Man it is good to be back! Hello my fellow readers and writers! Man have I missed you all. I can only imagine how furious many of you are at me for having basically just disappeared on you all like that. Well, all I can say is that there is a reason regarding how I was physically incapable of writing for several months but if you wish to learn why I will be updating my profile over the next day or so with the details.

For now, I am trying to update a few of my stories at once and so without further ado, I give you the next chapter to Fate Can Be So Cruel Part 2. Thank you all for your understanding patience, and support.

Enjoy the read!

Chapter 4

Two sides to every coin

Tai Lung, Tigress and Po continued to make their way through the Village streets, with Tai Lung in the lead still carrying one of the crates containing some of Po's new training clothes, while Tigress was now walking at the Snow Leopard's side and Po brought up the rear of the party, while carrying the second crate along with the slimmer rectangular box containing his clothes for the upcoming spring festival, both underneath his left arm.

As the group continued to make their way towards the center of the village, once again the people went out of their way to greet the warriors, most of them stopping to point out the Dragon Warrior's new appearance, to which Po tried his best to ignore them and kept his gaze facing forward while he focused on just getting to his Father's restaurant as quickly as possible. The sooner he could see his dad again, the sooner he could escape into the kitchen and get away from all this unwanted praise and attention.

Tigress turned her head to look back and saw Po was continuing to try his best to ignore those around him and sighed quietly to herself. Tai Lung noticed this and he too looked back at the large creature and immediately understood Tigress's frustration. "He'll come around, Sister. All Po needs is a little time to get used to his new status."

Tigress then looked over at Tai Lung and muttered, "Perhaps...but then, what if he never comes to accept the people's opinion of the Dragon Warrior? It's been just shy of 3 months now since he was properly declared one of the Valley's protectors. Sometimes I wonder, that if it should ever become too much for him to handle, just what exactly he might do." Tai Lung stared at Tigress for a long moment before casting a brief, cautious glance back at Po to make sure he was still far enough back so as not to hear the snow Leopard whisper, "I don't believe Po would ever hurt any of the villagers over something so irrelevant, Tigress...What makes you even think he would ever be a danger to them?"

Tigress remained silent as she looked away and recalled the moment she watched the Panda crush her Master's hip a few months back. The rage and anger that had filled the Panda's eyes in that moment was unlike anything Tigress had ever witnessed before and that was truly saying something. But as Tigress recalled the image, she looked back and saw Po was now watching the two felines with a new interest, his right eyebrow slightly raised and so Tigress simply nodded back at him in acknowledgment. As she turned her head back to face forward, Tigress then whispered in response to Tai Lung's question, "It's...nothing important I suppose."

Tai Lung wasn't buying it though. Clearly Tigress had a reason for worrying about the Panda's attitude the way she was, but now clearly wasn't the time nor place to discuss such matters. Certainly not with Po so close by and so Tai Lung let the subject drop for now. As the three rounded a corner and were coming just within eyesight of their destination, a loud voice called out from down the street just off to their right, surprising all 3 warriors, "Mr. Po!"

Immediately, Po stopped dead in his tracks and froze as he blinked several times upon hearing his actual name coming from somewhere amongst the Valley's citizens. With all of the villagers constantly referring to him as the Dragon Warrior, actually hearing someone refer to him by his actual name for once came as a bit of a surprise to the Giant Panda. While he was trying to figure out why the voice that called out him sounded so familiar while he looked about the crowd surrounding them, as soon as he turned to his right, he immediately realized why.

Tai Lung and Tigress had also stopped and were looking around for the source of the mysterious voice as well, although Tigress had the faintest feeling that she had heard the voice from somewhere once before. But before either feline could question the Panda as to who the voice belonged to, Po then answered their unasked question as he called out in a rather surprised tone, "Lien?"

As Po was looking over in the direction that the voice was coming from, he was shocked to see a little bunny girl wearing what looked to be a nice bright blue dress while she also managed to keep clutching a small object in her right arm close to her chest, was now running towards the Panda as fast as she could, bobbing and weaving through the sea of villagers that were now all beginning to seek out the source of the voice that was addressing the Dragon Warrior.

In no time, The little girl finally managed to reach the Panda and as she neared him she steadily slowed to a stop, panting only slightly due to her being a bit over excited. "Hello, Mr. Po!" the little girl greeted as she smiled up at the Panda happily. Po immediately placed his Crate and his box down onto the ground, almost dropping them, before he bent his knees and crouched down towards the little girl and said, "Lien! What are you doing here in the village? Are you helping Mrs. Zhi with some shopping?"

But the little girl surprised the Panda as she began shaking her head no while saying excitedly, "No Mr. Po, Mrs. Zhi isn't here. Oh, I'm so happy I got to see you again. I was worried I wasn't going to be able to see you anymore!" At this, Po raised an eyebrow in confusion before he chuckled briefly and pointed out, "Not see me anymore? But Lien, I told you all I'd be coming back to visit the orphanage soon just a few weeks ago. I just haven't finished making any more toys yet for everyone." It was here where Po noticed the item Lien was holding in her right arm again and the Panda smiled as he added, "I see you kept your promise to me though, haven't you?"

Immediately the bunny brought the object in question up and began holding it close to her chest in an embrace. It was one of the many wooden toys that Po would often craft for the orphans at Bao Gu, except this toy in particular was special to the Panda and he wouldn't have crafted it for just anyone. It was a wooden replica of a teenage version of his dear clouded leopard friend and sister Ming, with gray eyes and a bright green dress painted on it.

Lien smiled as she nodded her head and answered, "I sure have Mr. Po! I've taken really good care of her, just like you asked me too! I couldn't let anything bad ever happen to your gift to me." This in turned caused the Panda to smile even more, as he placed his large paw onto the little girl's shoulder and said, "I'm glad to hear that sweetie." earning Po a small giggle from the bunny girl.

Meanwhile, Tigress and Tai Lung were now standing just a few yard away watching the scene unfold with many of the nearby villagers. Fortunately, ever since Lien made her presence known, Po seemed to forget about the rest of the villagers for the time being and was no longer worrying about the way they were looking at him, much to the two Feline Master's relief.

