Chapter 9: Unexpected

Daiyu was in a dangerous part of China: the Dark Woods. She was there to talk to some traders in magic. She needed to shed her past. To do so, she had to get rid of her magic.

"Hello?" she called out into the fog.

"Daiyu… we were expecting you…" said a voice. Dai turned around, but she didn't see anyone. "Ahem." She turned back and saw a pig standing there. It took her a second to figure out that the pig was a woman since she was a little… unkempt and had a giant mole.

"Can you take my ability from me?" asked Dai.

"Of course, but one cannot simply take out magic, especially out of someone who has had it for so long. We need to replace it with something else."

"I don't want anything else. I want to be normal."

"Whatever for?"

"It's just important to me."

She shrugged. "You do realize who would want this magic, don't you?"

"I…" Dai had forgotten about them. "There has to be another way."

"Fine then. Perhaps I can just put your magic in this necklace." She pulled out a silver chain with a light blue gemstone. "This will contain your magic until you need it. Wear it and you will not suffer the ill effects of being without magic for just a few days, then place it somewhere where you know it will be safe."

"What's the price?"

"A lock of hair from your true love."

"I don't love anybody though."

"Not yet… but you will." There was a silence for a moment. Then, she said, "I'll give this to you and then I shall go and collect it."

"Fine. Works for me." She handed the necklace to Dai, but before she could take it, the woman had one final warning.

"This has a price greater than what you are paying for it. Be ready to pay it someday."

"It won't come to that."

"That's what they all say." Dai took the necklace. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

By the time Dai looked up from the necklace, the woman was already gone. Dai put it around her neck and instantly felt drained. I had no idea it'd be this quick or drastic, she thought. Suddenly the walk back seemed much farther and longer. She sighed and started her trek.

By morning, Dai had made it to the Valley of Peace. She dreaded the trip up the stairs to the Jade Palace, but she didn't have to make the trip this time. Just as she was standing at their base considering them, she heard a voice behind her.

"Dai!" It was Po.

She turned around and said, "Oh, hey, Po."

His expression went from happy to concerned at seeing how tired she looked. "Have you been out all night?" he asked.

"I guess I got lost on the way back here," she lied. She had the necklace hidden away, so there was no need to bring that up. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to call her out for using dark magic right after saying they trusted her. It's not technically dark magic, she reasoned.

"Come on. Let's go to my dad's. It's closer than up there," said Po. "Dad keeps my room for me. There are a lot of days where I just… stay down here and sleep in my old room."

"To avoid the climb?"

"Stairs are my old enemy. I will not give them the satisfaction of showing them that they have me beat." He said this so seriously, but Dai couldn't help but laugh.

"So, how often do you do that?"

"More often than you'd think," Po replied with a wink. Dai laughed again.

When they arrived at Mr. Ping's, the goose was cleaning up. "Oh, Daiyu. Welcome back! It's so nice to see that Po found you," he said.

"You were going to go look for me?" asked Dai.

"Of course. You were taking longer to get back than we thought you were gonna, so I figured something might have happened. I had to make sure you were okay…" said Po. "'Cause, you know, that's what friends do!" he added.

Why did he feel the need to add that? thought Dai. Does he like me? It would be a lie if she said she didn't have some regard for him, especially since he was the first to really see her as a person and not the stereotypical wolf.

"Daiyu? Are you doing all right?" asked Mr. Ping.

"I'm all right. I think I'm just tired is all," replied Dai.

"You should have some soup too. You look famished!" said Mr. Ping.

"I couldn't, really. I just need some sleep," Dai insisted. Careful, your weakness is showing, she thought.

"Use Po's room. He's going back up the stairs today," said Mr. Ping.

"Yep. See you later, Dai. Sleep well!" said Po, walking away. When I looked back at Mr. Ping, he looked like he had seen the impossible become possible.

"Hmm…" was all he said. He said no more, just guided me to where Po's room was. "Come down when you're feeling rested."

"Thank you, Mr. Ping, for your kindness and hospitality," said Dai with a respectful bow.

"No, thank you. Po should really be climbing those stairs more often." Dai smiled at the humor of the statement. "Sleep well. If you need anything, I'm just downstairs."

"Thank you, this is fine." He bowed out of the room and Dai collapsed to the bed, then fell in.

"He certainly broke this bed in," Dai noted. The bed was caved in to where her backside was nearly touching the floor. After a few minutes of trying to get comfortable, she found a position that worked. She fell into a dreamless sleep.

It was lunchtime by the time Po made it back up the stairs to the Jade Palace. He gasped out from exhaustion and collapsed on the top step. Tigress walked by and said, "I thought you wouldn't be back until dinner. Did you find Daiyu?"

"Yeah," Po panted out. "She was tired, so I let her sleep in my room."

Tigress shook her head in disbelief. "You let her sleep in your room?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Nothing… it just doesn't sound like something you'd do."

"Well, excuse me for doing something nice for Dai."

"It's not… never mind." Tigress walked away. This is certainly unexpected, thought Tigress.

What's wrong with everybody today? It's not that big of a deal. Is it? Thought Po. He couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of the day.

That's all for now. Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)