Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

Prologue: Beasts Within

The setting sun shown brilliantly on the landscape. Within a small valley in northern China lay a large merchant village. The town extended across the entire length of the valley floor, bustling with commerce and trade. Even from atop the high mountains which cradled the peaceful hamlet a sense of stillness was almost nowhere to be seen. Everything was surging with energy; everything except the tall hill which lay in the center of the prosperous village.

There in the middle of the busy hub lay the Imperial Cemetery, final resting place of all those who died in service to the Emperor. Scattered all around the hollowed ground were the tombs, burials and monuments to the sacrifices made by the brave spirits that rest beneath the earth. To be laid within the confines of this sanctuary was considered one of the highest honors given to a soldier of the Imperial Army. This is why he came.

The stillness of the memorial was rippled by the approach of a single figure. From directly overhead, a flowing dark blue cloak could be seen trailing behind the man as if they were followed by a piece of the night sky. He marched determinedly toward the central monument of the sanctuary, slowing his pace the closer he came. The man gazed at the stone effigy in front of him. There was nothing all too impressive with the monument. In fact, it was relatively the plainest burial stone within the premises. It was tall hulk of smooth grey rock, formless and unrecognizable. The only decorative features of the burial were the lit white paper lanterns which hung on posts around the stone and the only aesthetic features were a patch of stone in the middle of a grass circle for meditation and a three small onyx steps leading from the grass to the base of the burial. The only thing that could even catch the eye of any visitor were the characters "记忆永恒"* cut into the center of its gray surface. This is what attracted his attention.

When he stood at the base of the towering structure he reached into the chest of his cloak and removed two sticks of incense. After lighting them in a nearby lantern, he knelt before the stone and stuck the incense in front of the black steps. As the small tails of smoke billowed upward the figure placed himself down in the center of the green circle, feeling the warmth of the smooth stone beneath him. He crossed his legs into a lotus position and removed his hood, the warmth of the sun heating his exposed fur. He closed his eyes, and for several minutes remained silent and still before the burial.

As he delved into the reaches of his mind he could not decide why he came to this place. Maybe it was to pay his respects. All of the people buried there were heroes in their own regard. Each died to serve a cause or purpose higher than themselves. Perhaps he thought it necessary to learn from their sacrifices. Another part of him believed that this was for atonement. In some small way, did he hope that the spirits of these dead warriors could offer him guidance? The thought of redemption did often cross his mind; to be forgiven of his transgressions. Or maybe he was simply alone. When left to dwell in a life of solitude and regret who else was there to hear him? Traditionally, communication with a person's ancestors or guardian spirits would help to ease any earthly burdens. However, when he tried he never received an answer. It was possible that he didn't have any ancestors to hear his prayers, but more than likely there were none who would wish to hear them. It was queer that he could only find comfort in the whispers of dead strangers.

He knew no living creature could have him.

While meditating, they came. His ears flicked toward their direction. It was a much larger force than the last, but he had grown accustomed to their idea that more was better. Crocodiles, wolves, boars, oxen, and even a heavily armored sheep marched along the path of the memorial grounds. They were not military, per say. Rather a collection of the surrounding provinces' best swords for hire.

The best for hire... really?

They were all the same to him at this point. Just an oversized mob of cut throats, bandits, mercenaries, and scum who do anything for either wealth or a title in a noble's court. Their arrival was inevitable upon his lengthy and unplanned stay in this small, yet inhabited village. More than likely a local had heard of his "popularity" with the local lords and had reported his whereabouts to the authorities. He didn't care though. Civilians scared easily and it wasn't their fault that he intimidated them, though he never wished to do so. Figures they would send such a motley crew to attempt to snuff his existence though.

Why waste trained guards or soldiers on a lone mark? Easier in this case anyway, I can outsmart them faster.

In truth, he held no ill will towards any of these men. He desired only one thing: Answers. And until he had them he would not allow himself to be captured, subdued, or vanquished. He needed atonement, and a band of greedy desperate ruffians was not going to deter him now.

The leader of the band, a burly black ox with twin battle axes, stepped forward an sized up their quarry. "So..." he began with toothy smirk, "this is the notorious 'Yǐngzi èmó'*? You look like small time to me friend."

Yǐngzi èmó. That's what they call me now? Well, at least I can respond to more than "There he is!" or "Kill that damned fool!" It must have taken those nobles weeks to agree on it. Self-centered idiots. As he mused to himself over these thoughts his current assailants began to brandish their weapons. The noise caught his attention and he glanced over at the rabble. Most of their weapons maintained a bright luster to their surfaces, and almost no signs of imperfection were to be seen from their sheen. This indicated one thing: These men were green.

With a sigh he lifted himself up off of the ground of the stone sanctuary, his night blue cloak draping around his body as he stood. Placing his fist in his paw he bowed toward the burial stones in respect before facing his new guests. He turned and donned his large hood so only his bright sea green eyes could be seen under it. He chuckled lightheartedly at the thugs before him. "Listen guys, I am sure you are all tired from tracking me for so long," he began as he crossed his arms nonchalantly across his moderately built chest, "so why don't you just relax and join me in meditating for a while. I am sure it would be good for all of us. Especially the sheep there, he seems a little uptight."

