Easy To See, Hard To Accept
Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda
Vast grassy plains spreaded out around him as far as he could see, all covered in dark hue brought by the night. The breeze was gently caressing his black and white fur as he stood there, staring into the distance, waiting, expecting...
And then he saw it. A fire emerging, growing larger with each second, getting closer and closer, swallowing the lush green hungrily. The blazing walls of red reaching high, obscuring the skies from his view. He could feel the heat on his face, the fire preparing to engulf him.
A roar of rushing water echoed and a flush surrounded him, shielding him from the flames. The fire was pushed back. The elder panda remained standing calmly in his position, the water whirling around him, taking on a form of a great dragon.
The two elements were engaged in a fierce battle, truly a marvelous sight. Gaining the upper hand, the dragon turned to briefly glance at the bear, and their eyes locked, the time seemingly stopping for a moment. Green met green, the familiarity of the colour of their eyes more than obvious, and in that moment the panda knew whose eyes he was looking to. He didn't know how, but he felt it deep in his heart, no doubts present.
The silent moment was shattered when the dragon was suddenly tackled to the ground, the fire taking a shape of an animal as well. The panda recognized the species, but saw nothing familiar about the figure. Whoever those blazing eyes belonged to, he didn't know them.
The watery creature managed to free itself from his foe's grasp, and immediately charged forward, dealing blows as well as recieving them. The battle was gaining on intensity, the wind raging in response to the fray-
„You've really outdone yourself this time, Heng!"
His eyes snapped open, the scene shifting in front of him. The battle and the plains were gone, replaced by a small shrine with a few candles. He took a moment to allow his vision to focus, his breathing slowly becoming steady after the sharp interruption.
„It's good to see you as well, Guo," the elderly panda spoke in a deep, calm voice. He remained seated, his back facing the upset sentry.
„Cut the crap! I told you it was risky, yet you didn't listen to me! You sent the message anyway behind my back!" shouted the enraged bear, tossing away both his weapon and mask, revealing a face contorted in fury, his eyes piercing through the back of the other panda's head.
„So you know," Heng replied, still maintaining his calm.
„You bet I do! Your actions could endanger our safety! Safety you're supposed to protect!" Guo continued his outburst, his voice getting louder with each word. „And because of what? A dream you claim to be a vision. Well what is the meaning of this great vision then-"
„I will never know if you keep interrupting me during my meditations like this!"
Guo remained silent as the other panda's anger flared. Now standing tall and facing him directly, his shoulders rising under the green cloak adorned with tree branch pattern due to his heavy breaths, Heng met the sentry's glare with his own, green eyes meeting blue.
„I grew up as a farmer, not a sage! I know only the precious little that master had taught me before his passing," the older of the two continued. „But I know what I felt. I know he's alive!"
„So you're perfectly fine with letting the world know about us? Have you forgotten why we're hiding in the first place? I told you-"
„You're not supposed to tell me what to do! And not just because I'm your older brother!"
„Right," Guo said bitterly, lowering his voice. „Because you're the chief."
„You know damn well that I did not desire this role," Heng spoke in a gentle tone. „But we needed a leader. Someone had to take the burden."
„The burden of sitting your butt off in a shrine, coming up with crazy-"
„Can't we put this pointless argument off for later? Or did you have something else to yell at me for?"
„I'm here because you blew our cover, brother," Guo answered quickly. His voice was no longer filled with rage, but he was still far from being calm. „Sending out the messanger was bad enough, but now there is at least a dozen people that know about us and our whereabouts."
„What do you-"
„Your answer's here and it was not carried by one person."
„You mean..." Heng's voice trailed off, his eyes wide with astonishment. „So he's... he's come?"
„No," the simple answer brought a puzzled expression onto the elder sibling's face. „He sent a messanger. With a whole escort."
Heng barely managed to catch the scroll his brother tossed him, shocked as he was. Once again he had to give himself a few moments to allow his breathing to slow down.
„I can't tell if they were telling the truth or not. Although that he wouldn't be bothered by endangering us without even having to stand up would mark him as your son alright."
Heng paid no mind to the insult as he read through the scroll, his fingers gently touching the ink imprint of a panda's paw.
Son...
„Where are they?"
Guo raised his brow questioningly at his brother, only to realize that the panda leader was still staring wide-eyed at the message in his hands.
„I left them at the Wailing Pass. Couldn't risk bringing them here," Guo answered, crossing his arms over his chest. „Their leader, the one that claimed to be your son's friend, said themselves to be a dancing group," he shook his head in amusement. „I don't know what kind of a warrior your son is, but he sure has some interesting envoy. They had better training then those sentires I have to put up with..."
„The farmer's radishes won't grow any better than his attitude when growing them."
