Chapter 2

The Emperor

The Next day, Mariko woke up bright and early much like the day before, only this time she was even more excited thanks to what her father had promised her the day before. She then went over to her twin brother's room right next to hers and opened his door to find that he was still sleeping.

"Hey Genji! Guess what!" She shouted as she woke her twin brother up from his sleep. The male cub rolled over away from his sister in an attempt to try to ignore her, "Not interested." He mumbled in an annoyed tone. Mariko frowned at her brother's lack of enthusiasm, and she decided not to bother him any further, so she left and closed the door behind her.

As his sister left, Genji thought, 'Whatever it is, I could care less...' But what the Cub would soon realize was that this wasn't such a frivolous matter.

On her way out, Mariko looked back and thought, 'Why do you dislike me so much brother? What do I have to do for you to stop hating me?' She then closed the door and headed back to her room with much less excitement than before, albeit thanks to her brother's neglect.

Once she got back to her room, she closed the door behind her and began to pick things out for the long journey which her and her father would soon partake. She packed multiple different pairs of clothing, each of which were her favorites and the most special to her. She also packed many of her art supplies such as her favorite brushes and utensils, inks, and also some of the unique scrolls and painting surfaces she had. Lastly, she packed her favorite necklace. This necklace had been gifted to her by her mother the year before on her birthday, it was a magnificently crafted silver chain necklace with a very vibrant small emerald gem festoon which reflected her color of eyes, and also her personality.

But before she could pack the necklace neatly in her bag, she heard a voice behind her say, "I think you should wear it instead of packing it." Mariko was almost startled by the sudden interruption and she jumped in surprise whilst accidentally tossing the necklace into the air. But before it hit the ground, it was caught by a green tail. "I'm sorry Auntie Viper!" Mariko ranted as she hung her head in shame at her clumsiness. Viper simply raised an eyebrow and replied to the embarrassed Cub, "You don't need to be sorry Sweetheart, I simply think that the necklace would look good on you while you're on your way to the Imperial Palace." The reptilian then proceeded to place the necklace over the female Cub's neck. "See?" Viper asked. Mariko looked in the mirror of her room and noticed how like her Aunt said, she did look much nicer with the necklace on.

The combination of her nice pink and silver vest, the necklace, and her well styled fur (which she had just done before Viper had entered) made for a very beautiful young female Tiger Cub. As she looked at herself in the mirror, Mariko heard viper remark, "It makes you look like a Princess. And a very beautiful Princess at that." Mariko blushed at the compliment and replied with a question, "Thank you Auntie Viper! But don't princesses wear crowns?" At this, Viper replied, "Maybe, but that doesn't mean you can't someday be a Princess...Or maybe...An Empress?" She ended with a tone that sounded like a question, Mariko seemed confused and she asked, "What do you mean Auntie Viper?" Viper giggled and replied, "Never mind Sweetheart, now come with me, I have something to give you before your trip."

And So the female Cub followed her godmother to the reptilian master's room where she noticed all the decorations in Viper's room. Viper kept many memoirs and displays in her room, most of which were ribbons from when she used to ribbon dance before coming to the Jade Palace. Others were paintings and etchings of portraits with her and her family in them. Mariko then noticed Viper take something out of her drawer, a beautiful pink flower bulb of some kind. "Do you know what it is?" Viper asked the curious Cub. Mariko shook her head in denial. "It's called a Lotus Blossom." She said in a mellow tone and allowing Mariko to observe the beautiful pink flower bulb. Then without warning, Viper placed the Lotus Blossom onto the right side of the Cub's left ear, much resembling how she always wore Lotus Blossoms on her head. "Now take a look." Viper asked her niece as she turned the Cub around to face the mirror in her room.

"It looks great Auntie Viper! Thank you!" Mariko said as she looked at her new appearance through the mirror. The flower bulb was quite a cute add on to an already beautiful young female Cub. 'She has her Mother's natural good looks.' Viper thought as she watched the Cub look at herself in the mirror. But before Viper could say anything more, the two heard someone knocking on the serpent's door. "Come in." Viper said out loud so whoever it was could hear her. And sure enough, the door opened to reveal Po, who wore a much flashier green tunic today, this one had gold trim, much like Mariko's vest. But he still wore his elegant golden cloak and black slacks as usual. "Good morning kiddo! Are you ready for our big trip?" The Panda asked his daughter as he knelt down to be at eye level with her. "I sure am Daddy! Auntie Viper was just helping me to pack! She even gave me this!" The young Cub excitedly said as she referred to the pink lotus blossom on her ear which Viper had just given her.

