Chapter 7

Allegiance

Mariko made her way up towards the Pool of Sacred Tears, intent on speaking with her father about the recent incident with her father. As she proceeded up the path, it was obvious that her body hadn't fully recovered yet, with the uncomfortable feeling in her gut as well as a strange feeling in her back. But she ignored the pain and continued on to find the answers she wanted.

The path to this sacred pool rose high above the ground, through the Himalayan mountains and almost into the clouds. The area around this location tended to be shrouded in mist, courtesy of the high altitude. And today was no different, the visibility was poor, but Mariko knew the path well after having come here before, so she kept on her way to find her father.

After traversing the path for a short while, Mariko began to hear a voice from up ahead, it had to be him. And as she approached the peak of the mountain where the location lay, she began to pick up the tone of the voice, and to her displeasure, it was somber. After she turned the last corner she saw him, her father wore his normal green tunic and black slacks which he always had, only he wasn't wearing is golden cloak. He appeared to be in a kneeling position right in front of the pool of water with his arms at his sides. As Mariko walked up to him, it was clear that he could not sense her presence, as he was in the middle of… Crying…? This was an unusual noise for Mariko to hear, because in all her life she had never heard her parents cry. It wasn't an uncontrolled tantrum, more like quiet sobs here and there. However, when she got very close to him she noticed that the pool of tears itself had nearly risen to overflowing out of its basin.

"Daddy?…" She asked from directly behind him.

"Oh, hi Sweetheart… Did you come all the way here to see your sad excuse for a father?" He answered through whimpers her with a tone that hadn't the slightest glimmer of hope in it.

Mariko saw her father turn his head to the side, not looking at her, but definitely acknowledging her. And from what she see of his face, it looked like he wasn't faring well. The fur beneath his eyes were soaked with what she assumed to be his tears, and his fur all over his body was ruffled and messy. She had never seen him look like this, he usually looked elegant, and in good health.

When she didn't reply to his question, Po looked back down at the pool of water before him, "This place really fascinates me, it never rains here, so do you know how this pool got here?" He asked her.

Mariko frowned and answered, "You taught me years ago that this pool was created by Master Oogway when he discovered the secrets of Kung Fu. He used his own teardrops to fill the basin with water…" She finished whilst looking at the pool which was now to the verge of overflowing.

Po gave a small sad chuckle and replied, "Clever girl."

Mariko sighed and addressed her depressed father, "Daddy, you can't keep staying up here anymore, Mom and the others are worried about you. Plus you haven't slept or eaten in days, this is terrible for your health!"

Po looked back and smiled weakly as he replied, "What's the point anymore… Everywhere I go, everything I do, bad things always happen. You must realize Mariko, karma follows me wherever I go." At that last part he raised his voice significantly and his tone changed from sorrowful to irate. He took a long pause before he suddenly yelled, "WHY HAS WORLD HAS CURSED ME!?" Though after this, he quickly shifted his mood back to what it was before.

"What kind of father banishes his own son…" He said to himself as he slumped his shoulders and began to slowly cry again, clearly feeling very conflicted over his actions.

Mariko knelt down beside her father and placed her paw on his shoulder to try and comfort him. When she did this she heard him say, "I appreciate you trying to comfort me Sweetheart, but it's too late for me. I have nothing left to live for. And for this reason, I have decided that I must leave this world…"

Mariko was taken back, and she released her paw from his shoulder. Her expression changed from that of worry, to annoyance and frustration. She jumped up to the elevated rock right beside her father and performed a rapid spinning maneuver on one foot which began to blow the clouds and mist away from the area, and thus illuminating this once dreary setting.

Once the light of the golden skies around the mountains shone through the area around the pool, Mariko jumped down and now stood in front of her depressed Panda father. "How dare you say that!? 'I have nothing left to live for'!? What about your friends that care about you!? What about Mom!… What about me!?" She angrily ranted at him, trying to get his attention.

