Chapter 2

Another Thing Coming

Tai Lung slumped his shoulders as he walked back to the Jade Palace still covered in water from when the water bucket had spilled in his face earlier. Right now he felt embarrassed as he had let his guard down not once, but twice. 'That treacherous little liar...' He thought as he walked back up the 1000 steps with drops of water slowly falling off of his damp fur. In fact, the entire way back to the palace Tai Lung had thought of the female Snow Leopard who had tricked him and escaped his custody earlier, he was angered by the fact that she had tricked him so easily. However it wasn't just this that he thought about, for he had been confused as to the female Snow Leopard's methods of distracting him, he had been in many fights in the past and never before had someone try to distract him with shows of affection. But what made him even more confused was why he had gone along with it and had actually kissed her back instead of trying to get her off. 'What was I thinking? Why did I do that?' he thought to himself as he was now climbing up the last few steps up to the Palace. It was now almost dark out and the sun was quickly setting over the mountains in the distance thus making a twilight like setting casting over the valley. Once he had finally reached the top of the steps, he began to feel tired after the long day and decided he would retreat to his room for the night, so he headed over to the student barracks.

Things were quiet near the Jade Palace student barracks, and Tai Lung didn't want to wake anyone or make any unnecessary noise so he quietly sneaked into the building. When he entered the building, he was glad to see that no one was in the hallway, so he quietly walked through the hallway which led to the quarters. However when he got further down the hallway, he began to hear voices talking in one of the rooms and once he turned the corner, he saw that the light in the dinning room was lit and the voices were coming from that room. Tai Lung snuck towards the room as he didn't want the people in the room to hear him. When he had gotten right next to the room, he could now identify the voices, it was Po and Tigress. As he eavesdropped on the newly married couple's conversation, he heard Tigress say "what kind of brother leaves his own sister's wedding? I mean does he have no shame at all!?" Tai Lung then heard Po chuckle slightly at this and respond "well, I'm sure he had a good reason Tigress-" He then heard his sister interrupt her husband as she blurted out "to leave his sisters wedding!? I swear the next time I see him, he's dead!" Tai Lung cringed at this, he knew his sister could be quite extreme at times, but every time she would make a threat, she would usually follow through. So Tai Lung peaked into the room and saw that Tigress and Po both sat at a table with a couple of candles lighting the room. They had both changed out of their wedding clothes and Tigress now wore a green robe which resembled her golden and red robe closely. Po wore a light blue Chinese vest and had a new pair of black slacks on. Luckily for him, Tigress had her back turned to him so she couldn't see him, but Po could, and the Panda had immediately spotted him but luckily for Tai Lung, he didn't reveal the Leopard's position. Tai Lung then heard his sister say in a slightly agitated tone "he has some nerve! If he comes back here, I'm going to make him wish he had stayed in the spirit realm!" Tai Lung winced at his sister's harsh words and he decided that he was going to attempt to sneak over to his room to avoid getting caught by the angry female Tiger. So he began to tiptoe through the hallway as quietly as he could, as he did so he could hear Po saying "Tigress you don't need to stress so much over it, I'm sure he had a good reason..." But again Tigress interrupted him and said "I don't care if he what he had going on! Nothing is more important than-Wait what are you looking at Po?" She said as she noticed that Po's eyes were not on her and he was rather looking at something behind her in the hall. She turned her head to see what her husband was looking at and instantly, Tai Lung thought 'crap.'

