A Fathers Intuition
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"Ugh…," I sighed, as I walked up the narrow path to my Master's Sacred Peach Tree. It had not been a good training day, not at all; one would think that six trained Masters would be able to run a simple obstacle without resulting in two burned tails, missing scales, and a bent antenna. There is only so much my sixty-two year old red panda mind could handle before I had to get away.

The Peach Tree was the only place I seemed to find tranquility. Maybe it was the way my Master's presence flowed through the blossoms, bringing a life to the hill that nothing else could. I found myself coming here more often since his accent into the heavens, sometimes to ponder a recent mission, sometimes the calm myself after discovering that my daughter and the Dragon Warrior had snuck out again, and sometimes to do just what I was doing now: escaping my mature-when-they-choose-to-be students, Master Tigress included.

I could see the top of the tree now, along with the glow of the candle that we always kept lit there, but… something was wrong. I could feel another presence – two of them actually – already at the top of the hill. As I arrived I was greeted with the sight of none other than two of my acclaimed students. Po was sitting with his back against the tree, my daughter in his lap, and his arms wrapped around her torso. They were laughing at something and Tigress was wearing the golden locket that Po bought her for her adoption date (which was technically her birthday) last month. My mind had to override my instinct to separate them; after all I had given them my blessing over half a year ago and they always came to me before every big step in their relationship, though I made it VERY clear that they would keep their relationship at a certain level before marriage.

I told myself, when I took her home from the orphanage, that I wouldn't give Hu-Lan away to anyone, unable to bear the thought of losing another child. Oh, offers had come over the years from numerous suitors down south, only interested my daughter's and I's political standout, and nothing else. One Bengal had taken it so far as to show up personally with meaningless gifts and an ego the size of Po's appetite. Let's just say he left with a little less manhood than he came with. It took Po to finally break that self-promise. But then, Po was different.

From the beginning I could tell he saw my daughter differently. She wasn't just a peace in a game to him, as many men see women; like they're a tile in a mahjong set - something that could be attained quick and replaced just as easily. No, no, not Po. He treats everything, his friends, his family, and even strangers, with a certain care and a specific value. And though he may not be so smooth with the ladies, he certainly knows how to treat one. He loves my daughter unconditionally, possibly the only one who does so more than me.

I shook myself from my thought and focused back on the two warriors. They were now on a mini chase, Po trying to catch the feisty feline. He managed to grab her tail and she stopped short, causing him to run into her from behind. They rolled for a minute before they landed with Tigress on top of him. They laughed again and she kissed him gently before elbowing him in the stomach and running away again. I laughed softly and turned back toward the path, deciding to leave them be for now.

I Trust You Po, I thought, Do Not Fail Me.

AN: If any of you were wondering where my estimation of Shifu's age came from, here's where: I say Shifu was around 22 when Tai Lung arrived at the valley, and that Tai Lung was about 18 when he went crazy, that's 40 all together. Then Tigress was maybe four or five when she came to the palace after Tai lung, and she looks about 24 or 25. That's twenty-one years max at the palace. So 40 plus 21 is 61. And give a year or so to balance it out and bam! You have Shifu's age. :p