Hey guys, just thought that I'd write the next to last chapter of this story. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far, and if you aren't, why are you still reading the story? Why waste time on reading something you hate, hm? Anyway, enjoy the next chapter, Nine Lives…
*A couple of weeks later, with Tigress*
Tigress had finally pushed past her experience with the gauntlet of criminals and Feng and decided to go into the village and look for Po. Chances were that he was in Mr. Ping's noodle shop helping out for the day.
I haven't had lunch yet, so I'll eat there. Maybe I'll have some dumplings also.
Tigress walked down to the village and entered Mr. Ping's shop, which was surprisingly empty since it was a little past lunch time.
"Master Tigress! What a pleasant surprise! Sit down and I'll whip up a bowl of noodles for you." The goose called from the kitchen.
"Thank you, Mr. Ping. May I also have a bowl of three dumplings? I haven't had lunch yet." She responded, taking a seat towards the kitchen area.
"Got a tiger sized appetite, huh?" Po said, sitting down across from her. "I know the feeling."
"I bet you do." The master replied, glancing at his belly.
"Heh. Yeah…well…How's your day been?" Po stumbled over his words, trying to make conversation.
"Well, it's been fine so far. I had a—"
The tiger was cut off by a cricket who entered the shop.
It was the same cricket that they freed from the grandmaster's prison.
"Hi, nice to see you again." Hira said.
"Hey, what're you doing back here, Hira?" Po asked.
"Well, I was hoping to live here for a while and I heard that this place serves the best noodles in the valley." She said.
"All of China is more like it!" Mr. Ping responded over his shoulder.
"Anyway, after I get some food, I was planning on visiting your palace and thanking the others for saving me." She continued.
"Well, we'd all like that very much." Po responded.
After Tigress ate, she thanked Po and exited the shop, leaving the panda to talk with Hira and began to walk up the Jade Palace steps.
Something, however, made her turn back around.
A gut feeling.
The master turned to see a figure in a black cloak seemingly float over to the statue of Kiro and Song and kneel down in front of it. Tigress saw the mysterious person lay a bunch of tiger lilies at the feet of Song's statue and proceeded to stand up and smash the glass containing Kiro's staffs and took them out of their container.
Tigress became furious. She pounced on the figure in an instant, pinning them to the ground, their face buried in the stone pieces.
"Who are you? Why do you want my friend's weapons?" She snarled.
"Mmmf…mph…mmm." The figure mumbled, their face still buried in the ground.
Tigress got off of the cloaked person and let them get up.
"I just wanted to pay my respects…" A raspy voice responded.
"You didn't have to try and steal Kiro's staffs!" She retorted.
"It's not called stealing if they belong to you." The thief responded calmly.
"What…?" Tigress said, taking a few steps back.
Kiro turned around and pushed back his hood.
(Author's comment: You mad Tekken?)
Tigress' vision began to blur and then fainted, crumpling to the ground.
*With Kiro*
"Well, I guess she was surprised to see me." He said to himself.
"Hey, Ti, what's all the commotion out here? I thought I heard glass br—" Po said, walking outside, but stopped abruptly when he saw Kiro.
"Kiro?" He asked in amazement.
"Nine lives, baby!" Kiro said, smiling.
Po also collapsed on the spot.
Oh, come on! It's not like it's the first time it turns out that I'm not dead!
Kiro summoned a rocket cart with his weapons, loaded the two warriors in and began to shoot up the stairs.
Kiro heard townspeople coming out of their shops and houses and began to cheer.
"KIRO'S BACK!"
"YEAH!"
"HE'S ALIVE!"
The white tiger smirked as he rocketed up the stairs, leaving the people below roaring with happiness.
*With Shifu*
A knock sounded at the door.
"Students, would you mind answering that?" The old panda said.
The masters nodded and walked over to the door.
When they opened it, all of their mouths dropped open and everyone but Crane passed out.
"Master…" Crane called.
Shifu walked over to the door and his eyes widened.
Kiro was standing in the doorway with Po and Tigress in a glowing red outline of a wheelbarrow.
"Hello. May I come in?" The white tiger said.
Shifu allowed the tiger to enter, and Kiro wheeled Po and Tigress to the main hall, then doubled back and wheeled the four passed out warriors to the same spot.
Once the others had woken up, Kiro sat down and began to explain his story.
*With Kiro*
"Well, it started out like this…" He recounted.
*Kiro's flashback*
Kiro and Feng toppled over the side, hurtling towards the lava below.
Kiro suddenly remembered what he envisioned.
