Chapter 10 is ready to go! I got to tell you, I posted chapter 9 last time and three hours after I posted it I had 8 reviews, and 600 views! Wow! Keep them coming guys! Enjoy the read!

Chapter 10

An Alliance

On a Ship making its way to the Northern Mountains that night…

Tigress was leaning up against the railing off the side of the ship. The moon was out as they made their way down the river. Normally by this time she should be catching some sleep with the others, but she was too worked up to sleep. Water had that effect on her sometimes…it wasn't that she was afraid of water; it just made her incredibly uncomfortable. As she gazed down at the water beneath her Po's face appeared to her. He Jade eyes staring back at her with his cheerful smile aimed her way. She couldn't help but smile, as she remembered the time she was…well to be honest…she was downright spying on the panda, as he was training in the Bamboo forest. He was about to fall from a high branch that broke and she had tried to keep him from breaking his neck, but they both wounded up in the river. Tigress had panicked and it turned out Po was the one who ended up saving her!…he never even asked for so much a thank you, he only asked her to remain quiet about him being there, and since that day he never brought it up to her, not once.

Tigress pulled out the action figure of Po and looked at it for a moment as the sound of his cheerful laugh rang through her head forcing her to crack another smile. "Once I'm through with this mission, I'll finally get to see him again…Now…I just have to convince Monkey…" Just then Tigress heard a voice from behind her. "Tigress? What are you doing up here?" Tigress turned to see Monkey was approaching her as she quickly pocketed her action figure. "N-Nothing…Just uh… Looking at the stars…" Monkey looked up and saw that it was pretty cloudy out tonight the moon just barely visible through the clouds. "I don't see any stars…" Monkey said as he raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Tigress sighed as she mumbled "Fine…I couldn't sleep…" Monkey walked up beside her, saying "Let me guess, the Rhinos were keeping you up right? That's why I'm up here; the guy next to me kept talking in his sleep." Tigress nodded her head saying "Right…the rhinos…Too much snoring for my taste, so I decided to come up for some air…" Tigress lied, as Monkey leaned over the railing alongside her.

For a moment neither of the two said anything as they looked out over the water. "Well…I guess now's as good a time as any…" Tigress decided as she said "Say, Monkey…There's something I want to ask you…" Monkey then turned to Tigress and said "Sure Tigress, what's up?" Tigress was silent for a moment, then she finally said "It's just…after we get through with this mission…I want to make a bit of a detour before we head back to the Jade Palace." Monkey raised an eyebrow in question. "What kind of a detour Tigress? as the primate was now facing her. Tigress sighed as she continued to stare out over the water. "I want…I want to go and visit Po…" She then turned to Monkey who was about to open his mouth when she stopped him. "Just hear me out! We're already heading north and Po's aunt is to the northwest. According to Mr. Ping it would be no more than a two or three day journey to get there from the Northern Mountains. We'll already be so close, it would be a waste to not go and see him! Come on Monkey, don't you miss him too!?"

Monkey was silent for a moment and for a while Tigress actually thought he would say no. until the Primate grew a sick grin. "Of course I miss Po Tigress, but…I guess not nearly as much as you it seems." as Monkey raised both his eyebrows a bit making Tigress blush in embarrassment. "Well...it's just…I…It just seems like a real waste not to bother visiting is all!" Monkey just rolled his eyes saying "Sure it is Tigress, whatever you say." As the primate chuckled a bit making Tigress growl in frustration. Monkey then said as he turned his attention back to the water. "Just one problem though…have you thought about what to tell Shifu if he were to learn about us not returning home with the guards? I can't imagine he would be too happy with us." Tigress had thought of that though as she said. "Once we're done with the mission, we can send the guards home and write to Shifu telling him we're only going to stay behind for a few days to make sure things are still okay in the village. That will give us enough time to get to Po, visit him for the day, and get back in time to catch another ship back to the Valley."

Monkey looked over at her then and asked. "Just how long have you been planning this detour anyway?" Tigress then grumbled "Since I started packing for the mission. Monkey just chuckled "Heh heh, Po sure is a lucky guy." Monkey said as Tigress raised her voice "What do you mean?" Monkey then looked at her in confusion. "You mean you never told him?" Tigress raised an eyebrow. "Told him what?" Monkey then began to back pedal "Oh uh nothing, nothing, never mind! Yeah let's do it! Let's go visit Po after the mission!" Tigress smiled as she nodded her head and returned her attention to the water as Monkey gave a sigh of relief. "That was close…"Monkey thought to himself, as the two continued to stare at the water in silence.

