Author's Note: I do not own KUNG FU PANDA or any of its characters in any way, that credit goes to Dream Works. Xiao, Ying, and family belong to me so no stealing! This chapter contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the movie, do not read if you haven't seen the film.

Chapter 2: The Worst Day

It did not take long for the three bunnies and the Kung Fu Warrior to make their way to a small cottage near the outskirts of the city. The house and the similar ones close by weren't as extravagant as the larger buildings within the heart of Gongmen, but the word Shifu thought of once he saw the simple home was 'cozy.' There were small potted vegetables in the window and a tiny peach tree sapling in the front of the house. Shifu smiled once he caught sight of tiny blossoms beginning to bud.

They hadn't even made it to the front door when it burst open and the father bunny raced from the house, embracing his wife and two children.

"Oh thank goodness you three are alright!" He cupped his wife's face between his paws staring frantically in her eyes, "Once I got home from work, I couldn't find you anywhere! And I couldn't search for you because of Shen's forces patrolling the streets!" The two children had stretched their tiny arms as far as they could around their father's middle, and he knelt down to their level kissing each of them on their small furry heads. "I thought the worst had happened." He finally gasped with tears beginning to build up from his eyes.

"It's alright Xiao," the mother bunny assured her husband, "this kind man helped us and brought us safely home!" She gestured towards Shifu with her paw. He raised his rice hat ever so slightly so as not to intimidate the father bunny. Not too much that is.

The father bunny, Xiao as his wife had called him, stood up and bowed to the elderly red panda. "I thank you for bringing my beloved Ying and my children safely back to me. I am eternally in your debt!"

Shifu smiled and bowed back to Xiao. He was about to respond when the small boy quickly said, "Baba! He is a Kung Fu Warrior! He beat up the wolves! It was so cool!"

The old master suddenly shot forward placing a finger over the boy's mouth, silencing him. He could hear something rather large making its way towards them. It took a moment longer for the bunny family to pick up on it as well and Shifu quietly urged the four of them inside the tiny cottage. He managed to close the door behind him just as the intruder turned the corner. Five pairs of eyes watched in silence as a massive gorilla stomped his way towards the house.

He stopped, literally feet away from the front door, turning his head from side to side. He seemed to be looking for something, and Shifu could only guess that the little bunny's voice had alerted him to their presence. Behind the gorilla, a wolf suddenly appeared.

"Come on, we need to go or we'll be late!"

"I thought I heard something." The gorilla replied. He began to scan the windows of the nearby houses and Shifu and the bunnies had to duck down so they couldn't be seen. The Grand Master could hear the gorilla approach the small cottage and he tightened his grip on his staff.

"Forget about it!" The wolf protested, "If we don't get to the boats on time, Lord Shen will have both our hides!"

Shifu could practically smell the foul breath of the gorilla as he peeked in through one of the open windows above his head. There was no way a fight could start here, that much Shifu knew. There were innocent people here and the gorilla would be more than capable of turning this simple home into a pile of rubble. The red panda knew he could take on the huge ape, but not with the risk of others getting hurt in the process.

He suddenly became aware of a tiny something holding onto him tightly. Shifu looked down to see that the little bunny girl was trembling in fear next to him. Her tiny fingers were clinging to his robe as if her life depended on it, and she gave a small whimper as she saw the silhouette of the gorilla's head blocking the light that filtered into the house. His shadow was only inches from their feet.

Shifu placed a comforting hand on the girl's head and patted it softly. She looked up at him with eyes as big as dumplings. He gave her a small smile. Don't worry, everything is going to be alright, he was trying to tell her. The Kung Fu Warrior was astounded at the little girl's trust in him considering they had only just met ten minutes previous. How could this child have so much trust in a complete stranger?

He then remembered something that Master Oogway had told him long ago, "Children are the embodiment of the world's innocence. They are the first to accept, the first to forgive, and the first to forget." How right Oogway had been, and here was the proof clinging to Shifu's sleeve.

"Come on you flea-bitten ape!" The wolf finally shouted at the gorilla, "We gotta go!"

Shifu held his breath as the silence dragged on. He brought the little girl into a tight hug to keep her from shouting out in fear. Finally the ape gave a snort and his silhouette disappeared from the light of the window. Shifu listened intently as the sounds of their footsteps grew dimmer and dimmer while they continued their way down the road. It was only after the silence had returned to the street when he gave the family a nod of his head, signaling that it was safe.

