A/N:

Hey Guys! Bet you thought I'd given up on the story. Truthfully, I've been less than enthusiastic about continuing just because of lack of ideas and not being willing to keep writing. But I've had some free time the past several days and I thought I might as well keep writing the story. I'll still try to give this story as much effort as possible. But I'm not making any promises. This story may or may not be finished, but I'm not done just yet.

As always, Read & Enjoy!

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

Chapter X: A Cursed Reality

The Valley of Peace

Stumbling up the rock path, Po had finally arrived at the palace grounds. He'd lost all feeling in his left leg at this point and he was pretty sure that wasn't a good thing.

As he approached the kitchen, he was met with the sounds of talking and laughter. He grumbled in irritation. Naturally they'd returned after the bandit raid had been resolved. At the moment he definitely wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush.

Throwing open the doors—quite forcibly—the gazes of the five and Saber snapped to the somewhat irritable panda before them. Judging on his expression, he wasn't very happy with them. Unsurprisingly, Mantis was the first to speak.

"Hey buddy, where have you been-" he was cut off harshly by the Dragon Warrior.

"Where have I been? Oh nothing much really, just dealing with a HUGE bandit raid all by myself while my teammates were enjoying themselves at the springs and drinking piña coladas," Po revealed with more than a little acidity in his voice.

"Well actually we didn't have any piña coladas…we had some margaritas-" Saber offered weakly before Po's pointed glared shut him up.

They all looked down in shame, not willing to meet the panda's harsh gaze. They were quite ashamed of themselves, as they should be.

It was silent in the room for a number of minutes before Po's gaze softened a tad. He was angry no doubt…but being bitter wasn't something he was very good at.

"Listen, I need some of you to go down to the valley, help clear up the debris and wreckage as well as escort the captive bandits to the nearest imperial office, okay?" he let out with a tired sigh.

The others perked up at this before nodding frantically, determined to make amends. As they began to leave the kitchen, Tigress caught sight of the bear's mangled leg.

"Po! Your leg!" she exclaimed in shock.

Looking down, Po remembered another reason why today had been less than pleasant. Hobbling over to one of the kitchen chairs, the panda seated himself with a slight grunt of discomfort.

"Oh yeah, could you heal that for me please," he asked waving over the tiger master.

Tigress nodded before closing her eyes and sweeping her hands in a familiar motion. Soon they began to glow a bright gold color. Once her hands were completed enveloped in the glow of chi, Tigress opened her eyes and placed her hands on the panda's leg. The instant her hands made contact with the injured appendage, it began to glow as well. After half a minute of this process, Tigress removed her hand from the Dragon Warrior's leg. Giving her a look of thanks, Po tested his left leg out. Aside from the severe soreness in it, his leg seemed to have healed quite nicely. The tranquility of the moment was ruined by a certain white tiger.

"Woah! Was that chi?" he exclaimed enthusiastically.

Po sighed; he was too tired for this.

"Yes. Yes it was," he returned with a yawn, hoping Saber would understand that he was tired and would leave him alone.

Not taking the hint, Saber continued to question, "Wait why couldn't you use chi to heal yourself…aren't you like the master at it?"

Po grunted in annoyance, "You can't transfer chi to heal yourself, just others."

"Oh."

Tigress seeing the ever growing annoyance in the bear's eyes decided to cut in. Taking Saber by the shoulder, she led him towards the doorway.

"I'm sure Po is very tired and would like some rest after such a strenuous fight," she reasoned with Saber.

"Oh…okay. I'll see you down in the valley then," he returned with a grin before following the rest of the five down the stairs to clean up after the bandit raid.

The female tiger turned back to the panda who was currently massaging his temples tiredly. Biting her lip, she stepped forward, drawing the attention of the Dragon Warrior.

"Po…I'm sorry, I feel guilty about this and—"

"Just…just drop it okay? It's in the past," Po returned with a huff.

Tigress nodded slowly not being able to meet the panda's gaze. Seeing this, Po cleared his throat to ease the tension out of the room. Tigress finally allowed herself to meet his eyes. He looked exhausted, but it didn't take away from the fact that the corners of his lips were upturned ever so slightly.

"Listen, I've been meaning to ask you," he began nervously twiddling his fingers.

Surprised at the sudden change in attitude, Tigress internally smirked. No matter how he acted or how much he seemed to mature, he was still the same old Po.

"Shoot."

Po gave her a nervous glance before continuing, "Well, you see…my birthday is coming up tomorrow and I was hoping that you and the others could come down to celebrate with me at my dad's restaurant."

Tigress's jaw almost dropped at the statement. But not for a reason one might think…

… How could she be so careless to forget her best friend's birthday?

