Kung Fu Panda 4 Chapter 7: Darkness Spreads, a kung fu panda fanfic

A/N: Hey guys I'm back! Sorry it's been nearly...3 months since the last update. However, I put a lot of effort into this chapter, it's over 15k words excluding these ANs. Schools been rough, as well as all the other extracurricular stuff I do. Anyways, I'll cut myself short here so you guys can get to the story!

Read & Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Dream Works or Kung Fu Panda. I only own this specific plot and my OCs.

CH VII

Darkness Spreads

Tibet Province

Specific Location: Unknown

One of the coldest and most desolate provinces in all of Asia, the mountains of Tibet, were the perfect description of Hell freezing over. It was no surprise that this land was all but inhabitable, seeing as it was covered with snow and the temperature was below freezing throughout the entire year. Nothing grew in the rocky soils of this land; the province was lifeless. Only a fool would wander out here, which made it the perfect place for those who didn't want to be found.

High above the frozen terrain stood a seemingly desolate fortress. Enclosed in the dark crevices of the snowcapped mountains, it was sheltered not only from the bitter winter winds but from the view of any keen observers. Any land dwelling creature would find it virtually impossible to traverse up the mountain without knowing the concealed pathways.

It was midnight; the glow from the faded moon did little to illuminate the menacing Himalayan Mountains that towered over the landscape in comparison. Inside the dark stronghold were several rooms, all dimly lit by torches. Each room looked like a dungeon more than anything else—cold, dark, grimy, and all around unpleasant. In one of these very rooms, trudging towards the center was the Council of Masters. Chained, broken, defeated, they held their gazes towards the floor. The weighted chains that restrained them dragged along at their feet. The sounds of the chains grinding against the cobblestone seemed almost deafening in the utter silence that plagued the setting. Coming to a stop, the Grandmasters were brought down, dead legged by the black jaguar, Raul. Bone tired, they knelt at the center of the barely illuminated room awaiting their fate.

Raul smirked down at them, dragging his razor sharp spear lightly across their backs. Hard enough to leave a mark, yet light enough to not draw blood.

"My lord, the Grandmasters have been delivered…As promised," he announced towards the darkness.

There were several seconds before any response was made. After a half a minute of silence, a deep cavernous voice projected throughout the room, making their skin crawl.

"Where's Shifu?"

Raul's former smirk faded significantly. He'd been hoping to avoid this topic of the conversation. Realizing that it'd been naïve to hope this detail would go unnoticed, the jaguar grew uncomfortable. Failure stood out like a sore thumb. His master was never keen on failure.

"Forgive me my lord…he escaped," he returned, bowing down to one knee in hope of mercy.

The voice took a little longer to respond than before. There was no response for a while. Raul had begun to work up a sweat at this. He need not forget the fate of the last subordinate who failed to meet the boss's expectations. In short, failure wasn't a well-accepted concept. After almost a minute of dreadful silence it answered, "That's…disappointing."

Throughout the conversation, the masters had been searching for the origin of the voice, but it was hopeless. It seemed to be coming from everywhere. Even Master Panther, a feline, couldn't decipher the origin of the voice with his heightened cat senses.

"Leave us Raul," the voice stated calmly.

Nodding frantically, the jaguar bowed before quickly exiting, happy to be given an excuse to avoid his master's wrath. As Raul slipped out the door, it closed heavily with a thud. This noise echoed throughout the dark room causing the shackled masters to wince in discomfort.

The voice arose again, this time coming from behind them, "I'd close my eyes if I were you."

Suddenly, several braziers lit behind the kneeling Grandmasters. Blinded by the sudden light, the masters snapped their heads to look behind them. No one was present. Confused, they turned back around to finally spot the owner of the voice. There he stood, in front of a dark wood war-table.

Tall, standing easily over six foot, the muscular figure had his back to them. He was wearing a menacing set of pitch black armor with golden lining and contours. All while he was examining a double bladed knife in the palm of his hand. Overall, he was a threatening figure.

"I know how defeat feels; I've suffered through it before," he began as he twirled the knife in his grasp.

"So desperate to succeed…but to fail, in spite everything," he lamented.

The masters looked sideways at each other in dread. It truly was him. He had survived somehow, and now…China was in grave danger. There was no Oogway to stop him this time.

Turning around, the figure removed his helmet revealing his face. He was revealed to be a handsome tiger that looked no later than his thirties—no doubt work of the elixir. When Daemon had gone rogue, it'd been nearly two decades ago. Master Gorilla, Hawk, Cobra, and Shifu had been entering their forties at the time, while Master Croc, Ox, and Panther had been newly recruited trainees in their early twenties. Now years later, they'd all exited their primes. However, now standing before them, Daemon looked as if he hadn't aged a day.

"Delay it as you may, hide from it as best as you can…Fate is all but inevitable," he rumbled resolutely, setting down his helmet onto the table. Slowly he strode away from it and towards the kneeling Grandmasters. The look upon his face not one of smugness or haughtiness, but a solemn one.

Now barely a meter away from them, he stood tall, clenching his fist.

"And through me…It will be delivered," he concluded with a stoic expression as he stared down at the masters below him.

Holding their hardened gazes toward their former friend, the grandmasters were silent. There was something eerily different about Daemon now. Years prior he'd been obsessed with becoming the superior warrior; becoming the best. On his quest to achieve that, he'd tried to thwart destiny. Fighting against a foretold future by the soothsayer—the prophecy—he'd hoped to change his fate. Now he seemed to endorse whatever fate may have in store for him…in store for them all.

Almost as if reading their minds, Daemon resounded, "Spending decades in Zoru-Sai has changed me for the better. My younger self simply didn't see the bigger picture."

Listening, the other masters were hesitant. Changed in what way? Even though Daemon had retained his physical youth, his mind had been given decades to age and mature.

"After all, being confined in a prison cell for nearly twenty years gave me time to reflect. I have finally come to an epiphany," he continued with a thoughtful look upon his face.

The kneeling masters frowned at this remark. Daemon's newfound air of composure was a considerable change from his previous persona. So used to his former snarky and arrogant approach, this change was unsettling to say the least.

"And what might that be?" Grandmaster Panther spat. Daemon turned his solemn stare towards the feline. There was no anger towards the grandmaster's response nor smugness. There was only the emptiness held in the tiger's faded yellow eyes.

"Fate knows better than anyone that life without meaning isn't life. It's just existence," he sighed.

Turning his back to them, the tiger ambled over to the lit brazier behind the grandmasters. Not willing to let Daemon out of their sight, they strained their necks against their collar restraints to follow his path. They narrowed their eyes in suspicion, looking for any ulterior motives. There were none.

Sighing, Daemon finally stepped within a meter of the roaring fire before stopping. In his hand he held the double bladed knife from earlier. Grasping the dagger, without hesitation, he plunged his hand into the brazier's inferno. Those watching him winced at this. Daemon didn't even blink.

"After so much thought…I've finally found my purpose," he continued while staring into the flames, seemingly unbothered by the scorching heat.

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" Master Ox snorted in derision. Daemon was quiet for a moment. Nothing but the sounds of the crackling fire filled the room. The tiger finally broke the silence.

"To become the savior of China," he disclosed evenly. The grandmasters sat on the floor in utter bafflement. They blinked once…twice…three times. They would have laughed at this if Daemon hadn't turned his gaze away from the fire to face them. There were no traces of jesting along the tiger's face…he was dead serious. Was this some kind of sick joke?

"You're kidding?" Master Croc deadpanned.

Daemon met the reptile's gaze head on before shaking his head. Turning his attention back to the brazier, he grunted. Deciding that it'd been long enough, the tiger withdrew his hand from the fire. His entire forearm down was burned quite severely. The arm fur was completely burned away and his skin was blackened like charcoal. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air of the small chamber. Grimacing, the grandmasters couldn't tear their eyes away from the gruesome scene. In his hand, Daemon's knife was glowing—red hot. However, the most surprising thing was yet to come. Seconds later, the burnt skin began slowly mend itself back together. Seconds after that, fur began to regenerate at an extraordinary rate. The grandmasters looked on in shock as Daemon's arm repaired itself in under a minute.

With their attention on him, Daemon strode over to the left side of the room where a large map of China hung on the wall.

"China is on a downward spiral. Everyone knows it," he spoke somberly. The others looked at him in question. Before they could cut in he continued, "I recognized it years ago before I was sent to Zoru-Sai and it's only gotten astronomically worse since then."

"What do you mean Daemon?" Master Panther growled at the tiger. Daemon eyed him with pity. He never liked to be the bearer of bad news.

"What I mean is, in terms of national might we are falling behind. Other nations are advancing past us and if we don't take action. We will be overrun," Daemon emphasized slowly.

The others protested at this.

Ignoring them Daemon continued, "Due to the rise in population from immigrants and newborns, we are not only running out of resources but land. Our internal struggles are causing us to slow in our nation's progress, both industrially and militarily."

Frowning, the grandmasters were silent. They didn't like where this conversation was heading. Master Hawk finally spoke out, "The Emperor has said nothing of-" before being cut off.

"The Emperor doesn't have the resolve to do what needs to be done. He can't accept that the old ways aren't working anymore. We cannot rely on kung fu as we used to and we cannot continue to waste our resources on an ill-disciplined and ever-growing population," Daemon declared.

