Chapter 7: Exchange of Wisdom
Having fun during a scheduled training regime seemed like less and less of a great idea. Every turn of her body felt like wading through tar, topped up by a blistering sting in her forehead as if she'd been slammed into a brick wall a few hundred times. Viper coiled herself in the courtyard and winced as another shot of pain hit her in the face. Tigress, who was already meditating in the courtyard growled and looked off into the distance.
"I'm going to kill him." she muttered. She stopped and took a deep breath as the pain in her forehead peaked again. Viper chuckled and looked over to her.
"It's not his fault that you got yourself drunk." she said back matter-of-factly. "Besides, from what I could gather, you guys had fun last night." Tigress shivered violently and cringed.
"I don't want to talk about it." she groaned, thinking back to how she nearly choked Hao to death with her tongue the night before. Playfully, Viper poked her in the arm and laughed.
"Oh, come on! Surely there's something you can share?" she asked almost pleadingly. Tigress growled and grasped her pained brow.
"Like what?" she replied. Viper coiled up and blushed in anticipation.
"Like…" she started with a sly smile. "…is he a good kisser?" Tigress's eyelids shot open as her cheeks turned bright red. Slowly, she turned her head to Viper and growled angrily.
"I said I don't want to talk about it!" she replied, pressing her face to Vipers in an attempt to intimidate her. Viper chuckled at her response and poked Tigress gently on the tip of her nose.
"Aww, somebody's embarrassed." she said softly. Tigress shook her head in disappointment and sighed loudly.
"I think 'ashamed' is more accurate." she corrected sternly. Viper rolled her eyes.
"Admit it! You enjoyed yourself last night." she joked with a grin. "I know I would have." Tigress shot Viper something between a piercing glare and a shocked gape.
"What do you mean you 'would have'?" she demanded, stopping and wincing again as her own raised voice sent a pulse of pain back through her head. Viper blushed a little and smiled to herself.
"I think he's cute." she said in an almost boastful manner. Tigress grasped the bridge of her nose and shook her head in frustration.
"You've got to be kidding." she muttered. "You think that egotistical, undisciplined moron is cute?" Viper nodded lightly in response, making Tigress sigh out loud. As Viper turned to tell her off for acting judgemental, a pair of footsteps interrupted her. Turning to see Master Shifu standing before her, Viper shot her body upright and bowed respectfully.
"Master Shifu?" she said, causing Tigress to instantly spin on her heel and bow also, looking up to find she'd been bowing to Feng. The iguana bowed back and smiled warmly.
"Master Tigress, may I speak with you in private?" Shifu asked hastily. Tigress raised her eyebrow and bowed in response.
"Of course, Master Shifu." she replied dutifully. With that, Shifu motioned for Tigress to follow him to the farther end of the courtyard, under the shade of an old cherry blossom. Tigress had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach about this.
"Tigress, I have a proposition for you." he stated, almost looking pleased. "I have been speaking with my friend, and he's requested that his student be transferred to our own training programme." Tigress accidentally let out a low growl, then stopped and looked down at Shifu confused.
"Feng has a student?" she asked, dreading the answer a little. Shifu nodded and turned to her.
"Yes." he replied. "By your throbbing head and aura of displeasure, I can tell you've already been acquainted." Tigress sighed and glared at Shifu.
"Great. Now I'm stuck with that moron." she groaned. Shifu chuckled at Tigress's reply.
"Yes, you are. In fact, we made a compromise." he stated, bringing Tigress's attention back to him. "If you personally train him in Kung-Fu, Feng will make sure his accomplice returns the favour." Tigress gaped in awe.
"You expect me to learn from him!" she shouted. Shifu raised his cane and slapped Tigress on the foot sharply.
"That's what has been decided, Master Tigress. Like it or not, you will train with and under Hao." Tigress clenched her fists to the point that the fingers hurt and bowed reluctantly.
"Yes, Master Shifu."
Crane and Monkey had been watching the ensuing disaster since Tigress received the bad news. Time after time, Hao's head met the ground, usually hard. Every time Hao lost, Crane received a small sum of money from the agreed upon betting that had been discussed between everyone but the sparring duo.