With all the chaos of Saber returning and everything she'd totally forgotten not only to get him a present but that fact that his birthday was a day away.

"Of-Of course Po…but I apologize, I haven't gotten you a present…I'm a terrible friend," she mumbled looking down to her feet.

Would he be mad? Would he revoke the invitation? She wouldn't blame him. She'd basically put him on the back burner for over a week now and forgetting his birthday was just the icing on top of the cake.

Seeing her embarrassment and self-resentment, Po took her hand in his own. This brought the feline out of her thoughts and back to reality. Reluctantly, she brought herself to look at him once more, expecting to see contempt or a form of anger on his face. See was pleasantly surprised by a look of genuine smile and a glint of humor in his jade orbs.

"I don't care about all that. You are enough—I mean, You guys are enough," Po stumbled over his words gently, trying to cover his slip up.

'Real Smooth Romeo,' Red chortled.

Thankfully, Tigress didn't seem to catch the slip up. Po rose to his feet, eager to escape the awkward situation he'd created.

"I'm kinda tired from the fight so I think I'll take a nap for the next hour or two," he revealed as he slipped out the door.

Tigress however, was frozen. The gears in her head were turning as they processed what had happened with a single thought on her mind.

What did I ever do to deserve a friend like Po Ping?

After several hours of clean up, the rest of the Five had returned and eaten dinner. Unsurprisingly, Po's one hour nap had turned out to be lights out for the rest of the day. They weren't shocked though; he tended to skip dinner more and more often nowadays.

The sun had set, and everyone was in there dorms. One after the other, each respective member blew out their candles.

Viper was on the verge of blowing hers out as well when a quiet knock came from her dorm's door. Humming in interest, Viper slithered over to the door. Who would be knocking at this hour? Probably Monkey or Mantis.

'Maybe Crane?' the serpent thought hopefully.

Upon opening the door and seeing who it was, all other assumptions were thrown out the window. Standing before her was none other than Tigress. This was quite rare. Viper couldn't remember the last time Tigress had come knocking on her door.

"May I come in?" the feline asked in a quiet tone, her eyes glancing around to make sure no one was watching. Raising an eyebrow, Viper ushered her in before silently closing the door.

Turning around, she found Tigress sitting contentedly on the side of her cot, legs crossed, with a thoughtful look upon her face.

"Sure. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable," Viper mumbled sarcastically.

Tigress either didn't hear her, or didn't care enough to respond. The feline just continued to stare off into space with a concentrated look across her features. Rolling her eyes, Viper slithered up onto the cot so she was side by side with her female compatriot.

"I take that this isn't a social gathering," Viper asked, her voice a little louder this time.

Snapping back to reality, Tigress turned to her with a neutral expression across her face.

"Actually, that's exactly what I needed. I have to talk to you about some issues."

Ideally, Tigress had been planning on having this conversation with Shifu, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, so she chose the next best thing.

Viper almost did a double take, but managed to control herself. TIGRESS wanted to have a personal conversation with HER!

Viper squealed in delight, "Oh my god! We're going to have a GIRL TALK!"

No sooner had these words left the snake's mouth, a strong hand had clamped over it, forcing it shut.

"Will you be quiet? This is personal, and I'd rather not have the whole valley informed of this," she hissed with a sharp glare.

Viper nodded, but was still vibrating from excitement. Cautiously, Tigress removed her hand from the serpent's mouth. Thankfully, Viper seemed to get a grip on her emotions before responding, "So what's the issue?"

Tigress blushed slightly as she rubbed the back of her head, "Well…you see. I've been having weird feelings lately. My skin will tingle…my heart races…my face heats up…I lose my ability to think and speak properly," she listed, becoming more comfortable the longer she talked.

Viper internally squealed. Her friend was in L-O-V-E! Oh she couldn't wait! Viper began to think of the countless possibilities. Where will their first date be? When was the wedding? How many nephews will she have?

"I'm assuming you're having these feelings around a certain special someone?" Viper said almost knowingly.

"Two people actually," Tigress admitted, tapping her chin in thought.

Viper nearly choked on the air. Wait…what? She must have heard that wrong…right?

"Wait, did you just say two?" Viper questioned in shock.

Tigress looked back at her, nodding in confirmation.

Viper's shock soon wore off, replaced by a look a realization.

"Saber and Po…"

Tigress nodded once again with a look of contemplation across her beautiful features. She'd really gotten herself into a pickle this time. She obviously couldn't have both…and that left a seemly impossible choice. Would she choose her best friend who'd gotten her to open up with her emotions and had stood by her through the past 3 years? Or would it be her first love interest who'd stolen her heart. If she was being honest…she'd never really gotten over him.

