42 days and counting....

For the end of this chapter, I decided to implement the idea suggested by CrazyFangirl246 and MC-Magic-Mage suggested. Now, it's not going to be exactly the same as the suggestion, but I still liked the idea. (Actually, you guys may have caught the suggestion in the last chapter, Broken Deal....Sh.......).

Po stirred groggily, his head feeling extremely heavy and a long garment draped over him. (Which made him feel even more sleepy). As he started gaining consciousness, he realized he was in a boat which was steadily moving through water that reflected the golden sky around him. Startled by this, Po sat up with a start, immediately seeing that he was wearing a black and white shirt with golden cuffs and crapped across his back was a golden cloak.

"What the-?" Po said in surprise.

"Well, good afternoon, Dragon Warrior," came a familiar voice.

Po spun his head towards the other side of the boat where he saw Oogway balancing on the edge of it.

"Master Oogway?!" he exclaimed in shock. "How are you here? Where am I? Um...please don't tell me I'm dead."

Oogway chuckled in amusement at the response. "For now," he assured Po. "You have nothing to fear. You are still alive and right now, we're both in a transcended part of the universe."

"Soooo..." Po said slowly. "In other words, I'm dreaming?"

"In a way."

The Dragon Warrior went to scratch his head, only to find that he was wearing a straw hat. "Any particular reason why I'm wearing these fancy clothes?" he asked the old tortoise. "I mean, not that I mind since they look awesome, but normally when I get knocked unconscious by a baddie, I don't dream about rowing in a boat with a fancy cape."

Oogway chuckled again. "All shall be revealed in due time," he promised. "In the meantime, you have a calling you must still fulfill."

Po looked at him in confusion, but he had no time to ask any questions as the boat reached a small island with a peach tree resting in the middle.

"Come,"Oogway instructed, hopping out of the boat.

Po followed suit, asking, "So, am I having one of those universe dreams that Shifu tends to get, or am I actually sleeping and Kai's about to kill me with his swords? Because if it's the second one, I'd kind of like to wake up and not die...."

"Kai does not plan to kill you. But if he succeeds in controlling your mind, which is his intention, all shall be lost. That is why you must train."

"Train for what?"

Oogway simply walked onto the water, creating a very small yin-yang that allowed him to stay upright. He turned back to Po and said, "You must find your balance."

Po eyed him. "My balance?" he repeated.

"Tell me, what do you plan to do once you have defeated Kai?"

Po froze, thinking about it. "Um... I don't know," he admitted. "I mean, dad wants me to stay here and marry Mei-Mei, but I don't like her that much, but I don't want to just leave dad in the dust like that since he's trying so hard to get to know me. But then dad also raised me my whole life and I have a job back at the valley, and I love Tigress...if I ever get to actually say that to her...which I probably won't since now she probably wants to kill me for kissing her...maybe." He glanced back at Oogway. "Oh, I think I see where you're getting at. Which is a first for me."

Oogway smiled. "It can be very difficult to choose which path to go down when there are so many roads and each one offers a way to please you," he told the panda. "However, if you do not possess the will or the balance to walk the road you want, the rest of the journey shall be very difficult."

"I just wish I didn't have so many people I might disappoint if I pick what I want."

"Well, that is why you are here. To train and learn how to balance yourself."

The master walked back onto the island. "To begin," he informed Po. "We shall start with some basics."

Oogway began creating an image of Po's two dads, Li on one side of Oogway and Mr. Ping on the other side.

"Um...how's this supposed to help?!" Po exclaimed.

"They're here to support you," Oogway told him. "If you wish to seek your balance, you must be able to accept or deflect whatever comes your way."

Po blinked. "Okay..." he said in slight confusion. "And how am I supposed to find my balance?"

"By showing you the roads you may take."

Oogway gestured for Po to follow him and he proceeded to lead him towards the back of the peach tree where they were out of sight from the images of Mr. Ping and Li. Upon rounding the corner, Po was greeted by another familiar face he never thought he'd see again.

"Tai Lung?!" the panda exclaimed in shock. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

"Tai Lung has been here for years in an effort to mend his errors," Oogway explained. "While his physical body is too damaged for him to return to you, he can still have a second chance in this place."

"I'm trying," came the flat reply from the snow leopard. "Obviously I'm doing a horrible job since I'm still here."

