Author's Note:
Sorry I've been away for so long, it the end of the semester, and I've been studying for exams. Anyway, before we begin, I'd like to point out that this is the first time I've posted three chapters at once since I started this story in January. Hopefully, these three chapters make up for the three weeks I've been gone.
Chapter 13: Someone in the Dark.
As the sun rose again over Ancient China, the Jade Palace's training hall was filled to the brim with nearly a dozen martial arts animals, included one tired wolf cub. Erdan yawned as he watched his friends do some early morning training. It was his sixth day living in the palace and he was currently watching a sleepy Po spar with his equally sleepy teammate, Tigress. Even though it had to be around 7:00, Po, Erdan and the Five were all still exhausted. He and his friends had stayed up pretty late the night before, during their little get-together. Still, the fun times they had all shared was well worth the drowsiness they all felt the next day.
Erdan watched as Po and Tigress exchanged punches and kicks. Tigress was not only strong but fast too, jumping over and under the panda in less time than it would take for him to blink. However, Po was pretty fast as well. Erdan watched as Tigress tried to leap over Po only for the panda to grab her by her tail and throw the striped master off balance. After their little dance went back and forth for several minutes, it finally ended with Tigress pinning Po against the Jade Palace's floor. Once it was clear Po could fight no more, Erdan watched as Shifu waved his hands at his pupils, as a sign the match was over.
Po breathed a sigh of relief and finally relaxed his body, allowing himself to breathe normally again for the first time in three minutes. Tigress reached down and offered the panda her paw, which he gladly accepted. "Congratulations, you lasted three and a half minutes that time. You're getting better", Tigress noted.
"Thanks and it only took me three years", Po quipped jokingly, between pants. However, the panda's mouth fell wide open as he watched Tigress' next reaction. For a split second, Po could have sworn he saw the female tiger smirk a bit at his joke, before walking off to rejoin her friends.
Erdan walked up to the Dragon Warrior, a look of disbelief on the wolf cub's face. "Whoa, did she just smile?", Erdan asked, surprised.
"I think she did", Po replied, laughing.
As Erdan watched from a distance, Shifu's students continued their daily sparring practice. They made sure they rotated opponents every few minutes, that way they'd make sure every single pupil got a decent workout. Eventually, Po noted that it would be lunchtime soon and Shifu decided it was time to call it a day. They only had enough time for one more match before lunch, and the moment Monkey had been dreading arrived, when Shifu announced that he would be fighting Zhong in the last match. To both Erdan and Monkey's relief, Zhong was in a pretty good mood that day, so he only fought with moderate intensity, which was pretty normal for him on the rare days he was mellow.
Erdan watched as the wolf and the monkey exchanged kicks and punches for several minutes, until Monkey decided to use a different tactic. The simian master leapt into the air, taking Zhong by surprise, before landing only a few feet behind the wolf. Monkey then proceeded to kick Zhong in the legs, causing the wolf to fall flat on his back and immobilize him. Zhong was only down for a few seconds, but that was all the time Monkey needed to climb on top of his chest and pin him down. The little yellow langur gazed down at his fallen comrade, grinning triumphantly.
"Wolves aren't the only ones who can be sneaky. Monkeys know how to play dirty", Monkey proclaimed.
Instead of being angry or frustrated, like Erdan had expected him to be, Zhong couldn't help but laugh at how easily his smaller teammate had gotten the better of him. It seemed the wolf's sense of humor had improved greatly during his stay at the palace, as well as his sense of sportsmanship.
"Yeah, monkeys can be pretty sneaky", Zhong chuckled, grinning.
Monkey reached down and extended his paw so he could help his teammate up. But instead of taking Monkey's hand, Zhong just grinned mischievously. Shifu hadn't waved his hands yet, which meant the match still wasn't over yet. And the wolf had concocted a plan of his own. Instead of grabbing Monkey's hand, Zhong stayed where he was on the floor and spoke up again.
"Like I said, monkeys can be pretty sneaky. But wolves are like foxes. We not only play dirty, but we'll also attack you as soon as you let your guard down", Zhong added, winking.
