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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Jing: King of Bandits, just Maeris.

A/N: Welcome to my first ever King of Bandits fanfic! I love Jing. I’ve read the manga and seen the anime. This fanfic will be based primarily off the anime. I will be doing the OVA at the very end of this fanfic. I realize that is somewhat out of order, but it’s how the anime went and, honestly, it makes things easier for me. So sit back and enjoy! Here goes!

“Okay, step one: meet the king of bandits and hope he takes you under his wing.” The twelve year old girl murmured to herself, reciting a list she had mentally made before she had left her home. She sat on a dirty, ripped seat on a bus heading for the Capital of Thieves where, rumors said, the King of Bandits was going to make an appearance. “I just hope the rumors are true, unlike the last time and the time before that and the time before that.”

The pre-teen girl sighed, running a hand through her long golden hair that fell to her hips, slightly curled at the ends. She had large light blue eyes and wore a short, worn leather jacket that ended right below her chest, a blue tank top, black shorts that rested half-way down her calves, and black boots that started right above her knees. She was a long way from home and the boring life she had had there.

Once upon a time, her father had been a thief, but then had decided to settle down with a gypsy woman and start a family. For as long as she could remember her father had told her and her five younger siblings tales about his days as a bandit. Those tales, to her parents’ dismay, had inspired the young girl to become a bandit.

“Maeris, being a bandit is dangerous.” Her father had cautioned her. “Those stories I told you and your siblings were just that, stories. I’m not that man anymore. Back then I was reckless and greedy. I could have gotten caught and thrown in jail. I’m lucky that I met your mother and decided to settle down.”

“Besides, you’re far too young.” Her mother piped in.

But Maeris would not listen. She wanted to be a bandit and seek out adventure, not live a boring home life. So, that night, she snuck out of the house.

“Here we are folks, everyone out.” Said a disembodied voice as the passengers around Maeris clambered to get off the bus. “Welcome, to the Capital of Thieves.”

Maeris stepped off the bus, one finger-less black gloved hand rested on her right hip while the other grasped the drawstrings of her small traveling bag that was slung over her left shoulder. She stared up at the large city, her parched lips cracking in a slight smile.

“He’s here. I can feel it.” She said to herself, raising her right hand from her hip to place her sunglasses which were resting on top of her head back on her nose and entered the city. “The question now is how the heck do I figure out which one of these guys is him.”

The streets of the city, not surprising considering its name, were packed with thieves. There was barely any room to breathe. Some of the thieves, she noted, were amateurs, like her, who got caught instantly. Others were pros who took their prize without their victim ever realizing until it was too late.

“Really should have thought this out more.” She muttered, scanning the crowd. “At least I can cross off the wannabes. That just leaves…. a lot.”

She sighed, running a hand through her hair, wondering what to do next. After a moment of thought she decided to take a tour of the capital for starters then go from there. She was just making her way down a street when she saw a black bird with a red scarf perched on a young boy’s, about her age, shoulder turn around to look behind it and cry out thief, naturally making everyone look at it.

“Everyone’s a thief here, Kir.” The boy reminded his bird calmly as he cut down a nearby statue with a blade he had hidden in his sleeve. The statue fell right in front of the thief who had stolen from him. The shock as it hit the ground made the guy stumble backwards and fall on his butt.

The girl whistled. That’s got to be him. The King of Bandits. I’ve finally found him. Don’t chicken out now, Maeris. Now’s your chance to meet the King of Bandits and become a bandit yourself just like dad was. Just stay cool and go over there and introduce yourself. You can do this.

Maeris took a deep breath, steeling herself, and walked over to the boy and his bird, which saw her first as he glanced behind him.

“Uwaaaa!” The bird said as he stared very openly at her, hearts in his eyes. He flew over to her, bending his wing as if bowing to her. “Beautiful maiden, let me guide and protect you through this dangerous city.”

Maeris flinched back, itching to hit him. She hated pretentious guys like him. She had had her full of them back at home, but she didn’t want to upset his owner and mess up her chances. So she just ignored him and walked up to the boy.

“Nice work.” She said, nodding towards the statue.

He didn’t say anything. He wasn’t even looking at her. Instead, he was staring at a necklace that hung off his hidden blade.

“He really should have known better than to steal from the King of Bandits.” She said, quietly so only he and the obnoxious bird heard her.

“What makes you think I’m him?” He asked her, still not looking at her.

She snorted. “Hmm, let me think. Perhaps the way you caught the guy? Not many people would cut down a huge statue to catch a thief with a hidden blade. Come to think of it, not many people have a blade hidden in their coat sleeve.”

“And if I said I was the Bandit King,” he asked. “What would you do?”

“Ask you to take me on as your student.” She said honestly, getting mad as the boy and his bird burst out laughing. “What? What’s so funny?”

“Why the hell would I take on you?” He said, still laughing.

“Because I want to be a bandit.” She told him. “I want to seek out adventure, not live a boring, sheltered home life.”

“If it’s adventure you seek young maiden, then look no further.” said Kir. “Come with me and you will find adventure.”

Maeris’ mouth twitched. She wanted to hit him so badly but she kept it under control.

“Come on, Jing. Let’s keep her.” Kir said.

“Why?” Jing demanded looking at the bird as if it had gone insane.

“Jing,” the bird sighed piteously. “This girl is a total babe.”

“And?”

“Please, Jing? For me?” begged the bird, floating over to Maeris. He touched one of her golden locks. “Ah, such beautiful hair yellow like the sun.”

Okay, enough was enough. Maeris slapped the bird to the ground.

Jing burst out laughing as Kir touched a wing to his searing cheek.

“Hey, Kir?” He said, after a moment, still laughing.

His laugh was infectious as Maeris found herself smiling.

“Yeah, Jing?” Kir asked, looking at him sullenly.

“Let’s keep her.” He said.

“Really?” Maeris asked, her eyes widening.

“Wait a minute, Jing!” said Kir, flying over to the boy. “Think about it for a minute.”

“What’s wrong, Kir?” asked Jing, grinning. “Five seconds ago, you wanted to keep her.”

“Yeah, but,” muttered the bird, still touching his cheek.

“Then it’s decided.” Jing said as he turned back to Maeris, holding out his right hand. “Welcome to the team. My name’s Jing and my partner here is Kir.”

Maeris smiled and grasped his hand. “I’m Maeris.”

“You know, I can kind of see what Kir is talking about when you smile like that.” He said with shining dark eyes.

Maeris blushed as he let go of her hand. She barely heard Kir muttering sullenly in the background.

“Well, let’s go, Maeris, Kir.” He said, turning to face the inner of the city. “The Double Mermaids are waiting for the King of Bandits to take them.”

Maeris shook her head and nodded. “Mm!”

In her head, she mentally scratched off step one.

A/N: And there you have it! Hope you liked it! Til next time, read review and show the love!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: All I own is Maeris.

A/N: Welcome to the second chapter of Becoming a Bandit where Jing, Kir, and Maeris continue their quest for the Double Mermaid. So without further ado, enjoy!

"So why do you want to be a bandit so much anyway?" Jing inquired as they walked around the Capital of Thieves in an attempt to gather information. He grabbed an apple from a fruit stand and tossed it to her before stealing his own. "Here. You look like you could use something to eat."

"Thanks," Maeris murmured, catching it. She took a bite; juice spilled into her mouth. She licked her dry, cracked lips before answering his question. "Life at home was too quiet and boring for me. I wanted more than a simple farm life so I decided to become a bandit like my father had been before he met my mom and left."

Jing abruptly stopped walking, his eyes casted downwards. "You don't miss them, your family?"

Maeris paused a few steps ahead of him and glanced back at the bandit king. "Of course I do. I miss them a lot but I know I'm meant for something more. I'll see them again, someday."

"If you aren't arrested first, you mean," Jing replied with a smile as he lifted his head, his earlier cockiness returning.

"I thought that's what you were for," Mae teased, running a hand through her long blond hair. "After all, you are the Bandit King, aren't you?"

Jing took a couple steps closer to her, catching a strand of her hair. He twirled it around his finger as he stared at her with mischievous purple eyes. "Oh I'm the Bandit King alright. Want me to prove it to you some more?"

"My, my," murmured an unfamiliar voice making them start. "Don't you two make a lovely couple."

"Where?" wondered Maeris aloud as they looked all around them but found no one.

"Down here," said the voice impatiently.

They glanced down to see an old woman wearing a dark purple dress, a matching pointy hat, a white scarf, and a peculiar looking walking stick.

"What's up?" asked Jing.

"You mean down," corrected Kir. "Looks like an old hag to me."

"Who are calling an old hag?!" The old woman demanded angrily as she hit Kir with her walking stick.

"I like her," Mae murmured to Jing who grinned and restrained Kir from getting his payback on the old woman.

"So what does a beautiful young lady such as yourself want with us?" Jing inquired politely as he continued to hold Kir back.

"Your boyfriend is one smooth talker, isn't he?" the old lady remarked to Maeris. "I can see now how he was able to get a pretty girl like you to be his girlfriend."

Mae blushed crimson. "W-we're not together. We're just business partners, that's all."

"We're looking for something called the Double Mermaid," Jing told the old lady, crossing his arms as a giant troll-like creature walked up behind him. He jabbed a finger at it. "It's a riculously huge jewel, about as big as this jackass."

"Huge? Jackass?!" thundered the troll as he chased after them.

"Nice going Jing," muttered Maeris as they ran away with the old hag in tow. "You just had to go and piss him off, didn't you?"

Jing merely grinned at her making Mae shake her golden locks in exasperation. "So, the Double Mermaid?"

"No one knows anything for sure, but legend has it this city was built around that jewel of yours," the old lady told them. "Thieves come from all over the globe in search of it. That's where this city got its name, you know."

"Where can we find it?" asked Jing as he stopped and stuck out his foot, tripping the troll.

"Over your heads," replied the old lady, pointing upward with her staff.

Jing and Maeris cocked their heads to the side before looking skywards. "Over our heads?"

"Yes," nodded the old lady. "Waaay over your heads. In the lighthouse atop that tower, to be precise."

"Wow, all the way up there?" murmured Mae.

"What's the matter, Maeris?" Jing teased, glancing sideways at her. "Afraid of heights?"

Mae scoffed. "No."

