A/N: Well, here it is. The long anticipated moment.
Chapter 25: The Storming - Path to my Beloved.
Shang groaned, opening his eyes. His gaze flicked to Hàn, who had curled up beside him. Both were lacking in clothes, but he didn't even care. He could stare at her beautiful body all day long, and just to be with her made him the happiest man in the world. Last night was… incredible. He could think of no other word to describe it. Due to them not being able to be intimate for a long time, it was like back when they mated for the first time. As he shifted slightly, to get comfortable, Hàn opened her eyes to smile at him.
"Good morning." She purred low in her throat, as she kissed his neck before his lips.
"Morning," Shang replied, pulling her close.
"Today's the big day…" Hàn said quietly.
"After all these years, he's finally going down." Shang said. "He's finally going to get what's coming to him."
"Shang, there's something that I should tell you about Death Adder..." Hàn began, then stopped.
Her husband stared at her, awaiting her statement. When none came he said: "Hàn, what's wrong? You can tell me anything, remember?"
"It's really hard to talk about." the feline replied, sitting up and causing the blanket to fall free, exposing her chest.
"Y'know, you're kind of giving me problems right now." Shang grinned at her.
"Shang… Please." Hàn sighed.
"Hàn…" The wolf said, sitting up and pulling her close. He gently kissed her, cupping her face with his hand, while the other rested on the small of her back, as he looked her in the eyes. "Please tell me what is troubling you. You wouldn't have brought it up if it didn't bother you. Whatever is on your mind, please tell me."
"Shang, Death Adder is really…" Hàn began until she was interrupted by a knock at their door. They instinctively brought the blanket up to cover themselves.
"Shang, Hàn, breakfast will be ready soon." they heard Po's voice from the other side, then the retreating footsteps. Slowly, the blankets feel free as Hàn stood up to pull on a fresh set of clothes Chen had provided her.
"Hàn…" Shang said, causing the feline to look at him.
"Don't worry about it." Hàn said, smiling reassuringly at him. For a minute, Shang was unconvinced, but then he smiled back and stood up. He pulled out his own clean attire, until Hàn stopped him.
"At least let me take care of that first…" She whispered seductively into his ear, bringing him back to the bed. "I guess you missed me more than you realized…"
"I sure did…" Shang grinned.
"Po, this is delicious as always." Shang said, smiling at the Panda. His movements were slightly jerky, but thankfully no one noticed.
"Calm, sweetheart…" Hàn whispered to him, a well recited phrase she oft repeated to him.
Shang took a deep breath, and calmed himself, the tremors from Hàn's 'service' began to gradually cease. At least they were able to keep from drawing attention during the duration of the intimacy.
"Well, I know this has been on everybody's mind, but when exactly are we going to leave?" Zero asked.
"I've been thinking about that myself." Po admitted, he looked at the Five. "I was thinking right after breakfast."
"Isn't that a little too soon?" Zero wrote.
"The sooner, the better." Po replied.
"What if we attack at night?" Zero offered. "Or close to night, perhaps at twilight? That would give us some cover and the element of surprise."
Po scratched his chin in thought. "The warriors are restless enough as it is. To ask them to wait until night will prove to be a serious morale killer."
"Well, how far is the castle from here?"
"Hàn?" Everyone looked at her.
"I reached Arkoma in a matter of a few hours." Hàn replied. "But the fact about traveling with warriors and not full speed? I believe at least half a day."
"Excellent, then we can attack at night after all, right?" Zero 'said'.
"I believe so." Po said. "Does everyone have their essentials packed?"
He was met with a few nods, the others simply shook their heads. They said that there was still a thing or two that they needed to take care of. That, and the fact that they needed to be fitted for armor. True, they had fitted for the armor the previous day, but it was better to make sure they absolutely fit before marching off to Death Adder's castle. Po, himself, was unsure if he should accept his own armor or not. He knew it would slow him down, but it would be an acceptable trade if it stopped an arrow from piercing his hide. That, and he knew the blacksmith would kill him if he didn't accept them.
"Alright, once everyone has their armor, and everything packed, we're leaving." Po decided. "Does that suffice, Father?"
"As long as everyone is ready," Chen replied.
