"You're going to WHAT?!" Mr. Ping cawed, flapping his wings widely as Po explained to everyone what was going on. "Po, why do you have to do this to me?! My heart literally can't take all of the potential stress!"

"Now Dad, just hear me out on this." Po said gently, waving his remaining paw downwards. "There's no need to get all panicky about this."

"I have EVERY RIGHT to be panicky about this, Po! You are still recovering from being willingly dismembered and NOW you wanna go on a mission with the person that's responsible for forcing you into said dismemberment?! No. NO! Absolutely NOT! I'm trying to be supportive son, but I cannot simply accept this so easily!" Mr. Ping has fallen into protective father mode rather quickly. Not that anyone can blame him.

"Daaaad...c'mon. It's not like Shen will do anything to me. He doesn't have any reason to, not one he can back up."

"...You seriously disregarding the fact that this madman tried to kill you." Crane said dully.

"I'm not disregarding it. Just pointing out the fact that he didn't. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"...You're way too laid back when it comes to this, Po."

Mei Ling tilted her head, swishing her golden tail. "Well...maybe a couple of us can go with them to keep Shen out of trouble? If we're really worried about him, we should go with them."

"Good idea, we'll go too!" Viper declared. The rest of the Five were slightly reluctant, except Tigress. This way she can back up Po and keep a close eye on Shen, simultaneously. "Doesn't hurt to have a bit of backup, does it?"

"See Dad, it isn't like I'll be going in alone. These guys have my back." Po smiled as he gently waves his paw to his friends.

Mr. Ping looked to their friends, then back to Po. "...Forgive me for being so worried, Po. It's just...I mean..." He shook his head as he hopped up and hugged Po's belly, bouncing a little. "I can't help but worry about you, son!" You're my little panda cub! I hate seeing my panda cub getting hurt so much!"

"Daaaw, Dad..." Po lowered his eyes as he pulled his father in for a one-armed hug, in which the goose tries to return as best as he could.

There's nothing little about that panda. Fenghuang thought quietly. She knew what Mr. Ping meant, but she couldn't help but mentally point out. She then turned her head. ...well...except for that stubby ballike tail of his. That cute balllike tail of his...it's quite adorable really...blast it! I'm getting softer by the damn day!

"I just wanna point out that this is a very risky move you're making. And that's coming from a thief." Song said, sitting upon a crate and twirling her parasol. "Are you sure you're going to be alright, Po? This is supposed to be Shen's mess to clean up and his alone."

"I know...but I still wanna help!" Po decided persistently.

"This still feels like something that should be held off a bit longer...but I know better than to expect that from you. Alright. You're the boss." Song said, gently shrugging her shoulders. "So the others are just going to keep an eye on Shen?"

"We sure are. We don't know if he'll try and kill Po again-"

"He's not gonna try again, guys." Po reassured, lowering his paw a couple times to try and settle everyone down. "Shen's not gonna try anything funny, he's not gonna have another go at my life, and he's going to be just fine. Sure he's a bit grumpy right now, but who hasn't been after they suffered a loss. I think we should cut him a break and give him a chance."

"I trust your judgement, Po. But I must ask, why are you so ready to defend him?" Tigress asked him sternly.

"Well...I just figured he needed a chance, is all. I don't think he's that much of a terrible guy, even though he did terrible things. He just needs some time to cool off from his loss so we can speak with him on a more personal level."

"Uh...dude. I think his relationship with you is far more important than anything he has with us. As soon as it's been confirmed that a panda was here, he wanted you dead on sight, or brought to him to be killed by his wing. Yeah, your relationship with him his fsr more personal." Mantis said. "Sometimes, I just don't get how you do things, dude."

Po shrugged, as he tipped his hat. "You can't have hatred without a reason. No matter who you are or how petty the reason itself is...hatred can't exist without a trigger of some sort. And that trigger wasn't all me. Turns out he and I are a lot more alike that I thought. When hate is strong enough, it'll make you do some pretty terrible things, and many people get hurt for it."

"When did you get that sort of mindset, Po?" Song asked, incredibly surprised and curious with how Po was going about this.

"Master Fenghuang. How she used to be a better person in the past before darkness took hold of her heart due to her growing strength. Then she met me...she didn't seem to hate so much after she met me and Dad. And then there's Tai Lung..." Po cut himself off. "Oh..sorry Tigress. I didn't-"

"There's no need to apologize, Po. The circumstances around my brother aren't that secret, there'd little need to feel guilty about bringing it up." Tigress reassured him. "We shoulf probably begin this group assignment while we're on a good note."

