My Son

He should be celebrating. He should be with the others, partying and rejoicing over the conquest of evil once again. The celebration would last for a while; no one knew how long pandas partied. And the setting sun brought on lanterns that lit the village in a flood of amber light as sweet buns, lo main, noodles, and dumplings were passed back and forth along the village streets to feed the increase of hungry mouths.

He should be celebrating with them.

But he was away from the light. Shadows of trees and rocks threatened to swallow him, but his white fur made him too noticeable. He grunted and shivered walking up with his master's wooden staff.

He didn't get a bigger one.

The red panda chuckled a bit at the jealous thought. Of course, he would think that. How quaint. Always comparing himself to someone or something else. At least he could laugh this time.

The red panda, Master Shifu, walked up the steps that hugged the mountains. Past the barracks, Jade Palace, and Hall of Heroes, there were several stairs winding around towering peaks, leading to different caves, lakes, arenas, everything. Every so often, Shifu would find a new path he never thought was there.

The red panda frowned at his sinking heart.

How he wished he could've shown him.

The young one was always ambitious like his father, but also a natural explorer in his youth. Po reminded Shifu of him sometimes.

He should be with the others down the mountain, celebrating Kai's defeat. But Kai's defeat only shook the core of Shifu's soul. The jade etching of Tai Lung was scorched into his brain. It only made him sigh more heavily. That's why he was on this path. A final round of winding steps and to the left stood a lone cherry blossom tree. It naturally grew in the light of the sun but could withstand the partial shade of the mountain. Its unusually thick trunk came from special care, though Shifu couldn't help but wonder if there was something else being done here.

At the base of the pink leaf tree was a stone tablet. Shifu made his camp here. He placed incense and a painting near the stone tablet. This wasn't where he died, but he needed some kind of monument.

But was it for Shifu or for him?

The red panda couldn't say.

He didn't want to know either.

He took a deep breath shutting his eyes. The scent of the cherry blossom leaves swirled around his nose as his ears twitched at the wind swaying through the trees. This was a secret place for him. For both of them. He didn't want the others to know about this. Honoring a former criminal? What would they think?

Shifu made an audible groan. "Why do I care?"

Everyone knew Tai Lung was his son. He couldn't imagine anyone being deeply upset with him, but just because he had 'achieved' inner peace, doesn't mean that the pain went away. It just meant he accepted the reality before him.

"I thought you'd be up here," said a voice he didn't expect to sneak up on him. Shifu turned and saw two of his students standing before him.

"Tigress, Po? What are you doing here? Wait, what do you mean-"

"I found this place a while ago," Po interrupted, sitting next to Shifu. "Once I saw it was a memorial to Tai Lung, I... wanted to make sure that it was taken care of."

The health of the tree suddenly made sense.

Shifu found himself bowing his head before glancing at Tigress. The tiger said nothing, though her watchful gaze gave the Grand Master pause. "This is Tigress's first time coming here, though."

"I... didn't want to disturb you, Master Shifu, but Po insisted on making sure you were okay," Tigress replied with a gripe.

"Hey, don't put the blame on me."

"I told you we didn't need to be here."

"No," Shifu quickly said. "No, please. Stay. I... actually need the company." Shifu sat down, Tigress on his right, Po on his left. The incense fused with some kind of noodle smell and woody earth smell. Shifu couldn't help smiling to himself. He had never taken the time to 'smell' Tigress, but Po's scent actually made things, in general, more noticeable.

Either way, they both needed a bath.

"Hhmhm."

"What's funny?" Po asked, wondering how the red panda could find ANYTHING funny right now.

"I'm just... remembering how I used to clean him. It was a mess," Shifu replied, glancing at Tigress. "It was the same with you for a time."

Po quietly and quickly sniggered before Tigress had time to glare at him. Shifu smiled. Just for a brief moment.

"I'm... sorry."

"For what?" Po asked. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"You just defeated Kai and I'm lamenting," Shifu replied.

Po shrugged, still holding his smile. "I think you get a pass this time."

"Why?"

"I... I think I'd freak out too if I saw my son on a belt."

"Po!" Tigress growled

"I mean, I didn't mean to be rude! It's just-"

"It's okay, Po," Shifu smiled. "Tigress, I am okay. Well, I think I will be." He closed his eyes and took a long breath. The silence afterward hung for a minute. "I don't understand," He said in a weak voice. "I thought inner peace meant... I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't... do this."

