Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda, it belongs to Dreamworks Animation Studios. Period. The Original Characters are all mine, so please do not use without my prior consent.

It's a good thing I'm not doing these updates on a weekly basis. The past few weeks have been NUTS. I won't bore you with details; needless to say, my time for writing has been pretty limited.

Something I forgot to mention in the last chapter, the "honorific" Dalang called the goat Mr. Lu is actually anything but. Loosely translated into English from modern vernacular Russian, blyadski mudak means "F-ing A-hole"; as I understand it, it's a favored term amongst Moscow taxi drivers…but for safety's sake, never say it in front of a person who actually speaks the language. It can only end in tears.

But enough of that, hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4: The Quest Begins

"It isn't that hard, Po."

"Says you! I don't care how many times we do this, Tai, its still going to hurt!"

"You're not stretched out enough. If you'd let me help you, you wouldn't end up being so sore every time."

"Lets face it, I'm not as used to this as you are!"

"Quit your complaining and let me help you!"

"No way, you're not helping…ow! Why'd you pull on that?"

"It's supposed to help! Look, you're not going to get this until we condition you for it…"

"Ow, ow, OW!"

"Po, quit squirming! You're just making it worse—there, you see? You just strained yourself, and now you'll be sore for the next few days."

"I'd be sore without your help!"

Tai Lung sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Po eventually toppled over onto his side with a light thump, kicking up a cloud of dust. Rubbing his tired eyes, the snow leopard bemoaned, "Po, sitting in full Lotus position for meditation is the best form for it, how many times do we have to go over this?"

"I'm a giant panda, alright? My body's not made for flexibility!" the panda grunted, pushing himself up to a sitting position next to the snow leopard. Tai Lung had his legs crossed in the full Lotus, his hands cupped in his lap…and trying to quell his rising temper.

"Could've fooled me," he muttered.

"Whazzat?"

"Nothing."

Po crossed his legs, then tried to lift one ankle to place it over his opposite knee, yet failed miserably when he tried to repeat with the other ankle, thus falling over again. Tai Lung sighed wearily, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, half Lotus will have to do."

"Thanks," the panda said glumly.

"All right, panda?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"I said, is everything all right? You're not usually so irritable…"

"You mean like you?"

"I resent that comment."

"So? I resent you calling me fat!"

Tai Lung was perplexed. "When did I call you that?" Then he thought about it. "Except for the battle over the scroll, and the few times we fought before defeating the Jiao…but every other time it was meant in jest and you know it!"

"You just said I wasn't flexible."

"That's not the same as…" the snow leopard stopped himself, then looked at Po curiously. Something occurred to him, and he wondered why he hadn't seen it in his friend before now. "Po, you and Su Lin…is everything all right?"

"We're still together," the panda snapped. When he caught Tai Lung's quizzical—yet worried—expression, he sighed and held his chin in his hands. "We're…okay. Just okay. Maybe now's not a good time to meditate; I just can't focus right now…"

"Don't change the subject," the snow leopard said, effortlessly extracting himself from the Lotus Position to sit cross-legged next to his companion. "Po, if I can come to you to moan about my marital woes, you can talk to me about your girlfriend. Now what's wrong?" When Po didn't answer right away, Tai Lung sighed. "Please, panda."

Po sighed and steeled himself up to answer. When he'd told Crane and Viper he knew just who to ask for advice about his image…Tai Lung had been the first to pop into his mind. And why not? He was the closest friend the panda had; they could tell each other anything. In theory, anyway. The panda glumly replied, "She deserves better."

Tai Lung felt like slamming his head into the nearest rock—the panda's, not his own. "Are you mad? You're the Dragon Warrior! There are thousands of women in China who'd line up around the block for a chance to be with you!"

"And twice as many to have a chance with you," the panda said sullenly. "I can hear it in the village, all the girls saying how much they'd want a night with you."

"That's…" he hesitated.

"Encouraging?" Po asked with an accusatory tone. "Good for your ego?"

"I was going to say 'uncomfortable'. Don't these women remember the pain I caused this place over twenty years ago?"

"Every woman likes a bad boy. But I mean, c'mon, lets be honest, you're good-looking, strong, in great shape for a guy your age—not that there's anything wrong with being forty-one."

"Thank you so much for reminding me."

"And you can cook!"

He waved this off. "A secondary skill, you recall. I learned from you and Dalang. But I still don't see what's—"

Po was blunt: "Duh, you're a sex symbol. I'm not."

Tai Lung felt a bit of a chill at that thought. A couple years ago, he would have been perfectly content with having such a title. Well, in all fairness, he was rather flattered that so many women still thought him attractive; Mei Xing, naturally, couldn't stop bragging to her closest friends about the wild nights they'd had together. Even Tigress listened insatiably to such scintillating stories…and he wasn't sure if that bothered him or not.

But now he was caught in a position no male friend ever wanted to be caught in with his other male friend (his "Bro", as Dalang would call it). True, he and Po were such close friends they were like brothers; and didn't Mr. Ping call him, Po, and Dalang 'His Boys'? So, hypothetically, he could handle this awkward conversation.

The problem with hypotheses, however, was that oftentimes they were disproved.

"Sure, maybe you're not a 'sex symbol'," he started by pantomiming quotations with his fingers. "But you are…erm…the boy next door? Yes! Boy next door, the bloke every girl secretly wants because he's so approachable."

"Nice guys finish last, Tai."

Damn, how to get around that logic? It was true; the jerks always seemed to have a girl on their arm, whereas perfectly reasonable gentlemen, in every sense of the word, were often sitting along the walls with the other wallflowers, drinking away their woes. But he wasn't about to let his closest friend be one of those self-pitying buggers, nor would he allow him to go down the other path.

"Have you talked to her?"

"I don't need to, Tai. I…" he sighed raggedly. "Last night, you know, when me and Su went on that picnic date by the lake? I…I kinda made a move, y'know, see how far I could get."

Tai Lung set his jaw as the beast inside him raged. Okay, fine, he was married. Yes, he was expecting his first child. But, if one recalled the old saying about never forgetting their first love…well, perhaps that green-eyed monster wasn't as tame as the snow leopard would have liked. "…And?"

"She acted like it didn't mean anything."

"She brushed you off?"

"Totally. Like, shot down, burned, completely frickin' incinerated."

Tai Lung winced. "Sorry, mate."

"What am I doing wrong?!" Po asked desperately. "I mean, we've been together, what, over a year now? We can't seem to get past hugging and kissing…I mean, I want to take it a step farther, but I don't know how she'd feel about it. She seems so…"

"Innocent?"

Po sighed miserably. "Exactly. She's…cute."

Cute. Cute! The most horrid word with the most horrid connotation! Surely, it could be meant positively as in, 'Hey, that girl is cute'. But by no means was it as powerful as 'Damn, she's hot!'.

So Tai Lung knew exactly where Po was coming from. More to the point, Su Lin's innocence, sweetness, and general cuteness…didn't exactly make her "sexy", in the traditional definition of the word. In fact, long before he had any romantic involvement with Mei Xing, when Tai Lung still thought he had a chance with the panda girl, he had even entertained certain fantasies…concerning the two of them and a private room for a very long—and very naughty—night. But now that he recalled it, he also recalled feeling like a despicable, dirty old man at such sordid thoughts about the panda girl. Now, granted, at twenty-six, Su Lin was not technically a "girl"—she was a woman, if those curves were any indication (and believe him, they were)—but in all honesty…she was more 'aww'-inducing that awe-inducing.

"I know I'm not one to talk," he started to say, "But maybe…have you talked to her about…?"

"About…?" Po echoed. "You mean, about…you know?"

Brusquely, as was his nature, the snow leopard snorted. "Sex, Po, have you talked to her about sex?"

Po didn't say anything.

"You feel dirty at the thought of it, don't you?"

"No, that's not it; we've talked about it, sure, and she said she wants to wait until marriage, but lately it seems like…I mean…like she's changed her mind, I guess? But I know why she turned me away last night, I'm not stupid," he patted his still-ample stomach. "I'm not the kinda guy a girl like her deserves: a hunk."

Tai Lung said nothing.

"I could probably stand to lose a few pounds, like ten, maybe…or fifty."

Tai Lung shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"But looks don't matter, right? I mean, I've got plenty of redeeming qualities…"

Now he knew why he was so uncomfortable; Tai Lung remembered Su Lin's sudden blitzkrieg from the other day. "Po," he begged, "Please don't do this to me. Please, please, if you respect my masculinity—and yours—do not ask me what I think you're—"

"If you were gay, would you find me attractive?"

He gritted his teeth and growled. "—frick!"

"Totally a hypothetical question."

"Po, I do care about you, but not enough to dignify that with a response." Not again... No, I am not going to tell him he's pretty! A man can only tolerate so much!

"You've really got a knack for this therapy thing, you know that?" the panda sardonically replied. "Besides, I don't get why you're so uncomfortable talking about this—you kissed Dalang a year ago."

"That was different! That was a spin the bottle game and I was drunk—we were drunk—we were very drunk."

"So it was you who moaned…" Po said, a smirk slowly growing on his face.

Tai Lung's fur frizzed up in irritation, "I did NOT moan!" He turned away from the panda and stood to leave. "And just for that, you can figure out your problems on your own—"

But he didn't get very far when he heard the panda gasp, then fall over onto his back. The snow leopard paused with narrowed eyes, "Oh don't think that's going to work—I know you're faking."

