A/N - I could apologize until the end of time, and it STILL wouldn't be enough! I'm reeaaalllyyy sorry this update took so long. But, don't think I haven't been trying! I have 64 (yes, you read correctly) unfinished oneshots - most I never will finish, but there are quite a few I'd like to finish. So, before you think "Wow! Sunny is lazzzy!" Uh, no. It just takes me awhile to get a story RIGHT. So, there you are. Hopefully the fact that this story is ~13,000 words will cheer you up! :D
Like always, the word only kind of relates. But I realized how many of my stories, since they're oneshots, make it seem like Po and Tigress got together really easily - and I wanted to try to show what reality is like. ;P It happens "during" KFP2, so it might not be possible, but I think I got around that nicely.
If you read all that, you're awesome.
Disclaimer - You really think I'd be on if I owned KFP? C'mon, peepz.
Hope
Po wiped his sweaty palms against his shorts. He tried to calm himself down by only concentrating on his breathing, and it seemed to work, until he began his speech again and repeated the whole process.
He groaned, throwing his arms in frustration. He couldn't make a speech! After all, what did one say to the Emperor of China?
After he had defeated Lord Shen, Gongmen City was in need of major repair. Every master stayed to clean up the city, which, after weeks, was nearly completed. The Emperor of China, along with his entourage, was coming to Gongmen City, because he knew the importance of the city's exports and came to encourage his people. The Emperor's vacation home was conveniently only half a day's walk away, where he had just arrived. He had invited every citizen of Gongmen City, every master, and anyone helping with cleanup to a fine dinner at his vacation home. After weeks and weeks of cleaning and building and living on only rice, the thought of a nice meal sent the city into ecstatics. While the masters would be split into shifts to guard the Emperor and his home, another reason for the party was to thank the masters.
So here was Po now, in his hotel room, trying his best to come up with a speech. Okay, sure, it wasn't an official speech. He was just going to say a few words to the Emperor as they ate. But still, what did one say to the Emperor of China?
Po had thought of making the speech simple: I was glad to help you out. Thanks for inviting me to your home. It's nice. Or something along the lines of Lord Shen? Piece of cake.
Not that it was a "piece of cake." But then he figured the Emperor of all of China had to be smart, and he tried to come up with something fancy: my grand emperor, I humbly stand before you today in complete gratitude as to be invited into your exquisite palace…
Now, after stumbling over the word exquisite for the fourth time, he had given up. So what he was the Dragon Warrior? He couldn't give a speech to save his life. The pressure of it being the Emperor didn't help his case, either.
Po took a deep breath and started again. "To be given this honor is beyond what I can ask for. To stand in your presence, my Emperor, is…uh…awesome? What's a synonym for awesome?"
"How about remarkable?"
Po turned around quickly at the sound of Tigress' voice. She stood, leaning against the doorframe with a controlled smirk on her face. She gracefully walked into the room, and he kept his eyes fixed on her form as she continued her list of synonyms. "Or amazing? Tremendous? Or even splendid?"
"I like tremendous." Po replied, a shy smile on his face. "It makes me sound smarter."
Tigress kept his gaze, giving a softer smirk of her own. She then asked, "Working on your speech?"
Po sighed. "Yeah."
"How is it coming?"
"Not too well." Po sighed again, throwing a hand in the air. "What do you say to the Emperor?"
Tigress thought it over for a moment then replied, "You thank him, really. Explain how the battle went, dramatize it a little, thank him again, and you're done."
"You've met the Emperor before?" Po asked with a look of wide eyes and an awed grin.
"Only once, when I was nineteen or so." Tigress replied with a shrug, as if it was not as large of a deal as Po made it to be.
"What is he like?" Po asked nervously, unsure of the emperor.
Tigress again shrugged. "He's a kind man under a lot of stress. He has over a million things running through his mind at once; he defiantly deserves our respect."
Po, however, as rude as it sounded, was only half listening. Instead, he was looking Tigress over. He noticed the way she stood, her right hand clutching her left side. He then noticed her apparel, or lack thereof. Her chest binding was exposed and, aside from that, binding had been added tightly around her waist. Her red vest draped around her, as if she had wanted to make herself presentable, but the pain in her ribs had forbidden her to button it up, so instead it stayed on her arms and depicted her bindings.
Po then noticed Tigress had stopped talking and was waiting for him to respond. She noticed how his gaze was at her waist binding and looked down at it herself. He finally spoke, saying teasingly, "You should be in bed."
Tigress didn't reply; she knew he was right. Instead, she gave a smirk that read I know, but I'm sick of it. Po was then suddenly back on the docks, adrenaline pumping again, and staring down the barrel of a cannon. I'm going to die. He knew no one had enough luck to walk away from Shen's cannon twice, and he was about ready to accept it. Her firm hands were against his side, and he was pushed out of direct range.
Here she was now, shattered ribs that caused immense pain. Suddenly, and without realizing it, he stretched out his hands, and his fingers felt her bandaged side, gently sliding down her ribcage. His eyes were fixated on her wounded side, and he didn't notice how her own eyes went wide at his touch. She stood frozen, her eyes darting as she tried to get herself to react somehow. His hand had now reached her hip, and his index and middle fingers rested there. His eyes stayed at her side as his mind continued to replay her selfless action to save him.
She finally was able to react, and she said his name. He looked up then and realized how awkward he made the situation; he withdrew his hand quickly, as if she was fire, and he stuttered, "S-sorry."
"It's alright," Tigress replied, but it was obvious that he had made everything uncomfortable. Po was suddenly embarrassed, letting his feelings cloud his mind and acting on an impulse. The silence between them was suddenly awkward, and he quickly then asked, "Help me on my speech?"
"I'd love to." She replied just as fast. He motioned for her to sit down on his mat, this time making sure not to touch her, and she sat down. He cleared his throat, and then he began.
"My grand emperor, I humbly stand before you today in complete gratitude as to be invited into your exque-exquizet-exgueset-splendid palace. To be given this honor is beyond what I can ask for. To stand in your presence, my Emperor, is tremendous."
Po paused then, giving a shy smile, and threw his hands out with a shrug. "That's all I got." When she didn't respond and simply looked at him in thought, he asked nervously, "That bad?"
"No," Tigress responded honestly then went on with a shrug, "It's just not you."
Po sighed, sitting down beside her on the mat. "Then what is me?"
Tigress smiled. "Not words like exquisite or tremendous." He sighed, and she placed her hand on his shoulder gently, "Try again – with your own words."
Po took a deep breath and then spoke. "My Emperor, thanks for inviting me into your Palace. It's very nice. Uhh…."
As hard as he tried, his eyes kept darting back to her bandage. Each time it happened, the night on the docks would replay in his mind, reminding him of her sacrifice. She noticed this and stated, "You're distracted."
He didn't reply and instead continued to watch the replays as his eyes stayed at her side. Misunderstanding, she collected the sides of her vest and began to button the first of the three buttons. His eyes went wide as he realized what she assumed he was doing.
