Hello everyone, this is my first published fan fiction story. After reading similar stories I decided I would try to write my own and see how it goes. No flaming please, constructive criticism is appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own KFP

The group trudged through the mud as the rain continued to pelt them in an unrelenting barrage that hadn't stopped for nearly two full days now. The Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior, as well as Grandmaster Shifu, almost back home to the Jade Palace from Gongmen City, were a mess. Master Shifu picked up the pace, once more taking the lead as the group fell behind in a huddle; they were soaked, muddy, and shivering. Even the normally solid and tenacious Master Tigress was fighting to hold back her shivers as she trudged along the road independently of Po and the rest of the Five, who were, by now, nothing more than a clump of wet mud as they huddled together for warmth. All discipline, dignity, and restraint gone, the warriors merely straddled each other for any bit of warmth they could find under Po's sizeable arms in a giant, unending bear hug.

For what seemed like the fiftieth time, Po concernedly glanced over to the tiger master and let out a sigh. He knew what her answer would be so he didn't even bother asking again. However, before he could look back down in front of him, Tigress caught his glance and sighed.

"Po, it's okay. I've been through a lot worse than this," and with that her gaze dropped back to the ground.

Po shuddered, but not because of the coldness of the rain. Images raced through his mind, fresh memories of the struggle the group had just been through. The moment when he thought everything was going to be okay…

That is, until he once again peered down the barrel of one of Shen's cannons. He readied himself for impact as the peacock lit the fuse, his heart sinking and the world melting away before his eyes, when someone pushed him to the side. Shook from his trance, he saw that it was Tigress that pushed him aside. Master Tigress, the only woman he ever thought was beautiful. The only Kung Fu master he admired more than Kung Fu itself. The only one besides his adoptive father that had hugged him with such tenderness and the only one whose embrace ignited something else inside, something he had never felt before.

The only one he truly loved.

Before he could object, before he could shout, "No!" and push her back aside, it happened. Shen's cannon blasted her with a direct hit and sent the entire group flying out into the harbor. After gaining his bearings, he swam over to the tiger's limp body, praying to every god he knew that she was still alive, still breathing.

He grabbed her paw with his right hand and stroked it with his thumb, placing his left on her back. His heart jumped when she looked up at him, a small smile across her face.

That was what he needed. What he needed to defeat Lord Shen. To find Inner Peace.

"…Po?"

Po would've jumped had he not been so exhausted. He just realized he had been staring at Tigress in the eyes for the past minute. He blushed a little as she addressed him with a quizzical look on her face, but maintained his composure.

"No," he thought. "I won't let you get hurt again. I won't let you do this to yourself."

After watching her for hours on end, refusing his help, he had finally built up enough courage to do something about it. With that, he began to shift the group along with him as he made his way towards her; the others were too tired and cold to notice or care. Tigress let out an exasperated sigh as Po laid his right hand on her shoulder.

"I don't care if you've had worse, I can't watch you do this to yourself. I care too much about you to lose you to something as stupid as-"

"Po, I was just shot by a cannon at point blank range," she interrupted. "I hardly think a little cold weath-"

"Exactly!" Po interrupted her right back. "I thought you were dead; it was the worst feeling I had ever experienced in my life, even worse than when I was shot by that cannon in the factory…"

Tigress shuddered uncontrollably at the memory.

"…and…I…I don't think I could take it if I lost you again…" he finished.

There was a moment of absolute silence between the two as they gazed into each other's eyes. She knew exactly how it felt.

After he had been blown out of the factory she had lost all will to fight. She had nothing left inside her, and felt cold and lifeless, similar to how she had felt before Po arrived at the Jade Palace, but even worse. It felt as if someone had ripped her heart out and put it back in upside down…

But after seeing him alive on the rooftop her spirit was revived. She felt as if she had the strength to take on Shen's entire army by herself. She felt changed, different; it was all so new to her, and she didn't know if she liked it or not…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a large black arm wrapping itself around her shoulder and pulling her into the group huddle, but before it could completely encompass her, she pushed it aside.

