Chapter 11

Unsettled Business

I was fifteen when my family was on the verge of breaking up and taking our own paths in the wide world. I was socializing with the couple of friends I had near Mirror Lake with the feel that I was not going to see them in a long while, or maybe forever. We were in need of money, so I took on the job of working as a janitor for the Faim Lee-Dah academy. It was a tough spot, but me and my brother were one of the toughest cranes of our family; we could take on anything.

My sisters were scholars. They flew to the furthest parts of China to learn and teach the ways of life and joy. My parents stayed at home and depended on the money I sent them every month to live. But my brother... my brother was a party-goer and starter. He created trends and models for others to follow with their intent need to fit in. Rumours came around that he got accepted into a club of some sort. He often came home drunk, but barely so. It was a hint of intoxication that disgusted me, though the others couldn't see. Then one day, he took off saying that he got a deal with his club and that if he follows through, he will earn the ultimate gift.

I could remember looking around at his empty room with my parents, as we silently reminisced his presence. I could feel my parents quietly weeping, but I stayed stagnant. It was only after I left to work at the Academy that I began to wonder where he went. He was supposedly the pride of our family, but-

"I see no pride." Crane whispered under his breath, glancing back. He was assisted by Xiang and Mei Ling on both of his wings as they walked away to shelter from the recent battle. The pouring rain soaked his feathers and their fur, as it made the stone ground slippery to traverse. His brother looked emotionless. His crimson eyes seemed to glow among the darkness that soon covered the arena. He refused to look at Crane, as he was being verbally abused by his master. All he did was sit, and stare.

"Looks like you won, Crane." Mei Ling spoke through her fatigue.

Crane wanted to keep his head down and close his eyes in frustration from the moment, but he built up the strength to chuckle. "It does, doesn't it?" He looked to Xiang, careful not to whack him with his beak. "Those Gar-Chi warriors sure know how to strategize."

"Are you kiddin me? I could've taken that guy down in two hits. One to slap him outta the sky, one to kick him out." Xiang seemed angered. He stopped walking for a moment to look back at the lamb judges who ruffled through their scrolls under a leaky tent. Sighed. "It shouldn't be a tie. Then you'd both be out and one of us has to do another round."

"I sure hope it won't be-" Crane clenched his beak tightly in pain as his side pulled at his muscles to turn to jelly. Mei and Xiang caught him just in time, as they quickly set him in a dry spot underneath a few of the many large pillars that created the Colosseum.

"Poor Crane..." Mei brought her hazel eyes over to his, as she wasn't hesitant to lightly rub his side. "You're still wounded from that battle..."

I gasped.

Another punch to the side. It pushed my muscles to freeze and bid my form to keep stagnant. My wings stood partially out as the beast walked away.

All I could make out... were his dark, glowing yellow globes of eyes...

"Crane. Crane... Crane!" The bird blinked his eyes quickly open as they met with Xiang's. "Don't black out on me, man. You can do that in the bunks."

"Is he alright?" Mei turned to Xiang.

Crane brought his long neck up and looked back at the center of the Colosseum where the potential battles were to begin. What was... what was that? He stood up carefully with the help of the others, as he beckoned them to keep going.

ThaiLaan looked down at Crane in pity. "Can he still fight?"

"Of course he can still fight. He's still walking, isn't he?" Xiang snapped. The voices around him seemed to fade from his fatigue. Soft thunder, a quiet intensity rolled in the distance that kept him awake.

Once they made it to the bunkers he was helped perch on a rough looking bench. ThaiLaan crouched to Crane's height. "You're wounded. We need to take care of those cuts and bruises before the match starts again-"

"ThaiLaan he's strong. He'll get through it, bandages only slow him down." Xiang spoke, his head half turned to them.

The snow leopard glared up at Xiang. "You want him to suffer, drenched in this rain? For Kung Fu's sake Xiang, we can take the bandages off if he needs to go into battle-"

"When, he goes back into battle. All he needs is rest-"

"Is this all you care about?" ThaiLaan turned to Xiang. "You want to win. And the only thing that keeps you fighting is Crane here. He's horribly injured, and you shrug it off like a flea on your shoulder just so you can keep him in the tournament?" Her golden eyes flashed.

