(Author's note: Speech in normal quotes is in Japanese. Speech in "[[ ]]" is in Chinese.)

It had been nearly five days since Makoto Rindou had left Hong Kong, most of which had been spent on foot. {The Jokuzetsu can be a bit peevish about people bringing vehicles to their village,} Makoto remembered. {Auntie Kho-Om... I hope I remember all your lessons well enough,} she thought, thinking back to her childhood.

{It's funny how something that caused Otousan (Father) so much hardship could turn out to be such a good thing,} she mused briefly as she walked.

Her father's past was a strange story. In his younger days, he had travelled the world looking for lost knowledge of martial arts to rebuild the Rindoukan style into what Makoto now used. He had travelled into the Byankhala mountains along the very path Makoto was on now, and had come to a village of warrior women.

He had witnessed them fight and did battle beside them against local raiders, but they had continually rebuffed him in his requests to read their scrolls detailing the techniques they used. Finally, he had challenged them for the right to read the scrolls, and was matched up against Kho-Om, (whose name he often mangled into Comb) who was the village Champion.

He had won, and to his surprise Kho-Om was a *very* good loser, seldom leaving his side after that and being very... affectionate. Rindou hated good-byes, though, and when he had learned all he could about Rindoukan-style maneuvers, he left quietly one night.

Kho-Om tracked him down the next day, informing him that they had been married by Jokuzetsu law the moment he had defeated her. Rindou was dismayed by this, since he had a fiancee - for whom he cared a great deal - waiting for him at home. The future Mrs. Rindou was no weakling herself, and the battles that erupted when Amazon 'wife' met Japanese wife-to-be were often epic. Finally, when Kho-Om's mother, the Elder of the tribe, arrived, there was a settlement.

It turned out that the law requiring a Warrior defeated by an outsider of the opposite sex to marry that outsider was made for one reason: to bring strong fighters into the Amazons' bloodlines. Technically, Kho-Om had to bring Rindou into her family by marriage. The Elder solved that problem by adopting Mrs. Rindou as her own daughter and Kho-Om's sister, therefore accomplishing what Amazon Law demanded.

Kho-Om had stayed in Tokyo and taught her new sister about Amazon Law and some of the Jokuzetsu martial arts, and was at the bedside when Makoto was born. Makoto had known the woman as her aunt for all her life. Mrs. Rindou, however, was not well. The pregnancy had left her weak and she had been chronically ill afterward, dying when Makoto was ten. Makoto had cried in her "Auntie Comb's" arms for the whole night.

Not long after that, Kho-Om had left, needing to get away from the place where her adopted sister had died. She had already taught Makoto about Amazon customs and laws, but hadn't begun her martial training yet... which was a source of worry for the Rindou daughter. {I've no idea how I'll stack up against the Chinese Amazons - arrgh! Jokuzetsuzoku!! I've got to remember to use the right name, it's rude not to!}

Some time later, as she was entering the mountains, Makoto noticed a subtle sign etched into a boulder and stopped. {The Jokuzetsu border sign,} she thought, and sighed, digging into her travel bag. {I guess it's now or never - and I don't want to offend Kho-Om-obaasan (Note: Auntie Kho-Om) by showing up improperly dressed. I just wish the clothes weren't so... provocative,} Makoto mourned silently. {I have no illusions about how good my body looks, Yun's 'Good-lookin' notwithstanding: I keep wearing *gi* all the time 'cause that way my thunder thighs and bulky arms are covered up and I look good 'cause of how I move. In this, though...}

The usual outfit of a Jokuzetsu Warrior, as left for Makoto by her aunt, consisted of a near-sleeveless Chinese shirt mated to a skirt of similar colour that was slit so deeply that it all but showed panties. It was easy to move in, but it left Makoto's limbs open to display and her curves very visible... which, for reasons already cited, disturbed her.

Actually, once she had changed behind a boulder, a casual observer would have noted that Makoto looked quite nice in the outfit (it's like Chun-Li's original uniform in emerald green, minus the bracelets, for those who want to know) but Makoto was used to thinking of herself as a tomboy, and her self-image hadn't kept pace with her teenage development.

This made her later decision understandable. Walking along the path to the village, she noticed another traveller approaching at high speed. {I don't want to be seen like this any more than I have to,} Makoto decided, and leaped high into the air to land on a ledge. Running along the ledge, she bypassed the traveller, who never gave her a second look. A noise drifted up to Makoto as the traveller - a young man with spiky hair - ran by beneath her path.

{Was he... sobbing?} Makoto wondered, but shook her head and continued on, running to the end of the ledge and leaping lightly down. {I haven't got time for consoling travellers now. I have to get any information I can about this 'Succubus' woman!}

Her face set in determination, she ran on to the Jokuzetsu village.

