It was a sunny day in China as a tall, muscular male lion adult was heading for the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy. He wore a black and white kimono, had thick, long, beautiful brown hair as his mane and a thick, bushy beard. He had amber eyes and appeared to be in his fifties.
He wasn't alone as he had a baby bjorn carrier strapped to himself with a small four-year-old male fox. The little fox boy had really thick, full and voluminous looking blonde hair that was going down slightly passed his collar bone as he had blonde hair that was straight, shiny and silky looking but very thick. He wore a dark blue kimono with what looked like really good looking and strongly made sandals. Both him and the fox male adult wore sandals. He had a slender body from the looks of it.
"Hopefully I can recruit a few teachers or at least one of them from this kung fu academy." spoke the lion adult.
"Are the people here nice, Bàba?" asked the fox as if nervous.
"Not to worry, Musashi. The people here are kind, maybe a little rigorous with their kung fu training but they're not bad people. They at least know to be nice to children. But if anyone is being cruel to you or tries to hurt you. I'll put them in the sleeper hold." reassured the lion adult. "But let's try to be on our best behavior and if you get lost. Do like what I taught you to do."
"I'm lost and I'm looking for Grandmaster Lee." Musashi recited.
"That's my son." said Lee.
Lee briefly tickled Musashi which made him squirm and laugh. He approached the double doors to the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy and knocked on the doors three times in three loud bangs while he sucked in a big amount of air and let out a thunderous lion like roar.
The double doors opened and there was a large male buffalo who appeared to be the instructor of the academy. He greeted Lee with a bow with his hands pressed together like a prayer and faced him.
"Grandmaster Lee. It's good to see you again." said the buffalo instructor.
"Great to see you too, Ju-long." said Lee greeting him.
Ju-long turned and called out to the students who were practicing a kung fu routine by whistling loudly to get their attention which worked.
"Everyone front and center, now!" Ju-long called out.
They stopped what they were doing and approached them. They noticed that Grandmaster Lee was there and they greeted him with a bow.
"Welcome Grandmaster Lee!" they greeted.
"I'm here to recruit one or more of your best kung fu teachers. Maybe just going for one of them would suffice." said Lee.
"Will do, Grandmaster, oh?" said Ju-long stopping at mid-sentence.
They all suddenly noticed Musashi, the four-year-old male fox in the baby bjorn carrier that was strapped to Lee's torso. They almost didn't notice the little male fox at first.
"Forgive me for being distracted Grandmaster Lee but did you notice you have a little tike with you?" asked Ju-long the first to notice.
"This is my son, Musashi. He's taken up an interest in Kung Fu recently when he watched me practice and the more he watched me do so. He appeared to take an interest when he tried to do a few moves. He's shown potential but I'm afraid I may need some assistance in training or teaching him." answered Lee as he briefly tickled Musashi to make him laugh and squirm a bit playfully.
Some of the students uttered an adored "Awww" while Ju-long as a bit confused at first.
"Grandmaster Lee, does this mean you and your wife decided to have children in the other method when she couldn't the natural way?" asked Ju-long curiously with blushing cheeks.
"Musashi, cover your ears. Adult conversation." instructed Lee.
Musashi obeyed as he covered his ears so he couldn't hear what they were saying. Lee had continued.
"Since my wife couldn't get pregnant. We decided to adopt a child after so many years have passed when we kept trying to get pregnant and failed. But one night, Musashi was dropped off on our doorstep when he was a baby. We decided that if no one else was there to raise him. We'd raise him. Even though my wife died a year ago. Still, I'm raising my child with love as we both have been." explained Lee. "Also, while we're here. No swearing around my son, no drinking alcohol and no smoking around him. We don't need a four-year-old learning his first swear word."
"Yes Grandmaster Lee!" they said in unison with a bow.
Lee looked down at his son and lightly tapped him on his shoulder to signal him that the "Adult Conversation" has ended. He removed his hands from his ears and was able to hear again.
"I want to view each teacher and have them show me their best. Just don't push yourself or you could pull something." Lee announced.
