She was there, the very first time she saw her friend ascend…
"Son!" Mr Ping and Li Shan desperately cried as their beloved panda performed the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself.
A beautiful arrangements of petals and a blooming light enveloped him alongside the very evil that sought to bring the pandas to their knees. This elegant dance of light and petals spun with finesse until it revealed a world in which the Dragon Warrior had banished his opponent to the Spirit Realm. The petals arranged in a yin-yang formation indicated the world had found balance once again.
Li Shan and Mr Ping cautiously approach the petals that are graciously strewn out across the floor, their hearts filled with sorrow and concern.
"Wha- What happened… Where's Po?" Li Shan cried in a mix of confusion and spiritual agony.
"He took Kai away… he saved us." Tigress melancholically responded, the weight of witnessing her friend 'die' on two occasions brought her soul on the verge of collapse.
"No…" Li Shan wailed, hoping to the spiritual forces above that his son was still hidden somewhere within the Mortal Realm.
"He saved us… but who's saving him?"
She was filled with fright… she thought she would never see him again.
"Po!" Tigress yelped as she awoke from her horrific nightmare. It had been a mere 2 days since she had returned alongside her comrades and the Dragon Warrior to the Valley of Peace.
Tigress swiftly scanned her surroundings to ensure that she wasn't trapped within her own perpetual version of hell before performing a set of breathing exercises that had never failed her before. However, on this night, her body may have calmed; but her mind still lay on a path of adventure.
Her breathing remained steady and she chose to enter a state of meditation after realising that her mind wouldn't have as much mercy on her own self control as her body would. Tigress thought allowing her mind to wander would be the best solution to her mental upset, although she was merely fuelling the flames that would blow it out of proportion.
A sly thought crossed her mind mere seconds after she centred her meagre balance of Chi and plunged into her own pool of thoughts. Her brain had decided it was immediately time to slam her emotions with a bow staff and she began to question a fact that would cause her hardcore shell to crumble into ashes.
'Do I love the Dragon Warrior?'
Tigress mentally facepalmed at such a thought, berating her mind for bringing up something of such an absurd magnitude to the surface… but the more she thought, the more she realised how truly different she was in comparison to the same feline that laid eyes on the Dragon Warrior for the first time.
Her mind lied there, it wasn't the first time she laid eyes on the Dragon Warrior, but it was the first time she acknowledged who he was. Beforehand, she would occasionally see this panda slaving away in the noodle shop as she passed by after each successful mission.
She had never thought to judge such an individual, but she was aware of the history pandas held within China and she knew they were a rare species; which most likely contributed to Po's social awkwardness when they first met.
Another demented thought appeared in her mind. 'What did Po do to deserve such unfair treatment when he entered the Jade Palace… I wasn't a sore loser… or was I?'
Tigress didn't wish for her body to show it, but mentally, she was fighting a battle that would lead to the dam of her tear ducts holding or completely crashing to the ground. She was in disbelief of her own treatment of the Dragon Warrior when he first arrived on palace grounds, she was in even more disbelief when she realised the effect he had on each member of the five, including Master Shifu.
'Master Shifu never used to smile before Po showed up… After the defeat of Tai Lung, he's been more friendly, more expressive… more fatherly. I would've never treated him with such disrespect if I knew the effects he would bestow upon the Furious Five when the time was ripe; especially upon myself.'
Her mind continued to fight its battles with her depressive thoughts, specifically thoughts that chose to berate and belittle her for the errors she made when Po first arrived. She openly refused to try Po's noodle soup for several months before finally cracking and having a taste of her own, of which her taste-buds graciously thanked her for such a blessing.
'All I knew was tofu and kung-fu. Po assisted me with opening my own eyes, lifting the blindfold from above my head. I'm glad he chose to forgive our past interactions and strived into the future, not without remaining centred with the present world of course.'
Tigress's face lit up with a mild smile, she was beginning to see through the negativity that her mind had used to invade her emotions, positivity prevailed.
'Master Oogway may work in strange ways, no doubt a result of being in contact with the universe, of course. I am certain he made the correct choice of proclaiming Po as the Dragon Warrior, even if myself and the rest of the Jade Palace couldn't see that at first.'
The force of positivity dominating her mind was unable to hold its grip around her versatile mind and allowed negativity to surpass its power.
'Po has already had 3 brushes with death. Shen, Ke-Pa and Kai. I'm doubtful that this number will remain the same for very long, especially considering the Dragon Warrior title is one that many are willing to kill for in order to claim. I just hope there isn't an event that pushes the universe to its knees.'
Tigress meditation was subtly interrupted by the breaking of snores from the very same panda she possessed thoughts for. Po slowly lifted himself from his modest bed and graciously attempt to use his 'stealth mode' – successfully sneaking past all of the Jade Palace masters… minus Tigress.
The feline kung-fu master slyly noted the actions of Po whilst contemplating her next course of action. She eventually made the decision to trail behind Po in the best possible way… by using actual stealth to her advantage.
She hated to admit it, but she found Po's innocence to be particularly charming… dare she say cute. She thought of it as one of the founding and vital qualities that the Dragon Warrior must carry. Po has made it clear that he doesn't wish to boast about his title, especially succeeding the events of Ke-Pa, he would rather remain a humble kung-fu master and only break out the title when absolutely necessary.
