Ailurophile

Author note: Long time no see everyone! I'm sorry that my posts take so long and have been so infrequent, but I have demanding studies that I really cannot ignore. I'll tell though, none of you have to worry because I AM NOT going to stop writing this... it's just going to take a while. Moving right along, the grammer and punchuation is being cleaned up By KristenTheKittyKat (Thank you Kitty!) whom is an AWESOME beta. Thats about all important news a I have.

Thank you - Unolai, PhanOfTheOpera96, babycakes22, KristenTheKittyKat, Shadowess 88, Random girl person, Monica, TigressLuver, Sek, Dragongryph, International-Wonderland, wildactyuri18, Thurid the Invader, What If Incorporated, WeirdCouplesLast4ever, CristenMarie1695, Spencer, MollyChaikatuthecat, LVK, GMPod, JLWafflezMan, son of wind, Royal Blue Alchemist, DanManBazinga, Cycloprax-Tinj, Romeo5, Zeit's Glass. You're review are always appreciated! (Not just 100 BUT 120? I'm sooooo happy!)

Aberration

She ignored all of the eyes watching her. She went along to look past all of them. It was easy. She'd practiced ignoring the people around her for years, although at that moment, a single pair stood out strikingly. Still, she tried to look as she wasn't aware. Slowly pacing towards the long boat, she shrunk inwardly. She got the feeling that she had done much more than what her actions had appeared to be; in the eyes of Tai Lung, at least. She may as well have continued going slow now that the damage had been done. Raja was clearly confused by her and failed to see the lack of attention Tai Lung was now giving their captive.

Tigress's almost eternal pace had finally gotten her right in front of the boat, and she prepared to board. Looking up at Tai Lung, she saw his callous expression and bit her lip. She had no idea what was going through his mind. She almost preferred to know what he was feeling than have him glower with vacancy.

She looked away, and put one leg in the boat, then everything was instant. The cobra shot himself from under Tai Lung's retention, straight at her. She didn't expect it; she didn't even have enough time to gasp. The coils wrapped tightly round her, and she staggered out of the boat. Were it not for her feline balance, she would have fallen over.

Tai Lung was wide-eyed. Confusion struck him. At which point did he let his guard down...? He couldn't even remember. How could he have let that happen? He fixed his eyes on them both and found himself unmoving. She had stolen his attention with that stray eye... Stray eye? She wasn't just taking an off-handed glance at the scenery. No, she was looking to run away. But that was where the problem lay because he had made a mistake again.

Tigress wrinkled her brow in discomfort and attempted to pull away, but the snake forced her back into a stark position. She growled at the snake and prepared to do it again with more strength this time. "Don't. Move," he sneered. She heard Raja's aggressive hiss and saw him lurch in their direction, but stop in an instant when he noticed the snake's intent. His fangs came out and pressed at her shoulder, making her stiffen. Her eyes moved to where the sharp teeth pressed. If she gave him reason, he could break her skin with those fangs. That could mean death, and she was in no hurry for that.

Tai Lung's paws shook for a moment in voiceless fury. Why would she even dare? He sighed from his nose, then looked at the serpent now gripping her. His paw twisted around the sword even tighter. The distance was far, but in less than a second, he could have snapped the snake like a twig. Didn't the reptile understand just how in danger he was? The only thing he couldn't guess was how fast the snake could bite.

Tigress somehow knew by the look on his face that he was planning something, but with her so close, how could he do anything without harming her?

"You!" Tai Lung looked right into the snake's eyes as he was addressed. "Throw me the sword, or I bite her." She saw him look down at his paw, then looked to her. She stared at him almost expectantly, but he was unresponsive in any way that she could see. Tigress couldn't shake off the increasing throb in her chest. Every possible conclusion led to a grave result, and he just stared without any concern at all. He then did something that made her swallow with anxiety. He threw the sword right in front of the snake.

The cobra smirked and coiled around the hilt of sword, bringing it close. This made him slacken his grip on her neck, giving it enough space to turn. She now had more space and tried to twist her head, but the position was still too tight for her to move much. The snake brought the sword toward her stomach and pressed it there. Tigress could only breathe without getting herself bitten or cut, and snake looked too eager to do both. "Move back," he commanded. She sighed and looked at Tai Lung again, but all he did was stare with an insipid frown. Tigress continued staring at him, and a ting of disbelief began to surface in her. The cobra shook her roughly, taking back her attention. She shift her feet back and moved slowly.

