Hard Style Is Not Your Thing
It was dinner time, Po and the Five were in the kitchen. Monkey and Mantis were telling some stupid jokes, getting weird looks from the others. The only strange thing was that Po was silent; he was in some deep thoughts. And Tigress was the only one who was noticing this, but she didn't said anything. Just then she saw that Po was looking at... her paw. She felt weird, what's wrong with him.
"Uh... Po? Is something wrong?" Tigress asked him, bringing him back to reality.
"Um? Nothing." Po said looking away. Tigress folded her arms, suspecting the panda's thoughts. "Um... Tigress, do you want more tea?"
"No." She replied simply. Po frowned. She chuckled. "Well, if you want, I can have more."
Po smiled. "On it." He said, picking up the kettle and serving her more tea. As her paw reached to pick up the cup, Po watched it.
"Ahem." Tigress cleared her throat, Po looked away. She was not understanding what the matter was, but she just ignored.
After dinner, when everyone left to their respective rooms, Tigress and Po were the only ones in the kitchen.
"So Po," Tigress started. Po looked at her. "Are you not gonna sleep?"
"Um... I am not... very sleepy this time." Po replied, a bit unsure. Tigress let out a chuckle.
"So, turns out that pandas also can't sleep sometimes." She mocked, receiving a glare from an irritated Po. "Hehe, I thought pandas can sleep anytime, anywhere."
"Why? Should I get asleep anytime because I am a panda?! You think I should be lazy cuz' I'm a panda?!" He asked, raising his voice. "You think I am different from you?! I am also a living being, Tigress. Why is that so surprising for you?!"
Tigress didn't expected that Po will get angry. "Uh, I was just kidding. I meant no offense, Dragon Warrior." She said in an apologetic tone. She held Po's paw with hers, Po's eyes widened when she did that. "Forgive me." Po looked at her paw, it felt so... strong.
"Um... no, I am sorry for raising my voice, Tigress. I was thinking something else."
"That's okay, Po." Tigress said smiling and standing up from her chair. "I think I should go to sleep. Good night."
"Good Night, Tigress." Po said, letting go off her paw. As soon as Tigress started leaving, another thought came to Po's mind, as he rushed to her and stopped her. "Tigress, hold on."
"What is it?"
"Um... I think I forgot to say good night." Po said. Tigress raised an eyebrow.
"But you said it already."
Po realized that this wasn't a good excuse. "Uh, me! I think I am just sleepy. Maybe I should go and sleep." Tigress was sure something was wrong with this panda, a moment ago he said that he isn't sleepy.
"Okay." Tigress turned back.
"Uh, Tigress?" Po said again. Tigress was now too frustrated.
"What now?!" She asked irritably.
"Uh, I was curious about something." He said, not wanting to irritate her more. Tigress sighed and gestured him to say. "It's about those ironwood trees you used to punch. You remember?" Tigress eyes widened at the mention of the trees.
"Yes."
"Where actually are they located?" He asked. Tigress raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you want to know?" She asked.
"No, I mean... I was just curious. I should know. So?" He said.
"Um... they're behind the Jade Palace." She told.
"Ok. Gotta go, good night." Po said running to his room. Tigress raised an eyebrow, not really understanding.
"He is sometimes weird." She said before going to her room.
Tigress looked around, wondering where she was. "W-Where am I?" She asked. There was fog everywhere. She heard a noise, a familiar noise. She followed the noise and shocked at what she saw. She saw that there was Po sitting on his knees, his hands were covered with blood, and he was breathing heavily. "Po? What are you doing?"
Po looked back at Tigress, his eyes were red, maybe because he was sobbing. "Go away." He said sharply. As the fog cleared, Tigress saw that it was the ironwood tree, same ironwood tree that she used to punch for 20 years. There were blood stains on it, as there were when she punched them.
"W-Why are you punching these trees, Po?" She asked. Po looked at her sternly.
"Why do you ask? I thought the Hardcore can understand. And you think only you can be hardcore, not me?" He asked sternly. Tigress's eyes widened. He wanted to become hardcore, like her? Po came and placed a paw at her shoulder, as the blood on his knuckled flowed down her shoulder to her arm. Po looked at her right in the eye. "Isn't this what you used to do every night, Hardcore Master Tigress? Isn't that's what made you so magnificent? Isn't this what makes people afraid of you? Isn't this what made you HARDCORE? Tell me, Tigress."
Tigress breathed heavily. Tears rolled down her cheek as she looked at Po's condition. He didn't knew the correct reason for which she did that. "Don't do this, Po."
"Why? Because the Hard style isn't my thing?" Tigress remembered that's what she said to Po on the boat. "Isn't this what you call HARD STYLE, Tigress?"
"NOOO!" Tigress woke up from her sleep, panting. She looked around and realized that it was a dream. "Oh dear." She murmured. Then she realized something. The first thing she did was getting up from her bed and rushing to Po's room. Without knocking, she directly came in. Po wasn't there. "Po?" Where he might be? Tigress remembered that at the dinner time, Po looked very interested in grabbing her paw, he got irritated when she underestimated the panda species, then he asked her the ironwood trees were located, and then the dream. She figured out where he might be. Tigress left the barracks silently, making sure no one wakes up.
Tigress was walking down the stairs of the barracks. The full moon shining brightly above her head. The sound of her foot steps and the chirping of crickets were only sounds that could be heard, until another noise joined as Tigress reached the ironwood forest. It was the sound of punching something... hard. She walked through the forest and saw something unexpected, making her stun. She saw Po there, and he was... punching the ironwood trees. She hid herself behind another tree, watching the panda. His knuckles were red, as they were about to bleed. His paw was shivering, and he was breathing heavily, groaning at every punch he threw. He fell to his knees. Tigress didn't understood what was wrong, why is he doing this? Po got to his feet again and continued his task. He sensed the presence of someone, he looked back. Tigress quickly hid herself before the panda could see her. He turned back and continued his work. Tigress kept thinking what was wrong. Why is he punishing himself?
