Chapter 12

A Legendary Battle (Part 2)

Po could hear something banging against the wall of his room. Not like pounding, but more like tapping. Like snow, tapping hard against wood. The panda was in his room meditating now, along with Mantis and Monkey, in separate rooms. Tigress was off training, he heard from Monkey, and Viper and Crane were outside. Outside... maybe at the peach tree. Master Shifu was off eating, or so Po thought. If so, then Shifu would be eating for about an hour now.

Thinking, Po got up, soon sliding his door open, and walking out. He decided to go see if it was snowing or not, for that tapping noise was really starting to bug him. Po felt a bit different, like a bit less on the thinking side. He was already tripping over his own feet. Maybe he was just having a bad day. Slowly making his way to the door that lead outside, he gasped, as he smelled a tint of blood. As he walked closer to the doors, he could now smell a really strong scent of blood. Deeply thinking, he opened the doors, soon letting blood red snow in. He went into shock, as he backed away. Snow? Blood red snow? He quickly ran up to the doors and shut them, turning around and leaning against the door, panting. It's snowing blood?!

Sky hid behind the same pillar Tai Lung had, as he spied on Tigress, waiting on the right moment to strike. He peered around the pillar, finding she was handling a sword. A... Khanda, maybe? No.. a Jian. It looked very wide, long, and thin. It was an antique, and should be treated like one, for swords like those are only to be used in battle! He grunted softly, as he knew it would be no match if she had that kind of sword. She would murder him!

The wolf thought, as a chill of pleasure went through him. He knew he has been training as a swordsman all his life, and what, she's only been training today, maybe? Possibly not, that's what Sky thought. He bolted his eyes from his position to the position he will be in when facing her. Tense, prepared, furious, and clever. Good, now all he needed to do is find a way to get to her-

"Tigress! Oh god, look! Look outside!" Crane came flying in, as Sky quickly hid more behind the pillar.

"What is it?" Tigress ordered.

"Come and look! It's snowing this weird kind of...." Viper's voice trailed off, as all three of them left the room. Sky kept his breathing steady. Seconds passed, as Tigress, Crane and Viper came in, dragging Tai Lung and Shifu.

"It's blood..." Tigress looked down, as her face turned hopeless.

"What does it mean?" Viper asked hesitantly, and very afraid.

Tigress sighed greatly, with much sorrow in her voice. "I remember Master Oogway telling me a tale about the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. He... planted a blood red seed given as a gift by someone he wished not to tell me... He planted it into the ground, and many years passed, as it grew and grew. It made his kung fu much greater, and he improved in much." Tigress clenched her fists. "He said it was the mind of kung fu... I remember him saying it was what kung fu was circled around. It was all about some circle... mind, body, spirit."

Crane looked at her with doubtful eyes. "And now it's cut down..."

"Yes. It- it's gone." Tigress shook her head in discouragement.

"What does that mean? Does that mean that-"

"It means that the whole mind part of kung fu is lost... we'll eventually be weared away to our original selves, us five, along with many masters of kung fu. It means...." She hesitated, as she staggered her breath. "It means we can't fight as our original form... we don't know kung fu. Soon enough, we won't know the meaning of it."

Crane gasped. "Then what's the blood for?"

Tigress looked back up, as her orange eyes started to turn yellow. "It's the blood of the mind, slowly bleeding away. We will lose control of our unique powers, and we will not have a mind for kung fu."

Viper looked down, as she fumbled with one of the flowers on her head. They wrinkled at her first touch, falling to the floor. She gasped, and backed away. She then put on a pitiful face. "What... what about Po? And, Sky?"

"I know Po will still have kung fu in him... for he hasn't focused his life on kung fu, and he hasn't given enough discipline, body, and spirit into it. Thank god, he'll still be alive." She paused. "As for Sky..." She hesitated. "I do not know."

Viper sighed angrily. "So, I can't fight? I'm going to... unlearn everything I learned?"

"That's what Master Oogway predicted."

"Is... is there a cure? To all of this?" Crane ordered softly.

Tigress searched for an answer with her eyes, as they darted around. She finally found something worthy of saying. "The dragon warrior... he can revive what has been destroyed." She stopped, then begun again. "But there is a consequence..." As thoughts raced through her head, she looked at Tai Lung. "...'You will find light in the darkest of places..'" She just remembered Tai Lung was here. Was he dead? She knew he wasn't, for he shouldn't be. He couldn't be!

