Notes: WELCOME, LADIES AND GENTLE-READERS, TO THE LAST CHAPTER! FEAR NOT; A SEQUEL WILL BE MADE...eventually. J.J. Hatter will be starting a new semester of college soon, so we will see when we can get in more.

Epilogue: Case Reopened

It was moving day.

Dr. Crane and his fiancé, Mei Morstan, stood side by side as a team of movers removed box after box from the house at 221 Mianbao Street and put them into wagons.

"I put your scribbles in here, sir," said the head mover, as he brought a particularly large crate out.
"Thank you," Crane nodded.

"'Scribbles?'" Mei inquired.

Crane chuckled nervously.

"Uh...just a nickname; they're my notes of me and Holmes' cases..."

"Oh, your adventures!" smiled Mei brightly. "I'd like to read them!"

"I know," said Crane, and then gestured for Mei to follow him inside.

They passed Mrs. Sooth as they went.

"Good luck, doctor," smiled the old goat. "And...sorry about my little joke outside Liu & Chan..."

Crane rolled his eyes.

"It's fine, really."

Mrs. Sooth nodded, then smiled up at Mei.

"Oh, and this must be the future Mrs. Watson!"

"Mei," Mei chuckled.

"Good to see you! Please, come visit if you can!"

Mei assured her she would, and then she and Crane headed upstairs. As they neared the top, the cat paused. Crane looked at her, concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"Well...do you really think he's come to terms with you finally leaving?"

Crane smiled.

"He's as happy as I am, even if he doesn't act like it. Trust me. Now, just five minutes, and we'll go. Okay?"

Mei smiled back, and nodded.

Crane went up to the door, and knocked before he and Mei entered the flat...

Both froze, shocked at what they found.

Shenlock Holmes was hanging, limp, by the neck, from the ceiling.

For a moment, both were too stunned to speak...then Crane laughed.

"Don't worry," he whispered to Mei. "He'd never kill himself. There'd be no fun in it."

He pecked at Holmes' dangling talons. They flinched, and with a yelp, the peacock opened his eyes.

Still dangling in the air, he smiled thinly at them.

"Ah...hello, Crane. You too, Ms. Morstan."

"What are you doing?" Mei asked, clearly unsure of what else to say.

"I was actually practicing the means by which I think Tai Lung might have faked his death. I must have dozed off...it's actually kind of restful..."

"Well, how?" asked Crane settling into a nearby chair.

"Well, concealed in the hangman's knot was a small hook...ugh, I think my legs have fallen asleep while I was up here, sorry..."

"Crane, shouldn't we let him down?"

Crane smirked.

"No, no...I hate to cut him off midstream. You were saying, Shenlock?"

"Huh? Oh, yes...the executioner attached that hook to a hidden harness under Tai Lung's prison outfit – I'm wearing a replica of it under my robe – so that the weight and impact would be distributed around the body, not the neck. Tai Lung probably bribed the poor animal, either with money, threats, or both, just like the prison guard...ach! Ooh, I'm sorry..tongue's going out, I think..."

"Worse things have happened," shrugged Crane.

Mei nudged him, smirking.

"Crane, just let him down!"

Crane sighed.

"Yes, dear," he muttered, then jumped up and cut the rope with his beak. Holmes dropped to the floor like a feathered kitten, landing perfectly on his feet.

"Now, none of this explains his lack of a pulse," Crane commented as Holmes removed the harness and tossed it aside.

"Right: the medical mystery. We must restore your reputation, doctor...well, the answer to that came to me when I saw the rhododendron in the ginger rabbit's kitchen. There is a toxin, quite notorious around the regions of the Black Sea, which can be refined from its nectar. It causes something called Mad Honey Disease: a state of paralysis so complete, the victim can seem dead even to the most skilled of medical minds, such as you. It takes a while to work however...Tai Lung probably snuck it into prison and injected himself with it shortly before his execution. Not much to worry about, really; you're just as good a doctor as ever."

"Extraordinary!" remarked Mei.

"Elementary, my dear," Crane and Holmes replied together.

All three laughed.

Their merriment was interrupted as a little black duck waddled into the room.

"Ahem...excuse me, Mr. Holmes. Sorry to intrude Dr. Crane, Ms. Morstan..."

"What is it now, Zeng?" Holmes drawled.