After a long, tensely silent moment, he felt the blood rapidly drain from his face. "Po?"

Po wasn't moving.

"Po!" he scrambled to the ground, slapping the panda's cheeks. "Po, come on, mate, this isn't funny. Wake up!"

But Po was nowhere near enough to hear his friend's desperate pleas. As soon as Tai Lung had started to walk away, the panda had felt a surge in his brain, like being struck by lightning, a phenomenon that shocked him into unconsciousness. White light flashed in front of his vision before he fell into inky blackness, and woke in a strange place…

When he came to, he was staring straight up into jade green eyes. At first confused why he wasn't seeing Tai Lung, he quickly connected the dots.

"Was that really necessary, Master Oogway? Tai's got enough problems, he doesn't need a heart attack," the Dragon Warrior noted.

Oogway smiled thinly, offering a spectral hand to the panda. "You will have to forgive me, my young friend, but this is not an occasion to give pause. I needed to get your attention quickly—"

"Well, you got it," Po remarked, sitting up. "What's so important that it couldn't wai—"

Oogway's interruption was something significant, and he knew it; someone as patient as the late sage would not be so hasty unless absolutely necessary. When the tortoise continued, Po listened aptly: "This is something that can not wait, Dragon Warrior. Darkness is coming to the Valley again."

Po rested his elbows on his knees as he complained, "Can't this place go a year without some bandits or an army or…something? This is a bit much."

"It is not the Valley's citizens who are in danger, Po Ping," Oogway warned. "This message is an urgent one: prepare yourselves, you and Tai Lung, for your greatest adversary is coming."

"We defeated Jiao Shen!" the panda exclaimed. "Who could be worse?"

Oogway looked like he wanted to say something further, but either decided against it, or was forced to acquiesce to the unknown laws of the spirit world. "I cannot reveal his name; do to so gives him power, though it is not power he seeks."

"So what does this guy want? Money, infamy…?"

"It is not as simple as all that, my friend," the sage said, quietly beckoning the panda to follow him. Though much paler than in life, Oogway still carried the characteristic calm that instantly put the panda at ease. Po found it odd, of all the times he had meditated and come upon this limbo in the previous months, sometimes alone, and sometimes with Tai Lung beside him, Oogway had never taken him—or either of them—past the spot where they had entered. His most important instruction, of course, was not to touch anything, or to be sucked into the afterlife as a result. Po couldn't shake the dread of unintentionally doing just that.

"This man is no man," the tortoise said, lumbering—no, floating—along. You're in the spirit world. Spirits don't walk, they float. A durr, Po chastised himself.

"He is a creature lacking any semblance of goodness that we know," the sage continued. "Our rules and laws, our society, indeed our very natures are foreign to him, repugnant, weaknesses. Jiao Shen, for all his infamy and his savagery, was still a man. He was a man who loved and lost, he was a man with a family, with sons that he—believe it or not—cared for. He was a man with fears, as we all have fears. He was a man with limits, as we all have limits, and a man of little mercies…and I emphasize little mercies."

"So you're saying this new guy…"

"…Is worse than Jiao Shen," he completed. "I have spoken with the spirit of Dalang's dear mother, Ming Hua, and she has confirmed my fears. This is a man that Jiao knew very well."

"They were in cahoots with one another?"

"Jiao Shen tried to have him killed."

"Close enough," the panda shrugged.

Oogway chuckled, putting him back at ease. "Perhaps, but something you must remember…Jiao Shen never suffered a man to live, once that man's name had been added to his black list. The fact that this man outlived him…"

"That's a big deal, isn't it?"

The tortoise nodded. "Yes, it is a very big deal. This creature is not one easily dispatched. He lives and acts according to a primordial law, one that predates civilization as we know it, to a time when the only law was to survive, by any means necessary. Fighting this one means that in order to survive, it would mean throwing away all the lessons you learned, and giving in to your baser instincts."

He felt the dread rising up with the bile from his churning stomach. He had spent his whole life learning to respect all forms of life, and in the span of three years, Tai Lung had gone from the boogey man that sent chills down the spines of every rampage survivor into an upstanding and productive member of society. If what Oogway was saying were true, that meant that in order to protect the valley…Tai Lung had to become a monster again. Po wasn't paying attention when Oogway turned his head to look at him; his mind was too preoccupied with the realization that had come to him.

"…I am very sorry," the tortoise said mournfully. "You will have to go out and meet him in battle, or he will destroy everything dear to you, to both of you."

"Why isn't Tai Lung here? Why aren't you telling this to him, too?"

"He will learn when the time is right. As you said, he has enough problems. But I must tell you that while you have learned the secret of the Dragon Scroll, so must Tai Lung must learn the secret of the Phoenix Scroll."

Po fell silent for a moment, digesting this new information. "Wait, I thought that didn't exist? Shifu said it didn't exist…"

"That is because Shifu never knew about it. There is a master, a monk, who lives in the west, in a monastery at the foothills of the world's tallest mountains, who guards the secrets of the Phoenix Warrior. If you are to defeat this threat, and the threats that come in his wake, both of you must train with this master. The lessons you have learned with Shifu are the first step; the teachings of Master Sun Bear are the next."

"I thought our training was more or less done? I mean, Tai's been schooling me on the Thousand Scrolls…"

"It is not enough, and not enough time," the tortoise explained as they stopped at a ghostly pond. He touched his spectral claw to the water, causing ripples to break across the surface. To Po's wondering eyes, images appeared, of a mountain fortress—no, a monastery—made of deep red sandstone, where brightly colored prayer flags flapped in the mountain winds. Within its walls, monks in red and orange robes sat outside at the mercy of the elements, chanting and praying. "This is the monastery, in Tibet," Oogway explained. "You and Tai Lung must leave at once. Follow Master Sun Bear's teachings, and listen to the wisdom he gives you. His methods may seem as unorthodox as my own…but then again, that seems to be a trend among the students I trained," the tortoise smiled knowingly.

Po smiled, then froze when he saw something else in the reflective pool. A pair of blue-green eyes glaring at him from beyond the pool's rippling waters, eyes that crinkled into an unseen primal grin, before claws ripped into view, tingeing the water with blood.

Oogway drew his claws across the pool's surface, immediately dispelling the vision, clearing the red away to reveal crystal clear water. His wrinkled face was grim as he turned to the Dragon Warrior. Po swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.

"Was…was that him?" the panda asked.

Oogway said nothing.

"You think we can take him?"

When Oogway spoke, he said gravely, "I do not think so…I know that you must."

"But what if we can't? Me and Tai are just two guys…and if this new guy is worse that Jiao Shen…" he shuddered at the memory of that horrific battle against the Amur tiger. "Jiao almost killed us. If we could barely handle him, even with the Furious Five, and Master Shifu and Miss Lien, how can the two of us handle this guy…alone?"

"Remember, Dragon Warrior, these two things." Oogway held up his claws, ticking off each point. "One, that you have friends in places you never knew you had; ones thought to be enemies will become allies, and those thought to be allies will show their true colors. And two, remember, you must draw from your own strengths, and weaknesses."

Po thought about it, trying to understand the cryptic speech. Nothing came to mind; he sighed and shook his head. "I'm not sure I understand…but if you want us to leave, I guess we should, huh?"

Oogway nodded slowly. "I do not expect this to be easy for either of you, Tai Lung especially. Convincing him to leave, when the birth of his first child is so close…it is not an easy thing for me to ask of him. But he is long overdue to assume his destiny. He must go, for his sake, for his wife's sake, for the sake of their child."

For some inexplicable reason, Po felt a chill. "Does that mean this guy…he might hurt our families?"

"If he is not stopped, your loved ones' safety will be the least of our worries."

The panda cast his eyes down at the pool again, deep in thought. Then something occurred to him so fast, that he was amazed he hadn't thought of it sooner. "Hey, um, if it's not too much to ask…maybe you could ask Tai's mom to look over Mei Xing while he's gone? That might help get him to go…"

Po couldn't place why that knowing smile on the tortoise's face was so interesting, but before he could figure it out, Oogway turned away. "We shall see, Dragon Warrior, we shall see…"

"Damn it, Po! Wake the bloody hell up!" Tai Lung shouted, violently shaking the panda by the shoulders. No sooner had those words passed his lips that Po's tubby body suddenly came back to life, striking the snow leopard with a perfect uppercut to the chin. Po sat up and looked around, trying to get his bearings as he recovered from the vivid vision.

"Wow," he huffed, "that was intense."

"You fat fool!" Tai Lung snapped. "Why the hell did you hit me?!"

Po scowled. "What happened to those fat comments 'being in jest'?"

"That was before you punched me in the face!" Tai Lung retorted, rubbing his aching jaw. "Not to mention you near scared the hell out of me—I thought you were dead!"

"Well," Po said, brushing off his clothes. "Technically, I was."

He gave Tai Lung a moment to digest the implication before the snow leopard groaned. "Could that daft old turtle have at least waited until we were past the omms?"

"Tai, something big is going down," the Dragon Warrior said seriously. "Oogway said that there's this big enemy on his way to the valley, and means to destroy it!"

"…Can't this place go a year without an attempted invasion?" the snow leopard griped. "I mean, if it's not the Jiao clan, it's a bunch of bandits, and if its not bandits, its assassins… And furthermore, who could be worse than Jiao Shen?"

