Chapter 7 is done and ready to read. Thanks for all the great reviews and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

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Chapter 7

What Do You Mean Wait!?

The three of them all stood there motionless, auras flaring as Po held Tigress and Nightshade firmly in his grasp. All that stood between Nightshade and the rage of Master Tigress was the Dragon Warrior, as he continued to stare into Nightshade's eyes, his own unflinching as he looked over the situation. "Why is Nightshade here? And…why is he still using Hei'an's Darkness? I thought he forgot everything about himself." Gladir then chimed in as he observed the wolf who formerly served his older brother, through the Panda's eyes. "It's impossible to say for certain, but it would appear that some of Hei'an's power has remained with Nightshade, even after my Brother was vanquished by you and Tigress…most interesting. As for his memory, it's possible that he did recover it over time. After all it's been over five months since last you three clashed. I doubt he was faking the amnesia back in the cavern." Gladir then thought to himself privately, "But it's strange…I could have sworn I sensed my brother for a brief moment. Just for an instant. But the minute Po stepped in, the feeling was gone. What does it mean?"

Tigress was the first to speak "Po! What are you doing? If we don't do something, he's going to-" But Po's grip on her wrist tightened a bit, silencing her, as he said to her while not taking his eyes off of Nightshade, "Just wait a minute Tigress…there's something I need to know first." Tigress then shouted "Wait!? What do you mean wait!? He attacked our Master, our friends! He destroyed the palace gate! And you want us to wait!?" Po nodded his head as he answered "Yes…do you trust me?" at this Po's eyes darted back to Tigress briefly as she looked him in the eye. After a moment, Tigress relaxed a bit and nodded saying "I trust you Po…but I won't let him touch you…understand?" Po nodded, as he released his fiancé, turning his full attention back on Nightshade as he stared into his still purple eyes. The other Masters were watching closely, ready to jump in in case they needed too. As Po's and Nightshade's aura's continued to glow. Tigress however decided to trust in Po, and relinquished her flame as she took a step back.

Po watched as Nightshade's breathing slowly returned to normal, and his eyes became less feral. Gladir then said to Po, "He had lost control while fighting Tigress just then…but somehow, seeing you managed to bring him back to his senses. But you must careful Po. We have no idea what his purpose is or his intentions." Po nodded as he asked Nightshade, while still gripping his wrist, with Nightshade's paw still holding the black flames, "Do you remember me, Nightshade?" Nightshade was quiet for a moment but nodded his head saying "Yes…Dragon Warrior. I remember you." The Five were now confused at Po's question, but remained silent as they watched the wolf closely. Po then asked, his eyes still narrowed "And do you remember what happened in the caves?" Nightshade responded quicker this time, as his head began to clear, "Yes. I remember everything…all of it." Po nodded as he asked "Then why are you here Nightshade? Why come back now? Are you here to kill me and Tigress…to avenge Hei'an?" Nightshade then shook his head furiously as he said pleadingly, "No! Dragon Warrior, I swear I come in peace. I come to you begging for your council!" Po raised an eyebrow at that, "He wants… my council?" Mantis then whispered down to Crane from the top of the Avian's hat, "He wants Po's advice? Are we sure the end of the world isn't actually today?" But Viper shushed the insect, as Shifu continued to watch the wolf closely.

Po then stared at Nightshade as he took a step closer saying sternly, "Then prove it… stop using those powers, and show me the true color of your eyes, the eyes that only I have seen before." Tigress's eyes widened as she wondered "What are you talking about Po? When have you seen the true color of his eyes?" Nightshade's eyes widened as he realized he was still holding the black flames. Quickly Nightshade distinguished the fires and closed his eyes. In seconds his purple aura diminished completely, and when he opened his eyes, they were now a bright blue. Po smiled as he said, "That's better." as he released Nightshade from his grip and took a step back towards Tigress who was watching Nightshade like a hawk, her claws though no longer on fire, were still unsheathed, as Po released the aura of the Heroes Chi.

Po then asked "You want my council? Wow, don't get too many people asking for that. Why?" as Po folded his arms while Nightshade took a step forward earning a growl from Tigress who now stood before the panda ready to strike, as she shouted at Nightshade. "The Dragon Warrior may be willing to hear you out. But if you take one more step I will tear you to shreds Nightshade!" She had not forgiven him for his past actions, nor did she plan to. Immediately Nightshade took that step back as Po placed a hand on Tigress's shoulder saying "It's alright Tigress, let's just hear him out. He wouldn't come to the Jade Palace without a good reason." At this, Po looked over at Nightshade seriously, "Right?" Nightshade nodded his head as he answered "That's right…like I said before, I need the Dragon Warrior's help." A low growl left Tigress's maw, but she respected Po's decision for now, and sheathed her claws. She did not however, remove herself from in front of Po.

