A/N: DON'T SHOOT! Okay, so I know no one reads these, but I feel like I need to explain myself - I actually have a pretty good excuse: 1. Writersblock. 2. Exams 3. Writersblock. So basically, I had writersblock for a long time, then I had exams (so I couldn't even attempt to write), then writersblock again.
AND GUESS WHAT? THIS IS THE LONGEST ONESHOT EVER. So that's good, right? Except, it's not very fluffy...really. It isn't at all. So, I hope you forgive me for that. Also, this chapter will almost certainly have a sequal (I was gonna keep going, but then it'd be TOO long).
For those of you who read my Kung Fu Panda 3 (which I will update soon...hopefully...), I hope you take the connection. :) It kind of just happened this way, then I decided to connect the two, since I talked about it. XD
I really hope you guys like it. I love the way it turned out - I just hope YOU GUYS like it. :)
MERRY (belated) CHRISTMAS! I praise Jesus everyday for coming to earth. Guys, I seriously would not be here today without Him. :)
Disclaimer: Same old. Same old. Nothing's changed.
Character
She opened her eyes.
Darkness.
Tigress began to panic, turning her head as she searched for any light. She found no light, but discovered she was chained to a tall and raised pillar, unable to move her arms as her wrists were chained above her. She cursed herself for being foolish and letting herself be caught; she cursed the man who imprisoned her.
"Coward!" She spat loudly, hoping there was someone to hear her venomous tone. Instead, the word echoed against the walls, coming back to her and hitting her in the face, as if it was decided that she was the coward.
She lowered her head, eyes downcast and shut as tears began to prick her eyes. What had she done? What had she gotten herself into?
What would become of her?
Suddenly, there was a light. It was faint and far away, but it began to move closer. Finally, her eyes figured out that it was a goose servant carrying a lit torch. Behind the goose, stood a black leopard. He stood tall, looming over her with his narrowed yellow eyes. His chest was puffed out, as if he was worth his weight in gold. He gave her a smile, letting her know he was completely in charge over her.
"Glad to see you're doing alright, princess."
"If you so much dare to call me that again, I will – "
"You'll what?" He asked as he tapped the chains that kept her wrists captive. Then he leaned down, bringing his face within inches of hers. "You are in position to talk, little one."
She spat in his face, making him recoil and cry in disgust. She smirked triumphantly, letting the action speak more than her words ever could. After he had wiped his face, he glare daggers, slamming his fist against the cold, cell wall.
"Tell me what you know!"
"Never!" She answered, giving him her best and angriest glare.
He leaned down at her height again, although this time keeping his distance, and spoke slowly, as if he was speaking to a mere child and not a teenager. "You listen here, little lady, and you listen good! You better tell me everything you know – everything Shifu taught you – or I'll put you through so much pain you wish you were never born!"
She gave him her best grin and glowed with triumph at the shock on his face as she replied. "Do your worst."
"Don't worry, my dear. I will."
She opened her eyes.
Pain.
Her breath hiccupped, tears clouding her vision as she tried her best not to let them fall. It seemed that all she had now was her pride; she wasn't about to lose it by crying.
Another torch light walked forward, but instead of a goose, it was held by the black leopard himself. He didn't even bother looking at her, instead he motioned the rhino behind her to come towards him.
"Has she said anything?" He asked the rhino.
The rhino shook his head. "No, sir. Not so much as even a peep! No cry, no sound at all. I thought I had killed her a few times – had to keep checking her breath to see if she was even alive – "
"Yes." The leopard interrupted, showing her had no care for the rhino nor the tigress. "What have you done to her?"
"Practically everything," The rhino said with a shrug, but a tone of amazement with the tigress. "Flogged her, burnt her, beat her up – broke quite a few bones, I might say."
"Not so much as a word?" The black leopard said, his tone steady and emotionless. Tigress looked up at him, and the way his eyes scanned her, she knew he was impressed.
"Not even a whimper!" The rhino cried.
The black leopard leaned down to Tigress' level. "Are you ready to sing?"