As Makoto entered the village, walking between two huts, she felt an odd sense of deja vu. {That's the confinement hut... and that one over there, with the second story, that's the hut of Khu Lao, the village stargazer,} she thought. {I've never been here, but auntie Kho-Om told me so many stories about this place, I recognize it.}

She was distracted by the sound of an argument from down the street and around the corner. She jogged forward until her admittedly limited command of Chinese allowed her to make sense of the words.

"[[I don't care if you were village Champion once, Kho-Om, now you're nothing but chattel! I'm not going to be lenient this time!!]]" a woman's voice roared, and there was the sound of wood hitting flesh.

Makoto's eyes widened as she realized, {It's my aunt being hit from the sound of things!} Charging around the corner, she cried out in Chinese. "[[You there! Who are you, and why do you strike my Aunt!?]]"

A large, stocky woman of middle age held a thick wooden *bo* staff in one hand, and was frozen in the act of applying it to the kneeling form of Makoto's blue-haired aunt. Kho-Om looked up and smiled, her face brightening as if recieving a gift from the gods. "[[You see, Bru Xhu, I was telling the truth all these years, and your mother refused to consider it! Now perhaps I will reclaim my place, my rival.]]"

The woman - Bru Xhu - looked down at Makoto's aunt with a scowl so hard it was a grimace. "[[Not if you can't testify to the elders, my *disgraced* rival!]]" she snarled, bringing down the *bo* in a path meant to break Kho-Om's jaw.

"HAAH! HAYATE!!"

The wood shattered under Makoto's blow, and Bru Xhu staggered, unbalanced by the loss of half of her heavy weapon. "[[H-how dare you,]]" the larger woman sputtered, and Makoto gathered her dignity and her *chi* about her before responding.

"[[I am Makoto Rindou, heir to the Rindoukan Dojo, daughter by adoption to the Clan of Khu Luong of the Village of Jokuzetsu, and I answer to no one who cannot claim my respect in combat! Now I ask you again, woman - who are you, and for what reason do you molest my aunt who taught me in my youth??]]"

Her statement was made half in outrage, half in cunning, and all guided by the long-ago lessons Kho-Om had taught her of the Jokuzetsu.

"We can seem a cruel people, child," she had said, "but there is only one truth you need to understand about us. The village survives because we are strong warriors. The cost would be too great for the nations of today to subdue us, so they ignore us and we survive. The only virtues in the village are those of the warrior - courage, honour, intelligence, and foremost the ability to fight. The law that brought me here was made long ago to increase the strength of our village, and it has served us well - and it still might, in your case. When you are old enough, once I have taught you some of our fighting arts, I will take you to visit the village - and if you like it there, and choose to stay, the law will have brought us another strong young warrior."

Makoto's announcement had emphasized her status as a warrior, and one of the village as well, so she did not risk marriage or death by fighting here - for that was the flip side of the marriage law.

If defeated by an outsider of the same gender as oneself, a Jokuzetsu warrior was shamed, and could reclaim their status in only two ways - by bringing back the outsider as a warrior of Jokuzetsu or by killing them.

The announcement had also called into question the skills of Bru Xhu relative to her own, and been loud enough to draw a crowd - who were all witness to the fact that this girl had shattered Bru's weapon. The gathering onlookers broke into a murmur, broken moments later by a shout in surprised Japanese. "Aiyah! It Steamroller Girl from tournament!"

"[[Another one?]]" Came the Chinese reply. "[[We've outsiders falling all over us this week, it seems.]]" Makoto glanced over at the young man who'd spoken, ready to reprimand him for calling her an outsider, but her words got all garbled up on her tongue as she saw his resemblance to Yun.

She was saved from having to explain her sudden surprise by a dry voice cutting into the noise. "[[What is going on here?]]"

Makoto recognized the voice of Khu Luong, the village Elder and her adopted grandmother, and bowed. "[[Elder Grandmother, I am Makoto Rindou of the Rindoukan Dojo, your granddaughter by adoption. You have changed little since last we met, though I was only a child.]]"

Khu Luong gave her an appraising look and - just perhaps - the hint of a smile. Looking at Kho-Om, she asked, "[[Is this true?]]" Still smiling in the way of someone granted a gift from the gods, Makoto's aunt nodded. "[[Well then,]]" Khu Luong continued, "[[Let us celebrate the arrival of a clan sister! We-]]"

She was interrupted by another old voice, this one perhaps more bitter than Khu's. "[[I call this outsider a sham and pretender!]]" another old woman said, pushing through crowds which parted for her like a bow-wave.

