Chapter Five- Surprises; Ages: 21-23

When he woke up that morning, the first thing he saw was his beautiful wife, sleeping peacefully beside him. He gently petted her head, careful not to wake her. She hadn't been feeling that well, so Oogway was letting her sleep in. He, on the other hand, still had to wake up and greet his master. Careful not to disturb her, he climbed out of bed and dressed in his normal blue pants and maroon colored robe. His wife murmured in her sleep.

"Chao…?" her eyes cracked open.

Chao calmly walked over and shushed her. "Just sleep. You're still a little feverish."

"I'll be fine." Ren sighed. "I'll be up and kicking Junjie's tail in a few hours."

Chao chuckled and tucked the blanket tighter around her. Then he stood at the door and waited until the morning gong went off. He exited his room and stood straight, his hands folded behind his back.

"Good morning, Master." He greeted in unison with his fellow comrades.

"Good morning." Oogway greeted. "And how is our little Ren feeling?"

"Still a bit feverish." Chao reported. "I would suggest one last checkup from the doctor."

"You worry too much." Shifu said.

"Says the guy that freaked when his cub found a way out of his crib." Junjie laughed.

Oogway chuckled. "And how is the newest member of the palace?"

"Very well." Shifu nodded. A small snow leopard cub peeked from behind the red panda's legs. The cub mewed happily, running past Chao to reach Ren. The desert monitor was quick to scoop up the cub and hold him back. The kitten whined.

"No, Tai Lung." Shifu said, taking the cub from Chao. "Aunty Ren is sick." Tai Lung didn't look very happy, but that changed in a heartbeat when Oogway mentioned breakfast. The cub scampered off after Oogway. The three masters laughed as they followed. Chao took one last look at his bedroom door before continuing.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Junjie assured.

"I know." Chao said. "But she's been sick for a while. No matter what she eats, she keeps throwing up."

"Maybe she's eating something she's allergic to." Shifu suggested. "The doctor will check her out and I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I'm not sure." Chao said. "She's been like this for a while. Some days she's fine, but others she's a total wreck. I found her lying in our room once crying her eyes out for no reason."

"That's just an excuse." Junjie said.

"No, really, she didn't have an excuse." Chao assured. "She told me that she couldn't explain why she was so sad."

"Maybe it was a bad dream." Shifu said. "Or a memory coming back. Usually the mind blocks out traumatizing events based on how bad they are."

"Maybe…" Chao was still uncertain. Ever since they had been married, he and Ren had been happy. They haven't even had their "first fight" yet. But this was bad. Ren had just gotten over a terrible flu, and Chao had stayed by her side the entire time. This seemed worse. Maybe Shifu was right, and it was a psychological thing.

After breakfast was training. Oogway kept an eye on little Tai Lung while his students showed off their skills. Junjie jumped up to the rings on the ceiling, leaping and swinging like a monkey. Chao practiced on the spinning logs, the clubs swinging harmlessly past his face. Shifu darted across the fire field, each flame too slow to even graze his fur. Oogway watched with fascination.

Halfway through training, the doctor came in and whispered something to Oogway. The old tortoise nodded and called Chao over.

"Doctor says Ren will be fine." Oogway informed him. "But she needs to tell you something very important." Chao nodded and hurried to see his wife. He knocked on the door.

"Come in." Ren's voice sounded tired, but oddly calm.

Chao walked in and found Ren sitting on the edge of their bed, a bucket nearby in case she threw up again.

"Are you alright?" Chao asked as he came in. He shut the door behind him to get some privacy.

Ren smiled and walked up to Chao, hugging him tightly. "I feel like a pile of trash left out on a hot day. But apart from that, I'm fantastic."

"Uh, ok." Chao was more confused than ever. He pulled away from Ren and looked into her tired eyes. They were sparkling with joy. "What's going on?"

"I told the doctor about what's been going on." Ren said. "She gave me the diagnostic."

"And…?" Chao stared worriedly at her.

Ren took Chao's hand and placed it on her stomach.

"I'm pregnant." Ren whispered.

Silence.

Chao could only stare at his wife with utter shock.

Ren laughed. "Chao, you're going to be a father!"

Still, only silence.

Then, Chao fainted.

When he woke up, Ren was fanning him. Oogway, Junjie, and Shifu were standing over him as he lay on his bed. He groaned as he sat up.