She smirked. "Not on your life."
"You are right. Not on mine – but on yours." He grinned wickedly, sending a shiver of fear to pass over her.
He stood up and turned to the rhino. "Flog her again."
The rhino seemed shocked. "But, master! With all due respect, she could die!"
The leopard glared at the girl. "So be it." He turned to leave, then looked back at the rhino. "And if she is still alive, and has yet to reveal information, then beat her up. Break every bone in her body. Break her ankles, her legs, her ribs, and her face!"
He stepped towards the rhino, getting in his face with a determined and angered glare on his own. "And if she still does not speak, burn her alive."
"Master!" The rhino looked at his leader with wide eyes and then at the tigress. "But she is just a child."
"Then she'll sing." He replied as he looked at the young tiger. He began to leave the cell, when he heard her haunting words echo around him.
"I'll die before I so much as whisper."
She opened her eyes.
Nothingness.
The pain was unbearable now. Her breath heaved out as all she could do was concentrate on the pain. Her back was cut open and bleeding profusely at a deathly rate. Nearly every inch of her body was bruising, the large majority a sickly black. The order had been followed; her ankles were broken, her femurs were fractured, most of her ribs were broken, and her face was beginning to swell from the broken or cracked bones and the dark bruises.
She could no longer help it, and she began to let the tears fall. She was unable to see a thing, but her mouth was closed. She did not so much as whisper.
"Psst. Kid!" The rhino whispered as he walked over. She opened her eyes, but he was nothing but a dark smug in front of her.
"What do you want?" She managed to reply in a venomous tone; or at least, as venomous as she could muster. It however sounded more like a pained whimper, causing the rhino to look away in guilt.
"Kid, I did everything the master said," The rhino replied. "Now he wants me to kill you, but lighting you on fire!" His eyes scanned over her, pleading. "Just tell him what he wants, and you can leave alive!"
"And where would I go?"
"What? Back home, of course – "
"You don't get it," She stated, emotionless. "I cannot go back to the people I betrayed."
His eyes widened as he understood. "So what are you doing to do?"
"I am going to die." She closed her eyes, concentrating only on breathing.
"But you're only a child." The rhino stated in shock.
"Perhaps this is…my lot in life…then," She kept her eyes closed, the words panted out with each shallow breath she took.
The pain was excruciating, every part of her body screamed. Consciousness was being stolen from her, and she fought it as best she could. Stay awake! She screamed at herself. Do not let him win!
Her body suddenly fell limp.
She opened her eyes.
Warmth.
Her eyes scanned the room as her brain tried to process where she was, and after many moments of looking around, it hit her: I'm in the medical room of the Jade Palace.
How?
Suddenly, her whole body began to scream in pain, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Each broken bone felt like fire, and her body felt heavier because of the swelling. She closed her eyes, squeezing them shut (and causing more pain because of her black eyes) and trying to deal with the pain.
She opened them, however, when she heard footsteps. To her right stood her master.
"You are awake." Shifu stated.
"Master?" She whispered. Her jaw burnt like fire and the cuts on her lips reopened wider with each word she spoke. "How am I here?"
"Rescue mission," He stated simply and left it at that. Moments of silence filled the room, and she almost allowed herself to slip into unconsciousness, now that she felt safe.
But just before she willed herself, he cleared his throat. "I just want to say how pr—" here he stopped and clear his throat once more. "—even near death, you did not say anything. That took real courage; you will be a great warrior someday if you keep to this."
And like that, the happiness was gone from his voice and instead he spoke emotionless. "I expect to see you in the training hall the minute you can."
She smiled as she fell into blackness.
He opened his eyes.
Certainty.
Po knew exactly how his day was going to be the minute he jumped out of bed. Say hello to dad, each some breakfast, clean the restaurant, serve and cook in the restaurant until dusk, then clean the restaurant, then eat dinner, then say goodnight to dad.
It was the same thing, everyday of his life. And to tell the truth, he was sick of it.