Once she had moved a few meters away, the snake tightened his grip on her again. "Stop." Then he looked back at Tai Lung sneeringly. "Now you, come here!" Tai Lung narrowed his eyes. He knew where this was going, which perhaps made this much easier. Without hesitating, he made his way over to them, but made a point to move slowly. He could almost see the growing anxiousness in the snake's face as he got nearer. He stopped a few feet in front of them.

Tigress felt a wave of fear washed over her. This was happening because of her; her mind had just been so warped. She had ruined the mission, and now Tai Lung was... complying with the snake's demands...?

"Will you let her go?" Tai Lung's strident voice rang out.

She had to find a way out this. She knew Tai Lung would try something as soon as he saw an opening. Of course he would. She didn't care about anything else right now, but if the snake wouldn't give him one, then she'd have to force him to. After everything that had gone on that day, she'd gotten the impression that Tai Lung wouldn't really care about how much noise the serpent made whilst he re-subdued him. So it was left up to her.

Tigress eyed the coil nearest to her neck and grimaced. With all the strength she could gather in her position, she threw her head back, then brought her teeth down.

The snake cried out in an almost twin-toned screech, and looked at her. She saw the red in his eyes; it told her exactly what he meant to do. The sword dug hard into her stomach, and he brought his teeth down.

Tai Lung's paw had materialised just under the serpent's head, which brought his attack to a halt. His other paw forced right through the sword until it gave out, then caged around the snake's mid-section. His claws unsheathed and dug in. He tightened his grip and pried the snake from Tigress, who fell to the ground. Raja had strainingly observed this in silence until then. He could never be sure about Tai Lung's restraint, and when he had the opportunity to glimpse at the snow leopard's rage, it usually had consequences. "Tai Lung, we must go now!"

Tai Lung snarled in reply and seemed to be drawn deeper into whatever vicious state had taken him. Tai Lung let go of the snake's middle, but kept him suspended by his neck. A growl erupted, and suddenly the mood- though seemingly impossible- turned even grimmer. Raja heard the cobra release a hoarse choke. He could see the look on Tai Lung's face, an absolute murderous look. He knew where this would lead- not just for the whelp in his grasped, but for every foe oblivious to this. He turned his attention to Tigress for a moment, and his worry grew. He couldn't see her face, but she seemed to be shaking. "Tai Lung, if we don't leave, then-" He didn't know what say to make him calm down. "Tigress may not survive!"

For a moment, he thought it hadn't worked, but suddenly Tai Lung's expression transformed. Raja wouldn't have believed it, but he actually acknowledged what he had said and looked over at Tigress. Raja didn't expect his words to reach through to the snow leopard, but they did. Unfortunately, it fell apart, or seemingly. He glared back at the cobra and out-stretched his claw.

Tai Lung brought down his paw on the serpent and dropped his limp form without a care. Raja gazed unnervingly at the reptile laying dead in the sand and squinted. Had he missed something, or was there no blood? Then he looked up at Tai Lung and saw the blue gaseous aura surrounding his hand.

Tai Lung did not kill him; he wasn't dead?

He watched Tai Lung move down to Tigress and turn her on her back. She let out a grunt and held her paw to her stomach. She stared up at Tai Lung nervously, her face tensely trying to hold back from displaying how much pain she felt. Tai Lung looked over to him. "Throw him on the long boat." The snake... yes. He turned to unconscious snake and did exactly that.

Tai Lung turned back to Tigress. She'd been hurt. Her paw pressed against the wound, keeping pressure on the bleeding. Tai Lung took her paw and looked it over. Her red shirt didn't help to cover her blood up. He gently let his fingers brush over it, making her hiss in protest. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, which was very lucky, but it would need dressing. He couldn't do that here, but on the ship were the right things. His eyes flickered to her face. She looked like she was holding her breath. He could feel her amber eyes on him. He suspected that her state wasn't entirely because she was hurt; it must have been disconcerting. The whole thing seemed to happen in blur. He was a bit agitated himself... actually, very agitated. He sighed; he didn't want to deal with anything until there were back on the ship.

