chapter thirteen: all your people bear that mark

Habika and the servants seemed busy setting things up in the little sangha, so the candle in Oogway's shrine remained unlit. It was probably better than way. Shifu returned to the bunkhouse as though he were retiring for the night. Later, after all the candles in the bunkhouse had been blown out, he crept quietly as possible from his rooms and out the back door. He kept a very low profile until he reached the back side of the hill, looking down at the sangha. He began to approach it but stopped to pick some flowers.

He strode down the hill and tapped at the sangha door. Habika opened it to see him standing before her with a small bouquet.

"Oh!" she said as she took them, blushing like a little girl.

"My mother taught me to never arrive at a lady's house empty handed."

"Old fashioned, are you?"

"Terribly." He closed the door behind them and put his arms around her, swung her around. "Little wife! Little wife!"

She laughed and stroked his face. "Wonderful husband. Ah, Shifu, I love you so."

She kissed him, and Without another word he picked her up and carried her to the bed. He tore off the pink hanfu, buried his node in her fur to smell her soft clove scent, made love to her in view of a small library of zen scrolls, underneath sacred calligraphy. The complete lack of reverence was unexpectedly arousing, as though they were a priest and nun giving in to carnal desires in the church balcony. Afterwards she stroked his beard, curling his long mustache around her finger, which made his face twitch, and he sneezed.

"You have a sneeze button," she said, tugging on his mustache.

"Hm."

She reached up to stroke his eyebrow. "These are nice too."

She turned to kiss her. "Everything on you is nice."

"Nice big ears," she said, stroking them.

"You're one to talk." He reached up to tug on her ears, stretching them out. "Look at these things! If I had a boat and tied you to the mast we could probably sail to Japan."

She gasped in faux outrage, swatting him. "That's not nice!"

"Let me have my fun."

She climbed atop him, straddling him, crossing her arms over his chest. "Maybe I'll just have fun with you, then."

"I like where you're going with it so far."

She touched the tip of his nose. "You have a nose like ... like a weird ... berry."

"I'm devastated."

"That'll teach you." She sighed. "That was always the problem," she said after a moment.

"What problem?"

"Had I been a fox, or an antelope, I would have stood a chance at escaping the Forbidden City. I thought about it many times. I'm small and quick, it would have been easy enough for me to find a way out. But I'm also uniquely recognizable in this part of the world, so I wouldn't have made it far. People see these big old flaps for miles."

He stroked her, shaking his head. 'You're safe now, little one."

"I hope so."

"Besides, should we need to escape, sailing to Japan is always an option."

Habika smacked his cheek playfully. He went into attack mode, flipping her over, ticking her stomach. She tried to push him away and they wrestled for a few moments until he subdued her with tickling, only releasing her when she could barely breathe for laughing.

"You're mean!" Habika gasped.

"When I'm mean you'll know it, little one," he snickered.

"You have a point. I've never seen you be truly mean. I've only known you a month and I've agreed to marry you." She cocked her head thoughtfully. "I must be crazy. But I don't even care. I can't imagine the rest of my life without you in it."

Shifu smiled. "I can't sleep without a big ear in my face, so I pretty much have to marry you now."

She crossed her arms with fake indignation, nose raised, still straddling him. "That's it. I'm not speaking to you any more."

"You silly little thing," he chuckled. "Here, I'll do something to make it up to you. Close your eyes." He found a nerve point at the base of her skull and lightly squeezed. She relaxed almost instantly.

"Mmm. How did you do that?"

"I know all about the energy points and meridian lines of the nervous system. It's something one learns when one studies the highest forms of kung - fu. One can use that knowledge to incapacitate an enemy with a single blow." He pressed a point below her sternum and she sighed.

"Or you can use it to soothe annoyed wives?" she asked.

"Expressly for that purpose, yes."

"Hm."

He continued to slowly touch certain points on her body, becoming steadily more aroused and curious. He was an expert at redirecting chi, but mostly for use in nerve strikes. With a beautiful woman before him, it suddenly occurred to him that there might be alternative uses for that knowledge.

Hm. A challenge.

He leaned in to kiss her, and said, "Lie still."

"What are you doing?"

"Something you'll like."

She made a happy little noise and threw her arms above her head, completely trusting. Shifu's heart melted. He kissed either side of her face, her lips, her neck and chest, then moved down to her feet and began.

ooo

The morning bell sounded, and the Furious Five stood at attention at their doors.

"Good morning Mas-"

They stopped short. Master Shifu was not there.

His students stood there, shocked. For as long as any of them had resided at the Jade Palace, Shifu had never failed to greet them in the morning. He had even done so on the few occasions he was ill, if only to inform them that he was going back to bed.

