Chapter 4

What happened to you

Tigress was just finishing her morning training when it all happened.

"Masters! There is a panda with green eyes outside the palace gates!" Zeng yelled to the whole hall.

Instantly everything was chaos as all of the masters began to frantically speak and move about the training hall.

Panda? Green eyes? It can't- he couldn't be… Tai Lung thought as Zeng continued to yell excitedly.

The furious five, save for Tigress, began frantically speaking amongst themselves.

"Panda? I thought they were extinct!"

"Yeah, and he has green eyes like those posters!"

"What if he's a threat?"

"We can take him, after all he's just one panda."

Tigress merely stood there as she processed the information in a manner identical to Tai Lung. She had a difficult time believing that her childhood friend could still be alive after more than a decade of being on his own. She was gripped by a feeling that was unfamiliar to her. A mixture of hope and fear writhing and boiling deep within herself.

Shifu watched the chaos unfold before him.

Oogway's vision was true… he thought

Oogway heard the commotion from his place in the master garden and simply smiled to himself as he continued to meditate.

Po stood outside of the palace and stared at the exterior. Thousands of memories were pounding through him and along with them came the seeds of doubt.

What if they don't accept me?

What if they don't want me back?

Will they even recognize me?

So much to contemplate, but so little time. The masters had already approached the gate and opened the doors fully.

"Po?" a familiar female tiger asked.

So many emotions welled up at the same time. He wanted to cry, he wanted to yell, he wanted to laugh, he wanted to hug her, but all he managed was the saddest, weakest smile.

Tigress didn't know what to think. The panda that stood before her was almost unrecognizable. He wore a black robe with the characters "will" and "strength" sewn in white on the front and back. His face was chiseled and rough looking, fixed in a dark expression. He had multiple scars on his face as well, one of which went straight across his left eye. He stood differently as well. He used to stand up straight and confident, but he now stood in a slight hunch and he aired sadness.

She couldn't understand the emotions that had appeared in her, but for some reason when she saw his small smile, affirming that he was in fact Po, she didn't even think as she pounced forward and pulled him into a fierce embrace, tears streaming down her face. She was shocked by what she felt. She didn't feel the plush, soft exterior she was expecting, rather she felt dense, defined muscles.

What happened to him… she thought solemnly.

Po stood there stiffly. The only physical contact he had received in the last twelve years was at the facility when the guards would grab him or when he would get tossed around by the gorilla or Tzu Lin. His eyes widened as the feelings all came back. The feeling of being held tightly was always a precursor to terrible pain and his instincts recognized that. He began to breathe heavily as anxiety was bubbling up inside of him.

The other masters watched in shock at the events happening before them.

"Uhh… Tigress?" Crane said as he noticed Po's reaction. "Ti-gressss? Tigress!"

She shot out of her trance as she heard Crane yell her name. She noticed Po's heart beating abnormally quick and his breathing was abnormally heavy. She pulled away and noticed his pained eyes, as if he was reliving some terrible memory. Her heart sank as the thought crossed her mind again.

What happened to you…

Po was stuck in his trauma driven episode for three minutes as he just stood there, locked in place by fear.

"Po. Po." he heard a faint voice calling his name. "PO!"

He was brought back to reality.

He nearly gasped when he saw who stood before him. He remembered that he had finally made it back to the Jade Palace and that Tigress had just hugged him. He looked at the people who stood before him, three of them were familiar, but there were four he didn't recognize. A crane, a mantis, a monkey, and a viper. He pondered who these new people could be until he was approached by someone he had longed to see for twelve painful years.

"Son…" Tai Lung whispered to Po.

Po couldn't hold back his emotions anymore. He collapsed to his knees and tears began to pour out of his eyes. The relief he felt having made it through Hell and finally returning to Heaven was just so profound that the only reaction he could possibly muster was to weep.

Tai Lung knelt down next to his son, hesitating to touch him. He too was crying silently, for what reason he couldn't decide. Was it out of happiness, relief, sadness, or a mixture of all three?

He slowly pulled Po into a warm hug, one that Po had only ever felt in his early childhood. Po went stiff again for a second before he melted into Tai Lung's arms, continuing to weep. They sat in their embrace for well over five minutes, nothing but could be heard but the sobs of Po and Tai Lung as the others witnessed the reunion of father and son.

Po still couldn't believe that he was back. He was ACTUALLY back. The feeling of joy was almost overwhelming. At this moment, the torture he received in chamber four was little more than a distant memory.

They finally released their embrace once Tai Lung had composed himself enough to speak.

"You've grown so big." Tai Lung's eyes were still brimming with tears and he had a small smile on his face.

