Author's note: Holy crap. I am so sorry, I took so long to get this out. It's been a mixture of getting distracted by other things, uni work and not being able to find the muse at certain times. I've been working hard to make sure this chapter is the best it could possibly be. Now trust me, I have a feeling you are going to love what happens here. If not then... Well, at least I tried. Enough joking around though, time for some interesting stuff to happen.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KFP. (If I did, I'd probably get fired for taking so long.)

Enjoy.

A Light in the Darkness

As the remaining Jade Palace masters prepare themselves for the gruelling battle to come, the ravenous river continues to flow without a single care for the weather's gradual reduction. Far down this seemingly infinite torrent lies the river mouth, completely moulded by jagged rocks, its rough surface ornamented by stray pebbles, mud, and moss. With less trees present at the end of the river channel, the now gentle rain patters onto the violently coursing current. A deafening groan of thunder rings out across the skies, promising a heavier dosage of its downpour soon. Despite all of nature's ominous signs, an eerie sense of tranquillity inhabits this revealed spot of the forest.

This peace is soon interrupted by the sight of Tigress' arms thrashing out of the water before being promptly thrown back in. Before long, both her and Po are spat out of the unkempt current and onto the mouth of that accursed river. She shakingly hoists herself up onto her knees before coughing out an excess amount of water. With gritted teeth, she attempts to stand up only to wither back down to her knees as a horrible stinging pain infects her limbs. Though she could barely make out anything that had happened when they were swallowed up by the current, she was able to feel the impact of several rocks stuck within the river's path. She pants heavily, having been in that river for what has felt like an hour with no control over where they were heading nor any ability to help each other. Amber orbs shift over to the side to notice Po's body face-up on the rocky surface.

His limp, unmoving body.

Her eyes widen in horror, hoping to the Gods that what she is seeing isn't real, only to see his chest completely still. "Po." She whispers out before standing up on her feet in spite of her protesting limbs and running over to him. As she makes it over to him, she rapidly leans down towards him and grabs his shoulders tightly. "Po! Po listen to me! Wake up! Please! Please! Po, please! Wake up!" She screams at him, any sign of her calm and cold demeanour completely demolished. She shakes him quickly before placing both of her paws on his chest and pumping harshly, "Po. Don't leave me. Don't die on me! Please! Po, please don't leave me! Please!" Her pleas become more desperate as her voice shrinks. As tears begin to well up in her eyes, her nightmare seemingly come to life, her ears pick up a choking sound from the panda. Before she is able to act on this, the dragon warrior coughs out a large amount of water straight into Tigress' face. She backs off slightly, giving him some room until he finishes his coughing fit and lays the back of his head back down on the ground. He looks up to the sky with half-lidded eyes and exhaustedly wheezes with each heavy breath he takes. Amber orbs look upon the defeated dragon warrior with unparalleled concern as Tigress approaches him again, breathing a sigh of relief before gently caressing his arm, cherishing the feeling of his soft fur.

"Are… We… Alive?" Po hoarsely asks, his voice practically destroyed by the stranglehold of the river and his pained scream from earlier. Jade orbs shift their attention as the panda feels Tigress' paw move to his left cheek. His heart aches once more as he sees one of her amber eyes are now bloodshot alongside the countless number of bruises on her face dished out by the psychotic white tiger.

"Barely." She replies tenderly, her thumb softly stroking his cheek as she picks out the myriad of bruises and scars lathered on his body. Carefully placing her left paw on his chest, she feels his pulse beginning to calm down as her ears twitch at his weak breaths. Amber orbs look back to the tired panda, noticing him grimace and whimper in pain. They then shift to his right arm as the panda hopelessly tries to move the broken appendage. Her eyes narrow in an unholy anger as she realises just what Nuba did to make Po scream back in the forest. This doesn't last long however as she remembers a way to heal his broken arm, but she cringes at the fact that it will result in hurting the panda further.

Regardless of this fact, she decides to go through with it by placing one of her paws on his right arm and the other on his right shoulder. Po tenses slightly at her touch, unsure of what she is trying to do. She looks into his jade orbs and notices the panic embedded in them, forcing a frown to engulf her features. "Listen to me, Po." She quietly requests, her voice gentle and soothing. "I'm going to try to fix your arm… It's going to hurt… A lot… So, I need you to be strong for me, okay?" Now understanding her intentions, the dragon warrior weakly nods, his half-lidded eyes silently informing the tiger of his unwavering trust in her. Taking this in, she readies herself for what she is about to do, "On the count of three." She states as Po tenses up again, bracing himself for the pain to come. "One… Two… Three."

Crack!

With one swift movement, she has managed to amend the damage done. Her heart breaks however, as she sees the poor panda letting out a yelp of pain muted by his gritted teeth and dying out into little whimpers. She lays her left paw onto his chest and delicately caresses it, hoping to somehow alleviate his pain. It seemingly works as his whimpers soon fade away into laboured breaths, "It should be fixed now." She informs him, hoping that this will be enough consolation for the undoubtedly excruciating pain.