Tigress snarled and slammed her door closed. Everyone jumped.

"Let's get down to the training hall," she spat. "We'll wait for him there."

"Tigress, maybe he's just - " Po began.

"I don't care what he is. Let's go." She stalked down the hall, leaving everyone else to exchange questioning looks.

ooo

Across the palace compound, in the sangha's master bedroom, Shifu woke up the moment the morning bell rang. He leapt out of bed in a panic.

"Dammit! dammit, dammit," he said, hurriedly pulling on his clothes.

"What is it?" Habika said, rousing sleepily. "Are you in trouble?"

"I'm not in trouble, I don't answer to them. I am their Master, not the other way around." He sighed, tightening his belt. "And yes. Yes I am."

"Oh dear," Habika said, smiling wryly at his display.

"Sorry to rush out," he said, leaning in to kiss her. A kiss she returned with more enthusiasm than he expected. His eyes fluttered closed. For a split second he forgot all about his dilemma and simply fell into the kiss.

He finally pulled away, and tapped Habika on the nose. "Temptress," he said. "You know I'd stay if I could."

"Mmm, I wish you would. I want more of what you did last night, you sorcerer," she purred.

"Likewise, little one," he said, giving her one last little kiss, and went to the window.

"You don't have to escape that way, I told Jing not to disturb me before noon," Habika said.

Shifu balked. "Noon! Are you going to sleep all day, you lazy woman?"

Habika yawned and nodded. "My people are nocturnal, didn't you know? I can push it back if I need to but you won't see me before noon most days." She stretched. "Have a nice morning, my handsome husband." She blew a kiss, curled up and closed her eyes.

"My silly little wife," he chuckled, and took his leave.

ooo

Shifu realized quite quickly he had no real way to explain himself, so he decided not to. He would apologize for his tardiness but they'd get no more out of him. If half the palace didn't see him coming over the hill from the sangha it might almost work. Thinking fast, he went into the Hall of Warriors from the back entrance. Perhaps he could play it off as having been lost in an early morning meditation by the moon pool. Or that's what he would tell anyone who saw him on the way to the training hall.

Clear your head, clear your head, he scolded himself. He could not help but keep thinking of the previous night, what heights to which he'd been able to drive Habika just by redirecting her chi. He had her so wound up she writhed and ground her teeth, twisting the blankets, shuddering and crying out for him like she had lost her mind. It was by leagues the hottest thing he had ever seen, and he could not stop thinking about it.

I should teach her to do it to me! he thought.

He stopped before the training hall door, took a deep breath, composed himself. You don't owe them an explanation, he insisted to himself. It's none of their business.

He opened the heavy door and his students snapped to attention, "Good morning Master!"

All, save Tigress, who continued stretching as though she had not seen Shifu enter. She looked over to him and continued what she was doing. Highly disrespectful.

Dammit, Tigress, Shifu thought. I thought we had an agreement.

"Tigress!" Shifu barked.

She turned to face Shifu. "Good morning Master," she said, giving the Adversary a solid punch, sending it careening into the wall.

"As you were, students," he said to everyone else. "Tigress! Come here!"

She obeyed but took her time about it, Shifu growing more infuriated by the moment by her insolence.

"Is. There. A. Problem?" he asked, his tone low and angry.

She looked straight into his eyes, brazenly. "No, Master."

"No? Then I suggest you drop this attitude of yours, fast. I'm not amused. And while you're at it, your form on that punch was sloppy. Work on it."

She saluted him. "Yes, Master." She turned her back on him and walked away.

"I did NOT excuse you," Shifu said.

She turned on her heel. "What now?"

"What now MASTER!" Shifu bellowed. The rest of the students looked up from their training. Shifu and Tigress were staring one another down.

"I expect a Master to behave in a manner befitting one, and show up on time for his students!"

He took a deep breath. "You are right. I apologize for that. It will not happen again."

"Where were you, that kept you so occupied?" she hissed.

Shifu was aghast.

"I do not answer to you, Tigress, and I am tired of your insolence." He pointed to the door. "Run up and down the stairs until we break for lunch. Maybe that will help your foul disposition. You're excused."

She saluted him, bowed, and stalked out of the training hall without looking back. Shifu turned to see the rest of his students staring at him.

"What the hell are you looking at? Get back to work!" he barked. "Crane, more height on that spin kick. Let's get to work."

ooo

Tigress did not join them for lunch, nor did Shifu. That left Po, Mantis, Monkey, Viper, and Crane in the kitchen, talking in hushed tones over tofu and rice.

"What was all that about this morning?" Crane asked.

Mantis chuckled and muttered something under his breath.

"Oh, would you stop with that already?" Viper said.