"I don't want him to give in, and sounds like you're trying to make him give in. That's your problem, ThaiLaan, you can't commit to these things, you want everyone to go your way and quit."

"That's completely false! I-"

Crane's droopy eyes forced him not to care or listen in on anything they were saying. He didn't want healing, true, but he couldn't heal in the time that the third round would start back up – that is, if he made it. He just wanted something... someone to give a care and comfort him.

"...and this even applies to every situation you've ever been in, I think we should take it slow, I think we should save it for another time, I think we should give it another thought, can't you just trust your senses and be a little more impulsive, ThaiLaan?-"

A paw touched both of their shoulders. Mei Ling looked into ThaiLaan's eyes. "You guys go cool off somewhere. I'll take care of Crane."

ThaiLaan clenched her jaw as she looked at Crane. Then walked away. Xiang exchanged glances with Mei Ling, and followed after ThaiLaan.

"Thanks." Crane lightly smiled, one eye forced closed from a blow to the cheek.

Mei Ling didn't smile back. Her eyes were filled with care and friendship. The type of look Crane would only see once in a life time. "You're going to make it out of this, okay? I've always dreamed that you'd get this far in Kung Fu, and here you are."

He felt a quick rush of warmth as the mountain cat lightly squeezed his damp body with hers in an affectionate hug. "I missed you, Crane..."

"I-I missed you, too." He couldn't find another reason why, but he tasted a little bit of home, a little bit of belonging again, a little bit of comfort.

"Just walk away, ThaiLaan. That's what you always do."

The snow leopard grunted and turned back around, ears flat, rain dripping from her jaw. "I don't walk away, Xiang. I take action. I was so attached to you that I would have stayed with you like every other female out there, but I chose not to live with that certain attribute of yours." She pointed to his chest, eyes locked with his. "I come home and you're with another female. You think I can just live with that?If you're so committed to the prize, why weren't you committed to me?"

"If I could explain, you would understand. You know I don't let others come between you and me."

"Then why, were you sleeping with another female?" ThaiLaan stammered, eyes quivering.

Xiang stood tall, as he hesitated to speak. "She slept with me. I never chose to-"

"Of course Xiang." The snow leopard took a few steps back. "Of course it was the other way around. Let me guess, she had the authority over you. She dragged you down and you couldn't escape her grasp."

"What will I say that will tell you that it's true?"

"Because everything you say is false."

"ThaiLaan." He brought his sapphire eyes to hers. "Look at me. What do you see?"

"A desperate male looking for a reason for a false love."

Xiang didn't change his face. "What else do you see." He didn't give her the cat eyes, but for some reason, ThaiLaan got the hint that he was being honest. She didn't want to take the hint, but as each and every second passed between them, the picture became more and more clear. "Look at it from my point of view, ThaiLaan. What do you see?"

"I..." Her small brows lowered in absence. One part of her was eager to get to know the reason why he did what he did, the other wanted to get rid of the mess he caused so long ago and move on. I've been moving on this whole time... I need to take action. She focused back on his eyes.

As her conscience met with his, the pieces of the puzzle began to fit.

"C'mon Xiang, one more drink." The lioness smiled lightly at the white puma. "You took a hard hit today, I'm surprised you're still standing."

"I know. Those rhinos are slow, but strong." He touched the glass to his mouth and chugged another shot. Slammed it on the counter. "So is this stuff!" He laughed hysterically as the lion poured each of them another drink.

Xiang looked to the door of his dorm. "My girlfriend's gonna be here any time. You gotta go, Scarlet. Thanks for the company."

"No, no." She touched his shoulder. "We still have time to stay. Tell me again how that battle went?"

