Down the mountain road…
As Jurojin watched, the creaking noise grew louder and morphed into the sound of rocks crumbling and falling apart. He could hardly believe what he was witnessing - and then, all at once, the earth surrounding Ryoga erupted into an almost blinding white light. Without a moment to spare, Jurojin reached up to cross his arms over his face, protecting himself from the onslaught of flying debris. The force of the explosion was like taking a close-range shotgun blast. Stinging bits of stone pelted Jurojin in all directions, sending him skidding back several feet from the epicenter.
Lowering his arms he noticed the rocks that had loosely been embedded into his arms and legs, Jurojin flicked the bits of rock off his body, making light scattering sounds as they rained onto the ground in front of him.
Seething with pain and anger he turned to see that a dust cloud was still in the midst of settling. Although there was something in the middle, the shadow of a familiar person, Jurojin knew it could only be one person but he didn't want to believe it.
His eyes widened for a second before he felt his still-warm blood coming down the side of his face, practically going into his eye. Reaching a hand up he touched the warm crimson fluid and stared at it while it dried on his fingertips.
From the upper corner of his eye, he noticed Ryoga's form was still standing! That wasn't all! Within the haze Ryoga could be seen holding out his pointer finger, almost as if he had rang the doorbell at someone's house.
"What-what did you do?" Jurojin inquired coldly while clenching his blood-soaked fingertips inward, balling it into a fist, the rest of his body quickly shifting into an appropriate offensive stance.
"That?" Ryoga asked with an equally icy tone. "That's a technique called the Bakusai Tenketsu and I just used it to clear away all that rubble…" The black-haired teen continued before letting his voice drag out unknowingly sounding menacing.
Though he was standing and sounding so concentrated, it was far from the truth, the arm he had used to perform his skill was oozing blood as well as his own forehead, a scarlet stain forming on his bandanna.
Wordlessly Ryoga began walking over to Jurojin with a strong and prideful stride in his steps. To further cement that feeling he casually dusted his shoulder off as if it hadn't even hurt.
"Gotta' say the last time I felt something like this was when I was still mastering the Bakusai Tenketsu," Ryoga remarked in such a cocky-sounding way that it might have even made Ranko proud, had she been there.
Jurojin's mouth went wide momentarily, it looked as though he had something to say but couldn't find the right words with how nothing had come out, 'Is he somewhat superhuman or something? Nobody should be able to walk after that! Let alone marching their way over to me!' He thought in a bitter but also flabbergasted manner.
Shaking his head and reminding himself not to let his resolve waver, the man in black regained his composure just in time to see that his Lost Foe was only a few feet away from him. Shocked to see Ryoga so close, the royal guard swung a strong haymaker toward the cold deadpan of his enemy's face.
"Huh!?" Jurojin gasped out as he saw that the raven-haired teen caught his closed fist in his hand.
"That was a mistake," Ryoga shook his head once before yanking the black-clad man's body towards himself.
Jurojin cried out in pain as his torso had been damn near rocketed into Ryoga's iron-like fist, as it struck him straight in the stomach so hard that the wind had been thoroughly knocked out of his lungs.
There was no longer any doubt in Jurojin's mind, this stranger from another land was more than human. His gut wretched, helping to deter the pain shooting around the point of impact.
"Noooow! Stay down!" Ryoga roared out as he grabbed the unofficial Lucky God below the collar, pulling him down and slamming his back with what he had hoped wasn't lethal for an enemy as strong as this.
Crack!
The second Jurojin's back was forcefully rammed into the mountainside trail, the ground beneath them appeared to shatter like the glass of a car window.
Jurojin closed his eyes shut, his arms flopping to his sides as he lay there; motionless.
"Ah damn! Did I overdo it!?" Ryoga kneeled down and looked at Jurojin's now relaxed and beaten face.
Putting two fingers to his neck Ryoga checked for any signs of a pulse, sighing contently when he saw that there was still life in him, he stood up straight with a rather somber expression.
"It's been an honor fighting someone as strong as you are but Ranko needs me right now…" Ryoga complimented his enemy, clapping his hands together and closing his eyes before bowing.
Once he had straightened his back he looked around until he spotted his backpack, focusing on it he calmly made his way over to it.
"Sorry you have to disappoint her but you haven't won yet!" Jurojin's voice rang out behind the wanderer.
"H-How?" Ryoga questioned after gasping when he turned around to see that despite bashing this other man into a crater, there he was; still standing.
For Jurojin it was funny really, so much so that he chuckled for a brief moment before wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth.
"A royal guard can't be so easily defeated, besides, if I can take getting hit by geysers point-blank for weeks when training then I can handle your attacks too!" Jurojin declared with renewed vigor, 'I have to admit, I don't usually get this fired up unless I'm sparring with-' Jurojin pondered as an image of the Prince himself appeared.
"Guess I'll have to hit even harder than that," Ryoga remarked with a sigh, 'I don't know if that's true or if he's just trying to act tough right now but I really need to get back to you Ranko,' Ryoga thought to himself with an inward groan.
"Haaa!" Jurojin screamed as he pumped his arms to his sides, dashing forward to kick Ryoga.
Getting lost in his thoughts longer than he would have liked to admit, Ryoga witnessed Jurojin trying to kick one of his hips. Going bug-eyed for a split second the raven-haired teen took a quick hop backward before lunging forward with a powerful straight punch.
With eyes that resembled pin-needles, the brunette redirected Ryoga's strike with his forearm, at the same time his other hand moved in to catch hold of the Lost Martial Artist's shirt.
"Now you stay down!" The would-be member of the Seven ordered as he then shot out one of his legs and maneuvered it behind one of Ryoga's.
Seeing the tables getting turned on him the Lost Man found himself falling backward, his opponent had taken advantage of his momentum and was now about to try and punch him!
Glaring at Jurojin he brought one of his forearms up to block it before using the other to perform a handstand which he then used to backflip away from Nekonron's future shadow hand.
The instant Ryoga was back on both his feet he moved in to close the gap between them, roaring as he threw a wide but swift kick at his foe's head, 'I'll have to leave myself open but that'll have to be my chance!' he thought.
Ducking under Ryoga's powerful kick Jurojin's eyes set their targets on Ryoga's neck, once up and straight he threw out his palm and hurled it against Ryoga's throat.
It was then that Ryoga felt the sting of having his windpipe obstructed by someone hitting it. Choking in pain the fang-toothed wanderer opened his mouth, releasing a muffled and pained groan.
Wham!
Jurojin literally didn't know what hit him but if he had seen it, he would have seen Ryoga's backhanded punch colliding with his side hard enough to send him tumbling all the way to their things.
Growling in anger the Non-Lucky God forced himself to stop on his right knee.
"D-Dammit!" Jurojin muttered with one eye closed, breathing deeply as he cringed in pain while holding his injured side.
Wheezing in pain for a bit, Ryoga focused long enough to look around and hold a hand over his throat. "Have to-" he began but had to stop to clear his throat by coughing until some precious air could make it into his lungs.
Jurojin looks up to see that Ryoga was still standing and to make matters worse appeared to be making his way over while gradually easing his hand away from his throat. With what felt like a titanic effort the brunette forced his legs to try and come to a shaky stand just as Ryoga was back within arm's length.
It was then that the two started throwing punches wildly, neither bothering to even dodge as from the looks of it they were both a little too winded for such movements.
It had now evolved into a desperate struggle between two capable men, each grunting and groaning with every hit that landed.
Though the longer their fistfight continued the slower and weaker Ryoga could feel Jurojin's attacks becoming.
"Ah!" Jurojin cried out as he was struck across the cheek causing him to reel backward a bit, only for the Lucky God to narrow his eyes and lunge forward to return the favor.
"Now!" Ryoga declared as he bent his knees a little and launched himself ever so slightly enough to make him fast enough to land an intense right hook.
The weakened unofficial member of the Seven fell onto his knees, clenching his stomach with both arms.
Upon witnessing this Ryoga closed his eyes, feeling confident that now must have been this sudden enemy's limit.
