(Chapter 24!!!!!!!! Woo Shu is getting distracted! Evil rumors of the Masters mwahaha! Anyway, Tai Lung and the Battle with the Five at the Bridge is coming up!)

Chapter Twenty-Four: Ping, Shu, and Master Tigress
Shu Ai was not treated as a prisoner after his capture from the Don't-Look-Down Bridge. He was treated as an equal to the Furious Five. He now resides at the Jade Palace along with his adopted brother Ping.

Shu was not sure if he had or had not told anyone that Tai Lung usually followed close behind him. However, Tai Lung was taking his time this time. Shu wondered why this was so and concluded that Tai thought that Zhang Liao was defeated and was planning his next move.

A few days have passed since his capture; and Tai Lung still did not emerge. Shu knew that Tai Lung was planning now.

Shu was comfortable in the Jade Palace. He got along well with the Furious Five. He also made friends with Po, who was still getting resentment from Master Tigress. The four masters were not as harsh as Tigress was.

During his few days stay, Shu managed to regain contact with the Kenpo School he attended as Zhang Liao. They granted him the permission and transfer to train at the Jade Palace. Shu continued his Kenpo in the Jade Palace; though when Shifu trained the Furious Five he was requested – forced by Viper and Tigress to be specific – to train with them. Due to his shared training with the Five, Shu started to form his own style; which he calls Five Forms. Shu doesn't use the Five Forms as much as he uses his two main styles; Kenpo and the usage of Dragon Revival. He usually kept Dragon Revival in his room when he didn't use it.

Shu often glanced at Master Tigress. The reason of this was that Master Viper, one of the Five and one of his closest friends, asked if the two had anything going on together. When Shu defensively denied this, Viper simply smiled and told him that Master Tigress would often look at him. However Shu could not confirm this as Tigress always looked away when he did look at her.
When Shu however finally caught Tigress looking at him during one of their training sessions, Tigress simply smiled at him. Shu got distracted as he smiled back and was defeated by Master Monkey who knocked the side of his head with his staff. Shu normally dodged this or blocked it. The hit caused him to fall and become dazed.
"Ooh, sorry about that," Monkey looked at Shu, apologizing.
"Ow… Hey, don't apologize, that was a good shot! Besides, I should apologize, I wasn't…" Shu started to praise Monkey when Tigress walked up to them in concern.
"Are you alright, Shu?" Tigress asked in concern, holding out her paw for Shu to stand up faster.
"Don't worry about it!" Shu replied honestly as he started to come out of his daze, shaking his head. He looked up at Tigress curiously as he took her paw and stood up with her help.
"Uhm, Tigress… Is there any reason for your concern for brother Shu? You're usually not that… um… concerned about the rest of us," Monkey noticed that Tigress seemed to be nicer to Shu than the rest of them.
"Yes, Tigress, we all have noticed that," Mantis agreed with Monkey.
"Oh, um… it's nothing! I'm just concerned!" Tigress replied sternly.
"Oh? Then why are you still holding brother Shu's paw when he clearly is well and standing?" Monkey noticed Tigress' paw still locked on Shu's paw.
"Huh…?" Shu hadn't noticed as he was knocking the pain of Monkey's staff from his head by rubbing it with his free paw. When Monkey pointed it out and Shu was one hundred percent out of the daze, he looked at his paw and noticed that it was indeed held by Tigress.
"Aah…!" Shu was surprised as both he and Tigress let go instantly and looked away, embarrassed.
"Are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?" Mantis asked. This caused Shu to blush and Tigress to glare at Mantis.
"Brother Shu!" Viper called from across the area.
"Uhm… Uh, yes, Master Viper?" Shu called.
"Brother Ping wants to spar with you! He's outside!" Viper told him that Ping wanted a spar.
"Um, I'm coming!" Shu replied.
"Uh, I should go…! Sorry Master Monkey, I sh-should have paid more attention!" Shu seemed to be in a hurry as be bowed to Master Monkey and Mantis who returned the bow.
"M…Master Tigres…" Shu bowed to Master Tigress as well who looked at him kindly. Shu smiled nervously at Tigress as he ran off to the outside where Ping was waiting. Mantis, Monkey, and Viper watched him in a rush as they looked back at Tigress.

"What?! We have nothing going on!" Tigress was just as defensive as Shu. She only received a teasing smile from Monkey and Viper while Mantis looked at her curiously.

"Hi, Ping! You wanted to spar?" Shu greeted Ping with a smile.
"Ooh, you look pained," Ping noticed Shu did not look one hundred percent.
"I got distracted, and Monkey defeated me… with the staff," Shu told him.
"Ouch, that must have hurt. Anyways, I just wanted to talk. I don't want to spar today," Ping told him as he started to walk towards the gardens. Shu quickly followed him.

"What's up, Ping?" Shu asked him.
"Well… I'm concerned about Tai Lung," Ping admitted one of his concerns.
"Oh, well relax then! Tai Lung isn't here yet! I haven't seen him!" Shu told his brother.
"Are you sure? When we captured you in the bridge…" Ping started.
"I'm pretty sure Tai Lung is still far away! I'm much faster than him, so I probably had a few hours or days of a head start!" Shu was not concerned at all.
"I know you pledged your Allegiance to Tai Lung, Shu! I'm more worried now that you'll betray us!" Ping showed his greater concern. Shu had forgotten he mentioned his allegiance to Ping.
"Ping… When Tai Lung comes, I have to follow the honor of the allegiance I made. When that time comes… You and I will be fighting as enemies," Shu had great honor within him and could never go against an allegiance he himself made.
"I… understand, but… I don't want to lose you, brother…" Ping told him as he himself understood honor.

