Chapter 16

Triumphs and Failures

Genji unsheathed his saber and held it up to the chin of the Komodo Dragon. "Akuma I presume?"

"If you're asking, you already know." The reptilian returned.

He brought the sword down, "And what have I to gain from freeing you from these bonds?"

"Everything." The Lizard replied.

This brought a smile to Genji's face. He took the sword and cut the four chains restraining the Lizard to the floor. Once free the Komodo Dragon fell to the ground in weakness. It had been nearly two decades since he had moved, much less stood. Genji was patient enough to give him a moment to recover, and waited at the end of the rock while the Lizard struggled to stand. No more than five minutes later, the Komodo Dragon stood up and started stretching his stiff joints. Having been immobilized and restrained for over 20 years he'd almost forgotten how it felt to live

After stretching his limbs, the cold blooded animal made his way over to the lift. The Lioness on the lift gave a tug to the chain, indicating to the others to bring them up. On their way up, Genji took a moment to truly analyze the Lizard, especially the gemstone in his left eye. There was something oddly familiar about the reptile, but not something he could recall.

"You're wondering about this?" The Komodo Dragon asked, pointing to his left eye.

Genji remained silent, but his expression could be easily interpreted as saying 'yes.' The lizard nodded, "I got this the day I killed my Master Kenzo Rozusko in Japan."

"You killed your Master?"

"But of course. For the same reason that you wish to kill your father. For casting me away." He replied, with a sick smirk.

Genji looked away for a moment, seeming as if he were contemplating something. "I…" He trailed as he thought.

The elevator then reached the top, snapping him out of his thoughts as he looked around to see that his forces had successfully eliminated the last of the prison guards. His remaining guards saluted him, but looked skeptical of the Lizard that accompanied him. No doubt wondering about the Lizard's intentions.

"Sir, we've swept the last of the opponents away. The prison is ours." Stated one of the Lioness'.

He nodded, "Very good. Have our soldiers collect any weaponry or useful tools in the armory and load them on carts to transport. While they do that I want the prisoners freed. If they wont join us they will rot away." Genji ordered.

They nodded and went to relay his orders. Everything seemed to be going as planned, but Genji knew the steps ahead would pose a far greater challenge. And what's more he didn't really have a plan for the next phase of their attack. He knew that they still didn't have the forces necessary to conquer the continent.

"What is our next move?" Asked Ganji to the Lizard.

"For now, we wait."

Far from the mountains to the south, Mariko found herself feeling frustrated. Her efforts to master her inner Chi had all but failed and had ultimately left her where she had begun. It was maddening, and the more she tried and failed, the more demoralized she became. At this moment she practiced at the hot springs near the pool of sacred tears. Po had instructed her to practice at this spot because of its lack of distractions and its strong spiritual significance. Though she wondered if his reasoning was based on facts or superstition, most likely the latter.

She had the fundamental movements down to perform the technique, but something was just missing. Something beyond movements or physical strength. Something that she couldn't easily determine. From what Po could tell, she was struggling with the same problem that most encountered. She had not yet discovered herself, and thus her spiritual connection had not shown itself.

Her father's explanation of the problem didn't help her either. It was vague and didn't have any clear steps Mariko could follow to succeed. And though she continuously failed to master it, her determination remained potent courtesy of not only her genes but also her parents' teachings to never give up.

Of course Po didn't expect her to master it immediately, much less make much progress on it. But time was running short and sooner or later she would have to learn the move were she to face off with her brother again. This added pressure only increased her distress further.

"This time it'll work. I know it." She said to herself calmly while closing her eyes.

Mariko quieted her mind, hearing nothing but the wind and her own slow heart beat. She performed the motions and did as her father had instructed by reaching within to find her energy. Extending her paw forward in the direction of a small plant, she summoned the energy and attempted to bestow the energy onto the plant.

For the moment it was working. It was clear that the energy was transferring from her body to that of the plant. But it wasn't controlled. Though her form started well she now struggled to hold the pose, and only moments later she fell. Her breath was out and her body felt weak. Like all the other times she had attempted it, she had been left weakened from the exertion.

After catching her breath she sighed and looked away in disgust. It was no good. This was the exact same result as the many times before. At this point she had forgotten how many times she'd tried and failed. No technique had ever given her this much trouble before, and it angered her.

She slammed her fist into the ground in frustration. 'How did Dad master this in a day!? It just isn't fair.'

