Story Time
I do not own Kung Fu Panda
The duck yawned and dragged his aching back down the hall. Cracking his stiff neck, he couldn't get any rest for his body. He's the servant. The head servant. Trusted with all the knowledge and duties that the masters had no time to do. Or simply didn't want to do.
And ever since the golden son was... taken away, the duck began to wonder if it was the latter.
His worn webbed feet walked along the small barracks' wooden floor. There was only one person here now. The duck didn't really have to be here, but the kitchen must be stocked. As the duck passed the only room with a person in it, he heard something.
Sniff Sniff Sniff
Sniffles. The duck sighed. Another hard training session ended with the master being too hard on the young learner.
The duck shook his head. He had no business getting into her emotional problems, even if he was a servant for everyone on the Jade Palace grounds. "No, it's not right," He whispered. Or he thought he whispered.
"Who's there?" came an armed yet weary voice from the room.
"It-It's me, Zeng, Master Tigress," said the duck. She wasn't a master yet, but the duck didn't feel comfortable calling her anything else. She was talented and sweet, much more than her predecessor. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm... I'm fine, Zeng. Just... leave me alone."
Zeng shut his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he ventured into the tiger's domain. She started to growl, "Zeng, I said-"
"M-M-M-Master Tigress, you don't look well," Zeng replied. "Is something wrong?"
"I... don't want to talk about it." She was leaning on her cot, arms crossed with her head buried. Her brown garment, a copy of what Master Shifu wore, looked like it had a new tear that Zeng would have to mend. The young tiger's eyes were red.
The duck sighed, "Rough training?"
Tigress didn't answer.
"I-I-I know it's not my place to say this, but... you really are a good student, Master Tigress."
"You're right, it's not your place to say it," Tigress grumbled. "Being a master takes everything, Zeng. I need to be perfect for... to protect the valley."
"It-It-It seems like you're m-more than capable of that, Master Tigress."
"It's... not good enough. I'll never be good enough," Tigress shut her eyes. "That's what Master Shifu said. If I can't perform better, I'll never be good enough." She reburied her head into her arms.
Zeng sighed. Oogway or Shifu should be doing this but ever since Tai Lung left, Shifu had become a very fickled person to deal with, and Oogway seemed to do little else but talk with the universe. Shifu demanded more from everyone, even Zeng. It was part of the reason why his back was-
"Argh," Zeng grunted, popping a sore spot in his back.
Tigress lifted her head. "Are you okay?"
"Y-y-yes, just some... late night duties that Master Shifu wanted me to do... again."
"I'm... sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault, Master Tigress," Zeng smiled with a nervous tint. Tigress offered a small smile of her own but went back to her miserable head-burying. "I know I don't know much about Kung Fu, but I do know that... being good enough is over-rated."
"Why?" She said with a cute muffled voice. Zeng stifled a snigger from the sound.
"Because if you're good enough, that's all you'll ever be. Just... good enough. If you try to get perfect... well, I don't think perfect is really something you can get," Zeng said. Tigress lifted her head with a frown. "But-But-But, I know you can be better than perfect. It's better to be reliable than perfect." He sat on the side of her cot. The full moon shone through the open window. "And you can't be reliable if you don't get some sleep."
"Hm, now you sound like Oogway," Tigress said. She climbed onto the cot and lay down.
"How about I tell you a story about one of my favorite heroes?" Zeng smiled.
"You know stories?" Tigress asked with full curiosity. The duck wasn't really known for anything else but cleaning.
Zeng gave a small smile. One that didn't seem like his usual nervous demeanor. That smile stuck with the tiger for a while after she first saw it. It seemed so... unusual and yet it fitted him so well. "There's a lot about me that you don't know. But let's focus on the story." Tigress got comfortable in her cot and waited for the duck's story with a small smile.
Many Years Later...
Po strolled victoriously into the Hall of Heroes, grinning from ear to ear. Master Shifu tended to the great hall's artifacts until he turned to his two students. "Another bandit raid down for the count. Not to brag, but I think we're getting too good for this."
"Pride comes before a fall, Po," Master Shifu warned, leaning on his master's old wooden staff. "You'd do well to remember that. Of course, with your usual clumsiness, it can't take long."
"Heeeeyy," Po glared at the red panda's smirk. An orange-striped hand rested on his shoulder. The tiger warrior behind him stepped to his side.
Crossing her arms, Tigress spoke up, "Master Shifu, the bandit raid at the western side has been neutralized, but we have a problem."
"What is that?" Shifu asked. Po produced a scroll from the back of his pants and gave it to Master Shifu. Tigress made a small face and glanced at Po's pants, then at Po.
"You don't have back pockets," She stated, a bit surprised.
"Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to," Po mumbled, averting his eyes. "Anyway, one of the bandits had this on them. We keep finding these notes on some of the bandits. Seems like they're all a part of something."
"They are spies," Said Tigress, "And the spies don't seem interested in money. They're going after libraries and storages of knowledge."
"Wait, isn't that what a library is?" Po asked. "I mean, it's a place where things-"
"Po," Shifu interrupted, "This is serious. This report suggests that the spies are a part of a larger criminal organization. They're after information, which is possibly the most dangerous thing to steal."
"That's the thing," Po said. "The bandits were busy punching us but these spies didn't really put up a fight. They surrendered, but they wouldn't say much. They kept saying they weren't bandits or spies, but 'people trying to right some wrong done years ago'."
"What wrong is that?"
"We don't know," Tigress answered Shifu. "They won't tell us their leaders' names or plans."
"It seems they're operating in cells. This could be the same group then."
