Chapter 9
Before dawn, Azure took it upon herself to take a stroll through the Valley once more, until whenever she was able to do so again. Crane was going on patrol, and Azure volunteered to go along with him. Not a lot was said between them for the majority of the walk. After all, they did decide to split at the village square to cover more ground. It was like any other night on patrol; not a single soul moved through the streets at this time. There were, however, one or two merchants awake in their homes; families were eating breakfast together; restaurant owners starting to prepare their units by the time she was making her way back to meet Crane in the square.
Most of them didn't really notice her as she moved past, but smelling something familiar stopped her in her tracks. Looking up, she read the sign above her head.
Ping's Noodle Hut.
Blinking once or twice, ensuring her brain she read the name right, she looked in to see a large mass moving back and forth carrying various baskets to and fro. Focusing her gaze, she saw a panda placing one of the baskets on the counter, slightly out of breath. He turned to face her, wiping his forehead while yawning. Tilting her head to the side a little, she smiled at his quiet words of encouragement.
"C'mon big fella," he ushered determinedly. "Dad isn't feeling the best, the least you can do it set up the kitchen before he gets up. There's no way he will keep the shop closed up for the day..." He chuckled a little, and her smile grew bigger. She had seen him around once before; he was there when the Furious five were announced, cheering almost as loud as the collection of villagers around him. He was older now, like the others, but he didn't seem any different... well, not like she noticed anything.
He started singing to himself; some of it were words, some of it was humming, or some strange sounds she never heard before. But there was this gold ray silhouetting him as he stood there. There was a low buzzing that lapped around her ears, like there was an echo of cheers somewhere around them...
He froze when he noticed her. "Um..." Azure felt herself freeze up too. "Hey?"
"Hi." Stepping into the restaurant, she folded her arms.
"We're not open-"
"I understand that..." she stood close up to the counter. "You're... Po, right?"
"Yes..." Looking behind him towards the stairs, he gulped nervously. "You're Master Azure... right?"
"Not... officially Master, but close enough." He laughed stiffly, and her eyebrows knitted together in shallow concern. "Did I scare you?"
"No, no... just..." he grinned at her. "It's awesome that you're here!" His body started bobbing back and forth on the spot, his belly wobbling along with him. "Not everyday someone from the Jade Palace comes by."
Azure laughed, but before he could ask why, she replied with; "not after the last time anyway."
"The last... oh." His voice came out high pitched. "You were... oh no. We don't... talk about that."
The girl laughed again at his minor embarrassment. "Don't worry, I never told him it was you."
Po looked heavily relieved at her words. "Thank you..."
"You're welcome."
Silence.
"So... how's everything in the Jade Palace? N-n-not like it's my business-"
Azure felt her face scrunch up a little. "Somewhat... out of balance." Azure's words of truthfulness surprised him. "I leave at noon."
"Really? Where to?"
"Gongmen city. I continue my training there."
Po looked a little saddened by the news. "What about the other kid?"
"He'll remain here... you'll acquaint with him." He asked her why, and she just smiled knowingly. "I just know he will, but in his own time. When he does..." she heard Crane calling out for her, causing her to look out towards the desolate streets. Po followed her gaze, shifting from one foot to the other, anxiously waiting for her to keep talking. "For now, don't worry... just know, and promise me this."
"What?"
"Look out for him," her paws wrapped around one another against her chest as she backed out of the restaurant. "He's in need of a friend outside of the Palace walls... and he'll look out for you too."
"I, uh..." Po looked very confused, but nodded slowly. "Sure..." And with that, she didn't speak another word, and waved him goodbye, before disappearing into the dark. Po snapped out of his confused state and ran to see where she went, but by the time he made it to the cobble street, Azure was nowhere to be seen.
Before being appointed Master, Tigress used to spend the winter Festival with them when Shifu and Oogway were away. They would go down to the village to see the lanterns, watch the folk dances, and enjoy dinner together in the colorful atmosphere of the village square. Jian used to sit on Tigress' shoulders as they wandered through the square, trying to reach out for the glowing lanterns above him...
