"Separation"


"Focus. Focus."

"Argh… I'm trying…."

Master Shifu - completely unbeknownst to Po - had started the second phase of training already. After a week or so of Po performing repetitive chores, cleaning the Palace, and repeatedly walking up nearby mountains and into the Pool of Sacred Tears, Shifu had finally graduated Po to the next level - trying to do push-ups on hot coals. The air this high up - among scaly mountains and thin wind - made the task even harder.

"ERGH!" Po yelled, letting his belly sag a bit too much and make contact with the coals.

"Focus, panda," Shifu muttered, pushing the panda down with his staff. "Think about the noodles."

This was true. As if by some sick cosmic joke, Shifu had strategically placed a bowl of noodles on the rocky ground, hot steam drifting upwards and reaching Po's nostrils. There was no way to reach the noodles, other than by push-up.

"The coals - ergh - for the pain, noodles for the reward," Po let out, breathing heavily with each push-up. "You're not so - mystical, are you Master?"

"The noodles aren't a reward," Shifu noted, emphasizing. "Do you wonder why your arms are getting more and more tired?"

Po coughed. His arms had been shaking more for the last few push-ups. In fact, with every lick of the noodles - his arms almost felt more fatigued.

"The noodles are seasoned with Xin-Sheng," Shifu mentioned. "The slow-acting paralytic."

Po's arms began to wobble even more, balance becoming slowly thrown off.

"You've spent your life thinking food makes you better," Shifu noted. "Now, you will learn how food makes you worse. And how being hungry - that makes you better."

"I never thought food makes me better!" Po urged, feeling his belly sag again.

"You think filling your stomach, will fill in what's empty in here," Shifu emphasized, prodding the center of Po's chest. "This will teach you the opposite."

"What does that mean?!" Po let out with a wail.

"Down, panda."

. . .

Mr. Ping was a particularly careful and sharp goose. From the beginning his shop would open, until the last customer walked out of the small space - he would keep track of all of the utensils handed out, plates being washed, and noodle quantity being eaten. None of these he seemed to write down, rather - a perfect memory and intense focus on details allowed Po's father to completely establish a quiet dominance to the humble shop. Food shelves were organized meticulously, by age and likely quality - ingredients were carefully deposited in their labeled cabinets, and he had even been known to go up into his son's bedroom, completely reorganizing as he saw fit. Mr. Ping was - by any metric or stretch of the imagination - the most sharp, discerning, and unabashedly detail-oriented citizen the Valley had ever known.

Second to Alf, of course. The boy gently strode up the narrow staircase hidden behind the counter, making his way to Po's now empty room.

It wasn't so much that Alf was more detail-oriented or sharp - but a lifetime of dodging physical abuse from the villagers, being able to run quickly away from some drunken guards, and overall elude and stay out of the public eye were valuable skills that Mr. Ping could never hope to match. Thus, the Seeker found no issue with quietly sneaking up the stairs without alerting the perpetually-sleeping goose.

"Nice room he's got."

Alf nearly choked, not expecting Yu's voice to appear. He made his way into the empty room, seeing a silver-grey fox sit kindly on Po's former cot.

"What - " Alf began, at a loss for words. " - How did you? Never mind. Move."

Yu hopped off the depressed cot, watching Alf unsheathe a large paper bag before scanning the room. Strewn utensils and knick-knacks were everywhere, some of them clay machinations of the Furious Five - others seemed to be poorly-designed throwing stars. This, combined with the dull brown color of the walls and floor, wordlessly described all those feelings Po had ranted about the other night.

Mediocrity.

Despair.

Being stuck in "place".

"Whatcha doing?" Yu casually asked.

"Packing my stuff," Alf returned, grabbing some leftover food from Po's open cabinets. "And leaving."

Yu frowned, confused. "What? You're leaving the Valley?"

Alf nodded his head, still engrossed in finding his valuables and packing more food. "Yup. Should have done it a long time ago, to be honest - but now, with Tai Lung coming and this collar on - "

He grumbled silently, fingers brushing past the metallic collar again. It had been a week since his last shock, but he was growing upset with how subconsciously it was normalizing itself onto his body.

" - point is, I've got to get out while I'm still alive." Alf finished.

"That's your solution?" Yu angrily retorted. "Run away? Do you not even trust the Five, or Shifu?"

