A/N: Hey all!

This will probably be the only chapter I'll post this week. I'm in the middle of exams.

Also, to the guest who keeps telling me in all caps to update: I am trying my absolute hardest to update when I can. Yelling at me in the reviews isn't going to make me write any faster.

I'm not trying to be mean, and I promise I won't let this story fall by the wayside, but you have to give me breathing room.

Anyways, this chapter is not so much action-oriented. Mostly just conversation.

Enjoy!

OoOoOoO

"He'll be back."

Shifu startled, not even realizing that Viper had come up next to him. He regained his composure, and returned his blue eyes to the sky, watching Crane fly into the distance.

She watched him as well, eyes blanketed in concern.

"Every time someone leaves, I just get this feeling in my gut." She said softly, his silence an invitation to indulge her fears. "I worry that they won't come back."

Shifu thought a moment, eyes scanning the camp. "When they attacked the Valley, I worried they had already killed you all. Even after years of searching-nothing. I'm happy to have any time I can with you."

"Traders came in from the villages. They told us you were dead." She replied. "Of course, I don't think any of us actually believed it."

Despite the brief smile that flashed across her face, he could see the years of worry, of being on the run, had worn her down. Her smile wasn't so carefree, and there was a hardness to her eyes. He could see it on the others as well, in the way Mantis jumped slightly when anyone came near him unexpectedly, how Crane seemed ready to take off at a moment's notice.

And Tigress…

His heart ached for his daughter, for what she had been made to do.

On the other hand, he was immensely proud. She hadn't given up, despite everything. She still stood straight and tall, like a warrior, willing to help others at a moment's notice. Maybe Kai helped with that...he seemed to have a calming effect on her.

Shifu sighed to himself.

"Shifu," Viper's tone turned curious,"Who is Yú exactly?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just...something she said." Viper replied. "She told me you found her in the Valley."

"I did."

"Well it can't be coincidence." He raised one eyebrow at her statement. "You find her in the Valley just as Crane finds you." She thought out loud.

"There are no accidents." Shifu replied, a chuckle escaping his lips at the quote from Oogway. "It seems Oogway left a prophecy for her."

The snake turned to him in surprise. "A prophecy? Shifu, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it does not make any sense." Shifu faced her, shaking his head. "Even for Oogway. And It could happen in a day, or a decade."

Viper hummed in agreement. "Still, you should tell the others when we get back. We're leaving as soon as Crane gets back from scouting. And Shifu,"

He looked at her questioningly.

"This plan you have for Mantis….it's risky."

"He told you?"

She nodded silently.

"I know, but we need to know what Bai Liang has in store for us. That's the best way I can think of doing it. Tigress...she won't be able to help us." He replied.

"I don't disagree." She replied simply.

OoOoOoO

Kai padded amongst the tents quietly, fists clenching and unclenching, the feeling of blood crackling on the pads of his paws.

He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the copper scent invading his nostrils. There had, at one point, been a bucket of water to rinse his paws off, but it seemed someone had taken it away to be cleaned.

"Hey!" A voice called from behind. A young fox, with wintry fur, jogged to catch up with him. "Are you-hey you're bleeding!"

"No, no-" He replied, flustered, trying to keep the fox from drawing too much attention to him. "I was helping, with the injured I mean."

"Oh." She replied understandingly. "There's a stream in the woods back there, if you wanna rinse your paws off." She gestured with blue eyes to the woods behind her. "I'll show you."

She turned and began walking away from him, and it took him a second to process that she was helping him, so he had to jog to catch up.

"I'm Yú." She said quietly as they neared the edge of camp.

"Kai."

"I know." She laughed, more to herself than out loud. "You're the Emperor's son. Everyone has been talking about it."

He looked at her, confusion crossing his face. They were talking about him? That wasn't good...they probably hated him.

"It's cool that you're helping out, you know." They had come to the stream, and she watched as he crouched down at the edge to rinse the blood off his paws.

"It's the least I could do. They're suffering because of me."

