"A Symphony of Fears"


"YU!"

The silver-grey fox whipped around, fur bristling in the moonlight. Her frame was sitting gently on the rock projecting into the night sky, completely in harmony with the smooth breeze.

"What is it Alf?" the fox noted with a slight smirk. "You need something?"

Alf was standing a few feet from her, gazing at her form sitting calmly above him. She was exactly where he had expected her to be - on the boulder, the spot she had showed him, the rare rock of serenity laying well away from the Valley and the Palace.

Right in the middle of that damn grassfield.

"What's with you?" Alf asked harshly. "No pun intended."

She gave out a small giggle. "Whaddya mean?"

He was surprised. Alf leapt on top of the rock, wordlessly asking her to make space for him. "You've been avoiding me since that night."

She shot him a quizzical, highly disturbed look. "What night?"

Alf grew even more frustrated. "You know - when I asked you about your history and stuff…"

Yu took a solid seven seconds to think over what he was saying. A burst of laughter followed.

"Wh - what?" she let out between cackles. "You - you - oh you're so cute!"

She extended two slender fingers towards Alf, pinching his cheek. The boy slapped them away, jumping down from the rock.

"I was just out of town, you nimwit!" Yu yelled with a grin, leaping down as well. "Don't tell me you really thought that little conversation we had… Alf!"

She caught up to him, yanking his arm back.

"I thought you were mad at me!" he roared at her. "I ask you one question about your past and you suddenly just leave and don't show up for a week…"

"Alf…"

"And now when I show up, you're all you're so cute Alf I mean - "

"Alf!"

"Like what is up with you? Are you even - "

"ALF!"

"WHAT?!"

She stopped laughing, although a smile remained - though it was understanding now, not gleeful.

"You didn't offend me that night," she mentioned calmly, letting go of her grip on Alf's arm. "It just brought up sort of - well, bad stuff - and I wanted to leave, that's all. Nothing to do with you."

Alf breathed more slowly now. "So you weren't avoiding me for the last week?"

"No," Yu firmly renounced. "I was out of town. Did you - want to see me last week?"

"No!" Alf equally stated. "Yes! I mean - it'd be just nice to yanno - see some familiar faces and - "

He paused, frowning as Yu struggled to suppress a laugh.

"Never mind," he finished.

"Oh come on!" Yu began with another grin. "I leave for just a week and suddenly you get all sensitive about - "

"I'm not sensitive about - "

"I mean it's cute, really…"

"Just shut up."

"I mean, you obviously haven't talked to any real people in a long while - or made a lot of friends…"

Alf couldn't hold back an involuntary smile, walking back to the grey rock. He perched himself atop it, followed by Yu as she sat smiling next to him.

"I'm not usually that needy," Alf retorted. "I was just concerned…"

She didn't stop smiling.

"Look you're right, okay?" Alf focused. "I don't have much experience with having friends."

"Well first thing," Yu started, smile fading into a mock-serious expression. "Friends hang out when they want to - not when one dude gets so aww I wish I could see so-and-so again…"

Alf stayed quiet, acknowledging that he somewhat deserved this.

Yu wrapped her grip around his right arm. "Like I said - it's cute. So I'll give you a pass this time."

"I don't suppose you're gonna tell me what you were doing then, while you were gone?" Alf asked.

"Nope, I'm not," Yu emphasized with another grin. "Second rule of having friends - no unnecessary prying into people's business…"

"You seemed pretty interested in my life when we first met…"

"Because you were that kid!" Yu stressed with exasperation. "The Seeker! The fleshling! How could I pass it up?"

Alf snorted. "I would have."

Yu ignored this. "The Valley knew you existed, but to show yourself in public like that, especially during the Dragon Warrior tournament…"

"I didn't want any of that!" Alf fired back. "Po's stupid plans… sure Alf, let's rocket up into the sky and fall right in front of Oogway…"

He paused.