Turning to face the map of China, the tiger sighed tiredly. Grasping the small blade—still red hot— in his hand, he stated, "If we continued this self-destructive path…the nation will deteriorate and burn."

Subsequently, Daemon buried the knife into the center of the China map. The grandmasters watched silently as the map smoked before erupting in flames; burning from the inside out. The fire spread across the expansive map like a virus until practically nothing was left

"My solution is simple…once the Emperor is overthrown, I will be able to restore order and prosperity to China. One step at a time, brick by brick," Daemon finished as he watched the embers of the burnt remains of the map die down.

Dreadful looks emerged upon the grandmasters' faces. Daemon was dead serious. He wasn't as crazy as before…he was even crazier. His demeanor may have changed, but he was still insane. They were helpless to stop him. Oogway was gone. Every academy and kung fu palace across China had been decimated except one. The only people that could stop Daemon were Shifu and the Jade Palace warriors, and any other kung fu masters throughout China…assuming there were any left.

"The elixir has corrupted you mind Daemon. You will never succeed! You would have to eliminate all of kung fu and kill off millions to achieve your sick goal!" Master Cobra hissed at the tiger.

Daemon turned to face them and sighed. "If that's what it takes."

Horrified by his absolute resolve, the masters were speechless. Daemon would kill off nearly a third of the population to achieve his gruesome aspiration? That was…that was…evil.

"You are insane Daemon!" Master Ox bellowed at the former council member.

Daemon stood silently for almost a minute, staring at the floor, a look of contemplation across his face as he studied the cracks in the cobblestone.

"Maybe so…maybe…I am insane…but the future generations of China will rejoice my actions," he stated with a small smile upon his formerly stoic face.

Seconds after, the wooden doors were thrown open. Entering were half a dozen masked wolves armed with crossbows. As they filed in, they arranged themselves in a row, facing the kneeling grandmasters. Realizing their inevitable fate the elder masters attempted to rise to their feet. Already a step ahead of them, Daemon retrieved a small device from his person. A small remote, it had a simple dial on the front of it. Remorsefully, he cranked up the dial.

The formerly colorless steel collars around the grandmasters' necks began to glow a white hot hue.

The grandmasters halted their initial show of rebellion and sank to their knees once again, the collars seemingly paralyzing their movements as well as their breathing.

"W-what is this?" Master Hawk choked out, struggling to fill his lungs with the precious oxygen from the air.

Daemon eyed his former compatriot. A few seconds later, the tiger eased the dial off, and the collars' glow began to dim until they returned to looking like simple steel shackles.

"These are a new…invention by some of my experts. They restrict Chi flow throughout the body and mind. You needn't worry about it any further than that," he told them.

Looking down at them in pity, Daemon steeled himself, "I'm…sorry. I spared you once…I cannot afford to make the same mistake again."

Turning, the tiger grabbed his helmet off of the war-table. Covering his head once again, he looked towards his subordinates.

"Make their ends a quick one. I don't want to hear so much as a whimper," he ordered. Taking one last glance at his former friends he exited the room, but not before hearing one last comment from Master Gorilla—who'd been silent throughout the entire affair.

"You're right Daemon. Fate will arrive. And the prophecy will come to pass."

Daemon was stopped in his tracks by this remark. Looking back at the wisest of the grandmasters, the tiger nodded a farewell before turning an exiting the room, shutting the doors behind him. Daemon had come to terms with his eventual fate many years ago while still in Zoru-Sai Prison. In short, the prophecy declared that if he continued along his current path…he would meet his demise. If he must die to preserve China…then so be it. Daemon soon disappeared down the dark corridor.

Seconds later, the sound of crossbows firing in rapid succession cut through the silent atmosphere.

Thwap! Thwap! Thwap!

The sound of bodies dropping to the floor ensued…The Council of Masters was no more.

Daemon quietly entered the Council Room, massaging his temples tiredly. Raul was slouching back in one of the lounge chairs, twirling a dagger effortlessly in his hand. Noticing his master's distress, the jaguar voiced his inquiry.

"Is everything alright my lord?" he asked.

In answer, Daemon motioned for Raul to follow him. Turning away, the tiger strode over to the other side of the room with a nervous Raul in tow.

Stopping in front of a torch mounted on the stone wall, Daemon gripped the ornament firmly. Pulling down on it, the torch was revealed to be a lever. Cranking the torch lever, a passageway in the stone wall shifted open. Stepping inside the tiger continued on his path, Raul following closely.

Thud!

Raul almost jumped out of his skin. Looking behind him, he saw that the passageway had closed. The exit was gone and with it, the torch light. Even though he could see in the dark due to his feline senses, it didn't make the pitch black darkness any more comforting.

Eventually they arrived in a secret chamber that was lit by several torches and braziers. Raul looked around the area, taking it all in. He'd only been in this room once before. Inside the chamber was a sizable board hung on the east wall; filled with battle plans, schemes, and other valuable info that Daemon's scouts picked up across China.

Daemon was currently studying the board intently, scanning over the papers nailed to it.

"Mission Report Raul," his voice reverberating throughout the room.

Raul nodded before listing off, "The Council of Masters were captured and executed as you know. We have managed to capture and destroy the Sapphire and Topaz Palaces, as well as several of the rest…"

Daemon sighed in slight frustration, "Raul is there anything useful that you have for me? And don't bother about Shifu…that was just a minor setback."

Raul halted his speech before hesitating. After a moment of thought, he snapped his fingers in recollection.

"The pandas have left the Valley of Peace and returned to their former village according to some of our sources," he divulged hoping this would please his master.

Daemon's ears perked up at this piece of news. This was quite the development indeed. Walking over to the board he scanned several clippings of some Valley of Peace newspapers—collected by some of his spies in the valley. The illustrations from the paper depicted the pandas in question. Ironically, the Dragon Warrior was a panda according to his network of scouts. However, this did very little to deter Daemon from the fact that he was a warrior of great skill…and extreme threat. Most people would dismiss Po Ping because of his species and appearance. Not Daemon. The tiger had gone up against enough adversaries to realize the extreme danger of underestimating an opponent.

Daemon was brought out of his thoughts by Raul.

"Sir, if I may ask…why focus so much attention on the pandas? Surely they can't be that much of a threat?" Raul inquired.

Daemon shook his head at the shorter feline. Raul may have exceptional fighting skills, but his tactical mind was lacking severely. Turning to face his subordinate, Daemon began seriously, "Raul you don't see the bigger picture do you? These pandas are potentially the biggest threat we face."

Raul just stared blankly at his leader. Daemon sighed wearily at the jaguar's lack of intuition.

"These pandas, bar the Jade Palace Warriors, are the last beings alive that know how to utilize Chi. I was defeated by Chi last time…I cannot allow for it to happen again."

Raul nodded in better understanding than before. Scratching his head, the jaguar continued to press, "Why don't you just learn how to do Chi? Then you can defeat fire with fire?"

Daemon shook his head, "Unfortunately, Chi is 'the energy that flows through living things'. The Elixir of Immortals severed my soul's ties with both life and death. Therefore, the energy of the living can't flow through me. I can't harness Chi."

Raul frowned as he tried to comprehend what his master had just said. After his head gears had turned for over a minute, he came to understand his master's reasoning.

"So…you can't use Chi. Therefore…eliminate Chi from the equation," he presumed.

Daemon nodded, turning towards the board.

"It's time we commence the next phase of the plan," he announced, taking one last glance at his plans before heading over to the opposite side of the chamber where the weapons were stored.

Raul hurried after his boss, trying to keep pace with the tiger's longer strides. He was confused at this point. "Sir with all due respect, shouldn't we focus on ridding ourselves of the Jade Palace warriors and the Dragon Warrior first?"

Daemon was strapping a sword to his back as he listened to Raul's grievances. Adjusting his armor, the tiger looked down at his right-hand man, a small gleam in his otherwise dull yellow eyes.

"No worries Raul. I already have it taken care of."

The Valley of Peace

Po's head was about to explode…well…maybe not literally, but it sure felt like it. Currently, the studious panda was seated on one of the lounge chairs in the Scroll room. He was just finishing up on scroll 1279 and thank the gods for that. His eyes dully scanned the faded black text along the length of the parchment. This scroll was a teaching of pressure points and how they affected the body and mind's functions. In comparison to some of the other topics Po had been studying, this was more interesting by far. Heck! The last dozen scrolls he'd been reading were about geographical features along the regions of the world…not a fun topic.

"So that's how Tai Lung did it," Po mumbled to himself, tracing his finger along the text.

As a kung fu master, Po had always wondered what technique the snow leopard had used to such a devastating effect against the Jade Palace warriors—more so the five than himself.

Scanning the final paragraph of the document, Po memorized the last of it before rolling the scroll up. Deciding a break was in order, he stood from the chair, his joints screamed in protest at this. Stretching his back, he eased out some stiffness that had settled in for hunching in the chair for too long.

It'd been several days since the incident with Tigress. They hadn't spoken much of it, and Po had been focusing his time on reading scrolls, in an effort to draw his mind away from those thoughts. And it was quite a successful tactic, studying the documents had taken his attention away from any stray thoughts.

After storing away the scrolls that he'd finished reading, Po blew out the candle. The light faded out, leaving the chamber pitch black, aside from the faint rays of the dimmed moonlight making its way through the windows up above. Taking care not to bump into anything, Po tiptoed around the dozens of shelves and furniture before exiting the room.

