A/N: Hi again! Another week and another chapter is out. I must thank everyone who reviewed or faved, this time more than ever before because considering certain circumstances it really was only thank to those guys that I kept going. So, again, thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda

Shadows Are Cast, in the Shadows They Hide

Tigress nodded slightly with a small smile, confirming the all too obvious truth: She was back... and she was not alone.

It was as if the future and past came to meet with the present. To the feline's right stood her almost exact copy, but she looked notably older than the master of the tiger style. To her left stood another very similar female tiger, but this one looked younger.

„I believe introductions are in order," said Shifu with amusement in his voice as he noticed Po's stare. The panda's face was lined with a mix of amazement, confusion and shock. No one could really blame him for that.

Tigress gave another nod in response to her master, then indicated the feline to her right.

„This is Jia, my... mother," she said with a slight hesitation at the word, but fondness was heard in her voice. Turning to her left, she introduced the other stranger. „And this is my cousin, Chun."

The rest of the five smiled warmly, while Po still remained unresponding. Turning her attention to her friends and comrades, Tigress proceeded with the introductions.

„These are Master Monkey, Master Viper, Master Crane and Master Mantis of The Furious Five," she said, gesturing to each one of the named masters as they bowed in reply.

„And this..." her eyes locked with Po's and a short pause followed as the two just stared at each other before she found her voice again. „This is the Dragon Warrior, Po Ping."

Po responded by bowing immediately, but the expression on his face remained. Whatever words were spoken did not reach him. Not Jia's or Chun's proclamation about what an honor it was to be in his presence, nor Mantis' attempts to snap the panda out of his trance. He straightened back up, still not saying a word, his eyes locked on Tigress. The others were starting to exchange worried glances.

Shifu cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. „Lady Jia and Miss Chun are honored guests here at the Jade Palace and will be treated as such," the red panda said, putting enough power into his voice to make sure the point got through. „They will be staying at the guest quarters. The palace servants should have their rooms prepared by now," he added to the two felines, then turned his gaze toward Po and stopped as he noticed the tears that were slowly starting to form in the panda's eyes.

Tigress noticed as well and her smile was quickly replaced by a look of uncertainty. The bear's mind was raging with thoughts: She's back, she's alright, she's found them... she found her family...

Most of the thoughts were drowned by one that kept returning, though. Louder and brighter than the others, one single line was echoing in his head...

She looks happy...

Crane was stepping forward in order to snap the panda out of it, but before he could get close enough and speak, someone else did.

„Po? Are you alright?"

His gaze refocused on her, his brow raised slightly. The feline's voice got through it seemed or perhaps it was the fact that she used his name, but no one expected the reaction it got.

Opening his mouth a bit, as if to say something, Po blinked a few times, before he wordlessly launched himself at her and embraced her in a hug.

The rest of the Five and Master Shifu stared in shock on their faces. Zeng, who remained unnoticed for the whole conversation, just stood there frozen uncertain whether he should stay or just leave. He seemed to be hoping for the latter. Chun watched with amusement shining in her eyes while Jia had her brow raised in curiousity, watching the spectacle in front of her.

Tigress herself had her eyes wide open, clearly surprised by Po's actions. She was going to say something but hesitated when she felt her right shoulder, where Po's head was currently resting, getting moist. The panda lost control of his tears and they were falling freely now.

„Dragon Warrior?" she finally spoke but he only tightened his grip.

„I-I'm just happy for you," he said, doing his best to sound composed, but everyone could hear the heaviness in his voice. One of the onlooker in particular noticed something off about the scene. The eldest of the tigers present cocked her head to a side and her eyes narrowed as she studied the pair.

The panda sounded honest enough but the expression on his face did not match. He looked mournful, not happy. Those were not tears of joy at the reunion, nor were they the tears of someoe happy for their friend, as he claimed.

He is hiding something, Jia thought to herself, keeping her gaze at the panda.

„Ahem! Panda, if you would-" came Master Shifu's slightly annoyed voice. Much the red panda's relief, the Dragon Warrior reacted immediately, releasing the dumbstruck tiger and turning his attention to his teacher.

„I'm sorry, master. I-"

This time Shifu interrupted him, raising his hand to stop his apology, making him rather nervous about the possible consequences of his actions. Relief washed over him along with surprise when the Grandmaster of the Jade Palace finally spoke.

