Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

rom her vantage point where she stood in the noodle shop courtyard, leaning idly against one wall with her arms loosely crossed, Wu Jia couldn't help but smile fondly and shake her head as she watched Po conversing with his adopted father—more like gesticulating wildly, his eyes wide and alight with giddy excitement, his words spilling out so fast his tongue was tripping over itself trying to keep up, and his cheeks still the same flaming red they'd been when she kiss-tackled him into the river.

He was so endearing, so wonderfully sweet and refreshingly innocent. It was what she loved about him.

Unable to help herself, the snow leopardess flicked her mind back to that night nine months ago, after Tai Lung and Tigress's wedding, when they had shared that intimate moment in the Jade Palace kitchen. She'd done all in her power, short of either coming right out and telling him how much she'd come to care for him or simply pinning him to the table and taking him right then and there, to let the panda know she wanted him. But he was still so young, so clueless, and so naïve…it had taken far longer than she'd expected, and her double-entendres had practically bounced right off him, so that she'd had to make the first move.

And then, just when they'd been about to kiss for the first time, De had interrupted them.

Jia sighed. She couldn't deny, secretly, that she'd been pleased on some level; after all, the farmer was practically his youngest brother's twin, so his arrival in the altogether had finally shown her just how perfect a male specimen Tai Lung was. And despite her apparently nonchalant response, part of her had had the urge to take that unbelievably hot snow leopard and make wild, passionate love right on the table with him, too, if not back in his dormitory room. But…she hadn't, because astonishingly, her mind had gone almost immediately right back to Po.

She knew why, too. It wasn't because she had lost her love of muscular hunks, although she had gotten over Tai Lung during her travels. And she hadn't gained a love for pudgy butterballs either…or rather, if she had, it was just for one in particular. It was because the Dragon Warrior was like no other man she'd ever known. She allowed that how she knew his parents, and the promise Chun had made on her behalf to look out for Bao's son, might have something to do with the closeness and protectiveness she felt. But it had gone beyond that now.

The men she had known in the past had all been after one thing, and one thing only. And she could not conceal the fact that she had given it to them, on numerous occasions. Sometimes it was the only coin she had, the only way to obtain information, travel papers, special drugs and poisons, or the leniency to look the other way while she and her sisters passed through and did their foul deeds. Other times it was to satisfy her not inconsiderable sexual desires, with no consequences (she'd always been careful about birth control herbs and certain other medicines which would keep her in good health) and no strings attached.

And still other times it had only been to stave off depression and despair, when she was at her lowest of lows, convinced that no one cared about her except as a tool to obtain what they coveted; that if her own sister could manipulate, deceive, and blackmail her, then no one else would treat her any better…but by the same token, that maybe if she searched long enough and hard enough, she could find someone who would love her as Xiu did not. Someone who, if all else failed, could allow her to forget even for a moment that she was a Wu Sister.

She had never found such a one, instead only encountering one smutty, perverted, lust-crazed man after another. Even the ones who were less disgusting and more chivalrous about it had to admit, when pressed, that while she was a delightful armful and wonderful in bed, and that they liked her well enough, they could never see themselves spending the rest of their lives with her. Or that she would ever settle down to do so, writ of treason notwithstanding. And of course some had turned out to already be married, the lying bastards…

But Po was different. Not only was he totally inept when it came to sex, relationships, or social interaction in general (something she knew she'd have to work on religiously now that they were dating), but he treated her like no other had before. Not that he was immune to her beauty or didn't think of her as a woman. It was that he saw the other side of her, who she was within her heart. He was a good, kind man, one who regarded her as a lady and a friend.

He was brave without being arrogant, funny without being annoying, and generous to a fault. He liked her for who she was, not what she could do for him or how quickly she put out, and the very things that she had always used to make her way in the world were utterly meaningless to him, a source of embarrassment and confusion. She knew she need never fear he would use her, abuse her, or take advantage of her as other men had.

Besides, he did have some nice muscle now under all that pudge. And she couldn't deny his physique actually made him more appealing somehow…it definitely added to his cuteness and charm. What they had was something deeper, something more than physical, and he was attractive precisely because he was so innocent, because he wouldn't paw her indiscriminately, because she would have to teach him everything he needed to know.

She'd thought she wanted a man of the world, one who was buff, strong, and powerful so he could both protect her and be an amazing lover. What she'd needed, though, was one who was gentle and forgiving, self-effacing and open-minded, but who was also solid in every sense of the word. And who, by the way, was still handsome, strong, and a great fighter…just not in the way she'd thought he'd be.

Unobtrusively she wiped tears from her violet eyes.

Still, if they were to make a real relationship of this, they needed to get to know each other better. That night in the kitchen she had helped Po calm down and spent several more hours with him until the custard was done, all the dishes had been put away, and Qiao Jian had been welcomed back from her date, but following that she had only accompanied him back to his room before bidding him good night. She'd known then, after how slow on the uptake he was and how he'd reacted to De that it was too soon to pursue anything with him, let alone sex, and so she had let the matter rest and, however reluctantly and sadly, gone back on the road with Mei and Crane several days later. Now she was back, the truth was out and clear between them at last—but thanks to the festival they'd barely had a chance to talk, let alone have some much-needed privacy.

But with Chap Goh Meh behind them, and a great deal of fun celebration under their belts to hopefully loosen some of Po's uptight, insecure prudishness, they could finally share more stories of what each had been up to, get caught up on the doings in the Valley as well as the empire…and then proceed from there.

With this determined goal set in her sights, Jia pushed off from the wall, squared her shoulders, and strode casually toward the still-babbling panda and goose. As she approached, she had to smile at their exchanges…

"…and Dad, I didn't even have t' give her th' orange! It was like she already knew, y'know? But I did write her name an' everything so maybe it worked after all? Or th' gods were already watchin'?" Po blushed, in that adorable fashion that melted her heart, a huge grin on his amiable face.

"Now you see, what did I tell you?" Ping crossed his wings over his belly with a satisfied air. "Give it time, and when you're least expecting it, and not looking for it, there you are! Love, or destiny, or whatever, it finds you. 'A watched pot never boils.'" The goose paused, then furrowed his brow. "Except when it does. Never mind. I am just so happy for you, my boy!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Jia interjected. "And here I was thinking I'd have to beg your favor to get your blessing." Despite the teasing, jocular tone, she had to admit to a certain trepidation. She had been one of the Wu Sisters after all, and this town was not exactly known for letting bygones be bygones. Rightfully so, perhaps, but still…

She needn't have worried. After one incredulous look the old goose threw back his head and laughed. "Well, that's very kind of you, very traditional and all…but my goodness! After what you did to stop your sisters, to help save my life, how you could ever think I'd have a harsh word against you is quite beyond me." Ping beamed. "No, no, my dear Miss Wu, this is a happy day, and as far as I am concerned you make a perfect match for my Po." He chuckled. "But I do hope you won't be tying me to a tree again anytime soon…"

The snow leopardess flinched briefly, at this reminder of the goose's poor treatment on Wu Dan, but then forced a hearty laugh of her own. "Of course not! No knots are good knots. The only ones getting tied up around here will be the bad guys." And, she had to admit sourly, Tigress, if the striped feline wouldn't leave off her vendetta.

"Very well. Then why don't you two get over to your table?" Ping flapped his apron at them. "It's all set up, and you have the place all to yourselves, just as we agreed. I'll whip you up a batch of your favorites, and then leave you to it, eh? And make sure to have fun!" And chortling madly, he disappeared into the restaurant kitchen.

Shyly at first, then a bit more securely, she felt a thickly-furred paw slip its fingers between her own. Glancing aside at Po, whose green eyes were shining and brimming over with wonder and awe even as his face seemed perpetually crimson, she smiled back and allowed him to lead her to a secluded corner of the courtyard.

There, she found that a table had indeed been prepared: arranged with chopsticks, napkins, crockery and other eating utensils; an already steaming kettle of hot water kept sitting atop a small oil-burning lamp, with several varieties of fragrant teas in their own sealed packets for steeping; a few auspicious characters shaped from bronze and suspended beneficently from the courtyard wall alongside the booth; and even a rather romantic basket of flowers with a sweet-scented candle lit.

It was all so heartwarming, most of all because she knew that while Ping had gathered most of it, the important personal touches were Po's doing. At the same time, she couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt—for she had later learned it had been just such an intimate dinner which the Wu Sisters had interrupted the night Xiu had killed Shen Zhuang…

Stop it. You can't change the past, and you did all you could for him. This is about you and Po now. And just because she was still pinching herself, barely able to believe she had finally found, or deserved, such happiness didn't mean she should allow it to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, ruining any chance she had of building a future with the panda before it could begin.

Jia sat down across from Po, although she didn't let go of his paw, instead keeping them clasped on the tabletop. She could hear the goose clattering about and humming contentedly to himself, but it didn't stop her from grinning naughtily and leaning forward to whisper conspiratorially. "Ah, alone at last."

"Uh…yeah. Yeah, we sure are." Almost instantly, that bright, scarlet blush she had come to both anticipate and treasure so fondly was darkening his white-furred cheeks, and he was fidgeting in his chair like an overgrown cub. Which in so many ways he was.

"Hey, no need to get so worked up, big guy," she said gently, soothingly. "You'd think I was a yaoguai. You know I'm not going to try anything with Ping in the next room, Po, and I certainly don't bite." She winked. "Unless you want me to, that is."

The Dragon Warrior shot her a warning look as he turned an even more flaming hue…although she thought she detected more than a hint of naughty interest in the way he swallowed hard and tugged at his shirt collar. "D'you, like, ever turn it off, Jia?" he hissed in a strangled whisper, and she had to giggle merrily.

When she had offered a look of feigned contrition (which she didn't think he bought for one minute—he wasn't that naive) and folded her paws before her on the table, he continued in a more normal tone, though he still looked rather flustered and shell-shocked. "I…I still don't believe it. You an' me, together? Seems like somethin' out of one of Viper's romance novels. I mean, I've been hopin', dreamin' about this for quite a while now, but I never thought…" Gulping as his voice cracked a bit, Po stared at her in earnest honesty. "What could someone like you ever see in a guy like me?"

Now it was her turn to blush. He'd really been thinking about her, wishing for this day, perhaps even fantasizing about her? No one had ever done that before…not with the purity and guilelessness he was. "Oh, Po, what's not to see, and love?" For a moment he crossed his arms rather huffily over his chest, and as she realized her words could have been construed as a comment about his weight, she chuckled.

"You're an amazing person, really. You're the Dragon Warrior, a hero and a legend no one in the Valley or the empire ever thought they'd see come again. You've saved so many people already. You're an incredible fighter and only getting better every day. You took on the Wu Sisters, the most notorious assassins in any dynasty, and won, and you helped bring down that madman Chao." She squeezed his paw. "But more than that, you're kind, you're funny, you're an amazing chef, and you've got the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met."

By the time she'd finished, those green eyes were brimming over with tears, his lower lip and chin were quivering, and if he could have she was sure he would have melted through the paving stones. "Oh, Jia…that's just…but I'm such a newbie still, and, and I still need t' lose some weight, an'…"

"That's Tai Lung and Tigress talking," the snow leopardess observed a bit reproachfully. "I happen to think you're just right." And she leaned forward to kiss him—much more sedately and appropriately than she had at the river, but with just as much devotion and passion.

They were still lip-locked, and the panda's flailing paws had settled down on the table top and he was at last getting more into it, when a scatterbrained laugh and the flutter of feathers interrupted them. "My word! Couldn't even wait 'til after the main course to get started, eh? Tsk, tsk, tsk…I always knew my boy would get it right the first time, once he found the right girl…"

Po jerked backwards with a cry, babbling incoherently in a futile attempt to cover up what they'd been doing like it was something obscene, and she could tell at a glance that he was very much contemplating hiding under the table. Slowly she turned and fixed her coldest, Wu Sister gaze on Ping. After a few moments the bird, who had been looking quite pompously and savvily pleased with himself, actually faltered, interlaced his wing feathers, and sidled out of reach.

"Oh…that didn't quite come out right, did it? So terribly sorry, my father always did say I had chow mein for brains…" Tittering nervously, he backed another few feet away. "Just came to let you know, the won tons for the soup are almost done, and your salmon is on the way…but I believe I just did! Talk amongst yourselves!" And he vanished back into the kitchen so fast it was as if he'd evaporated, actually leaving a small cloud of feathers behind.

Maybe I shouldn't let go of all those old habits just yet. She was about to buff her knuckles on her vest when she saw Po staring at her wide-eyed and hastened to explain herself. "Oh, don't worry, big guy, you know I'd never really hurt him…"

"No, I know, it wasn't that," he said immediately, surprising her with how reasonable he sounded, though his voice was a bit faint. "I just…I can't believe…" He broke off and gave her a sappy grin. "I love you."

Jia blinked; that had come out of nowhere. "Well thanks, I love you, too, but what brought that on?"

Po leaned forward with both paws planted on the table in front of him. "D'you have any idea what ya just did? That was my dad's patented, honest-to-gods, no-holds-barred, 'I-want-grandkids-an'-when-are-you-gonna-start-bein'-a-real-man-an'-give-me-some' speech! He's been naggin' me with that thing for years, I could never get him t' shut up…" The panda grabbed her paws, looking as if he didn't know whether to kiss them, pat them, or shake them violently. "Thank you! Thank th' gods for you!"

Hearing that, Jia began to laugh hysterically, and it wasn't long before Po joined her, though the awe and gratitude never left his round, moon-like face.

Only when they had both settled down and she felt composed enough did she venture to speak again. "Okay, now that that awful hurdle's behind us…c'mon, give. What've you been learning while I was gone, hmm? How many of those 'totally bodacious' legends I've been hearing about are the real deal and not just gossip evolution?" She winked. "I'll show mine if you show yours."

Amazingly, Po only blushed a little this time—either he'd missed most of the implications of that double-entendre, he was finally becoming used to her and her ways, or he was that excited at the prospect of regaling her with his exploits. Whatever it was, he was soon instantly in fanboy mode, waxing eloquent on his favorite and most enraptured of topics…kung fu.

After several breathless minutes in which he had recited every move, blow, chi technique, and weapon he'd been taught by Tigress, Shifu, and Tai Lung, ranging from the snow leopard's low-slung stance to balancing atop bamboo to double-sabered fighting, Jia laughed again and leaned forward, resting both paws on the table and peering winsomely into his eyes.

"Po…big guy…breathe. Now, that's all pretty awesome and all, but what have you been doing with what you've learned? I know you've been traveling the empire some, too, doing Dragon Warrior deeds. And I heard you went with Tai Tai to the capital."

The panda blinked, looking both stunned and embarrassed, and was soon unsurprisingly rubbing at the back of his neck with one paw. But even as he ducked his chin toward his chest and shifted in his seat, he answered her. "Well, yeah, I kinda did. Tai wanted me t' keep learnin' his style, an' some more cool ways t' use th' Leopard Claw, an' he was already teachin' th' Emperor an' his men, so…" He shrugged and ran his paw idly along the tabletop. "Of course, I also got t' help save Chen's life while I was there…"

"What?" She blinked, sitting up straight.

Now Po was blushing even more openly, and he refused to look her in the eye, instead finding something very interesting about the potted plants which lined the courtyard. "Hey now, don't make such a big deal out of it. Anybody else would've done th' same, I was just in th' right place at th' right time, an' if ya wanna know th' truth I just happened t' be on th' palace balcony when th' assassin was climbin' th' wall, an' I fell on him."

Jia gave him a long, sardonic look.

"Okay, okay, maybe it was a bit more than that," the panda finally admitted reluctantly. "Still don't know who he was, th' Imperial Guard's investigatin', but when ya see a guy all in black climbin' up a wall instead of comin' in th' door like normal people do, an' he's got a knife clenched in his teeth—well, that says 'obviously evil' t' me." Po knitted his fingers together and finally dared to look at her.

"So I kinda threw myself off th' balcony on purpose, knocked him off th' wall…an' when we landed, I fought him off with th' Sword of Heroes. Th' knife half took care of his dagger, knocked it clean over th' courtyard wall, an' then…well, I stabbed him with th' shortsword."

Unsurprisingly, his face looked rather gray under the white fur, for this would be the first person he had directly killed by his own paw. Even if he was an evil man, a contract killer, it would have to be upsetting and overwhelming for Po. Your first kill is never easy. I know that from experience, all right. And for one so innocent like Po…

Reaching out, she took and squeezed his paw firmly, even as she fixed a proud and determined gaze on him and injected her voice with approval and admiration. "That's amazing, Po. You did a really good deed, all of China owes you for that one…but I know how hard that must have been for you. And you know what? I hope it will always be that hard…because the day killing starts being easy for you, is the day you, and everyone else, should start worrying."

He swallowed hard, then gave her a knowing look. "Ya mean, 'cause then I'd be too much like my dad."

For a moment the snow leopardess bristled—she had been certain, after Viper's pep talk of over a year ago, and her own long, detailed, fond memories of traveling with the panda highwaymen, that Po had gotten over Chao's taunts and his own resentment and despair over his parents' identity. But then she forced herself to relax, even as she regarded him solemnly.

"No, not at all. I meant, because when someone is able to kill without it affecting them, they've become as cold and heartless as Xiu. That's what it takes to be an assassin, in fact. And if someone who could do that, also had the powers of the Dragon Warrior…" She trailed off, not wanting to put into words what that would mean, though she saw from the stark fear and sickened look in Po's eyes that he'd already reached the proper conclusion unassisted. "But I know that would never happen with you, Po."

A very small smile managed to appear on his face. "That's almost th' same thing Tai said."

"Then as usual, he knew what he was talking about." Still she kept her gaze riveted on Po; he was going to get this, whatever it took. "Anyway, why don't you tell me about the other things you've done, the things that didn't involve killing, where you were a hero just by being out there, helping and protecting people?" And she smiled brightly.

For a few moments he only stared at her, still rather stunned and worried. But then he swallowed again, shrugged, and started habitually rubbing at his elbow as he gave a blushing reply. "What's there t' tell, really? Uh…I helped Tai with teachin' th' Emperor's soldiers, I've been huntin' down bandits an' lost children, I helped some villagers bring in their harvest, there was that Mongol tribe that just wanted t' settle down an' get some good food an' a nice place t' live—had t' convince a town that they were peaceful an' meant 'em no harm—an' there was th' time I had t' stop th' Huang He from floodin', an' then there was that mission t'—"

Jia, who had been smiling warmly and nodding along in time to the almost soothing flow of the panda's words, suddenly sat up with a shocked gasp, gripping the table edge with both paws as she let her jaw drop. "What? You held back the Yellow River? "

Po was now the color of a bell pepper, and he was spluttering and stammering in that adorably charming, incredibly cute way that she had missed so very much. "N-now, c'mon, you're makin' it out t' be so much cooler than it really was! I…I just…well, it was just usin' my water chi, y'know? It…it wasn't like I was blockin' a whole huge wall of water or something', heh heh!" Chuckling nervously, he rushed on.

"Nah, I just happened t' be there, I saw th' floodwaters risin', so I just…pushed 'em back, diverted it downstream away from th' town an' the crops. An' I made sure some of th' water did get through, so th' land got all that rich soil it needs. Just not so much it ruined everything. Wasn't anything to it." The Dragon Warrior grinned at her encouragingly. "I bet you did a lot more awesome stuff with Mei and Crane."

"You're joking, right?" The ex-Wu Sister shook her head in disbelief. "There's no way any of us could have done something as amazing as that, big guy. What's defending a monastery or helping travelers stranded by a broken bridge next to that? You're in a class by yourself, hon."

Of course, there'd been a bit more to those adventures than she was letting on, but if Po wanted to downplay his abilities and accomplishments, two could play at that game. Besides, what he had done still outweighed the trio's adventures by far…and his humility was as admirable and endearing as everything else about him.

Before she could say anything more, however, or Po could do more than blink away happy tears and suddenly become very interested in the cobblestones beneath his feet, Ping suddenly reappeared bearing an enormous tray of steaming dishes, bowls, and pots that it seemed impossible one of his size and strength should be able to support, and it was time at last to dig into their delicious dinner.

It seemed that either Ping had been aware of what she'd wanted to order, back when she and her sisters had eaten at the restaurant to obtain information, or Po had later informed him of it, because many of the items sampled on the tray were the very things she "hadn't eaten in ages" and which constituted some of her favorites: eggplant in garlic sauce, kung pao tofu, sautéed spinach, as well as various types of seafood and shellfish.

Along with this were a huge bowl of dumplings to share, the goose's special soup she'd never gotten to taste, and of course steaming piles of noodles. It all smelled so delicious her stomach was soon rumbling like a mountain waterfall, and she rather suspected she'd soon be stuffing her face as much as Po was wont to do.

When Ping had finally set out the last plate and bowl, then wiped his sweaty brow with one wing, Jia reached over and laid a paw on his sloping, aged shoulder. "This is incredible, sir. Thank you so much! I can already tell, paws down, this is going to be the finest meal I've ever had. We can just tell those Imperial chefs in Beijing to move over and make room for you, 'cause you've got 'em all beat."

As he had when Emperor Chen had praised the goose's cooking at the celebration of Chao's defeat and Tai Lung's ascension to Master of the Jade Palace, Ping looked a little unsteady on his feet, ready to topple over in a faint at any moment—or maybe he was simply that weary from his heavy load. But then he smiled, patted and caressed her paw fondly, then nodded his bill once.

"Oh my dear little Miss Jia, I will have you know that flattery will get you absolutely…everything." He glanced knowingly at the panda. "My boy, you have made an excellent choice in her, and all I can say is, it is about time!"

Chuckling, the noodle-maker turned about and began to trundle back into the kitchen, but he paused once to look back over his shoulder with a rather relieved and forced smile. "Now, enjoy your dinner…and do try to keep things under control this time…"

When he had left the courtyard, the two of them looked at each other for a long moment. Then, even as they reached for their chopsticks to begin eating, both of them burst out laughing.

"Oh jeez…ow, my side!…y'know, we really shouldn't be laughing." Po shook his head, wiping tears from his green eyes. "Poor Dad. He really got put through the wringer, last time we were here, didn't he?"

"You kidding?" Jia snickered, rather unladylike, even as she started to fish a wonton out of her soup. "Of course we should! That was the funniest thing I've seen in years!" Forcing herself to regain control so she wouldn't choke, she shoved the first noodle-wrap in her mouth and chewed reflectively, but she couldn't help still giggling a little as her mind drifted back to another dinner, nine months ago…

It was two days after the wedding. Tai Lung would never have interrupted his deliriously happy private time with his new wife if it hadn't been so important—for Mei Ling had told him, after her time spent in the cockloft, that Tigress still had many issues and doubts about her half-sister becoming involved with Po romantically. And just as importantly, he knew that in only a few days' time, Jia would be leaving the Valley with Mei and Crane again, which meant there was only a short window of opportunity in which to hook the two of them up, and allow Tigress to witness it so she could see how good they were for each other.

He had to admit, when he had first learned about the panda and snow leopard possibly becoming a couple, he had been rather skeptical too. Not that he didn't believe Po deserved such happiness, or could even find it with a woman…but Jia? Sure, she was a good woman, they did have that bond through his biological family, and he'd seen how close they were growing as friends and fellow kung fu warriors during those cooped-up winter months. But even without Chao's influence, she had always found Tai Lung himself to be the true 'stud', as well as many other males built like him. To go from that, to wanting a roly-poly butterball, was a bit of a let-down. He loved Po like a brother, but to lose out to him…

The snow leopard had immediately, of course, seen the inherent danger in such thinking. Even setting aside the fact he was now married and shouldn't be wanting Jia to pursue him, the sort of narcissistic, self-absorbed mentality that could justify such resentment was beneath him now. Po deserved this, so did Jia…and considering everything, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

He needed a more worldly woman to help him get over his shyness and uncertainty, she needed a man who wasn't after her just for the sex or who wanted to live dangerously. His innocence complemented her knowledge, both of them were great fighters, and thanks to Bao and Li-Na, she had a vested interest in helping him grow and be strong while he could reconnect to his past through her.

Of course that didn't mean he would stop teasing Po, whether about his size or about his apparent new status as a sex symbol; that was, after all, what brothers did to one another. But he would be careful not to overdo it and bring the panda's self-esteem crashing down. And he would do his utmost best to help Po achieve this dream he'd never even contemplated—because helping him be successful and find love was also something a good brother did.

However, the whole issue would be moot, and the point of Tigress accepting Po with Jia invalidated, if a) Po never made a move and b) Jia left the Valley before anything could happen. So the Master of the Jade Palace had decided to sacrifice a few hours in his bedroom (it wasn't as if he and Tigress hadn't spent enough time there already, or that they couldn't make up for lost time rather quickly…), urging the Dragon Warrior to take Jia on a dinner date to his dad's restaurant before it was too late, and then suggesting to Tigress that they go as well so as to, ah, "keep an eye on them".

The only problem with that set-up was that Po and Jia wouldn't be their natural selves if they knew anyone, let alone Tigress, was watching them. Hence the need for secrecy, for the feline couple to sneak down to the noodle-shop…and for them to make quite sure the other couple didn't see them.

