'Let me heal you...'
She heard the voice say it, noticing the smug tone. She watched helplessly as Shen pulled back the cloth, revealing the large cannon that was hidden beneath it. He scratched his foot against the metal, causing a spark to ignite the short fuse. She tried to make it to him, but didn't have enough time. Her friend was blasted from the building far off into the distance. Her heart sank, the immanent feelings of sadness and failure wove deep into the fibers of her heart.
'Po...' she said, in little more than a whimper. She had only just begun to feel for him, and now he was gone.
The memory continued as she remembered it, being locked away, questioned, and eventually chained up to the rest of the Furious Five. She sighed as they neared the bay. She remembered this part. Po would be up on the roof. She looked up, to see it was empty.
Any minute now...
Any minute now...
...Po?
The ship continued to sail and she was struck with the realization. Po was dead. She and the rest of the Five watched helplessly from their chained position as Shen used his weapons on the surrounding areas, sinking ships and destroying coastal villages.
'Shen, you can't get away with this!'
The peacock smiled, chuckling lightly.
'Oh, dear little kitten, I can... and I have.' he traced a feather down her jawline. 'Besides, you act as though you have any means of stopping me.' He looked up to his lead wolf. 'Kill them.' The wolf nodded, smiling widely, his tongue flopping from his mouth. Her eyes widened as the cannon slowly turned to face her and the Five. Her nose rested against the barrel of the cannon, to stunned to move. Shen hopped onto the top. 'Now, you, along with kung-fu, will die' he told her impartially. Flicking his foot, the fuse ignited. There was a spark inside of the cannon, and soon her vision was swarmed with a bright flash.
Tigress woke up panting hard. Her eyes were wide, sweat glistened on her brow. Her glowing orbs darted about the room, in shock from the sudden change of scenery. Once she came to her senses, she calmed slightly. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed.
"It was only a dream..." she whispered to herself. She closed her eyes, repeating it a few more times. Once she was in a clear mindset, she reopened her eyes. She looked down at her sheets and sighed. She stood up and removed the cloth from her bed, balling it up. As she carried the sheet down the hall, she was glad everyone was asleep. It would be incredibly embarrassing if anyone had found out she had done it at this age.
She walked into the palace's trash area, discarding the sheet into the large bin for trash, covering it up with other items to conceal it.
"Nightmare?" a voice heavy with age asked. She gasped and turned to see Shifu standing in the doorway, a stoic expression on his face. Her face flushed slightly.
"It's nothing, Master. I'm fine."
"Nonsense. Tigress, this hasn't happened since you were a little girl." A kind smile came to his face. "Why don't you join me for some tea, and we'll talk about this. Hm?" It came out as a question, but Tigress knew it was more of an order.
"Yes... Master..." she replied hesitantly.
She followed him to the kitchen, where he pulled out a tea kettle and a small cooking rack. He filled the kettle with hot water and placed it on the rack over the coals still hot left over from dinner. Not long after, the kettle whistled, and he poured two cups, handing one to Tigress.
"Thank you, Master." He nodded, sitting at the table beside her. Taking a quiet sip from his tea, he began.
"So, Tigress, what has you up and about at this hour?" She took a deep breath and told him of her dream. He listened intently, nodding here and there.
"It all was so real. The cannons, the sounds, everything. I was terrified. And when I woke up..." she looked away, embarrassed. Shifu reached for her paw.
"Tigress, this is nothing to be ashamed of. You were scared and angry. In such situations, the body reacts instinctively."
"Yes, but I don't think this is a proper way to react. I mean, when I was younger, I had less control over my body. It was excusable. But now? No." There was a small silence between the two for a moment. "I just thought... I was passed this. Shredding sheets in my sleep?" She looked down at her claws, retracting and extending them. Shifu sighed.
"Well, what happened in Gongmen City has stirred us all up quite a bit. We briefly thought we'd lost one of our own. And it almost happened. Twice." He placed his small hand on her arm. "Tigress, it's time to stop being afraid to feel. Now, try to get some rest. Goodnight." With that, he left the kitchen and made a start back to his quarters.