Po looked at his daughter and thought, 'She has no idea that her own father is named after that bulb. And she wears it like a champ. Her good looks definitely come from Tigress-' "Is everything alright Daddy?" Mariko asked, interrupting Po from his train of thought. He shook his head to get out of his daze and answered, "Oh! Yeah! Everything's just fine Mariko...I was just...Thinking..." He then continued, "Anyway, why don't we have go have breakfast before we leave?" To which Mariko nodded and followed her father out of the room, but before she left, she gave Viper one last wave goodbye before her and her father would depart on their journey. To which Viper winked at her Niece and mouthed the words; 'Have fun!'

Not Long After

Genji had just woken up from a much needed long slumber, courtesy of his exhausting training the day prior. But even though he had been fatigued the day before, he hardly felt the effects today. So he decided that since he was feeling alright, he would go train some more to keep pushing his limits and one day best his sister in a sparing match. He slid on his training clothes being his black vest and slacks and headed out his door towards the training hall.

But before he could get far, he heard a voice call, "Where do you think you're going young man?" He stopped in his tracks, and without looking back to face the person, he answered coldly, "To train, Mother." Tigress would have none of this though, it had been a while since the Cub had last had a decent meal, so she put her foot down, "Your training will have to wait, for now you need to give your body the strength it needs. No one should train on an empty stomach." Genji then reluctantly followed his mother towards the dining hall.

When he arrived however, he was not satisfied to see that his sister was already seated at the dining table and was nearly finished a fresh bowl of dumplings which his father had prepared. He grumbled from under his teeth, which didn't go unnoticed by his mother who had watched his expression turn more sour since he saw his sister. Just then, Mariko noticed the two walk in, "Mamma! She said happily whilst running over to her Mom and hugging Tigress' legs since she was so much smaller. Tigress bent down and picked her daughter up, effectively bringing her at eye level, "Good morning sweetheart! How was Hao's birthday yesterday? Did he enjoy the gift you made for him?" She asked as she hadn't spoken to the Cub since the day before. "It was great Mamma! Hao really loved the gift I made him! He says he'll always treasure it! Oh! And guess what!? I learned how to play Mahjong too!" The Cub rambled, quite literally summing up the entire day.

During all of this, Genji did his best to tune his sister out while he went to go get himself some tofu cubes to eat. He didn't understand why his sister always seemed to get under his skin. Was it her constant happiness? Or maybe the fact that his parents paid more attention to her? Or was it the fact that she always seemed to be one step ahead of him without dedicating all her time to her training like he regardless of whatever the reason was, he tried his best to ignore his sister's smug attitude and demeanor, so he began to eat the tofu cubes by himself.

Both Po and Tigress noticed this, but before Po could say anything to his son, Mariko spoke up, "Oh, and Mamma! Daddy and I are going on a big trip today!" Tigress already knew this, but she played along anyway. "Really? Where are you and Daddy going?" Tigress asked while pretending to be clueless. The Cub then replied sounding very excited,

"We're going to the Emperors Palace in Bejing!"

At this, the once quiet Genji accidentally snapped his chopsticks and interrupted, "WHAT!?" Everyone else in the room looked over to the Cub who had made a big scene, "What do you mean you're going to the Emperor's Palace!?" He asked in a slightly aggravated tone whilst getting up from his chair. "Why didn't anyone tell me!?" The irritated Cub asked. Po stepped in and answered, "Nobody told you because you're not coming."