Once Ping had been let in on the plan, it had been relatively simple to arrange things so the two pairs would be ensconced in separate but adjoining booths, divided by a very large potted plant they could hide behind. Tigress was 'disguised' courtesy of a gorgeous silk da-ao which was highly reminiscent of the one her old doll wore, as no one would ever expect or believe she would wear such feminine finery—though she certainly scowled enough to give away both her identity and her displeasure—while he had donned an old set of robes and a black cloak rather like the one he'd worn to conceal himself the night of his rampage. No one would ever be the wiser…he hoped.

Smiling as dashingly as he could manage under the circumstances, Tai Lung set down his menu, then glanced from the goose to his wife. "We'll have two specials. Is that all right, love?"

For a moment Tigress gave him a flat, hard stare, but then for the sake of anyone who might be listening in, she forced herself to reply as sweetly and genteelly as possible. "Oh, whatever you say, dear, you know what I like." And she fluttered a jade fan in front of her muzzle. Oh, I am so going to pay for this later…

Doing his level best not to meet that skewering gaze, and hoping his feigned bashfulness would conceal the trepidation he felt, the snow leopard chuckled sheepishly. "We're on our honeymoon." Which, of course, was technically true, though he had hoped to get a little farther from the palace than this…

For a long moment a very suggestive, even saucy, look entered Ping's eyes that made Tai Lung feel like rubbing his. He'd had no idea the bird had such a side to him! But he merely smiled blandly. "Bless you for coming out in public. So, that's two specials!"

"And a tofu log!" Tigress interrupted harshly. Tai Lung shot her a look—it was hard enough hiding her identity when there were so few tigers in the Valley, but everyone and his little brother knew the leader of the Furious Five subsisted on tofu during her harshest training (which was to say, all the time). Quickly she lowered her voice back to a dulcet murmur and smiled coquettishly at her husband, though it looked as if those fangs could grind rocks. "To split."

The goose glanced around furtively to make sure no one else had noticed her outburst, then nodded amiably. As he turned away and headed toward the kitchen, however, he called out: "Dalang, I need two heartburns and a deep-fried doorstop…"

The felines exchanged a long, startled look, then began to laugh. When their hilarity had subsided, Tigress set down her fan and leaned forward on crossed elbows to eye him sardonically. "All right, I admit, this was a pretty good idea."

Tai Lung leaned back in his seat, clasping one paw behind his head and buffing the other on his chest. "When will you learn that all my ideas are good ones?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake, but it was too late. To his beloved's credit, she didn't scream at him, throw a fit, or rip him apart for lapsing back into such smug arrogance; instead she only raised an eyebrow, snorted, and began counting on her fingers. "Well, that's funny, because I thought that you stealing the Dragon Scroll, going on a rampage in the Valley, and going off to Chorh-Gom to face Vachir all by yourself, were really bad ideas."

There was a pause; he knew she was right, and that he'd deserved every bit of that, but he had to save face somehow. Crossing his arms in what he knew was an extremely petulant fashion, at last he grumbled, "Well, anything sounds bad if you say it with that attitude…"

Tigress shook her head, smirking, then sighed and crossed her arms on the table. "Seriously, I'm glad to know Po means this much to you, that you want him to be happy as much as I do. I just hope this plan works, so I can learn what I need to…I do not want to have been dragged out of bed and all the way down the mountain, let alone shoved into a dress, for nothing when I have our cubs to think about protecting…and I'd much rather be celebrating in private with you." The look she gave him was rather smoldering.

He chuckled, even as he tried his hardest not to think about other things that were hard thanks to that expression. "And to think I believed nothing could ever make you forego training in the kwoon or quit overworking yourself, let alone consent to laze about in bed. Damn, I'm good."

Unsurprisingly, the striped feline gave him a very cold, silent glare, though he noticed a twitch of one corner of her lips to suggest that she couldn't deny the truth of his words. However, before she could say anything, Ping reappeared with a steaming, covered tray, and she had to quickly snatch her fan out of harm's way (and resume her fluttering disguise for the benefit of the other patrons) so that he could uncover the tray and set their plates before them. "Ah, there we are, then! Two specials for the happy couple." From a pocket of his apron, he threw a double-handful of confetti in the air. "Gōngxi gōngxi! " And with a chuckle, he trundled off into the kitchen again.

As soon as Tigress looked down at what had been prepared for her, she felt her gorge begin to rise…partly because she was only fond of certain kinds of seafood, not all, but mostly thanks to the delicate stomach her newly-discovered pregnancy had bequeathed to her. There, steaming in heaping, dark, shiny coils, was a massive freshwater eel. What made it worse, however, was that her new husband was gazing at his own offering with bright eyes, briskly rubbed paws, and a mouth-watering grin. "Oh…my…word. Ping has really outdone himself this time! I haven't had eel in years…"

Before her eyes, he sliced into the underbelly of the serpentine delicacy with brandished claws—and then dug deep into the eel's innards with his chopsticks, scooping up clinging hunks of the boiling-hot meat to be shoveled into his gaping maw. He even began ferrying it to his mouth with his bare paws, once he had blown on it enough to cool it, or else his tongue and throat were simply that inured to heat. The longer she watched him, the more her stomach rebelled, until she had to clamp a paw over her mouth.

After several intolerable minutes of this, Tai Lung looked up, noticed her silence and stillness, and completely misinterpreted it. "Oh, I suppose you've never had it before…here, let me help you…" And he reached over to claw the belly of her eel open too. The smell that wafted up from within, as well as the sight of the animal's internal organs, made her turn even greener.

Yet the snow leopard kept feasting on his repast—in fact he actually leaned over to grasp the looping entrails with his fangs, siphoning them into his mouth with loud, slurping suckling as if they were simply fried noodles. Again her stomach lurched. That does it. If I don't get out of here now, let alone find something my body can handle, Tai Lung will be wearing my last meal. Which he'd deserve, since he's the one who put me in this condition in the first place. Well…all right, so I stopped taking the herbs near the end of winter, but clearly the major fault lies with him… Hurriedly she got up from her seat.

"Where are you going?" the master of the Jade Palace mumbled through his mouthful. He actually sounded puzzled and completely clueless.

"I'm just going to slip into the kitchen and have a word with the chef," she replied, as casually and neutrally as she could manage, as she applied her iron will to keep the contents of her stomach where they belonged.

"You're going to get us thrown out," Tai Lung observed warningly.

Tigress scoffed. "Please. Ping? He wouldn't hurt a fly." And with another heave of her guts and a wave of nausea as she watched him nibbling on an organ like it was a candied date, she turned and sauntered toward the restaurant kitchen, still hiding her face behind her fan. The whole way she was muttering to herself, speaking volumes on how she already loathed being pregnant, if it could make something she normally wouldn't blink twice at into a cursed weakness…

Tai Lung watched her go, smiling to himself as he eyed the way her shapely backside shifted and moved beneath the clinging white silk. "No, but his new chef might…" He'd met the tiger himself—Dalang, was it?—and even if he didn't know a single kung fu move, the Amur feline was big enough, strong enough, and intimidating enough to give anyone pause. Not that he didn't think he could take the fellow, or Tigress for that matter despite her current condition. But that would draw attention they didn't want, as well as be far too tacky. And messy.

Unfortunately, as he slurped up the last of his eel and wiped his mouth with a napkin, the snow leopard saw he wasn't the only one to appreciate Tigress's anatomy. A rather drunk-looking pig at a nearby side booth was watching her, too, and when he turned back and caught Tai Lung's eye, the patron grinned lecherously, winked, and raised his mug of shaojiu in a silent toast!

In spite of himself, even though he knew it was wrong and would also blow his cover, he couldn't help swelling inside the confines of his robes, snarling deeper and more menacingly than he recalled in over a year. But before he could do something disastrous, like ripping free of his cloak and launching at the porcine in a repeat of how his rampage had begun, something else caught his eye that completely drained the anger from him—replacing it with worry and even a touch of fear. Ping had appeared at the swinging door leading into the restaurant kitchen, emerging from one side just as Tigress disappeared through the other…and he was pointing and gesturing frantically to one side, eyes bugging out in horror.

Tai Lung turned—and swore to himself. There, just entering the courtyard and looking around curiously, were Po and Jia.

At any other time he might have been proud of how good the panda looked, dressed up in his festival finery, or even admired the ex-Wu Sister's violet and powder-blue cheongsam that somehow managed to be slinky and revealing thanks to the curves that filled it out.

But right now he knew he couldn't be seen by them, not if he expected an honest example of their relationship for Tigress's benefit, and not if he wanted to avoid Po's hurt feelings at discovering he'd been manipulated into this date by his two best friends just because one of them didn't trust his choice in prospective mates. And Tigress, meanwhile, didn't know they'd arrived, so could come out of the kitchen fresh from her victory over the chef at any moment, unconcealed, and give the game away.

Thinking quickly, the snow leopard pulled his hood up as far as it would go, then snatched up a menu and hid behind it. Peering with one golden eye around the edge of it, he watched with faint relief as Ping intercepted the new couple and—amid stammering, stuttering, and jittering giggles that surely must have clued Jia in to something not being on the up-and-up, even if Po was too naïve to catch it—led them to the booth on the other side of the potted palm.

One crisis averted—for now. Now to catch Tigress… Dropping the menu and sweeping his cloak up about him, he made a beeline for the kitchen, somehow forcing himself to walk as slowly and nonchalantly as he dared so as not to draw attention—though he feared his manner of dress did that already. But as he pushed through the swinging door, he discovered commandeering his wife and getting her out of sight, or at least properly hidden from Po and Jia, would not be as easy as he'd hoped.

Hand on one hip, fluttering her fan with the other in a manner that was decidedly impatient, condescending, and infuriated rather than coquettish or demure, his wife had fixed her ruby gaze on the man behind the kitchen counter, who was alternately stirring something in the large cookpot over the oven and chopping vegetables on a nearby cutting board.

He didn't know if the other tiger was simply unaware of her identity, and immune to her fierce anger, or if he was just that good at hiding it, but Dalang didn't seem to be that perturbed by her presence or her attitude. In fact if anything he seemed rather bemused, even staring at her unwaveringly while mechanically scraping his spoon around in a mixing bowl.

"…look, all I know is, I'm pregnant," Tigress was saying tartly. "And the food made me nauseous."

Rushing to her side, he grasped her free paw and tried not-so-covertly tugging her toward the door. "Um…sweetheart, leave the nice cook alone, now…"

"Chef," Dalang corrected absently.

"You wouldn't want to miss our friends, would you? The ones we were waiting for?" He jerked his head meaningfully toward the courtyard, in time to his emphasized words.

But Tigress ignored him, only narrowing her eyes all the more behind her fan—in a rather sinister fashion, he noted despairingly. "I just want to make sure you'll be a little easier on me from now on."

Letting go of her paw as a lost cause, the snow leopard hurried back to the kitchen door to check on the incipient danger. Both Po and Jia were still seated, perusing their menus, but even as he looked, the former assassin pouted and lowered hers. "Awww, your dad took the salmon off the menu! Is there any chance he could make some, just for me?" She smiled winsomely.

The panda, of course, could not possibly resist that adorably cute expression. Blushing, he levered himself to his feet with a grunt of effort. "Hang on, I'll go check."

Panic started to seize Tai Lung. Darting away from the door and the steadily, deliberately approaching black-and-white form, he ran back to Tigress's side. To his annoyance and resentment, not only was his beloved still nattering on about the food, Dalang's look had shifted from one of rapt attention to blatant admiration, his own yellow-green eyes glazed over, a beatific smile on his muzzle as he drank in her flashing eyes, her harsh but fiercely feminine features, and other aspects of her body farther down. Bollocks. This is not what I need!

He grabbed her paw again, and finally succeeded in dragging her away from the counter. However, with Po lumbering in their direction from the courtyard, there wasn't time to reach the back door, leaving only one place to go. "This way, dear…"

"It's a simple question!" Tigress demanded, as he caught her around the waist and firmly pulled her toward the pantry door. "Is there or is there not anything good for my stomach—"

"Eyes off," he growled at Dalang. "She's mine! " He was quite satisfied to see the other tiger blanch, swallow hard, then nod hard, once, as his face went pale beneath the fur.

"—on this menu?"

Mercifully, the door slammed shut, cutting his wife off from the hapless chef, and as he shoved Tigress back onto a pile of flour bags, Tai Lung could just see through the crack between the wooden panel and the jamb as the Dragon Warrior strolled into the kitchen and leaned idly on the counter with one paw. "So, Dalang, what's your policy on making special orders?"

Before the tiger could even marshal his thoughts to reply, a yarn-topped hat poked above the serving hatch out into the courtyard, and then Ping's tiny head and large eyes appeared as he breathlessly began reciting orders for the cook. "Ordering! Four shrimp and clam combos with extra black beans, two crab-cheese puff platters, a basket of potstickers, a catch of the day, and a tofu steak cut in the shape of a trout." He paused and eyed his employee worriedly. "You get all that, Dalang?"

The feline blinked several times, then shrugged and replied, utterly deadpan: "Four sea snappers wearing brown pants, two plates of hot air, a basket of grandma's breakfast, an upstream-spawner, and change the fake meat to a gill, got it." He smirked and calmly went to work; Po looked rather impressed, and Tai Lung had to admit he was too. It looked like the restaurant was in good paws after all.

Turning back to the dim interior of the pantry, he felt any sense of pride or happiness shriveling as he spied those golden and ruby-red eyes blazing at him out of the shadows. "Just what exactly was that all about? Don't tell me you've forgotten our cubs already! They can't take that sort of manhandling…and you know I won't stand for it either…"

Hurriedly he tried to placate her with a gentle shushing. "Sorry, love, there wasn't time for anything more gentle. In case you didn't notice, Po is out there right now, giving his replacement the third degree, and there's no way he wouldn't recognize you after how you were, ah, advising Dalang."

For a moment she stared at him blankly; then Tigress grumbled, sighed, and looked away, disgruntled. "Fine. Then what do you suggest we do?"

The snow leopard peered around the room, disregarding the barrels, sacks, crates, and shelves of vegetables, flour, and other dried goods and herbs, until he spied a wooden-flapped window which surely opened onto the street behind the noodle restaurant. He made his way over to it, lifted the flap, and peered out in both directions. "Good, the coast is clear. We'll just have to slip out the back way and circle around to get back to the palace. There's no way we can get back out there without one of them…seeing us…"

He trailed off because, as he turned around to gesture to his wife to let him scoop her safely out onto the cobblestones, he saw she'd turned her back on him and was striding purposefully toward the door back into the kitchen! Over her shoulder, she said rather coolly, "And miss my chance to find out how Jia really treats Po? I don't think so. Besides, I'm still hungry."

Tai Lung buried his face in his palm. This was not the first time he'd had to deal with his beloved's strange food cravings in the last month since they'd learned she was pregnant (something which had made it all the more imperative there be smooth sailing for the wedding). Between that and her need for a great deal of nourishment for the cubs, he was rather surprised she hadn't, um, bloomed.

Except she hadn't stopped training in the kwoon until forced into the cockloft, despite the doctor's admonitions. Now that she'd been forced to stop by the clear danger to the cubs, even her high metabolism couldn't keep ahead of her food intake. Which meant she'd be growing soon enough. Which meant he'd be bearing the brunt of her fury.

Just remember you love her. Remember it's all worth it in the end.

Opening his eyes, he lunged toward her to catch her by the arm—except of course she naturally, and adeptly, slipped free and barged back out into the kitchen, leaving him to desperately chase after her. Luckily Po seemed to have gotten what he wanted, since he was nowhere to be seen and Dalang was already sizzling several salmon in a frying pan on the stovetop behind him.

"All right, I'll make this easy for you," Tigress was already saying, blunt and matter-of-fact. "I'll have shrimp dumplings. You got it?"

"Can do." The Amur rolled his broad shoulders and, even as he continued shifting the pan to casually flip the fish in its oil and juices, he reached over with his free paw to snag a cutting board where dough was already rolled out for fashioning into dumplings.

Nodding in approval at last, Tigress turned and strode purposefully toward the swinging door. Tai Lung was right behind her—when he saw Jia approaching from the other way. His wife, slender as she was, fit easily through one side of the door, the panel itself shielding view of her from the snow leopardess. There was no feasible way the same could hold true for him. With no time to hide anywhere else, he hurriedly ducked under the counter in front of Dalang and squeezed himself in among the pots and pans. The tiger shot him a very odd, puzzled look at this, to which he only gestured frantically at the door, then shushed the chef. After a moment of understanding, he nodded.

Just in time. Tai Lung heard paws scrape on the kitchen's stone floor, then the counter creak as Jia leaned on it in turn. "What's taking so long?" Peering up past the wooden rail, he could just see the former assassin propped on one elbow, turned away from Dalang to gaze curiously all about the kitchen, as if she'd never been in it before.

Then she turned back—and as soon as her violet eyes met the tiger's green ones, she froze with her mouth hanging open and a growing flush beginning beneath her spotted cheek fur. Oh, for the love of—not her too! What is he, catnip? Purring under her breath, quite sultry and suggestive, Jia smiled at the cook. "Well, well, well…while you're at it then, handsome, why don't you make me some salmon too? But hold the butter."

Never taking his eyes off her, Dalang reached down with one paw, fumbling about for the extra pan he would need to make her order. "Sure…sure thing, miss. Just gotta…"

"What's wrong?" She leaned forward over the counter, almost in view of the hidden ex-con.

Rolling his eyes, Tai Lung passed the pan out, as well as the lid, a skewer, and chopsticks, trying very hard not to be conscious of the tiger's trouser-clad groin only a few inches from his whiskered muzzle. Gah! This was not how I wanted to spend my honeymoon…and if he gets a little too 'responsive' , so help me…

Only when the fish was simmering over the fire and Jia was satisfied with the scents of spices and sauces wafting through the kitchen (which the other spotted feline had to admit smelled rather mouth-watering) did she head back out into the courtyard—but not before hovering alongside the counter and peering so avidly at the cooking food that he was certain he'd be discovered at any moment.

After she departed, he scrambled out of hiding, letting out an agonized groan and cracking his neck with his trademark disconcerting series of pops, then glared at the offending counter before shooting a look at the tiger. "Damn. All right, the next time Emperor Chen visits the Valley, remind me to turn him down if he offers me the position of Minister of Crawling Into Very Small Spaces."

Dalang blinked, shooting him a very confused look right back, then slowly started backing away. "Okay…sure…whatever ya say, big guy…"

Tai Lung ignored the overly-familiar mode of address—which the tiger had used almost from the first day they'd met—because after all, it kept Jia or Po from overhearing and finding him. Instead he cracked his knuckles suggestively. "As for what just happened, and where I was, you had better hope that no word of that ever leaves this room, or I will be permanently separating you from your Tiger's Eye Dumplings, if you know what I mean." He purred darkly.

The chef swallowed hard and nodded vigorously. "Mention what? I don't know what you're talking about, nothing happened in the kitchen…"

"Good boy." He chuckled, then sighed in relief—but before he had taken more than another step toward the door, Tigress banged back in again.

Shooting him a quizzical look as to why he was still lingering there, she said, "On second thought, make mine tofu." Tai Lung felt like throwing his paws in the air, or perhaps tearing at his fur. Couldn't her stomach ever make up its mind?

Meanwhile, the cook was the one sighing now, looking morosely at the shrimp-stuffed dumplings he'd already dropped in the boiling water before Jia entered. But he nodded and repeated after her, "Tofu." He went to fetch a package as Tigress departed.

This time the snow leopard almost made it to the door before the ex-Wu Sister reappeared. In desperation he sat on his haunches alongside a guardian dragon statue near the foot of the stairs and imitated its snarling expression, all the while feeling incredibly ridiculous and idiotic. But somehow it worked, as she didn't even glance his direction. "Can I order the rice as a side dish?" she asked brightly.

Dalang smirked. "Have to charge you full price." Jia pouted, but nodded.

Her spotted tail had just vanished out the swinging door when Tigress was back. "How about a side of rice?"

"You got it," the tiger smiled promptly, albeit in a distracted way as he was working on both her tofu and Jia's salmon, as well as his other orders. Over his shoulder, he asked, "You want soy on that rice?"

But Tigress was already gone, and in her place the snow leopardess stood paused at the door, tapping one finger to her chin; beyond her, Tai Lung could see Tigress approaching yet again and began to panic. There was no way she'd miss her this time! "Oyster sauce will be fine," she said at last, with a naughty little grin.

"Oyster, coming up," Dalang chuckled as he braised the fish, bringing the sauce out from a lower cupboard.

Tai Lung was so distracted by the implications of this, especially for Po, that he didn't even notice when Tigress came back into the kitchen, and without any outcry from her or Jia. When he looked up at last, he saw why—hanging on the train of her dress was Ping, hopping from one foot to the other, the yarn unraveling from his hat, and his wings fluttering about like a demented feather duster. "Now, now, Master Tigress, why would you want to keep coming back here, to my humble kitchen, when you could be seeing all the lovely rock gardens and flowers out in the courtyard?"

Ignoring his babbling, but apparently distracted enough she hadn't noticed the other woman going out, the leader of the Furious Five shook her head emphatically, having heard the last thing the tiger said. "Rice yes, oyster no."

Dalang frowned a bit, holding the bottle in one paw. "Hold the oyster." He set it down.

Tigress twisted about, nearly sending Ping flying off of her dress—but that wasn't the only reason the goose squawked, for there was Jia again. This time she just missed seeing her former adversary thanks to Ping lunging and grabbing up a huge stack of dirty plates and pots which cut off her line of sight right as Tigress passed. "No, I want the oyster," she chided him gently.

"Oyster it is." The striped feline sounded even more confused. Gingerly, he reached for it again.

"Oh, Miss Jia!" Ping intervened, hurriedly dumping the dishes under the pump and working the handle. "Wouldn't you rather see Po's room? I'm sure Dalang has everything under control here, and my boy has dedicated himself to the Five for so very long now—why, the action figures and the portraits and the scrolls are simply wonderful! "

Jia actually looked quite interested, and for a moment Tai Lung almost forgot himself and asked if he could come along—since he had a feeling the panda might have a shrine to the master of the thousand scrolls, too. Though now that he thought about it, that might actually be more disturbing than a bit of ego-stroking…

But then as Ping shepherded Jia back through the swinging door (so that she had to keep her head ducked to hear him), Tigress was back, again on the tail end of Dalang's last words. "Do not want oyster!"

"Oyster out," the tiger cried, jerking his paw away just in time, before the sauce would have poured out onto the rice. Some of it splashed messily on the floor, and he cursed.

"Oyster in!" Jia insisted, starting to sound as annoyed as Tigress now as she appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

And then all was confusion, as for several minutes the two felines went in and out of the opposite sides of the swinging door, each chased by the hapless Ping who threw up his apron, yanked on sleeves, and even grabbed another potted palm to interpose between the women.

"Out!"

"In!"

"Sorry, but I do not need help in the bedroom, that's what got me into this mess." She rubbed her stomach pointedly.

"I do need help, or I'm never going to get that panda past blushing and stammering!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Today would be nice, and without the sauce."

"Are you even listening to me? Smother it!"

Finally Dalang couldn't take it any more. Slamming down a tray and tossing clams and potstickers in the water, he dug his claws into the counter top as he raised his muzzle heavenward. "Oh, come on, make up your mind already!"

Ping stiffened, feathers frizzled and ruffled in every direction. In his corner by the statue, so did Tai Lung.

Then, at the same moment, both sides of the door swung in and two feline heads popped in to speak in chorus: "On second thought, make mine with teriyaki." Frowning, Tigress and Jia wriggled their fingers in opposite ears, then shrugged and vanished.

For several moments all three males looked at each other, as well as watched the door out of the corner of their eyes in case it were to suddenly pop open again. When the moments stretched into minutes and nothing was forthcoming, Dalang fell forward on the counter, gently knocking his head against the cutting board heedless of the flour, while Ping collapsed against a wall and fanned himself with his apron.

But Tai Lung didn't trust either his wife or his erstwhile stalker out there alone…and if Po got caught in the middle… "Come on," he hissed to the goose, and snatching him up in one paw (not by the neck, as he had Zeng), he wrapped his cloak close and rushed back out into the courtyard.

By the time he had snatched up another potted palm to hide behind, Jia and Tigress had both already returned to their seats. Po was there, too, looking decidedly none the worse for wear—he was, after all, an incredibly patient bear most of the time—though he seemed a bit anxious for everything to go well, judging by how he kept watching the snow leopardess consult the menu.

And the leader of the Furious Five seemed to be reading hers only as a way to stave off a temper tantrum, judging by how tightly her claws were gripping it—that, and as something to hide behind while she tried to spy on the other couple.

Tai Lung fought the urge to facepalm again. But Po seemed oblivious to it all (could he actually not have noticed all the rushing back and forth from the kitchen?), and Jia never once caught sight of the striped feline peering at her, since she always ducked out of sight or timed the raising and lowering of her menu perfectly to the ex-Wu Sister doing the opposite.