Xiao rubbed the ridges of his eyes while Ying's paw was clutching the robes on her chest. Both parents were breathing heavily along with the boy who gave out a relieved breath that he had obviously been holding in this whole time. Shifu attempted to stand but found the girl still holding onto him. "There, there," he said patting her head again, "the danger is past us."

She loosened her grip on his robe, but still held on as he stood up. It was only after her mother had called her over when the girl finally released her hold on Shifu and jumped into her mother's arms. The red panda looked out the window in the direction the ape and the wolf had gone. His eyes narrowed and he had a slight frown on his troubled face. He turned in Xiao's direction. "Do you know where they're going?" He asked.

Xiao nodded and turned to his wife, "I think it is time for the children to go to bed." Translation: The adults need to have a talk. Ying nodded and pulled her children towards a back room. However before she closed the door behind her, she turned towards Shifu and gave him a respectful bow of gratitude. He returned the gesture by punching his fist into his open palm and bowing to the young mother. She smiled and left the room, sliding the door closed behind her.

Xiao walked up and stood next to the Kung Fu Master and Shifu followed his gaze out the window and down the street. "There have been rumors going about the city that Lord Shen is amassing a whole arsenal of his weapons at the river. No one is certain why, but I know that it can't be good."

Shifu nodded his head in response then turned to face the bunny, "Your wife spoke to me of the warriors from the Valley of Peace."

"The Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five?"

"Yes," Shifu paused, "I've been looking for them, and your wife told me that you might know where they are."

"Well, I'm not the best informed on the subject, I've only heard rumors." Xiao replied.

"Then please, tell me what you've heard." Shifu said almost pleading as he turned his whole body in the direction of the bunny. Xiao's ears drooped slightly, and he averted his eyes from Shifu as if contemplating on how he should continue.

Shifu could feel his own heart beat quickening. Was it that bad? What had happened to his students? Did Shen do something to them? And where were they now? He tightened his grip on his staff as Xiao began to speak.

"Well, I know that yesterday they were captured by Shen's wolves and taken to the Tower of Sacred Flame. They managed to escape custody but Shen tried to stop them by destroying the building when they were still inside."

Shifu raised an eyebrow, "He destroyed the tower? How?"

"See for yourself." Xiao pointed his finger out the window and the Grand Master suddenly realized that the jewel of Gongmen City was no longer there. "The Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five managed to escape before it collapsed; Shen used his weapons to destroy its supporting structure at the base, and it toppled over like a fallen tree!" Xiao exclaimed.

"And where are they now?" Shifu asked, turning towards the bunny.

"Well, uh-" he hesitated.

"Xiao?" Shifu addressed the bunny with concern. It took a moment for Xiao to compose himself before he continued.

"I heard it from a group of wolves as I was making my way to work this morning, they were laughing and bragging about it to anyone who passed their way." He paused, and Shifu prepared himself for the news, "The Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five attempted to thwart Shen's war efforts by destroying the factory where he builds those horrid machines. Something went wrong in their plan, and the Five were captured. They are still in Shen's custody."

"And the Dragon Warrior, he was captured as well?" Shifu asked.

Xiao's ears flopped again and the look of sadness crossed his face, "I don't know how I can tell you-"

"Xiao what happened to Po? Tell me what happened to Po!" Shifu tried not to shout, but he couldn't contain his concern that was now on the edge of panic. And he was not prepared for the next five words that came from Xiao's mouth.

"The Dragon Warrior was…killed."

Shifu's heart skipped a beat, his staff dropped from his grip, and it clattered to the floor. It was lucky for Shifu that the small kitchen table was standing nearby; otherwise he would have collapsed from shock! He leaned against the table to support himself against the gravity of the terrible news that Xiao had just revealed to him. Po? Dead? It didn't seem possible, but at the same time, Shifu knew that Xiao was telling the truth.

The Grand Master stood leaning against the table, his hands clenching the table cloth tightly in his fists. His arms were shaking violently as if he were bearing the weight of all of China on his shoulders, threatening to crush the life out of him. Only now did Shifu finally realize what it was that had caused him to travel to the city; he only wished he had made the trip sooner.

It had been Po who had rescued Shifu from his quiet seclusion from the rest of his students. Po, who had defied all odds against him to become the Dragon Warrior. Po, who had brought safety to the Valley of Peace by defeating Tai Lung. Po, who had had the greatest affect upon not only Shifu's life but that also of the Furious Five. No longer were his relations with his students confined to strict training and hardly a word of assurance. No longer was he the same strict, distant mentor he had been before Po had arrived at the Jade Palace.