Monkey's eyes widened as he realized what Zhong was about to do, but the simian master still didn't have enough time to dodge or run before Zhong made his move. In the blink of an eye, Zhong grabbed Monkey's paw and yanked the yellow langur down as hard as he could. Before Monkey could react, Zhong rolled over and pinned him down against the Jade Palace's floor, crushing his smaller, slightly more fragile, teammate.
"Ow, what is this?!", Monkey growled, his voice somewhat muffled by all the fur in his face.
"I'm using my body weight to pin you down, something the Dragon Warrior taught me my first month here. Thanks again. Po", Zhong remarked, before grinning at his panda teammate, who was sitting next to an excited Erdan.
"You're welcome!", Po shouted, the panda's grin matching Zhong's.
Monkey scowled at his teammate for taking Zhong's side, before glaring up at his opponent.
"Do you yield?", Zhong asked, grinning.
"Never! Now get off me, man!", Monkey groaned as Zhong's massive weight pressed down on him. The monkey tried to escape, but Zhong had him pinned good. He couldn't even bend his tail and use it as a weapon anymore.
"Hey, at least I'm not trying to sit on you with my butt, like Po did to me", Zhong commented.
"Dude, how is this any better? You're like three times my weight!", Monkey complained.
"Tough. I'm not moving until you yield", Zhong replied stubbornly.
Before Monkey could reply, he felt something long and sharp poke him in the stomach, taking the langur by surprise. Monkey's eyes rolled around a bit, and he realized that Zhong's stomach was smushing his face, which meant the wolf's massive shorts was what was rubbing up against the rest of his body. The guy was literally crushing him with his crotch.
Monkey cringed, as a very disturbing thought entered his head. Maybe Erdan's theory about Zhong was right before, and maybe he was enjoying this moment for a completely different reason. "This isn't funny man! Something's poking me, and it'd better not be what I think is it!", Monkey complained.
"Hey, you're the one who started this. You tripped me with a banana peel", Zhong countered, before proceeding to further secure his teammate. Monkey groaned, as Zhong reached down and wrapped his giant paws around the langur's arms, tying them around his back. Though the wolf was certainly enjoying his teammate's discomfort, he was still careful to keep most of his weight off Monkey. After all, he only wanted to teach his friend a lesson, not put him in the hospital.
Eventually, Monkey stopped fighting him and sighed. Now that his hands were tied, he knew the match was over. "Look man, I'm sorry about the banana thing. If it's any consolation, it was meant for Po, not you", Monkey apologized.
"What?! Not cool, man! Not cool!", Po shouted from a distance.
Zhong chuckled a bit before looking down at Monkey. "Alright. Do you yield?", the gray wolf asked.
Monkey sighed again, before nodding his head. With that, the match was officially over. Zhong climbed off of Monkey and watched as the sore simian stretched his arms and legs. "I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?", Zhong questioned, concerned.
"No, I'm fine", Monkey replied, though it was obvious the langur's pride was hurt a little. Eventually, the monkey cracked his signature smile, as a sign their friendship hadn't also been hurt by the ordeal. "But I'll get you next time", Monkey promised, before walking off to rejoin the Furious Five.
Zhong grinned, the wolf's expression almost challenging. "I look forward to it", Zhong remarked, unworried. Zhong then glanced over his shoulder, as two of his best friends walked up to him.
"Man, that sneak attack was so awesome!", Po said excitedly.
Erdan glanced at Zhong, the wolf cub's eyebrows raised. "So, what was poking Monkey?", Erdan asked curiously. Though a small part of him didn't want to know the answer, in fear it would be both creepy and disturbing, a slightly larger part of him felt like he had to know.
"Probably this", Zhong replied, before reaching into his pocket and extracting an old paper scroll. "Shifu has us read these things every morning to memorize the 'secret moves'", Zhong explained, though by the sound of the wild dog's voice, he seemed almost unimpressed.
All of Erdan's thoughts about Zhong and Monkey quickly disappeared, as he gazed at the old scroll Zhong was holding in his hand. "Whoa, the secret moves of kung fu. Oogway taught Shifu those, and now Shifu's teaching them to Po and Five… and my dad", Erdan thought happily.
Erdan wished he was a student like Zhong, stopping bad guys and learning how to keep the Valley of Peace safe, one step at a time. But he wasn't a student, not yet anyway, and that was why he had to leave soon. So he wouldn't hold his friends back. But he still didn't know how he was going to tell them yet.
