Apologies for the late update; real life has been a bitch lately, lots of drama. Just keep me in your thoughts, and I'll get through it all.
I'm so glad everyone liked "kitty panda" (don't they kinda look like cats though?); I had so much fun writing Tigress/Mei Jia as a toddler. Plus, I guess everyone deserved a heartening and uplifting chapter after all the drama. 'Kay, now for the disclaimer: this whole chapter depicts the events of the movie according to Shifu…who, by the way, I don't own (I apologize in advance for the length). Please remember to leave a review!
Memoirs of a Master
Chapter 22
She liked him.
Wait, she…liked him.
He may not have been the shiniest yuan in the bank, but that smile from last night was unmistakable.
Tigress liked Po. As in…she liked-liked him. A lot.
But…why? How? When? The more he thought about it, the more it made his head spin. She was gorgeous, had everything going for her; she was a master of kung fu, loved and respected all over China, and had achieved more in her near-quarter century of life than he could have ever dreamed for himself. She was akin to royalty, a princess, worthy of being the Emperor's daughter.
He was a noodle chef.
Forget the title, forget the scroll…he still introduced himself as "a noodle maker" before "the Dragon Warrior", out of habit more than anything else. Despite his months of training, despite everything he had learned, everything Shifu and the Furious Five taught him, he was in no way worthy of her. It wasn't self-deprecation; not completely. She was a beautiful tiger; he was a big fat panda. Po was just being realistic.
He had spent most of the night tossing and turning, unable to sleep as the previous day's events swam through his head. It was still dark outside, and he guessed it was long before the gong would sound. He was never up this early. No matter how hard he tried to go back to sleep, it eluded him until he groaned and threw the covers off. Sitting up, he glanced around his darkened room and sighed. He didn't hear anyone else stirring, so he assumed that meant he was the only one up.
He didn't even yawn as he stood and threw on a clean green hanfu pao (which matched his eyes, oddly enough), thinking that he might as well start preparing an early breakfast for the others. He tiptoed down the hall, surprising himself when not a single board creaked underfoot. He turned the corner with a satisfied smile strolled the rest of the way to the kitchen. When he got there, he found a lantern already lit, and someone adding logs and kindling to the red hot coals under the stove.
He took a deep breath, bracing himself for…whatever might happen. "Hey Tigress," he smiled.
She turned and smiled back, "Hey Po." Gods help him, she was sporting that same smile from the night before: that same shy, yet grateful and excited smile, as if she was genuinely happy to see him, genuinely happy to have him near her. It's just a crush, he told himself. She doesn't really like me, she'll get over it. I mean, what can she possibly see in me?
He smiled back, albeit more restrained, "How'd you sleep?"
"I…I slept alright," she said guardedly, flushing slightly and averting her eyes in a shy way that was very unlike her. Po pursed his lips and thought hard about how to proceed. He'd thought it was a small victory—but a victory nonetheless—when she first smiled at him and called him "master". Earning her respect was one thing; realizing she was starting to like him was another thing entirely.
"You're up pretty early," he said. Small talk was probably not going to get him far, but it was a start. He guessed she just liked him as a friend, now. There was no way she saw him as anything more. He was reading too much into her behavior. That had to be it.
"So are you." She paused and sighed, closing the cast-iron door of the oven. "You couldn't sleep either, could you?"
The panda shook his head, bidding her to sit while he heated some water for tea. "Anything on your mind?" he asked.
She didn't answer right away. He gave her a minute; she was either trying to find the words, or working up the nerve to say something. What she finally said surprised him, "I'm afraid of love."
He whipped his head around so fast he cracked his neck. Nursing his minor strain, he stared at her, "Afraid of love?"
She sighed raggedly, folding her arms on the table and laying her head on top of them, "I've fought for Shifu's love my entire life, and it wasn't until last night that I knew he loved me. He wouldn't have said it so many times, or devoted a whole chapter to me if he didn't. But…part of me believes that's what love is. You said it yourself: sometimes, someone doesn't need to tell you they love you, if they truly did."
"I was just saying that to make you feel better," he confessed, pulling up a chair next to her. He quickly tried explaining himself, telling himself that she wouldn't get mad—or as mad—if he was finally honest. "You've always been so strong, so capable, that I had no idea what to think when I saw you crying that first time. Monkey had told me you cared more than you let on, but I didn't believe him. I had this image of you as being really tough, not caring what anyone thought, and I admired that. You were my hero, Tigress, and still are, and I guess…everyone expects their heroes to be perfect."
If he was trying to make her feel better, it wasn't working. She looked even more miserable now that she knew she had disappointed him. Po bit his lip, further confessing, "But I don't think that anymore. At the time, you'd gone from being this larger-than-life idol to…someone who was normal. Just like everyone else. I didn't know how to handle that. I'm not sure I know how to handle that now. It never occurred to me that you wanted what anyone else wanted. I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" she whispered. Her eyebrows were knitted with worry, and there was an obvious vulnerability in her eyes. She'd never showed that before…so did that mean she trusted him now, trusted him enough to let him see that side of her?
He gulped and declared, "For thinking you weren't human."
Tigress averted her eyes and sighed through her nose. "…I tried not to let it show. I learned early on that crying was a weakness. I didn't cry in front of Shifu, and after a while, I stopped crying altogether. That night we found that painting in Shifu's hiding spot? That was the first time in years I truly let go…"
"Why hold it all in, though?"
She paused, then snorted, "Pride. I guess I'm not so different than Tai Lung after all."
"That's not true," he said, reaching out and taking her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It hurts to think how much pain you must be feeling, deep inside. But that makes me admire you more: I know you're physically strong, but I didn't know until just now that you had a strong spirit, and a mighty heart. Heck, you deserved the Dragon Scroll…"
"No I didn't," she sighed, squeezing back, silently grateful for that connection. "I've come to accept it. Now that I know so much more about you…Oogway was right. You deserve it more than anyone else." She felt her heart hammering in her chest, and finally worked up the nerve to ask, "You said you liked me, right? Well…how much?"
Po instantly adopted a panicked expression. "Uh…b'wuh?"
"How much do you like me?" she asked again, a little more certainty in her voice.
"I…"
"Po, please, I just want to know…"
Po knew he was skirting into dangerous territory. If he told her the truth, she might scorn him, but if he told her the truth, she might also read too much into it, and end up hurting them both. He couldn't risk that.
"I don't like you." Before the heartbreak could enter her eyes, he corrected, "I love you."
Tigress shot straight up, stunned into silence. "You…you love me?"
Po's mind was screaming at him, Good, now cover your ass! "Yeah…you're like family to me. So, of course I love you. You're like the sister I never had. I used to think you were the big sister, but now…I hope you don't mind if I think of you as the little sister I need to protect…"
There was flicker in her eyes that, for a moment, made him wonder if it was ever there at all…and it looked like disappointment. "Like…your little sister?"
