Chapter 7 is DONE. sorry about the wait, but the Christmas Season is in full swing over here and there is simply too much to do! ha ha! But I love it anyway! Thanks for your patience and all the amazing reviews. Enjoy the Read!


Chapter 7

It's never enough

The morning after Po had first arrived at Mr. Ping's door, the goose had tried to think up a way to let the Panda take a bath before taking his Son into the Village. The problem was, nobody made wash tubs big enough for Po, because quite frankly there wasn't anyone in the entire Village who was quite as large as the Giant Panda. But Po came up with a solution easily enough and decided to simply wash up in the river near the village.

It was a little bit of a walk from the noodle shop, but this way, Po was also able to get a feel for his new surroundings. He also chose the river because it offered him a sense of privacy, and he could wash his clothes in the rushing water too. After seeing his Father's reaction to him seeing the scars that painted the Panda's back, Po wasn't about to show the goose some of the other marks he kept covered up on his body anytime soon…especially what the Panda was keeping wrapped up underneath his wrists wrappings these days.

Once Po had found a way to wash up, Mr. Ping immediately closed up the shop and took the Panda shopping for a new wardrobe. After only ever having one pair of Pants to wear at a time for the majority of his life, the thought of Po actually owning multiple articles of clothing seemed like such a crazy idea to him. But his Father was adamant about wanting to get Po anything he needed and so Po just went along with it. The Problem was, Po simply didn't know what all he needed, because he never had anything before…not really.

After Mrs. Yu got over the fact that the Panda who had entered her shop with the old Noodle maker was the same Panda cub from 20 years ago, she quickly did her best at finding anything and everything that Po could like and that could possibly fit the Panda. Which wasn't much to begin with, and even more so when Po simply refused to talk much at all in front of the old goat. Eventually Mr. Ping managed to get Po to tell him that he didn't want to get anything short sleeved, or that didn't go past his knees, which left him with leaving the tailor shop carrying a bag with only 3 pairs of pants, and 4 long sleeved robes varying in color. And although Po objected to them, Mr. Ping also bought the Panda a couple of large vests for the warmer months. Mr. Ping thought it was hardly enough, but to Po it was plenty and so Mr. Ping simply went along with it.

As the two were walking along the village streets, Mr. Ping would show Po the different buildings and what kind of items were sold in them. While Po simply nodded and did his best to remember everything his father was saying to him. But he was a bit distracted by the dozens of eyes that were watching his every move as he moved through the Village with his Dad.

Eventually Mr. Ping noticed Po's anxiousness when the Panda tried lowering his hat to hide his face from the people and decided to finish up their tour as fast as possible. He could tell Po was feeling incredibly uncomfortable being stared at by so many people. The Panda may not have said much, if anything at all. But his body language spoke volumes to the goose, and so he decided it might be best to get the Panda back to the shop as quickly as possible.

As they were walking the streets, Mr. Ping suddenly noticed Po wasn't walking behind him anymore and so he turned to look behind him and saw the Panda standing outside a carpenters store looking into one of the windows. Mr. Ping quickly walked over to see what had captured his son's attention, but after being unable to see what Po was looking at, the goose asked, "What is it Son? Do you see something you like?" Po then pointed over to an object sitting on one of the shelves and asked, "What are those?"

Mr. Ping followed the direction the Panda was pointing and saw that he was pointing to a box that held several different sized knives and a couple of chisels and even a wooden mallet. Mr. Ping thought about it for a moment before saying, "Why…I think that's a wood carving kit of sorts…do you like it?" Po nodded his head and before he knew it, Mr. Ping walked into the store to purchase the kit, despite Po trying to stop him. When he returned, the goose handed Po the wood carving kit and said simply "Here, take it!"

Po just stared at the goose while holding the wood carving kit and asked quietly, "Why would you just buy this? I don't get it." Mr. Ping smiled as he said, "Because you're my son, and because I wanted to. Besides, I have quite a few birthdays to make up for anyway so if you see something you like, just let me know!" Po didn't say anything as he tried to understand the Goose's reasoning. "He just…wanted to? Why?"