At this, Po looked up from the ground and sighed, while looking over to his side, trying to avoid maintaining eye contact with his daughter who clearly had a good point.

"Father, please… You have to move on from this, it's going to be hard on all of us, but we'll get through it, together. Please? For me?" Mariko asked as she hugged her father from the front and closing her eyes.

Po was surprised at first, and he didn't know what to do. But within seconds he began to feel nostalgic, he remembered the days when his daughter would happily hug him out of the love in her heart. A smile came to his face and he rose from the ground with Mariko still embracing him, he then returned the hug and told her, "Okay Sweetheart… For you."

2 Days Later in an Unknown Location

It was quite dark, the only form of light being the flickers of flame from a nearby torch. Genji opened his eyes weakly, to the point where they were halfway open. He couldn't see in much detail, as he looked up at what he thought to be a rock ceiling. And within a few seconds, the rest of his senses began to return to him, he could smell the nearby fumes from the torch, and he could hear the flames and sparks. But seconds later, he began to feel what felt like a cold wet rag being applied on certain parts of his body.

He could sense that someone was standing right beside him, and out of pure instinct, he opened his eyes fully and lunged out, grabbing the figure's arm with great force. He heard the person gasp and panic slightly. He got up off of what he now knew was a type of medical table and looked the figure, examining them. It was a middle aged Asiatic Lioness who was nearly half a foot shorter than him. "Who are you, and where the hell am I!?" He asked with an obvious amount of anger and irritation.

The Lioness struggled to get out of Genji's hold on her, but to no avail, for Genji was far to strong to be deterred. He exposed his teeth and unsheathed the claws on his other arm and threatened her, asking, "I'll ask you one more time, who are you, and where am I!?" Though this time he spoke much louder and closer to the Lioness.

But before Genji heard an answer, another voice in the room spoke up, "It seems our special guest has awoken…"

Genji turned his head around without letting go of the Lioness' arm and noticed another figure was walking into the dimly lit room, while being accompanied by two other figures at each side. They were coming from a darker area in the room, but he could easily see them in good detail thanks to his keen night vision. The one in the middle was nearly his height, perhaps an inch or two shorter, and was also a feline, to be specific, a male Asiatic Lion. He could tell that they were relatively old, at best 40 years old, and he could also see many scars on their face along with a small chunk of their mane bellow their chin missing. Accompanying the male were two other Lioness' though they seemed much younger than him, probably not much older than Genji himself. All of the Lioness' wore the same dark gray Fukamen and Uwagi which concealed many of their features. Though the male instead wore a black robe which didn't look of Chinese design.

Genji began growling defensively at the new figures and he let go of the Lioness he had in his grasp, making her thump into the wall which he had pinned her up to.

The Lion scoffed at Genji's behavior and said, "You may calm yourself my young Tiger friend, I have no intention on harming you."

Genji still wasn't convinced, and he asked once more, "I want answers! Where am I? And who are all of you!"

The Male answered, "I understand your concern my young friend, you need not panic, we have brought you inside a cave in the territory of my clan. I am the leader of the Rishi clan of Mongolia, you may call me Jian, and these are my personal guards." The Lion pointed at each of the young Lioness' beside him.

Genji looked surprised at hearing this news, 'I'm in Mongolia?' He wondered while staring at the Lion intently. Genji had read many scrolls inside the Jade Palace about Mongolia, almost all of them depicted the Mongols as savages and extremely aggressive people, which was surprising considering how hospitable they were being right now. But perhaps it was because they didn't know Genji's origin yet, or was it something else? 'Either way, I can't reveal my whole past to them, or too much about me.'

He had never seen this Lion before, but he had heard of a foe who his Father fought before he was born that went by the same name. It couldn't be a coincidence, as the battle scars told the whole story. Another reason he couldn't reveal his past or upbringing.

"How did I get here?" Genji asked, trying to break the silence in the cave.

