A/N: Sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, SORRY! I didn't mean to wait so long for making this chapter. But then I worked on TSFGT, my play, been on a long trip with my school and the time just flew by! Again, I am so sorry. And to make it even worse, I am working on a whole new story. More information about that when the first chapter is finished.
Did you know (search through my tired brain to find something) that the 'Friends Forever-series' should be three stories? First 'Friends Forever', then 'Shadow Of The First' and then the last should be 'Walking Along The River Of Time'. But because my lust to write this story has fallen and I have many other plans WATROT will never be written. Sorry, but I promise you there will come a lot of other stories from me.
I do not own Kung Fu Panda.
Shadows Of The Past, Just Necessary
"You want to prove it?"
"Forget it, Win."
"Not that it would make a big difference; we both know who the winner would be."
"This is just stupid."
"It was you who started."
"But I am the one who is right!"
"That's a lie."
"Can't you just act serious for once in your life?"
"I am acting serious; this is a very important subject."
"It's not. "
"Then why do you care so much about it?"
Tigress crossed her arms over her chest and sent him a look that showed her mood. "I do not," she huffed.
"Then why do you keep saying that you are right?" Win asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"Because I am!"
"No, you are not."
"Fine, then we are just as good."
But that wasn't enough for Win. "You know that I am the fastest," he told her while he couldn't help but smirk.
"You are wrong."
"Am I?"
"Yes," she answered flatly, tired of the conversation.
"Okay, okay. Let's just say that we are both fast."
Tigress turned her back to him and started to walk away. "Now when we have cleared that up can we please change subject?" she said, the irritation filling her voice.
Win quickened his walking and soon he was beside her. In some time they walked in silence before he couldn't keep the question inside him anymore. "So… Who is the strongest?"
Throwing up her paws in frustration Tigress turned to him, "Why does it matter?"
"Just useful information."
"It's not."
"You are only saying that because you afraid of losing to me," he mocked her and only barely managed to avoid her swinging fist, "Hey, take it easy! You could have hit me! Just calm down!"
"I'll calm down when you stop being annoying," Tigress muttered.
Taking a step closer to her Win said, "I am only trying to lift up the mood." After seeing her dark face he added, "But maybe it isn't working."
"You think?" Tigress sneered before rubbing her temples in a try to get her headache to disappear. "We have to focus on the mission instead of silly arguments," she told the black wolf beside her.
"My thoughts become dark when I think of the mission. I don't want that," Win explained, sighing.
Getting curious, Tigress asked, "What dark thoughts?"
"Thoughts of fighting Mang. You know that I don't like the idea of confronting him."
"Then let me battle against him."
"You really think that I would leave you on your own in this? Tigress, that's not happening. Mang may be my brother but if he threatens anyone I hold dear then he will regret it."
Tigress nodded silently, drifting into her own thoughts. Suddenly, after the two friends had been walking in some time, she started to talk again. "I think that it's you," she said without taking her eyes from the road.
"Me what?" Win said, not understanding what she meant.
"About being the strongest." She let out a deep sigh before continuing, "It was you who defeated Chiao Lo when I couldn't."
Win was silent for a moment before giving her a small smile. "You wanna hear a secret?"
"What?"
"I didn't exactly defeat Chiao Lo," Win admitted, causing Tigress to look at him in shock. Was it true that he had lied to her?
"And what does that mean?" she asked him.
Pausing to get some air into his lungs Win looked her over to try and figure out how her reaction would be. "When I fought him we kinda started a fire. You know that, right?"
"My friends had a bigger problem with controlling it, so yes."
"Well, at a time when he attacked me I defended myself with kicking him away. He landed directly in the flames."
"But that…"
"Didn't kill him. He was on his way out when a burning log fell. He couldn't escape it." When she didn't answer he asked, "You do understand what that means, right?"
Glancing shortly at him she said, "You didn't kill him."
"On some point I did but still… I never like the thought of being a murderer."
"Win, you are no murderer. You only protected your family and me," Tigress told him quietly.
"Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been that lucky."
"You would have ended up dead," Tigress answered with a serious voice.
Win gave her an annoyed look. "Well thank you for believing in me," he said sarcastically.
"It's the truth. If I couldn't beat him then there's no way that you could."
The black wolf placed his paw above his heart, "Ouch. That hurt."
