Used wrist bandages were scattered across Daiyu's bedroom floor. Daiyu sat on her bed as she wrapped a new bandage around her wrists and she's the scoffers to get the fitting size
She has been sober for over 3 years and thought she'd celebrate it by buying herself a small snack and take a hike. The only reason she still keeps the med kit in her room and keeps wearing the wrist bands was because she has never told her about her history of self harm and thought that it wouldn't even matter that much. Perhaps it was because she feared their judgement and that she's be shunned away again
Although that was ridiculous to think that if her friends, that thought was still deeply craved into her mind
Walking out of the barracks, Daiyu made her way to the training yard, where Po, Mantis and Viper were just hanging around. Just bored out of their minds while Monkey, Crane and Tigress were somewhere else
"What are y'all doing here?" Daiyu asked
"Nothing much. There's no training today and we're just so incredibly bored" Po groaned as he laid on the ground staring at the sky
"And the others are getting bored out of their skulls someplace else" Mantis added as Po sighed
"We wanted to go to the market, but now we don't have the motivation anymore"
"Well, we could just take a stroll down the village and just see for ourselves" Viper suggested as the others reluctantly agreed and headed down to the village
Down there, most people were at the market, but it wasn't like it was really that crowded. There only a very few people actively buying something, more like looking around
However, there was a pig guy wearing a cloak with a hood hanging up posters on the trees and decided to take a quick look. Po took the poster from the wall and the poster read
"Come and see the annual kung fu matches throughout all provinces! Today only, the Valley of Peace!"
With a drawing of two black silhouettes fighting each other and a metallic black symbol of a palace
"I guess it's another group of kung fu masters earning money by performing kung fu fights and bets throughout all of China. Not worth our money" Daiyu shrugged as she attempted to walk back to the palace, but Po quickly grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back
"Maybe we can just take a quick look and see for ourselves" he replied
"Po, don't you remember the last time we went to a kung fu match?" Mantis then asked as Po stammered, before answering
"That was something completely different! And maybe this will actually be awesome!"
"I'm not so sure if that" Viper doubted as Po used his puppy eyes again
"Please!"
The three of them shared some glances, before giving in
"Well, at least it's not Kwan" Mantis sighed as they all went to the location where the match would be held, which was close the edge of the valley
And along their trip, Monkey, Tigress and Crane also came back and spotted them in the bamboo forest. Joining them, they walked together and made small talk
"And you really think this ought to be more spectacular than our previous visit to a match? I still remember the horrific flashbacks of Bai Li's laughter" Crane gulped as Daiyu giggled and patted his back, to which Crane gave her a frown and sarcastic smirk
"Ha, ha! You still enjoy that, huh?"
Slightly teasing her
"So, we're just going to look around and if most of us don't want to be there, then none of us won't go there. Deal?" Tigress asked Po, making a deal to still keep it all fair, because they've been with him reluctantly too many times
Now they want to have their way for once
"Okay, deal!" Po answered as he and Tigress shook paws
Eventually, they arrived at the stage which was standing on a big open space in the forest and there were at least more people than they've expected. They didn't actually think they would even bother to come, maybe a few, but not like 20 or more people
But since the ceremony hasn't started yet, they took that opportunity to look around and then decide whether this was worth buying a ticket for or not
"When is this going to start anyway?" Monkey asked as Po then spotted the cloaked pig who hung the poster on that tree
"Excuse me, but when will this start? It didn't say in the poster" Po asked as the pig shrugged
"My guess would be within an hour. Those entitled brats truly don't know what they actually want" he grumbled as he then walked behind the stage, where they were most likely preparing themselves
"Pff, some masters" Mantis smirked as Viper glared at him to silence him
Crane and Daiyu suddenly turned their attention to the sounds of faint shouting and bickering that was coming from the backstage
"What could they be arguing about?" Crane wondered as Daiyu sighed
"Most times arguing would have good points, this is just what I call throwing tantrums and whining. I think I'll just eavesdrop and I can tell you later" she suggested as Crane chuckled
"Go ahead. I'd like to see these guys try to do a serious performance while perhaps acting like little kids behind walls"
Daiyu moved swiftly and quietly towards the sound. She didn't go backstage, more like she stayed in the middle of the line. The line between the audience and the backstage, that's where she could hear things more clearly
Only the voices seemed kind of... familiar. Yet more aged and deeper. As she listened longer, it all hit her like a boulder. Daiyu gasped as she covered her mouth to stay silent, her hackles standing straight up with fear and anxiety
"Beetle, your foot is in my eye!"