Po then asked as he returned his attention to Nightshade, "What kind of help exactly Nightshade?" Nightshade then took a breath and explained, "I am…being hunted, Dragon Warrior." Po, and now Tigress, both raised an eyebrow at that. But it was Viper who spat venomously "No surprise there! You tried to help bring about the end of our world Nightshade! It's no wonder people would want to hold you accountable for your actions!" The other Masters all nodded their heads except for Shifu, as he noticed Nightshade was now looking back at the Dragon Warrior, who was now once again serious, as the two continued to stare at each other. "What are they thinking about…do they know something?" Nightshade then replied though a bit sadly "Believe me Master…Viper, if I'm not mistaken. I am well aware of my crimes, and I am ashamed for the part I played in what has already happened. But it is not civilians seeking justice that wish to have me captured. It is much more serious than that. If that was the case, then I would not be standing here before the Dragon Warrior today." Nightshade then returned his full attention to the Dragon Warrior who was waiting patiently. "The person who is hunting me, isn't after my life…but is after what I carry inside me." Po and Tigress were both now curious as they waited for Nightshade to continue. "What they want…Dragon Warrior…is the last surviving remnants of Hei'an's Darkness, that have survived within me." Everyone's eyes shot open in shock. Even Shifu was mildly surprised.

All eyes were now trained on Po, as he appeared to be thinking about something. "Someone's after the Darkness within Nightshade?" Po thought as Gladir responded "That's what he said…But I'm curious to hear more about this mysterious person, and how they plan on taking the Darkness from Nightshade. If that were to happen, it would be a catastrophe to have my brother's power in the wrong hands. Not that I am certain that Nightshade's are the appropriate ones either." Po nodded absently, which Nightshade noticed and thought it was a bit odd, but didn't say anything. Po then asked "Tell us about the guy who's after you Nightshade." Po could feel the frustration emitting from Tigress as she looked over at him. She was clearly getting frustrated with Po, allowing this wolf to speak with him, and refusing to allow her to take him down. But after Po flashed her a quick smile, she released a breath and returned her attention to the wolf, as Nightshade told them.

"He calls himself Drizen, he's a raven, and somehow he managed to track me down a week ago to the village that I have called home for the past 5 months." Po then asked as he was focused on Nightshade "So you've been living peacefully in a village all this time?" Nightshade nodded as he said "Yes Dragon Warrior. After I made my way out of the caves, I couldn't remember anything about myself except for my name. In time, I managed to wander into a remote village to the northwest of here. I got a job at a tea shop, had a roof over my head, and was living a quiet life, nothing wonderful, but it was a fresh start…Right up until Drizen showed up." Nightshade then looked down at the ground for a moment before he took a breath and continued. "Drizen…he's not just a normal thug…he has power Dragon Warrior…Dark Power." Everyone once again was surprised but waited for Nightshade to continue. "He came into the shop, and I don't know how but he was able to hold my friend up against a wall without even touching him." Shifu then thought to himself at that moment "This is beginning to sound like Dark Magic…if that's the case then this IS bad."

Nightshade then continued on "We fought…and for the first time since leaving the caves…I had to rely on the Dark powers I possess…I managed to take him down briefly, but I wasn't able to really stop him. it's like nothing I did could hurt him." Tigress then spat "Wait, you expect us to believe that after breaking into our Palace, and fighting us all off, that you haven't been using Hei'an's darkness all this time until recently? Sorry, but if you ask me, you probably just drew too much attention to yourself." Nightshade then turned to Tigress saying, "Whether you believe me or not Master Tigress, is up to you. But I have not come here to convince YOU of my intentions. I came here seeking HIS help." as Nightshade returned his attention to the Panda who was still watching him closely. Tigress growled but let it slide. Nightshade then went on, "I have done my hardest to keep my powers in check, trying to make sure I never hurt people ever again…because of you Dragon Warrior. You spared my life, and I never wanted to take that for granted."

