A/N: Once again I'd like to start by thanking everyone who took their time to review. Thank you for your words of encouragement and critique as well! This chapter contains my very first battle scene, so please let me know of any mistakes you find. Now then, on to chapter four!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

The Rays Scattering the Darkness

Steadying his breath, Po took a quick glance at the sky. While still rather cloudy, it seemed no rain would come that day.

„You know the drill, guys. I'll try to distract the one with the gauntlets, you make a quick work of the smaller ones," he said quietly to his friends, not taking his eyes from the leading gorilla.

The others nodded silently, waiting with anticipation for the battle to begin. The great apes were formidable oponents, especially if they knew Kung Fu. But the defenders of the Valley of Peace were eager to serve justice to those who caused such a havoc.

„Alright then!"

Adjusting his footing, Po exhaled slowly through his mouth, grin spreading on his face. His comrades smiled knowingly as he was about to shout his favoured signature phrase, one he still held on to despite trying to let go of many of his less mature seeming habits.

„Prepare to feel the thunder!"

Ironically it was the panda who was forced to feel a thunder, so boisterous was the roar the gorillas let out in reply. The battle was on.

The bandit leader immediately rushed forward, all the boars, wolves and both remaining gorillas following right after him. The Dragon Warrior hesitated for but a second before rushing to meet the leader head on. Crane took off into the air, flapping mightily with his wings, thus creating a cloud of dust that disoriented most of the attackers. Meanwhile, Mantis and Monkey made their way to the remaining rooftops in the street, effectively avoiding the head of the charge and jumping to the crowd of momentarily blinded bandits.

Once within range, Po stopped to dodge the incoming gorilla's fists, doing his best to avoid the sharp metal spikes on his gloves. Viper, who was slithering behind the panda, made her way under the two fighters' legs and proceeded to distract the two other gorillas, buying Po some valuable time and keeping him from getting surrounded.

If Po was ever considered quick for his size, then he was now equally baffled by the speed of the gorilla he fought. It soon became clear that the pose before the fight wasn't just for show. These apes knew Kung Fu, and they knew it well. Combined with the dangerous looking weapons of theirs it made them foes that were not to be taken lightly.

Backing away from his opponent a few steps, Po began the Inner Peace sequence, fully decided that he would not hold back. The rest of the raid turned out to be mostly just regular bandits whose blades were sharper then their wits. Viper, however, was coming to the very same conclusion as the panda was.

Crane ascended directly upward in a spiral fashion, kicking all the bandits that made the mistake of rushing and leaping toward him. While in the air he noticed his comrade's troubles. Trusting Mantis and Monkey to take care of the rest, he hurried to help the snake.

The bandit leader was growing frustrated with the panda's unpenetrable defense, so caught up in his fight that he paid no mind to how quickly was the rest of the band being dispatched. Po redirected another punch and decided that it was time.

Looks like the rain isn't happening, he thought to himself, smirking inwardly at the irony: it kept raining during his trainings for the past three weeks but when he could utilize it in battle, not a single droplet of water fell.

Adjusting his footing, the panda began the moves he grew so familiar with recently during his training sessions. He performed the 'dance', focusing on his chi, while still effectively redirecting and avoiding attacks of the more and more agitated gorilla.

He was about to land the attack when a shadow loomed over him. Turning his gaze towards it, his eyes became significantly wider when he recognized one of the other gorillas' maces coming right for his face. Rolling sideways to avoid getting his head smashed in, he got his feet under himself again and risked taking the time to check on the situation.

Mantis and Monkey were still fighting in the now dissipated cloud of dust. Crane was lying on the ground while Viper was facing the third ape. She was using a rope tied to her tail, that she must have found somehow during the fight, to make the gorilla punch himself repeatedly in the face, the end of the rope wrapped around his fist, his mace lost somewhere during the combat.

Being quickly reminded of the fact that he was in a fight himself by a swing of a mace, Po resumed his technique, this time evading attack from two attackers. Seeing his chance, he ducked under the leader's fist, then ran into his midsection, right hip first, effectively sending both of his foes staggering backwards. Not wasting a second, Po aimed for the head gorilla's thigh, quickly finishing the sequence and thrusting his right palm forward.