The Cub's facial expression changed from one of anger to one of pure disbelief and betrayal. "Wait what? Why not!?" He asked trying to imply that this was unfair. Po frowned at his son's disrespectful behavior and answered, "Because you refused to show up to your own brother's birthday yesterday, you haven't been behaving well lately, and also for the way you've been treating your sister." The room fell silent after the Panda's statement, but not until Genji argued, "That's not fair! Why do you always pick Mariko before me!?" Po was really disappointed in his youngest son right now, "I'm sorry Genji, but you need to spend your time here and think about your actions. When you show me you can-" But before Po could finish, Genji cut his Dad off, "Hao isn't even really related to us! Why should I have to celebrate his birthday!?" The entire room fell silent again, mostly because of the Cub's condescending and self-entitled rant. "Genji!" Tigress shouted in shock of how rude her son had just been. But before she could scold the Cub further, he ran off. Tigress looked at Po with a face that looked very worried but also very shocked at what had just happened.

"Wait! Genji!" Tigress called as she ran to catch up to the angry Cub, leaving Po and Mariko behind to contemplate what the Cub had said. "Daddy? Does Genji really mean those things?" Mariko asked with a hint of fear in her voice. Po looked down at her but didn't reply, in truth he didn't have an answer for her.

Meanwhile, Tigress pursued her youngest Son with the intent on speaking to him about his rude and condescending behavior. But when she checked the training hall where he would spend most of his time, he was nowhere to be found. He couldn't have been at his room since she had already checked there. There was only one place she could think to look, the peach tree.

She shortly arrived at the summit of the peak where stood the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, and sure enough she began to hear sounds that resembled sobbing. Though she could not see him yet, she definitely knew it was Genji. As she approached the tree, the sounds began to get louder. When she turned around the tree, she found the Cub scrunched up against the tree holding his knees in his arms and crying. It nearly broke her heart to see her son this way, "Genji?" She asked to try and get her Cub's attention. "What do you want Mother?" He asked while still whimpering because of his emotional state. Tigress frowned but continued, "I just wanted to talk to you sweetie." He didn't seem interested in talking at the moment, and he replied, "I don't wanna talk to anyone! I just want to be left alone!"

Tigress was taken back by her Son's statement in his anger, "Sweetie I just-" But before she could finish, Genji interrupted, "Why do you and father always take Mariko's side!?" This didn't make Tigress happy, she hadn't always been known for being the most patient, but when it came to her children, she would almost always give them the benefit of the doubt. But in this situation Genji was really testing her patience, "Genji, how can you say that? Your father and I love you from the bottom of our hearts." The Cub didn't seem satisfied with this answer, and he talked back, "Then why does father always pay more attention to her! Its not like he takes me on trips to see the Emperor! And he never helps to train me! It's always you!"

Tigress couldn't help but frown at the Cub's rant and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. "That's what I thought! He has always loved Mariko more than me! She'll always be his favorite!"

Meanwhile With Mariko and Po

Po and his daughter had all the while been traveling down the steps of the Jade Palace where they were making their way out of town and into the expansive bamboo forest paths. "Daddy?" Mariko asked her father. "Yes sweetheart?" Mariko then continued, "I wish Genji could have come with us..." Po looked down at his daughter and didn't seem to have a response for her again. Anything concerning his youngest son seemed to be a difficult issue lately, and though he felt that he had done the right thing by making the Cub stay at the Jade Palace, he couldn't help but feel guilty upon reminiscing Genji's harsh words; 'Why do you always pick Mariko before me!?' He still felt his decision to leave the Cub back was the right one, but he was now seeing many of the detrimental effects it was going to have on his son.

Nearly 6 Hours Later in the Capital City of Beijing

The trip to Beijing would have been made much longer, but thanks to Po finding multiple trade carts along the way, him and Mariko arrived at the capital city much faster. The traders were all delighted to see the Dragon Warrior and volunteered to give him and his daughter an escort directly to the city.

Now that they had finally arrived at their destination, Mariko began to realize just how big this city really was. The Valley of Peace was a relatively large village, but Beijing completely dwarfed it. Not only this, but the buildings and architecture were much larger and much more luxurious than those in the village in the Valley of Peace. There were also way more citizens, in fact there were so many people roaming about that there was hardly any space to move around. "Stay close Mariko, you could get lost very easily here." Po told the Cub as they entered the marketplace. This was not the first time Po had been here, in fact he had come to the city nearly 5 years ago to meet the Emperor, and during his time here he had gotten his wife's wedding ring with the help of the Emperor himself.