Po stood up, as everyone did the same. "Well, we all know what to do. Meet me in front of the house when you are ready."
"Po." Chen said, when everyone else filed out of the room.
"What is it, Father?" Po asked.
"I'm… not going to accompany you in the Storming." Chen replied uneasily. "I'm sorry, but my combat skills have passed their prime."
Po looked at his father, and for the first time, saw how, he meant no disrespect… old he looked. He leaned slightly more on his staff, and Po saw himself inside his father. He was an older version of himself, to be exact, for he inherited everything from his father. He knew that his father was right, and he didn't want him to go with the warriors anyway.
"I did not expect you to." Po admitted. "I don't want you to die, Father."
"That is understandable. I wish I could do something to help." Chen dipped his head. "However, I'm not as young as I used to be so age may claim me."
"Don't talk like that." Po said. "Age claims all, but it will not claim you. Not right now."
"So," Po crossed his arms, his face serious. "Have you thought about what we should do with Death Adder's men when we win?"
Chen sighed, thinking. "The only peaceful solution, is to give them a chance to surrender. Offer them the chance to finally live a peaceful life, not tainted by grisly orders from Death Adder. Everyone deserves a peaceful life, whether pure or corrupted by evil, however, it is their choice make. And their choice only. Whether they accept or not, is entirely up to the individual. I do not want to force anything on anyone."
"I understand." Po nodded. "Once we take the castle, we ask them to surrender. Do you think they would honor it?"
"I only hope they do." Chen replied. "Like I said, I do not want to force them to accept it. If they do, it is one problem we have to worry about."
"We'll ponder on this once it happens, but all in all, I hope they choose to live out their lives." Po said.
Po sighed, closing his eyes. He hoped to the Gods that he could break Tigress free from Death Adder's control. However, he never understood why he would let Hàn go and still keep her heart. It didn't make sense to him…
"Po," Chen said, putting a hand on his shoulder, giving him a comforting smile. "She cannot fight against you. You will be able to get her back, don't worry. My future daughter-in-law is too strong to be controlled by black magic."
Po grinned. "Thanks, Father. As if I didn't know that already."
Po took a deep breath, sucking in his gut as the Ox took measurements again. His garb was a simple pair of woolen pants with guards on the outside of his legs. A battle ax hung at his hip and his left horn was missing. His coal black eyes seemed to glow as he looked over his armor, and then back at Po.
"Release your breath, Dragon Warrior." The Ox named Dimitri, snorted.
"Sorry, I'm just really nervous." Po said, releasing the air.
"That is understandable," Dimitri nodded. "I remember my first time going out to war."
"What happened?" Po asked, when Dimitri finished measuring him.
"Well, first, your armor is good to go. Your measurements didn't change, Dragon Warrior." Dimitri said.
"Thanks," Po replied, accepting his armor that was now wrapped in cloth.
"My first war… I don't really remember to be honest." The Ox admitted. "We won, I remember that. But a straggler that survived somehow got past our defenses and gave me a nasty blow to the head, snapping my left horn clean off."
"Woke up in the Village infirmary a week later." Dimitri added. "What started the war, was simple enough. A disagreement between splitting acquired land between a neighboring village and mine, nowhere near Magmoor, just so you know. But the other village, Takishiro, thought that they were being given too little. And so, it began. We fought, more or less, in pure self defense. See, Takishiro's leader was a power-hungry fool. Nothing sated his appetite for greater power, but he's gone now. Has been for many years."
Po nodded, taking all of this in. "What happened after that?"
"I moved from my village, and have lived out my life in Gongmen City. I had no idea that the weapons I was helping my fellow men with were made for nothing." Dimitri answered.
"Any family?" Po asked.
"A brother." Dimitri replied. "We haven't spoken in years, but we've patched things up recently."
"I have taken up too much of your time, Dimitri. You must attend to the others." Po bowed. "Thank you for your armor, I shall take good care of it."
"Don't thank me now, thank me when it saves your hide, Dragon Warrior." Dimitri bowed back.
"Tell the others of your village that we plan to depart here soon, make sure Chiang knows that." Po said. "It's a little ways to Death Adder's castle, so we have decided to leave as soon as possible so we can still have a bit of daylight before we attack."
