Okay. I haven't updated in who knows how long, and I'm sorry. Other stories have taken up my time, as well as significant events. (Finished with High School :D)

So now, hopefully you can forgive me with this chapter. I SHOULD be getting back into things for this story. And as I said in the previous one, it's mostly about Tai Lung. And it's...less impressive than I imagined. I'm actually a bit disappointed. But I had to get this out soon or it won't get anywhere. So...here Ya go!~

...Pleas don't hate me...

Shifu could hardly believe his ears nor his eyes. Or a majority of his senses, really. That's how surprising and unbelievable this moment was. Mei Ling had a similiar reaction, her eyes widening and her paws covering her mouth and stifling a gasp. Taotie was looking on, trying to decide on whether this was either a touching heartwarming moment or a moment of total awkwardness. Mr. Ping just looked incredibly confused. Mrs. Yoon seemed aware of what was happening but chose to just let things play out. Master Yao seemed even more aware of what was going on than anyone else, but was either just letting it play out, or for that moment, found Tai Lung's fuzzy fur to be much more interesting.

"Fuzzy Kitty~"

...Blast it, Yao.

Back to the matter at hand...

Shifu was still in a state of shock, with his eyes wide open and staring into the skies, while Tai Lung's eyes were closed and his powerful arms were holding the red panda close to him in such a gentle hug, as if he's taking special care not to break something that's incredibly fragile. It wasn't totally untrue, as he was the one responsible for Shifu's limp in the first place. While the red panda was still incredibly fast, that speed has been reduced quite a bit because of how difficult it was to re-sync his legs to work with his slight disability. Tai Lung mentally winced at being the cause of such an injury, and instinctively softened his grip on Shifu.

He doesn't want to break him.

The moments of silence have finally passed as Shifu squirmed a bit in Tai Lung's grip, though not in retaliation. More like justified confusion. "Tai Lung...why...how...?"

"Father...I...I..." Tai Lung stuttered a bit, before shaking his head in embarrassment. "Ah damn. I've been thinking about seeing you this entire time, and yet I haven't even figured out what exactly I should be saying when I do. I really should have thought this through." He admitted, before finally setting the small Master down, very, very gently. He finally stood up, and rubbed his neck. "How's your leg?"

Finding the mental strength to continue the conversation, Shifu cleared his throat. "It's...not as bad as it used to be. I've been doing much better as time passes. So...what about you? How...how did you get that scar on your eye?"

"Yeah...that." Tai Lung closed his right eye and placed his paw over it and the scar, sighing deeply. "There's...let's just say that I've been through a lot ever since our...falling out. I've already met up with Tigress, so she knows I'm here. However...I don't want to tell the story until she gets back from whatever she's doing."

"Which would be right now." Mei Ling said, flicking her tail towards the approaching group. Tigress lead the way. When they spotted Tai Lung, they were highly surprised. Though no one was quite as surprised as Peng and Lian.

The latter lightly tapped his shoulder. "Woah...look at that guy. He's like...an older version of you!"

"Yeah, I was gonna ask about that." Tai Lung turned to Tigress. "Do you know who this boy is?"

Tigress rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I do, actually. He's...well...he's..." She turned to Peng, who was wearing a look that absolutely spells awkward, and back to Tai Lung. "He's our nephew. Yours by blood, mine by foster relations."

If Tai Lung had been drinking anything, he would have done a spit take. Instead he just stared at Tigress for what seems like hours, then at Peng for what seemed like a couple more hours, then at Shifu, for a couple more hours. Until he's come back to Tigress, with a look of utter shock.

"...You're kiddin' me."

"It's true, Tai Lung. That is Peng...your nephew."

Lian gasped, lightly tugging Peng's arm. "Peng! That's your Uncle right there!"

Peng stared at Tai Lung with shock. "My...Uncle."

"My...Nephew? Okay, I was completely and utterly unaware of the fact that I had a nephew." Tai Lung shook his hear in confusion. "How the hell did that happen? When the hell did that happen?"

"Hey buddy! You tell us your deal first, and we'll tell you ours. Sound fair to you?" Lian said, placing her fists on her hips and puffing her cheeks.

Tai Lung raised an eyebrow. "She's a sassy one."

"She's also my girlfriend." Peng rubbed his neck awkwardly, a blush appearing on his face when she leaned in and kissed his cheek. This caused his Uncle to blink owlishly while slapping his forehead.

"No way. I just find out that I have a nephew, a rather shy one according to his reactions, and he apparently has a feisty girlfriend? I don't know whether to be confused or proud." He rubbed his own neck. "She seems to be the roughness to his softness, personality-wise. Is she at least tough?"

Lian stuck her tongue at him. "I can handle myself just fine, thank you!"

Tai Lung chuckled in amusement. "Yep. I've known him for a couple moments. Already proud." He then lowered his eyes softly. "Alright...I'm gonna tell you my story. Its gonna be a long one, so you might want to grab a couple seats."

"I can do that." Lian said as she gently pushed Peng down so she could sit on his lap and wrap her arms around him, nuzzling into his neck. "...Oh, you can go ahead. We're listening."

Tai Lung turned to Tigress. "How's that feel?'

"It...took a bit of getting used to." She said while readjusting her scarf. "So...?"