The white puma chuckled. "Oh man, you should've seen the guy! Seven hundred pounder, swinging a blunt mace right at my face! I dodged the first blow, but when that second one came, I..." He swayed to the side a bit. "I..." He touched his forehead. "I don't feel so good."

Scarlet chuckled. "It's because of all the drinks you had, silly." She said as she brought a paw up to his forehead. "That's what I love about males like you... you can withstand something for so long and strongly keep at it. I thought you were going to pass out from your fifth shot."

Xiang was surprised. "Wh... what? How many shots have I had?"

Scarlet suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck as she turned him to her. "Does it matter?" She brought him close. Slid her hand down to his bicep. "That's the kind of animal I need... a strong, hefty male that understands the demands of battle..." She tightened her paw around his muscle and brought her head to his neck, breathing on it. "...and of love..." She brought her paw down to the rim of his pants, soon sliding down a little further until a spike of pleasure filled Xiang's senses.

"Scarlet..." He closed his eyes. He wanted to protest, to push her away, but he hadn't the mind to. Instead he did the opposite of what his brain told him to, and lifted her up and brought her to the bedroom.

The next thing he felt was the quick rush of blood to the head and his conscience returning to him when he heard ThaiLaan's gasping voice. He opened his eyes to his girlfriend walking out on him and his training buddy beside him, awake and aware of all that was happening, but refusing to take opposing action.

As Scarlet put the last of her clothes on, she turned to the white puma. "You were wonderful." She turned and walked away, but before reaching for the handle of the heavy wooden door to leave, she glanced back around to the half-asleep Xiang. "I heard the academy is splitting up the males and females tomorrow. I suppose this can't be a situation at all then, since it's potential that you will break up with that snow leopard of yours." She smiled. "It was nice meeting you nonetheless." And with that, she walked out.

"I see the old Xiang." ThaiLaan pulled away, as she broke the locking of their eyes. "The foolish... old Xiang I always knew..."

Xiang stepped closer to her, and brought his paw to her elbow. "This is how I've always been, ThaiLaan... I've never changed." He slightly pulled her closer. "My love's never changed." He drew closer to her, and touched his lips to her's. Her heart jumped several times as the moment embraced her, but as quickly as it came, it went.

She pulled away quickly, observing him critically. Blinked a couple times. "I'll see you in the ring." She turned, and walked away.

"I can understand why they split the academies, but I'm not happy with it. All my friends were beside themselves with sadness when they realised they had lost their buddies in the male Faim Lee-Dah academy. I felt no different." Mei Ling sat on the side of the bench where Crane sat, as his side slowly began to pulse the pain away. "Every night was a time where we'd sit in our bunks and think about the other academy... and I'm sure you did the same."

Crane didn't bother to reply, but nod in confirmation. He was tired, and wanted to save his energy. He wanted to speak subject after subject over with her as they passed him by, but he kept still, silent, quiet.

"...and that's where I met ThaiLaan. She was the closest thing I had to family. Since you left, I've had no one to open up to and talk to." She chuckled as she thought back. "I remember introducing myself to you. You were just the janitor, remember?"

The bird wanted to laugh, but simply smiled. "Worst job ever, I can tell you that!"

The mountain cat laughed. "You were one of the most unique animals I've met. And you still are. From the bottom of the food chain to the top. You sure have quite a story. Someone should record you into a scroll of some sort."

They both laughed at the nonsense.

Mei sighed in relief. "And now you're here. Fighting some of the best warriors in western China." Her shoulders lightly raised in an intensity of thought. "Who was that other crane?"

Crane looked away. "I think I knew him. From before." He brought his eyes back to the inside of the stadium. The stands were completely barren. But in the center there were Gar-Chi warriors meditating in the mud and rain. A polar bear was quietly instructing them as he walked in between each of them. He looked fierce, but kind and willing to accept talking to anyone. On the outskirts of the center lay the judgement tables where the many judges discussed over what the next battles were to be.

"He looked exactly like you, Crane." Mei spoke with that slight hint of unbalance that Crane was always used to hearing after any drastic events.

