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nly the fact that the thin blanket they had draped over themselves was all that stood between his adopted father's eyes and the very naked bodies of two very embarrassed felines kept Tai Lung from immediately leaping out of bed to take drastic action—slamming the door in the red panda's face, perhaps (how did he get in? Did he have a key to every lock in the bunkhouse?), or leaping out the window into the underbrush.

It wasn't that he had anything to be ashamed of, he thought defensively. Both he and Tigress were mature, responsible, consenting adults. Well, most of the time. And while Shifu had been taking strides toward becoming a much better, or at least fairer, parent to them, he still had absolutely no right to take any sort of moral high road or disciplinarian action with them!

Yet somehow that didn't change the incontrovertible facts: he had just been caught doing something that was considered, if not inappropriate, then at least impolite to be engaged in where others could be aware of it…and that he was extremely and undeniably aroused, in front of the man who had diapered him as a baby but whom he had firmly not allowed to see him unclad since he turned thirteen.

Not that that was even the worst of it. There was of course Tigress's equally strong sense of mortification to consider…and that now, unequivocally, so there could be no denial of it, the cat was out of the bag regarding their relationship. Prior to this neither of them had admitted their feelings in front of anyone but each other; the only one who knew of their declaration of love, in fact, was Po, who had been awake when they'd returned from dinner, had been absolutely elated at the news (Tai Lung didn't think he could ever erase the memory of the panda doing a jiggling dance of victory from his mind, or his little chant about them kissing in a tree), and had demanded every detail of their time together. For all he knew, that was the reason for Po planning his own dinner tonight with Zhuang and Xiulan, if it wasn't simply to celebrate the end of the murderous siege of the Valley...

In any event, his and Tigress’s exchange on the pinnacle in Chorh-Gom, if it had even been truly heard and remembered amongst all the violence and drama, could have been chalked up to hyperbole, sarcasm, or overemphasis. All their other interactions had been on the order of grief counseling, strengthening bonds of friendship, apologizing for their past contentions, or warrior comradeship. And it wasn't as if the red panda were known for being quick on the uptake—on the contrary, Shifu was notorious for seeing what he wished to see, blocking out what he didn't want to contemplate, being blind to the truth, and misinterpreting rather obvious warning signs.

But now there was no possible way he could fail to see it, no way to put a different spin on what was right in front of his face.

Very slowly, as unobtrusively as possible, Tai Lung tried to disengage from Tigress beneath the blanket. There were so many ways this seemed poised to go wrong. How many avenues of attack could Shifu come up with?

It's the wrong time to start a relationship. You don't have permission to court her. I adopted both of you—it would be disgusting, immoral, an affront to the gods. You're old enough to be her father. You don't have permission to court her. The Valley will be in an uproar when they find out you two have compromised your responsibilities, your objectivity, to be together. Heian Chao will now have even more reason to mark Tigress for death, as will the Wu Sisters. You're thinking with the wrong head, and it's going to get one of you killed. And did I mention you don't have my permission?

Forcing down the rising sense of panic, and its twin, equally powerful mirror of growing fury at these unfair, harsh judgments, the snow leopard held up both paws, trying to instill calm. "Er…Master Shifu…Father…um, I can explain…"

"Oh, no need to explain." The words, and the dismissive gesture he made with one hand, brushed the matter aside as unimportant, excusing the breach of etiquette—but they were at odds with the frosty tone and utterly cold look in those pale blue eyes. "Everything is quite perfectly clear. This is what you were referring to back in Tavan Bogd." This last was said to Tigress, although Shifu never took his gaze from Tai Lung.

The striped feline, in contrast to both of them, had recovered her dignity and poise—and her temper, for even as she sat up with her half of the blanket tucked around her to preserve her modesty, she growled at their mutual master and father. "Yes. Yes, it was. And I fail to see how this is any business of yours."

Now he looked at her, and while his expression softened a fraction of a degree, he remained as stiff, prim, and judgmental as ever. "Of course it is my business; it affects life here at the palace and in this Valley, it could well influence the course of our future battles with Heian Chao, and it is hardly something the Emperor or the rest of China will overlook. You are the leader of the Furious Five—"

"Four," Tigress whispered harshly, painfully.

For a moment Shifu faltered, ears drooping, but then he continued on gamely. "—and he is a murderer, destroyer, and vicious madman hated throughout the empire. Reformed, repentant, doing everything in his power to turn his life around and become a true hero, but still…as we have all received recent lessons in, there are some who will never forget, and it is their opinions and decisions that will determine what happens next. Do you really want to give them more ammunition to think the worst of Tai Lung, or to believe you have betrayed your principles and turned your back on the Jade Palace?"

"From what you say," Tigress spat, "they will think that anyway, no matter what we do! And you know what, Master? I…don't…care."

"You don't care what they think? Or you don't care what the consequences of this are?"

"The first one," she replied immediately. "Of course I care what happens to the Valley, and the empire. But if I cared what other people thought of me, well I never would have become a kung fu warrior in the first place, now would I?" Tigress snorted contemptuously before her voice fell, losing some of its anger but none of its intensity. "Besides…what I'm doing isn't betraying my principles, it's being true to them. Maybe for the first time in a long time."

Silence fell over the shadow-draped, faintly moonlit room as Shifu digested these words, their undeniable truth and the serious determination in his daughter. Into this breach, Tai Lung finally inserted himself, unable to keep the growl from his own voice. "Look, Master, we've already been through all this, believe me. We knew what we were getting into, if I hadn't been quite aware of it Tigress would've pounded it into my skull—in fact she did anyway." In spite of himself he shot her a brief flicker of a smile. "So don't think we aren't prepared for all this. Or that both of us aren't ready to weather any damn objection anyone tries to make."

Unable to help himself as he felt his own temper rising, he clenched a fist until the knuckles cracked, barely restraining himself from shaking it under Shifu's nose—or once again snatching him off the floor, this time to glare at him, eye to eye, inches apart. How dare he…how dare he barge in here like this, making moral judgments and inserting himself where he wasn't wanted? It was so like him…he hadn't changed one bit… "So why don't you get the bloody hell out of my room before I throw you out? Or haven't you ever heard of a little thing called privacy and common courtesy?"

Amazingly, and infuriatingly, the red panda ignored him—he even dared to lift a peremptory palm toward him to cut him off and ward him away!—only keeping his attention fixed on Tigress. As the snow leopard seethed and roiled, counting to himself and desperately trying to drive his anger down into his chi as he had learned at Wu Dan, Shifu regarded the striped feline penetratingly. Then, at last, he spoke. "Is what he said true? And what you said? You truly do know what is at stake, how this could go terribly wrong, what will be asked of you and what you must do? And you are willing to face it all, no matter what the cost may be?"

These last words were rather ominous, and the sense that this was not a threat from Shifu's quarter but a reference to Chao or even something more amorphous and ambiguous, chilled Tai Lung's anger. But even though she looked shaken, Tigress did not relent, only drawing herself up straight and clenching her own fists. "Damn it, didn't you hear me the first time? Yes! I love him, Master, and I don't care who knows it anymore—Chao likely already does by now, so what does it matter? For good or for ill, for better or for worse, I know what I know. So if you truly do love me, if you have any ounce of compassion and generosity in you, don't get in my way…"

Tai Lung couldn't help but nod firmly, fiercely, in vindication…even as his fury faded almost entirely into admiration, awe, and of course, an even deeper and more abiding love. She had said it aloud, proudly and defiantly, and to Shifu of all people. She truly meant it, she loved him…and it was all because he'd shown her who he really was, who he could be and wanted to be. Because he had earned her respect, and each of them had seen who the other was. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. It even surpassed what he'd imagined it would feel like to be granted the Dragon Scroll.

For several moments, the red panda regarded Tigress thoughtfully, wordlessly, and Tai Lung couldn't even hazard a guess as to what he intended to say. Then at last, he drew himself up and clasped his hands with steepled fingers in front of him as he became stern once more. "I see. If that is truly your decision, and you will hold to this course no matter what I or anyone else says, then I only have three words for you…"

He was certain they would be "Get out now", "I disown you", or something equally callous and hateful. He was fully prepared to defend Tigress's honor, to attack Shifu with words or fists so as to fight for this very real, undeniable love that the world seemed determined to ensure they could never have. But then, abruptly, something flickered in the red panda's eyes…the corner of his mouth twitched into a wry, fond smirk…and he spoke in a completely different tone of voice: one filled with tenderness, love, and genuine happiness. "Congratulations, my daughter." And he winked.

