Thank you everyone for such nice comments and reviews and I'm really happy that so many like my story and to thank you all properly here is a juicy chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda it belongs to DreamWorks. I own The Underground and my OCs.

Chapter 11: Trail of Knots


Everywhere he looked there were citizens reading the same thing: Zoi Zenigata's news articles.

Master Shifu sighed deeply and rubbed his temple with his thumb and index finger as he could only imagine all of the horrible things the raccoon wrote on those scrolls.

He could hear people gossiping about the contents of the articles. The red panda heard: "he was cheating on her with another woman!", "the flower shop was a brothel all these years!" or, worst of all, "how small is Shifu's dick again?"

He grumbled a series of curses and gripped his fists every time people kept mentioning the article about what happened the other day when the new students arrived at the Jade Palace.

Of course, Shifu was looking for the reporter to find out if she had something to do with the yak's suicide.

He followed the trail of people reading the same scrolls with the raccoon's signature on them and it lead him to Mr. Ping's noodle shop where the reporter he was looking for was happily sipping on a cup of tea. Shifu crept closer to the woman who was too busy writing on a piece of paper to notice the red panda. Before he could say anything to Zoi, the reporter beat him to it, "Nice day we are having, am I right Shifu?" She said it without ever lifting her vision from the paper.

"How did you know I was here? Your reporter's intuition?"

She looked at him with a glint in her stare, "No, people's gossip kept getting louder and that could only mean one thing! So why are you seeking me, it cannot simply be because of the articles?"

He went for it with no further thought, "For your information, a man committed suicide two nights ago and you seem to have a part in it. I'm here to get facts, now where did you go when we parted our ways?" He wasn't as stoic as he could've been and he inwardly cursed himself for not being. Zoi could easily get on the defensive if she noticed it.

Did she notice? The red panda couldn't tell since she remained as stoic as ever, "If you are talking about the yak with bad manners and uses strong language then I will let you know I did not kill him and before you start making questions I will let you know what I did after you left to aid your students two nights ago."

To that Shifu raised an eyebrow and actually allowed himself to show confusion on his facial features, "You're being awfully generous."

"I am glad you finally noticed, Shifu!" Zoi said using an innocent chime, "Now, after you went to help your pets I went to confront the yak, or Zhi Peng, which is his name, and I told him a few things about being a good parent."

Was she actually confessing that she did murder the yak? He was going to get to the bottom of this, "What did you do?"

The reporter continued, "I was getting on to that. Apparently, he had a teenage son who loved spending time with his best friend for hours. I told him if he were a good father like he thinks that he should see what his ward did behind his back."

Shifu didn't know where she was going with this but he listened to her anyway.

"What happened afterwards was rather comical, Zhi Peng discovered his son and his friend being, how should I say it? 'More than just friends'. You should have seen the man's face when he found out the truth about his son's orientation and also the way he discovered it didn't hurt either, well it did hurt him, his eyes were in denial, his features made him look even older than he appeared and when he returned to his home all I heard were angry yelling, as well as curses, I also heard him breaking furniture or whatever was at his reach. Knowing that I had done my job I left the scene and spent the night at an inn, which had such nice service, by the way."

Now the old master was angry and he didn't bother to hide it as he roared at the raccoon despite who she was, "He killed himself afterwards because of what you did!"

However, she still remained stoic, not even flinching or showing any sort of emotion, "No Shifu, all I did was tell him the truth. Was that so wrong?"

"You made him commit suicide!" The red panda pointed out again.

"But in the end, I did not kill him and if you think about it he deserved to die." She paused allowing her words to sink in properly to Shifu, "A man who decided to take his life away simply because his son is not what he wanted is nothing more than a waste of living space and frankly people like him make this world a worse place to live."

"So you had nothing to do with his death?" He wanted to make sure before he trusted her let alone trust her with the case.

Zoi of course responded in a sweet manner, which actually gave the red panda chills, "What is the point of making people suffer if they do not live long enough to enjoy the display of pain?"

Just what kind of an evil bitch is she?

"Oh Master Shifu, if you want to know just what exactly killed Zhi Peng, you should start looking for the cause of death."

"There was a suicide note," He showed her the piece of paper. She then added, "Then why do you think I killed him if he confesses that it was indeed him who took his own life away?"

"The note wasn't exactly very specific and it did say a few words that point to you. That night he used bad language and it said 'keep mouth clean from bad language'. I think anyone would have come up with the same conclusion."

"Shifu, the man was disliked by pretty much by everyone in this valley. Anyone that lives in the Valley of Peace is just as big a suspect as you and I." The raccoon's words actually made the red panda shiver.

"Why would I murder anyone?" He retorted.

"To frame me, perhaps?" Zoi said as she glared at him.

"I live for the safety of the valley. Nothing more."

"Oh you do not have to tell me twice about it. I know that you would rather let your own child go hungry at night than to see something happen to a single citizen of this valley whom you know nothing of."

