A Sense of Purpose

Chapter 8: House of cards

The sound of a gong made Tai Lung groan. Morning gong. Night shift leaves, morning shift arrives. Likely that stupid guy who won't stop talking about his digestion. Urgh.

"Wha' was 'at?" somebody behind him mumbled, making him frown.

That's not one of the guards... and no guard wouldn't recognize the sound of the gong. The snow leopard yawned, then froze. I can move! His eyes flew wide open. I CAN SEE! I'M... not in Chor Ghom? No, wait... of course not. Broke out there long ago. But then... "Where... am I?" Getting up - even just to his hands and knees - took more effort than his first steps after decades in the metal turtle shell.

Tai Lung squinted and took a slow look around. Everything was wrong, somehow. The sun was way too bright, the room wasn't holding still like it was supposed to, and the Furious Five were- He froze when he noticed the unconscious Kung Fu Masters lying around him. I slept in a room... with them? But... He frowned lightly and gave the room another once-over. Right. This is my room in the Jade Palace. No. Wait. Welcome to the present! I don't have a room here! But it's one just like it. A room for students... the one we... we... the one we had a big party in. And now everybody is pretty much unconscious. "Crap." Can this get any worse?

"Ohhhhh, my head..." It was the voice he had heard before, and Tai Lung finally realized that it belonged to Po. The panda slowly sat up and held his head.

This might be awkward, he thought, waiting for Po to finally notice the formerly banished student kneeling in the middle of the unconscious Furious Five.

"Man... this is worse than Lantern Festival last year... at least then, I wasn't woken up to the sound of some gong..."

Gong, Tai Lung silently repeated and blinked. Gong... "Gong!" he finally yelped when his mind had pieced together the situation.

Po abruptly looked up at him, and Tai Lung could see his eyes widening. "Tai Lung!"

"Morning gong!" the snow leopard snapped and frantically gestured at the door. "We-... I mean... you got to be up and running in a minute!" And I need to disappear before Master Shifu realizes I spent the night here!

"What are you- How did- What-" Po took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. "Ghhh... headache..."

"Wake up the others!" Tai Lung hissed and crawled over to the closest of the Furious Five. Just wake them up and climb through the window once they're getting ready. No biggie, I've done this before. Sort of. Okay, usually I had to sneak back into my room in the morning. He allowed himself a brief smile before focusing on the task at hand again. The Kung Fu warrior in front of him was Master Viper, and Tai Lung frowned lightly. How do you wake up a snake? I mean, I can't exactly shake her shoulders, can I? He lightly poked her head, resisting the urge to pick her up. Didn't she have poison fangs? And heck, even without them, the last time I let her come close, she used my own arm to punch me! "Psssst, Viper... wakey, wakey..."

"Mhhhhh..." The snake coiled up in slow motion. "Wha' is it, father...?"

Aw, how adorable. She thinks I'm her dad. "You got drunk last night, my dear" he whispered after leaning in closer. "Oh, and Master Shifu will expect you to be awake and sober in half a minute."

Viper frowned lightly as the message made its way into her head. Then, a few seconds later, he eyes flew wide open. "Master Shifu! Wha- When- Is it already- Morning gong?" Before she could settle on a question to ask first, her head hit the floor again. "Ohhhhhhhhh... I don't feel so great..."

The general sentiment was apparently shared by the other warriors, as he could see from their expressions. Po had woken them up faster - and with slightly less care - than Tai Lung had woken up Viper, and now the five fighters were struggling to get to their feet - or in Viper's case, to at least get her head off the ground.

Satisfied that Master Shifu at least wouldn't walk into a room full of sleeping students, he tiptoed to the window. "Okay, you guys take care, and I'll-"

"And you'll do what?"

Tai Lung froze, his hand just inches away from his exit. "And I'll... see where our dearest Master Shifu is, because he seems to be late...?" He laughed sheepishly and turned around to face the red panda standing in the door.

