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LBW- Chapter 2- The Outsiders PT1
Legends Between Worlds
The Outsiders PT1
Po
Okay…
So, I knew that a warrior’s usual life span is pretty short and all but I didn’t expect to go out like this.
An army of raiders or bandits on a off day? M’kay, I can see it.
Fighting another evil nemesis hellbent on destroying and/or taking over China again? More than likely.
Getting hit by a white hot cannonball hurtling directly at me at a nearly impossible speed? Eh, lived through it.
Loosing an epic battle with my very first rival, Tai Lung? That would’ve totally sucked but… it was likely possibility.
…
But sparring with my best friend and childhood hero, who-- might I add-- seems determined to claw my face off in the most violent way she could possible manage? Highly unlikely, right?
Guess again…
I dodged a furious combination of fast swipes, powerful jabs and piercing kicks with as much speed as Tigress was dishing out. Sure, her strikes looked simple but everyone who knew Master Tigress understood how lethal a full on hit from her could be… especially if she was fighting at full strength.
And judging by how angry she was, I'm pretty sure she was fighting at 100% today.
… (*whine* I don't wanna die ;o
I gasped, my eyes jumping up to follow her as she leaped high into the air. She descended heel first, attempting to land a powerful leaping axe kick down on my head. I reacted automatically, my forearm came up to take the impact of the blow before I fluidly turned the block into a counter, grabbing her ankle with the same hand. She released a surprised breath before I began to spin her, gaining as much momentum as possible before I released her, throwing her halfway across the room. She regained herself quickly, twisting her body in midair before landing gracefully on her two back paws.
… Okay, I was gawking. I knew I was but you would be too if you could see her in action! Ah! So frickin' sweet… *clears throat* O-kay, getting out of fanboy mode. Heh, sorry about that--
"Po, focus," I heard her say just below a shout. Man, did I really throw her that far?
I cleared my throat, regaining my stance before laughing nervously, "R-right. Sorry."
She gave me a small smile but it quickly vanished when she regained the distance that had been between us within the span of two seconds. She shout out towards me again, her flying fists and pouncing feet at the ready. Her arms and legs were coming at me so fast, I could see nothing but blurs of orange and black from different angles. I'm… not sure how I was able to block and dodge them all; hmm… must be a Dragon Warrior thing… or maybe an inner peace thing?
I grunted when a blow-- a sharp jab-- met my shoulder, just barely missing a pressure point. I didn't let the shock distract me for too long though. I saw an opening when she attempted to send a double punch to my stomach and chest. I caught both of her fists within my palms easily, a brief look of surprise flashed over her face before I flipped her over my shoulder effortlessly. She released a rough, hiccuped breath when her back hit the floor, hard.
I blinked; I won? That… that was weird. It was usually a tie. Huh… well, at least I didn't die… so I still have a chance to go out with a bang!
“Tigress!” I spun around, looking down at her with wide eyes, "A-are you okay?"
She paused, staring up at me with an odd look. I couldn't tell if she was mad at me or just as confused as I was, "I'm… not sure."
I started to panic, "Aw man. Did I break something? I-I'm so sorry Tigress I… y-you were just coming at me with those lighting fast fury kicks a-and I just… I mean, I don't know, I just--"
She sighed but remained laid out on the floor, her crimson eyes looked up at me evenly, "It's alright Po. You didn't hurt me. You've gotten a lot better though. It seems that inner peace is working well for you."
"Uh… huh," I agreed hesitantly as she slowly sat up, folding her legs while her tail curled back and forth thoughtfully. I watched it for a short while, distracted, before I shook my head to clear my thoughts, "Tigress, is… is something up?"
She wasn't facing me but I had a feeling that she was frowning, "No. Nothing at all."
“… Are you sure?” I asked hesitantly, taking a slight step towards her. Her tail continued to swish back and forth, something I noticed she does whenever she’s in deep thought. If so, what was the problem? She wasn’t like this a couple of hours ago so--
“…No,” She finally said. The reply was so lowly that I almost didn’t hear her, “As a matter of fact, I am greatly perturbed.”
“Per… per-… wha?”
She sighed, turning her head slightly to look at me from the corner of her eye, “I am troubled, Po. Everything that’s happened in the last day has been more suspicious than settling and--” She look at me for a quiet moment before she turned to look forward again, “… and I don’t like it.”
I paused for a minute, rotating the aching shoulder that she had hit before walking over and sitting directly beside her. She didn’t look up at me or even acknowledge that I was in her personal space; it didn’t seem to bother her and I was okay with that. I really didn’t feel like nursing any more bruises, thank you very much.
I cleared my throat lightly, fiddling with my fingers, “Well… what do you mean? I mean, are you talking about those turtles or--”
She nodded her head, “Yes, they are a bigger part of my worry but they are merely a larger fragment of it.”
