Year of the Tiger

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 29- Chrysanthemum

The village, which was pretty boring only a few days before, was now bustling with activity. People were chatting with friends, eating rice cakes, and other forms of merry-making. But the most noticeable trait of the Valley of Peace on that day was flowers.

The air was thick with the scent of dogwood and chrysanthemum blossoms. People were tying bouquets on their doors, putting bunches in vases on windowsills, and tossing the petals all over the place. It was Bee Heaven. Everyone was dressed in their good silks instead of linen working attire. And huge groups of villagers were walking up the stairs toward the Jade Palace. Not for a tournament, but just for the hike, as was traditional during the Cheongyang festival.

And during this particular festival, everything was topsy-turvy. While the villagers headed towards the fortress dedicated to the ancient study of kung fu, its disciples were headed away from the Jade Palace. Or at least they were supposed to be. Tigress was holding herself up in her old room of her parents' house, refusing to budge.

"Tigress, you have to come! It's tradition!" Viper exclaimed.

"I don't care! I'm not going! You'll have a better time without me," Tigress insisted.

"It won't be the same without you. We've gone on this hike since we were kids. It was on that hike when we were seven years old when we named ourselves the Furious Five! You can't break the tradition, it'll be a curse!" Mantis said.

"Oh please, there are no such things as curses," the feline snapped, glaring at him.

"You believed me when I told you that Master Shifu's ears were cursed and that's why they twitch. Actually, now that I think about it, I told you that during this festival too, when we were six and it was my first year at the Jade Palace," Monkey added.

"I'm not going, and that's my final answer!" Tigress yelled.

The rest of the Five exchanged glances, and then pounced. In a matter of minutes they managed to grab each of Tigress' limbs and carried her downstairs. "This is not funny, let go!" she demanded.

"Sorry, Tigress, but this is for your own good," Crane said.

"I'll kill all of you once I get my hands free!"

"How about telling that to Mr. Dirt?" Mantis said. They all dropped her and she hit the ground with a thud. She quickly stood up.

"If I got one speck of dirt on this dress, I really am going to kill all of you!" she threatened, brushing the dust off her peach silk dress. Viper smirked. "You're pretty protective of that dress, Tigress. Isn't that the one you were wearing when Dongwa proposed?" Tigress stayed silent and marched away from her friends.

"Well, at least she's out of the house," Crane said optimistically.

"Let's just hope she doesn't skin us and leave our carcasses on top of the mountain," Mantis said.


Clover watched her sister and sighed. She felt some pity for her, but mostly felt like Tigress was getting what she deserved. Her friends were only trying to help her, and she was pushing them away. So she deserved to feel sad and alone.

Yet something about that made Clover feel guilty, too.

Suddenly, a bouquet of red chrysanthemums appeared before her eyes. "For the most beautiful flower of all."

She smiled shyly at Ning. "Thank you. These are gorgeous," she said, breathing in the flowers' delicate scent. He pressed a light kiss to her lips.

"You're welcome. I don't mean to intrude on any family celebration you're having, but my parents don't want to associate with me right now, so I figured it would be best to steer clear from them. And if I get to see you in the process, then it's only more reason to do it."

She giggled. "Don't worry, you're not intruding. But if you want to stick around you'd better get ready for a lot of walking. My parents and I always go with the Five and Master Shifu on their Cheongyang hike, and the mountain they climb up is nowhere near as close as the Jade Mountain."

"I think I can handle it," he said in a masculine voice, inspecting his bicep. She cracked up.

"Ning, you passed out after running for thirty seconds in gym class."

"Yeah, but that was running. This is walking. They're two totally different things," he explained.

She laughed and nodded. "Sure, Ning. Whatever you say."

"Clover." Shan approached the young couple, and Ning visibly flinched when Shan glanced at him and narrowed his eyes. "Your mother needs you."

She glared accusingly at her father, who glared right back and said with his eyes, "Leave the boy with me and get your butt over there."

She sighed. "Alright. But don't forget, I'm still in hearing range!" She kissed Ning's cheek and went off to see her mother. Shan turned his attention to the snow leopard.

"Clover tells me that you two are back together."

Ning gulped and nodded, "That's correct, sir."

Shan kept glaring at him for a few more moments, but then he laughed. "Relax, boy. I'm not here to kill you. In fact, I'm glad you two are together again."