Mantis chuckled. "Where do you think he was this morning? Cooking breakfast?"

"I don't know and it's none of my business," Viper replied. "Besides, even if he was, why would Tigress be jealous of that? It's not like she'd rather it were her."

"How can you be certain?" Mantis said, raising an eyebrow.

"Mantis, you're disgusting," Viper said.

"Dude, you are thirty different kinds of perverted, you know that?" Po said, clearly aghast. "That's just ... that's a whole new category of wrong."

"Two words: daddy issues," Mantis said.

"Oh gods, mental image, mental image, make it stop," Crane wailed, holding his wings over his face.

"Look what you've done to Crane!" Viper exclaimed. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to distend my jaw and swallow you whole."

Mantis smiled. "Hot."

"It never ends!" Crane cried.

Tigress rounded the corner, exhausted, walking into the kitchen like no one was there. She blindly grabbed a plate and some food from the counter and sat down at the table to eat, her mind clearly elsewhere.

"Hello Tigress," Crane said.

She grunted in reply, exhausted from running up and down the palace steps.

"Um ... hello?" came a tiny voice from around the corner. Habika peeked her head around. "Oh!" she said. "You're all here."

They all rose and bowed, except for Tigress. "Princess!" they said.

"Oh no, no, please don't," she said nervously.

"What do you need?" Tigress asked sharply. "This is the student's bunkhouse, you are not supposed to be here."

Everyone looked at Tigress, horrified. She did not seem to care, locking eyes with Habika, who seemed to shrivel before her gaze. "Oh. I ... I apologize, I was just looking for -"

"Shifu is not here," Tigress barked.

" - the library," Habika finished. "I was looking for the library."

I can take you to it, Princess" Viper said, overly chipper.

"I was just taking a stroll around the grounds and I thought I should familiarize myself," Habika said.

"I agree, My Lady. Please, this way," Viper said, slithering to Habika's side.

"Next time you need something, ask one of your geese," Tigress snapped.

The princess was clearly taken aback by Tigress's hostility, but she seemed to rise into herself with Viper by her side.

"Very well," she said flatly to Tigress, then turned to Viper. "Shall we?"

Viper nodded. Habika gave a little bow to everyone as she and Viper left.

Everyone stared at Tigress, who continued to eat as though nothing had happened.

"Tigress ... " Po began, "What the hell?"

"Someone around here has to follow the rules," Tigress said, putting her chopsticks and plate in the sink. "See you at three thirty." She walked out, going down the hall and slamming the bunkhouse door behind her.

"See? What did I tell you?" Mantis said. "Daddy issues."

ooo

"Princess, I am so sorry, I don't know what came over Tigress," Viper said as they strolled back to the guesthouse. "She's not usually that awful."

Habika shook her head. "No, it's my fault. I didn't realize I am not allowed in the bunkhouse."

Viper rolled her eyes. "You're allowed anywhere you please, you're nobility and a guest of Master Shifu."

"Perhaps she felt I was invading her space. It is understandable."

Viper shook her head. "It was inexcusably rude, and you have every right to be offended."

Habika sighed. "Let's ... let's put it behind us, shall we?"

"Of course," Viper said. "We're coming up the library now."

"Isn't this the Hall of Masters?" Habika asked.

"Well, yes," Viper said as the geese opened the door for them, "but it is also where we keep our library of scrolls. You see, there, behind the fountain."

"Oh!" Habika said. "I thought those were the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu?"

"Yes, my Lady, mostly. But there are scrolls on every topic in there, a copy of everything any Master ever cared to put into writing! It's a tremendous resource. I know they seem like they're all just tossed in there, and that's because they are." She chuckled. "Li and Ang know where everything is. If you need anything in particular they'll be thrilled to help you."

"Thank you so much, Master Viper," Habika said.

"Of course, my Lady. If there is anything you need I am always happy to help. In fact, I - " Viper stopped mid-sentence, suddenly unsure.

"Yes..?" Habika asked.

"Well, I ... I am afraid of seeming too forward, my Lady, but I should very much like to get to know you, i the hopes that you might eventually consider me a friend. I would like to invite you to share midday meal with me tomorrow, if that pleases you?"

Habika smiled. "I would like nothing better, Master Viper. I look forward to it. Thank you."

Viper beamed. "My pleasure, Princess," she said, bowing.

ooo

"Tigress, where are you going?" Viper called after her.

"For a walk!" Tigress called back as she descended the palace steps that night after evening meal, wrapped in an old coat with a faded dragon embroidered on the back.

"Then I'll come with you, I - "

Tigress turned, silencing Viper with a single look.

"Oh," Viper said. "I understand. Just ... feel better, okay?"