He knew she was provoking him but he was not going to let it happen, never again.

"Do you want me to find out if the yak indeed committed suicide or not?" Now she showed a bit of impatience.

"Why are you offering to help out?" Shifu actually wondered what could she possibly gain from helping out.

Zoi looked at him sternly, "Well now, let us see, you are blaming for murdering a man… I think that is enough reason for me to find the truth."

Not knowing if he should trust her completely, she was the best help he could find and decided to let her assist, "Well then, I thank you for offering your help."

"Arigato, Master Shifu!" Somehow the red panda was able to see right through her façade and stay alert at all times while in her presence.

He turned to leave but before he exited the raccoon whispered, "You should be worrying about your students and not a suicide case."

He turned around but there was no sign of Zoi. She had disappeared in thin air in less than a second. This was another reason why he feared the raccoon so much: she was unpredictable.


Come on, you can do it!

"Hey there, Naki!" Arc greeted the female feline who was happily chewing on an apple in the kitchen.

"Hi Arc! What are you up to?"

"Me? I'm, uh, I'm…" He gave the room a quick glance and eyed another apple on the table, "hungry!"

She giggled, "You haven't changed a bit!"

"Is that good?" He asked sounding a bit desperate.

"Of course, I like to hang around people who act like themselves and not someone else."

Act like yourself around her, got it!

"So, has anyone proposed to you?" Damn, be discrete!

She raised an eyebrow but her sunny expression never changed, "Actually, many suitors have come to me and kneel on one knee and asked the question so many times I lost count!"

"So you're still available?" Arc said leaning forward in an excited manner.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Now her expression changed to one of confusion.

Crap, be more discrete!

"Just curious!" He answered trying to get her off the scent but to make sure he asked something else, "Why did you want to learn kung fu since you already can kick ass on your own?"

Being born a lioness and being raised in the Serengeti meant that she needed to be as tough as the males in her family or as her mother. Naki already knew how to defend herself if danger came to her so it really intrigued Arc to know her reason for being here, not that he complained or anything of the sort.

Naki explained her reason for having joined the Jade Palace, "My mother told me about the cub you found in The Underground and how he was being held captive here so she needed someone to keep a close eye on everything while she's away."

"Right, Fashion Week is nearing." Arc said. Tia Ra always outdid herself every year in that illustrious event. However, the female teenager reassured him that it was something else.

"No she has everything concerning Fashion Week on hold, she wanted to spend more time with my father and the rest of my siblings."

"Then why did she left you and your brother here?"

"Because we offered. We know enough about Master Shifu to be aware that a child in his care is in grave danger. That and I heard you were here."

Did Arc hear her right? She came to the Jade Palace because she knew that he was there.

"You came here because of me?" He couldn't hide the joy from his tone or his face.

"Yes, my mother told me how you valiantly enrolled to be a student here, to keep Tai safe and I knew I had to do something, help out in some way." The way she said it in admiration to his bravery and dedication made him blush and not even care that it he wasn't the reason why she came but it still made him happy.

"Oh, well thank you. The more on our side the better." He said as joyfully as Naki remembered him all those years ago when they first met.

She was curious to make the snow leopard's acquaintance, "Speaking of Tai, where is he? I haven't even talked to him or actually meet him."

Arc was actually dumbstruck by her question; he had no idea where Tai was. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him all day. Well I did see him this morning when we greeted Shifu."

And what a morning greeting that was. The gong rang and immediately the Furious Five, Jagter and Zai sprang out of their rooms and greeted their master, Naki and Po came out just a few seconds later and greeted Shifu. Arc was actually the last one to walk out of his shared room with the snow leopard and greeted the red panda.

"Good morning, Shifu!" Arc said with a musical tone as he waved at the red panda.

"Um, Arc…" Tai said slowly.

"Yes Snow Cub."

"You're not wearing any clothes."

"Huh?" He spread his arms away from his torso and looked down, "Ooh, I guess I forgot to put them back on!"

"Please Arc, go back into your room and get dressed." Shifu sternly ordered the teenager.

The lion's face was blank, "Um, why? It's not like if I cover myself it will make you all forget the sight of my shlong."

Some members of the Five snickered, while others looked scandalized by the undressed lion.

"I will not say this again, get dressed!" Shifu said gritting his teeth with impatience starting to show anger at the unruly teenager.

Arc actually looked at Shifu in a sympathetic way, "Awww, don't be jealous, someday you'll have one as big as mine!"

That was what happened that morning.

"How can I forget a morning like that?" Naki told the male lion trying to hide the blush on her face.

Just like her, Arc was blushing. He hadn't been aware of what her reaction was that morning at his shamelessness, "Do you think I have a hot body?"

Still containing the red blush on her face, Naki actually answered his question, "Well you do take good care of yourself, you have well-endowed muscles everywhere it counts and your fur coloring is really… unique!"

