Chapter 23

It usually took a lot to catch Shifu off guard.

The amount of times the old Master found himself at a lost for words barely managed to get past all the fingers on both his paws. He was often surprised, he ever won't deny that, but to feel such a state of shock that left him scrambling his brain to find and rearrange the right words into a proper sentence, or left his knees knocking... that was rare.

Now was one of those times, but he kept quiet.

"Is it the children? Are they okay?"

Tigress had summoned Mr. Ping and Li Shan to meet them as soon as possible. Soon enough, they had come stumbling through the door, panting and fit for a frenzy. They had to be told what was going on, and it would've been cruel to both parties to keep this hidden. As much joy this would bring the goose and panda, the news was almost too much to bare, and Shifu couldn't help but wonder how in the world she could still remain standing. Knowing she had to tell her in-laws the information they just discovered... maybe it was the talking that kept her going- there was no other explanation. Something was distracting her body from crumbling beneath the weight of such a heavy burden.

He was watching her now throughout the entire conversation; the bags under her eyes had become all the more noticeable, and, if he dared to say, it frightened him that she seemed to have aged. She had always looked youthful, something many females grew green with envy for. But this time she suddenly grew older, and it almost frightened him. Was she being neglectful? He could've scolded her for not getting rest when and where possible, but he couldn't just tell her to switch off her brain, to forget the events of the past few weeks. To just drop everything and walk away...

He knew the kids were trying to get her to rest, but she was too much going on already.

When the old Master was brave enough to look away from her, he caught Mr. Ping's paled expression as his wings cradled the sides of his face. "Is... this true?" He whispered, eyes glancing in his direction for clarification. "Could our son still be alive?"

Tigress took a breath, like she needed a moment to collect her words. "I don't know. This letter was sent a week or so back, but I didn't receive it until today."

"How long have you known?"

"Not long before I called you both up here." She was looking at Li Shan, who hadn't breathed a word the whole time. He was staring at her, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, eyes following suite. Her ears pinned against her head; she didn't like the silence he wasn't filling. Shouldn't he say something? Anything at all? She didn't care if he started shouting at her, cussing her out for not calling them sooner, or racing down to get them herself...

Suddenly Tigress found herself in Li's arms, he held her so tightly the air was almost taken out of her lungs. Before she, or anyone else could say anything, she could feel Li shaking. "Is he okay..." he whispered tearfully.

Tigress shut her eyes as he finally pulled away from her, almost angry at herself for not knowing. "Shang hasn't sent anything else about their progress." No news is good news I suppose, they were all thinking simultaneously. "But this letter was hidden from me."

Mr. Ping's head bobbed up and down quickly, his head nearly spinning, before he stopped. "Wait, hidden? From who-"

"Tigress?" They all turned to the door as Tigress got to her feet and moved to the door. Sliding it open to reveal Sapphire, Shifu straightened up and ushered her in quickly. She was clearly confused, but didn't question it. As soon as her full body was in the room, Tigress poked her head out to scout the hall, before retreating back into the room. "My mom said you were looking for me. I need to-" She noticed the others in the room, all showing a different expression, which wasn't adding up. "What's going on?" Sapphire finally asked, kneeling down beside Mr. Ping.

Li Shan looked shocked. "She doesn't know?"

"No, and neither do the children; anything that's spoken in the room, stays in this room." Shifu said firmly.

Sapphire only became more confused, so she looked at Tigress for the answer. The stripy cat knelt down by her and placed a large paw on the girls shoulder. "My brother sent me a letter..." There was a pause, but before Sapphire could register, she leaned in before adding softly. "He found them alive."

...

"What..." Sapphire was about to ask if she was joking; but she would never joke about this. Ever. Who in the right mind would? "They can't be... we saw them go down with-"

"I know, but look." She handed her the letter, and with Li and Ping both close by, they also got to read the contents of the scroll.

Sapphire felt this weight falling off of her shoulders; it just came off so abruptly, she nearly fell forward. She turned to Shifu for confirmation, and he nodded at her sincerely. "My father's alive..." Her eyes welled up with tears. Li Shan place a paw on her shoulder, while Mr. Ping rubbed her back.

"At least for now." Everyone turned to Shifu's direction. "Shang hasn't written anything else, which leaves us all unaware of their state since this was written. The letter was hidden from us." Sapphire was wiping away tears, but listened to every word.

"Who hid it from us?" She couldn't think of anyone hiding something so important. As soon as the words left her lips, Tigress seemed hesitant, but Shifu stepped in.

