Just a note, because I noticed this in a review: the unnamed person in the last chapter wasn't Shifu as a cub. Sorry.

Chapter One- A Meeting

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

Pause.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

Pause (little longer).

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Panda!"

"Jeez, sorry!" Po flinched.

"Well, if you stopped asking, we wouldn't be yelling!" Shifu snapped.

"Honestly, Po, does it look like we're there yet?" Tigress agreed.

"I'm tired!" Po whined.

"We're all tired, Po." Crane said. "You're not the only one that was fighting bandits."

"Alright, alright." Po shrugged in defeat. "But when will we be home?"

"Now." Shifu announced. Everyone stopped and looked out ahead. The village lay in front of them. Home never looked so amazing after the two week long mission to the Northern Mountains. As the group traveled down, villagers welcomed them back gratefully.

"You guys go on ahead." Po said as they neared the Noodle Shop. "I've gotta check on my dad and make sure he isn't freaking out."

"Take your time, Po." Shifu nodded. "We all need our rest."

"We'll meet up at the palace!" Monkey called as he ran ahead. "I want noodle soup for dinner!" Po nodded and walked into the shop. Shifu and the Five continued their journey to the palace. They were all so tired they almost didn't make it up the steps. Shifu pushed on the door, but it seemed to be locked.

"Lily!" he called over the wall. "Open up!"

"What's the password?" a girl's voice asked through the door.

"We don't have a password." Mantis said.

"Yes we do." The voice said. "I made one up while you were gone."

"Then how are we supposed to know it?" Crane pointed out.

"You…" there was a pause. "Alright, good point." The door opened to reveal a young panther's face. She had bright green eyes and wore black clothing, hardly visible. "Welcome home, guys. How was the mission?"

"Tiring." Viper admitted. "One of our biggest battles yet."

"Did you bring me home a souvenir?" Lily asked.

"Here." Shifu placed a pure white stone (called Moon Rocks and commonly found on the Northern Mountains) into Lily's hand. "That's all we could find."

"Good enough." Lily said. "Thanks." She tossed the stone up and down a few times. "Well, I'd better head home."

"If you can spare a minute, I'll get your pay." Shifu offered.

"Don't worry about it." Lily waved her paw. "Being the emergency guardian while you're all away is part of my job description, along with the night guard thing."

"You sure?"

"Positive." Lily nodded. "Good night." She walked off, whistling to herself.

"Best night guard we've ever had." Tigress noted. Everyone else agreed as they journeyed to the kitchen. Po joined them soon after and started making dinner. After everyone had been served, Zeng suddenly popped in.

"Oh good, you're back!" he said. "A message came while you were gone." He delivered the scroll to Shifu before flying off. Shifu opened the scroll and scanned it.

"Odd….." he muttered.

"Who's it from?" Po asked.

"Master Chao." Shifu said. "Passing through the Valley and wants to meet with me."

"We're not having another inspection, are we?" Po asked. "Because if we are, I'm staying at Dad's until it's over."

"He just wants to talk." Shifu replied. "Mainly to me."

"About what?" Po inquired.

At this, Shifu rolled up the scroll and glared. "None of your business." He hopped down from his chair and limped out of the room. Tigress glared at Po.

"Why must you ask so many questions?" she snapped.

"I was just curious." Po shrugged.

"By the sound of it, I would guess that Master Chao's in trouble." Monkey said.

"I agree." Viper nodded. "But how?"

"Who knows?" Mantis said. "We can ask Shifu, but I think it's a discussion for him and Chao alone."

"What, no 'lets-go-sneak-into-their-meeting-and-find-out-what's-up' plan?" Po said, surprised. "Is there something wrong with you, Mantis?"

"Oh shut up." Mantis grumbled.

Meanwhile, Shifu was continuing down the hallway. He stopped by his room for a cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders, placing a rice hat on his head. Then he ran off into the village, hidden in the shadows. The old master stopped outside a pub on the outskirts of the valley. He made sure his hat and cloak were concealing him properly before walking inside. No one paid much attention to him. Most of the men were drinking, sleeping, or watching pretty ladies dance for them. Shifu weaved through the crowd and up to the counter. He climbed onto a stool and noticed a panther girl, identical to Lily, on the other side. Unlike Lily, this girl had bright blue eyes and very little clothing; all she had one was a strapless piece of cloth around her breasts and underwear with a see-thru silk skirt, all of it jade green.

Shifu cleared his throat. The panther turned to him and smiled mischievously. "Good evening, kind sir." The panther bowed. "How may I help you?"

"I have an appointment that I'm already late for." Shifu said. "Can you help me, Ling?"

The panther glanced around. "Of course. Anything for my best customer. Please come this way." Ling walked from behind the counter and motioned for Shifu to follow her. As they walked through the pub, Ling waved cutely and traced her tail along men's noses, making them go all googly-eyed. Shifu rolled his eyes under his hat. Seductive little kitten. He thought. Ling led Shifu through a back door and down a long hallway. When they got to the end, there was a large oak door with a brass handle.

Ling knocked. "You still in there?" The door opened with a creak. Shifu and Ling cautiously stepped inside. Only one lantern was lit, barely lighting up the room. Ling walked ahead of Shifu, her ears swiveling around. Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind them. A figure in a black hooded cloak dropped down in front of them. Ling hissed a warning, but the figure attacked. Shifu jumped to avoid its claws and Ling leaped onto its back. The figure flipped her over its head and she went flying into the wall. Ling dug her claws into the wall, holding on. The figure whipped its tail around at Shifu, who jumped to avoid it. He jumped up and delivered a well-placed kick to the attacker's stomach, sending him careening into a bed nearby. Ling jumped into the air, did a flip, and landed on the figure before it could rise. When Shifu stood, he saw Ling on her hands and knees, with the figure on its back and Ling's paw on its chest. There was stillness for a while, and Shifu walked up to the side of the bed.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're enjoying this." Shifu said.

Ling shot him a look and shrugged. "Don't deny a girl her pleasures." She reached up and removed the figure's hood. When she saw who it was, her eyes widened and she back flipped off the bed, bowing. "Master Chao!"

The lizard master stood from the bed and brushed himself off. He motioned for Ling to rise. "Keep your voice down; we don't want anyone to know who's really in here."

Ling nodded. "You could've said something sooner!" she snapped. "Look, you two wanted to meet here and talk. So why don't you do that, while I go change out of this getup?" Ling stomped over to the walk-in closet across the room.

"You don't look that bad!" Chao called back to her. Ling turned and glared hard. Chao and Shifu only laughed. Ling stuck her nose in the air and walked into the closet, slamming the door shut behind her.

Shifu turned to Chao, removing his hat. "It's been a while. What is it you wanted to speak to me about?"

Chao's smile disappeared. He looked extremely concerned. "Why don't we sit down?" He suggested, gesturing to the table and chairs nearby. He and Shifu sat down, pouring themselves some tea from the pot on the table.

"Is something wrong, Chao?" Shifu asked.

Chao sighed. "I had just returned from a mission a few days ago. I found something that…." Chao stared at his tea. He looked exhausted.

Shifu placed a comforting hand on Chao's clawed one. "What happened?"

Chao took a breath and began his story.