Year of the Goose
By corset-rebellion-follower
Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda
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Chapter 12- To Go To The Festival
The booths were set up, the live musical performances were chosen, and the decorations made the village seem brighter. Everyone was hyped up for the festival, which would end with the Championship Noodle-Off and the arrival of the Emperor. Instead of just the villagers attending, the Valley was flooded with people from all over China. Venders were selling everything imaginable. Noodle enthusiasts were betting on which team would win. And the savory perfume of broth floated through the air.
Mr. Ping's was flooded with people. "Wow, things are getting really busy," Viper said optimistically. Mr. Ping didn't look as happy. He was watching the people.
"What's wrong, Mr. Ping? Look at all these people!" Monkey exclaimed.
"I don't think I've ever seen the place this full. The crowd is spilling out into the street," Crane added.
"Yes… but something doesn't feel right," he said distantly.
Mantis hopped over to him. "Maybe it's because Po isn't here." Mr. Ping looked at the floor.
"He'd be here if he could," Monkey said.
"You don't understand! Noodle flu isn't dangerous because you could get a concussion from hitting your head off the ceiling! Po may never be able to go near a bowl of noodles ever again. He was my prodigy. And his mother… oh, it was her dearest wish to see him happy. She used to play with him in this very kitchen. I can still hear them sometimes. And now this!" He burst into sobs and covered his eyes.
Viper gently patted his back with her tail, and he crushed her in a hug. Crane and Mantis exchanged worried glances, and Monkey nodded at them. "Mr. Ping," Mantis said. Mr. Ping wiped his nose and let go of Viper. "If you want to skip out on the contest to go take care of Po, we understand. We could handle things down here."
Mr. Ping looked at his students. "Th-thank you. But I think Po would want me to be down here. I'll stay." The four smiled at him supportively. "But what are we doing sitting around? There's so little time before the competition begins! Let's get to work!"
They all cheered and rushed out of the shop and to their booth that was the first from the left from the judges' table. Mrs. Ding and Dongwa had been placed in the same spot, only to the right. When the two ducks locked eyes, Mrs. Ding narrowed hers and scowled.
"I don't like her," Mantis said angrily.
"Nevertheless, she is a worthy opponent, and we must wish her good luck." They all walked across the way and stopped in front of her booth.
"Hua."
"Ping," Mrs. Ding said coldly.
"Hey, Mr. Ping! I'm glad to see you again, it's been such a long time," Dongwa greeted cordially. Mr. Ping smiled and looked up at him.
"Well look at you! You have to be at least three times taller than when I last saw you."
Dongwa looked at Viper, Monkey, Mantis, and Crane. "And the rest of the Furious Five. It's an honor."
"Thank you," Viper said graciously, batting her eyelashes.
"What's with you?" Crane whispered as Mr. Ping and Dongwa continued the conversation without them.
"Look at him! If Tigress quit because she didn't want to compete against him for personal reasons, I don't blame her," Viper explained.
"He's alright looking—I suppose," Mantis said coldly.
"Oh, don't be sour just because he's our competition and Tigress likes him. I bet he's a great guy," Viper scolded.
"I'm sorry, I haven't seen Master Tigress yet. She hasn't caught Po's sickness, has she?" Dongwa asked worriedly.
"No. And thank goodness that she didn't. Po—he has Noodle Flu," Mr. Ping said fretfully. Both Dongwa and Mrs. Ding gasped.
"No way. There's no way that Po could have gotten Noodle Flu," Dongwa stammered.
Mr. Ping merely nodded. Mrs. Ding jumped down from behind the booth and over to Mr. Ping, taking his wings in hers. "I… I'm so sorry. If I had known… I wouldn't have made those comments earlier in the week. Forgive me." Dongwa's eyebrows raised and his eyes flitted between the two geese.
Mr. Ping smiled. "It's alright. How were you to know? But there's not much that we can do. We'll just have to wait it out and pray that he isn't affected."
And for the first time since she had entered the Valley of Peace, Mrs. Ding cracked a honest-to-goodness, no strings attached, and completely ulterior motive-free smile.
Dongwa grinned. "What are you smiling about?" Mantis whispered, hopping up on his shoulder.
"My mom… I haven't seen her smile like that in ages. Not since I was in my teens, maybe longer." The members of the Five present looked to Mrs. Ding sympathetically, and Mantis felt a pang of guilt in his heart for saying all the bad things about her that he did.
Then a loud voice called out, "THE COMPETITION WILL START IN HALF AN HOUR! ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST GO TO THEIR BOOTHS IMMEDIATELY FOR CHECK-IN!"
Mrs. Ding quickly took her wings back and hopped back up behind the counter. "Good luck, Ping. May the best noodle-maker win." Mr. Ping nodded.
