction worker teach ya'…?" Ranko inquired in a low voice, not really intending for Ryoga to answer while readying his skill.

"…Dan!" The man in yellow roared as his ki flew through the air, its green color leaving a gentle hue in the area as it flew straight into the nearest boulder, destroying it completely as the energy ball exploded on impact.

This display of power clearly impressing the redhead, she gawked while the withered old Amazon nodded her head in appreciation. "You're able to generate quite a bit more ki than the typical person, boy," Lotion commented while still watching the birds and squirrels frantically escaping the surroundings.

"No kidding…" Ranko added as she whispered with wide eyes, still feeling some residual jealousy from Ryoga's ability to throw ki blasts.

"I take it that wasn't at full potential," Lotion remarked, looking at the taller boy.

"I can't make it stronger without forcing my thoughts," Ryoga admitted as he remembered the pain and grief from the battle with Taro.

"I know this technique and how it works," Lotion confessed. "I even know how to perfect it."

While that was being said Ranko was still processing her thoughts as the last time she spoke to her now-boyfriend about this she was too busy being a sore loser over the fact his new skill probably put him above her in skill. "Then why'd ya' ask? Just show us the perfect version instead!" She complained.

"I just wanted to see whether or not he actually knew," Lotion admitted.

"Well, that was about a third of the strongest one I've managed," Ryoga stated, clenching his arms to his sides.

"Yeah, that one was a bit smaller than the first I saw, come to think of it," Ranko looked off to the side, a hand on her chin as she blinked with a serious look.

"Have you by chance used the perfect version?" Lotion asked, continuing to dig for answers.

"I haven't..." Ryoga answered, dodging Lotion's gaze. "Not yet..."

"That thing has a stronger version?" Ranko asked bewildered by the fact, that her left eye twitched, only wanting to shout about how utterly unfair this was all turning out to be for her.

"I haven't been able to decipher the instructions in the scroll," Ryoga said in a way that seemed almost as if he were trying to whisper his shame.

"Is it in some foreign language or sumthin'...?" The blue-eyed girl questioned, tilting her head.

"The final step just has an arrow pointing down," he answered a tad bit slowly as he almost felt dumb for being unable to solve it.

"You'll figure it out in time; that I'm sure of," Lotion encouraged as she really did believe that the young man in front of her was capable of mastering the technique, unlike her other, most impatient student. "There is, however, something I should warn you about the Shishi Hokodan."

"What's that?" Ryoga asked curiously.

"You should avoid becoming reliant on the technique. It's been known to alter the user's ki, oftentimes to states of permanent despair," Lotion explained, alerting him of the skill's potential drawbacks.

"So it basically ruins your life if you use it too much?" Ranko asked incredulously.

"I'll only use it as a last resort!" Ryoga exclaimed before too much worry would be cast.

"See to it that you do," Lotion agreed, nodding her head before opening her eyes.

"I still want to perfect it, though," Ryoga added as he got a look from Ranko, actually seeming worried for once but he had to remind himself that those times of emergency would more than likely just involve keeping his redheaded beauty safe.

"Can I learn it?" Ranko asked out of the blue, looking to both Lotion and Ryoga.

"No. You and the Shi Shi Hokodan would be a poor match," Lotion said as she silently evaluated what she knew about the redhead.

"Why's that?" Ranko quirked a brow, eye twitching.

"Trust me you don't want to," Lotion warned again, putting her hands in her sleeves.

"I only did it because I had no other choice," Ryoga explained.

"And why is he better for it than me, huh?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Because his ki is far more in tune with heavy emotions than yours," she answered without hesitation. "Plus the vast reserves that still dwell within him."

"Shows what you know!" Ranko replied defiantly as she pointed at the old geezer. "Tell me how it works and I swear I can master it too!" she declared, looking to her friend who appeared to be second-guessing himself.

"Tell her," Lotion said to Ryoga as his gaze fell on her. "It's best if she sees what I mean."

The Lost Boy nodded and looking over to Ranko he remembered how it had been explained to him. "First, you take a sad thought and make it heavy with your ki..."

"Think I can manage that," Ranko closed her eyes and focused on the most despairing thoughts she could think of and found there was very little that genuinely made her sad; afraid, maybe, like the nightmare she had, but not sad or miserable. She decided to settle on her recent misadventures, which managed to make her feel somewhat down.

"Seems like she might have the idea," Lotion provided some commentary as she watched Ranko's aura slowly build around her.

"Shishi..." Ranko muttered as all her brushes with death and rotten luck filled her mind.

"It feels off…" Ryoga provided as the wind around Ranko began to gently sway her hair.

"Hoookoooo..." the redhead's voice dropped further as she extended her hands, a golden orb coming out from her hands as if she had been inflating it with her breath, 'Come on...! Need something sad...!' she thought desperately, until remembering how she first felt when she thought Ryoga might have fallen in a pit of spikes… only to feel relief when she remembered he was fine afterward.

"Wait! I think she's got it!" Ryoga's eyes widened as he noticed a wave of sadness erupt from the girl's aura.

"Think again," Lotion said right before Ranko finished.

"Daaannnn...!" Ranko screamed as the ball of ki popped out of her hand and drifted around in circles, knocking into things but flying harmlessly into them like some corporal balloon.

"Well, she tried…" Ryoga gawked, really having expected her to nail that with her usual finesse.

"Your ki is too light and your personality is too bright to truly harness the Shishi Hokodan," Lotion spoke plainly, shaking her head.

"Okay. So hows about teaching me something else," Ranko said, an embarrassed blush on her face.

"Perhaps there is something I could show you," Lotion said, musing as she scratched her chin.

"A ki attack, maybe?" She inquired, uncertainly and possibly hopefully.

"Yes, one that could very well match a perfect Shi Shi Hokodan, even…" Lotion retorted, narrowing her eyes.

"I should have known you'd have something up your sleeve!" Ryoga crossed his arms, smiling a little.

"Though I still have yet to decide whether or not Ranko would be best suited for it," The wise Amazon said. "It is a dangerous technique to learn after all."

"Of course, you can teach it to me!" Ranko exclaimed with a confident smirk, gesturing to herself with her thumb.

"Perhaps," Lotion gave the same response, much to Ranko's annoyance. "Right now you two need to prepare for in the next three days as you two will go acquire the final ingredient needed for Ryoga's cure," she explained as she made her way back to the house.

Putting her hands behind her head the redhead girl mumbled the following...

"I swear I'm gonna make you teach me that technique, ya' old geezer..."

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