This had to be a joke.
Shifu could not believe his eyes when he saw an overweight teenager hiding in the bushes next to the courtyard, unabashedly spying on Ying. Spying on her! He even had the audacity to try and film her with his phone! The shock of this bizarre sight hit him first, leaving him to watch for a few minutes rather than step in quicker. But in hindsight, that hadn't been a good idea, as the shock soon turned to rage when Oogway's stupid prediction boiled in his stomach.
And of course the rage lead him to take the boy's arm in a vice-like grip and talk to him the way he would an enemy. "What are you doing!" He hissed, wanting to keep the impending fight a secret from Ying, who would surely not forgive him for treating a stranger so roughly.
The boy flushed and stammered like a child, even though he was probably the same age as Ying. "I – I –" Was all he could get out. Pathetic.
"How did you get here!" Did he go through the staff entrance? He must have done. The house was invisible to any of the population who went past the Palace and there was no way he could have got in and through to the courtyard without one of the others spotting him.
"Through – through the tunnel!" The boy choked out.
That meant he went through the staff entrance with a door that specifically had a PRIVATE sign on it. And that was surely the way Ying had got to the courtyard, she did say she would get some training done in between her shifts. A fresh surge of anger ran through him as he realised that this stranger had followed one of his students. Followed. Then tried to video.
Unable to hold his fury any longer, he raised his fist and delivered a perfect blow enough to knock him out for an hour or so.
The boy's weight hitting the ground was enough for Ying to turn round in question.
Her eyes widened as Shifu stood up, dusting himself off. "Master Shifu?" She said, confused. "I heard a noise –"
"That was me." He said, and pointed down to the unconscious intruder. She hesitantly walked forward and peered over to examine him. "An intruder, I think he followed you."
She audibly gulped and retracted herself quickly, crossing her arms over her chest and shuffling her feet nervously (though he'd tried to train it out of them, there was no getting rid of his students' distinguishable nervous ticks).
He frowned at her behaviour. "Do you recognise him?"
"He wanted to apply for a job at the Palace," She started guiltily. "I refused and – I may have, um – left open the locker door." Her voice had quietened to a mutter by the end of her incriminating sentence and she turned her head as to not make eye contact.
Shifu blinked at her, processing the information. "What?" He growled.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times. "I – I didn't think that –"
"If you hadn't left the door open then he wouldn't have got in!" He shouted, that was the second thing he couldn't believe that day. Ying's stupid mistake.
She took a step back from him, still hugging herself.
"Have I not trained you well enough?! This is a rookie mistake!"
"I – I'm sorry master –" She whispered weakly, eyes closed completely.
"An apology can't undo the damage you've done!" Shifu couldn't even feel guilty for yelling at her, though he knew it wouldn't do any good, but he was absolutely furious. "This will ruin everything!"
She didn't say anything.
"Do you even understand what this means?!" His throat started to become sore, he hadn't shouted at anyone like this for at least a few months.
"Yes I understand." She said, her jaw set and her eyes hard.
He sighed deeply, running a tired hand over the leathery skin of his face. The cost of her messy actions was unimaginable. It would change their lives and turn everything on its head in the most awful way. Surely nothing good would come from this disaster. Taking out the phone his students insisted he carry around with him, he sent out a group text to close the Palace immediately and get to the house as fast as possible. He needed to take care of the situation before things got out of hand.
"Carry him inside." He instructed coldly, already walking to the back door.
Ying obediently bent down and threw him over her shoulder. He couldn't deny that her strength was extremely impressive at times. Even though the boy definitely weighed far more than she did, she only teetered slightly underneath him, but was completely able to carry him all the way back to the house. In the living room, she threw him onto the sofa, and Shifu felt a small ounce of satisfaction at how careless she was with him.
Soon after the body was dumped, Ying perched on the edge of one of the chairs in the corner and his other students burst in, haggard and worried.
"What's going on master?" Asked Yu Ting, worriedly, stepping towards him immediately. "Is everything alright?"
"What's the emergency? And where's Ying?" Wu Cong looked around the living room, and Ying got up from the chair to greet him half-heartedly.
"It's a long story." She muttered to him.
Jia, ever curious, had ventured across the room to the sofa, and was staring down at it with his jaw dropped.
"What did you do?" He breathed. The sofa had been turned to the wall to hide the unconscious body lying on it. Ying had obviously felt it was a little chilling to have lying out in the open.
Fan Hai jumped over and stared too. "Is that…?" He started, a disturbed look on his face.
"Yes, I knocked him out," Shifu said monotonously as they all gasped. He wanted to roll his eyes, they were acting as if he'd committed a murder. "he'll be unconscious for about an hour."
"But where did he come from?" Yu Ting asked, also looking at the boy closely. "How did he get in? No one's ever got in."