Thunder roars across the skies again, forcing the tiger master to look up. Amber orbs are unable to pick out anything amongst the darkened skies. No stars. No moon. Nothing. Only the unending blackness of the sky and the thick grey veils that threaten to cover even that. No doubt that this pitter patter of rain will only get worse from here. However, that is not the thing her mind is focusing on. She shifts her head towards the equally darkened woods in the distance, the river mouth having abandoned that shrouded labyrinth. As if Nuba would even dare let them escape so soon. No doubt that she'll be after us. With this thought in mind, she darts her head around in search for some kind of shelter or hiding place until her eyes pick out the opening of a large cave a short distance away from them.

With no way of telling how close Nuba could be, Tigress takes up Po's newly repaired arm and lays it over her shoulders. He gasps sharply in response, that appendage being particularly sore. "I'm sorry Po but we need to move now. She could be coming after us as we speak." She explains, hoping her aching confidant will understand. He gives her a weak nod again as Tigress hopes that he is ready to follow her lead. "We're going to head over to a cave not too far from here. So, we're going to need to walk for a small distance." He nods again with a slight amount of uncertainty, hoping that this is enough to assure her of his readiness. Though she can see right through it, there is simply no time for calling him out on it. "On three, okay?" He nods once more as her caring voice soothes his ears again. She wraps her left arm around his left shoulder and her right arm keeps his right arm in place. "One… Two… Three." With difficulty, she manages to get onto her feet before hoisting Po up onto his feet. Right then, a wave of unbearable pain surges through the dragon warrior's body, Nuba's strikes still having their effect on his muscles. He is unable to hold it in as he lets out several short yelps and wails of agony before only just managing to stand up. Tigress' grip tightens, almost certain that the panda will lose his strength and fall. She softly massages his left shoulder in another attempt to soothe his aching pain. She waits a short while to help Po adjust before starting their slow walk towards the cave entrance. Her ears twitch as Po lets out a pained breath at each agonisingly slow step they take. Not even a minute later Tigress' ears pick up sniffling from the panda master. She turns her head over to him and looks at him with a deep concern.

She sees the panda attempt to swallow up his tears and look strong for her but fail miserably as tears cascade down his grimacing face at his unending agony. "Everything hurts, Tigress. *Sniffle* Everything hurts." Po whimpers out before breaking down and sobbing, the aching in his muscles too unbearable to hide.

Tigress' soul shatters at seeing him so broken. Part of her is disgusted at herself for putting him through this pain but she reasons with herself that they simply have no other choice. Tears well up in her eyes as the sound of her love's crying stings her ears. She leans her head closer to his and lovingly rubs her left cheek onto his right cheek before shutting her eyes slightly, "Don't worry, Po. You'll be fine. Everything will be okay. I'm here… I'm here." She tenderly coos to the panda, her soft voice trembling slightly at his continued sobs. Tigress continues to softly chant this to him as they slowly but surely manage to reach the cave.

A walk that would usually take the pair five minutes increased to twenty, with each second coated in Po's agonising whimpers and Tigress' hushed comfort. By the time the two had reached the cave, the panda's throat felt cracked and sore whilst his body was showered with an infinite aching pain. Once they make their way into the gigantic cavern, the tiger master gently places her tormented love on the cavern floor face-up before placing her paw on his cheek, another way to assure him of his safety. She feels him relax under her touch as she uses her other paw to reach her waistband. After a second of feeling nothing there, she darts her head towards the left side of her waist and indeed finds the medical supplies she had packed with her have completely vanished. The river must have taken them. This irritated thought passes through her head as she looks down on the panda. His jade eyes, now reddened from his sobbing, plague her vision as they still hold his unfathomable pain regardless of how much he tries to hide it. An idea pops into her head a few moments after focusing on his face. Let's hope this will be enough.

She carefully picks up the panda's head from the rough floor and places his head on her lap. After releasing several calm and deep breaths, Tigress places her paws together until a shrill, golden light emanates from them. She notices the panda's half-lidded eyes widen slightly at the somewhat bright light in her paws. "W-what're you-

"It's okay, Po. Just relax." She assures him again as she places her paws on his chest and keeps them there for several moments, allowing her chi to scour the entirety of his body. Finding this to be enough, the tiger removes her paws from Po's person with heavy breaths. "That should've stopped the pain." Granted it was fairly risky to try and heal Po like this with the tiny amount of chi she has left, but she couldn't just leave him in this much pain. Not after everything he's done for her.

Though the fatigue still remains within his limbs, Po smiles slightly at the fact that his torture has finally subsided. All thanks to her. "You're the best, Tigress." He croaks out, his throat completely dried out from his previous sobbing.