Still, the odds were against this state of affairs lasting forever; he needed to be there to intervene, to add further barriers to observation…and to find out if, after all this deception and melodrama and humiliation, it would all be worth it in what it revealed about the Dragon Warrior and his date. So he hurried back to his table as fast as he dared.

By the time he arrived and had settled into place across from Tigress, the other couple was already speaking—Jia as bright and bubbly as ever, Po stammering, blushing, and generally making a fool of himself. But the snow leopardess only seemed to find this all the more charming, judging by her elfin grin and the way she placed a paw on the panda's, and even Tigress appeared amused by their friend's antics.

"So…uh, it's a really n-nice day, isn't it? I'm so glad Tai and Tigress ended up having the wedding in the summer like this, so the weather'd be swell. Though, that made me work up quite a sweat cookin' that feast. Hope I didn't, uh, fumigate anybody. Master Shifu still says I stink when I work out too hard." For a moment the panda hung his head morosely, but then he brought his chin back up and rushed on.

"Uh, anyway, I'm really glad ya decided t' see me one more time before you guys left again…I…I d-didn't want ya t' go—without sayin' good-bye, I mean! Well, of course I don't want ya t' go, you're too awesome an' you'd be really good for th' Valley, but that's it. W-wasn't 'cause I meant anythin' else by it, heh-heh!" He rubbed his suddenly sweaty brow, somehow looking paler.

Tai Lung had to struggle very hard not to smack his forehead with bruising force, or slam his head repeatedly into the table, and Tigress didn't look much better. But Jia, too, was staring at Po from beneath hooded lids, clearly neither fooled nor dissuaded by his seemingly innocent, disingenuous words.

"Hey. Big guy. Remember, you're talking to a professional here. I've had the best attempt to fool me, and fail. You aren't getting off lightly. I know exactly why you're going to miss me, and it's not because you admire my kung fu or you think I'll be good for the Valley."

Po swallowed hard. "You do? I-it's not?" From across the table, Tigress shot her husband a significant and disapproving look, as it seemed the snow leopardess was about to justify her ill judgment of her.

But the ex-assassin proved her wrong. For with a twinkle in her eye and a sweet smile, she said, "That's right! Since I loved your custard so much, you want to cook for me, treat me to a meal you made all yourself, not one your dad made or that you had to do for someone else. Am I right?"

The panda stared at her—then chuckled and hung his head sheepishly. "Am I that easy t' read?"

Jia giggled. "In this case, yeah! You like helping others, looking out for them, taking care of them. And I think that's wonderful, Po. We need a lot more people like you in the world."

Out of the corner of his eye, Tai Lung saw Tigress's jaw drop in disbelief, and it took all his newfound self-control not to grin smugly at her and tell her he told her so.

The panda was a brighter red than ever, but he managed to hold his head high and meet the former Wu Sister's encouraging, expectant gaze. "That may be th' nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. Thanks, Jia. Just for that, you better believe you're gonna get th' best meal I've ever cooked. It's gonna make Tai's wedding feast look like a Sunday picnic." Once, Tai Lung might have been offended by that; now, he was simply impressed. He does have it bad.

Jia crossed her arms on the table. "What, you think a picnic isn't good enough for me? That sounds perfect, just the two of us, you cooking for me… We could have it on Wu Dan." She winked. "That is where you first asked me to dance, after all."

Po actually laughed at that one. "Sure, why not? That'd be th' perfect place for me t' ask ya for that favor I've been wantin' ever since ya left th' Valley." When she raised an eyebrow at him quizzically, he added, "Well, I was hopin' ya could keep teachin' me how t' use weapons. Like, your weapons."

Silence reigned for a few moments, other than the endless murmur of the other patrons of the noodle shop. Then Jia grinned slyly and perched her chin on one slender paw to regard him suggestively. "And what could a girl like me ever hope to teach the Dragon Warrior? Oh, wait, I could think of a few things I'd love to show you…"

Now Tai Lung did, in fact, smack his forehead with a low groan. This was exactly what he didn't want Tigress to hear from the snow leopardess, that she was only interested in sex and seduction, not seeing anything deeper or more meaningful in Po or their relationship. And indeed, when he dared to lower his paw and look at his wife, the striped feline had her jaw set and her fingers were drumming on her forearms—quite clearly saying 'I told you so.'

But to his intense relief, and the leader of the Five's open shock, before Po could do more than stammer and turn a soft pink shading swiftly toward scarlet, the ex-Wu Sister's smile turned into one far more companionable and caring, and the gleam which entered her violet eyes seemed less man-hungry and more competitive. "I hope you don't mind learning the war fans, big guy. 'Cause I bet once I show you the ropes, you'll be able to do things with them I've never seen before."

The panda choked, and swiftly had to drink from the glass of complimentary water, inspiring open laughter from Jia even as she reached over to make sure he was all right. Once he'd recovered, he eyed her warily. "Just…just what exactly are ya implyin' there, Jia?"

Winking, the former assassin shook her head. "Oh no, I'm not going to give away all my bag of tricks, not yet. But did you really think I was going to teach you anything my sisters knew? Well, maybe Chun…but beyond that, no. I'm going to teach you weapons nobody at the Jade Palace knows—except maybe Master Viper. Definitely not Tai Tai." She snorted, clearly amused at the thought, and the snow leopard bristled in spite of himself.

"I've left that life behind me…if I have to, I'll use certain weapons in combat. But I'd never teach them to you. You don't have any reason to ever use something awful like that…especially not a garrote…" Jia trailed off, a pained look crossing her face while she gripped Po's paw on the table between them.

Tai Lung realized what she was referring to at the same moment the Dragon Warrior did, and as the panda lifted his other paw to rub at his scarred throat, the master of the Jade Palace felt a stab of fear and anguish as he recalled that day—the day he'd first realized, though it took him a while longer to admit it, that he'd begun to care deeply about Po and considered him a friend.

Flicking his eyes to Tigress, he couldn't help nodding slowly, with a vindicated smile, as he caught the troubled but awed look on her face as she, too, understood. A wave of gratitude washed over him at Jia's unspoken apology—even before she actually did say, softly, "I'm…I'm still so sorry Xiu did that to you. Gods…if it hadn't been for Tai Tai, and Master Mantis, you wouldn't be here now. And I'd never forgive myself…"

Po blinked, then smiled, squirming a bit in his seat—and broke the solemnity of the moment with a sudden belch. "Oh! Er…sorry 'bout that, drank that water too fast there, yeah." As Tigress closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, and Jia chuckled under her breath, the panda coughed and rushed on. "That's really sweet of ya, but you don't need t' worry. I'm fine now, that's all that matters, right? An' as for what you wanna teach me…you're on, Jia. I'd love t' learn th' war fan from ya."

The snow leopardess beamed. "Really? Well…wow…I must say, I didn't expect that. You really are something special, Po. I mean…" She glanced around surreptitiously, then lowered her voice as she spoke from behind her paw. "You wouldn't believe how many men I've met who would've refused. Something about impugning their masculinity." She rolled her eyes.

Po grinned back. "Heck no! Some of the best fighters in th' empire used th' war fan. An' kung fu is really just a dance between warriors. Like ya showed me on Wu Dan." He snickered. "Besides, what kinda masculinity have I got t' lose, anyway? I ain't so insecure I can't learn t' use such a cool weapon, no matter how girly it might make me look. So there!"

Gritting his fangs, Tai Lung frowned and sat back in a huff, crossing his arms tightly over his chest and wrapping his concealing cloak even closer, a brooding figure with only his glowing eyes visible in his hood. I am not afraid! I'm quite confident in my manhood, thank you very much. And Shifu agreed with me when I was adamant about not learning the war fan. I mean really, how embarrassing would it be to fight with a fan? I can't think of anything more effeminate…and I don't think I need to know how to do a pirouette in battle. He smirked to himself.

But…Master Oogway had seemed quite disappointed at the time that the headstrong, teenage snow leopard had refused what he had deemed the most graceful and deadly of weapons. At the time it had just seemed like the turtle's sanity slipping a few decades early…but now, knowing what he did about the sage…

And if there was one lesson he had learned, finally, bone-deep, it was that just because he was incredibly, naturally gifted at kung fu, and had developed so many awe-inspiring skills, did not mean he was worth more than anyone else. He had great abilities—but those were meant to be employed in humble fashion, protecting and saving the lives of others. There were many things he still didn't know, as the last year had shown him. And in the end, while it had been Shifu's misguided example that had set him on the path, he had still chosen to believe that just because he had learned his masters' lessons so well, he was entitled to more and better than everyone else.

Shuddering, he glanced sidelong again at Tigress, who was staring down at the jade fan she carried as if she'd never truly seen it before in her life, then flicking her ruby-gold gaze to Jia in grudging but firm approval. Groaning, he flopped down on the table and buried his face in his bulky spotted forearms. Damn it. I'm going to have to do it, aren't I? Swallow my pride, and…start learning the war fan. Otherwise, I'll never hear the end of this from Po and Jia…and Shang Ti preserve us if Tigress masters it, too, and starts lording it over me… Ugh.

The only good he could see coming of this is that it definitely seemed Tigress's enmity and distrust of Jia were fading.

The snow leopardess, meanwhile, was tickled pink. "What do you know…there's hope for men yet." Before she could launch into a diatribe about how women were treated as worthless porcelain dolls who didn't need to protect themselves when they had husbands and fathers to do it for them—something, Tai Lung admitted with an inward cringe, he realized he would once have agreed with but never again after meeting Tigress and Viper, let alone Jia—the doors of the kitchen suddenly burst open. And as all four pairs of eyes turned in that direction, the couples saw that the trays of steaming, mouth-watering food meant for the adjoining booths were now being carried toward them at the same time—by Ping on the left, and…Dalang on the right.

Under his breath, Tai Lung cursed. If it wasn't the possibility the chef would try and flirt with Tigress again, it was the fact that with all of them being served at once, there was a very strong possibility of their cover being blown. All it took was one dropped dish, Tigress speaking too loudly, someone turning the wrong direction at just the right moment…

At first it seemed he was just being paranoid, as the goose proceeded to professionally and cordially lay out each platter for his son and Jia—salmon with rice and teriyaki for the snow leopardess, a huge bowl of shrimp dumplings and bean buns for Po, all served with steamed vegetables and some sort of powdered sugar dessert that he supposed was the recipe of Dalang's everyone was raving about.

But then, as the tiger laid out Tigress's tofu (also with rice and teriyaki) and a plate of crab-cheese puffs with fried oysters and what looked like excessive amounts of sauce for Tai Lung (very sporting of him to help out, but did he truly think the snow leopard needed that much assistance?), Dalang met the silk-gowned feline's eyes. Instantly that sappy grin and those bedroom eyes were back, and just as instantly the ex-convict was growling quite audibly, cracking his knuckles and swelling his already bulky shoulders and chest to the point the stitching of his cloak started giving way.

"Here you go, ma'am," the Amur purred, somehow ignoring the warning signs from across the table. "Tofu with rice and teriyaki, just the way you asked." He winked. "And just because I made you wait so long, and there was such trouble with your order…" He took her free paw and kissed the back of it—chastely, but still with much more tenderness and attentiveness than Tai Lung liked. Again he growled.

Before he could take a page from Po's book and stomp on the tiger's nearest foot, Tigress blushed, apparently quite flustered by this unexpected gallantry—and in a rare fit of clumsiness, dropped her fan on the courtyard paving stones.

"Oh! Here, let me get that for you." Dalang showed surprising balance and poise as, still supporting the tray with Tai Lung's food, he bent down on one knee to fetch the fallen jade accessory.

"No, allow me," the other striped feline purred, and she, too, bent down out of the booth to scoop it up.

Even as Tai Lung was hoping she was about to punch him for his temerity in flirting with a married woman, or that they would accidentally bump heads, another clatter sounded beyond Ping. "Oh, darn it!" Jia cried. "My chopsticks…" And she, too, bent down out of her booth.

Time seemed to pause, and everyone held their breath, as both women caught sight of each other in the same posture. Tigress froze in place, for once actually so stunned by her discovery that she seemed paralyzed with indecision; Jia, who at first looked confused and inquisitive, gradually widened her violet eyes in shock as she recognized the face no longer hidden from her by fan and potted palm, but above a dress she would never have predicted Tigress wearing.

"Jia? What's wrong? Ya need some help or somethin'?" Sounding puzzled, Po began turning his amiable face in their direction…

Tai Lung, who had also been frozen in horror, stared fixedly at Ping who seemed ready to molt at a moment's notice. "Do something! " he hissed.

A brief moment of agonized indecision passed over the goose's face; then he shot the snow leopard a furious glare that definitely said 'You owe me so much for this!' With an air of both resignation and indignant resentment, he turned and, rather awkwardly, stepped back into Dalang's personal space while flinging his wings up—knocking the tray off-kilter and spilling Tai Lung's meal all over himself and the tiger with a clatter of wood, metal, and broken china.

"AAAGHHH!" The chef leaped back, howling, as even through his thick Siberian fur the hot oyster sauce scalded him. Serves him right for using so much, the snow leopard thought vindictively.

"Oh! Oh, I am so terribly sorry, Dalang, so awfully clumsy of me!" Ping interlaced his wing feathers briefly, then began ineffectually dabbing at the tiger's clothing.

"NO…no, it's okay, it's all right, Ping…not the—mm, ahh!—first time this has happened to me…" Dalang looked anguished, as well he might since one of the largest wet patches was spread over the lap of his trousers, but he was already scooping up his towel and mopping at himself, even as his other paw started gathering the shattered pottery and slippery shells together.

"Jeez, Dad, never seen you do that before," Po observed, a bit worriedly, as he handed Jia's chopsticks back to her and also knelt on the goose's other side. "Just been a really busy day or somethin', or are ya sufferin' that much 'cause I ain't here t' help?" The panda slumped his shoulders guiltily.

"Of course not, nothing of the sort, my boy, just a simple accident, that's all…it could happen to anybody…"

From her seat where she'd sat back up, Jia frowned. "Didn't that Master Oogway of yours say 'there are no accidents'?" Tai Lung could have throttled her, but at least she wasn't openly giving away what she'd seen.

Ping shot her a scathing look. "That old turtle may have been many things, but I would wager he never worked in food service before, then!"

Meanwhile, Tigress had taken advantage of the distraction to snatch up her fan (and smack the back of Dalang's paw with it for good measure) and now had it open before her face again, thus preventing Po from catching sight of her when he looked up again. And with everyone busy cleaning up the mess, Tai Lung in turn reached out, snatched her paw, and began dragging her from the booth, and the courtyard. "What?" she protested, trying (and failing) to maintain a demure lady's tone. "I was still hungry!"

The one time I wish my cubs didn't have healthy appetites! "Forget it," he growled under his breath, then tossed a cash string down on the table. "That should cover our bill, just, ah, box our meal up and send it to our, er, house. So terribly sorry about all this!" And then he was shoveling Tigress out the courtyard gate.

But he looked back once as he departed, and somehow wasn't surprised that while Po still seemed oblivious, Ping was in a frenzied tizzy, and Dalang was hurriedly trying to collect everything from the ground while enduring the goose's squawking and battering him over the head with a menu, Jia was staring after the feline couple. And her muzzle bore a very amused, wry smirk…

Jia was still giggling and chuckling infectiously as she returned to the present. "I still can't believe they thought we didn't notice them!" Stuffing her last won ton in her mouth and then moving on to the eggplant, she shook her head ruefully.

"Yeah." Po sucked and slurped up the last of his noodles, then picked up his bowl to drink the remaining broth. "Ahh! I mean, really, I'm clueless, but I ain't that clueless. Nobody else in the Valley has an accent like Tai's, or walks the way Tigress does."

"You don't mean sashaying, do you?" The snow leopardess raised an eyebrow incredulously. She also chose not to mention to the panda that he had a broth-mustache.

He snorted. "Nah, I mean 'I own th' place, I'm a coiled spring waitin' t' pounce, an' if you so much as sneak a peek at my backside, I'm feedin' you your family jewels'."

The ex-Wu Sister almost choked on her tea, and burst out laughing once she managed to swallow properly. "Oh, my mistake. That one. Yes, I know what you mean…" Calming herself, she gave him a fond smile. "It was really sweet of them though, wasn't it? Well, Tai Tai anyway…pushing you to take me out, and also trying to get Tigress to sheathe her claws…"

Po nodded, even as he was still snickering to himself. "An' just how long did ya know what was goin' on, again?"

"Almost from the beginning," she said off-handedly. "You think after twenty years carrying a torch for him, I was going to forget Tai Tai's build? That I couldn't catch even a glimpse of Tigress going in and out the kitchen door alongside me? Or that my ninja instincts wouldn't let me catch sight of that spotted stud doing a really bad imitation of a guardian dragon?"

The Dragon Warrior blinked, then ran his paw back over his head. "So…you knew the whole time…an' just let 'em keep up their act, 'cause…?"

Jia affected an air of gravity. "Well, they obviously went to so much trouble to try and fool us, so we'd give them an unbiased first impression. I just couldn't bear to ruin all their hard work." She paused, then grinned wickedly. "And it was just too funny to pass up."

"Oh, you're evil," the panda said fervently, even as he lifted his teacup to clink against hers in congratulations for that excellent play.

"Aww, big guy, you say the sweetest things! Thank you."

For several minutes the table was quiet, save for the sound of cicadas in the shadowy boughs of the trees outside the courtyard walls and the waters of the river rippling in its banks. Then at last, after they had both nearly finished their food and their mirth had settled into companionable silence, Jia looked up again. Nibbling on a cookie, she asked, "So…do you remember what we talked about that day, after they went back to the palace?"

Po briefly looked blank; then he flushed and looked a bit crestfallen. "Oh…yeah. We talked about my parents, an' ya said maybe, when ya got back from your trip, we could go visit them in prison." He paused, then gasped, suddenly looking up with a wildly excited expression. "Wait a minute, ya don't mean—?"

Jia nodded, taking another drink of tea. "That's right. Now that we're back here to stay, there's no time like the present. Chen said you could visit whenever you wanted, Dragon Warrior's prerogative. And it'd be nice to look in on my sister, too." Squeezing his black-furred paw, she smiled gently. "Besides…it's been too long already, you deserve to meet them. So, what do you say, big guy?"

For answer he leaned forward across the table, grabbed her cheeks with both paws, and kissed her soundly. And that kiss didn't end for quite some time.

I knew I'd made the right choice.

Chapter Text

s had been the case a year ago when she had departed on her journey with Mei Ling and Crane, Jia and Po had to wait for the weather to become warm enough to make leaving the Valley over the treacherous Thread of Hope as safe as possible. Even then, Ping was so worried about his boy catching his death of cold (never mind the panda was extremely well-insulated and, while not on a par with Tai Lung, he still had the constitution of a horse) that he insisted they stay another week longer, as well as take the proper garments and cold-weather gear when they did leave.

So it was that three weeks passed before they could leave the Valley—during which time everyone felt they had to weigh in on the advisability of this visit, and Po himself changed his mind at least three times. Most of the Five were all for the panda meeting his biological family at last, particularly Viper and Crane, and even Tai Lung pointed out that even knowing what Po's family had become, spending time with them and gaining some closure would surely be as healthy and beneficial to him as it had been for the snow leopard to travel to Qinghai.

Mantis, on the other hand, was a bit wary (though that may have been more due to his bad experiences with a particular gender of relatives). Tigress, for all her now unconditional support for the panda and his sweetheart (which dated to that near-disastrous date at the restaurant), was worried that Po would be making himself a target, that the sorts of criminals to be found in Shandong would take the opportunity to eliminate a figure as famous and public as the Dragon Warrior despite the prison's security—and that he would be terribly disappointed by the truth of what he'd find after building up his hopes for so long. (That she didn't seem to trust the panda's ability to take care of himself, or the protection Jia would offer, was annoying, but the snow leopardess couldn't deny the danger to Po's heart.)

And Shifu seemed only to peevishly complain that all the time spent traveling to and from Shandong was time which could be better spent mastering the thousand scrolls and performing virtuous and heroic deeds as was Po's destiny—though Jia suspected that he simply was annoyed he'd be missing out on the panda's cooking all that time. And being a curmudgeon.

In the end, though, it was Monkey of all people who finally convinced Po this was indeed the right course. Staring morosely into his mug of oolong as he slowly stirred it back and forth, the primate had quietly observed that 'you never know who you gonna lose, what's gonna happen, or when ya might get a second chance given to ya…or taken away.' He'd learned as much when he'd been granted the honor of training at the Jade Palace and put his drunkard days behind him for good…and when he'd later lost his brother Lei, whom he'd always been sure he would eventually get the chance to stand before again, show him he'd turned his life around, prove to him he'd been right to believe in Kong. If Po had the chance now to meet his birth parents, and he rejected it out of fear, contempt, or even pride, he would regret it the rest of his life.

Hearing such genuine and affecting wisdom from the simian served to silence the others' objections, and after giving Monkey a firm hug and a glass of his special cinnamon and peach sweet tea, Po had stepped up his preparations for the journey without any further delays—and, if not with eagerness, than at least with resolution.

Of course, all this time spent preparing allowed for some other rather important points—sending Zeng on ahead to apprise the Emperor of their coming, naturally, making all the arrangements at Shandong for their arrival, and receiving permission…particularly for her visit to Chun, one which for all her off-handedness in mentioning it to Po was actually far more critical (and meaningful) than she had let on…

Finally, the day of their departure came—without fanfare, as the Valley was by now used to Po's coming and goings on various kung fu journeys and quests for Shifu or the Emperor, but with a great deal of emotional partings and encouraging words exchanged between the residents of the palace. Crane gave the panda a scarf embroidered with calligraphy, the characters spelling out various traditional blessings, while Viper gifted Jia with a number of colorful ribbons to brighten her otherwise dull traveling dress.

Monkey handed over an extra jar of his almond cookies (wryly commenting that this was the only way he'd get to keep any for himself while Po was gone), while Mantis only offered a few tips on how to handle himself while he was 'in the big house'; whatever the insect whispered in his ear, it made the Dragon Warrior alternately go pale and slightly green. Jia didn't know whether to chide him for overwhelming the poor bear, or ask him just what naughty things he'd said.

As for Tai Lung and Tigress, both of them had plenty of suggestions of their own on how to stay safe and in charge—the striped feline's were even more grisly and graphic than the snow leopard's, since instead of broken ribs, stopped hearts, and dislocated shoulders she focused on evisceration, limb severing, and the crushing or ripping off of male anatomy. But most of their words went in one ear and out the other, for most of their time was spent trying to detach Po from their adorable twins, who for their part were just as fascinated and delighted by their huge black-and-white 'uncle' as their father's mustache or Shifu's ears.

Eventually, however, with a final flurry of good-byes, and one kiss on Po's cheek from Mei Ling (though she also gave her half-sister a penetrating look that made her wonder if the mountain cat knew what she was planning), they were able to descend the steps back down to the village. It wasn't until they had left the Valley, however, and were over halfway across the Thread of Hope, that Jia at last let out an explosive breath and glanced back over her shoulder a bit resentfully. "Thank the gods! I thought they'd never let us leave!"

Despite the fact this was not his first trip away from home, Po still looked nervous and uncertain—though that was easily explained by what waited for him at the end of the journey, or even having to spend so much time alone with her. But he smiled at her, then followed her gaze with fondness. "Aww, don't be too hard on 'em, Jia. Most of 'em don't have any family anymore, or none they wanna stay in touch with. So I'm kinda like their son, kid brother, an' friend all rolled into one. Stands t' reason they'd have a hard time lettin' go." He made a face. "It'd be sweet, if it wasn't so embarrassin'."

And once again she was reminded of how perceptive he was. "I guess you're right. Still, the sooner we get away from the Valley, the better. Besides—" And here she smiled brightly. "—we've got a long trip ahead of us, and I'd much rather be spending it getting to know you better than having kung fu masters underfoot all day."

"You…would?" Po jerked to a halt, and then had to spend a few moments windmilling his arms and grabbing onto the guide ropes as his sudden stop made the bridge swing and sway dangerously beneath his great weight. When he'd recovered, and wiped his suddenly clammy brow, the panda eyed her in a way that was still a little too worried for her liking, though she couldn't help being a bit pleased at still being so respected. "W-whaddya mean by that?"

Jia elbowed him in the side. "Well, for starters, those new duds of yours. Whose idea was that?"

The panda looked as if he couldn't decide whether to be embarrassed or proud, but he waited to answer her until they were on relatively solid ground again atop one of the jutting mountain peaks. "Uh, it was Xiulan who made 'em." He reached down to pluck at the dragon-embroidered pao he wore, then spread the golden cape around himself a bit self-consciously as he tried to adopt a somewhat formal tone. "But if you must know, Master Shifu looked it up, an' found the right look for 'em in old scrolls about the Dragon Warrior. Honest-to-gods, authentic Hero clothes an' everything."

She held up both paws. "Hey, don't confuse me with Tai Tai here, I wasn't putting them down or anything. In fact I think they're really neat. And sexy."

He swallowed whatever he was going to say in a fit of coughing. "Wh-what? " he wheezed, tears leaking from his eyes.

