Fate Can Be So Cruel

by Pandafan91

After 20 years of being forced to live as a slave, Po finally returns home to the Valley, searching for the one man who has kept him from losing hope for so long. His Dad. After his return, Po is greeted by the man who has caused him so much pain, and who was the cause of so many years of Po's suffering. Master Oogway. Will Po accept his destiny and overcome his hatred for Masters?

1. It was supposed to be a normal day

Warning: This is a Darker Tale for me. This Story is Rated T due to the sensitive nature of the story If I need to, I will adjust the rating later. You read at your own disclosure. Not trying to turn any readers away by any means But I feel this warning is necessary as I said, merely due to the Nature of the story. If you are still here, then I thank you for stopping by. Enjoy The Read. But you have been warned.

Disclaimer: For this chapter and all of the rest, I do not own Kung Fu Panda or any of its Characters.

"Fate Can Be So Cruel"

Created by Pandafan91

Inspired by part of the plot to "Memoirs" written by WaichiMakkura

But unlike theirs, this is not a Po, Shifu Slash or whatever they intended. Their story never made it past the first chapter.

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Chapter 1

It was supposed to be a normal day…

The sun rose high above the Valley of Peace as the Morning gong rang high atop the mountain above the Magnificent Jade Palace. A middle aged goose stirred as he slowly opened his eyes. The morning sun was slowly creeping through his half opened window as the goose rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. As the goose sat forward he yawned as he scratched an itch on his lower back. His name was Ping, but everyone just called him Mr. Ping. Well, everyone but one. As Mr. Ping got out of his bed he began to stretch out his back, hearing it crack about three times. "My word, I guess I'm starting to get old, heh heh." as the Goose chuckled to himself. He knew he was not that old by any means. But between running the shop alone and raising his son by himself, who he had adopted maybe four years ago now, each night he felt like an old man all the same.

After getting himself dressed for the day, Mr. Ping looked himself over in the mirror, straightening his black hair, which was in all honesty probably his best physical feature. But as he taught his Son, it's not the outside of a person that matters, but the inside. As Mr. Ping exited his room, he quietly entered the room next to his where he was welcomed by none other than the peaceful snoring of his little boy. As Ping glanced into the room, he saw his son huddled up underneath his covers in a ball on his new bed. Mr. Ping had just bought the bed for the Panda not a week ago. The boy was so excited that he didn't have to sleep on the floor anymore that he couldn't wait to sleep in his new bed. After his son outgrew his crib, Ping wasn't able to afford to both feed himself and the panda as well as keep his son clothed and have a nice bed. Truth be told, the bed wasn't the greatest thing in the world to begin with. Just a futon that Ping managed to get for a good deal. It was currently much too large for his son at the moment, But Ping knew that the boy would grow into it. It seemed like the boy was growing every single day as it was.

Realizing his son might be a bit cold due to the opened window in his room, Ping quickly walked over and latched the window shut. He then proceeded to pick up a stray blanket that his son had kicked off his bed in the middle of the night and carefully draped it over his little boy. After a few seconds, his son's face began to relax as the warmth the blanket had brought him began to comfort the little boy, and the panda began to relax even more, a slight smile forming across his face.

Yes, Mr. Ping had a Panda for a son. Not a little gosling, not a bunny, piglet, or kid (That's a baby goat) like all of the other Villagers, but a little panda cub. His name was Po, a name that Mr. Ping had given him the day he found Po behind his shop, left all alone in the alley in nothing more than a radish crate of all things. The poor child didn't even have a pair of pants to wear when Ping found him. Granted, most babies hardly wore much at that age, but to have left the poor thing alone and unclothed in a dark alley in the middle of the night? Ping never could rationalize it, even after the past four years. Satisfied that Po would be asleep still at least long enough for Ping to open up his shop, Mr. Ping quietly opened his son's door and left to go down stairs.

After Mr. Ping swept both the inside and outside of his shop, he began to prepare some breakfast for himself and for his son. He wasn't sure why, but he decided to make his famous Secret Ingredient Soup with some Dumplings on the side. Po loved his soup and would ask for it often, but Mr. Ping being Mr. Ping, did not make it for him all of the time. It became a special treat Mr. Ping could prepare for his son on special occasions. Granted the customers could order it whenever they wanted, and to some, it may have seemed a bit cruel, after all, the soup was his greatest dish. But Mr. Ping didn't have any money to buy Po many toys, or other fancy things. So for him to be able to make something that his son loved immensely as a reward or treat, was a godsend in itself.

