Author's Note: Hey everyone! Been a while, right? Well no worries, got another chapter for you lot. Hopefully my writer's block and uni stuff won't be too annoying for the next one but I cannot guarantee that. This chapter is quite a bit shorter than the last one, but that is simply because I felt that there was no need to drag this one out for too long. Hope it's cool though.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KUNG FU PANDA (In case you couldn't tell already.)

Enjoy.

The Beast's Requiem

Bringing forth it's unparalleled warmth and brightness to the world once again, the sun's rays peak through the clouds, painting the skies with a beautiful golden glow. These beams of light shine within the puddles littered on the muddy ground below, remnants of the dire and dreadful battles of yesterday. So much pain, so much anger, now lifted away by the heaven's luminescent gift.

The cave is not exempt from the sun's welcoming light, its golden rays enveloping the spot where two souls had truly found each other in their time of need. Po and Tigress still remain asleep, sweetly cuddled together with unconscious smiles plastered on their faces. That is, until Tigress' eyes lightly twitch at the light shining directly into her face. Amber orbs open slightly only to shut instantly, the feline almost being blinded by the sun. She turns her head towards the panda snuggled next to her and opens her eyes again.

Though it takes her a second, the tiger master remembers every single detail about the events of last night. Her nightmare, her failed attempts at inner peace but most of all, Po's confession. I… I love you, Tigress. And I'll always be by your side, no matter what. Her heart flutters at merely the memory of his admittance as she smiles wholeheartedly. Her eyes catch the goofy, sleepy grin on Po's face, making her chuckle warmly.

Unfortunately, this bliss doesn't last long, as Tigress picks out the bruises and scarring left on her panda's body. Nuba. She venomously reminds herself of the psychotic threat that is on the verge of taking away her family, as if history were repeating itself. Her repressed memory of her father's sorrowful eyes replays within her mind. Never again. With this thought in mind, her usual hardcore determination flares within her soul again but this time her heart is no longer sealed away. Instead, it is whole. All thanks to a certain panda.

She continues to look upon the dragon warrior albeit with her smile no longer present. As much as she would want to stay in his arms and embrace him, protect him from the unforgiving world around them, she knows that they simply cannot let Nuba win. Not after all the innocents she's killed. Not after she had tried to take away the man who means so much to her. Reluctantly, the feline breaks from the panda's loving embrace and feels an unexpected chill ripple around her. She looks down, only just now realising that her torso is only covered in her chest wrappings.

Tigress stands up with relative ease, her injuries from the night before not in the most optimal condition but enough to allow her to fight. She picks her qipao off the floor and slides it back on. As she clips it close in the front, she kneels down towards the dragon warrior's ear and gently whispers, "Po, wake up." Before delicately shaking his left shoulder.

With several tired grumbles, the panda master slowly opens his eyes to see Tigress kneeling by him. Though he wants to smile at her and bring her into a tight embrace, the serious look on her face instantly tells him that would have to wait. Jade orbs focus on the tiger master's single bloodshot eye, another unwanted gift by the horrid white tiger. Someone that had almost completely slipped his mind the night before. "We don't have a lot of time." She hurriedly informs him, wary that Nuba will give neither them nor the rest of the five any more chance to rest. Po nods with a serious expression as he gets back up on his feet. Amber orbs look upon the monochromatic bear in concern, "How are you feeling?" She inquires, part of her uncertain of the effectiveness of her chi healing.

After cracking his neck and stretching out his muscles, the dragon warrior assures the feline, "A bit sore, but I can fight." He gives her a cheeky smile, fuelled up for their oncoming battle with the white tiger. Tigress gives him a wholehearted grin, something that Po rarely sees on the feline, but he is mesmerised by it nonetheless. He snaps out of his trance when he notices her motioning him out of the cave. With no other words needing to be exchanged, the warrior couple depart from the cavern and head back along the river that had miraculously carried them away from certain death, its current remaining violent and fast. As they make their way back towards the forest with a hurried pace, Po gives Tigress a questioning look, "You think Nuba's looking for us?"

She contemplates this briefly before turning towards the panda master, "Possibly. Either that, or she's going after the five. Regardless, we'll need to be vigilant." Her voice radiates with strength as her classic commanding edge returns to her.

Po looks downward at this answer as anxiety for his friends grips tightly on his heart, bringing with it a question that had been boggling his mind the second they escaped from the Zhanshi clan's village. "Well… When we do find her and her henchman which is kinda your father, but not… B-But is…"

"Po." She interrupts him in a slightly harsh voice, part of her irritated at the mere mention of her deformed and enslaved biological father.