"Yeah..." Tai Lung sighed as he took a seat, looking at everyone with a neutral expression. "I've had...quite a realization before my travels went fully underway. And that geezer over there plays a pretty critical part in it." He said while pointing towards Master Yao, who was currently hugging and petting Shifu's head. Sweatdropping at this display, he continued.

"As I was saying, I've been through a lot ever since I've...left..."

(That Night...)

Big brother...why are you hurting Father...?

Tigress...

Tai Lung has never felt so much agonizing guilt swell up in his chest before her heard that tone of voice that came from his foster sister. He had snapped towards her and let out a loud and intensely hostile growl in her direction before he could stop himself. When he realized who he was snarling at, and that it caused her to have even more years streaming down her cheeks, his eyes immediately when from slitted to normal, and he felt his fiery anger snuff itself out almost instantly.

What had he done? Even though he's only known the child for a couple months, he's really bonded with her on such a deep emotional level. It may have been because he didn't really have anyone to spend time with outside of training, and she had been desperately seeking for someone to love her, to care for her, to provide her safety, and to be convinced that she wasn't just a beast needing to be caged away because of her dormant but still threatening power. Tai Lung was supposed to be providing her with all of those things. And yet here he was, feeling the hypocrisy of his actions crawling on his back. He had told her that claws, fangs, and power don't make someone a monster.

He had shattered that mindset, the one he was helping her build up. The chances of her fully recovering from this was very unlikely. He wanted to apologize, he so desperately wanted to run up to her and hug her, comfort her by petting the fur on her head, wipe the tears away from her face, and tell her that her big brother is very sorry for what he did. But he couldn't. The damage was done, and further action would make it worse. Oogway would soon be here after he's finished tending to the chaos he caused outside, and he's not arrogant enough to stay behind and try to stand up to the tortoise. He'll be flattened within seconds. Angering the Sage Tortoise after most likely pissing him off is a very stupid idea.

Not wanting to make the situation any worse than he already has, he pulled the bloodied, barely conscious Shifu up to his face, snarled out the words "This isn't over.", dropped him harshly on the ground, and fled. He leapt towards one of the walls and busted through it with a well-placed kick, which was successful in shattering it effortlessly, sending debris and rubble flying throughout the air. His leap became mighty, as he pressed forward, his claws digging into the side of one of the nearby mountains, sliding in a lower diagonal direction before leaping off to the next.

This pattern repeats for a while, until he looked back and couldn't see the Valley of Peace anymore. Reassured that Oogway wasn't following him, he brings himself to a stop, lightly creating a line in the dirt. It took him a couple moments to calm himself down and realize what has just happened.

Not only had he been denied acquiring the Dragon Scroll, but he had lost his temper at the absolute worst time. Not only did he rend a majority of the village with his powerful rage, but he had woken up Tigress in the process, and therefore she saw him with Shifu at the mercy of his claws. His mind was so blurred by rage that he didn't know if he was about to kill the red panda or not. Though seeing his Foster sibling so terrified of him had snapped him out of it before he did something worse.

This was a disaster. If he had failed in claiming the dragon scroll, then at the very least he could have taken Tigress with him. But the last expression he saw on her face was proof enough that that would have been a terrible idea. There was no way she would be able to look him in the eyes the same way again. There was no way Shifu would be able to look him in the eyes the same way again. Oogway is not even a question. He had put the innocent in danger with his reckless rampage, severely wounded his surrogate son, and terrified his granddaughter. Oogway will put him down if he tried to go back for the scroll. He had learned that Oogway will never hit if violence can be avoided, but he'll never hit softly if it can't. Tai Lung had most likely killed a couple innocent people with his rampage, crippled Shifu due to beating him to near death when he and heavily traumatized Tigress. There was no way in hell that Oogway will let him go near ANY of them ever again, not after that. Which means as long as Oogway lives, obtaining the Dragon Scroll was impossible. Going back home was impossible.

Apologizing to Tigress...impossible.

Tai Lung snarled as he ran a paw down the right side of his face, clearly frustrated by how badly tonight had gone for him. Everything that could use gone wrong on this day had gone wrong, and it could have ended a lot worse if he stuck around longer. He had no interest in turning back, though. He doesn't have the strength to take on Oogway, and the Sage reptile will sense him out the nanosecond he breaches the border to the Valley. He had no choice but to go on and continue in the direction he was going, not looking back.

Tai Lung was now an exile. A self-made exile, no less. This was definitely not going to be a bright chapter in his life. But despite this, turning back was definitely not a viable option for him at this point. He could only accept his new status with whatever grace he might have left and continue on without looking back.

...no matter how much he might want to.

(A week later)

Well then. This went about as well as he expected. For being such a genius at fighting, he really didn't think this exile thing through.

First off...he left off on such an abrupt note. He retreated quickly, rightfully expecting retaliation from Oogway. This means that he had no money. No food. No water. No supplies. Just pure survival instinct and a little bit of blind rage.

Wow. He was very poorly prepared for exile. In other words...

