Artist's Comments

Normally, I would save this sort of thing at the end of the fiction, but I think you should know some things before you start reading.

#1. There's a reason why it's Rated T: blood and gore will be mentioned - perhaps some material mentioned too much for the general audiences - if you don't like that sort of thing, or just can't handle it, turn away from this fiction now. I don't need anyone getting nightmares or something because of my writing even though I clearly warned them.

#2. (And more importantly) this piece was inspired by an art piece done by Wolf-Chalk on Deviantart, also titled Gongmen's Scars. It's because of that artist that all of this is possible.

#3. (In speaking of our beloved Wolf-Chalk, or Elkpelt on Fanfiction) I have been given permission by the artist responsible for the inspiration of Gongmen's Scars to use the respective artwork as the cover of this fiction. If you don't believe me, take it up with the artist - I have the notes to prove it.

So now, ladies and gentlemen, now that I have warned you, you must decide for yourselves to continue reading or not.

You have been warned, which is all I can really do.

By continuing to scroll, you are assuming the risks of reading this T-Rated fiction.

So now, without further ado, Gongmen's Scars!

They say that when you defeat the enemy, it was supposed to be okay.

Allow this matter to be cleared up: it was just a rumor. How did it start? No one knows, but it was obvious that it started with someone who had lips that spoke ignorance of the harsh realities of battles that contributed to war. Every word was a dream that was spread by ignorance and to comfort those who never tasted war, or perhaps conflict that was never properly solved altogether.

This sort of ignorance could have been a good thing if war was never needed. If everyone was in this ignorant bliss that once the physical enemy was defeated when the fight had a winner, then war wouldn't be needed in the first place, for common sense told them that it would be better to never fight in the first place.

Perhaps in a world that would never need war to solve their problems, things would be better off for the souls of others. However, these people didn't live in that world, especially two specific souls that were suffering right now.

If no one needed to fight, then these two specific souls wouldn't be in the predicament that they were in right now. However, in their world, war was something that was referred to as a 'necessary evil' concerning them. As much as it pained them now, without war, they would have never met, and missed out on a friendship they now knew they didn't want to live without.

Even if they did met, perhaps under different circumstances, it wouldn't be the same. Perhaps they would pass each other by if they were in a different situation, but life forced them together, and although they never said it verbally, or accepted it at first, they were grateful for the other. War was that one thing that brought them together, yet tore them up all at the same time. It was the fire that burned out the impurities of their relationship and brought them together, even to the degree of keeping them together when they were stubborn, yet the burns of war were not merciful concerning scars. It was the one thing that was responsible for their relationship to happen, but also the very thing they wished never existed.

Maybe later on in life, in an age that war was less unlikely, they could work things out better, but weither or not it will come in their lifetime was something that they didn't know, or perhaps will ever know.

The only thing that was certain right now was the scars after the battle - the ruble left behind after a horrible storm, or the blood that stuck to the wound after it stopped bleeding.

When the mighty Lord Shen had fallen to his death (ironically by his own weapon), there was the aftermath to consider because even though the enemy was gone, the wounds he left behind were not. For example, Master Croc had a few missing scales that were going to need time to regenerate, and his arm wasn't going to be working for at least a few weeks. Master Ox had a few cracked bones in his body, and one of the mighty wings that belonged to one of the legendary members of the Furious Five, Master Crane, had been fractured again for the second time in this whole war. No one could blame another for being in this much pain - after all, it were these same wounds that were caused by the same canon that took out the legendary Master Thundering Rhino just a short time before. It was the fall of this master that destroyed the spirits of his students, and would have remained so if it had not been for Master Shifu to intervene and bring them back up again to help the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five take down the same peacock that murdered their master.

From the fallen guards to Master Rhino himself - it had been agreed upon that one large funeral would be held in commemoration of them all. At first, it seemed rather strange to try to get the names of everyone who had fallen that day, but it had been so strongly suggested, primarily by Po, that they did agree upon to make the memorial site in Gongmen City that had fallen on the account of Lord Shen.

The hammer that had belonged to Master Rhino had not been moved from the place Po and the others saw it at when they had been captured, but it had been cleaned up and the floor around it had been repaired. One large brick in front of it had the name of Master Rhino on it, and if one were to walk a little further to the building that been previously been destroyed, there was a statue of the same master. To remember everyone else that had fallen that day, every brick that was put on the path from the hammer to the statue had a name of one of the victims who had died because of the tyrannical peacock, some peasants, and some were just guards that had fallen to the metal feathers of Shen, but they were still all in the effort to be remembered for what had been done.

It was the building of this place that the first effects of scars started to come through, primarily through a certain panda. However, in this particular case, it actually involved physical scars.

