Well...here it is! Wish Musaki, Zeke and Arizona lots of luck for their first dates!

Chapter 4: First Dates

Shortly after the 'dating advice' from the other masters, Musaki led Arizona and Zeke out of the palace to pick up their dates. Zeke and Arizona were kinda curious to see who they could be themselves and the thought of that made them completely nervous as well and as they got to town, Zeke asked, "What's this Summer like?"

Musaki takes a deep breath as he knows a few things about her since they met in a short time back at the orphanage and replied, "It was while I was coping with the death of our parents and I was just too depressed to notice. But when i turned around, I've never seen anyone look so beautiful before. We talked a few times and when I tried to find her, she was already adopted. I never really saw her again...until earlier today."

"Wow. Wonder what her sisters might be like?" asked Zeke, a little skeptical.

Musaki took a deep breath and replied, "Who knows?"

After a few minutes of finding her house, they suddenly reach a little village a few miles further from Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop and when Musaki knocked on the door, all of them waited with bated breath over what might happen in a few seconds and when the door opened, out comes Summer, wearing a purple and pink dress and it took Musaki's breath away and he said, "Hey, Summer. You look beautiful."

Summer gigled at him and she happily replied, "Thank you."

Then, she took a look at the other two standing behind him and she said, "Nice to meet you two."

Then, Musaki turns around and sees Zeke and Arizona standing there and he chuckled in embarassment and replied, "Sorry. This is my brother Zeke and my friend Arizona."

Summer looked surprised to actually see Musaki's brother for the first time and didn't really know what to make of it and she replied, "You never told me you had a brother before."

Musaki scratched his head and replied, "We found each other like...2 years ago."

She smiled at Zeke and she shook his hand and told him, "You two look like each other...only without the blue eyes."

Zeke blinked a couple of times and he replied, "We're fraternal, actually. We look alike, but totally different. I have brown eyes, so..."

She understood it right away and then she looks at Arizona and she was surprised that there was a wolf in her way and she asked, "You're not a wolf bandit, are you?"

"No. I could never harm a living soul." Arizona replied, uneasily.

She chuckled softly and then said, "Just kidding. You look nice."

Arizona looked at and realized that she had a sense of humor and he lets out a sigh of relief and a small chuckle and said, "Thanks."

Musaki then told her, "They're here to meet your sisters."

Then, she remembered what he said to her last time they spoke and told him, "My sisters are totally excited to tag along and we definitely needed a date, so it's a good suggestion that you thought up of this triple date. Wait here, okay?"

All they could do is wait and they were pretty much anxious to see what they would look like and Arizona takes a deep gulp and tries to calm himself down to keep himself from giving himself a heart attack any second. When she came back, she brought along two different figures; a female grey wolf, 16 years of age, dark orange eyes, about 5'4, weighing in 142 pounds, wearing a bright blue sky gown and a corset on her hand. And the other; a female jaguar, 15 years old, bright red eyes, 5'4, weighing 140 pounds and wears an orange-purple dress with a rose on her ear. Summer introduced them to Musaki and she said, "These are my sisters; Sierra and Lani."

Arizona was instantly attracted to the female wolf and when he looked at her eyes, all nervousness completely dropped to the ground and when Summer introduced Sierra to Arizona, it was like little sparks fly instantly when they stared at each other. He smiled at her and said, "Nice to meet you, Sierra."

Sierra looked very shy around Arizona and she replied, "You too."

Arizona couldn't blame her for being shy because he felt the same way too and then, she immediately said to him, "You have beautiful eyes."

He started blushing right off the spot and didn't think anyone would compliment his eyes or anything for that matter. He looked at her and replied, "Thanks. You too."

When Zeke saw Lani for the first time, Zeke kinda felt a little shy around her because it was like nothing he's ever expected before. Lani looked at him in the eye and said, "It's okay, I don't bite."

"I guess so." Zeke replied.

Musaki could see that there's a little bit of sparks flying around them and he felt like this is gonna be the best date ever. He cleared his throat and asked, "Are we all ready?"

"Yep." Summer replied.

Everyone made their way as theyt took a little walk around the valley for a bit. Arizona couldn't help but feel a little bit shy around Sierra as she is shy around him. Then, he looks at her and just focused on her looks and it provoked complete nervousness for him that he's starting to date with someone his own species. She looked at him and she asked, "So...you live in the Valley of Peace?"