Po looked grim, and bit his lip.

The snow leopard noted the panda's unease, and sobered immediately. "What is it? How bad is it?"

Po only needed to say one word. "Bad."

"You're sure of this?" Shifu asked.

"Positive," Po said. "If Oogway thought it was serious enough, then we gotta pay attention, we gotta do something, you know?"

Shifu sighed and rubbed his temples as he fought off the impending headache. He didn't need this. Couldn't this valley go one year without an attempted invasion, or some other kind of trouble? And now, as the Grand Master of the Jade Palace, protecting the Valley of Peace was now his sole responsibility…and he was beginning to wonder how Oogway was so calm all the time. His wife, Wu Lien, said it was within his nature to be so high-strung, but Shifu had doubts about that.

The three of them—Shifu, Po, and Tai Lung—were meeting in the Sacred Hall of Warriors to discuss Po's vision. After the panda had related to both of them what he had seen and what Oogway had imparted to him, the red panda and snow leopard had fallen into an uncomfortable silence. Shifu held his Late Master's staff in his old hands and thought hard, pondering over the tortoise's cryptic speech.

"If this is indeed someone Jiao knew well," the Grand Master began, "it is very likely Dalang might know something about him. I would ask him first, to see if we can glean anything."

"If he does know anything, he's not talking," Tai Lung sniffed, arms crossed over his chest. "He'd rather have every tooth pulled from his skull than talk about his family."

Shifu eyed him, "Be that as it may, it is still important to know more about this before proceeding."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" the snow leopard asked.

Shifu furrowed his brows, "I do not run head-long into a battle if I do not know something about my opponent."

"We know he's got blue eyes," Po said, trying to be helpful. "And that he's really savage and stuff."

"That narrows it down," Tai Lung said as he rolled his eyes.

"But hey, maybe this guy Oogway mentioned…Master Sun Bear, what if he knows something?"

"Sun Bear?" Shifu gaped. Po caught Tai Lung's look and understood—there was a reason Shifu looked so pale.

"Master? Somethin' wrong?"

"How can he…" Shifu murmured. "It's not possible, it can't be. I thought he was dead…"

"Well, apparently he's not," the snow leopard said flatly. "So what do you suggest, that we go seek him out at this temple…wherever it is?"

"Oogway said it's at the foot of the uh…what're those mountains called, in Tibet?"

"The Himalayas," red panda and snow leopard chorused.

"Yeah, those."

"I'm not comfortable with you traveling so far outside the empire," Shifu confessed. "The Valley of Peace—like Tibet—is an autonomous territory. We rule ourselves, but unlike Tibet, we pay tribute to the Emperor; that is the only stipulation to our relative independence. But China as a whole is a completely different beast, so to speak. Their laws are far stricter than ours here in the Valley, but conversely, it's also much more lawless."

"Isn't that a contradiction?" Po asked.

"Not if you've been out there before," Tai Lung answered. "I don't like the idea any more than you do, Shifu. And I'm not sold on it."

"If Oogway commands that you leave," Shifu sternly replied, "Then you are obligated to go."

"Oogway is dead, Shifu! D'you really expect me to listen to a ghost?" He winced as soon as he'd said it; it sounded much harsher than he'd intended. But it did hurt his former master, the only evidence was the glowering stare sent the feline's way. "I didn't mean it that way…"

"Of course you didn't," the red panda replied.

"What I'm saying is—like you stated—I want to know more before I go off on some wild goose chase for some bloke whose name I don't know, whose abilities and limits are a mystery…hell, whose species I don't even know! At least with Jiao, I knew his tactics. And in case you've forgotten, now is not exactly a convenient time for me to go anywhere!"

Shifu closed his eyes and sighed. Of course, he knew it wouldn't be easy. When Tai Lung was still a baby, having to go out to fight bandits or assassins was especially difficult. The fact the infant cried despondently whenever Shifu so much as left the room didn't help either. It was even worse knowing that there was the very real danger that he wouldn't have come back to see his son greet him at the gates, smiling, laughing and happy, as if the red panda had never left. But that wasn't Tai Lung's situation now. Tai Lung had it harder; he hadn't even met his child yet. Not for the first time, Shifu wondered if his rationale as a kung fu master was overruling his instincts as a father..and grandfather.

"I am fully aware of your situation, and I whole-heartedly sympathize with you," he explained. "But I need to say this much: are you comfortable staying here, letting Po go off on his own, to stay here with your wife? Are you willing to deny yourself your destiny—"

"Need I refresh your memory about my experiences with destiny thus far?" the snow leopard imparted with an arched brow.

"Forgive me, poor choice of words," he cleared his throat. "Though Oogway may not have been vividly clear in Po's vision, it sounds like the key to your future lies in that monastery, and with Master Sun Bear, if he truly is still alive…"

"Why don't you think he's still…?" Po started to ask.

"Because Master Sun Bear was already quite old when I first became a student here," Shifu replied. He sighed again and looked behind him at the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu. "Nearly seven decades…he should have passed long ago. But it is no matter—perhaps tortoises are not the only creatures blessed with longevity."

He turned back to his two students. "At the very least…it may be a boon to see if Sun Bear knows anything at all about this menace. I still think you should ask Dalang…" he paused when the idea came to him, then he smirked, "Or, a better idea…I could see if my wife would do the honors."

Tai Lung smirked, "He'll last five minutes."

"My money's on five seconds," Po added to the betting pool.

"Focus," Shifu reminded them, then took a deep breath and continued, "I need to look into the exact location of Sun Bear's monastery, see if I can acquire a map for your use. For your sake," he turned to Tai Lung, "I would not be gone longer than a month. If Sun Bear truly still lives, it would be wise for Po to stay there to learn whatever he can, while you return for the birth of your child. Does that sound fair?"

Tai Lung looked reluctant. It was certainly a fair trade, but the feline couldn't help the churning in his gut. Being away from his wife at such a crucial time—when there was two months left in her confinement—didn't sit well with him at all. Auntie had said—perhaps unwisely—that children could be born much earlier than the expected due date, causing both snow leopards to fret more than they already were.

As much as he loved his wife, he also had his friend to think of. Po had only left the Valley of Peace once, and it was only as far as Wudan Mountain, and to think of the panda being out there, naïve and alone, in the middle of the most lawless, anarchic territories of China…that didn't sit well with him either.

Po truly needed him, but so did Mei Xing. "Does it have to be me?" he finally asked Shifu. "Can't you go?"

"Oogway mentioned nothing about me," Shifu said.

"So you always do as your master says?" he challenged. Immediately, Po felt the temperature in the hall drop, and a deep, uncomfortable feeling passed right through him. Before he knew it, a perfectly civil conversation had turned into a shouting match.

"Of course I do," the red panda gritted out. "The relationship between teacher and student is on a higher level in the eyes of heaven than that of parent and child. You of all people should know that!"

Po got right in between them to placate their rising tempers before it turned into an outright brawl. "Okay, okay, that's enough! I know you're both pretty bitter about the past, but you guys gotta get over it, alright?"

"This isn't something you just 'get over', Po," Tai Lung growled. "How would you feel if your father didn't stand up for you, didn't help you when you needed it most?"

"We've been over this, Tai Lung!" Shifu snapped before Po could stop him. "You were not meant to be the Dragon—"

"I KNOW THAT!" the snow leopard roared. "You think I'm an idiot?! Both of you beat that into my skull, ten times over! But would it have killed you to show a little gods-damned empathy at the time? Perhaps so, if Tigress is any indication!"

"How dare—" Shifu started to say.

"You may be perfectly comfortable abandoning and neglecting your children," Tai Lung seethed, "But I refuse to make the same mistake. I refuse to be you!"

The silence that followed was ironically deafening, the snow leopard's accusation ringing in their ears and echoing off the walls and green marble pillars. Po looked between his friend and master, and saw something pass over their faces at the same moment. Tai Lung was the first to move, turning on his heel and storming from the hall. "Oogway can piss off," he snapped. "I'm not going anywhere!"

Po started after him until Shifu stopped him. "Let him go, Po. If he wants to act so immaturely, let him."

"Didn't you learn your lesson from two years ago?" Po whirled on him, frustrated with the whole situation. "I thought being married to Miss Lien would've made you rethink your relationship with him."

"Filial impiety is a sin, Po, you know that," the red panda glowered.

"Maybe," the panda shrugged, then stared hard at the master, "But I think not being there for someone when they really need it is just as bad." The panda let that sink in before he sighed and turned to leave. "I'll try and talk to him, but I think it's best for everybody if you keep your distance for a while. This is something we need to decide, okay? He's my friend, and he needs me. And master or no master, I'm never gonna let my friends down."

With that parting shot, the panda bowed as a courtesy to the small master and turned to leave, not bothering to wait for Shifu to dismiss him. The red panda, on the other hand, was just as perplexed and angry that Po would speak to him that way. That kind of behavior he was used to from Tai Lung, not Po. Before he could recover to rebuke his student, the panda was already gone.

"Tai! Hey Tai, wait up!"

The snow leopard clenched his fists and tried counting to ten to calm himself down, but couldn't help snapping at his friend, "Forget it, panda, I'm not going back to reconcile."