For the next couple of hours. Lee would watch each teacher from the academy show him their best kung fu moves and how well trained they were. But whenever it looked like each one of them was done giving a demonstration of their skills from their agility, endurance, speed, and strength. Once each one was done showing off their skills. Lee would utter loudly "Next" he would watch each one of them from a teacher who was a gorilla, a rhino, a buffalo, a crocodile, even a black panther.
"How was that Grandmaster Lee?" asked the black panther male teacher.
"As impressive as you are. I'm liking what I'm seeing in each and every one of you, but..." Lee paused.
A loud rumbling sound was heard from Lee and his lower body felt pressure building as he got up from where he sat and freed Musashi from the carrier as he had instructed Musashi to listen to the adults as he nodded.
"I have to use the little warrior's room. Chung, watch out for Musashi while I'm away till I get back." instructed Lee as he took off running towards the nearest bathroom.
The black panther male adult who was one of the teachers, Chung, was looking at Musashi with a nervous expression as he appeared to have no experience with children of any age, let alone any experience with a child at Musashi's age. He came over and stood next to the fox child.
"Is kung fu hard, Mr. Chung?" asked Musashi innocently.
"At first, yes. But we keep at it with practice and training and we get better at it as we keep going. But every school and every teacher is different. And so am I." said Chung. "And it's a great way to manage one's emotions such as anger."
"Do you have a lot of anger in you, Mr. Chung?" asked Musashi curiously.
"No, sometimes, not always. But as I've said. Kung fu is a great way to manage our emotions. This academy takes on the best of the best as we refer it." answered Chung. "Do you have to shi- I mean do you have to use the little boy's room?"
"Nope. Me and Bàba already went before we came here." said Musashi.
"You call Grandmaster Lee Bàba?" said Chung with a raised eyebrow of confusion.
"Yes, he's daddy." answered Musashi. "Don't you call your daddy by that name?"
There was a moment of silence that was met as Chung was stoic. He was silent for a moment as if he didn't want to bring up an adult topic to talk about with a four-year-old.
"I had a complicated relationship with my father." Chung answered.
"Is this an adult conversation? Bàba always told me if someone is about to talk about something not meant for kids to hear. I should just cover ears and block it out." said Musashi.
"Then yes. It's sort of an adult conversation. Something that's more understanding when you get older. Kind of like the talk about dating." said Chung blushing with a chuckle as he tried to get his dad off their minds. "Lots of smoochie smooches."
"You're gross." said Musashi in disgust.
"Every man and woman goes through that. When they're ready that is." chuckled Chung.
"That's not happening to me." said Musashi crossing his arms in discontent.
"Girls gives Mushi a smooch a goochie." joked Chung.
Musashi gagged loudly as if about to puke which sounded like the attempt of a cat coughing up a hairball. Chung decided to stop joking as he thought the fox child was about to really get sick.
"Sorry kiddo, it was just a joke. I got a barf bag on me if you need it." said Chung showing compassion and his apologies.
"No need. Just stop talking about girls, dating and kissing." said Musashi recovering from his disgust.
Their worry was interrupted by a loud and low rumbling sound that sounded like it came from someone, not somewhere or something. Chung was thinking someone nearby was about to fart or needed to go use the bathroom.
"Anyone hear that?" Chung called out.
"Chung." said Ju-long pointing forwards.
Chung turned to see that the rumbling was coming from Musashi. The little fox boy was rubbing his stomach as it appeared that the rumbling was coming from his stomach.
"You about to throw up, kiddo?" asked Chung hoping it wasn't that.
"I'm hungry. Breakfast was a while ago." grumbled Musashi. "Got anything to eat, Mr. Chung?"
"Maybe I could rectify that?" Ju-long chimed in as he approached them.
Ju-long approached Musashi and pulled out what looked like a small bag and gave it to Musashi. Chung saw him take it and open it up while he started to look alarmed.
"Ju-long, what are you giving him?" said Chung beginning to worry.
He got his answer once Musashi pulled out what looked like nuts coated with chocolate and honey. The fox boy's face lit up with wide eyed amusement and smiled.
"Caaaandy." said Musashi chuckling.
As Musashi began to place one after the other piece of candy into his mouth. He chewed on it, tasted it, savored it and swallowed it down. Chung was looking worried as he turned his attention to Ju-long.
"Ju-long, are you sure he should be given sweets?" asked a worried Chung.