"Y-you're amazing," Jurojin wheezed out as he looked up at Ryoga with half-open eyes. "But I'm afraid I can't let a man so strong take on my wife…" He said before his voice trailed off, becoming strangely gravelly and dogmatic sounding.
It was then that Ryoga appeared annoyed by just how resistant this other man was trying to be, 'He's on his knees and he's still-' he thought.
"I swear I'll protect Monlon from you!" Jurojin defiantly replied as he gathered his ki, causing his hair to sway as well as Ryoga's.
Not wanting to deal with this any more than he had to, The Lost Man raised one of his arms to strike Jurojin one more time.
Suddenly moving into a standing position in front of Ryoga with both of his arms extended out at the same time! Jurojin's hands generated a black sphere of ki that crashed into the center of the directionally cursed teen's frame!
"Kage No Bakudan!" Jurojin exclaimed loudly as the dark ball in his hands exploded upon contact with Ryoga's torso.
Boom!
Even though the ki being released came out as black, the blast at first released a blinding white light, a light that only the shadows that had been left standing there before the explosion could be seen, the shadowy center expanded outward as a secondary blast wave came roaring out.
"Ugh…" Jurojin's voice groaned in agony as his arms dropped to his sides, lowering his head from fatigue, he could see that he was in a small knee-deep hole, 'That was far too close, though Monlon should be safe now,' he thought as he fell to a kneeling position, his legs wobbling.
The sound of shuffling dirt hit the unfortunate Lucky God's ears. His eyes opened in surprise but there was little more he could do but hope this was just one final act of defiance before going back down.
"That was even stronger than the first guy's technique!" Ryoga commented as he sounded as though he was wincing a little.
Slowly Jurojin looked up to see that Ryoga was in a seated position, a hand over the blast point. At first, the brunette had felt a glimmer of hope as he saw that it didn't appear exactly easy for Ryoga to get back up.
That idea quickly died once he had gotten back on his feet, walking towards Jurojin at a snail's pace, 'I mustn't let it end this way! He has to be just as tired! Just as!' The Unlucky God thought to himself with grit teeth, getting back up onto his feet.
"You have to stop…" Ryoga warned with a soft voice, shaking his head.
"Nev-" Jurojin exclaimed as he elevated a trembling fist, he tried to thrust it forward but reeling it back had caused him to fall on his back.
FWAP!
Once the shadow hand hit the ground, his arms flopped down to his sides, looking as though he was doing a 'T' pose.
Grinding his teeth together before relaxing his face, Jurojin closed his eyes.
Cautiously Ryoga waited for a bit, his eyes watching for subtle hints that his enemy was just faking being defeated for a surprise attack. His eyes widened as Jurojin's body jerked ever so slightly, making Ryoga take an offensive stance, only for him to see that his enemy was beaten but still conscious as by the attempts at moving that amounted to little more than gentle sparks of movement.
"Now about that promise of yours," Ryoga reminded the fallen warrior as he strode over to see Jurojin open a strained eye.
"Of-of course! A promise is a promise…" Jurojin's voice trailed as he wasn't just reminded about his deal but that he had failed to live up to his promise of not losing, 'If I could just m-move I could e-end this but my-my arms won't respond!' the unofficial Lucky God thought to himself, trying to will his body by commanding his beaten form; still not getting anything but sudden little jerking motions.
"Do you still wanna fight?" The Lost Victor asked of the Not So Fortunate would be Lucky God as he kneeled in front of him.
Rather than offering an immediate rebuttal Jurojin forced as much of what he had left inside him to move! Grunting with what sounded like another titanic effort, the brown-haired man managed to sit up.
Ryoga did nothing but stare coldly, the signs of hesitation he once felt before had now faded. He could tell that when Jurojin sat up he tried to move his arms. This too failed, causing the man clad in black to shake his head from side to side with a defeated smile.
"I'd love to keep going but I'm afraid I can't, so that means I concede defeat and will do as I had promised," Jurojin retorted but as he kept talking he realized something would get in the way of this promise.
Ryoga appeared confused by this, making him tilt his head to one side.
"Just as soon as I can stand up and walk you there…"
Ryoga momentarily lost balance by how sudden that was, his hands warding evil before he straightened himself out, "Well duh!" He exclaimed then facepalmed in annoyance, 'Maybe I ought to carry him, who knows what could be happening to Ranko…' the directionally cursed teen pondered.
"I know I lost but all that I ask is that you don't fight my wife Monlon…" Jurojin lowered his head a bit as his eyes trembled.
Seeing how genuinely upset Jurojin was about breaking his promise to his loved one, the fang-toothed man hummed for a moment.
"Alright, I promise not to hurt your wife," Ryoga said with a small smile, most likely because he could sympathize with wanting to keep a loved one safe.
"Monlon isn't my wife yet," Jurojin clarified suddenly with a slight blush and a chuckle.
"Huh?" Ryoga blinked with his mouth slightly agape.
"I just called her that because I got caught in the heat of the moment! I do intend to pop the question soon enough though…"
And at the next Castle Gate…
Meeting Monlon eye to eye again was Ranko as she grinned knowingly at the teal-haired woman. "I asked you how you're awake!?" she demanded of the redhead.
Forgoing an answer Ranko instead replied by spinning her legs around until she could propel herself back onto her feet.
"Huh!?" Monlon honestly hadn't expected that but didn't have long to dwell on it before having to dodge Ranko's legs by taking a few hurried steps back, barely evading the leg kicks by side-stepping them.
"You're pretty tough so I'll give you that but ya aren't as strong as you think, letting me play dead long enough gave me a chance to rest, an' recover," Ranko said as she eased herself into a comfortable fighting stance.
To which Monlon could only narrow her eyes in irritation.
"But you better be ready to get serious cuz round two is coming up and we still got us some unfinished business…" Ranko's voice trailed with a low growl despite how eager she appeared to settle said business.
"Are you really going to try and make me pay?" Monlon questioned while returning the smirk Ranko was now giving her.
"I brought your dear friend to her destined Prince, so I ask, what kind of friend are you?" The teal-haired Luck God questioned while stifling a chuckle in her chest that from the sounds of it sounded maniacal.
"I'm pretty damn sure her parents won't forgive you for the pain you caused kidnapping Lychee and neither would I, you messed up freak!" Ranko answered but in her own way.
Instead of a look of annoyance or irritation like Ranko had come to expect, she instead was met with a stifled laugh, Monlon could no longer hold back her wicked laughter.
"What's so funny you hag?" Ranko inquired while tilting a brow up.
"You can't be this stupid!" Monlon declared while pointing at the redhead in front of her.
A scowl appeared on the redhead's face as she then narrowed her eyes.
"Because even if we took Lychee by force, her position as The New Princess of Nekonron would have had us escort her back to her parents when she returns to announce her engagement! So! All this resistance is an utter waste of time and unless you want to ruin the chances of keeping her 'friendship' and her happiness, I'd suggest you come quietly with me!" Monlon defended as there was a dangerous-looking glint in her eye.
Ranko was at a loss for words, she hadn't expected that and hadn't even considered that as a possibility, 'Am I really just hurting her with all this?' she imagined Lychee scoffing at the sight of her before going to a Prince shaped silhouette in her mind.
If Monlon's eye movements could be compared to something it was a targeting computer as her eyes sped through her options. Within an instant the Lucky God seemingly vanished before reappearing in front of Ranko, delivering a spinning kick onto the redheaded martial artist's shoulder.
With shocked eyes the redhead took the hit, buckling her legs as she stumbled to her side but ultimately resisted the attack. Seizing the opportunity as best as Ranko could she tried to land a swift punch with the arm that was getting kicked.
"What a terrible friend you turned out to be, you don't really care about our Princess' happiness, you're only worried about your own!" Monlon said while elegantly side-stepping Ranko's attack, closing her eyes with a knowing smirk.
About to go rushing back into the fray the redhead stopped moving altogether, her arm poised and at the ready but still, she seemingly froze in place. "It isn't like that!" Ranko denied as she shut her eyes.