The sheep mercenary glowered at the man, grinding his teeth and clenching tighter on his silver war hammer. As he makes a move to strike at the fool the leader holds up his hoof immediately halting his movements. The large ox chuckles darkly, "We find you after days of hunting, the only thing on our minds being the price on your dead carcass, and the first thing you ask us to do is sit in a circle and hold hands?"

The man tapped his furry chin pensively, "More or less." He gives a light shrug and gives a childish smirk.

At this the ox frowns, "You've got some nerve kid. I have a mind to just kill you for my own satisfaction." At this the others glance at him, and he smirks. "However, the 'generous' reward for your head on a pike is too hard to pass up."

"Awww... what a shame. You looked like you could use hug." A large white grin shown from beneath the hood.

At this the ox laughed, "Ohohoho! Now I see why these lords want to see you killed so badly. You got a pair of iron on you boy."

"Look fellas," the man sighed heavily moving his arms to his sides, "I don't want to fight you guys. I have had a long journey and I would prefer not to cause or have any trouble. I am asking you politely now to leave me in peace. I don't want to hurt anyone."

The ox snorted, "Don't feed me that crap. We all heard what you did to that village two months back-"

"Shut you mouth!" yelled the man, his fists visibly shaking and his eyes glowing with untold rage. The mercenaries, taken aback by the sudden outburst, took a few paces away from their enraged bounty. Inhaling deeply, the man relaxes his muscles and sighs heavily, eyes staring regretfully at the ground. "You don't know a damn thing about what happened that day."

The leader, having regained his poise after the startling reaction, sized up the man a second time to see if he missed something in his original observations. For a brief second he could have sworn that the skin on the mans arms was not only shaking, but writhingas well. It was as if something inside the young man was fighting to get out. However, as soon as it had appeared it vanished and the figure returned to standing calmly before them.

What in the gods' names was that about, he wondered.

Snorting the ox dismissed the event and drew his axes. All humor struck from his face, the ox gave the signal to his companions. Soon every sell sword was circling around the cloaked figure weapons brandished and shining in the midday sun.

"I don't know what happened in that village boy, and frankly I couldn't care." the oz raised his axes to the ready once the circle was complete. "All that matters is that you are the mark, and we are after the reward on your head. It's only business."

The hooded man sighed and gave a curt nod, "I understand. But before I find what I am looking for, no one can stop me. Especially not you."

With that the mercenaries charged in. What had once been a hollow ground, had been turned into a chaotic battlefield. The hooded man stood still as the first few came at him with spears hurdling toward their mark. With a quick leap, he narrowly dodged them as the heads of the spears came clattering together underneath him. Once he landed he glanced up. There was an opening in their formation. He took it.

He fled away from the memorial grounds, and down the sanctuary trails as he barreled on towards the village at a blistering pace with his pursuers hot on his trail. With any luck he could lose them in the alleys and alcoves. He entered the market area, where various geese, rabbits, and gazelle were out perusing the goods for sale. Running halfway down the road he turned around to see a large mass of animals angrily charging in his direction. Quickly looking around, he identified a brightly colored stand and smirked when he read its sign.

Keep Away From Fire.

Jackpot, he thought as he grabbed the stand frightening all the citizens nearby. Tipping it over towards his pursuers, he quickly grabbed a lantern from overhead and threw it on the toppled stand. He smiled victoriously to himself contently at his shoddy handiwork before breaking out into another full on sprint.

The ox and his band careened on through the dense market throwing stands and civilians out of their path only. They stopped upon reaching the fallen stand in the middle of the road. Through the cries of the terrified villagers, the mercenaries could hear a faint hissing noise. The ox growled through clenched teeth, "Clever little punk."

Soon bright colors and the sounds of screaming men filled the market air. Glancing behind him, the man watched as his unorthodox diversion creates the desired effect. He continued on through the random alleyways and corridors of the village. Lucky for him, the village was as dense as a small city, so if at any point he tired from the pursuit he could hide out for a while in one of the thousands of convenient hiding places available to him.

Once he was satisfied that he had given them the slip, he found a small hovel behind a quaint noodle shop in a dark alleyway. Content that he would not be discovered by his pursuers he sat down with a heavy thud, allowing his muscles time to relax and his heart to slow.

Well, that was fun. He thought with a light hearted smirk on his muzzle. Once he collected himself he assumed a lotus position and began to meditate. Despite how often it occurred, he didn't think he would ever get used to this kind of life.

I think I need to find myself a stable woman, he mused. A nice girl to help ground me and keep me sane... well as much sanity as I can allow myself.

His amusing thoughts were put on hold when a miniscule noise caught his attention. His ears twitched toward the origin of the sound preparing himself for another chase. However, instead of staring down an angry mercenary he found himself gazing into the curious eyes of two little rabbit children. Their faces and clothing were dirty and tattered, but they wore pleasant smiles as they took in the sight of the strange man in the dark clothing.

