Through the Looking Glass: Penance: Chapter 16
Quite a lot had happened in the past five days or so. Tan Tao had been executed to an excessively blood-thirsty crowd, his criminal empire had been taken down almost overnight, preparations had been made, and the group had gone on the three-day trek to Hong Kong to meet a boat that the imposter Wang Dun's scouts were more then welcome to arrange a trip with.
Sitting in this caravan, Tai Lung, Miles, and Cream all looked on as they walked. Tai Lung looked at the landscape, Miles and Cream both holding his hand as the kitsune and rabbit looked up at him with concern on their faces.
The kitsune turned to his female friend quickly, looking to the rabbit for approval. She nodded slowly, and then Miles pulled on Tai Lung's hand.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.
Tai Lung kept his gaze trained on the landscape of oddly-shaped trees to the sides of the caravan. "Just some feelings of nostalgia, that's all," he replied. "This will probably be the last time I see scenery like this..."
Miles nodded, understanding the leopard's dilemma. "I see..." he said. "This place is really beautiful, you know. I never thought I'd ever see someplace like this..."
"Really?" asked Tai Lung, looking down at his friend. "I've always found it to be a little unremarkable."
"I don't think so," replied Cream. "Maybe it's because we're just not used to it..."
The leopard nodded. "That's probably what it is," he said. "I'm sure I'm going to be just as awed of your 'steel buildings' or whatever as you are of this landscape."
"It's all relative," replied Miles. "At least, in terms of scenery. I'm not so sure about how people relate to each other, though."
At this, Tai Lung let out a sharp, crisp laugh that brought a smile to the kitsune's face. "Not at all, Miles, not at all!" he said. "That looks the exact same to me."
"And it's a good thing it is, too," added the kitsune. "Things would have ended very differently if they weren't."
Tai Lung nodded. "Indeed," he said. "You know, I wonder what your friend back home will say to you coming back..."
Miles shook his head and shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know," he said. "It's too early to tell. I hope they left my lab intact; I know I will rant at them for leaving it to decay or to be some house for some kid."
"We'll see when we get there," replied Cream.
"That we will."
And the group continued walking towards Hong Kong, everybody else caught up in their own conversations as Tai Lung and Miles looked forwards.
The group was in Hong Kong by the middle of the day. The group advanced, most people suddenly pausing at the sight of the emperor in the procession. The emperor's group simply continued on, however, and they all looked to the side. The citizens seemed to shrink back as they watched Tai Lung walking by without being bound, but when they saw that he was simply walking, a few peeked their heads out of whatever hiding spots they had found.
"Well, we're here..." said Miles.
"Yep," said Cream, nodding. "I wonder... the emperor is supposed to have a family..."
"Your point being?" asked Miles.
"Where have they been this whole time?" asked the rabbit. "I mean, they should've at least shown their faces by now..."
The emperor had silently walked up to the three of them, patting Cream on the head. This caught the rabbit by surprise.
"I sent them here when Tai Lung escaped from Chor Gohm," replied the emperor, the snow leopard looking at the ruler of China. "I wanted to make sure they were safe."
"It was a good move on your part," said Tai Lung with a nod. "Even if Tan Tao would've had to chase them out of the country, they could always find a way to survive and come back to take their throne..."
"Provided they could even escape in the first place..." replied Miles with a shrug.
"Hong Kong is a port town," replied Kublai Khan. "They would be able to find many people who would help them escape from China."
"Baba!"
At this, a few heads turned, and the group noticed a little bovine child running to the emperor. Smiling, Kublai Khan bent down, the child running right into his arms.
"Hao!" cried the emperor as he swept his son up into a hug. "It is so good to see you again."
The little bull child looked up to his father, smiling. "I missed you!"
"I missed you to, my son," said the emperor with a sweetness that Miles did not think was possible when he first met the ruler.
"My lord!" A rather stately cow came out, glancing nervously at Tai Lung before setting her eyes on the emperor. "You are all right!"
Kublai Khan looked to whom Miles presumed was his wife, and nodded. "That I am," he said.
The woman looked to Tai Lung nervously, all eyes on the ex-convict. "But what is he doing here...?" she asked.
Tai Lung simply bowed to the woman. "Milady, it's a pretty long story," he said. "But if I were here to bring harm to you or your child, believe me, I would've harmed the emperor first."
"As well, seeing as he stopped a pair of attempts on my life, it is only fair that I leave him to walk free," added the emperor.
At this, the cow reeled violently back. "Someone tried to kill you?" asked the queen suddenly. "Who?"
"You wouldn't believe who tried to kill me," replied Kublai Khan. "It was Tan Tao. Come. I shall explain on the way to the docks."
The cow glanced nervously at Tai Lung, soft blue eyes unsure of what to say before she stepped next to her husband. The group continued on to the docks then, the procession then going by with the rest of the royal family tagging along as well.
Much later in the day, the ship was ready. It was a rather small schooner that was too small to be of any importance yet large enough to provide Tai Lung, Miles, Cream, and the crew of the ship breathing room while they journeyed.
Tai Lung, Cream, and Miles were standing on the gangplank then, the three of them looking to Kublai Khan, his family, Po, and the Furious Five. The emperor stood in front of the snow leopard, crimson eyes looking into the snow leopard's amber orbs.
"I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us in the past few days," he said. "I remind you here that if you should ever return, I will give you a hero's welcome."
"Again, it won't be necessary," replied Tai Lung. "If I do return, then I want to come back quietly."
Nodding, the snow leopard extended a paw to the emperor. The bull looked at Tai Lung with a smile on his face before extending a hand out. They shook hands slowly, the two of them breaking apart after a short period of time.
"That's how they do it where you come from, right?" asked Tai Lung to Miles.
"Yep, that's exactly how they do it where I come from!" exclaimed Miles with a broad smile on his face.
The emperor chuckled good naturedly. "May fortune be with you in all of the days of your life," he said simply.
Tai Lung nodded. "And even more upon you, milord," he said.
And with this, Cream, Miles, and Tai Lung walked on the gangplank onto the ship. They turned around then, one of the crew members pulling the gangplank onto the ship as some orders were shouted from the ship. As the ship slowly began to sail away, everybody began waving at each other.
"Take care of your family!" cried Po, directing it at Cream.
"And make good fortune be with all of you!" added Crane.
"I will!" cried the rabbit, waving back quite fervently.
And slowly, the schooner moved along, and the port town of Hong Kong slowly slipped away from their sight. As the sun was sinking, Tai Lung rested his arms against the rail separating him from the water.
"So we're going to Station Square now?" he asked. "I wonder what that's going to be like..."
"We'll see when we get there," said Miles. "For now, I know I've got people waiting for me to come home."
Tai Lung nodded, watching as the sun sank into the vast expanse of the sea.