"You can take it." She turned away from him to take a look at her surroundings. The weather was unusual calm, almost sunny. Children were running around while their parents carefully kept an eye on them. The village was slowly returning to normal after their leader's dead. But the uncertainty about their future wasn't easy to forget. The tiger and the wolf was taking a walk around the village, wanting a private talk before the happening tonight.
"And tell me again why we can't just do the thing, whatever it is, in the village."
"Because we can't risk being disturbed," Tigress told him once again, holding back a sigh. "And because I don't want Mama Lin to stop us," she quietly muttered under her breath.
But Win's good ears heard it. "Wait a minute! Mama Lin doesn't think it is a good idea?"
Tigress avoided his eyes, "She didn't exactly say that."
"But she is against the plan?"
"She isn't too happy about it, but she let me go. But why is her opinion so important?" Tigress asked while sending him a blaming glance, "Don't you trust me?"
"Of course I do. But I also know that you sometimes rush into things," Win explained, "Mama Lin is wise. She can often notice things that…"
"If we don't do something, then nothing will happen," Tigress angrily cut him off.
Giving up Win sighed, "Fine, we'll do what you say."
"Good. By the lake…"
"Tonight," he finished for her, "I know. You told me it thousand times today."
"Then you better remember it," Tigress said before dropping on all fours.
Win managed to stop her before she could start running, "Where are you going?"
"To meditate."
"Can't I go with you?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you destroy my concentration. See you tonight, Win," she said before sprinting away.
"By the lake! Remember it!" he yelled after her, mostly as a try to make her smile. When she didn't even look back he grunted in dissatisfaction.
As he turned to go to his own business he nearly walked into the little wolf that had been standing behind him. "Keung! You gave me some of a scare there, boy! What are you doing?"
The gray wolf looked at him suspiciously, "What's going to happen at the lake tonight?"
"Nothing," Win roughly said, "and you should learn to keep your ears for yourself."
"It was you who spoke so loud," Keung gave back. His eyes widened as he suddenly realized something, "You are going to find Mang, aren't you?"
"Noooooo….."
"Yes, you are!"
"No, we aren't!"
"Can I come with you?" the boy asked to Win's shock.
Trying to make his voice as hard as when his parents had scolded him Win said, "Absolutely not! And we are not going to fight Mang!"
"Then what are you going to do?"
"We are, uhm…" An imagined light bulb appeared on top of Win's head, "We are going on a date!"
Keung lifted his eyebrow in a skeptical glance, "You are?"
"Yes, we are!" Win said, trying to sound proud.
Placing his arms in front of his chest Keung asked, "And whose idea was that?"
"It was…" Win trailed off. "Why do you even want to know that?"
Keung just shrugged, "You aren't brave enough to ask her so…"
"Hey! What's that about me not being brave?"
"It took you like twenty years to tell her that you like her so I don't really believe that you already have asked her on a date," Keung mocked.
"Why are you so mean today? And why do you know all that about me and Tigress?"
"Mom talks about you two. A lot actually," Keung added.
Win face-palmed, "Just great! Now I am gossip-subject for the women."
"It's not like it's that bad…" Keung changed decision when he saw Win's dark expression, "Actually it is. But it could be worse."
"How?"
"If you didn't have that date with Tigress tonight."
Not that it comforted Win at all; he actually didn't had a date with the tiger he liked. But Keung of course didn't know that.
"So can I come with you?" Keung suddenly asked.
"What? No!" Win made a grimace, "Do you even know what a date is?"
Keung gave him a dead stare, "I'm nine! Of course I know!"
"But you have never been on one!"
"Have you?" the little wolf gave back.
Ouch. Win just stared at the boy, trying to figure him out. "Okay, this subject is official over."
"Come on! Please! I promise I will behave well!"
"What would you even do on the date?"
"Help you, of course!"
"I do not need help!"
"Yes, you do!"
Growling, Win kneeled down to take the little wolf by his shoulder, "Listen; you are not coming with us tonight, you are not going to tell anyone where we are, and you are never going to mention this subject again. Okay?"
"And why should I listen to you?"
"Because if you do not do as I just told you I will tell Mama Lin that you called her 'an old grumpy lady' last week. We both know how angry she gets when people call her old," Win threatened the boy.
After some seconds Keung gave up, "Fine. You win."