Yawning, Po took a quick glance up at the reflective powdery white orb in the speckled night sky; he judged it was about 9 PM at night if not later than that. It was relatively quiet, nothing but the sound of tree branches and long grass fluttering in the wind. Deciding that it would be best to go to bed, Po began to make his way towards the barracks. However, he halted himself as his ears perked up at the sound of voices. They seemed to be coming from the kitchen area. Turning back around, the panda strode down the stone path. Minutes later the kitchen was in sight. Sure enough, the torches were lit and the sounds of the Five and Saber were originating from the dining area.

Entering the kitchen, it took Po a split second to realize the others were planning on going out. All of them were dressed in extravagant attire, no doubt the expenses covered by Saber. The aforementioned tiger stood talking with the group holding some sort of tickets in his hand. Monkey wore a black and yellow tunic embroidered with silver lining; the cloth seemingly suited the ape quite perfectly. Mantis was wearing a similar outfit, but the color scheming being black and green, as well as fit down to the bug's size. Next was Viper, who was dressed in a ruby red top. The texture of the red vest was mesmerizing, matching her scales they seemed to reflect the torch light. On the back of the vest there were several Chinese symbols sown into the fabric, completing the attire's look. To her left was Crane, who wore a dark brown tunic with golden designs sown into it as well, along with a new hat. Similar to his former straw one, but dyed black in color with a metal rim and made of higher quality material. Saber himself, who stood central to the group, wore a black and silver long sleeve tunic as well as a pair of black silk slacks. Begrudgingly, Po also noticed that the suit seemed to show off his athletic physique. Finally, at the back of the group stood Tigress wearing a…a dress? Po's eyes widened. Yep, Master Tigress was definitely wearing a dress. Quite a simple design, it was strapless and went down to right above her knees. Deep violet in color, it appeared to be made out of a combination of silk and cotton. It was somewhat formfitting, though not nearly as much as Saber's attire. Po assumed she must've been wearing her wraps again, judging from the lack of presence on her torso. It wasn't the most elegant of outfits but the like most everything, Master Tigress pulled it off gracefully and quite effortlessly. But judging from her irked look as she eyed the garb disapprovingly, Tigress didn't feel the same way. Po concluded that the garment choice hadn't been hers; it'd most likely been Viper or Saber's.

"Going somewhere guys?" Po asked, although it was more of a statement than a question.

Naturally Mantis was the first to respond.

"What gave it away the fancy tunics or the nightclub tickets?" he responded with heavy sarcasm that was second nature to the bug. Lots of people may have taken offense to the insect's snark, but after living with the sassy master for so long, Po had grown rather accustomed to it.

Not missing a beat, the bear raised his eyebrow with a slight grin.

"Actually, it was Tigress wearing a purple dress."

The group let out a slight chuckle at this comment, bar Tigress who just huffed, albeit good-naturedly.

Saber put his hand around the back of Po, leading him out the door, the others in tow.

"Yeah man, come down to the party with us," he enthused. The others nodded enthusiastically, not having spent much time with Po in the past week due to Saber's arrival.

Po hesitated at this, "Well… I'm not sure if that's a good-".

He was cut off by the others.

"Come on big fella."

"Yeah, it's good to let loose now and again."
"Don't be a spoilsport."

Po sighed in resignation. He'd really hoped to get a good night's sleep. However, with the Five and Saber's pressuring that looked like a far-fetched hope now.

"Alright, alright…I'll go."

The others grinned at this.

"Let's head out then," Saber laughed.

"Here we are!" the white tiger announced.

Po, who'd been day dreaming, focused his attention on the building they'd arrived at. He recognized it to be one of the places he'd seen the other day when he went shopping.

'Nicole's Night Club! Looks like we were always gonna end up here at some point!' Red chuckled.

Po shook his head. Turning his attention back to reality, Po saw Saber chatting with the two bodyguards outside the front door to the club. The two guards were roughly the same size as Po, both being oxen. Judging on the dull looks that adorned their faces, they seemed to be the archetypical brawn over brain simpletons; assuming that the two actually had a brain. Safe to say, neither of the two looked to be on the bright side.

After handing over the tickets to guards, Saber motioned for them to follow him inside. Parting, the guards allowed Saber and the Five to slide through the doors. Po stepped forward; about to do the same before the two guards stepped in front of the door once again, blocking his path. Po restrained himself from frowning.

"I'm with them… so could you let me through?" he asked as politely as he could. Eyeing the panda, the ox guards internally rolled their eyes. Not familiar with the famed figure before them, all they saw was a somewhat stout panda in low quality patched shorts.

Almost as if they didn't hear him, one of the guards stated, "Ticket."

'This guy's funny…either that or really stupid,' Red mused.

Po tuned Red out, trying to decipher what the ox had just said. His voice had such a heavy foreign accent that Po barely understood him.

"Excuse me?" the bear questioned.

The other guard didn't seem to like that. Stepping forward, he shoved Po back forcibly, sending the panda backpedaling in order to maintain his balance.

"No ticket. No club. Street scum," the bull spat.

Po frowned now. Managing to keep his cool, he took a deep breath. Red on the other hand, didn't manage to keep his cool…unsurprisingly.

'We have a ticket alright! A one way ticket to the grave if you touch us again you sack of shi-' Po hushed the voice. Realizing that he should have probably changed into his nicer attire—the jade green vest and black slacks—that his dad had given him, he looked down at his patched shorts. Yep, those probably weren't giving off the right impression, especially when trying to get into a fancy nightclub.

Normally, respect was always an absolute given when Po encountered new people. These guards obviously didn't realize who he was. It was times like these where the panda wished his reputation preceded him as greatly as before the valley's expansion. Po was about to respond before a new voice beat him to it.

"What are you two buffoons doing?"

All three of them swiftly jerked their heads to see a seething snow leopardess. Stamping over, she gripped the two bulls and bashed their heads together in a surprising show of strength despite her small frame. Tumbling onto the ground, the bulls groaned in pain.

Whirling around, she then turned her attention to the Dragon Warrior and walked towards him. Po held his hands up in a gesture of peace. This brought a quirk to the leopardess's lip.

"Dragon Warrior, I humbly apologize for those two nitwits over there. My name's Nicole," she offered with a smile.

"Don't worry about it. Thanks for the save," Po responded, flashing a smile back. On the outside he seemed as cool as ice. On the inside however, Po allowed himself several victorious fist pumps. He had successfully responded to an attractive girl without looking like a complete fool.

'Go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back for that one,' Red said in mock congratulation.

Po waved him off, even Red's negative connotation couldn't deflate him at the moment. Smirking at the panda, Nicole took his arm and escorted him towards the doors. Giving one last venomous glance towards her subordinates, she morphed her expression into a calm smile towards Po before they entered the club.

Crazy, loud, packed, were just a few ways to describe the current setting of the night club. This place was crammed to the roof. It seemed as if the entire valley had decided to come out tonight. The club was swarming with members of all species, partying like…well…animals.

You were barely able to hear yourself think, much less speak. No matter how obnoxious, this didn't take away from the fact that Nicole's Night Club was by far the most entertainment packed residence in the entire valley. From the designated lounge area to the indoor swimming pool, this place had it all. It seemed everyone came here for some purpose. Members could be seen drowning their sorrows in a variety of alcohol choices at the bar. Others were relaxing in the spa area, easing there pain in a more…conservative manner. Many members, both drunk and sober were partying on the dance floor—the blaring music transmitting from the musicians on stage driving them on. Some danced in a more conventional method, like a partner dance. Others…were less conventional.

Saber and the Five were currently slipping through the dance floor towards the lounge area. As they maneuvered their way through the crowds Tigress caught sight of a girl wolf…grinding against her partner behind her. Face burning, the female master focused her gaze away from the obscene sight. Saber, who'd looked back to check up on the female tiger, saw this. A grin spreading across his face, he chuckled.

"You better get used to that Ti. People in nightclubs are quite outgoing…if you know what I mean."

Tigress just mumbled something back that was inaudible due to the ruckus from the crowds around them.

Eventually, the group managed to find a seat in the lounge area. Finally sitting down in their booth, Saber ordered some drinks as he and the Five chatted. Their conversation like many other times was filled with stories from Saber's adventures, thrilling tales of the Five and what not. After almost half an hour into their conversation, they finally noticed something amiss. It was Viper who pointed the glaring fact out.

"Hey…where's Po?" she questioned after checking her surroundings for the large bear. Raising an eyebrow, Saber did a full 360 around in his seat looking for their friend. After coming up empty, he just shrugged his shoulders. The others checked around as well. Their search ended in the same result.

"Here are your drinks."

The Five and Saber turned back around to see a scantily dressed red fox with a tray of drinks in her hand. The waitress was wearing as minimal wear as possible, looking as if she'd come from the pool area in a virtual bikini.

Thanking her, Saber grabbed the tray before handing over a few yuan as a tip. Bowing her head slightly, the fox slipped the coins into a pouch hung by her side before leaving.

Handing out tall glasses of the yellow-orange drink, Saber set them down in front of the others. Then taking a sip out of his glass, he hummed in satisfaction.

Skeptical, the five all picked up their glasses in a weary manner. It looked similar to orange juice…but they knew for a fact that it wasn't. None of them daring to try the strange concoction, they silently watched as Saber consumed almost all of his.