Shifu had learned from the panda to finally let go of his past regrets with Tai Lung, and to form stronger bonds with those of his other students; particularly with his adopted daughter Tigress. Po had brought a new breath of life to the Jade Palace since his arrival. There was more laughter and stronger friendship between the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five; and Shifu took greater care to praise his students for their accomplishments instead of scolding them for their failures.

Shifu recalled how much he had hated the panda when he had first arrived. He felt cheated, again, that his prized student was not destined to bear the title of Dragon Warrior. Instead it had been given to a fat, blubbering, fan-boy who had dropped out of nowhere; literally. However throughout the following week after Oogway's passing, Shifu had come to admire the Panda's enthusiasm and determination. It didn't matter how many times Po was punched, kicked, or thrown down the stairs; he had always bounced back to take the next hit.

Po had been full of so much caring compassion, and had an unyielding love and loyalty to his friends and family. Shifu had seen that despite appearances, Po was capable of so much more. He had so much to accomplish, he had so much potential. And now it had been cut short by Shen.

The Kung Fu Master then wondered to himself what more he could have done, what more he could have taught Po to prepare himself against the murderous peacock. How foolish he had been to think that Po was ready for a mission like this. He had never left the Valley of Peace, nor had he ever been involved with a situation as dire as this. Shifu knew the Five were quite capable of completing the task, and he had hoped that they would be able to guide Po through his first mission with their previous experience. But even they had been beaten by Shen.

Shifu then recalled what he had told Po while teaching him the concept of inner peace in the Dragon Grotto. He had relayed to the panda about the worst day he had ever experienced in his life: the day Po had been chosen as Dragon Warrior. Why did I tell him that? Was I just rambling? Shifu scolded himself. He had told Po that it had been the worst, most painful, mind-destroying, horrible moment he had ever endured. But now that Shifu thought about it, he realized that it was no longer true. Po had been like a second son to him, especially after the loss of Tai Lung. And now he had been taken away from him, and that was more painful than Shifu could almost bear.

He flinched as a paw placed itself on his shoulder and he realized that Xiao was still standing next to him. He did not look at the bunny but kept his hat low over his face so that Xiao would not see the fresh tears threatening to escape from his eyes. "It pains me that you had to learn about it this way." Xiao said in a voice filled with pity. "You knew him?"

It took a moment for Shifu to give a small nod, "Yes…I knew him." He almost didn't have the strength to speak. He closed his eyes and a single tear ran down the fur on his cheek. He suddenly became tense and rigid as he imagined the rest of his students still being held captive by Shen. He couldn't even imagine the horrors they were going through at that very moment, he had to find them! And he was going to make Shen regret he had ever been born!

Shifu took a few deep breaths and stood silent for a moment to compose himself before he finally faced Xiao. "You say that the Five are in Shen's custody. Do you know where they're being held?"

Xiao shook his head, "Unfortunately I do not. But if I were to make a guess, I would say that they were taken to Gongmen Jail. I know for a fact that they had attempted to free Master Storming Ox and Master Croc from the jail just yesterday afternoon; but they were unsuccessful."

Shifu took a moment to think of a plan. If the Five were there he would free them, and together they would face Lord Shen. But if they were not there, then Masters' Ox and Croc would be his best chance at finding where Shen had imprisoned his students. He reached down and retrieved his staff from the ground, placing it firmly beside him. He turned to face Xiao again, "I thank you for help…I needed to know." He paused. "Shen will be brought to justice, and Gongmen will be liberated!" He started for the door and was about to leave when Xiao spoke.

"Please kind stranger, you have saved my family twice now, and you plan on facing Lord Shen, his army of wolves and gorillas, and his weapons!" The bunny exclaimed. "May I at least have the honor of knowing who you are?"

Shifu opened the door but paused before closing it behind him. He turned his head slightly but did not meet the bunny's gaze, "I am Shifu." He closed the door behind him before seeing the bunny's reaction to this revelation.

Xiao watched the red panda disappear around the corner, his eyes wide with both shock and amazement. "Grand Master Shifu?" He whispered under his breath.

Author's Note: You readers must realize that at this point in the story the only person who knows that Po is alive is the Soothsayer. So naturally, everyone thinks he is dead at this point.