Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda and yada yada yada, like usual. I love to own them but I can't.

Sorry for the late delay and stuffs. I was really busy with loads of stuffs but I will be able to write more after next week, after my finals. For this chapter, I really ran right through it like an idiot. Thank you Luna for helping with this. I know that this was a really hard chapter to do but I can't help myself.

When I was writing this particular chapter, I was listening to this. Just something I want to share with readers.
www. youtube. com/watch?v,cyXjyT6kqJY&feature,related

Remove the spacings and replace the commas with equal sign. Keep on repeating if you like...

Chapter 20

Everybody watched in silent horror as the scene unfolded before them. Vikki had thrust the sword right through Tai Lung's chest, blood flowing down his body and soaking into his gunmetal-grey fur. The red looked so unnatural, the crimson liquid staining the otherwise pristine landscape of the leopard's body. Of all of the five, particular, a certain individual was in total shock and raged poured in her.

No…Tai Lung…That BITCH! Tigress lost it, letting out a deafening roar and lunged at Vikki. She grabbed the same sword she had used before, screaming with rage as she drilled the sword into her enemy's chest.

Vikki's eyes widened in shock as she stared in astonishment at the blade that was sticking up from her chest; her paws gripped the blade as if trying to pull it out, but it only succeeded in cutting her paws. Blood splashed everywhere as she murdered the fortune teller. Tigress was in tears, rage and emotionally unstable.

Tigress raised the sword again, ready to behead the fortune-teller when Tai Lung raised his hand and grasped her wrist. She was taken by surprise when the snow leopard lifted himself up, gasping for air.

"Don't…" Tai Lung murmured to her. "That's not you, Tigress. You'll be…just as guilty as she is…don't, please," he pleaded.

Tigress gasped, dropping the sword and turned Tai Lung onto his back, tears running down her cheeks. "No, Tai Lung, no… Don't die. Not you too. Please, stay with me!"

Over their heads the sky erupted with a loud bang, akin to thousands of fireworks going off at once. The once-dark sky now glowed gold, the shining light falling to the earth, foretelling the miracle that was occurring…

"Oh my head…" Po groaned. "I just had the weirdest dream…"

The Dragon Warrior shakily stood on his legs and examined his surroundings. Everybody was very confused as to whether they should be happy or sad with the current situation. For one, Po was alive again and the god-forsaken fortune teller was finally dead. On the other side of the coin, Tai Lung was at Death's door.

Tigress bit her lip and cried as she hugged her mate mournfully. Everyone crowded around the two felines, offering what little comfort they knew to give. They shared helpless looks between themselves; what could be done?

This is truly unfortunate… Kohryu thought to itself. Why must things turn out to be like this? The Wheel of Fortune is reversed. Ah! Wait!

Something caught Kohryu off guard as he watched the situation at hand. Something's not right. The Wheel of Fortune is in reverse and the enemy has foresight. Ah! The Wheel of Fortune! Alongside time, fate exists, the bearer of cruelty! The end has yet to come.

"Dragon Warrior!" Kohryu boomed as he flew in front of Po. "You can avenge your friend and bring him to life."

"You can?!" the remaining Five, Po and Shifu gasped in unison before the mighty dragon could finish.

"But…" it emphasized. "You have a risk. The Arcanas that you hold within you are your friends and family; all seven Arcanas. Use them wisely and Tai Lung may be able to be with all of you again. The risk rest upon you alone, if you accept death."

Kohryu slowed down and nearly went into a whisper. "Death is inevitable. The seven Arcanas unite in one soul, one world. Po, do you accept it? I can't guarantee a full life but there is possibility of death."

"I will," Po interjected without even giving a second thought. He has made up his mind and would risk anything to save his friend, Tai Lung.

"There's no turning back," Kohryu said again to remind the panda.

Po didn't hesitate. Now, he was ready. He knew that he must do something in order to save Tai Lung, anything at all. Po stared at Kohryu's gleaming eyes with determination and spoke. "I'm not going to run away."

"Very well." The dragon flew high up in the dark sky and roared as its mighty body wafted through the sky.

"Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are, death awaits you. You cannot avoid death. To live is to die; they are one in the same. Dragon Warrior! You know what to do, use the Arcanas wisely and defeat your adversary. Here she is."