"I-I really don't know what to do. No matter what choice I make, someone's going to get hurt…And I care for both of them so much," Tigress admitted.

Viper's brain was scrambled. Tigress had never been one to be open about her feelings. You'd have been lucky to get so much as a smile out of her a few years ago. Now she'd come to her for advice, with her heart out on her sleeve. Her friend needed her, and the serpent wasn't planning on letting her down. There was a reason she was the member of the Five that everyone went to for their personal problems.

"Where do you see yourself in the future?" Viper questioned softly.

Tigress gave her a perplexed look. What did that have anything to do with her current situation? Nonetheless she answered, but not without a bit of a hesitation, "I…I want to have a relationship that lasts. I want to share myself with someone who'll stick with me until the end," she said, confidence growing in every word.

The female serpent internally squealed. SO ROMANTIC!

'Viper focus!' she scolded herself.

"Do…you want kids? A family?" she asked calmly.

Tigress froze at that. Family? Kids? She'd never really thought about it before. It seemed so far out of reach…so unobtainable. Then again, was it something she wanted?

To have someone to call you Mommy? To become a mother and raise offspring. To have someone to cherish and love?

"I-I…yes I guess. I mean, I love Kung Fu and you guys, but I can't see myself doing it forever. I want to be a Mom. Maybe not now…but in the future," Tigress admitted quietly.

Viper nodded in understanding. However, what she said next would be the final nail in the coffin. If Tigress really wanted kids…only one option was viable.

Viper sighed…Po was going to hate her for what she was about to tell Tigress.

"Then you choose Saber," she concluded.

Tigress met her eyes in the form of a question.

Viper continued, "He's a great guy. Nice, kind, funny, but most importantly…you guys can raise a family together. With Po…that'd never be a possibility."

"But, what about adoption?" Tigress argued half-heartedly.

Viper shook her head, "We both know that's not the same."

Tigress left out a sigh…she had her answer. Saber. She could only hope Po would understand.

'Of course he'll understand. Po always understands. That's why he's my best friend,' Tigress thought in resolution.

She quietly thanked Viper for her advice and exited the dorm, leaving for her own. Viper lay on her cot with a look of concern displayed across her face. She really hoped she'd said the right thing.

'Only time will tell,' she thought tiredly, before blowing on her candle and finally going to sleep.

As Viper's room turned dark, it left the hallway lit by nothing but the faint rays of the moon. Tigress's figure stood out in the hallway, frozen to the spot. She was quietly contemplating her next move. What now? What would she do?

Taking a deep breath, the feline master steeled her resolve.

'If I don't do it now, I doubt I'll have the courage to do it later,' she thought in determination.

Taking purposeful strides down the hallway, she finally stopped in front of Saber's door. Trying not to overthink, Tigress raised her hand to knock. However, her paw froze centimeters away from the wood. All her confidence from moments earlier was seeping away rapidly and if she hesitated any longer she'd lose her nerve.

Shaking off her indecision, Tigress rapped the door several times. Half a minute later, the door was opened revealing a Saber wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

"Oh. Hey Tigress! Sorry about this. Just got back from the showers," he apologized with an embarrassed grin.

Tigress was trying and failing from blushing profusely at the sight before her. Clearing her throat, Tigress locked her eyes with her Siberian counterpart. This was it. No turning back now.

"Saber, there's something I need to tell you," she said with a small smile.

Zhanjiang, China

Kiara had been in a lot of crappy situations…but this one took the cake. Incarcerated, on a pirate ship, hundreds of miles from home, chained in a dark cold room that smelled like rotten fish…oh yeah, things couldn't get any worse.

The feline beauty let out a small laugh, well there's one good thing about being at rock bottom…the only way to go is up. Optimism always had been something she excelled in.

The ship had finally docked at the Zhanjiang port a few hours ago. Captain Butch and the crew had already stock piled all the necessities required to make the return trip back to Egypt. However, given that they weren't on a very tight schedule, Butch allowed them to spend the night docked at the harbor. Almost everyone was sound asleep, except for the princess herself, and two pirates guarding the door. Even with the lioness in chains behind a locked door, Butch didn't want to take any risks regarding his 'retirement fund' as he so eloquently called her.

He'd tightened security even more, ever since he'd received word from Akua himself that the bounty had been raised from a grand fifteen thousand to an astronomical seventy-five thousand. Apparently, Akua had captured yet another treasury in the Valley of Ra, adding to his already disgustingly large sum of wealth. One of his main priorities had been to raise the bounty on the princess's head, especially since the news of her escape had been made public. No wonder the rotten orangutan had doubled up on all security measures. He'd even raised each of the crew members cut substantially to ensure they were as motivated as he was to ensure the princess wouldn't escape.