Both masters stare at each other, lost in each other's eyes. Tigress cherishes his loving jade orbs as she caresses his cheek again. Nuba's chi attack flashes within her mind, a haunting reminder of just how close she had come to losing him again. Part of her considers a confession, some sort of way to let him know just how much he means to her but the small doubting voice in her head sways her heart once again. Don't. If you tell him now, if… If he does truly care… Then it will only be worse if he is gone. Though her mind wants to ignore this voice, throw it back into the past where it truly belongs, her heart trusts this protective voice as it had for so many years. If I tell him now, and he knows that I return his feelings… Then it will only be worse for him if I die… I can't do that to him… He doesn't deserve that… After coming so close to death's door, it now seems like one of the few ways this fight with Nuba will end.

As Tigress' heart becomes a puppet for her doubt and fear, Po continues to stare at her amber orbs, completely captivated by the loving and kind woman they belong to. His eyes soon shift towards one of the many bruises littered across her face, forcing Nuba's brutal punches to echo in his mind, bringing him to a horrifying realisation. She could've died today. All because she wanted to protect him. His heart swells at the thought that she cares so much for him, but his mind quickly reminds him that she is a warrior, that is what she is meant to do. Or at least it tries to remind him this until he recalls the tears in her eyes when they were both at the river, their countless amounts of hugs and smiles, the night when he had comforted her mere days ago. One last memory flashes in his mind as Viper's advice echoes in his mind, "Tell her soon. Cause… If you don't… You might never get the chance." Regardless of the exhaustion of his mind and body, the panda master's half-lidded eyes flare with a new resolve.

"We need to rest." Tigress tenderly orders, still caressing his cheek and looking upon him with equally tired eyes. "We'll need all the strength possible to fight back tomorrow."

Though Po considers following her command for a single moment, he quickly shakes that thought away before hoarsely stating, "Tigress… I need to tell you something."

Amber orbs look upon the dragon warrior, almost completely certain of what he is going to say next. Though her heart longs to hear it, what remains of the wall surrounding it bolsters its defence once more. "Po, it can wait. You need to rest." Her voice softens to a whisper, hoping that it will be enough to have him fall asleep soon.

"But Tigress…" He responds before yawning as the allure of dreamland encroaches on his tired mind.

A small smirk crosses her face at the panda's admittedly cute yawn, "See? You need to sleep. Please, Po. Go to sleep." She coos to him as she lovingly strokes his cheek.

His eyelids grow heavy as the soothing timbre of Tigress' voice lulls him further to sleep like a beautiful lullaby, the warmth of her caring paws reassuring him of his safety. Before they fully close, he takes one last look at the small smile covering her face. How could her ever refuse her? "Okay." He sleepily whispers as he closes his eyes.

Not even a minute after, snores begin to exit his mouth though they are nowhere near as loud as they would usually be. Tigress looks upon the sleeping panda, making sure that he is actually asleep. As she continues to gaze upon her love, her face begins to lean closer to his. She ignores the doubting voice in her head once more, her heart deciding to act on its own. She leans closer and closer until she plants a soft, loving kiss on his forehead. She retracts her head slowly to see Po unconsciously smile wide at the feeling as he lets out a quiet and tender hum. A warm smile plasters itself across Tigress' face as her heart melts at the adorable sight.

She fails to stifle a yawn as the fatigue from their fight soon takes hold of her body. Amber orbs look upon the panda's head resting on her lap, thinking about how she can keep him from stirring. Her gaze then shifts towards her robes, tattered, and soaked from the elements. Without a second thought, she takes off her qipao and wraps it in a bundle before carefully lifting Po's head and placing the bundle underneath. Tigress shivers lightly, now only in her chest wrappings and kung fu pants but pays this little mind. She lies on her side, caring little about the rough floor. Not like she hasn't had a rough sleep during a mission before. As her eyelids grow heavy, the rain's heavy barrage soon softens to a gentle pitter patter outside the cave. A relaxing soundscape to deliver her fatigued and scarred mind to a peaceful slumber.

Silence and emptiness occupy the tiger's mind, for once she might have a tranquil sleep. Or at least, that is what she had hoped for. Before too long, loud, and hurried footsteps followed by the crunch of leaves fill her ears. She feels herself being carried by an unknown figure as they run to wherever it is they're headed. As she slowly opens her eyes, she is completely dumbstruck by the sight of a hooded figure with their only defining features being two luminous amber orbs. Soon after she sees it, the figure begins to slow their pace. She turns her head around, wondering why they stopped running only to find a wooden door in front of her. Her amber orbs look up higher in hopes of seeing what this building could be… What she finds fills her heart with an unmistakable dread.

Bao Gu.

As the figure slowly places her down on the doorstep, her vision begins to distort and warp. Several mocking yells and cruel laughs echo around her dreamscape as deformed versions of the Bao Gu orphans materialise in front of her. They don't stick around for long however, as the sound of a metal door clanging behind her catches the tiger master off-guard. She turns around to see that dreaded iron door again and runs over to it. She delivers several punches to the door, but it is to no avail, it is simply indestructible regardless of her unyielding strength. Panic soon grips her heart as the idea of her being trapped in this room once again poisons her mind, "Why won't this break!? I need to get out of here!" She violently pounds on the door as her fear continues to plague her, "Help me! Get me out of here! Please! Someone, please help me!" Her unending strikes suddenly stop as her amber orbs look out through the small slit in the door. Though she cannot see much, there is one thing she can certainly identify outside. Blood. Dark, wet, and fresh. Her eyes scan the surroundings only to see severed limbs and pieces of blackened bones.