Kohryu faded in a shimmering golden light as the dragon disappeared in the sky. Light slowly faded as the dark night came back to the sky and, once again, the battle isn't over yet. A familiar female tiger face told everyone that, as she slowly dropped on the earth. The previous body that was bloodily killed by Tigress dissipated in tiny bits of light and nothing was left, Vikki was alive once again.

After being killed the second time, this would be the last. This time, the fortune teller wore a pure silken robe that covered every part of her body. Her fur was flawless as if she had never seen battle. Both her paws glowed in brilliant white light and she smiled at him but Po stood up firm, "Alright, how'd you come back again?"

She chuckled a little and stared at everyone with aversion. "My last and final power. I inherited this amazing power during the old ancient times where dragons and mystical beings still roamed freely. Throughout the years, we have made a pact with the devil below as they made us immortal."

Po didn't like where this is going one bit and he was trying his best to make things right. A strong gust of wind swept the land and all of their furs and garments moved in unison with the winds direction.

Out of the blue, Po brought up an issue that wasn't in his field of knowledge or practice at all. "Will you die if you were defeated by the Arcanas itself?"

With immediate effect, Vikki stifled a guffaw to the question that the panda had hit her with. "You? Of all the individuals?"

"Why not?" Po dismally said.

"Because you don't know anything about the Arcana and you're just a big-"

"SHUT UP!" Po bellowed at her.

She was taken by surprise at the panda's rage and stared pointedly at him.

"Answer me," Po demanded.

"Yes. That might be my loss but I doubt you can do that," Vikki crossed her arms slowly as she stayed afloat in mid air. "Leo can't even finish the game he had started earlier, and you want to play?"

"No. Not whatever you played with him just now. A fight, with the Arcana." Po clenched his fist hard with determination. He wasn't going to lose. He wasn't going to let her get the last laugh. She was going to die by his paws alone.

"A fight? You want to fight me?" Vikki raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "You're a panda. A big fat panda! How can you fight me? What're you going to do, sit on me? Tai Lung barely stood a chance against me but you; you're a bigfat panda." She emphasized on the word 'fat'.

Po had taken loads of crap about his weight, together with his inability to fight like a true Dragon

Warrior, and like the rest of the five. Some how, words that came out of Vikki had an effect on him I've taken enough crap about me. I'm not going to stand and do nothing. Tai Lung risked his life for me and I'm not going to let that be in vain.

Po gracefully took his battle guard up to prepare for battle. "I'm THE big fat panda."

Incredibly enough, Po's speed rose in a spiraling crescendo as he charged at her. Vikki smiled and prepared to dodge the fool's wild attack. She was wrong. Po took a fake turn and grabbed her arm, forcefully throwing her off to the entrance of the Jade Palace. She quickly regained her stance but Po was incredibly fast by then. The panda lunged and grabbed her body; both were now flying off the Stairs of Oblivion as they rolled down in unison.

Po's big belly bounced off the stairs with Vikki still grabbing on to the panda. "Get your grubby paws off me!" Vikki yelled and punched at him; she missed. Then another, and another. Po grinned sheepishly at her and turned her body below as he was on top of her. They landed on the stairs again and Vikki's eyes widen as she anticipated the next horrible move.

"You've got to be kid-" she was muffled as Po's big belly smashed on to her face. Vikki gasped for air once they were lifted up again and screamed once more. Po made sure that her face, too, made contact to his overly large sized buttocks. Her screams were muffled once again and her arms frantically flailed around in the air. This happened a few times as they bounced off the stairway till Vikki had enough of this nonsense.

Her right paw glowed and blasted a ray of light to Po but he dodged it, barely missing him by an inch. He crashed landed to the ground and quickly got to his feet.

"That was the most horrible thing that I've ever experienced!" she yelled, looking decidedly freaked out.

"Welcome to the club, sister," Po cheekily grinned.

She dived and delivered a flurry of attacks at him, who skillfully dodged every one of them, but he made one mistake. Vikki elbowed his gut with force and he flew backwards.

The Dragon Warrior groaned in pain and didn't pay any attention to his opponent. Vikki made the next move to call out her persona. "Isis!" The goddess appeared and charged at Po.

"My turn as well," Po loudly exclaimed.

Monkey, give me strength. Po pictured the image of Monkey and truly understands the primate; his personality, the time they were together, moments of friendship.