Scolding herself and ranting wasn't going to do any good however, and she realized that. She needed a distraction from her troubles. Ironically, just as the thought crossed her mind she heard her stomach growl. 'I guess that settles it.'

She hadn't eaten since the day before, and it was nearing noon hour. She thought about heading to the palace dinning hall, but rejected that idea as the food was almost always the same when her father wasn't cooking. She'd had enough tofu and salads to bore her to death. What she really wanted was something to eliminate the stress that her training was causing. Something more lively than the mundane meals offered in the palace.

A thought then came to mind. A good one at that. 'I hope you aren't too busy Hao.' She thought as she made her way down the mountain.

The village was much more lively as of late. There were many more travelers and merchants frequenting the valley than normal. It was so crowded that any shops or market places had lines stretching into the streets. They were no doubt here because of the massive caravans of Chinese citizens seeking refuge from the incoming Mongolian forces. The Valley was far south from the border and safe from an invasion from the north. Even so, Mariko worried about the worst case scenario in which the citizens would have to flee even farther south into the mountains.

Despite the situation, however, the citizens seemed far more positive than she'd expected. Perhaps it was their great confidence in her father and the other Furious Five. There hadn't yet been a challenge they couldn't overcome together, but there was always a first time for everything. And they had never faced anything on this high a level before.

She rubbed her eyes and shook her head to remove the thought. Luckily enough she had arrived at her destination, Ping's Noodles. The line to get into the shop was certainly one of the largest in the village. This shop not only had a good reputation within the Valley, but throughout the entire country.

'I guess I'll have to wait in line…' She thought, or at least that was until she heard her stomach growl again.

'Damnit Dad, of all the genes I inherited from you…'

Being respectful though, she remained in the line waiting her turn. Surprisingly it wasn't a very long wait, for not only did Hao serve the villagers quickly, but many of the villagers were kind enough to let her pass after seeing who she was. Her family were certainly regarded as celebrities in this area, and were treated with great respect by the public in compensation for their contributions to the safety of the village.

After a five minute wait Mariko found herself two spots from being at the counter and noticed Hao hard at work fulfilling the orders all on his own. She'd told him countless times to hire more hands to help with the orders, but over and over he'd responded with 'Only someone with the last name Ping can work in this shop!'.

Hao had been stubborn about the business since he had inherited it from Grandpa Ping and still refused to make any major changes to the shop. Not that the shop was in any need for change with its continued success, but Mariko felt a few extra workers could help relieve some of her brother's stress.

"Alright, next?" The chef asked from behind the counter as she approached.

"Wow, that's some great customer service Hao…" She replied sarcastically.

"Mari!? What are you doing here?" He replied clearly surprised by her presence.

"What do you think? I'm here for some of your amazing food of course."

"Huh…" He started. If there was anyone who could read Mariko's expressions like a book it was him. And looking at her, he could tell something was bothering her.

"What is it this time? Is Mom giving you a tough time?" He asked as he began to fix her up her favorite meal of the shop.

She shook her head, "No, it's just… Dad's been saying for weeks that I'll have to be ready for when Genji returns. He says I'm going to have to be the one to defeat him. I just…"

She paused for a moment and sighed, "I don't want all this pressure. I'm not ready for it."

Hao turned his shoulder and noticed how stressed she looked. In all the time he'd known her he'd never seen her this bothered. He pitied her situation. Having such a heavy burden put upon her, and even having to confront her possessed brother who had nearly beaten her to death last time. Hao and Genji had never truly gotten along, although not for a lack of trying on Hao's part. But nonetheless he still understood how his sister felt. She felt greatly conflicted, for even if he was possessed by some demon, Genji was still family.

"Hey, cheer up sis. All this means is that Dad has a lot of faith in you. And if it makes you feel any better, you won't be going at it alone. We'll always have your back." He answered with a smile, handing her a nice warm bowl of her favorite mixed Wonton and Noodle soup.

She returned the gesture, "You're right. Thanks Hao. And good luck with this." She said, no doubt referring to the constant stream of customers.

He nodded, "Thanks Mari, I'll see you soon."

She smiled and nodded one last time and left to go eat the soup at her favorite location.

It didn't take long for Genji's army to release the prisoners from Chorh Gom's cells. There were nearly five thousand inmates in all, many of which had no loyalty to China or either desired revenge on those who had sent them here to rot in their squalor. Any who did not join the army, whether by sheer insanity or other reasons were promptly executed to set examples.