Po shuffled closer to Shifu, resting his hand on the red panda's shoulder. "I don't think inner peace means you're free from issues. I think it just means you-"

"Accept them," Shifu finished with a sigh. "Yes, I'm coming to understand that." Another silence swept through like the winds swishing through the trees. "I'm... also sorry, to both of you. Tigress, my... loss of Tai Lung gave me no reason to treat you unfavorably if I did."

"Never, Master Shifu," Tigress replied. "I know-" She shut her eyes for a moment. "I know that I can never be Tai Lung or fully repair the damage you've suffered, but... you never treated me unfairly."

Shifu smiled a bit. "You don't have to lie, Tigress. Master Oogway was very explicit about how my expectations limited you."

"That's surprising," Po murmured.

"Po," Tigress growled.

"No, no I mean it's surprising that Master Oogway said something... explicit," Po explained. "I thought he would've said it in a way that made no sense until you had to fight someone. You know mysterious old man wisdom."

The wind stopped for a moment like it had to process what it just heard. So did Tigress and Shifu.

Shifu stared. But then he burst into laughter, clutching his master's staff and his belly to try and steady himself. "He would do that!" Shifu chortled. "He would do that."

He looked at the large panda. "Po, I am sorry for the way I've treated you in the past. Regardless of what I thought of you and my expectations, it gives me no excuse to treat you like I did."

"Master Shifu, you've already apologized for that and I forgave you," Po smiled.

"I know, but being here and... seeing how much my decisions had consequences that damaged so many people? Only for you to... fix my mistakes."

"Don't think anything of it," Po smiled. Shifu didn't smile back. He only looked at Po's smiling eyes before looking at Tigress's. He turned back to the memorial and shut his eyes.

His body jerked. "Master Shifu? Are you-" Po stopped Tigress from saying anything else.

Tears watered the ground as Shifu clutched his chest. He wept bitterly, shaking as he hunched forward in pain so deep he could feel the bone cells crying inside him. Po did nothing else but wrap his arms around Shifu. The red panda instinctively clutched the panda's arm tightly, crying harder into his fur. Before Tigress had much time to think, Po grabbed her into the embrace and the two hugged their master tightly. Shifu's mournful tears dripped and mildly soaked their arms.

"I'm sorry... my son. I'm... I'm so sorry," Shifu wailed. He couldn't bring himself to say anything else. He couldn't do anything else other than cry. He felt Tigress hug tighter. "Ack!"

"Tigress!"

A little too tight.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Po, Master Shifu. I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, Tigress," Shifu sniffled, though a smile shone through. "I think it was needed."

"Maybe for you, but my back is killing me now," Po murmured.

Glaring at the nervously smiling panda, Tigress turned back to Shifu who had a small smile sitting on his face. "It's... amazing, actually," He slowly said. "I think that's the first time I've... ever allowed myself to cry for Tai Lung."

"What?! Why?"

"I just... Master Oogway always talked about the need for self-control and inner peace. I guess I always thought it meant never feeling."

"And now?" Po asked. "What do you think it means?"

Shifu smiled wearily, "It means accepting things as they are, not what you want them to be. I don't think I could've trained either of you if I didn't accept how you were to begin with." Shifu took another sigh. "I guess now... things are different."

He looked up at Tigress. She bowed her head slightly, offering a small thin smile of her own. Much like her master's.

But when Shifu looked at Po, the panda had a concerned darting look, scanning the place. "Po? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, I... I think we should leave you be."

"Actually, I think I'll go back to the ceremony. I feel a lot better. Thanks to you two," Shifu smiled. The three got up from the floor, but not before Shifu looked at the stone tablet. "I'm sorry for not being there for you son. For not seeing what I was making you. I hope wherever you are, you'll find the peace that I couldn't bring you. And I hope one day, you'll forgive me."

The three traveled back down the stairs, with Po lagging behind. The panda turned back to the stone tablet and gazed at the source of his concern.

A thin translucent figure in the shape of a bulky feline stood at the memorial. It glared at the tablet and lifted its hand to strike it.

But he couldn't. He sighed, though his lungs carried no more oxygen. A petal floated onto the stone tablet and the figure turned away from it.

Its eyes locked on Po. They stared. The figure shut his eyes for a moment before opening them, smirking.

"Take care of him."

The figure disappeared, leaving Po with a smile of his own while he ran down after Tigress and Shifu for the festival.

The End