Disclaimer: Don't own it, but I own the OCs.

WOO! Nice long update! So guess what Luna was working on Sunday night? XD In case anyone was interested, I wrote this whole chapter while listening to Justin Nozuka's song "After Tonight" on repeat. The lyrics fit most of this chapter perfectly. Google the lyrics or the song itself, you won't be disappointed. As an artist, he comes highly recommended by yours truly. Enjoy!

Chapter 13: After Tonight

Jiao Shen glared at the rickety old bridge. The Thread of Hope was certainly aptly named. One would need to have a lot of hope in order to reach the other side alive. Either they would be a fool to cross it, or extraordinarily brave. Fortunately, Shen was none of the above.

His four surviving sons stood behind him, peering fearfully over the edge into the deep void between them and the certain death cloaked by thick mists. It truly was an incredible sight, looking like the summits and the bridge were floating above the clouds, and that they were the only ones to walk through heaven, but Shang was the only one to think poetry at a time like this.

The eldest looked over his shoulder at the army standing behind him. "Well, no chance of getting in through here."

Shen growled low in his throat. "Do you have any other suggestions?"

Shang shrugged. "Send a scout. Send someone to find a way into the valley who is not stupid enough to get themselves killed. There has to be more than one entrance into the Valley of Peace—we just need to find it."

"Are you volunteering?"

"What, and cross that?" he indicated the bridge. "You have to be out of your mind."

Shen said nothing, inwardly seething at his son's blatant insubordination. Shang would get his, oh yes he would. The patriarch snapped, "Huang, Feng!"

Both tigers knelt at their father's feet, "Yes Father, we are at your bidding."

Shang just rolled his eyes.

"Huang, you are to scout ahead. Gather as much information as you can. Everything—the population, the supplies, escape routes, any weaknesses at all. Moreover, Feng…" he turned to the archer. "Scope out the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior; spy on them, learn as much as you can about them. I want to know their weaknesses."

"Yes Father."

"Huang, you will be the first to report back to me. Feng's mission will take longer to accomplish. You both have a week. If you are not back by the time the sun sets seven days from now…you will join your brothers. Are we clear?"

"Yes Father," they chorused.

"Then go."

Feng bounded off, fearlessly taking the bridge. Huang stood back a bit, but at the urging of his father's murderous glare, took off not too soon after. Shang watched them crossing the bridge, and felt no remorse in hoping that would be the last time he'd ever see them alive.

Tai Lung cast a mock glare at the piles of dirty dishes waiting for him by the sink. Rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt, he remarked off-handedly to Dalang, "Thank you so much for giving me more work today…even when this restaurant is closed."

Dalang was shrugging on a long-sleeved shirt for the special occasion, licking his palm and running it over his fur to smooth it out. "I needed to make sure this night goes perfectly. I hope I made enough food…"

"You made enough food to feed an orphanage full of starving children for a year."

"What's your point?"

"Let me have the leftovers?"

"Hell no! They're all for her!"

Tai Lung rolled his eyes, boiling some water for the washing. He watched as the tiger fidgeted and fretted over his appearance in a small mirror hanging on the wall.

"You look fine. Stop acting like a woman!"

Dalang's reflection glared at him. "If I'm not singing 'I Feel Pretty', I think I'm good."

"'I feel pretty, and witty, and'…" Tai Lung recited.

"Gay?" Dalang snickered. "And here I thought those were only prison rumors."

The look the leopard shot him was positively murderous. But Dalang wasn't done, mimicking, "Hey there, pretty boy. Mmm…you got a purty mouth, kitty.. ain't you a pretty kitty?"

"You are a dead man."

"Ooh, kitty's got claws!" the tiger laughed.

Tai Lung wasn't laughing. Dalang backed away, feeling as if he had stepped over a forbidden boundary into dangerous territory.

"Hey, hey, take it easy, it was just a joke! I didn't mean any harm!"

Tai Lung continued to step forward until Dalang's back was against the wall. The leopard leaned in close and hissed, "If you ever make jokes about that again, hot date or no hot date, I will kill you."

"Okay! I promise not to do it again!"

"Swear it!"

"I swear on my mother's grave!"

Tai Lung stared at him a moment, the pushed himself away, taking the hot water off the stove and pouring it into the large wash basin. He began to wash the many dishes Dalang had sullied in making the meal for his date, and right now, Tai Lung was glad for the distraction.

As Dalang put the finishing touches together on the basket—which he left to come get later, after picking up his date—Tai Lung watched him leave. How funny, that the two of them had something in common: they had both grown up without mothers.