Mr. Ping had just pulled the noodle soup off of the stove top and was letting it cool, when he decided it was time to wake up his sleeping cub. Once Mr. Ping walked back up the stairs and entered his son's room, he saw that Po was exactly where he left him, in the exact same position, except now there was a puddle of drool accumulating on his pillow. Mr. Ping could not help but chuckle to himself as he sat on the edge of the futon and began to shake his son awake. "Po…Wake up my son, it is a new day and if you do not hurry your breakfast will get cold." The cub then grumbled something that sounded like "Five more minutes daddy…" as he pulled the blankets up over his head in defiance. Mr. Ping could only smile as he said, "Alright then, I guess I'll just have to eat all that Secret Ingredient Soup ALL by myself!" Po's eyes immediately shot open as he quickly sat up in his bed and asked "Did you really make your special soup daddy…for breakfast!?" Ping could only chuckle as he looked at the strand of saliva still hanging from Po's lip as the Panda wiped it away with his arm. "I sure did, now you better get dressed if you want some that's still hot." The goose told him.

Needing no further encouragement, Po quickly dashed from his bed and began looking for a clean pair of pants to change into. Once he found a pair, not caring his father was still present, he quickly switched his bed time pants for a brown pair of his day time ones and called out to his dad, "Come on Daddy, hurry!" as the panda began rushing for the steps. "No running down the stairs Po!" his father called out, causing the panda to release an annoyed sigh as he made his way down the stairs, struggling to keep himself from running down them instead. The instant he reached the kitchen, Po was bombarded with the aroma of his favorite meal of all time. Once he neared the pot of noodle soup, the panda placed both paws on the counter which came up to the base of his neck as he sniffed the air around the pot. "Mmmm…It smells so good!" Po complimented as he began bouncing up and down, eager for his dad to get him his breakfast. Mr. Ping had finally made it to the kitchen as he said, "Easy Po, Go and take a seat at one of the tables now and I will bring you your breakfast." Po smiled at his father and quickly made his way to the closest table, which had basically been reserved for him while his father worked.

Po was still too young to be of much help to the goose in the restaurant, despite the Panda's wishes to help his father. But the reason Ping was a bit hesitant to let his son help him was due to his son's clumsiness. Po was a sweet boy, and all the adults always complimented on how well behaved he was as he sat at his table while his father worked. But Mr. Ping just couldn't afford to have Po breaking all of his dishes on accident and so simply had Po either wait in his room or sit at his table in the corner. He would of course allow Po to Play outside if his son wished to, but there were certain…problems…in that area. Po, being the only panda cub in the entire village, was constantly picked on and made fun of by his peers. His son told him stories how none of the other children would play with him because they were afraid he would squash them like berries because he was so fat. Or If Po would approach a group of boys to try and make friends, he sometimes came home with a few cuts and bruises instead. Therefore, Po spent most of his time inside, drawing in some blank scrolls or perhaps he would make his own little toys with a tiny knife if business was slow and Ping could watch him. One thing Ping was grateful for was his son's imagination. Po could get lost in his own mind for hours as he sat at the table and played with his crude stick figures, pretending to have amazing adventures and going on important missions to "Stop the bad guys" as Po put it.

Mr. Ping quickly brought Po his breakfast, at which point the panda looked up at his father and said, "Thank you daddy!" Mr. Ping smiled as he rubbed his son's head and sat down beside him as he began to eat his own noodles. After a moment Po asked the question Mr. Ping just knew he was going to ask. It was the same question he asked every time he had this dish. "Daddy…what's the secret ingredient to your soup?" Mr. Ping just smiled as he said; "Now Po, you know I can't tell you that. If I did, then my soup wouldn't be so special, would it?" Po just smiled as he nodded his head but asked, "But you will tell me someday, right Daddy?" Mr. Ping smiled as he nodded his head saying, "I most certainly will, once you're older." Po then asked hopefully, "Like…when I'm 6!?" Mr. Ping then shook his head as Po guessed again, "6 and a half?" Mr. Ping then said as he waved his spoon in front of Po saying "When you're older." Po sighed in defeat once again as he continued eating his breakfast. "One of these days I'm gonna learn the secret so I can make Awesome noodles like you Daddy!" Mr. Ping felt himself fill with pride right then as he nodded to the Panda and said, "I look forward to that day my son." And the two returned to eating.