„It's alright. Now, I believe everyone is hungry after such a long day. Dragon Warrior, would you mind preparing a dinner for us all?"

„Not at all, master," answered Po with a bow, his composure back. After recieving the nod from Shifu, the panda straightened and with a final glance at Tigress he headed towards the kitchen.

A moment of silence followed.

„I'll leave the rest of you to do as you wish for the rest of the day," Shifu addressed his remaining students. „I still expect you to visit the infirmary, Monkey," he added to the primate, who seemed everything but happy about it.

„I'll join you at the dinner. Zeng," the red panda turned his attention to the goose messanger. „If you would follow me, I need to report the recent events to the Masters' Council. Now, if you excuse me..."

He exchanged bows with his students and a friendly nod with the guests, then, after allowing himself a small smile in his foster daughter's direction, he turned around and left, heading in the direction of his quarters, Zeng following right after.

„So, how about we head inside. It's getting dark and Po will have the dinner ready soon," Monkey spoke up, recieving a chorus of agreements from the others.

„Not to mention that a food would come in handy, too. After all the travel..." Mantis chimed in, making Viper shake her head in annoyance, but she remained smiling, happy about her friend returning home.

Tigress nodded, then turned her attention to Monkey. „You should do as Master Shifu said and have the wounds checked, though."

„Oh, come on! You're back for a few minutes and you boss me around already?"

„I've returned here about three hours before your arrival, actually."

„But-" the primate stopped himself, shaking his head in amusement before he returned his gaze to the feline. „It's good to have you back."

The other masters seconded his words with nods and smiles, to which Tigress responded with a smile and nod of her own. Then they all turned to head inside, stars shining high above them in for once clear sky.

„So, Dragon Warrior, you cook often here at the palace?"

„Huh?" the panda looked over his shoulder toward the speaker, finding it rather difficult to tell the sometimes a bit too similar voices of the three felines apart. Upon turning, he recognized the one asking the question as Jia.

„Well, yea- I mean, yes," he corrected himself, putting on his formal persona. „My dad runs a noodle shop down in the village and I used to help him out a lot when I was little. I still do, in fact, but much less than before."

Tigress eyed Po curiously, surprised by how his diction has improved since she left. Crane took notice of her expression and figured out the reason behind it, his eyes narrowing knowingly.

They were all seated in the kitchen, with the exception of Po, who was still working on the soup. Another table was brought in so there was a seat for everyone present: Po, the Five, Master Shifu, Jia and Chun. Zeng was on his way to deliver Shifu's report, much to the goose's dismay.

„Anyway, you could say it's almost like a hobby for me and since the Five liked my cooking I took the role of the palace cook."

„Buddy, had I known of those noodles of yours, I would have had you brought here to the palace way before you became the Dragon Warrior," Mantis proclaimed in a serious tone, earning a grin from the panda.

„So, what are we having for dinner tonight, Po?" asked Master Shifu from his spot at the end of the table further from the counter where the panda was cooking.

„Well, considering the occasion, I thought the Secret Ingredient Soup would be appropriate."

His reply made his friends smile, even Monkey's face visibly lit up after all the ordeal with his injuries. He was never one to be gloomy, but for one so flexible it was rather depressing to be unable to move freely.

Meanwhile, the guests had curious looks on their faces, having never heard of the mentioned meal before.

„Secret Ingredient Soup?" Chun asked, eyeing the pot with interest.

„Trust me, once you try it you'll never want to eat anything else," the green bug said, earning a few amused chuckles from his comrades and a shy wave from the panda.

„Oh, please, stop with the flattery, you know I'll give you seconds either way," Po said in a comical manner, making many of the people present burst into laughter.

„So, what is the secret ingredient, if I might ask?" Chun inquired once she stopped laughing.

„Hah! You might ask what you want but he's never going to tell that one. Trust me, we tried."

„Yeah, Mantis is right," Monkey confirmed. „We even tried to make him spill the beans on a dare, but he just knocked himself out and then claimed not to remember agreeing to it."

„Sorry pal," Po replied, smiling at the primate who was pointing at him accusingly. „It's a family secret and one I'm not telling."

„It's alright Po, we understand," Viper said. „And besides, not knowing what the secret is makes it all the more special."

