Author's Note: Hey there! I got this uploaded a bit sooner than I expected, but I got inspiration at a very nice moment. This one is yet another sad one, and not like a bittersweet sad, like a real sad, sad one. This is something I have wanted to cover in this collection, I just didn't think I'd do it this soon. As for inspiration, my big one for this is a song (big shocker). It's called El Manana by Gorillaz, and I would recommend listening to the song whilst reading since the mood of the song fits this one-shot pretty perfectly. Oh, and just to clarify, this takes place kind of during KFP 2. Like, after Shen is defeated but before they come back to the valley of peace. Anyways, enough rambling, let's get on with it!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KFP!

Enjoy.

Remembrance

Hollow incense burns the air as a single slab of stone is lodged into dampened grass. In spite of this rough action, absolute care is taken with this hollow slab as a pair of black paws stained with blood makes sure it is secured in place. Skeletal trees stare at the figure readying this painted stone, observing a sombre silence regardless of the breeze that threatens to shake their branches. They stand tall in respect of the figure, knowing well that this place had once been his home. That what had once been a peaceful paradise is now reduced to a desolate reminder of a madman's obsession.

Yet they are not the only ones keeping watch of the figure. Eight more stand near the entrance of the forest, making sure to give him some space. Eight legendary masters who can only look at the panda who had saved them a day ago with immense sorrow. They can recall the expression Po had when recounting his miraculous survival. They had noticed his eyes grew heavy when he spoke of his memories. Of his mother and father. Viper herself had almost burst into tears, the very thought of a poor little child having to experience that tearing at her heart. All of them simply couldn't believe it had happened to someone as kind as him.

Well, almost all of them.

Stood next to the furious five and their elder master are none other than the two remaining masters of Gongmen city. They may have a job to bring the city back from the brink of destruction, but they had felt indebted to the dragon warrior after his brave display. They had felt indebted to the one person in all of China that they had truly failed. Though Gongmen hadn't fallen under their stewardship, they were still its protectors. Even then, Shen's rampage had come as a complete shock and by the time they arrived… they were far too late. Whilst horror had contorted the hearts of the Jade Palace masters at the sight of Po's old home, croc and Ox were numbed by guilt. Suffocated by shame as they once again had to bear witness to the ashes of the past, the ghostly carcasses of abandoned homes. Lives eternally put on hold. Childhoods that would never get to mature.

However, there was something else that had surprised them all.

Po had placed his bag down, filled with items he had picked up from a few stores alongside the pale white tunic draped across his form. It looked to be a bit tight on him, but not a single care was spared, not as he trudged his way over to a stray boulder. All his friends had looked to each other in confusion though a smidge of dread had fallen over Tigress' face. That is, until he had started punching it. The brutal thud of his fists hitting the stone had plagued the air whilst the masters could only stare at him in shock. A few of them had thought of moving up to him, but his continued punches had stopped them from even trying. They could see the blood oozing out of his knuckles, the intense glare twisting his eyes, yet he didn't utter out a single sound as he kept going. Minutes had passed, knuckled were painted crimson, garish slabs were formed.

One by one he had gathered the slabs in silence, his friends quickly taking the cue of helping him. A grey, lifeless sky watched on, its dark clouds forming a fitting veil for a funeral long overdue. With each stone he had placed down, phantom voices had frolicked, giggled, and joyously yelled in his ears. He didn't need to imagine the happiness that had once filled this place, but his mind had betrayed him. Flowers of happy memories wilted right before him into rotten roots of dreams that would never come true. Their dying screams had stabbed a knife into his heart but the remnants of their life, the joyful memories that they had once had, only dug it deeper.

Only when there were two slabs left did he finally stop. Without uttering a word, Po had dragged himself back to his bag and fished out a stick of incense and a bouquet of white lotuses. After separating two from the bunch, he picked up the flowers and incense before walking over to the makeshift graveyard now filling the centre of the village. Tears rolled down Viper's face as he placed the flowers down and lit up the candle. Though she couldn't tell if its because of how many tombstones there were or because there was no way of telling if there was enough of them. As Po bowed low so did the masters, paying their own respects to the poor souls taken away so long ago. His chest puffed in and out, heaving heavy breath after heavy breath in a useless attempt to soothe his aching soul. So many of his cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, all gone. And he never got to meet a single one of them.