As Dimitri nodded, Po stepped out of the tent, and surveyed the camp grounds. If not for the fact that he knew each individual tent housed warriors who were readying for combat, Po would have assumed that it was a simply campout. Walking toward Vincent's 'First-in-Command's tent, he knocked on the mast-like pole that held the tent up.
"Enter." Came Tai To's voice from inside.
"Ah, Dragon Warrior." Tai To bowed. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Well, I simply came to inform you that we plan to depart soon." Po replied. "Death Adder's castle is a bit far from Arkoma, and Hàn has told me it'll take at least half a day to reach it. So we decided to leave as soon as we can to preserve daylight so we can assess the situation, and give Zero a little time to get ready."
"I see." Tai To said, finished with fastening the lace on his greaves. "I shall give the word to my soldiers, and we shall pack our things ASAP."
"Thank you." Po bowed.
"May I ask, what has given you the drive to press on?" Tai To asked. "I did not want to ask anyone else, because it really wasn't my business. However, I am curious. Was it simply because Death Adder has caused much grief over the years, and you were unaware of it?"
Po was silent for a full minute. "Death Adder has taken the woman that I love from me, using Black Magic to force her to fight me and to do whatever his will commands her. The only way to free her, is to kill Death Adder. I cannot rest until Tigress is free from his control. That is what gives me the drive, so I can pierce his blackened heart with my father's blade. I swore to my father that I would bring him down, and since he has taken Tigress, I plan to see that oath to the end. Even if I have to die for it."
Tai To became silent as Po had been before. "That is the greatest determination of all, fighting for those that you love."
"Dragon Warrior, protect those that you love. For without them, Life is hardly worth living at all." Tai To bowed.
Po nodded, walking out of the tent.
As he walked back toward his father's home, he saw the rest of the Five, Shifu, Shang, Hàn, Tai Lung (He had gotten many stares and exclamations, but due to Death Adder, he was hardly hated. In fact, the villagers and soldiers seemed to forget about his 'maverick' attack twenty years ago, and they seemed pleased that he was on the good side). Liu… but where was Zero?
"Hey guys. Where's Zero?" Po asked the group.
"He left earlier with his group to get a head start." Shang answered.
"Master Vincent?"
The Mountain Cat looked up from his reading, closing his book with a soft 'snap'.
"Proxy, something on your mind?" he asked the droid.
"I am merely curious." Proxy answered. "I went by Master's Dojo today, and saw that it was closed. I am… confused, was not Master supposed to have classes today?"
"When you say 'Master', do you mean Mei? And what are you talking about the Dojo being closed?" Vincent raised an eyebrow, confused himself.
"Well, the note on the Dojo said that she would not be back for a while. Some form of personal trip, she wrote." Proxy said.
Then it hit Vincent. "Oh no!" He groaned. "She went to go help them with the Storming, didn't she?"
"As you people say, 'that did not cross my mind until now', Master Vincent." Proxy admitted.
"We must go stop her-" Vincent began to stand up, until Proxy held up a hand.
"Master Vincent, she also wrote that she did this of her own free will." Proxy added.
"I know that but-"
"She is doing what her heart is telling her what to do." Proxy told him. "She is infatuated with Master Zero, as you people say, she is 'in love'. She wants to be with him when he goes to the Storming, wherever Master Zero will be, that is where Master Mei will be also."
"She really loves him…" Vincent sighed, sitting back down and massaging his temples. "And she's a grown woman after all, I guess I need to stop thinking of her as a child, and start thinking of her as an adult."
He chuckled quietly. "She sure is like her mother…"
"Both my Masters are very strong individuals." Proxy said. "There is nothing that can stop them, when they are together. I implore you to allow this to pass, Master Vincent. Master Zero will be cross with Mei when he finds out she disobeyed him, so I believe she will get punishment enough."
"Zero doesn't abuse-" Vincent started to say.
"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no." Proxy said, shaking his head vigorously. "Master has a lot of respect for women, he would never do anything to hurt Master Mei, rest assured."
Zero snapped his eyes open from his meditation, clutching his head as he lightly groaned.
"What is it, Sir?" A male mountain cat, nicknamed 'Sparky' by his comrades, asked.
Zero shook his head. "Nothing, just a small headache."
