Well here it is folks! The start of the long awaited sequel to my series Fate Can Be So Cruel. Never did I ever expect for one of my stories to recieve so much support from the readers out there. I mean 689 reviews and counting!? It's unreal! And so, even though it's taken me a few months to get started, I finally managed to sit down and start Part 2 of the series. I know I won't probably be able to top part 1, Let's be honest, I think that was probably my favorite story I've written yet...maybe.I don't know exactly, A Legend is Born will always be pretty special to me. but regardless, I'm rambling, So without further ado, I give you the beginning of Part 2 to Fate Can Be So Cruel! Enjoy the read.

Disclaimer: I don not own Kung Fu Panda or it's characters. Only this AU storyline and the OC's

Summary:

It has been 3 months since Po has accepted the title of Dragon Warrior and the new responsibilities that have come with it. He has come to accept the Masters as his new comrades and is slowly coming to terms with his new life. All the while, Tigress has been adamantly researching the mysterious new mark found on the back of Po's neck. But all that could change when Shifu receives a message from the Emperors Council and assigns Po his first undercover mission.

Despite the protest from his new comrades, Po must dive back into the life he thought he had finally escaped forever and once again live as a slave and not the Dragon Warrior. Old faces both good and bad return, and as Po closes in on the secrets his former Master is trying to keep covered up, he finds himself in a most unforgiving situation.

Can Po make it through his first mission alive while also rescuing his former teacher? and if he can…will he be the same Panda he was when he left?

"Fate Can Be So Cruel:

Return To The Iron Mines"

Created by

Pandafan91

Chapter 1

Slow Progress

3 months later…

Twilight…a peaceful time to say the least. A time where most creatures are normally at peace sleeping soundly in their homes, many patiently awaiting for the sun to arise to begin yet another day, while the children dream away safely in their beds. It was a time of quiet, peace and tranquility; A point in the day where the entire world just seems… still.

Far to the eastern side of China, a place known to all as the Valley of Peace was one of such locations. In the center of said Valley, there was a village filled with many enjoying the great wonders that was sleep, as they waited for a new day of trading, working, and playing to begin. Not even the local Blacksmith was awake yet firing up his Forge. But for all the peaceful dreams that were no doubt being had by the innocent villagers within the Valley, there were always those of course, who could not.

High above the Village on top of the tall mountain that stood towering above, was the Jade Palace, a sacred temple home to some of China's greatest Kung Fu Warriors. There was the newly appointed Grandmaster of the Palace, Master Shifu, along with his many students, The Furious Five, His adoptive son, Master Tai Lung, and the Grandmaster's latest student…The Dragon Warrior.

All was still within the magnificent palace grounds as a beautiful silence echoed throughout every corner of the space. The early morning dew glistening off the grass and many decorative trees throughout the Palace in the moonlight. High atop of the tallest steps within the Jade Palace, Master Shifu could be heard sleeping peacefully inside his new Grandmasters chambers, although in just perhaps a half an hour, the Red Panda would be waking up just before Sunrise as he did every day for his morning meditation followed by receiving his daily greeting from his students.

Meanwhile, at the Far end of the Palace grounds, beyond the training hall, the bath house and the Servant's quarters, were the Student barracks, the sleeping quarters for the remaining residents of the Jade Palace. Inside, one could hear the restful noises of the Masters inside as they all continued to sleep peacefully, each awaiting the eventual morning gong to wake them from their slumber. Each of them, except for one that is.

There was one individual who was not having such peaceful dreams. Rather, it was quite the opposite. Down the hallway of the Student barracks, placed in between the rooms of Master Crane on the left, while Master Tai Lung's room was on the right, was a room where a Large Giant Panda could be heard muttering incoherently in his sleep, as he continued to toss and turn in his sleep, his brow now drenched in an alarming sweat, as he clenched his eyes shut tightly, trying to desperately escape his dreams.

Po's Dreamscape…

Po was running frantically through the bamboo forest, all the while he was wondering frantically, "This can't be happening! How…How could they have found me!? I have to run…I have to hide!" Soon though Po came to the edge of the forest and had approached the Village gates as he quickly rushed through and began running through the village streets.

As he ran, Po continued to look around frantically, trying to find someone to help him. "Hello! Is anyone here!? Where is everybody!? I need help!" but nobody answered his pleas, and all Po could see before him, was an empty village.

Po soon saw his Father's restaurant coming up on his right and hope soon started to rise up in his heart, "Dad! I have to warn Dad that they're coming. We have to get out of here!" but as Po rounded the corner and rushed through the restaurant doors, he realized that it too was void of any life. "Dad? I don't understand. If you aren't here, where would you go?"

