Ch.3: Chi Peace

Gabi - I am well and I hope you are too! I'm really excited for where I take it as well because I don't know either. xD I'm not very good at planning out large stories. I only have kind of a general outline for what I want to happen.

Anonymous - Thank you for your review. I had previously tried using angle brackets to show when the perspective changed 'cause I thought it looked cool, but I guess the site doesn't like it. Like they were literally just gone. So I've since added the long lines for the changes. I'll try and come up with a cooler design. There's one that is used in the fanfic called Instinctual and it looks like this: .o.O.o.O.o. or something like that and I want to do that with mine so that I have something that is unique to this story.

Tell me if I missed any spelling or grammar mistakes or if I completely brain-farted and forgot to add in details between things and there's just a big jump in the storyline. And also read and review...I guess.

He's not going to wake up. Maybe if I whacked him, Shifu thought. Pre-dawn arrived at the Jade Palace. Rays were just barely slipping over the horizon, delivering a brilliance to each petal on the tree that was residing above Po. The morning felt misty and cool, with a gentle breeze to make heroes and villains alike want to take a day off. A certain...panda was a part of that group of heroes. -Ronc- -Shshshsh- Shifu rolled his eyes at the panda's lack of quietude. Po's snoring could cause an earthquake if he tried hard enough. Or maybe...if he wasn't trying at all. "Panda," Shifu deadpanned. Po replied with a snore. Shifu let out a sigh and shook his staff. "Panda!"

"Ah! Oh! Master Shifu!" Po exclaimed, jumping onto his feet, "What is it? Croc bandits? Normal bandits? Whatever it is, I am ready!"

He was a little surprised at Po's ecstatic awakening. Nonetheless, Shifu still had a sly smile on his face. "None of those, Dragon Warrior. In fact, it is much worse..." Po's eyes widened to the size of dinner platters and his shoulders tensed up. The suspense was being built up as their gazes met. "You missed the gong." In an instant, all of the worries that had found Po were washed away. His shoulders dropped and his face adopted an expression of "really?" as Shifu chortled with laughter.

Po let out a long, drawn-out sigh, followed by a "Good morning, Master."

Shifu's laughter didn't want to leave him, and Shifu didn't want it to leave either. Po couldn't help but show a soft smile and giggle along with him.

After a short while of the two having lost it, they finally settled down to converse with one another as they made their way to the Student Barracks. "Po," Shifu began, "I wanted to apologize for what I said to you yesterday."

Po grinned. "Master, I've already forgiven you."

Master Shifu was a bit shocked. He wasn't expecting something so mature from the panda that was so not. His mouth stumbled for a moment. "Um... we have Chi training later today. And you're the new teacher as you know."

The panda let out a whiny groan. "But Master Shifu, I'm not good at teaching the Five."

"I know, Po. That's why I'm going to help you!"

Po paused for a moment. "Wait... so like… that first class… was just to see how I would do going in blind?" Shifu softly nodded with a smile. A memory harked back to when he first tried teaching. He talked with Shifu right after about failing miserably and a certain phrase from the red panda had stuck with him. If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are now. As if someone had just told him what it all meant, Po finally understood Shifu. "Oh!" he said in realization, "More than I can do is just what I can't do. I can't do it yet, but at least I tried to do it. So I'm more than I was before!" Po said, jumping up and down, waving his arms.

"Precisely, Dragon Warrior. And it seems that today you are more than you were last night."

Po halted his celebratory actions. "Wh...what do you mean?"

Shifu took his eyes off of the path that lay before them to redirect his focus to Po. He didn't exactly know what to say to him. Shifu had never seen something like that before. To combine the energy of yourself with the power in yourself was something brand new. He was certain that Master Oogway didn't know anything about something like that, let alone being the inventor of something like that. Was it perhaps just a fluke? No, no. There are no accidents. "Po," he began, "you do remember what happened this morning, correct?"