Po then picked his head up as he remembered something important. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot! I made you something yesterday Daddy!" Po quickly got up from the table and walked up to his room, being careful not to run. Mr. Ping smiled as he wondered what his son could have made him. Po was always drawing pictures for his father or making him wooden tools to use in the shop. Of course Mr. Ping never used them, but he kept them in the kitchen in a case all the same, because after all, They represented his son's love for his father. Po returned minutes later holding something behind his back as he said, "Close your eyes Daddy. It's a surprise!" Mr. Ping chuckled as he closed his eyes. He then felt Po place something near his one wing and as far as Mr. Ping could tell, it was made from a fabric of sorts. As Po stepped back he then said "Okay, Open them!"

Mr. Ping opened his eyes and was surprised indeed at what he found. Sitting in front of him was a hat…At least… he thought it was a hat. To be honest, it looked like a bowl of noodles made out of cloth and yarn. Po smiled at his Father as he exclaimed happily, "It's a noodle hat! You know, because You're so awesome at making noodles. Nobody makes noodles like you do. Do you like it?" as Mr. Ping looked at his son's wide anticipating Jade colored eyes, he could not help but smile. to tell the truth, the thing looked absolutely ridiculous, but his son clearly put a lot of thought into this particular gift, so Mr. Ping put on a smile and said, "I love it, thank you Po, I will always treasure it. But how did you get this?"

Po smiled as he explained, "Mrs. Yu helped me make it! I told her how I wanted to do something nice for you and she came up with the idea of making a hat. She said she had LOTS of extra stuff to help me make it for you. I came up with the Noodle idea!" Po said proudly as he smiled up at his father. Mr. Ping could not help but smile as he extended his wings out as the panda ran around for one of his Father's hugs. He loved it when his daddy hugged him. Mr. Ping then said, "Thank you my son, this is truly special." As Mr. Ping picked up the hat and after looking at it for a minute, placed it on his head proudly. Po giggled at how silly his father looked but was happy he liked his present, as the Panda went back to his noodles.

Once they were both through, Mr. Ping began to finish opening up the store for the day, while Po sat quietly at the table corner and began drawing pictures into his art scrolls. In no time at all, people began bustling into the restaurant and started ordering their own breakfast and Mr. Ping's day had officially begun. As the day went on Mr. Ping worked furiously in his kitchen serving noodles and dumplings out of his ears, While Po watched his father work while he played with his little toys. When the lunch time rush came, Mr. Ping fed Po his lunch and took him upstairs for a nap while he continued working in the shop. For whatever reason, today seemed to be dragging on longer than usual.

As Mr. Ping was finishing cleaning up after his lunch rush, he heard a loud scream coming from down the street. "BANDITS! Somebody alert the Jade Palace!" Mr. Ping's face dropped instantly, "Bandits!? Oh dear, I need to lock up the shop!" Mr. Ping immediately raced to lock his door, but before he could get to it, three Boars and a couple crocs burst through the door and sent the goose flying back onto his back. as Ping looked up he saw the Bandits advancing on him, as he quickly got up and rushed for his cleaver that was sitting on the counter. As Ping whirled around to swing at his invaders, one of the crocs swiped his cleaver out of his hand with their sword and slammed a fist into his face, stunning the goose as he went limp and a second croc grabbed him by his other wing and held him still.

One of the three Boars then walked up to the goose and eyed him up curiously, saying, "Take him to the others we've round up. This one isn't all that old, I'm sure someone could get a few years out of him yet. Apparently he knows how to cook too, so at least he has a skill set." And with that, Ping was hauled half dazed out of his shop. Thankful to the gods that Po was asleep upstairs in the safety of his room. the boar who had declared Ping useful was about to follow his comrades out of the shop when a low creak caught his attention from above. Looking up at the ceiling, an evil smile began to form as he muttered to himself, "Well, well, well…What do we have here?" as the Boar began to make his way over to the kitchen, and up the stairs towards the source of the noise.

High above the Village within the Walls of the Jade Palace…

A Lone figure sat in meditation before the sacred reflecting moon pool. As he continued to breathe in deeply he suddenly gasped as a familiar shock from the Universe assaulted his mind. A warning. Something was terribly wrong in the Valley. The figure slowly stood up to his full height as the doors to the Sacred Hall flew open, and a Young Servant came bustling in. the figure believed he hired him roughly about 2 weeks ago. Master Oogway, Master Oogway! It's terrible, absolutely terrible!" The figure slowly stepped into the light, revealing an aged old tortoise carrying a long wooden staff, carved from the same limbs of the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom within the palace grounds. Oogway stood before the goose as he asked, "Young Zeng, what has happened? The universe has made me known of a disturbance, yet I do not know what or why."