"Good luck to you too." And he herded his students back to their booth. Mantis hopped off Dongwa's shoulder.
"Good luck."
Dongwa smiled, "Likewise. It's going to be a hard competition, competing against the greatest warriors in all of China." Mantis smirked.
"Don't let it get to you too much."
And he hopped back to his friends. Dongwa started setting out fresh vegetables in a bowl and laid out the knives he was going to have to use.
"So, do you think you have a chance in this contest? With all the competition?" someone asked.
Still setting up, he replied, "Of course. I've been working my butt off to—Tigress!"
He jumped and a knife flew up in the air, embedding its point into the counter. "You might have a little bit of trouble if you do that," she teased, holding back her giggles. He looked her up and down.
She had on a dress that was the purple color of delicate orchids, and careful silver embroidery that formed swirls and waves meant to look like the morning mist. The fabric covered down to her knees and the sleeves stopped at her bicep. She gave off an aura of grace, and she was actually glowing a little.
"You… you look… really sexy. Uh, I mean, you look nice! Very beautiful," he stuttered, his cheeks burning. Tigress blushed as well.
"My mother said I should wear it. You don't think it's too ostentatious, do you?"
"No, no, not at all! It looks great on you. I've never seen you in a dress before. You look lovely." He raised her hand and kissed it. Someone giggled.
Tigress turned her head and saw Viper, who had her tail over her mouth and was trying to hold in another. The boys, on the other hand, were "subtly" glaring at Dongwa.
"My friends," Tigress said in an embarrassed tone.
"I've already met them. They're very nice. A lot less intimidating than I thought they would be," Dongwa said.
"Well, look at you, dear," Mrs. Ding said, "You clean up very nicely!"
"Mom!"
"What? You said yourself that you think she's pretty, didn't you?" Mrs. Ding asked. The mischievous gleam had returned to her eyes.
"Yeah, but Mom, that's not exactly the most respectful way to say it."
"It's alright. I'd better go talk to my friends before the contest starts. I'll see you later," Tigress said.
"Yes, you will. If you want to, that is," he said.
"Good luck."
He watched her leave. "What the hell was that?" he whispered to himself.
"You like her, son," Mrs. Ding said knowingly.
"We're just friends, Mom," Dongwa reminded her.
"Oh, but you like her more than that, I can tell. And who could blame you? Look at her! Pretty face, strong will, loyalty, dedication. And a member of the Furious Five! What man wouldn't fall for her?"
Dongwa shook his head. "We're just friends. And that's all we'll ever be."
"What makes you say that?"
He refused to look at his mother in the face. "Because girls like her don't go out with guys like me, Mom. You're right about all that stuff—she's strong, and smart, and brave. She's the most amazing girl that I've ever met. And I'm an orphan who's making noodles for a living. What would she possibly ever see in me?"
Mrs. Ding smiled as she sharpened a knife against a flat rock. "Maybe it's your charm, or your respect for others, or your mind. You've never had a girlfriend before, son, and I think that's partially my fault. I've always kept you working; you've never had the time to find anyone. But when a girl falls right into your lap, you don't just put her aside! You have to grab her and hold her tight before she finds someone else! And for someone like Master Tigress, that wouldn't be too difficult."
Dongwa looked at Tigress. She was talking and laughing with her friends.
She's off-limits. Her training is important to her and that probably take up a lot of her time, and besides, after the Noodle-Off we'll be gone and I'll never see her again. She's perfect, and an incredible woman, but we could never be. The world just doesn't work like that.
"But Tigress, he's gorgeous! I mean, look at him!"
"As gorgeous as he may be, we're just friends," she persisted.
Viper rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! You like him! And I'd bet every one of the Thousand Scrolls and the Dragon Scroll that he likes you too."
"What's wrong with them just being friends?" Crane asked.
"Look at us. We're just your friends and we're males," Monkey added.
"And besides, he's not good enough for her," Mantis said bitterly.
"Are you guys kidding me? He's perfect for her! Didn't you see how flustered he got when he first saw you in that dress?" Viper asked.
"Half the village is going to be like that because Tigress hardly ever wears a dress," Crane noted. Viper shook her head.
"You're all impossible. Tigress, if you don't ask him out by the end of the night, I'm going to ask him out. I know a cute guy when I see one. You have fair warning." She slithered back into the confines of the booth and began discussing something with Mr. Ping.
"You—you don't think she would actually do that, do you?" she asked the boys nervously.
They groaned. "Tigress, come on! What happened to the you that kicked that pig from over the counter and gave him a bloody nose?" Crane asked.
"Look, we're just trying to make sure that you don't get hurt," Mantis explained.