"Well, your face is in my personal space!"
"Stop it, you big babies"
"Yeah! We should hurry. Master Komodo is not a patient man, you know that"
The mention of Komodo alone being here made Daiyu's heartbeat fasten more and she could feel her paws starting to tremble as all her traumatic memories came flushing right back. Breathing heavily, Daiyu slowly walked backwards from the stage
She then quickly turned around when she felt a bamboo tree hitting her back and leaned on it for support while trying to stop herself from hyperventilating. She wasn't too far away from the others, yet the others didn't took notice of her small break down
What were they doing here? Her entire life of living with them, she knew one thing. They never traveled, not even for the utmost important events. So why would they travel to this valley at all?
Did they knew about her living here or didn't they?
Her hyperventilating abruptly stopped when she felt someone placing their paw on her shoulder and instantly turned around with a gasp. It was Tigress, who looked concerned
"Daiyu, are you okay?" She asked
"It's nothing!" Daiyu instantly spoke with a shaky voice as Tigress took her paws
"What is it? You're trembling"
"I-it's probably just the sun. It's a-a hot day after all. Don't worry" Daiyu tried to assure her
But then Crane and Viper came as well with worried faces and before she knew it, all her friends had gotten her attention on her. It was making her sick and even more anxious and she could only pray it wouldn't lead to a panic attack
"Sweetie, are you okay?"
"Hey, Spots. What's gotten you so shaking?"
"Babe. Please, talk to us"
But Daiyu could only yell in frustration when she finally reached her limit
"I cannot be here, you guys! I don't care if Po wants to be here so badly, I will not stay here! Not with them around!"
And with that, Daiyu sprinted back to the Jade Palace on all fours, leaving Po and the Five behind with concern and mostly confusion. What has gotten their friend so anxious and stressed out so much? It had to be something serious, because they never saw her acting like that
Little did they know, a lemur and a stork had been peaking through the curtains and saw and heard almost everything
"Stork, did you see what I think I saw what it was?" The lemur asked as Stork nodded and asked back
"Absolutely, Stork. Did you hear what I think I heard it was?"
"Guys! Hurry up! Yak is already slacking and you're just sticking your heads through the curtains like little girls" Beetle yelled as Yak snorted at him
"But haven't you noticed at all?!" Lemur asked shocked as Beetle raised his eyebrow unamused at him
Stork and Lemur both scoffed and then yelled
"It was Daiyu!"
They were all silent and didn't know what to say. Their previous youngest classmate was here in the Valley of Peace? Right now? But why would they even bother interacting with her now? It has been more than 10 years and things haven't really changed at all
Their Master Komodo was still a cold-blooded and mostly cold-hearted master
But they didn't know how to feel about it. They didn't know if they were happy to see her or just taken back by her change and seeing how many friends she had herself surrounded with just then
Back in the training yard, Po and the Five were looking all over the place for Daiyu, but they couldn't find her anywhere. They called for her, but didn't got an answer
"I don't understand. What's going on with Daiyu?" Po asked as Monkey shrugged, feeling just as confused
"Well, at least one thing's clear. We will not go to that match after all" Mantis chuckled as he tried to ease the tension in the air, but to no avail
Po decided to look in the barracks while the others looked for Daiyu someplace else. He checked every room, but Daiyu was in none of them and the kitchen was also empty. But then when he got outside, he heard panting and heavy breathing right behind the building and went to investigate
And that was when he saw Daiyu with her back against the wall sitting in the ground and tightly pressing her paw against her heart. She couldn't breathe properly and he realized it was a panic attack Daiyu was having
"Daiyu!" Po gasped as he hurried to her side and kneeled down
"Daiyu! What's wrong?"