"I take it he took it well." Junjie laughed.

Chao shook his head. "What happened?"

"You fainted." Ren said. "Right after I told you I was pregnant."

Chao looked ready to faint again. But he steadied himself. "Pregnant…"

"Yes, Chao." Ren nodded.

"Congratulations." Oogway said. "Maybe now Tai Lung will have a playmate."

"Pregnant….." Chao muttered. He ran a hand down his face.

Ren bit her bottom lip. "Um, can we get a little privacy?"

"I wanna see him faint again." Junjie said. Shifu rolled his eyes and pulled the fox out by his ear, Master Oogway following. Ren sat next to Chao and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand if you're worried, or even scared." Ren said. "Even I didn't think this would happen. But this is our own child; our flesh and blood. I'll understand if you're not ready. And that's ok. I want to raise this child with you, teach him or her kung fu. It's ok if you're not ready; I can raise the baby on my own. I just-"

Chao pulled her close and kissed her. When he pulled away, he was smiling. "No way are you raising this kid without me." Ren laughed and hugged him.

Oogway ordered Ren to lay off the hardcore training so nothing would happen to the baby. Ren was absolutely not happy about that, but somewhat satisfied when she could still come and watch or practice her Tai Chi. Junjie took advantage of that to tease her when he had the opportunity; he soon stopped when she kept kicking him. At one point, he ended up on the fire field and was almost toasted.

The months passed by. It wasn't until about four months had passed that Ren started to develop a baby bump. Whenever Ren played with Tai Lung, which was often since Shifu trained, the cub was fascinated by his Aunty Ren's growing belly. Ren would then explain to him sweetly that he was going to have a new friend soon. Whether or not he understood was still a mystery, but he seemed very curious about Ren's stomach growth.

But there was something a little odd happening. Ren had learned about the symptoms a long time ago: mood swings, nausea, cravings, fatigue, backaches, and headaches to name a few. But Ren hadn't had any headaches lately, unless you count the time a pan fell on her head a couple days ago. She felt full of energy and was constantly moving about the palace to burn it off. Her cravings only popped up every now and then, and it was usually for a bowl of plain white rice. Ren's mood swings were especially different. When she expected her emotions to range from bright and happy to utterly furious, she only found herself to be unexplainably sad; she felt like she had gone through a great sorrow or if she was in mourning. But the weirdest thing of all was her morning sickness. It didn't matter what she ate; every time she threw up, her vomit looked red, almost like blood. The second Chao noticed he frantically called for the doctor, who also showed great concern. But she found no blood whatsoever.

"I can't explain it." The doctor had said. "But it's good to know that there's no blood. Maybe you should lay off the red foods."

It didn't help. But Chao's nerves soon calmed down.

There was one more thing, something that Ren never told anyone about. She usually went shopping down in the market with Tai Lung every couple weeks. When she was down there, many people noticed she was pregnant and congratulated her. But as she continued walking through the market, she noticed some people hiding in the shadows, watching her.

The next time she went down to the market, she asked Shifu to join her.

"Just for some company." Ren said. "I can talk to Tai Lung, but all he does it meow back." They laughed as they journeyed down. Thankfully, Ren wasn't feeling any weird symptoms that day. She and Shifu chatted away, picking out groceries for the palace. They stopped at the noodle shop in town for lunch.

"So when's the baby due?" the waiter asked as he served them.

"We think about midsummer." Ren smiled. "Yet we don't even have names picked out yet."

"Well, you ought to come down when the little thing comes." The goose chuckled. "My own son isn't due till winter." He walked off, humming to himself. Tai Lung buried his face in his noodle bowl and slurped up his soup.

"Tai Lung, mind your manners." Shifu scolded lightly.

"He's a cub, Shifu." Ren laughed. "Let him have fun."

Tai Lung's ears perked up and he raised his head, smiling at his adoptive father and aunt with broth dripping from his whiskers. He laughed along with them, but then he froze. He turned towards the entrance and growled, his ears flat on his head. Shifu tried to be discrete as he followed his son's gaze. At the archway were three black-clothed figures, all of them mountain cats. The owner of the restaurant approached them.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"We're simply here on business." One of the cats said. "Stand aside." He was gazing towards Ren, Shifu, and Tai Lung, particularly Ren. The goose noticed this and stepped in front of the cats.