"This sucks." The snow leopard groaned aloud as he was sitting in a tree, feeling the warm rays of the sun...as well as the discomfort of an empty stomach. "Still, it beats prison. Give or take twenty years. That would have REALLY pissed me off." He opened his eyes as the sun rays hit his eyes, he raised a paw in order to provide some degree of shade, since he doesn't have a significant degree of it. "Sun is awfully bright today..." A slight rumble occurs. "And I'm still awfully hungry. Dammit."

Admittedly, he was surprised that he was able to stave off hunger for as long as he did. He may have trained until his bones began cracking from the pressure, but there's at least the reprieve that he would have a decent, well-deserved meal afterwards. Shifu was strict, but he wasn't cruel. Plus, when one hasn't eaten in quite a long time, especially for a time period longer than a day, they're bound to get weaker. If he didn't get anything to eat soon, the effects were definitely not going to get better.

With a sigh, he got up while standing on the branch, stretching out a bit. "Welp, I won't make any progress sitting here. Gotta get a move on." He leaned forward and fell off the tree in freefall, doing a slight flip before landing accurately on his feet. "The question now is...where do I go without someone knowing my identity? I have to take into account that the news spread about my little rampage at some point, so I have to be extra careful about how I proceed..."

"Proceeding is believing, my friend!"

Tai Lung jumped as he heart the voice behind him chant, and he turned around with a swift kick. His company effortlessly dodges it by tilting his head to the side. Tai Lung blinked at the unbelievable reaction time, before he saw himself standing before a blackbuck, an awfully skinny one. Yet at the moment, his senses began to fully comprehend that this was no mere elder. Physically frail he may be, though the Chi around him, just like Oogway's, spells unbelievable power.

"You're fantastically fuzzy!"

...though he could tell this one has his head in the clouds more than anything. Though his face definitely spells something related to total and other ecstasy at the prospect of discoveries. And apparently his discovery of Tai Lung was the most interesting part of his day today. Can't imagine why.

"Er...are you alright, old-timer?"

"I feel great, my friend! Today is one of those super rare occasions in which I get to do a lot of exploring!"

"Super rare...? You don't get out much, do you?"

"Nope! Haven't gotten out at all, really. For about a couple decades or so."

Tai Lung's eyes widened. "D-Decades?! How in the-"

"Hold it right there!" Tai Lung turned around to see that a platoon of rhinos have come about the area, weapons in their hands. He sighed in great annoyance at how fast he's been found out just because an old blackbuck distracted him. "Tai Lung the fugitive! So, you've the gall to kidnap Master Yao after devastating the Valley of Peace?!"

"Kidnap?! Master Yao?!" Tai Lung choked out while he stared at the blackbuck in shock. You mean to tell me that this is the elder Master that Shifu tends to fanboy over when he thinks that no one is looking?! I've never actually seen him...come to think of it, NO ONE has seen him outside his box! He looks like he's using all of his energy just to stand! On another, more important note... "I didn't kindap him, I just found him right next to me!"

"Heh! As we're supposed to take the word of a monster like you!"

"And I'm not about to be captured by a bunch of dumbasses like you." Tai Lung shrugged. "Guess we're even, then."

"Your arrogance will be your undoing, Tai Lung."

He turned around and found himself rammed by a rhino charge from behind, and was sent crashing into a tree. Grunting angrily, he stood up to see that this rhino was definitely different than the rest of them. They looked incredibly incompetent, compared to him. Which was a rather irritating though, which mean he would be more difficult to deal with. He at least had to know the guy's name. But apparently the stuck-up think decided to introduce himself, sparing him the hassle of asking.

"The name is Commander Vachir, fugitive. And I am a prized student of Master Rhino. I have taken it upon myself to bring you in!"

Tai Lung raised an eyebrow. "You think if you explained to me who you were, I'd be afraid or something?"

"You mock me now, but you're still a wanted man." He cracked his knuckles while managing a side-glance towards Master Yao. "For destruction, the deaths of civilians, and kidnapping, apparently."

"I told you I didn't kidnap the geezer! I-" He was cut off as another rhino shared and slammed into his side, sending him flying across the landscape a little, until he stopped himself by forcing his clawed paws into the ground and drastically reducing his momentum. He sthen opened his eyes, which became slotted with rage. "Okay, now you're just pissing me off."

The other rhinos didn't acknowledge his, all charging him without a care for his words. He could only sigh as he counters the first punch from one of them. He grabbed the wrist, swiftly breaking it, and slamming him into the ground. His eyes shifted as he stepped back to avoid another blow and kicked the next rhino in the chest, forcing him back into the trees. One of the other rhinos came at him with a mace, though he caught it in his paw and tossed them both to the sides effortlessly. Though when he looked to the sides, he saw that one of the rhinos were carrying Yao away, much to his chargin. He might not be the best person...but leaving Master Yao in the hands of this specific rhino feels like a rather horrible idea. So he narrowed his eyes and followed the rhino, though once again the others cut him off. He snarled.

"Outta my way. Leaving him with you fools is a bad idea waiting to happen."

"Not as much of a bad idea as Shifu showing mercy on you just because you're his foster son. He's mornic for allowing someone like you to roam free, when he should have put you down." One of them stated without fear...okay maybe a little bit of fear. "We heard about the situation. Luckily Master Vachir is more than willing to do the job that he failed at."

