A/N: So looking forward to the truth? I am! Just kidding; I knew this very long time ago! Now I just decided to share it with you! I am so evil! Actually, I am not! I am just not liking happy-happy plots! *whispering* I am not evil… Trust me…

And people might tell me; "hey, you just updated this story. You should update your other stories." But you know what? I am the write and I feel like writing this story! Muhahaha! (Yeah, sorry for that part. I was in a really weird mood when I wrote that)

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

Spread Your Wings, The Good Parent

"Go away," Fenghuang hissed, obviously not wanting to talk with the master.

But now Shifu would not give up. He wanted the truth; he needed it. "Look what you have done, Fenghuang," he said slowly and coldly. "Tigress is here."

"Because of you," she said quickly.

"No. Because of you. And I want the whole story, Fenghuang. Why did you have to ruin her life?" he hissed slowly. He remembered Tigress as a cub, and now, seeing what Fenghuang had created of her, made him angry.

"Why should I tell you?" she hissed back, actually having a great point.

"Because I will try and get Tigress out of here."

His answer surprised her and she widened her eyes. "You will?" she asked, stunned.

He nodded. "But I need the whole story," Shifu told her sternly. "The story you did not tell."

She snorted. "What is there to tell? I got lonely, and adoption is a very good choice in that case."

Shifu met her eyes. "That was the story you told Tigress. But I don't believe it."

"Too bad for you!"

"How did you hear of her?" he asked her. "I don't exactly think you visited Bao Gu often."

Fenghuang's eyes became distant. "She was wonderful," she told him quietly. "Right from the start."

"Tigress?" Shifu asked trying to keep up with the owl.

She continued as if she had not heard him. "Born with the talent of Kung Fu. You saw her, Shifu. You knew what she could, even before I trained her."

"A strength that needed to be controlled."

Fenghuang wanted to shake her head, but could not because of the cage. "Not controlled," she told him sternly. "She had to use it."

"No, Fenghuang; that is where you went wrong."

"It's a part of her. It's a part of who she is! She needs her strength! She has to use it! Is she had not been trained, then she would have hidden it inside of her. And finally, it would have broken out. What I did saved her," Fenghuang told him.

"What you did led her the wrong way," Shifu said sternly.

"Like you wouldn't have trained her!"

"I would have. But you came first," he sighed.

Fenghuang smiled proudly. "I did."

"So that is what it was about," Shifu muttered quietly. "I fight over a piece of toy."

The owl looked offended. "She's my daughter! Not just some thing!" She squinted as she looked at him. "But of course you wouldn't know that."

His ears flattened against his head. "What do you mean?"

She snorted. "You keep saying that I am a bad parent. But at least I am not the one who gave up on their child!"

"I did not!" Shifu hissed.

"You left Tai Lung here! I would call that-"

Shifu stood on his staff but now brought his face as close to hers as he could. "I am the only way to get Tigress out of here. If I wanted to, I could just leave now."

Fenghuang fell quiet and just stared at her. Her beak was tightly closed.

Shifu continued hissing, "And I am not here to talk about Tai Lung. I am here to hear why you chose Tigress. And if I hear another lie come from you, then I will have no choice but let Tigress stay where she is right now."

Fenghuang was mildly shocked. Shifu was truly angry right now. But, of course, Tai Lung was a sore subject for the red panda. Even though the owl wished to continue talking about the snow leopard just to punish Shifu, she knew she had to watch her words.

"I was angry," she said lowering her glance. "I am angry. When you turned your back to me… You should try how it feels, Shifu. You give up on people so easily."

"Fenghuang," he said warningly.

She blinked. "I returned to the valley for revenge. But I did not know how to face Oogway. I knew I might had a chance against him, but then there was you." She glared angrily at him. "I needed something, someone, to distract you so you couldn't try something."

"So you found Tigress…"

"It was by accident, honestly. I was on my way to storm the Jade Palace when I saw you walking alone. You entered an orphanage, and so I had to found out what was going on. In disguise I talked when some villagers and got the whole story."

Shifu now understood. "You found your distraction."

"If you saw something in her then she was good enough. I was sure of that. She had talent and you did not deserve her. I could not let you have her. You were already strong enough," she finished in a soft tone.

"A fight over a piece of toy…"

Fenghuang now decided that she just as well could tell him everything. "She was never meant to be my daughter. She was meant to be my student. My student so she could not be yours. With another enemy by my side I could easily defeat both of you. And when you got students… I knew Tigress was just perfect. I needed a warrior that would be loyal to me."

"So you found one who didn't know what you had done. Someone who's mind you could still manipulate," Shifu almost whispered.

"They wronged her," Fenghuang told him. "They wronged me. You wronged me."

"Defending our master was the right thing to do!"

"You didn't defend him," she hissed. "You were just behind the scenes. Being good little students-"

"We had to stop you, Fenghuang."

She laughed. "Stop me? Oogway's was lucky. Cheated. If it hadn't been for the cage…" She then remembered where she was and trailed off. Stupid cage. "And don't you think I don't know who built it. He might act ever so innocent and stupid as always, but I know it was his idea. You really know how to spit on me, Shifu; bringing Longwei here so both of you can watch me suffer."

"Your actions needs to be punished, Fenghuang," Shifu told her.

"I never understood why you didn't just attack my mountain. But no; you decided to let me live and have my freedom as long as I did not leave the mountain. You could have captured me. But apparently you did not think of me as a big threat. I actually feel offended. But I guess I proved you all wrong."

"You turned Tigress into a murderer. Aren't you just a bit ashamed?" Shifu asked her, trying to keep his voice calm.

The owl caught his eyes and did not let go of his glance. "You don't care about her," she told him sternly, sure about what she was saying. "She already hated you when I found her. Because you gave up on her."

