(Author note: I would like to give a special thanks to Pandafan91. I was having a little trouble coming up with a section for this chapter where Shifu had to give a speech and so I decide to asked him for a bit of help. I got a reply back with a list of question, and after giving it some thought I found out that I could set the scene up on my own. Though I'm sure Pandafan91 could have down a more impressive job I feel that I did a rather nice job here.
Anyway on with the chapter...enjoy)
Po and Tigress led the others through the clustered market place. Lanterns of various shades of color were hung about the sides of the building to give the area a warm glow. The street was a bustles of villagers full of merriment as they waited for the festivity to begin. Some chatted among themselves, while others stood before jewelry stands picking out a shinning gemstone for their love ones. Children ran and skipped about some of them clutching small sparkly sticks in their hands, waving them here and there, though were pushed off by the adults whenever they neared a stack of fireworks.
As the kung fu warriors reached the center of the village, Tigress could feel the stunned or surprised eyes pitted upon her. Turning to her right, she could see that Po felt the same way.
"Are you going to be alright?" She whispered into his ear. Though she had been to several of these opening night galas, this was the first time the panda had been seen in open public, and it was difficult to tell how he would react.
Po took a deep breath, turned to face Tigress and gave her a warm smile. "I'll be fine, what about you?"
A blush came over Tigress. She never came to these galas to have fun, most of the time she just stood there, rigid as stone, eyes darting back forth looking for any sign of drunken ruffian aiming to cause trouble.
"I think I can handle this," she said returning his gaze, "just so long as you're by my side."
Po's smile widen, as he quickly turned around and came back and calmly placed something along her ear. Glancing up, she smile at the sight of a moon blossom there. It looked lovely and the scent carried along the wind was wonderful.
"I couldn't image being anywhere else," he said as he leaned in close to give her a kiss.
The sound of a gong drew their attention and they turned to see Shifu and the others standing on a raised platform. Realizing her place was with her master and fellow warriors, Tigress calmly strolled past the gathered villagers to stand next to Tai Lung. Po was about to do the same when he felt a gentle tug on his arm. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see Mr. Ping standing next to him. The aged goose held a cheerful yet surprised expression.
"So this is what you look like under your robe," Ping said, "no wonder you were able to squeeze through the narrow gaps in the table, not to mention carry all of the supplies from the alley."
"You're not angry with me?" Po said.
"Why would I be angry with you?" Ping said, "Now come, you can help me hand out a few drinks and dumplings."
Po looked doubtful, his eyes darting back to Tigress. "But Mr. Ping, I was going to go join the kung fu warriors plus I have a date."
"Yes, I saw you with Master Tigress," Ping said with a chuckle, "you two make a good couple, but just because you're the Jade Palace chef doesn't mean you get to stand alongside her during the Grandmaster's speech."
Po was hesitant to follow the goose, though after an understand node from Tigress, the panda turned to follow Ping into his dining area.
Shifu stood before the edge of the platform; he cast his gaze to the right to see Tai Lung along the Furious Five standing at attention waiting calmly for him to give his speech. "Where's Po?" he whispered.
"He's helping Mr. Ping in the noodle shop," Tigress whispered back.
"What," he snapped his ears standing up rigid, "but as the Dragon Warrior, his place should be here."
Tigress turned away from the red panda, a look of grief covered her face.
"Remember Master Shifu," Viper said in a calm tender voice, "Po has not reveal to anyone that he is the Dragon Warrior, not even Mr. Ping."
Shifu released a heavy sigh. Of course the goose wouldn't know, when Po was brought before the Jade Palace it was under the notion that he was only there to cook the meals. Taking a deep breath he realized that would have to change.
"Is there a problem Shifu?" Junjie said in a mocking tone. "If it will make things easier for you, I'll be more than happy to step in. I assure you that my speech will be far more rousing."
The red panda turned his glare toward the red fox. "No everything is perfectly fine," he then cleared his throat in a loud grunt to draw the attention of gathering villagers.
