Author's Note: Hey people! Another chapter, another ways to go for the story to really get moving! All I'll say is if you wanted more furious five interactions, well, you're in for a treat! Plus, another surprise waiting for you guys! Anyways, lets get on with it!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KFP! (OBVIOUSLY)
Enjoy.
A Disturbing Omen
Hours pass by, the sun lowering its position in the sky as a lone eagle soars through its cloudy maze. To the naked eye however, she looks more like a golden blur, her elegant imperial robes acting as a trail due to her tremendous speed. They cling to her body tightly as the air still ruffles its majestic fabric, her wing's muscles aching an unbelievable amount. All because of one object stuffed in her messenger bag. A scroll sealed in a red case; the pattern of a jade dragon embedded onto it. A desperate message from the emperor himself.
Focused blue eyes widen in relief at the sight of the Jade Palace piercing into the clouds. After two days of constant flying, she has finally reached the valley. Her destination now so close, the exhausted messenger feels a burst of energy surge through her body, flying faster so that her lord's message can finally reach its recipients in time. Hopefully.
Meanwhile, within said Palace's training hall, the furious five and dragon warrior have recommenced their rigorous training with another sparring session. This time however, Po has divided them up in a different, and arguably fairer, way. This time Viper and Monkey fight on the spinning logs, with the langur connecting a powerful elbow to his serpent sister's jaw. She flies off into the logs below, but manages to snap out of her momentary daze to coil around logs and spin with them. Monkey's mischievous eyes concentrate on his slippery opponent, unconsciously dodging the swinging clubs of oblivion with ease. No matter how prepared he is, however, it can't spare him for what Viper has planned. She releases her hold on the log at just the right moment and follows through with its momentum, spinning in the air until her tail makes contact with her opponent.
Crack!
Monkey puts his arms up to block the strike, only for it to snap one of his gauntlets in half and whip his arm with a loud crack. He yelps in response to this painful strike and leaps back before he shakes his stinging arm, a red hot bruise now branded on it. Not letting this sting distract him for long, he quickly parries a follow up strike from Viper and throws her towards the jade tortoise. He leaps after her, landing on the bowls edge just as she slithers her way out of the bottom of the bowl. "Sorry brother, I didn't mean to hit you that hard." Viper wholeheartedly apologises as she shifts back into her fighting stance.
A light-hearted smirk is given in response, "Eh, nothing I can't handle, now c'mon!" Monkey enters back into his inner peace stance whilst his serpent sister returns his smirk in kind.
Whilst this all happens, Tigress faces Crane and Mantis in the gauntlet of wooden warriors in a 2v1 match. Tigress and Crane trade blows, with each combatant managing to bat away the barrage of wooden limbs attacking them from all sides. As they do this however, a speeding green bullet skips around each wooden warrior's arm, waiting for an opening in the tiger master's defence. Noticing his comrade's strategy, Crane feigns a talon strike, baiting Tigress into attacking him only for him to grab her paw with his talon and drag her towards him. Mantis bolts over to one of the arms behind his opponent and shoots towards her with his leg extended out. Unfortunately for him, Tigress is fully aware of their tactics and follows through with Crane's pull, allowing her to place her paw on the ground and transition into a one-armed handstand before hitting both her attackers with an upside-down split kick.
This sends Mantis flying back into the gauntlet whilst dazing Crane as it connects right into the bottom of his beak. She takes advantage of the confusion and cartwheels into the other side of the gauntlet as the dazed avian walks backwards, allowing himself to be hit a few times by the warriors. It doesn't take him nor Mantis long to recover and get back into the rhythm of dodging these wooden limbs. However, something new catches them by surprise.
Tigress has seemingly vanished.