It was then that Po heard the familiar laughter down the street, and his heart once again filled with fear. They had followed him into the village and were now gaining on him. Trying desperately to think of what he should do, Po quickly came up with solution as he looked up at the top of the nearby mountain. "The Palace." Po whispered, and soon he was once again running.

As he exited the Restaurant, he looked to the left just long enough to see the Shadows still approaching him from down the street, as one of them shrieked in a feminine voice, "There's the Panda!" and upon hearing those words, the shadows once again began to race after the Panda, while Po could only turn and start running up the Thousand steps leading up to the Jade palace.

He could hear them just behind him, growing closer and closer with every step he took. They were almost upon him, but Po wouldn't stop running. He would never let those Monsters take him back. Never again. Soon Po burst though the Palace doors and quickly shut them behind him, placing the giant wooden lock in front of the door to keep the Shadows at bay.

Slowly Po began to back away from the door, his eyes never leaving it as he began to wonder whether or not the doors would be able to keep them all out, when he heard a familiar voice from behind him call out to him. "Panda?"

Po instantly whirled around and was actually relieved to see some familiar faces, as he looked upon the Faces of not only the Furious Five, but his Teacher Tai Lung, the Red Panda Shifu, and his Father and Sister Ming, all of them watching the Panda curiously. Po then stepped forward as he said, "Finally! Where is everyone? Where are the villagers? Wait, no, never mind, I need your help! They found me!"

Tigress was the first to step forward as she got straight to the point and asked, "Who found you Panda?" but just as Po was about to answer, there was a loud bang from the doors, as whatever was on the other side tried to burst their way through, but fortunately, the Palace gates were managing to hold… for now.

As Po began to take a few steps back, the Masters around him, began to step forward and began to form a ring around the Panda as each of them stood at the ready, prepared for whatever was on the other side of those doors. Even Mr. Ping and Ming were now standing behind the Panda. But after a moment, the bashing on the palace gates ceased and the Masters began to straighten up and relax. And then one by one…they each turned to face Po.

One by one, the faces of the Masters each twisted into a devilish smile as Po suddenly began to feel incredibly nervous. Slowly Po turned around and saw his Father and sister were also sneering at him and immediately Po knew something was wrong. "What's going on…everyone?" but as soon as he asked the question, one by one the Masters, his Father and Sister were suddenly enveloped by a mysterious black smoke, concealing their persons from the Panda's vision entirely. "What is this!?" Po screamed when he heard a new voice from behind him. "Did you really think you could escape us forever, Panda?"

Po's heart practically stopped as he slowly turned around and gasped in horror, for standing around him now in the place of the Jade Palace Masters, along with his family, stood the nine people that Po had hoped to never have to see again for the rest of his life. The nine individuals that for 20 years…he was forced to call Master.

Across from him stood his first Master, Jun, an overweight pig in a black robe with a cane, next to him stood Mister Bao, a male Crocodile wearing red pants with a yellow sash tied to his waist. Then there was Mistress Mu, A Female red fox, wearing a pair of spectacles and a pink robe with many decorative rings on each of her fingers. Beside her, was the man Po probably had feared the most out of all his Masters, A large water Buffalo, wearing brown pants and a gray vest, with his trusty whip hanging at his hip and at the ready. His name was Cheng.

Beside him, Po then saw Master Qiang, A male gorilla wearing a familiar green robe with silver cufflinks. Next to him, stood Mistress Shui, a familiar female Komodo Dragon, wearing a fiery red robe and a vicious sneer. To her left stood Master Wei, an unusually large wolf, in gray pants and a dark blue vest, with a curved sword strapped to his hip. Next to him, stood Master Yi, an older Ram with a Cane, in a dark brown robe with a black eye patch covering his left eye. and finally, standing beside Jun, was the last Master ever claim the Panda as his own. It was Sai, a Boar, wearing brown pants and a red vest, with the same whip attached to his hip that Po knew he had destroyed just a few Months ago.

They were all here. Each of his former owners…were all here. And the mere sight of them all gathered in one place was enough to paralyze the Panda in absolute terror. Po then looked over at Sai he whispered in slight fear, "I don't understand…I saw them take you away to prison! How are you-?" But in that instant, Po felt an all too familiar sting across his back, along with the same sickening sound he had come to hate above all others throughout his life, as he was struck down with a whip.

