HIDDEN WEAPONS UNITED

By Megan Earley

***I decided that I wasn’t going to write everything twice so in this chapter if it says things like "Tide signed." assume that Destine translates it to the others.***

CHAPTER 5

Destine stared in disbelief. "How did you find us?!"

"Easy, I follow you. Shampoo worry about friends. Great-grandmother close up cafe and leave Shampoo all alone. She go out looking for you in China. I wait until she gone and look through stuff Destine leave behind." She held up a small book. "Only address in book other than cafe is here. I take train and come here."

Destine sat back down and sighed. "Cologne could have followed you. You might have led her straight to us." She turned and explained what was happening to Tide.

Tide nodded and signed back. "What she look like?"

"Short, long white hair, beak mouth, UGLY, carries staff." Mousse stifled a giggle as Destine signed the description to Tide. Destine turned to Shampoo, "Tide says she will watch out for Cologne, I think I gave her a pretty good explanation." She smiled.

The teapot began to whistle and Destine went to fix the tea. "Anyone want some?" She poured a cup for herself and one for Tide. She set them on the table and sat down. She took a sip and sighed. "This is great tea." She signed to Tide the story of how she met Mousse, Shampoo, and Ryoga. She related what had happened earlier in the day and why she was hurt. She talked the entire time she was signing so the others could listen too.

Tide looked up at Mousse and bowed her head. "Thank you." She signed.

Destine smiled. "Is there a place they can stay for the night?"

"Boys room on left of house. Shampoo with you."

Destine nodded and stood up. "Here I’ll show you to your room Shampoo. You’ll be staying with me. Tide is going to take Mousse and Ryoga to their room." She put her hand on Shampoo’s shoulder and led her to the right side of the house. "I think there is an extra bed under mine. It’s a pullout so I can store it away during the day."

"Shampoo worry, she see blood coming from your head. She bring herbs to make it better." Shampoo reached into her pockets and pulled out a bag of dried herbs.

Destine smiled. "Where did you find those clothes?"

"They Mousse’s. He leave them behind. I have only what I brought with me." She pointed to her bag. "I wear this as disguise."

"If you need clothes I have extras. I think they should fit you, you’re about the same size as I was two years ago. I’ve grown a bit since I left this place."

"Yes Destine very tall, Shampoo almost thought Destine was boy when she first came into cafe. You almost as tall as Mousse."

"I’m an inch shorter than he, well we’re here." Destine opened a door and stepped inside. The room was small but comfy looking. There was a bed and a table in one corner and a door leading to the bathroom on the right side of the room. She walked over to the bed and reached underneath. "Yep it’s still here." She pulled a small cot from under the bed and set it up. "You can take you’re pick of the beds." She pulled the chair out from under the table and sat down.

"Destine very kind." Shampoo walked over and sat down on the cot. "I take this one. Destine can have her own bed." She looked around the room. "You live here?"

"Yep." Destine stood up and walked over to the closet. She opened it and grabbed a nightgown. "Here, you can wear this for tonight. Most of my stuff is in boxes right now." She sat down on her bed and reached for her backpack. "That’s right, Mousse has it." She stood up and walked to the door.

"Wait, how you gain so much energy so soon?"

"The tea I drank was a pain killer. If I don’t feel the pain I can be up and about." Destine opened the door and walked down to Mousse’s room.

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Mousse lay down on the bed and sighed. "This is a nice place don’t you think so Ryoga?"

"Yeah, I just wish I could understand that woman when she talks. We need Destine here."

Mousse stood up. "Speaking of Destine, I still have her backpack. I should go give it to her." He grabbed the pack and walked out of the room.

"Don’t forget to ask her what time wake up is." Ryoga called after him.

Mousse walked down the hallway and stopped by the front door. ‘Now which way?’ He turned in a full circle and started to continue down the hall when he heard footsteps coming towards him. ‘Oh crud. If it’s Tide I’m going to have to explain myself.’ He turned and looked for a place to hide. A hand touched his shoulder and he let out a yelp.

