A / N: I know that a male peacock's tail feathers are called a train. . .but it just fit funny in a sentance, so I didn't use it XD Also. . .I guess line breaks are scene changes? I don't know, you tell me [good/bad]. . .you're reading with fresh eyes as opposed to reading the same thing nearly 40 times 8O Minor...very minor changes in spelling...capitalization actually (thank you Yoyo), and a tweaked story summary that I hope is a little better :]

D i s c l a i m e r: Any recognizable characters do not belong to me, nor does Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Panda 2 or any related works save for this fic of course. I'm just playin' with the characters and I'll put them back when I'm done :)

R e v i e w s: A n o n. . .A N O N! I can't reply to you y'know . And I gotta try to reply to everyone ;P
Comrade: My first reviewer! I'm glad you thought it was a great start! I wasn't sure where to start, so I'm glad you like it! I'm glad you liked that wording there for Shen and! Wait no more...chapter II is here, I hope you like it.
WiseScholar: I'm glad you thought the first chapter was good. Chapter II is here, so hopefully it's as good? ^^;
Renny: Moar for you! Haha. I'm glad you thought everyone was in character AND! I'm glad the humor is coming through, I honestly write it out like I see it playing out in my head, so hopefully that is kept up in this and future chapters.
Masha: Again, I'm glad you thought it was good and hopefully chapter II is just as good. You laughed? Good! That's what I was aiming for! So Thanks for noting that :D Wait no more...as I had to use Google translator, lol. Thanks!

Reviewing means a lot guys, so thanks again to EVERYONE. You've all been a BIG help.. .. ..
Hopefully everyone is still in character and your reviews didn't go to my head ^^;

This fic does contain some SPOILERS.
Un-beta-ed.

Enjoi~

[Ch. II pt. I]
2177

The afternoon sun was hanging lower in the sky now and still...Shen had not moved. Po had been the only one to attempt to coax him out of his meditation, and by coax, Shen obviously meant annoying banter and obnoxious agitation.

Was there nothing subtle about the fat panda? It was a wonder how he managed to get past his wolves in the city. Still, the albino peacock remained watching the five, half in and half out of his meditating state of mind. He was in no hurry to cut himself down, in fact, he was rather opposed to facing his faults and chose to focus in on the faults of the warriors that were training in the center of the court yard.

Mantis, or so someone had called him. The small insect was quick. No. At first glance he appeared to be very fast, arguably the fastest of them all, but upon closer inspection and once Shen's eyes were trained, after a few seconds, he was easily able to follow the bug. What made him appear quick was his size. Now he could see why that would have stumped those stupid canines.

Then to the female tiger. He hadn't caught her name and he didn't care to. She was strong and agile. Perfect practiced stances and great execution. Even so, there were holes in her defences. Not obvious, but they were there.

Red eyes move across the court yard and spotted Crane and the small bear from earlier. The tall bird had his head cocked and the smaller creature was making smooth and careful gestures with his hands. Shen cared not for what they were talking about and instead turned back to breaking down the warriors kung fu. This information he was gathering would be vital for an escape.

"Are you gonna stand here all day?"

Shen's eye twitched but he managed to keep his head forward, refusing to look at the stupid warrior to his right.

"As opposed to what, Panda?"

The peacock's tone was icy and calculated and Po took notice and internally winced. He really was trying to be nice and welcome the Lord, to just help him. The Dragon Warrior sat down on the step that Shen was perched upon and soon enough the moment passed. There was no way he was going to give up. There was good in Shen, he just knew it!

"Well to training with us...we can use another sparring partner..."

"I-" he cut himself short. He wanted to say 'I don't need to train'...that his skills were more superior...but-no. He was better than them. He didn't need to train.

"Ooor you can just stand here, but I mean...that's gotta be boring right? It's not like you're gonna-"

"Shut. Up. Panda!" Shen finally turned to the Dragon Warrior and his tone was a low hiss. Dangerous and another warning he was sure that the other would not heed.

"Shut-what? Now? But I'm...trying to talk to you," Po tried as he shifted his eyes.

The albino bird's eyes turned to slits and he nearly lunged at the tubby bear if not for something holding him back at the collar of his robe. Shen whipped around to see Crane standing behind him with a bothered look. No...that was disappointment. Yes. Shen knew that look.

"Po, Shifu needs you," Crane said, keeping his gaze on the bird in front of him a few moments before looking to said Warrior.

"Um, okay," Po fumbled a bit, when Shen turned he hit the panda's legs with his long tail feathers. "O-one sec I'm just-"

Shen sighed and turned a bit so his long tail feathers were out of the way. Unfortunately the small motion was enough to distract Po and the panda was sent tumbling down five steps to the floor.

Crane shook his head and gave a small smile as the Dragon Warrior quickly righted himself and walked over to the red panda that was not too far from them.

"How can you stand him?"

The question pulled Crane from his thoughts and he blinked in surprise. He was expecting to be yelled at by the other bird at least, but not a calm question. The idea that Po was trying to play out was actually starting to seem even more possible now.

When they had moved the giant cannon to make sure Shen was dead they found that he wasn't. He was alive! Barely, but he was breathing. Po insisted they bring him back to the palace so he can heal. Despite a lot of protest, Shen was brought with them and the Soothsayer had over seen his recovery with Po. The goat had gone two nights ago saying something about 'luck'. Or at least...that's what Po was saying, before she all but disappeared. Crane at the time wasn't too keen on the idea of keeping a dangerous enemy in such close quarters, but now...he was finally seeing a glimmer of hope. And being the creature he was, he didn't want to fight Shen anymore, he just wanted them all to find peace together.