Po had been so persistent in this idea in memory of Master Rhino, that he had even promised that he would do the same thing everyone else was concerning its construction. His dedication to building this memorial site lead everyone to pitch in, from scribes to getting all the names from all of the relatives of all the people that died to just using their strength to move the materials to make the site in the first place. From peasants to even the most honored of masters in Gongmen City, it was not only an inspiration, but a healing point, for there were only two others that were just as persistent as Po was concerning this matter, and that was Master Croc and Ox, for they were close to their fallen friend, and believed that by doing this, their would be some level of closure and move on.

However, there were some things that were not closed, and it started coming through during the project.

Po had taken a minute to sit down, looking at all of the others that were continuing to go about the business of the memorial - a pig here making sure the cement was perfect, and a duck near him to carefully inscribe another name that was on a list in the wings of another duck. There were a few others near them, likely family, to see the name of their lost one being put into the stone to be remembered.

The panda allowed himself a minute to smile, but only because he was happy for the family that their fallen loved one would be remembered. If it were up to him, he would have wanted to prevent anyone from being killed altogether, but of all the things he wished he was, he wasn't perfect.

Within a short amount of time, Po's thoughts of family began to slowly lead him to frown, turning his jade eyes to the ground that they were constructing on, his thoughts leading him to things that made him have questions, such as the memory of his mother, what she might have been like, or what her name might have been.

The more he played that memory in his head, the more he didn't realize that he was crying until the first tear hit the ground.

When he saw the tear, and registered in his mind that his vision was blurry, shutting his eyes tightly and began to rub whatever tears that might still be left on his face away, mumbling incoherent words about gaining composure and that he didn't need to worry about that.

What Po had failed to remember was that the wounds he got from the canon had not yet healed, sending a jolt of pain through his ribs and halting his actions. His breath hitched a little as the pain went through him, biting his lip so as to not let out a scream and make everyone worry. He thought that after waking up from the blast, he would be okay, but maybe there were some things that still needed to heal.

He couldn't think about that now - at least he thought he didn't.

"Hello, Po."

Looking up after rubbing his rib-cage, he took notice of the one who had greeted him. It was none other than Tigress, giving one of her more calm smiles with two cups of tea and a small platter of dumplings.

"Hey," he said with a smile, "I'm just resting a minute, I need a breather."

"I understand," she said as she sat down next to him, handing him a cup, "Here, it will help."

His smile becoming a little bigger, Po gladly accepted the gesture from Tigress and lost little time into taking in the contents of the cup slowly - fast enough for his pace, but not so fast that he couldn't enjoy the tea or its warmth. The newfound heat in his belly brought his smile to a more relaxed pace, Po sighing with relief as Tigress smiled at him.

"I take it that you needed that more than I thought," she said in-a-matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah, I did," Po reassured her, "Thanks for bringing it over."

"Do you want any dumplings?"

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry."

As Po took another sip of the tea, the smile that Tigress had was gone, looking over her friend as she debated with herself if she was just overthinking it, or if what she was thinking about him was actually true. Tigress rarely enjoyed assumptions, and the assumption she had now was far beyond any pleasurable thought. When Po wasn't hungry, it usually indicated one or two things: one, that there was something on Po's mind; or two, he was really really sick.

Neither likely outcome sounded good to Tigress, and Po didn't catch onto what Tigress might have been thinking until after a long pause of looking at the ground. When Tigress caught the sadness in his eyes, she had a strong hunch that it had to be that there was something mentally bothering Po.

The panda didn't catch that his feline friend was looking at him until after things became too quiet between them, compelling him to look up at her.

"What?"

"Are you alright?"

He sighed - leave it up to Tigress to be able to read him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Po said, referring to his physical state since he didn't think the rib pain was going to be a big deal, "I'm just thinking about something..."

"What are you thinking about?" Tigress asked, "Very few things would compel you not to eat..."

Of course... the fact he rejected dumplings was a clear indication that he was at least upset. Ironically, if he was really upset, he would eat a lot, but there were a few times he wouldn't eat his problems away because he knew it wouldn't do any good. Thinking about his mother was such a thing.

"I'm... just thinking about everything that's happened..."

"Po, it was Shen's decision in the end not to change."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course... but that's not what is getting to me..."

"Then what is?"

He looked at her for a moment before looking back down at the ground.

"...Do you remember when I was shot by that canon?"

How could she not forget? She told him to stay in the prison because she knew that his head wasn't in the mission. Normally, she would trust him with her back if he was focused, but she knew he wasn't, and that's what she thought killed him.

She cringed a little at the thought, but Po wasn't even looking, so she allowed herself to do so.

"Of course I do..."

"Well, the Soothsayer found me and patched me up... in the same place where I was born."

Her eyes widened a little - his home village was that close?

"While I was there... I... began to remember what had happened to me, and how I ended up with my dad."