They had been traveling since… he guessed Seven A.M., an hour before the others had woken up. His group, composed of twin Mountain cats, a Panther, a Lynx, and a Clouded Leopard, had stopped for a quick breather. They still had a little ways to go, but they had made outstanding progress in only an hour and thirty minutes. Maybe it was so because they were running at full speed, and thus, they would get there in due time.
However, since the group back at Arkoma had all the warriors, he didn't expect them back until perhaps noon, or at least six o'clock at the latest. Since it was daylight savings time in this era, season and month, it would start to get dark around that time fast.
He looked up, noticing the sparse clouds. However, ahead of them, dark clouds were billowing at their destination. A storm… Zero had to laugh at that. It was ironic, a storm was coming in more ways than one. Zero predicted that it wouldn't hit until everyone was at the point of meeting, which was still in the cover of the forest they were traveling in. After that, the rain should muffle their footsteps, however if they stepped in mud, then it would leave very obvious footprints. That would be a problem too, the others needed to get here as soon as they could so they could commence the attack. Otherwise, his plan wouldn't work.
"Sir," the female Lynx named Lenore spoke up. "When do we take to the road again?"
"If everyone has rested enough, then right now." Zero said, standing up straight.
"Sir!" They all saluted.
Po blinked in surprise at the sheer number of the army. Fifty from Wo Kahn's village, Sixty-two from Phen Drana, the full force of blacksmiths from Magmoor which was a whopping number of 88. And finally, Arkoma's forces had rounded out to nearly all the men in the village, plus some of the women who had volunteered despite their husband/boyfriend's protest. Their number, an even 90, had made Po emotional. Everyone of these men and women had agreed to help not only rid China of Death Adder, but had promised to help him free Tigress from his control any way they could.
The total, which included his group and the one that accompanied Zero, had added to over Three Hundred and Five soldiers in all.
"I just want to say something before we start the journey." Po said.
"Thank you." He bowed to everyone.
As one, the group bowed back at him. "Dragon Warrior."
Po wiped the tears away, feeling that being responsible for all of them, he should appear mature. However, he knew, that out of all of them, no one thought any less of him. He was met with smiling faces, some expressionless, but most had the look of appreciation and a few lifted their swords to point at the sky.
"To Death Adder's downfall!" Po shouted, pumping his fist in the air.
The Soldiers yelled as one, banging their swords against their shields, a symbol that Po knew that they were ready to lay down their life if it meant the Dark Lord's demise. He wished it weren't so, but he knew that there would be casualties when the war began.
And as one, they began to march from Arkoma and toward his castle.
This is it, Po thought. This is the beginning of the end…
"Master, we just received word that the Dragon Warrior and his army have just left Arkoma." Li said, taking a deep breath and calming himself.
"Thank you, Li." Death Adder smiled. "You have been most helpful these past couple of weeks."
"Thank you, Master." Li bowed deeply. "I live to serve you, no matter the cost."
"Enough with flattery, old friend." Death Adder waved a hand. "Are your men at their posts?"
"A few lazy men are behind, but we've whipped them back into shape." Li answered. "Other than that, we have experienced no problems with getting the men to their respective positions. Is there anything else you request, Master?"
"Only that if anyone fails, they will die shortly after I rid China of the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five." Death Adder said. "There is no room in my kingdom for failure."
"As you wish, my lord." Li bowed again.
As Li left the room, Death Adder stood and, as he did before, gazed out of his window. Today was the day. The end of the Rebellion that lay out in the land. The Dragon Warrior, the Furious Five, Grandmaster Shifu, Tai Lung, all those legendary or not, lay out there for him to scorch and burn. A vile grin crept over his face, he would burn them all. Watch them writhe in torment, burning their flesh and watching their bones char to powder.
"Death Adder."
He turned and grunted for the Panther to accompany him.
"Sire, is it true that my brother is out there with them?" Revan asked.
The Dark Lord nodded. "Yes, Revan. Raiden is indeed out there, helping the resistance to overthrow me. How could they do this to their kind ruler? I have done nothing but the best for my people. What I call justice in my legal system, they call cruelty. Would you agree this to be fair, Revan?"
