(A/N: Ok so this is a sequel to the alternate ending of 'loyalty' where she left with tai lung, please go read the alternate ending chapter cuz this story will make so much more sense if you do. someone asked me if I could do this and I'm not gonna say who because they wanted it to be kept secret. Be warned tho that tigress's personality is more dark and slightly on the crazy side but that's what I was going for so yeah. I hope you like it)
Warning: Bad grammar and spelling
"Archers at the ready!" Ordered the guard.
Shifu stepped off the makeshift elevator and walked into the large room.
"You have 15 minutes with her, that's it." He heard him say from the elevator.
Shifu kept walking but then came to a complete stop. There in the center of the room was a large steel cage, it stood proud and tall with the door completely chained shut. The cage itself was impressive although it wasn't what made him stop, he gazed past the steel bars and looked at the prisoner inside.
Her head was down, eyes closed and she was sitting on the ground in a upright position as if she were meditating.
Shifu saw that she was bound. Her wrists were shackled and chained to the ground along with her ankles, neck, and waist. He noticed the cuffs around her wrists weren't normal, they were 8 point acupressure cuffs meaning the more she moved the tighter they got. He knows she's been in this prison for a while, 6 months to be exact. He was supposed to visit her a long time ago but never got around to it due to a busy schedule.
He noticed she looked thinner, as if she hadn't eaten in weeks. He wondered if they fed her on a daily basis and if they did he wouldn't put it past her to reject the food. He knew she was stubborn and would try to put it off for as long as possible but one thing was for sure, shifu hated seeing her like this.
"Tigress." He called as he got near the cage.
She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head, her expression was blank.
"Master." She greeted in an empty tone.
He thought of what to say next and only one word came to mind.
"Why?" He asked.
"Hmm?"
"Why did you do it?" He asked again.
"Why do you think?"
Shifu thought for a moment, how was he supposed to know what went on in her head? Perhaps he didn't know her as well as he thought.
"You didn't get the dragon scroll so you threw a tantrum and decided to run away with him." He stated.
"Yes and no." She said.
"Explain."
"I wanted that scroll just not as much as you think. I went with him not just because I wanted to, I knew what I was getting myself into when I said yes." She told him.
"Tai lung is dead."
"I know, I saw it happen." She said.
"Did you? Are you aware you have a triple life sentence tigress?"
"Really? I thought it would be more." She replied.
"Your going to spend the rest of your life here and be left in this cage to rot, is this what you wanted?"
"I always knew this was a possibility. Its like I said before, I knew what I was getting myself into."
"So you say, well I hope your happy."
"Very." She said with a sly smirk.
Shifu knew she was trying to make him mad and by the gods was she succeeding. He just couldn't wrap his head around it. What did he do wrong for her to turn out this way?
Tigress felt like a coward, she didn't have the courage to tell him the real reason. Why couldn't she say it! Why couldn't she tell him it was all his fault, that he was the reason for her down fall. She was already in a cage for crying out loud, she couldn't get any lower than this.
"The 5 told me everything." He suddenly said.
She blinked and tilted her head on one side with the best of her ability, she was curious as to how they knew.
"Don't you mean the 4?" She asked.
"To them your still apart of the team, your still apart of the family and even if you did abandon the jade palace to them your still their sister. I'm surprised they don't feel any hatred towards you considering they trusted you with their lives and you left them there to die."
He tried to guilt her in an attempt to get some reaction out of her.
"How did they find out? they were paralyzed the whole time."
"They may have been paralyzed at the time you picked your side tigress but that doesn't mean they couldn't hear you." He told her.
"So they..." she trailed off, hoping he wouldn't hear her.
But he did.
"Yes, they heard everything that was said between you and tai lung." He said and waited for her response.
She didn't have one.
"You should have seen them tigress, poor viper couldn't stop crying no matter what the others did. She was so heartbroken by your betrayal, still is." He saw her look down in thought.
