Here goes for the next chapter. I own nothing except what's mine! :)


Three: Surprises

"We better get ready," Viper said excitedly. "I can't wait until tomorrow!"

"Neither can I," Po muttered distantly, turning away from the sunset and to the Student Barracks, and then slowly some of his cheerfulness returned, face breaking out in a grin.

"This better be a short night."


To everyone's amusement and surprise, Po had made an effort to wake up earlier than the others and had been waiting for them eagerly at the doors of the Tournament Arena.

"Hurry!" He urged, fiddling with his backpack straps and balancing on the balls of his feet. "We're gotta go now!"

Viper yawned, "Mmm-hmm, Po, it's five forty-five,"

"Ah! I'm gonna be late!"

"Panda," Shifu stopped him from rushing out the doors by whirling his staff in front of him. "I know you are excited-"

"Understatement of the dynasty," Mantis whispered.

"But there's no need to hurry. You don't have to be there until seven."

"I was planning to take a snack stop-"

"Po," Shifu warned, and his serious tone made everyone raise their eyebrows and wait for his next words. "All of you...I must warn you that the path you are travelling by is very dangerous. And that if this villain is a weapon-master, he might of already adopted some of Lord Shen's ideas and models."

"Well, I'll just inner peace those cannonballs right back at him-"

"I sense something dark is happening," Shifu cut him off, "You will face something more powerful than you have ever battled before. I do not know what, but take my word for it...and be careful." His eyes flitted to Tigress for a moment before he turned to all of them. "You may leave."

They all bowed and began trekking down, but once again Shifu stopped Po, this time by twirling in front of him and standing on top of his staff; there was a strange look in his eyes that was so rarely there it was hard to catch at first. But finally, the Dragon warrior realized he was worried.

"Master-"

"Po," He growled, "I want you to look after her. After...Tigress." He looked away sharply, rubbing his hands. "If it wasn't for her training with the Ironwoods, she would have died sacrificing herself for you." He scowled at the surprised look he was receiving. "Just don't let anything like that happen again, if you can help it."

"All right, Master Shifu," He promised, then grinned geekily, both stoked at being assigned secretly as Tigress's bodyguard and smug at seeing Shifu show some sign of protective feeling towards his adopted daughter.

"Go on," The red panda sniffed loftily then turned to leave. Without looking back, he called, "The stairs are icy...try not to-"

"WOAAH!"

"..slip."


"Ow! OOH! Eek! Haha-oow! Ack! Ow!"

"Make way!" Monkey yelled, and everyone dove off in different directions as a ball of monochrome fur bowled past them and bounced into a snowdrift.

"Ahahahooow..." Po groaned, flopping over to his back. More white powder from an overhanging roof ledge in turn shook off from the tremor the bear had caused and dropped on top of him below. He relayed another groan and finally crept up clumsily to two feet.

"Right," he huffed, knocking snow out of his ears, "Who's up for breakfast at Mr. Ping's?"

Moments later, the band of warriors were the first customers of the day to eat at Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop, and a slightly droopy-eyed yet enthusiastic goose was happy to serve them.

The Furious Five watched on outside, talking idly as Po and his adoptive father maneuvered expertly around the kitchen, chopping and dicing and scraping vegetables and spices into the bubbling pot huddled by the corner. Unbeknownst to the others, the two cooks were having a quiet conversation inside.

"So...another villain, huh?" Mr. Ping started as he sliced a carrot. "A villain that's attacking...the pandas."

"Uh-huh!" Po grinned, not noticing the avian's slightly disgruntled, rough tone.

"And you were called there by your biological father to help them because he had some vision about you." ZING. Off went a turnip's top.

"Yeah! Isn't it great! There are others-pass the soy sauce, please-others out there, just like me, and now...now I'm going to be the one to save them!" Po stared out at the wall, a dreamy look on his face. "I'll meet my father...and maybe I could convince some other pandas to come back to the valley with me! Ha, wouldn't everyone be so surprised! And then..." Sniff, cringe. "Is something burning?"

"Your apron." Mr. Ping grunted. Po hopped around in panic for a moment before finally dousing the flames with a pawful of snow.