"No, Po. I…need some time alone. To think," she explained, walking ahead of the group and matching their pace somewhere in the middle between Shifu and the rest.

Po nodded dejectedly, and hugged the four that remained in his grasp tighter.

They were almost home anyway.

Upon their return to the Valley of Peace, the weather had cleared up and sunlight now poured out of the sky. As Po went to check in with his father, the rest of the Five and Shifu made their way up the to the palace. The entire group was still silent, too exhausted to hold any kind of casual conversation. However, when Viper noticed Tigress had fallen behind the rest, she slowed her pace and waited for her to catch up.

"Is everything alright, sister?" Viper was worried. She had never seen Tigress look so down and removed from the world, at least not since they were teenagers, still learning the ropes of Kung Fu. Tigress sighed and opened her mouth a few times, trying to force words out, before they actually came:

"I don't…I don't really know. But…I don't really want to talk about it…" Tigress winced, closing her eyes and turning her head away from Viper.

"Please, sister, it pains me to see you like this. You know that you can trust me, with anything." When Tigress didn't respond, she continued. "I know you don't want to, but talking about your problems really does help; Po showed this to us all…"

With the mention of Po's name, Tigress opened her eyes and looked up slightly, before closing them again and looking back down. It was then that Viper understood. She had a hunch, especially after the two of them had expressed such compassion for each other back in Gongmen City, but it made sense now.

"Tigress…how do you feel about Po?" The tiger looked up again, glaring at the snake as if to say what is that supposed to mean? But seeing the sincerity and concern in Viper's eyes, she sighed.

"That's just it, Viper. I don't know. I feel so…confused…I thought we were just friends, and I think we still are, but it just feels…different…like it should be something…more…"

She choked on the last word as Viper slithered up her leg and onto her arm, embracing her in a hug. Before Viper could reply, Tigress continued.

"…I've never…f-felt this way in my life…and I don't know if I like it…"

"Oh, Tigress…" Viper consoled, patting her on the back with her tail. "…it's okay, love is a very complex emotion-"

"Love?!" Tigress snapped at the mention of the word. She was getting defensive, Viper could tell, instantly regretting being so up front about it. "That's what you think this is?!" The tiger scoffed and shook Viper off her arm. "And here I thought you understood..."

"And I do! Tigress…please! It's you who doesn't understand…" she explained, still retaining her consoling tone. Tigress stopped and turned to the snake, a look of fury in her blazing orange eyes as she growled. "…and I don't expect you to! Please, Tigress, look inside yourself. Tell me I'm not right!"

Tigress' face softened a bit, before returning to the pained state it had been in the entire journey back. She knew she was right. She had never felt this way before: a combination of anxiety, fear, helplessness, and…happiness. True happiness. She wanted to feel happy, to tell Po how she was feeling, but her pride as well as the walls built up around her heart over the years held her back.

Without saying another word, Tigress turned and continued walking up the steps, leaving Viper alone and worried for her.

That night in the Jade Palace, all but two slept soundly. The tiger stirred violently in her sleep, while the panda tossed and turned on his mat, unable to find it in the first place. It seemed like an eternity had passed before Po's eyelids began to feel heavy and the rest of his body settled down. But right when he thought he was going to drift off, a panicked yelp from across the hallway shot his eyelids right back open. Tigress?

He began to hear sobbing and froze, unsure what to do, having never heard Tigress cry before. But as he turned to get up, he heard her door open and close quietly as the sniffling feline snuck down the hallway and out of the barracks. He waited for a moment before standing up and peeking out through his door to make sure the coast was clear. Tiptoeing down the hallway, trying to be as quiet as possible (and failing miserably, stepping on nearly every creak there was) he made his way out of the barracks and began to look for Tigress.