"No one ever said redemption can take place in one night," Oogway reminded him. "You still have yet to find your inner peace before ascending out from these islands."

Tai Lung said nothing.

"Um...hi," Po said nervously, waving a paw. "I'm guessing that asking how you're doing is out of the question?"

"Clearly," Tai Lung replied. "Nice to see you again, Dragon Warrior."

"You too...I guess."

Tai Lung, who was leaning against the peach tree, stood up and said, "So...you're having trouble deciding what to do with yourself, I hear. Can't say I blame you. Your dads really seem to enjoy playing tug-of-war."

"Hey!" Po yelled. "They're not doing it on purpose!"

Tai Lung shrugged. "If you insist," he said. Looking at Oogway, he added, "So if that's all, I suppose I'll be your errand boy and grab the props. Like I always seem to do."

As he stomped off, Po glanced over at Oogway and asked quietly, "Are you sure he's trying to change?"

"Tai Lung is sorry for his past actions," Oogway explained. "But that does not mean he does not get bitter about the consequences."

The two stood silently waiting for Tai Lung to reappear when they suddenly heard, "What are you staring at?! Enjoying my descent into madness?!"

Oogway sighed. "It appears that he has seen your fathers," he noted.

"Oogway, you put them there on purpose!!!" came the snow leopard's angry remark.

"For Po's training, yes!" the tortoise shouted over. "I take it you're done!"

"I'm coming!"

Oogway patted Po's back as a way to gesture for him to follow him. The two masters walked over to the peach tree where Tai Lung finally appeared, holding two infants in his arms.

"Um...who are they?" Po asked, looking at the kids.

"Your two paths," came Oogway's answer. "Would you like to hold them?"

"He can hold this one first," Tai Lung remarked, gesturing to the tiny panda in his left arm. "My arm's about to fall off."

Oogway took the first child, a tiny panda with violet eyes wrapped in a blue blanket. "Both of the cubs are your firstborn's," he explained, handing the little girl to Po. "But the path you choose will determine which one will have that privilege."

The snow leopard watched Po rock the cooing baby panda, muttering, "I wonder what any of my kids would have been like."

Oogway walked over and gently squeezed his shoulder. "There are many things we can wonder," he told him. "But the path we choose is what makes us who we are."

"Duly noted," Tai Lung grumbled. "Mine is to be a criminal everyone hates and will forget about once he's destroyed!"

"If it makes you feel better," Po offered as the baby tried to chew on her blanket. "People still talk about you on occasion."

"Sure, about how they're glad I'm gone, probably! Why, is that how Shifu talks?!"

Po thought about this for a moment. He had never actually talked about Tai Lung in front of Shifu since he wasn't sure if it was too sensitive, so he had no idea. He guessed Shifu probably didn't think that, but he had no way of knowing.

"I'll take that as a yes," Tai Lung snarled when Po didn't say anything.

"I actually don't know," Po admitted. "But what happened happened. You can't keep dwelling on it."

The snow leopard scoffed. "You make it sound so easy," he grumbled.

Po sighed and turned his attention back to the baby panda he held. He had to admit that she was really cute, even though he had a pretty good idea on who her mother was.

"Mei-Mei's?" he asked Oogway.

"That's one path you can take," Oogway told him. He took the other baby from Tai Lung and gave him to Po, taking the girl from him. "Here's your other path," he added.

The other baby Tai Lung had brought was a tiny boy who seemed to be a hybrid of some sorts. He was a plump white tiger with a white swirl on his forehead that seemed to resemble a yin-yang sign and he was wrapped in a violet colored blanket that looked a lot like the blanket Tigress had let Po borrow a few weeks earlier. Po watched him chew on one of his fingers before he took to batting Po's nose in amusement.

"This looks like Tigress' baby blanket," Po noted slowly. "So um...does that mean this is me and...Tigress' baby?"

"Well you catch on fast," Tai Lung noted.

The baby cooed and grabbed Po's nose, accidentally scratching a tiny claw across it.

"Ow!" Po exclaimed.

The baby laughed and tried to grab Po's nose again.

"Okay, you," the panda said, trying to bat the paw away from his face. "Don't scratch my nose, please."

Oogway handed Po the girl as well and announced, "It's time to begin your training."

"Um...sure," Po said, glancing down at the two infants who were cooing at him. "Just let me put these two down first."

"You will be training with both of the infants."