"Oh, gods! No!" He cried, throwing out his hand, and then placing it on the bridge of his nose in embarrassment. "It's not like that."
"Then what is it?" She asked, leaving the two buttons undone as she looked at him.
The air was awkward and uncomfortable, and he sighed, realizing that he had to be real with her and talk about his feelings. With his fingers still on the bridge of his nose, he answered, "Your bandages. I keep…remembering how you got them."
"Shen's cannon." Tigress said with a shrug. "So?"
"So," Po replied, seeing that he had to elaborate a little more. "You pushed me out of the way."
Tigress realized what he meant then. She avoided his gaze, and instead put hers to floor in front of her. She replied honestly, "I wasn't fast enough to stop it the first time; and there was no way in hell I was going to let it happen a second time."
The two sat in silence, each reflecting on her open words. Tigress was cursing herself, upset that she had allowed herself to be so transparent. Po, on the other hand, was taking her words to heart. Finally, after a few moments of silence, Tigress said, "Your speech?"
"Right," Po said, cleared his throat and tried again.
Tigress fiddled with her fingers as they rested on her lap. She hated this, this feeling of uselessness. She would be lying if she said she could do much of anything, however. But nonetheless, she hated sitting in the cart alongside those who were also incapable of walking to the Emperor's Vacation Palace.
She decided to make herself of some use, and she used her agile eyes to scan for danger. But, of course, there was no danger, and she was wasting her time. But it didn't matter, for after all, she was finally being of some use after quite a few weeks of being bedridden.
Because of her scanning the area, she noticed Po, who had been at the front of the caravan of people, walking back against the throng of people. He was having difficulties, with random people thanking him, bowing to him, and little kids talking to him a mile a minute. And to each, he responded with either a no problem, a deep nod of his head, or simply an over-enthused awesome! She couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched him.
As much as she wanted to, she could not explain it in words. Perhaps it was his happiness that made her in turn happy. But even she knew that, while true, it was not complete truth. Still she couldn't put her thoughts into appropriate words, so instead, she decided that, for the time being, she would leave it at that.
Finally, Po made his way to her and walked alongside the cart, panting slightly. "Need some company?"
"It'd be kind."
"How's the free ride?"
"Horrible."
Po chucked as he shook his head. "You're the only one I know who would complain about a free ride."
Tigress lifted her chin and answered. "There are plenty more who need a free ride than I."
"Oh, yes, there are plenty more who have four broken ribs, but you know."
She smirked, a sardonic grin that clearly read watch it. Po laughed then said, "Don't worry, Shifu says we're almost there."
Tigress sighed with relief. "I'm glad." There was a comfortable moment of silence between the two, when it was suddenly interrupted by Crane, flying over and saying, "Po, Master Shifu needs you."
"Right," Po said, then turned to Tigress. "See ya, Tigress."
"Goodbye, Po," She replied. Without thinking about it, he placed his hand on her knee, as if to say goodbye, and then ran off with Crane. And even after he was long gone, Tigress still felt the spot of warmth on her knee. She tried to think of a logical reason for this, but none came.
"He seems nice."
Tigress turned around at the sound. An elderly female goat leaned against the side of the cart, staring directly at Tigress.
"Pardon?" Tigress asked, unsure of how to respond, after the entire journey had been silent before now.
"That man." The goat replied with a nod of her head. "He seems nice."
"Yes, he is," Tigress responded kindly, but was honestly confused as to why the elderly goat was just now talking to her.
The goat sighed contently with a smile on her face. "You better tell him that, honey, before it's too late. Especially in your profession."
The words suddenly reminded Tigress of the night weeks ago, when she had seen (so she thought) Po die. She shuddered then and turned away.
"My words hit close to home?" The elderly goat asked, but it was clearly more of a statement.
Tigress didn't want to listen to the goat, or anyone, any longer. Without really thinking about it, she hopped down from the moving cart. It caused her ribs immense pain, but after a moment, she was walking in the group, clutching her side, and trying her best not to think.
It didn't work. Instead, her mind continued to replay Po being hit by Shen's cannon over and over again.
The cart rolled in, and Po noticed at once that Tigress wasn't there. He turned around, his eyes scanning for her figure, when he suddenly felt a hand on his arm.
It was an elderly female goat with a knowing smile on her face. "Looking for a tigress?"
"I am, actually," Po replied but was a little confused on how she knew. "Do you know where she is?"
"Afraid not. I said something to her, apparently close to heart, and she hopped off the cart and walked off." The goat replied with a shrug. Po thanked her and then went back on the trail everyone had come from.
Po's eyes scanned everywhere, and still he could not find her. How far behind had she gotten? After a few minutes had passed, he spotted Tigress. Granted, she had seen him before he saw her, but when he did, he walked quickly to her side.
"Why didn't you stay on the cart?" Po asked honestly, trying his best not to show how concerned he was and failing slightly.
Tigress shrugged. "I wanted some time to think." Po knew by her shrug that it was the end of the discussion, and he was smart enough not to push it. The two walked together in silence. Until, that is, Po heard the soft sound of her pained grunting. He looked her over and realized how long she had been walking, and with four broken ribs…
Po cleared his throat awkwardly and then asked shyly, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." Tigress replied quickly, so quickly that it was obvious she was not so. There was silence between them, each lost in their own thoughts: Po wanting to help her, but knowing she wouldn't allow it, and Tigress trying her best not to replay the constant memory of the panda beside her being shot by a cannon, while at the same time, trying not to focus on the pain of her ribs.
Po finally figured out how he could help without hurting her pride. Now, how was he to word it? Po once again cleared his throat. "Y'know, uh, it's gotta be tough to walk with some broken ribs."
Tigress didn't respond and only looked at him with a raised eyebrow, so Po continued on. "And, since I'm here, and I don't care, you can, I d'know, maybe lean some weight on me…? I mean to say, since – "
" – I can handle it." Tigress interrupted, looking away from him and instead straightway.
"Oh, right. Right, right!" Po said quickly, throwing his hand as if to shake it off. He shrugged as he rambled on. "That's cool. Whatever's fine. And if you change your mind? That's cool, too."
They fell into silence.
Po resisted the urge to facepalm. After all, he had basically just called the Tigress weak and fat within twenty seconds. There was no way he was going to get out of that one easily. Tigress, on the other hand, was weighing the pros and cons of Po's offer. There was no use in denying it: her ribs were burning from so much pain. She was unsure if she could go much further. What would be the harm of taking up Po's kind offer?
Your pride. She thought with the shake of her head. She swore off her pride, knowing that it was in need of being laxed quite a bit, and decided to take up his offer. Then she fought herself against it and decided not to.
And then her ribs began to feel even worse, and she knew that if she didn't take his help now, she would end up in his arms and with a bruised pride. Without thinking of it anymore, she looped her arm around Po's and leaned her side against his arm.