Reaching the top of the steps, she dragged herself past the peach tree and gazed at the moon through her tear-soaked eyes. Moonlight flooded the valley, so much so it seemed almost as bright as daylight. She continued to weep as the nightmares replayed over and over again in her head…

Chained up with her companions and presented to the city like some sort of sick trophy, she felt herself dangling above the boat, utterly broken. The armada proceeded down the canal, blowing bridges out of the way and moving ever closer to the bay. She instinctively looked up to the building where Po had appeared, but gasped in shock as she realized he wasn't there.

"P-Po…?"

Unable to break herself away, she gazed with pleading eyes at the spot…the spot where Po should have been…

It was not until after the flagship passed the building by did she break her stare and return her eyes to her other surroundings. She realized they were almost out into the harbor by now.

"No…No! This isn't how it's supposed to happen!" she cried out in vain. Nobody around her took notice to her cries as the fleet moved out into the bay and a cannon was turned on them.

"You have failed…not even your precious panda could save you!" Lord Shen appeared in front of them cackling as he lit the fuse.

In a blinding explosion she felt the impact of the cannon. She awoke surrounded by whiteness with a large, looming figure standing over her. Looking up, the figure revealed its face.

"Po?" she whispered.

Po merely stared at her before slowly backing up, a look of disappointment on his face.

"PO!" she cried out, as he turned and vanished into white nothingness.

She opened her eyes and realized she was no longer quietly weeping, but rather full-on bawling all over herself. She fell forward to her hands and knees, not bothering to hold back any longer.

"Tigress?"

She nearly jumped out of her fur when she heard his voice behind her, spinning around to glare at him. The suddenness of her movements caused the panda to step backwards a bit. He was obviously nervous, but she could see in his eyes that it was her he was worried for.

"Not now, Po! Leave me alone…" she spun back around to hide her tears, though it didn't matter. He had seen her, the 'hardcore' master of the tiger style, crying like a small child. Her utter embarrassment soon turned to anger as she realized he wasn't leaving.

"Tigress…please…tell me what's wrong…"

"Why do you want to know? It's not like you care!" she knew this was not the case, that he was truly concerned for her well-being. But she didn't want that. She didn't want to feel safe around him, as if she couldn't protect herself. She didn't want to feel worried for, as if she couldn't deal with things on her own.

At that moment, she didn't want to love him.

"Of course I do, Tigress! I care about you more than anything in the world!" he blurted out, blushing and silently regretting it, but continuing nonetheless, Might as well tell her everything now, he reasoned. His heart raced as he tried to find the words to express his feelings for her. "Tigress, ever since I first met you, I've admired you. Even when you wanted nothing to do with me, I still felt something for you. And as our friendship grew, that feeling only became more and more intense…"

He trailed off as he placed his right paw over his heart. Tigress stood in front of him, her back still to him, completely silent, as he continued.

"…I…I…"

Tigress felt her chest pound as emotions flooded her heart, tears of both joy and sorrow falling down her cheeks. She wanted him to say it more than anything in the world, yet, at the same time, wanted him to stop. Stop, leave, and never come back. She wanted it to go back to how things used to be; her at the top, respected and feared by those around her. She wanted her hardcore reputation back which had been eroded ever since the panda arrived. She closed her eyes and crossed her arms, as if to brace for it.

"…I love you, Tigress."

She gasped, breathing in shakily as he uttered those final words. Her ears flopped back and she lowered her head, her heart full of turbulent and conflicting emotions; she felt like she was flipping a coin to see which side she expressed.

There was a long silence, and, unfortunately for Po, the old, emotionless Tigress won out.

"Get away from me, Po…"

Po let out a small gasp.

"But…" his voice was weak and sorrowful. "Tig-"

"I said LEAVE!" Tigress spun around and slammed her foot into the ground, much like she did in the Gongmen City Jail.

Po stumbled backwards a bit, reeling not only from the actions of the tiger master but also her words. Her glare burned into his eyes through to his soul. He looked like he was about to run away and cry, but, being the persistent (and somewhat dull) panda he was, he began to inch towards her. The pain was practically pouring from his eyes as tears found their way through his cheek fur.