The Dragon Warrior looked at the old master in surprise. "Wait, I will?!" he exclaimed. "How am I supposed to fight if I'm watching these two though?!"

"All shall be revealed soon," Oogway said once more, leading him back to the other side of the peach tree.

As Po followed him, Tai Lung gently scratched behind the hybrid's ear, telling Po in a low tone, "Freak out my sister again and you'll wish I had killed you."

The master gulped. "Will do," he promised shakily. He then reached the front of the small island with Oogway where both of his dads instantly happily exclaimed, "PO!!!"

Po gulped again. "How is any of this going to help me?" he asked Oogway once more. "Don't tell me I'm going to fight someone with both of my hands occupied."

"Very well; I won't say a word."

"Wait, I am fighting you with no hands?! That's it! I'm gonna' lose!"

"You will with that attitude," Tai Lung piped up with a laugh. "Stop complaining and have fun! How often do you get to spar with the creator of Kung Fu himself?"

Po smiled. "You have a point," he admitted. He then got himself into a fighting position and asked, "So...how exactly is this going to work?"

"Simple," Oogway explained with a smile. "Fight me and find your balance."

With that said, the old master lunged at Po who let out a cry of alarm and ducked, sending the master sailing over his head and skidding to a halt just at the island's edge. He then whipped out a yin-yang staff Po had never seen before.

"Seriously?!" he exclaimed in alarm. "Come on!"

"Come on, Po, you got this!" Mr. Ping called over. "If you can defeat Ke-Pa, you can defeat Oogway!"

"Though maybe you might want to put down one of the cubs," Li offered as Po ducked a vicious blow to the head and blocked the next attack with a surprisingly sturdy foot. "I'd suggest the weird looking one."

"Weird?!" Mr. Ping snapped. "Weird?! How dare you call that child weird! He's absolutely perfect!"

Po tried to kick Oogway's staff out of his hand, but the old master moved out of the way and swatted him onto the ground. Po quickly thrust his arms out to protect both of the cubs from the fall, hearing one of them start crying out in fear. The Dragon Warrior quickly stood up and ran a bit away from Oogway, trying to kick him down (or at least kick the spear away), but with both of his paws holding the two optional firstborns, he didn't have many options.

"Son!" Mr. Ping called out. "Give one of the babies to us!"

"Can't I give them both to you?!" Po called over desperately.

"You can only put one of them down," Oogway told him, jabbing him in the stomach. "Once you put one of the cubs down, they disappear. You need one of them for the next step of your training."

Po groaned, dodging a blow to the head. "This is hard!" he complained. "Especially when you keep dodging my kicks."

"Keep up the yapping and I'll come on over there and finish you myself," Tai Lung offered, cracking his knuckles. "I haven't had the pleasure of beating anyone in combat for almost eight years and I wouldn't mind participating."

"Um, I'll pass, thanks!" Po told him quickly, not in the mood to have the vicious snow leopard added into the mix. He tried again to kick Oogway's staff away, but the master simply swiped it under Po's legs, causing him to trip.

"Pu the weird one down!" Li called out again.

"Will you knock it off?!" Mr. Ping exclaimed. "If anything, he should put down the scaredy baby."

"Babies are supposed to be scared!" Li snapped. "How dare you call my granddaughter a scaredy baby!"

"Mei-Mei already has a kid! She doesn't need one from my son! Besides, he can't concentrate on kung fu with someone screaming in his ear!"

"Yes I can!" Po protested angrily, finally managing to kick Oogway away from him.

"Give us the girl!"

"The boy!" Li argued. "Not that I'm saying Po can't beat Oogway with no paws, but it would be easier if that...thing wasn't so distracting."

"THING?!" Mr. Ping yelled.

"Well I don't know what it's called. It's not a panda and it's not a tiger. It's a weird looking hybrid of some sorts."

"Then you call it a panger. Or a tida. Or...son, what would you call him?"

"Um..." Po stammered.

"Give us the hybrid," Li called over.

"No, put down the bratty baby!" Mr. Ping argued.

"Put down the monster."

"ExcUSE you?! WHAT did you call him?!"

"You heard me!"

"He's just a baby!"

"And he looks like a future killer!"

"He does not!"

"Says you who's never dealt with one before!"

"We've dealt with plenty of horrible people! Don't under estimate me!"

Having enough of the bickering, Po screamed, "WILL YOU TWO JUST STOP IT????!!!!!!!!!"