He rolled out of bed with a moan, and then began his day: he said hello to dad, he ate breakfast with dad; he swept the restaurant and got ready for the afternoon lunch buzz of guests, and so they came. Po did what he did every afternoon, serving the guests (and screwing up a few times, as he always did).
But like it did everyday at this time, the restaurant's business slowed down to a halt, giving the panda and the goose breathing room as the former cleaned and the latter cooked. Until, that is, three customers walked into the courtyard in a group.
Two were pigs. One was an older gentlemen with spectacles in order to see clearly, and the other was younger and handsomer. The third was a goose, in between the ages of the pigs.
Po recognized them right away, for they came every week at this time. The three would order the same food and talk of politics and news going on in China. Normally, Po disliked overhearing it (for it bored him and almost put him to sleep each week), with the exception of when they had news about kung fu masters, to which he listened avidly.
"The usual?" Po called out to the three as they took their seats at their usual table. They each gave him a passive nod, and Mr. Ping began cooking their meals as Po continued wiping down the table across from them.
The three began their weekly discussion as they always did. They started with pleasantries, asking about the others' job, family, and life. Each took a turn discussing the events that occurred within the past week.
Po zoned in and out of of the conversation as he listened to their lives, and then finally the topic of politics (to which he zoned out almost completely). Time passed. Po had washed down all the tables and was nearly finished with sweeping the courtyard, and the three were finished with their meals.
Po sighed to himself, wondering how politics happened to change so much within a week, when suddenly the oldest pig spoke, catching Po's ear instantly. "Speaking of the Grandmaster, you know his student, Master Shifu, correct?"
The goose and younger pig nodded, and the elder continued. "Did you know he has an apprentice? A student, I think is what one is called."
The goose snorted. "Since when?"
"Over five years now."
The younger's eyebrows furrowed together in question. "So how come we never hear of him?"
"Her, actually."
Once again, the goose snorted. "That's why."
"And she's young." The elder continued.
"How young?" The younger asked.
The elder looked away with furrowed eyebrows as he thought to himself, trying his best to remember. "I think about thirteen."
"Not too young, then." Replied the other pig.
"Think of it this way," the goose added on. "If she was not Shifu's apprentice, she would have had two or three little ones by now!"
"But she's still young." The elder insisted.
"Okay, so why bring her up, Chao Zhi?" The goose asked.
The elder pig, named Chao Zhi, replied. "She had been sent alone on a mission—first time ever, apparently—up against Wu Fang."
Po, who had stopped working and listened to the entire conversation, suddenly leapt forward and exclaimed. "Wu Fang? But that's suicide! He's the dictator of a southeastern province! The emperor's been wanting that territory for centuries, but no one has been able to take the dictator out! Why would they send a kid in?"
The three simply stared, glaring, at the panda, who laughed nervously and stepped back. "Sorry. Pretend that never happened."
"Yes…" Chao Zhi said slowly, turning to his companions.
"So what happened to her?" asked the younger pig.
"Nearly tortured to death." Chao Zhi replied, and the two beside him fell into silence. "Master Shifu rescued her moments before she was going to be burnt to death, but the torture had already been done."
"How severely?" asked the younger pig.
"A majority of her bones are either broken or cracked in some way. Nearly every inch of her is bruised and swollen, at that!"
"Wow," The younger pig gasped out.
"How do you know this?" the goose asked, somewhat skeptical.
"My wife is good friends with the wife of a palace servant." The elder pig answered.
Po couldn't stand it any longer. He took a step towards the table, albeit somewhat timidly, and asked, "So how is she?"
The older pig didn't seem to be upset as he had been before. Instead, he answered with an honest tone, "Not too good, I've heard. It was a miracle she made it out alive – but there's a chance she won't live on."
"But that means there's a chance that she will?" Po asked.
Chao Zhi smiled. "Yes, there is still a chance."
"What's her name?" Po asked.
Chao Zhi looked him straight in the eyes as he replied. "Tigress."
He opened his eyes.
Certainty.
