Warning: Slight Li Shan bashing in this chapter.

Chapter 12: The Truth Hurts

It was a beautiful night in the Panda Village, and one seeming to be for celebration as songs were played and villagers danced, Po among them as he danced around with Lei Lei.

"Dance, Lotus, dance!" One of the panda villagers cheered Po on.

"Aw, yeah! Check me out!" Mikey cheered as he stepped up to the dance floor, getting on his hands as he began to break-dance.

The pandas all watched in awe as the orange clad turtle spun around on his hands in a little display to the music before balancing on one hand and flipping to his feet. The pandas all cheered while Mikey bowed dramatically.

"He's so handsome." Grandma Panda gushed, coddling Po's cheeks.

"Hi!" Po said, finding Big Fun and giving him a tight hug, which the other panda happily returned.

After releasing himself from Big Fun's hug, Po waved over to Mr. Ping and Li Shan who were in the middle of playing a mahjong with three panda babies. "Hey!" He called, to which Mr. Ping and Li Shan happily waved back.

Po then noticed a trio of panda cubs waving miniature fireworks around as they circled Mei Mei.

Deciding to join in the fun, Po chased the panda cubs, laughing all the way while Mei Mei watched him amusedly. "Po…" She said with a smile.

Leo, meanwhile, sat on a small stool with a group of four panda cubs gathered around him as he told them stories. "And so in the battle of Yashima, the enemy Taira lifted a fan onto a pole on one of their boats, taunting the Minamoto samurai on the beaches and saying that they couldn't hit it, believing that the distance with their boats would keep them safe." He said, telling them the Japanese tale of Nasu no Yoichi.

The panda cubs all bounced in their seats as they listened. "So what did they do?" One of the cubs named Fan Tong asked, sounding very invested in the story.

Leo grinned as this was his favorite part of the story. "You really want to know?" He asked teasingly, to which all the panda cubs nodded eagerly. "Well, knowing that he could not let the enemy's taunts go unanswered, Yoichi got on his horse, road out in the water, took out his bow and arrow," He explained, pretending he was holding an imaginary bow and arrow, "and against raging waves of water, he bullseyed the fan in one shot, completely demoralizing the Taira army and forcing them to retreat. Thus, the Minamoto Clan was victorious!"

The panda cubs all gasped in awe before they all clapped and cheered.

"That was a great story!" A female panda cub named Nu Hai said.

Bao, however, furrowed his brow in confusion. "But I thought samurai used swords and stuff."

Leo chuckled. "But that's the thing, even though samurai did usually carry swords with them, it was the bow and arrow that was the weapon of the samurai class. And as in the tale, it was the actions of an archer, not a swordsman, that won the battle and created such a legend of antiquity that reflected those times in the Genpei War. Because, you see, the samurai followed the combat protocol of not Bushido, the Way of Honor, but of Kyuuba no Michi, the Way of Horse and Bow."

"How is it you know so much about the samurai?" Nu Hai asked. "I thought you were supposed to be a ninja?"

Leo laughed a little. "Yeah, I may be a ninja, but that doesn't mean I don't take after the samurai every once in a while. Heck, my Master Splinter used to tell me and my brothers these stories when we were your age."

"Could you tell us another story, please?" A panda cub named Jing asked.

Leo smiled. "Sure!" He replied. "How about I tell you the tale of the tengu Sojobo and the swordsman Minamoto no Yoshitsune?"

As Leo continued to tell stories to the cubs and Mikey kept dancing with the other pandas, Po wandered around the village, taking in all the sights as he smiled. Seeing all these pandas being happy and living these lives of peace and relaxation without a care in the world really made Po feel warm inside.

It was truly a beautiful village and for perhaps the first time in a long time, Po actually felt like he fit in.

"Enjoying yourself, Po?" Leo's voice came from behind him.

Po turned around to see Leo and Mikey standing behind him.

"Yeah. Honestly, it feels great to know that I'm not the last panda after all." Po said with a fond look.

"Definitely looks like you've found your people, Po." Mikey said as he grinned. "I gotta say, they are awesome!"

"Yeah, they are." Po smiled.

"But just because you've found more of your people, don't forget about who you had in your life before you." Leo reminded him.

Po shrugged. "Don't worry, Leo. These guys are great, but they're nothing compared to you guys and the Five."

"That's good." Leo smiled.

Po then noticed a dying flower by the entrance gates. He then glanced down at his open paw with a confident look on his face.

Leo and Mikey both glanced at the flower before looking back to Po. "You think you're ready?" Leo asked.

"I should be." Po replied. "All day, all three of us have been learning how to be pandas so we could learn this."

"Well then, let's give it a go!" Mikey encouraged excitedly.

Po and Leo both nodded in agreement. Each taking a deep breath, all three of them attempted to imitate Shifu's movements like they had seen him do, concentrating as hard as they could as they held their palms out forward.

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, and they were about to give up when they heard a small rustling sound coming from outside the gates, followed by the sounds of struggle.

Opening their eyes, Po, Leo, and Mikey were shocked to see Tigress, Raph, and Donnie climbing up to the entrance to the village.

"Tigress?!" Po exclaimed in shock.

"Raph?" Leo said in surprise.

"Donnie!" Mikey cried as they rushed over to them, getting the attention of Li Shan, Mr. Ping, and the other pandas.

Soon all the pandas were gathering around to get a view of the new visitors.

Mei Mei quickly noticed the way Po looked at the female tiger, that look of fondness that she had been desperately trying to get out of him. "Who's she?" She asked rather suspiciously, looking directly at Tigress.

