Author's Note: From this point on, Qiang's name will be changed to the canon name Li Shan.


Water.

Po could hear it swishing gently in the distance.

Warmth.

He could feel it comforting every part of his body but the head, shoulders and arms.

Pain.

He could feel it burning in his chest where the demon rhino had almost shattered his sternum.

The Heart.

He could feel it resting on his chest below the sternum, a single cool spot amongst the warmth.

Tigress.

He could hear her breathing slowly and softly, just like she had when he found her sleeping in the kitchen so long ago.

It was the last that made him wake.

Po blinked several times before opening his eyes properly. The first things he saw were wooden beams and a darker wooden ceiling. He slightly turned his head from side to side. The room was narrow and the walls were also wooden. It was a little like that tiny boat they'd commandeered for the Gongmen City mission, but this room was bigger and grander. Perhaps he was on a ship?

His back registered a flat bed and a thin pillow. His front registered a rough but warm blanket. His little ears listened to the sound of Tigress breathing and quickly determined that she was to his left. His heart quickening, Po turned to see her.

She too was lying on a flat bed and covered in a rough blanket. She was sleeping as he thought she would be and looked like she had barely suffered a scratch from their ordeal. Best of all, she was close enough to touch.

To Po's relief his arm didn't hurt when he grabbed the Heart of China and lifted the chain over his head. Keeping a tight grip on the emerald out of fear of dropping it, he reached across the space between them towards her. He reached her uncovered paw, his fingers brushing hers as he prepared to drop the emerald on the side of the bed and fulfil his two month long promise.

Po's heart jumped when Tigress opened her amber eyes and closed her paw around his before he could release the emerald. She looked as exhausted as he felt, except for the smile that slowly grew from her dark lips.

No words were shared. There was no need for them. Both needed only the other's smile to know they were okay. They were together. Their nightmare was over and they could return to their dream.

And so they drifted back into oblivion, his paw joined with hers, the Heart of China growing hot between them.


Po and Tigress didn't wake again until they were back in the Imperial City, and when they did, Shifu was there to greet them. Tigress got the surprise of her life when the first thing he did was wrap his arms around her shoulders and apologise profusely for so many wrongs, taking so long to save her and being a terrible guardian amongst them. Po looked away with a small smile and covered his ears, the only way he could give them any privacy. When he thought it safe to look, Tigress was smiling with tears beading in her eyes and Shifu looked like he had just removed a three-ton weight from his shoulders as he expressed his relief that Po was also safe and sound. He even gave Po's chest a quick check to make sure his sternum was healing properly and refused to let Po risk worsening his health by using his chi.

After the sentimentalities came the debriefing. The majority of Hei Nuwang's forces had been successfully captured, with the rest being either destroyed terra cotta warriors or unfortunate victims of Nuwa's rampage. Sutoraiki's death was confirmed after Viper led Emperor Xian's troops to his depraved laboratory, but Izumi had vanished, almost certainly having escaped. Hei Nuwang's body was never found and she was presumed dead. Everything in Sutoraiki's lab was destroyed on Xian's orders.

No-one had seen Yujin since her plunge into the cursed water, but her plan to save Nuwa and Su had been a success. When Shifu and Eagle Jr. had landed on the roof of the throne room to retrieve their students, they'd looked into the hole and found the throne room bone dry. On the seat of the throne had stood two eggs of translucent blue ice, both as big as barrels. The eggs were kept a complete secret from everyone except Shifu, the Five, Xian, Eagle Jr. and Su's parents, and were currently being transported to the Valley of Peace under Crane, Monkey and Viper's protection.

After that came the visitors, with Mantis and Po's two fathers being the first to enter. Po felt better already after a double hug from the goose and panda, while at the same time Mantis was catching up with Tigress and regaling her with the awesome tale of the defeat of the two purple elephants. For several minutes they talked and laughed, glad to be alive and together, until Xian entered the room and requested a private word with the Dragon Warrior. Unable to refuse the Emperor, Shifu, Mr. Ping, Li Shan and Mantis left the room with only the bedridden Tigress staying behind and promising to not speak unless spoken to.

It turned out that Xian wanted to personally hear from Po about what exactly Yujin had said to him before her disappearance. Po recalled their final conversation as accurately as possible, from her confrontation with Hei Nuwang to the metal elephant she'd given him, which stood on a little table next to the bed. Xian visibly teared when he saw the elephant and revealed that it was one of many little sculptures Yujin had made over the years as a hobby. She would take a lump of metal, use her power to turn it to liquid and then shape it into whatever form she desired. This particular elephant had been intended as a gift for their child upon reaching adulthood.

"I'm sorry, your highness." Po said. Tigress kept her word and said nothing, but she too looked saddened.

"She promised she would come back." Xian picked up the elephant and held it tight in his paws, sounding utterly hollow. "She promised."

Po rubbed his chin. "Mr. Emperor, does Yujin usually break promises?"

"No. Never."

"Then chances are she's not dead."

Xian bit his lip. "Then where the goddamn hell is she?"

Po shrugged and winced as the movement hurt his chest. "Wish I knew. Guess you'll just have to trust her."

Xian hugged the elephant to his chest. "When I spoke to her, she said that this was far from over. Did she say anything else to you, anything that may be related to what she meant?"

Po swallowed. "... I don't know."


All the way on the other side of the mountain, Hei Nuwang pulled herself from the little hole in the rock. Her arms gave out and she lay flat on the cool rough terrain, one paw pressed against her gut. One week had passed since Yujin had stabbed her, and the power of the dagger still hadn't worn off. Her stomach wound wouldn't stop bleeding. Her dress was torn and filthy, and she was soaking wet from the water that had collected at the bottom of the pit along with the remains of the palace interior.

Her army was gone. Sutoraiki and his lab were lost. Her headquarters had been sacrificed. And it was all Yujin's fault.

No, she forced herself to accept. It was all Nuwa's fault. From the moment the creature was born from her reincarnation's body, the plan had been doomed. It was Nuwa's fault that the invasion of the Imperial City ended in disaster. It was Nuwa's fault that the Dragon Warrior had been able to escape captivity. It was Nuwa's fault that the Palace of the Body had been lost.

It was no surprise, really. Though benevolent and loving rulers, both Nuwa and her deceased brother Fuxi shared a vengeful streak. The demon that had invaded the Valley long ago had learned that the hard way, and it was only by Hei Nuwang's hand that he had recently recovered from his punishment. Speaking of the demon, he and Izumi were very likely still hiding somewhere on the mountain, waiting for the Imperial Army to abandon the area so they could escape undetected.

Hei Nuwang wept, her tears leaving dark spots on the pale rock she lay on. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how hard she dwelled on what her mother had done... she simply couldn't bring herself to hate her. It didn't help that what Nuwa had said right to her face in that throne room was true. Hei Nuwang had hurt her and her family too badly to be forgiven. She deserved what she got.

Hei Nuwang took deep breaths and stood up. She still had time to find Izumi and her crimson-eyed ally. Then together they would put an end to Oogway's legacy.