Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I neither own the rights to DreamWorks, Kung Fu Panda, the Kung Fu Panda cinematic universe nor any of its associated media, derivatives or products. I do not profit from this work. With rare exceptions, this fic will not be taking into account Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness or The Paws of Destiny.
[Opening scene: Night. The moon shines half-full down on a great city in the first weeks of autumn; the streets are mostly quiet and dark, but the city is large and so more than a few houses are still lit. The shot wheels like a leaf in over the city, fluttering first this way and that, and then coming to rest upon the roof of a tall building overlooking the rest. There's a pause.]
[And then a foot steps in front of that shot.]
[Shot shifts to inside one of the palace buildings of the Emperor's Forbidden City, following a leopard guard making his rounds. All seems quiet. The guard turns down a hall, yellow eyes glowing in the darkness as he scans the night. He comes to a pair of doors, opening them to reveal a balcony overlooking the rest of the Forbidden City palace complex and out into the Northern Capitol beyond. There is nobody, so he steps back and shuts the door. He turns to continue on his way… and his ear flickers.]
[His foot stops. He turns back and yanks open the doors.]
[A pair of glowing red eyes looks back.]
LEOPARD GUARD: (Draws his sword and lunges at the intruder) Krah!
NOISE: TSING! (The sword meets another blade of steel in a shower of silver sparks, glancing off each other. The guard lunges again; the attacker dodges, the sword thrusting past him, and swings his own blade; the guard parries, striking back more forcefully.)
LEOPARD GUARD: Who are you?! Tell me! (Swings his blade; the attacker parries and kicks him. The guard rolls backwards, lands on his feet and fends off a strike aimed for his chest.)
LEOPARD GUARD: Who sent you?!
ASSASSIN: (Laughs without answering, swinging his blade overhead; moonlight glances over the blade as it sings down. The guard catches it with his own blade.)
LEOPARD GUARD: Ngh-ah! (With an effort he throws the attacker back, and then swings his blade in a outward-parrying cut; caught unawares, the attacker's blade goes flying off over the edge of the balcony, clattering to the ground below.)
NOISE: TSING!
(The attacker looks back at the guard. The leopard's sword is held to his neck, gleaming white-sliver in the moonlight.)
LEOPARD GUARD: (Growling) By the order of the Emperor, you will tell me who you are.
ASSASSIN: (Glares back at him with red eyes from underneath a striped brow, a mask covering his lower face. The leopard guard growls louder, baring his teeth, and the Assailant sneers at him.)
ASSASSIN: Look at you. Defending that weak little vermin as your emperor. (Reaches up to brush aside the sword.) You should join us, brother.
LEOPARD GUARD: (Sneering) The Ten Thousand. I could have guessed. You traito– ACH!
(With his paw now on the inside of the blade, the assassin takes the opportunity to unsheath his claws into the guard's exposed paw, causing him to drop his own sword. While he's distracted the assassin leaps off the balcony and drops into the courtyard below. The guard rushes to the railing.)
LEOPARD GUARD: Assassin! There's an assassin in the palace! (Shouts go up from the other guards.) Assassin heading for the northern gate!
GUARDS: (Distant) "There he is!" "After him!"
LEOPARD GUARD: (Abruptly pulling back) The Emperor–!
(He hurries off—his paw still dripping blood. The moonlight glints off his blade on the balcony.)
[Scene: the Imperial Bedchamber. The room is surprisingly small—not much bigger than a commoner's—with a cushioned throne upon a small dais opposite the door. To the left of the throne is a richly decorated four-poster Chinese-style bed inside a carved wooden nook, hung with fine embroidered scarlet curtains.]
LEOPARD GUARD: (Bursting into the room, carrying a torch) Your Majesty! Your Majesty!
EMPEROR: (Groggily, from behind the bed curtains) Wu? (More awake now:) What is it? Is something the matter?
LEOPARD GUARD: (Dropping to a knee) Forgive me for disturbing you, your Majesty. (Urgently:) But we have just foiled another assassination attempt. This one reached within the Palace of Heavenly Purity itself.
EMPEROR: It did?
LEOPARD GUARD: Yes, your Majesty. Acht! (He hisses suddenly and clutches at his paw.)
EMPEROR: (Realizing) Wu, you're hurt.
LEOPARD GUARD: (Grunting) It– is nothing, your Majesty. Just a scratch. (He pulls his good paw away. Blood has stained his fur.) We sent the assassin running with his tail between his legs. But there will be more.