After downing the rest of it, Saber let out a belch. Looking at the rest of the group he saw that they hadn't touched theirs.

"What are you waiting for? Down the hatch," he joked.

Tigress lifted the glass up to her snout, taking a whiff of the liquid. It was seemingly a combination of sour, sweet, and bitter.

"What is this?" she finally questioned.

Saber raised an eyebrow at her. Had they never had a drink before? Shrugging, the white tiger concluded that the kung fu masters probably were taught to refrain from alcoholic drinks. Then again, letting loose every once in a while never hurt anyone.

"It's Mai Tai. Polynesian drink," he answered before his ears caught the sound of footsteps. Turning around, he spotted a waitress carrying a tray of drinks on her shoulder, passing the booth. Deftly, he reached out and removed one of the drinks off the tray without the passing waitress realizing. It was in a fancy glass with a skinny neck and a lemon slice on the side. Unlike the Mai Tai, the misty yellow liquid was translucent.

"And this is Daiquiri," he laughed taking a small sip, savoring the potion.

Watching him drink yet another cocktail, the five looked at each other before shrugging. And they all took a long swig of their drinks. It wasn't nearly as bad as what they had expected…in fact it was quite good…addictingly good.

Finishing their drinks faster than Saber had his, they set the glasses down onto the table. His jaw dropping, a smile began to form on the white tiger's face. That was…unexpected.

"Well look at that. You guys are naturals," he laughed.

Feeling rather smug, the five smirked back. Saber shook his head in a rueful manner. There was a silence for several seconds before a flood of comments flew from the five.

"I like this stuff!"

"More please!"

"It's quite satisfactory."

"Definitely a welcome addition."

"I need more of this stuff in my body!"

Saber laughed heartily at this. Summoning a waitress, Saber ordered several more rounds for everyone. As they waited, the Five's thoughts went back to a missing panda.

"Wait…shouldn't we go look for Po or something?" Monkey realized, his thought process a bit fuzzy for some reason. The others tilted their heads to the side as if deep in thought. Po was missing but he would be fine…right?

Saber waved them off.

"I'm sure the big guy's fine."

Then thinking a moment he laughed.

"He's probably gone to find himself some female companionship," he added with a grin.

The Five all laughed at his comment, whether it had been the absurdity of the statement or the image of Po being surrounded by females, they weren't sure themselves.

Tigress however, frowned at this statement. Her mind was rather fuzzy for some reason and she didn't know why Saber's comment had upset her…maybe it was because she didn't like people touching her property?

Po and Nicole were walking towards the VIP section of the nightclub. Feeling rather guilty of the treatment that had been bestowed upon the three time savior of China, Nicole—being the owner of the club— had presented him with a life-time VIP pass. The pass was a golden colored steel card. Imprinted on it was:

Nicole's NightClub

VIP PASS

*Life-time*

Name: Po Ping

Species: Panda
Serial #: 391G74JOW84PE0362M58B

Membership: Platinum member

Access: Complete

Restrictions: None

It was quite amazing how Nicole had managed to get him such a customized membership card on such short notice. At first, Po had tried to turn down the extremely gracious offer, but the snow leopardess had insisted…quiet forcefully if he may add. She had told him he'd either accept the pass willingly or he would accept it unwillingly. And after the stunt that she'd pulled with the two oxen guards, Po didn't feel like pushing his already non-existent luck.

"So how long have you been in the Valley of Peace, Ms…" Po hesitated, not sure what to call the feline.

Opening the double doors to the VIP only lounge area, the leopardess smirked at the black and white warrior.

"Just Nicole is fine."

Po nodded neutrally, not wanting to offend her.

Eventually, Nicole sat him down in one of the lounge chairs by a fireplace. The crackling of the fire was a much more soothing sound than the blaring music that had been torturing the bear's eardrums moments earlier. After entering the VIP Lounge the external noise had disappeared; most likely due to the sound proofed walls inside the lounge. Deep in thought, Po almost missed the feline's next comment.

"And to answer your earlier question, I've been in the valley for nearly a year now. The nightclub wasn't opened until a few months ago however," she divulged, heading over to a small personal bar in the corner of the room.

Po watched her actions with relative interest as Nicole got to work. Her hands were a blur as she rearranged and added different liquids and juices to her concoction. A few minutes later she had a lime yellow drink prepared for herself. Looking over to Po, she motioned to the drink.

"Want one big guy?"

Po snapped out of his reverie before firmly shaking his head. He'd seen plenty of times what alcohol could do to people. It could turn the nicest into the meanest, the calmest into the craziest. But most importantly, someone special to him had promised him to never drink. And he would never break that promise. Not from her.

He'd been a lonely, depressed, fifteen year old.

*Flashback (8 years ago)*

The dull autumn wind whipped through the trees as the auburn and red leaves floated down to the already covered ground. Heavy footsteps grew louder as a young panda came into view. In his mid teens, the bear had his eyes downcast as he trudged along the dirt path back to his home at Mr. Ping's. Constant crunching from the crushed leaves underfoot did little to disturb the distracted panda. No, his thoughts were far away from reality, going over his day.

It'd been a long miserable day for Po…albeit most days were. Today's only saving grace was that it was a Friday. So he could sleep in tomorrow. He was trudging home from school, VOPHS (Valley of Peace High school). Hunched over, Po continued his journey until his back pack gave out. Spilling out multiple books and school papers, the bear cursed. Just another day in the life of Po Ping. Fortunately, the breeze had died down almost in pity of his misfortune, allowing the bear to recollect his belongings. Forcefully stuffing them back into his bag, he stood— his mood worse off than before.

"What a wonderful world," he muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Half an hour later, he had managed to make it back home—Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop. It wasn't the most luxurious household…or the most sanitary…but it was home. Stepping up to the concrete gate with wooden double doors, a large sign that said CLOSED, hung upon it. After the fiasco of Po poisoning Shifu, the goose—albeit reluctantly, due to his frugal nature—thought it would be best if the panda wasn't left to run the shop when he was out of town. (A/N: See Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll)

Retrieving a pair of keys out of his patched shorts, Po unlocked the doors which concealed the shop from the prying eyes of anyone on the street. Entering, he shut the doors behind him before making his way through the dining patio outside the shop.

Finally, Po swung open the shop's door and entered…subsequently hitting his head on the doorway.

Thunk!

"Ow!" the bear yelped in pain, gripping his now throbbing head. This day kept getting better and better. He could only hope that there would be no lasting damage for every time he banged his head on that thing.

Treading up the stairs, Po squeezed through the hall into his room. Dropping his backpack onto the floor, the bear then proceeded to collapse on his bed. Closing his eyes he tried his best to forget the negative parts of his day. This almost succeeded until several small creeks emerged from the bed. Seconds later, the bed's legs gave out and it crashed down onto the floor, Po along with it.

Po then buried his face into his pillow and screamed in frustration. He didn't worry about his dad walking in and finding his emotional unstable, outcast of a son, because his father was away on a business trip…therefore he could scream and rant to himself to his heart's content.

He would go on to spend the rest of the day laying like a zombie on his bed, talking to his action figures, and tossing his ninja star at the wall.

Hours later, there was a loud knock at the gate doors of the shop, waking the bear from his nap. Groggily, the bear stumbled out of bed and down the stairs, nearly collapsing on his way down. Exiting the interior of the shop, he thumped over to the gate double doors. He honestly didn't see the purpose in them. If someone really wanted to break in and rob the place, these two doors which resembled the strength of cardboard wouldn't do the trick. Like many things that made up the shop, they needed to be replaced with something more functional. Grumbling about his complaints, Po finally made it to the gate, and threw open the doors without even looking to see who it was.

"I'm sorry we're closed for the rest of the week. Please come back another ti-" he cut off his speech as his eyes focused in on who it was. His jaw nearly dropped when he saw that it was a girl from his school, not just any girl, but Ms. 'Popular' herself.

A tan ocelot named Kenli, she was quite the catch. Having an attractive figure, face, and bubbly personality, she was a common fantasy of most of the guys at the school; him included.

"Oh, Kenli…I didn't uh…see you there. Do…do you need something?" Po managed to spit out.

The ocelot's unique magenta eyes glinted in amusement at the bear as he stumbled over his words. She just handed him a colored paper card. He took it automatically, not even knowing what it was. Staring down at it, there were several texts printed onto the piece of paper. Most notably was a time stamp and address.

"Well Po, I'm just letting you know that I'm holding a party at my house and I'm just inviting some people from school," she said in a cheerful tone.

Po refrained himself from raising an eyebrow. She was inviting him to a party? His skepticism wasn't unwarranted since he was a known outcast and target for bullying. He knew this, she knew this, and the entire school definitely knew this. Why in the hell would she (very popular) want him (not so very popular) at her party.

As if almost reading his mind, Kenli put up her hands in a gesture of peace.

"I know you're not much of a party guy. But I just wanted to let you know that I'd love it if you came," she finished with her beaming white smile. Po nodded, squinting, as her pearly whites were quite literally blinding him. Kenli then turned and walked off with a noticeable spring to her step.

Po took a glance down at the card as he closed the gate doors. Reading the card over, he entered the kitchen doorway, instinctively ducking in order to refrain from concussing himself once more. He came to a decision.