"Oh, come on! He's not even making an effort!" Monkey groaned, forking out the last of his earnings. Crane laughed and took the money from Monkey's hands.
"Good. Makes this nice and easy." he said smugly. "So…just one more round?" Monkey glared at him intensely.
"I don't have anything left." he muttered in irritation.
"Tell you what…" Crane started. "…if Hao gets a hit, I'll give you your money back, including my share. If not…you go broke." Monkey pondered in thought for a moment, then gave Crane a thumbs up.
"Got it!" he said, grinning widely. As Hao and Tigress bowed to one another to begin another session, Monkey raised his arms and flailed around ecstatically. Tigress stopped for a second and looked in his direction, then turned back to training, and batted away a dangerously close punch to the head by Hao. The ensuing battle went on for just a few seconds, with punches and kicks being battered and blocked back and forth. Suddenly, Tigress felt something hit her chest. Looking down, she was amazed to find Hao had a clear shot to her ribcage, and had utilised it well. Crane gaped and dropped the sack of Monkey's money. For another few seconds, there was an awkward silence as everyone in the training hall stood perfectly still. Breaking the awkwardness, Hao lowered his hands and bowed respectfully to Tigress, who in the confusion of the moment failed to bow in response.
"You're a tough nut to crack, you know that?" Hao said cockily, rubbing his hands together. Monkey picked up his money and rolled his eyes.
"You don't know the half of it." he replied, immediately getting a soul-piercing glare from Tigress.
"Figures…" Hao said back, turning Tigress's glare to himself.
"I was trained by the greatest Kung-Fu Master in China. My personality shows my focus and strength, and shows that of Master Shifu also." Tigress stated sternly. Hao raised a brow and smiled awkwardly.
"Honestly, you need to loosen up." Hao stated matter-of-factly. Tigress sighed and turned the remainder of her body to Hao.
"I learned that loosening your feelings was a bad idea when I was young. I learned that lesson from Master Shifu's teachings…and from the aftermath of Tai Lung's banishment." Just for a moment after mentioning Tai Lung, Tigress delved into memories of never being good enough for Shifu and it showed in her heartbroken frown.
"I never thought Master Shifu would be the type to train his students to act without feeling." Hao lowered his brow and looked into Tigress's eyes as she returned her focus on him. "I hope you don't plan to do the same." Tigress growled and lunged forwards, grasping Hao by the neck and slamming him into the wall.
"I don't hold any grudge against Master Shifu for acting as he did! If he hadn't, I wouldn't be the person am today, and since I'm being forced to train you…yes, you will be learning to think, not feel." Tigress ranted, glaring into Hao's soul through his eyes. Crane and Monkey looked at each other, then back at Tigress as she released her grip from Hao's neck and shoved him angrily to the side. Hao composed himself and squared up to her.
"And I'm telling you that doing that will get you and everyone around you killed!" he shouted back. Tigress opened her mouth to answer, but the words she was meant to say escaped her. "You were never trained to be this way, nobody is! You're just cold…" Tigress spun around in blind rage and slammed Hao back against the wall, raising her free arm above her head and drawing her claws.
"How dare you!"
Hao pulled his Tanto from his waist and pressed it gently against Tigress's neck. The duo stayed locked in killing positions for over a minute, ignoring Monkey and Crane's shocked stares until Hao kicked Tigress away from him and sheathed his Tanto.
"See things as they are, not as what you want them to be." he said sternly. Hao walked towards the doors and stopped next to Tigress, who exchanged a angry growl. "Consider that your first lesson. Work on it." Hao continued more demandingly, shooting Tigress a sharp glare before walking out of the doors and throwing them shut behind him. Upon the slam of the doors, Tigress spun around and backhanded one of the Wooden Warriors, shattering the entire top half, sending splinters flying in every direction. Crane raised his wing and deflected the incoming chunks of wood and turned to Monkey nervously.
"Uh…maybe we should leave." he whispered. Tigress shifted her eyes to him and scowled.
"That would be a wise idea." she muttered, receiving an immediate and frantic nod from her fellow Masters, who made their exit from the hall post-haste.