The wolf cub watched as Zhong put the scroll back in his pocket and beckoned for his son to join him as they walked into the kitchen. But before they could get settled down in their chairs, someone knocked on the door in the other room.
Po groaned and was about to get up, when Shifu walked past him, obviously intent on answering the door himself. The old panda returned in a few seconds, with a very familiar guest. "Thanks for letting me in, Master Shifu. Hello everyone", Shu greeted.
"Hi Shu", Po replied, his peppy voice mixed in with almost a dozen other happy greetings.
A wide smile appeared on Zhong's face as Shu joined them in the kitchen. And the grin only grew wider, as he realized the she-wolf was carrying a canvas in her hands. "Hello, beautiful. I see the paint's done drying", Zhong observed.
"Yeah, Cree handed it over to me this morning. Are you guys ready to see what it looks like?", Shu asked excitedly.
"Yeah, sure", Erdan agreed eagerly.
"Love to", Po added.
"I don't see why not", Zhong shrugged.
"Your boyfriend tried to crush me with his body", Monkey said flatly, before shuddering at the memory.
Shu raised her eyebrows and glanced at Zhong, who only shrugged again. "I don't wanna know", Shu mumbled, before placing her painting on the kitchen table.
Once the painting was laid out for everyone see, the Dragon Warrior and his friends wasted no time in seeing how it had turned out. Needless to say, their responses were mixed, at best. Some look pleased, others' embarrassed, and some, like, Po were clearly in denial.
"I'm not really that fat, am I? My butt's not that big", Po asked in disbelief, while Tigress rolled her eyes.
"Wow Zhong, you look so handsome", Shu noted.
"Thanks", Zhong grinned, his cheeks flushing a little.
Curious as to what his friends were talking about, Erdan glanced down at the oil canvas, and smiled widely as he saw what was painted on it. It was a still portrait from the night before, directly out of the boy's memories. The picnic tables were still set in the center of the Jade Palace's lawn, and the lanterns were still hanging between the trees, lighting up the night sky. Erdan quickly found himself in the painting, sitting at one of the picnic tables with his foster family. He had to admit, Cree was a great artist. Her painting of him and his friends was pretty spot on.
Sitting on the boy's left side was Zhong, who despite his complaints about how long a portrait would take to finish, had managed to keep smiling for over an hour. Erdan grinned a little, as he stared at his father's awkward smile, which was now immortalized forever on paper. But still, Shu was right about one thing. For someone who had only one eye, and was clearly uncomfortable sitting still the whole time, Zhong did look kinda handsome on canvas, and he understood why women were so fascinated by him. "If you're into the whole dark and brooding thing", Erdan added.
Sitting on Erdan's right was Shu, who had her paw placed on the boy's shoulder. She looked so beautiful. Her hazel brown eyes reflecting the full moon in the sky. "Out of all the guys in the world to fall in love with, I still don't know why'd she choose dad. She could do so much better", Erdan thought jokingly.
After looking past his new family, Erdan's eyes wandered across the painting and towards the other animals. The wolf cub's smile grew even wider as saw Po eating several dozen dumplings in the background. Po had insisted a picture of him eating would be a funny one, but the trouble was that he always kept eating the food before Cree could finish working. So they had to keep sending Zeng to bring more dumplings, all without moving from where they were standing.
"For someone who's been trained in discipline and self-control, Po always pigs out when it comes to food. No, scratch that. I've met pigs, and they still don't eat nearly as much Po", Erdan joked to himself. Needless to say, holding still became even harder when they had to resist the urge to laugh at Po, their friend with a bottomless pit where his stomach should have been.
Erdan then glanced at Shifu and the Furious Five, who had remained perfectly still the entire hour, despite all the distractions. "They're kung fu masters, holding still for freakishly long amounts of time is their specialty", Erdan considered.
As well as smiling, Howard and Lila Yung had held their sore arms still for more than an hour so Cree could paint them waving. It was a nice touch, and Erdan hoped the end result was worth the pain they were no doubt feeling today.
And finally, there was the Hao family. Gerald and Margaret had been in many portraits before (at their wedding, their anniversary, etc, etc) and had found no problem in freezing their body for an hour. Their son, not so much. Even with his mother scolding him every few minutes, Fang had found it impossible to hold still. The rabbit had squirmed, flinched and almost had been as distracting as Po.