Tigress fidgeted as Viper helped her get dressed. The serpent was bubbly and excited for her, but Tigress was just plain nervous.

"This was a mistake. I mean, last time we just ran into each other! This is an actual date!"

"You'll be fine," Viper said. "Once you see him, you'll forget all about your worries."

"How do you know?"

"Girl, please. I've read enough romance novels to know."

Tigress didn't bother to say anything regarding the authenticity of Viper's romance novels. Her collection of smutty romances was so badly written that Tigress—who had no writing experience to speak of—felt she could do better. Things like that didn't happen in real life.

Once the tiger master was in her new dress, Viper sat her down and got out her makeup. Tigress eyed the paints with a skeptical look. "Are you sure I need all that?"

"No. I'm just going to give you some eyeliner and rouge. Maybe some blush," then she smiled wickedly. "Though my guess is he'll have you blushing enough all night."

"VIPER!"

"SORRY! That was Mantis again!"

"Damn his perverted influence."

"Yes, damn him." Viper mixed a black powder into a thick paint-like substance and instructed Tigress to close her eyes. The serpent groaned. "Goodness gracious, your eyes are so twitchy! Relax!"

"I'm trying!"

"He's going to think you look amazing, quit worrying."

"Viper, this is my first serious date, my first serious relationship…of course I'm worrying! I mean, I know there are other men out there, plenty of fish in the sea, but what if he thinks I look like a freak? What if my skills scare him? What if I look so bad in this dress and makeup that he gets turned off?"

"What if the sky caves in and your nose falls off?" Viper asked rhetorically, losing her patience. "Tigress, trust me, from someone who has experience with this sort of thing. All this worrying is for nothing. Besides, if we all see how he acts tonight when he arrives and sees you, we can all tell you whether or not he's serious."

"Are you saying I can't tell?"

"Love can blind anybody, believe me." Viper sighed sadly, "I know that all too well."

Tigress looked at her friend and frowned. "That Indian cobra?"

"Suresh, yeah. And the tree snake…not to mention that Siamese cat, and…well, okay, compared to them, Suresh wasn't that bad…"

"Except for not telling you he had a wife and twenty newly-hatched babies at home."

"Yeah." She shook herself out of it. "But tonight isn't about me. I've been unlucky in love—but this is your chance. Have faith, and believe that everything will be fine, and it will."

Crane knocked at the door, politely announcing, "Dalang's here, whenever you're ready." He smirked as he heard Tigress gasp and freak out.

"Oh gods…OH GODS! I'm not ready…I can't do this!"

Viper slapped her thigh. "Oh stop it! You're fine, now get out there!"

Tigress sighed and opened the door.

Crane froze, staring. "T-Tigress?"

"Yes Crane?"

He just stared; it was really unnerving her.

"Nothing," he said. "You look…nice."

"Um, thanks." She brushed past him, and he called after her, "He's in the courtyard. Master Shifu's talking with him."

Great, that's going to end well, she thought. She walked out of the dormitory; when she was out of sight, Crane turned to Viper and asked, completely stunned, "What did you do to her?"

Viper smiled slyly, "It wasn't me."

Tigress felt her heart beating against her ribcage, and wondered if this is what it felt like to have a heart attack. As she climbed down the stairs, holding up the hem of her dress so that she wouldn't trip, she heard snatches of conversation below. As she got closer, she heard Shifu asking a question, then Dalang's handsome, strong voice replying,

"I've thought of that myself. But I'm a bit of a perfectionist—no ordinary cook will do. I hope you can understand my feelings on that. If someone wants to work in my kitchen, they need to be passionate about food."

Shifu nodded sagely, "I'd offer our panda, but he's been keeping himself busy."

"No worries—though I might have to challenge him to a cook off."

"Noodles versus dim sum?"

"Of course."

"You're very passionate about your food," Shifu said sagely. The tiger was decidedly less nervous than when he'd been cornered in his own kitchen. Dalang smiled, but Shifu noticed sorrow behind it.

"Cooking is the only thing that ever brought me peace. I…" he paused, then sighed. "I suppose I should tell you, so that you know something more about me. The people in my family were not very nice. I never knew my mother; my father and other relatives were abusive, I guess because I was the runt. I still have scars. I ran away, met Aunt Wu, and she taught me to cook. I loved it so much I worked odd jobs, saved up enough money to go to culinary school. Sometimes the memories of what my father did to me come back, but cooking helps me forget. Its like meditation I guess; I can focus on it."

Shifu nodded. Though he knew Dalang was holding back on the whole truth, everything else was sincere. He could see the sincerity in the tiger's eyes. The red panda assumed the tiger held back on the whole truth either out of respect for the kung fu master, or so that he wouldn't have to relive the pain. His guess was the latter.

