Chapter Three- First Date; Ages: 15-17

Oogway watched with fascination as his students went through the Training Hall's courses. Junjie expertly dodged the columns of fire that shot from the Fiery Field of Death below him, hot air blasting his fur back. Chao shot through the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors so fast he was a streak of orange, brown, and white. Any bit of wood that swung towards him was either blocked or completely destroyed. Shifu glided smoothly across the spinning logs and stood his ground against one of the spiked clubs. With a firm strike and a hard fist, the club was reduced to splinters and chunks of wood. The three teenagers leaped off their courses and in front of their master. They bowed simultaneously.

Oogway smiled. "Well done. You're all doing very well."

"Thank you, Master." The boys said in unison.

"And now, I have an announcement." Oogway said. "Ren and Zhan Shi are coming for the Lantern Festival."

"Sweet!" Junjie grinned.

"When will they be here?" Shifu asked.

"Tomorrow morning." Oogway said. "They'll be here for the entire festival and will stay here at the Jade Palace."

"That's great!" Chao said.

"It should be very nice for you, Chao." Oogway nodded. "Ren is very excited."

Chao looked confused. "For the festival?"

"Well yes." Oogway nodded. "You're taking her out the first night, aren't you?"

Chao raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"You invited Ren out on a date the first night of the festival." Oogway explained. "She was very happy to accept. Didn't you send her a letter a month ago?"

"I never-" Chao stopped and turned to Junjie and Shifu. The fox and red panda rocked on their heels and whistled innocently. Chao narrowed his eyes. "What did you two do?"

"We may have sent Ren that letter." Shifu said.

"And sent it under your name." Junjie added.

Chao would've tackled them, but Oogway held him back. "Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!"

"Now, now, Chao." Oogway chuckled. "They didn't mean any harm."

"I thought you liked Ren." Shifu added.

"Well, I do." Chao admitted. "But I know nothing about being with a girl! I've never had the courage to ask a girl out!"

"Come on, Chao." Junjie rolled his eyes. "We're going to become kung fu masters soon. Is there really anything we can't handle?"

"The female population." Chao droned.

"He's got a point." Shifu shrugged. "You saw how all the village girls kept giggling whenever we were near. What were we supposed to do?"

"No need to fuss." Oogway assured as he walked off. "Now, all of you continue your training, then go wash up. I don't think Ren wants to see you all dirty when she arrives."

Chao groaned. "Kill me now."

The next morning, the teens dressed nicely and warmly before joining Oogway as they waited for Zhan Shi and Ren. The wolf master and his daughter arrived soon after, each with a bag in hand. Zhan Shi, being covered in fur, wasn't as bundled up as Ren was. The human teen had on a couple layers due to the cold.

"Good to see you could make it." Oogway smiled.

"N-not a problem." Ren assured with a slight shiver.

Oogway chuckled. "Perhaps a little tea might help. Come inside." Zhan Shi and Ren followed the elderly tortoise while Chao and Shifu took care of their bags. As they walked to the guest rooms, Shifu noticed Chao looking odd.

"You ok?" he asked.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Chao groaned.

Shifu rolled his eyes. "Chao, everything will be fine. We're all going down to the festival tonight anyway."

"But I know for a fact that you and everyone else will walk off and leave me and Ren alone!" Chao protested. "What are we supposed to do?"

"It's a date." Shifu explained. He hauled Zhan Shi bag onto a guest bed. "There will be games, food, dancing, etc. Just go have fun!"

Chao sighed and set Ren's bag on another guest bed. "Alright. But I'm not dancing."

"Why not?" Shifu asked as they journeyed to the kitchen.

"I can't dance!" Chao said. "I'll step all over her feet."

Shifu pinched the bridge of his nose. "You really need to relax."

STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR

"Chao, get out here!"

"No!"

"Come on, you are not standing up your first date!"

"It's not my first date."

"When was the last time you went out with a girl?"

Pause.

"That's what I thought."

There was a groan.

"Chao, just come on."

Chao sighed and walked out. He was dressed in deep red robes with a black trim. He kept fidgeting with his black sash he used for a belt.

"Chao, for the thousandth time, relax!" Shifu snapped.

"Don't you tell me to relax!" Chao whined. "As if you've ever been on a date before!"

"True." Junjie noted. Shifu took a hold of the fox's ear and gave it a sharp yank. Junjie yelped, but the three of them straightened when Oogway came around the corner.

"Are you all ready?" he asked. The boys nodded. "Then let's go, before the celebrations begin without us."

Chao groaned, but Shifu kicked his shin. The four warriors journeyed to Zhan Shi and Ren, who were standing at the gates. Zhan Shi was dressed in burgundy robes with a black sash. Ren had a long sleeved shirt that was red with a black trim, a long red skirt, and a braided rope for a belt. A jade ornament hung from the belt. A pure black fan with silver flowers on it was in her hand.