Cree was obviously a miracle worker, because any other painter would have just given up on the bothersome group. Instead, she kept working, blending and weaving together dozens of different colors for an hour, until she turned a disaster into a masterpiece. He had to make sure he thanked her later.
At the end of it all, Erdan was glad Po and Shu had decided to hire the painter. So long as this portrait was in his possession, he'd never forget the night he had bonded with his new family. The best night he had had in years. When he was finally done, Erdan looked up at his friends, who were all grinning at him hopefully.
"So, what do you think?", Viper asked.
"It's beautiful. It's the perfect way to remember my last few days here at the palace", Erdan replied.
"Last?", Zhong asked, confused.
Erdan's smile faded a bit, as he remembered he still hadn't filled in his friends about his plans for the week. "Yeah. I became a guest in the palace because I needed time to rest from my travels, and a place to stay until then. But now that I'm better I don't need to stay here any longer. I'm not a student, so I don't want to be a burden", Erdan explained.
"What? But where will you go? You've got nowhere else to stay", Shu asked, worried.
"There's a boarding house in the village. I figured I'll stay there until I get job and get a place of my own", Erdan explained.
"But, you'll be all alone again", Viper commented, concerned,
"I won't be alone. I'll stop by and visit you guys whenever I can, and I have plenty of friends in the village", Erdan said, unworried.
Zhong shook his head a bit, which gained Erdan's attention. "I understand you wanting to be independent and start a life of your own. But I don't like the idea of you living with strangers. I'd feel better if I knew you were with people I trust", Zhong said, worried.
"I've lived with strangers for six months now, Zhong. I know you're worried about me, but trust me, I can take care of myself", Erdan argued, to which Zhong had no reply.
"No offense, kid, but how are you gonna pay for a room in a boarding house? There aren't that many stores hiring. And even if they were, not too many would jump at the chance to hire a wolf", Mantis argued.
Erdan opened his mouth to argue with the insect master, but then closed it, when he realized Mantis had a point. "That's true", Erdan muttered.
Po stared pitifully at the boy, until a light bulb went off in the panda's head. "Wait, my dad", Po whispered.
Zhong glanced at Po, confused as to what Mr. Ping had to do with their predicament. "The noodle guy? What about him?", Zhong questioned.
"Ever since I became the Dragon Warrior, dad's always talking about how he's shorthanded. He's been looking for a new waiter for a while now, maybe he'd hire Erdan", Po suggested.
"You really think he'd trust a wolf like me around his customers?", Erdan asked hopefully.
"Dad dated a scorpion once. Trust me, he's pretty open-minded", Po said reassuringly. But the panda's friends still seemed unconvinced, so he decided to argue his point a little more. "Don't you see? This is perfect. Dad not only hires new employees, but he also has a spare room where they can stay. Zhong, you said you wanted Erdan living with someone you could trust, and who's more trustworthy than my dad?", Po asked, turning towards his gray wolf comrade.
Zhong thought about Po's words for a while, before sighing. Even though he was still unsure about whether or not Po's plan would even work, it was better than nothing. "Alright panda, I see your point. Besides, what have we got to lose?", Zhong decided.
Once they saw Zhong was onboard, both Po and Erdan grinned at the same time. "Awesome. We'll talk to dad about the job opening tomorrow morning. Cross your fingers, or whatever it is you wolves have", Po proclaimed, rambling a bit towards the end.
Everyone in the room nodded their heads, though they were all still nervous. Po's plan depended entirely on whether or not Mr. Ping would trust Erdan enough to work in the same kitchen as him, and there was no guarantee the goose would warm up to him as quickly as the others had. Still, Po and his friends had learned a long time ago that when it came to Mr. Ping, it was always best to expect the unexpected.
((()-()))
Later that night, Erdan once again found himself ready to go sleep. Except this time was different than the others. This was the last time he was ever gonna sleep in his own bed. The last night he'd spend in the Jade Palace with his friends. He had just started to get used to living there, and it was time for him to leave already, just like his days rooming with Zhong in Gongmen City. History had a funny way of repeating itself.
Erdan was about to settle in, when he heard someone knocking on the door. He already knew who it was. The same person it always was. "No offense, dad, but shouldn't you be walking Shu home right now? It's gonna be dark soon", Erdan asked, without turning around.