Almost immediately, a blast of green light floated out from Po, freezing everyone in their place, including Oogway who was just about to whack Po in the head with his staff. Startled, Po quickly moved out of the way, looking around in alarm and hoping that this wasn't permanent.

In the meantime, he thought to himself. I can think about what I'm going to do here. If I put down the firstborn of me and Mei-Mei...I'm gonna' call her Peach for right now. And this little guy I'll just name Feng. If I put Peach down, then dad will think I'm trying to spite him. Plus, he'll be mad since it'll mean I'd rather have a kid with Tigress than the girl I've been betrothed to my whole life. On the other hand though, if I put down Feng, dad will think I'm putting him down since he's a hybrid and he'll probably think I'm trying to abandon the family and friends I've made back in the valley. But I'm not! I just...ARGH! Why is this so difficult?! No matter what I choose, I'll wind up disappointing at least one of them! But they both just want me to be happy, and they're doing their best to...hey, wait a minute!

Po reconsidered what he just thought: that his dads just wanted him to be happy. He thought back to the times that they had discussed life plans with him and what exactly each one expected, as well as how each one reacted to different things that were said in each situation. For Mr. Ping, he had been expecting Po and Tigress to get together since Po liked her a lot, but he respected the fact that Po wasn't ready to tell her and...to be honest...spent more time talking about grandkids than who he would marry. On the other hand, Li was dead-set on Po marrying Mei-Mei, but during the brief times that Po had expressed concern, Li had expressed his own, saying that he did fear that he and Mei-Mei would have a somewhat strained relationship due to Po being lost as a baby. However, he still held some hope for it. When Po, as well as Viper and Monkey, informed Li on how badly Mei-Mei was mistreating Tigress, this caused some slight alarm from the panda leader as Mei-Mei normally never exhibited such behavior. In short, the more Po thought about it, while his dads did have an idea as to what they had planned for him, it didn't seem like it would matter what he did. Both of his dads loved him, no matter how long or how briefly he had known them, and most likely they would respect whatever decision he made. The images he was seeing of his dads were no more than just reflections of his deepest fears, and Po was determined to ignore them both at all costs.

The Dragon Warrior had a pretty basic idea on what path he was going to take, even though he wasn't sure what exactly lay ahead of him if he chose to take it. However, he firmly made up his mind and walked over to both of his dads where they almost immediately unfroze.

"Well that was strange," Mr. Ping remarked. "Don't tell me I fell asleep."

"That was me," Po apologized. "Could one of you hold Peach?"

Li eyed him. "Peach?" he asked.

Po gestured to the panda who was currently trying to eat his sleeve. Li gave Po a hard stare. "You're giving up your daughter?!" he exclaimed. "But you named her! What about that hybrid thing you have in your other arm?"

Po ducked out of the way of Oogway's attack, adding, "I'm keeping Feng. Can someone just hold Peach please?"

"I'll do it," Mr. Ping offered, bracing himself for the extra weight. Po gave him the baby, struggling to get her off of his sleeve for a moment, before handing her to his dad who struggled a bit to hold her.

"At least she's not as heavy as my steel pot," he remarked. "Then we'd have problems."

Po now had one arm free to fight Oogway, which he gladly did by grabbing Oogway's staff right out of his hands and knocking the old turtle to the ground. The master responded by whipping his tail in Po's face and reclaiming his staff, upon which he whacked the panda over the edge of the island and into the water. Instead of sinking or simply falling in, however, Po landed on his feet where a large yin-yang erupted across the water and allowed him to stand up. The panda glanced down in awe as Oogway gave him a smile.

"It seems you have found your balance," he told the Dragon Warrior.

"Yeah, I guess so. So does that mean you're not going to beat me up now?"

"I'm not going to," Oogway promised. He flicked his wrist and the images of Mr. Ping, Li, and Peach disappeared from sight. Turning back to Po, he added, "Now that you have found the path you shall take and have achieved your sense of balance, it is time for you to defeat Kai."

"Sounds awesome! Except Kai took my chi."

"Because of your skills and your special tie to the universe," Oogway explained. "You possess the rare ability to reclaim your chi from that pendent. However, you are short on time. Once Kai turns you into his Jade Henchmen, it will be near impossible for you to reclaim your qi."

"And coming from a master who says nothing is impossible," Po noted. "This must be pretty serious."

