Po woke up, finding himself back in Chao's room inside of his sleeping bag. He had just woken from a pleasant dream; he was with everyone he had ever known...with his dads...with Tigress...back in his original time.
But it was just a dream; it hadn't been real. It was never going to be real if he didn't do his job.
He had to get going, and he had to go now while it was still dark.
Slowly, he wriggled out of his sleeping bag, being careful not to make any noises that would surely wake up Chao. The little cub was still sleeping soundly and if he was quiet, Po knew that he could easily sneak out and avoid having to say a heartbreaking goodbye. He grabbed his staff that had been resting peacefully beside him and began to make his way towards Chao's bedroom door.
"You're leaving?" a tiny voice whispered.
Po stopped short. He turned, and he could see that Chao's yellow eyes were wide open; Po realized that he must not have been truly asleep after all. So much for avoiding that heartbreaking goodbye...
Po moved back so that he was closer to Chao's bed. He knelt down to the cub's level, a wave of regret and sorrow hitting him.
"I can't stay," he whispered softly.
Chao stared back at him with a deep kind of intensity, like he was trying to use mind powers in order to stop him from going. "I know...but I don't want you to go...I'll be all alone..."
Po realized that for the first time, Chao was going to be without his brother for the rest of the night. He wanted to stay, he really did. He didn't want to leave Chao alone to face the loss of his brother by himself with only his mother to help...but he had to go.
"I'm sorry...but I have to go," he said grimly. "You won't be alone...you have your mom..."
"Are you going to come back?"
Promise you'll come back, Tigress's words echoed from the past. Po had to do a double take; Chao was so much like his great-great-great-something grandma...he was losing Tigress all over again...
He had come back, but then he'd had to leave after deciding to stay as the Dragon Warrior. He couldn't make any promises that he couldn't keep.
"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I don't know what's going to happen, if what I have planned is going to work or not, or if something's going to happen to me."
Chao squeezed his eyes shut. He knew that after tonight, he was most likely never going to see the Dragon Warrior ever again. He'd just experienced the greatest adventure ever, the most exciting thing that had ever happened to him...and now he was leaving.
"I'll miss you...Siyu," he said softly.
And without warning, he pulled the Dragon Warrior into a tight hug, a hug that he wished would never end.
"I'm gonna miss you too, buddy..." Po choked, returning the hug with just as much force and blinking back fresh tears that were attempting to make a break for it.
They parted, and Chao reached for his bag that he'd placed on the nightstand next to his bed. He brought out the panda toy, and Po's eyes widened at the sight.
"This belongs to you," Chao said, stretching his arm forward so that Po could take the toy.
Po reached out his own arm and Chao gently handed the panda to him. He smiled widely, squeezing the toy in the palm of his hand. Chao smiled in return, nodded, and then rolled over onto his side so he could drift off back to sleep.
xxxx
If Chao had his own room, then Lotus must have had his own, too. Po crept down the hallway, tip-toeing and trying his best not to make any creaks. A thousand years later and it seemed that the floors were still made of wood that he could easily break and fall into. He didn't have to go very far, though; it turned out that Lotus' room was right next to Chao's, and Po could feel his heart snapping in half.
Taking a deep breath, he entered.
It was ghostly quiet and still. Blinking back tears, Po placed his precious panda toy on the empty bed atop a pillow. Closing his eyes, he willed forth his Chi once more, placing a paw on the panda. The worn and torn toy glowed a bright gold and sat upright as if on its own, the rips and tears fixing themselves until it looked as good as new; with the help of his Chi, it would be able to last for another thousand years...if not, then all eternity.
It would always be safe no matter where the tendrils of time led it.
"Thank you," he whispered gratefully to the empty room. If Lotus hadn't done what he did, Po knew that he would still be stuck as a dragon; it was a good thing that he'd been changed back before going to their house. Meili might have had a fainting spell, and he would have been too big to fit inside!
He gave a respectful bow before creeping out of the room, staff still in hand. He wrapped his paws around it once he was back in the hallway, closing his eyes.
Take me to Kai, he concentrated, visualizing the yak in his mind.
The familiar tingling sensation made its way up his body, and he felt himself fade.
xxxx
He was back in the Forbidden Zone. The staff had brought him here again to find Kai, but the Master of Pain was nowhere to be found. Po could only hope that none of the Forbidden Zone Searchers were out and about looking for any rule breakers.
"I know you're here," he said, circling the area cautiously left and right. He was completely defenseless besides his staff, and who knew where his nemesis was currently hiding! Po had thought that Kai had most likely gone and left the Forbidden Zone after the End was over, too cowardly to try and put up a fight without possessing any Chi or having his stolen staff in hand for protection...but no, he was still here. He'd probably laughed as they had been captured by the Searchers.
"So it seems that you've been turned back into a stupid panda," a deep voice revealed itself.
Po jumped on the spot, turning quickly to find himself face-to-face with...the Maker of Widows himself who had emerged from the shadows.
"Kai," was all Po could say, pointing his staff outwards just in case with a hardened stare to show that he was ready to fight if need be. The Beast of Vengeance only laughed.
"What are you going to do with that? Make me explode into nothingness again? It didn't exactly work the first time, and all you had was your Chi back then when you so carelessly decided to hand it over."
"I can't believe I'm saying this...but I need your help," Po tried to say in a non-pleading type of tone; he didn't want to submit in any way to the monster in front of him! But he wasn't exactly successful, bringing another obnoxious laugh out of Kai.
"And why would you need my help?" he sneered, standing frozen in place. Po remained on guard, readying himself for any moves that the yak would try and pull.
"Because you're immortal...and I was kind of hoping to make the universe immortal," Po explained the best he could. He didn't know how exactly that Kai would be able to do such a thing, or if he was even capable of actually going through with it.
"Why would I want to help when you were the one who kept me trapped for a thousand years? You're doing all this for Oogway again, aren't you? Why are you still bending to his every need like a slave when he could just do the dirty work himself?"
"He wasn't lying," Po defended his master with a fire that raged through his bones at the fact that he had ever believed Kai in the first place. "He would never lie to me."
Kai only rolled his eyes, as if he'd been expecting Po to say those very words.
"I bet he also told you that you'd see your precious friends and family again, including Little Kitten. Well, you're mortal again at a thousand years old. Why haven't you seen any of them yet, panda?"
Po slammed his eyes shut, trying his best to tune out the lies and accusations that were sharper than Kai's jade swords. But it was just...so...hard!
"Face it. You're NEVER going to see them again, not even if you do manage to make this pathetic world immortal," Kai spat, his voice laced with venom and using the words to his advantage.
No! He wouldn't give in again!
A torrent of rage catapulted through the Dragon Warrior. He couldn't take any of this anymore! He just wanted it to be over, to finally be at peace!
You. Are. Wrong! His mind screamed at the highest volume it could muster. He could feel something burning within him, churning around and around. It was almost like when Lotus had managed to change him back into a panda, but not as painful.
He didn't feel any pain; it was actually warm and pleasant, like whenever he would use his Chi.
Po had no idea what was happening, but he latched onto the feeling and refused to let go, encouraging it to build and build and grow and grow. A bright green light formed around him and he could feel his panda spirit—part of Lotus' Chi—shifting and changing under his command, his staff quivering in his grip.
Kai had to shut his eyes against the blinding green light, lifting a hoof across his face for extra protection.
The light faded and Kai brought his hoof down, blinking so that he could adjust to the darkness once more...
...Only to find himself facing a massive golden dragon with bright green eyes.
After a thousand years, the Dragon Warrior—with his title still in place and his panda spirit intact—had finally learned how to control his transformations.