"I apologize for your wait, Tigress should be ready soon," Shifu said, wisely changing the subject.

Dalang just smiled, "No worries. There's no rush tonight…no need to rush anything at all," he emphasized. Shifu got his meaning and smiled.

"Good. I'm glad we're on the same page."

Tigress finally came into view and called down to them, "I'm here!"

When Dalang looked at her his jaw dropped. Frozen in place, he could only watch as she descended the last couple steps. The cheongsam hugged her svelte body comfortably, draping over the slender curves her kung fu outfits hid. The burgundy and gold complemented her fur and eyes, and the pink peonies on her dress noted at the sensual femininity hiding just under the surface. She appeared to glide down the steps, her eyes seemed to shine brighter, and there was a rosy tint on her cheeks. As she got closer, he realized she was wearing makeup, with a thin line of black paint lining her eyelids, and a little red rouge on her lips. He would have given anything to kiss her at that moment.

Tigress blushed when he began staring, but she couldn't help but stare as well. He looked even more handsome in a long-sleeved cotton shirt of dark blue with black edging and fasteners, and black trousers with a cerulean sash around his waist. She frowned as he tugged at the Mandarin collar of his shirt; did she look terrible? Did she look like a freak? She should have never let Viper do her makeup, this was a disaster!

"Hi," he said breathlessly.

"Hello," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. He was staring, he wouldn't look away, so she did. And she saw Shifu was staring too. It was the same expression she had seen on Crane's face. Three men were staring at her like that.

She looked back at Dalang. "Is…there something…wrong?"

"Wrong?" he asked absently.

"You're staring," she said, squirming uncomfortably.

He caressed her cheek with his hand, "You're beautiful." He paused, then continued, "You are absolutely, undeniably, and unbelievably gorgeous."

Tigress blushed and looked down, a smile tugging at her lips. Shifu cleared his throat, "You should thank him for his gracious compliment."

"Yes. Thank you, Dalang. You look…you look very handsome tonight," her tone implying that "very handsome" was a gross understatement. He blushed this time, grinning with embarrassment. "Thank you."

Shifu cleared his throat again, "So…where will you be going tonight?"

"Uh," Dalang snapped himself out of his reverie, "Well, we're going to this flower garden, on the eastern side of the valley? You probably know it; it's famous for its waterfalls."

The master nodded, "Yes, I'm familiar with it. A lovely public place," he emphasized. Dalang nodded.

"Yes. A public place. Public but quiet, and romantic…"

"But public."

"Yes. Yes it is."

Tigress fought the urge to bite her lip. Please just let us get out of here…

Thankfully, Shifu ceased his interrogation, waving them off. "Good. Well, enjoy yourselves, have her back by ten."

She sent him a pleading look, "Master…"

"Yes?"

"Could it be midnight instead?"

"Ten thirty."

"Midnight?" she insisted.

"Eleven."

"Midnight."

"Eleven thirty, that's my final offer."

"Midnight," she further insisted. Shifu smiled thinly—she'd always been a willful child, and only got what she wanted when she could give him good enough reasons for it.

"Why are you insisting on midnight?"

"It's seven now, Master, it will take about forty-five minutes to get the food and get to the gardens, so we would be eating by eight 'o clock."

"And it will take you three hours to eat?"

"Dalang makes a lot of food—you ate it at the restaurant, you know he is generous with portion sizes."

"So it will take you an hour to climb up the stairs afterwards, assuming you're stuffed full of good food? And you will be home by midnight?"

Dalang interjected. "I'll have her home by Eleven forty-five, sir."

The master looked at his student. "Eleven forty-five."

"Done."

"Good, have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't."

"We won't, Master," she assured him, accepting Dalang's offered arm.

Shifu sent a glare at Dalang, who visibly gulped, "I most certainly hope not."

Viper and Crane lounged in the bird's room playing Mahjong, the pair very quiet. Viper moved a piece across the board, Crane made a move and stole a piece. He looked over at his opponent and saw her looking out the window wistfully at the rising moon in the lavender-blue twilit sky.

"She's fine," he said. "Tigress can handle herself."

Viper shook her head, sighing, "It's not that…Suresh used to take me out on nights like this one."

Crane felt white hot heat course through his body at mention of the cobra's name. Oh yes, he remembered that damned snake. Crane was the only one around to offer Viper a shoulder to cry on after that betrayal. It was that moment in their friendship that Crane first truly realized that, despite her sunny disposition and feisty nature, she was extremely vulnerable. It was the first time she had let that side show, and ever since then, she hid it behind the mask of intense training.