"Indeed," Oogway told him. "Now, Dragon Warrior, listen carefully. You must take Feng to a cradle a little bit past this island. Once you lay him inside, you will be granted a staff. Take it and journey to the end of the Mythical Islands. There, you will see a desert complete with a beached ship. Inside will be a small jade rock with a hole in the middle. Place the staff inside the hole and your qi will be returned to you and you shall regain consciousness. But remember: you have little time to do this, so make haste on the matter."

"Will do," Po promised, bowing to the master. "Thanks, Master Oogway."

The Dragon Warrior waved over to Tai Lung, adding, "Bye, Tai Lung! Take care of yourself."

"I'll do my best," the snow leopard promised with a head bow. "You better take care of my sister. I'd threaten to slap you, but I'm sure she'd do an equally nice job."

"Yeah, I know that from past experience."

And with that, Po set out to begin his journey......

While all of this was occurring, back in the land of the conscious, Tigress was busy still cradling Po in her arms and keeping him away from Kai who was currently waiting for Tigress to let go.

"Still holding your boyfriend?" he asked casually, twirling his sword in boredom.

"He's not-" Tigress began, but she shook her head in defeat. "Never mind."

Kai laughed. "I'm assuming you get that comment a lot?" he asked.

"Every five seconds."

A moment of silence passed by before Kai cleared his throat and said, "I apologize for earlier, plum blossom, about what I said about children being abandoned. I didn't realize your parents had abandoned you."

"Are you just saying that because you think it'll make me like you, or because you're really sorry?"

"Both. I grew up with my biological parents, so I was never quite sure how that whole process of unwanted children worked."

"Who said I was unwanted?" Tigress asked bitterly. "Maybe they gave me up because they couldn't take care of me. For some sudden reason."

"Is that why yours gave you up?"

Tigress shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "I was only three weeks old when I was left at the orphanage."

Kai gave her a look of surprise. "You don't remember your parents?" he asked.

"No. Who would at that young an age?"

"I do. I remember back to the day I was born! I know that they didn't let dad in the room because back then they only let the mid-wives witness the birth of the baby. I had a green blanket and I remember the second dad came in the room, he took one look at me and said, 'Well, it looks like we're not naming him Suri.'"

Tigress glanced at him, but continued to tend to Po.

"You know, my dear, I still need him to control China, so...if you wouldn't mind letting go?"

"Never!"

Kai leaned against the wall for a moment with a sigh. "I'm really trying to do this without injuring you, Tigress," he told her. "But if I have to go rough, I will."

"Go ahead," Tigress muttered. "I'm not complaining."

Kai thought for a moment. "Wait," he said. "I have an idea. I'll be right back."

"Take your time," Tigress called after him. Once Kai left the room, she turned her attention back to Po who was still laying on the ground completely lifeless. The master squeezed him gently, feeling tears leak into her eyes.

"How could I have been so stupid!" she said to him, knowing he couldn't hear her. "Here I am telling you to be careful while I'm over here getting caught and leading you to your demise. What kind of friend am I?! What kind of person gets her friends killed with silly mistakes like letting her guard down or being overprotective?!" She took a deep breath to steady herself and gently kissed him on the forehead. "I'm so sorry, Po," she apologized quietly. "This is all my fault."

A few minutes passed by before Kai came back into the room holding a golden lotus with a red Phoenix creating a circle in the middle. "I raided that artifact room years ago," he told Tigress as he approached her. "But I had no use for this thing so I left it alone."

"What is it?" the master asked suspiciously.

"The Phoenix Orb," came the answer. "It's used to recall certain memories to mind that may have been forgotten for some reason or another. I thought perhaps we could make a trade. If I give you the orb to help you remember mommy and daddy, you can give me my future Jade Warrior."

Tigress gave Kai a look and weakly managed to move Po behind her. "Not even if my life depended on it," she snarled.

Kai looked a bit surprised. "You would really forgo a chance to remember your parents just to protect a qi-less Dragon Warrior who, may I remind you, was your only hope in defeating me?"

"Po has a reputation for beating the odds," Tigress told him. "Something I forgot about for a moment when he went to fight you. I won't lose that hope again! Not even in exchange for something I forgot about years ago."

"What if I threatened to break it?" Kai asked, holding the orb high above the ground.

Tigress watched it with her heart beat increasing, knowing what sticking to this decision would probably mean. "Go right ahead," she replied flatly.

