Legend of Siberia
Part 26
by Neoraichu
This story is rated 'M' for Gratuitous Kink. Tigress X 'OC'.
WARNING: This is a strange tale, so READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
…
Tigress awoke to her orphanage cot alone in her old room. She felt small, weak and unbearably lonely once again. And it was quiet all around her: deathly quiet.
"Big Sis?" she called, "Where are you?"
There was no answer. She leaped from her cot and ripped the door to her room off its hinges. Running out into the hallway, she looked around to see no one there. No orphans, no caretakers... no Big Sister.
"BIG SIS?!" she screamed, "I'M SCARED! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
She ran through the front door to find herself in the orphanage courtyard, will a light layer of snow and icicles everywhere. In the middle of the field was a cloaked and hooded figure, but she somehow knew in her heart it just had to be her Big Sister. She ran up and began frantically tugging at the hem of the cloak.
The cloaked figure slowly turned so that Tigress could see her ice blue eyes. She pulled her hood back and smiled down at her. It was Siberia.
"Little Sister," she asked calmly, "Why are you so panicked? Why are you so scared?"
"DON'T LEAVE ME NOW!"
"Everyone has to go eventually," she replied, "Everyone's time comes up at some point."
"I'M NOT READY TO LET YOU GO YET!"
"You'll get along whether I'm here or not, little sister," she answered, "And perhaps I can finally atone for the death of my first student all those years ago..."
"IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT!"
Siberia picked up the child Tigress and cuddled her in her large, muscular arms. "You've come so far now, little sister. You have to keep making progress. Use the lessons I gave you to get what you've deserved all these years."
"Dragon Warrior!"
"Yes," she replied, "and once you beat him, then what will you do?"
"I... I don't know!" she spluttered, "I just haven't planned that far ahead! My only plans involve... BEING WITH YOU!"
"I love you Tigress," answered Siberia, "and I want to stay with you. But sometimes we don't get what we want, but what we need."
"I NEED YOU! THERE'S STILL SO MUCH I CAN LEARN FROM YOU!"
"I've taught you all the basics you need of Chi Flow and Circular Motion."
"IT'S NOT FAIR!" she cried, "DON'T DIE ON ME!"
"It all comes down to the basics..."
...
Tigress awoke in a cold sweat. She was leaning against the door frame where she had spent hours checking in on Master Shifu as he channeled his Chi into Master Siberia.
'Wait,' she thought, 'the BASICS. Could it be that easy?'
She stood and stepped into the room. Channeling her own Chi into her hands, she stepped behind Master Shifu and put her paws over his hands. Her hands glowed golden as her aura combined itself into Master Shifu's Chi. She closed her eyes as she channeled her Chi into Shifu's aura.
"Tigress?" asked Shifu without opening his eyes or looking, "What are you doing?"
"Using the basics that Master Siberia taught me," she replied.
"She taught you Chi flow?" he asked back.
"Yes," she replied simply, "and you can't stop me from sharing this risk with you now."
Tigress' heart seemed to skip a beat when she heard Po call out from the hallway, "Tigress? Where are you? How's it going?" She couldn't bear to look or break her own concentration to answer. Not at this critical juncture. She prayed he wouldn't... mess things up.
She felt his hands lay on top of hers. Judging by the direction, Po had to be standing across the cot from them. She could feel his Chi added to both of theirs. His Chi was calm as Master Shifu's, and perhaps even stronger.
"Po?" she asked.
"Hey Tigress," he replied, "I can't let you take all the risks. I'm the reckless one who's supposed to take the chances, you know."
"You risk your life for someone you hardly know?"
"That's part of being the Dragon Warrior."
But Shifu and Tigress were no longer speaking. He return all of his attention to healing Siberia with his own Chi, and now with Tigress' Chi and Po's Chi as well. With their combined Chi, things suddenly seemed to turn in their favor. Siberia seemed to breath more easily.
"We're almost done," said Shifu at last, "A little more and she will survive."
"Survival isn't enough," replied Tigress, "I must know she'll fully recover."
"Very well," he conceded, "Until we know she'll fully recover..."
...
Taotie was sitting in chains waiting to be hauled off to Chorh-Gom Prison. He was still trying to wrap his head around the words that the mysterious white tigress told him during their battle. Taotie was alone with his thoughts, and the chains on his wrists and feet.
