Suffering


Tigress walked down the barrack's hall. Wooden floors squeaked underneath her feet as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. "Good morning."

"Good morning," All of her friends said.

Except one.

"Where's Po?"

The others shrugged. Tigress sighed and walked out of the kitchen. "This is getting ridiculous. Why does he keep going down to his father's place to eat?"

This had been happening for a while. Po had changed his eating place to his father's shop after the pandas started moving in. With Li-Shan and Mr. Ping manning the shop, it made no sense why the panda would move back in with his dad.

Tigress bounded down the mountain and strode through the village. She bowed and greeted anyone who saw her. "Good morning. Thank you. Hmmm." She sniffed the air. The shop wasn't open yet and the smell of Mr. Ping's cooking wasn't flooding the air yet. No scent of onions, carrots, beets, or radishes.

"Wait, he doesn't use radishes anymore," Tigress replied to herself. The tiger shook her head and walked on into Mr. Ping's shop. The two dads were working to prepare the shop, but no Po insight.

"Ah! There's my favorite paying customer!" Mr. Ping grandly said with open wings. Tigress smiled to herself as she rolled her eyes internally. She held the Furious Five's purse on her most of the time, so she would be the one paying for them. "I'm sorry, but we're still opening up."

"It's okay, Mr. Ping. I was wondering if Po's here?"

"What's wrong?!" Li-Shan immediately shot up. "Is there danger? Is he going to be fighting again? I'm sorry, I'm sorry," He said calming down. "He's a big panda. He can take care of himself."

"Nothing is wrong, Mr. Li-Shan," Tigress smiled. "It's just... has he been coming down here for a while?"

The goose glanced up at the sky with a pensive wing to his beak. "Now that you mention it, he has been eating more down here than up at the Jade Palace. I always assumed it was because you guys didn't feed him."

"He does most of the cooking," Tigress gently corrected. Mr. Ping's eyes widened, but he shrugged. "Is he upset?"

"Hmm. He actually left not long ago," Mr. Ping replied. Tigress sniffed the air. The sweet smell of sugar and cinnamon lingered, but it was faint. A couple of hours maybe. "He said he was going to the Jade Palace, but he headed the other way."

"Thank you, Mr. Ping." With a small bow, the tiger ran off to find the panda. "Something's wrong. Po's upset, but about what?" She gave a small huff. "I wish he'd just tell us what's wrong with him instead of hiding it." Hypocritic comments aside, the tiger found herself going along the bamboo paths. Small crumbles of cookies dotted the ground. As she walked on, she suddenly started hearing a loud munching.

"I mean, I just don't get it. Why do I have to suffer all the time in these stupid things? I mean, I like it and it's a little... okay it's a lot cringy, but some of the stories are so good! It's just... ugh! Why is this so frustrating!" A munch followed after the rant. The sound came from a boulder in a large clearing. Tigress rounded the corner and saw the panda munching away on some freshly baked cookies. "It's just stupid."

"As stupid as trying to hide it from the others?" Tigress asked.

"Yeah, but if I upset-eat at the Jade Palace, they're gonna know I'm upset. Annnnd complain that I'm starving them out of house and home... again," Po muttered, munching another cookie.

"Po, they don't mind the eating. They just want to make sure you're alright. That's what matters."

"Hehe, thanks Tigress... wait a minute."

"Po? Up here." She watched humorously as Po's head spun around and saw her on top of the large boulder his back was resting against.

"TIGRESS?!"

"So..." She said jumping off the boulder. "Why are you upset?"

"Nnnnnothing?"

"Po."

"It's silly. I don't want you to laugh."

Tigress crossed her arms. "I'm pretty good at not laughing at your face, Po."

"Yeah but... wait, are you saying you laugh behind my back?"

"What's wrong, Po," Tigress asked again. Po stood still for a moment before sighing and giving Tigress a scroll. The tiger took it and looked through it. Her eyes squinted and her head tilted. "What is this?"

