Chapter 20 - Shifu's "True" Side

(Shifu finally tells his two students that he happens to have an “evil” side to him. :D)

“Kurisu!” Shifu growled. “Get your lazy rump out of bed!” He kicked the foot of the bed. HARD.
Kurisu kicked him right back. “G' way..” Se murmured groggily.
“Get up!” Shifu fumed. “Or do you want dish duty for a MONTH?”
“Nnn.. is' early.. She covered her head.
Oogway moved forward and gently shook her shoulder. “Come now, time to get up.” He spoke in a quiet and calm voice.
“Okay.” The kitten yawned, stretched and hopped out of bed. “It's so bright outside..” She grinned.
“Yes.” Shifu tried to be as cheerful as Oogway to earn some cooperation from the kitten, but his annoyance was shown through. “The sun has been waiting a while to come meet you...” He gritted his teeth. “So has the gong!”
Po nodded in agreement. “You slept in longer then usual.”
“Sorry..” She murmured. “Seina kept me up all night...”
Oogway nodded understandingly. “I understand, as a baby Shifu kept me up all night with his bawling.”
The red panda turned his head to hide a blush. “Right, let's go to breakfast.”
Of course, at breakfast the scoldings never ended.
“Po! Stop playing with your food!” Shifu reprimanded. “And Tigress, leave Po alone! Goodness, you're all acting like children!”
Oogway tried to conceal a laugh from behind his cup. “You're one to talk!”
Shifu dropped his fork in an instant. “Excuse me?” He demanded. “What was that supposed to mean?”
“What do you think?” Oogway asked, finally laughing. “You were by far the most evil little devil I've ever had put under my care.”
All of Shifu's students turned to look at him.
Po gave a grin. “Seriously?” He chuckled. “You were an evil little devil?”
“N-no..” Shifu faltered.
“No..” Oogway laughed. “Right. What have I told you about lying to me?”
Shifu's left eye twitched. “Master!”
“I want to hear about it!” Po exclaimed.
Shifu shook his head. “Nuh-uh, no way!”
Kurisu lowered the last melon bun to her mouth. “If you don't tell us, we'll eat the last of the melon buns!”
“No! Not the melon buns!” Shifu wailed.
Tigress sighed and narrowed her eyes at both Kurisu an Po. “Um, may I be excused to go do something more useful and less pointless and childish?”
Shifu sighed. “Very well then, Tigress.”
Whilst keeping a hostile stare on Po and Kurisu; she exited the room with the five.
The red panda gave a small whimper. “Not the melon buns! Fine! If I show you how “evil” I was in the past, gimmie my bun!”
Kurisu obeyed, while giggling. “How are you going to show us?”
“I have a scroll, similar to the one you read, Kurisu.”
“Yaaaaaay!” Kurisu squealed childishly. “Let's go read it, Master Shifu!”
The red panda gave an exasperated sigh and led his two students to his room. “If I read this to you, will you promise to leave my melon buns alone?”
“Yup.” The kitten replied.
Shifu took a deep breath and started reading.

I bet all my students think that I've always been the strict rule master I am now. Believe it or not, I used to be quite playful. Very playful, actually. I was the one that was always wanting to play at whatever chance I got. I was the childish one that Oogway spent most of his time with. I was...the evil one.
My master could tell you that; I was indeed very frisky, and disobedient. Especially when it came to bath time.

“Bath time?!” Kurisu demanded. “You fought against baths?”
“Shut up an listen.” Shifu told her.