"You can still be the big sister if you want. Just…I hope you don't mind but…I want us to be close…closer." Good job! his mind congratulated. Ass successfully covered!
Tigress sighed, lowering her gaze to the tabletop. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what she had been expecting, but it wasn't this. If she had expected him to love her…in that way…how would she have reacted anyway? Would that have made her happy?
She sighed again and looked back at the panda, forcing a smile so that he wouldn't worry, "I'd like that. Thank you, Dragon Warrior."
"Are we interrupting anything?"
Panda and tiger recoiled in shock when Mantis suddenly appeared between them, Po falling backwards and landing hard on the floor, Tigress standing just as quickly to put as much space between her and the panda as possible. "Mantis!" she gasped, quickly gaining control of her tone so as not to betray her guilt. "You're awake!"
"Uh, yeah, I'm usually awake this early…" he said slowly, confused by her unusual behavior. What exactly have I walked into? Then he inwardly smirked. Oh yeah, I know exactly what's going on. "So, when are you guys finally going to admit it?"
Po stood up and righted his chair. "Uh…admit what?"
Mantis wanted to bang his head against the wall. He looked over his shoulder as Viper slithered in, garbed in her pink wool sweater and hiding a yawn in her coils. "Hey Viper, you see what I see?" the insect asked.
Viper rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked at the tiger and panda. Then she scowled, "Oh come on, you two, just admit it."
"Admit what?" Tigress asked.
Viper and Mantis gave them a no-nonsense look. "Are you serious?" the serpent asked. "Are you two honestly that blind? We've noticed for well over a week—you two are crazy about each other."
"No we're not," the pair said a little too quickly.
"Just kiss each other and get it over with!" Viper snapped. "There is way too much sexual tension, so just give in!"
"I can't kiss him! Don't you know how inappro—" Tigress was cut off when Po leaned over and quickly pecked her lips. Mantis bit back on a gasp; he hadn't expected Po to actually do it, but now the insect had to respect that the panda had some real cajones.
Po quickly picked up the last scroll and held it out to the tiger, whose fingers gently touched her lips, a faraway look in her eyes.
"Uh, you wanna do the honors?"
She blinked and shook herself out of it. "Whuh-huh?" her eyes flicked down to the scroll in his hand. "Oh! Oh, yeah, sure, I can do that…"
By now, you are probably wondering about the Dragon Warrior. Tai Lung had failed to achieve it as miserably as I had failed to achieve it. I was certain that at least one of my students would have such an honor. How could they not? I had lived up to Li's prediction from many years ago: I was the greatest kung fu master in recent history. I was the best kung fu teacher in all of China, the teacher and master of the Furious Five. If none of the students I trained ever became the Dragon Warrior, then what did that say about me?
First, a little background onto the years, months, and days leading up to the advent of the Dragon Warrior:
Even twenty years after Rong Lang's death, and despite Emperor Xian Xin's repeated attempts, the Mongols still distrusted anyone from China. They even rejected Chinese technology, medicine, philosophy. The sons and grandsons of the Great Khan had learned their lesson, and that was to never trust a Han. I heard little of Borte in that time, but my infrequent letters from Ochir informed me that she was often away from home, flying to and from Mongolia and the Chinese capital. The fact she had known the Great Khan and been a faithful ally and confidante meant very little, as Khan's descendents had completely rejected her. She had married a Han; this was sacrilege, treason. After five unsuccessful years, she resigned as ambassador; it was a grievous loss for the empire. We never regained the peace we'd enjoyed during the last ten years of Emperor Yi's reign. Perhaps it may come again someday, but not during my lifetime.
Additionally, this meant the Furious Five had their work cut out for them. Emperor Xian Xin may be a kind and fair man, and a great ruler, but his army and navy are nowhere near equipped to handle a widespread invasion. Ochir has done as much as he can to keep belligerent countries at bay, but as it turns out, we are now in a time where not only are our borders in jeopardy, but our infrastructure as well. Bandits, warlords and assassins are teeming throughout our land, and caused a massive migration of people to live in the Valley of Peace.
As for myself, the years of heartbreak and pain had turned me from a hopeful youth into a bitter old man. I had lost all hope in humanity, and in the future. But, Fate had another hand to deal me. Before I knew it, the time had come. The time had come to reveal the Dragon Warrior. Oogway had seen enough war, enough bloodshed, enough violence and upheaval. But the constant wars were not the reason for this decision.
No, the catalyst was the worst possible thing that could have happened to me, and the Valley…
The day Oogway announced it was time to choose the Dragon Warrior, he had called me to the Sacred Hall of Warriors for a private meeting. There, he confided a vision.
"Tai Lung will return."
Memories flashed across my vision, of the showdown in the very hall in which we now stood, and the ferocious monster I had created. To me, this was worse than if he'd confided an imminent invasion, or a plague, or…other unseen horrors that would have petrified the average Chinese. Of course, these didn't immediately pop into my head; I had spent so much time in the Valley of Peace and so little time traveling that the first worry was the safety of the citizens in the Jade Mountain's shadow. "But…that is impossible! He is in prison!"
"Nothing is impossible…" my master warned.
I felt my blood freeze in my veins. No, I couldn't allow this to happen. The first rampage had been terrible enough. Extensive preparations needed to be taken care of.
"Zeng!" I called for the palace messenger. "Fly to Chorh-Gom prison!" I ordered. "I want them to double the guards, double their weapons…double everything! Tai Lung does not leave that prison!"
As the goose scrambled to fly off and carry out my orders, my master had turned to the Moon Pool. "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it."
"Master, we can't let him walk on the valley, and let him take his revenge! He'll…he'll…" I didn't want to think of how horrible it could be. The atrocities he had committed the first time around were too gruesome for me to even think about. Predicting how horrible that rage would be after it had been stewing for twenty years…it didn't bear thinking about.
He quickly interrupted me, pointing to the Moon Pool with his staff. "Your mind is like this water my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see…but if you allow it to settle…" here he tapped the tip of his staff against the water's surface. The once rippling and agitated surface settled, and reflected in the still waters was the answer.
"The Dragon Scroll…" I gasped.
He said with great gravity, "It is time."
Time…the time had finally come. I had given up hope that it would have happened in my lifetime. "But who? Who is worthy of the secret, to become…the Dragon Warrior?"
He paused. "I don't know," he said, as if the answer were obvious.
An announcement went out to the entire valley: a tournament was to be held to decide the Dragon Warrior. It seemed to go without saying that one of the Furious Five would be given that honor and, by extension, so would I.