Crash!

She falls to the floor at the sight of two pitch black orbs smashing against the slit in the door as the creature outside savagely bashes against the door. However, whispers soon fill her ears, overpowering the metallic clangs of the monster's attacks. "Monster… Freak… She's too dangerous… She's vicious… Cold-hearted… How disgusting..." These phantom whispers continue to pierce her mind, getting progressively louder. The horrid clanging of the metal door soon moulds with these loud whispers, forcing Tigress to cover her ears and close her eyes. Regardless of this, these noises continue to stab her mind with no mercy. With this excruciating pain, Tigress screams in agony, praying that this horror will end.

"Tigress."

All these sounds vanish as Po's voice enters her ears; however, it sounds odd. As if he were afraid. He opens her eyes to see the panda now taking her place inside the blackened room of the Bao Gu orphanage. With confusion taking hold of her mind, she turns her head only to see her claws unsheathed and her paws completely drenched in blood. She attempts to move her head further but finds that her body won't listen. Before long, an involuntary growl exits her maw, a sound so primal and barbaric that it shakes her to her core. Jade orbs look directly at her, contorted with fear and pain. "Tigress, please… Stop." He pleads, his voice trembling with an overwhelming sense of despair. It doesn't take the tiger master long to realise exactly what is happening. That monster outside her iron door… It was-

Growl.

Another demonic snarl exits the monster's throat as Tigress is trapped within its mind, unable to do anything but watch. Shortly after letting out its horrific warning, it delivers a brutal punch into the door, enough to loosen it slightly. With tremendous strength, the monster rips out the iron door and throws it away as its sights are set on the lone panda inside. Tigress notices the monster go down onto all fours and prepare itself to pounce on the dragon warrior as saliva dribbles down its mouth. Her heart sinks down into the depths of her terror as she realises just what the monster is going to do. No. Please… Don't… Please, don't do this. All she can do is beg for the monster to reconsider as the beastly being promptly ignores her.

"Tigress, it's me… It's your friend, it's Po… Please… I don't want to fight you… I…" Po struggles out as tears begin to pour out of his eyes. "Tigress, please come back to me… Please…"

Terror continues to grip Tigress' heart, suffocating it in its intensity as she feels the monster's muscles tense up in readiness. Stop this… Please… Don't do this… Don't hurt him… Please… Not him… Have mercy, please not him… She begs the monster again as her terror soon turns into dread, already knowing that it won't listen.

"This isn't you, Tigress… Please just listen to me… Please…" The monster hisses at the panda's attempts to get through to the tiger master. More tears make their way down Po's face as something within his eyes change, there's no longer any fear. Instead, his melancholy fully takes hold. "So many people need you, Tigress… I need you… I…" He pauses as he begins to sob, "I… I love you."

Tigress' soul shatters at his admission, knowing full well that the monster will not hesitate to rip him to shreds. It doesn't care that this is the man who had helped her so much. It doesn't care that this is the man who had never truly been afraid of her. It doesn't care that… That this is the man she truly loves… With all of her heart and soul. Please don't do this… Not now… Not him… I… I-I need him… Please, have mercy… Please! She desperately pleads again, but it is already too late.

The monster lunges at the panda master and unleashes a mighty roar as Po screams out in complete terror, "Tigress!" The last thing the tiger master can see are the terrified jade eyes of her love as her vision throws her back into a darkened void. However, she is able to hear the incessant roars of the monster and the agonising screams of the dragon warrior as it tears into him. These nightmarish sounds echo in her mind, only becoming louder and more distorted until…

Her eyes flash open.

She bolts up, her whole body doused in sweat and tears pouring down her face. She breathes heavily whilst the panic in her mind slowly starts to fade as she realises where she is. Without a second thought, she whips her head around to the panda next to her. Each slow rise and fall of his chest put her heart at ease. He's still alive. His terrified jade eyes flash in her head once more, a haunting reminder of the heinous monster that had torn him asunder in her nightmare. No, not a monster. Her. She lunged at him, killed him. Those fearful eyes were looking at nobody but her. She covers her face tightly and silently sobs for several moments until a pair of piercing amethyst orbs seep their way into her mind again. Those eyes… Those sadistic beacons that mock her torment, that have plagued her mind and shattered her heart into microscopic fragments. Orbs that held the key to her past but were also the ones to hide it away from her. Tigress sniffles as her sobbing ceases, a new epiphany forming in her mind. This pain, this suffering, it won't go away unless she confronts it. She pulls her paws away from her face and looks to the outside of the cavern, the rain pouring with an unyielding intensity. Amber orbs look towards the sleeping panda again as they sharpen with determination. With a slight amount of effort, she stands up, ignoring the soreness of her body. As she heads out of the cavern and into the relentless rain, she doesn't notice two jade orbs slowly open and stare out into the cavern opening.