"Oh relax, Chung. What's a little bit of candy going to do to him. The worst it'll do to anyone if they have too much of it is rot their teeth. Besides, a little candy won't hurt him." reassured Ju-long.
"You don't understand. He probably never had sugar before and when children are given sweets for the first time." Chung started as he tried to warn them.
It was too late. Musashi's eye pupils began to dilate while he began to chuckle a bit but his chuckle turned to crazed laughter as he emptied the contents of the bag of candy into his mouth, chewing them up and swallowing the entire batch of candy down. He was laughing like a hyperactive crazy person and he began to take off running so fast that he appeared to be running faster than anyone on earth could run, probably faster than the fastest runner at the kung fu academy. He was laughing like a crazed hyena.
"They have a sugar rush?" guessed Ju-long.
Musashi stopped and began to jump up and down so fast that it was like bouncing a ball of rubber at a rapid pace. He was laughing and would at times be rapidly saying "boing, boing, boing, boing" before he stopped and continued running around so fast at lightning speed.
"That would be a yes. You could've given him something that wasn't sugar." said Chung shaking his head. "Catch that kid!"
Both Ju-long, Chung and all the kung fu teachers along with half the students of the school attempted to catch Musashi as he ran around so fast but with the burst of energy in his system from the sweets he had. He was able to run everyone, even the fastest of runners at the place couldn't catch him or keep up with him.
"Wow! This kid is fast." said a male gorilla teacher.
"Hey kiddo, slow down!" cried a male rhino student.
Musashi didn't listen as he was like a kid at a festival. He was having too much fun since the sugar that gave him a burst of energy was still working out of his system but not fast enough for anyone to catch up to him. He even jumped over Chung who was a good seven feet tall in height and even he couldn't catch up to him nor could he be fast enough to catch him.
Chasing the little hyperactive fox child was obviously tiring out most of them, all the teachers stopped to catch their breath, panting, the students that tried to catch him ether gave up before some of the rest of them stopped to catch their breath, some slipped and fell while a few of them were barely walking till they stopped.
"That kid...is...too fast." panted Ju-long.
"If we get into trouble...with Grandmaster Lee...I'm blaming you." panted Chung.
"I'm about to catch that speed demon!" called a male crocodile.
They saw a crocodile student was about to catch Musashi but tripped over some cleaning equipment and the wooden handle of a broom flew up and hit him in the face. Making him groan in pain after it fell back to the ground.
"Nevermind." groaned the crocodile student.
"What's going on?" called a female's voice.
Everyone turned to see that a tall and slender bodied female Asian golden cat adult woman who wore a slightly flashier, teal-colored version of a typical kung fu student's uniform: a fitting tunic, loose pants, and leg wraps. In addition, she also wore a teal cuirass and matching belt and gloves that was presumably leather. Musashi tried to stop running but had to push on his feet to stop as he was ten feet in front of this beautiful woman.
"Mei Ling, this isn't what it looks like." said Ju-long looking a bit nervous.
"Let me handle the situation. Chasing around a little boy is no way to get him to listen anyone." said Mei Ling as she approached the now blushing Musashi. "Try the gentler approach with children."
Mei Ling stopped and stood in front of Musashi who was blushing deeply, his heart pounding as he hiccupped loudly and looked down at his feet. It was obviously he was shy around this tall, slender, beautiful woman as he froze like a statue in her presence.
"What's your name, cutie pie?" asked Mei Ling kindly.
"Musashi." answered Musashi with a loud hiccup.
"Why were these people chasing you around?" asked Mei Ling curiously.
"One of the teachers gave me candy and it made go all mashugana." said Musashi apparently unable to lie to her.
Mei Ling looked up at the others and wanted to know who gave Musashi the candy.
"Who gave him too much candy?" asked Mei Ling.
Before Ju-long could come up with an explanation to placate the situation. Everyone immediately pointed at him as they ratted him out to Mei Ling.
"Ratted out by the students, bummer." Ju-long said with a sigh of defeat.
"The boy was famished, Mei Ling. Ju-long gave him some candy, he had some, I tried to warn him but the sugar made him go nuts. He outran even the fastest teachers and students here. And four of them climbed a mountain, nearly at the risk of dying." Chung revealed.
