(TWENTY-THREE!!!! I got to stop doing that... Anyway as you will notice, I've sort of pushed Ping into a secondary character's role in this chapter. I will bring him back as second only to Shu Ai though. And what is this?! Master Tigress is watching Shu! Viper and the others tease him! What's going to happen?! By the way this is my first attempt at some sort of hinting moment. If you dudes want me to do a pairing in this story PM me :) I have a pairing in mind but I want your opinions first. :D Anyhoo I haven't forgotten the Allegiance between Shu and Tai Lung. Stay with the story)

Chapter Twenty-Three: Shu Ai is an Equal to the Masters

Shu Ai was alive! He had been for twenty years. He had just been using the name Zhang Liao. So far, Shu never told anyone that he was Zhang Liao and only Ping and Tai Lung knew they were the same individual.
Since it was known that Zhang Liao worked at the prison where Tai Lung was kept, it was presumed that he was the rumored assistance Tai Lung got. Zhang Liao did make rumors true as he had defeated many warriors and fighters on his way back.
Hei Li and Meng Lao were two of the last line of defense of the Valley if rumors proved true. Both were defeated with mercy by Zhang Liao then brutally defeated by Tai Lung.
Zhang Liao then faced Master Tigress and young Ping. Ping was a student of Archery now. He was to be the last line of defense but Tigress volunteered to assist him. It was here that Zhang Liao revealed himself as Shu Ai.

Zhang Liao was able to talk his way out of battling with Tigress and Ping. This ability was Shu's strongest and frequently used as he felt that the clashing of weapons could be avoided. Shu Ai then seemed to surrender to the two and came with them peacefully.

"Master Tai Lung, the path for you is clear. Yet I will give you some of the fun as well," Shu was thinking as he was brought by Tigress and Ping into the Jade Palace. He finally revealed himself to the Valley.

"Master Shifu. Young Ping and I have brought a prisoner: Master Zhang Liao," Master Tigress was greeted by Master Shifu, the rest of the Furious Five, and Po.
"That's Master Liao?" Shifu looked at Shu Ai as Ping and Master Tigress both stepped away from him. Dragon Revival was held by Shu yet he never used it under his custody. He brushed his mane away from his face.
"Hi there, old man!" Shu greeted him with a grin. Since he had given up his persona of Zhang Liao, he reverted back to his original persona.
"Oh dear, you're alive?" Shifu was surprised that this was Shu Ai, the rival of Tai Lung.
"Oooh, Master Zhang Liao is actually Shu Ai…?" Master Monkey and Master Mantis were whispering at the back.
"It appears so. I didn't expect it myself. I was told that Shu was killed. It seems only his sight was affected," Mantis replied.

"Hey, this eye is blind! My right one is intact! Plus, I can hear you!" Shu could hear Master Mantis and Monkey. He told them that only his left eye was blind.
"Oh, oopsy then. Sorry about that," Master Monkey said.
"Master Zhang Liao… I find it honorable for him to be here," Master Crane admitted as he was silently listening to everyone.
"Master… Zhang Liao…?" Master Viper looked at him, recognizing him.
"Hi there! That little Viper I met is now one of the Furious Five I see! Great job!" Shu greeted Viper with a compliment, a grin, and a thumb up. Viper replied with a smile of her own.

"This is Zhang Liao? Wow, I'm actually with Zhang Liao!" An excited Po said with a friendly grin as he walked in front of him. The other Masters seemed to be friendly towards Po, except for Tigress who looked away in disgust. Po had placed a paw out in respect.
"I presume this is the Dragon Warrior? Well, he's got respect! Hi there! I'm not Zhang Liao anymore! Call me Shu," Shu greeted Po with a grin and shook his paw.
"How did the battle go, Tigress?" Monkey asked Tigress as Shu and Po released paws.
"He is a worthy adversary. His skill in both the spear and close quarters is quite strong; possibly even stronger than all of us. In the end though, he surrendered," Tigress replied honestly.
"Master, we're not going to tell them that he defeated us first? Nor that Shu planned this to draw Tai Lung out?" Ping whispered.
"No, not yet," Tigress whispered her reply.
"Ah, I see. And you've captured him as well! Great job!" Mantis complimented.
"It was tough, yet we were able to do it," Tigress replied.
"I see. Well, what are you planning to do with Shu?" Master Shifu asked.
"Well, it would be a shame to lose someone with his skill, Master. Perhaps we could use his talents on our side?" Ping suggested.
The suggestion met no disagreement among the Masters and Po.
"Master Shu, unless of course you have better plans?" Shifu looked at Shu. Everyone else did as well.

