Chapter 16

In the dead of night, Jian spotted the faintest glow of a lantern up ahead of him on the way towards the Peach Tree. He couldn't make out who it was, but he took his chance and made a run for them. "Po?"

He was taking it upon himself to apologize to Po on the Master's behalf. Although he wasn't sure what the others had said, what he had heard was what Tigress had said to him, and it angered him that someone he had admired... well, still admires, his whole life would be so... vile, and odious to the panda.

He hated to admit that he couldn't completely hate her; Tigress had always been the leader since his mother and sister left, she was the one he went to for everything...

He pushed the thought aside. Right now he needed to find Po, and maybe that was him straight up ahead. It didn't take too long to catch up, but closing in on the figure, it was clear that it wasn't Po- in fact it was Master Oogway, moving steadily, the lantern swaying with him from left to right. Jian embedded his feet into the ground, grinding to an eventual halt as Oogway took his time to turn and face him. "Good evening Master Jian," he greeted the turtle with a respectful bow. "You should be asleep."

"I will... once I find the Dragon Warrior." Jian gave him a brief account of what happened back in the dorms. "I thought he went and got something to eat in the kitchen, but it was empty. Now I can't find him," he closed the statement off by looking around them.

Oogway smile reassuringly, while Jian took the lantern from him. "That's okay," he took a glance around them too, before leaning in and whispering. "I know where he is..." and with a knowing wink, he motioned Jian to follow him.


The glow of the lantern led them to the base of the peach tree, where low and behold, a dejected Po stood under the petals and watched the Valley, his back turned to face them. "I see you have found the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom." Oogway announced their arrival while Po didn't seem to sense their approach. With Jian holding the lantern, Oogway had nothing to carry but himself, with the aid of his staff. The leopard kept his eyes on Po as the panda spun around, and was surprised to see his arms and mouth equally stuffed with the sweet fruit. A string of drool hung out of his mouth as the peaches fell from his arms in shock.

"Is that what this is?" He words were muffled with the lack of space in his mouth. "I am so sorry. I thought it was just a regular peach-" one of the peaches in his mouth popped out, and he leaned back a little, ready for a scolding, "tree..."

"That's my fault," Jian tried to joke, shifting the lantern to his other paw. "I didn't get to show you around yet..."

Po tried to laugh too, but that sent more peaches spilling from his mouth. Oogway chuckled softly, before waving his claws in dismissal. "I understand. You eat when you are upset." Po spat out whatever was left in his mouth, hiding his paw behind his back to throw the peach away, before shrugging and played cool...

At least, to the best of his abilities. "Upset? I'm not upset. What makes you think I'm upset?"

Jian frowned- those abilities weren't expertise. "So why are you upset?" Oogway pressed on, a small smile slowly grew across his face with every syllable that left his mouth. While Jian said nothing, and observed Po, who took a moment to give a response- only to sigh in defeat. The warm glow of the lantern settled on his belly fur, making it look a little orange. If Jian wasn't there, he probably would have said something, but there was no point in trying to sell a lie that no one will even consider to be true.

"I probably sucked more today than anyone in the history of kung fu," he turned away to look out beyond the edge, where he was greeted by nothing but clouds, "in the history of China, in the history of sucking."

"Probably." A little blunt Master Oogway, Jian thought critically as he glanced at the turtle with raised brow.

"And the Five... man, you should have seen them, they totally hate me..."

"Totally."

Po threw his arms up carelessly when his body twisted back to face them. "Exactly!" He started pacing back and forth, picking out everything else that had occurred. "Azure and Jian were trying their best to be encouraging- and thank you by the way." He paused and pointed at Jian. "I have to give you credit for that." Jian smiled softly, which abruptly fell back to a flat line as the panda resumed to talk. "How's Shifu ever going to turn me into the Dragon Warrior?" Po's paws found their way to both sides of his stomach to briefly cradle it, before letting it go; and it wiggled and bounced until he pressed a paw on it to stop, and he casted an irked gaze in Jian's direction through it all, while the snow leopard watched with flattened ears.

If he knew what was going on in the dorms he would've asked Azure to stay a little longer; at least she would know what to do or say.