Zeng quickly explained, "Master, It's awful! Bandits have invaded the village and are rounding up the villagers as we speak!" Oogway's eyes opened wide in shock as he made his way out of the Hall of Heroes with alarming speed for a turtle, let alone one as old as he. Oogway turned and called, "I shall meet these bandits at once and remind them that the Valley's citizens are under MY Protection!" and with that, Oogway was running down the thousand stairs. For an Old tortoise he could move surprisingly fast when he wanted to. As he ran with his staff in hand, he thought to himself, "With Shifu and Tai Lung away from the Palace, I have no choice but to handle this situation myself. I hope I am up for this." As the Elder Master made his way down into the Village he protected alongside his student his only thought being, "What could they be after?

Meanwhile in the Village center…

Mr. Ping was thrown to the ground in front of a group of citizens that had been rounded up and surrounded by the bandits. As the goose looked around, he saw that the villagers far outnumbered the bandits, but the brutes were the ones with the weapons. Swords, spears, cross bows and even whips, all at the ready in case someone did something stupid. Mr. Ping then turned to the Boars nearby and asked "What is the meaning of this!? Why are you doing this to us?" the Boar was about to answer when a child's shriek was heard, "DADDY!?" Mr. Ping's heart sank as he recognized the cry. He quickly turned to see a larger Boar carrying the Panda by the scruff of his neck as Po squirmed, tears flowing from the cub's eyes. "PO!" Mr. Ping yelled as the boar threw the Panda to the ground with a thud. Although, in pain and scared out of his mind, Po quickly got to his feet and ran for his father who wrapped the sobbing child in his protective wings, whispering, "There, there, I got you my son. Everything will be okay, shhh."But try as he might, Po was simply too terrified as he continued sobbing into his father's shirt.

One of the Boars off to the left however was eying the Panda curiously as the larger boar who had taken Po from his room approached the head bandit, as the leader asked, "Where on earth did you ever find a Panda!?" the larger boar looked at the goose and said, "The Whelp was asleep above a restaurant…what do you think?" The leader was thinking as he stared at the Panda for a long moment. he looked at the larger boar, his second in command and said, "Pandas …are incredibly rare. Ever since a few years back, no one's hardly seen them around. I think…that that little bugger there will get us enough coin to feed our bellies for the next six months alone! Think about it. The little runt is young, that means he's got a lot of years ahead of him, we can get a fortune for him the way he is now. Giant Pandas grow to be large things. Strong one's too. Just think of the possibilities! I already have a few names in mind for who would want that little runt. That Panda just made this whole trip worth it! These other fools are just a bonus."

The Leader then ordered to his men, "Alright, bring in the Wagon and throw them in chains, starting with the Panda!" Po's eyes widened in fear as he tried to hide behind his father who spread his wing's out wide in protection as he shouted, "You will do no such thing to my boy!" the leader then started to laugh, "Ha ha ha ha! Your boy? That's funny. Round them up!" But before the bandits could take a few steps, a voice was heard from the back of the group of villagers, "THAT, will be quite enough, thank you!" everyone turned to see the aged tortoise making his way through the crowd of villagers who hadn't been rounded up yet, which Mr. Ping realized were the citizens who were either incredibly young, or simply a bit older. Mr. Ping then muttered just loud enough for the bandit leader to hear him, "Master Oogway!" The bandit managed to catch the name and immediately thought to himself, "Well isn't this just wonderful…This job just got incredibly difficult. But still." as the bandit's gaze fell upon the Panda cub. "I'll be damned if I'm gonna pass up this chance to bring in a Panda of all things."

As Oogway approached the ring of Bandits he managed to catch a glimpse of the village Panda poking his head out from around a goose, his tears still falling from his young face. "Poor thing…" Oogway thought to himself, as he turned his attention on the Bandits who dared threaten his Village. As he counted the scoundrels, he noted that there were 20 bandits surrounding him and some of the villagers, all with weapons of some sort. Oogway then turned to the bandit in front of him and asked "What is the meaning of this? Why have you come to my Village? What is it you seek?" the leader then sneered as he said simply. "Master Oogway of the Jade Palace…I just knew there was a possibility you might show up. To answer your question, we're here on a little business."

At this time, four more bandits brought forth a large prison wagon made of iron with no windows except for one on the back door with bars in it. Oogway then entertained the idea that they might be looking for an escaped convict with a bounty on their heads, that would make sense for the prison transport. But in the pit of his stomach, Oogway simply knew that was not the case, as he continued to stand his ground and ask. "Oh? And just what kind business would require you to round up the citizens of this peaceful village?" The Bandit then sneered as some of the crocs reached into the transport and brought out some heavy chains. "The TRADEING business!…heh heh heh heh."

