Gahri looked down at the bamboo tray in his hand. In the center of the tray was a cake. The color on the outside of the pastry was an ugly looking brown however it had lumps inside covering it. To the side of the pastry was a cup filled with water and an enclosed note under the cup.

"I'm worried for him Gahri," Gahri looked up at Fung's mom. The thinner crocodile focused on the bags underneath her eyes. "He hasn't spoken to me at all ever since you guys got home. And mind you, it's been a week."

"I know." Gahri's chest stung. His eyes moved to the brown bun on her head.

"And unless for the restroom, he rarely leaves the basement."

"I know…" Gahri's voice was lower this time. He turned away and looked at the door leading to the root cellar.

"It's hard for me to see him like this…" She stopped.

Gahri walked over to the door and placed the tray on a nearby counter. He grabbed the doorknob.

"Can you at least explain to me what happened to my son?" She pleaded, her voice shaking.

Gahri shoved open the door and grabbed the tray. How could he?

"I understand," Her tone was edging on animosity. "So then can you tell me why you brought my son into this? Are you not supposed to be his friend?!" She raised her voice.

"Were you not supposed to be protecting-"

The crocodile slipped through the door and he jetted down the stairs. He heard the light buzzing of the mother's words as he descended downstairs. Thankfully, he couldn't make out what she was saying.

He reached the root cellar door and entered.

Gahri saw Fung; he was in the corner of the room, sitting on his bed. The sheet was on the floor and beside the bed were a pile of notes. It was similar to the one on the bamboo tray.

Gahri walked over to Fung and the leader didn't move.

"Hey, Fung. I brought you your food." Gahri said as he sat on the edge of the bed. He held the tray in front of the crocodile. The leader's eyes finally move and locked onto to the tray.

The thinner crocodile looked over to his friend. His right eye was swollen and his snout was bruised. He was covered in minor cuts and bruises around his body. Most of his chest, similar to the gharial, was wrapped up tightly in bandages.

Gahri looked at his hands. His left hand was wrapped loosely in cloth. His right hand was perfectly fine.

Fung took the plate and grabbed the note from underneath the cup.

Gahri watched Fung as his eyes scrolled through the note. The leader finished reading and tossed the note into a pile of other collected notes.

"Fung I know I've said this before but, your mom is worried." Gahri looked at Fung who was poking at the cake.

No response.

"She would like to talk to you."

Fung still didn't respond.

"Fung please just talk to her." Gahri watched the crocodile take a drink from his cup. He wasn't going to respond.

Gahri looked at Fung's right hand again.

I'm not getting anywhere like this… Gahri would need to try something differently.

"Fung," Gahri began. "Want to go into town?"

Fung looked at him and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Gahri said, faking enthusiasm. The crocodile stood up and gently grabbed Fung by his right-hand wrist. Gahri has shoved away the instant his hand touched Fung's wrist. He tumbled backward and fell right onto his back.

Gahri met Fung's stare; Gahri's friend looked afraid. His eyes were wide and wild. That fear transformed into anger and Fung snarled at Gahri.

"Gaww! Okay, Gary! I'll go just next time don't touch me on the wrist!" Fung said, though his eyes were looking at the door.

"Uhm-I- sure. I didn't think I would hurt you. Thought most of your wounds from the battle had healed." Gahri said and stood up. He moved his hand over his bandaged chest.

Fung grabbed his hat, stood up and went upstairs.

Gahri looked back at the untouched food tray. The gharial shook his head before he looked away and left the room.

Gahri made his way upstairs and left the house. Fung was waiting for him on the porch; he was watching the cloudy gray skies. Gahri leads the way with Fung walking idly behind him.

Gahri and Fung reached the entrance and Gahri noticed the silence. He looked to his left and then to his right, the silence becoming louder. It was uncommon in the Valley.

Gahri looked at Fung; his leader had wrapped his hands around himself.

"Sure is quiet, isn't it Fung? Well, no matter; let's stop by 's noodle shop. Thankfully I found some coins in the forest a day ago." Gahri said.

"Much better than standing around here," Fung said passively.

Gahri nodded and entered with Fung.

A turn down the street and then the two made a right. The alleyway opened up into the Valley's busiest intersection. The thinner crocodile felt a chill move through him when he saw the streets. They were empty.

Not a single person was around. The vendors and carts were empty and the buildings around were locked shut. Gahri walked over to a door and knocked on it.

He waited for someone to respond, but no one answered.