At that there was a group gasp, followed by a shocked silence, as everyone, including Tigress now turned and looked at Po who was now glaring at Nightshade, who then just realized his mistake. "Oh no...He never told them about him sparing me! What have I done!?" Tigress was the first to ask in disbelief "You…let him go?" Po looked at her briefly then back at Nightshade as he continued to glare at the wolf. Nightshade then tried to speak saying, "Dragon Warrior…I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" "SHUT UP!" Tigress roared, silencing the wolf, as she returned her attention back to the panda, as she turned around facing him completely. "You let HIM go free!?" Tigress asked again as Po looked her in the eye. Everyone was now focused on Po right then. They couldn't believe what they were hearing at the moment. And after a minute of silence, Po finally said "Yes…I let Nightshade go that day." No one said a word as Po continued to stare at Tigress. Tigress was having so many emotions right then, she was angry at Po, she was confused, and worst of all though she was hurt. Hurt that he never told her about this. That she had to learn from Nightshade of all people, the one who tried to kill her panda, that Po had actually let him go. Shifu then stepped forward trying his hardest to hide his displeasure at the Panda. Though he knew Po had to have his reasons, they had better be good. "Please explain yourself, Dragon Warrior."

Po was thinking as Gladir offered "Would you like me to tell them?" But Po shook his head no. Tigress saw this but had learned by now how to tell whether Po was now talking with them or with Gladir, and so waited patiently. Nightshade however was still at a loss with the Dragon Warrior's strange body language. "No…they need to hear it from me. And Nightshade needs to hear it too." As Po took a breath and said. "The reason that I let Nightshade go back in the caves…was because I believed he was just as much a victim of Hei'an's Darkness as we all were, if not more." Po then turned to see the eyes of his friends and Master all looking at him. Though they were clearly frustrated, they nonetheless waited for him to continue. "After Tigress and I came to after stopping Hei'an, I went and found Nightshade. When I approached him, he was…different, then from when we fought." It was at this time, that Po returned his attention to Nightshade and continued. "He had no idea where he was, or how he got there. All he could remember was his name. Gladir said that Hei'an's Darkness might have had an effect on Nightshade. That because he was consumed by so much Darkness, that he was no longer acting on his own will. That he was being manipulated by Hei'an from the very beginning."

Po then turned his attention to Shifu, as the red panda was listening intently. "I may not know for sure if that's what really was going on…or if Nightshade was just playing me for a fool…But…I couldn't live with myself if he were imprisoned, or even worse, for something he didn't really do. So…I untied him…and I let him go. And that's what happened." As Po finished he looked back at Nightshade as Shifu stated "Po…I understand your feelings towards holding someone accountable for actions beyond their control…but you should not have done so without consulting me or the others first." Po then said as he continued to stare at Nightshade. "I made a choice Master. To have a terrified soul locked away forever with no idea why…or to give a victim a second chance; a chance to be a better person." No one said a word as Po finally asked "So Nightshade…was I right in my decision…or was I just the fool after all?"

Nightshade shook his head no saying "Dragon Warrior, there isn't a day that goes by that I am not grateful to your mercy. And there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think that I deserve it. But it is because of your mercy, that I have done my best to remain hidden from the world, so that the Darkness wouldn't be used to hurt anyone ever again. But now Drizen is after me and I am desperate! I don't know what to do, and I have absolutely no one else to turn to." As Nightshade then dropped to his knees he then bowed to the Dragon Warrior's feet pleading, as he now received many shocked looks from all of the Master's, including Po and Tigress. "Please Dragon Warrior! Please help me! I beg of you!" Po was just able to make out a few tears falling to the ground beneath Nightshade, as he stared at the wolf in complete shock. Nightshade had just thrown himself at his feet and was now crying, begging for his help.

Tigress was also a bit rattled as she was trying to figure out what Nightshade's game was, when Po spoke just then, "Master Shifu, Tigress, would you two please come with me for a minute?" all of the Masters, as well as Nightshade looked over to Po as he began to walk over to the barracks. Tigress immediately was at his side as she walked between him and Nightshade, as Shifu nodded and followed Po. Once Po reached Nightshade who was looking up with a pleading expression Po stopped and said, "Stay here…And don't move." Nightshade nodded his head as Po addressed his friends saying "Keep an eye on him. I don't think he'll do anything, but if he does…stop him." his friends nodded as Po returned his attention to Nightshade saying to the wolf "I swear Nightshade…if anything happens to my friends, I won't stop Tigress from stopping you." Nightshade nodded his head in understanding as Po continued to make his way over to the barracks, with Tigress and Shifu following him closely, Tigress constantly looking over her shoulder at the wolf as she watched the other Masters stand at the ready in case he tried anything.