"I'm afraid if you're not going to buy anything, you'll have to leave." He said. "We're very busy and need to keep the tables open."

"Stand aside." The cat grabbed the goose's head and threw him into one of the tables. Customers screamed. Ren turned to stand, but Shifu stopped her.

"Watch Tai Lung." He whispered. He stood and calmly walked up to the cats. "Any reason for that?"

"Stay out of this." One of the cats hissed. "You'll live longer."

"We're only here for her." another cat said, nodding towards Ren.

"I'm afraid that won't happen." Shifu said. "Leave, or I'll have to throw you out."

The cats laughed. But their laughter was cut off by Shifu grabbed their leader's foot and throwing him out the door. The other two cats lunged, but they were swiftly brought down.

"I said leave!" Shifu shouted. The cats hissed, but their leader called them back.

"We'll be back for the pale demon and her devil of an offspring." The cat growled. The three of them ran off. Shifu turned and saw Ren looking both scared and furious, her hands clenched into fists.

"Come on." Shifu urged. "Let's get home." As they passed the goose, Shifu bowed. "Sorry for all the trouble."

"Not at all." The goose assured. "Just get this young lady home." Shifu bowed again and hurried off with Ren and Tai Lung. Once at the palace, they told Oogway what had happened.

"Interesting." Oogway was oddly calm. "You didn't know these bandits?"

"No, Master." Ren said. "But they called me a demon, so they must know me."

"You're well known overall." Shifu noted.

"Shifu, I need to speak with Ren alone." Oogway said. "Why don't you check up on Tai Lung?" Shifu bowed in respect, cast Ren a reassuring smile, and ran off.

Ren turned to Oogway. "What do you want to speak to me about?"

Oogway looked sad. "Ren, ever since I discovered peace and invented kung fu, I have been gifted with visions of things to come. I'm no soothsayer, but sometimes I will be allowed to see what will happen in the future so I am prepared. But if there's one thing I've learned from this, it's that one often meets their destiny on the road they take to avoid it."

"Master?" Ren stared at the old tortoise before her.

Oogway turned to Ren. "I had a dream. You were sitting with your newborn daughter in a dark cave. All around you two were shadows with glowing red eyes. They kept screaming at you; calling you and your daughter monster, freak, demon, devil women, and so much more. Some tried to attack you, but there was a shield surrounding the two of you. Then, they all disappeared except for one. He stared down at your daughter and said, 'What extraordinary powers this little thing has. Perfect.' He lunged for your daughter, and I woke up." Oogway sighed. "Ren, your baby will be a girl with amazing powers. And she will be in grave danger if she stays here."

Ren would've collapsed had Oogway not caught her. "My baby, my little girl." Ren moaned. "That's why I was being attacked."

"They won't end here." Oogway shook his head.

"What can we do?" Ren asked frantically. "Does Chao know? Please, whatever you need me to do, I'll do it!"

Oogway shushed her. "Everything will be fine. I have a plan. But both you and Chao must agree to it.

"I know how you got here. There is a way for you to return to the world you originally came from. You and your daughter can go there and live a safe and normal life. But Chao will have to stay here, to protect the palace and make sure that he stays safe as well."

Ren trembled. "So, I will have to leave Chao and go to another world? Live there on my own?"

"One of our doctors has agreed to join you." Oogway assured. "So you won't be alone. But Chao must stay here. I've already discussed it with Zhan Shi; he has agreed to follow whatever decision you make."

Ren stared at the floor for a long time. Then, she stood, placing a hand on her swollen belly.

"I'll talk to Chao."

Ren dragged her feet a little as she journeyed to the barracks. The boys were eating at the time, laughing and talking. Ren smiled softly before making her presence known. Everyone turned to her with a smile.

"How's our little fighter doing?" Junjie chuckled.

"Fine, thank you." Ren nodded. "Chao, I need to speak to you privately."

"About what?" Chao asked. Ren placed a hand on her stomach. Chao realized she looked worried and was quick to follow her. The two of them walked in silence until they reached their room. Ren shut the door behind them and went to sit on their bed. Chao was right beside her.

"What's wrong?" Chao asked.

Ren sighed. "I talked with Oogway. Our baby is going to be a girl."

"Really?" Chao brightened. "That's wonderful!"