Gahri saw Fung from the corner of his eyes. The leader was looking off into the sky. Gahri followed his friend and he saw the sky starting to turn into a jade green.

"Hey Fung," The leader slowly turned to Gahri. "Maybe everyone is celebrating at the Jade Palace. Just means more noodles for us." Gahri said but he was thinking differently.

Gahri and Fung turn down the street and make a right. They stand in front of the entrance and Gahri frowned. The shop was closed.

Not a chair or table was around and the kitchen entrance was closed off by a wooden wall.

Gahri walked over to the wooden wall, there was a sign attached to the wall. The gharial pulled the sign off the wall and read it.

Dear Customer: I am currently traveling with my son and sadly will not be available until further notice. I know this is upsetting that my shop is closed but my immediate family must come first and I certainly need closure with the incident at my shop. I truly apologize for this inconvenience and when I am back, all noodle specials will come with a side dish…

Gahri's eyes scroll to the very bottom of the page and in fine but small Chinese characters.

Of course for a fee that is! -

Gahri, noticing the arrow, flipped the page to the other side.

PS to Gahri: I apologize for my disappearance without notice. A rather pesky person came into the situation and I need to settle things straight. Thankfully I left the key to the kitchen under the matt as usual. Stay safe and please don't let your friend Fung break anything.

Sincerely,

Your Step-Father

.

Gahri bit the inner walls of his cheeks. This rush of pain and loneliness hit him. He crumpled the paper up and tossed it behind him.

Gahri turned to Fung who was sitting on the floor. He was playing with his fingers.

Gahri walked over to the mat and lifted it up. He grabbed the key from underneath and opened the door. The gharial took a step inside and he exhaled. Maybe a warm meal for him and Fung would calm his nerves.

The smell of seasonings and spices wafted through the air soon after. The sound of water boiling and the crunching of vegetables were soothing. From time to time, Gahri would dart his attention to Fung who was now watching him.

Gahri, after finishing, stepped out of the kitchen with two bowls of noodles, one in each hand. He closed the door behind him using his tail and sauntered over to Fung.

"Something the matter or are you just hungry Fung?" Gahri asked, putting up a smile.

Fung looked at food then at Gahri with a raised brow. "I'm hungry, why else would I be looking at you?"

"I don't know," Gahri said coyly as he sat down with the food and passed a bowl to Fung. "I'm good looking and you might have gotten lost in my good eyes or-"

"Yeah, you keep thinking that while the food you made gets cold," Fung said snickering.

"I should probably just stop talking-"

"But," Fung interjected again. "How do you think I'm gonna eat if I don't have any chopsticks?" Fung asked whimsically.

Gahri paused for a second; his friend was happy.

"See," Gahri chuckled. "That's where you are wrong." Gahri pulled out two sets of chopsticks from his pants pocket.

"Should have expected something dumb like that from you," Fung said lightly.

"Dumb? Says the leader with millions of smart ideas." Gahri said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, then tell me one dumb idea I've had!" Fung responded.

"Oh so remember when you thought it was a good idea to tell Po he was a croc bandit?" Gahri folded his hands into his chest.

"It was kinda smart when we had all that coin in our pockets." Fung said as he spoke with his mouth full.

"Oh okay, so then how about that time with your cousin Lidong, when you thought to get that growth potion?"

"C'mon we could have gotten away with it if it were not for Lidong." Fung said cheekily as he pushed more food into his mouth.

Gahri smiled brightly when he responded.

The conversation that flowed afterward was needed. The two talked. It wasn't about their events with Kai or the future; the two just joked and made mindless chit-chat. For what felt like a century he heard his friend laugh.

Fung slammed his left hand onto the cobblestone floor. He fell onto his back, hollering loudly. He rolled left and right; he didn't seem to have control over his body.

"Y-you okay, down there Fung!" Gahri said, now standing over his laughing friend. The gharial was also trying to hold back laughter.

Fung stilled himself and started to gather his breath.

"Y-Yeah it's just that laughing hurts now…" Fung said.

"Then maybe you should stop and get a drink of water from the kitchen." Gahri said smiling.

"Darn it Gahri," Fung said lightly. "Why should I stop, it's been forever since I felt this good!"

"Well, wouldn't you say that's the understatement of the century Fung?" Gahri walked over to his friend and rested by his side.

"Understatement huh? Trust me Gahri, I wish it was…" Fung said. Gahri watched Fung's stomach rise and fall normally; his breathing was normal again.

