Author's Note: Alright. Things got a little... dark last time. Hopefully Po's antics will make the tone somewhat more light-hearted, then again Nuba's existence would say otherwise. Anyways, things are gonna start getting interesting from now.

One more thing, I keep forgetting to do this and I don't know why: I DO NOT OWN KUNG FU PANDA. (obviously, but you can't be too careful)

Enjoy.

Strange Times, Stranger Developments

Boom!

A thunderous explosion echoes around the Wu Dang mountains. A golden flash penetrates through the thick foggy air as rocky projectiles speed through and land haphazardly on the sacred grounds, narrowly missing the meadow outside the cavern. This is followed by silence. Then…

"You've gotta be kidding me!" This loud complaint bellows from the dragon warrior, his jade eyes painted in irritation. Po shakes his head, looking at the scorch mark of where the boulder used to be. He puts his paws on his hips as he puffs out a sigh of annoyance. Noticing another boulder to his right, Po darts his head over to it. He barks in an exasperated tone, "What?"

Silence.

"It's not my fault you keep blowing up when I don't want you to. You're, like, meant to do something so much cooler but no! You just have to explode all the time. I mean its cool, but not as cool as what I want you to do."

Silence.

Po pouts like a child, the boulder annoying him more. "Stop mocking me."

Silence.

He huffs and mutters, "Stupid rock."

"Po, should I be concerned that you are talking to an inanimate object?"

The gruff voice of the grandmaster rings out from behind him, causing the panda to jump in surprise. Po spins over to Shifu, his jade eyes darting between the boulder and Shifu. He lowers his paws in front of him and replies with a drawn-out, "No?" The red panda shakes his head at Po's antics once more. Ignoring this, the dragon warrior asks, "How long have you been standing there?"

The grandmaster replies in a genuinely curious tone, "Long enough to wonder why you don't like your attack. Being able to obliterate a rock with the use of chi is quite impressive after all."

Po opens his mouth to respond but then closes it. He does this multiple times as his jade eyes adopt a look of uncertainty, "Well… Uh… How do I explain this?" The panda finally mumbles, scratching the back of his neck, "It's not that the exploding thing is bad… It's just that I want it to do something more… Cool looking than that."

Steely blue orbs gaze at the babbling panda in a sense of understanding, "So you want your move to be more flashy? Po, an attack doesn't have to look good to be effective."

Po exaggeratedly rolls his eyes and sighs heavily, "I know, I know. But I don't want my attack to change. I just want it to look cool and… different from others. Like, I wanna be able to punch something and make it…" He waves his paws around as if trying to grasp in thin air and purses his lips in a struggle to find the right word. Jade orbs brighten as Po's search for the right word reaches it's close, "Fizzle." He loudly whispers in a sense of wonder, extending his arms forward to mystify the concept of his attack.

Shifu's eyebrow furrows as his blue eyes take a questioning glance at the seemingly insane panda, "Fizzle?" He blurts out in an unconvinced manner.

Nodding his head, Po adopts a wide smile, "Yeah, yeah! Like when I hit the rock and it cracks and the cracks grow yellow and stuff, I want it to like… fizzle off in like tiny pieces of chi and float away." During this explanation, the panda mimics the motions with his paws, flailing them around and wiggling his fingers.

With a confused look plastered on his face, the red panda simply replies, "Well… Good luck with that." Po looks at him with a goofy grin, completely oblivious to his master's awkward tone. Wiping the confusion from his brow, the grandmaster's tone lowers, "That isn't what I've come to talk to you about." He sighs, "What are you planning to do with the five?"

Knowing this question was coming, the smile from Po's face evaporates and is swiftly replaced with a dull frown. He lightly shrugs, "Continue trying to help them gain inner peace, I guess." His voice reeks of uncertainty as he makes his way towards the sacred pool of tears, with Shifu following close behind.

"Are you sure that would be wise? You've seen how poorly Crane and Viper have been fighting and Monkey has barely even smirked since he had gotten that letter three days ago." The grandmaster implores, hoping that Po would possibly re-consider his training regimen.

"Well, when will the mourning stop? If anything, they need to find peace now more than ever and I'm going to help them." A determined answer flows from a resolute mind, however the panda's words are coated with the uncertainty from earlier.

Shifu notices this and tries to test his resolve, "How? How are you going to help them, Po? They've just lost the people they love the most. You can't just make pain like that go away!" He yells in a challenging voice.