Realization showed across Oogway's face as he understood just what these scoundrels were, "Slave Traders." As Oogway shifted his person slightly, saying with as much authority as he could manage, "Well then I have to say you have come a long way for nothing. You will find that there is nothing in this village for you to trade with. Now kindly please leave peacefully." But the Bandit could only chuckle as he stated "Oh but Master Oogway, there is indeed something worth out trouble here in your village." As he looked over to the larger boar and said, "Get the runt." His second then began to head towards the Panda when Oogway made a sudden motion, and in a blur now stood alongside the larger boar with his staff out stretched blocking his path. Surprised by the tortoise's speed, the boar could only glare at the Master as Oogway said rather fiercely, "I said…there is nothing for you here!"

Suddenly Oogway heard a snap as he turned to see the leader had snapped his fingers and suddenly, 20 crossbows were trained on the valley's citizens. Po immediately whimpered, "Daddy!?" as Mr. Ping tried to reassure his son, "Shhh…everything will be alright my son…just be brave." Po then whimpered again as he held onto the back of his father's shirt tightly, "But I'm scared… I want to go home." Mr. Ping just continued to hold his frightened child as he whispered, "Me too Po…Me too." Oogway looked at each of the bolts trained on a different citizen. The people were frozen in fear as several of them stared at the bolts aimed at their hearts. No matter what Oogway did, he could not protect all of the villagers at once. Nor could he disarm the traders without injuring the people. For the first time in a long, LONG time, Oogway was uncertain of what to do.

The leader then chuckled as he said, "You say there is nothing for us here Master, but I must disagree. You see, we have found ourselves quite the interesting find. Now if you would be so kind as to allow my associate to pass? I'd hate for there to be any unnecessary…accidents." At this the bandits notched their bolts and the citizens began to panic. Oogway was at a loss. If he did anything to go against these lowlifes then he risked several of the people getting hurt, or even worse. Unable to come up with a logical plan, Oogway lowered his staff, and allowed the larger boar to proceed.

As he neared them, Mr. Ping saw that the boar was coming right for him and his son, as he placed himself more in front of the cub saying, "No! Don't you dare come any closer! You leave my boy alone!" but as the boar approached the goose, he brought his arm around and knocked the goose to the side effortlessly with a *WHAM*! Sending the goose fly back a ways off to the right. "DADDY!" The Panda cried, as Mr. Ping was sent rolling to the ground near Master Oogway his world spinning out of control. Po tried to run to his father, but was immediately hoisted into the air by the scruff of his neck once more by the bigger boar "Daddy! Let me go! Daddy help me!" as Oogway knelt down near the goose, Mr. Ping's vision was coming back into focus as he saw his son squirming in the boars hold, trying to break free of his grip, tears streaming his face which was covered in fear once more.

Mr. Ping finally sat forward as he shouted "Po!" But he was held in place by a clawed hand as Oogway held him steady. Ping then shouted, "Let go of my son!" Oogway then repeated as he got to his feet, "Yes, by all means do release the Panda, he is merely a child! Surely he would be no use to you whatsoever." As Oogway tried to reason with the bandits while another one was now walking up to the larger boar with a few chains in hand. The leader then chuckled as he watched the squirming Panda get the chains placed on his wrists and ankles while he still tried to break free and finally a clasp placed around his neck which was attached to the rest of the chains. Po gasped at the tightness of the clasp around his neck as he continued screaming. But Mr. Ping could only watch in horror as his son continued to be bound by the chains.

The leader then turned to Oogway once he was satisfied that the Panda wasn't going anywhere. "I have heard the stories of you Master Oogway and I am well aware of the power and skill you possess. However, I also know that you care a great deal for those you have sworn to protect. I respect a man with a purpose and so I shall make deal with you. We will leave this village peacefully and none of your citizens will be harmed…BUT…in exchange…the Panda will be coming with us!" Mr. Ping's face dropped in horror as did Po's making the panda scream again, "DADDY!" the leader then turned to his second and said, "Shut the brat up already!" and so the Boar struck the Panda across the face resulting in a short cry of pain followed by several minutes of the Panda's uncontrollable sobs. "HOW DARE YOU STRIKE MY CHILD!?" Ping roared as he got to his feet. The leader of the bandits merely chuckled as if amused, "Your child? That's funny." As he smirked at Oogway victoriously while he watched the Old Master consider his offer. Mr. Ping however was about to run for his son when he felt Oogway's staff block his path. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Mr. Ping cried as Oogway continued to stare at the bandits, his eyes darting from the leader, to his followers, the transport, and finally his eyes locking with those of the tear soaked face of the Panda cub, his cries tearing at the Grandmaster's heart. Never had he seen a child so terrified. He was scared and only wanted his father to make him feel safe again. The child had no idea what these men had in store for him. But Oogway on the other hand, had a pretty good one.