I will always be there for you, Kiro, just like I am with Shifu. When you need me most, I will help you.
When the time comes, you will have to make a huge sacrifice.
The white tiger snapped back to reality.
"Oogway help me!" He called out.
Kiro was suddenly surrounded by a glowing green shield, protecting him but not Feng.
The tiger and the dragon plunged into the lava.
To the his surprise, Kiro didn't feel anything. No burning or pain.
Feng, however, screamed and thrashed around as the lava consumed him. Kiro's enemy was too far down in the pool to swim back up, and soon, the grandmaster was still and sunk to the bottom of the pit.
Kiro was too far down to reach his staffs, but he saw a small opening where the lava flowed.
He swam towards the opening and went down the passageway.
Another thing that surprised Kiro was that he didn't need to hold his breath.
Thanks, Master Oogway…
Kiro continued to swim until he surfaced in a hollow part of the cavern. The area was dark and cramped, and the only thing that illuminated the hollow part was a slit of light pierced the rock.
Freedom…
Kiro propped himself up against the wall and used his feet to push at the weak rock.
It took all of his strength and a few minutes to finally topple the stone, and the tiger walked out into the sun.
He stood in a green, lush field just outside of the Die Ki mountain range.
"Ah, the light!" Kiro said.
Kiro shielded his eyes until he was adjusted to the brightness. Being in a cavern so long forced his eyes to adjust to the darkness.
His green shield dissolved around him and the white tiger marched towards the black market.
I need something to cover myself. I don't want a bunch a baddies jumping me because they recognize me as a kung-fu master.
The tiger contacted one of his old friends that helped him go into hiding when Sage had a bounty on his family. His friend, Lung, was able to get a sack of money and a black cloak to cover his body and head.
"Be careful, Kiro. It's been nice seeing you again." Lung said.
"Thanks Lung, hopefully I'll be able to keep in touch." Kiro responded, before he took off.
The tiger then proceeded to the black market to find a Qu-Win-Tang restoration potion to completely get rid of his scars and burns that were on him.
He purchased the last vile, left all of the money that was in the bag, and walked back towards the village.
On his way, he drank the potion and his scars and burns immediately vanished and his white fur grew back in those places.
However, if black magic gives something, it takes something away also.
In consequence, Kiro's dark side reformed inside of him, and Tai Lung was back. This time, however, Kiro was able to lock him up tight and push him to the farthest part of his subconscious, where it would be almost impossible for that side of him to resurface.
Once he got back to his home, he noticed the statue of him and Song fighting side by side that stood in the middle of the village.
"Heh. They got all of the qualities that you had, Song, but they really screwed my face up! I do not look like that!" Kiro said to himself.
To his surprise, Song responded, but from within his mind.
Well, I don't like what they did with my tail. It seems too thick. She said.
"Wait, how can you hear me? How are we talking right now?" Kiro said, shocked at the situation.
I told you, Kiro. I'm apart of you. Always. I'll be in here, with you, forever. She replied.
"That's SEVERLY SWEET!" He shouted.
Song chuckled. I would say it is, now you have to go visit your friends. I'd like to see them again, and I imagine you would too.
Kiro nodded. He went over to a field and picked some flowers and walked over to the statue of him and his girlfriend.
"People are going to think I'm nutty when they see me. They'll think that I'm talking to myself." He said.
Since when do you care what other people think? She joked.
"Hey, I cared what you thought about me!"
True… I guess I'll make that an exception.
Kiro knelt down in front of the base of the stone Song and laid the flowers by her feet. He then stood up, smashed the glass, and took his staffs out.
*End of flashback*
"…and that's when Tigress pounced on me." Kiro said, finishing his story.
"THAT'S AMAZING!" Monkey exclaimed.
"Welcome back!" Viper said cheerfully.
The Five, Po, and Mei Ling rushed towards him.
"Not again!" Kiro exclaimed with a weak smile.
The tiger was crushed with a hug from his friends and pulled to the ground.
"Well, I guess that the induction is back on! I'll tell the townspeople the good news!" Shifu said as he walked out of the palace.
"Hey Song!" Po said as he got off of Kiro.
The white tiger looked up a little. "She says 'hi', Po."
"Sweet!" He exclaimed excitedly.
"We have to get you ready for the induction, now!" Tigress said with a smirk as she pulled her comrade off of the ground.
""I can't wait…" He replied.
Well, that's the end of this chapter! If already have the final chapter written, so if I get enough good feedback, I'll post the final chapter today! Leave a review if you enjoyed! More to come…