A/N: Here's chapter 5! Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda
Chapter 5
Familiar Places
Po looked up at the sky, judging from where the sun was in the sky he presumed it was around 4:00, an hour before he had agreed to meet Tigress at the Dragon Grotto. He decided he would go to the Dragon Grotto right now since it would give him some time to meditate before she arrived.
2 Hours Ago (Elsewhere)
The Furious 5 had been training since morning outside of the training hall, earlier that day they had been practicing the chi techniques that had been taught by Shifu and Po. They had been learning to use their chi to enhance their physical abilities such as speed, agility and strength. However, they (mostly Monkey and Mantis) had gotten bored of merely practicing these abilities and wanted to spar against each other to test them in battle. "All right Mantis, you and I will spar this round." Tigress said to Mantis with an evil grin. For the last hour she had wanted a reason to be able to destroy Mantis in a fight.
1 Hour Earlier
"So Tigress, why does Po want to meet with you later? Mantis said in a suggestive way as the Five were walking back to the training hall after eating lunch. Tigress rolled her eyes and ignored the insect, Mantis' antics tended to annoy her, however she usually ignored his annoying rhetoric. He then said "you know, for a while in Gongmen city it seemed like you had a thing for him." After he said this, the other three started giggling while looking at Tigress who's cheeks had turned a slightly different shade of orange. This drove her over the top and she yelled "Mantis I swear, one more wise crack and losing your head will be the least of your concerns!" This silenced the insect as he he backed down, he didn't want to feel the wrath of the master of the tiger style.
1 Hour Later
"I'm so dead aren't I?" Said Mantis nervously. "That you are." Tigress said with an evil grin. They were about to start sparing when everyone witnessed a bright wave of gold energy pulsate from a nearby mountain. The pulse of golden energy soared through the sky above them and Crane asked "what was that?" Viper then answered "that kind of looks like the energy made from the Wuxi finger hold..." They all gasped and said "Po!"
Monkey then said "we'd better make sure the big guy is okay!" The four of them nodded and were about to check on Po, however they were stopped in their tracks as they heard Tigress chuckle while smiling and say "I'm sure all of you know that the Dragon Warrior is more than capable of handling himself." The others just looked at her with confused expressions, they then shrugged their shoulders and returned to their training.
Present Time
Po had been peacefully meditating for nearly half an hour in the cave of the Dragon Grotto, he was passing the time until Tigress would arrive. While he sat there he sensed many things, the water dripping from the top of the cave, the cool breeze from the mountains and also the light from the sky slowly fading from the sky. A few seconds later, he sensed the fragrance of Jasmine in the air. He knew the what the source of the fragrance was so he said while still in the meditative pose "Thank you for coming Tigress." "I'm beginning to think that it's impossible to sneak up on you anymore." Tigress said sarcastically. Po chuckled and got up "You know, it's ironic you should say that because just recently I was caught by surprise by someone." Tigress then raised an eyebrow and said "Hmm? And who would that have been?" Po smiled and answered "it's a long story, I'll tell you on the way to our destination." Tigress replied back "speaking of which, what kind of mission are we going on Po?" Po was still smiling as he said "you'll find out soon, for now just follow me." Tigress just nodded and followed Po down the mountain top.
Tigress followed Po into the village where they stopped near his father Mr Ping's restaurant which was now called 'Ping and Shan's Noodles'. "I'm going in to get something to eat, I haven't had anything since breakfast so I'm starving. Would you like anything?" Po said kindly. Tigress smiled and nodded "Thanks Po, just a Jasmine tea would be nice." Po nodded while smiling back and said "by the way, whatever my father says do not believe it." Tigress giggled and said "which one?" Po answered while looking nervous "either..." Ever since Po's defeat of Kai the spirit warriror, Li Shan, Po's biological father had decided to move into the valley of peace and now ran the noodle shop in town along with Mr Ping, Po's other father. However the two Dad's had a knack for embarrassing Po in ways he wasn't always comfortable with, though no matter what Po loved his father's very dearly.
