Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation.

Chapter 10: Family Secrets

POV: No one

No one could sleep that night. For those who were lucky enough to fall asleep their dreams were graced with disturbing nightmares. The barracks were full of tossing and turning warriors, all but a snoring panda of course. It seemed that even after terrible humiliation at the hands of a villain could not prevent the panda from sleeping just fine. Everyone else on the other hand was deep in their own nightmarish realities. Most of such realities were laced with meanings from their terrifying capture.

Tigress rolled over and over again, as a child she had always had nightmares but eventually they had gone away. Now she was once again deep in a nightmare that seemed to have plagued her ever since Gongmen also add in the previous day's happenings and you have a recipe for dream disaster. Thoughts and dreams raced though her head and before they seemed to spiral out of control she sat up in bed letting out a little gasp. She looked about the room, remembering where she was, and then laid back down in her bed. She could hear Po's loud snoring through the thin walls and hear the moans of her friends from their nightmares. The air had a sickly, vomit-like smell. Possibly one of the Five got so worried they got sick. Right now Tigress didn't care, she had so much on her mind that she couldn't possibly care if she wanted to. Questions raced through her mind and no matter how hard she tried she could not find an answer to any of them.

Tigress wiped the cold sweat from her head and sat on the side of her bed. She stared at the thin wall which separated her room from Viper's. From Tigresses' position she could see Viper squirm in her sleep. "No! No, I refuse to stoop to such low acts! I….I will not be yours….I refuse to submit!" Tigress felt a small twinge in her heart. Viper was a sister to her and to see her compassionate friend be so afraid from a dream was just unbearable.

Getting up out of her bed Tigress decided that if she couldn't sleep she would train. This was her usual way of handling nightmares, ever since she was a small child. Sliding her bedroom door open slowly not to make any noise Tigress began to creep down the corridor that lead towards the Training Hall. As she snuck down the hall hear silent steps were covered even more by Po's snoring. She was almost to the end of the hall when a small creak came from under her foot. She gave a wincing face but made no noise, hoping that no one had heard her. After a few moments of waiting Tigress slid open the door quietly then moved swiftly into the cool nighttime air.

Unbeknownst to Tigress a set of green eyes had been awake all night, listening to all that was happening that night. He had heard the floor creak and had seen her shadow leave. It was only natural for a warrior of his stature to investigate. Slipping open his door and gliding down the hall he followed Tigress out into the cool summer night.

Tigress took a moment to pause and enjoy the night air taking in a deep breath. Usually she wasn't one to enjoy nature however nights like these seemed so; soothing. The Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom rustled in the night's gentle breeze while the stars and full moon lit up the sky. Tigress noticed that there was no cloud in the sky and that every star that night seemed to glow brighter than usual, like a freshly polished vase. Tigress could not help but give a faint smile at such a spectacle before turning to push open the doors to the Training Hall.

Tigress once had made it into the Training Hall she lit two torches to light a small portion of the large room. She had picked up and placed the Adversary in the sparing ring and began to perform several combat sequences in its direction. She pretended that the dummy was a real opponent and began to block and counter, every so often parrying and switching to a new side of the dummy. Then threw all her strength into a vicious haymaker towards the back of the dummy's' head, but the punch never connected. Instead a figure had caught her punch open handed. Tigress tensed for a moment while the loud boom echoed through the room; she wasn't used to people sneaking up on her especially during her 'night time' sessions.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" asked a concerned voice. Stepping into the torch light Bane appeared. He wasn't wearing his armor or cloak. Instead he was wearing cotton made shorts with silk embroidery. The shorts were dyed black and had a green flaming eagle embroidered onto one side. His upper body was exposed revealing a built upper body. His green eyes danced as if they contained fire within them.

Tigress could only stare for a moment then regained her composer before answering. "I couldn't sleep so I came here to train." Tigress turned away from the Master as he let go of her trapped paw.

"Worried like the others?" he asked.

"What?"

"I said are you worried like the others? You know, about how everyone feels about one another after Almar revealing all your deepest secrets?"