As Tai Lung watched the Panda interact with the child quietly, Tigress spoke up from beside him in a hushed tone, "Astounding, isn't it?" Tai Lung turned his head away from Po and looked at Tigress before asking, "Hmm?" Tigress then nodded over at Po and clarified, "Look at him. A few moments ago all he wanted was to get off the street as fast as possible, and away from the people. Now, it's as if I'm looking at a completely different person." Tai Lung nodded as Tigress finished, "There's just something about children that almost... changes him."

Hearing this, Tai Lung crossed his arms before saying, "I disagree." Tigress then looked over towards the snow leopard abruptly as Tai Lung continued, "In fact...I think that it is the Children that allow Po to be himself, to be honest." Tigress the raised an eyebrow while asking, "Are you serious?"

But Tai Lung just nodded as he whispered, "Think about it Tigress. We all know that Po has issues with Trusting others and for obvious reasons. It's why he has cut himself off from others the way he does." Tai Lung then looked over at the little girl and added, "But Children...well, they are pure...innocent, if you will. They have never wronged the Panda and Po understands this." Tai Lung then looked up and over towards the Panda and watched the large creature give the child another one of his rare smiles. Something that before Tai Lung only ever saw him give to those the Panda ever called Family.

Tai Lung then finished as Tigress returned her attention to the Panda, "There are two sides to every coin, Tigress." Tigress just nodded and together the two waited for the Panda to finish talking to the bunny.

Po then asked after casting a brief glance over towards the two felines, "Lien...if you aren't here with Mrs. Zhi, then what are you doing here in the Village?" the little girl then smiled even wider as she began hopping up and down again while saying, "Oh Mr. Po, it's the greatest thing ever! I finally got-" But before Lien could finish her sentence, a new voice managed to grip everyone's attention. "LIEN! Lien where are you!? Sweet heart!?"

Po and Lien both looked back towards the direction Lien had originally appeared from and watched as two new individuals were trying to make their way through the crowds towards them. Po then looked down at Lien and asked cautiously, "Lien, do you know those people?" but the bunny just looked up at the Panda and smiled as she nodded and replied, "Uh-huh, they're my new parents!"

Immediately Po's head shot back down to look at the girl as he asked in surprise, "Parents!?" but before the girl could confirm for him, the two people in question finally managed to push their way through the crowd, both breathing heavily as if they had been running.

As Po looked forward he saw that a middle aged Bunny woman, wearing a dress very similar to Lien's was looking around frantically, while the man who appeared to be her husband, a middle aged bunny man. Wearing a brown tunic and black pants was trying his best to calm his wife. Lien then smiled as she called out to the two while waving her paw, "Mommy, Daddy, over here!"

Instantly both adults looked towards the direction of the voice and the Woman nearly shouted, "Lien! Oh thank the gods you're alright!" Immediately the two parents rushed over towards Lien, and the woman instantly scooped the little girl up in her arms and held her close as she said, "Oh Lien, I thought I'd lost you!" the man then stepped forward as he placed a paw on the little girl's back and scolded lightly, "Lien, you must never do that to us again, wandering off on your own like that. We were worried sick!"

Lien then tried pushing herself back out of her mother's embrace a bit as she explained, "I'm sorry Mom, Dad, but I just really wanted to see Mr. Po again. I couldn't wait." the Mother then raised her eyebrow as she turned Lien's face from her father to look at her instead, "Mr. Po?" Lien just nodded as she looked back at the Panda and answered, "Uh-huh, he's right here!"

Immediately the two adults looked past Lien for the first time and up at the large creature standing before them who was smiling ever so slightly down at them. "Hello." Po greeted the pair who had finally taken notice of him. Immediately the two bunnies gasped and went wide eyed as they stared up at the the Giant Panda.

Slowly, the two adults began to look around and noticed Master Tigress along with Master Tai Lung standing just a small distance away nodding over towards them in acknowledgement. The mother then turned her head back to face the Panda and began whispering, "Y-You're...Y-you're the-" but it was the Father who managed to finish for his wife, "-The Dragon Warrior!"

Instantly, any trace of Po's smile was wiped away, as his face fell into a frown and his expression saddened a bit once more upon being referred by the title. Unfortunate neither bunny seemed to notice as the Father immediately bowed low while saying, "Oh, Dragon Warrior, Please forgive our daughter for disturbing you all-" It was here where Po tried to stop the man by saying, "-No, it's fine-" but the woman now started in as she stepped forward, "-Yes, please do excuse little Lien. You see, we were only just recently blessed to receive Lien in our lives and I'm afraid that we're all still getting used to each other."

The Father then looked up at the Panda and said, "We promise to better look after her Dragon Warrior, I promise Lien won't bother you again-" But at this point Po finally had enough of the bunnies constant apologizing and so raised his voice significantly and said, "-It's Fine!" startling both grown ups into silence.

After seeing the shocked looks on the two Parent's faces Po sighed heavily before he continued on speaking in a significantly calmer tone, "Really, everything is fine so please... just stop." The Father looked like he was about to say something else when Po beat him to the punch and added, "Lien was only coming over to say hello and I'm glad she did." at this, Po looked over and smiled at the little girl who was now smiling back up at the Panda. Po then finished as he turned all of his attention back on the little girl, "I told you didn't I? I told you one day you'd find a family."

Immediately the girl smiled and forced her way out of her Mother's hold on her and hurried over towards the Panda. Immediately the woman reached out towards her daughter and was about to object to her Daughter's sudden action but was stopped in mid-stride by her husband who held her back, his eyes never leaving his daughter or the Dragon Warrior.

In no time, Lien had reached the Panda who was still kneeling down and she jumped up towards him. Po, immediately caught the girl in his arms and Lien gave him the biggest hug that she could, causing all of the villagers surrounding them to gasp in surprise, especially her new parents.

After a few seconds, Lien then whispered, "You promised me that I would find a mommy and a Daddy...you kept your promise Mr. Po...Thank you." Po just nodded as he held the girl and said, "You're welcome, Sweetie."

