"I can't believe you actually fell for that!"

Bang launched another fist at Aden while cackling like a banshee. Luckily, he rolled to the side just as the stone block hurtled past him.

"It's so much easier to bend those that are already broken." Bang laughed, launching the other fist at Aden, who once again rolled out of the way.

"That was a metaphor," Bang retracted both stone fists, which Aden had to flatten himself on the floor to avoid. "But, let's find out how much you literally break!"

This time, Bang shot both fists out to opposite sides of him, which then curved back and beelined for Aden at two angles. The human was scared beyond belief, but his training wasn't about to fail him now. He lowered himself to the ground and launched himself up in the air with his body horizontal, allowing him to slip sideways between the two projectiles. The stone gauntlets smashed into the back wall and managed to force Liu to leap out of their line of sight before returning to Bang.

"Oooo wee, this sure is fun!" Bang danced, floating like a marionnette between the statue's crown and feet. "Unfortunately, I have a prior obligation at the Jade Palace I must attend to."

"Stop!" Aden pleaded. "Go ahead and kill me! Just, please leave my friends alone!"

"Oh, don't you worry your ulgy fucking head," Bang mocked. "I intend to kill you. I just need to make sure you see the exact moment when life leaves your friends' eyes."

Aden froze as he felt his world crumbling around him.

"Liu, subdue this cretin while I take care of the Palace," Bang instructed. "Mangle him all you want, but keep him alive. He dies last."

"I will," she answered.

"And, don't fuck it up this time."

Liu's body tensed up, but she managed to give a firm nod in response.

Bang held a dangerous gaze at Liu for a bit longer, then turned towards the platform he'd jumped down from earlier. He crouched, which the stone armor mimicked, then launched himself and his stone puppet up onto it.

"See you soon, buddy," Bang saluted Aden with his rock hand, then disappeared from view. The sounds of his massive stone stomping fading from Liu and Aden's range.

"This can't be happening!" Aden frantically clamped both hands to his head.

"Oh, but it is," Liu giggled, walking over and standing in front of the exit to this stone prison. "I know you're not particularly pleased with this outcome, but I can assure you it'll all be over soon."

"Liu, please, don't do this. I need to help my friends. I'm begging you!"

"Oh, Aden. It's too late for that. You already betrayed them. Why not make this easy for both of us?"

"Liu, step out of the way. I don't want to hurt you."

Liu tsked while shaking her head. "The hard way it is…"

In one swift movement, Liu revealed three long and slender blades. One held in each hand, and the third gripped by a loop in her tail. Very slowly, she began to waltz her way towards Aden, a devilish grin plastered to her cheeks.

Aden began backing up at a similar pace to the one she approached him with. "I don't understand, Liu. Why?"

"It's quite simple, really. We manipulate your puny little mind and get everything we want. See, easy!"

"I don't believe you..." Aden backed up into a wall. "Why Bang?"

Liu's grin vanished. "W-what?"

"I don't understand what could that worthless monster ever offer you?"

Liu froze so quickly, Aden thought she might've turned to a statue herself. She was less than six feet from him, her arms and tail still clutching the blades and directing them at his heart. Five seconds of pure silence passed, and neither of them moved another inch.

"Ugh… Liu?" Aden tried to break the tension. "Are you ok?"

Unfortunately for Aden, breaking the tension was the exact opposite of what he wanted. Liu's face flickered with life, scrunching her features in the process. Then, she went through another facial transformation and exploded with rage.

Liu let out a bone chilling scream and slashed her knives one at a time at Aden's throat. He quickly slid into a seated position on the ground, letting sparks dance on his forehead from where her blades made contact with the wall. She went to jab him with the two knives held in her paws again, but Aden successfully clutched her wrists before they penetrated his skin. Liu's third appendage then swept in from behind aimed directly for his chest. Aden countered by twisting her wrists so she blocked her own attack giving him enough time to sweep her legs and roll out of the way.

"Liu, stop! Please!" He shouted, standing up and holding his hand out towards her.

Unfortunately for him, Liu wasn't home.

She lunged at him again, wildly swiping at him from all angles. Aden dodged each one as best as he could, but received multiple cuts to his upper thigh and chest.