Tigress gave her a thankful smile that didn't touch her eyes, and continued down.

ooo

She was looking, she realized, for a drink. She had drank maybe two alcoholic beverages in her life, and could barely recall the effects of them, but something was driving her towards the fen jiu joint, which glowed invitingly in the snow.

She stopped well back from it and turned away. No no, that was not an option. There wasn't a single public house from here to the Thread of Hope where her face was unknown. She would not make a disgrace of herself in public no matter how she burned.

She kept walking, heading nowhere, listening to her steps crunch in the snow. After a while she came upon the central square, busy with merchants by the day but now empty, dark. The fires of the village were distant enough to make it feel dangerous and remote. Tigress dug her hands in her pockets and sighed, watching the snow fall. It did nothing for the sparking ball of anxiety inhabiting her chest. Ah, if she could only have gotten that drink ...

She heard a creak and shuffle. An old carriage rolled into the square, dragged by a tired looking pony. A huddled figure sat on the perch. It stretched it's arms and hopped down, opening the carriage door. The inside of the carriage was dimly lit, the walls red and covered in scrolls bearing strange symbols. The huddled figure sat in the open doorway of the carriage and rolled a cigarette.

Tigress decided to quietly take her leave, as not to threaten this odd traveler. She took a few steps into the darkness, and an old woman's voice rang out over the square.

"I see you, dearie. No need to hide."

Tigress turned. The huddled figure had taken down her hood. She was a monkey woman, old, with a slight accent.

"Who are you?" Tigress asked.

The old woman chuckled. "Just an old fortune teller who's lost her way. And who are you?"

She paused. "Just a young woman out for a walk."

"Ah. And where are you heading?"

"I don't know," Tigress admitted.

"Hm," the old woman said. She reached into her wrappings and pulled out a flask. "Perhaps you were heading to me. Care to share a drink and a word with a lonely old traveler?"

Tigress hesitated. There was no outward sign of danger, but one could never be too sure.

The old woman chuckled again. "Come now, I've nothing to gain in harming you. By the look of that coat you've got nothing I'm after anyway. Come come, have a chat." She waved Tigress over, then removed the cap from the flask to pour herself a shot of whatever was in it. She threw it back hard, then poured a shot for Tigress, who accepted it.

"Bottoms up, dearie," the old lady said.

"Bottoms up," Tigress agreed, and threw the shot back. The alcohol was stinging and bitter, tasting of a billion year old wooden cask. She tried not to choke, tried to open her throat to it with only a little success. By the time she finally got the liquor down her eyes watered and she fought back nausea. But after a few breaths she felt it warming her on the way down.

"Thank you," Tigress said, handing the cap back to the old woman.

"Now be a dear and put this out, will you?" the old woman said, pulling a coal pot from underneath her carriage. "Too heavy for an old thing like me."

Tigress did as she asked, pulling the coal pot out. The woman handed her some matches and she bent over to light it, putting a metal grill over the top. Tigress and the old woman warmed their hands over it.

"All your people bear that mark, do they?" she said.

"What mark?"

The old woman pointed to Tigress's coat, to the embroidered dragon flowing up her back and across her shoulders. "That mark. The dragon."

Tigress was about to shake her head no, but suddenly realized that, in a manner of speaking, all her people *did* bear the mark of the dragon. Shifu, Tai Lung, Po, herself and the rest of the Five, their lives all afflicted with the mark of the Dragon Warrior.

"In a way," Tigress said slowly.

She sat with the old woman for about an hour, telling her about the Valley of Peace, where one might find good food and honest accommodation. To Tigress's embarrassment she wanted to know where the brothels were, as those women were some of her best customers. Tigress told her haltingly of the locations. She had defended them from raiders in the past. She may not have agreed with what they did but they ran a business like any other, and as citizens of the Valley of Peace, they deserved to be protected. But Tigress could not help but wonder if anyone she knew had ever set foot in those musky rooms. Had Mantis? Or Crane? Po?

Had Shifu?

She became uneasy at the thought, and suddenly wanted to return home.

"Thank you for your company, and the drink," Tigress said. "I must take my leave now. How long will you be in the village?"

"A few days, a few weeks, depends on how business goes," she said. "You seem troubled, girl. I think, though ... I think that why you are angry, it is a good reason."

Tigress didn't respond.

"Come back to see me one of these nights and I'll read the coins for you. On the house."

Tigress smiled. "Perhaps I will. Thank you."

"Of course. Goodnight, dearie. Oh, I nearly forgot. What is your name?"

Tigress hesitated. "My name is ... Xiu. What is yours?"

She smiled, her face lined with the marks of years of laughter . "Pleased to meet you Xiu. My name is Lata," she said. "They call me Mama Lata."

ooo