"You didn't say it right," the black wolf hummed, completely amused over the situation.
"Win wins," Keung corrected himself.
The older wolf laughed, "I never get tired of hearing that."
"You are late," Tigress said without taking her eyes away from the water.
"Sorry," Win muttered, sitting down beside her. As he did, Tigress rose. "What did I do now?" he asked, irritated over her behavior.
"You will stay here and watch out while I'll do what I have to do," Tigress told him. She still hadn't explained him what she was going to do; the soul travel thing was too hard to explain.
"Wait! That's what you needed me for? To stand guard? That's just lame."
"That's just necessary. Make sure that no one disturbs me, understood?"
"Tigress…" Win tried but the tiger refused to listen.
Tigress was already started to walk away, but turned her head back to say, "I am going to be fine. Just stay here." With that she disappeared between the trees. When she was sure that she was out of Win's sight she sat down, her back leaning against a trunk.
Taking a deep breath she prepared herself as when she had done it the first time with Mama Lin. But right now there was no one to help her. She had to do it on her own. But she knew that she was able to do it. She knew that she had to do it, and that somehow comforted her.
Mang wasn't going to get away with what he had done. She wasn't going to let him. Not only he had threatened her, but he had killed Huei Woo. And still, Tigress had the feeling the worst hadn't happened yet.
Closing her eyes Tigress let all thoughts disappear from her head except for one; I am going to find you, Mang. Slowly she drifted into the state she had been in last time. A gentle wind touching her fur was the last thing she felt. After what seemed like seconds she found herself in an unfamiliar cave.
A weak campfire was the only light, but yet it was enough for her to see the brown wolf sitting in front of it. His fur was ruffled and dried mud was clinging into the dark locks. By looking out of the cave's entrance Tigress understood that he couldn't be too far away from the village. Mama Lin must still be managing to keep it hidden from him.
Moving closer to him Tigress tried to study him. What could possible make a person turn against his own family? A part of her already knew that it could be her fault. It all had happened when she had arrived, when she had caused them so many troubles. But she wouldn't feel guilt, she wouldn't blame herself. Mang didn't deserve that.
Suddenly the wolf looked up, and if Tigress felt how his eyes searched directly at the place she should have been. She glanced back and suddenly she felt herself getting lost into the dark eyes. The scene around her changed; the cave and Mang were no longer there.
Instead there was chaos, wolves running a round and torches nearly flickering out as a sign of the panic. A little wolf, not more than a few years old, shouted out in fear. Instantly, a white adult wolf was by his side. Tigress recognized her immediately.
"Hsueh?"
But the female wolf didn't answer. She was kneeling down beside the child, trying to comfort it. That was when Tigress realized who the little wolf was. Still, she had never imagined Mang looking so helpless.
If Mang and Hsueh were there… That meant that Heuen also had to be there somewhere. And Win… Win must not have been born yet! The panic… This had be the time when the wolves had to leave the Valley of Peace.
The scene changed again, and now she was back at the underground village were the wolves had lived after Huei Woo had lost the fight with Chiao Lo. Mang was now a little older, training what Tigress recognized as Kung Fu. The tiger started to feel uncomfortable when she realized that the wolf was reminding her of herself when she was at that age.
Again the scene only last in some seconds. Now she was at a bank, two wolves beside her. The oldest was Mang, of course, and the younger one with black fur had to be Win. Suddenly, Mang dived into the water and moments after he broke the surface, gasping for air while holding an unconscious tiger in his arms.
Win helped them up, while Tigress watched them trying to wake the little tiger. The little tiger that was her. Darkness filled her vision and a laughter she instantly recognized as Shadow's sounded.
Tigress opened her eyes to find some green eyes staring down at her. Her fist shot up as a try to defend herself, but she quickly stopped the attack as she noticed that the person looking down at her was Win. Not Shadow or Mang, but Win. She slowly sat up with Win's support, heart racing. Not only because of the fact that Shadow finally had reached her again, but because that she had found out of something she had never known.
Win hadn't been the one to pull her out of the water so long time ago. He hadn't been the one to save her.
Mang had.
A/N: Finally done! Aren't you just proud of me? Well, I hope this chapter made toy happy, my dear readers. I promise I will try and update more often. Still, you will have to be patient no matter what.
Thank you for reading and please review.