He stopped himself doing the same again. He wasn't a kid anymore; that was five year old Jian. Instead, fourteen year old Jian gazed up at the little red lantern that hung above his head as he neared the markets. The street was full to the brim with the usual hustle and bustle; merchants cried out their jaw dropping prizes, various smells moved through the air, and there was a flow of people going towards him, and away from him.
There she was; heavily draped in her dark winter wear. Azure was there too, waving at him excitedly. The next time Jian properly got to see his mother was the winter time; she made the effort to let him come see her this year for the Winter Festival. The past two years, the weather hindered the ability to travel. Tigress and the others were tied down for the annual Feast with the Master's Council in the palace, Oogway suggested that he would go visit his mother and sister in Gongmen city for the occasion, and Shifu was more then happy to let him go. The sooner he left, the sooner he would make it safely to the city without getting caught by any sudden snow storms. Crane went with him for most of the journey, and then flew back home once Jian was on the water end of the trip. There he sailed for a day alone; he knew how to stir a boat. Monkey had helped him down at the Valley docks.
"Glad you could make it brother." Jian, in turn made a comment that he was glad to be there. Didn't sound too excited, but he really meant it; when she left, he felt terribly lonely. Shifu only had to spend his time watching his every move. Everywhere he went there were eyes on him, like there was some deal made between Shifu and the villagers. Wandering through the streets was different when Azure was around; because she had ventured out seeking answers for herself, while he hung back and let her do so alone, and by doing that, she was that shield he needed to walk through the village without judgement. Once she was leaving, he walked with her and Master Rhino to the Valley's exit, nothing stirred. However, upon returning to the Palace alone, he noticed the fearful looks encased into the eyes of the common folk as he moved along.
Azure chuckled, before Sying started looking around. One or two people had kept their eyes on them, others had moved their focus elsewhere very quickly... "Mom?"
Sying looked back to see her children staring at her with confused expressions. Laughing softly, she brushed the 'is everything okay' aside. "It's fine." In an attempt to play her words off as the truth, she looked behind her son, and he soon turned around to see what she was looking at. "I'm looking for someone..."
"Tigress couldn't-"
"I know that... I'm looking for someone else." Jian raised an eyebrow when he turned back to her. The snow was starting to fall lightly.
"It's a shame she couldn't," Azure added quickly, smiling none-the-less. "Before you go home, I'll give you my present to her and-"
"There he is." Jian looked behind him again, to see a blob walking towards them. "He said he would go to the docks and check for you, but you bet him to it." Azure leaned a little to the side to see who it was, before calling out a brief greeting. At first he thought it was Master Rhino, but upon closer inspection, and by hearing him speak, it was quick to confirm it wasn't him. "Jian..." Sying moved ahead of him, placing one paw on the rhino's shoulder. "This is Li."
Li smiled at him, but Jian's face morphed into a look of confusion. "Pleased to meet you at last, young sir." He proceeded to reach out a his hand, but Jian moved back a little, to give himself space to bow in respect. Li noticed right away, and bowed back slowly.
"Nice to meet you too..." Azure could sense it in her brother's voice that he was unsure who this was. They then started walking to a house not too far away. It was a simple one story house; the outside was loitered with potted plants, and the door had a broom by it. Closing in on it, it didn't seem right, so Jian stopped.
"What's wrong Jian?" He glanced at his sister.
"This isn't her sister's house, is it?"
Azure shook her head. "This is their house."
The only sound heard at the table was the occasional slurping, the clearing of throat, or sip of water from their cups.
I thought you knew already? Azure's voice echoed in his head. Mother said she would send you a letter.
He never received one. Even if he did get one, a flimsy letter wasn't going to explain much as it would to speak in person.