"Oh! Yes I guess you could say that."

"It's not that is it?" Tigress didn't say a thing. "It's about something else isn't it?"

"No," Tigress said without hesitation.

"Come now Tigress you cannot lie to me, must I remind you that I know as much about you as Almar does?"

Tigress turned towards Bane, "Oh really? And how would you know such things about me?"

Bane took a second to think before continuing. Sighing in defeat Bane sat down in a lotus position. "Perhaps it is time you know the truth Tigress." Bane said motioning for her to sit down next to him.

"Know the truth about what?" Tigress asked with a small snarl.

"The truth about you and the truth about your parents." Bane said giving her a hard stare.

Tigresses' ears flattened against hear head. "My, my parents?" she asked in a softer voice.

"Yes, now please, sit."

Tigress sat in a lotus position next to Bane. She gave Bane a suspicious look as if she was interrogating a criminal. "How do you know my parents?"

"Allow me to show you," Bane said, looking at Tigress with a mysterious expression. Before Tigress could react Bane grabbed her and placed one firm hand on her right shoulder and one on her forehead. Tigress tried to struggle, but everything began to turn dark and cold. Bane began to hush her, "shhhh relax Tigress. Clear your mind."

Tigress felt as if she was floating through a dark and cold night sky. She tried to speak but could not open her mouth. 'What the hell is this?!' Her mind screamed.

"You are in a 'vision-scape'. It is a gift that the three Fires allow us to use. With this ability I can show a person their past memories or distant future." Bane's voice boomed around her.

'Well you could have warned me before putting through this. Where am I anyways?'

"We're in your subconscious. That is why you can talk just by thinking. Now back to the matter at hand." Tigress could see a picture forming in front of her. She could hear faint noises and voices. In the back of her head she could hear Bane begin to speak.

"Do you remember this place?" He asked her.

Tigress looked around; she could see she was on a hill overlooking a grassy meadow. Off in the distance to her right was a large city. The ocean was visible on the horizon behind the towering buildings.

"I…I think…I think I do. It feels real familiar, like a old dream or-"

"A memory." Bane interrupted.

Before Tigress could respond she heard voices behind her. Tigress couldn't move, as if a supernatural force had control of her bodily functions.

"Ah there she is Tigra, there is your mother," spoke a strong deep voice. Looking up Tigress could see a strong tiger and realized that she was being held by him. Tigress noticed her small paws and realized that she was in an infant's body. Correction: she was in her infant body.

'This must all be a memory' she thought to herself.

"Indeed it is Tigress." Bane's voice came from nowhere. "These people are your parents."

"My….my parents?" Tigress asked with a tiny, gentle voice.

"Yes, your parents were good people. They always had you in their thoughts and everything they did was for you. "

"There is my beautiful daughter!" Tigress watched as a beautiful tiger around 20-30 years old pick her up. "And how are we today?" she asked with a happy smile.

"Goo!" a baby Tigress responded.

Tigress began to observe her mother and father. Her father was tall and handsome. He wore clothes similar to her warrior outfit, but his were for a full-sized man. He also wore a purple sash which held a sword to his waist. He looked like a fierce warrior king, yet strangely a warm and kind aura seemed to be coming from him. His eyes were so alike hers that the resemblance was uncanny. Her mother was fairly a half foot shorter, yet was taller than most women. She wore a purple silk dress and gold necklaces'. Her dress had no sleeves, instead she wore gold bands around he exposed wrists. On her head was a small gold tiara that almost resembled a halo. Her face seemed to be a replica of Tigress except for the patch of fur around her mouth was white. Also her eyes looked as if they were made of ice, but within them Tigress noticed a small dim orange flame. Tigress blinked to make sure that she was seeing this and looked at her mother one last time but the flames had disappeared. The two had the same warm, comforting smiles and Tigress could feel tears forming in her eyes. These were her parents. If only she could talk to them. After a few moments Tigress saw a figure drop from a tree behind her parents. She wanted to scream 'look out' but nothing came out.