Crying out in pain at first, Po turned to see it was Mr. Cheng who had struck out at the Panda as the Water buffalo continued to laugh at the felled Panda beneath him. It was then that Po heard Mistress Shui mutter from behind him, "Tsk tsk tsk…Did we not teach you how to address your superiors, Panda? To address your Masters in such a way is-" But it was in that moment that Po finally had snapped back to his senses as the sensation of fear he received from the whip was slowly pushed away, "I HAVE NO MASTER! Not anymore! You don't own me! None of you can control me! I. AM. FREE!" as Po stood to his full height, he continued darting his eyes around, trying to keep track of all 9 of his former owners while he tried to gather up any amount of courage he could muster.

It was then that Mr. Cheng laughed once more as he declared, "Well…I do believe it's time we reminded our insolent Panda…just who it is that is actually in charge around here." and one by one, Po watched as each of the 9 Slavers surrounding him brandished their favorite method of punishment. Be it a cane, whip, or blade, Po was suddenly reminded of just how brutal these Masters could be, as each and every memory of how he was always "Punished" came back to him like the flood gates of a river opening up after a heavy storm. Po slowly backed away and into the center of the ring as he muttered, "No…no… please." But again, Po's mind was assaulted by the horrible memories, as he recalled each and every beating he had ever received the closer the 9 slavers drew.

Quickly Po dropped to his knees and held his head as he screamed out in utter agony the memories of all the Pain he was ever forced to endure as real now as they were the days he received it all, "STOP IT! Stay away from me!" but the 9 owners just laughed at the Panda, as Sai asked in a taunting tone, "Dragon Warrior? Don't make me laugh! You're just a spineless Panda! Always have been …always will!" But Po simply tried to block the boar out as he continued to cower before the Masters while shouting, "NO!" but it was Cheng's voice that he heard last saying, "Let's have some fun…for old times' sake, Panda!" and it was then that each and every one of the 9 Slave owners struck out at Po with their desired weapon, forcing Po to scream in constant agony. As they each descended upon the black and white bear.

"GYAHAAAAAAAA!"

It seemed to go on forever as Po was beaten time and time again, being forced to relive the exact kind of Hell he was forced to endure for the majority of his life. But just as Po was about to black out from the pain, he looked up at the now blood red sky and whispered to the Heavens above. "Why? Why can't I just…be Free?"

In that moment though, Cheng now stood towering over the Panda as he looked down at Po with that same twisted smile Po remembered from so long ago, as the Water buffalo said with finality, "Good night, Slave!" and with that, Cheng raised his whip up one last time and struck out at Po, as Po could only shut his eyes in defiance an cry out weakly, "NOOOO!" but the instant Po closed his eyes, he was met with a flash of red light.

It was only for an instant, but in that instant Po saw a flash of an individual sitting in a dark cell with their back up against the wall, but the room was so dark, that Po was almost unable to make out any features but there was just enough light that Po could make up the shape of a Rhino…an older Rhino. And then Po's world went dark briefly, only for Po to suddenly see another red flash before his face again, but this time it was no person he saw…just a symbol.

A symbol he had come to learn of just a few short months ago. A symbol in the shape of a red eye… but just as quickly as it had come…it was now gone.

Back in reality…

Quickly Po gasped and his eyes snapped wide open, as he shot up from his bed, quick as lighting and was breathing heavily, his fur now covered in a cold, damp sweat. After taking a few deep breaths and blinking his eyes a few times, Po slowly began to recognize the room he was now in, as he tried to calm himself down. He was still in his room at the Jade Palace. He could hear many of the other occupants snoring peacefully as they continued to sleep down the hall and around him. As Po was continuing to look around the room frantically, he also came to realize something else. He was safe.

Once Po's breathing finally managed to slow down enough, he slowly swung his legs over his bed and held his face in his paws. It had happened again. It wasn't the first time he had had such nightmares before; seeing the faces of the many individuals who made the majority of his very existence an absolute living Hell. After 20 years of being forced to live, work, and suffer for what he could only imagine to be some of the most heinous monsters in the world, Po had finally managed to escape them. After 20 years, he had finally managed to escape practically the only life he had ever known, the only life he had ever been able to truly understand. The life…of a slave.

And now…nearly ten months after escaping his most recent…Master…although Po was now in the process of constructing a new life for himself…he still couldn't manage to shake the horrors of his past life. And it was beginning to take a rather noticeable toll on the Giant Panda.