Before joining my master in the Arena where the entire Valley was gathering, I wrote a quick letter to Commander Vachir at Chorh-Gom Prison, urging him to be extra vigilant, and extra cautious. I had been in limited contact with him over the years. The first five years of Tai Lung's imprisonment, I routinely received a letter about every two weeks updating me of the prisoner's condition. After Borte had retired her position as an ambassador to Mongolia, those reports trickled down like a spring in a drought, until I had gone five years without an update. The only clue that Tai Lung was still in prison was that we still had the Dragon Scroll…and that I was still alive.
And that worried me. If there was one thing that could be said about Tai Lung—two things, actually—it was that he was determined, but also very crafty if he needed to be. And if he were to try and escape, as Master Oogway predicted, that only increased my worry.
I sent Zeng on his way and quickly rushed to the Arena, passing my students along the way. They were standing to the side, awaiting the signal to appear. I carried on down the steps to await my master, who slowly lumbered down from the Hall of Warriors.
"It is a historic day, Master Oogway," I said proudly when he reached the Arena's platform; it was the same platform he had held during my first tournament many, many years ago. This time, I would be a spectator. I was jumpy with both nerves and excitement, but my chest was swelling with pride as well.
"A day I did not think I would live to see," he agreed. "Now know this old friend: whoever I choose today will bring peace not only to the valley…but also to you."
I fell silent, contemplating what he had said as the announcer declared, "Let the tournament begin!"
I introduced each of my students to the citizens, everyone from the oldest elder to the tiniest baby cheering for their heroes. I smiled proudly at the Furious Five. They were all my students, and all of them were amazing in their own ways. They could stand by themselves as the greatest warriors in China, but at the same time, together, they were unstoppable.
I remember feeling guilty then, that whoever would be chosen would break up the Furious Five. I'm reminded how much the Five were like my friends and I. The more I think of it, the more I see parallels.
Mantis was definitely Li, with that sharp wit and cunning streak; Monkey's easy-going and steady nature, was definitely Ochir; Viper was Yeying (no contest); and Crane, I always assumed, was as much like me as any of them, though in actuality, he's much calmer than I had ever been; and Tigress, well, at the time I believed she resembled Shan most, but the fact of the matter is…she actually most resembles me.
"…And finally, Master Tigress!" I declared to a roaring crowd. "Believe me, Citizens, you have not seen anything yet! Master Tigress will face Iron Ox and his Blades of Death!" I watched as Tigress prowled over to Iron Ox, the metal and wooden contraption I'd designed just for her use. She dipped low into a battle stance, her eyes trained on her adversary…
Then a hush fell over the crowd. I looked at Oogway, knowing he was the only one who could have calmed the crowd at such a tense moment. His eyes were closed, his hand aloft, feeling the air for chi flow, then said:
"I sense the Dragon Warrior is among us."
I glanced down at Tigress, who was looking around curiously, scanning the crowd, and her friends' faces, as if by doing so she could find the source of the warrior's chi. I caught her eye and nodded once; immediately she and the rest of the Furious Five lined up in the middle of the arena floor, standing tall and proud as I had taught them to.
"Citizens of the Valley of Peace!" I announced, "Master Oogway will now choose the Dragon Warrior!"
The crowd roared louder as Oogway began to slowly walk down the steps to the arena floor. The pig announcer standing next to me bit his lip.
"I don't think you have a reason to be so nervous," I said crossly.
"Normally, I would agree with you, sir," he said. "But I remember the rampage."
I closed my eyes and took a calming, meditative breath. Of course, there was no way I was the only one worried about that. Dragon Warrior or not, I think, the citizens would have been just as happy without the Dragon Warrior if it meant keeping the unstable peace we now enjoyed. If it meant not risking a repeat of Tai Lung's rampage, they would have been content with it, as surely as I would have. I tried telling myself not to hope anymore, that hope is what had destroyed me, and what had destroyed Tai Lung.
Not a fair point of view, you say? Can you honestly deny me that belief, after reading the aforementioned events in my life? Whenever I had hope, my hopes were dashed, and I was left with nothing. The only way to protect myself from further heartache was to have no hope at all.
Though—and I routinely beat myself up over it—I held out hope one of the Five would be the Dragon Warrior, and that I would still have the honor of teaching the Peacemaker, the Ultimate Warrior, the All-Powerful Protector.
Oogway had finally made it down to the Arena floor, trudging straight for my students, his hand aloft, feeling the air. I could have imagined it, but I swear I could actually see the chi flow through his fingers. I bit my lip; he had taken a step towards Tigress. I felt my heart rate quicken until the only thing I could hear was the pounding of blood in my own ears. Someone, somewhere, had set off premature celebratory fireworks, but premature or not, if Oogway's hand rested on Tigress, I wouldn't care; it would be a celebration, one I had waited for over—
Someone screamed and all eyes turned skyward. I looked up and only had a short moment to see the large black and white form free-falling from the sky with a panicked wail, then hit the Arena floor with a loud, heavy, sickening thud.
The crowd gasped in horror and alarm. My students broke formation to investigate. I saw Mantis checking the large figure's vital signs, then step away with a silent nod; whoever it was, was still alive. Crane, Viper and Monkey all looked relieved, Viper getting closer to see if there was anything she could do. Crane stood back to give the poor creature some air when it became clear he was coming around, and I saw Monkey send Viper a hopeful smile; the poor creature was going to be fine. But this didn't keep Tigress from being on the defensive. She hated being caught off-guard, and this was one of those times where her warrior's instinct overtook her humanity (by the way, her putting fighting and strength before compassion and mercy…yup, my fault too. This list of grievances against my daughter is longer than I'm comfortable with…).
I narrowed my eyes, perking my ears to listen closer. The huge black and white blob shook his head to bring himself back to clarity, then gaped when his gaze focused on Oogway's outstretched finger.
"Oh!" the blob—a giant panda—gasped, "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see who the Dragon Warrior was…"
Now that his life was no longer in danger, I had no problem rolling my eyes. Peasants.
"How interesting…" my master said, with genuine significance.
"Master, were you pointing at…me?" Tigress asked, stepping forward with a hopeful look. I held my breath, waiting for Oogway to say "Why as a matter of fact, yes, I was. Congratulations, Tigress."
Instead, I heard him say: "Him."
"Huh?" the panda asked, staring at the pointing claw. I'm sure I was just as confused as the panda looked. Tigress and I shared a look—what the hell was going on? Then Oogway announced, holding the bear's flabby arm high:
"The universe has brought us the Dragon Warrior!"
The panda blinked in confusion, "…What?"
My students' faces fell, "WHAT?"
