Ohyaho Tokyo! Konnichi wa London! Konban wa New York! CJzilla here with another update. You know the thing about hot evil chicks, heroes don't know whether to fight 'em or date 'em. My OC "Lady Layla" takes after the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's own "Jade Fox", whereas Tigress strikes me more as an honorable "Yu Shu-lein" from the same awesome flick.
In this chapter, there is an uninvited danger in the temple and it may be more sinister than the first impression. And what in the heck do cookies have to do with it?!
As I destroy this city, alls CJzilla has to roar is this: R&R! Fluff on me, flame on me... I don't care.
Uninvited
Master Shifu's eyes snapped open. The Kung Fu master was resting his mind and body after Po's training session; always a draining fiasco. Shifu didn't know how long he had been meditating, but it was just at this second that he recognized something wasn't right. Getting to his feet, the red panda rose from his seat under the Dragon Scroll in the Hall of Heroes, and made his way toward the door.
Lightning suddenly flashed, temporarily lighting up the Hall of Heroes in a way that candlelight could not. Shifu paused and listened. He heard heavy droplets of rain drum onto the Jade Temple's roof as a summertime rain poured down over the Valley. A powerful crack of thunder then shook the earth. Shifu knew this as a sign that the storm was directly upon the mountain.
Rain was to be expected, but the Kung Fu master felt something within the storm. The storm was angry and destructive; dangerously close to striking the temple. Shifu felt his chest tighten up as his feet began moving faster and faster toward the door.
The doors flew open and Shifu dashed out onto the pavilion. A sky black with clouds and a cold rain greeted the Kung Fu master. A hateful wind blew the icy rain droplets, making them feel like biting needles that shot right through his fur and onto his skin. Raising his eyes, Shifu saw a sight that chilled his blood.
Standing in the middle of the training yard, dripping with rain was Layla; her silvery fur was a charcoal color, dulled by the sky water.
"Layla? What-?" The red panda master was cut off when he saw her raise her head.
She looked up at Master Shifu with those haunting yellow eyes blazing with an evil hunger.
Lightning flashed.
Suddenly the red panda master saw something that made fear cripple his heart.
Appearing behind Layla, the dark sky amplified the snow leopard's vengeful golden eyes, was Tai Lung. Both Layla and Tai Lung stood there, their eyes piercing Shifu's.
Suddenly, Layla held the Dragon Scroll on an open palm. Tai Lung pressed himself against the vixen's back, stretched his arm along Layla's and gripped the sacred scroll. With one swift flex of their hands, both warriors shattered the Dragon Scroll into a million pieces.
Shifu could not speak or move, even though his mind screamed out for action. Layla and Tai Lung stood together and then moved as one, charging the temple's steps and pouncing on him. Shifu never felt the impact.
His eyes opened and reality sharpened. Shifu was relieved to have warm sunset light bathing him from a nearby open window. He was indeed still within the Hall of Heroes, neither Tai Lung nor Layla were anywhere to be found. Master Shifu felt his heart going at such breakneck speeds, it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest. Climbing to his feet, Shifu subconsciously reached for his staff. Gripping the old rod, he pulled himself upward to ease the pain of many old battle scars. Realizing the staff in his hand, Shifu looked at the humble piece of wood. And Oogway's words echoed in his mind.
"Nothing happens on accident."
Shifu felt something brewing inside the dojo; something that sent a knot to his stomach. He must find the source and quick, before it becomes irreversible. He felt his feet moving toward the door.
"Open the umbrella, like so." Lady Layla demonstrated opening her delicate Chinese umbrella.
She opened it, blocking Po's view to her. Then she spun it. The spinning made the pattern swirl together and for some bizarre reason, dulled his mind. The panda stood there, watching the pretty colors melt together and forgot that the umbrella was in the hands of a master. Layla then snapped her sunshade shut and forward, jabbing the air with the umbrella.
"Whoa!" Po squeaked out as he juked to the right, the umbrella passing over his shoulder.
Lady Layla giggled.