Crane cocked his head to the side, as most birds did. "What? What was that?"

Tigress shook out of it, and looked at both of the soon to be non-existent masters. "Nothing. Just a... quote." She went to pick up Tai Lung, and started walking to her room to aid him. Viper and Crane sat there, thinking. Sky could finally strike, at least two of the five, while their kung fu was no more. Sky smiled. Happy day, this will be an easy takeover.

Po sat against his wall, as he was in deep thought. I remember Oogway talking about this... it was a prediction he said in one of the thousand scrolls... a massive change in history. This is bad... what could possibly happen? Well whatever he predicted, it was happening. Po got up at the sound of footsteps. Walking out of his room once again, he saw Tigress carrying Tai Lung. "Tigress! You found Tai Lung! What happened??" Po asked anxiously.

Tigress sighed. "He got knocked out supposedly. That's what Viper says."

"When did all this happen?"

"When you all were inside, playing your little games." Tigress keeled down to let Tai Lung down, making her sword clatter onto the ground, as it fell from her waist.

"You were sword fighting...? How much did I miss, Tigress?" Po begged persistantly.

Tigress told him everything from start to finish, about Tai Lung, Shifu, the snow, the story, and how she couldn't perform kung fu. Po sat there dumb founded. He couldn't believe it! The most horrible day in kung fu history has come.

"So... it's hopeless?" He looked desperate.

Seconds of silence passed. "Yes, there is no hope. We're trapped in our home by the blood of the tree of life, and we're all going to somehow... I don't know any better way to put this... going to die." She looked at Tai Lung's wound, finding he wasn't passed out. She checked for a pulse.

"But how?"

"I... I don't know." She cleaned up Tai Lung, having a little lust in her eyes. She then bandaged him up.

Po sighed. "What about me? I don't know much kung fu." He was in deep thought.

Tigress' eyes lit up. "That's right! Oh, I remember! Po," She took his hands in hers. "You stink at kung fu!"

"Well gosh, thanks."

"And since you stink, you can still fight just a little, since you're not a full master in the art of the panda Or, or anything else!" She smiled greatly. "You're our only hope!" She then rethought her saying. Then turned depressed. "You... You're our only hope..." She swung her arms down, finding that there was no hope if Po was fighting... whatever was trying to kill them. She thought again, finding that he was the one who defeated Tai Lung... She glanced down at Tai Lung, and smiled softly. He finally came for her. But for what reason?

"No I'm not... isn't sword fighting barely apart of kung fu? Didn't you just start that?" Po looked at Tai Lung awkwardly.

Tigress took many seconds to think it over, while she pressed down on Tai Lung's wound, keeping the blood in. "You're right... where do you come up with all this stuff?" She smiled. "I believe... I can fight him. I'm not the master of the white dragon, but I am close to it." Her eyes widened. "I can fight Skyler!" She then couldn't keep Tai Lung's blood inside himself, for his would was very large and deep. She grunted, finding he was close to death based on his expression: Pale, and sleeping. Or possibly dead. "There always is a way to revive Tai Lung, along with anyone else with your powers, Po."

"How? I wanna know how bring someone back to life! That would be awesome!"

Tigress desperatly thought, as she looked back up at Po. "I don't know... all I know is that you can cure the sick, and cold hearted... you can revive the defeated... you can do anything! You are the Dragon Warrior!" She gained confidence, as she smiled greatly. "I trust in you, Po. This is your destiny. To protect what Oogway first started 1000 years ago: the art, of Kung Fu."

Monkey and Mantis both opened their eyes at the smell of blood. What is that smell? They both thought, as they made their ways to each of their doors. Opening them up, they both saw each other. Walking out, they made their way to the training room, where they thought Tigress was.

Once in the vast training room, they saw Viper and Crane were talking. Monkey walked up to them. "What's that smell?" He asked curiously. "Are we eating another cow, today? Isn't the slaughter house down in the village?"

Crane gave him a weak look. "The Peach tree..."