"Changed your mind?" Po said with a smug grin.
"I don't want to hear anything from you." Tigress replied rather gruffly, but Po simply laughed. As hard as she tried against it, she smiled softly to herself.
"I'm glad to help." He said gently, leaning his head closer to her ear. She looked up at him then, and their gazes locked. One, two, three four, five… she counted and then looked away.
Po didn't like the silence that followed, and if he was to be honest, he craved for her to look at him that way again. "Thanks for helping me, Po. You're so awesome." He said sarcastically, then looked down at her, hoping for a response.
She didn't respond at all. She put less weight on him now and kept her gaze on the road ahead.
"What's wrong?" Po asked. "I'm-I'm sorry. It's a joke – "
"It's not that, Po." Tigress replied, but still she kept her gaze forward.
"Then…then what is it?" Po questioned, feeling as though he had rifted their "relationship."
She only shook her head, and the two fell into silence. Tigress wanted nothing more than to shy away from her thoughts and pretend they were not plaguing her, but it was either that or the pain she encountered with each step, and she found herself slipping into the thoughts about the panda beside her. She hated the weakening feeling of depending on others, and here she was now, unable to step without pain and was using him as a crutch. Not to mention the little eye-locking episode that happened only moments prior. She had never had such a strange thing happen before; the frightening part was that she liked the rush of it, the thought that maybe he was just as lost in her eyes as she was in his…
She shook her head gruffly, shaking out the hope as much as she could.
"You okay?" Po asked, noting to her sudden headshake.
"I'm fine." Tigress replied, but she was aware of how short it sounded, making it apparent it was a lie. But Po didn't press the issue, to which she was thankful, and the two fell into silence once more.
The air became a little more comfortable between them, and she relaxed enough as to lean more of her weight against his arm. She took a deep breath and said as emotionless as she could, "Thank you, Po."
He looked down with a wide grin. "It's the least I could do." By the time the words had left his lips, he realized the real weight they had. After all, was he not the reason she was hurting? After risking her life to protect him, the least he could do was help her walk a mile or two. Once again, he was fixated at her side, where he knew under her vest was bound tightly, and beneath that were the four broken ribs. He realized how deeply he was concentrated at her ribcage and, remembering how she had reacted the last time he had done so, he looked away quickly. "I'm sorry…for staring…I, uh…"
"Forget it." Tigress replied, and the two fell into silence for yet another time. But as they continued walking, the Emperor's Vacation Palace came into view, along with the numberless people clustered outside, waiting for instructions. It was when some of these people turned around and began to wave at the famed Dragon Warrior and Master of Tiger Style that Tigress let go and stepped away.
Po opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but he knew. The gods forbid her reputation to be shattered by her leaning against someone for help. He felt a little hurt, but he covered it with a wide grin and a wave to the people awaiting him. But he stayed near her side with a slimmer of hope that maybe she would need him again; but, while she did need him and his help, she clutched her side and limped alone in order to save her precious hardcore status, secretly craving a change but unsure of the consequences.
And so the two warriors, capable of defeating evil lords and kung fu legends, were seemingly incapable of telling the other the lingering truth or the thoughts on their minds. They instead stayed quiet, hoping that things would change, but fearful of changing things themselves. For after all, they would say to themselves, a friendship is worth more than anything, and to screw theirs, as good as it was, would be heart wrenching for both. It was the fear of being rejected by the one they cared the most about that kept both silent; and they put on a smile, accepting it outwardly and regretting it inwardly.
The supper began at twilight. Every citizen and master were filled inside the Emperor's dinning room, and it was exquisite. Each sat on grand pillows besides their friends, eating the finest food that could be prepared then. The kung fu masters, aside from the four that were on protecting shifts for the time being, sat in a group with the Emperor, entertaining him and one another with hilarious stories they experienced on their travels.
Po had noted something was wrong when Tigress decided against sitting beside him, which was a common occurrence because of their friendship. She sat across from him, and when he caught her eye, he mouthed what's wrong?
She shook her head and waved her hand softly, as if to reply with nothing. Po simply nodded, but he was hurt. What had he done that ruined their friendship? Why was she staying about from him?
" – Shen, Dragon Warrior?"
"Huh?" Po exclaimed in confusion as he snapped his head towards the Emperor, who was staring directly at him.
Shifu repeated the Emperor, answering with, "The Emperor would like to hear of your defeat of Lord Shen, Po."
"Oh," Po said as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Of course, my Emperor. But it's not really a happy story."
"I don't mind," The Emperor replied and then waited eagerly, or as eagerly as an emperor would allow himself to look, for Po's story.
Po cleared his throat, thought a moment of what he was going to say, stood up and then began: "It was pitch black, with no light but the red flames of torches. Dozens of boats cleared their way through the narrow water passage, heading towards the harbor and onto all of China. Each boat carried one of Lord Shen's secret weapons, a destructive cannon that could, and would, kill! Shen waited in pride, thinking he had won. With the Furious Five ensnared, and the Dragon Warrior dead, Shen could now complete his dastardly deed – "
"Pardon," The Emperor interrupted, which was uncharacteristic for an emperor to do, which in turn caused every person who was staring at Po in awe to look at the Emperor. "The Furious Five became ensnared? How on earth is that possible?" He looked at the Furious Five then.
Po sighed. There was no way to make it dramatic; he had to come out and tell the truth, because it was the right thing. However, it was still embarrassing to admit, especially to the Emperor of China, and Po began to rub the back of his neck again. "Actually, Emperor, it was…entirely my fault."
"How?"
Po suddenly became aware of the fact that the entire dinning room was silent. Every person in that room was looking eagerly at him, wanting to hear the half of the story they never knew.
Po let his shoulders drop. He needed to fess to his mistakes, but he was about to become very honest with them. "Truth is, my Emperor, I was adopted. I always knew, in the back of my mind, but I tried not to think about it. One day, on just a random mission, I had a flashback of my, of my mom. It was then that I really started to wonder who I was supposed to be, y'know?" Po could feel his throat begin to burn, and he wouldn't allow himself to get emotional. He cleared his throat, vowed silently to himself to make it casual and quick, and then he continued on.
"Anyway, Shen's wolves trapped us, and we ended up turning the tables and trapping Shen. Well, we did, until I had another flashback and realized that Shen was there, where ever my first flashback was. I was so distracted, I screwed up big time and let him escape – and it nearly cost our lives." He looked at his comrades, who gave him supportive smiles.
He went on: "But it doesn't stop there, I screwed up again. The Furious Five, they all knew that me being distracted could cost me my life, so they told me to stay behind. And, well, I didn't listen. I wanted – I needed to know about my parents. So I snuck into Shen's factory and fought one-on-one with him. And, well, the Five were right, because I was so distracted that I fought awful, almost died, and got shot by Shen's cannon."
"How did you survive?" Tigress asked. Everyone looked at her, since she had been quiet for so long; Po realized then that he hadn't told anyone what had happened, and this was a first for even his friends.
