A / N: Hey guys. Sorry for the delay. I'm a Libra and there seems to be zero balance in my life right now. Um...I pushed this chapter out, so hopefully it's alright. I also apologize for lackluster responses to reviews. I'm not in the best of moods, so...yeah, sorry about that.

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
Shadow of Darkness 22: New face? O_o WELCOME! Lol, well, no worries. Oh wow, that's a compliment, it's not that great. I'm glad Shen's in character and the fact that you get the sense of connection! That's a biggie for me. Well, we can't keep Shen in the palace forever, so I'm glad you enjoyed that. Pigmen? Hahaha XD Oh gosh it's not weird at 3am! I was kinda going for that but dismissed the notion because I wasn't sure it would translate well when I wrote it out. I'm really glad the ending went over so well and of course...Shen's completely Shen and not believing it. Your very welcome! I would have loved to reply fully, but I don't wanna take up so much space, haha.
Masha: ( IOU, my internet is awful at the moment. Sorry. )
WiseScholar:I think we all hat the pig, haha XD And Shen attacking him didn't help but I didn't think it was in Shen's character, at this point in the story, to just sit by and let it happen. Again, I'm glad everyone is liking the ending of the last chapter :) (Referring to your 7/12 review) way a head of yapal. Here ya go.
Comrade: Oh gee, haha. Well...not that great ^^; Encourages you guy? Reviews encourage me! Haha.
CauseIReallyLikeThisStory/CauseIJustMessedUp: I'm diggin' the anon reviewer name :D Anyway, way ahead of you, lol, I looked into it just in case. And you caught that? Mmhm, Shen's gonna have to work it without his feathers, so we'll see how he does. KNxkjndef...I has no beta and writing, then reading the same thing over and over gets boring and my eyes quit on me sometimes, haha. Hurm...I'll see if i can get that in more...I know it's there a bit, but i'll work on it. In the air...peacocks can't fly though? I looked into it and found nothing helpful, they can fly...kinda and glide? We'll see, haha. Aw! That's cute. I WILL do it...I have to

I think my reviews are turning into a discussion ground. I love it you guys, haha XD

Again, reviewing means a lot guys, so thanks again to EVERYONE. You've all been a BIG help.. .. ..
Again, again, again, I still hope everyone is in character!
(Also, thank you everyone that is favoriting this story!)

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

Enjoi~

[Ch. V]
2323

Shen was up early to avoid another gathering outside his door. This time he left his room and was perched upon to roof of the barracks. It had only been hours since in incident in the village and the albino peacock was in no rush to return there should he be attacked again. Maybe...yes, perhaps when he was healed he would pay a visit to the over grown slop of a pig and kill him. Slowly. Painfully. Oh how marvelous it would be. Then, once he was finished there, he would destroy the rest of the quaint valley and be done with them all. He could hardly wait for the opportunity to take back what was rightfully his. Still, even with these appealing thoughts that he fully intended to turn into action, he continued to think about Crane. That night while the other bird was mending his wounds he said he did not hate Shen. Shen of course did not believe this.

There was no reason for Crane to not hate him. He had tried to kill him and his friends, he had succeeded in killing a fellow Kung Fu warrior, he had tried to take over China, Shen saw that as reason enough. Still, the crane stood beside him and gently tended to all of his wounds. After the admission the two had fell into a silence. It was...odd. Awkward. The last time Shen could recall the feeling was when the Soothsayer had witness him while he was trying to come up with the perfect greeting for the panda. The feeling was so similar, yet different. With the old goat the awkward feeling was brushed away, however, that night with Crane, all he wanted to do was get away from the other bird. It was...awkward.

"Shen?"

The peacock's flinch wasn't noticeable at all, a mere tightening of his muscles and a slight ruffle of his feathers, nothing more. Had it been the Dragon Warrior he was sure he would have all but lost his footing at the warrior's apparent lack of subtly when it came to him.

Ruby eyes turned to his right to see the female snake wearing a smile and at the end of her tail she held a cup.

"What?"

"Mantis and I made this for you," she started with a small smile as she shifted a bit on the roof, "we...we heard about what happened in the market."