Slowly, Po lifted his head up from his paws and began to aimlessly look around his room. Across from the Panda up against the far wall was a wooden chest, filled with the few clothes and belongings that the Panda could truly call his own. Inside were a few tattered robes, a couple of vests, and some pants. At the bottom of it, was one particular article of clothing that Po absolutely treasured. A simple, yet valuable red cape, that he had obtained shortly after his escape from the Slave owner, Sai, and his rice plantation. It may not have been much to look at, but that Cape had many uses that the Panda valued. For one, it made a rather decent blanket, or even a pillow when folded up. That and it along with a pair of old shoes, was the first thing Po had ever truly owned and he wasn't going to give it up for anything.

To his right, sat a wooden desk of sorts, or as Tai Lung liked to call it, his work station. It was here that there were about 4 different wooden items scattered about the top of it; three of the blocks showing some of the different progression stages of a hobby of Po's, wood carving; along with a red box containing the very wood carving kit his father had so generously bought for him his first day back in the Valley.

In his spare time, Po liked to try and make wooden toys for the children who resided in the Orphanage that was located near the Valley of Peace. Never being allowed to have any toys of his own as a child, Po didn't want other children to go through life without having at least one friend, even if it was made out of just wood and paint. He knew how much of a comfort having just a simple toy back when he was a child could have been.

And underneath the Panda was a bed… an actual, real bed, custom built to sustain the Panda's weight so that it wouldn't bed or break. Not that Po really needed to worry too much about that. He may have been one of the larger creatures in the Valley, but he was far from what you would consider a normal Panda to look like.

Years of damn near starvation had denied the Panda the opportunity to achieve a normal weight for his species, and years more of working in fields, furnaces, Mines… and fighting in local taverns for cheap coin once he was older, it all allowed the Panda to achieve a rather muscular frame, which, over the past five months, even Po was now noticing, that his muscles were getting larger, as well as his stomach…if only a little. No doubt a result of being allowed more than one meal a day, to go with the near constant training.

The day after Tai Lung had returned to the Jade Palace, and had agreed to become Po's new teacher, Tai Lung and the other Warriors had just woken up from the morning gong and just as he was passing Po's room to go and join his fellow warriors and new student for breakfast, he managed to catch a brief glimpse of the Panda's room next to his own and just stopped.

After standing in the hall for a brief moment, Tai Lung, without even asking for permission, walked right into Po's room and stood there in the doorway, appalled at what he was seeing. At the time, there had only been a simple bedroll, a small pillow, and a single blanket. These three items along with a single sack in the corner, was all the Panda had been entitled to for the 2 months he had been a resident at the Palace and to say Tai Lung was furious was an understatement. Especially since Shifu made an immediate effort to make sure Tai Lung himself had a bed to sleep on his first night back at the Palace. Yet apparently, even after 2 months, the Dragon Warrior still wasn't entitled to so much as a bed of his own.

After looking back at the Panda and seeing the clear confusion on his face that day, Tai Lung realized that Po truly expected that this was all he was entitled to have in his room at the Palace. So after giving Shifu a rather dark glare, Tai Lung walked past the other Masters stopping only to tell Po he wanted him to join the other students in the training hall for the morning, while he went down into the Village to gather a few things. He never said what he was going for, and refused to answer Shifu when the old Red Panda had called after him that morning. But Po, having just recently damaged the Red Panda rather seriously by crushing the tiny Master's hip in a fit of rage, decided that he didn't need to add fuel to any fires and so simply did as his new "Teacher" had instructed and spent the morning training with the others under Shifu's instruction.

That afternoon, Po and the Five had finally broken for lunch and everyone was definitely ready for some food. Even tofu would have been welcomed to everyone, had Po not started making a few dumplings. It was only once they had all finished eating did Tai Lung return and asked Po to come with him for a moment, to which Po had just gotten up and followed him quietly.

As they had neared his room, Po was beginning to wonder what Tai Lung was wanting to show him when the Snow leopard had stopped just outside the Panda's room and turned around abruptly to stare at the Panda. In a brief motion, Tai Lung reached out and slid open the Panda's door and beckoned for Po to enter saying, "I hope this will be suitable for now, Po." Po, although confused, walked into his room and his eyes widened in surprise at all the new furniture in his room. The Desk, the chest, but what really had his eye was the object set up against the right wall…the bed.

Po remembered looking at Tai Lung with a face covered in disbelief as he asked, "Is…is that bed…for me?" Tai Lung nodded as he replied, "It's all for you Po; the bed, the workstation for you to work on your toys for those orphans, the Chest for your personal belongings and clothes. It's all yours and don't you dare let anyone else tell you differently."

