"Skudoosh" Po said, as he flexed his pinkie.
Golden chi flowed all throughout the Valley of Peace, repairing some of the damage caused by the battle between himself and Tai Lung. Looking around, Po noticed how Tai Lung seemed to just dissipate in the light proving, at least in his eyes, that the snow leopard must have been a child of darkness. Sure he felt somewhat sorry, he had just killed a man, but if he didn't then the small children that were surrounding him and cheering would probably be little, bloody masses by now.
"Master" Tigress called as she bowed.
At this Po humbly answered back with "Master…? Master Shifu!"
Shocked at how they had forgotten about their master, they all ran off toward the hall of warriors, there on the steps of the moon pool lay the battered body of the red panda, Master Shifu.
"Shifu, Shifu"
"Po, you're alive… or we're both dead"
"No master, I didn't die, I defeated Tai Lung."
At this Shifu stared in wonderment, Po had defeated his son, Tai Lung, the master of the thousand scrolls of Kung Fu. Tiredly, Shifu congratulated the panda, exclaiming on how his master, Master Oogway, was right.
Slowly the red panda's eyes began to droop. Slowly, softly they closed.
Shifu's eyes snapped open as he sat up gasping for breath.
It had only been three days since the defeat of Tai Lung and the red panda was stilled haunted by nightmares... however different. You see these weren't your normal everyday nightmares of waking up in the middle of the night, screaming only to remember it's just a dream and all the frightening images are hidden away safely behind closed eyelids. No these where the nightmares of a father. Shifu's nightmares where of Tai Lung as he used to be. A small innocent snow leopard cub looking and striving for the approval and love of his adoptive father. However, as the nightmare progressed, all he could see was the young cub reaching out for him as he was being dragged farther and farther away. Crying and screaming "Help me baba, help me please. I promise I'll be a good boy, please baba I'm scared. It's dark and cold here. Baba where are you… baba, please come get me. Baba, BABA!" All Shifu could do was just stand there with a pained look on his face. His son was dead. Killed by the dragon warrior himself, it was for the best Tai Lung could not be held anywhere not after his escape of Chorh-Gom prison, the most heavily guarded high security prison, the prison that held only one prisoner and had one thousand guards.
Quietly Shifu limped out of his room and down the hall to complete his dead of night ritual. The ritual, which started after the leopards defeat, was quite simple. After waking from the first of these nightmares he had this need to walk through the village streets. He never knew why, and he could never shake the feeling. Tonight, this feeling was even worse but it was accompanied also by a foreboding shadow. Something was going to happen tonight, but what it is and if it was for the greater good, no one could tell you.
Tai Lung slinked through the back alleys of the village. Golden eyes gleaming in the light of the Hunter's Moon, fur easily blending in with the walls and shadows of the buildings he passed. Getting closer and closer to his destination, The Jade Palace.
As Shifu was walking he started to get this strange feeling, the one that prey usually get when a predator has them in their sights. Slowing down so as to center himself, the panda, looked to his right seeing shining, focused, feline eyes. Shifu cautiously started to move to a place where he would have the upperhand as the feline had far superior night vision then himself. Seeing the panda move however caused the feline to pounce. Landing directly on top of Shifu the red panda could finally get a good look at his adversary. What he saw shocked him, even more then the betrayal of his son. As there standing only about half a head taller than him was someone he thought he would never see again, a smiling, giggling 8 year-old snow leopard by the name of Tai Lung.
"Baba, you look old"
Shifu couldn't help it, all he could do was laugh.
"Yes my son, I am. But what are you doing here, and how did you get here?"
"Wang Fu brought me here Baba. He said that you missed me and I need to learn more. Are you going to teach me Baba? Like you promised, so that I would become the Dragon Warrior and help the emperor protect China from the bad guys." At this all Shifu could do was look at his son and wonder what had gone wrong. How could such a selfless little boy turn into a heartless killer? And telling his son that the Dragon Warrior was already chosen, would that hurt his son? Hinder him in some unknown way, or have him turn against his teachings again? And what would his students think, what with a young cub running around there was going to be a lot of noise pollution. So many questions, so little answers, all that he knew he should do was to tell his son that his grandfather was dead, so how could he have brought him.
"We will talk about that later Tai Lung first we must change your name, and take you home." Placing his paw on the young cub's shoulder Shifu turned around and led Tai Lung back to the Jade Palace. The halls of the palace seemed empty without a child's laughter or the sound of the training dummy being kicked into a wall by a well-placed roundhouse kick anyway.
"Son, there is a small problem." Shifu stated as Tai Lung stared up at him with big, innocent eyes.
"What sort of problem baba?" Shifu sighed, it didn't seem like Tai Lung remembered anything and there lied the problem. Without his mastery of Kung Fu the cub was a sitting duck. There was also no way that the villagers would ever let His son go if they knew that he was Tai Lung no matter how small or young he was.