It took several moments for this to sink in. When it did, Tigress was the first one to blink and furrow her brow. "What?"

Somehow, even though he was in very real danger of receiving a smackdown from his own adopted children, Shifu was smiling ever more broadly, a playful twinkle gleamed in his eyes, and he even began to chuckle openly. "It's a simple statement, Tigress, usually given when one is proud of and happy for someone. I'll grant you it's something I've rarely, if ever, said to you, but I intend to rectify that. And you should at least know what the words mean."

While Tai Lung was staring at the panda, his resentment and wrath slowly turning into confusion and disbelief—Has Chao taken control of him, too? This can't be Shifu, he's smiling!—Tigress made a strange noise, something between a growl and a quickly stifled snort of laughter. "Yes. Yes, I do. But why are you saying them? I thought you were furious with us."

"Now what ever made you think that?" he asked innocently.

"Shifu…"

Inexplicably, their master began to laugh. "Forgive me for my little deception, daughter…son." His gaze took in the flummoxed snow leopard as well. "I knew you were afraid I'd go on…how would Mantis have put it…a 'roaring rampage of revenge', the moment I found out about what you two were up to. So I decided, just on a lark, to play the role to the hilt, just to give you something to laugh about in the days to come. Gods know we all need it."

He paused as both of the felines glowered at him, neither of them laughing, and then coughed uncomfortably, his good humor fading into contrition. "It…seems I need a little work on my comedic timing. I'm sorry…still, you should have seen your faces…"

Before either of them could launch into a new round of insults and threats, Shifu held up both hands placatingly. "Seriously…why would I possibly be upset by this turn of events? To see my son finally caring for and loving someone other than himself…my daughter no longer living only for her kung fu, no longer so alone and cut off from her emotions…to see both of you opening up, expressing yourselves, finding solace with another, after I had mistakenly raised you to be hard, strong, and solitary… Well, it warms my heart more than you can ever know. And yes," he added sardonically, "I do actually have a heart, as difficult as that may be to believe. As much as I have attempted to hide it away and indeed pretend it doesn't exist, so that it cannot be broken."

Ignoring the mournfulness in his tone and expression, Tai Lung looked, bewildered, at his lover and found the same look mirrored on her face. On the one paw, it was indeed very good to know that their father did not, in fact, intend to fight them tooth and claw on this, that he had given his blessing and had simply been playing with them, in his own diabolical way. Hell, the fact he was willing to tease us at all is a huge improvement for him. When's the last time he ever laughed, made a joke, enjoyed himself like a normal person?

On the other paw, he wasn't sure if this was an improvement, especially if the red panda insisted on being so terribly evil about his humor. The more he thought about it, as his temper cooled, the funnier it started to seem—rather like something he'd have done in Shifu's place, so apparently that was something else his father had taught him. But he wasn't altogether sure it was wise to pursue this manner of lightening up, not when Tigress likely did not find it amusing in the slightest…

Finally forcing himself to move from his stiff, frozen posture, the snow leopard started donning his trousers under cover of the blanket while he narrowed his eyes sourly. "That was low, even for you, Master. So you barged in here to get your jollies by putting the fear of the gods into us, is that it? Or did you actually mean what you said?"

Annoyance flickered on the panda's face, but then he only sighed. "I suppose I deserved that. No, I did mean some of what I said…as you well know, you two will indeed be facing conflict from all quarters—at the very least a healthy dose of shock and scorn, if not outright malice. I wanted to be sure you were truly devoted to each other, that this is not merely a tempestuous love affair that will end as soon as you two have burned out your ardor—or the moment either of you run into more difficulties than you expected. But Tigress gave the answer I truly hoped to hear."

He smiled warmly at the striped feline despite her crossed arms and unwavering glare. "And that makes me happier than I have any right to be. You two have found each other…all on your own, without anyone forcing you or requiring it of you. Your love was proof against Heian Chao's chi manipulation, or else you would have fallen prey to his influence, as the rest of us have to varying degrees. It saved you from certain death, it saved Commander Vachir from his torment and may well have granted him a chance at redemption he otherwise would not have had. It could even be argued it indirectly saved Monkey…and it certainly has made it far easier for you to be forgiving of him. This is a joyous and wonderful thing, something to be celebrated."

He paused, his eyes twinkling again, and then he said, utterly deadpan, "Not to mention, think how beautiful the cubs are going to be."

Tigress choked, while the snow leopard could feel his cheeks going such a deep, burning scarlet he was surprised his fur didn't catch on fire. It didn't matter that, initially at least, he himself had chosen to pursue the striped feline for the sake of passing on his legacy to future generations—hearing this sort of thing from his old father was not appealing in the least. It's bad enough he caught us in the act…now we know he's actively thinking about us doing it, hoping we will—ugh, no, I refuse to think about it…

While his thoughts nattered on at himself, trying to drive out images of Shifu poring over scrolls of baby names, slipping Tigress fertility herbs with her morning tea, learning to knit booties under Viper's supervision, or heaven forbid questioning Tai Lung on his, er, technique, the panda was now undeniably beaming. "I can't wait to dandle them on my knee, I have always wanted grandchildren…" He turned around in the doorway to depart, chuckling to himself, but then he stopped and looked back with a paternal glare.

"That does not mean, however, that I wish to be aware of what you're doing at all hours of the night. Nor is this a good time to begin raising a family, I would think you are well aware. So I suggest you see about procuring a little something to nip that in the bud…for now. And do try to keep it down…" And with that, he had darted out into the hall, closing the door firmly behind him.

For several moments the room was silent while the two felines alternately stared at each other and the rice-paper panel. Finally Tai Lung ventured to say, "Did we fall into a hole in reality when I wasn't looking? Or fall asleep and cross into our dreams, perhaps?"

In spite of herself, Tigress chuckled. "It does seem like it, doesn't it? But no, however hard we find it to believe, that was, in fact, Master Shifu and not his evil twin…or would that be his good twin, in this case?" She shook herself, with the air of one firmly reapplying herself to logic, reality, and the here and now. "The point is, I agree: that was something I didn't expect."

Tai Lung nodded solemnly…but then he slid over beside her on the bed, wrapping his spotted arm around her—marveling anew at how it seemed to belong there, and she in his embrace—while he smiled. "Actually, no: the point is, that's one hurdle we don't have to worry about anymore. He's not going to cause any trouble for us…in fact, he's happy for us." He smirked. "Not that we need his permission, or anything…"

"Certainly not," she replied archly, even as she responded in kind, her arm snaking around his broad shoulders and bringing his muzzle down for another sultry kiss…

After several breathless minutes of this activity, however, and just when he had every intention of divesting himself of his trousers again so he could take her by the wrists and pin her down on her back, the striped feline sighed and gently but firmly pushed him away as she sat up. "I hate to say it, though, but he was right about one thing. With Heian Chao and the Wu Sisters out there, this would not be a good time to bring a cub into the world. We don't dare put it in so much danger…"

Understandably, the snow leopard let out an anguished groan of dismay and reluctance, but even so he still obeyed, sitting back and keeping his paws (and other parts of him) to himself. "Damn it…you're right, of course." He had never brought harm to a child and he wasn't about to start out now—especially not his own. Still, he couldn't help giving her a slightly petulant look. "But…does that mean we have to stop…?"

The look she gave him was so knowing and deprecating it made him want to sink through the floor—yet also, suggestive and heated enough to make his heart flutter and his groin throb. He squirmed, for more reasons than one. "No. It just means we have to be careful. And…it means you need to go and get me some herbs to take, for birth control."

It popped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "Me? Why me?"

To her credit, Tigress only gave him an amused, clever smirk. "You have to ask?"