"So you two are after it too, huh?" The old lady noted, shaking her head. ""Doesn't surprise me. Stronger men than you have tried, 'course they ended up dead. Anyone who seeks the Double Mermaid ends up dead as a doornail. You see, Mayor Cognac's a crafty one. Lives up there, he does, and he's none too fond of trespassers. Stick your nose where it doesn't belong just once and he'll clip it clean off. Take your whole head with it too."

Maeris gulped. "That's a little severe."

"Sounds like fun to me," stated Jing excitedly, his dark eyes shining. "I can't wait to check it out."

~Becoming a Bandit~

"So this market only sells stolen goods?" inquired Mae as they walked through the market with the old woman.

"They have everything here," noted Jing as Kir perched sullenly on his shoulder.

"I dunno," the bird muttered. "Where're all the women at?"

Mae rolled her eyes. "If they're lucky, they're as far away from you as possible."

Kir grumbled as the old lady told them to head to the Dragon Paw Saloon. There they would find a thief named Bandit Boss Vodka who would know something that would help them get the Double Mermaid.

They headed over to the saloon just in time to see someone getting thrown out. He had a knife stuck in the middle of his forehead.

"Charming," Mae noted dryly as they entered the saloon. The place was overflowing with thieves and reeked of stale alcohol. Mae wrinkled her nose.

"Looks like you two are out of luck," Kir was saying as he glanced around. "Doesn't look like they serve minors here."

"I think we'll survive," Mae muttered as Kir spotted two beautiful young women sitting at the bar. "Oh no."

"But I'm gonna drink," Kir continued, ignoring Maeris. "I feel like getting a little tipsy tonight."

"You're already full of it," Jing reminded him.

Maeris laughed. "That's for sure."

Kir did not reply. He had already flown over to the bar and was now showing the women some dazzling jewels.

"How pathetic can you get?" said Maeris.

"Come on," said Jing. "I think I found our man."

He pointed to the back of the pub where an old pirate was sitting surrounded by his crew. Their table was loaded with booze and food.

Mae blushed as her stomach growled audibly. Jing winked at her and headed over to Vodka's table.

"Hey," he said casually as if they were all old friends and, without asking for their permission, started to take food off their table and hand some to Maeris before getting some for himself. He continued to talk while he ate. "Old man, you're the boss here, right? Yeah, you've got to be him. You've got the ugliest mug around here."

Vodka did not reply. He and his men were so dumbfounded, they couldn't speak.

"So anyway," resumed Jing as he took a seat, pulling Maeris with him. "We're looking for this jewel and we thought maybe you could..."

Vodka finally snapped out of it. He bore down on the two young bandits, drenching them with spit as he demanded if they knew who he was. He then attempted to dazzle them with his many treasures to no avail.

"Speechless, aren't ye?" roared Vodka as he jabbed a thumb at his mouth. "But there's still one extraordinary item yet te be seen..."

The old pirate opened his mouth.

"Okay, that's just gross," stated Maeris.

Vodka suddenly turned white after putting his hand in his mouth. "I'm sure it was 'round the wisdom tooth somewheres..."

Jing grinned as he held up a red jewel and a decrepit tooth. "You mean this?"

Vodka's jaw dropped as blood squirted out of his mouth.

"How did you...?" asked Mae, staring at him.

"I'll tell you later," he promised before turning back to Vodka. "And I pulled out your decayed tooth! No thanks necessary.If this item is as important as you say it is, I can think of one place where it'll be safe from any thief. Right in here," Jing flicked the jewel into Vodka's mouth. "It's safe now, see? No need to thank me."

Maeris laughed so much that her ribs ached as Vodka's crew swarmed around them with their swords out.

"What's everyone so tense about?" asked Jing making Mae laugh even harder. The bandit king grabbed her from around the middle and jumped out of the way, landing on the bar. The two women squeaked as Jing grabbed Kir. "Time to get to work, Kir."

Kir's claws wrapped around Jing's arm as the albatross extended.

"Kir Royale!" cried Jing as a burst of green energy shot out of Kir's mouth like a gun, destroying half the pub. "...Bingo."

"...Amazing," breathed Maeris who sat perched on the bar next to them, her legs dangling over its edge.

"Jing!" Kir suddenly shouted as he turned back to normal and rounded on Jing. "Not while I'm entertaining! Why I oughta..."

"Well, your hiccups went away, didn't they?" he pointed out.

"What was that anyway?" inquired Maeris. "What did you just do?"

"It's called Kir Royale," he explained, glancing down at her as Kir continued to yell at him. "See, he's more than just my friend and partner, he's also my weapon."

"Oh, well that explains a lot," replied Mae as Vodka declared he was going to make Jing his first mate. "He isn't kidding, is he?"

"Next time I won't hold back," Jing promised, ignoring her question as he unsheathed his hidden blade. "You can count on that."

~Becoming a  Bandit~

For the next week, Vodka and his men held meetings where they concocted various plans for infiltrating Cognac's tower to steal the Double Mermaid until they finally came to a consensus.

"So what's the plan?" asked Maeris as she crossed her arms against her chest.

"Haven't ye been listenin'?" thundered Vodka. "We're gonna thieve it! That's what thieves do!"

"In that case," said Jing, pointing to a fat dragon looking thing behind him. "Why don't we just get on that thing and fly up?"

Vodka and his men burst out laughing. "Dat thing may have wings an' even flew in da sky. But it got fat and its wings shrunk. Now it can't even return to its own lair!"

"Poor thing," murmured Maeris.

"Leave the thinkin' to me," Vodka advised them as he started to head up the stairs. "We'll come bacl wit' the treasure. Ye'd best prep fer our drinkin' bout when we return."

"Yeah, fat chance," muttered Mae as she stuck her tongue out at them. "The nerve of some people."

"We're not gonna set for their party, are we Jing?" Kir asked his partner.

"Darn right we're not!" The bandit king assured him as he plopped down on a barrel angrily.

"So we're just going to sit here?" demanded Maeris as she cocked a golden eyebrow.

"Yup," replied Jing.

"King of Bandits?" sneered Kir as he flew off. "More like King of Sitting on his Butt. Stay here and rot for all I care. I'm gonna find a woman!"

Jing did not respond even when Kir flew back and yelled at him some more.

"Keep your beak on," he muttered as he turned away from the albatross and pulled Mae onto his lap.

"W-what are you doing?" She stuttered, blushing.

Jing grinned and winked at her. "Enjoying better company. That and moving you out of the way."

"Moving me out of the way?" She repeated, cocking her head to the side. "Out of the way of what?"

Jing nodded upwards as Vodka and his crew crashed to the ground.

"Aw, back so soon?" noted Mae sweetly as she peered down into the small crater they had made.

Vodka told her to shut up then asked her if they had any alcohol on them so that he could disinfect his wounds.

~Becoming a Bandit~

The next day Vodka, after he and his crew had failed yet again, ordered his men to strip. They then used their clothes to make a hot air balloon. "We're headin' straight fer the top!"

"Oh how I hate naked men," complained Kir as Jing covered Mae's eyes with his hands. "So, a balloon, eh?"

"Think it will hold?" wondered Jing. Sure enough Vodka and his men were shot out of the sky by Cognac and came crashing back down to Earth. "Thought so. Overbooked flight."

"Can't be helped," muttered Vodka after a lot of whining and complaining. "Today we withdraw."

"You guys are really giving up?" inquired Mae as her eyes remained covered. She placed her hands on her hips. "That's it?"

"This tower sure ain't lettin' us in today," Vodka replied as he and his men walked away. "You two should give up too."

The second they were out of sight, Jing removed his hands from Maeris's eyes.

"Thanks," said Mae. "So, what do we do now?"

"Let's go home too," suggested Kir. "What do you say, Jing?"

Jing did not respond as he stared intently at the  huge flightless animal.

"Jeez, you're hopeless, aren't you?" grumbled Kir. "And he calls himself the King of Bandits."

Mae gasped as she suddenly understood what Jing had in mind and shushed the albatross. A moment later the giant bird laid an egg.

"All right!" shouted Jing excitedly as he rushed over to the massive egg and picked it up. "Kir! Take this and fly to the top!"

He tossed the egg to Kir who caught it.

"Don't you be touchin' my baby!" roared the mother as Kir flew away with the egg.

"C'mon, let's go!" said Jing as he took Mae's hand and climbed onto the mother's back who was getting madder by the second. A few seconds later they were flying to the top of the tower.

Cognac attempted to shoot them down but failed as the blasts bounced off the beast's hide.

"I'm gonna remember this, Jing!" promised Kir as they got closer and closer to the top.

Seconds before it crashed on top of Cognac's tower, Jing and Maeris rolled off the beast's back. Jing then gave the egg back to its mother. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "Here's your baby back, safe and sound. No harm done, right?"

Mae smiled before turning around, her blue eyes widening. "Whoa, look at all these candles."

"This must be the source of th lighthouse," murmured Jing. "And I'll wager that in the center is the Double Mermaid. Ours for the taking."

"Wait a second," breathed Mae as they looked in the center of the candles. "There's only one mermaid and she's real! How's that possible?"

"I'd heard an old tale about the Double Mermaid," Jing told her. "It said they were actually crystallized creatures. But if it's a double mermaid, where's the other one?"

"Well, well," mused an unfamiliar voice as Cognac stepped into view. "I see you've found my treasure. Do you like what you see? Come now, tell me. Isn't she positively radiant?"

A/N: And there you have it. Until next time, read review and show the love! Thanks!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Jing, only Maeris.

A/N: Welcome to the third chapter of Becoming A Bandit where Jing and Maeris will discover the truth about the Double Mermaid and move on to a mysterious ghost ship. So without further ado, I turn it over to Mae. Enjoy!

“I have to say I’m surprised that two little brats and their pet bird managed to make it all the way up here,” Cognac admitted as he leered at them with a huge fake grin. “I was actually expecting the King of Bandits so I’ll have to get rid of you amateurs quickly.”

Cognac then snapped his overly bejeweled fingers and a multi-eyed troll appeared which Jing dispatched with a Kir Royale that also cracked the glass the mermaid was encased in allowing her to escape.

“Wow, she’s beautiful,” breathed Maeris as the mermaid broke free. She had long blue hair and dazzling eyes. Which means Kir will fly over to her and try to impress her.

Mae was right, of course, as the albatross rushed over to offer his assistance to the young maiden when someone else beat him to her: the old woman who must have hitched a ride on the giant bird except she wasn’t an old woman but another mermaid with golden hair who clung to the blue haired girl who called her mother.

