Hands jammed in his pockets, Yang continued on to what he believed was south. Seeing how he was in the middle of China, the most logical solution was to head south - the general area of Hong Kong. He had been walking for awhile. He didn't want to run this time, mainly because when one walks, one has more time to mull over problems. The thing is, once he arrives home - if he arrives home - will he be able to face Yun? He already felt lower than low about his fighting skills. Now Yang was beginning to believe that in sparring practices, Yun went easy on him. Whether this was true or not, Yang had a good idea about how his skills were compared to Yun. 'I'm not good enough,' he sulked, 'I'm just not good enough.'

It was not long before he came upon a woman's scream from the direction he was facing. An object that appeared to be a blur dashed his way. Yang had only time to nudge right as the object narrowly passed him. Some seconds later, a woman ran into him. Yang planted his left foot back, but made no motion to hold her.

"Ouch... that hurt." she winced. She placed her hands on his chest and gazed up with large brown eyes. Her face slowly flushed. "I... I'm sorry. I have to hurry or Lavin will get away."

The girl burst off. Yang watched her with an unreadable expression. 'Lavin...?' he wondered. Looking back for only a moment longer, he continued on.

Just over the hill, he came upon a small town. Not Jokuzetsu, a different town. Yang silently thanked his knowledge of various Chinese dialects and entered, trying to blend himself with the crowd. That would have taken some effort in his part - practically the entire town's population were running amok, across the streets, in and out of buildings looking under the strangest objects. Placid, conservative Yang would never follow in such wild acts, but he was also curious to know what they were looking for.

His answer was hammered on a post. Yang peered at the sign. "Missing," it read under a photo of various animals, "the Seven Treasures of Ai Yin. If found, please return to Ai Yin's mansion for a great reward."

'Ai Yin...' Yang repeated without words. He came to the conclusion that the villagers were searching for the pets. Now was not a good time to ask directions to Hong Kong. Worked in his favor - he wasn't up to talking to people anyway. On the other hand, should he help the villagers on their chase or continue on home? While he did consider the award, he didn't get his hopes up. Be sensible - don't count ones chickens before they have hatched.

"Hurry! Tama-Neko is getting away!" someone cried.

'Tama...Neko...?' Yang repeated to himself.

To his right, a tiny blur whizzed by, and his reflexes reached out to catch it. However, he was only able to clasp strands of glazed fur as the object sped away. A few seconds later, some villagers flew by at a slightly slower pace. Yang wondered if he should help them or continue on.

'Big brother always says to help others. Perhaps I shall lend a hand. Then I can ask for directions.' he shrugged.

"Or perhaps, chasing these pets would be a good test of your skill." a mysterious voice whispered. "If you're fast enough to catch these pets, you may be fast enough to fight your brother."

Yang whirled around. "Who's there?" he demanded accusingly.

But no one was there. Yang gazed passively in that direction, his face hiding his confusion. The words he had just heard troubled him, but they had a ring of truth. The top speed of most animals peaked over the top of average human beings. He now saw the pet-chasing task as not a trivial obstacle but as a test of speed, as silly as it seemed. Yang smirked as the cat-chasing villagers faded into the distance.

'At the speed they are going, they will never reach the cat. A cat's top speed is roughly 30 miles an hour. Whether the cat is under or over such speed, it will surely escape freely.' From the sounds of the villagers, the crowd he last saw was headed to the street behind the houses to his left. He surveyed the area for shortcuts. That clothesline appeared as perfect leverage. He quickly leapt on the thin wire, then again vaulted over the rooftop and onto the streets. He was just behind the villagers and the cat. Perfect.

The noisy villagers, so intent on nabbing the cat, were swept away by a sudden gale. Yang chuckled to himself as he flew by, then zoned in on the cat. A Siamese cat to be exact. Now that his speed matched, even passed the feline's, he had a clearer view. Animals have a tendency not to look back, but the cat's ears detected Yang's fast approach and quickly changed course. With his mind in synch with the feline, Yang anticipated the move. The two leapt in the air. The villagers watched in amazement as Yang landed with the cat in his arms. The feline struggled in attempt to claw his way out. Yang held onto it - him firmly, yet gently, as he had a weakness for cats.

"I'll take you home." he said simply. The cat seemed to understand and ceased it's struggle, now purring in his arms.

The crowd oohed and awed, and parted as Yang approached. At first, he eyed them without saying a word. Then he realized he was acting on his force of habit - staying silent wile Yun, who was absent, did the talking. With no Yun, Yang was forced to speak up, although he knew his blunt manner was not well received by many.

"Where is Ai Yin's mansion?"

An old man pointed a shaky finger in the opposite direction. "T-there."

"Thank you." And off Yang went.

For a tiny village, this mansion was certainly large. The intricately decorative building seemed almost too good to be real. Yang silently approached the front guards using the cat as some sort of pass. Upon inspection, the left guard verified the cat to be real.

"A-ah, you caught Mistress Ai Yin's precious Tama-Neko." the guard spoke. "Please enter."

The gates creaked open. Yang entered the grounds. Immediately, a servant approached him and beckoned for him to follow. Through the grounds they went. Yang made quick note of the surroundings should he have to find his way on his own.

Eventually, they came upon a double door. The servant bowed and opened the door, telling Yang with a hand gesture to enter. Yang entered cautiously. This was a bedroom with many silks and rich furnishings. Many furred animals were scattered about. Upon reaching the center of the room, Tama-Neko leapt out of Yang's arms and onto the bed beside a young girl.

"Tama-Neko! You're back!" she exclaimed.

The kitten meowed in response.

