Chapter 31

Epilogue (Part 2)

Later that night

The courtyard was lit up brightly as the Tigro, Lotus, AJ and Chang were the first to run in, with the Masters of the Jade Palace not far behind them. "Oh wow! Look at this place!" Chang praised. AJ tried jumping up to reach the lantern that hung the lowest, while Tigro and Lotus turned to Sapphire, dumbfounded.

"Is this really your house?" They asked simultaneously. "Can we stay over?"

She said they would have to wait and see what their parents said, but they were happy enough with that response. Crane, Viper, Monkey and Mantis marvelled at the area, talking amongst themselves about how beautiful the place was, before Sapphire brought them inside to see the refurbished rooms, and soon the children had their heads poking out the upstairs windows, waving down at their parents.

"You really outdid yourself, Tai. This place is just awesome!" Po commented when the older snow leopard stood by him. He was still waving up towards AJ, both waiting for the other to stop. "I wish we were there to see her and Nuwa's reactions." He felt his heart twisting a little bit.

Tai Lung chuckled. "They were absolutely bowled over." He turned to look at Po, noticing his smile fading a little. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Before Po could reply, his ears picked up the sound of the dinner bell. "We better get going," Po replied, almost avoiding the question, and then he and Monkey signalled the kids to come down, rounding up the other Masters as they came down the stairs. Tai Lung shrugged it off, before heading toward the table. They all came spilling out the front door and gathered inside the Noodle shop. All the tables were pushed back against the walls, dragging several of them in the middle of their area to create one large surface. Mr Ping and Li Zhan had been working together and cooking up a storm; the table was supplied with seemingly endless supplies of food. All different colours, smells, and spices. Po had informed them that there was plenty to celebrate this evening, so Mr Ping made sure everyone's favourite dishes were in sight, with desert to follow.

Once Shang, Jasmine, and Zao quickly joined in from the street, apologising for their delay, everyone sat down and tucked in straight away;

Tigress sat at the head of the table, with Po and Shifu on her immediate left, followed by her children, Zao Po's parents, Shang, and Jasmine. Then Monkey, Chang, Crane, Viper and Mantis on the other, with Sapphire, Nuwa, and finally Tai Lung, at the other end. Halfway through the meal, Po got everyone's attention.

"It won't take too long, I promise." They all stopped conversing and eating almost immediately. Mr Ping, Li, and the children looked a little confused as they put down their cutlery. Meanwhile, Sapphire, Tai Lung and Nuwa looked on curiously. "There is an announcement that needs to be made. We organised this meal tonight to celebrate a few things. First, we are celebrating Tigress taking over for Head of the Master's Council soon," He glanced at Tigress briefly, who nodded towards him, before she stood up. "And Master Tai Lung becoming Super Intendient." Tai Lung stood up too. "We are celebrating Sapphire moving to the Valley, along with her Mom Nuwa," Sapphire and Nuwa chose not to stand up, but smiled at Po. "But we also have another reason to be here... Ti?"

Po immediately sat back down. "Thank you, Po. Soon, we will be seeing another huge change," she looked further down the table, "Master Viper, Monkey, Mantis and Crane accepted teaching positions for a redemption programme that the Master's Council proposed. Master Monkey will remain here in the Valley of Peace with great consideration, while Mantis, Viper and Crane will transfer to other villages and cities." Tai Lung's eyes dilated, as Mr Ping, Li, Sapphire, Jasmine Nuwa and the children gasped. Shang leaned forward, staring at Tigress in complete shock. Shifu watched on quietly but watched as the remainder of the furious five smiled at each occupant present as they stood up. "As much as it will hurt us all to see them go, I couldn't put enough trust in the three of them to do their new roles proudly."

Crane noticed everyone looking a little shell-shocked before Mr Ping piped up. "But if they leave... who will feed them the best Noodles in all of China!?"

There was a brief silence before the table burst into laughter. The old goose didn't look too please, before remembering what he said, and joined them. Sapphire shook her head as she wiped away the laughing tears, feeling a wheeze trying to escape her chest. Once the laughing calmed down, they all heard someone sniffling.