She gave him one last look that said Alright, that's it!

"LEAVE!" she screamed as she whipped out her claws and lunged at him.

The panda, still dazed by the damage her words had done, had no chance. She nailed him right in the face, leaving four long, bloody claw marks. He fell backwards in shock and pain, letting out a yelp before tumbling to the ground.

She put her left foot on his stomach and glared down at him, her face full of an animalistic fury that he had never seen. She raised her lips to bear her fangs as she retracted her claws and balled her fists.

"Stay away from me, you fat, lazy, waste of space. A true warrior doesn't need love, and I don't need you. I don't want you, nobody does." She seethed as she walked away from him before she broke down crying again, running back to the palace on all fours, leaving a physically and emotionally broken panda at the tree.

Tigress was an emotional wreck. Regret was stabbing into her heart like a knife. She couldn't believe she had not only rejected him and insulted him to such a degree, but attacked him with her claws no less. Barreling through the doors of the training hall, she laid waste to everything in her sight before collapsing on the floor and crying herself to sleep. Morning only came too early.

The morning gong sounded and his bloodshot eyes opened, dried tears encrusted in his fur. The peach tree gently swayed in the wind as he stood up, wiping his eyes as he felt the wound across his face and made his way down the stairs back to the palace. As he thought over last night's events, he strangely didn't feel anything - emotionally, at least - the wound still stung like hell.

As he walked into the kitchen, he saw the rest of the Five, minus a certain tiger, sitting around the table speaking to each other in hushed, frantic tones.

"…they in their rooms this morning?" The end of Viper's question was the first thing he heard while approaching them.

"I don't know, but we have to start looking. They've gotta be around here som-" Crane stopped, turning to Po as he walked in.

A collective gasp filled the room as Crane, Mantis, Viper, and Monkey all noticed Po's face.

They all yelled his name in unison before surrounding him and breaking down into their individual questions.

"Where were you, buddy?" Mantis asked.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Crane inquired.

"Where's Tigress?" Viper prodded.

"Yeah…where is Tigress?" Monkey continued, causing a wave of suspicion to pass through the group.

Po simply stood there, moving from one concerned stare to the next, before pushing past them to start breakfast. He showed no intention of communicating.

The four just looked at each other, puzzled, and even more worried than before. It took them a couple seconds before Viper finally took the initiative.

"Crane, go get Master Shifu, he's probably still up in the mountains meditating. Monkey, see if you can find Tigress around the palace. Mantis, go back to the barracks and see if you can find anything in Tigress' room that might lead us to her. I'll stay here and check on Po's wound."

No questions were asked as the four set about their tasks. As soon as the other three left the room, Viper rushed over to Po and grabbed onto his arm with her tail, pulling him over to the table and into a chair. Po said nothing; his face remained completely emotionless. This only concerned Viper even more. She slithered up onto the table and began to inspect his wound.

"Po, talk to me…please…"

No response.

"Who did this to you?"

She wasn't sure if it was something about the look he gave her or if it was her intuition, but her eyes widened as the thought crossed her mind.

"Did…did…she…"

Po nodded once.

"Oh, Po…" her eyes became glossy as she gave him a look that asked what did you do this time?

Po sensed this, and was frustrated that she immediately assumed it was something he did. Something he caused. That that was all he could do, was get into trouble through his own stupidity.

He stood up abruptly, sending the chair he was sitting on flying off behind him. He was about to leave back to the barracks when Viper stopped him.

"Wait! At least let me clean the wound," she pleaded.

Po let out a small sigh and returned to the table as Viper slithered off to fetch her medical supplies. As she returned, Mantis followed her into the kitchen.

"I couldn't find anything in there," he reported. "There was nothing out of the usual."

Viper let out an impatient sigh as she tended to the panda.

"Well go help Monkey look for her, she has to be around here somewhere…"

Mantis nodded and took off after his primate friend.