„True," Po replied, then turned back to the pot, smirking all the while at the irony of just how close to revealing the truth Viper actually was.

The meal was almost finished and Po was about to announce it when his ears perked up at another question that, while not directed to him, still caught his attention.

„So, I suppose you have a tale to tell about what you were doing during those last two months, right?"

Tigress turned in the bug's direction, the familiar deadpan expression on her face.

„A tale?"

„Well, you know, it has been two months and we hadn't heard much from you..."

„You were there with Po back then if I recall so I should not have to tell you about that part," she said, taking a quick glance at Po who still had his back turned to them, silently filling the bowls. „And I suppose the others know by now as well."

Mantis remained silent, Monkey and Viper were switching their gaze from Po to Crane until finally it was the avian who spoke.

„We were told, yes. You can skip that part if you want."

The feline nodded, then began her story. „The next morning after Po and Mantis returned I left for the village where they... acquired the scroll. I got there in less than two days, surprising both myself and Jia. We... clarified a few things between ourselves. It should be understandable that I needed some time to... handle the situation," she said, sounding resolute despite hesitating from time to time.

Po took the opportunity when she paused for a moment to serve the soup, although silently, without his usual calling out. Tigress accepted the bowl with gratitude, as did the others. She waited until everyone was served and until Po sat down at the end of the table facing Shifu, Jia to his left and Mantis to his right.

She took a bite of the soup, savoring the long untried taste on her tongue, then resumed talking. „Naturally I was curious as to how and why I ended up at the orphanage," she turned her gaze to Po. „You might want to help me out here as this part is actually connected to the War at the Stone Edge Mountains."

Everyone's eyes turned to the panda who stared blankly at his still full bowl. He remained silent for a moment, before raising his gaze up to Tigress and nodding, starting the tale.

„According to the legend, gorillas came from lands far away during the last dynasty. Led by their king, they helped Master Oogway to deal with the Demons of the Lurking Shadows at the Misty Peaks Forest and then settled there, making the forest their own."

The panda's friends smiled at the still present enthusiasm in Po's voice when he was telling a story, although the smiles were somewhat grim as they took notice of the lack of his usual phrases and his favoured words.

„The gorillas cared little for China's politics, but their king and Master Oogway remained in touch, becoming friends and, on few occasions, comrades. Many years later, the king's two sons were sent to the Jade Palace to be trained in the ways of Kung Fu. The two brothers became known as the Legendary Gorilla Brothers: Master Wind Chasing Gorilla and Master Earth Shaking Gorilla. After their father's passing, the younger and wiser of the two sons, Master Wind Chasing Gorila, became the new ruler of his people, with his elder brother standing by his side, supporting him."

Po stopped talking and regarded his dinner with a curious stare, as if deciding whether to take a bite or not. After a moment, he picked the bowl with both of his paws and drank half of its contents. Setting it back down on the table, he continued.

„It took another few years before the gorillas' little interest in politics played its part. That time's emperor was being suspected of many... questionable deeds and many were aiming to cut his rule short, but only a few actually dared due to him having a personal army at his command. An army of strong and undaunted warriors. An army of..."

„Of Tigers," Tigress said for him, as she noticed him hesitate and trail off. „He had the loyalty of almost every tiger back then and managed to unite them under his banner, making them his personal guard and attack force."

Po nodded, grimacing a little at how Tigress said that part in an even tone with a stoic expression on her face. This was about her people and the cruel fate that met them. He was still inwardly struggling with what met his people and while he knew that she was much better at handling emotions, he still expected some signs of discomfort from her, but she showed none.

„Many of the dark ruler's followers turned his back on him, but many, including the tigers, did not," the panda continued. „Master Oogway and Lord Wen, the father of the current emperor, brought together an army to bring him down, but they were still outmatched, so Oogway sent request for help to the Gorilla Brothers. Both of them came to their teacher's aid, bringing a whole army of gorillas with them."

He allowed himself another pause, once again staring at his bowl, this time deciding against taking another sip. „The final clash happened at the Stone Edge Mountains. Many warriors were dying on both sides until it was Master Earth Shaking Gorilla who put an end to it," a familiar smirk crossed the panda's face and it almost seemed as if he was about to turn to his old self, proclaiming how 'awesome' the following scene was, but still he stopped himself.