Crane picked himself up from the ground after being hit by one of the maces. He looked up just in time to see Po's hand connecting with the great ape's leg. A strong gust of wind whirled around, creating another, though smaller, cloud of dust, but not before Crane could notice bright green ripples shining in the spot the panda's palm hit.

A thunderous roar echoed and Po backed away startled as the gorilla grasped his leg and fell to the side, hitting the ground with a loud thud. The other ape recovered quickly, raising his mace and charging for the panda.

„Po! Look out!" came Crane's voice as he intercepted the attacker just in time before the weapon hit. Po quickly rolled away, heeding his comrade's warning, getting ready to fight again. Mantis and Monkey were already done with their opponents and were helping Viper.

Crane kept the ape distracted while Po repeated the sequence, this time hitting his foe's chest. The gorilla fell limply to the ground, alive but unconscious. Monkey's cry made the two masters turn their attention to their fellow fighters. Viper was strangling the ape while Mantis proceeded to knock it out. Monkey was laying on the ground a few yards away, clutching his arm.

Another thud as the last ape fell and the fight was over. Shaking his right arm a little, Po took a look around, then assumed his role as a leader.

„Everyone alright?" it was clear to him that Monkey was not, despite the primate's nod to his question, but the panda still had to ask to make sure the others were at least relatively fine as well. „Viper, Mantis, you two check on Monkey's arm. Crane, take a flight and see if there are any more of the attackers around," he then turned his gaze toward the three gorillas. „I'll make some interrogations."

He walked to the one he knocked out with the hit to the chest and checked the animal's pulse. Much to his relief, the ape was still breathing. Approaching the one cluthing his leg, the panda grimaced at the pained look in the bandit leader's face. He meant to render the leg useless for a time, not cause the victim such pain. It seemed the gorilla could not stand, but Po remained cautious.

„Seems like you've won, Dragon Warrior," a strained voice said.

„How is it?" Po asked, sounding concerned.

„To lose?"

„No. I mean the leg," he said, pointing at the limb.

The gorilla stared incredulously at the panda for a moment before replying. „Not broken, I think. But definetly cracked."

Po felt guilty. He was trying hard to improve, to come up with a technique that would make up for his lack of strenght, but when he was hitting those trees, he didn't consider the consequences of trying and failing to use it at a living creature. It worked the second time when he hit the other ape to the chest, knocking him out flawlessly. The first...

„Sorry," he muttered, looking elsewhere. After a moment, he regained his composure and resumed his leader persona.

„So... does this have anything to do with the trouble at Misty Peaks?"

The bandit let out a short chuckle. „Not really."

The panda frowned, not liking the thought that it would be just a coincidence that there were gorillas attacking. Perhaps rephrasing the question would help.

„Do you know anything about the situation there? What can you tell me about it?"

This time it seemed there would be an answer Po seeked. The gorilla seemed reluctant to answer, but he honored his word in the end.

„Not much. It's been some time since I've been there. But it's not hard to guess what's happening..." he spoke, his voice lined with pain, but he still kept talking. „Since the whole Stone Edge Mountains deal, we've been without a stable leadership. The Wind Chaser did not return from the war... there were 'arguments' about who should take his place. Youngsters have little respect for their elders, elders don't have the energy to keep the youngsters'... eagerness... in check. Many left the area to seek their fortune elsewhere. I was among those that found solace in Shen's army, but after his fall..." the smirk that crossed the ape's face seemed almost innocent, almost. „...we've found another ways to provide for ourselves."

Po stared blankly at the bandit, going over the things he said and putting the pieces together when Crane's voice snapped him back to reality.

„No more attackers around. Most of the villagers are at the other side of the village. I told them the fight was over. They're currently searching for anyone left behind or trapped under the rubble."

The bear nodded his understanding, then turned his attention to his primate friend.

„So how is the arm?"

„It's broken," Viper replied, helping Monkey adjust the splint for the wounded limb. „But it will be alright."

„Yeah, I've seen him go through much worse. How did the questioning go?" Mantis asked, jumping onto Po's shoulder.

„I've got something," Po glanced back at the ape, contemplating his next words for a few seconds. „Do something to ease the pain in his leg. And knock him out so he doesn't try anything."