Shifu suck in a breath. "I-"

She cut him off, again, "She is more talented than any students you have ever seen." Her voice was filled with proudness. "Of course I loved her. I am her mother. No reason to deny that. I love her. And if you ever hurt her, Shifu, I promise you that you will regret it."

"Have you told her this?" he asked her, ignoring her last comment. "Does she know the true story? Or does she still believe that you wanted her as a daughter from the start."

The owl was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "There is no need to tell her." As Shifu became quiet she watched him. As she realized what he was thinking she widened her eyes. "Don't you dare tell her!" she hissed, knowing the truth would break the tiger.

"She deserves the truth," Shifu said slowly. "She has been living without for too long, and look what has happened to her now."

"You said you would help her get out," Fenghuang reminded him. When he did not reply, she nearly growled, "Shifu…"

"I will try and explain the situation for the other masters."

She squinted. "You lied."

"I can't take away her punishment, but I doubt she will stay here as long as you."

"Of course she will!" Fenghuang exclaimed. "No one will dare to have her on the loose. Without me she will never calm down."

Shifu just stared at her, and she understood that he already knew that. "You are just going to let her rot up here," she whispered. "I thought at least you had some conscience, but now I see that I was wrong. But of course I was just being stupid, since you never fight for anyone."

"How-?"

"You left your own son in the prison, you coward!" the owl exclaimed, sending him another blaming glance. "And you are calling me a bad parent!"

"This is not about Tai Lung!"

"Then what is it about? You want to know why I am here, Shifu? I am here because I will do anything for my daughter. I will rot up here if it means that she will get out. Because I support my child and I will not turn my back against her. I will not be like you."

Shifu suck in a breath, desperately trying to find some words to spit back in her face. He found none.

"I care about Tigress. I know what I have done wrong, I am fully aware of it so I don't need you telling me it. But I will make things right. I don't care about you or Longwei or your students or the other masters! I care about her. And if you don't keep your promise and get her out of here I swear I'll do it myself."

"You can't," Shifu told her, somewhat shakily.

"You don't know me, Shifu. You never did." She paused, taking in a deep breath. "And now it is too late for both of us. But you said you would help her and you will help her."

"As I told you I'll speak with the-"

"That's not getting her out of here. It can't be too hard for you to loosen her bonds, can it?"

Shifu understood what she meant and dropped his ears. "I can't do that," he told her.

"Coward!" she hissed again. "You promised!"

"She killed. My student was murdered."

"The fault is mine, we both know that!"

He gave her a sad glance. "But it is Tigress who has bloody paws. I cannot change that. I am sorry." He jumped off the staff and started walking away. "For being too late."

"You said you would free her!" Fenghuang yelled and her cage started shake. "You said you would!"

But Shifu kept walking.

"You never deserved Tai Lung! A father doesn't give up on their son! You are one big coward, Shifu! You turn your back to everyone who disappoints you! Without giving them another chance! Coward!"

Shifu's ears now lay flat against his head but did not look back.

"You already left Tigress locked up once! Are you going to do it again?!"

Shifu slammed the door shut with a loud bang, shielding himself from more of Fenghuang's curses.


Tigress was alone.

It was dark and she was alone.

There was nothing. She was stuck in nothing.

Her body was trapped and she could not speak. It was like she was frozen or made of stone. She was stuck, trapped, and there was nothing she could do.

Her muscles refused to move, to hear what her mind told them. Her body was in agony and her mind had been fuzzy in the start.

Now her mind was the only thing she had left. That, and her ears and eyes.

But in front of her was only darkness. A few time there had been persons but her tired mind had simply not be able to think through who they were and why they were here.

Though, she remembered Shifu. He had been there, she was sure of that. And he had apologized… Saying that he had tried to adopt her, to take her in as a student, but her mother had been too fast. He has said that he had never abandoned her…

But his apology did not matter because now she was here. Alone. Betrayed. Stuck. Alone.

Shifu did not matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was getting out from here.

It was… It was just like Bao Gu. It was so horrible much like the orphanage. She was locked up, as the bad guy, now being punished.

And when she looked up, she could sometimes see the forms of the guards that were keeping an eye on her. Whispering.

Talking about her.

Monster. Monster. Monster.

They were scared of her. She was covered in blood, flames in her eyes, darkness in her heart. She was nothing but pure evil; raised by the darkness itself.

Not even her birthparents had wanted her.

Maybe she had none. Maybe they had been demons, only wanting to spread more darkness.

And Fenghuang had been the one to teach her how to use her evil.

Now they were being punished and everything was good again. Happy ending.

They were mocking her. Because before she was strong but now she was weak. Helpless. In chains.

She was alone. Nobody wanted her. Nobody was going to save her.

Not even her mother.

She was the one who caused this. Had she gotten her revenge on Shifu now? Was she satisfied? Was this really worth it?

Tigress had cried for a mother but no sound had come out. The only person she had left had abandoned her.

She had been hoping, waiting. All alone with her thoughts she had wondered how Tai Lung had survived twenty years here.

Tigress had no idea of how long she had been here, but it felt like forever.

And her mother did not come. No matter how much Tigress begged and called for her, she did not come.

Fenghuang had promised she would always been there.

She had lied.

Here in the darkness, Tigress was alone. And she gave up.

Monster. Monster. Monster.


A/N: Wow… A depressing chapter. Hope you liked it though. The talk between Shifu and Fenghuang… I came up with that conversation over a month ago! It just suddenly came to me! So I wrote it down and now I can finally publish it together with this chapter! I really liked it, so I hope you did too!

And I promise; there will soon come more action! Promise! Or should I just end it here? Muhahaha! 'Happe ending' as Tigress so wisely said! Muhaha!