"We found your body half buried in sand in the north of the Gobi Desert, you were unconscious and severely deprived of food and water. We brought you here to my camp and our healer was able to nurse you back to proper health from your near death condition." At this the Lion looked to the Lioness who Genji had initially lashed out at.

Genji took a step back and sat down on the table he had woken up on. Then he sighed and looked down at the ground, just thinking.

"Now it is my turn to ask the questions." Jian said as he now moved up closer, but still accompanied by his guards.

"First thing I want to know, is how did you get so far into the desert on your own without the slightest bit of food and water?" Jian asked, looking down at the young Tiger.

"I was banished from my country. So I fled to find new land." Genji replied simply, but not looking up at the Lion who prodded him.

Jian didn't seem to appreciate the simple answer, but continued on anyway, "I'd like to know, I've never seen a Tiger with black patches around their eyes, or even close to the same height as yourself… Just who are you?"

Genji knew he couldn't give the true answer to these questions, or else the Lion might find out his origin, so he came up with the only other name that he could think of and lied, "I'm Akuma, and as for the black patches, you could say they are a simple genetic defect…"

Jian seemed to try to tell if the Tiger was lying or not, because to him, something about this Tiger seemed familiar…

"Interesting, and where do you come from, may I ask, Akuma?"

~"I like the sound of that, what a fitting name for you, Akuma…"~

Genji heard his subconscious tell him, but he ignored the mental voice and replied to the question, "I used to live in China, that was before my fa-… My former Master banished me from my home, and cast me away." Genji corrected himself mid-sentence as he didn't want to mention his father who had disowned him. 'He is no longer my father anyway…' He thought as he looked down at the ground whilst developing an inner rage, making him growl through his teeth.

Jian looked at either side, acknowledging both of the guards beside him, and he then proceeded to ask, "And what do you seek now?"

"Revenge, and power." Genji answered while beginning to growl slightly louder and more violently.

The Lion seemed to form a grin upon hearing the Tiger's words, and he replied quickly, "Well then, it seems our interests aren't so different, we may have use for you after all, young Tiger. You see, for years us Mongolians have been forced to live in these harsh climates and territories, to fight for survival day after day. We were exiled to these harsh lands by Emperor Huang, the first Emperor of China, and now, by Emperor Xiong."

"Nearly 20 years ago, I had an army large enough to conquer the entire country, and reclaim what is rightfully ours! But my plans were foiled, foiled by two individuals, one being a Panda, who called himself the Dragon Warrior. When I rebuild the strength to invade the country, I will murder the Dragon Warrior by my own hand, and we will finally reclaim the land we once owned."

'So he is the same Jian from my fa-… From my former Master's stories…' Genji thought as he listened to the Lion's statement.

"If you have an army, then why do wait?" Genji asked.

Jian seemed to become angry with this statement, and the Lion clenched his fists while walking over to a wall of the cave with his back turned to Genji. "I HAD an army, I no longer possess the troops needed to conquer the country. My higher ranking soldiers had a fallout when I was defeated in combat by the Dragon Warrior's attendant, now, they each run their own clans in different regions of Mongolia." And upon saying this, Jian punched the stone wall out of anger.

"Although, things may be looking up for us now…" At this, he turned to face Genji. He then walked slowly over to the Tiger who still looked down to the ground, seemingly deep in thought.

"It seems fate has brought us together, no?"

~"It seems he intends to form an alliance with you, you may still have a chance to exact your revenge on your Sister and your father, on all of China! However, he will probably be unwilling to share his power with you, I recommend that you find a way to overthrow him when you ultimately come to power."~

Genji listened to the voice in his head, and this time he decided to follow its advice.

Genji now stood up from the bench and replied, "Perhaps… It is the will of the universe, I will help you in your quest to reclaim China." He then knelt down in respect to the Lion, while hiding his face which held an expression that seemed to hold an obvious amount of deceit.