"I mean, I'm not like the Masters. "I've got no claws, no wings, no venom... even Mantis has those..." he briefly imitated Mantis' front legs, "...thingies." A sigh pressed past his lips as he sat down by the edge, back facing Jian and Oogway, his head down- not before he kicked a peach off, and watched it fall into the sea of clouds below. "Maybe I should just quit and go back to making noodles..."

Jian wasn't sure what to say, and looked at Oogway helplessly. The turtle looked back at him, before patting him on the shoulder gently. "Quit, don't quit..." he moved closer towards Po. "Noodles, don't noodles." Po turned his head to stare at the old Master, sharing Jian's expression of confusion. "You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There's a saying, Po... Yesterday is history," Po didn't speak, and Oogway smiled as he saw the panda's eyes widen, knowing he was hanging onto at every word. "Tomorrow is a mystery," Oogay raised his arms, eyes elevated to the petals that hung over them, "but today is a gift..." He turned to walk away, whispering. "That is why it is called the present..." He took the lantern away from Jian, and settled it in front of him to keep a light close by, "Now, I suggest you both gets some rest- another big day tomorrow..." And with that, they both watched the tortoise leave. He took a moment to hit the tree with his staff. Two peaches fell, each landing into Po's open paws.

Once he was out of sight, Jian moved in and took a seat by the panda, who offered him the other peach, and they ate in silence. It wasn't until a seed sat in Jian's palm, that Po spoke up.

"Jian-" his ears picked up at his name. "I'm sorry for taking the title. I don't deserve it-"

The snow cat shook his head. "There's nothing to apologize for Po. I was never meant to be the Dragon Warrior, if that's what you were worried about."

"Of course. I was so excited to come see you compete, but everything just went- ugh." Jian laughed at his muddled expression. "You get where I'm going. Anyway, maybe if I didn't take it, someone who deserved it would have it by now..."

"Don't mind what the others say or do." Jian's eyes hardened as his face contorted to a look of determination and stared ahead. The night sky had cleared up a little bit, and he could see all the stars that twinkled above them. Somewhere in the dark he could envision a bright pair of eyes staring straight at him; ones very like his- but with a darker hue, and sinister stare lingered around him. Shaking his head, he continued confidently. "I have complete faith in Master Oogway, and you should do the same."

Little did he know, that these pair of eyes had already opened for the first time in many moons some hours ago.


In Chor Gom

Tai Lung's eyes had over looked every option he had countless times. There were a thousand and one ways he could die, but there was only one way he could get out of this prison, and that way was up.

The plan he had only provided three minor obstacles; there was getting out of the armor that cased his back, removing the shackles that weighed his arms down with large boulders, and finally; get past the entire army of rhino guards.

Easy.

The feather that fell from the goose was trapped under his tail, before it was swooped up and set into the lock on his back. There was no guarantee it would work, but he prayed with everything in him, as his tail nudged it quickly.

There was a click.

That was a good thing, and Tai Lung's ears picked up the sound like it was his favorite tune. His tail worked around the feather swiftly, but carefully as to not knock it out and let it fly away. It took a few tries, but the pick-locking worked; the needles drilled into his back retracted themselves from the depths of his back muscles, and every inch they moved, he regained the movement in his arms, and one exhale drew out like his head had been stuck underwater all this time, but it was eerily calm. He couldn't bring attention onto himself yet.

The acupressure needles shot out in every direction as his body tensed, dislodging the parts of the armor like it were merely pieces of a puzzle. Thrusting his chest forwards, the armor broke off, spraying the parts in different directions, but he was dragged down by the large boulders that his wrists were bound to, and found himself back on his knees.

Commander Vachir heard the noise from the entrance, and rushed over to the edge, with Zeng not too far behind him. "What in the-" grasping the ledge, he looked down, his eyes widening. "OH NO!"

"What's happening?!" Zeng asked hastily, before he too looked over the edge, horrified when he spotted Tai Lung at the bottom of the pit, struggling against the shackles. All the guards were running along the various platforms that Zeng had only walked some time ago, when a warning bell sounded off. Tai Lung found the power to stand all the while and looked straight up at no one in particular, but when he snarled, Zeng squawked in horror. "You said he was-"

"And I will stick by my word." Vachir snarled, before calling out, as the goose's whole body started to quiver. "Fire Crossbows!"