"You! Where the hell have you been!? You'd better have a damn good reason for you to leave my wedding!" Tigress snapped as she spotted the Snow Leopard trying to sneak past the doorway. Tai Lung didn't didn't respond and rather backed up into the wall behind him to get away from the obviously angry female Tiger, but unfortunately he was now cornered and before he could escape Tigress got out of her chair and walked right up to the now nervous Snow Leopard. "Huh? I said you'd better have a good reason for missing your own sister's wedding!" She said in a very agitated tone as she was now just inches away from him, preventing him from escaping. "Look, Tigress I can explain-" Tai Lung tried to reason with her before she interrupted him "the only reason I'm not beating you to a pulp right now is because Hao is sleeping in the other room, so consider yourself lucky..." Tai Lung then noticed when he looked behind his sister who stood before him that Po was still seated on his chair and was chuckling as he watched the seen without intervening. Tai Lung then looked as though he was going to reply to his sister when she abruptly interrupted him before he had a chance to speak and she said "you know what? Never mind, I don't even care what you have to say..." She then got out of the Leopard's space and stepped back and addressed her husband "Po, I'm going to bed now, are you coming?" At this, Po got up out of his seat and nodded as he replied "okay Ti, I'll just be a few minutes." At this Tigress winked at the Panda and said in a suggestive manner "well you'd better not be too late or else I may not be so gentle tonight..." Tai Lung just cringed at his sister's vulgar behavior towards the Panda as she seemed to not even care that he was listening. Po smiled at her and he replied with a slight chuckle "I wouldn't dream of it." Tigress then winked at the Panda and left while glancing at her brother with a look of disgust. Once she was out of earshot Tai Lung heard Po chuckling slightly as the Panda said with a smile "what happened to you..." Tai Lung now looked at himself and noticed that his once elegant silver vest was still damp from the water that had spilled on him earlier. But instead of answering the question, he sarcastically replied "thanks for the help..." Po just kept chuckling as he said "hey, I wanted to help, but I know when not to get between a Tigress and her prey."

Tai Lung just responded now answering the Panda's question "I heard some sounds that sounded like someone was scurrying behind some of the houses in the valley, so I went and searched the area where I had heard the noise." Po regained his composure and he asked "and?" Tai Lung responded "sure enough, there was someone behind one of the buildings, they were masked and they were carrying a black bag full of items. I knew they were a thief, so I chased them through the alleyway, until I found out that there were three of them..." Po listened attentively to the Snow Leopard's story. Then Tai Lung continued "but they all split up, so I chased the one that I had before and I eventually got them cornered..." Po then raised an eyebrow as he said "and did you unmask them?" Tai Lung nodded and he responded "yes, and you won't believe who it was...It was Su Wu." But to Tai Lung's surprise, the Panda didn't look surprised but rather troubled "the Wu Sisters have returned?...This is not good..." Po said as he stroked his chin with his hand. Tai Lung responded "what do you mean?" Po didn't look at the Snow Leopard but he replied "well, shortly after I defeated Kai the Spirit Warrior, the Wu Sisters all escaped from Chor Gohm prison, however they did not cause any more criminal activity and rather just fled the country..." Tai Lung raised an eyebrow and replied "fled? To where?" Po still didn't look at Tai Lung but he replied "they fled to Mongolia and haven't returned since, the royal guards gave up chase after all the leads had gone and so they were unheard from for months...But now seeing as how they've returned is troubling..." Tai Lung now understood why the Panda was so troubled. "And let me guess, they got away?" Po said as he now looked at the Snow Leopard. Tai Lung just growled slightly at this and he replied "Yes...I had Su cornered and was about to aprehend her but then she distracted me..." Po now had a smile and he raised an eyebrow as he asked "Oh? And how exactly did she distract you? You aren't the exactly the easiest person to catch off guard..." Tai Lung instantly blushed and looked quite embarrassed but he replied sounding slightly annoyed "I...She...hthat's none of your business Dragon Warrior!" At this Po laughed and said "sure...So do you know where they escaped to?" Po noticed that Tai Lung slumped his shoulders and his ears fell which probably meant that the Snow Leopard hadn't seen where they had gotten away to. So Po responded "alright, common and follow me." He then went into the dinning room and took one of the candles in his hand and pt out the others, then he led the Leopard through the hallways of the barracks and then he led Tai Lung outside towards the Main building of the Jade Palace.