This satisfied Jian, and the Lion proceeded, "In exchange, you may take out your revenge on all those who have wronged you in the past, and we shall be truly respected!"

Genji deviously smiled whilst still hiding his face and kneeling. 'His ignorance of my intentions will be his undoing…' The young Tiger thought to himself.

~"You're learning quick Genji Ping, or should I call you, Akuma?"~

Jian was now smiling contently, "Rise, my Tiger friend, I think its time I showed you the rest of the camp. This cave becomes quite claustrophobic after time, come."

And with this, Genji rose from his kneeling position and followed the Lion who was rejoined by his personal guards.

2 Days Earlier, Back at the Jade Palace at Sundown

Po was just outside the Hall of Heroes, which he had only recently reached. He came here because of something he noticed from earlier, a strange trail of dried drops of blood which had initially come from the training hall. He had visited the training hall to try and find clues as to why his son had lashed out so violently towards his sister, and this trail of blood was most peculiar to him. Judging by how the blood was more brown than red, it must have been over 2 days old.

'Strange, I could have sworn I didn't see this the day it happened, but maybe I was just too caught up in the moment…' He thought to himself as he followed it inside the Hall of Heroes where it originated from. As he walked into the massive building, he began to see the familiar Kung Fu artifacts which he had idolized when he was younger. They were all in their proper places, except one of them… The Kunai of Akuma, which was missing from its case. But when he saw were the trail of blood led, he found where it was. The trail of blood led to a small puddle of the red fluid that had since dried, and just beside this puddle was the trowing knife which also had bloodstains on its blade. 'Now this is odd…' He thought as he knelt down and examined the scene. To anyone else, this would look like a murder scene, but Po knew there was no such murder.

As he examined the scene for potential clues, he heard footsteps coming from behind. He looked back and saw his eldest and now only son, Hao who was accompanied by his younger sister Mariko. They reached him shortly after, and Hao proceeded to greet his father, "Hi Dad, Mari filled me in on what happened… Are you okay?"

Po shook his head while looking down at the bloodstained floor, "For the moment, no, I will never be able to forgive myself for this, but for now I must put it aside and get to the bottom of it…"

Hao walked over to his adoptive father's side and placed his paw on the Panda's shoulder and also began to look at the scene before them.

Po stroked his chin and then proceeded to ask, "Mariko, when Genji came into the training hall before the incident, did anything about him seem… Off?"

At this Mariko nodded and replied, "Yes, he was acting incredibly aggressive and he had a small gash which was openly bleeding out on his left thumb… Why do you ask?"

Po's expression became worried, he had a solid deduction on what happened now. "Well, we now know why he was bleeding that day." He answered, whilst picking up the bloodied Kunai from the floor.

His back was turned to his son and daughter who stood behind him, and he proceeded to ask, "Was there anything else about him that seemed different?"

"Well, I can barely recall it, my memory of the event is vague, probably because of the trauma and injuries I suffered, but I remember this strange dark reddish aura which emitted from his eyes. Though it's probably just my mind playing tricks on me…" She answered while scratching the fur on the top of her head.

At this, both Po's and Hao's eyes lit up, and they each gasped in realization. Though Hao's reaction was more of surprise, Po's became enraged. He stood up from his kneeling position immediately, and without saying a word to either of his children he stormed out of the hall whilst taking the bloody throwing knife with him.

Mariko was very confused at the situation, and she looked at her father who was now leaving in a hurry and asked, "Wait, Daddy! Where are you going? What happened?" To which he didn't answer her.

She started to chase after him, as he trotted down the stone stairs toward the Palace Arena. Hao followed along too as they pursued their father. He quickly ran up to the Panda and stopped him by the shoulder saying, "Father, I know where you're going, but let us come with you so that we can help!"