Tai Lung, unlike the rest of the Masters, had learned early on once meeting Po, of the kind of Life he had been forced to live. A Life that unlike the Furious Five, Tai Lung had unfortunately, been given several glimpses into, having seen the cruelty of Slavers from a distance during his time he spent searching for a single Panda cub who had been taken from the Valley by a group of Slave Traders. A Panda, that would unknowingly one day come to learn what it takes to be the Dragon Warrior from the Snow Leopard himself. That Panda cub… was Po.

Po remembered how he looked at Tai Lung desperately wanting to ask him just one question, but was for whatever reason holding himself back. Eventually Tai Lung had to ask, "What is it?" it was then Po looked back into the room briefly and then back to Tai Lung as he asked, "Can I…Can I please sleep on it…for just a little while?" Tai Lung had actually smirked at the Panda right then and just said, "Of course…enjoy. Tomorrow our real training will begin, Dragon Warrior." And with that, Tai Lung left Po in the hallway to go and venture off to the Training hall, leaving the Panda to enjoy his first brand new Bed, for the very first time.

As Po shook himself from the memories of Tai Lung's first day at the Palace, he slowly got up and walked over to his chest and opened it, pulling out one of his black vests. But as he was putting it on, he noticed that there were a few more snags and tears in the fabric than before. Training up here with these Kung Fu Masters was really taking a toll on his clothes and it wasn't as if he truly had much to work with in the first place.

After placing the vest on, covering the dozens of scars he had received over the past 20 years from his previous Masters and pulling on a pair of slightly torn matching black pants, Po reached for his wrist wrappings that he kept at the top of his clothes and began to hurriedly wrap up his arms from the wrists up to just below his elbows. There wasn't a day that went by that Po wouldn't wrap up his wrists nice and tight. The last thing he needed was to be reminded constantly of the rings and names of the individuals who had caused him so much Pain…and so much suffering. Those Marks…he just wished that there was some way to get rid of them…to erase them from existence altogether.

Thinking about the marks that were branded into his arms, Po's paw slowly went up and he gently brushed his fingers over a single spot at the base of his neck, right in between his shoulders. It was a mark that resembled that of an eye. At first, Po thought it might be another name, like the ones he had on his arms, but according to Tigress, this particular mark wasn't a name…but a symbol of sorts. A Symbol that he might never have even discovered had Tigress not spotted it herself.

And so for the past 3 months Tigress has been adamantly researching the Mark, trying to find out what it even meant along with any details she could find on it at all, while Po struggled with trying to remember how he even received it in the first place…but that was the problem…he couldn't recall how or when he ever received a mark like that, and he could generally recall at least who gave him the dozens of scars that painted his entire body, both old…and new.

On the other side of Po's wall to the left of the Panda's room, Tai Lung was lying on his bed watching the Panda's shadow through the rice paper wall, as the large bear continued to prepare himself for another day of training. Tai Lung had observed the Panda waking from his recent nightmare due to the Panda's muttering, managing to wake the Snow leopard up from his own slumber. Not that it was incredibly difficult to do so, for Tai Lung himself was an incredibly light sleeper.

Though, Tai Lung was indeed growing concerned with this continuing instance, but wasn't entirely sure how to go about handling it. That creature had more than every right and reason to be seeing demons in his dreams. But Tai Lung could not help but still feel a desire to somehow help the Panda. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Po had asked him to teach the Panda what it meant to be a Dragon Warrior, or maybe it was that he still felt obligated to in a way, take care of the Panda and help him now in any way he could after failing to rescue him 20 years ago. Whatever it was, Tai Lung would have to worry about it later. If he was going to keep his promise to the Panda today, they needed to get an early start on their training.

Tai Lung quickly threw on his purple pants and Iron belt. Once he was ready, Tai Lung quietly exited his room and walked down a door to stand before the Panda's room. After knocking briefly, the door slid open and Tai Lung was greeted by the Panda's same blank expression he had come accustomed to seeing every morning. Only this time, there was a noticeable dampness to the Panda's forehead and Tai Lung immediately asked in a whisper, "Are you feeling alright?"

Po just nodded his head and replied, "Yes…just a bad dream. Is it time?" Tai Lung nodded as he replied, "It is if you want to be able to visit your Father this afternoon." Upon hearing this, a small smile crept across the Panda's face. If there was one thing Po loved more than anything, it was being able to see his Father and spend any amount of time with him. It was because of this, that Tai Lung tried to allow Po as much time with his Father as he could, without shaking his duties as a Master. One of the many ways they came up with to accomplish this, was for Po and Tai Lung to wake up extra early, and start training immediately, giving Po sometime in the afternoons, depending on the day, to visit his Father and perhaps…his sister and little nephew too.