"I'm never late," Master Shifu pointed out quietly, and Tai Lung couldn't quite figure out whether his Master was amused or completely pissed off. "Then again, my prized students also never failed to greet their Master in the corridor after the morning gong rang." He gave each of the Furious Five a look - Tai Lung noted that he apparently hadn't included Po in that remark - before focusing his attention on the snow leopard again. "Tai Lung, follow me. The rest of you will be on the courtyard in ten minutes. We will do a short walk before breakfast."

Ignoring the quiet groans of the others, Tai Lung followed his Master with a frown. One of the few things he definitely hadn't missed during his twenty years away from the Jade Palace had been Master Shifu lecturing him about mistakes. And back then, I had been his most valued student and the future Dragon Warrior. Who knows what will happen after all that I did? He froze. Will he throw me out?

"Sit down," the red panda said quietly once they reached a large bench at the edge of the courtyard. Only when his student was seated did he sit down next to him. "I have to say that I'm deeply disappointed by you, Tai Lung."

The feline sighed loudly. "I know I'm not allowed to spend my nights here, but it was just-"

"Who is talking about you sleeping here or there?" Shifu suddenly hissed, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gave him a glare. "You dragged my model students into some sort of drinking binge!"

"I dragged... wha?" Tai Lung blinked. "Wait, you think that this was my idea?"

"Are you trying to tell me that it was not?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's what I'm trying to tell you. They were celebrating Tigress passing the test and only invited me later on." When he noticed his Master's look, he sighed. "Yes, the alcohol had been there before I arrived. I didn't ask who got it, or from where."

Master Shifu obviously wasn't convinced yet. "I will verify this later. Mostly because I have some trouble believing that they so readily invited you..." He quickly held up his hand to cut off any protest. "Don't get me wrong! It would be very nice if they did, but until yesterday, at least Tigress openly hated you."

"Well, she kinda owes me for-" Tai Lung quickly closed his mouth again. Should I tell him that I helped Tigress? What if he decides that Tigress didn't actually pass the test because I was the one who did all the heavy lifting?

"Hm." The red panda narrowed his eyes and looked straight at him. "You helped her."

A gulp. "...yes," he finally whispered.

For long seconds, neither of them spoke a word. Finally, his old Master smiled. "Good, it's about time you learned that lesson." When Tai Lung let out a loud sigh of relief, he chuckled. "You thought that I'd throw her out because she didn't get the important idea herself, didn't you?"

"The thought may have crossed my mind," the snow leopard replied with a smirk.

"She's a lot like you, you know?" Master Shifu suddenly remarked, watching the clouds above them. "So much potential... so much strength... Not as much as you got, but it's promising."

Where did that come from? Shifu's rarely been one to start an actual conversation unless it had a deeper purpose. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," Tai Lung whispered and leaned back, closing his eyes. Might as well play along, though.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

All of a sudden, Tai Lung felt like a fellow teacher instead of a student. "She's holding back."

"I trained her to use her strength in a different way than you do," Master Shifu replied, unable to keep a slight edge out of his voice.

"You taught me Tiger style. I know how it focuses power into quick bursts." He opened his eyes again and looked up at his Master. "And I'm telling you that she's holding back. Big time."

"So you think she is stronger than you?"

"...maybe," he finally replied after a long pause. "She hasn't learned how to actually use her full strength, so in most situations, I'd be ahead of her. But... you know that nerve strike you taught me?"

Tai Lung didn't have to open his eyes to know that his Master was giving him a glare. "You mean the one you used on my students?"

"She resisted it." He let that one sink in for a few moments. "I hit her with pinpoint precision, she wasn't able to move a muscle... but she stayed conscious. Took another hit just to knock her out." He opened his eyes again to look at his Master. "You should train her."

"I already do," Master Shifu replied, not quite meeting his eyes.