EMPEROR: (Growing resolute) This has gone on long enough. I can no longer leave China's future in the hands of chance. The time has come; Wu, have your men send word to the Jade Palace.
LEOPARD GUARD: The Jade Palace? (Realizing he has just contradicted the Emperor; bowing his head:) Yes, your Majesty.
EMPEROR: Master Oogway foretold this day would come. (Quietly, a personal worry:) I hope his students are ready.
Kung Fu Panda 4: One Thousand Years of Peace
[Scene: the Jade Palace, late morning. The sun is shining brightly over the valley, strips of lacy cloud drifting lazily beyond the Sacred Peach Tree in the blue sky. Slats of warm sunlight are falling into the student barracks, which are quiet. The shot focuses in on Po's room, which is empty and peaceful in the golden light from the paper walls.]
[The door abruptly opens, the paper and wood frames rattling. Red eyes, half-glowing in the golden light, scan the room carefully. There is nothing]
TIGRESS: (Steps back and closes the door suspiciously, and then draws a deep breath in through her nose and closes her eyes, turning around. Her furry ears flicker…there's nothing but the wind, and the first crickets of the evening–)
NOISE: CRASH!
TIGRESS: (Starts violently, eyes flying open, and then smirks and drops to all fours, sprinting stealthily down the hall. She straightens up against the wall beside the kitchen door, holding her breath, and then slips inside. All is silent. All is still…)
NOISE: Creak! (Tigress's face appears in the opened door of the kitchen pantry, peering imperiously down, and then she chuckles.)
(Viper, Crane, Monkey and Mantis look up at her sheepishly, cramped together inside the cupboard. Viper has a toppled colander stuck on her tail, and spilled utensils cover the pantry floor.)
TIGRESS: (Wryly) Are you sure you all know how to play this game?
VIPER: (Slithering out) Sorry guys…
TIGRESS: (Stepping aside to let Crane and Monkey out of the pantry, "tag-tapping" them each on the head as they pass) Why did you all hide together?
CRANE: There's strength in numbers!
TIGRESS: Not in Hide-and-Seek, there isn't.
MONKEY: Have you found Po yet?
TIGRESS: Not yet, which by the way is a little pathetic, seeing as he's the biggest of all of you. Viper, be more careful next time; you completely gave away your position.
(Viper hiss-smiles and gives a "thumbs up" with her rattler. Tigress turns, eyes scanning the rest of the kitchen with a smirk.)
TIGRESS: Alright, Panda. Where are you…?
(Montage of shots: Tigress peeking around a pillar in the half-destroyed Jade Palace, now tidied of debris but still open to the elements with the front half destroyed from Kai's attack. Next shot is of her suspiciously poking the adversary in the training hall; it bobbles forwards and backwards. Shot shifts to her walking into the courtyard and stopping with her hands planted on her waist, looking mildly annoyed. The rest of the Five are watching with interest from the side.)
VIPER: (Whispering to Crane) Here she goes.
TIGRESS: (Closes her eyes again, ears flickering. Her nostrils flare as she concentrates. Suddenly her eyes fly open, irises now slits.) Got you!
(She drops to all-fours, races forward and scales the courtyard wall, leaping up onto the roof.)
PO: (Clinging to the branches of the tree outside the wall.) Uh–
TIGRESS: Close, Panda, but not close enough. You know I always win at elimination tag.
PO: It's not a win until you catch me! (Hops/tumbles out of the branches onto the ground below, running for the door.)
TIGRESS: If that's how you want to play–! (Leaps down off the roof into the courtyard, nearly pouncing on top of him, but Po jumps and rolls backwards at just the right time.)
PO: Ha-HA!
(Tigress snarls and swipes at him, which he ducks, and then jumps over her leg sweep. He laughs again and then stomps with all his weight on one of the courtyard stones; his end sinks down while hers flips up, causing her to lose her balance and stumble back. Po takes the opportunity to run for it, this time back towards the gate as he gets an idea.)
TIGRESS: (Lunging after him) You can't outrun me, Po!
PO: Nope! (Sprints towards the stairs.) But I can out-roll you!
TIGRESS: What–?!
(Po throws himself into a controlled roll down the Thousand Steps; Tigress skids to a stop at the top, surprised, and then snarls and follows on an all-fours sprint.)
PO: Ha-ha–! Ooh! OUCH!