Her tone wasn't anything except for kind and calm. She didn't seem to be afraid of him nor did she seem to have the intent to attack him. So then why was she here? He refused to accept the fact that she genuinely cared about his well being.

"What have you come to me for then," his own voice was calculated and cold. If she was here to give him that foul smelling drink then she should have left it and then left him alone. Yet she was still here. What more did she want from him.

"To give you this," she held the cup up and nodded toward it. When he didn't take it from her, she set it down and pushed it toward him a bit.

"Yes, and now you have, go away-"

"Hey, don't me rude to the lady," the voice came from his other side and he turned to see Mantis. The small bugged jumped onto Shen's shoulder then back down on the roof to stand before the female snake.

"Don't you ever...do that...again," the bird said. He was in slight disbelief that the warrior had done that. Then again...all things considered, he shouldn't have been surprised, but even still, he wasn't about to allow himself to be underestimated. It was clear that they were comfortable around him.

"So anyway, is he gonna drink it Viper?"

"I hope, he really-"

"I'm standing right here," Shen noted, cutting into the two's seemingly private conversation that they were having right in front of him.

"Sorry Lord Shen," Viper nodded her head, and before she could say anything more, Mantis spoke up.

"So you went into the city, that didn't go so well, huh?"

"Mantis!" Viper's hiss was chiding as she didn't want the two arguing.

"What? I'm just making a point...he needs to drink that," he pointed at the cup that has remained untouched since Viper set it down.

Shen glared at the bug and continued to. There wasn't any chance he was going to let them win.

"Mantis," Viper said softly, jerking her head in the opposite direction, The small insect took the hint and started off. "It really will make you feel better Lord Shen," she said before she followed Mantis and then the two were gone.

After a few seconds the peacock gave a heavy sigh and allowed his body to slump. Keeping his frame so tense just reminded him about how sore he really was. Leaning his neck slightly, Shen eyed the cup, staring at it as if it would blow up in any minute now. When the cup did not, the peacock picked it up from the roof and brought it closer to his face. It had a pungent odor and he wasn't too eager to drink it, even so, he looked around before quickly downing the liquid. He nearly gagged at the taste, but he managed to keep it down and with a soft clank he set the cup back down.

The faster he healed, the sooner he would be able to get out of here. That was the only reason he took the drink. He could feel the fuzzy warmth moving through his body and he was able to breathe a bit easier, even with the taste still in his mouth. He wasn't thankful. No. His condition was not his fault. Had Crane not taken him down into the valley market then this would not have happened. This idea was in the forefront of Shen's mind, but in the back, in a small corner of his thoughts was a nagging truth.

Had Crane not been there to save him, he would have died.

"...well, I couldn't have done it alone," Tigress finished as she took a drink from her bowl of noodles. The female was talking about a mission of sorts that she and Po had gone on in their early days. In this story Tigress explained how she did not fully understand the panda's methods and how stressful it was to be on a two person mission. He blunt honesty had a certain charm that had Po smiling from his place at the end of the table. It wasn't just their chemistry but the chemistry between all the warriors that made Shen fully realize that he was an outcast.

No matter the number of times Po had attempted to drag him into the conversation, or Viper trying to get him to contribute to the topic or Monkey trying to identify with him, it was odd. He knew they were trying to welcome him, still trying to get him used to things. This was the second time he had sat to eat with them at dinner and he knew if they had their way there would be more times to follow. He knew their plan. Their idea that if he was with them more, as a team, then he would become comfortable with them.

Drop his guard.

Be their friend.

It was ridiculous.

Shen's burning gaze went from his empty bowl to the set of every that were watching him since he sat down. When they made contact they watched each other before the peacock glared and got off the chair he was sitting on. He left his bowl and he ignored the calls after him and the pair of eyes that watched him intently. Shen knew that if he wanted to be stared at that he would go to into the valley and be watched like some plague. No. He didn't need the attention and he didn't want it. He knew that Crane would say otherwise.