It was then Monlon disappeared again, coming back once she was standing behind the redhead while lunging forward with her elbow extended and aimed for the center of Ranko's shoulder blades.
"Ah!" Ranko screamed out in pain as she was pushed forward by the force put behind Monlon's sneak attack.
Not wasting any time the teal haired Lucky God once again retreated to a safe distance away from the redhead, 'She's much stronger than expected but not only that she's faster than me at times, so then what would be my best strategy? Perhaps it would be best to keep her distracted and avoid any close battles?' She pondered while maintaining her spectral image as best she could.
Turning around Ranko tried landing another swift punch, only for Monlon to mockingly pirouette her way to safety. Feeling like the veins on her head were bulging from sheer annoyance she wanted nothing more than to land a finishing blow on her enemy.
A pain shot through the amnesiac's mind as she felt a powerful pulsation striking her shoulder, causing her arms to stiffen suddenly.
Circling her adversary Monlon narrowed her eyes in a way one might imagine a snake would before pouncing on its prey, 'It seems this one is more broken than I first thought, now should be my chance to finish her,' she mused to herself.
"Stop deluding yourself! You're not here for some noble endeavor, you're just here because you want to keep Lychee all to yourself! That's not what a friend would do! What you're really after is to control her!" Monlon fired off one after the other, speaking with a concerned tone as if she were scolding Ranko.
"It ain't like that! Our friendship is the real deal! All I want is to save her!" Ranko exclaimed more to herself than Monlon, just trying to make sure she could live with herself.
As Ranko spoke in her defense Monlon's concerned frown flipped upside down into a confident smile, suddenly she exerted enough force to seemingly blink out of existence before returning above the redhead having done a half somersault in the air and a half twist in one fluid motion.
"Huh!?" Ranko gasped as she felt the Lucky Goddess' hands grab her shoulders.
Opening her eyes at just the right moment, Monlon used her momentum to bring her knees crashing directly in between Ranko's shoulder blades yet again.
"Gah!" The pigtailed girl screamed as her arms convulsed upon impact.
Pushing herself off of Ranko with both arms and knees the elegant egotist landed gracefully on one knee before coming to a beautiful stand.
Ranko's face collided with the ground with enough excess pressure to slide across the dirt until she stopped. After fighting off all the pains that came with Monlon's attack, the amnesiac couldn't help but mull over Monlon's words.
"Am I really trying to control her? Keep her to myself just because I don't have anyone else to call a friend? A-am I really that selfish?" the redhead questioned herself quietly, choking up as she asked herself that final question.
Recalling how Lychee looked while they laughed at Jasmine's reply to Ranko's praise, remembering how genuinely happy Lychee looked as she uttered a nickname close to the redhead's heart.
"I'm glad we're friends, Hóng fā,"
Those words repeated themselves in Ranko's head like a voice bouncing around in an echo chamber, remembering how Lychee's laughter had been when she uttered the following.
"So, Chéng fā, and Hóng fā, huh? I guess we make quite a pair."
The redhead focused on how happy she was to have someone to talk to and to laugh with as friends, "I only wanted Lychee to be happy too…" Ranko's voice dragged out as something started dawning on her, 'Who's to say she was happy about being taken away forcefully from her family!? And what guarantee does she have of even liking this Kirin punk!? Hell! How do we know this guy's the one the scroll belongs to!?' Ranko's sensible side remerged with a vengeance and a seriously ticked-off inner monologue.
Coming back to her senses her subconscious mind helped with more reasons, letting them flow out and into her mindscape, 'For all I know she could be lying!' Ranko pondered further on the matter of her orange-haired friend.
"I was thinking you could come to Bao instead," the elephant tamer invited with a smile. "We can have another sleepover, and if you stay for a couple of days we can even go camping near the river, what do you say?"
"I say…" Ranko chuckled. "I say it sounds awesome! It'll have to wait for a bit, though, Ryoga and I still have to do some errands for Lotion, but I'll call you as soon as we're back, how's that sound?"
"These memories of mine aren't who I once was but the me I am now knows that I'm doing the right thing! And I ain't about to let a lying witch like you make me break my promise!" the pigtailed martial artist declared as she pushed herself up off the ground with wobbling arms.
Monlon throughout the shorter girl's internal coaching merely watched in an amused way, her smug look shifted drastically as she heard the sound of the dirt beneath Ranko scraping between her fingers and clothes.
"You've already lost! Don't make me have to beat you within an inch-" The incarnation of Benzaiten began as she took a few steps toward her struggling enemy.
It was then that Ranko's eyes shot open within an instant, immediately getting back onto her feet as she closed the distance between Monlon and her. Surprised by her enemy's amazing speed she knew she had to put some space between them right now! Unfortunately, Ranko was blitzing her so hard that when she tried the redhead would throw a swift punch or kick.
Now was the time for Monlon to start panicking! Every punch the Lucky God managed to evade only seemed to enrage and push the redhead in front of her to try harder and faster than the last attack. The once confident Lucky Goddess had no choice but to try and block or deflect the vortex of fists, unable to find a blind spot in Ranko's stance simply because she couldn't keep up.
Monlon's head bent back as she took a punch on the cheek, shutting her eyes as a white light flashed through her closed eyes. Followed by that she hunched over from a punch to the gut, causing her to gasp for air before taking another two swift punches.
First Monlon's right shoulder, then her left shoulder, each hit pushing her further back towards her gate.
"Hhhaaa!" Ranko let out a rage-filled battle cry as she performed a spinning kick with all the force she could muster against the side of Monlon's midriff.
All the teal-haired beauty could hear was the ringing of her ears as she spun around from Ranko's kick before crashing against the corner of her gate where the building's archway and the side of the mountain met.
"Now stay there!" Ranko ordered as she landed back on her feet, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, massaging her neck in annoyance.
Monlon's hearing cleared after her back hit the wall harder than she had time to adjust for, all she knew was that now it was much, much harder to move as she slid down until she was in a seated position.
"And don't get in my way anymore, because I'm saving my friend Lychee and nothings gonna stop me!" Ranko declared while clenching a fist out in front of her.
Baring her own set of fangs the teal-haired woman fought with every ounce of strength she had to place her hands against the wall behind her, 'I am not finished! I have to show them all what I'm worth! Show 'him' I can go just as far!' Monlon thought motivating herself to keep going, there was far too much at stake for her to just stop!
"I'm afraid I can't let you continue," Monlon shut her eyes while smiling as some blood fell from the corner of her mouth.
Beaten was the best way to describe Monlon in this instance but despite that, she still maintained that oh-so-annoying smug sense of superiority. Lowering her arm she closed her eyes, the redhead didn't even want to indulge in someone who was just clearly bluffing.
"I have to congratulate you, you've forced me to use my most powerful technique!" Monlon exclaimed as she stood up straight, letting her battle aura shine, revealing its pinkish hue as she then lunged at the martial artist with her arm reeled back.
"Tamashī no Hibana!" Monlon called out the name of her attack as it went soaring toward Ranko's face at a downward angle.
"In your dreams!" Ranko declared as she jumped back at the last moment, her back facing the mountainside just as she was about to fully form a smirk on her face.
BOOM!
Monlon's attack may have missed but much like a landmine had a radius, Ranko was still very much within the blast zone when the Lucky Goddess' fist came crashing down into the ground, sending the blue-eyed girl flying backward onto the mountain's side during the middle of her escape jump.
Ranko felt the wind getting knocked out of her as well as the pulsating and nearly crippling pain shooting through the spot in between her shoulder blades, 'That witch must of planned those hits! But wait, that means I'm open for an attack!' she thought to herself as she looked up to where she had last seen the ethereal-looking Lucky God.
Letting out deep pain-stricken huffs was what the teal-haired woman was doing, with a glossed-over look in her eyes she allowed her head to drop as the hand she hadn't used to expend all that ki reached up to grab the side of her stomach, 'That damn kick on top of using the Tamashī no Hibana…' Monlon thought as she winced at even the lightest of touches on her wound.