Khu Luong sighed. "[[Still clinging to your bitterness, Pur-fum?]]" she asked her counterpart - for both were dressed in the robes of Clan Elders.

Pur-Fum glared at her. "[[My reasons do not matter - I have challenged this outsider girl's claim and I stand by that challenge. Until her claims are verified, nothing changes.]]"

Glaring back, Khu Luong nodded. "[[Very well. Her lineage can be easily verified here and now. Does any besides Kho-Om acknowledge having taught Makoto Rindou here of Amazon customs?]]" she asked, recieving silence in reply. She then turned to Makoto. "[[Do you understand the challenge that has been made to you, child?]]"

Makoto sorted through her memory for a moment, then nodded. "[[A pretender is one who claims Amazon heritage without justification. In the case of an adopted line such as mine, this is usually settled by verifying that the claimant knows of Amazon customs. A sham is one who claims warrior status among the amazons without the ability to back up their claim, which can only be settled by combat between the warrior and a champion chosen by the village. I understand this and stand ready to back up both my claims. What I do not understand is the treatment my aunt was being subjected to when I arrived!]]" she finished, casting a glare at Bru Xhu as she did. Those around Makoto nodded at her obvious knowledge of Jokuzetsu customs. {And since only auntie Kho-Om would admit to teaching me, it's obvious that I'm her niece,} Makoto thought with satisfaction.

Khu Luong sighed at Makoto's question and took her arm. "I shall explain that later on, child," she said in Japanese. "For now, come: you and your aunt shall stay in my hut tonight."

Makoto blinked, replied "Thank you, Elder," in Japanese, then returned to Chinese to say, "[[I appreciate the offer of hospitality. However, my skills as a warrior have been called into question: should that not be settled first?]]"

Khu Luong shook her head. "[[Pur-Fum and I must discuss that first. The challenge will take place tomorrow, in view of all the village, but a champion must be chosen and a venue selected so the fight will be fair.]]" With that, she began to walk off, gently tugging Makoto along with her.

In the Elder's hut, Kho-Om and Makoto shared a hug before Makoto pulled away. "[[Auntie Kho-Om, what's going on here?]]" she asked. "[[You were village Champion, why won't they treat you with the respect you deserve??]]"

Kho-Om sighed and replied in Japanese. "Dear Makoto... I never got to finish teaching you, nor did I get to train you in Jokuzetsu kenpo at all, and that's part of the reason. And keep using Japanese - Pur-Fum may have someone listening."

Makoto nodded. "OK. So what's wrong here?"

Kho-Om took a deep breath and began. "It goes back to an ancient rivalry between our Clan and that of Pur-Fum. One family or the other has almost always led the village. Pur-Fum and Khu Luong were rivals, but Khu Luong was always the stronger. Pur-Fum never became Champion and was always second to Khu Luong when they became Elders. When Bru Xhu and I were born, the rivalry was passed down to us - but as it was with our mothers, so it was with us. Bru Xhu is a great warrior, but I was Champion, and I found a husband - or so I thought - in your father while she was still single. The bitterness has festered in their family."

Makoto nodded, but frowned. "Okay, so why can they get away with treating you like that? You were-"

"-Village Champion, yes... but I disobeyed Amazon Law when I returned here without either you or your father, my niece."

"WHAT!?" Makoto screeched.

Kho-Om spent most of the next hour explaining. According to Amazon Law, the connection between Kho-Om and Mr. Rindou was severed when Mrs. Rindou died. By Amazon Law, Kho-Om should have stayed and seduced Mr. Rindou into marrying her and coming to the Amazon Village. She couldn't bear to do that to him, and so she left. The one point which could have redeemed her in the eyes of the Amazons was that she had trained a strong young girl to be a warrior - but Pur-Fum and Bru Xhu had ensured that she was not believed, stealing her photograph of Makoto training and denouncing her as a liar to the village council. Kho-Om was condemned to serve Bru Xhu as punishment.

At the end of the explanations, Khu Luong came into the hut. "[[Greetings, my child - and to you, my granddaughter,]]" she said simply before getting a drink of water from a basin.

"[[Mother, what news is there?]]" Kho-Om asked.

"[[Not good, I fear,]]" Khu Luong replied. "[[Pur-Fum has the ear of the council at the moment, and she has arranged the battle much to her liking.]]"

"[[The challenge log?]]" Makoto guessed, remembering the stories Kho-Om had told her of the often-epic battles waged atop the log hung in midair in the village square.

Khu Luong shook her head. "[[No, child. She and Bru Xhu have enjoyed the leadership of the village for many years, and now you have humiliated Bru Xhu and threatened Pur-Fum's position by possibly proving Kho-Om's claims. They want you dead, and the log is far too easy to forfeit on, simply by stepping off.]]"