She paused, looking down at the floor for a moment before slowly looking up at me, her body turning towards me a little, “Did you not notice how… off yesterday was? Before they showed up at the palace?”
My eyes rolled up to the ceiling, watching the Seven Talon Rings swing and creak, I rubbed my chin, “Hmmm… well, Shifu did tell us to take a break-- which I think was waaaay overdue anyway-- and--”
“See, that’s my point, Po. Master Shifu never gives us breaks. The only time he ever does is when he’s troubled by something or when he receives an urgent message from Zeng.”
I looked back down at her, raising an eyebrow, “Yeah but Zeng didn’t stop by yesterday.”
“Or maybe he did and we weren’t aware,” She flexed her paws, cracking her knuckles, “Perhaps a messenger of another kind stopped by? Or… maybe he had came into a bothersome revelation during his morning meditation; it has happened before…”
“Yeaaaaah… or he might’ve actually thought that we needed the rest,” I said, trying to get rid of her worries, “I mean, we’ve been training nonstop since Shen tried to take over China a couple of months ago. Everyone’s been running on empty for the past few days. Maybe he just wants us at our best before we start training again.”
“Less likely than not,” She said quickly, mirroring my raised eyebrow, “It’s not just that though. It’s how he’s been acting… especially since the arrival of those turtles.”
I blinked, “How’s he been acting?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”
I smiled sheepishly at her, “I… I’m asking, aren’t I?”
She shook her head, chuckling before she continued to explain, “Shifu has never been this… trusting towards strangers staying in the Jade Palace before. He even keeps an eye on old friends that come to visit. He should’ve been trying to drive answers out of them the very moment that one of them woke up… instead, he humors them. I just… I don’t understand.”
I rubbed my chin, my claw racking through my fur as I thought about what she was saying. Then, it hit me, “Well… could it have something to do with them being turtles?”
She paused, looking at me as if I had grown another arm, “How does their race have anything to do with how Shifu’s acting?”
“Aren’t turtles supposed to be these super sacred, awesomely rare beings? Like, the stuff of legend? Pfft, not even-- the stuff of stuff that legends are made of?”
“Not… quite how you’ve put it but yes. Yes, I believe so.”
“And Oogway was Shifu’s master and friend so… maybe seeing them--”
“Brought back memories?” She finished, her eyes perked up suddenly.
I grinned, “Yeah. I mean, Shifu isn’t really good at hiding that he misses him. Maybe these turtles remind him of Oogway.”
She was quiet for a couple of seconds before she hummed, rubbing her chin, “I… never thought of it that way.”
I shrugged, “Just a wild guess.”
“It may be but it’s a good one,” She nodded, shooting me a small smile, “With inner peace come brains too, hm?”
… I tried not to pout but I failed, “… What’s that supposed to-- Oh! Did one of them wake up already?”
She blinked at me, surprised by my quick change of subject, “Why do you ask all of the sudden?”
“Well, you said that Master Shifu was acting differently around them.”
“Ah, yes, well… one of them has regained consciousness. The one in the blue mask. Leonardo, if I recall correctly.”
…
“…What’s a... Leonardo?”
“That’s his name,” She clarified, sending me an understanding look.
“… His name is Leonardo?”
“Yes. Peculiar, yes?”
“Yeah, a bit. I thought you had sneezed for a second there.”
She laughed lightly, shaking her head at me, “He verified that he and his brother are foreigners… he had just decided to keep his place of origin confidential… another thing that worries me greatly.”
“Aww, Tigress you’re worrying too much. I’m sure that Master Shifu would’ve sensed something evil about them if they meant to hurt us or take something from the palace. Shifu wouldn’t let his feelings get in the way of his or our safety.”
She sighed, clenching and unclenching her fist, “I know but… I can’t help it. I just have a bad feeling.”
I stared at her for a moment or two, hating that the worry in her face only seemed to become more noticeable. I didn’t like to see Tigress like this; my best friend senses were tingling like crazy but… I didn’t know what else to say or do to get that look to go away. Heh… it seemed like my stomach knew how to take care of that.
… Gggggrrrrraaaaggelllll
Her eyes shifted from her fists, to my face and, finally, to my stomach. One of her eyebrows rose and the corner of her mouth lifted into a half smile, “It would seem that the Dragon Warrior’s legendary belly is in need of sustenance.”
I blushed; it wasn’t… quite what I had wanted to do but it distracted her. I rubbed my stomach, pouting when it growled again, “I should’ve eaten those dumplings that Monkey couldn’t finish for lunch today…”
--
A/N: Sorry for the delay on this as well as the shortness. This was actually finished for a while now but I was trying to add more onto this but a friend of mine said to not force the chapters to be longer if the ending is ok and doesn’t to need improvement. What do you think? Either way, gonna start writing the next chapter soon.