"Okay...look. I know I'm not a big fan of Shifu right now, but only I any rights at calling him out, and not on dealing with me properly. It's much more than that."

"Much more than you throwing a temper tantrum that nearly wiped out an entire village, because you didn't get what you want? Though cats tend to be like that a lot, don't they?"

Any patience Tai Lung had was thrown out the window at that one. He narrowed his eyes darkly, and the rhinos realized far too late that a serious line has just been crossed. They didn't have enough time to react when he was suddenly in front of them and knocking them out with brutal blows to the head, then being kicked aside. One of them, with extreme hesitation, tried to strike him while he wasn't looking, in which he grabbed one of the unconscious rhinos and swung him into his comrade, sending them aside. He didn't care enough at the moment to check if they were down, he just went straight to trying to catch Vachir.

"I dunno about you, but I think you angered the Fuzzy Kitty." Master Yao ssid as he was being carried over the shoulder by Vachir. "And it feels like angering the Fuzzy Kitty is not a very wise idea if you don't have the strength to match him...which you sorely lack. This most likely won't end well for you."

"Who's side are you on, Master Yao? I'm trying to save you from him!"

"Really! Thank you friend! Though...it's still just a touch too bad that you'll fail. Too bad, so sad...is that a butterfly?" Yao pointed around the flying insect. "It's so pretty~"

"You're really weird, you know that?"

There was a sudden crash in front of the both of them, making Vachir stop in his tracks. Tai Lung was revealed as the dust cleared. He glared at him angrily. "You've signed yourself up for a lifetime of pain."

"Have I really?" Was the following taunt. Tai Lung only grew more irritated as he began stomping towards the overconfident rhino. But when he got within a few feet of him, Vachir pulled a handheld axe from his hilt and held it in front of Yao's neck. The snow leopard's eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks. "Oh! Looks like you have a heart after all, dontcha?"

"You're a disgraceful coward." Tai Lung deadpanned, clenching his fists. "And you call yourself a prized student of Master Rhino?"

"Sure. I'm disgraceful. I'm not a murderer, Tai Lung. Here, I'm only taking pragmatic approaches in bringing you in. Any that can give me an advantage over you, I'll take." Vachir chuckled. "What...you actually thought I would stand a chance against you in a fair fight? No, course you didn't. Though I'm surprised you'd actually have the heart to care about this geezer."

"This axe is very rusty. It hasn't been clean in quite a while!" Yao examined, pointing at the blade slightly. "Weapons like these are much more effective when they're clean."

"You're not helping, Yao. Why would you even-" The distraction was taken advantage of, as Vachir tossed the axe upward, managed to catch it perfectly in his palm, and slash down on Tai Lung's head. He backed up a couple seconds too late, and felt the blade cut down on the right side of his face, though luckily his eye was not damaged. Though this new scar was likely to be permanent. "RAGH!" He placed his palm on the newly bleeding wound, angrily hissing at the pain. He was still able to glare at Vachir, snarling viciously. "Asshole! That was a cheap shot!"

"It's the best kind of shot." Vachir sneered.

The snow leopard snarled. "Alright, fine. You've gotten your free hit in." He removed his paw from the wound, allowing it to bleed freely. "Now here's my retaliation!"

"Hmph. May I remind d you that-" Vachir was heavily surprised when he realized that Master Yao had lost interest in playing hostage, and was now sitting against a tree, seeing how things play out. The sadistic grin on Tai Lung's muzzle had made it clear just how much the rhino had screwed up. And now he had a speechless, horrified look on his face.

"What's the matter, prized student of Master Rhino? Did you lose your nerve? Feeling a bit helpless?" He roughly grabbed him by the vest. "Good thing I couldn't care less." With that, a forceful blow to the face sent the rhino flying into the ground, cratering it slightly. The snow leopard sighed, notncaring about the fact that he snapped the guy's horn off because of how hard he punched him. He turned around to see Master Yao was waiting for him. He blinked at him a couple times.

"You hit the rhino really hard!"

"Yeah. Kinda wanted to do that."

"Good to be honest! Might want to do something about the red dripping from tour face, though."

"Oh, yeah. This." Tai Lung placed his paw over his face again, signing in frustration. He should have been able to avoid being cut by some stupid arrogant cowardly rhino with an axe. Hunger and exhaustion has been taking it's toll on him, slugging his reflexes. This was humiliating. He needed to get himself back up so this situation doesn't repeat often. Though he still had to make sure that Master Yao gets back to where he needed to be. So without further ado, Tai Lung picked the elder Master up and slung him over his shoulder. "That's enough excitement for you, old timer. Gotra get you back to your box."

"Your tail is also very fuzzy~" Yao beamed, occasionally catching the limb in his hooves and petting it. The younger Master sighed in aggravation. The right side of his face was still bleeding and hurting like hell...

...he'll walk it off.

(An Hour Later)

"I spy with my little old eyes...something spotted, tall, and muscular!"

"...Is it me?"

"Correct! How did you know?"

"Ugh..." Tai Lung had beem traveling with Master Yao for a long time now. And good lord...the old man really likes to talk. Admittedly, he does provide quality entertainment. For himself. And usually for the both of them. But mostly for himself. Tai Lung doesn't hate the old timer for it. Who else would have their mentality perfectly intact when you spend decades in a box before you even reach double digits in age? But still...it was difficult to stand him a little bit.