Viper noted the intensity of the cuts, wincing inwardly at the amount of pain it must've caused Po. It was at that moment when she realized. Nobody deserved this - especially not a fellow student and friend - no matter what they did. She felt anger well up inside her as she finished cleaning the four long gashes embedded in his face.

She threw down the blood-soaked rag on the table.

"I'm gonna go looking for Tigress."

As if on cue, Monkey leapt into the room with Mantis on his shoulder.

"We found her," they said in unison, both out of breath. "In the training hall."

Monkey and Mantis followed Viper into the training hall. Po had silently opted to stay behind, and no one blamed him. Viper slithered forward to see Tigress in the middle of the training hall - or what was left of it - in a crumpled ball.

"Leave us," Viper commanded, anger apparent in her voice. Both males complied, silently retreating out of the hall.

Viper approached the tiger cautiously but confidently. After staring at her for almost a minute, she spoke up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Tigress shifted a little, sighed, and sat up, keeping her back to Viper. She couldn't bear to look her in the eyes.

"What could he possibly have done to warrant…that?!" Viper shook her head in disgust.

"I…I know what I did was wrong-"

"You bet your ass it was!" Tigress was stunned. She had never heard Viper this angry with her before. "The poor thing hasn't said so much as a word since we found him!"

Tigress couldn't hold back any longer. She broke down in tears, in front of her oldest friend, silently kissing her hardcore reputation away for good.

Viper was shocked, but still angry.

"I…I w-was so afraid…I didn't…know what to do…I didn't want…" Tigress let words tumble out of her mouth between sobs.

Viper's complexion softened a bit, and she approached her comrade, wrapping her tail over her back and staring her straight in the eye.

"Tell me what happened."

When Tigress failed to deliver, Viper reminded her that she was still in no mood for screwing around.

"NOW!" she shouted, the feline jolting back in shock.

Tigress had no choice. She spilled the beans and told her everything…everything. From the day she first met Po up until last night. When she was finally finished, Viper let out a long sigh. She could tell Viper was still upset with her, especially after she mentioned the insults she had flung at him the previous night.

"Just because you were afraid doesn't give you an excuse to hurt someone like that, especially someone who cares so deeply for you," she lectured. "I fear you may have damaged him more than you know, more than any of us could know…" she trailed off, letting the words sink in. Tigress had stopped her sobbing, and was now sitting in complete silence, her eyes closed in pain. She looked awful; her fur was ruffled and her clothing messed up, her face covered in dried tears and her paws covered in blood from destroying the training equipment.

Viper was done. She slithered off of the feline and made for the door, but stopped before it, turning back to the tiger one last time.

"I suggest you start working on your apology. You'll be lucky if he even thinks about accepting it."

And with that, she was gone, and the tiger was alone once more.

It was evening, and Tigress had yet to leave the training hall. Crane had returned earlier with Master Shifu, whom was promptly informed of the events that had transpired. Po still made lunch and dinner for them, although he hadn't said a single word to them the entire day. Everyone was worried for the panda, even Shifu, who had opted to eat with them tonight.

Po seemed almost dead to the world and silence rather than the usual laughter and joking filled the halls. It was one of the most unnerving mealtimes they had ever experienced.

Once everyone had finished eating, Po picked up everyone's dishes and proceeded to wash them, though no one left the room. They merely stared at his emotionless figure that had once been so full of life and energy; now sunken over and moving only as much as he had to in order to accomplish the task at hand.

The group almost gasped as Po picked out a clean bowl and filled it with soup, starting for the exit.

Mantis jumped onto his shoulder and he stopped in his tracks.

"Hey, buddy…I, uh…I don't know if that's such a good idea…"

"We'll be going with him," Shifu ordered, clutching Oogway's staff as he stood.

The group honored their master's wishes and accompanied the panda to the training hall.

The tiger heard the doors open and close behind her, followed by silence, and then the aroma of noodle soup and the sound of approaching footsteps. She did not turn around, or even so much as budge; that is, until she saw a large black arm set the bowl down beside her. Her eyes widened. After what I said, he's still willing to bring me food?