Seeing this Ranko knew she had to act now, she had to get up! The martial artist needed to be there for Ryoga! She needed to save her friend! Her legs buckled and shook but continued anyways, finally standing on her own two feet.
"Now to…" Ranko's voice trailed as she made her arms shake before doing nothing, 'Come on! Not now! Give it all you got!' she demanded of herself in her thoughts as her arms quaked while they ascended in front of her.
Monlon raised her head once she finished enduring the utter agony coursing through her body, and gave Ranko a bitter stare.
"You should just give up!" Ranko barked with an annoyed growl in her throat.
"I-I refuse! I've sworn to uphold my duty and to protect this gate with my life!" Monlon explained tiredly as she limped her way over to block Ranko's path.
"If that's how its gotta' be, then that's how its gotta be…" Ranko remarked as her voice softened while she spoke; opening her eyes slowly.
"Hhhaaa…!" The two shouted at each other in unison as they both unleashed sluggish but strong physical attacks.
Grunting at the same time the two stood like statues, the teal-haired woman's fist landed on Ranko's cheek whereas the redhead's shin once again struck Monlon's already hurt side.
There was a pause, Ranko staggering back as she fought to maintain her balance, for a second she lost it before she course-corrected and put the one foot that had gotten off the ground back onto it.
THUD!
Monlon collapsed right where she stood, falling to her knees with her head slightly arched back and eyes closed; flopping onto her side.
"Finally! Geez!" Ranko complained while relaxing her expression, breathing a bit heavy as she made time to catch her breath.
Moving her shoulders back and forth the pigtailed victor did this until she felt her shoulders pop a bit, feeling a little better than they had before she took the time to give the Lucky Goddess one last glance.
"Even if I said you weren't as strong as you wanted everyone to think, you still gave me one hell of a fight…" Ranko complimented her fallen adversary before going through the next gate.
At the Royal Tower…
Lychee and Kirin sat across from each other in the grand dining room of the Royal Tower. The room was opulent, with walls covered in gold leaf and crystal chandeliers that sparkled in the soft light.
Kirin had raised his cup and silently began drinking from it, closing his eyes he hummed quietly to himself.
"Do you not want to talk about the Phantom Claw anymore?" Lychee inquired about the Prince and or her future boyfriend.
"Forgive me for I was merely considering how best to tell the tale! Mustn't be boring my lovely guest, especially for this, since it's something I think you'll need to know." Kirin began apologetically, lowering his cup before clearing his throat.
Lychee blinks with a childlike wonder in her eyes, nodding her head approvingly.
"The aftermath of that battle meant that the Seven would forever have to be reorganized, they were to begin fortifying their defenses again, including refortifying the walls surrounding our fair city, establishing agreements with Yakusai as well as Shangjie, soldiers from those towns, and finally they were to improve trade among them," Kirin's tale began with him keeping his eyes closed, opening them halfway through his explanation.
"This is all very interesting my Prince but it does make me wonder why I've never heard of anything like this happening with Bao…" Lychee's voice trailed, wondering if maybe this had already happened or if Nekonron had yet to.
"During that time my father decided it would be best to focus our energies on those villages for they were much closer to Tong Po harbor from where many of the goods that follow the river came from," Kirin answered but something had dawned on him so a gentle smile spread across his face.
Lychee seemed a bit disheartened, averting her eyes for a second.
"Though when we are to be King and Queen, we can most certainly look forward to increasing our cooperation between Nekonron and the people of Bao…" Kirin said as his tone took on a more shy but still somewhat confident tone.
Blushing so deeply that she didn't know what to say or think, Lychee placed her hands on either side of her face, 'This would be really good for Bao! I'm so flattered that-that Kirin is already thinking so far ahead! No! Don't forget! I cannot agree until all this misunderstanding with Hóng fā is settled! Perhaps steering the subject to something else would be for the better!' she urged her inner thoughts to remain strong, someone close to her was risking themselves for her.
"H-Have you any other friends, my Prince?" Lychee asked with a barely noticeable stutter in her response, something which she wish she had control of, 'Allowing him to think about his friends could let my Prince see my point, help him understand how I feel about endangering my dearest friend,' she thought as she choked a bit, glad that she could control herself long enough to hear what Kirin had to say.
Not expecting that sort of sudden shift in topic the Prince blinked before pursing his lips, putting his cup down as he leaned back. "The other members of the Seven are those I'd call friends, does that suffice?" He inquired.
"Have you any friends that aren't of the Seven?" Lychee inquired curiously, that sounded more like work friends rather than any regular friend.
It was Kirin's turn to avert his eyes now, needing a good moment to consider answering he nods, "There is one but it has been quite a while since I've last seen him, ever since he went off training…" Kirin's face trailed as he neared the end of his retort, looking as though he must have been reminiscing.
With a glimmer of hope sparkling in her eyes the future Queen of Nekonron couldn't help but think how good this must have been for her cause, "Can you tell me of this friend?" the strawberry blonde prodded Kirin further.
"His name is Jurojin, the eldest son of the current Royal bodyguard, I recall when we were younger we used to play by the river, have sparring matches when we got older, even hang out with one another on occasion, one time we explored the mountains beyond the royal tower when we had the chance!" At first, there appeared to be a somewhat melancholic expression on Prince Kirin's face but it evolved into a warm smile and eventually, it ended in a pleasantly surprised-sounding tone of voice.
"I take it you miss Jurojin very much?" Lychee asked softly.
Going silent as Lychee spoke, the future king of Nekonron allowed her words to sink in before nodding.
"I do miss my old friend, and I would certainly like to see him again," Kirin admitted with a slightly embarrassed chuckle.
In a different section of the tower…
The door to a small cramped room opened inwardly, on the other side was the maid from earlier, looking around her room to see her usual small desk, her dresser, and then lastly the bed in the center of it all.
Reaching into a pocket on her apron, she gathered a small key from inside; a small key which she used to slowly lock the door behind her. She casually made her way over to the side of her bed, she stared at it for a moment before narrowing her eyes in a calm intensity.
Getting down on both knees she reached under her bed, pulled out a box, opened it and she hummed in her throat, 'It's time I do what I was sent here to do, now is the perfect cover while the Seven are distracted by someone else…' She thought to herself as she picked up the box, reaching a hand inside.
"Now is as good as any opportunity to get close to the Prince…" The maid whispered before trailing off.
Meanwhile, at the fourth Castle Gate…
Walking on unsteady legs, Monlon slowly entered the phone room of her gate and fell on her knees as soon as she was in front of her old rotary phone. Breathing hard, focusing hard on staying conscious, she managed to reach for the phone and slowly, very slowly, dialed the numbers to call the next Castle Gate.
As she sat on the floor, her body trembled with exhaustion and pain. She had managed to remain in a sitting position by leaning on the wall as she waited for Ebiten to answer the call, remaining conscious only by pure strength of will. Monlon wondered if the last Lucky God had already been defeated, but reasoned it was not possible. Ebiten was the oldest member of The Seven and, even if he didn't look it at first sight, was the most skilled member of the group second only to Prince Kirin, there was no way that redhead could defeat the master of the Fishing Rod Fist, no way at all.
The woman started to fear her senior had been defeated but suddenly, Ebiten finally picked up the phone.
"Yes?" Ebiten asked.
"It's… Monlon…" the woman managed to get out between pained breaths.
"Is everything alright?" He asked in a concerned voice. "You don't sound well, what happened?"
"I… lost," Monlon said weakly, "the redhead is… on her way to… your gate."
"Are you okay?" he asked, an honest worry present in his voice.
"Yes, I… I just need to… rest," Monlon said, hoping to hide a little of the pain she was in. "But you should be… careful… no matter what… don't underestimate that… redhead."
"I won't," Ebiten answered after hesitating for a moment. "Try to rest, I'll send someone to help you once I've captured that redheaded girl."
"Yes… I'll be here… good luck," she said and managed to end the call. Once she did so, Monlon finally collapsed on her side and felt she was about to faint.
"Juro, I… I should have... told you that I... I love…" she murmured, before she could complete the phrase consciousness finally escaped her.