"He scared me." Crane confessed. "Everything I've ever wanted to be was battling me in the ring."

"What do you mean?"

The bird brought his eyes to Mei. "He told me something out there that made me realise that my training wasn't for me. It was for the non-flying contestants, and that I was out of place."

"Well, yes, you are a little out of place," Mei added.

"Thanks, Mei." Crane flattened his voice.

"But you have a strong technique. The Crane technique."

Crane slightly tilted his head. "What did you say?"

"The Crane technique. It's a type of martial art in Kung Fu. It's very rarely seen in Kung Fu today, but when it's presented, it's beautiful and flawless." She turned her head to him, ears twitching from a water droplet that hit one of them. "Only a few masters out there still teach it."

Crane brought his head down. "That's probably why I haven't heard of it before..."

"Well from what I saw in the ring, he was using it against you. That's why he was so tough."

"The Gar-Chi academy must've taught him that..." Crane began to understand why he was so impossible to beat down.

Mei Ling looked back into Crane's weary eyes. "How do you know him?"

A hesitation. Crane brought his eyes to the distant foggy inner-Colosseum that was intensely lit by warming fires. "I think among all the ruffled feathers and scarred face, I saw..." He sighed. Brought his eyes to her's. "I saw somewhere in that monster... my brother."

"I was kissed by the mighty dragons of yin and yang. As they fall, so will I." The snow leopard crouched down to feel the gravel with her paws. "Corruption is a beautiful thing because it brings change." She looked to the snake with determined eyes, then reverted her gaze to the multiple other animals that stood before her, proud, but scarred from recent battles. "But there must always be a storm before the calm. So I'm afraid we can't accept change. You must help restore the balance before all hell breaks loose."

I couldn't understand a single thing that she was saying. From the past she mentioned the two dragons, but she must be speaking metaphorically because there are no more dragons.

"We are opposites. But united we will forever stand when the balance within our relative selves begins to shift." The snow leopard stopped between two of the felines that stood close to me. She placed a paw on one of their shoulders. "I have taught you all I know, ThaiLaan. Now you must carry my work with you and use all you know to keep the others safe." She brought her golden eyes to the other feline, a male – a familiar looking male – and gave a nod. "I have and will never agree with the decisions that you've made, nor the ones you are about to make, but do know that I carry on inside of you. You have been given a gift, now use what you've been taught by the others to live on. I will miss and love you, Tai Lung-"

Viper's heart jolted, as her eyes were soon focused on the delicately designed ceiling of her parent's palace. Her breath was cold, her body, aching. "Wh... where have I heard that name, before..." She whispered below her breath.

The silence was broken by the raising of her mother's voice. Viper listened in, but could only make out a few sentences. "...the Jade Palace is no place for her! What could you possibly be thinking, sending her away from me like that?"

"I have complete respect... must take matters into her own hands... a very fierce, bold viper and she is her father's daughter, of the mighty fang..."

A long silence swept the night by.

She could hear a drawn-out sigh. "I have been too clingy with my daughter, and I do wish for her to make it into a great school like your's, but after what happened earlier... you have my respect... I can't let you take her from me like that again. Please, stay away from my daughter."

Shifu conceded with hesitation. "I understand."

Viper's heart slowly sank into her stomach, as the truth took her by surprise. Mom always thought I was a fighter... but now that he saves me from my father's murderer, she's not even convinced that I should join Master Shifu in the Jade Palace? She put her head slowly back down onto her spiraled body, as she could hear Master Shifu's steps find their way to the front entrance.

"Master Shifu." She could hear her mother's voice slightly raise in the dead of the night.

A pause.

"She is like her father, isn't she?"

Another pause. Shifu took a breath. "She is one of the most fierce-hearted animals I have seen since I looked into the eyes of one of my closest students, Tigress. I believe she will be as great a master as her father once was." His last step took a slight turn, as if to face her mother. "She defeated the gorilla that put your husband down."

Silence filled the empty space of the room, as Shifu stepped out of the palace, never to come back again.