Po rolled out of bed like he did every morning – and the day was the same as each day, with the exception of what he was thinking of.
Tigress.
He knew nothing about her, except she was young, a kung fu student, and severely injured, and as the day went on, Po prayed to every god that he knew that she would be alright.
It was when the lunch order had slowed to a breathable rate, that suddenly a goose flew in. But as Po watched the dark goose waddle to the counter, he realized that he was a palace worker by the medallion on his cloak.
"Can I help you?" Mr. Ping said with a normal tone; he either didn't notice the medallion or he didn't recognize it for what it truly was. Po, who was standing inside the kitchen, took a step towards the counter, behind his dad.
"A whole pot of Secret Ingredient Soup – to go." The dark goose answered.
"A whole pot?" Mr. Ping exclaimed. "What on earth for?"
"Our chef is out sick," The messenger replied. "And, well, we need dinner."
"Yes," Mr. Ping nodded. "I see. However, you might have to wait awhile."
"Uh," The messenger looked at the sun, then looked sheepish as he swallowed. "Yes, of course."
Po had been listening the whole time. How could he miss up a chance like this? To go to the Jade Palace had always been his dream – and he had a chance to live it! "I'll take it!"
Both geese looked at the panda in shock.
Mr. Ping cried. "What?"
"I can take it up to the Jade Palace once the noodles are done." Po repeated aloud.
"No, you – "
"That would be excellent." The messenger interrupt as he sighed happily. "Thanks again!" He placed the coins on the counter and flew off.
Mr. Ping turned to his son with a glare on his face. "Po, I can't let you go!"
"What?" Po blinked. "Why not?"
"Because it's so far away – "
"—dad, it's right around the corner and up a few stairs."
"You're so young – "
"—I'm fourteen!"
"You just turned fourteen!"
Po sighed. But then Mr. Ping looked at his son, with tears in his eyes, "I suppose it's about time I let you venture away from the nest."
"Dad, it's a delivery."
"Today it's a delivery, tomorrow it's the Valley—and the next thing I know, it's all of China!"
"Dad."
Mr. Ping sighed. "Very well. Now, you go finish your chores while I start on the pot."
Po nodded and left to sweep the courtyard. He had never been so excited in all of his life; he was going to the Jade Palace!
She opened her eyes.
Purposeless.
She had been bedridden for two weeks now. Her head was feeling much better, and her black outs were now few. However, there was little to do but sleep, and sleep got repetitive and boring when you didn't need it.
And without purpose, it gave her time to think. About everything.
She thought about the torture.
Each time she remembered, tears would pierce her eyes, begging to fall. But she would not let them; but that didn't mean it hurt any less. Not only was she in physical pain, the constant reminder of those horrid hours gave her emotional pain, as well.
Suddenly, as she thought, Shifu's words rang through her ears.
He had been proud of her – or at least, that's what she had assumed. At least he liked what she did. She was strong and unshattering: she was hardcore. And if that was what her master, her father, wanted to see, then she would give him what he wanted to see.
She would remain tough. She would remain strong. She would remain hardcore.
But even if he had not said those words to her, she thought bitterly, she would still have chosen a hard core; no one walks away from something as traumatic as she went through and not change.
And once again, his words rang through the air as she remembered them. I expect to see you in the training hall the minute you can.
She snorted. Why not now?
She sat up slowly, as not to reopen any wounds on her back. Then slipped out of bed, using the small bed-side desk for support. Her whole body screamed with pain as she limped towards the door.
"You can do this." She whispered to herself. "You need to do this!"
She made it all the way to the exit of the barracks before she passed out.
She opened her eyes.
Warmth. And then disappointment.
She was back in the medical room at the end of the barracks. She huffed, crossing her arms against her chest. She hated this.
He opened his eyes.
Excitement.
He closed his eyes again, then opened, wondering if this was all just some type of dream. It wasn't.
Po had (finally) made it all of the way up to the Jade Palace carrying a large pot of noodles. It had taken him awhile (and he was half dead), but he was there, and it had been worth it.