Gahri watched the jaded green sky. "I wish we could be doing something more fun instead of being in this situation. Don't you agree Fung?" Gahri asked. The gharial waited for a response but he didn't receive any.

Instead, Fung slammed his fist down on the ground.

"Gawwh! Darn it!" Fung said aloud. "Why doesn't anything go my way?!" Fung shot up from the ground and stomped his feet.

Gahri stood up and looked down at the empty bowl in front of him.

"So far nothing good has happened to me!" Fung yelled.

"Fung just-" Gahri stopped when Fung stared him down.

The gharial coiled his hands close to his chest and his knees weak.

"Just what? Stop?!"

Gahri stood still.

"Well tell me, how do I stop? How do I stop?!" Fung raised both his hands into the air.

"Fung I-I don't what you're talking about." Gahri was at a lost.

"How do I just stop feeling everything?!"

Gahri saw it. The hate in his eyes started to fade and what replaced it was an irrevocable pain. What had happened while Gahri was unconscious that day? What had hurt his friend so much?

"Everything has just been awful! I try and try and try but nothing ever goes my way! I'm always stuck being the loser or failure or nitwit. A-and I just want it to stop…" Fung's voice was beginning to crack and his eyes grew soft.

Gahri was unable to find the right words.

"I want to stop feeling like crude. Kai, that damn yak, reminded me just how awful a guy I was. I ran away from you and I really came back to fight him and not you and I couldn't even do that right. Just look at me."

Gahri looked at Fung; the wounds on Fung's body became clear. Of course, the other crocs had filled him in on what happened but it was so hard to believe that Fung would fight like that. Why would he do it?

"Fung," Gahri took a step closer to his distressed friend. "What happened after I fell unconscious?"

"He beat me to a pulp, broke my right hand, burnt up my left, busted my right eye, and he made me look like a joke. And you wanna know what, I talked about all this crude about protecting you and my friends but… that doesn't matter. If I can't keep you guys safe, what makes you think I even have a chance of making it big?!"

Gahri looked at Fung's right hand. It was perfectly fine.

"But Fung your right hand is fine… what do you mean?"

Fung looked back at Gahri and sighed. The gharial saw his friend start to shake. He wanted to hold his friend and tell him everything would get better but Gahri didn't believe that himself. How could he after he heard his friend break himself down like this? What could he possibly say?

"That's the thing, I think he decided to give me mercy points so he… healed my hand and he left afterward. So the only reason I'm- no we're here is because I can't do anything right. So you know what Gahri I'm gonna change that." Fung said and smiled.

Gahri stared at his friend and a deeply unsettled fear arisen in him once again. Why was Fung smiling?

"Fung don't do anything rash please..." Gahri finally approached his friend and placed his hand on his shoulder.

There's a moment of silence before Fung's smile turns into a goofy grin. That goofy grin turns into Fung laughing.

"Gawwh! Gahri you are the most gullible person I know!" Fung said, continuing to laugh.

Gahri blinked, was his leader serious?

"Gosh, you look like you're about ready to pass out with my dumb made-up sob story. How about you just sit and I'll go get us a drink of water. Whatcha say?" Fung said now smiling.

Gahri nodded and Fung went off into the kitchen.

The gharial looked over the event that had just occurred. While Fung did say he was joking it was all too conspicuous. He would be sure to question his friend when he got back.

Fung, after an unusual amount of time, came back with two cups of water.

"Took you quite some time to get water. You stopped by the restroom or got lost?" Gahri asked as he took the cup.

"Yeah, all of that acting kinda got me all dirty and sweaty. Had to clean me up." Fung said before taking a swig from his cup.

Gahri followed and took a drink from his cup.

"So Fung, what made you want to prank me like that? What made you-" Gahri couldn't push the rest of the words out. Gahri shook violently as he stuttered for air.

He stumbled backward as he struggled to pull in air. His hands loosened instinctively and Gahri dropped the jar and it shattered. The gharial's vision was fading in and out and everything was blurred.

Gahri put a foot forward but a sharp pain shot through his foot and he crashed to the floor. He fell on his side as he helplessly tried to push himself up to stand. As his vision failed he made out the colors of the shattered jar.

"Gahri…" Fung said sadly.

That's Fung… why does he sound like that? Wasn't he… poisoned?

Gahri tried to reach a hand out to his friend but the silhouette looked at him. Shortly after Gahri's hand dropped to the floor and so did his spirit. He understood what had happened.