He knew he was digging his own grave, but… "Yes, actually I do. What's stopping you from going down to the village to get it? Last time I checked, you're not an invalid anymore, while I happen to be the one still recovering from injuries." Crossing his arms resentfully, he artfully stuck out his tongue. "Besides, isn't it a bit more likely you know more about this sort of thing than I do?"

Now her glare was back in full force, though she also seemed exasperated. "Just because I'm a woman? Turn off the chauvinism for a bit, and just think about that one. I'm a kung fu fighter, not a doctor, and up 'til now I haven't had any intention of getting involved with a man, let alone to that extent. What would I know about this? Also, in case you'd forgotten, just because I don't care what others think doesn't mean I want to deliberately provoke a response. If you go down to the village, there's several eligible ladies you might be buying for…but if I go, it'll be obvious at once who I need it for. We should avoid that, if at all possible."

Crestfallen, as well as extremely embarrassed at this prospect, Tai Lung had to admit she had some very good reasons he hadn't thought of. But just as he was about to nod contritely, Tigress smiled again, this time with far too much sweetness and innocence. "And anyway, you're the one who can't keep it in his pants, so you're the one who gets to make sure that's all you put in me."

A pause, rife with meaning, and then he grumbled, low and sullen as he hunched his shoulders in defeat. "…it's a good thing I love you."

"Yes, isn't it though?"

What made it even worse however was that this wasn't the limit of his humiliation—for after he had gotten dressed and slipped out into the hallway of the darkened bunkhouse, he found Shifu wasn't the only one who had been awake, nor the only one who'd figured out what was up. For almost as soon as he'd shut the door softly behind him and taken a light step down the creaking floorboards, he heard someone clear their throat, then a soft female voice address him. "And just where might you be going off to at this hour, hmm?"

Turning around and looking down, he saw Mei Ling leaning easily against the wooden support between her room, which was directly across the hall from the snow leopard's, and Po's. And at her feet, having emerged from her own chamber next to Tigress's, was Viper. The mountain cat had a very cocky, self-satisfied look on her face, while the serpent looked artfully guileless—and, in what he supposed was a welcome change from the last two weeks, both amused and kind rather than suspicious and, well, venomous.

Drawing himself up to his full height, he adopted a vaguely superior and lofty tone to match his dignified posture. "If you ladies must know, there's something I need to fetch from the village before it gets any later. A matter of extreme importance, life and death, you know. So, if you don't mind…" He started to step past them.

In almost the same motion, Viper extended her tail tip across the hallway to trip him up and Mei Ling pushed off from the post to block his path with her arm, leaning casually on the other side of the passage now. He was, of course, forced to halt. "Life and death?" The mountain cat grinned slyly. "Well I suppose it would be, at that, since from what I heard, Tigress is going to feed you your spleen if you don't bring back what she sent you for. And if she doesn't, Shifu will."

"What? I don't know what you're talking about. I—" Flicking his gaze back and forth between the two women, and seeing that neither was willing to back down (or cease grinning openly at him), he finally gave in and dropped his chin to his chest. "Damn it. Fine, you win, I'm at the mercy of my father and my lover. But don't you dare think that means I've gone soft, or that I'm going to be a hen-pecked husband! No sir, not this cat!" He stood straight and true again in obscure pride, chin jutted out pugnaciously, fists clenched.

The Li Dai master and the ribbon-dancer exchanged a long, knowing look. Then, as if he weren't even there, Mei Ling smirked and drawled, "Two guesses which of them really wears the pants in this relationship, and the first one doesn't count."

"Nuh-uh, I'm not taking that bet," Viper retorted, even as she smiled fondly at Tai Lung. "He's got it bad, doesn't he? It's so cute…"

"Adorable."

"Must have been love at first sight, for him to put up with this."

"Well, you already know my views." The mountain cat pursed her lips and winked bawdily.

Tai Lung groaned audibly and closed his eyes, running his paw down over his face. "Please…in the name of all that's decent and right, could you, perhaps, take pity on a man?"

Viper and Mei Ling looked at each other again. "If we have to…" they said in chorus, and then both burst out laughing.

When they were through, and the snow leopard knew he was once again a seething crimson, the mountain cat finally strolled over to his side, rubbed a paw against his cheek, and then gave him a quick hug. "I'm sorry, we couldn't resist…but we really are happy for you. You two were meant for each other, everyone can see it now!"

The serpent nodded, lifting her tail to wrap around his free paw in lieu of a squeezing hand. "I've seen it since we raised the Thread of Hope. It really is romantic, Tai Lung. About the only good thing to think about now…" Her expression darkened and her eyes dropped to the floor as she hissed softly, but soon she was all smiles again. "I'm so glad we could help you get together."

Mei Ling nodded and disengaged from the snow leopard, bending over to extend one paw to the serpent. "Mission accomplished?"

"And how." Viper smacked her tail gently across the upturned palm pad.

Tai Lung, watching this, found himself very grateful these two females had been on his side, rather than working at cross-purposes with him. He was also rather afraid, though he'd never admit it. Clearing his throat, he finally spoke up again. "Er…thank you, ladies, yes I do appreciate all your help. But in case you've forgotten…me, a place I have to be, Tigress impatiently waiting?"

The mountain cat nodded, looking rather embarrassed herself now, and stepped out of his way so he could head down the cobbled path toward the arena and the stairs. As she did so, she asked off-handedly, "So what do you have to get that's so urgent?"

Gritting his teeth manfully, he told her.

Mei Ling blinked…stared at him in stunned silence for several moments…and then she was the one to turn a delicate pink, soon descending into blazing scarlet.

While Tai Lung grinned and chuckled in turn, Viper gave him an inscrutable look, then crisply said, "Three streets west of Mr. Ping's, south four blocks, right-hand side of the street. There's a sign with a plum blossom over the door, you can't miss it."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "And just how do you know that, Mistress Viper?"

A demure, enigmatic smile appeared on her rouged lips. "A girl has to have some secrets. Now, shoo."

"You know, if Mantis were here, he'd be having a field day with all this. You're lucky I'm nowhere near as perverted as he was. Spares you a lot of suffering, you know." Tai Lung didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Viper gazed at him silently for a few moments, then rested her tail tip gently on his paw. "I miss him, too. Now, get going, before the place closes."

It had gone wrong. Everything, all his great plans, had gone wrong. Even now, two weeks after his shameful defeat in Chorh-Gom, after he had recovered the strength and chi which had been stripped from him by the death of Vachir and the sudden cessation of agony, fear, and despair flowing to him from the house of Wei Chang, Heian Chao could not understand or accept how this could be.

He had accounted for everything, every contingency, every possible permutation of events, choices, and emotions. While admittedly not every eventuality had granted him as much power and conquest as the denouements he had described to his servants at the Huangtu Plateau, in the end he had determined the means by which, no matter how the interactions played out, he could still be victorious. So many alternate possibilities: Tai Lung possessed, Tai Lung held captive and tortured once more, Tai Lung dead and raised again, a revenant powered by the snow leopard's chi as well as his own and therefore an unstoppable juggernaut.

Tigress driven to murder the spotted feline in response to the slaying of the pathetic Dragon Warrior, Crane driven mad with jealousy so as to blind and eviscerate and hamstring his hated feline rival, his unfaithful love, and his friends alike. The idiotic messenger goose, Zeng…on whom he had laid an aura of dark chi, so that when he brought Vachir's message, his very presence would enable Chao to influence everyone (but especially Tai Lung) into instinctively acting on their rage and suspicions...but also delivering deceptive tidings from Chen, instilling false hope in reinforcements that would never come…all while murmuring and whispering endlessly in Shifu's ear until he in his arrogance exiled his own son, ordered his execution, disbanded the Five and sent them to the far corners of the empire.

The Dragon Warrior himself, swayed and corrupted by Tai Lung's poisonous, narrow-minded view of the world until he became a willing ally in another rampage, complicit in countless crimes and atrocities as he overzealously sought justice for his friend and answers about his own past which no one would give him…ironically, proving he took after his ancestry more than he could know. Or even Shifu and the rest of the Five held prisoner by Monkey, subjected to even harsher and more twisted blandishments than Tai Lung had been, until they gave in and became Chao's willing and even eager accomplices, just to escape the pain and horror.

