This narrative was molded around the short story I recently posted in my other fanfic 'Elegant, Graceful, and Clumsy'. Because of a recent fic posting by fellow author Merk (you may know her as Mrs. Mercury Megatron, now BuddhaBooty), I was compelled to draft a similar set of quickie-shorts based on ten randomly shuffled songs. More details on how it works can be found on her set of shorts in '10 Typos for Awerewolf'.

The inspiration for this one story in particular was a song performed by Chicago by the name 'Hard Habit To Break'

Important Note to Readers: Our focus has shifted from Po to Tigress as the chronicle continues, but don't worry readers, I haven't forgotten about the Dragon Warrior or that pushy elder rabbit Su Lang...

So here we are, and now continue with another flash back in time...

Hard Habit To Break

Part Three – I Believe

--


"Did I say something wrong?"

Xiao passed a glance over to Tigress.

He was still trying to process what it was that he had done wrong.. Perhaps he had come off a bit too fan boyish… Granted, he always had revered the Furious Five as gods and/or goddesses amongst men, but were they really that stiff? While the white tiger sat silently attempting to understand why everyone seemed stiffer than wooden planks, Tigress was thinking of something else entirely—

She still hadn't told him about what had transpired between her and Po.

Figuring that now would probably be the best time to tell him, she sighed, and opened her mouth to speak.. But her breath caught in her chest, and Tigress remained quiet. Xiao may have seemed like a strong-willed individual, but looks were definitely deceiving. He was almost as delicate as a porcelain doll; even the slightest verbal misfire could shake him down to his core.

She had to choose her words carefully, lest she disrupt their already fragile relationship.

"No Xiao, you did nothing wrong.." She took a deep breath, "The others were only concerned…"

He cocked his head in confusion, "They were concerned?"

Tigress nodded, "Yes, about Po."

"But, I don't—"

"Listen to me Xiao.. it's about Po and I. Up until a couple of weeks ago—" The feline looked him in the eyes, "…we were a couple."

"What?"

That was all it took to get him. His left eye started to twitch.. She had been intimately tied to the Dragon Warrior. The Dragon Warrior. The same one who had—by one pinky finger alone—defeated the most powerful warrior in China.

He shook his head in worry, and buried his face in his paws, "W-why didn't you tell me this sooner!? Did you even see the look he had on his face when he saw us together?"

She tried to take his paw, but he pushed it away, "I-I know. Please, try and understand…"

"How can I possibly.. understand! This is the Dragon Warrior we're talking about! H-he'll kill me if he gets the chance to!"

Tigress' eyes widened. While she knew he was overreacting, he was absolutely right. She hadn't considered the consequences of Po knowing about him.

"Xiao, he wouldn't do such a thing; Po is a very understanding person, I'm sure he will get over it in time."

Xiao didn't hear a word of what she said. The tiger's mind raced as he stood up from the bed, and nervously began pacing across the wooden floor. He began to play the possible scenarios of what would happen to him. There was no doubt in his mind that Po wouldn't hesitate to take some sort of action against him.

But still, why would Tigress keep something as important as this a secret from him?

He remembered back to the day they met in the village marketplace, recollecting how pushy she was to get him to stay and speak with her, almost as if.. as if he was just being used as an outlet to help her move past her past relationship with the panda. But that look that he gave her, the look of hurt, the look that said he wasn't ready to let her go, remained imprinted in Xiao's mind.

The Bengal tiger acknowledged this.. He had unfortunately witnessed this more times than he would have liked in the past. Xiao himself had even fallen victim to the trap of love more times than he would admit.. And then it hit him.

He looked down at Tigress, into her striking crimson eyes.. He could almost see the pain and shame screaming from the very depths of her soul. She was such an honest and pure woman, who clearly hadn't experienced love's misgivings like he had. Love was still a very new concept to her, that much he was able to see.

He bit his lower lip and turned away from her, taking several advancing steps towards the door.

"Xiao? Is everything alright?" She asked quietly.

Her voice sounded angelic, enough to prick him painfully in the gut as he stopped just inches from the handle. As much as he didn't want to hurt her— "Master Tigress, I'm sorry, but.."

He trailed off, and cast his gaze to the floor, "…But I just don't think it's going to work between you and me."

"W-what?" She asked; with it, Xiao could almost hear her heart break behind him. And then he felt a paw on his shoulder.. He knew this wasn't going to be easy.