"You think you've mastered your own tools, but you hardly know how to use them at all! Just because you invent something means you know how to use it!" she accused him, "When you take away an old weakness,You inevitably replace that with a NEW weakness." She said, "I have no intentions to mock or belittle you, but I am simply telling you that perhaps it is your own narrow beliefs that held you back in Kung Fu training."
'Could I have been the one who was wrong the whole time?' he thought, 'She bested me with my own technology. With my own inventions.'
"What?" asked someone nearby, "No swearing of revenge? No RUE-THE-DAY stuff?"
"Bian Zao?" he asked as if he had seen his son suddenly for the first time.
"Yeah Dad, I see you're off to prison... again."
"No, I'm done with revenge," he said, "Someone taught me the arrogance of my ways. She made me see things from a whole new perspective... She proved to me that I don't know my own inventions like I thought I did. She could use my own technology as well as... no, even better than me. Perhaps when I get out of prison, I can start over a new life... with my only son."
"Really?"
"Yes, Bian Zao," he answered, "I've forever burying my vendetta against Master Shifu, the furious Five, and the Dragon Warrior. I've finally learned about the futility of my revenge efforts. How is the white tigress warrior doing?"
"They're doing everything they can to save her," answered Bian Zao.
"I don't even know her name," he confessed.
"It's Siberia," he replied, "A Northern Shaolin Kung Fu Master."
...
Viper poked her head into the doorway as Monkey stayed around the corner.
"What's Po doing?" asked Monkey.
"I think... he's helping," replied Viper.
"Seriously?"
"Yes," she replied, "Tigress and Po are somehow sharing their Chi with Master Shifu."
"I could believe Po could be that reckless, but Tigress?"
"I didn't even know she had achieved such a level in channeling her Chi energy," admitted Viper, "I guess Siberia really did teach her a few new skills."
"She learned Levitation Kung-Fu like the rest of use," offered Monkey.
"Yeah," she replied, "And how many times have we used it since then?"
"About..." he mused, "About... zero."
"The technique is too wasteful of one's Chi reserves. Something more appropriate to showing off rather than a practical combat technique," replied Viper, "It's easier to just run, jump and move about in the more conventional sort of way. But look at Tigress' hands. I've never seen her channeling her Chi so... easily. I'd never believe that she could help Master Shifu in a Chi-based ritual like this."
"Well, you do have a point," he replied.
"It's like she had an epiphany while she was gone. Like she had a breakthrough. Perhaps it was the new Master who enlightened her so."
"Should we help them?"
"No, there's already too many sticky bun chefs in their already. We'd just get in the way. All we can do now is be supportive no matter what happens. I'm sure that Master Shifu has everything under control. If this doesn't work, we may have to give them emergency Chi Medicine."
"It's good that Mantis and Crane are watching Taotie... right? You know Mantis would be freaking out right about now."
"Yes," she replied, "but they're giving Bian Zao some alone time with his father before he gets hauled off to prison... again."
"You think he'll ever learn his lesson?"
"I don't know," she replied, "He's never been beaten with his own technology before. I wonder if he can deal with that."
...
Tigress and Po withdrew their Chi when they felt Master Shifu withdraw his own.
"It is done," he replied, "She will fully recover. Master Siberia just needs... some rest. I think we all could use some rest."
"Yes Master," replied Tigress.
"Tigress," he said as he looked at her at last, "I'm very impressed with your ability to channel your Chi. Did Siberia teach you all that herself?"
"She did," she replied, "It's all part of the balanced Northern Shaolin Style she uses."
"I see," he mused, "What else did she teach you?"
"Oh this and that," she replied, "and I hope to show you it all... soon enough."
"She taught you a lot, did she?"
"Yes," she replied, "but there's something else... Po?"
"Yes Tigress?" he asked.
"In two days, I challenge you to a Kung Fu Battle."
"Really? I wasn't expecting that..."
"But will you respect my request?"
"Of course," he replied, "I want to see all the new stuff you learned as much as you want to show us."
"Even if I finally best you?"
"That would be so awesome!"
Tigress smiled softly as she looked at the sleeping form of Siberia, and said, "Yes, Po, it would be awesome."
