Author's Note: Merry Christmas! Wooo! I got my groove back! I was not expecting to get this chapter done so soon but I am happy I did because I think this turned out great. I hope this has made up for the two month absence. Anyway, more development from our main characters here and... A little surprise that I think a lot of you will love... And trust me, I've got something big planned for this surprise in the future.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KFP (Yeah...)
Enjoy and Merry Christmas.
Lost in Uncertainty
Satisfied hums and blissful chatter fill the air within Dragon warrior noodles & tofu, the restaurant's customers enjoying its homely comfort alongside its delicious food. Some light giggles can be heard through the crowd of hungry citizens as the restaurant's co-proprietor, a panda dressed in green chieftain robes named Li-Shan, plays around with a group of piglets and bunnies whilst serving the customers. Somehow, Mr. Ping's shop always manages to be busy regardless of what day it would be. Sure, some days were slower, but the place had never been completely empty.
Jade orbs look out from the restaurant's kitchen towards the crowd and the elder panda chortling to himself, making the younger panda inside give a warm smile. The fact that the elderly goose had managed to keep the restaurant in such a good state for so long had always impressed Po, then again, maybe his title had helped rejuvenate the place's revenue, especially when his feats of saving China are taken into consideration.
A subtle but noticeable dampness finds its way into Po's smile as the thought of his title invades his mind. In spite of all his feats, all of his triumphs, the panda just can't seem to see himself as Oogway's successor. For some unknown reason, he just doesn't have that same unparalleled joy that he had the first time the ancient turtle gave him this honour. Why? If he is truly worthy of something like this, then why does it feel so wrong?
"Po?" A kooky voice awakens the warrior from his thoughts, this flamboyant voice belonging to his father, Mr. Ping. A goose wearing red robes and a woollen noodle hat on his head. "Is everything okay, son?"
Darting his eyes around the claustrophobic kitchen, Po tries to find some random item to fib about in the hopes that he can keep his thoughts under wraps. However, these attempts quickly fade from his mind as his eyes rest on the brown orbs of Mr. Ping, glazed in concern and empathy. How could he ever lie to his own dad? "Well, um… I… uh…"
Noticing his son stumbling and trailing off in his words, the goose chef ventures a guess, "Is it about your trip tomorrow? It doesn't sound like things are too good." Just before he had taken his post in the kitchen, Po had informed his two fathers about his new mission within the forbidden city. Though they had their concerns, the dragon warrior had managed to keep them calm enough to the point where the goose had given him several coupons to give to the emperor himself.
Po scoffs at the question, "Are you kidding, I get to meet the emperor himself! How could I not be happy about that!?" A small chuckle escapes the goose chef's beak at seeing his son's usual excited self, albeit for a brief moment. "I mean, yeah, it would be nice if there weren't any dead soldiers and stuff but… No, that's not what I'm… *sigh*" The panda holds his head in his paws, desperately scouring the depths of his mind for the right words only to find nothing but those pesky thoughts themselves. "Ugh, how do I explain this?"
"Perhaps I could help?"
Both Mr. Ping and Po turn their heads towards the gruff voice to see grandmaster Shifu standing in front of the ordering counter. "Oh, Shifu. How good to see you, would you like anything to order?" The chef asks the red panda, surprised by his sudden visit.
Shifu shakes his head in response, "Not today, Mr. Ping." Steely blue orbs look to the dragon warrior, his despondence now no longer hidden, "If it's okay with you, I'd like to have a word with your son. In private." Jade orbs gain a slightly baffled glint at the softness in the elderly master's tone.
Brown eyes look towards the panda in question, silently asking if he'd prefer to speak about whatever he is going through with the red panda. After a brief moment of contemplation, Po gives his father a small nod. With that, Mr. Ping turns to the grandmaster before confirming, "Of course you can. But please just tell me what's going on afterwards, okay? I don't want my boy hiding anything from me now, would I?" He jokingly waves a wooden spoon at the dragon warrior, who chuckles at the goose's warning.
"Dad, c'mon. Of course, I'll tell you about it." With a satisfied hum, Mr. Ping heads over towards the kitchen stove to fill out more orders whilst Shifu enters the kitchen.
Gesturing his paw towards the stairs, the grandmaster gives the panda a comforting smile, "Lead the way, dragon warrior." At his suggestion the panda makes his way up the stairs.
Before he can follow his student up towards his room, he is quickly stopped by the bird chef. "Oh, how is master Tigress by the way? Po told me about her nightmare."
At hearing the clear concern in the goose's voice, Shifu offers him a warm smile before assuring him, "She is fine now, thank you." As the two adopted fathers finish their mini conversation, the red panda heads up to Po's room.
