Sorry if that took a while. I finally got the nest chapter up
So here it is

R&R

Making the Cut
Chapter 4
Thoughts by the Creek

I held the throwing star with careful firmness. I squinted at the target on the cork board 15 feet away. In the last week my accuracy had increased dramatically. Of course it was a lot easier to concentrate today when I wasn't completely depressed over the thought that no one remembered my birthday.

I was still buzzing from the excitement of last night. Some of it had partly carried into today because I knew I'd be hanging out with Dew and Lucas tonight. The party last night made me realize how little I saw of them now. I knew at the party they had more questions than I had time to answer. I had things I wanted to ask them as well. It certainly had been too long.

Like usual, Master Shifu was making his rounds throughout the training hall while each of us were training. Crane and Po were facing off on the Jade Tortoise Bowl while Viper and Tigress were both on the Field of Fiery Death. As Master Shifu passed closer to where I was practicing I took aim with the star and threw. It couldn't have worked out better. My star landed right in the vicinity of the targets center circle. I had only done this two times previously. I looked toward Master Shifu to see if he had any congratulatory words. Apparently he didn't.

"You're still continuing with those shurikens?" He made no attempt to hide the distaste in his voice.
I was rather taken aback. If he wasn't impressed, I might have expected he would have just not acknowledged it at all, but not this. I tried to hide my surprise but I still spoke unsteadily. "Well, yes, is something wrong with that, Master?"

"Throwing stars aren't practical in fighting, Jo. They are meant to be only supplementary weapons."

"But Master they did almost come in handy in my fight with Tai Lung."

"Besides the point!" Shifu bellowed. "You should have started training with the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors last month!"

I stared at where he gestured. The Gauntlet had looked more intimidating to me than the logs. It was multitude of closely knit spinning clubs lined with stone spikes. If you set off one, you set them all off. After that the only way to avoid being pummeled into nothing was to move at a speed considered supernatural by most people. Mantis had that skill down pat, but I was nowhere near ready for that.

I turned back to him. "Master Shifu, I just finished the Spinning Logs two days ago-"

"Then that's two too many!" This wasn't making since to me. Why was he making such a big deal over nothing?

"Shifu, don't you think that's taking it a bit far?"

"In this training you are supposed to go far! You're not training here to be second-rate, or to consistently apply senseless practices that for some reason are considered part of the martial arts. That is what you need to understand here! I swear, you..." He trailed off fuming. "Never mind." He turned on his heels to walk away.

"No, what were you going to say to me?" I firmly asked. I didn't really want to know. I had meant it to gain back a little control of the situation. I wasn't expecting him to respond, but the quickness of his turn around told me he had intended on telling me even if I hadn't asked.

"It sickens me that I have to force you to you do the simplest of task."

Force? Simple? (again?)

Shifu was barely taller than me, but at that moment I felt like an ant standing in front of him. I almost stepped back for fear of being squashed.
It was as if not being here yesterday meant he had to criticize me twice as much today.

Now the Five and Po were starting to notice. Each of their training was beginning to slow down. Heads were turning, and not in the good way. I hated this. I hated constantly looking like the straggler in front of them. The least experienced. Which technically I am, but Still. Constantly being criticized by Shifu never helped. The criticism wouldn't be so bad if he just acknowledged my moments of triumph more often. The logs from yesterday seemed to mean nothing to him now.

"Do you consider yourself different from the rest, Jo? Why should you have any special treatment?"

Of course I don't consider myself different. Well actually I did, but not in the way he was talking.

I knew what he was playing at.

He was setting me up. I knew what he was expecting me to say. He thought I was going to say something like. "Give me a break, my birthday was yesterday." But I knew that was a stupid thing to say. Then he'd be ready to say something like "That's not an excuse," which, of course, I knew.

The masters were moving closer. I wasn't gonna take two guesses at who's side they were going to take.

"I guess it's my own fault really." Shifu went on. "I've enabled you too much."

Oh My God, is he serious?
Maybe it was the lack of sleep from the late night with Po, maybe it was something else, but right then the barrier that separated my mind and my mouth was broken.

"You probably enable me about as much as two broken legs!"