"Come on," said Shifu, "Let's leave Siberia alone to rest. That includes you, Viper and Monkey."
"Of course Master," replied Viper without missing a beat.
...
Siberia awoke the next day. While she was still bandaged about the torso, she seemed to be a whole lot better. Tigress brought her herbal tea to help her regain her Chi strength, and of course, Siberia insisted that Tigress drink too. The tea was rather strong and almost bitter, but it wasn't something that Siberia wasn't used to taking in the Northern Shaolin Temple. Tigress assured her that Shifu was taking it as well, though they had to pretty much force Po to take his medicine.
"I heard you helped save me," said Siberia to break the ice.
"Yes Master," she replied, "I used the Chi control techniques you taught me to support Master Shifu."
"You're the best student I've ever had," she replied.
"So you're willing to forgive yourself for what happened all those years ago?"
Siberia stopped as she looked back at Tigress.
"In my dream, you said this might be a chance to make up for your mistake all those years ago... with your 'little student'. You've suffered the guilt of his death for far too long now. You have to learn to let your pain go, Master."
"With your help and love," she replied, "I think I truly can." She set aside her tea cup, and pulled Tigress into a hug. Tigress was barely able to avoid spilling her tea all over her Master.
"Yes," replied Tigress, "I hope that I can help you even a fraction as much as you've helped me."
"Hey Tigress," said Po, "How's Master Siberia... eee!"
"I am much better, Dragon Warrior," she replied, "Thank you for your inquiry."
"Look, if you're gonna..."
"No," said Tigress, "Nothing is going to happen. Is there a point for you bothering us?"
"I was hoping Siberia would be well enough to watch us fight tomorrow."
"I shall," replied Siberia, "I would be remiss in my duties as Tigress' second Master to not see how well she executes the techniques I've taught her."
"I'm so excited," answered the Dragon Warrior, "this should be an awesome battle!"
Siberia raised an eyebrow as she said, "I take it you like a challenge?"
"I'm the Dragon Warrior," he replied, "'Challenge' is my middle name."
"I thought it was 'Danger'," answered Tigress.
"Hey, a guy can have more than one middle name."
"I will make sure my number one student is ready for her fight tomorrow then," replied Siberia.
After Po left, she softly looked at Tigress and said, "There's one more thing you should know before tomorrow, my student."
"Yes Master?"
"I need to teach you how to shield you mind against techniques like..."
"The Fluttering Finger Mindslip!"
"Exactly."
"Do you think he'd try that on me?"
"It seems he's been doing it out of reflex."
"Can't he just make himself forget it again?"
"No, that didn't work before and it won't work now. When the battle is over, there's a more... long term solution to this issue."
"You won't hurt him, would you?"
"Of course not," she replied, "There are more advanced ways to block access to forbidden techniques, my faithful student. There is no pain involved."
...
Shifu and the others gathered to watch Tigress battle Po for... well, people lost track of the number of time the two fought quite some time ago.
"I shall be sure to write a letter to Grand Master Yak thanking him for his kind gifts. The Scrolls I plan to send back will hopefully be as enlightening."
"I'm sure he would think so," she answered.
"But first... Tigress?" he called to her.
Tigress trotted over. "Yes, Master?" she asked.
He pulled a package from his sleeve and gave it to her. "Grand Master Yak entrusted these to me," he said, "and I in turn shall entrust them to you. You are the most worthy to have them, and discreet enough to know when to use them."
"Master?" she asked as she opened the package, and she stared in dismay at the golden metal gauntlets with their shiny claws at the end of each finger and the thumbs, "The Golden Tiger Claws?!"
Siberia smiled softly as she said, "Yes, we both agreed. I'm very very proud of you."
"As am I," replied Shifu, "as am I."
"But this is for the Jade Palace, for Master Shifu," she spluttered.
"I'm using my own discretion as a Master in this matter," he replied, "and I'm sure Grand Master Yak would approve of my choice."
"Thank you so much."
"Now show the Dragon Warrior why you're my best student ever!" said Siberia confidently.
"I shall!" She handed the package back to Shifu as she said, "So please hold on to this until... we're done... Master."
"Of course," replied Shifu as he took it back.