The snow leopard smirked. "You know what I mean. The sole reason I'm here right now is that you didn't teach her any of the secret arts." When his Master didn't answer, he blinked. "You're holding her back on purpose, aren't you?"

"I have my reasons." Master Shifu's tiny hands gripped his bamboo flute tightly. It was barely noticeable, but Tai Lung had learned to pay attention to body language.

He cocked his head. "I could've sworn you trusted her, old m-"

The flute hit his throat just hard enough to make him cough frantically. "I trust Tigress with my life!" Master Shifu hissed into his ear even while he was recovering from the sudden attack.

"Gah..." He coughed again and rubbed his throat. "Totally forgot how much pain that flute can cause," he muttered more to himself than to his Master before looking up at him. "And you know, there once was a time when you said the same about-" He froze. -me. Tai Lung quickly lowered his eyes, preparing himself for the blow he fully deserved. That one was way over the line, idiot! Way to tear open old wounds and to suggest that she would abuse his trust... the way I did...

However, his punishment never came. Instead, Master Shifu just let out a deep, sad sigh. "Tai Lung, I..." He looked up again, only to see his Master struggling to maintain his composure.

"If this is a bad time," Tigress suddenly chimed in, making both of them whirl around, "we can come back after breakfast, okay?"

Now there's a sad sight, Tai Lung mused, trying not to smirk. Though I don't exactly mind the distraction. Alcohol and the Furious Five obviously didn't play together well, and now that he was fully awake, he had a better chance to evaluate the sorry shape the six warriors were in. Tigress was leaning heavily on her cane, Crane had his wing in a sling and had pulled his hat deep down to shield his eyes... and the others didn't look much better despite not being injured: Viper barely got her head off the ground as she slithered in seemingly random directions, Mantis was practically unconscious, and Monkey - who apparently had offered Mantis a ride on his shoulder - was squinting at the sun. Only Po was in halfway acceptable shape, and Tai Lung realized that he had likely gathered some drinking experience during his years working in a noodle restaurant. Or at least more than the others who spent pretty much their entire time in this temple.

"I will be generous and assume that, due to your hangover, you simply forgot about the pre-breakfast walk I mentioned earlier," Master Shifu said, changing gears and moods with a swiftness that surprised even Tai Lung. "Because otherwise, I would have to assume that you deliberately tried to trick me."

She grimaced slightly. "Of course, Master. I indeed... forgot."

"Was worth a try," Monkey whispered, causing Tigress to roll her eyes.

"Good answer, Tigress. Let's not waste any time then!" Master Shifu gestured towards a path leading further up the mountain, then looked up at Tai Lung again. "You..."

Now what? Continuing this here and now would lead nowhere. I shouldn't have brought it up in the first place. "I..." He gestured vaguely towards the Hall of Warriors. "Chores?"

"Yes! Chores!" His Master almost sighed in relief. "You know your way around."

Without waiting for an answer, he led his students away, leaving Tai Lung behind. Once he was certain that nobody was around to hear him, he snow leopard cursed loudly. "What was I thinking? Gah!" He barely resisted the urge to slam his fist into something solid - both because it would be unproductive and because he didn't feel like explaining broken benches, statues and walls later on. "Me? Bringing up trust issues?" The feline smacked his forehead.

And to make matters worse, I suggested that trust would be an issue with his... his... whatever Tigress is to him. Daughter? I think I overheard that he adopted her, but neither of them really acts the part. Without really thinking about it, Tai Lung went into the Hall of Warriors. Most of the damage of his fight with Master Shifu had been fixed, but the roof still had a sizable hole in it.

Most prized student, maybe? Or at least the most prized one if you leave out the one who snapped and attacked his Master. He grimaced as he paced through the giant hall. Okay, let's face the facts: You screwed up. Big time. And you now have roughly... an hour before Shifu comes back and things get all awkward and difficult again. So the question is... "What should I do?"

"You should fix the roof."