Veiled skies weep upon the earth as the tiger master walks a moderate distance from the cavern in the hopes of not disturbing the dragon warrior's slumber. Thunder roars around her as she looks up to the shrouded grey curtains above, shielding the heavens from the hopeless darkness below. Raindrops lather her body, chilling her exposed fur to the cruel elements around her, but this doesn't concern her. She breathes deeply and calmly as she closes her eyes, Po's demonstration of the inner peace stance flowing through her mind. With the same grace and delicacy that she had shown the panda that day, she melts into the stance. After exhaling one last time, she reaches her right paw upward and manages to catch a raindrop. The very second the droplet impacts with her finger; something begins to play within her mind. She sees herself being hurriedly carried by the hooded figure once again. As the droplet begins to travel around her body, the memory progresses until the figure places her down in front of the Bao Gu orphanage. Amber orbs pierce into her with a sense of worry and kindness. Before long, this kindness turns hollow. Tigress' face grimaces as a crippling pain infects her mind. In front of her very eyes, the hooded figure morphs into the mangled body of Jiangshi before more recent memories of their brutal battle attack her mind. Tigress grits her teeth, desperately trying to ignore this merciless pain until Nuba's cruel amethyst orbs flash in her mind and the screams of her suffering tiger brethren echo in her ears.

Her eyes burst open as she breathes heavily, the nightmarish circumstances of Nuba's rampage stabbing into her heart and mind. Amber orbs look to her right paw and notice the raindrop completely gone. She clenches her fist in frustration but takes a calming breath before this irritation can linger for too long. She takes up her inner peace stance and attempts the dance again. Once again, her right paw catches a rain droplet whilst another memory plays in her mind. Shifu adopting her from the orphanage. A small smile crawls onto Tigress' face as it plays out. As her father walks towards her however, he glares at her venomously. Before she can even try asking what could be happening, the memory distorts itself into the nightmare she had several nights ago. As the grandmaster throws the tiger cub into her iron prison, a familiar loneliness swarms her heart and her younger self's tearful cries ring in her ears.

Tigress opens her eyes again, seeing the raindrop dissipate in her paw. She growls horribly with a dreadful scowl littered on her face as she clenches her fist again. Though she attempts to calm herself, her scowl only relaxes slightly as a newfound tension fills her body. As she closes her eyes, her doubting voice brings a suggestion to the tiger master. Something that it had told her before, but she would never willingly listen to. What peace can you possibly find? At this point… The voice's concerns might have some merit.

She pushes away this pessimistic suggestion as her body stiffly shifts to the inner peace stance again. This time however, she is unable to block out the constant patter of the rain, with each raindrop exploding in her ears. More rain matters her bare fur, her bandaged chest soaked and her mind growing more irritated. She keeps breathing deeply in an attempt to alleviate her stress, but it is no use. She reaches her right paw outward to catch the raindrop again, as she does so however, time seems to slow. The world around her turns into a void. Droplets of rain transform into insults all too familiar to her.

Monster! Freak! Disgusting creature! Friendless beast!

A barrage of these scarring words whale upon her frail heart, her mind too agitated to stop them coming. As these words continue to batter her intensely, two obsidian eyes manage to pierce through her world's blankness before flashes of her fight with Nuba and her most recent nightmare burn themselves into her conscience. Her form starts to shake as the panda's fearful jade eyes pierces into the very depths of her soul and his dying screams echo in her ears.

Amber orbs burst open in a panicked frenzy as she watches the raindrop she was about to catch simply crash onto her paw; its form completely lost. She brings her right paw closer to her face before closing her eyes and gritting her teeth. What did I tell you? Tigress growls at the fact that her doubting voice had been right again. What made you think you could ever find peace? Her ire grows as past insults burrow their way into her ears again. Her body begins to tremble in fury, her heart pleading to the Gods that this voice that had guided her for so long will finally be wrong. One final thought crosses her mind, one realisation that makes her clench her fists tightly and forces her to growl wildly.

You already know what you are. Why should a monster like you deserve peace?

A rage filled scream exits her maw as her eyes burst open to reveal dilated eyes. Her head snaps over to a nearby rock formation before she pounces over to it and ravenously punches. Her sight begins to cloud itself in a red mist as she wildly pulverises the formation into nothing more than a dust. Once noticing that there is nothing left of the thing, she breathes heavily in an attempt to calm herself down, with each breath she takes containing a horrific growl.

"That rock isn't a worthy opponent." A familiarly meek voice snaps her out of her volcanic fury, her pupils shrinking back to their regular size. Tigress slowly turns her head around to see Po standing there, twiddling his thumbs nervously. "Get it? Cause that's what… You said to me… On the… Boat." He trails off with a weak smile on his face, knowing that wasn't the best way to approach the situation.