"The sun hasn't finished setting yet, so I thought I'd talk to you first", Zhong remarked, his voice muffled slightly by the fabric that separated them.
"You can come in, dad, the door doesn't have a lock", Erdan beckoned, grinning a little as he started to unfold his blanket. Erdan turned around to see Zhong sporting a grin of his own. Apparently, he had been amused by the boy's little joke, even though he had just made it up on the spot.
"That's the third time you've called me 'dad' since last night. What happened to our first name basis?", Zhong asked curiously.
"It was getting too confusing. 'Zhong', 'Yu', I couldn't keep up. So I've decided to just call you dad now", Erdan replied.
"Yeah, but dad is something kids call their real father. Not some jerk they meet on the street and decide to share a hut with", Zhong reasoned.
"You are my real father", Erdan replied, unfazed.
Zhong tilted his head to side, confused, and Erdan laughed. Zhong was a grown man, so why was it so difficult for him to get what he was saying? "Zhong, I love my parents, and I respect them greatly. But I love and respect you too, and after everything we've been through together, you're as real a father to me as my dad was. So I'm sure my parents won't mind if I decide to include you in the family. And besides, Mr. Ping isn't Po's biological father, but you heard how Po called him 'dad' this afternoon", Erdan explained.
Zhong grinned. "So what you're saying is, if we're gonna do this 'father and son' thing, we might as well make it official, right?", Zhong asked jokingly.
"Right", Erdan agreed.
"Are you sure your parents won't mind you including me in the family? I'm not sure they'd approve of their son being raised by an ex-con", Zhong asked, though Erdan could tell that underneath Zhong's light tone, he was also serious about the question.
Erdan smirked. "Probably not. My mom probably wouldn't have liked me hanging around a hardened criminal. At least, until she found out the 'scary killer' likes to sing his girlfriend to sleep with show tunes", Erdan reckoned.
Zhong's smile faded and Erdan watched with enjoyment as a shocked expression appeared on the gray wolf's face. "What? How do you know about that?", Zhong asked, confused.
"On my first night here, I got up for a glass of water and I heard you singing", Erdan explained. "Nice job by the way, I wouldn't have pegged you for a singer", the wolf cub sincerely remarked.
"Yeah, it something I used to do to help my kids go to sleep", Zhong explained awkwardly.
Erdan's smirk widened, as he saw his dad was still uncomfortable talking about his secret talent. "Relax, your secret is safe with me, along with your reputation", Erdan said reassuringly.
Zhong's smile slowly started to return, and he patted Erdan on the head. "You're a good kid", Zhong commented.
"It's not me you should be worrying about anyway. You've known Po longer than I have, so you know he can't keep a secret", Erdan said.
"Wait, Po knows?", Zhong asked, alarmed.
"Mmm-hmm, he was listening in with me through the door", Erdan informed him.
"Oh, that's just great", Zhong groaned.
Erdan laughed at his dad's embarrassment, before he remembered something he had wanted to ask him from before. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?", the wolf cub asked, feeling curious.
Before he answered, Zhong decided to sit down next to Erdan's bed, so the father and son could speak to each other face-to-face, like they normally did when they were discussing something important. "I wanted to say that no matter what happens tomorrow, I've always got your back. If you don't find a job, or if they treat you badly in the village, I'm always here to help", Zhong stated.
"If I do wind up broke and living in a box somewhere, exactly how could you help me?", Erdan asked, raising his eyebrow.
"If you don't find a home, I'll just buy a hut of my own and we'll room together again, like we did in the old days", Zhong explained.
"But how could you buy a hut? You're always here at the palace, training with the others", Erdan probed, confused.
"Simple. I'd just give up being a kung fu master and quit", Zhong resolved.
"But Zhong, you can't just quit. You have responsibilities now, to both Shifu and the valley. Po and the Five need you", Erdan argued, alarmed by what his father was suggesting.
Zhong scoffed and the gray wolf barked out a laugh, his hearty voice echoing across the room. "Po and the Furious Five were doing just fine, busting heads, before they met me, and they'd still do alright without me. Besides, every decent father will tell you that his family comes before his job. Nothing else even comes close", Zhong replied.