The tiger turned around, and managed a faint smile, "I think there's someone that deserves you more than I do…"

"Xiao, I-I can't do that.. We already made that decision. It's too late."

"It's never too late." He brought her back to the bed, and sat her down, "Look me in the eyes.. Tell me that you have no lingering feelings for him; tell me that you're completely ready to move on."

"I don't.. I don't understand—"

"Do you love me, as you loved him?"

"I—" She hesitated. Millions of words flooded through Tigress' mind, struggling to find the right answer.. In the end, she couldn't, "…I don't know."

He took her paws and gazed into her amber eyes.. They were clouded up, and he knew that she was fighting back tears. "Listen to me Tigress, you might not understand it all now, but you will in time.. I'm not the answer you're looking for."

"You can't leave me alone." She whispered.

He sighed and brought her into a tight embrace, "You will never be alone."

His words tore at her already tattered heart. Just when she thought that things would begin to get better, that her life was finally moving forward, she ended back up where she began.. Everyone had seemed to come to the same conclusion; that she and Po had taken a major misstep, and they needed each other to rectify it.

She wouldn't believe it, but now, even Xiao had said the same.

Her throat pinched shut, and she choked on her words, "At least let me show you to the front gates."

"Thank you Tigress, but I can find my own way."

Xiao stood up and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. In an instant, he was through the door, and was soon… gone.

She was left alone. Again she felt the emptiness return like the moment she had walked away from Po, much stronger and running much deeper. Maybe Xiao was right.. maybe they were all right. The feline sat in her bedroom for what seemed like an eternity, slowly sorting through her losses. In time, Tigress knew that the only way to fight the pain was to act on the principles of her art, to do what Kung Fu had taught her to do, and that was to face her antagonist head on.

She needed to find Po. Maybe they could talk it over, and try to start over.. slowly return things to the way they used to be… The way they were supposed to be. But she wouldn't get the chance.

Viper and Monkey, who had now been searching the Palace grounds for Po for little over an hour, returned to the bunkhouse with heavy hearts. They couldn't find him. The kitchen was empty, so was his bedroom.. and Master Shifu hadn't seen him since the night before. By the time Crane and Mantis had caught on to what was happening, they immediately went to find Po's father.

Finding nothing, they all had promptly convinced themselves that he just needed some time alone, to ease his mind and clear his thoughts.

That he wouldn't be found until he wanted to be found.

Noticing Tigress' door was slightly opened, Viper slithered into the room, somewhat surprised, but strangely relieved, that Xiao was gone.. But when she saw Tigress in the corner of the room, hunched over with her head propped against her knees, she knew immediately that something was wrong.

Viper cautiously approached the feline, making certain that she didn't startle her.

Tigress looked up at the serpent, "Viper?"

She offered a supportive smile, and opened her mouth to speak, but was promptly silenced by her female companion.

"I need to find Po and speak with him right away.. Where is he?"

Viper's azure eyes widened, "Well, he.. uh, he's—"

Monkey took over where she trailed off, "Well, we don't know where he's run off to, but he'll be back before you know it. Dinner isn't going to make itself, you know!" He laughed.

The two females returned menacing glares. So much for trying to lighten the mood…

"Sorry."

Hours had passed, and Po had still not returned to the Palace.

The Five waited patiently, along with Master Shifu..

They tried to pass the time with some bits of broken conversation here and there. The atmosphere was heavy, and solemn expressions were etched into their faces as they waited for the Dragon Warrior to fall through the door. They found it much harder to talk amongst each other without him there..

After all, in the time they had spent together, and with the largest threat of their lifetimes lost to the past, they had all become something of a family. But without Po, they found that he was the only one that ultimately held them all together.

Each of them had their own unique personalities—their own quirks—and trained together for years, and developed an inexplicable bond.. But he was able to make those bonds stronger, and ultimately bring them closer together. When he cooked for them, when he shared a joke to make them laugh.. he made people feel better about themselves; that was all part of his charismatic personality…

Even with the prestigious title of the Dragon Warrior under his belt, even when he could have looked down upon them and criticize them for treating him so harshly… He laughed and shrugged it off; just happy he had walked away from that battle as a whole panda.

Perhaps his presence was taken for granted, maybe even to the point where they had become somewhat dependant on him to keep their 'family' together.

Master Shifu looked around the table, a sullen expression etched into his aged features. It wasn't like Po to disappear like this.

He sighed, "Where is he?"