Oogway.

Yu seemed to notice this. "What's wrong?"

"Oogway's gone," Alf bluntly stated. "And with that, any hope of getting this collar off is gone too."

Yu reacted as if someone had just stabbed her. "Wait what? Oogway's - "

"Dead," Alf again factually noted. "Gone-o. In the ground - or in the air, as I seem to remember."

"Don't disrespect him Alf!" Yu spat. "That old turtle gave me a job and food! He - well how did he - pass? Why were you even there?"

Alf shook his head. "Just going to ask him to remove the collar. Shifu was there too - and all of a sudden, Oogway says Shifu has to continue his journey without him - and he sort of just disappeared with the flower petals."

"By the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom," Yu observed. "By the Scrolls - you're not lying about this, right?"

Alf huffed. "Why would I? Means I've got to deal with this damn thing still…"

His fingers fussed with the collar, but Yu kept a harsh gaze at him.

"The literal Grandmaster of Kung Fu just died," Yu noted. "And you're worried about your collar."

"It's not like I knew the guy," Alf observed. "And yeah - having the collar on changes your perspective on things."

"It's not like anyone's shocking you now, right?" Yu asked rhetorically, voice raising in volume. "Obviously it's gonna come off when Shifu realizes Po isn't the - "

"That's not the point!" Alf interrupted with anger. "It's so - demeaning! It's like being put on a - "

"Well you should have been used to that by now, right?!" Yu loudly proclaimed. "Being in the Valley for fourteen years, and you're just now getting that people don't like you?!"

Yu stopped, looking at Alf's face. It took her just a moment to realize what she had done wrong.

"I - I didn't mean that," she backtracked. "I was just - Oogway was a great dude to me, okay? I'm just angry that - it doesn't matter."

Alf stayed quiet.

"I couldn't even imagine what it's like to have that thing on," Yu noted. "I didn't mean to - hey!"

Alf slid down from the rock, making his way back down the stony path leading to the Palace. "You're right. You couldn't imagine."

"Alf! I'm sorry!" she called behind him. "I didn't mean it! Oh come on!"

But it was too late - the Seeker was already out of earshot.

. . .

"So I tell him, you might be the scariest bandit in Ha-Jing Province!" Po started, chopping a vegetable cleanly into pieces. "But you're a lousy tipper!"

"Really?" Crane asked. "So how did you get out of there alive?"

"I mean, I didn't actually say that!" Po quickly corrected, effortlessly putting several bowls onto his arm, while filling them with noodle soup with another. "But I thought it, in - in my mind…"

The Dining Mess of the Jade Palace felt incredibly familiar to him. Po was used to working in small kitchens (most were, especially in the Valley) - and the Palace had all sorts of delicious ingredients that the panda was horrified over - horrified that they hadn't been eaten yet.

"If he could've read my mind, he would have been like - what?" Po finished, mocking a tough voice. "Order up! If you like it…"

He passed the bowls of noodle soup cleanly across the table, watching them descend perfectly into all the Five's reach. Immediately, most of them leapt on it and picked up their spoons - slurping the soup down. Only Tigress was hesitant, grabbing two chopsticks to prod at the soup with feigned disgust.

"Wow," Mantis let out. "This is really good!"

"Nah you should try my dad's secret ingredient soup!" Po noted with a slight smile. "He actually knows the uh - secret ingredient…"

"What are you talking about?" Viper emphasized. "This is amazing!"

"Wow you're a really good cook!"

"I wish my mouth was bigger!"

The praise kept coming. Po grinned wider than he ever had in his life.

"Tigress," Monkey started. "You've got to - "

"Students!"

Po froze, standing upright with a scared stance. He knew that voice. The Five acted even more robotic than Po did.

Shifu was at the door. His eyes were slightly puffy and red. Master Oogway's staff was in his hand.

The Five and Po knew something was wrong.