Once Shifu opens the door to what was the dragon warrior's bedroom, he is met with a multitude of posters lining the wall, each and every one of them featuring the furious five in some bodacious pose or engaged in some kind of thrilling fight. One thing that the grandmaster notes above all else however, is the sheer number of posters dedicated to Tigress in particular. Why am I not surprised? A mildly amused grin fills the elderly master's face as he looks over to Po sitting on the bed, imagining to himself a younger, even more excitable panda running around the room and pretending to fight alongside the furious five. This exuberance had been absent for the past two days and the red panda can't help but to admit… He misses it. "Po. What's wrong?" He inquires in a serious but delicate tone, trying his best to keep his student comfortable.
Jade orbs look to steely blue, knowing exactly what he means with this question. After all, he has never really been the best at hiding his emotions. He gazes at a poster behind Shifu, a poster of the Jade Palace standing proudly in the golden haze of the rising sun with the furious five bursting out of its front doors and speeding down the thousand steps. His eyes focus on the palace itself, such an ancient treasure, tales of honour and glory etched onto every single pillar holding the place intact. Made from a legacy unmatched by any other warrior.
Gazing at this poster for a few moments, Po finally finds his words, "Well… y'know how Oogway made me his successor?" Shifu nods, his brows furrowing with intrigue. "Well… I… I don't know if he made the right choice…" Steely blue eyes widen, the red panda's intrigue only growing on his student's words. "Maybe I should just be the dragon warrior and fight bad guys… and Oogway can find someone else to continue his legacy…" The panda's voice shrinks into a whisper, a far cry from his usual jovial self. A far cry from the dragon warrior that the grandmaster had spent so long to train.
"What makes you say that?" Shifu asks once more, his voice never shifting from its compassionate timbre.
"Well… I… I feel like…" Po stops himself for a brief second, once again searching for the best way to make his feelings clear. "Whenever you'd ask Oogway something or needed his help… He always had something to say. He was so wise that he just always had a solution for something. That there was no problem he couldn't solve… I… I'm nothing like that…" Shifu looks deep within the panda's eyes as he explains himself, noting his despondence warping into a jade maze of shame. "I don't have the answers…" Po's face falls deeper into despair as he looks to the poster again, his eyes focusing squarely on the illustrated face of his loving tiger. "I… I can't even help my own girlfriend when she needs me… How can I possibly live up to Oogway out of all people when I can't even help the people I love?"
Master and student look to each other, one hoping for some kind of answer, the other's eyes filled with empathy and understanding. Even after everything he has done for them, after everything he has done to protect their home, Po still finds himself unworthy. Shifu takes a few steps closer to the panda before hopping onto the bed and putting a comforting paw on his shoulder. "Po. I know that there is a massive weight on your shoulders, and I know that you may not feel ready for this responsibility yet. But let me tell you something that my master had told me when I had first started training Tai Lung." Jade orbs widen with child-like wonder, though they still contain the hopeless gleam that had been present since their talk had begun. "You cannot have all the answers, when you haven't asked all the questions first." Po ponders on this statement for a bit as Shifu makes his way towards the door, noticing something on the windowsill. He picks up the object and smiles at it, admiring the craftsmanship. Blue eyes look back to the panda, evidently still mentally picking apart the grandmaster's message.
"I know it may be hard to believe in yourself right now." Shifu offers Po a wholehearted smile as the panda snaps out of his rumination. "But just know, that I'm not the only one who will always believe in you." With that, he tosses the object towards the dragon warrior and goes down the stairs. Po effortlessly catches the object before taking a look at it. A soothing warmth fills his soul, the panda smiling as he continues to gaze at the object.
His lucky Tigress action figure.
Whilst this happens, high up in the Jade palace the furious five begin their preparations for tomorrow's adventure to the forbidden city. All except two warriors. Light snores seep out of Crane's room as Viper quietly makes her way out and gently shuts the door. Ever since the events with Nuba, the two had gotten even closer than before. Not to the point of lovers but it is certainly getting close, and the jokers of the palace definitely noticed this. Even Tigress occasionally joined in the teasing, although she has always been far less obnoxious with it. Speaking of which, the serpent warrior turns around to see said tiger walking into her dorm and starting to pack up her things. She enters in after the feline, still worrisome after the nightmare her sister had experienced the night before.
"Viper. Any reason why you're in my room instead of packing?" Tigress inquires with her usual stern demeanour, packing whatever essentials she will need for their trip.
