Note: unbeta-ed, pardon my grammatical lapse (3431jess)

This chapter will give you a little background, character and motive of our OC - Qiang.

Next chapter's snippet is on my Tumblr: 3431jessica

Regret was far too much a vile word in the warrior's dictionary, as Shifu dubbed, "learn from mistakes, don't regret them." There was always reason or cause behind every action; like the wise word of Master Oogway - there was no accident; whether good or bad, and the journey it took would eventually taught him something. To be regretful was disingenuous, for at the time your action was justified, even if only in your own mind.

But at the moment, Po did regret his mistreatment of his family, how long had he been abandoning them. Not that Lei Lei and Bao dressed like a tramp or skinny and malnourished. But what he had done effectively had caused them to endure the same suffering - mentally deprived of the nutrition of love and attention.

Po knew the sign was always there. How much Bao had misbehaved, how much Lei Lei had resented school, and how much exhausted Tigress looked, now that he had time to look at them. Too often he had simply brushed off those symptoms, thinking they were just a petty domestic struggle that eventually would go away if he ignored them long enough.

Until he was given a deadline to reconsider his life's focus - what was truly mattered: family, friendship, love…. and time to enjoy them - which ironically he didn't have.

"He is sobering!" said a voice.

"Po?" a soft, feminine query followed by a light touch on his cheek eventually brought him back to the realm of the living.

Taking several blinks to clear his vision, Po saw three pairs of concerned eyes looking back at him.

"Dads? Tigress? W-what's going on?"

Instead of an answer he got a clouded expression crossed his father's face as he spoke. "Po, we are going to take you home. I have given Tigress some herbal concoction that would help you…..to restore your strength." His morose mannerism suggested that it wasn't the cure.

The tiger next to him bit her sorry smile before offering him the cup. "Here, careful it's hot."

Something smelling putrid with equally rancid color danced inside. Bracing for impact, Po held his breath and swallowed the content in one go. Thankfully, it wasn't tasted as bad as it looked, and within less than ten minutes, he could sit unsupported. As invigorating as it was, Po knew….the relief was only temporary. He was just buying time. Buying extra hour and minutes before finally his end claimed him. And as much as he had tried to cover the symptom, Tigress would eventually knew.

The effect of the medicine seemed to make Po drowsy. Leaving her husband to rest, Tigress went downstairs with Mr. Ping and Li Shang.

It was then two streaks of pure energy flew at her.

"Kids! Careful!" came the raspy voice following two balls of black and white that entered the restaurant courtyard.

Too late, at least one of them hit her like a charging bull. "Mommy...Mommy...Mommy!" they chorused.

"Curse my old age," Shifu emerged right after.

Tigress felt her eyes, embarrassingly welling up with tears as soon as she heard Lei Lei's piping voice. In a moment like this, her children were the source of strength and steadfastness that she needed.

"Hi Darling..." she said, bending to capture her panda daughter in a hug.

"Where is Daddy?" asked Lei Lei, looking behind Tigress' shoulder.

"He is upstairs, resting," Tigress said, choosing a short, simple enough explanation for her toddler to understand.

"What happened to him?" asked Bao. "Is it… serious?" Obviously, Shifu had told them something had happened, and considering how late this was, it must've been something bad. Next to Bao, Tigress could see her adopted father cleared his throat, whirling around so that no one couldn't see his stoic mask began to crack.

"He is just a little bit under the weather," Li Shan supplied solemnly, a heavy sigh betrayed the calmness of his voice. Fortunately, it wasn't something Bao able to detect.

"Oh…" Bao breathed, sweeping his sight to the rest of the adult, completely intrigued to see how despondent everyone was.

"I suggest that I have them for the night," the authoritative voice of Shifu interrupted. "Perhaps Mr. Ping could help me to take them to school and supply them with breakfast tomorrow? I am not particularly… fond… of going to see other parents."

"And I'll take you and Po home," Li Shan decided one-sidedly.

Tigress was about to voice her protest when she heard her father in law mentioned, loudly, in the background, something about pregnant woman wasn't allowed to overly exert herself.

"Agreed." Shifu's eyes were just as hard.

"Come here, you two. Give me a kiss and a hug before you go with grandpa Shifu," Tigress said. She dropped to her knees and they clamored over. For once, she appreciated Shifu's poor parenting skill for inadequately cleaned the cubs. Despite already wearing their sleeping robe, Lei Lei and Bao still smelt like school ground mixed with sweat and dumpling. Her heart twinged. She didn't particularly want to spend an evening away from them, but she knew they wouldn't need to watch the tragic reality that was unraveling in front of them. And having a mental breakdown in front of her children wasn't a vision she wanted to turn into reality either.

