Oh You Magnificent Penguin

If the Feilong Corps was here, then that meant-

"Miss me?"

I yelped, nearly jumping out of my skin as Qing Qing landed behind me with that cute grin of hers. Her translucent wings caught the light, scattering rainbow fragments across where she landed.

"You-" My voice cracked. "You really came."

"Told you we'd see each other again!" She winked, though her grin faded. "Though I was hoping for something more like a tea party than whatever this is."

Looking at her standing there, alive and whole and here, I hadn't realized how much I needed to see her until this moment.

"Qing Qing, I..."

She pulled me into a hug before I could finish. "Yeah. Me too."

We stayed like that for a moment, her wings curling around us. Then she pulled back, though her hands lingered on mine.

"Now get somewhere safe, okay? We'll handle those black legs no problem"

"Wait." I grabbed her sleeve before she could take off. "I know this is selfish. But… I need your help with something."

"What's up?" Her head tilted.

I pointed at Peng's monstrous form in the distance. "See that fish? I need to get to it."

"The one currently destroying everything in sight?"

"...Yes?"

The grin returned to her face. "Well why didn't you just say so? I love terrible ideas!"

I stared at the massive koi thrashing through Ten's realm, each trash birthing more Yang creatures that spilled across the fields like ink stains.

"That fish is the problem. All that Lobak it's spewing is spawning these things faster than we can kill them."

"And you want to... what?"

"I want to stop it."

"But-"

"No, listen." I turned to face her. "Back then, I let Inorin vanish without ever telling her how much she meant to me. How grateful I was. And now look what happened."

"Kuroha..."

"I'm done running away. Done being useless. If I die trying to fix this mess, at least I won't have any more regrets to add to the pile."

"Oh for- you're already useful, you idiot!" Before I could argue, Qing Qing suddenly scooped me up in her arms. "But if you're set on this suicide mission, might as well do it in style."

"Wait what are you- HOLY SHIT!"

Her wings snapped open. We shot into the sky so fast my stomach dropped to my feet.

"Hold on tight! I'm going all out!"

We rocketed toward the rampaging koi, the wind tearing at my clothes and hair. And something inside me just... I don't know. I started laughing.

"You okay there?"

"It's just- This whole mess started because I was so selfish. And now here I am, being selfish again, dragging you into my problems."

"Well, that's what friends are for dumbass!"

"Yeah." I wiped my eyes, still giggling. "Yeah, you're right. Time to fix my own mess for once."

Qing Qing landed us on a raised terrace overlooking the flooded fields.

"You can head back." I squeezed her hand. "The village needs you more than I do."

"Oh please. Like I could focus knowing you're out here doing something monumentally stupid without backup."

"Qing Qing-"

"Nope! You're stuck with me." She crossed her arms. "Besides, someone needs to fish your corpse out when this goes wrong."

"Your confidence in me is touching."

A deep rumble cut through our banter. The moment the massive koi spotted us, it changed course, carving a path through the fields to us.

"Well that got its attention." Qing Qing's wings flared. "Ready?"

I pulled out the daikon keychain Sumi had given me, its worn surface catching the light. "As I'll ever be."

The koi surged toward us, water exploding in its wake. My heart hammered against my ribs, but I held my ground. Just before it reached us, I thrust out the keychain.

The koi froze, eyes fixed on the tiny charm.

"Remember this?"

The fish drifted closer, scrutinizing the keychain. Taking a deep breath, I sang:

Full house smells sweet,

The penguin is sleeping...

Little sister cries,

Big sister smiles...

The crimson light dimmed with each word:

Bitterness in the pot,

Becomes a sweet soup.

One bowl for you,

One bowl for me...

Crimson bled from its scales, dissipating into the air. Its eyes softened, growing familiar.

When the small penguin wakes, we eat.

The koi - no, Peng - lowered its head to my level. A quiet "peng" escaped its mouth as the last of the red faded from its scales.

I reached out, my wooden fingers trembling. "Hey buddy. Remember me?"

Peng's massive eye blinked, then it inched forward like a skittish penguin which, despite being a building-sized koi fish right now, it very much still was. The moment its snout touched my palm, warmth flooded through me.

"You stupid bird. Never scare me like that again."

"Peng!" It nuzzled against me with enough force to nearly knock me over.

"Alright, alright." I steadied myself, wiping my eyes. "We've got a mess to clean up. You in?"

"PENG!"

Before I could blink, its head dipped and launched me skyward. I yelped, flailing through the air before landing on its back.

I gripped its dorsal fin, grinning despite myself. "Hey Qing Qing, you up for beating some Yang ass?"

Peng screeched in agreement as Qing Qing shot up beside us, wings gleaming. "Hell yeah! Though I've got to ask: did your penguin always have fish transformation powers?"

"First time for everything!"

We soared toward the village where Ten, Sumi, and the Feilong Corps were barely holding back a tsunami of writhing black forms. But beyond them, an even larger horde approached. The darkness seemed to devour the horizon.

I patted Peng's scales. "What've you got for us, Peng?"

"Peng!" A river materialized, trailing behind Peng.

What the- Droplets streamed past my face. On impulse, I reached out with my wooden arm. The moment my fingers touched one, it burst into a tangle of thriving roots.

"Oh you magnificent penguin." I grinned. "Hey Qing Qing! Watch this!"

"Watch wha- KUROHA NO!"

But I already released my grip on Peng's fin and let myself fell backward into the river. The moment my wooden arm touched the stream, roots exploded outward like fireworks. They twisted and tangled, turning the flowing water into a massive living weapon that skewered through Yang left and right.

"Holy..." Qing Qing froze, jaw dropping as an entire section of the horde disappeared under a tsunami of branches.

The ginkgo leaf that first awakened this power might be gone, its memory laid to rest. But Peng had found a way to recreate it, amplifying my wooden arm into something even stronger.

I flung my arm back, willing the roots to catapult me through the air.

"Peng, catch!"

Peng's tail swooped down right on cue, letting me grab hold as we rocketed across the battlefield.

Hey Inorin, are you watching this?

I dipped my wooden fingers into the river trailing behind us. Massive ginko branches erupted, piercing every Yang in our wake.

"Peng!" My companion screeched in delight as we carved through another wave of Yang, my roots turning their darkness into trees.

You know what's funny, Inorin? There's going to be a ginko tree in both Ten and Lung's realms now. Everyone in Daikon will see what you gave me. Not just strength, but a whole forest of memories.

We swept across the fields in a blur of water and wood and light. Where Yang had ravaged the land, my trees now stood. Their leaves rustled in the wind, whispering stories of the aunt who saved a lonely kid with nothing but a ginko leaf and a smile.

When the last Yang dissolved, I finally got a good look at what we'd done to Ten's realm. The rice paddies had transformed into a maze of interconnected gardens, ginkgo trees rising between the paddies like golden towers. The setting sun caught their leaves, turning the whole realm into a sea of gold.

Not bad for a day's work, huh Inorin?

Somewhere in the distance, I heard Qing Qing whistle in appreciation. But I just sat there on Peng's back, grinning up at our handiwork. For once in my life, I'd managed to build something instead of breaking it.