"Greetings to you all this wonderful night. This night marks the birth of summer, the season of love and romance," he paused as he gazed upon the loving couples among the crowd, "as with each opening festival we will be holding a special gala with music provided by the valley musicians, afterward there will be a special performance from my own grandchild Lilly," another pause brought about by a playful giggle from Mea as she rubbed her daughter's cheeks. Shifu fought the urge to chuckle at the sight of Tai Lung face palming himself. "Also we have two special guest from the Sacred Onyx council, Master Chao, and…" Shifu stumbled for a moment to grumble the next part, "Master Junjie, also grandmaster of the Lotus temple. Following tonight's gala you are all invited to the Jade Palace arena in the morning as the protectors of the Valley of Peace demonstrate their unique kung fu style."
This brought about a roaring cheer from the crowds. Everyone in the valley was thrilled to watch the Furious Five in action. Their sounds of glee brought a smile the warriors' faces and in Tigress case a pair of rosy cheeks.
"Now then, let the gala begin."
Inside Mr. Ping's noodle shop…
Po was busy serving drinks to the gathering villagers. He listened with a keen ear as Shifu gave his speech. The mention of the demonstration his friends would be giving caused him to shudder a little knowing that he would have to go along with it. Though he would prefer not show off in front of everyone, both Tigress and Shifu had raised a valid point. The Dragon Warrior was more than just a kung fu master but a symbol, something the people to believe in, something to give them hope. He couldn't bring himself to let them down, no matter what his feeling were.
Po turned his head to glance over at the goose, happily handing out small bowls of soup. If he was to finally reveal what he was capable of doing, he might as well get started.
"Uh Mr. Ping there's something that I think I should tell you," Po said lowering his gaze.
Mr. Ping had just handed out the last bowl to a sweet old female sheep as he turned to face the panda. "Yes Po?"
"Well you see it's about the demonstration at the Jade Palace arena in the morning."
"Oh yes," Ping said with joy, "I hope to sell a few pot loads of my noodle soup. Maybe even the beam buns. Can't let those go bad now. Do you think you could help me out seeing how the Furious Five and the Mighty Tai Lung will be too busy showing off to eat?"
"Well that's the thing," Po said rubbing his upper arm. "I won't just be watching them showing off, I'll be—"
Before he could say anything, Tigress came to stand beside Po, gently placing a hand along his shoulder.
"Excuse me Mr. Ping," she said in a sweet voice, "but the music is about to start so would it be alright if I steal my date for awhile. I promise to bring him back later."
"Oh of course," Ping said with a friendly smile, "you two have fun now."
Tigress led Po back toward the center of the market place where a group of sheep and bunnies had begun playing a set of flutes and violins to create an air of marvelous harmony. Po smile as he took Tigress's right hand while placing his free hand along her waist. His smile widened as he heard the gentle purr slipping through her lips. As the music was carried on along the wind, the two couple shifted their feet, moving back and forth, from side to side. Their eyes never drifted too far from gazing into each other and surprisingly they managed to keep from bumping into other dance partners.
Tigress could not keep the smile from her face as she fell in step with the panda. He spun her around a few times allowing the low half of her dress to twirl in the breeze. Her purr grew louder when Po suddenly dipped her, bringing a hand along her back to keep her steady while she in turn tighten her grip on his shoulder. She found herself giggling when he brought her back up, though she shifted a little bit too far and gently brushed her lips against his own.
As the music came to an end, Tigress moved close to Po, wrapping an arm around his waist and lowered her head so that the side of her face now pressed along his chest.
"I never knew you could dance so graceful Po," she said in a faint whisper.
"I could say the same to you Tigress," Po replied, "I guess all that kung fu training paid off for other things."
Tigress smiled at the comment, though she could hear a subtle trace of grief in Po's voice. "Po's what's wrong?"
"It's nothing…" Po said, though his voice seemed to crack every so often, "…it's just that this reminds me of the times my family once celebration the passing seasons. Though they were never this impressive, what with us having to hide where we were."
Her smile faded and pressed her face deeper into Po's soft fluffy chest fur. "Oh Po, I'm so sorry," she said stroking his shoulder, "do you ever miss them, your family, friends, your home."
Po came to a stop, thankfully Tigress sense his motion and paused as well to keep from stumbling. With one hand, Po cupped the back of her head and softly began to rub his fingers through her fur.
After several fleeting moments of silence, Tigress heard Po speak in a low whisper, "Every waking moment." His convention caused her to shudder, to think that no matter how much she loved him, there would always be something that rivaled her place in his heart.