"Good evening, Chao." Ren bowed kindly.

Chao swallowed back the urge to vomit and returned to bow respectfully. "It's nice to see you, Ren."

Ren smiled, her bright eyes sparkling like diamonds. "Thank you for the date. I never would have had the courage to ask."

"Well, sometimes you just need an encouraging push." Junjie elbowed Chao.

"Or an annoying pest to forge a letter." Chao muttered beneath his breath.

Zhan Shi smirked. "Well, if we don't get down there, the party will start without us! Let's go!" The group of warriors journeyed down the stairs. Ren stayed exactly parallel with Chao, casting him a smile once in a while. Chao could only look away embarrassingly. This is going to be a disaster. He thought. Once the warriors had reached the bottom of the steps, they were greeted with a brilliant scene of red. Lanterns hung everywhere: on lines that zigzagged from roof to roof and lit up the street, hanging from houses, and being sold at many booths. Other booths, decorated with red, gold, and black, sold yuanxiao, kites, and offered games to play.

Shifu and Junjie's eyes and smiles were wide.

"This is fully awesome!" Shifu said.

"It's so bright!" Ren spun in a circle to see everything. "You can hardly tell that it's night!"

"It's beautiful." Chao agreed. Like her.

"Well, you kids have fun." Oogway said. "Zhan Shi and I are going to find some gift booths. We'll meet you all back at the palace!"

"See ya later Master Oogway!" Junjie called as the two eldest masters walked off.

"We'll just leave you two alone." Shifu told Ren and Chao. "Have fun you two." He and Junjie ran off.

"Bet you ten Yuan that I can beat you at the bottle knock down." Junjie challenged.

"Bring it on!" Shifu retorted. "You don't even know the proper name for the game!"

"As if you did!"

Ren laughed. "Those two always act like such children."

"You got that right." Chao chuckled.

"So, what do you want to do?" Ren asked. "I'm up for anything."

"Why don't we just walk around?" Chao asked. "And if we see something interesting, we'll stop and…..yeah…"

Ren fanned herself. "Sounds good."

Chao gulped quietly as he and Ren walked off. Why was it so hard for him to speak to Ren? She was just a girl, a pretty girl, a pretty, strong, lovely…

Chao almost slapped himself. "Snap out of it, Chao…"

"What was that?" Ren asked.

"Nothing." Chao waved it off. "Hey look!" He led Ren off to one of the booths. "I love these games."

Ren took a look. "Riddle games?"

"Yeah." Chao nodded. "It's fun to guess the answer because sometimes they get really creative. I always go for the hard ones because they have the best prizes." He stopped and looked towards Ren. "If you don't want to play, we can move on. I know they're awfully boring."

"Not at all!" Ren said. "I love riddle games, too." She scanned the prizes and suddenly spotted a small, golden lotus flower on a chain. "This is beautiful."

"Guess the riddle correctly and it's yours." The booth tender, an old badger, told her. Ren nodded and the badger took a look at the riddle. "Alright, here's the riddle: what building has the most stories?"

Ren thought for a moment. Chao thought, too. He tried to think of a building that was very tall. Pagodas are tall. Chao thought. And the tallest one is in Gongmen City.

"I think I've got it." Chao said. "The Tower of Sacred Flame has the most stories out of any other tower in China."

"Very logical answer." The badger nodded. Chao beamed a little with pride. "But I'm afraid that's incorrect." Chao's face grew hot with embarrassment.

"A library." Ren said.

"What?" the badger asked.

"The building with the most stories is a library." Ren said. "Because it's full of books."

The old badger smiled. "Well done. Enjoy the rest of the festival." He handed Ren the lotus charm, which she immediately put around her neck. The flower charm glinted in the light. Chao stared in wonder; she never wore very much jewelry, but the little charm seemed to add to her beauty.

Ren turned to Chao and cocked her head like a confused puppy. "Something wrong?"

Chao shook his head. "Uh, no, I'm fine." He spied a yuanxiao stand and quickly pointed to it. "You want something to eat? I'm starving!" Ren could tell he was embarrassed and desperate to change the subject, but she only smiled and nodded. Ren purchased a small box of the rice balls for the two of them and they sat down outside the local school to eat. Mrs. Bao walked by with her grandchildren jumping around her. The old goat waved to Chao. The lizard returned the wave with a warm smile.

"You know her?" Ren asked.

"She's the schoolteacher." Chao explained. "My father came to visit the Valley of Peace and brought me along. I came to the school for a day. That's when I met Shifu and Junjie. They were my first real friends."

"Really?" Ren asked. "How they become your friends?"