"No sire." Revan said immediately. "All you have done in the name of China, the armies you built, the towns you have created. Everything that you have done is making China a better place, people just refuse to see it in your vision, my Master."
"However, is it true?" Revan asked. "How you have destroyed countless villages? How you have brainwashed the leader of the Furious Five, Master Tigress?"
"Certainly not!" Death Adder said, causing the Panther to flinch. "I apologize for startling you, but I have never done anything of the sort. Who told you such lies, my son?"
"A Lynx named Destin, sire." Revan answered.
"Do not believe his accusations." Death Adder said, patting him on the shoulder. "He drinks too much, so much so, that it is impossible to tell when he is sober or when he is in his right mind."
"I will not believe anything from the mouth of a swindler nor a drunk, my lord." Revan said.
"So what has Nien commanded you to do, Revan?" Death Adder asked.
"Simple. The Ancestor in my blood has told me in order to harm my brother, I have to capture the woman that he currently resides with in Phen Drana." Revan answered.
"And did you?" The Dark Lord inquired.
"Of course, it was simple really." Revan smirked, a mixture of his own vile grin and Death Adder's crossed his face. "She practically came to me, thinking I was Raiden at first. Then when it dawned on her I was not, I simply knocked her out before she could run away."
"That's my son." Death Adder chuckled quietly. "Go, get ready for your fight."
"Yes, Father." Revan bowed deeply.
Every piece is in place… The Dark Lord thought in amusement. Now the real game begins…
…I only hope the Dragon Warrior is up to the task of killing me once and for all… A small part in the back of his mind said quietly.
Silence! Since the Darkness has corrupted you, this body now belongs to me! This is the body of Death Adder! The Dark Lord snapped at the part of his mind.
~~Point of Meeting~~~
As they neared the spot they were supposed to meet Zero, he saw the group that accompanied him around a smokeless fire. True they still had daylight, since the sun was still had a bit longer to go until it set. Twilight bathed the land as the soldiers took a break, glaring at the castle ahead. Po himself, had a hard time keeping himself from joining in the glares. However, he had a more important matter to attend to.
"Where's Zero?" Po asked Lenore.
"He's over there, meditating." the Lynx answered.
Po gave his thanks and walked into the direction she pointed in. He found the Panther meditating underneath a large oak tree, the shade keeping the sun from his eyes.
"How are you doing, Zero?" Po asked, taking a seat next to him.
Zero simply nodded. He opened his eyes and stood up, stretching his legs.
"So, how soon?" he wrote, seeming eager.
"As soon as the warriors… well, they seem ready enough as it is." Po admitted. "I'll give them a few minutes, and then you can execute your plan."
Zero nodded.
-Ten Minutes Later-
"Alright," Po stood in front of everyone. "Who's ready?"
The cheers were deafening, Po had an expression of grim amusement as he tried to clear his ears.
"Sorry, let me rephrase that." he said, chuckling. "Who's ready to storm the castle?"
The cheers were louder this time.
-Zero-
(A/N: The 'Scaling the Wall thing' is from the movie 'Prince of Persia: Sands of Time' so I didn't come up with this bit.)
He held up a hand, looking at the sun that was beginning to set. Then at the sky, the clouds were close to giving birth to rain. He'd have to hurry. He looked back at the three others, and the two crossbowmen and nodded.
The twin Mountain Cats and the Lynx accompanied him as they ran toward the large fortified wall. He had ran over his plan with them, so they did not freak out. As they neared the wall, Zero, using the battering ram and the momentum he gained, to run up the wall. He held himself in place, and the first arrow embedded itself in the wall, deep enough to support his weight. He grabbed it, steadying himself, and planted his feet on the battering ram. The next arrow, diagonal to the first, he grabbed that one and then the battering ram was lowered. The trio ran back to the cover, and the next arrow embedded itself diagonal to the second, starting a chain of a makeshift ladder. He reached in preparation of the fourth, and recoiled when it came close to piercing his hand to the wall. He glared back at the Panther and the Clouded Leopard, who waved hand in apologies.
With his sharp hearing he heard 'Have you been drinking, Ken?'