Alf stopped packing for a moment, standing up. "If Tai Lung is as powerful as people and legends say he is - the Five, Shifu, anyone in China won't be able to do a damn thing to him."

Yu frowned more intensely now.

"And I was going to ask Po one final time, to come with me," Alf noted. "And - I was going to ask you."

Yu shot him a perplexed look, light smile just beginning to form. "Me? You don't know anything about me!"

"Yep."

"You don't know about my history!"

"Yep."

"We've known each other for like - a month, probably!"

"Yep."

Yu now broke out in a broad grin, but it seemed to pity Alf. "You get attached way too easy, yanno? All because that one time I asked you that night about - "

"You're different from everyone here," Alf noted silently, staring straight into her bronze eyes. "Rational. Non-judgemental. Crazy."

Yu smiled softly.

"You and Po, are pretty much the only people in this stupid Valley I would bother asking," Alf emphasized. "But be my guest and stay back. See what happens."

Alf laughed, as Yu shook her head with a smile.

"Let's say me and Po go with you - " Yu began, waving down Alf's protests. " - I'm not saying he's definitely going with you but let's say we both agree to… can you promise to actually start investigating your past?"

"Why is that such a big deal with you?" Alf recalled, bending down to shove more food into his bag. "I thought we agreed. No questions about each other's pasts."

"There's a difference Alf," Yu forced, kneeling down to his level. "I don't wanna talk about it because it's just - stupid. And I don't want any sympathy."

Alf snorted. "Trust me, I'm not the guy to pity people."

"But you - " Yu continued. "- you're a freaking Seeker. You've never even thought about figuring out why you're here, who the Seekers were?"

"Like I said," Alf stated with a sigh. "It doesn't matter now. Knowing a bunch of useless history won't help people stop throwing pots and hot water at my face, or get this - "

He stopped, frustrated to always be aware of the collar.

"Promise me," Yu emphasized, grabbing his arm and forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Promise me if I go with you - you at least consider digging into your past."

Alf smiled sarcastically. "Okay. I promise to do that. Despite knowing I'm just wasting my time…"

Yu smiled, helping him stuff more bowls of food into his bag. "Good."

. . .

"Focus, panda. Focus…"

"YOU'VE BEEN SAYING THE SAME FREAKIN' THING EVERY FREAKIN' TIME! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? NOT FOCUS!?"

Po was tired. Shifu had just given him a bowl of freshly-made, hot dumplings - and ordered him to eat. At first, Po fired off a million questions:

Was there any Xin-Sheng?

Why were the dumplings hot?

Why had Shifu dragged him all the way up the mountain again, carrying a bag of heavy rocks?

Why had they always been coming back to the Pool of Sacred Tears?

Why was Shifu allowing him to eat?

What was the point of all this?

The last two questions were answered quickly. As soon as the panda extended a paw to touch the dumplings, Shifu brought out a stick and smacked him hard on the head, bottom, belly - basically any part of Po that he could reach.

And there was a lot of Po.

"OWW!" Po gasped, feeling the bamboo stick come searing down on his right forearm. "WILL YOU JUST LET ME EAT?!"

"I'm letting you," Shifu replied simply. "The question is - are you letting yourself?"

Po wanted to ram his head into the nearest Ironwood tree.

"OWW!"

"ERGH"

"AAH!"

"I - " Shifu breathed out, smacking Po consecutively in between each word. " - am - letting - you - eat. Question is - are - you - not - eating - because - of - me - or - because - "

"OF MYSELF, I GET IT! OWW!" Po yelled, forearms too sore to continue. The panda sat down.

"What was that supposed to teach me?" Po stated. "How many red marks you can leave on my - belly?"

"Po," Shifu emphasized, the panda shocked at hearing the name finally come out. "You won't learn to fight, unless you master what's in you. That's kung fu. Not war. Control."

A flash of comprehension. Something. Po was picking up on something, he just wasn't sure what - but he was confident it existed. Understanding.

The feeling was something. He stood up, reluctant but curious look stretched across his face.

"I guess - again, Master." the panda asked.

Shifu smiled, readying the stick.

. . .

"How much longer to the Valley, Master Tigress?" Tai Lung smoothly questioned, feeling a tinge of discomfort just beginning to arise from the heavy outfit.

"Not long, perhaps a few weeks or so," Tigress responded, legs exhausted from having sprinted for so long. "We should probably pick up the pace. Tai Lung will not have stopped."