The noise of punching stopped, as Po breathed heavier, until he collapsed to the ground. "Po!" Tigress rushed to him at lightning speed and caught him before his head could hit the ground. She knelt down and laid his head in her lap. "Po, are you okay?!" Surely the panda had skipped his sleep, and he was injured and tired, maybe that's why he collapsed. "Po, open your eyes."
Po slowly opened his eyes. "Tigress? What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I was about to ask the same thing." Tigress asked, a bit angrily. "You are crazy?! Or you want to kill yourself out of exhaustion?!"
Po looked away. "Tigress, go away."
"I won't let you do this." she said stubbornly.
"Why? If you can do this, why can't I, Tigress? Or you think only you can be hardcore?" Po asked in angry voice. "Ow!" Po cried as he felt a sharp pain in his right knuckle, for he had been punching the ironwood tree. Tigress held his paw softly.
"Po, punching the trees is not as easy as you think." She said. "Stop doing this Po."
"Let me go!" Po said, yanking his paw back and standing back up. But he was exhausted, he needed to sleep, and he was injured. But he was going to continue this. He took 2 steps forth until he found Tigress in front of him.
"You are not going to this and that's my order." She said strictly.
"I am not." Po challenged, looking at her right in the eyes.
"Maybe you didn't get what I said." Tigress said, her eyes glowing like hot coals. "Do as I say."
"Why? Because you're hardcore? Because you're stronger than me?! Or because you think I am not your level? If that's it, I will train hard, Tigress. I know I am not your level, but I will."
"That's it, Po! I said stop this or-" she paused.
"Or what? You will fight me?" Po asked, challenging her. Tigress didn't said anything, she just stared at him sternly.
"So you're challenging me, Panda?" She said, spreading her legs into a bow stance. "You're being an idiot." Po growled and threw a punch at her, only hitting her paw. But Po forgot that he had been punching the trees, and his fist was already injured. That's why hitting her iron fist only hurt him more.
"OW!" He cried in pain, held his fist and fell to his knees. Tigress stared sternly at the panda.
"I told you. You know you can't fight me, Po." She said, lowering her stance and placing her hands behind her back. "Now stay down." Po lowered his head in a submissive way. She knelt down to him and placed a paw on his shoulder. "Po, tell me. Why are you doing this?"
"What's the point of telling you? You won't understand anyway."
"Po, remember what I told you in the Gongmen jail? The hardcore do understand. You can tell me." She said softly.
Po looked down again, thinking something.
"Po, tell me."
"That's because you think I am weak, Tigress." Po said, closing his eyes tightly. Tigress's eyes widened, as her paw slipped down from his shoulder.
"W-What makes you think that, Po?"
"Stop acting like you don't know, Tigress." Po said, looking at her. "Remember you left me the jail, thinking that if I fight, I will get killed. And remember what you said on the boat, that the hard style is not my thing. I know Tigress, I am silly and clumsy, that's what makes you think that."
"I-I don't think that about you, Po." Tigress replied blankly.
"Yes, yes you do. You think I can't master hard style? Alright, then I'll show you. I'll prove you. You will be proud of me once I master hard style, Tigress."
Tigress pulled him into a hug. "I am already very proud of you." She whispered.
Po started sobbing. "No, you're not. I-I failed you, Tigress. I failed you the first time I fought Shen."
"That's not true, Po. I am proud of you since you defeated Tai Lung. I still am and I always will." She told. "Just stop doing this now, Po."
Po broke the hug. "Why are you stopping me, Tigress? If I am training, what's wrong in it? You also trained to be hardcore, right?"
"No." Tigress murmured.
"Pardon?"
Tigress closed her eyes tightly before saying. "Because I didn't told you the right reason behind doing it, Po!"
Po stayed silent for a moment. "Then why did you do it, Tigress? Why you tortured yourself for 20 years? What was the reason?"
"I... wanted to make Shifu proud of me." Tigress said.
"Really?"
"Yes, being hardcore wasn't my dream. All I wanted was to make Shifu proud of me. All I wanted was to make him see me as a daughter."
Po placed a paw on her shoulder. "I see, Tigress. But now Shifu is proud of you, so don't worry."
"And so am I on you, Po. So stop doing this. I can't see you like this."
"I want to be hardcore like you, Tigress. I am sure I will be like you." Po replied smiling. But Tigress looked at him firmly.
"No, you can't be hardcore, Po. You can't be like me!" She said. Po's eyes widened at her response. "Because you're not me, Po. You're you. Don't be like me, Po. Be yourself. Every warrior wants to be hard. But you're a warrior with a soft and caring heart, which is a rare thing." She said. "And that's why I like you, Po. That's why I love you."
Po smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. "I love you too, Tigress."
Tigress smiled and stood up. "Now, let's go back, Po. It's getting late, and you need some first aid too." She said and helped Po up. Po smiled and gave a kiss on her cheek before starting walking. Tigress was a bit surprised but then she smiled. She looked back at the ironwood tree. She smiled and placed a paw on it, wiping the blood stain on it. "I see you have seen a lot blood till now, my old friend."
"Hey Tigress! You coming?" Po called out.
"Goodbye." She said smiling, as she gave a soft pat to the tree before she left with Po back to the Jade Palace.
The End.
Hope you liked this one-shot! Please review!