All this and more had occurred to the chi master, he had plotted it all out well in advance, and had already begun to bring much of it to pass—it was why he had first influenced, then inhabited Monkey, so as to spread a plague of hate, suspicion, cruelty, and darkness outward from the simian, affecting any and everyone he touched or interacted with. It had spread to encompass the Valley of Peace through the fear and horror which gripped the people as each new body was discovered in all its bloody, wicked glory, until neighbor began turning on neighbor, doors and shutters were locked and barred, and all had cast aspersion and contempt on everyone around them, but most especially Tai Lung.

It had directed people such as Shen Xiulan and Wei Chang to become steeped in their hatred, to defy all common sense and let their entrenched prejudices turn them to moral judgments and self-righteous acts which only made them bearers of his standard everywhere they went. Though they did not know it, it had even guided the Wu Sisters in their actions, particularly by inflaming Jia's lust to obsessive proportions. And of course it had fostered the tension and contention, the broken bonds of friendship; the secrets and misconceptions, the reticent inability to confess knowledge and true motivations; and the old grudges and complaints, amongst the Furious Five and Tai Lung.

All of this, in one way or another, should have been sufficient, it should have left them all ripe for the plucking. It should have made it far too easy to put the snow leopard right where he wanted him: abandoned and alone, consumed by hatred, vengeance, and madness, Vachir's murderer or his slave, Xiu's ally or broken pet.

But somehow, it had gone wrong.

Stalking back and forth, increasingly erratic and frantic, across the stone floor of his sanctum, until his black cloak of shadows was almost cast aside so that his flaring wings could bear him aloft, Heian Chao clamped his beak closed so as to hold back the bloodthirsty, predatory, full-throated scream of rage he so longed to release. No. No! He would not be denied, not now, not this close to his ultimate and glorious triumph.

After nine hundred years of plotting and scheming, carefully hoarding and augmenting his power, gathering intelligence and procuring minions, inciting rebellions and toppling dynasties, to come this close now—when Oogway was dead and gone, a fading and irrelevant memory who no longer had any meaning or influence, one who could no longer hold him, or hold him back—to be on the cusp of achieving perfect control of the empire and the chi of every soul residing in it…only to now lose everything…

It would not be countenanced. It was unacceptable.

What made it even more galling, and his impending failure all the more likely to prompt that blood-curdling shriek from his throat, was that he had the ugly and prescient feeling that it was, in fact, the foolish turtle who was somehow responsible for all this. For ever since the night of the first full moon following his meeting with the Wu Sisters, he had felt…something, an inexplicable aura of saintliness, holiness, and warm, unwavering calm emanating from all around Tai Lung whenever he reached out, through that bit of silver-gray fur, to influence his chi.

It had not held him back entirely, despite the anathema of such sickening and pure light—he had always been nothing if not persistent, so that eventually he had found chinks in this celestial armor to break through, gaps and openings by means of which he had still been able to touch and inflame the snow leopard's passions, his hate and anger. But, he realized now with extreme bitterness, this had obviously not proven as effective as he had counted on.

Even worse than this, however, was the manner in which the confrontation at Chorh-Gom had played out. From the beginning, of course, he had known Vachir would be trouble—the rhino had a phenomenal willpower, almost as unyielding and adamantine as Tai Lung's own. And for all the fact that it had been almost embarrassingly easy to possess his chi and shunt his soul into the farthest corner of his mind by means of his hatred and yearning for revenge, the commander had always been struggling with him every step of the way.

Each murder committed by the rhino's body had in fact required incredible amounts of focus, browbeating, and mind-shattering force, so that even with his ability to divide his attention—and his essence—between far distant places, Heian Chao had been driven on many occasions to withdraw his conscious thought from Monkey as well as cease meeting with the assassin trio, so as to fix himself entirely on the task of bringing Vachir to heel.

But that, as stated, had been expected and even planned for, and while extremely frustrating, it was better than the alternative; dead hosts had little to offer when it came to the skills they possessed while still alive. Not to mention how entertaining it could be, watching one of his thralls batter helplessly against his will until eventually their despair crumbled their resistance, their minds snapping as they became nothing but his puppet... Still, the rhino had always and only been merely a pawn, and whether he remained loyal and pliant or not did not matter—in the end, either he would kill Tai Lung or be killed by him, preferably with some intervening time where he had recaptured and tormented the snow leopard back into instability and evil.

Nor had the Furious Five and their master been of particular worry for him, since the Anvil of Heaven had been resurrected precisely with their preoccupation and deaths in mind. No, where things had begun to go terribly wrong was all due to several converging factors: the unexpected wisdom and insight of the insect, Mantis, Tai Lung himself turning out to be far too insufferably noble for his own good…and the interference of that smug, fiendishly clever bitch Master Tigress.

Clenching his fist, Heian Chao noticed from the corner of his eye that the darkness which usually surrounded or composed his being was roiling and surging wildly, in danger of exploding in waves of withering, debilitating shadow across the cavern—he was losing control. But he couldn't help it, every time he thought of the leader of the Four he saw red and could only think of bringing the full force of his enervating chi down upon her until there was nothing left of the feline but rotted flesh, a mummified body, and fur turning to dust.

Mantis's discovery of the truth about Monkey had been irksome, requiring a swift disposal before he could give the game away—it would not do to have one so well-versed in chi about as Chao continued to exert his influence upon the denizens of the palace and the Valley, and since it had been the insect who had saved Po (as well as Tigress following the encounter in the birch forest), it behooved the mage to eliminate the healer when the chance presented itself. The next time another of their number is on the verge of death, this time there will be no one to save them. One by one, like dominoes, they will fall.

In any event, while he had not liked having his hand forced, nor the fact Crane and Viper had witnessed it, thus sending him fleeing the guard room, such an act had not left his plan completely unrecoverable. But it had turned out to signal the beginning of the end.

For always Tigress had been there. Not merely fighting Vachir with as much determination, skill, and prowess as Tai Lung or their master, so that the battle was not nearly as one-sided or predetermined as it had seemed, but also cleverly taking advantage of the rhino's misogyny and overconfidence to get in close and deal the fatal blow. Chao had not expected that; like Vachir, he, too, had discounted or underestimated Tigress. And that thrust of a dao saber had been the first deathblow to his plan—for of course, if Vachir were to die, he had intended all along it should be Tai Lung to make the killing strike.

The striped feline intervening had ruined everything, left the snow leopard guiltless, blameless—and beyond his reach. Meanwhile, someone else had freed those elephant prisoners at the most inopportune moment, depriving him of a great source of power as well as distracting and breaking his concentration when it was most critical. That in turn had caused him to lose his hold on both Vachir and Monkey—when the chase by the avian and the serpent had brought the golden langur within easy reach of the combatants on the pinnacle, and the 'revelation' of Tai Lung and Tigress's love had made Monkey's jealousy flare to unrivaled proportions, it had taken only the barest nudge to send him forward to eliminate the hated Tigress. She who had grown far too close to his Chosen One, she whose love and affection had clearly given Tai Lung as much of a hold on sanity and redemption as Po's friendship had.

But then the damned killer had to go and be a martyr, taking the blow meant for his beloved, and Monkey had been left too close to Vachir when the dark chi had escaped him. This was why he usually refrained from bringing those he possessed and influenced together in the same place—the darkness could reflect and reinforce itself between them, but it also tended to gather and adhere together, so that where one cloud of it went, another was sure to follow. Particularly when one of those slipped or was cast out of its host.

Now he had neither of his receptacles, no one left to do his work but the Wu Sisters; the loss of both Monkey and Vachir had drained him greatly, the release of the Weis even more so. And since the spell of necromancy had been cast through the rhino's chi (as originator as well as focus), the Anvil could no longer be tied to the mortal plane once Chao's own chi had been cast out, nor restored (even had he the power and focus at the time) once the commander's life ended. All of that work, all those months of building his power, influence, and control…all for naught, dashed in a single instant.

Yet even worse than this was that, when the far too resilient and resourceful snow leopard had survived his fall into the abyss, when he had been left at the dying rhino's side, he had finally ended Vachir's life for good—but he had done so out of mercy.

