Author's Note: Yay! I got it out faster than usual! That doesn't mean I rushed it btw, I just had the muse going on proper this time. Alright, we head back with the five and focus on a smaller moment that will spell out quite a bit. Gotta say, this chapter is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, so I hope you have a bit of fun with this.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KUNG FU PANDA (I don't want to get sued... That'd be pretty bad.)

Enjoy.

A Turbulent Night

Boom!

Two amber orbs jolt open at the sound of a deafening explosion. However, these eyes are unable to focus, their sight blurred and disjointed. Horrific plumes of smoke and ash fill the nostrils of master Tigress as her hearing is almost completely consumed by the increasingly tumultuous flames surrounding her. Feeling something massive weighing down on her body, she attempts to get up to no avail. She coughs out several times, her lungs filling up with carbon monoxide as the fire continues to rise.

Help us!

Please!

Have mercy!

Terrified screams and deathly cries pierce through the roaring blaze surrounding the trapped tiger, causing her to grit her teeth in anger. Her people needed help. They needed her. With this thought in mind, Tigress uses all of the strength in her body to push herself off the ground and throw the charred, heavy debris off her. She stumbles through the blackened wreckage of some poor building, her form drenched with scorch marks and her clothes almost completely destroyed. Only an orange and red haze coats her path as her eyesight remains blurred.

After what feels like half an hour of trekking through the cavern of destruction, she finally makes it out to the streets of the valley of peace, her weak and battered body stumbling to the ground. Now finally provided with a miniscule amount of air to breathe, her eyesight finally begins to clear. She blinks several times as her amber orbs begin to settle, a mortified expression forming at the horror presented to her.

Her home, bathed in a never-ending sea of fire. Tigress darts her head around, not wanting to believe it until her eyes rest on the top of the cracked thousand steps. On the crumbling wreckage of what used to be the Jade Palace. Her breathing fastens as she hears other buildings within the valley square topple down, silencing the fearful screams of their owners and sealing them within an inescapable tomb. Tears begin to form in the tiger master's eyes as she sees the many dead villagers lining the streets, some being reduced to charred corpses and others still set alight. For a split second the setting changes to something just as familiar and just as horrifying.

The Zhanshi clan village, torn down and destroyed with many poor tigers lying dead in the streets. Before she can even comprehend what is going on, her sight returns to the burning valley of peace. Tigress looks up to the skies, silently praying for the Gods to help her, but is instead met with a black and grey veil of smoke consuming the heavens. She looks back down and further into the street, her mind racing with too many thoughts to count until her amber orbs catch six figures laying further down the street, limp and unmoving.

No. Oh Gods, please… No…

Ignoring her body's painful protest, she runs down the mangled streets of her ruined home with terror freezing her eyes open. Her pace slows down as she goes closer to the six figures lying on the floor. Now close enough to identify them, her legs buckle as she falls to her knees with her tears forming into oceans of pain.

Viper's green scales have been practically turned pitch black with ash, pieces of her broken fangs scattered in front of her limp body. A pool of blood lies underneath Mantis, his limbs bending in ways that shouldn't be possible. Cracked and charred, Crane's straw hat conceals the bird's face which draws more attention to the crimson wounds on his chest and his featherless right wing, a measure of bone sticking out of its fleshy socket. A large circular scar is burned onto Monkey's chest as most of his body is burnt to the point of becoming ash itself.

Tigress' breathing becomes heavier as she turns her gaze from her lifelong friends onto her master, her father. Amber orbs focus on the deep cuts in Shifu's torso, the copious amounts of blood pouring from his already lifeless body. With her heaving breaths turning into uncontrollable sniffles, the poor feline gingerly reaches towards the red panda, his blood painting her paws as she begins to sob. Her tears blur her eyes until Shifu is replaced by two orange tigers, a male with amber eyes and a female with sapphire eyes. She gasps at the sudden change, but she is brought back to the valley just as quickly as she was taken out. Gathering herself back in her surroundings, the feline warrior looks onward, an unrelenting dagger of torment piercing its way into her heart at the sight before her.