Tipping up his hat, Crane shot a glance over to the red panda, "No one seems to know. Mantis and I checked on his father a few hours ago, but he hadn't seen him since we ate there three nights ago."

The insect nodded, "It's like he fell off the face of the Earth."

The Grand Master drew a breath and pushed himself away from the table. He had a clue of what was happening here, but he would be damned if it was going to be brought up in conversation in the kitchen. He turned to the female tiger seated opposite him, "Tigress?"

"Yes Master?" She replied.

"Come with me."

She stood up and followed the red panda to the door. Before walking out of the room, he gave Monkey a passing glance, "Monkey, since the Panda hasn't found his way to the kitchen yet, please prepare dinner for the rest of us."

The golden languor nodded, "Of course Master."

Master Shifu entered the Hall of Warriors with Tigress in tow.. He shut the massive mahogany doors and paced silently across the room, until he found himself face to face with the Urn of Whispering Warriors. Shifu smiled weakly. Images of it's unfortunate coming to terms with the Dragon Warrior flashed through the red panda's mind.

Zeng—the Palace's chief messenger goose—had been put in charge of putting the sacred piece of pottery back together.. Although it wasn't a perfect fix, it sat completed to the best of its original design on the intricately carved wooden pedestal.

He sighed. It was one of many fond moments he had shared with the giant panda.. even if he was a clumsy fool. Shifu turned around to face his star pupil; she had a somber frown on her face, a look which he had long since forgotten.

Tigress returned his gaze, "Master?"

He said nothing.

She took several steps towards him, and rested her paw on his shoulder, "Shifu.."

"I'm terribly sorry Tigress…I must have spaced out again." The red panda returned his sight to the urn, "Now it's not my business to pry into your personal affairs, but I've noticed that you've been acting quite differently lately, not to mention I can sense your form is beginning to slip.."

He looked at her, "Care to explain?"

"Yes…" She replied softly.

While she knew Po would be the topic of conversation, she nevertheless found herself off guard with his approach. Tigress nervously let her eyes wander around the hall, before resting her gaze back on him, sighing, "I need him, Master."

"What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, "Who do you—"

"Po... I-I need him." She choked out, "I can't help but think there could be some way to tell him that I—but after what I said.. what I've done…"

He chucked to himself; his assumptions were right.. She did miss him. "You and he share a strong bond Tigress, which far exceeds across the boundaries of any love I have ever seen before. Do you honestly believe that Po doesn't care for you any longer?"

She felt tears come to her eyes, and nodded.

He sighed, "I guess that Po never came to talk to me yesterday, then.."

Tigress' ears perked, and a small smile broke on her lips, "He did? W-what did he say?"

"He didn't have much to say, really…" Master Shifu fumbled through his robes until he found what he was looking for. "But he did give me this.." He handed the female tiger a sealed scroll.

"He told me this was for your eyes only."

Tigress didn't seem to hear him; she feverishly clawed at the red wax seal to open the parchment. Smiling, he made his way to the door, "Just be sure to come down to the kitchen when you're finished."

As he cracked open the wide doors at the front of the hall, Zeng, the kind but overworked soul, barreled right into the infinitesimal red panda's chest. Dusting off his robes, Shifu helped the messenger goose back to his feet.

"Zeng? What are you doing here so late in the day?"

"Master Shifu.." He belted out, "I have.. it's—it's really bad news."

Zeng looked over Master Shifu's shoulder, and noticed Tigress standing off in the distance with the scroll now unrolled and capturing her full attention. The avian motioned for the red panda to follow, and he complied, leaving the female tiger alone to whatever it was Po had given to her.

It was unfortunate, and he knew it; Zeng was gifted with bringing Master Shifu the worst news at the most inopportune moments.

He proved this notion true when he delivered information to him about Tai Lung's escape from Chor-Gom prison, and now, he had to relay the sobering news that there were individuals who saw his newest student leaving the Valley…

Tigress sat alone at the Sacred Peach Tree, meditating silently underneath the blossoming branches of the aged fruit tree. She let a soft sigh escape her lips as she opened her crimson eyes, looking upon the village glistening in the mid-morning sun.

The female warrior spent many of her mornings this way..

Reflecting on the past, mulling through the present, and remaining closed to the future.

