First Kung Fu Panda fic! Whoo hoo! Set during the 2nd movie, instead of Shen dying, he accepts Po's advice and surrenders. Will he find peace at last? Read to find out!
I do not own Kung Fu Panda or any of its content, or the cover image either.
Enjoy the story!
"Often times, the greatest peace comes of surrender"-Richard Paul Evans
It was early morning in Gongmen City. Right on the edge of the harbor, on the remains of a destroyed ship, a dingy and dirty, white peacock coughed. His entire body felt sore and his muscles ached as he tried to get up. His eyes opened up, revealing a pair of crimson orbs. Squinting a bit, he tried to look around him and recall what had happened before now. Some cloudiness from his pupils cleared as he recalled the events which had transpired just minutes before.
His own weapon of destruction against his prophecy about his upcoming fall had failed and been turned against him. By a warrior of black and white. A panda. He recalled vividly of the cannon ball shooting backwards to his ship from whence it originally came from. The ball of gleaming, bright red inlaid with glowing gold designs made from the fire and heat that sent it shooting through the air had shattered entire ship.
Looking above, he saw the remains of his own invention. What once was a beautifully made, dragon-themed cannon had now been spliced in half by the projectile it was designed to shoot out. The dragon's head was split evenly with four sides bending forcibly away from each other. The edges of the tear were glowing red, still hot from the blow. Smoke rose up from the ravaged, groaning metalwork. The rest of the cannon was titled high towards the sky, its only support being several ropes to hold it up.
Still breathing raggedly, he turned his head to the side to take a look at the remainder of his fleet. He stared in disbelief as the broken hulls and sides met his vision. The sound of water lapping against the broken wood was as uneven and broken as his breathing was at the moment. His eyes stayed widened in absolute shock, as if something invisible was preventing him from blinking and breaking away from the sight.
"H-how did you," he stuttered out as he began to turn his head slightly. He knew he was standing right behind him, possibly a couple feet away. "How did you do it?"
A moment passed and he turned his head just around enough to look at him. To his dismay, and a bit of his annoyance, he saw him shrug, as if it was nothing. His next words portrayed that too.
"You know, you just gotta keep your elbows up and keep the shoulders loose-"
He lost some patience then and chose to interrupt and partially edit his question so that he'd understand it.
"Not that!" His voice was light and felt strained as he spoke from the soot and ash in his throat. It felt painful, but he needed to speak. He needed to find out how. "How did you find peace? I took away your parents! Everything! I- I scarred you for life."
Everything he said now, every true word in his sentences, he expected to see at least a bit of anger or hate in his response or at least in his expression. He almost wanted to see any sign of malice towards him for what he's done towards him, almost a minor victory to know he's affected his enemy in a painful way, even though he had won and he himself had lost.
Yet his response yet again left him flabbergasted.
"See, that's the thing, Shen. Scars heal." His eyes squinted again a bit as his statement filtered through his mind and came out wrong to him. His voice changed back to its normal tone of criticism and pride.
"No, they don't. Wounds heal." His response should had made an impact on his opponent's reply, but not in the way he had hoped for. Once again, it was like he was taking his casually and carefree, as if this was just a normal conversation instead of one in-between enemies.
"Oh yeah. What do scars do? They fade, I guess."
His reply was like he was accepting his words like he realized that he was wrong and that his previous statement was mistakened. His patience was wearing to the bone now. He interrupted again, still same tone, still critical reply.
"I don't care what scars do." He looked down towards the ship's floor again. The panda's response came closely after, perhaps just a second later.
"You should, Shen. You gotta let go of that stuff from the past 'cause it just doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now."
"The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now." His eyes widened as the statement repeated and echoed through his mind. In a flash, imageries of his past came flooding through his brain. His first time watching the fireworks at night, followed by the first time he was punished for going into the firework powder and experimentation room without any permission or adult supervision.
"The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now." His first time lighting a firecracker, followed by him setting fire to some powder and watching it crackle in his teenage years.
"What you choose to be now." The first time he experienced such joy at watching the colors and lights shine through the night, followed by the first time he devised ways to use the firework powder for more powerful and forceful uses.
"What you choose to be now." The night he eavesdropped and watched the soothsayer confront his parents about his fate and demise if he continued on the path that followed.
"You choose to be now." The day his parents stood in fear of him while he unveiled his new creation. The day that they disowned and exiled him for his treacherous and violent practices in the palace. The years he had spent in pain and misery thinking how he could avoid his fate.
He realized now, what he had done, all he done all these years, was closing in on his own doom. But what he had said, the panda, just a moment ago.