Makoto blinked, then frowned. "[[Vengeful bunch. Well, people have tried to kill me before.]]"

"[[On a log bridge over a raging waterfall, child?]]" Khu Luong asked, and Makoto went pale. "[[It is the usual place for final settling of feuds,]]" the old woman went on. "[[Warriors line both banks of the gorge, using sword and spear to prevent retreat, and the disputants fight on the log until one is beaten or falls. Falling, I should add, is far more common.]]"

Makoto gulped.

The next day, the Chinese Amazon tribe was out in full to witness a challenge that even *they* found unusual - for it was rare that two Warriors were deep enough in mutual hatred to come to the log bridge.

From twenty feet above the bridge, a waterfall surged over the edge of the cliff, tumbling down a full hundred feet into jagged rocks at the bottom of the ravine that the river formed. The bridge was perhaps ten feet away from the main flow of the waterfall and forty feet across, and was slick when Makoto tested her footing.

"[[There is much spray today, child - mind your balance above all else,]]" Khu Luong advised her gently. Warriors began crossing the bridge to mount guard on the far side, carrying their weapons with them. Makoto noticed with some degree of worry that even *they* were being careful of their footing.

"[[Of all things I'd need reminding about, Grandmother, that's not one of them,]]" Makoto replied. "[[Are there any more rules for this sort of thing?]]"

Khu Luong nodded, and Kho-Om said, "[[Yes. *Chi* and melee weapons are permitted, missile weapons are not. Bru Xhu will most likely bring her staff. Be careful - She has a rapid-strike maneuver using it and-]]"

"[[SILENCE, chattel!]]" Bru Xhu's voice echoed, followed by Pur-Fum's.

"[[We are all here to judge the fitness of this outsider woman to join the tribe-]]" Pur-Fum began, but Makoto interrupted.

"[[Don't distort things, old woman. I *am* a member of the tribe, you just won't believe me without proof. And the only reason we're *here* instead of at the challenge log or the open fields is that you want me dead for threatening the position you *stole* from my family.]]"

For such an old woman - Makoto guessed her age at 100 - Pur-Fum managed an impressively red shade when she flushed in anger. Makoto smiled sweetly at her and gestured politely to Bru Xhu. "[[Shall we, tribe-sister?]]" she challenged, and Bru Xhu snarled at her as she stepped by Makoto and onto the log.

As she passed, she jabbed the end of her staff out at Makoto, who hopped backward out of reach. Pur-Fum poked her with a finger as Makoto's hop brought her within a foot of toppling the Amazon Elder. "[[Get to your battle, *outsider,*]]" Pur-Fum growled.

"[[Mind your blood pressure, honored Elder,]]" Makoto shot back, "[[We don't want you having a heart attack when I defeat your daughter - and don't even *think* I haven't noticed your attempt to stack the odds by having me fight *her* rather than someone of my own generation.]]" Ignoring the angry Elder, Makoto stepped out onto the log and was immediately glad she was barefoot, as it helped her feel out the safest parts of the log to tread upon.

"[[Fighters ready,]]" Khu Luong called out, and both Makoto and Bru Xhu nodded. "[[Begin!!]]"

Bru Xhu kicked off with her rear foot and skated along the log toward Makoto, using the slickness to her advantage. Makoto countered by ducking under Bru's staff-thrust and sweeping her feet out with one arm. Bru tumbled sideways, but slapped one arm into the log and used that to vault away, landing back on the far end of the bridge. Makoto smoothly stood up and then repaid Bru by using her own sliding trick, in a maneuver very well-suited to it.

"Hayate!"

Bru Xhu blocked the punch on her staff - a metal one rather than wood this time - and slid the bottom end between Makoto's legs in an attempt to trip her. Makoto spun into a side stance - trapping the staff between her legs - and punched out at Bru, who staggered away, pulling the staff clear as she did. It wasn't until the staff-end snapped up that Makoto realized Bru was still planning an offensive.

"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!!"

Bru's attack cry was punctuated by dozens of rapid staff-thrusts, reducing Makoto to blocking for a few seconds, then the final strike came in with enough power to hurt her arms and shove her backwards on the log. Bru tried to charge in and shove her off the log, but Makoto snapped out a side-kick and clipped her in the temple, knocking her back.

Involuntarily, Makoto glanced downward - and wished she hadn't. The eighty feet from bridge to rocks seemed to multiply alarmingly now that she was over it, and she felt dizzy. Shaking her head, she looked up at Bru as the woman recovered - but unsettlingly, she *still* felt dizzy, unbalanced. {What's going on?} Makoto wondered, fighting for a solid stance. {I've never had a problem with heights-}

She was forced to break her train of thought when Bru came back to the attack. Makoto fought back, but the dizziness was worsening, and it crippled her ablility to follow up any openings she created. Now with the advantage of being able to engage and break away as she chose, Bru began a sharp series of in-and-out staff attacks that battered Makoto about the head and shoulders. Still the unsteadiness grew worse, and Makoto began to feel the urgent need to crouch before she fell.