"Oh, you bet." Jia paused, then smirked broadly as her mind flitted back to the day she and the others had first departed the Valley, specifically what Tigress had said to her husband-to-be. "In fact someday I'd love to see you in only that cape."

And once again the panda turned bright red. She wondered if he'd ever lose enough of his innocence to stop (she sincerely hoped he wouldn't), and if she'd ever stop being so charmed by it (she hoped against that happening, too).

"Don't worry, big guy, I was only kidding." For now. "Really, I think it's a great look for you, and I can't wait to see you in action in it."

Po blinked, recovering if only because he'd gone from bashfulness to confused disbelief in the space of a few seconds. "What? But, Tai said—"

"I don't care what he said," she replied tartly. "Unlike him, I don't have an inflated opinion of warrior-hood, nor is my ego bound up in my masculinity." Even if it is damned hard to deny that manliness. "See, the way I see it, a real warrior can battle well even when he's wearing something others would consider a hindrance. And you've been learning so much, so quickly…"

The panda ducked his chin, then shook his head, even as a small smile started forming on his muzzle. "Well, uh, yeah, I guess ya could say that. I mean, I've been learnin' a few things…an' Viper's been teachin' me how t' get my cape out of th' way, or even use it in battle, kinda like how she used t' use ribbons…"

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Jia grinned at him, her tone cajoling. "Come on, you know you're getting to be badass, it's okay to admit it…don't give me that humble crap the old rodent's been teaching you…" Humility is great and all, but that's not what someone like Po needs.

Po finally grinned back, even puffing out his broad chest a bit as he turned and started sauntering toward the next section of the bridge. "Yeah. Yeah, I am getting pretty darned good. An' once everyone's taught me all they know, I'm gonna be so totally awesome, th' bad guys won't know what hit 'em. Ain't no way I'll ever let anythin' bad happen t' th' Valley, or th' Empire."

As Jia hurried to catch up, she watched him proudly. "Now that's more like it. So tell me, what else did you do with Tai Tai, hmm? And what'd you think of the capital?"

He chuckled and rubbed at the back of his neck uncertainly. "Oh, it was pretty cool an' all, Chen couldn't have been nicer, an' the palace was as beautiful as the Jade Palace. But man, they sure aren't kiddin' when they call that place a 'City of Walls and Secrets.'" The snow leopardess chuckled, too; she knew exactly what he was talking about. "As for me an' Tai, well…"

And so the journey went, with Jia continuing to quiz Po as they crossed the Thread of Hope, descended from the mountains into the forests of Hubei, and headed northeast into the farm fields and river-dotted plains of Henan. As they turned east, avoiding the road to Yunxian and instead following the winding course of the Huang He in its loess-built banks, the former Wu Sister poked and prodded, learning all manner of amazing and inspiring things from her beau…

How he'd accompanied Tai Lung to the capital and there aided the Jade Palace master in teaching and training Chen's army and bodyguards in the use of the Leopard Claw (though Tai Lung had insisted on carrying out the tiger's personal training himself); how he'd performed any number of mercy missions delivering food, medicines, and other supplies to those in desperate need of it, whether poor starving villagers who'd suffered a terrible growing season or refugees and merchants who'd been cut off from civilization by avalanches or earthquakes.

How he'd picked up any number of new and exciting recipes to take to his dad, and had in turn shared Ping's delicious creations with the rest of the empire; how he'd hunted down bandits and fought off mercenaries and rogue warlords; and how he'd even helped defend the Great Wall itself from a Hun invasion, standing atop the battlements and swinging the Sword of Heroes with practiced ease, its arc of super-sharpened air slicing through the ropes of every grappling hook in the line so that the warriors fell screaming from the heights.

In between these stirring and exciting tales, the panda in turn got her to admit to some of her own exploits—how she, her half-sister, and Crane had together fought almost the entire slew of cutthroats, murderers, and robbers to be found on a particular night at the Bandit Inn; how they'd defeated the daring and dastardly leader of a band of pirates who'd tried to sack Macau, and prevented the looting of a particularly sacred Tibetan monastery; how they'd brought down one of the biggest and most notorious thieves' guilds of Shanghai. But also how, on their downtime, after browbeating some bullying rogues who'd been hassling local merchants, they'd all thoroughly enjoyed a soothing, relaxing dip in the hot spring.

So it was that the many miles of their journey passed by swiftly, so that by two weeks later, as they were entering the mountain ranges of Shandong, Jia had barely registered the landscape, whether untouched wilderness, forests with churning waterfalls cascading down in endless majesty thanks to the spring thaw, or mile upon mile of rich and fertile land given over to low-lying fields or terraced rice paddies, each worked by the many prosperous villages in the area.

All she had thought for, as the country became alive and verdant around them and as they spent the night at one warm, rustic, openly friendly and hospitable inn after another, was how with each passing mile, her respect and fondness for Po grew along with her knowledge and understanding of him. She only hoped the same was true for how he viewed her—he certainly seemed to be whistling, applauding, and beaming at her words with his typical unbridled enthusiasm, and she also caught him gazing at her yearningly or daring to reach out and take her paw much more often.

It was almost with regret that the ex-assassin found herself nearing the end of their trip—but she knew meeting his family was an incredibly important and life-changing milestone for the Dragon Warrior, that Bao and Li-Na in turn (especially the former) would be just as altered by the experience, and that however else the visit turned out, she had missed Chun and would be happy to see her again. So although her heart was somewhat heavy, and the roads were no longer lined by industrious farmers and peasants—instead only frequented now by Imperial soldiers for the most part—she led Po past the last village of Jinan, away from the Yellow River, and up into the eastern mountains where the prison perched on the heights of Tai Shan.

There at last, as they scaled the winding ledges, crossed broad and sturdy bridges that somehow looked more precarious than they actually were, and climbed into the snow-laden peaks, they rounded a bend in the pathway and hove into view of a broad, treeless shelf of rock, utterly fallow and devoid of life, which jutted out from the lonely side of the barren, towering mountain.

Rising from the center of this desolate ledge loomed the place they were seeking. Grim and foreboding, the structure appeared truly impregnable with its thick, battlement-topped stone walls, while the outer barbican and palisade fairly bristled with a rather disturbing proliferation of iron spikes and blades discouraging scaling and sieges—and, naturally, any escape attempts from within.

Several pennants flew atop standards, proudly displaying the colors and crest of the Imperial family, but somehow these flashes of brightness and concessions to propriety and regality only served to contrast with how cold, cheerless, and unsettling the rest of the place was. Sentries stood on watch atop the walls, what she could tell even from this distance were large and burly men, surely hard-bitten warriors well-trained in combat and self-defense, perhaps even kung fu, and clad in fairly fearsome armor and helms.

Despite it still being just past noon, torches burned from stanchions and other fixtures upon the walls—for the light faded quickly in these parts, once the sun sank beyond the range, and the prison surely needed as much illumination and warmth…whether physically or emotionally…as it could get. As they approached over the final bridge, the cry of the wind moaning over the parapets was the only sound, leaving the rest in utter, unnerving stillness, and she shivered for a reason that had nothing to do with the cold.

While Shandong was no Chorh-Gom, the prison clearly still served as a deterrent to crime by appearing so impossible to escape; perhaps knowing this kept dangerous criminals out of the cities' streets and invaders away from the borders reassured the common people. But gazing at the bleak place, Jia could only swallow hard and fight back the cold lump of despair and anguish in the pit of her stomach. This was where her sister had been locked away? And someone as kind, loving, and generous as Li-Na?

Something of this registered with Po as well. Coming to a stop beside her, staring up at the gloomy, rough-hewn walls of the Imperial prison, he pushed back his dou li atop his head and ran his paw over his brow, the other posted on one hip. "Heh! Cheerful kinda place, isn't it? Wonder what kinda vacation plan they got here…" He chuckled weakly with a rather sickly smile.

The joke was lame and fell flat, though she appreciated the gesture. After giving him a pointed and slightly disapproving look, she managed a small smile in return and put her arm briefly around his broad shoulders. "Yeah, it is pretty ominous. But I bet it's a lot nicer on the inside!" Now it was the panda's turn to give her a skeptical glance. "Okay, maybe not, but…your parents have been here for almost twenty years, and they're still doing fine, so it can't be that bad. And Chen makes sure to treat his people right, even ones who break the law—especially ones who in all honesty shouldn't really be here."

Po swallowed hard, rubbed the back of his neck, and finally nodded. "Sure. I bet you're right. Still…can we get on inside and get this over with, then? I mean, I wanna see my parents an' all, but standin' out here doesn't get 'em any closer, an' it's just givin' me th' willies, too."

"You bet, big guy." Jia squeezed his paw gently, then turned and led the way forward, up to and then along the earthen and stone ramp which angled toward the prison entrance.

Eyeing the ramparts apprehensively, they paused again for a few moments more, warily peering from the dark, bulky walls that loomed above them, to the massive pair of yawning wooden gates which currently were left standing open but, she knew, were closed and barricaded securely every sunset, to the sentries who stood mutely on guard on either side—one a gigantic, broad, age-grizzled lion who nevertheless was even taller and more massive than Tai Lung, the other an Amur leopard who was only slightly smaller. Then, after one last, long moment of staring at this dark and lonely maw, which both seemed to beckon them and ward them away, Jia put her arm around Po's shoulders and guided him across the threshold.

The interior of the prison was not much better than its façade, albeit less weathered and barren-looking and with more civilized amenities and proper care taken. All was kept surprisingly scoured and swept, torches and oil lamps illuminated the warden's and guards' chamber as well as the lengths of every hallway, and even the walls and floors had tapestries, carpets, and silkscreens for decoration here and there. But all the brightness of color and cleanliness of stonework could not conceal the overall grim nature of the place.

And while the soldiers garrisoned here seemed much more well-tempered and trusting than those which Tai Lung had described from his years in Chorh-Gom—certainly less likely to treat all who entered here with suspicion and contempt, and never allowed to indulge in such horrors as the torture the snow leopard had suffered—the way they stood silent and still stationed at each cross-corridor, looming with veiled menace and the promise of combat should any prisoner threaten escape, was very sobering indeed.

Despite the fact he knew many of the criminals here deserved this amount of caution and punishment, and that at least some of his father's crimes also merited such treatment, Po couldn't help but swallow hard as he gazed around, feeling extremely nervous and upset as they followed the almost ghost-like tread of the snow leopard soldier who led them to the warden's study. Just being in this place, seeing what sort of conditions the inmates had to deal with every day for years on end, was disturbing enough. Thinking about the fact his parents had had to face it, too, however much they might have deserved it, was even worse.

By the time they'd reached their destination and stood aligned before the massive desk of teak and mahogany, covered with various sheets of hanzi-scrawled paper, smoothly polished stone weights, an inkwell and pen set adorned with a peacock's tailfeather, and a pair of gleaming swords so long and obviously heavy that Po was sure he'd tip over if he tried to lift even one of them, the panda was openly sweating. He knew he had to be pale even beneath his white fur, that there was a stutter in his voice as he gave his name and title, and that his paw shook as he handed over the letter he'd received in the Valley before departing, stamped with the Imperial seal.

All was in order, of course, and the warden—a tall, impressively muscled, dark-scaled crocodile with numerous medals of commendation and valor pinned to his uniform that shone as much as his mouthful of gleaming fangs—didn't even bat an eye. In fact, other than a brief, narrow-eyed glance at Jia, the reptile couldn't have been more courteous and respectful, a warm and surprisingly sincere smile on his face as he greeted the Dragon Warrior and said he could have the run of the prison and as many hours with his parents as he required—so long as he left before sundown, since he couldn't change the rules even for a hero of the empire and descending from the mountains during the night was far too dangerous and deadly a prospect.

And so long as he kept away from the maximum security wing. "You defeated Tai Lung, and the gods only know how many more threats to the peace, but there are criminals in there I wouldn't trust if I had you, him, and every weapon in the armory at my side." The crocodile sighed, then strode around the desk and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. Po tried not to wince. "Just…be careful, son. We can't afford to lose you—and the Emperor would have my hide for his luggage if I let anything happen to you." He chuckled at his own joke, though the sound was weak enough Po had to wonder if he was being serious.

With that, the warden led them back out into the hallway, accompanied by a brindle-furred wolf who was as silent as the snow leopard had been—though when the panda glanced at him, he saw the canine had a surprisingly relaxed gait for a military man…not a swagger, but a stroll that spoke of justified confidence and more than a little skill. The fellow even winked at him, before lapsing back into a stern and determined expression.

When they reached the intersection that split the prison in two, with the maximum security where one such as a Wu Sister would be held in one direction and the lighter (though no less secure or well-guarded) wing which held his parents in the other, the crocodile gestured to Jia to follow him, then nodded the wolf down the other hall with Po. At this the snow leopardess crossed over, took his paws in hers, and squeezed them tightly.

"Don't worry, big guy. I know you've been waiting all your life for this moment, but they aren't going to let you down. You just keep your chin up, your chest out, and remember all the awesome things you've done, and you'll be fine. And your mom and dad? They'll be everything I told you they were." With that, she smiled easily and darted off down the corridor, coming near to a very incongruous skip at the crocodile's side.

Why did that not exactly reassure him?

"C'mon, junior," the wolf rumbled after a few awkwardly silent moments, an odd accent in his voice that it took Po a while to place as Manchurian. "Sooner you get to see your old man, the sooner you can get out while you still can."

Po blinked, then found himself clenching his fists unobtrusively at his sides as he peered out from beneath his dou li. "An' what's that supposed t' mean?"

The sentry blinked too, though whether what startled him was the tone of his voice or the way his green eyes shone almost ominously beneath that shadowed brim wasn't clear. Then he shrugged and led the way with that same unconcerned stride. "Just what it sounds like. I know you can handle yourself in a fight a lot better than anyone would think to look at ya. But if I were you, I'd hightail it outta here before it's too late. 'Cause you aren't gonna like what you find in that cell."

Frowning darkly, Po didn't lose his edge even as he moved along after the wolf (and hoped he didn't waddle too obviously). When he caught up with the soldier, and the two of them were alone in the hall, he tried to keep the sharp tone out of his voice; this visit was hard enough for him, he didn't need to stir up trouble with the authorities that even Chen might not be able to get him out of, but by the same token he wasn't going to put up with this badmouthing. If anyone was going to disapprove of his parents, it was him, not some random guard.

"Why d'you say that? They've done their time, haven't they? They've had good behavior. I know they'd be in maximum security if they'd tried to escape, or killed some guards or other prisoners. And my dad was a war hero, in case ya didn't know."

Several more moments of silence passed, stretching into minutes, though whether his companion had dismissed him as worth answering or was uncertain if he should speak his mind couldn't be determined. Then at last he sighed and stopped, turning to look at the panda while setting the butt of his halberd on the stone floor.

"Look. I've heard the stories. I know you believe in second chances, and that you see the good in everybody. You may even be right, kid. I never would have believed Tai Lung, of all people, could redeem himself, but he did, and it's mostly because of you. I even know what you're talking about. My eldest brother, he served in Manchuria with Bao, he was second-in-command in your dad's division. Saw what kind of maneuvers he could pull, how brave and even recklessly bold he could be. Had his life saved more times than he could count, watched Bao hold off whole regiments of raiders, change the tide of battle when it looked like there was no way we could win."

Po stared, unable to keep his jaw closed, and not just from the amazing feats being described and how they made his heart thud faster and a lump of pride form in his throat. "Really? Well then, why'd ya say—"

The wolf growled peremptorily to cut him off, then sighed again, mournfully, though his gaze was as hard and flinty as the walls of the prison or the mountains surrounding it. "Because, kid, I also know, from what my brother said, how easily that kinda bloodlust and love of battle can be turned to bad ends. Slaughter, rape, torture, vengeance, berserker rage…" He shook his head.

"Bao loved it too much, Shang Ti knows why. All good soldiers have some bit of that in them when they fight, but he had too much. Let it go to his head. When he first came here, he'd rattle off a list of all those he'd murdered when he was a highwayman, and he was proud of it, relished it. Loved every bit of it. Okay, he hasn't done that in years. But still…"

Licking his lips, the sentry started moving again, leading Po down the hallway toward a door at the far end, one flanked by torches that crackled and guttered in the wind whining at the arrow slit, but otherwise left alone and silent. When he spoke again his voice was very soft, and oddly imploring.

"Maybe he's changed in twenty years, maybe he hasn't. But your sweet something-something back there? She was more right than she knew. Bao is the same man he always was. The good and the bad. So…be careful in there, and I'm not talking about your life or anything. What you find…may not be what you're hoping for. And it just might hurt you more than any battle ever could."

Just before they reached the door, after letting all this advice and the very sincere warning wash over him and considering it from every angle, Po finally found his voice, and it was soft and subdued for more reasons than just to keep his words from being heard in the cell beyond. "I read ya, I get what you're sayin'. An' I really appreciate it. But right now…I don't even know what I'm expectin', if I'm expectin' anything at all. I…I just gotta know, one way or the other."

The wolf eyed him, and a gleam of respect and understanding entered his weary gaze. "Fair enough. That's all anybody can ask, really. Okay then. Here you go." He removed a key ring from his belt, then inserted the right key in the lock. As he turned it and began drawing back the heavy iron bolt and the wooden beam barring the door, he called out, "Look alive in there. You've got visitors."

He slid the last barrier aside and opened the door with a faint whine of unoiled hinges and a groan of timbers. Then, before he lost his nerve entirely, Po took a deep breath and stepped forward into the darkened room beyond.

It took several moments for his eyes to adjust to the deep shadows which cloaked this side of the prison, against the mountain's northern face, several more for his heart to adjust to the shocking sound of the door slamming shut behind him and return to its normal steady beat. By the time both had done so, he was a little surprised he hadn't been accosted, either verbally or physically. Maybe the occupant of the cell was too busy recovering too…or sizing him up, psyching up for a battle, or just readying himself for what was sure to come.

He still hadn't decided which it was, but he did know the other occupant of the cell was staring at him with an intensity to mirror Po's. Having risen off his cot and scrambled to his feet, the prisoner stood facing him, looming a head or more taller…legs spread wide, feet planted hard and secure on the stone floor, fists upraised with one at shoulder level, the other at his waist.

It only took him moments to recognize the stance as a Dragon pose, and those clenched black paws as Tiger Fists. And despite the layer of pudgy fat that made all pandas look deceptively like adorable, harmless butterballs, he could easily see this man possessed bands of thick, hard-earned, rippling muscle beneath it…although twenty years older, he was huskier, bulkier, and more well-built than Po could ever hope to be.

And the face…the muzzle was grizzled, one cheek was slightly sunken in as if he'd lost teeth there, the other was marred by a fairly vicious scar which ran from just below his eye, down past his jawline, to end along the side of his neck just shy of the jugular—what looked like a souvenir of a dao saber. And his eyes were blue rather than green, pale and watery now rather than bright and bold like in his sole memory. But it was clearly Bao, the man who had sired him…and aside from all this, in the face he was the spitting image of Po himself.

This was the man who had left him, abandoned him for the sake of a life of crime and bloody murder…or who had tried to spare him such a life, who had loved him enough to let him go. He had killed for money, for valuables…but also fought honorably in battle and defended China from the ravening hordes. He was a deserter, but also a man who placed his family above everything else, even the Emperor. He was an out-of-control berserker, but also a kind, generous, loving soul. He was both brave and craven, a warrior and a scourge, a wise man and a fool. Not since Tai Lung had Po met someone so full of contradictions…so imbalanced in his Yin and Yang.

How did he feel about Bao? How could he feel?

"Oh, gods," a voice breathed, breaking the silence at last, one that was deep, authoritative, and hard, a voice with a dark edge, yet somehow it still retained a faint sense of boyish charm. The paws lowered…he let his shoulders drop and slouch somewhat…and then he came out of his kung fu stance, stepping forward—tentatively at first, then more assured. "It is you. Po…son…?"

So it was true, what Ping had told him after the Wu Sisters' relation of his true heritage on the way back from Wu Dan. His name had already been given him at birth, his parents had insisted it be retained unchanged when they passed him on to the goose...not only as a link to them, but because, just as they had hoped giving him to the noodlemaker would bring peace to his life, so, too, would he always be as precious to them as the day he was born. He didn't know whether to growl in disgust at a tenderness so belied by his father's actions...or begin to cry.

For several moments more they stared at each other, the Dragon Warrior working his mouth and throat soundlessly while Bao's eyes lit up with an excitement and happiness they likely hadn't held in years, the father admiring how his son had grown (and the resplendent regalia he wore) while Po tried not to be conscious of the simple, slate-gray hanfu in which the other panda was clad.

Then, as Bao came within a few steps of him and offered his open arms uncertainly for an embrace, Po responded at last—with a powerful, teeth-clenching, jaw-rattling punch right in the side of his father's muzzle.

Head rocking back, a tooth knocked loose and sent flying, almost biting down on his tongue as he cried out in explosive agony, the former highwayman hurtled backwards, stumbling over his own feet in his aggrieved surprise until he toppled over, landing first on his rump and then tipping back entirely to lie sprawled spread-eagled on the floor, as if he were trying to swim across the stone.

There he lay, gasping and groaning, lolling his head about as if he were a drunk staggering around the room, while Po gazed down at him, jaw set but betraying no emotion except a certain detached coldness…which was quite an achievement since normally he'd be screaming bloody murder right now and cradling his paw as if it were pieces of the Urn of Whispering Warriors. Ow. Owwww! Jeez, what's his jaw made of, iron?

"Well…" Bao managed at last, pushing himself partly upright with one very shaky arm. "Damn. Now that's what I call a punch. You really are a chip off the old block, huh? Good for you, son…"

For a sick moment Po thought he was admiring the violence itself, and how quickly the younger panda had taken to it, a conclusion very much echoed by his father's pained grin, marred by blood trickling crimson from one corner. But then the old ex-soldier's look turned to a grimace, and not just one of pain, as he hung his head. "I know. I get it. I deserved that."

"Darn right you did," Po retorted. He was actually tempted to use more colorful language—something he was afraid was as much due to Tai Lung's influence as the situation—but held back. There had to be something separating him from Bao, after all. Unobtrusively rubbing his bruised paw and shaking it behind his back, he walked over until he stood beside the fallen panda, glaring down in a way he knew to be ominous beneath the brim of his dou li. "That was for abandoning me, for killin' all those people, for decidin' the life of a criminal was better than facin' the music an' doin' your time, more important than bein' there for me."

He paused significantly, was both gratified and a bit chagrined to see Bao shrink back, looking less like a murderer and more like what he was—a condemned man facing the truth of what he was just before judgment was rendered. By the Jade Emperor, what am I doin'? Okay, sometimes the Dragon Warrior's gotta decide a bad guy's fate…but I can't be his judge. He's already been put away, he's paid for it, an' I'm not gonna sweep in an' decide what's gonna happen to him instead. I'm not gonna be him.

Slowly, he let out the breath he'd been holding, forced himself to relax…and then smiled, albeit a trifle weakly, as he held out his unbruised paw, open and inviting, to help Bao up. "An' this is for lovin' me enough t' do th' right thing in th' first place…for givin' me th' best home a guy could ask for, love an' friendship, a chance t' fulfill my dream by bein' in th' Valley of Peace, an' a whole lotta noodles. Thanks…Dad." And as the other panda stumbled back up again with his help, he took him in his arm and gave him a strong, back-pounding hug.

"Uh…" Bao sounded extremely reluctant to speak, but went on gamely because he knew he must. "Kinda gettin'…mixed signals there, son…"

"Yeah." Po snorted softly. "That's 'cause it's a real mixed-up…thing, here."

He was about to say more, though still stumbling and stuttering in his clumsy attempt to explain what he meant, when another voice suddenly cut in from nearby—feminine, with a gentle lilt, but a firmness and underlying sternness to it that brooked no argument. "No, it isn't. It's all quite clear, as you've just made it by smashing through all the civil niceties with your excellent right hook. Good to see there's still some common sense in this family yet." She sniffed audibly.

Gasping, he turned in the direction the voice had come from. There he discovered that one wall of the cell was not a wall at all, but an open space into the next cell over with a rank of narrowly fitted and crisscrossed bars keeping those in the two rooms from interacting save for brief touches of fur yet still able to see one another clearly. And there, on the other side, sitting quite calmly in a large wooden chair with hinged sections made for rocking, somehow making her own prison pao look somewhat fetching and appealing, was a female panda the same age as Bao.

As portly and given to good eating it seemed as Po himself was—the Emperor must take good care of his prisoners, even down to their cuisine—pleasingly plump and with a number of careworn lines surrounding her eyes and mouth; some of them indicated very severe, even imperious, expressions, but most were clearly derived from smiles and laughter. Incredibly, she was also knitting, needles working with a wooden clicking and clacking that Po couldn't believe he'd missed.