Yellow irises narrow in suspicion, focusing on where the tiger could be in this field of warriors. Luckily for the tiger, the faded red colouring of the warriors allows her to blend in with them fairly well. A luxury that isn't particularly helpful for her white winged opponent. He looks through the spinning warriors only to find nothing but the speedy blur of his insect comrade hopping around. That is, until he feels the air shift behind him. Crane immediately turns around and catches Tigress' flying kick with his talon before forcing her foot to the ground. Before he can press the advantage however, Tigress does a double leg sweep, forcing him to back away as she kicks up off the ground and back into her fighting stance. Without a single word spoken, the two warriors begin to trade blows again with Mantis sneaking in fast yet powerful strikes in between.
Both Po and Shifu watch over the two matches, with one master far more focused on these fights than the other. Steely blue eyes chance a glance at the dragon warrior, noting how his eyes are keeping track of his students fights and yet they're not at the same time. Almost as if he's zoning out, but his eyes darting back and forth between the fights definitely don't suggest that. Not only that, but his more reserved and held-back expression is certainly unusual. Perhaps it's the same thought that had been disturbing him three days ago. Just as Shifu goes to inquire about his student's odd behaviour, he is interrupted by the doors to the training hall bursting open.
"Master Shifu! D-dragon warrior!" Zeng's unexpected announcement catches the attention of all seven masters as the goose nervously waddles towards the two spectators. "There'sanurgentmessengerfromtheforbiddencityhereand-
"Woah Zeng, slow down." Po calms the perpetually anxious bird down as he kneels down to get to his level, taking several calming breaths with him until he is no longer hyperventilating. "Okay, now what's going on?" He inquires with a gentle voice, knowing how easy it is for the Palace's messenger to get anxious.
After taking one more deep beath, Zeng quivers again as he informs the seven masters, "There is a m-messenger from the forbidden city in the courtyard, she says that she has an urgent message from the emperor himself." The goose practically squeaks the last part out as a sense of shock strangles the air of the training hall.
"The emperor?" Shifu mutters to himself, a grave feeling worming its way into his stomach.
Po's surprised face slowly morphs into an expression of undeniable excitement. He shoves himself inbetween Zeng and Shifu with his usual fanboy energy. "No way! We get to meet the emperor!? Holy crap, this is like a dream come true!" He squeals out in utter joy only to be interrupted by a slight shove from Tigress' shoulder.
"Po." He turns to face her, immediately noticing the immovable seriousness engraved into her features. A face that says 'Now is not the time for this'. As the panda shifts his gaze to the rest of the five, their anxious eyes make this message abundantly clear.
He clears his throat and sheepishly apologises before putting on the sternest face he can, though Tigress is able to pick out the latent excitement lying dormant in his eyes.
With the dragon warrior's overexcitement now tamed, Shifu slowly asks, "Are you absolutely sure?"
Zeng nods his head so rapidly he almost breaks his neck, "She's wearing the imperial crest, master Shifu."
All seven warriors of the Jade Palace exchange glances with each other, already hearing the phantom alarm bells ringing in their heads. If the emperor of all people needs them so urgently, then it cannot be good. Regardless of this foreboding feeling, the furious five and dragon warrior all nod to the grandmaster, ready for whatever new journey awaits them. Without a single word, they head out of the training hall.
Within a few minutes they arrive at the palace's courtyard, a white feathered eagle standing in front of the Palace's gates, her golden robes glistening in the glory of the sun as its blue trim matches the gentle pigment of the sky. Seeing the warriors approaching, she gently takes out the scroll from her messenger bag, its remarkable craftsmanship immediately making the dragon warrior's jaw hang open. As the seven warriors stop in front of her, the eagle messenger bows deeply. "Furious five, dragon warrior, grandmaster Shifu; It is an honour to be in your presence." Shifu nods his head as his students stand behind him, paws, wings and other posable limbs behind their back with a lingering anxiousness hanging in the air.
Getting on with it, the eagle messenger presents the scroll to the grandmaster who takes it in his paw with carefully, almost as if it'll fall apart if mishandled. He cracks open the seal and slides the scroll out of its casing before unfurling it. His eyes scan through the parchment's contents, their stern demeanour soon shattering into horror and then finally wilting into despair. That… That's not possible…
"Master? What does it say?" Tigress's gentle voice snaps him out of his terrified thoughts. Before he looks to his students, Shifu briefly shares a glance with the messenger eagle, wordlessly asking if this is real. She can only stare back with a melancholic resignation.
