Trust the Cat

It had been a total of nine months since I've fallen from the heavens and been here. However, at the moment, it felt like I was in heck! "Please, Krystal, try to understand." Yep, you've guessed it. Krystal and I were having our first argument. And if I learned anything from the marriage and family class I took, I was determined to settle and get through this.

"Oh, I understand. You don't trust me," She said with her arms crossed and back towards me. I sighed. I don't even remember how she and I got to this. Something about me not trusting her. But now, we had stormed out of the kitchen with Po and the Furious Five to the Training Hall. Now we were arguing in the Training Hall. "I don't even know your real name!" I knew I shouldn't have told her that.

"Listen, I'm not saying I don't trust you. I'm just saying that I'm still new here and I'm not comfortable with disclosing certain things," I explained.

"We've known each other for about eight months now!"

"I know it's hard, but you have to understand."

"How can I try to understand a person that won't trust me!?"

"Just be patient," I said trying to soothe. It only seemed to enrage.

"I've been patient for a long time!"

"That's not long enough for me, trust me."

"That's what I'm having trouble doing!" She shouted as she stormed off to our room. I sighed as I went to the room to try and apologize. I tried to open the door, but somehow it was locked. I don't know how you can lock a silk panel door, but she figured it out. I knocked.

"Krystal," I called.

"Who is it?"

"It's Lion."

"Sorry, I don't trust anyone with that name," She replied stubbornly. I groaned.

"Krystal."

"Having marital problems, are we," said Tigress with a mocking voice.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be? Aren't you needed to be annoying elsewhere?" I rebuffed.

"Not really, I was trying to figure out where Krystal went after what you said and now we're here," Tigress smirked.

"Why are you mocking me so," I asked sincerely. Tigress laughed and placed her hand on my shoulder for a brief while as she went away.

"You're supposed to be smart. You know what you should do yet you don't do it. I find that funny," She said as she went away. I sighed. She was right. I knocked again.

"Who is it?"

"It's Lion," I said trying to see if she had come from her side of the battlefield.

"Sorry, don't know the name." I sighed. I looked around for anyone listening. I knocked, very quietly this time. "Who is it?"

"It's John," I said. I waited a while. Then I heard the lock open up. She slowly slid the door just a peep to look at me.

"John," she asked, "your real name is John?" I nodded as I came into the room.

"It's not something I really like. My name means a gift to people. But I've never felt like a gift to anyone," I replied as I sat down on the bed. Krystal stood awkwardly from the door. She slowly made her way from the door to the bed.

"I...I like the meaning of your name. You are a gift," She said softly.

"To who," I asked. She hugged me.

"You're a gift to me," She smiled brightly.

"Look, I've...I'm really uncomfortable with talking about half the stuff I am. I know that having to wait for someone to tell you something is really anxiety-inducing, but...I'm just not there yet, you know?"

"I know, I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I was just upset that you don't trust me."

"I do. More than most people. I just...there are some things that just haven't healed. It's not a matter of trusting you. I guess...it's a matter of trusting myself." Krystal sighed, then did something really strange. She went close to my ear and said.

"Sponge." I laughed harder than I ever laughed before.

"What," I struggled after my laughing spasm. "What was that for?"

"You talk too much. You seem like you can successfully talk your way into being sad," She smirked. My face fell. She giggled as she gently pushed her side on mine. My frown turned into a smirk. I couldn't stay mad at her. It just wasn't possible for me. Just then, Tigress slid the door open to our door.

"Sorry to interrupt, but there are some bandits down in the valley," Tigress said rushing down the mountain. I quickly got up.

"Sorry to be in a rush," I apologized.

"Don't worry," She smirked. "Hit a bandit for me!"

"I'll try to remember that," I smiled though it wouldn't be hard to remember. So we went down the mountain and started battling the bandits. I disappeared and reappeared behind a pig bandit and knocked him down on his face. Another came at me and I blew him away with a force of air. Po jumped right next to me, punching out a wolf bandit in the face. "These guys are a little tougher than usual," I mentioned as I breathed out a puff of fire, scaring away a bandit.

"They're not tougher," Tigress said, high-kicking a pig in the face, "There are just more of them than usual."

