A/N: This story is greatly inspired by and is what I consider a spiritual successor to "Po and Fung's Stereotypical Cave-In Story" by fellow user The Cool Kat.
It was a cold evening at the Bao Gu orphanage. It had just begun to rain. The rainfall started off light but gradually increased mere minutes later, becoming heavy and near-deafening as it fell to earth. Standing in the courtyard were children who called the orphanage home. They were all gathered in a large circle, with a young tiger in the center of it. The children appeared horrified as they watched the tiger. Some gasped in horror, some screamed, while others cried. The tiger growled as it eyed the crowd, standing defensively. It then looked down at its paws and gasped at the sight.
Tigress sat up abruptly in her bed breathing heavily, her heart pounding hard. She had been dreaming. She checked her paws before sighing in relief. She slowed her breathing and took deep breaths to calm herself. It was morning, sunlight was peering into her window. She had woken up before Master Shifu could ring the morning gong to wake the rest of his students. This was natural for her, for she had been awoken by the gong almost every morning since she first arrived at the palace years ago.
She quickly made her bed then went to open her door to greet her master just as the gong began to sound. The rest of the Five emerged from their rooms seconds later.
"Good morning, Master," they said in unison.
"Good morning, students," Shifu said back, looking over his disciples. As he was doing so, Tigress caught his eye. Though she was facing forward with her eyes on Shifu, as were the others, he could tell from the look on her face that she was thinking about something, despite her efforts to hide it. Something troubling.
"Are you alright, Master Tigress? Is something bothering you?" he asked in concern.
"I'm fine, Master. I'm just concerned about the attack." Tigress replied, not being completely honest. Though, the elder master did not pick up on it.
"Ah, understandable. I suppose we all are," Shifu replied before walking down the hall past his students, they followed behind them.
One Week Ago
Po burst through the palace's tall doors, panting hard from running up the thousand steps.
"Guys, guys! Anyone! There's an emergency!" he shouted with the last bit of air in his lungs before dropping to his knees. Everyone in the palace came running from various areas to reach the distressed panda. They stood offensively as Shifu walked up to him.
"Panda, what's the meaning of this? What's going on? What emergency?" Shifu asked him.
"Bandits...Tong...owl...invasion...boom..." he said in between breaths, but they were having trouble fully understanding him.
"Calm down, Po. Take deep breaths and explain what's happening." Shifu instructed him.
After a few moments of taking deep breaths, Po began to speak, "There's going to be an attack on the Valley of Peace."
"What? How do you know this?" Shifu asked in shock. Who would be brash enough to attack the valley?
"When I was in the forest I saw two croc bandits. I was going to confront them until I heard them speak, I decided to hide and listen to them instead. I heard one of them say that Tong Fo's plan was almost ready and that they'd be here in 11 days. The other said 'the owl lady is bringing reinforcements,' I think he was talking about Fenghuang."
"Tong Fo and Fenghuang working together? If that is true this will lead to nothing but disaster. Are you absolutely sure that's what you heard, Po?" Shifu questioned.
"Yes, Master, I'm positive. They also said something about gathering explosives for the attack. I had heard enough and went to capture them, but they ran and managed to get away." Po recalled.
They all gasped at the revelation.
"This isn't good. Those two are dangerous enough on their own, but now they have a bunch of croc bandits working for them? And a bunch of explosives?!" Mantis said, beginning to freak out.
"If they bring explosives they could destroy the village. Countless villagers will get hurt, or worse. What are we going to do, Master?" Viper asked while looking up at Shifu.
"You're both right. We have no choice, we have to evacuate the village as soon as possible. It won't be easy, but with all of you working your hardest we should be able to commence the evacuation in one week. If those bandits are telling the truth, we should have enough time before they get here. Once the villagers are moved to safety we will return and face Fenghuang and Tong Fo. Understood?" he said to his students.
"Yes, Master," they said in unison.
Unbeknownst to the group, Po sat with a nervous expression on his face. He had not been entirely truthful.
Present
"I'm aware this week has been stressful and exhausting for all of us. I do apologize, but you all understand that protecting the Valley of Peace and all of its inhabitants is our duty." Shifu said to the Five as they entered the kitchen and sat at the table.
Shifu joining his students for breakfast had been an infrequent occurrence up until a week ago. With everything going on, he took his time to sit with them every morning for the past week. It was nice for all of them to be together despite the stressful time they were in.
"We do understand, Master. We would never give anything but our best as warriors." Tigress said.
"So, we're waiting for Po again?" Mantis asked the group.
"Yup," Crane replied simply
Mantis sighed. "It feels weird that he doesn't live here anymore."
"I know. I miss my buddy being around." Monkey lamented.
"Guys, he's not gone forever, he's just staying with his dad. Plus, he comes here to train every day and to help out, he's still the Dragon Warrior after all. He told us it's only temporary." Viper reminded the two.
"I know that, but it's been like this for three months. He told us he'd explain everything soon, but still hasn't." Mantis moped.