The gorilla nodded, it was hard to tell whether it was in gratitude or understanding. Mantis looked bewildered for a moment, but decided, for once, not to voice his thoughts, and went to do as he was told.

Po glanced back at the rest of his comrades. Crane was helping Monkey stand, apparently the arm wasn't the only thing that got hurt. Viper was eyeing the panda as if she was studying him. Po did not feel comfortable under her gaze, but he decided to let it go.

„We'll need some strong ropes or chains to keep them restrained. Also, we should send a message to Chorh-Gom so they can get prepared. I'd say gorillas aren't a daily occursen- occur-..." he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

„Don't worry, we're on it," Crane assured him, recognizing the panda's struggle with the word.

„Yeah. We could get ourselves something to eat, too," Mantis chimed in, having finished his work with the head gorilla. „We didn't have lunch, after all. You think some of this village's restaurants survived the attack?"

As if on cue, a loud grumble sounded from certain panda's stomach. Po sighed, this time tiredly, and nodded.

„Yeah. Some food would be good as well."

„Seriously, Po, I can walk on my own!" complained the annoyed Monkey for what must have been the hundreth time that day. „I broke my arm, not leg. Put me down!"

The Dragon Warrior huffed in annoyance. After walking about two miles from the village it became obvious that the primate injured his leg enough to make the walking for him rather painful. Though it was true that it was not broken, it was far from alright. Seeing as it resulted in significantly slowing their pace, as Monkey could not use his arms for travel either, Po decided he would carry his friend for the rest of the way, much to the primate's dismay.

„We all want to get back to the palace before sundown, Monkey. And you know this is the only way. I'm not about to pull you in a cart, the path we're taking isn't suitable for that."

The panda recieved only a grunt as a reply, but he could not exactly expect more than that. He knew he was helping a friend and doing a logical thing, but he still understood the golden langur's frustration. The fact that Mantis was perched on Po's head where he had a good view at the whole thing and was grinning like a maniac didn't exactly help either.

„This is seriously priceless."

„Mantis! Instead of enjoying your friend's pain you should try to help him!" Viper hissed.

„Hey! I said I'll give him acupuncture once we get back!" the bug defended. „Doesn't mean I can't enjoy it while it lasts, though."

The snake shook her head in defeat. The bug would never change, it seemed. They were almost at the village, the valley bathed in orange hue as the sunset was slowly closing in.

„I still find it somewhat troubling, what the gorilla said. You think he was telling the truth?"

Po glanced at the avian, recalling the conversation with the bandit leader.

„I think so. I can't say I'm sure but it would explain a lot. Like why there is no response from the authorities there."

„I'm just glad none of the villagers got seriously hurt. It seems almost like a miracle, considering the gorillas' rampage."

„Yeah. It's a good thing they didn't demolish the restaurant," Mantis joined in, his amused mood still not leaving him. „The food there was really good. Not as good as the Secret Ingredient Noodle Soup, but still."

Viper refrained herself from hissing at the bug again. While she was annoyed with his attitude, he had a point. They were tired and the fight was taxing, mainly because of the apes, so the late lunch was more than welcome. And his attempts at lightening the mood weren't so off either. If they were to face gorilla attacks on regular basis from now, then the masters' life could get even more difficult than it already was, especially when Tigress, the strongest of them all, was still missing.

A thought suddenly crossed the reptile's mind.

„Po?" she asked.

„Yeah?"

„How did you do that to the bandit leader's leg?"

„I...," he paused for a moment, a short one, but still noticeable. „I redirected the other gorilla's mace when he swung it at me, and it hit the leader in the thigh."

Hearing that, Crane frowned. The others seemed to buy it since their attention was focused elsewhere at that time, but the avian saw it all, and twice. Still, he remained silent, deciding to question the panda later.

After a while, they reached the stairway to the Jade Palace. Po came to a stop and muttered something under his breath. While unintelligible, the others didn't need to guess what it was about. The panda still didn't like the stairs. At all.

Taking a deep breath, he resumed walking. The sun was almost setting at that point. Upon reaching the gate, Monkey began to squirm in the panda's hold once again.

„Okay! We're here, so let me keep some dignity and finish the last few steps on my own!"

