Hey all! You would think that I would have gotten this done over spring break, but nope. I honestly had no idea how to get things rolling. (More A/N at the bottom)
Summary: The paths Shen took in the past seem only to lead deeper into darkness. But through the eyes of those who have woven themselves into his life, a new story unfolds-one leading away from old misery and guilt-that may yet bring him redemption. Slight AU. Chapter 14-Shen finds out about a certain someone heading toward Gongmen City. He is less than pleased about it.
Chapter 14.
Shen.
The peahen did not simply know how to hit nerves, Shen decided. She preferred to toss them on the ground and trample all over them. She was hiding something important, he knew. By all rights, he should not even continue to let her roam freely around the mansion. But Shen simply could not be bothered to do anything about her. Every time he spoke to her, Shen only came out feeling angry and even more so, utterly exhausted.
He flopped onto his back in his nest-bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was the fourth day that he was still in bed by the time noon came about.
Murder is a strong word.
His father had called it "murder" too, the night Shen had returned from the panda village.
He cared more about the pandas than for me.
The peahen acted as though it were possible for him to go back, start over. That was probably what made him feel so heavy and tired. Hope and despair were playing a game of tug-of-war in his heart. He would go back if he could—the peahen had no idea how much he would have liked to go back and start over. But then there was reality to consider, and the more he wished he could somehow fix things, the more painful it was to remember that repair was not possible. Chances had come and gone. Important words had been left unsaid. His life path no longer had any forks in it.
Even if Shen trusted the peahen enough to try and explain himself, there were too many thoughts and too few words. The story was too long and complicated, so he kept it hidden. No one would understand. No use in trying.
He sat up in a flurry of silk and feathers, groaning as he rubbed his tired eyes. There was too much idle time. Nowadays, his council took care of most of the mundane government matters, bringing him weekly reports instead of daily ones. Too much time to think.
Quickly, he changed out of his night-clothes and readied himself for the day. He had to keep moving or complacency would start to sink in, and simple complacency could ruin even the best of plans. Shen paused, admiring the workmanship of his new weapon which he kept on a table near his bedroom door. He wrapped it in a cloth, propped it up on his shoulder and made his way out of the mansion.
Shen had set up a firing range not long after his return to Gongmen City. There, he and his army would be able to experiment with different firing techniques. Some wolves were in the yard, testing out the newly produced cannons. Smoke filled the air and covered the ground in shadows, blotting out the noonday sun.
"Get a target ready," he ordered one of the wolves as he unwrapped his rifle and began preparing a shot.
"Ready!" the wolf called, and everyone around the target area scampered away to safety.
Shen flicked the fuse and lifted the rifle up in line with the target. He remembered the kick back from last time and slid his foot back to steady himself. He lit the fuse and tightened his grip, and the bullet exploded from the barrel, scuffing the top of the target. The force was so powerful that even in his stronger stance, his leg nearly buckled, and his ears rang from the sound.
"Hmm, not very good," he muttered. The shot wasn't even close to where he wanted it to go. It didn't help that the weapon had to rest on his shoulder for stability since it would be easier to aim if he could somehow align the direction of the barrel with his line of sight. Shen loaded another shot, and this time craned his neck so that he could see down the barrel. It was a bit of a strain, but when he fired, the shot was far more accurate.
With a sigh, he lowered the tip of the barrel to the ground, holding the rifle in the crook of his arm. Normally, he would relish the idea of refining his weaponry, but today, his mind refused to settle.
There was something off about his last conversation with the peahen—some little idea nagging in his head, but he couldn't place the exact thought. Curse her and her ability to throw him so off track. Not to mention, she was unnervingly earnest about everything. What sort of person could look you directly in the eye and make you want to believe everything they said?
He scoffed quietly as he stuffed the barrel with gunpowder again. Such a level of honesty was impossible in reality. No matter how trustworthy a person appeared to be, everyone was a liar in the end. Everyone would betray someone. No one could ever be truly good.
Shen fired another shot. That one was even closer to its mark. This is what progress looks like, he thought, examining his weapon. Everyone else is too blind to realize it. Shen found himself wondering if there were any paths he could have taken in the past that would have led him to a drastically different future. I followed my heart. This is what I get for not bowing to the rules of the game. This is what I get for choosing not to be a pawn of fate.