"Wait, you don't really think that, do you?" He looked up at her, dark eyes meeting blues in confusion. "Don't be an idiot."

"What?"

"Bai Liang. He started all of this, not you." She placed her hands on her hips. "The fact that you're here, helping, that's good enough for anyone."

He was surprised, to say the least. Not so much at the fact that a complete stranger was so direct with him, but rather that her words seemed to actually put him at little more at ease.

"Thanks." He replied gratefully after a moment. He stood, wiping his wet paws on his vest.

"For what?"

"I think you're the first one who's been straight with me since I got here." He began walking back, and she joined him, keeping up with his stride easily. "Even Tigress is keeping things from me."

"I don't think it's intentional." Yú replied, eyes softening. "The last decade has been a horror show. She's trying to keep you protected from that." The fox shrugged.

He suddenly felt ridiculous, confiding so readily into someone he barely knew. However, there was something trustworthy in Yú...he couldn't quite explain it.

"So, you were getting ready to ask me something, before we came out here. What was it?"

Yu's eyes suddenly went wide, remembering what she had been sent to do.

"Damn! I totally forgot! Master Po found an orchard on the other side of the woods. He wants anyone available to come pick peaches for the camp." She replied, speeding up her pace and passing him. "You feel like helping?" She called back, not even looking back at him.

He caught up easily, nodding.

OoOoOoO

By the time they got to the orchard, several other animals had already climbed into the trees, and began dropping peaches into makeshift baskets on the ground, It was quite the interesting sight. Children scampered amongst the branches, calling to one another as they did so. Down a row, an old one-legged panther sang an old folk song.

"Hey! You guys made it!" Po came over, shifting the basket of fruit onto his hip. He looked between the two of them. "You're young, probably faster than I am. Why don't you start carrying baskets back to camp? They've started pitting them in the dining tent."

The two nodded simultaneously, and he handed them the basket.

It was pretty heavy, but between the two, it was manageable.

While they carried the crates of peaches down to camp, they talked. Yú told him about her father, he told her about life in the palace. It was...nice, having a companion his own age. By the third or fourth trip, they had become close friends.

By the time the sun began to set, half of the orchard was devoid of fruit, and a crowd of animals sat around, resting and cooling off in the breeze of the late afternoon. Children chased one another, kicking up leaves.

But their job wasn't done. After they returned for the last bucket, Po walked with them, deciding to help cut peaches back at camp.

"Hey Po," Kai looked up at them as they walked, tossing a peach and catching it in one paw. "Look, i'm sorry. We kind of got off on the wrong foot."

"No worries." The panda shrugged. "You caught me off guard, that's all."

"I know there aren't many tigers left." Kai looked down to his feet, stepping over tree roots. He saw Po look at him out of the corner of his eye with mild surprise. "The emperor used to say that I was one of a kind."

"So…" Po began hesitantly "You know?"

"That Tigress isn't my mom? Yeah." Kai kept his eyes on his feet. Po seemed to relax a little bit, but his expression was unreadable. There was concern in there, and curiosity. Kai smiled to himself.

"She talked about you a lot." Kai murmured, almost to himself. Po looked to him, eyebrow raised.

"Must have been cool, being raised by Master Tigress." Yú smiled to herself.

Kai chuckled. "I don't know about cool." He shrugged. "But she is the closest thing I have to family. I kind of owe her everything."

They had neared the edge of camp. As they passed the people, especially the children, they passed out whole peaches.

Only half of the basket remained by the time they reached the food stores, but the several old women sitting outside and cutting peaches welcomed them with open arms. Po left them there to head back to Shifu and the others. However, he paused as Tigress came out of the medical tent.

"Hey. Hungry?" He tossed up a peach, and she caught it easily.

"Seems like they're getting along." She commented, gesturing with her head to Kai and Yú, who sat close, talking and cutting peaches.

"Yeah." He murmured. "He's a good kid."

She took a bite, relishing in the sweet juice on her tongue. The setting sun cast a glow on the camp, a sense of warmth and energy.

For a moment, everything was peaceful.