"Po!" "Lotus!" Po's Dad's said in unison. They both came running up and hugged Po, almost making him fall in the process. Po laughed and said "Dad!, Dad! How are both of you?" The reunion lasted nearly 3 minutes with Tigress just watching in satisfaction, she loved how much Po cared about his family and friends.
Soon Li Shan spoke up "so Lotus, what brings you down to the village?" Po responded "Oh yeah! Tigress and I were just going out on a mission today and I was just starving so we decided to stop here." Mr ping then chuckled and quoted Po "going out?" Po blushed slightly "not like that Dad!" Mr Ping and Li both laughed and Mr Ping said "I know Po, I'm just messing with you." Po sighed and rolled his eyes "anyway can we get a bowl of dumplings and a Jasmine Tea please?" The Dad's then replied in unison "of course Son."
Po and Tigress sat down at one of the tables near the corner of the restaurant, when they sat down many villagers who had already been siting in the restaurant stood up and asked for the two warrior's autographs. The two just obliged and signed the papers and merchandise from the lights of Pigs to Rabbits. Many of the villagers brought their children to meet the Dragon Warrior and the great master Tigress, the children of the valley were some of the most enthusiastic and cutest in all of China, they were greatly inspired by the Kung Fu Masters of the Jade Palace. In fact, many of them aspired to be Kung Fu Masters themselves. Po smiled and chuckled in his head and thought 'not too long ago, I was like them'.
After the two had finished their meals, they said their goodbyes to Po's fathers and went on their way. While on their way Po spoke to Tigress "Now's probably a good time to tell you where we're going Tigress." Tigress nodded and kept listening. "We're going to the Bao Gu Orphanage, I asked Shifu about it and he thought it to be a good idea." Tigress stopped walking and looked at the ground with a slight frown on her face. Po expected such a reaction, he knew how this place brought her some bad memories, however it was here where she met master Shifu he taught her self control. "I know this place brings up some negative memories, but if you hadn't been here, there's a chance you never would have met Shifu or become a Kung Fu Master." Po said optimistically while he grabbed Tigress' paw and held it in his own. Tigress raised her head and said "okay Po, I guess you're right..." Po smiled and said "good, now let's be on our way, we've got some children to cheer up!" Tigress smiled lightly 'he's such a kind person, I'm glad I met him' she thought while following her Panda friend up to the doors of the orphanage.
Po knocked on the door twice to make sure he was heard by the caretaker. Tigress had been looking at Po all the way up to the orphanage almost dreamily while he walked in front of her. 'He's matured so much since we first met.' 'But should I really tell him how I feel?' Tigress then said while stuttering slightly "Po...I-I...There's something I've wanted to tell you for a while now." Po turned around to look at his friend and said "sure, you know you can tell me anything." She then replied "I...I...
"Creak"
The door to the orphanage then opened and cut Tigress off from what she was about to say. A middle aged female Sheep spoke in a kind voice "Greetings and welcome to the Bao Gu Orphanage, how can I...Wait, Master Tigress? Dragon Warrior?" Po then greeted "Hello Madam, please call me Po. Master Tigress and I are here to entertain the children." The female Sheep then said "Oh bless your heart Po, the children at the orphanage have long wanted to meet you and the other Kung Fu Masters." Po replied while smiling "Very well, lets make some kids happy then!" The caretaker lead the two Masters into the reception area, Po said to Tigress "Sorry Tigress, I guess it'll have to wait for a bit." Tigress just nodded and kept following the Panda while thinking 'Damnit, I was so close!'
After entering the Orphanage, many of the children ran up to the Dragon Warrior and Master Tigress. Most of them had heard some of the tales of the Kung Fu Warriors adventures and many of them even knew some of the moves that the masters would use in combat. Po remembered back when he was a teenager and he held the same passion of many of the children, he chuckled as the children horded near his feet and started asking for his attention. However, Po was used to this, as a Kung Fu teacher he taught many children from the valley the principles of Kung Fu. This was an arduous task as he had to convince many of the children that Kung Fu wasn't solely about fighting, but rather excellence of self. Po demanded that the kids get in a large circle around him, he decided to tell the children some stories of the secrets of the Furious Five and also give each one of them an action figure of a different Kung Fu Master. He usually used these tales to tell the children how each of the Five mastered a skill that made them a better individual.