The man gave a warm smile toward the children causing their faces to brighten even more. He knew these kids were poor, that much was certain, but even he knew that happiness could be found no matter what circumstances you found yourself in. His own life included. He leaned forward with his paws on his knees and asked knowingly, "You kids must be pretty hungry, huh?"

They nodded energetically in response causing the cloaked man to chuckle.

"Well then, how about this? If I give you two some money could you get yourselves and yours truly some dinner?"

To his astonishment their smiles got even larger.

"Awesome!" He reached into his pocket pulling out five fen. He handed them to the tallest child. "Now, I'm counting on you two."

With that the two rabbits scampered off toward the market district leaving the man seated cross legged on the cold stone floor.

He smiled to himself. Kids... gotta love em'.

Later that evening he shares a little feast with the two children consisting of bean buns, rice, and radishes. It was not exactly fine dining, but after the excitement that day the man considered it a blessing. When he was finished he observed the two sibling rabbits eat as they ate and enjoyed each others' company. Despite being poor and without a home, they had each other. The man felt his heart warm from the sight, but soon felt a familiar sadness as well. For the longest time he had no one to call friend or family. It was a luxury he could not afford at that time.

Perhaps never again.

He shook such thoughts from his head. He didn't realize how tired he was until now. A full stomach really gets to you, he thought. Soon he began to feel his lids grow heavy and droop. His body needed rest and he knew it, so without a care in the world he laid back against the wall of the restaurant and slowly let sleep take him.

He awoke to the sound of children crying and ribs breaking.

His eyes shot open as a white hot pain entered his chest. He screamed from the sudden pain, eyes darting about frantically to identify the cause.

He should have know.

Staring down at him was a badly injured ox, drunk off of rage and malice. The leader of the ragtag mercenary band was very badly burned with the smell of seared flesh and burnt fur flowing off of him like awful perfume. Another sharp blow to his chest broke his mind from his observations as he howled in pain.

The ox glared at the man. "Not so funny now, are yah!" he said as he landed another blow to the defenseless figure. The cloaked man wheezed and groaned from the pain, he could fell the broken bones push up against his lungs with each blow. The threat of them puncturing his lungs became apparent.

"You know what?" Asked the ox in a poisonous tone of voice, "I was just gonna kill you and be done with it. Real clean and professional, like. But then these little brats got in my way." He gestured over to the limp forms which laid in the shadow of the alley.

"And when I get pissed, well, I just can't control my temper all that well." he said with a sickening grin.

The man became numb at the sight of the two children. He crawled his way towards the two small bodies. Hoping and praying to every god he knew that they were alive and well. When he reached them he sat up with great pain, cradling them in his arms and rocking them softly in his embrace.

Why?... They did nothing to deserve this... Why did you have to take them, too?...Tell me why!, he trembled violently. Through the brief silence, a small sobbing noise echoed off the walls of the alley. He clenched his teeth, grinding them together incessantly. His mind felt like it was on fire, his body ready to explode from his physical and mental pain.

The ox scoffed in disgust, "After all the destruction-after all the lives you took, you cry? For a couple of nameless pieces of garbage?" The ox kicked the wounded man up against the wall causing the two bodies to fall lifelessly to the ground and dust to fly into the air around the two men. The ox spat at the ground near the man's feet, "You are just disgusting." The cloaked figure sat still against the wall, no longer trembling or moving. An eerie silence filled the atmosphere. Soon the figures chest began to rise and fall slowly. With every breath, a low raspy noise emerged from the draped hood. Shadow buried whatever face lay underneath.

The ox smiled, chuckling to himself at his handiwork. He only had one more thing to do to this man now. Slowly he took up his axes and readied them for a final blow. The clouds over head moved out from in front of a ominously bright crescent moon. An strange light began to illuminate the alley, reflecting off the sharp edges of the weapons.

As the moonlight hit the cloaked figure's feet, he slowly rose on his haunches and stood facing his executioner. His breathing became silent.

The ox smirked and slightly lowered his axes. He laughed outright grinning wickedly at his prey. "So you're finally going to face death like a man, huh?" He readied himself once again. The glow of the moon slowly crawled up his quarry's cloak. The ox narrowed his eyes and tightened his stance. "And here I was hoping you'd put up more of a fight. Are you sure no one else has to die before you get cut down?"

Moonlight illuminated the hooded figure, but his face still looked toward the ground. Gradually, his head rose to meet the ox's amused gaze. The clouds soaring above covered the moon again, slowly draping the both the alley and village in darkness. From beneath the hood a low coarse whisper answered. "Actually..." As the darkness set upon them, the ox froze with fear as a pair of burning orange eyes pierced the shadows. "There is."

The clouds rolled on through the night covering all of China in a sea of shadow. Even the Valley of Peace, miles away, was covered in the pervasive darkness. When the clouds finally dispersed, the moonlight lit up the earth, a new crimson glow staining the earth below.

A/N:

* "记忆永恒" - "Memory Eternal"

Yǐngzi èmó (Yin-zeh-uh-muah)- shadow demon