“So ‘double’ means mother and daughter, huh?” mused Jing with a smile as he bent down and picked something up off the floor.

“What’s that?” inquired Maeris as she brushed tears from her eyes.

“A jeweled tear,” he replied as he held it up in the sunlight before handing it to her. “Here.”

Mae stared at Jing as if he had gone insane. “You’re giving it to me? But I thought…isn’t this why you came to the Capital of Thieves in the first place?”

“Yeah, but you earned it,” he told her. “Consider it a reward for your first successful hit. You’re now officially a bandit.”

Maeris grinned and took the jewel. “Thanks.”

“I don’t understand,” Cognac was muttering as he struggled up into a sitting position from where the blast had blown him away. “She cried before but her tears never became jewels.”

Jing smiled to himself before glancing at Mae. The bandit king nodded at the giant hole they had caused in the side of the lighthouse behind him before turning around and walking towards it with Kir sitting on his shoulder. He stopped right as he reached the opening and stared at the jewel in Mae’s hand. “Tears of sadness…tears of joy…they’re far from the same.”

Jing then grabbed Mae’s free hand and the two bandits jumped out of the opening to the street below as Cognac realized he was the King of Bandits.

~ Becoming a Bandit ~

“A ghost ship?” repeated Maeris as they made their way through a market on their way to a place called Blue Hawaii where apparently a ghost ship had been spotted. “Those things really exist?”

“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Jing reminded her as he paused in front of a stand filled with weapons and picked up a long black whip. “Bingo.”

Mae raised a golden eyebrow. “A whip? No offense but I don’t really think it’s your style, Jing.”

“Going to try some role playing, are we?” Kir asked, snickering.

“It’s not for me. It’s for Maeris,” Jing told the albatross as he handed the whip to Mae. “I figured since you’re a bandit now, you could use your own weapon.”

“Are you sure she can even use that thing?” muttered Kir skeptically.

Maeris took the whip from Jing and looked it over. She then cracked it right in front of Kir’s face, scaring the crap out of him which made Jing laugh causing Mae to burst out laughing too. How does he keep doing that? It’s like him being happy makes me happy. It’s almost as if…but that’s ridiculous. We’re just friends, right?

~ Becoming A Bandit ~

The three bandits arrived in Blue Hawaii a couple of days later to find there was a group of people in front of the police station talking about how the ghost ship had appeared again.

“Great and here I was hoping it wasn’t real,” Mae grumbled as one of the men demanded to know who the hell they were.

“Oh it’s real all right,” a weird looking man assured her. “See, lately it’s been popping up a lot and it’s got everyone scared.”

“You guys are too easily frightened,” Kir chided them as the sound of gun shots came from the entrance of the station where a girl with short purplish hair in a police vest was holding a gun.

“All right, everyone, time to go home,” ordered the girl as she fired off more shots causing the bystanders to scatter like roaches.

“That’s one way to break up a crowd,” Mae noted as she glanced mischievously at Jing. “Maybe you should have gotten me a gun instead.”

“Yeah, no. Not a chance, Maeris,” muttered Jing making her laugh as the police girl realized they were still standing there and walked over to them.

“Are you guys deaf?” She demanded as she placed her hands on her hips. “I told everyone to go home!”

“Sorry, but it’s impossible for me to walk away from such a beauty even if she is telling us to scram,” Kir told her.

Mae made a gagging noise, while the other girl appeared to be flattered as she blushed and waved a hand at him. “Oh, how nice! What an honest little bird you have here!”

Honest and creepy, thought Maeris as Kir told her his name and asked her hers which happened to be Rose. “Not to interrupt this nauseating exchange, but can you tell us how to get to the ghost ship everyone is talking about?”

“That ghost ship has been showing up at the same cape every night. I have been very busy lately, what with all this ghost ship business, and there’s also been a rumor going around that the Bandit King is going to be showing up here in Blue Hawaii sometime soon. I’m so worn out!” Rose complained before staring at them wearily. “But hey, why do you ask? What do you think you’re going to do?!”

“What do you think?” asked Jing.

“You guys are acting a little too suspicious,” Rose declared as she took out a clipboard and pencil. “I’m going to have to file a report! What are your names?”

“I’m Kir!” shouted Kir in a horrible sing-song voice.

“Don’t make me ask again,” the girl said, ignoring him as she focused on Mae and Jing. “What are your names, you little delinquents?”

“Jing.”

“Maeris.”

“Jing…Maeris…,” repeated Rose as she jotted them down. “What are your jobs?”

“Bandits,” they replied together.

“Okay, bandits…what?! Bandits?!” Rose dropped the clipboard and raised her gun. “I’m placing you two under arrest!”

“Could you do it without shattering our eardrums?” inquired Mae as Jing grabbed Kir and raised him in front of them in defense. “I mean, seriously. Your voice could break glass. You’ll never get a boyfriend that way.”

“Besides, we haven’t even stolen anything yet, have we?” added Jing.

“No,” admitted Rose. “But you’re planning on it, right?”

“And what if we are?” demanded Mae as she reached for her whip but Jing caught her hand and held it down. Maeris stared at him. “What?”

“Not yet,” he murmured, still holding her hand. “Unless you really want us to go to jail?”

Mae sighed and shook her head. “Fine but I still say she screeches like a banshee.”

Jing smirked. “You and me both.”

~ Becoming a Bandit ~

Maeris and Jing followed Rose inside to a room where a man laid in a bed with a blanket drawn up over his face. Apparently he was Rose’s father and the chief of the police station. “Hey, chief, it’s the bandit. He’s given himself up! You’re still asleep old man?! Where has all of your pride and spunk as the police chief gone?!”

Rose then pulled the blanket back to reveal a middle aged man whose eyes and mouth were wide open as if frozen in a state of shock.

“What’s wrong with him?” inquired Mae.

“He’s been like this ever since he came home the other night talking about having seen the ghost ship!” Rose explained as she stared down at her father. “He went to take control of the ghost ship situation, but I think these ghouls somehow stole his soul or something! Hey, come on, wake up and get back to work, Papa, Papa!”

“If they stole his soul, wouldn’t he have died?” Jing pointed out.

“You would think so,” agreed Maeris. “What would they want from an old man, anyway?”

“I’m not sure,” admitted Jing as they turned around and left the station where Postino pulled up on his motorcycle. “Yo, Postino.”

“Jing, have you heard?” asked Postino as he stared at him through the visor of his helmet. “It seems that the ghost ship is powered by greed and desire.”

“By greed and desire?” echoed Jing as Postino drove away with a thumbs up.

“Those are two of my favorite things in this world!” declared Kir.

“Surprise, surprise,” muttered Mae as Jing suddenly froze. “What’s wrong?”

“Stop right there, criminals,” ordered Rose as she held her gun to Jing’s head. “I’m going with you! If you truly are thieves, then I’ll be able to catch you in the act.”

~ Becoming A Bandit ~

Jing, Maeris, Rose and Kir headed down to the cape where they hid behind a large piece of wood and watched as a weird guy sat on a skeleton boat drinking wine.

“That’s a zombie!” proclaimed Rose unnecessarily as she cowered in fear. “A real, live zombie!”

“Don’t worry, baby. Kir’s here to protect you,” soother Kir as he touched one of her hands with his wing.

“Did we really need to bring her along?” demanded Mae.

“She did have a gun pointed at the back of my head,” Jing reminded her.

“Yes, but if someone let me use my whip he got me I could have disarmed her,” she shot back.

“I don’t doubt that,” he assured her with a smirk making her punch him in the arm. “Ow, you really are dangerous.”

“Oh, shut up,” she murmured as she smiled back. “So what are we going to do now?”

“This,” Jing replied as he left the shelter and strode over to the zombie. “Hey! Could you by any chance tell me where the ghost ship is?”

The zombie turned around and sneered at him nastily. “A little punk like you isn’t allowed on the ghost ship! You have to be at least twenty years old!”

Jing dodged to the side as the zombie shot yellow beams from his eyes hitting the piece of wood instead. “Maeris! Kir!”

“What kind of plan was that?” coughed Maeris as she pulled Rose out of the debris.

“You guys should be more careful,” suggested Jing, grinning as Mae chucked a piece of wood at him before joining them. “Yep, you are definitely dangerous.”

Mae rolled her eyes. “Don’t come over here when he’s aiming for you.”

“But he stinks of alcohol. You smell much better,” the bandit king complained with a wink making Mae throw another piece of wood at him. “Relax; I just came to get Kir.”

Jing grabbed Kir and fired a Kir Royale at the zombie causing him to explode in a shower of golden coins that fell into the water creating a trail.

“I have a feeling that these gold coins will lead us to the ghost ship,” Kir told them as he turned his head to look at his partner. “Jing, this yellow coin road will vanish if we don’t follow it soon.”

Jing nodded. “All right, let’s go.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” inquired Maeris.

“We can ride this thing,” replied Jing, pointing at the skeleton boat.

“It’s way too big,” said Rose. “How do you plan on moving it?”

“I’m going to use my noggin,” he told them as he tapped his head. A few moments later he was paddling the boat with the girls seated behind him and Kir perched on the head.

“Any idiot could have come up with this idea,” muttered Rose.

Maeris laughed. “Right?”

~ Becoming A Bandit ~

“I can already smell it, the scent of treasure,” announced Kir a little while later.

“I think we’re almost there,” murmured Rose with a shudder.

“Actually, I think we are here,” Mae murmured back as the ghost ship appeared out of the gloom before them. “I hate it when I’m right.”

“There it is!” cried Rose.

Maeris shushed her. “Do you want the whole crew to know we’re here?”

“Actually it looks like they’re slacking on posting guards,” noted Kir as he flew up to the deck to take a look. “I don’t see anyone.”

“The guards might be invisible men,” suggested Jing.

“I don’t think so,” replied Kir as he flew back down to them. “The only thing moving is the anchor and its snoring.”

“The anchor? Snoring?” they repeated as the anchor shot out of the water, tipping over the boat and sending them into the freezing water.

Maeris tried to swim back up to the surface but skeleton fish were swarming around her. She grabbed her whip to defend herself except there were too many. A few had even grabbed her arms and legs and were starting to pull her down even further.

This is bad. There are too many of them and I’m about to lose the rest of my air, she thought as she spotted something coming towards her…Jing.

Jing swam down to her and knocked the fish away with his hidden blade, allowing Mae to fight back. The two bandits then swam up to the surface.

“You alright?” asked Jing as he pulled her up onto the upturned boat.