"Ah," said Tigresses' father turning toward the figure. "Here comes your uncle darling."

The figure calmly walked up the hill towards the trio. As he reached the two Tigress could see he was wearing a cloak that was light brown with a dark green hood and cape. He had a light green yellow silk sash around his waist which secured a straight sword from a different land. He was wearing armor underneath the cloak. The man's smile could be seen from under the hood. His hands lifted the hood from his face and Tigress could only gasp at the face.

'Bane!'

"Yes Tigress, your parents and I were good friends for years."

"May I?" asked the Bane in the dream.

"Of course," replied Tigresses' mother as she gently handed the infant Tigress to Bane.

Bane gave her a warm smile and seemed to look her over.

"Goo!" yipped the baby tiger.

"She's very alert for a child of her age. She will be a fine women and quite a looker too." Bane said with a smile returning Tigress to her father's hands. "She will make an excellent queen of southern China."

'What?!' Tigress screamed out in her mind.

"Yes, your father had become king of southern China. He was originally a freedom fighter trying to rid the south of the evil ruler there. I met him and helped him over through the south's dictator. Soon we became good friends and he asked me to be his commander of his armies. You of course were next in line for the throne." There was a pause. "But it never happened."

The picture faded slowly and began to change into something new. A large room decorated appeared; delicious aromas wafted through the air. There was a large ornate table sitting in the center. The table and room were covered in various expensive carvings and paintings. The room itself reminded Tigress of Shen's father's throne room back in Gongmen, minus all the pictures and carvings of tigers. Looking to the left of the room was a set of sliding doors which lead to a balcony over-looking the city. It was later in the night and the stars were completely visible. Tigress could see her father watching the people walk on the streets below him from his position on the balcony; he held a glass of red wine in his hands. Tigress also saw her mom sitting on a chair on the balcony holding a 3 year old sleeping Tigress in her lap. Last but not least Tigress could see Bane leaning against a railing, staring at the stars, and holding a glass of red liquid as well. Tigress could tell she was no longer getting a first person view of what was happening, but she was close enough to listen and read facial expressions.

"Please my friend, I beg you to reconsider," her father began still facing the streets.

"You know that I cannot stay in one place too long without drawing too much unwanted attention." Bane said swirling the wine in his glass.

"Yes I'm aware that you are the sole survivor of the three Universal Masters and that Shadow wants you destroyed. But the royal guards can take care of any danger to you." Quon argued.

"I'm afraid your guards would only be able to delay any attempts on my life. Shadow has powerful allies and he himself could easily take care of your entire army and me." Bane said turning and staring off at the ocean.

"Bane you are a good friend to me, you helped me liberate these oppressed people; you're a hero to them and they would die to protect you!"

"I refuse to let innocent people die to protect me."

"I see you are concerned for my people but the Shadows will not find you here in my city. Please stay with me and my family. The war killed off many of my old friends and you are one of the few who survived. I need you companionship." Quon began to sound desperate.

"Even so Quon I do not wish to endanger you , your people or-" a small yawn came from the sleeping Tigress and Bane turned to look at the sleeping child. "-your family."

Quon smiled at his friend then at his daughter before continuing. "I will not always be there for my daughter, indeed I will make time for her but with my new duties as Wang* of the South she'll need a second father figure in her life to help raise her." Quon put his free arm around Bane and smiled "I could think of no better uncle than you."

Bane continued to stare at the child the smiled. "It would be an honor my lord." Bane said with a joking, mocking voice adding a false bow in for good measure.

Quon and Lian gave small laughs towards the Master's comical nature. "I propose a toast then," Quon said raising his glass. Bane and Lian raised their glasses along with Quon. "To our good health, to the health of our daughter, and may our rule be successful, bountiful, and may the people rejoice under our family's rule!"

Bane and Lian gave a hushed 'Here, here!" not wanting to wake the sleeping child then began to drink to their health. As the glasses reached their lips a loud explosion rocked the city below. Bane and Quon raced to the balcony railing craning their necks to see what had happened while Lian tried to comfort the scared child. Looking out over the city, Bane and Quon could see a large fire begin along the outer wall.