Like Po, she spent much of her time dwelling on those two tumultuous weeks, reconstructing details as if these past events had occurred yesterday. Over the past two years, the feline Master was still attempting to acclimate to life at the Jade Palace without Po. This process proved much more difficult than she had originally anticipated, and as a result, Tigress had become something of a recluse. She wasn't much of a conversationalist before the Dragon Warrior graced the Palace with his presence.

After all, he was the one that taught her how to be more outgoing..

And she did become just that. Of all people, the one that she resented the most taught her how to care…

Even after she openly admitted that she had been wrong for feeling tremendous jealousy over the lost title of the 'Dragon Warrior' and accepted him with open arms, she continued to flourish under his watchful guidance. One could even go as far as saying that he was teaching her how to live again. As much as she had contributed to honing his skills in Kung-Fu, Tigress felt that everything she had done for him paled in comparison to what he had given her.

Po had become the guiding light in her life, always showing the way for her in any way he could…

His zest for life was an affirmation of everything she ever hoped to be. Compassionate and kind, thoughtful and always a good listener; He was the very embodiment of what many women described as the 'perfect gentleman'.

He completed her.

But in his absence, Tigress was lost, blinded in a black shroud that seemed to go on forever.

She had friends she could turn to for advice, individuals in her life that really, truly cared about her. But to Tigress, Po was much more than her best friend. He was her shoulder to lean on, her male counterpart, her lover…

She dreamt about him, thought about him, cried until there were no more tears to cry, but..

It was truly over..

Po was gone, and no matter how much she wanted to see him running up those innumerable steps to the Palace, to hold her in his arms and say that everything was going to be alright.. She knew that a day like that would never come to pass. Even then, she sat perched at that exact same spot every day and waited patiently, hoping that maybe the love of her life would someday return home.

"Still waiting for Po, I see…"

Her ears twitched slightly from the slight interruption, but it was of no importance to her. She needed some company, "Yes, Mr. Ping."

The old goose took a seat next to the female tiger, and folded his wings neatly in his lap, "Don't worry about a thing; I know he'll be back someday."

"I'd very much like to believe that."

He sighed..

Upon hearing the news of Po's disappearance, Mr. Ping had lost the drive to run his noodle shop, and had long since shut down the establishment. He was deeply wounded knowing that his only son was out there alone, never knowing what dangers lurked outside the Valley.. The avian would have driven himself to insanity if it wasn't for Tigress; she helped him out of the depths of despair by convincing him to live in the Jade Palace.

They became dependant on one another to survive the seemingly countless days and nights without the dearly loved panda. Over time, the aging bird had even evolved into something of a second father to her, taking the place of another.. Although Master Shifu had vehemently tried to reconnect with his foster daughter following Po's arrival, they just couldn't reignite the same relationship that had been left in the past.

The old avian seemed to know her more deeply than Shifu did.

In the meantime, Mr. Ping had become the Palace's new chef, and while the usually jovial goose was now on the road to recovery, he wanted nothing more than to see his son safely home.

Mr. Ping had always been a strong-willed individual, but ultimately his greatest weakness was his son. He and Po shared an unbreakable bond, harboring a deep mutual love and respect for each other, despite the fact that the aged goose was indeed an adoptive father to the giant panda. Even then, Po treated Ping as his only family; he never once expressed interest in knowing of his origins..

That as long as Mr. Ping cared for the young panda as his son, Po cared for the old man as his father.

The avian glanced over to Tigress once more, noticing tears slowly cascading down the tiger's face. Reaching over to her with his wing, Mr. Ping softly wiped her cheek.

"Now now, this simply won't do. Where's that smile that I always used to hear about?"

Tigress gazed down on him with a confused look in her tear-drenched eyes. "…W-what are you talking about?"

He grinned softly at the hurting young warrior. "Your smile. It was something Po spoke of all the time.. He said that every time you smiled it was as if he fell in love with you all over again."

She wiped tears from her eyes as the faintest trace of a smile broke on her lips, "I didn't know that."

"Oh yes," The aged goose said, "That boy had always been a helpless romantic. Well, at least after he met you, anyway.." He drew a long breath, his attention re-focusing on the Valley as he slowly stood up on his feet.

"I still believe in him.. He'll be back, I know it."

Slowly, he made his way back to the Palace Gates, leaving Tigress alone to filter through his words. No matter how hopeless it seemed to be, she still had faith in Po—believed that he was out there somewhere—hopefully tracing his steps home.

And if somehow, by the grace of the heavens above Po did return, she would be sure to never let him go again.

To be continued…