Once Po put the girl down again, the mother then soon walked up and placed her paws on top of Lien's shoulders while asking, "Lien...please show the Dragon Warrior the proper respect." Again Po's face fell and his eyes narrowed in annoyance but before he could say anything, Lien looked up and asked, "Dragon Warrior?" But before the woman could confirm for her daughter, Po interjected, "It's fine, really. Lien can call me whatever she likes."

Both parents exchanged nervous looks while Lien could only smile. Finally the Father finally asked the question he had been trying to figure out how to ask without offending the Dragon Warrior, "Well...alright...but excuse me Dragon Warrior...I beg your pardon, but how is it that you and Lien know each other exactly?"

Po looked down at Lien who turned around and looked up at her Father and said excitedly, "Mr. Po sometimes comes to the Orphanage and visits all the kids there. He even brings us new toys that he makes himself every time he visits too! He even made me my Special doll, Daddy!" As if to make a point, Lien then held up her Toy Ming Figure that Po had crafted her, causing both of her parents to look from the wooden figurine to the Panda and back.

"He...did?" the mother asked in disbelief to which Lien replied, "Uh-huh." causing Po to smile a bit once more. "Well that is certainly very generous of you Dragon Warrior." The Father then walked forward and began reaching for the wooden figure while saying, "We should really keep this someplace safe then. It's much too valuable to be outside-" But before the bunny could actually reach the wooden toy, there was a sudden flash of movement just off to the side before his arm was gripped by a massive black furred paw.

Several of the villagers gasped at the action and even Tigress and Tai Lung both shifted their positions at the ready, looks of concern now showing evidently upon their faces. Although initially frightened, once he realized the black furred paw was not crushing his tiny wrist, the bunny man looked up to see the serious face of the Dragon Warrior glaring down at him. The man's wife was now clearly worried but not half as much as her husband was in that moment. Po then said in a serious tone, "That belongs to Lien...she can do whatever she wants with it."

Immediately the bunny man began to shrink back while saying, "O-Of course, D-D-Dragon Warrior...I meant no offense, truly. Please forgive me." Po then released the bunny and nodded his head, happy to know that Lien wasn't going to have her toy taken from her anymore. As soon as Po released the villager both Tigress and Tai Lung were too able to relax knowing that the Panda wasn't about to make a grave mistake. "It's ok...but I made that for Lien to play with, not to have someone take it from her." Po explained.

The mother then stepped forward and said, "Of course Dragon Warrior, we understand. Come along Lien, we should really head home now." Lien nodded as she said, "Alright Mom." But before she could leave, Lien turned to look back at the Panda and said, "I'm happy that I got to see you again Mr. Po." causing the Panda to smile once more before saying, "Me too Sweetie. Be good for your parents."

Lien just nodded before taking her mother's paw and began walking away with her new parents, one on either side of her. But before they got too far away, Lien turned around and called back towards the Panda, "Good-bye Mr. Po! Oh, and you look really nice in those clothes!" Po just chuckled in amusement as he smiled slightly and just nodded his head in response. Before long, the new family had disappeared beyond the sea of Villagers and was now gone.

The rest of the Villagers also resumed their own business, not wanting to offend the large creature who was now leaning forward and began picking up his crate filled with his clothes along with the smaller box that sat on top. Once he had his things, Po began walking over towards Tigress and Tai Lung and it was then that Tigress noted that the Panda was still wearing traces of that small smile of his.

"Ready to move on then, Po?" Tai Lung asked the approaching bear, to which Po merely nodded while saying, "Yeah." as he passed the two felines and began making a beeline for his Father's restaurant. Once he passed the two, Tigress then muttered under her breath, "That could have certainly gone better." Tai Lung nodded his head in response before muttering just as quietly, "True, but it also could have gone far worse." to which Tigress did not respond at all and merely began following the Panda, as the three continued once again to make their way over to the Noodle shop.

Moments later, inside Mr. Ping's noodle shop...

The atmosphere was, as always, hectic and fast paced inside the establishment, as a clouded Leopardess wearing a bright blue dress could be seen maneuvering amongst the tables delivering multiple orders and checking up on the customers she waited on. As the woman brought over her most recent order to a small pig family of 3, she kindly announced, "Alright, so that's 3 bowls of Secret Ingredient Soup, 2 bowls of Dumplings, and a small rice for the little one. Will there be anything else for everyone today?"

Looking up, the gentleman sitting off to her right smiled and replied, "No, I think that should be everything. Thank you Miss...um...I'm sorry Miss, but I've managed to forget your name." The Leopardess simply shook her head and smiled as she replied, "It's fine sir, but if you must know you may call me Ming." The man nodded his head and finished, "Right, Miss Ming. I swear one of these day's I'll get it right." In that instant, the woman sitting next to the man Ming assumed to be his wife then retorted, "Hmph, that will be the day. You can't even remember what you had for breakfast this morning."

Looking slightly offended, the man then muttered, "Hey!" causing the little boy sitting next to his mother to giggle slightly. Watching the family enjoying their meal together, Ming couldn't help but smile to herself a bit before saying, "Well if you need anything else please just say so." causing the woman to look up and smile before saying, "Thank you dear." before Ming left the family be.

As Ming left her most recent table she made one last loop around the restaurant checking up on her other customers before heading over to a small table set up in the left corner near the front of the restaurant. Sitting in a chair up against the wall was a small 4 year old leopard cub in dark gray pants and a matching gray tunic, drawing pictures into one of his new scrolls that Mr. Ping had bought for the boy, while a wooden Panda toy was sitting on the table close by, almost as if it were watching the boy as he drew.

As she neared, Ming couldn't help but smile as she walked over to stand beside her son and leaned forward saying, "Are you doing alright over here Sweetie?" Looking up from his scroll, the cub smiled at his mother before nodding his head and replied, "Yes, Momma. Look at what I drew for Jiujiu(Uncle)! Do you think he'll like it?"

Ming looked down, she saw that Xiao Po had drawn what appeared to be a family portrait of sorts, With Ming standing off to the right in her blue dress, holding her son's paw in one hand off to her right, while on the other side of the cub, a large Panda wearing black pants and a gray robe was smiling up at her as he held onto the cub's other paw.

