...Ya know how things don't go according to plan? Well...I've been having that experience.

Let's just say that from where I am, Feburary is not off to a very great start.

Anyway, I know I said this was gonna be a two-shot...but then I remembered two other people Shifu could find council in...now there's gonna be one more chapter after this. Yeah. Plans change, apparently. And also, I know that there are many stories out there that did there take on the Shifu and Tigress relationship-and are MUCH better than me at it-buuuut...I wanted to do it anyway. That's pretty much it. Really.

Welp. Now this is gonna be a THREE-shot because I took Mr. Ping and Li Shan into account. It may not be the best...but gosh darn it, I gave it a shot.

Hopefully that doesn't dull the reading experience!

Shifu needed some assistance.

The realizations from the other day were very hard-hitting, and he needed time to properly process it. And after a full day of thinking it over, it was decided that he needed some help. Professional help. Well...not really professional help, but someone who has had much better luck with raising children than he did. It was a pretty necessary step for him, as he had no idea how to proceed on his own. It was pretty pathetic, he had to admit. Though the two men that were in front of him would most likely disagree with him.

"Why hello, Shifu!" Mr. Ping said as he came from behind his counter, putting up his apron in the process. Li Shan followed suit, taking a bit more time to fit through the door, having to lower his head a bit in order to fit through it. "What brings you here today, friend? You chose quite a great time to have a bit of a personal chat, as we were just getting ready to close up shop for the day."

"It's been getting more and more difficult to keep the panda cubs from the inventory...they're adapting." Li Shan sighed, wiping a bit of sweat off his brow. "I'm impressed with their growth, but something like this is going to unfortunately slow us down when it comes to business. Anyway, as Mr. Ping says, what brings you here, Shifu?"

The red panda sighed as he sits within one of the tables, Mr. Ping and Li Shan immediately taking seats next to him. He looked at the both of them...both of their happy, supportive faces. They were both beaming brightly, subtly begging for him to open up so they could know what was wrong. With enough silent but persistent demand, he looked down at the table and scratched behind his ear.

"...I...need your input on something. I've already had some input from Viper and Po, and I figured it was time to give you two a chance, considering you both have much better experience at this than I do." Shifu began explaining, nervously tapping his fingers on the table and looking up to the both of them. "It's...it's about Tigress."

"What about Tigress?" Li Shan blinked curiously.

"I..have recently come to the realization...that I've allowed my duties as a Master to completely overshadow my duties as a Parent. And only now, with all the troubles out of the way and my mind becoming much clearer, do I now notice that not every choice I made did Tigress much good. Of done an immense amount of emotional damage to her, and it was a result of my neglect. I...I want to know how to fix things between us. And since...well...two have been much better father figures than I could ever be...I figured I could come to you for guidance..."

Mr. Ping and Li Shan paused a little bit as they looked towards one another then back towards Shifu. The former slowly got out of his seat and pulled Li Shan out of his seat. "Shifu. We need a moment. Cover your ears."

Shifu blinked. "...Excuse me?"

"We need a bit of privacy to discuss this, and I know how effective and wide-ranging your ears are. So do cover your ears so that you don't hear what we're saying. We'll let you know when to uncover them." Mr. Ping explained, pulling Li Shan to the side. Shifu was stil confused, but he nonetheless did as he was told, pulling his ears down and keeping most sounds out. When Mr. Ping was sure he couldn't hear, he turned to Li Shan excitedly. "He wants to connect with Tigress!"

"You both told me how rocky their relationship was, so this is a real relief! He wants to make things better between them!" Li Shan beamed.

"And he's asking US for help! The Bond Between Fathers will assist us through these trying times!" Mr. Ping rose a wing. "We shall help Shifu through this, just like he helped our son Po!"

"Agreed. Plus...finally, they might have some Father-Daughter bonding!"

"YES!"