The panda exhaled in relief, then looked down at the goose stirring the soup with a bit too much force in front of him. "Dad, you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, perfect." The cook snapped huffily.

"What's wrong?"

After a moment of torturing silence, Mr. Ping sighed, "You won't forget me, right? I mean...you'll come back?"

Po suddenly understood what his dad was so worried about, and he laughed. "Of course I'll come back, Dad. Maybe you could meet my other father," He paused to think that over, then snorted, "Nah, you'll never get along. But hey, you're always going to be my dad, and I'll always be your son, okay?"

Mr. Ping turned to face him, beak open slightly in a smile. "Thank you, Po."

"No problem...soup's ready!"

"Good...oh, look who's here," Mr. Ping exclaimed, nearly dropping his spoon in surprise. "Beauty and the Giant, much?"

Cunzai flicked his ears as he entered, and Po hoped neither him nor Skylea had heard his adoptive father's comment. "Oh, hey, guys! Uh, just in time for breakfast!" The panda announced.

"Quite a looker, isn't she, Po?" Mr. Ping teased, glancing at Skylea as he and his son gathered the hot soup in bowls and served them out. Po blushed furiously.

"Dad!" He hissed. Monkey, Viper and Mantis all heard and giggled or smirked at him.

Skylea either ignored it or just hadn't listened in. "So, this is the famous Mr. Ping's, former home of the Dragon Warrior?" She queried, looking over at a display of brooms and mops. "Interesting artifacts."

"No touching!" Mr. Ping warned as he set down a bowl in front of Skylea. Cunzai drew back his paw sheepishly from the cleaning utilities. "You'll get the broom dirty now, too!" The goose scolded before waddling back to the kitchen.

"Well, I guess that's sums up the introduction of my dad." Po shrugged, not exactly embarrassed though he was still blushing. "Eat up, I guess, or the soup will get cold."

The eight dug in without hesitation, and at the first bite both Skylea's and Cunzai's eyes widened to maximum. "This...this is amazing!" said Skylea in awe.

"Mmmm." Was all Cunzai said, not looking up from his bowl of noodles.

"You make these?" The she-panda asked Po, and he tried to slurp up his food faster.

"Uh, yeah! Well, my dad's the one who taught me everything, so the credit goes to him." He informed a bit bashfully.

"Well, good, because both Cunzai and I are terrible cooks, so you're going to come in handy for the journey home," she laughed softly.

"Handy...handy..uh, yeah, I'm super handy with food..." Po mumbled. Crane nudged the Dragon Warrior's plate closer.

"Uh, Po, you okay? 'Cause you've barely eaten anything."

Po snapped out of whatever reverie he'd been floating around in. "Huh? Oh, sorry, yeah, I'm hand-I mean hungry! Hungry, right..."


"Hulong! Hey, Spots, wake up!"

Hulang's yellow eyes snapped open and he sat up at the sound of Mei-Ling's voice. "What is it?" He murmured, drowsily rubbing the side of his face. It was a couple hours past midnight, and the sky was a glittering navy canvas of diamonds, with the full moon waning overhead. Beneath, the river reflected the stars in shimmering splashes of white on its rippling surface.

"Someone's coming...not someone, actually, a lot of...ones! Are they your friends?" The mountain cat's eyes were the only thing visible until Hulong got accustomed to the darkness and he could dimly make out her lithe shape in the blue night's light. He turned and squinted at a cluster of moving shadows getting closer, a lantern glowing in the hands of one of the travellers.

"Just wait until they give the signal," Hulong shrugged, hoping he was unnoticeable in the dinghy's stretched shadow.

A low, four-note whistle sounded softly from where the others were coming from, and the person carrying the lantern swung it close to her face.

"Skylea," Hulong affirmed, counting the other giant big cat standing behind her. "And Cunzai...but who are the others?" Two, three...five of them. No, wait, there was some kind of tiny cricket too. Six. "We're gonna need more food." The leopard reasoned glumly.

He and Mei-Ling stood and walked over cautiously. "So, you made it back."