Aden leaped backwards and put himself back against the wall after she attempted to skewer him with all three blades at once. A tiredness began to fill up inside of him from her relentless attacks, but it was the kind of tiredness that pushed him towards snapping rather than giving up.

Suddenly, Liu hurled two knives at Aden. He was able to contort himself to dodge the first one, but the 2nd landed a clean swipe across his left cheek. He winced in pain for a brief moment before rubbing his fingertips against the fresh slice. The feeling of warm blood trailing down his cheek like a stream of tears was enough to snap the last thread holding himself together.

He reached back and ripped her two daggers out of the wall where they embedded themselves and lunged at her. He'd underestimated how nimble she was, as she effortlessly bent around each of his jabs and slashes. She moved silently and with such elegance that Aden's grunts were the loudest part of the fight.

"I don't fucking understand, Liu!" Aden screamed through each swipe of the blades. "What do you have to gain?!"

Her maneuvering was rhythmic, like a dance of death. That's when he saw an opening. The pattern she moved in was cycling with his swipes, and all he needed was one well timed spin to abruptly end her performance.

He faked a jab, and just as he'd expected, she pulled back her torso allowing him to spin with the other free blade and slice at the left shoulder of her tunic. The blade tore through the fabric like butter, which distracted Liu long enough for Aden to land a hefty kick to her stomach. She stumbled back and fell to the ground with a painful grunt. Aden wasted no time to stand above her with a powerful stance and threaten her throat with the blade.

Aden was seeing red. One more swipe, and the world would be rid of this evil woman. But, that's precisely when he noticed something odd: a cut along her shoulder he hadn't given her. He glanced at the blade in his hand and saw not a single drop of blood. Aden knew the wound was fresh, though; only a few hours old at the most, as there was no bleeding, but the shimmer of a healing wound was unmistakable.

"Where did you get that…" Aden asked her intensely.

Liu instinctively covered her wound like an embarrassed child.

"Why don't you just end it for me?!" She shouted back.

"Where did you get that?"

"There's no going back from this!"

"Liu, what happened?"

"How does an outcast freak like you find a home here?!" She ignored his question, her rage slowly transforming into depression. "I've lived here my entire life and got nothing even close to that! You show up out of nowhere and become the magical hero child of the century. And, I'm just the sexy seducer henchman. What's even the point anymore..."

Liu rested her head against the stone floor tiredly, while Aden held his ground. Then, came a single quiet sigh from her.

"Just… Do it..." She breathed out

Aden remained hyper focused on her posture in case she made any sudden movements. "You don'thave to do this you know."

"What are you going on about?" She asked with glossy eyes. "You've already beaten me."

"No. I mean, you don't have to do this." Aden lowered the knife and softened his stance. "This doesn't have to be your life. We don't have to fight."

Liu sniffled, annoyed.

"I might not be from this world, but I sure as hell love the people from it. I need to fix this, and I could really use your help. Please?"

Liu sat in silence, her face still in thought. Then, frustrated features grew on her cheeks.

"No." she answered simply, relaxing her body completely and exhaling slowly. "Just leave."

Aden nodded his head in respect, turned, and quickly made his way to the exit.

"I'm sorry…" Liu's voice echoed behind him.

Aden stopped briefly under the threshold to glance back and smile at Liu still splayed out and staring blankly at the ceiling. He dashed up the spiral staircase and flung the dense stone door open with all his might. Maneuvering back through the empty restaurant, the sound of rain made its way back into hearing range.

He burst through the restaurant door and out into the cold, wet night. He raced through the storm in the same empty streets from before while dodging chunks of displaced cobblestone. It looked like a giant had waltzed through town, no doubt Bang's suit at work. As he made it further up the valley streets, he began to notice the alarming increase in destruction. Homes and businesses were riddled with holes with the heads of village folk despondently poking out.

WHOMP!

The sound of stone smashing against the earth high above him stole Aden's attention. The Jade Palace was too far away to see what happened, but Aden wasn't about to waste any time guessing. He reached the stairway up and sprinted up as quickly as he could.

This is my fault. He thought, traversing the steps faster than he ever had during training. And, I'm going to fix it.

Upon reaching the top step, Aden felt shiver run down his spine. Something wasn't right. The night air was filled with the sounds of downpour and the whoosh of wind, but that was it. No punches. No grunts. Not a single voice.