"Heh, well...he's a character," Crane started, trying to find the right words to describe Po but coming up a bit short, "you just learn to live with him".

The two birds stood in silence a while longer before Crane spoke up again. It was a bit...weird talking to Shen like this. As opposed to before he was yelling so much, and now he was hardly saying anything. He was so calm.

"We're having dinner soon...I think you should come eat with us," he offered with a warm smile.

Crane was sure that if he tried Po's noodles that the peacock would be even more comfortable living with them. It wasn't just eating anymore. Ever since Po came, eating food itself has been a team bonding experience. It seemed silly now that he thought about it but when he remembered the time the Dragon Warrior was imitating Master Shifu and when he was trying to hold an insane amount of bean buns in his mouth. Moments like that brought them closer as a team.

"I'll pass," Shen stated evenly as he turned his gaze away from the other bird. There was no chance that he was going to eat with them. It was clear that they didn't trust him. Not that they needed to anyway. He didn't care what they thought of him.

"You really should eat though."

"I'm quite fine," he pressed before he walked down the steps, focused on putting more space between himself and the other bird. There was something about him that Shen didn't like and he wasn't sure what it was...just...an unsettling feeling that didn't sit well with him at all.

Crickets filled his ears as he soaked up the moonlight. It was a warm night and Shen didn't mind it. He had walked some distance behind the palace to stretch his legs and he knew after a few minutes of walking that he really had been immobile for some time as his legs seemed a bit weak. Who was he kidding? His entire body was weak and sore. No matter...soon he would be back to his full strength and he would leave. He would leave and form a new army and kill that stupid panda once and for all. Yes. The Soothsayer would have no part in this at all.

Somewhere in the back of Shen's mind he remembered that goat when he was a peachick. He loved watching her predict the future with her bowl. The colors and the shapes she conjured were fascinating. He would never admit it, but Shen still enjoyed the art of fortune telling. To a point. He liked the mysticism and curiosity, but he did not like lies.

The white peacock continued walking down the stone path. He didn't know where it lead but he wasn't too concerned about that, all he wanted was some time alone.

Which lasted a whole of what felt like twenty minutes before there was a loud laughter coming from the top of the hill in the palace. Shen's attention went from the path he was on to the building...to a small window that was lit up. Warm, glowing. His beak parted slightly and his eyes grew...longing. The look was quickly wiped away, as if Shen had realized his own yearning. He shook his head and continued walking, and to avoid being found by the panda, he headed back to the palace grounds and to the sleeping area from before.

The walk was not too far, but in the time it took him to get back into the courtyard, the laughter had died down and everything was silent. A wave of suspicion washed over the albino bird as he slowly walked to the building he woke up in. The hall was quiet and no candles were lit. He wasn't even sure if anyone was asleep either. Perhaps they were staging an ambush.

On instinct, Shen moved to draw his blades only to realize that he did not have them. He was defenseless. Ruby eyes scanned every door when he made it inside before he slowly began walking down the hall that prior this moment seemed so short.

Each step he took was silent save for the soft clink of his mental foot covers. Every step brought him closer to the door that he remembered as the room he was recovering in, but before he could even manage to get his leg up to open the door, another one flew open behind him.

"Shen!" The whisper was urgent and surprised.

Said peacock was currently practically pressed against the paper door trying to keep his thundering heart in his chest.

"Shut. Up. Panda!" He ground out before turning back to the door before anyone else showed up.

"Wait don't go in ther-"

Shen opened the door and quickly shut it behind him.

Finally. Yes, the short walk he took was a relief, but he was tired and exhausted. A good rest was what he truely needed.

"...Shen?"

The peacock's eyes flew to the direction of the speaker and when his eyes adjusted to the dark he spotted the bird, Crane. He was shifting his wing so he could look at the other as he placed his foot to the ground.

"What are you doing here," Shen asked as he looked to his right and then to his left to make sure there were no other surprise guests in the room.

"This is...my room," Crane pointed out softly with a tilt of his head.

"What? No. Where is the room that I was in earlier? Is this not it?"

The other bird in the center of the room allowed Shen a moment to process his thoughts and to his surprise, for once...all his emotions were clear, revealed in the moonlight. He was surprised, embarrassed and even if he was angry at the same time, Crane knew this was a start.

"Fine," the albino peacock said as he finally spotted the mat he had rested on and made his way over to it.

He could feel Crane's eyes on him the entire time and he was sure the warrior was waiting for him to do something, and to solidify his decision Shen sat down. The mat was not what he was accustomed to. It was hard and uncomfortable, but he was sure he would find something more suitable for himself tomorrow. For now though, Shen sighed and turned his neck to rest his head on his back beneath his folded wings.

Crane looked at the white form on the ground and watched him for a few moments longer before bringing his leg back up and resting his head on his back and buried beneath his wing.

Neither bird was asleep, but neither spoke either. The Furious Five warrior breathed in the smell of his feathers as he remained still on one leg. He was in no way listening for Shen to make a move to attack him. The idea was...well it was stupid. The Dragon warrior wasn't far and the other four were in close quarters, there was no way an attack would be a good idea. Crane was just listening to the night outside the window. Going back to sleep wasn't going to be an option anytime soon as he was awake thanks to the Lord that was in his room with him. Not that he really minded because the fact that he was not being attacked or even yelled at was a good thing. It told him that either Shen was slowly starting to make progess...or he was asleep. The latter of the two was the least likely because just as a cricket outside quieted...the peacock's stomach growled.

The sound made Crane's wings give a twitch in surprise before he lifted his head to look that the other.

"Yoooou...hungry?"