"WHAT?!" I gaped, slack-jawed. The announcer next to me rang the gong which brought on the celebration, but, of course, I didn't feel like celebrating. This was a joke. This had to be a joke. That panda…there was no way the panda could possibly be the Dragon Warrior. There was no way he could know kung fu! He was a peasant for crying out loud! He lacked the physique, the grace, and the discipline to be a kung fu warrior…perhaps Oogway had finally lost his mind after all.
I snapped back to attention as a quartet of geese shuffled past me with the Dragon Chair, the sedan chair made especially for the Dragon Warrior's use. "Stop! Wait! Who told you to—"
They ignored me, continuing on their way and stopping at the feet of the panda. Oh no, oh hell no, I was not going to tolerate this. I had been humiliated, completely humiliated. There was no way Oogway could be serious!
As the palanquin bearers scuttled up to the panda and lifted him into the chair—which proved too much for the ducks and geese, it seemed—I dashed down the steps to Oogway, who was slowly lumbering away as my five students bowed their heads in respect.
"Master Oogway, wait!" I called, blocking his path. "That flabby panda can't possibly be the answer to—" I cut myself off just in time; it would do no good to alert the villagers to the potential danger. I lowered my voice and finished my statement, "—our problem! You were about to point at Tigress and that thing landed in front of her! It was just an accident!"
"There are no accidents," he smiled knowingly.
A sharp cracking noise alerted us to the steps leading up to the Sacred Hall of Warriors. The panda's weight had caused the platform supporting him to fall through; his lower torso now hung from the hole he had made. Four pigs came to the rescue, having an easier time lifting the large bear, though I use the word "easier" very lightly.
My eye started to twitch again. I had not felt it twitching for a good few years. I had been annoyed before, but the last time I had been so agitated, the Furious Five had departed without my permission in order to fight a battle. They were my students, and I forgave them once I learned of their outstanding success. But now…the fat panda was now my student. By default, I was his master now. There was no way he knew kung fu, no way in Hell. I refused to believe it, refused to think that a panda—a giant panda!—could be the ultimate warrior!
See? I'm still chuckling at the idea. The gods of irony must still be rolling on the floor.
The Five had walked up behind me; Tigress was the first to speak. I had never seen her look so rejected, not even at Bao Gu had she ever looked so depressed.
"Forgive us, Master," she quietly said, bowing low, "We have failed you." I think she was so disappointed she would have kowtowed if I allowed it.
All five of them bowed to me, looking drawn and pale, the familiar light of youthful optimism dulled in their eyes. No, I was not going to accept this. There was no way that I, nor my students, would be so disrespected.
"No," I said sharply. "If the panda is not gone by morning, it is I who will have failed you."
"What…what will you do?" Crane asked warily. He was never one to be direct; I relied on Tigress and Mantis for that. Crane was the one who kept the peace. And I recall that he posed the question "what will you do" not "what will we do". Even then, despite his disappointment…he didn't want to hurt the poor creature. Well, not as much as Tigress likely did.
I thought for a moment, then a slow smile spread across my lips as a cruel plan came to mind. I said,
"If the panda truly wants to be a kung fu master…he's going to have to survive my training."
I didn't need to look back at them to know they had exchanged nervous looks. Even Tigress looked like she took pity on the panda. My training on the Five had been worse than my training on Tai Lung—they wouldn't have wished my methods on their worst enemies.
I took the back way and made it to the Hall of Warriors before the procession did. Most likely, I was swifter than the bearers were, simply because of the massive weight they were carrying. I hid myself behind a pillar, softly playing my flute as I waited. When I heard the doors to the Sacred Hall of Warriors opening, I waited for the exact moment to reveal myself. But first, I had to see what I was dealing with.
The bearers unceremoniously deposited him on the floor, bowed and scuttled out, slamming the doors behind them.
"Wait!" he cried out to them. "There seems to be some sort of mistake. Everyone seems to think that I'm eh…whoa…" he trailed off, his eyes growing wide. "The Sacred Hall of Warriors; no way!" He glanced around, then he gasped, running over to Ochir's armor and excitedly proclaiming, "Master Flying Rhino's armor…with authentic battle damage!"
He danced and pranced around the room with loud whoops and exultations at each artifact, like a child at a festival. But I had to admit, I was impressed. For a peasant, he knew quite a bit about these artifacts. He knew about the Sword of Heroes, the Invisible Trident of Destiny, Lady Wind Song's fan, the ninja weapons of Master Dog, the Shield of Fire Monkey Pass, the Iron Fist, and paintings he had only seen paintings of…
Then he froze in the middle of the floor, slack jawed, and stared, "Nooo…!" he scurried over to… "The Legendary Urn of Whispering Warriors…said to contain the souls of the entire Tenshu army!"
I rolled my eyes. This needed to end, and it needed to end now. As the panda whispered, "Hello?" into the urn, I cleared my voice and spoke up:
"Have you finished site-seeing?"
He gasped, but didn't turn around, "I'm sorry, I should've come to see you first!"
"My patience is wearing thin."
"Oh…really? I mean, it's not like you were going anywhere."
It took me a moment to realize he wasn't talking to me…he was talking to the urn. Oh for the love of… "Would you turn around?" I asked, trying to keep my temper under control.
"Sure," he looked over his shoulder and greeted me, "Hey, how's it going?" and just as suddenly he was back to the urn: "So how do you get five h—" he gasped and jumped, "Master Shifu!"
However, when he jumped, he bumped the pedestal and the urn went crashing to the floor. This stupid, clumsy oaf destroyed an important piece of kung fu history, and worse…he tried to cover it up.
"Um…someone…broke that. But don't worry, I'll fix it…if you've got some glue or…" he bent down to pick up the shards, only managing to knock over the pedestal, which hit him in the head as it fell. "Ow! Ooh…splinter…"
I tried to keep my face straight. "So you're the legendary Dragon Warrior, hmm?"
"I…guess so?"
"WRONG!" I snapped.
He flinched and cowered.
I continued, "You are not the Dragon Warrior. You will never be the Dragon Warrior until you have mastered the secret of the Dragon Scroll." I pointed to the ceiling with my flute, drawing his attention to the sacred scroll clutched in the Gold Dragon's teeth. The panda looked amazingly impressed, no doubt because of his upbringing. He must have never seen such finery, or ever imagined it in his wildest dreams.
He breathed deeply, "Whoa…" He composed himself quickly, and asked, "So, how does this work? Do you have a ladder, or a trampoline?"
I chuckled, fingering my flute as I studied him, "You think it's that easy? That I'm just going to hand you the secret to limitless power?!"
"What? No! I…"
"One must first master the highest level of kung fu, and that is clearly impossible if that someone…is someone like you."