As Ming continued to stare down at the image of the Panda, she found herself once again thanking the Gods above for bringing her dear friend, whom she considered a little brother, back into her life again. For years Ming spent her days believing she would never get to see the panda ever again since the night their former...owner...hauled the poor thing off to some tavern fight with their other friend Dun and another of the slaves. Only to learn that that was going to be the last night she would ever see her little brother again... or so she thought.

After 8 long years of believing the worst. Of believing that Po had been long since dead. A few mere hours after her house had been broken into and she thought the gods had truly forsaken her...there he was. Standing on the other side of her door, alive and all things considered, well. After being forced to live in a life of Hell and having so much more taken from her than what should have been possible, the Gods had finally shown pity on the woman and had returned her Friend to her once more.

The Day Ming had finally been reunited with Po had to be one of the happiest days she had had in a long, long time. Not that she didn't wake up everyday happy to be alive and grateful for her child and his health of course. But...after losing her late Husband, a clouded Leopard named Jin who worked as a blacksmith to a severe case of River Fever when Xiao Po was merely 2, it just seemed that the Universe was determined to stomp on any chance of Happiness she could ever acquire... but not anymore.

As Ming looked up from the drawing and over to the small Pig family she had been servicing moments before, talking and enjoying their meal together, she couldn't help but feel a sharp twinge of longing tug at her heart. That could have been her life at one point. Just her, Jin and Xiao Po, enjoying their days without a care in the world. And for a time it was and those would forever be some of the happiest days Ming had ever had in her life. But now Jin was gone and Ming knew there could never be another soul who could replace her late Husband. And although there wasn't anyone who could ever replace him for her, there was someone who was able to help ease the pain she felt after Jin's lose.

With Po now back in Ming's life, everything was finally starting to get better. That little Panda that Ming had come to care for so deeply during their time as Children had certainly grown in ways Ming never could have guessed were possible. Although his newly acquired status as the Dragon Warrior often kept Po up at the Jade Palace, the Panda always made every effort he could to come down off the mountain and visit with the ones he called his Family.

After being taken away from her own family at such a young age just as Po was, and then having her husband taken from her just a few years ago, having Po around even if it was only just for a small while was a godsend in itself, even if the Panda never realized it. For a long time Ming often worried about Xiao Po growing up without a Father figure to look up to. Having lost his father at such a young age that the poor cub couldn't even remember him, Ming had worried that the cub would have such a hard time coping with the situation.

But over the past few months, with Po coming around as often as he could, Ming was finally beginning to realize that she no longer needed to worry so much anymore. Xiao Po truly adored the Panda who came to spend time with them every chance he got and would often ask about the next time he would see the Panda again in the evenings. Luckily, the feeling was mutual for Po as he would often be seen sitting in the restaurant talking with his Father with the cub siting on his lap or close by with a smile on his face.

Xiao Po finally had a male influence in his life to look up to and admire and it only made Ming feel even more grateful. Ming couldn't ask for a better situation. Po would never try to take the place of the cub's father nor did Ming want or expect him to. But for the Panda to be considered an uncle to the cub...well, that was just perfect... mostly.

In that moment, Ming briefly had a flash of a memory from 3 months back, watching Po as he deliberately crushed the hip of the Red Panda up at the Jade Palace for raising a hand against Ming by mistake. Even if it was an accident...What followed would forever be burned into the back of Ming's mind.

Po's face that day...his anger...his fury at Ming being struck in that manner...it was more than what she had ever expected to come from the Panda. Then again was she truly surprised? In hindsight Ming supposed she shouldn't have been. After all, she knew better than anyone just what Po had been through in his life. Though even she had to admit that even she didn't have all the details of what the Panda had experienced after they had previously been separated more than 8 years ago.

Po had always been protective of Ming, just as she had always been protective of him. But something that even she was unaware of had to have happened to the Panda over the years to have caused so much anger to build up back then, of that she was certain. And it was because of that, that she would always have to remind herself to look out for any signs of such anger coming from her little brother ever again. Especially around her child.

Over the past few months, Po had been making every effort he could to keep his promise to his Sister, to never expose that darkness she had witnessed on that day to her or Xiao Po ever again and Ming knew this. Po had chosen willingly to become the Dragon Warrior and live with the Masters of the Jade Palace full time, as one of the Valley's protectors. He would spend most of his days training with either the Red Panda or the recently returned Snow Leopard Tai Lung, who Po had referred to as his New Teacher.

It was that bit of news that Ming was finding some comfort in. Tai Lung had proven to be a kinder teacher to the Panda than the Red Panda Shifu had previously been from what Mr. Ping had revealed to her and was actually trying to make Po's situation work to the best of his ability, giving Po as much time off as possible away from the palace, without shaking his duties as Po's teacher. This, Ming was more than able to respect and appreciate.

Looking back down at her child, Ming then answered, "I think that he'll love it more because it came from his favorite little nephew." Hearing this caused the cub to smile even more as he looked back at his drawing and continued to admire his work once again, until a new voice reached both leopard's ears, "And how are thing's going over here then?" looking up, Ming saw that it was none other than her employer and Po's Father, Mr. Ping, walking out from within the kitchen and over towards the pair as he waved to a few familiar faces seated around his shop as he moved.

Once he reached them, Ming answered kindly, "Everyone's doing great, Mr. Ping. I just checked on all of the customers a moment ago, the customers are loving your noodles as always." Mr. Ping smiled up at his waitress and said, "Thank you my dear, I know my customers are in the best of hands with you out here, but I was actually refering to the little one one here. Are you hungry by any chance child?"

Suddenly, as if in response to the Goose's question, Xiao Po's stomach gave a quiet rumble causing the cub to look down from his picture and stare at his tummy while Mr. Ping couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. It was just like all those years ago, back when it was just him and his own son. Po would be sitting in that exact table minding his own business and whenever Mr. Ping would ask if the Panda was hungry, it was as if his stomach had a will of its own. Ah, how he missed those good old days. The days before his son had been taken away by those Monsters. Away from the safety of a normal life...and away from Mr. Ping for 20 long years.