"Nah!" he uttered, setting the card down onto kitchen counter before heading up the steps. Entering his room, he shut the door behind him. The residence was once again quiet, not a single sound. It seemed as if Po had gone back to bed. Several minutes later…

"Dag Nab it!" Po grumbled from inside his room. Moments later he was thumping down the stairs and into the kitchen. Grumbling to himself, he snatched the house keys and invitation card off the counter and left for Kenli's party.

Evening light is the most beautiful scenery you could find. Currently, the orange and pink shades of light were plastered across the sky as a result of the setting sun. Within an hour, the moon would replace it, as the night replaced the day. Po had always loved to admire nature, due to the calming effect it had. Strange as it sounded, it soothed him. And after all the stress he'd been going through in school and his life, soothing was something he couldn't get enough of.

Drawing his attention away from the sky, the panda caught sight of Kenli's house. Finally arriving at the ocelot's residence, Po went wide eyed. He knew that her folks had been wealthy…but this was ludicrous. He stood in front of her virtual mansion in absolute awe. It must have been three stories high. The house was built from high quality polished marble and stone. Surrounded by a stone wall fence, the only entrance was a steel bar gate with two hulking gorilla bodyguards. Stepping up to them they were even taller up close. They practically towered over the teenage panda. Turning their attention to the newcomer, they gave the panda a look of interest; similar to the look an elephant would give a cockroach before squashing it. Gulping, Po shakily handed them the invitation. Taking the paper, the guards examined it and eyed each other before handing it back to the panda. They did nothing for a moment and Po began to wonder if coming had been a bad idea. Finally, after a few moments of silence one of the guards rumbled, "Would you like to go in?" almost as a warning. Po, even more confused than before just nodded feebly. The guards shrugged at each other before opening the gates. They then stepped aside and let Po through.

Mumbling a 'thanks', Po entered through the gate and left towards the house. As he left their sight, the gorillas huffed. They felt bad for the kid. They'd overheard what the other kids were planning to do to him…it wasn't pretty. They didn't say a word about though; it wasn't their place to interfere others affairs. They were just the guards, they had no business with the other party members.

"Kid should have stayed home," the one on the left grumbled.

"Yep," the other huffed.

Po had finally managed to reach the front door of the towering establishment. Stepping up to the solid oak structure he hesitated, before knocking. Moments later, the door swung open revealing the beaming face of Kenli herself. Seeing who it was, her impossibly wide smile grew even larger—if that was possible.

"Oh Po! I'm so glad you could make it!" the ocelot beamed, throwing herself around the panda for a hug. Po, normally unused to this type of affection, especially from an attractive girl, awkwardly accepted the embrace. He tried not to blush as he felt the ocelot's bosom press uncomfortably close up against him.

Separating from the hug, Kenli then grabbed his hand and drug the panda inside.

As they walked through the halls, Po admired all the luxurious artworks and trinkets that adorned the interior of the house.

"Nice place you got here," he said, trying to attempt small talk, albeit it wasn't his strong suit. Kenli mumbled a 'thanks' modestly. As they neared the living room, Kenli changed the subject, "The others are already here. You should know them, they're from our school," she enthused.

Po nodded, however on the inside he was rather reluctant.

"There aren't many rules, except one…no drinking period," she affirmed rather seriously.

Po had no problem with that; he hadn't planned on it anyways. However, curiosity got the better of him, "Why?"

Looking over to him the ocelot stated rather sharply, "Because my father was an abusive drunk and I despise the stuff."

Po's eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks, this caused Kenli to halt as well, "You really hate the stuff?"

She nodded, "I wish everyone would stop it. It can turn the nicest into the meanest…the calmest into the craziest…like my father," her ears drooped a little at this.

For someone he knew so little about, Po couldn't help but want to comfort her. Seeing the normally jubilant ocelot like this made him feel almost guilty.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better…I promise to never drink," Po offered tentatively while holding up his hand, almost as if to seal the vow.

Perking her ears up at this Kenli tilted her head with a smile, "Really?"

"Really. Really," Po responded with a small grin. Kenli returned it, before shaking his hand in the deal.

"You better not break it," Kenli warned with a strict smile.

Po smiled back…he didn't intend to.

As the duo entered the room, they were met with the attention of several party members who were lounging on the sofa.

"Hey guys, you know Po right?" the ocelot announced gesturing towards the panda.

In response, most of the party members grunted before resuming their own conversations. Kenli turned back to the bear with a grin on her face, "See, it's a friendly environment."

Po bit his lip and strained against the urge to roll his eyes. Friendly indeed.

Patting him on the back, Kenli then walked over to one of the desks in the room and picked up a set of keys and a purse. Gaining everyone's attention, the ocelot said, "Alright guys, I'm going down to Mr. Lee's Deli to pick up the food. I'll be back in fifteen." Spinning around, she headed towards the exit.

Before leaving, she stopped by Po's side, leaning in she whispered, "Go and socialize big guy. I'll be back with the food in a bit."

Kenli then disappeared down the hallway. Moments later, the recognizable sound of the door shutting echoed throughout the house.

Following the door shut, Po noticed how quiet the room had become. Slowly turning around, he was met with a dozen or so sinister glares from the other school mates. Their formerly neutral expressions had morphed into ones of malice. Shifting from one foot to the other, Po stood awkwardly as the glares from the others began to harshen.

"Is something uh…wrong guys?" Po managed, trying to talk his way out of trouble.

The group of school members had now risen to their feet, and was striding over to the lone panda. Gulping anxiously, Po twiddled his thumbs as he was now surrounded by those in the 'friendly environment' as Kenli had so eloquently put it. Stepping up to him, a teenage leopard, Jonah, came within inches of his face. Jonah wasn't very fond of Po, well…most of the kids at the school didn't like him, but Jonah especially didn't. Rather intimidated, Po attempted to shrink back. However, the others behind prevented him from doing so.

"What are you doing here blubber boy?" Jonah taunted, sneering at the shorter panda.

Po deciding against taking the bait just mumbled, "Uh…Kenli invited me."

Everyone in the encirclement laughed at this. Po just stared at his feet, hoping this would end soon. It was stupid of him to have come here. Every one of his instincts screamed not to accept the ocelot's party invitation. Like the horrible optimist he was, he'd dared to hope this time would be any different. Foolish.

After the laughter had died down, Jonah continued, "And you actually accepted? I already knew you were stupid, I didn't know you had a death wish as well."

Po didn't respond, he just quietly stared and the floor as if wishing he could just disappear. Not liking the lack of attention he was getting from the panda, Jonah threw a heavy uppercut into Po's stomach, winding him and bringing him to his knees.

"Didn't your whore of a mother teach you any manners? Listen when your superior is talking to you, you worthless sack of lard!" the leopard growled at the bear kneeling on the ground.

Po, trying to regain his feet, suppressed his anger, "I don't have a Mom, Jonah."

Letting out a laugh, the leopard continued to taunt him, "Of course, she probably ran off after she saw what an ugly insignificant piece of garbage she conceived. I don't blame her though, if it were down to me, I would have thrown you in the trash instead of a radish basket."

Po was silent as he stared dully back at Jonah. The leopard scanned the bear's face, hoping for some reaction, there was none.

Throwing his hands up in the air Jonah grunted, "Why do I even bother! You're completely brain dead. It's a wonder why that dumb bitch Kenli invited you here in the first place. Then again, she's just as defective as you are."

Po was livid now. Kenli was the only person in the valley who was even remotely nice to him, albeit they didn't talk much. But every time they had talked, she'd been nothing but pleasant. Ignoring his survival instincts, he stepped forward, "Hey! Don't talk about her like that you jerk—oof!"

He was cut off by a powerful hook to the jaw, followed by an upwards kick to his groin by Jonah. Collapsing from pain, Po groaned in agony.

"I'll do whatever I feel like, got it fatty? Y'know, I was gonna let you off easy, but now? I'm gonna teach you some manners," the leopard sneered at the panda before unleashing a hellish kick to Po's gut.

"Please…stop," Po pleaded with a whimper before Jonah let loose another kick. His pleas only drove the leopard to increase the force behind his kicks. A wicked smile adorned Jonah's face as he continued to kick the downed panda again…and again…and again.

Soon, the other surrounding party members joined in, as the circle enclosed around the panda, attacking him from all sides. Nothing but the sounds of laughter, kicking, and pained grunting could be heard throughout the formerly quiet room. After several minutes the group began to slow their efforts and they withdrew from the almost motionless panda. However, Jonah continued to viciously kick the battered panda for half a minute longer. Finally halting his brutal assault, the feline crouched down, coming face to face with Po, who was bruised and battered to the point of near unconsciousness.

"Lesson learned, aye?" Jonah chuckled coldly.

Po lay their still for a moment, before his body began shaking as he was wracked with sobs. Tears streamed down the panda's bloodied face as he violently shook in suffering.

Clatter!

"OH MY GOD!"

Everyone snapped their necks to see the face of a horrified Kenli standing in the doorway, the bag of food dropped all over the floor. Fixing her gaze on the horribly beaten panda, she then shifted it to the group. Her face's expression morphed into a look of fury.

"What did you do!" she screamed as her face grew red with anger.

Stepping forward, Jonah tried to play it cool, "The loser needed to be put in his place. Not my fault—" he was promptly cut off by Kenli as she socked the pompous leopard in the face. Grunting in pain, the school bully stumbled back. Holding his nose that was gushing with blood, it was definitely broken.