"Aw, man..." Mantis sniffled. "I promised I wouldn't cry..."

"Oh, Mantis..." Viper was still giggling.

"It has to be said! Mr Ping, no one is going to replace your food. Ever. I'm gonna miss it so much." This nearly set the old goose off down a stream of tears, if Shifu hadn't gotten everyone's attention.

"Although it hurts to say goodbye to the valley, this is an exciting chapter ahead of us all. This may be the end of this generation of the Furious Five, but this isn't goodbye forever." He looked back at the striped feline. "I wish my... well, former students, all the happiness in the world for the next step in their lives."

Viper nodded her gratitude, while Mantis looked to the sky, blinking rapidly to stop the tears, as Crane took centre stage. "Tigress, I'm confident that I can speak for all of us that working and living in the Valley of Peace all these years have been the best years of our lives. Thank you for bringing us together, and Master Shifu-" he looked at the red panda. "Thank you for helping us achieve our potential and more. It wasn't always easy, but we're going to miss the Valley, and take all our precious memories with us."

"We will come back and visit. That I can definitely promise." Mantis piped up. "But at the same time, I'm excited about this opportunity."

Crane felt something poke his wing and looked down to find AJ, with her head elevated high enough for their eyes to meet. "I'm going to miss you, Uncle Crane." She said sadly. "And uncle Mantis, and auntie Viper." She looked at the other two once she mentioned them. "But I'm still excited for you! Can we come to see you in your new homes?"

The bird felt his heart twist and ruffled the top of her head. "I'm going to miss you too kid... and of course, you can! And I promise that we will be back to see you guys."

"It's gonna be so weird not seeing you guys around anymore..." Tigro spoke, his fingers curling against his mouth as if to be unsure how to feel about the whole thing.

"It'll take some getting used to," Viper said gently. "But think of it this way; we're still working with your mom and dad... just-"

"A little further away?" Lotus prompted from across the table. "And we'll see you a little less often?"

Crane nodded for the serpent, "exactly."

"But we want to thank you," Mantis turned to look at the children, who looked a little worried. "For all the laughter and happiness you brought to Crane, Viper and me. We know you five," he was including Zao in this too, "are going to make your parents very proud."

"They already have." Tigress commented, remembering their resilience through the entirety of these very confusing and frightening times. She wasn't sure for certain if there were going to be any repercussions or struggles coming their way... but they had an amazing network supporting them, no matter how far away they were.

Nuwa looked up at Tai Lung, who had remained quiet. His paws sat on his lap throughout the whole ordeal, so she slid her paw on top of the one closest to her. This got his attention, and she smiled at him softly. "Say something..." she whispered, tilting her head in their direction.

Tai Lung thought about it, before looking at the others; they were all looking at him (the reason? He wasn't sure). Upon noticing, he cleared his throat, his face contorted into an uneasy look. Meanwhile, Nuwa's paw remained settled on his paw. "Sorry, I'm just trying to process what's happening. It's the first I've heard of it." Everyone chuckled. "As sad as it is to know that you'll be leaving, I wish you all nothing but the best of luck with this new opportunity. Working with you all the past five years has been that of the highest honour, and I know you'll do amazing, and help many others who are in the position I was in. Those people will be very lucky."

Crane, Viper, and Mantis smiled at him gratefully, before Li Zhan prompted that everyone should get back to eating before the food got cold; the conversation was still going, but it was more so reminiscing on the good times and the memories made, rather than what is laying ahead of them in the future. Everyone's voices faded away into a buzzing static as Tai Lung became wrapped up in his thoughts; it got him thinking about the last few days, reliving everything in one sitting; the one thing that remained fresh in his head was the thought that Luna had physically harmed his daughter after he fought tooth and nail to keep them both at arm's length away from each other. Knowing that the day they would meet could occur at any time was out of his control, he remained silent.

He hadn't been honest with her.

At that moment, he came back around to reality and asked Sapphire if he could speak to her privately. Sapphire hummed a yes as she wiped her mouth with a napkin before they excused themselves from the table. Nuwa asked if everything was alright, and they both assured her with something along the line of ''yes. We just need to step away for a moment''. They walked back into the courtyard of Sapphire and Nuwa's new home. The girl, as if to forget that he wanted to speak to her, hummed softly as she walked toward the stage. Sitting herself down and patting the area beside her, he soon parked himself and took a deep, steady breath in. He twisted his head to talk... to see her pinching her forearm.