"They stood up for me." Chao said. "I was teased for being smart. These three jerks really got to me." Chao had been eating a yuanxiao, but suddenly lost his appetite. "Between them and my father's treatment, I thought I had hit rock bottom."

"Those guys must've been pretty bad." Ren said.

Chao nodded. He was about to talk again when a force suddenly pulled him backwards and sent him crashing to the hard ground. Chao looked up and glared. Ren was being held back by two teenage boars and their leader was standing over Chao with a smirk on his face.

"Well now, what do we have here?" the lead boar taunted. "Our little scaly freak."

"What do you want?" Chao demanded. "Let Ren go."

"Why should we?" one of the lackeys asked. "Because you're one of Master Oogway's students?"

"Because that's Master Zhan Shi's daughter." Chao retorted.

"So this is the freak, huh?" the leader turned and scoffed. "You're even more disgusting looking than I thought."

Ren hissed like a cat, showing off her sharp canines. "If you don't let me go this instant I'll-"

"You'll what?" the leader scoffed. "As if you could do anything. You're a freak, you don't belong here, and you never will." He leaned in close to Ren's face. "Why don't you just crawl back to where you came from, demon?"

That did it.

Chao jumped up and grabbed one of the boar's tusks. He swung the pig around and threw him aside. Ren stomped on the foot of one of her captors and planted a vicious head butt to the other's nose. The two stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Just get out of here." Chao ordered. "And don't let me catch you around here again."

The leader growled and jumped to his feet. He drew a knife from his pocket and held it ready. "Who's gonna make us?"

Chao narrowed his eyes and pushed Ren behind him, taking a defensive stance with the full intent of protecting her. The leader rushed forward, ready to stick the knife into Chao's stomach. The lizard grabbed the boar's hand at the last second and landed a firm punch to the pig's nose. The boar stumbled back, but the knife was still in his hoof. He turned to his lackeys.

"Well?" he demanded. "What are you waiting for? Get him!" The two of them rushed towards Chao. The teen stood his ground until moments before they could collide with him. Then, Chao ducked, pulling Ren down with him as he swept the boar's feet out from under them. The two pigs went flying into a food booth. The rabbits there shouted in surprise and then went on to berate the pigs. Chao turned to the lead boar, who looked surprised, but still held his knife ready. He charged for Chao, but Ren suddenly jumped in front and stuck her foot out. Chao sidestepped as the lead boar joined his friends.

"Come on!" Ren urged. She pulled Chao away as Oogway and Zhan Shi came to the source of the commotion. Chao found himself being half-led, half-pulled farther and farther away until Ren suddenly stopped in an alleyway. The two of them breathed a little hard, but no injuries could be found. The two of them shared a look and suddenly started laughing.

"What a rush!" Ren laughed.

"I know!" Chao agreed. "Those were some pretty good moves!"

"Thanks." Ren smiled. Then, they noticed that they were still holding hands. Both of them turned bright red and turned away, Ren fanning herself lightly but hurriedly and Chao suddenly gaining interest in his robes.

"Uh, why don't we, uh…"

"Head back to the festival?"

"Yeah, the festival."

"Yeah, uh, we should-"

"We should go."

They two of them nodded, still stuttering slightly, and walked back into town. Both were silent and blushed every time they tried to look at each other. Had they been able to read each other's thoughts, they would've both been surprised.

He's really handsome. Ren thought. Even for a lizard. When I dreamed about marrying a prince, I never thought my prince would be a reptile. Ah, what are you thinking, Ren? You're not getting married anytime soon. Besides, why would Chao want to be with someone like me, anyway?

She's so strong! Chao thought. I mean, she took out those guys with only a few moves. But why did they call her a demon? Sure, she's different, and technically a mythical creature, but she's just a regular person. A very pretty person. Oh stop it, Chao. This is the daughter of Master Zhan Shi. She deserves a prince, not someone like me.

Ren looked away from Chao and noticed the town square, where musicians were playing and people were dancing. She started drifting over like a ghost, as though she were in a trance. Chao followed close behind. They stood and watched as couples danced merrily with the music that played.

"This is so cool!" Ren sighed. "We almost never have stuff like this in Ziben."

"Really?" Chao asked. "Why's that?"

"Well, the Masters don't really celebrate like the villagers do." Ren explained. "We sort of just show up to patrol and get fresh air."

"Wow." Chao was a little surprised. "I hardly remember that. I don't think I ever even went to the Lantern Festivals in Ziben."

"You want to dance?" Ren asked.

"Oh, no!" Chao stepped back. "Not a chance. I can't dance."

"Then I'll show you." Ren said. The song suddenly ended and shifted into a slow, smooth tune. "Come one, this'll be easy."

"Ren, I'm serious." Chao tried to refuse. "I really can't-!"