Before Mr. Ping allowed his thoughts to linger any longer however, he quickly shook his head and said, "Well, I suppose that answers that now doesn't it?" causing the cub to look up and smile sheepishly in embarrassment. Mr. Ping then leaned forward and asked, "How about a bowl of noodles then, eh?" Xiao Po then nodded his head gratefully before he remembered his manners and replied, "Yes please."

Mr. Ping then placed his wings on his hips before saying, "Well then, one special bowl of Secret Ingredient Soup coming right up." Ming then bowed to the goose briefly before saying, "Thank you Mr. Ping, I'll be sure to take the noodles out of my payment at the end of the day."

Mr. Ping just waved his wing as he expressed while walking back into his kitchen, "Bah, think nothing of my dear. How many times must I say it? With as great of a job that you do taking care of my customers, I can more than afford to allow the little one to eat with no charge. Besides, I don't think my son would appreciate me charging the boy anyway. Knowing him, he'd probably try to pay for it himself like you and I simply won't have it. My son thinks the world of both of you and as far as I am concerned that is payment enough."

Shaking her head at yet another failed attempt to pay the goose for his kindness, Ming watched as the goose retreated back into the kitchen to prepare Xiao Po's meal. Looking down, Ming then said to her cub, "I'll be right back sweetie, Momma just needs to check on her customers really quick again before-" But before Ming could finish her sentence several gasps coming from the customers had managed to catch her attention. "-Look, it's the Dragon Warrior, and the Master's of the Jade Palace!"

Looking up, Ming was rather surprised to see the Familiar Panda walking into the establishment carrying a large crate and a box of sorts under his one arm, while the Panda was frowning as many of the customers got up from their tables and proceeded to bow to the Panda and the two Kung Fu Masters that accompanied him. But as Ming took a closer look, she noticed that something was different about the Panda today. Today, instead of wearing one of the familiar torn or worn out robes and black pants that Ming was used to seeing the Panda walk around in, today Po was wearing an attire unlike anything Ming had ever seen him wear before.

Replacing the usual black fabric vest he normally wore under his robes, Po was now sporting a brand new Silver training vest with golden straps running up the middle keeping the vest closed to conceal many of the scars that Ming knew painted the Panda's chest. His usual black pants that were always torn up, were now switched with a pair of fresh new ones, that looked rather similar to Miss Tigress's own, except for Po's being a few shade's darker that is. And his arms as Ming's eyes briefly darted down towards the Panda's wrists, were still wrapped in their usual wrappings.

But all in all, Po looked rather impressive in the new clothes. Definitely more like a ...warrior...from the Jade Palace from what Ming could understand. Or at least he appeared to be wearing the same type of clothing as the others. It was then that Ming began walking over towards the group, a new smile quickly growing as she neared her little brother.

With Po...

Although Po wasn't expecting to be able to just walk into the restaurant unnoticed, what with being accompanied by a pair of Masters and with the new, flashier clothes they were making him wear, he was at least hoping that he could get inside before the people started to get out of their seats and began to block his path.

Sighing in frustration, Po was about to ask everyone to just please get out of his way, when he heard a familiar voice call out to him from across the restaurant, "Po!" looking up, Po was relieved and delighted to see that it was Ming who was calling out to him and without a second thought, Po began pushing his way through the customers who quickly began backing out of his way as he quickly cleared the distance in the room, while Tigress and Tai Lung remained behind in the Restaurant's entryway as they watched the Panda with small smirks on their faces.

In seconds Po had finally reached the clouded leopardess and without so much as a warning, quickly dropped his things on the ground and scooped the woman up in his arms, earning him a slightly surprised yelp while he cheered, "Ming!"

Without even caring that there were people watching, Po briefly spun the woman around once as she laughed while saying, "Easy Po! People are staring!" As if remembering that they weren't alone anymore, Po briefly looked back to see the many customers watching the two now with interest, as the Panda swallowed a small lump in his throat and muttered, "Oh...sorry."

Gently, Po lowered the leopardess down to the ground and released her, but still the Panda couldn't help but smile when the woman said, "It's alright Sweetie. I'm happy to see you too." Hearing that, Po was unable to help keeping his smile from growing as he stood there in front of his sister. It may have only been 6 days since he last saw her, but it might as well have been a month.

Right then, another voice Po recognized called out to him, "Jiujiu!" Looking to his left, Po saw the all too familiar Leopard cub coming from one of the corner tables rushing up towards him. But before the child could reach him, Po dropped down to on knee and opened his arms as the cub leaped up and threw himself at the Panda, wrapping his arms around the bear's neck as tightly as he could while Po supported him and said, "Oomph! Hey there little guy, did you miss me?" In response to the Panda's question, Xiao Po merely held the Panda tighter as he purred quietly before saying, "Uh-huh I've missed you Jiujiu." Po just smiled at the cub's name for him and said, "And I missed you too."

With Ming having named her child after Po before the two had been reunited, Po had allowed the cub to start referring to him as Jiujiu mostly because it was the cub's idea. That and because it was one title that Po was more than happy to bear, unlike his other one.

Po then got to his feet while still holding onto Xiao Po and turned back to face his sister who was now asking, "It's good to see you Po dear. So, can I take it you're here to visit with your Father?" Po nodded his head in response as he replied, "Uh-huh, Tai Lung convinced Shifu to let me come down and visit you guys for a while today." as he finished, Po turned back to look at the two Masters behind him, while Ming had only just noticed them for the first time and exclaimed, "Oh!" But before she could utter another word, Mr. Ping's voice rang out throughout the establishment, "Son!?" looking back towards the kitchen, Po saw his Father walking out into the restaurant and the Panda quickly handed the cub off to his Mother while he made his way over to the goose.