Once the two reached the Hall of Heroes, Tai Lung asked the Panda "why have we come here Dragon Warrior?" Po looked back at the Snow Leopard behind him and he replied "well Tai, do you know exactly what the Wu sisters stole from the valley today?" Tai Lung shook his head but he answered "well, no, but it looked like a couple of small things judging by the size of Su's bag..." Po nodded at the Snow Leopard and he replied "precisely but let me show exactly what they stole." Po then led Tai Lung into the hall of Heroes where the entire room was dimly lit by candles and Po led Tai Lung over to a stand that had a label on it that read 'Gong Lu Medallion'. "The Gong Lu Medallion!? But why would they steal that?" (for those of you who don't know what the Gong Lu Medallion is, it amplifies the wearers abilities, but it also exposes their darkest emotions) Panda looked back at the Snow Leopard and answered "and that's not the only thing they stole..." Po then led Tai Lung over to another plaque which read 'Sapphire and Ruby Zen Bracelets' Tai Lung raised an eyebrow and asked "but why would they want to steal all of these things? Surely it can't just be because they like Jewelry..." Po shook his head at this and replied "it's unlikely that the Wu sisters know exactly how all of these artifacts work, and that's why this worries me..." Tai Lung raised an eyebrow again as he asked "what do you mean?" Po then responded with a worried tone "I mean, this probably suggest that they stole the items for another person..." Tai Lung now understood why the Panda was so worried, but he still had a question "wait I still don't understand, why they would only steal these particular items?" Po then explained "well, I'm sure you know that when the Gong Lu Medallion is placed on the wearer's neck it grants them much greater abilities, but at the cost of one's sanity. But the when the Sapphire and Ruby Zen Bracelets are placed on the wearers wrists they actually counter the effects of the Gong Lu Medallion and make it so that the wearer can actually control their power..." Tai Lung now completely understood what the Panda meant. "So whoever they stole the items for will have much greater power than before...Well we can't let them deliver them to their employer!" Po smiled at the Leopard's determination but he replied "patience, first we must rest, tomorrow first thing in the morning we will set off to find them and bring them back to justice." Tai Lung wanted to argue with the Panda but he too realized that it was far to late at night to actually be able to catch the 3 sisters and he also began to feel slight fatigue after the long day. "I guess you're right, besides we wouldn't want to upset Tigress anymore than before..." Po looked at the Leopard and rolled his eyes as he said "yeah, no kidding..."

Once the two returned back at the student barracks, they parted ways as Po went towards his new larger room that he now shared with his wife. "first thing in the morning tomorrow meet me at the Palace Gates and make sure you come prepared, it's a going to be a long journey..." Tai Lung simply nodded and left towards his room. But when Po opened the door to his room he was met by Tigress who was right in his face, Po jumped out of shock and said "ah! Tigress!" She had her arms crossed and she said "what journey?" As she got closer to him almost putting her body against his and cornering him into the wall behind him. 'Crap, she heard that...' He thought to himself as he backed up from her. "Uhh, what journey? I don't know what you're talking about..." he lied trying to act like he didn't know. He didn't want Tigress to come along with them as he felt that his feelings for her would cloud his judgment. She just smiled and said "you're a terrible liar Po, I heard you and Tai out there talking about some sort of journey, where are you going?" Po was cornered and had almost run out of excuses but he still lied as he said "it was nothing Tigress, I swear!" Tigress now had an evil grin as she said "very well, if you intend to keep lying to me, then I get to have my way tonight..." Po instantly looked worried and he said "no. Tigress don't, please..." But it was too late, for Tigress had already made up her mind and she dragged him by the arm into their room and closed the door behind them…