"What happened?!" shouted Quon looking towards Bane.

"I think I know what happened…I've been found." Bane said beginning to turn and rally royal guards. Before he could do so more explosions rocked the city, one explosion even went off inside the palace.

"Quon! What's happening?!" shrieked Lian, still holding the crying Tigress. Before her husband could answer a figure appeared in the balcony doorway.

"Hahahahahhah! Well, well. Master Bane how are you? I hear you're an uncle now, where is the poor child?"

Tigress recognized the voice, 'Oh no! Not him! Anything but him!'

"I'm afraid so Tigress," Bane's voice boomed in her head.

"Almar!" Bane shouted. "What are you doing here?!"

"You know why I'm here" Almar shouted. "To bring you in for your crimes against the Supreme Emperor Shadow, seize him! I'll deal with the others." Almar said drawing his sword. From behind him six shadow warriors rumbled onto the balcony, surrounding the family and backing them up against the balcony. Bane and Quon drew their swords and readied themselves.

"Bane I have a plan," Quon whispered to Bane.

"I'm all ears," Bane said with an equally hushed voice.

"I need a distraction though," Quon said.

"I'm on it," Bane said gripping his sword tighter, but instead of swinging Bane lashed out with words. "Typical Almar, hiding behind his soldiers."

Almar held up a hand signaling for his shadow creature warriors to stop. "Are you calling me a coward?"

"I wouldn't say that, I'd say your more of a chicken. I mean your letting your troops deal with the biggest threat and you're going to kill a defenseless family. That's pretty low."

"How dare you!" Almar said. "I could defeat you without even trying Master Bane."

"Oh really? Care to put that theory to the test." Bane said with a cocky grin.

"I shall!" Almar said drawing his sword and lunging towards Bane. Bane raised his sword in defense and the pair locked together in a life or death struggle determined by who would make the first mistake.

While the pair tussled Quon had gone to work cutting threw the support beams on the balcony with his sword. "Just one more to, uh, go!" The moment Quon had sliced through the final support beam everyone on the balcony began to plummet to earth. Bane and Almar continued to fight as they were suspended in free-fall, swords making a metallic clang each time their blades connected. Lian and young Tigress screamed as they followed Quon, Bane, Almar, and his shadows down the 300 ft decent to the town below.

"Bane!" Quon hollered over the rush wind. "We must use the pond below to break our fall!"

"I'm on it!" Bane shouted, delivering Almar a swift kick. Bane turned towards the screaming Lian and Tigress and adjusted himself so he could glide towards them. "Give me your hand Lian! I'll make sure you and your daughter hit the water!" Lean began to reach towards Bane, before she could grasp the out stretched arm a figure slammed into her and Bane separating the falling trio.

"If I die you die too Bane!" Almar shrieked landing blows on Bane's face. Bane threw punches back one connecting to Almar's jaw once again separating the pair. Bane could see the ground and judging from their falling speed they were only a few precious seconds from impact. Frantically looking around Bane saw that Lian was to his right and Tigress was to his left. Each of the two were falling in such a way that they would not hit the water, but the cold and hard stone ground. Bane gave a quick glance towards Lian, who managed to make eye contact for a brief second. She gave a quick nod seeing the position he was in then closed her eyes and let a few tears flow from her eyes. Bane bit his lip and regrettably turned his back towards the falling tigress and turned towards her daughter. His body strained to make it towards the small screaming figure.

"I gotcha!" Bane said with a satisfied look. The young child looked up with tear filled eyes and smiled for a brief second. "Don't worry Tigra I've got you and I won't let anything happen to yo-" Bane was cut off by the sight below him. The ground was feet away. Bane pushed off the stone wall of the massive palace beside him, changing the angle of their fall enough to land in the cold water. Quon hit the water in an elegant dive, while Bane hit the water head first with Tigress tucked under his chin. After a few moments the trio breached the surface, gasping for air.