Just as he had done with Ming, Po quickly scooped his father up in a hug, startling the goose as the older man said, "Oh my! Son, please take it easy, I'm not as young as I used to be you know." His ears flattening against his head, Po slowly pulled away from his Dad enough to look at him slightly ashamed of himself as he whispered, "I'm...I'm sorry Dad. I didn't mean to hurt you...I just missed you." Mr. Ping then swatted the Panda's arm with his wing, causing Po to flinch involuntarily as he then stated, "Son, I didn't say I didn't appreciate the greeting, I'm just not as strong as you are my boy, that's all." Po nodded his head in understanding, the frown still upon his face only now it was at the thought of almost hurting his Father.

Mr. Ping saw this and couldn't help but shake his head in bemusement, his Son could be so hard and cold at one moment and then sensitive and emotional at others. Mr. Ping then said, "Come here my son, try again." Hearing this, Po's smile slowly returned as he gently wrapped his arms around the goose once more, being extra careful not to hurt the older man as the goose hugged him back.

Once they finished and Po stood up to his feet once more, Mr. Ping then got a good look at his son's new attire and whistled at the new clothes. "Oh my, those are some spiffy new threads, Son." Po scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he replied, "Y-Yeah...Shifu and Tai Lung said I need to start wearing stuff like this more often. Something about...looking like a proper Dragon Warrior or...something. Do you like it?"

Mr. Ping gave an audible "Hmmm." as he tapped his bill thoughtfully and walked around his son examining his new clothes. Po waited anxiously for his Father's response which felt like it was never going to come. But after a few seconds, Mr. Ping finally said as he crossed his wings, "Well...it certainly isn't anything I would want to cook in, but then again, I suppose those clothes are more meant to be for your training if I'm not mistaken." "You would be correct, Sir."

Turning to face the one who had just spoken to him, Mr. Ping saw that it was the Valley's own Master Tai Lung who had answered him just now, with Master Tigress standing just off to his left. "Ah if it isn't Masters-" but as soon as Mr. Ping uttered that word, the goose noticed the Panda beside him twitch over the word he had just used and the goose mentally slapped himself for forgetting as he finished, "-Um...Tai Lung and Tigress...It is an honor to have you both in my shop."

Tai Lung nodded in thanks as did Tigress. Mr. Ping then glanced over at the Panda and saw his face once again was in a deep frown as well as his left paw clenched tightly into a fist and Mr. Ping knew exactly why. Whenever Mr. Ping would address one of the Masters by their titles, even though Po knew that the Jade Palace Warriors were nothing like the Masters who he had known for the majority of his life, apparently just the simple fact of his Father addressing anyone by that tittle was enough to upset his son. "I suppose some habits are just hard to break." the goose thought to himself before saying, "Tell me, would two of the Valley's great protectors like to stay for a hot meal?"

Tigress was about to decline by saying, "Thank you Sir, but we really should be getting-" But before she could finish, Tai Lung cut his Foster sister off by saying, "-We would love to stay Mr. Ping, If that's alright with you, Po?" as the Panda looked over at the snow leopard briefly, he slowly nodded his head in acceptance to the idea and Mr. Ping clapped his wings once while saying, "Wonderful! Ming dear, could you please find our guests a free table?" immediately the Clouded leopardess bowed to her employer and complied, "Yes sir, right away. If you would kindly follow me Miss Tigress, Mr. Tai Lung."

And with that, Ming carefully sat her child down and sent him back to his own table, while she began to lead the two Masters over to a recently vacated table towards the back of the restaurant but not before Tai Lung handed Tigress the crate he was carrying and walked over to pick up the Crate and box Po had brought with him, before turning back and followed the leopardess. As they were leaving, Po turned back to look at his Dad, a small smile now on his face as he asked, "So...Tai Lung's letting me stay here for a while today, do you maybe... want some help in the kitchen?"

Hearing that his son was staying to help him in the shop, Mr. Ping clapped his wings twice while exclaiming, "Oh, that would be just perfect, Po! Come, come, I have a few orders that I could definitely use your help with. Oh, that reminds me, I still need to get the little one's soup to him quickly and I also have to show you how to make my newest dishes I just added to the menu! I also want to run a few ideas by you for the shop and-"

As the goose continued to ramble on about his growing business, Po simply shook his head in amusement and followed his Father into the kitchen, happy to finally be around the goose again and away from the constant eyes of the customers.

Once the Panda was inside the kitchen, Po quickly made his way over to the back where his Father kept his apron hanging on the wall for him to use near a washtub and Po quickly washed his paws before donning the apron and turning back to his Father and asked, "What can I do?" Mr. Ping looked over from the counter in front of the window looking out into the shop and answered simply, "I need 4 orders of dumplings right away, think you can get those while I finish these noodles?" Po just nodded while saying quickly, "Yes sir." before he quickly began gathering everything he needed to start the dishes his Father asked him to make.

Meanwhile with Tai Lung and Tigress...

Ming had quickly lead the pair of Masters over to the nearest open table and after wiping the surface quickly with a rag she kept in her apron, Ming quickly turned to the two Masters and said, "Please, sit!" Tigress, although she wasn't thrilled with the idea of staying at the restaurant any longer than they absolutely needed to, knew that Tai Lung wasn't planing on leaving anytime soon and there was no way she was carrying the Panda's new training clothes up those steps all by herself.

After the Felines sat the boxes down beside their table, Tigress and Tai Lung both sat down, Tigress sitting with her arms crossed while Tai Lung appeared to be reading one of the menu's that was already on the table. "So, what can I get for you two today?" Ming asked cheerfully. Tigress, who had not even bothered to look at her menu replied simply, "Just Oolong tea for me, please." Ming gave the tiger a quick nod before turning to her other customer and asked, "And for you Mr. Tai Lung? What can I get for you?"

Tai Lung hummed in thought briefly before setting the menu down and looked back up at Ming with a slight smile before saying, "The Secret Ingredient Soup I believe would do just fine with some Oolong tea too." Ming bowed briefly to the two masters before saying, "Right away. I shall return with your tea momentarily." And with that, the Female leopard turned and began retreating back to the kitchen, all the while Tai Lung failed to keep himself from watching the leopard as she left.

"What are you doing?"