"What are you doing?" He asked, a little amused.

"Making sure this isn't a dream," she replied, grinning. "It's real- this is actually my house." Looping her arms around one of his, she leaned in and rested her head against his arm, eyes sparkling. "Thank you so much... again."

Tai Lung smiled down at her as she pulled away. Once she unhooked her arms, he used the same arms to wrap around her shoulders. "I'm so glad you like it. I want to make sure you're comfortable here..." Noises and voices buzzed in front of them, and they both instinctively turned to look at the others still talking and dining. It was like they were in this orange, glowing bubble, while they stood outside in the darker hue. Not in a bad way; they were just out of frame at that exact moment. "But to do so, I wanted us to start afresh. With a clean slate." Sapphire raised a suspicious eyebrow. "I haven't been honest with you about certain things."

Sapphire felt her heart twang; this is what Luna was talking about.

"Your father keeps secrets you know..."

"Is this to do with Luna?" Sapphire asked.

"Yes. In the time she spent with you, I'm sure she told you things. Things that maybe I should've told you at the start."

Sapphire narrowed her eyes. "No... she made it out that she was still in love with you. I'm not sure if all of it was true. But one thing did stand out to me. Something she had said before she was taken to jail."

"And what was that?"

Sapphire sighed; he did say they were going to start fresh with no lingering secrets. So, as she let her head lie against his shoulder, she told him about the visit she made to Luna with Shifu and Viper while he was recovering. It was a few months back, so Tai Lung couldn't get angry. Instead, he remained quiet. She told him the conversation they had, including the last thing she said. "She said that you kept secrets."

Tai Lung nodded. "She's not wrong..." He then proceeded to tell her about their meetings. "I told her countless times that you weren't ready to meet her. But she wasn't convinced that it was your choice, but I didn't want you to know that she was looking for you... I didn't want you thinking you had to see her if you knew she was coming here. But my secrets were more than that. I never told you how I truly felt about Nuwa; you had to find out by a letter that I had written six months prior."

Sapphire was quiet throughout the remainder of his talking before she put forward what had been brewing inside her head. "Your relationship with Mom... or Nuwa, is decided between you two. I know you were worried about how I would react. But I couldn't be happier for you guys. The letter was what she needed, I think." She pulled her head away from his shoulder. "Maybe she needed to see in writing how you truly felt about her, especially when it comes to topics like this can our voices can fail us. I can't blame you for feeling the way you did... and I can't be angry with you, because I had secrets too. I never told you that I went to speak to Luna. I never told you about Lok; you found that out on your own." How he did that she still didn't know.

"You know where I stand with Lok, as does he..." Tai Lung shook his head. "I just wish he wasn't so anxious around me."

"He'll come around."

"But he feels intimidated. I get it." Tai Lung smirked. "It just means he respects me."

His daughter laughed. "He admires you, truly."

They were starting to stray from the actual conversation, so Tai Lung brought them back to Luna; mostly about how he wasn't brave enough to tell her that he had been meeting Luna secretly behind everyone's back, let alone hers. "I was deceitful to Po and Tigress when I should've been honest with them too. Maybe they could have helped..."

Sapphire shrugged. "We never agreed that you couldn't see her without me." It was a possible technicality, and one he never thought of. "And you had your reasons to not get them involved. They can only do so much. I'm not going to start problems that no longer need to be addressed. You were only doing what you needed to do to protect everyone."

Tai Lung focused on her throughout everything she had to say, before smiling. "I'm not sure what good I did to have someone so understanding and caring like you as a daughter," he wrapped an arm around her. "But I'm damn lucky." Sapphire smiled into the one-armed hug.

"But one thing I need to say, on Jun's behalf."

"What that would be?"

"You hurt our mom, he'll kick your ass."

That got a laugh out of both of them. "Although I'd like to see him try... I promise I won't." Pulling away, Tai Lung got up on his feet. "We better get back to the party."