Po, the dragon warrior, battered and horribly beaten. Unable to stand up due to her fleeting strength, Tigress crawls her way over, her constantly flowing tears stinging and blinding her eyes in a tsunami of despair. As she reaches him, she cradles his head in her paws and hopelessly caresses his face. She can't see the mosaic of wounds and bruises lining his body, nor can she see the multiple impacts of cannons engraved onto his torso. The only thing that pierces through her eyes' watery veil of misery are his jade eyes, cold and hollow. She doesn't need to see his broken-down body to know he is gone, for the love and gentleness eviscerated from his eyes already told her that. With this confirmation, Tigress sobs loudly whilst tightly embracing her dead panda, her heart bleeding in agony as her eyes redden from her endless tears.

"Look at what's become of you…"

Tigress' head shoots up at the voice, immediately recognising its sadistic tone but not realising that the surroundings have changed back to the Zhanshi clan village again. Reddened amber orbs look forward only to see two amethyst dots staring at her from darkness until they move closer. They step into the light, revealing the psychopathic white tiger herself. Nuba. Her mind regains flashes of her mother readying herself to fight the maniacal warrior, of her father leaving her at Bao Gu to keep her safe. Two loving parents that she will never get the chance of meeting. Her breathing intensifies as her blood boils, the surroundings switching back to the valley of peace once again.

She looks back down to her bloodied love, memories of their time together stabbing her heart and mind, memories of her family and all of their adventures tearing her soul apart. Her ears twitch at the sound of manic, heartless laughter coming ahead. Broken amber orbs look up to see several wolf mercenaries haplessly murdering innocent civilians, whilst others merely looked on her and laugh at her soul-crushing pain. She looks on further down, noticing a shadowy figure with dark blue orbs staring at her with malicious satisfaction.

As she looks on at the culprits of her home's merciless devastation, Tigress grits her teeth, and her eyes adopt a monstrous ferocity.

"All that yearning for acceptance…"

Nuba's words infect her mind once again as the surroundings switch over and over again, the tiger master seeing her two worlds, utterly destroyed. After all her hope, all that promise of being loved, everything had been taken away from her again.

"For love…"

Tigress continues to stare dead on into Nuba's amethyst orbs and the shadowy figure's dark blue eyes, her pupils dilating until her once vibrant amber orbs are warped into an obsidian void.

"And it's made you no better than a savage."

Despair soon shifts, transforms into a restless, dangerous fury. She continues to stare endlessly, her sight no longer taking in her surroundings. Just the amethyst and blue eyes of the ones who had taken away her family, her life. No thoughts enter her mind, no sounds aside from her ever increasing heartbeat and a dark, familiar voice.

Kill.

A menacing snarl escapes her maw as she unsheathes her claws, unknowingly digging into the body of her lifeless lover.

Kill.

Her body no longer protests as she stands back up and rushes towards the group of wolves.

Kill.

A red mist clouds her mind as the dying screams and frightened wails of her victims fall on deaf ears. Body upon body falls to the floor, the tiger's heart blackened with an insatiable lust for revenge.

Kill!

She falls to her knees again, the blood of those wolf mercenaries soaking her entire body. Tears begin to pour out of her obsidian eyes as her sobs mix into her manic growls, creating an ungodly symphony of pain and fury. As she takes one final look at her destroyed home, her eradicated people, her bloodied family; Something snaps within her mind. The tiger unleashes a horrifying roar of agony into the burning air as her sanity crumbles into nothing, as the poor little girl turns into a terrifying monster.

Tigress shoots up in bed with a horrified scream, sweat drenching her body as her tearful eyes dart around the place. She barely calms down at recognising her room, her heart still racing as she clutches it with her right paw. Kicking her feet out from her covers, she sits up in her bed, mortified that her mind could even come up with something so horrible.

Bang!

