War and Peace
Chapter Three- Conversations
The Jade Palace
The Sacred Hall of Heroes
Shifu quickly leads Uatu through the Sacred Hall of Heroes, passing many artifacts and weapons that were connected with the ancient art of kung fu. It was when Shifu came to a stop that he opened a hidden passage, revealing a massive sword that was kept in a container. Stepping aside, Shifu allowed Uatu to grasp the mighty blade by its handle, his silver-blue eyes investigating the weapon closely.
The most distinguishing feature of the sword, other than its massive size, was the fiery golden color that adorned the entire sharp edge and up to the tip of the fearsome blade. With a few quick movements of his right arm, Uatu quite easily made some powerful slashes at the air, his skill with the weapon apparently as skillful as ever even after nearly thirty years. Then, the old ape seemed to lose himself to thought as he stared at the blade, seeing his own reflection in the mystical metal that it was forged.
"I hoped never to use this weapon again, Shifu.", Uatu spoke, his focus remaining solely on the massive blade that he held within the grasp of his right hand.
"There are many thing that we have to do, even if we don't want to.", Shifu replied, glancing up at the towering silverback, who finally met his gaze.
"Yes, as fate would have it, then so shall it be.", Uatu agreed, placing the sword in its holder.
"But first, you need to rest, Uatu. You will need a full day to prepare for your journey, and in order to do that, you must be well rested.", Shifu informed, offering his friend a warm smile.
"Yes, you're right, old friend. I only hope that I am ready to do what is needed to be done.", Uatu responded, his tone seemingly without emotion.
Elsewhere in the Jade Palace
Po escorted Princess Mei to her assigned sleeping quarters, his eyes making quick glances at the female white tiger that walked beside him. She was very similar to Tigress in height and stature, with the exception that she acted a little more feminine compared to Tigress' tough hardcore personality. While glancing at Princess Mei again, Po had to admit that she is very beautiful, the white and black stripes of her fur appeared to be as soft as silk. Realizing that he was staring at her, Po quickly adverted his eyes, hoping that she didn't notice.
"Well, here we are! It's not much... but I hope you find it comfortable, Princess Mei.", Po stated shyly as they came to a stop at the room.
"It's lovely.", Princess Mei responded kindly, her eyes examining the lavishly decorated room.
"Thank you, Po.", Mei added, smiling warmly at the panda as her emerald green eyes locked onto his own green irises.
"Oh... well, I'm glad you like it.", Po replied, adverting his gaze so Mei couldn't see the light blush that colored his cheeks.
"Thank you for your kindness.", Mei spoke, rushing forward and enveloping Po in a affectionate hug, much to his surprise.
"Pfft! Don't mention it, Princess Mei.", Po responded, returning her embrace as his arms wrapped around her form for a few moments before releasing.
"Goodnight, Po.", Mei said, bowing to the panda before she proceeded to enter her room.
"Yeah, goodnight, Mei. See ya in the morning.", Po replied with a nervous smile.
"I look forward to it, Dragon Warrior.", Mei giggled in amusement, noticing the blush that colored Po's furry white cheeks.
"Great! So... um... see ya then!", Po waved before quickly rushing off, much to Mei's amusement.
Po slowed his pace as he gained some distance, releasing a heavy sigh as a smile came across his features, unaware of a certain person who was watching him. He enjoyed his conversation with Princess Mei, finding her very friendly and pleasant to talk to, despite that he couldn't seem to get past his shy nature. He never recalled himself acting that way around any girl before, that is unless you count his first conversation with Tigress, but that was nothing more than fanboy enthusiasm rather than an attraction to a woman's beauty... or was it? Before Po could actually put more thought on the subject, a familiar pair of orange paws grasped him by the shoulders and turned him towards her.
"AHH! Oh, it's just you, Tigress! Ya know, you really shouldn't sneak up on me like that.", Po chuckled once he realized who it was.
"Po, I need to talk to you.", Tigress stated, her tone deadly serious.
"Uh-oh... this isn't about me talking to Princess Mei, is it?", Po asked nervously.
"What?", Tigress asked in confusion, her fiery orange eyes staring at her closest friend.
"Wait! Before you beat me to a pulp, I just want to inform you that she hugged me! But there's nothing going on between us!", Po exclaimed in fear, raising his hands up defensively.
"Po, I'm not here to talk about your conversation with the Princess.", Tigress stated, smacking her paw against her forehead.
"So... you're not going to rip me to shreds?", Po asked hopefully.
"No!", Tigress exclaimed, her patience wearing thin.
"Wow. That's a relief. I thought for sure that you would be upset.", Po remarked, unknowingly striking a nerve with the short-tempered feline.