"Then we're in big trouble," I warned. I stomped the ground and lifted the ring of bandits that surrounded us up and out the village, but there were still more. "Now is when I would hope something out of the blue would save us."

"Gangway!" There we saw a runaway cart coming towards us. We all ducked out of the way as the cart plowed the bandits. The figure that was on top of the cart swung his sword around, cutting the weapons of the bandits in half. There was another coming behind him, but Po stopped the bandit in his tracks and punched him back. The bandits were gathering around again.

"Have you ever done the Gong's Ring Move," The stranger asked.

"You're looking at the master," Po replied. The stranger took Po, threw him up into the air, jumped and threw him back down, making a large shockwave as Po came down. Now all the bandits were gone. The ones that were left ran away. "That was awesome!"

"I know, right," The stranger said excitedly. "I didn't think you could pull it off! I mean that shockwave was off the chain."

"I know! And that strength! Man, you're strong," Po exclaimed. I shook my head. It looked like we had two Pos. But Tigress brought something to my mind. She grabbed me by the shoulder and whispered something to me.

"That's Tai-gee," She said. I looked at the stranger. Black hat, purple vest, and pants, black cape, the mask, and the sword. I could still see the engraved words. 'Master Swordsmen'. It was Tai-gee. I whispered back.

"Where is Master Shifu?"

"He's up at the Jade Palace. What do we do," She asked. I looked at her briefly. She didn't seem resentful of Tai-Lung's return. It almost looked like she had moved on. I shook it off. I couldn't be bothered with hidden meanings now. I needed to deal with visible problems. I approached the two 'brothers'.

"And who would you be," I asked him.

"My name is Tai-gee," He said with a smile. I saw Po's eyes widen. I held my smile, even though I was immensely worried.

"Well, I'm Lion, this is Tigress and this is Po the Dragon Warrior," I said. Po was silently casting daggers at me with his eyes.

"So...You're Po the Dragon Warrior," He said. I could see Po's whole demeanor seem to change to a scared little boy. Tigress and I were ready to launch at him if he tried anything. Suddenly, he hugged him, lifting him up in the air. "It's good to see you, brother!" Both my and Tigress's mouth dropped open.

"Brother," Po asked as Tai put him down.

"You and I are born in the same year of the dragon, making us sons of the dragon. So we're brothers, kinda," Tai-gee pointed out. Tigress laughed out loud. It wasn't a snorting laugh or a wheezing or strange laugh. It was a nice womanly laugh. Since Tigress has a deeper, smoother voice than most, it can sound manly sometimes, especially when she's yelling. This didn't mean that it was old news to us. Po, Tai-gee, and I were all looking at her with wide eyes and open mouths.

"I'm sorry," She said coming down from her laughing spell. "It's just...you're so much like him. You're almost exactly like Po."

"I don't know whether or not to take offense to that," Po muttered, but I was still uneasy.

"Why don't we go up to the Jade Palace? You look hungry," I said.

"I don't know if-"

"Well, I-"

"Lion do you think that's," They all said at once. I stopped them.

"Might as well start," I explained. So we went up the mountain. Well, we started up the mountain. It wasn't long before Tai-gee exhibited another characteristic of Po.

"Man, these stairs," He complained.

"I know! They need something to carry you up the mountain," Po suggested.

"Sorry boys, elevators haven't been invented yet," I muttered.

"What," They said.

"Nevermind."

"Are you sure that Tai-lung is under that mask? Doesn't it seem a little too...far fetch that he be Po#2," Tigress asked me, privately.

"Whoever is under that mask knows Po from prior experience. Enough to call him brother," I said. When we got to the Jade Palace, who should be standing there but Shifu himself and the others. "What the heck are all of you doing here," I hastily asked. There was no reason for them to be on the top step waiting.

"We heard from Zeng that there was a guest that you wanted to bring up the mountain so we were waiting," Shifu explained. I glared at the smirking duck. Suddenly, I was considering erasing Dead Shot Duck from all of my FanFics. The others I could tell recognized Tai-gee and were worried. Shifu didn't seem to notice. Tai-gee respectfully bowed.

