Okay, since I couldn't wait to get this chapter out… *insert drum roll here*… TADA! Enjoy chapter 2, where the story truly begins! Oh, and just to clear this up, this is set after the first movie and before the second, but for all purposes of this fanfic, let's just say that there were no other movies after the first. I also managed to rewrite quite a few pages. I just wasn't feeling my first attempt at chapter 2, but now I'm sure I've got it now. Oh! And thank you for the reviews, shektor and evulnessluver36.2, they really mean a lot, so this chapter is for you guys! ^_^ Steam on, my lovelies!

Disclaimer: I do not own the awesomeness that is Kung Fu Panda, only my OCs, and this plot.

Chapter 2

The Guest

Darkness engulfed the small room, the only source of light provided by a singular candle, illuminating the variety of shadows that hung silently on the walls. A distant sound of light footsteps approached, the creaking on the floorboards drifting closer to the room's only door.

A large lone chair sat in the middle of the haunting room, facing the opposite wall from the entrance, the silhouette of a cloaked figure dragging metal feathers against the armrest, fraying small threads into it's delicate fabric.

The footsteps came to an abrupt stop outside of the blackened closed door and the rusty copper doorknob slowly turned and released a sliver of light into the silent sanctum. The cloaked figure slowly raised one of his razorblade feathers, and beckoned the sudden appearance of his accomplice to enter.

The footsteps slowly glided towards the back of the overpowering armchair, warily stopping inches away. The candle flickered slightly as the new figure slowly cleared it's throat.

"Master. I bring news from one of our followers." A soft, silky voice spoke, letting her presence be acknowledged from the cloaked figure.

"He claims there has been a spiritual imbalance in the Valley of Peace. We," The mysterious voice paused, regaining her composure, "I, believe they have arrived."

The female watched silently, holding her breath and waiting for her Master to regard this awaited news. She swallowed as the seconds dragged on, until the figure slowly lifted it's hooded head to the side, letting the flames from the candle cast it's dancing light across his features. He slowly nodded his head in regard to the statement made from his loyal accomplice, letting no emotion stray on his face.

After more drawn out silence and not a further hint of movement from her Master, his female accomplice slowly stepped back, dismissing herself from his powerful presence. She carefully manoeuvred her way back to the same old door she had entered by and slipped around it's oak structure.

She glanced back quickly one last time at her Master before closing the door, the last thing she witnessed was the eerie glow of one blood red eye piercing the lonely darkness.

Kiera groaned softly as she slowly rolled onto her back, spluttering water out of her lungs as she went. She couldn't even die peacefully. Ugh. She made sure to carefully sit up, peaking her eyelids open and adjusting her eyesight to her new surroundings.

"What go by you?" A strangely familiar voice bellowed louder than necessary as Kiera's vision finally became clear again. Holy. Frickin'. Fudge. Staring down at her was a huge back and white panda wearing an obviously forced stern expression, none other than Po out of one of her favourite movies. And where was she? She was surrounded by nothing but a forest of bamboo, the sky above, a soft blue, tickled with powered clouds here and there, nothing like back home.

"I mean," the panda coughed and let his expression slip slightly as he corrected his mistake, "Who are you?" His front went back up as he eyed Kiera suspiciously and she couldn't help but notice that he was taller than she imagined. No. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't real. He wasn't real. Kiera continued to stare at the Dragon Warrior in complete shock.

"Look, if you don't answer the question, I might need to do one of my awesome Kung Fu moves on you…" The panda rubbed his knuckle on his shoulder, appearing to act indifferently to the situation. He peaked an eyebrow at her, expecting Kiera to answer. She didn't.

Instead she continued to stare glassy eyed at the panda, internally freaking out at the present situation. Okay, so she was dreaming. She always knew Biology was boring, so she must have dosed off slightly. Time to wake up.

Kiera swished her body around to the pond Po must have fished her out from, continually splashing water over her face and muttering erratically under her breath, over and over.

"Your not real, your not real, THIS ain't real…" Kiera chanted, earning a now very confused look from the ignored Dragon Warrior. She slowed her splashing, a defeated sigh escaping her lips as she looked down at the slowly rippling water. A blurry image began to form as the ripples subsided and what Kiera seen next froze her very inner nerves.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Her scream pierced the peaceful silence of the air as she scrambled back from the unbelievable image that she had witnessed in the water. HER image. Why was she all furry? Why was she so frickin' small? Why did she have a tail? Where did she get that blue and white wrap dress from? WHY DID SHE HAVE TWO EARS THE SIZE OF SAUCER PLATES?

She slowly glanced back at the visibly shocked Po, mouth agape and all.

"I am SO outta here!" As quick as lightning, Kiera took off at full speed through the bamboo, leaving a trail of dust and a path of destruction behind her. She could faintly make out the distant shout of the panda she had left bewildered behind.

