Thank you, my readers! I'm so glad that within just a few minutes of the first chapter being published, 4 people viewed it! I had already written this chapter when I published the first one, so here it is. I will do my best to publish new chapters regularly, and don't forget to please review- feedback is greatly appreciated. Also, don't forget to see my other Kung Fu Panda fanfic, Christmas Kick. I'm trying to finish it before the 25th.

"Order up!" said Po, sliding the bowls of Secret Ingredient Soup to each of the Five seated at the dinner table, leaving the last one to himself. "Soy sauce, anyone?" he asked, shaking the bottle lightly.

"Uh… yeah, thanks Po," said Mantis, and was offered the sauce. "Can I just address the elephant in the room?" Everyone looked up. "Yeah, thanks. He's standing behind you, Po."

"Huh-" Po knocked over his chair in his haste to see who was spying on him to see how much he really ate. "Mantis, where? Is he hiding? Is he wearing a disguise? Oh oh, wait. Don't tell me. Ah- he's not a he, he's a she, disguised as a he… or a he disguised as a she? No, no, no. Mantis, just tell me already! Where's the elephant?!"

The room chuckled collectively at his response. "Po, you're so gullible," said Tigress, a touch affectionately.

"I know, right?" was his response. "Wait- what does that mean?"

This triggered a new round of laughs.

"But Po-" Mantis laughed, "I really wanted to ask you- why did you drop your guard today at the Musician's Village? You beat Tai Lung, you beat Tigress for once yesterday during training, and she's never lost a fight-"

Tigress shook her head grimly. That one battle had cost her her reputation. She smiled slightly. But it had won her a friend.

"-and you couldn't even dodge that stupid wolf, let alone punch him. Po, something's wrong and we all know it. What's going on buddy?"

Po looked at him. He looked at Tigress, watching him expectantly. He saw Viper's concerned face and Crane with his eyebrows furrowed, Monkey with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth. They all wanted to know, but while they certainly meant well, and were definitely his best friends in the universe, what he would tell them would not be anything near what they were expecting.

"Sorry guys. I gotta go," he heard himself say.

Tigress's expressionless voice broke the awkward silence. "But Po, you haven't eaten your soup."

Po paused for a while, but then pushed out his chair. Not looking at her, he repeated, "I gotta go."

Po had just been to visit his father, just found out that he wasn't who he had always thought he was. Once, before Kung Fu, whenever he felt down or misplaced or… like a panda in a village of pigs, geese and bunnies, he had always returned home. Home, to Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop, where he could be certain for once of something. He knew, in his bedroom, in the shop, that he was a panda, the son of a goose, who worked in a noodle shop and loved Kung Fu. He knew that he was Po.

But now, he was also the Dragon Warrior. He was a panda, not the son of a goose, who worked at the Jade Palace and loved noodles.

"Who am I?" he said aloud, sitting under the Sacred Peach Tree.

He was attempting to find inner peace, like Shifu had, by calming his body and relaxing his soul. The body part was done- he hadn't moved a muscle in ten minutes, which was a record for him. The soul part… not so much.

"Who am I?" he asked himself again, forcing his voice not to break, willing a tear to be sucked back into his eye, compelling his voice to be even, calm and collected. Like Tigress, he thought.

Her voice was so smooth, so clear, so deep. All the time. Each word was said as though it was her duty to make it count, and count it did. Her voice was expressionless, betraying nothing, allowing her to devote herself fully to the task at hand. She could control her emotions easily, well, if she had any to begin with, thought Po. Man, she was so extreme, she didn't let anything get in her way, especially not herself.

Po sighed. He wondered how she did it, and thought that to continue his meditation session, he should speak in her voice. Calm himself.

Uncharacteristically, he slowed his breathing. "Who am I?"

But her voice was a little lower. And her syllables were shorter.

"Who am I?" he repeated. Then he opened his eyes. For it sounded exactly like her voice. So much like it that he smiled, then sighed.

Inner peace was so far away from him. It would take a lot more than sitting, thinking and imitating to achieve it.

So the panda stood up with a grunt, picked up a peach, and made his way back to the student barracks.

I hope you all liked this chapter! If you did, add it to your favourites so you won't miss the next update (which will be around next week).