But Daiyu couldn't answer. Her rapid breathing became more and more unstable and Po was sure she'd faint if she didn't calm down first. He took a deep breath, wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big tight hug. Just tight enough for her to calm down and stabilize her breathing
And she did. Po felt Daiyu's breathing slowing down and eventually calmed down, just breathing in a stabilized rhythm
Po pulled his arms back after he was sure Daiyu wasn't having a panic attack anymore
"Thank you" Daiyu thanked Po quietly as Po then asked
"So, what just happened back there?"
Daiyu breathed in a lot of air, then slowly breathed it out. It took more than 5 minutes, but she then answered
"Those kung Fu masters at the match... they're my old classmates"
"They're what?!" Po screamed in shock as he instantly got silent when Daiyu covered her ears
"Yes... I don't know how they got the idea to come here, but there is no chance that they will get to be here for long. I cannot be there with them and when they mentioned Komodo, I-I just couldn't be there"
"Then you'll just stay here and we will go there to tell them to leave. I'll even get Shifu for backup" Po assured her as Daiyu scoffed with a tiny smile
"I'm going for a walk" that's all Daiyu said as she walked down the mountain towards the forest, leaving Po to do as he promised he'd do
Getting back up on his feet, Po sprinted to where the others were still looking for Daiyu, at the Jade Palace. The Five approached Po, who was bent forward while panting and gasping for air
"I've... I've already found her!" Po panted
"Is she okay? Where's she now and did she tell you what happened?!" Crane asked frantically as Po them stood straight and answered
"Daiyu's okay. She's going on a walk to clear her head. And about what happened. Apparently, her old classmates are here and even suspects that her former master is here as well"
And instantly, they felt sort of scared for Daiyu. Just worried sick that Komodo would probably make her relive her traumatic childhood again or that her old classmates would try to hit a nerve and use it against her
"Those dirty scumbags! They've probably came here just to taunt Daiyu" Viper spat angrily as Monkey then asked
"So what now?"
"We're going down there and just tell them they cannot perform here and we'll take Shifu with us, because then they know that even he doesn't welcome them here" Po replied as most of them agreed while some were skeptical
"I think I also noticed something o her arms as well..." Po mumbled quietly, but Crane could nearly hear it since he walked directly next to Po
"What?"
"Nothing! Nothing. Ha! Let's teach 'em a lesson they won't forget, shall we?"
Crane began to feel slightly suspicious of it and decided to ask Daiyu about. He just hopes it was just poppycock and not true, because he couldn't imagine Daiyu hurting herself so bad
Meanwhile, Daiyu was stomping angrily through the forest and kicking pebbles and twigs that laid in front of her. Mumbling rants to herself, resenting the people that have hurt her and harboring feelings of revenge for them
But the thing was. Even if she did come with a plan for revenge, how exactly would that work out for her and would it even be worth it?