He was in the courtyard, where the celebrations took place (although none had taken place recently, for there were few things to celebrate). He looked around, wondering where he was supposed to take the pot. He saw a dark goose, wearing a palace medallion, walking.
"Excuse me!" He cried out, scurrying towards the goose, who then turned and looked at the panda with wide eyes.
"Yes…?"
Po awkwardly stared at the goose, at a loss of words. Eventually, he lifted up the pot higher and said, "Noodles."
"Oh!" cried the goose. "You have our food. Yes, just follow this road"—here he pointed at small path to the right—"to the servants barrack."
Po nodded, then followed the road the goose led at. As time passed, he finally made it to the servants barrack, to which he hurriedly placed the pot of noodles in their kitchen, then left the barracks without a thought.
Po grinned. "That was easy." He began to wipe his hands against each other in triumph as he turned to leave, but stopped. He was at the Jade Palace! When would he ever get a chance to be so close to it again?
Never!
Po looked both ways, and when there was no sign of anyone, he followed the path onward to see where it would lead. The path continued on, and minutes passed until finally he got to another building of barracks. He was confused at first, thinking he was in the same place over again, but upon closer examination, he discovered it was different.
What's one look? Po thought to himself with a sneakish grin, then opened the door and walked inside.
It was mainly just a long hall with doors that led to rooms. Most of the doors were shut, and Po only opened a few, but few were opened already, to which Po explored.
"This is…AWESOME!" Po exclaimed, then covered his mouth with his hands, remembering to be quiet. He finally made it to the last few rooms of the barracks, and Po considered just leaving without opening them.
But he didn't. Instead, he opened the door to the left and stepped inside.
"Wow…" he whispered, his eyes scanning the medical room.
"Who's there?"
Po yelped with alarm as he took a step back. "Who said that?"
"The only one in the bed." Was the sarcastic reply.
He looked in the bed, and sure enough, laid a…uh, he wasn't sure what it was. He walked closer and squinted his eyes. Finally, he gasped softly.
It was a tiger.
"Tigress?" Po blinked in shock, walking even closer to the risen mat.
She lifted her chin, looking up at him – or at least trying. Although she hated to admit it, the swelling of bruised eyes made it near impossible to see. All she saw was a black and white smug in front of her.
"Do I know you?" She asked, somewhat bitterly.
His brain began to fail. He was talking to Master Shifu's student! He knew that someday, she would be a legend. HE WAS TALKING TO AN ALMOST KUNG FU LEGEND.
What do you say to someone as awesome as that?
"Well?" She said, causing him to stop thinking and start talking.
"Uh, no!" He stuttered. "I mean, you don't know me because I don't belong here – I mean, I don't work here. I'm just, uh, visiting."
"I see." She said without emotion, causing an awkward silence to fill the room.
Po was standing at the foot of the matt, staring down at Tigress (who was looking down at her hands). Chao Zhi had not been kidding – it was a miracle she was even breathing! All he could see was her shoulders and her face, and they looked terrible. Her shoulders were wrapped in white cloth, although blood was seeping through because of the whip lashes. Her face was twice the size it she had been, being all shades from dark blacks, blues, and purples, to sickly yellows and browns.
Without thinking, he whispered. "It's a miracle."
"What did you say?" Tigress said, looking up.
"Oh!" Po exclaimed, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Nothing! I mean…I just said it's a miracle."
"What's a miracle?"
"Well…that you're alive." Po said honestly, causing Tigress to look away. Awkward silence passed, until she said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone –"
"You would?"
She blinked. "Yes…?"
"Well, I mean, you're gonna be stuck in bed for quite awhile. You'll be alone for a long time!" Po then laughed; however, it echoed against the wall alone. He looked at her, hoping she would join in with a smile; instead, her face was stone.
"Right. Leaving." Po turned to leave, when suddenly he stopped. "Wait."
He took a deep breath. What was he doing? Was he trying to make her hate him? But then he shook his head; what could go wrong? This was his chance and talking with a kung fu (eventual) master – and she would never even see him again, anyway.