"Uh… Well… When we find them… How do we beat them?" This question stops Tigress dead in her tracks, forcing the dragon warrior to halt with her. For once the feline warrior has little idea on what they were going to do. Four of them could barely hold their own against Jiangshi and Nuba had the two dead to rights.

Amber orbs look towards jade as she ponders her answer. After several seconds, no particular strategy forms in her head, worrying the tiger until she thinks upon the wisdom of the late grandmaster and her adoptive father. To have faith, even when things seem hopeless. She looks to Po with a determined fire burning in her eyes, "We fight until we can no longer stand… And if it comes to that…" She pauses for a moment and turns her back towards the panda, "Then we fight until our last breath."

Po's eyes widen to astronomical size as he stares at his tiger lover in complete awe, part of him cannot help but to admit that seeing her so steadfast was undeniably hot. The pair stand in silence for a mere moment, Po frozen in adoration whilst Tigress looks off to the left, certain that she heard something very faint. "I think… I think that's the coolest thing you've ever said." The dragon warrior finally manages to quietly utter, forcing a small smirk to appear on the tiger's face. He quickly snaps out of his awestruck stupor and gives a wide, determined smile, "Alright Nuba! Prepare to get your butt whooped!"

Tigress warmly chuckles at his childish antics, leave it to him to bring brightness to their dire situation. Her smile is soon wiped off her face as she hears the sound again but this time much louder than before. She snaps her head to the left, staring far beyond the treeline of the forest whilst quietly demanding, "Po, stop."

At her urgent command, the dragon warrior instantly shuts his mouth and stares at the tiger with bewildered, slightly fearful, eyes. Tigress' concentrates solely on the thudding sound as it gets louder and louder with each second. With the sound now loud enough for Po to pick up, he quickly whispers, "What is that?"

Her ears twitch as the distant thuds get closer and closer, the ground trembling with each time the sound repeats. Amber orbs threaten to bulge out of their sockets as Tigress notices several trees toppling over in the distance. With this she now realises just what these deafening sounds are. Jiangshi's footsteps. Within an instant of recognising this, the tiger master pushes Po out of the way.

Crash!

Just as Tigress backflips away from her spot, Jiangshi bursts through the treeline and hurtles its fist towards the feline. It only just manages to skim past her as she soars through the air and the beast's left fist meets the ground where she had stood moments before. Immediately after landing on the ground a fair distance from the monster, she switches to her kung fu stance and notices Po doing the same just on the opposite side of the creature.

As the dragon warrior stands at the ready, he notices the stump where Jiangshi's right paw used to be. Huh… How did he? Before the panda can even finish that thought the beast barrels its way over to him and throws a punch at him. Po manages to roll out of the way just in time and delivers a chi-infused palm strike directly at its chest which Tigress follows up with a chi jump kick sent directly to the back of Jiangshi's head. With the beast disoriented for just long enough, Po is able to connect a chi-infused belly bash, which forces Jiangshi to stumble back slightly as Tigress flips over to the front of the creature and lands a chi double kick directly into its face, pushing it even further back. As she kicks up from the ground Po quickly yells out, "Tigress, look at his right arm!"

As she heads to his request, her brows furrow in confusion, "How could that have happened?" She implores, almost completely puzzled by its injury despite them barely even scratching it yesterday.

"No clue." Po meekly responds as the two warriors notice the creature regaining its balance. After finding its balance again, the beast briefly stares at the pair before snapping its head to the left. Once it notices small droplets of the river water pattering onto its remaining paw, Jiangshi swiftly moves away from the flowing river. Both warriors' eyes widen at seeing this, the two turning to each other and sharing a contemplative look. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" The panda master cheekily inquires. She nods back with a serious look engraved on her face as she gets back into her fighting stance. Po begins to settle into his stance before meekly confirming, "We are gonna push him into the river, right?"

"Yes, Po." Tigress answers in a monotone voice.

"Gotcha… So, what's exactly the plan?" He asks once again.

"He is going to charge towards us again. So, whilst he runs towards this area, I'll throw you to the other side. I'll distract it for as long as I can. When you see an opening, strike at its legs or at the ground and then I'll punch him into the river." She quickly explains as she stares directly at the deformed monstrosity stomping towards them.

"Alright, let's end this." Po states, completely ready to see an end to this horrific monolith. The fearsome monster continues to lumber its way towards them before breaking into a sprint and reeling its fist back. As it gets closer and closer, jade orbs look to the tiger master for a signal.

"Now!" She screams out before firmly grabbing Po by his arms and swinging him around. Right as the beast is about to send a punch towards her, Tigress chucks the panda master over its head and blocks the hit. She is pushed back only slightly as her feet grind into the muddied ground. She spots Po beginning to charge the chi in his paws as he lands on the other side.