"Ha! Are you kidding? You offer me a place here! How can I say no to that? Plus, I get to spend quality time with my brother! I say I stay!" Shu grinned as he playfully slapped the back of Ping's head and nodded, accepting.
"Ow… Shu..," Ping grinned, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yay, Master Shu's one of us!" Viper was excited about this.
"One condition. No one call me 'Master' or any of those things. I'm old enough without the titles, thank you very much!" Shu's request caused laughter with Master Monkey, Ping, and Master Viper. Po managed a laugh as well and even Master Tigress giggled at this. Master Crane smiled.

Shu Ai got a very good first impression, especially with Monkey and Mantis. Viper wanted to catch up with Shu Ai who had made friends with her when he first came to her village.
Shifu had to attend to some business. Po would be somewhere else. Ping had to return to practice and he hugged Shu before departing. The Masters were left with showing Shu where he was to stay.

"So, Shu… What is your style?" Master Crane struck a conversation with Shu as they walked to where he was to say.
"I do Kenpo and weapons. I focus on the Tri-Section Staff and the spear," Shu replied.
"Impressive. Hey Monkey, you may have a rival in him!" Crane pointed out to Monkey.
"Oh, he's a weapon user?" Shu asked.
"I use a staff, Shu!" Monkey replied.
"Ha! Awesome!" Shu and Monkey slapped paws with each other in agreement.
"Anyway, what are your guys takes on Po?" Shu asked them.
"A waste of space," Tigress answered with no remorse.
"Whoa, kind of harsh, right?" Shu asked, surprised.
"It's best not to talk about it. Master Oogway chose Po as the Dragon Warrior," Viper simply said.
"Wait, Old Man Turtle is still alive?! Whoa, he was alive and of when I was fifteen! Twenty years!" Shu grinned; impressed that Oogway was still alive.
"Yes, Master Oogway is still alive. Anyway, Po seems like a nice guy. Master Shifu and four of us, excluding Tigress, sparred with him the other day and he survived," Monkey admitted.
"Brother Shu, how about a spar with us? We would love to see you fight," Viper requested.
"You guys are in for a surprise if you fight him. He did survive me after all," Tigress complimented Shu. She looked at Shu in a way he could not describe. She also smiled at him.
"Well, you seem like a nice guy! First day here and you made Tigress smile!" Mantis said.

"What's that contraption?" Shu pointed at the training area of the Five; particularly the obstacles.
"This is where we train, noble Shu," Tigress simply replied as they stopped. They were nearing the quarters when Shu stopped and pointed.
"Hey, Master Shifu isn't here and Po's not here to goof anything up. So how about we train now before we show Shu to his room? We can just tell Shifu that we were showing Shu the ropes," Monkey suggested.
Shu smiled. "Hey, I like the way you think!"

"Alright, Shu. You can go through the course as you see fit. However it is part of training to spar with all of us during the course of this," Crane explained briefly as they all went to their respective areas of training.
"Easy as one through ten!" Shu boasted.
Shu went through the obstacles with no problem. He also sparred with each of the Masters afterwards. He was able to defeat them all as well; though fighting Crane was a little bothersome.
"You know, it's hardly fair when you can fly and I can't," Shu had said when he and Crane sparred.
"Not really; I'm just using my skills to my advantage as you use yours to your advantage," Crane replied.
During this time Tigress' gaze was fixed upon Shu only before their spar. Viper and the others noticed this. She was smiling at Shu and whenever Shu would look at her, she would look away. Shu would shrug this off and continue on.