His hopes practically decimated, Shifu turns back to his pupil, their anxious expressions only amplified due to their master's horrified reaction. With a whispery, despondent sigh, he reads out the message, his voice sombre and hollow, "To the masters of the Jade Palace, I would much prefer to invite you over to our grand city in better circumstances. Alas, something truly terrible has happened. Over the course of two days, the forbidden city has been brought to its knees." The furious five look to each other with wide eyes as Shifu's horror infects them. Two days? Their capital has been brought to its knees in two days? What kind of force is possibly capable of doing that? Perhaps its mere hyperbole? Yes, that has to be it. It has to be. Whilst the five share these thoughts with mere glances, Po keeps his gaze firmly planted on Shifu, an unyielding seriousness carved on his face. "Several squadrons of our imperial guards have been reported missing, our central hospital has received over a hundred patients within a single day, all suffering from delusions of their greatest nightmares." All six students look to their master in shock, millions of questions trying to break through in their eyes, yet they remain silent as they anxiously wait for their master to finish reading the letter. "This is not all, for the doctors have informed me that they are in such a state that they cannot eat, drink or sleep. It is only a matter of time until the worst will come to pass for them." A tear threatens to creep out of Viper's eye at this, knowing precisely what the emperor means. "None of us have any idea who could be behind this, nor have they left any evidence behind, yet I can already tell that our forces will simply not be enough to take on this phantom menace. Masters, I beg for your help. I cannot let my home fall like this, and I will do whatever it takes to keep my people safe. I await your arrival, and I pray that this message will arrive before it is too late to save our home. May the Gods bless you, the son of heaven, your emperor."
All masters are left speechless at this letter, the countless number of questions maintained in their minds all evaporating to make way for one. One question that none of them can answer. How can they stop someone as powerful as this? Especially if the best of the imperial army has been practically useless against them. Alas, they can't think on this question for long. Regardless of how they'll do it, the people of the forbidden city need help, and they can't keep them waiting. Shifu seals the scroll back in its casing and hands it back to the messenger eagle, "Tell the emperor that we'll be there as soon as we can." With a swift nod, the eagle places the scroll back in her bag and bows to the masters once more before shooting back up into the sky, speeding off to the forbidden city.
"I can't be the only one getting déjà vu from this, right?" Being the first warrior to snap out of their shocked stupor, Mantis quips to his fellow companions, though his voice is far from cheerful.
Breathing out a sombre sigh, Monkey puts his paws on his hips as he answers the insect planted on his shoulder. "Unknown enemy. Missing people. It certainly sounds familiar." He shares his best friend's same unnerved tone, recent memories of Nuba's merciless plot circling around his head.
Crane steps towards his brothers-in-arms, a thoughtful expression forming on his face. "But unlike last time, hundreds of innocent people are trapped in some kind of nightmare. We'll need to be extremely careful." Whilst Mantis and Monkey nod at this, he hears Tigress hum in agreement as her shock shifts to rumination. Leave it to her to try to plan things out so soon.
"We can save the discussion for later." Shifu interrupts them, his usual stern demeanour returning to him once more. "We'll be heading to the forbidden city immediately, so pack whatever you may need and meet me at the docks." All six of his students bow in response and head back to the barracks, leaving Shifu to motion towards a certain trembling goose. "Zeng, arrange for Gongniu to protect the palace while we're gone."
"O-of course, master Shifu." He attempts to fly off, only to let out a puny squawk as he collides with the front door to the hall of heroes. Shifu only watches on in pity as Zeng manages to recover, and flies off again. With the valley of peace now in the safe hands of Xiwang valley's own chief, the grandmaster hurries down the thousand steps, hoping that he can secure a boat in time.