A big problem with accepting these inmates into the ranks was the clear language barrier. It would be a small setback, and one that would take some time to overcome. For unlike Genji, the inmates did not have the luxury of understanding Mongolian.

Regardless, with this victory the strength of Genji's army had risen substantially and increased their chances of success even further. As Genji walked with the Komodo Dragon, they watched as the soldiers loaded carts with supplies and arms gathered from the armory.

"This is very good Genji Ping. With these resources we are ready for the next phase of my plan." The Reptilian stated.

Genji stopped for a moment, "Your plan?"

"Yes. If one is to be successful they must embrace a larger image. My image." The Komodo Dragon explained as he continued to walk.

Genji clenched his fist. He hated being the second fiddle to anyone, much less someone whom seemed less powerful. This Komodo Dragon seemed to be asserting himself above everyone else even though it was them who freed him from this prison. However, there were things that Akuma knew that Genji could benefit from learning. And until he'd learned those things Genji saw no reason to defeat the Lizard. Still, the Reptilian's arrogant attitude was really beginning to bother him.

"We have a suitable army and the weaponry needed to win this war. All we require now is a strategically beneficial position to attack from." Akuma stated as he entered the prison barracks.

"And where would you propose that would be?" Asked Genji as he played along.

"Hubei province, to the south of here. It is a relatively unprotected area by the imperial army and perfect to establish a staging area for a main invasion." Akuma stated, finding a map of the country and placing it on top a table.

"As I recall there is an active volcano in that area. But couldn't that be dangerous to us as well?" Genji interjected.

"It is a risk we will need to take to emerge victoriously. The imperial army will not send troops to such a hostile area, and for that reason it is our next destination." The reptile finished.

"It will be difficult to convince the troops of this strategy. I can already sense unrest in many of them." Genji refuted with folded arms.

"I'm sure you will try your best. You are their leader are you not?" Akuma replied wittingly.

Genji made no reply but once again clenched his fist in anger at the Komodo Dragon's mockery and arrogance. Regardless, he could not think of a more feasible approach for the next steps of their invasion, and so he went to relay the orders to his court.

While leaving he was accompanied by one of the personal guards. "What are your next orders sir?"

Her question completely evaded Genji as his thoughts fully dwelled on his conversation with Akuma. He wondered what it was that the Lizard could truly offer him. The komodo Dragon had been very vague on this. Too vague for Genji's liking. However, the more underlying fact was that Akuma was beginning to assert himself above Genji's authority, something he didn't take lightly. For the moment he felt the best option was to follow along with his ally. But nonetheless to keep a close eye on the Lizard.

"Sir?" The guard asked again, noticing Genji's negligence.

He looked to her, "Summon the members of the court. We will discuss the next steps of our invasion."

She nodded without hesitation and went to relay his orders before he grabbed her arm, "There's more. I want you to keep a close eye on that one." As he said this he looked towards Akuma who remained oblivious to them.

"The Komodo Dragon? Just who is he?" She asked.

He stayed silent for a second, "An acquaintance. However, I do not trust him. I wish to know what his true intentions are."

She nodded, "Yes my lord. I will inform the other guards to ke-"

"No. Only you can do this task. If others are involved he will become suspicious. Be discrete about it." He explained.

She once again nodded and left to go summon the generals.

"I don't like this. Leaving our fate up for chance? We have an advantage in numbers. Our spies indicated that the imperial army is divided on multiple fronts! We should press our advantage now!"

"Even divided the Imperial army is too strong to be underestimated. I believe this risk is worth taking."

"If that Volcano erupts there won't be any way to get out in time! This is madness!"

"ENOUGH!" Genji shouted, roaring a little as he did so.

He could no longer tolerate the bickering and arguing among the generals of his court. His anger and impatience inflaming him with dark Chi that radiated off him like a cloud of smoke. It had the effect he wanted, and silenced the generals.

"I didn't summon you all here to discuss this. We are moving our forces to Hubei Province where we have the greatest chance at invading the mainland. I trust you all can follow my judgment well enough to see this through. We move for Hubei in two days." He ordered before storming away.

As he left, he rubbed his eyes while his dark aura diminished. He let out a sigh of frustration, 'This is going to be the death of me…'

A distraction was exactly what the Tiger hybrid needed at this moment, and he had the perfect idea that would help him to decompress from his troubles. So he headed outside the Prison to climb to the top of the mountain peak.