The next two followed and he was brought closer to the lip of the wall. When he was near the edge, he held up a hand, then drew his sword. (A/N: Original part) He pierced the wall with his blade, hefting himself up and peered over the edge then quickly ducked, as a soldier patrolled the wall and almost spotted him."Is somebody there?" he heard, and held his breath. He waved a hand for the men to hide, and they ducked as they hid behind a rock.
There were a few silent seconds, then: "Ah, must be my imagination."
Zero released his breath. 'Man, that was close.' he thought.
He slowly pulled himself up putting the bow in his teeth, drawing his bow and lifted himself over the edge, hidden by the teeth-like pieces of stone that jutted out of the edge of the castle. He retrieved his blade, sheathing it, and then fitted the arrow into the bow, drawing it. He crouched low to the ground, moving toward the guard that had his back to him as he patrolled his section of the wall.
"Move with the wind, and you will never be heard…" Snake Eyes' words echoed in his mind.
He grabbed the soldier, a hawk, clamping his beak shut before snapping his neck. He let the body drop to the ground below, on the side that he came from of course.
'Rest in peace.' he thought, then drew his bow again.
Walking through the sentry tower that allowed access to the other section of the fortified wall, he took out the next guard, although the man struggled at first, he chopped him in the neck with an knife strike, and then kicked him over the side of the wall. After making sure he had not been spotted, he climbed the ladder quietly and heard the two archers conversing.
"Maybe once this is all over, perhaps we can…?" the Lynx said, and Zero heard the grin in his voice.
"Masi, you are sick! I would never… maybe I would." the Hawk responded, clicking her beak alluringly.
Zero leapt up, drawing his sword and cut the would-be intimate couples conversation short.
"Whatever you do, don't hurt her!" The Lynx said, holding up his hands in defense. He was at too close a range to draw his bow, and he had no other alternate weapon.
Zero's gaze flicked from one face to the other. He thrust out with his fist, catching the Lynx upside the head with an open palm, knocking him out cold.
"You bas-" the Hawk began to swear until Zero held up a finger.
The Hawk blinked in surprise as Zero began writing. "I cannot speak," he pointed at his throat. "If you really love this Lynx, take him and get away as far as possible."
Those words struck her to the core, her eyes watered as tears fell down her beak.
"Thank you." She said, grabbing the Lynx in her talons. "I will never forget this,"
"Zero." the Panther wrote.
"Thank you so much, Zero. The name's Kyrie. Masi and I will be eternally grateful, Master Zero." She bowed quickly, and with that said she took flight with the Lynx securely in her talons.
Not wasting any time on parting ways, Zero slid down the ladder and ran as fast as he could while crouching, to the next sentry tower. This one had both archers asleep, so he just carefully gave them a 'comatose' mixture Bentley had concocted. And with that, the soldiers were unlikely to wake up any time soon. He ran to the other, and slowly climbed the ladder, listening and keeping silent.
"Hey, how many rebel scum do you reckon we'd be able to shoot down, Flint?" one asked.
"Hell, I hope to get as many as I can." the other replied.
That was all he needed. With a silent yell, he leapt up the remainder of the ladder and spun his sword in a circle, lopping off both heads in succession. He glanced at the other tower, and the archers from that segment noticed his action and one raised a bow. He shot off an arrow at, Zero interpreted, him. However, he quickly realized it was toward the bell to alarm the entire castle. Quicker than he had ever done in his life, Zero loosed an arrow and it had barely managed to stop the arrow that was aimed toward the bell. He quickly loosed two more, ending the life of the last two archers. Now the wall was secured, he picked up a torch and waved it toward his group at the rock, and climbed down the ladder to feed a rope down to them.
-The Meeting Point-
"Soldiers! Here me!" Po shouted. "Who has yet to pay? Has yet to die for the sins that he believes is right?"
"He hasn't!" the Warriors cried, pointing at Death Adder's castle.
"Who has killed countless men and women and children all throughout China?" Po asked them. "Who has caused grief, suffering, and eternal pain for everyone that stands before me and those in our Country?"
"He has!" The Warriors cried again.
"We are neither soldiers of Phen Drana, Magmoor, Temen-Gru (A/N: Wo Kahn's village), nor even Arkoma!" He declared to all of them. "We are brethren! We are banded together to rid our country of a threat that has eluded death since as long as we can remember! We are soldiers of China!"