Shifu cleared his throat to speak, catching the attention of the group. "As I've informed you all before, the Dragon Warrior requested that he be allowed to move back in with his father for some time. I was unapproving of the idea at first, but after a lengthy discussion and plenty of begging from the panda, I agreed. As long as he is on time for training every day and upholds the duties of his title, I'd honor his request."
"Monkey, can you get some tea brewing please?" Shifu paused from telling his story to ask his student.
"Yes, Master." Monkey obliged, getting up from his seat and retrieving a container of tea leaves from the cupboard.
"As I was saying, so far Po has consistently held up his part of our agreement. He's on time every day and he's been excelling in training and battle. These past few months have been the best I've ever seen him perform. I've asked him what's been the cause of his behavior, but he told me that he would explain everything to us all in due time. I have no doubt he'll keep his word." Shifu finished and looked at the group.
"I hope so." Crane said before getting up starting to prepare breakfast with Monkey.
"Po," Tigress said to herself, inaudible the others.
With Po
Po was lying in bed, having awoken minutes ago. His arm was around Fung, who was resting his head on Po's chest as he slept. Fung stirred in the bed before waking, his eyes meeting Po's as they slowly opened.
"Morning, Fung," Po spoke softly, rubbing Fung's back.
"Good morning, Po," he said back before rubbing his eyes. "Jeez, I still don't know how you manage to wake up so early."
"Living at the Jade Palace where you're woken up by a loud gong every morning for the past few years will do that to you," Po replied. "You're up pretty early as well, you usually sleep until noon before my dad drags you downstairs to help with the restaurant." he chuckled.
"Yeah, I know. I've just had a lot on my mind lately."
"Anxious about the attack?" Po asked
"I'm anxious about everything" he replied while sitting up in bed. "The stupid attack, the evacuation, my old crew, and that jerk Lidong. I feel like this is all my fault!" he finished and growled at himself.
"Fung, we've been over this, none of this is your fault. The croc bandits chose to work with Tong Fo and Fenghuang, you had no control over that." Po reassured him and put his arm around him.
"But I lead those guys for years! Maybe if I would've convinced them to go clean while I was still their leader we wouldn't be in this mess! I'm such an idiot!"
"Fung-..." Po began but was interrupted by the croc.
"You know it's true, Po! I'm just a big-..." Fung spoke, but his voice had become muffled as Po pressed his lips to his. He closed his eyes and relaxed into the kiss, enjoying the feeling of the panda's soft lips before they broke apart.
"Have you calmed down a little? Po asked simply with a smile.
"A little."
"You're not an idiot, Fung. Because you told me about Lidong when you did, I was able to warn the others. Thanks to you we had enough time to prepare the villagers and ourselves. That's not something an idiot does. That's something a hero does, and you're really shaping up to be one." Po declared and climbed on top of the croc.
"C'mon, Po..." Fung whined while he blushed at his words. He covered his face with his hands in an attempt to hide it and the smile that was displayed on his snout. Po moved Fung's hands and smiled down at him. It was a sweet moment. One that was about to be interrupted.
"Po? I heard yelling. I'm coming up so I hope you're decent." Mr. Ping called up the stairs from the kitchen.
"Dad..." Po groaned loudly in embarrassment.
Mr. Ping entered the room moments later. "Oh, relax, son. I'm your father, I've seen you naked plenty of times." he laughed to himself.
"Dad!" Po squeaked at the goose, blushing madly.
"In his defense, Po, so have I," Fung added with a smirk.
"Ugh, I'm not listening to you two." Po groaned and plugged his ears after getting off of Fung and sitting up, garnering laughs from them.
"Oh, son, it makes me the happiest father in the world every day knowing my boy has finally found love." Mr. Ping smiled and sat between the couple after his laughter subsided.
"We've been happy too, Mr. Ping. It's still really cool of you for letting me stay here until we get things figured out." Fung said gratefully.
"The pleasure has been all mine. When Po first sat me down and explained everything to me how could I say no? Anything for my boy. Plus, you've been a great help down in the kitchen. Though, keeping you hidden can be a little difficult sometimes."
"Yeah, sorry about that. Me and Po have been trying to come up with something recently." Fung replied, rubbing the scales on the back of his head.
"There's no rush," Mr. Ping assured them, patting their legs. "As I said, you've been a great help. If only Po had that worker mentality," he said, pointing at the panda. "After he became the Dragon Warrior he just went and forgot about his poor, old father," he said in a fake saddened tone.
"What? I visit you every day and help out around here." Po disputed in disbelief.
"I'm just messing with you, son. Well, mostly." The goose laughed to himself again, drawing a groan from the panda. "Anyway, what was the ruckus up here about?" he asked the two.
"Sorry about that. Fung is just a little worried about the evacuation today." Po answered.
"Aren't we all? It sure is a scary situation. I'll have to up and leave my beloved shop again." Mr. Ping said, having the last time the village was evacuated in mind. Just a few years prior, the entire village was emptied and escorted to safety as Po battled the fiend Tai Lung, the Dragon Warrior coming out the victor.
"Everything will be alright, dad. The shop will be safe, and so will everyone else." Po assured him.