While not happy about it, Po complied and set his friend on the ground, allowing him to walk on his own. It was still obvious that the leg hurt, but he managed to walk fairly well, and they were at the palace already.

Walking into the Hall of Warriors, they found the place completely empty.

„Wonder where he is," Mantis muttered.

Looking back out from the door, Po spotted Zeng.

„There's Zeng. Perhaps he or one of the palace servants knows. I'll ask him, you wait here," the panda said to his friends, not wanting them to follow him. He didn't want Monkey to strain his injured leg more than necessary... and he also wanted to speak privately with the messanger about the scrolls he had him deliver.

The others nodded their agreement while the Dragon Warrior ran toward the goose. Zeng heard the panda before he saw him. Turning his head toward him, he knew well what he was going to ask.

„Hey there, Zeng. Did you...?" his voice trailed off. Despite him trying to remain composed, the walking was taking its toll.

„Yes, Dragon Wa-" he stopped himself when he noticed the defeated expression on the panda's face. „I- I mean Po. I delivered both messages as you asked. Princess Mei Li sends her best wishes and urges you to visit soon."

Po nodded, regaining his breath. „And Song?"

„Ah, yes. She sends her regards as well."

Po frowned. He knew that the content of the scroll that was sent to him would take some time to be confirmed, but he still hoped to recieve some sort of answer to his request.

„I'm sorry, but I departed before she read your message," the goose said, figuring out the reason behind the panda's expression.

„Don't worry, Zeng. It's alright," Po replied, his usual smile appearing on his face. „Oh, by the way, have you seen Shifu?"

Zeng opened his beak to respond, but before he could speak, someone else did. Someone who was obscured from the goose's view by the panda's large body.

„I'm right here, Dragon Warrior. I believe you have a report for me regarding the outcome of your mission?"

Po let out a startled cry before turning around to face his master.

„M-master Shifu! Yes, me and the others just returned actually and were searching for you," he said, bowing respectfully. His comrades, having noticed Shifu from the gates of the great hall, have already joined him.

„I see. How did it go, then?"

„We managed to save the villagers and stop the bandits, sending them to Chorh-Gom afterwards. But they still managed to cause a significant damage to the village and injure few people, Monkey included."

The mentioned primate grimaced a little at hearing the last words, but remained silent.

„And the gorillas the call for help spoke of?"

„One of those was actually the leader of the raiding party. There were three of them and they were... tough."

„They knew Kung Fu, master," Crane joined in, elaborating Po's somewhat unspecific words. „And they were using weaponry."

Po nodded to confirm his comrade's words, waiting silently as Shifu scratched his chin in thought.

„That is indeed unpleasant. Did the confrontation shed some light on the situation at the Misty Peaks?"

„A bit. It seems that the reason why we cannot contact the authorities there is because there have been fights over who should be the leader since the War at the Stone Edge Mountains and lately it must have gotten worse," Po finished, rubbing his right arm absentmindedly.

The Grandmaster of the Jade Palace stood silent, lost in thought for a whole minute, before nodding, more to himself than to the panda.

„Good job. I'll report this to the council. Monkey should visit the infirmary," he took a glance at the primate, stopping him with a raised hand before he could protest. „Without any arguments, if possible."

The red panda put his hands behind his back then, looking at each of his students, before an honest smile spread over his face.

„Now then, I have some news of my own. News that will, in my opinion, bring some relief to you."

The five masters stood silently, slightly unnerved by the look of happines on their teacher's face, expecting him to continue. They noticed that his gaze moved from them to something behind them, before they could turn around, however, a familiar voice spoke from the direction Shifu was looking to.

„I hope you didn't get beaten up too badly, so I won't have to be embarrassed by you during the introductions."

There was a moment of silence as the five fighters froze. All of them, Po excluded, slowly turned around, their eyes widening.

„You're back!" Viper exclaimed excitedly.

The panda gulped, then finally turned around as well.

„Whoa! I must have gotten hit in the head! I see three of them!" Mantis almost shouted.

Sure enough, three figures were standing in the light of the setting sun. The panda stared without blinking, not moving an inch as he strugled to find his voice.

„Tigress?"

A/N: There you go, then! I hope you liked it! Let me know either way. Chapter five will face similar delay as chapter three did, sorry, but there's little I can do about it. See you next week, I think.