Aden leapt to the main gate and thrust it open, only for his world to stop. There was no sound. The rain had disappeared and his focus blurred. All he could see was the nightmare; the unmoving bodies of his friends cast upon the ground of the dilapidated Jade Palace courtyard.

"Aden!" Bang enthusiastically greeted, waking Aden from his stupor. "So good to see you again! And, right on time!"

Aden's attention whipped around to Bang floating lazily in his stone shield.

"Are they dead? No, no, no, no." The boar answered his own question. "Hurt? Definitely. But, not dead. I couldn't end it before the guest of honor arrived! I knew that worthless bitch wouldn't be able to hold you. I just needed some time to redecorate. Now, the real show gets to begin."

"Bang!" Aden screamed. "Let's end this, now!"

Bang laughed. "I plan to."

One of the stone fists was barreling at Aden so quickly he barely reacted in time, leaping behind a toppled pillar. Another fist crashed into the pillar near his head, sending chunks of rock flying. The human leapt once again to another spot of cover, only to have it blown into pieces by another one of Bang's attacks. One final jump through a crack in a wall landed him inside the main hall to the Jade Palace.

"Oh, come on," Bang taunted. "You know how much I'd love to break everything inside there, but your audience won't have a good vantage point to see you get beaten to death! Besides, you can't keep this up forever. Why not just get it over quick?"

He was right, and Aden knew it. The stone warrior was unbeatable empty handed. His eyes glossed over the room of artifacts for anything useful that Po or Shifu might've mentioned, but nothing caught his eye.

"I'll make you a deal," Bang yelled from outside, as Aden heard massive footsteps approaching. "If you come out now, I'll make it painful. But, not too painful."

Aden couldn't hesitate any longer, he had to pick something. That's when he saw it: his guitar. Perched up against a column at the front of the hall in all its wooden glory.

"This is crazy," he said aloud. "But, that's never stopped me before!"

He lunged and rolled to the instrument just as the wall he sat behind exploded into stone projectiles from Bang's fist. He gripped the instrument's neck and quickly strummed a chord only to hear a sour tone fill the air.

"Uh oh," Aden realized his audible mistake and dashed forward as debris from a new hole in the wall flew in his direction.

He twisted the tuning knobs and played again, continuing to run as another hole was blasted into the wall. The tuning was closer, but still not quite ready. Another twisting of knobs, another strum, and another explosion of debris came once more.

The guitar was almost ready, but unfortunately, Bang was one step ahead. A wave of rock came flying towards Aden, who sacrificed a painful blow to his back, side, and right leg to protect the guitar. The hit flung him to the ground with a painful bounce.

"I enjoyed the little game we were playing," Bang's stone body crawled through the hole he had just opened. "But, I think it's time to move on to sudden death."

One last turn was all Aden was going to get, as Bang launched a death blow directly between his eyes. Aden held his breath and strummed when the fist was only a few feet from colliding with him.

Miraculously, the guitar emitted a vortex of gold light that caught the projectile in its torrent and redirected it up towards the ceiling. The impact blew chunks out of the wooden roof which Aden rolled out of the way of.

"What?!" Bang incredulously shouted.

While Bang was distracted by his inexplicable defense, Aden stood up and strummed another chord, sending Bang and his stone suit back through the hole he'd created.

With a newfound sense of hope, Aden chased him back out into the rain. He'd noticed the Five, Shifu, and Po had begun moving, with Tigress in the best shape of them all, but not by much.

"Well, this is new," Bang laughed. "Looks like I'm going to need to take things up a notch."

Bang closed his eyes, breathed in deeply, and raised his arms above his head. Then, in one swift motion, he brought his arms close to his chest and opened his eyes and mouth, revealing the same fluorescent green glow of the crystals. The lines in the stone appendages and crown began to shake and grow bright in intensity. The boar slammed both fists into the ground that emitted a shockwave of energy, digging craters twice the size of anything he'd done before.

"Let's dance, human," Bang seethed.

Punching both fists forward, lightning shot out from each and contacted the ground directly in front of Aden, sending him flying backwards and onto the ground. From his back, Aden quickly strummed another chord, sending an arrow of yellow light out in front of him. It collided with another beam of green energy causing an explosion that gave Aden just enough time to sprint behind cover and catch his breath.

"No," Bang spoke in a low growl. "No more hiding."