"Why so jumpy Mumu-chan?" Destine turned him around and laughed. "One would think you were trying to hide."

Mousse turned bright red. "Um, well, you see, I thought you were Tide. I thought it would be wrong if she found me wandering around her house without her permission."

Destine smiled and the fang on the left side of her mouth showed. "Don’t worry. She knows that you’re worried about me, if she found you out and about she’d ask what you’re doing but that’s it."

"Has that fang always been there Des-chan?"

"Yeah, I’ve got one on the other side too just like everyone else. They’re just slightly longer than normal. My smile just tends to curve to the left so most people only see that one. Care to follow me? Shampoo has some of your clothes." She headed back down the hall.

"Wait, how did you heal so fast? You were near fainting a few minutes ago."

"Oh, I haven’t healed yet. We’re here." She opened the door and stepped inside. Shampoo was sound asleep on the cot. "You can sit in that chair." Destine sat on the bed and waited for Mousse to get comfy. "You see, the tea I drank was a pain killer. It’s what I used while I was training. That’s why I’m almost a master of hidden weapons at such a young age. Since I didn’t feel the pain I could keep training even though I was pretty banged up. I started at age eight and became an expert by the age of 14. It’s been four years since my last lesson. When I turned 16 I took the oath that I would not kill unless it was absolutely necessary. I also never attack first as you’ve probably noticed. I always wait until I know their moves. Then I match mine to theirs accordingly." She picked up some clothes next to the closet. "Shampoo said these were yours." She held them up. "From the looks of it, I’m going to agree with her. But I’ve never seen you were one with this design or color before." She handed them to Mousse.

"Of course you wouldn’t. She got into my closet, this is the robe I am to wear when I become a master of hidden weapons. Damn it, I knew I had forgotten something." He folded the robe and pants up neatly and set them beside him. "Did you receive a strange box when you left?"

"Yes, the box is in my closet. I chose to leave it here since I planned on coming back. I plan on opening it soon though. Tide says it holds the master technique. All I know is that men learn a different technique than women do." She laughed. "Though I’ve already learned the master technique for males. She says that when I turn 19 it will be time for me to open the box. Until then..." Her words trailed off and she looked over at Shampoo who had just muttered something in her sleep.

"What? Don’t worry, she could sleep through anything." He pulled a small box from his sleeve. "Could you keep this for me? I don’t know where to put it right now." He handed the box to Destine. "What do you mean you’ve already learned the master technique that men learn?"

"Sure, I’ll put it on top of mine. I learned it because sometime to get around I have to disguise myself as a man. That way I can defend myself even if I’m not wearing my robes. It’s a dart technique. I’m not going to tell you anymore about it, against the rules. Out of curiosity, what is the condition for you to learn the final technique?" She picked up the box and set it in the closet.

Mousse sighed. "I have to give up my love for Shampoo. At least your condition is possible, it’s just an age."

Destine put her hand over his mouth. "I also have to pass a test. I have to fight Tide and one other hidden weapons expert. But the catch is that I must beat both of them without wearing my glasses. I can’t wear my contacs either." She walked back over to the closet and looked on one of the shelves. "Now where are those things?" She dug through an old box until she found what she was looking for. "Here they are." She sat back down on her bed and handed one of the objects to Mousse. "It’s a small transmitter. I made it before I left. You put it in your ear and fasten the small box on your neck at the hair line. To talk simply pull on this little knob right here." She pulled on the knob and it stretched out into a small microphone. "You talk into this piece and listen with this one." She picked up the other one and put it on. "Like so. To get a hold of someone, take the small box and open it up. Inside is a keypad. You just type in the number. It works like a phone. In fact you can use it as a phone if you want." She handed him a small piece of paper. "The number I use is on there. This way we don’t have to run around the house trying to find each other. If you need help just use this and I’ll be there as quickly as I can."

Mousse nodded and put on the transmitter. "Thanks. Um what is that other thing you’re holding?"

