Hello everyone.

It's been one and a half years. I know you guys assumed that I would never write this again, and I briefly believed that, too.

I feel like for a small time, KFP didn't have the same effect on me as it once did. I still liked it, of course, but I snapped out of my obsession. One and a half years later, I watched the movies again, and I got back into it.

So here I am.

People have followed this story, and I'm sorry I let you all down. There were also a few rude, degrading comments that got me down, but I'm back now. I don't know if I will have the same readers I had in 2013, but I hope so, and I hope I have some new readers as well.

I hope you like this. Please add #EstelleReturns to your comments if you read this AN. Thanks :)

Enjoy!

-Estelle

"You all could have died." Master Shifu breathed, "I could have died. China could have died."

It was a relief to be back at the Jade Palace after the events at Gongmen City. A relief to sit at their dining table and sleep in their own barracks and fight in their Training Hall. A relief that they were still alive, that after all the near-death situations, they were mostly OK.

Tigress was nursing a few broken ribs, but they were healing, and she was alive. That's all that mattered at this point.

But, of course, the events had to be discussed. Po had already told his story ten times. From learning about Shen's life to learning about his own, from surviving the bomb to mastering Inner Peace.

"I am impressed with all of you, though. You never lost hope, never stopped believing. You kept your fighting spirit till the very end, and it payed off." Master Shifu said.

Tigress had been mostly silent, but finally she looked up and locked eyes with Po, "How did you forgive Shen for what he did to you?"

Everyone turned to Po.

Po shrugged, "I felt bad for him. We both had the same childhood, but there he was, with no one, and I had a great dad, and awesome friends and a cool teacher. I was happy and he wasn't."

Tigress nodded, slowly understanding, but still asked, "How did you fight him, then? What made you realize you had to master Inner Peace?"

Po looked down, "I...well, he aimed a second cannon at me. And, Tigress, you pushed me aside, and you took the whole blow. And then I saw Master Shifu lying on a piece of wood, and you all looked so weak, and Ti, you were just...floating. That was it. I'd never seen you so weak in my entire life. And I didn't...didn't know if you were alright. And when I came up to you and heard you breathing, I was so relieved, but you could have died, all of you, because of me. I wanted revenge on Shen for that."

None of them had ever heard Po sound so serious.

"I was OK." Tigress said, "You'd already took one cannon blast. Two would have finished you off for sure."

"The second one was more powerful."

"I survived."

"Just barely." Po insisted, "If you hadn't been training hard for, like, 20 years, you'd have been a goner. I think that's when I decided I had to finish Shen."

Monkey, Mantis, Crane and Viper exchanged a look. Crane then raised an eyebrow at Tigress.

Tigress didn't reply to this, instead looking at Monkey, "Monkey was the only one who truly believed that we might escape."

"It's what Po would have wanted. I was right, right?" Monkey countered.

Master Shifu smiled grimly, "I'm proud of you, Master Monkey, for keeping faith in such a dire situation."

"Technically..." Po said slowly, "I think if it weren't for Tigress, we would have died in the tower."

Silence descended over the room, as they all looked at each other with wide eyes. With the events in the final battle, they had all almost forgotten about their struggle at the tower.

Tigress shook her head, "It took all of our combined effort and cooperation to escape from there."

"No, Po's right, Ti." Viper said softly.

"Why?" Master Shifu questioned roughly, "What do you mean? What were the events that occurred at the tower? I only remember Po being blasted out."

"I lived through that. If it weren't for Ti, all six of us would be, well...dead." Po said, "But in the afterlife, we'd be AWESOME! Escaping crazy demons from hell who try to take our place as the most awesome people in heaven, but, wait! Master Oogway would be there, and we could talk about peaches and noodles and-"

"PANDA!" Master Shifu roared, "Shut up! What happened in the tower."

The events were haltingly explained, The Five and Po interrupting each other and getting the details correct.

"Man, this huge gorilla tried to stop Tigress and kinda, like, growled at her, and the look she gave him...whoa." Mantis shook his head, "Then she growled. If I were the gorilla, I'd have run away by then. Don't make the kitty angry."

Tigress gave him the same glare she had given Po in Gongmen City. Mantis squeaked.

"So Shen fired many cannons." Viper continued hastily, "And Crane hurt his wing, but Tigress had him. We all reached the bottom of the tower, but the exits were blocked."

"Tigress found another way." Crane continued, "And then a whole army of Shen's, hundreds of them, shot Fire Arrows at us."

"What?" Master Shifu exclaimed in horror, "Those...those are incredibly dangerous, if the tip so much as touched one of you, I shudder to think of what might have happened..."

"Almost did." Po said sheepishly.

"Obviously Viper's all slithery, she avoided all of them. And Tigress had to block all of us with a piece of wood." Monkey said, "Then she told us to get back, which we did, 'cause she's the bossy one, and we didn't want to die."

"I jumped out and saw a way to escape." Tigress interjected, "And-"

"And she actually CAUGHT a fire arrow aimed at her face." Po added.

"-And I found out the only way to escape was upwards." Tigress continued calmly, "I got back, told the rest of them, and we all got to the top and as the tower fell, we escaped."

Master Shifu twitched, "That is indeed some escape, and it would have taken skill and intelligence to pull it off, well done, but Tigress, you could have been hurt, jumping out into the open, and letting them aim Fire Arrows at you!"

"I caught it!" Tigress protested wanly.

"How?"

"I...just..did." Tigress answered, confused.

"It takes great skill and great physical endurance."

"I felt nothing. I was to busy trying to survive." Tigress said irritably.

"Sassy kitten." Mantis said impishly.

"Got that right." Po snorted.

All eyes turned to them. Tigress glared.

"I mean..." Po said, his voice raising an octave, "I meant...good...tiger. Good Tiger. Ess. Good tigress."

"That better be all you mean, or else, I swear-" Tigress growled.

"-Tigress. Calm down." Shifu ordered, "So, is that all that happened?"

"You know the rest, Master." Viper said, "We already told you."

"Very well. I'm glad this has been discussed. You are dismissed."

The Five and Po bowed at Shifu, and he returned the gesture.

As they went their separate ways, Po called out to Tigress.

"Ti?"

"Yes?" she responded, turning to face him.

He gave her a smile, "Thanks for taking the cannon for me."

"It's nothing, Po."

"Of course it is!" Po exclaimed, "This isn't like you saved the last dumpling for me or something, this is you almost DYING for me!"

"But I didn't die, and that's what matters. I was so upset when I thought you were..." Tigress broke off.

"But I wasn't, and that's what matters." Po said with a grin.

Tigress laughed softly, "You really are something, Dragon Warrior. I'm glad you're alright."

"Yeah. You better go rest though. Those ribs aren't gonna heal if you're kicking butt in the Training Hall."

Tigress laughed again, "No, I don't suppose so. See you at dinner, Po."

Po smiled, "See you."

He kept smiling, all throughout the rest of the day, Tigress's words replaying in his head.

You really are something, Dragon Warrior.