He looked around the room and found a stool, which he placed beside her raised mat.
She looked right at him (although all she still saw was a black and white smug) with furrowed eyebrows. "What are you doing?"
"I can't leave you alone."
She looked away, blinking as she looked straight ahead.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"I'm not sure if I should be severely annoyed or mildly touched."
He chuckled. "Let's go with touched."
Silence filled the room, and albeit awkward, not as much as before. "What's your favorite lullaby?"
"What?" She exclaimed in confusion, sitting up a little. This only caused her pain, and she moaned as she bit her lip.
"Tigress, are you okay?" He said, leaning over her.
"I'm fine!" She hissed, causing him to jump back slightly. After a moment, she slowly leaned back against the pillows. "Or at least as fine as I could get."
He waited before he spoke softly. "What does it feel like?"
"What?"
"Being tortured."
She did not know him. Why should she tell him a hint of her pain? He would only judge her! And yet, perhaps it was because he was a stranger that she could tell him her pain. Maybe he wouldn't judge her; after all, he did not know enough to judge. She would probably never see him again after this, anyway (and darn it all if she wasn't bored of sleeping all the time!).
She took a deep breath, her eyes darting back and forth against the ceiling as she thought of a way to describe it. "Have you ever broken a bone?"
He nodded, but then noticed that she wasn't looking at him (and he doubted she could see very clearly with her swollen eyes). Instead, he replied, "Yeah."
"Have you ever bruised? Swollen?"
"Yeah. Yeah."
"Burnt?"
"Uh-huh."
"Imagine all that, but every inch of your body – and add flogging on your back. And then add the emotion."
"The emotion?" He questioned. "What emotion?"
"Not only is there physical pain," She explained. "But also emotional."
"Like what?"
"Hopelessness, for one. The guilt of getting yourself caught. The feeling of failing, the thought of the enemy winning. And all you can do is take the pain and think these thoughts."
"What…what did Wu Fang want to know?"
"Do you know that Wu Fang is the dictator of an area of land in the southeast?" When he nodded, she continued on. "Well, Wu Fang wants to expand his empire and become the new ruler of all of China if he could help it. He felt the best way to do so was by force – kung fu."
"So he tried to get kung fu secrets from you, right?" He asked, and she nodded in response. "But why you?"
"Perhaps he thought my age and gender would make me crack easier than any other." She turned to him, flashing a bright smirk at him with triumph. "But he was wrong."
He smiled back at her, but as she turned away, he looked her face over. He was suddenly filled with righteous anger as he looked at her nearly disfigured face, so black and blue, swollen, and bones shattered (and that was just her face, let alone the rest of her body).
"How could he?" He whispered, but the tone was layer thick with venom.
"What do you mean?" She asked, looking at him once again.
"You're so young! He was willing to torture you to death to get mere kung fu techniques! You could have died – you still could die because of how he hurt you!" He slammed his fist against the bed-side desk beside him. He glared at the floor, unsure if he could trust his own emotions.
Moments passed, and his words floated against the thick air. She looked down at her hands, closing her eyes, unsure if she could trust her own emotions. He didn't even know her! He was some stranger, who happened to walk in here by chance – by accident!
There are no accidents.
She looked up, almost expecting the old grandmaster to be standing in the room. He was not, but his words remindered her of the time he had said this to her: I don't belong here! I can do nothing right! I'll never please Shifu – it was a mistake of him fostering me! An accident!
Ahh, my dear child, there are no accident.
She looked over at the stranger, and with her blurred vision, she saw that he was still glaring at the floor. Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke. "That is my lot in life."
"To be tortured?" He sounded angrier now.
"To be tortured so you don't have to." She replied. He looked up at her in shock and slight confusion, and she continued on. "It's what we kung fu warriors do, we're different people, really; we protect those who cannot protect themselves. We suffer afflictions of all kinds – albeit physical or emotional – by training, wars, or torture – so we can protect."