„He hurled his hammer at one of the leaning mountaing peaks, making it fall and bury most of the emperor's army underneath it. The rest was dealt with quickly and the war was over, the emperor deposed, Lord Wen taking his place," the excitement then left his face and a grim expression appeared in its stead. „Then the bad part came. Many dead bodies were buried under tons of stone, but there were some survivors, but..."

„Due to the amount of corpses littering on the battlefield, a disease broke out... mostly among the tigers," Tigress took over once again, her tone still even and measured, although her eyes spoke of disgust and anger. „Steps were taken to stop the disease from spreading and to cure the infected, but people were... picky about who they chose to help to. The tigers were seen as enemies, as... trash. Someone who survived when they should not have and... and they were treated as such."

Two fists were firmly clenched at that part. It was not surprising that one belonged to Tigress, the other one wasn't orange, however, but black. A silence followed as everyone took their time to digest the information.

After a few moments it was Jia's voice that broke the silence.

„My husband and my sister were both infected. We were forced out of our village and out in the wild there was no way to cure them. With my sister's passing we learned that the disease was fatal..."

She paused for a moment, doing her best to keep her composure in face of the tragic memories.

„My husband was the next to go and I was sure that I wouldn't be spared either. In our last moments together we traveled far from where the war happened, searching for a place where a tiger cub could have a chance... where people would not turn their back on her because of what someone else did."

„The Bao Gu Orphanage," Shifu said silently.

„Yes. Not long after leaving Me- Tigress there," she corrected herself, recieving a few perked up ears and curious stares from others, but no one chose to question. „My husband passed. Not long after I started to succumb to the disease as well and I'm sure I would have died if I wasn't found by Chun and her father. They were separated from us shortly after the war's end and it was only thanks to fate that they found me."

„That's... terrible," Viper spoke in shaky tone. „How the people treated the tigers... that's just... couldn't Master Oogway or Emperor Wen do something?"

„They tried, but they couldn't be everywhere," Shifu replied, his voice sullen. „The tigers had done many despicable acts under their leader's orders, They were hated by the poeple as a whole. Not to mention that consequently many of the surviving tigers were forced to desperate actions to survive due to the... oppression."

„I guess it's not such a surprise that tigers are such loners..." said Mantis, only to recieve a dissaproving glare from Shifu.

„Indeed," Jia agreed to the bug's remark. „Many years have passed since the war but most of our people are still wary of trusting other species... which is rather mutual, actually."

„What do you mean? You're still oppressed because of all that? The guy's long gone and you're living isolated, meaning there's no army of you, right?" Mantis asked.

„True, but there are other things. Tigers are carnivores by nature, which in combination with the fact that we live isolated doesn't exactly help our reputation."

„Chun!"

„What?" the young tiger asked her aunt, confusion written on her face for a moment before being quickly replaced by the look of realization as she noticed the awkward stares of everyone around. „Oh... sorry."

This isn't how I imagined this dinner would turn out, Shifu thought to himself as he fought the urge to groan.

„Uh, Tigress? You said something about shedding light on what the council is concerned with?"

Relief washed over everyone in the room thanks to Crane's quick thinking as he succesfully changed the topic of the discussion.

„Indeed," Tigress replied, taking over the conversation once again. „After the war, the gorillas returned to their forest. Emperor Wen hoped to form some sort of pact with them, perhaps even make them part of the imperial army, but he got no chance to do so as there was no gorilla leader to talk to."

Shifu's ears twitched as he gave his student his whole attention, hoping to learn of something that would help resolve the recent unrest.

„The Wind Chaser, as he is referred to by his people, perished in the war and his brother was hesitant to take his position after him."

„I thought he went missing," Monkey said, scratching his chin.

„That is what most people believed as he gave no signs to the outside world of that he is even still alive, but he is," a hint of mischievousness shone in her eyes. „I learned that from a conversation I had with a certain gorilla that attempted to attack a village I was passing through during my journey."

Po shuddered as he imagined what such a 'conversation' possibly involved. He could still remember how she interrogated him about her lost brush. The interrogation ended up to be rather long and painful for the panda since he had ho idea Tigress even owned a brush at that time.

„So it's the Master Earth Shaking Gorilla who is in charge of the Misty Peaks Forest now?"

