Chapter 2 is here ! I'd like to thank the one person who followed and favorited my story (Tigergirl713) as it really means a lot to me, this being my first story.

The Assassin of Xion - Thank you very much ! Also, feel free to correct any mistakes I make, as I am not a native english speaker I would appreciate any advice.

Don't forget to review to speak about what you like/dislike, constructive criticism is always welcome. On with the story !

Chapter 2

I opened my eyes and found myself in some random village. Strangely, it was daytime but the houses seemed close, and nobody was out in the streets. At this point I knew I was dreaming, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of dread I had. I slowly walked in the streets and started to recognize the place...

No... it can't be...

Without further reflexion, I continued my way in the street until I found a home with an opened door. Following my own curiosity I went there and entered. I immediately realized I shouldn't have, for this is my parent's house. And they were in there.

Dead.

The sight hurt me so much even after all those years. Why did it have to come back to me? Why? I fell to the ground as this was too much to look at. My breathing was ragged...

I jolted awake, hyperventilating and trying to calm myself down. I thought I had gotten over these visions a long time ago, but I'm not so sure anymore. I guess I'll have to try harder to forget it, hoping to make my past disappear. I realized I may have to talk about it with other people, and it would be certain if I manage to stay here. Then what should I do? Should I fail voluntarily in order to avoid these conversations? I could, but I'm tired of having to go from town to town every single day. Oh, I guess I'll try to succeed.

I remembered Master Shifu saying that we had to wake up by the morning gong, and noticed that there was already a little light out. The gong will probably ring soon enough. I prepared myself, put on my vest and everything. And then I heard the sound. I went out in the corridor and said along with the five others: "Good morning, Master."

"Good morning, students." He greeted back. And then everyone moved out of the barracks. I simply followed them absent-mindedly, still thinking about my nightmare. Then I noticed something hitting my arm, and I snapped out of my thoughts. It was Viper, probably asking whether I had slept well, considering the fact that she's sort of kind. "Hey, can you hear me?"

"Sorry, I spaced out for a while there. What were you saying?" I told her.

"I was just wondering if you had had a good night." The question bothered me a little but I didn't let it appear on my face.

"It was okay, except for the fact that I woke up quite early. Are we going to have breakfast now?" She nodded. Good thing, because I was starving. This morning Crane decided to go cooking. We got dumplings for breakfast and I have to admit that it was quite good. Crane may not be the best cook I have ever seen, but he's far from terrible.

After that, we all went to the 'Training Hall'. I was still wondering what it would look like. While we were on our way, the others spoke a little (except Tigress probably, as I don't remember hearing her voice even once since I arrived) but I didn't really listen to them. There was a question in my mind, which was of course: what was waiting for me? Shifu had said he would test my abilities, but he didn't say on what type of exercise I would be assessed. I had decided I would try my best anyway.

When we entered the Hall, it was unlike anything I had ever seen. The five of them immediately got to work, each of them on a different spot. I guessed it could also be used as an obstacle course; you'd have to go through everything. There was a place with swinging pieces of wood that I'd assume one would have to dodge while walking on some... ropes that seemed rather unstable. Unstable would be a good adjective for next spot. It looked like a bowl made of jade, and if I were to guess, I'd say it would be used to practice balance. I went on studying the place until I noticed Shifu entering. Immediately the five stopped what they were doing and came next to him, in front of me. Shifu spoke up: "As you know, I said that you may stay here after I test your abilities. Well, this is your test. You have to go through the obstacles and reach the other end of the Hall. Be the fastest you can, and try to avoid falling or getting hit. Oh, and one last thing: you may or may not use the circles in the air."

I looked up and saw these circles, where Monkey had been training a few instants ago, and decided I wouldn't go there. I looked at the whole course and studied everything. I'd have to be careful, and timing would probably be important, for example to go through the swinging clubs. I closed my eyes and thought of a path that I could take...

"May I start?" I asked. Shifu nodded. That was all I needed to get going. I jumped onto the ropes and found my balance. I dodged one club, and went forward when I could. I paid attention to everything and didn't get hit, which is not bad for a first try I guess.

Next up was the strange bowl. While I was thinking about how I'd get through, I figured the easiest way was to jump in the centre of it so that it would not move too much. I managed to land in the middle and, as predicted, it didn't move much. I jumped out of it and found myself in front of a field of wooden dummies. While I saw Mantis go through it, I understood that whenever one of them was hit, it began spinning around like crazy and the whole thing was moving. I tried not to touch them, but it was too narrow; when I was halfway, I ended up slightly pushing one of them. It was enough for it to start its dance. Thankfully my reflexes were not too bad. After a few moments where I simply blocked while searching for a way to get through this spinning horror, I eventually understood how every wooden structure worked: the arms always came by at the same time. It was, in fact predictable. Thanks to this observation I managed to get out of this maze without being hit too often, only a few times in fact. I was quite happy that I had gone through the three first ones, but I remembered what the last one was: it was Viper's training spot. A place where flames shot out of the ground every once in a while.

There was no predicting where the flames could be next, so I decided I'd just trust my senses and reflexes. Surprisingly, it went quite well, as I didn't get burnt (even though it had been relatively close sometimes, way too close in my opinion) and I finally made it to this end of the Training Hall. It had been tiresome, but I was quite happy about my performance. For a first try it couldn't have gone better. I was probably lucky as well, but anyway.

I went back to where Master Shifu and the Five were standing. Four of them looked actually surprised, or maybe even impressed! The four being Crane, Monkey, Mantis and Viper of course. Tigress would never be surprised by my performance, or at least she'd never show it. And Shifu, he looked... well... more satisfied than surprised, actually. And he finally said: "I have studied your abilities, and... you may stay here. From now on, you will learn Kung Fu, and I will be your Master."

I replied politely: "Thank you, Master Shifu." I was really satisfied. I now had a place to stay, and I would continue studying Kung Fu. Moreover, I may end up being friends with some of them. Friends... I hadn't had friends since a long time. I guess I'll work on it.

Anyway, Mantis asked: "How did you cross it on your first try? I mean, when I arrived at the Jade Palace, I could already do it, but you're not even trained!"

I answered calmly: "You see, before I began playing music and travelling, when I was younger, I used to train in Kung Fu. Not in an academy or anything, but just because my family knew someone who could teach me at least a little. And he always said that one of the keys is to analyze your opponent's weaknesses. So that's what I just did with the obstacles: I tried to find how each of them worked, and used this knowledge to my advantage."

"Well, the least we can say is that your lessons from a long time ago turned out to be useful." Monkey said. Viper followed, smiling: "Anyway, welcome here, and we look forward to training with you."

I thanked them, and we all got back to training.