"Oh, I know, son. You always find a way," he said, smiling at him. "Speaking of the evacuation, shouldn't you be heading up to the palace about now?" he reminded the panda.
"Shoot, I almost forgot." Po jumped out of bed. "Love you, dad," he said as he hugged the goose.
"Love you too, son." Mr. Ping said back warmly, returning the hug.
Po then turned to Fung and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Love you, Fung," he said to his mate.
"Love you too, Po," he said back with a smile.
"Remember, the villagers are leaving just before sunset. I'll be back here for both of you before then." Po informed the two. With that, he quickly made his way down the stairs, out of the shop, and to the Jade Palace.
"Fung? If you can be downstairs in 10 minutes to help out, I'll appreciate it. Today is going to be a busy one." Mr. Ping said before heading back downstairs to tend to his shop.
"Sure thing," Fung called to him before he was completely gone. His smile immediately faded.
One week and three days ago
"You have a lot of nerve coming here, traitor!" Lidong bellowed. The large croc was more than twice Fung's size and had him pinned to the floor underneath his powerful grip.
"I didn't betray any of you, I just quit being a bandit." Fung struggled to say as he writhed under Lidong, his large hand weighing down on Fung's chest.
"You abandoned us to go be a do-gooder, the very opposite of what we stand for. That makes you a traitor in my eyes." Lidong growled.
"Walking away from a dumb life of crime was the best decision I've ever made," Fung said, receiving an unconvinced scoff from Lidong in return. "It's the truth. I became a bandit because I was a loser who thought the world owed him something, so I stole whatever I could and hurt a lot of people who didn't deserve it. Right before we got sent back to Chroh-Gom a few months ago someone helped me realize that I could be more than just a criminal."
"That doesn't explain why you're here."
"I'm here because I wanted to try to do the same for you guys, to show you that you don't have to be bandits anymore. Let me help you go straight." Fung pleaded to the behemoth and looked around the room at his former subordinates that surrounded them.
Lidong laughed at him dismissively. "We don't see you for three months then you show up to our hideout thinking you still have a say in what we do? You truly are a fool, Fung. You're no longer in charge, I am. Under my leadership, we'll achieve more than we ever did under yours, and our first victory will be taking control of the Valley of Peace." he said, brimming with confidence.
It was Fung's turn to laugh, much to the annoyance of Lidong. "You really think you can take over the Valley? Po and the Furious Five kick your butt every time you fight them, what makes you think it'll be different any other time?" he continued to laugh, but immediately began groaning loudly as Lidong started pressing down harder on his chest.
"Because we're no longer being lead by an incompetent fool!" He spat. "We also didn't have any help, but things are different now. You remember our old friend Tong Fo?"
"That little, creepy, bug-eyed guy that hired us for a couple of odd jobs? What about him?" Fung questioned while attempting to force Lidong's hand off of his chest with little success.
"He and the legendary Fenghuang, a member of the previous Furious Five approached me with a proposition, I join their alliance and we rule the Valley of Peace as equals. With their prowess and my strength, we'll be unstoppable."
"Po and the Five are still gonna take you down, they've dealt with worse.
"Not if we kill them," Lidong said with a sinister smirk, drawing a shocked gasp from Fung. "We knew that those pests would be the only thing standing in our way, and they would be as long as they're alive. We all came to the agreement that we'd kill them and anyone else who gets our way."
Fung began to struggle to get from under Lidong, fighting with all his might. "You don't have to do this! It's not too late to just call it off!" he pleaded
"That's where you're wrong, coward. Our plan is almost complete, in two weeks we'll be coming for the Valley of Peace. Once we're in control, anyone who doesn't fall in line will join the Dragon Warrior and Furious Five in death." Lidong said, the apathetic tone of his voice chilling Fung to his core.
"Starting with you!" he roared, now locking eyes with Fung. Fung's eyes widened as Lidong's massive fist came speeding towards his head and quickly moved his head to the side, just narrowly dodging it. Lindong's hand went through the wooden floor and got stuck. Before he could free it Fung punched him in the eye as hard as he could, making him yowl in pain and roll off of him, releasing his grip. He quickly sprung to his feet and ran out of the hideout.
"Don't just stand there, go after him!" Lidong commanded the croc bandits as he continued trying to free himself.
Fung ran deep into the bamboo forest as he was pursued by his former crew. He could hear their footsteps getting farther away as he continued running. He noticed a large boulder and hid behind it. Much time had gone by before he was convinced they truly had stopped chasing him. Without a moment to lose he began running back to the Valley of Peace, he needed to warn Po of the imminent danger he would soon face.
Present
Fung got out of bed and went to join Mr. Ping in the kitchen. "Oh, man. Po's gonna be pissed at me," he said to himself, shaking his head in disappointment.
A/N: Apologies if this chapter feels rushed in some areas and a little scarce on details, much will be explained and revealed in later chapters. I wanted to get it out ASAP after spending hours, literal HOURS, working on this over the past few days. Shouldn't have taken me that long, I need to focus more.