Lei Lei meanwhile gasped as soon as she saw Tigress, looking down at the action figure of her that Po had given to her. They looked almost identical.

"Big stripey baby!" Lei Lei said happily, giggling as she ran over and hugged Tigress, much to her surprise.

"Sorry, Lei Lei, but this really isn't a good time." Leo said soothingly to the panda cub, gently pulling her away from the startled Tigress. "You can see her when she's better, okay?"

Lei Lei nodded before she ran back to join the other pandas.

"Dudes, what happened to you?!" Mikey exclaimed, noting Tigres, Raph, and Donnie's many injuries.

"What are you all doing here?" Po also questioned as he helped Tigress stand up.

"Kai happened, that's what." Raph gruffly replied, holding his side.

"Kai attacked the valley." Tigress said. "And he's taken the chi of every master in China, including Shifu and the rest of the Five."

"Yeah, along with April and Casey." Donnie added while Leo helped him stay up. "And to make things worse, he's destroyed the Jade Palace."

Tigress let out a breath as she leaned against Po. "It's all gone. Everything, everyone." She said.

"Everyone?" Po asked in shock while Leo and Mikey were stunned silent.

"Everyone." Tigress confirmed.

"How's my restaurant?" Mr. Ping asked in concern.

The pandas all gave the elderly goose confused looks while Po, Leo, Tigress, Raph, Donnie, and even Mikey simply deadpanned at him.

"We'll talk later." Mr. Ping said sheepishly as he backed away.

"And now he's on his way here." Tigress said, looking directly at Po. "He's after you, Po." She then looked at the Turtles. "All of you. And he's after all the pandas too."

The pandas all gasped in horror at those implications.

"How long do we have?" Leo asked seriously.

"Not long." Tigress replied before she turned to Po again with weak pleading eyes. "Po, please tell me you, Leo, and Mikey have mastered chi."

Po, Leo, and Mikey didn't answer, nor did any of them get the chance to, as the panda villagers immediately began to panic, Li Shan helping to organize them.

"Dad. Dad?" Po called out, trying to get his father's attention. "You need to teach us the secret chi technique now!"

"No, no, I'm afraid you all need more time." Li Shan replied, shaking his head. "Everyone, go get your things." He yelled to the other pandas.

"We don't have more time! We need to learn it now!" Po exclaimed as he supported Tigress while Leo and Mikey supported Raph and Donnie.

"And with Kai on his way here, we're gonna need all the training we can get." Leo stated.

"Yeah, man. You gotta teach us now!" Mikey added.

"Sorry, you're not ready." Li Shan said firmly before turning to the other panda villagers. "Okay, pack everything!"

"We are ready!" Po argued.

"Not quite." Li Shan countered as he helped a few more villagers pack.

"What are you talking about? Me, Leo, and Mikey have done everything you asked." Po said. "We've mastered napping, sleeping in, hammocks, and hot tubs. I am totally involved with my panda parts. Now why won't you show us?" He demanded.

"Because I don't know!" Li Shan finally let out.

Po's eyes widened in shock while Leo, Tigress, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey stared at the elder panda with mouths agape.

"You… you what?" Po said in shocked disbelief.

"I don't… know it, okay? No one does." Li Shan admitted shamefully. "Maybe we used to but… not anymore."

"So you lied to us? Even to your own son?!" Leo said, his shock quickly turning to anger. "All of it was just a lie?!"

Li Shan winced at the blue clad turtle's harsh tone. "No, I… yes."

"But… but why?" Mikey asked, sounding hurt.

"To save my son's life!" Li Shan said, gesturing to Po. "I find out some blade-swinging maniac is coming for him, and what am I supposed to do? Just-just let it happen?"

"Yes!" Po snapped, anger now overcoming his disbelief as well. "I'm the Dragon Warrior! Facing maniacs, that's my job! But because of you, I left the valley unprotected! I left my friends unprotected! And now they're all… they're all…" He struggled to finish his sentence as he felt a clench in his heart.

"And you would have been there too." Li Shan said to him. "But here, you were safe."

"Safe? Safe?! Po is not some helpless child like you may think he is!" Tigress snarled. "What about all the other people in the valley?! Are they safe too?!"

"Yeah, and because of your selfishness, our home is gone and now all of China is in danger!" Raph added angrily.

"You thought you could just hide Po away from the rest of the world and this wouldn't happen?" Donnie questioned incredulously. "Seriously, what were you thinking?!"

Li Shan frowned. "I will not be made the enemy here!" He retorted before turning to Po, his expression softening. "I lost you once." He said, placing a hand on Po's shoulder. "I'm going to lose you again. I can't."

Po was silent before he narrowed his eyes into a glare, pushing away Li Shan's hand. "You just did." He said angrily.

Li Shan stood there, shocked as Po began to walk away. "Lotus, wait…!" He said, reaching out to Po again.

Po stiffened as there seemed to be a sudden fire in his eyes before he whipped around and harshly slapped Li Shan's hand away. "Stop calling me that!" Po shouted furiously at him. "That's not my name! It was never my name! My name is Po!" He then relaxed slightly but kept his glare on Li Shan. "And you're not my real dad."

With that, Po stormed off while still carrying Tigress, knowing that she, Raph, and Donnie needed medical attention.

Li Shan could only stand there stunned silent and a somber look on his face as the Turtles passed by him, Leo, Raph, and Donnie giving him dirty looks while Mikey gave him a somber and hurt expression as they followed Po and Tigress, leaving the elderly panda in remorse and sadness.