Walking through the Past
"A gem." The bruised and wounded warrior grumbled up the mountain with Po, Sho, Tigress, and Lion in tow. "An inept, futile, baseless, mundane gem!"
Po looked to Tigress. "Uhhh?"
"He called it a stupid, useless, unimportant, ordinary gem," Tigress replied.
"Seriously, why can't you just say that. Why can't people say stuff I can understand?" Po whined.
"Most people won't stoop that low," Sho sniggered, earning a glare from Tigress. "Sorry, sorry." They struggled up the winding rocky path. Thousands of soldiers had once trekked this particular road, hidden between the sharp rocks. The road was narrow, but a upshoot of rocks guarded the edge like a rail to prevent them from falling. "Tell me again why we left the others?"
"This is something we need to do alone as Jai-Yin," Lion said. "Plus, they're gonna need to talk with the new Emperor."
"I would love to go back to peace again," Platon sighed.
"I don't believe the peace we had will be the same as this peace," Sho said ominously.
"Geez, when did you become the spirit of death?" Po groused.
"Shut up."
"Enough, we're closing in," Lion said.
"Lion," Platon spoke up in a hard tone. "When were you going to tell me that Mr. Three and Mr. Four were alive?" Lion's eyes popped open and then glared hard at the panda.
"Pooooo?"
"It uhh... slipped out? I mean the guy was played, it was the least I could do."
Lion rolled his eyes. "They wanted to stay hidden," He explained. "We were sworn to secrecy until every secret was out in the open."
"So Po didn't technically break an oath," Sho said.
"It doesn't matter either way," Tigress said. "We don't need any secrets anymore."
"That much is true," Sho sighed. "Now some questions can be answered."
"So what was dating Li like?" Po asked. Platon scowled down at him as Sho laughed.
"HAHAHA! That wasn't the sort of question I meant."
"Yeaaaah, but I just wanna know what Tigress's mom is like... you know... before I go see her?"
Platon rose his eyebrow. "You think you'll get hurt?"
"Yes," Po said with complete seriousness. Platon shook his head with a smile.
"She's kind, loving. Just very intense at times."
"So far like Tigress."
"Has the meanest temper and punch known to animal-kind."
"Definitely Tigress."
"Po," Tigress growled.
"But her husband, Qiang, balances her out. He's very... reserved, somewhat shy, very strong in his own right, but... emotionally closed," Platon stopped for a moment. "They actually complement each other really well."
"How about we get onto other questions?" Sho sighed, a bit exhausted.
"What is the summit like?" Tigress asked.
Lion and Platon took a long look at each other. "I... don't know," Said the lion. "I haven't been here in a while. I've only told the other soldiers what to do on this mountain." Tigress frowned.
"By the way, panda," Sho spoke up. "How did you manage to move faster than your shadow?"
"I ACTUALLY MOVED FASTER THAN MY SHADOW!? NO WAY!" Po looked down and spun around to try and find his shadow in the misty sky. Sho and Platon laughed while Lion sniggered. Tigress simply stopped the panda and smiled. "Oh, right, the clouds."
"He's been training. Training harder and harder. I thought that he and Tigress were equally matched, but... that seems to be the case only when they're sparring," Lion said. Tigress and Po looked at each other and then away. Thoughts of their last spar dripped back into their memories.
"Hey, come on you two. You're slacking behind," Sho shouted. The two followed, but Po glanced at Tigress, again and again, scratching the side of his face. A raised eyebrow fell on the tiger's countenance.
"What's wrong, Po?"
"So uh... When I was down I... kind of heard you talking to Platon. Um..." His pauses were getting longer and longer between the words. "When did I become... your panda?"
The fear in Tigress's heart rose up to her cheeks. Her eyes widened to saucers and dinner cups. "Uhhh I uh ofph!" She bumped into the back of Platon. "Sorry."
