A / N: I like when you guys catch my mistakes! Thanks for the tip off on the 'Shen' vs. 'She' thing ^^; How embarrassing! Please forgive errors as I don't have a beta, but if you happen to point them out, I'll try to get it fixed ASAP! Anyway! I do hope you guys checkout my profile for info that may/may not effect my update speed. If you're not hard pressed for updates, then nevermind, if you're curious, then it's there :] You can thank Megamind for this update! I saw it for the first time today at the theater and David Cross (Minion) was in it and as you may (or may not) know, he also voices Crane, so I was like...it's a sign. Lol. Moving on.
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 y ou y'know . And I gotta try to reply to everyone ;P
Comrade: That laugh is not creepy XD And I hope the rest was to your liking! I've finally had the chance to write more, and here it is!
P.S. You either sit and refresh for an update or you have new chapter alerts in your head :P
Masha: Awesome, for a KFP fic is awesome! Don't make fun of my errors! They're embarrassing D: BUT if it didn't spoil the fic then I'm a happy camper :3 Oh, no, no, I didn't mean to be rude D; The Russian is cool! :D I'm just having fun translating your Russian text is all :] следующей части здесь и - вы будете видеть (Did that translate right? ^^; )
Charlie B. Barkin: I'm glad you thought the end was funny! It IS KFP, so I do want to keep the humor! I will keep updating! As for the T-rating. I don't mind the change, but I looked it all up and K+ seemed more appropriate? Let me know?
WiseScholar: It's as good? Aw sheesh...that's a relief! I was nervous that I was going to get comfortable and loose something in the second chapter :X No, NO! Thank YOU for taking the time to review! I'm mentioning you becuase I can't reply via PM ^^;
(I've been busy, so If I didn't reply to your review via PM I can if you want, let me know?)
Again, reviewing means a lot guys, so thanks again to EVERYONE. You've all been a BIG help.. .. ..
I still hope everyone is in character!
This fic does contain some SPOILERS.
Un-beta-ed.
Enjoi~
[Ch. II pt. II]
197o
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Shen was very hungry. If the crane was right then he hadn't eaten for about three weeks. It was enough for a creature his size to die, but he had gone more than a few weeks at a time without food for his training, and he was sure they were having him drink some foul liquid that was meant to speed up the healing process. The medicinal drink was not enough to satisfy one's hunger, but enough sustenance to keep them alive until they were able to eat proper food.
Which lead him to his current predicament.
"We have vegetables...some lettuce...radishes, um, we have some bean buns, left over soup, some of Monkey's cookies too...I think they're stale...never mind..."
The other bird continued on but Shen remained in the doorway only half paying attention to him.
It had been too long since the enemy had turned their back on him. Too long since another was...comfortable around him. This made him far more unsettled than he originally had been.
"Anything you wanna eat," Crane asked as he turned his head to look at the bird across the room.
"Uh..." Shen was at a loss for words. He had not been paying attention at all. "Um, I-"
"How about a bean bun? Po loves them," the bird gave a fond chuckle, "they're surprisingly good!"
The albino peacock cocked his head in curiosity when Crane reached up and grabbed a bowl from the counter and turned to set it down on the table. The small buns looked a bit like dumplings but in honesty, like nothing he had ever seen before.
"You can try one," Crane encouraged as he took one for himself.
Shen blinked then slowly made his way to the other side of the table across from the other bird and stretched his right wing out to take one of the bean buns. Once he had it he looked it over and he felt like his company was going to say something so he looked up only to see the other watching him. His eyes narrowed before darting back down to the food he was holding before he brought it to his beak and took a bite.
Odd.
Yes. It was an odd taste that Shen was going to spit out any second but suddenly...it became sweet. It was such an odd transition that the albino bird took another peck at the bun and quickly tilted his head back a bit and swallowed it.
"How do you like it," the other asked once he swallowed down his own food.
"It's...interesting," the peacock said a bit distant as he looked at the bun.
"Shen..."
At the sound of his name, the bird looked up and nearly gasped at the look the other was wearing. Crane was...smiling. At him!
"You can have more if you want," he offered before he went back to eating.
Shen on the other hand had not quite recovered yet. Crane had smiled at him. But why? There was nothing happy about this. Yes. There was nothing to be happy about. He was crippled and stuck taking charity from his enemies.
There was nothing to smile about.
For some reason though, he kept this to himself and just took another bite. He did have half a mind to walk out and go back to sleep, but he was far too hungry to do anything other than stay where he was and eat until he was satiated. When he was, Shen went to the sink to clean himself up a bit because the bean buns had left some oil on his feathers. Of course he noticed that when he was done, Crane had not taken the time to clean himself and for a second, he wondered why. Then he quickly reminded himself that he didn't care and shook the water off his feathers.
The walk back to the room was quiet for the most part and the soft clinks of Shen's foot coverings were the only sounds between them.
"Why do you wear those?" Crane's question was soft. The peacock was unsure if this was simply because he didn't want to wake the others or because he was hesitant in asking in the first place.
Shen glanced over to the other then turned his eyes back to the hall. He did not need to answer that. He was sure the answer would lead to an awkward silence or more annoying questions.
"...Never mind," he mumbled with a small smile. It was a hopeful smile that one of these days, that Shen would open up to him and answer his question.