"The Arcana: Chariot!" the summoned persona of the primate's Arcana appeared as well but this time, it wasn't any weird or mystical beings. It was Monkey himself!

Monkey lunged at Isis and used a bamboo stick to hit it. The persona dodged to the side but Monkey grabbed its neck and slammed it into the ground. Isis faded and Vikki felt pain surging through her body.

"Monkey!" Po screamed and tried to touch him. Instead, his paws passed right through his body.

"I'm not real, Dragon Warrior," the image replied. "I'm just an illusion of the real Monkey and your impression of me. Good luck. Remember, Warrior, one of life's greatest blessings is the freedom to pursue one's goal. Your goal now is to defeat Vikki." Monkey's image faded and left Po to reminisce his own goals as well.

Monkey…er, The Chariot is right.

"Aargh!!" the tigress shouted as she lunged at Po with full force. Po's eyes widened and he grabbed Vikki as both of them flew together and Po crashed on to a building. A blast of energy emitted from the fortune-teller's body and aimed at Po.

"You want to feel your friends' pain? Fine, you shall endure it!" Vikki aimed and fired at the Dragon Warrior. It all happened too fast to conceive what had happened because Vikki had already released her power. A ray of light shone in Po's direction and exploded without warning. Buildings surrounding the place were decimated and crumbled into dust. Luckily enough, the villagers had all been evacuated.

Through the explosion, a faint voice was heard but nothing happened at first. Vikki smirked to herself, enjoying her sweet and wonderful victory, laughing derisively, "Dragon Warrior, huh? Puh-leaze. He can barely avoid my simplest attack."

"Oh yeah?!" Po exclaimed and the dust around him was sucked up by the cyclone that had formed in front of him. When it subsided, Crane's image slowly emerged from the whirlwind as he smiled at Vikki.

"What?!" she shouted.

Crane was soaring through the air as he flapped his wings gracefully. "The Hermit Arcana. Po, it requires great courage to look at oneself honestly, and forge one's own path. My job is done. Go finish her."

Crane's image dissipated as Po looked at him with a smile.

Good ol' Crane, the panda thought.

The Dragon Warrior nonchalantly took his battle stance and made a weird kung fu sound-effect as he shook his head in an awkward manner. He cajoled Vikki to step forward with his paw.

"You want an old-school fight? You got it!" Vikki charged at Po and clouted his face, he ducked and head-butted her in the stomach. She somersaulted behind Po and did a full back swing onto Po's head. He staggered a little but recovered immediately after the assault. All was well until Vikki planted another jaw strike to Po's backbone.

Gah! That's gonna hurt tomorrow. Po exclaimed to himself. I'm still weak but I think little ol' Tigress can help.

Jumped to his feet and faced the fortune teller with a menacing growl.

"The Arcana: Strength!" Po exclaimed.

"That's cheating!" Vikki shouted and quickly clawed at Po. She was stopped in her tracks completely as Tigress came out and blocked it for Po. Tigress's tail grabbed Vikki's right arm and she kicked at her face as they turned and spin in the air together. The mage landed on her stomach with a sickening thud and Tigress didn't stop there, she landed another chopping kick on her back, making the mage cry out in agony.

"How is that for pain, bitch?" Tigress asked icily.

However, she wasn't going to give up that easily because Vikki was back in action once more when she summoned a persona. "Chu Chulain!"

A huge spear appeared out of nowhere and landed near Tigress, but the tiger dodged the weapon and took hold of it. She swung the spear in an arc and used it to hit Vikki's ribcage and shoulder. The mage endured the pain and snarled at them.

Po suddenly took hold of the spear from Tigress, back flipped the weapon as it poked at Vikki's gut. Tears flowed from her eyes as she was assaulted by the long weapon. The panda took his guard back up again just in case Vikki tried anything unexpected.

"Po," Tigress looked at him with a smile. "Master." And she bowed with respect.

"Thank you, Tigress. Second time?" Po asked.

"Don't push it panda. Remember Po; only with strength can one endure suffering and torment." With that said, Tigress disappeared without a trace.

"I'm…not finished yet…" Vikki slowly got to her feet and stumbled a little.

"Why are you so weak?" Po asked with a concern tone.

"Weak? Weak!" she wheezed. "I am not weak."

"Then fight," Po exclaimed. "Fight like you truly are fighting. This isn't like you. You have those magic thingies. Doesn't that give you an advantage?"