Guo's brow furrowed at hearing that, but did not retort when he noticed the serious look in his brother's eyes when he looked upon him.
„Bring them to me."
The sentry's eyes narrowed. „You're serious? I won't let that band of leopards just walk in here like-"
„Then bring the one that claims to be my son's friend," Heng interrupted casualy, rolling the scroll up and putting it into his cloak. „There are many things I have to discuss with the person and I'd rather do it somewhere else than... there."
Guo glared silently for a few more moments before sighing in defeat and bending to pick up the axe and mask he threw aside before. „I will, brother. But trust me when I say that nothing good will come out of this."
Heng watched him leave without a word, his mind going back to the vision.
„I hope you're wrong, brother," he whispered after Guo was no longer in sight. „I sincerely hope you're wrong."
„Ready?"
„Yes," he answered, sounding more confident than he actually was. Po was not all that surprised that Tigress asked, or rather demanded of him, to spar with her. Part of him was grateful for her assertiveness, for her forcing him to confront her, in one way or another. He still did not believe himself enough to face her...
The other part of him was recalling whether there were enough bandages in the palace.
They were in the training courtryard, the afternoon sun casting long shadows of their figures over the ground. Tigress stood in her stance as resolute as ever, awaiting his move. Move that was not coming. The bear was still, his mind was racing with thoughts as he assumed his own stance.
It also did nothing to ease his mind that they had an audience. Both Jia and Chun, who came along a few moments after Tigress, were standing aside, with the sun shining from behind them, waiting for the duel to begin.
Although doing a perfect job at hiding it, Tigress was becoming impatient. She was determined to finally force a confrontation upon the panda, wishing to put an end to the feud between them. Not to mention that her concern for him grew immensely during the last two days, both due to what she saw and what she learned from others. They had given each other enough time for sulking, it was time to end it.
Before the fool manages to hurt himself, the feline thought. More than he normally does, anyway.
Seeing that he was either too reluctant to begin, or uncharacteristically patient, she decided to make the first move. He reacted immediately by stepping aside, avoiding the outstretched arm. Rather then attempting to grab it or reach for an opening, he just assumed defensive, preparing himself for another attack.
Tigress did not allow herself to go easy on him, eager to use the opportunity to see just how much the Dragon Warrior has improved. To be able to see it first hand, to feel it...
He was doing everything to deny her that, intentionally or not.
Po was successfully avoiding most of her attacks. Having trained with her and against her for so long, he knew her style as well as his own. Still, it was not long before she started getting through, mostly due to him being distracted.
After spending so much time intensively practicing the Water Dragon sequence, he found himself having trouble with doing anything but using it. His hands literally wanted to do those moves, so natural they felt to him now.
Still, he refused to do so. Firstly, he was not in his inner peace state. And secondly, he did not believe himself to be able to use it properly. Not so soon. Not while so distraught. And not against her.
Not that she made it easy. Growing frustrated by the panda's lack of effort to fight her, she started to push harder, trying to bring out the warrior she grew to respect. The warrior that, when the time called for it, was determined to do anything to win. She increased her speed, put more strenght to her blows, only to send him staggering backwards until he stumbled and fell.
„She's good."
„Indeed," Jia replied to Chun's comment, not taking her eyes from the fight. „But it seems like he's holding back for some reason."
„Nah, this is pretty much how sparring with Tigress usually goes."
Both felines turned to look at Mantis in surprise, not aware of his presence until that point.
„Although I admit his form seems a bit off," the bug continued, oblivious to the effects of his sudden appearance.
„What's going on?" came Viper's voice as she, Monkey and Crane joined the audience, distracted from their training by the sounds of battle.
„Po and Tigress are sparring," said Mantis in a casual tone, watching the panda slowly stand up. „Or were."
Po stretched his muscles once he was standing, shaking his head in order to clear his mind. Not one second later he found himself barely dodging another of the stripped feline's attack.
„You're not focused," she cut through the silence, her tone cold and stern. „You're not even trying."
„What are you talking about? I'm-" the need to duck under a kick aimed for his head caused him to pause in his answer. „I'm trying alright!"
„I truly hope that is not true, Dragon Warrior," she continued, attempting to sweep the panda's legs from below him. „You have not managed to deal a single blow yet."
Po bit down the retort that formed on his tongue, realizing that she was telling the truth. He grew frustrated with himself in that moment, scolding himself for the pathetic display of a warrior he was presenting.
She ceased in her attacks, concern making its way onto her face. This doesn't seem to work, thought the highly unsatisfied tiger, altering her plans.
„Po," she spoke in a noticable gentler tone, making the panda wince a little. „It's me. You know me. You know how I fight."