In a desperate inspiration, she turned that into a counterattack, dropping below a staff swipe aimed at her head and landing on one leg and both hands, stabbing the free leg out once, twice, and then a third time into Bru Xhu's stomach, sending the Amazon staggering back and almost knocking her off the log. Finally having created her own separation, Makoto stood and shook her head, trying to clear out the dizziness. She had little success, but caught a glimpse of Pur-Fum among the spectators on the brink.

Smirking.

As if she knew how the battle was going to end already.

Makoto flashed back to a few scant minutes earlier, when the old woman had - seemingly innocently - poked her in the back, and *knew* what had happened. {Damn that bitter old hag! She hit some kind of pressure point, like the ones Gen uses, and it's making me dizzy!}

Bru Xhu recovered and came back in vicously, driving Makoto back down to a crouching block with vicious overhand staff-strikes. Makoto blocked as best she could while she thought frantically about a way out of her predicament.

{I need some way to end this before Bru Xhu uses the dizziness to knock me into the gorge. Some way to fight her off, but she can just get away whenever I break her rhythm, and I can't chase her!} Makoto reasoned, growing more and more desperate.

Bru Xhu landed a thrust to the stomach then that stood Makoto right up as she tried to suck in a breath, and smirked. "[[It's over, outsider!]]" she cried, bringing the staff into position for a second Amaguriken.

Realization - of the fact that Bru had driven her within reach of Pur-Fum and set her up - and inspiration - a memory of her fight with Gen - struck at the same time. The former brought anger, the latter brought hope. Makoto set her arms and blocked as the rapid thrusts came at her, then broke out of her blocking stance as the final power-thrust came in... and parrying it away. The expression on Bru Xhu's face as she staggered in at Makoto was priceless. Makoto's back arm shot out to join her parrying one in grabbing Bru Xhu by the neck of her Chinese outfit, and twisting... then in crossing down over her *hara* as the stunned Amazon was dropped back to the log.

"Haah - Karakusa! TANDEN REKI!!"

The inferno lit itself again inside Makoto's belly, and the dizziness was banished like cobwebs in a flame. Bru Xhu snarled and slashed the staff down on Makoto again, only to have it caught in one hand and used to yank her into the infuriated girl. Jabs led to ankle-kicks led to a three-punch combo to the chest led to:

"Oroshi!"

and the bruised and battered Amazon woman staggered, having seldom, if ever, absorbed so much punishment in so short a time. Makoto's anger suddenly vanished as Bru Xhu missed a step, her left foot slipping off the log.

Bru Xhu screamed as she began to topple sideways into open space, away from even the cushioning flow of the waterfall - then was stopped as someone grabbed her wrist.

Makoto looked down at her opponent, a plea in her eyes. "[[Bru Xhu, you fought well - but it's over. Admit defeat and let's go back to the village, OK? I don't think your mother wants you to die out here.]]"

Bru looked up at the Rindou daughter with astonishment - that was quickly buried behind a mad fire in her eyes. More than one voice cried out from the gorge sides in shock as Bru swung her legs up and kicked away from the log, pulling Makoto off and into her as she did. "[[I win, outsider,]]" Bru hissed at her, reigniting the fires of anger in Makoto's body as they began to fall. "[[I will die, but so will you and my family will still rule the Amazons! I spit on you and your whole clan! I win!!]]"

"[[No, you lose,]]" Makoto snarled back, snapping her hand free of Bru Xhu's grip and swinging up one leg.

"HAAH! TSURUGI!"

The EX axe-kick would normally halt Makoto in midair while it smashed her opponent to the ground. Here it performed much the same, sending Bru Xhu down into the surge and rocks below while it knocked Makoto briefly up and sideways, bringing the gorge wall within reach of her second leg, now swinging up as the first had.

"HAAH! TSURUGI!"

The second kick struck a rock ledge on the wall of the gorge. The affect was much different now: the kick struck an immovable object. While a lot of its force was dissipated in giving the ledge an impressive number of cracks, the lion's share of the momentum the kick normally imparted was sent back to Makoto. The law of equal and opposite reactions meant that Makoto was propelled *upward* most of the distance she'd fallen, and was able to reach out and grab the edge of the gorge.

Several sets of hands pulled her up, but still angry over a pointless death, Makoto shook them off without any thanks once she was on solid ground. Storming up to Khu Luong and Pur-Fum, she pointed a finger at the mother of Bru Xhu.

