A/N: Hey guys! I'm back, and posting chapter 1 1/2 along with chapter 2! I'll just have it named chapter 2 to keep things simple. Got a lot of happy and demanding reviews, thanks guys! Now I suppose you all want me to shut up and get on with it, so I shall! R&R people! Oh, and I forgot to mention, for most of the beginning of this, Po, and maybe Tigress as well, will be very OC, just for the beginning though *hint hint*

"Po, what happened?"

Tigress had finally found Po in the training hall, sitting cross legged on the floor, fixing equipment with care. He gave no answer, continuing to focus on his job, so tigress moved closer. "Why?" He asked suddenly, setting down the club he had been fastening to a chain. "You have no reason to ask, you and the five made it clear when you left that, for all you cared, the Valley of Peace could fade into the background. Well it did Tigress, it's over, I'm still here because it's," he faltered for a second, "because it was my home."

Tigress was speechless; she had never wanted the valley to fall to this. Sure, she had been angry when she had left, but she had no idea what would happen to it...

"Without any guardians, the people became fearful, the valley had a long history and many thought that someone would come, seeking revenge." He continued. "So they fled, slowly but surely the valley emptied, they had no idea I was still here, I was cooped up here, bitter and lonely, unknowing what was happening bellow. I came out one day, the only one left to tell me what happened was my dad, but he wasn't around for long after that." Po had his back turned the whole time he was talking, and now picked up the club he had been repairing.

Tigress was stricken, "I'll be in my room." She choked out, somewhat hoarsely, before running from the hall, heading for the student rooms.

A/N: End of chapter one! Sorry I didn't get that out in the first place, wasn't quite done with that part and didn't really see how it fit in, so I figured it could be a part of the second chapter, how wrong I was! Anyway, shutting up now, here's the rest.

Tigress woke up late the next morning in her bed, the sheets smelt strangely fresh, as though Po changed the regularly as he had when things were still… Tigress shook her head and stood up, her stomach growling as she rose.

"Better get something to eat." She thought, heading for the kitchen, shuddering at the thought of having to eat her own tofu again, like she had before Po had arrived at the Jade Palace.

"Man, really wish I had right to ask him for some… soup…" she had arrived in the kitchen and had pulled out a pan to make her breakfast when she noticed a pot already sitting on the stove. (A/N: how the heck would you even make tofu in the first place? Do you make it on the stove? No freaking idea…)

"Did he really…?" she wondered, swiftly pulling the lid off the pot. Indeed, inside was almost a full batch of his noodle soup. Tigress quickly put away the pan and pulled out a bowl and spoon; serving herself up.

"Sure," she thought as she sat down and started eating. "He shouldn't of made me breakfast, after all that's happened, but I'd rather live with the guilt of eating one undeserved bowl of soup then eat my own food."

Once Tigress had finished, she washed out her bowl and set it up to dry and set out to find Po. After around an hour of searching, she finally found Po standing atop the rock in the Pool of Sacred Tears, practicing his Kung Fu and the late Master Oogway and Master Shifu had once done.

Tigress marveled at him for a while, so far going unnoticed. "Po" she called, regaining her composure.

He ignored her for a few moments, before letting one of his kicks pull him from the rock, landing a yard or two away from Tigress.

"Good morning." He greeted, tipping the rise hat that he had worn since Tigress had first met him in the street. His voice was slightly lacking in the usual joyous tone it usually carried.

"Morning." She greeted him with a slight smile, emotions conflicted behind it but she didn't show it. "Should we take a seat?"

Po nodded and the sat on the edge of the pool, their feet dangling off the edge.

"Could you start from the beginning?" she asked quietly, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"The beginning…" He said, his words leaving his mouth like a breeze.

"The true beginning or shall I start after you guys left?" He questioned, doubting that Tigress would want to hear about those couple of days again.

"Students, I have news." Shifu had called them all to the training hall for an announcement; these usually started the way this one had. After Po had become the Dragon Warrior, Shifu had heeded Oogway's saying and had stopped declaring news as good or bad.

"Please," Tigress asked, shaking her head to disperse the flashback, "start after we left."

Po nodded and began...

"Well, you know most of it, there's not much detail. I sort of retreated into the palace after you guys left, I meditated, trained a little, ate, the usual. After a couple weeks, I set off down the stairs and found the streets deserted, I hurried to the noodle shop and found my dad in the back, staring at my radish crate. He looked surprised when I burst in; he had thought I left with the rest of you guys. He sat me down and explained what had happened, how everyone had left out of fear that someone would return to the valley seeking revenge, and they wouldn't have a protector." Po looked like there was something he was leaving out, but the saddened expression on his face kept Tigress from pressing the matter. "And that's the story." He finished.

They sat there for a while, Po and Tigress both thinking back to the day she and the five had left. Soon, the sun was high in the sky, probably around noon. "Want to get something to eat?" Po asked suddenly, looking over at Tigress.

"Yeah" Tigress answered after a few moments, much in the same way that Master Shifu had after the defeat of Tai Lung.

Po and Tigress made their way down to the kitchen, saying little. Finally, when they were nearing the bottom of the slope, Tigress suddenly punched Po in the shoulder, "race you to the kitchen," she said with a grin, sprinting off.

"Damn you Tigress," Po laughed, rubbing his arm and running after her.

"Have your cooking skills improved while I was gone, or have I just grown accustom to crappy food?" Tigress questioned through a mouth full of noodles, they were sitting in the kitchen and Po had just finished a batch of soup.

"Probably a little of both," he laughed, whipping his mouth with his arm and rising to get them seconds.

After a few more minutes of eating, Tigress decided to break silence again, "Po, did you change the sheets on my bed recently? They smelled pretty fresh last night."

Po nodded, "Doing the chores helps me stay focused, and I'm trying my best not to lose my mind up here." He said with a grin. "Speaking of keeping a grip on my sanity, how long do you plan on staying?"

Tigress laughed and punched him in the arm again, "Um… actually I was planning on moving back in, I was pretty much alone in the village I moved to, so I thought it wouldn't be much difference moving back here, but it would be a little more comfortable to be back home. I had no idea you were still here, if I knew I would've moved back much sooner." She smiled at him nervously. "So… would you mind having some company?" She twirled her spoon in her fingers anxiously, waiting for his response.

Po laughed and pulled her into a hug across the table, nearly spilling their bowls. "You have no idea how much that means to me," he whispered to her; finally letter her go with a huge smile on his face.

"I thought we talked about the hugs!" Tigress protested.

"Oh hush, you." He responded, rolling his eyes. "Now, what should we do?" He asked as he got up, picking up our bowls and placing them in the sink to wash later.

Tigress yawned, stretching out her arms tiredly. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to go take a nap." She rubbed her face and got up from the table. "See you in a couple hours," she said as she left the kitchen.

Po sat back down at the table, not intending on doing much of anything. "Well, little by little, things are getting better," he thought with a faint smile. "Oogway is right, life is like the waves of the ocean; a dip can be followed by nothing but a swell."

A/N: WooHoo! *pumps fists in the air* done with chapters one and two. So what do you guys think? Please R&R! Also, what do you guys think of having some romance in the story? I'm set up for it already; it would be really easy to do. Please leave your opinions in the comments, a reason why or why not this should have some romance, "because I said so" isn't acceptable though :P