"Really?" Ning asked, perking up considerably.

"Anyone is better than that panda. I don't trust him. Besides, you've proven yourself to me. So I suppose you're allowed to see my daughter."

Ning's ear twitched, and he saw an old man come out of Shan's house. He had tinted glasses and was tapping the ground in front of him with a stick. "Um, sir, why is there a blind man coming out of your house?"

Shan sighed. "He's a blind man who Mingxia found living on the street. Somehow she convinced me to let him stay until he can find a proper place to live."

"That's very kind of you, sir."

Shan snorted. "Let me tell you something, Ning. You'll know if you've really fallen for a woman if you'll do whatever she wants, even if it's something you would never agree to in a million years when you were single."

Ning nodded, but kept silent. He was thinking of when Clover told him he should move out of his parents' house, and he when he actually did. It was exactly what her father was describing. But he could tell him that. Shan glanced down at him.

"Are you afraid to comment because I'm your girlfriend's father?" Ning nodded. Shan smirked. "Good. That's the way it should be. I'll be keeping my eye on you two today, so don't try anything."

Ning gulped. "Of course."

Shan stifled a chuckle as he walked away. "Shan, I wish you wouldn't mess with him like that. He and Clover are a harmonious couple," Mingxia scolded when he approached her.

"Well then consider it payback for bringing a homeless man into my house."

She scoffed. "If you were the one who had found him, then you would have brought him home too, and you know it. You have too big a heart to leave someone out in the cold."

"HEY, GUYS!" Po waved as he approached the group. A huge pack was strapped to his back. The Pings were following him, along with Meifeng. And behind her…

…was Dongwa.

Tigress rushed over to the rest of the Five. "Viper, what is he doing here?" she demanded in a frantic tone.

She shrugged. "He's probably going on the hike with us."

"No, no, NO, he cannot come! I can't let him see me!" Tigress insisted, hiding behind Crane.

"Why not? It's been weeks since you guys broke up. It's not as if he's still angry with you. I mean, look at him! He looks more defeated than angry." Viper had a point. Dongwa looked as if he was just barely dragging on with his life. His eyes had very dark circles underneath and they were bloodshot, his back and shoulders were slumped, and he was dragging his feet on the dirt path.

For a moment, Tigress felt a twinge of worry. But instead, she stepped out from behind Crane. "You know what, you guys are right. It wouldn't be the same without the whole group together. I think I'll start walking, and you guys can catch up later."

She headed down the trail and towards the mountain. Crane and Viper both exchanged worried glances. "Okay, who else thinks that they need to get back together?" Monkey asked. Everyone murmured their agreement.

"Yeah. I love Tigress, she's practically my sister, but she's getting really annoying," Mantis said.

"Dongwa did make her really happy," Crane added.

Mingxia came over to the group. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we're ready to go if you are." The four out of Five all nodded and started down the trail, leading the way.


Tigress took a deep breath and smiled. She was beginning to be glad that she came. There was nothing but open trail ahead of her, yet the smell of flowers from the village could still be detected. The sky was blue and dotted with soft white clouds that looked like cotton candy, and the leaves were falling off the trees and coloring everything in oranges and reds.

"Beautiful day for a walk, isn't it?" a familiar voice asked. Tigress whipped her head around to see the old blind man she had met in the village.

"Oh! Hello, sir… what are you doing here?" she asked, confused.

"Oh, just enjoying the festival. It's the perfect temperature, isn't it? Not too cold because of the warming sun, yet not too hot because of the breeze."

She smiled, and wished he could see just how beautiful a day it was. "You're right. It's a good day for a hike. Will you be alright, with your walking stick?" she asked. He waved her off.

"I'll be just fine, Master Tigress. I have never fallen off a mountain during the Cheongyang festival before, even after I went blind. It won't be a difficult feat."

Tigress had to admit, this old man was feisty. He was old and blind, but it didn't stop him from doing any of the things she did. She admired him for his drive and spirit. He'll be a good traveling companion, even if he is a little crazy.

She and the man, who she found out was named Meng, conversed for quite a while. He told her stories of his days in the Imperial Army, and she told him stories of the battles she had fought in. They swapped jokes and riddles, and he kept stumping her with his seemingly never-ending arsenal of trivia questions. She was so busy smiling and laughing that she didn't notice they had reached the mountain.