"Shen's soothsayer found me and used some home remedy type things to save me. Then, she helped me…remember what happened the night, the flashbacks I had." The room was dead silent as Po collected his breath. "The soothsayer, she prophesied that a 'warrior of black and white' would defeat Shen; and so he came to my village and…killed all the pandas. Including my parents."
He didn't want to go on; he wanted to stop talking and move on. His throat was beginning to burn again, and now were his eyes. But then the Emperor asked, "How did you get out alive?"
"My mom. She hid me in a radish crate and then sacrificed herself for me." Po said solemnly. After a moment of silence, he forced a smile and went back to where he started. "Anyway, I knew that I had to accept my past, because it didn't make me who I was, my present did. So I went back for the Furious Five…"
Po finished the story with dramatic flare, keeping the attention of everyone in the room. When he had finished, there was a loud applause, to which Po shyly extended his hand in thanks, and then everyone went back to eating their supper.
"You have a knack for telling stories," The Emperor complimented with a smile, to which Po gave a modest nod. The Emperor then looked at all the masters, "Anyone have any other stories?"
As Mantis told an obscure story about something hilarious happening on a mission, Po looked up from his bowl and noticed Tigress' intense gaze on him. It was a soft gaze, however, one filled with compassion and care, feelings Po seldom saw from her in public. He gave her a smile, as if to tell her I'm okay. She smiled back, and their eyes locked. And this time, neither one looked away.
" – ster Tigress?"
Tigress looked at the Emperor then. "Pardon?"
Shifu once again repeated for the Emperor: "He asked how you are fairing, Tigress? What, with your ribs?"
Pleasantries – something Tigress was never fond of. Po couldn't help but smirk as Tigress replied to the Emperor, "Fairly, my Emperor. My recovery is a slow one, but it is progressing. I await eagerly for my complete wellness, so I can help out with the repair of Gongmen City."
The Emperor nodded, and then spoke with Shifu about something unrelated. Tigress looked back at Po, who was smirking at her fancy vocabulary to simple pleasantries, to which Tigress smirked back, and once again their eyes were locked.
"What do you think, Po?"
"What?" Po turned his head towards Shifu.
Mantis sighed. "You know, the two of you could get a room."
Po and Tigress went red at the comment, and both opened their mouths to retort, but stopped when Shifu confusedly, and somewhat appalled, replied, "Po and I?"
"No…didn't you see…? I mean…I just…" Mantis sighed. "Never mind."
Shifu gave the bug a peculiar look, but then continued on to what he was saying to Po. As the Grandmaster spoke, however, Po couldn't help but give a sideways glance at Tigress, and he felt his heart flutter as he saw she was smiling at him.
The conversations continued on for some time. But when the Emperor announced the opening of the Ballroom, more than half of the guests left to enter that room. It was a grand room, and as the guests entered, musicians began to play festive songs, and soon enough many were starting to dance. Po and Tigress entered the room together, and Po gasped at its extravagance.
Without really thinking about it or the other beside, both Tigress and Po slipped to the back of the room, away from the crowd of dancers and simply watched. Neither knew the other's fascination with dancing, and they were both surprised when they ended up doing the exact same thing.
Po spoke first. "I love watching the dances. I just can't…dance."
Tigress nodded in agreement, and they both went back to watching. After a few moments of silence, Po muttered to himself, "But I've always wanted to try."
Tigress looked up at him in curiosity, wondering what he was up to. He looked at her then, a wide grin on his face, and held out his hand. "Care to dance?"
Tigress had never been asked to dance before. There was a moment of uncertainty, and then a definite shake of the head. "My ribs."
"Oh, right! Right." Po said, forcing a smile and retracting his hand. Their heads both turned back to the group of dancers. Tigress felt a hint of remorse, as if she had somehow crushed Po's dreams, and so she added, "You should go dance, though."
"Nah. I don't want to leave you." Po didn't seem to realize the weight of his words, and instead he continued to look at the group as he shrugged. Tigress' mind raced, however, as she overthought his words. She forced herself to stop, not wanting to let her heart down if he hadn't meant it the way she was hoping.
They were both lost in their own thoughts then. Time passed, until finally Po's face lit up as he suddenly had an idea. He turned towards Tigress and once again held out his hand. "Dance with me?"
"Po, my ribs – "
"I've got a plan."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah! You trust me, don't you?"
"The real question is should I?"
"Yes. You should." Po replied with a smirk. Tigress stared at his outstretched hand as she weighed the pros and cons of the situation. Po exclaimed, "Come on! When are we ever going to have this opportunity again?"
It again seemed as though he did not realize the weight of his words. She was sent back to the night she saw him shot through the air, never to be seen again. She remembered the pain of losing him; she realized he was right. Would there ever be an opportunity like this again? And so she placed her hand in his, not worrying about the consequences.
His smiled widened tenfold, which, of course, seemed impossible. He then replied frankly, "Step on my feet."
"What?" She asked with laced eyebrows.
He assured her with a smile. "Trust me on this."
She thought of forgetting the whole thing and going back to standing in the corner when his words repeated in her head. When are we ever going to have this opportunity again? And so she placed her feet on top of his as lightly as she could. Her hand was still in his, and he raised their arms together as he placed his other hand on her lower back, and she followed his lead by placing her empty hand on his shoulder.
Po took small steps, with Tigress on his feet, keeping in time with the music. "Don't look now," He said with a grin. "but I think you're dancing."
Tigress smirked. "I'll give you props, panda. This is a pretty creative idea." She then added jocosely, "Well, compared to your revolutionary idea to cook rice by – "
Po groaned. "I'm never gonna live that down, am I?" Tigress laughed then. A laugh light and carefree, and a laugh that seemed uncharacteristic for her, or at least in all of Po's friendship with her. Not to say that Tigress never laughed, for she did, but never as happy or loud as she did now. Her laughter caused Po to join in, which seemed odd, not because he did not laugh, for he always was doing so, but because he had always regretted his revolutionary idea. Their laughter mingled together and echoed through the room. And soon enough, without realizing it, they were the attention of everyone there.
It seemed weird, each person in the crowd thought as their dancing slowed down enough for all to strain their necks in the direction of the two masters: the sight of the Master of Tiger Style on the feet of the Dragon Warrior, both in a crazed, almost howling type laughter. It seemed even weirder that it was the two of them, of all the people in the room; after all, was that not the tigress that was always seen stiff and serious, and was that not the panda who, before he was the Dragon Warrior, when he was simply the awkward son of a cook, could not get a girl to talk to him, much less dance or laugh with him?
Even the music was softening, as if their laughter was music enough. And then it just stopped. The spectators that were straining their necks now stepped forward and stood on the tips of their toes, leaning in and crowding together to see what was going on now. The Master of Tiger Style and Dragon Warrior just stood there, eyes locked on one another like nothing matter to either one at that moment but the one that stood before them, and neither knew the attention they were getting.