She felt his arms slip under her, and she suddenly found her bearings. Her former unease switched with a glower. "I can walk by myself."

Tai Lung frowned, but ignored her. He carried her to the boat and kicked it out so it would float, and then stepped in where Raja had sat and placed their undisputable captive. He'd be damned if anything else happened now.

He sat down with her placed on his lap. She was even less pleased. "I think that I can at least sit on my own!" She was trying to get rise off of him. For some reason, not hearing any response was getting to her. He still didn't answer her, though.

"Put me down!"

Tai Lung's nostrils flared. "If it was not for your carelessness, none of this would have happened!" he snapped.

Tigress looked appalled. She knew she had been careless, but it clearly wasn't only her. "You think that it was MY fault? Wasn't it YOU who was watching the serpent? Or did I miss something?"

Tai Lung snarled. She was right on that one- there was not use denying it. But it was only because he was too preoccupied watching her. She must have realised that.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I don't have arms. If I did, we'd have set off by now." Raja said butting in.

Tai Lung snorted. He hastily took the oars and began to row viciously.

Tigress would have tried to move away from him, but being in the middle of his arms didn't present to her any escape. It was as if he was scared she'd run off. With that crossing her mind, she opted to settle where she was- despite the extra discomfort of his proximity.

She truely didn't know why she looked out towards that plain. She'd bet Tai Lung had his own idea, though. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing that was grating at her. If she had ran, would he have let her...? Not that she could have gotten anywhere- there wasn't anywhere to go. But they didn't really need her help if it came down to face them all, and if she had ran, could she have gotten away? She knew that she had been far from ready when the cobra had caught her, but that Tai Lung hadn't anticipated or even seen his move had her unsettled somewhat. Something in him had altered. The Tai Lung she knew would never allow anyone to take him by surprise. It had something to do with her, maybe a lot. She played with that thought. Tai Lung had taken a great affect by her looking off-handedly, and the way he appeared to save her- yet again. She felt a sudden involuntary excitement kindle, then- She sighed. She couldn't think like this.

She didn't even understand why she asked to come along. Her presense during this outing hadn't been totally nessesary, but Raja had sponsored for her. She had made it her private role to get the task done with the least amount of bloodshed. She got the feeling that Raja had suggested her coming along for a reason close to hers. She had considered that he wanted to win without having the hassle of dealing with a martyr- perhaps that was why. She looked up and saw a harsh expression on his face as he looked off to the side- it was as if they were still in a bad situation.

She raised a brow and wondered what was bothering him. "Are you... alright?"

He glanced at her and his seriousness vanished. "Of course, I'm fine," he said with an easy smile.

She frowned, but nodded hesitantly. They had been moving for at least five minutes and the ride had turned very quiet, so she decide to shift her head and see if Tai Lung was any more calm. He was... still blank, but at least his vigorous rowing had ceased. He looked over his shoulder and smirked. She would have tried to look too but leaning up hurt.

Raja looked past the two of them and rose up. "Were back."

Tai Lung brought them in and put down the oars. He tied the boat then stood up with Tigress held in his arms. She sighed, showing her exasperation, but bit back any words of protest. Instead of immediately climbing the ladder on the ship's side, he did at least put her down, which somewhat relieved her. She composed and ignored the flicker of disappointment at standing on her own feet again. She watched Tai Lung grab the unconscious serpent and turned to her. "You go first." She nodded and climbed the ladder.

She reached the deck to be greeted by Hong, who crossed his arms and grunted in acknowledgement. Raja was up next; he glanced around and moved next to Tigress. "Where is Nisa?"

Hong shifted on his fists. "She is below deck with the lion cub." Raja nodded and moved past him, not waiting for Tai Lung. Tigress closed her eyes and felt pain shooting in her abdomen. She refrained from touching it, knowing it would only make it worse.

The snow leopard came up with the serpent hanging on his shoulder. "I trust all has been quiet since we've been gone?" Hong nodded. "Good. Tie this one to the mast." He took Tigress's wrist and pulled her past Hong, who took the serpent from him. She frowned at him, but didn't try pull away. She wondered what this was about.