It was a very big mountain, and appropriately named Tian Kun, or Celestial Earth. And unorthodox name though it was, it was true, because the very peak of the mountain couldn't be seen; it was shrouded by clouds.

Tigress saw Meng struggle to sit down on a nearby rock, and she helped him sit. "Thank you, dear. I'll need to rest for a while. I may be determined, but I'm still old. You'd better go on without me; I'll just slow you down."

"Are you sure?" she asked. She didn't want to leave Meng behind, and she would miss his company. It would seem lonely on the trail without him.

He waved her on. "Yes, yes, now go. If you want to reach the top in daylight, then you'll need to go right away."

She hesitated, but turned toward the mountain trail. "If you're sure…"

"I am, now go on. There's no use waiting for me." She started up the trail.

Mingxia came to "Meng's" side. "You are not helping the situation. What are you trying?" she whispered, watching her daughter from the corner of her eye.

"Nothing. Trust me, this will aide you in the end. A general must have trust in his soldiers to complete their mission. She and the boy will be together again by the end of the week, you have my word," Wang whispered back.

Mingxia looked him over and warned, "Just keep to the plan. I won't have you screwing this up." She went back to where Dongwa was walking slowly.

"Dongwa, honey?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Look, I know you may not be comfortable with this, but I was wondering if you could go up with Tigress. She's starting up the mountain and I don't want her up on the trail all alone," she explained.

He thought for a moment "I guess I could."

She smiled. "Thank you. And, if you could, could you not mention that I asked you to do this? She hates it when I coddle her." He nodded and started after Tigress.

"That was really inconspicuous," the Emperor said sarcastically when Mingxia past. She ignored him.


Tigress tread slowly along the trail, looking at the trees and rocks as she past them. This may seem boring just by that threadbare description, but it was more impressive than it seems. Those rocks were huge boulders that hung over the trail and even made her a little nervous. It wouldn't take much for one of them to crush her. Not much at all. It was quiet, and peaceful, with nothing but the sound of the breeze through the trees and her thoughts.

Then a twig snapped behind her. And all that peace went down the drain. She turned around and met Dongwa's eyes. They both stood perfectly still for a moment. Tigress didn't know what to say.

Say something! Don't just stand there and look like a fool, say something! Tell him off! Plead forgiveness, just DON'T STAY SILENT!

"Hi." Real deep, Confucius.

He smiled a little. "Hi."

An awkward silence popped up. Tigress looked at everything around her, anything to keep her eyes off the tiger in front of her. But she couldn't draw her eyes away, and she locked onto his eyes again. "… Is… is there a reason that you're following me?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, um… I just thought you might want some company," he explained, remembering his promise to Mingxia.

"Oh. Alright. Well, I'm fine, so you don't have to keep following me."

"Well, technically, I do," he said, walking up the path and standing in front of her.

"Why?"

He grinned a little and stifled a laugh. "Because the mountaintop is up there, I am down here, and you are in the middle somewhere. So unless I go in front of you—" He steeped around her. "—then I must follow you."

She blushed. "That… that makes sense. Go, since you're in front of me now."

"You know, I would rather stay down here and walk with you," he noted, putting his paws in his pockets and rocking back and forth on his heels. "But you don't have to, because you're in front of me now and nothing is stopping you from going ahead," she insisted.

He took a few steps toward her so that there was very little room in between their bodies. Tigress could feel the heat radiating off of him, and instinctively her heart started beating faster. "That's very true. But something tells me that at one point or another, you would catch up to me. And then the tables would be turned because instead of me following you, you would be following me. So it would avoid the problem of following all together if we would walk side-by-side," he said softly.

She looked up into his eyes. They were the warm, spellbinding orbs that she remembered. "Is… is that okay? If we walk together?" he asked, his voice lowering to a whisper. Still lost in his gaze, she nodded.


Mrs. Ping glanced up from the trail to look at Meifeng. She was smiling and chatting with Master Viper. What is she so happy about? Her husband is dead, her son is a complete train wreck, and she has absolutely nothing.

"Here, Hua. Have some water." She was thrown off of the train of thought when Mr. Ping handed her a cup filled with crystal clear water.