“Thanks to you,” Maeris replied, coughing up water before standing up and shaking her soaked hair. “What about Kir and Rose?”

“They’re fine,” he assured her, pointing behind him to where Rose clung to a piece of wood with Kir flying above her. “Right now you and I have to deal with this guy, you ready?”

“You mean am I ready to fight a living anchor that not only snores but can talk as well?” said Mae with a smirk as she cracked her whip. “Hell yeah.”

“Dangerous indeed,” murmured Jing with a grin. “Alright then, let’s go!”

A/N: And there you have it! Thank you all for your patience and support! Mae and I appreciate it! Until next time, read review and show the love!!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: All I own is Maeris.

A/N: Welcome to the fourth chapter of Becoming a Bandit where Maeris, Jing, Kir and Rose enter the ghost ship and discover the meaning behind the message Postino gave Jing. So without further ado, I turn it over to Maeris. Enjoy!

“You two will make a nice little snack!” announced the anchor as it leered over them.

“Don’t you know that nap time comes before snack time!” replied Jing as he and Maeris jumped off the boat and attempted to hit the anchor but their weapons bounced off of it, sending them backwards into the water.

“No, I think you’re going to be the ones put to sleep here!” proclaimed the anchor.

“Jing! Maeris!” screamed Rose.

“Relax, Rose. We’re not dead yet,” Mae assured her as the two bandits resurfaced, scaring the crap out of Rose in the process who screamed even louder and hugged Kir to her chest. “But I kind of wish I was now.”

“Hey, give us that bag,” Jing told Rose, nodding to the wine skin behind her.

“Bag?” repeated Rose as she turned around and spied the bag, picking it up. “This is wine! I can’t allow an underage boy and girl to drink this!”

“If we want to fight with him, we need a way to breath underwater!” Mae clarified, rolling her blue eyes. “So empty it out for us!”

“Oh I get it,” murmured Rose as she emptied the bag and handed it to Jing. “I guess I can allow that.”

“Let’s rock!” shouted Jing as he took the bag and dove underwater.

“Wait, doesn’t he need Kir?” inquired Rose to Mae who was shaking her head in exasperation.

“He’s cute but not very bright sometimes,” she murmured, smiling slightly as Jing reappeared. “Forget something?”

“Kir, I need you!” Jing told the albatross, ignoring her. “Rose, empty out more bags!”

Rose threw him more bags while Mae grabbed Kir and tossed him unceremoniously to his partner before diving underwater to join them.

“You won’t need those bags where you’re going!” The anchor informed them as Jing launched Kir Royales. “You don’t need air if you can’t take a breath!”

This isn’t working, thought Mae as her chest began to tighten. I need air.

Maeris motioned to Jing to toss her a bag which he did before raising his own bag to his lips. Mae did the same, instantly making her choke since it was still filled with wine. That stupid…Jing told her to empty the bags out first!

Meanwhile Jing was shooting more Kir Royales out of the water instead of at his target.

Don’t tell me he’s drunk, Maeris groaned inwardly before she understood. Wait, I get it.

Mae swam up to the surface to the piece of wood Rose was standing on as she fired off her gun at the hole the anchor was coming out of. “Hey, let me borrow that.”

“Why?” asked Rose as Mae climbed up onto the board next to her.

“Because I have a plan,” Mae replied. “Just give it to me already.”

“…Alright,” said Rose, handing her the gun. “Wait; do you even know how to use it?”

Maeris rolled her eyes. “Why does everyone keep asking me that? For your information, yes I do. Now stand back.”

Mae raised the gun and shot at the chain of the anchor as Jing continued to fire at it from below until it was too hot to hold. The hole dropped the chain allowing Jing to finally destroy the anchor, causing a huge hole in the side of the ship.

“Bingo,” murmured Maeris as she started to lower the gun before raising it again as something came up from below giving both Kir and Jing a heart attack. “Oh, it’s just you two.”

“Not that I’m not thankful for your help making the chain too hot for that thing to hold, but can you please give Rose her gun back before you shoot me?” asked Jing, eyeing the gun wearily.

Mae grinned before handing Rose her gun back. They then turned the boat back over and clambered into it before heading to the giant opening in the side of the ship.

“That place looks even scarier than you,” noted Jing to Maeris as he guided the boat inside.

“Jing, this is…” breathed Kir before she could reply.

Jing nodded. “Just as I thought, let’s go!”

~ Becoming a Bandit ~

 “Looks like that rumor was true,” whispered Maeris as they headed inside the ship where they found a hallway leading to a set of double doors.

“What do you mean?” inquired Rose.

“Back when we were in the Capital of Thieves, there was a huge rumor going around about a secret gambling boat that appeared in the waters around this area,” Jing elaborated.

“Gambling?! That’s against the law! Gambling is forbidden!” Rose shouted, lifting her gun.

“Well, this ship is just one big casino,” Jing informed her as he pushed the doors open to reveal a massive casino filled with noise and people.

“A casino?” echoed Rose, glancing around.

“Yup,” confirmed Jing. “Hiding under the image of a ghost ship is the perfect camouflage for an underground gambling operation.”

Rose stared at him with her mouth hanging open. “That means I’m going to have to arrest all of them!”

“Hold off on that for a second,” suggested Jing as he offered his arm to Mae. “What do you say we have a little fun first?”

Maeris grinned as she rested her hand in the crook of his elbow. They headed down to the tables followed by Rose who told them she could not let them gamble.

“This is the first time I’ve seen so many gold coins!” Maeris breathed as she looked around with large blue eyes.

“They’re not worth anything though,” Jing told her. “They’re just chips you cash in to get the money.”

“Oh, okay,” murmured Mae as a giant pig in a suit of armor walked up behind them.

“Welcome to the Monte Carlo Gambling House!” greeted the pig as he gave them a huge smile. “It’s been many years since we’ve had a gathering of spirits like this to all have a great time together. Won’t you join us?”

“A gathering of spirits?” repeated Maeris, cocking her head to the side.

“My name is Grappa, the manager of this casino,” the armored pig continued as if she’d never spoken. “I don’t care who you are, or where you came from, but I take care of everyone who enters my casino. Please enjoy yourselves.”

“What a shady dude!” muttered Rose as Grappa walked away.

“Yeah,” agreed Mae before turning to Jing with a mischievous smile. “Shall we play a game?”

~ Becoming A Bandit ~

 “Now ladies and gents,” said a giant rat wearing a tuxedo as he stood in the middle of a table decorated with symbols upon which he placed an old cat holding a cane. “Place your bets on where you think this disgusting old rat will land.”

“What do you think?” Mae asked Jing.

Jing smirked as he laid a stack of gold coins on the crown in front of them that apparently the cat hadn’t landed on in over a thousand years.

“Are you sure?” murmured Maeris as the cat stopped right before the crown. “So close!”

Jing smiled as he laid his hand on the small of her back, applying just enough pressure so that Mae hung over the table far enough to show the top of her chest causing the elder feline to take that last step he needed to reach the crown. “Bingo.”

Maeris flushed as she straightened back up. “Was that really necessary?”

Jing took her hands and cupped them together before dumping a mountain of coins into them. “What do you think?”

Mae stared down at the gold coins in her hands before grinning at him. “Totally necessary.”

Jing grinned back. “Then let’s keep on winning, shall we?”

They won and won so much that they were able to take baths in the golden coins.

“Now this is the life,” Mae sighed as she lay sprawled out upon them.

“Right?” agreed Jing as he came towards her with more coins but was stopped by a pirate with a barrel for a chest which had swords stuck in it.

The pirate took one of the swords in one hand and grabbed Jing by the collar of his shirt with the other. “I think you got too much pocket money for a little kid! I might have to relieve you of some of it!”

Jing kicked the sword away but the pirate only got another one from his barrel chest. “You’re lucky you’re just a kid, so I won’t beat you down too bad.”

“I may be a kid, but I fight like an adult!” replied Jing as Kir flew to his arm and shot a Kir Royale at the pirate’s chest. “Bingo!”

“Oh, that hit the spot!” said the pirate, sneering nastily at them.

“We shot clear through your stomach and it doesn’t hurt?” inquired Kir incredulously.

“I didn’t even notice!” declared the pirate as he charged at them.

Jing unleashed more Royales which proved to be just as inaffective as the first one.

“Jing, my throat is all dried up,” Kir told him. “I can’t shoot any more for now.”

“I think it’s about time to put the kids to sleep!” said the pirate as he lunged at them.

Jing released Kir and slashed at the pirate with his hidden blade causing him to disintegrate into a pile of golden coins.

“Wow, his body totally collapsed!” noted Kir, unnecessarily.

“How did you-?” murmured Mae, glancing at Jing who was staring at what remained of the pirate.

“During our fight, I noticed that a gold coin he had was sparkling,” he explained. “All I did was aim for that.”

“Well, I guess it wasn’t a ghoul living inside of him. It must have been the coin keeping him alive,” mused Kir.

“This whole casino is full of them,” Jing told them as he slashed at one coin after another causing those who wore them to disintegrate. “They’re not people playing with money. It’s the money playing with the people.”

Now I get what Postino meant, thought Mae as she helped Jing get rid of the rest of her coins which appeared to have an effect on the casino as well as it reverted to a dump. So this is what it really looks like.

“Not only did you win at my casino, but now it’s your fault that the entire place is ruined!” shouted Grappa as he slowly transformed from a knightly pig into a shower of gold coins. “You have become more than a small nuisance to my business, and for that you will pay.”

He’s made of gold coins too, observed Maeris as the gold coin shower turned into a full on storm.

“Don’t move!” yelled Jing as he grabbed both girls and covered them with his arms.

“You will witness my true power when I combine all of my savings!” Grappa declared as the storm calmed down to reveal a golden monster. “Now then, I think I’ll have you pay me back that money!”

“I’m about to turn you into pocket change!” Jing shouted back, releasing the girls.

Grappa snorted. “Impossible, wasteful, reckless! I’m sorry, but you are the one who’ll be turned into rubbish!”

Jing smirked as he unleashed his hidden blade and struck out at Grappa, landing neatly behind the golden monster. “See, I’m already chopping you to pieces!”

I need to help him, thought Mae sluggishly as Grappa repaired himself. But I can’t move. Dammit, what is going on? Wait, it’s the greed of the coins! If only…Shit, it’s too strong…I can’t break free…Jing…

~ Becoming a Bandit ~

“Are you alright, Maeris?” asked Jing as the girl opened her eyes to see him staring down at her as a rain of coins fell around them.