From behind me some one, I assume Viper, let out a gasp.

Shifu's wide-eyed stare was a dead give away that he hadn't anticipated that at all. Even I was surprised at my own lashing.

Shifu's expression stiffened along with his posture. The center of his eyebrows sank low into a scowl, before declaring in a low voice "I'm disgraced to call you my student."

I had no idea how to respond, so I didn't. I turned around, tore between Viper and Monkey and stormed out of the training hall down the walkway.

What the heck was that about? He called himself "an enabler." It was practically laughable.

Once I came to the edge of the field I looked back down the walkway. No one had followed me as far as I could see, so I continued on.

It was a familiar place. It was the same field that Park and I had battled it out in. It was a place that held mixed feelings. Where my life could have easily ended and where I had been victorious in a fight. The gigantic circle where the peach tree wood explosion had occurred was still visible, though many patches of grass in the area had slowly begun to grow back.

After another minute of walking I had reached the creek.

I had found it one day when I was roaming the Palace grounds. It was here I'd come when I could occasionally sneak away from training. It was a time when I could allow my mind to think about something other than kung fu. As much as I loved it, too much of anything can get irritating.

The Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom was good at night, but most of the good things about the peach tree had to do with the night time atmosphere; the lights from the village, the tranquility, the stars, the glow from the petals.

But the creak was my place for the daylight hours. The trickle of water was a soothing sound to me. Even the rushing water was hypnotic in a way. Plus none of the masters knew about it. Right now I was very happy for that.

I found the usual place I sat and skipped rocks. Some people to blow off steam chopped wood, read books, or cleaned their house, but I skipped rocks. It was practically a therapy to me. Appropriately enough the area was filled with flat smooth rocks. A while back I used to write cool my anger, but I decided I didn't like writing when I was angry, or rather the product of writing when I was angry.

As I selected a rock I leaned back in my sitting position feeling its hard smoothness, slowly shaped by months of running water.

What a stupid fight

After saying harsh words, most people always said to make up "I didn't mean it," even though most of the time they did. What they're really thinking is "I didn't mean to say it."

But I meant everything I said.
I hated him. There was no changing that. I've known it for a long time.
I hated Shifu and always have hated him.

I grabbed another rock and gave it a toss. 5 skips. Nice

Of course I don't hate Shifu.
I could never really hate him.
He'd helped me through too much already
After all, it had been him that had asked me to start training at the Jade Palace in the first place.
But how was this the same Shifu? Even just yesterday he seemed so jovial; almost fatherly. I didn't want to believe they were the same.
But they were.
I mean, he was.

I tossed another rock. As the ripples of the closest skip dispersed the water returned to its usual calm form and my reflection became visible. No one ever brought it up before, but Master Shifu and I had very similar eye-brows; thick, profound, and white. Then again, it's not really a part of the body you talk about often, but the similarity was almost uncanny.

Reflections

Reflections were something. It occurred to me without reflections we would never know what we really looked like. It was the only way to see ourselves. But most reflections were reversed. So we're seeing ourselves reversed, but then was it really ourselves?

I smiled to myself. My mind often wandered aimlessly on subjects like this. Po called it the "poet in me."

Po understood. He always knew how to uncomplicate things. He understood me.
And now I just looked completely discomfited myself in front of him.
And the Furious Five.

My heated anger quickly cooled into a lukewarm depression.
I threw another rock before lying back on the grass. The grass was thick and lush, nourished by the water of the stream.

In trying to avoid looking bad in front of them some how I'd done just that. I gave a deep sigh.

It couldn't stay like this. It wasn't right.
Think you can be a little more specific
Things weren't right between me and Shifu, and it was partially my fault. So I had to partially fix it. How I would do this, was another question.

Ok so I admitted it. I needed to make things right with Master Shifu, but not right now. I couldn't do it this soon. If I tried to now with my defense still up I'd screw it up and end up being farther from where I needed to be. I needed some time away from him, and I think he does too.

"I'm glad I'm staying with Dew and Lucas tonight."

Yep, a rough chapter

Stay tuned for Shifu's remarks on the argument in the next chapter

Reviews appreciated