She looked up at him, hoping against hope that she would find forgiveness in his eyes, but her heart sank when she saw them. Viper was right; he was a mere husk of who he once was, his eyes emotionless and still, focusing on her eyes. Is that how I looked before all this? So…removed? So…cold?

Po said nothing as he began to turn and walk away, back to the rest who had stayed by the door. I guess…now's my chance… she thought.

"Po…wait…" she pleaded, as he stopped. He didn't even bother to turn back towards her.

She got to her feet and gingerly placed her paw on his shoulder to turn him back around. Gazing into his distant eyes, she began.

"Po…I'm so, so sorry about what I said…and…for what I did…" she gently ran her other paw across his face, along his wound…that she had inflicted upon the one she loved…

"I have no excuse for my actions other than…" she began to choke up, tears coming to her eyes. "Oh, Po…I was so afraid…afraid of your affection…I didn't know how to handle it and I was so stressed out and afraid of losing you and afraid of being afraid of losing you…

And there it was. The root of the problem had shown itself.

"…I don't know what I would do if I lost you after telling you that…I…I love you too, Po!" She couldn't hold the tears back nor her sobs. She rushed forward, embracing him and crying into his shoulder.

Po didn't budge throughout the entire scene. As she released him and looked into his eyes - her heart sinking a little more - she asked the final question.

"Will…will you forgive me, Po?"

He merely stared at her.

Once he was sure she got the message, he turned to leave. Tigress, shocked and now feeling more alone than ever, desperately sought support from across the training hall in her comrades and master. They all held their heads low and shook them in disappointment, before turning to leave alongside Po.

To say that the next two weeks were depressing would be the understatement of the century. Po still had yet to utter a single word since that fateful night, and his comrades had no idea what to think. The air was even more silent and tense than before the panda had first arrived at the palace, if that was possible. Po focused most of his time on training, and his skills improved by such a degree that Shifu suspected they were almost equal to Tigress'.

Other than training, Po mostly kept to himself, shutting off all interaction with anyone else. He had never been hurt so severely before in his life, at least not by one he cared for so deeply. He didn't know what to do and he didn't want to think about it; he just wanted to be alone.

Tigress hadn't left her room since the night she apologized, though a certain panda made sure to bring her food every meal, leaving it outside her door. For the past couple of days, however, she hadn't touched the food that had been brought to her, and the others started to worry.

But every time one of them would knock or attempt to speak with her, she would just yell at them to go away.

Even Master Shifu, her adoptive father.

While he certainly had the right to enter, he did not have the heart to…to…see his daughter in such a depressed state. He felt as if this was his fault. No. It was his fault. Had he not been so strict, she wouldn't have so much of a problem dealing with emotions…

It was this realization that had thrown the old master into his own depression. He, too, refused to leave his room.

But when duty called, there was no such thing as hiding. He ordered Tigress, the rest of the Five, and the Dragon Warrior off to defend the Valley of Peace from a sizeable bandit raid early in the morning.

Tigress looked terrible. Aside from the ruffled hair and clothing, they could tell she hadn't been eating. She looked weak and thin, but it was still her duty to defend the valley, no matter what.

When Po saw her state, something deep inside him stirred. He couldn't help but stare for a minute, much to her discomfort. He eventually shrugged it off as they proceeded down to the Valley.

On the way down the Thousand Steps, Tigress nearly tripped and fell three times, almost a fourth. Po saw this, and he felt the same feeling he had felt back at the palace. But what was it?

The horde of bandits was sizeable indeed. Over a hundred heavily armed wolves stormed through the streets, grabbing anything of value, and killing anyone that got in their way. The Five immediately charged into the fray, but were slowly overcome.

Po seemed to be holding his own, however. He circled back around the horde to relieve his allies and provide support. It was then that he noticed Tigress.

Her form was terrible, but she was still barely managing to hold her flank. He watched as the rest of the Five, however, were slowly overpowered and beaten: Mantis, Monkey, Crane, and finally Viper.