Ai Yin raised her eyes to Yang. "You are the one who found Tama-Neko?"

Yang nodded warily.

"Thank you. I am Ai Yin. You have found one of my seven treasures." The young girl unperched from the bed and made a slow walk around. Yang said nothing so she continued. "I am a feline lover. My seven treasures are my seven pets, my precious babies. I can't live without them. They bring me peace and joy." She tilted her head and smiled. "You have the disposition of a feline owner, you must know what I mean."

Still, Yang said nothing. Ai Yin approached him. "You have returned my sixth treasure. The others have been fetched but one still remains missing. I'd appreciate it if you can find him for me. Pretty please with a cherry on top? You know I'm rich. Find him and I'll give you a nice reward."

It's not that Yang didn't care - he had other things to do. But somehow, he felt the suggestion to agree enter the back of his mind. He answered with a nod.

"Perfect!" Ai Yin showed him a photo of a white rabbit. "This is Lavin. Please find him and return him to me."

Nodding, Yang left, wondering who planted the positive suggestion in the first place. He didn't notice, as he left, that behind a pillar a cloaked figure was watching him. Once he was out of sight, the person unrobed her concealment, revealing herself to be Ai Yin. Slowly, her face and form changed into that of her true form - Succubus. Three men in black came before her.

"Mistress Succubus. The animals we set loose are slowly returning."

"Excellent," she purred, licking her lips, "My sweet kitten will retrieve the last two."

"Begging your pardon, Mistress Succubus," interrupted a flunkie, "but what are you gaining from training Yang Lee? You're only succeeding in making him stronger."

Succubus chuckled. Winking, she waved a teasing finger. "'Strong' is a relative term. Come to the boat. I'll explain to you my plan."

She and the men stayed in place. The wind blew, causing the willow trees to cover them if one watched from a distance. When the branches returned to normal, Succubus and her man had vanished.

'Lavin...I remember this name.' Yang mused. 'The girl outside the village was chasing him. I have a feeling this Lavin is still somewhere outside the village.'

Was would have been more appropriate a term. The moment Yang stepped foot outside the village, Lavin came bouncing back. This time, Yang managed to grab a hind leg which eluded his grasp. The same girl from before halted beside Yang, puffing and panting. Her face was red from all the running.

"I...can't... catch that... furball..." she gasped.

Yang stared for a moment, then pushed himself away. 'I'll handle it.' he thought, not caring he said that to himself and not to her. A rabbit's top speed was faster than the average human's. Either the rabbit was trying to flee as fast as possible or the girl was just not quick enough. Yang pondered, as he ran, if he could catch up.

Both Yang and the unseen rabbit were blurs. Yang had to rely on people's shouts to get a general location. Once done, he cut tracks and successfully caught up to the rodent. However, as Yang chased after Lavin, he noticed that at best he could only match Lavin's speed. What he needed was a short sprint - a short burst of speed to just run past him.

Before he established that, his legs caved out again.

He skidded on the ground. No one was around to help him up. Yang struggled to his feet. This was the second time his legs gave in, and usually they don't do that. He clutched his knees and found the source - he was trembling. From what, though? Fear? Anxiousness? Loneliness?

Loneliness? Why would he be lonely?

He felt a warm hand under his arm help him stand. Yang looked to the side and, to his surprise, saw his brother grinning. Smirking, Yun held his lips close to Yang's until they nearly brushed each other.

"You suck." Yun whispered.

"....."

A stab pierced Yang's heart. Those words hurt. When Yang blinked again, Yun had disappeared. A mirage, no doubt, created by his failing heart. Narrowing his eyes, Yang kneeled into a sprinter's ready stance.

'I don't 'suck'. I'll prove it to you.'

Ready, set, go, and he was off. Yang's running stance continued to lower until he was crouching. Ahead, he saw a shining light glimmer, beckoning him to come. He pushed off as powerfully as possible, feeling the wind brush past him in a sudden burst of speed. When the light settled, Yang screeched to a halt and was knocked over by an object that now lay in his arms. He looked down, somewhat confused, and saw Lavin the rabbit squirming in his upper limbs.

"Gotcha," he said quietly, clutching Lavin in his gentle arms. Unlike cats, rabbits don't stop squirming until they are free. Yang realized this and raced to Ai Yin's house as fast as possible.

When Yang arrived at the mansion, it had appeared that nothing had changed. However, this time the guards wouldn't let him through.

"Halt! On what terms do you seek to pass?" the left guard growled, pointing a spear at Yang's throat.

'What would big brother say at a time like this?' Yang wondered. But instead of speaking, he simply held Lavin forward.

"Aah! That's Lavin, one of Mistress Ai Yin's seven treasures! He must be returned immediately before the mistress finds out."

"That won't be necessary," spoke a soft, feminine voice.

Upon hearing the voice, the guards immediately groveled. Young Ai Yin slowly made her way down the stairs with Tama-Neko in her arms. Instead of the boisterous girl Yang remembered, she appeared sickly and pale, not to mention suspicious. She crossed the gate but kept her distance from the Kung Fu fighter. "What are you doing with Lavin?"

"... I brought him back." Yang replied. Lavin agreed by leaping out of his arms and frolicking into the mansion.

"Oh... thank you..." Ai Yin muttered. Without a word of thanks, she returned inside.

The guards said nothing. Yang said nothing. He simply turned tail and left. He had a sinking suspicion that something was wrong. And without Yun to grin and tell him that everything was all right, Yang fell deeper into depression. Not only that, Yang was reminded once again of all the times Yun would get praise. Was it something about Yang that was inadequate? By the time Yang left the village, his spirits were once again lower than low.