"If you want to stay here we are going to have to change your name."
"But Baba, I like being a Great Dragon, cause I'm going to be the dragon warrior."
"Tai Lung, humour me. If you wanted to have any name other than the one you have what would it be"
"um… Great Strength"
That was how Chen Li was born…
and that is where our story starts…
Tigress woke early, finding it hard to continue sleeping when she heard her adoptive father talking to someone as he lead them through the dormitories to the unused room that was across from hers. The one she remembered, that used to belong to Tai Lung when he used to be a student here, back before he betrayed Shifu and stole his love from her. Shifu's love should have been hers, she trained here and protected the villagers here and never, NEVER let her anger cause her to hurt an innocent after her training here. What gave him the right, just because he was the taken in first, at least she wasn't abandoned on the steps like a piece of trash. Her parents had cared, her parents had raised her till the earthquake took everything from her. And he, he was the one who was given everything all up to the point where he became the Scourge of the Valley. He beat her at the thread of hope, made a fool of her and let her fall. If it hadn't been for Crane she would have died. For that, Tai Lung would never be forgiven and had he survived she would have killed him herself.
The next morning, Shifu had called for his students, the Furious Five and Po, to meet him in the training hall. Confused and a little miffed that there post-battle vacation was apparently cut short, they listened as Shifu told them of a new student coming to train here.
"He will be trained as one of the next generation of warriors." Shifu stated, as he watched the emotions pass his students faces. "He has been brought now so as to protect him from the villagers."
"Master, do you care to elaborate. What would cause the villagers to harm him." Crane asked, lifting his dǒu lì slightly as he spoke.
Shifu sighed as he explained that this new student was an orphaned snow leopard cub from the province of Xinjiang that he had just recently adopted. At this, a collective gasp of outrage passed through the five even Po, the clichéd gentle giant… panda, seemed a bit put off. Tigress cried out questioning his choice. Had he forgotten what happened with the last snow leopard he had raised? Did he not see the implications that this young leopard would also have a similar future?
Raising his paw to silence there exasperating rambles and levelling them all with a furious glare. Shifu explained to them how this way of thinking was exactly what he was trying to protect the young cub from. Telling them how they were acting even more like children then the boy did. Turning, Shifu told them that this was not up for discussion the deed was done and the boy was already moved in. Looking over his shoulder at them as he left the room he growled, "my SON'S name is Chen Li."
Tigress growled, another, there was another out there fighting for Shifu's attention and affection. Worse yet, they were winning. This boy, this peasant, was taking her father's love away from her just as Tai Lung di- wait just like Tai Lung. This boy was a snow leopard, quite rare to be found in China, and he was brought from Xinjiang which is at least 2 weeks travel so it would have taken Shifu a lot of work and planning and just choosing the right child to bring here. The boy was learning Kung Fu as Tai Lung did and probably in the Leopard Style as Tai Lung was as well… he was a replacement. She could work with this… if she tried hard enough using just the right words directed in just the right way he would leave… or better yet actually end up like Tai Lung did and have to be put down. She was going to enjoy this.
Shifu didn't know if he should be worried or not, with the way that his students where dealing with Tai– no Chen's studies and Chen was missing. He hadn't seen him since he had given that failed introduction; he knew that Chen was a very curious child with a tendency to push himself too hard when training… and there was his answer, training, even at such a delicate age Tai Lung could have been found either studing the kwoon, at the peach tree studying chi with Oogway or studying the thousand scrolls or just normal training scrolls in the scroll room.
Seeing as how Chen would have had to walk right passed him to get to the kwoon and how Oogway had moved on to the next life that only left the scroll room.
The real question was, seeing as how Tai Lung was the master of the thousand scrolls, even after losing his memory and gaining the body of an eight-year-old… can he still use the 300 that he had not mastered at this age.
Wind blew through an open window carrying with it the scent of peach blossoms, even though the peach tree was on the hill opposite the side he was on, and he could have sworn he saw the shape of a turtle nodding at him. Oh well, as Oogway would say the winds of change where nigh whether they brought good or bad news was another matter.
The only thing left to do now was to head to the scroll room to both state his curiosity and that growing fear that his son was in trouble even in his own home.
Chen Li sat in the middle of the scroll room looking over some of the basic stances and breathing techniques by the light of the flickering candles. He had been at these scrolls about 20 minutes, and already he could do most of them. When had Kung Fu become so easy?
Suddenly, his ear flicked. Somebody was coming this way… the footsteps where too heavy to be Baba's. Chen froze Baba didn't want him to talk to anyone, so he knew that Shifu hadn't sent them. So he did the one thing any smart little animal does if something that was an uncertain amount of danger came near. He carefully got up, leaving the candle burning, climbed up the shelves, and hid in the rafters.