Shifu opened his mouth to answer when the call of his ringtone went off. Glancing at the contact, he gave them each a stern look and left for the hallway to take it. "Yes?"
"You better get over here."
The grim words caused him to grip the phone a little tighter. "What happened?"
"He's saying he needs to talk to you – now."
Shifu sighed, this really wasn't the time. But now the prediction had, sort of, come true – Oogway would surely want to see him. And he couldn't defy his master. Even if his students really did need him. "Alright, I'll be there in a couple of hours."
He hung up and went back to the living room. They were (as always) arguing, or perhaps exchanging insulting banter. He honestly couldn't tell the difference, but there was no room for ponder, as everyone went silent once he entered.
He pointed to their intruder. "Keep an eye on him," He said sternly, giving them each a glare they knew meant 'if you disobey there will be consequences'. "I will be back soon." And with that he turned to leave.
At the front door he could hear their conversation from the living room.
"He chooses now to leave?!"
"It's probably really important."
"But isn't this more of a pressing issue?"
"…you don't think it's about Oogway – do you?"
"Now you've mentioned it, it probably is."
"Does that mean Oogway is…?"
"Ill? I hope not."
"But what if he dies!"
Shifu had to roll his eyes at their dramatics. He was pretty sure it was Wu Cong who sounded ridiculously worried. Ooway wasn't going to die. That wouldn't happen, not for another twenty years!
He slammed the front door satisfyingly.
Shifu couldn't remember the last time he was this angry for such a prolonged amount of time. This intruder had turned everything he'd worked so hard to create on its head. And all he had to do was exist. Merely exist in their presence, and all would be ruined.
Shifu took a deep breath of the chilly night air. It was best to get out, before he throttled each of his students. He never should have left them alone. It was glaringly clear he couldn't trust them to behave how spies should. But, his consciousness started, they are no longer children. Shifu physically shook his head at that statement, they certainly behaved like children.
All he could see was red as he walked to the Palace. To calm down the anger slightly he made a mental list of the things causing him to question reality. In total there were three of them:
Oogway's prediction coming true.
The intruder wanting to stay.
The Furious Five's identities no longer being a complete secret.
Lighting the candles one by one he prepared for meditation. This was his moment for ultimate relaxation. The only glow came from the wicks surrounding him and merely a mat to sit cross-legged on. He focused all his attention on breathing. In, out. In, out.
Inner peace
Inner peace
His dejected face swam into view, the one he wore after Oogway had insisted Shifu let him go. Shifu knew then, that his son would never forgive him. And he was right, that grudge had boiled and simmered and most likely grown and stagnated after so many years. He exhaled loudly and gritted his teeth. He had to stop letting his thoughts slip to him.
Inner peace
Inner peace
Oogway's second prediction arose in his mind. The terrifying, horrifying statement that would definitely haunt his many nightmares to come. Once Oogway said it, he immediately scoffed. It was probably just the medication they'd placed him on, causing him to spout absolute nonsense. He was incredibly old after all. But then, his consciousness made itself apparent, his prediction about the intruder came true, why can't this one?
INNER PEACE
His consciousness quietened.
Inner peace
Flapping penetrated his perfectly silent environment.
"Whoever is making that flapping sound, quiet down!" He bellowed, eyes still closed.
Inner peace
Inner peace
The flapping got louder.
Inner peace
And then became accompanied by footsteps slapping on stone.
Inner –
He sighed deeply and opened his eyes. Meditation completely ruined.
Lifting himself up he turned round, ready to have a go at whoever had interrupted his sweet serenity.
Except it was just Zheng, with a long scarf billowing behind him and looking incredibly harried.
Shifu paid no mind to that and cracked his first relieved smile in days. "Ah Zheng! I could use some good news right about now." He said expectantly, and laced his fingers together, awaiting a response.
Zheng blinked, his mouth still held open from whatever he wanted to say. "Uhhhh…"
Pressing the red button to hang up, Shifu felt the tension in his shoulders ease slightly.
Ying, at least, he could trust. Her unwavering loyalty was admirable even for him, and a small part of him was eternally grateful for that. It was times like these where he really appreciated how disciplined she was, unlike his previous son.
His previous, before committing his crimes, was secretive and cunning – and Shifu hated to admit that he turned a blind eye to that. The constant sneaking out and disobedience Shifu was sure he'd grow out of. Except he never did. Or – never got the chance to.
Inner peace.
Thank god Ying wasn't like that.
AN - 1) This is a very short chapter, I'm pretty sure it's not even 2k words. But when a chapter needs to end, it needs to end. The only other short chapters will be chapter 9 and the last one ;)
2) If this chapter is a little confusing - it's meant to be. But don't worry, a lot gets explained in the next chapter, and probably the consecutive ones too.
3) I hope I didn't butcher Shifu's character lol, he's so hard to write
Let me know your thoughts on this! I'm trying to be mysterious hehe