Po stumbled down the stairs behind him, trying to intercept him on his way into the village. The panda panted slightly from the run and paused to catch his breath before saying, "Not trying to get ya to do that," he panted. "I just wanna talk. Its not gonna do anybody any good if you go into the village mad at Shifu. Remember the last time that happened?"

Tai Lung halted in his stride and closed his eyes, feeling the all-too familiar clench on his heart. He sighed, regretfully replying, "As if you have to remind me..."

Po offered, "So why don't we go sit somewhere, get some tea, go on a hike, do some training or…something. C'mon Tai, I know he gets under your fur, but ya gotta let it stop getting to you…"

"I can't let it go, Po!" he snapped. "I trusted him, and when I needed him, he just—" he huffed, trying to dispel the rising anger and frustration. "I thought he figured it out…I thought he understood…"

"Think how much worse off you'd be if you still lived in the Jade Palace," Po pointed out. "My dad didn't have that great a relationship with his dad either. Or the rest of our family, actually. Even my relationship with my dad was strained before I moved out. But he said he believes in the One-Hundred-Mile Rule."

"What rule is that?"

"The farther away you live from your family, the happier you are."

"If only that applied here," he said, glaring back up at the Jade Palace's front.

Po sighed and patted his shoulder. "C'mon, lets at least take a walk, okay? Give ya a chance to calm down before going home?"

"And what am I supposed to tell Mei Xing?" Tai Lung asked fretfully, beginning to walk down the steps again, but this time at a slower pace. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to do only what you're comfortable doing," the panda said. "If you don't wanna come with me to Tibet, you don't have to."

"So you are going to Tibet."

Po shrugged, "I don't think I have a choice. But that's okay. It gives me the chance to use my awesome kung fu, y'know?"

"But alone? Po, its dangerous out there…"

"Yeah, but I'm the Dragon Warrior," the panda pointed out, puffing out his chest almost comically. "And I can do anything I set my mind to, can't I? All I need to do is believe in myself, to be my own hero—"

"But that is not enough!" the snow leopard snapped. "Don't you get it? It is dangerous out there. As much as I hate to admit it, Shifu has a point—it's stupid and foolhardy to travel alone."

"You travelled alone, when you escaped prison and tried to get the..." Po trailed off when he realized what was really going on. He frowned, and accused, "You don't think I can do this."

Tai Lung shook his head. "That's not it at all…"

"Is it?"

He paused, then raggedly sighed, "Fine, maybe it is. But the majority of it is simply this: you're the first real friend I ever had, Po. I…" he trailed off and muttered something.

"What's that?" Po asked. "Can ya speak up?"

Tai Lung sighed with reluctance, and repeated, "…I don't want to lose you."

They fell into silence for a long, uncomfortable moment, then Po cleared his throat. "Okay, compromise time. How's this: why don't you come with me, as far as the Thread of Hope?"

"You mean…just a trip to the Thread of Hope and back?"

"Yeah. Heck, you can even cross the bridge with me if it'll make you feel better. Then you can turn right back and be with Mei when she has the baby. You won't be gone longer than a couple days. How's that sound?"

Tai Lung paused, then answered hesitantly. "I…I suppose that would be alright."

"Great!" Po grinned. "Well, since you look like you're feeling a 'lil better, lets go back so we can pack, right?"

Tai only nodded, mulling over his options. But even as he thought how his wife would respond to the news, he also had to worry about the conversation he'd had with his friend earlier that afternoon. If Po were truly having problems in his relationship with Su Lin, why should he leave when…? That was when Tai Lung figured out the other motivation for Po's sudden decision. Po wasn't going to Tibet to save the Valley, and all of China. He was going to Tibet to get away from his problems.

Wu Lien sighed heavily and crossed her arms as she peered into the Sacred Hall of Warriors. She had just returned from teaching her last class of the day, intent on having a nice, quiet dinner with her husband, only to find him furiously scanning the scrolls in the massive library. She had seen Po and Tai Lung on her way up the slope, and knew from her nephew's glowering visage that the master and his former ward had had yet another disagreement. She knew both of them to be quite stubborn, and knew they were bound to butt heads occasionally. But whatever had been said had clearly done quite a bit of emotional harm to both.

Wordlessly, she stepped indoors as a cool wind kicked up outside. Shifu either wasn't paying close attention, or was intentionally putting all his focus into his search for…whatever it was he was looking for. He didn't even realize she was there until she was standing right next to him. He turned and jumped,

"Aiya, don't do that!" he cursed.

"You knew when you married me that I was light of foot," she retorted, arms akimbo.

He grumbled, "I should buy you a bell, that way I know you're coming…"

"Did you have another fight?" she asked, ignoring his comment and getting straight to the point.

"With Tai Lung? What if I did?"

"What was it about this time?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"Because he is my nephew, you are my husband, and, as I'm rather fond of both of you, I like seeing you both happy. Besides that, I'm not fond of being the go-between every time you have a conflict."

"You're better with words than I am," he shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"I'm not better—I just know that what you say isn't as important as how you say it."

He sighed, running his finger over the characters of the scroll in front of him, "Fine, so I'm a little more direct…"

"Direct? More like abrupt!" she sniffed. "Now will you tell me what's wrong, or will I have to beat it out of you?"

He arched a brow at the threat. "You would resort to domestic violence just to get me to tell you?"

Wu extracted her favorite fan from her bodice and flicked it open, a smirk on her face. "Would you put it past me?"

He returned the smirk for a fleeting moment, then sighed raggedly. "Lotus, as much as I love sparring with you, I'm not in the mood right now…"

She frowned. He looked like he truly regretted turning down their favorite pastime. It was hardly a surprising amusement; since their marriage, it had become commonplace for her to dance to the music he played on his flute, and, at times, to turn that same dance on him as a full-fledged sparring session. And despite their collective ages, Shifu always had the energy—and yearning—to spend such quality time with her. It made him feel young again. "What are you looking for?" she asked gently.

He looked over the unrolled scrolls, "A map to Tibet."

"You mean this map?"

He turned to her, and found her holding up an unrolled parchment, showing both topographic area and lines marking the major roads and highways of the southern part of China and its neighbors. "That…would be it, yes."

She put it down and lightly fanned herself, a casual look on her face. "Now will you tell me why you're going to Tibet, without running this by me first? I would think, of all people, you would inform your wife of any 'business' trips."

"This isn't my journey," he said, accepting the map from her. "This is for Po and Tai Lung."

She blinked in astonishment. "Tai Lung, on a trip? How can he leave, now, when Mei Xing is—"

"He's fully aware of the situation, as am I."

"And yet he's going?"

He sighed raggedly and shook his head. "Master Oogway appeared to Po in a vision and told him that he and Tai Lung must journey to the Phoenix Temple, in order to learn how to defeat a new threat…"

"A new threat?" she asked incredulously. "Can't this valley go a year without some—"

"I know that, dear," he groaned. "All I know is that we are dealing with a killer more savage than Jiao Shen, someone Shen knew well, perhaps a former member of his army. I also know that Oogway explicitly said—"

"No offense, dear," Wu said worriedly, "But I think that Oogway is wrong. This is not the time for either of those young men to be going on a long journey."

"And what would you have me do?" he argued. "This is something they have to do…it is their destiny."

"To hell with destiny!" she huffed. "Those two have the power to write their own futures!"

"But what about Tai Lung?" he asked. "You and I know—or suspect, rather—that his destiny lies in that temple. Why should he postpone it?"

"He's waited forty-one years to assume his destiny. Two more months isn't going to kill him," she said logically.

"Is that why you are so adamant on their staying?" he asked. "Because of Mei Xing?"

"And Su Lin," she explained, and quickly pointed out, "Not to mention that the road there is treacherous, and…"

"But this can't wait." He heaved a sigh and explained, "I've had many occasions where I waited for too long to act, and it cost me too much. When I was younger, I foresaw a threat, and decided to wait to see what would happen. I ended up losing everything important to me," he looked back at her. "And I never want that to happen again." He was silent for a long minute, then asked, "Do you think I neglected Tai Lung and Tigress?"

She furrowed her brows at the sudden change of subject. "Why do you ask?"

"Just tell me—what is your impression?"

Wu paused, and almost looked guilty. "Are you sure you want me to be honest?"

"With an answer like that, I'm not very certain at all."

"The answer is…" she winced a little, as if knowing her reply would sting. "Well, yes, to a point, you were. True, you gave them a home, food, clothing, an education, and you reared them to responsible adults. Yes, you gave them all the material things." She sighed, running her fingers over the design on her fan. "But as far as emotional…lets face it, you could have given them a bit more."

He lowered his ears guiltily. "So I did neglect them."

"No, you assumed—wrongly—that a strong kung fu warrior didn't need feelings," she stated. "You assumed that real warriors never cried, or didn't symphasize with others, but that's exactly what warriors do, Shifu: they identify with the ones they protect. You may be hard-headed, but you aren't callous, even though you sometimes act like it."

He stared at her, and she frowned at his hurt expression. "You wanted me to be honest…"

"You're right," he acquiesced. "I did, didn't I?" he sighed. "But that doesn't change anything. They still grew up into the people they are today, and I am proud of them, even if they didn't follow the paths I wanted them to."