The gazes did not break, the masters' on one another, and the spectators' on the masters, until Viper slithered in, tapped Po on the shoulder, and managed her best not to reply as awkwardly as she was feeling, "Po, you're turn to take guarding shift."
And the throng of onlookers watched as Po gave the sincerest apologetic look to Tigress, and she gave a small smile and a nod. She stepped away from him, but faltered to release his hand, and he held tightly until the last moment when his arm could not longer stretch any further as he backed away. When his hand just fell into empty air, he turned and walked away.
The Master of Tiger Style, known to all as hardcore and serious, and the Master of her feelings, faltered for the briefest of moments. If the crowd had chosen to look away then, it would have been missed. But the crowd watched as the Master's face fell into what could only be described to those watching as hopelessness. It was then gone, and her face was once again stone, and she walked back into the corner.
And once again, the music picked up where it had left off, and the dancers returned to their movements, and it was as if nothing had happened.
Time passed, and the night got later. Soon enough it was too late for children to dance or even keep their eyes open, and the elders soon joined them. The Emperor had a room as large as his ballroom, which he called his gathering hall, and had it cleared for his company to sleep there. It didn't seem like a good plan for hundreds of children, elders, and drunken men to travel late into the night, and a party held during the day was no fun, and so it seemed best to simply make room for the guests to sleep and have masters take extra guard shifts.
Tigress was never one for pleasantries. Each conversation she had needed a point. She stood alone for most of the night. She did not mind, and in fact, preferred it as she watched the groups of people dance, with her friends either on guard duty, dancing, or conversing with others. Not to say, however, that none came to say hello. She had already danced with Po before his shift, and Crane had exchanged a few pleasantries before leaving to dance with Viper.
But when the time came when children and elders were ready to turn in, she joined them. For one, she wanted some type of purpose, and shepherding the crowd to the gathering hall gave her such. When everyone seemed settled, she decided to turn in herself. After all, it was not like she was doing anything; and she was refused a guarding shift because of her ribs – and speaking of which, her ribs were killing her, and a rest seemed like the only thing that would cease the pain.
Tigress took her mat and laid it against the wall, in a secluded area alone and to herself. She lay on her back and looked at the ceiling above. And as hard as she tried to sleep, her thoughts were blazing through her mind too quickly to ignore. When she closed her eyes, she could picture Po before her, his arm wrapped around her waist as he swayed to the music, perky smile getting her to smile in return. And just as she started to relax, she would no longer see his smile, but his pained frown as he watched helplessly when the cannon ball shot towards him.
And once more, Tigress' eyes would open, and her thoughts would buzz on. She sighed to herself in frustration; why was she not over this? She danced with him, for the gods' sakes! She felt him, he was real and before her, no scars or burns that left memories. But still, to be so close to losing him, and suddenly the thought that one day he would be permanently gone never left her mind.
To think that a mere dance would bring closure to this thought seemed ludicrous now, but it made Tigress wonder what would. Hours passed until Tigress was able to relax her mind just enough for her to sleep, and when it finally did, she was awaken by the sound of Po pulling his mat next to hers.
After his shift had ended, Po had made his way back to the ballroom. He had searched for Tigress, and when he was unable to find her, he joined the dancing circle (alongside Crane and Viper as not to feel as awkward), and then found Monkey and Mantis in the dinning hall, daring each other with alcohol chugs and absurd actions that would only come from drunken minds. Po joined for awhile, but he had learned long ago that it didn't take a lot of alcohol to get him drunk, and so only one chug and two dares later, he was ready to turn in.
And perhaps the alcohol was clouding his mind, but when Po saw Tigress' outline, he took up his mat and placed it next to hers. At his arrival, her eyes opened, and when Po was situated, he noticed. "Sorry!" he whispered. "Did I wake you?"
"No," Tigress fibbed with a shake of her head as she stared straight up at the ceiling. Po mimicked her, now lying on his back, with his hands resting on his stomach, and his eyes gazing up at the ceiling.
Until finally, Po turned to his side, in order to face Tigress, and said, "I'd rather stare at you. You're prettier than the ceiling."
Outwardly, Tigress was like stone. The only thing that changed was a small smirk after she had smelt his breath, and she stated, "You've been drinking."
He couldn't help but chuckle. He wasn't actually drunk, but alcohol never mixed well with his normally happy personality. Tigress turned on her side, facing him, and they stared at one another at a respectable distance from their own mats. He reached out his hand then, letting it fall gently on her side. She didn't flitch, now used to his concern about her ribs and brushing against such. However, instead of stopping there, his hand slowly climbed up her side, feeling her arm and making its way till it fit on her neck, and then until his hand caressed her face. And when it rested there, his thumb making small circle and feeling her soft fur, he knew there was a large possibility that he could be drunk.
But what surprised him more was the fact he was still in one piece with no pain. After all, was he not caressing the face of the Master Tigress? She lay still, her face unemotional, and Po had no idea if she was enjoying his touch or if she was planning on when to strike. With the latter thought, he lifted his hand from her cheek, getting ready to bring it back to his side, but she stopped him. She placed her hand on top of his, clutching it firmly and resting it on her face.
"Don't leave me." She whispered.
Maybe Po wasn't as drunk as he thought, for at once, he thought he understood her words. Was there not a hidden meaning? Well, she wasn't just simply asking him not to move; was she not asking him not to leave her, as in death?
"Tigress," He said softly as he tightly held her hand. "You know I can't promise – "
"But you must." She insisted firmly as her bright eyes bore into his with such urgency. "You must promise me you won't ever leave me."
He knew it was impossible. He hadn't a say when Shen shot him with his cannon, and no one truly had a say whether or not he died. If he promised her, and he then died, she would spend the rest of her life bitter because of a broken promise he had no control over. But for the first time in his life, he saw vulnerability in her eyes. She needed his promise, and it looked as though she needed him.
He had been told by his father, back when Po was reaching his teenaged years, that women were most vulnerable at night. Granted it came with the talk, and the thought that Po would ever talk to a girl let alone accomplish the task his father assumed Po would be chasing seemed beyond possible, but the thought came to him now. Tigress was never vulnerable; it was impossible for her, it seemed to all, even him. But maybe the threat of death changed some people. Only seeing Tigress shot by Shen's cannon had affected him, and he knew she would live to see another day. Add that to the fact it was night and she was a woman, and maybe his father was right.
And so he promised. "I promise that if I have a say in it, I won't leave you."
It seemed enough for her, and she closed her eyes and smiled softly. But she held tightly to his hand and let it rest on her cheek. He simply watched her breathe as he racked his brain around. It seemed as though he had just stepped out of one of his fantasies, but never had he once thought that something this extraordinary could ever happen to him.