It was nearing midnight and it was time for Kiara to put her plan into action. Most assumed that she was an air-head princess, typical stereotype. She'd hated being seen as a dumb blonde bimbo like so many of her royal counterparts. However, for this plan to work, she needed to pull it off perfectly.

"I'm thirsty!" she whined for the seemingly thousandth time.

The hyena pirate's eye twitched. Of all the annoying duties he'd been stuck with, guarding this NUISANCE was possibly the worst.

"Will you SHUT UP!" he shot back in annoyance.

Tucker, the bull pirate, massaged his temples in exhaustion.

"Maybe if we just give 'er some water she'll quiet down," he said in realization, looking proudly to his pirate counterpart, Rick, as if coming up with the idea was revolutionary. Tucker had never been the sharpest tool in the shed after all.

"Y'know what? Fine! Just shut the bitch up," Rick bemoaned.

Tucker eagerly jogged off, only to return a few minutes later with a canteen.

Yanking out the key ring from his pocket, he unlocked the steel door and entered into the dark room.

Kiara sat there expectantly, "About time! The service here is absolutely terrible!" she fake fumed.

"…Sorry," the bull mumbled.

Rick rolled his eyes, "Don't apologize idiot! She's just a dumb princess!"

"Oh…"

Kiara struggled to keep a straight face as she watched the interaction between the two. She took the canteen eagerly and took several swigs. After she was satisfied she eyed the two thugs in curiosity.

"Soooo, how much are you getting for all this trouble?" she directed the question at the hyena. This was the deal breaker, whether or not he took the bait here would determine if this plan succeeded or failed. Thankfully, the self-important hyena, as expected, took the bait.

"Well I'll have you know that cap'n Butch's givin me a sum of two thousand for my efforts," he returned to the chained feline smugly.

Tucker quickly turned to face Rick, "Two thousand? I'm only gettin five hundred!" he said in disbelief.

Kiara internally smirked, perfect.

Faking a look of shock, the lioness's mouth formed a perfect 'O', before adding into the conversation, "Well that hardly seems fair."

Tucker nodded his head in agreement. Rick chuckled loudly at this.

"Fair? It's more than fair. That sack of potatoes don't know up from down. He's gotten more than his fair share. If we're honest five hundred seems very generous," he laughed before turning his back to the two, seemingly done with the conversation.

Tucker looked hurt by that statement, but looking closely, Kiara could see a spark of anger in the bull's eyes. She just needed to ignite it.

"Y'know, you should be the one getting the two thousand. After all, what has he done to deserve it? You're the one who's guarded me the most," Kiara whispered innocently.

The bull clung onto each word as he nodded his head intently. And soon his look of intent turned to a look of anger as he focused his gaze on the hyena, whose back was still to both Kiara and him.

"I deserve it more," he grumbled quietly in anger.

Once the bull's attention drew away from her, Kiara's face broke out into a hysterical grin.

Oh yeah. She's good.

*Minutes Later*

"Ack! Tucker let go you buffon!"

The two pirates were currently tumbling back and forth across the stone floor of the chamber. Both trading heavy blows, however Tucker seemed to have the upper hand. As the two thugs fought it out, Kiara's tail quietly slunk over and snatched up the fallen keys. Within seconds she'd unlocked her shackles and made a dash for the door. Tucker didn't even notice her, however Rick did.

"Idiot! She's getting awa-" he managed, only to be cut off by the bull hammering him in the face.

Kiara promptly shut and locked the steel door as quietly as she could. Judging from the sound of punching and tumbling, the two were still going at it. Hopefully it stayed that way. Quietly, she snuck across the deck, entering the storage room. Thankfully, she found her sword and bag of belongings within seconds. Snatching up both, she exited the room.

Landing onto the dock, she walked calmly into town and away from her former prison. She wanted to put as much distance as possible between her and the ship of misfits.

"Just a dumb princess my ass," she let out with a smirk.

"Aaaaand done!"

Po threw the last remaining scroll into the bin of other used scrolls. He'd successfully read and memorized all 2525 Kung Fu scrolls. Master Shifu would probably have a heart attack. The panda chuckled at the thought.

'Nah! He'd have a heart attack if he found out you were boning his daughter,' Red corrected.

Po couldn't help but agree. But that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon or even in the future. Tigress had been officially taken, off the market as Red would say, since last night. Funny enough, apparently she'd been the one to propose to Saber. Honestly though, Po was surprised it didn't happened sooner. They seemed to have a crazy amount of chemistry for a pair of people who'd barely just reunited a few weeks ago.