"Nice... place?" Jian started awkwardly, not looking up from his half empty bowl. He wasn't even focusing on the contents; he just didn't want to look at them. Li glanced at Sying, who wiped her mouth with her napkin. What he said was a total lie; the house was small. There was enough room for a kitchen and dining area, and then their bedroom was downstairs in storage. He was cramped with the others in here with him.
"It's not our first choice," Sying replied, smiling at her son when he finally looked back up at her. "Until we have enough money saved for a bigger house, this will be our home. Azure is staying with the Master's in the Palace, because their isn't much room." Jian nodded slowly; that's where he would be staying too. Master Rhino allowed him to stay in the Palace for a few days while he was here, because Azure asked him before. Gongmen palace was a five minute walk from where the house was, so he didn't have far to venture.
Sying went back to eating, and Jian scoffed a little. "Okay, question. Am I here for the Winter Festival, or am I here for your wedding?" Sying's mouth hung open when she about to welcome another scoop of food into her mouth, but upon hearing her son's words, she paused. Li swallowed his mouthful quickly, while Azure looked away awkwardly.
"You're here for both, of course." Li said brightly, choosing to ignore Jian's hateful glares. Instead, he excused himself from the table when the door knocked. A neighbor of theirs had asked him for assistance. "I'll be back soon." Once he was gone, Sying spoke.
"I felt it was important that both of you were here for the next step in my life. It will be a small gathering..." they were asked to be the witnesses of the wedding, along with Sying's sister and a buddy of Li's, whom would arrive later that evening, and there was a mention of sending invites to Tigress and the others... but wait. Her life? Weren't Azure and himself her life? They had been for thirteen years... until she walked away from them. As soon as she was out of the Valley, she was free.
Alright then, "are your mother and father invited?" Jian hadn't formally met his maternal grandparents; they met him after he was born, but he had never really spoken to them. Therefore, how else would he address them?
"Yes."
"Do they approve?"
"Jian..." Azure hissed, but Sying was prepared.
"Yes, they have met Li, and gave him the time to properly introduce himself." There wasn't a sense of annoyance in her voice. Not what he expected, or wanted to be heard, and it angered him. Looking up, he saw her paws collected atop of one another on the table in front of her bowl. Her engagement ring- if you could call a ring of tin one, the parsimonious rhino wouldn't spend that much... or that he couldn't afford anything so grand.
Jian rolled his eyes. "Don't boost his ego; their only happy that you got rid of the our father." Sying was about to speak, before he stood up. Azure shut her eyes and lowered her head a little, her paws shielding her eyes a little. "You marrying him will just solve everything that's been going on over the years? You have a new identity here, don't you? You're Li's wife-to-be. Not the former lover of a monster that attacked his home."
"Jian!" He mother yelled at him. "That's enough from you-"
"I'm not finished!" He roared, up on his feet, just as Li was coming back in through the door. "You have a whole new life here- you all do!" Azure straightened up her posture as Jian turned the accusing finger at her too. "You all needed to escape the Valley; this calling," Azure glared at him, "this job you're working so hard on, yet I've seen no change!"
"Jian, these things take time..." Azure went to place a paw on his shoulder, but he shoved her away.
"Blasphemy! All of this was to conspire against me, and you've succeeded. I've been left behind." Li just calmly exhaled, blinking as Jian turned to him, "and I'll get over it." He was out of there. No one called for him to come back; no one reached and grabbed him by the shoulder or the wrist. Good! He didn't want them around, just like they didn't want him around.
With nowhere else to go, he made a move towards the Palace where Master Rhino was situating.
The sooner I'm back home the better.
Later that night, Azure found Jian half slung over the balcony railings outside the throne room, staring up at the stars. He had sense her approach, you could tell by the flick of his ears, the twitch in his tail, to which she had seen, but she could only envision the shift from his calm, neutral face, to one of annoyance when he knew his sister was around... that she could picture well.
Wrapping a shawl around her shoulders, she stood in the one spot. "You upset Mother." He didn't reply. "You didn't mean all that... right?"