Mortified, he looked down at the paw he'd punched his father with, then thrust it behind him again as he stepped back, face flushed in shame. Whether or not his reaction to Bao had been warranted, he couldn't believe he'd done such a thing in front of his own mother! "Uh…er…yeah, I can kinda explain, sorta…"

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" Li-Na exclaimed with a touch of aspersion—for him, Po thought, but when he looked again he saw she was only frowning thunderously at a stitch that had slipped. He was further confused by her next words, until he realized Bao stood next to him and looked just as sheepish and out-of-sorts. "You know very well it was deserved, dear." From the way Bao flinched, he got the impression this was a tired argument the two of them had had many times over the years, even if there was a core of iron reproach in her tone as well.

"But like what prompted it, that is all in the past now. The gods don't wish us to dwell on wrongs, but to learn from them, then move on. I only wish I had been brave enough, and strong enough, to stand up to your father when I knew what he was doing was wrong...to risk his temper and bloodlust so as to spare any more victims, and to save him from himself. But that is why I, too, deserved this sentence...and will do all in my power now to speak out against such atrocities and make certain they never happen again."

She sighed, scooped up her knitting, and levered herself to her feet with a groan. Rubbing at the small of her back, she looked at Po directly for the first time—and smiled, a warm, sweet, wondrous smile he felt was privately reserved just for him. Despite how tough she seemed on the surface...despite the guilt he felt for having dismissed her part in his father's crimes until this moment, for assuming she had merely been an innocent bystander when at the very least she'd been an accessory and enabler...he felt his heart melt. "Anyway, why don't you see about getting the warden to give us some air out in the courtyard, hmm? I'm sure with your pull you can get us a proper reunion—and I for one won't be satisfied until I get to hug my boy."

In about fifteen minutes, the three pandas were indeed seated on a bench in the late afternoon sunlight—after several long minutes of intense embracing with eyes brimming over with tears, particularly on Po and his mother's parts. While there were certain privileges which were denied to prisoners no matter how exemplary their behavior (no conjugal visits for example, which was why Bao and Li-Na had adjoining cells instead of sharing one), Chen's favorable ruling after investigating the case had guaranteed the former thieves a few more freedoms than most inmates. And the Dragon Warrior in turn could call upon the warden to invoke other special exceptions for his parents—he could not procure their release, not without another hearing from the emperor, but he at least was able to obtain their temporary release, as well as ensure privacy in the courtyard.

Which was why they now sat together in peace and quiet, without any nearby but the helpful wolven sentry who, though skeptical, stood guard at the courtyard gate well out of earshot, near a small plot of land planted with bamboo, flowers, and underbrush to try, however futilely, to stave off the gloom and grimness of the prison. And while Bao sat with an oddly nervous and habitual wringing of his paws between his knees, his wife still had her knitting at which she worked complacently.

"Um…Mom?" Po ventured, uncertain since he had already discovered how blunt and direct Li-Na was. "Why are you doin' that? Prison arts 'n' crafts?" He snickered, then peered at the pink yarn. "Or somethin' ya sell for th' money?"

"Not at all," she replied. "It merely keeps my hands busy, and so frees up my mind for thought and my lips for speaking. On that note, the day is wearing on, so before the sun sets and you have to leave Shandong, shouldn't you get to whatever it is you wanted to talk to us about?" Her tone was kind and encouraging, not as abrupt as her words sounded.

She also had a point, and there was no reason to hold back—especially now, when time was of the essence, before he had to leave and go without seeing them again for months at a time, perhaps never. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to do it and so instead found himself breathlessly reciting the great deeds he'd done as the Dragon Warrior, starting from his training with Shifu and defeat of Tai Lung.

To his pleasure and pride, both pandas asked all the right questions, made the appropriate exclamations and gave satisfying gasps when certain revelations were made. Even in prison they'd heard of Tai Lung's rampage several years after the fact, and had been horrified to know the goose they'd given their son to had gone to live where it had taken place, so to hear Po had defeated him was both a shock and a mark of honor.

After hearing of what all the snow leopard had done, Bao seemed to swell under his pelt, eyes turning as cold as the snows of the Himalayas as he became filled with an icy, vicious rage; killing merchants and imperial officials was one thing, all those in the Valley of Peace had been utterly innocent!

But then Po explained how he had spared the snow leopard's life, saving and purifying him rather than obliterating him so he could have a second chance—something which had Li-Na nodding firmly in approval—how Tai Lung had turned his life around, redeemed himself and become a hero and model citizen (well, mostly…he'd always have that sarcasm, temper, and foul mouth), and how he had helped Po and the Five defeat an ancient and terrifying evil.

It was very hard for him to describe what Heian Chao was like, what he had done, but Po forced himself to—his parents had to know the truth, if they were going to have no reservations about who their son's new best friend and brother was. And the story of what Chao had tried to do, but also how he had been destroyed, was one that deserved to be spread across the empire. It was, well, legendary. And both his parents were impressed, stunned, and awed by what they heard, since apparently they'd only heard before this that he had saved the Valley but not the details.

He had expected them to be at least a little skeptical, but either their superstitions and spiritual nature were stronger than might appear on the surface, or they could simply tell he wasn't lying and had no reason to. Li-Na accepted it with grace and equanimity, even as she matter-of-factly noted that the wicked man had gotten exactly what he deserved, but if she'd been in charge of his punishment it would have been worse. What could be worse? Po thought, feeling rather disturbed, then decided he didn't want to know.

And Bao? He seemed…deeply troubled. Po hoped it was because he realized the man he'd just denounced as a depraved and demented killer was not completely responsible for his own actions, and had helped slay the one who was truly behind it all, and far worse than he could ever be.

At last, when Po had fallen silent and tried not to wriggle on the bench, even as he nervously twiddled his thumbs, there was only the sound of the wind in the courtyard, the clicking knitting needles, and Bao coughing discreetly. Then Li-Na spoke up. "Well. That was quite the tale, son. You've become all we could ever hope you would, a brave and powerful hero who will bring peace to China. And it is good you are making friends, following your heart, and choosing mercy and forgiveness—especially when it is not the easiest path. But surely you didn't come all the way here just to tell us something we could have learned on our own from the gossip chain or a missive from the Emperor. So why don't you get to the real point?"

"Ouch!" Bao winced openly. "I know you don't believe in beatin' 'round the bush, dear, but this is our son we're talking to. Maybe you should watch your tongue?"

Li-Na set down her knitting and eyed her husband pointedly. "I can't, dear, it's quite difficult and it would make me look ridiculous." A small smile appeared on her muzzle. "Besides, he's a grown man, he can handle it. And I get the feeling he wouldn't have come here if it wasn't important. Not that I don't enjoy the visit…but am I right, Po?" She gazed at him searchingly.

He sighed; had he been that obvious? Slowly he nodded, then tried to keep his eyes focused only on his mother's as he replied. "Yeah…yeah, I'm afraid ya are. Okay, look. When Chen gave me permission t' come an' visit ya, he also agreed t' look into your case again, see if anything can be done. It's been twenty years, ya did your time, there were extenuating circumstances, yadda yadda. An' I'd love t' have you back in my life, safe in the Valley of Peace, y'know?"

He paused. "But…I can't in good conscience ask Chen for that, or let him pardon ya, until I know this: have ya really changed, like Tai did? Are ya gonna stay on th' straight an' narrow once you're let out of th' slammer? An' why did ya do it in the first place?" Now he looked at Bao, hard, fierce, and direct.

Unsurprisingly, a dead silence followed this series of rapid-fire questions. What did surprise and shock him, as well as give him hope, was that while Li-Na merely sat there placid and expectant, it was his father who not only had the grace to flush…but looked horribly stricken by the accusation.

Again the wind whipped around them, billowing clothes and stirring dirt and leaves on the paving of the courtyard, but Po did not relent—keeping his green gaze fixed on the man who had become the terror of the southern provinces, the one who had denied his honorable past and everything good and decent Po believed in to pursue a life of crime, thievery, and death.

He knew he likely resembled his father far too much in this moment, considering how stern, unforgiving, and harsh he must look, but for once he didn't care. Not only was this too important to back down and allow the other panda any wiggle room to maneuver out of it if he expected to fulfill his promise to the emperor and his duty as the peace-keeping Dragon Warrior (the alternative, to have to fight and kill his own father if Bao went back to his old ways, was one he refused to contemplate), but he simply had to know, to hear what explanation the panda could possibly give.

Soon enough it seemed Bao was the one who couldn't look him in the eye. Turning away to stare sullenly at the nearest stone wall, the former highwayman shook his head—in denial of the truth, in disbelief at what he had become, in simple sorrow at what it had all come to.

"That's the same question His Majesty asked me, before he passed sentence. And it's one I've been asking myself for years. I've always had a temper. I've always been a fierce fighter—when I was training back in my village, trying to get as strong and skilled as possible, I shocked and stunned most of my masters who thought I'd just be a tub of lard that would pass out in a sweaty heap before getting to the real work. And when I joined the army, I thought all of my hard work had paid off, I got to put it to use in real combat.

"My men looked up to me, my superiors thought I had a great career in service to the throne ahead of me, I thought I had it made. It felt good, son. Like nothing I'd ever felt before in my life. I could outperform those snooty lords from the capital, outthink the wiliest invader warlords, and be the best warrior of my generation. Even the Emperor's own bodyguards were considering inducting me, once the war ended."

The panda looked back at him, partly challenging, partly begging for understanding, but then he sighed and looked down at his paws. "All that got taken away from me when General Hao denied me my leave of absence. I…I loved my life in the army. I'd have loved protecting the Emperor. I'd have come right back and trounced those Manchurians. And I know your mother would have been okay with being a soldier's wife, as long as she got to come to the capital and teach all the chefs a thing or two about real cooking." From the side, Li-Na snorted good-naturedly, but when he glanced at her Po wasn't surprised to see her sniffing and nodding in acknowledgment.

"But he wouldn't allow that, so I had to desert. And once I was on my own, on the run, and there was no other way to make ends meet…" Bao clenched his paws, then his jaw. "I still don't know why I did it. Why I let it go on so long, let myself go too far. At first I just liked getting back at people like that tiger Hao, people who oppressed us and thought they were better'n us just because of where and to whom they were born. I told myself I did it because they deserved it, that they were only rich because they'd made it at our expense, and that when Li-Na and I had enough money, we'd settle down somewhere the Emperor would never find us, maybe even leave China. But there always seemed to be one more heist, one more rich merchant train, one more family that had to be paid back."

Po looked at his father with the first stirrings of pity and sadness, even as he felt the resentment smoldering inside him. No matter how much Bao felt he was punishing the decadent empire, or getting revenge for what was done to him, nothing could justify the killing he'd done…or excuse the fact he'd refused to end it even for the sake of his newborn son.

Something of this must have shown on his face, or else it was the natural path for his own thoughts to lead, because almost immediately the older panda bit his lip and his voice became oddly small and plaintive. "I…I don't know what happened. I guess…there was a darkness in me, like there was in Tai Lung. I just got this…thrill, when I was fighting and killing, like I never did before. I didn't like the sight of blood itself…usually…but I did think of all kinds of cruel ways to kill people, just because I liked knowing I could, that they were in my power. I guess it's true what they say, the last person you ever want to give power to is someone who used to be weak and powerless, bullied around…" He swallowed against a lump in his throat.

When he looked up again, after another long silence, Po was stunned to see tears standing in those blue eyes, tears which welled up larger and larger until they overflowed and began running in two glinting streams down his white-furred cheeks. "Doesn't matter. So I had a bloodlust. Nothing excuses it, nothing justifies it. I became a monster, son. I know that now. I lost control, I couldn't stop myself even if I'd wanted to. And I loved it at the time, but looking back…I scare myself. Being locked up here was the best thing that could have happened to me, and more than I deserve. Thanks to that, it's been twenty years since I killed someone, and now…now I don't want to anymore. If I never kill another person in my life, even if they deserve it, I'll be happy. No more doing wrong for me."

Po's breath fled. "Y-you mean…you regret it?"

Without a bit of hesitation, Bao nodded firmly. "Every single day. The only thing I regret more is abandoning you because of it. If I could go back, I'd undo it, never kill anybody. It's too late now…but I swear to the gods, and to you, I've changed. If you don't believe me, I understand…hell, I wouldn't blame you. But I hope someday you can forgive me…and that I can be let out, so I can spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Making it up to everyone…"

By the time he ended this speech, Po could barely understand him, between the tears pouring down, the sobs choking his throat, and how quiet and tiny his voice had become. He'd never seen anyone look more wretched, or more painfully desperate for absolution. Whatever else Bao said, whoever he had once been, Po couldn't doubt the genuineness of this contrition.

He needed one thing more, though.

Taking a deep breath, the Dragon Warrior looked from one panda to the other, then around the deserted courtyard until he could see for certain that the wolven guard (who had thankfully been wrong about his father) was still out of earshot. "Well then, if that's all true, there's really one thing I gotta say to that." He paused, then blurted out, "Prove it."

Bao blinked.

"Prove ya regret it, prove you've changed, prove ya ain't ever gonna let anythin' like this happen ever again."

His father seemed to sway back a bit on the bench—surely not in confusion or shock, since he must have known this was coming, must have foreseen it as the only possible way he could ever make amends, but in clear understanding of how important this was to Po…and how much more unyielding and determined his son was than anyone could ever have expected who knew him before that day he'd crash-landed in front of Oogway's pointing finger.

Yet after several stunned moments of silence during which he wiped away his tears, he swallowed hard, nodded, and asked a question which both surprised and puzzled Po. "All right then, if that's the way you want it, son…whatever happened to everything we stole? All the gold and jewels, the priceless statuary and heirlooms, the money and their possessions?"

Now it was Po's turn to blink at the seeming non sequitur—then narrow his eyes flatly. "I'm pretty sure the Emperor confiscated 'em all, and he's been holdin' 'em in trust. Why?" Don't tell me he wants it all back!

He should have had more faith. Because after nodding again in approval, Bao reached over and laid a paw on his shoulder. "Good. Then what I'm going to do, if His Majesty will let me, is go over it all, identify it and who I stole it from…and then I'll return it to each and every family I robbed. And where I can't, make reparations of some sort. It's…it's the least I can do, after all I've done."

The Dragon Warrior's breath caught in his throat for a few moments. It was such a small gesture, really, one that could never bring back the dead to their loved ones, one that to many would seem useless, a pathetic attempt to garner sympathy and feign generosity and morality. But it was still a good sign, a very good sign indeed. As he'd once thought about his father's letter, at least it was a place to start. And it told him he could indeed start to believe, trust...and forgive. That it was right to offer a first step of his own in return.

"You're right, it is the least ya can do…but it's also the only thing ya really can do, now. It'll let ya start with a clean slate, get people more ready t' trust ya, give ya the benefit of the doubt, an' that's all ya can ask." He paused significantly, then spoke with deliberate firmness. "I'll make sure t' tell Chen, get the ball rolling. On that...and your new hearing. Thanks, Dad." He fought down the lump in his throat.

Several more minutes of silence passed as he and Bao looked at each other emotionally, his father dared to slide a little closer on the bench and open his arms to him in a mute offer, and at last Po accepted, embracing the convict with a tightness and intensity that, despite their earlier hug in the cell, surprised both of them. Then, when they finally broke apart, Bao managed a warm smile, even a slightly naughty and irreverent gleam in his eyes, as he poked his son in the ribs. "Well, now that that's settled, why don't you tell us about the rest of your life, huh? Like, are you seeing someone?"

Po coughed and looked away, feeling awkward and uncertain for a whole new reason this time. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Uh…well yeah, I actually am. Kinda, sorta."

At once his mother had her eyes fixed on him; she had resumed her knitting at some point, but her needles now clicked to a standstill for a second time. "You'll have to do better than that, son. Now, who is she?"

He nerved himself and spat it out in a rush. "Wu Jia."

Slowly Li-Na set aside her knitting entirely and gazed at him sidelong—in bemusement and open disbelief. "Well, now that's something I didn't expect."

Before she could say more, the sound of furred flesh striking stone was accompanied by hoots and gales of laughter—and what sounded like more than a few proud crows—as Bao grinned from ear to ear, slapped the bench beside him, and even pumped his fist a little in the air. "Hah! Now that's what I wanna hear! Always knew you'd take after your old man, son…out there playing the market and picking the dangerous ladies already, eh?"

"…what?" Po couldn't have heard that right. He flicked his eyes back to Li-Na.

"Oh, you don't think she was always just a housewife, do you? Or that she was all sweetness and light just because she was a woman?" His mother looked demure and smiled mysteriously, while her husband went on. "No sir, not my Li-Na! You don't ever wanna cross her. If you do, at the very least you're gonna be eating boiled hay for the next week…and then she'll start getting creative. Good to see ya got the same excellent taste as yours truly."

Bao rubbed his chin thoughtfully, still marveling. "Jia, huh? Well she always was the nicest one out of that bunch. You could do a lot worse. Especially in the bedroom." The panda waggled his eyebrows.

"Dad!" Po gasped, hurriedly looking around to make sure Jia hadn't appeared with impeccable timing to overhear. "Would ya cut it out? I mean…I'm still real new at this, and…and we just got started, only had a couple dates…"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" The ex-soldier looked and sounded incredulous. "She's not getting any younger, you know. Or are you just too shy and—gods, you don't know how to do anything, do you?" While Po spluttered, his father grinned and leaned in to speak behind a conspiratorial paw. "Well don't you worry now, your dad's here and he'll teach you everything he knows about women."

Li-Na, recovered from her surprise, chuckled a bit. "Well, that shouldn't take too long," she said clinically, though a slight smirk betrayed that she might not have been completely honest in her statement.

Bao put a paw over his heart. "Ouch. You wound me, dear. Just for that, I'm going to have to romance you all over again, prove I know what I'm talking about."

She sniffed. "Is that what you call it? After twenty years I think I need a little bit more than a slurred 'Thanks, love' and you rolling off of me in bed."

"Mom! " Po couldn't begin to describe how traumatized he felt. "Could ya maybe scale back the parental TMI here?"

"Why? It's a perfectly natural part of life, there's no shame in it. And it seems you do need to learn a thing or two." She smiled in satisfaction. "Whatever your father misses, I'll be sure to cover. It is, after all, a duty of a parent to instruct the next generation." The sententiousness of the saying was marred somewhat by the look she gave Bao, which was distressingly knowing, even seductive. Gah!

His father nodded firmly and crossed his arms over his chest. "I really would have thought Jia would have taught you all she knew by now. She certainly didn't hold back when we knew her…must've mellowed with age. Next time I see her, that's first on my list to bring up." Interlacing his paws and cracking all his knuckles, he then leaned on the back of the bench with one arm, a cocky and suave look on his broad white-furred face.

"Now then, if you're going to get a girl, the first thing you've gotta do is charm her, sweep her off her feet. Show her what all you can offer her…including a couple things I know Jia's gonna want to get her paws on."

Po blushed beet red, wishing more fervently than ever he could sink through the bench, the courtyard, even the entire mountain of Tai Shan.

At the other end of the prison, deep in the maximum security wing, Jia stood poised, slim and upright and ever alert, before the door to her sister's cell, tail lashing somewhat excitedly. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as the crocodile warden, who had just finished giving her a set of terse but perfectly reasonable instructions, paced back down the hall the way they'd come, leaving her alone with the sentries on duty. She looked back at them—a pair of felines, lion and tiger, both fairly young but already sizable with muscle filling out their uniforms. Nowhere on Tai Lung's level, of course, but… If I weren't seeing Po…mm-mmm…

But she was, and that made all the difference. Of course, she could still admire, and did so, even giving a sultry wink. To her surprise and amusement, while the tiger remained stoic and obedient to his rank and task, refusing to shift position, meet her gaze, or even blink, the lion looked sheepishly pleased—smiling, ducking his maned head slightly, and even blushing beneath his cheek fur. She knew the tiger was interested, too, since his posture wasn't the only thing that was stiff about him, but his companion seemed far more impressionable and pliable. So much for leonine regality. Kinda sweet really, though. And cute.

Sashaying her hips a bit, she finally approached the door and lashed her spotted tail once more. "Care to let a girl in, handsome? I promise I'll make it worth your while."

Almost immediately the young lion was stumbling over his words, and his large paws, even coming close to dropping his keys in his haste to get to the door and swing it open for her. Across from him, she could see the tiger visibly rolling his eyes, but she knew from his scent he was still interested, too, and the look he gave the other guard was more indulgent than truly reprimanding. As the door swung inwards with a creaking of timbers and iron, she heard the tiger mutter to the lion, "We really need to get out more often—and get you a cold bath."

Which only made her grin a bit triumphantly to herself. For as the door closed behind her with a solid thud, and she shot one last seductive glance over her shoulder and swished her tail (something which made the lion sigh audibly and even brought a tint of crimson to the tiger's cheeks as viewed through the barred window), she knew her plan had been accomplished. Girl, you've still got it. And they were so busy admiring the merchandise, they didn't even bother to check what else it might be concealing…

Turning away—and immediately dropping her femme fatale façade—Jia stepped forward into the pool of afternoon sunlight spilling in through the lone window high on the far wall. "Sis? How…how are you? You holding up well, everyone treating you all right?"

A snort from the shadows, and then Chun stepped calmly into view, one eyebrow raised sardonically. "Hmm? Oh yes, couldn't be peachier. I'm a regular prison princess here, with a skin of stone to boot. You?"

Despite the brittle, harsh tone in her sister's voice, Jia still heard the trace of amusement there as well and spied the tiniest of smiles quirking at the corner of her mouth. And all joking aside, she could see the ex-assassin did look surprisingly good after a little over a year of incarceration. The pale gray of her Hanfu blended in with her own fur color, as if the snow leopardess had become part of Shandong Prison, had formed out of its very rock, and yet those green eyes were more relaxed, gentle, and at peace than they'd been since—cubhood? Xu Mei's turning her back on them? Ever?

She stood relaxed, without the tension and intensity she'd had ever since training in earnest with Xiu and their mother in the arts of the assassin. And something Jia had never noticed before, and only discovered now by its absence…a pall of sadness, weariness, and bitterness—even shame. It was gone, and Chun stood straighter, yet looser, because of it. Who'd have thought…prison was actually good for her?

She knew her sister would be mortally embarrassed if she brought any of this up, if she even admitted it at all, so instead Jia smiled brightly, shrugged, and launched into her usual rapid-fire, somewhat vapid delivery she had perfected years ago—to lull her listener into a false sense of security, to inspire trust in someone seemingly so limited mentally, to convince them she was a harmless, slightly off-center girl instead of the intelligent, sophisticated woman she was. Well, all right, she actually was rather silly at times, and she also enjoyed the carefree and amusing antics she pulled as much as she did the looks on people's faces as she did it. But there was a method behind it…

"You know me, same old same old! Been traveling with Mei Mei and Crane, righting wrongs, ridding the empire of evil, trying all the latest fashions and foods. Saved that monastery over in Tibet, met a lot of really cute, hunky studs everywhere we went—though really none of them could hold a candle to the Dragon Warrior—helped that poor village of sheep when they had all the wool they were going to sell stolen by bandits—they left such an obvious trail, really, a baby could've followed it! Bits of wool everywhere…um, I can't think of the word, it has an 'uh' sound in it…"

Chun shot her a sardonic, deadpan look. "Clumps?" she suggested, voice flat.

"That's it!" Jia crowed excitedly, clapping her paws together. "They're clumps! " She just barely refrained from embracing her sister in her giddy glee.

Shaking her head and muttering under her breath, the other snow leopardess nevertheless was soon smiling again, if a bit wanly. "I see. That does match up with what we've been hearing here on the inside. Although if all the rumors that've been bruited about were really true, you'd be single-handedly responsible for taming the frontier, getting the Khan to sit down for tea with Chen, humiliating every robber from here to Hong Kong, seducing Imperial soldiers right and left, and stopping wolven warlords bent on—"

Chun broke off suddenly, narrowed her eyes, and posted her fists on her hips. "Wait a minute. What was that about the Dragon Warrior?"

Damn. She'd hoped her sister had missed that. "Uh, what about him?" She tried to sound as innocent as possible. "Did I mention—"

"Po? You…you've hooked up with Po?" She couldn't tell if Chun were about to burst out laughing, face palm, or check her forehead for a temperature.

"Um…well, kinda sorta…it depends on how you look at it…" For a few moments more she dithered—not because she was ashamed of the panda, but because she was afraid of her sister's reaction. At last she threw caution to the winds, and her paws in the air. "All right, yes, are you happy now?"

"Yes, actually," the ex-assassin replied mildly, even with a tinge of relief and slight exasperation. "Because all I can say is, it's about damn time."

Jia blinked several times in rapid succession. "You…you knew?"

Again the sardonic look. "Jia…a blind man could have seen it."

Wincing, the youngest Wu Sister began to squirm, oddly enough rather similar to how Po was wont to do. "Uh…sis, now I know this may seem pretty weird, compared to the guys I usually date, not to mention a bit disturbing seeing as we knew his parents and all, and promised to look out for him and everything…" Forget being a cougar. 'Wife husbandry', much?