Talons clawed over stone steps as he walked down onto a lush path. He could not recall walking this way before and he hoped that maybe he would get lost. This was rather unlikely and he knew it. Before he could delve further into his thought a gush of wind rocked his body and the sweet scent of flowers cause him to turn his head. A bloomed tree caught his attention and without hesitation he made his way over. He had to walk around a few peaches that littered the ground to get to the trunk where he place his wing. The bark was cool and a sigh fell from his beak.

"Lord Shen," the deep voice started him and he visibly jumped and turned around but there was nothing there.

The peacock blinked and his breathing was heavy, trying to get his racing heart to slow down. He turned back and jumped again when he saw Shifu standing near the cliff's edge.

"What are you doing," he all but shouted frantically. How he wanted to shove the small bear off the cliff and watch him die. Maybe then he would truly find some sort of peace.

"Oh. nothing," Shifu said nonchalantly as he moved his shoulders up and dropped them. Shen only tilted his head and watched him. What was that supposed to mean?

"The Dragon Warrior talked to you about inner peace," the red panda said levelly, folding his arms over one another in his sleeves.

The peacock opened his beak to respond with a curt 'no', but then he did remember that the fat panda had said something to him about the technique at the pool of water. Now what the warrior had said exactly was lost on Shen as it was something he refused to dwell on.

"There is not only one way to master the technique," Shifu started. It was clear by his tone that he was wise with experience and age. He spoke to Shen without making it seem as if the young Lord knew what he spoke of or otherwise. He was rather neutral and Shen found himself drawn in. He listened with interest. The same sort of interest he gave the Soothsayer when she spoke to him about someone else's future and his own. "I have found it through pain, Po found it through forgiveness," the red panda gave his head a nod before he held out his paw. Shen blinked and leaned back slightly, not sure what the other was expecting. "You will find it".

Just then, the small Master warrior suddenly sped toward him and Shen managed a step back. Shifu hit the trunk of the tree before he jumped back and landed on his feet.

"Wha-ow!" Shen was cut off from a string of complaints when a peach landed solidly on his head and he hissed in slight pain. His head began to ache slightly as he looked down to his talons to see the fruit menace roll to a stop against his robes.

"That hurt, didn't it?"

"Well of course!" The peacock was not ignorant to the amused chuckle that the other didn't bother holding back, and how it mocked him. His eyes narrowed and he parted his beak to say more but yet again he was cut off before he was given the chance to say anything.

"Try the peach."

"No."

"Try it."

Shen sighed, "why?"

He had just eaten dinner and he was not hungry. He did not want to peach, especially after it hit him on the head no thanks to the stupid panda.

"Because it's good, you'll like it. Give it a try."

The albino bird still did not jump at the peach. It wasn't a known fact, outside of the Soothsayer and his parents, that peaches were his favorite food. Still, he was not willing to eat it after it hit him. He knew it was silly to glare down at the fruit like it had done him harm by simply falling.

"You will never experience the good if you do not take that it has happened in the past, what has hurt you, and move on to try the future."

Shen blinked up at Shifu only to see that the other was smiling back at him. He didn't want to imagine the dumb look he was likely giving the other, so he quickly hardened his features and stood a bit taller. The older warrior only gave a throaty laugh before he started to walk past the proud bird.

"It's settled. Crane will begin teaching you tomorrow."

"What..." Shen's voice trailed off as he turned to see Shifu already far away from him and he sighed.

Accept the past. Accept that it happened. Was that all?

Snow white feathers reached out and brushed the fuzzy peach before they moved around it and he picked it up. He wore the same accusing glare but it softened as he closed his eyes and took a bite. The sweet fruit was delicious. Living in Gongmen city in his early years did not give him much opportunity to eat peaches as the city was not suited to grow them. The fruit was imported for him and it had been far too long since he had eaten one. Swallowing, Shen took another bite. This one was not overwhelmed with the rich flavor but with memories.

His mother feeding him diced peaches. His father directing a wolf to bring in a crate full from the harbor. The Soothsayer playing with him as she created images with peaches in her bowl. She would conjure them dancing in intricate patterns. He would laugh with his mother and father. He-

A grunt abruptly halted his thoughts as he threw the peach over the cliff and turned his head, not bothering to make sure it dropped.

What was he thinking?

Acceptance?

No.

He couldn't.