"[[CHEAT AND BETRAYER!!]]" she screamed, pausing only long enough to yank off her shirt, revealing her breast-bindings underneath. Still facing Pur-Fum, she cast a glance back to Khu Luong and addressed her. "[[Grandmother, is there a small bruise on my back?]]" she asked, indicating the area where Pur-Fum had poked her.

Khu Luong looked at the area and scowled. "[[Indeed there is, child - and by some... mischance, it seems to have fallen directly upon a pressure-point spot. Frankly, I'm surprised you were able to stand out there if you were dealing with this.]]"

Makoto held her wadded-up Chinese shirt in one hand and pointed at Pur-Fum with the other. "[[*She* poked me there, when I hopped back in her direction to avoid her daughter's staff before the match began.]]"

Pur-Fum was now the center of attention, and the looks she was getting were anything but friendly. "[[Grandmother-in-law, you interfered in the challenge fight?]]" asked the young Amazon that Makoto had seen fight in the Hong Kong tournament. It took a moment to place her name as Rin-Rin.

Pur-Fum cast a dark look at her, and she shrank back beside the boy she'd been with before, the one who looked like Yun Lee.

Khu Luong stepped forward. "[[By Clan Law, I call for any witnesses to this event. Any of you who saw the strike Makoto refers to, step forward.]]"

There was a moment of stillness and silence... and then another old figure stepped into the circle made by the crowd. "[[I may be old, but as the village stargazer I still have sharp eyes,]]" she announced. "[[I saw Pur-Fum strike Warrior Makoto, though I did not know it was a pressure point attack or I would have spoken earlier.]]"

Pur-Fum whirled on the voice, but the speaker - who looked even older than the two Elders - was behind several other people. Were it not for her huge eyes, Makoto would have doubted that she could have seen anything. {That must be Khu Lao, the village stargazer,} Makoto thought.

Khu Luong scowled at Pur-Fum, who was beginning to look less angry and more desperate. "[[Pur-Fum, you have been caught interfering in a challenge trial - and one that you instigated, to worsen the offence! Added to that is your crime of falsely accusing my daughter of lawbreaking, and now your accusation stands revealed as false. I offer you a choice. Either you accept the fate of chattel that you inflicted upon my daughter, or you will be banished from the village.]]"

Pur-Fum looked about herself, but found few friendly faces among the crowd. She growled, and finally grated out, "[[I will choose banishment.]]"

Khu Luong nodded. "[[Then so be it! You have until tomorrow morning to gather those belongings which you would bring with you. After the sun reaches noontime tomorrow, it means your death to be seen in Amazon lands again. Go!]]"

Pur-Fum raced off with a speed that Makoto doubted she could match at the moment, now that the adrenalin was wearing off. She was given no pause for thought, however, since Khu Luong was pressing on. "[[And let us all rejoice - for a Champion is cleansed of disgrace today, and a strong young Amazon has been acknowledged! Let us feast for Makoto Rindou, niece of Kho-Om, and let her choose an Amazon adult's name for her own!]]"

Truth be told, Makoto had rather forgotten about that aspect of the battle - confirming her as a full Warrior of the Jokuzetsuzoku. She didn't *quite* faint, but she was glad that the cheering warriors raised her on their shoulders to carry her back to the village, because she wasn't at all sure she could have walked.

During the celebration, Makoto had asked Khu Luong about her original purpose in coming to the Amazon Village, and the elder had agreed, but informed Makoto that it would take several days.

She had also, perhaps, had a *bit* too much to drink, as when she woke up the next morning she found that she had apparently chosen the name 'Xian Pu.' {Sounds *waay* too much like 'shampoo' for my taste,} Makoto groused to herself, {but I guess it'll have to do.}

It was on her third day in the village when she finally got to talk to the boy who reminded her of Yun. His name turned out to be Roshon, and he was married to Rin-Rin. He was also Pur-Fum's grandson and Bru Xhu's nephew.

"[[Oh no... I'm so sorry,]]" Makoto apologized once the two were introduced. "[[I never meant to bring your family harm...]]"

Roshon shrugged in a 'what-can-you-do?' gesture that was so like Yun Makoto did a doubletake, looking for the cap this boy just *had* to have on him somewhere. "[[How would you have known that your comin' here would set off such a firestorm?]]" he asked, reasonably enough. "[[Granny and Auntie have been inviting trouble for a while - you were just the one it came in with. My father, Pao Da, never got along with Granny really well anyhow. And persoonally, I don't care as long as nothing comes between me and Rin-Rin here,]]" he finished, pulling her to him in a hug.