Not even 10 seconds after he had laid on the rafters the door slid opened and the young feline focused his glowing amber eyes on the creature that had walked into the room.
The creature scanned the room, using the light of the conveniently little candle to help it find what it was searching for. That is until it saw something shine. Turning its head it saw the glowing eyes of the young cub on the one of the rafters closest to the door.
Shifu was heading down the hall when he heard the one thing that could shake him down to his core and turn his blood to ice, the one thing that would haunt him for the last years of his life. His little boys blood-curdling scream echoing down the halls.
Running Shifu made it to the scroll room in record time. What he saw there made him freeze and the color red to creep into his vision.
There, in the middle of the room stood Monkey. Of course seeing him in the scroll room was not what had affected Shifu so. No, it was what he was doing… laughing, while using his tail to hang from the rafter while dangling the cub in the air by his tail. The poor cub had turned and was trying to cling onto Monkey's arm while tears of pain were pooling at the corner of the cub's big innocent eyes from the pain.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING MASTER MONKEY!" Shifu screamed in rage, stressing the word master. Monkey having not seen his master started and let go off the cub in his fright.
Shifu seeing his son fall forgot all about his anger and leaped managing to catch the frightened cub and get him to the ground with little damage done. As soon as the cub was back on the ground he hid behind his father, clinging to the bottom of Shifu's robes and burying his face in them. Monkey knowing that he was caught started to back out of the room while Shifu was preoccupied with Chen Li. Unfortunately for him, Shifu had seen this and immediately kicked the nearest shelf so that it blocked the door, leaving Monkey stranded in the room with an angry, overprotective Kung Fu master and father.
"Uh… Master Shifu, it's not what it looks like… I was just helping the little guy to get down that's all." The Golden Langur said as he inched backwards into the farthest corner from his angered master holding his hands in the universal sign of surrender.
"Liar" was the muffled reply. Shifu looked down to see the young cub peeking out from behind his walking stick. "I was fine hiding up there from you. Then you just grabbed me and pulled me down, you big meanie-head."
"Now, now is that anyway to treat your better little kitty-cat. If you keep using such hurtful words who would want to keep you. Anyway, Master Shifu believes me not you, you little punk. He's known me longer than he has you, and I've never lied to him. So what are you going to do about it?" Monkey said to the young cub condescendingly. To his shock and secretly horror Chen Li stared up at him with his patented Tai Lung you-think-your-better-than-me look and said.
"The only reason you know him longest is cause you're old. And what am I going to do about it? This."
Turning he looked up at Shifu's shocked and confused face, and looked at him with big, trusting, innocent golden eyes shining with unshed tears and blubbered. "Baba, he's scary and he hurt me. Make the big, mean monster go away. Please Baba" upping the ante he added a little pout and whimpered "can we go, I don't want him to make me fall again. Baba it hurt and it scared me. He lifted me off the roofy thing and held me upside down and wouldn't put me down. Baba hurts." Shifu watched as a lone tear fell from his son's eye. He was almost taken by this performance; he would have been if he hadn't heard the conversation between Chen and Monkey. Even now he could feel himself get moved by it. All he could do was sigh and say
"Chen, your grandfather isn't here anymore. He was a very old tortoise and he left this earth. We can visit Oogway's tree later however. And monkey, you lied to me once. Right now was that moment, have you forgotten Oogway's teachings already?"
Smirking Chen gave Monkey a look of superiority that he had only seen on Tai Lung when he had bested them at the Thread of Hope. Feeling the sting of his failure and rage at how a child could think so lowly of him he said. "Well at least I have a family that cares for me and I am not some lowly little orphan outcast. Let me tell you a little secret Shifu only took you in because you –" He was interrupted by a low warning growl, quickly and discreetly looking at Shifu. What he saw startled him for he saw… a pitying look. Monkey's thoughts were scattered as he tried to piece together this information. Well if it wasn't Shifu then the only other person was… He was brought out of these thoughts when he was suddenly tackled by a very enraged cub. Taken back, he looked into the leopards eyes seeing the very same burning rage and insanity in those eyes that had given Tai Lung the title of the Scourge of the Valley. Looking at those eyes, the eyes of a predator, the eyes of a killer, on an 8 year-old child discouraged him greatly. The silence that followed was eerily similar to that of the grave. Suddenly the silence was broken by a small whimper of fright. It took him a moment to figure out where the sound had come from and when he did his embarrassment almost killed him. For that small sound of fright that token of fear told him immediately of who was to lose this fight, came from him. Right then he was so tempted to just beg the child to show him forgiveness and mercy. Mercy that apparently his opponent knew not of, for just as the words were about to leave his throat he heard the sound of claws being unsheathed. He knew he should just throw the boy off him. HE was a Kung Fu warrior, you know. It was those eyes, those cold, golden eyes that looked to belong to a predator much older than eight. Those eyes bore into him, having a similar effect as that of Medusa's. Except instead of turning his flesh to stone it seemed to turn his muscles into stone and trade his courage with that of a field mouse.