'And you're not upset by this?' Red questioned.

"Why should I be? It's not like I ever had a chance with her," Po shrugged neutrally. However, he was a little hurt. He thought he'd connected with Tigress, at least enough to get her to talk to him about their complicated relationship…friendship. Now it was in the past. All he could do was be supportive.

'Lame!'

It was the five in the evening, with the sun just now setting over the mountains. He'd been so caught up in his reading that he nearly forgotten about his own party. Well, party was a stretch, more like a gathering of family and friends. You only turn twenty-four once after all. It wasn't going to be something really special anyways. His dad had reserved the entire restaurant for him and his friends. That in itself marked the occasion's importance due to the goose's frugal nature. The Five and some close friends from town were invited. It was small, but Po didn't mind, to him it was going to be perfect.

Quickly tidying himself up, Po slipped on his jade vest and black pants. They were so much more comfortable than his ratty old patched shorts.

'I'm gonna have to thank Dad next time I visit,' he thought cheerfully.

He slowly made his way through the palace grounds and down the palace stairs. The walk was a peaceful one. The brisk winter air felt good against his fur, and the setting sun left an array of colors plastered across the darkening sky, much like one of those fancy paintings you see in art shops.

Finally arriving at his dad's noodle shop, Po entered through the gateway.

"Oh Po! It's great to see you! Come in! Come in!" Mr. Ping greeted, dragging him to a table inside.

The panda smiled at his dad's enthusiasm. He seemed to be more enthralled with the gathering than Po himself. Ping subsequently rushed into the kitchen, and the sounds of chopping, dicing, and metal cookware soon commenced. After a few minutes the goose exited the kitchen with a content look upon his face.

"Everything is perfect Po. I have the noodles simmering. Several dozen bean buns in the oven. Dumplings are ready, just waiting for the oven. And I have a special surprise for dessert," the goose listed off quickly.

Po held up his hands in a peaceful gesture, "Whoa. Whoa. Dad calm down. Everything sounds great," he said with a reassuring smile.

Ping rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. He just wanted everything to be perfect for his son's birthday. He knew something was bothering Po, he could see it in his eyes, especially in his last few visits. He knew Po was going through a hard time for some reason, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Oh Po! I almost forgot! Ms. Ling and Mr. Tao couldn't make it. Something about business complications," he added with a frown.

Po shrugged, "That's alright. The Five will be down here in about half an hour."

"That sounds wonderful Po, make yourself comfortable," Ping returned before heading back into the kitchen to check on the food.

Po folded his hands and let his mind wander.

All he could do now was wait.

"We should really do this more often," Saber mumbled as he nuzzled his snout into Tigress's neck.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Tigress laughed back at him.

The two tigers were lying together underneath the peach tree, not a care in the world. The sunset was near its end and the final rays of light were waning against the ever growing darkness of the looming night. It was about as romantic as you could get, all that was missing was a slow music band and a bouquet of flowers.

"You wanna invite the Five to dinner, I'll cook us up something good," Saber offered with a smile.

"Yeah that sounds nice…but I feel like I'm forgetting some-" Tigress was cut off by a splitting headache. She groaned a little in pain and clutched her throbbing skull.

Saber leaned over quickly with a look of concern on his face, "Are you alright?"

Thankfully, the splitting ache subsided within seconds, leaving just a dull throbbing, "Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little headache," she reassured him with a small smile.

Still concerned, Saber caressed her cheek with his paw, "Maybe we should just call it a night. I don't want to make you feel worse."

Tigress shook her head, "No, that's alright. I'm fine Sabes, dinner sounds wonderful, especially if you're cooking," she returned with a smile.

"Ok then, well let's tell the others," he concluded, taking her paw in his own and heading towards the palace grounds.

The rest of the Five were all within the vicinity and it was quite easy to convince them to join for dinner once they learned Saber was cooking. However, after nearly half an hour of searching they still couldn't find Po.

Entering the dining room, Saber let out a huff of frustration, "Where is the big guy? I've looked everywhere!"

The five shrugged in defeat, they hadn't been able to find him either. Tigress had a look of concentration across her face. She was forgetting something, she was sure of it. She was supposed to inform the others of something today, and for the life of her she couldn't remember what it was. Her thought process was foggy and in all honesty thinking about it was making her headache worse, so she decided to just drop it.

"Have you checked the scroll room?" Crane asked.

Saber nodded, "Four times."

"Peach tree?" asked Viper.

"Yep."

"Dragon Grotto?" Monkey voiced aloud.

"Twice."

Then a light bulb went off in Tigress's head. That's what she was forgetting. She was pretty sure Po had mentioned he was taking a trip to the Pool of Sacred Tears tonight, that's why he's gone.