Mei Ling turned her attention back to Musashi whom she picked up and carried into her arms. She was hugging him while nuzzling her cheek against his which made everyone seeing this looked on with surprised shock.
"All that sugar in his system from all that candy and the only thing that can stop his sugar rush and burst of hyperactive energy is a woman. Go figure." said Chung surprised.
Mei Ling briefly tickled Musashi's stomach which made him laugh, squirm and smile. That's when she started to raise him up and raise him back down but repeated for a bit, even gently spun him around which made him laugh. She pulled him back into her arms while hugging him as she kissed him on his forehead and his cheeks, causing him to blush, hiccup and chuckle. It was like seeing a mother bond with their baby.
She would cross her eyes at him and make a funny face and a funny sound to make him laugh again which she succeeded in making him laugh. The people who witnessed this were surprised that they couldn't keep Musashi under control when he was going through a sugar rush, dozens of them couldn't handle him during that, they would've if Ju-long didn't give him any sugar but they were unable to keep him under control nor could they catch them when he ran around the place at top speed but the only one who could stop him or keep him under control was Mei Ling, one person. Mei Ling stopped with the funny faces and sounds as she kissed him on his cheeks and forehead once again.
"Gentlemen, if you give a child any form of sugar, make sure it's in small amounts. And always try to be gentle with them. Musashi is just a child. And he's a cutie little patootie, yes he is." said Mei Ling when she at first was kindly lecturing them but then talking in a cute tone when facing Musashi.
"What's going on?" came a male's voice.
Everyone turned to see that Lee had returned while mostly everyone looked on at him with nervousness as if afraid they'd be in trouble with him like a child caught red handed in doing something they shouldn't.
"What's got everyone so tired out like they ran more miles than they can run?" asked Lee.
"Ju-long gave Musashi candy and he went on a sugar rush which resulted in all of us trying to catch him so he wouldn't get hurt." Chung blurted out.
"Oh, come on!" said Ju-long annoyed.
"Chung, no tattling. It sets a bad example for my son. Just like how swearing or talking back sets a bad example for children." warned Lee politely.
"Sorry Grandmaster Lee." Chung apologized.
"Ju-long, is it true that you gave my son candy for the first time and he had sugar rush that made him hyperactive which all of you failed to try and catch him as he outran all of you?" asked Lee as if appearing to try and be levelheaded.
"Yes sir. He got hungry as his stomach was rumbled like an earthquake. I figured a little candy wouldn't hurt him. Chung did warn me but I thought he'd just have a little and that would be it. Giving him the candy was my idea." Ju-long confessed. "But Mei Ling seemed to calm him down. He was really fast for a four-year-old."
Lee let out a breath and appeared calm. He kept his eyes on Ju-long.
"Big trouble?" guessed Ju-long.
"Was my son hurt?" asked Lee.
"I'm okay, Bàba." reassured Musashi.
"I checked him for anything and he's perfectly okay." reassured Mei Ling.
"Understood. As for you, Ju-long. One-hundred push-ups." instructed Lee.
"Yes Grandmaster Lee." said Ju-long with a bow.
Ju-long dropped down and started to do push-ups which with him being muscular had meant that he was possibly able to handle it but doing one hundred of them? He knew he'd be aching afterwards. Lee turned his attention to Musashi as he approached Mei Ling.
"So out of everyone here. You took control over the situation, took command and calmed my son down?" said Lee.
"As soon as I came along. He just stopped and was blushing deep red when he saw me." said Mei Ling.
"A true gentleman listens to a woman." Musashi blurted out with a hiccup.
"Looks like someone is more of a gentleman then any of the adults here." chuckled Mei Ling.
"I taught my son well." said Lee with a grin.
Mei Ling helped Lee get Musashi in the baby bjorn carrier and got him strapped back inside it. Musashi gave a big yawn and it was the cutest yawn anyone ever seen. Mei Ling reached out to gently scratch behind Musashi's left ear which helped to relax him as the feeling of his left ear being gently rubbed or gently scratched felt like if he had an itch that needed to be scratched, every itch all over his body was being scratched as the soothing sensation washed over him.