"Bane where's my wife, she was right behind us right? Where's Li-" Quon stopped when he saw the motionless figure on the stone walkway a few feet away. "Lian! Lian!" Quon struggled towards the bank and crawled over to the body. "Wake up dear, you're…you're alright. Please wake up. Please!"Tears flowed from the king's eyes as he hunched over Lian's bloodied and distorted figure. Bane carried Tigress over to her father and set her down next to him.

"Father?" The young child asked.

"Yes my little flower?" said the older tiger.

"Is momma sleeping?"

The old tiger hesitated for a moment before pulling Tigress into a hug. "Yes my angle, she sleeps amongst the stars now."

From her observation point the older Tigress had began to shed tears at the sight of her mother's body. 'Bane, please, stop the memory. I cannot take anymore please. I don't want to see anymore.'

"I'm sorry Tigress but you must finish this you must know what happens" Bane's voice boomed. Tigress tried to swallow the tears and grief but it all seemed to get stuck in her throat. 'Okay' she thought, turning back towards the vision. 'I'll try.'

Bane had turned away from Tigress and her father, even under the hood one could see the tears streaming down his face. Because of him the death of a friend and a innocent child's mother was on his hands. As Quon grieved over his wife Bane heard a faint voice behind them. As the voice began to grow stronger Bane began to creep closer to it. Bane looked into a burning house; the voice sounded like it was coming from inside.

"Hello? Is someone here?" Bane called out.

"Yesssss, you could say that." A raspy voice called out behind him. Bane turned on his heels, behind him was Almar, well what was left of him anyways. Almar must have fallen through the weak roof of the burning house because his skin was torn from his flesh in several places. Almar was nursing his left arm which must have been broken on impact. As the two stared each other down a few beams in the ceiling collapsed separating the pair with an inferno, yet the two never broke eye contact.

"Wow look at you," Bane said in a taunting voice. "Here I thought you couldn't get any uglier."

Almar let out a sinister laugh. "You just wait till I find a way around there and show you how ugly I can really be. "

"Good luck with that!" Bane said spinning on his heels to leave.

"Oh and Bane," Almar called out. "When it's a shame that I will have to make your niece suffer, as punishment for your actions of course." Bane stopped for a moment as if he would make a smart remark, but after the brief hesitation Bane continued out the doorway leaving Almar in the blazing inferno.

Once Bane had made it back to Quon and Tigress he noticed that a few guards had managed regroup with their king. Even from a distance Bane could still see the grief in his old friend's eyes. "Bane, we must hurry if we have any chance at retaking the city."

"I hate to disagree Quon, but there is no chance at defeating Alamr and his army. I mean he has severely routed your forces, they have the city surrounded. It's only a matter of time till he kills those who remain or imprisons them."

Quon looked down at the ground with a somber gaze. "Then all is truly lost." Bane watched as Quon hung his head. The tiger appered to be much older than he really was; with defeat in the air Quon no longer looked a healthy prideful king. Instead Quon appeared to be a old and feeble ruler to senile to aid his people.

"My king," a young soldier blurted out. "You cannot be serious! Surely there must be something we could do!"

"I'm afraid, my young friend, that if my general says that retaliation is pointless then there is no hope." Quon replied bitterly. Everyone just stood there for a moment; reality had just hit them all hard. They were surrounded, outnumbered, and even if they tried to run the enemy would surely hunt them down. Bane watched the young Tigress play on the sidewalk next to her 'sleeping' mama. Bane watched as she picked flowers to give them to her mama as a gift for when she wakes up. Bane shook his head; she was so innocent, she didn't deserve this. That very moment something struck Bane in the face, he knew what he had to do. "Hope is not lost," he said in a quiet tone.

Quon's ears perked up slightly. "What was that Bane?" he asked in a confused tone.

"Hope is not lost," Bane said in a louder tone, close to shouting.

"What do you mean?" asked one of the guards scratching his head. "A moment ago you said there was nothing we could do."

