Don't Give Up

Ch 7

Shifu sighed as he watched the others train as well as Leah was tree walking.

He saw the second Dragon Warrior watched her friend leap from tree to tree.

"Come on! Try it." She said.

"N-No it's okay. Maybe later." The Dragon Warrior answered.

Po saw her hide behind a rock as the other Masters joined Leah.

"What's up with your friend?

Why is she shy around us?" Viper asked curious along with the others.

"She just needs time to know you guys, okay?

Right now she only talks to is Shifu and Po." She answered.

"And you. She and you are never apart." Tigress told her.

Carley sighed behind the rock overhearing them.

She had the Dragon Scroll with her.

She remembered Po's words.

"There is no secret ingredient, it's just you." Her Master's words echoed in his head.

She sighed looking at the mirror like scroll.

Shifu saw her but smiled sadly.

He had a feeling he'd see her later at night.

"does Po know you have that?" a voice said and the teen tuened around to see Shifu rgwew.

"Umm… sort of. I'll bring it back in a minute." She answered sadly.

He watched her walk off past the Furious Five and Leah who were leaping through trees.

"She's really sad.

I wish rgwew was a way to help her break the ice.

I must talk to Po." He mused as he followed her into the Jade Palace…

Po was in the kitchen making soup as he came in.

"Po can we talk about your student?" he said to him.

"Sure. I'm not too busy." he replied to him.

"She is nervous around Tigress and the others but not around you, me or Leah.

Maybe we should intervene." Shifu told him.

He nodded thinking about it.

"Don't worry I'll think of something." Po replied.

Shifu then sat in the meditation room for a while playing his bamboo flute.

He smiled as the second Dragon Warrior came in. He knew how she loved listening to the music his flute made.

Tigress watched as the teen sat beside him listening to the music.

She seemed at ease.

Later that night Leah and the others saw her join them at the table wearing a black robe with tiny skulls and cross bones on the sash.

Leah smiled at that while the other Masters stared.

"She must be really sad if she's wearing that." Po thought as she took a bowl from him and walked to the table but accidentally tripped.

The others watched as the soup went all over Tigress and the others laughed.

"I-I'm sorry!

I didn't mean to!" Carley said nervously.

Tigress then growled.

"Sorry? Sirry?

Look at me! I'm a mess. Some warrior you are.

You're much worse than Po was when he first came here.

You're a loser! You'll never be strong enough to defeat darkness!

Why do you still stay?

Even Leah agrees with me!" she snapped angrily as she scratched Carley's face.

Po watched as tears fell from his student's eyes.

"I'm sorry. I only wanted to be a friend!" she said leaving the room and slamming the doors.

The others glared at Tigress after that especially Shifu.

He saw her sitting outside the Sacred Peach tree of Heavenly Wisdom.

She was very upset.

She then saw somebody jump onto the ground beside her.

He was wearing a ninja suit.

"Hey Dragon Warrior." he said softly to her. Carley hugged him but broke the embrace.

"What're you doing here? We haven't been together in a while." she said.

"Yeah my wife won't mind because she's busy looking after the kids.

Leah told me that you both moved here. I see you're living with Po and the Furious Five." he replied as he heard somebody come.

"I'd better go. I see you've lost weight." he said.

"So have you Mr S." she replied watching him leave.

She sighed sadly.

It was Po.

He wanted to check up on her after the soup accident.

"You okay after what happened? Tou know Tigress. She's a little rough around the edges sometimes.

Who was that ninja dude you were talking to?" he told her.

"He's a friend of mine and Leah's from far away.

II'm fine about eariler, okay?" she lied.

He could tell she was lying about that.

He sighed walking off. He had a feeling she would be with Shifu later.

But Leah was angry as she faced off against Tigress in a little late night training.

"How dare you say that to her? She was only trying to be nice to you!" Leah yelled as she sent Tigress flying through a wall.

"I don't care! She is never going to defeat anything and she's a Goth chick!

They're freaks!" Tigress replied but Shifu stepped in the middle.

"Stop it! You can kill each other in the morning in training." he said walking off into the infirmary room.

"Now why would he be going there?" Po thought.

Shifu sighed as he came to a bed with somebody inside. It was a red panda woman.

She had brown hair, gren eyes, wore a head band, wore a green gown. He'd saved her from some bandits in the Village eariler.

He was anxious for her to wake up so he could talk to her.

He didn't have to wait long because she began to turn around.

"What's going on?

Where am I?" she asked softly.

"It's okay. You're safe. You're in the Jade Palace." Shifu said gently to her.

"Thanks. My name's Naraka. Who're you?