Arc had to blush furiously and giggled a bit at hearing his crush compliment him on his physique. He swore he heard her whisper a faint, "…and erotic!" He was so glad that he decided not to wear his long sleeved shirt that day, mostly because he hoped that it would get Naki's attention and he presumed that it did.

The female teenager then placed both her paws on his strong arms, "But I have never seen your arms before. You were always wearing this armor that somehow grew along with you." She ran her fingers across the shiny steel that marked out the male lion's arm muscles. "Arc, can I see your arms without the armor?"

The lion looked blankly at her and blinked, and then he stared down at his arms concealed within an armor that seemed to be his own flesh since it was pressed against his skin like if it really was part of his limb, like if his arm was made of metal. It actually marked his musculature and outlined his muscles, sometimes making them stand out more than proportion when the light hit them. They were like shiny sleeves, that wrapped themselves around his arms, thin, flexible but powerful enough not to get dents, scratches, and the best part is that they didn't show any sign of rust anywhere.

He looked up at Naki, her beautiful eyes full of interest, that's when he saw for the first time that she was interested in him and if he showed her his bare arms he would please and gain her trust and maybe, just maybe, become an item. "I can't… they're stuck."

"Oh," She was disappointed that he couldn't show her his arms. But the girl wasn't going to give up so she asked the other feline as she placed her hands on his, "have you ever tried to take them off?"

He brusquely removed his arms from her reach "I did… once, and it hurt like hell."

"Maybe there's a weak spot around it?" Naki tried to persuade the male into trying to remove the skintight metallic sleeves.

"No!" He inwardly cursed as he didn't wanted his voice to come out so loud but it did. He looked at Nakira who was startled by the sudden raised voice. That wasn't like him, he never yelled at anyone. Maybe it was time to change or end the conversation. "Hey, maybe we should look for Tai it's going to be lunch time soon."

"You go ahead I need to speak with Jagter." Despite what happened, she didn't seem to be bothered by Arc's reaction but he knew that it did something to her, he could feel it.

He nodded once and left the kitchen. When he was out of earshot he let out a huge sigh of disappointment and grumbled, he almost had her.

Way to go, you missed a perfect chance!


Naki made her way to her brother's quarters wanting to talk to someone and her older sibling was very wise for his age.

"Jagter, can we have a word?"

"Of course." Her brother who was actually sitting on the floor meditating opened his eyes after he answered her.

She didn't knew how to tell him so she decided to evaded names at all cost, "It's about a certain someone whose attention I would like to win."

"Is this about Arc?" He said it as plainly as it sounded.

"Was I that translucent?"

He raised an eyebrow and told her, "When mother came to us back in Gibaria she was asking me for assistance but when she mentioned Arc was here you instantly offered to help out. Why would you want to go to a strict martial arts school like this when you could be having fun in the family vacation?"

"What vacation? It only lasts a few days besides this could be the last chance I get since he's always on the move and I don't know when we'll meet again if we ever do." She confessed displaying impatience.

That little display of emotions and confession made Jagter realize something, "How long have you been crushing on him?"

"For quite a while now. At first I didn't knew what it was, I thought it was simply because I liked him as a friend but then I realized how much I wanted to feel him in an embrace, to stare him in his eyes and to know how good a kisser he is."

"You've been holding that for a whole year now, have you?" Jagter understood how she felt. Arc and Naki have known each other for years, since they were kids, and Arc liked to visit her frequently and have fun all day long but as they got older he started to go on longer and dangerous trips that he barely visited her. The last time they had seen each other had been a year ago when Nakira noticed how much Arc had changed in a physical way.

"And now he's back in my life." She said in a hopeful tone but then changed to one of concern, "I want him to make a move, I would do it myself but what if he isn't interested in me and I make a fool of myself."

He looked her directly in her eyes and spoke in a reassuring tone, "Nakira, you inherited mother's good looks and you have about a hundred guys fighting each other just to say 'hi' to you, I'm sure Arc must feel something for you and if he doesn't than he's gay because no straight guy could resist what you have and what you have is a must for every woman."

"Good looks?" She asked him.

"No. Honesty and a kind heart."

She smiled. If there was someone who always seemed to impress her that was her brother: a serious guy with a caring and wise personality.

"Maybe I should just wait a little longer and see if he's interested."

"Maybe I should talk to him." Jagter said with a little mischievous tone.

"You always try to keep all of my suitors at bay, why is Arc so different?"

"Because you are interested in him." He said it as simply as he could and let it sink in, "And I for once can tell you that he is interested in you."

"How do you know?" If she couldn't tell, how could her brother since she's the one crushing on Arc?

"Cause I'm a guy; I can tell." Again, he answered simply.

She smiled a bit and then it changed into a small frown, Jagter knew that meant something was troubling her.

"When I asked him earlier about the armor he wears around his arms he acted different, like if he was afraid of revealing himself?

To that Jagter raised an eyebrow and said, "Naki, he was naked this morning. And that's not the first time he has been nude around people. You still remember when he streaked during the halftime of that soccer game?"