As the Old Turtle Master continued to go through the possible scenarios in his head for trying to rescue the child as well as the other villagers, none of them ended without the panda getting hurt, or one of the villagers…Oogway wasn't seeing any other options, and it was killing him inside. The leader of the bandits saw the old Master's face slowly turn to one of helplessness as he realized the bandits had him beat. The old coot cared too much for the innocent to risk too many from getting harmed. Mr. Ping however then shouted, as he got past the staff, "Hang on my son!" as Ping rushed for his boy. Brief hope flashed across Po's eyes at the sight of his father coming to rescue him, but it was quickly crushed, as Po watched two of the Bandits put away their cross bows and grab their swords.

"DADDY!" Po screamed, but it was too late. One of the crocs had smacked Mr. Ping in the stomach with the flat of his bade, causing the goose to double over, while the second one kicked him in the face sending the goose rolling back again. As Mr. Ping got to his knees, he coughed a few times, resulting in a little blood spewing from his mouth onto the ground. Po watched in horror as the blood landed on the ground. "Daddy." was all he could whisper. Immediately Oogway was at his side trying to help the goose, but Mr. Ping just shouted, "Somebody help my Son!" But as Mr. Ping looked around, none of the villagers would make a move. Mothers held their children close, while fathers stood before their families. The faces that stared back at the goose were ones of both pity and pain. Nobody would deny that they wished they could do something, but at the same time, no one was willing to risk losing their own family to do so. Ping then looked at Master Oogway and pleaded with the Master, "PLEASE Master Oogway! Don't just stand there, do something!"

But as Oogway looked from the goose, to the Panda and finally to the Bandits, he realized what the only thing he could do that would result in the fewest sacrifices being made. "…I…I am sorry my friend…But…there is nothing I can do." Mr. Ping's eyes widened in shock as the Master's words registered. His entire world just stopped. "No…" Mr. Ping whispered as he slowly got to his feet again. Oogway then held him fast as he turned to the Boar and hissed, "You swear that no one else will get hurt…and that the Panda will be safe?" Mr. Ping then started to try to break free of Oogway shouting "NO! No nonononono! NOT MY SON!" Po then cried out again "DADDY!" But he was immediately tugged back towards the transport by one of the Crocs. "PO!" Mr. Ping cried as Oogway held the goose back whispering, "I'm sorry my friend….I'm sorry." As Mr. Ping continued to struggle saying "LET ME GO! MYY SON NEEDS ME!" Oogway then glared at the boar as the bandit snickered. They had won the Panda. The Boar then said, "Of course the Panda will be safe…and to show I am true to my word, once my boys get the Panda situated, we shall leave without so much as a scratch on one of your villagers…but if you try to stop us…" at this the bandits all re-trained their crossbows on the citizens who cowered in fear. "-Then it's open season on the villagers…got it old man?" Oogway nodded as he continued to hold Ping back.

The door to the transport opened and Po was thrown inside, landing with a low thud as his chains rattled onto the ground. The poor Panda was crying hysterically, not because his knees now hurt, but because he was terrified out of his mind. The door closed behind him as Po heard his father shout, "GIVE ME BACK MY SON! LET GO OF MY YOU STUPID TURTLE! PO!" Po scrambled to his feet as he felt the metal wagon start moving as he hurried over to the window and jumped up to hold onto the bars. As he hoisted himself up he saw his father trying to get away from the turtle that held him back. Why wasn't anyone helping him? Why were these bad men taking him away? He had no idea what the answers to those questions were. All he wanted was his Father. "DADDY! DADDY HELP ME! DADDY!" Mr. Ping finally broke free of Oogway's grip and was trying to reach his son "I'm coming Po! I-" but Mr. Ping was floored to the ground by the larger Boar by a blow to the head, knocking his new noodle hat off of his head and fell to the ground with a soft *flop*