"Goodnight Master" she said, more to herself than him. With a sigh, she stood up and walked down the hall to the sleeping quarters. Why on Earth would I start shredding my sheets again? I know I was scared, but I've had nightmares before and I've never been like this... But then again, none of my nightmares have ever involved- She cut her thoughts off as she realized she was standing before the panda's door. She stood there for a moment, contemplating her next move. She slowly reached a hand up to the handle of the door, opening it slightly, silently. She could see Po fast asleep on his bed, hugging his pillow tightly. A small smile came to her face, and she felt slightly more relaxed now, seeing him unharmed. She took a step backwards to leave when her foot pressed down on a particularly squeaky board. Her heart jumped, her eyes immediately darting towards Po, who'd surprisingly stirred from his sleep.
"Tigress?" he asked in a sleepy voice, wiping his tired eyes. "What are you doing here?" he asked, sitting himself up. She flushed lightly.
"Uh, I was just... checking on you." He looked at her with a confused face. She sighed. "Look, I had a nightmare, and just wanted to make sure you were alright." A look of understanding came to his face.
"This is about Gongmen... isn't it, Tigress?" he asked softly. She nodded slowly. He patted the spot beside him for her to sit down, which she did. The two sat in silence for a moment, neither looking at each other. "I have the same dreams" he said. She looked at him, obviously puzzled. "About you. When I saw you get hit with that cannon... I thought you were gone. Even after I found you in the bay, I didn't think you were going to make it..." He looked up towards her, and she at him. He noticed her deep amber eyes began to cloud with tears. Her lip quivered, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Almost as soon as it dropped off of her face, she grabbed him in a tight hug.
"I was so scared!" she shouted in a shaking voice. She immediately began sobbing loudly into into his shoulder. Po was surprised at first, his eyes widening. He was shocked to see the Master Tigress, hardcore warrior, his idol, in such a fragile state. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, rubbing her back in a soothing way.
"Shh... That's it. Let it out..." he whispered into her ear. She continued to sob, nuzzling herself closer to him, as though she thought he'd disappear if she'd let up in the slightest. "It's okay, Tigress. I'm here..." he told her, continuing to rub her back. He looked towards the doorway, and saw the rest of the Furious Five Standing there in shock. He quickly waved them away, knowing how Tigress would feel if they had caught her in this position. Viper lingered a moment longer than the rest, giving a warm smile and a nod to the Dragon Warrior before slithering off to her room.
After a while, the sobs turned into whimpers. The whimpers into hiccups. Soon enough, a light snoring was heard. He continued rubbing her, moving up to softly scratching her head. At that point, she'd started purring. The sound surprised him. He knew cats purred, but he never knew Tigress did. A smile came to his face. He was enjoying the closeness the two were sharing. He knew long ago that he'd fallen, and being this close to her was intoxicating. But, as much as he'd enjoy staying here all night with her, he knew it wouldn't go over well with Shifu.
Carefully, he stood up, supporting her while doing so. As gent;y as he could, he picked her up bridal style, and carefully, VERY carefully, carried her to her room, where he gently placed her down onto her bed. She looked so peaceful, he couldn't help but smile at her. Leaning down, he placed a small kiss, as light as a breeze, onto her forehead. He could have sworn he'd seen a ghost of a smile appear onto her lips. He backed out slowly and silently made his way to the hallway, closing the door behind him. As he turned, he came face to face with another resident of the palace. Viper looked at him softly.
"She likes you, you know" he told her. Po's face flushed.
"W-what are you talkin' about? Who's liking anybody? I'm not liking anybody. Are you? 'Cause I'm not..." he said nervously. She smiled to him.
"Po, I see the way you look at her. How you watch her train, how you know everything about her, and how you add just a touch of basil into her bowl of noodles, just because she said he likes it. I may seem a bit naïve at times, but I'm no fool" she told him. "I'm just saying, she likes you too."
"But how? She's usually just so passive to me..." he said, sounding disappointed.
"I've seen the signs. She may not know she's giving them, but she is. Just in her own... Tigress way." Po opened his mouth to retort, but she held up the tip of her tail, silencing him. "Just trust me." He nodded. She bowed to him and slithered away. "Good night, Po." He merely waved, shell-shocked by the news he'd just received. He looked at Tigress' closed door, soft, purring snores could be heard coming from her. He walked back into his room, feeling pleasantly numbed by what he'd been told. For the first night in the weeks since they'd been back from Gongmen City, Po slept peacefully through the night.
Tell me what you think. I don't own Kung Fu Panda.