She stares at him for a few moments before stating, "You should be resting." She attempts to feign her usual calm demeanour, but Po could see the tension in her body, the pain in her eyes. Somethings would never get past him, especially when it concerns her.

"So, should you." He simply replies, knowing well enough that she didn't want him to see her so vulnerable. She looks away from him, trying to find some sort of way to explain why she is outside. Jade orbs look upon the tiger master with unwavering care. "Your nightmare, what happened?" He goes straight to the point, not wanting to dance around whatever she is suffering through any longer.

An image of the bloodied, black-eyed monster lingers in Tigress' mind as she tries to keep her tears at bay. She looks to the ground for a brief moment of thought, a fleeting consideration that maybe she should lie. This thought is banished the split-second it came. He has every right to know. Besides, he's too determined to let this go anyway. "You… You remember what happened when Nuba appeared in front of us… What I became." Po nods though her question sounds more like a statement than anything. With a shaky breath, Tigress continues, "I dreamt… That I turned into that… Thing again. That I… I…" Sniffles and choked breaths exit her maw as the sheer weight of her nightmare crashes down onto her. A sudden feeling of warmth envelopes her body as she feels Po embrace her from behind. Her stoic façade breaks as tears roll down her face before joining the raindrops enveloping them both. Somehow, she manages to keep herself from fully sobbing as one question plagues her mind.

"Why can't I find peace?" She implores, not wanting to hide herself from the panda master any longer. Po's heart crumbles at his love's unkempt misery, mentally beating himself up for leaving her in the dark. Tigress releases several shaky breaths as a pair of amethyst orbs cement themselves into her soul again, "I thought finding out about my past would help…" The taunts of the children of Bao Gu haunt her ears again, "All it did is show everyone what I really am."

"No, Tigress." Po's grip tightens at hearing the unquestionable guilt in her voice as he rests his head on her left shoulder. "That was not you, Tigress. It was anger, that's al-

"That's not the point, Po!" She breaks from his embrace and turns to look at him, the freezing chill of the rain now feeling much more prevalent. "What if I turn into that again!?" She questions the dragon warrior, furious that he isn't seeing how dangerous she was, how dangerous she can be. "What if I won't be able to control it next time!?" She steps towards the panda, hoping that he will back down with some reasonable thinking. Instead, he stares right back at her, his jade orbs shimmering with unyielding affection. Her rage dies down significantly, now replaced by the yearning that her doubting voice fails to keep away, "What if… What if I…" She gently lays her right paw on his left cheek, "What if I kill you… What will I do then?" She implores to him as more tears pour down her face, her face the manifestation of despair.

He softly grips her right paw before bringing her into a full embrace, "You won't." He softly whispers, his now tender voice tingling the tiger master's ears. Her heart trembles at his unstoppable care, forcing her to shut her ears at the threat of more tears seeping out. She buries her head into his furry chest, savouring his warmth again. Po rubs her back softly, only now noticing that her torso only has her wrappings as coverings. He cares little for this though, his comfort barely matters when she's like this. He thinks back to what she said about her past, about how she can't find peace. The soothsayer's words echo in his mind as an epiphany forms within. "I know you've been through so much, Tigress." He begins, his voice adopting a newfound tenderness. "But that pain you've felt… That suffering… That doesn't make you who you are." Tigress retracts her head slightly, making sure she is fully listening to him. "It's everything else. Everything past that struggle and pain… That is you Tigress."

Amber orbs look up to him in slight confusion, "I can't just ignore the past, Po." She reasons, her eyes still glistening from her earlier tears.

"I'm not saying you should do that." He explains softly, "I'm saying…" He pauses briefly, memories of his mother's sacrifice swirling around his head. A small, sad smile crosses his face causing the orange feline to look at him curiously. "I'm saying that there is more to your past than the pain… Like your parents for example." His smile grows alongside his confidence in what he is saying, "They protected you. Saved you from something… Horrible." He shudders slightly from the brief but haunting images of the massacred village crashing into his head.

Tigress opens her mouth to argue until she truly takes in what Po just said. As she ponders upon his words, she is pulled in deep within her mind to a place long repressed and forgotten.

A hooded figure rushed through the long, winding paths of the woods in the hopes of finding some salvation. Somewhere to hide for the time being. As his feet crushed the orange leaves underneath him, he checked on the bundle in his hands, completely certain that it is safe. An exhausting, harrowing journey had finally found its end as his eyes picked out a building a short distance away. With what little energy he had left, he hurried his pace further until he had managed to reach the building in question. Under laboured breaths, he looked up towards a sign near the top of the modest looking building.

Bao Gu Orphanage.