But the Panda's thoughts were interrupted by the goose asking, "Is there anything else you wanted other than that little kit Po? Anything at all?" after Po thought about it for a moment, there was something he always wanted, but never got to use. "Well…maybe some…paint?" Although curious as to what Po was wanting to do with the crafting supplies, Mr. Ping quickly walked him over to the nearest paint supplier and allowed Po to pick out as many colors as he wanted along with a few brushes.

Once they were leaving, Po's solemn expression he had worn once they had set out that morning had been replaced with the smallest hint of a smile and Mr. Ping couldn't help but smile as a result. But his smile was wiped away by the Panda's next question directed at him, "Hey Dad…What's a Birthday?"

Mr. Ping looked up sharply as if he couldn't believe what his son had just said, because he honestly couldn't! "What?" the goose asked in utter disbelief. Instantly any trace of Po's smile was wiped away and replaced with a shameful frown, as he realized that he probably had asked a stupid question. "Well…you said something about making up for something called Birthdays before…I don't know what that is."

Mr. Ping simply stared at the Panda and again Po began feeling incredibly stupid. So he tried to amend the situation by saying, "Forget it…I'm so stupid sometimes." And so Po quickly brushed past the goose and started finding his way back to the shop. As Mr. Ping snapped out of his trance he quickly cursed himself for his own foolishness.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Po had next to no understanding of things that Mr. Ping and quite frankly anybody else would just happen to know because of growing up learning such traditions. But Mr. Ping was still forgetting that Po however didn't grow up normally, and that there were probably a lot of things the Panda might not know simply because he might never had been taught.

Mr. Ping had so many questions about his Son and his past, but he knew that if he pushed the Panda too hard with his own questions that he might just end up pushing Po away altogether. After only just getting Po back after 20 years, Mr. Ping decided that he was able to wait for Po to open up to him and tell him about his past if and when he was ever ready to.

Mr. Ping quickly ran to catch up to the Panda and found that the Panda had created a considerable distance in such a short amount of time. Mr. Ping seemed to forget relatively quickly just how strong or fast Po really was underneath his robe. As Mr. Ping approached the Panda he carefully placed a wing on the Panda's back.

Instantly Po's eyes widened and he froze, dropping the bags he was carrying in the process. Remembering what he had seen the night before; Mr. Ping quickly withdrew his wing and apologized profusely, "Po I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to…What I meant was…I…I didn't think." Po slowly regained his senses and looked around; noticing all of the eyes that were now trained on the two and so Po quickly picked up the bags and begged, "Can we please go back now? Please? I don't want to be out here anymore." Mr. Ping's face fell as he said, "Of course my son…Of course. The shop is just up the street." and so the two made their way back to the shop. All the while Mr. Ping was thinking to himself,

"We have a long way to go."

One month later…

High atop the Mountain that stood over the Vibrant Village within the Valley of Peace, sat a magnificent Palace known to all as the Jade Palace. It was here that some of China's greatest warriors resided within its walls, training day after day to better themselves so that they might better protect the Valley of Peace from any signs of danger.

All was quiet today as the Grandmaster of the Jade Palace walked the Palace grounds as he did most every morning. He had not slept well in weeks, and he could feel that his students were beginning to take notice. Yet there was little the great Master could do. The dreams had been coming to him ever so frequently these days, and he could not help but feel that they were meant as some sort of warning…but which part was the Danger?

Was it the Return of the Panda who's life Oogway had surely destroyed all those years ago? Or perhaps the ultimate clash he dreamt of between Master Tigress and said Panda? And then there was this mysterious hooded figure. Who were they and how did it all tie in with the Panda?

"I must find the answers to these questions at once. Perhaps some time under the Peach tree would be beneficial to me."

As the old turtle made his way over to the Peach tree, he could not help but notice the sounds of the Students training within the training Hall a ways off to his right. He smiled at the sounds of the Furious Five working so hard, yet his smile quickly vanished once he heard his own pupil shouting at them yet again, correcting the slightest error he might be able to find.

