Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Kung Fu Panda. I do however wish that I own Tai Lung, Po and Tigress. Thank you Awerewolf, Lucius and corset-rebellion-follower for your kind words of reviews and your opinions about Leo. You guys have no idea how much that helped me. Loads. Thanks for everything guys and gals. Thank you.

Chapter 15

Morning greeted the wonderful day after the Mooncake festival and the cock crowed to wake the village residents, "Cock-a-doddle-urk-" The cock spitted and started over.

"Cock-a-doodle-urk-ack-" It tried once more and took a deep breath, "Cock-a-doodle-urk-gak"

"Buzz off noob!" another cock came and kicked the former caller of the morning.

"Cock-a-doodle-dooooo" it called out loudly.

Tigress and Tai Lung awoke abruptly when they heard the morning call, "Oh…." Tai Lung moaned and his cat eye lids fluttered like a butterfly's wings. He rubbed his head vigorously and finally spoke. "I think something went too far last night."

Tigress was finally awake and chuckled at the snow leopard's ethics. "Yeah, real far."

"Huh? Oh!" he remembered. The night before.

"How'd you like it?" Tigress asked as she lay on Tai Lung's chest.

"It was umm…exciting."

She giggled with delight. "You did say that you were bored yesterday."

"Okay, okay. It was fantastic." Suddenly, he got up abruptly and remembered something. "Holy crap! The warning."

"What warning?" Tigress dressed herself and got ready to get out of the room before Shifu found out that she was in Tai Lung's room.

"Byakko!"

"Oh?" Tigress had a momentary mind lapsed. "Oh! The white tiger. So?"

"Isis and Thanatos, um… I mean Vikki and Snow are coming to get the scroll today." Tai Lung spoke with a deadpan voice.

"You mean the two idiots that I've encountered the previous night when that bastard tortured me?" Tigress asked and he nodded. "Let them come, I'm ready for their assault. They shall pay." She walked off and headed to the bathhouse to clean up.

Once Tai Lung had cleaned himself up, he approached to Po during their training break. Po was sweating buckets as if he's bathing in his own sweat. His fur was drenched with his own salty sweat and panted feverishly.

"Who's training you?" Tai Lung looked at him with disbelief.

"Shifu and Crane," he slumped on the ground and gulped down some water. "It's so hard to catch Crane off guard. He's always in the air. Shifu was even worst; I didn't stand a chance against him. The last thing I needed was both of them attacking me at once. It's crazy I tell ya'. No offence buddy but it's just bizarre how you managed to defeat a thousand rhinos in one go."

Tai Lung scoffed, "You have much to learn panda." Tai Lung sat next to his buddy. "They're coming."

"Who?" Po was still gulping down his precious water.

"Vikki and Snow, possible Leo too. I'm not sure."

"Why not him?" Po asked.

"Well," Tai Lung hesitated but said it out anyway. "Leo is just, different from both of them. He doesn't lust for power as they do."

"Ah…" Po melodically said with delight. "The black sheep."

"Whatever. Now, they are coming to get the scroll. As I have explained before, the scroll contained some kind of power but I don't know what. You do have it right?"

"Yup," Po said with confidence but frowned at him. "You know, you could ask Shifu for help."

"That's an act of suicide." Tai Lung got up and started playing with the dummy that bounces back up instantly. To Po however, it was the dummy of doom. "You think after all the trust he puts on to me and now telling him this, you think he'll forgive me?"

"It's not that hard." Po shrugged his shoulders. "Shifu has changed ever since you came about. He's more caring and his inner peace has been found and not lost even though you came back; try him."

Tai Lung made a last powerful punch on to the dummy and it flew away, hitting the wall with a loud thunk. "You think?"

"Try, it never hurts to try."

"In normal situation, yes but with Shifu, I think I'll have more broken bones than usual." Tai Lung replied.

Po got up and puts his paws on him, "Just try." And he continued his grueling training with Shifu and Crane.

Tai Lung was really pushing his luck if he wanted to ask Shifu for help. The heck, if he told what he did when Shifu wasn't around, he'll be dead before anybody knows it. The best way to compromise, is when he's calm and peaceful. When is that?

When he's meditating in the hall of warriors right next to the moon pool idiot…

Oh yes, his mind thought.

He gingerly walked to the hall of warriors and saw Shifu meditating. With his cat reflexes, he slowly walked towards his master without making a single sound and finally, reached his peaceful master. Tai Lung opened his mouth when…

"Sit Tai Lung." Shifu said and the snow leopard's ear flopped down like a tree branch breaking. He did as he was told and sat facing Shifu.