"One of our officers went missing the night after you stopped Lord Tai Lung. We found him just a few minutes ago...we believe he was moved from the catacombs; we sent a few men down there when you told us about what happened, and we think he was the first one to get there. He's been stabbed to death."

Holmes paused, then leaned forward, feathered fingers steepled thoughtfully.

"Most...engaging. What kind of stab wound?"

"Some sort of sword, I think..."

"Hmm...did you find any chalk on him?"

"...A little bit on his face, sir..."

"And what about Tai Lung's machine?"

"...We never found it, sir. The cyanide canisters are with Inspector Shifu; he was planning to hand them over to the Emperor's secret force today for storage."

Holmes growled in the back of his throat.

"Viper's Professor?" Crane murmered.

"No doubt."

"So...it wasn't the poison he wanted..."

"Nothing is more elusive than the obvious: the remote control invention Tai Lung and Wo Hop made was the real ticket."

"And Irene Viper was only a diversion."

Holmes sighed.

"Of course...they knew I'd chase after her, and that the machine would be left unguarded. Technology of that kind would be worth a fortune...it's the future, doctor...the future..."

"Ahem!"

Crane turned to Mei, who pointed to the door.

Mrs. Sooth had come in. She bowed, still smiling.

"Dr. Crane," she informed, "They've finished loading your things."

Crane nodded slightly, and turned to Holmes.

"Well...I guess this is goodbye. Good luck, Holmes."

Shenlock Holmes said nothing.

He didn't even move.

Crane clenched his beak, coughed, and he and Mei left.

Once they were gone, Holmes was on his feet.

"Zeng? Show me to Inspector Shifu at once! 'The game's afoot!'"

The End...?

VOICE CAST STARRING...

Shenlock Holmes (Lord Shen): Gary Oldman (voice from Kung Fu Panda II & Count Dracula from Bram Stoker's Dracula)

Dr. Crane (Master Crane): David Cross (voice from Kung Fu Panda & Minion from Megamind)

Irene Viper (Master Viper): Lucy Liu (voice from Kung Fu Panda & Dr. Joan Watson from Elementary)

Mei Morstan (Mei Ling): Stephanie Lemelin (voice from Secrets of the Furious Five & Artemis Crock from Young Justice)

Lord Tai Lung (Tai Lung): Ian McShane (voice from Kung Fu Panda & Blackbeard from Pirates of the Carribbean IV: On Stranger Tides)

Inspector Shifu (Master Shifu): Dustin Hoffman (voice from Kung Fu Panda & Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman (1985))

Zeng: Dan Fogler (voice from Kung Fu Panda & The President from Monsters Vs. Aliens)

Mrs. Sooth (Soothsayer): Michelle Yeoh (voice from Kung Fu Panda II & Yu Shu Lien from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)

Mantis (Master Mantis): Seth Rogen (voice from Kung Fu Panda & Green Hornet from Green Hornet (film))

Lord Vachir (Commander Vachir): Kevin Michael Richardson (R.I.P. Michael Clarke Duncan) (Gantu from Lilo & Stitch & Tartarus from Halo II)

Boss Crow (OC): Roger L. Jackson (Ghostface Voice from Scream & Cheshire Cat (among others) from American McGee's Alice)

Lidong: Jim Cummings (voice from Legends of Awesomeness & Pete from Goof Troop (among other Disney-related things))

Fung: John DiMaggio (voice from Legends of Awesomeness & Jake from Adventure Time)

Taotie: Wallace Shawn (voice from Legends of Awesomeness & Vizzini from The Princess Bride)

Lord Junjie (Junjie): Stephen Root (voice from Legends of Awesomeness & Mr. Merrimack and Doc from Rango)

U.S. Ambassador Monkey (Master Monkey): Jackie Chan (voice from Kung Fu Panda & Chon Wang ("John Wayne") from Shanghai Noon)

Emperor Oogway (Grandmaster Oogway): Randall Duk Kim (voice from Kung Fu Panda & Keymaker from Matrix Reloaded)

Captain Ox (Master Storming Ox): Dennis Haysbert (voice from Kung Fu Panda II & Kale from Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas)

AND...

The Mysterious Professor (Currently Unrevealed OC): Crispin Freeman (Alucard (a.k.a. Count Dracula) from Hellsing & Setzer from Kingdom Hearts II)

COMING SOON: Shenlock Holmes II: Game of Neverending Darkness