…

"Your... brother? Of all animals? But how..."

"When I was out there he reminded me of him so vividly. He has all the facial features I so remembered when he took off about a decade ago. The only thing thats changed about him is his eyes."

Mei Ling looked as if all the breath she had in her body was swept away with the night's chill, as she unfocused on Crane's chest. "They... brainwashed him."

Crane looked at the mountain lion. "That's why he doesn't remember me. My family has searched for him ever since he left, and now that I've finally found him he... he doesn't remember me." He took a moment to take a long sigh. "Instead he breaks me. Finds my flaws and stretches them till we stumble out of the ring."

Mei Ling set a paw firmly on his shoulder. "At least you found someone here that hasn't forgotten about you." A smile lit up her face.

Crane built up the strength to smile. Amazingly, he was beginning to feel his strength come back. It seemed that it was his long lost friend's company that healed his fatigue. But he was still afraid that if he got up, his side would pull at him again, and drain all the energy he gained. Crane looked away in lament. "He was never much of a fighter though... he just loved to intimidate."

Mei parted her lips. "But all your life you've wanted to fight." She looked away and smiled.

Crane got an impression she was teasing him. "What?"

"...I remember seeing you clean the academy in record timing using all these fancy moves you made up to make your job easier." She blinked. "Have you been practicing flying and fighting at all?"

Crane chuckled. "Me...? W-what are you talking about, the academy would never let-"

"Crane." She touched a finger to the bottom of his beak. "I don't care what the academy thinks. You rose above the rest by doing what you were born to do, flying-"

"Come and fight the way you were born to fight."

Crane gasped as his vision came back to Mei's welcoming face. "...I bet if you fight the way you were born to fight – like the true Crane I saw cleaning that day - you can beat this guy in no time."

The crane looked away. "I... I don't know-"

"Crane." A low, forceful voice came in through the darkness. The fog was beginning to clear, as were the skies. Their master stepped in and gave Crane a concerned look. "I need to talk to you. About that fight."

"Yes, master." Crane almost too quickly got to his feet, as Mei stood next to him, to help him stand. He thanked her, and began to painfully waddle to his master, as they found a quiet spot to chat behind a massive pillar.

"Can you fight, Crane?" The rhino asked with no sense of pity.

The crane nodded. "Y-yes master."

"Good, because that last battle was a mistake. If you were to keep your feet on the ground you could have kept in the ring. You're trained not to fly, so why must you do it now, in the most important tournament you're most likely going to live to see?" He sighed. "The scores are in from your last battle. You will be against that Gar-Chi Academy student again, so this time, use your brain, not your wings." He began to walk away, before turning his head again. "Good luck. You and Xiang are my most prized students. The academy is here for you; this is your time to show them what you're made of." And with that, he walked off.

Crane made his way back to Mei Ling, as he leaned against the wall, somewhat frustrated.

"What did he say?"

He brought up his sagging head and slightly grinned. "Well, I made it to the next round."

Mei cheered quietly and brought him into a friendly hug. "Do you know who you're against?" A light gasp escaped her lips, as she drew away. "Don't tell me."

"I'm against my brother, again."

The mountain lion's shoulders lowered, as she closed her mouth. Looked about as if trying to look for aiding words to give. "Well, you couldn't be more ready now than ever before." She said, bringing her hazel eyes to his. "If I were to give any advice, it would be to fight the way you fought that first day of training. By flying."

Crane looked away, shrugging.

"What's wrong?" The mountain lion took a step forward.

The crane hesitated, before bringing his eyes back to her's. "My master just told me that I am-"

"Selfish! She's a selfish cat that can't see right from wrong!" Crane twitched his head to the male voice that came in. "I told her everything and she listens, but she's still too stubborn to see past the past!" Xiang pounded as he barged in, as he stood next to Crane with a paw running through the fur on the top of his head. He took a long sigh, exchanging stubborn glances with the two. The animals surrounding them picked up their heads in attention to the sudden outburst. "Crane, Mei, how do you have it so good?"