Then the conversation went into a different direction that he wasn't prepared for.

"Tai Lung...you're very angry." Yao said with a rather relaxed voice. It wasn't a question.

Tai Kung raised an eyebrow, the eyebrow that wasn't slashed. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"You're constantly giving off Chi in rather irritable fluctuations. And it was before we ran into those rhinos. You're in a rather grumpy mood."

"...You wouldn't understand."

"Of course not! You didn't tell me yet!"

Tai Lung paused a bit, still quietly carrying the elder master over no his shoulder while thinking about whether he should tell him or not. Well...he can't have company and not talk to him. With what's been happening thus far, he could really use someone to talk to. Lest he lose his mind...just like the elder over his shoulders that kinda lost his mind. Huh.

"I...might be a bit pissed about something."

"Do tell!"

"My Foster father...Master Shifu...he's been training me for years on end. He saw my inner potential, and he wanted me to reach it."

"Inner potential. Always carries the biggest surprises. Do go on."

"I've train so hard, for so many years. Shifu had believed in me so much, supported my successful progress so much. He saw me as...the one. The Dragon Warrior. My head slowly filled itself with dreams as I trained even harder every day of my life with him. I grew more confident in myself, in my skills and power. Shifu really believed in me, so making him proud was something I really wanted to do. I wanted to live up to his expectations down to the letter. I couldn't imagine not having the Dragon Scoll in my possession, I saw myself worthy of the secret of unlimited power." He frowned a bit.

"This is when the badness hits, right?"

Tai Lung clenched his fists. "I've always known that Shifu believed I was the Dragon Warrior. I've always known he believed that I was. But...then Oogway said that I wasn't worthy. He refused something that should have been mine. I looked towards Shifu, expecting him to support me. But...he stayed silent. He didn't even try to defend me. He just...let that happen without even the tiniest hint of resistance despite how much praise he gave me, how much support he had for me, how much pride he had in me. Everything just went...white for me. All I could recall before I regained more of my control was blind rage, blood on my paws, villagers screaming, and I had Shifu in my grip. The old man didn't have it in him to fight back, but I didn't care. Oogway was focused on the villagers, so he wasn't going to help until it was too late. I was very close to killing him. But then...Tigress..." Tai Lung's scowl disappeared, as he ran a paw down his face. "Tigress..."

"Ooh...I sense sadness in your voice."

"For a couple months, Shifu took in another kid. Tigress, a Bengal Tiger, as well as my five-year old sister. She's had it rough with people because they were usually freaked out by her claws, fangs, and uncontrolled strength. She broke out of her own orphanage and ran off, where Shifu saw her and brought her back to the palace. He introduced us to one another, and I was in charge of building her confidence, and making her realize that having claws and fangs doesn't make her a monster, that many were just like her and me, but slightly different. For a couple months, we spent lots of time together. Training, playing around, eating some pleasant foods...I actually found myself quite fond of her. I found myself wanting to make her proud, too. She looked up to me, and I wanted to be worthy of that attention. So...her look of disbelief and horror when she saw me in my rage-induced rampage...I instantly snapped out of it. I wanted so badly to hug her and wipe her tears away...but I couldn't. Oogway would have caught me...I had to escape. I had to leave her behind. That's the only thing I regret from that rash decision...I can't apologize to her, nor I could take her with me. I can't go back...not so long as Oogway is there."

Master Yao rubbed his chin, even as he was being hung upside down. "Familiarity, those words have..."

"What?"

"Can we stop for a moment, Fuzzy Kitty?" Tai Lung was confused for a moment at the interruption of their trip, as he set Master Yao down. The elder wobbled a little bit, but managed to regain his balance. Then he looked up towards Tai Lung. "It may be possible that there is a just reason for Oogway's decision. He never makes a decision this serious without a reason."

"What do you mean?" Tai Lung narrowed his eyes.

"Tai Lung. What exactly do you want from the Dragon Scroll?"

"Didn't I just tell you? It holds the secrets of ultimate power!"

"That is a rather pressing motive, yes. But what's the real one?"

The snow leopard stared at the blackbuck for a couple moments. Yao's face was unchanging, but not stern. Just curious. Tai Lung has quickly figured out that curiosity was Master Yao's main motive for a lot of things. After a while, Tai Lung relaxed his muscles. "I wanted...I wanted validation. Shifu raised me with all of his training, the praise he gave me for my potential, and the dreams he filled my head with, telling me that becoming the Dragon Warrior was my destiny. Thus, I wanted...no...I needed the Dragon Scroll to confirm that I was worthy of all of that praise and support. That I was worthy of Shifu's pride in me. That I was...worthy of his love. Because otherwise-"

"You'd feel like he was just wasting years of his life on someone who doesn't meet his expectations." The snow leopard didn't respond initially. It was all Master Yao needed. "Let me ask you another little something, hm? Do you really think that there's an actual secret to ultimate power? Is your self-esteem so low that you needed outward confirmation to justify that you were worth Shifu's time?" Tai Lung still didn't respond. "Your case is not uncommon, Tai Lung. Many children in China are raised in a similar way to you, and they want to feel like they are worth something. But they lack the confidence to prove themselves worthy, instead wanting something else to do it for them." Master Yao then decided to try an entirely new direction. "You said you have a foster sister. Tigress, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me more about her. What is she like?"