"Ignorant man-children" Daiyu muttered at just the thought of those boys coming back to taunt her again
Just then, she felt at least four presences nearing her. Frowning, she could already feel who those individuals were. Daiyu was lucky that she took her war fan with her, which Shifu had given her. She opened the iron fan and directed it at the four masters
Yak, Stork, Lemur and Beetle. Who immediately backed away and kept their arms visible, even though it was basically useless
"You! How dare you set foot in this valley?" Daiyu spat as Lemur was the first one to speak
"We know you're angry. You have reasons to be... but we truly did not expect you to be here"
As he came closer, Daiyu smacked him on the head with her fan closed and Lemur backed off. Daiyu scoffed
"And I truly did not expect you to actually go through the trouble of traveling somewhere else instead of sitting in a box"
Putting away her iron fan as Stork cleared his throat
"Well, the village was rather persuasive with telling us we'd be more known if we go out there and tell the world more about us" he explained as Daiyu cocked an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. And then Beetle said
"Look, we know we haven't been the most heartwarming and welcoming family for you at first, but we deeply regret our treatment of you. It was disgraceful to not just in general, but to kung fu"
"We want to make amends and we were hoping-"
"That I would accept your humble apology and come back to the Valley of Void?" Daiyu interrupted Yak, silencing him as she realized their intentions
"Peace?" Lemur asked as he reached out his arm, wanting to shake Daiyu's paw
"No... never" Daiyu snarled bitterly as she elbowed Yak to get out of her way and make her way back to the palace
"We're sorry, Daiyu! For Pete's sake, it's been 10 years! Things must've changed for sure" Lemur called helplessly as he blocked Daiyu's way
"Oh, yeah? Is that so? Because during those 7 years, I've been begging for money and offering people my service and I made less than 4 yuan! I barely could afford food and clothes and you want to tell me things have changed? Well, they did. I have a loving family, friends, a home and a loyal partner! And I just don't need you to keep me carrying your burdens anymore!" Daiyu shouted as she shoved Lemur out of the way and soon, it escalated
"Daiyu, just stop!" Yak grunted as he bear-hugged her and kept her trapped
"Get away from you, you fool!" Daiyu screamed as she managed to keep him in the face and tackled him to the ground
It officially became a fight and it seemed that Daiyu got the higher ground, because she kept beating and defeating their every attack and they were the ones who were out of breath while they've only fought for half an hour
Sick of it, Daiyu turned her back to them for only a second and Stork immediately struck in her back and scratched the back of her neck deeply, causing her necklace to fall off and get crushed when Yak wasn't paying attention to his steps
"My necklace!" Daiyu gasped in horror as Yak instantly took a step back when she rushed the the broken pieces of her black jade
"Geez, how heavy are you?" Beetle mumbled to Yak while Daiyu was tearfully collecting the broken pieces of her mother's necklace, which got their attention and felt horrified at their action
"I-... Daiyu-" Stork stammered as Daiyu snapped yet stayed quiet
"Get out!"
And while Daiyu was collecting the pieces and putting them in her pocket, the bandage from her left arm started to come loose and eventually fell off. Exposing her scars while it was starting to rain gently
"Daiyu, please. We are so-"
"I said, GET OUT!" Daiyu screamed as she grabbed Stork's beak and pulled him to the ground, followed by a immense bash on the head, causing his nostrils to bleed and a huge trauma to the head
And as for his beak, it was visibly broken. Because it was completely in half. The rain also came pouring harder and louder as they all stared in horror at Daiyu's wrath and raging, tear-filled eyes. That was their cue to leave as Yak picked up Stork's limp body and sprinted away
Daiyu's deep breathing do not calm her down as she could clearly feel the blood coming from the back of her neck onto her clothes. Daiyu let out a loud, bloodcurdling scream as she nearly destroyed the nearest bamboo trees standing near her and punched holes in the ground as well
All that, before going back to the Jade Palace and locking her inside her bedroom and cleaning and drying herself up
After that, Daiyu realized she had left her bandage in the forest and had nothing else to cover her arm with. While rummaging through her stuff to find an alternative, she suddenly heard her door open and Crane stood right there as she instantly hid her left arm behind her back
"Crane! Didn't hear you coming" Daiyu stammered from shock and surprise as she got stiff
"Uh, huh. I've actually never asked you before, but are those bandages you're wearing part of your fashion or is there a reason?" Crane asked as Daiyu felt her throat close up and panicked
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Crane" she lied as Crane frowned
So without hesitation or anything else, he swiftly grabbed Daiyu's arm and pulled it to him, revealing all her scars. Daiyu gasped at her getting suddenly exposed like that as her eyes teary again. And the fact that Crane kept silent and didn't even move much was making it worse
But Daiyu felt too drained and tired to turn this into an argument, so she allowed her tears to fall and didn't even move, just stare off into space as Crane finally spoke up
"Why, Daiyu?" Crane whispered as he then began to raise his voice, this time more emotional and angry as his eyes filled with tears as well
"Why would you do that to yourself? Are we worth nothing to you?! We could have helped you, you could've talked with us! Just why? Why?! Don't do this to us!... don't do this to yourself"
"... Crane..." Daiyu choked as Crane stared in horror at what he had done, but he couldn't take it back now
So the only logical thing he could think of doing was to leave. And the moment he did, Daiyu sunk onto her knees and completely broke. Sobbing and crying into her paws as she felt all alone and helpless
If only he knew she stopped the moment she came to live with him
Back in the bamboo forest, a big tent was set near the stage where the match was supposed to be held. And inside the tent, Master Komodo was coldly gazing down at a mutilated Stork, who looked terrible and seriously mauled
He turned to his other three students and asked
"Is it true what you are saying? Is Daiyu in the Valley of Peace?"