“Jing?” murmured Mae. “What happened?”

“I beat Grappa,” he told her with a grin.

“How did you resist the…?” began Maeris before she understood. “Because you’re the king of bandits, that’s why.”

“Yep,” nodded Jing, grinning even wider.

“Makes sense, I suppose,” she mused as she realized for the first time that he had one arm wrapped around her waist and that their faces were extremely close to one another. So close that all Mae would have to do was reach up and…

“Are you sure you’re okay, Maeris?” inquired Jing as his dark eyes bore down on her blue ones. “Your face is really red.”

“Yeah, totally,” Mae assured him as the shower ceased and he released her. Totally.

A/N: And there you have it! Hope you all enjoyed! Until next time, read review and show the love!!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Jing. I do own Maeris.

A/N: Welcome to the FIFTH chapter of Becoming a Bandit where Maeris, Jing, and Kir head to the city of Adonis in search of a delectable treasure. So, without further ado, I turn it over to my bandit girl. Enjoy!

“I never knew jungles could be so big,” muttered Maeris as they plodded along. “How much longer until we reach Adonis?”

“You’re in an awfully big hurry,” Jing noted, glancing over his shoulder at her. “I thought you’d like to take your time since this is your first jungle.”

“I would if I could stop and soak my feet for a few minutes,” admitted Mae.

“It’s your lucky day then,” Jing told her. “I can see a hot spring up ahead. You’ll be able to soak your sore feet there.”

“A hot spring? In a jungle?” said Mae, raising a golden eyebrow in disbelief as they made their way into a clearing where there was indeed a hot spring. The only problem was… “Hold on. There’s only one bath.”

“Yeah, there is,” agreed Jing. “And all of its current inhabitants appear to be male.”

Maeris groaned. “Perfect. Looks like I won’t be soaking my feet, after all.”

“Not necessarily,” argued Jing, thoughtfully. “If we can get the others to cover themselves down there, would you be alright?”

That doesn’t sound too bad, mused Maeris. I’d keep my bra and underwear on for a bathing suit too. “That works for me.”

Jing grinned. “Awesome. Let me go talk to the others first.”

Mae grinned back as the Bandit King and Kir headed over to the hot spring. The preteen girl then went behind a nearby tree and took off her gloves, jacket, tank top, shorts, boots, whip, and sunglasses. Now that I’m doing this, I’m feeling a little self-conscious. Mom would freak if she could see me now.

“Come on, Maeris,” called Jing. “The water’s amazing!”

Don’t chicken out now, Maeris. It’s not like you’re completely naked. Go join the boys and relax your aching feet, Maeris told herself. The girl took a deep breath and walked over to the bath. She got in next to Jing and sighed contentedly as the water encircled her. “So good!”

“Right?” agreed Jing, staring at her out of the corner of his eye. Mae had tilted her head back. Her long golden hair floated around her and her blue eyes were closed. She’s something else. It’s almost as if I found a treasure I didn’t know I’d been looking for.

“Thank goodness you are here, beautiful Maeris!” declared Kir. “Otherwise there would only be ugly men.”

“I didn’t get in here for you bird,” Mae responded without opening her eyes. “But man am I glad I did.”

“Excuse me,” interjected an older gentleman with a mustache, wading over to them. “But do you have any dried plums?”

Kir grumbled and disappeared under the water.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” murmured Maeris.

“By the way, I haven’t seen you guys around here before,” said the man. “Where are you headed?”

“Adonis,” Jing informed him.

“Don’t kid around,” the man advised. “That town is under the control of the Demon of Time.”

“‘The Demon of Time’?” echoed Mae, opening her eyes.

The man nodded. “Anyone who enters that town is forced to adhere to an extremely strict time code. They are under the constant pressure and restraint of time, and never allowed even a second to relax or complain.”

“Can you take us there?” asked Jing. The man agreed and the Bandit King turned to Maeris with a meaningful look.

Mae sighed. “I know. My soak time is over.”

“Maybe we’ll find another hot spring in the next jungle we go through,” Jing teased her with shining dark eyes as they got out of the water and dressed. The trio then followed the man to a ledge overlooking the city of Adonis which laid near a humongous hourglass and had an eye-catching red clock tower.

“Is that the Demon of Time?” inquired Maeris, standing on the edge of the ledge with Jing and pointing at the tower.

“The Demon of Time is just a myth used to describe their horrible situation,” explained the man. “That is the Clock Tower.”

“Interesting,” remarked Jing as he and Mae made their way down to the city. “This should be fun.”

“Sounds like it,” concurred Mae.

“Wait a minute!” called the man. “I must warn you against going to that town!”

“That town holds the legendary Grapes of Time, doesn’t it?” said Jing, staring back at the man. “We want to taste their sweet nectar.”

“You can’t be serious!” retorted the man. “That’s not something they walk around selling in the streets!”

“We know,” Mae assured him.

Jing nodded. “We wouldn’t expect anything less.”

The bandits proceeded on their way and reached the city’s gate where a familiar face was stuck outside.

“Hey, I didn’t know you made deliveries all the way out here,” Jing greeted Postino.

“I never did before,” Postino informed them. “I’ve been trying to get through, but they’re always closed up. I guess I’ll have to try again tomorrow. Oh, that’s right. I should tell you not to approach the hourglass. In that area, the flow of time is incredibly fast.”

Jing and Mae stared at the hourglass then at each other. The Bandit King returned his attention to Postino and inclined his head. “We understand.”

Postino smiled and rode away. The trio watched him go before they strode up to the gate.

“Well, here we are,” remarked Jing.

“I’m going to scope it out first,” declared Kir.

“Send us a postcard when you get there, okay?” said Jing as the albatross flew away but was struck by flying clock parts and fell to the ground in front of them. “What happened? They don’t sell stamps over there?”

“Though they seem to have plenty of clock pieces. Guess we’re going to have to find another way in,” figured Mae.

“You are exactly two hours, thirty-seven minutes, and twenty-nine seconds past the time we stopped allowing visitors for the day,” proclaimed a large man with gigantic clock gears attached to his arms as he leapt down from the top of the gate, making the ground shake. The giant grinned and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I thought you were just a statue,” stated Jing, calmly.

Mae nodded. “You blended right in with the rest of the gaudy architecture.”

“I was simply posing as a statue in order to secretly observe you,” the guard informed them.

“We can make no exceptions!” added an identical guard. “If you are even one second late, we cannot allow you to enter!”

“That doesn’t pertain to us though,” argued Jing. “We’re going to go ahead if you don’t mind.”

The guards held two thorny vines between them and swung them up and down to create a barrier. “Please, be our guest.”

“Well, aren’t you two gracious gentlemen?” said Mae, glancing at Jing. “See, this is how you treat a lady.”

The Bandit King smirked. “Thanks for your permission, fellas.”

“You’ll soon be caught in our web,” one guard warned as the trio slipped through unharmed. “How the hell?!”

“Did the Clock of Adonis never predict this intrusion?” wondered the other while the bandits passed through the gate.

“Hey guys, I’d hurry and close up if I were you,” advised Jing. “You don’t want just anyone walking through those gates, do you?”

“Five seconds!” growled the first guard. “No, I’ll rip them apart in three seconds!”

“What was that you said about them knowing how to treat a lady?” inquired Jing as they dodged out of the way of the stampeding guards.

“What? You’re not having fun?” responded Mae, smiling. The Bandit King smiled in return as the idiots crashed head-first into a building.

“You guys are too worried about time,” opined Jing. “Go ahead and take as long as you need to rest after that one.”

“Bye, boys. We should do this again sometime,” said Mae.

“Now, what do you say we take a tour of this place?” proposed Jing as the sky began to darken.

“Gotta locate the grapes somehow,” she agreed, and they moved about the city. “It sure is quiet around here.”

“Yeah,” replied Jing. “You did really well at the gate, by the way.”

“Thanks,” murmured Mae. “You’re a good teacher.”

“I know,” Jing responded, grinning at her. Mae rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm. “Ow, you are dangerous.”

“Oh, shut up,” she muttered as they stopped in front of the Clock Tower.

“That’s it,” declared Jing. “They’re in there.”

“That does make the most sense,” concurred Maeris.

“I wonder if it’s the proper time to eat the special grapes,” mused Jing.

“What’s that?” said Kir suddenly as he looked down at a group of people who were gathered around a young girl laying beneath a swinging blade which gradually dropped closer to her exposed neck.

“I think it’s a public execution,” whispered Mae, staring at Jing with wide blue eyes. “We should go help her.”

“Everyone! Don’t close your eyes!” ordered a man wearing a black mask giving him the appearance of a bird.

“Mr. Executioner,” interjected the girl. She had long purplish hair and light eyes which she opened to glare at the man. “Be careful not to cut my braids. Didn’t Master Gear tell you not to cut my braids?”

“If you’re not careful, I’ll cut that busy tongue of yours into a thousand pieces!” the executioner promised

“She isn’t afraid?” demanded Maeris. “What the hell is wrong with this city?!”

“Come on,” said Jing as Kir destroyed the blade and the contraption it had been attached to. “Let’s go find out.”

They jumped down to the ground behind the shocked crowd.

“Is her crime being too beautiful?” inquired Kir from where he hovered next to the girl.

“You’ve got it all wrong,” proclaimed the executioner. “She is being punished for the crime of tardiness.”

“By tardiness, do you mean like being late to work or class?” asked Kir, striking the man on the head. “You must be joking! I don’t have time for stupid jokes like this. Not even for one second!”

Kir looked around at the stone-faced crowd. “This is for real?”

“In this town, tardiness is the most serious of…,” began a woman with brown hair before gasping and covering her mouth.

“Most serious of what?” demanded Kir.

“The most serious of crimes,” answered an older man who had a long beard and wore glasses. “And this is what happens to those who…”

“Many hundreds have already been punished…,” revealed another, younger man.

“Just for being late,” completed a third man.

“But don’t you see how ridiculous that is?” asked Mae as she and Jing pushed their way through the crowd. “No one should be punished with death because they were tardy!”

“That’s…,” started the woman.

“The rule here,” finished the older man.

“Why are you guys trailing off?” inquired Jing. “Can’t you complete a sentence?”

“It’s the law,” the third man explained. “We’re not allowed to discuss it with any strangers.”

“We’re punished if we’re more than five seconds late,” said the second man.