“Shifu!” Oogway growled. “Get out from under that bed THIS instant! I am in no mood to put up with this today!”
Something told me that he got up from the wrong side of the bed.
Oogway glared under the bed.
“Nooooo!” I wailed. “I hate baths!!” Ironic actually how I despised baths with the passion; yet loved to swim. “Leave me alone!!”
“I will pull you out by the tail.” My master threatened.
“No!” I should have listened to him. If there is one thing you should know about Oogway it's that: he always keeps his word. In a split second I felt my furry hide burn with pain as Oogway yanked me out from under the bed.
“Come on, let's go. Or, do you want to lose your melon buns?”
I shook my head rapidly. If Oogway knew my one weakness for punishments: it was taking away my melon buns. Man, did I love those things. I still do now; I'd break someones arm if they tried to touch my bun.
I grumbled angrily whilst trudging behind my master, hands deep in pockets in defeat. He had won. I probably wouldn't put up a fight if bathing didn't involve shampoo; but without shampoo bathing would simply be: “soaking in the tub.”
Bathing me took longer then most tasks did. Oogway would never leave me unsupervised in the tub (mainly because they were so big!) If he wasn't there to supervise, a servant would be. It bothered me greatly how I was the only one that was always under watchful eyes. In a way, it felt like an endearment because my master was just trying to keep me safe; but it also felt like I was the four month old that Oogway had bathed many years ago. He never had a problem with Akimi or Wu Lian being unsupervised (but then, they were much older then me.) At least I wasn't under a servant's eyes ALL the time, Leona had to be though. She was only six at the time.
I grimaced as the shampoo was rubbed fiercely into my head and face fur. Oogway was rubbing harder then usual; he was obviously still angry with me so I kept still and kept the complaining down to a minimum.
My master wrapped a towel around me and smiled lightly. I knew why: apparently I look like an adorable little ball of fluff when I just come out of water. My fur was sticking to my eyes and nose; it was hard to see. “Master, what's for dinner?”
“Whatever the servants make.” He said simply. “I have no time to prepare your meal right now. I need to go down to the valley.
“Can I go to the valley for you?!” I asked, hopefully.
He looked skeptical and for a moment, I feared he'd say no. “It's getting dark..” He began.
“Please?” My ears went back and I made my eyes grow wide and glassy. Last but not least: topped it off with a quivering lower lip. My master had never been one to crack under the pressure of a puppy dog pout but I was an exception. He had once claimed that I made the most irrisistable puppy dog pouts that your first instinct was to grab me and smother me with hugs.
“Oh, alright.” He said, sighing heavily and finally giving in. He pressed ten yuan into my hand. “Go and get me some oranges; six of them.”
“Kay!” I chirped. “Wait a minute, six oranges only cost six four yuan.”
“I know.” Oogway said, simply. “The rest you can use for a treat at the food vendors.” He hesitated before smiling. “Despite the “bath” incident, you performed un-expectantly well in the training drill this morning; so you can get yourself a little snack or whatever you want for the rest of the six yuan.”
“Thank you, master!” I chirped.
His face turned serious. “Just stay out of the alley.” He ordered sternly. His face screwed up. “You never know what kinds of creeps can sneak their way into the valley.”
“Kay!” I chirped, yet again. “I'll share with you whatever I'm getting!” I turned to the door and ran off.
“You better!” Oogway called after me. “That's my money!”

Kurisu giggled. “You really were feisty, weren't you?
“Yes.” Shifu laughed. “More feisty when it came to bathing, though.”
“So we see.” Po said with a chuckle.