Monkey gasped, along with Mantis. "No... it couldn't happen! It would never happen!" They already knew the story of the Peach Tree. "How did it die? It's almost impossible to even think of cutting it down, none the less try! It's... too strong."

"Well, it happened." Viper sighed.

"Who was it?" Mantis asked, furious. "Don't they know it's kung fu's most prized possession?"

"Apparently not. It couldn't be a kid..."

"That's right, because it was me." Sky came out, making the four jump.

They all gasped, attempting to get into position. "Why would you do something like that?" Mantis begged.

Sky knew he just did it for the handle of his new Katana, but instead of telling the truth, he improvised a good evil lie. "To kill the art of kung fu, along with you all." He withdrew his sword.

"How did you know...?" Monkey spat, clenching his teeth together.

Sky squinted, not answering. "I want the dragon scroll."

"You'll have to get past us if you ever wish to even try to take it." Viper hissed.

"Very well. This should be easy." He got into his position, sword in hand, ready to strike.

The four tried to get into stance, but they forgot how to start off their moves. Grunting, they just stood there, fists clenched, ready to take on the treacherous wolf, Sky.

Seconds of standing and staring went by, as Sky bolted his eyes to each of the four. He then quickly pounded the floorboard with his left leg, making Crane fly up into the air. Crane caught his air resistance, as he started to fly. He tried to form into a dive, but instead did a flip, and fell to the ground, grunting. Viper hissed, and raced over to the wolf, slithering up his leg, and making him trip, while Mantis got under him, and flipped him. Monkey swung from up high, and dove down on the wolf. Sky dodged Monkey, and ran for Crane. Monkey got up, and tried to jump on him, but launched on the wrong foot, and rolled. Crane flew up, staring the wolf down.

Skyler held his long Katana out in front of him, as he looked up at Crane. Crane managed to dive down at Sky, but missed by many feet. His beak stuck into the ground, as the wolf quickly dove after him, taking his sword, and slicing at the bird.

All of a sudden, the world stopped, as Crane stared at the upcoming blade that was about to hit his neck. His life flashed before his eyes: Being raised as a child, learning to fly, his dead father, his mother who left, the run away... and now here. With his old friends. Now, it was all about to end. It was all about to-

"Crane!!" Viper cried, slithering over to him. Sky was behind her, taking on Mantis. Crane looked down, finding a puddle of blood underneath him. Then everything went blood red, then black. Viper blinked at the sight, her lover, cut by the neck in a split second. No! Her vision went blurry, as she loudly cried at his death. Crane's death! How could Sky have all this power if the Sacred Peach Tree was no more? Was it because-

Slllit! Viper heard a ringing of Sky's sword. She turned her head, making the built-up tears from her eyes fly. "Mantis!!" He was laying on the floor, with most of his body drenched in a somewhat greenish blood. Viper rushed over to him, only to be stopped by Skyler.

"You beast!" She screamed, as she jumped on his face, trying with all of her might to remember her kung fu. But it was no use. He quickly took her tail, and swung her off onto the corner. Turning to the stunned Monkey upon the death of Mantis, he swung for him. Monkey dodged the first swing, punching the wolf terribly hard in the nose. Sky flew back momentarily after the impact, but soon got up, racing for Monkey once again. He made his sword like a prod, and stabbed Monkey right in the chest, pulling it out after seconds. Monkey fell to the ground, wide-eyed, holding his chest. He just got stabbed! Viper looked at Monkey with blurry eyes, as the sounds of clashing blood red snow against the palace faded, along with every other sound she tried to get back into her head.

Viper desperately looked away for one more sign of life, before she, too, was a goner. Sky approached her ever so slowly, as if to build suspense. He took his now bloody sword to her, and made her turn her head towards himself. "No, please! Don't... don't..." Viper could feel his lips slowly touch hers, as a warmth filled her, yet soon after that a quick chill went through her body. He withdrew his lips from hers, and held the sword up to her. Her eyes were stained with tears, as she couldn't hold them in. Before long, she would be-

Slllit!

Dead.

Sorry i had to write all of that. I am Skyyler, by the way. -looks around- Don't worry though, not all is lost. Tigress and Po are still alive. And hopefully Tai Lung. I'll post the last chapter of part 2 if you review atleast once. JUST PRESS THAT BUTTON!! -runs away-

-Skyy.