Oogway sighed heavily. Shifu had changed so much ever since the departure of Master Tai Lung. At first Oogway would often catch his prized pupil waiting for the snow leopard to climb the thousand steps. But after a year of waiting for his Son to return, it had appeared that Shifu had given up on his Son ever returning to the Palace and so as a result he had become increasingly distant. Oogway could not help but feel a small part of the Red Panda blamed Oogway for his Son's departure, and to be honest Oogway understood his feelings if he actually had them. Yet the Red Panda remained the loyal and dedicated student he always had been, never once leaving the Palace to chase after his son.

As Oogway continued making his way over to the Peach tree, he was instantly plagued by a sudden jolt, as he clutched his head and leaned on his staff. "Again!?" Oogway wondered to himself as he recovered from the onslaught. The Universe had been warning him about something…something big. Yet it was strange, the Universe had not tried to present a warning to Oogway like this since…!

Oogway suddenly froze as he thought of the possibility. "Could it be…after all this time…could the Panda be coming back?" it was clear due to his recent dreams that the Universe had shown him the Panda was alive…did this sudden warning mean that Oogway needed to take action once again? If so, then what kind of action?

Suddenly the doors to the Training hall burst open and Oogway watched as his pupil leaped down the steps landing in the center of the sparing arena outside the great Hall on his right foot, his left bent ever so slightly as he twirled his cane around and glared into the training hall.

Instantly, five forms leaped into the air coming from the training hall after the Red Panda and began to surround the Master, as they each entered a fighting stance, ready to strike at a seconds notice. There was a Mantis, a Viper, a Monkey, a Crane and a Tigress. Each all ready to strike.

For seconds nobody moved, nobody breathed, everyone was completely motionless as if they were all statues. Then there was a low snarl heard from the Tiger warrior, signaling the attack to begin.

The Mantis struck first attacking from the rear, trying to strike at the red Panda's upper back with a mighty kick. Yet Shifu effortlessly spun around using his cane to swipe the Mantis off to the right. The Mantis recovered and tried to rush the Master a second time, using his claw to try and strike one of the Red Panda's nerve points to paralyze him. Yet this also ended in failure, for Shifu caught the bug's claw in between two fingers and immediately tossed the bug into the air, followed by a swift swing of his cane sending the Mantis into the slithering Viper, who quickly swerved out of the way and avoided her comrade. With a loud hiss, the Viper lashed out with her deadly tail multiple times at the Red Panda, forcing him to dodge and maneuver successfully through each attack.

After the fourth strike, Shifu held up his cane at the incoming tail, and it instantly wrapped around the small stick, allowing the red Panda to pull the Viper in close. As the Viper approached, the Master simply pushed off the ground with his left hand and delivered three powerful kicks to the Viper's chin following with a powerful thrust to the snake's midsection, thus sending her flying back into the air. Fortunately though the Mantis had recovered and had managed to leap into the air to stop her momentum enough to keep the snake from crashing into a nearby wall.

Shifu's ears twitched as he realized the three other opponents had managed to vanish during his confrontation with the snake and the mantis. Yet it twitched a second time when he heard the brief sound of a single flapping of a pair of wings.

Looking up, he was just able to make out the smallest outline of a figure flying in from the sky. Although impressed that the warrior tried using the sun to hide his approach from the Master, it was all but a useless tactic for one who could hear as well as the Red Panda. As the flier neared, Shifu twirled his cane only to catch out of the corner of his eye the approach of the Monkey student running on all fours. "A team attack hmm?" the Red Panda thought as he realized the strategy. "No matter."

The Crane was first to reach the Red Panda, trying to knock the Master off balance using his massive wingspan. While Shifu was distracted, the Monkey leaped up behind the Master and tried attacking from behind. Once he neared Shifu though, the Red Panda's ear twitched a third time as he heard the Monkey leap and briefly saw the Monkey enter a high jump kick. Shifu quickly back flipped over the incoming Warrior and was just able to see the brief shock on the student's face, as he realized he had missed. The Monkey instantly collided with the Crane and the two tumbled into a heap a few feet away with a low groan.

