Hey guys!

There's not much to say… Next chapter will be up on Monday (yes, it's already finished)

Enjoy ^^''

I do not own Kung Fu Panda

Chapter 13 – Madam Jun

"Breathe in… and out." Master Shifu was sitting and meditating with the others as they've been doing some time now. It was early in the morning and a week since their last mission. Tigress was fresh again and Monkey almost too, he could walk without any problems now. But Master Proelio was gone. He left the night after the arriving at the Jade Palace with no warning and nobody except from Master Shifu had heard from him since.

"Panda. I said breathe not snore," Master Shifu said and you could hear a strict tone underneath his relaxed voice. Po quickly woke up and started breathing with the others. Tigress didn't do as her friends did. Instead of emptying her mind, she listened to the other's every tiny move, and she could always hear them, even when they were still. She did know that Master Shifu wouldn't like her to do it this way, but after her training with Master Proelio, she couldn't do it any differently.

She was stronger now. Not as strong as she used to but still stronger than before Master Proelio's training. She actually felt bad about never saying thanks to him. After all, he did save her life 3-4 times. And he helped her to find the strength again. Everything could seem perfect now, but it wasn't – Just because Tigress had power, doesn't mean she knew how to use it. That's why she never fought with her friends anymore. She was too afraid to hurt them.

"And out… The meditation is over. You should go get some breakfast," the red panda opened his eyes just as the others and stood up. Without any more words, he left the room and Tigress and her friends walked towards the dining room.

"I always feel so happy after meditation," Monkey said and stretched his back.

"Me too." Po said while they reached the dining room. He walked to the cookie-bowl and started eating, "I feel so refreshed."

"You slept half of the time and isn't it a bit early to eat cookies?" Tigress wasn't really in a good mood, mostly because of her shame of not being able to train with the others. No, she trained with the dummy… as always. Except that this time she could destroy ten-eleven dummies a day without even wanting it.

"It's never too early to eat cookies," Po happily replied with his mouth filled with food and Crane shook his head while eating buns with the others, Tigress included.

"Now I want cookies too," Monkey mumbled but kept on eating bread. Though Tigress couldn't help but smiling, that smile was quickly gone. The tiger wasn't good at smiling.

"So have anyone heard from Proelio yet?" Viper asked while looking at the others. Tigress almost choked on her piece of bread when her friend mentioned the male-tiger.

"Master Shifu said that he would come back this week. But no, none of us have heard from him," Mantis said and he clearly wasn't happy about it. Apparently everybody missed Master Proelio. But they didn't know how many things he was keeping from them. Because he had to have heard about Xi somehow but still he didn't want to tell anyone that he was one of the four leaders of the Rulers of the Four Winds. And that's why Tigress couldn't trust him. He wasn't telling the complete truth. And now he had left.

"Maybe he'll come back today!" Po said with a cheerful voice. Tigress didn't agree at all: "He's probably not coming back. He had to help us with the training and now that it's over, he won't even look… back" The last word was said right after Master Shifu had walked in and told everybody to meet outside the Jade Palace and that Master Proelio was back. Tigress was now the only one in the room, looking around with a surprised glance.

Master Proelio hadn't changed much since last time Tigress saw him. Except that last time, he was forcing the feline to kill Xi, the bear which life had been spared several times by the male-tiger himself. Oh, and he was wearing new clothes. Now instead of a green shirt and white pants, he was wearing a completely white shirt with black pants. Somehow it made him look so more serious.

But Tigress was probably the only one noticing that. The others were focusing on the crocodile that was standing next to the master with his hands bound on his back. The croc didn't seem to be completely conscious.

"Master Shifu, on my way up here, I caught this bandit trying to rob from an old lady-goose," Master Proelio said and he sounded just as serious as his clothes made him look. It was very strange hearing his voice again. "I also found other stolen objects on him. As…"

He gave the red panda who was standing in front of ham a little leather bag. Tigress almost immediately noticed what mark there was on it; a circle with four arrows pointing in different directions. From top to bottom she froze but her master didn't seem to react to the mark. He just looked at it with a relaxed look and gently took it from Master Proelio.

"I will make sure that this bag comes back to its beloved owner," he said before putting the bag in his pocket, "and I will also make sure that this thief stays in his cell until the judges select his punishment."

Master Proelio nodded; "I'll put him behind closed doors immediately." He started to walk while pushing the absent crocodile forward. On his way he looked at his pre-students. "Furious Five. Dragon Warrior."

When he walked past Tigress, he smiled at her with his cocky smile. "Nice to see you again, Master Tigress," he greeted before walking into the palace. Tigress gaped at him leaving with big surprised eyes. How could he smile at her after all this mess?

Everybody was silent for a while but Po broke the silence with a happy cheer. "Whoho! Proelio is back! I told you so!" he shouted but went quiet again when he saw Master Shifu's glance. "Master Proelio isn't here to train or be with you. He is here to work and that's why you need to leave him be. No matter how many questions you have to ask him."

He looked at Tigress when saying the last sentence and the tiger quickly nodded and bowed for him. "Of course Master," she said, "We'll leave him be."