Tai Lung just smirked as he said in a small whisper, "I'll take that as a yes. Let's get started then." And with that, both the Snow Leopard and the Panda quietly exited the barracks and made their way out and over to the Training hall courtyard.

With Shifu…

Shifu awoke at the same time he did every morning, a solid hour before the morning gong. Even the weeks following his most recent injury he had received from the Giant Panda could not keep the small Master from his daily routine. Though his tonics he had been taking for the pain in his hip were sure doing their best anyway.

After the "incident" that had taken place between Po and Shifu 3 months ago, it became painfully clear that Shifu was going to require some medical attention for a time and so he had moved one of the Village Healers into the Jade Palace and employed him as the Temple's private healer.

For months the Healer, an older goat man named Jian, had been preparing tonics for the Red Panda to ease the pain in his hip. When asked about how Shifu had obtained this recent injury, Shifu quickly came up with a cover story, claiming to have been injured during a training accident. That he had momentarily been distracted and was struck head on by one of the Swinging Clubs of Oblivion. He didn't want anyone to learn that the Dragon Warrior was the one who had crushed his hip…purposely.

It also was meant to be a small gesture towards Tai Lung, though after the moment Shifu watched Tai Lung take one look at Po's room at the time and Shifu immediately remembered he had denied Po many amenities, one of which in particular he made sure Tai Lung received the very night his Son had arrived, Shifu knew the gesture was all but forgotten.

Tai Lung…was indeed different in many ways then Shifu expected. Then again, his son was away for 20 years, 5 of which he spent searching for a single Panda cub…to finish his mission, only to fail. So it shouldn't have come to any shock that Tai Lung had changed. According to the snow leopard, he had spent nearly 15 years in almost complete isolation during his self-imposed exile, so perhaps expecting the exact Tai Lung he had lost to return home was a bit of a foolish wish. But that didn't stop Shifu from hoping. Hoping that perhaps one day SOON…he could truly have his son back.

But before he could expect Tai Lung to completely accept him…Shifu needed acceptance from a few others first. One being the very Panda who was keeping his son from leaving him again. The night Tai Lung learned of the way Shifu had treated Po…how he had acted towards the Large creature when he first arrived at the Palace…he was furious.

To learn the things Shifu had put the Panda through, what he denied the Panda on a daily basis, all for the most part in the name of his Son…Shifu knew it was going to take time for Tai Lung to come around and accept him for his mistakes. And the first step to achieving that, was to receive the Dragon Warrior's forgiveness. And then…there was Tigress.

Shifu…for so long never even realized what he had done to his own Foster daughter. And it took the words of his angered son, to finally put his actions into perspective. For so many years Shifu felt empty inside after Tai Lung's disappearance…after he left... that it never even occurred to the Red Panda what he was doing to his other child…a mere little girl.

As Shifu laid there in his bed for a moment staring up at the ceiling, his son's words from 3 months ago rang through his mind as clearly as the night he heard them as he recalled their conversation, "-But even though I left…you were not alone Shifu. You still had Tigress. Who from what I understand, you all but ignored this entire time." Shifu then looked up and asked, "Did she…say that?" Tai Lung shook his head no saying, "Not in so many words…only that she envies me for being able to actually call you Father."

As Shifu finished recalling the memory, he sighed heavily and slowly sat forward with a groan. Looking to his right next his bed sitting on top of a small night table was an empty bottle of his pain medicine. Shifu sighed as he made a mental note of needing to speak with Jian today for another bottle. In just a few more weeks Jian thought Shifu would be able to no longer need the tonics for his injury, but again, that would be in a few weeks.

Reaching for his cane, Shifu carefully forced himself out of bed once again and got to his feet, moving his joints about to loosen them while testing the strain on his hip briefly before he began to exit his Chambers, ready for yet another day. As he walked outside his room, he was once again thinking about how to possibly make things right with his 3 pupils when something managed to catch his eye.

Turning to the right, just down the Hall beyond the Reflecting moon pool, sat a shelf holding the 1000 scrolls of Kung Fu. To the left of that was a door that was just barely open. A door…that at this time of day, should have no purpose for being opened under any circumstances.

Quickly Shifu began hobbling his way across the Hall of Heroes and over to the door which lead down into the Palace Archives, an ancient library containing hundreds if not thousands of scrolls filed with infinite knowledge. Knowledge that if in the wrong hands could prove to be rather disastrous.

` As Shifu began to descend the cold stone stairway beyond the door, he was pleasantly surprised to see an occasional torch was lit to provide a source of illumination. Whoever was down there was planning on being there for quite some time, leaving Shifu to now believe that perhaps this was no intruder, but perhaps one of his students. But still, what purpose could any of them have for being down here at this hour of the night? Or was it day?