Po furrowed his eyebrows and thought for a moment. "Yeah… you hit me on the forehead with your staff to wake me up."

"No… well yes, but that's not what I'm talking about."

"Then what are you talking about?" Po inquired.

Shifu took a long deep breath and looked ahead of him. "You performed something...extraordinary, Po. You seemed to have combined the power of Chi with the inner peace movement, but it was somehow more than that. The form for peace is just a representation, a series of motions to display inner peace. But you somehow made that form your actual inner peace, linking your power and your energy." Po was a little shocked. "And in all my years, I have never seen anything like it."

"So… um… yeah I remember it now."

A distinct sigh left Shifu's countenance. "Of course you do, panda. Tell me, what was that?"

"Uhhh."

Master Shifu started to look mildly annoyed. "So you don't know either?" Po shook his head. "Then you need to give it a name. I'm almost positive that what you've done hasn't been recorded in all of Kung Fu history."

"Cool! Okay, then it needs to be, like, super awesome and totally bodacious!" he said, pumping his fist in the air epically.

Shifu smiled. "Then you may need a while to come up with it."

"Okay, yeah! But just so that we're on the same page when we're talking about it. Let's call it something like Chi Peace for now."

"Okay, then! Interim name: Chi Peace it is!"

The masters reached the rooms of the Furious Five where the warriors were waiting for their summoning call. Master Shifu gave the panda a look. I guess I still have to do this, Po thought. "Students!"

"Good morning, Masters!" they chanted in greeting. It was quite a sight to see them all appear at their doors from just a spoken word. Po looked down for a moment at the floor he often broke. Tigress was still not awake yet, and he had hoped that she would have woken up at the gong.

A voice from the red panda broke him from his daze. "Po? Are… you alright?"

A sharp inhale signaled that he was back to reality. "Sorry, Master. I'm alright," Po said with a bow. He missed Tigress greatly. -Ahem- Po looked down at the source of the sound which had an expectant look on his face.

"Oh, right. So guys! Today we will begin our Chi training stuff! And it's gonna be awesome! We're gonna… uhh… Shifu what are we doing?"

-Sigh- "The Dragon Warrior performed something quite awe-inspiring in the early hours this morning. I have never seen anything like it. Po invented it unintentionally. And at the moment, we're calling it Chi Peace, but the name will soon change when Po can name it something… awesome." The warriors were confused and exchanged looks amongst themselves but lowered their backs to bow anyway.

-groan- "What was… in that food?" Master Shifu asked rhetorically, looking visibly green. Oogway, who was a small distance away from Shifu, turned his head to Tigress, "Please, fetch a doctor."

Tigress leaned closer to Oogway, concerned, "He's in no condition to fight that boar."

"I can hear you!" Shifu said angrily.

The real Tigress knew exactly what was going on now. Speaking with Oogway had cleared a couple of things up, which was rare. It usually made situations more complicated. Nonetheless, the talk happened and the vision was happening and exactly how she remembered it… to the point that she could predict what would happen next. I'm about to walk over to Shifu and say "Master, it would be an honor to fight for you," to which he responds "No! You are not ready!"

Master Shifu ordered the goose servant that had previously been pouring them tea to fetch a scroll. He shakily wrote down four warriors. He closed the scroll and turned his head to Tigress. "Master," she started, "I won't disappoint you."

Shifu was a bit reluctant. He turned to Oogway who nodded in approval. -sigh- "Be back before dawn. Do not fail me."

Tigress moved her palms forward and received the scroll. "I will make you proud," she said smiling.

"Hm."

Tigress had left before the vision could keep up with her. She already knew this scenario, so there wasn't much point in staying for the entirety of it. At least, that was her train of thought. The vision's tiger warrior had found her way to the outside front of the palace arena where Tigress was waiting. The Thousand Steps were always quite ominous, especially to someone who isn't fully grown. From the gate, she peered over them to see the bottom and took a deep breath. Then as sudden as it could have possibly been, the tiger halted dead in her tracks. Listless on the ground while watching the scroll bounce way down to the village, a tiny voice, or rather a huge voice unfitting for its belonging body apologized.

