They had no idea what to do, and Po's health was getting progressively worse as time dragged on.

He was still awake, thank goodness, but just barely. He could no longer sit up even with the help of Tigress, and had to stay laying down on his bed.

While Lei Lei had managed to shock him awake with her Chi, Po refused to let any of them attempt to help by using theirs, too afraid of the possible consequences of using too much as Shifu had warned.

Tigress and Li stayed by his side while he slept, keeping a close eye on the Dragon Warrior and hoping—praying—that he would pull through. Mr. Ping would make his soup every once in awhile, and Po would gladly eat until he could no longer keep anything down.

All the while, Tigress couldn't help but wonder what was going on at the Jade Palace; she hated that she was stuck. She hated the thought that Master Shifu and the Five, especially the pandas, had to go through such an ordeal once again. She would never admit it out loud, but what worried her most were the cubs who were surely just as terrified.

But she assured herself that they could all handle themselves. They had taken on Kai once before and won. He was stronger this time around and most likely would not be beaten as easily, but Tigress had confidence that they would be okay. The only difference this time was the fact that there was no Dragon Warrior to take him on, and Kai possessed the Dragon Warrior's power.

He showed no signs of getting any better. Soon he could no longer even hold down his father's soup, and they had to resort to simple liquids like water just to keep him hydrated.

"We can't just sit here," Li had argued with Tigress one night as he watched his son breathe in and out in short, laborious gasps. "We have to do something..."

"We can't go outside and risk being seen," Tigress explained firmly as they stood together in Po's room. Mr. Ping had fallen asleep on the floor next to Po, refusing to leave his side.

Tigress tried to remain calm. But it was hard to remain calm when her friend was in so much pain. Why did this have to happen? Anger coursed through her very being as she searched for someone to blame. Kai was the most obvious, but there was also Po and his absolute stupidity when he'd accidentally given the evil entity his power. But the thought was instantly banished; she couldn't blame Po for what was happening to him, and she scolded herself for even thinking such a thing. He had done the right thing back in the Spirit Realm, and she blamed herself for not noticing the signs that something was wrong sooner, or for not keeping a closer eye on him after his first fainting spell.

Li gave up the argument when Tigress told him the simple fact that Po needed him there, but then brought up the healing power of Chi.

Tigress instantly shook her head. "He doesn't want us to." She doubted that using Chi would even work. Po's Chi was gone and it was never coming back. How would using their own help in any way? Besides the risk of using too much, they wouldn't be able to fully cure him.

Li looked desperately from her to his son, then dropped his head in defeat, plopping himself onto the floor. Tigress watched solemnly, staying quietly in place for a moment before she decided to do the same, sitting next to the large panda in an attempt to be at least somewhat comforting. She knew she didn't have to do it ever again, but despite herself, she sucked in air let out a big breath, hoping that he would notice and follow her lead as Po had shown her back in the village.

"He taught you that, didn't he?" Li asked, amused as a nostalgic kind of look crossed his face, remembering teaching Po himself before Kai had arrived in their village.

Tigress nodded with a faint smile, keeping silent as the giant panda at last followed suit, letting out a yawn as big as hers and closing his eyes in the process.

"I just hope they're alright," Li said quietly in between paws covering his face. It didn't take her long to realize that he was talking about the Jade Palace 'prisoners.'

"They'll be fine. I know they will," Tigress reassured him gently. "They took Kai on once before—they can do it again," she said as a reminder not only to herself, but to the village's leader. "Master Shifu and the Five won't let anything happen to them." Of course, she knew that Crane and Mantis were out of the equation. From what she had seen, they had been badly bruised and battered by Kai himself; she hoped that they had managed to pull through. Even so, it was most likely just Shifu, Viper and Monkey who were watching out for the pandas.

Li nodded, hands sliding slowly off of his face. He glanced over at Po, expression grim.

"He was sick once as a cub long ago."

Tigress's ears twitched as Li continued to speak, remaining silent so that he could continue a story from Po's past, something that she hadn't been expecting.

"His mother panicked when his fever spiked. We were afraid he wouldn't make it, but we did everything we could and Little Lotus pulled through."

Tigress allowed a soft smile to spread. She had heard Li call him by his birth name before, especially during their first fight with the Jombies. But it was strange to hear Po being called anything other than Po, as she had known him from the time he'd been named the Dragon Warrior.

"He'll pull through again," she whispered. "I know he will."


Please hang on, Po, she pleaded silently as she took his hand in hers after Li had gone to bed along with Mr. Ping. It was terrifying to see him lying there so still when he was usually a ball of energy, just like the cubs. His breathing was slow and raspy and was painful just to listen to. She hoped that sleep lessened the pain for him, but even when asleep she could tell that he was still in pain by the way his eyes were almost forcefully shut. There was no relief.

She realized then that this was what Kai wanted, what he had meant by 'it didn't matter' if he found Po or not. Instead of simply finishing him off himself, the Master of Pain wanted the Dragon Warrior to suffer and eventually...

She couldn't finish the thought. She wasn't able to, because her hand, normally unfeeling, suddenly felt lighter than it was supposed to.

"...Po?" she asked in a tiny whisper though she knew he wasn't able to respond.

Her heart nearly stopped when she realized that something wasn't right. Even with her superior vision in the dark, she couldn't see the normal rise and fall of his chest. She squeezed his hand, but even without any feeling in her own paws, it was limp and...

Lifeless.

He wasn't breathing.

Her eyes widened and she squeezed his hand again, but he didn't squeeze back; he couldn't even if he wanted to. He seemed paler than normal, if that was even possible through all of his fur.

No! She wanted to scream, to break something, punch an iron wood tree with her paws for another twenty years. But she couldn't wake Li and Mr. Ping.

Not yet.

It surprised her when a tiny yawn was heard and something small and fluffy made its way into her lap.

She hugged Lei Lei tightly with one arm, keeping her paw wrapped around Po's, though she wasn't sure if she was comforting the little cub or herself.

"Asweep...?" Lei Lei asked, glancing at the still form of Po and then staring up at Tigress with her big, round eyes.

"Yes...he's asleep," Tigress answered weakly, never letting go of Po's paw. She squeezed it again just to be sure.

But it was no use.

Kai had gotten what he wanted.

The Dragon Warrior was gone.

Back in the empty Panda Village, the flower that Po had brought back to life returned to its shriveled state, never to bloom and see the light of day again.