Sleep escaped him for quite sometime, and for a while, he couldn't figure out why. Until he thought that maybe, just maybe, it was because reality seemed completely better than anything he could ever dream. It was then that he was able to close his eyes, with his hand still entwined with the hand of Tigress as it rested on her cheek. And before he drifted into a dreamless sleep, he whispered, "I promise."
Tigress awoke before dawn. The sky was changing from black to blue as the sun awaited to rise, and she noted that at the first sight of the sun, the caravans would be off to Gongmen City. But as her eyes opened, they fell on Po in front of her. Granted, the two were still at a respectable distance and on their own mats, but his presence was still surprisingly close. Their hands lay between them, fingers intertwined.
Tigress could not feel his hand.
For once her life, she regretted her hours of practice at the ironwood trees. It had seemed like a flawless plan originally; a kung fu warrior had no use for feeling, for the only thing one would feel was pain, and so she eliminated feeling. For years, it served her benefit, and it seemed like the greatest thing she had ever done. Now it served as a reminder that she would never truly be whole.
She felt the pressure of his hand, of course. But his soft fur and gentle touch went unknown, and it made her frown. But there was nothing she could do about it now, and the lack of feeling still helped her in battle, so she shook it off. As lightly as she could, she untangled his hand from his and tiptoed away from him and into the dinning hall where nearly all of the masters were meeting before rallying up the citizens to leave.
Granted, there was no official meeting, but once Tigress stepped inside, she made her way to her Furious Five comrades. They stood in a circle and chatted avidly, until Tigress walked up, and they all fell silent.
Tigress noted this at once but said casually, "Good morning."
Monkey and Mantis erupted into laughter, causing Viper to facepalm and Crane to awkwardly smile. Viper then put the tip of her tail on Tigress' arm and led her away from the laughing masters, and Crane followed behind as Viper said, "Ignore them."
Tigress did, for she was used to the pair's "random" bursts of laughter, but she was curious as to why they were laughing. She got her answer when Monkey, with Mantis on his shoulder, came back into the circle and asked with a smug smile and curious eyebrows laced together, "Why was it such a good morning?"
"Perhaps," Mantis added beside the langur, "a better question would be: why was it such a good night?"
The pair looked at Tigress as if they knew something she didn't. And frankly, it seemed they did. She knew they were trying to joke at something she had done, but, of course, their joke was not playing off as humorous and instead just awkward. She tried to decipher the hint inwardly, but outwardly she pretended she didn't care, and she actually didn't, as she turned back to Viper.
Viper glared at the joking pair, apparently getting the joke Tigress didn't, and then looked up and smiled at Tigress, repeating, "Ignore them."
"Easily," Tigress said, then turned back to the snake. "When do we leave?"
"Not long after dawn." Viper answered, and it seemed as though a normal conversation between the comrades would occur. But of course, Mantis and Monkey could not let whatever it was go, and Mantis said, "So, how did it feel?"
"Dear gods!" Viper exclaimed. "Nothing happened!"
Mantis uncertainty replied with raised eyebrows. "I'm not so sure."
"This is absolutely ridiculous," Crane finally spoke up. "They did not – !" He stopped, looked around for any eavesdroppers, and then he finished timidly and shyly, with an apparent blush on his face, "…bang each other."
"Who?" Tigress asked, clearly confused. There was a moment of silence as they all stared at her, and then Monkey and Mantis erupted into laughter. Tigress was beginning to understand…
"Nah, I gotcha." Mantis said with a shrug. "I mean, Po getting laid? Seems impossible."
That was when it all made sense. Tigress was suddenly furious and yelled out, "You think Po and I – ? "
"No!" Viper interrupted. "No, no, no! Well, Mantis and Monkey do, but they're just perverted pigs. The rest of us don't think that at all!"
Tigress knew that wasn't the end. "What do you think?"
"Nothing!" Viper repeated. She fell silent for a moment, as if thinking how to word her next phrase, and then sighed sweetly, "It just seemed really cute, you two dancing last night."
There was nothing Tigress could reply to that. The two had been dancing together, as much as Tigress was regretting it now.
Monkey added on, "And you guys did sleep together."
"We did not sleep together." Tigress snapped sternly with gritted teeth.
"Then what would you call it?" Monkey asked, and Tigress fell silent. It was not what the langur, nor the mantis, was thinking, but there were no other words to describe it – but nothing had happened between them.
And just like that, Tigress knew, it was over. Her reputation as courageous leader was gone, as Monkey and Mantis continued to snicker, Viper grinned dreamily, and Crane adverted his eyes awkwardly. She was no longer such a leader, but now the butt of jokes, the fulfillment of romantic fantasies, and apparently just awkward to be around.
Tigress turned on the end of her heels and marched out of the room. As much as she did not want to, she had some thoughts to sort out.
True to Viper's word, the caravan of citizens and masters left not long after dawn. Tigress was once again sent to the cart, where she sat amongst elders, a pregnant mother, and a small kid who had broken his leg. Tigress wanted so much to be alone, to sort out her thoughts, that she leaned against the wall of the cart and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.
It worked well, for she heard Po's voice, "Hey, Tigress! I – oh. Sorry. I'll come back later." And then a hello to those beside her, and, as far as she knew, he left.
But she didn't want to speak with Po. Too many things were connected with the panda, unknown to him. Every time she saw him, especially his smile, she would remember the feeling of losing him: her eyes had seen him shot out of the building and into the horizon, never to be seen again. She knew it was bad when it was the aftershock that sent her to the ground. Her heart twisted inside her, causing her literal pain. Her eyes stung, and she couldn't breathe. The only thing that seemed to be in fine condition was her mouth, as it kept screaming no at the top of her lungs while two apes grabbed her and carried her off.
The thoughts hadn't left as she was chained beside her comrades – her friends. She was finally able to breathe, her eyes were fine, and her mouth was shut, but her heart was contorting inside her. She had felt as though she was missing half of her. The thought of never feeling his hand on her shoulder or never hearing his laugh, never to fanboy on any of her moves, and never for her to teach him any of them. But when she saw him on the rooftop, the fire had been rekindled. She wanted to fight.
Now, with eyes closed as she rested on the cart, she was scared. She hadn't had time to think about it while facing death: hers, her comrades, and the innocent people of China. But now, with all the time in the world, she realized how terrified she was. Po had power over her.
Not that he would ever abuse it. That was not the problem with it. The problem was that Tigress was a warrior; she was not supposed to have a weakness. And yet, Po was her weakness. It had been Po she was thinking of, chained on Shen's boat, not the lives of her people, the ones she was supposed to be protecting.
There was also her reputation. She felt a little sick, caring more for it than she should. But, after all, she thought, she had had her hardcore status for nearly twenty years; she had only known Po for a year. Not to mention it was only a few months before she felt this…way about him. How long would her feelings – or, importantly his – last? A few years, perhaps, at most; while it would be her reputation that would live on long after she was gone.