"We don't make foolish decisions like you did." Mei Ling spoke with a little rasp in her voice, as she took a step back from them.

"Why won't anyone believe me... it was an accident, it was all..." He turned to the side as his eyes began to quiver. "She doesn't love me anymore... before I thought she was faking it, but I get it now... All these years I've been waiting to see her, I've seen her everyplace we train - in the silent beams of the sunlight shining through the aspens in Travark Valley, my reflection in Mirror Lake, the waves of unconsciousness I feel when I start to drift to sleep, in this very Colosseum, but when we finally talk, I finally realise the fire we had burning went out, and that spark is... no more." He squatted, paw on his forehead. Tears were swelling in his eyes, but he tried to keep them from running down his damp cheek.

Mei Ling gave a heavy eye to Crane, and turned back hesitantly. "You never lost it, Xiang. She..." Mei took a step towards the white puma, placing a paw on his broad shoulder. "She ranted on and on about you back at the camp. Not just of the bad experiences, but... but how much she wanted you back. She still loves you, but she won't let herself get back into you. You ruined her love life, and now she's just an empty shell – never to be filled again."

"It's not fair. It sounds like she passed away."

"In her own love, yes. And you were the one who committed the murder. Do you really think she'll forgive you after what you did?"

"Mei Ling, that's not helping." Crane stepped in.

"It's the truth."

Xiang opened his blood shot eyes. "I guess truth is all I need. I gave her my side of the story, but I never knew her side, until now. She won't forgive me..."

BMMRRRR, BMMRRRR!

All the warriors picked up their heads.

"The next round is starting." Crane spoke, as he made his way to the centre of the Colosseum with the other 15 warriors: Mei Ling, Xiang, ThaiLaan, the Gar-Chi, and Mono, his brother.

"Mom." Viper spoke with the bravest of a voice she could give.

The mother viper turned, after watching Master Shifu tread the steps from their temple. "Viper! You shouldn't be up! You'll hurt yourself trying to stay up!" She observed Viper with worrisome eyes. "You need more bandages, let me get them-"

"No mom. I can take care of myself."

Her mother was stopped in her slither. Looked back to Viper. "Viper, dear, what on earth are you talking about, you need someone to aid you-"

"You heard what Master Shifu said about me. I took revenge on Zhen. The cave collapsed on him when we fought." She looked away for a second. "Mom, I've learned so much since then, and... I realised, I can take on anything on my own."

"I know you can, Viper. But you're not old enough to start your own life out there, where will you go?"

"With Master Shifu."

Her mom seemed to stare at her with surprised eyes for a moment, before shrugging. "I don't believe I can trust him. He almost got you killed!"

Viper slithered up next to her mother, and stared into her eyes. "He saved me, from being killed, mom. He patched me up afterwards and fed me... like my father once did. He showed me my true passion in life; I want to protect what is ours, our family's, China's. I want to fight."

Her mother gave a sigh. "You are like your father. Rushed and impatient," She looked back into Viper's eyes. "...but strong and brave. Viper," She stroked her baby girl's head with her tail. "Make a legend of yourself – you've a lot to look up to."

Viper burst into a smile, tears slowly running down her face. "I won't let you down, mom..." She embraced her with a hug.

"I have something to give you." Her mother slivered over to her room, and picked up a piece of carved silver from Viper's father's show case cabinet. A tiny chain hung from the circular medal. On the metal was a clock that had long since stopped working. She placed it around Viper's neck. "Patience is the key to everything. I've kept mine, and it has proved me beneficial. I waited all this time for your fangs to grow, but who would ever know my daughter would learn true combat." She touched the medal with her tail, looking up at Viper. "Whenever in doubt, let time give the answer. It has given me mine, as it will give you yours."

Viper examined it one last time, before saying her goodbyes and packing one thing: her ribbons. She quickly slithered out the doors, and caught up with her future master, and her future father.

A.N: Please don't send me messages demanding more chapters. Thank you.