Soon, they were done and impressed with Shu Ai.
They took him to his room at their quarters.
"I have a question. Why is my room among the Masters' rooms?" Shu noticed that his room was next to Master Tigress'.
"You are a Master as well and should be treated as one," Viper replied with a smile.
"I'm that old, huh?" Shu replied with a laugh shared by Monkey.

Shu became comfortable in his room and was allowed private time.
Night soon arrived and Shu thought of the day's events. He was treated as an equal to the Furious Five. He was able to catch up with Master Viper and they soon became close. He also became great friends with Master Monkey and both of them shared a lot of laughs. Shu saw Master Crane and Master Mantis as father figures as he learned a lot from them. Shu also thought that Po would be very easy to get along with. After all, Ping got along with him. Shu wondered how Ping was as he did not know where he slept. Shu however wondered why Master Tigress was looking at him strangely during the day. She also had smiled at him in a way Shu could not describe. All of this happened in one day.
Po was asleep soundly in his own room.

Shu started to fall asleep when a knock jolted him awake.

"Aah! Ye…yes?" Shu called out sleepily to the knocker.
"Shu, it's me, Viper," Viper called.
"Oh, hold on… I'll… I'll be right there," Shu stood up and opened the door. Viper greeted him with a smile.

"Come on in, Master Viper! What can I do for you at this time?" Shu invited Master Viper in.
"Um, may I ask you something, brother Shu?" Viper asked as they walked back into Shu's room.
"Are they going to call me brother now? It'll be a weird feeling. Only Ping ever calls me brother," Shu thought as he sat down in front of Viper.
"What's up, Master?" Shu asked.
"It's about Tigress," Viper started as she smiled.
"Ugh, don't tell me she noticed that too…" Shu thought in despair.
"Do you two have something going on?" Viper asked.

Shu was taken by surprise by this.

"Wh…what?! What ga…gave you that idea?!" Shu was being defensive.
"Yup, he likes her…!" Master Monkey, Crane, and Mantis were listening.

"He is being defensive," Mantis agreed with Monkey. Since Shu had closed the door, Monkey, Mantis, and Crane were listening just outside.

"Well, we noticed she seems… comfortable with you. She seems to smile at you in that way and when you look at her she looks away," Viper explained.
"I…It's coincidence!" Shu was still being defensive and did not know what Viper was talking about.
"Well, I just wanted to hear your side, brother Shu. But hey, if you two end up together, none of us will have any qualms about it," Viper winked at Shu and smiled.

"The next few days should be fun," Monkey softly admitted to the masters with him.
"What are you three doing?" Master Tigress surprised the three of them.

"What was that?" Shu stood up quickly as he heard a surprised yelp outside. He opened the door to see the four Masters.
"Oh, h-hi, Shu! Uh… bye!" Monkey quickly left, embarrassed and giggling slightly.
"Um, night, Shu," Mantis greeted him and went to his own room.
"We were spying," Crane left as well.
Tigress looked at them with curiosity and soon looked back, face-to-face with Shu Ai.

Viper slithered out of Shu's room and looked at both of them. She then giggled.

"Have fun, you two!" Viper teased as she went to her own room.

Tigress looked at Shu and smiled before looking away in embarrassment.
"Well, they were odd," Shu admitted.

"Listen, brother Shu…" Tigress started, looking at Shu.
"Yup, they all will start calling me brother… But this is awkward! Ah, I'm embarrassed!!!" Shu was thinking as he looked at Tigress with a friendly smile.
"If there's… anything troubling you, Shu… You can come to me. Ping may be your personal choice, but… he's too young," Tigress told Shu with a smile.

"Ah, I… I see, tha…thank you, Mast…" Shu was going to call Tigress 'Master' as he did when Tigress stopped him as she spoke.
"Tigress is fine, Shu. Goog night,"