"Pardon me! I'm here to see Shifu. I'm the uh...doctor," it said, plucking out acupuncture needles from her legs. Watching from afar, Tigress was a little embarrassed. Things as clumsy as that usually didn't happen to her, but teenagers are always a bit clumsier by nature. And it's hard to face off against Mantis anyway because of his size. She didn't enjoy the image of her motionless on the ground, but a faint smile broke through her facade. Mantis was always a terrible doctor. "Oh! Sorry!" he added, finally picking out the needle in her ankle. She gasped, "The list!" Both Tigresses made a b-line for the bottom of the stairs. The scroll was out of their view, but the vision would lead her to it. Now that she tried thinking about it, Tigress couldn't remember where it had fallen. Only that it was in a back alley or something like that.

Pigs, bunnies, sheep, all of which were working. Loud voices, conversations, trading, concerns, complaints, compliments, happening all at once. They found a way through the disorienting crowd to reach an alley that, because of the time of day, had direct sunlight. Every crook and cranny of the alley was exposed. So I was right. The Tigress in front of her waved her eyes in either direction. "There it is!" The vision shouted. The cleaner, the comedian, the dancer, and the doctor, are lying in that scroll. The tiger warrior in front of her picked it up and sighed in relief as she continued running. Tigress felt a little uneasy at that. "Why didn't I look around?"

She just shrugged and tried starting after her again, but a beam of light hit the corner of her eye. "Ah!" Her arm violently shifted to cover her eyes. "What is that?" She shielded her eyes but tried peering through her paw to see it. "Looks like something is up there." She looked at the short space off of the main alley with various crates of vegetables sprawled about and saw a path where she could jump up onto the shingled roof. But the beam of light that previously was in her eye disappeared. "It's gone?" Tigress lowered her paw. She didn't know what any of that just meant. It almost felt like it wasn't supposed to be there.

Tigress prepared herself and went for it anyway. Her agility was still with her through this vision. She celebrated with a smile and a few deep breaths as she reached the top, but one was deeper than the others. She had gasped. "It's the scroll," she stated, confused. The same green casing and engraving design. This was it. "But I thought Shifu had just written down something he didn't mean to." She hesitantly reached for the scroll and picked it up. Tigress grabbed the tab of the parchment that was sticking out of the case. Sure enough, the Hanzi spoke for themselves. This was the scroll that Shifu wrote. His calligraphy style was written there, plain as day. "Then… if this is the right scroll… who's scroll did I pick up that day?"

She swiveled her head around to try and grab her barings. "Where am I?" She rose from her crouched position next to the gutter to figure it out. Tigress could see shingled rooftops wherever she looked. She started to walk around the roof to see what was below her. Tigress was on a roof next to Mr. Ping's. Her mind drifted, but only for a moment on what this newfound revelation might entail. "...Po."

"I see that you have found it! Well… sort of."

Tigress cocked her head and looked around her. "Master Oogway? Where are you?" She looked around a bit more.

"Right behind you." Tigress moved her gaze in that direction. Although being told about his presence, seeing someone appear in a place that you just looked at is more than enough to make someone jump. Tigress was no exception.

He chuckled. "So… you finally know about the scroll."

"I do, Master," she said with a quick bow.

"Tell me."

Tigress paused for a moment. "I accidentally picked up another scroll that was probably written by Mr. Ping. Maybe he was hosting some kind of event for the valley. Master, is this why you brought me here? To tell me that I messed up and should've been more alert?"

Oogway paused and seemed to look right into Tigress' soul. But at the same time, he had a thoughtful expression on his face as if to find the right words. "Not at all, Tigress. Do you not see it yet?" She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head inquisitively. He sighed, but with his usual signature content tone. "Why don't we rewind a bit?" He moved his hand out in front of him, but nothing seemed to happen. There was nobody down below them in the restaurant. She looked up for a moment to think to herself.