Oogway immediately moved forward but was stopped by the leader unraveling a whip. "Ah-ah-ah! One more step and I have my men kill as many of these citizens as they can before you can stop them!" Oogway glared menacingly at the retreating bandits as they slowly began making their way back through the village street. All the while Mr. Ping laid there on the ground, listening to his son's cries for help, "DADDY! DADDY HELP! DAAAADDDDDYYYYYY!" But Mr. Ping couldn't help. His entire world was spinning. When his vision did finally clear, he gazed upon the retreating face of his poor baby boy staring back at him through those god awful bars like a criminal. But Po wasn't a criminal, he was a good boy. "Po…" Mr. Ping whispered as the bandits finally began to exit the village. Mr. Ping slowly got to his feet as he could now barely hear his son's screams of fear. "I have…to save him….I-" But then Mr. Ping fell forward and everything went dark. The last thing he heard was his son's screaming ever so faintly "DADDY PLEASE HELP ME!" and then there was nothing.

The traders had now left the Village, and The citizens were now safe. Yet Oogway felt this was perhaps the biggest failure of his entire life and that was quite a list. He had just allowed a family to be torn apart because he could not think of a better solution. A soft breeze blew from his back towards the prison transport and once again, Oogway was plagued by a sudden jolt, just like he had been back in the Hall of Heroes, "What in the world!?" Oogway wondered , as he watched the wagon disappear he slowly began to realize something. Those jolts from the universe…they were warning him about the Panda! The Universe…It wanted Oogway to protect the cub and he had failed to understand. Oogway then whispered to himself, "What have I done?" as he turned to the unconscious goose in front of him.

Oogway had sheathed his staff into the back of his shell and knelt down to pick the goose up in his arms, placing the odd hat on the goose's stomach. He then proceeded to make his way through the sea of citizens as they all got out of his way. Some whispered words of thanks, while others apologized to the great Master for the choice he had to make. But as Oogway peered down at the face of the Father whose world he had just destroyed, he knew that he deserved no thanks, no praise, no nothing. He had failed and now a mere child was to pay the price. Oogway continued into the noodle shop that he assumed belonged to the goose due to the noodle hat, and carried him upstairs. He was about to take him into the first room but realized it was a child's room, so he took him to the only other bedroom upstairs. After placing the goose on the bed Oogway took one long hurtful look at the goose before seeing himself out. He could never make this right to the goose, he knew that. So he slowly made his way back to the Jade Palace. All the while he would pray to the Universe every few steps, "Please…please keep that child safe…please…"

The next day…

Oogway was sitting before the reflecting pool in the Hall of Heroes. As of he could even attempt to achieve a state of inner peace at this time. Every time he closed his eyes, all that he saw staring back at him was the face of that terrified Panda cub. How old was that child? 4…maybe 5 years old and already he was being sent through a perilous Hell, all because Oogway couldn't risk the lives of the people over one child. But something told him this wasn't just any child. No, this child was special, but just how special Oogway had no idea.

He had tried to go and visit the goose that day to offer his apologies and to try to comfort the goose as best he could, but when he arrived he saw that the restaurant was closed and he could only hear the goose's uncontrollable sobs. When Oogway poked his head in past the paper door, the goose had chucked a cleaver at the Master, missing his head by mere inches, calling Oogway a coward and a fraud. Blaming Oogway for him losing his only child. That his little Po was somewhere out there scared, cold and alone and that it was all his fault…and he was right.

As Oogway continued to stare into the reflecting pool, he suddenly heard the sound of the great doors to the Hall opening up behind him. As he turned, he saw that Master Shifu, a red panda who was his student had returned to the Palace, and he had brought someone with him. As Oogway got to his feet he turned to hear his student greet him, "Master Oogway, I have returned. Has something happened? The Villagers seem to be rather distraught." But Oogway merely put on a fake smile for the sake of their guest, "In a moment Shifu, tell me, who is it you have brought with you?" Shifu turned and beckoned the figure to step closer

Oogway saw that it was a southern Chinese Tiger girl who could not have been more than four…maybe five years old. Immediately his thoughts went to those of the Panda child and a solemn expression covered his face. The little girl of course noticed this, but said nothing. Shifu cleared his throat and said, "Master, may I introduce to you my newest student, Young Tigress. I have adopted her from the Bao Gu Orphanage so that she may study Kung Fu, and learn to better control her talents. Tigress, this is Grandmaster Oogway, my master, and by extension, your Master. You will do well to show him the respect he deserves." Tigress immediately bowed deeply as she whispered "It is nice to meet you Master Oogway." Shifu gave a nod of approval, while his Master put on as good a smile he could manage and said, "My dear…it is a pleasure to meet you. I can already see that you will one day accomplish great things."