"Oh yeah, you're right!" Po gasped lightly, he turned and ran through the exit, feeling excited. He left the others behind a bit too early.

"There he goes again." Crane rolled his eyes. "We'd better catch up with him before he does something reckless again. I really don't need to have a heart attack just from not knowing where he is."

"I dunno, that actually might be pretty funny to-ow!" Monkey started out, but Mei Ling swiftly smacks him upside the head with her staff. With no further input, the rest of them followed after Po as quickly as they could.

Throughout the whole conversation, Shen was listening in on certain parts of it, and his eyes were wide with shock at one of the things Po said.

You can't have hatred without a reason...

(Gongmen Harbor)

"We're still analyzing the damage, it appears a majority of the citizens are unharmed. I do believe that's the outcome we all wanted." Rhino said with utmost seriousness, his audience being Shifu, Fenghuang, Ox, Croc, Mei Ling, and Taotie. He maintsined his expression even as Master Yao was hanging onto the side of his face. "Now we have another subject to attend to. Master Yao."

"Rhino! What intricate wrinkles you have!~" Yao beamed childishly, lowering himself down a bit so he was now hanging onto his arm. "The horn is quite sturdy and to the point as well! And the Cloud Hammer! It's even more impressive in person!"

"I still can't believe you would bring Master Yao all the way out here during such chaotic times. What were you thinking?!" Master Croc reprimanded the others.

Shifu lowered his ears. "His box was destroyed and his attendees left him to die. We couldn't just do the same thing to him. We had to bring him with us to keep him safe."

"And this was after you discarded your Kung-Fu Master status?"

"That is not a decision I regret."

"Truly? Some things could have been a lot easier if you had-"

"Hey. The pipsqueak said he made his choice. Back off." Fenghuang glared at Ox, silencing him.

"Yeah, the constant pressure of being a Kung Fu Master, Master Oogway dying while he wasn't even there, the Valley of Peace being devastated, looking after his daughter, reuniting with his best friend, then his lover, then with his son...you see why he wouldn't be able to do most of that as a Kung Fu Master? He would have to bring down at least two of those people!" Taotie said in exasperation. "He just couldn't handle the strain, those weights on his shoulders were not gonna do him any good."

"Poor Fufie was running himself ragged trying to hold true to ideals." Mei Ling pouted sadly as she hugged Shifu's arm, nuzzling his cheek. "It grew too much for him. So I tagged along with him, to help him feel better~"

Croc raised an eyebrow. "It would appear that the journey has placed Shifu under a lot of emotional, mental, and spiritual strain. I can see why he would need someone or something to relieve said stress. Though she is your lover, I guess I can understand why she would wiilling volunteer herself that role."

Shifu lowered his ears, blushing slightly. "I don't see what that certain subject has to do with our current conversation..."

"Doesn't mean they're not right, though. Mei Ling seems pretty willing to help you relieve your stress." Fenghuang said with her wing covering her beak, snickering. "She knows what she wants, she wants you. And we all know you want her back. You're just so damn shy about it...it brings me great amusement to see you so nervous. But...just how long are you going to make her wait, Shifu?"

"Once again, I fail to see how this is relevant."

"And now you're dodging the question. How expected of you."

"Really Shifu, with everything that's happened, it wouldn't be a bad thing for you to blow off some steam." Taotie folded his arms and nodded in agreement. Sometimes he wondered if Bian Zao would be interested in someone, but that was becoming unlikely.

"I would really like to focus on anything that isn't about this. Literally anything."

Master Ox raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then explain the situation with yourself and Tai Lung."

"...Okay." Shifu didn't really hesitate that much, which genuinely surprised Ox. He's a lot more comfortable talking about his formerly estranged son than he is about his love life. That says a lot. "I reunited with Tai Lung all the way back to Mount Penglai. His appearance as really unexpected. But as you probably saw already, he's mellowed out incredibly due to Master Yao's interference which I really wasn't aware of. He said something that truly made him think about most of the decisions he's made so far in his life. The consequences of his actions were not worth it to him, and he abandoned pursuing the Dragon Warrior title. Not that it matters, the scroll has been destroyed with the Jade Palace."