Turning to him and the others, "Get out of my house before I call the guards!" she bellowed at them.

Not needing any further invitation, the group of party goers and Jonah all speedily exited the residence. After the door shut, Kenli rushed over to the injured panda. Kneeling down she helped him sit up. Po feebly attempted to hide his tears, but the ocelot simply batted his hands away and wiped them away herself.

"Po…I am so sorry," she apologized, her voice catching in her throat.

Po, who had regained some of his self-control just waved her off.

"Ibs fine," he uttered through his swollen jaw.

Tears now in her own eyes, Kenli shook her head furiously. Standing up, she zipped out of the room before returning with a medical kit. Opening it up, she retrieved some alcohol pads.

"It is not fine. You look terrible…no offense," she asserted, her face morphed into a look of concentration as she padded away the blood that had somewhat dried on his face.

"Why did they attack you?" Kenli asked in concern as she continued to clean his wounds.

Po just shrugged, not wanting her to feel guiltier than she already was. Seeing through his guise almost immediately, the ocelot wiped one of his cuts a little more forcefully than the previous ones. Po winced as he made eye contact with her. She was giving him a 'tell me or else' look. For someone so sweet, Kenli could be absolutely stone-hearted when she wanted to.

"Jonah, wab cawing yu a dum bidch," Po tried his best to enunciate.

Kenli shook her head at this. Reaching in the medical bag, she brought out an herbal paste. Spreading it out on the tips of her fingers she lathered the substance along Po's jaw and mouth.

"This should stop the swelling," she informed.

Minutes later, Po massaged his jaw as the substance worked its magic. His gaze was fixed on the floor below. "That's a lot better…thanks."

Grabbing Po by his shoulders, Kenli forced him to look at her, tears brimming in her eyes.

"You went through all that…because of me? Why?" she mumbled. Being a popular kid at the school, she'd always had friends. But that was always because of her status and her wealthy family. True friendship was hard to come by. And it'd been gifted to her in the form of Po Ping. Po Ping, the outcast that no one liked. Po Ping, the anti-social quiet kid at the back of the classroom. Po Ping had defended her…only to suffer for it.

Po just shrugged, "You're the only one who's ever been even remotely nice to me. It's not fair that people should judge you for that."

Kenli just choked out a half-laugh, half-sob before gripping the panda's paw. Looking into his jade eyes, she internally vowed that as long as she lived no harm would ever befall him ever again. He needed a friend…And she needed a real friend.

"Po I promise you that as long as I can help it…I'll never let anyone harm you again?" Kenli mumbled.

The panda met the ocelot's gaze, her magenta eyes seemingly hypnotizing him.

"Sounds good to me," he offered with a smile. She smiled back.

And that was the start of a beautiful friendship.

*time skip (3 years later)*

"You should tell her y'know."

"Hmmm?"

"The tiger girl, you should tell her that you like her."

…What?

Po did a double take as he choked on his drink. Unfortunately, the water had gone done the wrong pipe and was now exiting out of the panda's nostrils in quite the spectacle. People in the other booths of the restaurant looked at the panda with distaste. A nearby waiter came over to clean up the mess. After wiping down the table, he then refilled Po's water before leaving.

Po muttered a 'thanks' while glaring at the cursed ocelot that loved to push his buttons. Kenli managed a smile giggle, albeit cleverly hiding it with her menu.

Currently, the two best friends were sitting at a diner. Today was the official introduction of the Furious Five. After being bestowed their title of 'master' by Oogway himself, they had performed a demonstration to the valley. It also so happened that the stage area of demonstration was only a hundred or so feet away from where Po and Kenli were seated; a perfect view.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Po finally answered, his gaze which had been fixed on the Furious Five's performance shifting to meet Kenli's magentas.

"Riiiiiight," she drawled trying to suppress the urge to giggle again. Po tried to ignore her before she began talking again.

"I mean, I can't blame you. Good body, pretty, famous, a real femme fatale," she continued innocently taking a sip of her water. Po narrowed his eyes at the ocelot. This was excessive…even by Kenli's ridiculous standards. Was she implying something? Or was she just trying to irk him. Po was frustrated at this…girls were so hard to read.

"What are you getting at?" he asked as levelly as he could.

Kenli managed a smirk this time. Coolly, she scanned her menu as she took yet another sip of her water.

"Nothing…nothing. I just couldn't help but notice you staring at Ms. Kung Fu over there," she replied before shutting her menu and setting it down.

Po huffed, crossing his arms. "I wasn't staring…I was just uh…watching the Five's performance is all."

Kenli, unable to refrain herself, let out a small choked laugh before masterfully disguising it with a cough. Po was now getting extremely irritated by the ocelot's games.

"Kenli…" he warned.

"Po…" she returned with a delighted smile.

Grunting, Po buried his face into his hands. Kenli giggled.

Having enough of this, Po rose to his feet, making his way towards the restaurant's exit. Kenli rose after him. Pushing her chair in, she called out humorously, "Po where are you going? We haven't even eaten yet!"

Taking a step forward, Kenli suddenly realized something was off. Leaning forward the ocelot vomited up a mix of food and blood all over the floor. Her vision became blurry, as the world faded in and out. Her legs began to tremble as she struggled to remain upright.

"Po…po…help," was all that she could manage. Po, who'd been faced the other way, instantly recognized the distress in Kenli's voice. Spinning around, he spotted her as she clung to the side of their table trying her best to remain upright. Not a second later, Po had rushed over and caught the feline before she collapsed. His mind in absolute turmoil, Po was panicking as he took Kenli up in his arms.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry," she mumbled towards the bear.

Shaking his head furiously at her statement, he returned back in an alarmed voice, "No, no, no. What?"

Turning around, he saw that everyone in the restaurant had risen and were now staring at the duo. Looking at them angrily Po yelled, "What are you staring at? Somebody get a doctor!"

Po was hunched over as he sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office. His bulky figure dwarfed the substantially smaller chair he was seated in. Kenli had been in testing for almost four hours now. It was near midnight. Usually, he'd be bone tired by nine. But the existing situation kept his nerves on edge; he couldn't sleep…not while Kenli was in her current condition.

The sound of the office door drew his attention from his worried thoughts. Looking up, he saw the neutral face of the gazelle doctor. Standing up, he strode over to him.

"How is she?" he asked worriedly.

Massaging his temples, the doctor sighed, "That's something she must tell you…"

The gazelle's answer only spurred his anxiety. Po pushed past the doctor and into the nursing room. Entering the dark room, he saw the dim outline of Kenli lying in bed, staring out the window at the moon.

Striding over, Po knelt by her beside and took her hand in his, squeezing it for reassurance. Kenli didn't verbally respond for several minutes, instead just admiring the night sky through the open window.

"The night-time is so beautiful Po…I will miss it."

His gaze snapped to her before he shook his head violently.

"Don't talk like that…tell me what's happening," he asked, although he wasn't sure if he wanted the answer.

Looking over to her friend, the feline smiled sadly before motioning over to her results chart which was set on the desk on the opposite side of the room. Rising, he stepped over to examine the results. What he found was…devastating.

"What…what is this?"

Bringing his eyes to meet Kenli's, he awaited an answer. Somehow, he hoped that she would say something else…anything else than what the results showed.

Kenli's gaze faltered for a moment, "Po…I have stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. There is no cure."

The room was dead silent for several minutes as the two friends looked at each other, almost as if wishing that this reality was just a dream…a nightmare and that they would wake up at any second.

Po looked down at the sheet in his hand, "It says that you were diagnosed…two months ago."

The ocelot simply nodded. Stepping over to her, Po took Kenli's hand in his own.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

Kenli gave him her trademark smile, "And have you worry yourself into the ground?"

Po opened his mouth to speak, but Kenli lifted her hand up and covered it.

"Listen Po, my whole life I've had many luxuries. The greatest luxury I could have ever had was your friendship. You didn't like me because I was rich or popular. You liked me because you are a good person. You liked me for me," she confessed with a sad smile.

Po was choked up at this. Of course he'd liked her for who she was. She was an amazing person and the best friend he could have ever wished for. No one had ever given him a chance…but she did. After she'd befriended him, she'd lost her popular status. She'd become an outcast; a nobody. She'd sacrificed her entire reputation for him. And now…now he could never fully repay her.

Continuing with tears in her eyes, "And I have spent every minute of these last two months trying my best to make you understand that I like you for who you are as well," she divulged quietly.

At this point tears were freely streaming down both her and Po's face's as they comforted each other in silence. Reaching up, Kenli wiped away Po's tears just as she had many years ago at the party.

"Y'know I loved you Po," she admitted quietly.

Choked up at this, the panda caressed the side of her cheek, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Letting out a sad laugh Kenli mumbled, "I knew you liked Tigress…I didn't want to keep you from that. I mean…c'mon. There's no competition between her and me…she's perfect in every way and I'm…I'm just—"It was Po's turn to hush her as her put his finger over her lips.

"You may not be perfect…but I love your imperfections more than anything…And you're right, there would be no competition.

Kenli then look down sadly, in a dejected manner, before her face lit up at Po's next words.

"Because I would choose you a hundred times over," he replied with a sad smile.

Kenli let out a choked sob as tears spilled down her face. Sitting up to her best ability, she drew her panda in for a hug. It was a moment she'd dreamed of since the day of the party. Years later, her wish had finally been granted. It was sweet…bittersweet.