"It is an honor to finally meet you Master Shifu of the Jade Palace," Tai-gee said. He seemed shaky. Krystal came right next to me.

"You brought him up the mountain," She whispered upset.

"I didn't think Shifu was going to be at the first step waiting for us," I replied quietly back.

"And you are," Master Shifu asked.

"His name is Tai-gee. He's one of the legends that Lion knows. He's part of the league of the Master Swordsmen," Tigress said calmly.

"He helped us fight off some of the bandits," Po added.

"Well, we appreciate your help. I'm sorry to say that I don't have enough time to fully greet and welcome you. I have to go to another masters' meeting," Shifu sighed. "Po, don't get into trouble." Po nodded as he rolled his eyes. Then he went down the mountain. As soon as he went around the curve, I worked hastily.

"Duck, you make sure Shifu LEAVES the Valley of Peace. The rest of you and Tai-gee get into the kitchen," I commanded. Everyone quickly went to work. We got to the kitchen.

"So, what's with the hubbub," Tai-gee asked. Everyone looked at each other.

"Okay, let's be blunt. We...know that you're Tai-lung," I said. I saw his eyes widened. Everyone looked at him as he slowly revealed his face. There were no scars, his demeanor was sad, worried all combined. I smiled. "Don't worry, we don't want to seek revenge." Everyone looked at Tigress.

"We don't," she reiterated. Tai-Lung was still uneasy.

"What about Baba, I mean Master Shifu," he asked. Just then, Zeng came in.

"He's gone," He simply said.

"For now, you wear the mask. That's it. You're staying here alone," I asked.

"No, my wife and child are supposed to be coming here. We were...I was coming here to try and prove that I had changed, but I wasn't sure that you would accept me. Especially Tigress," He said bluntly. Tigress rolled her eyes and smirked.

"After you acted like Po down there, I already knew you changed."

"Again, I don't know if that's an insult or not," Po murmured. Tai-Lung smiled.

"Thanks, sis," Tai-Lung said. Tigress smirked. Then it happened.

"YOW!" I screamed.

"What happened," Krystal asked. I lifted up my tail and attached to it was a little mini-Tai-gee. I plucked her off and tickled her in my arms.

"You are going to be trouble, aren't you Miracle," I smiled as the little girl giggled.

"How do you know my daughter," Tai-gee asked as he took his child back.

"He is the Lion Warrior. He knows a lot about us," Tigress explained. Tai-gee was about to bow again, but I stopped him.

"I'm just like you only I can shoot fire from my hands." Everyone laughed.

"What about Shifu," Tai-gee asked.

"We'll take care of him. Right now, we'll just make sure that your identity is secure," I said.

"Thank you," He smiled. Then I felt pain in my tail again.

"MIRACLE!" Everyone laughed.

"Are you sure that you're okay with all of this? Are WE okay," Tai-gee asked Tigress. I was nearby practicing my water bending in the Training Hall.

"Why are you really worried," Tigress asked.

"Well," Tai-gee started off, "I know what it's like to try and get someone's approval."

"Cat, don't do something that may end up me having to you save your hind tail," I said to myself. Tigress responded solemnly.

"I use to make you the center of my pain, but I...was taught that we need to move on if we're ever going to be greater warriors." Tai-gee smiled as she tightly hugged her.

"Thank you, Sis!" He exclaimed. Tigress punched him in the ribs, releasing her.

"That doesn't mean that you can do that," Tigress growled. Tai-gee sheepishly smiled. I smiled too. He was just like Po. Then I spoke up.

"Tai-gee, there are other master Swordsmen, correct?" Tai-gee nodded. "Is it okay that you bring them to us? I'm sure that your 'brother' would be delighted to see and meet them."

"Yay! That's a great idea," Tai-gee replied. "Mei-Ling has wanted to come here for ages." I know that I thought to myself. "Yeah, I'll get in contact with them and talk to them."

"Good," I smiled. Then I sensed something. I quickly went for my tail and protected it from the little teeth of Miracle. "Oh no, you don't! Not this time!" She pouted as Tai-gee grabbed her from the ground.

"Why do you try so much to bite his tail, honey," he asked.

"It's so FLUFFY!" She said so excitedly and demonically. We all just laughed.

to be continued.