He took her up the stairs into the outer cabin, which was barren, then to his quarters and shut the door.

He released her arm and walked to one of the cabinets in his room. She watched him search for what it was that he wanted and found herself becoming very wary. He took out a dull looking box and placed it on the table, then took out a carafe. Her guard was up when she saw him looked back at her intently. He walked towards her and took both of her arms in his paws. She stiffened tensely at the contact; this went unnoticed, however. Pushing her backwards, the back of Tigress's legs hit the end his bed. Her heart started racing when he push her back, but instead of laying her down, he only sat her down. He then kneeled in front of her. She was confused. That wasn't what she expected. Then he began pulling her shirt up, and the confusion was gone.

She suddenly felt trapped. "Wait!"

He looked up at her and saw the trepidation surfaced on her face. "I need to treat this cut, otherwise it may get infected," he said dully.

She paused, then the realisation caused her to redden. "... Oh," she said quietly. Suddenly, she felt embarrassed. Of course he was only going to treat her wound, but the urgency didn't help her at all. What was she supposed to think? "I thought-"

"I know."

"It's just, the way you-"

"Yes," he said sardonically.

She bristled at him; he probably did that to get her nervous. "I am more than able to do this on my own," she said adamantly.

He seemed to disagree. "Allow me to return the favor of helping you, as you did with me," he said in an almost imploring tone.

Her brow furrowed at the implication. She didn't expect him to wish to help, and she honestly didn't want it. Though she was sure he wasn't going to touch, not like this.

He did say he wouldn't kiss her without permission. Mechanically, she nodded to show him he could proceed. She moved back slightly as he rolled her shirt up, stopping just above the cut. His fingers brushing over her sides. The action went about as if he didn't even notice he'd done it, to which he continued with his head down. But Tigress had noticed and took a heavy, silent breath. He was very close, and she was getting that feeling again. Tai Lung picked up the carafe. Taking the lid off, he pulled a rag from the box and held it over the top. He turned the bottle over, letting the liquid soak into the rag.

"What is that?" She questioned warily.

"Disinfectant," he answered as he started to clean it over.

She frowned in suspicion. "It looks more like alcohol to me."

"It's the same thing."

"Don't you have anything else?"

He shook his head. "No, this is what we have and it works." He then began clearing away the blood before she could say anything else.

Tigress grimaced as he cleaned the cut. She repressed a hiss when she felt the cloth touch it. It was hard enough to manage no noise, but she found it even harder to prevent it from showing up on her face. The gods only knew how Tai Lung found the strength to withhold what he felt when he had been injured- then it hit her. Both of them had gotten hurt... because of the other in just the space of these two days. It was ironic, though it wasn't unordinary- nor was it the first time she'd taken a hit. Still, she never made such amateur slip ups, especially like today's. That was the kind of mistake she would really beat herself up for. If Shifu had seen it- she trembled at the thought. Strangely, though, she knew that it wasn't purely down to negligence. There was some other factor involved, and it had effected Tai Lung in the same way.

Tai Lung discarded the rag and took a thread and pin from the box. Tigress's eyes widdened.

"Stitches? Is that necessary?" she asked, leaning up.

Tai Lung watched her wince after her quick move and inclined his head. He put the thread through the pin and tied it, then dipped it into the carafe. "An open wound to the stomach can often be fatal... If neglected, especially leaving it like that, gives a higher chance for infection. Plus stitches will reduce scaring." He then gave her a look. "I thought you would have known such a thing."

Tigress shook her head irritably. "I know how to take care of a wound. I just didn't think it was that bad."

"Your state of paralysis told me otherwise. Besides, if you expect to move around a lot, then it would be best to keep it closed." He then kneeled back down. He paused and looked up at her. "I will be gentle," he offered.

She opened her mouth to answer, but stopped when she caught his eye. She relented. She knew that it was necessary; many had fallen ill and died from ignoring those kind of wounds. She put her hands behind her and leaned back slightly, a motion to show that he could commence.

He did, and the moment the pin touched, pain took over. She scowled. 'Oh, it hurts!' She closed her eyes and tried to focus on something else.