Ren nodded. "But there's more." She told Chao about the attack earlier today, Oogway's dream, and his plan. Chao listened intently, his smile steadily shrinking until he was staring at Ren with a crushed expression.

"Leave?" Chao repeated. "For how long?"

"Who knows?" Ren shrugged. "A long time, no doubt."

"No, I won't have it!" Chao snapped. "I can protect you from anyone that would hurt you or our daughter. You can't leave."

"Chao, you aren't going to be around me all the time." Ren protested. "Anything could happen. I could be killed in the middle of the night, or our daughter could be kidnapped at any time. Doing this will be safer for both of us."

"So you're just going to leave?" Chao growled. "Run away with our child?"

"To keep her safe!" Ren snapped. "And to keep you safe! Heaven knows who would be willing to put me at danger to get to you! I don't want to spend every day worrying about who will attack us next, whether it's a common bandit or someone who knows about our child's powers and wants them!"

"I promised your father I would die to protect you." Chao said. "So I will."

"No, Chao." Ren shook her head. "I don't want to worry about how long it will take before you die, especially if it will be soon. I know you want to protect me; I want to do the same for you." Ren caressed her husband's cheek. "I love you. I will do whatever it takes to keep my family safe."

Chao pulled his wife in a strong embrace. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't." Ren assured. "We'll be together again someday."

Chao stared into her eyes. Ren never made a promise she didn't think she could keep. There was a genuine truth in her eyes. Chao wanted to keep his family safe, but he didn't want to leave them. But he also remembered what Oogway told him about letting go; sometimes, it's for the best. This was one of those times.

The next morning, when everyone came to greet Oogway, the elder master had an announcement.

"No training today." Oogway said. "We're spending the day together as a family."

"Doing what?" Junjie asked.

"We're going to a nice little lake." Oogway said. "For a picnic and some swimming."

Nobody argued. But nobody cheered either. They all knew that today was the last day to spend with Ren.

Oogway had already packed a basket of food. So they journeyed off to the lake. It was a beautiful day: the skies were clear, the waters were sparkling and blue, and the grass was soft and warm. Ren set up the picnic with Tai Lung's help. Well, Tai Lung tried to help, but he only gained interest in playing tug-of-war with the blanket. Junjie found interest by taking his life in his hands; he tackled Chao and Shifu as they were wading in the shallow water. This resulted in the fox running for his life in the water while the sopping wet red panda and lizard chased him. It ended with Chao disappeared underwater and tripped Junjie while below. Junjie ended up face first in the lake, with Shifu tripping over him and getting a mouthful of water.

"Come eat, fish-boys!" Ren called. The men came bounding up to where the human sat with a snow leopard cub nibbling on an apple. Oogway was slowly chewing a peach. The warriors sat down, ate, chat, and laughed. After eating, Oogway went to meditate in the shallow water. Tai Lung took the opportunity when nobody was looking to steal Ren's fan. Shifu and Chao darted after him. Ren and Junjie laughed.

"He's such a devious little cub." Ren smiled.

Junjie nodded. He glanced back at Ren and sighed. "Ren, I have something for you."

"Junjie, my birthday isn't for a couple more months." Ren said. "If I'm lucky, the baby and I will share the same birthday."

"You're leaving tomorrow." Junjie reminded her. "For who knows how long." He pulled a box from his pocket. "I want you to have this in case I don't see you again." He handed the box to Ren. The woman was a bit confused, but gasped lightly when she saw its contents. Inside the box was a golden heart locket on a gold chain. Junjie smiled and opened the locket, revealing a small painting of Chao and Ren on their wedding day.

"Oh, Junjie, it's beautiful." Ren said as she put the necklace on. "Thank you."

Junjie shrugged. "Well, it's a good way to keep memories. And I don't know when I'll see you again." He sighed. "You're a great friend, and I've always looked to you as a sister. I don't ever want to forget you."

Ren smiled and pulled Junjie into a hug.

The rest of the day was calm. The members of the Jade Palace returned home for a nice dinner. It couldn't be fully enjoyed, for everyone was thinking about how much they would miss their departing friend. Tai Lung wouldn't find out until morning, and he wouldn't be able to understand for a long time.

When everyone went to bed that night, Chao and Ren lingered back. They didn't mind taking their time. Once they had gotten to their room, Ren took Chao's hand in hers.