Whilst their master does this, the furious five and dragon warrior all burst into their rooms, packing any essentials they'll need. That is until… "Aw, c'mon!" At Po's shout, his five comrades peak their heads out of their rooms just as the panda leaves his. Knowing just what they're going to ask, the dragon warrior quickly tells them, "I left some stuff at my dads' again." He facepalms himself before heading out of the barracks, "I'll see you guys at the docks." As the rest of the five enter their rooms again, Tigress follows Po out on all-fours. It doesn't take long for her to catch up with him, which Po notices immediately. "Don't you need to pack?"
Her signature small smile coats Tigress' face as she replies smoothly, "I pack light, remember?" Before gesturing to the small medical bag strapped to her waist.
"Oh, right." A meek chuckle escapes her panda as the couple make their way down the thousand steps.
As they head down to Dragon warrior noodles and tofu, Mantis hops out of his room and enters into his best friend's. He notes the countless amount of fun nick-nacks littering the room, ones that they both insisted on collecting whenever they had gone to another city or valley. Though he smiles at these stray memories of fun adventures, he takes notice of the dour aura infecting the room, more specifically his langur friend hastily packing things into his travel pack. "Nervous?"
Monkey momentarily stops at his friend's gruff voice, but immediately continues shoving trinkets, spare clothes and a few lucky charms into his travel pack. "A little, yeah." He admits without hesitation, not wanting to hide anything from his best buddy.
"How come?" Mantis hops to his friend's side, his hazel irises curious as to what he is shoving into his travel bag.
Monkey raises his eyebrows at his insect brother in an incredulous fashion, "You heard what Shifu said. I mean, whoever is doing this stuff sounds like Nuba but even more brutal… If that's even possible." He goes to put more of his belongings in his travel bag only to double back after noticing Mantis' lack of any bags, not even medical supplies. "Aren't you packing anything?"
Only a shrug is given in response, "Ain't got much to pack. I just switched out my wrappings with some fresh ones."
"Really? Don't we need, like, formal clothes when we meet the emperor?"
Mantis gives his langur brother a deadpan look, "Is this a formal occasion? I don't think the emperor really cares about that if his city is in danger." Monkey hums in agreement, only to stuff some more extravagant looking gauntlets into his bag just in case. After all, it'll save him the trouble of having Shifu yell at him for being disrespectful. In spite of their idle chit-chat however, the langur master simply can't get rid of this… weird despondence hanging in the air. Something just isn't sitting right with him about this mission and he can't tell what it is. Fortunately, Mantis notices this, "Hey c'mon, bro. We've had to deal with crazy, world-ending threats and have managed to pull through before. What'll the difference be now?"
Though he admires his friend's confidence, Monkey simply can't share that sentiment with him, especially after his brief moment with Viper yesterday. "I don't know, and that's the problem."
Soon this confident spirit is drained from Mantis' eyes as he realises just what his primate buddy means. At the end of the day, no matter how big or small the mission is, anything could happen. And after Nuba's heartless rampage, that reality had barged its way into their minds without so much as a warning. It's stupid to try and brush this off, but losing sleep over it certainly won't help either. A cheeky twinkle flickers in Mantis' hazel eyes as he hops on his best friend's shoulder, a mischievous smile on his face. "I'll tell ya what, when we get through this one, and we will, I'll ask the emperor if he can spare any of his… lady friends, hm? My treat."
A grin crawls onto Monkey's face as his eyes widen in surprise at this ridiculous proposition. Soon his mirth extends into a chuckle, the langur turning his head to his brother on his shoulder. "We both Know that'll never happen."
"Oh, trust me it will."
Monkey chuckles again as he imagines the emperor chasing Mantis around the imperial palace at the mere suggestion. Now that would be one heck of a sight to see. His smile widens further, that despondence being pushed to the back of his mind. "Alright, I'll hold you to it." He pauses for a brief moment, his countenance mirroring the mischief present in his friend's. "20 almond cookies that the emperor will chase you around the forbidden city for even suggesting that."