"Waaaaaiit! You didn't answer my queees-tion!" Po desperately pleaded, before deciding his best option would be to catch up to the intruder that was mysteriously fading into the distance.

Kiera could slightly make out a large stone wall ahead through the cracks in the bamboo. It was now or never. Time to lose the panda for good.

She gathered up a last burst of speed, mere inches from the approaching wall. She bent her two small legs, readying herself to jump the colossal structure and as quick as she thought up the idea, launched herself into the air.

"FREEDOM!" Kiera dramatically quoted, seconds away from her new found escape.

But her accomplishment was short lived, as she felt a large paw swoop at her feet and grab them, jerking her back towards the ground once more.

"Gotcha!" Po gasped as he triumphantly held her upside down by her feet, standing at the foot of the wall as he continued to regain his breath.

"Never…do that…again…" The large panda gasped out, holding one of his paws over his side. Kiera squirmed at the awkward hold to no avail, dangling from his huge paw uncomfortably. New plan. She began to pinch at her arm repeatedly, somehow thinking it would wake her up from this 'dream'.

"Uhm, you're kinda scaring me now…" Po let out a voice of concern and confusion, staring at the tiny Red Panda he held in his paw.

"Hey! You kinda remind me of someone." He furrowed his brow, thinking of who this possible look-a-like could be. "Nah. I got nothing." Kiera actually had to face palm at the stupid remark, but let the panda continue on his ramble without correcting him.

"Hmm, since my intellectual and awesome mind couldn't get any answers from you…" Po's eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled, "I need to call in an expert." Now this had Kiera slightly scared. Surely he couldn't mean his Master, right?

Po walked through the large stone wall gates, still holding a protesting Kiera all the way to a large open space that she recognised as the grounds, giving a clear view of the Jade Palace. And it was beautiful. Kiera gawked at the magnificence of the building, only to be interrupted from her thoughts and startled back to the reality of her situation as she heard Po shout.

"MONKEEEY! Monkey! Monkey, monkey, monkey, monkey!" Po bellowed at the top of his lungs, and Kiera's ears flattened against her head at the deafening volume. Master Monkey? That's Po's idea of an expert? Kiera rolled her eyes at 'Oh-so-mighty' Dragon Warrior. God, help her now.

She spotted to her side a fawn-coloured figure emerge from what looked to be their training hall. Master Monkey swung towards them, balancing on his two hands every few steps.

"Po? What did you do this time-" Master Monkey stopped and his eyes travelled to the small Red Panda in Po's grip, dangling upside down from her feet. Kiera waited for some sort of reasonable response once he had noticed, but instead all she got was a hysterically laughing Monkey now rolling about on the ground.

"Nice…" Kiera muttered under her breath at the voice of 'reason', which only caused Monkey's fits of laughter to get louder, him now tearing at the eyes and clutching his stomach.

"Hey, what's so funny over here?" Kiera spotted a small green insect appear out of nowhere beside the out of control primate and she immediately recognised him as Master Mantis. "Oh! Hey guys! Po's found a mini Shifu!"

Po's face seemed to brighten at the comment. "I KNEW she looked like someone I knew!" The panda waved the paw holding her up in victory, shaking Kiera slightly as she tried to steady herself. Her dizzy double vision became one again, in time to see Master Viper slither up to the scene.

"Oh! Who's this little cutie pie?" The snake bounced up slightly, smiling with a friendly openness.

"Okay, I have suffered enough today, so I refuse to be referred to as cute…" Kiera protested to the snake, pointing accusingly at her new presence.

"She looks exactly like Master Shifu…" Viper added, avoiding eye contact with Kiera and whispered to the group, still loud enough to be heard by everyone.

"That's what we said!" Mantis piped up, pointing at everyone in the group.

"Except without the straggly noodle beard…" Choked Monkey, streaming another fit of laughter on the ground as Po tried to stop his own from escaping.

Kiera crossed her arms over her chest, not liking where this conversation was going. She spotted overhead a graceful flap of wings in the air, to be joined seconds later from none other than Master Crane.

"Uhm, Po?" Crane eyed Kiera curiously, before shaking his head at the scene before him. "You know what… never mind. I don't want to know. But just warning everyone, you might want to keep it down." Crane motioned with his head to the side, causing the group to turn their heads towards the training hall they had emerged from. Kiera caught sight of a sharp orange figure, darting from station to station as she twisted and turned in the air. Master Tigress…

The group nodded their head in understanding, Crane turning back to the group once more.

"Po, you might want to let her down?" Crane suggested as he pointed his wing towards the still upside down Kiera, the blood rushing to her head making her dizzier by the second.