"I don't know!" Po helplessly admits, "I… Don't know…" A pregnant silence fills the air as the pair reach the sacred pool of tears. Jade orbs gaze upon the dragon guardian, taking in its unchanging, fiery stare. As the wind flows through the meadow, Po sighs with his eyes closed. "I don't know." He mutters in admittance, all uncertainty banished from his voice. He opens his eyes, now burning with determination. The dragon warrior declares, "But I will do whatever I can to help them. No matter what it takes."

Seeing that look in Po's eyes confirms to Shifu exactly why he is Oogway's successor. The panda had passed his test. Po's reward? A proud smile from the grandmaster, "That's what I like to hear." After receiving Shifu's gravelly congratulations, a confident smile graces Po's face. The red panda's blue orbs catch something close to the dragon statue near the pool. A tiger lily. Curious, Shifu patiently makes his way towards it.

Po follows his master, unknowing of the subject of Shifu's attention. "So… We haven't found anyone from Xiwang Valley. Any ideas on what we're gonna do?" Concern laces the panda's voice as Shifu's ear twitches in slight annoyance. Throughout the past few days each member of the five had been asked to search the village for the missing people of Xiwang valley. Each time they came back with nothing. To put it bluntly, it was confusing. It was as if these people had simply vanished off the face of the earth.

"Even if we were there, we wouldn't be able to do anything about it. No leads, no evidence, and no possible locations the missing people could be at. Nothing." An exhausted explanation escapes Shifu's mouth, his mind tired from even thinking about that situation. Clearly dissatisfied from the grandmaster's answer, Po frowns slightly. A completely expected reaction due to Po's overwhelmingly caring nature. There is only one drawback to his unending kindness, whenever it was missing or replaced with sadness it felt like the world had been swallowed up whole by darkness. Even Shifu couldn't deny that the panda's sadness was just as infectious as his happiness. It never even mattered whether he was just frowning or bawling in despair, everyone within the palace wanted the cheerful panda to remain as happy as possible. As the grandmaster sees his student's saddened demeanour, his blue eyes look towards the tiger lily. Now, what makes a person happier than speaking about someone they love? A cheeky thought passes through Shifu's head, regardless of that being his intention of approaching the flower in the first place. "You planted this yourself, correct?"

Confused at his master's inquiry, Po moves over to him and looks at the lily in question. "Oh yeah. I planted it there to help out with inner peace stuff. It's my favourite one." He happily replies with a dopey smile on his face.

A knowing look bathes the red panda's eyes, "You're favourite. I can't imagine why." His mischievous manner infects his voice, the red panda clearly enjoying every second of his student's naivety.

Befuddled, Po raises his eyebrows until a sense of understanding pops into his jade eyes. A child-like pout plasters his face once more, "Am I really that obvious?" He implores, throwing his arms up into the air in annoyance.

Shifu chuckles at Po's expense, "Subtlety isn't exactly you're strong point, Po."

At this explanation, Po sulks his head down and sighs. "Well… This is a bit awkward, huh?" The panda asks with an embarrassed smile attached to his face.

Blinking in confusion, the grandmaster simply replies with another question, "What do you mean?"

As the dragon warrior heats up from embarrassment, he stutters out, "Uh… Well… Um… The thing is… You're, Y'know… her father… And I'm talking about… Your daughter… And… It must feel pretty… Weird… Having someone think… That your daughter is hot." Po slaps his paws over his mouth, terrified of his master's possible reaction to his poorly thought out compliment. Sweat soaks the poor panda as Shifu's eyes stare at him, no emotion discernible in his eyes.

Then… Seemingly out of nowhere… Shifu laughs. Wheezes fly out of the old master as he holds his chest in his deep mirth. He holds his paw up as his laughing dies down. Looking up at the panda, he could see his jade eyes widened in a dumbfound expression. As the grandmaster clears his throat to stabilise himself, he speaks in a calm and understanding tone, "So, from what I understand, you think that I would not be okay with you and my daughter being together?" His eyes still frozen in bewilderment; Po slowly nods. Tigress' father shakes his head slightly, "Po. I have no right to decide Tigress' life for her. Who she loves is out of my control and frankly, it's something I don't want to control. I only want her to be happy. As do you. Even if I were that involved… I don't think there would be anyone better for her." A gentle timbre takes hold of his gravelly voice, his heart laid bare for the world to see, "You, albeit a bit naïve and sometimes… insufferable," Po's face shifts to a deadpan expression as he takes his paws off his mouth. "Are a very kind and loving young man. Tigress… Has been missing that love for a long time. I know that you will care for her. I know that you will make her happy. How could I not want that for her? Make no mistake, Po. I have no reservations about you two being together. None at all."