In the Barracks…

Soon Po, Tigress, and Master Shifu were standing in Po's room, as Po was staring at his Trophy shelf at the one end of his room, while Shifu stood behind the panda near his bed and Tigress was leaning alongside the doorway, her arms crossed as she too was watching the Panda. Po was staring at four objects lined along the trophy shelf. One was the Dragon Scroll, the second, a Panda doll from the village he was born in. Not really a trophy per say, but it still held great value to the panda. Next to that was the green scroll Shifu had given him almost a year ago now, with a tree insignia on the front of it. And next to that was his greatest trophy of all, The Emperor's Crest, given to him by the Emperor of China himself, alongside Tigress who had an identical one in her own room. After staring at these objects for a long time, Po said finally after staring at his reflection in the medallion, "I want to help him."

Shifu wasn't all that surprised by Po's decision, that's just the way Po was. Be it helping a villager with a cart, or in this case a onetime enemy, Po always wanted to do what he could for the people. Tigress however was not so understanding, "You can't be serious." Po then turned around and walked closer to them saying "But Tigress, I am serious. I want to help Nightshade." Tigress then stepped closer saying, "Are you forgetting about how he almost killed you Po!? He had his claws right around your heart! Not to mention the fact he put all those people under his control! For all any of us know, he even ended up killing some of them! and he almost brought about the end of our world!" Po then countered "And for all we know, Nightshade really was being controlled by Hei'an at the time, but he's not right now!" Shifu then asked "How can you be so sure Po? Based on what I saw today, he was just as feral while he fought Tigress, as he was back in those caves." Po then turned to Shifu saying "Yes, right up until I showed up. Then he was okay!"

Shifu had to admit, there was truth in that, as Po continued. "Besides…if there is someone after the Darkness in Nightshade, we can't let them get it! We have to keep it out of the wrong hands, right?" Shifu had to agree. "I agree with that Po but-"as Tigress interrupted "But who's to say if Nightshade's are the right hands!? Master, you saw him lose control, how do we know if Hei'an is really gone!? Maybe he's still manipulating Nightshade!" Po shook his head no saying "I don't think so. We destroyed Hei'an Tigress, that hasn't changed. And I do know he's in control right now." Tigress then snapped while asking "And how's that exactly!?" Po then looked her in the eye as he said "Because I can see it Tigress. I can see it in his eyes, his real eyes. He's terrified, desperate, and alone. I won't turn my back on someone who needs my help." A small smile formed across Shifu's face but Tigress still remained unconvinced.

"I still don't trust him Po. And don't ask me to, he's done too much damage." Po then stepped forward as he grabbed Tigress by the paws, a genuine smile on his face as he stared into her eyes. "Then trust me…I'm not asking you to trust Nightshade…But I am asking you to trust in me…Can you do that for me Tigress?" Tigress stared into Po's eyes for a long time, and eventually released a heavy sigh. Po could be so stubborn sometimes. Once he set his mind to helping someone, no matter who it was, he was in it for the long haul, which meant that she was now too. Tigress then looked at her fiancé saying "I trust you Po, and only you. But the minute Nightshade tries to pull something and betray you, he's done, understand? I won't have him hurting you or anyone else. He gets one chance from me and that's IT!" Po smiled as he kissed Tigress on the lips passionately, completely forgetting Shifu was right there in the same room. When the two broke, Po said "Thank you Tigress."

"Ahem…if you two are quite finished, we still have a problem." Po immediately blushed as he scratched the back of his head saying "R-right. Sorry Master." Shifu then continued after shaking his head, "We still need to figure out how you plan on helping Nightshade Po." Po nodded his head and was about to say something, when there was a loud *BOOM!* of what sounded like thunder overhead. "What in the world!?" Shifu asked, as Po slid open the back door to his room leading outside.

The sky was now a dark gray, as storm clouds were now hovering low above the Jade Palace, as more cracks of Thunder sounded throughout the sky. "What's going on!? It was a perfect day just a little bit ago!" Po shouted as the wind began to pick up. Shifu then ordered "Quickly! Back to the others! Now!" and with that Po, Tigress, and Shifu made their way over to where they left the masters and Nightshade, as the thunder continued to boom above the palace!


So Po has decided he wants to help Nightshade. Tigress is going along with it for now, but seriously, what's with the weather change? Thanks for reading and remember...

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