"Master Oogway has passed," Shifu breathed quietly. "I am sorry that you all had to hear this from me."

The Five gasped. Po felt dumbfounded.

Nothing was processing.

"I - also, I have to - no - I need to tell you that Tai Lung has broken out of prison," Shifu added. "He's on his way."

There were no gasps now. Just a stern quietness - as well as a dignified sadness from Shifu. Po recognized the name immediately.

Tai Lung.

First to master the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu.

Strongest Master to have ever lived, seconded only by Oogway.

And now Oogway was gone.

"And here I was, thinking you got no sense of humor!" Po began. "I - "

"Panda," Tigress started dangerously. "You say another word and I will put you through the window."

Po shut up almost instantaneously.

"Our only hope - is the Dragon Warrior," Shifu finished, heavy frown taking place.

"The panda?!" Tigress growled.

"Yes the panda!" Shifu forced.

"Master please!" Tigress pleaded, standing up to shake the whole dining table. "Let us stop Tai Lung, this is what you've trained us for!"

"No!" Shifu emphasized. "It is not your destiny to defeat Tai Lung - it is his!"

He pointed the staff at Po, who was still silent.

He had made a mistake. He should have got the autographs from Monkey and left like Alf had told him to.

"No it isn't," Po stated quietly. "I - I'm sorry for dragging this along for so much time. I'll just head to the dorms and pack up my - "

"No!" Shifu yelled. "You will stay here, and fight him - panda!"

"Master Shifu, come on!" Po begged. "I knew I was making a mistake doing this - I just didn't realize it until now!"

"PERHAPS!" Shifu screamed back, pausing himself forcefully. "But perhaps we don't have time to argue anymore - we just have to trust Oogway's wisdom! Why did you even come back for training last time, just to get beaten by half of the Five and myself?"

"He sort of, I don't know, inspired me - okay?" Po mentioned frantically, disconcerted with how quiet the Five were. "Oogway just made me feel better after a super uncool day! It didn't mean anything! I was eating peaches when - "

"Yes, it does - mean something!" Shifu forced. "Panda, you may wish that Oogway hadn't picked you now - and even I would have wished that - but we have no choice now! You - "

Po knew this was too much.

He had been playing the joke out for too long.

Time to take action.

He leapt out the open window, bamboo lightly caving in behind him.

Shifu watched the open hole with anger. He paced back and forth, almost looking like he was trying to decide on something.

After a minute, he decided.

He began walking out of the dining area.

"Master," Tigress quietly asked, voice furious but restrained. "Were you the only one watching when Oogway passed?"

"I thought I heard someone behind me," Shifu noted. "But at the time - it didn't matter."

He rushed outside of the room, evidently to catch Po.

"What are you thinking, Tigress?" Monkey asked, with a slight fear twinging his voice.

"I'm going to go find out what really happened to Master Oogway," Tigress spat. "And I know exactly where to start."

"But what about talking about what just happened?" Mantis interrupted with concern. "Master Oogway passed away? Tai freaking Lung is out of prison? What's next - a giant army of killer walnuts comes to destroy China?"

"You heard our Master," Tigress emphasized, carelessly throwing her food away. "Now is the time for action - not words."

With that, she sprinted out of the Dining Mess.

. . .

Ignorant.

Stupid.

Mean.

Heartless.

Foxy little mean bit -

Alf stopped himself, trying to reel in his train of thought. He was well away from the rock now, traveling up the harsh grey steps leading up to the Palace dormitories. He hoped that Po would let him sneak in somehow again.

If he had to be honest with himself, he might have slightly overreacted - Yu hadn't said anything harsh to him, and there was a certain affability to the way she had tried to make up.

Yet it was different. Something about her words, her reluctance to share her past - something didn't feel right.

He was used to be seen as an exotic freak. That was tolerable.

It was different to be betrayed. That was a new feeling.

Yet had she really betrayed him? Or was he just overreacting?