Arizona cleared his throat and replied, "About a couple of months now. I'm kinda growing to like it here because it's where I can hopefully spend the rest of my life there. Admist danger and stuff, it's a good place."

"You know, I was a little nervous about dating because I was afraid that a guy might be able to reject me because I was just too shy and somewhat nervous."

"That's what I was thinking too." Arizona added.

One look at each other and they could sense that they have the same thing in common; feeling shy. It was like the start of something sweet between both of them. Arizona would never expect meeting someone from the same species because of being surrounded by other wolves back at Kong Wolf City for years and to him, it felt like he could see himself with her.

Zeke and Lani kinda wanted to get to know each other for a while and Zeke asked, "So...what do you like to do?"

Lani stared at Zeke for a bit and replied, "I kinda like kung-fu."

That surprised him for a minute to know that Lani has an interest in kung-fu and replied, "So do I!"

Lani gasped in surprise for a second there after hearing that Zeke has the same interest as well and she said, "Are you good at it?"

"Yeah, I actually train and live at the Jade Palace." Zeke replied.

Lani gasped in shock and amazement and said, "Get out!"

Zeke smiled at her and said, "No, I'm serious. It was after I found my brother and I've been into kung-fu since then and it's been that way for almost 2 years."

Lani chuckled softly and he took a huge liking to Zeke and she said, "Maybe you should give me some pointers."

Meanwhile, Musaki and Summer looked at them and overheard many conversations they're having and it seems like it was the triple date was the best idea they ever had before. Summer chuckled softly and said, "Sounds like they're getting along."

Musaki agreed as well and he was surprised to see Zeke open up to her and he said, "It's the first time I've ever seen Zeke open up to anyone and that normally doesn't happen often."

Summer looked surprised to hear this from Musaki and asked, "How do you mean?"

Musaki lets out a deep sigh, scratched the back of his head and said, "Well...weeks after we got reunited, he seems to have trouble opening up to anyone, particularly with Shifu, Po and most of the Five but he's not shy opening up to me because we talk pretty much about everything. As for people he just met, he's always unsure because he fears rejection coming in."

Summer couldn't help but feel sorry for him and then he looks at Musaki and she said, "Looks like they're getting along so well."

As they were walking, they decided to take a little stop to Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop for a little dinner and when they entered, there was one full table that had the 'reserved' sign up. For some reason, it felt like Mr. Ping read their minds and when they all sat down, Mr. Ping immediately came over to them and said, "Hello there. I see you're all ready for valentine's day, I see."

Musaki chuckled softly at that and he said, "I guess so. But the holiday's only like six days away."

Mr. Ping lets out a chuckle and he said, "Oh, I know. This happens through the week of valentine's day and when every couple comes by for dinner, I do what I can to make their date more pleasurable."

Musaki looked at all of the dates, then turned back to him and said, "In that case, can you give us some noodles, please?"

"Coming up!" Mr. Ping exclaimed.

As Mr. Ping went off to get some noodles, the rest of them were talking amongst themselves to sorta get to know each other a little bit and Arizona stared deep in Sierra's eyes and felt like he was lost inside of her beauty. When Sierra looked up at Arizona, she could see that he's staring at her and when he caught her attention, he was completely embarassed to know that he was staring at her and he lets out a very nervous chuckle and said, "I'm sorry. It's just that...your eyes...they're so beautiful."

Sierra started giggling a little bit and then, she responds, "Thanks. I was a little afraid that someone can look at me and think that I'm weird."

Arizona completely stared at her eyes and he responded, "Well, I don't think you're weird at all."

Sierra started giggling as she stared at him and blushed a little and said, "Aw, thank you."

Just then, Mr. Ping came back with several bowls of soup and brought it to them all and they definitely were looking forward to indulge themselves into it. He chuckled softly and said, "Enjoy, you all."

"Thanks." Musaki said.

They were picking up their chopsticks and everyone stared eating some. The taste immediately made the girls' day..or night (depending how you look at it) and it was like nothing they ever tasted before. Sierra was the first one to react in such an insanely positive way and she said, "This is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth."

Arizona chuckled softly as he takes a sip of noodles and then didn't notice a little string hanging beneath his muzzle. Sierra looked at him and she started giggling softly and Arizona didn't quite get the humor in this and he replied, "What's so funny?"

She looked at him and pointed at her muzzle as if to remind him there was something in his nose and when Arizona tried to grab his upper lip, he could touch the string of noodle near his muzzle and he immediately felt embarassed by it as he removes it from his lip and ate it. He chuckled nervously and said, "Sorry about that."