"No he wouldn't have," Tai Lung responded with a mild grin.

Do not give yourself away, boy.

The sun was beating down and they had made good distance between the last bridge and were well on their way to the Valley. Aside from a few provisions in the middle of the path, the five Masters and the snow leopard had spent most of their time sprinting - exhausting for all individuals involved, and pointless considering that it would have done them better to simply jog most of the way.

Tai Lung was happy. He was satisfied that his name and presence alone were enough to terrify even these five Masters, scare them sufficiently where Crane was flapping as hard as his wings could carry, Tigress was running nonstop on all fours, Mantis had hitchhiked on Monkey, and Viper made perfect zigzags through the hard, dusty ground as they cut through forests, riverbeds, and a plethora of bamboo trees.

Now however, was a brief lull - a time of general rest where Tai Lung could lean back and analyze his soon-to-be opponents.

None of them were as skilled as him. Almost all paled in comparison to his strength. The sole exception was Tigress - the only Master that reminded Tai Lung greatly of himself, albeit younger and inexperienced. He was absolutely sure none of them knew the nerve attack.

"You haven't told us your name, guard," Viper noted, slithering next to Tai Lung.

"Bao Shen," Tai Lung delivered without hesitation, the spirit having already predicted this several hours ago. "I served under Vachir for years before - that monster broke out…"

Tai Lung smiled again.

"He is not a monster," Tigress broke in, frown stretched across her features. "He is a coward. A fool who couldn't handle it when destiny did not smile on him…"

Tai Lung growled softly under his breath.

Control yourself boy, or else I will do it for you.

"You can't make me do a damned thing," the snow leopard whispered harshly.

"Sorry, what was that?" Monkey interrupted, yellow paws propelling him forward in front of Tai Lung. "Couldn't catch that."

"You all - erm - can't stop me from defending my home," Tai Lung rerouted instantly. "I will fight alongside you!"

"No need, friend," Tigress forced. "We will lead you back to the Valley - just rest once you are there. Shifu, myself, and my team will handle Tai Lung."

The snow leopard growled at the first name, flurry of memories coming back.

Inquire about the Dragon Warrior.

A warrior who fell out of the sky, in flames.

The warrior no one has ever seen.

"While I was in Chorh-Gom, we were told about the Dragon Warrior," Tai Lung began. "I heard how he fell out of the sky in a ball of fire. That he's - a warrior, unlike anything the world has ever seen."

"Po?" Monkey started with a grin.

So that is his name - Po.

Finally - a worthy opponent. Our battle will be legendary.

Yet one-sided.

I might spare him from my plan.

"I will kill the Dragon Warrior," Tai Lung forced again, voice raising just a bit too much. "Do not irritate me, spirit…"

"Dude, you sure Tai Lung didn't knock you on your head or something?" Mantis interjected, leaping onto the ground again to resume a slow pace. "You're whispering to yourself a lot."

"I am perfectly well, thank you Master Mantis," Tai Lung replied. "Perhaps the air just - "

A shining flash. Tai Lung's eyes were somehow forced to the front, focused on Tigress' pocket.

A glitter of metal.

Ask her what that is.

"You don't control me," Tai Lung replied harshly.

ASK.

HER.

A high-pitched ringing.

Tai Lung's head felt like it was on fire.

"You - " the snow leopard attempted, twitching from the intense pain. " - do not - control - "

I WILL SPLIT YOUR HEAD IN TWO, BOY.

ASK. HER. WHAT. THAT.

IS.

"Augh - what - what is that, in your pocket…" Tai Lung breathed, pain too intense to ignore. "... Master - Tigress….?"

Tigress casually pulled out a metal plate, attached to a red button.

"A burden," she noted simply. "To take care of a pest problem. It activates a shock collar, designed to keep an annoying fleshling in check."

So THAT is how the homing beacon was set off.

Ask her more, boy.

"The Valley - has a Seeker?" Tai Lung queried, genuinely confused for the first time in twenty years.

"He doesn't look it," Tigress assuaged. "But yes - we do have one at the Valley. The only one, as far as I know."

Impossible. Ask her to tell you the truth.

"That is the truth," Tai Lung spat back quietly. "What do you mean by homing beacon?"