This was ridiculous, he wasn't even this scared when Tai Lung was contemplating the pros and cons of his and the rest of the furious five's deaths back at bridge. What was the difference between now and then? What was it that frightened him so?
Pain, was what interrupted his thoughts as those small sharp claws were put to use. Scratching and slashing at any available target. Red started to seep into Monkey's eyes, oh but not what you think. No, this wasn't the red mist of rage, this was the red life blood flowing from the ever increasing in number and size gashes in his forehead. Now, now that the precious paper dam was punctured and the red liquid of the most important river known was leaking. Now was when Shifu stepped in. Calling his sons alias he tried to get the child to calm down. However, now that Tai Lung's infamous rage was seeping through and given free reign of the child it was a force to be reckoned with. Shifu knew that the boy would respond to his name being called. Unfortunately, it seemed that only his true name would work. So Shifu had to do the one thing that he could so as to save both his students.
"Tai Lung, you will listen to me right now. You will calm down now or we will not be getting you a flute any time this moon cycle." At hearing the name Tai Lung, Monkey finally managed to break free of the cubs gaze and punch out at the boy, who easily dodged the flimsy offense.
"Tai Lung, this boy, this Chen Li is TAI LUNG! What are you thinking Master! He is a mu –"
Shifu gave his student the most disappointed and condescending look he could. "An 8 year old snow leopard cub, who has the tendency of going into a blinding, and quite fatal, rage when he feels threatened or is looked down upon. He is a young child, not a monster. Now, you are not to tell the others of his identity" Shifu said while quietly adding "even though I know you will." Sighing Shifu turned to leave carefully guiding Tai Lung away. "Try not to make the boy angry, next time I may not be there. Tai Lung, let's go visit your grandfather's peach tree."
Shifu moved the shelf back to the wall and they left the room. While Monkey was left to wallow in his anger and self-pity, siting in the wrecked room while drops of his blood, drawn by a child, where left drying on the cold, wooden floor.
Quietly he swore to the now empty room that he will have his revenge.
Shifu sat leaning against the base of the peach tree after coming back from a quick trip to the village with his son. Tai Lung had remembered and called Shifu on the flute card that he had pulled while calming him down. So now here Shifu was, sitting under the peach tree listening to the quiet sounds of his son playing War and Beauty on his new bamboo flute hidden from sight in the branches of the tree. This gave Shifu the time he need to think of a way to deal with his students and to find out how Tai Lung had become a child anyway.
"Aw, Tai Lung I missed your playing child."
Turning Shifu saw the shimmering figure of Oogway standing under the opposite side of the tree.
"Wang Fu! Can you play with me, or tell me a story, or train me, or–" Tai Lung started trailing on until he was stopped by Oogway's soft chuckles.
Shaking his head in mirth Oogway smiled, "Ah, I truly miss you sūn zi. However, I cannot stay I'm afraid, but before you look so down I will oblige in your request. I will tell you the story of the wuxi finger hold and you will learn what it does. Granted this is more for your father's benefit. Do you still wish to hear?" Excited, Tai Lung jumped up and down nodding vigorously. And so Oogway started to explain. How the wuxi finger hold was first known to be used by Xihan Wu. How he had actually found the scroll in the Temple of Suzaku to the south. How when he used it for the first time not everyone actually died but just seemed to be. Until he found them later, some were changed to being barely recognizable, others just gained knowledge, yet most of them where dead. How he came to find that the wuxi finger hold was in actuality judgement. Those who either didn't deserve, or already had their second chance where killed while others were given whatever they needed for a second chance. If they just need the knowledge of what was right they were given it, if they needed to be retaught or just needed to know people cared then they were usually de-aged. This was emphasised with gestures in Tai's general direction.
This had at least answered some of Shifu's questions. But what Oogway said next both scared and overjoyed him. "Those who were de-aged could still use whatever knowledge, they had previously owned. However, the memories of how they gained this knowledge were forever lost. The gift, of the wuxi finger hold cannot be given back, though. So take care of it."
So, Tai lung would be able to defend himself if the furious five should start something, and he has his second chance to raise his son and teach him the true spirit of Kung Fu. Now the question was though if Tai couldn't remember what happened, what will happen when the furious five confronted him later. As Shifu knew that buy now all the furious five will know that the child he adopted just recently was the child he adopted 30 years before.
With Oogway's explanation finished and Tai lung appeased for the moment. Oogway said his goodbyes and dissipated in a multitude of peach blossoms blown by a warm, gentle breeze.