Only Po and Tigress were left standing. But that didn't last long.

Tigress let out a growl and then a yelp as the blade pierced her thigh.

Po snapped his head around and saw her fall in slow motion, the blade still embedded in her leg. That was when it happened.

Something inside him clicked.

After beating back his current assailants, he whipped around into his Inner Peace stance, concentrating on the one thing that could bring him into pure focus: Tigress, in danger.

He felt the world around him slow to a crawl. Opening his eyes, he could see every particle of dust, every leaf, and every enemy before him at once. With lightning speed, he was standing over her body, gracefully dancing about it, kicking, punching, and protecting her with everything he had.

As the last bandit fell to the ground, Po stood silent, removing his mind from the Inner Peace trance.

He darted over to her body, which was now covered in blood.

"Tigress!"

Her eyes widened, as did the rest of the Five's as they slowly recuperated from their wounds; that was the first thing he had said in over two weeks.

He bent over her body, grabbing a nearby roll of silk that a bandit had stolen. He removed her hands from around the wound and pulled out the blade. She hissed in pain.

"Po!" she screamed.

He didn't respond; he only acted. As quickly as he could, he wrapped the silk around her thigh tightly. She was looking him in the eyes the entire time.

No longer were they emotional voids, empty of life. They were back and alive, full of fear and concern.

She couldn't help but weep.

"I know, Tigress, it hurts, but…" he started.

"No, Po, it's not that…"

He bent over and held her up in his arms, holding her close to his face. He waited until their eyes connected to begin.

"Tigress, I'm so sorry, so so so sorry about the past few weeks," he spouted. "It's just that…I was hurting so much, and-"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her lips, silencing him.

The kiss lasted for a good minute before they broke, the rest of the Five gaping outwardly, Po gaping inwardly.

"Po, if there's anyone that should be sorry, it's me. I was so afraid of losing you that I tried to shield myself from further pain by closing…my feelings…for you…out entirely…"

"Oh, Ti…" he smiled as tears welled up in his eyes. "I love you so much that I'd risk the pain, just to be with you…"

She cupped his face as she smiled, tears still running down her face.

"I see that now…and now, I will too."

He scooped her up in his arms, careful not to hurt her, and turned to the rest of the Five. They too were tearing up - Viper the most - as they all crowded around the two in a big group hug.

Po felt a different set of eyes on him, however. He looked up from his comrades to see Shifu not far away from them, with the biggest smile on his face he had ever seen. Po thought he even saw a tear or two.

"Po! Po! Son, you're okay!" Mr. Ping dashed from his hiding spot in his noodle kitchen and almost jumped on Po before he saw who he was carrying. He let a knowing smile creep onto his face.

"Oh, son, I'm so glad you two made up! I heard about what happened…"

Po looked back down to the group before him, eyeing each one suspiciously as they all avoided his gaze and pretended to whistle.

"I can't wait to be a grandfather!" The old goose practically danced in the middle of the street.

"Daaaaaad," Po pouted as his father embarrassed him for the hundredth time.

The goose paid no attention to the panda's whining as they wished each other farewell, the goose going back to cleaning up his shop and the warriors turning to walk back up to the Jade Palace. Before ascending the stairs, however, Po turned back to see the local militia finally arriving to clean up.

On the way up, Po noticed a sound he had never heard before. Purring. Tigress was purring in his arms as she slept, exhausted from lack of food, sleep, and blood.

Po suddenly felt eyes on him again, turning slowly and nervously to Shifu. They hadn't yet talked about his approval of their relationship. Shifu simply smiled and assured him they would go over it back at the palace.

"Right, but first we gotta get Tigress some food and rest!" Po picked up the pace and pulled ahead of the rest of the group, going up the stairs faster than anyone had seen him go before.

Shifu chuckled and shook his head. He already knew what his answer would be.

Of course, panda. My blessing is yours.

There you have it, folks! Leave a review if you found something that I can improve on or just wanted to let me know what you thought of it, and thanks for reading!