Not that he blamed her; he did the same thing when it came to her.

"Don't you dare start thinking about him again," Crane said sharply. "He doesn't deserve you, and you don't deserve what he put you through."

"I know, Crane, I know…I just, seeing Tigress and Dalang together, I'm happy for her. I just…I wish it were me, you know?"

Crane looked at her, and nodded, "Yeah, I understand. I guess we never thought how…how lonely this kind of life could be."

She moved a piece and looked up at him, "It seems the only people who understand us are people just like us."

"Yeah."

"I'm surprised Master Shifu let her go out tonight. You know how overprotective he is."

Crane smirked, "I seem to recall him never letting you into the Valley when you were in your girly phase."

She snorted and laughed, "What phase?"

He grinned, chuckling. True, she'd never truly outgrown it. She still loved makeup and more "womanly" pursuits. He was okay with that. She had tried explaining how romance novels worked, even describing some plots to him. He'd poked fun at them and, instead of getting riled up, she laughed with him. She confessed she only read them for laughs. Real life—and real love—was not like in books and ballads.

"You'll find someone," he said finally, moving a piece. "You deserve someone great, someone who will respect you for your beauty, your intelligence and not be scared off by your skills in kung fu."

"Beauty?" she teased. "But tell me what you really think, Crane." She laughed; he didn't respond. She raised her eyes to meet his, and hers widened.

"Oh gods."

He panicked, "Viper, I can explain…"

Flustered, she shook her head, "No, no its okay, it's just…really?" she sent him a look.

He paused, then nodded. "Yes."

"How long have you…?"

"Since Suresh."

She locked gazes with him again, and he spoke first, "I wasn't expecting anything. I've been such a coward. I didn't think I could tell you, and that you'd scorn me, because that cobra broke your heart. I thought if I waited until Suresh was completely out of your mind, then I could say it. I'm sorry," he apologized.

"What are you sorry for?"

"For being a coward."

"Not being able to admit a crush is not cowardly," she said softly. "It's just…in our nature."

"You deserve someone great," he repeated. "Someone not Suresh."

"You're someone not Suresh."

"I…" he sighed and got up; he wanted to leave even though it was his room. "No, I can't. I don't think either of us is ready."

Viper nodded sadly, collecting the game pieces. "I'll try to forget about Suresh."

"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

His back was turned to her; he didn't think he could face her now. And he was also ashamed that he was so cowardly that he couldn't face her. When the door closed behind her, he let out the breath he'd been holding. Crane looked up at the stars, wondering why heaven was toying with him like this. Why should he love someone he could never—and would probably never—have?

Tigress gasped as Dalang took his hands away from her eyes. "It's beautiful!"

He kissed her cheek, "Yes you are."

He had brought her to a scenic public park that, as he had stated before, was well-known for its waterfalls. He'd asked Mei Xing to set up the blanket and basket for him, and he'd waited until the snow leopard gave him the signal. What Tigress was seeing was idyllic: a white blanket spread over an embankment, which overlooked a bubbling brook, with a low waterfall gurgling over smooth moss-covered river rocks.

Directly above their heads, the stars sparkled like gemstones set in a bejeweled mantle of dark blue. A large verdantly green willow tree provided enough privacy for their romantic excursion, for which she was grateful. She wasn't sure how she would feel if everyone in the valley saw her passionately kissing him. But the aroma coming from the basket took her attention away from those embarrassing thoughts, and it was almost too much for her to handle, as her mouth began to water.

Dalang knelt and lit the candles he had packed with the food, offering her a seat. "Would my lady care for a seat?"

Blushing, she knelt on the blanket next to him, "This is all so amazing. How did you plan all of this?"

He smiled at her, "It doesn't really matter, does it?" he leaned in close and whispered, "I wanted to make this really special. Sure, it's not the most creative way to show you a good time, but I'm still kinda new to this myself."

She laughed, "Yeah right! I'm sure you had girls clamoring all over themselves to get to you."

He chuckled, "If they did, I never noticed."

"You noticed me."

"You're hard to miss," he kissed her forehead. She was beyond giddy; no one had ever been this tender with her, or fawned over her, treated her like a queen. To think she'd rolled her eyes at women who wanted to be worshipped by their husbands or boyfriends; how wrong she was! Dalang's attention was invigorating and exciting and most importantly, he could do something that the other men in her life couldn't: he made her feel like a woman.

Not a lady. A woman.

And that felt better than anything else.

