You Remind Me

Xiwang's mouth dropped the moment the words reached his ears. "THAT'S HER?! I... I didn't think Master... Grandmaster Tigress would-"

"Hehe, I love it when people freak out about it," The buffalo laughed. Wang slapped the black panther's back. "Don't worry, she's alright once she doesn't see you as a threat."

"And how long does that take?" Xiwang asked.

"Word of advice? Don't win the tournament."

"Wang!" Nu Wuya shrilled, "You can't change the match like that. And you know Ai would pummel you if you made it easy for her. You know she doesn't back away from a challenge."

"Sorry. Geez," Wang grumbled.

The raven rolled her eyes and flapped onto Xiwang's shoulder. "Let's get you up the mountain. Are you used to climbing?"

"Um... a little. I can't wait to see the palace!"

"Hehe, he's excitable," Li whispered to his gorilla friend. "Maybe he's not as bad as Ai thinks."

"Is anyone ever that bad?" Zhang asked. The lizard chuckled. He had a point.

Xiwang wasn't prepared for the steps. He crawled on all fours just to get to the top where a white tiger was waiting. Her arms were crossed, again, and she smirked a bit. "Having a problem with the stairs? Most of the villagers can make it up in one go without huffing and puffing."

"I was... just... catching my breath... Oh boy," Xiwang caught the vomit coming up his throat. "I'm good. I'm good. Oookay. Whoa!" The black panther gazed at the wondrous palace up close. Shining pillars of jade and redwood dazzled in the sun. Through the circular entrance, he saw the courtyard where he would be fighting. The middle had a raised square platform for the arena, and the stands lined the outer edges of the square courtyard, fenced off by red gates. A few fighters had already trickled in and lined up in front of a middle-aged duck. "So... is there where I uh..."

"You'll put your name there where Zeng is." Ai pointed to the duck. "Afterwards, you wait with the rest."

"Where are you going?" Xiwang asked. "Don't you have to sign too?"

"I have to train some more."

"Why?"

"To win," Ai glared back over her shoulder. "I don't have to explain that to you, do I?"

"N-No."

"Good." With that, she walked up the stairs that led to the legendary Hall of Heroes. A few fighters tried to get her attention, but she marched past them like a determined soldier.

"Next. Next! NEXT!"

"OH! Sorry!" Xiwang walked up to the duck. "Uh... hi, I'm-"

"Name."

"Uh... Xiwang."

"Region?"

"Eastern Gansu."

"Master?"

"Uhhhh."

The duck's eyes rose. "Do you have a master or not? If so, I'll just put you-"

"I have a master! I uh... his name is... umm... Master Yin."

"Hmm," Zeng looked over his records. "I don't have a Master Yin. Is he private?"

"Yes."

"Your number will be 23. Wait here with the rest until the tournament begins. Next." Xiwang walked away from the duck a little dazed. He looked around the arena of different warriors and fighters. Some were towering gorillas, others were lithe gazelles. A few were rat-like creatures or something like it.

"I'm... I'm finally here. I finally made it, Master Yin. Hmmm. Where did everyone go?" He spotted the Furious Five going up the stairs to the Jade Palace. "Oh! There they are. I'm sure they won't mind me coming with them. They did say I could look." The black panther raced after the Furious Five and followed them until they crossed the Hall of Heroes. The doors to the Hall of Heroes were open and as the others continued on, Xiwang wandered inside. "Whoooooaaaa... This is just like my dreams. It's sooo cool! Oh my gosh! This is the Sword of Heroes! Is it really as sharp as AHOOOWW!" While the black panther nursed his hand, he strolled around the place until he looked up at a golden dragon on the ceiling gripping a scroll in its sharp teeth. "The Dragon Scroll. Said to belong to the Dragon Warrior before he disappeared. I wonder if Master Yin knew him." His eyes ran down the wall of scrolls to an urn cracked and frayed in several places. "Huh, the Urn of Whispering Warriors. But... why is it so cracked?"

"Because someone got too close to it."

"DAHHH!" Xiwang spun around and saw a familiar set of angry eyes on him. "Oh uh... hello, Ai."

"What are you doing here?" Ai growled. "This room is off-limits to visitors, especially ones competing in the Tournament." She stepped closer to him. "Why are you here?"