Tai Lung's jaw dropped. That voice... but... it can't be...

"It looks like it's going to rain today," the voice behind him casually continued. "Shifu would get mad if it rained into the sacred Hall of Warriors." A pause, followed by a chuckle. "Well, madder than usual."

"I... you..." Tai Lung slowly turned around, his eyes wide as saucers. "...Master Oogway?"

"Ah, good, you still recognize me, even after all these years..." The tortoise smiled softly and winked.

"B-b-but... you... you're..." The snow leopard's hands were waving uselessly as he was trying to find a good way of pointing out the obvious without sounding like a total retard.

"...dead?" Master Oogway helpfully finished the sentence, causing the feline to nod. "Hmmm..." He rubbed his chin. "Indeed, I am."

Tai Lung opened and closed his mouth. "You... but... how..." He shook his head, trying to ignore the utterly surreal nature of this situation for a moment. "Are you some sort of... ghost? Or did I just go completely insane?" Maybe it's some sort of brain injury caused by all those times Shifu hit me with the stupid flute... Or maybe I'm dead already... oh, wouldn't that be a twist? Maybe Po did indeed kill me, and all of this is just some sort of last-second hallucination!

Master Oogway slowly shrugged. "I could tell you, but that wouldn't ease your doubts, would it?"

"Okay, point," Tai Lung admitted. I'd hardly believe my hallucination telling me that it's really a ghost - or vice versa. "But then at least tell me why you're here. Or why I'm hallucinating that you're here." He resisted the temptation to rub his temples.

"Can't a Master pay his student a visit?"

Not when the student assaulted his Master during their last meeting, and also not when the Master died since then. He hesitated. "You rarely visit anybody unless there is a reason." Though, given my track record of the past and the present, are you here to give me advice or to snap my neck?

The tortoise gave him a gentle smile, just like Tai Lung remembered it. "You have done mostly well so far..."

Tai Lung's ear twitched. "I... have?" Then he frowned, despite the praise. "...mostly?"

"Shifu is upset." It wasn't an accusation, just a simple statement of fact.

"He often is," the snow leopard replied dryly, avoiding the obvious issue at hand.

"That he is..." His Master sighed. "Things had been easier in the past... Shifu and I tended to complement each other. When he pushed too far, I held him back. And when I would have hesitated for too long, he took the initiative."

"But now there's only him." Tai Lung crossed his arms in front of his chest, trying to look as if he had any clue where this was going.

"Mhhhh." Master Oogway slowly rubbed his chin, pretending to be deep in thought.

He's setting up something big. The cat frowned deeply. And I would feel a lot more comfortable knowing what it is.

"What this temple needs," Master Oogway finally continued, "is another Grand Master. Someone to restore balance."

"Oh sure, that's easy!" Tai Lung replied cheerfully. "We'll just ask around until we find someone who mastered every style of Kung Fu and who won't be intimidated by an irate red panda on a control tr-"

He froze.

Then went over what he had just said.

Finally gave Master Oogway a look. "You're joking."

The tortoise was looking thoroughly amused by Tai Lung's reaction. "Would you like to know what happened when I realized that you would break out of your prison?"

Tai Lung gestured slowly, trying to figure out if this question was related to the discussion so far in any way. When he found no connection, he bit his tongue and took a deep breath. No use arguing over that. I'd just look like Shifu. Let's just play along and see where this is going. "I... heard that the Dragon Warrior had been selected around that time?"

His Master nodded. "Shifu organized a large festival, with his five students showing everybody what they had learned. And they all knew that at the end of the day, one of them would receive the Dragon Scroll."

"...until Po fell from the sky, right?"

Oogway smiled. "Until Po fell from the sky, yes. At which time I chose him to become the Dragon Warrior." He gave his student a long look. "Do you know why?"