"Basically a lot of things happened with Shifu's entire family. It left being a Kung Fu Master unbearable. The burdens kept piling on and on, and after such a major tragedy." Taotie said. "Now, now he has something more important to worry about that better deserved his attention, these growing warriors of his. But mostly his daughter. His daughter rose up on his priority list by a large margin."

"And quite possibly, he can have a love life again now that he isn't tied down by his status."

"Why do we keep coming back to that? I don't wish to come back to that." Shifu said sternly.

"You're just nervous, Fufie. But that's okay, I know you're trying to keep yourself presentable as much as you can~" Mei Ling smiled, hugging his arm and kissing his cheek. The small fox seemed to enjoy placing him in a corner.

"...On another unrelated, yet much more preferable note, where is Po?" Shifu asked, fighting the blush on his face.

Zeng coughed a bit as he crashed into the ground, panting silently. Shifu was a bit surprised by his appearance, he had already went on a flying run to send messages around Gongmen that When would no longer be a threat. "Po...Shen...mission...together...Komodo Dragons...very important..."

Shifu blinked. Then he looked at Fenghuang in disbelief. "Po had just lost an arm fighting this madman, and you allowed him to go on a mission with him?!"

"He used his cutey pouty face on me, I was completely powerless!" Fenghuang exclaimed, raising her wings for emphasis. "Plus this might actually be a decent chance for Shen to learn to be less of an asshole! Because as far as I'm concerned, that personal title isn't going anywhere!"

Cutey? Pouty? Face? She really HAS changed. Rhino, Ox, and Croc each thought simultaneously, blinking in surprise.

Shifu sighed. "And the Kung Fu Council agreed to this decision...?"

"Indeed we did. As risky as we all think it is, Po has insisted that he could handle it. Though there's a high chance his friends have chosen to accompany him, so he won't be completely alone with the man."

"See Shifu? Everything is going to be fine! Shen won't be able to blindside Po if everyone else is watching the latter's back. They'll be fine. Besides, I have the utmost faith in my student. He's not going to be cut down by Shen when an opening is available. Because that peacock already knows the consequences of trying to pull such a stunt while people are watching him." Fenghuang narrowed her eyes. "Mr. Ping has made it quite clear that he will absolutely eviscerate Shen should he do anything to Po."

"...Evisceration? That kind, gentle, caring goose that we've come across that likes to make noodles, dumplings, bean buns and more... has actually threatened evisceration? That can't possibly be true." Croc shook his head in disbelief.

"Listen to me. His son willingly lost a limb saving this jackass. It had taken him an enormous amount of restraint for him to not beat the peacock bloody in the most brutal manner possible, because he didn't want to render his son's sacrifice meaningless. You greatly underestimate the rage of a parent facing someone responsible for their child's pain, adopted or not." Fenghuang shivered. "I'm not even gonna dodge around this. That man, terrifies me when genuinely angered. ME. One of the very few people in China who fought Master Oogway to a standstill...is terrified of an angry goose with a variety of kitchen utensils at his disposal, and he knows how to use them for more than just cooking. Sweet, compassionate, goofy, food-loving Mr. Ping...scares the living hell out of me when he's really pissed off. Just...just let that sink in for a bit."

"The man really knows how to hammer home just how much he cares about Po." Shifu said. "He's also a great reminder that while one can be kind, it is a grave mistake to confuse said kindness with being weak. Shen learned this the hard way, and we pray he doesn't test Po's patience again when he's trying to help him."

"I would hope so. The boy looked very determined to see this through. I'd hate to see him fail because the peacock was being stubborn. But then again, their stubbornness could actually be a very noticeable comparison between the two." Master Rhino nodded.

Everyone agreed that no matter the outcome of that mission, Po and Shen's thoughts on one another will be greatly affected by the experience.

"Perhaps a bit of silliness is needed in the peacock's life. It'll do him more good than he realizes." Master Yao said, hanging from Rhino's arm. "Hmmmm...ooh! Taotie! Would you go and bring your son here to me?"

"What? Why?" The warthog asked curiously.

"Your dear boy has shown an exceptional amount of bravery. While he may be a bit of a lazy bum at times, he knows when to put that aside and do the right thing." Master Yao smiled. "And because of this, there's something that I wish to teach him. I believe he'll like it.~"

(Meanwhile)

"Sooo...Shen. Buddy."

"I'm NOT your buddy."

"Sure ya are! We're hanging out, goin' on a mission to find those Komodo Dragons and kick their tails, this is a fun time!"