Several guards were placed at a look out sites one level above the platform, and they were swift to angle the crossbow in the snow leopards direction. "Fire!" The first spear was fired, and barely missed the prisoner as it sunk into the ground. As did a second and third, but Tai Lung dodged each of them by the skin of his teeth, twisting his upper body every which way, glaring at the first pair of guards that aimed at him, who were ready to shoot a fourth spear at him. Thinking the spears had him pinned they were confident that this one would end him... but before they could even think about celebrating, he leaned back and pulled his wrist up far enough for the weapon to tear through the shackle, much to the guards' horror. The iron of the other shackle creaked under the pressure of his free paw, and was quick to snap.

"Tai Lung is free!" Zeng hollered. "I must warn Shifu!" He made an attempt to run, but Vachir soon had a grip on his neck. "Let go of me!"

"You're not going anywhere, and neither is he!" Vachir replied, eyes focused on the leopard's next move. "Bring it up!" The elevator started to rise, but the guards beside it only noticed when it was too high for them.

"Wait! Bring it back!" One of them cried, but the other seized the opportunity, while Tai Lung seemed distracted in figuring out his next move, and fired one more spear at him. When it was close enough, Tai Lung spun 'round, a fist withdrawn behind his head, before using his wrist to redirect it towards the crossbow, thus destroying it. The guards on all the look out sites watched on in horror.

Quickly observing his surroundings, he tossed some of the spears around him into the air, kicking them up into the walls to make a makeshift staircase. His rolled his head along his shoulders, before throwing himself up into a flip, landing on the woody body of the spear hard enough for it to bend, which catapulted him towards the escape route he created towards the elevator .

"Archers!" He heard the commanders voice as he leapt across the spears. Glancing upstairs he saw a sea of red arrows above him like rain. Using the final spear, he launched himself up under the elevator as the arrows embedded themselves into the wood, or continued to pass him en-route to the bottom of the prison. The rhinos were one step ahead- knowing he would latch onto the underside, one got his axe and cut the chain, and they watched as the the elevator crashes at the bottom of the pit.

BANG!

The guards baited their weapons together in victory, before a single split kick sent them flying, and Tai Lung grabbed hold of the chain that hung in front of him and threw himself over the edge, under the elevator house, projecting himself up to the next tier, where more guards were waiting for him, throwing spears, and directing their weapons in his direction. Each one that came for him his dodged, punched, and propelled in any direction he had access to; whether it was tossing them off the side or over his shoulder, or in front of him, which had the domino effect and sent the opponents into the back up that were coming to their aid. They even tried locking him in on the entrance to the next floor, and barricading the door with their bodies- huge mistake. He burst through the door, which had them trapped beneath it, and he didn't stop there; more were coming for him so he dove for them, disarming them from their weapons and using them to knock them over the edge, or out clean and left them motionless on the floor. One even came at him with a spiked mace, to which Tai Lung assured he ended up eating before sending him through the air, and knocking his comrades back, clearing the way for Tai Lung to reach the final floor.

Landing heavily on the bridge, Tai Lung panted as he pulled himself up to stand, to find Commander Vachir and the remainder of his men, and Zeng (who was still stuck in Vachir's hold), standing between him and the way out, weapons at the ready. Zeng watched as Tai Lung snarled, and readied himself to charge. "We're dead," he whimpered. "So very, very dead..."

Vachir just laughed. "Not yet we're not! Now!"

Tai Lung's eyes followed a flaming arrowed that whizzed through the air, and set off charges on the roof of the cave. A massive stalactite tore through the bridge in front of him, and with more to follow, Tai Lung wove his way along the crumbling platform as best as he could, and attempted to jump the rest of the way. A wave of gasps surrounded him as he fell short as his claws scrapped down the rock wall, and he landed on a stalactite as he fell.

Vachir laughed manically as he waved the cat farewell, but Tai Lung didn't notice, and was looking for a way out instead...