;) (Wink) — Description
LBW- Chapter 2- The Outsiders PT1
Legends Between Worlds
The Outsiders PT1
Po
Okay…
So, I knew that a warrior’s usual life span is pretty short and all but I didn’t expect to go out like this.
An army of raiders or bandits on a off day? M’kay, I can see it.
Fighting another evil nemesis hellbent on destroying and/or taking over China again? More than likely.
Getting hit by a white hot cannonball hurtling directly at me at a nearly impossible speed? Eh, lived through it.
Loosing an epic battle with my very first rival, Tai Lung? That would’ve totally sucked but… it was likely possibility.
…
But sparring with my best friend and childhood hero, who-- might I add-- seems determined to claw my face off in the most violent way she could possible manage? Highly unlikely, right?
Guess again…
I dodged a furious combination of fast swipes, powerful jabs and piercing kicks with as much speed as Tigress was dishing out. Sure, her strikes looked simple but everyone who knew Master Tigress understood how lethal a full on hit from her could be… especially if she was fighting at full strength.
And judging by how angry she was, I'm pretty sure she was fighting at 100% today.
… (*whine* I don't wanna die ;o
I gasped, my eyes jumping up to follow her as she leaped high into the air. She descended heel first, attempting to land a powerful leaping axe kick down on my head. I reacted automatically, my forearm came up to take the impact of the blow before I fluidly turned the block into a counter, grabbing her ankle with the same hand. She released a surprised breath before I began to spin her, gaining as much momentum as possible before I released her, throwing her halfway across the room. She regained herself quickly, twisting her body in midair before landing gracefully on her two back paws.
… Okay, I was gawking. I knew I was but you would be too if you could see her in action! Ah! So frickin' sweet… *clears throat* O-kay, getting out of fanboy mode. Heh, sorry about that--
"Po, focus," I heard her say just below a shout. Man, did I really throw her that far?
I cleared my throat, regaining my stance before laughing nervously, "R-right. Sorry."
She gave me a small smile but it quickly vanished when she regained the distance that had been between us within the span of two seconds. She shout out towards me again, her flying fists and pouncing feet at the ready. Her arms and legs were coming at me so fast, I could see nothing but blurs of orange and black from different angles. I'm… not sure how I was able to block and dodge them all; hmm… must be a Dragon Warrior thing… or maybe an inner peace thing?
I grunted when a blow-- a sharp jab-- met my shoulder, just barely missing a pressure point. I didn't let the shock distract me for too long though. I saw an opening when she attempted to send a double punch to my stomach and chest. I caught both of her fists within my palms easily, a brief look of surprise flashed over her face before I flipped her over my shoulder effortlessly. She released a rough, hiccuped breath when her back hit the floor, hard.
I blinked; I won? That… that was weird. It was usually a tie. Huh… well, at least I didn't die… so I still have a chance to go out with a bang!
“Tigress!” I spun around, looking down at her with wide eyes, "A-are you okay?"
She paused, staring up at me with an odd look. I couldn't tell if she was mad at me or just as confused as I was, "I'm… not sure."
I started to panic, "Aw man. Did I break something? I-I'm so sorry Tigress I… y-you were just coming at me with those lighting fast fury kicks a-and I just… I mean, I don't know, I just--"
She sighed but remained laid out on the floor, her crimson eyes looked up at me evenly, "It's alright Po. You didn't hurt me. You've gotten a lot better though. It seems that inner peace is working well for you."
"Uh… huh," I agreed hesitantly as she slowly sat up, folding her legs while her tail curled back and forth thoughtfully. I watched it for a short while, distracted, before I shook my head to clear my thoughts, "Tigress, is… is something up?"
She wasn't facing me but I had a feeling that she was frowning, "No. Nothing at all."
“… Are you sure?” I asked hesitantly, taking a slight step towards her. Her tail continued to swish back and forth, something I noticed she does whenever she’s in deep thought. If so, what was the problem? She wasn’t like this a couple of hours ago so--
“…No,” She finally said. The reply was so lowly that I almost didn’t hear her, “As a matter of fact, I am greatly perturbed.”
“Per… per-… wha?”
She sighed, turning her head slightly to look at me from the corner of her eye, “I am troubled, Po. Everything that’s happened in the last day has been more suspicious than settling and--” She look at me for a quiet moment before she turned to look forward again, “… and I don’t like it.”
I paused for a minute, rotating the aching shoulder that she had hit before walking over and sitting directly beside her. She didn’t look up at me or even acknowledge that I was in her personal space; it didn’t seem to bother her and I was okay with that. I really didn’t feel like nursing any more bruises, thank you very much.
I cleared my throat lightly, fiddling with my fingers, “Well… what do you mean? I mean, are you talking about those turtles or--”
She nodded her head, “Yes, they are a bigger part of my worry but they are merely a larger fragment of it.”