When he thought back on his life, he could not imagine doing anything differently. When he had first proposed using gunpowder for the cannons, his parents and advisors had all reacted with varied levels of apprehension and concern. They were only able to see my ideas being used for evil, not the power and prosperity they would bring to all of China. The thought made him clench the rifle a little harder. But isn't that all they ever saw in me? No matter what I did, they twisted it around in their heads and made me the wicked one. Murder, they called it…I did what I had to do!
"Lord Shen!"
Shen turned around to the source of the voice. The Wolf Boss looked like he had sprinted all the way to the firing range.
"I'm a bit busy right now," Shen said, readying yet another shot.
The wolf paused to catch his breath. "Trust me, you're going to want to hear this," he insisted.
Shen ignored him, raising the gun to aim again. How important could this possibly be? he thought as he fired another shot. He realized the Wolf Boss had been trying to speak, but his voice had been blocked out by the explosion. Shen stared at the wolf expectantly. It was his fault for speaking out of turn.
"Did you hear me? I got news from the Valley of Peace that they've seen the panda!" Lang shouted.
Shen nearly dropped the rifle, and he whipped his head around, fanning the smoke away with his tail as he lunged toward Lang. "You what?"
"Yeah, I thought you'd be interested," the wolf muttered.
"Don't give me your sass! When did this happen? Are you sure it is the panda?" Shen snapped.
"Oh yeah, it's definitely him. A whole platoon of the wolves I have stationed there just got their hindquarters whipped by a—oh how did it go—'a big, chubby panda who was a master at kung fu and made his own sound effects.' Unless there are other kung fu pandas hiding away in China, I'm pretty sure this is your guy," Lang said.
Shen turned around, not caring that the Wolf Boss had to leap away to avoid his sweeping train. "But that's…that's impossible. I killed him." He felt his heart speeding up, something akin to panic rising in his chest.
"Obviously he survived," Lang said in an even tone. "Do you want to hear the detailed report?"
Calm yourself. Yes, details. There has obviously been a mistake. He steadied himself before replying just as calmly, "Yes, I would. Let's speak in the factory."
The Wolf Boss brought Shen to a nervous, haggard young wolf who was panting heavily, his fur disheveled. "Alright, Xun, tell Lord Shen what happened."
"I was on guard duty, m'lord, patrolling the streets in the Valley," Xun said through heavy breaths. "Someone howled an alarm in the central road and we all rushed to see what it was. And there was a panda, sir! He was already beating up all the other wolves who tried to stop him. There was someone else with him too helping him fight—a red panda."
"You're absolutely sure of this?" Shen asked in a low voice.
"Yes, m'lord! Positive. No mistaking it," Xun said. "Big and black and white. He bowled right through us. The red panda guy was really, really good at fighting too. They jumped on a boat and sailed away."
"And you all did nothing? You let him get away?" Shen was seething.
Xun trembled, and Lang interrupted, "Sir, they had been planning the escape for a while, I think. According to what Xun told me, every boat stationed in the harbor set sail all at the same time. It took a while for my wolves to regroup and give chase. Who knows what the panda is up to, but Xun ran for days over land to try and get the message to Gongmen."
Shen was silent, glaring hard at the table. "The panda is alive…" So long as the warrior of black and white still existed, Shen was still threatened. He had already tried multiple times to rid himself of this menace, and yet it somehow kept coming back to him, again and again. The thought made him tremble, and he hated himself for it. I have come so far. There is no way I will lose to a single, stinking panda.
Then another thought struck him. It was obvious that the panda's escape from the Valley of Peace had been carefully premeditated. Not to mention, the Grand Master Shifu was with him, from the sound of the young wolf's account. The fact that they were making a move could mean only one thing: they intended to free the kung fu masters he had taken as hostages for the duration of his campaign.
How long must they have been plotting? How many precautions had they taken?
I'm here to spy on you.
The peahen's voice sounded in his mind, sudden and clear. Shen perked up. Xiang Min, no longer affiliated with her family for gods knew how long, a peahen who appeared out of nowhere, right during the time of political instability. Xiang Min who worked for "no one," who always had something to hide. The pieces began clicking into place at last. It can't be…
Shen stood up suddenly, knocking over the chair as he raced out the door. "Get me a carriage!" he commanded, and the gorillas and wolves tripped over themselves to get a transport ready for him. A couple wolves hitched themselves up to a cart, and Shen leaped in. "Take me back to the mansion. MOVE!" They sprinted forward, hurrying up the streets.
The peahen was reading a book in her room when he found her. She looked up in surprise when he burst into her room.