"What seems to be the problem?" Shifu opened his eyes to see his beloved son whom he has trained for over thirty-eight years since he was a child.

Tai Lung opened his mouth but closed it. Then opened again and closed.

"You are not a fly trapper. You are a snow leopard and a warrior. Now speak." Shifu said with an acquiesce tone.

Tai Lung breathed in hard as his broad chest moved upwards and he spoke at an extremely fast pace. Shifu grabbed his bamboo staff and whacked him on his muscled arm, hard.

"Oww…" he exclaimed and rubbed his injured arm. Shifu pointed the stick at him. "A true warrior does not speak like that. He takes time and patients to explain a warrior's surroundings and not speak like a buzzing bee."

"Okay..." his face fell and so did his small leopard ears. "I stole the scroll from Po and made some agreement with the some animals up in the snow mountain and…" he explained everything to him; the scroll, Kohryu, Snow, Leo, Vikki and the personas.

During the whole conversation, Shifu didn't even react, winced, twitched, staggered, fainted or said anything. It was like Tai Lung was having a monologue conversation to himself but Shifu was listening. When Tai Lung had finished, he looked at his Master with fearful eyes.

The old master closed his eyes and spoke in a low tone, "Come back here in one hour."

Tai Lung raised an eyebrow inquisitively, "You're not angry?"

"I will be if you don't get out now. I've not finished my meditation."

Tai Lung quickly scurried off before he gets any broken bones from Shifu or get slapped again by that battered bamboo stick which knows no pain.

An hour later, the curious snow leopard returned as instructed and gingerly sat opposite his old master that has trained him since birth. Shifu senses the warrior and began his lecture, or maybe explanation. "Don't worry m'boy. I have everything under control. They will appear tonight."

"Huh?" he asked. "What? You mean? You? But? How?"

Shifu gave a slight laugh, "I've been watching you, that's what; the scroll, your meetings, life, deals and affection towards Tigress. I don't deny that and furthermore, I approve. It is what you're missing, in here." Shifu pointed towards Tai Lung's heart with his as-hard-as-metal bamboo stick.

"So, you know everything?"

"Of course. Don't worry. Let them come. I know how to deal with fortune tellers like Vikki. Though Snow will be your problem Tai Lung." Shifu said.

"My problem?" Tai Lung wasn't getting the picture at all.

"Yes," Shifu walked to a nearby dusty drawer and took out a scroll and unravel it. "Ahem, the inner voice or façade of one self is the individual's true battle. When the darkness in him is released-"

"The warrior will be relinquished by the hands of the receiver." Tai Lung finished his master's words. "So, um, I'm a bit rusty on these things but I think I can figure it out." He bit his lips anxiously, trying to figure out the meaning to those words.

"It means," Shifu restored the scroll and tapped on the calm water of the moon pool. "You have to do it yourself. You must receive back your darkness and destroy it with your own paws. Only you alone can do that."

"But his persona is Death. Doesn't that mean that he can defeat me with one blow?" Tai Lung looked at his master with a deadpan look.

"You have your persona." He answered.

"I don't know what it does. Does it fight by my side? Or is it an illusion? What is it? How does it help me?" Tai Lung said all these with an acquiesce tone.

Shifu sighed, "Summon it out."

"Ah-"Tai Lung hesitated. "I-I don't really or um, not sure that I can."

Do it……his inner voice said.

You sure?

Yes, I'm sure……

Tai Lung closed his eyes and tried to concentrate within himself. He found all his memories that lead to a happy life together with a friend and a love. All the memories, linked together. He slowly spoke, "Byakko."

A bright light emitted from Tai Lung's surrounding body and a sudden cool breeze blew through the hall of warriors. A few petals of the peach tree wafted through the air and started to form an image. Soon, the familiar looking white tiger appeared and stood, or more like floated, beside him.

"Master Shifu," the white tiger bowed with respect. "Or should I say, Kohryu."

Shifu raised an eyebrow and stifled a guffaw. "Well, well. It seems like it knows who I am."

"Who wouldn't? The Hierophant is indeed a precious gift. It is indeed a precious gift to understand the forces that guides oneself. If I'm not mistaken, Master Oogway was also a Hierophant."

"Yes, yes he was." Shifu chuckled even more.

The deranged snow leopard was dazed as to what was happening. His persona was talking to his master like they were old friends and comrade from long ago but in reality they've only met just this once.

Byakko sensed the confusion of his owner and explained, "You see Tai Lung, most of the time, the Hierophant Arcana represents a master of pure Kung Fu art. That's because the Hierophant represents knowledge, good leadership of his students, loves giving out education and be a mentor. So, Master Shifu is most likely a Hierophant Arcana in which, Kohryu, is also a Hierophant."

