Hey everyone! I hope you like this new oneshot!

I'm also really sorry to say that it might be difficult for me to update for a couple of weeks. I've got a really important exam coming up, and it starts in a week, so I'm studying hard for that. I'll definitely try to update in that time, though.

So, don't worry, I'm not planning on discontinuing... :)

Just won't be updating as regularly as usual for a couple of weeks. Everything will be back to normal at the end of December.

So, yeah. Thank you to all my viewers, reviewers, followers and favorite-ers.

Enjoy!

-Estelle

"What does it take to be hardcore?" Po asked Tigress excitedly.

"To be hardcore you have to be..."

Cold.

"...um, determined." Tigress said.

"Right! Determined! Gotta get that one down!"

"Yes... you must get that... down..."

"Well? What else?"

"To be a hardcore warrior, you must be.."

Cold.

"...Strong."

"Strong?" repeated Po.

"Yes." the tiger nodded, "Strong."

"Yeah. Yup-dee-do, I got that one!"

"Of course you do." Tigress said bemusedly, "You also must be..."

Cold.

"..Brave."

"I'm brave!"

"Yes, you are." Tigress agreed, "You must be brave. Fearless."

"Well, don't have to work too hard for that one!" Po said brightly.

"You must be..." Tigress continued.

Cold.

"Smart."

"Smart?" Po echoed confusedly, "You have to be smart to be hardcore?"

"Of course you do. You have to be smart for everything."

"Oh... OK, what else?"

"To be a hardcore warrior, you must... be..."

Cold.

"... able to.. um, block out all feelings of pain and, um, emotion." Tigress finished.

"Yeah, that one's gonna be a bit tricky!" Po said thoughtfully, "But not too tricky. I hope."

No, you don't hope. Tigress thought to herself, You don't want to be hardcore, Po.

But aloud, she said, "Not too tricky, of course not. You have to be..."

Cold.

"... hard-working."

"Got that down!" Po decided.

With every word she spoke, Master Tigress couldn't understand why she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Say that one word that had been ringing through her head during the whole conversation.

Because she didn't want to tell Po. She wasn't in the mood for a pep talk.

Or because she believed that she was right. Because she believed that that was what she was.

Because that was how she thought of herself.

But she couldn't bring herself to say it, say the word that had been running through her mind continuously.

To be a hardcore warrior, you had to be...

Cold.