"You go ahead."

"You sure?"

"Yeap. I'll be right behind you."

Just as Tai Lung was about to cross back into the restaurant area, he heard a soft melody play. He had heard her messing with the keys as he walked further away, but he just played it down as something she did to ground herself. If she really felt like this was all a dream, maybe the piano was just what she needed to confirm reality; he knew she'd loved it.

He sat back down with the others almost melting into his seat, eyes closed. It felt like another weight had been lifted off of his shoulders- no better feeling in the world at that moment could take it away from him. Tai Lung felt someone's paw intertwine with his. Glancing down at their connection, he found that it was Nuwa's, and she was smiling up at him softly. Smiling back at her, they began to converse. The topics were not necessary, but as they sat contently in their bubble, they didn't notice the other Masters (who were still talking to each other to avoid detection), watching them, before they exchanged knowing looks at each other, as well as smirks.

"Psst." They both looked to his other side, to suddenly find AJ, staring at their paws holding one another. "Uncle Tai?"

"Yes?"

"Is..." she pointed at Nuwa, who was smiling at the girl, who beckoned him to move closer to her. Leaning in towards her, where she situated his left side, he heard her whisper in his ear. "Is she your girlfriend now?" He bit his lip, glancing at the others. No one else seemed to have noticed... or so it seemed.

He sat up straight, to find AJ now on Nuwa's side, asking her the same question. Nuwa was watching him, to which he shrugged at her. Your call, he mouthed at her. Nuwa smiled back up at him, before answering AJ's question. "Yes. I am." AJ gasped excitedly, asking if she could tell her mom and dad... and Nuwa gave her the go-ahead.

"You do know she's going to tell everyone- not just her parents."

"Let her." Nuwa patted their enclosed digits with her free paw. "I'm sure they caught on already. Besides, if it's to come out to the Valley, I would rather friends and family hear about it first." Before he could respond, he finally heard it.

There was the tickling of the ivory keys (*Cue "Wake Up" from Julie and the Phantoms*) and, as if to cast a spell, everyone stopped talking. Tai Lung was still facing towards the glow of the restaurant, the warm atmosphere of those around him... as everyone twisted their gazes in his direction. His chest rose and fell only once before he leaned to the right, whilst simultaneously twisting his head to look at the stage, and see Sapphire sitting in front of the piano.

Here's one thing I want you to know
You got someplace to go...
Life's a test, yes, but you go toe-to-toe
You don't give up, no, you grow...

Both paws slammed down on the keys, but it sounded beautiful. Sapphire had her eyes closed as she slowly rose from her chair.

Po was the first to get up, motioning the others to follow him.

And you use your pain
'Cause it makes you "you"

Briefly looking toward the others, he also got out of his seat. Nuwa got up with him, while Po gestured for them to come closer. Soon, the others occupying the table moved quickly and huddled at the archway for a few moments.

Though I wish I could hold you through it...
I know it's not the same
You got living to do

Tai Lung felt his brows crinkle together, curiosity plaguing his brain. Was this song dedicated to the departing masters?

And I just want you to do it...

People in the street outside the restaurant stopped to listen, while others poked their heads out of their front doors and windows, or stopped talking at stalls, or even at their dinner tables.

So get up, get out, relight that spark
You know the rest by heart

As she spoke, villagers did as they were supposedly instructed, as did the Noodle Shop occupants, as they spilt out into the courtyard. AJ tugged at her mother's sleeve, to which she responded by scooping her up into her arms.

Wake up, wake up if it's all you do
Look out, look inside of you
It's not what you lost

Sapphire opened her eyes but was looking toward the wall in front of her, not realising that villagers were coming into the courtyard entrance that was now revealed.

It's what you'll gain raising your voice in the rain
Wake up your dream and make it true

Tai Lung glanced at the others; Tigress had her head resting against Po's shoulder, while he had his arm around her waist. AJ was still in her mother's arms, but that didn't stop her from cheering for Sapphire, along with Tigro, Zao Lotus and Chang.

Look out, look inside of you
It's not what you lost...

Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey were smiling at each other.

