Author's Note: Hey everyone! Back with another chapter! And I've got a little spicy one here. (Not in the suggestive way) We've got another chapter within the forbidden city (don't worry we'll get back to the five soon), and let's just say things are getting more intense! I will say, I've had quite a bit of fun with this chapter, plus it has a bit of action going on. So have fun with that! One last thing, on this day, 20th September, two years ago I had taken my first step into fanfiction and posted the very first chapter of Kung Fu Panda: Fragile Hearts on . Yep, SECOND ANNIVERSARY BABY! I may have missed the first, but I wanted to get something in for the second anniversary and so, here you go! Now then, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KFP!

Enjoy.

At Death's Door

Wave upon wave of anguished screams and horrified shrieks barge into Qipian's ears as he enters the hospital alongside China's great emperor. Against his better judgement, he had insisted to the emperor that he should attend this hospital visit with him. He needed to confirm to himself if it truly is as bad as the stoic lion had described. As he walks across the halls, this question is answered loud and clear. Each and every single ward he passes acts as an awaiting tomb, prepped to seal away whichever patient will soon turn to a corpse. It can barely even be called a hospital anymore, now resembling a morgue after a nationwide tragedy.

He notices several patients carried around by panicked nurses, the petrified patients swiping at the air in a manic frenzy. Doctors practically drag themselves over to the wards as more primal screams pang into their heads, their legs barely able to carry their weight in their desperate search for rest. White irises widen in shock as he peers at one of the wards, seeing a sheep nurse lined with bruises, blood dripping from her bottom lip. All of this needless destruction could've been averted if we… No. Now's not the time to be thinking like that. This plan will work, they'll get their way. It will be worth it… Even if the very sight of all this makes him sick to his stomach.

The lion and Komodo dragon continue their way down the hall, almost passing by ward 44 until a broken whisper of a voice calls out from its useless veil.

"Helpmehelpmehelpmehel-helpmehelpme"

It takes them a moment to realise that her incoherent ramblings are a cry for help, a never-ending chant that takes not a single moment to breathe. Hesitating for a brief moment, the emperor pulls away the veil only for his face to deform itself in horror. Qipian shares this look as he peeks inside, the sight before him plunging a dagger into his heart. Lying in the ward's cot is patient zero, a female antelope whose eyes have gone completely red from her sheer volume of tears, not a single ounce of white remaining. Her bones bulge under her skin, a thin layer of flesh separating them from the other. Not a single muscle moves in her body, not even a twitch, aside from her lips parting ways every so often. "Helpmehelpmehelp help helpme me m m helpmehelpme" Even these two words are garbled beneath her strained voice, choked by dehydration, and weakened by hunger. The emperor notices the hollow, empty look in her eyes staring straight at the ceiling, her eyelids completely sunken into her skull. At this point death would be a kindness for her.

Unable to bear the sight for any longer, the emperor storms out of the ward in search for his trusted health advisor, leaving Qipian with the catatonic victim. White irises can't help but to stare at the poor thing, paralysed by fear so much to the point where she simply can't move. To the point where she can only mutter two words over and over in vain. His body quakes at the fact that Zhongcheng had done this. That he could devolve someone into such a horrific state. That he could do so with so many people. Is this what he plans to do with the Jade Palace masters? Even if he hates them, surely, they don't deserve a fate as cruel as this? Apologies are meaningless. Just ensure that you will think more carefully before doing so again, for I will be far less accommodating. Zhongcheng's ominous warning sends a shiver up Qipian's spine as his potential fate stares back at him, dying in slow and agonising pain.

He backs out of the ward; the body of the dying antelope only being obscured by its veil once more. Only now can he take his eyes off the horrific sight and follow the emperor who greets his cobra comrade, Jiankang. "I'm assuming the situation hasn't improved." A dark, solemn tone enraptures the lion's regal voice, matching the wrath engraved into his face.