Makoto had to grin. {I wonder if Yun would behave like that with a girl he liked?} she speculated, briefly imagining Yun hugging a girl.

(She conveniently failed to register the fact that the imaginary girl, seen only from the rear, had short brown hair in a page-cut and wore a tan *gi* - just like Makoto herself.)

"[[I think that's sweet,]]" she commented. Suddenly an image from the tournament came to her - Yang Lee defeating Rin-Rin and her glomp attack on him after the fight. "[[Uh, out of curiosity - when were you married?]]" she asked, a worried look creeping onto her face.

"[[About two years ago, as soon as we were eligible - that way we avoided the marriage law,]]" Roshon explained, and Makoto heaved a sigh of relief.

"[[Oh good,]]" she breathed.

Roshon grinned at her. "[[Oh yeah - you were at that tournament! I guess you saw her then. Rin-Rin's got a memory problem, she can't keep track of things too well without reminders. So when she lost there, she forgot she was already married.]]"

Makoto giggled. "[[Oh, you should have seen the look on Yang Lee's face when she glomped him..]]"

Rin-Rin perked up upon hearing the name. "Aiyah! You know Yang-airen?" she asked in her stilted Japanese. Unable to follow the dialogue, Roshon frowned but remained silent.

Makoto frowned. "Well, yeah... why?"

"Rin-Rin *thought* Xian Pu might have been trying to meet Yang! He was here few days ago, but he leave after sparring with Roshon," the blue-haired girl chirped innocently.

Makoto's eyes got as wide as saucers. "Yang LEE!? He was here!? The whole reason I came out here was because that 'Succubus' woman kidnapped him-" she broke off as she remembered the spiky-haired traveller who she had avoided on the trails. {Dammit!} she cursed to herself. {Double-damn my blasted shyness! If I'd had the courage to meet people on the trail I'd have found Yang!! IDIOT!} she continued the self-beration.

Roshon saw her frown, realized Yang's name had been mentioned, and put two and two together. Unfortunately he came up with five. "[[Oh, I get it,]]" he said, "[[You were hunting down that fool Yang! Well, you don't have to worry about him bothering us. I ran him out of town,]]" he finished with a smug grin.

The silence that fell was ominous in its totality. Makoto began to glow a dim red.

Finally, she broke the stillness with three words. "[[You... did... *what!?*]]"

Roshon blinked, this *not* being the reaction he'd expected, and frowned. "[[He was seducing my Rin-Rin away from me, so I forced him to leave. She's *mine.* I won't let him - or his friends - come between us.]]" He slipped into a defensive stance. A good thing he did, too...

Rin-Rin stepped away from Roshon as the glow began to build. "Xian scary..." she squeaked, then just turned and ran for the Elders' hut.

Makoto spoke in a low, dangerous undertone. "[[That boy had been beaten and kidnapped. He was taken all the way out here, he was probably lost, and if that was him I passed on the trail, he was crying - which, given his usual stone-faced control, implies that he had been going through things I don't even care to imagine. And - you - RAN - HIM - OUT!?!?!]]" she screamed, the Tanden Reki activating all on its own.

By the time the Elders got there, the fight was all but over. Roshon had gotten his shots in - Makoto had a nasty shiner, a split lip, and her ribs were noticeably bruised under her short Chinese shirt. The boy, however, had fared far worse. When he was examined, it was very difficult to find a spot on his body that *hadn't* suffered damage, from the bruises and broken nose on his face to the snapped toe on his left foot and the smashed testicles in between. Khu Luong managed to paralyze Makoto's arms with a pressure point just before she would have smashed his spine down across her knee.

Explanations were made, as were apologies, though Makoto's was made to Roshon only under duress. "[[He asked for it!!]]" she was heard to protest.

Two days later, the village oracle had all the answers she felt she would get about Succubus, and they were summarized to Makoto by Khu Luong.

With this knowledge in hand, Makoto asked for one more favour. Since returning to Hong Kong in time to do any good with her warning was impossible, Khu Luong allowed her to use a magical necklace - one of the magical treasures of the village - to send a message to Yun that night as she slept.

Makoto seemed to walk out of a gray mist into a bleak landscape. Some twenty yards from her was Yun, who seemed to be casting about as if searching for something. "Yang? Little bro?" he called out in a sad voice.

{That's so sad... he's even searching for his brother in his dreams,} she thought, then called out: "Yun? Yun! Over here!" and waved.

Yun looked up - and blinked several times. "....? Ma...koto. That you?" he asked, wide-eyed.

Makoto nodded to him. "Yeah. I know, it's wierd, but remember that village I was going to for the info on Succubus? I'm there right now. I got permission to use some of their magic stuff to find you in dreams 'cause I'd never get back in time to..." she trailed off as she noticed that he still seemed to be surprised to see her. "What are you staring at?" she asked, but Yun just quickly pulled his hat brim down over his eyes.