Relight that spark, time to come out of the dark
Wake up! Wake up...

Sapphire noticed everyone watching her as if to come out of a trance. Laughing as they continued cheering and clapping, it was the encouragement she needed to keep going.

Better wake those demons
Just look them in the eye

Motioning Nuwa to join her on stage, Sapphire allowed her to take over the piano. The transition was done smoothly, which gained its own applause.

No reason not to try
Life can be a mess...
I won't let it cloud my mind
I'll let my fingers fly

Both paws found one another against her chest.

And I use the pain 'cause it's part of me
And I'm ready to power through it

Looking at Tai Lung, Tigress and Po, who happened to be standing together, she smiled into a bow, her paws still against her chest.

Gonna find the strength, find the melody
'Cause, you showed me how to do it...

Addressing the rest of the audience, she encouraged them to sing with her.

Get up, get out, relight that spark
You know the rest by heart...
"Everyone!"

She soon had everyone singing with her.

Wake up, wake up if it's all you do
Look out, look inside of you
It's not what you lost

Tai Lung thought about the years he missed with Sapphire.

It's what you'll gain
raising your voice in the rain.

Before thinking about what he managed to gain from it- he did get a relationship with his daughter in the end, despite the rocky start. Now they were stronger than ever, and she wasn't going anywhere. No more did he was to wait for her to come to visit, worried that she was in danger. He also gained a new family in the Jade Palace, a new title, and a new romantic relationship that he never envisioned having.

Wake up your dream and make it true
Look out, look inside of you.
It's not what you lost

Unbeknownst to them, the peach tree, somewhere deep in the dark, swayed in the gentle wind.

Relight that spark, time to come out of the dark
Wake up, wake up...

Then, the petals decided to glow and pull themselves from their bodies on each individual branch. Once they all conjoined in a clouded mast of pink, they moved towards the sounds coming from the village below.

So wake that spirit, spirit
I wanna hear it, hear it

Shifu watched on with a smile as AJ got out of her mother's hold, and joined her brothers, Chang, Zao and the other village children in a clump of dancing shapes. Before feeling something dark pass over him... over everyone. He looked up, along with the other Masters, and villagers, who were gasping and pointing.

No need to fear it, you're not alone
You're gonna find your way...

Sapphire followed their gaze to notice the mast of pink petals hanging over her.

oh!

The cloud dropped upon her, as she ducked, protectively shielding her head with her arms over it- her eyes were shut with anticipation for... something. All she felt was a cool swift breeze moving across every direction of her body.

Wake up, wake up if it's all you do!

Still managing to sing, she felt this unknown force lift her into the air, twisting her around before she landed back on stage. Laughing, she decided to move with it, by jumping down into the crowd, twisting her body elegantly and dancing with the children. The cloud soon moved above the audience again and rained petals above them. They glittered about in the moonlight and lantern's glow.

Look out, look inside of you
It's not what you lost

Mei Mei and Viper quickly jumped to the opportunity to dance with her- with Mei Mei accompanied by her trusted ribbon of course. Shang pulled his wife along to dance with her.

It's what you'll gain,
raising your voice in the rain!

Crane, Monkey and Mantis joined in, even though they were... less gracefully.

Wake up your dream and make it true

Po and Tigress laughed alongside Shifu, while Tai Lung watched on, arms folded. Something echoed in his head to turn around...

Look out, look inside of you

So he did, to find his heart almost leaping into his throat. He extended an arm to tap Tigress on the shoulder. This prompted her to say 'hm?' as she turned, with Po and Shifu following suit. Their eyes widened.

It was Master Oogway.

When you feel lost

He smiled into a bow, to which they continued to stare in dumbfoundedness.

Relight that spark, time to come out of the dark

Tigress and Shifu were the first to bow before the other two did the same, all of their eyes closed.

Wake up

There Tai Lung found the time to speak to Oogway.

Mm-mm, wake up...

"Thank you."

The end :)

This is the end of part 3 of the Reaching Out Series. I may come back with one-shots based on this series, but right now, this is it.

I hope you enjoyed this story, I know I definitely enjoyed writing it.

What to do next is the question lol.

Ciao.