Tai Lung tried to make it as equable as possible. He knew it hurt. But she was like him; she didn't show her pain... That is, if she could help it. He had- every single time he'd needed to, he had done this for himself. When he had been sent on errands from the Jade Palace so long ago, the rare occurence of an injury required treatment, and he reserved that task for him alone. He didn't want any to know he'd been hurt; if Shifu had gotten wind of it then Tai Lung's frangible pride would have taken a severe blow. He was always somewhat... high-strung about it. The problem with this was that he had quite often made a mess of himself. After a while, he had gotten the hang of it, but logically it was easier to have someone else with experience do it for you.

He concentrated on trying to making it as gentle as he could, but her pained face was stealing his attention. It made him feel tenuous, but he didn't know why. He flicked his eyes back and ignore it, putting all his mind into finishing this.

Tigress didn't know if she could keep up the silence. Her mind was begging her to cry out. She looked down at Tai Lung, who was keeping his attention rapt on her center.

Tai Lung had just about finished. He removed the excess thread and put the pin out of his way. He looked up, and the sight made him take in a mute gasp. The picture entranced him. Her back was arched out invitingly, below the creamy white fur exposed, her face was conveyed with nothing held back, and her eyes... Tai Lung felt his desire swell- 'NO, no.' He pulled his mind out where those lewd thoughts were taking it. Her state was out pain and he didn't desire her pain. He suddenly felt awkward. "I'm done."

She nodded and rolled her shirt down.

He admired her threshold- many others would have shown their inner weakling from taking what she just had, raw and wide awake.

He stood up. "I'm going deal with the serpent now. You should rest for a while." He took the box and carafe back, then disposed of the unusable leftovers. Without waiting further, he stalked out of the cabin, leaving Tigress on her own.

When the door closed, Tigress fell back on the bed and allowed herself drift.

Tai Lung walked down to the center mast and saw Hong with his eyes kept on the cobra. He looked at the snake with a veiled glare. He wouldn't kill the cobra- oh no, he had a different plan... involving fire and metal.

He moved next to Hong and watched the snake stir through his half-conscious state. There were a few crewmen going about on the top deck, but most of the crew was below, which would save a bit of time. "I need you to get all the men ready on the gun deck," he said without looking at him.

Hong snapped his head to face Tai Lung with bewilderment written all over it. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself before it came out. Then resigning whatever was his orginal intended speech, he put up a stern face. "As you wish."

He watched Hong walk down into the lower deck, then turned back to the cobra, his golden eyes now ringed by a dim mirk. He walked towards him with a haughty gait and seized the rope. Pulling hard, he snapped it and caught the limp form before it hit the ground. He then performed the correct press and jabs to release the snake's nerve channels. The cobra gasped out hoarsely at being able to breathe properly again. Tai Lung dropped him carelessly, then walked past him and up the stairs that led to the helm. Turning the wheel, he changed course to have the ship in a position with the side facing the coastline. His feline sight allowed him to see through the night and identify the enemy encampment as easily as if seeing it in daylight.

Tai Lung saw that his captive was getting up now, so he leapt over the rail and landed behind the reptile. For the moment, he allow him regain his senses.

Slowly, he move himself into a more upright position. His grogginess almost made him fall back. He was on a ship. The last thing he saw was the snow leopard before unconsciousness took him. Why hadn't they killed him after what happened? It was what he would would have done. The cobra frowned and exhaustedly turned around. The snow leopard was there, bearing a sullen stare focused directly at him. He watched his bright eyes turn completely flat. The serpent paled. He felt terror seep in. He knew without a doubt that he didn't want that look to be aimed at him. But the moment between the two was broken when a gorilla came up from the ship.

Tai Lung glanced over at Hong, who nodded, telling him that they were ready. Raja came up behind him, appearing confused at what was going on. "What are you doing?" he questioned.

Tai Lung scowled at their captive. "Solving your problem, absolutely."

He then faced Hong. "Tell them to commence."

Before Raja could ask him anything else, he grabbed their captive by the throat. Ignoring his futile resistance, his claws dug in. He threw him against the side of the ship. He forced the snake to stay still and look out to the coast. He firmed his gripped on the serpent's head, making sure he wouldn't move. "You will watch this," he said, devoid of mercy.