"I think he's at the Pool of Tears," Tigress concluded.

Saber looked confused, "Why's he all the way out there?"

"Po's been very strict on his mediation and training in recent months," Mantis offered.

Saber whistled with an impressed look on his face. He knew that being the Dragon Warrior was a tough job, but the dedication that guy put into it was remarkable.

"That guy's something else. Props to him. I'd never have that level of discipline," Saber let out.

He turned to the others with a shrug of his shoulders, "Guess I'll get to cooking."

The Five all sat around the table as Saber got to work. Their conversations ranged from fun stories to jokes to shameful experiences, but they seemed content to wait for the Siberian tiger to finish cooking his signature dishes.

Tigress sat there quietly in thought. Something was off, she could feel it. But no matter how hard she tried to think about it she came up empty.

She huffed in frustration.

'Whatever, if I can't remember it probably wasn't that important anyways,' she thought with a shrug.

Little did she realize that what she was forgetting was nothing if not extremely important.

*Hours later*

It was nearing twelve o'clock and the noodle shop was as empty and quiet as it had been the past five hours. The large figure of a panda sat at one of the stools at a deserted table, slouched over the figure wasn't moving a muscle. The dishes of food placed across the table were in pristine condition; untouched. They'd gone cold long ago, a waste.

Mr. Ping quietly looked out from his doorway at his son. Seeing him like this broke his heart. The nerve of those other kung fu masters, there was no doubt that he was going to have a serious word with Shifu once the grandmaster returned.

Putting on his best smile, Ping opened the door holding a small cake in his hands with two dozen candles atop it. He walked gingerly over to the bear and set it down in front of him. Po still didn't move.

"Eh, I made you a cake son! Caramel and vanilla bean, your favorite!" Ping tried to incite a reaction from the panda.

Po finally shifted his head to meet his fathers, the flames from the candles reflecting across the surface of his watery eyes.

"Thanks dad," he said quietly, before his eyes downcast.

Ping's smile faltered, before a look of indignation spread across his face, "Bah! Who needs those Furious Five anyways? If they were really your friends they'd have the decency to show up to your birthday!"

Po sighed as he stared into the flames of the candles, "Thanks for reminding me Dad."

The goose shut his mouth before sighing in defeat. There was nothing he was able to say or do that could comfort his son right now. Po just needed time.

"Is there anything I can do for you Po?" he asked anyways.

Po shook his head a sad smile displayed across his face, "No, that's alright Dad, you should probably head to bed. I know you're tired," he said his eyes not leaving the flames of the candles.

Ping nodded before giving the bear a hug, "I love you son."

The goose quickly headed back into the shop, leaving Po alone once more. The lights inside the shop were put out a few minutes later, leaving the Dragon Warrior in the dark, the only source of light coming from the candles on the cake.

Finally, Po let the tears run down his cheeks as he sat in silence.

"H-happy birthday to m-me," he quietly sang.

"Happy b-birthday t-to me."

"Happy birthday dear P-po…" he sang before finally breaking down in a quiet fit of sobs. The wind had begun to pick up, and storm clouds were gathering. It was only a matter of time before a freezing winter shower would come raining down. Po didn't care. His body shook as he cried for the first time in what seemed like ages.

'Happy birthday to you,' Red finished for him.

After a few minutes, the sobbing began to die down, replaced by silence once more. Po, finally calm enough to rationalize, concluded that It'd be better for him to wallow in self-pity in his warm cot at the Jade Palace rather than the freezing rain.

Rising from his stool, he exited the shop and began his trek up the thousand steps. The journey was silent for several minutes before Red commented,

'Y'know, life must suck pretty bad when the only people who wished you a happy birthday is your father and a voice inside your head.'

Po let out a laugh at this. Honestly, Red may be annoying, but having someone to talk to is better than no one…even if that someone was imaginary.

'Imaginary? I take offense to that!' Red grumbled back.

Po shook his head, a small smile threatening to break out.

After another half-hour, Po reached the top of the stairs. He was now trudging through the palace grounds towards the barracks. The downpour of rain had started about ten minutes ago and the bear was soaked from head to toe. He was freezing, wet, and quite miserable. However, what he saw next made everything he was feeling infinitely worse. The kitchen doors were ajar, inside were the Five and Saber all laughing their hearts out, having a good time, talking as if they'd known each other their whole lives. That was bad enough. It only got worse after Saber swept Tigress into his lap and drew her into a kiss. The others' wolf-whistles and cat-calls could be heard a hundred yards away through the wind and rain where Po was standing. Not being able to stand the sight, Po looked away before continuing his trek through the rain towards the barracks. Red insisted that the others were merely anchors weighing them down.