"For Peace! For Freedom! For the fallen! For our loved ones! For our Past, our Present and our Future!" Po cried.
He drew his sword, turning and thrusting it in the air, just as he saw Zero waving a torch in the now opened double doors in Death Adder's fortress.
"FOR CHINA!" He roared, running forward with the Army hot on his heels.
'For Tigress…' he thought. As he gazed upon the savage faces of the other warriors, he could only think 'So this is how war sounds, huh?'
They entered the fortified wall of the Fortress, Po grabbing Zero by the arm and they both began to clash at the Soldiers that began to spout forth from inside Death Adder's castle. He blocked a blow with his shield, and knew that he'd have a bruise on that arm as the ringing shook his arm. He parried with his blade, the steel wanting to taste the blood of his enemies. For the moment, he would sate it's desire, and began to fight.
"Dragon Warrior!" He heard, but ignored it. He was concentrating on fighting an eagle that always seemed to be a step ahead of him. As he blocked the talons, he lashed out with his hand, striking nerves and paralyzed him. Raising his blade, he drove it into the man's heart, killing him instantly.
"Dragon Warrior!" Shang grabbed his arm. "Our battle lays in there, not out-"
He stopped, his arm falling back to his side as he looked up. Po did too, although it was hard due to the conflict all around them. He could see, just barely, a figure atop the large 'sacrificial/execution' tower. And Shang seemed to know the person.
"Looks like you've got some fun planned for me, huh?" He said, taking off into the direction that would lead him up the edifice.
"Shang!" Po yelled, taking after him. The rest of the Five, Hàn, Tai Lung, Liu, Shifu followed suit and ran after the Panda who was chasing the wolf.
They entered the castle, only Shang seemed to know where he was going. They went down twisting corridors, filled with dragon statues, the statues of Death, and other glorious sculptures that seemed too pure to be contained inside a castle as tainted with evil as Death Adder's. They went up a winding staircase, and from the windows they saw that it had started to rain.
"Shang, what did you see?" Hàn demanded.
Shang stopped, spinning around. He took her in his arms, kissing her passionately.
"Please stay out of this, he is my fight." He said, as their lips parted.
"Shang, what are you talking about?" Hàn asked him.
The wolf refused to answer. As he began running up the stairs once more, the rest of the group followed as closely as they could since he had gained a head-start. They passed painting over painting, and it looked as if they were just getting nowhere. After what seemed like an eternity, they had reached the metal double doors that led to the top of the tower.
Shang was breathing heavily, but not from the trip. But in anticipation for what lay ahead. Whatever it was, no one was sure but he. With a grunt, he pushed on the metal, cracking it and unleashing the noise of the rain. Stepping through, the group followed him and began up the stairs.
"This is as far as you can go." Shang told them.
"But, Shang-" Hàn began to protest.
Shang gave her a small glare. And she fell silent, as Shang reached the top step, he snapped his fingers and a barrier appeared all around them. So as to keep them from interfering and to keep them from falling off the tower.
"…You showed up." a very familiar voice spoke to Shang.
The figure's back was to them, but everyone there, even Tai Lung, knew who the person was. As he turned around, the group behind Shang began to growl in anger and hate.
"Ha, you sure know how to throw a party!" Shang chuckled. "No food, no drinks. And pretty much the only women that showed up came with me. Is that telling you something?"
"My sincerest apologies, Shang." The man said. "I was so eager to see you, I… couldn't concentrate on preparations for the bash."
"Whatever." Shang scoffed. "Anyway, since Po killed you last time, and now you're back. I guess I can finally get my revenge. How about giving Hàn a little kiss before you die?"
The figure was silent, only a smile countered Shang's statement.
"Or better yet, how about a kiss from THIS!" he snarled, drawing his sword and pointing it at the peacock.
"So, I guess this is where it all ends, huh?" Shang said.
"This is where it ends for you, my old pupil." Shen replied, drawing his knives.
A/N: And that concludes this very long chap. This chapter would have been up last night if I didn't have to go to bed, but alas, I had to. Yes, Shen the Peacock from Kung Fu Panda 2 is alive again, thanks to Death Adder. Well, as always, review my faithful friends.
Next Chapter: Guardian # 1 - Old Rage