A confident smirk takes hold of Mantis' lips, "50 that he'll happily 'reward China's heroes.'"
"Deal." Monkey softly bumps his fist against Mantis' claw-thingy, the two brothers now looking forward to their upcoming mission. Probably a bit more than they should.
"So, you ready?" Mantis hops off his brother's shoulder as he stands up, travel bag in paw.
"You bet… Race ya!" After swiftly slinging on his bag, the langur master zooms out the door with his slightly surprised friend in hot pursuit. They just about miss Crane and Viper on the way out as they run through the barracks halls, leaving the two warriors in an enthusiastic befuddlement.
"Well, they seem excited." Viper giggles at the two best buddies' antics, slithering alongside Crane who carries a fairly modest bag whilst she only holds some medical supplies.
A light scoff exits Crane's beak, "Probably made another dumb bet or something."
His serpent friend manages the best shrug she can due to her lack of shoulders, "Or maybe they just want to meet the emperor really badly. I know Po certainly does." She giggles once more, imagining her panda brother's goofy antics once they arrive within the illustrious city of heaven.
"Hm, would be nice if it were under better circumstances." Crane sighs, his yellow irises focused on the ground. The unnerving similarities of this mission and their last were gnawing at his mind the entire time he was packing. Not to mention that they now have to free an entire city from some kind of mental prison before they… Shivers crawl up his spine just at the mere thought of it. Just as those shivers stop however, he feels something else crawl across his body. No, someone. He pulls himself out of his rumination to see Viper coiled around his torso, a gentle smile on her face.
Her sky-blue eyes shimmer with compassion as they practically hypnotise the avian into smiling back. "Luckily for me," She pauses for a brief moment to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, "I've got my brave bird to keep me company." She snuggles her head into the crook of his neck as her affectionate voice kisses Crane's ears. His smile soon turns sheepish as he feels a tender warmth blossom all over his body, casting his previous worries to the back of his mind. He slows his stride, taking time with each and every single step. No need to let this moment go so soon.
As the rest of the five finish packing, Po and Tigress head into dragon warrior noodles and tofu. Fortunately, they've just managed to miss the lunch rush and are now met with an almost empty restaurant with the exception of a few stragglers here and there. Stragglers that immediately run up to the two legendary warriors with posters and scrolls out, asking for autographs. A bashful smile crosses Po's face as he picks up their quill and signs a few whilst Tigress, as per usual, gives them a respectful bow instead.
Just as these last few customers leave the premises, Mr. Ping takes notice of the warrior couple. "Ah, there you are you two love birds, how is everything?" The dragon warrior can't help but to bunch up his shoulders at his dad's teasing whilst Tigress gives her panda a soft smile.
"Everything's going great, dad." A light embarrassment slinks into the panda master's voice until he reminds himself exactly why he's here, "Well, almost."
A quizzical expression plasters itself on the goose chef's face, but before he can ask, Tigress explains, "We're going out for a mission and Po left some stuff in his room, again." She gives Po a sly look, the panda only flashing her a cheeky smile in response. Damnit, why is he so cute? Funny to think that she'd scold herself for even thinking that a little more than a year ago.
"Ah, figured as much. I saw Shifu run past." Mr. Ping waddles his way over to the bottom of the stairs, "Li-Shan! Po's here, he needs to grab a few things so he can save China again!" He hollers up the stairs, his wings placed on his hips. Po humbly looks down to the floor, whilst a wholehearted smile covers Tigress' face at Mr. Ping's undeniable pride for his son.
"Cuddles!" A young, sweet little voice yells back from the top of the stairs, making both warriors' eyes widen. Now that's unexpected.
"I'm coming down!" Li-Shan's voice follows after, with said panda thundering down the steps, an unexpected visitor cradled in his arms. Tigress' smile widens as she notices the violet-eyed panda cub trying to wriggle her way out of the panda chief's grip so she can run up to 'Cuddles'.