Meanwhile, at the next Castle Gate…
Ebiten hung up the phone, his expression a mix of concern, surprise, and fear, as he had never expected the day every member of The Seven was defeated one after the other would come during his lifetime. For this to have happened… that redhead and her boyfriend were surely stronger than they had ever imagined.
"No wonder the Musk Prince wants them captured," he thought. "But… unless they are so strong they defeated my fellow Lucky Gods with great ease… those two invaders must be weakened by now, perhaps weakened enough for me to finish them off and capture them."
"Still!" he said with newfound determination. "I must report this to Prince Kirin at once!"
His choice made, the master of the Tsurizao no Ken quickly called the Royal Tower, knowing quite well the Prince had to learn of what had happened.
And at the Royal Tower…
"Greetings, this is Yu Nuo, you have reached Nekonron's Royal Tower, please state your business," a maid said once she answered the phone.
"I am Ebiten of the Seven, and I must speak to Prince Kirin at once!" the master of the Fishing Rod Fist demanded. "Tell him this is an urgent matter, hurry!"
"My apologies, Lord Ebiten," the maid said, her voice matching the urgent tone of the Lucky God. "I will call Prince Kirin right away, please wait, I won't take long."
This said, Yi Nuo left the handset on the table and rushed out of the little office where the phone was. It didn't take her long to reach the tea room where the prince and his future wife were currently, and she made a quick stop to check if she was presentable before knocking on the door.
"Come on in," Kirin said from the other side of the door, "But make it quick."
"Prince Kirin, I am sorry for the interruption," the maid said once she opened the door, but not daring to further enter the room uninvited. "Lord Ebiten is on the direct line, he says he needs to talk to you; he asked me to tell you it is an urgent matter."
"I see," Kirin said, not liking the implications of this call; he knew quite well Ebiten wouldn't contact him unless it was important. He dared hope Ebiten had good news, but somehow he was starting to feel that was not the case. Composing himself, he turned to face Lychee, who was on the edge of her seat, staring at him with great intensity.
"I have to take this call," he said, doing his best to sound calm to avoid worrying her. "I won't take long, please wait here until I return."
"I will," she promised, but noting the way his lips had tensed, Lychee understood the phone call involved Ranko, and she wondered if whoever it was who had called Kirin wanted to give him news about the fiery redhead's capture. Lychee really hoped that was not the case.
"Thank you," Kirin said and offered her a smile, a kind, honest smile that for an instant reached his eyes before his expression turned serious.
Lychee watched him leave and could do nothing but take in a deep breath once the door closed behind him.
'Please be alright, Ranko, and… if you can, don't cause too much trouble,' the young princess thought. 'Because if you do… it'll only make fixing this horrible misunderstanding much more difficult.'
Outside, Kirin made a pause and considered locking the door, but in the end, decided against it. He wanted to earn Lychee's trust, and locking her here as if she were a prisoner was not going to help him with that. But at the same time, he really couldn't let her leave the tower, it could be dangerous and, if he had to be honest, he found the idea of letting her go without coming to an understanding about their engagement rather distressing.
'No, I can't let her leave yet,' he thought. 'Not before we sort things out between us.'
"I'll go take the call," Kirin informed the maid, who was still silently waiting by the door. "I don't need you to come with me. Go inside and make sure Lady Lychee is well tended to."
"As you wish, my Lord," the maid said with a bow.
A few minutes later…
Kirin entered the small, but elegant and well-lit office, went straight for the phone on the table, and picked the handset up, still wondering what Ebiten's urgent business was, but hoping he was going to tell him the redhead was under custody, and with some luck, unharmed as well. He was well aware, however, that he should be prepared for a report telling him the redhead and her boyfriend were still on their way to the Royal Tower.
"Kirin here," the prince said, his voice expectant and serious.
'My Prince… it is with great shame that I must report that… all the Lucky Gods have been defeated, except for both of us,' Ebiten admitted with clear shame and disappointment marking his words. 'The redhead and her boyfriend surprised us… but don't worry, I will make sure to stop them. I will arrest them and bring them to you.'
Kirin's face turned pale as he heard Ebiten's shocking report, to hear The Seven were on the brink of total defeat at the hands of two complete unknowns was unheard of and a complete embarrassment to his kingdom.
"W-what?... H-how is this possible?" The prince asked, managing to barely control himself and keep his voice from trembling. "Very well, I guess it doesn't matter. All that matters is that we prevail in the end. Do not fail, Ebiten, for the honor of the Seven Lucky Gods, you must succeed!"
Ebiten made a small pause before answering, but when he spoke again his tone was filled with pride and determination. 'I won't fail you, my Lord. I will capture them, you have my word!'
"I trust you will be victorious, old friend," Kirin said and hung up the phone.
The prince took in a deep breath and ran a hand over his chin. He had to admit that he was feeling frustrated and even slightly upset at the current situation. Hoping to cool off, he paced back and forth in the small room, his mind racing with troubling thoughts. They had underestimated the redhead and her boyfriend, and now the Seven's reputation was at stake, something unheard of in centuries.
After almost a minute, Kirin took in a deep breath as he felt calm enough to think rationally. Maybe things were not going as well as he had dared to hope, but he still believed Ebiten could obtain victory.
"Be strong, Ebiten," he muttered to himself. "You are the last one so do your best, this is no longer a matter of just arresting that girl, it has become a matter of preserving our honor as the undefeated protectors of this kingdom…"
Because Kirin knew that if Ebiten failed he would have to face the redhead and her boyfriend in battle, for it was his duty as the Prince of Nekonron and the leader of the Seven Lucky Gods to reestablish the group's honor, and he was determined to do whatever it took if he ever was forced to fight.
The prince clenched his fists, feeling the weight of his responsibility as the leader of the Seven and silently swearing he would not be defeated.
"I won't let them shame us," he said, his voice low.
His choice made Kirin close his eyes and took in a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst-case scenario. The prince knew he had to be ready for whatever came his way, and things being the way they were now, he would not back down if he had to fight.
He knew that things would be difficult, as fate had placed him in a position he was not only risking the honor of the Seven but also a possible alliance with the Musk Dynasty and his future with Lady Lychee.
But even if all of that was at stake, or perhaps because of it, Kirin's determination to claim victory in the face of this challenge luck had brought his way became as strong as steel…
Somewhere else in the mountain…
Jurojin, using his staff for support, started on his way up the mountain, making sure Ryoga was following him as he slowly started towards the next Gate. It surprised him to find he was not upset about his defeat, he was in fact appreciating luck had given him the opportunity to test his martial arts prowess against someone as powerful as the man who walked behind him.
'That man… he could probably give Prince Kirin a real fight,' Jurojin estimated. 'Not that he could defeat him, but still…'
His strength, stamina, and resistance to injury were just incredible. The master of the Shadow Fist glanced back at Ryoga and offered him a nod, noticing he seemed to be already recovering from any damage he may have received during their fight.
'Is he superhuman or something?' Jurojin thought. 'There's no way he's a normal person… maybe he's one of them?'
No, if he were he wouldn't be here, he would be on his way to deliver the redhead to their prince instead.
'His training must have been a nightmare,' Jurojin decided, settling on the more comfortable idea that Ryoga's power came from some sort of grueling training that he had endured. 'I may ask him later because it seems whatever he did, it surpassed the training of the Shadow Fist.'
"You're awfully silent," Ryoga observed then, walking a little faster so he was now walking side to side with Jurojin. "You better not be thinking about tricking me."
"I won't," the other replied, slightly offended at the comment. "I'm a man of my word, I will take you to the Royal Tower."
"Good," Ryoga said.
"I will need to make a quick stop at the next Castle Gate, however," Jurojin said.
"What for?" The young Hibiki asked, right eyebrow up as he didn't really understand why they had to waste time.
"Monlon is there, I need to know if she's alright," Jurojin explained. "Because if your girlfriend is anything like you, chances are Monlon was defeated."
"I'm sure she won," Ryoga boasted with a smile.
"Perhaps," the unofficial Lucky God conceded. "Either way, her Gate is on the way to the Royal Tower, it won't take me more than a few minutes to check on her."