Destine looked down at her right hand. "It’s a package Tide gave to me a while back. I never opened it because I was afraid of what I’d find out. She told me that it would tell me who my parents are." She pulled on the ribbon and opened the package.

Inside were two tiny silver bracelets, a small rattle, and an envelope. Destine picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was a tiny hospital bracelet that looked like it was made for a baby. Destine looked at it for a long time and then handed it to Mousse. "Can you understand what this says?"

"I think so." Mousse held it up to the light. "It’s a family name but I don’t recognize the last half. The first part is Mekana. Maybe you should ask Tide about the last part." He handed it back to her. "I’m going to go and get some sleep. What time are we supposed to get up?"

Destine smiled. "Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get up in the morning."

"That’s what I’m afraid of."

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Shampoo yawned and sat up. Destine stood by the closet pulling on a swimsuit. "Morning Destine. What you doing?"

Destine fastened the clasp on the back of the suit and turned around. "There’s a hot spring a little ways from here. I was going to go and relax for a bit before my doctor’s appointment." She grabbed a short robe from the closet and slipped it on. "Hmm, still fits. Of course it was a bit big on me before." She picked up a small towel and walked to the door. "Breakfast is on the table Shampoo." She opened the door and walked down the hall. She stepped into the kitchen to see Tide and Ryoga sitting at the table eating breakfast. "Good morning." She signed. She sat down and ate the bowl of rice Tide handed her. "That’s good. Is Mousse up yet?"

Tide shook her head. "He sleep long."

"I’m gonna get him up. Ryoga care to go to the spring with me this morning? Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m going to be naked." She laughed and picked up a pitcher of cold water. "Now if you’ll excuse me." She walked out of the room and down the hall.

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Mousse rolled over in his bed and sighed. Destine walked up and smiled down at him. "So are you going to get up or do I have to get you up with a cold shower this morning?" She held the pitcher above his head.

Mousse’s eyes shot open and he lashed out with his right arm knocking the pitcher onto Destine. "What the heck?" He slipped on his glasses and looked around. Destine shook her fur out and jumped up onto his bed. "Destine, what are you doing here?" He sat up and pushed his bangs out of his eyes. Destine bared her fangs at him. "Why are you in that form?" He looked down at the floor and saw her clothes. "Oh, sorry about that. I thought you were Cologne and you were about to pour water on me."

Destine turned around and ran into the bathroom. Mousse heard the water running and Destine muttering to herself. She stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around herself. She picked up her clothes and walked back into the bathroom. "I think I was just insulted." She walked back into the room drying her hair. "You couldn’t tell the difference between me and Cologne?" She sat down on the foot of the bed. "I merely came in here to wake you up. It’s after 9:00. I called the doctor’s office and the appointment is at noon. It’s for both of us. I know that you’re ribs are bruised and probably also cracked. You can go back to sleep after the appointment." She leaned forward and ruffled his hair. "I’m going out to the spring to relax. Breakfast is on the table." She stood up.

Mousse jumped out of the bed and grabbed Destine’s hand. "Where is this spring?" He blushed. "I don’t mean it like that. I just want to know where to find you."

"It’s down the path behind the house. It’s a rather large spring but wherever I’m at in the spring I’m always within earshot from the house." She pushed her glasses up and walked out of the room. She was about to open the door when Tide walked up to her.

"I need talk with you when you get back Destine."

"OK. I be back in hour." Destine opened the door and slipped on her sandals. ‘I had forgotten how beautiful this place is in the mornings.’ She went around the house and headed down the path. ‘I hope it’s still a hot spring.’ She laughed and pushed a branch out of her way. In front of her lay a large pool of water. She could see steam rising off it in the morning air. ‘Guess it’s still safe.’ She undid her robe and set it on a branch near the spring. Setting the towel down on a rock she dove in. ‘This is definitely what I needed.’ She came back up and swam to the shallow end of the spring. ‘I wonder what Tide needs to speak to me about?’