Early the Next Morning at the Palace Gates

Tai Lung waited patiently at the Palace Gates for the Panda who had asked him to meet here the day before. Just then, Tai Lung saw Po walking down the steps from the Student Barracks and he waited for the Panda to arrive. "What took you so long?" Tai Lung said with a grin as the Panda approached looking almost like he was in pain. Po just replied "you don't want to know..." Tai Lung chuckled and he replied "Tigress?" Po just nodded his head and walked past Tai Lung without saying anything. Tai Lung then spoke "so where are we going anyway?" He followed Po who went down the stairs and Po replied "well, we're going to Hubei Volcano." Tai Lung followed up by asking "and that's where you believe we will find them?" Po nodded and said "well, usually the best place to find someone is their home..." Tai Lung followed the Panda and agreed "that's a good point..."

Meanwhile in a Lair in Hubei Volcano

"Sister! You managed to escape!" Wan said to her older sister who had just entered their underground fortress. "Of course I escaped, did you really think he would catch me?" Wan raised an eyebrow and she asked "he?" Su for some reason blushed when her sister asked this, she didn't know why, but thinking about Tai Lung made her feel strange. "Uh...He...Never mind that! All that matters is that I got the things we need..." Su said as she stumbled across her words. At this her sisters both giggled and Wing asked "he what Su? You're turning redder by the second..." Su wasn't happy of her sisters mockery of her and she responded by hissing at them and unsheathing her claws in a threatening way. This had the effect she wanted and it silenced her sisters as they both quivered in fear of their older sister. "So as I was saying, I got the three items that our employer requested so be ready to welcome them when they arrive!" At this her sisters replied "yes sister!" And they left to adhere to their sister's wishes.

5 Hours Later at the Bottom of Hubei Volcano

Po and Tai Lung had finally arrived at the Volcano, they had traveled for nearly 5 hours and as they looked up at the massive mountain Tai Lung said out loud to be heard over the loud sounds of the Volcano erupting "are you serious!? What Idiot builds their home inside an active Volcano!?" Po laughed out loud at this and he replied "you're girlfriend apparently." Tai Lung growled at this and he said "she's not my girlf-" "Calm down, I'm just teasing you, now common, it's a perilous way up and we'll need to keep moving!" And with that, Po went on his way up with Tai Lung following closely behind. Po had heard all about a lot of the legends of the great Kung Fu Masters and one of those tales was the story of how Masters Ox, Croc and Rhino all became legends. It had happened right at this mountain years ago when the three young Kung Fu Masters defeated the Wu Sisters and restored peace to China. This was one of his favorite stories that he used to tell to others as he used to be a huge fan of Master Rhino along with Ox and Croc but the part he liked the most of all about the story was how each of the Masters had learned a valuable lesson and worked together to achieve something truly special.