As they make it to the bottom of the steps, Lei-Lei lets out a joyful gasp, her eyes shining so bright they rival the sun itself. "Stripey-baby!" She reaches out for the tiger, warming her heart in a way that she can't possibly explain. Noticing this immediately, Li-Shan gives 'Stripey-baby' a tender smile before giving the panda cub to her. Tigress embraces the little cub, making her giggle to her heart's content. "I miss stripey-baby."
Her smile managing to widen even further, Tigress ruffles the fur on Lei-Lei's head. "I missed you too." Po can't help but to smile at the adorable sight. Unfortunately, the forbidden city can't wait.
"Okay, just need to get a few things." He mutters to himself before running up the stairs, leaving Tigress with his dads.
All three of them stay in silence as Tigress enjoys her moment with Lei-Lei, enjoying every little giggle and smile that the little panda cub would give her. It isn't long until Mr. Ping nudges the panda chief with his wing and shifts his eyes from him to Tigress. Li-Shan follows his goose friend's eyes, immediately getting the message, yet a glint of uncertainty makes its presence known in his weathered jade orbs.
"Stripey-baby kung fu!" Lei-Lei's adorable shouts snap him out of his thoughts as he looks to the little panda now imitating several punches and kicks, Tigress watching on with an adoring smile on her face.
Amber irises Shift their gaze over to the two dads as the tiger master crosses her arms, "Now how long were you planning on hiding her from me?" Her silky voice taking on a playful tone as her eyes look on in question.
"Heh, well, funny thing about that… um… well, I don't know about funny but…" Tigress' playful expression falters as she hears the uneasiness in Li-Shan's usually boisterous voice. Just to confirm her suspicions, the panda chief lets out a great sigh. "A couple of pandas brought her here two days ago… uh… Grandma panda passed away about a week ago." Amber orbs shrink in sorrow, darting towards the little panda cub who still punches and kicks at the air, stuck in her own little world. "And um, well, no-one else in the village is able to take care of her because…" Another morbid sigh escapes Li-Shan's maw, "Her mom died during childbirth… And her dad soon fell ill afterwards... He didn't survive either..." Tigress' heart drops. That poor little girl. "And now, everyone else is either taking care of their own kids or are simply too busy to take care of her. So, they asked me if I could…. And… Knowing how much she likes seeing you and how much you like spending time with her… I thought it'd be best." The tiger master can't take the sorrowful expression off her face as she walks back over to Lei-Lei. She takes the cub in her paws, who only looks at her despondent expression in befuddlement, and embraces her again. An innocent smile brightens up Lei-Lei's face as she giggles in her 'stripey-baby's' soft arms.
The sight of the two warms the two dads' hearts, making Mr. Ping to nudge his panda friend again. A knowing smile fills Li-Shan's face, now filled with certainty. They're both so happy together, and the kid truly loves kung fu. It only makes sense. Now how on earth does he say this? He thinks through this for a few moments only for his mind to draw a blank. Several times he opens his mouth only to close it in defeat. Seeing that at this rate, the panda will never say anything, Mr. Ping asks in a gentle voice.
"Tigress… Have you ever considered being a mother?"
Amber orbs widen in shock. A mother? Me? Out of all of the thoughts she has had, out of every fantasy she had ever dreamed of… Being a mother had never come to her mind. Most times she assumed she'd die in battle long before she'd even have the chance of having children. Other times she believed that she wouldn't be able to have any since she had never seen another tiger. For so long it had seemed like such a pointless thing to even consider. Now, however? Lei-Lei needs someone to look after her, to nurture and care for her. But how can she possibly do that? She's a kung fu warrior, trained to be the strongest in all of China. Besides, Li-Shan and Mr. Ping are much more experienced parents than her, she'd be in better hands with them. Yet, as she looks into Lei-Lei's massive violet eyes, something in her heart beckons her to take a chance. Some feeling that she can't describe yet knows extremely well at the same time. "I…"
"Alright! I'm ready!" Po interrupts Tigress, presenting himself from the bottom of the stairs in his straw hat and holding his jade yin-yang staff in his paw. He puffs his chest out proudly, 100% certain that his fantastically awesome attire will wow the emperor easily. To his confusion, both his dads stare at him with deadpan expressions. "What?" He chirps out, wondering just what he did wrong this time.