Chun raised a paw to cut her off, shaking her head even as she began to smile—not just a rare expression on her in general, but one far more warm, friendly, and filled with pleasure than she'd given in years. "What are you talking about? I'm pleased as punch about this. It's the best thing that could have ever happened for you—or him. Face it, sis, you needed to branch out, find some new hobbies, and this is about as new and out there as they come, for you. And he needs someone who can really show him the world, teach him everything he needs to know if he wants to be taken at all seriously." She paused, her voice becoming soft and solemn. "And in a way, this could be seen as the best way to keep that promise of ours, even if it is years after the fact."

Jia didn't know which stunned her more—her sister's insight, perceptiveness, and intensity, or the fact she actually approved of her and Po—but she couldn't help smiling and grasping Chun's paws as she let out a huge sigh of relief. "I never thought about it like that. But…thank you. That means a lot to me." She hugged her sister.

After they broke the brief but warm embrace, they stared at each other…and then Chun once again quirked the corner of her mouth in a smile, this time one almost suggestive enough to belong to Jia herself. "Guess you'll be keeping busy for the next few years, huh?"

"What do you mean?" She narrowed her violet eyes suspiciously.

"Well, because you're going to have to teach Po everything. And I do mean everything." And she began to laugh.

Jia crossed her arms. "I'll have you know he's a lot more worldly than he lets on—"

"Please. He's as naïve as they come."

She went on as if she hadn't heard her. "—and he's got urges and needs just like any other guy—"

Chun snorted. "Listen to yourself. He's a panda. They know as much about sex as I do about bamboo."

Jia tried to be dismissive, even as Po's constant blushes, squirming, stuttering, and cluelessness hovered in the back of her mind; he'd barely seemed to realize when she wanted a kiss, let alone anything more! "So? It might be nice for a change to have a guy I have to show the ropes, instead of one who's pinning me down and pawing me like a piece of meat."

Her sister nodded, acknowledging the point, but then she smirked again. "I think you're going to have to do a bit more than that—like, show him the slings, cuffs, and collars too. You going to use those erotic scrolls we picked up in Shanghai as a visual aid, or just go straight to the Kama Sutra?"

For a long moment she glared at Chun in fury—if for no other reason than she feared her sister might be absolutely right. But then the other snow leopardess threw back her head, laughed, and even punched her lightly in the shoulder. And as Jia realized she'd just been teasing her mercilessly, something which Chun hadn't done in years, she had to start smiling and giggling herself. "You are so paying for that when you get out of here," she gasped warningly through her laughter. But it was good to have her sister back.

When the laughter had died down, Jia found herself sobering a bit and shooting her sister a worried look. "So…any idea when that might be?"

Chun didn't respond right away. In fact when Jia turned to look at her, she saw the snow leopardess had crossed over to the pool of sunlight on the cell's stone floor, and the golden finger which pointed accusingly down to join it. Incongruously, the ex-assassin stood as if a supplicant to a divine power at the temple, and in spite of herself Jia had to stifle a snicker. After all, while she had never lost her faith in the gods—not completely—Chun had always been deeply and thoroughly dedicated to the idea that in life, you were on your own, with no one to help you except yourself. And possibly your family.

Still, her chuckles died as she watched the snow leopardess stay perfectly still, back to her, face lifted up into the light. "I don't know yet," she said softly. "The Emperor hasn't decided. Like you, I tried to stop Xiu from killing Ping and Shen Zhuang…but I've done so many worse things than you in my time as an assassin. That can't be forgotten or brushed aside. And with Xiu out of her mind—or lost in it, however you want to put it—someone has to pay for our crimes, someone who's aware of what we did, and of what is now being done to us as punishment. How long it'll be before Chen decides I've served enough, paid for all our victims, I have no idea. Maybe as long as Bao and Li-Na have been here. Maybe longer."

Jia bit her lip to hold back a whimper; she understood why the emperor had done this, and it was a fair sentence, but at the same time it wasn't fair. Even if Chun had been more willing, more cold and ruthless, and hadn't had to be blackmailed into it, she still never would have become what she had if not for Xiu, and Wu Qing. It wasn't fair that the ones who were truly responsible were suffering terrible fates which yet left them beyond the reach of the law…so that those who were innocent had to pay the price in their place.

Carefully, she stepped toward Chun, one paw reaching out for her shoulder as she spoke uncertainly, cautiously. "And…you're just going to accept that? You're not even going to try to fight it, appeal his decision? Or let me do it on your behalf?"

"Why not? It's the right thing to do. It's justice." Over her shoulder, from within the shadows formed by her brows as she turned out of the sunlight, her green eyes glinted—with determination, strength, but also self-realization. "This isn't a rigged trial, like the one Tai Lung had to endure. All the witnesses were of sound mind and possessed of their own will. All the documents were in order, nothing was fabricated or concealed. The charges were clear and could not be denied, and the judge was ready to rule in my favor if the evidence suggested he should. But you know it wouldn't. You know what we did, what we were paid to do. That isn't something I could get away with. And with you pardoned, and Xiu insane, someone had to take the fall."

Jia bristled openly, clenching her fists at her sides. "But—but you're not like her! You've changed! Shouldn't you get a chance to prove it, to show it? And what about Bao and your promise to him? Po needs you, too."

She snorted derisively. "The panda needs me like he does a knife under the ribs. You're all he needs, Jia. You're so much better for him, in every way that counts…"

Silence reigned in the cell for several long minutes, as Chun returned to contemplating the eye of sun gleaming wanly down at her and Jia in turn stared at her slender back in shock, as if she didn't know who this was. To some degree, she didn't, for she meant what she'd said: this wasn't the Chun she remembered. Whether due to Chao's defeat, or her own at the paws and swords of Tigress, the middle Wu Sister seemed to have become not only resigned to her fate, but to welcome it. And while that spoke well of her future redemption and what her good behavior would instill in the emperor when next he reviewed her case, it couldn't make Jia entirely happy. Because she still missed her sister, and didn't want to be left alone without her.

Besides…she had to be sure this wasn't an act. Chun was as wily as Xiu in some ways, and without her instability and chaotic nature to hold her back. She wouldn't put it past the former assassin to feign a conversion she didn't truly feel, to spend a year in Shandong as a model prisoner, only to lull them into complacency so she could engineer a brutal and efficient escape later on. She had to know.

Very slowly, she peered over her shoulder at the cell door. The sentries were still visible, but turned to face out into the hallway. Neither feline seemed to care what was happening or being said beyond the door they guarded, content in their belief that there was nothing the two snow leopardesses could do to slip out from under their noses, or to take them on directly and make a run for it. And they were far enough away they would not hear.

Coming up behind Chun once again, Jia softly and gently reached inside her tunic, then down into her trousers, to the sheath hidden below her hip, pressed against her inner thigh—in a place no male who searched her would dare touch, lest he be accused of scandalous harassment. Closing her paw around the hilt of the dagger there, she slowly slid it out, then brought it up behind her sister, letting the blade catch the light. In a whisper she spoke.

"It doesn't have to be this way, you know. You can escape, I can help you escape. Just give the word, and we'll make our move. We kill the guards, then you leave me behind, wounded—just enough to make it look convincing. I pretend you overpowered me and knocked me out. You head for Tibet, or Mongolia, start a new life for yourself. No one will ever know the difference…you won't be killing anymore, that's all that matters. Just say the word."

The silence which followed this pronouncement was utterly still, filled with meaning, and growing with coldness, disbelief, and fierce anger. Then at last, without warning, Chun whirled about. Before Jia could do more than raise her free paw to block, her sister smacked it aside even as she latched on to the paw that held the knife, gripping her wrist painfully and then wrenching her arm around in a complex spin that left the weapon pinned to the small of her back.

Green eyes met hers with a look both slightly demented and blatantly, contemptuously shocked. "Are you out of your mind? What were you thinking? Even if we set up a ruse like that, no one would believe it. I was searched when I was first brought here, and after every mealtime and exercise in the courtyard. They'd know you gave me the knife. You'd lose your pardon and be right in here with me. And even if we killed the guards, there'd be no way I'd make it out of this fortress alive. But that isn't the point."

Squeezing hard, she made Jia drop the knife with a cry of pain muffled in her hood, then deftly caught it before it could hit the floor. Letting go with a violent motion that almost shoved her away, Chun turned back to the sunlight, pacing toward the wall, dagger held before her to hide the gleaming metal against her body. Despite how readily she'd been disarmed, Jia only stood still, rubbing her wrist, watching and listening very closely. When her sister spoke it was introspectively, almost wonderingly.

"If you'd come to me with this deal a year ago, I might have taken you up on it. No, I know I would have. Xiu was gone, we wouldn't have had to deal with her cruelty or insanity any longer. We could have struck out on our own, been great warriors and assassins who chose our own marks, acted where we wished to right wrongs and make some money off of it. Chao would never haunt us again. We didn't need Tai Lung. And if I was still smarting from Tigress's victory…well, I'd be insane myself to seek revenge against her.

"But something has happened to me, during my time here. I've had time to think, really think, about everything that's happened, everything we've done. That I've done. I thought about Tigress, and how she had every reason to kill me—I was the one who nearly killed her, in the birch forest that night. I tried to help Chao in his mad schemes as much as Xiu did. I fought the Dragon Warrior, I tried to take Tai Lung from her, I nearly killed her again on Wu Dan. And I was set to do so a third time in the Vault of Heroes. Yet she spared my life. She chose mercy over vengeance, and justice over retribution. That meant something. It meant she had honor. Something I thought I had, convinced myself I had, to justify all I did, to keep me from becoming Xiu. But I was wrong."

Turning back, she gazed boldly up from the dagger she held, and Jia was stunned anew to see tears in her eyes. "And then I remembered something. Something Mother said to me, once."

"Mother?" Jia blinked a bit incredulously; what could that depraved assassin possibly have said to change Chun, give her such hope and wisdom?

"Xu Mei," Chun explained, one eyebrow quirked, and Jia had to mentally kick herself…even as she marveled at this. Her sister hadn't called anyone but Wu Qing 'Mother' in years… "She said to me, 'Everyone sets such store by honor, everyone believes it can be granted to you by the emperor or stripped away by him, that it can be lost, broken, tarnished, bartered like tea leaves in the marketplace. But in the end, you can never lose your honor—not unless you deny and forsake it yourself. And then you are the only one who can restore it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.'"

Even as Jia listened in awe, wishing she had heard these words—they would have gone far toward helping her throw off her own despair, instead of having to wait years for Mei Ling to do it for her during their battle—her middle sister went on, at first slightly choked up but her voice growing stronger with each passing moment.

"Well, Mother was right. She was right about everything. Though I convinced myself otherwise, I had lost my honor when I joined with Xiu. And now I have to get it back. Chen won't release me until I have served my sentence, and I won't have my honor back until I have. But I also won't have it back until I deserve it. I won't leave until I have the right to."

Chun slowly handed the knife back to her, squeezed her fingers around the hilt. "Put it away, Jia. Come visit me whenever you like, whenever the emperor lets you, but don't ever show that to me again. I'll leave when the time is right. When I've redeemed myself, and I can face the light outside, instead of just from the window of a cell."

Pride swelled within Jia, more pride for Chun than she had ever felt, or ever thought she would, and her jaw quivered and shook with the emotion. Taking the weapon back and returning it to its hidden sheath, she closed her eyes and nodded slowly, in vindication. It was good to be sure of her sister at last. "Thank you, Chun. Thank you for proving me right, and passing my test."

Her sister blinked a few moments, then gasped softly and licked her lips. "So that's what it was…and here I thought you were just slipping into old habits, that you weren't ready to give up a life of crime after all. Should've known better, really. Good for you, Jia..." She shook her head wonderingly, admiringly. "You're welcome. I'm glad I passed it, too. Now, give me another hug, and tell me everything you left out."

She did so, chatting animatedly and gaily once again, but it hid a certain uneasiness inside her. For while it had been a test, it had not only been for Chun. Because if her sister had agreed to try to escape, what would she, Jia, have then done? Withdrawn the offer? Joined in on the escape? Or killed her sister?

She would never know now…and thankfully, she would never have to. But it seemed she still had some ways to go—and all the more reason to stick to Po's side and the future he offered her.

Chapter Text

t was a warm summer day—by coincidence or design, only Oogway and the gods knew for sure, but it just so happened to be the second anniversary of Po's defeat of Tai Lung—when the panda took the next major step in his relationship with Wu Jia. Several steps, in fact. And it all started with him keeping a promise…and finally, at long last, taking the initiative.

He wasn't simply just a shy, naïve, clueless guy, Po had thought to himself defensively on many an occasion in the last year, and especially often in the three months since their return from Shandong. It was that his entire life, his background, his upbringing, it all conditioned him to be anything but assertive and in control. He had been an orphan—or so he had thought—abandoned and left for another to raise; as such, the only way he could rise above his origins, could prove himself worthy of honor and praise despite not knowing his ancestors, was if he did everything in his power to obey, exemplify, and honor in turn his adopted father and his family.

He was also a giant panda, the only one in the Valley of Peace, and so to keep from feeling outcast and feared, or at least distrusted, he had to do all he could to fit in: speak when spoken to, learn all the proper honorifics, pray twice as hard to the gods, never say a harsh word against the Emperor (though why would he, when Chen was the best ruler China had had in centuries and Po wasn't the sort to say a harsh word against anyone anyway?), and celebrate all the festivals and holidays with perfection, piety, and enthusiasm.

And lastly, of course, while he had always loved his father, was happy to learn exquisite gourmet dim sum at Ping's side, and especially relished both the wild, raucous, informal revelry of the Winter Festival and the quieter private celebrations with warm food and old, homemade decorations for just him and the goose, Po had also always been strongly encouraged to learn and stay in his place. To be a dutiful son, loyal citizen, and subservient worker.

Most dishearteningly of all, he had been told by everyone, from his father and friends to Master Shifu and most of the Five, to view his dream of being a kung fu warrior as just that, a dream and nothing more. With all this being the case, how could he ever hope to be as determined, self-reliant, and forthright as he'd need to be to act as the Dragon Warrior—let alone get anywhere with a woman? Especially one like Jia? In the end, however, it was the very fact he'd been given the Dragon Scroll that proved to be the deciding factor in helping him break free of his self-doubts and fears. That, and some much needed advice from his best friend, Tai Lung.

Not that the scroll gave him some super-special power, like being absolutely suave and clever with the ladies, nor that it magically transformed him into a confident and brave warrior overnight. As always, it only gave him the power to succeed, and only when he believed in himself…something which sadly, as yet, didn't extend to his interactions with women. But being the Dragon Warrior meant something, something for future encounters as well as the heroic deeds he'd already performed, which the master of the Jade Palace had only been too quick to point out to him.

It had happened one evening about a month ago, when in the privacy of the Jade Palace's quiet darkness, during a meditation exercise in his dormitory room, Po had been unable to concentrate or even stay silent thanks to the burgeoning love in his heart for the former assassin, a love he felt compelled to speak of with as much excited gushing as he'd usually employ when discussing kung fu.

Yet the minute Tai Lung had ceased growling and glowering at him, uncrossed his spotted arms, and with a surprisingly fond and warm smile suggested that it was Jia he should be saying these things to, Po had immediately backpedaled—blushing like a New Year's lantern, becoming tongue-tied, and saying he could never tell her, not that way, not so boldly and openly. And two seconds after that, the snow leopard had launched into a blistering, albeit hissed and harshly whispered, tirade.

"Panda…Po. You are the best friend I could ever have, you're a brother to me, and a great warrior to top it all off—but damn it, man…the hell…up! Is this the fellow who trounced me, or who helped take out that mental blighter Chao? I know you're better than this." With heaving chest and brightly flaring golden eyes, he'd stabbed a finger toward the bear, but despite the seeming rage and fanaticism in his gaze and voice, there'd also been a genuine confusion…and pleading.

"I get it, you're shy. You can find your confidence just as easily as you can your toes, and around Jia you're as much a nervous wreck as a furniture seller with me and Tigress in a room full of rocking chairs. But have you forgotten who, and what, you are?" He'd pointed at the scarlet-and-gold cylinder in the waistband of Po's shorts, where he carried it religiously, save for when he'd fought Chao and instead brought it into battle in Flying Rhino's mail belt pouch.

"You are the Dragon Warrior, you've proved it more than often enough. You've faced countless foes and death-defying experiences…yet you let yourself get this bent out of shape simply over a woman's affections? Even I wasn't this bad with Tigress." Po had given him a knowing look, and he'd flattened his ears to his skull. "All right, maybe I was, but I certainly wasn't shy about my feelings. And all those months we were recovering from the Vault of Heroes, you didn't have a single problem talking to her.

"So here's what you're going to do." Tai Lung had actually cracked his knuckles, as well as sat up as straight and true as he could instead of his habitual low-slung crouch. "You're going to stop being so prudish just because you're a panda, and instead get Jia alone, take her where you promised her, and show her how you feel. Got it?" The snow leopard had growled, though more in frustration than anger.

"Because I am going to get you and your lady love together, and happy, if it kills me. You've brought peace to the Valley and the whole empire—not just to Shifu, which I'd have sworn would only happen the day Tigress wore a frilly dress and Oogway gave a straight answer, but also to me. Which me and everyone else thought was impossible. It's about time you get to have some peace and happiness of your own."

The panda had been ready to reprimand his friend—yes, actually dare to raise his voice and demand an apology for that crack about pandas. Really? Did he have t' fall into that dumb ol' stereotype? His species and its supposed penchant for being ignorant in sexual matters had nothing to do with it. After all, it wasn't as if a conservative man like Ping was likely to teach him much of anything regarding the ins and outs of romance and lovemaking, especially not anything explicit. Heck, if he'd ever had a hint I was thinkin' of stuff like that…or the gods forbid, found my, ah, secret stash I picked up from that merchant from Shanghai…

No, with a doting father like the goose who had raised him far too sheltered, even spoiled him a tad, there would be no education about such matters; Ping wanted him to do the honorable duty and provide him with grandchildren (or at least, he had before Jia came along), but that didn't mean he wanted to see the evidence of it, or even talk about it. Apparently Po had been expected to figure it out on his own, being a man. Besides, there'd always been more pressing matters like learning to cook and manage the noodle restaurant. And with him so concerned over what others thought, because he was an orphan and a giant panda, he certainly hadn't wished to make waves in the community by running around pursuing girls.

But instead of explaining all this to the spotted feline, or insisting he at least knew enough of the basic mechanics to, ah, perform when he had to, Po had closed his mouth and stared at his friend with a quivering lip and chin, his heart in his throat. He believed in him. He thought he had a chance. And most important of all, he truly thought of the panda, the one who had defeated and utterly humiliated him, as a best friend and brother, one who deserved fulfillment, good karma, and a special future. If all this was true, how could he deny Tai Lung his will, reject what was being offered him, just because he was too scared, or thought he wasn't good enough for Jia?

Besides…the snow leopard's reference to his courtship of Tigress had made Po realize something else, something which proved the master of the Jade Palace even more right. The deck had been stacked against the two felines from the start—she the leader of a force of kung fu warriors dedicated to maintaining peace and goodwill, he an evil scourge who had destroyed that peace and nearly slain her, her friends, and her master; she a woman far too dedicated to combat and training to her physical peak rather than matters of the heart, he an arrogant warrior who believed his heroic deeds and the praise he garnered for them were all that mattered and women only crossed his mind if the issue of his progeny were brought up. And of course, both of them were so stubborn, with so much pride, anger, hurt and hardened hearts, and bloodlust—many times he'd considered it lucky they hadn't killed each other, let alone that they'd managed to become a couple.

They had, though. Somehow, they'd changed, they'd learned to love, they'd admitted it and come together. Even though no one had believed in them (except Viper of course, who always believed in love, and Mei Ling), had thought what they felt was genuine or that they'd succeed, they had and now had two adorable cubs to show for it. If they could do it, surely he and Jia could too. He could make an extra effort, for their sake as well as hers.

Which was why he had thanked Tai Lung, taken him up on his suggestion (or command), and begun the planning which had led to this summer day.

"Are we there yet?" Jia asked, suddenly interrupting his thoughts, only a slight whine of impatience creeping into her voice; mostly she sounded curious and vaguely amused. He didn't blame her for wondering, however; not only had the trip taken them half a day, but he'd insisted prior to departing the Valley that when they approached their destination she had to close her eyes and allow him to lead her (after waving a paw before her face, just to make sure she wasn't cheating—a rather likely possibility). He had, after all, wanted this to be a surprise. Of course, Jia was surefooted enough to make it on her own, but he was touched by her trust.

Chuckling to himself, he nodded, then squeezed her paw reassuringly since she couldn't see him. "You bet, just a little bit farther…"

At last, after rounding the last bend in the ledge pathway, and feeling his eagerness growing just as much as hers, Po finally came in sight of their destination. Striding up onto the plateau and barely breathing hard this time—though he still waddled—the panda brought her to a halt in the whispering grasses by the water's rippling shore and smiled. "Okay, you can open 'em now."

Jia did so—and his heart skipped a beat in spite of himself as she gasped in genuine pleasure. "Oh, baby bear, it's perfect."

He blushed bright red at her private pet name for him, but he had to admit that, with both Viper and Tai Lung's timely advice, he'd done well. They were, of course, on Wu Dan, alongside the shimmering, scintillating waters of the Pool of Sacred Tears, the surrounding plain and forest as bursting with life, verdant plants, and animals that scampered and flew as it had been ever since his water chi restored it. That wasn't the real reason he was proud though, nor he thought that the snow leopardess was so excited.

Alongside the banks of the pool, several colorful blankets (gifts from Li-Na, knitted by herself naturally) had been spread out. Also by the water sat a small lantern, already lit and twinkling invitingly in the twilight, since Zeng had flown ahead to do the honors just before their arrival; another hung suspended from the branches of the nearest tree, casting a circle of golden warmth onto the grassy soil. Plates, bowls, cups, and chopsticks had already been properly placed. All that was missing was the food itself…which Po had in the collection of small baskets he carried in his knapsack, those amazing new inventions of his dad's that retained heat.

"This…this is amazing! And so sweet…" Jia turned to him, violet eyes shining like precious gems, and he felt his breath rasp in his throat. "You did this all yourself?"

"Well, I had a little help," he admitted, since he could never lie to her and he would never want to take credit for his friends' contributions. "I planned th' menu an' did all the cookin' myself, but Dad closed the shop for the afternoon so I could. Zeng and Crane helped me set it up, Tigress and Mantis volunteered to, ah, keep Master Shifu busy in the kwoon all day so he wouldn't try t' pin me t' Tai's old desk so I can learn the scrolls…" He glanced at her with a sly, artfully innocent grin. "An' I kept you distracted by Mei an' Monkey down in the tournament arena."

They'd been slowly walking the whole time he spoke. Now, as they reached the Pool of Sacred Tears and stopped by the blankets, Jia took his paws in hers and grinned back at him in admiration. "You're good, big guy. Learned it all from the best, I see." She winked coquettishly, then laughed. He couldn't stop from beaming; he loved hearing her laugh, loved making her laugh. "And you remembered what we talked about at Ping's a year ago. I thought you'd forgotten; I almost had myself." She reached up and placed a small, delicate paw against his cheek. "It's so good seeing you act on your own, instead of doing what everyone else tells you to do."

Suddenly Po felt self-conscious again—and a bit ashamed. "Well, kinda sorta. Yeah, the idea was mine an' I helped get everyone involved, but I needed a little…push first."

Jia quirked a brow. "Oh, really?" She eyed him curiously.

He realized he wasn't going to get out of this, and his honesty compelled him to tell her anyway. So as he knelt down by the blankets and removed his knapsack, and as Jia began helping him unpack it and set out the food, he explained to her just what had happened between him and Tai Lung that had given the panda the extra shove he needed. The snow leopardess listened quietly for the most part, with what he thought was veiled amusement, until he finally related Tai Lung's stirring, albeit tongue-in-cheek, encouragement after Po had agreed to be more proactive:

"That's the spirit! I mean, really, d'you expect her to always take the lead in everything? Either go for lying your head in her lap as she feeds you grapes and you compliment and praise her, or put on a bib so she can feed you spoonfuls of mashed apples. But the bottom line is, man up, panda! You love that woman? Then go and show her!"

At that point, the former Wu Sister began to laugh openly. "Wow…I had no idea he could be such a romantic." Jia giggled. "Or that he was so gung ho about helping us get together. It's really rather sweet. He's a good friend to you."

Po nodded agreeably, a familiar warmth filling his heart, but then he slowly began to smirk. "You aren't the only one t' think so."

"Oh, who else?" Her eyes glinted merrily.

"Viper."

"She didn't!" Jia slapped her leg. "Oh, you can't leave it like that, big guy, you've got to give me all the juicy details."

Tai Lung was his best friend—but some things transcended friendship. Like helping the snow leopard remain humble…or having a good, healthy laugh. So, he complied. "Okay, fine. He really tried t' put up that macho act of his, but Viper saw right through it. She caught us during his little pep talk, an' gee, what all did she say…"

Scrunching up his face to think (though it was only for show, as the words she'd uttered were branded into his memory forever), he launched into his best imitation of the serpent…which wasn't much better than what he'd used when playing with his action figures. But it got the point across. "After all that time, doing everything in your power to prove you were a badass fighter, and insisting you had a reputation to live up to, who'd have thought you would be so good as a matchmaker?"