Naki chuckled remembering that day but added, "And yet, he was still wearing those armors."

"Listen, if he's interested in you, one day he'll open up to you and take those things off.

"He said they're stuck." She said sounding a bit apologetic.

"Nakira, look…" He paused and took a deep breath, more like a big sigh, "…I know how you feel but Arc is your first crush it doesn't mean he's the one for you and if he does indeed likes you then he will sooner or later express the way he feels towards you."

"I hope you're right."

Then he added with a sly tone of voice, "And if he hurts you just tell me and I'll dispose of him."

"No!"

He threw his head back and started laughing hard.


Tai Lung was on the outskirts of the Valley of Peace right where Mr. Ping had said where he saw the Patient One five years ago.

He wanted to look for any sort of clue that might help him find out what happened to the ghost child but deep down he was sure that he was all the way out there because of what a certain archeologist had called him the other night.

Arc had called him by his birth given name: Tai Lung. It scared him to think about it, that such a clueless, distracted and innocent person like the lion could have uncovered the truth about his identity. How could Arc of all people have figured it out? The snow leopard admitted to himself that he had the tendency to underestimate his opponents but this was beyond unexpected.

Just two days ago a dark figure had called him by his real name, what if Arc was that being in disguise? What if Arc is the one he, and everyone else, should watch out for?

It could have been Arc's usual misguidance and confused Tai with Tai Lung so there was no big reason for him to be so paranoid but he was, he trusted the lion despite the way he is and now the lion could be out to get him.

But he had bigger things to worry about, like finding anything that could lead him to the Patient One.

He followed the direction where Mr. Ping said the child ran off to before he disappeared into the night. If the boy appeared more than once he must have had a refuge somewhere nearby, after all, the rumors started when a man saw the ghost child disappear when he got too close, he spread the word until a few days later someone else saw the ghostly being and so on forward. The encounters lasted for months until Ping got too close to the cub and the boy left without a trace.

The direction that the goose had told him lead him to a forest. Tai Lung had a bad feeling about entering the maze of trees but he had no choice he had to find whatever that could be useful to him.

It was just like when he had awakened back in the no name forest in The Underground, nothing but trees. The chances of him finding anything that could lead him to the Patient One were slim but he had to try.

Unfortunately, some trees were bearing flowers as well as smaller plants. Watching those colorful angiosperm structures reminded Tai Lung of the dream he had and the promise he had once made but was never able to make come true.

He could hear those awful moments again, all of those screams and painful wails. "He chewed off his own… Aawww, did I hurt the little kittens… they're dead because of… they're suffering all of this because of… you!" Those words were like echoes in his head that never faded away.

By the time he broke his reverie, Tai Lung noticed there were tears trickling down his face. He looked into his paws as they trembled violently. "It is my fault they're dead."

He wanted to control himself, to be able to concentrate on the purpose of being in that forest in the first place so he placed his hands in a prayer position, closed his eyes and took deep breaths. The snow leopard stayed like that for a minute before he started to make a movement with his fingers, he remembered those precise fancy moves: it was the first step of the Aura Force. Somehow doing those precise steps brought peace to him and made him forget of his worries and what the future has in store for him but it was also somewhat relaxing as the world around him seemed to disappear and in its place another world took its, this one being the same flowery meadow from his dream.

This time he did not hear laughter of children just the wind blowing. He called out to see if anyone was there but no response.

He walked forward, this time he wanted to explore the meadow, which seemed to go on forever. Tai Lung easily lost track of time as he strode on the flowery field but no matter how far he went there was still no sign of any other person there.

"Is there anyone out here?" He yelled.

No response.

"Damn flowers!" Out of anger and frustration he started pulling flowers from the ground like a rabid beast. He kept yanking them and discarding them on the ground for minutes until he fell on the ground panting heavily. This meadow had once meant something for him and for the children but now it was just a hunting nightmare.

Finally feeling better after his tantrum Tai Lung got to his feet and was shocked to discover someone not far away from him but as he looked closer the snow leopard recognized him for the white torn fabric that covered the other feline.

Tai Lung crept closer to him, the other cat not moving a muscle, his face concealed by the fabric like a hood. The Patient One stood right in front of him, still waiting for him to arrive.

"Lei, is that you?"

No response.

Tai Lung reached up to push the white fabric away from the other cat's face but before he touched him the world, the flower meadow, started to fade away along with the Patient One.

"No, I'm here! I came for you!" But it was useless. Everything faded away.

"LEI!"

He blinked and in the process the flower meadow disappeared. Tai Lung found himself back in the forest near the Valley of Peace again except there was something different about it: the trees as well as rock and fallen tree branches had all scattered away from him, leaving a circular area around the cub without any grass. How did that happen?

The trees had left a trail of a big hole on the ground that started where they had once been rooted.

He stared at his hands, which were facing each other, with unsheathed claws, and he could feel what happened: he had somehow performed the Aura Force.