"My dear... I'm not sure how to put this..." Sapphire could feel that tightness in her chest. "We have reason to believe it was Luna." He braced himself- he was waiting for her to scream hoarse that them, ready to defend Luna with everything in her... but he was shocked to see her this calm.

A little shaky, but calm. "You really think so?"

"Yes."

She nodded softly. "Okay... I believe you." That's it? No arguing, or defending on her behalf?

"Are you alright dear?" Mr. Ping said while Tigress pulled away to observe. "You've gotten quiet."

"I... actually came up here to talk to Tigress and Shifu about her... she's been acting strange." Sapphire's eyes met Shifu's. "Don't you agree?"

Shifu thought about it; he heard about what happened in the dorms, and pulled a face that confirmed he was on the fence. "We can't deny the situation she's in right now. Has she ever mentioned wanting to see your father after he got out of jail?"

Sapphire nodded. "She told me she still cared about him... loved him, even."

Tigress backed her up by mentioning that Luna had said the exact same to her previously. "Ahh," Shifu replied stiffly. "But after finding the letter written for your adopted mother... she's going to be hurt." Of course it would be awkward too.

Mr. Ping and Li were out of the loop, but knew it wasn't their business, so they kept quiet.

Sapphire shook her head. "That's not it. There's more to all of this; I've noticed she's been acting very hostile toward Nuwa, like everything is her fault. She's made snide comments and thinks I or Jun haven't noticed. As for the letter written by my father? Only you, me, Tigress, Lok, Jun, Luna and Nuwa are," she forgot that Ping and Li were present. "Well- were the only ones aware of the letter, right?" Nothing was said to the five or the kids, at least to the extent of his knowledge. Tigress confirmed she said nothing, as did he. "If that's the case... then how does the Valley suddenly know? They're heckling us for information, to confirm or deny whether they were ever in a relationship. I know neither of you would say anything..." They couldn't agree more. "Mr. Ping and Li had no idea about it til now... or when it was leaked to the Valley?" She glanced at them briefly.

"I heard there was a letter written..." Mr. Ping raised a wing voluntarily.

Li's free wrist flickered a few inches into the air. "I heard about the contents. Nothing taboo, but it was clearly something personal. But I heard it from a villager, who heard from another, who heard from another... I couldn't tell you where it came from."

Sapphire ran the palm of her right paw over her face. "I don't trust her enough to think she wouldn't leak that information... so I can't deny the possibility she's part of this too." Sapphire shook her head in annoyance. "I told her not to open it."

Tigress narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Luna told me you opened the letter addressed to Nuwa."

The girl's eyes were suddenly as large a dinner plates, before shaking her head so viciously her upper body moved, which wiggled Li's paw from her shoulder. "That's a lie! I found the letter, but never said to open it! She took it out of the box and read it herself." Shifu listened closely. "But none of this explains why she concealed the letter... why would she not want us to know about it?"

No one was sure what to do, before Tigress got their attention. "Sapphire has a point. As of now, no one outside this room, can know what's going on."

"What should we do?" Li inquired, while the others present mumbled in agreement.

Tigress exhaled sharply. "It's going to sound horrible..." she got up and rose to the dresser behind Shifu, and picked up a brush, and started writing. "We're going to assume they are dead." Ping and Li were a little shocked, but Shifu caught on where she was going. "We don't know for certain ourselves, but until we know for certain... just play along, okay?"

He turned back to watch Tigress, still turned away from them, focusing on the contents. "She knows what she's doing."

Luna had searched high and low for that damned scroll, and she couldn't find it anywhere. Almost ready to tear her fur out, she wandered down the hall of the barracks, before noticing a little furry body sitting at the table in the kitchen.

Chang.

The young primate looked up from the table, munching on a cookie. Tigro, Lotus and AJ were nowhere to be found, and neither was Master Monkey. "Can I help you?" He asked, looking a little too innocent.

Luna narrowed her eyes at him. "Where is it?" Chang tilted his head to the side. "You know what I'm talking about. The scroll."

"Oh... the one that had Tigress' name written on it, and not yours?" She bit her tongue. "I don't know why you're so annoyed..." He swung his legs over to one side, and casually hopped down onto the floor softly, thanks to his mass. "I just did your job for you. No need to thank me Ms Lao." He strolled past her freely, smiling up at her as he stood outside the room. "I don't see the problem..."

"You little-" Luna felt her paws harden into fists; she didn't have time for this. But before she could do, or say anything else, Monkey turned down the hallway, noticing them straight away. Luna froze briefly, but she composed herself, and smiled gently. "Master Monkey. What can I do for you?" Chang pulled a face.