If the commander had riven Tai Lung's life away, or if Monkey had, he would have been left a hungry ghost, a wandering soul with its desires in life unfulfilled, its onus not abated, and could thus have been easily restored to a half-life as the greatest of his undead servants. If the ex-convict had instead killed Vachir, and had done so to achieve vengeance for all those endless years of torture…the years Chao had brought into fruition through his haunting of the rhino's bitter subconscious, the years he had then lived off of the feast Tai Lung's suffering and hatred had bequeathed to him…then he would still have been Chao's.

Regardless the motivation, such a premeditated act of revenge—or better still, an unpredictable and explosive lashing-out of insanity—would have been utter selfishness and darkness personified, the perfect opportunity for him to invade and overwhelm Tai Lung, to transform him permanently into a creature of aggression, wrath, hatred, and destruction. It would have granted Chao the window into the snow leopard's soul, so that he could tip him into imbalance and chaos, grant his Yang supremacy, and make him his servant forever.

But instead, the rhino had died by another's hand so that any consequences would fall on her, out of expediency and justice rather than hate and malice, and Tai Lung's only portion of the deed had come from forgiveness, compassion, and honor. Useless to him, weak and ridiculous—a thing of balance and the light of heroism, ironically enough of Yin, and therefore beyond his reach. All of that glorious chi, so tempting and rife with possibilities, once so ready and willing to give itself over to him, to obey his commands…to sate him as he fed endlessly upon its sinful essence…now denied him, cut off from his influence as surely as if the Great Wall had been built around it.

It made him impotent, as well as this close to unleashing a holocaust of death and suffering like none the world had ever seen, to make them pay for denying him his will. It was all because of her, because of Tigress and the shield she had placed around Tai Lung's heart, the calm and clarity of vision, the gentleness of spirit and the wisdom of selfless humility she had granted him—the barrier, support, and last resort that was the snow leopard's love for her. As long as he had that to turn to, Heian Chao could only bitterly rail against his fate, cursing those who had kept him from ascending to godhood while he vainly watched Tai Lung slip from his grasp.

And who was to blame for this? Who had failed to inform him of the presence of Mei Ling, she who had exonerated Tai Lung of Po's attempted murder and thus set the stage for Tigress to forgive and eventually love him? Who had also neglected to mention the snow leopard's pursuit of Tigress at all, how close they were becoming, that the ex-convict was seeking love at all as a way to fulfill and redeem his life? Who had apparently never had any intention of telling him any of this, so that he'd had to discover it on his own through his torture of Chang, his probing of Monkey's memories, and his silent visitation of other villagers in the Valley?

The Wu Sisters.

But that would all change, now, this instant. For he had fully recovered his strength and potency…he still had more than enough dark chi to feed off of from those who still feared and hated Tai Lung, such as Xiulan…from Crane and Viper's resentment and distrust of Monkey, understandable but in this case highly dangerous and unwise…and from the last piece of his plan falling into place, now that the snow leopard and the others were back in the Valley, and therefore more fully exposed to his baleful influence. The Wu Sisters' incompetence would not fail him again, not if they wished to receive their rewards and continue living, and this time, not even Oogway could stand in his way…

Closing his eyes and gathering his cloak and wings about him—as well as the trailing shadows and tatters of wispy chi which always swirled and stirred like a steaming cauldron when he moved about—Heian Chao sent out his thoughts and will into the ether. He poured his essence into the darkness that was both mother and child to him, master and servant, vehicle and source of power and life for him. And just like that, as effortless as always, as he had been able to do for over eight centuries—as had allowed him to crisscross the empire in Vachir's body, swoop and dart about to spy and collect information and spirits in equal measure, and even appear in more than one place simultaneously—he dissolved into the shadows.

As swift as thought, he crossed the ethereal, otherworldly dimension that lay both atop and aside from the material plane, the haunting realm of clinging shadows, endlessly howling winds, and shrieking screams that would drive any without protection or the strongest of minds stark raving mad. Shifted just out of phase with the world, but still able to see into it to gauge his progress, he finally emerged from the shadows in the corner of the inn room where the three snow leopardesses were staying. As soon as he had solidified, he knew something was wrong, and he also knew they were aware of him instantly.

There was a brief scuffle across the room, the muffled and strangled cry of a woman, and then Wu Jia suddenly burst free of the vise-like grips both of her sisters had been employing to restrain her. With tears pouring down her cheeks, fangs bared in a rictus of hate, and chest heaving with her sobs, the youngest assassin came leaping straight toward him, one paw lifted to brandish one of her daggers straight and true toward Chao's heart.

He didn't even blink, nor did he feel fear or anything at all save for a certain bored disappointment; he had thought better of them. With a simple gesture, he sent a surging blast of darkness from his hand, a roiling torrent of gleaming, shimmering shadow that scooped Jia off her feet, hurled her ten feet across the room, and slammed her into the wall. There, pinned and writhing just below the ceiling, the chi wrapped around her throat so tightly that only the barest bit of air could make it to her lungs, she dangled and twisted. But despite the fact her life hung by a thread, she only continued to glare at him hatefully. "You…how dare you...come to us now, after what...you've done…!"

"Well, that manner of greeting certainly has novelty going for it," he replied urbanely, even as he had to force the words out from his tightly clamped beak. "To what do I owe the honor of receiving such a special gift from the Wu Sisters?"

"You know what you did!" Jia hissed. Before he could observe, with absolute honesty, that he had done many reprehensible, vile things and could not be expected to recall them all, she continued. "We saw Monkey's room...the things you made him write there. He was going to kill Tai Lung! After you told us not to!"

"Not that I agree with our sister's rather…rash act," Chun opined from one side, stepping forward calmly with one hand on her waist—although he noticed her fingers were only a twitch away from her own dagger should she need it, "but she is right about one thing. Why did you tell us to bring no harm to Tai Lung, if you simply intended to off him yourself once you got the chance? Seems like pretty poor planning on your part."

Completely ignoring Jia, as if suspending her in this manner were something he did every day, Heian Chao shot Chun a withering glare. "And since when did I ever promise to reveal to you every detail of my plans, how I think, what I intend to do to achieve victory?" His voice turned flat. "To coin a phrase, it was on a need-to-know basis, and you didn't. Besides, you're intelligent…or rather, some of you are."

Now he regarded Jia with an elegant sneer, watched her wriggle like a fish on a hook while she clawed desperately and uselessly at the wall, at the shadows holding her on which she could not even gain a purchase. "I'm certain you ladies can figure it out, given enough time."

Xiu, who had remained silent and introspective until this moment, rubbed her chin musingly…and then slowly the light of understanding dawned in her cold blue eyes. "You never had any intention of Monkey killing him. You wanted him to try to…so that when Tai Lung defended himself, the rest of the Five and Shifu would see it happen and reach the…appropriate conclusion."

"Precisely," he lied blithely. Or rather, it was a half-truth; while killing Tai Lung was his absolutely final option, for if the snow leopard would not serve him then one of his phenomenal chi had to be eliminated as an enemy, he could still raise the feline with his necromancy if it came down to it. He would prefer not to, since a living body made for a better warrior...not to mention other uses to which he intended to put it...and he could not employ Tai Lung's knowledge of the thousand scrolls (or anything else) if he were dead. The chi of the living simply had more usefulness, since it could continue to grow in strength and quantity; that of the dead was more easily corrupted, and could be replenished if one knew where to seek it, but overall it remained finite. And while he was hardly averse to death as a means to an end, his first intention had always been manipulation, clouding the senses, arranging matters so that others damned themselves by their own paws without him having to lift a feather.

"Since you were unable to kill the Dragon Warrior—twice, I might add—I rather thought it prudent to make Tai Lung more amenable to your offer, as I said I would. You could not remove the source of friendship and forgiveness…nor could you pin a crime on him, and so make it seem he had backslid. But if the primate died by Tai Lung's claws, in full view of his comrades, because he had been driven to it and had no choice, they would turn on him. He would be alone and friendless, exiled if not actually put on trial for his crime. At the very least, joining you would seem a much more attractive prospect."

He paused, then hardened his gaze as he speared Xiu straight down to her cankered, shriveled heart. He was gratified to see her actually drop her eyes and turn slightly away, unable to face his contempt for long. "Besides," he breathed softly, yet also in a brittle tone, "I am not the only one here who had hidden things they should not. Am I?"