Though it was incredibly cold and inhospitable on the top of the mountain, Genji was used to meditating in conditions such as these. The only distractions up here were the sounds of the wind and the snow falling on him. It was a much needed improvement from the arguments of his court. It also helped him to clear his mind so that he could more clearly see the path ahead.

While the snow landed on his body, his thoughts went to the inevitable conflict that would soon occur. He had never initially wanted this. His only real desire was to exact his revenge on Mariko and his father with the whole invasion having come as a result of following Akuma's guidance. He felt heavily conflicted about launching an attack on what had once been his home, however, it was far too late to walk away from it now.

He opened his eyes for a second, looking to the dark stormy sky with one thought coming to mind. 'Mother…'

For the first time in many months he felt no rage, no temper, no hate or jealousy towards anyone. For the first time in months, he felt fearful. Not of the battle to come, nor of the possibility of being beaten. He feared confronting her once again. The one who had always been by his side when he'd needed her the most. The one who'd always believed in him. The only one he truly loved or cared for, and the one who he had truly let down. He feared what she'd think of him now. He remembered the look of deep dread on her eyes the last time he'd seen her. A look of disappointment and horror.

For perhaps the first time in years, a single tear dropped from Genji's scarred eye. He wiped it away immediately in an attempt to show no weakness, but no matter how much he tried to shake the thought, he couldn't deny his guilt.

As she looked into the darkening sky, she took a small sigh. For no reason at all she'd impulsively decided to meditate at the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. While taking in the environment, she thought about her fallen son. One way or another Genji would return. And that time seemed to be quickly approaching. Master Tigress had mixed emotions about Genji's return. The more she thought about it, the more she'd find herself in a deep feeling of dread. This conflict would likely only go two ways. With Genji's defeat, or with theirs. Her beloved son who she'd cared for with all her heart had been consumed by their former enemy who shared no mercy nor sympathy.

Every day since he'd been banished she'd thought about what could have been done to avoid this. Had she been more attentive and acted on his jealousy of his sister earlier. Or if they'd disposed of Akuma's kunai years ago these events likely would never have happened. It was no use however, as she had been around the Jade Palace long enough to know that nothing in the universe happens by accident. No matter how cruel or unfair the universe was, there were no accidents.

While reopening her eyes, she noticed a figure sitting at her side. Normally it would be Po or Hao to provide reassuring words and a sense of security. However, it was neither. "Care for some? I know it is your favorite." Said the other, offering her a nice hot cup of Jasmine tea.

She sighed once more and took the cup, only nodding in response. "What was it like Tai. To be locked away in Chorh Gom for 20 years." She asked before sipping the tea.

"…Cold…" He answered while staring off.

She shook her head, "That's not what I meant. I mean how did it feel to think about Shifu in your time at Chorh Gom."

He now understood where she was coming from with her question. "I hated him for what he did. I spent nearly my whole time plotting my revenge. But there were times I thought about what would have happened had I let go of my anger. He never stopped caring for me throughout all that time."

She once again sipped the warm tea while staring off, "I fear that Genji has been lost forever."

Tai Lung certainly was not the best of reassuring others, much less comforting anyone, but he at least had to say something. "Don't say that. He's your son isn't he?"

"The one who attacked Mariko one year ago was not my son." She replied quickly and defensively.

"I know that, but your son exists. He's only under the influence of Akuma's neuro toxin. The one who was your son is still there somewhere and would never commit such atrocities." Tai Lung countered.

"It doesn't matter that he was under Akuma's influence. He still acted. There is no redeeming such horrible things." She argued, sounding more irate as the conversation went along.

"Look who you're talking to."

He had a point. And she knew this. Tai Lung had been redeemed from a seemingly impossible situation and had mended his relationship with Shifu. Perhaps there was hope for Genji after all. But hope was all that Master Tigress could hold onto at this point.

"It's good to have you back, brother." She stated, turning her head to face him.

He nodded, "It's the least I can do."

Her mood brightened a bit, it was the reassurance she needed right now.

"And hey, since I'm here perhaps we can see how much you've improved with a sparring match?" He asked with a confident grin.

She rolled her eyes, "How much I've improved?"

"Even though you've mastered your Chi I'm still better than you." He mocked.

"We'll see about that." She replied, standing up and cracking her knuckles.