His humble attitude was a mixed bowl for Tigress, she found it to be extremely selfless and kind but also felt guilty whenever she asked for something and the Dragon Warrior immediately processed her request. Tigress felt as if she was using Po, although as her eyes opened, she soon realised that favours were an important part of a friendship. An important balance between interaction and teamwork was required to nurture such a friendship, Po was gifted (and fortunate) enough to grace her with such teachings.
Eventually, Tigress had to put an end to her daydreaming session when she had noticed the sound of the groaning floorboards had dissipated and he had most likely made it to his destination. Judging by the distance travelled, Tigress assumed he had made his way to the kitchen.
Her patience was tested after waiting an agonizing 15 minutes to make her move, she had noticed the Dragon Warrior pass by the sleeping quarters carrying a small lantern as well as a delicious smelling bowl of dumplings. Tigress slowly crept outside of her room and into the halls as Po used the backdoor to escape the dormitories of the Jade Palace.
After a minute, Tigress assumed her cover was acceptable enough to avoid detection and slipped outside to follow the panda; who didn't pose a difficulty in regards to searching as he wielded a dim but visible lantern. The flexible feline still had to keep a relative eye on her surroundings as well as Po. She didn't wish to nest herself within a bush that was hiding a twig and so she chose to creep alongside the shallow treeline that lined the Jade Palace garden.
Minutes after reaching the end of the garden, Tigress took a seat within a small bush as the Dragon Warrior rested his dumplings underneath a nearby tree before slowly resting himself on the floor and assumed Lotus pose.
'Po is meditating? I wonder which pessimistic event could be bothering his mind at such a late time.'
Tigress questioned her thoughts as she took in the beauty of the cold air and the blue-tinted moon as it lay raised above her in the night sky. The stars shared an unsynchronised twinkle which expressed its own sense of character as their variety and volume produced a sight to behold.
Po initially found peace within meditation, although the mild flinching and scrunching of his face was alerting Tigress as it appeared he was battling with his negative thoughts. The feline was therefore launched into another mental crisis of her own.
'I hate to see him bothered like this, I would do anything to soothe his mind.'
Tigress paused in thought, still observing the panda who was flipping through a mix of peaceful emotions and disturbed emotions.
'He has yet to touch his dumplings, usually he eats when he is upset, although I feel as if this is a different type of upset.' Almost on cue, Po's mouth let slip an important phrase.
"Tigress. I'm sorry." Po wearily muttered whilst meditating, completely unaware that his thoughts were falling onto open ears.
'He's sorry… for what? - What on earth is he talking about?'
"I'm sorry for leaving you a third time." Po answered back to her thoughts, yet again on cue. Tigress began to seriously question whether or not her beloved panda was a mind reader.
'Wait… did I just refer to him as my beloved panda? Since when was I into romantic antics?' Her feline mind was beginning to grow restless at the constant tugging of her metaphorical heartstrings, despite his phrase catching an entirely new realm of her mind.
'Why is he sorry? Being the Dragon Warrior… a potential risk of death is a part of kung-fu, especially serving under such a prestigious temple like the Jade Palace.' Tigress was beginning to tear up, instead she was tearing up physically as reality slammed into her face like a tonne of unplaced bricks.
'He's sorry because he's worried about how I would've reacted if he- he-' Tigress couldn't overcome her thoughts and finish that sentence before letting out a mild sob, which temporarily startled Po; who soon after resumed his meditation, grabbing 1 dumpling from the bowl and tossing it into his mouth in the process.
Tigress picked herself up from her spot whilst in tears and began trudging back to the sleeping quarters… her awful luck intervened that night and her paw fell directly on top of a branch which whipped itself into a sickening snap. Po was knocked onto his back in response and picked himself up from his feet, assuming a defensive position.
"Who goes there?" Po shouted in a mix of demand and fear as he directed his eyes to the origin of the sound, noting a distant snapped stick but no one in sight.
"I must be hearing things, I guess it would be a great time to venture to the moon pool." Po voiced his thoughts to the empty darkness of the crisp air surrounding him as he plodded off in the direction of the Hall of Heroes, wishing to look into the pool and ponder his thoughts.
Tigress's mind was still waging a war of internal conflict but she decided to follow Po and contemplate her next course of action, hoping to confront Po about the feelings she's developed; despite being fairly unsure of them and their meaning.
Her feline abilities allowed her to mount tall walls and skip across the rooftops of the sleeping quarters until she was confidently trailing Po. She would have to creep behind him at a steady pace whilst observing many spots to hide if he were to pick her up with his modest but still useful hearing skills.
After several minutes of trailing, Po had safely made it to the Hall of Heroes, clumsily stumbling through the corridor that lead into the hall itself. Tigress soon followed by entering through a nearby window that happened to be cracked open whilst landing graciously on her four paws.
The Dragon Warrior cautiously walked to the edge of the moon pool, Tigress noted he was now bearing the yin and yang staff that Master Oogway had handed to him in the Spirit Realm days prior.