A scoff rolled off of his lips. "It would've been hard to say if I didn't mean it." Azure let her eyes fall to the ground. "It's the truth I tried to turn myself away from for the longest time, but I was just fooling myself."
"I told you before Jian," Azure said sternly. "I didn't have a choice. What am I supposed to say?"
"The truth."
"What? 'You're right, I chose to leave?'"
Jian smirked, though he felt a pain in his chest. "There... wasn't too hard was it?"
Furious, Azure kicked him in the back of his leg, and he buckled, if only he didn't cling onto the bars. He... somewhat expected her to lash out, so he had a grip of them well before hand. "You're acting spoilt," she growled as he straightened himself up. "No one is against you."
"Heh... that I'll believe when I'm dead." He turned back around, to look out to the sea of light that was at a stand still. The snow was just starting to fall again, and he came out without a coat... until he felt a blanket lace around his shoulders. Rhino was there when he turned, and Azure was gone. "Master Rhino." Jian went to bow, but he was stopped.
"Leave it," he said softly. "Let us just bask in the silence, hm?" They both looked back out towards the city. There was the distance song of laughter and faint chatter beyond the yard, and the wind gently caressed the boy's cheeks. It was another few moments of silence, that Rhino spoke again. "Tell me what has you hurt your sister." Jian was about to defend himself, but Rhino was glaring down at him. Sighing, the leopard turned away and walked along the platform ,which threaded around in a full circle that surrounded the throne room. Rhino followed, and during the several rounds they did, Jian told him everything that was on his mind, and Master Rhino never interrupted him, and wait until he was finished. "Does it anger you that you weren't asked to come here?" He raised an eyebrow as Jian blushed in minor humiliation. "What is there for you here?"
"More then what the Valley can offer." Jian replied as they stepped inside the door.
"And that would be?" He watched as the boy observed the room, until his eyes fell towards the throne in the center of the room. The gold sent a gleam to sketch across his eyes as he moved towards it, his paws reaching out until he came in soft contact with the arm rest.
"Freedom."
Rhino's gaze hardened on him, and it made him uncomfortable when he noticed it. "You do understand Gongmen City bares a dirty past."
"As does the Valley," Jian retorted, his paw peeling away from the piece of art. Staring down at his paws, a picture of Tai Lung flew across his mind. "I have to carry around a reputation that I didn't ask for."
"So does Master Shifu," Jian shut his eyes and gritted his teeth hard to stop him from growling. "You just don't want anyone watching your every move."
"Exactly."
Master Rhino nodded sympathetically to the boys words. "I can agree that Shifu can be... suffocating, at times-" how would Rhino relate to that? "Azure has shared her experience. But you don't realize what you have in the Valley."
Jian rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Azure has said something similar... what does that mean?"
They sat down by the door when a servant brought them tea. "Azure has told me you have a purpose back in the Valley. I don't know what it is, and I can confidently say she's still trying to figure it out herself, but there is one thing that'll keep you there longer, whether you like it or not." He sipped tea, and Jian asked him to give him an example. "Okay," pulling the cup back, he said one word.
"Tigress."
This confused Jian a little. "What has she got to do with it?"
"You and your sister worshiped the ground she walks on as soon as you could walk and talk. Master Tigress has played the parent since your own mother moved to the city, and she's been your shield since Azure left too; she was the one to distract Shifu to give you the space to breathe..." He kept talking, and with every word that came out of his mouth, to closer You may think that you're a mere task she has to tackle everyday. Maybe you think the same of the other Masters; they all care about you. But Tigress will always be different."
"Why?"
"Because..." Rhino leaned in and whispered in the boy's ear, "she's lived with Shifu too."
Finally got around to this! Sorry about that guys! Happy belated new year! Nearly February... ah well! Hope you all had an amazing christmas, and I hope 2020 brings all good things!
Chapter 10 is currently in the works, so do please leave a review and tell me what you think!
Lotta love x
