Insecurities

Alas My Brother

"That's the last of them," Yun exclaimed, dragging legs of the last bandit onto the heap of groaning bandits.

"There may be a thing to this self-defense thing," Tai-Lung commented to them.

"Well, I don't think it's a good idea anymore. It would be hard for an army to track down who the bandits and who the citizens were," Lin sighed, looking at the chaos.

BANNNGGG!

"What was that?!" Yun shouted.

"Mantis, Viper, Crane, Monkey, stay here with the bandits. We'll be back," Tigress instructed as she and Tai-Lung ran after the sound of the explosion. Yun and Lin darted after them. Soon, they saw Po struggling to get up. "PO! What happened?" Tigress asked, sliding to his side and helping him onto his feet. Po coughed and panted.

"It was Zheng-Hau. He... He attacked me," Po sighed, bowing his head. "He threw three explosive kunais at me. I ran far enough to avoid the blast, but I'm not sure that Ru made it."

"What?! Why?!" Lin exclaimed.

"He found out that you were the Dragon Warrior?" Yun guessed. Everyone looked at her. "Most servants aren't treated with the amount of warmth and care that you are. Plus, reports from the official that Zheng-Hau overthrew mentioned a panda warrior unlike anyone else, but with the biggest heart known to animal-kind. I knew after I first escorted you home."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Lin asked, creasing her face into a frown.

"Because Zheng-Hau doesn't truly know the movement he's trying to make," Yun replied in a cryptic tone. "And the Mongolians will use that indecision to attack China. Imagine this raid with people who were just here to kill us and not take our stuff. Once I learned that Zheng-Hau trained under Zhao, I knew that this movement wasn't Zheng-Hau's original idea." Po gritted his teeth as he clenched his fists.

"Then what was?" Po asked the fox. Yun was silent for a moment.

"I think you know that answer more than anyone, Po," Yun replied. Po blinked at Yun several times before dropping his head with a sigh. He lifted it back up and smiled at the fox.

"You're very crafty and shrewd, Yun," Po complimented.

"I've been told that," Yun replied with a smirk. Lin looked at the fox and panda with eyes threatening shed tears.

"Lin, I'm so sorry," Po said with his head hung low. Lin looked at the fox.

"What I did helps to ensure that Zheng-Hau is still redeemable to the rest of China," Yun argued with a glare at the hare. "I know that you want to make a world where the victim isn't a victim, but that's not the world we live in," Yun sighed, rubbing her arm. "There will always be a victim" Lin sighed as well, hugging Po.

"I know you too well to think you would have any evil intentions towards anyone," Lin replied with tears in her eyes, "Please... save Zheng-Hau."

"We don't even know where he is," Tigress mentioned.

"I know where he is," Po sighed, rushing after the jackrabbit's trail. Tigress and Tai-Lung followed. Lin looked at Yun. The fox, expecting a harsh criticism, was surprised to get a warm hug.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Yun almost laughed, "I should be the one to say sorry."

"I was living a fantasy of what I wanted, but you've actually lived in reality," Lin replied. Yun sighed, glancing at the direction that Po and the others left.

"Not always," She whispered.

"Come on, we have to hurry," Po hastily charged as they darted through the woods.

"Po, what are you going to do if you find him?" Tigress asked.

"I hope you don't do the same thing you did for me," Tai-Lung cautioned, "Zheng-Hau's is different."

"No... he's just like me," Po mumbled to himself. They ran through the woods before they got to the clearing where Zheng-Hau and Po would spar. "He's not here."

"Maybe he's gone up north where his base is," Tigress proposed.

Then, it happened.

Shoock!

"ARGGHH!" Tigress cried out, falling to the ground. Tai-Lung and Po caught her, seeing two arrows lodged into the back of her shoulder and leg "I'm fine. I'm fine." Tai-Lung immediately took the arrows out. Po saw through the leaves and trees and saw Zheng-Hau. The panda glared straight at him, tearing pieces of his cloak and wrapping it around Tigress's shoulder and leg.

"Get her back to Mantis, Tai."

"Po, don't do anything stupid," Tai-Lung grunted. Another round of arrows sung through the air. Po took out his swords and deflected each arrow. He threw a smoke bomb to the ground, covering their tracks.

"Take her now, GO!" Po shouted. Tai-Lung took Tigress in his arms and darted out of the smoke cloud, making it out of the clearing.

"Why didn't he shoot you?" Tigress grunted in pain.

"I'm not the one he's trying to hurt," Tai-Lung replied as he ran to safety. The wind blew the smoke cloud away. Po had his sword unsheathed, waiting for the jackrabbit's next move. Surprisingly, Zheng-Hau simply came out of the woods with his arms crossed. His glare was apparent, his jaw set, and Po was sure there was some kind of weapons in his hands. But he spoke first.

"Fine day for a spar, isn't it, Po?"

"Zheng-Hau, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Zheng-Hau asked with an unnervingly calm tone, "For your lies? Your betrayal? Or that you basically were only close to me because I was your enemy?"

"It wasn't any of that," Po replied in a soothing voice, keeping his hands up for any sudden moves. "I wanted to know who you were before doing anything drastic."

"Yet here we are!" Zheng-Hau shouted at him. Tears started brimming his face.

"Zheng, I just felt like there was something that you weren't telling me, Lin, Yun, or anyone. The true reason for this movement isn't to empower the weak, is it? It's to try and get over your weakness."

"Shut up!" Zheng-Hau shouted. He wiped his tears away, revealing that his hands had nothing in them. Po lowered his sword for a moment. "You don't know anything about me."

"That's a lie and you know it. Because I know what it's like to feel worthless and useless, especially now that I'm Dragon Warrior," Po shot back. "Please Zheng-Hau, we don't have to do this."

"I think we do," Zheng-Hau said with a cold glare as he took out his own katana. Zheng-Hau hopped up high into the air and came down with blade extended and clashed with Po's blade.

Continued...