"It's a story."

"I understand that, but... why are you suffering so much in it?"

Po sighed, "Because it's a fan-made story. From my fan club."

"You have a fan club?"

"Yeah, you do too."

Tigress rose her eyebrow. "How do you know that and I don't?"

"You've never asked about fan clubs. You're usually more focused on... you know, more important things."

Tigress simply stared. "What about this is making you upset?"

"Besides the fact that I'm suffering in it?"

"Well, even I know that's unusual."

"It's the fact that I'm being hurt for no other reason other than I'm a great guy. And... this was a little personal to me."

"Because it was about a breakup?" Tigress guessed. Po nodded. "Has that actually happened to you?"

"No, but... I can definitely see it happening to me the way they put it."

"Po, this is just a made-up story."

"Then why are there so many of them where I suffer with no justice or lesson in it? I mean, why do I suffer anyway? Because I'm the Dragon Warrior? Because I'm a good guy? It's just... when it comes to relationships, I don't like suffering like that. Because it... hurts. It takes all of my fears and makes them real, especially if it's written well."

"Then you're giving the author too much power," Tigress said, walking up to him. "It's not the story itself but what the story talks about that's making you upset, right?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because I... I've been through that. It's like... sure big scary villains get their grand downfall, but heroes always suffer. The bad guy doesn't suffer until the last part, but all the while, the hero is suffering. Why?"

"Why do you think the hero is suffering and not just in pain?"

"What's the difference?"

"Pain is unavoidable. Suffering is your choice. Pain is being hurt. Suffering is letting the hurt stay." Po blinked several times and sighed. "In the end, Po, pain is going to be there no matter what. And it may be true that you'll find pain in relationships too. But the pain offers a greater joy in the end. If you avoid pain all of your life, you'll never get strong, but if you inflict pain on yourself, you're just suffering and nothing can come out of that."

"What do I do then?" Po asked.

"Accept that you're in pain and move on," Tigress said. Po rose his eyebrow. "It's a lot harder than it sounds."

"A lot, a lot harder."

"But that's essentially what you do. Any pain, whether physical, emotional, or mental, you admit that you're in pain, find help if you need it, and work on moving on."

"Heh, I guess you're right," Po smiled. "Thanks, Tigress."

"And the next time you're upset, stop hiding away in your dads' shop and just come talk to us or talk to someone. You shouldn't suffer in silence. You're more important than our food supply," Tigress firmly stated.

"Hehe, thanks, Tigress," Po smiled.

"Come on, let's go back," The tiger said, letting herself smile. As the two walked back, Tigress looked on through the scroll. "By the way, why are you in a relationship in this one?"

"I don't know. Wait, why do are you asking?"

"Well, it's just... you've never seemed to show a... particular interest in any of the female pandas around here."

Po stopped in his tracks and tilted his squinting head. "What are you talking about? I'm still interested in dating someone. It's just... I haven't had the guts to really talk to anyone."

"So there is someone you like?"

"I mean... maybe. Why are you so interested in this?"

"I'm a cat?" Tigress quipped. Po narrowed his eyes.

"That's not it and you know it."

"But I am still curious who the special person is," Tigress smiled. "She'll need to be vetted by the rest of us."

"Trust me, I don't think you'll have to worry much about that. Until I get the guts to talk to her, I don't think I'm gonna make a move."

"And that's why people like torturing you in these stories."

"Excuse me?" Po remarked.

"Po, just talk to the girl. What's the worst that can happen? You're the Dragon Warrior. You'll definitely have other suitors."

"Are you calling me chicken?"

"No, a chicken has more courage than you sometimes," Tigress teased. "I'm saying that you have enough courage in you. Use it."

"Maybe I will," Po bulked up his chest, but the tint in his cheeks gave him away.

Groowl

"Right after some more food."

Tigress shook her head and followed the panda back.

The end