"...Well...aside from the things I've already said...she's actually a very quiet and reserved little girl. She won't talk to anyone unless they talk to her, because trying to make friends has never ended well. So she mostly spent a lot of time with me and Shifu. She felt safer with us, more open. Shed talk a lot about how I was training so hard, and she wanted to be strong for herself as well. She's her own little champion, in a way. She also has a love-hate relationship for tofu. Plus she can't seem to take it going down that she's cute." He chuckled softly.

"Good good, what else?"

"When there was this pretty intense claps of thunder one night, Tigress got really freaked out. She immediately ran out of her room and into mine, crying her little eyes out. I got up and picked her up, holding her in my arms. She was quick to hug me and cry into the fur of my chest, while she kept mumbling that she wasn't afraid, despite how much she kept shivering whenever another thunderclap struck. I'd hug her back, pet her softly on the head, and reassure her that I'd keep her safe, and that it was okay to be afraid. I told her that being brave isn't about being fearless, but to face those fears head-on. I wasn't cold-hearted enough to send her back to her room alone though, so I let her stay with me for the rest of the night, and she was relaxed enough to go back to sleep."

"So she saw you as someone to go to whenever she was threatened or scared, or just needs someone to talk to. You were the first person she went to for safety."

"Yeah...she'd admire me...and I'd appreciate her admiration." He rubbed his neck, growling lowly to herself. "Though now all of that admiration has come crashing down because of my actions. I don't think she'll look at me the same way again."

"...Tell me. Of all the time she's spent with you, was she interested in the Dragon Warrior...or Tai Lung?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I think it's quite significant. Though it depends on your answer."

Another pause...realization crossed his face. "...Tigress...has always supported me when it came to my goal. But...she was always more focused on me just being...me. She was less interested in the Dragon Warrior...and more interested in me. I feel that if I never told her about the Dragon Warrior prophecy, nothing about how she treated me would change. She didn't care too much on whether or not I became the Dragon Warrior. She just...wanted me to be there for her when she needed me. She called me Big Brother...and it felt nice to hear. Even if it was only for a couple months...she's become a significant part of my life...because she's the only person who didn't care about the Dragon Warrior title more than she cared about me just being me."

"And what realization did you come to when you recall how much she cared about you and loved you for who you are, instead of who you're trying to be?"

Tai Lung because utterly silent as another heartwrenching realization hit him. It felt like years before be finally spoke up again...he sounded defeated. "What worth is there in me becoming the Dragon Warrior...if in the process, it ruins my ability to be the best brother I can be to Tigress? Tigress, who was utterly starved of love because of how she was treated so early in life, and counted on me to provide it, as her older sibling, foster or not. Now because of what I did, she's going to suffer even more than ever. I've...I've failed her." He placed both paws on his face, back up against a tree, slowly sliding down until he hit the ground. He didn't uncover his face, as he quietly mumbled:

"I don't deserve to be the Dragon Warrior."

"No. I suppose you don't." There was no condescension in Yao's voice. He was just calling it as it is. Which only made Tai Lung feel worse, because he felt like he deserved much spite for his arrogance. And it had deeply cost him.

"...I can't go back. Not now. I...I don't know what to do." He mumbled again. "I'm unworthy of the Dragon Warrior title. But if I'm not the Dragon Warrior...then who am I? What do I do now?"

"That is something you have to discover for yourself, Tai Lung. Only you can determine your own self-worth. Expecting it to be done for you will only lead to more pain for yourself. And not in the tummy ache kind of way. More like in the heartache kind of way." Yao smiled. "All in all, I think what you needed to get that anger off your chest was someone to talk to. And someone who'll listen. No more Grumpy Kitty!"

"...I guess so..." The snow leopard's ears flicked as he heard someone coming.

"Ooh! There are my servants. They took longer than usual!" Yao said, standing up with effort. "I think it's time for you to go, Tai Lung."

"What? You're not the kind of guy who seems to like being locked in a box. You don't want to come with me?"

"A path of discovering self-worth must be walked alone. Besides, It's not my time to leave my box for good. But I'm sure we'll meet again anyway." Yao turned around and began walking towards the voices, but waved. "Bye, Fuzzy Kitty!" He cheered with a smile, which made Tai Lung freeze up from how loud he was being. He jumped in the trees to avoid being seen.

He watches silently as a group of antelopes appeared around Yao, spouting concerns and scolds about how he shouldn't be leaving his box without supervision. Though Yao didn't seem to be paying attention. Like...at all.

Such a weird old geezer. The snow leopard thought quietly as he watched them move out with the elder Master, and he was left completely alone.

...

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "So...this is how it is, huh...? I'm going solo for a long time..." He said to himself as he gazed towards the skies. "A journey of self-worth I have to walk alone...well...it's not like I can go home. And I have nothing better to do." Tai Lung decided. He had a lot of traveling to do.

A loud grumble came from his stomach, and he sweatdropped while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Dammit. He forgot he was hungry.

