Truth in Punishment

By: PointyEdgesofaSign

A/N: I own nothing. Done to sedate Vachir and his wish that the truth be told. I did not write this, I merely was the conduit for his words. Review if you think he should continue, and please say more than just 'yes' or 'no'.

Also, Vachir has asked that this chapter be dedicated to the most loyal reviewer, FalconMage. He extends his deepest gratitude to you.

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The years flew by, barely perceived by my rage-fueled madness. Twelve years faded into fifteen. Fifteen dissolved into nineteen, and it finally became too much.

I couldn't take it anymore.

I was eaten alive, consumed and empty, my goals dissipated like fog before the sun, and I knew I had become that which, for so long, I had sought to end. I had become the very deceit that I had witnessed as a child, the very one I had realized lead to blame, lead to hatred.

I had joined the blame game.

The revelation hurt, more than I want to acknowledge, but you must realize that I had spent countless nights weeping and praying my Zeng would come back. I stood there, on the eve before the twentieth anniversary of Chor Gom's completion, and finally turned to face the door of my room. Slowly, as a glacier treads the tundra, as a celestial body circuits the Universe, I opened the great, cedar door. The smell of the once-beautiful prison now seemed something akin to the rot of a corpse. I recalled feeding the prisoner recently, so I was certain it wasn't him.

Creeping down to the platform that would take me to Tai Lung, I signaled them to let me down. The creak of old chains, rusted from age and lack of maintenance, was the sound of four words, repeated again and again, a lasting testament to the curse spoken in this prison, my hell, so many years ago.

Upon arriving at his platform, I stepped forward, crossing the bridge I remembered so joyfully constructing when I was happy, when the world was good.

I approached the felon and sat before him, staring at his bowed head until, after what seemed like hours, he spoke.

"To what do I owe this visit, Commander?"

His voice was as sinister as I had imagined it would be, but I needed to hear him, I needed to talk with him. I needed answers.

"Do you remember your rejection?" I asked, knowing the answer even as the words left my chapped lips in a puff of breath that was warmer than I had felt in years.

He growled as he answered, voice hushed, "I will never forget."

I nodded my head. I understood him, probably better than anyone. The next words from my mouth were spoken before my mind had a chance to censor them.

"So do I."

His head shot up as he snarled, pearly teeth glinting the same pure rage as his eyes, "How could you understand? What is the worst life has done to you? You didn't get the uniforms you had hoped for? Or your beer rations are running low? What is it that the great Commander Vachir has aspired for that was denied him?"

I simply sat there, listening to his hate-fueled tirade, hearing my own anger and disappointment in his spiteful words. I let him cool for a moment. I knew he needed it, as did I. Finally, he sighed and I knew it was time to talk.

"Do you see this prison? Do you remember how it looked when you first came here? The embroidered tapestries that hung overhead? The incense that constantly burned? There was a reason for all of that. I was trying to prove myself. It wasn't for honor or glory, but rather for the love of a goose. A beautiful, treacherous goose by the name of Zeng," I breathed, listening to the gasp as I finished, and the ridiculing laughter once I was done.

That was, apparently, all my story was worth.

"So you're the rhinoceros in Oogway's vision! And here I'd thought it was one of your men!" he guffawed and I glared, wishing it could strike him dead where he stood.

"What are you talking about?" I inquired.

These days, I almost wished I hadn't.

The felon told me of the prophecy, explaining that it was probably why the tortoise had chosen me to Tai Lung's prison keeper. The prophecy stated that a rhino would strive beyond excellence in an attempt at justice, only to be stricken down by a goose chase that would one day be realized.

"He probably thought the chase had already happened!" guffawed the leopard, and I stood, growling at the creator of Kung Fu, though he was many miles away, for tricking me into that hell hole. He had known, dammit! He had known that I was destined to fail, and still he encouraged me to pursue the goose! He encouraged me to make a fool of myself!

The rage I felt in that moment has no words, there is no way to convey the absolute loathing I felt for every green-skinned creature that ever crawled upon this Earth. I apologize for this, but English is not a large enough language. I doubt that there is one.

And then the wretch spoke again, his words as the arrows, long and deadly, that sat ready and waiting in the crossbows overhead.

"If I ever see him, I'll be sure to let him know just how much it hurts. And it does, doesn't it, Vachir? I'll kill him, and you will be vindicated. And then, I'll kill you, and I will be vindicated. And then I'll become the Dragon Warrior and name a nice little corner of China after you. I'll call it Slothy Rhino. What do you think?" he purred, my blood boiling even as the words dripped from his lips and onto my ears like liquid nitrogen, freezing my body in icy terror.

Hate Zeng, and let him die. Love Zeng, and let myself become a damned husk of a being that once was.

A rattle of a chain brought my attention back to the world around me and I noted, with no small amount of relief, that the killer in question was chained up in an inescapable prison.

Spinning on my heels, I fled the platform, the deranged laughter of the convict echoing in my fear-stricken heart.