A storm of lightning strikes sent debris flying all around Aden, forcing him to leave cover. He strummed wildly as he ran, sending arrows back in any which way.

The symphony of yellow and green took to the skys, as the parade of colors captured everyone's attention. Aden and Bang shot back and forth, creating debris clouds until everyone's field of vision was fully obscured.

Aden glanced down and saw his hands swirling with golden light. He felt the power and was ready to finally end this. He reeled back and struck a chord that rippled light through the cracks in the ground, blowing the dust quickly away and nearly picking Bang and his suit off the ground.

"I'm impressed, kid," Bang laughed and mockingly clapped the stone hands together. "I really didn't expect you to last this long. How does it feel? Do you like being strong? Powerful? Like you're going to break that outcast mold and redeem yourself into the hero you think you're meant to be?"

Aden maintained his stance confidently, his look prepared for any surprise attacks.

"Oh, come on," Bang continued. "Look around you! What do you expect to save? It's all just as broken as you are, and there isn't a fucking chance you'll fix any of it."

The human couldn't help but look now. Without altering his planted position, he glanced all around him. The shattered walls of the Jade Palace lay strewn across the courtyard while his friends struggled to stand, their bodies riddled with cuts and bruises. He felt so tired, but he couldn't let Bang's words get to him. Aden looked deep inside himself, sifting through the crumbling pieces of the world he had once built here, and found a fire that couldn't be extinguished.

"Maybe that's true…" Aden spoke, determined. "But, there isn't a fucking chance I'm going down without a fight!"

"Oooh, feisty..." Bang grinned menacingly.

Bang aimed his fists up to the sky, as if he was sucking energy out of thin air. His stone bodyguard began to grow an even brighter green, completely replacing his eyes with the same fluorescent shade. He let out a wail of bone shattering proportions, as flame-like waves of green fluttered from every orifice.

Another wail rang from his mouth, as he punched both fists forward, releasing a continuous, spiraling stream of energy.

Fear attempted to rise in Aden's throat, but the fire inside kept the feeling buried. He let out a battle cry of his own and strummed the guitar, as the gap between Bang's energy strike and him dwindled. A similar spinning formation of yellow energy burst from the sound hole, colliding with the green one, and releasing a crash that could be both heard and seen miles away from the valley. The collision of colors danced with one another, varying their distance between the human and boar.

Suddenly, another yell from Bang exploded into the air, his stream growing in diameter as he did. The pressure from the increased blast size began to weigh on Aden's body. He felt tired, like if he just let the energy wave hit him, he'll just gently fall to sleep and wake up comfortably at home.

Home... Aden thought.

Where was that? He wasn't so sure anymore. Not too long ago he so desperately knew that it was back on his original earth. But why?

Bang began to laugh. Aden's yellow light was slowly being swallowed by a storm of green.

Is home where the loved ones from birth existed? Or is it where loved ones exist now?

The sky began to take on the shade of green. Aden's light was barely flickering at this point.

Aden barely needed to shift his eyes for the orange and black answer.

"I am home..." Aden spoke soft, yet firmly.

BOOM!

Gold streams exploded from the human's form as he strummed his next chord. His blast tripled in size almost instantaneously with his eyes fully captured in the same brilliant yellow hue.

"I am home!"

The sky was a torrent of color now, and Aden's beam was beginning to overtake Bang's. The human's strumming grew faster as his energy grew stronger.

"No!" Bang shouted futilely.

Aden then simply raised his right arm and strummed one final chord sending a single blast of energy so large it nearly blinded everyone in the immediate area.

The resulting damage was mind boggling. The front entrance to the Jade Palace was no longer dilapidated. It was entire front section seemed to have vanished, only leaving a cylindrical emptiness in its place.

A look of pure disbelief was plastered on Aden's features, who had now returned to his normal, non-glowing self. He glanced down and gasped when he saw the jagged break in his guitar's body. He must've not been able to feel it break from strumming so hard.

Just then, the rain began to dwindle. The rushing winds turned gentle, and the pounding rain became a pitter patter of droplets. Things were strangely quiet, but Aden wasn't sure things were over yet.

A deep coughing came from the pile of rubble at the bottom of the divot Aden had blown in the ground. The rocks began to churn, as Bang's battered body emerged no longer attached to his suit of armor. His features held an expression that Aden had yet to see: unrelenting rage.