(Present)

Tai Lung opened his eyes. "From that point on, I've been on my own journey of discovering my self-worth. I've been to a lot of places, talked to a lot of people, beat the shit out of bad guys that pissed me off, kissed a couple women-"

"Wait what?" Tigress snapped her head towards him.

"Your brother's a player?!" Monkey gasped. The response was the striped feline punching him in the face, knocking him on his back...a couple feet away.

"The important thing here!" Tai Lung raised his paws up nervously after seeing Tigress's accusing glare. "Is that I've done a lot of thinking for myself and for others. After s while, it's become clear that I couldn't avoid either Tigress or Shifu for any longer. I had to come back and confront you two. To confess and apologize for the grave personal crimes I've dealt towards the two of you. Though because the Valley of Peace is nothing but rubble, and Master Oogway is dead, I can never fully make up for it. And that deeply wounds me." He clenched his fists tightly. "I've made my choice. I need to do whatever I can in order to make up for what I've done. Traveling with you seems like my only way of assuring this."

"Reconciliation is what you seek? Better late than never!" Mr. Ping exclaimed.

"Though...I don't understand." Tigress turned towards Master Yso with a look of exasperation. "Master, how come you've never told me or Father that you knew Tai Lung?"

"Because it was a personal subject for both of you. Plus, neither of you asked." Yao responded with a relaxed tone. Neither Shifu or Tigress could find no way to respond to this.

"Hey guys! What's going on?" Everyone turned towards the sound of the cheery voice, and many were relieved to see that Po and Viper were making their way towards them, multiple crumbs left on their faces. They've helped themselves to the food in Qinchu's palace, obviously. Tigress immediately got up with a start.

"Po!" She ran up and lightly envelopes him in a hug. Viper slithered off of his arm and into the ground, allowing the two to embrace. The feline then released him and adjusted her scarf, as well as his own. "You didn't come back for a while. We were getting a bit concerned."

"There's no need. I had Master Fenghuang and Viper to watch my back." Po smiled. He then sees Tai Lung amongst the group, curiosity peaked. "Hey Peng! There's a guy here who looks a lot like you!"

"That's Tai Lung, Po."

"Oooohhhh." Was the long and drawn out response. He then scratched his cheek in wonder. "When did he get here?"

They were amazed at Po's level of undereaction to the snow leopards presence. Justified, he doesn't know Tai Lung as well as Shifu and Tigress, and Peng was his nephew, which he didn't know he had, so the surprise wouldn't reach him as well as the others.

"So...this is 'Po'. One of the friends Tigress think so highly of." Tai Lung analyzed, looking the panda up and down. "She didn't mention that he was a panda. I didn't see that coming at all."

"There's a lot of things the people we meet don't see coming. This happens to us a lot." Fung noted while scratching his snout. "We've already come to the conclusion that pandas are quite a rare species. And that kinda makes him a target. It's becoming a serious hassle. And I think we might be getting close to an answer."

"Though I'm getting the feeling that Gongmen is not going to be as safe as you remember, Fung. The fox guy that we've knocked out seems to have relations in Gongmen City, and they're not the good kind of relations." Viper recalled. "We might be in for some serious trouble."

"When are we not..." Crane said quietly.

"Gongmen City. That's where you're heading?" Tai Lung asked. "Well, in that case, I'm going with you. I can provide some assistance for all of you, I'm sure."

"Are you sure you want to go with us?"

"I literally have nothing better to do with my time. I also want to be there for Tigress and Shifu, like I've failed to do for such a long time. I gotta start making up that time now. By any means necessary."

"Any means necessary...? And just what do those 'means' of yours entail?"

"I'll surprise you."

"Not entirely assuring."

Lian shrugged as she stood up, placing Peng's arm around her waist. "Eh. We can't make much progress without some leaps of faith. Like we did~"

"You'll have to give me details on your first kiss." Tai Lung teased.

"I believe they can provide that info. Wouldn't you agree, Peng?" Bian Zao said, lightly punching him in the shoulder. The response was for the teen to sigh in embarrassment. Lian however, didn't seem to have a serious issue with the idea.

"But for now...I think we all better get some rest." Tigress suggested. "We can head out tomorrow."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

(Later that Night)

Shifu was sitting on the roof of the house that everyone was sleeping inside, staring up and watching the bright glow of the moon. There's so much happening at once, and he didn't know how to deal with it properly. They would be heading for Gongmen City tomorrow...with Tai Lung in tow. Of all the things he thought would change Tai Lung for the better it was Master Yao listening to him and talking him down from his obsession. It did seem a bit anticlimactic, it probably is. But that doesn't mean he isn't grateful. Though according to the looks she gave him, Tigress isn't as prepared to fully accept him again unlike Shifu, despite what she's already said.

Shifu wasn't sure if he was ready for so much change, or the changes weren't ready for him.

He would sigh while sitting in meditative position. So much is happening all at once...is there a reason? Is the universe preparing us for something...? Something significant?

"You have to stop sitting by yourself, Fufie." Mei Ling walked up by his side, and takes a seat right next to him. Taotie also came by and sits next to him. Fenghuang flapped her wings while landing next to him. Tai Lung was the one who sits right behind him. "Think about this, you don't have to keep being a loner."