After an hour of battling his way home that felt like eternity, Po was laying on his bed. His panda dad was snoring in the living room, his figure sprawling on the couch, tongue lolling out, a trademark pose of panda deep sleep. Li Shan had insisted to stay after helping Tigress taking him home, arguing that letting a pregnant tiger to deal with a heavy weight, bedridden panda was another name for disaster. And they didn't need another drama. Not now.

Beside him, Tigress laid with her eyes closed. Breaths steady and audible, her back facing him.

Somehow after five years of marriage, he had learned to decipher her troubled posture even without her saying.

Five years…. Man! Where those years went by? Had he known this stripey girl that long? It felt just months ago he arrived at the door of Jade Palace, desperate to see his hero being crowned Dragon Warrior. It felt like weeks ago she obliterated him in the Training Hall as a punishment for barging into the bathhouse when she was inside. It felt like yesterday he told her how much he loved her, and she countered by saying "Then, what are you waiting for? Marry me!"

Po refrained to chuckle at that thought. Tigress, his brave, stoic, no-nonsense wife. She was never an ordinary woman, and marrying a girl who could wield a sword better than kitchen knife would mean his home never be conventional household. But she had made him the happiest panda alive. Of course, there were days their marriage confronted with the storm of trial. But eventually as time permitted, he discovered that her love and dedication were proven far more than his! She had acted in ways he could never repay.

Despite her passion for the art, Tigress had willingly given up her career as a Kung Fu Master: cutting down her training to look after the family, so that he could take up the pedestal - fulfilling his calling and destiny as China's mightiest hero. Not only that, Tigress had quietly plowed through the mundane housework while juggling various responsibility she still had with Jade Palace. How long had she suffered in silence? Po had no idea. With that he made his resolve to do the right thing - to make sure she knew that she was always loved and appreciated even after he'd gone.

His eyes traveled to the picture sitting on the alcove in their room. Picture of him, Tigress, Lei Lei and Bao, smiling from ear to ear as their embraced each other. His heart lurched in his chest. There they were. His children, his family, the true fabric of life. How could he be so blind to not to see?

And Tigress…..she hadn't speak since their trip from the restaurant. However, Po was certain both of his dads hadn't told her much, even his goose dad, despite many percepted him as talkative and the source of rousing gossip, he always be discreet in mingling with his son's household matter. Mr. Ping would've known his boundary, and this was never his story to tell.

"Tigress?"

A weak 'yes' answered him.

"I have something to tell you."

After a heavy sigh, he narrated that wishful day he met his the masked rouge that had left him counting his days.

Po saw the momentary surprise in the her fiery eyes before it disappeared beneath her usual cool mask.

"Is that why you have been acting strange for days?" She wasn't accusing him, but the sense of betrayal on her tone was undeniable. "To tell me, out of the blue, that Qiang is a good man for me?"

"Yes."

Tigress thought her days of having a divided, angst-ridden heart were over when she married Po. That she finally resolved one for all her love-hate relationship with Shifu, her complex feeling towards her deceased brother Tai Lung and she finally could live a simple happy life. Apparently, she hadn't gotten that one right.

Po certainly remembered how he casually suggested Tigress to hook up with Qiang. Thinking about it again, he could imagine how hurtful it must be for her to have her own husband instigating her to have a romantic relationship with someone else - It almost sounded adulterous.

"Look, Tigress. I'm sorry I didn't say this earlier. I… I just don't want you to worry about me. Especially in your… delicate condition. And I'm sorry if I sounded dictative or intrusive with your personal life recently. It's just… it's just I want you to have someone who is reliable and trustworthy by your side."

Tigress raised her brows at that. She didn't know the situation was as that bad.

"How long do you think you have?" She visibly swallowed at the end of the question, perhaps internally dreading for the answer.

"A couple of days," Po replied. He was being optimistic there. To be honest, he wasn't sure whether he would survive tomorrow, so he decided to get everything out of his chest while he had the chance.

"There is some money under the bed. It should be enough for the children's schooling until they are eighteen. I also already make them scroll for you to read on they birth…-" His voice broke, and he could feel the tears resurfacing. The image of his children, celebrating their birthday without his presence was too much for him to bear.