I've never seen another one like me before." she said to him.

"I'm Master Shifu. I... saved you from bandits. Do... you remember?

What were you doing out there?" he told her.

"I... was looking for a place to call home. Thanks." she replied kissing him.

Shifu blushed at that. He had no idea Po was watching silently.

"Don't try to move, okay? You'll make your wounds worse.

I... don't want you to get worse." he told her. She smiled at that.

Later at midnight while Po and the others were asleep, he sat in the hall way playing his bamboo fute.

He was thinking about what had happened eariler.

He then saw the second Dragon Warrior join him.

"Hey you seem troubled.

Was it because of eariler with the soup? It was sort of funny." he told her.

"Yeah but I feel... like I don't belong with the Furious Five.

I know we don't fit in. I've been thinking about it for a while now.

I thought I would fit in for once, like with the little family you have here but it's not working out so maybe I should just go.

I know Tigress would be happy along with the others." Carley told him.

That shocked him hearing that, that he nearly dropped his flute.

He saw tears in her eyes as she looked away from him. He knew it was hard for her to fit in with life in the Jade Palace.

He then put a hand on her shoulder.

"Please don't do that. It would upset me and Po as well as Leah.

I know you feel this way but they don't know you yet because you're very shy but in time you'll fit in, you'll see.

I know oy was an accident because of... your sight but maybe you should tell them about your sight problems.

That way they might understand." he told her.

"No way! I get treated like a freak back home and I don't want that here too.

I don't wanna be treated differently because of it." she told him.

"Okay. I'm... jusy distracted tonight." he answered.

"Why? I thought Masters never lost their focus." she said to him.

"Come with me." he told her leading her to the infirmary.

Naraka was asleep.

A smile crossed the second Dragon Warrior's face at that.

"She's like you!

You like her, don't you?" she said.

Shifu nodded in reply nervously.

"MMaybe. But you know what happened to the last one I loved so much." he said as they sat in the meditation room.

"Yes I know but that mistake won't happen again.

Everybody deserves love even you.

You hurt more than me sometimes. Maybe being in love with her will make you happy again." she told him.

Shifu thought about that. He really liked Naraka because in the Valley there was nobody like him and it made him lonely.

"You're right. Everybody deserves love, even you and Leah. It's alright.

I know but I won't tell anybody unless you want me to." he answered smiling.

"Thanks. I won't tell anybody about you and Naraka.

I know you don't want the others to know." she told him.

Shifu smiled at that but laughed a little.

"You will fit in. We can be a family. I've always thought of that myself." he told her as they talked and enjoyed the music.

But Zabuki had entered the Jade Palace as Shifu kept playing the flute.

He had made himself unseen to the Furious Five except for the second Dragon Warrior.

"What do you want?

Get out of here before I alert the others!" Carley yelled taking a stance.

Zabuki cackled as he sent her to her feet.

"I don't think so. They don't like you so join me. I'll make you feel like you belong.

What do you say?" he told her.

"Over my dead body!" she answered him.

"I see Tigress and you had a fight eariler from your face.

Besides I'll hurt Naraka if you don't help me!

How would that feel seeing your Master's love destroyed?" he told her as he faded...

Shifu saw worry in her eyes.

"What's up?" he asked her.

She sighed and decided to tell him.

"Zabuki just showed up unseen to you guys but me. He wanted me to help him but I refused." she said.

A sad smile crossed his face.

"Don't worry we'll handle it. I am... proud of you.

Your judgenent wasn't clouded by his darkness." he said.

"Thanks. Nobody's ever said that to me." she told him.

Tigress and the others watched them.

"Looks like they're good together.

I wonder what they're talking about?" Leah said.

Po chuckled as he remembered seeing Shifu getting kissed in the infirmary.

"Oh I might have an idea..." he told them.

The others realised the other Dragon Warrior seemed at ease around Shifu.

In the early sublight of the morning Shifu went to the infirmary where Naraka was.

He'd brought a bowl of noodles with him.

His heart was pounding faster than in training as he saw her wake up.

"Good morning Master." she said to him.

"M-Morning. I-I brought you something to eat.

How're you feeling?" he told her.

She giggled a little at his nerves.

"Arigato Shifu.

I'm feeling a bit better." she replied to him.

His heart jumped as if it were doing a perfect split.

"You okay?" Naraka asked him.

"Y-Yeah just in awe at your... beauty." he answered softly.

He then felt her lips on his cheek.

Something was stirring but it was worth it.

Zabuki cackled watching this.

He knew Love was Shifu's weakness and he would exploit it in battle...