While Po was telling these stories Tigress noticed that there was a half open door at the end of the round room. As she approached the room, she noticed that it was dark and gloomy, there were cracks in the door as if it had been hit by a hammer. Only, when she looked inside, she saw a white male Tiger cub, who looked to be between 5-6 years old. He was wearing a small green tunic along with black pants. He was sitting down in the corner of the room holding his knees almost as if he was shielding himself from something. Tigress remembered back when she was an orphan at the orphanage, she remembered that she had once been an outcast here. It wasn't a happy memory, she had been called 'the Monster of Bao Gu', this was because of her inability to control her strength at the time. She then remembered the time she met master Shifu for the first time. She had been in the exact position as the Tiger cub in front of her now.
Once Po finished telling his stories, the kids that had gathered around him had gotten tired and decided to go to bed. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Said Po as he approached his companion. She kept staring at the Tiger cub in the room with an emotionless face without answering the Panda. Po then said "are you alri...Oh." He interrupted himself when he noticed that Tigress had been looking at a young white Tiger cub, this was almost déjà vu for both the masters as this had been exactly what Tigress had been like when she was a cub. Po then said to the cub "Umm hello?" To which the cub was startled and he said in a very anxious manner "Ah! Stay away from me I'm warning you!" He sounded like most children did, innocent and youthful, however something must have really been bothering the young Tiger cubas he seemed very afraid. Po then stepped back from the Cub slightly and said "Hey, don't worry, I'm not here to harm you." To which the cub responded "No, it's not you I'm worried about, it's me." Po was taken back "Why are you worried about yourself?" he asked. The cub seemed to hesitate, but he answered "I don't want to hurt you, all the other kids and the caretaker fear me because I break everything I touch." Po then thought 'wow, this really is déjà vu.'
He then replied "what's your name kid?" The Cub looked at Po and said "everyone here calls me a 'Monster', but my real name is Hao Liang ." Po looked at Hao and said "what a wonderful name you have Hao! Now tell me, do you wish to be able to control your strength?" Hao responded as if he was almost pleading "yes! I'd do anything to stop being called a monster!" Po and Tigress both looked at each other and nodded. "Ok Hao, I'm going to help teach you to control your strength, with a little help of course." Po said while looking at Tigress. Hao then began to smile for the first time "yay! I'm finally not going to be called a monster!" The Tiger cub said joyfully, however he accidentally jumped and hit the ground the floor a bit too hard and almost snapped a floor board. "Oops" he said with a slight chuckle. Po then laughed and said "you know Hao, you really remind me of someone else I know." "I do?" Hao asked. Po smiled and said "and that person went on to become a brilliant, talented individual. They also happen to be one of my best friends." Po looked at Tigress who was slightly blushing and smiling at Po's compliment. Po then whispered something to Tigress to which she nodded and left the room.
After she had left Po got down closer to Hao and said "you know what Hao? Before I go, I believe you should have this." Po pulled an action figure of Master Tigress out of the bag on his back and handed it to Hao. "Are you sure? I think I might break it by accident." Hao said, unsure of weather he should accept the gift or not. Po replied "well I believe that you wont break it Hao." Hao hesitantly reached his hand out and grabbed the action finger, but to his own surprise he did not break the action figure at all. He gasped and said "How?" Po smiled and responded "because someone believed in you Hao." Hao couldn't believe how he had not destroyed the action figure, everything he had held or touched before had broken into shreds. As it was getting very late in the day Po said "well I'm going to have to leave you now, but I will be back tomorrow at the same time to teach you how to control your strength, does that work for you?" "Yes it does!" Hao answered excitedly. To this, Po just nodded and left to go meet up with Tigress who had been waiting for him at the door of the Orphanage. "Wait!" Hao called out to Po. "Who are you?" Po looked back and said "just call me Po, and that is Tigress." he pointed over towards the female Tiger. "Nice to meet you Po." Hao said humbly. "It's nice to meet you too Hao." Po said with a smile.
A/N: Chapter 5 done! Hope you enjoyed it! I plan on releasing the next chapter around Tuesday so stay tuned! Remember to follow, favorite and most of all
Review!