She frowned. "Ping, we've only been walking for a few minutes up a slope, why would I need water now?" she asked.

"I just want to be safe, Hua. I don't know what I'd do if anything would happen to you," he answered, placing the cup into her wing. She drank it down, despite her protests. She looked him over.

"You shouldn't be doing this, Ping. The doctor said—"

"I know what the doctor said, Hua. But what doesn't kill me will only make me stronger! And besides, if I can carry twenty bowls of noodles stacked on top of one another, then climbing a mountain will be nothing!" And with a grin, he continued on the trail. Mrs. Ping sighed.

"He seems to have the strength of someone many years younger." Mrs. Ping looked up, and Meifeng was now walking next to her.

"Well, he acts as if he does. He'll be his own demise if he's not careful," she sighed.

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. He probably still has many years ahead of him," Meifeng said.

"I would hope so. I've known him since my childhood, and I would rather die first then to be standing next to his deathbed, watching the life slipping away from him."

"You're very devoted to him, aren't you?"

"With all my heart. There was so many years wasted that we could have been together; and now that we are, we're both near the end of our time with the living," she agreed.

"Don't say that. You're both very healthy, and still in good shape."

"It's not completely dependent on physical strength. Sometimes people just lose the will to go on." She paused. "Was Dongwa's father healthy? Or was he more sickly? Because for years Dongwa was very fragile and prone to getting colds."

A ghost of a smile formed on Meifeng's lips. "Bai was the strongest man I've ever known. I don't remember him ever getting sick. He used to claim that he was immune to everything because he was secretly a dragon in disguise," she laughed.

Mrs. Ping smiled. Clearly Meifeng had been very fond of this man. "Do you miss him often?" she asked.

Meifeng nodded. "Every moment of every day. He was just so… happy. All the time. He almost always had a smile on, and couldn't stand to see people angry or hurt. And I couldn't be sad around him, no matter how dire my situation was. When I told him I was pregnant with Dongwa and I started crying, he just took me in his arms and said that he would pray for our child, for it to have my looks so that it wouldn't have to wear a paper bag over its head!" she exclaimed.

Mrs. Ping joined in on her laughter. Meifeng grinned.

"But he was exaggerating of course. He was very handsome, and very tall. When I saw Dongwa for the first time since he left the orphanage, I could have sworn that I was looking at Bai. It scares me how much they look alike."

Mrs. Ping nodded. "Po looks just like Jia. She was a bit leaner than he is, but that was because she watched what she ate. But everything else, including his green eyes, came from Jia."

"Jia was Mr. Ping's first wife?" Meifeng asked.

Mrs. Ping nodded. "She had such charisma; it was no wonder Ping married her. She actually is a lot like Dongwa's father. If either Dongwa or Po got hurt, then she would be the first to have a bandage and a kiss ready for them."

Both women chuckled, but then it grew silent. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Meifeng said, "It sounds as if I left my son in capable hands."

Mrs. Ping was startled by the words, but she still smiled.

A real, no-strings-attached smile.


Tigress rolled her eyes. "Come on! If you want us to walk together, then you have to keep up!" she yelled.

She and Dongwa had gone a lot farther ahead than the others, and they were at least half-way up the mountain. Dongwa finally was able to catch up. His breathing was labored and he was sweating.

"Well, excuse me, but I haven't trained like a maniac for my entire life. You may be Master Tigress, Warrior Princess, but I am not. First of all, I am terribly out of shape from sitting in a library for the better part of four years, and second…"

He stopped, resting his palms on his knees in an attempt to catch his breath. Tigress stopped too, smirking down at him. "… I just would not look good in the leather and metal bustier/skirt outfit."

Tigress laughed. "I would pay to get a picture of you in that."

He stood up straight again. "Tell you what. You give me your chest, and your butt, and then we'll talk. Until then, forget it." She blushed a bit and crossed her arms over her chest. Dongwa shook his head. "That's a complement, Warrior Princess. No need to be so cold."

He brushed past her and kept walking. She slowly followed. "So what happened to Cinderella?" she asked.

He stopped and turned to face her. "What?"

"You used to call me Cinderella when we were first dating. Then you just stopped. And now, all of a sudden, I'm a warrior princess that goes around wearing leather."