Mr. Ping and Li Shan both began hopping with glee and relief, while the currently clueless Shifu looks on, his expression one of complete and total loss. What are those two so jumpy about...? He was never able to completely understand how those two think and act. Yet for some reason, that makes their friendship trio even more interesting. Shifu thinks a lot of things through. They clearly do not, at least not all the time.

He watches as they both nod and make their way back towards Shifu, gesturing for him to uncover his ears. "Alright, we thought it over. Let's start things out, shall we?"

"So, we know that you wish to reconnect with Tigress, realizing how you didn't really connect with her on a fatherly level. Something she wanted and thought she could never have, due to how you usually gave her the cold shoulder." Li Shan said. "We need a bit of background first. What made you go to Po and Viper first?"

Shifu nodded as he sits up straight. "Well...I asked them because they have quite wonderful relationships with their fathers, and that I am really envious of those fathers for having such amazing children." Mr. Ping and Li Shan looked at him in surprise. He rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Yes, I know. I'm well aware of how much jealously can cloud one's judgement sometimes...but I cannot help myself. You both have managed to keep such great relationships with your children, while I have become quite distant to Tigress. At least emotionally. I want to fix this as much as I can."

Mr. Ping and Li Shan once again looked into each others eyes for a moment. They then nodded simultaneously and turned back towards Shifu. A silent conversation went on between them and Shifu couldn't pick up on it. It was amazing how close they became so quickly. Though he also felt a bit bad for not being a part of it, even though it wasn't meant to be portrayed that way. Mr. Ping chose to speak first.

"Shifu...I have to be honest with you. Finding a baby panda alone in a radish basket, covered in soot, extremely hungry, and no one around to claim him...that was NOT how I expected my day to go. But you know what? I took him in anyway. And let me tell you...my work life did NOT get much easier from that decision. Had to balance my work, and raising Po at the same time. I even had to teach him how to help me out in the kitchen at an early age so that it might be at least a bit easier." Shifu raised an eyebrow in confusion, not knowing where this was going. Though Mr. Ping slowly smiled. "But despite the hardships we faced with him growing up...we did quote alright. Besides, things ultimately worked out for us. Po had a home, and I had someone to come home to. We were no longer lonely."

Li Shan cleared his throat a bit as he nodded quietly. "Finding out that my son was alive after all of these years...needless to say, it was one of the most exciting moments of my life, and there was no way I was going to ruin this chance. I had missed out on over twenty years of my child growing up...I was NOT going to miss any more. Traveling halfway across China on my own? That's nothing compared to having the tormenting feeling that your family was dead, yet you could never know for sure. Meeting my son was one of the most fulfilling moments of my entire life, and I'm especially glad that I managed to fit into his life so easily despite my long absence. We connected very well, as you can see." Shifu placed his paws on the table, still mostly unsure of where this was going.

Mr. Ping then clasped his wings. "Though as my son grew up...his thoughts drifted away from noodles...and towards Kung Fu. Now at first, I did not really show any interest for the concept. I thought it was too dangerous for him to partake in. While I was somewhat right about that, it's not the point I'm trying to make. My son had a dream...and I did not support him. I thought it was completely out of his reach. I was so intent on having him be the next successor for my noodle shop, that I began ignoring what he might want to do with his life. I just assumed he would always stick with noodles. That...wasn't the best parenting move I made."

Li Shan sighed as he turned towards Shifu, rubbing his forehead. "Once I understood the full danger of what Kai was bringing our way...I knew I couldn't just let Lotus go along with it." Shifu narrowed his eyes slightly. Li Shan was using Po's birth name...a sign of seriousness for sure. "So of course, I used the fact that pandas used to be skilled users of chi a long time ago, I used that as an excuse to take Lotus far away from the Valley of Peace. Far away from Kai. I had just gotten my child back, and I didn't want to lose him again. I presented a false hope so that Lotus wouldn't have to risk his life to stop something that might be undefeatable. That selfishness...it very nearly cost me my son, and my entire tribe. That will definitely go down as one of my more shameful decisions..."