"Who had done this to you?" She addressed the ceiling but her manner of speaking conveying a silent message he understood all too well. She was angry.

"I don't know…" Another heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Well, it doesn't matter now. But I want to use the rest of whatever time I have left to make things right with you."

She turned to him. Despite her stern mask, her fiery eyes misted with tears. There seemed to be a lot of things she wanted to say, yet she found no words suitable enough to represent them.

Po understood her mental dilemma all too well. Tigress had never been the one who was eloquent with words. She was a creature of action, of tangible things. She expressed her feeling with the things that she did and not the words she said.

In the contemplative silence, he erased the distance between them and she waited with baited breath to see what he would do. His plush body cushioned her toned one from her side, his hands coming up around her to entwine with her smaller ones on her stomach. His chin propped up on shoulder and he released a deep breath, the tension in his body melting away, and she felt her own body perfectly curve into his.

"Thank you," he spoke, so soft that no one but her could hear him. "For whatever you've done for me, for our little family, Tigress. I… I'm sorry I didn't say this often enough..."

He could feel a sob climbed on his chest. It wouldn't be long before emotion consumed him. He had to get this out fast. "I love you, Tigress. I really do."

There was no words fell from her lips. Tigress only regarded him with a little somber smile he almost never seen on her. The intimate silence they share is no less significant, where words aren't necessary, where just being in each other's presence is enough.

Po took a deep breath. Could Tigress raised their two….well, soon three children without him? Sure he wasn't a dependable husband. As his responsibility eating up his time, Shifu and his dads had replaced him more frequent that he care to admit. But, at the end of the day, when all the laundry was fold, dishes cleaned, toys tidied, and just both of them in the silent house - he was the one who thank her for every little things that she did for their family, he was the one - the only one - who could say how much she was loved and cherished. Well, he supposed, he had to train the children to say that to their mom after he was gone.

"Thinking about the kids?" came Tigress' voice as though he had spoken his mind aloud. Perhaps, after so many years together, she could well be hearing the inner voice in his head.

Po gave her a weak nod. He could feel Tigress' callous paw stroking his arms up and down, what he perceived as a comforting gesture.

"Don't be. They'll be fine. We'll be fine."

Yes, this was his Tigress, not just any feeble-minded woman. She was strong, unyielding and always seemed to take every punch thrown at her like a real champion. And Tigress was right. He had no reason for his unwarranted worry. Their kids were smart, polite and sensible. When given the right guidance, they were certainly well behaved and would grow up into a well-respected individual. Of course, they didn't have everything they wanted, but they had every love they needed.

"Now you just concentrate on getting better, kay?" Tigress struggled to hold up every word. She tried to drive them out as neutral as possible, even though her heart was like being ripped out of her chest and her eyes were burning with unshed tears. Despite Li Shan's optimistic statement earlier, she had a bad feeling he hadn't found the right antidote yet.

"Have a good rest, Po. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

Three years ago….

It was a warm end of summer when the Kung Fu council once again held their annual conference in Gongmen. In the occasion like this, came the rare chance for a raising star like Qiang to expand his horizon and meet the other maestros on the field. And at the moment they were filling the area to do a free-style sparring session.

Unfortunately, the star of the show that he'd been wishing to see wasn't here.

The Dragon Warrior.

Instead, in his place was a slender, attractive looking tiger with hypnotic auburn stripes. Qiang retracted his begrudging self when he saw the tiger entered the arena accompanied by a small red panda named Master Shifu.

Boy, she got an excellent curve.

At least that what he implied when her hips moved in natural gait as she glided across the room to greet another Masters. The golden qipao she was wearing did nothing to hide how tight her figure was, and if she was that good in her Kung Fu uniform, he could only fantasize about how she looked without one.

His gaze dropped lower and he swallowed. Her back addressing him, and from his vantage point, her butt looked cut out of stone. The layer of her silk trousers pressed tightly, taunting him to peel it away and taking a bite of that...

Gods...stop that! He rebuked his inappropriate thought. Whoever she was, she was sure inspiring reactions in him he had never felt in her thirty-three years of his life.

Yet, here he was, ogling a Kung Fu Master's butt, a stranger's back, and the hormones inside him were roaring for release. As though his mental voice had been screaming loud enough for her to hear, she stilled for a moment before whirling around, her curious glance appraising him.