"And then there was one…" Shifu thought to himself as he straightened up and scanned the surrounding area. He saw his four students all getting to their feet and standing at attention as they waited for their comrade to appear. Shifu scanned the skies, and the nearby trees. He scanned the bushes and the gardens, yet he could not see his final student and he also could not hear anyone's approach. "She has improved greatly with her stealth." Shifu noted as he waited for the remaining student to attack.

High above the arena, crouched lowly onto the roof of the Training hall, The Tiger Master was lying in wait, looking for the perfect opportunity to strike. Yet her eyes were now trained on the Monkey as she waited for him to make the distraction. The Money then removed a stone from tucked away in his Sash, and tossed it quickly into the bushes, causing a light rustle to sound, making the Red Panda's ears twitch as his head snapped into the direction of the rustle. The instant the Monkey had thrown the stone, the Tiger leaped off of the roof in timing with the stone so that the noise of it landing would match up with the sounds of her claws pushing off the roof and she hurled towards the Red Panda.

Shifu realized all too late that is was all a ruse, and as he turned around abruptly, he was met with none other than the focused and determined face of Master Tigress hurling towards him. The instant she landed, Tigress struck out with her fist, forcing Shifu to block while she followed up with a low sweep kick, trying knock him off balance going for his right leg. Shifu managed to jump up and avoid the kick though as he delivered a powerful spin kick which Tigress blocked crossing her arms together in front of her face, yet the sheer force of Shifu's kick was enough to send her sliding back a few yards yet she did not fall.

As Shifu landed, he eyed his most accomplished student with wary eyes, as the two slowly entered their own fighting stances. For a moment, neither combatant moved, their eyes trained on the opponent before them. How many times had the two sparred over the years? Tigress had no idea. Yet each and every single time Tigress would strive to surpass her Master and best him in a single match. To prove she was worth his time. To prove she would not fail him. To prove, that she still held onto that same dream she had ever since coming to the Jade Palace from that god forsaken orphanage. To prove that after 20 years, she had not given up on the dream she shared with her brother.

Instantly the Tiger charged, as did the Red Panda and the two met in the center of the sparing ring as they clashed! Tigress went high and tried to deliver a drop kick, yet Shifu easily sidestepped and was about to leap high and launch another spin kick at the Tiger, yet Tigress followed through with her drop kick and dropped down onto all fours as she continued using her momentum and launched a low sweep kick actually managing to knock Shifu off his feet and onto his back!

The other warriors gasped at the sight of their Master actually falling, but Tigress refused to let up as she leaped into the air and angled herself into a dive with her fists out stretched, ready to finish Shifu off! But as she neared, just before she made contact, Shifu rolled backwards and Tigress's fists met nothing but solid earth, causing a shallow imprint being made in the sparing arena.

Normally such force would have rendered a warrior's fists to become useless, yet Shifu knew Tigress was anything but hurt and so, without even skipping a beat, Shifu launched himself at Tigress, grabbing his cane in the process, as he delivered a powerful strike across her face, followed by an even mightier kick to her chest this sending her flying backwards into the air, and sliding onto the ground.

Tigress tried to get up, but was instantly met with Shifu's cane hovering over her face, signaling her defeat. She had lost…again. Shifu stood over Tigress with a blank expression as he stared down at his pupil as she attempted to catch her breath. Shifu removed his cane and instantly Tigress was up on her feet and rushing over to stand alongside her comrades, her posture being perfection itself as they all waited for Shifu's evaluation on their performance. Yet nobody expected much.

As Shifu stepped forward, all five students placed a fist in their palms and bowed respectfully as Shifu spat at them all. "Mantis! You must time your attacks more precisely, I could easily tell what you were about to attempt the instant you started coming for me! Show patience and wait for the precise moment to strike!"

Mantis bowed as he said, "Yes Master Shifu." Shifu then turned to Viper and said just as harshly, "Viper, your moves though deadly and lithe are not without flaws! Attacking the same way multiple times like that, it was no wonder I was able to counter so quickly! You must also work on your aerial recovery, had it not been for Master Mantis, no doubt you would have been rather seriously injured."