"Meaning?" he was more confused than ever.

Byakko smiled and started to nuzzle at his owner. That particular act of passion was a shocking surprise to him. "Umm, you okay?"

"Don't worry. Thou art I, and I art thou. When I touch you, you are touching yourself." The snow leopard was feeling a silly uneasiness at this point on. "Okkayyy…"

"What I mean is that, when Vikki summons Kohryu, Master Shifu can and will take over the wild dragon," It gave a final lick at Tai Lung's cheek and turned to Shifu. "You shall handle Kohryu as you are capable of doing that. Just don't let her wish for anything before you can control the dragon."

"It shall be done. "Shifu bowed at the white tiger.

"No need Master Shifu. I should be honoured to speak with the owner of the mighty Kohryu, the guardian of the earth." Byakko vanished in thin air and Tai Lung and Shifu were alone once again in the hall of warriors. Both of them didn't speak for a moment and they heard footsteps from outside the hall.

"Everybody listen," Shifu had gathered all of his students in a circle in the hall of warriors. It was almost sundown as the sun started to fall upon the land. Shifu explained how bad the situation was right now but he didn't go into detail as to why this was happening. "It's another threat and they want the Dragon Scroll. All in all, you have to be prepared to face for the worst."

"Master, there are only three of them and seven of us. How can we face the worst?" Viper asked.

"Students, never ever judge by the number of soldiers an army brings, but the quality of the warrior. Even though there are only three of them, they are still not to be trifled with." Shifu said sternly.

His students nodded in agreement. "Po!" Shifu snapped.

Po got stood to attention and straightens up. "The Dragon Scroll is in your hands. Make sure they do not get it. Keep it somewhere safe, anywhere, as long as it is not in the Jade Palace."

Po bowed, "Yes Master."

"Now go." Po dismissed himself.

"Master," both Tigress and Tai Lung chimed in together without realizing that the two cats are having the same opinion at the same time. Tai Lung looked at Tigress, "You first then." He gestured.

Mantis hopped on the golden langur's shoulder and whispered. "You lost golden monkey. Pay up later." The beaten monkey made a deadpan face; he hates losing.

Tigress spoke to Shifu. "Master, please leave Snow to me. I want him alone. I want him to suffer in my hands. "She growled and clenched her fist.

"I forbid it!" Tai Lung shot in with tirade. "I will not have that bastard do what he did the last time."

"Tai!" Tigress snapped at the snow leopard. He looked taken aback. When did she become so informal with him? Usually it's Tai Lung or the next nickname that she's given me, Spotty if I remembered correctly, he thought to himself. But I like this better. It's much better when she says it. I wonder why?

"I can do this. I've faced enemies much worst than this." Tigress protested.

"No," he took her paws and held them together. "We'll do this together."

Tigress face lit up and smiled uncontrollably at him. "Yes, together." Both of them were in their own little world as if the others were invisible to them.

"Ahem," Shifu cleared his throat. "As I was saying earlier." The female tiger and male snow leopard parted and listened attentively to their master's instructions.

"Usually, I do not approve of weapons but now," he picked up his bamboo stick with grace. "Take your weapons. Monkey, the stick."

Shifu threw an extremely long wooden pole and Monkey caught it with great kung fu style as he prepared. "Yes, master."

"Viper, poison fan." He threw a box towards Viper and she curled around it in the air, opening the flying box and out came its content. The fan was held at the tip of Viper's tail; fanned her self with elegance and grace.

"Crane, poison daggers." Shifu lumped up a few tiny daggers that was covered with sand paper and threw it high in the air. Crane took flight and caught the daggers in between the tip of his wings.

"Mantis," it was his turn but didn't get any. "Sorry, none for you."

"What?!" the insect proclaimed. "Monkey, Viper and Crane get cool stuffs and not me?"

"You are small enough to take on anything. I don' think you need any." Shifu chuckled. The miniature insect warrior grumbled and looked dissatisfied.

"Tai Lung, Tigress," their turn arrived. "I have nothing for you, in the meantime."

"Don't worry master, our claws will do." Tigress answered the old master.

"Then, is everyone ready?" he looked at his students with confidence.

They bowed and nodded.

--

Flames? Suggestions? Reviews? Next chapter might be a little late as I have more assignments and tests are coming up. Not finals but test, so, I'll have of stop the next chapter a while; maybe a week or two. The maximum I can give a guarantee is two weeks. So, by then, hope for the best. The Star shall shine.