Insecurities

Return back to the Palace

The next few days consisted of dismantling Zheng's army. The Emperor kindly excused the actions of Zheng-Hau and pardoned him. He even gave the soldiers in Zheng-Hau's army the position of being supervisors of the officers that were supposed to rule the providence. Zheng-Hau watched as the village beneath him returned to its normalcy. "Weird, huh?" Po said as he walked up to the hill Zheng was on. The jackrabbit nodded, looking at the villagers going about their daily business.

"It's amazing how quickly people return to their regular lives," Zheng-Hau sighed. "This only proves that I was making the wrong choice."

"Well, now you have time to make the right ones," Po proposed. Zheng-Hau smiled at him as he lightly punched Po in the arm. "So... I have a question?"

"Shoot?"

"What was your actual insecurity?" Po asked, a little confused. "It was really confusing when we were fighting."

"I guess you can sum it up into this: I don't see value in myself. But after seeing you, I know that there is value in me. I am worthy of... life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Most importantly, I'm worthy of love."

"Wow," Po replied with a smile, but soon Zheng-Hau's smile disappeared.

"I just don't know what that looks like, sometimes," The jackrabbit sighed. "It sometimes feels like no one cares."

"That's the best thing in the world," Po smiled.

"Huh?"

"If no one cares, that means you can be who you want to be. Zheng, I mess up a lot of times. Don't you think I should have low self-esteem?"

"Yeah, you do mess up a lot," Zheng-Hau commented with a smirk.

"The point is," Po huffed, "that I don't have that self-esteem problem because I've learned that I can't be someone that I'm not. I have to be who I am: Me. I have to be-"

"Real," Zheng-Hau finished. "I have to be honest with my faults. Because it's through our weaknesses that we're stronger than ever." Po nodded, resting his hand on Zheng-Hau's shoulder. "So, we don't have anything to fear, except the fear of being someone other than ourselves. We can't be afraid of being ourselves."

"Maybe that was your fear? That you were afraid that people wouldn't accept the real awkward you?" Po guessed. Zheng-Hau sighed.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"Well, if they can accept me, then they'll accept you," Po smiled. Zheng-Hau was encouraged by that.

"Thank you, Po," Zheng-Hau smiled. "The only problem now is figuring out where I'll go after this." Po twiddled with his fingers as he thought about what he would say next. "Po, what are you thinking?" Zheng-Hau asked, seeing the panda's anxious twitch.

"Nothing, I was just thinking that... the Jade Palace could always use another skilled fighter," Po grinned nervously. Zheng-Hau's face fell into a scowling frown. "I know, I know, it makes no sense to go back, but maybe you do belong there. I know that Shifu is wanting you to come back, not as a servant, but as a friend." Zheng-Hau continued to look Po for a while before smiling.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer," Zheng-Hau replied.

"Awesome!" Po exclaimed as the two walked down the mountain. Suddenly, Po couldn't stop chuckling to himself.

"What's up?"

"Oh, I'm just remembering how I was before your whole rebellion started up," Po explained, "I was dealing with a thought in my head that... made me look for a way to slim myself down," He said chuckled. Zheng-Hau was confusingly shocked.

"Why would you want to slim down. You're already small for a panda," Zheng-Hau replied.

"Well, I was looking around the scrolls of the Jade Palace to see if there was anything about pandas and how they could lose weight. Or if there were any serious pandas in history I could learn from. That's how I started learning about weaponry," Po answered.

"What gave you the idea that you needed to change your look?" Zheng-Hau asked. Po told him. The jackrabbit stopped in his tracks. He glowered at Po, crossing his arms as he raised his right hand to count off. "First off," He started, "No one worthy of your time will think of you like that. If they do, kick them to the curb and let them have whoever hurt you."

"Geez, harsh," Po mumbled.

"Second, title aside, you are the greatest person I've ever seen in my entire life. I mean, second to me, of course," Zheng-Hau joked.

"Hey," Po smirked back.

"And third," Zheng-Hau finished with heavier gravity in his tone, "While we know that you can always change for the better, that doesn't mean that I, the Furious Five, Tai-Lung, Lin, Yun, your fathers, or anyone that truly appreciates you like you any differently. And hey," He said, placing his hand on Po's heart. Zheng-Hau's height was about to the top of Po's stomach. "If we ever start to see you any different, then it means we're not worthy of you."

"Hehe, you're very encouraging, Zheng-Hau," Po replied with a smile.

"I guess it's easier to try and help someone else with their problems than face your own. However, I'm starting to see that by helping others, we find the strength to help ourselves," Zheng-Hau said. Po yawned, stretching his arms again.

"Well, enough weird confusing proverbs for now. Let's get back to the Jade Palace. I'm sure that Shifu is anxious to meet you again," Po smiled. Zheng smiled back.

"Thanks, Po."

"UGH! I forgot I hate these stairs!" Zheng-Hau cried out, hopping and skipping the stairs with his rabbit legs.

"At least you can hop up," Po grumbled, "Us lay people have to use each of the stairs."

"I don't know why you guys complain so much about the stairs," Crane smiled widely. Everyone glared at him.

"Say that again, Crane. I dare you," Tai-Lung grunted, cracking his knuckles. Crane chuckled nervously as the others laughed. Tigress walked up the stairs with an arm sling. She walked up the stairs behind everyone next to Tai-Lung.

"Come on, Po. Let's see how well you can cook. The original cook of the Jade Palace is back with his Roushi soup," Zheng-Hau challenged.

"That was you who made that?" Viper said with her reptile mouth dropped wide. "It was so good!"

"Oh you're on," Po smirked, racing Zheng-Hau up the stairs with a new speed. Tai-Lung noticed the tiger's silence and sour look. Tai-Lung shook his head.

"Are you still upset about Zheng-Hau? I'm surprised you're so against him," Tai-Lung commented.

"Why?" Tigress grunted with a bit of disdain.

"I can understand you disliking me because, admittedly, I was less than an ideal person."

"A criminal and an ambitious selfish-"

"The point is that while I'm all those terrible things, Zheng-Hau isn't any of those things," Tai-Lung pointed out. Tigress looked away from Tai-Lung's gaze for a moment. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I... I don't want to talk about it," Tigress grunted followed by a sigh. Tai-Lung grumbled under his breath as they continued walking up the stairs.

"Well, maybe you should talk to Zheng-Hau." Tigress's head shot up from looking at the stairs to the snow leopard's eyes.

"Why would I do that?" Tigress asked.

"If there's something about him that you're worried about, then I think you should talk with him face to face instead of talking to the people around him," Tai-Lung explained. Tigress's eyes narrowed at the snow leopard.

"I don't even know him."

"Well, you didn't know Po to begin with," Tai-Lung rebutted, walking up the stairs ahead of Tigress while she stood there thinking to herself. She huffed a sigh of reluctance and moved on up the steps.

Continued...