Disclaimer- I do not own Kung Fu Panda. Why do I keep having to tell you this?
"He's a skilled assassin that comes from a secluded clan from central Asia." Tigress explained, then added. "He's basically foreign." They were eating at the Red Dragon restaurant, hoping to meet with the owner who knew about this fabled murderer. Master Han was a great friend of Shifu's. He let the Furious Five take a private room in the back of the restaurant. A waiter came, holding a steaming teapot.
"More tea?" Crane and Tigress nodded. The bunny padded up toward them and filled their painted porcelain cups with an aromatic brew. Tigress had refused to eat any noodles or dumplings, and satisfied herself with a light soup and some salad.
"May we see Master Han?" Po asked gently. The bunny nodded and bounded away. A cat strummed his fingers on a zhen, a stringed instrument with a propped up board with the strings lain across it. A few moments later, a grey dog entered their room. He closed the door, the zhen faintly heard.
"Master Han." Tigress stood up and bowed. Crane, Monkey, Mantis, and Viper followed the exact same moments. It took Po a while to figure out that Master Han was of high importance and performed a sloppy bow. They sat back down again, after Tigress shot a warning glance at Po.
"There is no time for formalities if my predictions about your criminal are correct." Master Han narrowed his eyes. "I used to manage the prison before they put Commander Vachir in my place." Po remembered the cocky Javan rhinoceros who set Tai Lung free by taunting the Jade Palace's messenger.
"What happened?" Mantis asked. Master Han smiled. The weary dog waved a wooden crutch in the air.
"The last mark he left on me. Broke my left leg and sliced his way through roughly two thousand armed rhinos. If he truly is up to something, you must be very cautious. He is always one step ahead of his opponents." Master Han sighed. "Look at me. A great kung fu master reduced to a cripple."
"Your not crippled...just...disabled. Like Po with the acupuncture." Viper suggested.
"Please don't mention the acupuncture." Po groaned. "Its just painful even thinking about it."
Master Han laughed. He suddenly turned serious. "Do you remember when I let you have a secret tour of the prison?"
"Yeah, you didn't show us Tai Lung, and there was that creepy cat who kept staring at us." Mantis recalled.
"That's him." Master Han confessed. "He escaped the day after."
"Really?" Monkey's eyes grew wide. "I wish I could do that!" Tigress growled at him, hinting Monkey to keep silent.
"Does Shifu know about this?" Han inquired.
"No. He just knows that we chasing some petty criminal. Shifu doesn't know about the murder." Crane shrugged. "I told him that just before calligraphy."
"Good. Shifu would probably scold all of us, but him not knowing is for the better. He would force you to stay, and go alone." Han's voice darkened.
"What's so bad about that? Shifu is one of the greatest martial arts warriors of China." Mantis asked, perplexed at why this would be a problem.
"The assassin works alone, but he is usually hired by someone else. And Shifu is not thorough in his knowledge of foreign battle skills. He would be to slow and end up getting killed." The former master said flatly. The Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior silently agreed. There were times where even Shifu's reflexes would fall short. Such as the instance with Tai Lung.
"We will be careful. Shifu's training was not for nothing. If there's anyone prepared, it us." Tigress assured Master Hans. The grey dog didn't look so assured. Doubt was very obvious on his face. He knew something that they didn't.
"Look, we must find this criminal. We can't be afraid. We were all taught to sacrifice our lives for the safety of China." Crane declared firmly. "We will stop him, no matter what." Po nodded in agreement and Monkey clapped his hands.
Master Han sighed. "I wish I could stop you, but you're right. All Masters were taught selflessness and honor." They knew they had won the argument and stood up to leave. Monkey held open the door and closed the door behind him. Viper smiled in thanks and slithered out the door. Po walked awkwardly, trying to hide dumplings in his clothes. The Furious Five left the restaurant and headed back to the Jade Palace.
Han returned back to the kitchen. The cat was packing up his bags and nearly all the customers were gone. The dog frowned. He didn't remember hiring anyone this evening. He suspected that maybe one of his employees had done it. He spotted a bamboo staff inside the cat's bag. Very odd for someone playing the zhen. Han pushed it off, choosing to ignore it. When he had disappeared, the cat smirked. There was a dangerous glint in those oval green eyes as he strapped on a staff, pulled on a mask and dashed out the door.