"I'm Tigress." She placed her fist on her palm and bowed. "A Master from Jade Palace," she said before meeting his eyes. "I believe we have never met." The corded muscles of her neck and shoulders literally beckoned him. His claws itched with the need to feel that stripy fur.

He stunned again looking at her eyes flick in unconscious grace, how could she carry herself with ease among the testosterone overload residence of the Council?

He released his breath that he had been unconsciously holding. "I am Qiang, a member of Kung Fu Academy in Shenzhen." He smiled, gave his leg a push and landed with such athletic grace that could easily match hers. She looks even more gorgeous up close, he thought as his eyes managed to steal a glance after bowing.

She didn't blink, brows slightly drawn together, her expression was inscrutable although his cat instinct could detect something dangerous lurking underneath. But hey, people said women often acted opposite to their inner emotions - hate translated to love and hostility meant fondness. So, her slightly detested frown might not be a bad thing, right?

Milking what he suspected as a few smitten moments, he offered. "Tea?"

"Thank you." She accepted politely.

He managed to feel her skin when their paws touched. Her palm was rough, like she was used to doing hard work with them. He was piqued, which was a feat considering women everywhere have been trying so hard to win his attention, but she did it so effortlessly. He couldn't really miss the opportunity.

"Would you like to spar with me, Master Tigress?"

And that was just the beginning.

Tigress was never be a friendly creature. Hugging, smiling, high-five-ing even accepting a pat on the shoulder in a friendly term weren't her thing. All these corny actions she considered unnecessary… embarrassing even, well, used to. Since Po crash landed in the Palace courtyard, she began to question her personal vendetta against all things sentimental or mushy.

Then, Qiang, the tiger she met last year during the Council meeting appeared on Jade Palace's door, requesting an exchange program for the time being since there was more than enough Masters resided in his province. It was basically asking a permission to stay in Jade Palace - indefinitely.

Shifu was reluctant, but Po had embraced the opportunity of having a new confidant without even thinking - so typical of him. Monkey used the word welcoming, but Tigress would use the word gullible.

During the three month induction period, everyone warmed up to Qiang, while she accepted him but remained vigilant. After so much pressure from Po, she then had relented considering Qiang was awesome and fun under all his macho, broody crap.

Rumour had suggested that Qiang had been a B-list celebrity before, in his province. More famous for his good looks and borderline cavalier behavior than any redeeming characteristics. Then, Tigress had done some research on him when Shifu show her his profile. She'd found a mixed bag of opinions about the suave tiger: women seemed to think he was charming, sexy… but careless and often overly ambitious. And men were fond of him, it seemed, but distantly… or were they afraid? Who knew.

But her suspicion was proven nothing but a fragment of her delusional pessimism - perhaps that, or Qiang was an excellent actor. Since he joined, despite his flirtatious inclination and habitual invasion of personal space, he had proven to be a reliable, skillful and most important… trusted confidant.

They became good friends, and Tigress had learned to decode his cue and tolerate his bad joke.

"This… makes me nervous," Qiang said one day. His smooth and charming playboy armor in place. They were both out for a short mission and Tigress had bumped into, Chin, one of Qiang's ex-colleague from his previous academy. "Ignore anything she tells you about me," he said to her. "It's all the ravings of a madwoman."

Chin sniggered and Tigress shook her head. "What makes you think we were talking about you?" Tigress asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Qiang lifted his mouth in a smile and dodged the question. "It's called cool-dude-super-senses."

"You are being deliberately obtuse."

"Hey, I failed out of college and then joined the Kung Fu Academy," he said in defense.

"Not all Kung Fu Master is dumb. There are more to Kung Fu than just raw power," Tigress disagreed.

"I take that as a compliment," Qiang grinned smugly.

"We are actually talking about a Kung Fu Technique, called the Golden Whisper. Master Rhino mentioned it to us," Chin supplied, returning back to the topic.

"The move Shifu taught me last year?" Qiang threw a questioning look at Tigress.

"Yes. He told me an idiot can easily learn it," Tigress remarked with her trademark bluntness.

He barked out a laugh, his eyes dancing with mirth. "I tried not to be offended."

But her sarcastic inclination didn't put him off, quite contrary, it kindled his resolve and made him desired her more.

However, a bitter pill of reality stood in front of him.

Tigress wasn't single. She was married to the renowned Dragon Warrior. But Qiang wasn't going to let that ruining his plan to earn Tigress' affection.

If there is a will. There is a way.