"And you wonder why I care Gahri?" Fung said his tone mixing both pain and pleasure.

"I was right when I said you were gullible."

Gahri's breathing was erratic and he was still.

"Gawwh, to think you'd believe me so quickly …" Fung sighed.

Gahri's vision had failed him; his eyes finally shut closed.

"That's why I'm doing this Gahri. To protect you guys!" Fung's voice was shaky.

The voice was starting to grow fainter; Gahri was losing himself to darkness.

"So please don't hate me too much for what I'm doing. When I come back, I'll be someone other than a loser. I-I'll be someone who isn't pathetic."

Gahri was still; all of his energy had been drained. He was only holding on using willpower alone.

"And I'll definitely be someone worth your time. So see ya Gahri…"

Just then the world around Gahri swirled into darkness and the gharial succumbed to it.

Gahri sat up slowly, He pressed his hand against his throat; he was sore. The crocodile looked to his left and then to his right.

Gahri went to stand but fell when he put weight on his right leg. He looked down and saw a deep wound on the palm of his foot. It was bleeding. Small drops were located to what looked to be a broken cup.

Gahri stared at the broken cup and then he gasped. Everything came back to him.

He scanned the restaurant and Fung was nowhere to be seen. He locked his attention onto the kitchen. It was wide open

He tried to shoot up from the floor but falls to his knees; he couldn't put pressure on his right foot without shooting pain.

Gahri bit his tongue; he didn't have time to be bogged down by pain. Gahri once again tried to stand up. When he put pressure on his right foot, he bit harder on his tongue. He steadied himself and limped his way forward.

Gahri's heart was racing and his breathing was still shaky. Nevertheless the crocodile made it into the kitchen.

The crocodile scanned the room for any sign of his friend but everything looked untouched.

"Fung!" The crocodile shouted, straining his already weak voice.

Gahri's heavy breathing filled the air.

The crocodile limped his way upstairs and no one was there. Gahri quickly walked down and out onto the street.

"Fung!" Gahri shouted

Wind chimes answered Gahri's call.

Gahri limped down the street in the direction to the Jade Palace. As he walked, Gahri noticed the slivers of paper and rubbish that blew through the wind.

Gahri finally walked onto the open street and is met by Oogway's statue. It had crashed down to the Valley of Peace and the path to the Jade Palace was covered by rubble.

Gahri looked up at the Jade Palace; it was destroyed. It seemed to have been physically destroyed by… someone. The overarching clouds a mixture of gray and green made it clear who it was.

Gahri scanned the area quickly; his heart's pace now faster than ever.

"Fung where are you?!" Gahri said, his yell weaker this time.

The cold wind responded back with a breeze.

Gahri, without hesitation, rushed towards the Jade Palace. He didn't care that the statue was in the way. He would climb it even if he was in a foul state.

"F-Fung this isn't funny!"

The stormy sky rumbled in response.

Gahri approached the rubble and slowly started to climb. He made his way up slowly and steadily trying his best to reduce pain. He had to conserve his energy to find Fung. He had to be somewhere.

Gahri climbed the rubble and when he reached the top he looked back at the Valley behind him.

"Fung I'm serious!"

The rubble below shifted in response.

Gahri ignored the trembling feeling coursing through his body as he attempted to climb down the rubble and towards the Jade Palace. As Gahri went to move, he slipped and smashed right into the concrete floor, legs first.

Gahri let out a gasp but quickly forced himself to stand. He looked up at the stairs leading to the Jade Palace; he never noticed just how long they were until he was the only one walking up to them.

Time passed and Gahri had reached the top. He took one more step and he saw the destruction of the Jade Palace; it was completely unlike anything he had experienced. The Ke-Pa incident could not compare to what he saw.

A shadow of its former self, there was a gaping hole whether the entry would be. The field of entry was littered with torn scrolls and debris. The air around him was thick and scraps of paper fluttered through the sky. Gahri's attention wavers to the streaks of jade green that crossed the floor.

"Fung where are you? This isn't a game!"

Gahri's own heavy breathing filled the air.

Gahri in his frenzy spotted something familiar. On top of the debris was Fung's hat. He quickly limped his way over and grabbed the hat. Gahri looked at the hat and scanned the area once more.

"Fung please say something! Say anything!" Gahri's voice gave out; what was supposed to come out as a shout came out as a plea.

Finally, Fung answered and Gahri understood.

Fung answered with resounding silence.

Fung was gone.