Ren pulled him in. Chao looked around nervously, but Ren turned his head to face her.

"Just do as I say." She said. "You put one hand here." She took up one of Chao's hands in hers. "And you put the other here." She guided his free hand to her waist. Instantly, Chao's face burned. "And my hand goes here." She placed her free hand on his shoulder. "Now follow my feet." Ren slowly stepped back with her right foot. Chao followed with his left. "Good, keep going." Chao gulped, but did what Ren said. Slowly, but surely, the two of them were a part of the dancing crowd, moving across the square. Ren smiled reassuringly. "See, you're doing it."

Chao smiled nervously. "Yeah, I guess."

"Just relax." Ren laughed a little. Chao nodded. But he was still a little worried that he'd step on Ren's feet. Considering he had claws on his feet and he never wore shoes, it was a valid fear; Ren was barefoot, too. But he soon forgot his worries and actually began to enjoy himself. Ren could see Chao's sheer terror expression soften until he was actually smiling. The two of them kept dancing, spinning round and round until the song ended, and the two of them had locked eyes. Ren blushed and hid her face behind her fan.

It was a couple hours later, after more games and one last dance, before the two of them found themselves resting high in the branches of a tree. They gazed out at the sea of people and red lanterns. A single lantern dangled above their heads; a prize Chao had won from an earlier game.

Ren sighed. "This has been a really wonderful night."

"Yeah." Chao nodded. "Best night of my life."

Ren sighed happily and glanced down at the comb in her hand. It was gold, with a ceramic peach blossom on it. She delicately stuck the comb into her hair. She sighed again, a little less happy.

Chao noticed. "What's wrong?"

"Chao, why did you ask me to go with you to the festival?" Ren asked.

Chao rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, Junjie and Shifu wrote that letter and put it under my name. I would never have the courage to ask you."

"But you wanted to go out with me?"

"Yes." Chao nodded. "I was just too afraid to ask."

"Why would you want to be with someone like me?" Ren demanded coldly. "I'm a demon; a freak of nature. I don't belong here."

"Hey, if you're referring to what those guys said-"

"It's not just them." Ren interrupted. "Everyone says it. Most people don't say it out loud, but I can hear them whisper it as I walk through town. I can see people giving me weird or distrusting looks. Nobody likes me. I was never meant to be in this world, and I don't even know how I got here." Ren looked up at the stars. "Master Zhan Shi tells me that my mother died protecting me. Protecting me from what? Who was so intent on finding us? Dad won't tell me. He thinks it was my birth father. Whoever he was, he didn't like me. Or he didn't like that mom had a baby." Chao could clearly see tears in Ren's eyes, but she was quick to wipe them away. "Maybe it'd be better if I just died."

Chao was speechless. Instantly, he found himself looking in a mirror. He sighed. "I've felt like that before. My mother died when I was born. My father expected me to live up to his expectations. Unfortunately, it seems his expectations are so high up they can't be reached. He hit me when I did something he didn't like. It's like he searched for flaws in my life that he could berate me for." Chao looked away. "I've considered killing myself just to rid my father of another problem. I came close to doing it, too. That's the difference between you and me. You're strong and smart. You've been able to live through everything that's happened with your head held high. I've hit rock bottom so many times; I can't climb back without help. You can." Chao gave a weak laugh. "I envy you."

Ren had been listening carefully. She, too, found herself looking in a mirror. Then she pinched herself; nope, that hurt. This wasn't a dream. Yet she always dreamed of finding her perfect match someday. Her father, Zhan Shi, always taught her to be brave, even with someone you liked. There was one part of the dream that hadn't come true.

Well, no time like the present.

So when Chao turned to Ren, the human planted a kiss on his lips.

There, dream completed.

Chao's eyes widened. When Ren pulled away, the lizard looked like he had just been slapped with a wooden spoon.

"Sorry." Ren whispered. She moved to jump down from the tree when Chao's arms suddenly pulled her into his lap.

He smiled at her. "I didn't say you could leave."

Ren smiled back. The two of them kissed again, enjoying the experience.

In a couple trees back, a fox and red panda watched them. The fox sniffled.

"They're so cute together!" Junjie sighed with awe.

"Oh quit sniveling." Shifu groaned. "Let's give them some alone time." He and Junjie slid down the tree and snuck away.

When Ren and Chao returned to the Jade Palace, Shifu and Junjie were trying to figure out how to put together a kite they had bought in the festival.

"I think the tail goes here."

"No, that's the top."

"It's a box! How can you tell?"

"I just know!"

The two of them spotted Ren and Chao walking down the hallway, holding hands. Shifu and Junjie exchanged mischievous looks.

"Anything exciting happen tonight?" Shifu called.

"Nope." Ren sighed dreamily.

"Nothing at all." Chao agreed.