~Wisdom~

Inspiration actually came from KFP 2 and NOT SotFF, surprisingly. SPOILER ALERT!:

When the tower is falling (right after Crane's wing is injured), Po falls in the hole where the weapon was pushed through the floor by Mantis. Viper is struggling with the weight of Po, and Mantis comes to pull her up (but Tigress tells them to go down). Anyway, I paused where Mantis had his arms around Viper, and I SWEAR she's blushing! Like, seriously, it may just be the lighting, but look for yourselves!

SPOILER OVER!

Quote from Katharine Graham.

~Kitty~

"Again."

Wincing, a young Viper tried to make it through the Fiery Field of Death without burning her scales onec again. She had been at the Jade Palace for a little less than a month, and was only fifteen. There was only two others: Tigress, whom had been Shifu's student for eleven years and was currently seventeen, and Monkey, who was sixteen and had been there for about half a year. There was rumor that Shifu was expecting another student any day, but he hadn't actually confronted them about it.

Finally reaching the end, Viper was shocked that she hadn't been blown to bits that time. That itself was an accomplishment. Shifu's face remained the same, though. "Again."

She wasn't used to this. Usually her father would praise her, if even a little, when she obviously did something right. What had she done in that routine that was wrong? She was apparently missing it. It made her just want to go home and crawl back into the safe embrace of her father.

When the doors to the Training Hall opened, she found her reason to stay.

In walked a very handsome bug, a mantis, looking confused. "Um, is there a Shifu in here?"

"It's Master Shifu," Shifu grumbled. She yelped as fire shot up behind her; she had been staring at the mantis and hadn't realized that her routine had been stopped. She crawled off the field, listening to the exchange. "I assume you are Mantis?"

"Yes," the bug, Mantis, replyed.

"Viper." She snapped out of staring at Mantis and bowed to Master Shifu. "Show Mantis to his room; it is by yours."

"Yes, master," she replyed nervously. Mantis looked around her age, and the last time she had been alone with a boy her age... Well, she never was. Her father made sure of that. And now, she was going to one's room.

Her stomach flipped and she gave him a shaky grin. "L-Let's go."

After walking through the halls for a moment, Mantis started talking. "Man, is he always like that?"

"I've only been here for maybe three weeks, but you get used to it," she offered, smiling.

"Have you yet?" he asked.

Surprised at the unexpected question, Viper stuttered. "W-Well, I, uh, i-it, um..."

He started chuckling. "You know what, it's fine. So what are the rules around here?"

"Do you have all night?" Viper giggled.

"Are you asking me out?" Mantis teased, wiggling his eyebrows. "Cause if you are, I accept..."

She yelped as she ran into a beam. Rubbing her head with the tip of her tail, she laughed nervously. "U-Um..."

Only when Mantis started laughing did she realize he was joking. "Are you okay?" he chuckled.

"I-I'm fine." They reached her room. "This is, um, my room and... this is yours," she stated, pointing a quivering tail at his room.

He rose a non-existant eyebrow at her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Sure," she smiled, but she couldn't stop shaking. 'What is wrong with me? It's just a guy! Get a grip, Vip!'

"I think I know the problem," he said, his voice unreadable.

"Y-You do?" Viper asked, sruggling to control a blush.

"Yeah... You're homesick!" Mantis smiled sympathetically.

"What?" she asked, not planning on that to be his conclusion.

"Yeah, you said you've only been here for, like, three weeks. You must miss your family and-"

"That's not it!" she blurted out. Her eyes widened and she bit her tongue. 'Why did you say that? You were home-free!'

Mantis tilted his head. "It's not?"

"N-No, uh..." 'C'mom, think! Think!' "It-It's just... Master Shifu is so mean!"

They both looked shocked at what she had said, but Viper didn't stop. Her mouth dominated over her brain, and the dam finally burst. "He-He expects me to be perfect, like Tigress! I never get any praise like I recieved from Daddy, and it- it's just hard to live with! If you do even one thing wrong, make even one mistake, then it's over! You're back down to the ignorant little child with no venom to make her father proud!"

She slapped her tail over her mouth, eyes wide. "I-I'm s-so sorry! I-I didn't mean to go off like that..."

"Nah, it's cool," he said, brushing it off. "You obviously needed that. And if it helps any, I don't think a snake needs any venom. And nobody's perfect, so of course there are gonna be mistakes made."

"R-Really?" she asked cautiously.

He shrugged and grinned. "Sure. Besides, a mistake is simply another way of doing things, right?"

She giggled, his wise words giving her courage. "I guess so." Her eyes softened. "Thank you."

"No problem. And really, I do have all night."

"Hm, how weird. So do I..."

~Kitty~

Shameless ViperxMantis flirting. When she was younger, I imagine Viper to be flustered around boys her age :) I like it.

~Kitty~