Carefully, she placed the plate down, no longer interested in drinking tea since what Po had been talking about had long since indicated that it was serious, and chose to give him her undivided attention.

"I even saw the face of my mother before she put me in the radish basket."

Po's face cringed, as if to fight off the sadness, and it broke Tigress' heart that he was even trying to do so.

"I think the reason why all of this is bugging me is because I don't even know her name, much less what she was like, what she enjoyed doing, or if she would have been proud of me as a son."

"Po."

The moment his name left her lips, her paw was on his shoulder, winning his attention back.

"I don't know what your mother was like, but she must have been an incredible woman for doing what she did to save you," Tigress said, "And if it were me, it would have broken my heart to have to let go of my son, but I would also understand that it was necessary in order to save him..."

"Tigress..."

"...I don't know why you're doubting yourself all of a sudden," she said as she put one paw on each of his shoulders, "But even though I never gave you the warmest greeting when you were chosen as the Dragon Warrior, I now see that I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. You're my friend, Po, and your mother would be crazy to not be proud of you... because..."

Both the panda and the female tiger blushed hard as the next words left her mouth.

"...because I know that I am proud of you..."

For a minute, Po needed that much to sink in the information. At first, a warm feeling began to beat across his chest, but the more it came into touch with his head, the more tears that started to form in his eyes. When the tears began to form, Tigress was worried that she may have said something out of line, but held her ground until she was certain that she had told him really was offensive.

There was no reason for it to be, nor any logical reason for it to be so - she just told him the truth.

When he started shaking, she started to really worry, and her heart missed a beat when he leaned his head a little, taking Tigress' paw from his shoulder and onto his cheek, perhaps for self-comfort, but just before Tigress could think of anything to say, he spoke.

"Y-You're right..." Po said, his voice still too shaky for Tigress' comfort, "My mom would be proud of me... but I guess that now because I have a face to the name, I wish I could hear her say that. When I began to remember and have inner peace, I felt closure in who I was... but I don't think I have closure with people who helped me get here... and never be able to meet..."

So that's what was bothering him. The fact he was here making this memorial probably hurt him even more. Then again, what probably hurt the most was the thoughts of how selfish he thought he was being right now, when Tigress knew that these feelings were normal. Ironically, it was this very thing she learned from Po.

To have been so close to someone, yet so far - Tigress could relate to that, but refused to talk about it.

She wanted to have the right words on the tip of her tongue right now, but nothing came up. Tigress wanted to tell him something that would at least help, but she couldn't think of anything - she only felt pity for the panda who came to realize what he had lost.

What made her worry even more was when Po lifted her paw away from his cheek to give them their respective space, looking worse than before, and trying to hide it behind one of his stupid smiles.

"Sorry," he said, putting the cup down and carefully taking Tigress' paw into his own again to hold them a little more tightly for a minute in the name of reassurance, "W-we've got to get back to work, so let's help the others before they start to worry, okay?"

Tigress didn't like it when Po brushed off his feelings like that - they would only accumulate.

However, what did reach its full measure was what had happened after he released her paw (after a light squeeze for reassurance) and began the very thing that made her loose all the reassurance he tried giving to her just a few seconds ago. By bending down a little and getting up too fast, the force of it all did a number on his cracked rib, which not only sent a wave of pain through him, but broke the rib again. The work it took to heal it had all been in vain as a blood-curling yell of inexpiable pain went through him.

Of all the attention he had won within that very second, Tigress was the closest, and lost no time going over to Po in a swift second as his body lunged forward. If she had not caught him, his face would be planted on the hard ground, but none of that mattered to Po since the pain in his side hurt so much.

"Po!"

Using one arm to catch him, she leaned him forward so that they were both on their knees and at eye level. As Tigress looked him over, she caught sight of his paws on the very rib that was causing him pain in the first place, guessing that was the source of his predicament.

"Po, are you alright?"

An obvious question, but it she asked it because she needed to know if Po was focused or not. Due to his lack of response, it was obvious that he was anything but focused. After all, not only did Po not answer and started to lean forward, but a glaze started to come over his jade eyes that made Tigress' heart skip a beat a second time in one day.

"Po! Answer me, please! Pull yourself together!"

There was a light ringing in his ears, but he wasn't sure where that was coming from. The fact that Tigress was using the word please would have told him that he practically made her terrified of the situation if his mind wasn't fading in and out from the pain.

"Oh my gosh! Is he okay?!"

That might have been Crane - sure sounded like him though.

"Someone, get a doctor, now!"

Po was certain that that was Tigress - since she was growling in that order, it only amplified her plea.

He was also pretty sure he felt one of his paws against a warm, yet slightly wet, cheek.

It wasn't like her to cry, much less her voice come down to such a broken state as the darkness slowly took him.

"Don't worry, Po, you'll be alright, just stay with me, okay?
Okay? Po?
Po!"