Neko-Shampoo frantically searched through the ruins of her hut, 
looking for the remains of her water heater.  Eventually she found it, 
or, rather, what was left of it.  "Mrawr!" she cursed.  No hot water meant 
she was stuck in a helpless body for the rest of the fight.
	MuMu-chan, too, was trapped and helpless.  His fishbowl helmet made 
for a cramped cage, and his duck body couldn't get the leverage he needed to 
free himself.  In frustration he pecked at the glass with his beak.
	Neko-Shampoo saw her lover's struggles and considered.  On the 
one hand, she had no idea what was going on in the rest of the village.  
With her ears still ringing from the earlier battle, the only way she had 
to gather the information she needed was to go out and take a look.  On 
the other hand, the stupid duck was liable to hurt himself if she didn't 
help him get free.
	Mercy won out over practicality, if just barely.  It wasn't like 
the extra knowledge would do her any good, after all.  So, with an angry 
twitch of her tail, the cat jumped over the wreckage of her dining room 
set and started scratching at the dirt under the lip of the fishbowl.
	It took time, but two could accomplish what one could not.  Once he  
was free, MuMu-chan paused only to quack something short at his lover.  Then 
he was gone, a white mass of feathers flying unsteadily in the 
rain-filled night.
	"Meow?" Neko-Shampoo wondered.  Unsheathing her claws, she, too, 
set off into the night.  It was time to hunt.

* * * * *

	Brook vaulted to the top of a thatched roof.  She pulled her glasses 
off her face and threw them as hard as she could; she hated them, and it 
wasn't like she could miss spotting a huge green snake.  *Here I am!* she 
shouted into the wind.  *Come and get me!*
	The dragon didn't see her right away; it was busy with a pair of 
swordswomen who were trying their best to give him an extreme pedicure.  
One tail swipe later it looked in her direction.  *BROOK!* it shouted 
predictably.  *THERE IS NOWHERE YOU CAN RUN!*
	Brook refrained from pointing out that up til now she'd done an 
excellent job at evading it.  Instead she jumped to the next building.
	The dragon followed her.
	Brook jumped a second time, adding a somersault for variety.
	The dragon continued to follow.  It was starting to pick up speed; 
without the continuous distraction posed by a small army of angry Amazons 
the beast apparently could move.
	Brook skipped to the next hut, throwing a handful of shuriken at 
her pursuer to keep him honest.  The dragon didn't even blink; Brook 
frowned when she realized that the big green blob was actually gaining on 
her.
	For her next trick, the odango-haired girl jumped sideways.  Sure 
enough, the dragon had trouble making a quick turn at that speed.  It 
stumbled, crashing against a hut in its attempt to brake.  Brook winced 
at the excess property damage, but there wasn't anything else she could 
have done.  Not without becoming dragon food... or whatever it was the 
beast wanted her for.

* * * * *

	A dragon slamming into the side of the hut saved Tachi from 
having to deal with Shun's revelations.  "Are you all right?" she asked 
when the dust cleared.
	"I'm hundreds of miles away from home, surrounded by a horde of 
suicidal maniacs who don't speak my language, and under attack from a mythic 
beast I didn't believe in until fifteen minutes ago.  What do _you_ 
think, Tachi?"
	The mercenary girl smiled.  "I'm O.K. too."  She looked around 
the room for their guard and found her pinned under the remains of the 
doorway.  "Help me over here."
	"Don't move her," Shun warned.
	Tachi checked the girl for a pulse, sighing in relief when she found 
one. "Since when did you have any EMT training?"
	"Hey, I've watched as many reruns of _ER_ as you have.  We should 
try to free her, though"  He grabbed a piece of wreckage with both hands 
and grunted, barely managing to set it aside.
	"Well, [1], since I've actually do know CPR, I'd better stay with 
Sleeping Beauty here."  She picked up another broken plank with her free 
hand and casually tossed it away.  "Why don't you check on the other room?  
That's where they were keeping the really small kids, and since we're 
twice as old as anyone else here..."
	"Since it's you asking, [2], I'll do it."  In a more serious 
voice he added, "Stay here, Tachi.  Don't go running off to do something 
stupid.  This girl needs you more than your sense of adventure does."

Author's D'oh: [1] and [2] are the male and female protagonists from ER.  
Unfortunately, I can't think of their names right now.  This is especially 
dumb on my part because I live with three Med students.

	"I hear and obey, Master."
	"Hah," Shun muttered as he left the room.  "I wish it was that easy."

* * * * *

	Mousse cursed himself as he ran from his hut.  There were times 
when living on the outskirts of the village was convenient.  Now was not one 
of them.  Not when the dragon was on the other side of town.
	Rubble and wounded blocked his path; he leapt over them, nearly 
flying in his haste.  Actual flight would have been faster, but a duck 
couldn't hope to face down a dragon.  A man could, though, particularly a 
desperate man.
	Mousse had faced some serious threats during his life, most of them 
on behalf of a woman who did not and would never love him.  This one topped 
them all, and he'd have to face it alone.  Mousse knew the Joketsuzoku 
Amazons well, and he knew they'd never succeed in defeating the dragon, 
not when he and Shampoo had failed.  The Amazons were too set in their 
ways, too unwilling to adopt new tactics and new technologies.
	_At least,_ he told himself, _this time my motives are pure._
	He saw his daughter jump from rooftop to rooftop, and he saw the 
dragon's unsuccessful attempt to take a sharp corner.  _This is as good a 
spot as any._
	*Father!* he heard Brook call.  *I was afraid you'd-*
	*Not now, Little Kitten,* he said as he jumped beside her.  *For 
now, I need you to hold my umbrella.*
	She took the flowery parisol from her father, confusion evident on her 
face.  *But we have to lead the dragon from the village.*
	Mousse adjusted his glasses.  *No, we don't.*
	*MOUSSE,* the dragon thundered, *STAND ASIDE!  FOR BROOK'S SAKE I 
WOULD NOT SEE YOU HURT!*
	*I give you one last chance to leave,* the white-robed warrior shouted 
back.  Blue cross-hairs glowed on his lenses.
	*YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME?*  The dragon chuckled, steam pouring 
from its nostrils in mirth.  *YOU'VE ALREADY TRIED ONCE.  YOU FAILED.*
	*My lover and I failed to capture you.*  He brought up his right arm; 
the cross-hairs pulsed once, then turned red.  *Neither of us tried to 
kill you.
	*Yet.*
	Man-made thunder shook the night as he pulled the trigger of the 
shotgun he'd hid up his sleeve.
 ______
{B-{=__
rmckenzi@euclid.ucsd.edu : The White-Robed Mathematician