Separating partially, she locked eyes with Po.

"I need you to promise me one thing," she breathed. Po nodded in answer.

"Promise me…to stay away from alcohol." Po gave her a 'really?' look before she broke out a small smile. She knew that he would always keep that promise. This next promise may take more convincing however.

"All joking aside. Whatever happens, you must promise me one thing. To remain as you are. Never let anything change you, stay a good man," she pleaded with him.

Po hesitated. Kenli was his best friend and his world. If anything, at this point in his life she was the only thing that motivated him to be positive and to be a good man…for her. With her, he would never become immoral…but without her? Why does life have to be so unfair?

"I—" he began before he was cut off. Leaning in, Kenli lay a soft kiss on him. The instant their lips connected, it was like fireworks. Po had never been kissed in his life…it was his first. Boy had he been missing out. Kenli's lips were softer than anything he'd ever felt and she tasted like…like peaches. It was intoxicating. Although it only lasted for a few seconds, the kiss felt as if it'd been several hours. Finally separating, they both gasped for air.

"Promise me," Kenli breathed, her lids drooping.

Po held her hand tightly, "I—I promise."

Smiling in relief, the ocelot had been granted her last wish. She could finally rest in peace. Letting out a deep exhale, her beautiful magenta eyes disappeared behind her eyelids; it would be the last time he would ever see them. Her hand grew cold and limp in his own as Kenli left into the realm of eternal sleep.

Lip quivering, Po tried to reach her one last time, "Kenli…"

No response.

Dropping his head in defeat, Po managed one last time, his voice breaking, "Kenli…"

She was gone…

*End of Flashback*

Po sat quietly, his hands folded as he reminisced.

'Why is it…that those who want to live the most, and deserve to live the most…die?

And the ones who deserve to die, like the criminals, the killers, the rapists…keep on living?' Red muttered somberly, for once showing a smidge of empathy.

Po was at loss for words. He didn't have the answer. Kenli deserved to live…she should have lived…but she hadn't. She'd been the perfect friend…she would've been the perfect mate as well. But like most things in his life, fate had snatched her away. She may be gone, but her promises still stood. Never drink alcohol…and stay a good person.

She'd been different than any other girl he'd met.

Similar to Tigress in many ways, it was possible to see how he'd developed affection for the tiger master. Both were independent, strong, no nonsense females. However, Kenli had given him a chance from the very beginning…she'd stuck her neck out for him against everything. Tigress had despised him at first. Although they were on good terms now, Po could never fully shake off the cruel words that his idol had spewed towards him, no matter what the circumstances had been. Tigress was his crush…but Kenli had been special.

At times when Po was at his lowest and he saw no point in carrying on, Kenli's promise would be there to remind him.

Po was brought out of his thoughts by the humming from Nicole.

"Hmm, a man who refuses a drink? You are quite extraordinary Dragon Warrior. Most men can't refuse a drink…my boyfriend could learn a thing or two," the snow leopard said with a smile.

'She's taken? Alright I'm out…' Red grumbled, back to normal.

Walking over to the cooler, she brought out a glass of water. Walking over to the seated warrior, she handed it to him. She then took her seat a respectful distance away from the panda.

Po nodded in thanks, downing the water in a couple swigs. Rubbing the back of his head due to Nicole's high praise, the bear mumbled, "I wouldn't say that, just a guy who got lucky…I'm just trying to not let anyone down."

Nicole's smile just widened further at his rebuttal. Shaking her head in disbelief, she stood up. Taking both their empty glasses to the counter, she set them down before returning to her seat.

"And modest as well," she praised him with a smile.

'Yeah… we've been working on that. Getting rid of it doesn't just happen overnight lady,' Red grunted offhandedly.

Po forced a smile back at the feline. He wished he could hit Red…really really hard.

Just as he was about to respond, a loud noise resonated throughout the club

CRAAAASH!

Even in the virtually soundproof VIP area, Po and Nicole winced at the disruptive sound. It seemed to have come from the bar area…

'What in the actual fuck was that?' Red blurted.

It'd been a long night—even longer, considering the number of drinks they'd had. Inevitably after their fifth or sixth, the Furious Five had begun to completely lose themselves. Imagine the look of horror that would've been painted across Shifu's face, had he seen them now. By the gods…

Monkey and Mantis were currently laughing their arses off at the casino as they and Saber gambled like…well, drunks. As if to make matters worse, the trio had lost nearly ten thousand yuan on this visit—albeit that did little to trouble the wealthy Siberian tiger.

Across the club, the duo of Crane and Viper were seen dancing flamboyantly across the dance floor. They seemed content to the laughing and pandemonium that they were immersed in. Their normal attributes of grace and elegance were virtually non-existent—continually bumping into other club members as they danced ineptly while giggling like children.

The final member of the Five was currently skipping around the club with a dazed smile upon her normally stoic face. Having had more drinks than anyone, the female tiger was nonsensical at best. In fact, she'd been up on the stage performing karaoke moments prior to this… Oh how the mighty have fallen. After leaving the stage, Tigress had been searching for a certain panda for the past half hour.

"Oh Po-ooooo!" she drawled loudly as she skipped through several other club members. This attitude was most surprising, considering the usual nature of the female master. Then again, she'd had four Mai Tais…several Daiquiris…a couple Martini…she'd lost count after. But the point was that she definitely wasn't sober…not even a little bit.

Stopping for a moment her brows creased as she put her hands on her hips in mock annoyance.

'Where is that big fluffy panda? I can't find him! This is getting to be unbearable…' she thought in frustration.

Several seconds pasted before a delighted smile emerged upon the tiger's face again. Giggling hysterically, she couldn't contain herself, "un-BEARable!" she spit out in a guffaw.

Interrupting her moment of hysteria, a voice called out, "Hey."

Turning around, she met the hazel eyes of a male mountain cat who'd sauntered his way over to her. He was definitely a looker. He was fairly tall, had a medium build and he wore a signature black leather jacket. In fact, there were over a dozen club members wearing similar jackets seated on the side of the room where he'd walked over from. Perhaps they were all one crew? Through his manner, it was obvious that he was the typical cocky ladies' man that always got the girl. As he came over, he eyed his feline counterpart up and down.

"You lost babe? Never seen ya 'round her before," he said smoothly.

Tigress smiled back, "Oh, I'm not lost, just looking for a friend…bye bye," she said with a wave before turning and heading off.

However, the heartthrob mountain cat had other plans. Taking hold of here shoulder, he spun her back around deftly.

"Hey. Hey. Why the rush honey? Let me introduce myself, the name's Dick," he offered with a cool smile.

Tigress tilted her head to the side in thought. As if it'd taken several seconds to process what he'd said she giggled, "Haha…I don't like that name. It's silly."

Dick's smile faded as his mouth formed a small 'O' in slight annoyance. However, not noticing the other feline's displeasure Tigress continued unperturbedly.

"I mean Dick…really? Your parents must not have been too smart…am I right? Who would name their child after a guy's penis? What's your middle name Ballsack?" she rambled with a laugh, her tongue thoroughly loosened by the alcohol she'd consumed all night.

Formerly cool and suave, Dick seemed to have a faint glow of red on his face now. It wasn't clear whether it was from anger or embarrassment…or maybe both.

Tigress was completely oblivious to this fact and continued the bombardment of insults upon the now extremely angered playboy.

"I hope they kept the receipt for it. That is one lousy name…" she finished before she was cut off.

"ENOUGH!" Dick screamed at the drunken master. This in effect caused Tigress to zip her lips, although the corners of her mouth were still upturned.

"Am I gonna have to teach you some manners you drunk bitch?" the mountain cat fumed, cracking his knuckles in a threatening manner.

Tigress just smiled innocently at him, "Oh c'mon I was only joking…you don't have to be such a DICK about it," she let out before breaking down in fits of laughter.

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

Dick's eye twitched as he let out a feral snarl at the shorter feline. Winding back his fist, he swung a devastating hook at the tiger. Through sheer dumb luck, it was at that precise moment when Tigress hunched over in her fit of laughter, grabbing her hurting ribs. Dick's fist passed harmlessly over her head and impacted with the face of a mean looking boar that'd been walking by.

The boar stumbled back a few steps into a waitress who had been carrying a tray of food. The food then proceeded to spill all over the boar. He hadn't been wearing much except a white wife beater—which was absolutely ruined from all the stains. All in all, he was rather unscathed from the assault. The same couldn't be said for Dick, who was writhing in pain as he cradled his almost certainly broken hand.

The boar turned his furious gaze towards the mountain cat in front of him. Trudging forward, the boar delicately shifted Tigress—who was still busting her guts—out of his path before stomping up to the other feline.

The boar was nearly a head taller than his aggressor and weighed possibly twice as much. Dick looked up at the boar from his injured hand with a timid expression, "Hey there…I'd like to apologize for—" he was cut off as the boar threw a tremendous uppercut to the feline's jaw.

Dick was subsequently sent flying across the room back to where he came from, crashing through several dining tables.

CRAAAASH!

Then…all hell broke loose. The posse of leather jackets—several dozen of them—began to march over to the boar. He was only outnumbered for a moment, before several dozen of his own gang (wearing wife beaters) appeared by his side. The two groups glared daggers at each other at their standoff. Amazingly, the entire club had gone quiet, everyone just watching the scene unfold. Dick staggered forward, clutching his now broken nose.