"You're funny." Sierra added.

"Who, me? Nah..."Arizona said, trying to cover up the embarassment.

Lani picked up the noodles from her chopsticks and when Zeke ate his, they couldn't help but stare at each other while their mouths were still hanging from the noodles they were eating. They let out a small chuckle as they kept eating.

Musaki and Summer picked up their bowl and took a sip on it and when they set it down, three strings of noodles went to Musaki's upper and lower lip and Summer started laughing at this and Musaki wasn't sure what to make of it and she said, "If only I had seen your silly side when we were kids."

Then, Musaki sees the noodle strings around him and he started laughing too and said, "Yeah, that would've been different for me."

"You know, it's the first time I ever heard you laugh in so long. Because we never had a chance to get to know each other really well." Summer explained.

Musaki looked at her and sighed in response and then said, "Well, I was still in grieving. I never knew you noticed me since then."

"Summer stared at him in the eyes and said, "Well, I'm noticing you now."

That made Musaki feel like he was gonna make it through this date and made his first one really special. As they all kept eating their noodles, Mr. Ping just stared through the kitchen and lets out a happy sigh and said, "Young love..."

Later that night, they all decided to look up at the stars for a minute and at first glance at the moon, Zeke and Lani couldn't help but get lost in the beauty of it. Lani smiled and said, "The moon looks so beautiful tonight."

Zeke looked at her and replied, "Just like you."

Lani starts gigling and Zeke just laughed a little bit and then, it was time for Lani to get something out of her chest and she said, "Hey, Zeke...I bet being adopted made you want to experience life a little more, huh?"

That surprised Zeke to know that Lani was adopted and he turned to her and asked, "Really?"

"Yeah. I was originally from Africa and there was this huge war between the lions and my family. Even though we're from the same feline species, they always hated each other. One day, this one lioness went in and tried to kill my family and before she could even get to me, my parents went and stopped them. As hard as they tried, she slaughtered them and all that was left was the dead bodies of my mom and dad. It was the worst day of my life. I just decided to run away and never return and then I ended up in China while I was on a crate full of carrots. I was wandering around one day and then, someone came and took me in their home and I've been there for like 8 years. My adopted parents were really great and despite a few different species, we're like family." Lani replied.

Zeke was ultimately surprised by this and he could relate to her and said, "I was adopted too...by some foster parents. Man, that was brutal. My foster dad was like a total abuser and would just put me down a lot, thinking I'll never amount to anything. I've been reserved from everyone else outside of where I was from because I didn't want to feel rejected or anything. One day, a couple of gorilla guards arrested them for possession of drugs and child abuse and I was sent to the Valley of Peace, hoping to get a fresh start with some new foster parents. We rarely talk, but I did feel happy with them. When I turned 14, I found out that I had a twin brother and I never really thought it was possible...until we met. The day I met Musaki...was like something I never really thought could happen, but at the time...I didn't really believe it. Above all that, I kinda got to know him more and we've been tight ever since."

"Wow...that's a very touching story." Lani said.

Zeke lets out a small exhale and he said, "Musaki and I are like friends rather than brothers...but it's nice enough to know that I can always rely on him."

Meanwhile, Sierra and Arizona were laying down on the grass, just looking at the stars and when they saw a shooting star, both of them were really excited about this and Sierra said, "If you make a wish upon a shooting star, it'll come true."

Arizona looked at her and he wouldn't expect anything like that to happen and he said, "Really? I've never heard of things like that."

"Just try it."

Arizona took a deep breath and tried to think of something and then, he turned back to her and replied, "My wish is that...I hope to continue living my life in peace."

Sierra was instantly surprised at this and she asked, "How come?"

Arizona felt totally nervous about his answer and he turned to her and said, "Can I trust you?"

She nodded her head and then, Arizona told her, "What I might say...it's a memory that I wish I can forget. A long time ago, I was orphaned and my parents were killed...in separate occasions. My mom was killed by a croc bandit and my dad was killed by my uncle a year later...and then took me in. Every day, I was constantly abused, hated, beaten by him and his stupid comrades. Each and every day of the freakin' years, I had to put up with so much crap that it just brought me to a point where I just wanna end my life, you know? Sometimes I wished I would never even exist anymore. You can't imagine how many times I wished I wanted to leave that tower so badly. Then, just a couple of months ago, my life was changed drastically when someone got me out of a life of misery and darkness and into something new and bright full of happiness and hope would never end and took me to the Valley of Peace where I live right now. If it wasn't for that person, I would've grown up miserable for the rest of my life."

