Author's Note: All characters and locations belong to Dreamworks and affiliates. I really enjoy reading all the reviews. I'm blown away with the response not only to the last chapter but the entire story. I appreciate all the love for the story so far. A nice long chapter with some action and my favorite—a cliffhanger. Remember to review!

Chapter Five: Forgiveness

Shifu was getting impatient. He had done his part of the agreement and he had been waiting in this ridiculous forest for over an hour! He had had to ditch over two dozen guards, lied to Viper, and sneak all the way out of the village using technique that would have him beheaded if anyone saw.

And this mysterious person was late!

"Patience, Grandmaster. I've been watching you for an hour to make sure you haven't brought any surprises along the way."

Shifu flipped around in his maroon traveling cloak to find the stranger from the restaurant standing at the tree line. He motioned for Shifu to follow him and the Grandmaster had to quickly rush to catch up to him.

"I would appreciate it if you would tell me where we're going," Shifu called up, trying to maneuver his aging body through thick brush and vegetation.

"HQ, sir, we need to brief you into the master plan. Come along now, everyone's expecting us," the man called over his shoulder. Shifu pushed forward and caught up right behind him as they reached a small stream. The water was stained a tea color and the rocks were jagged and mossy.

Before they could cross, Shifu grabbed the stranger's shoulder and spun him around. The man stood only a few inches shorter than him. He grabbed the back of his hood and pulled it down. "I want some answers before we go back any farther. What's your name?"

Once the hood fell away, Shifu was surprised to see the face of a boy no older than 23 or 24. His tan and olive skin was thick well-toned and he had a head full of dark hair. His chin was hard and the lines on his face were very defined. He was from a Mongolian city, surely, but had a thick and muscular build that was clearly visible under his loose summer clothing.

"My name is Kali, sir. I'm sorry for the secrecy. It's just we've taken great care to remain a secret from Quang and we'd like to keep it before we set the ball in motion. We still have the advantage of surprise on our side. We'd like to keep it that way…"

"We?"

"You'll see soon enough. Let's keep going, we've almost there. We're sort of like a rebellion group, but not exactly. We're working on a plan to set things right, avenge the fallen…"

"I know. I read the sign," Shifu said dryly. "Are you their leader?"

Kali laughed, but it sounded forced. "Yeah right, that's a good one, sir. Nah, I'm higher up in the order, but I really just run errands and train soldiers and organize stuff. You'll meet our leader. You two haven't met, but I'm sure they two of you will get along great."

Shifu was careful as he stepped around the prickles in the leaves and stones in his way. The directions seemed random as they seemed to twist and turn around trees and strange landmarks.

"How many are there of you?"

"We've been training soldiers for the last year and a half as soon as the big war ended, but the security in the villages are getting tighter and tighter. There are twenty or so that live together in HQ, but we've trained a couple hundred. They're no Imperial Army, but they've got spirit. They're stationed all over the villages, waiting for the signal, when we're going to make our move on the city. They're headed by leaders of course, but our close group working on the plan has been about a twenty from the start," he said casually and then held up a hand.

Shifu froze and took in his surroundings. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "Just a moment," he said. Kali turned to his left and ruffled in the dark green bushes and brought out the remnants of a broken mirror.

Puzzled, Shifu watched as he caught the light in the piece of glass and flicked it straight forward two times quickly and then a third after a short paused. This seemed vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't put his finger on where he had heard of the technique.

After a few seconds, there was a single flash of light coming from the direction that Kali had just signal to. Then the entire forest floor lifted up exposing a tunnel light by a series of torches.

"Come along, Grandmaster, and welcome to the Lair of the Phantom."

Stunned, Shifu followed him down the earthy tunnel and stopped at the end. There was nothing to suggest this was even here. It took a lot to impress Shifu, but this was truly clever. There was a dull thud as the hatch closed behind them, cutting off almost all the sunlight.

It took ten paces to reach the end of the tunnel and find a large, thick door. "This is black hawk and I have the flying eagle here for landing preparation. The Sparrow has sent us."

Then there was a clicking of a lock and the door swung open, filling the tunnel with a sweeping sunshine. The sun was now just rising and sky was turning orange and pink like the peach blossoms he so missed from the Jade Palace.

He was surprised to see how much the camp resembled an army base. Large and individual tents, around nine or so, sat a few paces away from each other built out of wood and tarps in a beautiful display of craftsmanship and skill. The almost complete circle was cleared of all trees and vegetation and sat on a clear piece of land. There was a fire pit in the middle of the circular camp as well as a larger tent, closed off at the top of the circle. People were moving around, carrying wood and sharpening weapons around, talking merrily between them. A handful of young men were demonstrating swordsmanship to some younger boys who were struggling to mimic their movements.

To the left was a large structure with several adjourning rooms that led into what looked like a kitchen and an infirmary. Pots and pans glinted in the sun light and seemed to melt in the rising sun light. There was a heavy wind that blew around the raining warding tarps. Trees and other shrubs had been cleared from the area and the backdrop of trees seemed to transform into a slow running, cold stream.

He was clearly impressed.

"Wow," he said and Kali chuckled, amused.

"Like it do you? I'm glad, it was a pain to create, but it definitely has some style. So before we show you the plan, there's someone who's been dying to speak to you."

Curious, Shifu let Kali lead him to a tent towards the fire pit in the center and sitting on one of the wooden benches was a tall, lean man with salt and pepper hair and when he turned around, all Shifu's breath left him.

"Tai Lung."