"Someone like me?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, look at you!" I snapped, slapping various parts of his frame with my flute as I called attention to his physical shortcomings. In hindsight, my grandfather's flute probably didn't deserve that mistreatment. "This fat butt…flabby arms!"
"Hey, those are sensitive in the flabby parts…" he said as he rubbed his sore arm.
"And this ridiculous belly!" I jabbed the flute in his paunch.
"Hey!" he protested, stepping back a few paces.
"…And utter disregard for personal hygiene," I concluded.
"Now waitaminute, that's a little uncalled for," he pointed at me, now thoroughly annoyed. Good.
"Don't stand that close, I can smell your breath," I took a step away. I could indeed smell salty broth and onions on his breath and wondered when the last time was he brushed his teeth.
He tried to save face, "Listen, Master Oogway said that…"
I grabbed his finger in between my thumb and index finger, and raised my pinkie. It was a gamble, and horribly cruel, but I could have always said later that it was an accident, or that I was provoked…
But he surprised me—shocked me, even—when he gasped and cowered fearfully. "The Wuxi finger hold! Not the Wuxi finger hold!" he begged on both knees.
He…knew about the hold? How? There was thousands of kung fu warriors who didn't even believe it existed, many more had never even heard of it. How did this peasant know? But I hid my surprise, and as much as I hated to admit it at the time, he had impressed me.
"Oh hoho, you know this hold?" I taunted, chuckling darkly.
He fired off like it was second nature, nodding fearfully, "Developed by Master Wuxi in the third dynasty, yes!"
I chuckled, "So you must know what happens when I flex my pinkie…you know the hardest part of this? The hardest part…" I paused for effect, "…is cleaning up afterwards."
I was enjoying it a little too much. But at the time I didn't care. I wasn't behaving as a real master should have…but the concept of training a student like the Panda was…frankly, outrageous. I was outraged. If anyone, I wanted Tigress to be the one to gain the scroll…but perhaps I still had a chance. If I could get him to quit, get him to renounce the title…that left it open. The Furious Five would still have a chance. Tigress would still have a chance.
"Now listen closely, Panda…" I drilled into his head. "Oogway may have picked you, but when I'm through with you, you're going to wish he hadn't. Are we clear?"
"Yeah, we're clear, we are so clear." He looked like I had completely scared the living daylights out of him. But I wasn't done yet.
"Good," I chuckled gleefully, intending to take full enjoyment of his predicament. With a final wicked grin, I said, "I can't wait to get started."
The first stop was the training hall. I threw open the doors, grateful that the Five had done what I had always expected of them. Even though they had had a long and rather...disappointing day, they were venting their frustrations and obviously angry fury at their training. Training had helped rein in Tigress' temper; and remarkably, it worked for the others too.
I saw Crane swoop in through the open skylight and land on the Jade Tortoise, deflecting incoming spears with his wings. Mantis was dashing in between the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors, lightning fast. Viper practiced her agility on the Field of Fiery Death, leaping and slithering to avoid the unpredictable bursts of fire through the iron pipes. Monkey swung his body off of the Serpent Rings hung from the ceiling. And right in front of us, Tigress leapt nimbly across the spinning serpents above the pool, dodging the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion, one of which she hit with an open palm, smashing it to bits from the forceful fury of her strike.
I managed to dodge the flying debris, but one heavy block hit the Panda right in the forehead. As he recovered, I burrowed my hands inside my wide sleeves.
"Let's get started."
"W-w-wait…" the Panda stammered, staring fretfully at the most dangerous obstacle course in the Jade Palace's history. If this didn't scare him off, I didn't know what would. "…Now?"
"Yes, now," I affirmed. "Unless you think the Great Oogway was wrong, and you are not the Dragon Warrior."
"Oh well, uh…" he lowered his voice, pointing at the gauntlet, "I don't know that I can do…all of that."
"Well, if we don't try, we'll never know, will we?" I smirked, walking off along the platform.
"Well, I'm just saying…" he followed in my wake. "Maybe we could start at something closer to…my level?"
"And what level is that?" I asked. It would be interesting to see what—if anything—he knew. Kung fu history, yes. But practice?
"Well, I'm not a master…"
No shit, I thought.
"…but let's just start at Zero. Level Zero."
I couldn't hold back the laugh, "Oh ho no…there is no such thing as 'Level Zero'."
Suddenly he brightened up, now lighter on his feet (if that were possible, given his size). "Hey! Maybe I can start with that!" I watched incredulously as he skipped over to the Adversary. I inwardly groaned, but decided to destroy his enthusiasm by further ridiculing him.
"That? We use that for training children…and for propping the door open when it is hot. But, if you insist…"
Behind me, the Furious Five had paused their training, coming over to finally meet the one who was to be their ultimate master. Viper and Crane looked mostly curious, Monkey and Mantis skeptical at best. Tigress…well, I don't think I could accurately describe the full measure of disdain in her expression. In fact, had I not been there, I would not have put it past her to completely destroy him, one way or another.
I didn't want to kill the kid. I wasn't that heartless. I'm not saying she would have, but it's safe to assume he wouldn't leave the Jade Palace without a scratch…or something a little more serious.
But if he was discouraged by the looks the Five were giving him, he didn't show it. In fact, he seemed to be quite the avid fan. "Whoa! The Furious Five! Wow, you're so much bigger than your action figures!" he paused, "…except for you, Mantis…you're about the same."
I lieu of a twitching eye, Mantis just ticked an antennae in annoyance.
I broke the uncomfortable silence: "Go ahead, Panda, show us what you can do."
He paused, twiddled his thumbs distractedly, then asked me in a lowered voice as he glanced at the Five, "Um…are they gonna watch, or should I just wait until they get back to work or something?"
"Hit it," I ordered.
"Okay, um…I just ate, so much kung fu may not be as good as…later on…"
"Just hit it."
He finally relented, and…started taunting the dummy. Taunting it, like he would have done to an enemy. It was almost painful to watch. I had never heard of "get ready to feel the thunder" or "betcha never seen bear style". I cringe just writing these down. It doesn't bear repeating whatever else he said; no doubt he'd lose China's respect if everyone knew what a…novice he was. Believe me, that is the kindest word I have for it.
I finally gave in to my impatience, snapping, "Will you hit it?!"
He stopped. "Okay, here goes…" he drew back his arm, hand balled into a fist and he…tapped it. Even Li, who had not been the strongest of my friends, could do much more damage than that when he was five. The panda didn't even look like he had tried.
"Why don't you try again?" I suggested. "A little harder."
The Panda drew his arm back again, and this time gave a real punch—if it could be called that. But the dummy had done as I expected it to. The panda didn't even get the chance to ask "How was that?" before the dummy teetered back and then forward again, knocking the bear off the platform…and right into the middle of the obstacle course.