"Unfortunately." Jiankang's soft voice provides a much-needed contrast to the medley of terror consuming the hospital's interior, "We haven't found a single plausible route to a cure, and though the other doctors have yet to arrive, I fear that they won't be able to help much." He notices the emperor's eyes dart to the floor, giving it a glare capable of melting the hospital's very foundation. However, this is far from the worst news, "We've also done everything we could to keep the patients healthy, but with each attempt to feed them they either spit it out or vomit immediately." Both Qipian and the emperor dart their heads over to him, the lion's shock only adding to his unyielding rage. "It's as if their body is completely intolerant to anything we give them… I hate it to say it, your grace… but without a way to pull them out of their hysteria… I'm afraid every single one of these patients will be dead within a matter of days."

The emperor's heart sinks to his stomach, his disgust at the vile creature responsible for this making him want to retch. He knows that it will take the masters time to arrive here, so the likelihood of them stopping this threat in time is miniscule at best. But he can't give up on his people. Not like this. "Then we must find a cure soon, whether it be through medicine," Golden irises shift to Qipian, whose eyes dart around the hospital halls, engulfed in fear. "Or through other means." A plan begins to form in the lion's mind as the Komodo dragon finds himself drowning in a tide of terror, blotting out the majestic rays of the morning sun shining just outside the building.

In spite of the beautiful mosaic of gold coating the city streets, the air reeks of paranoia, choking the citizens trying their best to go on about their daily lives only to hang their heads in sorrow. The news of this new 'disease' or whatever it is they've deemed it has spread fast, frightening most of the city's denizens into isolation. Still, there are plenty of vendors and workers outside. After all, the city still needs to run in spite of this unbelievable crisis. Regardless of their attempts to instil normality, fear persists, darkening the luxurious city even in the sun's wonderous splendour.

A demonic face surveys the frightful denizens within the shadows of a nearby alley, his dark blue eyes smiling in satisfaction. His plan is beginning to work. Already they're beginning to break down. Soon enough, they will submit to him. Soon enough, China will gain its rightful ruler. Zhongcheng's gaze lingers on the now downtrodden streets for a few seconds until his attention is soon caught by a patrol of imperial guards marching through the streets. An eager smile underneath his mask, the concealed wolf climbs up the alley wall until he emerges on top of one of the buildings. He masks himself within the shadows cast by the glorious sun and stalks his prey as they move deeper within the grand city.

Five soldiers patrol alley by alley, building by building, completely unaware of the threat staring at them from their city's darkest corners. They stay alert, however, with each soldier in the group covering all of their sides. Zhongcheng smirks, at least they're not completely worthless. He latches onto the side of a building with his claws as he monitors their route, realising that if they continue on their path, they'll soon reach a practically abandoned area of the city.

It's as if they're handing themselves on a plate.

Now aware of their final destination, he takes a closer look at his targets. Two jaguars equipped with swords, two rhinos wielding spears and an Asiatic bear completely unarmed. Certainly not a force to be trifled with. At least, for most people. Most people wouldn't know of their procedures, teachings, or tactics. A problem that Zhongcheng has the pleasure of scoffing at. In fact, he doesn't even need to beat them. All he needs is to debilitate them for long enough to land a single, precise strike on each of them. Dark blue orbs analyse their formation; The two rhinos at the front, one jaguar on each side and the bear at the back. As they venture closer into isolated territory however, the bear begins turns his body to fully guard their rear whilst the jaguars pay full attention to guarding their sides. Not at all aware of the gaping hole left in the middle.

With his ambush practically prepared for him, Zhongcheng hops across the sides of several more buildings, taking care to not make a single sound as he gets closer to the imperial patrol. He finishes his journey atop a dingey building neighbouring the city's best kept secret. A fairly large structure that matches the city's elegant aesthetic and yet, manages to remain unassuming. A place that only people who have visited before would know of. A spot that few would ever talk about unless it is under a hushed breath. Mimi's love palace. 'Love palace' being a generous phrase for 'House of the world's oldest profession'. To be frank, the wolf is surprised to see the place still standing. Surely, the emperor would crack down on this. Zhongcheng resists the urge to scoff at this notion. There's plenty of things that lion has little clue about. Shifting his focus back onto his targets, the commander looks down in the narrow alley between the two buildings as they enter it, clearly on edge. Not a single soul wanders down the streets outside the alley, with the guards only venturing deeper in. Isolated. Alone.