"Oh, okay." Po's hand quickly released the grip around her ankles, dropping her painfully on top of her head.

"Hey!" Kiera complained lightly as she rubbed her hand over the painful area, recovering from the fall. Monkey stifled a laugh from behind his hand as he watched.

"I don't think he meant you were to literally drop the poor thing on her head…" Viper spoke, concern laced in her voice. At least somebody cared.

"Here's a whacky thought, maybe we should tell Master Shifu? She is kinda drenched and all." Mantis voiced his thoughts, as Po now piped up the explanation.

"I used my crazy fast reflexes and saved her from drowning!" Po smugly announced as he struck a Kung Fu pose, emphasising his awesomeness.

"She almost drowned?" Viper blurted out her shock.

"I'm not sure how it happened either." Kiera spoke, making herself known in the conversation once more.

Crane looked towards her, a questioning look on his face. "So, what's your name?"

"Kiera, nice to meet you. Sort of." She mumbled the last part to herself.

"I suppose, under the circumstances." Mantis threw the witty comment into the conversation, causing Monkey to start his chuckling once more.

"Guys, please! I can't take much more of this!" Master Monkey managed to voice the words throughout his laughter, trying to control himself.

"Hmm, okay. As much fun as this is, maybe Mantis is right. Let's go tell Shifu!" Po added, bounding towards the entrance of the Jade Palace, stopping at the foot of the small flight of stairs to look behind him at the group.

"Well, you go ahead, we gotta go… train!" Mantis quickly dispersed from the group, and the rest soon followed, leaving Kiera standing there looking up at Po.

"Fine! I'll just go ahead and face the wrath by myself!" Po voiced loudly, trying pathetically to guilt trip his friends into returning. It failed. He sighed loudly and looked to the small flight of stairs and then back to the small Shifu-like Red Panda as she stared back.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me." Po spoke towards her as he gestured towards the stairs. Kiera looked around the grounds, and seeing no obvious escape route, settled with shrugging her shoulders and following the panda in front of her.

Master Shifu balanced peacefully on one of his staffs, meditating and enjoying the tranquil atmosphere. He blocked out the small room he was sitting in, designated for his times of reaching inner peace. He focused on the slight sound of the small fountain that was perched in the corner, the sound of water dripping calming him.

He didn't register the sound of the jumbo footsteps outside of the screen door, enjoying his own calming sanctuary. The screen door shifted open slightly, Shifu still in his place of complete Zen.

"Master!" Po whispered loudly, causing a little flutter of one of Shifu's ears as he continued to ignore him.

"Master Shifu!" Po whispered a little louder, causing Shifu's ear to flutter once more, making it increasing difficult to pretend he wasn't there.

"Panda, this better not be another one of your…" Shifu slowly opened his eyes, realising a second form standing behind Po as she fidgeted with her small wrap dress. He studied her silently, she was a Red Panda like him, although her face was whiter and she was a few inches shorter. She glanced down the hall and Shifu realised she had deep green eyes, as she noticing the Furious Five, well, Four (minus Tigress), eves-dropping from a distance around the corner. They quickly scrambled around it when they were spotted and she just shook her head.

"Panda." Shifu glanced from the smaller form back up to Po. "Who is this? And why is she soaking wet?" Po nervously twiddled his thumbs, knowing he wasn't supposed to let guests into the Jade Palace.

"Uhh… Well, you see. There's a good reason for this." The panda nervously rolled his head to the side, searching for a good explanation and averting his gaze but settled for the truth. "I saved her from drowning but then she ran away so I chased her and then I caught her and then I brought her here." Po raced out the words, taking in a deep breath afterwards.

"Hmm, I see." Shifu nodded his head, and studied the girl in front of him once more. Kiera looked up from the hiding Four and back up to the Master.

"Uhm, does that mean I can go?" Kiera blurted out her question, waiting for the answer to her freedom with wide eyes. Shifu just stared at the girl for a few seconds before chuckling lightly to himself.

"No." He bluntly responded, "First answer a few questions." He smiled slightly as he motioned his hand towards a seat by the wall and she slowly made her way towards it and climbed on top, her feet barely able to touch the ground.

Shifu slowly raised one finger as he watched the girl on the chair. "First, what is your name?"

"Kiera." She answered confidently, staring back at the Master balancing on his staff. She became curious as to how he could do that as Shifu mumbled something else. It looked so complicated, it being so thin…

"Kiera, pay attention."

"Wha?" Kiera looked up from the staff to the Red Panda balancing on top to see a furrowed brow directed at her.

"I said, now that I've got your attention," Shifu slowly closed his eyes, trying to regain his calm composure that he had managed to effortlessly upkeep the last few months, "how did you manage to get drenched in water?"

"Oh, well, I fell." Kiera shrugged her shoulders at her answer, quite unsure of how she managed to be in that pond in this world as well.