Her eyes widened when he pulled out a large round box full of steaming shrimp dumplings, then hot spring rolls wrapped in thin rice paper. He'd also made some stir-fried vegetables mixed in rice and hoisin sauce, and tofu mixed with a medley of snow peas, her favorite snack. How did he know?

He handed her some chopsticks and allowed her the first bite before he began eating. He grinned when she eagerly tucked in, smiling as she ate. Gods, he loved that smile! She could have looked completely grungy, bloodied up and sweaty from vigorous training, but if she smiled, she would still be the most beautiful woman on earth. He was certain of that. Chang-O and Kwan Yin could move over; Tigress was the new goddess in town.

Tigress was having similar thoughts about him. The way he ate spoke volumes: sure, the way he shoveled the food into his mouth made her laugh, but it said something about his habits. He probably had to eat fast in his business. Why he hadn't hired another cook to help was beyond her understanding. His ear twitched when he smiled. She giggled, "Your ear is twitching."

He stopped and slapped a hand to the offending ear. His face was bright red. "Sorry…it does that sometimes."

"Nervous tick?"

"No," he blushed, "It happens when I'm really happy."

Really? Hmm, she had to test this theory… Taking a mint leaf into her mouth, she bit down on it, letting the menthol cool her mouth before she leaned over and boldly pressed her lips to his. He froze, but returned the kiss eagerly. He even whined when she pulled away. Then she laughed, "It's twitching again!"

He slapped the hand back onto his head, muttering, "Traitor."

Tigress nuzzled him, "Its okay, I think it's cute."

He smirked and beckoned her over to lean against the tree. He sat with his back against the tree, and she sat between his legs, her back to his chest. They passed the rest of the evening like this, feeding each other, exchanging nuzzles and soft feathery kisses. When he pulled out the big surprise dessert, it was the best moment of the night so far.

He made a small fire by the riverbank, and set a pan of sugar on, throwing in a little water. Soon, the smell of melting sugar filled the air. It wasn't altogether unpleasant, but it did make her sneeze a couple times. He laughed and pulled her closer, showing her what he had.

He had chopped taro roots into cubes and, demonstrating for her, he dipped the cube into the caramelized sugar, then dropped the dripping cube into a bowl of cold water. She looked delighted at the cracking and popping as the caramelized sugar hardened in the cold water. He lifted it up for her to try.

"Careful, it might still be hot on the inside."

She opened her mouth, feeling just a little ridiculous as he placed the taro treat into her mouth. She closed her eyes as she chewed, and it had to be the second-most pleasurable experience of her life.

The first was, of course, receiving her first kiss from Dalang.

"Good?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm!" she hummed. "It's amazing!"

He smiled knowingly, "But you still like those rice and red bean balls I make, don't you?"

"Why shouldn't I? They were the first things you made for me, the first dessert I ever liked."

He smiled, his heart swelling with pride. "I still don't know what to call them."

"How about Red bean balls? Or red-bean rice dumplings?" she asked, helping herself to more taro.

He mused, "I thought of it, but none of the names I came up with sounded right or, um, appropriate…" he blushed.

She snickered when she realized what he meant, "Had that on your mind, did you?"

He laughed deeply, his smile wide, "I'm a man, of course I had it on my mind!"

She laughed heartily, grinning and teasing, "You poor man, always having such naughty thoughts on your mind! Can you think of nothing else?"

"Well…is it wrong to think of sex when you're cooking?"

She thought about it for a moment, then got a wicked idea. She could blame Mantis for it if it didn't work. If it did work…she'd need to thank Viper later. She looked up at him, "Let me feed you."

He smirked, "What're you planning?"

"Just close your eyes," she purred.

Well! He certainly wasn't going to refuse her if she spoke to him like that! He closed his eyes and sat a little straighter, eagerly anticipating her next move.

"Open your mouth," she said, almost sensuously, and he obeyed immediately. His lips closed around the taro cube as it entered his mouth, but he moaned when Tigress pressed her lips to his immediately after. The combined effect of the taro melting in his mouth and the sweet sugar on her lips was an exhilarating mix, and he wanted more.

He ran his tongue along her lips, silently asking for entry. To his surprise, she obliged him, running her tongue along his as she deepened the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her body pressed up against his. His arms encircled her waist, rubbing her back, and he moaned softly, chills running up and down his body.

Tigress moaned in disappointment when he pulled away; he looked deeply into her eyes, and she saw them darken with an emotion she didn't know. He moved forward and pressed his lips to her neck. Okay, she knew what that emotion was now. Electricity coursed through her body from this single kiss that rendered her completely weak, her head feeling light and dizzy. She clung to his shoulders to keep from falling over, closing her eyes in bliss and moaning softly. "Mm, Dalang…"

"Yes, my lady?"