He shifted his sight to the bundle laying in his arms, his contemplative eyes soon changing into ones of sorrow and regret. Each step he took felt like it weighed a tonne, his heart begging him to reject this idea until he finally reached the door. Never in his life did he ever think that a piece of wood would look so daunting. He carefully reached down to the bundle in his arms and carefully opened the top part of the wrapping to reveal the sleeping tiger cub wrapped inside. Before long, the little cub yawned and opened her amber eyes. Not wanting to scare her, her father pulled his hood back which resulted in a big smile popping onto her face and an adorable giggle emanating from her. A tearful smile crossed his face, the poor man realising just what he was about to do. He kneeled and laid her down a small distance away from the front door. The tiger cub managed to wiggle her tiny paws out of her wrappings as she attempted to reach for her father. He gently reached down towards her and played with her little fingers, resulting in another laugh from the baby tiger.

Older, more traumatised amber orbs gazed into the youthful innocence of his daughter's amber orbs. "I don't want to do this sweetie. I really don't… But she… She could find us out here… And I can't let her do to you what she did to your mother…" Tears burnt his eyes as the orange tiger reminisced the love that he had lost mere days before. "I can't lose you… You deserve better than that…" He whispered; the tiger cub too naïve to understand what he was talking about. "Now… I don't know if I'll be able to come back… But I want you to know… I want you to know that daddy will always be here for you… Right here." He lightly poked the spot where her heart is, resulting in another cute giggle from the baby. A sad smile littered his face as tears began to pour down to the ground. He leaned closer to the cub until he planted a kiss onto her forehead. "I love you, my little angel… Don't ever forget that." He managed to get this final message out before knocking on the door and swiftly running away. As his distance grew greater, his ears could make out her cries without a shred of doubt. However, he resisted the urge to turn around, fully knowing that if he did, he would never want to leave her.

As this deep memory fades, Tigress' face morphs into one of pure shock. For all of these years, all of her hardship and suffering. All of that time… She was never alone. Her heart swells as the words of her biological father echo in her head. All the tears within her eyes dissipate as a small smile takes form on her face. "Tigress?" Po's question snaps her out of her reveries as amber orbs gaze at the concerned panda embracing her.

With a brief moment of thought, the tiger master smiles at him, "You're right. My parents did care about me… From the very beginning." She states, her voice now much more gentle and soothing than before.

Po gives a gentle grin in response, "They're not the only ones. There's the five, there's Shifu, there's Oogway, the people you've saved, your fans." He lists nonchalantly, unaware of Tigress' rumination. Memory after memory swarms her mind. Shifu adopting her from the orphanage, Viper's emotional support, her brotherly bond with Crane, Mantis and Monkey's childish but funny pranks, Oogway's wise and calming words, the countless amount of times she had crowds of people cheering her on or thanking her for her heroism. "So many people love you, Tigress." With each memory going through her mind, she feels the doubting voice within her head begin to fade and her heart breaking down the walls surrounding it.

She notices, however, that the panda master has left out a specific person. Someone that she owes everything to. Amber orbs look to the jade eyes of that person as memories flood her mind. Memories of the panda meekly attempting to strike conversations with her colder self when no one else would. Memories of him comforting her after her nightmares. Memories of the great sacrifices he had made to protect not only her, but everyone. Her smile grows wider as a sense of mischief dances within her eyes, her tears completely eradicated. She knows precisely why he left his name out.

"And you do too. Don't you?" she asks him knowingly as she slowly places her paws on his chest.

For a moment, the panda master's face morphs into an expression of complete surprise. "You… You knew?" He gently asks as a grin slowly begins to form on his face. She gives a small nod in response, her eyes now half-lidded. Jade orbs gaze straight into amber, two souls intertwining in a foreign but certainly welcome way. Both warriors have their heart fluttering within their chests as the two lose themselves in each other's eyes again. "Well… Yeah…" He whispers as he lays his heart out to her. "I… I love you, Tigress. And I'll always be by your side, no matter what."

An unfathomable warmth fills Tigress' soul as her heart fully breaks free from its iron cage. Though she already knew of his feelings, hearing him confess to her was something entirely different. Two beacons of light fill her eyes as new tears begin to form, not of sadness but of absolute, pure joy. A massive smile coats her face as she delicately wraps her arms around the back of Po's neck. As the two lovers continue to gaze in each other's eyes, Tigress begins to lean her head closer to his. Amber orbs close, ready to give herself fully to her heart. No fear. No anxiety. No worry fills her mind and for the first time, the doubting voice in her head is completely silenced.

She plants a soft, loving kiss on his lips. Jade orbs widen so much that they threaten to pop out, her reciprocation being so unexpected. This surprise doesn't last long however, as the panda shuts his eyes and kisses back. Their bodies press further into each other as they both tighten their embrace, each warrior wanting to savour this moment for as long as they can. Thunder booms across the skies as the heavy rain continues to pour down upon them, but they promptly ignore it. All of their worries, their fears, all blocked out by a single kiss. Though their kiss is gentle, it is nothing short of passionate, the two lovers giving their heart to each other.