"Dude, I really think you have a problem," Mantis mentioned again. "You've been whispering to yourself for ever since you joined us. You sure you don't want to rest?"

Boy - ask more about the Seeker. About the beacon.

Now.

The high-pitched ringing intensified to levels Tai Lung hadn't even fathomed was possible.

"I - " Tai Lung tried, pain too powerful to properly make out words. "I - ergh - "

"Perhaps help our friend," Tigress noted, motioning for Monkey and Crane to take each of Tai Lung's arms around themselves, and drag the snow leopard forward. "He might be fatigued."

Crane and Monkey did as told, dragging the twitching Tai Lung forward. Tigress watched the three stride slightly ahead, waiting until they were out of earshot.

"What exactly is this guard?" Tigress asked, addressing Viper. "A monkey? A rhino? A gorilla?"

"Chorh-Gom guards are supposed to be all rhinos," Viper replied confidently. "I can't tell that though - the armor sort of covers all of our friend's body."

"He doesn't sound like a rhino," Tigress deduced. "Not the same size either."

Viper stopped, looking up at the master with curiosity. "What are you saying?"

Tigress simply narrowed her eyes. "I don't see a horn."

. . .

"Again."

"ERGH!"

"Again."

"OWW!"

"Again."

"EEK!"

"AGAIN!"

"YOWZA!"

Po had progressed past the stage of being tired and was now simply at a loss for words. In the bright moonlight, just scattering beautifully across the Pool of Sacred Tears, Shifu's stick seemed to fly by in a whizz of yellow, blurry motion. In fact, Shifu's relentlessness with the bamboo stick had only intensified, and Po had completely given up on the bowl of dumplings held uselessly in his sore paws.

He might as well have been holding a bowl of spikes.

"Panda."

"What?" Po let out, sighing.

"Look."

Po looked down, seeing the cold dumplings in his paws. "Yep - haven't touched them still. Yay."

"You haven't touched them," Shifu noted with a small grin.

"Yeah, because you keep hitting me."

"I haven't hit you for the last two minutes."

Po tilted one eyebrow down. "What? Of course you have - you've been - "

Po sorted through his recent memories. He couldn't find a single clear image of Shifu hitting him, all within the last two minutes.

He wasn't even aware that Shifu was sitting down, nearly fifty feet from him.

He hadn't been hitting him for a while.

More than two minutes.

"What - what the - " Po began, confused yet again.

"Seems like you've mastered control," Shifu breathed. "Now is the time for Kung Fu."

Po's heart fluttered. He dropped the bowl of dumplings instantly, not even watching them roll downhill. Shifu's smile only grew wider at this.

"Left foot forward. Right arm forward. Twist the body." Shifu commanded.

Po did as he was told.

He understood what was happening now.


A/N

Yowza! More Kung Fu action! And even more questions…

In other news, I finally finished the giant story planning doc I have. Needless to say, I finally know a general beginning, middle, and end. To this entire FIC. (not just KFP 1-3) And I mean that very specifically. Finally.

Oops, did I reveal too much? Look back at the previous line for minor hints. (Hehe…)

And it is a LOOOOOOOOONG WAY OFF. (Like - it'll take me multiple years to finish the story I want to tell)

Part of the love I have for slow-builds is that you can build up to things so gradually over time, and end up hooking everyone in. Kudos to all the readers who keep coming back for more! I try to make every new chapter have a few things exciting/intriguing enough to keep y'all coming back for more. You might even notice by the sequence of titles - this is called Separation, the next will be Transformation, the one after Desperation… that the end for KFP 1 is coming near…

But never fear, just stick with this and persevere… (corny I know)

The level of support is so insane that I think this fic will end up being my best story. It's already close to surpassing my other "big fic" - and that had 50 chapters! This little author is humbled into silence...

~TW

P.S: I've gotten some more recent Q's from ppl wondering when Alf will start you know - acting like a main protagonist, maybe? (:D)

All I'll say is that there's no way you can inject a human character into KFP, and expect him NOT to be the hero (at least in this fic). Patience, my friends. :D

P.P.S: DID ANYONE CATCH PAWS OF DESTINY TV SPOT OMG FINALLY MORE KFP SHOWS PLZ DONT SCREW IT UP DREAMWORKS PLZ HAVE FURIOUS FIVE/SHIFU APPEARANCES EVEN THO I KNOW ITS HARD BUT PRETTY PLEASE!