"I think you have to realize that solo no longer cuts it, Pipsqueak. You're stuck with us." Fenghuang huffed. "You and I are the only two members of the original Five who are still trying to stay together. Let's keep it that way, hm?"

"We're also deeply connected to your past. Do you think we can stay together and not try to handle of the mental burdens single-handedly if there's something we can do about it?" Taotie offered. "Id like to be a recently good best friend again, but you also gotta help me out with that."

The red panda makes eye contact with them all, one at a time. Then back at the moon. "So much has changed...and it's likely that much more will be changed. I just wonder...are we ready for those changes? Or are those changes preparing us for more things that the universe sends are way...?" He rubbed his forehead. "It's just that...Tai Lung has come back so suddenly...it throws a lot about what I usually think for a loop. These...these are the times I wish Oogway was here to help me understand better..."

"Hey. One of the most exciting parts of a journey is the mystery, and not immediately knowing the answer." Taotie shrugged.

"Plus Oogway is gone, Midget. At this point, we're the best you've got." Fenghuang said smugly, though Shifu could tell she was also being genuine.

"We'll remind you of this as many times as it takes." Mei Ling smiled softly at him, leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. He smiled softly at the gesture. Then he turned towards Tai Lung.

"Tai Lung..."

"I already know. Due to my journey of finding myself, I've figured out that our falling out was a two-sided fault. You were training me in many different ways...but humility was clearly missing from all of them. And I wasn't as emotionally stable as you bought I was. Though I guess I didn't really make the situation better by going off the way I did."

Shifu lowered his eyes. "I allowed you to turn into the minster that rampaged the village. I could have prevented a great deal of pain had I taught you humility as well as everything else. I'm...sorry..."

Tai Lung paused for a moment, gazing into his father's eyes. Then he smiled. "I'm sorry too, Shifu. Plus it's pretty obvious that the Dragon Scroll was destroyed in that raid, so I would have been directionless anyway." He turned towards the skies. "Plus...trust me. I've had plenty of humility beaten into me during my travels. My journey has made it loud and clear that I'm not the best warrior in all of China like I previously thought I was."

"Damn right you're not. It's obviously me." Fenghuang grinned.

"In your dreams." Mei Ling rolled her eyes.

"You got something to say, Furball?"

"Sure. I'm a Furball. While you're a rat with wings. Rat-Wing!"

Soon enough, the fox and the owl were in each others faces, glaring hard at one another, their chi lightly sparking against one another. Taotie lightly patted Shifu's back. "This is our life now. Get used to it. And I mean ACTUALLY get used to it."

"Do I have I choice...?" Shifu chuckled awkwardly. Tai Lung smirked.

This was gonna be fun.

(Po's Mindscape)

Po opened his eyes and was completely confused by what he saw. Or rather...what he wasn't seeing. He couldn't see anything due to the many amounts of red smoke everywhere, blocking any and all vision that he might have had. He looked around for any signs of life...nothing.

"Hello!? Guys?!" He called out, cupping his muzzle to enhance his voice. "If this is another one of Monkey's pranks...I'm not laughing! I mean, I would if I knew what was going on...but that would kinda defeat the purpose..."

No response.

"Great. I have no idea where I am, and it looks like no one else is here. What am I supposed to do now?"

"I'll tell you what you can do."

"What?! Who's there?!" Po turned around quickly, but saw no one. He wondered if he was just hearing things, but that proved to be false, he definitely heard metal scraping against the ground.

"You should have kept your existence secret, Panda. Otherwise you wouldn't be currently trapped in the jaws of death."

"Jaws of death? That's a little cynical, don't you-" Po wasn't able to finish, a bright flash blinded him, and he was suddenly on his back, covered in ashes and feeling immense pain in his right arm, without knowing why. "Gaaaugh! What...what...?"

He then sees something standing over him, red, demonic eyes glaring down on the prey. He also saw what looked like more red eyes above him, though Po could faintly make out that it was just an elegant tail. More likely the train of a peacock. Though he wasn't too sure. "You've made a fatal mistake in thinking you can challenge me. Allow me to make a suggestion that's more likely to succeed."

Po weakly tried to stand up, but found himself unable to. He then sees a weapon...a curved blade of sorts. A Guan Dao. His eyes widened as he noticed it was aimed towards him. He faintly tried to call for help...

But nobody came.

The red eyes glowed in a sinister manner, and one word followed: "BURN."

The Guan Dao then strikes his heart.

(Reality)

Po woke up with a start, and instinctively placed a paw over his heart. His hat fell off of his head, but he was in too much shock to notice. He needed the reassurance of his heartbeat to clarify that he was just having a REALLY bad dream. After a minute, he relaxed a little, though the gravity of the dream still hit him hard, as he lied on his back.

That...was so much worse than any of the other dreams he's had. This time, instead of being a cub, he was an adult, and clearly at present times. He didn't know what to make of the dream. Normally dreams were just that. But now he was slowly becoming convinced that they were more than that. And not only that, they were becoming more and more frequent. There's no way that they can't mean something.

But if it does mean something, then what was it telling him?

He didn't have an answer. All he could do was groan in frustration and cover his face with his hat, hoping he could get some sleep.

His sleep was dreamless for the rest of the night.