"Fine, we can do that," Ryoga agreed; he knew how Jurojin felt for the woman at the next Gate, and he was not so cruel he wouldn't allow him the time to make sure his beloved was safe.
Despite his more cautious nature, Ryoga was starting to feel that maybe Ranko had been right and the Lucky Gods were not as strong as Lotion had told them.
All he could hope for was that the Prince of Nekonron was a reasonable man…
[End of Chapter 18]
[Start of Chapter 19]
With a battle-hardened expression, the future King turned to the door he had come through. Now that the ball was almost in his court, could Lychee still accept him if he had to act on his country's honor and the image of its guardians? Kirin's mind wandered to the shame he would bring his family if all this came to light.
'Is there any way for me to win and still keep my relationship with my sweet Lychee?' he pondered, narrowing his eyes and clenching his hands into fists.
Lychee stared at her drink, letting out a heavy sigh as she recalled all her attempts at swaying the Prince into changing his mind. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so interested in the stories of his people, but it helped distract me from Ranko getting hurt…" she remarked sadly.
Making a somewhat deep groaning noise, the door to the room Lychee was in opened, and from the other end emerged the maid, Yu Nuo.
"Forgive me, Princess Lychee. Our Lord will be back as soon as he can be. In the meantime, is there anything I can get for you?" She inquired, tilting her head to one side and offering a warm smile.
"Do you happen to have any advice on how to keep my dear friend and my Prince from fighting each other?" The strawberry blonde asked in a sad and defeated tone.
"Perhaps it's better to ask someone else for questions like that?" She answered her question with one of her own. "I'm just a humble maid and servant to the Nekonron Kingdom," The simple worker added.
"I suppose I was asking for quite a lot, huh?" She asked with a sad smile as she put her cup down and rested her chin on her palm.
"I believe our Prince will know what to do when the time comes. In my opinion, he's kind and resourceful, and although temperamental sometimes, he always means well in the end…" She explained, sounding as if she were defending him.
"I hope-" Lychee began but stopped as the door where Lychee had last seen Prince Kirin opened.
"A thousand apologies!" Kirin spoke softly, straightening his back as he closed the door behind him, making his way over.
"My prince," The maid greeted, bowing her head.
"Thank you for your time but please, let us be for a moment…" The Prince instructed as he waved a dismissive hand, pulling up his chair before scooting it in.
Though surrounded by all manner of divine dining ware, including a beautiful dress even on Kirin's lovely date, there was still an element of caution and worry among them.
For the Prince, however, thoughts of the words exchanged between him and Ebiten haunted him like the whispers of ghosts. Ever present, a threat that had yet to be taken care of. The dire nature continued to gnaw away at him, the damage that had been done to his loyal friends and fellow protectors of their lands. 'Forgive me, my fellow Seven Lucky Gods, had Lychee not been of such importance, perhaps I should have dealt with them from the beginning…' he pondered the idea as an image of him confronting the two came to mind, his hand extended as the two shadows glared back at him, one with long red hair and the other just the visual of a man taller than her.
"My Prince, are you alright?" Lychee tenderly inquired as her eyes trembled with worry.
Kirin raised his head, so lost in his thoughts that it was as if Lychee had cleared a thick fog from his eyes. "Fret not! Though things are not going as expected, I'm more than confident we'll turn out victorious!" He assured her, but rather it sounded more like he had to assure himself.
Lychee offered an apologetic smile in return, though the Prince had yet to open his eyes; that's what awaited him. 'Kirin looks troubled. I don't think I could blame him if Ranko and Ryoga are still in this fight, a fight I hope they can make it out of unhurt, Ryoga... Hóng fā...' The strawberry blonde maiden pondered with a pained inner voice.
The meek restaurant worker understood the current predicament perfectly, but still, such clarity awarded her no peace of mind. Her Prince would have to meet her friend out in the field of battle, despite all her attempts to avoid this head-on collision.
"My prince…" Lychee began softly, lowering her eyes down to the table in front of her, placing her hands on her lap after putting down her own glass.
"You would still call me that, knowing what I must do?" Kirin inquired, crestfallen as he lowered his glass and instead reached for his bowl of rice with a pickled plum on top.
"Yes. Forgive me for sounding naïve, but though we haven't had much time to know one another, and the way we ended up having to meet was perhaps a bit much," she commented while looking away. At the end of her words and from the corner of her eye, she noticed her Prince's posture diminish. "I just worry about my friend… don't you have any friends that you worry about or want to see again? If you do, I'm sure you can understand how I feel…"
"Of course, I can, how foolish of me…" Kirin began, his voice dragging out. "I do have a good friend… I really miss him and I would certainly like to see him again."
"Still! I'm very much interested in getting to know my fabled Prince!" Lychee seemed to be promised as she then watched his gaze land on hers. "Would you care to tell me more about your memories with your friend?" She asked him softly but encouragingly, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.
'Maybe, just maybe talking to him about Jurojin could help him see the pain this is causing me…' she thought as her inner voice quaked, images of Ranko and their times together replaying like a movie reel. She desperately wanted to embrace her Prince, as just the mere thought of his smile and his kindness to her was a beautiful soul, yet he was plagued with hurting another wonderful person.
As if he could resonate with the energy given off by Lychee, the Prince straightened his back and watched her speak to him. His face softened, and the aura around the cute restaurant worker seemed to radiate something that confounded Prince Kirin.
"Yes. I believe that may be best, and it wouldn't hurt, I suppose…" Kirin responded in a less regal manner while nodding his head, lessening some pretenses as he felt that maybe there was more friction between them forming.
Unaware of her own inner turmoil, Lychee looked up at him with eyes on the verge of crying, shutting them at the right moment to let her tears fall from the sides of her cheeks.
"Near the bridge one day, Jurojin and I decided that since he had a day off from our training, we would finally explore what was north of the river. Jurojin and I always had a want to travel and explore but knew that we'd have to settle for getting the lay of the land instead…" Kirin's voice dragged on as he drifted back into that time…
A fifteen-year-old Jurojin walked with his hands propping his cane and two pairs of fishing rods, a steel bucket looped around his elbow from the bale.
Walking alongside him was a younger Kirin with a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks.
Their carefree wide-eyed expressions were filled with endless wonder as they traveled upstream, catching sight of all sorts of Nekonron's large vegetation and the creatures it also helped to oversize near them.
Once the beauty and majesty had filled them, they eventually slowed down until they were somewhat near the base of a waterfall.
"I'm surprised they let us take a break, figured they'd make us fight about it longer…" Jurojin added all of a sudden as the soft hum of the shifting waters and splashing fish echoed around them in a harmonious but tranquil rhythm.
"From what I've heard from my Mother and Father, it's that tensions are getting difficult and Ebiten and the others of The Seven are needed to defend a side of the outer wall while repairs are underway…" The Prince remarked as he looked ahead with a soft smile.
"We're still fixing things since the Phantom Claw attacks, huh?" Jurojin inquired rhetorically, gaining a rather somber look as they continued to tread the path before them.
"Let's not dwell too much on that my friend, we finally get some time to spend together so let's not waste it…" Kirin reminded his friend what they were actually there for and closed his eyes, his smile now brimming.
"Careful how you say things Prince, you might go giving people the wrong impression…" Jurojin commented with a scoff and a smirk, blushing so lightly that it was practically invisible.
Much like a befuddled cat seeing the confusing actions of humans, Prince Kirin tilted his head to one side, then a look of realization struck him.
"I don't think Monlon would ever forgive me if I took you from her…" Kirin remarked after a long enough silence, letting himself fall behind a little as Jurojin was a bit ahead of him.
Rattling noises echoed from the young Shadow Hand's equipment, causing him to look to his right and find that his Prince had fallen behind him by a foot or so. "Like you could! You can barely beat me in a fight, even less so in that department!" The cheerful and slightly taken aback teenage warrior countered.
"So you 'are' interested in our future master of the Ongaku No Sento school, I take it?" The clever royal deduced from the unofficial future member of The Seven, noticing that he hadn't exactly denied his interest in the Elegant Egotist.