Regardless, Shifu soon had his answer as he reached the bottom of the stairs and turned around the corner to stand at it's entrance and stopped. Their, lying up against the wall about halfway down the Hall, with perhaps a dozen half opened scrolls lying about her was his Foster daughter, Master Tigress.

As Shifu approached her, he noticed that many of the half opened scrolls were of a particular coincidence, they were all of different symbols or crests. As Shifu came to stand beside Tigress, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently as he called out, "Tigress." Instantly Tigress's eyes snapped open as she jerked forward with her fist raised ready to attack, only for it to be smacked away just as quickly by Shifu's cane as the two locked eyes briefly and Shifu watched as Tigress's face went from anger, to understanding in seconds.

"Master!" Tigress blurted out as she then quickly stood up and brushed herself off as she stood over the many scrolls and bowed to Shifu saying, "Good Morning Master! I ...am I…Am I late for training? Forgive me Master, I must not have heard the gong." Shifu just waved is hand dismissively as he watched Tigress kneel down and begin picking up many of the scrolls and rolled them up. "You would not have heard it down here even if you did miss the gong Tigress, the walls are far too thick." Tigress nodded as she responded quickly, "Of course Master."

Shifu then watched as Tigress returned the scrolls before asking, "Might I ask what it is you are doing down here…and why you appear to have been here all night?" Tigress froze briefly as she stared at the wall in front of her for a moment. It was true, she had been here all night and her appearance only served to confirm it, what with her fur ruffled about and her appearance slightly dishelved. For the past 3 months, Tigress had been adamantly researching one specific symbol that she had come across one night. A Mark that looked very much like an eye that was found at the base of Po's neck.

But what the mystery about this particular mark was that Po never even knew he had it. He didn't know what it was, how he got it or when, and the Night Tigress confronted him about it, she could easily see that not knowing the Mark even existed before then clearly upset the Giant Panda, and for good reason. Po could remember how he had obtained most of the scars that painted the Panda's body beneath his fur and he could definitely recall receiving each of the 9 rings and named that were burned into both of his arms all the way back to the time he was a mere cub. So where did this particular burn come from, and what was its meaning? That was what Tigress had been trying to learn all this time. But unfortunately up until now…she had nothing. Just a mere drawing she made of the mark.

Of course Po had tried to help Tigress in the research initially, but as they soon quickly found out, his reading abilities weren't up to the task yet. Although Po's education had come a significant ways since he first arrived at the Palace, he still had a long ways to go. He still couldn't read without having someone nearby to ask for help if he didn't understand a word or phrase that was written.

As Tigress brought herself back from her thoughts she resumed placing several of the scrolls back in place, completely aware that Shifu was still waiting for an answer as she said, "Forgive me Master, I was merely looking to do some research on a private matter. It is nothing to concern yourself with I assure you."

Shifu watched Tigress for a long moment and was beginning to feel disappointed. He was aware that she had been making several trips down here into the archives over the past few months but never said anything before. Now, he had just asked her to tell him what it was she had been researching all this time…and now she was keeping secrets from him.

With a slight sigh Shifu nodded and just muttered, "Of course." And with that, he watched as Tigress placed the last of the scrolls away and reached down to pick up the last few of her personal scrolls. But as her paw reached for the last unrolled scroll, Shifu was able to catch a decent glance of the Mark Tigress had been researching. To Shifu, the symbol looked something of an eye drawn in red ink, but before he had the chance to study it more, Tigress was now walking over towards the stairs, stopping only to look back at Shifu and ask, "Master…are you coming?" Shifu shook his head briefly from his thoughts as he began hobbling over towards the steps saying, "Of course."

As Tigress watched her Master make his way over towards the steps, Tigress hesitated briefly before she decided to ask, "Master…do you require any-" But Shifu immediately glared at the Tiger and stated harshly, "No Tigress, I do not require any help!" and with that, Shifu made it an effort to move faster up the stairs, while Tigress merely watched her Master struggle to climb them. With a heavy sigh Tigress soon began to follow her Master up the stairs and out of the Archives, snuffing each torch out as she passed it by.

A short while Later Tigress and Shifu found themselves at the end of the hall of the Student barracks. Neither one had said anything the entire walk over from the Palace to the barracks. Not that this was unusual of course, after all, Tigress and Shifu weren't exactly the two most talkative warriors at the Palace, rather they were quite the opposite. But it was during that walk over that Shifu recalled what it was he had been thinking about earlier in his chambers, and he slowly began to regret snapping at Tigress the way he did.