They begrudgingly separate for air. Despite the fact the kiss lasted a few seconds, they could swear it lasted for an eternity. Not that they would mind. Tigress rubs her right cheek against Po's face and chuffs loudly. "I love you too, Po." She whispers, her mind unshackled from her chains, free from her hurt. At peace. At last.

A huge grin spreads across Po's face, containing all the warmth and brightness within his soul. He tightens his hug even more, his eyes opening slightly at noticing how damp the tiger master's bare fur feels. His jade orbs promptly widen as his grin soon turns into a look of shock. "Tigress, your shoulder…" He whispers to her. Tigress merely hums in question as she continues to rub her face against his cheek. "The raindrops, it's still… Its form is… Oh Gods, that is so cool." He squeaks out, completely mesmerised by what he sees.

Amber orbs pop open in absolute befuddlement as she slowly rears her head back and looks at her shoulders. Regiments of fully formed raindrops lay still on her shoulder, with more falling in place. Her eyes trail up her arm to see an endless line of droplets, their form completely retained. She lets out a quiet but clearly elated chuckle as she realises just what happened. Inner peace. I found inner-

"Whoooooo!" Po yells out in unparalleled joy as he picks up Tigress from the waist and spins her around. "Yes, yes, yes, yes! I knew you could do it, Tigress! I knew it!" After spinning around several times, he brings her back into an embrace as he buries his head into the crook of her neck.

She laughs at his admittedly cute reaction before returning his embrace again. It was not her alone, that had found inner peace. Thank you, Po. Thank you, for everything. She hopes to deliver this gratitude in her embrace, fully knowing that the panda master would never take credit for it if she said it out loud.

This celebration is cut short however, as the loud crack of thunder ripples across the landscape. Both warriors' eyes snap open at the tremendous volume of the elements. With a meek giggle, Po quickly suggests, "Maybe, we should go back inside." Tigress gives a brief nod as the two head back towards the dark cavern. Once they've returned the two simply sit down, the events that happened moments ago still fresh on their minds. As Po looks upon the tiger master, he only just realises how exposed she is without her qipao. He quickly takes the rolled-up clothing in his hands and asks, "You probably want this back, right?"

She slowly shakes her head, "It's fine. It's probably only just gotten dry; I'd prefer not to soak it again. Besides, you've seen me with my bindings before or did you manage to not look whenever you were healing me?" She jokingly adds, her eyes dancing mischievously.

"I know. I just… I don't want you to be uncomfortable or anything… Y'know?" He explains, earning another tiny nod from the tiger. As he gazes at her, he cannot help but to stare at her toned abs and arms. How she always managed to balance her kindness and strength will always be a mystery to him. Speaking of mysteries that he needs solved however, the panda master inquires, "How long did you know?"

Sensing no hostility or betrayal in his voice, she simply answers, "Since Gongmen."

Her gentle tone soothes his ears, completely rid of the pain that had lathered it not so long ago. He smirks, understanding just how obvious he must've been. "And how long did you… Well, know about… Y'know?" He awkwardly asks, not wanting to interrogate her.

Tigress' trademark small smile takes form on her face as she gives another simple answer, "Not long after."

"Oh… Wow." He responds, somewhat surprised that she had felt that way for so long. Part of him wants to ask her why it took so much time, but he quickly decides against it. Knowing full well that they both had their reasons for not saying anything and he should respect that. His face fades into one of despondence as his sacrifices against Kai and Nuba pierce his mind. As the panda comes to a realisation, his loving tiger slowly moving over to him with concern glazing her eyes. "If… If you didn't save me." He whispers, "If I… Died… I never would've known." His heart sinks at knowing just how close she had come to losing him, he can barely imagine the terror in her heart.

Before he can think on this for too long, Tigress lightly pounces on him, pinning him to the cavern floor face-up. For some unexplainable reason, Tigress' half-lidded eyes and small smile give the panda master a strange tingle. Though he doesn't understand this feeling, he welcomes it fully. "Well, you know now." She states with a smooth, soothing voice. "And I'll makes sure you never forget." She locks lips with her loving panda again, their kiss being just as sweet and captivating as the first time.

After a few seconds, they separate, with Tigress snuggling into Po's chest. In response, he wraps his arms around her waist and rubs her back again. He yawns slightly as he notices the tiger master's breathing begin to become more rhythmic. With his signature goofy grin adorning his face, he gently kisses Tigress' head as he whispers, "Sweet dreams, Tigress." He fully lies back and cradles the love of his life in his arms, savouring the warmth of their embrace. Despite all of their pain, all of the suffering bestowed upon them this day, they have still managed to find the light within the darkness.

OMG YAY! Finally, some hope and love and all that good stuff! Lemme tell you, this chapter was probably the hardest to write for me considering I am NO expert on love. Like, at all. I hope that this wasn't too cheesy. Regardless, things are looking up for our warriors now and hopefully Nuba will be taken down soon. Hope the dream sequence didn't freak you guys out too much btw ;) Anyways, hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I'll see ya on the next chapter (Hopefully the next one will take less than a month to do.)