Freezing internally, the future Shadowhand felt himself start to sweat bullets for a second before blushing deeply and lowering his head a little, closing his eyes for a second before opening them again and revealing a proud and determined smile.
"You'd be right, no point in hiding it, I do like her and I swear on all the luck in Nekonron that she'll be my girlfriend one day!" The excited but young agent of Nekonron declared proudly.
"Excellent! I'm happy that your luck shines brightly enough to aim for someone like Monlon!" Kirin congratulated before unknowingly letting his smile falter.
"I'm probably going to be the first between us to get a girlfriend," Jurojin threw in as well before looking back at his friend and lifting an eyebrow in slight confusion.
"It's not for a lack of choice…" The Prince bashfully explained as he averted his eyes a little too quickly for comfort.
"I've seen, even though those girls knew you're supposed to be betrothed to the woman with the other half of the scroll…"
"I admit, I tire of waiting but the other half must be found before I am even to consider alternatives…" The Prince of Nekonron muttered.
"Imagine if she wasn't pretty at all or worse some old hag," Jurojin commented with a smile and a slight gag, not thinking about it, however, his words hadn't gone ignored but rather only seemed to do the opposite of lighting the mood.
"That could be a possibility and in that case, my luck wouldn't have shined when I needed it most and my time waiting would have been a waste…" The Nekonronian noble spoke barely above a whisper.
"Hey, sorry, I don't think that'll happen and it's tradition! You got no choice but to wait…" Jurojin defended.
"I suppose but at times my heart has grown wary and I sometimes wonder if I will be a King with no Queen…" Kirin remarked as he tilted his head back gently, the wind gently gliding against his skin.
"Don't worry about that right now, we shouldn't be wasting our time talking about what ifs but rather what we're gonna do about all the fish we catch…" Jurojin's voice dragged out as he remembered that was somewhat of a cause for concern.
Snapping back out from his thoughts and feelings of loneliness enveloping him, the Prince pondered what to do before smiling in delight. "We can take them into town and exchange them for something sweet! Perhaps Rice pudding!"
"Ah yeah! Good idea!" Jurojin grinned from ear to ear as they continued to travel towards the waterfall ahead of them.
Although it seemed that their intentional direction was going to be the waterfall closest to them, they instead stopped at what looked to be the more densely populated portion of the river, slowing down as they reached their secluded area.
"Ugh, my feet are killing me!" Jurojin groaned as his boots came to a scuffling stop atop the drop, looking at the water and at his reflection within it.
"Do you wish to dunk your feet in the water?" Kirin asked, looking at his friend with concern.
"Yeah, I'm sure the fish would love it…" Jurojin remarked with a snarky but playful grin, dropping down to start taking off his black boots.
"Not what I was getting at…" Kirin started with his eyes closed, lowering his head looking as though he had something else to say.
Splash!
"Ah, you gonna' keep talking or you joining me, Prince?" the shadowhand in training asked with a content and somewhat goofy-looking smile; setting the fishing rods to lean against a rock to Jurojin's lefthand side.
Kirin looked off to the side and held up his bowl and chopsticks, "I'd rather not touch my flats while handling food…"
"You're always handling food, live a little, my oh-so-precious Prince," Jurojin urged as he closed his eyes and splashed his feet in the water, little garra rufa fish gathering near his feet to take the occasional painless nip.
"It's all a part of my training! Something I'm sure you know of!" Kirin affirmed with his head held up high, a proud smile accompanying it.
"Alright then," Jurojin placed his hand on his chin in contemplation before snapping his fingers and holding his hand out to the still-standing Prince. "Stick your foot out!" he ordered the Nekonron royal.
"Why?" Kirin asked with a tilt of his head, doing as he was told.
Swiftly the future secret agent took the ballet flat as well as his sock and threw placed them down neatly to his side. Perplexed for an instant but recovering once the pieces came together in his head, the stoic Prince closed his eyes then lowered his foot, presenting his other for Jurojin to wordlessly slip off.
"Ready to get to some fishing?" His cheerful hazel-haired companion more so suggested with a question as he patted the ground next to him.
"Thanks to you, perhaps I can, though to be honest I'd rather go for a swim now since I find that it's much too warm today…" Prince Kirin moved over so that he could sit down and dip his feet in the cool waters in front of him.
"To do that first you'd have to put down your weapons my Lord…" Jurojin said as he reached out and swiped the eating utensils from Kirin's hands, swiftly placing them safely on top of a rock with the chopsticks resting on the rim of the bowl.
"W-wait my…!" Kirin tried to take his stuff back but as he reached out for them he felt himself being shoved back into the water before he could take his things back. Out from the corner of his eye he saw Jurojin giving him a cheeky smile while waving with one hand.
A loud splashing noise echoed as Kirin could hear the faint sound of muffled laughter, knowing that it was his friend and future Shadowhand but being too preoccupied with the fact the current was stronger than he could have anticipated.
"Now you're living a litt-" Jurojin began but paused as he opened his eyes to see that his Prince was gently but somewhat hurriedly being carried downstream.
Kirin's legs kicked around in the water, extending his feet as far as they could go in some vain attempt to touch the bottom only to learn that it was much deeper than he had thought. Swimming upward with as much force as he could apply against the current taking him, he opened his eyes to see that he was near the surface before emerging from the semi-depths of the river he had been shoved into.
Jurojin looked to breathe a sigh of relief, hand over his chest as he had gotten up and looked as though he was about to follow.
"How refreshing!" Kirin announced. "Join me!" The soaked nobleman said encouragingly with a hearty laugh.
Jurojin relaxed his expression and smiled warmly, "Coming!" He exclaimed, shutting his eyes the instant he hit the raging waters. It was then that Jurojin had realized he had been completely played as a fool, meeting the same struggle that Kirin had been forced to endure, trying desperately to get back up to the surface only to widen his eyes as he felt something grabbing him by the back of his tangzhuang.
Gaaahhh!
"You jerk!" Jurojin said as he breathed deeply.
"Suppose it takes one to know one?" Kirin countered as he released his friend now that they were in a much less dangerous spot than before.
"And what would have happened if I had hit my head on something before getting back up?" Jurojin asked his comrade, at first looking exceptionally annoyed but simmering down the longer he spoke.
"I would have saved you had you taken too long, of course," Kirin jokingly assured, trying to keep himself from cracking up.
"So would I but that still makes you a jerk," Jurojin remarked now with a snarky smirk before catching the vibes being emitted from Kirin; staring into his friend's eyes.
"Pfft!" They both started to laugh as they arched their heads back.
"Come! Let's get to fishing!" Kirin said suddenly as he began swimming to the shore.
"Ah yeah! I've picked up a few new lure tricks from Ebiten and I wanna' show them off!" Jurojin said as he followed after his Prince and future leader…
"From there, it was a picture-perfect moment, truth be told, I wish to take you to that place where this all happened, perhaps sharing a meal together…" Kirin was about to use the chopsticks he hadn't realized he had picked during his retelling to scratch his cheek but thankfully stopped himself before he could.
Feeling as though there were butterflies in her stomach, the shy princess found herself unable to control the blush spreading across her face, 'He's asking me on another date so we can get closer but…' she thought but found it hard to breathe for a second, without fully thinking it through she allowed her intuition to take the wheel for her response.
"I'd love nothing more…" Lychee began, her eyes widening a little as she saw the elated look in his eyes but that also triggered an image of her close friend smiling at her. "I'm pleased to know you understand how wonderful having friends can be my Prince." She spoke softly.
"I'd figure, considering what I had just told you." Kirin agreed wholeheartedly.
"I couldn't imagine how broken I'd be if I lost my friendship with her," Lychee began but choked on her words as she neared the end.
"My Princess…" Kirin's delighted demeanor faded quietly as he heard the agony in his sweet Princess' voice.
"Please reconsider fighting her, my Prince!" Lychee begged as she bowed her head, hands on her lap as she squeezed the fabric of her dress; a lone tear staining it as she whimpered.