He picked himself up after a minute of silence and took a single brush with a pot of ink before trudging back to the two remaining slabs. Sombre gazes all caressed the panda as he began to paint symbols on the slabs, symbols that they all recognised immediately. After taking a brief look around the village remains, Po picked up one of the painted slabs and approached a meagre wooden house. Its walls resembled a mix of rotten flesh and volcanic coals, toppled over in a state of disrepair only befitting a corpse. Ghostly plumes of smoke still hung around its crumpled body though the fire had long burnt out. Remains that had clenched at his head with a single fact.

This was his home.

What few memories he had of this place were overwritten by a noble sacrifice and a pair of haunting, crimson eyes. The peacock's shrill call echoed in his ears, acting as a furnace to his blood. With all his might, he pushed those nightmarish memories aside and plunged the tablet into the ground.

Baba.

He had saved him from certain death, and in turn, gave his life to make sure both he and his mom escaped. Mom… A putrid chill crawled up his body as that final dreaded memory dared to snake its way back into his mind. Yet Po managed to keep strong as he fished one of the final two tulips and placed it in front of the tombstone. To his surprise, master croc had walked over to him, the two remaining incense candles held in his paws. As he took one off him, he noticed the apologetic look in his eyes, but he didn't respond to it. What good were apologies when the tragedy had already happened? With a flick of a match, he had lit the incense stick and took another low bow. His dad was a true hero, someone who had still held on regardless of how hopeless it was. Someone he wished he would've been able to meet at the very least. But the road to destiny doesn't favour anyone, least of all him. The warrior of black and white stood up after a minute of silence and glanced to his other side, to the sorrowful master Ox presenting the final tablet to him. He took the stone and trudged his way down to an all too familiar forest, dread stinging his eyes all the way there.

Mama.

Jade eyes stare at the symbol painted on the tombstone as he places the final tulip down in front of it. Her face flashes in his mind, a kind, loving panda. His mother. A woman he has only one memory of and yet he feels he's known her his entire life. He can see the love in her eyes, the fear, the pain. The regret. That's what hurts the most. The regret of never being able to raise him. The regret of never being able to see her baby boy grow up. The regret of never being able to see him now. He tries to hold it in as he bows to her, but it is useless. That stinging in his eyes soon burns until waves blind him. A tearful veil covers his face as his lip wobbles, the grieving son unable to control his sniffles as he hunches down towards the grave and embraces it. He can remember the moment she had started crying. When he had said his first word.

Mama.

He cries with her. His mournful wails blanket the forest in its unending agony, the poor panda seeking the warmth of his mother's arms only to be met with cold stone. All masters watch on, finding themselves frozen at the sight of the joyful panda now filled with misery. No one deserves to go through something like this. Yet, it happened anyway. Unable to watch her friend like this any longer, Tigress inches her way towards him.

Po's sobs continue as his final memory of his mother plays in his mind over and over. How she had lured the wolves over to make sure he would survive. How Shen himself had chased after her. Why did she deserve this? Why not him? No, she would never want that for him. She would want him to be happy. To have a wonderful life. To have friends and family that will always stick by him. She wouldn't want him suffering like this. These thoughts close the floodgates little by little, forcing him to choke on his tears.

Until they finally shut at the feeling of a rough yet warm paw on his shoulder. He doesn't need to look to know who it is. All he does is place his paw on top, thankful for her comforting touch. Jade irises stare at the grave once more, wishing to say something yet not a single word comes out. Instead, he kisses his paw and places it on the gravestone, praying that his dear mama could feel it somehow. With that, Po stands up from the damp grass with Tigress taking one last glance at the gravestone before following suit. As they exit the forest, the rest of the masters surround the panda, offering silent messages of condolence. Yet, Po's mind remains fixated on a single message that he had failed to give. A single message that he wishes she could hear.

Thank you.

Poor Po man. Even with the whole KFP 3 secret panda village thing, his mum still died. I always like exploring the more vulnerable moments of these characters because it just feels interesting. To see our jovial panda as anything but that always feels a bit weird, but like a good weird. I feel him properly mourning his people would probably be something he would definitely do before heading back to the valley. Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this one, it was an interesting experiment yet again. I also hope to get more of these out because I absolutely adore doing them! Until next time :)