Chapter 3

Shock in the First Meet

When Viper was still madding at Crane, he simply lost his mind as he slapped her bedroom door, it echoed the whole hallway. The rest of the five and Po saw that in unison and there came a trembled in their hearts as then they saw Crane was walking with his head gazed at the floor in the bunkhouse.

Tigress rushed beside him and Crane's neck got choked by her paws around his neck and dragged him into Po's room.

"Now split it! What have you done to her?" Tigress asked him in straight.

"Nothing, I was just… just…" again, it was inexplicable for him, not to a woman. Then Po stepped forward and said, "Let me handle this, Tigress. This is a man job here right now, why don't you check Viper that if she's okay."

"…Fine, but if anything happens to she, I'm holding you a responsible!" she slightly growled at him and the red-crowned Crane gulped as the boys watched the feline walked back into her best friend's room and left the rest to Po, Mantis and Monkey.

Monkey double checked on Tigress as he watched her walked into Viper's room and gave Po and Mantis a 'The close is clear.' sign, "Look, Crane. What did you do you know I will not going to punch you, you know that." Po asked with a stared on Crane.

Crane sighed heavily as he told them everything, "Well, I was sitting under the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom to watch the stars, and then Viper suddenly appeared from the back, I was shocked, and we were gazing at the stars together. But then…" he paused.

"'But then' what?" Monkey asked.

"But then when I tried to tell her that I love her, I was stammered by looking her beautiful and amazing eyes, I got accidentally said that I was nervous about tomorrow!!" he said and then Po quickly gave him a hard punch on his shoulder.

"OUCH! You lied to me." Crane said as he approached his wing, which it was hurt.

"Well sorry, but do you know that what you have done will mark a deep wound in her heart forever?" Po then asked him seriously as he tapped his finger on Crane's chest.

"Well I'm sorry, Mr. Women expert. I was nervous and hardly breathe back there!" he claimed it.

Mantis then hopped on his winged shoulder, "Listen to me, Crane. Viper isn't that stubborn woman, she'll be fine by tomorrow. And tomorrow, you will regain your mistake." He gave him an advice.

"Mantis is right, Crane. You just need to relax and have a good relaxation sleep, before Master Shifu found us here." Monkey whispered the last sentence and they were chuckled a little.

"But how could I sleep relaxed in the situation like this?" he added worriedly.

"That's easy. Turn around." Po directed and Crane was confused as he turned around back at them.

"This is my dad's family secret ingredient. All you have to do is a one simple thing." Po said and he made sure that Crane wasn't look back and he gave a direct punch on his back head.

PUNCH!

Crane has fainted into sleep.

Po blew his fletched paw, like a cowboy blew his smoked gun, "Problem solves." He said.

"Problem not solves!" Monkey shouted, and Mantis kept on, "He isn't in his bedroom! What were you thinking? Want us to carry him back into his room!?" then they saw Po was wearing an obvious smirk.

"I hate myself." Mantis cursed himself and he and Monkey helped Crane to carry him back inside his bedroom. And they called this a night.

The next morning

The gong has rang and everyone has out of their room, included Po, amazedly, but except one master.

"Crane? Crane!" Shifu shouted as he spotted there was one of his students was missing, which it caught Viper started to worry, usually he got up in time.

And then Crane quickly came out of his room with his wing was caressing his head and said, "Good morning, Master! I'm sorry I'm late, I've got knocked down by someone!" Crane said in a low tone as he glared at Po, Mantis and Monkey.

Shifu saw Crane's beak was pointed at the last three in the hall; Po, Mantis and Monkey.

"Po! Mantis! Monkey! Did you knock Crane last night?" Shifu asked the three masters furiously.

Then Monkey and Mantis both pointed at Po quickly as they tried to defend themselves, "It was Po's idea, not us!" they claimed.

"Po, is it true?" Shifu demanded him.

"Um…yes, Master. But I can explain!" Po tried to explain to the red panda, but then Shifu was impatient as he rejected his explanation.

"No need to explain, we're wasting our time. Pack up your stuff and meet me at the main gate." He commanded the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior and they all bowed to him in respect and watched he left.

Everyone has gone back to their rooms to pack up, except Crane walked beside Po and said, "Family Secret Ingredient, huh? You know, you shouldn't have to lie to me if it because I couldn't sleep last night. And in which case, it still hurts right now." Crane politely said as he approached his back head again.

"Sorry, but it was the only and old way." He replied.