Perfect.

His opportunity clear before him, Zhongcheng leaps down into the alley and lands right in the centre of the five guards. They all pause for a single moment, every single one of them hearing something land behind them. Who else could it be but the one they're seeking? Why hasn't he attacked yet? Why aren't they? All these thoughts pass by in a split-second for the troops whilst the masked wolf waits for their move, cool and calm. There is but a moment of silence until…

They strike.

All five soldiers dart their bodies around, with the jaguars and rhinos slashing their weapons at him. To their surprise, Zhongcheng immediately catches the two swords aimed at his sides with his claws and forces them together as he blocks the two spears coming from his front, raising them above his head for safety. Seeing his comrades' attempts thwarted, the bear rushes forward to strike only to be kicked back a fair distance by the masked commander. Whilst the rhinos try their best to wriggle their weapons out of the wolf's grip, the jaguar soldiers let go of their swords and aim several strikes at him. Zhongcheng parries the two with ease, managing to keep the spears held high as he kicks them into the walls with a split kick. With those three temporarily down, the wolf seizes the opportunity to wield one of the swords by the hilt and slash the spears in half, rendering them useless. As he does this, he notices the rhinos grin at him before charging towards him. His ears twitch as a pair of footsteps thunders down the floor behind him. The bear's already back up.

With this in mind, Zhongcheng delivers a warning slash to the rhinos in front, slowing their advance as he delivers back kick to the Asiatic bear, who manages to block said kick with his stone cut arms. He notes the bear's above average strength as he turns to him and delivers a punch to his liver, making him step back a bit. This provides the wolf with just enough time to parry one of the rhino's horns with his sword, kicking his face as he follows through with his momentum and crashes face first into the wall. Unfortunately, he is unable to stop his friend who tackles him to the ground. In response, Zhongcheng rears his legs back and boots him into the bear who merely swats the rhino into the alley wall. Before the bear can even attempt to attack him, the masked commander slashes at his right knee, forcing him to drop down onto his good knee. Using this as a steppingstone, Zhongcheng hops up and delivers a vicious knee to his jaw, dazing him.

Mere seconds after this hit, the wolf is forced to parry a sword slash from one of the jaguars, now finally up. They clash a few times until Zhongcheng kicks the jaguar's shin, forcing him off balance and providing the wolf an opening. This is soon interrupted by the second jaguar who attempts several strikes on him, only to be blocked and parried easily by the masked commander. The blade-wielding jaguar joins in with his friend, both of them striking Zhongcheng at the same time. With each clash and block, neither feline seems to be getting closer to breaking his guard. After one more clash of swords, the wolf holds the jaguar's right paw in place and forces their joined swords towards the other, forcing him to evade. Zhongcheng twists the jaguar's wrist, making him drop the sword out of his right paw. He attempts to punch the wolf with his left fist, only for him to drop his sword and catch the fist with little difficulty. Right as he does this, he kicks away the other jaguar who attempts to pick up one of the loose swords. Before the jaguar can even try to wriggle out of his captor's grip, he feels his knee slam into his stomach, ripping the air right out of him. Seeing his chance, Zhongcheng finishes him off with a quick tap of his finger on the feline's forehead.

As the jaguar's pupils dissipate into blankness, the masked wolf darts his head back to the other jaguar, a sword now held in his paw. He attempts a swipe with the weapon, only to be dodged and countered with three punches to his kidneys. If this isn't enough, Zhongcheng holds him in a clinch before headbutting him three times, leaving him with a swirling head and a bloody nose. Finished with him, the masked commander pokes his head too, a harsh blue light rippling through his face. Dark blue eyes survey the other fighters only to find them still recovering on the floor. He dispatches the two rhinos first with two taps on their heads, the poor fools too dizzy to even comprehend what is going on. As he finishes however, the Asiatic bear manages to get back on his wobbly feet, motioning for him to 'come on and fight'. Zhongcheng scoffs at the notion, slowly walking his way over to the beaten ursine soldier. They both ready their fists up in the air, one more mockingly than the other. Both of them stare the other down, waiting for whoever makes the first move. Naturally, Zhongcheng moves first with a devastating kick…

Crunch!