The words hung, ghostly and unanswered, in the stillness of the moonlit room. Then, just as softly, Xiu finally replied. "I'll explain, Heian Chao. If you would…let Jia down. She doesn't look like she'll last much longer…and she may be annoying and troublesome, but she's still kin and I need her."

Glancing back, he saw the snow leopardess was right; Jia's face had begun to turn blue, and her struggles were now as weak and pitiful as those performed by the helpless innocents he'd murdered from Yunxian to Qinghe. With a disgusted sound, he lowered his wing and turned dismissively away; behind him, the dark chi released its hold on her throat and began to dissipate, and Jia dropped to the floor, collapsing in a heap.

While she lay there, still weeping softly as she massaged at her aching throat, he looked at Xiu pointedly. Nodding, and seeming as unperturbed and nonchalant as ever, she sat down primly on the bed, crossed her legs, and spoke matter-of-factly. "We didn't tell you about Tigress because we thought it wasn't important. I never believed Tai Lung could truly love anyone, or that she would ever get over her hatred and murderous impulses, so the idea of them getting together was quite impossible and, frankly, more than a little laughable. And in any case, I believed we would take care of her soon enough, so it wouldn't matter."

"But you didn't," he intoned ominously. "And not only does she live, perfectly well, and remains an impediment to our plans, but you have forgotten what I told you in Sha'anxi. There can be no means by which Tai Lung can retain his hold on goodness and morality. That is why I hired you to eliminate the panda…but Master Tigress has given him an even greater lifeline to cling to. As long as he loves her, and believes she loves him in return, his determination to atone for his past cannot be shattered.

"Thanks to her, I have lost my hold on Monkey, as well as my greatest servant in Vachir. Without that, it shall be mere child's play for her and the Dragon Warrior to keep him on the path of righteousness, and lead him back to the light." He could not keep the repugnance and nausea from his voice, and didn't bother trying.

"Can't you re-establish it?" Chun said quietly. "After what we saw in his room, I can't believe Monkey isn't still a mess, mentally and emotionally. Surely you could—"

"Yes," he replied testily. "But the rest of the Four and their master will be expecting it now. Even if he is not under guard and close scrutiny, they will never trust him again, and that won't allow me to get away with any further betrayals or murders. None of them are susceptible anymore."

Silence reigned for a few minutes, and then Xiu remarked, with equal parts cold cynicism and fiery resentment, "You sound as if you're giving up."

Heian Chao shot her a deprecating look. "Of course not," he scoffed. "I have waited almost a thousand years for this moment, did you really think I would stop now, this close to achieving my goals? Especially after all the work you and I have put into this? No, I was merely informing you just how dire straits have become, how much more difficult and complex our struggle shall be. It was never a simple or assured scheme, but now it has become much more uncertain. You must be prepared." He paused, then gave Jia a significant look. "I must know I have your loyalty…and you must never conceal anything from me again."

"You have it," Xiu supplied immediately. "Forgive me…I should not have doubted you, and I was mistaken about Tigress. Believe me, if she has made it next to impossible for us to succeed by sinking her claws into Tai Lung, then I will happily make sure it's the last thing she ever does. And I don't think I'm the only one."

Chun readily agreed as well with her undeniable calm and aplomb—something Chao had always secretly admired. There were times he had even envied it, though he would never admit it, as keeping control of his own temper had been a lifelong struggle it had taken centuries to finally perfect. Only Jia remained silent and uncommitted…but as he turned and looked at her expectantly, she half-sat up, her arms wrapped around her sides as if she were chilled to the bone and could never find warmth and life ever again.

Her gaze still defiant, as well as pained and burdened with truth, she stared at him as she rocked back and forth. "If it's Tigress we're talking about…I'm with you to the end, Heian Chao. She…she took him away from me. He was mine, and she stole him from me. I can't ever forgive that…"

He narrowed his eyes, peering not only at Jia, but deep within her, to the state of her soul and chi. Examining her minutely, penetrating to her utter essence of self, he observed silently…and finally he understood. Of course. The human heart, so fragile, so easily unbalanced, so capable of descending into the maudlin and sentimental as well as the wickedness and cruelty I have need of. She has fallen for him. I pushed her lust too far, and it has developed into love.

Briefly cursing to himself, he soon brushed the matter aside, however. If he could still manage to draw Tai Lung into his sphere of influence, to procure his services and obtain the entirety of his ocean of chi to use as he saw fit, then it would be a simple matter to coerce the snow leopard into cutting all ties with Tigress and couple with Jia instead. Assuming the master of the Tiger style didn't die in the process of claiming Tai Lung, of course. And if the sisters lost their lives to the Four, or in carrying out his will for this final gambit, then Jia's feelings would be irrelevant. Only a little longer…

"You'd better not ask us to hurt Mei, though," Jia said suddenly, her voice as fierce and protective as it had been hateful and vicious when speaking of the striped feline. "That's why we didn't tell you about her. She's our sister. We love her."

Xiu laughed scornfully, rising from the bed and sinuously striding across the room to cut off Chao's line of sight, her back to her kneeling sister. "Speak for yourself, Jia. I can assure you, sir, she doesn't speak for the rest of us. Again, I didn't mention Mei Ling because I didn't know what part she'd played in ripping out those seeds we all planted. And because, once we found out she was here, I thought we could handle her. I was wrong, and we failed."

Even as she bowed her head and accepted responsibility, the eldest of the assassins was soon looking up again, her entire countenance ablaze with confidence, fury, and reckless determination. "We won't make that mistake again. Now that we know what she's capable of, we can kill her. Or take her out of the fight, one way or another."

She gave all the right answers, of course; they might even have been the truth. But in the end, what mattered to him was, he knew Xiu at least would not fail him again. She was too insanely fixed upon becoming a mistress of chi, of gaining the most power a mortal had ever had over death since he himself first discovered such secrets…since he had sidestepped the pedantic and moribund teachings of his master Oogway to uncover the incredible conduits to power that the turtle had denied him, claiming he 'was not ready'. I think I have proven I am more ready than you could possibly imagine, 'Master'.

In any event, no, Xiu would not cease serving him as long as she believed he could give her what she desired—in her cruelty and madness, her callous disregard for all human life and her belief in her own superiority, she would do whatever he asked and not cease until she was dead. And Chun, ever the pragmatist, would do whatever her sister asked of her, would obey him implicitly. The only unknown in the equation was Jia…and what could she possibly do now to ruin his plans? Especially with her siblings to stop her…and her jealous desire for vengeance against Tigress which he could warp to his own ends…

"Very well," he pronounced at last. "Your apologies are…accepted. I will give you one last chance, not to fail me again. It is time—long overdue, in fact—for Tai Lung to commit another atrocity. He has been playing the hero so long, he's deluded himself and a few poor, misguided souls into believing it as truth. A delusion we shall now dispel, and an error in judgment we shall remedy. He will give in to his demons, and he will be my servant and your ally." He grinned fiendishly. "He simply doesn't know it yet."

Smiling just as broadly and delightedly, Xiu bowed to him, and when she was upright once more, her dagger was in her hand. "What do you need us to do? Just name it, and it is done."

He reached into the pocket of his cloak and withdrew the snow leopard fur he had been using for the past several months as the focus of his chi. This he held out to the eldest sister. "Kill someone. I don't care who, I don't care how—though I am certain you have your marks chosen already. You are so thorough in your work, my dear, it truly impresses and pleases me to see you in action. Simply be certain to leave this with the body, and employ whatever other means you deem necessary to ensure all evidence points in the right direction."

Chao paused, eyeing Xiu's covetous look as she gathered the fur tightly in her palm, practically licking her lips in anticipation, then Chun's slightly bemused look, and lastly Jia's, which hovered between disapproving, glum, and vaguely sickened. Then he added, off-handedly, "I shall be there with you to observe, of course."

Immediately all eyes locked on him, the youngest's in fear, the middle sister's merely startled, and Xiu's burning with open resentment and fury. She had divined the reasoning behind this, the unstated sentiment, and was of course extremely angered by it, as he'd intended. But, as he regarded her with veiled amusement and the first touch of contentment he'd felt since Chorh-Gom, he knew he could take no further chances.