"Who was that person?" asked Sierra.

Arizona then points out to Musaki and when she looked at him, she was surprised to know that the person that saved Arizona is the same person that's dating Summer. She smiled at him and then turns to Arizona and said, "You must be lucky to have a friend like him."

"Yep."

Then, Arizona lifts up his shirt and he shows her some parts of his brutal scars he had growing up and she looked horrified to see what he's been through and she said, "I'm so sorry that happened to you."

Arizona then puts it back on and said, "It's a reminder of what I had to deal with and also wishing the days I wanted to get out. Because of Musaki, he taught me to live. I'm just hoping that one day I would do the same thing for him as he did for me."

Then, Summer looked at Musaki and she laid her head on his shoulder. She purred at him and he puts his hand around her and just let the moment sink in. She said, "This is what I was expecting for my first date."

"So did I." Musaki said.

Then, he took a look around and sees Zeke and Arizona enjoying themselves with their dates and he felt happy for them as well and Musaki lays his head towards hers and he said, "I wish this would never end."

"Me neither."

Later on, they all made their way home and all of them were laughing and just talking and when they got back to Summer's house, Summer told Musaki, "This was the best first date I ever had."

"Mine too. In fact, I think it was the best thing that ever happened." Musaki answered.

They all stared at each other and Musaki scratched the back of his head and said, "Well...I guess we better get back to the palace, but this was a lot of fun."

One look at each other's eyes, they leaned forward to each other and gave out a kiss. They wrapped their arms around each other as they continued kissing each other and Arizona did the same with his date and so did Zeke. When they broke off the kiss, it was like something that they could not even expect to imagine. Summer smiled at him and she said, "Can't wait for valentine's day."

"I'm looking forward to it too."

Summer, Sierra and Lani all head back inside the house and they said their goodbyes to each other and it left Musaki, Arizona and Zeke completely happy for how it turned out and as they made their way back to the bunkhouse, it was a moment they could savor for the rest of their lives. Soon enough, they could tell that the hallway was kinda half-dark, so maybe someone would be awake but out of the blue, in comes Shifu right in front of them.

Shifu smiled at all three of them and by the looks on their faces, it sounds like their first dates became the best ones. He asked, "How did it go?"

"It was the best night we ever had in a long time." Musaki answered.

"Ours too." Arizona and Zeke agreed.

Just then, Viper, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, Po and Tigress overheard that they're back and Viper was the first one to come in and said, "I'm so proud of you guys! I bet it was a pleasant experience."

"It was...and we owe it all to you." Zeke added.

Viper was suddenly shocked that they're thanking her for getting through the first date and she asked, "What for?"

"You told us to be ourselves...and it worked." Arizona said, happily.

Most of them were in shock that they're thanking Viper for giving them dating advice and Mantis chimed in and said, "We helped too!"

"Ha! The only thing you helped was giving the worst dating advice for just making out instead of dating." Viper said, scoffing.

Monkey looked flabbergasted to hear this coming out of Viper and he said, "Well...how else are they gonna learn how to impress a girl?"

Musaki butted in and replied, "Easy...by not listening to your advice."

Viper shrieked with laughter after she heard Musaki's comeback joke and she said, "You tell him, Musaki!"

Arizona and Zeke started laughing with each other and kept talking about their first dates and Musaki was smiling throughout and suddenly, Tigress went up to him and said, "How would anyone date someone like you?"

"I'm sweet, nice, charming and also very likeable. Also very sensitive and I'm kind of in touch with my feminine side. I think that kinda helps too." Musaki replied.

Tigress was silent about this for a minute and he said, "Besides, you'll never know unless you try it...unless you wanna be a lonely old tiger that couldn't get a date even if you tried."

"WHOA!" Monkey replied, as he burst out laughing hysterically.

She shook her head at that and said, "Take all those away and what have you got left?"

"Uh...you. And your dating advice...at least I won't end up like you." Musaki said, with a laugh.

Monkey and Po were laughing hysterically at the second comeback and they high-fived each other and Shifu said, "Do tell us about it."

With that, Musaki, Arizona and Zeke started telling them everything and it was like he's totally stoked up about Valentine's day after all and with almost 5 days nearing, he hopes that whatever happens will turn out better than the one he just experienced.

How was that? There's lots more coming! BTW, Happy Valentine's Day!