"This is a fun time for you. As for me, I have the distinct displeasure of having to deal with a traitor so that precious innocent people won't be harmed by whatever the bloody hell he's planning. It surely won't be much. Lizards don't seem too smart to me."

"...Well. That was just mean." Viper pouted a bit angrily.

"Insensitive much? There's no need to be a grump." Mantis said atop Crane's hat. "Anyway, you know this little Komodo Dragon faction better than we do, obviously. Maybe you could help us figure them out since you know the most about them?"

"I will not be taking orders from-"

"Shen, chill." Po cut Shen off before he could finish. "Mantis wasn't giving you an order, he was asking about what you knew about the komodo dragons. He wasn't trying to look down ln you or anything like that. There's no need to lash out at us every time we ask you for something."

Tigress kept her eyes trained on Shen, keeping notice of his every movement, cautious enough to not trust that he'll keep himself focused on his own, and not attack Po with the clear amount of spite he had left behind his eyes. She'd be there to interfere should things get too serious.

Shen sighed. "You know...I just don't understand your group organization. The striped feline is clearly the most powerful of you youths in terms of physical strength and the most skilled in Kung Fu, and yet she's following this panda as if he's the more capable leader."

Crane tilted his hat a bit. "Don't get this all twisted. We don't have a full-on official 'leader'. But when it comes to making super big decisions or something related to such and the elder members want us to settle it on our own, we'll turn to either of them for guidance." He nodded. "Tigress and Fung have the brains to lead us all. Po has the heart. And so far, while it did lead to some careless decisions, his heart's never let us down yet."

"Speaking of decisions..." Mei Ling lowered her eyelids halfway. Mrs. Yoon, Zeng, Xue, Ànyǐng, and Yao if the Kung Fu Panda dictates it to be so, they've each come to a big decision. They would be staying in Gongmen City as a somewhat permanent settlement. It's becoming too increasingly dangerous for Mrs. Yoon and Zeng to continue tagging along with them, so Shifu would be making the decision to relieve Zeng of his services. Xue and Ànyǐng genuinely wanted to find their own paths in their lives, and have chosen to leave the group on their own. Master Yao's fate was still up for debate. It wasn't certain, but it was very likely that he wouldn't be accompanying them any longer. But Tigress would be sure to make it clear that he is NOT to be crammed back into a box.

"Well...that's their choice to make for the most part. They don't have to stay with us if they don't want to." Po said while adjusting his scarf, Tigress helping him do so. He can definitely understand Mrs. Yoon and Zeng wanting to stay behind. The former survived a very troubking experience and deserved a very long break from all the chaos. The same goes for Zeng. While he may have the nerve, he doesn't have the endurance for all the chaos headed his way, not like Crane. Xue and Ànyǐng will probably have their own lives to live, despite everything that's happened. They didn't seem like the adventurous types. Luckily Po was very understanding about this.

"You don't have much to sorry about in regards to us, big guy. We're definitely here to stay!" Mantis said, pointing a foreleg at himself and the others. "Not sure about the peacock, though..." Shen just huffed in response.

"Shen. The Komodo Dragons. Do you know where a majority of them might be hiding or gathering?" Tigress questioned.

Shen reluctantly complied. "If I remember correctly, I've sent a majority of them to gather at a specific part of the city. It's named the Undercity."

"Huh. Is it because it's a City under another city? Undercity..." Monkey said, rubbing his chin curiously.

"...Your jokes are bland at best."

"So are your feathers. Wanna keep goin'?"

"How dare you-!"

"Monkey. Ease up on the feathers, okay? It's a really sore spot for him." Po cuts them both off. Monkey was surprised for a moment, then he lowered his head.

"Oh...alright. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I realize it'll take a lot of patience to deal with this attitude of his, but trust me when I saw that it'll get easier. He'll grow to like us, and we'll like him right back!"

"Doubtful." Shen rolled his eyes. Tigress growled in response, but didn't strike at him with a surprising amount of self-control.

"Oh boy, this is gonna be a fun time, isn't it?" Crane muttered under his hat.

Mei Ling rolled her eyes as she kept a sharp eye out for anything noticable. They've made it a fair distance away from the busier parts of the city, now into the less populated but still well managed parts of it. This part of the city heavily escaped their attention, so it would be a good place for the remaining Komodo Dragons to hide. Shen confirmed this as he recognized passing by this area when he first began taking control of the city.