How did I do it this time? When he had performed it in the Temple of Terkhonazya he had no idea how he released the energy and now he had somehow been able to do it but wasn't aware of it.

"Wow, how did you manage to do that?" A voice said from behind him.

Tai Lung instantly turned around and cursed inwardly as he laid eyes on the annoying panther with a personality problem.

"You get the hell away from me!" The cub growled.

"What did I do to you? You're the one who tackled me to the ground and started hitting me like a wild animal!" The panther responded with his accented voice.

"Were you following me?" He was being defensive.

"No, I've been living in this forest for a year now." The panther responded with the unaccented voice.

"Why?" Tai Lung sounded incredulous. Who would want to live in an isolated forest.

"Well I don't have to pay taxes." Alvar responded.

Huh, that's actually not a bad thing! "What exactly did I do? I kind of blacked out so I don't know what I did to the forest." Tai Lung wanted to know exactly what happened when he was at the meadow of flowers.

The panther was kind enough to give the younger cat an answer and to Tai Lung's liking there was no voice switching, "You were standing still right where you are, your arms were shaking and a sphere of light came from the palms of your hands."

Just like in the temple's hieroglyphics.

"Then what happened?" There was excitement in his voice as well as interest.

The panther continued to explain, "You suddenly separated your arms to opposite sides and everything nearby moved away from you."

That's when Tai Lung remembered Arc translating the symbols to him: "Aura Force: using your chi to transfer energy to your palms in order to move and/or manipulate matter... …Entropy may be required. Warning: results may vary."

He couldn't believe it; he had just moved trees and boulders without having to touch them and no other warrior in the world knew the technique.

Alvar then spoke, and what he said took he snow leopard's interest a lot more than anything related to the new fighting move, "With you running around this forest doing whatever you just did anyone will mistake you for that ghost child for sure!"

"Do you know anything about him, the Patient One, I mean?" Tai Lung asked with interest.

"The only thing I know is that he left the forest years ago." The panther answered with his accented voice.

Then he the dark cat yelled at himself with his unaccented voice, "He asked me!"

"Not this again!" Tai Lung grumbled. "Will you please just answer me!"

"Well, I believe he used to refuge himself in this forest and after he used an abandoned farm not far from here."

Is he talking about the same farm with the entrance to The Underground?

"How do you know that?" Seriously, how did an insane panther know something like that?

"Because the kid had left behind clues for someone to find. Who? I have no idea."

"What kind of clues?" Tai Lung asked.

The panther explained, "If you didn't know, the so called ghost was cloaked by an old torn white fabric, I believe it was white once since it is quite dirty now, well he ripped pieces off of it and tied them around tree branches which lead to that farm, and if you follow them in the opposite direction it leads you to where he always stood waiting for whoever it was that was worth the wait."

"I haven't seen any pieces of fabric tied around anything." Tai Lung looked around to see any if there were any white knots tied around anything. The panther saw the boy looking at his surroundings and filled him in.

"It has been five years since he tied them, of course not all of them are still tied, after all, strong winds, heavy rains happen, I've found many of those pieces of fabric lying on the ground or stuck on a bush."

As Tai Lung digested all of the information he realized where the Patient One disappeared to: The Underground. Of course, why didn't he think of that conclusion before? No wonder he hasn't been seen since he must have discovered the hidden world and came back to lead Tai Lung to where he is.

"Do you want me to take you to that farm and I can carry you on my shoulders in case you get tired." All of a sudden the panther offered his help.

"Thanks?" Tai Lung knew the way to the farm but accepted the bigger feline's help since he seemed to know more about the Patient One. But he stayed with his guard up, after all, the panther wasn't trust worthy.

"Now, let's go to the farm!" The panther said out loud as he held a fist in the air.

"Yeah, lets." Tai Lung said warily.

He wasn't going to keep his guard down after all the panther appeared right after the dark figure who knew his identity disappeared without a trace.


Back at the Jade Palace the Furious Five were mentoring the three teenage lions in the training hall. Arc had no problem performing martial arts, Jagter proved to be quite an impressive warrior and Naki was able to keep up with the two males.

"I'm impressed by their display!" Tigress exclaimed

"You can say that again!" Mantis acknowledged.

"I'm impressed by their display!" Tigress repeated.

"Have any of you seen Xue Zai?" Crane asked.

"Isn't he with Master Shifu?" This came from Viper.

"Now that you mention it I think he left before the gong rang." Tigress answered.

"Are you talking about Snow Cub?" This came from Arc who appeared right in front of them without any of the masters noticing him.

Tigress wanted to know where the four year old was so she asked away, "Yes, do you know where he is?"

The lion shook his head and added, "He has a tendency of wondering off by himself." As soon as he said it the lion remembered something very important. He slapped a paw to his forehead for having forgotten to give it to the cub sooner.

"Is something wrong?" Crane eyed the lion closely.

Arc slapped a hand to his forehead and exclaimed, "I forgot to give Snow Cub a gift I bought for him!"