"Master Shifu?" Tigress asked. Shifu looked up from his contemplative stare at the floor. "What's the matter?"
The red panda made a long hum and turned away. "These... spies, did they have anything linking them together? Any type of clothing or shoulder plate?"
Po scratched his head. "Uh... yeah yeah! Some weird red duck getting stabbed with four swords."
"QUACK!" Shifu, Po, and Tigress spun their heads to Zeng sweeping the floors in the corner with quaking legs.
Po smiled, "Don't worry, buddy. We won't let them hurt you." Zeng nervously grinned and kept on sweeping.
"This is alarming nonetheless," Shifu said. "The Master's council has been monitoring a similar group of spies. These spies have gotten so bold as to use bandits raids on the very Kung fu temples. And the captured spies won't talk."
"Maybe they're some kinda secret society trying to do good?" Po said excitedly. Tigress and Shifu glared at the panda with disbelief. "Hey, can't I be a little positive?"
"This is serious, Po." Tigress said, "These spies are fighting the masters for information."
"But what information are they trying to find?" Master Shifu asked. Po's shrug and Tigress's lowered head didn't hold the answer. Stroking his beard, Shifu sighed, "In either case, we have to be prepared for anything. Po, go with Zeng to move the scrolls to a safer location. There's a cellar underneath the Jade Palace that is heavily guarded and unknown."
"Coooll!" Po cheered. Tigress rose her eyebrow. "I mean, it's cool there's an underground bunker under the palace, not that the scrolls are in danger and... stuff. Heh."
Tigress shook her head. "What do you think they're after, Master Shifu?"
"Whatever it is," he murmured. "It will be safe in the cellar."
"Why?" Po asked, "What are the bad guys gonna get from scrolls? I mean, can't they just get them from the other Kung Fu temples?"
"No. These scrolls are very important and unique," Shifu said, "They're not found anywhere else. Master Oogway himself wrote these down. They show how to perform incredible feats of Kung Fu. To be able to strike faster than lightning or even become invisible."
"WHAT!? That's awesome!" Po zoomed over to the scroll rack, picking through hundreds of papyrus. "Where's the one for invisibility? I totally want that one."
Smack!
"OW!" Po nursed his sore head from Shifu's staff.
"Po, focus! Help Zeng move the scrolls. The Furious Five and I will see if we can't find anything more about this new threat."
"Alright, alright. Geez, don't have to hit so hard," Po muttered as he grabbed a crate full of scrolls with Zeng in tow.
As the two left, Shifu murmured under his breath. "I don't know what to think about this group. Something is wrong. I can feel it."
"Whatever it is, Master Shifu, we will be prepared to stop it," Tigress said with a bow.
Shifu nodded, though the frown on his face never left.
Meanwhile, Po and Zeng walked down spiraling stone steps to a long torch-lit tunnel cut through the rock. "Huh, I don't see how this is so secure-"
"WATCH OUT!" Zeng yoinked the panda back by his pants. A large spear flung from the holes in the wall where Po's head would've been.
"Hehe, okay, maybe it is secure. Heh, heh," Po gulped. Zeng pushed a secret stone in the wall and walked down the corridor. "Whoa, cool."
"This way, Dragon Warrior," Zeng said.
Po chuckled, "Zeng, we've been over this. You don't have to keep calling me Dragon Warrior. Just Po will be fine."
"Of course, Master Po."
"Just Po."
"Hehehe, of course."
They reached the end of the tunnel where a large metal door with a mechanistic latch barred their way. Zeng pressed another stone in the wall and the latch opened to a small empty room with a few metal shelves. Po coughed the dusty air clouding his lungs.
"I don't know why Shifu's going through all of this trouble for these scrolls," Po said. "Isn't it a bit overkill?"
"I-I'm sure Master Shifu is doing what he thinks is the best," Zeng replied, setting the crate down.
"I guess. But he should trust us to protect this stuff, right?"
"I'm sure he does, Dra- I mean, Master Po."
"So close," Po sighed with a small chuckle.
"I trust Master Shifu's judgment for most things," Zeng said. "I'm sure he knows best in this instant."
Po tilted his head. As they made their way back through the tunnel and back up to the fresh airy sunlight, Po finally asked the duck, "Hey, Zeng? What do you mean you trust Shifu on most things?"
"W-W-W-Well, I'm sure you don't tell Master Shifu everything, r-r-right?"
Po nodded. "True."
"He knows a lot," Zeng said politely, "But...Master Shifu doesn't know everything about the Jade Palace. Some secrets about this place and its people only Master Oogway knows."
"Do you know those secrets?" Po asked a bit intrigued. Just then, Crane flew into the Hall of Heroes.
"Po, come on! Master Shifu wants you to go to prison."
"What? I didn't do anything!"
Crane rolled his eyes. "Not to put you in. We just captured one of the leaders of the spy group. They're interrogating him right now!"
"Awesome! Sorry, Zeng. I need to go. I'll help you out after this, okay buddy?" With that, the panda rushed out, leaving the small duck alone in the Hall of Heroes.
Zeng sighed and smiled a bit as he went back to his duties. Like he always did.
Continued...
A/N: Okay, I'm gonna level with you guys, most of you know how this story goes and the big plot twist. This character has been a staple in my stories for quite some time now. It's like Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde, everyone knows the plot twist. BUT that does not stop us from enjoying something simply because we know the plot twist. I promised myself that I would make a full story about this and this has taken FOUR years to make. (Don't worry, I wasn't wasting my life focusing on this. It was largely occupying the recesses of my mind) This is more of experimenting with suspenseful writing than mystery. Please enjoy.