Sky blue eyes wander around the room as the snake master simply answers, "I just wanted to check up on you." Wandering around what though, she doesn't even know. Tigress had never been one for decoration or pizazz, only the bare essentials. While it does give the room a humble aesthetic, it does so at the cost of it looking… interesting. However, even though she hasn't been expecting anything in particular, Viper's eyes notice something sticking out near the feline's travel sack. An action figure of… Po? "Tigress, what's that?" She points at the figure on the tiger's left side, trying to make sure she isn't imagining things.
Said feline turns to the left and picks up the figure, giving a small chuckle as she gazes at the miniature panda. "It's an action figure. Of Po." Amber eyes look towards the snake, noticing her confusion almost immediately. "After we defeated Nuba and we had the week off training, Po had crafted this as a gift for me. He said 'In case you ever feel alone or something, you can have a little mini-me. That way, I'll always be there for you whenever you need me.'" Her smile widens as she recounts this memory, not noticing the even bigger smile plastered onto her serpent sister's face.
"Awe, that is so sweet." Viper coos, happy that the feline has such a thoughtful partner, "But, I never knew you were into action figures." Titling her head, the snake makes her confusion clear to her warrior sister.
"I'm not." This simple response only baffles Viper further, "But this… this is different. Po wanted me to know that no matter what happens, whether he is here or not, that he will always be with me… For that, I cherish it with all of my heart." Sky blue orbs notice the unwavering joy in Tigress' smile, the calm and bright fire in her eyes, the warmth in her soul. Something that she had only ever seen when she was with Po for the past week. Something that she hates to put a damper on, but the serpent has a question that needs to be asked.
Although hesitant to break the tiger out of her bliss, Viper inquires, "Speaking of Po, um… he told us about the rest of your nightmare. Well, after we probed him of course." A nervous giggle exits the serpent's mouth as Tigress' face falls to her usual stern expression. "And I just…" She ponders on her words, hoping not to accidentally aggravate the tiger. Granted, she had gotten softer and more open, but that certainly hasn't taken away from her ferociousness. "I just want know why you still think you're a monster."
Tigress' face softens at this, her mind once again swirling with the vicious, haunting images of her nightmare once more. All morning she had tried to reason with herself on why her mind had even dared to conjure that horrific dream, in her rumination she had only managed to find one answer. "I don't… I'm not afraid of who I am, Viper. Not anymore… I'm… I'm fearful of what I can become." Blue eyes gaze upon the feline in concern, noting her body practically wilting as she sits down onto the floor. As the serpent coils onto the floor with her, Tigress continues, "Over these past few days, ever since I had gained inner peace, found out my past, since Po had confessed his feelings to me… I felt… free. Freer than I had ever felt in my entire life." Viper's eyebrows furrow in pity, hearing the vulnerability in the tiger warrior's whisper. "But now, I can only think of how I had lost myself against Nuba… Now… I can only think about how that freedom may have a cost… That if everyone is taken from me… I will lose myself… and I will never be able to come back."
Viper's empathy only grows as she identifies the tears glistening in Tigress' fiery amber orbs, filled with fear and uncertainty. "Oh, Tigress. Sweetie… Don't think like that." She coos in a gentle, almost angelic voice whilst delicately wrapping her tail around the feline's right paw. Blue eyes give amber a comforting glance and a warm, empathetic smile, "You know who you are deep down. You know that you have never been a monster… and that you never can be. After all, how could you be when you care so much… when you love so much?" Her words flow through the air with an evangelical smoothness, bringing a subtle but clear serenity to the tiger warrior's soul. Seeing a glint of this conflict remain within the feline's eyes, Viper can only think of one more solution.
"I'll tell you what." As she states this, she releases her hold on the feline's paw and slithers towards her travel bag, resulting in a baffled look from the tiger master. Before she can even ask a single question, the serpent warrior snatches the panda action figure away from her, "How about you put this figure away." To emphasise her point, she carefully tosses the figurine into Tigress' travel bag, "Go down to your boyfriend and give him a big kiss, hm?"
This suggestion causes a small smile to find its way onto the tiger's face, "Viper, I can't just run down and start kissing him in front of the whole valley."
Viper raises her eyebrows in a disbelieving fashion, "You did that in front of us."
"Yes, but you and the others are different. You're my family. You understand?" Chuckling at the unexpected meekness in her tiger sister, Viper gives a simple nod in response as Tigress ponders the idea to herself. "Although… that isn't too bad of an idea." She whispers to herself, gaining an intrigued expression from the serpent master until she surprises her further with a hug. "Thank you, Viper. For checking up on me."