Tigress rolled on her side unconciously. Whatever dreams had her had brought her to a calm place.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

Tigress bolted up quickly, the sting of pain she felt making her whine. 'What in the world was that?' The whole ship had shaken from it. She blinked her tiredness away and looked at the cabin doors with seriousness on her face. BOOOOOOOOOM! It happened again. Then, further unsettling her, it happened again... without stopping. She slid off the bed and walked out of the cabin hastily.

She rushed down to see Tai Lung restraining the serpent captive, both of them looking out at something. She then turned to see what they were staring at and gasped. The coastline where they had just returned was alight with fire. She looked to Tai Lung, aghast. She knew exactly what had happened. She made her presence known. "What is this?"

Tai Lung head snapped him her direction, giving Tigress a view of his formidable expression. With both glaring, the sounds of the cannons going off and the shudders of the ship were somehow drowned out between both of them.

He huffed. Obviously, she had been roused from her sleep. He then punched the snake, letting him fall. "As you see-"

"I know what I see!" she growled. "But I thought that we were only going to remove the head of this militia, not this!"

He narrowed his darkened eyes. All his focus was on her. "As you can see, we haven't even done that. So now I'm dealing with the problem."

She didn't like the way he was looking at her; his current state of mind was clearly tainted. "... Why did you even let me come along if you were just going to do something like this."

"If you recall, I wasn't." He spared Raja a glance, who wisely stayed out of it. "But you were- this entire undertaking was a farce."

She didn't know what to think. "I have now, as a solution, gotten rid of Raja's enemies. And if you think me cruel, then you're deluded. Every one of them... They would have gone to Singapore and killed everyone to attain a victory. All for their share of the pay." She watched the serpent try and pick himself up, but Tai Lung kicked him back down.

"But you should already know that, since I told you before we left." She narrowed her eyes at him. She was giving him a judgemental look- she had no right. He felt anger spike in him, but scoffed externally. "Hm. That soft righteous look you give me is a bit hypocritical. How many bandits have you taken down, thousands? I doubt my reason differs very much for your own."

Her mouth was set to thin line. He... wasn't wrong. She had done that and more, but all for the right reasons! She justified. "Alright... but what about him?" she asked, pointing to the beaten snake.

Something flash in Tai Lung's eyes. She watched him as he seemed to turn inward and growl at some kind of bad thought that was making him angry. He seethed. "He-" Tai Lung faltered, but forced it out- "hurt you."

Short - Huáng hòu ān nī fù chóu

Tai Lung allowed himself to rest into his seat more comfortably. He listened as his potential benefactor laid on him the prize and privilege of his agreement to joining forces. To every single reason why he should have joined would have any mortal man with an inkling of desire want to say yes. He hated Shifu- everybody knew it- and the old man would never allow this to happen. He could see it now. He would meet his old master and the panda, and destroy them... Yet, the thought didn't burn as it usually did. In fact, he found himself feeling only odd weariness.

"And if revenge or power, is not enough, then you should know that once all of China has been usurped, the Valley of Peace... would be yours!" Lord Shen procliamed keenly.

Tai Lung's eyes widdened. The Valley of Peace. Now that was a fine deal. His former Master's home enthralled to him. It was the ultimate insult to Shifu and everything proclaimed to be his- How could he possible refuse? In fact, the prospect of merely seeing shifu's face at the end of it should have made it a done deal. He could see Shen was hanging on his reaction. Tai Lung naturally smirked with the cavalier arrogance that he was famed for. "I will consider it strongly!" he said with... false enthusiasm.

Shen smiled, at least satisfied with his answer. "Good. But don't keep me waiting too long. Soon, I will make my move." Tai Lung nodded.

He stood up and prepared to leave, but Shen's voice stopped him. "You should also know I left you a gift of good faith in the port." Tai Lung turned to him curiously. "A 'small thanks' for your support during the raids on the smaller towns. I think you will like it."

It seemed Shen would say nothing more. Tai Lung gave curt nod then left.

That little bit at the end was insight to where exactly Tai Lung got his ship and who give it to him. I felt I needed to answer that question. I may also add more of these drabbles to answer other questions as I go along, but I'm not sure yet. What do you think?