"Tigress is very special indeed," said Siberia as she watched her walk towards Po.
"I know," he replied.
"But I think only teaching her Hung Ga Kung Fu has limited her potential."
"I see. So that's how you got her past her Chi block?"
"Indeed. I hope I'm not making a slight against you teaching style."
"Of course not," he replied, "Never be sorry for correcting someone's mistakes."
"It wasn't a mistake," she replied, "What you taught her has served her well."
"Thank you."
The two placed their fist into the open palm of the other hand and then bowed to each other respectfully.
"Now if you would excuse me," he said as he stood back up, "I need to officiate this battle."
"Of course."
He walked over between the two as he announced, "Let this be a clean and fair fight. No low blows or lethal strikes. This is a friendly battle between two Masters until one yields or is unable to continue, but I hope it shall not get to that point."
He paused to look at Po and Tigress before he continued, "Let the battle go to the one best prepared. If I say the battle must stop for any reason, then battle will cease immediately. Am I clear on this point?"
Tigress and Po bowed to each other, and then bowed to Master Shifu.
"Then begin."
The watchers were taken aback by the fact that Tigress didn't go into a straight frontal attack on Po from the start. She actually seemed to be waiting for Po to initiate combat against her. Instead, she simply moved slowly towards Po with her fists raised and her arms held defensively over her chest and abdomen.
"This is something new," muttered Monkey.
"Okay," said Po, "I guess I get to bring it this time!"
He stepped in with a high blow, aimed at Tigress' shoulder. But she countered with a flawless circular block that she leveraged into a wrist grab. She then used his own leverage and motion to turn his attack into a throw, leaving him flat on the ground next to her. Maintaining her grip on his wrist, she was able to twist his arm behind his back, pinning him to the ground in the process.
"Point goes to Tigress," announced Shifu.
"That's a sweet move, Tigress!" said Po. He performed a front roll to dislodge her grip on his arm, and then came up on his feet facing her.
He came at her with a circular kick, but she was ready in a crouch, came in under his kick, and then she shoved her now glowing fist upwards into his jaw as she called, "Chi uppercut!" The Dragon Warrior went flying up and backwards, slamming into the ground from the force of her blow.
"Circular motion and Chi techniques?" asked Master Shifu, "I wonder if I've been selling Tigress short all these years?"
"I doubt it," said Siberia as she watched the match beside him, "I merely approached the problem from a new angle."
"Did anyone get the number of that dumpling cart?" asked Po as his eyes rolled about in their sockets. He sat up and looked at Tigress with a whole new respect.
Tigress merely pulled up her leg, lifted her arms like wings with her hands turned down, and waited for Po to try another move.
"Hey!" said Crane, "When did Tigress learn Crane Stance?!"
"When I taught her," replied Siberia simply.
"Oh..."
Minutes passed as Tigress pummeled Po, oddly enough by using a combination of techniques that he couldn't gain a real advantage by copying, as there was nothing fancy or special about any of her moves separately. It was mainly the Dragon Warrior ability to suffer a relentless pounding that kept him in the fight, or at least the fact he might not have been smart enough to know when to give up. It was her expanded arsenal of moves that most baffled the watchers (except for Siberia, of course). Also, her lack of aggression that was normally her style also made most of the observers wonder.
"I've never seen Tigress doing so well against Po before," said Viper quietly.
"Do you yield, Dragon Warrior?" asked Tigress after knocking him on his backside once more.
"I'm thinking about it," he admitted.
"I respect Po's determination," said Siberia, "That he's making Tigress earn her win. I'm sure that that is the way she wants to win."
"I guess that's one way to look at 'too stupid to know when to quit'," mused Monkey.
"Oh, I think there's more depth to the Dragon Warrior then you give him credit for," mused Siberia.
"We're talking about the same Po, right?"
"Yes, I believe we are."
Suddenly, Tigress stepped in and grabbed Po's hand by the wrist when he aimed it at her head. It wasn't a hold or throw, but just a grip. "You were going to Fluttering Finger Mindslip me, weren't you?"
"I what?"
"The Mindslip... I saw your fingers moving..."
"No, I'd never..." he spluttered, "I wouldn't..."
"Then what were you going to do?"