"You… Little… Brat!" Bang roared, blood visibly dripping from open wounds on his face. "You've destroyed everything! And, for what? Everything's gone you fucking moron! You think this'll change anything? Look the fuck around you! You saved the day by fucking up everything! Do you really think everyone's still going to forgive you for betraying them?!"

Aden's body tensed up. He didn't even have to look over to feel the looks of confusion dawn on his friend's faces.

"Oh, that's right…" Bang sarcastically spoke, a calculated look draped across his cheeks. "They don't know about that yet, do they?"

"Aden…" The weak voice of Po spoke. "What's he talking about?"

Aden finally looked over to see his friends emerge from behind a toppled wall covered in bruises and dried blood. They watched him with confused eyes, and it made him want to vomit.

"Po, I-" Aden attempted to respond.

"Oh, Po!" Bang interrupted, mockingly. "I'm so sorry I made the conscious decision to steal an artifact from the palace and give it to the enemy! I only wanted to leave this world without telling any of you! I swear I didn't mean it! I'm a good person!"

Bang danced with laughter, much to Aden's chagrin. His fists clenched and his body began to shake with rage the more the boar taunted him.

"Fuck you!" Aden blurted. "You said you'd leave them alone!"

"Oh, boo hoo!" Bang pretended to wipe tears from eyes. "That wouldn't have changed a thing, and you know it. You knew exactly what you were doing. The little alien just wanted to get back home-"

"I am home!" Aden's voice cracked from how loud he screamed

A silence hung in the air from Aden's outburst, a small bit of yellow aura gently pulsing around him before fading away.

"I am home…" He repeated. "I wasn't able to see it at first. Then, once I knew, I was too scared to admit it. I thought, no matter how hard I tried, I'd never be able to truly… fit in…"

Aden wistfully looked over to see the full attention of his friends trained on him.

He sighed under his breath, then continued. "Yes, I did take the Jade Crystals with the intention of leaving. It was a naive and deadly mistake. I know that now. And, I know it's something that will completely change my life here…"

Another brief pause from Aden, before he slowly turned his head towards Bang, a look of pure determination glued to his features. "But, that's not what this is about."

A look of surprise quickly took form on Bang's face.

"Yeah, I fucked up..." Aden began to slowly make his way towards the bloody boar as he spoke. "But, you? You royally fucked up. You fucked with my head. You fucked with the village. And most importantly, you fucked with my family. I didn't come back to prove I'm a hero. I came back to fix my mistake and end your pitiful existence. But now, I see just how pathetic you really are and hope you get to watch time pass while you rot in prison."

Not twenty feet away from the towering boar, Aden stopped unperturbed, a distance he felt nothing but fear within when they first met.

"It's over, Bang," Aden spoke calm yet firmly.

The bruised boar began to laugh, starting off low and course and then growing into maniacal cackling.

"You think I've lost? Me?! You haven't got a clue, do you? I have droves of jackals on standby ready to tear you apart. You'll never get rid of me! I'll bleed you all dry! I'll-"

"No you won't."

Both Bang and Aden simultaneously whipped their head to the familiar voice. Liu stood at the top of the palace steps, a look of confidence radiating from every part of her.

"Liu!" Bang shouted. "I'm so glad to see you! Bring the jack-"

"Stop." She interrupted with a raised finger. "It's my turn to speak, and I've harbored this for a long time now. You've brought me nothing but animosity and suffering from the world, and for nothing more than senseless control of everyone. I'm tired. We're all tired. You're manipulative, cruel, and simply evil. So, we're done."

Bang's blood began to boil. "Liu! I warned you about-"

"They're all gone," Liu interrupted again, undisturbed by his outburst . "Every last jackal. And, It didn't take much more than a little speech from yours truly to make them rebel. The hideout has been emptied of supplies, the restaurant's been abandoned, and a new leader has already taken your place." She finished her sentence with a wink.

Bang's features began to rapidly warp through the stages of grief as the realization dawned on him. A smile creeped it's way onto Liu's face at Bang's reaction.

She didn't need to say what she did next, but oh did it feel good for her to do: "You have nothing, Bang. It's over."