And Tigress was going to break his heart. There was no way around it. One day, his heart would be broken. Everything that she touched broke, and his heart would be one of them. She didn't know how, albeit from her death or simply a "breakup," he would get hurt. She hurt people, and she did not want to hurt him. But she had no control over that. Was it not better to hurt him now, when he had lost nothing, than when he had given her everything?
There was no room for relationships in this profession, anyway. Well, that is, if Po had wanted a relationship…
Tigress shook her head. No need getting hopes up. But still, hadn't he danced with her? Helped her walk? Cared for her ribs like no other? And hadn't he slept beside her, holding her hand tightly as he whispered he'd promised never to leave her?
Was she now, in turn, leaving him?
But, finally, the cons weighed against the pros. And so when the cart arrived back in Gongmen, she walked back into the hotel she had been bedridden in, crawled into bed, and simply waited.
Po, contrary to common belief, wasn't stupid. Sure, he had his moments of stupidity, like everyone, although his were more common than most, but he was able to figure things out. He knew Tigress was avoiding him.
It wasn't too hard to decipher. It seemed impossible that he would ever find Tigress napping, and yet he had witnessed her doing so on the way back to Gongmen. A week passed, and while the physician had given Tigress a good report on her health and ribs, she spent the seven days in her room, recuperating. She never left, either, as far as he knew. He tried to visit her within the week, but each time he was met with her napping; and, again, Tigress didn't nap.
Even at the end of the week, when Gongmen repair was near competition, and the Valley of Peace Masters left the city, she still avoided him. On the boat, when the comrades ate supper together at the front of the boat, she stayed out of the circle, eating quietly as the others joked without her. Po was fine, outwardly, laughing and joking as much as he always did, but her presence was missed, and it left him hurt and feeling avoided.
The rest of the return trip was no better. During the times when the desert was too hot or the mountain was too cold to do anything but concentrate on moving, Po was left to his thoughts. Granted, they would wander from his hunger, to his tiredness, to then great enthusiasm to get him through the pain. and even of his father – but he also thought of Tigress.
Why was the unanswered question. What he had done so wrong that made her stay clear from him? Usually, when he did something wrong, she would point it out, then help him fix it if she was in a good mood, or yell at him if she was in a bad mood. This wasn't right for her.
He could feel his hope being stripped from him. The thought that there was a chance that maybe Tigress felt the same was crumpling in. Maybe, he had thought, she liked him as much as he liked her. Maybe she hadn't minded as much as she let on, when he had brushed his hand against her side. Maybe she had loved dancing with him, and maybe, just maybe, she liked their close proximity and his hand entwined with hers and resting gently on her cheek?
His hope, for once, hadn't seemed all too crazy. But now, doubt was setting in, and he was starting to curse himself for ever thinking he would have a chance with the Tigress.
Po didn't like to get down on himself. It would happen, ever so often, but when it did, he tried his best to distract himself with happier things. He laughed with the Five (save for Tigress, but even Shifu joined the laughter occasionally) and thought up how he was going to make up with his father. He even bought two crates of radishes before entering the Valley. When the masters entered the town to cheering, all but Po made humble gestures as they went back to the Jade Palace, and Po spent the day and night with his dad.
But when morning came, and Po awoke from his old bed, he remembered the feelings of hopelessness he had only a year ago, and how now his hopelessness was over a certain tigress.
"Something's not right." Viper said with a shake of her head. But looking up, she realized no one was listening. Monkey and Mantis concentrated unhealthily at a Mahjong board, probably fearful of the dare the loser would have to do, and Crane worked avidly on his calligraphy. The group waited for dinner in Monkey's room; Po was preparing supper, and Tigress was doing extra training.
Viper repeated, louder this time, "Something's not right."
"About what?" Mantis asked as he waited for Monkey to make his turn, and Crane was still concentrated on his calligraphy.
"Po and Tigress."
Crane looked up. "They have been acting strange."
Mantis shrugged. "I haven't noticed a thing."
Monkey moved his tile, then looked up at Viper, "I have. I mean, they seem normal, around us – but I haven't see them together since the Emperor's party."
"You think it has something to do with what we said to Tigress?" Crane asked, concern and guilt lacing his voice and downing his face.
"That'd make sense," Viper agreed. "Tigress doesn't like to be, ah, made fun of about these things."
Mantis snorted. "She doesn't like to be made fun of about anything."
"So," Monkey then asked, "What do we do about it?"
"We fix it!" Viper exclaimed as if it was obvious.
The three males stared at the snake as if she was crazy, before Crane finally asked slowly, "How?"
Viper grinned wickedly.
It was a simple plan, really: get Tigress and Po alone in the same room and refuse to let them out until they made peace. It was considerably easy to accomplish, too. When Tigress returned to her room, after her alone training, but right before supper, Viper asked her to take a look at some history scrolls Viper couldn't quite understand, and the pair stepped inside Viper's room; and before this, Monkey had asked Po to help set up a Mahjong board to play after supper.
The second Tigress spotted Po, she turned around to leave. But, expecting this, the Furious Five jumped into action: Crane blocked outside the door that joined Viper's room to Mantis' room, Monkey ran out and blocked the door that joined Tigress' room, and Mantis and Viper stood outside and blocked the door that led to the hallway.
"What's this?" Tigress asked in anger.
Viper called from outside the room. "You and Po are not allowed to leave until you've made peace!"
Tigress snorted. "What for gods' sakes does that mean?"
"Aww, come on, guys!" Po said, standing up and walking over to the main door. "The dinner's gonna burn!"
"Let it burn!" The pair heard Viper cry, before hearing Mantis reply lowly, "But, Viper…the noodles…" then was told to hush by Viper.
"This is ridiculous," Tigress spat. "Besides, we can just smash through the paper!"
"But you won't." Crane said from behind his door.
"There's nothing to 'make peace' about." Tigress shouted at Crane's door, then turned to Viper and Mantis'.
She heard a snort from Viper and Mantis' door, a yeah, right! from Crane's door, and a we're not stupid from Monkey's door.
"Well, then," Viper stated. "You two are going to be stuck in there forever."
There was then complete silence.
"Fine!" Tigress said, turning on her heals and sitting down on Viper's mat. "But I have nothing to say to Po."
Once again, there was complete silence. Tigress sat on Viper's mat with crossed arms against her chest, stubbornly keeping her mouth closed. Po, on the other hand, stood facing the door, not wanting her to see him as he thought everything over. It had to be bad if the Furious Five had noticed it – and locked them in a room together in order to fix it.
There was one thing he had to admit: he missed his friend. Who cared if Tigress wasn't into Po (as much as he wanted it)? At the end of the day, he just wanted his best friend back.
But she wasn't going to talk; she had made that clear. Po knew Tigress didn't talk about her feelings or emotions, and, it seemed for once, it was going to be all up to him. There was no guarantee, however, that even after he had shared all that was in his heart that she would talk. But there had to be some way…
He thought he figured it out, his eyes growing wide with the idea. He turned to face her but fiddled with his fingers as he began. "I, ah, knew this guy. He was a cool guy, but he always wanted more in life, more than what his father expected or what little everyone else thought of him. Anyway, this guy, his dreams finally came true, and he became a kung fu master."