"Well, uh..." he said, "I was gonna... well, I was about to..." Po landed a karate-style chop under Tigress' armpit, making her stagger back in pain.
"Sorry," he said quickly, "Sorry..."
"Don't apologize for using an enemy's known weakness," said Tigress surprisingly calmly.
"That's enough!" cried Master Shifu as he stepped between them, "I'm calling this fight because we can't continue until the Fluttering Finger Mindslip problem is fixed!"
Siberia stepped up to Po and asked, "I take it that Po is not ready to handle this technique responsibly?"
"Seriously," said Monkey, "He's not."
"I see," she replied.
"That's okay, I'll just make myself forget..."
"No!" said Siberia in an outburst. Then she calmed herself and continued, "No more. It hasn't worked before, and from what I understand, you'll just accidentally learn how to do it again. This calls for a more... permanent solution."
"Permanent?" asked Tigress.
"Yes," she replied as she stepped into Po's face. Her eyes glowed powerfully with her inner Chi as she locked her gaze into his eyes.
"Please don't hurt him..." said Tigress softly.
The two were soon close enough to almost be touching nose to nose. Then to almost everyone's surprise, she licked his nose playfully and flicked it with a fingertip. He fell over from the shock value of the move alone.
"What did you do?" asked Master Shifu.
"The Tibetan Technique Blocking Maneuver," said Siberia, "I've prevented Po from using the Fluttering Finger Mindslip again, by purpose or accident. It's a special technique by where someone knows how to perform a particular technique, but is no longer capable of performing that technique until the mental block so placed in them is removed. It's generally used to prevent students who abuse training from accessing techniques that they are not ready to use responsibly without removing their ability to grasp the technique's principles and applications. Of course, I'll tell Master Shifu what he needs to do to remove the block when he feels Po is ready to continue his training."
"I see," he replied, "That sounds really useful."
"One of the scrolls from Grand Master Yak covers that in greater detail."
She glanced at Tigress as she walked to her side and said, "So you have a weakness, do you?"
Tigress blushed.
She lifted Tigress' arm and looked over her armpit region. Touching her side and arm a few times, she announced "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, sweet Tigress. Don't worry, I'll help you work around that." Then she used a few acupressure points to ease her pain from where Po struck her. "It's best to keep your enemies guessing about what your weaknesses truly are. I think you have some sort of Chi flow issues in from your arms to your heart that culminates in your armpit region. Judging by the feel of your hands, I'm guessing that you punched something really hard hundreds of times in order to desensitize them? It's a fairly common flaw that needs to be corrected here..."
"Tigress," said Po, "That was TOTALLY..."
"Awesome?" she interrupted.
"That's totally what I was going for."
Siberia glanced over towards Po as she looked him up and down, and observed, "So you're the one I have to compete with for the affections of my sweet Tigress, eh?"
"Master?!" spluttered Tigress.
"Uh... compete?" he said with a blank look on his face.
Tigress grabbed Siberia's arm and began to drag her away as she said, "There's something that we need to speak about... Master."
He watched Siberia dragged away as he looked on dumbfounded. Minutes passed in silence as he thought.
"It's lucky he's so dense," said Monkey, "I knew what she was talking about 5 minutes ago."
"Well who didn't?" asked Viper.
They all looked at Crane, who replied in surprise "What?!"
"Well now that Master Siberia is here," said Master Shifu, "I'm sure there's much we can learn from the Legendary Northern Shaolin Kung Fu Style. I expect ALL of you to take her lesson very seriously. Yes, I am especially talking to YOU, Po. And perhaps Master Siberia can learn new aspects of Kung Fu from studying our own Kung Fu Styles."
"New Kung Fu?" he asked, "That is SO AWESOME! I can't wait to start learning... stuff." He waved his arms about in his excitement.
"Po?" asked Shifu as he glanced up towards him.
"Yes Master?"
"You can STOP trying to Fluttering Finger Mindslip me now..."
"Ah, bad habit?" he asked sheepishly.
"Very bad."
"It should happen... any second now," said Mantis.
"Wait," said Po, "Compete for Tigress' attention? SHE TOTALLY LIKES ME! I KNEW IT!"
"And light dawns like the painfully slow burning candle..."
"Kept under a basket," added Viper.
(~Fin~)