The suspense is just starting...wait for it..

Po yawned, waking early in the morning but not as early as he usually did, which was usually before the sun.

"Good morning, Master."
Po stood up out from his position on his mat on the ground and gently made it look neater before going over and greeting his master with a solemn nod and bow.
Of course Master Shifu would be up early. Po thought with a soft smile.

"Good morning, my student." Shifu said, handing a cup to him before Po poured tea into it. "Did you rest well?"
"Yes, thank you." Po dipped his head, grateful for his master's kindness. "D-did you?"

Po knew that that may be sort of a tentative question for his master, who hardly ever slept really well.

"I did, actually." Shifu admitted, a soft and fresh tone to his voice as if he had really gotten a nice rest. Of course, who knows if Po actually knew that Shifu usually always rests well by the Pool of Sacred Tears, or in the Wudang Mountains.

There's so many memories here…

But I suppose it's a rather peaceful place for me.

"Oh-that's good," Po was relieved that his master had admitted to a good night's rest. "I'm…happy for you."

Shifu slightly laughed, catching his student's odd and awkward tone as he tried to congratulate his master.

As if he needed to. Shifu thought with a flick of his ear. The past few weeks had truly been rather….downcast and busy, and Shifu was very glad to be able to take a rest from all of it, even if he was stuck with one of his students.

Of course, that's never a bad thing.

"So…" Po glanced at his master, who didn't meet his gaze but was writing on a scroll. "What are we doing today, Master?"
Shifu, pausing after a moment of thought, placed down the pen he was using to write and sighed. "I don't know."

Po blinked. "You don't know, Master?" Po slightly laughed. "Since when do you not know anything?"

Shifu flicked an ear in mild amusement as he slightly blinked at his student, respectfully being sarcastic with him.

"There's a lot of things I do not know." Shifu simply replied, and when Po shot him a sideways glance, Shifu spoke again, "Truthfully."
Po gently placed a hand on his master's shoulder for a moment before placing it off. "I don't know, Master…" Po shook his head in laughter. "You seem like you know every answer to everything."
Shifu sighed, knowing his student *probably* was just kidding and truthfully knew that Shifu really doesn't know all the answers. To be honest, Shifu could get quite tired of always being the one others come to for answers (not all the time, but still.), even though he was such a patient master, he still would sometimes feel quite aggravated.

Shifu himself shook his head in annoyance. This is what you wanted, Shifu.

Every day he longed for others to finally welcome him into the village, and now he had finally gotten his wish.

Live with it. You're the leader now.

Shifu sighed, realizing that the life of his students, his master's legacy, his palace, the province, and his village practically falls onto his shoulders, regardless if he wants it to or not.

It is a big responsibility….

One he is ready to handle.

Shifu let out a soft sigh as he worked on supervising his student's calligraphy writing, which looked so neat yet so messy at the exact same time.

How could that even be possible?

Shifu inwardly sighed. Who knows how things work, anyways.

As the day progressed on, Shifu felt himself becoming more aware of his surroundings, aware enough to the point where he almost felt on-edge. The soft gusts of wind blew past Shifu and alarmed him, not to the point of where he was ready to run-and-set-up-extra-defenses on alarm, but rather to the point of where he was just mildly suspicious. He felt a pricking feeling, as if someone was watching his back.

Po shuddered. "The weather never makes sense," Po grunted. "Yesterday, it was hardly windy at all and now the winds are blasting."

Shifu flicked an ear. "Who knows, my student."

Po gently nodded his head at his master's simple answer, but Po himself couldn't help but feel rather suspicious of his master's demeanor.

I thought Master Shifu felt calm up here, Po looked around and then glanced at his master. What's troubling him, if anything?

Shifu felt the wind pummel against him again, and as his student was working on some particular Shaolin forms, Shifu took it upon himself to figure out what truly was making him on edge this morning.

Shifu pulled his ears back against the wind so he would be more streamlined against the current. Making his way slowly towards the Pool of Sacred Tears, Shifu glanced around and blinked.

Nothing and no one is here….Shifu felt oddly eerie, though, despite his mind telling him that he's just thinking too much. Shifu did feel an odd feeling in his instinct, though. It was like his Shaolin instinct was yelling at him, trying to get him to pay attention to something.

Trying not to stray too far from his student in case they needed each other or something were to happen to him, Shifu kept glancing back every once-in-a-while to make sure that Po wasn't on edge like himself, too. Shifu didn't want his student to have to worry about your mind-vs-instinct just yet.

Shifu laughed to himself. I don't even know if he HAS a Shaolin instinct, yet.

Shifu, sometimes, thought he did have one, himself. Many times during the Shadow Era, he would sort-of have to rely on it, his training, and his master's lessons.

Shifu owed many of his sketchy encounters to "getting out alive" to his master, mainly. Secondly, to his Shaolin mindset.

As Shifu stepped forward, he glanced upwards towards the two great rocks which were specifically designated for the master and the student. Shifu sighed, and pressed against his eyes in stress and denial.

I'm so stupid, Shifu thought to himself. Stop being paranoid of everything,Shifu.

Shifu let out a long and harsh sigh to himself as he inwardly rebuked his stupid brain and apparent Shaolin instinct. (from the years of training and life, obviously.)

Shifu shook his head and slightly flicked an ear. Maybe I'm not training as much as I should.

As the wind blew past Shifu again, he glanced upwards towards the rocks. Shifu's gaze flickered as he caught a shadowed figure highlighted against the sun from all the way on top of the master's position on the Great Rocks.

Shifu narrowed his eyes. "What…?"
Shifu took a step forward and tried to get a better view of the figure.

My brain's probably playing tricks on me, now. Shifu shook his head, and tried glancing upwards again. Shifu's brain hurt with all the thoughts rushing through it. As he watched and waited, Shifu suddenly came to a realization.

There truly IS someone on top of the rock.

Shifu narrowed his eyes even further, now crouching beneath a rock to stay hidden, in case there truly was some kind of enemy near.

…..the question is WHO is there?

Ooooh, who is it? Continue reading to find out.

Oh, and would you mind giving me a review? *puppy eyes*