Viper bowed before whispering, "Yes Master." Shifu then turned to both Crane and Monkey who both gulped in nervousness. Tigress could not help but get annoyed by their cowardice as her tail twitched in annoyance. "Masters Crane and Monkey…although I must say I was impressed by your determination to stop me together I was perhaps more disgusted by the lack of fluidity between your teamwork!" both Crane and Monkey flinched as Shifu spat, "If you are going to work together to take down an opponent, you must have a formation, a plan of action, a routine! You two just came at me with no focus whatsoever! You Monkey blindly attacked me from behind completely ignoring the fact that Master Crane was trying to keep my attention in front of me! Had you succeeded in that kick, you may have indeed wounded me, but you would have also wounded your comrade! You both will work on this this afternoon until I see drastic improvement! Am I understood!?" both Monkey and Crane bowed even lower before saying in unison, "Yes Master Shifu!"

Shifu then walked over to stand before Tigress, who was looking down at him eagerly waiting to hear what she needed to improve on, though her face was as cold and hard as stone. Shifu stared at Tigress for a moment before his eyes narrowed briefly as he said, "Master Tigress…although your performance was indeed head and shoulders above that of your comrades, you are still not without your flaws." Tigress's ear twitched yet her face remained that of stone as Shifu went on, "Your power and strength have grown more still. Had you succeeded in your Dive attack, I no doubt would have been defeated. Your timing for jumping off the roof to the training hall with Monkey throwing the stone was perfect, yet when in combat you showed weakness in going for my right leg only! Had you gone for my left more quickly, you may have been successful in besting me at that moment!"

Tigress then did something nobody expected, not even Shifu , as she raised her head up and asked a question, "But Master…would that not have been dishonorable? To attack an injured leg knowing full well that it is indeed…hurt…is that not wrong?" Shifu merely glared at Tigress forcing her to look down and say, "Forgive me Master…I interrupted you…I am…sorry." Shifu then spat as he continued, "Never hesitate to take down your opponent! The minute you do, it's all over and you have lost! You hesitated to strike my left leg and in that instant I had already won!" Tigress bowed as she said, "Yes Master,"

Shifu then turned to address his remaining students once more, "That is all for the morning, we will resume our training this afternoon in the training hall. Until then you are dismissed." All of his students bowed again and said in unison, "Thank you Master!" while Shifu slowly made his way over to the Hall of Heroes.


Master Oogway sighed at his pupil's harshness to the students. Though, the turtle supposed that in a way it was his own doing. Tai Lung had left the Palace after being denied the Dragon Scroll, and as a result Shifu had become increasingly distant. Although Oogway missed his friend's old personality, he knew Shifu was not the only one who suffered at Tai Lung's departure. The old Turtle turned his attention to Master Tigress who was standing in the middle of the arena staring at the ground, no doubt replaying every single word Shifu said to her over and over again in her mind, focusing on the things she needed to improve on most.

Oogway knew the Tiger pushed herself to her limits and beyond each and every day for the Red Panda who adopted her, yet not once had Shifu showed any signs of acknowledgement or pride in his student no matter how hard she tried. With a heavy sigh Oogway returned to making his way over to his favorite meditation spot. The Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. "I must determine the meaning behind the Universe's message, yet I cannot shake the feeling that Master Tigress is somehow connected to it in a way…I must meditate." And with that, Master Oogway continued along the path to the great tree.


Once Shifu had left and was out of earshot, Mantis was the first to say, "Well that was just brutal." Monkey, Crane and Viper all nodded in agreement while Monkey added, "No kidding and I thought we all did pretty good too." But it was Crane who said, "Doesn't matter what we think, Master Shifu clearly outmatched us all once again."

Viper then slithered forward as she noted, "True, but was it me, or was he being rather excessively ruthless today?" All four students seemed to agree in silence and for a moment nobody said a word. After a moment Mantis then spoke up trying to lighten the mood. "So hey! We've got a little time to kill before the Master kicks our butts again, how about we all go down to the village for some food!?"