"C'mon. C'mon." He hurriedly mutters to himself as he watches his feline partner gracefully dodge several of the beast's strikes, he looks to his dimly lit paws in slight desperation. After seeing an opening in Jiangshi's last attack, the tiger master connects a three-punch combo square in Jiangshi's jaw, the sheer force behind it causing it to flinch. It doesn't attack back, instead deciding to distance itself from the flowing river. Tigress notices this however and delivers a chi-kick to its right side, forcing it to stumble back. Before it can go too far into the river, Jiangshi grips the grass with its good paw and regains its balance as it continues attacking the feline. "Hurry up, hurry up! C'mon." As he mumbles this again, his paws fully glow in their golden glory. He clenches them into fists and yells out, "Tigress! I'm ready!" Before running towards the two.

As his words reach her ears, Tigress notices Jiangshi's crocodile tail reel back in an attempt to strike the approaching Po. She manages to cartwheel away from another failed punch from the creature and stomps on its tail with a chi-infused heel kick, indenting it in the ground. The feline warrior turns her head to the panda master as he arrives near the creature with his left fist raised in the air, clearly aiming at the ground. As she notices this, the beast tries to swipe at her with its right stump. The tiger only narrowly evades this with several backflips before springing onto a nearby tree and climbing up its branches. Seeing its prey leave, Jiangshi turns to face its other opponent only to see the dragon warrior throw a devastating punch into the ground. With the earth trembling before its metallic feet, the beast can barely keep its balance let alone focus on the panda. A perfect opening. Managing to resist the shaking ground for long enough, Po sweeps the beast's right leg with his remaining golden fist. As a massive golden shockwave rings off the beast's appendage, it falls onto one knee.

Seeing this, Tigress seizes this chance and pounces off the tree, soaring directly towards the creature. She reels her paws back as they glow brightly, preparing her signature double palm strike. As she sails towards the Jiangshi, it makes direct eye contact with her. The second it does, an image of her biological father quickly flashes in her mind. It disappears within an instant, reminding her of what he has become. Those amber orbs that had once held so much love and warmth are now hollow, lifeless. His once naturally toned body now mangled and hideously bulging. All the countless stitching, metal and mismatched scales barely resemble anything of an animal at all. Whatever it is, it certainly isn't her father. Not anymore. With this thought echoing through her mind, Tigress unleashes a mighty roar before hitting Jiangshi with a brutal, chi-infused, double palm strike.

A deafening boom echoes around the forest as the behemoth falls backwards into the merciless river current. All of its limbs flail around, desperately attempting to grasp at something to get out of the river but to no avail. As it is carried away by the torrent of the river, the sheer force of the current rips its stitching apart. Its entire chest split into several pieces and the beast's head is torn clean off its body, with each part of its body dragged down the river path.

Amber orbs pitifully look on as the clanks and groans of its metallic body parts hitting the sides of the river echo in her ears. A panting Po walks right up next to her with a sorrowful expression. Knowing the sheer magnitude of what she had just done, he simply doesn't know what to say. Regardless of what he had been transformed into, he was still her father, and she had no choice but to destroy him. He places a supportive paw on her shoulder, "I'm so sorry, Tigress." He gently whispers, still stumped by what she was forced to do.

Understanding precisely why her panda lover has said this, she grips his paw softly. Though her heart feels horrible for having to do that, her mind simply tells her that it was the only way. She lets out a heavy sigh, "Don't be." She mutters back in a tender voice, "That wasn't my father. It was a soulless husk, an empty soldier. Nothing more." Though her tone retains her usual hardcore nature, Po is able to hear the guilt and resentment pour through regardless. Tigress turns her head directly to him, "Now come on. There is no time to waste. The valley needs us." She softly commands, hoping that she'll be able to push this regret out of her mind for the time being.

With a soft sigh, Po nods firmly, fully understanding just how right she is. If Nuba is dead set on heading to the Jade Palace, then there's no telling what she will try to do to their home. The warrior couple continue their way into the forest with the hopes that they'll be able to reach the valley in time. As they head away from the river, her father's voice echoes within her head, his phantom words causing her to unconsciously let out a single tear that slowly rolls down her cheek.

I love you, my little angel… Don't ever forget that.

Jeez, even after finding inner peace Tigress doesn't get a break. Thing is I wanted to make it extremely clear that Jiangshi and Tigress' biological father are not the same (in terms of character) They may share the same body, granted one is more messed up than the other, but Jiangshi does not have her father's soul. I hope I made that clear. Now, for next chapter, things are gonna get crazy again, just you wait... Hopefully not for too long this time.