"What do you mean that you thought I would be upset?", Tigress demanded, glaring at the panda that stood before her.
"Well... I... I don't know. It's just that Mei's beautiful... not that you aren't, because you are... I mean, uh, that is to say... I should shut up now.", Po rambled until he silenced himself.
Tigress simply rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, trying to keep her temper under control. She cared about Po, more than anyone else in her life, but there was still times that she would like to smack him. Still, she couldn't help but be amused by his actions, as she found herself touched by Po's confession that he thought that she was beautiful, which for some reason caused her heartbeat to increase ever so slightly. Pushing those and other thoughts aside, Tigress decided to approach Po once again with the subject, while making sure that he knew that she was deadly serious. After all, she might have become extremely close to Po, that didn't mean that she should let him think that she's gone soft.
"Po, I want to talk to you. And it is not about Princess Mei, got it?", Tigress stated once again, her tone deadly serious.
"Okay, I understand. So... what is it that you want to talk about?", Po asked, his curiosity intrigued.
"You have to promise not to tell anyone... not Shifu, not the Five... not anyone. What we talk about here stays with us. Do you understand, Po?", Tigress informed calmly.
"Okay, Tigress. Not a word. I promise.", Po replied, his voice utterly sincere as his jade hued eyes locked onto her own.
"It's about Uatu.", Tigress began, narrowing her eyes as she said his name, as if it were a curse.
"The old gorilla? What about him?", Po questioned in confusion.
"I don't know, but I can't help but feel that I know him. That I've met him before. I've been having these horrific dreams.", Tigress responded, her voice uncertain and confused.
"What are these dreams about?", Po asked gently, resting his paws on her shoulders.
"All I know is that... that in my dreams, there's people running and screaming for their lives... fire and destruction all around.", Tigress answered, a shudder causing her form to tremble ever so slightly at the mere thought of her nightmares.
"Tigress?", Po asked gently, getting no verbal response from the female tiger.
Without warning, Tigress lunged forward and embraced Po affectionately, burying her face into the his neck as her arms grasped him tightly. After his initial shock wore off, Po gently returned Tigress' embrace, allowing his arms to grasp her and pull her close. Po could easily sense things about those around him or those closest to him, and right now, he knew that Tigress needed someone to comfort her.
"It's okay, Tigress. We'll find out together.", Po assured her in a comforting tone of voice.
"Promise?", Tigress asked, her voice nearly as low as a whisper.
"Yes, I promise.", Po answered sincerely, a warm smile making its way onto his face.
The Imperial City
The Palace Dungeon
Placed in unbreakable chains and chi-blocking manacles, Holku rested unmovingly on the cold floor of the underground prison. His thoughts were on his Uncle Uatu and his beloved Princess Mei, hoping that they reached their intended destination where they would be safe from the monster that is his father. It was the sound of heavy footsteps that drawn Holku out of his thoughts, causing him to raise his head and gaze at the being who would dare visit him in this wretched prison.
His expression soon turned to one of hatred and disgust, for the one who had entered the dungeon to visit him was none other than Atum himself. The fiery eyes of the silverback glowed in the darkness, like some demon out of a nightmare, his very presence capable of instilling fear into the bravest of beings. The monstrous gorilla approached his son, a sinister smile revealing long dagger-like upper and lower canine teeth. Atum stopped directly in front of Holku, his fiery eyes looking upon the chained young adult silverback that was his son.
"What do you want, Atum?", Holku growled, narrowing his silver-blue eyes at the monster that stood directly in front of him.
"I wanted to see you, of course. Shouldn't a father care about his son?", Atum questioned.
"You're not my father!", Holku snarled, struggling against his restraints.
"That's still hate in your eyes, isn't it?", Atum questioned, getting no response with the exception of a savage growl from Holku.
"Foolish boy, do you still not understand? These pathetic creatures don't deserve to rule! They don't deserve to live!", Atum shouted, his voice echoing off the walls.
"They deserve to choose for themselves!", Holku roared back in defiance, only to receive a powerful right cross to his face from Atum.
"You dare raise your voice against me, boy?", Atum snarled.
"You better pray to the gods that I never break free, Atum, because once I do... I'm going to tear your ugly face off!", Holku roared, his threat as deadly as death itself.
"Don't worry. Sooner or later, you'll get your chance.", Atum chuckled darkly before turning and walking away, leaving Holku alone once again in the prison.
Author's Notes
It would seem that Tigress recalls meeting Uatu before. But what of her dreams? What does it all mean? I'll guess you readers will have to keep reading and reviewing, won't you? The more reviews I get, the faster I work on getting the next chapter done.