Song of Woes

"So, you're Tigress's cook?" Song asked.

"Yes, and you're Tigress's secret admirer," Po joked. Song sadly chuckled.

"More like her secret rejection," She sighed.

"Why is that?" Po asked. Song sighed again.

"I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand."

"You don't think that anyone else will have you?" Po guessed. Song's eyes widened.

"Um... what did I say at the party?" Song asked, now embarrassed.

"It's okay," Po smiled reassuringly, "You didn't say anything too revealing. Except you wanted to have sex with Tigress."

"I said that!?" Song cried out. "Now she's never going to date me?"

"You...just want Tigress to date you?"

"Yes! I love her!" Po stopped what he was doing and stared at her. "What?"

"Nothing," Po sighed. "You just... remind me of myself when I was younger."

"How so?" Song asked.

"I thought I loved someone. But in reality, I was in love with the idea of being loved and loving others. But I don't want to bother you with my tale of woe," Po said, knowing that felines had a natural curiosity complex.

"No, no, no. Please. What happened?"

"Long story short. Wife cheats on me with step-brother."

"Oh."

"When the step-brother finally can't stand seeing me hurt again, he rejects my wife and she takes our baby and leaves."

"Oh!"

"And after sleeping with five guys, she kills herself, the baby, and the abuser in a fire."

"Oh!" Song exclaimed. "I... I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry, Po."

"It's alright. Anyways, I know what you're going through."

"Are you saying that I don't really love Tigress, but I love the idea of loving Tigress?" Song asked. Rather than answer the question, Po asked another question.

"Let me ask you something. Do you know why you're a lesbian?" Song was caught off guard.

"Yes, it's my preference and it's who I am."

"Have you date guys before?"

"Yes."

"Have you dated girls before?"

"Yes."

"Then why is Tigress so special?" Song found herself caught. Why was Tigress so special?

"She makes me feel special. She... doesn't treat me like a one night stand."

"I'm sorry that careless men have treated you like that," Po apologized. Song gave a chuckle.

"It's the women that treat me like that." Po was surprised. But then again, same sex, same problems. "I stopped dating men because they just... didn't know me or get me."

"Hmm, I can understand that. So what about the women?"

"Well, most of the women I've dated are just trying to get some... relief in bed. I just want a relationship," Song sighed.

"And Tigress?"

"Tigress at least doesn't outright reject me. But I... it's never going to work, is it?"

"You don't know that," Po smiled.

"Why are you encouraging me?" Song asked.

"Huh?"

"You're religious, aren't you?" Po was incredibly surprised.

"How... How on earth did you know that?"

"Just... how you act and talk. You remind me of my grandma, the only good religious person I've ever met."

"Your parents weren't?"

"My parents still don't accept my change," Song sighed. "I still don't understand why the Master hates my guts because I'm lesbian."

"He doesn't hate you. He doesn't hate anyone. He just hates what we do."

"You seem like a logical person... that's also religious," Song smirked a bit. She was suggesting that the two were completely opposite of each other. "Why does the Master have a problem with homosexuality?" She knew that it was a trap because most mindless religious people would just default to a simple, 'he said so'. But Po simply looked over to a wall where an intricate painting was hung.

"How long did it take you to make that painting for Tigress?" Po asked. The snow leopard turned over to the painting. She was surprised that Tigress kept it.

"Three days, 14 hours, 3 minutes, and 23 seconds," Song sighed, "But who's counting?" Po smiled at her as he finally finished her tea for her. "Thank you."

"Now, how did you feel when Tigress got it?"

"She loved it! I was so happy," Song smiled remembering the event.

"Now, if she had thrown the painting away and took a cheap painting from a different lesbian, much less beautiful than yourself, and had sex with her, how would you feel?"

"I... I would feel... destroyed," Song replied.

"Sex and marriage are symbolic things from the Master to animal kind. Two individuals coming together to become one; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. They're also gifts from the Master. Now homosexuality isn't the ONLY thing that involves sex that he hates. There are other perverted things. Like cheating. The real issue behind all of these things is that it's basically trampling on a gift from someone who loves you. Practically, there are some health problems, but the real issue is that it's a relationship issue between the Master and animal-kind." Song never thought of it like that.

"Oh."

"But if you don't want a relationship with the Master, then it doesn't matter. People think if you DON'T Follow the Master you're an awful person. While that tends to be true, the Master wants a willing relationship. My concern is those who call themselves followers of the Master yet are more focus on the religion than the relation."

"You think they don't do their fair share?"

"I could care less about that. I'm worried more about the people they interact with. If they lead anyone, even the lowest of them, to think that the Master is someone that cares nothing about them, it's better if they die than to do that," Po argued. Song smiled.

"You're a good person, Po," Song sighed. "Maybe you're right. I guess I liked the idea of finally finding someone that will treat me right that... I didn't consider their feelings towards me."