Below the belt. The bear's face expands in pain as he cups his tenders, dropping to his knees in the process. "Good Fight." This deep, mocking voice is the last thing he hears before the wolf pokes his forehead with his finger. The last thing he hears before his mind becomes the wolf's plaything. Dark blue orbs glow an ominous light as the five guards shudder and shake, their greatest fears becoming real in front of their very eyes. Their tormenter peers into their minds, twisting and warping them until they finally break.

"Ahhhh!"

"Oh Gods, help me!"

"Mama! Is that you?"

"Help! Help!"

"You took the kids, what more do you want from me!?"

There it is. The sounds of everything going according to plan. Zhongcheng's eyes glow brighter as his soldiers' tormented screams die down, their terrified faces relaxing into a single, hollow expression. They all stand in formation, their blank eyes infected with a sickly blue hue, now truly his to command. In spite of this, the wolf doesn't issue any commands just yet. His eyes shine once more behind his demon mask as he enters into his soldier's heads. Memory upon memory flashes before him, all seen through his eyes as if he were the mindless drones that he now toys with. Training days, hours of monotonous sentinel duty, pointless conversations in the mess hall; All fairly bog-standard things one would expect from a soldier in the imperial army. That is, until Zhongcheng runs by a particularly spicy encounter in Mimi's love palace, reminding him of last night's… activities. A lascivious grin plasters itself on his face. He certainly wouldn't mind Wan barging into his office again, that's for sure. Shaking his head, the wolf brushes aside these thoughts as soon as they have come, focusing back on the memories playing before him. However, regardless of how many he searches through, there isn't a single mention of any cannons or recent expeditions.

Deeming this search fruitless, Zhongcheng retreats from the guards' memories before instructing them, "Head back to base, men. I will return soon." All five soldiers salute to him before marching off towards the city's port. Once they've fully left the alley, the wolf commander climbs up the alley's walls before finally emerging atop Mimi's love palace. The glow from his eyes fades away as he looks out across the cityscape, partly observing any potential targets whilst his mind ponders further about the information he had attained yesterday. Someone knew about their presence within the outskirts of China and stole their weapons. But what had they done with them after? Destroy them? If it were a mere bandit clan, they either would've sold it or used it by now… No, it couldn't be that. So far, he hasn't gained any evidence of the imperial army's involvement in this, yet something is telling him that he isn't far off from the truth.

His gaze soon shifts towards the grand palace that acts as the city's crowning jewel, finding himself drawn to it as a memory begins to flow in his mind.

Many years ago, he had sat within a cell deep inside the palace's dungeon, his arms cuffed and body all but immobilised. Not a single bit of armour covered the man, only his red undershirt remained on his clothing. Many said he didn't even deserve that. Barely even a slither of sunlight beamed through the microscopic cracks of the dungeon's walls, the dank place's only illumination being its golden torches. A complete juxtaposition to the ghastly fate that awaited him. Eternal damnation within the spirit realm. In spite of death's chilling hand inching ever closer, Zhongcheng's face remained stern. Remorse, regret, guilt; Not even a slight hint of those feelings littered in his unyielding eyes. He knew he did the right thing, and those fools were too dead set on their moral compass to realise it. They were indebted to him, yet they all thought they were superior. He had the idea to scoff at this very notion until two grey rhino guards approached his cell, the keys to it jangling off the one stood on the right.

"Aww, what's wrong commander? Scared?" The one on the left taunted, a malicious grin lathered all over his face. "Well don't worry, you'll be getting your honorary medal real soon."

