A/N: The first part of this chapter is from Po's POV while the second half is Tigress' POV. I briefly considered splitting it into two separate chapters, but I thought it worked better this way. This is definitely the start of some more serious Po/Tigress as well. Let me know what you think! And thanks again for taking the time to read this story!


Po stared down at his right paw as he sat on the floor. There was a wooden table and chairs in the room, but after being lead inside and left alone he had simply plopped down onto the ground where he'd been standing. He didn't seem to have the energy to move to the table.

The room was empty. The table and chairs being the only furniture while a tattered old painting of the mountain hung on a wall. It felt cold, though he had a feeling that was mostly just him. He just felt so...alone. His dad and friends were in trouble, he may never be able to be around other living beings again, and so far the only option they had to get their friends back was to sacrifice himself.

Po knew that if it came down to it he'd give his life to bring his dad and the others back without a second thought. They were everything to him. He didn't want to die, that definitely wasn't how he'd planned things to go, but if it was the only way to fix what he'd done...

Yeah, he'd give his life in a heartbeat.

It was the least he could do. His dad had taken him in when he was just a baby and raised him as a son. He'd always been there for him. Always. And Shifu was his master who had taught him more than he had ever thought he'd learn about Kung Fu. Then there was Mantis, Crane, and Monkey. They were some of his best friends. Some of the best friends he'd ever had in his entire life. Friends weren't something he took for granted, not after having so few real friends while growing up. Together they were his family. His totally awesome family. He had no doubt they'd go to extremes to save him any day. What was giving his life in comparison to all that?

Besides, if he was doomed to spend that life in exile what did it matter? He'd rather do some good with what life he had left than sit alone for years and years so he couldn't hurt anyone else. He knew that Tigress wouldn't give up on him, that she'd keep looking for answers for as long as it took, but if there were no answers to be found than they'd have to give up eventually. He wasn't about to ask Tigress to spend her life trying to save him from this. He couldn't ask that of her. Even if she was the only person he could risk being around.

He had yet to really figure that one out.

He used the fingers of his left paw to trace the mark on his right, slowing following the pattern while wondering why anyone would want this kind of 'power'.

"You seem lost in your own thoughts, Dragon Warrior."

Po's head shot up at the unexpected voice. Standing near the doorway was the old goose, Liling as he'd heard her called, with a gentle smile on her face as she watched him. "How'd you know I was the Dragon Warrior?" He hadn't mentioned that and neither had Tigress. He'd actually gotten the impression that most of the people here were pretty disconnected with anything outside of the forest.

"I tend to venture out of the palace a little more than the others," she answered with a light laugh. "I have heard stories of the great warrior who has saved China." She bowed slightly before taking a few steps further into the room. "It is an honor."

"Uh, thanks," he said in reply.

"Tell me, Dragon Warrior, how did the monkey manage to make you touch the stone?"

Po rubbed his right arm as it began to feel a little stiff. "He threw it at me. And I caught it."

'I stupidly caught it,' he added silently in his head.

"I see." The goose seemed slightly surprised at the answer. "And he did this...on purpose?"

"Um, yeah," he answered as the memory of the monkey pelting him with rocks and the smirk he'd worn afterwards flashed through his mind. "I think it's pretty safe to say he did it on purpose."

"Strange that he would intentionally give you such power," the goose murmured thoughtfully to herself.

"Yeah, well, it feels more like a curse than power right now," Po muttered in return. He pushed himself up to his feet and tried to brush aside all the depressing thoughts that he'd gotten himself lost in. It wasn't the end quite yet, after all. He and Tigress could still find some answers in the scrolls. His dad, Shifu, the others, and he weren't completely out of luck. Yet.

"There is something else on your mind, Master Po..."

Po looked at the goose suspiciously. The way she'd said that had almost seemed like she really did know what he was thinking. It was kinda creepy. It also reminded him of the soothsayer from Gongmen City actually.

"I was just thinking about Tigress," Po began, his thoughts wondering again as he stared off into the distance. "I mean I guess it could be her numb paws. That's the only thing I could think of that would explain it...unless it's just because she's a tiger. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, it's just that..."

The goose titled her head to the side. "I'm afraid I don't know what you are referring to."

So she couldn't really read his mind. That made him feel a bit better. "Tigress is immune to the touch or something," he explained. "I don't zap her when I touch her."

Liling looked him over with a stare so intense Po found himself shifting uncomfortable under her scrutiny. She suddenly reminded him more than ever of the soothsayer back in Gongmen City. They had the same piercing stare that was more than a little creepy.

"There is another part of the legend," she finally said, breaking the eerie silence. "It tells that only one person was immune to the warrior's touch. His wife, the woman whom he loved with all his heart. It is said that their combined love acted as a shield, essentially deactivating the Bai Yin Touch. I believe that is where your answer lies, Dragon Warrior. It is love that is protecting Master Tigress."

That didn't make sense. Did he love Tigress? Yeah, of course. But he loved his dad too and he loved his Jade Palace family. "But the Five and Shifu and my dad are my family," he pointed out with a deep frown. "I love all of them, but they still got zapped!"