"Very good." She had her arm extended, the umbrella still shut. "Though it will be a little faster in real life."
Po gave a goofy smile at his successes.
"Cool!" He beamed, but then grew curious. "How much faster?"
He only had time to note the vixen smiled before she flicked her wrist. The umbrella opened with such a sound, it made his ears ring. Then Lady Layla gave the umbrella a pull. Since it opened behind Po, the panda was pulled into the fox's arms. He blinked, suddenly staring up into the sky. Lady Layla held him just above the ground with her free hand. Po saw the vixen's smile triple in size.
"As fast as you can blink." She told him, her right hand extended and now holding the umbrella. "But with about a hundred times the pain."
The vixen pulled Po to his feet since he became strangely stiff as a board. She set the umbrella back onto her shoulder and opened it.
"In the hands of a master, anything can become a weapon." Lady Layla spun the sunshade on her shoulder, twirling it like it was just an innocent umbrella.
Po was stunned, literally. He hadn't moved since he was in the fox's arms. Lady Layla giggled and turned to a bench under the training yard's only shade tree. She set the umbrella down, dropped her cloak and suddenly there was a fan in each of her hands. The vixen turned back to the panda.
"The warrior and the weapon should move as one." Lady Layla opened her fans.
Her fans were scarlet colored paper that had the scent of cinnamon and intricate paintings on them. The vixen sashayed up to Po and snapped her fans closed.
"Any weapon you wield should be viewed as an extension of your arm." Lady Layla extended her arm and the tip of the closed fan pointed at Po's neck. "Your strike zone increases and your enemy's defenses are decreased."
The vixen jumped away from the panda and did a back-flip, distancing herself from him. Then she opened her fans, extended her arms and thrust her fans forward. The force created a wind that blew through the training yard, washing over Po and kicking up dirt.
"Oooo." The panda awed as Lady Layla stood straight and closed her fans.
"Once weapon and warrior connect, you move as one." The vixen voiced as she tucked her fans into her pant's line. "It is the same principle with any weapon; whether it is a bamboo staff or the Sword of Heroes or even chop sticks. You try."
Po gulped and searched around for a weapon. Lady Layla then chuckled.
"Here." She grabbed a fan from her belt and tossed it at him. "Use this."
The panda snatched the fan out of the air but as he held it in his hand, a small look of distain came to his face.
"No… offense, Lady Layla, but-" Po was interrupted.
The vixen set her fists on her cocked hips.
"A fan may be feminine but it is one of the greatest objects to train with." Lady Layla walked over to the panda. "You could use a bamboo rod, as could anyone; but the fan has a small striking range so it builds accuracy."
The vixen maneuvered herself behind Po and grabbed his wrist holding the fan.
"Just follow my movements." She instructed, pressing her body on his.
Lady Layla stretched out his arm and massaged his hand so that it loosened on the fan. She spread his legs into a sturdy fighting stance, to optimize balance on his girthy form. The panda was a fast learner, soaking in her lesson. The vixen was pleased. Po was young and had an opened mind; he should have no problem being the Dragon Warrior.
Po's mouth suddenly went dessert dry; his hands went icy cold and he was sweating bullets. The panda warrior had never been this close to a knockout Kung Fu master before. Sure, he'd trained with Tigress but she'd never come any closer than necessary.
She smells like cinnamon! Oh boy…! Focus Po! Use Master Shifu's training and focus at the task at hand-… I CAN'T! Layla's too hot!
"Whoa!" Po tripped and he fell with a sickening crunch.
Opening his eyes, the panda saw he'd crushed Lady Layla's fan in his fist.
"Oops." Po squeaked.
Lady Layla held in a cry of horror. The Dragon Warrior just destroyed one of her favorite fans. She had gotten that perfectly balanced fan from an aged Japanese Geisha. But when Po looked up at her with those big, sorry green eyes, she couldn't show how upset she really was.
"Sorry." Po got to his feet, one hand holding the broken fan and the other pulling up his slacking pants.
The panda saw no distress in Lady Layla's cool yellow eyes.