"It's no lie, Master. We've seen her! She's changed drastically and has become stronger than ever!" Lemur rambled as Yak and Beetle nodded
"It's like she became a different person"
Komodo sighed deeply as a rumble could be heard from his throat while scrapping his claws against the wood of the medical supply box, trailing a deep line while speaking
"It was already an impulsive idea to travel the provinces of China and it would be more impulsive to allow one of my failed students to walk around freely and bombard me to shame. So it is only wise to send her a message and that she either comes to me or I'll gladly go to her"
Komodo stated that with a hard whack on the ground with his tail, leaving cracks and intimidated his classmates, bearing his teeth with his venomous saliva
"I will find out how strong she truly has become"
The barracks felt cold and empty and Crane has become nearly inconsolable when he realized Daiyu was gone again, right when he was about to apologize and work things out. He felt such an immense amount of guilt for going off on Daiyu like that when she already looked like an emotional mess
It was raining cats and dogs as he was pretty sure the rivers were rising because of it. But then he found something unexpected
A letter on her bed
Daiyu couldn't read or write, so he found it weird as he picked it up and started reading it
"I asked Zeng to write this for me, so no, I have not magically gained eyesight. Just so you know
And I think it might be time to get something else off my chest as well and it's to let you know that you are worthy and valuable to me. That night when you found me in the forest, I wasn't suffering any sickness or disorder. It was a jar of snake venom that I drank completely empty, because I couldn't take the pain of being a burden anymore, being someone's second choice and being an outcast in my own home. So you guys practically saved my life that night
And even when I had a list engraved on my mind with reasons to end it all, more reasons that kept adding up, you gave me one reason to live and I haven't doubted that ever since. Those 3 years that I lived here were the longest period I've been sober from harming myself any further
I hope you understand that I never intended to hurt the people I love, especially the ones who saved me from myself"
Crane then began crying again just by reading it all and felt even more guilty than ever. Guilty for not noticing sooner, for not asking her more about, for everything
"Oh, Daiyu" Crane choked as he suddenly felt Po's embrace from behind, along with the others, who were just as emotionally distraught as him
"I think Daiyu might be the one who's really the strongest of us. It takes a special kind of person to take so much pain, but still keeps fighting" Mantis sniffed as he tried to keep his composure and Shifu nodded
"I think we all owe Daiyu praise and credit, because she has been casted into the shadow for too long to find it herself"
"It must've been so hard for her to come forward with this, especially with something this traumatic" Viper spoke as Tigress nodded
"And even then, we will still be here"
As the rain kept going on, thunder began rumbling in the sky as well. And in the bamboo forest, a cloaked figure was standing on a rock while gazing down from a hill at the tent. A lighting bolt crashed as the figure lifted the hood of the cloak
Daiyu
And in front of her, Master Komodo
They both stared at each other, trying to see if anything else has changed during these years. But as always, nothing has changed
"So, you decided to pay me a visit after 10 years?" Daiyu asked, taunting him
"I came here to clear my name, which you have made bad. And I never expected you to be here of all places" Komodo answered bitterly
"Well, you told me that my destiny was never at the Onyx Palace... and you were right. It never was in the Valley of Void, because it is here. My real home, my real family. And you do not belong here" Daiyu spoke as Komodo hummed with mockery before straightening himself and glaring down at her
"And I assume you want me to leave as soon as possible?"