A gigantic smile covers the lovestruck panda's face as he bows to his master in gratitude, "Thank you, Master Shifu." He quietly thanks Shifu in complete earnest.

"But Po." He looks up to see Tigress' father now adopt a serious glint in his eyes. "Do anything to hurt her… And you will be sorry." His grizzly voice makes the shadows of the cavern quiver in fear, as his deathly glare pierces into the panda's jade eyes.

Po stares back in understanding, his eyes unflinching. "I know. You don't have to worry." He replies with a small smile on his face.

Shifu smirks back, "Just making sure." Blue eyes relax, comforted by Po's seriousness in Tigress' wellbeing. At this thought he snickers, "Funny how I have to rely on you to provide my daughter her happiness." His smile fades into a frown, blue eyes drowning in regret.

Noticing this immediately, Po tries to comfort the elderly master, "C'mon. That's not true. Tigress is happy when she is with you. I mean you're her father for Pete's sake."

"But she is not as happy as when she is with you." Shifu deflects in a deflated voice, "Besides, she has grown up. My time for being her father has passed." He walks through the meadow and sits down inside, seemingly giving up on all the progress he had tried to make with her the past few months.

Po walks up to his master and sits down beside him wordlessly. He is at a loss at seeing his master in such a hopeless state. His mind simply couldn't think of anything until one saying plays in his mind. One that had changed everything. "The past is history." Blue eyes wake up in recognition of those words, "Tomorrow is a mystery." Shifu looks to Po in a shocked display, "But today is a gift. That is why it's called the present." Oogway's successor finishes with a big smile plastered on his face.

A thankful smile lights up Shifu's face, his resolve to act as the father Tigress deserves revived by Oogway's saying. Taking a page out of Po's book, he quietly jokes, "You are taking the 'Oogway's successor' title a little too literally." This causes the two to burst into uproarious laughter, both masters thankful for being able to forget about their continuous amount of problems for a moment.

Po's smile drops as he remembers a certain promise from that certain turtle. "Speaking of Oogway…" He trails off, once again adopting an embarrassed countenance. "Well, I kinda met him the day before Monkey got that scroll and he told me to tell you he said hi." The forgetful panda chuckled nervously, knowing how much it means to Shifu to hear from his old master again.

The grandmaster's expression of mirth disappears, a deadpan expression left in its place. "And you only decided to tell me this now?" Shifu inquires in a monotone voice.

Creasing at his master's tell-tale sign of being annoyed, the dragon warrior simply replies, "I… Kinda… Forgot." A nervous smile invades his face once more, hoping that he hasn't riled up his master too much.

With a twitching ear and eye, the grandmaster takes a deep breath. It's fine, everybody makes mistakes… It's just a bit annoying when Po makes so many. At that thought, he exhales. Then a sense of curiosity pops into his head. "So, what did you two talk about?" He inquires in earnest.

Releasing a breath in relief, Po's interest piqued alongside Shifu's. 70 years ago… Wait a minute. Surely those two were in the same place at the same time, right? To get his answer, he recalls, "Well, he did mention an old student of his. A white tiger girl named Jingxi. D'you know anything about her?" Blue eyes widen in surprise as Shifu doesn't respond. Po, as the impatient panda he is, simply couldn't help but prod his master a little, "Master?... Master?... Mast-

"Yes, I know about her, Po." A swift reply is blurted out by the annoyed red panda, "I'm just… trying to understand why he would talk about her."

"Oh, he was using it for some sort of wise, whimsical lesson… Thing." Brushing aside the details of the story, the dragon warrior's geeky side begins to kick in as the questions stored in his head spill out, "Anyways, did you ever see her? Did you see her fighting? Oooh! Did you ever spar with her? *Gasp* Did Tai-Lung ever spar wi-