Tigress smiled at the master as Oogway then called in Zeng, "Zeng, do be so kind as to show young Tigress to her new room so that she might be able to get settled in." Zeng then nodded as he said "Yes Master Oogway!" But Tigress didn't seem so certain, "M-my room!?" as her eyes immediately darted to Shifu who quickly said, "Yes Tigress, your bedroom, where you will sleep, and only spend your free time in if you see fit…I promise you that." Tigress seemed to relax a bit and nodded. Shifu then gestured to Zeng and said to Tigress, "Now please go with Zeng, I have much to discus with Master Oogway. I shall see you this evening for dinner. In the meantime, you may explore the palace grounds once you are settled, but you must stay out of the Training hall for now, am I understood?" Tigress then bowed and said, "Yes Shifu." But Shifu's eyes narrowed as Tigress corrected herself at once. "I mean…Yes Master Shifu." She was no longer at the Orphanage, but rather at the Jade Palace, and Shifu made it very clear that once she stepped foot on the Palace grounds Shifu became her Master. Shifu nodded and immediately Tigress was lead out of the hall and over to the recently remodeled student barracks.

Once Tigress was gone, Shifu turned back to face Oogway with a worried expression on his face. He knew the moment he walked into the Hall that Master Oogway was distraught. The old Turtle may have put on a good face for Tigress, but Shifu knew better. "Master, what has happened!?" Oogway merely turned his heart broken face on his student as he whispered, "My friend…I'm afraid that I have allowed a most horrific evil befall an innocent child…" and so Oogway began to recount events of the day before to Shifu telling him all about the arrival of the slave traders.

A few days later…

Po woke up to wagon jerking violently as it continued down a bumpy road. He managed to get a little bit of sleep but saw that it was still night time outside through the bared window. He was cold, he was hungry but most of all, he was scared. He had hardly slept a wink the past few days, and he spent the past few nights crying himself to sleep. He wanted his Daddy to come find him and make the bad men go away, but he never came. His stomach rumbled again, he was really hungry, but he knew by now that those men weren't going to feed him, so he just huddled up in his little corner of the dark wagon and looked out at the moon. He found that the moon was the only beautiful thing he got to see these days. So beautiful and delicious looking. Sometimes he thought it looked like a big cookie and his tummy would rumble again.

Suddenly, the wagon stopped all together and Po knew what was coming. They were coming back! The bad men who had taken him from his father were coming back to be mean to him again! As the door opened, Po cowered away in fear as the big boar climbed in and walked to the back of the wagon and grabbed Po by the chains. Po squirmed a bit while shouting "Let me go!" but was immediately met with a strike to the face, resulting in Po merely crying in pain, as the boar hauled the panda out of the wagon and over to a nearby shack. Po noticed as he was being dragged that he was in a pretty scary looking village and was immediately afraid, as he tried shying away from the scary looking people who were eying him up strangely. The boar then opened the door to the shack and threw the Panda inside.

Once Po got to his feet he turned around and cried "Please! I just want to go home! I want my Daddy!" the boar just scoffed as he said, "Panda, you better get over those idiots back in that village REAL quick if you know what's good for you! You're never going to see those people again. You think any of those people in that Village wanted you? Nope, No one wanted a panda kid, not even your so called father! Why else would he let us take you away for him? If he really wanted you, don't you think he'd have come back for you by now? Best if you just forget about those people Panda, because you're never gonna see any of them ever again!" and with that, the boar threw an apple to the ground and closed the door, locking it behind him. Po then walked over to the apple, his chains rattling with each step he took and picked it up and took a bite. He was so hungry that he didn't care if the apple was dirty or not.

He soon finished the apple all too quickly and wished he could have a bowl of his Daddy's noodles. His thoughts then went to his dad as he thought about the boar's words. "You're wrong…My Daddy does love me…and I will see him again! I just know it…and my name isn't Panda…My name is Po." As Po looked at the only window that was high up on the wall in the shack he then said as he looked at the moon. "And I know he's gonna come looking for me…because my Daddy does love me…I just know it!" and with that, Po waddled over to a corner in the shack and laid himself down on the dirt floor, resting his head on his arms. He then began to shiver as he felt a breeze flow through the window, and he really wished he had a warm blanket…no, scratch that… he wished he had his new bed.

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And that is the first chapter… This story…it's not like my other ones. It's darker and definitely going to be more involved. I doubt the following chapters will be quite as long but they will by no means be short either. I'll be curious to hear what you guys have to say. let me know what you think. I do plan on continuing this story though…so let me have it. Remember…

REVIEW!

And Happy Thanksgiving!