"What you choose to be now," he softly said. Was it too late? Was it too late to change his fate? Was there still hope or did his destiny seal him now and forever more?
One way to find out. His head turned back to the panda. Po. Forest green eyes stared back. They held his opportunity to redeem himself and avoid his destiny. He was willing to forgive him, even after everything that had happened. Forgiveness was his to accept. But could he really take it now?
"You're right... Then I choose..."
He never got to finish his sentence, for suddenly, they both heard a loud groan and both of them turned up to see the ship's ropes holding up the ruined cannon beginning to snap under the weight of the heavy metal with little other support. Wood splintered and cracked as the cannon began to tilt downward. The sound of scraping metal could be heard as gravity took its toll on his metalwork creation. The ship's former deck shook as the vibrations streamed through the floorboards, nearly sending the two off balance. His eyes turned back to Po, who caught himself and looked back at him.
"Shen! Run," he yelled.
"After all this and he's still warning me about the coming danger," he thought in disbelief. His legs protested as he slowly tried to stand back up and move forward, but it was taking too long. Another rope snapped from up above and the cannon toppled down a few feet more. He knew he wouldn't make it out of this veritable trap he laid for himself alive. It was too late. He couldn't escape his prophesized, fated doom. He couldn't choose now. Everything was lost for him now. He shut his eyes, waiting for the falling weight to crush him now.
His eyes widened in shock he felt something wrap a thick, yet strong limb around his torso and begin to rapidly move him away from the ship's cannon. His focus turned up to, his utter shock, Po, pulling him along to safety. All the ropes snapped apart and the cannon toppled down swiftly with no longer any restrains to hold it back. He shut his eyes, preparing for the end while he still was pulled along by Po towards the ship's bow.
He expected for the weight of his own creation to make the swift feeling of crushing pain before infinite numbness forever. He did not expect to hear the sound of Po screaming as his eyes suddenly shot opened to see that there was nothing holding them up and the harbor a some feet right beneath them. A boom and the sound of wood flying suddenly penetrated his ears and his vision briefly caught the sight of blinding light before crashing feet-first into cold water.
His lungs forcibly released the air and a herd of bubbles was made and they all began to shoot for the surface. Though the force was still propelling them forward, his eyes watched as they caught glints of light as the surface lay above them. Time seemed to have no meaning, even after he felt some water streaming past him as Po began to swim for the both of them. Some more bubbles started streaming to the surface. He watched as they flew up, like vertical and wobbly shooting stars against the dark space of the cold water. He had to admit, it was kinda beautiful to watch.
But it was over to soon. They suddenly broke out of the water and his lips sucked in new air to his withered and aching lungs like it was honey. He quickly inhaled and exhaled to calm the dull pain in his lungs and to regain a steady breathing pattern again. He felt and heard Po doing the same and letting out a breath with a sound to indicate his thankfulness that the ordeal was over. And, admittedly, he was thankful too.
Something then spread from his chest, right below the lungs, and slowly made itself up to his head. His eyes instantly felt heavy and began to flutter close. He wanted to protest to this sudden tired and numbness, but his wing and leg muscles soon caught onto it as well. His mind though was still aware of this sudden paralyzation, one like he had never felt since he was a sickly chick, not intended to live much longer. Fear filled his brain. Was he dying now of what plagued him during his childhood now?
His morbid thought was interrupted as something followed afterwards. He briefly was aware of him moving up and out of the water and being set down on some surface. He so badly wanted to move to adjust himself more comfortably on the floor, but then realized something. The ground, heated by the early morning rays, was quite warm in fact. His slight movement began to calm down. He saw a shadow move to the side and from the back of his eyelids he saw alight which made him squint his eyelids more to save his partially exposed eyes from blindness. Then he felt himself grow warmer under the sunlight and the water droplets sticking to his body begin to heat up too. It felt good. He had forgotten how much enjoyment he could take from the lying down and resting in the sun's eternally warm light.
He then felt something else spread throughout his body and to his head. It made him feel less numb, but noticeably more comfortable here. His breathing had gone into a calm and simple pattern. His mind felt clear of any cloying thoughts and felt renewed with clarity. He didn't want to get up now, not while he felt so good now.
Then, he realized something. This feeling going over him, the erasing of any powerful and complicated emotions. Something he hadn't felt since his youth before all that changed.
He was at peace now.
The sides of his beak curved up into a true, genuine smile. He let go of everything now and was finally at peace.
Hope you all enjoyed this. I wanted him to have a happy ending, because I really think this could've happened if he had just done what Po told him to do. Thanks for reading and please leave a review. Sincerely, v.t.7