She didn't answer him. Instead, she floated a little and slowly waved her arms.

"I am determined to finish this, and finish it I shall."

Her eyes shone dangerously and Po was paralyzed in fear. His eyes turned pearly white and he was held to the ground as if his feet had turned into roots.

Now who's the weak one? Vikki echoed in Po's mind.

Get out of my brain you idiot! Po shouted in his own thoughts.

Mind control is a powerful thing and-

And a useless tool, at that, a familiar voice in the Dragon Warrior's mind spoke.

Who is-Oh! Mantis! Po raked his brain. The Arcana: Magician!

A picture of Mantis appeared in Po's mind and the small insect muttered something which was only audible to Po alone. Attaining one's dream requires a stern will and unfailing determination.

White light illuminated the battleground and rays of light burst into a thousand sparkles. It was as if a firework was going off, but it stopped abruptly and Po and Vikki stood, staring at each other.

"Heeyah!" Po immediately punched at Vikki's chest, followed by a turning kick to her head and body. She retaliated by unsheathing her claws to slash at Po. Po once again moved gracefully behind as he dodged her flurry of slashes but came to a stop when Po managed to find in an opening to counter her back.

Po swiftly shuffled his legs to the side; side stepped a little, did a simple elbow strike to her sides and leaned back to back with Vikki. The panda mustered up all of his strength as he grabbed both of her arms and threw her over his shoulders. She slammed on the ground but managed to skillfully balance herself with a paw.

"Impressive, panda, but not good enough," Vikki made a long pole appear by her side and struck at Pos' gut. Somehow or rather, the pole bounced back to her!

"What on earth?" she said, stunned by the sudden retaliation.

Po was surprised as she was but wasn't really in a mood for surprises.

She made a pole appear. Now it's Viper's turn.

"The Arcana: The Lovers!" Po shouted as he charged at Vikki.

Viper's familiar scaly body rose high up and she hissed at the fortune teller. Po got in close enough to Vikki and jabbed at her but missed.

"Hah!" Vikki exclaimed. "You missed."

"Did I?" Po grinned ear to ear.

Viper elegantly slithered up her arm and used her tail tip to smack at her jaws; Vikki staggered back...

"My turn again," Po shouted as he delivered a roundhouse kick at her.

The fortune teller was totally delirious and her vision spun.

"Viper, the weapon," Po pointed at the long pole.

"Way ahead of you," Viper coiled around the pole and gave it a hard squeeze. It cracked and broke into tiny splinters. She looked up and smiled at the Dragon Warrior. "There is both joy and wonder in coming to understand another." With that said, she disappeared again like the rest of the five.

Only Shifu and Tai Lung left. Po sighed. I'm tired of this. Why? Why am I getting weaker by the moment? Is it the Arcanas? Is it the fight? Maybe I don't have enough stamina.

The panda looked at his opponent as she, too, was exhausted from being badly beaten.

"Look at how bad you fight," Po huffed. "I can barely feel anything…at…all…"

Oh man…I can barely breathe. Po clutched at his heart, as he felt in his lungs screaming in protest.

Vikki laughed menacingly at him as she charged up her energy. "The Arcana are taking your life away, Dragon Warrior. Every time you summon a persona, it eats your life spans. You know why? Because you're an amateur. You can't defeat me with the Arcanas."

She aimed at Po and snickered. "But you can die."

Once again, she delivered a blast of white energy at Po and he carefully dodged the attack. Po was on the ground and was having a hard time moving around.

"You're weak. Now see the Arcanas that I unleash!" The sound shattering glass echoed all over the valley and with a mighty thunder clap, seven monsters appeared in front of the ailing panda.

"The Arcanas are all that is revealed. The world shall bow down to me, and me alone!" She pointed at Po, "China shall be the first country to feel my wrath. Without the precious Dragon Warrior, nothing can stop me!"

"Over my dead body you will," Po muttered.

Shifu, Tai Lung, help me.

No! A voice shouted in his head but the warning came a second too late.

"The Arcana: Hierophant and Temperance!" Po made a last attempt to finish off his remaining Arcanas as Shifu and Tai Lung both appeared before Po as a persona.

"My son," Shifu looked at the snow leopard's image.

"Ba, I will do anything. I have taken care of my dark side. Never again shall I dwell in the past," Tai Lung returned a smile.