Her whisper of gratitude forces a wide grin to take up Viper's face as she coils around the tiger in the best way she can, "Anytime, Tigress." They break their embrace, the snake warrior noticing a newfound joy in Tigress' countenance as she stands up to leave the room. Before she forgets, Viper quietly calls out to the feline, "Do be quiet on the way out, Crane's asleep." She is given a simple nod in response, her tiger sister opening the door with her signature grace and elegance.
However, before she fully leaves a mischievous twinkle fills her eyes, "I just hope you didn't forget to give him a goodnight kiss." Before the snake can even respond to her cheeky little tease, the tiger master swiftly but silently leaves to head down to the noodle shop, hoping to cheer up both herself and the love of her life.
As she passes by the door to Monkey's room, a separate conversation persists inside. "I don't get why you're worried, man. We've handled stuff like this before." Mantis looks to his langur buddy as the two warriors play a game of checkers, the insect clearly losing by a wide margin to his tricky friend.
Master Monkey makes his move on the board, taking off another one of the insect's pieces, "I know, but… this time something feels different, y'know? With Oogway warning us, we have no idea who we're facing and, well, have you seen Tigress and Po?" He finishes, the primate's usually mischievous eyes holding a wave of anxiety within them.
"*Sigh* Yeah." Another piece is moved on the board as the insect master groans his hesitant admission. Just a week ago, those two were practically in heaven but now that all this stuff has happened, he can barely recognise them. He quickly shakes this thought off however, not wanting to make these events anymore troubling than they already are. "But c'mon, if I know the big guy at all he'll be out of this funk once we meet the emperor, and then he will be able to cheer up Tigress too."
In response Monkey raises his brows in a questioning expression before moving one of his pieces on the board, removing the one that the bug had just moved. "Probably… I just don't want anything bad happening in case we get careless."
An exasperated sigh escapes Mantis' mouth as he moves his final piece on the board, not seeing his obvious mistake with his strategy, "C'mon, Monkey. We'll all be fine." He assures his best friend, tired off the gloominess surrounding all of his comrades lately.
A half-hearted shrug is given in response, "If you say so." A cheeky grin slowly crawls onto the langur's face as he moves his checker piece and takes Mantis' final one off the board, "Check mate, by the way."
Hazel eyes stare at the board in confusion as the insect master raises his pincers up, "Am I just bad at this game or something?" He asks no-one in particular.
"I'd say so, bro." Monkey's grin grows as he tries to stifle a chuckle at his friend's expense only to burst into a laughter at seeing the deadpan expression on Mantis' face. Before long a smile slowly finds its way onto the insect master's face as he joins in with his best friend's mirth, now finally seeing his jokester pal back to his normal self.
Unbeknownst to the Jade palace warriors, two golden orbs act as a spectator to their feelings of uncertainty, watching from a place that cannot be seen. A place distant from the cloudy skies, ascending to a plain far beyond mortal reach. Somewhere that can never truly be described, only experienced in its unmatched, ethereal glory. The spirit realm. This silent spectator continues looking down upon the valley, their figure cloaked by a simple white robe as they remain kneeling on the ground.
They are surrounded by a never-ending golden sea accompanied by a shining sky, its godly brightness rivalling that of the sun itself. Regimens of peach blossoms sail through the air as if they're on their own mystical journey, their source standing proud behind the robed figure. A gigantic peach tree, much like the one within the Jade palace, yet this one is far grander in both its size and its majesty. It stays fully rooted in the ground of the robed figure's small island, almost acting like a silent guardian for the spectator.
Said figure gazes into the ethereal sea, its golden waters acting as a window into the mortal realm. There is no malice contained within their eyes, only a soft, regretful flame burning within. As the golden-eyed figure continues watching master Tigress go down the steps, several ripples travel through the water, distorting the picture until the mortal realm simply vanishes amongst the calming golden waves.
"Finally looking to the present, are we?" An ancient gentleness accentuates this question as the robed figure looks towards the source of the voice and in turn, the ripples in the water. Patiently walking on the golden sea with a long jade staff and wearing his trademark grin is none other than master Oogway.
As the wise turtle comes closer towards the robed figure, they finally pick themselves up off the ground and bows to him. "Though it has taken me longer than I'd like to admit, yes." A smooth yet powerful voice addresses the founder of kung fu with a respectful tone.
Bowing back towards the robed figure, Oogway passes by them and heads towards the giant peach tree, "And yet, you see the future." This cryptic statement causes the golden-eyed figure to look upon the turtle in a baffled shock, mesmerised by how the turtle has once again managed to read them with ease.
"Now please, stop hiding yourself… Tai Lung."
Two grey paws grasp the top of the hooded robes before pulling it down, revealing the snow leopard's stern face. "I'm not hiding from you." He replies with a bleakness previously foreign from his voice.