TIGRESS: (Springing at him) Ha! (Po rolls right out from under her arms, and she lands on solid stone, hissing in frustration.)
PO: Okay! Not– my best– idea!
TIGRESS: (Trying to keep pace with him) Not your worst, either!
PO: Thanks!
TIGRESS: Not a compliment!
(They bounce/sprint to the bottom of the steps; Po rolls out of his tumble and starts springing down the street, Tigress at his heels– literally. They skitter around a corner, and her paw misses him by an inch.)
PO: Uh oh. Uhh-! (Suddenly spots Mr. Ping's shop ahead) Dad's shop! Agh! (Ducks under one of Tigress's swipes, swings himself over a cabbage cart and kicks it at her. It hardly slows her down as she just leaps over it, swiping for the panda's head and–)
(–Hitting a cabbage instead. It explodes into a confetti of green leaves. Tigress is momentarily blinded by them; in the split second, Po gains ground on her, sprinting for his dad's shop. She chases after. Behind them:)
CABBAGE SELLER: (A goat with a bushy goatee, howling:) My cabbages!
(Inside Mr. Ping's shop the guests all gasp and leap to their feet as the Dragon Warrior and Master Tigress sprint/pounce into the establishment. Po leaps behind a table; Tigress leaps ON TOP of it, spilling soup everywhere; the patrons, far from being upset, applaud.)
PO: Nice try, Tigress! But you're on my turf now!
TIGRESS: You underestimate me, panda. (She pounces at him; he rolls out of the way.)
PO: No chance! (Blocks a "touch-tag" with a menu, so she technically doesn't win.) I'm your biggest fan, remember?! (Her punch hits and breaks a plate.) I've watched you fight for fifteen years!
(Her third strike breaks through a poster featuring her own face, along with that of Po and the other five: a promotional poster for the restaurant. Po grins back from the other side of it.)
PO: I know all your moves.
TIGRESS: Is that so? (Lunges at him, but Po ducks and swings himself over a table, his weight toppling it in his direction; Tigress, seeing an opportunity, kicks it further upwards and leaps onto the narrow end as it flips, but wobbles and loses her balance with a "whoa!" as Po picks it up and flips it upside-down like a shield, forcing her to leap on top of its underside.)
PO: You bet it is!
TIGRESS: Well then you've forgotten one thing, Dragon Warrior. Kyah! (Leaps up and strikes it hard with her foot; the table splits in two and Po loses his grip on both halves.)
TIGRESS: (Pinning him to the ground, with her knee on his sternum. Smirking:) You might be my biggest fan, but I'm your best friend.
PO: (Going starry-eyed) Really–? (Tigress "boops" him on the head, thereby winning the game.)
(A cheer goes up from the crowd. One pig patron elbows his wife and they share an "aww." In the circular entrance of the shop the other four have gathered to watch the fight.)
MANTIS: (Complaining) Oh come on. They've got to know how incriminating that looks.
VIPER: (Slithering into the shop with the self-satisfied smile of a successful matchmaker) Give them time, Mantis. Give them time.
(Chuckling, Tigress unpins Po and gets to her feet, offering him a hand up. Po accepts it, looking thrilled. They share a smile, and then look over at the sight and sound of an angry goose.)
MR. PING: Again you two?! That's the third time this month!
PO: Sorry, dad…
TIGRESS: (Rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly but unable to keep from smiling.) We'll pay for the damages, Mr. Ping.
MR. PING: Hmph. You'd better. These tables are new!
PO: Really? Wow, congratulations dad!
MR. PING: (Immediately forgiving them at the praise; excited:) The restaurant has been doing so well lately! I'm thinking about expanding the gift shop! (To Tigress) If you, ah, happen to have any memorabilia you'd like to get rid of–?
TIGRESS: (Chuckling) I'm sure I can find something, Mr. Ping.
PO: (As the other four approach) Hey, so long as we're here, what do you all say to a little lunch? My treat.
CRANE: I could definitely go for some noodles.
TIGRESS: And an order of spicy tofu…
MANTIS: A dumpling would really hit the spot right about now.
VOICE: (From behind) I'm afraid there's no time for that.
(They turn to see Master Shifu in the doorway to the shop.)
PO: Come on, Master Shifu, there's always time for lunch.
SHIFU: Not this time. Where have you all been? I'd already searched the whole palace for you six before thinking to come here!
TIGRESS: (Bowing) Forgive us for leaving, Master; we were, ah–
PO: Doing stealth-training.