The two personas turned back to Po. Shifu slowly stroked Po's disheveled fur and spoke. "The Dragon Warrior also possesses a power that only you alone can use. Look at the scroll again. Think hard about your abilities and do not doubt them. Gather up your chi. We'll buy you time, but once the personas are gone, you'll have to finish it yourself."

Shifu turned his back and grimace at the sight of monstrous mystical beings that Vikki called as personas.

"Come Tai Lung, Po needs us."

"Damn right he does," Tai Lung said.

The two strong warriors headed through the adversary and prepared for battle.

My Chi power. Po grimaced at the thought. I'm a fat panda. How can I do that?

Concentrate and meditate. Bring yourself to the world as you have endured so many sufferings. A voice spoke to him.

Now I'm talking to myself cause I hear a voice in my head, he sighed.

Po closed his eyes and meditated in his position while recalling every memory from when he was born; things he didn't even know he remembered flashed across his mind. The air around him was thick and silent as a foggy coastal morning, and Chi power surged through his body as he brought up all of his strength and courage to the core of his body.

Everyone in the palace started to climb down the stairway as they wanted to see how Po was doing. Tai Lung was in no shape to move as they were afraid that he might lose more blood in the process. Leo was carrying the bleeding snow leopard in his arms as they walked down the stairway.

"Po will be fine. Why do you insist on seeing him? You're on the verge of dying for heaven's sake! I can't lose you," Leo grimaced at the thought of his brother dying but he didn't want to think about the possibilities.

"All the more reason to see Po," Tai Lung replied in a hoarse voice.

"You won't die. Please, don't say such nonsense," Tigress snapped as she tried to hold back her tears.

They finally reached at the bottom of the valley and they saw the destruction: crumbling buildings wobbling on their foundations, pots and pans were scattered around like piles of rubbish, a few holes here and there on the ground, a tree or two was completely rooted off the ground. It appeared as if a truly terrible battle had been fought here. It was a disaster!

"This is going to be a long battle," Shifu muttered.

"Over there!" Monkey pointed and they saw Po standing there. Everyone ran towards him but skidded to a stop when they saw a doppelganger of Shifu and Tai Lung in the air, fighting off the lone monstrosity still alive.

The personas killed every beast while Vikki tried her very best to control each of them. Finally, only one remained and it was about to be done for when the image of Tai Lung roared and gashed at the creature. It crumbled and disappeared into a white mist. Vikki fell to the ground and blood trickled down her jaw as she gasped like a fish out of water.

"I have lost." Vikki said, repeating herself with disbelief. "I have lost. How? The Arcana…how can I?"

"Because you are not as mentally strong as I am," Po said as he walked towards Vikki. He pointed at his friends that had just arrived. "See them? They gave me courage and strength to move on. They are my source of power."

She ignored his remark and clawed at the panda in a desperate last-ditch attempt to win. Po side-stepped and grabbed her paw with one hand. "Change, Vikki. I'm giving you a chance."

"I will never change," she snarled, using the other free claw to slash at him but Po caught the other once just as well.

"Then you leave me no choice." Po's paw burned and seared in flames as he held Vikki's firm paws. She felt heat and pain surging through her body as flames burst over her skin.

"This…This is pain…" he hissed.

The fortune teller grimaced in pain as the twenty-two cards of the Arcana appeared before her. Each of the cards slowly burned one at a time and finally, the last card, 'The World', vanished.

"No! My Arcana! The devil…the devil will come! No!"

Po released her paws and jumped back as he watched Vikki's body burst into flame. She screamed in utmost agony, the earth at her feet charring black as ink as the ground opened up beneath her. A dark, fearsome and despicable creature crawled out of the hole in the ground with an unnatural, otherworldly speed and dexterity. Vikki knew what it was, screaming louder as it grabbed hold of her, its claws piercing her skin. The creature hissed two words—welcome home—before yanking her down into the hole and into the flames of Hell. A split second later, the black hole filled in on itself, cutting off Vikki's frantic tortured screams forever.

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R & R please. Cookies to all reviewers who have given me their great reviews. All of you have been very encouraging. However, all things must come to an end and this story is no exception. I will have two to three more chapters to go, maybe. Thank you: Awerewolf, Corset-rebellion-follower, Lucius Ferus, and Arceus. To Luna alone for your great support to beta this story.