"Um... I feel I have to tell you something about Tigress. She um... well, you know she's not a lesbian, right?" Po said. Song's eyes shot open.

"She's not!" Song exclaimed. The snow leopard facepalmed herself. "I'm such an idiot! That's why!"

"What made you think that she was?"

"I don't know. She was turning down guys left and right."

"Have you considered the kind of guys that asked her out?" Po suggested. Song thought about it. Most of them were drunken idiots that didn't know how to treat women or themselves.

"Yeah, you do have a point," Song sighed. "I've been wasting my time, then."

"Well, then don't waste any more time. Work on bettering yourself in the meanwhile," Po smiled. Song smiled back as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Po." She put the bed sheet back in Tigress room. Just then, a knock on the door came. "Is that her?"

"No, that's probably my brother-in-law," Po replied.

"You mean the one-"

"Don't worry. He's nice and he's not as bad as you think. He was the only one that was really concerned about me," Po said as he opened the door. Song's mouth dropped a little when she saw Wugu.

"Hey, Po."

"Hey, Wugu. The stuff is downstairs. Are you coming, Song?" Po asked.

"Um... yeah," She nervously replied. The three went down and got the stuff that Po needed to return.

"There. Now you have everything."

"Thanks," Wugu sighed. Po smiled as he rested his hand on his shoulder.

"Cheer up, Wugu. I know it's been ten months now, but things have gone for the better for us. Have you talked with that counselor I told you about?"

"Yeah. It's tough, though," Wugu sighed.

"You're Po's late wife's step-brother?" Song asked. Wugu looked around Po and really saw Song for the first time. His eyes widened for a moment.

"Um... yeah. Wait, how do you know about me?"

"Po told me about what happened to her. I'm sorry that you went through that," Song sympathetically replied.

"It's okay. I'm recovering a bit," Wugu replied, giving a brave kind of smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"Song. You're-"

"Wugu," he replied.

"Well, nice that you two have gotten to know each other," Po said, oblivious to what was happening between them.

"Um... I just need to make a call for a moment," Wugu stumbled, calling some random person. Song whispered to Po.

"He seems... nice."

"I know he seems cold and distant, but he did lose someone close to him," Po sighed.

"And he's single."

"Yes, he-" Then Po caught on to what was happening. "Yes, he's single. Why?"

"No reason," Song quickly said.

"You're not thinking of... switching, are you? Are you actually attracted to him?"

"It's not impossible, Po," Song remarked. "It's just that... I don't know. He is pretty cute and I definitely know why your wife took a liking to him." Po just gave Song a deadpanned look. "I'm so sorry Po, I didn't- No offense, right?" Song nervously smiled.

"None taken," Po muttered. "But what about your 'preference'? I know that people have an insanely hard time switching back to heterosexuality, mainly because their former friends criticize them."

"I'm not going to go back immediately, but... I want to try and at get to know him better. I'm tired of trying to do the impossible with Tigress." Song sighed. Then she suddenly remembered. "Oh, crud! I just remembered. I have no ride back home."

"I can take you home," Wugu suddenly spoke up. "If... if that's okay with you."

"Um... okay," Song agreed. Po simply smiled as they took the elevator down. Tigress was in the lobby, stalling for time when Song came out of the elevator with Wugu in tow.

"Uh oh," Tigress muttered, trying to be invisible. Song spotted her and went over to talk to her in private.

"Tigress?" said the female snow leopard. Tigress now had to act kind.

"Song, how are you doing?" Tigress gritted her teeth.

"It's okay, I understand you're not... like me," Song explained. "I won't be bothering you now. I honestly thought that you were... you know-"

"A lesbian?"

"Yeah."

"No, no I'm not," Tigress clarified. "Sorry that you were... misled."

"I'm sorry for bothering you about it. You can throw away that painting if you want. I won't be in your contact circle anymore," Song replied, briefly smiling as she was about to leave.

"Now wait," Tigress stopped her. "I never said we couldn't be friends. Just stop hitting on me."

"Okay. I will," Song smiled as she went out with Wugu to her house. Tigress glared at Po.

"What?! What did I do?"

"That's what I was about to ask. You magically get her to stop bothering me? What did you do?"

"Simple. I told her you weren't a lesbian."

"You mean she honestly didn't know?"

"Did you ever say you weren't?" Po asked.

"Well, no. But she could have taken a hint."

"And there's your problem. Sometimes you just have to be blunt with people," Po explained. Tigress rolled her eyes but then smirked.

"You're incredibly cute," Tigress smirked, making the panda blush. "Was that blunt enough?" Tigress asked as she went to the elevator.

"Very," Po gulped. "Hey wait!"

"Well, that was an interesting part," Crane chuckled.

"Did the two of you ever have problems being so close, proximity-wise to each other?" Mrs. Falcon asked. Po pulled at his collar for air.

"Um... well-"

Continued...