He then switched voices, doing his equally poor imitation of Tai Lung—at least in depth, he actually did a fairly good approximation of his brother warrior's accent. "Now, now, Mistress Viper, it's not what it looks like. I simply felt Po needed a man's touch in this. Your methods may have worked with me, but what the panda needs is a firm approach."

Po wiggled his fingers like Viper's ribbons as he adopted a stern look. "You can really say my approach with you wasn't firm?"

He rubbed the back of his neck in a classic Tai gesture, looking sheepish and crestfallen. "Er…all right, you have a point there, but still…"

"Oh, don't worry, Tai Lung, it's fine, I was only teasing. I think it's great. You and I would actually make good couples counselors."

Before he could go on, Jia interrupted him with a fit of laughter. "She actually said that? Oh gods, I'd love to have seen Tai Tai's face!"

Po grinned hugely at her. "You almost got to. As soon as she saw th' look he had, she started babbling about gettin' a quick artist to sketch him, 'cause it just needed t' be captured. An' he really started panickin' when she mentioned gettin' Crane t' do it, as payback for that 'calligraphy' prank before Tai's wedding."

The ex-assassin let out a yowl of delight. "Oh, she's rare! That serpent is wicked ! I knew there was a reason I liked her…so then what happened, tell me, tell me?" She leaned forward eagerly.

Snickering, the bear said off-handedly, "He tried to find out what he had t' do t' keep her from tellin' everyone about this. She wouldn't tell him though, just kept sayin' that even after all that happened between him an' Tigress, he still had t' act all tough an' unsentimental…an' she thought it was adorable."

Jia's jaw dropped. "She dared to say that?"

Po nodded slowly, firmly. "An' then he got all flustered tryin' t' deny it, till he was babblin' up a storm. But every time he shouted 'I am not adorable!' Viper kept commentin' about how cute his fluffed-up fur was…"

The former Wu Sister collapsed in the panda's lap, howling with laughter as tears of mirth streamed thickly from her tightly scrunched eyes. "Oh…OH…my sides hurt!…that's the funniest thing I've ever heard…" She tried to wipe her eyes, but more tears leaked out as she clutched at her ribs. "I can't believe…Tai Tai, of all people…"

"Yeah…I know what ya mean…" He knew he shouldn't be laughing, since Tai Lung was his best friend and his pride was very prickly and sensitive…but it was healthy to be able to laugh at yourself, and what the snow leopard didn't know would never hurt him. Besides, it was funny. This was th' guy that had me quakin' an' runnin' for th' hills? Well…I guess it's better than all those nightmares I had those first couple weeks, about what would've happened if I'd used th' finger hold like Master Shifu would've, an' killed him…

Forcing his thoughts away from that well-worn path—the past was over and done with, and this was a time for happiness and love, not death and suffering—Po smiled. "But this is th' guy who started readin' Viper's romance novels, t' give him ideas on how t' treat Tigress right, an' when I caught him at it acted like I did when he caught me with my action figures." Or if he'd been, ah, takin' matters in paw.

He didn't know if the look on his face at that last thought had piqued Jia's curiosity, or if it was the comment about his action figures which he really wished he'd held back in time. Whatever it was, as her laughter died down and she sat up, mouth open to ask a question, he hurriedly rushed into the breach. "So anyway, yeah, it was 'cause of Tai I got up th' courage t' ask you here, Jia, an' he even got humiliated in th' bargain, so let's not let this food go t' waste, huh?"

Pursing her lips, the snow leopardess looked ready to argue, but she couldn't deny the delicious aromas wafting up from the picnic spread, and so she swallowed whatever she'd been going to say and knelt properly beside him so the meal could be served. In less than fifteen minutes, it was all arranged on the cloth—baskets of crab meat cheese puffs and steamed bean buns, a bowl of lemon salad with shrimp, Po's candied walnut apples, and of course dishes and platters of deliciously seasoned and spiced noodles and rice.

It was all so appealing, looked and smelled so appetizing, that Jia was soon heaping her plate and bowl with each of the delectable morsels. But to his shock, surprise, and growing pride, Po found that he didn't feel a need to dig in himself, instead only pouring a cup of peach blossom tea and sipping it sedately while he sat there…watching, staring at the snow leopardess who had been the first person to treat him not only as a friend and companion, but as someone worth loving and sharing a life with.

He sat, and he stayed perfectly silent, content for her to begin any conversation there might be and otherwise enjoying the quiet. He didn't even feel a need to fill the air with inane babble, whether meaningless words about the weather, talk of his favorite recipes, or even, to his own stunned disbelief, kung fu. Nothing seemed to matter anymore…only him, and Jia.

By the time he'd finally collected some food for himself—decidedly smaller portions than he'd usually take, and eaten with decorum and care rather than voracity—the spotted feline seemed to have noticed his unusual attitude. Cocking her head to the side, she frowned a bit. "Hey, big guy, you don't need to change how you eat or who you are for me, you know. I love you just the way you are."

"I know." For once he actually believed it and meant it, and it came through in his soft, noncommittal tone. "It's just, well…" His mind flashed back to another meal on Wu Dan, a revelation he'd uncovered there, a milestone reached and an immense shift in his thinking, and he smiled warmly, wryly. "I'm not hungry."

A quizzical look turned into one of understanding and excitement, and Jia set down her salad bowl safely to the side so as to lean in and bring her muzzle to his. But just as her sweet lips were about to touch his—Po's stomach betrayed him, letting out the loudest, rudest, most embarrassing growl it ever had.

Immediately he pulled back, mortified, his face flaming all over again, and he began to worry his lip as he ducked his chin into his chest, afraid to meet her eyes. But when he finally dared to do so, she wasn't laughing. She did look amused, but the most she gave him was an uplifted eyebrow and the quirk of one corner of her mouth. When she saw him looking, the snow leopardess said dryly, "Really? Could've fooled me."

Po chuckled—weakly, but he did chuckle. "Okay, fine, maybe I am. But you know what, my inner beast is just gonna have t' wait." Thinking back to the first moment he'd begun having these intense feelings for her, ones he had longed to act upon…that moment in the kitchen, just before De had interrupted them, when he had to have been an absolute dunce not to pick up on the signals she was giving him…the panda smiled and reached down to pick up a bowl of cheese puffs and a set of chopsticks. "Or maybe…you can feed it, huh? Like ya did when we had that custard."

She smiled back at him, as sweet and good-naturedly as ever, though he couldn't miss the devilish gleam in her eyes. "Sounds good to me, baby bear. I know I could go for some real…quality time with you." Before he could do more than tug nervously at his collar, she had slid across the blanket and perched almost child-like on his knee, where she began to impishly, yet fondly, deliver one puff after another to his waiting mouth—when she didn't cheat and nab one for herself, every now and then. "Mmmmmm! You really outdid yourself this time, Po…"

He had to agree, the taste in his mouth was explosive, heavenly even…but that wasn't the only thing he found divine. Since not only was he unable to tear his gaze from her own unwavering eyes, but his paw had, completely of its own accord, wrapped around her waist and drawn her closer. And it felt so right resting there, just as she felt so right in his embrace, leaning against his chest and belly. For once, he didn't mind his massive size and pudgy build…since it seemed to make the perfect support for Jia to lean upon, keeping her face in turn at just the right height.

He could smell her own scent—more exotic and unique than any perfume she could wear—overpowering his senses, could hear the very soft hum of contentment she made under her breath as she brought one dumpling, loop of noodle, or shrimp after another to his watering mouth. He could see deep into her eyes, where once there had only been pain, self-hatred, and despair, now replaced by joy and a zest for life…and love, most definitely love. And the more he saw, the more lucky, special, and hopeful he felt.

Finally, when the bowl was empty and Jia was about to go back for seconds, Po knew it was time. He had to make his move, before he lost his nerve. Tossing back the entirety of his cup of tea, he gasped and wiped the back of his paw across his mouth, then set it down on the blanket and placed both paws on her wrists, gently holding them at her sides so she couldn't feed him any more. "Jia, I…"

"Yes?" She looked up at him disingenuously, though he knew she had to be guessing, and hoping for, what was on his mind. He didn't know whether to be grateful or annoyed that her little act left it all in his paws. But he knew he had to say it all the same.

"Look, I wanna be the best man I can be for you, Jia…" He grasped her paws in his.

The former Wu Sister smiled, a bit sadly. "I'm touched, Po, really I am. But that's not necessary, you know—"

He cut her off. "Yeah, yeah it is. You need the best man ya can possibly get, after all the crap you've been through. You deserve the strongest, smartest, bravest, most devoted guy—"

Now it was her turn to cut him off, directly by covering his mouth. "But you already are all those things, baby bear. At least you are to me, no matter what anyone else says. You're definitely the best man for me. It's so amazing though, that you'd still try and be even better, just for me." Her voice caught in her throat, and he saw tears forming in her eyes.

As her paw slid down off his muzzle, he hastened to wipe those tears away, then cupped the side of her face. She leaned into it, as if drawing strength from him, and he swallowed hard. "What're you talkin' about? Just doin' what's right. An' even if you're right—which just for the record, I still don't think ya are—there's still more I gotta do for ya." Once again his mind flashed back to the kitchen, to what they'd been about to do after the custard…and before he could change his mind, he took a deep breath, he cupped her cheeks in his paws and kissed her.

They'd kissed before, quite a number of times in fact, and that night at Ping's when they'd decided to go to Shandong had been a particularly memorable example. But none of them had been like this. It felt like fireworks, or the explosives the Anvil of Heaven had rigged Chorh-Gom with, had gone off inside of him. It felt, incongruously, as if his chi had switched to the opposing element, as if the fire that normally burned inside Tai Lung were now his to possess…and be overwhelmed by.

At the same time it did feel as if a tempestuous sea were building up inside him, ready to unleash a torrent that would flood the entirety of the empire. If he weren't kissing her, he'd have gasped—in fact he did anyway, into her muzzle—for he couldn't believe its intensity and power. He'd never felt anything like this before…but it felt perfect with Jia, he loved it, and he wanted more.

By the time he finally had to let her go so they both could breathe, Jia was as flushed as he was, and the redness of his cheeks had nothing to do with embarrassment, or at least not only that. Chest heaving, he gazed at her longingly. "Th-there. That's…what I've gotta give ya."

For a moment she only stared at him in stunned but pleased disbelief. Then she smirked broadly and murmured to herself. "Hah. Chun was so wrong about you…"

Po had a pretty good feeling what the middle Wu Sister had believed about him—the same thing Tai Lung had. So even though he bristled inwardly, yet also briefly slumped his shoulders in shame, he swiftly recovered and shook his head. "I know it may be hard t' believe, but yeah…I do know how this stuff works. At least, I know the basics." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Just…had t' get a few more lessons first."

He didn't know if she was incredulous at the idea of lessons in lovemaking at all, or of him getting them in particular. But when she closed her hanging jaw, her next words cleared it up. "From whom?"

"Uh…Tai."

Jia's eyebrows both shot up, and she began to laugh. "From the guy who until just over a year ago was a virgin himself?"

Well, when she put it that way it did sound ridiculous. "Jeez, does everybody in th' Valley know about that now?" He paused. "Come t' think of it, how do ya know?"

She smirked. "He was a virgin when I met him, and not long after that he went to prison for twenty years. You do the math." She paused too. "And okay, Mantis confirmed it for me."

I knew it! "All right, but he never did it 'cause he never got the chance, an' wasn't interested back then. Not 'cause he didn't know how." He coughed uncomfortably. "He, er, got taught everythin' about how t' please a woman when he was thirteen. Uh, by, um, Master Oogway. At least that's what he told me." I so did not need t' know that! Thanks a lot, big guy, now I'm th' one who wants t' gouge his eyes out. Though I guess that explains those love letters. Glad they never let me read 'em…

Even as Jia was staring at him in mingled horror and morbid fascination, he rushed on. "Anyway, in case ya forgot, he an' Tigress have been gettin' lots of practice, so by now he does know what he's talkin' about…"

"Yeah," the snow leopardess muttered absently. "He must be getting it, they've been going at it every chance they get. Bet they have a copy of the Kama Sutra stashed under their bed, too…"

"Mantis says they do." And he didn't want to know how the insect had managed to sneak in to find that out. He already wished he hadn't looked over Mantis's shoulder, some of the things he'd seen had shocked him to the core, others actually…turned him on…and still others simply made him a bit queasy. Seriously, in the mouth? "Anyway," he rushed on, "so yeah, I know what t' do."

Jia looked up, clearly wrenching herself from her thoughts, and smiled at him…lovingly at first, then with a gradually increasing naughtiness. "I'll say you do. That was some kiss! Only thing left was to pin me down," she said teasingly.

Blushing furiously, he started stammering and mumbling sheepishly, even though he tried not to. "I-it was? I mean, yeah, it was, wasn't it! Yeah, well I am th' Dragon Warrior an' all, how'd ya expect me to—er, um, thanks, Jia…I-I-I really wanted t' get it right for ya, you're so pretty an' awesome an'—" He cut himself off, ran a paw over his face as he tried to calm his frazzled nerves, and then shook his head.

"What I meant t' say was, I…I kinda did get that urge. But…I didn't wanna, uh, crush you." He couldn't keep the mortification out of his voice, or stop himself from staring down at his belly, which he hefted in both paws before letting it slosh back into place with a heavy sigh.

For several moments she blinked rapidly, and he couldn't tell if she were about to laugh—which would have crushed him, emotionally anyway—or offer some meaningless denial. Instead, she placed both paws on his shoulders and met his gaze unblinkingly before nodding. "You're right, that is a possibility. But I think I know a way around that."

"You do?" He looked up, startled, hope burning inside him in spite of himself.

Her answer wasn't what he expected—in a reversal of their first kiss on Chap Goh Meh, she suddenly yanked on his shoulders and fell backwards, dragging him down on top of her, away from the picnic blankets, as she kissed him with just as much fervency, passion, and hunger as he'd just employed with her.

It happened so quickly and without warning he had no time to prepare, or to worry about endangering her small, slender body with his bulk…he simply lost himself in the kiss, in the wonderful combination of her flowery scent, sweet taste, and supple grace beneath him, in how it felt like they'd been made for each other despite the difference in age and species. By the time part of his mind could wonder at her still being conscious and mobile beneath him, it was a moot point as she was clearly quite fine.

When at last she broke the kiss and pulled her muzzle away, Jia purred throatily and nuzzled him, licking his cheek. "My, you do feel good on top, Po."

Jaw dropping, he glanced down—and discovered that somehow, when she had pulled him back into the grass, he had instinctively braced himself on paws and knees, thus keeping the majority of his weight off of her. All that had come down on top of her was his chest and belly, and this only supplied a firm but not unpleasant pressure which held her in place. In fact it actually felt quite good, and natural. "H-how…how did you know?"

She smiled. "Easy. I fought you, and I've seen you fight and train. Even before you started mastering the scrolls, you had the instincts of a kung fu warrior—as long as you had a focus, a drive, something to keep you on the right path. Yeah, you've had your clumsy moments, a lot of them. But you've been learning balance and stances, ways to shift your weight or even use it against your enemy. It helps make you faster and cleverer, and unpredictable too…but it also means you can manage your weight in other circumstances. All you have to do is follow your instincts, and not think about it."

She brought her paw to his cheek, rubbing it fondly. "I knew you'd never hurt me, not even when you weren't trying not to. Your body would tell you what to do. All you needed was the proper motivation—and a distraction." She winked.

Po stared at her, stunned, as he realized how true her words were. What had served him so well, once Shifu had changed the manner of his training, what had enabled him to know the right thing to do and the unorthodox means to accomplish it so that he could defeat Tai Lung…all of this, coupled with his Dragon Warrior abilities, meant he did have the instincts he needed all along. Huh. Who woulda thought…guess a warrior can, um, be a lover, too?

Shaking his head, he chuckled and grinned down at her, bringing his face close to gently kiss her cheek in return before bumping foreheads. "That may've been th' most devious thing you've done yet, sweetcakes." Before she could do more than give him a dirty look for that food-related term of endearment, he added, "I love it."

Her expression cleared into a contented smile. "Glad to hear it. So…you really are ready then, big guy?" She began to trail a paw down his chest, working at the fastenings of his shirt. His breath quickened.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am, Jia." He licked dry lips.

"Good. Because in case you didn't notice, you're poking me."

"Huh? I'm not—"

At the same time the confused panda realized what she was referring to, and began to blush, stutter, and babble a bit nonsensically, Jia cut him off with another kiss, this third example more passionate, loving, and insistent yet. And suddenly, his nervousness, his uncertainty, the embarrassment at having to be taught by Tai Lung, it all seemed to fall away. Even as he remained propped up on his paws and knees, he began to truly relax. Then he kissed her back, his paws working shakily but determinedly at her own tunic, as he realized something he'd never thought before, but had a feeling he'd be thinking again far more often in the future:

Dinner could wait.

Jia smiled, suggestively and enticingly, in the slanting rays of the setting sun that washed across the counters and tabletop. "All right then, how about right here in the kitchen?"

"Nope, 'fraid not. They've done it already." Po fought the urge to wipe his clammy brow. Good thing too. I'd feel really bad doin' it here when I gotta cook later. An' I don't want Master Shifu makin' me break out th' lye.

For a moment a frown creased her brow, marring her elfin features and mischievous expression. "Damn…okay, how about under the bleachers?"

"There too."

"Hmm…bathhouse is out—I know they've been there. Many times." She paused, clearly thinking furiously, then her face suddenly lit up with excited eagerness. "Ohh! The Vault of Heroes."

He hated to ruin her good mood, but… "They did that last week."

"ARGH!" Quickly she clapped her paws over her mouth. Only after several minutes had passed and it was clear her outburst hadn't disturbed the rest of the palace did she uncover it, at which point she eyed him with a sense of weary resignation, as of one accepting an inevitable but slightly distasteful prospect. "Fine. Sacred Peach Tree."

Silence was her only reply. Very slowly, the snow leopardess turned to look at Po, who was glancing out the window that opened onto the sun-washed promontory in question, and stared at him in disbelief and what seemed betrayal. She narrowed her violet eyes to slits, and he winced openly.

"If you tell me they're there right now, I'm going to lose it."

He smiled sheepishly and gave a weak chuckle. "Okay, I won't tell ya." Well, they actually weren't, but they had been earlier…

Jia buried her face in her palm.

It was now two months since their picnic at Wu Dan, since he had finally worked up the courage to act on his desires, allowed himself to take their relationship to the next step. And in that time, while life at the Jade Palace had gone on much as it had for the last year and a half, this new change had made everything seem impossibly different. Better in some ways, scary and exhilarating and shocking all at once, but overall different. Because once he had broken through that barrier in his own conservatism, nothing had been the same anymore.

Not that he and Jia had been going at it like, well, rabbits. Or Tai an' Tigress. In fact there had been a number of Dragon Warrior missions during that time (which Jia had been granted leave to join) which had kept him too busy for such activities. But once he'd discovered a) that it wasn't as terrifying, nor he as embarrassingly bad at it, as he'd feared and b) how much he enjoyed showing Jia his love in this new way, it had become much less of a chore and more something he very, very much looked forward to, so that he did take many more opportunities for it now than he ever would have before.

That wasn't why Jia was quizzing him on places to do the deed, however. Unlike Tai Lung and Tigress, they were not so insatiable they couldn't control themselves and needed hundreds of outlets for it. (Even now, the two felines still did it more than seemed appropriate, but on the other paw, he couldn't blame them for wanting to take advantage of the time their cubs were being watched—they couldn't indulge in such recreation when she was pregnant for fear of harming the cubs, and since they were born had been far too distracted and preoccupied most of the time.)

No, instead Jia had simply felt, and he'd agreed, that his horizons needed to be 'broadened' a little, and that while they shouldn't be ridiculously passionate about it the way the master of the Jade Palace and the leader of the Five were, they should at least find their own place to, er, christen.

Unfortunately there was only one place they'd found so far where the two felines were completely unlikely to be caught indulging themselves—Po's own bedroom above the noodle shop. And while that might have seemed boring and passé, especially to someone like the ex-assassin, the panda had actually found it quite the test of his resolve. After all, if it wasn't the window opening to the house across the alley that worried him (if the poor pig who lived there had been put off by seeing him playing with his action figures, she'd be completely traumatized by this! ), or all the Furious Five memorabilia which it somehow felt like sacrilege to, ah, perform in front of…it was the simple fact his room didn't have a door. So they could get caught at any moment.

Of course, that was exactly what made it so appeal to Jia. And he had to admit there had been something very…exciting about it. Well, except for that moment when they'd accidentally fallen out of bed and Ping had once again called out, "Po? What is all that noise up there?"

As before, he'd replied, though even more unconvincingly, "Uh…just havin' a…really crazy dream." And while Ping had seemed to accept the excuse (perhaps believing it now to be another euphemism for kung fu training), it was Jia whispering afterward that she'd give her baby bear a crazy dream all right that had made him decide it had actually been a very good idea indeed…

A jab in his ribs (thankfully cushioned by his fur and, um, padding) brought him back to the present, and when he looked at Jia she was eyeing him with amusement as well as feigned offense. "Earth to Dragon Warrior. You looked like you were a million miles off. What were you doing, thinking of me?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it and chuckled. "Actually, yeah." He leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers, running his paws down her sides.

"Aww, that is so sweet! And natural, too, we'll make a ladies' man of you yet." Before he could do more than blush and stammer, the spotted feline continued in the same sultry tone. "Anyway, was trying to tell you, I think I do know of a place. Somewhere that really is private, and where no one would ever look for us. Not even Tai Tai and his striped firework."

Po perked up at such a prospect. "Really? Where?"

She leaned in close and whispered in his ear.

For several long moments he remained frozen in place, eyes as wide as saucers, jaw working soundlessly, sheer horror boiling up inside him. When he spoke at last it was in a strangled, gasping whisper. "Do ya have a death wish or somethin'?"

"Well, you have to admit they'd never look there…"

"In Master Shifu's room? " he squealed.

Jia shushed him, then chuckled. "Okay, I guess you've got a point…"

He shaded his eyes with one paw, trying very hard to control his breathing so he wouldn't hyperventilate, but when he looked up at her again he was still shuddering. If there was one thing that could still scare him, it was that red panda's punishments. And he knew exactly what would happen if Shifu caught them together at all, let alone in his room.

After one look at him, the former Wu Sister smiled a bit sadly, shook her head, and brushed her paw along the side of his face in that gesture he loved as much as everything else about her. "It's okay, it was just a joke." He didn't know if she were telling the truth, or if she had simply seen that despite how he had loosened up in the last two months, she still shouldn't push him too far, too quickly. But before he could do more than eye her suspiciously, she wrapped her arms tightly around him as far as she could reach, snuggling into his broad chest, and purred happily. "We'll find somewhere to do it, baby bear. I don't care when or how, as long as I get to be around you."

Po felt his heart melt and something else respond quite firmly. Wrapping his arms around her in turn, he brought his face very close, only inches apart. "You know what my favorite three things are, Jia? In no particular order, they're great food, kung fu, an' spending time with you."

The snow leopardess's eyes were wet with unshed tears, and she reached up to grasp him by both cheeks. "Now I know why Xu Mei and my dad were just like this. Because they must have loved each other as much as we do."

Although the sentiment was beautiful, and to be compared to the father she'd practically worshiped was a humbling honor, he couldn't help but frown a bit. "Uh…yeah, but he was kind of a hunk."

"So are you, Po. So are you." She leaned in close, their muzzles meeting for that tender, soft, long-awaited kiss…

"Hey, hey, heyyyy! When I decided to rustle up some food in the kitchen, I didn't know it was gonna be dinner and a show."

The raunchy, coarse voice of Mantis—the absolute last person Po wanted to see this—cut through the romantic moment, and with a startled cry the panda hurriedly pulled away from Jia, again. We really gotta find a better place than this…

It was a good thing he had, for it wasn't only the insect who had appeared and was now staring at them expectantly, grinning like an idiot. Behind him were posed Viper, coiled and erect and beaming with happiness for all the world as if she were a mother bird approving of her chicks' first flight; Monkey, struggling very hard to contain his laughter behind his hand; Tai Lung, who was rubbing at the back of his neck looking very embarrassed and glancing anywhere but at them (because, Po hoped, after all the work the snow leopard had gone to to get them together he must regret deeply interrupting the good results); and, with crossed arms and looking rather scandalized, Tigress.

It wasn't that Po was ashamed anymore of what he and Jia did. He simply didn't want to do it in public. Especially not in front of people he idolized, people with strong morals…people who would torment him with endless teasing and perverted humor.

"Gah!" he cried out at last, breaking the very, very awkward silence. "You guys should, like, knock or somethin'…what if I'd been cookin', an' ya scared me an' made me burn myself?"

"Well, something sure was hot in here," Mantis drawled. Oh no, here it goes…

Hurriedly he tried to head the insect off. "I thought you guys were still gonna be at it in the kwoon for hours yet." After all, in that regard Tai Lung was a harder taskmaster than Shifu and Tigress combined. "An' where's Crane and Mei?"