"Who's this?" Skylea muttered, shoving the lantern farther out so she could see Mei-Ling better. "Your bodyguard?"

"His babysitter." Mei-Ling corrected, and Hulong rolled his eyes. Suddenly, someone from the group gasped.

"Mei...Mei-Ling?"

"Crane?"

"What?" The others stepped out and gave a collective gasp.

"Tai Lung!" Tigress growled.

"Hulong, actually."

"Mei-Ling, is that really you?"

"Yes, Viper."

"What are you doing with Tai Lung?"

"Good question."

"Skylea, is this your little supply-giver?"

"Surprise."

"Woah, woah, woah, hold it here!" Po waved his hands. "Tai Lung is the person who gets you supplies, and he's being watched by Mei-Ling?"

"Actually, we have no idea who the mountain cat is." Cunzai grunted.

"He broke into the Academy and tried to steal food!" Mei Ling protested. "The Master told me I had to watch him until his friends came back...I suppose he meant you?"

"Yes."

"Okay then," The feline sighed. "So he wasn't lying."

"But how's he even alive?" Monkey stammered.

"Do I know any of you six others?" Hulong broke in. "Because I'm really confused right now."

"Tai Lung, what happened?" Tigress demanded aggressively, clenching her fists and leaning forwards. "How are you alive?"

"I don't know! I woke up and these two had found me-"

"Hey," Mei-Ling pushed the tiger and leopard away from each other. "He's not Tai Lung anymore, okay? He's Hulong, and he doesn't remember anything. The least you can do is play along." She whispered out the last sentence.

Tigress blinked at the strange tone Mei-Ling was using, but she kept a tight frown on her face. "Fine, Hulong," she growled. "You'll have to explain everything later."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be the one explaining," Skylea walked past everyone and towards the boat. "It's been a long journey. Why don't we have dinner first?"

"Good idea!" Po agreed.

"Double panda trouble," Mantis snickered.

Tigress stood and watched them file in, still unmoving on the trail.

"You okay?"

She almost jumped at Po's voice. "Fine," she lied, looking away. "Don't worry about me."

The panda opened his mouth to say something, shrugged and offered a crooked smile. "All right."

He left, and Tigress watched him go, not turning when Cunzai muttered, "Master Tigress, Tai Lung doesn't exist in that leopard anymore. He's a thing of the past."

"What would you know about it?" Tigress snapped. "I can't trust him."

"Why don't you give him a chance, and let him start over? He's Hulong, not Tai Lung."

Tigress glared at the rocky, uneven ground, hearing Cunzai leave, then finally followed everyone to the dinghy.

Inside the forecastle, where the boat had just enough room to house the ten of them and their mats, sat the warriors as they listened to Skylea sharpen the edge of her sword on a rock and recall the event that had only occurred around a week ago.

"We were on the last quarter of our trip, and Cunzai and I were hungry and exhausted. Our supplies had been all nearly demolished and we had even less money, because in our village, we don't often use currency. We'd lost our map, and we weren't sure if we were heading in the right direction. Anyway, we'd just gone round a quite dangerous mountain when we started hearing this strange noise..."


"Hi-ya!"

BOOM

"C'mon, get it right! Rah!"

BOOM

"What is that?" Skylea questioned, drawing out one sword. Cunzai craned his head up to where the sound was coming from, and a shower of dust and pebbles sprinkled down from a ledge and into his nose.

"Someone's up there," He guessed, coughing. "We better leave him or her alone-Skylea?"

He swiveled around in surprise; the panda had vanished.

"Up here!"

Once again Cunzai looked up just in time for a rock to smack him on the nose. "Ow!" He winced, clutching his snout and glaring at the she-bear as she clambered up the jagged mountain's side, using her katanas to drive herself forwards. She dug one blade into a niche and pulled herself up higher, calling, "C'mon!"

Grumbling, Cunzai grasped around at the stone and used his claws to get a firm hold, slowly but surely making progress. Skylea flipped over the ledge just as he grabbed the rocky outcrop and dragged himself over on to his belly, panting. "You're an idiot," he mumbled.