"Ping… I can honestly say that that time may come due to me sealing it through allegiance, but we should not fear the future. It really doesn't exist. The past? We should contemplate and enjoy the present. Hey, sounds cool, right?" Shu smiled at Ping. He had returned the happiness in Ping's eyes and removed his concern.

"Hey, I hear Po's going to cook for you guys sometime. Any truth to the rumor?" Ping asked, looking at Shu. Ping glanced behind Shu and noticed the silhouette of Master Tigress. She was watching.
"Tomorrow night he's going to cook I think," Shu replied.

"Bring me something then?" Ping asked.

"Of course! I'll bring it tomorrow after Po cooks!" Shu promised.
"Thanks, Shu!" Ping smiled and hugged his brother who hugged him back. Ping no longer saw Master Tigress. She was no longer watching.
"She was watching us, wasn't she?" Shu asked.
"You know it. Does she like you or something?" Ping asked, looking at Shu.
"I really don't know," Shu admitted.

Later that night, Shu would go to Po's room to ask of what Ping requested.
"Po, are you in there?" Shu knocked at Po's room.
"I'm in here, with Master Mantis and Master Viper!" Po called out. He seemed to be in pain.
"Come in, Shu!" Viper called out with her cheerful voice.
Shu opened the door to the room and was about to bow in respect when what he saw surprised him.

"Aaah! What are you going to him?!" Shu asked in surprise, seeing a lot of needle-like stuff on Po.
"It's a simple process actually," Mantis told him.
"Well, it looks… painful…" Shu said.
"Well, yeah it is. What's up, Shu?" Po was enduring the pain quite well.
"Ping wants some of your cooking. Can you save some tomorrow so I can bring him some?" Shu asked him.
"Surely!" Po replied with cheerfulness.
"Thanks! Uh, Master Mantis… try not to kill him, alright? I know Tigress would be happy, but…" Shu started.
"Uh… oh, right! No worries, we won't do that!" Mantis nodded with a grin. Viper was showing him some sort of sketch.
"Yeah… Well, I'm sleeping early tonight, so… Night," Shu bowed at them.
"Night, Shu!" Viper smiled at Shu.
"Good night, brother Shu," Mantis greeted him.
"Uuuh, goo…good night…!" Po said.
"Bah golly you sound constipated! Please don't tell me you won't take long!" Shu teased as he left the room.

"Aah, Master Tigress! Y…You scared me!" Shu was surprised to see Master Tigress in the hallway.
"You weren't in your room. You usually are at this time, and I… was worried." Everyone else was right. Tigress seemed to soften up whenever she was in Shu's company.
"Well, you… um don't need to worry about me, I can… take care of myself," Shu told her.

Soon, he heard Po asking the masters why Shifu was always so cranky.
"Because he's old! You get that cranky when you get that age!" Shu called.
"HAHAHAHA!!!!!" Monkey heard Shu's remark and started to laugh. He couldn't sleep. Neither could Master Crane who was in his own room. He giggled at this but replied that they're not supposed to talk about it.
"Well, he was devastated by the loss of Tai Lung. I think after Tai Lung he vowed not to show much of the happy emotions." This was the reply Shu heard.
"Are you sure it isn't with the age? Honestly though I understand the old man! Tai Lung was special to him!" Shu said. This was agreed.

"Tigress, are you feeling alright?" Shu noticed that Tigress had zoned out.
"Oh, it…it's nothing," Tigress replied.
"Tigress was Shifu's favorite, yet he never showed her or any of us the happy emotions," Crane replied.
"Understandable. And Master Mantis, please try to stop making Po sound constipated. I wouldn't be able to sleep!" Shu called which made Monkey laugh once more.

Tigress had entered the room where Po was being needled while Shu walked to his room. Apparently she scolded him again for not taking responsibility in the Jade Palace seriously. Shu stopped halfway to listen. He was surprised to hear Tigress shout in disgust before attempting to attack Po. Mantis then told her he hit a facial nerve.

"Alright, now I can't sleep," Shu called.

Tigress soon walked out of the room in a rage. She started to calm down on the way back to her room. There at the doorway was Shu, waiting for her.
"Shu, what's wrong?" Tigress asked him.
"I just wanted to see if you were alright. You seem like you wanted to attack Po," Shu admitted.
"Well, I'm fine now… But he takes his responsibilities too lightly… Look at you, you're much more new here than he is and you zipped passed him in no time!" Tigress told him.
"Tigress, would you like to talk?" Shu simply asked.
"…Yes," Tigress replied, looking at Shu.
"Talking is the best way," Shu admitted.
"Shu, would you wish to share rooms with me? I… do not want to be by myself tonight," Tigress requested Shu.
"Oooooohhh!" A teasing reply from Monkey sounded.
"Shut up!" Crane called to Monkey. Apparently everyone was still awake.
"Go for it, brother Shu!" Viper's cheerful voice was heard.
"Viper!" Mantis said sternly.

"As you wish, Tigress. After you," Shu opened Tigress' door for her.
Tigress smiled at Shu as she walked in, patting his shoulder on the way. Shu soon followed and closed the door behind him.
The two would then talk until Tigress was sure she was calm. Both of them also caught up.
"I'm pretty old," Shu had said.
"You're not old. As old as Mantis or Crane probably," Tigress admitted.

"Tigress, you look tired. We should sleep now," Shu said.
"You're right. It's getting pretty late," Tigress admitted.
Shu nodded and started to go to the door leading to the hallway.
"Shu?" Tigress called as he reached the door.
"Yes?" Shu asked, looking at her.