Back in the Northern Mountains Village…

The Dragon Warrior was running across the rooftops of the mountain village as the moon was now hidden behind some clouds, casting a rather ominous darkness. Po was still able to see well enough thanks to the houses that lined the streets, with a few still lit lanterns hanging in the window sills. After Brycen had sent the younger bears to bed, Po made it look like he was meditating, like he was supposed to be doing every night before bed now to help keep the dreams away. But what he really ended up doing was waiting for Jing to start snoring. Once Po was confident Jing was asleep Po stuffed his pack and a few clothes under his covers with his black tunic showing just up under the edge of the covers incase Brycen checked in on him to make sure he was sleeping during the night. After Po made sure he could hear his master snoring in his room Po quietly snuck out of the house and ran right for the village, donning his Dragon Tunic along the way

His Plan was simple, find a few bandits causing trouble and follow them back to their hideout. Once he knew the location he just needed to deliver it to Ming. Piece of moon cake. Assuming she didn't run him out of town until after he gave her the location of course. Hopefully if the bandits robbed someone tonight, the poor soul would just give them some money and be on his way home. Po felt guilty about allowing someone to be mugged, but if he was going to find out the location of the Bandit hideout he would need to follow some back to it. According to what he overheard Ming saying to Brycen, these guys wouldn't talk easily so interrogation was out of the question…plus…he was pretty sure he couldn't pull it off anyway. As he came to the center of the village Po came to a stop and heaved a heavy sigh.

He had been running around the village for over an hour now, and during that time he hadn't come across a single bandit…Come to think of it, he still hadn't run into Ming either. "Maybe since Brycen wouldn't join her tonight, she decided to stay home and take care of herself." Po thought as he leaped across a gap between two roofs. Talk about wishful thinking. As Po finished the thought he began to hear sounds of a struggle happening nearby. As he ran to the nearest Rooftop he heard someone cry out "HYAAAH!" as a low thud was heard right after that, like someone had just got thrown up against the wall. As Po peered over the ledge he saw Ming surrounded by five boar bandits as she was holding her now bleeding left arm. Immediately Po recognized it as the same arm she had wrapped up earlier that day. She was hurt and those bandits were closing in. Po looked to the left and saw one of the Bandits was out cold. As Po turned his attention back to Ming one of the Bandits said "You're gonna pay for getting in our way again Leopard!" as the group continued to close in on her. "You were foolish to try and stop us alone yet again!" another bandit taunted as a third said "You know, I bet her Master isn't even around! None of the other boys have run into him yet!" Ming let out a low growl, as a fourth bandit taunted "Oh is the little kitty upset that her big bad Master left her all alone!?" as the Bandits began to all laugh at her while Ming roared "You filthy scum! Don't you dare talk bad about Master Kai!" The final bandit laughed again saying "And just what are you gonna do about it MASTER Ming!? You're all alone out here, and no one is going to be coming to help you!" "Don't be so sure of that!" came a low voice from above.

All six figures looked up to see the Dragon Warrior standing up on the ledge overhead, as The Dragon Warrior leaped off the roof and hurled to the ground, aiming straight for in front of Ming. "Oh man, not again! It's the Dragon Warrior!" a Bandit cried out. As he landed, The Dragon Warrior immediately jumped up and delivered a spin kick sending the first bandit rolling into a few barrels as he quickly rushed for the next Bandit. Taking advantage of the Dragon Warrior's momentary distraction, Ming turned on the bandit behind her and with her good arm began punching and kicking at the bandit who was too shocked to start defending himself on time. After Ming had knocked the Bandit out she turned to see the Dragon Warrior fighting two bandits at once while a third was frozen in fear as he watched his comrades get pummeled. Ming, despite having told this red moron to never come back, was actually really glad he didn't listen. She was in a tight spot back there and would have taken help from anyone at that point. Even the Dragon Warrior's… As Ming watched the Dragon Warrior counter a sword slash, and throw the bandit right into his partner, she watched as the two toppled to the ground. The Dragon Warrior then walked up, and delivered a punch to the second bandits face resulting in both bandits to fall unconscious.

The Dragon Warrior then turned and looked at the final Bandit who had remained frozen this entire time. As the two looked at each other the Bandit slowly began to move away along the side of the wall as Ming watched on completely dumbfounded. "What is he doing!? Is he gonna just let him leave!? I knew I couldn't trust this guy!" as Ming began to rush after the bandit she was met with the Dragon Warrior grabbing her by her good arm and throwing her up against the wall while he pinned her there clasping his hand around her Mouth. "MMPH!?" the Leopard screamed as the Hooded figure held her in place as he whispered "Shhh…If you make that much noise he'll hear us following him! Now for crying out loud Ming, shut up and follow me!" as the Dragon Warrior removed his hand and began climbing up to the nearest rooftop. "Follow him!? Follow him where? Is he crazy-...!... Of course! He wants that lowlife to lead us straight to their hideout!" As Ming leaped up the wall, using her good hand to get a good grip, she scaled the building making it to the top, as she raced after the Dragon Warrior. "And I thought he was actually crazy…no…come to think of it, I still can't rule that out." as Ming followed the red figure into the Night.

As Po ran along the roofs he kept glancing over the edge making sure he didn't lose sight of the bandit they were chasing, while also making sure Ming was right behind him. He thought for sure once he pinned her against that wall she was going to end up killing him. As he glanced behind him he saw that Ming was glaring daggers at his back keeping her eyes glued on him while they followed the terrified bandit along the rooftops in silence.