"Shh!" Skylea pulled him over behind a tree, succeeding in him getting whacked in the head with a flexible branch because he didn't duck in time. As Cunzai bit back a yelp and massaged his smarting scalp, Skylea peered out behind the thickly frosted foilage to the shape moving around in the clearing.

"Just fall down already!" The silver-and-black leopard was snarling in almost childish frustration. He drew back his fist and sent a blow to a tree that would of sent an elephant flying into next week with another great BOOM and looked up hopefully. All he got was a face-full of snow.

"I feel for you, man," Cunzai mumbled as the snow leopard spat out chunks of ice and white powder.

"He looks hungry," Skylea observed, noting the way his ribs jutted put slightly, even though his fur was thick and his build sinewy and athletic. The black-and-white ursine stared up at the tree and her eyes widened in understanding. Gleaming there on the tallest branch rocked a gleaming, ripe red apple. But the trunk was massive, slick and iced over. Unless the apple dropped on its own, it would of stayed there uneaten forever.

"Skylea, let's go. We can't waste anymore time...oh, great, where'd she go now?"

"Need help?"

The snow leopard whipped around in a ready stance and didn't relax when he saw the sword-wielding female panda step towards him. "Well, do you?"

"Who are you?"

"I have the same question, but I'm not asking. Now, do you want that apple or not?"

The big cat hesitated, chewing his bottom lip. "Well..."

"It's a deal, then. You help us get to the closest village, and I'll get you the apple."

"But...I-"

"Cunzai, come on out!" Skylea called, drawing out one katana. The huge black tiger sighed and walked out from behind the dark trees ringing the clearing, asking dolefully. "Let me guess, you have another brilliant plan?" The snow leopard did a double-take at the other feline's size but stayed mute.

Skylea sniffed from the cold as she adressed Cunzai. "Okay, could you just...stand over there, a few feet in front of the tree? Right, and you, uh-"

"Hulong."

"Hulong, good. You could just crouch down one or two yards behind him...exactly. Brilliant! Now, stay very still."

"I'm not liking this plan," Cunzai whimpered.

Skylea backed up, brandishing her sword and eyeing the distance between her and the tree with her calculative, icy stare. Then without warning, she sprinted forwards, snow flurrying behind her.

She jumped on to Hulong's uncovered back lightly, levitating off his shoulders with precise agility and sailing over to Cunzai, using him as the last stepping stone and spring-boarding up just high enough to slice the tip of her blade across the flimsy tree limb the apple hung from. It spun in the air for a few seconds before gravity pushed it down-square between Cunzai's eyes, then down into a snowdrift.

"Oooow-darnitall!" The black feline yowled. Skylea dropped down, ignored him and flipped the apple up with the edge of her katana. Hulong caught it in mid-air and stared at them in wonder.

"Name's Skylea. Now, could you show us the nearest village, please?"

Hulong bit into the apple and chewed slowly. "No problem...where are you guys headed?"

"Valley of Peace," Skylea informed before Cunzai could stop her.

Hulong blanched short and gulped down the chunk of apple he was munching forcefully.

"Something wrong?" Skylea questioned, studying his dark gold eyes.

His nose twitched. "Not really...I don't know. Something tells me I shouldn't head in that direction."

"Why?"

Cumzai tossed his partner a warning, glowering glance. "Skylea, enough."

Hulong didn't seem bothered. "I usually stick to the forests. People seemed scared of me whenever I go into town. I mean, it's not like I'm going to eat anyone," He gave a dry chuckle. "I really don't know what makes them so frightened."

"Were you, uh, a criminal, or something?" Skylea started to edge away.

"Oh good grief," Cunzai nearly face-pawed at her lack of subtlety.

"No...at least, I don't think so. I can't...remember. I don't know." Hulong winced, his claws puncturing the skin of the fruit he was squeezing in his paw. "Ever since I woke up in that river I can't seem to recall anything."

Skylea regarded him with a hint of pity. "You could come with us. There's this really wise master where we're going...maybe he can help you."

"Is food added in the deal?" Hulong asked without meaning to.