"Yes, well maybe we can achieve a small victory from this," Bane said biting his lip.

"What do you mean by 'small victory'?" Quon asked. Bane pointed towards the small child then continued with his explanation. "We can still rescue your daughter from a fate worse than death. You and I could create a distraction along with a few of the men. Almar will think that we're making a last stand and rally all of his forces against us. While he's distracted one of your guards could slip out the city with your daughter disguised as a father and daughter fleeing the city, that way she won't have to suffer our fate."

Quon scratched his chin and observed his men, looking for their approval. He was met by nods and one of the guards saying 'At least the princess will be able to continue our legacy.' Then Quon nodded and said, "I like the plan except one detail."

"And what might that be?" Bane asked confused. Usually Quon agreed with every detail of his plans, truly this was a first for the master.

"I need all the guards remaining for this diversion, besides I need someone who I can thoroughly trust with my daughter's care." Quon said eyeballing Bane.

"You want me to flee with her?!" Bane said with full out disbelief.

"Yes you are her uncle and besides your fighting skills are matched by no one else on earth, she'll be safe with you."

"But the Shadows, they're always chasing me, she'll be in constant danger."

"I don't know but in a time like this, this truly is our best option." Bane opened his mouth to argue but was cut off by Quon's hand. "There is no more time for arguing. If we're going to act we must act now!" With that Quon picked up Tigress and carried her over to Bane. Untying the sash which held his sword to his hip he used it to strap Tigress to Bane's back. "Now listen my little flower. You're uncle will take good care of you till I can find you again. I want you to be strong, but always remember to smile and be yourself. Give people hope when they have none. Can you do that for me Tigra?"

The small child turned in her new seat, "Yes father."

"Good," Quon said giving her a kiss on her forehead. Quon looked at Bane and gave him a nod followed by a few instructions. "Once you're outside the wall wait a few minutes by Fury Rock, tell any stragglers to flee into the wilderness. Hopefully I will be there to meet up with you. If not flee to the far sides of China, if the Shadows pursue you find someone who can take Tigra in until you have lost your pursuers. If worst comes to worse take care of her as if she were your daughter. Promise me this."

Bane looked at his old friend and spoke in the best reassuring tone he could muster, "You'll be there I know you will."

Quon looked at him with pleading eyes and repeated those final words again, "Promise me!"

Bane hesitated for a moment, looking into Quon's eyes. "I will, as if she were my very own daughter." Quon seemed to relax for a moment then replied. "Good, now, take flight Eagle! Soar across this barren land and race to the safety of a new nest!" On those words Bane gave a final nod, before scaling the nearest building and disappearing out of sight.

Bane sped across the rooftops as a battle raged just underneath his few remaining warriors under Quon's command were able to rally and begin to inflict damage back at their attackers. From his vantage point atop the roofs Bane could see that the large cat warriors would not last much longer against a force that seemed to have endless numbers.

IT had been approximately half an hour since Bane had last spoke with Quon. It was hard to navigate the complex city from the rooftops without being spotted. After spending a year and a half in the city Bane had almost completely memorized the city's layout, including various land marks. However ontop of the roofs everything looked almost the exact same. Sure there were buildings of different sizes, shapes, and heights but Bane had only used the rooftops twice before in this city. Both of which were during the revolution almost two years ago. Still by ever so often looking back at the palace to judge distance traveled and peeping quick glances at the streets below Bane managed to navigate his way towards the north wall. As the battle cries from the ground below continued Bane glided across the rooftops with the grace of a dancer.

As Bane was close to reaching the wall a roof on a smaller house below him caved in under his feet making him and the small tiger on his back cry out in surprise. Bane landed on the floor of the one story home shoulder first, trying to avoid crushing the delicate package to his back.

"Are you alright little one?" he asked quietly. He waited a few moments before hearing a faint 'Mmmmhmm' then picked himself up off the floor. He looked at his new clothes, their green and brown colorings were covered in black soot and ash. He sighed and spoke his thoughts out loud. "At least it wasn't my whit outfit." Bane had received these new clothes from Quon as a gift for helping free the city two years ago. He personally liked the colors so much he hadn't worn his white and red uniform once in the past two years. "Good thing I always carry an extra change," he said eyeing the old white hood from inside his small travel pack.