"We're here," The lion replied. Po and Tigress looked past him. On a small gray rock plain, speckled with white snow, laid a village dug into the rocky mountain wall. Stone houses were all around and in the center stood a magnificent metal statue that grew clearer and clearer as the mist parted. The Statue was weather-beaten, iron, and rusty with the shape of four strong creatures poised to strick-a lion, a tiger, a bear, and a wolf. The houses stood higher than some others, some two-story, some three. As the mist cleared fully, Tigress and Po took small steps on what felt like holy ground.
Maybe more haunting ground.
Tigress's hand brushed against the metal tiger's face, grazing her fingertips on its teeth. They would've poked her if they weren't so worn. Her feet carried her towards a small stony house with a bright red tattered banner stretched across the top. She could barely make out the image of a tiger. Her heart thumped and dropped. She stared through the house's open entrance and stepped inside.
An empty crib stood at the corner along with a bed in disarray. Baby toys were scattered upon the ground, and the echoing memories of small building blocks stood at her feet. Po came beside her, resting his hand on her shoulder. "This... this was my home," She broke. Her knees fell to the ground and she covered her face. Her tears slowly dripped out of her hands as the crushing weight of this place grew on her head. Po knelt and wrapped his arms around her as she cried. She didn't know until she stopped that Lion had followed and wrapped his arms around her too.
Platon stood outside, listening to her sobs. He stood by the statute, tracing his hand over the lion. Its face was scratched and dented more than the others, but it was still intact. A sign of mercy or maybe a haunting proclaimed on him. He didn't care for either. The weight of his sin would forever be etched on him. He watched as Sho walked over to his former house. No banner stood over it. No bear or any animal, unlike the other houses. There stood the Bandit King with the other piece of his metal and wood handle. He placed it at the footsteps of the door. He wouldn't go in. No. Too many memories to face at once. "Today, I'll be a different kind of bandit. The Bandit King that everyone deserves."
Platon approached, puzzled. "Why not give it all up?"
"My absence would create a power vacuum," Sho replied. "Better to have a good, honest bandit than a cruel one." It was twisted; Platon readily admitted that to him, but in the state that China was in, it may be the balm to their situation. Sho knelt at the door, grazing his hand over the handle while keeping his hammer close to his side.
Platon wandered off towards the outskirts of the village at the beginning of the road and sat. The snowy wind blew across his face, placing speckles of icy along his mane and beard. He didn't know someone stood next to him until he turned his head. "Ah! Oh, Lion. You're more silent than ever."
"You get used to it," The wolf replied. The lion smiled at him as they watched the snowy mist struggle to block out the mighty sun, blazing a halo glow in the sky. "Where will you go?"
"Back home."
"Li will kill you. Scratch that, they'll all kill you."
Platon smiled, "You know more than me that while they'll attack me and hit me into the dirt, they'll never kill me. Their muscles might be big, but so are their hearts." The old lion frowned as the time went on. "But I don't think I would allow it. There's too much I've done. I need to start over. Begin again."
"How?" Lion asked.
"I'll go back to my homeland in the west, outside of China."
"Yueding will need a council to help him with this. You could-"
"No," Platon finished while the others gathered around the two. The lion stood up, saying, "This is a new era. A new age. Yueding needs someone who can embrace that more easily than me. Po is actually more suited for the position."
"No he's/I'm not." Tigress and Po said at once. Platon smiled.
"Either way, I think the world could use someone else. I have to find a new path now." He turned and faced all of them. "I commend all of you for your strength, your perseverance, and your mercy." He looked past them to the statue and sighed heavily. "The era of the old Jai-Yin is over. Now, bring in this new era. I am... sorry for everything."
"Hey, if it got us here and made us as tough as possible, I think it was all worth it," Po said. Platon smiled back.
"Farewell, warriors of Jai-Yin." He walked off and down the road, disappearing into the mist. Lion sighed.
"Goodbye... father."
They looked around more, fishing through old relics and artifacts. Lion and Sho were mostly surprised that the things were intact, save for a couple of smashed pots. While the wolf and bear looked around, Po saw Tigress sitting at the footsteps of her old house, watching the silent empty village. Or maybe she was watching him? "Hey," Po said, taking his seat.
"Hey."