After about 10 minutes Po came to a stop as he crouched along the roofs edge and peered out over the top of it as Ming crouched down next to him as they watched the boar bandit pound away furiously at a door to an abandoned storehouse. "Well, looks like he lead us right to their base of operations Ming." The Dragon Warrior announced as Ming just scoffed "Don't count your dumplings yet Dragon Warrior, we still can't be-" But at that moment the door opened and they overheard a Croc ask the boar "What do you think you're doing!? You'll let the entire village know where we are you idiot!" as the Boar was panicking "Just let me in already! Before that Dragon Warrior maniac shows up again!" The Croc then raised an eyebrow "Dragon Warrior? What's he doing in this area? I thought that Master Ming was the only one around?" The Boar just pushed his way through the door saying "I'm telling you that red and green Lunatic is out there! He took out three of our guys like it was nothing I was the only one who got away!" and with that the door closed and Po released a sigh. "NOW, it looks like we found out where they're hiding out."

As Po looked to his left he saw Ming looking out over the ledge at the building, eying it up carefully, when Po said "Don't even think about it!" Ming looked over at him and asked "Think about what?" Po then said "About charging in there trying to bust the place." Po then indicated her still bleeding arm. "You're in no shape for it tonight." Po then glanced out at the storehouse saying "Besides, we have no way of telling just how many bandits are inside that place…it would be suicide going in there by ourselves." Ming heaved a sigh as she sat down and leaned against the ledge. She hated to admit it, but the Dragon Warrior had a point...okay he had a few points. As Ming looked at her arm for a moment. Po was looking at her arm as well, when he said "Wait here…I'll be right back." Before Ming could object though Po was gone and she was alone.

A few minutes later the Dragon Warrior returned with a bed sheet of all things and began tearing it into strips of cloth. Ming was staring at him accusingly. "Did you just steal a person's laundry!?" The Dragon warrior knelt down beside her as he began to bandage her still bleeding arm saying "Relax, I left enough coins for them to buy four more. Now hold still!" as the Dragon Warrior continued wrapping her arm up in multiple layers so that the blood wouldn't see through. After a moment of silence and the Dragon Warrior finished, Ming uttered "Thank you…" the Dragon warrior just shook his head no saying "Don't thank me, it was the people four houses down who left the sheet out." Ming just chuckled saying "I meant for having my back tonight…What made you come back?" she asked as The Dragon warrior looked away from her a moment before he said "I never left…" Ming was surprised to hear that but nonetheless she was grateful.

There was a question she wanted to ask him though. "So why do you do this?" she asked indicating his hood. The Dragon Warrior stood up with his back to her and as the moon came out from behind the clouds she was able to get a good look at the Jade Dragon on his back. "To be completely honest…it was a total accident…but…it later became something more… The first time was an accident but after that…I kept this up so that I could help out a friend…But if that friend found out who was really under this hood…well…I don't know what would happen. And another thing…" as the Dragon Warrior turned back to face her, his Jade green eyes shining in the moonlight. "Sometimes you Kung Fu Masters just need a little extra help from time to time."

Ming bowed her head saying "There is some truth in that at least…Okay…So we aren't going to bust them tonight…Then how about in two nights time? I just received word a little while ago that two Masters from the south are to be arriving just before sunset in two days. They're supposed to be bringing a few guards with them, plus it will give me a chance to rest up and properly patch myself up." She then turned to the Dragon Warrior and asked "Can I count on your help Dragon Warrior?" Po crossed his arms asking "Are you actually asking for my help this time?" Ming nodded her head yes saying "I am…Look…I was suspicious of you at first, but you cannot fault me for that! You hide your face for crying out loud…but this is the second time you had my back…and to be honest, I will take any help I can get…so what do you say? Will you help me restore order to my village?" The Dragon Warrior seemed to be pondering this for a moment, then he asked "And these two Kung Fu masters? Will they be as understanding of me?" Ming stood up then and said "I shall vouch for you if you agree to follow my orders; this is my village after all, so if you do as I say then you will have nothing to worry about…you have my word." At this Ming held out her paw and waited for the Dragon Warrior to take it.

After hesitating for a moment the Dragon Warrior stepped forward saying "Like I told you before,your town, your rules...Alright Ming…you got yourself some Dragon Warrior back up." And the two shook on it "Very good, in two nights, meet me at the Village center above the Inn and we will begin by making a plan of action with the other Masters." Po nodded his head saying "Fine, See ya in a few days then." And with that the Dragon Warrior began running along the rooftops into the night, leaving Ming behind, as she began heading in the direction of the Iron Temple. For the first time since the Festival, she felt like things were finally starting to look up for her as she made her way across the rooftops.

That's chapter 10. Nothing too exciting but at least Ming had agreed to work with the Dragon Warrior. I wonder how Tigress and Monkey will react to seeing him in the Mountains though? Also Is Po gonna be able to keep his Master in the Dark? Sorry to say it but the next chapter might be a day or two before I get to post it. Getting a bit busy over here on my end. But don't worry, I should definitely have the next chapter up by Monday for sure...my time of course.