The panda stared at himself with a mild smile as he looked up towards the mouth of the dragon statue that lay above the reflecting moon pool. Laying down his staff on the edge of the pool and bowing in respect whilst issuing the gesture he had come accustomed to.
"Master Oogway, you were right. All I had to do was believe, but now I wonder, what comes next?" Po questioned whilst looking back at his reflection in the moon pool, contemplating his own thoughts, his mind shot straight to Tigress.
Po was confident enough to speak freely in the Hall of Heroes as he believed all sounds that were emitted within that sacred hall would remained sealed within. He wasn't concerned about the Grandmaster's quarters due to it being such a distance away from where he was speaking.
"Tigress… Oh man, I wish I could tell her more about my feelings. It's a shame that she may still regard me as a fanboy who holds a crush for her… not a 'famous person' crush, something real. Our friendship has come a long way, she's opened up more than I expected. I- I'm just uncertain if she's prepared for love, especially when years of youth still lay ahead of her-" Po's open pondering was interrupted by a loud and feminine cough from Master Tigress.
"Ahem." Tigress stared into the jade orbs that Po possessed, trying her upmost to return a stern expression despite losing herself within his eyes.
"Oh-uhm Master Tigress! What's keeping you up this late?" Po nervously asked, shocked by the appearance of his feline friend.
"I was unable to sleep due to some… nightmare I had, all is resolved now. I was just wondering where you had wandered off to as I noted your absence when I exited my room for a drink." Tigress coldly lied, fortunately, she had developed a marvellous ability to pull a stunt like that. However, part of her was swelling with guilt after lying to her most trusted friend and possible romantic interest.
"Well, um… would you like to tell me about it?" Po kindly asked, shooting Tigress a soothing smile.
"Usually, I would keep my lips sealed, but having my sleep rudely broken is worthy enough of it being shared." Tigress's voice slightly broke, although she coughed to cover it up.
"Ti, are you alright?" Po sweetly asked.
"Yes… I just forgot to drink that water I poured earlier." Tigress lied yet again, this time she could feel the waterworks beginning to build up and her facial expressions were beginning to fail her, Po noticed the quivering of her eyebrows and her facade had been foiled.
"It's okay to tell me things that bother you… remember, we're friends… friends look out for one another and comfort one another, I've been over this!" Po reassured the feline, resting a paw against her shoulder. Tigress blushed to an extreme degree but was eternally thankful for the blessing that is orange fur, which easily hid the redness of her cheeks.
"Very well." Tigress took a step back before beginning her explanation.
"We were at the panda village. Kai had just defeated you in battle and you demanded we run. I could see the pain in your eyes and it was gut wrenching to witness…" Tigress was struggling to hold herself up mentally as she retold the very real part of the nightmare, she knew the waterworks would arrive once she told him about the fabricated part.
"You had your genius idea to skadoosh Kai by sacrificing yourself but- but- but… you never came back. Kai had defeated you and took your Chi, although he was forever banished to the Spirit Realm… alongside y-you." Tigress began to well up in tears and confided within the panda, who took her in for a gracious hug.
"Well, you don't have to worry about losing me again, okay? I never wish to put you, my family or my friends through any of that pain again." Po began to well up in tears too, crying on Tigress's shoulder.
"I've been worried about doing stuff like that again…" Po continued to mutter as he further buried himself within the shoulder of Tigress, picking up on a warm feeling that he had never felt before; he chose to blow past it until Tigress made a comment about the feeling.
"I feel warm… w- what is this feeling?" Tigress's crying was momentarily paused, being encompassed by a mild sense of embarrassment as she had a slight idea as to what the emotion could truly be.
"Tigress… I have an important question to ask." Po was still an emotional wreck but his mind wanted to know the answer to one thing.
"If I were to… ask you to be my gi-girlfriend, what would you say?" The panda nervously shook as he temporarily broke his hug with Tigress in order to lock eyes with her, instantly becoming lost in the various and vibrant hues of amber and gold her eyes possessed.
"You… like me.. like- love me?" Tigress questioned, wearing a face that had walked through hell but also read 'my hopes have been answered after all of this time'
"Yes… is that bad?" Po began to cover his face with confusion, but a paw slapped his arm out of the way as Tigress lunged at him to deliver a powerful and passionate kiss aimed at his lips.
Their makeshift make-out session lasted 3 minutes before both broke their kiss gasping for air. Po began nuzzling the chest of Tigress in a display of primal affection.
"Is that a suitable answer?" Tigress seductively answered before preparing to deliver another heated kiss to her newly-confessed panda lover.
"Of course, I love you, Tigress. If I ever leave the Mortal Realm again, we will do so as one." Those words uttered by the panda acted as a soothing melody for the awestruck yet confident feline.
"I love you too, Po. Thank you for everything." Tigress answered, throwing herself and Po into another kiss infused with passion, love and care.
The end.
[A/N]
Thank you all for reading this one-shot! I'm hoping I was able to deliver something that was short yet satisfying to read.
As usual, any feedback is welcomed; whether that be reviews, criticism/critiquing or ratings.
I wish you well and I hope you enjoy your day! - Dashishen.