AN: This chapter is for Kelev! Thanks for reviewing!
Chapter Six: What the Dragon Warrior Discovered
Po felt rotten. He'd only been able to put up with a few snide comments from Lord Guiren and Lady Ruiling before he no longer trusted himself to stay in the room. Not because he was going to lose his temper like Tigress, but because he knew that at any second he could start to cry.
Don't cry, he reminded himself sternly. Kung fu warriors do NOT cry.
Upset and therefore hungry, but not wanting to stay inside the palace, he'd come back to the peach tree of Heavenly Wisdom. Once again, it was sprouting tiny buds, and a few pieces of fruit remained on its' branches. Master Shifu had told him that in all the years that he'd lived at the Jade Palace, only rarely had he seen the tree bare as it had been when Master Oogway had departed the mortal realm.
It was, to be sure, a tree. And still, it was something more than that. Something so far in tune with the special kind of magic that the highest peaks that surrounded the valley seemed to be full of, that it defied explanation. The Pool of Sacred Tears had a feeling of balance, of inner peace that was penetrating. The peach tree was much more subtle.
Reaching out towards the world beyond its perch, it directed the view outwards. Look out there, it seemed to whisper with a gentle rustle of leaves. Free yourself from thoughts close at hand, and look out there. See how big the world is, and how small the valley below. Po wiped his mouth carelessly with the back of his arm.
Perhaps that was the nature of wisdom, he thought. Seeing problems from a larger view. This mountain, this tree, they would all outlive him, but even they would eventually wear away and die. And yet the world would endure.
So what, he reasoned, if this famous Morimota-whatever guy's son and daughter had turned out to be such a bitter disappointment? Even though Master Shifu had warned them all about what they'd been like as children, everyone had assumed that they would have grown out of it. Clearly they hadn't.
He looked up from where he was preparing to chomp down on another ripe, juicy peach at the sound of footsteps. An unfamiliar figure stood watching him with great interest.
"Uhhhh.. hi?" he offered. Who the heck was this? A light went on in his head. Master Shifu had said that there were two daughters. Was this the younger one? The one the old red panda disliked so much he apparently couldn't even bring himself to say her name to them?
"Hello." She smiled weakly.
"Can I... do something for you?" he tried again, hesitantly. If her siblings were anything to go by, she might be as unpleasant as Master Shifu remembered.
"No.. I suspect not," she replied, stepping forward to join him at the edge of the cliff that was home to Oogway's favorite tree. "I'm only a visitor, and then I shall be gone soon enough. No one is going to be sorry to see me go, I suspect."
Po cocked his head to the side and frowned, studying his guest. From long experience in helping his father in choosing fabric that would be durable and wear well, he could tell that her clothes had been chosen more for longevity than style. Her traditional gown had abbreviated sleeves instead of the long ones favored by fashionable, wealthy types.
She seemed.. earthy to him. Grounded. The thick ruff of dark fur that lined the pale regions of her face and marked her cheeks was shot through with gray, and her eyes seemed tired. Like they'd seen too much, and had ceased caring to take it all in ages ago.
"See anything interesting?"
Po startled, frantically juggling his peach before dropping it messily over the side of the cliff. "Er.. wha?"
"You seemed to be involved in a thorough study of me," the tanuki replied, turning to face him. "I was just wondering if you saw anything interesting."
Po blinked. Here he'd been thinking that the lady was no longer observing the world, but she'd handily caught on to what he'd been doing without even sparing a glance in his direction. "Er.. yeah? I guess so. I was just thinking you seemed really.. sad."
The tanuki did look sad then, turning her attention upwards to the stars that were just beginning to push their way through the rapidly falling twilight. "I suppose I am. Take care of your loved ones, Panda. Appreciate what you have. Someday if you're lucky, there will be someone to mourn you, instead of you being left alone to mourn them."
"Your father? Lord Mori.. mora...mata-whata?" he guessed, blushing in embarrassment at the horrible mangling of the wardog's name. She nodded silently, not even bothering to correct him.
Po reached over to pull another peach off of the pile he'd gathered. "Geez.. that's depressing. I don't know what I'd do without my dad."
The two lapsed into silence for several long moments before he began to feel self-conscious. "Um.. here.." he held out a fruit with a bit of stem still attached to her, and noted that she brightened a little at the sight of it. "How did you know?" she asked. "Huh?" Po responded. Despite all the time he'd been sitting under the tree of wisdom, he found he felt incredibly unintelligent at the moment.
She turned the fruit over, revealing a small pink peach blossom still attached to the stem. "Nothing really.. it just seemed odd. You gave me a peach flower. Just like my father named me for.. Tao-hua." She carefully plucked the stem from the richly colored fruit.
Po grinned at the lady's more open expression. "Happy coincidence?" Tao chuckled softly, and placed the bit of stem so that it hooked around the top of her left ear. "I suppose so. Well goodnight then, Panda. I suspect we will not meet again." She stood and dusted off her robes, giving him a slight smile that touched her eyes just for a moment. For a few seconds, years fell away from her face.
Po stumbled awkwardly up to his feet as Tao turned to leave. "My name is Po! I'm.. uh.. well, I'm the Dragon Warrior.." he called out, "I'll remember you!"
The tanuki stopped in her tracks, looking back over her shoulder at him. Her face was once again blank, and she took a moment to reply. At first, Po feared that she was going to make a cruel comment about his qualifications or his weight, but she simply stared at him. Finally she nodded as though she was surprised at herself for not thinking of it herself.
One of her short, pointed ears flicked towards the palace, and Po could just make out the soft sound of Master Shifu's flute. It had a low, contemplative sound this evening, he thought. Tao brushed at her eyes with her sleeve, drawing his attention back to her. "Thank you, Dragon Warrior.. Po. I shall remember you, as well." Then she faced the palace again, and solumnly made her way towards the edifice.
The fading sunset painted the palace in rich shades of gold and crimson, which were rapidly fading into maroon and indigo. Po grabbed up a few pieces of fruit for the five. If they were as upset by their guests as he had been, they just might need a late-night snack as well.