So due to the overwhelming response, I have decided to do another update sooner rather than later. And for those who are reading my other stories, I apologize for my abrupt stopping in updates. They will come, fear not.
Oogway and Shifu watched as the mother goose, one of the many servants working in the Jade Palace, scurried away with the tired Panda child. Shifu had recovered his breath, and stood to Oogway's left, his staff held behind his back, brow furrowed in deep thought.
"The more you try and understand about this, the less sense it will make." Shifu shook his head, looking up at his master, startled. "It was no accident that this panda child was found by you, or found by you after more recent events."
"You have got to be kidding me. Are you saying, that after raising Tai Lung, and utterly failing, the universe is expecting me to raise this panda?" Shifu pounded his staff on the ground, causing an echoing boom through its silent walls. "Is it mocking me! Is it rubbing my failure in my face!"
A gentle hand fell on Shifu's shuttering shoulders. "You did not fail my friend. Tai Lung failed you. And as far as I can tell, the universe has no sense of humor, and as such, is merely giving you a new chance, a new beginning."
Shifu did not look up. He furrowed his brow again; looking in the direction the baby panda was taken. "He will need a name." Shifu muttered after a long silence. "If he is going to be raised here, he is going to need a name."
"Po."
Shifu looked up at his aging master. "Po? That's what you want to name the panda? Po?"
"Were you thinking something different? He is a lost soul, with no family, no place, and until we decide what to do with him, no future. He is our little lost Po, and Po he shall be."
"As you wish grand master." There was a crash and squawking head down the hallway, followed by a loud belch. "I'm, uh, going to go see what just happened."
As Shifu bowed and walked away, Oogway chuckled, smiling after his friend as he limped down the hallway. "Many adventures await you both, and if only you knew how strong you two will be together." He then turned and waved to a passing pig, who rushed over, bowing profusely. "Please order us a new set of bamboo furniture for the guest room, and a crib, preferably not made of edible materials, as well." The pig bowed again and turned to scurry away. "And tell someone to find me my bamboo flute!"
Tigress watched as Mr. Ping went about creating the noodles. Making dough, smashing it down, rolling it out, and cutting it into strings. She was fascinated by it.
"There, then, once you are done with all that, you simply throw it in the pot with all of the ingredients! Carrots, celery, tomatoes, spices, herbs, you know, everything!" In all reality the small tiger did not know, but she nodded her small head earnestly none the less.
As he continued to teach her, three young pigs walked up to the window, sneering at the young feline. The leader of the gang pointed to the tiger, laughing. "What the heck is up with-"The sentence was cut off with a cleaver slamming into the wood beam near the pigs head. "Uh… uh… with this soup… being… so good?"
Mr. Ping slowly lowered the second cleaver he had in his hand, and smiled politely at the boys. "Well, it IS my secret ingredient soup. And before you ask, no, I will not tell you what it is. No leave, before I make a new soup with three more secret ingredients!"
Tigress laughed as the three boys ran from the shop, tripping over themselves on the way. "There now, peace and quiet. Nothing but noodles, customers, and my lovely daughter." Suddenly, a soft melody began playing just outside the shop. "Oh, happy day! I love this song!" Mr. Ping exclaimed in joy. He began humming along as he continued chopping the noodles.
"Oh, Tigress, do you think you could hand me that cleaver I misplaced in the wall over there?" He held his hand out behind him. "Tigress?" A few more seconds of waiting he paused his humming and looked over his shoulder.
And there was little Tigress, prancing about to the music, dancing and swaying with the melody, a delighted smile beaming off of her face. Several customers watched as she danced about, several mothers awwwwing at the cute little tiger and her adoptive father.
Mr. Ping walked to the wall, dancing a little with his daughter along the way and retrieved the cleaver. Then, looking back at his daughter, he left the kitchen and headed out into the street. As he turned the corner onto the road, he found an aging turtle playing a large bamboo flute, his nimble fingers not quite matching the perceived age.
"Ah, Master Oogway, your presence is always welcome at my doorstep. But please, won't you come inside and play? My daughter loves your music, and it would make her so happy to have it inside my shop."
The aging turtle slowly stood and looked down at the shop keeper. "Mr. Ping, your noodles are wonderful, and I am sure your daughter is equally so. But the fates would have it that I do not meet her yet. But a day will come when I will play a most splendid melody for your daughter, one the valley may never forget."
Mr. Ping bowed as the turtle turned and began to walk away. When he felt a tug on his hand, he turned to see Tigress clinging to it. "Who were you taking to daddy?"
Mr. Ping looked back up to find Oogway had vanished. "An old friend dearest, come, let's go make noodles. These poor people are starving!"
A quick shout out to everyone who gave such great feedback. I love it! Thankyou tuckyhunger99, SpiritualLoneWolfXIII, Fallen Angel, bombymcgee(and for you enjoying all the small details), GangnamCat(I would LOVE a cookie), ILoveSnakes(Viper will be entering eventually), and pandamaster97720!
If you would be so kind as to leave a comment about whether you like this update style, with it being half Po half Tigress, or if you think it might be better doing one update all Po and one update all Tigress. That would help me out considerable in future updates. Also, an opinion on whether time lapses(such as jumping a few years or so with small summaries) to get story up to the point of actual kung fu occurring, or if I should go through their lives as they grow and give a deep background on how they developed emotionally and physically. I like both ideas. But I would like opinions of others.