Bane took a moment to look around, the house was that of a simple wood worker and there was not much inside. The family that lived here must have fled during the first attack since everything appeared to be up turned. "No use staying in here," Bane said looking for the door.

After a few minutes of searching the dark house for the door Bane found it. Sliding it open gently, Bane made sure the street was clear of anyone who may cause them harm, before completely opening the door. The very moment the two stepped out into the small alleyway they were greeted by the stench of combat. Blood, internal organs, and corpses littered the small street. Bane was horrified of the atrocity that he stood before. He had been in many different wars, but this one was vicious street hand to hand combat he had never seen before. Bane using a calm voice told Tigress to cover her eyes as he inched down the street, taking a moment to see if he recognized any of the fallen cats. As he was about to come to the end of the alleyway and climb up onto the nearest roof a small shiny object caught his eye. Bane turned and walked over to a body which had a small silver necklace strewn over the warrior's neck. Bane took a moment to observe the severely damaged body.

It took a minute to figure out the original features on the body, due to the severe mutilation but Bane finally managed to make out who it was. With a light gasp Bane managed to make out one faint name, "Quon." Bane began to tear up, he had lost his first true friend in almost 100 years. Worst of all his new niece was now a orphan; there was nothing left for her here.

"Uncle?" asked a small voice.

"Yes?" replied Bane.

"May I open my eyes now?" she asked.

"Not yet," Bane put on a fake playful voice; sounding like a parent about to surprise a child with a new toy. "I'll tell you when you can." Bane gently grabbed the necklace and pulled off his friend's body. "May you and your wife find eternal happiness friend." Bane whispered in a quiet voice. Taking one last glance Bane climbed up the nearest roof and continued to scurry across the last few roofs to the large outer wall. It took a few minutes to scale the 100ft wall, but once Bane reached the top he turned to admire the sight of the burning city. Everything from the streets to the main palace he had called home for almost two years was engulfed by a golden flame that seemed to stretch all the way to the stars.

"Uncle?" a small voice asked.

"Yes Tigra?"

"Can I open my eyes now?" wined the little child. Bane gave a fake laugh to cover up the grief stuck in his throat.

"How about I make you a deal? You count to 58 and I'll let you open your eyes."

"Awwww," wined the child. "No fair you know I can't count that high!"

"Well you better start practicing, shouldn't you?" Bane replied with a small joking voice. Listening to the small tiger count quietly behind him Bane made his way slowly down the outside of the wall. Every so often the small tiger would lose her place and start all over again.

"1, 2, 3,…."

Tigress could stand it no longer! She had seen enough, she no longer felt hardcore. She slowly melted into a crying mess as the vision faded out in front of her. 'That's what happened to my parents?'

"Yes, they died protecting you; the child they loved with all their hearts." Bane's voice boomed.

'But why? Why couldn't they save themselves? Why couldn't YOU save them?' Tigress demanded.

"I may have strength equal to a god, but I'm not one. If I could have saved them I would have. So that I didn't have to make the hardest decision of my life."

'What do you mean?' asked Tigress through a fury of tears.

"Take a look for yourself."Bane said bitterly.

It was six days since Bane had left the city behind. Today there had been a constant drizzle and a cloud cover so dark day looked like night. Bane knew though that it was past sunset, because nocturnal creatures had just begun to stir in the deep woods. Ever since the first day of leaving the city behind Bane and Tigress had been chased by a few of Almar's trackers, it would only be a matter of time till they caught up again. Yes again, on the second day of fleeing the pair were ambushed by the trackers. Bane managed to protect the child at the coast of an arrow being edged into his right shoulder and having a tendon in his foot cut open. For Bane walking had become a pain, a constant limp carrying armor, weapons and his niece. Every now and then Tigress would want down and he would gladly un-strap the child so he could take a moments rest.