I truly am sorry, Xiu…but I think it best I take a firm and direct hand in events from now on. You are an admirable servant, with a real loyalty beyond what my money could buy. But I am afraid you and your sisters have proven…unreliable. If a conflict arises between your personal needs and interests, and my own, none of you can be counted on to place me first. Not without constant supervision, at any rate.

"I have one further task to undertake before I do so," he stated. "Then I shall join you. Did you do as I directed, while we waited for them to return from Xinjiang? Did you make the journey to Wu Dan?"

"Yes," Xiu said, unsurprisingly bitter and annoyed. "We took all the stores of our most virulent poison and dumped it in the Pool of Sacred Tears. I just hope you know what you're doing, and that it works. That cost us a great deal to find on the black market, it won't exactly be easy to replace…"

Heian Chao chuckled softly as he gathered his thoughts and will around him, drawing upon the shadows in the inn room and the lingering traces of chi to form the veil of travel once more. "You will be reimbursed, I guarantee it." One way or another. "Very well then. You know what to do."

As he began to melt into the darkness, he noted with a few last whispered words, "And remember…I will be watching you…" He was quite pleased to see the looks of discomfort, worry, and fear on each of their faces as he vanished into the shadow plane.

In seconds he had again reformed, this time at the far outskirts of the Valley—a distance it would normally take half a day to travel, now covered in the blink of an eye. As the light of the moon poured downward upon the grassy slopes of the mountain, they picked out the rippling, shimmering waters of the Sacred Pool of which he had just spoken with the Wu Sisters.

A single glance did not immediately reveal that their poison had done its work, until he peered closer and saw that, despite the still beautiful hue of the waters, the entire shoreline of the pool was nothing but sand, soil, and rock—all of the plant life surrounding it had withered and died, leaving a barren stripe encircling it that only seemed to be growing larger with each passing minute. He smiled to himself. Excellent.

The reason he had come here, he mused as he strode around the waters, inspecting their condition and the right place for him to enter, was twofold. Though none of those in the Valley knew it, and he suspected none of the kung fu warriors, not even Shifu, had been taught the truth by Oogway, the Pool of Sacred Tears was called that for a very good reason. Wu Dan was a holy place, and meditating here had allowed the turtle to divine the secrets of harmony, focus, and life itself so as to invent kung fu, because the pool itself was the greatest, richest, and most concentrated upwelling of pure, untainted chi to be found anywhere in China.

This made it, quite obviously, a direct threat to his power and in fact his very existence—coming in contact with its waters, under normal circumstances, would at the very least rob him of his mystical abilities…if not actually cause his extremely painful and horrific death. Not a pleasant or advisable prospect. As a result, it needed to be eliminated if his conquest was to be assured. Just as importantly, however, because it contained so much of the power which drove and sustained all life and therefore influenced the lives of every person in the Valley, it also held the potential for delicious subversion.

If its power could be harnessed…twisted…corrupted…then it would allow him to directly influence, even control, the lives of all those in the village and on the Jade Mountain. He could guide their thoughts and beliefs, harness and enflame their emotions, possess them from afar without even coming near them. As Tai Lung's metaphorical shadow had once been cast over the Valley, his would darken and consume it quite literally…reaching out to surround, ensnare, and manipulate all life here for his own ends. It simply required a…joining of his chi with the pool's, something made possible now that the Sisters' poison had made the waters safe for him to touch.

Finding there was no direct slope down into the pool, with the shore remaining several feet above the surface of the water, Heian Chao chose not to simply leap from the edge, instead spreading his wings and pushing off from the ground. After he had circled above the Sacred Pool for several moments—taking this brief respite to enjoy the power of flight in the natural world, something he had not been able to experience for nine centuries, held prisoner as he was deep beneath the ground by his own former master—he folded his wings and dived, landing with a splash in the center of the pool.

There, treading water, he simply sent out his will into the water around him, pouring every ounce of his hatred and contempt, his rage and pain, his cruelty and ambition, into the shadows trailing from his body.

Slowly at first, then more quickly, the darkness began to bleed into the water like running ink. The longer he bathed within it, the darker and more foul the pool began to become, churning and frothing as if coming to a full boil beneath the undeniable heat of his anger and wickedness. What had once been clearest crystal-blue and shining with utter sanctity and purity now changed, poisoned more fully and awfully than even the assassins' stock had engendered, so that it became an ugly and matte black.

Darker, deeper, and more corrupt it became, the essence of his chi descending farther and farther until it had been filled from top to bottom with the enervating power of his shadow magic, transformed completely. No longer was it a repository of holiness and enlightenment, but of pure evil and destruction, an extension of his will, a steaming and fetid bog staring out over the landscape like an evil eye. And as he continued feeding his chi into it, it began to swirl and splash from its banks, rising up to flood the plains with his darkest desires and every bit of his power magnified tenfold, a hundredfold.

He raised both arms high, smiling with euphoric and wild excitement, and the chi-tainted waters followed his directions, bursting upward in two thickly-woven columns of shadow that mirrored his every motion. Higher, higher, along the slopes of the peak they rose, while the mist and darkness wreathed and entwined about them, gradually bleeding and escaping outwards across the sky like gathering storm clouds. Then, at their apex, he suddenly thrust his arms forward and down, feathered hands aimed straight and true toward the crimson, jade, and gold of the roofs and walls he could see towering above the land miles away from his location.

Instantly the waters splashed back down onto the mountain top, driven forward by his malefic gesture, and with them was carried every ounce of his chi, every portion of his hatred and malice and ill will toward the Valley and those who lived within it. It burst across the grassy plain, shriveling all plant and animal life it came in contact with, leaving behind only dry, swirling dust and bleached bones. It blasted across the ledges and peaks of Wu Dan until it reached the precipice which overlooked the trail down to the valley floor, spilling over it in a gigantic cascade that, even more eerily and disturbingly, remained absolutely silent and unnoticed.

It descended the sides of the mountain, lending the terrifying and scarily accurate sensation that his own arms had grown to monstrous size and were even now reaching down to grasp and engulf the helpless inhabitants below in their loathsome embrace. And there it shot forward through the forests, across the sloping farm fields and winding rivers, until it encompassed the entirety of the town in its smoky, wraith-like halo…gradually decreasing its diameter, creeping in past the boundaries, flowing over rooftops and dougongs, coursing down stone walls like rain which left pits and streaks behind it, permeating every cobblestone, shingle, bridge piling, and lantern until the entire village lay in perpetual shadow.

Despite the moon hanging in the sky (which was in turn gradually fading behind the looming, building clouds), the Valley of Peace had become a seething, festering cauldron of darkness and corrosive energy, with only the roofs of the buildings, the promontory where the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom stood, and the Jade Mountain itself poking up out of the endless maelstrom.

Over the next few hours, it would enter every house and shop, drape and caress every person it found, turning all their thoughts and emotions to suspicion, mistrust, prejudice, hate, and despair…glutting him as he never had been before, until his power would rival and at last surpass Oogway's. It would make every one of them his creature and servant, or at least willing to act on their darkest and most immoral of impulses, to unknowingly carry out his will. It would catch and corrupt the Four, too, most likely, certainly Tai Lung. And it would set in motion the final denouement of the murder the Wu Sisters would carry out for him.

"Now," Heian Chao rumbled softly, in lustful and gloating satisfaction, "now, it begins…"

I have never been more embarrassed in my life.

Hovering like a wisp of cloud at the entrance of the store marked with the plum blossom sign, Tai Lung shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, clinking uneasily in one paw the money Shifu had given him on his way out of the palace, while he rubbed at the back of his neck with the other.

It had been bad enough, a month and a half ago, when he'd come down to the village to purchase the flowers, candy, and necklace for Tigress—then, he'd had to contend with merchants who reacted even worse than the ones Tigress herself had bought from on his first visit to the village since Po defeated him.