Even though he should have been arguing with Zhong, or insisting the wolf was out of his mind, Erdan could feel a small smile tugging at the edge of his lips. Because he knew Zhong's words were absolutely true. The middle-aged wolf would have done anything he could if he thought his son needed him, just like how Erdan would have done anything to help his dad.
"Erdan, you may have had to do everything on your own before, but that was before you met me. And like I said last night, those days are long gone", Zhong said assuredly.
Now, Erdan's smile turned into a full fledged grin, as he stared at the lovable idiot who was sitting next to him. "Thanks dad", Erdan said and Zhong nodded in reply. "Still, let's hope Po's dad hires me tomorrow, so it won't have to come to that", Erdan added.
With that having been said, Erdan laid down on his pillow and prepared to go sleep. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head. "You know, since you're such a good singer, how about singing me a song so I can go to sleep?", Erdan suggested.
Zhong's eyes widened in surprise and he quickly argued with his boy's suggestion. "Why do you need a song? You never had a problem going to sleep before", Zhong asked, confused.
"I'm too nervous to sleep. But I'm having a job interview tomorrow and I need to be well rested. Besides, you didn't seem to mind singing to your lady friend", Erdan reasoned.
"You're fourteen years old, you don't need a lullaby", Zhong argued.
"Shu's twenty-seven", Erdan replied, unfazed.
Zhong sighed. If it had been anyone else besides Erdan, he'd tell them to forget it and go to bed. But he felt like he owed the kid a favor, so he decided to risk humiliating himself if it helped him get some sleep. "Fine, what do you want it to be about?", Zhong asked.
"Give me a second to think of something", Erdan requested, the wolf cub's expression rather thoughtful. The boy then looked out the window, to see the sun setting over the horizon.
Zhong tilted his head to side as he watched Erdan stare at the distant star intently. He didn't understand how looking at the sun was going help him think of an idea for a song. "What are you thinking about?", Zhong asked curiously.
"About what you said earlier. You're right, we have been through a lot together. You can sing a song about us", Erdan suggested.
"Alright, give me a minute to think of the lyrics", Zhong requested. A few minutes later, Zhong had finished thinking of song. Granted, it was short, but it was a lullaby, not an anthem, it didn't need to have a dozen verses.
"Someone in the Dark" by Michael Jackson begins.
"All alone, wishing on stars, waiting for you to find me. One sweet night, I knew I would see… a stranger who'd be my friend", Zhong began.
Erdan sighed contently. Zhong's singing voice was every bit as soft and soothing as he remembered it was. And the song he was singing, it was so beautiful. It brought memories of his first encounter with Zhong, that fateful day the Wolf Boss had rescued him from being killed by his soldiers. The single most defining moment of his life.
"When someone in the dark reaches out to you, and touches off a spark that comes shining through, it tells you never be afraid. Then somewhere in your heart you can feel the glow, a light to keep you warm when the night winds blow!", Zhong sang.
Outside Erdan's bedroom, in the palace's hallway, Po and the Furious Five were just about to walk Shu home when they heard the sound of someone singing, and decided to look for the source. Once they saw Erdan's door was open, Po quickly recognized the voice as Zhong's.
"Who's that singing?", Monkey asked.
"It's pretty good", Crane noted.
"It's beautiful", Viper said, sighing happily.
"It's Zhong", Po remarked, grinning.
"You're kidding", Tigress asked him.
"He's the telling truth. Zhong's not just a fighter, he's also a singer", Shu smiled.
"But that can't be Zhong, his voice is all scratchy and rough", Mantis argued.
"While that voice is all soft and soothing", Viper said, while pointing her tail in the direction of the song.
"I know, but it is. If you don't believe me, see you for yourself", Po insisted.
Acting on the panda's suggestion, Po's friends all peered their head already the corner to see if their friend really was delusional. However, their mouths all fell open in shock, as they saw Zhong leaning over Erdan's bed, singing to boy.
"Told you", Po said smugly.
"Like it was written in the stars, I knew…my friend, my someone in the dark was you", Zhong pressed on.
Erdan pulled his blanket over his chest. He was beginning to see why Zhong's lullaby had been so potent on Shu, he was already starting to feel sleepy himself. "Thank you", Erdan whispered.