"Grandmaster Lee. Are you still wanting to recruit anyone to assist you in teaching and training your son in kung fu?" asked Chung.
The middle-aged male lion turned to face Chung as he shown a peaceful expression but also a slight apologetic expression mixed into it.
"I've decided to teach and train my son myself. Here at Lee Da Kung Fu Academy, the teachers and instructors teach and train the best of the best, and I had a chat with the head instructor, Luong Lao Shi, was grateful of me wanting to recruit his best teacher from his academy but informed me that if anyone is to teach and train my son, it should be me. I know my son and I'm raising him with love. He encouraged me to be the one to teach and train my son since no one else knows him better than I do. I do apologize for getting anyone's hopes up. I never meant to crush anyone's hopes. I did tell Musashi there's a possibility I might not find the right teacher here and that if things don't work out. I'll be the one to train him. Recruiting a kung fu master to assist me would want to do everything their way, not mine. A kung fu master can teach and train a pupil and has a lot of experience but a grandmaster whose master of all styles of kung fu like I am, may be a better choice." explained Lee.
"But wouldn't you need assistance? I'm not questioning your choice. It's just we didn't know you started to raise a child up until now." said Chung.
"I appreciate your concern but I've been able to push myself to my limit or beyond my limit and I've been able to handle anything that's come my way. I've become a kung fu grandmaster within forty years of my time, climbed the mountain that is kung fu to become a grandmaster, it was a long, rigorous climb that took me forty years of my life to reach the top. Every journey is like a mountain, you start from the bottom and work your way up to the top and once you've reached the top, you can push yourself beyond any limit, take on anything and nothing can stop you. I want to be able to make sure my son learns and trains just like I have been but I want to do it with love. I don't know any other master that can do it with love the way I do. I have more to teach my son other than kung fu." explained Lee. "I do hope all here can forgive me for getting their hopes up for nothing. It was never my intention to crush anyone's hopes."
Everyone appeared to understand as Lee knew that everyone there was a good kung fu teacher or student but they were taught the way of kung fu they have been taught but not by how Lee was taught and anyone there who had more experience in kung fu was Lee himself and Luong Lao Shi but he was apparently retiring.
"We understand Grandmaster Lee. You're doing what you believe is best for your son. Also, we apologize for introducing your son to sugar and making him hyperactive. I'd suggest making sure Musashi drinks plenty of water to flush the sugar out of his system and to help calm down the hyperactivity." said Chung apologetically.
"Will do. It was great to see all of you. Stay away from alcohol, drugs and don't smoke. Those are the three things that'll ruin your life." Lee told them.
"Yes Grandmaster Lee." said everyone in unison as they bowed to him.
"Zàijiàn!" said Lee.
Le turned to walk out but stopped once Mei Ling gave Musashi a hug one more time and the cute four-year-old fox boy hugged her back. She kissed him on his cheeks and forehead once more. Lee walked off with a smile.
"Bye Mrs. Mei Ling." said Musashi.
"Bye Xiǎo húlí!" said Mei Ling waving.
Ju-long was starting to tire out from the push-ups he was told to do as punishment.
"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred. Finally, I can stop." said Ju-long as he flopped to the ground exhausted.
Lee walked down the path to make his way home with Musashi. He smiled at his fox son.
"Did my son start to have crush on Mei Ling?" joked Lee.
"Oh Bàba." said Musashi blushing with a hiccup.
"I'm only joking. But she has grown fond of you and you seem to be fond of her." Lee pointed out.
"She's real nice like Mǔqīn." Musashi admitted.
"Someone has a liking for feline women." chuckled Lee. "Just like how I met your mother."
"Do you miss mama?" asked Musashi.
"Every day I do. I miss my white tiger wife. But she's with us in our hearts. She's always loved me and you and I had been married to her for thirty-two wonderful years." said Lee with pride. "Maybe after I train you in kung fu for a while. You might surpass the dragon warrior."
"Oh daddy." chuckled Musashi.
Lee laughed along with Musashi as they headed for home. But one thing was for certain. Musashi seemed to have a liking to Mei Ling, a possible crush as he appeared to blush and choke up around her or felt like he could not disobey her. While Mei Ling has developed a liking to him as well as she has become so great with children.