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Water dripped in the deep dark cave with no hope of ever getting back to the surface. Air poised in a very still dreadful manner, shaking anyone who drew near to their knees. And yet, a still little voice disturbed the place. Another tick, or maybe step? No. Something, someone came through the smoke to the cave where everything was still except the crackle of a fire in the mouth of the cave. "Who's there?" He asked in a tired voice.

"It's only me," Said the red panda. The other panda glared at him for a moment only to sigh and flopped wearily to the floor. "Po, please come back."

"I'm not coming back. You saw what I did. Now everything I touch is just... a mess!"

"It's not your fault she's hurt."

"But she is! isn't she! If I had just gotten to her fast enough I would've-"

"Taken the arrow for her. And she would've been the same spot that you are now," his master replied. Po grumbled under his breath. "Why here? Why come to this place? What's here other than just smoke and haze?"

"Me?"

"You know what I mean."

"I mean it just... it just describes how I feel I guess," Po sighed, looking at the smoke and fog outside. "It's just... all unclear. Shifu, I thought that being the Dragon Warrior meant fun and great adventures and good friends! But now-"

"None of the Furious Five, not even Tigress blames you for what happened," The red panda sat next to him. "Po, there's nothing we can do about the future-"

"Don't quote Oogway to me. I've heard it all before," Po grumbled. "And I'm done with it." He stood up and moved away, resting his hand on the dark cold ridges of the cave wall. The mix of hot and cold stung the open wound resting on his leg. He had bandaged it a while ago, but it was still healing from the last fight.

"You need to take care of that wound," Shifu said.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does to us," Shifu said firmly. Po scoffed. "And it does to Tigress." He sighed and looked out of the hazy fog with Po.

"I can't go back."

"I'm not leaving until you come back."

"Then you'll have to force me. I can't go back and face her, Shifu. I just can't. I... I let her down."

"Po, you're flawed just like the rest of us," Shifu sighed. "I fear that the weight of the Dragon Warrior title has become more of a unwelcomed burden for you than a blessing."

"Really? What gave it away," Po snarked over his shoulder. Shifu held his concerned stare.

"I'm sorry Po."

"No," Po sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for feeling this way. If I could just... dump all my feelings like a bad batch of soup out on the streets I would but... the feelings stay. And they always just... stay."

"Po, your feelings are always going to be there, regardless of what you do. The best thing to do is to accept that they're there rather than just avoiding them."

"But it hurts," Po rasped in a low quiet voice. He felt a small hand on his.

"So is a life where we don't emote at all. And you already know what that life is like. You've seen that life before with both me and Tigress."

"Hehe, yeah," Po said, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, I do." They stood quietly for a moment before Po rolled his shoulders back. "I should go and apologize to her."

"Again?"

"I just... yeah," Po sighed.

"You can start," Said a voice through the fog, "By coming back to the Jade Palace and helping me with the chores." Through the dense fog, unmistakable spots of orange, black, and white came through with amber eyes. Po and Shifu widened their eyes.

"Tigress!"

"What are you doing here?" Po asked. The tiger walked with a crutch with her side and leg bandaged. "You... you walked all the way here?"

"You're supposed to be resting, Master Tigress," Shifu scolded.

"I'm sorry, Master Shifu," Tigress said with a bow that threatened to topple her over. "But I wanted to make sure that Po didn't have any second thoughts."

"You're very stubborn you know that?" Po grumbled.

"So are you," The tiger smirked, only for a moment. "Po, how could you ever think that we hated you? That we didn't want you back."

"I-"

"I'd rather hate you and you be there than for you to leave us, leave me," Tigress said, glaring hard as she closed the gap between them. Her sharp claw lightly pressed against his sternum. "Don't ever leave like that again."

"Yes Ma'am," Po nervously grinned. The tiger smiled a bit before Po gently threw her arm around his shoulders. "Come on, I'll help you back. It's the least I can do."

"The most you could do," Tigress smirked. "Is making your stir fry when we get back."

"Hehe, already done," Po smiled. The three trekked home, past the dispersing fog, and traveled back to the land of their friendships and love: Home.

A/N: I was feeling a little down, decided to write myself out of my sadness. Actually worked. Enjoy.