“Why don’t you protest the law?” suggested Jing.

“That is the worst crime in town and is always punished,” the older man informed them.

“That’s absurd!” exclaimed Mae.

Kir nodded. “It means I only have five seconds left to hit on this girl.”

Maeris sighed. “That is not the issue here.”

“For me it is,” argued Kir as the crowd behind him parted and the albatross got zapped.

“Kir!” yelled Jing and Maeris as they spotted a man with long silver hair wearing black and purple armor riding a chariot where the crowd had broken apart.

“It’s Master Gear,” whispered one of the citizens.

“‘Master Gear’?” repeated Jing.

“Time is money,” stated Master Gear, stepping down from his ride whose puller had shocked Kir. “Who has committed this heinous crime and caused me to come all the way out here?!”

“If you don’t want to exert yourself then don’t create ridiculous rules,” retorted Mae, bending down to check on Kir.

Master Gear glared at her with cold eyes before turning his attention to Jing. “For interrupting, you, your girlfriend, and your pet shall suffer the same fate.”

Master Gear shot projectiles at Jing who blocked them with his hidden blade. “I see. That’s enough for now. It shall read ‘Killed for Being Late’ on your tombstones, brats! Even if you are only a second late!”

“Go ahead and try,” challenged Maeris, beginning to stand back up but was stopped by Kir. The bird placed his wing on her arm and shook his head.

“You got it wrong,” Kir told Master Gear, rising into the air. “They’re my pets! I’m the one in charge here.”

“Kir,” murmured Mae as the albatross attached himself to Jing’s arm. The preteen girl smirked. “Guess you’re not as bad as I thought.”

“Well, let’s go, Boss,” said Jing to his partner. “Kir Royale!”

Maeris covered her head as the blast hit Master Gear who emerged unharmed and sneered at them. “No way. It didn’t work?”

“These foolish games are a waste of time for me,” proclaimed Master Gear. “Got it?! Sherry!”

A white light appeared from the tower and headed straight for them.

“I’m not sure what that is,” admitted Kir as Mae stood and grabbed her whip. “But it sure is fast.”

“Yeah,” agreed Jing, glancing at Maeris. “Hold back for a second. I’m going to try and hit him with the Kir Royale again.”

Mae nodded and stepped back.

Jing fired another royale, but the light got in front of Master Gear and blocked the blast. It then breathed fire from a head like a fox at them. The force of the creature’s attack knocked Jing and Kir into the wall of a nearby building.

“Jing!” shouted Maeris, running over to him. “Are you okay?”

“She deflected the Kir Royale attack?!” The Bandit King noted in disbelief before gasping and hitting the ground face first.

“Jing!” cried Mae, dropping down next to him. “Hey! Wake up! Jing!”

“Hey, hey, you need a break already?” mocked Master Gear.

Mae leapt to her feet and spun around, whip in hand. “You want to pick on someone? How about me?”

“Mae, don’t,” said Jing from where he laid.

Master Gear laughed. “I have no desire to fight little girls. Step aside.”

“No,” refused Maeris. “I won’t let you keep hurting him. Not while I’m here.”

“Mae,” murmured Jing. “He’s too strong.”

“I know,” Maeris confirmed, keeping her eyes on Master Gear. “But I won’t stand by and do nothing.”

Master Gear stared at her silently for a few moments. “I suppose I can let you both walk out like that. I will have mercy on you, so I don’t have to waste any more of my time. Never forget my benevolence!”

Sherry shone with a brilliant light and shot a blast at the trio who appeared to have vanished when the smoke cleared.

“Did we kill them?” wondered Master Gear.

“No, they simply ran away,” one of his soldiers told him. “Master Gear, whoever they are, they defeated the gate guards earlier and forced their way into the city.”

“I know,” acknowledged Master Gear.

“We will begin a search, and capture them right away, sir!” announced the soldier, saluting him.

Meanwhile Jing, Maeris, and Kir were striving to remain undetected.

“Thank you, Jing, for saving me,” whispered Mae as soldiers ran by them. “Even though you’re hurt, and I was the one who was supposed to be protecting you.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mae,” he assured her, flashing the girl a quick smile. “Besides, you helped distract him so we could get away.”

“Still,” insisted Mae as soldiers continued to charge by. The young bandit stared worriedly at Jing. “We need to find somewhere safe for you to recover.”

“I’m fine, Maeris,” he replied.

“Jing, you got blasted into a wall,” Mae reminded him unnecessarily. She raised a gloved hand and touched the right side of the Bandit King’s face. “At least let me take a look at it.”

“You’re relentless, you know that?” remarked Jing, gazing at her with shining dark eyes that made her heart race. “You could have gotten hurt yourself, standing up to Master Gear like that.”

“Yeah, well, it was either try to fight him or watch you get killed,” responded Mae as she once again felt a force pulling her towards him like it had when they stood in the golden shower. “And there was no way I was going to let that happen.”

“You truly are something else, Mae,” murmured Jing as they drew closer and closer to each other until-

A searchlight suddenly illuminated them. The bandits jumped apart and broke out in a run with Master Gear not far behind.

Damn, he’s persistent, thought Maeris. There must be some way we can beat him and get those grapes, but what?

A/N: And there you have it! Until next time, read review and show the love!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Jing. I do own Maeris.

A/N: Welcome to the SIXTH chapter of Becoming a Bandit where our trio will strive to figure out a way to defeat Master Gear and his partner Sherry. So, without further ado, I turn it over to Mae. Enjoy!

“Watch out!” yelled Maeris, pulling on Jing’s arm as an energy blast landed in front of them.

“Thanks,” murmured Jing as they continued running. “How did they know where we were?”

“I don’t know,” panted Mae while they were constantly shot at. “This is ridiculous!”

“He’s not our only problem,” Jing informed her, pointing at a group of soldiers poised to attack them up ahead.

“Oh, come on,” groaned Maeris as one of the blasts took out the soldiers, sending the trio flying but they quickly recovered.

“Those idiots, they missed!” declared Kir.

“I figured out how they knew where we were,” Jing told them with a grin.

“Really?” inquired Mae and Kir.

Jing winked. “Now I know how to fight back.”

~ Becoming A Bandit ~

I hope he’s right about this, thought Maeris as she stood on the roof of a building with Jing who had Kir attached to his arm.

“There were three heartbeats before, but one of them has disappeared,” Sherry informed Master Gear as they approached.

“Did they split up?” asked Master Gear.

“Perhaps,” mused the fox. “Because there would be three heartbeats if they were together. I’m sure about that, but…”

“If they have separated, we cannot use our special attack,” muttered Master Gear. “We’ll have to trust our men to find them.”

I should really have learned not to doubt Jing by now, thought Mae, smirking as Master Gear finally noticed them. He is the Bandit King, after all.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Kir told them. “Jing and I joined together and synchronized our heartbeats so that...”

“Kir!” hissed Jing, putting a finger to his lips.

“How did they…?” wondered Master Gear.

“We can wait for their explanation,” replied Sherry, charging up and releasing a series of blasts.

“Sorry,” apologized Kir while they moved out of the way. “I should learn to keep my big beak shut sometimes.”

“No kidding,” murmured Maeris as Master Gear and the fox proceeded to fire at them. “What do we do now?”

Jing gritted his teeth.

“Over here!” called the girl who had been about to be executed as she appeared from underneath a manhole cover. “Quickly!”

The bandits stared at each other, nodded, and joined the girl below the city.

“That was too close!” gasped Mae, smiling at the girl who turned on a flashlight. “Thanks for helping us.”

“You’re welcome,” she responded, leading them through the sewers. “It was the least I could do after you three saved me. I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

“Wait, I just want to make sure you get things straight,” said Kir. “I was the one who saved you!”

The girl giggled. “I guess you’re right, thanks.”

She then kissed the albatross on the cheek.

“How come you never thank me like that?” Jing asked Mae. The preteen girl blushed making him smile. Maeris is really cute when she’s flustered.

“Anyway, I just realized we haven’t introduced ourselves to her yet,” remarked Mae, changing the subject. I’ll figure out how I truly feel about him later.

“That’s right,” replied Jing, returning his attention to the girl. “My name is Jing, and this is my keeper, Kir.”

“I’m Maeris,” Mae told her.

“Are you Jing’s girlfriend?” inquired the girl.

Maeris flushed crimson. “We’re business partners, that’s all.”

“Is that so?” responded the girl. “My name is Mirabelle.”

“Mirabelle, Mirabelle, mi amore!” sang Kir.

Maeris rolled her eyes but let the bird have his way, this time. He did save her, after all.

Mirabelle guided them to an open space filled with coffins.

“Well, this looks like the entrance to Hell, doesn’t it?” noted Jing.

“Yeah, maybe it’s an omen,” mused Kir as the coffins began to open. “Is this when all the mummies come out and get us?”

Jing placed himself in front of the girls and unsheathed his hidden blade. “Maeris, protect Mirabelle.”

“I will,” acknowledged Mae, reaching for her whip.

“If you feel like keeling over, we have plenty of empty caskets,” offered one of the ‘mummies’ as a bunch of them came towards the group.

“Who goes there?!” demanded Jing.

“Stay behind me,” Mae advised Mirabelle.

“Watch your voices,” a new voice coming from behind them chastised. “Many spirits are sleeping quietly in peace.”

They turned around to see a tall, muscular man with dark hair wearing a large coat smiling at them. “Welcome to Neverland!”

“‘Neverland’?” repeated Mae, raising a golden eyebrow.

“Captain! You’re alive!” exclaimed Mirabelle.

“You know this guy?” asked Kir.

“The captain was sentenced to the death penalty for being late just like I was,” explained Mirabelle. “But he got away. Oh, I’m so glad!”

“‘Just like I was’?” echoed the captain as Mirabelle embraced him. “You were convicted of the same crime as me?”

“Yes,” confirmed Mirabelle. “But Kir, Jing, and Maeris saved me.”

The captain grimaced and hit a wall. “Damn you!”

“Hey, watch your mouth!” reprimanded Kir.

“Relax, Kir. He wasn’t talking about us,” Mae told him.

“Master Gear?” guessed Kir.

“Maybe,” mused Jing. “But I think he was mad for not being able to save her himself. Kind of like how I would be if it had been Maeris.”

“I see,” murmured Kir.

“Hey, by the way, I don’t suppose you guys have any food down here?” asked Jing. “We’re really hungry.”