"A different point of view might help as well," Oogway added. His staff was lifted and then set back in its place. They were now in Mr. Ping's kitchen, which was a mess. Noodles and various types of indistinguishable vegetables stuck to the walls and ceiling. "Oh! It is a mess in here," he chuckled, "We'll stop right there." Master Oogway has some interesting capabilities. The vision was moving correctly again, or at least she thought it was. Nothing was happening in the kitchen. "Just give it a moment, Tigress."

Just seconds after saying that, Mr. Ping opened the door yelling to someone upstairs. "Po! Did you hear? Some idiot Cook poisoned Shifu!" As he sat the crate of vegetables on the counter, Po came tumbling down the stairs with a thud on the floor, making Tigress giggle. She didn't know why but she felt more innocent and giggly when she was in her teenage body. And when she wasn't, Po made her feel like she was younger again. Well… he made her feel like they were both younger.

"Is he dead?" Po inquired after.

"Not yet, but he will be when they catch him."

"No, I meant Shifu!"

"Oh no, he's alive… barely," Mr. Ping responded. Po slapped his paws against his temples and gulped.

Master Oogway turned his gaze towards the warrior who was tuned in intensely to the dialogue. He smiled to himself and looked back to the scene in front of him.

"So, how did you do?" Mr. Ping asked, smiling.

Po wobbled back and forth. "Oh I've made a mess," he said, panicked. Mr. Ping looked around the room, "That you did. Oh, my son the chef," he announced, "I'm so proud."

"Yeah… about the whole chef thing, uh, maybe there's something else I'd be good at."

Tigress displayed a look of confusion. I thought he was always a good chef.

Mr. Ping grabbed a broom and handed it to Po. "Well," he began, "let's see how good you are… at cleaning up this mess!"

Po dropped the mop and ran to grab a scroll from off of the counter. "Good thinking, Dad! I could clean things. I'd be a great cleaner." Tigress smiled. He'd be a horrible cleaner. He can't even keep his room straight. He might be a good dishwasher, though he might break the plates.

Mr. Ping chortled, "You, a cleaner? I can't even get you to take a bath. You're funny! You should be a comedian."

"A comedian!" Po echoed.

Mr. Ping began to look unamused. "Or a dancer," he deadpanned.

"Got it. Dancer. I can do graceful," he said reassuringly. No, he cannot, Tigress thought.

"You, graceful?" Mr. Ping said giggling, "I feel sick."

"Then you need a doctor! I could be a doctor. Cleaner, dancer, comedian, doctor… great! What else?"

Mr. Ping mustered every ounce of fanciness he had. "An emperor," he said royally.

Po inhaled in excitement, "Can I?"

"No!" exclaimed the goose, as he took back the scroll and rolled it back up. "I was just kidding! Po, your destiny is to become a chef, like me."

Po began to defend himself, "But I can't be a chef! I'm the one that poison-ted out… that… I… can't be a chef."

All of a sudden, something clicked inside Tigress' head, and Master Oogway had noticed it. He began, "The cleaner, the dancer, the comedian, and even the doctor. I wonder what kind of mess we would be in if Mr. Ping allowed Po to write down the last one. The emperor himself, coming to the Jade Palace." He laughed to himself for a moment, but the moment was fleeting. Tigress was just about as dumbfounded as she would ever be. She had no thought or instinct. No opinion. She didn't know what to do or what to think about concerning the vision.

"Tigress, what you must understand is that your destiny was caused by someone else's. And likewise, his destiny by yours. Your two destinies are intertwined." Tigress' ear flicked at the last statement.

"They're… intertwined?" she asked, turning her head to see Oogway nodding.

"How about we skip ahead and I will show you one more thing. After all, you've already lived through most of this." He once again raised his staff and struck the ground.