Monkey was a little confused by his son's actions, but pushed it aside for now. He straightened up, his arms behind his back. "Tigress has asked us to meet at the Hall of Warriors." He looked at Chang apologetically. "You, Tigro, Lotus, and AJ start your afternoon warmups, we'll start class shortly."

Chang bowed, "yes Mono."

Luna wasn't the last animal to enter the Hall; Viper and Mantis caught up with her, where they met the others. They all stood in their own little clusters; the Master's branched out into their own circle, while Jun and Lok stood together. Mei Mei was there too, but she was fine standing with Viper. Some of the palace staff were there, but were only cleaning. There was couple of the palace messengers, including Zeng.

Luna didn't really belong standing with the Masters, so she edged herself over to Jun. "Have you seen Sapphire?" She asked.

Jun nodded. "Sapph had to speak to Tigress about something earlier, but we haven't seen her since. I'd say she's still with her." Luna thanked him, before scoping out the room, waiting for Tigress to arrive. Master Shifu was absent as well, and Nuwa by the looks of it...

"Where's your mother?"

Jun shrugged. "She hasn't really been out. The villagers..." Luna gave a soft 'ahh' in realization, only to look away. She didn't feel any hate towards Jun; he seemed like a lovely young man. So did Lok, and if she was going to be in Sapphire's life, Luna guessed she needed to get along with them at least, but she had no time for Nuwa whatsoever; good thing she wasn't here...

Everyone's heads turned as they watched Shifu enter the hall. Alone.

"I thought Tigress summoned us." Luna whispered to Monkey quietly. She forgot how sharp Shifu's hearing was.

"She did." He spoke for the primate."She's talking to Sapphire and Po's parents right now..."

This made everyone in the room a little uneasy. "Did something happen?" Crane asked, his stomach a little queasy, now thinking about it... which only became worse when Shifu nodded.

"Po and Tai Lung have been located."

There was a poisonous silence that engulfed the room. "Where?" Luna was almost whispering.

"Jasmine's hometown." She wasn't sure who that was, but everyone else seemed to, because they hung their heads, lost for words. "Shang said they washed up along the river that flows past the village. They were unconscious, with a heartbeat."

... Wait.

Everyone rose their heads, turning to one another, a little hopeful. "A heartbeat?"

Shifu confirmed with a hum. "They were both alive when they were found. He tried everything he could... but they died within hours of each other."

It almost felt... rotten, of them mourning for two people who may not have been dead at that point. Did this mean there was another funeral? What preparations had to be made? What could they do to lighten the burden?

Luna turned to see everyone hiding their faces, or comforting one another. The were apologizing to the Master's for their losses, while Jun knelt down by Master Viper, whom was openly crying at this point. "They always said they would never leave the other behind..." That got a chuckle out of everyone, even if it was short-lived. "How... how did she take the news?"

The older panda's eyes almost darkened at the question. "If I'm being honest, I'm worried about her."

No one liked hearing that, but before they, or Shifu could say anything, they all turned to see Tigress materialize from the same door Shifu did. She wasn't on her own; Li, Mr. Ping, Sapphire... and Nuwa, were not far behind her. Luna could feel her fur prickling at the sight of that woman beside HER daughter, comforting her when Luna had should've been in her place.

But she kept quiet, and tried to calm her nerves before anyone could sense the seemingly one-sided tension. Instead, she focused on each of their expressions; Sapphire was standing by Tigress, paled and sick looking. The tips of her fingers were barely brushing against her throat, looking at Nuwa who had her paw on the girl's back, to keep her upright.

Mr. Ping and Li were deathly quiet, but tears were streaming down the older goose's cheeks. Shifu's ears were flat against his head, leaning onto his walking stick for support. And Tigress? Well, she just stood there... defeated.

"Tigress..." Monkey was the first to talk, but the stripped feline just shook her head.

"Don't. Please, don't." The words hung on the primate's tongue, but he obeyed. No one was sure what to say... until they also noticed the two scrolls in Tigress' paws. There was mumbling woven within every sound and question that came from them. No one dared to speak, their hearts scarcely still.

Luna held her breath, running her thumbs along the inside of her paws to wipe away any sweat.

When she was ready to talk again, Tigress straightened her back, and looked at them all. "I think there was this... false hope, that they would somehow be alive. Or one of them would be, at least." That would explain the heavy ache in their chests. "Shang said fishermen pulled them from the river, and we know he would've done everything he could, and..." she paused ti look down at the scrolls in her paws... almost hatefully "They'll be home in the next few days..."