The bull shrugged. "Suit yourself, my dear," he said. With that, he let the orb drop to the temple floor where it shattered into pieces in front of the masters' eyes. When he was finished, Kai walked over to the master and grabbed her by the arm with the intention of throwing her over by the shattered orb. However, during her time of rest, Tigress had gotten some of her strength back and she took advantage of this by kicking the bull in the face and knocking him to the ground. She went to grab his pendent from around his neck, but Kai grabbed her arm and smashed her into a nearby pillar.

"You're just delaying the inevitable, Master Tigress," he sneered in her face as he kept her pinned. "Once I finish off your would-have-been boyfriend over here, I'll be right back for you. Whether or not you decide to come quietly or be forced into being my lovely assistant will be entirely up to you, but one way or another, I will win this fight! And there is nothing you can do to stop me!"

At that moment, the pendent on Kai's neck began to glow brighter than it ever had, and soon, green waves fumed out from it. Alarmed, Kai tried to control the light, but it glowed even brighter and more and more of the waves came out. They soon trailed over to Po where they steadily flowed into him and soon erupted with a green blast that knocked both Kai and Tigress onto the ground. Po sat up with a gasp of air, surprisingly not weak from Kai's drainage of his qi. Glancing around the temple, he saw Kai and Tigress sprawled on the floor, asking, "Um...I didn't miss anything important, did I?"

"PO!" Tigress cried happily, getting up to run over to him. However, Kai caught her by the leg and hurled her into the pillar. "Not so fast, plum blossom," he snapped angrily.

"Hey!" Po yelled, getting to his feet. "Leave her alone!"

Kai got to his feet as well and grabbed Tigress' arm, yanking her up to his level. "Well congratulations, Dragon Warrior," he grumbled angrily. "Thanks to you and your sudden revival, the plans have now been drastically changed."

"What do you mean by that?" Po demanded.

"I was planning to turn you into my best Jade Warrior yet," Kai remarked sourly. "But since I have to steal your qi all over again, I'm now forced to stoop to more drastic measures."

With that, a green light emitted from the bull's paw and he stuck it back into Tigress' abdomen where she let out a scream of pain.

"TIGRESS!" Po cried, dashing over.

Since Tigress hadn't regained all of her strength however, Kai was able to steal her qi just as Po arrived to help.The bull tossed the master to the side and lunged at the slightly distracted Po with the green light, but Po was able to catch Kai's fist in the nick of time and hurl him over to the other side of the temple. The panda then ran over to Tigress, wondering if this was how she felt when Kai drained his qi.

"Tigress?!" he cried, cradling the master in his arms.

Tigress said nothing. She laid there unconscious in his arms with nothing but obvious signs that she had fought with Kai earlier and was clearly unsuccessful. Bruises were seen along her arms and on the side of her head, and some parts of her sleeves were ripped from an unknown struggle.

Rage filled Po as he looked at her, upon which he laid her gently on the floor and looked over at Kai who was just starting to get up.

"No body hurts my TIGRESS!!!!!!" the master screamed, getting up and barreling at the bull.

Kai managed to block the incoming attack, but he was so startled by Po's outburst and short burst of speed that he was soon, and quite literally, kicked out of the temple, knocking the doors down in the process. Po followed him and stood right in the doorway, giving Kai and angry look that could have killed. (If looks could kill....).

"I hope you've been having fun," the Dragon Warrior threatened. "Because playtime is now officially over for you!"

Six chapters left, guys! Time's ticking down! I'm going to be very sad to end this book, but all good things, sadly, must draw to a close. Now, depending on what else I'm adding, I may or may not add in a chapter earlier than Friday, but that probably won't happen. I'll have to see. But I wanted to thank you guys for being supportive of my writing. I especially wanted to thank HaloToiRiver for asking me to continue back earlier on in December when I thought about waiting until March to keep writing this book. Had I waited, I would have been seriously behind and half of these chapters probably wouldn't even have existed, so thank you very much for encouraging me to continue on despite the sudden date change.

With that said, thank you guys so much for encouraging me with this book and for giving me suggestions to help make these chapters. This book is getting ready to end, but on the bright side, once I post the final chapter on January 29, by that time, our wait will be over and we'll get to see what really happens when Li comes to visit. Hopefully TiPo will become official, but we'll just have to cross our fingers and hold our breaths. Not literally!