Tai Lung turned to look at Tigress sitting across from him with an annoyed expression clearly aimed his way. "What are you talking about?" Tai Lung asked dismissively while Tigress answered, "We were supposed to drop Po off, then return back to the Palace for training. Just because you and Master Shifu agreed to allow Po the afternoon away from the palace, does not mean that the rest of us have been granted the same reprieve."

Tai Lung merely shrugged Tigress's concern off as if it were nothing and said, "If you are so concerned about it then by all means Sister return to the Palace. I however missed breakfast and have been meaning to try some of this restaurant's food now for quite some time."

It was then when Ming had finally returned carrying a small tray with a small teapot and two cups with her, which she carefully sat down on the table saying, "Your tea is ready." Ming then carefully placed two cups before the Masters and proceeded to pour the tea into each of them. Once she finished, Tai Lung smiled at the woman and said, "Thank you, mam." Ming nodded briefly before she smiled and said, "Please Mr. Tai Lung, you are Po's teacher. Please just call me Ming." Tai Lung nodded in agreement before saying, "Very well, thank you, Ming."

The Clouded Leopardess then sat the kettle down on the table and then turned to leave as she said, "Your noodles will be ready shortly. Please, enjoy the tea." and with that, the woman was off again, tending to her other customers.

Just as Tigress began to take a sip of her tea, both her ears as well as Tai Lung's caught wind of a familiar voice calling out to them, "Hey you two." Looking over towards the restaurant's entrance, both Tigress and Tai Lung were surprised to see it was none other than Monkey making his way over towards them while waving hello to a few of the customers as he passed.

Once he reached their table, Tai Lung was the first to ask, "Master Monkey? What brings you here?" Tigress however seemed a bit more unnerved by their comrade's sudden appearance and asked, "Did Master Shifu send you for us? Is something wrong?" Monkey just shook his head no and replied, "Not exactly. Master Shifu just sent me to do a patrol around the Village. I thought maybe I'd poke my head in and see if you two might still be here since I didn't see you on the stairs."

Monkey then began to look around the establishment with interest as he said, "So...this is Po's Father's restaurant, huh? Definitely an improvement. I can remember the place looking like a real dump a few months back." This interested Tai Lung as he pulled up a chair for their comrade and asked, "What do you mean?" Monkey took the offered seat and explained, "Well, I just mean that place wasn't always exactly taken care of before. The place looked like it was about to just come down on you for the longest time till recently. Looks like the owner finally decided to do some much needed fixing up and it shows."

Monkey then leaned back as he said aloud, "Come to think of it, I only noticed the changes a little after Po showed up. Wonder if him...coming back, was what inspired his Dad to fix the place up?" But as soon as Monkey mentioned the Panda in reference to the creature's former life, Monkey quickly became visibly depressed as he looked over to the front of the restaurant and through the window, while Tai Lung and Tigress followed his gaze.

Inside the kitchen, Po could be seen at the back of the kitchen with his back to the customers chopping up vegetables and setting them aside while Mr. Ping would call out an instruction or a request to his son, to which Po would promptly answer with either a "Yes sir" or just a nod of acknowledgement. But what the Masters noticed more than anything was the smile the Panda was wearing by just being in the same room as the goose.

It was then that Ming had suddenly came over to the table with the 3 Masters while saying, "Your Soup is ready, Mr. Tai Lung. Oh, Mr. Monkey! What a surprise. Can I get you anything?" Monkey merely shook his head no before saying, "Nah, I'm not staying. Just stopped by to say hello." Ming nodded in understanding before saying, "I see." but before she could say anything else, a Male goose customer off to her left called out, "Miss, could I please get some more water?" Ming nodded over to the goose and called back, "Coming right up!" Ming then turned to the Masters and said, "If you'll excuse me everyone." and with that, Ming quickly headed over to her customer.

Tigress then stood up and announced, "I'm stepping out for a bit. Tai Lung, do try to hurry it up with your meal. I would rather like to get back to the Palace before the Dragon Warrior does." and with that, Tigress stood up and proceeded to exit the restaurant to wait outside.

After watching his friend leave, Monkey turned back to bid Tai Lung a farewell so he could get back to his patrol, when he noticed that the Snow Leopard had yet to take his eyes off of the waitress, watching as she continued to move about the restaurant stopping only to check to see if her child was alright every now and then. After watching Tai Lung stare after the female leopard for a moment or so, Monkey then stated bluntly, "Buddy, take it from me, don't even think about it."

Tai Lung quickly snapped back to attention and turned to face the primate before asking, "Excuse me?" Monkey then said while grinning at the Snow Leopard, "Don't give me that. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You can't take your eyes off her." Tai Lung stared at Monkey dumbfounded for a few seconds, his eyes blinking every now and then before he finally realized what Monkey must have been referring to. "Wait...are you referring to Ming? Master Monkey, don't be ridiculous. There is absolutely nothing to which you are implying." Monkey just snickered while rolling his eyes and said, "Sure, sure. Whatever you say. Why else would you continue to stare at her from afar like you have been for the past 3 months?"

Tai Lung's eyes widened slightly, yet he continued to stare ahead at his companion with a scowl while Monkey finished, "You aren't exactly subtle, you know? So...what is it with her?" Tai Lung's scowl only deepened, but instead of responding, the Snow Leopard remained silent.

It was true, ever since the day Tai Lung had first laid eyes on the Clouded leopardess he had felt something towards her. A sort of...familiarity, one that no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not place. Why did this woman strike him as familiar? Had he passed paths with her in the past at some point in his life? If so, then when? But even Tai Lung had to admit that what Monkey had just said did hold a bit of truth. Ming was in fact a beautiful woman and if Tai Lung was honest with himself he would say that a small part of him was indeed attracted to her. But, never did he ever even consider the thought of pursuing a relationship with the woman for several reasons. Mostly, because he felt that his time was better spent training the Dragon Warrior and Protecting his home. And secondly...

it was here where Tai Lung's gaze wandered over towards the leopard cub who was finishing up a bowl of noodles as the Snow Leopard thought, "Then ...there is always that." Tai Lung then realized that something Monkey had said just now seemed a bit curious and so he turned back to the primate and asked, "Even if there was something to what you are implying, what makes you think that I should not even attempt such a thing, not that I would or wish to."