SHIFU: (Eyes narrowed as he gestures to the broken plates and tables) Stealth training. Really.
TIGRESS: Is something the matter, Master?
SHIFU: (Closes his eyes and takes a deep breath as if getting his anxiety and temper back under control) We have received a summons. (Opening his eyes.) From the Northern Capitol.
THE FIVE AND PO, and EVERYONE ELSE: (Looks of shock) What?
[Scene: back at the Jade Palace. In the battered Hall of Warriors, with jagged half-pillars of jade rising around them, Shifu is searching for a scroll from within the cupboards.]
SHIFU: An assassination attempt has been made on the Emperor's Life—one which came uncomfortably close to succeeding. He believes an insurrectionist group is responsible.
(He finds the scroll he is looking for and retrieves it from the rest. The scroll is very large—about the size of Shifu himself—with a casing of gilt gold and yellow, with a black-and-white yin-yang on the side.)
TIGRESS: That's the Scroll of Prophecy, isn't it, Master?
SHIFU: (Gravely, returning to his students) Yes, it is. Every one of Oogway's prophecies is contained within it. Some have yet to come to pass; others have already come to fruition (with irony, nodding to Po) though not always in the way we thought. (Po shrugs as if to say "fair enough." More seriously:) The time has come to read one of Oogway's final prophecies: The Thousand Years of Peace.
(The other five look stunned. Po looks confused.)
PO: What's the Thousand Years of Peace?
SHIFU: It was a prophecy made by Master Oogway thirty years ago. It foretold that the Emperor's old enemies would one day rise against him and all of China—and that one of you, my students, would defeat them.
MONKEY: (Pointing his prehensile tail at Po) Three guesses to which one. (He winks at Mantis, who laughs.)
SHIFU: (Ignoring them) The Prophecy of the Thousand Years of Peace was one of my master's most important prophecies—and one of the most difficult to understand. Only myself, Master Oogway and the Emperor have read it. Well– us and…
PO: (Realizing) Tai Lung. (Shifu nods.) Well come on! Let's open that baby up! (Reaching for the massive scroll.)
SHIFU: Not so fast. (Batting Po's paw away; the Dragon Warrior looks surprised.) This scroll contains very sensitive information, Dragon Warrior; information that the emperor's enemies would very much like to get their hands on. We will not be opening it again until we are in the presence of his Imperial Majesty. It was a miracle that Tai Lung never had the chance to divulge the dangerous knowledge he possessed.
TIGRESS: These insurrectionists, what information do we have on them?
SHIFU: Not much as of yet, though the Emperor has sent out spies to gather information. They seem to be calling themselves the Ten Thousand. (Grim looks from everyone but Po.) We will be leaving tomorrow.
PO: You're going with us?
SHIFU: This time, yes, I am. We cannot afford to take risks. I expect all of you– (gives a sharp look to Mantis, Monkey and Po) –to be on your most dignified behavior in the Northern Capitol. Am I understood?
THE FIVE AND PO: (Bow fist-in-palm.) Yes, Master Shifu.
SHIFU: Good. Go get packed. We depart at dawn.
[Scene: Po packing up his traveling pack, complete with his action figures, bedroll and extra food. When he's finished he sets it next to his bed, and then looks at the little lily plant he has growing next to the outward-facing paper wall. The flower is drooping a bit; a tag around the blue-and-white ceramic pot has a few characters and the words "From Viper" written on it in calligraphy ink. Po closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and extends his palm.]
(His palm begins to glow golden; the flower, too, glows with a faint yellow halo, and then slowly straightens up, leaves unfurling and petals opening cheerfully. Po smiles at it, and then blows out the lantern next to his bed. His room goes dark.)
(In the next room over, Tigress is finishing her own packing. She's been dressed in her red vest this whole time, but now holds up her yellow imperial jacket to the light of her lantern, studying the pattern. The fabric rustles faintly in the silence, and the light seems to reflect in a faint shimmer off the gold-on-yellow pattern in the fabric and the white embroidered petals of the lotus. She draws a deep breath through her nose, looking nervous but proud, and then folds the jacket carefully onto her bed, smoothes out the wrinkles, and tucks it into her pack.)
(The last shot is of the hallway, her room going dark as her lantern, too, is extinguished.)
A/N: This work was a cooperative production between myself and fellow author, friend, and boyfriend, Arthur Brannon.