After long thought and contemplation, I have decided to try my paw at writing a Ti/Po fic set within the LoA series. My original inspiration for this one came after watching the Midnight Stranger episode but in the end has pulled in bits and pieces of other episodes which I feel are Ti/Po heavy like Chain Reaction, A Tigress Tail, Enter the Dragon pt.2 and Ladies of Shade just to name a few. So I hope all you readers enjoy it and if any of the characters come off a little OOC it was my doing for dramatic effect.
Disclaimer; I don't own any of the rights to the characters or LoA series.
Chapter One, Being true to Oneself
Slithering up the steps of the training hall and ducking her head inside it partially open double doors, Viper sigh heavily as her eyes came to rest on the lone feline warrior that was gracefully fighting her way through the gauntlet of wooden warriors. Following Tigress' effortless and fluid movements while she bobbed and weaved the flailing iron spike embedded limbs, it was easy for the tree snake to see how come their illustrious Dragon Warrior was so smitten with the harsh feline as well as knowing that he was undoubtedly only part of the reason said feline was training when she could be making things right between the two of them. Pulling the rest of her slender body inside and slithering down to the end of the gauntlet of wooden warriors, Viper coiled herself into a relaxed position before motioning for Tigress to come and sit down beside her with the end of her tail.
"Want to talk about it?" Viper asked Tigress as the feline sat down beside her, a few moments later.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Viper," Tigress bit back, a little too quickly, while staring down the serpent seated next to her.
"I'm talking about this whole midnight stranger business between you and Po," the tree snake stated bluntly, which was very unlike the usually kind and soft spoken serpent, "Before we all found out it was him, just at the mere mention of said lone vigilante you would turn into a completely different person, I could even sense a very faint purr emitting from you. And don't think all those wonderful things that you said about him being a dashing rouge with a fellow thirst for justice didn't go unnoticed by Po, I'm sure it only encouraged him to keep at it despite it being against the law. Additional now I can't be to sure about it but I think that Po also did it so that just maybe you, Tigress, would look upon him more favorable."
"Huh?" the female tiger said, not quite understanding just what her fellow kung fu master was implying.
"You really don't get it, Tigress, what I'm trying to say is that in spite of the uncaring and distant way you always tend treat him, Po only has eyes for you," Viper noted lifting the end of her tail and lightly placing its tip over the felines heart before concluding her statement, "And somewhere deep down inside of here, so do you."
"Viper, that's completely out of the question, the two of us are just friends nothing more," Tigress commented brushing the serpents tail off of her chest, suddenly standing on her foot paws once more, feeling a strong urge to train rather than face the true depths of the feelings that she knew she secretly held for the panda in question, "Now if you'd excuse, me I have training to get back to."
"Tigress, something happened during his fight with ke-pa, that Shifu didn't want us to know, didn't it?" Viper asked softly, her tone of voice going back to normal.
"What makes you think that, Viper?" the female tiger countered, feeling tears beginning the form pools in the corners of her eyes, keeping her back turned on the closest thing to a female friend.
"How can I put this delicately, our rooms here aren't exactly made for much privacy and sometimes at night I can hear you scream out, 'No not again, this can't be happening to me again. There where so many things that I wanted to tell and experience with you, my cuddly panda," the tree snake said bowing her head slightly.
"He died, Po died and for the second time in my life I felt as if a piece of myself had died along with him," the feline warrior said while slowly turning around to face Viper, with silent tears streaking down her checks, "But then by some miracle a peach tree sapling brought him back to us and I was so overjoyed, that I openly hugged him in full view of Shifu before realizing I was allowing my emotions to show and pulling away told him that I was pleased that he was alive. On those night's that you hear me cry out, I'm reliving that terrifying moment over again, only sometimes in my dreams Po doesn't come back, he stays dead and ke-pa emerges victorious. As much as he annoys and infuriates me with his lack of drive most of the time, there are times when he has brought me more happiness than care to openly admit."
"Tigress, honestly none of this is really my business to be speaking about so frankly but as your friend, I can just tell by the way that your behavior has warmed up around him, that Po is very important to you and if I were you, I would be making better us of my time by spending it with the one I loved rather than wasting it training pointlessly," the serpent commented encouragingly gazing directly into the amber irises of the teary eyed feline that stood before her, "Cause you never know when Song or some other ruthless rival might show up and whisk him away from here."
"That's a little harsh, even coming from you, Viper, but your right. Po's never going to know how much I really care about him if I don't start being honest with myself first," Tigress said, lifting her right paw toward her face and beginning to wipe it dry over its side, "I honestly don't know when I began to fall for him but during the brief time that I spend training at the Magenta Palace, I came to realize just how much I love him and his silly antics."
"You're sudden decision to leave the Jade Palace was felt by all of us but it hurt him the most, during those days Po wasn't well, Po," Viper noted remembering how unfocused and distant the usually cheerful panda had become, "He distanced himself from everyone and cried himself to sleep most nights while clutching your action figure close to his chest plus the way you chewed him out before leaving only hurt him even more, and more than once he would cook us a meal but not eat anything himself or eat very little."
"Now that doesn't sound like Po one bit, no wonder he gorged the night first night I came back, I bet he must have been starving," the mature feline said lowering her raised paw from in front of her face as a fresh wave of tears threatened to pour forth, "Viper, thank you, I'm really glad that I was able to talk things out with you, it was a real help, now before I go looking for my snuggly cuddly panda, I think that I should maybe clean myself up a bit first."
"Your welcome, Tigress, after all that's what friends are for," the serpent said now beaming up at the feline stood before her, "And if I could offer you one last bit of friendly advice, Tigress, if after you two have finished making up with each other and you find yourselves both leaning in for a kiss, just go with the flow and enjoy the moment."
"That's exactly how I planned on handling a situation like that but thanks for the advice anyway," Tigress said while a mischievous little smirk began to slowly creep across the female tigers snout, "There are plenty of others first that I want to experience with just him and if we should happen to grew into a couple because of them, than I shall be truly happy with where ever the feelings that we hold for one another take us with no regrets, even if that means building a new life together which doesn't involve kung fu."
"Good luck, though I doubt either of you will need it, judging from what I've noticed over recent years," Viper commented, slithering out of her relaxed stance and smoothly gliding back toward the doors of the training hall.
Well I hope you enjoyed reading that chapter, you know what to do so please R&R. I'm already in the process of writing the next one and once it's ready, I'll post it.
P.S; Happy New Year, to all of you whom celebrate the lunar celestial calendar