She paused, looking down at the floor for a moment before slowly looking up at me, her body turning towards me a little, “Did you not notice how… off yesterday was? Before they showed up at the palace?”
My eyes rolled up to the ceiling, watching the Seven Talon Rings swing and creak, I rubbed my chin, “Hmmm… well, Shifu did tell us to take a break-- which I think was waaaay overdue anyway-- and--”
“See, that’s my point, Po. Master Shifu never gives us breaks. The only time he ever does is when he’s troubled by something or when he receives an urgent message from Zeng.”
I looked back down at her, raising an eyebrow, “Yeah but Zeng didn’t stop by yesterday.”
“Or maybe he did and we weren’t aware,” She flexed her paws, cracking her knuckles, “Perhaps a messenger of another kind stopped by? Or… maybe he had came into a bothersome revelation during his morning meditation; it has happened before…”
“Yeaaaaah… or he might’ve actually thought that we needed the rest,” I said, trying to get rid of her worries, “I mean, we’ve been training nonstop since Shen tried to take over China a couple of months ago. Everyone’s been running on empty for the past few days. Maybe he just wants us at our best before we start training again.”
“Less likely than not,” She said quickly, mirroring my raised eyebrow, “It’s not just that though. It’s how he’s been acting… especially since the arrival of those turtles.”
I blinked, “How’s he been acting?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”
I smiled sheepishly at her, “I… I’m asking, aren’t I?”
She shook her head, chuckling before she continued to explain, “Shifu has never been this… trusting towards strangers staying in the Jade Palace before. He even keeps an eye on old friends that come to visit. He should’ve been trying to drive answers out of them the very moment that one of them woke up… instead, he humors them. I just… I don’t understand.”
I rubbed my chin, my claw racking through my fur as I thought about what she was saying. Then, it hit me, “Well… could it have something to do with them being turtles?”
She paused, looking at me as if I had grown another arm, “How does their race have anything to do with how Shifu’s acting?”
“Aren’t turtles supposed to be these super sacred, awesomely rare beings? Like, the stuff of legend? Pfft, not even-- the stuff of stuff that legends are made of?”
“Not… quite how you’ve put it but yes. Yes, I believe so.”
“And Oogway was Shifu’s master and friend so… maybe seeing them--”
“Brought back memories?” She finished, her eyes perked up suddenly.
I grinned, “Yeah. I mean, Shifu isn’t really good at hiding that he misses him. Maybe these turtles remind him of Oogway.”
She was quiet for a couple of seconds before she hummed, rubbing her chin, “I… never thought of it that way.”
I shrugged, “Just a wild guess.”
“It may be but it’s a good one,” She nodded, shooting me a small smile, “With inner peace come brains too, hm?”
… I tried not to pout but I failed, “… What’s that supposed to-- Oh! Did one of them wake up already?”
She blinked at me, surprised by my quick change of subject, “Why do you ask all of the sudden?”
“Well, you said that Master Shifu was acting differently around them.”
“Ah, yes, well… one of them has regained consciousness. The one in the blue mask. Leonardo, if I recall correctly.”
…
“…What’s a... Leonardo?”
“That’s his name,” She clarified, sending me an understanding look.
“… His name is Leonardo?”
“Yes. Peculiar, yes?”
“Yeah, a bit. I thought you had sneezed for a second there.”
She laughed lightly, shaking her head at me, “He verified that he and his brother are foreigners… he had just decided to keep his place of origin confidential… another thing that worries me greatly.”
“Aww, Tigress you’re worrying too much. I’m sure that Master Shifu would’ve sensed something evil about them if they meant to hurt us or take something from the palace. Shifu wouldn’t let his feelings get in the way of his or our safety.”
She sighed, clenching and unclenching her fist, “I know but… I can’t help it. I just have a bad feeling.”
I stared at her for a moment or two, hating that the worry in her face only seemed to become more noticeable. I didn’t like to see Tigress like this; my best friend senses were tingling like crazy but… I didn’t know what else to say or do to get that look to go away. Heh… it seemed like my stomach knew how to take care of that.
… Gggggrrrrraaaaggelllll
Her eyes shifted from her fists, to my face and, finally, to my stomach. One of her eyebrows rose and the corner of her mouth lifted into a half smile, “It would seem that the Dragon Warrior’s legendary belly is in need of sustenance.”
I blushed; it wasn’t… quite what I had wanted to do but it distracted her. I rubbed my stomach, pouting when it growled again, “I should’ve eaten those dumplings that Monkey couldn’t finish for lunch today…”
--
A/N: Sorry for the delay on this as well as the shortness. This was actually finished for a while now but I was trying to add more onto this but a friend of mine said to not force the chapters to be longer if the ending is ok and doesn’t to need improvement. What do you think? Either way, gonna start writing the next chapter soon.