"You might have knocked," she said with her usual audacity.
"As I recall, we weren't finished with our conversation of a few days ago," Shen said.
Her expression tightened slightly—she was on the defensive now. "In fact, I don't remember you answering my question either. You are here to spy, you said. But for whom? You revealed that it isn't your family, unless you are far more skilled at lying than I thought. Somehow I doubt that."
"You know I would never tell you. You may as well kill me for all the good it'll do," she said, though she watched him warily.
"Oh quite right," he said, nodding. "But I thought you might like to know, I just heard the most interesting rumor from the Valley of Peace."
"The where?" the peahen asked. Her face was a blank slate, but at this point, Shen already knew that meant she had something to hide.
"You've never heard of it? It only happens to be the place where kung fu was founded and the home of the greatest masters who ever studied the arts," Shen said, leaning against the doorframe nonchalantly.
"Is that so?" she said, picking her book up again.
"You're not interested?"
"I don't deal in gossip."
"Have it your way, then. I simply thought you'd perhaps like to know that I've gotten news of a panda who is on his way to Gongmen City from the Valley," he said.
She looked up sharply, eyes wide in shock. "A panda?" she murmured.
A wicked smile broke on Shen's face. "Yes, the ones you were so interested in for some strange reason. Aren't you glad to know I haven't murdered them all? It's too bad that this particular panda is my greatest obstacle, and I'll have to have him removed. Not to mention, I've also heard the Grand Master is on his way as well. I really did not want it to have to come to this, but I think I might have to execute the Kung Fu Masters after all."
The peahen's face grew increasingly ashen as he spoke, her guard dropping, and the smile immediately fell from his face with that confirmation. In a swift movement, he grabbed her by the throat and pinned her against the headboard.
"So. You. Knew," he snarled, feeling his anger boiling inside him.
"Shen, don't do this," she said, straining to breathe with his hand pressed against her neck. "You don't have to do this."
"Be silent," Shen snapped. "Don't think I plan to kill you just yet. Oh no. You get to be a personal guest at their execution. And do you know what? I think, just before I kill them, I'll tell them you betrayed them and the entire Valley of Peace with your botched rescue plan. I'll tell them they're dying because of you. And after that, once they hate you for your betrayal, you can watch. Them. Die. Do you know why you get this special treatment? DO YOU?" he screamed at her, slamming her head on the backboard.
"Stopstopstopstop, please. You don't have to do this, you don't have to do this," she gasped.
"Because you lied. And you lied in the worst way possible. Trying to be the noble one, hmm? Trying to act like you cared? Out of all the liars I've ever met, you are the worst, because you almost made me believe you."
"That wasn't a lie. I do care. I swear it! Please stop this!"
Shen pulled her forward and shoved her to the floor. "I don't want to hear you speak, you self-righteous, hypocritical insect. Dogs! Take her away!" he shouted and wolves appeared immediately at the door and dragged the peahen to her feet.
"It's not too late for you, Shen. Please! You don't have to stay on this path. Let me help you! You don't have to go through with this! You have a choice. You've always had a choice!" Her voice grew fainter as the wolves pulled her away.
Shen quivered with his mounting rage. He had been right again. Everyone was just a liar in the end. Even earnest Min was nothing but a filthy little liar. You're all the more a fool for almost believing in her—all the more a fool for daring to have faith in second chances.
"There is only one path for me now," he muttered to himself. Then he strode into the hallway.
"Guards, get yourselves ready. Find Lang! Tonight, I am making a statement! Tonight, the world will find out what the future looks like! I will exterminate the old ways in a blaze of fire, and a new way of life will rise from the ashes. Tonight, I will show everyone the way kung fu dies! The Year of the Peacock has begun! HAPPY! NEW! YEAR!"
Yeah, Shen was always meant to flip his shit when he realizes Min was in cahoots with the Dragon Warrior the whole time. But I didn't really expect him to go quite this batshit. Still, he's a stressed out guy with trust issues. Can't really blame him too much.
So! The reason I am posting stuff at the bottom this time is because we have started the climax! Because I'm slow and because I really don't want to have a huge time separation between the two halves of the climax, I'm going to write both of them and post them at the same time. As a result, it'll take a bit longer for the next update. Still, I hope it's exciting! I'm excited.
If you have any vested interest in the story whatsoever, please leave a review because I write a lot faster when people give me reviews! More reviews = more motivation = more writing!