"Believe me, my sweet, I had hoped I wouldn't, but after our talk of friendship and the importance it can have. I'm faced with the sad truth that this girl is far more precious to you than I had first thought, that this Ranko is someone I shouldn't take from you but I'm afraid that preserving the honor of the Seven Lucky Gods also weighs heavily on me…" Kirin explained as his voice trailed.
Lifting her head, the befuddled Princess tilted her head, 'The honor of The Seven Lucky Gods?' Lychee wondered to herself.
The sound of Ranko's hurried steps resonated on the suddenly silent road as she continued running up the mountain. The path here had widened, and the sun filtered through the clouds, dispersing the fog that had caused her trouble before reaching the previous gate. The air was a bit chillier here, which helped bring her back to attention after the fierce battle she had endured against Monlon.
And loath as she was to admit it, Monlon had given her a very tough fight. That irksome musician may not have been as strong or fast as she was, but she did know where to hit to make it hurt, and the slight, persistent stiffness between Ranko's shoulder blades was a testament to that. Still, the redhead had no time to keep thinking about her recent battles; all that mattered was to make it to the top of the mountain and save Lychee, nothing else.
Ranko took a deep breath and followed the next turn on the road to find a very wide chasm that nobody would be able to jump over; fortunately, the people of Nekonron had built a large bridge that crossed over it, connecting it with the next portion of the road that appeared to go all the way to the top. Something notable, however, was that whoever built the bridge had also decided on a large pagoda right in the middle of it. A nice feat of engineering, she supposed, but irrelevant to her mission. Cautiously, but still keeping a quick pace, she approached the large construction, which appeared to be completely deserted. Perhaps she had gotten lucky for once, and the guardian in this gate was not here yet? Hoping that was the case and seeing no one here, the redhead entered the castle gate.
'Perfect… it seems there's nobody here…' Ranko thought with a smile and started running, only to come to a sudden stop that almost caused her to trip as a man, and a very short one at that, casually walked out from behind a support beam while smoking from his long pipe. The man stopped right in the center of the hallway, throwing puffs of smoke without even bothering to address Ranko.
"Hello, young one," the diminutive man said after studying his pipe for a second or two. "I must say you've impressed me… I really didn't think you'd make it this far."
"Does that mean you're gonna let me through?" Ranko asked, daring to hope she would have it easy here.
"What? No, of course not," the man said with a grin. "This is the end of the road for you; I can't let you go any further, you are under arrest."
"Well, you've got another thing coming, old man!" Ranko disputed, pointing her index finger at her new opponent. "I'm crossing this bridge, I'm saving Lychee… and nobody is going to stop me!"
"Oh, but you are quite mistaken; I am honor-bound to stop you," the man said. "I am Ebiten of the Seven Lucky Gods, and you're welcome to try to pass by me!"
"If that's the way you want it… then that's the way it's gonna be!" Ranko said, preparing her battle stance and then rushing at Ebiten, preparing a low kick that she hoped would connect with his head and be enough to render him unconscious.
Her leg did not connect; however, Ebiten moved with speed defying his short stature, performing a quick spin once he was above her to stab at her shoulder with his pipe, sending her stumbling forward, struggling not to lose her footing and slamming hands first against the bridge's railing. Annoyed more than hurt, Ranko spun to see Ebiten examining his pipe and not paying attention to her.
"A shame the tobacco fell off…" he lamented with a sigh. "That was the last of that blend I still had; I'll have to go to Yakusai to get more."
"Are you making fun of me?" Ranko asked, irked at Ebiten not taking her seriously. "I'll show you not to underestimate me!"
The redhead went on the offensive again, this time trying to sweep Ebiten off his feet first. Knowing he would jump over her attack, Ranko quickly followed with an uppercut, but that was also dodged as her opponent simply hooked his pipe on her wrist and spun out of the way, landing on top of the railing with perfect balance. Annoyed, Ranko tried to use her superior speed to try to land a punch, but Ebiten, while clearly surprised by the redhead's display of superior quickness, was still able to parry or block all her attacks using his pipe.
"You're not bad at all," Ebiten praised, understanding now how this girl had managed to reach his gate with such apparent ease. "I'll have to put some effort into this fight, it seems."
Saying nothing more, Ebiten dropped to the ground and used his smaller size to rush under Ranko's defenses, hooking his pipe on her left heel and applying force to drop the redhead on her back hard before she could try to avoid it.
"That hurt, you little, big-eared… you!" Ranko complained as she shot her hands behind her head to push herself up with a backflip, though her back immediately protested, a clear reminder she was still not fully recovered from the damage Monlon caused between her shoulders.
'I'll have to get rid of that pipe of his,' she thought, her eyes set on her adversary, who was closely following her every move as well. 'He uses it to attack and defend, so I bet he'll be much easier to deal with without it.'
"I don't see how you defeated Monlon," Ebiten said, moving to the right while Ranko moved to the left to avoid getting cornered. "You are very good, but not so good that you could have defeated her… I can't understand how you did it."
"I'll show you how!" Ranko swore, dashing towards Ebiten. The redhead, who was somewhat experienced in fighting shorter opponents thanks to her previous scuffles with the Niku-men gang, realized that the best chance she had was to use downward punches to take Ebiten by surprise and then smash him upwards, and she did just that. Resorting to the Amaguriken to enhance her speed even further, Ranko was able to surprise Ebiten again, snatching his pipe before he could even tell it was gone, and just to make sure the fight moved in her favor, Ranko punched the short martial artist over sixty times straight in the face, ending her barrage with a right hook that sent her opponent crashing against the railing, cracking it with the force of the impact.
"How did you like that, huh?" Ranko asked, feeling very pleased with herself for being able to teach Ebiten not to underestimate her. "I bet you can see how I beat that musical pest now, don't you?"
Ebiten rubbed his jaw as he slowly got back to his feet. It had been a long time since he last saw someone use the Amaguriken if that was the technique the redhead had used and had never been attacked with it himself. But if this girl could use this technique, then it meant she had learned it from an Amazon elder somehow.
'No, I'm quite certain this girl is not from Joketsuzoku,' Ebiten thought as he glanced at the redhead with curiosity. 'She's not wearing their typical battle outfit with that chest plate or bracelets they favor, no weapons either… and she lacks the elegance of movement even younger girls from the Amazon village display… no, this one, she's more about effectiveness over grace; whoever first trained her was more interested in teaching her ways to always win in the most effective way… which means she picked up the Amaguriken later somewhere. I can't take this fight lightly from now on.'
"Nothing to say, old man?" Ranko asked, twirling Ebiten's pipe between her fingers. "Good, then stand down or I'll pummel you for real."
"I am afraid I can't let you pass," The Lucky God answered, his voice turning serious and more than a little bit cold. "Much less after you defeated my colleagues. You obviously can't understand this, but this is now a matter of honor for us, and we can't let you win. I'll defeat you and then I'll take you to jail!"
"Oh, for the love of…" Ranko said, distractedly snapping Ebiten's pipe in her frustration, "Why can't you guys just give up? You think I enjoy punching you into paste?"
"You… that was my favorite pipe!" Ebiten yelled, eyes wide open as he saw what Ranko had just done. "I bought it twenty years ago at Tong Po harbor! It was one of a kind, even!"
"Huh?" Ranko blinked and looked at the pieces of the pipe she held in her hands. "Oh… sorry 'bout that, but it's your fault for being so stubborn! Do you have any idea how frustrating you guys can be?"
"Enough games!" Ebiten declared, rushing to a door hidden on the side of a wall and quickly reaching behind it for a fishing pole, which he levered at the redhead as he let his battle aura flow. "I was hoping you'd listen to reason and allow me to arrest you, but now you've forced me to fight you seriously!"
"Oh?" Ranko frowned, dropping the broken pipe and raising her fists while slightly flexing her legs, adopting a defensive form that she favored. "Very well, then, if we're really fighting seriously, then show me what you can do, old man!"
Gritting his teeth and strongly grasping his fishing pole, Ebiten jumped high, prepared to fully go on the offensive…