Insecurities

First Day of Training

"Well, this is more than perfect," Zheng-Hau mentioned pleasantly. They were at a small waterfall surrounded by trees. It was a kilometer outside of the village. "Now, did Lin measure you, Po?"

"Yeah, she said the cloak would take some time, but Yun is helping her," Po pouted a bit. Zheng-Hau tilted his head to the side. "It's easy to find clothes that fit you, isn't it? It's always a pain for me," Po complained.

"It's not any easier for me. Most villages have bunnies, not jackrabbits," Zheng-Hau countered. Po shrugged.

"Sooo, what were you going to show me?" Po asked as Zheng approached him.

"Well, first I have to figure out how much hand-to-hand combat you know," Zheng replied, getting into a fighting stance. Po went into his stance. Zheng roundhouse kicked Po, but Po blocked it, jumping over Zheng-Hau and attacking from behind. Zheng-Hau jumped high and came down with his foot extended to kick Po's head, but Po blocked it again. Po forced the jackrabbit back with his foot. Zheng slid back, charging again with an open palm punch, much like Tigress's double hand Tiger strike. The shockwave from his punch was less than Tigress's but still surprisingly powerful enough to make Po shift his head out of the line of invisible fire.

"You're strong," Po commented with an excited smile.

"You're not too bad yourself." Zheng-Hau smiled and panted. After a while, Zheng-Hau stopped the spar. "That's good. Hmm, you seem to know a lot of Kung Fu moves."

"Well, being with the Furious Five and being a huge fan of Kung Fu helps," Po shrugged, trying to keep his composure. Zheng-Hau nodded in agreement. "Sooo, how did you figure out those moves. I heard from some of the people... mainly Lin, that you were able to defeat the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five. How did you do it?" Zheng-Hau thought about his question for a while before sighing.

"I'm guessing the Masters haven't talked about me since I've left."

"They have," Po corrected, "Actually, I remember Master Shifu feeling guilty about letting you get this point."

"This point? What does that mean?" Zheng-Hau asked in a slightly harsh tone.

"Well," Po retracted nervously, "He felt like he could have helped you more... somehow. Maybe you and masters wouldn't be on opposite sides if he had been... more compassionate." The jackrabbit suspiciously stared at the panda for a while before sighing and looking up at the sky.

"He couldn't have," He finally replied, "I remember Zeng telling me that Shifu had lost his first foster son. That caused him to be distant and strict." The jackrabbit sighed at the thought. "He was already too broken to help me with my problem."

"And what was your problem?" Po asked, stepping closer to place his hand on Zheng's shoulder. Zheng-Hau looked at the panda again before huffing in frustration.

"Why don't we get on with your training?" Zheng diverted, shaking Po's hand off of his shoulder.

"Sorry," Po apologized, "I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright," The jackrabbit smiled, "I've just had a long life, that's all." It was quiet for a while before Po spoke again.

"Where were you when you went away from the Jade Palace?" Po asked, honestly curious.

"Well, after I left, I went into the northern territory out of China, where the Mongolians live," Zheng-Hau replied. "They were very rustic and old-fashioned, but they seemed to take pity on me," Zheng-Hau huffed a bit at the statement he made. "Anyways, they took care of me and showed me many of the techniques they learned from Kung Fu masters AND swordsmen."