His expression shifted, turning to sad for a moment. She was right, he knew well that she was. He was too troubled for his own good. This was a spar; his foe and their moves were the only things he needed to concentrate on. He knew this...
„Don't struggle with it. Flow with it."
Tigress remained standing in her stance, watching as the panda closed his eyes, visibly relaxing. After some waiting he let out a long, drawn-out breath, opening his eyes again. A quick nod from him, and the fight was on again.
The feline smiled to herself when she noticed the clear change in his performance. He was finally resembling the Dragon Warrior she remembered so fondly, the one that made sparring a whole new experience for her. Still, it was not enough...
After giving him enough time to get into it, she started pushing again. She knew he could still go much further and she was ever curious to see what he could do if he started fighting like he meant it.
„Now that's more like it," commented Monkey, watching the two fighting masters. They were becoming a blur of ever moving orange, red, white, black and green.
„Yeah, but this is Tigress. I don't think much is gonna change, unless..."
The primate nodded in response to his insect friend's words. „I'd like to see that. I mean, he was deflecting cannon balls. He could maybe even defeat Tigress with it."
„Wanna bet?"
Viper shook her head at her friends' childish behaviour, bickering about the possible winnings as they were, then glanced at the still silent avian. He was watching the match with narrowed eyes, a glint of satisfaction in them.
„Shall I assume you had anything to do with this?"
Crane spared a fleeting glance at the snake, trying to look innocent, although his tone carried a certain touch of smugness. „I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
„Oh, I see. So there is not any connection between them sparring and the little talk you had with Tigress after today's lunch?"
Crane had to stiffle a chuckle, amused by the inquiry. „I might have provided... a little nudge, but the means used were chosen by her alone."
„Figures," Viper sighed amusedly. „It may be the best way, though, seeing how awkward they seemed around each other since yesterday. Mostly Po."
The avian nodded, his gaze focused on the bear. He's not using anything from the sequence he came up with, he thought to himself. But the way she's pushing him... it almost seems she wants him to...
„Crane! Hey, Crane! I'm talking to ya!"
The bug's voice snapped him out of his trance, making him turn in his direction. „What is it?"
„Dude, quit dozing off. I was asking you if you think Po'll use his inner peace and win."
„Inner peace?" asked Chun curiously.
„Yeah, nasty thing that. Perhaps you'll be lucky enough to see it," Mantis chimed, then turned his attention back to the feathered master. „Well? Monkey's bettin' on yes. What do you think?"
„I'm not really sure about the winning part, but..." he turned his gaze back to the fight going on. „I believe that at this rate, he will have to use it if he wants to keep up."
Po was thinking the very same thing, raising his brow questioningly at his foe in order to get some answer as to why she seemed to be so serious about the fight. The answer came in form of more punches and kicks.
A few seconds later he was sure he would need the Inner Peace.
A half minute later he was doing what he could to get the space needed to perform it.
Seeing his chance, he charged forward, sticking out his belly, and sent Tigress flying a few yards away, earning himself enough time to execute the technique. He wasted no time, his arms and legs moving through the sequence with practice, the sense of tranquility spreading through him, allowing him to redirect all of the feline's attacks before he even realized she was upon him again.
And then it shattered. It wasn't more than just a mere touch of her palm on his left elbow, the feeling barely registering through the sleeve of his robe, yet it somehow sent freezing pain through the whole limb and in that moment he knew his peace was lost.
A successful blow followed and he found himself staggering backwards again, doing his best not to lose his balance. Recognizing the danger of the situation, he instantly tried to achieve the peaceful state of mind again, using what little time he had while she jumped high into the air in order to descend upon him with a powerful kick.
He did it in time, redirecting the leg aimed for his head at the last second, the ends of her fur brushing against those on his cheek. Tigress landed on all fours, a large grin spreading on her face. With a renewed vigor, she launched herself at the panda, trying to penetrate his defense.
„And there you have it. The Inner Peace," Monkey proclaimed, sounding proud of his friend. „It should be much harder for her to hit him now."
„Yeah, but that alone's not enough. He's gotta land some blow, too."
„True, but he has managed a few hits already, Mantis," Viper joined in, then lowered her voice and turned her attention to Crane. „It looks like they're enjoying themselves. It might work."
The bird nodded wordlessly, silently praying that Viper was right. He glanced sideways at the two felines, feeling Jia's gaze on him. Sure enough, the elder tiger was watching him thoughtfully, then silently turned her had back to watch her daughter. Might have some explaining to do later...
Red met green in a fleeting glance, both warriors having large smirks on their faces. Po's confidence was rapidly rising and Tigress was reveling in the feeling of being actually challenged. It was significantly harder for her to break through the panda's defense now, although she was nowhere near even considering the thought of him having the upper hand.