It looked as if Bang was frozen in time, a look of disbelief hung in the air. Suddenly, his body began to shake violently. He smashed his fists into small rock chunks below him, blowing them to bits.

"No!" He screamed, punctuating each rock smash with his voice. "No! No! No! No! No!"

Everyone watched in awe as the boar lost his mind in front of them. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for his attention to turn to Aden. The bloodshot eyes of the angry enemy stared deep into Aden's soul, but the human didn't falter for even a second. With one final smash, Bang launched himself in Aden's direction.

The hoarse voice of Bang cut through the air like a knife. "I'm going to end you! Face me!"

Aden held his ground while the distance between them dwindled. Glancing down at his hands that still held the cracked guitar, he spun the body and eyed it carefully. Aden didn't even look up even as the boar entered striking distance, his mind already prepared for his next move it almost felt instinctual. Aden gripped the neck with both hands and finally looked up to meet the furious gaze of Bang just as the boar's arm reeled back to deal the killing blow.

"Looks like it's time for you to face the music!"

With a single upward swing, Aden smashed the body of the guitar into the raging boar's head, bits of wood floating in every direction. Bang's body ragdolled immediately upon impact, Aden needing to quickly dart out of the way as his massive form fell forward. His body crashed into the earth with a deep thud, a shockwave reverberating through everyone's feet.

The human looked down at his hands that held the remaining length of the guitar neck, then glanced to the sky where he saw a thin ray of gold light twirl in the air before flickering out of existence with what he swears sounded like a short giggle from Master Oogway.

The world went silent for a brief moment. Nobody moved a muscle just to make sure it was truly over. That's when Aden heard the footsteps of Liu approach from behind.

She walked past him and kicked the limp boar. "I've already notified the guards that he's here. We'll be miles from the valley by the time they arrive. Just don't come looking and you'll never hear about us again."

Aden chuckled lightly and smiled at her. "Thank you."

Liu briefly smiled and nodded in reply, then made her way towards the Jade Palace stairway.

"Oh, by the way," Liu stopped and turned back just as she reached the top step. "I'm not sure how forgiveness worked on your old world. But, you seem like a sincere guy. I bet an apology is worth a shot."

With a final wink, Liu disappeared from view, leaving Aden with a tense feeling in his throat. The physical threat may have been dealt with, but an emotional one towered right behind it. He wasn't sure if it was instinctual, but his body refused to turn around. He took one more deep breath, calmed his tense nerves, and faced everyone.

They were all already lined up in a row, and Aden took the time to scan each one of their faces. He didn't see one look of anger, only looks of melancholic confusion. Each passing glance of their features made his heart sink lower and lower. Then, he saw Tigress.

She stood perfectly still when Aden finally made eye contact, but he didn't last more than a second before his body succumbed to the emotion he pulled from those deep pools of hers. His grip on the guitar neck tightened intensely for a moment before both his arms went limp, dropping what remained of the broken instrument on the cold, wet ground. Next went his knees, buckling until they connected with stone. And lastly, he lost his composure.

"I-I… Guy's, I…" Aden tried to speak. "Listen, i-it was a-all just…"

Aden went silent briefly, leaning forward and staring towards some crushed cobblestone below him.

"Aden?" The soft voice of Viper called out.

"I'm so sorry!" Aden screamed in reply.

When he returned his head back up to face them, everyone could finally see the trickle of tears dripping from his cheeks.

"I fucked up. I really fucked up." Aden choked out. "I've caused so much pain and suffering, and I have no excuse for any of it. You've given me nothing but support since the day I arrived, and all I've done is betray your trust and break everything in the process. The Jade Palace is in fucking ruins because I couldn't think of anything else but my own selfish desires."

Aden took a break to wheeze, the trickling of tears had morphed into a full stream by this point.

"And, you know what the dumbest part of it all is? I was wrong! They got into my head, and I was stuck like a scared kid constantly questioning myself. But, I don't even remotely blame them. I made the choice. I fucked up. You were all there for me and I pushed you back. I don't care if I'm the only one of my species. This is everything I want. No, this is everything I need! This is home… This is my home."

Another pause from Aden's monologue. He took the time to scan everyone again, and once more, his eyes were captured by those of Tigress. He stood up, wiped the tears from his face, and composed himself, never once breaking eye contact with her in the process.