Before she can think any more on her nightmare, Po bursts into her room with the rest of the five tailing just behind him. "Tigress! What's going on!? Are you okay? Are you hurt!?" He gingerly grabs her by the shoulders, contrasting his worried expression and panicked voice. Amber orbs look between her friends, her family as their mangled forms spawned from her nightmare flash in her mind. She looks directly into Po's eyes, full of concern and care, alive and well. At the very idea that she could lose him, that she could lose all of them, her tears begin to flow again as she tightly embraces her panda. He immediately hugs back as the traumatised feline sniffles in his grasp, "Hey, it's okay. We're here, Tigress. It's okay." His whispers flow through the tiger's ears as he gently rubs her back, the rest of the furious five soon approaching the poor feline and embracing her too.

Unable to handle her sister's suffering anymore, Viper asks the question that has more or less been answered already, "What happened, sweetie? Was it a nightmare?" Trying her best to compose herself, Tigress releases a shaky breath as she nods in response, cherishing her serpent sister's motherly care. "Would you like to talk about it?" A sweet whisper seeps out of the caring snake, resulting in the feline finally rearing her head back from Po's chest and nodding slightly. Viper smiles sadly at the poor feline now reduced to a quivering kitten, whatever this nightmare was must've been truly haunting if it brought her down like this.

They all head towards the kitchen to hear out Tigress' account of her maleficent dream, said feline sipping on some jasmine tea to calm her rattled nerves as she stands by the counter near the sink. Despite turning her gaze away from her friends, not bearing to look as she remembers her fiery dreamscape, she feels Po's presence standing to her left side whilst everyone else stays by the table. With each visceral detail of the burning valley, shadowy figures and dead versions of themselves, the expressions of each warrior listening to her grow more horrified. She finishes her tale right at the point she had laid eyes on her lifeless lover, not wanting to reveal what she had done after. Though it fools most of the warriors, it doesn't get by Po and Viper, but neither confront the tiger about it, both masters wanting her to get back to normal as soon as possible. Sky-blue eyes look upon the tiger with nothing but pity at her dreaded tale, the serpent master delicately coiling around her traumatised sister in her own form of an embrace, "Oh, Tigress…"

Yellow orbs look upon the table thoughtfully, the avian master almost certain of what had spawned this horrible night terror within their leader's head, "What do you think caused this nightmare? Was it Oogway's warning?" Crane carefully asks, hoping that he hasn't made Tigress' chilling night any worse.

No response is given to the bird's inquiry as Tigress takes another sip of tea. Amber orbs looks down into the tea in contemplation, the feline seeing the auburn glow of her eyes within the warm, calming liquid. Why did she have such a horrible nightmare? Granted the warning they had gotten from Oogway two days prior was certainly nerve wracking, but how could she be freaking out about an enemy that they don't even know about yet? Then there was… The monster… As she continues to look down into her tea, she notices the ember glow of her eyes fade, instead being replaced by a soulless blackness. Her eyes widen in shock until this mirror of obsidian vanishes within a blink of her eye, that auburn glow returning in the tea's reflective surface. In an attempt to calm her mind, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Though her mind is plagued by thick fog of fear and confusion, one thing does become clear, "I don't know…" She whispers out, truly not knowing whether this had been her fear of this unknown enemy or something else entirely. Feeling Po's paw gently caressing her hand, she turns her head over to the panda, his jade eyes communicating his undying worry for the feline.

"Well…" Monkey blurts out, trying his best to lighten up the atmosphere of the room, for Tigress' sake, "Whether it was or not, just remember that we're here for you, Tigress. We're not going to let this thing get the better of you, okay?" With this reassuring message, the tiger warrior turns back around, her gaze shifting between all five members of her kung fu family.

"Monkey's right, we've got your back, Tigress. Remember that." Mantis affirms his langur friend's statement, with Crane nodding to the feline warrior in response and Viper giving her sister a large, beaming smile. Amber orbs continue to gaze at the supportive glints in each of their eyes before resting on Po, who keeps his paw on hers and gives her a small smile, a smile brimming with affection.