"No problem", Zhong replied, before continuing with his song. "Promise me, we'll always be walking the world together. Hand in hand, where dreams never end. My star secret friend and me", Zhong crooned.
As his foster father continued his lullaby, Erdan's thoughts wandered to his first days living with Zhong Yu. The happiness, the relief, the heartbreak, he had felt all those and emotions and more when he started to realize how deep his relationship with his older roommate went. It wasn't everyday you found a real friend in the world, and finding a father was a once life in a lifetime thing. Which meant Erdan must have been the luckiest kid in the world.
Standing in the open doorway, Shu suddenly felt compelled to sing herself. Even though she knew her relationship with Erdan didn't go nearly as deep as Zhong's, Shu still saw Erdan as her son, and felt like she had something she wanted to contribute to the song. Shu suddenly stepped out of her hiding place and joined Zhong and Erdan in the room.
"When someone in the dark reaches out to you, and touches off a spark that comes shining through, it tells you never be afraid", Shu sang, repeating Zhong's earlier verse.
Zhong grinned as he noticed his girlfriend join him. It didn't take much to guess she had been listening in. However, what did surprise him was when Po decided to come out of his own hiding place and join in too. Apparently, eavesdropping had became a group activity in the palace.
"Then somewhere in your heart you can feel the glow, a light to keep you warm when the night winds blow! Look for the rainbow in the sky", Po sang, improvising the end.
Erdan smiled, now his whole family was here. His mom, his dad, his kooky out-of-shape uncle. Besides the fact they were talking animals, and they were all different species, they were like a typical Chinese family. As he felt his eyelids closing, Erdan's thoughts once again wandered to his memories of Gongmen City, as Zhong's song started to take a sad turn.
"Oh, I believe that you and I, could never really say goodbye!", Zhong sang, his voice peaking, before falling again.
Erdan sniffled a little. Zhong's talk about good-byes reminded him of that awful day he'd received Zhong's letter, telling him his father was dead. It was the day their friendship had almost ended forever. Almost. Like Zhong said, those days were gone, and they were never coming back.
With that last pleasant thought on his mind, Erdan finally gave into his exhaustion and allowed himself to drift off to sleep. The last thing he heard was the tail end of Zhong's hymn.
"Wherever you may be, I'll look up and see, someone in the dark for me. Wherever you may be, I'll look up and see, someone in the dark for me", Zhong finished. The gray wolf, along with Po and Shu, padded out of the room and looked at Erdan one last time. "Goodnight son", Zhong whispered, before stepping into hallway. Unsurprisingly, the rest of Furious Five were waiting for him.
Zhong sighed, it was best to get the humiliation over with now than to try and put it off until later. "Look guys, if you're gonna laugh at me about the singing thing, just do it now while I'm still too tired to pay attention", Zhong requested, annoyed.
"Nah, forget about it, man", Monkey insisted shaking his head.
"Yeah, we understand you did it for the kid", Crane reckoned.
"Besides, it's not like you're the only guy we know who can sing. Po's sung at parties plenty of times", Mantis added.
Curious, Zhong glanced over at Po.
"I dabble sometimes. People say I'm the life of the party", Po said simply.
Zhong grinned. "Thanks, guys", the gray wolf said, before reaching out and grabbing Shu's hand. He still had to walk his lady love home. "Wherever you may be, I'll look up and see, someone in the dark for you", Zhong thought happily as he and Shu started their long walk home. Erdan was right about them all having a big day ahead of them, and they needed all the rest they could get.
Author's Note:
When I first started writing this story, I planned some things from the beginning, while other things I made up as I went along. And one of the things I had always planned was for Zhong to sing "Someone in the Dark". It's one of the reasons I introduced the idea of him being a singer in chapter 7. And even though I'm sure most of you know who Michael Jackson is, I'm writing this author's note for some of the younger readers who may have never heard of him (I had no clue who MJ was until he died in 2009). To clear things up, "Someone in the Dark" was a song by the late King of Pop, written for the classic 80s' film "E.T. Extra Terrestrial". I chose it for this story because it's a song about undying friendship, which is something that's very, very rare to find in life, And I also think it fits the friendship Yu and Erdan had in Wolflover111's original story (since Zhong was Erdan's friend before he became his father). The song is also a slight nod to one of Animation Universe's Christmas fics, "Finding That Holiday Spirit".