The guard to his right elbowed his friend, immediately wiping that stupid look off his face and allowing the other to add with disdain. "It won't be long now, Zhongcheng." He practically spat out, "You'll be getting exactly what you deserve."

Zhongcheng didn't give any visible reaction. No terrified look on his face nor a grimace of outrage. Instead, he replied with a smooth voice, "I've done what many wouldn't be able to do. If you ask me, I'm far more deserving of an 'honorary medal' than this."

"You've done what no-one should ever do!" A venomous growl exited the rhino on the right, his spear gripped so tightly that it could snap at any moment. "You can't possibly be proud of that." He glared at the captive wolf with unbridled fury. Fury that he had seen plenty of other times that day.

Zhongcheng matched this glare with his own, only it wasn't one of anger, instead it issued a challenge. "Well, if you are so eager to bestow my punishment… Then why wait for an executioner?" The rhino's glare deepened whilst his friend only looked on in concern, "You have the keys to this cell. I'm unarmed and bound… I doubt the emperor would care if a soon-to-be-dead-man was beaten to a pulp. So, I ask again… Why wait?" He goaded him on, seemingly earning more of the rhino's ire with each word that came out of his mouth.

Then the rhino smirked, "If you think I'm falling for that, then you're a lot more desperate than I thought you were." He guffawed at the commander's expense, his friend joining in on the laughter as Zhongcheng's eyes narrowed in frustration. If only they were dumb enough… His attention soon shifted however, as he noticed a figure moving in the shadows cast by the dungeon's torches. A figure that snuck up on the two laughing rhinos before grabbing the back of the left rhino's head and slamming it into the wall beside the wolf's cell, knocking him out instantly. "What the-?" The remaining rhino could barely finish his remark as the shadowy figure put him in a headlock, tightening his hold until…

Snap!

His body went limp, thudding to the floor as soon as the figure let go of his mangled neck. Zhongcheng gazed at the figure with a befuddled expression until they moved closer to the light, revealing a bison adorned in standard imperial armour. "Gongjiang. Good to see someone still has some sense of loyalty." Zhongcheng remarked, a delighted smile sat on his face.

With a mere chuckle, Gongjiang's grizzly voice rumbled, "C'mon, sir. Let's get you out of here." Grabbing the keys off the guard sprawled out onto the floor, he opened the cell door and tore apart his commander's binds with his bare hooves. They sprinted down the corridor, hoping that they would be able to retreat before anyone else would check on him. "I've got a couple guys on a boat waiting just outside the docks."

"Good. Then I suggest we try to raise as little alarms as possible, understood?" Zhongcheng commanded, immediately getting a nod in response from his trusted lieutenant as they ventured down the dungeon corridor.

A smirk lines the masked commander's face as he continues staring at the emperor's palace. To think that at one point this was practically his home. To think that out of all of those soldiers he had in his ranks, only one had remained loyal to him. Gongjiang. Who is he kidding? He's not a mere soldier, no, he would have to be his closest friend. Well, one of his closest friends. His smirk is soon replaced by a disgusting grimace as a snarl rumbles from his throat, older memories parading through his mind. Memories of his second in command. Memories of someone he had once considered a brother. I don't know where you've gone Zhonglei*… But if I ever find you again… No-one will stop me from tearing you to shreds… This dark pledge is soon swatted away by the commander as he leaps off the dubious building and consumes himself in the city's shadows again, hunting for more potential victims.

Whilst this happens, the emperor finally leaves the hospital with Qipian in tow, discussing the options they can utilise until the jade palace masters arrive. Neither them nor the elite guards staying close to them notice a figure drenched in a black cloak surveying them from the shadows, their ruby eyes focused solely on the emperor himself.

1* Mimi = Chinese for Love

2* Zhonglei = Chinese for Kind

Oooooh. A new shadowy figure whose identity we don't know yet. Let's hope that nothing bad happens to the emperor, huh? Plus, more of Zhongcheng's and Gongjiang's backstory revealed. See? I not only can present new mysteries, but I can reveal stuff too! All joking aside, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and until next time :)