Tigress smiles at her panda wholeheartedly, knowing just how excited he is to meet the emperor. "It's nothing, Po." She walks in front of him, gently placing a paw under part of his robes and onto his furry chest. Her panda can't help but feel fuzzy at her loving touch yet he also can't help but chuckle at Lei-Lei's awestricken expression.
"Cuddles awesome!"
"She's right, you do look 'awesome'. But, are you sure this is necessary for meeting the emperor?" She raises her eyebrows in question, softly rubbing his chest with her paw.
Po follows up her question with an incredulous expression, "Well, duh. I gotta blow his mind, y'know!? This is the son of heaven we're talking about, baby! I gotta show him what the dragon warrior is all about!" His dads chuckle at their son's exhilarated words, with Lei-Lei giggling along.
Tigress however, gives him a tiny smile, her eyes laced with a seductive flair that only Po is able to see. "Well, perhaps when we return, you can show me what the dragon warrior is all about… Baby." Her inviting whisper sends a glorious chill across Po's body, leaving him in a dumbfounded yet blissful state. As she removes her paw from his chest, her eyes maintain their seductive glint. In spite of his mostly befuddled state of mind, there is one thought that is undoubtedly clear.
Holy crap, that was hot.
Soon enough, everyone in the restaurant is snapped out of their reverie by the sight of Monkey and Mantis making a mad dash for the docks. Shaking her head at their antics, Tigress shares a quick glance with Po, silently confirming one thing. It's time to go. Without a moment to lose, Po and Tigress head over to the exit of the restaurant. "Alright dads, gotta head to the forbidden city."
"Of course, Po. Just, remember to be careful, okay?" Po hugs his goose dad, his one arm still massive enough to wrap around his body. Before he can let go however, he feels something being shoved into his pockets. The father and son separate for the panda master to see… restaurant coupons, oozing out of his pockets. Po raises a playful eyebrow at his goose dad, "What? You're meeting the emperor himself! He has to know who has the best noodles in all of China."
"Don't worry, dad. He'll know." He chuckles before wrapping his arms around his panda dad, "Take care, alright?"
Li-Shan gives him a huge, boisterous grin, "C'mon son, don't worry about us. Besides, we'll probably be decorating the place again for when you inevitably save China." Both pandas chuckle at this, whilst Tigress sets down Lei-Lei, who desperately wants to be held by her 'stripey-baby' again.
"I won't be gone for long, Lei-Lei. Now I want you to behave yourself, alright? Don't give Li-Shan too much trouble." To her surprise, the panda cub doesn't cry or throw a tantrum. Instead, she nods and gives an adorable rendition of her fist in palm salute, making Tigress' smile grow wide.
"Love you, dads!" Po quickly shouts as he heads out the entrance, his dads shouting it back as he quickly makes his way to the docks. Tigress readies herself to follow him until Lei-Lei yells something to her.
"I love you, stripey-baby!"
That warmth that had found its way into her heart earlier soon spreads into her smile. She kneels down to Lei-Lei again and softly kisses her forehead, "I love you too… My little angel." With that, Tigress heads out of the entrance just as she notices Crane flying overhead, Viper clinging to his body. In spite of the disturbing omen brought to them today, she finds herself smiling without a care in the world, her smile only growing as she hears Lei-Lei's adorable giggles sift through the air. No matter what awaits them, the home they'll be coming back to will always be worth it.
YES! They finally got the emperor's message! Now we can finally get rolling! So many things to talk about for this chapter, but let me just say, I enjoyed writing the Tigress and Lei-Lei bit the most. It was adorable and sweet, and it managed to kind of write itself, so that was helpful! Anyways, once again I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I'm hoping you guys are loving the story so far. Feel free to lemme know what you think, and until next time :)