Po couldn't muster a response. He had no idea what to say. How could he communicate twelve years of pain and sadness into a few sentences. Instead he just smiled a truly happy smile, something he hadn't done for years.

Tigress was still worried about how he froze up when she hugged him, but for now, she was overjoyed that he was even alive, even more so that he had returned. She locked gazes with Po who was gesturing to her to hug him again. She gladly obliged, plunging herself into his arms and feasting herself on his scent, squeezing him tightly.

Po returned her embrace with equal zeal. The embrace, much like Po and Tai Lung's, carried on until Tigress could finally speak again. She couldn't find any words though, but her eyes communicated everything to Po and vice versa. Twelve years of emotion exchanged between them.

Tigress collected herself before introducing the five to Po.

"There are two others who train here as well, though they are currently on a mission and will return tomorrow." she said after introducing Po and the five.

The next person to appear was Shifu, who immediately scanned Po's entire being, "I see you have not grown complacent during your leave. Good, we can restart training right away."

All of the masters began to walk towards the training hall with an excited looking Po.

Tigress gave her master a sharp glare for the comment before leaving for the training hall with the others.

Inside the hall, Po could barely contain himself. He had always seen Tai Lung training in here and always dreamed of running through the courses himself.

"Po." Shifu spoke up, getting Po's attention.

"Yes master?"

"Before we can begin, or rather, restart your training, I must gauge your current skill level. Are you able to fight?"

Are you able to fight

Just like that, any and all goodness drained out of the world as Po was brought back to his time in chamber four.

Po's memory

"PO! Get your bitch ass out of the goddamn chamber now!"

Tzu Lin tore the door open with incredible strength before seizing Po by the neck and throwing him into the middle of the corridor.

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Po pleaded as tears fell from his eyes.

Tzu Lin bore down on him, his facial expression that of pure rage.

"Get. Up" he growled.

Po obeyed and scrambled to his feet, ignoring the severe pain emanating around his whole body.

It had only been a month since Po had arrived at the facility.

"Are you able to fight?" Tzu Lin's voice was deathly still as he glared at the shivering panda.

Po nodded despite the fact that he was still covered in severe injuries from his latest caning.

"Good. Li!"

The gorilla in the cell across from Po's perked up for a second before cowering behind his bed.

"Y-yes sir?"

"Get out here. NOW!"

Li was out of his cell instantly, standing next to Po.

"Now, you two will be fighting each other. The winner will be rewarded this," He pulled an apple out of his pocket and all the kids in the room felt their stomachs rumble, "apple. The loser will be punished for their weakness with fifteen lashes regardless of condition."

A small crowd of labor wolves had gathered including the ones in white coats. They were all chatting quietly and passing around money, presumably for bets.

"Fight!"

Po and Li looked at each other, hesitant to attack until Tzu Lin cracked his whip. The instant that terrifying sound echoed through the building, the gorilla and panda were fighting each other viciously.

Po held his own using his basic Kung Fu skills to somewhat make up for the size differential, but soon Li had gained the upper hand.

Li launched a wild uppercut that caught Po in the jaw, snapping the sharp tip of his lower left canine off. Po stepped back and clutched his muzzle just before a barrage of punches came his way. He was hit twice more in the face and once in the stomach, each punch holding immense force. Po continued to step back as he coughed up blood. He had mere seconds before a wild haymaker landed on his right eye, opening up a cut right above it.

Po tried to gain his bearings again before attempting to tackle the gorilla in a last ditch effort to win the fight. He managed to hold Li there for a few seconds before Li sunk his teeth into Po's trapezius.

"GAHHHHHH" Po wailed at the absurd pain of his flesh being ground and sliced by the gorilla's teeth.

Out of shock, Po lifted both his paws off of Li resulting in Li delivering quite a few more blows until Po was laying on the ground where Li made sure to stomp his right arm and left leg, breaking them.

In his fading vision, Po could see Li receiving the apple and devouring it greedily as Tzu Lin grabbed him by the neck and dragged him into the whipping chamber, a small, weak whimper escaping Po's lips as he faced another mangling.

Back in reality

Po had heard those God-forsaken words too many times to count and now he was hearing them from Master Shifu.

All of the scars on his body began to burn with a phantom pain and his heart rate increased rapidly as he filled with anxiety, trapped within his own mind.

"Po?" Shifu spoke as he noticed the expression on Po's face.

He poked him in the stomach and Po startled violently yelling out loud until he remembered where he was. He looked around and clutched his aching head as he slowly began to relax. He was safe, everyone was safe, it was all okay.

Po looked at Shifu and nodded.