Shifu looked between the two fathers, and listened to them recall the parenting moments they weren't entirely proud of. He was trying to see what point they were trying to make. He really wished he could catch it, and was admittedly frustrated with being unable to do so. Mr. Ping nodded softly.

"Shifu...do you know why we're telling you this? Why we tell you of our first meetings with Po, and our 'not-so-great' parenting moments?" Mr. Ping asked quietly. He then rubbed his neck. "Well...it's the first time that Li Shan's seen him in over twenty years...but again, that's not the point!"

"Good. Because I'm honestly very confused." Shifu deadpanned.

Li Shan nodded to this in understanding, and leaned in close to him. "Shifu...you have to understand one thing...there is no such thing as a perfect parent. Mistakes don't stop just because you have a child to take care of. I know that as an esteemed and highly recognizable Kung Fu Master, you don't always take mistakes lightly. You were much more strict, much more unforgiving. You showed a lot of pride and affection into that Tai Lung fellow Lotus told me about. And when you two had...well...a falling out...it made you think that showing affection and pride in her would just lead to the same result. So you discarded both of those things. Tigress...didn't really pick up on that very well, and it made for quite a misunderstanding. After all...there shouldn't be any doubt in you loving your child."

Shifu looked surprised by this. "I...I never meant to...I mean...of COURSE I love her!" He rubbed his forehead with a tired sigh. "Though...I suppose I wasn't really willing to show that I did...and I don't really remember myself telling her such...I can see how she might have gotten the wrong idea on such matters...goodness gracious...I portrayed myself in a manner I never meant to..." The red panda's ears lowered as well as his eyes. "I...I'm such a terrible father..."

SLAP!

Shifu was caught greatly off-guard by Mr. Ping just suddenly slapping him in the face with a backwing. Though he showed immediate regret as he gently rubbed the now bruised cheek. "Sorry! I didn't mean to swing too hard! I meant to be gentler than that!" Mr. Ping said hysterically, while Li Shan just looked on awkwardly and wondered how far they would take this. When he recovered, Mr. Ping stepped back and folded his wings. "You may not have made the best of decisions, but that does not make you a terrible father! Nor will it ever! I don't ever want to hear those words leave your mouth again!"

"But-"

"No buts! Do NOT make me get my frying pan!" That seemed to silence Shifu immediately. No one ever wanted to be on the bad side of Mr. Ping's frying pan of doom. It ended very badly for those that did.

"Now now, Mr. Ping. Deep breaths..." Li Shan said gently, trying to get the avian to calm down. "We're here to help Shifu, remember? We had slight expectations about him saying something like this. Let's be patient with him and simply explain to him why he's wrong."

"Doooh...alright." Mr. Ping sighed as he calmed himself down and gazed at Shifu with more patience in his eyes. "It's as Li Shan said before, perfect parenting...it's not really a thing. Perfecting Kung Fu and Perfecting Parenting...those aren't things that should be put together as you tried to do. She tried to be perfect in your eyes so that you would pay more attention t her, because she believes that's what you wanted. That goal is impossible. We're not going to stop making mistakes, be they parent or child."

"You didn't do the best of jobs when it came to raising Tigress, Shifu. But you certainly didn't do the worst. You can't expect everything to go smoothly. I mean...look at us and Po. His life was full of ups and downs that neither of us were prepared for. And believe us, there were a LOT of downs. We've lied to our son, and we tended to bring him down when we were supposed to be bringing him back up. And it pushed him away for a time."

"But you know what, Shifu? He ultimately turned out alright. He has Kung Fu, he has his family, and he has noodles! His three favorite things!" Mr. Ping beamed. "What we're trying to say is...you can't have a perfect family, nor should you strive to have one. I don't really have a strong belief in perfection, because that means it can no longer improve, or get better. it just...peaks. And family can always get better."