“If food is what you want,” said the captain and he escorted them to a humongous room where tall sunflowers were bathed in a light beaming down from a hole in the ceiling. Mirabelle walked over to the beautiful flowers and knelt in front of them. “Don’t be too surprised. This is the main dish of Neverland. This stuff keeps us alive down here.”

“The only thing that surprises me is before we came down here, we didn’t even see the likes of one weed,” responded Jing.

Mirabelle leaned forward. “The smell. A long time ago, this flower used to bloom in abundance all over Adonis. But then Master Gear built the Clock Tower and took control over all of the clocks in town. Since then…”

“Neverland is the only place where flowers are blooming right now,” the captain informed them.

“Geez, Master Gear is such a jerk,” declared Mae, joining Mirabelle. “How could anyone not want flowers?”

“We are forced to live in the graveyard,” the captain resumed after a few moments. “And watch our comrades above continue to die slowly.”

“This is the only place where it still exists,” remarked Mirabelle, standing up.

“Where what still exists?” murmured Mae, rising to her feet as well.

“The energy and liveliness of our town,” Mirabelle replied cheerfully. “At the time when the flowers bloomed in the plaza.”

Maeris glanced at Jing who was smiling making her smile too. Maybe there’s hope for this place yet.

~ Becoming A Bandit ~

“Can’t sleep?” surmised Jing after Mirabelle had gone to bed. He sat down in front of the sunflowers next to Maeris.

“These flowers remind me of the ones my mom grows in her garden,” she revealed. “I guess I’m feeling a little homesick. What about you? Still thinking about Master Gear?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed as he leaned back on his hands with a sigh.

“Did you mean what you said earlier?” asked Mae, causing him to stare at her questioningly. “About how you understood how the captain felt because you’d be the same if it had been me?”

“Of course I meant it,” said Jing, raising a hand to play with a lock of her golden hair. “I’d feel horrible if something happened to you, Mae, just like you said you would have been if Master Gear had killed me.”

Mae shivered from his touch as she found herself being pulled towards him until their lips were mere inches from each other. The young bandit flushed at how close they were but did not move away because she couldn’t, didn’t want to move away. Guess I’ve made up my mind.

“You can tell me to stop if you want to,” offered Jing, his dark eyes were dazzling.

Mae did not reply, instead she bridged the gap between their mouths and kissed the Bandit King who kissed her back.

~ Becoming A Bandit ~

“Long ago, I desired to bring down Master Gear with one foul blow,” the captain related to them later in the room with the caskets after Jing and Mae had returned. “We were always rioting but the number of victims continued to grow. As the leader, responsible for everyone’s lives, I decided to stop fighting. We really have no choice! It’s the only way we can go on living!”

“Hey, you don’t need to explain yourself to us,” Kir assured him.

“Kir’s right,” concurred Mae.

“If you think that’s the right thing to do, what’s the problem?” Jing pointed out.

“I guess you’re right,” replied the captain. “I’m sorry for getting all worked up.”

“Don’t be-,” began Mae but was interrupted by a scream.

“Mirabelle!” cried Kir and they hurried to the girl’s room.

Jing opened the door, but Mirabelle was gone. There was a gaping hole in the wall. They hurried through the opening and caught up to a crocodile whose back was covered in clocks.

“Crocodile!” shouted the captain.

The crocodile spun slowly around. “Whoa, I haven’t seen your face in a while. Weren’t you killed?”

The captain charged the crocodile who slapped him away with his tail. “Don’t worry! It will all be over soon.”

The monster then opened his jaws and raised an unconscious Mirabelle to his mouth. “I’m opening up wide…”

“You might want to check again,” advised Mae.

The crocodile stared at his prey which had gotten switched with a skeleton wearing some of Mirabelle’s clothing. “What?!”

“I can’t let you take her,” declared Kir, hovering next to Jing who held the real Mirabelle. “We have a date coming up.”

“Oh really?” challenged the croc. “Not if I have anything to do with it! The next place you guys meet will be in Heaven!”

The monster shot fire out of his mouth at them. Mae wrapped her whip around his jaws, clamping them shut while Jing hit him with a royale, but it had no effect.

“Oh, enough already!” complained Maeris as the crocodile shook off her whip, sending her flying. Her back hit a wall and she landed on the floor.

“My skin is so thick that felt like nothing more than a baby blowing on my face,” the croc sneered.

“That’s too bad,” replied Jing, picking up some swords which were lying around. “Well, I guess these guys won’t need these!”

The crocodile snorted. “Give it your best shot!”

Jing threw the swords, but they bounced right off the monster.

“Good!” commended the croc, charging the Bandit King. “That’s it! Struggle for all you’re worth!”

Jing fired another royale which sailed over the brute’s head.

“Where do you think you’re aiming?!” demanded the crocodile. “You really missed that time!”

The blast bounced off the swords and hit the croc from behind.

“Nice work,” praised Mae, walking over to Jing and Kir. “He won’t be getting up after that one.”

“Nope,” agreed Jing, smiling at her.

Mae smiled back as the Bandit King sat down to work on writing a note to Master Gear while they read over his shoulder. I see.

“What kind of plan is that?!” asked the captain. “If we do that, Master Gear will…”

“Hold on, let me explain,” responded Jing as he kept scribbling.

“I’ll let your bravery lead you three to certain death, but I cannot allow you to take advantage of my people!” the captain exclaimed. “Master Gear is sure to set fire to all of these tunnels!”

The captain then lunged at Jing. Mae moved in between them, but it was Mirabelle who stopped the frightened man.

“You’re wrong,” cried the girl, holding him back. “Kir, Jing, and Maeris are trying to help us get our freedom back!”

“Mirabelle,” murmured Mae.

“What’s going on?” inquired one of the men as he came over to look. “‘Dear Master Gear, I’m going to steal all time from Adonis. Sincerely, the Bandit King.”

“You guys are bandits?” asked Mirabelle.

“You could say that,” replied Jing.

Mirabelle glanced at Maeris. “So, when you meant ‘business partners’?”

Maeris winked. “Yep.”

“I know I’m already your hero and everything,” said Kir to Mirabelle. “But these two fools can’t do it all by themselves so I’m going to help them.”

Mae rolled her eyes but smiled at the bird. “Thanks for the confidence boost.”

“What is this talk of heroes?” demanded the captain, thrusting a finger at a coffin whose clock was broken. “Just look at this lid! This is what happened when his time was stopped. This is what it means to interrupt time, to die! What will you so-called heroes do if you cause this mark to spread all over town?!”

“Well?!” shouted the captain, grabbing Jing by the front of his shirt. “What will you do then?!”

“We will cut time in half, and stop it in its tracks,” Jing informed him. “You’re thinking just as Master Gear wants you to.”

The captain gasped and released Jing with a grunt.

The Bandit King stared at Maeris who inclined her head as Kir perched on the boy’s shoulder and the trio began to leave. They stepped into a bucket at the bottom of a well and Jing grasped the rope, pulling them up to the surface. They could see through the opening above them that it was still dark outside.

“You mustn’t look at those lids as warnings or bad omens,” Jing advised the town’s people, glancing back at them with determined eyes. “But as a hope for a future without the tyranny of time!”

Mae nodded. “It’s time for Master Gear to be afraid of you! Don’t let his mind games control you! No one should have to be terrified of living! Embrace your future with your own two hands!”

A/N: And there you have it! Until then, read review and show the love!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Jing. I do own Maeris.

A/N: Welcome to the SEVENTH chapter of Becoming a Bandit where we will conclude the Adonis arc. So, without further ado, I turn it over to my bandit girl. Enjoy!

“It looks like they’ve finally begun to move,” remarked Jing from where they sat on a cart pulled by snails and whose driver had his nose stuck in a book, scoping out the enemy.

“So, this time it’s muscular chickens wrapped in mummy bandages, huh?” mused Mae.

“See? I do know how to show my girl a good time,” replied Jing, making her smile.

“We better hurry up and start stealing while we can,” Kir advised them.

Jing smirked. “I thought I sent you a mission report. You should know that we must wait for the proper welcome.”

“We are nothing if not well-mannered bandits,” agreed Maeris. “Don’t be rude, Kir.”

The albatross snorted. “Maybe I would if you two ever did anything that demanded respect.”

“Hey, by the way, mind if I talk to these guys first?” asked Jing.

“Looks like you’re going to get your chance regardless of Kir’s answer,” noted Mae as one of the chickens attacked the cart.

The trio leapt from the smashed vehicle and took off.

“Don’t worry, tweety birds. I’m right behind you!” called the chicken.

“Jing! Isn’t the Clock Tower that way?!” demanded Kir, pointing in the opposite direction. “Where are you going?”

“We won’t be able to get past the front gates from the streets,” explained Jing. “First, we must stop the clock.”

“How are we going to do that?” inquired Maeris as the chicken drew closer and closer.

“Here little birdies, birdies!” sang the chicken. “I can see your scared little tails running!”

The chicken grinned as they reached a dead end, lunged at the trio…and smacked right into a mirror.

“That’s gonna leave a mark,” remarked Mae and they proceeded to the hourglass.

“We’ve got to stop that,” Jing informed them. “It’s the city’s power source.”

“How do we do that?” asked Kir, echoing Mae’s question from before.

“This is what Postino was referring to, wasn’t it?” guessed Maeris.

“That’s right,” confirmed Jing. “We need to rework the sand with magic powder.”

“‘With magic powder’?” repeated Kir.

“You’ll see,” said Jing. “Come on, you two.”

They made their way to the hourglass and released the seeds causing all the clocks to stop as the seeds floated throughout the city.

So, that’s what Jing meant, thought Maeris as they climbed onto the roof of a building which faced the hourglass. He really is incredible.

“Quite a plan you’ve got,” opined Kir, attaching to Jing’s arm. “You’ve let loose the seeds of the flowers that keep time in the hourglass.”

“I suppose,” replied Jing. “Let’s go ahead and finish the job, shall we?”

Jing shot a Kir Royale at the hourglass making it shatter. The town’s clocks went crazy.

“Bingo,” murmured Mae and they headed for the Clock Tower but were stopped by two guards wielding swords.

Jing grinned at Maeris and extended his arm. “After you, my lady.”

Mae grinned back and knocked the soldiers down with her whip as more appeared. “Bring it on. I’ll whip all of you guys into shape.”

“Sorry to ruin your fun, Mae,” apologized Jing, firing a royale. “But we are kind of on a deadline.”