"Don't worry about me." Ren said. "Tomorrow, it'll be like I never existed."

Chao held her tight, not wanting to let go. "I'll never forget you. I promise I'll find you again. And I promise that I'll take care of you and our daughter."

Ren returned the hug. "And I promise we'll all be reunited one day. And we'll be a whole family again."

Chao lightly kissed her forehead. The two of them lay down, still in each other's arms.

STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR

When Chao woke up the next morning, Ren had disappeared. Chao leaped out of bed, not bothering to change out of his white trousers and night shirt. He sped down the hallway, not realizing Shifu and Junjie were already awake and the gong never went off. Chao found Oogway in the Sacred Hall of Warriors. He wasn't meditating; just standing at the edge of Moon Pool. Chao skidded to a halt.

"She's gone, isn't she?" Chao panted. "She left last night."

"After you fell asleep, yes." Oogway nodded. "She wanted to make it easier on you."

Chao shook a little. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His knees buckled and he fell to the floor. He dug his claws into the marble floor, scratching its surface. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the tears that leaked from his eyes and onto the floor. Oogway walked up to his emotionally broken student, his staff tapping against the floor. Oogway placed a clawed hand on Chao's head.

Shifu and Junjie moved away from the door. Shifu's ears were arched as they always were when he was upset. Even Junjie couldn't muster his usual jovial smile. The two of them shared a look of mutual understanding before leaving.

Ren stared at the ceiling as she lay on her bed. The fox doctor, Vixen, was giving her a check-up. When she had finished, Vixen patted Ren's hand.

"Everything will be fine." Vixen assured. Ren nodded numbly, placing a hand on her stomach.

STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR

Shifu swiped at Junjie's feet, but the fox was able to jump up and aim a kick to his head. Chao was punching a training dummy for all it was worth. Then they moved on to studying the thousand scrolls. Junjie kept cracking jokes that Shifu couldn't help but laugh at. Chao remained studious, concentrating on his scrolls.

"Chao, your father is here to see you." Oogway announced.

"Yes, Master." Chao answered immediately. He stood and walked off to the palace gates. His elderly father stood there, a staff in his hands to keep him upright.

"How have you been?" Master Bang asked.

"Fine." Chao answered simply.

"I understand Ren has disappeared."

"It's been almost five months since then."

"Well, I would've come earlier, but the council keeps me busy."

"I understand."

Bang sighed. "I know I haven't been much of a father to you, but I can understand what you're going through. How do you think I felt when I lost your mother?"

"It's alright." Chao said. "It's nothing I can't handle. If you'll excuse me, I must return to my studies." He bowed to his father before returning to the Hall of Warriors. Bang sighed. Ever since Ren had disappeared, Bang had been trying futilely to connect with his son and get him to forget his wife. But Chao had turned cold. He built a wall around his emotional and psychological self to keep others out. Nobody knew that he sometimes didn't sleep at night because he would be staring at a painting of himself and Ren. He used to silently cry as he would do so, but not now. Now, all his tears had been shed, and his eyes remained dry. He almost never showed emotion; everything he said and did was spoken and performed with precision and without emotion. He was always stiff as a board unless he was fighting. He acted like he never married; like Zhan Shi's daughter never existed.

But he never forgot.

Ren screamed and gasped. Sweat drenched her face as she strained.

"Come on, Ren." Vixen urged. "I can see her head! Just a little more!" Ren panted as she pushed. Then, she relaxed as a baby's cry cut through the night air. But it didn't sound like crying; it sounded like a bird. Vixen took the human baby in her hands and cleaned her off. Then she wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed the child to her mother. Ren held her little girl, gazing at the baby's pale face. She had a mop of obsidian black hair on her head. And when she opened her eyes, they were bright green, just like her mother's.

Ren sighed and cradled her newborn daughter.

"She sings like a bird." Vixen sighed. "How strange; most babies cry when they're born. But she seems healthy enough."

"Everything is strange." Ren laughed lightly. "And I know what I'm going to call her."

"What's that?" Vixen asked.

"My mother's name was Jin." Ren said. "And my little girl seems to sing so beautifully. I'm going to call her Siren Jin."

"It's perfect." Vixen smiled.

Siren Jin looked up at her mother and smiled, giggling.

A/N: Stay tuned for the sequel to Siren's Gem. It's called Secrets Revealed.