"No, you two will stay here, and I will go alone. Mariko, when you are fully recovered, I want you to resume your training. And Hao, I know you have dedicated your life to the culinary arts, but I also need you to resume your training when you can. We will all need to prepare for what is to come… I will return within the next day, that's assuming he gives me the answers I need…" Po strictly told both of his children. And with that, he turned his back and continued on his way.

Mariko and Hao watched their father head on towards the middle of the Palace arena, but not before they heard him say under his breath, "I swear if he's responsible for this, I WILL kill him…"

And without saying a word, he performed the Wuxi Finger hold technique on himself and vanished from their sight, leaving a large gold beam of Chi which pulsated in every direction. Mariko used her arm to shield her eyes from the bright beam of Chi that was nearly blinding.

Once the dust had settled in the arena, she faced her older brother who still stood beside her and asked, "What was that all about?"

To which Hao looked to her with a bit of a frown, "Why don't we head back to the barracks and I'll tell you about it over tea?"

Mariko nodded and they proceeded to make their way over to the student Barracks dinning hall.

1 Hour Later at the Entrance to Chorh Gom Prison…

It was quite a dark and dreary setting high in the Himalayan mountains, snow was falling from the sky at a slow pace, but consistent enough to cover the ground. The guards of the front entrance of the Prison stood strong at their stations in front of the large doors.

All of a sudden, a bright golden aura began to emanate from near the entrance. Beams of Chi swirled through the air as they were intertwined with pink peach pedals. This was certainly a weird sight for the Rhino guards, and they all raised their spears in preparation from a potential attack.

But once the beams of Chi stopped, a figure dropped to the stone floor, landing right near them. When they recognized this figure, they all immediately put their weapons away and stood straight, saluting the Panda who had just arrived.

"Greetings, Dragon Warrior. I must say, your presence is quite a surprise." The Captain of the guards greeted as he approached the Panda from the doors of the front entrance.

Po began to walk past the Captain as he simply said, "I wish to see the Prisoner."

The Captain began to follow the Dragon Warrior at the side, and answered, "Very well, I will escort you to him."

And with that, the Captain led Po to the only prisoner of this massive complex, Akuma the tyrant.

After a long descent down to the bottom level of the prison via the small pulley lift, they had arrived at the bottom of the massive chasm. And straight ahead was where the prisoner was held. The setting was very dark, it was debatable whether natural light had ever reached this area. But this didn't matter to Po, and he asked the Captain in a cold tone, "Leave us."

The Captain raised a brow, but nodded and proceeded to leave towards the lift, along with the other Rhino guards who were stationed at the multiple large crossbows which were aimed directly at the prisoner.

With everyone gone and out of earshot, Po made his way over towards where the prisoner was, a small circular sanctum looking area with only one resident, Akuma. As he approached, he began to hear what sounded like grunts and groans of pain. They were definitely coming from the tall Komodo Dragon before him, and he could now tell why.

It had been nearly 18 years since he had last seen his latest foe, and he wasn't happy to see the villain now. Akuma was groaning in the excruciating pain which he was in at the moment, from what Po could tell, the lizard was shedding the scales on his skin which fell to the ground before him. In fact, the ground was littered with the scales, and normally anyone else would have felt sympathetic towards the reptilian, but not Po. Po saw how he was bidden to the ground by very thick and probably quite heavy iron chains and shackles. The chains were attached in a way that made the lizard's arms splay out to the sides and kept him from moving them.

Po looked down at the Komodo Dragon and said in a cold and emotionless tone, "You know why I've come here, don't you?"

The Lizard looked up with a sadistic grin and answered with a raspy voice, "Of course… Dragon Warrior..."

A/N: There's chapter 7! Hope you all enjoyed it! Some familiar faces showing up from the last few stories I've written, now we'll just have to see what roles they play. The next chapter is going to introduce some new concepts as well as become a bit darker (personality wise) So stay tuned! If you're enjoying this story so far, be sure to Favorite, Follow and

Review!