"What is it?" Monkey asked the teenager out of curiosity.

"It's a surprise for him not you!" Arc retorted. Each member of the Five flinched at the lion's reaction. What could be so important that the snow leopard needed it?

The lion was by far the strangest being any of the kung fu masters have ever met. Tigress was interested in knowing more about the teenager, "Where exactly did you learn how to fight Arc?"

The teenager turned his attention to her and answered, "Since I'm an archeologist I explore abandoned and forgotten places that conceal secrets such as styles of martial art that are unknown to the rest of the world."

"What was that nose flick thing that you did to me?" Monkey asked in an interested and yet desperate way.

Arc explained, "That was a move I learned in a monastery buried deep in the sands of a dessert."

"Is there any way its side effects can be removed?" Now Monkey really sounded like a desperate person.

Arc looked at the golden langur and deduced what was the problem, "It hurts when you pee right?"

Monkey simply nodded.

"You'll just have to wait till it goes away."

"What about the curse you said has laid upon me?" Now Monkey sounded scared.

Arc happily told him what he wanted to know, "For disrespecting the Eye of Karaudo you shall have erectile dysfunction for years, ten years to be exact."

"How can I get rid of the curse?" Monkey was starting to ease down but the lion, as well as everyone of the other masters, was able to see that the golden langur was irritated.

"You couldn't enjoy your morning wood this morning, couldn't you?" Arc said it as plainly as greeting someone.

Monkey sank down, trying to hide his face as much as possible and then answered sheepishly, "Yes."

However, the lion gave him the answer he wanted to hear, "I think I know how I can help."

Monkey looked hopeful staring at Arc with a grateful expression but he should know by now that the lion isn't exactly a normal person.


It was just as dirty as Tai Lung saw it a few days ago. There were layers of dust everywhere as well as cobwebs on every corner.

"So where is the Patient One's cloak? I'm going to need some evidence if you want me to believe everything you've said to me."

"It's-" He was interrupted by the unaccented voice: Alvar , "It's upstairs!" Tai Lung finally figured out the voice switching thing: smooth, normal voice is Alvar, and the deep, accented voice is Xovius. The snow leopard decided to just go with it and play along the crazy panther's game after all it's not the dark feline's fault that he's mentally deranged.

"Why did you interrupt me?" Xovius angrily asked himself.

"The boy asked me for help!" Alvar retorted.

"Still, you should apologize!" Xovius said as he crossed his arms with a small pout on his face.

Then the panther's arms separated and by the way the feline had forcibly moved them displayed annoyance just like his face.

"Why?" Alvar said incredulously.

He crossed his arms again and Xovius exclaimed with tearful eyes.

"You hurt my feelings!"

Then the panther's expression changed to one of sympathy and understanding and started to pat one of his shoulders reassuringly.

"Oh don't cry I'll take you to your favorite whorehouse, I promise!"

Tai Lung knew from the second that one ego had interrupted the other that they would spent a while arguing or conversing about useless things so he decided to follow the panther's directions and headed upstairs through some rickety stairway.

He had a bad feeling about using the stairs so he did the most logical option to him: he crouched on the floor and sprang up in the air and landed right at the end of the stairway on the second floor.

The snow leopard was still able to hear the panther's different voices exchanging words on the first floor. They were going to stay there, er, he was going to stay there for a while and thanks to his impatience for incompetent people Tai Lung went along the hallway with just one door at the end of it.

He reached the lonely door and entered the room beyond it. The feline expected the room to be as dusty as the rest of the house and have furniture covered with spider webs. He was right. It turned out to be a bedroom with one bed in the middle, a desk against the wall to the left and to the right was a chair. Tai Lung's eyes were fixed on the chair because resting on it was an old, torn and dirty white fabric that seemed to be longer in some time ago but was nothing more than just four feet long.

Tai Lung held it in his hands and noticed how some parts of it had been torn while on other parts it was sliced neatly (probably with a pair of scissors).

The Patient One was here but he needed something to prove that and if the boy indeed went into The Underground.

He neatly folded the piece of fabric and held it against his chest, embracing it as close to his heart as possible and a small tear ran down his cheek. I will find you wherever you are!

Then the snow leopard placed the fabric between his belt and pants and started to exam the room for any clues. He examined the bed and found nothing then he tried the desk and found a few objects inside its drawers: pieces of paper with ink drawings on them.

Wanting to know if the pictures contained a single clue, Tai Lung checked each one. There was a drawing of the Jade Palace, the forest, the farm itself, the entrance to The Underground, that could be a clue, and then the snow leopard saw a picture that made him want to vomit as he remembered that awful memory. It was a drawing of a severed rosette studded arm bleeding a puddle of blood.

Even though it pained him to see the image it also told him that the Patient One is indeed the person he assumed and he was here years ago. Now all Tai Lung needed to know is if the boy had gone into The Underground.

