Thank you so much for all the reviews/follows/faves last chapter! Here's another one for you guys :)
Po hadn't thought he'd ever feel so torn in his life.
"Should I stay...or should I go?" he mumbled to himself as he paced back and forth in a secluded, grassy area of the village that was a little more private than the rest of the village.
And what about his dad...the one who owned a restaurant? He would have to leave with Shifu and the Five, too—to take care of said restaurant—and Po didn't know if he could handle that.
Po almost wished that Shifu hadn't given him a choice at all.
Of course, he knew that staying in the Panda Village wouldn't be permanent. He would just stay a little longer, teach a few classes, and then go back home. But was it really that simple? And what about his other dad? His 'real' dad? They just found each other! Could he really leave that soon after finding a family he thought was dead? Li would have to stay to take care of the other pandas.
It's gonna take a lot more than the end of the world to keep us apart, he'd said to Po.
Well, you were wrong, Po thought sadly. He never imagined that having two families would be so difficult.
"What do you think I should do?" Po asked his grumbling stomach. Normally when he was upset, he would have made himself feel better by stuffing his face with food, just like he had when he'd stolen Monkey's cookies before Shifu began training him.
Po sighed, a wave of nostalgia overcoming him. He would never forget that day when his master first began real Kung Fu training with him.
Now he had better control over his actions...most of the time.
Sighing again, Po stopped his pacing and turned his gaze towards a night sky filled with flickering stars. If he left one place, he could always go back to the other. But why couldn't he just stay in one to make things less complicated? This entire thing was giving him a headache.
"I don't know what to do," he murmured, plopping himself onto the cool grass.
"Who are you talking to?" a voice suddenly asked, interrupting his thoughts. Po turned around to face Tigress.
"Ehh...no one in particular," the panda answered, trying to get out of the fact that he had been talking to his belly.
One of her ears twitched. She could tell he was lying; he'd always been a terrible liar, especially back at Gongmen City when he'd tried to hide his past with Lord Shen from her.
"What is it?" she asked softly, moving to sit beside him on the grass. She looked him over, studying his face and trying to figure out what had him so upset.
Po sighed again for the third time.
"...Shifu wants me to decide whether I should stay here or go with you guys."
"And...what do you want to do?" Tigress questioned, waiting patiently for an answer. She didn't know what to think about it all either, feeling just as conflicted as the Dragon Warrior. One thing was for sure, things would definitely be a lot less...interesting and more quiet if there was no Po at the Jade Palace.
"I have no idea," Po answered, "I mean, I want to go back to the Valley of Peace, but...I also want to stay here. If I go with you, I'd be wondering how these guys are doing all the time. If I stay here, then I'd be wondering how you're doing all the time...what do you think I should do?"
Tigress gave him a gentle smile that she hoped would comfort the panda in some way. "I can't tell you what to do, Po. Just follow whatever you feel is right. And I'll be behind you no matter what your decision is."
Po smiled back at her, somewhat relieved that she would support him with whatever decision he chose to make. "Thanks, Tigress."
The Furious Five member nodded, turning her gaze to look up at the night sky.
"I never got a chance to tell you before now, but..."
"Yeah?" Po asked curiously.
"It's really beautiful here," Tigress managed to get out. "And peaceful."
Po gave her his own gentle smile, turning back to the dark sky himself. "Yeah...it is." Another reason that he wanted to stay. Not that the Valley of Peace wasn't just as beautiful or peaceful, but he had to admit it was nice to get a little peace and quiet. He decided at that point to let out a big and loud yawn.
Tigress stared, eyes wide.
"...Was something my dad taught me recently before you came here," Po explained, keeping his gaze fixed upon the night stars.
"The goose?" Tigress questioned, wondering how such a tiny bird could make such a big yawn.
"Nah...the panda." Po's smile widened and a mischievous spark in his eyes suddenly made itself known.
"Wanna try?"
"What?"
"Come on, it's really easy."
"Po, I can't—"
"Just once and you don't have to do it ever again! Follow my lead." Po sucked in a big gulp of air.
Tigress followed suit, though very reluctant.
Po then let out the air nice and slowly (and noisy) and Tigress did the same.
"That actually felt...nice," she admitted, though she couldn't believe she had done something so...un-Tigress-like.
Po grinned, ecstatic that he'd gotten her to try something new and completely out of her comfort zone, something that she had surprisingly enjoyed. "See?"
How could he ever let her go if he chose to stay? If only there was a way to bring both the Jade Palace and the Panda Village together...
Wait.
It was then that a totally and utterly genius idea crossed his mind.
