Operation: Get Together-POSTPONED!

"Okay, what's the next step," Vick asked after the next day.

"I...have no idea," Zan stated. Everyone groaned. "Hey, I'm surprised we got this far! I keep making this up as I go. How about this? We just let things settle down for a while."

"Good, then let's go over to Mr. Kia's," Ruby said excitedly. They all went into the little old pig's metal shop. "Mr. Kia!"

"Oh, 'ello Mrs. Ruby! How are you all going this fine morning," The little pig greeted.

"We're fine Mr. Kia. What do you have for us to do," Zan asked.

"Well, today nothing, little sprite. Today's a slow day, but you can play around the metal scraps that are around here. Just be careful now," Mr. Kia said. They kids looked around trying to find what they could use.

"Hey look! I found a vase," Aang said triumphantly.

"It's pronounced 'VAUUsse'" Zang spelled.

"It's a cheap thing is what it is," Vick retorted. "Try and find something else." They continued to rummage around.

"Hey here's something," Zan said producing a round thin metal disk. "And these will do nicely. And this. And this." He now had two thin metal disks and two metal poles. "And these will do nicely." He grabbed some small beads on strings.

"What can you do with those," Vick asked.

"Not what we can do. What we can make," Zan said giving him his confident smile. "Come on, let's go to Mr. Shin's place. He has some stuff I need. O and Vick stay here with Mr. Kia and ask him to make these poles like stands." With that, the group went their different ways. Mr. Shin ran a carpentry place. He added wooden horses to the playground. The duck could make pretty much anything with wood. "Mr. Shin," Zan said as they ran in.

"Hello Zan, what's up," The duck asked.

"I was wondering if you could make some drums but different." Everyone stared at Zan in confusion.

"Different how?"

"Well, I need a small short drum, a tall big drum, and two drum similar to each other but one is a little bigger," Zan explained. "I'll help with it. Aang and Zang go back to the metal shop and make sure the guys make some stands that these drums can stand above the ground." Confused as ever, the twins set off.

"What are you thinking about," Ai asked.

"Just watch," Zan smiled. It took awhile for all the parts to come together. The metal disks, stands, wooden pairs of drums all came together at the Gardner's Lake where the kids dug up some dinosaur bones. "Now, put all these things together. Put the drums up first in a half circle, put the bass drum back there, and put the disks on the stands. Oh, and put the metal beads underneath the small drum." Soon the things were set. "Now, watch this. Rather, hear this." Zan started out simple but then the beats of his drums and metal disks began to become complex. The others were amazed at what Zan could do. His feathers moved fast as he beat out the rhythm. His hands were a blur. As he moved from drum to drum, his spiky back head feathers danced around. Then he finished.

"Zan, that was amazing," Ai marveled.

"Where did you learn to do that," Vick asked.

"No where," Zan shrugged. "I just thought that it would be nice to see two completely different things go together. These are all just experiments. Some of the drums need more tuning and the cymbals need to be bent a bit differently and-" Ai stopped his criticizing finger. She smiled.

"It was great," she said. Zan smiled back. Then he made his cocky smirk. "Oh no."

"What? I just going to say that smarts are something that should be recognized," Zan replied. Ai playfully pushed him off his seat. "Ow! That hurt."

"Oh quit being a crybaby, Princey," Ai smirked. Zan grumbled at the use of his nickname.

"You know, I don't like the idea of us using his title loosely like that," Vick said worriedly.

"Oh come on, Vick," Aang said. "It's not like someone's going to kid-"

"SHHH!" Zang hushed his brother, "don't say that out loud! It might come true."

"Anyways, this new way of using the drum is pretty great Zan. I wouldn't have come up with something like this," O said. Zan was quiet for awhile. "You're trying to figure out what to do for Tigress and Po still?"

"I don't know what to do," Zan sighed. Ai rested her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure that something will pop up," Ai replied. "I guess we should get back to our houses. It's getting late."

"O, Vic, can you get these drums and cymbals back to Mr. Kia," Zan asked. And so they did, and Zan flew up back to the Jade Palace where Master Shifu was waiting for him. "Hello Master Shifu, is something wrong?"

"Well, not really but I do need to talk to you," Shifu said as they walked into the courtyard. "Zan, your kingdom is in a lot of peril and mayhem right now. They need a leader. You need to be focused on becoming a leader. So I'm saying-"

"You want me to halt on operation 'Get Together' so I will become a better leader," Zan finished.

"I understand if this upsets you, but we need your skills now more than ever. You will still be able to interact with your friends, but worrying on Tigress and Po takes too much of our time," Shifu sighed.

"It's fine. I didn't know what to do next anyway," Zan said just a little defeated and sad. Shifu laid his hand on his shoulder and offered a smile.

"I am sorry, Zan," Shifu apologized.

"It's fine, really," Zan replied as they went out of the Hall of Heroes. They walked into the kitchen when Po, Tigress, and the rest of the Furious Five were there. They saw Zan with his defeated face.

"What's wrong, Zan," Tigress asked.

"Nothing, Master Shifu was just talking to me," Zan sighed. "Operation: Get Together is on hold for right now. I have to focus on my princely duties." Everyone that knew about the operation gasped and were disappointed. Tigress and Po, of course, did not know what the operation was.

"What's Operation: Get Together," Po asked. Everyone eyeballed each other, but Zan was the only one prepared.

"It was an operation to get Song and Qiang eventually married, but I'm going to have to pause on that," Zan said sadly.

"I'm sure they'll be okay," Po offered with a smile. Zan huffed in sadness as he got his dinner.

"Uncle Po, I don't want to see these two just split after all my hard work," Zan replied.

"So you're just going to let him give up," Mantis asked Master Shifu, but Zan answered.

"I'm not giving up, Master Mantis. I'm just taking a break," Zan said as he ate his dinner.

"Zan, I'm been meaning to ask you something," Po asked. "Why is it that you call everyone else 'master' but you call Tigress and I Uncle and Aunty?" This would be a question he would later regret.

"Oh, I just always saw you two being together. You're really close to each other so I call you Uncle and Aunty," Zan confessed. Tigress and Po looked at each other with embarrassed faces.

"Zan...Po and I are just friends, partners even," Tigress replied. Zan shrugged as he finished his dinner.

"I call them by how I see them," He said getting up and going to bed. Tigress and Po were now awkward with each other as they looked at their fellow comrades and master who had smug faces.

"I need to go," They both said exiting the room in a flash. After they were gone, Mantis spoke.

"Taking. A break. My. Foot." Everyone laughed.

to be continued.