"Po – " Tigress opened her mouth, catching on that he was both talking about himself and wasting his time.
" – let me." Po said, reaching out his hand to silence her. "Anyway, it took this guy a while to get along with the other kung fu masters, but finally, they accepted him. There was one master in particular that my friend had always idolized. It took longer than any of the other masters, but finally the particular master accepted him, and the two became friends. Good friends. Maybe, he dared to say…best friends?"
Po looked at her, but her face was of stone. He cleared his throat and went on, "Time went on, and my friend actually started to, well, ah, like his best friend. As in, like like. Y'know. He even thought that she like liked him back – and suddenly, she just stopped talking to him." He looked up again. "And that's the end of the story."
The silence that followed felt like an eternity for Po. He watched her, but she didn't even move. Maybe it was ridiculous. The gods bless their hearts, but the Five's plan was doing absolutely nothing but making things worse. He had just shared everything with her, but still she stayed silent. He could feel his heart break for yet another time.
Tigress, however, was thinking it over. She would give Po credit – the idea of speaking of himself in third person was the most creative, smartest, and safest way to express emotion. Still she did not want to speak. But as she thought it over, she realized that the absolute least Po deserved was the truth. It was unfair to toy with his emotions so, and she had to at least tell him why.
"I," Tigress began, but paused. She lost her nerve for a brief moment before reminding herself that he at least needed to know why and to stay strong against any temptation to cave into her restrictions, and then she continued on. "I knew the best friend. She actually did, ah, like like your friend."
"Really?" Po asked, hope radiating from his face.
Tigress nodded. "But there were a few problems."
"Like what?" Po questioned as he sat down beside her on the mat.
She avoided his eyes. "Well, for one, he had power over her. And that wasn't good, because they were kung fu masters."
"But," He said quickly, then slowed down as he thought over each word he was going to say. "He didn't do it on purpose; plus, he would never use that power against her."
"She knew that. But he was her weakness; kung fu masters weren't supposed to have weaknesses." She replied but still avoided his eyes.
"But she was a person, wasn't she? Everyone has weaknesses – being a master would never change that."
Curse you, Po, she thought. Of course he would find a way to counter all of her thoughts, finding a solution. It wasn't black and white, she knew, yet he treated it like it was the simplest of things, and so she told him, "It's not that simple. It wasn't. She also didn't know how long her feelings would last – or his. It had only been a year since she'd known him, and only a few months of liking him. What if it would suddenly…end?"
She shook her head and stood up, giving her some type of edge as she stood over him. "There was also her reputation. She had had it for nearly twenty years – and she'd have it long after she died. She had only known him for a year, and only…felt that way for a few months? She had to think about that. And, she knew, that hearts would be broken. She wanted to save herself, but more importantly him from that. Everything she touched broke, and she didn't want to break him. And...that's the end of the story."
There was absolute silence. Tigress stood, her gaze lifted above him, staring at the wall. She had given her reasons. She was done. She could leave. She even began to turn, when suddenly Po was standing before her. He placed his hands on her waist, pulled her closed, and kissed her. She froze stiffly beneath his touch, eyes opened wide in shock, even after he pulled away.
"Tigress, don't you see?" He asked as he beamed a smile so bright. "I have just as much say in this as you – and I'm gonna risk a broken heart."
Her mind finally caught up, and she stepped away from him. "I won't let you."
She couldn't watch his face fall, and so she turned and walked to the door.
"Tigress," Po said, taking a single step forward and putting out his hands. "I think you're forgetting that I promised I wouldn't leave if I had a say in it." She turned to face him as he finished, "And I'm saying that I'm not leaving."
She froze as her thoughts caught up with her. It didn't matter whether or not she let nothing happen between them: at the end of the day, he would still be her weakness. He also wanted to risk it; he was willing to take a broken heart for her. That had to mean something? But taking a risk on a broken heart didn't necessarily mean simply it breaking by the fact she broke everything she touch or by her future death, it also meant taking a risk on whether or not their feelings would last.
The only thing, it seemed now, that was keeping her from him was her reputation. It made sense why she should cared about it; she worked hard for it, too hard just to throw it away on a chance. There was one problem with it, however, and it was that she was putting an idea over a being. She could not touch her reputation, or even see it, but Po had stood beside her the entire year she had known him. Maybe things between them would not end with a cheesy happily ever after, but maybe, at the end, the least she could say that it had been happy.
"Screw it," Tigress muttered crudely to herself, then said a little louder, "Screw my reputation."
She whipped around, marched up to Po, and kissed him. This time, it was he who froze beneath her lips. Her kiss was swift, only pausing for a moment before she pulled away. It was then that his brain kicked in, and he reached out his face in order to recapture her lips with his. And when he had hers again, he didn't want to part.
It seemed absolutely crazy, as he put his hand on her neck and moved his lips against hers, that this was happening to him. Never in a million years did he ever think he would win the literal girl of his dreams. But here she was, kissing him back as softly, yet passionately, as he was kissing her. She stopped then, but not because she wanted to, but because she had to smile, which he felt beneath his lips.
He kissed her again and again and again. He couldn't stop; he was so happy to have finally won her, to have her, to know that she was his. He couldn't even stop when she said his name gently, asking him to stop, because he was too happy. It hadn't been easy, but here he was, kissing her.
Tigress was feeling an array of emotions. For one, there was still a small portion of her brain saying that she shouldn't be doing this; she shouldn't be willing herself to have this emotion, to risk everything. Another portion of her brain was telling the first to shut up, and a third was just trying to shut down her brain in order to focus on what was happening.
There was also a sense of both happiness and peace. It felt strange, but there was some sort of acceptance and love he offered as he kissed her, something she had never completely felt before then.
At this same moment, Mantis looked at Viper. "I don't hear anything." Viper opened the door a crack and peaked in, and at that same time, Crane and Monkey opened their doors. The moment they each caught sight of the pair, their doors were shut, and they crowed together in the hallway, unsure of what to say.
"Well," Crane said awkwardly, "it worked!"
"Maybe a little too well," Mantis replied, with an eyebrows raised as he glanced at the closed door, where he knew, on the other side, Tigress and Po stood kissing.
There was an awkward silence that followed, before finally Monkey asked, "Dinner?" And the four agreed with nods of their heads and various vocal approvals as they walked away from the room and into the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Tigress had finally managed to pull away from Po, but all the while beaming a smile.
"So what made you change your mind?" Po asked.
Tigress smiled. "I realized that, this whole time, you were worth the risk."
Random notes - *I still don't know what species to make the emperor, so image what you wish.
*Here, I said KFP2 happened a year after KFP1 - I seriously don't know how much time had passed. I heard, somewhere, that it was 6 months? I wasn't sure, so I thought a year would be enough time. -shrugs-