The blush on her cheeks was positively crimson when she asked, "Don't stop."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He continued down her neck, nuzzling her, and running his hands up and down her back. The sensations were overloading her brain, and everything from the firm resolve to her strong sense of honor and propriety automatically shut down as soon as his lips met her skin.

She fired back, pushing him down onto the blanket and hungrily kissing him. Dalang, surprised by the move, but not adverse to it either, could do little more than lie back and let her kiss him. He was ready to completely give in. Then he remembered his promise, and the consequences of breaking it.

"Wait, wait!" he stopped her. "We can't."

"Why not?" she looked hurt…but she still kept nuzzling, kissing and nipping his neck.

He was finding it very hard to keep it together, "Because Shifu would kill me if I did."

"He's not going to kill you."

"You didn't see the look he gave me! He'll kill me if we do anything like that without a ring on your finger!" The very thought of what the small master would do to him made his blood freeze in his veins. "He'll kill me. Kill me, marinate me in my own blood, sweat and tears, roast me over an open pit and then barbecue me!"

"He won't barbecue you," she said, lifting herself up. He watched her curiously, wondering what she was doing. She pushed him back down and unfastened the fasteners on his shirt all the way down, baring his chest. Then she smirked down at him, dipping her finger in the still-warm caramel and running the mixture up his neck.

"Tigress, what are you…OH sweet goddess of love!" he gasped. He wrapped his arms around her as she began licking the sugary concoction off of his fur. His mind shut down and decided to go for a vacation; Dalang could handle himself from here.

Tigress purred seductively. "Shifu won't barbecue you…you taste better covered in sugar anyway."

Oh damn. Oh hell YES.

No, wait.

"Don't you think we should wait?" he asked. "I mean, we're both pretty new to this and…" he trailed off when he saw her face fall. "I don't want to put you in any danger."

"Danger? What are you talking…oh," she realized what he meant, then blushed. "Um, I wasn't going to take it that far."

"Really?" he asked. "How far were you planning this?"

"Um…" she blushed bright red.

He understood, "Almost the whole way?"

"If that's okay…" she asked shyly.

He smirked and sat up, discarded his shirt, and pulled her down into his lap, kissing her deeply. One hand snaked up her arm to undo the first fastener at her neck. Once her neck was bare, he began to kiss along it again. She closed her eyes and smiled as the hand on her back dipped lower…but she did not care.

Besides, no one was in the park that late on a Friday night, anyhow.

Tai Lung had never been in Wu's room, but found out very quickly that it had to be the master bedroom of the house. It was quite large, perhaps fifteen by twelve feet, but there was quite a lot of floor space. Her furniture was small to suit her diminutive size, and it looked to be all antiques, with some wear and tear. It suited her; she seemed the type to not care about material things. She appeared to love art, though, and had many paintings and wall scrolls adorning her walls. Her favorite subjects were plants, flowers, and mountains. She even had a painting of the Thread of Hope.

But, aside from her fan, she had nothing to remind her of his parents. Or so he thought.

He learned quickly that all the floor space had a method to this madness; no one petite woman needed that much room. That is, of course, unless she were a dancer.

She pursed her lips disapprovingly, correcting his stance with her closed fan. "No, no, turn your foot out, and don't look down for heaven's sake! If you were performing, would you let the audience not see your handsome face?"

"I'm not going to be performing, and why are you insisting on leg strength? I have plenty of strength there…" he argued.

She tapped the back of his knee lightly and he crumbled, falling to the floor with a loud thump. The small female snorted. "Plenty of strength, eh? What you don't seem to understand is that male dancers need to have both upper body and lower body strength. If you're constantly on your feet, they need to be strong, and have a high threshold for pain."

"I think I've got that covered," he said, standing back up. "I've broken both legs twice, cracked a few toes, dislocated a hip and knee when I was fourteen…"

She shook her head. "When you train in dance, your feet will bleed, and every step will feel like walking on knives. Think of learning to dance like learning to hit a brick wall—your knuckles bled for that, your arms ached, until even raising them to pick up a pair of chopsticks was excruciating…"

Oh yes, he remembered those days. They had been downright brutal. "I've never had any need for that much lower body strength…"

She kicked out one foot sharply and smirked as he fell into a perfect split. "Well, at least you're flexible; it gives me something to work with." She stepped back and watched him stretch out his back; she snapped her fingers when an idea came to her. "New plan!" She handed him a pair of fans.

He eyed them warily. "What are these for?"