Right now Bane was focused more on the child's safety rather than his own. Every day he would look for a safe home for her a family to temporarily take her in till he could lose his pursuers. Then after almost losing hope Bane had managed to come across a orphanage; it's name was Bao Gu.

'No!' the older Tigress screamed. "Don't place me into that hell hole of a place!" she tried and tried to warn the Bane in the memory of how terrible that place was, hoping she could somehow change the past. But she knew it was useless.

Bane undid the strap which held Tigress to his back, careful not to wake the sleeping child. With tender hands Bane used her dad's sash as a make-shift blanket and placed her on the cold stone ground in front of the door. "Tigra," he began. "I promise I will return for you. I want you to be safe and right now it would be dangerous for you to come with me. I want you to always remember that your parents and I always have and will love you. Be strong but never be afraid to give hope to those who have none. Remember these words, remember to be yourself." With that final word Bane tore a piece of cloth from his ruined green outfit and scribbled some words onto it. He placed the small note on the sleeping child's make-shift blanket, and then took one last look at her sleeping form before pounding as hard as he could on the door. The moment he stuck the door a third time he darted into the woods and up a tree so he could make sure that she was taken in. Sure enough a small older goat lady answered the door and found the sleeping child. She let out a small gasp and looked out into the drizzling night to see who had left their poor baby at her steps. After a minute of searching to no avail she gently scooped up the tiger, walked inside, and closed the doors behind her. Bane remained in the tree, watching everything that happened. After a few silent minutes of watching the rain come down, Bane hopped own from his perch and ran off into the night.

The dreamscape began to fade for Tigress. No longer did she hear, smell the bodies, or feel her parents' warm touch. All she felt was as if she was floating in nothingness. Then everything faded black. Tigress woke up with her head cradled in Bane's lap. She tried to sit up but felt extremely dizzy and was forced to lie back down.

"Easy," came Bane's gentle voice. "Being put through the vision-scape takes a lot out of you. Just rest for a moment.

Tigress ignores his advice and sat up against her body's wishes. She was used to pushing herself hard but an experience like this was completely draining. The two sat and stared silently at one another for a long time before either made a attempt to do anything.

Bane was the first to snap out of his trance like state, "I never fulfilled my promise to you though. I never came back. The shadows chased me out of China till a few months ago. The found me again so I came back here looking for somewhere to hide. I was hopeful that I'd be able to see you again." Bane paused for a moment before continuing. "When I heard about the Furious Five I didn't think that you would be one of the members, perhaps it was fate that made you a warrior or just dumb luck. Either way it's what your father wanted."

"He wanted me to be a warrior?"

"Yes he wanted me to teach you the original Tiger Style. He never wanted you to be queen that was your mother's idea. She was raised within a family that worshipped etiquette." Bane paused and looked at Tigress again. He reached behind his neck and undid a thin chain hanging around his neck. On the tiny chain was a small silver amulet. "This was your father's, he would have wanted you to have it." Bane stretched out his hand and gently dumped the small token into his niece's hands. Tigress observed it closely for a moment then stared back at her supposed uncle. She closed her large fist over the amulet before standing.

"Thank you for telling me about my parents Master," Tigress said without any emotion, giving a respectful bow.

Bane stood and returned her bow before she turned to leave. As she left the training Hall Bane continued to stand there for a few minutes, locked in a bowing position before managing to finally get the words he wanted to say out.

"You're welcome, my niece."

Wow that took a longer time to make then I thought. Well everyone? What do you think? Leave me a comment if you like the longer detailed chapters more. I can write more like this one, but I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO. Leave a comment if you thought this was better or worse. Next Chapter will begin the romances or we'll explore more about why Bane's really here. It's your call, hurry and leave a comment if you want to influence the next chapter. Oh and school is starting next week so it will be harder to get more chapters out, but I'm not giving up on the story.Thanks~ TheOriginalStory.

Wang- Chinese for King.

Previous chapters-1-2 thousand word; this chapter 7+ thousand