That fear that had been present in her nightmare, that hole punched into her heart had been completely incinerated by the warmth of her loving family, lighting her very soul with its tender flame. She looks back towards the rest of the five before giving her signature small smile and softly saying, "Thank you…" A message of gratitude straight from her heart warms the atmosphere of the once tense kitchen, the kung fu masters certain that the feline has been snapped out of her horrified stupor. After taking yet another sip of her tea, the tiger master assures her friends, "I should be fine, now. You can go back to bed."

"Are you sure, Tigress? If you want, we'll stay right here." Viper states, the rest of the five looking directly at the tiger for an answer.

"Trust me, I'll be fine… It was just a bad dream." Though her voice sounds confident and manages to convince them into believing her, her mind still attempts to find a reason for that nightmare to occur in the first place. Yet part of her is already certain of what that horrid dream was born from. That moment when she had lost control against Nuba. In spite of finding inner peace, the tiger still fears what she could potentially do in that state and if she will ever be able to take back control if her entire family is gone, Gods forbid.

Satisfied with her answer, the five head off to bed with Viper exchanging a knowing look between Po, certain that the feline warrior is hiding something about her nightmare. Jade orbs look to the tiger, who turns her head back towards the sink and continues drinking her tea. Whilst he does want to find out what is going on, he realises that further prodding or interrogation is not what she needs right now.

Tigress turns her head slightly, about to tell her panda that he can go back to bed until he wraps his arms around her waist and hugs her from behind. Immediately, a wide grin forms on her face, the tiger warrior enjoying every moment of being in his arms. He lays his head on her left shoulder before shyly suggesting, "Y'know… If you want… You could… Um… Stay with me tonight…" Due to the potential implications of his request, he stumbles over his words as if he were tripping down the thousand steps.

At his adorably meek display, her smile grows wider as her mind soon casts aside all of her fearful thoughts for later. She wants to live in the now, with her panda. Her worries now pushed to the wayside, Tigress rubs her cheek onto his and chuffs as she breathily accepts his offer, "I'd love to."

After finishing her calming brew, the two lovers head into the dragon warrior's room and lay on the bed. They snuggle together, with Tigress burying her head into Po's chest and the panda rests his head in the crook of her neck. A giant smile finds its way onto Tigress' face, the feline savouring the warmth of her loving panda as her soul ignites in an affectionate flame. They stay like this for a few moments until Po lays a soft kiss on her neck, earning a light hum from the tiger. He lets out his usual goofy grin, happy that her mind is no longer plagued by that awful nightmare… But just to be safe, he gives her another kiss on the neck… And another… Then one on the cheek… Okay, maybe one more. It isn't long before the panda finds himself lost in pleasing his tiger, showering her with small pecks on her cheek and neck.

With his affectionate act, Tigress can't help but giggle at the slightly ticklish feeling of his lips softly gracing her neck. She embraces him tighter, her nightmare from before now seeming like a distant memory thrown away by her bliss. Her eyebrows raise slightly as Po pauses, "Sorry, I'm keeping you from going to sleep, aren't I?" He whispers out, understanding how distracting his passionate act can be.

Before he can retract his head from her, the tiger holds the back of his head in place with her right paw as she softly rubs his back with her left, "You keep those kisses coming… My sweet panda." She responds, not wanting him to stop his loving treatment. Jade orbs widen slightly at the name given to him, not at all expecting that from the hardcore master, but accepting it with open arms as he begins to kiss her again. Beyond joyous that she doesn't have to keep up her tough exterior with her panda, Tigress mind begins to drift off to sleep, her mind cherishing the blissful company of the dragon warrior as all her fears are momentarily locked away. Unaware that the tiger's fears are well founded, for the next day will be the beginning of a truly hazardous journey.

... I mean... I couldn't just leave it traumatising for the whole chapter, I had to put some fluff in there. But in all seriousness, I really liked writing this chapter... I guess I am a natural at emotionally traumatising things or something... Whilst I am setting up character arcs for Tigress and Po, I am not going to leave the furious five on the wayside... They deserve better than that... They'll have their development and I have most of them figured out... Just gotta make sure everything is in character. And trust me, this won't be the last of her nightmare, I can tell you that much. See you lot next time :)