"The entrance should be around here somewhere. And it splits off into multiple parts. So we'll have to split up and scour each part of the Undercity. Eventually we'll find Zhou Dan smothering around somewhere within it."

"Okay, again, you're being REALLY mean." Viper hissed lightly.

"It'll be alright, Viper. You won't be going with him. You'll be going with the others while me, Shen, and Tigress hunt down Zhou Dan ourselves." Po suggested.

Tigress nodded in agreement, then pointed ahead to a large, circular grate in the ground, which allowed some sunlight to shine through into the deeper parts of the ground. "Is that an entrance right there?"

"Yes. That would be one of them." Shen confirmed.

"Good." Tigress leaned down as she grabbed hold of the grate, then forcefully pulls it out of the ground and tossed it aside. It was baffling because that should have given her some trouble to lift. "We're going with Po's suggestion and going down to hunt for Zhou Dan. He won't be able to hide from us for long. The rest of you can split up and look for any other entrances and see if there's more Komodo Dragons around. Shen says there's an entire faction, their numbers are bound to be more than a simple three dozen or so."

"Right. So if they try to stop us, we'll kick their butts! Now let's go, Shen!" Po chanted as he jumped down into the hole.

"As if I'm going to blindly follow you into-WAH!" Tigress roughly pushed Shen over, watching him fall into the hole after Po.

The others looked at Tigress with a bit of astonishment. She didn't see anything wrong with what she did at the moment, so she shrugged as she followed the two down said hole, beginning their hunt for the leader of the Komodo Dragon faction.

(Meanwhile)

Soothsayer was thinking about how most of these events began, and how they ended up. For the longest time, she's been thinking about how differently things could have been, how much better things could have possibly been...if she simply didn't reveal Shen's fortune. Significantly less lives would have been lost, or even none at all.

Shen would still have his parents, and possibly the throne with a stable mind. The Warrior of Black and White would still have his mother...there was an entire plethora of possibilities of what could have happened. No matter how many times she tells herself there's little she can do about it now, she still can't stop herself from simply wondering.

What could she have done differently? Would it have made a difference at all? And if it did, just how much of an impact would it have made? Shen has been defeated by a Warrior of Black and White...Po exposed a loophole in that prediction. Shen met his defeat, not his demise. She was actually quite happy with how things have turned out, even if Shen might have to suffer a little more. What just happened to her really won't get on his good side at all.

So there she lay, lying in a pool of her own blood with a knife wound to her heart, as she didn't bother listening to what her assassin had to say. He got into where she was sleeping completely undetected,which proved how dangerous he is, and makes more sense from the organization he's from. A wolf with a black Hood over his head stared down at her with remorseless eyes, and whispered:

"Heilang sends his regards. You've been given you what you wanted. Inadvertently or not, you ruined Shen's life. It's only fair that yours ends as he lives on in his suffering. Since he was betrayed by his best friend, you're the last light of his life...now imagine that look of despair on his face once that light vanishes...and he wasn't here to stop it. That'll be an interesting journey for him, the journey YOU set him on. Long live the Lin Kuei..."

Soothsayer smiled through the blood on her lips. It looks like her journey has come to an end, and Shen would have to continue his without her. But regardless, he had survived this ordeal, and he would survive the others that come after it. He would live. And in the end, that was all she wanted. The panda would do much better than she ever could to guide Shen on a path to happiness, she was sure of it. It would be difficult, but not impossible. There was still hope for Shen. The sacrifice Po made for him has made him begin to question everything he's done up to this point. That alone filled her with hope that there was a chance to turn Shen's life around for the better.

Shen...you and I have had our differences, even when you were a young chick. Those differences only worsened as time went by, and I take full responsibility for it. For not guiding you better, and for not being there for you. I wish I could mend the deep scars of your soul...but it is too late for me. I trust in the panda to succeed...where I have horribly failed. You may not hear me, and even if you did, you might not believe me...but I must get it out of my mind...at least once...

Soothsayer begins to feel the last bits of life leave her being. She wasn't going to waste it calling for help, it was far too late for that. She just wanted to hear herself say it, because she means it with all her heart and soul. These words would be her good luck to him, for the future would be cold and relentless to him...but no matter how much he may abhor it now, he won't be alone anymore. She slowly closes her eyes as the life leaves them forever, and she spoke for the last time:

"Shen...I love you..."