Wu snorted. "And right there, you sound just like every other parent the world over! Shifu," she softly explained. "Parents want what's best for their children, and there is nothing wrong with that. But what is wrong is when what the parent wants is not what the child wants, yet forces them to do what they want anyway. Say your family wanted you to be an accountant, or a lawyer…"

"I'd poison myself."

"My point exactly. You would have been miserable." She gently squeezed his shoulder. "Now look at Tigress and Tai Lung: are they miserable, now?"

He shook his head. "No…Tigress is happier than I've ever seen her. Tai Lung is happy, perhaps, though he feels something is missing…"

"Only because he's a perfectionist, like you taught him to be," she said, but there was a hint of playfulness there. "And he's just like you. Men like you, in my experience, are never truly satisfied, because they want everything in their lives to be perfect. The problem is that perfection doesn't exist, and has never existed."

"So we settle for what we have?"

"You appreciate what you have," she said with a hard edge in her voice, and Shifu knew she'd taken his comment the wrong way.

"Lotus, darling, that came out wrong," he said, turning to placate her.

"No, no, I understand," she said evenly. "Can't have the perfect subservient wife, so you settled for me; can't say that I blame you."

He quickly got on the defensive. "I never settled on you—I love you just the way you are. Would I have married you if I didn't?"

"The problem isn't settling for something less, Shifu," she charged. "The problem is not appreciating what you have. I spent forty years of my life on the run, and sometimes, I had absolutely nothing: no home, no food, no money, only the clothes on my back. I know my life wasn't perfect, and still isn't, but I'm alive, aren't I? Aren't I healthy, well fed, with a roof over my head? That's the difference between us: I'm grateful for everything I have, even if it's the little things; you take things for granted."

He set his jaw and closed his eyes, not wanting to argue any further. Truth be told, he knew she was right. He did take things for granted, and when he saw he was losing something, he fought to keep it, even if it was struggling against him.

But she had made mistakes, and could be just as controlling as himself! Don't bother, he scolded himself. You're not angry at her, but you're taking it out on her because she's here. That's not fair to her and you know it. He sighed and crossed his arms.

"I should go down and apologize, before they leave."

"Even if you did," she said. "Neither of them appears in the mood to talk." She looked down at the map and then flicked her jade-green gaze back to him. "I'll take these down to them, with your well-wishes."

"Take down some advice, too, if you would," he requested, his voice taking a sudden grave tone. Whatever he was about to impart seemed to press down on his shoulders, making him look older than he was. "Tell them that as soon as they step out of this valley, they should not draw attention to themselves. Just by name and title alone, they have made more enemies in the past three years than any other warrior in China's history."

"So you'll be gone two months?"

"Looks like it."

"So its just gonna be me and your Pops holding down the fort here?"

"Yep, least until Tai gets back in a few days."

"You sure you're packing enough food?"

Po looked over at Dalang, a skeptical expression on his face. "What're you saying?"

The tiger shrugged. "Not sayin' anything—I just know that between you two, you could eat a house's worth of food in a single day. Tai Lung especially."

"You can go bugger yourself, Dalang!" Tai Lung called from the pantry, making the tiger smirk in triumph.

"We're not that bad," Po huffed, concurring with his friend. "Besides, this gives me that chance to go on that diet…"

"What diet?" the tiger curiously asked.

"He thinks he needs to lose weight," Tai Lung said, packing maps into a knapsack. Wu Lien had come down to the restaurant without her husband to give Po a map to Tibet, and directions on getting to Sun Bear's temple. Po noticed quite conspicuously that Shifu had not come down to wish either of them a safe journey, instead passing the message through his wife. Sometimes the panda severely doubted Tai Lung got his stubbornness from his biological parents.

When they had gotten back to the restaurant earlier, Po told everyone about their plan and subsequent quest. Naturally, Mei Xing was a bit nervous to see her husband leaving, but relented when he promised to be back within a few day's time. Tigress, much to Po's surprise, was simply overjoyed, glad to see him finally getting out into the big wide world.

"You're going to have a blast!" she'd said. "I sometimes miss going on quests, fighting bad guys and everything, you know? Just keep your wits about you, don't trust anyone, and you'll be fine."

Dalang offered his own advice: "When in doubt, knock 'em out."

Su Lin, however, had only listened in still, pale-faced silence before slipping away with teary eyes, avoiding everyone's notice except her boyfriend's. Po felt a twisting in his gut, knowing that he was the reason she'd left like that. And somehow, before he left, he needed to make peace with her.

"Why do you think that?" the green-eyed tiger asked. "Your gut's the thing that's saved your ass in almost every battle you've been in!"

"Yeah, well, need to think about my health, y'know?"

Tai Lung sent Dalang a significant look over his shoulder which the tiger caught just in time. That look was a warning not to look too far into the matter. "Gotcha. Well, if you're gonna be training with this master-guy, maybe that'll happen. All the exercise'll do you good."

"It won't be so bad," Tai Lung said, sticking a journal into his pack. "Where Po's going is only a few days' trek by foot. After you cross the Thread of Hope, your journey should only be about five or six days, give or take."

"Don't strain yourself, boys," Sonam said, laying out a bundle on the table. He unwrapped the package, revealing a fair share of knives, throwing stars and other weapons he had created in the Jade Palace's forge. "I want you to take these with you, as insurance."

Po warily handled a particularly sharp dagger. "Sonam, I thought you said you had faith in us?"

"I do," the eyepatch-wearing elder said. "But I've been through enough to know that a hope is never a guarantee." He sheathed a stiletto and handed it to his son. "Keep this on you at all times; you never know when you'll need it. I also got throwing stars, a rope dart—very handy in a straight—iron knuckles, because you never know; oh, and I developed this little beauty a while ago." He held up a miniature crossbow, and demonstrated affixing it to his forearm. "Just point and fire; firing mechanism is this little button in your palm. Took me weeks to develop it…"

Tai Lung stopped him before he went any further. If there was one thing that could be said for both Sonam and Mr. Ping, it was that both fathers were as proud of their respective crafts as true artisans should be. But that also meant that, left unchecked, both men would go off on tangents extolling the virtues of their professions, much like Sonam was doing now.

"Dad, don't you think this is a little overkill?"

"Overkill?" Sonam asked rhetorically. "Wanting to protect my one and only little boy is overkill?"

"Dad…" the younger snow leopard groaned.

The blacksmith affixed his son with a stern look. "I lost you once, son; I'll be damned if it happens again." He pressed a bag of throwing stars into his hand. "Keep your wits about you, and remember what you're fighting for."

Tai Lung mutely nodded, knowing it would be better not to point out he wasn't even leaving the Valley proper. He sighed, looking up the stairs to where Mei Xing was resting. "You'll keep an eye on her?"

Sonam smiled, patting his shoulder reassuringly. "She's my daughter-in-law, isn't she? She's in good hands. Besides, we had a deal, you and I, I'll take care of her while you're gone."

"I won't doubt it for a minute." After a long pause, Tai Lung hugged his father, who patted his back. Sonam took in a deep shaky breath and said, "Make us proud, son."

For the life of him, Tai Lung would never know why his father had said this at that moment…but it was almost as if he knew.

Dalang and Po stood off to the side to allow the two males to say their farewells; it was then that the tiger took his chance to whisper in the panda's ear, "Before you go, you might wanna talk to Su Lin."

Po's ears drooped, and a pained look crossed his face. "I really don't want to…"

"So you're going to leave without saying goodbye?"

"C'mon Dalang, I can't stand to see her upset, you know that."

"She'd be more upset if you didn't." Dalang put his hand on the panda's shoulder. "I know its tough, but you'll be back, I know you will. I can tell you right now, if you don't say goodbye, you'll regret it forever, y'hear?"

Po sighed and cast his eyes around the kitchen. "You know where she is?"

The tiger patted his shoulder encouragingly. "Probably the lake, where else would she be?"

True to Dalang's prediction, Po found his girlfriend standing on the shores of the Valley's largest lake, the site of their date the night before, watching the moon's reflection rippling on the surface. Tiny waves lapped up against the pebbly shore at her feet, but she just stood there, clutching a tightly-knit shawl around her shoulders, her plump body shaking slightly…but Po couldn't place why, at first.

When he got closer, he heard a tell-tale sniffle, and watched as she raised her hand to wipe tears off her cheeks. Oh, this wasn't going to be easy at all, and Po almost lost his nerve. But he knew Dalang was right—if he didn't do this, he would regret it.

"Su Lin?"

She jumped, then quickly hid her face from him. "Po! I…I didn't expect you…"

"I know. I just…I just wanted to…to say goodbye. I mean, its not really goodbye, 'cause I'm coming back, y'know, but it's…just gonna be awhile, y'know?" Wow, I really suck at this.

She sniffed again and turned to him, tears glistening in her warm brown eyes. "I'm scared."

"I know. I am too." After a pause, he walked forward and opened his arms. She willingly met him, wrapping her arms as far around him as she could. He felt the hot tears soaking into his shirt, and all he could do was rub her back and offer sweet promises as a way to soothe her.

She pulled herself away, rubbing her arms. "What time are you leaving?" she asked.

He answered, "Early. You'll still be asleep."

Su Lin sighed and looked down at her hands, wringing them anxiously. She bit her lip, even as Po tried to assure her he and Tai Lung would be fine. She didn't like this at all, the fact notwithstanding that she had faith in her boyfriend's abilities. It was the unseen and as yet unknown threats of the outside world that worried her most. She sighed nervously, looking out over the lake before them. It was the scene of many of their dates, a favorite spot for both pandas, and the one place both of them knew they could have this conversation without anyone eavesdropping.