"Get that bastard!" he roared, pointing towards the boar.

And a free-for-all soon commenced. Fists, kicks…chairs as well, went flying soon after.

Po came rushing out of the VIP area to find himself surrounded in mass chaos…more so than usual. The club was in complete disarray as some members were rushing around like headless chickens, while others were involved in a giant brawl. Moments behind him, Nicole exited the VIP section before her eye's widened in shock. She swiftly ducked under a flailing club member who'd been sent flying through the air. The club member, a coyote, slammed head first into the wooden wall behind Po and Nicole. His bottom half protruding, the coyote hung half way buried in the wall, unconscious.

Nicole immediately rose from her crouch before taking a look around the club, an expression of disbelief plastered on her face.

"What the hell!" she let out.

Po had to agree somewhat. He couldn't imagine how this had started. Then again, this wasn't much of a surprise either. I mean…throw in a couple hundred drunken people with crazy and violent tendencies. Combine that with a lack of self-control and you're bound to get a club fight sooner or later.

'So…who do we hit first? Ooh! ooh! Can we hit Saber first? Pleeeease!' Red rambled like a child on Christmas day.

Po ignored him before he turned to Nicole, "Shouldn't you call security?"

The snow leopardess, who'd been in a stupor, snapped her gaze to Po before she nodded frantically.

"Yes…good idea. It was nice meeting you Dragon Warrior," she bowed before taking off.

Po was left alone as he stood in the midst of a chaotic mess. He wasn't sure what to do. One thing he did know was that he was tired, and sleep was looking more and more welcoming by the minute. However, he was hit with a realization before he'd made a single step towards the exit of the club.

'The Five!' he thought in realization.

Having almost forgotten about his friends, the panda turned back around to survey the crowded and hectic club. Po frowned in frustration. Finding them was going to be a pain in the neck. Sighing at this, he began his search for the others.

'How hard could it be?' he'd thought optimistically.

*Time skip*

Turns out, it'd been damn near impossible to locate the others. Thankfully, they had been in groups and not wandering around the crazed club separately. It'd taken him nearly half an hour before he'd found Saber, Monkey, and Mantis. The trio had been in the gambling area (Po wasn't surprised) playing poker amidst the madness around them. Next, he'd found Viper and Crane, who'd been dancing on the dance floor, oblivious to the fighting around them. It was amazing how they hadn't gotten into a fight with any of the club members. Po was now searching for Tigress, with the others drunkenly stumbling behind him in tow.

"Tigress!" he called loudly above the mass hysteria of the club.

Thankfully, the massive brawl had been extinguished by a number of security guards. Now Po didn't need to constantly look out for drunken members trying to bash him over the head with chairs. Coming to a halt, Po rubbed his temples in frustration. Where was she? He'd been searching for the feline master for over almost an hour now and there'd been no sign of her.

When it seemed as if he'd never find her, he made out a loud voice that'd come from the bar.

"Another one *hiccup* please!"

Recognizing the voice instantly, Po maneuvered past several club members before finding himself face to face with Tigress.

Turning to face the newcomer, a wide smile emerged on Tigress's face.

"Po-oooo! *hiccup* I've been looking for you!" she divulged in a slurred voice.

Raising an eyebrow, Po shifted his gaze from the female tiger to the dozen empty glasses on the bar counter behind her.

Not noticing his obvious distaste, Tigress picked up another glass, "You should *hiccup* really try this, it's good!"

Bringing the glass up to her lips, she was about to take a swig before Po calmly took held of the glass and set it down on the counter, "I think you've had enough."

Tigress frowned for a moment before giggling lightheartedly, "Whatever *hiccup* you say boss!"

Shaking his head, he took hold of her shoulder and ushered her to follow him. Saber and the other members of the Five joined him as they exited the club.

Normally, the journey from the town to the thousand steps was only a five minute walk. However, with the Five and Saber constantly stumbling, it'd taken them nearly half an hour.

Finally arriving at the stairs, Po began the journey up the steps. After several seconds, the sound of screams and tumbling came from behind him. Turning around, he saw that the others were now at the base of the steps in a heap.

Sighing wearily, Po quickly traversed back down to the group.

"Hey, you guys alright?" he asked in a tired tone.

The others just stared blankly at the steps in fascination, not responding to his query. They seemed to be lost in thought, if that was even possible considering the lack of their sobriety.

"Hey!" Po said, a little louder.

Seemingly doing the trick, the others snapped their attention to the bear. Tigress was first to voice her thoughts.

"I don't *hiccup* know Po…those stairs are slippery." she said convincingly, the others nodding in agreement.

Po was dumbfounded by this. He was about to tell them that they traversed these steps on a regular basis before stopping himself. They were drunk…

After several moments of thought, Po sighed as he realized what he'd inevitably have to do.

Motioning to himself, "Alright then…climb on."

The others looked at each other for a moment before rushing over and climbing onto the bear. Saber clumsily hooked onto his back, effectively piggybacking him. Monkey and Crane followed suit, both settling on his shoulders. Thankfully, Viper and Mantis were rather easy to accommodate for given their size. Finally, Tigress inelegantly jumped into his arms, causing him to hold her bridal style.

Their weight wasn't nearly as bad as he'd first imagined…but it still was far from comfortable.

With moderate effort, Po began to slowly ascend the steps. It wasn't bad for the first hundred steps or so, but after that his legs began to burn at the effort.

'This is gonna take a while,' he thought miserably.

It was past midnight by the time Po had reached the top of the stairs. His lungs were burning and his legs were on the verge of buckling from the exertion of carrying the others. He'd then went and laid each of them down onto their respective beds as they were all fast asleep.

With Tigress being the last of them, he entered her room and attempted to set her down onto her bed. However, she refused to let go and latched on even harder than before.

Giggling, Tigress snuggled into his chest fur, seemingly awake. Po, who was all but drained at this point, grumbled, "Tigress let go of me."

Tigress's smile widened even further as she furiously shook her head, "Uh-uh."

Po let out a sigh in exasperation before Tigress pulled him into bed with her. Surprisingly strong despite her drunken state, Po was caught off guard. Both of them tumbled onto the mattress.

Tigress continued to laugh as Po tried to free himself. His struggle was paused for a moment by an incredulous question from the feline master.

"Will you sleep with me?"

Po's brain short-circuited as he processed her inquiry. This was by far one of the boldest things she'd ever done…

Red was first to respond.

'Yes please!'

Po recovered quickly before shaking his head, "Tigress, you're drunk."

Tigress wasn't very pleased with his answer. Forcefully, she grabbed his head and hugged him tightly, burying his face into her chest area.

"Pleeeease!" she whined.

Po could hardly breathe as he struggled to separate himself from Tigress's chest. Thank the gods she was wearing her wraps. His self-control was dwindling as it was…he wasn't sure if he could last if her twin temptations had been squashed into his face.

Managing to pry himself loose, Po got off her bed, "Tigress, the answer is no."

Tigress was quiet for a moment as she sat cross-legged on her bed before her eyes began to water. Soon tears were leaking down her beautiful face as she wept.

"You think I'm ugly? Is that why you don't want me?" she accused with a sob.

Po was feeling rather guilty now; he hadn't wanted her to cry…

"What? No of course not—" he was cut off as she continued.

Tigress buried her face in her hands as her crying intensified, "Is it my face? Do you not like my body? Why?"

Po was virtually lost for words at this point. Holding up his hands he made a calming gesture towards the normally dignified tiger master. Seemingly doing the trick, Tigress quieted down. However, she was still sniveling as she awaited his response.

"Tigress your face and body are fine. I like you but—"

Tigress was having none of it, huffing she cut him off, "Prove it! Kiss me!"

Po stood there slack jawed at what she'd demanded. For the millionth time tonight, the panda wished that he'd just declined Saber's offer and stayed at the palace. He was almost positive that Fate was just screwing with him now. How had he gotten himself into this mess in the first place?

'If you'd just agreed to bang her this wouldn't be a problem,' Red chastised.

Po hesitated before stepping over to the awaiting Tigress. Sitting in anticipation, she tilted her head upwards and closed her eyes. Po lowered his head and softly planted a kiss on the feline's forehead. Subsequently, he tapped several pressure points along the back of her neck. In result, Tigress was put to sleep instantly. Gently laying her in a comfortable position, Po laid covers over her resting form before exiting the room. He was quietly thanking the gods that he'd read scroll 1279 before stopping for the night.

Hopefully things wouldn't be too awkward in the morning. Most likely however, none of the Five or Saber would remember anything from tonight due to their inebriation.

Retiring to his room, Po collapsed onto his bed in exhaustion. His mind went from thoughts of the Five, to Shifu, then Kenli. He eventually dozed off within minutes.

The Dragon Warrior thought today had been taxing…how wrong he was.

The worst was yet to come…and even Oogway couldn't predict what was about to happen next.

A/N: Chapter 7 completed! Hope you guys liked it. There is so much more of this story to unfold. More plot twists and ideas yet to be utilized and introduced! I can't wait, hopefully you guys are excited as I am. Heads up, the next chapter may or may not be released until Summer, so remain patient...please?

Next Chapter: Chapter VIII: An Uphill Climb

As always I love feedback! Reviews are awesome!

That's all for now guys, I'll catch ya'll later.

Frost2001 Out.