Tigress soon opened her door and proceeded to walk in, leaving her door ajar as she did so. His curiosity getting the better of him, Shifu walked forward a few steps and peered in and his eyes widened in surprise. Up against the east wall was a desk of sorts with a large board nailed into the back of it, acting as a sort of wall which was now plastered with images of that same eye he had managed to catch a glimpse of a short while ago, along with several notes nailed in places regarding a possible solution or question about the strange mark.

Whatever Tigress was doing, she was putting a great deal of effort behind her research. It was only then did Shifu realize he had never even seen a desk or table inside Tigress's room before. He knew that Tigress was not exactly one for…ornamentation. But aside from the results of Tigress's research and a bed and a clothes chest, was a single wooden replica of the Tiger Master, hand crafted by the Dragon Warrior himself. It was one of 5 unique replicas of the Furious Five…a gift to them all, as far as Shifu could understand.

Once Tigress finished placing her materials on her table and hanging up one of the images of the symbol she calmly walked back to the door and exited her room, closing it shut behind her. Tigress then stood at attention while Shifu was merely staring at her briefly and was about to ask Tigress to explain in full what it was she was working on when the morning gong rang, and four of his remaining students immediately exited their rooms, saying alongside Tigress, "Good Morning Master!"

Shifu nodded and was about to reply when he noticed that 2 of his students, if he could honestly even call the Panda HIS student, were not present. Po might not have always been as quick to get to his door over the past 5 months, but Shifu had come to learn that the Panda was always awake before the morning gong for one reason or another. But Tai Lung? Tai Lung since his return had never been late for the morning gong. Much like Tigress, Shifu had drilled into the Snow Leopard the importance of being punctual at an early age.

Shifu waited a brief moment before sighing and walked over to his son's door and opened it shouting, "Master Tai Lung!" but when all Shifu saw was an empty bed and a few personal amenities, his face soon became one of slight confusion. He then proceeded to open the Panda's door and found the same result. Both warriors were already gone.

"Where could they be?" Shifu wondered aloud, when Tigress replied, "My guess Master, would be that master Tai Lung and the Dragon Warrior have gotten an early start on their training. Did Tai Lung not speak to you of this possibility yesterday?" Yet Shifu said nothing. For the past 3 months the idea had been for both Shifu and Tai Lung to cooperate with one another and discuss the Panda's training together. Normally Shifu would just oversee the Panda's training himself, yet there were a few problems with that. For one, despite accepting the Dragon Warrior title and it's responsibilities, Shifu knew it was painfully obvious that Po did not come even close to trusting the Red Panda, or accepting him as his Teacher. Not after what Shifu did to the Panda's Leopard sister and the way Shifu had treated him upon his arrival.

And secondly, the whole reason Tai Lung agreed to stay at the palace at all was because Po had asked the Snow leopard himself to become his teacher. The only reason Shifu could now finally live under the same roof as his children, was because the Panda was what was keeping them all in the same place, whether he realized it or not.

This was not the first time Tai Lung had gone behind Shifu's back with the Panda's training, and at the rate things were progressing it would not be the last. Although Shifu saw that Tai Lung took his duties as the Panda's teacher with great pride, he also saw that at the same time, Tai Lung appeared to be attempting to forge a friendship with the bear as well, yet he was doing so slowly and carefully, for Trust was not something Po gave out as easily as anyone else, for obvious reasons.

Shifu sighed heavily before he closed the Panda's door and began to walk down the hall while answering Tigress, "No…I'm afraid it must have slipped his mind. You are all free to have your breakfast and then I want you all to head straight for the training hall." As he walked, Viper slithered forward and asked politely, "Master, would you care to join us for breakfast?" But Shifu merely kept staring forward as he shook his head no while saying, "Thank you Master Viper but no. I…must meditate. I will meet you all at the training hall."

With that, the Five all stopped outside the kitchen and watched as Shifu began to exit the barracks. As the Red Panda began making his way over to the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, he sighed heavily as he muttered, "It looks like it's going to be another one of THOSE days…*Sigh*." And with that, Shifu continued making his way over to the tree, wondering just what he was going to say to his son later on about the Dragon Warrior's training, once he found him that is.

So there you have it, That's chapter 1. Kinda just a bit of a "what's happened since" type of chapter, but those aren't too bad every now and then. I hope that this chapter wasn't a disappointment, but like I said, even though I have all 4 parts to this story planned out, I doubt I will ever be able to top Part 1. But I'm more than happy to be proven wrong! Thanks for reading everybody and remember...

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