Well, as much as I'm sure the Five were not pleased with the latest addition to the Jade Palace, I do have to commend them for rushing forward to try to save the poor bastard. They only stopped when I ordered them to, and they watched helplessly—and yet with some amusement—as the obstacle course effectively handed him his ass. There is no better way to describe it, honestly. It was brutal, too brutal to put into words. All I'm willing to say is that the Field of Fiery Death was neither kind nor forgiving.
After getting torched, hit, struck and bruised in inestimable places on his tubby body, he literally dragged himself back to us, his fur singed and smoking, and in the case of a couple hairs on his head, still burning. "…How did I do?" he gasped.
I had to curb my enthusiasm as I extinguished the flame with my fingers and announced, "There is now a Level Zero."
I was positively ecstatic, and yes, quite proud of my work. Without a doubt, the panda would be gone by dawn, or, if I had scared him enough, was probably already on his way home. I made my way back to my quarters right after his disgraceful attempt in the training hall, chuckling to myself.
Shifu, you are a genius! I thought, of course, that it was not very likely the panda could renounce the title; he probably had no choice once Oogway named him the Dragon Warrior. But he could not assume the title until he had learned the Dragon Scroll's secrets. As far as I knew, it seemed possible for him to give up. People renounced titles all the time. If one no longer wished to be a magistrate, they resigned. If a ruler were disgraced, they abdicated their positions. Surely if someone didn't want the Dragon Scroll, they would give that up as well.
But if there was one thing Po Ping taught me, it was that a real warrior never quits.
"It sounds like you gave him a rough first day."
I jumped, clutching my heart. I had not noticed my master standing there until he had spoken. He stood in the doorway of my quarters, smiling in a knowing way. He probably knew what I was trying to accomplish, and just as he was barring my way to my personal quarters, he was symbolically barring my attempts to blatantly disobey him.
I needed to defend myself. "I treated him as I treated every student that came to me."
"How curious: I don't remember Hu, Jin or Tao being so abused."
Hearing Hu's name, twenty years later, was hard. I had trained him from a tender age until he took over the family business, and later came to work at the palace. And it was in this service to us that he was killed. If his family could come away with anything, it was knowing he had died a hero.
I shook myself out of that memory, "An entirely different scenario. Neither of those three would have faced Tai Lung, or tried to bring peace to the Valley, or to China. There is much more at stake here." I was quite proud of myself for this turn in logic. Oogway nodded, affirming my point.
"True, but he seemed…rather upset, earlier. He found the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom quite quickly, as if he knew it was a place to attain peace of mind."
"I can't help my methods. You know how hard I was on the Five. If I am too hard, at least I'm doing it for their benefit."
"I have my own theories about that," he smiled. "Have you ever considered you made them too hard?"
"Because they need to be hard, Master," I reasoned. "There is no way they could have achieved the things they did without that strength."
Oogway frowned and shook his head. "I don't think you understand, old friend. There are different kinds of strength. The panda has much to learn from you, this is true…but perhaps you can learn quite a few things from him."
I scoffed, "When I feel like learning how to stuff my face or pack on fifty pounds in a week, he'll be the first one I'd go to."
Oogway frowned again.
I sighed, "What do you want from me?"
"I want you to be a teacher."
"I am a teacher."
"Are you?"
I wanted to snap back at him, but his last question caught me off guard. I was stunned that he questioned me in such a way. When I didn't answer right away, he only nodded and started to walk away.
"If you ever want to talk about it, Shifu," he called over his shoulder. "You know where to find me."
The next morning, I greeted my students as I always had. At the break of dawn, I waited for the gong to ring. Before the echo died off, five doors were thrown open and five students stood to attention. "Good morning, Master!" the chorused.
The Panda's door was still closed.
"Panda!" I barked, marching up to the doors and throwing them open. "Panda! Wake up!" I stopped in surprise…then chuckled, giving myself a mental pat on the back. His room was empty, and it looked like the bed had never been slept in. Sweet, sweet victory…"He's quit."
So my plan had worked after all! I expected it to be a challenge, but it had been easier than I thought.
Or so I thought until I opened the doors to the courtyard of the training hall. There he was, in all his tubby glory, grunting, sweating and making bearish noises as he tried—keyword being tried—to do a split.
"What are you doing here?!" I demanded.
He straightened and punched a fist into his palm, "Ah, good morning, master! I just thought I'd…warm up a little…" and he got back to his stretching. But he was making too much of an effort. It didn't take me long to realize what the problem was.
"You're stuck."
"What? Me? Stuck? Pfft, no, I'm not, this is just…yeah, I'm stuck."
"Help him,' I said to Crane, who sighed wearily and strode forward. He had to grab hold of the panda's shorts and yank him off the balance beams, the bear falling hard onto his back. While the bear bothered to thank the avian master, Crane brushed him off, as I'm sure the rest of the five would have.
Well, my plan to scare him off hadn't worked. But perhaps, if I was a bigger hard-ass on him than the rest of the Five…maybe that would make him quit.
"You thought you could learn to a full split in one night?" I spotted some concrete floor tiles we used for strength training. Acting on impulse, I plucked up two and hurled them into the air. "It takes years to develop one's flexibility…" Tigress crouched down beside me, staring intently at the tiles.
"…and years longer…" I said, snapping my fingers; she launched herself high into the air.
"…to apply it in combat." As I finished, Tigress had performed a perfect side-split kick, smashing both tiles to dust. She landed softly, nary a sound, and made a dismissive noise at the panda, straightened and calmly walked back to me. I noted the proud look in her eye; I was proud for her.
But the panda was not intimidated by the show of force. If fact, when the debris, gravel and dust fell to the ground, a larger rock hit him on the head and fell to his feet, but he hardly noticed it; he was too busy staring at Tigress. Well, my "Father-Eye" picked up that look in his eyes.
No. Hell no. Abso-fucking-lutely not! My ire was further stoked when he reached down to collect that same rock…to collect it and treasure it like a priceless relic, and all because Tigress had touched it. Oh no, no, not my little girl!
"Put. That. Down!" I barked. "The only souvenirs we collect here are bloody knuckles and broken bones!"
I hoped to intimidate him, this tubby, flabby, fat and disgusting creature who dared stare at my daughter like that! Having a panda becoming the Dragon Warrior was insult enough. Having him stay in the palace, defy me by staying, and now this fat fanboy had the audacity to eye my daughter like she was a slab of meat?!
I was going to kill him.
Murder him.
I think, if one can forgive me, I stopped being Master Shifu at that moment, and suddenly became the Overprotective Father. Of course, I couldn't let anyone in on my true feelings on the matter. The sooner I ran this obese punk out of town, the sooner everything could go back to normal, we could find the true Dragon Warrior, and I could continue to keep all men away from my daughter until she either gave up and decided to become a nun (which I secretly hoped), or defied me and found some dumb schmuck and got married.