A smirk came across Shifu's face as he pointed towards the weapons rack.

"Take your pick." Shifu said before turning his attention to Tigress, "Tigress, you will be sparring with him today, choose a weapon."

The pair walked up to the weapon rack scanning it for something that caught their eye. Tigress quickly grabbed a meteor hammer while Po chose a much less elegant giant, spiked mace.

They walked to the sparring grounds and squared off.

"Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you were gone for twelve years." Tigress said.

Po didn't hear her, he was still too caught up in reliving the past to notice her playful banter attempt.

"Fight!"

The gong rang out and Po was filled with anger. Not anger at any person or anything, just feral, wild anger that was more of a survival tactic than an emotional response. He knew he needed to win this bout lest he face the whip and not get the apple again.

Tigress could tell something was off with Po as he roared and charged her with unexpected speed and grace. Looking in his eyes, they were… feral looking, as if he was a cornered animal striking out in defense of itself.

The sad thought passed her mind again.

What happened to you…

She could muse no more, though, as the enormous spiked mace flew towards her head with enough force to level a building. She managed to duck before it knocked her head off.

She looked up at Po in surprise and somewhat in fear as he raised the mace once more. Tigress rolled out of the way just before it hit the ground where she was standing, leaving a large dent where it hit.

Tigress took this time to go on the offensive, swinging her meteor hammer around elegantly and launching it like a rocket at Po's stomach. It hit its mark with a thump and Tigress smirked thinking she had just won the battle. Anyone who took a hit like that would be doubled over, projectile vomiting right now, but, much to her dismay, Po was barely affected and continued to press forward, mace raised high above his head.

Tigress decided she needed to disarm him before she could win so she aimed her meteor hammer at the mace, wrapping it up before yanking it out of Po's hands. Po looked up and growled before charging her wildly. The move was sloppy and unrefined, but he moved at such a speed that Tigress couldn't dodge. Po tackled her with great force, leaving a dent in the floor where they landed.

Tigress gasped for air as her ribs were crushed, as Po reared back getting ready to finish it. He threw a mighty punch that sent a small shockwave through the training hall. Tigress managed to dodge just in time. Po's fist hit the floor, shattering part of the floor and shaking the building.

Tigress looked up in horror at Po. That punch would have been lethal no matter what had it landed.

Po lifted his mangled fist out of the ground, rearing back once more, and for a moment Tigress was terrified.

"Stop!" Shifu suddenly shouted, jumping forward and throwing Po off Tigress.

He pounced on the panda, pinning him to the ground. He half expected Po to kill him until he noticed that his eyes no longer looked feral. Now they just looked dead. Shifu got off Po and rushed over to Tigress.

Po stood up slowly, noticing the horrified expression on all of the spectator's faces and the destruction caused to the hall. He looked at Tigress and saw the state she was in. He looked at his twisted, deformed paw. Then he looked at his father.

Horror. The only word that can describe the scene Po created.

Horror. The only word to describe Tai Lung's face.

Horror. The only thing Po can feel.

Po began walking towards the door of the hall, the group parting to let him through. They stared after him, wordless.

Po exited and began walking, just walking. He didn't know where he was going, but that didn't matter. As long as he could close himself off from the world, he didn't care.

Tigress felt vaguely sad, but she was too focused on the suffocating pain coming from her midsection. Her ribs were totally shattered and she felt like her lungs were crushed.

She continued to gasp for air, unable to speak and just barely alive.

"Get Master Oogway! Now!" Shifu commanded.

The group was shocked out of their trance and instantly Mantis was zipping away to get Oogway.

The aged turtle entered the room at speeds that shouldn't be possible for one of his age. He ran up to Tigress and immediately started doing a technique alien to any of the masters in the hall. A golden light exited his hands and slowly began to cover Tigress until she was no longer visible. This continued for multiple minutes, until it finally faded.

Tigress gasped loudly, filling her lungs with as much air as she could. Her ribs still felt sore, but they were no longer broken. She continued to breathe heavily to the point that she felt lightheaded. She sat up and felt her ribs, before looking around the training hall. She saw the other masters looking on in concern as she stood up.

"W-where's Po?" She asked.

She needed to find him and have him explain what that whole thing was about.

Tai Lung pointed through the door sadly and Tigress instantly rushed out finding Po walking slowly towards the stairs.

"What the fuck was that!?" She asked.

Po froze and Tigress walked up to him. Her anger quickly turned to sadness as she noticed the look in his eyes. They looked dead and grey like his soul left his body.

Po looked up at her, "I'm sorry."

Tigress reached her paw out to comfort him, but he stepped back, looking at her in horror.