'Who needs'em. Not Us! We're a dynamic duo. A tremendous twosome. Prevailing partners. We're-'

"Red?" Po said calmly.

'Yeah?'

"Shut up."

'Gotcha.'

Po entered his dark dorm before shutting the door behind him. After toweling off his wet fur, the panda collapsed onto his cot, fully exhausted by the day's events, both physically and mentally.

He had no trouble falling asleep. However, what followed the sleep troubled him…

*Dreamscape*

Po's eyes opened as he scanned his surroundings. He wasn't in his bed. Heck! He wasn't even in the Jade Palace. He found himself lying in the snow surrounded by jagged mountains. The cold winds whipped against his fur coat covered in frost. In the distance he could make out several figures, but not who they were. Putting up his arm to shield his face from the wind, Po trudged forward through the snow towards the figures. As he drew closer he realized what they were…who they were.

"No, no, no, no!" Po let out frantically as he pushed through the snow and wind towards the figures lying on the ground. It was Dim and Sum. Blood leaked out of their wounds as they lay motionless on the cold frozen ground. Behind them were more figures. Every time Po blinked it seemed as if the dead bodies multiplied.

Shifu laid still, a sword sticking through his stomach. Crane was pinned to the ground several daggers stuck through his wings. Monkey crushed under a size-able boulder that no matter how hard he tried, Po couldn't budge. Mantis crushed by a mace, barely recognizable. Viper laid mangled on the ground a spear pinning her skull to the rocky surface. His father, Li, lay toppled over, his head separated from the rest of his body. His goose dad, Ping, had a wire coiled around his neck, strangled to death. Each death was more and more gruesome as Po looked on in horror. Finally, he made it to Tigress. What he saw made him sick to his stomach. Her hanfu was been forcefully ripped open and it was evident that she'd been defiled multiple times before her death and possibly after as well. What's worse were the carvings across her chest and stomach. Mandarin symbols that translated to whore…prostitute…tool. Po averted his gaze as he knelt down and draped her hanfu back over her chest to return a smidgen of dignity. The bear nearly had a heart attack when Tigress's eyes snapped open and her iron grip seized his hand.

"Gah!" Po screamed in shock.

Tigress looked at him in misery and pity, "You couldn't save us. You weren't enough. You failed us Po. You should have done more. You should have done…" her grip grew lax as her hand dropped to her side once more and her gaze grew blank. A drop of blood dripped down her nose. She was gone.

Po rubbed the hand that Tigress had gripped as he closed his eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. It hurt too much.

"Make it stop. Make it stop," He muttered to himself.

Suddenly the howling winds stopped. It wasn't freezing anymore. It was quiet, almost peaceful. Reluctantly, Po opened his eyes. He was sitting in lotus position in a small living room. To his right a warm fireplace crackled almost in a comforting fashion. Po gazed at the fire; it almost seemed calming, if that made sense.

"This is a warning Dragon Warrior."

Po snapped his head to forward to come face to face with the Soothsayer from Gongmen City. She sat there comfortable, sipping on a cup of hot tea, staring at him calmly. Po's mind was a mess as he tried to process what he'd seen.

"What do you mean?" he questioned a little sharply.

The old goat shook her head, "You can't win this coming battle in your current state. You must leave the valley. Escape."

Po looked at her in confusion, which soon shifted to anger, "What do you mean leave? I just saw everyone I love die! And you expect me to leave?" he stated vehemently.

The old fortuneteller wasn't fazed by the young bear's anger. She simply took another small sip from her tea cup and nodded.

Po looked at her in disbelief as he rose from his position and began pacing across the room back and forth massaging his temples. How could this lady just expect him to abandon everyone that loves him? It made no sense!

"Are you sure that they really love you?" the soothsayer questioned innocently.

Po snapped his attention back to her, "How did yo-"

"It's a dream Dragon Warrior. Of course I can hear your thoughts," she responded as if it was common knowledge.

"You must leave, because if you don't, you will die. And if you die. China is doomed," she stated in finality.

Po's head felt like it was going to explode from trying to wrap his mind around all this information.

"Why? Where would I go?" Po shot back.

"You must seek the feline with eyes of magenta, she has been and will be the key," she said gently.

Po's eyes snapped to the old lady goat. Anger began to boil over as he strode towards her and pointed at her threateningly, "I don't care what your games are soothsayer, but you leave her out of it. Don't you dare defile her by using her like some kind of piece in your messed up puzzle!" Po growled harshly.

"But she is the key," the soothsayer insisted.