Instead of what I had hoped would happen, the panda looked eager. He grinned, tossing the rock nonchalantly over his shoulder and nodded, punching a meaty fist into his equally meaty palm. "YEAH! Excellent!"
I smirked. You poor, stupid bastard, you have no idea what's coming…
"Let's get started."
To say we went easy on him…well, I think we were going easy on him. All that fat made for impressive padding. I think this was the only thing that prevented any serious injuries. I think Crane noticed I was perfectly content with killing the damned bear if need be, but before I chose an opponent for the panda to face, the bird pulled me aside.
"Master Shifu, a thousand pardons, but…with all due respect…"
"Out with it."
"I think we should take it easy on him."
I glared at him.
Amazingly, he stood his ground. Crane is not one to usually be so direct; he prefers to stay out of confrontations. In this case though, it appeared a confrontation was exactly what he feared…
"If we don't, and he dies," he nodded at the eager bear, "well, he belongs to some villager's family. I don't think we want that on our shoulders."
Damn it. Damn him and his irrefutable logic.
I relented with a sigh. "Fine, send Viper first."
This probably wasn't a good idea. I should have remembered Viper was most like Yeying (or so I thought); when she fought—I use the word loosely—the panda, she appeared to be punishing him…and enjoying it far too much.
Crane gave me a look. Somehow, the avian from Li Dai always managed to gently cajole me to a kinder path. He has a way of calming everyone. My guess is all the time he spent with Master Oogway.
Monkey was next, probably the better choice. He was an easy-going soul, who honestly wanted to see what the bear was made of. They fought with staves, if I recall. And, unfortunately, the panda got beaten to a pulp.
Crane volunteered next. We set them up on the Jade Tortoise. This did little more than have the panda fall in and roll around like a dumpling in a bowl. Patient as he was, I could tell Crane was clearly regretting being so easy on the bear. In fact, as the panda rolled out of the Jade Tortoise and fought not to lose his lunch, Crane whispered to me, "Maybe Mantis next?"
"I was considering Tigress," I hissed.
"I'm not saying that is a bad idea, Master," he nodded and quickly reminded me, "but the funeral would still be on the Jade Palace's bill."
Damn.
I sighed, "Fine. Mantis, get over there."
And believe it or not, Mantis handed the bear his fat ass (the panda's ass, not Mantis', just so we're clear).
By the time Mantis was finally tired out, it was sundown, and the panda had a full fourteen hours of abuse from four highly-trained kung fu masters. I smirked in triumph. No offense to Master Mantis, but nothing could be more humiliating to the panda than have his ass handed to him by an insect. So there he was, the fat, disgusting beast lying on his back. He raised his arms… Cry 'Uncle'¸ I thought. Cry 'Uncle', you stupid, big, fat…
He punched his fist into his palm. He wasn't done. He wanted more.
How…there was no way. Either he was very brave, very stubborn, or very stupid. I'd had it. He was going to be gone from this mountain today, or so help me, I'd ensure that a funeral would be necessary!
"I've been taking it easy on you, panda, but no more!"
I saw Tigress straighten up next to me, thinking it to be her turn. I hated to disappoint her.
"Your next opponent will be me."
Tigress' eyes widened and I saw the Five taking a simultaneous step back. I wasn't fucking around anymore. I think the step back was to be out of the line of fire, and to avoid the blood splatter.
If I expected fear from him, if I expected him to cower and plead and beg for mercy, it wasn't going to happen. He grinned and rolled back up. "Alright, yeah, let's go!"
"Step forth!" I snapped. When he took the first step, I reached out and grabbed a fistful of his fur and lifted him over my head, twirling him around and around before slamming him hard into the ground.
"The true path to victory is to find your opponent's weakness against him!" I lectured as I beat him up. I waited for him to straighten before I leapt up and delivered a volley of kicks to his chest and face; I grabbed him by the neck and threw him down, yanking back on his headfur. He was grinning like an idiot, wanting more.
"To take his strength," I continued, "and use it against him, until he falls or quits!" I had him on his stomach, my foot on the back of his neck, jerking his head back by yanking on his nostrils.
"But a true warrior never quits!" he declared with a nasally voice. "Don't worry, Master, I will never quit!"
That did it. I had no other choice. I had to literally kick him out. So I did. I quickly guessed by his size he probably weighed the same Tiny had all those years ago…so I used the same moves on him. In less than five seconds after he had uttered those famous last words, he went flying through the double doors and began bouncing down the steps, his cries and groans echoing up the mountain.
The Five slowly walked over to the top step, watching as he bounced.
"If he's smart, he won't come back up those steps," I heard Tigress say.
"But he will," Monkey sighed.
Tigress pulled away from the others and came back inside the training facilities. She paused just long enough to bow to me, "Master Shifu, may I have your permission to train in the training hall before dinner?"
This puzzled me. "Tigress, you have never needed to ask before. You know I expect nothing less from you."
"I know, Master, but…I'm not feeling too hungry right now."
I saw the hidden message in her eyes. They had always been expressive, and probably always will be.
"Tigress," I said firmly, "The panda will not stay. You have my solemn word that he will not be here much longer."
She looked up at me and I swore I saw the flicker of doubt. "Yes Master, I know."
"Tigress?"
"Yes, Master?"
I paused, ruminating slowly. Then I looked up at her and said, "If and when he comes back up those steps…if you feel like it, give him a dose of the Tiger style for me, would you?"
"But Master, considering the wounds he must have already…" I commend her for actually looking concerned for his well-being "…wouldn't that kill him?"
"Give him just enough to make him want to leave."
"But what if he won't?"
"Then let the fool kill himself trying!" I finally snapped. "That fat slob will be out of this palace before tomorrow's sunset, one way or another, you mark my words!"
Tigress was a little taken aback, and truly, I myself am shocked by my own reaction. She collected herself quickly and said, "Yes, Master Shifu. Shall I practice on the Seven Swinging—"
"Do whatever you want," I waved her off. "You're all dismissed."
I had been too harsh on her, I know. I didn't mean to snap at her, surely, but its likely she took it personally. For all her training, she tended to see my criticisms as personal attacks; yet one more thing to apologize for…
I suppose there is a silver lining, though: if Yeying had heard me berate our daughter over the years, she may very well have killed me (or permanently banished me to the dog house). And it was with this feeling that I retired to the training hall later that night for some meditation…
"Inner peace…Inner peace…" I chanted, trying my best to focus on my breathing and ignore the stressors around me. I figured with a clearer mind, I could find an answer to my big fat monochromatic problem. If it weren't for the incessant flapping…
"In-in-in-in…inner peace…"
Flap-flap-flap-flap-flap…
I finally gave up and snapped, "Would whoever's making that flapping noise quiet down!" I paused, not hearing anything. I smiled and returned to my meditation. "Inner—"
A loud rustle of feathers, then a body hit the floor with a loud quack. Gods damn it all! I decided to give up. Inner peace wasn't coming tonight, but maybe I could relieve some stress by taking it out on whoever interrupted me.