Archaic jade orbs look to the spiritual leopard, "I never said you were." A scoff is given in return to the turtle as Tai Lung turns himself back towards the sea, his golden eyes staring into it like he had done mere moments ago. "Do you still feel ashamed?"
This question rings through the snow leopard's head, bringing his mind back to a darker place. When he had first arrived within the spirit realm. A suffocating blackness had surrounded him, only amplified by the obsidian chains weighing down his body, his soul. Back then, he had thought hell would be far more horrifying than this until he realised the true horrors of his fate within a few hours. In his attempts to get the dragon scroll he had only wound up back in prison. If twenty years had seemed like torture, an eternity of that was a living nightmare. Feelings of doubt, self-loathing and hatred had bubbled up to the surface like they had when he was imprisoned the first time. But there was one key difference.
"After seeing what the dragon warrior has done, how can I not be?" Throughout his time chained within that dark abyss, he was able to see what was going on within the valley of peace. In turn, he had seen Po's training progress. He saw how he had toppled lord Shen and took apart a weapon that he couldn't even dream of taking on. How he had mastered an art long forgotten by his own masters. How he had managed to teach the furious five something his own father had failed to help them with. Upon seeing this, it had finally hit him.
He was wrong.
Twenty years of vengeful fury, decades of feeling cheated out of his title only to finally realise it had never truly belonged to him in the first place. With this revelation, his anger had given way to despair and shame that had burrowed its way deep within his soul. Any of his feats as a warrior had become a distant, shrouded memory. All because of his arrogance, his lust for power. And he could never forgive himself.
That was until Oogway had done that for him. Much to Tai Lung's surprise, the turtle bore no hatred to him and seemed to have completely forgiven him for all of the wrong he has done. "And you seek to do right by him." Taken out of his harrowing memory, the snow leopard nods at Oogway's statement until the elderly master continues, "Yet, there is another who you believe you have wronged. Why?"
Turning himself to face the wise master, the leopard warrior gives him a disbelieving expression. "You think I haven't?" Not a word is given in response by Oogway, the turtle intently listening to whatever the conflicted warrior has to say. "I should've been her brother, her mentor, someone she could look up to and believe in." He growls out, his venomous self-loathing coated in his icy words, "Instead I blinded myself and left her in the dust. I had thrown away everything and left her with what can barely be called a family!" With this exclamation he notices something within the elderly master's eyes, the real reason why let him continue talking. The wise turtle already knows how he feels, he just wants him to admit it. After taking a moment to collect himself, the snow leopard finishes with, "Tigress deserved better back then, and she deserves better now."
"What do you mean by that?" Oogway interjects, his intrigue piqued by the snow leopard's insistence on putting the blame on himself.
Golden orbs look within for a moment, scouring within the depths of his heart and finding exactly what had turned him into something he had never hoped he would become. Finding the part of himself that had ruined everything. "I know what it's like to lose yourself in desperation, in fear of losing what you want most… and this threat…" Tai Lung pauses for a brief moment, his eyes bleeding with a tumultuous rage, "Zhongcheng… he will show them no mercy… He will make their nightmares a reality…" He steps towards the turtle master, his eyes practically pleading to him, "We can't just sit here and do nothing… I have to make things right."
At hearing the growling warrior, Oogway offers him his signature gentle smile before giving his wisdom once more, "Tell me Tai Lung, if you can heal a wound with bandages and stitches, then how do you heal a wound that you cannot see?" Confusion immediately settles within the snow leopard's countenance, "How do you strengthen someone without moving a single muscle?"
Pondering on this for a few moments, Tai Lung finds that he simply cannot reach a conclusion, "I… I don-
His answer is interrupted by the soft tap of a jade staff on his shoulder, "You don't have to answer me yet, my friend. For you will know when the time is right." Oogway's delicate tone glides through the air as he walks slowly heads past the snow leopard, still thinking on the wise turtle's advice.
Before long, Tai Lung turns back towards him, "And when would that…" He stops himself halfway through his sentence, seeing no sign of his master anywhere. After taking a brief second to look around, he confirms to himself that the wise founder of kung fu has simply vanished. An unsurprised scoff leaves his maw, "You will never change, will you?" Golden orbs look back to the vast expanse of the spiritual sea, their shameful flame now replaced by a determined blaze yearning for redemption.
Yup, we're doing a redemption arc baby! I am so excited for what I've got planned down the road. As for this sudden burst of motivation, I guess that was Santa's gift to me. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this extra little present from me. As for next time, we're going back to the villain side... and get ready, cuz it's going to be intense. See you next time, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!