Monkey smirked at the leopard once more earning him an annoyed growl as the Snow Leopard warned, "Just because you are a Member of the Furious Five does not mean that I will not put you in your place, Master Monkey. If you will recall, not even the entire Furious Five could stop me before." Monkey nodded as he admitted, "True, none of us could stop you before, Tai Lung. You truly are every bit as strong as we were told and then some." at this, Tai Lung smirked but it wasn't for long as Monkey Finished, "But, the Dragon Warrior was still able to beat you on his own and that's exactly my point."

Tai Lung raised an eyebrow in confusion as he stated, "I don't understand." Monkey sighed as he leaned forward and muttered lowly, "Look...I'm not going to try and say that I know everything about the lady. I mean come on, we hardly ever really see her unless she comes up to visit the big guy with her kid. But as far as I can tell, she's basically like Po's Sister, right?" Tai Lung nodded in response. It was true, Po had admitted to that as much. Monkey the went on, "Well then before you would even try to consider even asking her out, you would have to get Po's permission first. You don't just go asking someone's sister out without checking with them to see how they feel about it first. Po's finally starting to trust us all I think... maybe. Just don't go messing that up already."

Tai Lung allowed Monkey's words to sink in as he looked down at his soup. He supposed not even talking to Po first about something so sensitive first could be seen as a bit of a deception. Not that he needed to worry about it. He had no intention of involving himself with anyone at the moment much less his Student's sister...right?

Monkey then added as he leaned back in his seat, "Besides, Po's ridiculously protective of his Sister. He probably wouldn't take to kindly to his teacher trying to take his Sister from him after he only just got her back." It was here where Monkey's eyes lowered as he finished sadly, "Besides...we've already seen how far he's willing to go to protect her once...why push that even more?"

Tai Lung immediately knew what Monkey was referring to as he muttered "Shifu." Monkey nodded as he said, "Exactly. We're in a pretty good place right now with the big guy. Viper thinks he's really starting to come around, what with you training him, her and Crane helping him with his reading, Tigress spending time meditating with him. Heck, even Mantis and I have gotten him to crack a smile a few times with our jokes!"

Tai Lung cocked an eyebrow at this but said nothing while Monkey concluded, "Just wait a bit, alright? Besides, It's not like she's going anywhere." Tai Lung sighed as he closed his eyes and muttered, "I suppose you're right." But as soon as he said it he realized all to late what he had done as he heard Monkey snicker at him, "Heh heh, I knew you liked her! Now Crane owes me 30 Almond cookies!" Tai Lung then snarled savagely as he quickly unsheathed his claws, allowing the sunlight to reflect off them as he warned quietly, "I suggest you get back to your patrol now Master Monkey, before I choose to skin you alive."

Monkey gulped as he realized he had gone too far and quickly got up from his seat while saying nervously, "R-Right...probably should get back to my rounds. See you back at the palace then." and with that, Monkey quickly left the restaurant stopping only to say farewell to Tigress who was still waiting outside.

Once he was gone, Tai Lung sighed as he briefly looked over at the Leopardess who was cleaning a table at the opposite end of the restaurant, then over towards the cub who was now sitting at the counter while playing with his wooden panda doll. Finally, Tai Lung looked back into the kitchen where he saw the Panda finishing up an order of Dumplings as he brought the bowl over to the counter for Ming to pick up and deliver to the customer, stopping only to reach across the counter and rub the cub's head playfully before returning back to work.

With a heavy sigh, Tai Lung turned his attention back to his bowl and quickly ate his noodles. He barely remembered thinking that he couldn't tell who's soup tasted better, the Panda's or the Goose's, before he finished his meal and got up, leaving behind several coins on the table. Enough to cover not only the tea and soup, but also a rather sizable tip for the Waitress. Tai Lung then quickly gathered up the two crates and rectangular box before exiting the restaurant to get Tigress so they could head back up to the Jade Palace.

A few hours later inside the Hall of Heroes

Shifu stood before the Sacred Reflecting Moon Pool towards the back of the Hall of Heroes, his eyes currently scanning the contents of a scroll that a messenger had just brought to him, a deep frown clearly visible upon his features. When he finished, Shifu looked up from the scroll and asked, "Now... how soon is it that you need to receive a reply?"

Standing before the Grandmaster, a dark gray goose wearing a green messengers along with a matching hat bowed his head before responding, "Unfortunately Grandmaster, I require a response no later than Sundown tomorrow. I apologize for the short notice But I assure you, the request is of the utmost importance as I am sure you understand."

Shifu merely hummed in response as he returned his attention back to the scroll, his eyes going back to the Empreror's seal that was imprinted at the bottom of the message along with the name and rank of the commander who had written the message.

Turning away from the goose, Shifu slowly hobbled his way closer to the Moon Pool until he was able to look down upon his reflection. Immediately, Shifu saw the image of the magnificent Golden Dragon statue that was once the resting place of the infamous Dragon Scroll staring back at him as he pondered over what it was he should do about this request.

After a long moment, Shifu then spoke to the Messenger with his back still turned towards him, "Return to the Palace at Sundown tomorrow evening then. I shall have a response for you by then." The Goose bowed respectfully while saying, "Yes Grandmaster. I thank you for your consideration on this matter. I shall procure myself a room at the inn down in your village in the meantime should you need to send for me sooner."

Shifu nodded as he then said still not facing the messenger, "Zeng will show you out of the Palace then. Zeng, if you would be so kind?" off to his right, the mentioned goose stepped forward and said, "Of course, Grandmaster Shifu. If you will follow me Sir." and with that the two Geese exited the chamber, leaving an incredibly frustrated Shifu behind in the sacred hall.

After a long moment of allowing himself to be swallowed by the Hall's silence, Shifu sighed heavily as he stared back into the water beneath him, his eyes never once leaving the image of the Dragon Statue that was staring back up at him as he muttered,

"This...is going to be complicated."

And that is chapter 4! A bit longer I know, so I hope it wasn't too bad. Thank you all for reading and continuing to support my stories. You all are totally awesome! remember...

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