When I turned round, my anger dissipated slightly, and I allowed myself a smile.
"Ah, Zeng! Excellent, I could use some good news right now."
Whatever Zeng was going to say, he stopped abruptly. The goose looked down at his wing feathers, then started, "Uh…"
I groaned; Vachir and his men must have ignored my message. I had a feeling Tai Lung wasn't the only student between Ochir and I who had problems with arrogance…
"Alright, what did they do? Did they ridicule me? Laugh about it?"
"Not exactly…" he mumbled.
"Was the prison at least secure?"
"Um," he gulped. "Uh…yes…it was secure…"
"They were lax in their duties, I knew it! And I bet they sent you back to tell me…"
"Actually, Master Shifu," he said tremulously, his whole body shaking. "The Commander didn't send me back…Tai Lung did."
I must have stopped breathing, because I felt suddenly very dizzy, gasping for air. I fought to keep myself standing.
"T-Tai Lung sent you…"
Zeng nodded fearfully. "He…he said to tell you 'the real Dragon Warrior is coming home'."
I had not run that fast in years. Oogway had told me that if we ever needed to talk I knew where to find him. And find him I did. I charged up the slope to the Sacred Peach Tree, where he was practicing tai chi.
"Master! Master!" I called. When I finally got up there, I panted breathlessly, "Master I…its very bad news."
"Ah, Shifu," he said knowingly. "There is only news. There is no good or bad…"
He had said this before Yeying and I had been married. At that time, everything had turned out alright, but that wasn't enough to calm my fears.
"Master, Tai Lung has broken out of prison! He's on his way!"
He actually looked stunned. He was speechless, completely taken aback. "Well, that is bad news…" then he smiled, "if you believe the Dragon Warrior can not stop him."
He had to be kidding… "The panda?! Master, he wasn't even meant to be here! It was just an accident!"
"There are no accidents."
I sighed, turning away. "Yes, I know. You've said that already. Twice."
"Well," he said with a chuckle, "That was no accident either."
I held up three fingers, "Thrice."
"Old friend," he said, stepping forward, "The panda will not realize his destiny—nor you, yours—until you get rid of this illusion of control."
"…Illusion?" I asked.
"Yes," he said simply, and began a parable, "Look at this tree. I can not make it blossom when I please, or make it bear fruit before its time."
Stubborn as I had always been, I challenged him. "But there are things we can control…" I swiftly side-kicked the trunk, causing all the peaches to fall with soft plops to the ground, "I can control when the fruit will fall…" I picked up a peach, tossed it high into the air, jumped and sliced it in half with a hand chop.
"I can control where to plant the seed!" I punched a whole in the ground and straightened to catch the peach pit in one hand. I threw it angrily into the hole I had made and stood back, challenging him again. "That is no illusion, Master!"
"Yes, but that seed will become a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach."
"But a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung! Master…I need your help…" I begged. How curious, that each time I came to speak with him here, it had always been because I needed guidance. I hoped he would tell me, provide the necessary wisdom I would need to purge this danger, to deflect this horrible fate…
"No, my friend," he shook his head. "You just need to believe." He allowed this to sink in before saying, "Promise me, Shifu, promise me you will believe."
I wanted to believe, I truly did. I didn't think I had the capacity for it. Having hope was for the young; I was too old to hold out hope any longer. But somehow…Oogway managed to defy that belief. When was one too old to stop believing? He was over a thousand years old, and never ceased believing, never ceased hoping, never lost his faith. He had lived ten centuries, I had only lived three-quarters of a century. Of all the misfortunes I had faced…they must have been paltry compared to those he must have loved and lost over the past thousand years. How many friends had he lost? How many hundreds of thousands of students had he watched die, old and young alike? Had he ever loved, and lost? These things I never knew, never thought, nor never cared, to ask. But it was too late for me to do so now.
"I…will try," I promised him. I owed him that much. He had done so much for me, for saving my life countless times from the time I was four until that fateful night, as we stood under the peach blossoms and discussed the valley's future, and the Dragon Warrior. I expected him to tell me "do, or do not, there is no try", but he didn't. He only nodded and smiled.
"Good." He lifted his head as a soft breeze began tearing peach blossoms off the tree, the pink petals dancing in the air. My master took a deep breath. "My time has come…" he turned and handed me his staff.
"You must continue your journey without me."
"W-what?" I was caught completely off-guard, watching in confusion as he slowly walked to the edge of the precipice. I panicked, thinking he was going to jump…"Master! Master, wait! You can't leave me!" I begged, pleaded with him to come back, to stop, to come away from the edge of the cliff...
Instead, I watched, marveling at the peach blossoms as they flew about, then swirled around his form, enveloping him. He turned back to me, smiling beatifically, and bowed to me in respect. I couldn't remember the last time he had done that. All of a sudden, the vibrant jade green of his skin drained, to be replaced by an ethereal light as pale as the moon. While his body now became ghostly white, I did not fear it, for while he had abandoned his earthly form…those soft green eyes were the same as I had known them the day we met, sixty-five years before.
"You must…believe…" he said with finality, bowing and closing his eyes, a peaceful smile on his face.
Then he was gone.
He disappeared into the soft pink cloud of petals, and floated up, up, up towards heaven, the petals blending in with the myriad stars dotting the night sky until one by one, they were gone. I could do little more than helplessly watch, completely devastated. There had been no warning…or had there been? Had Oogway been planning this all along, or had he made it up as he went? Had he been giving me signals that his time was coming, and I had been too selfish or stubborn to notice?
It was so sudden, and yet quietly beautiful, the dignity with which he ascended to the next life. It was fitting, for such a man as Oogway to peacefully pass on that way, surrounded by the very symbol of peace and wisdom, and in the company of his most favored tree…
But as for me, I was unworthy. I had failed him so many times; I was not worthy to hold his peach wood staff in my hands, to claim his title. Yet here I was. He had passed on the torch to me, because there was no one else. I had no time to mourn, no time to be bitter, no time to go through all the stages of grieving.
Tai Lung was coming.
And I needed to stop him, or die trying.
God, who knew that writing a novelization of the movie from Shifu's POV would be such a bear? I originally intended for this to be in one complete chapter…yeah, that's not happening. You'll get an extra two chapters out of this, so congratulations, y'all!