"Okay Daddy." The Cub responded and then proceeded to follow her father through the busy marketplace. It was an arduous task, but she managed to follow him through the massive crowd without getting lost. Po looked down at her and he said, "Alright, come on, the Emperors Palace is right this way." At this, Mariko became a bit more excited, but at the same time she began to get a bit nervous. To her, meeting the Emperor was an amazing opportunity, but she had never met Emperor before and didn't know what to expect. Would he be nice? Or would he be intimidating.

As they continued on, Mariko began to see a massive building which looked similar to the Jade Palace, only it was nearly 5 times the size. "Daddy? Is that the Emperor's Palace?" She asked while pointing at the humongous building. "It sure is Kiddo." Po answered with a smile. "Wow! It's so big! I wonder how many floors there are!" She stated as her imagination began to go wild. Po simply chuckled at his daughter's enthusiasm, 'I remember when I used to be like her...' He thought happily.

When the two arrived near the building, they began to see many imperial guards and soldiers. This was due to the high degree of security which was required to keep the Emperor safe, from Rhinos, Bulls, and also Boars, the soldiers were all very strong and fit for the job. They kept on their way until they reached the large gates which separated the Palace with the rest of the city around it. At the gates there were several Rhino guards stationed for sentry duty, each of which were highly decorated with much more expensive looking armor. "Halt! None are permitted past this gate! Unless they have an audience with the Emperor." One of the guards spoke with conviction. Po smiled and replied, "We do, I'm the Dragon Warrior of the Valley of Peace, and this is my daughter Mariko. I am here to discuss a matter with Emperor Xiong." Po then pulled out his Jade staff as confirmation of his status. The guards seemed surprised by Po's statement and the one who spoke earlier immediately apologized, "Oh! My apologies sir! You are always welcome here, please proceed." Po nodded and patted the guard on the shoulder saying, "It's no problem, thank you for your understanding." And with this, Po and Mariko proceeded to enter through the open gates towards the tower. "Hey! Hardfoot! I just got a pat on the back by the Dragon Warrior!" The guard secretly boasted to the other guard. "Shh! We have to stay on duty! Pull yourself together!" The other guard scolded him. "Oh...Right." The guard said while regaining his composure.

Po and Mariko entered the massive tower and the Cub immediately saw just how big the building was on the inside. With rooms at just about every corner and many well decorated walls and ceiling fixtures. But the thing that stood out the most was the massive spiral staircase in the center of the building. "Wow!" The Cub exclaimed as she admired the amazing architecture of the building. Po looked down at her and answered, "Just wait until we get to the top of the building Kiddo." Mariko was excited to get to the top of the building, but also nervous at the same time. "Daddy? I don't think I'll be able to make it up all those steps..." She said while looking up the dozens of floors above. "Don't worry Sweetheart I'll carry you up if you get tired." And with this, the two began their ascent to the top.

Not long after, Mariko did eventually get tired and Po had to carry her up the rest of the way, however, for a Cub her size she had managed to get quite far. Now they were nearly at the top when Mariko asked, "Daddy? What is the Emperor like?" At this Po raised a brow and asked, "What do you mean?" "Like, is he nice? I just don't know what to expect." Po simply chuckled and answered, "Don't worry Mariko, I didn't know what to expect when meeting him for the first time either. In fact, I too was a bit nervous when I first came here to meet him five years ago." Marko seemed surprised by this and she asked, "You get nervous too Daddy?" Po continued to chuckle and replied, "Of course. It's only natural for everyone to be nervous sometimes Sweetheart."

And as Po said this, the two finally reached the 30th floor of the building, you could tell it was the top floor of the building because there were no more stairs to climb, and also, it looked much more extravagant. With expensive tapestries, to gold pillars, and also engravings of Chinese Dragons in the walls, this place was unlike anything Mariko had ever seen before. "It's beautiful!" Mariko said as she admired the amazing look of the setting. "Just wait until you see the throne room." Po said as he led Mariko through the hall.