"You'll have one of the biggest names in China."

There he spotted a fuse burning down the last set of explosives that aligned the ceiling, and taking the chance, he leapt across the raining debris, as Vachir and his men thought they had won.

"All the power and fortune only a poor man can ever dream of..."

The closer he came to the final hurdle, he felt his heart pounding in his chest, and heard the pulse pang in his ears.

"Any girl is lucky to be with you."

He took one last leap of faith, and latched onto the stalactite. His claws slipped a little, but once he had a firm hold he clawed his way up towards the explosives, pulled it off as he let himself drop, and fall towards the army.

Zeng felt his body go limp as the army started backing away, and Vachir watched, looking a little... scared. "Can we run now?" He asked.

Vachir sobbed in terror as Tai Lung threw the dynamite in their direction. "Yes..."


KA-THOOM!

The doors to the prison was blown to bits, and a tsunami of rhinos came pouring out of the cave, over the cliff edge the prison stood at. It continued to rain rhinos as Zeng crashed into the ground. Coughing hoarsely as a prosthetic horn hit the ground beside him with a dull thud, startling him briefly. A paw clapsed around his throat, and pulled him up from the ground. "URRRK!" Zeng flapped his wings hastily, but it wasn't going to help. The paw turned him slowly, and he forced himself to look up.

One brief moment, Zeng was convinced he saw Master Jian standing in front of him. In a warm filmy glow, he could almost see his sincere smile, and can hear him say 'it's okay, you're not dead'... but reality hit him again abruptly. Jian wouldn't say something like that.

The warm glow surrounding him was the cast of the fire that bled out in the cave behind them, and Jian wasn't there. "I'm not going to hurt you." Tai Lung watched him for a moment, before sighing. "I'm glad Shifu sent you..." With ominous benevolence, the leopard smoothed out Zeng's ruffled feathers. "I was beginning to think I had been forgotten..." Zeng just shivered in fear, beak slightly agape, raising his wings a little closer to his body as Tai Lung leaned in closer. "Fly back there and tell them... the real Dragon Warrior is coming home." Once the goose nodded in terror, Tai Lung aided him by tossing him into the air, and watched him flutter off into the blizzard.

When the bird was out of sight, Tai Lung scanned his surroundings to see the chaos he created. Bodies of unconscious rhinos lay in bunches around him, and upon closer inspection, he found that none of them were the rhino he was looking for. At some point during his confinement, a rhino that went by the name Li, had never come back, and there was a sense of hope that he wasn't any of the poor fools around him, or that were sent to their doom over the cliff. It wouldn't have been in his favor for him to be hurt in the process of his escape. He didn't deserve it, for the one good deed he did for him without asking for anything in return. One of the other officers would've with-held the one and only letter Sying sent to him twenty years ago, but he left it with him to read the contents to his own accord, out of the goodness of his own heart.

"Please don't fear for me my love," was one of the things she asked of him, and he never did. He hadn't seen her face for twenty years, and nor had she been in contact since then, but he had this notion that she was okay. From what he remembered, she had told him she was staying with Shifu, until her family could shelter her and-

"Congratulations..." Li sounded a little pained, before coughing slightly, placing the parchment under him. "You have a son... and a daughter."

That's right; he has two children, and heard nothing more about them. For twenty years, he stood here had no names, and no information on their whereabouts... and with that thought, Tai Lung took a sharp inhale of air as thunder roared behind him, as he started walking away. With luck, they would be in the Valley of Peace, or in Sying's hometown.

"I love you Sying." Tai Lung remembered the day he attacked the Valley, where he had proposed to Sying, promising her that he was hers once he become Dragon Warrior. "I would never forget you. In fact, once I become Dragon Warrior, you will live here with me... and we will marry... and that's a promise."

As far a loyalty could go within such a dark heart, he will keep that promise. The title was rightfully his...

And so was she.


And I'll stop here for chapter 16! Jian and Oogway have come to Po's comfort, and Tai Lung has finally escaped prison! Please leave a review, and I'll have chapter 17 out asap! I'm moving out for college this week, so I'll get around to writing when I can!

Enjoy this chapter until then!