"I'd prefer that very much. If not, I'll have to drive you out by force. You either walk away without anymore fuss and don't come back here again or you're going to have to fight me!" Daiyu challenged as she took off her cloak and took stance
She also took off the bandage of her other arm, so both her scarred arms were exposed now, but that was the least of her worries right now
And Komodo threw the first strike. Daiyu jumped away just in time as Komodo smashed the rock into pieces and whacked Daiyu against a tree, but she uses the tree to launch herself at Komodo and kicked him in the head
Daiyu made sure to keep their fight in the forest as to not endanger the village with Komodo's wrath, but it was a bit of an understatement to say that it would be simple. Komodo wrecked everything that surrounded them and he was wild
The rain made the ground muddy and slippery, making it more dangerous, since they were only a few miles away from a cliff
The fight continued on as they managed to get their injuries equally, but Daiyu got far more bruises and blood than Komodo did. And before things got more bloody, Daiyu nerve-attacked Komodo in his lower body, paralyzing it completely and giving herself time to climb to the top of a tree and recover for a moment
It would was only a matter of time, before Komodo could un-paralyze himself and go after her. And so she had to take a moment to breathe, because Komodo has become more relentless and violent
Just then, Daiyu heard shouting from above her as Crane circled around the treetop she was holding onto
"Daiyu!"
"Crane?! You've came?" Daiyu yelled almost hopefully, but remembered their previous interaction. And the rain has become to loud to understand each other
"I've read your letter! I had no idea and I'm really sorry and-"
"Crane! Could we please discuss this later?!" Daiyu shouted as Crane laughed awkwardly because of the position Daiyu was in right now
And then, the tree suddenly started moving and falling down. Crane was quick enough to grab her as he watched the tree being pulled out of the ground by Komodo and thrown at them. He swiftly dodged the incoming tree and landed on the ground with Daiyu
But they weren't expecting Komodo suddenly charging at them as Crane was fortunate enough to jump out of the way, but Daiyu wasn't that fortunate. With one intense bash in her side, she could feel it
Crack!
Followed by Komodo biting her in her arm, screaming in agony. Before he tossed Daiyu against a tree and glared at her wounded figure, holding her side tightly, covered in blood and a huge bite mark with his venomous saliva
"Daiyu!" Crane screamed as he sprinted to her side and checked on her
"It's... it's just a broken rib, Crane. I-I'll be fine" Daiyu weakly assured him, but she already began to feel funny and sick. And she began to cough up blood while merely breathing hurt so bad
And they were alone and the others had no idea where they were at all
"It seems like your girlfriend has only a few hours left to live, little bird" Komodo taunted as Crane has truly reached his peak and cried out in battle, attacking Komodo like he never attacked anyone this merciless before
"How could you do that?! She grew up with you, you trained er yet you still wished she were dead! Is it?!" Crane screamed as they another lighting crash sounded in the air
Crane managed to peck at Komodo's eyes and actually blind him while scratching him deeply with his talons. But Komodo quickly stopped him by breaking his wing and sending him flying into the air, before whacking him against the ground
"I have told you and Daiyu so many times. A cripple is merely a frail pebble compared to my power" Komodo chuckled darkly as he raised his fist to blow the last strike, but not before me Daiyu yelled
"And yet you collected a lot of 'em!"
A kick at his jaw was what sent him flying towards the edge of the cliff, but managed to dig his claws deep into the earth to prevent him from falling to his demise. Daiyu's red and infected eyes were filled with something that Komodo had never seen before, even when Daiyu was furious
It was actual power and unspeakable wrath
Even weakened, Daiyu fought Komodo and didn't give up while approaching the edge closer and closer. Crane watched in amazement as he struggled to get up or even move and could do nothing but watch
Even though it would be considered cheating or inhumane, Daiyu paralyzed Komodo entirely and beat up his paralyzed body to the point where it was unrecognizable. She panted as she glared at her former master's mutilated body, before firmly placing her foot on his back and with warning she growled
"Now leave... and don't ever think of coming back here!"