He grinned. "Well, if you would actually wear leather then maybe you wouldn't blush when I say you have nice breasts and a cute butt. And how am I supposed to know why I stopped calling you Cinderella? A lot more has been going on in my life since that." Her blush deepened.

"I'm sorry, that was a stupid question," she whispered.

He sighed through his nose. "No, it wasn't a stupid question. It was a perfectly valid question. I just don't know the answer. And you know I hate it when I don't know the answer." She nodded, but still wasn't completely convinced. He lifted her chin up so she would look him in the eye. "Hey Cinderella, don't let something like this ruin your day. We've still got a long way to go up the mountain, and it'll be a lot more fun if you're all smiley and happy. So can I see a smile? Please?"

He pouted, and she chuckled, pushing his paw away. Slowly, she let a smile creep across her face.

He grinned. "There you go. Just keep doing that, and we'll be at the top before you know it."


Po watched Clover very carefully. She was only a few feet in front of him, walking with Ning. Just looking at the couple made him feel a little sick. They were holding paws, and Clover was laughing at something Ning had said. Suddenly Ning kissed Clover, and he transferred his paw to her waist. It remained there as they kept walking.

I don't see what's so great about him. So what if he's thinner than me? I'm a lot taller than he is. And he is NOT the Dragon Warrior, cuz that title's reserved for me!

He and Clover had agreed to be friends, but he wouldn't deny that he was jealous. The months he had passed with Clover had been perfect, and he never lost a wink of sleep over anything. He truly had wanted to marry her, and to be her husband.

But if things went this well for Ning much longer, he may be watching the ceremony for the girl he was destined to be with. Of course, it was Clover's decision, but he had every right to think it was a dumb decision. He only likes her because of her looks, probably. She's just a little trophy to him, a puppet that he can just toy around with.

He felt a little hypocritical because Clover had used him to get rid of Ning. But all of a sudden, she's madly in love with him and the guy that she decided to give a chance to was left out in the cold. Clover had told him about her first date with Ning, and had apologized, but he still wanted to call her a slut.

Just goes out with a random guy, right after our date! I bet Ning was planning on taking her out that night. The jerk.

He knew it was wrong to think these things about Clover and Ning, they didn't mean to hurt him on purpose. But it stung to see them together. It stung bad.

And it seemed as if the pain would never go away.


Tigress sat impatiently on a rock, drumming her fingers against her thigh.

She sighed. "Dongwa, come on! If you keep stopping every five minutes, then we'll never get to the top!"

"Patience, grasshopper. The top of the mountain isn't going anywhere, and we're way ahead. Just relax and enjoy the mountain air," he said, taking a deep breath.

"I've been enjoying the mountain air for the past ten minutes. What are you doing, anyway?" Without warning, he grabbed her paw and pulled her up onto a rock that was against a little cliff. And before Tigress' very eyes were shimmering and shining purple crystals, all packed inside a tiny crevice.

A smile grew across her face without her noticing. "Beautiful, aren't they? It's a geode; it's strange to find one built into a mountain, but not impossible. Usually they're just round rocks that you can crack open," he explained.

"They're amazing," Tigress breathed. She looked from the crystals to Dongwa. "They match your eyes."

He smiled a little and slipped an arm around her waist. She cautiously placed her paws on his chest. They started leaning towards each other, heads tilted. But Dongwa's forehead met with rock instead of a female. Tigress brushed right past him.

"We should get going."

He rubbed his forehead and looked at her. Her voice had been quiet and timid, not a normal Tigress voice. He sighed silently and nodded. "You're probably right."

They started on the path again. It was silent, and awkward. Very, very awkward. "So… how have you been?" he asked.

"Oh… I've been fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine."

"Not good, or great, or excellent, or outstanding?" he asked.

"No, just fine."

He nodded. "Fine. Fine is good. I mean, the word 'fine' leaves a lot unsaid, but it's a perfectly good word for describing when you don't feel sad or angry, nor extremely happy and ecstatic."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"Nothing, nothing! I'm just saying that you could be a little more descriptive."

"Well excuse me, but I think I'm very descriptive. All I've really been doing is training, eating, and sleeping. That's what I always used to do," she said.

"See? Just with a few words, you gave me such a wider window into your life," he said.

She smirked. "So what do you see through this window?" she asked.