Po was on the verge of blowing a gasket. First, this goat lady was ordering him to abandon his friends and family. Now she was insisting that the key to all his problems is his dead soul mate.

"SHE CAN'T BE THE KEY SHE IS DEAD!" Po bellowed in anger.

The soothsayer shook her head smiling, "Not as dead as you think."

Po shook his head, "I've heard enough of your sick jokes soothsayer. Leave!"

The soothsayer sighed in defeat. China was doomed. And she couldn't do anything to stop it. Looking sadly at the Dragon Warrior she took a final sip of her tea.

"As you wish," she said softly before snapping her fingers.

Po looked around in question, but nothing happened. After another few seconds, Po looked back at the goat in question,

"Hey? What was tha-" he was cut off as his vision faded to black.

*End of Dreamscape*

Po shot up out of bed breathing heavily. Looking around he found himself back in his cot, as if nothing had changed. Except, everything had changed, he was aware of that now. Rising from his bed, he quickly exited his room and soon after the barracks.

The horizon was still dark; the sun probably wouldn't be rising for another couple of hours. Brisk and sharp, the cold morning air was a major contrast to his warm and toasty room. Throwing open the scroll room doors, Po strode over to the shelves in the far back of the room. There had to be more information about this Daemon guy…about everything. Without wasting a second the bear began to shuffle through the scrolls, all of which he'd read before in the past week.

"No, no, no, no, no! Come on!" he exclaimed in frustration as he went through each scroll, continually coming up short.

He was skimming the last paragraph of the final scroll, scroll 2525, and was about to give up when Red cut in, 'Wait! What's that, there?'

Po halted his reading, and read the final paragraph slowly this time. He finally found what Red had caught. It was a single sentence that was randomly thrown in with the rest of the paragraph.

It read:

The three knuckle nerve jab is a complex yet elegant move. If properly executed, this technique can be used to simulate an electric shock, equivalent to three lightning bolts. It's similar to its weaker variations, the two knuckled nerve jab and the one knuckle nerve jab, both found in scrolls 2521 and 2501 respectively. Dragon's blood shall reveal a secret held in a scroll thought to be without meaning. Naturally, the effect of this move can vary from user to user, as well as the user's skill level and concentration upon performing it…

"How did I miss that when I was reading before?" Po muttered in shock.

'You were probably too focused on this fighting technique. I mean…a strike with the power of THREE lightning bolts! How cool is that! The possibilities are endless!' Red rambled in excitement.

Po looked up in confusion, as a question came to mind.

'Wait? I've already learned this. Why are you so excited? You should know it too,' Po let out, perplexed.

'Nah. I've got to rest too. I usually take my naps when you read the scrolls. They are soooo boring,' Red informed.

Po scratched his head in thought. So that's why Red never spoke up during his scroll reading sessions. The lazy idiot just went to sleep.

"Maybe I should read scrolls more often then," Po shot back.

'Ouch! That hurt.'

Po shook his head and reread the sentence. Dragon's blood reveals a secret on a meaningless scroll? What the hell does that mean?

Po wracked his head for possibilities. As far as he knew there were no dragons, well, at least none that he was aware of. How was he supposed to get blood from something that didn't exist? And secondly, how would it reveal something on a scroll that is meaningless, wouldn't that make the scroll meaningFUL?

"Dammit Oogway, even when you're gone you still manage to give me a ridiculous riddle. Can't I ever get a straight answer?" Po mumbled in irritation before rolling the scroll back up and stuffing it back into the shelf.

"I need to clear my head," Po sighed before exiting the room and heading towards the palace gardens.

"How much longer?" Shifu questioned while rubbing his head in impatience.

"Imma sorry sir but dis work requires expert precision n'such. I'm afraid we'll be here fo' a little while," Jeff apologized.

Shifu sighed.

Currently the two were stuck at a small port a hundred Li away from the Valley of Peace. Naturally the boat had to break down when the grandmaster needed to return back to the Jade Palace as soon as possible. He'd hoped that this repair job wouldn't take more than a day, two at most. However, the local repair shop didn't have the proper supplies and it would take days for the shipment to come in…and days more to fix the boat. Shifu simply didn't have that time. At first he'd tried to get back to the valley on another boat, but no one was heading in that direction. And no captain was accepting any form of bribery from the grandmaster. They had work to do and the Valley of Peace was way off course for all the current ships leaving the port.

That left simply waiting until Jeff's boat was fixed, which was looking to take a week, if they were lucky.

Shifu sighed, "I can only hope nothing too drastic has happened since I left."

Unfortunately, that simply wasn't the case. Not by a long shot…

A/N: Hopefully I'll see you guys in the next installment. Have a good one.

Frost2001 Out!