Tai Lung took a deep breath. This was the question many people had likely asked Master Oogway after his decision. Smart people. Proud people. People who practically worshipped the Furious Five. People who thought that the Furious Five were perfect, unbeatable Kung Fu Masters. Which they are not. He blinked. "...because the others weren't ready to learn an ultimate technique?"

"But we both know by now that the Dragon Scroll does not contain an actual technique.." His Master smiled widely. "Try again."

He took a deep breath. "Because..." He closed his eyes, thinking back to the moment he had opened the scroll, and focusing on the feeling of just not getting it. His eyes widened. "Because they wouldn't have understood the lesson," he finally whispered. "None of them had ever been candidates, had they?"

"All of them could have been candidates eventually," Master Oogway replied with a quiet sigh, "but it would have taken years for them to achieve the insight needed to understand it."

Tai Lung started to pace, piecing together this new puzzle. "So you told Shifu that you would choose the Dragon Warrior, but none of them would have been ready by the time I arrived." But that doesn't make any sense! It's suicide. A nonsense move. "...did you know that Po would crash into the ceremony?" When his Master gently shook his head, Tai Lung frowned again. "But... I don't understand... who would you have picked if Po hadn't been there?"

Master Oogway sighed deeply. "Nobody. Anybody. Zeng, maybe? It wouldn't really have mattered. It was never about choosing one of the Furious Five. It was about getting out of a no-win situation." When his student gave him a puzzled frown, he shrugged. "Sometimes, Tai Lung, you will find yourself in a situation in which every rational move will lead to an undesirable outcome." This time, he didn't have to pretend to be deep in thought. "Sometimes it is necessary to leap before you look. To do something that is at first glance not rational - simply because doing so might lead to a better situation for you." He frowned deeply. "Shifu... would never consider such a move. He would never give up control over a situation, even if it was a hopeless one. That is why I had to intervene."

During the silence that followed, Tai Lung hurried to place these words into the larger context. Sometimes it's necessary to let things spin out of control because that might open up a path to a better outcome. Isn't that what I did just now by suggesting that Shifu should train Tigress in the secret arts? So is he telling me that I did the right thing? He gave his dead Master a look, but then shook his head. No. As much as I'd love to think that I got his approval, I somehow know that's not what Oogway wanted to tell me. Sure, I might be the best shot at keeping Shifu in check, but... He smiled softly. But this isn't a hopeless situation. I was just overly eager and impatient. Again.

"I see you are beginning to understand," Master Oogway whispered and beamed. "Keep thinking along those lines, Tai Lung."

The snow leopard bowed deeply and gave the Kung Fu salute. "Thank you, Master Oogway." He heard a faint chuckle and looked up - only to realize that he was bowing in front of thin air. "Heh..."

Tai Lung took a deep breath and stretched. Keep thinking along those lines... I guess I will. No need to contradict Shifu every time just because I would've done things differently. Somewhere in the distance, the morning gong rang, making him smirk. Although the others certainly wouldn't have minded if I had objected to Shifu's punishment. Leading someone with a hangover to the gong and then ringing it with full force... ah, sweet, painful memories...

Suddenly, he froze. "He never actually told me if he was joking about the Grand Master part..."

Author notes:
I'm extremely sorry for making you all wait so long for a new chapter! Real life is keeping me busy these weeks, so there isn't much time for me to write.
I know this chapter isn't what most expected (general expecation seemed to be a party chapter), and in some ways, it's not what I expected. My writing method/style is to give the characters a good deal of freedom - they can say and do what comes natural to them at the time (hopefully making them seem more genuine and "real"), as long as it doesn't completely go against the intended direction of the fic. In this case, Shifu's remark about Tigress (and the entire situation it triggered, including Master Oogway's appearance) was not in my early vision for this chapter, but I believe that this new direction will work out a lot better in the big picture than my initial idea, even if this chapter doesn't have much short-term progression. I hope you guys still enjoy it and trust me when I say that I know what I'm doing - and that the next chapter will have more interaction between Tigress and Tai Lung.