„Yes, master," Tigress replied to the red panda's question. „While he was most reluctant to take the role, he remained devoted to Master Oogway's teachings and was thus sickened by some of his people who chose to utilize the skills teached to them by the two siblings in unhonorable ways. He's been trying to get them to respect the meaning of Kung Fu and Master Oogway's legacy since the war but... his age has been becoming a problem as of late."

„Youngsters have little respect for their elders, elders don't have the energy to keep the youngsters' eagerness in check," Po muttered under his breath, remembering the bandit leader's words.

„That would seem to be the case, Po," Shifu said, his sensitive hearing enabling him to catch the panda's words. „I'll make sure to notify the council of this, too. Now, I believe we all deserve some sleep," he adjusted his gaze to face the panda directly. „I thank you for the dinner, Po, it was most delicious."

The others chorused Shifu's words, complimenting on the panda's cooking skills.

„Tigress, please escort our guests to their rooms. I expect to meet you tomorrow morning at the sound of the gong with the others as usual," he regarded the feline with a smile to which she responded with a nod, and while her mouth remained set, there was a hint of smile in her eyes.

„Good night," he added, recieving bows from his students, and then he left.

„Well, I'll take care of the dishes," said Po as he quickly finished his soup, then proceeded to collect everyone's bowls.

Jia seemed to be surprised by this. „You're taking care of cleaning the dishes as well, Dragon Warrior?" she voiced her thoughts.

Po simply shrugged with a smile. „The mark of a true hero is humility, right?"

Tigress found herself glancing curiously at the panda again. Leading her mother and cousin out of the kitchen after they all wished Po good night, she stopped and turned towards Crane.

„I'd like to talk with you after I lead them to their rooms. Wait for me in the courtryard."

The avian nodded, then proceeded with the others towards the dormitories.

Po remained alone in the kitchen. He picked one of the bowls from the sink and stared at the reflection of his face in the water, wincing at the sight of this troubled expression.

„Song, are you sure about this?"

The leopard sighed tiredly before replying. She really didn't desire to be second-guessed about her decision. „I am. You know we owe him."

„Do we?"

That made her stop and turn around. „We do. You were there, after all."

„I know it's thanks to him that we no longer walk the path of thievery, but..." she paused, knowing she might hit the nerve with her next words. „Is it really a good thing?"

Song stared in silence at her fellow dancer, her tail twitching in thought.

„I mean, I know people are treating us better now, but there are still many people out there that don't trust us and perhaps never will. And many of the ladies left us due to your decision-"

„He gave us a chance," Song interrupted. „He had every right to pursue us and put us... put me in jail, but he chose not to."

„But... don't you miss it sometimes?" the persistent leopard asked, lowering her voice a little. „Don't you miss the thrill? You traded a life full of excitement for life of plain hardship."

Song's gaze turned downward. It seemed the question actually made her doubt. When she finally answered, her eyes shone with determination.

„Bai-"

„Nuo."

Song stared at one of the twins for a moment with unamused expression on her face.

„Alright. It's me, Bai."

„I withstood a lot because of my decision as the leader of the Ladies of the Shade. I'm not about to back down now. And besides," she smirked slightly. „If it's excitement you crave, this just might be what you need."

Bai gazed in the direction of their destination. „The Rocky Spikes Trail," she turned back to her leader. „Is he really worth it?"

Song readjusted her bag, then gazed over her shoulder, taking in the sight of the leopards standing behind her. She took only portion of the ladies with her, hoping that things would proceed more smoothly that way. She left Nuo, the other of the twins, to lead in her absence... and gave her the instructions what to do should they not return in time.

Turning her attention back to Bai, Song replied in a silent whisper. „He is."

And with that, they resumed walking, the moon lighting their way.

A/N: Once again I'm sorry for the delay. And yeah, another update will get delayed too. I can't even find the time to correct the mistakes in previous chapters. I promise to get it done next week, this one is just plain impossible: the weather, my niece (how can something so small keep me occupied for such a HUGE amount of time?), my house (which refuses to build itself) and school (yeah, even in summer). Also, didn't I promise you another one-shot? Next week, guys. See you next week... and PLEASE, if you find anything wrong with this chapter, let me know!

*Finally managed to find the time to fix the mistakes I left on the way, hopefully making the reading more comfortable for you. Feel free to tell me about anything I missed, I'd appreciate it. 'Till next time!