Viper smiled coyly at the snow leopard, who still wasn't looking at Po and Jia, or meeting anyone's eyes at all. "We called a break because everyone was hungry, and Tai Lung decided in his infinite wisdom that it was better to let us go to the kitchen than see if I could swallow a snow leopard whole."

Jia snickered, earning her a sharp look at last from Tai Lung, and Mantis had his mouth open to make what would surely be an extremely naughty remark, but thankfully Monkey spoke first. "And Crane and Mei are off having a 'snugglefest'." He made a face, as if he'd eaten something rancid, then held up both hands in a placating gesture. "Her word, not mine. Making up for lost time, or a late honeymoon, something like that."

Feeling somewhat relieved—being one of the most calm, collected, and intelligent of the Five, Crane's opinion mattered a great deal to Po, so to not have to explain himself or fend off Mantis in front of the avian was all for the good, and in some ways Mei Ling was no better than the insect—Po peered past them all again. "And, uh, Master Shifu ain't comin' too…is he?"

Amazingly, no one teased him about the undeniable fear and distress in his voice, since they all knew how terrifying and unforgiving the red panda could be. In fact it was Tigress of all people who stepped forward and put a soothing paw on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Po. He's been babysitting Hu and Huo all day and hasn't had time for anything else, let alone sticking his whiskery old nose where it isn't wanted."

Hu and Huo, of course, being the names the felines had chosen for their twins…and what adorable, sweet-natured cubs they were, so that just about everyone, from Ping all the way down to the soldiers at the temple and the workers who ran (and repaired) the kwoon couldn't help making excuses to visit Tai Lung and Tigress.

"You…really think he can handle 'em all by himself?" Po couldn't keep the skepticism from his voice. "I mean, he is pretty small, an' your cubs are pretty big…"

Tigress smirked at him. "This is Master Shifu we're talking about. If he can wield the Sword of Heroes, throw you around like a ragdoll, and go toe to toe with Tai Lung at his angriest, I think he can handle two cubs." She chuckled. "I'm sure he's doing just fine. He even has Zeng to help him if he needs it."

Visions of the poor messenger bird being terrified by two predatory infants (something even more likely to happen as they got older) filled Po's mind, but thankfully Tai Lung spoke up next. "No, what I'm more worried about is whether he sent Zeng down to the village, or left him in charge while he went down himself. Because sure as anything, he's going to try feeding our cubs candy again." The snow leopard growled. "You do not give hard food like that to a baby! Plus it just spoils their dinner."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Viper remarked to no one in particular. "Overprotective, but your heart in the right place. I always thought you'd make a wonderful father." Her tone was fond and approving, not mocking, yet Tai Lung still winced.

Tigress eyed him with amusement. "Don't worry about the hard candy. They chew thoroughly, and are teething just fine. Didn't Huo almost chew your finger right off last week, when you were wiggling it at her and making baby talk?"

Everyone burst out laughing, though whether at the mighty Tai Lung having been reduced to cooing and making funny noises and faces, or him having been somewhat brought low by his own cub, Po didn't know. He was just heaving a sigh of relief at having successfully sidetracked Mantis.

But it seemed he had thought too soon. For the insect in question scuttled up onto the table and folded his pincers, gazing shrewdly from one face to the next before settling on Po. "Well, as much as I love hearing about Tai Lung getting owned by yet another woman—" The snow leopard glared flatly at him, muttered that he had not been 'owned', and then went on to grumble about 'the old coot' hardly ever buying him any candy when he was a cub. "—what I'm really interested in is finding out just what we walked in on. How's it going with the Panda Love Machine over there, Jia?"

Now everyone groaned, and it was Po's turn to bury his mortified face in his paws.

To his extreme relief and gratitude, Tai Lung of all people intervened—and although his words were, as usual, those of an overbearing disciplinarian who just had to be in charge, he had to feel a bit guilty for making fun of the snow leopard on Wu Dan. "The Panda Love Machine is going to turn into the Panda Cooking Machine right now, if you don't mind," he grunted at Mantis, to the insect's annoyance. He turned to Po, posting both fists on his hips. "I cannot believe you haven't even started dinner yet, panda. Am I going to have to become more strict about mealtime rules?"

Even if he knew the real reason Tai Lung had spoken up was because he had no wish to hear the intimate details of the Dragon Warrior's love life (and, to be fair, because he was hungry), Po leaped at the chance to obey, at once scrambling for the cookpots and utensils, stoking up the oven fire, and fetching vegetables and spices from the cupboards, even as he made his hurried apologies. "Oh! Sorry guys…like I said, thought you were gonna be at it for a while still, I was just gonna make a few snacks for me an' Jia…" Which was sort of true. He was going to get to that. Eventually.

Mantis was glaring at the spotted feline, however. "Who died and made you Emperor?"

"Shifu did. Well, sort of. Oogway died, and then Shifu took over and—well, you know what I mean." Looking distinctly uncomfortable and even pained at that highly insensitive statement, Tai Lung rubbed at his neck and shuffled about uneasily but nevertheless blundered on manfully. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm the Master of the Jade Palace now, so my word is law." Seeming to believe he was on more solid ground now, he nodded in vindication.

Sliding up to coil on her usual chair, however, Viper smiled suggestively and peered at Tigress. "Does that mean he's always right?"

"Not while he's married," the leader of the Five supplied instantly in a dark purr.

Everyone laughed, while Tai Lung slumped his shoulders and rather looked as if he wanted to slink away and hide for the rest of the night. After a short time, though, Tigress seemed to take pity on him, resting one paw on his shoulder while she eyed Po. "He is right about this, though. We're all starving…so, if you could, Po?" Left unspoken was the fact she, too, didn't want to hear about the panda's sex life, but he shot her a grateful look all the same.

And, he reflected as he began rolling out noodle dough for the quickest meal he could think of on the spot, his dad's Special Ingredient Soup, it wasn't as if the leader of the Five were any less strict herself when giving orders in the training hall. She really did love Tai Lung; she just didn't want to let him get away with putting on airs. Or try an' boss her around, heh-heh!

As he was slicing the dough into noodles, something he knew so well he could do so (no exaggeration) with his eyes closed and one paw tied behind his back, he heard the chairs scraping across the floor behind him as the kung fu warriors all took their seats around the table. Then Tai Lung spoke up again—and even if his good humor had returned, and he could tell the snow leopard was only teasing, he still seemed unable to let the matter go completely. "Very good, panda. I didn't want to have to enforce those rules. Because you know if I had, the snacking between mealtimes would have been the first thing to go."

"Aww, man…" Po whined. Okay, he was trying to stay in shape, and he wanted to lose more weight for Jia, too, but just the thought of no snacks was…

"Don't worry, baby bear," Jia whispered in his ear as she sidled up close to him, resting one paw on his as he cut the noodles. "I'll give you all the snacks you want later."

His paw slipped, the knife embedding itself in the cutting board.

"Hey, I wouldn't mind if you did do that, cat," Monkey was saying in the meantime. When Po glanced at him, he saw the simian looked rather put out. When he saw the panda watching him, he turned his gaze meaningfully toward a certain ceramic pot high atop the cupboards in the corner. "You know, Po, if you want my almond cookies, all you have to do is ask."

He stopped trying to get the knife out of the cutting board, instead staring at the langur in confusion. "What? I mean, okay, yeah I admit I did used t' steal 'em…and ya already knew that…" Monkey nodded in confirmation. "…but this time, it wasn't me. I stopped takin' 'em a long time ago, when I learned how t' bake 'em myself."

Several moments of stunned and puzzled silence ensued, and then a very flabbergasted (and nettled) primate turned and shot an accusing glare around the room. "All right then, if it wasn't Po, who was it?"

No one spoke. Then, completely unexpectedly, Tigress cleared her throat. Everyone looked at her, clearly believing her about to testify to having seen the culprit herself…but instead, in a very matter-of-fact tone, she said, "If you must know, it was me. Now about that dinner, Po?" She then went back to nonchalantly inspecting her claws.

It took a few moments for that to register through his incredulous disbelief. "Oh!" Hurriedly he wrenched the knife free and lifted the board above the pot, then shoved the noodles into the boiling water. But as he started in on chopping the vegetables, he couldn't fight off a sense of growing admiration for the striped feline. And judging by Mantis's low chuckle, he wasn't the only one. Even Monkey joined in.

When everyone was quiet again, Viper finally dared to speak up. "Not that I'm not happy you've become willing to break the rules now and then, Tigress, but why—?"

"Tai Lung isn't the only one with a sweet tooth," the leader of the Five replied. "Besides, I ended up getting quite a liking for those cookies when I was pregnant." And she shot a sly, sidelong glance at the snow leopard—who groaned and buried his face in his paws anew.

Po, remembering the conversation he and Jia had overheard at the noodle restaurant a year ago, had to stay turned away from the table and pretend he was engrossed in his work, so his best friend wouldn't see his huge grin. He would never forget (since his dad wouldn't let him) when he'd come back from a Dragon Warrior mission to be read the riot act by Ping because, while he was away, Tigress had gotten a sudden craving for Secret Ingredient Soup, which in turn had led to Tai Lung having to knock on Ping's door in the early hours of the morning.

His reverie was broken by the master of the Leopard Style grunting and planting his paws on the table in front of him. "Damn. You know, there were far too many times when I would rather have been out breaking up entire thieves' guilds than satisfying those cravings."

Tigress started to retort that she hadn't exactly been thrilled by them either (though Po had it on good authority from Viper that the striped feline did, in fact, enjoy making Tai Lung wait on her hand and foot—after all, keeping the snow leopard's pride at a manageable level was an ongoing project). But she was interrupted by Mantis, who cleared his throat and gave the spotted feline a pointed look. "Oh really? Funny thing there, 'cause I was kinda noticing that you've been avoiding going on missions altogether. Getting to like the Master of the Jade Palace's chair a bit too much?"

Tai Lung seemed ready to swell and explode as of old, but before he could, suddenly all the others were chiming in their own fen on the subject, and the poor snow leopard was left jerking his head from one to the next, a constant look of bewilderment greeting this barrage.

"That's right!" Tigress crossed her arms. "I've gone on twice as many missions now as you, and I'm the one who actually had cubs here."

"Well, forgive me for having responsibilities to take care of!" He started ticking points off on his fingers. "Training all our new students, dealing with the paperwork which you know I hate…"

Monkey snickered. "Uh-huh. You get to sit in a big comfy chair behind that desk, an' training students gets ya all the fun an' none of the risk."

"Apparently you've never actually seen Shifu's chair then, the man must have an arse of stone," Tai Lung retorted, ostentatiously rubbing his own. "Or trained with the beginner's class, there is a risk there—of losing your sanity! I don't know how Po does it…"

Remembering what his first day was like, and how Shifu being in such a hurry to go off and meditate had felt like being thrown to the wolves, the panda had to privately agree. He loved kids and had still had his patience tested to its limits; for someone like Tai Lung, even if he did have a soft spot for them, it had to be much worse.

Jia, who had been silently (and with great amusement) observing for all this time, clicked her tongue. "Oh come on, Tai Tai, you really expect us to believe eager students are on a par with all the crooks and thieves and mercenaries the Five have been dealing with? And I had no idea a tough guy like you was afraid of paperwork. Ooo, the parchment cuts must be nasty…"

It was a measure of how much the former scourge of the Valley had changed that he didn't even react to that last snide implication of cowardice, other than an annoyed look and briefly flattened ears. And while his girlfriend had a point about the dangers the Five had been facing, Po couldn't help eyeing Tai Lung with sympathy—he looked genuinely and deeply injured by the accusations.

Some of that sympathy fled, though, with the snow leopard's next words. "D'you really think I'd send any of you out there if I didn't think you could handle yourselves? If I thought you were truly in danger? And you know, being in charge here also means I have to deal with all the important guests, too."

Chopping up the last of the mushrooms, Po turned around and gave the snow leopard a cagey look. "Riiiight. Just like ya helped me out when I had t' make the feast for Dong Zhi."

Tai Lung suddenly became quite shifty-eyed, and he knew why, too; when for the second year in a row the snow leopard had not been available to help at the Winter Festival (the first year being when he was traveling to Qinghai, a valid excuse), Po had asked Shifu about it and the red panda had wryly revealed that Tai Lung had not been a happy cat when he'd been told, growing up, that one of the Dragon Warrior's duties involved something as un-masculine and un-heroic as cooking a dinner.

"But ya know, I get it, I understand," the panda went on, holding up both paws. "Dealin' with those dignitaries takes finesse an' manners. An' let's face it, Tai, you aren't th' one for that."

"Neither are you!" Tai Lung snapped, though there was a look of relief in his golden eyes at being let off the hook, even for a moment, that said he wasn't really that angry.

Po grinned at him and shook a finger in remonstration. "But I'm th' Dragon Warrior, I can get away with it."

"Don't make me hurt you." The words were almost absent-minded; Po wondered if he'd even realized he'd spoken. Glancing back at the others, the snow leopard sighed, then shook his head. "Look. I appreciate what you're all trying to do, but d'you really want t' know why I've been holing up in the palace and not going on missions?" Everyone nodded and looked serious, even Mantis. "It's because…because I'm afraid. I thought, if I went on too many missions, if my blood started running hot again from all the kung fu and I got out of control, well…" He looked away.

The panda immediately set aside the onions he'd been preparing and moved over to rest an understanding paw on his spotted shoulder, squeezing it. It was a mark of how disturbed and worried Tai Lung was that he didn't shrug him off or knock his paw away. "Hey. I don't think ya gotta worry about that so much anymore. I mean, Chao's gone, he ain't able to twist ya anymore, an' look at how much you've changed. You're married, you're a dad now, you do carpentry, you're Yi's jiàofù…"

"Yes. Look at how much I have left to lose, then. And so what Chao is gone? All that rage and aggression, and my damned idiotic pride, are still there inside me. They always will be." Tai Lung sighed heavily, slumping his shoulders and somehow looking smaller and more vulnerable than he'd ever looked before.

Po didn't know whether to hug his friend or tear up, possibly both; the look on his face spoke volumes about his intense love for his children, his protective streak toward Yi. The panda recalled, in fact, that he'd never once seen Tai Lung use kung fu in front of the cow girl. Add that t' his fears of backslidin', an' no wonder he's all mellow. He knew Tai saw this as 'going soft'…but he couldn't be prouder. Because he was sure, now, that his friend would never again go down a dark path. That he was worried about this possibility at all proved how much he had changed, as well as displaying a true humility seldom seen in the snow leopard.

Some of this seemed to get through to the others as well, since Jia and Viper, Tigress, and even Mantis and Monkey were looking at the snow leopard with a bit of shock, but they also seemed deeply impressed, concerned, and moved. Soon the serpent was at his side, resting her tail tip on his forearm as she gazed up into his solemn face, and her words echoed Po's thoughts. "The very fact you're afraid of this happening tells me it won't, Tai Lung. And you were right, it is good to be able to relax and take it easy."

The snow leopard managed a small smile to her as he laced his fingers together on the tabletop, then nodded. "But I let it go to my head, eh?" He graciously accepted the tea which Po brought over for everyone.

On his other side, Monkey echoed Po's hand-to-the-shoulder gesture. "You got that right. We wanted ya to loosen up, yanno, but not that much. Can't have ya losing your edge."

Tai Lung began to chuckle, then put his paw ruefully to his forehead, elbow supporting him on the table. "What was I saying? Making excuses not to practice kung fu? I really am in a bad way. It's one thing not to get too attached to fighting and bloodlust, but this…fine, I'll strike a better balance from now on. And the very next mission that comes up, I'm taking it on myself." He nodded firmly in vindication.

There was a pause, then Mantis added, "But…you still gotta do the paperwork."

"Damnit! " The snow leopard buried his face in his forearms, grumbling and snarling under his breath. Everyone began to laugh again; after that surprisingly emotional and painful moment, they all needed it.

Scuttling over to rest his pincers on the silver-gray fur, the insect chuckled. "Nah, I'm just joking. If it gets that bad, I can help you out, okay, big guy? It's really good seeing you like this, still trying, still doing the best you can. Least we can do is help out, right?"

Viper nodded firmly in agreement. "You bet it is, and we'll all pitch in." Then, without warning, she casually turned to Jia and smiled sweetly, flicking her gaze to Po. "So, what about the bedroom, you two?"

Po stared at her in shock—and a bit of betrayal. He knew she was interested in romance and love, but… "Viper, how could you?"

"What? We just want to make sure things are going well for you and Jia. We care about you." She paused and then grinned. "And I want to know, how was the very first time?"

For several long moments, everyone was silent. Then, the ex-assassin smirked and propped her chin on one paw as she gave the serpent a smoldering gaze. "My baby bear was so cute, all nervous but so curious…"

"Oh, gods." This muffled cry came, of course, from behind Tai Lung's paws. "Tigress and I never went into detail about that. Honestly, you shouldn't either."

Jia lifted her chin imperiously, challengingly. "Is there something wrong with being healthy in the bedroom? I'd call that just a bit hypocritical there, stud." To Po's amazement, his friend actually flushed in shame and looked away.

Before the snow leopardess could say more (to his brief relief), Mantis chimed in again. "That's not so surprising, I mean this is Po we're talking about here. No offense, big guy."

The panda flinched and hurriedly excused himself from the table, returning to finishing the vegetables for the soup; it seemed the others wouldn't rest until they got all the dirty details from Jia, no matter how much it embarrassed Po or Tai Lung protested at having to hear it, so the best he could do was let them get it out of their systems, try to tune it out, and hope they'd eventually forget it and never bring it up again… Still, he bit his lip when the insect went on, "But that was only for the first time. He's had to have gotten better since then, right? It's been at least a month…"

The former Wu Sister chuckled knowingly; somehow, even as he was still embarrassed, Po felt a surge of pleasure at the fact she was clearly about to praise him. "Oh, he has, all right. Let me put it this way…the Dragon Warrior is a fast learner in more than just kung fu." She paused, then giggled naughtily. "In fact, he's kind of become a fast learner because of kung fu."

Tigress, who had been carefully avoiding looking at any of them while she clasped her paws patiently on the table, now looked up, startled and suspicious. "What does that mean?" There was a slightly dangerous edge to her voice.

Jia regarded her blandly, and Po had to wonder just how much she still liked living in fear of her life; surely she recalled how deadly the leader of the Five was, and just because she'd held her own against Tigress on Wu Dan didn't mean she was safe. And she had just managed to bury the hatchet with her and prove her worthiness for the panda, too… "Just that you'd be surprised how many of our training sessions and sparring matches end with a different kind of exercise altogether. With the victor getting to choose what we do. And my baby bear is quite the creative panda…" Po blushed beet red, feeling very sheepish.

While Tigress was staring in open shock at Jia (though Po didn't know why, he knew for a fact that she and Tai Lung were fond of doing the same thing in the kwoon), Monkey chuckled. "Well, I guess it's better'n using food…"

Mantis nodded a bit smugly. "Our Dragon Warrior's all grown up and saving China for a whole new reason now." Glancing over at Po, the insect added, "Guess showing you the Kama Sutra really was the right idea, eh?"

The snow leopardess blinked, then smiled slowly in a way that made the panda's cheeks flush, and it wasn't in embarrassment this time. "Oh, so that's where you got that position from, my studious lover?" He'd told her Mantis knew about Tai Lung and Tigress's copy, but not that he'd actually read any of it, for hopefully obvious reasons.

"Um…heh-heh…" Luckily at that moment the soup started boiling over (as much as his own blood was, he suspected), and he was saved by having to take it off the heat and begin ladling it into the bowls.

Behind him, though, Viper made an incredulous giggle. "That's where he got what position…?"

"AUGH, that's it! " Tigress thrust herself to her feet with both paws slamming down on the table. Po jumped and almost spilled the soup on himself, but caught it just in time. Thank the gods for improved reflexes! "There's no need to go into that, now is there?" Oddly, she sounded more apprehensive than angry.

"Thank you!" Tai Lung burst out right on her heels, also rising. "Any more of this, and I think we're going to have to eat out tonight," he grumbled. "Po can have our portions."

The panda didn't know which hurt him more, the fact his two biggest heroes at the palace were so clearly disgusted (even after all this time) by his slovenly ways, or that the snow leopard was still ribbing his eating habits. But Mantis, of all people, was the one to reprimand Tai Lung. "If you don't want to hear it, Spottybutt, why are you still hanging around then? Morbid curiosity, or are you just a masochist?"

While the master of the Jade Palace spluttered incoherently, Viper in turn wheeled about toward Tigress. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Po's…padding, would it?"

To her credit, the striped feline blinked several times, then looked horrified. "What? No, of course not!"

"Good," Jia growled, glaring at her; then her face cleared, becoming amiable and even a bit giddy as she started gushing again. "Because let me tell you, I love that comfy belly of his, it makes such a great cushion!" Monkey choked on his tea.

Meanwhile, Tai Lung was expounding again. "Look, you two make a very cute couple and all, and I'm very happy for you, but whatever you do intimately is really none of my business…"

"You're one to talk," Mantis retorted, "considering all the times we've walked in on you two."

Tigress shook her head and sighed. "It's just that…he's so innocent. We don't think of him that way at all."

"Exactly," her husband agreed. "It would be like…imagining my little brother having sex. I just don't want to."

There was a pause; then, starting with Viper and spreading to everyone else, a chorus of "Awwww"s filled the kitchen. Tai Lung ducked his chin and blushed, but he didn't take it back nor avoid Po's eyes.

Although he already knew the snow leopard felt this way, the fact he had admitted it in front of the Five made the panda smile warmly at him. It almost made up for Tigress's inadvertently demeaning belief that just because the Dragon Warrior was still so big-hearted and childlike, it necessarily followed he couldn't do anything adult and mature, let alone…this. And he also had to admit that even taking into account Tai Lung's brotherly feelings, he was beginning to enjoy this TMI question-and-answer session. Because now that he knew the snow leopard wasn't squicked by his size or weight, freaking his friend out was actually kind of fun. It certainly proved to everyone he was no longer so prudish!

Which was why he only grinned and laughed with everyone else when Jia put a paw on her hip, arched her eyebrow, and broke the heartwarming mood. "That's really sweet, Tai Tai, but are you sure it's not because you walked in on De and his company for that evening?"

The snow leopard's mouth worked soundlessly, a stricken look on his face as once again he clearly had visions dancing before his eyes he could never un-see.

After everyone had quieted again, partly thanks to starting in on their soup, Jia went on, looking directly at Mantis. Her voice was both firm and unguarded. "Okay fine, I understand. But something you've all got to see is that there's more to Po than you think. You already learned to look past the surface when he proved he was the Dragon Warrior. This is no different. For your information, my baby bear is a really good, attentive lover, and he treats me like no sweaty, grubby, panting man could ever raise himself out of the slime to do—caring about my pleasure as much as his, seeing me as more than just someone to use and leave."

Peering at the others out of the corner of his eye, Po was surprised and vindicated when he saw not only Monkey and Viper, but also Tai Lung and Tigress, looking ashamed, regretful, and apologetic. Even Mantis was solemnly silent.

Until, that is, after she'd seen she'd gotten through to everyone, Jia added archly, "And he's way more flexible than he looks." She put her arm around Po and squeezed his side. Immediately he felt wonderfully warm again.

Giving his trademark low, throaty laugh, the insect hopped up on the table and stabbed his pincers for emphasis toward the snow leopardess. "Oh really? Then does that mean he..." And he proceeded to run down a blatantly open, bawdy, wildly deviant list of every single sexual position and act Po had ever heard of, and many more he hadn't. Mostly Jia answered, though every once in a while the panda got up the nerve to nod or shake his head, even say a few words…until things got truly explicit, and he began to quietly sidle out of the line of fire.

"Of course he did, that was the first thing we tried!"

"And what about—?"

"You bet."

"No!"

"Yes."

"Even—?"

She nodded slowly, smirking, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Took some thought and work, but that's right."

By the time Mantis had apparently run out of naughty questions, everyone at the table was stunned—looking from him to Jia, and occasionally Po, with a brand new perspective. Not only did it seem to be dawning on them how much he had changed, or what had always been inside him waiting for the right person to draw it out, but there were even several admiring looks—even from Tai Lung!—while Tigress's suggestive smile to her husband definitely implied she would be taking tips.

At last, the insect shook his head in bemusement. "Man, I can't believe it. You really do know your stuff—both of you. Well then, I just got one more question for you…" He paused, then a wistful expression crossed his tiny features. "What's it like?"

Everyone stared blankly. Then, as it sank in that for all his perverted nature and love of double entendres, Mantis was not actually as knowledgeable or experienced in the bedroom as he'd always implied, first Viper, then Monkey, began to laugh uproariously.

And the laughter only grew when they, and everyone else, looked over to see Po's reaction to this revelation. For when they did, they discovered to their startlement that he had vanished from the table sometime during the 'interrogation', even leaving his bowl of noodle soup behind…that is until, very slowly, his black-furred paw reached up over the edge, from the floor under the table, to snag hold of his bowl and carefully lower it out of sight.