tigress x po

kung fu panda with kung fu hustle themes

jiahu = tigress, meaning roughly "beautiful tiger" i think? _(´ཀ`」 ∠)_ so original. i just didn't think it'd be aesthetic to have human tigress walk around with people calling her tigress.

set in late 1930s shanghai. loosely based off of kfp1 and kfh. jiahu is a blind kung fu master, but due to the sudden influx of modernization the world no longer has a place for kung fu. gangs run loose, but no one wants anything to do with them, and only those that live in the slums can truly live in peace. resourceful as she is, jiahu has resorted to a quiet and peaceful life selling candy to the everyday people.

since this fanfic is also heavily based on song as well, i would recommend listening to "zhi yao wei ni huo yi tian," the instrumental and vocal version on youtube while reading. it just makes it so much more dramatic and romantic (e u e)b

the new stone buildings clustered together, laden with lazily buzzing neon signs and slapped plenty of rotting, old and new posters alike. cars halted in front of tall traffic light posts, and police men embezzled each corner, garnering a whistle. they seemed as if to only blow on them to pass the long hours by and cause even more problems for the few cars that only the rich could afford.

though china had seem to have caught up to the rest of modern civilization, nothing could mask the ancient history of the busy shanghai streets. its people were still here to this day, and they carried what it truly meant to be alive and present in the ebb and flow of their blood. this land had seen many things over the years, but despite that, the fast progression from dirty little muddy streets to paved sidewalks and roads felt like years had passed by in the blink of an eye. large walls of stone crushed down on wooden infrastructures, straining the tenuous heartstrings of the people of china. everyone could still remember what it was like some twenty years before all the glamour of the night clubs.

beautiful women wore their long black hair pinned against the scalp of their heads in alluring waves of ebony, their slender figures encased in flattering manchurian silk gowns. red lipstick and the demure sweep of long eyelashes against peach bottom blushed cheeks. men in firmly pressed suits and golden glasses running to catch a moving trolley, young children with packs set high on their small backs laughing as they moved in droves to go home as fast as they could.

jiahu did not know first hand what any of this looked like, but she could hear it. she could imagine it in the eye of her mind, the smiles of people as they passed by. she could feel it in the light taps on her hand in greeting to let her know they wished to purchase something from her candy cart. she could feel the warmth and joy as a mother purchased a small treat for her child, or sweethearts delving into an ice cream cone together. there was a sense of pride in being able to experience the everyday happenings of life, riding along the eternity of time waves. oh, how wondrous it was that she was coincidentally living her existence out now.

sweat trickled down the back of jiahu's neck as the sun mercilessly beat down on all caught in its scalding rays. the day was warm, but it drew small children to her like ants to melted ice cream on the sidewalk. if she raised a hand to her black hair, tied back in its low and slowly loosening ponytail, she could feel the heat it absorbed from being out all day. but jiahu found that she didn't mind the way her fingers burned on her hair, she had dealt with excruciatingly worse before.

she traveled in the direction of the warmth of the sun, the welcoming heat of it beaming on her face. in her mind, jiahu thought it would look something like golden rays showering down from the heavens, just like how zhu described it to her. the horn of an approaching streetcar warned her not to push her candy cart any further, and she stopped, even moving back a little bit just for safe measure.

"miss, let me help you," jiahu turned at the sound of someone's voice, and then she felt a larger arm around her back and one hand pushing her cart forward. she was silent, letting them help her toward the safety of a store front.

it was common knowledge that she could not see well, and everyone knew of the blind candy girl that carted her merchandise around and sold lollipops and ramune sodas to sugar hungry children. jiahu managed her way around quite well despite her handicap, and it had been a while since anyone had imposed on her to help her across the street.

it was not an unwelcome gesture, but it was almost laughable to her.

"i'm sorry if i startled you, miss. my dad just…" they trailed off. their voice sounded like it was coming from a higher point, she concluded they must have been taller than her. "my dad has a noodle cart and he's getting older. sometimes he has trouble crossing streets and it makes me worry. i saw you and it reminded me of my old man."

"so you assumed i might need your help and you came rushing in to save my day?" jiahu added on for him, a hidden amused edge in her accusatory tone. she raised her eyebrows and looked up, hopefully to where their face was.

the voice obviously to her, belonged to an assumptious man. and very imposing, to boot. while she was not angry, she wasn't exactly impressed either. however, there was an intrigue to him, as though everyone let her walk around blind–even if she could manage fine on her own–one person showered her in concern and worry and even went out of their way to ensure her safety. the trolley drivers around this plaza were precise in letting her know when they were incoming.

"well yeah, uh, maybe not assumed. kinda just took action even though… you… can see?" his confidence faltered and he even began to mumble some words under his breath. jiahu imagined a big bug squirming under her foot, uncomfortable and about to pop from the pressure. "i just got kinda over my head and jumped out before i knew it."

jiahu said nothing, her fists tightening over the handle of her cart. how annoying, she bit her lip, ready to walk away.

"...you can see, right?" she heard rustling in front of her face, in what she presumed to be him testing her sight. suddenly she felt overly vulnerable, a flush crept along her neck until she felt her face instantly heat up. jiahu countered his hand, seizing his wrist between hers and using the weight of his arm to twist his feet off of the ground and smack him down flat on his back. jiahu was aware people were probably watching by now, and she would have to resolve this before an officer came over to break up the small circle of onlookers.

"would a blind person be able to do that?" jiahu stood over him, one hand rested on her hip. and although everyone knew who she was, knew she was indeed a blind person, having this big oaf himself know that about her was embarrassing. jiahu clicked her tongue and turned back to her neglected candy cart.

"wow!" she heard hysterical laughter, and turned back around to the maniac still on the floor. "that was amazing! are you a kung fu master? i should have known!" she heard him rise up from the floor. jiahu expected him to stay down for a few minutes. the air should have been knocked out of his lungs.

her mouth was slightly ajar, and she was ever so slightly disturbed her kung fu was almost ineffective. "no, i am not. don't call me that," she shifted her body and started to push her cart again.

"no way! those quick lightning bolt moves can only be a kung fu master's! you're the real deal! thundering tiger fists! i only heard of those moves and seen it in the moving pictures!" he yammered on next to her even as jiahu desperately tried to get away. "will you teach me?"

she scoffed, "there is nothing i can teach you. i do not know any kung fu. i'm an ordinary person. besides, kung fu only exists in movies."

apparently he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"i know you're lying," his words cut through to her, but she only shook her head.

"no, those were defense moves taught to me by my father to protect myself. i am still a girl, and these are dangerous times with these mobs roaming around." jiahu stopped, another incoming street car that would have smashed her cart into splinters.

"can i come find you again tomorrow?"

jiahu turned to him again, fully turned her whole body. and it was like someone was seeing her, past her candy vendor shell, past her handicap, and right into the passionately burning fire of her soul. somehow, this man recognized her and respected her for it. though they just met (and he was annoying as hell), jiahu felt a connection between them. and she wasn't exactly sure what it was, but she didn't want to lose it just yet.

she paused, her eyes downcast as she began to collect her thoughts. did jiahu really want to meet with this annoying and rude man again? jiahu turned her face up toward the sky, and felt the sun cradle her cheek in its warm and comforting hand. she should have known today was not going to be another ordinary day. her heart already seemed to have made up its decision, and she would be a fool not to follow her heart.

"yes," jiahu heard her mouth trip over itself to get the single word out. stupid girl, she thought bitterly, but she felt herself holding back a sly smirk. "here," she handed him a rainbow lollipop.

"on the house," jiahu grasped the wooden handle of her cart again. "thank you for saving my day."