He left the room and took a long jump without touching the stairs and headed for the basement but before that he stumbled upon a certain panther wrestling with himself on the floor yelling curses with one voice to the other ego.

Whatever the reason, Tai Lung wasn't interested in hearing about it, he had more important things to do than to question an insane feline why was he fighting himself.

The cub made his way down to the basement and looked around for anything that could be considered as a clue. And there it was tied to the knob of the door, which leads into the temple, was a piece of the white fabric.

There was no doubt about it anymore. Lei was alive and he was someplace in The Underground.


He was meditating or at least trying to meditate as he tried to find peace despite the many problems he had to resolve: Zai was nowhere to be seen, six of his students were still recovering from their injuries, a man had committed suicide, Zoi was finding out the truth behind that suicide case, the raccoon's articles had the entire valley gossiping about him and every other detail they contained, he was now the teacher of a mentally deranged lion and he had just received news from Zeng that the Thread of Hope had been cut off again, this time by a pink lady wearing nothing more than a black bloomers, at least that's what the workers said they saw.

Zai was a child who tended to wander off and always came back, at least he hoped that the boy would return. The whole suicide case was very suspicious but, although he hated to admit it, if Zoi is trying to find out what exactly happened to the yak she was the only one who could do it. Her articles were ones worthy of being the center of attention but as soon as something new appears everyone forgets about it and moves on, he should be thankful that this time it wasn't as humiliating as the last time.

He gripped both sides of his head and groaned loudly. How can things get any more complicated?

As if on cue, Lan Se presented himself at the entrance of the hall. "Special delivery for Master Shifu!" The cheetah said in a greeting manner.

Shifu let out a big sigh and greeted the deliveryman, "What do you have there for me?"

"It's a message from someone whose identity wants to remain anonymous." The cheetah said as he pulled out the scroll from his messenger bag.

"Very well," The red panda took the scroll in his hands, "Is that all, Lan Se?" The cheetah nodded once and dismissed himself.

The red panda opened the scroll and read its contents. After a minute of reading in silence, the red panda let go of the scroll and let it hit the floor, he stopped breathing, his eyes were wide open, he couldn't move a muscle. It wasn't what the message said, it was the name of the person who signed it. There was no mistake; he knew it had to be that person because he recognized the handwriting. No one else could read the letter, absolutely nobody, so in a desperate attempt to make sure no one ever read anything from his freshly delivered scroll, Shifu burned it in one of the braziers nearby. No one can know the truth, no one!

Unfortunately for him somebody knows. What about Lan Se? Did he read the message? Does he know? And just who sent him the letter? Could it be the same person who signed the letter?

Shifu thought he never had to worry about this but now it had resurfaced after many years of keeping it secret. He trembled inwardly thinking about it.

He can never let anyone know, especially with a certain raccoon lurking around.

"Hey Shifu," He jumped at hearing that cheerful, yet irritating, voice of Arc, "Do you know where I can find a mask of some sort?"

What is he up to? "May I ask why do you need a mask?"

"Monkey asked me to help him lift a curse I laid on him, not on purpose, with an ancient artifact!"

Shifu stared blankly at the lion. I'm going to need to get used to this from now on.

"Ooh, that seems like a mask!" The lion said excitedly.

Master Shifu eyed the direction where the lion had gestured. He saw the display of Master Flying Rhino's armor. Then he noticed the teenager striding towards the old armor and jumping right on top of it trying to detach the helmet until the head piece squeezed out of the rest of the structure with a metallic scraping squeak.

"Just where are you taking that?" Shifu sternly asked the teenager.

"It can be used as a mask for the ritual!" The lion answered him with like always that happy demeanor of his.

"Please put that back." He wasn't going to start another pointless conversation with the lion so he just wanted Arc to stop his shenanigans. But knowing the feline, he took hold of the helmet in the teenager's grasp.

Arc wasn't going to let Shifu ruin the ritual, "Let go, Monkey needs it!"

The old master let go of the artifact, "Use something else then!" He was starting to get angry, "It has been a hard day for me, so if you would please put that back I will appreciate it."

Arc placed the helmet on the floor and embraced the red panda with a warm smile on his face, then he patted Shifu gently on top of his head, "Don't worry, things will get better!"

Did he just "there, there" me?

"If you want you can join us!" Arc offered.

By 'us' Shifu realized the lion meant his other students, "What exactly are all you of going to do?"

Arc just smiled thinly.

What have I gotten myself in to?


It was quiet except for the sound of birds chirping and the sound of a panther arguing with someone who wasn't even there. Tai Lung was trying to digest everything he had learned about the whereabouts of the Patient One but more importantly that the ghost child was alive and that the boy truly was the person he hoped to be.

The snow leopard was heading back to the Jade Palace, he had no idea why the panther was following him, after all, Tai Lung thanked him for the help and said "good bye" but the bigger feline just kept walking behind him.

Then the cub felt a hand on his shoulder and it was the panther, "Zai, Xovius wants to know why are you so interested in the Patient One?"