Monkey was the first to answer, "Fine by me. You know that old Noodle shop with the Goose on the sign?" Viper then hissed, "You mean that dump? Monkey you can't be serious, the place looks like it hasn't been properly cleaned in years!" Crane then added, "I'm with Viper on this, I mean come on Monkey, the place is a…well…dump." he finished, unable to think of a better description for the establishment.

Monkey then said, "No really! I saw the place the other day and I'm telling you the owner's really fixed it up nice. I think he might finally have some help down there now. Come on, what's the harm?" Mantis then spoke up saying, "Uh…we die of food poisoning?" Monkey then turned to face Tigress who still had her back to the group and asked, "What about you Tigress?"

Tigress then straightened up at the mention of her name and turned to face her comrades, her face blank and emotionless as she said in a dry tone, "No…I have training to do. There is much that I need to improve on." Monkey was about to protest when Tigress snapped, "And you all should do the same! Our performance was pitiful today. If you have time to argue about what to do for lunch then you have time to train!" And with that, Tigress began making her way over to the training hall at a brisk pace.

Mantis then said after she slammed the doors shut, "You know, she really needs to lighten up a bit. It's always training, training, and more training with that one." Viper then hushed at the Mantis saying, "Mantis, that's enough! Tigress is an incredible warrior and she did not become so by eating dirty noodles! I'm staying at the palace. Maybe I can fix something up in the kitchen for lunch." Instantly all three males swallowed lumps inn their throats. Viper was an incredibly kind hearted individual most times and although it was sweet of her to offer to make lunch, the Warriors all knew she was a terrible cook.

Crane then stepped up to her saying, "Maybe I'll make lunch today huh Viper?" Viper looked up slightly confused but simply agreed saying, "Well if you want to, I suppose that's okay." Both Monkey and Mantis heaved a sigh of relief as the four slowly made their way over to the kitchen.


Meanwhile, Tigress remained inside the training hall, striking out against the Wooden Warriors relentlessly, as Shifu's words echoed over and over again in her mind. "Never hesitate to take down your opponent! The minute you do, it's all over and you have lost! You hesitated to strike my left leg and in that instant, I had already won!" Tigress roared as she struck out with both her palms and shattered the Wooden Warrior before her, dropping to her knees in frustration, as she slammed her fist into the ground. "It's never enough…I train…and I train…and I train still, pushing myself to my limits and beyond them…and it's never enough."

As Tigress stood up she began making her way over to the swinging clubs of oblivion. As she readied herself, Tigress then snarled, "But I won't stop…Not until I reach my goal…OUR goal…brother." And with that, Tigress charged and began racing past the swinging clubs with such fluidity and such grace that she could rival Crane in that moment.

While Tigress continued to train, she was unaware of the pair of blue eyes watching her from the ceiling rafters. As Shifu watched his student train his face was completely blank. He had heard Tigress talking to herself right then, and although he did not know what her goal was, he knew exactly who she shared it with…Tai Lung.

As Shifu continued to watch from his hiding spot the faintest hint of a smile graced his face for a brief moment, but was gone immediately when the doors to the Training hall opened up to reveal Master Crane flying in saying, "Tigress, Lunch is ready. Come on, even you have to eat something before this afternoon."

Tigress sighed before nodding and began to exit the training hall with her comrade, while asking, "Who was in charge of cooking today?" while Shifu could just barely make out Crane saying he did as the two left, leaving Shifu all alone in the Training hall, blanketed by the shadows once again.


And that is Chapter 7. if you hadn't guessed, Po's wrists and the reason he keeps them covered up are going to play a big part in how he reveals his past to anyone. I had not put it into the story before because you will find out when Po finally comes clean about his past. Also, Despite not having to have battled Tai Lung in the Past, Shifu still has a bad leg. how he received it, I also have covered and it will be revealed in time. I know some of you were going to catch that and I just wanted to assure you all I have a plan for that. Thanks for reading and remember...

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