Kicking his back, she watched his body fall down the cliff and heard his body making contact with the ground. His bones breaking and it must be certain that even if he becomes free from her nerve-attack, he would most likely be permanently paralyzed
Crane had managed to get up in his feet as he stood right next to Daiyu and watched Komodo's motionless body at the bottom of the cliff. He panted and breathed
"Wow... Daiyu, that was incredible. You knew exactly what he deserved all along and-... Daiyu?" Crane asked as he didn't heard much from her, but he gasped in horror as he saw Daiyu's current state
Poisoned and beaten up, she collapsed as she grew unconscious and Crane was quick to hold her with one wing
"Oh, no. Daiyu!" Crane screamed helplessly
And at that moment, Po, Shifu and the Five came to the scene, but it was too late. Immediately, they brought them both back to the Jade Palace and aided their injuries while Daiyu had to be brought to the hospital to fix her broken rib and get an antidote for the venom
A plaster is what Crane had put on his wing while he was waiting outside the room at the hospital, along with Shifu, Po and the Five with flowers. It has been hours and still haven't heard any news yet. That was when a goose lady came to check in and she looked deeply distressed and mournful
"What is it, doctor?" Shifu asked concerned as the goose took a deep breath and began talking
"I deeply apologize. We have tried everything we could to save Daiyu, but her injuries were too severe to fix and the venom had already taken over her heart"
They all gasped as Crane was already frozen due to the amount of shock and heartbreak, but hearing that made his world stop spinning
"You... you don't mean that..." Crane stammered as the goose answered
"I'm sorry"
Then she added
"You can go see her one last time"
And with that, they all followed her with heavy hearts and pits in their stomachs. And in the room, there laid Daiyu's body covered in bandages and stitches. They all sat down at both bedsides and hung their heads as their mourned the loss of their best friend
Crane just held her paw as she allowed his tears to fall onto her cheeks while choking on his sobs
"It is devastated to have lost one of our family in such a short time. She changed our lives so much and we became more whole and complete. She truly was loved by the Valley of Peace and by the Jade Palace. May Master Oogway guide her to eternal peace and rest" Shifu suddenly spoke. I bit random at such timing. But he wasn't wrong
"Goodbye..." Crane sniffed he let go of Daiyu's paw and sat back, only for something mind blowing to happen. Daiyu turned her head to her right and yelled
"Gotcha!"
Everyone screamed in terror and shock as Mantis suddenly jumped on Daiyu's chest and started smacking her face
"She's a zombie! She's a zombie! She's a zombie!" Mantis screamed hysterically and that alone made Po climb the post against the wall and cling onto the ceiling
"Okay, stop it! Stop it! Stop it! It's a joke!" Daiyu laughed as she grabbed Mantis and placed him on her nightstand while laughing carefully, minding her broken rib
"Ah! She's dead and she still talks!" Po screams as he then clung onto Tigress
"I'm not dead, you guys!" Daiyu chuckled as she gestured at the goose nurse at the doorway
"Thanks for helping me"
The goose nurse nodded with a hidden smile as she then walked away
"What kind of sick and cruel joke was that?!" Mantis yelled, followed by Monkey
"Yeah, you scared us half to death! Even Shifu almost saw the light"
Shifu gave Monkey a small glare, before clearing his throat
"Are you feeling well, Daiyu?" He asked as she nodded
"I manage to find some humor in this"
The whole day, they spend their time with Daiyu. And kept telling her how loved she truly is and that she can always come forward if something is up. And as for Crane and Daiyu, they both apologized for both reacting so explosively and for keeping this hidden for too long, longer than it was needed
They all sat at the peach tree and gazed up at the night sky, feeling as if it were the first time in a long time since they were like this together
"Those scums have gone back to the Valley of Void and won't let themselves be heard here. Good riddance" Daiyu sighed with content while resting her head against Crane's uninjured wing
"We should rename the group actually. How about... the Superly Awesome Six? Or the Bodacious Six? Or better yet, the Savage Six!" Po cackled as he took a hero stance
"How about we just keep it at Six. Six has a nice ring to it and we'll think of something eventually" Tigress smiled as everyone agreed and continued gazing at the bright stars