They stood in the field, albeit out of the way. It was past sundown, the vision's warrior standing alone in the face of Boar. "This is where Po's destiny was conceived," Oogway spoke. The boar came crashing through the line of bamboo and trees which startled Tigress. Boar came walking towards Tigress for her to punch, but she only pushed herself backward. Boar threw punches her way with Tigress trying her best to defend herself, but it was in vain. She had been knocked unconscious. Boar picked her up and threw her away like she weighed nothing.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Crane swooped in to catch her. Monkey, Mantis, Crane, and Viper fought Boar on their own. "Master, I already know what happens. Why are you showing me this?"

Master Oogway looked down at her and then pointed to an elevated clearing that was behind them. "Do you see this small cliff?" he asked her.

"Yes, I do."

"Now watch it." As he said those words, Po became visible from a path that led to it. Tigress' eyes became the size of dinner plates. She was utterly dumbfounded. "Now, you are about to reveal your true self on this battlefield, and Po was there to watch. She turned around and saw herself striking Boar at every turn and once again turning to see Po's eyes locked in on the fight. He never looked away for a second. The five of them all charged at once and kicked the boar in one final, tusk-breaking blow. Tigress turned one more time to see Po completely blown away at what he just saw.

"Master I…"

"Don't understand?" Oogway finished for her and took a moment. "Po didn't know that Kung Fu even existed until this day, you didn't know about who you are, and the other four did not know what they were really capable of. This day, this moment, this vision, was all destiny. You must come to terms with what I told you on our first visit."

Speechless, Tigress bowed to Master Oogway. He slowly extended his arm to reach the tiger's forehead. "Remember, Tigress, you must find peace to find stability. All things that shall come to pass will then be understood." Like after the previous visit, she was returned to her cot in a tornado of peach petals. The morning sunlight that filled the room through the rice paper walls added brilliance to the harmony of wind the petals sang. Her scrolls were rolling across her floor from the breeze of the swarm. Then, without missing a beat, the petals collapsed leaving Tigress and a few petals behind to watch in amazement. "I have to find Po."

She left her room in a sprint. I must find peace. The real feeling of heat overwhelmed her. The returned force from the stone path underneath her feet felt surreal. Feeling things was something she was not always inclined to, but right now she was aware of the little things.

As Tigress found herself standing in front of the training hall, her lungs took a moment to fill with air. The doors opened at her command, but there was no Po to be found. "Where are they?" she muttered to herself. Then a voice spoke to her. It wasn't her own, it wasn't audible, and it wasn't someone she knew, but Tigress felt like it somehow was Oogway, or at the very least the universe, speaking to her. "The Dragon Grotto."

"Okay, Dragon Warrior. Explain to us this: why can't you do it?"

"Shifu, I don't know. It's not like I am trying to not do it."

The red panda moved his little feet back and forth impatiently while he shook his head in denial. "Why can't you do it?" he uttered. -Sigh- "I'm sorry, Po. And to you students. We'll have to come back to this on a different day. In the meantime…"

"Po!" a voice interrupted. The entire body of warriors turned their heads to the path that led there. "Tigress!" the panda's voice called back. Everyone stood still in shock, but Po raced towards her. He took her into a warm embrace that she wasn't expecting. Tigress stood there, caught off-guard. It wasn't often that she hugged someone, but it felt right. It felt good to her to have someone care about her. She accepted it, leaned her maw into his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around him. Only a few seconds had passed, but it felt like an eternity to the two of them. "I'm so glad you're okay," Po voiced over his quiet sobs as he stepped back.

Tigress displayed a soft smile to him before letting it fade after her reply, "I'm glad you are too." She looked down at the ground as if to find her words. Her face began to fill with what looked to Po like anguish but not quite. "What's going on?" he asked her. Po's jade irises met with the gaze of the tiger. Her eyes, the color of fire, captivated him. His eyes, reflecting wisdom she could never possess in her gaze, amazed her, dazed her to the point that she shook her head back down to take herself back to the real world. "Po," she started. A pause of a half-second felt like centuries to all of them. "We need to talk."