Truth in Punishment

By: PointyEdgesofaSign

A/N: I own nothing. Done to sedate Vachir and his wish that the truth be told. I did not write this, I merely was the conduit for his words. Review if you think he should continue, and please say more than just 'yes' or 'no'.

I hope you all enjoyed this, and Vachir would like to thank, personally, FalconMage, who loyally reviewed, albeit skeptically at times, every update he forced me to post. Thank you to all who read this and took it to heart, Vachir is appreciative. And thank you to all who reconsidered their views of the Rhino Master. I appreciate that.

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The place around me was desolate. It was devoid of trees, grass, or any other form of life for that matter. It was so cold that my breath should have formed puffs of condensation in the air. The fact that it didn't bothered me, but when I tried to complain, the words refused to form.

The ground fell without me, leaving me floating in a nightmarish blackness. I couldn't see anything, not even myself. And then he came.

Grand Master Oogway.

He floated before me in a ghostly light, smiling in a way I could read as sad. I didn't care, I hated him. I tried to yell, to kick, punch, scream, or maim him, but nothing happened.

"The prophecy will be fulfilled," his voice echoed, and I wondered what he meant, but the next thing I knew I was awakening to the sound of flapping wings quickly approaching me.

A glance around confirmed my greatest fears. All my men were dead, and if the pain in my chest, diaphragm, and stomach were anything to go by, I wasn't far behind. I wondered if the tortoise had been nothing but a figment of my hazy imagination.

In all honesty, I'm still not certain he wasn't.

The flapping was followed by a squawk and the sound of someone hitting the hard, cold ground. It took more strength than I'd thought to turn my head, but in that moment it was worth it.

"You came back," I breathed, thankful that I was able to speak, watching my puffed breath dissipate in the freezing air.

He waddled up to me, expression sorrowful, and cupped my cheek in a wing as he whispered, "I said I would."

I smiled with what was left of my strength and felt a darkness creeping into the edges of my mind, vision slowly blurring.

I didn't care.

In that moment, we read each other, our eyes bearing our souls. He didn't know if he loved me or not, but what he felt frightened him. He was afraid of what we could be. He was afraid of how it could end.

I didn't blame him.

"Zeng, I-" he cut me off with a soft wing against my mouth.

"Don't. If there is another side, tell me there. If there isn't, I already know. I just don't know what to do. I don't know if I love you, so when you get to the other side, wait for me. I'll meet you there, in time. I promise," he murmured.

A promise. That was all I had. Not a pledge of love, or of happiness. Not a wedding vow, not the sound of little adopted feet scurrying around a farm. Just a promise to meet again, and yet, as I felt my lungs expand and contract for the last time, I knew it was enough. After all, I had committed a crime, unutterable hatred toward one so pure, and I had to take the punishment in stride.

There wasn't much after, though something pulled me toward a warm light. It tempted me to follow, but I knew I had to wait. There wasn't much to hold onto. Nothing existed within the void. I was a bodiless, shapeless soul, so I had no hands to grasp anything with, anyway, but I was and am able to wait. I will hold onto my one truth, his sacred promise that we will meet again, and I will wait for him.