"Never mind." Crane sighed as he went back to his room and packed up his things.

At the Main Gate of the Jade Palace

Po had been preparing his bag pack for the trip, he packed a large amount of food, mostly almond cookies, mainly stole them from Monkey and dumplings, and he also brought some powder for making noodles if needed. For the trip, he also brought some ninja seven-star knives and some cooking equipments from his dad's noodle shop, he then putted on two metal arm bands, they were a present though, courtesy of Shifu after the defeat of Tai Lung, it was given to give Po for a further protection, and he said it might help on this journey. After packing all the stuff, they were ready.

Everyone was standing near the palace main gate down the stairs, Mantis had packed nothing for he was too small, and Crane brought a few fish chips in a bag hung on to a stick to carry. Viper brought some of her stuffs even the others didn't know what was it, and Tigress had bought a bag pack like Po. After a few minutes Po finally came down to the main gate and was breathing heavily.

"Stairs." He patted and everybody was sweat-dropped.

"Alright, students. Let's move out!" Shifu announced as he leaded the way.

During the walking, Crane has a chance to regain his mistake as he leaned closer to Viper, and whispered as silent as Shifu couldn't hear him, "Look Viper, about last night. I'm sorry, okay? I was over-nervous and couldn't say that three simple words last night!"

"Oh yeah? And what's that three simple words?" She then asked with challenge in her tone.

"It's that I…" he then got interrupted by Shifu's scolded.

"Crane! Viper! There's no time for chatting, move quickly!" he shouted.

"I've gotta go!" that's it, he doomed, he will never say those three words, I love you.

"Coward." Viper murmured and she kept on followed her friends.

Crane quickly flew at the front and he landed beside Po and Tigress, "So, how's it going?" Po asked.

"It was a disaster! She's still mad at me!" Crane replied desperately.

"Just give her some times and I'll talk to her later. Have a rest." Tigress whispered as a plan.

"Thanks, Tigress. But I think I'll pass." He replied as he walked sadly in the front.

"Man, I had never seen Crane been so depress like that before." Po whispered to Tigress.

"Ya think? Move on, Prince Charming." Tigress teased him back as the last words made Po wanted to play with her, but since Shifu was around, he must be patient.

After 3 hours, they had soon across the Mountain Pass Bridge and a few more miles from there and so they have reached to the Purity City!

The warriors were amazed of the view, the city was bigger than their homeland as they saw some stalls, places and shops that they had never seen it before, and they also could see the Great Palace in the centre of the city. While they were enjoying the view, Shifu told them to stop.

When they walked down a bamboo forest trail to the Great Palace as a shortcut, Crane noticed that there was another forest there which beside the bamboo forest and he thought, I'll catch with the others later, right now I need some nature breathing and silent…, he thought as he silently walked into the forest.

The others, even Shifu, didn't notice that Crane has gone as they continued their way to the Great Palace.

Meanwhile, Crane has sneaked out his friends and walked alone in the forest, he couldn't help but kept thinking about how to apologize to Viper. He kept thinking during his walking and suddenly, he stopped.

He quickly caught an object, it was an arrow! But then he got accidentally fallen into a mud pool, his wing got stuck either!

When he glanced the forest and then he saw a person who was wearing a Chinese God mask, and the mysterious figure seemed like want to fire another arrow on him as he prepared to pull another arrow.

'I pick a bad day to be Crane.' he thought and tried to embrace the arrow as quickly as possible.

But then, there was no pain and no arrow shooting sound. Then Crane decided to look up and already met the mysterious person's face as it was close to him who made him sweating in nervous and shocked.

"Whoa! What the, who are you?" he nervously asked and the next thing he knew, was the person gently helped him up and swift off the mud on his face. Crane could see the eyes in the mask, they were widened and full of questions! And also looked familiar to him, too…

"Who are you?" the person finally spoke in whispering and slowly removed the mask of his, and both got a shock, two Cranes!?

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Next Chapter: The Greeting

Preview:

'He' sighed as he showed a necklace to Crane, a bracelet made by gold and been sculptured into a dragon around a ruby which that was a symbol of… royal.

Crane was widened at the bracelet and then he glanced at 'him', and stammered asked, "You're… you…are…" however, another 'him' was impatient as hehelped him to answer.

"Yes, I'm the Prince Diao, Prince of China and you're standing in the royal field." He answered with a serious face with his toes tapping the ground and he crossed his wings.