"Well, you're training, so you're keeping busy, and you're eating, so you're not starving yourself. And you're sleeping… so you're not sitting up all night, thinking about me. And that's good; you're getting on with your life."

There was another awkward pause. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I… I didn't mean for that to slip out. I don't want you to feel guilty. This is supposed to be a celebration."

"It's alright. We were engaged, after all. That's a… pretty big deal." She sighed. "Dongwa, look, you're right. This is a festival, and we're supposed to be having fun. Can we just put all this ugliness behind us, at least for today?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded. "As long as it makes you happy."

"Good. Now let's get moving, we've got a long way to go." She was already ahead on the trail, or she would have seen Dongwa grimace before going after her.

"So what have you been doing with the extra time?" she asked.

"Well, I've been working on the house, and the school… and the house, and the school…"

"You have such a wide range of activities, how did you ever find the time to come on this little hike with us?" she asked sarcastically.

"Funny, very funny, Tigress."


Clover watched and tried not to crack up as Ning slowly caught up to her. "Sure… go ahead and laugh… but mind you that I barely had to walk more than three feet up a hillside in my entire life," he said in between deep breaths.

"I warned you that this would be a really rough walk," she taunted. He sat down on a nearby outcropping of rock, trying to get the oxygen he needed into his lungs. She shook her head and sat behind him, gently rubbing his shoulder blades.

"Oh… you are a goddess, I swear," he muttered, leaning back against her.

She chuckled. "Don't get too comfortable. There's still a long way to the top, and I'm not carrying you up there." He shook his head.

"I would never ask you to. But the good thing about me being tired while you're not is at least you know you're in good shape."

She grinned and ran a paw down her side. "I am, aren't I?"

His eyes darkened and he pulled her closer. "Yes, you are."

She giggled and slipped her arms around his neck. "Ning?"

"Yes?" he asked, kissing her fingers.

"You do know that people will be coming around that bend in about two seconds?"

"What?"

Just as Clover predicted, Shan came around the bend with Po close behind. The two teenagers parted immediately, blushing. "There you two are. Are you both alright?" Shan asked.

"We're fine, Daddy," Clover insisted.

He smiled and walked over to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I just want to make sure that my baby girl is okay. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you when you were alone on the mountainside," he said, glaring at Ning.

Ning gulped and waved nervously. "Hello, sir."

"Clover, you need some water?" Po offered, holding the canteen out to her.

"No, I'm fine, but thanks," she said crossly. He looked a little hurt, but nodded.

"You know, I remember the first time you went on this hike, Clover…"

"Oh Daddy, please don't!" she begged.

"What? You were adorable! But you still hadn't gotten used to using your legs yet, so you crashed into a tree! And you didn't even cry. Instead you started giggling like mad." Both Po and Ning snickered, trying to hide it behind their paws.

Clover glared at her father. He frowned. "What?"

She stood up, shaking her head, and walked off down the path. Ning and Po fell silent as she went by. Shan looked at both of them.

"Was it something I said?"


"It's getting late; maybe we should start back down," Tigress said, looking at the sky.

"What?" Dongwa asked, "But we're so close! I can feel it. C'mon, you're Master Tigress, Warrior Princess! You can make it, especially if I can."

"It's not whether or not we'll make it or not, I'm worried about having to go back down in the dead of night! We won't be able to see where we're going, we could fall and kill ourselves!"

He stopped and turned around. "Tigress, what are you afraid of? It's not like you haven't done more life-threatening things in your lifetime. You fought against giant chunks of wood with big spikes and won numerous times! You can handle something like climbing down a mountain in the dark," he said. He kept walking down the path.

"I don't want to get hurt!" He stopped and turned around. She finished, "I mean, what if you're wrong? What if I can't do it, and I end up getting hurt? I'll never be able to look at you the same way again."

He looked into her glowing eyes. "We're not talking about the mountain anymore, are we?"

She shook her head. "Dongwa, it wasn't as if I didn't want to marry you. But what if it didn't work out? What happens if we fight all the time, or if we can't stand to be around each other anymore? Then we're both trapped and unhappy."

"Running away because you're scared isn't the answer. If you were worried about how the marriage would turn out, then you could have come and talked to me instead of springing it on me that you didn't think you were ready to get married. We could have talked things through and we would have wasted all our time avoiding each other," he explained.