"And, you. Of all the people I've hurt, I owe you the biggest apology. You've changed my life in a way I can't even begin to describe. You're the reason I found true comfort in a world far from everything I once knew. I'm such an idiot, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally figure it out. Tigress, I love you."

This was the first time expressions had changed in the group. All of the boys shook their heads and dawned a disbelieving look, while the corner's of Viper's mouth formed a soft smile. But, Tigress's face remained unphased.

"I'm so sorry…" Aden looked down despondently.

Without a word, Tigress walked towards the downtrodden human. The rest of the furious five just watched with curious eyes as she approached and stopped within arms length of him.

Aden looked up right as she paused in front of him, still unable to break the spell her eyes put him under.

"Tigress, I-" Aden tried to speak, but was interrupted with a raised paw from her.

She lowered the paw after a few moments, and after what felt like centuries to Aden, she spoke.

"I am hurt," She said. "It's painful to know you were truly ready to leave us behind. We trusted that you'd always be here for us."

Aden felt his eyes starting to well up again, but he remained strong with her so close to him and only sniffled.

"But... I believe I understand how you feel. A long time ago, I also made the mistake of not trusting a friend. And, I promised I wouldn't ever make that mistake again."

Aden's eyes perked up upon hearing this and attempted responding, but Tigress had other plans. Before the human could get a word out, she placed a paw behind his neck and fiercely pulled him in for a kiss. The world around Aden began dissolving as he kissed back with equal intensity. The faces of their onlookers changed from that of disbelief to pure bewilderment at the scene unfolding in front of them, but neither Tigress or Aden were able to notice. They had been transported to another world where only they existed. Their arms were wrapped around each other as they felt the sweet connection they both had so desperately longed for.

Nobody knew how much time had passed, but nobody was even remotely interested in intervening. However, Tigress and Aden eventually pulled away just enough to gaze deeply at one another, already missing the touch of each other's lips.

"I love you too, Aden," she said, embracing him in a suffocating hug. "And, by the way. Now, we're even."

The tears in Aden's eyes had returned, but no longer were they tears of sadness. A radiant smile had glued itself to his features.

Suddenly, they were ripped from their tender fantasy by a shaking and hearty laugh.

"Oh… My… Goodness!" Po screeched, his paws jiggling the couple. "When did you learn to do all that?! He was all like 'I'm gonna give you the smash!' Then, you were all like 'Not if I rock your mind first!'"

Po reenacted the battle with a few kicks and punches, while the rest of Jade Palace residents approached.

"And you finished him with a one liner?!" Po continued. "Too cool! I mean, it's no catch phrase like 'skadoosh', but I can help workshop it with you later."

"Thanks, Po," Aden chuckled. "I'm amazed you're willing to forgive me so quickly."

"Are you kidding?" Viper added, twirled around Crane's neck. "We have no idea what you've been through. We never doubted for a moment you'd come around."

"I did," Mantis said flatly, receiving a jab from Monkey.

"Well, I'm glad I figured it out in the end." Aden smiled.

The sounds of birds chirping filled everyone's ears, and a glimmer of yellow peeked it's head over the horizon.

"Oh, good, the sun," Mantis mocked. "I'm really glad I traded sleep last night for the beating of a lifetime."

The sound of Shifu's staff clicking against the stone made them all turn their head. Aden's cheeks turned a bright red remembering his arms still tightly wrapped around Tigress. Luckily for Tigress, she had fur to hide her own blush. They let go of each other and Aden addressed the red panda with a bow.

"Master Shifu."

"I'm impressed," He replied. "It's easy to make mistakes. But, It takes an immense amount of strength to make things right, and I had complete faith you would, Master Lyric."

Aden gleamed proudly at his Master and his newly earned title. "Thank you."

"And now, we begin your next lesson in Kung Fu."

"Huh?"

"Cleaning up your messes."

Before Aden could react, a broom bonked him on the head that seemingly popped into existence behind Shifu. Then, they all laughed. The kind of laughter that only a true family could understand.

Bam! New chapter right out of left field. Man this one was a doozy to write. Lots of time connecting dots and re-writing character dialogue. Very happy with how it turned out :)

*******TUNE IN NEXT WEEK WEDNESDAY (12/23) FOR THE OFFICIAL LAST CHAPTER OF PASSIONS DEFINED********

Love,

Spank Daddy