She continued on, although with each word spoken, it was as if she was reminding herself why she lived. "We right wrongs, we bring justice – we stop wars by fighting them, and we bring peace! We walk through the very fires of hell in order that someone else would not have to." She looked him square in the eye with a glare of determination. "And I would go through Wu Fang's torture all over again if it meant no other would have to. And as far as I'm concerned? I went through it for you."
"For me?" His voice cracked, and with eyes as wide as woks, he pointed to himself.
She nodded. "You and any other."
Silence passed as he let the words sink in. He repeated aloud, in order to comprehend. "You bring justice and protect others?"
She nodded. "That's right."
But with only one look at her battered face, he said, "So what happens when those who right wrongs has been wronged? What happens when those who bring justice, have been done unjustly?"
She was quiet, letting his words sink in as she thought of the answer. The thing was, there was none. "I don't know. I suppose we just live with it."
Silence passed between them, and he was at a loss for words. What do you say to someone who's gone through such a hell – willingly? He placed a gentle hand on her arm, and when she turned her eyes to look at him, he looked her square in the eye and smiled.
"Thank you."
She couldn't help but returned the smile, giving a gentle nod back, as if to thank him for his gratitude. They kept their eyes locked, and things felt right. Before long, however, he looked away and stood. "I think it's time I go."
"Of course." She said, and while her face showed no emotion, the slight hitch in her voice told him she wanted his company for a little while longer (or, at least, he sure hoped he was reading her right). He sat down again, then repeated the question asked earlier. "What's your favorite lullaby?"
She looked at him skeptically, questioning his sanity, before crossing her arms against her chest. "I don't have one."
"Really? Not one at all?"
"Well, I don't know any."
"Oh." He muttered to himself, then said with a smile. "A kung fu warrior thing?"
"That and an orphanage thing."
He felt awkward for asking the question now. Instead, he went on, "I'll sing you my favorite!"
"Why?"
"Well, it's because I like the melody and the lyrics make me happy – "
"No, I mean, why are you singing me a lullaby?"
"Oh! Well, whenever I'd get sick, my dad would sing me my favorite lullaby. It was a way to relax me and put me to sleep, so I wouldn't have to think about being sick, and I could get the rest I needed. So, I thought, why not sing one to you to get your mind off the pain?"
Unexplainably, she was touched. She gave a gentle smile, then closed her eyes and gave a nod, signaling him to started singing. He was actually a good singer, believe it or not.
He sung of how the sky was so proud of her, that the sun gave her perfect sunny days. The wind was so proud, that he would give her a breeze whenever she needed to cool off. The river was also proud of her, so he gave her the best water whenever she swam in it. The earth was so proud of her, all she had to do was plant the seeds, and the crops grew. Finally, the earth, the sky, the wind, and the water all spoke together about how proud they were of her, because of her kindness, selflessness, and her courage to be herself.
Suddenly, he singing stopped, and he said gently, "I'm proud of you, too."
The words stunned her, as she had never heard them together before. She was about to open her eyes and ask him, when suddenly she felt a gentle touch on her forehead; he had kissed her.
She opened her eyes, causing him to jump back. "What are you doing?"
"Sorry! I'm so sorry – I didn't mean – I mean, I did – but you just looked so peaceful, and I…" He trailed off, but wouldn't let the awkward silence come, so instead he said quickly as he sat down on his stole. "I can sing you another lullaby!"
She looked at him skeptically for a moment, then closed her eyes and began to relax. "Sing me the same one."
He did as he said, singing the lullaby as before. When he finally finished, he was sure she was asleep. So he sat and looked at her.
There was something about her, and he couldn't place his finger on it. From what he could gather, she had been hurt many times before (more emotionally than physically), but still she pressed on. She strived for life – and the only reason for her life was to eventually sacrifice it for another.
"Perhaps my life isn't that bad." He muttered to himself. "I mean, it's better that my life be certain than waking up and not knowing if I'll live or die."
He shuddered at the thought. Looking at her peaceful face one last time, he stood up and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Tigress. I hope…I hope to see you again."