"Don't worry about it, Master Po." She grabbed her decimated fan from his hand. "If Master Oogway had a silver piece for every fan of his I busted when I was learning, he would have died rich."
She chuckled.
"Try again." The vulpine had no intention of risking her last fan, so she extended her index finger. "Use your finger as your fan. Spread your legs and keep your arms loose."
Taking her fan into her hand, the vixen took the proper stance. Po copied her movements.
Then they heard a chuckle from the steps of the Hall of Heroes. There stood Master Shifu, an amused grin on his face. He made his way down the stairs and between the panda and vixen.
"That is why I train Po with bamboo staffs." The red panda master voiced. "Bamboo is far more durable and less expensive than fans."
Po blushed, twiddling his fingers.
"The honorable thing to do is to buy Lady Layla another fan, Po." Shifu tapped the panda on the arm.
The red panda didn't take his eyes off of Layla as he stood in front of Po. The vixen merely narrowed her eyes at Shifu.
"Okay." The panda had his eyes on the ground. "First thing in the morning, I'll go to town and get Lady Layla the best fan I can find."
Po looked up at the fox and gave a big smile. That tore Layla's eyes from Shifu and she smiled at the panda warmly.
"Why don't you stick around Lady Layla?" The red panda master asked, looking up at the vixen. "Po can demonstrate what he learnt about focus today."
Po's eyes grew wide with nervousness as he shook his head at his master. To his disappointment/glee Layla declined.
"Perhaps later," she returned shooting Shifu an icy stare.
Without another word she bowed to Po before walking out of training yard, toward the garden.
Shifu simply watched the vixen as the mountain wind blew through his fur. The red panda did not trust Layla. She was unstable and dangerous. If she touched one hair on any of his students' heads, there'd be the devil to pay.
At seeing his Master staring, Po gave Shifu a funny look. The Kung Fu master felt he should explain.
"Lady Layla is a shy warrior," the red panda stated. "She has always been a loner, only opening up completely to Oogway and was best friends with Tai Lung."
Po was thunderstruck.
"You mean…!" The panda watched Lady Layla walk off. "That babe used to be friends with Tai Lung?!"
Shifu nodded.
"Best friends," the Kung Fu master added. "They used to train together. Though, she left before Tai Lung… rebelled and was imprisoned."
Po, again, gave his master another funny look.
"Okay…" The panda drawled. "Things just got weirder."
Shifu bowed his head and turned to his student.
"All the same," he voiced, dead serious. "Keep your wits. Lady Layla is grieving and she is unpredictable."
"Lady Layla? "Unpredictable"?!" The panda repeated. "Master Shifu, she's been very kind to me. Maybe you're just-…"
He paused, snapping his mouth shut and not finishing his thought. Shifu glared at Po.
"I'm what? Paranoid?" The Kung Fu master tapped the panda's nose with his staff. "Po, I've never steered you wrong. I shouldn't have to convince to use caution."
Master Monkey was at work in the kitchen, coming up with a new recipe for jelly-filled cookies that would for sure catch the sweets thief. Although these cookies were going to be used to catch the cookie thief, the treats smelt great. Tigress and Viper came into the kitchen, surprised to see Monkey cooking. The purple jelly, flour and sugar-covered Golden Languor sat in front of the wood burning stove, intently watching his cookies in the oven.
"Hello Monkey." A smile was on Tigress' face when she saw how focused Monkey was.
Monkey only raised his oven-mitted hand in a wave, not taking his eyes off his cooking cookies.
"What are you making?" Tigress peered at the oven over Monkey's shoulder.
"Cookies." The Golden Languor simply said. "I am trying to catch a cookie thief and this special batch will do just that."
Tigress held in a loud laugh as she stood. Everyone, but apparently not Monkey, knew that Po was taking his cookie stash.
"Very clever; don't you think, Tigress?" Viper looked up at her friend.
The female tiger held a paw over her mouth to stop a laugh.
"Quite." Tigress nodded.
R&R! LONG LIVE ROCK AND ROLL!