"Sure, I think we can somehow scavange enough for three." Cunzai muttured wearily.

"I'll do it. There's a village close around here...I know someone who'll lend us some supplies."

The snow leopard took a big bite of his apple and led the way down the mountain.


"So, there you have it. Hulong decided not to head to the Jade Palace with us, but to wait here. He said he'd rather not remember the past." Cunzai finished.

Everyone was staring at Tai Lung/Hulong either expectantly, thoughtfully or suspiciously.

"And then he tried to rob the Li-Da Kung Fu Academy for food." Tigress harrumphed.

"We ran out of money...they had told me to get supplies. It was part of our deal." Hulong countered weakly. "In the end though, Mei-Ling gave it to me for free."

"You're welcome." The mountain cat smirked.

"Wait...I thought he'd already paid off his deal?" Po asked.

"That was for another deal," Hulong tried for an apologetic grin, "They agreed to let me come with you guys and fight to let me prove to you I've changed in return for help with the supplies, and-" he grit his teeth, "Clean-up duty."

Tigress blinked, then bared her teeth. "No. He can't come with us! He's a villain."

"Tigress," Po started, but the feline glared at him and he shut up.

"I won't trust him," she crossed her arms defiantly. "I don't care what he does to try and prove it." She expected some murmurs of agreement, but instead Skylea stood up and faced her.

"Who put you in charge?" She spat. "As far as I'm concerned, Master Po is the leader of your group, while I'm the one leading this mission. You're not the one who makes the rules."

Tigress's argument was cut off short as she realized with a sickening certainty that Skylea was right. Everyone, even Po, considered her the unsaid leader of them all, but if you went down to official facts, the Dragon Warrior held rule.

Then she'd leave. She'd abandon this quest and go back to the Palace. But then, she had a couple of factors to weigh.

One, Shifu. How would he deal with her giving up on a mission? Maybe he'd make an exception, judging the circumstances, but still...

Two, perhaps Tai Lung did deserve a second chance. During the five years she'd known him, (she'd been only seven and he was fifteen), they'd grown up together for a short moment in their lives, and if she tried hard enough, she could remember those times when Tai Lung hadn't been the power-hungry, greed-driven monster she'd come to hate and fear. Perhaps, 'Hulong' was that hidden bigger brother she used to know.

And three, Po. Though she hated to admit it, she couldn't leave him. Last time she'd left him somewhere he'd showed up during a battle and almost killed himself in the process. And no matter how much she tried to deny it, she was worried about him, worried enough for her to swallow some pride just to protect the dumb panda.

Tigress eyed the uncomfortable snow leopard and bit back an indignant hiss of disgust. "Fine. But that doesn't mean I trust him."

She sat in a corner and listened absently to the talk, trying to ignore the dirty look Mei-Ling was giving her.

"So, you woke up in a river, and you don't remember anything?" Po asked Hulong curiously, a bit nervous at the idea that he might suddenly recognize him. But instead, the feline sighed.

"I've been told about who I am...I've heard rumors. Tai Lung, the guy who destroyed a village for some scroll-" He cringed when Tigress emitted a sharp growl. "And the person whom the Dragon Warrior fought and defeated. I'm guessing you're the Dragon Warrior, and they're the Furious Five." Another growl.

Po inhaled uneasily, "Uh-hh, well..."

"I have nothing against you," Hulong interrupted quickly. "I promise. I want to thank you, because I'm someone different now, and I will prove it." He raised his eyebrows hopefully, and slowly Viper, then Po, then Crane and Monkey and Mantis nodded and gave small accepting smiles.

Mei-Ling looked at the round table in front of them questioningly, where dinner had been set and eaten. "Well, Spots, since you're on Cleaning Duty, looks like you have some work to do."

Crane stared at her in surprise. "I thought his name was Hulong?"

The mountain cat reddened almost unnoticeably. "It is. Since it looks like he's in good hands, umm, I'll just...leave, now. Do you guys need any more supplies, or anything, before you leave? Or are you all going to be fine with just that bag of food?"

Po jerked his head up from the cloth sack, crumbs bearding his snout. "Uh, that was for all of us?"