"Don't touch me. What if I hurt you again?"

He let the question hang in the air as he turned around and continued walking. Tigress stood there dejectedly watching him walk off before turning around and walking to her room in the palace.

Po ended up walking for a considerable amount of time until he reached a mountain with a trail leading up it. He hiked to the top, dripping little bits of blood from his hand as he did.

He reached the top and was greeted by fog. Suddenly a voice spoke out.

"Ahh, I see you have arrived, young one."

Suddenly the fog cleared in a great gust of wind, revealing a beautiful rock formation with a shallow pool of water in the middle in the shape of a yin and yang.

Master Oogway stood before Po, smiling calmly.

"Why have you come here, young one?" He asked warmly.

Po thought for a second, "To prevent anyone else from getting hurt."

Oogway chuckled, "You think this is the first time someone has gotten a life threatening injury during training?"

"Did you see what I did? I'm a monster." Po said dejectedly.

"You are no monster, Po. You are merely a lost soul. I'm sure Tigress can understand how that feels."

Oogway looked up in thought for a moment, "You know I used to have a saying. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift-"

"That is why it's called the present." Po interrupted, "How is that supposed to help?"

"Well I decided to amend my statement. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today can be whatever you want, but you must seize the opportunity." Oogway chuckled, "Doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well."

"I don't understand." Po said, shaking his head.

"Ahh, young Po. You cannot change the past and we don't know the future. The only guarantee we have is the here and now. The present is a gift given to us to shape into whatever we wish."

"But what if they don't accept me?"

"Po, acceptance is not what you seek. What you seek is forgiveness." Oogway smiled at Po, "Besides, that wasn't the real you anyways."

Oogway stood up and vanished into the distance allowing the fog to settle around Po once more. Po looked around in confusion before suddenly realizing his hand was completely healed.

Po looked forward with determination and began running back towards the Palace… no, his home.

He arrived at the Jade Palace somewhat out of breath. He threw the doors open and walked in finding all of the masters, save for Oogway, gathered near the moon pool. They all turned and faced Po as he walked up to them and instantly fell to his knees bowing as low as possible.

"Please forgive me masters!" He shouted.

The masters all looked over to Tigress who seemed happier now and she nodded.

Po looked up at the masters and they all nodded. He stood and placed his right fist in his left palm bowing once more.

"Thank you for your forgiveness." He said, holding back tears.

Thank you, Master Oogway

XxXXXxX

Po had been laying in the room he was assigned for a few minutes before falling asleep.

Suddenly he awoke in an all too familiar place.

Nightmare-scape

Po stood up and looked around. His eyes widened in terror as he saw where he was. Black, grey, stone walls surrounded him, and a door stood before him.

Chamber four.

*Drip*

*Drip*

*Drip*

That noise. That horrible, haunting noise. Po felt sick. Was it all just a dream? Did he never escape chamber four after all?

This can't be happening. This can't be happening

Suddenly the door opened and Po was faced with a man he hoped he would never see again.

Tzu Lin stood before him, holding his barbed whip.

For some reason, Po tried to run, but Tzu Lin kicked him to the ground and began lashing him with the whip, tearing open his back and sending sharp pain through his body.

After fifteen lashes Tzu Lin let up, allowing Po to roll over onto his back, laying in shock until a large shadow covered his vision.

Tzu Lin grinned wickedly down at Po. He seized him by the head and turned him around revealing a bucket filled with water.

"Please no-"

Po's head was thrust into the bucket. Immediately his lungs and throat were filled with water as he tried in vain to suck air in. He was held there for multiple minutes until Tzu Lin brought him back up. Po managed one watery breath before Tzu Lin shoved him back in. Po tried to scream but only bubbles came out.

Reality

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Po screamed, sitting up on his bedroll.

He leaned forward, resting his face in his palms and beginning to quietly weep.

The other masters had all woken up and were immediately in his room to see what was wrong.

Tigress looked over the shirtless Po's back. She noticed how muscular he was, but the main thing that had her attention was the giant brand on his back. The mark of Tzu Lin.

Tigress grew sadder than ever as the thought repeated itself in her head one more time.

What happened to you…

Holy shit I am so so so sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I hope it wasn't too much of a disappointment. It took some time because I was having severe writer's block and I have been working on two other stories simultaneously. I don't know when chapter five will be out, but hopefully it'll be up before April. If you want more consistent updates, then go check out my main fic "The Fallen" (Shameless plug. I know). I've been trying to get more attention to that fic because it is my main one so it would be great if you checked it out. Anyways, please follow/fav/review and stay safe.