They finally arrived at a large door at the end of the hallway, it was shut and there was another Rhino guard stationed in front. "Well I'll be darned… If it isn't the Dragon Warrior!" The Guard said almost in excitement as he noticed the Panda approach. "It is good to see you again friend!" The Rhino continued as Po walked up to him. "Likewise Pingbi. It certainly has been a while." Po humbly replied to the guard who he had obviously known prior to coming to the Palace. "And who's this little one?" The Rhino asked him while looking down at the female Cub who clung to her father. Po smiled and responded, "Pingbi, this is my daughter Mariko. Mariko, this is Pingbi, one of the Emperor's personal guards." "We have so much to catch up on don't we?" The Rhino guard said. Po chuckled and replied, "Indeed, however, before any of that, is Emperor Xiong available?" At this the Guard replied, "Oh yes! I will go check, just wait here a moment." And with that, Pingbi entered the door and closed it behind him.

Po and Mariko waited for several minutes before the guard came back out, "He is ready for you, you may enter." "Thank you Pingbi." Po kindly responded, and with this, he led Mariko past the door into the room.

The room was large and open, ahead was a type of balcony which had a view of the city bellow. The same gold pillars and expensive tapestries were found, and in the absolute center, lay a golden and silver throne. But before the Cub could observe anything more, a voice called out, "Welcome back to Beijing Dragon Warrior!" The two turned to look to their side where a male Amur Leopard approached while holding his arms out. He was quite tall, almost Po's height. But what stood out the most of him was the outfit he wore, it was a metallic white toga-like robe with red and gold trim. He also had a red belt which tied up the outfit well. "It is an honor to be back, 'your highness'." Po said while hinting a bit of sarcasm. The two both had smiles and they each took a bow of respect towards one another. "So what brings you back here my friend?" The Emperor asked while resuming his normal pose. Po smiled and looked back at his daughter and answered, "We came here for me to discuss a matter with you." Po replied, to which the Emperor raised a brow and asked, "We?" At this, Po picked up his daughter who had been hiding behind him and showed her to the Leopard saying, "Myself, and my daughter Mariko."

Mariko seemed nervous to be in the presence of the Emperor of China himself. But the Emperor did not react the way she anticipated, instead he smiled and stated, "It is a pleasure to meet you Mariko, welcome to the Royal Palace of Beijing." At this Mariko weakly and nervously replied, "Pleased to meet you too sir..." The Emperor seemed to chuckle at this and he responded, there's no need for formalities little one, anyone associated with Po is held at a high esteem here. You may call me Cishan." Mariko was still a bit nervous, but was beginning to get a bit more comfortable albeit thanks to the Emperor's hospitality. "She has your eyes you know." The Emperor told Po as the Panda put his daughter back on the floor where she took a stand beside him. Po smiled and said, "I was originally planning to take her here for a day, but it's getting late. However, I still wish to discuss something with you." To this the Emperor responded, "Nonsense! I will have the servants prepare several rooms for you both, you may stay for at least a week!" Po nodded and replied "Thank you Cishan, I really appreciate this." "Of course, its the least I can do to repay all the good deeds you do for this country."

"Pingbi? Can you please show young Mariko to her room?" The Emperor called to his personal guard. The Rhino nodded and began to escort the female Cub to the door before the Emperor called, "Haokan!? Come here!" Upon hearing the call of the Emperor, a young Amur Leopard Cub arrived to the scene from the outside at the balcony. He looked around Mariko's age and wore a small blue Chinese robe with white trim. "Yes father?" The Cub asked. "You are to accompany Pingbi and Mariko, once she unpacks, I wish for you to take her on a tour of the Palace! But you are under no circumstances to leave the tower! Do you understand?" The Cub nodded his head and followed the Rhino and the female Cub. But before they left, he held his hand out to Mariko and said, "I'm Haokan, pleased to meet you." Mariko seemed curious by the Leopard Cub's behavior but she shook his hand and replied, "Pleased to meet you too, I'm Mariko."

A/N: Here's the second Chapter! I hope you enjoy it! It looks like Mariko is getting to know some very big faces in China! And what does she think of this new Cub on the scene? If you're enjoying this story so far, please favorite, follow and most importantly…

Review!