She was just angry because of Oogway, Alf reasoned. Maybe I should

He stopped, hearing voices above and to the right. Alf instantly dove behind a rock, seeing two figures just standing in front of him - approximately a hundred steps away - arguing in the bright moonlight.

A panda and a smaller red panda.

"You're not my master. And I'm not the Dragon Warrior!"

Po was saying this. Alf knew Shifu was speaking to him.

A silent burst of joy. Was it finally happening? Were they finally leaving the Palace?

"Then why didn't you quit?!" Shifu spat back. "You know I was trying to get rid of you, yet you stayed!"

"Yeah - I stayed!" Po began.

What followed was something of a revelation to Alf. He had never seen Po act so vulnerable, so hurt, almost as if Shifu had finally pried open a deep layer of regret and shame beneath the dense layers of humor and over-the-top colloquialisms - and found something much darker.

" - It could never hurt more than it did, of every day of my life just being me!"

This hit Alf particularly hard. All the time he had known Po, he had never seen the panda ever express anything like this.

Sadness.

Shame.

Fear.

He wanted to run and hug Po. He wanted to let him cry his massive head against his shoulders. He wanted to heal his soul - the same way he had done so often for Alf, when he had showed up at Mr. Ping's… bone broken from a bigoted villager, or face bleeding from a guard attack, or anything else.

Yet he couldn't. Not now. Not with the collar on. Not without understanding what was happening.

Why was Po changing his mind?

"You like to watch in the shadows, hmm?"

Alf turned around, fear gripping him.

The fear was physical.

Tigress.

She effortlessly pinned him against the rock, yellow eyes flashing in pure rage.

"How did you do it?" she breathed, fangs exposing themselves to Alf.

Alf found it difficult to breathe, with her massive paw nearly suffocating him while the other one held both his arms above his head.

"Do - ergh - what?" Alf weakly whispered back.

He had to somehow escape. Not just Tigress was an issue - if Shifu saw what was happening…

"Don't lie to me, fleshling," Tigress forced, pressing her paw more harshly against Alf's throat. "How you killed Oogway."

Alf couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't have time for this.

"I - what?" was all Alf could manage.

"You killed him," Tigress whispered softly, voice completely malicious. "It had to be - so - hard, hmm? Killing a grandmaster in cold blood like that - heh - only a Seeker could…"

"I had nothing to do with it," Alf desperately attempted, still hearing Po argue with Shifu in the background. They hadn't discovered him yet. "Please - Master Tigress - "

"As soon as you and that fat panda come here," Tigress spat. "Master Oogway dies. Tai Lung escapes Chorh-Gom. What else have you been planning, Seeker?"

"I - don't even - know who that is," Alf tried, voice becoming smaller and smaller. "Tai Lung? Who is that? Please, I - "

Then it came. The fear.

Tigress pulled out the red button. She twirled it in the paw holding back both his arms.

Alf had never felt so exposed in his life. A blow to the chest would kill him. A sustained shock could kill him. If Tigress was feeling up to it, she could even bite into his neck and end it all.

"Please - " Alf choked out. "Just - please…"

Tigress' finger began moving towards the button.

"WAIT!"

Alf couldn't consciously make out what was happening. A blur of images followed.

A silver-grey fox.

Tigress's pressure on his throat and arms slacked a bit.

Some arguments.

Tigress left him. She sprinted away, jumping onto a nearby Valley rooftop hundreds of feet away.

Alf adjusted his eyes gradually.

"We cool now?" came a soft, sweetened voice.

Yu.

"No," Alf noted, fading out of consciousness. "But we're even."

Yu smiled. Alf blacked out.


A/N

AN extremely important chapter to write well, hopefully I did! As always, I'll be putting new twists on things… Hopefully the ending didn't feel rushed, I wanted to create a sense of urgency now that everyone knows Oogway is gone...

The amount of new support has been insane. I thank you all, sincerely. :D

~TW