"You… fell." Shifu emphasised the simplicity of her answer and raised an eyebrow at her, beckoning her to explain further, but she remained quite. "No matter, no matter, now, for the last question." Kiera listened intentally, curious to the remaining question.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Kiera opened her mouth to answer immediately, but stopped herself abruptly, not unseen by the observant Shifu. If she said no, it would seem too suspicious, so lying seemed like the best option.

"Yes." Kiera answered as she shifted her gaze from the balancing Red Panda and onto the silent Po standing at the doorway, who seemed just as interested in the questions as Shifu was.

"Is that so?" Shifu narrowed his eyes slightly in suspicion, not believing her obvious lie. "Then enlighten me, where do you live?" He smiled slightly to himself as he closed his eyes slowly once more, contently waiting for her to stumble over the question.

"Uh… The… Valley of Peace?" Kiera voiced the first thing that came to mind as Shifu opened his eyes and glanced at her once more before dragging his hand down his face out of exasperation and sighing at her answer.

"Where exactly in The Valley of Peace?" He impatiently dragged on his trick questions.

Kiera fidgeted slightly with her hands, "Uh… the house, beside the other house…in…the, river?"

Shifu's eyes widened at the statement she made, it appeared she hadn't even realised what she had just claimed. "You live in a river?"

"Wait! No! Did I say that?" Kiera blurted out, obviously caught out in her lie. "If I said beside a river, would you believe me?"

"Not a chance. You're a horrible liar." Shifu half smiled at her attempt to convince him and then turned to Po, who had somehow acquired a bag of popcorn during the interrogation.

"Panda, could you send for Master Tigress, she will know what room our guest will be staying in."

Po bowed his head slightly to his Master and smiled, ready to leave until he was stopped by a frantic voice.

"Po, wait!" Kiera pushed out one of her tiny paws (which she was still getting used to) dramatically to get Po to turn to her. "Can I have some popcorn?" Kiera smiled up at the Dragon Warrior, who seemed to sense that his snack was in danger as his face turned to one of pure horror.

"Let me think about this. Nope!" And with that Po rushed out of the room as fast as his legs could take him, popcorn bag in hand as he went in his search for Tigress. Kiera grumbled slightly to herself at the lost opportunity of a snack, but slowly forgot as her eyes trailed back to Shifu, now with his eyes closed again and balancing.

It really was quite amazing that he could balance on such a thin object. Maybe she could try… She slowly stood on her chair and climbed to the thin backrest, carefully trying to stand and balance. She just couldn't be as graceful and still as Shifu was, no matter how hard she tried.

After quite a few failed attempts and a few minutes of Kiera pathetically swaying back and forth on the chair's backrest, Shifu slowly opened his eyes, curious as to what she was doing to cause such a racket. He nervously watched her sway back and forth, deciding to finally interrupt her crazy stunt.

"What are you doing?" Shifu questioned her strange behaviour, as Kiera continued to try to gain balance, refusing to stray her focus and make eye contact.

"How do you do that balance thing you're doing on the big stick?" She asked, watching her feet as she tried to stay atop the chair. Shifu sighed as he closed his eyes.

"First, this is a staff. Second, it took me years to master the discipline of Hing Kung." Kiera's eyes widened in shock as she finally looked up at the Red Panda.

"YEARS?" She practically shouted, but regretted it immediately as she came tumbling to the ground with a crash. Shifu heard her fall and winced slightly as she collided with the floor, looking at her form that was mangled on the ground. He slowly raised one of his hands and pinched his brow before shaking his head.

"Just what I need. Another genius." He muttered to himself, just as Master Tigress walked through the door.

"Master." Tigress bowed towards Shifu and turned her head ever so slightly towards Kiera who was still a lump on the floor and frowned slightly.

"Master Tigress, I do believe you know where the guest chamber is? Could you please guide Miss Kiera to one of the rooms?" Shifu gestured towards the lump on the ground with his hand.

"Yes, Master Shifu." Tigress bowed once more and turned towards the slowly arising Kiera. "Come." Kiera watched silently for a few seconds before nodding and following Tigress quietly out of the room. Kiera walked through the doorway and turned towards the now meditating Shifu.

"Uhm, thanks." She whispered and quickly dashed after Tigress, seeing she was almost around the corner and barely in sight. Unbeknownst to Kiera, Shifu's ear twitched seconds after she left, acknowledging her quiet words of gratitude.

A/N: YAY! I'm feeling really excited about this plot! I will start making updates weekly at the latest, but if I'm on a roll, you'll never know when it'll be early. And another thing, keep the reviews coming, they really motivate me to get the chapters out. So YOU are my inspiration. :3 See you soon, my lovelies, and how soon depends on you. ^_^