The old goose smirked, a strange glimmer of mischief in her unwavering stare. "I am speaking of a different kind of love, Dragon Warrior."

"But..." Po stopped mid-thought as dawning realization struck him like a swift punch to his gut. A different kind of love. She meant...she meant the soul mate, knot in his stomach, kind of love. "Oh..."

"Indeed."

Po tapped his fingertips together. "We, uh, don't have to tell Tigress this, right?"

"I believe it may be too late for that." Liling's gaze suddenly shifted to look at something over his shoulder with the same amused and knowing smirk.

Po frowned again, this time in confusion, and followed her stare to the entrance. There was no one there though. Just an empty archway.


Tigress pressed her back against the wall next to the entrance of the room. She hadn't intentionally eavesdropped. She had simply been on her way back to Po with some scrolls when she'd suddenly heard the conversation going on inside the room. Her feet had brought her to a stop of their own accord as the two had continued to speak inside. What she'd heard had almost been surreal.

Po was in love with her? Was it possible? The goose's theory as to why she was unaffected by Po's touch could be just that. A theory. It wasn't necessarily true. It didn't mean Po was in love with her, or that they were some kind of soul mates or whatever else that Liling was insinuating.

But then, what else could it be?

She had heard stories of similar things, but had always believed them to be just tales meant for children. Could love actually be that powerful? Master Oogway had believed so, she knew that much.

And Po hadn't denied it when Liling suggested that he loved her 'differently'. He hadn't even tried to deny it. He had basically confirmed it, in fact. Why was she so surprised by that though? Po wasn't subtle. He didn't hide his love for his family and friends. And while she could try to argue that he didn't truly feel that kind of love, she wasn't sure she could do so and believe it herself. If she were honest, the signs were there.

She had ignored his over-exuberant adoration when he had first arrived at the Jade Palace. He'd been a self-proclaimed fan of hers and the Five's, after all. As he had settled into his new life they'd become friends, and that initial reaction to her had faded. Was it really that far-fetched to think that he could feel something for her still though?

She wasn't sure how she felt about him in return however. She cared for him. She cared for him more than she had expected to originally. And there was something...different...in the way she felt around him. She had never put words to it and wasn't sure she wanted to. Po had done something to her that no one else had ever been able to. He had gotten past her defenses and became the best friend she had ever had.

The walls she had so meticulously crafted were beginning to crumble. She could practically feel it.

No, not crumble.

Po had simply managed to build himself a door which only he held the key to. A door he could enter and exit of at his own free will. A door straight to her heart.

It was unnerving. Perhaps a little frightening. Yet also...exhilarating.

"Are you alright, panda?"

The goose's question caught Tigress' attention, drawing her out of the contemplative state she'd been in. The concerned tinge in the goose's voice instantly put Tigress on alert.

"I don't know. I just feel...weird," she heard Po reply from inside the room.

Tigress moved quickly into the doorway, just in time to see Po gripping his side and falling to his knees. She rushed forward and grabbed his arm to keep him from falling the rest of the way to the floor. "Po! What's wrong?"

"Ugh. My chest hurts and I…just feel….weird," the panda breathed out. His eyes were glazed and distant, as if he were just barely staying conscious.

Out of the corner of her eye Tigress saw Liling. The goose stood watching Po sadly, obviously wanting to help, but unable to do so without being effected by the Bai Yin Touch. She didn't look too surprised though, Tigress quickly realized. She looked up at the old goose and narrowed her eyes. "What's happening?" she demanded. "What haven't you told us?"

Liling looked deeply saddened as Po grimaced in pain. "Only one other person has ever been known to have come in contact with the Bai Yin Stone and he, like the great warrior, disappeared. There isn't much known about what happened. There is nothing written about it. Only stories and rumors..."

Tigress looked over at Po as he began to slip a little further to the ground. She shifted to hold him better and he unexpectedly rested the side of his head against her shoulder, almost as if it were too much of an effort to keep his head up. Her eyes narrowed into a warning glare as she turned her attention back to the goose. "Tell me what is happening."

"It is said that he died soon after coming in contact with the stone," came Ru Jian's voice from the doorway. He limped into the room further and stood next to the goose, a sympathetic expression on his face as he looked at Po. "You see, when the warrior had the sorceress bring forth the power of the stone, he also had her place a curse on it. He didn't want anyone else to be able to use the stone. He wanted the power all to himself," the ram explained. "So the stone was cursed. Anyone other than the warrior who touched the stone would have its power, but in return." Ru Jian paused briefly before continuing. "The person would die."

"We had hoped that part of the legend was not true. We had hoped you would be spared," Liling said, looking directly at Po. "I am sorry, panda."

Tigress' grip on Po's arm tightened, as if hoping she could keep him breathing if she held on tight enough. She looked sideways at him just as he glanced over at her. As their eyes met she read the question in his eyes that she too was wondering, but was almost hesitant to ask.

"How long?" she questioned. A solemn silence filled the room after the question was finally voiced.

Ru Jian sighed before answering. "Three days."

They were running out of time far faster than they had thought.

"Least we won't have to worry about un-zapping anyone I guess," Po said half-jokingly in an attempt to lighten the mood.

It didn't work.