The stripped master's smirk became even wider when she noticed the wind rising. Po seemed oblivious to it, despite it being his doing. Dust and leafs whirled around in harmony with the Dragon Warrior's moves as he concentrated on the fight and on the fight only.
She kicked, he ducked.
She punched, he redirected.
She crouched and tried to kick his legs from under him, he jumped over her.
She turned around to strike, he raised his left arm to block.
And he froze.
His eyes widened in horror as the scene in front of him changed drastically. Everything was under the veil of black and red, the palace nowhere in sight. In his sparring partner's place stood a creature of fire. A creature he recognized... and despite the heat he felt on his skin, the flames blazing fiercely, a cold shiver ran down up his spine.
Sudden feeling of nausea, strangely coming from his left forearm, forced him to retreat the limb, putting his other paw over it protectively and shutting his eyes. The air swirled around violently, and then, just as abruptly, the wind died down. Po's peace was gone once again.
His eyes snapped open, staring confusedly at the ground of the palace courtryard. Everything was back to normal and Tigress was where she stood just a moment before, her open palm still coming for the very same attack.
Still clutching his arm, he did not have the time to rise it to block again, and ended up thrown backwards, barely managing to land on his feet. Much to his dismay, the tiger continued, seemingly unfazed by his sudden hesitation.
At that point Po knew it was more due to luck than training that he was able to respond to her attacks. His mind was whirling with thoughts as he tried to figure out what happened. Her pace was remaining the same, maybe even getting quicker, and lacking his inner peace, he was slowly letting his instincts take over in desperation.
And so he ended up grabbing her tail.
„Ohohohoho! Boy!"
„Did he just-!"
„Oh dear..."
„I'll get the needles!"
The rest of the five reacted at as expected, their eyes wide in shock at what their panda friend had just done. He seemed rather appalled by his actions himself, yet he continued to hold on, doing what he could to avoid the consequences.
Needless to say, Tigress was not happy. She unleashed a wave of punches at the bear, each fueled by anger as she tried to get him to release her. Her temper flared even more when he managed to wrap the tail around one of her legs, making her unable to use it.
„That's a rather... interesting... tactic," Jia remarked, sounding bewildered as she watched her daughter fighting the Dragon Warrior while standing on one leg.
„Hah! That's Po for you! Just when you think you've seen everything from the guy," Monkey answered with enthusiasm, looking rather amused by the sight.
„He seems rather unconcerned for his well-being, though," Chun joined in, apparently finding the scene entertaining as well.
„Keeping your opponent guessing and using the moment of surprise is the tactic of the winner. Po knows this well," the primate proclaimed in a serious tone, smiling all the while at the bear, remembering all the crazy things the two of them were able to come up with during their training. „Although I admit this one's a bit too risky."
After evading her arms for a while, Po chose to unwrap the tail from around the feline's leg, forcing the two of them to have their backs to each other. Being for once quicker than her, he pulled hard on her tail and proceeded to bounce the tiger off of his rear.
The last move put enough of a distance between them for the panda to try to assume Inner Peace again, but he did not do so. The moment she turned to face him again and let out a loud angry growl, the scene shifted in front of Po's eyes again.
Instead of Tigress, it was the fiery beast coming for him. He clenched his eyes shut, then opened them, hoping for everything to go back to normal.
It did not work.
He found himself being pushed back as he struggled to face the animal, not knowing whether he was really fighting Tigress and just seeing things differently, or whether he was just imagining all of it while standing motionlessly in a trance.
Perhaps if it weren't for his bold move, Tigress would notice how his eyes were somehow unfocused. Perhaps she would interpret the fear in his features as a sign of something being amiss instead of just assuming he was scared of the consequences of him grabbing on her tail.
Perhaps then she would not have hit him so hard.
Po was caught between sighing in relief and crying out in pain. The relief came with the realization that he was seeing everything normally again. The pain came with the blow to his head and while he did not see it coming, he knew well who dealt it.
And although his sight was no longer obscured by nightmarish visions, the scene in front of his eyes did not remain quite stable. First, he saw the sky. Then, he saw everything upside down. Then came the moment when everything was turning around rapidly. And then came nothing.
Black... quiet... nothing...
A/N: I'm on it again! Hi and thank you for reading! And once again a big thank you to all those who took their time to review! I can't even tell you how grateful I am. I was starting to consider slowing down a bit, maybe even taking a break as I was beginning to feel that I was, y'know, losing control over it a little. As such I truly appreciated the words of critique I recieved to help me see where I was going wrong and all. Just please keep it up! I'll see if I can make the next chapter before next week... See you (relatively) soon!