"To help teach you balance. The Lotus style focuses on the use of props and utensils, traditionally not considered dangerous, and turning them into weapons. Kitchen knives, staves, farming equipment like rakes and garden hoes are all used…and fans as well. Tonight, I'm starting you off by teaching you Fan form."

He paused, staring at her, then laughed. "Are you…are you serious? Ha! Why should I bother…"

"The Fan form was your mother's specialty."

He stopped laughing immediately. Wu turned away to an ornate trunk at the foot of her bed. She reached inside her bodice and took out a key on a lanyard, and unlocked the trunk. Digging around for a moment, she pulled out something wrapped in brilliant red silk. When she turned back to him, she bid him to sit. She laid the bundle on the floor in front of him, and slowly unwrapped it. When he saw them, he knew instinctively what they were.

They were a pair of fans, and they had belonged to his mother. There was also an ornately carved iron dagger, and it must have been his father's.

"No one has touched these since your parents did. I kept them in this silk for years, ever since they died. I refused to touch them, until I found you. I knew I would someday; it was written in the stars that you were out there somewhere. Twenty years ago, I saw in your star charts—Tenzin's charts—that he somehow lost something dear to him, that something important had been taken away. I now realize it was your freedom."

"Not the scroll?"

"The scroll was never yours to claim in the first place. I knew that when I first drafted your charts after your birth. You would accomplish great things, be a warrior, but also a man of peace."

He shook his head, "No one can be both a warrior and a man of peace."

"Oogway was, and so was your father," she pointed out. "He retired from fighting after he was married, and became a blacksmith." She paused, and sighed, "I want you to know, if you have any questions about your parents, please, don't hesitate to ask."

Tai Lung stared down at the heirlooms—his inheritance—and asked, "May I?"

"You may."

He tentatively reached out and picked up the dagger, feeling the weight of it in his hands. It was finely made, by a true craftsman, whose name was carved into the bronze sheath: Sonam. His father had made this. He extracted the blade, the steel still brilliant and shining after four decades. His father had been skilled.

He picked up one of Nima's fans next; it felt surprisingly heavy, like it was not made of wood and paper at all.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?"

He thought about it for a moment, then snapped it open.

Shnnk!

His eyes widened, and he remembered Wu's earlier comments: her fans were so hypnotic, and she was beautiful, but deadly.

Now he knew why; they were made of solid, sharpened steel. The handle was wrapped in a strong leather grip, and the blades looked sharp, even after nearly forty years. He ran his thumb over the edge and hissed, pulling his hand away. "Ah!"

"Careful," she said, smirking, "They're still sharp."

"Didn't notice," he said wryly, sucking the blood from the cut. He had a whole new respect for his mother's art—if you could kill with fans like these, how much damage could the wood and paper do in the right hands?

"Still think fans are a waste of time?" she asked.

He picked up the other fan and snapped it open; a perfect pair, both shining in the candlelight. "You know?" he said. "If it means I get to use something like these, I don't think there will be a problem."

Wu smiled, collecting the weapons to put back in her trunk, safely tucked away until they were needed. "Good. Pick up those paper fans on the table. We begin tonight."

Tai Lung immediately regretted Wu's offer. He sat in the kitchen a couple hours later with hot, moist towels over his legs to ease the sore muscles. Su Lin handed him a cooling salve for his feet, and he winced as he leaned down to apply it. Simply poking the tops of his feet hurt, and his legs were sore; he knew he'd pulled a fair number of muscles.

"You didn't need to stay up, you know," he told Su Lin.

She shook her head, "I don't mind. If we're going to be training every night, I want to make sure I can stay up."

"Well, not every night," he corrected. "You need to start off slowly, or you'll hurt yourself."

"You mean like you are right now?" she asked worriedly.

"I've had worse," he winced. "Ow…right, I won't try moving that."

"Does it hurt anywhere else?"

"Su, I'm hurting in places I didn't even know I had."

She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh."

"That's fine, that was intentional anyway," he winked. "How do you feel about your training so far?"

She paused, "Um…well, I'm excited of course. Knowing how to protect myself would be very important, but I wouldn't want to hurt anybody."

"Of course not," he said. "But you need to know that others won't be as merciful as you are—knowing how to attack when you need to, and knowing when to do it is very important."

She nodded. "May I confess something?"

"Shoot."

"I'm also kind of scared."

"Scared?" he asked curiously.

The panda hung her head, "I'm worried I won't do well enough, that I'd let you and Master Po down. I don't want to disappoint anyone, but what if I work so hard, but then its not enough? I mean, I'm just a panda, and pandas don't become warriors…"

"Po did."

She smiled, and he saw a blush rising on her cheeks, "Yes, he is very sweet."