Li Shan beamed at him as well. "Take it from me, Shifu. It's never too late to connect with your children. But as she is now, she doesn't know that you wish to co this with her, because she failed in her attempts to do so from the past on a father-daughter level. But you can make things better in the present. Do what I did. I came to Po, I did not wait to go to him once I knew where he was and that he was alive. You have to go to her."

Shifu was rather glad that he came to these two for further help. As goofy as they were in their own rights, they seemed to really know what they were talking about. In Shifu's eyes they were much better fathers than he was, but that didn't mean they didn't have their own fair share of downsides to parenting. Their relationships were far from perfect, but then again, they weren't aspiring to be. Po's happiness was what mattered to them above all else. While they did not always act accordingly to that mindset, they never meant ill-will about it. There comes a time where parent and child won't be able to see eye to eye, and they might distance themselves from each other for a bit. But they always came through in the end. This was the case for both of these men, and why Po simply refers to them both as simply 'Dad'.

They connected so well.

Shifu looked at the two fathers once again, and they could tell he gained a bit of understanding from their experiences. "There's just one thing I wish to know. How do I do this? I know what I want to do, but I have no idea how to go about it."

"Tigress cares about you greatly, you already know this. Bonds take time to form, and effort to maintain. I'm sure that you can find something you can connect to her with." Mr. Ping smiled. "Though, if you would really like some input from us...how about a spar between you two?"

"Sparring? How will that help?"

"Tigress is not the most skilled when it comes to dealing with emotions, Shifu. She's getting better of course, but she still has quite a way to go. I'm just saying that this is how she does things sometimes. When there were times that Po was troubled by something and she was there to help, she tended to do so using her fists to get him to open up and talk to her. Is it the most effective method in the world? No. But for her, it tends to work, as they tend to get that much closer afterwards." Mr. Ping raised his wings. "Again, this is just a suggestion based on what we saw and what they both told us about their experiences. You can decide for yourself how to decide this."

"Besides, how great would it be for a Kung Fu Master such as yourself to bond with your daughter by seeing for yourself how far she's come?" Li Shan agreed. "Still, the choice ultimately falls on you."

Shifu nodded in understanding, stepping out of his seat and bowing to the both of them. "I shall take this advice to heart...and I might give it an attempt. Thank you, my friends, for hearing me out and lending me your help."

"No thanks necessary. This is what friends are for." Mr. Ping smiled. "...You know what, Shifu? I think you could use a hug."

"...What?"

"Yes! Po and Tigress tend to hug each other at their most emotional moments. You've been under a bit of emotional stress lately. Let us help with that, too!"

Shifu shook his head rapidly. "N-No. That's quite alright. I don't really-"

"Aw, come here you!" Li Shan wasn't having it. He scooped Shifu in a bear hug, nuzzling his cheeks. "Don't you know that hugs mean love?~"

"Father group hug!" Mr. Ping declared as he flapped his wings a bit and hugged Shifu was well, hanging from Li Shan's arms.

Shifu signed inwardly. Normally he would have swiftly avoided their desire for a close embrace, but for some reason, these two completely bypassed it and did so anyway. He decided not to resist and just let them do so. All while he was quietly thinking about how he was going to connect to Tigress. She doesn't really express herself emotionally like Viper does. Though they say that she connects with Po through sparring. They agreed it wasn't the best way to do things, but it usually worked for her. Maybe he could try...

...someone was in the entrance of the shop. Shifu's ears don't miss anything.

Shifu's eyes widened as he swiftly turned around to see Tigress standing in the entrance of the shop, a satchel over her shoulder. Back from her solo-mission, she was looking at the three of them with a half confused, half amused expression.

"Um...I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

I couldn't help getting him to seek out Mr. Ping and Li Shan! They seemed like such good sources of advice.

I SWEAR that Tigress will be in the next one much more. Count on it. Really.

Life likes to throw plans off-course. That, and other fandoms.

But mostly life. EVERYONE must know what that feels like.

Ah well. See ya in the last one!