"Po!" An extremely irritated expression covers Shifu's face, silencing Po immediately. After calming himself with some deep breaths, he explains, "I was still being trained by Oogway, when he brought Jingxi to the Jade Palace. However, I was too focused on my training to notice her. I ignored the sheer amount of power she had gained; I had ignored her struggles with love simply because they were none of my concern. We talked a few times. It was mostly awkward hellos and goodbyes. Oddly enough I think Oogway had made it imperative to keep us apart. Maybe it was because of my traditional nature… I'm not sure, Oogway never confirmed." He looks to Po briefly, seeing Jade eyes glued onto him in deep intrigue. "I had adopted Tai-Lung shortly after she left. Those first few years of Tai-Lung's training… I don't think I have ever seen Oogway look so… Devastated. By that point he had considered her a daughter... A daughter who betrayed him and ran away. Of course, like the kind man he was, he blamed himself. Every time he smiled at Tai-Lung back then there was a degree of sadness hidden in it. He missed her… Deeply. I guess I understood how he felt 20 years later." Shifu chuckles lightly at the irony. No one was perfect, not even his great master.

With Jade eyes covered in pity over the turtle master's torment, Po quickly realises, "Wait. That means you knew about her all this time?" Shifu nods. "…Why didn't you say anything?" He asks in a befuddled voice.

A look of deadly seriousness enters Shifu's eyes, "It wasn't my place to tell." Though the answer is simple, his voice is so sharp it could cut through stone.

Swiftly putting his paws to calm down his agitated mentor, Po quickly blurts out, "Okay, okay. I get it. Sorry… It just would've been nice to know earlier is all." They are left in an awkward silence until a certain noise hits Shifu's ear. A noise he had become all too familiar with.

The sound of haggard and nervous wings flapping in the air.

"Master Shifu! *Pant* Master Shifu! *Pant*" An exhausted Zeng clumsily lands directly in front of the two warriors, his heavy panting soon turns into wheezing.

"Breath, Zeng. Just breath." Shifu calmly advises the nervous messenger. After several breaths, the goose calms down only slightly, "Now, what is it you came to tell me?"

His nervous demeanour returning, Zeng passes the grandmaster a scroll, "It's from Xiwang Valley, sir. It's urgent." He walks off to a distant rock and rests from his journey.

Steely blue eyes sink in dread of what the scroll could contain, "Thank you, Zeng." An emotionless voice seeps out of the grandmaster. He opens the scroll. For a brief second his heart stops. No. Before he is able to fully confirm it to himself, the sound of Po's feet tapping the floor reminds him of the panda's anxiousness. "They found one of the missing villagers…"

Relaxing slightly, the dragon warrior sighs "Phew, that's a relief."

"He is dead."

Jade eyes bulge out of their sockets in horror. "Oh." He mutters out, unable to find anything else to say. After a brief silence, a curious thought zips through the panda's head. "Y'know… It's kinda strange…" Shifu furrows his brow at Po, beckoning him to go on, "I mean, think about it. Crane's mom died the same day Viper found out about her parents dying. Monkey's brother died the day after Crane found out, and now there is this? This can't be a coincidence, master."

Even though Shifu understands Po's reasoning for his speculation, there was one thing that didn't add up. "Maybe so, but there is no evidence of foul play with Crane and Viper's parents. Not to mention Wu-Kong's culprit was already found. As for Xiwang… I have no idea what could be going on there, but I doubt it would link to everything else. It just doesn't make sense."

Sighing, the dragon warrior begrudgingly accepts his master's doubts. "C'mon, we gotta tell the five." He informs his master in a grave voice, an ominous feeling welling up inside him. Something just doesn't feel right. As the two warriors leave Po quickly mutters over to the resting messenger, "See ya, Zeng." Resulting in a wave back from the tired goose.

Within the barracks lay the unsuspecting five, all of them with thoughts of concern and heartache swimming around their minds. Even the tiger master meditating before the gong had her share of concerns and distress, though she is only vocal in these struggles when she is with Po. Unbeknownst to the rest of her friends, the death of their families had her worried. Extremely worried. She knew of the pain that came from being abandoned, but not from having someone who was close to you die. Though she had come close multiple times. Po… She shakes her head from that thought. Despite her care for the panda, she realises that she needs to focus on helping her friends. Her brothers and sister-in-arms. They needed help and she would stop at nothing to get them back to who they were before. She stands up off her bed and waits by her door, ready for another day of training. 3…2…1.

Gwong!

"Good morning, master!" Five statuesque warriors bolt out of their doors, some looking more tired than others. However, something is different within the air. They look towards their master at the end of the hall and see the unexpected sight of Jade eyes soaked in a grave sense of distress.

"Something urgent has come up."

Po's getting a little suspicious... Wonder if he'll figure it out... We'll see.