"I'm just so worried," she confessed. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Hey," he said, drawing her into his arms again. "It'll be okay, you'll see. Just keep your chin up, I'll be okay. Tai Lung's coming with me, and we're both awesome kung fu warriors—we'll be fine." Especially after Sonam gave us the Jade Palace's full arsenal, he secretly added.

"You promise you'll be back soon?" she whispered against his shoulder.

"I'll be back so fast you'll wonder if I ever left!" he said, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I don't want you to worry about me—though I know you will—but let me just tell you…" he pulled away to look her deep in the eyes so she could see his sincerity. "I wouldn't hurt you like that. I will come back to you, I promise."

Su Lin forced a smile, but her brown eyes betrayed the fear and sorrow she felt. Po would have given anything to assuage her worries, done anything to get her to smile for him, one more time.

"I'll wait for you," she said quietly. "Every day that you're gone, I'll be waiting for you to come back. Just…be careful."

"Of course I will," he smiled. "I mean, I do kinda love ya," he winked. She finally smiled, giving a short laugh as a rosy tint grew on her cheeks. She gripped his hand, smiling back at him. "I love you, too, Po."

The silence that followed was normal for them; when in each other's company, oftentimes, words were unnecessary. Completely superfluous. At that moment especially, all that mattered was the two of them being in each other's arms, comforting each other before the Dragon Warrior's departure.

"I wish the Five could go with you, or even Shifu, or Auntie, just so I know you won't be alone," she whispered. "But I know they're needed here, too."

Po only nodded; after another pause, he said, "And Tai needs me. I already know what my destiny is, he doesn't. I kinda wish he was coming with me to the temple, y'know? If this Sun Bear guy knows anything that can help him, well, I gotta be there for my friend, don't I?"

"That's what I love about you, Po," she said, nuzzling him under his chin. "One of many things. You're so selfless, putting others before you…but remember what you told me right before our first kiss? I want you to care about you, too."

"I will, and you know it. Take care of yourself, promise?"

"I promise."

He held her in his arms again, rubbing her back reassuringly. She surprised him by pulling away, appearing deep in thought. "Something wrong?" he asked.

When they finally locked eyes again, Su Lin appeared conflicted, even nervous. But the female panda was full of surprises, as her boyfriend well knew. But even he wasn't prepared for what she had planned.

"Oh…screw it," she said with finality, then grabbed him by the front of his robe and brought him down to kiss her. Po made a bearish noise of astonishment when she crushed her lips against his in a desperate, heated kiss. He'd never known her to be so aggressive…not that he minded, of course. But he was so astounded by the fiery passion behind that kiss that he froze before the heat of the moment brought welcome chills…among other reactions.

When Su Lin finally pulled away, she fixed him with such an intense stare, he felt as if his knees would give out.

"Just a little something to remember me by," she said in a tone that was startlingly seductive for such an innocent. "And a reminder of what to expect when you get back."

After a kiss like that, Po wasn't sure if he wanted to go anywhere at all! His mind fogged over from the afterglow of the kiss—had that been her tongue, he wondered?—and didn't immediately recognize the soft peck on his cheek that followed. He should have said something romantic, something that would make her swoon almost as surely as she had done to him. Unfortunately, the only coherent thought he had was:

"Okay."

As nervous as she was to be left alone while her husband went on this quest, Mei Xing was honestly beginning to get annoyed. It had been charming, heartwarming, in fact, the way he had started to dote on her the minute she gleefully announced her pregnancy. But perhaps it was his feelings of guilt that prompted him to pay particular attention to her now, as he was preparing to leave, and currently fulfilling his husbandly duties.

"Are you sure you're comfortable enough?" he asked, fluffing up her pillows. "Is the tea hot enough; is it to your taste? It's not too bitter, is it, or too weak? Are you hungry for anything? Are you hot, or cold? I can open a window…"

She rolled her eyes and propped herself up on her hands, giving him a no-nonsense look. "Tai Lung, baby, I have enough pillows and blankets to last a lifetime of sleep, yes, the tea's fine, I've got the rice cakes you made this morning if I get hungry, and it is neither hot or cold in here so please stop fussing over me like a mother hen!"

They were preparing for bed, Tai Lung ensuring that everything was in order. All of his wife's vitamins and prenatal medicines were on the nightstand, anything she could ever need was within reach, and as far as he was concerned, his knapsack was packed and sitting by the door, ready for him when he finally left.

The male snow leopard sighed and took off his shirt, crawling into bed with her. He wrapped his arms around her, making sure to savor it as long as possible. "I'm not comfortable doing this."

"I know," she said, gently caressing his arm.

"What kind of husband abandons his wife right when she's about to give birth?"

Mei Xing frowned. It sounded like he was beating himself up over this, which bothered her. If under different circumstances, or had their positions been switched, she'd likely not be able to go. And from what she was hearing, it sounded like he was having second thoughts.

"I know it bothers you, but if Master Oogway says Po needs you, shouldn't you go help your friend?"

The growl that tore out from his throat startled her. "I don't care what that damned turtle says!" he suddenly snapped. "He can hang this whole affair! I'm not going anywhere!"

"Tai Lung," she hissed warningly.

"Mei Xing, what do you want me to do?!" he demanded in frustration, sitting up abruptly. "After all the shit I went through, the twenty years literally stuck under a rock, in an honest-to-gods hell hole, suffering torture and neglect, not to mention everything that happened before or since…don't I deserve to live in peace?!" He took in a long, deep breath before letting it out slowly. "I don't want fame. I don't want glory, not anymore," he said softly. "I thought I did, but once I tasted it…it was bitter. I don't want it; I don't want it at all. All I want is what I have, here, with you, with our baby. I listened to Oogway and Shifu my whole life, and look what it brought me!"

Mei Xing's amber eyes widened as she digested what he was saying. "…You want to give up kung fu."

He chuckled, "Don't sound so surprised."

"Surprised?" she sat up. "Tai-Tai, sweetheart, kung fu is your life!"

"It was my life!" he growled. "And look where it got me! Breaking every bone in my body, at least thrice! Starved for affection from the only person I wanted it from, a slave driver who wouldn't know what paternal love was if it bit him on that fluffy tail of his! Oh, and did I mention the twenty years in prison?"

"None of that has to do with kung fu, and you know it!" she snapped. "You went to prison because you lost your temper. You broke every bone in your body because you're a gods-damned perfectionist!"

"The hell I am!"

"Need I bring up the incident two weeks ago involving the bird's nest soup? And laying new shingles on the roof four months ago?"

Tai Lung winced; okay, she had him there. "All I'm saying," he continued, "is that I have never been happy—truly happy—until I moved down here. Until I married you, until I became Dalang's business partner…before that I had nothing, absolutely nothing." His body straightened with his resolve. "Damn what Oogway says. Hang the warrior's code. I have my priorities in order."

"But your destiny…"

"Is right here," he said, lying down with her again. "My destiny is right here, with you…with both of you. Even if something feels missing, this is all I need, all I want." He gripped her hand, and she was surprised to find his hand was shaking…from trepidation or from barely controlled anger, she could only guess. Either way, she knew that once her husband had made his decision on something, it would take nothing short of divine intervention to get him to change his mind.

She sighed and nodded, feeling the baby kick hard against Tai Lung's hand. It's like the kid's hitting him for me, she mused. Not even born yet, and this kid's sharp. "Alright, honey," she sighed again. "But if you change your mind, wake me up to say goodbye, okay?"

He snorted, then scoffed, "I'm not changing my mind. I don't care what kind of threat this is. I'm not abandoning you, and that's final."

But he's just fine with abandoning his best friend, she thought, but dared not speak it. Without further ado, they settled into bed, Mei Xing on her side, facing him, and Tai Lung lying next to her after blowing out the candle.

"I love you," she whispered in the darkness.

"I love you too," he replied, running his fingers through her fur.

Perhaps it was this final declaration as they fell asleep that caused Tai Lung's dreams to take a different turn. Usually, he was not one to dream: that was a habit he kicked in prison…or tried to. Flashbacks came every so often. When they did, they happened when he least expected, and usually at the worst possible time. For instance, when chopping vegetables for stir-fry. Or when training with Po. But this didn't trouble him so much as when it happened at mealtimes. The only people who knew about what happened to him in Chorh-Gom were his wife and his father, and he wanted it to stay that way. Still, it didn't help seeing everyone's worried expressions every time a flashback hit at dinner and his chopsticks fell from his nerveless hands.

Over time, it had gotten easier. He had friends now, a family, an identity he was comfortable with; perhaps not happy with it, but comfortable all the same. The residents of the Valley of Peace liked him again, and the Furious Five were at least civil with him. Crane and Viper were especially helpful, offering little distractions for him during training. And Dalang usually liked giving him new recipe ideas to try and create, again, providing distractions. It was almost as if they knew, he thought. But it was impossible. The only other people who knew…well, Sonam had taken care of them. Tai Lung had taken his father up on his offer to see what had happened to the last of the Anvil of Heaven…and it made his stomach turn. Whatever Jiao had done to the old snow leopard, it was enough to make him worry for his father's mental health.

Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, though, does it? As if on cue, Tai Lung found himself under an apple tree, ripe for harvest. The sun was shining, and the crisp smells of ripe apples, deep wood smoke and sharp autumn breezes assailed his senses. He recognized he was in the "secret" training grounds in the old orchard, and to his delight he saw not only Po, but Su Lin, Auntie, Shifu and Sonam, and there… His smile widened into a delighted grin. There, sitting on a rock, looking on, was Mei Xing, holding a squirming bundle in her arms. She seemed to sense his eyes on her, and she turned and beamed at him, wanting to show him the tiny little treasure in her arms.

Their child! He laughed joyfully as he bounded towards them. His friends and family turned to greet him, all warm smiles and waves. Mei Xing stood to hand the baby over to him, but as soon as he got close enough, she gasped in horror and recoiled, holding the baby to her breast.

"Mei, love, what's wrong?" he asked. Then the shadow fell across the sky. The comforting smells of wood smoke and apples turned foul in his mouth, tasting coppery blood and a sickly-sweet stench of death on his tongue. Mei Xing began to run, Sonam rushing to her aid.

"Dad, what—" 'What are you doing?' was what he intended to ask, but instead his voice lodged in his throat when he saw his father stop dead…a sword piercing right through his heart, and protruding from his back. Someone screamed, but Tai Lung didn't know who, so shocked to see his father's body fall, a look of pure, haunted astonishment on the old cat's face.

Another scream, this time coming from Su Lin. Tai Lung turned to see who the assailant was…and all he saw was a pair of blue-green eyes, the irises bearing no light, no soul, nothing behind the flat, savage, primal orbs. The glaring eyes suddenly brightened with the sickening sound of ripping flesh and the anguished cries of the snow leopard's friends and—gods no!—former master. Wu Lien had placed herself between Mei Xing and the attacker, and Tai Lung made to move to take the enemy down. This enemy was too strong, exhibiting a strength and speed he had never seen before. He knocked him to the ground, and before Tai Lung could recover, he heard the shrieks coming from his wife and child as the assassin's claws were unsheathed, the bloodied weapons striking and hitting their mark. The baby's shrieks were the loudest by far. But even above the infant's anguished cries was the laughter, the deep, throaty laughter, and the eyes burning into Tai Lung's own, daring him to fight back.

Tai Lung let out a short scream as he shot up in bed, panting and sweaty. His eyes darted around in the dark, hands fumbling to light the candle. He struck the flint without success so many times it was nearly rendered worthless, the snow leopard cursing until light suddenly flooded the room.

"Honey?" Mei Xing asked softly, holding her own lit candle aloft. "What's wrong?"

He looked over at her, choking back a sob of relief. Wordlessly he hugged her, holding her as closely as he dared. Before he could even utter a word of explanation, Mei Xing hit the nail on the head:

"Bad dream?"

"Yes."

"Was Oogway there?"

"No."

"Was the bad guy there?"

He took a moment to think about it, then remembered what Po had said about the eyes… "Yes."

She paused, then nuzzled him. "I'm not completely versed in the otherworldly…but maybe the spirits are trying to tell you something?"

He wanted to refuse. He wanted to stubbornly refuse and get back to the life he wanted to live. But that was the point of the dream, wasn't it? That dream showed the life he wanted: his closest friends, whole family, Auntie and Shifu and Sonam included, and of course his wife and their sweet little baby, their innocent unborn child… And that man, that thing, threatened it all.

His throat feeling dry, Tai Lung swallowed hard and coughed, "I…I think they're telling me I should go…go on this quest with Po, I mean. To Tibet. To stop this…this thing…from hurting you."

"I think that would be a good idea." She smiled and teased, "You see what happens when you don't listen to your wife?"

He chuckled, feeling relieved to have her there, and soundly kissed her. "What time is it?"

"Almost time for you to meet Po, actually," she said, eyeing the pack by the door. She heard her husband sigh and mutter something about getting ready. She directed him to some plain peasant's clothes she had set out. He slowly got up, put them on, and splashed water onto his face to wake himself up, a desperate effort to banish the horrible images from his nightmare. When he was ready, he knelt by her side, taking her hands in his.

"Any other advice before I leave?"

Mei Xing leaned forward and kissed him deeply, pulling away to give him a nervous, yet hopeful, look. "Just one: Come home safe."

Po was waiting outside, his pack by his feet. The panda tugged on the sleeve of the plain white robe he'd been given to wear. Wu Lien had given both him and Tai Lung the homespun clothes—identical gray robes and trousers—she had quickly acquired for their journey. The point was not to draw attention to themselves, and if they were similarly disguised as peasants, they were unlikely to become targets for assassins.

And yet we're armed better than any assassin I've heard of, he ruefully thought, absently nudging his pack; though he had packed it with food, cooking utensils and a spare change of clothes, the rest of the space was taken up by the weapons Sonam had lent him.

The moon began to sink into the west as he waited, tapping his sandaled foot impatiently. Where was he? For a moment, Po wondered if Tai Lung had changed his mind, decided to stay at home. While he couldn't blame him, Po knew he needed Tai Lung for this mission. Before he'd been named the Dragon Warrior, Po had never even left the village. Now, he was expected to leave the Valley altogether. Tai Lung had spent half of his life outside the Valley, exploring China, and, a couple years ago, partaking in a hell-bent journey for a title he considered his birthright.

Something else suddenly occurred to him, and he felt like an idiot that he didn't think of it sooner. Perhaps the real reason Tai Lung didn't want to leave was more self-serving than anything else. The Valley of Peace didn't have an extradition treaty with the Emperor. If Tai Lung left the Valley of Peace, he risked being arrested and tried for crimes that had happened over two decades before; the fact he'd been forgiven by his victims would have meant nothing to the Emperor, and the snow leopard would almost certainly have been found guilty and executed.

So…perhaps Po could handle this on his own. Yeah, that was alright, actually, if the snow leopard stayed. It was kind of selfish of him to ask him risk his own life and freedom like that, and should something happen to him out there, who would be here to take care of Mei Xing and her baby? No, he decided as he put on his straw hat, it would be better for everyone if Po went out on his own…

"Sorry I'm late, mate, overslept a bit."

…Or maybe not.

Po whirled to find that Tai Lung had snuck out his open window and landed in a crouch behind him. Mei Xing was at the window and waved goodbye, sweetly smiling as she blew out the candle and returned to bed.

"I thought you weren't coming," the panda said.

"I almost didn't," he admitted. "I'll say this much, panda: when you get married, there are two little words that will make it a successful marriage."

Po arched an eyebrow, and asked, "And what're they?"

The snow leopard held up two fingers and ticked them off as he recited: "Yes. Dear."

He paused. "Yes, dear?" Po repeated. "That's it? The secret to a successful marriage is saying 'Yes, dear'?"

"Try it with Su Lin sometime."

"And it really works?"

"Its saved Dalang from Tigress' wrath on more than one occasion," he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'm ready when you are."

Po shouldered his pack. "Okay…did you get the travel bars?"

The snow leopard groaned. "Damn. No, but I will. Give me a minute, I'll be right back."

"They're in the pantry on the right," Po instructed. "Look for the flour canisters."

The snow leopard snuck his way up to the door, not wanting to disturb Mr. Ping lest the goose was still abed. Unfortunately, Tai Lung didn't nearly have much in the way of luck.

"…What are you doing up?"

Mr. Ping turned away from the stove and smiled cheerily at the big cat as he chopped away at some carrots. "Ah, good evening Tai Lung! Or should I say morning? Anyway, I heard you stirring and figured you couldn't sleep…"

"Er…"

"…So I thought I'd at least keep you company!"

"Mr. Ping, I'm not here to cook—Po and I are going on that trip, remember? I need to get a few travel bars for the—"

"Ah yes, I remember, which is what I wanted to talk to you about. I have something to say…"

Cripes, here we go…

"Tai Lung, there's no way you can just leave and go off on some adventure while, by the way, your wife is soon to have your baby! That's just irresponsible!"

Even though Mr. Ping was by no means a disciplinarian—he doubted there was anything in the goose's nature to make him thus—the snow leopard had to admit that Po's father could lay him low by a very thick helping of Guilt, with a capital "G". The goose's guilt-trip brought up the memory of his nightmare. The images that came to him in that dream—no, the vision—made the snow leopard quake, his fur stand on end. The promise of a rampage from a killer more savage than even he had been brought nothing but chills, and if Tai Lung had learned anything in the past three years, it was that his purpose was to protect, not destroy. Yet how ironic is it that I need to destroy in order to protect?

"I'm not just leaving, Ping...I really need to do this."

"And that's your problem, that sense of duty," Ping said, waving the knife around. "But, I understand why you want to do this, and I understand why Po wants to go, too. Mei Xing and Su Lin mean a lot to both of you. I may not know all the details, but I know you two are like brothers, and you take care of each other."

"Right," Tai Lung said, eyeing the sharply shining chef's knife as it cut through the air.

"You love your wife, right?" Ping asked, pointing the knife at the snow leopard, who choked out a quick affirmative answer. "And Po loves Su Lin," the goose continued, pointing the knife away (much to Tai Lung's relief), "And whoever or whatever this new threat is, I know you put your friends and family first—that's what I like about you, Tai Lung." Once again, the snow leopard was staring cross-eyed down the tip of a very sharp kitchen knife. "You know what needs to be done, for the good of others…"

"I haven't always…" he started, reminded of his past sins.