"Nuttin'!" he replied with a cough. Makoto shrugged - it *was* weird meeting in dreams, after all - and went on.

"Okay," Makoto began, "Basically she's exactly what her name implies. She's got magic and she's fond of tormenting folks. She thinks you and Yang are linked in spirit, and she's trying to attack you through that, both by keeping you separated, which hurts as you need each other, and maybe by doing stuff to both of you. Yang may be a bit crazy by the time he gets back - be careful." She paused for a breath. "The good news is in two parts..." Makoto blinked and cocked her head, realizing that Yun was *still* wide-eyed underneath the hat. "Hey, are you OK? You're still staring," she asked.

Yun coughed. "Yeah. It's just that..." he coughed again and cleared his throat. "You'd never guess a steamroller would look good in a dress," he finished, gesturing with his hands to indicate Makoto's attire.

It wasn't until she looked down that Makoto realized she was wearing the Jokuzetsu uniform. "Dress... EEK!" she commented as she saw her outfit. She grabbed the bottom flap and tried to tug it down to a decent skirt-level, without much success.

Yun just winked. "You should wear that more often." What he didn't add was his private thought that if she did, he'd have to fight off half the men in Hong Kong for her time.

Makoto *MEGA-BLUSH*ed. "I... um... Arigato, Yun-kun," she managed. Taking a deep breath, she pressed on. "Anyway, the oracle here said the key to her downfall would begin in America, so I'm headed there." She paused - {This won't be pleasant,} she thought - and went on. "And I saw Yang-"

"YANG?? You saw him? How is he? He's gotta be heartbroken without his big bro' to protect him..." Yun broke in, inadvertently treading on a raw nerve.

Makoto winced, remembering what Yang had been doing when she saw him. "Ouch... Well, I kind of passed him on the trail... I think he might have been crying..." With a pause and another deep breath for self-control, she tried to explain. "I, um, didn't want to have people see me in, you know..." she gestured, her hands sweeping down to indicate her garb, "'cause it doesn't cover my flaws the way my *gi* does..." She blushed again, but from shame this time, hanging her head as she finished. "...and I kind of avoided him. If I hadn't been such a coward, I could have brought him back to you!" she accused herself. {I was such a coward... Yun-kun will hate me for that,} she thought miserably.

Which left her frozen in utter shock when he stepped forward and took her in his arms. "S'alright, good lookin'. You tried your best and I appreciate it."

Makoto sniffled, snuggling in close to him for a moment. "Thanks." She had to clear her throat before she could continue. "So like I said, I'll be heading to America. Um... maybe when I get back we could go out to celebrate, ne, Yun-kun?" She blushed again - {Did I just ask Yun out on a date?} she wondered, then finally noticed how closely she was being held, and halfheartedly pushed away, getting nowhere.

"Um... Yun?" There was a short pause. "Could you let go? I mean, I'm just visiting here - this is *your* dream..." she explained, wriggling a bit as she tried for just a *bit* more space (not that she was uncomfortable) "so it's kind of your choice..."

"It's my dream. I want to hold you for a while longer." Yun did so. Then, he sighed deeply. "I owe you one..." he said, moving away and brushing her arm as he did so. "Good luck, good lookin'. We'll be lookin' forward to seein' you again."

Makoto grinned wryly. "It's no problem, Yun-kun." She then proceeded to perform what was obviously a quote in a deep and pompous voice. "'It is a martial artist's *duty* to help those in need!' Dad loved saying that. And... I'll look forward to seeing you again, too. Ja ne, Yun-kun..." she said wistfully as she faded back into the mist.

That night, miles away, down the waterfall gorge, a battered figure was draped over the riverbank. As two pairs of hands, one old and gnarled and one young and bruised, fastened on her wrists and pulled her out of the water, the figure opened her eyes and groaned. "[[Mother?]]" she asked faintly. "[[Nephew?]]"

Pur-Fum gazed down at Bru Xhu's body. The fight had hurt her - the ride down the river had hurt her worse. It would be some time before either Bru Xhu *or* Roshon were in fighting shape. "[[You were strong, daughter. You survived. And I will help heal your wounds and those of your nephew.]]"

"[[And then, grandmother?]]" Roshon asked her, wincing as the speech made his chipped teeth hurt.

Pur-Fum scowled so deeply it seemed she would never smile again. "[[Then we take revenge on this Makoto Rindou, child. We hurt her as deeply as she hurt us - then we do it again, and again, until she regrets ever crossing a rightfully ruling clan of the Chinese Amazons.]]"