"Don't tell him that it was I who wanted to know!" Xovius yelled angrily at Alvar.

"Oh well do you see anyone else who would ask the boy's interest in a fake supernatural being?" Alvar sarcastically replied.

"That's not the point! You could have at least been discrete!" Xovius cried.

He was tired of listening to them fight all day long. Tai Lung couldn't take it anymore with the panther's constantly fighting his alternate ego, "SHUT UP!" The boy yelled.

The panther was silent and looked at the cub in the eyes, "If you want to know why I want to find the Patient One well I'll let you know this: I knew him… and I cared about him… and then I thought he was dead but it turns out that he is not, and I want to reunite what we once had, what we never got a chance to live."

There was silence for a few minutes until Alvar spoke quietly, "You're favorite whorehouse is in this direction. Good bye, little one!" And just like that, to Tai Lung's relief, the abnormal panther was gone.

Tai Lung made his way up the steps of the Jade Mountain and discovered the strangest sight he had ever seen in his life.

There was a big bonfire in the center of the courtyard and circling it while dancing in a weird fashion was the Dragon Warrior and a few members of the Five (Crane and Viper). They had body paint on their faces and other exposed body parts and to top it off they were wearing skirts made of tall grass. There was a circle painted on the floor, it was to the right of the bonfire, with Monkey standing right in the middle wearing a helmet, Master Flying Rhino's armor helmet Tai Lung presumed since he knew it pretty well. Tigress was standing as far away from the freak show as possible but she wanted to witness it anyway.

The cub then noticed Shifu standing to the left of the fire, far enough not to get in the way of the dancers, wearing body paint liker his students as well as a grass skirt around his waist with Mantis perched on top of his head dangling two dumplings with his pincers. Oh this is rich!

Then Arc appeared wearing nothing more than a loincloth and, of course, his armors while holding a golden sphere in his palms. "God of the masked people I humbly ask you to forgive this feces throwing soul in order for him to enjoy having a boner in the mornings or whenever he gets wood."

All of a sudden everyone dancing around the fire started chanting words, "Gooble, goble, gooble, goble!"

"Now let the sacrifices commence!" Arc exclaimed at the top of his lungs.

Everyone was flabbergasted by the lion's words. Shifu was the one to ask the question, "Wait what sacrifices?"

Arc explained, "In order to free Monkey from the curse we need to sacrifice virgins, ages eighteen through twenty five are the only ones that make it work."

Shifu then reasoned sounding a bit paranoid, "We can't sacrifice anyone's life for the sake of Monkey getting pleasure from… you know."

Arc sighed, "You're right, we don't have any virgins with that age at the moment. We can always make him drink the foulest liquid in all the land for the entertaining pleasure of the angered God."

"What is the foulest liquid in all the land?" Viper asked.

"Frankie's soy sauce!" Mantis added grimly.

"That'll work!" Arc exclaimed.

"I'll get it." Tigress offered. She wanted to know how the ritual was going to end.

While the tiger went to get the sauce from the rabbit in the kitchen, Arc gestured the others to continue, "Let's carry on with the ritual!"

Tai Lung had to admit that this was the most entertaining thing he had ever seen. He also found it to be hilarious; looking at Shifu and the rest of his students humiliate themselves was funny.

Tearing his eyes away from this freak show was something hard to do and it seemed that it was going to get better.

And he was right. Tigress returned with a bottle of soy sauce, which he heard from Arc that Frankie had used to defeat Mantis, along with the rabbit chef herself who looked intrigued at the strange dance show.

"Aha!" Arc exclaimed as he was given the bottle and held it in the air, "The foulest liquid in all the land! Now Master Monkey, drink every drop!"

Monkey shakily took the bottle in his hand and without further ado, he sipped the sauce with one gulp.

Nothing happened… until the golden langur felt a cramp coming from his abdomen and placed a hand there to soothe it.

"And it begins." Mantis said casually.

Arc looked around and was content, "The ritual was a success!"

"Does that mean the curse has been lifted?" Monkey said as he tried to keep himself from upchucking.

The lion nodded and added, "Yes, if it wouldn't have worked a lightning should have hit you."

As if on cue a lightning struck a nearby tree. Everyone had their jaws hanging open and then stared at the teenager.

Arc just kept smiling, "See, it didn't hit you!"


A/N: Gooble, goble, gooble, goble!

Alright, another chapter full of answers that opens up other questions please don't hate me for it. I'll see if I can finish the next chapter before August 28 since that will be the very first anniversary since I published my first chapter of this story.

Maybe Arc's attempts into romancing Naki won't be so hard since she feels the same way about him. Who could these Lei (means thunder) be and how is he connected to Tai Lung you ask? All of that will be answered in the future. I hope I don't have to explaine who the pink lady in black bloomers is. Of course the ritual you just witnessed does not exist but if it does someone please tell me! Just who wrote Shifu that message? I'll be evil and keep that secret to myself for now. If you want answers read and review.