When morning came Shen's ruby eyes slowly opened to his feathers so close to his face and he gave a soft sigh. His eyes closed again and he shifted a bit on his feet. He wasn't tired still but he was warm, he felt like he was alone and for a moment, it was peaceful.
"Crane!"
"Yes Po?"
"Is Shen awake?"
"No Po...y'know...he needs to rest, get his strength back. I think you should let him sleep."
"But I wanna show him something awesome-"
"Your action figure collection?"
"Whaaaaat? What, no..."
"Well-"
"Does he plan on sleeping all day?" This voice was different and Shen sighed again and buried his beak into the soft feathers on his back, clinging to his solitude.
"I hope not. I got something awsome to show him-!"
"Your action figure collection?"
"Whaaaaat? No Mantis...no way," the large Panda's tone was defeated and unsure, weak. It was clear he was embarrassed of this and Shen remembered the figure he had used to trick him when they had first met face to face.
"I see Lord Shen is still asleep."
Another?
The albino peacock had enough.
Shen got to his feet and flattened his robe before walking to the door.
"Yeah..." Po mumbled, "I wanted to show him something awesome...and no, it's not my action figures."
"Oh well-"
The door sliding open cut the speaker off and Shen held his feathers pressed against the frame as he glared at them; Po, Mantis, the small panda, and Crane.
"I've decided to get up so you all don't show up at my door," the bird said sternly with an air of annoyance.
"Your door...?" Crane's voice was meek as he looked at Shen and the others.
"Yes, my door, now, where was I? Ah, yes," Shen quickly looked to them all before he took a step toward Po, not missing how Mantis and the small Panda stiffened. "I will not waste any more time on you Panda," he tone was dripping with venom and his glare wasn't any kinder.
Shifu watched Po's glow dim. It was clear that his student was excited about showing Shen something, and now that the peacock made it clear that he would have no part in it, the Dragon Warrior wasn't so excited. Still, Po had to have known that Shen would not jump at the offer.
"But you don't even know what it is," Po tried. His arms had fallen to his sides before he gestured outside. "It's only gonna take a while, maybe more-"
"I don't wan-" Shen was cut off by the smaller panda.
"Perhaps our guest needs to eat first Po, maybe then he will listen to you," the creature rose a brow and gave Shen a knowing smirk.
He was hungry.
"Oh! You need to eat, I'll make some noodles!" The Dragon Warrior grinned and turned to his mentor and quickly bowed, "thanks Master Shifu," before he made his way down the hall and squeaking a few floor boards along the way.
Shifu, as Po called him, gave Mantis and Crane a glance before the two walked down the hall behind their black and white friend. Now, left alone, the peacock turned his attention to the red panda with mild interest. He had never spoken with him before, only seen him a few times, so he was unsure what to expect, but an attack was likely.
"Shen, I did not agree with Po bringing you here," Shifu paused and Shen parted his beak to interject, but the other was faster, "but, he is the Dragon Warrior...and persistent," green eyes looked away as if he was speaking to himself, "very annoying and determined as if no matter how many times you say 'no', he keeps coming back and-"
"I get it," Shen pointed out with a roll of his eyes.
"What I'm trying to say is, that after he saved you...the least you can do, is hear him out."
The peacock's head cocked slightly, as if trying to figure the red panda out. What was he trying to do? What was there to gain from having him deal with that Panda?
"Very well," he finally said. The way Shen saw it, he was not giving in or doing what the small mammal wanted, but he was doing this on his own accord. Shifu had very little influence on his decision because he knew that the Panda would not stop unless he got his way one way or another.
"Good, now let's eat," Shifu gave a small smile before he started walking down the hall.
Shen remained where he was and watched the other creature and he stopped at the end of the hall.
"Are you coming?"
The albino bird didn't answer, only held his head high, folded his wings over one another in his sleeves and followed after Shifu.
"Po, you don't have to do this," a female voice reached his ears and Shen blinked. He remembered the female tiger and a female snake. Which of the two was speaking, he did not know.
"Don'tdo it Po!" Another voice he did not recognize.
The speakers are not what interested him, but what they were saying was. Was the Panda trying to kill himself? Oh how Shen wished he was. Even if this was not the case, the peacock's heart sped up and his eyes grew a bit wider as he and Shifu drew closer to the kitchen area.
"Po! NO!"
Shen whipped his head around the corner to see the Dragon Warrior with two bowls of soup in his hand and a third before him on the table.
"You guys don't think I can? Watch...this!"
The albino bird's eye twitched and his beak parted as the warrior that defeated him not but three weeks ago stood in the kitchen and began to juggle full bowls of soup.
"Ha! Ha!" Po's large and amused eyes caught Shen's surprised look, "haha!" The warrior grinned at him before he served the dish. With the flick of his wrist, Po flung a bowl before Mantis, one before Crane and one at the end of the table. The panda smiled at him then looked down to the bowl, then back to him with a subtle nod before he turned around and got more bowls ready.
This bowl...was his.
"Go on," Shifu urged as he held out his paw toward the bowl with steam steadily rising from it.
Shen remained watching the red panda before he walked over to the table and picked up the chopsticks that were lying beside it. He looked to the warriors at the table. The monkey was giving him a thumbs up and smiling with a nod, Mantis was...well he was more or less in the bowl and Crane was smiling. The peacock turned back to his meal.
"Enjoy Shen," Po said as he handed a bowl to the female tiger and to the female snake.
Said peacock looked back to the bowl, and picked up some noodles then...he took a bite.