The florist had screamed when she first saw him and ducked underneath her stall until he had gathered his bouquet together and gently asked her how much he owed her, at which point she'd emerged looking flabbergasted and stunned, gazing at him as if he'd turned into a yak when she wasn't looking. What, did she think I was going to rampage through her stock like a bull in a china shop? Er…sorry, Zhuang…

The candy store owner (not the same one he'd visited when he was five, though he wasn't sure if that was fortuitous or a missed opportunity) had also hidden behind his counter, only coming out when he patiently explained he was seeking something to impress his lady love—after a brief moment of soundless mouth-working, he'd set to finding the perfect collection of sweets, apparently deciding that the fact even the wicked Tai Lung could want trinkets to woo a fair maiden meant all was right with the world.

And the jeweler had only crossed his arms severely and eyed him suspiciously the whole time, as if he'd expected the snow leopard to steal from him. The fact they'd all been half-convinced he was the one killing people and not Vachir hadn't helped either. He had no idea how this vendor would react…

This was a ridiculous idea. And look at how late it is, they're probably not even open.

But there's still a light on inside.

So? Probably just going over the bills of lading or something. What, d'you really think this is the sort of place to stay open for 'late-night emergencies'?

You never know. And you're stalling.

What if he won't sell to me?

Then you come back tomorrow with Viper to vouch for you. But you won't know 'til you try.

This is beneath my dignity.

You promised you'd do anything for Tigress, remember? And d'you really want her carrying your cub when Chao comes knocking?

I changed my mind.

Liar.

Letting out a deep, slow, ragged breath, he finally nerved himself and stepped forward, pushing open the door.

The apothecary's was dark, even for this time of night, with only tiny lanterns and candles here and there to stave off the gloom—either the owner didn't do enough business to afford larger and more expensive light sources, or it was a matter of practicality to prevent flammable stock from igniting. Dried herbs and plants hung from the rafters, bins of mushrooms, flower petals, and roots lined the plank flooring, and miscellaneous jars of sharks' fins, lizards' tails, dried fur, bamboo sticks, shed deer horns, and various medicines and unknown substances stood on countless shelves. "Hello? Is anyone at home?"

"Yes? It's a little late, I was about to close up…what did you need, sonny?" Despite the choice of words, the voice was not particularly wheezy or ancient, so he was rather surprised when the proprietor appeared from behind a head-high stack of fan palm leaves and was revealed to be an aged goat. His age was given away only by the color of his fur and a slight hint of cataracts in his eyes; otherwise he seemed as agile and spry as could be, only barely bent at the back, and his voice was quite steady, strong, and even deep and mellifluous.

Blinking, and unable to keep from wringing his paws together, Tai Lung approached the scarred wooden counter at the back and forced a weak smile. "Er…yes, sorry about that. Wouldn't have come if…someone…hadn't insisted. I could come back tomorrow—" Indeed, he was already sidling back and half out the door.

"Nonsense!" The goat waved the matter aside, then gestured him back. "You're already here, might as well get it squared away now. Something in particular you were wanting?"

How to say this… He rubbed at the back of his neck again, his other paw cupping his elbow habitually. "Um…I'm rather in need of…er, some of your, um…more exotic…substances."

The goat raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be a little old to be indulging in recreational drug use, my boy. But I do have some lotus blossoms here, and a fresh batch of opium…"

"No!" Hurriedly he threw both paws up to forestall him. Damn it. "That's not what I meant, I…" He lowered his voice, even though no one else was around to hear them. "I need something for…the bedroom."

Smirking slyly, the apothecary crossed his arms over his chest and leaned casually against the counter. "Really? Well, nothing to be ashamed of, sonny, happens to all of us at the worst of times, doesn't mean anything about your masculinity. I could give you my own special brew…a certain weed I mix with something fresh from yours truly…" He winked bawdily.

Gah! Didn't know my mouth was big enough to swallow my whole leg, not just my foot. Quite aware that he was an even deeper shade of crimson than when Shifu had caught him with Tigress, he hissed frantically to cut the goat off and lowered his voice another notch. "I have absolutely no problem in that department, I will have you know! It's the opposite situation I have to deal with here."

To his chagrin, the goat grinned even more broadly and began to laugh, stifling it behind one hoof. "Oh, it's like that, is it? My, my, my…well yes, I can see how that might be a problem. I'll just brew you up a suppressant herb, then, and that should make things a little less…stiff for you, so your lady can get a little rest."

He felt like screaming, and was positive Po could use his face for a cooking surface, beginning with a pot of completely cold water. Just as he was about to tear his fur out, he managed to force the words out, whispering so harshly and faintly that he desperately hoped the goat's hearing was still excellent—he did not want to repeat himself. "No, that's not it either! I need…" His voice dropped still further, quite hoarse now. "…baby-preventers."

Furrowing his brow, the apothecary stared at him for a few moments, and then he snickered and shook his head. "Well, why didn't you just say so, my boy? Nothing shameful about that…"

Tai Lung dropped his ears, narrowed his eyes to slits, and glared flatly at the caprine. That's it. I don't care what excuses they come up with—next time, Shifu or Tigress will be the ones fetching this, or I'll know the reason why. And heads will roll, oh yes…

Luckily it didn't take the goat long at all to gather together, grind up, and otherwise blend the mix of herbs, roots, and other chemicals to compose what he termed a 'medicine soup' which Tigress could ingest an hour or two before, er, activity. Gazing rather knowingly at the snow leopard's still stricken and rather dazed face, he prudently included a set of instructions on the right dosage and manner of preparation so that Viper or Tigress herself could make the brew, which was a good thing since Tai Lung was fairly certain he'd blocked it out and not even heard a thing the fellow had said.

By the time he was back out in the empty, moonlit street and the proprietor was closing the door and pulling the bamboo shades with one last grin and a rueful shake of the head, the feline only felt like sinking into the ground, and he was bound and determined to avoid any and all human contact as he slunk back to the palace. But then, as he stood in the middle of the road and turned toward the looming bulk of the mountain, he paused…something did not feel right. Something was…off about this night.

He glanced about him. No one was nearby. Even all the houses in this street were darkened, all the families within already having taken to their beds. The wind whined and whistled between the looming buildings, the store signs creaked on their hinges, leaves rustled along the ground, and high above, clouds raced and scudded across the face of the moon, casting strange and ambiguous shadows on the village. But it wasn't the ominous surroundings that made him hesitate.

There was something extremely familiar about this darkness…a watchfulness, a hidden presence, a constant smirk of contempt and twisted perversity, something he remembered well from his years at Chorh-Gom—something which had nothing to do with Vachir and his punishments. Something he had felt around the bodies they'd found, which had been slowly creeping up on him and invading his thoughts all the way to Qinghe and beyond.

No. He was here. Heian Chao was here, right in the Valley of Peace. Had he finally decided, after his failure at the prison, to come out in the open, to bring the battle right to the Jade Palace? Or an even more insidious possibility, had he been here all along, and none of them had realized it? That would explain so much…but it also chilled him in ways he thought he couldn't be anymore.

And as he looked out across the land, in the direction of Wu Dan, he saw something else that almost stopped his heart. It was everywhere—the same sort of black, swirling, sluggish mist that had controlled and clung to the bodies of the Anvil of Heaven, that Vachir had used to disappear near the end of their battle while still possessed, and that he recalled with rising dread he'd seen, once or twice, out of the corner of his eye, creeping up out of the abyss around his pinnacle during the twenty years of his imprisonment…something he had chalked up to losing his mind.

It now surrounded the entire village, leaving it as a shrinking island in the middle of a tempestuous sea of shadow—and even as he watched, it was advancing, entering the town, crawling like many-legged spiders into every domicile and those who slept helpless and blissfully unaware within. It was ultimately heading, he was certain, for the Jade Palace.

He had to warn the others. They had to waken, marshal their forces, come up with a plan of action and a surefire way to defeat him, now, before it was too late.

Suiting actions to words, Tai Lung swiftly stuffed the bag of herbs between his teeth and got down on all fours, racing as a silvery-gray streak through the village toward the moon bridge to the staircase. Neither looking left nor right, his eyes fixed only on his solitary goal, he leaped and bounded forward with every ounce of strength and speed…and that was why he did not see, as he passed one nondescript alley among many others, the glittering blue eyes in the narrow, spotted face that watched him from within the black folds of her face-wrap…