"What's up?"
"Nothing, just... taking it all in." They shared a moment of silence. Suddenly, Tigress rested her head on Po, pressing her ear to his bandaged chest.
"Uh Tigress, what are you doing?"
"Just... making sure your heart is still beating," she replied stiffly. "I thought I'd... never hear it beat again."
"Why is my heart beating so important?" Po asked. Tigress rose her eyebrow with a smirk when the panda realized his blunder. "I mean, I know it's important, but what I mean is... why are you so worried about it? No, Guh! What I mean is..." Po slowed his words down a bit and sighed, "Lately, you seem more worried about my safety than normal. And I mean me specifically, you're not this worried about the others." Po frowned for a second. "Is it because I'm the newest member?"
"No! No," Tigress shivered. The cold wind didn't blow, but her shiver seemed internal to Po. "I mean... over the years, you've become something more to me. Something I... didn't think was possible for people to do in our situation."
"You mean as Kung Fu Masters?" Tigress nodded. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Po, when you were struck down, something... broke inside of me. I just... lost it."
"Why me? I mean, what did I do?"
Tigress smiled, "You never stopped being you." Po was left speechless. His heart soared as Tigress's head rested on his shoulder. "I... want more than just an acquaintanceship. Because you're more than just a friend to me, Po."
"Wh... what about you and relationships? Aren't they a waste of time or-"
"It was because of our... relationship that I grew stronger, so strong that I could've defeated Platon if things didn't change," Tigress smirked. "Or if people hadn't distracted me."
"Hehe, sorry."
"It's okay, Po." She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the cool wind on her right and the panda's warmth on her left. She shivered but felt something warm and surprisingly strong wrap around her right side. It was Po's arm. "Po?"
"Tigress... I uh... I like you... like... Like you like you. The same way Viper and Crane like each other... Ummm... gosh I hate words!"
Tigress smiled, "I accept your confession." She rested her head back on his shoulder, feeling the tension in it slack. "And Po?"
"Hm?"
"I love you." The shoulder's tension rose again but slowly released. She didn't need to open her eyes to know he was smiling.
"I... I love you too," Po replied. "But you're mean for giving me that little heart attack just now."
"Hmhmhm, not sorry," She hummed humorously. Within earshot, Po and Tigress didn't know Lion listened to them.
He frowned and sighed, "This is gonna be hard to explain to Li."
Meanwhile, down below the clouds of Mount Jai-Yin, Shifu and Yueding finished up the plans for the new rule. Viper tended to Crane's damages nearby. "And what will you do about the Jai-Yin now, Emperor Yueding?" Asked his guard, Yanshi. The deer took a long breath.
"I think it's important that the Jai-Yin remain hidden. Po mentioned something about going to see them. If that's the case, then I do not intend to follow him."
"Why?"
Yueding looked up at his gorilla guard. "If I have an evil son, or if my father tries to overthrow me, it's best that one of the strongest people be hidden in our time of need. Therefore, it's best if the Jai-Yin location remains with Po and the rest of the Jai-Yin."
"Wise decision, Your Highness," Shifu replied. The big gorilla nodded, but he could see the frown and drooping eyes in his master's face.
"I could tell you what the place is like, Emperor."
"What? You've been there?"
"Yes, and because of that, you wouldn't know exactly where it was," Yanshi smiled. Yueding's face beamed.
"Looks like Po will get to go on another adventure," Viper smiled. She wrapped the bandages around Crane's wing. "You fought well, Crane."
"You too," The bird replied nervously.
"I didn't know you were so strong."
"Hehe, nothing's too hard... especially when I have you by my side."
"Aww," Viper blushed, trying to hide with the tip of her tail. "Crane, you're making me blush."
Crane gave a goofy smile, stretching from side to side. "If it makes you happy, it's worth it."
"Thank you, love," Viper hissed. Shifu watched on with a smile resting on his face. He looked up at the snow-covered mountain.
"So much has occurred and yet there's so much more to be revealed," He said to himself. "I hope Po's ready to meet the Jai-Yin."
Continued...