"I uhh-" Xiwang backed up.

"Were you trying to steal something?"

"What no! I was-"

"Trying to find something to cheat in the tournament?"

"I wasn't trying to do anything!"

"Then why are you here?"

"I-" Xiwang stopped when his back bumped into something. It wasn't the pedestal that the urn rested on. It was too furry for that. Xiwang turned around and gulped. Fiery amber eyes, more furious than the eyes he had been looking at a minute ago, glared down at him with a jade staff in their right hand. "H-h-h-hhi."

"Grandmaster Tigress," Ai bowed.

Xiwang gulped again. This just wasn't his day.

Tigress stared at the black panther and then looked at Ai. "Ai, what is this person doing here? You know that the Hall of Heroes is off-limits."

"I was just-"

"It wasn't her fault," Xiwang spoke up, standing in front of her. "I... I snuck in. I just wanted to see the awesome stuff you guys have and... I'm sorry. But Ai had nothing to do with this." Ai glared at the panther but then she saw Tigress's face.

The Grandmaster looked at the panther with no furrowed eyebrow or gritted teeth. Just a calm gentle stare. Maybe surprise?

Xiwang stood bravely, though his legs trembled. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to steal or do anything. I just-"

"What is your name?" Tigress asked.

"Wha?"

"What is your name?"

"Uh... Xiwang."

"Xiwang," Tigress repeated. Her lips slowly turned into a small smile. "It means Hope."

"Uh... yes."

"And what are you doing here, Xiwang?"

"I was just looking around. I wasn't trying to steal anything! I promise!"

"I believe you," Tigress said, a little more at ease.

Her daughter wasn't. "Grandmaster Tigress, this place is off-limits to people like him. Especially since he's fighting in the tournament."

"You're fighting in the tournament?" Tigress asked. "You know Kung fu?" The panther nodded slowly. "Who is your master?"

"Uhmmm my master is Master Yin of the Gansu region, Grandmaster Tigress," Xiwang promptly bowed.

"Hmm, that's not a name I'm familiar with."

"He's uh... a private master," Xiwang nervously said.

Tigress rose her eyebrow. "You don't keep secrets well, do you?"

"N-N-No it's just... I can't believe I'm here, seeing you! I mean, I've heard so much about you! Is it true that you managed to smash your way through a garrison of a hundred soldiers and that you fought alongside the Dragon Warrior! AWww man! It must have been-" He stopped when he saw Tigress's eyes widen. "M... Grandmaster Tigress?"

Tigress shut her eyes and turned away, clutching her face.

"That's enough!" Ai marched up in between the panther and Tigress. "Stay away from my mother and away from the Jade Palace! You're lucky you're not getting disqualified for this."

"I-I-I-I didn't mean to say anything wrong! I just-"

Both of them stopped when an orange hand rested on Ai's shoulder. "Ai, there's no need to be upset. I'm fine," Tigress sighed. "I'm sorry about my... mood change. You just... remind me... so much of someone dear to me."

"Oh uh... did he hurt you or-"

"No... I just... miss them a lot," Tigress sighed. She looked into his eyes. Xiwang's jade eyes almost made her gasp and laugh. A smile spread across her face. "But I'm sure that that person's spirit lives on inside of you."

"Really?" Tigress nodded. Xiwang tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "They must be a big dork if they're like me."

"Hahaha!" Laughed an old voice behind them. "He was. There wasn't anyone else like him." Xiwang spun around to the voice's owner. He saw an elderly red panda with a dull red robe and a green sash. He walked with a wooden staff in his hand, and though he walked slowly, Xiwang noticed his gait wasn't labored by the old age. He saw Tigress and Ai bow, so he bowed as well.

"Grandmaster Shifu."

"Wait, you're Master Shifu who trained the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior! NO WAY!" Xiwang excitedly bounced. Shifu widened his eyes. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Hahaha, no, no. It's quite alright. You definitely remind us a lot of someone. But let's move on from that. No point focusing on what is lost," Shifu sighed. Tigress's ears drooped. "I think it's time you had the pleasure of visiting my students."

"Y-Y-You mean?"