"I can take care of myself in that part of the matter, thank you! And besides, Dongwa is very sweet and funny and cute!" Tigress yelled.
"If you don't keep your voice down, then he'll hear you, and since you're so shy all of a sudden when he's around, you probably don't want that," Monkey warned.
Tigress glanced back at Dongwa, who was calmly talking to—Clover. Why am I not surprised?
"Isn't that your little sister? Geez, this guy gets all the action," Mantis said.
"Shut up! It's just one of her stupid little kid crushes," Tigress growled.
"You mean she doesn't like Po anymore?" Crane asked.
"You know, Tigress," Viper said, coming back over, "I've never seen you get so riled up about your sister liking one of your friends." Tigress scowled as she watched Clover.
She was doing what she normally did when she had a crush on an older man. She was batting her eyelashes, giggling like a moron, and "accidentally" brushing her hand over his. That sneaky, conniving little girl.
Tigress crossed back over to Mrs. Ding's booth. "Clover, Mama is looking for you. Don't keep her waiting," Tigress said.
"Actually, she sent me to find you. She wanted to know if you needed your other dress any time soon. She thinks she can get the blood out of it," Clover said casually.
"What blood?" Tigress asked. Clover smirked.
"You know, the blood in certain areas. You don't have to be embarrassed about your 'time of the month'. It happens to all girls."
Tigress' eyes went wide and she blushed crimson. "Clover, I just realized that I need a few scallions for the soup. Do you mind going and seeing if you can find some?" Dongwa asked.
"Sure. I'll be back soon." Tigress nearly fainted from embarrassment as her sister walked off, subtly swinging her hips. A heavy, awkward pause sprouted between the two tigers.
"Dongwa—I swear I don't know what she's talking about!" Tigress insisted, completely mortified.
"Don't worry, I understand. Little sisters are like that sometimes. It's alright," Dongwa alleviated.
Tigress' chest rose and fell rapidly. "I have to go." She took off and wove through the crowd, needing to be as far away from Dongwa as she possibly could. She finally stopped and hid in an alley.
"I cannot believe I just had to go through that," she muttered, sinking to the ground. Tigress hid her face in her hands. He'll probably never want to have anything more to do with me.
"Tigress?"
She peeked through her fingers. Mingxia was standing in front of her, smiling sympathetically. She sat down next to her daughter and Tigress threw her arms around her, crying softly. "Mama, I'll never be able to look Dongwa in the face again."
"Oh, Tigress, don't say that. What Clover did was wrong, and she'll be punished for it. But just because you were embarrassed once doesn't mean that you and Dongwa can't still be friends," Mingxia soothed, gently stroking Tigress' back.
"But I don't want for us to be only friends anymore, Mama! I… I was really attracted to him. It just felt good just to be around him. And now it's all ruined!" Tigress cried, her shoulders shaking.
"It's not ruined yet, Tigress. Trust me, when your father and I were courting, I made a fool of myself almost every day. I thought, why would he ever want to be with a klutz like me? So I decided to end it and get it over with. And right before I was about to break up with him, he got down on one knee and proposed. So even if you are embarrassed, it's okay. Dongwa will understand."
"Mama, I really liked him. A couple times there was this wave that came over me and I wanted to pounce on him and kiss him until his lips were black and blue. And when I would lay my head on his shoulder, I would want to wrap my arms around him and just stay that way forever. I don't know what's wrong with me," Tigress whispered.
Mingxia lifted Tigress' chin and looked into her daughter's eyes. "There's nothing wrong with you. You're in love, darling."
Tigress closed her eyes and rested her head in the crook of her mother's neck. Love? Can I really be in love? I've always been so dedicated to kung fu, and…
I love him. I love Dongwa. I love him. I love him.
"THE COMPETITION WILL START IN TEN MINUTES! PREPARE FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE EMPEROR OF CHINA!"
But can I really face him after being humiliated by my fourteen-year-old sister and then running away when he said he understood?
"Tigress, do you want to stay for the contest, or do you want me to take you home?" Mingxia asked. Tigress took a few deep breaths.
"I… I think I'll go. After all, I'm supposed to greet the emperor along with Master Shifu. It would be very rude of me to just not show up."
"I'm proud of you, darling."
Tigress and Mingxia shared one last hug before standing up and heading back through the crowd.
A/N: Finally, were getting up to the competition! This story is lasting a lot longer than I thought it would. And I am already brewing up a sequel for this. But if you think that's a terrible idea, then REVIEW and tell me so. In fact, review even if you think it's a good idea! REVIEWS ALL AROUND! WHOOOO! And by the way, can you find the reference in this chapter? Bet'cha can't! Holla!