Something flared up inside him at that moment, like a beast beating against the bars of a cage, snapping and snarling. The rage he felt at that moment surprised him; what was that emotion he'd just felt?

"Do you think I'll do okay?" she asked him, looking very uncertain.

He smiled, patting her shoulder, "Su, if Mei Xing can punch me hard enough to chip a tooth on her first night, I think you'll have no problem picking things up."

"I will so long as you're there. You're a great teacher."

He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling, "Well, I try…" Was he blushing? He was Tai Lung! He didn't blush!

The two of them got distracted when Dalang swept into the kitchen, singing and dancing, practically kicking up his heels with joy. Panda and leopard shared a look, then noted the time. They shared a smirk.

"Welcome back," she said.

"Good date?" he asked.

"Awesome date!" he corrected, putting the basket and blanket aside. A grin was plastered on his face, and he didn't stop whistling the happy tune he'd been singing.

"So, it went well, did it?" Tai Lung asked suggestively.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes, yes it did."

Su Lin gasped, blushing, "Dalang! You didn't!"

"No, we didn't!" he insisted. "We didn't need to; besides, Shifu would have murdered me if I did."

"But you got pretty close," the leopard smirked.

The tiger glared, "Oh shut up you pervert; she's twenty years younger than you!"

"She's still good-looking; yes, I noticed! And yes I know she's off-limits…"

"You're damn right she is!" Dalang glared. Then he smiled, sighing wistfully. "This night was perfect…it went better than I thought it ever could."

"And yet there was no sex."

"There doesn't need to be sex, pervert!"

"Sticks and stones, tiger," the leopard waved him off.

"No, really, you're a pervert!"

"Who's a pervert?" Po asked, poking his head into the kitchen. He grinned and waved at Dalang, "Hey, good date?"

"You saw us at the gate, what do you think?"

"Seeing her again?"

"Tomorrow!" he grinned.

"Nice!" the panda said, giving him a high-five.

Su Lin smiled and waved at Po, "Hello again, Master Po! Are we training again tonight?"

"Actually, I came to see if Tai wanted to do some sparring…" he stopped when he saw the leopard's current situation, and the leopard's deadpan stare told him enough. "Or…we could discuss plans for designing an obstacle course."

"Good call."

Su got up to make some tea while the two warriors sat at the table. Po had brought along a messenger bag filled with scrolls; pulling out a blank one, he handed Tai Lung a list. "This is what I saw in some of these scrolls. Construction looks easy enough, and won't be overkill on the girls."

"Yes, I remember these. You have the blueprints with you?"

"Sure do," Po said, pulling them out. "Here we are!"

Dalang happily went about his business of cleaning up for the night, as he did every night, but was stopped when Po asked, "Hey, Dalang? Would you mind coming with us to the training grounds again?"

"Why?"

"We'll need a second opinion. You know the girls and their abilities better than we do."

Tai Lung stood up gingerly, the muscles in his legs and feet still throbbing. "Ah, ow…we'll—ow—have to walk slowly."

"Just take some opium for the pain, you'll be fine."

"Screw the opium, I'm no drug addict."

Dalang fixed his jaw and said nothing for a moment. "Let me get you another painkiller then."

Tai Lung winced as he realized he'd pulled his hamstring after all. "Get me an obscene amount."

"Enough to kill you?"

"You wish."

It was nearing dawn, and the three of them had not had any sleep at all. While Po and Tai Lung dragged themselves back to the village, Dalang was still jumpy and perky from the pleasurable second date.

"Man, I can't wait until tonight!"

"Then you can slow down so some of us can keep up," Tai Lung groaned. The painkillers had helped, but now he chewed more of the herbs to help him cope with the pain in his legs. When Wu said he needed a high threshold for pain, she wasn't kidding. Thankfully, the herbs began to work, and walking became less painful.

Aunt Wu's was within sight by the first light of dawn. Just as well—they needed to get Tai Lung indoors before anyone saw him.

But just as they made for the back alley, the sound of an opening door caught their attention. All three males paled, then bolted to the closest hiding places they could find. Tai Lung was up against a wall, futilely hiding behind some barrels. He looked up and spied his bedroom window. He was so close…

A mother rabbit stepped outside, her yearling child on her hip. She set him down and grasped a bucket for water from the nearby well, but the leveret took off on his chubby little legs. Teetering down the alley, his mother ran after him. "Fu! Come back here!"

Tai Lung felt his heart stop. The mother and baby were running straight towards him!

A nice long update culminating in another cliffhanger! God I'm evil. Next update comes Friday night! Review, yes/yes?