The last of her sentence was a little shaky, so everyone was little concerned. Mei Mei studied the feline a little longer. "We need to think about you and your familyright now sweetie." She began. The feline did look at her, before averting her gaze to scan the room. "What can we do for you?"

There was more chatter; everyone was expressing their allegiance; looking after the kids, helping Ping and Li in the noodle shop, assuring her they weren't going anywhere, but Tigress dismissed their noise with a paw. "I ask for one thing. But for the time being, I don't want anything said to the children. I will tell them when I'm ready." She eyed Monkey briefly, before adding. "That includes Chang."

Monkey nodded firmly. "You have my word."

Tigress turned to everyone else, "the valley is not to be told anything either..." her eyes narrowed, "and that goes for all of you."

...

What on earth does that mean?

The Masters, Luna, Jun, and Lok all turned to face one another, all equally muddled as the next, before realizing she was stalking the Palace staff; they were all standing still as statues, eyes wide.

"It has come to my attention that someone in this room is running their mouth."

Crane's brows crinkled together. "Meaning...?"

Sapphire felt pressure on her shoulder, and found Nuwa's paw giving it a anxious squeeze. In an attempt to comfort her, the paw that was brushing the back of her neck pulled away, and found Nuwa's free paw.

"It seems that a letter written for Nuwa, which was personally, and privately addressed to her by Tai Lung, was read without her consent." Luna was looking down at the floor until she heard Tigress talking, and soon discovered Sapphire watching her. "Not only that, but someone in this room, had then shared this letter to the villagers in the Valley. Nuwa has been heckled for information, as have Jun and Sapphire. When I find out who did this, you're going to wish you haven't." No was was really sure who she was speaking to at this point; the palace staff remained quiet. Whether it was out of respect or fear, none of them could really tell, but they knew Tigress' point was made. "So if my children happen to hear from someone that their father has been found, and its not from me? I will find out who, is that clear?"

Luna almost pulled a face, before noticing everyone else looking a little frightened, even Master Shifu was a little uncertain.

"We would never do that to you, Tigress." Mantis said, who then stared the bug down.

"Then why would I waste my breath?" When the bug was about to shrug, Tigress raised one of the scrolls in the air. "Does anyone recognize this?"

There was a wave of no's passing around the room, but Luna felt her heart drop. That little squirt had that damn scroll this whole time.

When no one answered her, she ripped it open, angrily reading out the contents. Each word brought horror to the occupants of the Hall of Heroes, while those already aware relived the pain. Ping couldn't take it anymore, so he and Li went outside for some air, while Sapphire remained rooted on the spot, even though Nuwa tried to haul her away. Once she finished, her paws squeezed both scrolls dangerously tight. "This was sent to me some time ago... so why did I only receive it this morning?"

"Bad network?" Jun muttered, to which Lok elbowed him sharply in the ribs, temporarily winding him. Luckily no one else heard him.

"Sapphire found it in the bushes outside the arena, where seemed to have been for some time." Tigress continued.

Okay. Guess the kid didn't have it after all... Luna lamely assured herself. Dammit. How did I not notice it gone before?

"Someone with-held it from me." Everyone gasped... but Tigress was laughing at their reaction? "Cut the act. All of you! One of you didn't want me, or anyone knowing they were still alive." Throwing it to the ground, it unraveled slowly before Luna's feet. "I expect you to take this as a warning... I will find out which one of you was behind this."

Luna nervously bit her lip, trying to remain calm, before Monkey burst in front of her, scooping the scroll up in his hands. "I won't take a threat lightly." He tossed the scroll to the other side of the room. "How dare you pin this on us."

Luna was shocked by his actions, but soon, the others jumped in on it, clearly upset.

"We would never do such a thing!"

"We swore our loyalty to you!" Viper was nearly crying again.

"How could you accuse us of such a heartless deed!?" Mei Mei was close to screaming, her body language only becoming more and more hysterical. So much so, she had to leave the room.

Voice rose higher, but this time, instead of speaking back to them, or even attempting to apologize... Tigress just stood there, staring ahead. Shifu tried to calm everyone down, while Luna motioned Sapphire towards her, to which she did so obediently, even though it meant Nuwa followed her. Through what felt like slow motion, Tigress didn't say another word. Luna just watched her turn around, and walk away.

Looking back at Shifu, he soon gave up diffusing his students; he too was watching Tigress disappear from the room. It was clear to them both this was the final straw.

This burden was heavier then they thought; the road taken was clear, and this was exactly what Shifu was worried about.