“Yeah, okay,” agreed Maeris and they strode up to the doors which were locked. “Good thing you have a lock pick.”

Jing unsheathed his hidden blade and went to work.

“How’s it going?” inquired Kir after a few moments; the sky had started to lighten.

“Almost got it,” replied Jing as more soldiers appeared.

“There they are!” cried one of them.

“Shit!” swore Mae, reaching for her whip but the guys suddenly fell forward.

“I would expect nothing less from the Bandit King,” remarked the captain surrounded by the others from Neverland. “You really did steal time!”

“Captain, Mirabelle, everyone,” said Mae. “You all came.”

“Here, let me get that,” offered the captain, utilizing his false right arm which was shaped like a key to unlock the doors. “I always keep a spare on hand…Sorry about that, I can be a little cheesy sometimes, Mr. Bandit King.”

“Hey, as long as it gets us in,” responded Jing. “Thanks.”

“I want to apologize, Jing,” declared the captain. “I feel bad about how I treated you earlier. You have opened my eyes and brought back all my old…Well, anyway, thanks.”

“The sun, it’s rising,” noted Mirabelle, causing them to turn and watch the sunrise.

“Beautiful,” breathed Mae, placing her hand in the crook of Jing’s arm.

“Yeah,” the captain agreed. “And without our annoying little clocks.”

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” crowed Kir.

“It’s a new day,” said Jing, staring down at Maeris. “Ready to go look in the tower?”

Mae nodded and they headed inside where ugly little trolls were smashing grapes with their feet in a gigantic barrel.

“Hey, Jing, I’m ready for my morning shot of action,” announced the captain eagerly as the trolls leapt at them. “Let’s go!”

“Don’t drink too much,” warned Jing as the captain and his men dealt with the trolls while he, the girls, and Kir pushed onward. They climbed a long staircase that led to a room filled with trees on which hung…

“The Grapes of Time!” exclaimed Mae with wide blue eyes. “We found them!”

Mirabelle suddenly gasped as a grim reaper flew in and cut off a bunch of grapes from a branch. “This is horrible. I can’t believe Master Gear goes as far as to mess with the sacred grapes!”

“Yeah, but there have got to be some that have not yet fallen into his grasp,” figured Jing, picking Mae up bridal style and running up one of the trees with Kir and Mirabelle following behind them.

“You know, you really didn’t need to carry me,” Mae told Jing as he set her down and they searched for the grapes.

“I know, but I like to,” replied Jing with shining eyes making her blush. “Found them. They’re over here!”

“Alright!” said Mae as they joined the Bandit King and poked their heads through a tangle of branches to see a bunch of grapes.

“How beautiful!” breathed Mirabelle. “They look so good they almost look fake.”

“Is this what you two have been looking for all along, Jing?” inquired Kir.

“What do you mean?” asked Mirabelle.

“They make the very time we live in.” explained Jing, sitting down. “And bear fruit almost like a machine. They are the ‘Grapes of Time’ and with just one, anyone can escape the normal restraints of time. The last pure vine…This is a great treasure. In the sunlight the drops grow plump, and in the moonlight, its sweetness is refined. It is the only 100% natural fruit.”

“I can’t wait to try one,” murmured Mae as she took a seat next to him. “I bet they’re delicious.”

“That must be why it could have survived such torture,” mused Mirabelle thoughtfully. “I’m sure it must taste wonderful too!”

“Of course,” confirmed Jing.

“Because it’s a fruit that has ripened from the seeds of freedom,” added Kir.

Mirabelle reached for a grape and gasped as Master Gear and Sherry appeared.

“You, you, you’ve stopped time in Adonis. My time!” shouted Master Gear, letting out a roar as Sherry fired at them.

“Watch out!” screamed Mirabelle, pushing Jing and Maeris out of the way.

“Mirabelle!” cried Kir.

“Mirabelle!” called Mae as the wounded, unconscious girl lay on top of them. “Oi, Mirabelle!”

“You almost messed up Mirabelle’s cute little braids!” yelled Kir. “You’ll pay for that!”

“I’d stop worrying about her braids and start worrying about her life if I were you,” Sherry advised him, firing again and again.

“Come on, we gotta move,” said Jing, grabbing Mirabelle and running in the opposite direction. “We need to hurry and get her to a safe place first.”

“Right,” acknowledged Kir and Mae as they raced up the stairs and into a room decorated with statutes. They went behind a curtain which led to a balcony where Jing gently set Mirabelle down. The girl slowly opened her eyes.

“She’s coming to!” noted Kir.

“Mirabelle, thank goodness you’re alright,” murmured Mae.

“You’ll be safe here,” Jing promised her.

“Don’t worry, Mirabelle. Old Kir here is going to protect you!” Kir assured her. “I swear on the rising sun!”

“Thank you, Kir,” replied Mirabelle.

“Why are you hiding, my little time bandits?” demanded Master Gear.

“Guess that’s our cue,” remarked Mae and they headed back inside where Master Gear and Sherry were waiting.

“We weren’t trying to hide from you,” Jing told him.

“I see,” replied Master Gear, smirking. “You know this is the top floor of the Clock Tower, right?”

“We know, buddy,” said Kir.

“In that case, you must already know. This is the closest room to the land of the dead in all of Adonis,” proclaimed Master Gear as Sherry shot at them. They dodged her attacks and then took refuge behind the now broken statues, breathing heavily. “Hiding again? You sure do have a lot of energy. But playtime is over!”

Master Gear snapped his fingers and the exit leading to the balcony as well as the curtains covering the windows closed. “You’re like helpless children in this black darkness.”

“I’ll save you time and tell you now,” offered Sherry. “That trick where two of you synchronized your heartbeats won’t work again this time.”

“Damn!” swore Kir and flew back down the stairs.

“Wait right there!” commanded Sherry.

“Stopped that albatross in its tracks. What a pitiful little beast,” sneered Master Gear. “We don’t need pets interfering with our business this time. You’re not really qualified to own a pet anyway. Sherry, why don’t you give our little friends a kiss!”

Sherry closed her eyes and sensed where the two bandits were. “Over there!”

Jing and Mae moved out of the way as the blast destroyed their hiding spot and kept moving while the fox continued to fire at them.

“Run out of places to hide?” inquired Master Gear as they stopped behind them.

“It appears so,” replied Jing.

Master Gear laughed and turned around. “Time is up.”

“I can’t hear their heartbeats!” declared Sherry as the sound of clocks going off echoed around them.

“Perfect timing, Kir!” cheered Mae.

“That’s my partner for you,” concurred Jing. “You ready?”

“Always,” she replied.

“Sherry! Where are the punks?!” demanded Master Gear. “Sherry? Answer me! Sherry?!”

Master Gear tsked and snapped his fingers, allowing light to enter the room again.

“So, what kind of new hairstyle do you think would look good on her?” Jing asked Mae as they knelt on either side of Sherry. Jing had his blade at her throat while Mae’s whip was wrapped around the fox’s mouth. “What do you think about giving her that new cool, shaggy look?”

“Sounds good to me,” agreed Mae.

“You bastards,” growled Master Gear but did not move to help his partner who decided to free herself. She broke Mae’s hold and leapt away. “Sherry! Where are you going?! Where?!”

“I’m going to find a new master who is more dependable,” she told him, not looking back. “You incompetent fool.”

“Sherry!” cried Master Gear as she disappeared. He fell to his knees. “It’s all over. There’s nothing more I can do. It’s all over.”

“Guess that’s that then,” mused Mae as Master Gear suddenly got to his feet. “Now what?”

“Who are you?” demanded Master Gear but no one was there. He walked forward.

“What is he going to do?” inquired Kir as he and Mirabelle rejoined them.

“It’s not our job to find out,” responded Jing. “We’ve got to give this one to the captain and the others.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Kir as the tower began to tremble.

“What’s going on?” asked Mae, covering her head. “It feels like the whole place is falling apart!”

“What the hell is that?!” exclaimed Kir as a giant mechanism burst through the floor and lifted Master Gear upwards.

“The Demon of Time!” realized Jing.

“It looks like a heart with a clock on it,” remarked Mae.

“If that really is the Demon of Time, then the old man at the spa was right all along!” stated Kir.

“I thought that old man was full of it when he told us that!” replied Jing as the demon sent blades of metal at them. The bandits jumped into the air. “Kir! I need you for one last shot! Mae, clear a path for us!”

“Got it!” yelled Mae, knocking the blades away with her whip as Jing fired a Kir Royale, destroying the Demon of Time and wrecking the tower. “This place is collapsing!”

Jing grabbed her hand while Kir helped Mirabelle. “Hurry for the door!”

The door was blocked by debris from the statues.

“Just perfect,” muttered Mae.

“We’ll have to jump!” said Mirabelle. “Hurry!”

“I’ll be fine, but what are you guys going to do?” inquired Kir.

“We have no choice,” pointed out Jing. “Jump!”

They jumped and landed in a pool of sunflower petals surrounded by the others.

“You okay?” Jing asked Maeris.

She nodded and smiled at him. “Never better.”

“Hey, everyone!” shouted the captain. “Forget about time for now and let’s party!”

~ Becoming A Bandit ~

“Those guys sure do know how to throw a party,” opined Maeris as the celebration went into the night. The bandits perched on the ledge overlooking the city, staring at the grapes from the tower. “Ready?”

Jing grinned and divided the grapes between the three of them. They ate the fruit, sighing in satisfaction.

“So good!” cried Mae.

“It’s better than I could ever have expected,” Jing agreed.

“It’s the taste of freedom!” declared Kir.

“I know something that tastes even better though,” said Jing, rising to his feet and pulling Mae with him. He cupped her cheek with his hand and smiled at her, his dark eyes glittered. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mae?”

Mae blushed and closed her eyes as the Bandit King brought his lips to hers.

“At least you two are happy,” grumbled Kir. “What about Mirabelle?”

“You’ll see her again soon,” Jing reassured his partner after he and Mae had broken apart to glance at the albatross. “We’ll come back and see her. It’d be a shame not to taste the grapes again too.”

“Mhm,” agreed Mae.

“In the meantime, I wonder if she’ll be waiting for me?” mused Kir. “I hope she’ll always be thinking about me.”

Mae stared meaningfully at Jing who grinned, and the two bandits started walking away while the bird pined after Mirabelle. Kir then realized they were leaving and flew after them. “Hey, Jing, Maeris, wait up!”

A/N: And there you have it! Until next time, read review and show the love!