The man's eyes grew large and he quickly bowed to the man. "Grandmaster—I … " Shifu's mouth hung open and he had no words. For a moment, all was an everlasting silence and then Tai Lung was pulled up from his bow in a flash of movement and he was suddenly being embraced by the older master.

"My son," Shifu's voice was laced with tears. "My son. You're here." Shifu's body shook and Kali smiled behind them with a beaming grin. "You're here!" It was a while before the two broke apart. Shifu whipped away the tears in his eyes, unashamed. Tai Lung still looked bewildered by the act.

"You're … you're not angry at me?"

Shifu reached out and took his wrist, giving him a gentle squeeze, there was a clear joy and agony in his blue eyes, making them stretch on and on. "Tai Lung, I've lost everything I love in the last two years, everything, my students, kung fu, freedom, everything. But you're here. Alive. How could I ever be angry?"

Tai Lung, now 30 years old, looked nothing like the 18 year old boy who had been locked away. His voice had deepened into a gruff of sorts, but he still had that smirky grin and the salt and pepper haircut. He wore his classic purple pants, which made Shifu smile, a little piece of normal for his soul. A white linen shirt moved in the now apparent wind. He had changed, grown, and now fighting for good once again.

Tai gave his father a watery smile and embraced him once more. "I've missed you, Baba."

"As have I, my son, as have I."

"So how did you get here?" Shifu asked, catching up with his long lost son as they moved into one of the tents. Tai and Shifu sat down on some of the pillows on the floors as Kali went to grab a few people to introduce to Shifu.

"I was recruited … sort of …" He gave Shifu a half grin. "We've been cooking up a plan ever since. We were waiting for the right time to make our presence known. We plan on taking the Palace and attempting to restore order."

Shifu nodded. "Kali said that you were training soldiers. I'm not sure civilians can hold their own against what's left of the Imperial Army."

"We know. We have a twofold plan. The civilians won't be exactly, uh, fighting, per say. We've come up with a sort of failsafe incase Plan A doesn't succeed. It's complicated, I guess, but basically, we're going to infiltrate the Palace and either take down Quang or establish control. We're still working on how to get into the Palace undetected. We're going to need a lot of men in there to take down all the guards before the main team can get to the Emperor."

Shifu nodded, following him carefully. "The trick is to get twenty or so people in without being spotted. We're still waiting to find an excuse. All the plans we've come up with so far have major holes in them, but—"

"We're working on it."

Both Tai Lung and Shifu turned to find Kali returning with three men by his side. "Fu! It's been a long time, brotha!"

"Orchir!"

The Master Flying Rhino grinned a toothy grin and embraced the old master, slapping him on the back, none too gently. "How did you get here? I thought you were busy playing the Emperor's trophy."

"Ouch. Thanks for the warm welcome, man." Shifu's heart swelled with joy. "How did you survive the arrow to the back? Last time I saw you, you were unconscious in the medical wing."

"Pure dumb luck, I tell ya. I thought I was a goner for a while there, but something woke me up. I felt this strange clingy feel and all of a sudden I woke up and it had been four weeks and the war was over and everyone was gone."

Shifu blinked and his mind racked for explanations. "That's miraculous, old friend." He shook his head in wonder.

Orchir was about over 6'5. With thick muscles and a bald head, it wasn't hard to step out his way upon sight. He wore his armor with its cracks and all despite the heat. His bright green eyes reminded Shifu of Po's.

"Then I had this dream saying I needed to get up and go north to find—"

"Hello Grandmaster, I'm Bai and this is my twin Dai. We both trained with Master Zhao from Mongolia. He spoke highly of you and your students." A short, stout man cut off Orchir. Shifu shook hands with both men. Both were identical, with a bowl cut of black hair. They were both freckled and dressed in similar shades of forest green. Each had a dagger attached to their leather belts.

"Nice too meet you. Man that has to be confusing."

Everyone laughed and any tension was broken. "Come, old friend, we have much to tell you." Orchir gestured to the seat and everyone sat around in a circle. "The time is almost upon us to end this tirade once and for all."

It was late into the evening before everything was explained and the plan was told. Shifu listened attentively the entire time, taking notes in his head for later reference. "Any questions?"

"How can I help?"

Everyone chuckled knowingly and smiled. "Well, you're presence is obviously going to be missed so you can't stay here, sadly. Keep looking for chances for our people to get into the palace. We still are going to need a point of entry for the revival to begin. When we have news we'll send for you. Look for anything. Notes, signs, whispers, anything that may be from us. We'll find you."

Shifu nodded and adjusted his robes. The tarps did an excellent job of blocking out the summery heat. "I just want to say thank you. Until you stopped our carriage last week, I had all but given up hope. But now … it's invigorating. It's a sense of…" he paused hunting for the right word.

"Hope?"

Shifu nodded his thanks to his son. "Yes, hope. I thought I'd die in that Palace, but there's a sense of something coming now. Thank you for that."

"Now, you know you have to go back and pretend none of this has happened right?"

Shifu nodded. "When will I be able to tell Monkey and Viper? I know they'll want to help…"

"Soon. We'll send for them too. All in good time, my friend," Orchir said, patting his arm. "Now, you'd better get back before you're missed at the Palace and everything looks suspicious."

Shifu nodded and rose with the rest of them. Looking up at the sky as they exited the tent, he judged it was a few hours before nightfall. The sunset was just in its beginning stages and the sky was making a dramatic transformation from light to dark.

Shifu gave his son one last hug and was about to set on his way when Kali called him back. "Grandmaster, we have one more things to share with you. It's about time you met our fearless leader."

Shifu walked briefly back to where the group stood. "Red, come out here for a second, would you?"

Nothing could have prepared him for who walked out of that tent.