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Ryoga and Mousse sat in their room unpacking their bags. Mousse looked up. "So have you told Akane how you feel yet?"

Ryoga turned bright red and threw a shoe at him. "Don’t even ask questions like that. I’ll let her know when the time is right....Shoe please?"

Mousse lobbed the shoe back to Ryoga and pulled out a pair of loose pants and a long sleeved T-shirt. He undid his robe and hung it up. Looking down he saw the bandages where he had wrapped his ribs last night. He carefully undid them and looked at the bruises. ‘Cologne has never hit me this hard before.’ He touched the bruises and cringed. ‘Maybe Destine’s right. I might have cracked ribs.’ He slipped on the T-shirt and changed into his pants. Looking over at the clock he saw that it was 10:30. "I’m going to go look for Destine." He grabbed his shoes and headed for the back door. He stepped outside and saw Tide sitting in a chair looking up at the sky.

She held up a piece of paper to him. "You looking for Destine? Follow that path." She pointed to a well formed path in front of her. Mousse bowed and walked off down the path.

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Destine sighed and rubbed her wrists. ‘This is definitely what I needed. For the first time in two years I feel relaxed.’ She leaned back and looked up at the sky. Above her dark clouds were beginning to form. ‘Storm’s coming. I really should get back.’ She pushed off from the ledge she was on and swam over to where she had left her robe and towel. She climbed out and dried herself off. Suddenly behind her a twig snapped. She grabbed a throwing knife from her robe and threw it in the direction of the noise. There was a startled yelp and a dull thud of the knife hitting a tree. She drew another knife and crept over to where she had heard the noise come from.

She stepped onto the path and stifled her laughter. Mousse was pinned to a tree about a foot of the ground by Destine’s knife. Mousse looked over at her. "Mind telling me why you did that?"

Destine walked over and pulled the knife out of the tree. "You’re lucky I always adjust my aim. I could have lodged this thing in your head." She smiled and laughed. "So why did you come looking for me? You could have used the transmitter. Or just yelled."

"I forgot about it. It’s after 10:30. I thought it would be good for you to get back and get washed up." He slipped his glasses over his eyes and blushed.

Destine raised her eyebrows and looked at herself. "What’s wrong?" She laughed. "Did you just discover that I have a body? I’m going to go get my robe." She turned and walked back to the spring.

"Wait, you mind if I go with you?" Mousse walked up beside her.

"Sure. So how are the ribs doing?" She pointed to his chest and smirked. "I’ve noticed how you’ve been babying them. Cologne must have gotten you pretty good." She rubbed her head. "I know she definitely did a number on me. Luckily the gash on my head is shallow. Otherwise I’d have to get stitches." She looked up. "We need to get back soon. It’s going to rain within the hour." She grabbed her robe and slipped it on. "You enjoying it here?"

Mousse took a deep breath and cringing, grabbed his stomach. "Yes and no. I want to be able to enjoy this place but the pain is really getting to me." He sighed and put a hand on Destine’s shoulder. "Do you think the old hag will find us here?"

"Doubt it. The only way she’d know where to find us is if...did Shampoo say Cologne went to China?"

"Yeah why is that important?"

"Tide’s sensei lives in China, well last she had heard from him. He’s blind and I think he lives in, oh no, an Amazon village. Mousse, what was your sensei’s lost sense?"

"Sight...you think my sensei could be Tide’s as well?" Destine nodded. "Then we’re in trouble. We need to tell this to Tide." Mousse grabbed Destine’s hand and pulled her down the path.

They reached the house just as it started to rain. Tide and Shampoo were sitting on the steps watching the rain. Tide looked up. "Destine we need to talk."

Destine nodded and followed Tide inside. Mousse sat down next to Shampoo. "What’s going on here?"

"Tide find out who Destine family is." She leaned over and whispered in Mousse’s ear.

"SHE’S RELATED TO WHOM?!"

END CHAPTER 5