The valley was as beautiful as it always was. The scent of the food vendors wafted into my still developing nostrils; noodle smells more then anything. Po's grandfather made me some noodle soup “on the house” It was already becoming dark, lanterns lit; as well as small decorative lights around houses.
“Oh no!” I wailed when I saw the food vendor's dreaded sign: “closed.” “
“It can't be closed!”
“Sorry, kid.” The pig murmured. “There's an open food vendor at the other side of the alley.”
I immediately tensed. “Oh, I'm not allowed to go through the valley.”
He smirked. “I saw the shipment of oranges; they're really low. There's no more fruit shipments for another couple weeks.”
“Nooo!” I wailed. What was I going to tell Master Oogway? I sighed and shook my head. “Forget it, I'm going to the alley.” I stuck my hands back into my pockets and trudged towards the dark entry to the abyss. Oogway was going to KILL me; that's if he found out and I knew I couldn't tell him. I peered up into the sky and hummed a little tune to calm myself down and stop my sudden idiotic thoughts of all that could be in that alley. “Stop that!” I scolded myself. “There is nothing more in this alley then a couple of stinky garbage cans.
Keywords: If only that had been true.
I heard a low and raspy growl coming from behind one of the trashcans. Three built greasy foxes began slinking towards me. One of them gave a jeering laugh. “Need a fur cut, kid?”
I gave a low moan of terror and backed up so far that I slammed into the trashcan. “No, stay away.” I knew enough Kung Fu to be able to fight maybe one or two of them; not three. Plus, I was to petrified to move when the leader of the gang drew a long dagger from his ruffled pocket.
I don't think I could possibly explain the ounce of fear that struck my small and vulnerable little heart at that moment. In the back of my mind, I knew that it was too late. I was going to die. If only I had listened to Oogway; he had never steered me wrong. My disobedience had really gotten me in a dangerous fix now.
One of the tigers pinned me to the wall; the other pressed the cool steel blade up to my throat. “You want that fur cut just below the chin?” His voice taunted.
I squinted my eyes shut and prayed for it all to be over quickly. Then I heard a long painful scream; followed by a loud “thud.” I opened my eyes to see a flash of all colors of green. The jade color of his gnarled skin I knew so well.
“Master!”
He didn't look at me, and he kept his focus on his opponent; giving one of the swiftest (yet graceful) kicks I had ever seen. The foxes were in a heap now; and Oogway took that to his advantage to seize the leader by the throat. He spoke in a calm and deadly whisper that even now; sends chills down my spine.
“If you even THINK about harming my student then you my as well be making your own suicide right there!” He hissed. “And if you EVER touch a single hair on his head then I will spend the rest of my life making sure you suffer in eternal agonizing pain.”
The so-called brave leader cowered in fear and even under his flea-ridden fur; I could see him pale.
“Hurt my pupil and you will rue the day you were ever born-REPHRASE: rue the day you were ever conceived in that filthy barren hole that you call a home. RUE the day that your ancestors were ever born to give you your names; for I will personally curse them myself.”
I just stood and stared. Impressed, frightened and shocked swirling through my head all at the same time. I had seen him angry before but there was only one word that described him now: enraged.
“If you don't get out of my valley the second I put you down then I will drag you to the Thread Of Hope and toss you over the bridge and wait to make sure I hear your skull crack thousands of meters below to ensure your death and that you will no longer be a threat to any of my students again.”
His eyes were merely tiny slits now. “So, are we clear?”
The fox nodded, gulping and gasping for air once my master released him. The others just stood frozen in fear until Oogway took a threatening step forward; then they screamed like girls and took off down the dark alley.
Oogway sighed and closed his eyes, I could tell he was trying to restrain himself from running after them. He turned to me. “Are you alright, Shifu?”
I was crying-not just crying but sobbing. Huge tears rolled down my cheeks and soaked my face fur. I was crying for many reasons. One: I had almost lost my life to those creeps. Two: I knew that I had disobeyed and felt bad. Three: I was happy to be alive. Whenever I disobeyed (and it involved putting my life in danger) I would normally start cry and run to Oogway; clinging to him like a bur. He'd usually give me the comfort I wanted; and then, a lecture and punishment.
Oogway's glare immediately softened and he sighed heavily, walking over to me.
I finally sprung up from the spot I sat in, and clung to his robe; bawling.
My master rubbed by back gently;before hauling me up by the underarms. “Come on. Let's get back to the palace.”
I handed my master his yuan back. He responded with a glare. “Shifu, you're grounded.”
My face fell. I might have expected it; Oogway never punished me the way most masters would. He took the “parental” role of punishing and he'd normally just ground me from everything except training. I was the only one that was always punished! (But then, I disobeyed a lot.) Wu Lian was only punished when she heckled me. Ming Yang, Leona, Risu and Akimi were never punished. (They were always so good, I wondered what that was like but no one ever told me.)
“I'm sorry.. the food vendor that had oranges was at the end of the alley. You said you wanted oranges.”
“Not at the expense of your life!” He snapped. “I could have waited a few weeks until they got a new shipment! Why Shifu, why would you do such a thing?”
I teared up and sniffled. “Sorry, what's my sentence?”
“Extra chores for a week and nothing else but training.”
Again, I knew it was only fair, I was always disobeying him anyways. “Are you going to kick me out?”
He gave an exasperated sigh. “No! Why do you always think that? I will never EVER kick you out! You are my life, my student, my little Shifu and I will NEVER get rid of you!”
I smiled at that. “Thank you master...” I laid my head against his shoulder. My smile immediately faded. “Oh nooo!”
“What?”
“I forgot to buy melon buns!”
He just sighed.

Po stared at Shifu in horror and grabbed him. “Oh, my gosh! Did you die?!”
Silence.
“...........Oh.”
Shifu smiled. “Now you in fact see my “devil” side. I am not a goody-goody.”
“I should say so.” Kurisu agreed. “Man, Oogway certainly chewed you out for that one.
“Yup.” Shifu agreed. “But, you know what?”
“What?”
The red panda smirked. “My evilness originated from Oogway.”
Everyone turned and stared at the so-called innocent tortoise; staring out the window.
“....He's plotting!” Po said with a loud gasp; everyone rolled their eyes.

(LOL! “He's plotting!” Man, I love Po. How did I do in the writing now? :D I tried my hardest to make Oogway bad-@$$ in this chapter, hehehe! ^^

Preview of the next chappie!

Kurisu sat on the tree branch, exhaling deeply and smiling. “I love this forest. It's so tranquil.” She smiled over at Seina Suri. “Don't you love it here, Seina?”
Seian Suri gave a chirp of happiness. “Ehehe!”
Kurisu's cheerful thoughts were quickly interrupted as she felt someone's piercing gaze.
“What are you doing here?” A voice rasped.

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