Shifu got closer to the cage and wrapped his paw around one of the bars. He saw her eyes soften for a split second before going back to their hard stare.
"You know guilt doesn't work on me shifu." She said with a shake of her head.
"Is that so? I don't feel the need to guilt you tigress, I'm only stating the facts. You hurt them...you hurt Po...and you hurt me."
That sentence infuriated her, She hurt him? What a hypocrite, he acts as if he didn't hurt her first.
"Why are you here shifu, what do you want?" She tried to keep her temper under control.
"Answers, I want you to tell me the truth." He said.
"Oh? You want the truth? fine, I'll tell you the truth."
She looked him dead in the eyes.
"The truth is I left because I couldn't stand you anymore. I went with him on my own free will because I didn't want to suffer for another 5,10, 20 years and if I'm going to be honest, tai lung treated me a hell of a lot better than you ever did because unlike you 'father' he actually treated me like family." She finished.
Shifu didn't know what to say, he never expected this from her.
"So your saying this is all my fault."
"Yes." She said.
"Your wrong, I had nothing to do with this."
"You had everything to do with this. You came to me seeking answers shifu, I gave them to you and if they aren't what you wanted to hear then this visit was a complete waste of your time." She retorted.
The 2 were left in an uncomfortable silence, shifu knew time was almost up. Tigress saw he was lost in his thoughts as if he were having a flashback and that he was. Shifu skimmed through his old memory's, trying to find anything that indicated she had a decent childhood, desperately trying to prove her wrong. In the end he only remembered 1 and that was the day he adopted her, after that everything was very bleak. Realization set in and shifu knew at that moment that she was right, it was all his fault.
He pushed her too far, he pushed her to her breaking point.
Tigress saw his expression change from pensive to surprised and for some reason found it humorous, but hey she's been locked up for 6 months with nothing to do but think, by this point even the end of the world would be amusing.
Shifu snapped out of his thoughts and put his attention back on the tiger. It was all clear now, he messed up...badly, he pressured her too much and loved her too little. In the end he failed both his children, he failed to see what they would become and what grim destinies they would have because of him. By now it was too late, one was dead and the other was to remain in a cage for 3 life times, he messed up and he would never forgive himself for that.
"Tigress I...I'm sorry for everything, it's my fault you turned out this way and ended up in this cage. I know what I've done is unforgivable and I know I cant do anything to make it up to you given the circumstances but I'm sorry." He tried to give her more than a basic apology.
"It's too late for that."
"I know it is." His ears pressed against his head.
"Times up!" He heard the guard yell from above.
Shifu realizes he's too late, he realizes she can't be saved. She's completely submerged in darkness by this point and as much as he hated to say it he knows they can't go back to the way things were. Without another word he turns to leave, not expecting her to say anything but then...
"I know you don't care but you meant so much to me."
He notices the past tense and just like a dagger her words pierce through his heart. He turns around to face the cage and at that exact moment sees her grin. He stares at her for a few more seconds before quickly looking away and with a heavy heart starts to make his way to the elevator.
'Don't look back. Don't look back.' He repeated the phrase over and over.
He initially came to her looking for answers as well as thinking he could change her for the better when in reality it was he who needed to change. Tigress was a lost cause their was no denying that and as much as it hurt him he needed to let her go not only for his sake but for hers as well.
Tigress watched him leave from inside her cage, the grin she had on never faded as he slowly disappeared from sight.
(A/N: so how was it? Thanx again to the person who asked me to do this, it was fun and to the other people I know this was weird but hey I already did it so too bad. As for the makeshift elevator thing, think of how vachir and zeng went down to see tai lung cuz it's basically like that. I feel like I made tigress and shifu way too out of character, I don't know if its just me. I did try to keep them in character as much as possible tho, only with added traits to tigress's personality but I guess that back fired so yeah. Anyway I hope you liked it and until next time...)