Now, Po and Tai Lung were scaling the mountain and noticed that the temperature began to rise greatly the father they went up the volcano. This made their ascent slower as they had to find their way around massive lava flows and lakes of hot lava. Luckily for them though, there was a pathway that led through safer areas of the mountain, this was probably the same pathway that the Wu sisters used to scale the mountain. They followed this pathway of carved rocks and bridges over top of some of the lava flows and eventually they reached a massive lava lake and noticed that the stone bridge that once allowed passage tot he other side had cracked and fallen into the molten rock. "How do we get across now?" Tai Lung spoke loudly still trying to speak over the loud rumbling sounds made by the active volcano. Po went up to the edge of the massive cliff leading to the lake of lava and he said "we can't turn back now...We'll have to jump..." Tai Lung seemed surprised by the Panda's suggestion and he questioned "jump!? The closest cliff to us is almost 30 feet away!" Po looked disappointed in his comrade and he said "are you saying that you can't do it?" Tai Lung looked a bit offended by this and he replied "well no but-" "just take a running start at it and focus all your energy into your legs, I'll go first." Po said with a face of determination. "you're crazy! We should find a different way around!" Tai Lung said in a disbelieving tone. Po now looked upset and impatient with his friend and he stated "we don't have the time to find another way! Now do you want to bring the Wu sisters to justice or not!?" Tai Lung didn't have any other suggestions and so he just said "fine! Go first then..." Po then walked back a significant distance from the edge of the cliff, he too was a bit nervous about jumping over top of the lake of lava, but he stayed brave and he got ready to take a running start. With much of his power he launched himself forward running very quickly and then used his right foot right at the edge of the cliff to send him into the air almost flying over the massive chasm with great velocity, he then landed on the other side with about a foot to spare and rolled to recover. 'What!? How did he manage to jump across that massive chasm!? Never mind, if he can do it than I can...' Tai Lung thought as he backed up to get a running start just like the Panda had before him, he began to feel quite arrogant and believed that he could jump even farther than the Panda, so he lined up for the jump. Then he shot off almost as fast as Po had and he rapidly rushed towards the , but in his overconfidence, he accidentally jumped to early and he noticed this as he flew through the air. But just as he began to fall into the chasm, time seemed to slow down and he saw the Panda rush to the edge and lower his jade staff for the Leopard to catch. Reacting as fast as he could, he grabbed the Po's Yin & Yang staff and held on for his life. "HANG ON!" Po yelled as he lifted the heavy Leopard up from certain doom which lay hundreds of feet below. Tai Lung just held the staff with his right hand and allowed the Panda to lift him up. Po managed to lift Tai Lung up to the cliff saving the Snow Leopard's life. When Tai Lung let go, both of the Warriors were panting heavily, Tai Lung from his near death experience and Po from the stress of nearly losing one of his friends. As Po recovered his breath, he asked "you okay?" Tai Lung looked back at Po and said "thanks to you...I owe you one..." Po nodded and replied "alright, common, we're close now..." And at that, the two Warriors kept moving on towards the Wu Sisters fortress taking extra caution now.

Once Po and Tai Lung had successfully entered the Wu Sisters Fortress, they navigated their way through many dim torch lit corridors stealthily. However upon reaching a brighter light beyond one of the hallways, they began to hear faint voice up ahead, "we're close..." Po whispered as he and Tai Lung quietly made their way through the hall towards the voices. As the got closer to the voices, the light began to gradually get brighter, they noticed that the hallway branched off into two separate hallways which went left and right. "I'll go right?" Po whispered to the Leopard, at this Tai Lung nodded and stealthily went through the left hall as Po did the same through the right hall. As Tai Lung went through the hall, the voices began to get closer and he stayed attentive but he kept on going until the hallway until the hallway curved around. He peaked his head out into the new part to see if the coast was clear, sure enough it was and so he kept going. However shortly after, he saw Po up ahead in the hall approaching him, they both noticed that there was now a large doorway with engraving in the stone that looked like the head of a Snow Leopard. They both propped themselves against the wall on opposite sides of the doorway and listened to what the voices inside the room were talking about.

As the two listened into the conversation, they heard a voice they had never heard before, it sounded rough and intimidating, it was definitely male. "I trust you got what I demanded Su..." A new voice now spoke "Yes Jian, all three..." It was Su. It was obvious that there was some sort of exchange going on, and Po and Tai Lung both got closer to hear everything. "I should hope so Su...For your sake..." The male voice said again. Po looked over at Tai Lung and he whispered "we can't let them exchange those artifacts..." Tai Lung then whispered back "what's the plan?" At this Po came up with an idea and whispered "well, our best chance to get them all is to catch them by surprise, so I think we should sneak into the room, get as close as we can, and then jump them." Tai Lung agreed with this plan and he whispered back "alright, lead the way." But in his head, Tai Lung was quite restless as he wanted to get even with Su after his humiliating defeat to her the day before. 'Alright Su, if you think you can make a fool of me, you've got another thing coming...' He thought to himself.

A/N: There's chapter 2. Took me a little longer to finish than I had expected, but I plan to release the next one sooner so stay tuned. Remember to favorite, follow and

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