"I was NOT running away! I wasn't ready to get married yet! Everything was going about ten times faster than I was and everyone else seemed so comfortable and happy, and I JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT!" she screamed.

She waited rather patiently for Dongwa to scream something back at how bratty she was being, but there was nothing but silence. Instead he reached out and gently stroked her face. Tigress realized that he was wiping away tears, which she didn't know she had falling freely down her face.

"Come here," he whispered, bringing her into his arms. She complied, and threw her arms around him, her tears turning into sobs. He just stood here and let her cry on his shoulder, stroking her back and whispering soft words into her ear.

"I don't mean to be such a bitch all the time!" Tigress cried.

"You're not! You're just very assertive. And I admire that about you. When I wouldn't stand up to my own mother, you kept bothering me about it until I did, and look where it got me? I was in university, doing what I loved, and making a new life for myself. And it's all because of you," he said soothingly.

She smiled a little. "You make me sound so perfect. But I'm not."

"Well no one is. It's the flaws in people that make them truly beautiful. And I'm sorry if I made you feel pressured about the wedding. They left out the chapter of my psychology book that explains what women want."

He grinned when she laughed. She wiped her eyes. "I suppose I wasn't being fair to you either. You did everything to make me happy, and I never appreciated it. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I did those things because I wanted to do them. I like to see you happy, Tigress. You're my world, and when my world is sad, so am I."

"Dongwa?"

"Yeah?"

"Would... would you give me another chance?"

A smirk formed on Dongwa's face. "Are you asking me to marry you?"

She blushed. "I guess I am. Will you marry me, Dongwa? I would understand why you wouldn't want to, but—"

He put a paw to her mouth and leaned down to her ear, pressing his lips up against the appendage. "It would be the greatest honor of my life to be your husband."

She shuddered at the heat pouring into her ear. He took the paw away from her lips and slid it around her waist. "Tigress," he whispered hoarsely, nuzzling her neck. Her breath caught in her throat. "I would very much like to kiss you."

He took his mouth away from her ear to gaze into her eyes. "May I?"

She swallowed and nodded. Slowly he leaned down, giving her ample time to back out if she changed her mind. But Tigress was fully rooted to the spot, focusing completely on his lips.

"Tigress! Dongwa? Are up here?"

Tigress could feel the warm, frustrated breath Dongwa released. Inwardly she cursed at whoever was interrupting the absolutely perfect moment she was having with her fiancé. Dongwa let go of her, and she was very tempted to tackle him to ground and have their kiss before it was too late.

Mingxia came up the trail, with Shan right behind her, and she blushed when she saw the two.

"Oh! Um… I'm sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt anything…"

"It's alright, Mama. Dongwa and I were just talking. Right, Dongwa?" she asked, looking at him with raised eyebrows.

He nodded. "Yep, just talking."

"Oh. Well alright, then. The top of the mountain is just through those bushes, if you want to see the view. The sun is about to set, so I'll be very beautiful," she coaxed.

"We're at the top of the mountain?" Tigress asked, surprised. Mingxia nodded.

"Wow… I can't believe I made it to the top of a huge mountain without passing out," Dongwa breathed.

"You know," Shan pointed out, stepping in between the two to get to the top, "Walking up this mountain is a lot like a successful marriage. It's a challenge to get past all the bumps and pitches along the way, but once you get to the top, you get to reap the rewards of your labor. You actually get to be happy then."

Mingxia hit him on the arm. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"My dear, the first few years of our marriage were hell. I'm just being truthful."

"If it was hell, it was your own damn fault," she muttered as she went past him and through the bushes.

Shan shook his head. "Like I was telling your sister's boyfriend, you know you're in love with a woman when you'll do anything for her, no matter how idiotic."

A/N: O. M. G. I don't know how some authors do it. This chapter completely WIPED ME OUT. I have NEVER written a chapter this long in my entire life! How do some people churn out these 10,000 word chapters? It has drained me! And speaking of 10,000... I GOT OVER 10,000 HITS! It wasn't on this story, but my other story, Big or Little Ears?, now has over 10,000 hits! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER READ THAT STORY EVER! I have never had that many views on a story! I'm so excited! Okay, keep me on my fanfiction high, and review! I may just update Matriarch... (I'm very close to getting chapter 13 done.) So leave a review, and I'll see you all next time! Holla!