Ai spoke up, "Grandmaster Shifu. He's not supposed to be here. Why does he get special treatment?"

"Ai, you have your mother's natural skepticism. But don't let that prevent you from seeing a genuinely wonderful person," Shifu smiled.

Xiwang looked around the room and noticed they were all looking at him. "Are... you talking about me? No, no, no, no. I'm just an orphan trained by a... very weird master."

"Some of my best students were orphans," Shifu smiled. "Come, let me show you the previous Furious Five. They should be in the courtyard now." The red panda showed Xiwang the way down, leaving Tigress and Ai in the Hall of Heroes. The white tiger scowled at the back of the black panther, crossing her arms as she fumed to herself.

"I don't like him."

"Are you saying that because you see him as a threat or a rival?"

"It's just... mother, why does he get the special treatment?"

"It's not special treatment."

"You said it yourself. People aren't allowed in the Hall of Heroes."

"This one is... different."

"How?"

Tigress sighed and smiled, "You're a lot like me sometimes." She lifted the white tiger's chin up, petting her head. "But you also remind me of your father."

"That... doesn't answer the question."

"Sometimes, it's best to live life before any of your questions can be answered," Tigress said.

Ai simply blinked, "That... makes no sense."

Tigress shook her head with a smile. "Come on, let's see how your 'rival' fairs with the other masters. And I'm sure that they're excited to see you again."

"Can I please not talk to Master Monkey? I'm still trying to get out some of the stuff he put in my fur for my surprise birthday party," Ai grimaced. Tigress only smiled.

Meanwhile, Xiwang walked by, gawking at the Furious Five and their students. "That's master Crane's! He's Nu Wuya's master?"

"Yes," Shifu explained. "Li trained with Master Mantis. Zhang trained with Viper, and Wang trained with Monkey."

"And Ai trained with Grandmaster Tigress?" Shifu nodded. "What is she like, Grandmaster Tigress?"

"She takes after me. Stern, strict, but very caring. She's determined to do her best, and her daughter inherited that trait," Shifu sighed. "But, even with some help from the others, Ai can become... cold."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing. It's just... Tigress used to be hard on herself because of my training. I thought that Tigress's training would be different because she took care to make sure that Ai was loved and cared for."

"But," Xiwang asked after a long pause.

Shifu looked off to the distance, towards the west, "Ai still puts a lot of pressure on herself. And I really don't know where it comes from."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Xiwang asked.

Shifu smiled, "You're a stranger here and you would already try to find a way to help?" Xiwang nodded. "No, I think it's just the responsibility she places on herself. It's not from Tigress or anyone else."

"Maybe because she's a leader and she doesn't want to let Grandmaster Tigress down?"

"It could be that," Shifu smiled. Then he frowned as he spotted something behind Xiwang.

"What's wrong?" The panther looked back and saw a burly snow leopard marching into the courtyard with an entourage of cheerers. "Who's that?"

"Egun. He was the winner of the last tournament... on a technicality."

"Heh, Master Yin was right. Snow leopards seem to have a bad rap for everything," Xiwang chuckled to himself.

Shifu's ear twitched, "Who is your master?"

"Master Yin. He's a private master from the Gansu region."

"Gansu. That's pretty remote. Is this your first time coming here?" Xiwang nodded. Shifu squinted his eyes. "Master Yin. Yin can mean hidden. What species is your master?"

"Umm... I uh..."

"Grandmaster Shifu!" called Zeng. "The tournament is about to start. Grandmaster Tigress is looking for you."

"I'll be there shortly," Shifu said. "Well, I hope you fight well in the tournament. And I hope your master enjoys the show."

"Oh, he's uh... not here. He couldn't make the trip."

"I'm sorry about that. I'm sure that you'll make him proud either way," Shifu smiled and walked away.

"Thank you Grandmaster Shifu!" Xiwang waved. Shifu waved back, but his smile soon turned into a frown when he meet up with Tigress.

"Master, are you okay?" His adopted daughter asked.

"You noticed it too, right?"

"Noticed what?"

"That young panther that snuck into the Jade Palace." Tigress furrowed her eyebrows. "Pay close attention to him."

"Do you think-"

"I don't know," Shifu murmured. "But I really hope he is the one."

Continued...