Tigress didn't even want him to come back! She wanted him to go away and take all the problems with him! But of course he had to come back… with even more problems. But fine, if Master Proelio didn't want to be disturbed, then she wouldn't even want to see him. Maybe the problems would stay on his shoulders then.

Master Shifu was right; Master Proelio was nowhere to be seen the whole day. He wasn't even in the training hall after today's training… Tigress went looking for him. She knew that it was stupid but she had to ask him about the bag with the Rulers of the Four Winds' mark on it. But never mind, she couldn't even find him.

Or maybe… maybe he was with Master Shifu. Tigress quickly turned around and walked towards the library where Master Shifu spent his day writing and working. On her way she tried to come up with an excuse for wanting to talk to the male-tiger. She could say that she needed to talk to him about the training but… Master Shifu would be there too and somehow he couldn't know about her training alone with Master Proelio. She could also say thanks to him, but now when she thought about it; Master Proelio would probably just come with a teasing smile and think that the feline was weak.

She didn't have time to come up with the excuse she needed, because now she reached the library. She looked around and saw Master Shifu sitting at a table with a person sitting in front of him; Not Master Proelio but an old female-rhinoceros with red lipstick, a pink flower behind her ear and a green kimono. None of them noticed the tiger that was standing behind a bookshelf.

"Proelio was an… absent child. He didn't like to play with the other boys and wasn't talking to anyone," the rhinoceros said while sipping to her tea.

"That's exactly why I wanted to talk to you Madam Jun. Kiew told me that Master Proelio, as a child, only trusted you." Master Shifu looked down at some files. Tigress couldn't read what was written on them. But that didn't matter. She was too curious about this conversation. Madam Jun, the stranger, must have been from the orphanage that Master Proelio grew up at. Maybe if she just kept on standing real still, she could find out some more about Master Proelio's past.

"You can say that…" Madam Jun seemed to be careful about what she was saying. It was like she hesitated before every word she said. "At the time when Proelio was a cub and arrived at the orphanage people were… shocked. The children who lived there were simply bunnies and lambs… Proelio was a predator. He was furious, wild and no one could control him. So people started fearing him instead and kept him on a great distance. So when he tried to control his anger, he didn't have anyone to be with. Except for me of course. I'm a stubborn lady and I don't give up very easily. So I took care of Proelio when no one else wanted too."

Tigress froze. That described her as a cub, preciously. Except that it was Master Shifu that gave her the chance to control her anger.

"It is said in his files that he also ran away quiet often?" Master Shifu looked from the papers to his cup that he drank from and Madam Jun nodded: "Yes he did run away several times - Almost every day, if I remember correctly. The first time he did it was a few weeks after arriving. But he came back after a few hours and locked himself up in his room. He always came back, because he wanted to come back."

"And why do you think that he wanted that?" Master Shifu looked at the lady with the same curiosity that Tigress felt.

"I think that no matter how miserable it was to be at the orphanage and no matter how lonely Proelio felt… he knew that it was his faith to grow up there," Madam Jun said and then she laughed quietly. "He kept on telling me about this dream that he dreamt almost every night… A dream about this tiger…"

"I'm very sorry Madam Jun, but I have to interrupt you now," Master Shifu said while looking down at his files, "I have an important question. Did Master Proelio ever get adopted?"

"No…" Madam Jun shook her head in a sad manner, "Nobody wanted him. But he did grow up to be a fine and intelligent young man. He left the orphanage when he turned eighteen… And I haven't heard from him since. It's about ten years ago now…"

Tigress expected Master Shifu to save the old woman from her sorrow, but the red panda just shook his head like he didn't know that Master Proelio was here, in the Jade Palace. Why didn't he want to tell Madam Jun about the male-tiger?

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Madam Jun," Master Shifu said and stood up at the same time as the rhinoceros, "Thank you for coming and answering my questions. It's very nice of you to travel this far to talk with me. Would you like to stay here for tonight and receive some energy before leaving again?"

"Well, that would be just lovely, Master Shifu," Madam Jun answered with a smile, "It's nice to see that young men still can show respect for old ladies." To Master Shifu and Tigress' surprise, she pinched the "young" man's cheek before walking out of the room. Master Shifu looked stunned after her before leaving the room trough another room and Tigress stood alone in the library.

Master Proelio was a predator… furious, wild and no one could control him… People started fearing him… Nobody wanted him…

The only thing, Tigress needed to do, was to switch his name with hers and then it would be fit her past perfectly. Maybe it also fit her present… She shook her head and walked out of the library and towards her bedroom, while wondering about Master Proelio's past. He actually grew up to be… a jerk – If you ask Tigress of course. Now as an adult, he still acted as a child and he also left Madam Jun, even after all that she had done for ham. It was so… pathetic.

She reached her bedroom, but stopped in the doorway, when she saw that her room wasn't empty.

A/N: This is the first chapter of part 2 – North. So please tell me, what do you think about Master Proelio's past? And who do you think is in Tigress' room? ;-)