"Ah, but what's done is done, right?" Ping asked, flippantly waving the knife around in the air as he spoke, with as many gesticulations as the conversation allowed. "You may have made mistakes," (Tai Lung backed away as the knife pointed back at him) "But no one is perfect! The point" (Tai Lung wished he could laugh at the irony) "is that you've turned your life around and are making something of yourself. Matter of fact, you're one of the best chefs I've ever known, and so humble…"

The snow leopard snorted.

"Well, you're working on it," the goose said unconvincingly.

"Ping, I'm in a terrible rush…"

"Say no more, say no more, just tell me," he turned with the knife out. "When do you intend to be back?"

"No more than a month!" Anyone who had simply been listening would have thought the one who had said this was a much younger man, not Tai Lung. But in fact, the snow leopard's vocal pitch had risen as a result of seeing how close that knife was to a certain vital area.

Hearing this answer—high-pitched or not—made Ping brighten up considerably. "Oh good! One month of male bonding will do you both good. I was thinking, maybe…you could talk Po into proposing to Su Lin, hmm? Get me some grandchildren around here?"

Tai Lung's eyes were still trained on the knife. "I'll work on it."

"Good, good. Now, go do what you need to do…I'll keep an eye on things here."

"Are you sure? I'm getting some mixed signals…"

"Hmm?" Suddenly, the goose noticed he'd been holding the knife the whole time and set it down immediately. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry; no wonder you look so pale…"

"Travel bars, sir?" he asked with a twitching eye.

"Sure, sure, here you go." He waddled over to the pantry and brought out a wrapped parcel. "That should be enough to last you both. Now, have fun beating up bad guys!"

"Sure, sure…" he said unconvincingly. He started to back out through the door, but stopped at last minute. He looked at Ping a moment, the goose craning his neck forward, as if awaiting what the snow leopard had to say. Finally, Tai Lung cleared his throat.

"Thank you…for everything. I know it seems paltry compared to everything you've done for me, for Dalang, and especially Po…but just the same, thank you."

Ping beamed a welcome smile. "No thanks are necessary, young man. Just promise me you'll both be careful out there."

Tai Lung returned the smile. "Can do, sir." With that, he was out the door, closing it securely behind him.

"How'd it go?" Po asked when the snow leopard finally joined him outside.

Tai Lung shouldered his pack and turned his pale face to look at his comrade. "I never thought I'd say this, but your father might actually be scarier than Shifu…"

His blue-green eyes settled on the ruins of the prison, noting the snows that covered the ground and the giant icicles that hung down like fangs from the dark open mouth of the blown-open doors. The snows were deep and the air frigid, but compared to the winters in the land of his birth, these drifts were nothing. The leopard assassin lowered the hood of his cloak and strode forward to the crumbling prison, twitching his whiskers and swiveling his ears to catch every sound, every scent in the air.

His foot collided with something hidden in the snow. Curious, he knelt and brushed the powder away to reveal a hand. That hand was attached to a thick arm, and that arm to a thicker body. Ah, a rhino soldier, the leopard mused. Perhaps it was one of that bartender's former comrades.

The bodies were in remarkable shape, considering they were three years dead. Some had been picked at by scavengers, but most have been frozen in a twisted state of mummified rigor mortis, faces contorted in grotesque masks of misery. The leopard shrugged; well, at least this Tai Lung was thorough. He liked that.

He strode through the open gateway and inspected the apparatus that had been used to open and close the heavy doors, now blown to splinters. The chains and hinges were rusted and worn, but could probably still work. The leopard spied a torch in a wall sconce, and took out his flint. Striking several times, the torch ignited, casting an eerie red glow across the landing. Now, he was finally able to see into the depths of Chorh-Gom, and what he saw took his breath away. He swore he had seen enough that nothing would ever surprise him…but he turned out to be wrong. He hated being wrong.

What had once been an impressive labyrinth of walkways and towers was now reduced to rubble. The bridges were long gone, the result of the falling rock spires from the mountain's ceiling. The towers and storerooms remained, but these didn't immediately interest him. Instead, he prowled over to the edge of the precipice and peered down into the darkness below.

The deepest pit of hell, he thought with a smirk. His kind of place. And yet somehow, from the deepest bowels of the underworld, shackled with boulders and chains, Tai Lung had broken out, escaped, and sent every one of those rhinos outside straight to meet their Maker. That, the leopard had—and hated—to admit, was pretty damn impressive. His feline eyes peered closer, his pupils dilating to take in as much light as possible, and looking far below in the pale bluish radiance, he saw the very platform where he figured Tai Lung had knelt (if the single spear still embedded in the stone was any indication), intended to be there for eternity. Hmm, it seemed eternity was a bit shorter than those guards had expected.

Grunting and straightening, he pulled his cloak closer about his shoulders and looked down the halls to his left and right. Acting on pure instinct, he followed the hall to his left. He quickly found the armory, still stocked with various weapons and rusting equipment. Further along, the beginning of the guards' barracks, and further down, the officers' quarters.

Curious, he pushed open the door to the Commander's room, and stepped inside. He snorted. He would never understand the hubris of the highest military ranks. Just because one became a captain, or higher, they felt they deserved a king's treatment! Still, he admitted this…Vachir, had some good taste. There was fine liquor on the shelves, scrolls and maps on the walls, a desk littered with papers and scrolls, and a bed befitting a man of his rank. Otherwise, the décor was quite sparse, but that was to be expected. Army men typically didn't make good interior decorators. After a little more snooping, the leopard found something on the commander's desk. It was a scroll, bearing the seal of…

"Jade Palace," he gasped. He studied the document and smirked as he read. His Chinese was rudimentary, but he knew enough characters to piece the message together; had he known more Chinese, the message would have read accordingly:

Commander Vachir,

It has come to our attention that your facility may not be adequate in successfully holding Tai Lung. Master Oogway has expressed concern that Tai Lung is perhaps much more resourceful than we originally gave credit. Your direct orders are to double the guard, double their weapons, and apply extra precautions concerning your inmate.

Be additionally vigilant; I know Tai Lung too well to think he has not given up his desire for freedom. Do not let him know that we are choosing the Dragon Warrior, for if he were to know, it would mean certain destruction. Those are your orders, make it so.

Yours Respectfully, Master Shifu, Jade Palace

So, somehow they knew ahead of time he would escape. Most interesting. The leopard set this aside and looked over the rest of the desk, searching drawers, drawing out various scrolls and looking through them. He came upon one the confused him, yet fascinated him all the same. It appeared to be…an instruction book. For a device that reminded him, strangely, of a tortoise shell. There were long poles to be placed in various holes, though for what purpose, he couldn't say. The majority of the Chinese characters were unfamiliar to him, but he recognized two: the character for "energy", and another for "lock".

"Hmm…" Licking his dry, chapped lips, he decided to hold onto this scroll. Perhaps he could find some Han who was willing to read it to him, to explain it better. He was better at speaking Chinese than reading it. He hadn't had much need for reading during his years with the Jiao clan, and, as an old man rather set in his ways, he wasn't planning to read any Chinese classics anytime soon. Maybe that smallish-type wolf he met at the inn would oblige…

Whatever this device was, it soon became clear from viewing other drawings and scrolls that it had been used to restrain the prison's one convict. And whatever it was, it looked damn complicated. So, he was starting to surmise, not only was this Tai Lung strong…but smart too. It was a possibly lethal combination.

The leopard however, fought down the strange chill he felt. He scoffed. He no longer believed in ghosts, or demons. Heaven and hell and the gods didn't exist, he'd decided years ago. But something…perhaps the thought that this Tai Lung—and perhaps the Dragon Warrior—would be more trouble than he'd originally given either of them credit, was what caused the shivers to raise the hairs on his neck.

Still, a job was a job, he thought, tapping his claw on the desk as he pondered. And he did like challenges. From what he had gleaned, the gossip was most certainly true. A slow, cruel smile grew on his lips. The gossip was true, which meant this…this would probably be fun.

Gathering up the scroll and loose drawings, he tucked them inside his tunic and stalked out of the commander's room. The sun had set outside, casting a gloomy pall over the snowcapped mountains. He had two days to get back to meet this White Wolf fellow the smallish-type wolf seemed to fear so much. And, after all, a job was a job. And three thousand yuan plus twenty percent interest for a dead panda and snow leopard was very tempting…

He turned away from the ruined prison and its ghosts, lifting the hood of his cloak. He smirked triumphantly from the things he had learned about his quarry. Things were about to get very interesting.

Nothing much to say here. Creepy assassin is creepy, Po's running away from his problems, and Tai Lung, of course, is wracked with guilt about going on this mission. I don't expect their decision to be popular, but hey, makes for a more exciting story, doesn't it?

Also something I wanted to point out so there's no confusion: an Amur leopard looks more like its more familiar cousin, the African leopard, but Amur leopards are the rarest cats in the world, with about 40 individuals in the wild; that's it, just 40. Most of them are concentrated in Western Russia and some are believed to live in Siberia. They are critically endangered, which is a shame because they are such beautiful creatures, and, like the snow leopard, incredibly elusive. That elusiveness I wrote into our assassin friend, since we never know exactly what he's thinking, and is still quite a mystery (though that's pretty intentional ;).

As always, please read and review!