The sun was rising, casting its warm rays on the Jade Palace. It was peacefully quiet as none of the residents of the palace were up, not even the usually early riser, Master Tigress.

Tigress was an early riser no matter what the circumstances were, but this time she was just too comfortable to consider waking up.

Tigress tightened her arms around the "fluffy pillow", snuggling into it. She was in that state between sleep and waking up. That's when she realized she didn't own a "fluffy pillow." Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was white fur. Strangely, this furry pillow was warm and... breathing.

Eyes widening, she looked up to see Po's sleeping face. Now that she was fully awake, she noticed her head nestled on Po's arm with her arm wrapped around his torso and Po's paw resting on her shoulder.

Recalling the night's events, she remembered how she ended up here.

Tigress sighed.

Right. I can't believe myself.

There was once a time when she couldn't tolerate being touched by anyone, especially Po. Here she was, wrapped in his arms and sleeping next to him. Not that she accepts being touched by anyone, just Po.

The sunlight hitting the room interrupted her trail of thoughts, reminding her that their friends would be up soon. As much as her strictly disciplined mind was telling her to get up, she couldn't. It didn't help that Po's fur had grown, because of the approaching winter, making him even more soft and cuddly.

With the flexibility of a feline, she reluctantly slipped out of his arms and sat up.

"Po," Tigress whispered, shaking his shoulders. "Po, wake up."

"Whaaa. Dad. The noodles…are chasing me."Po said in his sleep, grabbing her and pulling her down, face first.

Tigress's eye twitched, making her smack his face. Po startled awake with wide eyes.

"Huh." There was something under his arm. Po slowly lifted his arm to look at the "thing" under his arms. It wasn't his dad, it was…

Po quickly put his arm down, looking bewildered. He was definitely dreaming because there was no way Tigress had been sleeping with him. He closed his eyes, going back to sleep (in his dream).

Po woke up to his face being smacked...again. This time, his eyes fell on the fiery, angry eyes of...

"GAH! TIGRESS!" He jumped up, but fell off the bed in the process. He looked up at Tigress.

"IT'S NOT A-"

Tigress quickly moved to cover his mouth with her paw.

"Shush. Shut it. You're going to wake up the whole palace." She whispered angrily.

"-dream." Po completed in a whisper. He noticed that he was in Tigress's room, and that's when everything clicked. Tigress sighed with irritation.

"It's not a dream, Po. Now come on, before anyone wakes up." Tigress whispered with urgency and moved towards the door. After ensuring that the coast was clear, she motioned for Po to come out.

When moving through the corridor, Tigress sighed in relief as she noticed that everyone was still asleep.

"Why do I have to be up so early? We don't even have training today." Po complained while yawning and dragging his arms across the floor. Even though he had gotten used to the timings of the Jade Palace, he couldn't help complaining.

Tigress snickered and shook her head at his childishness. How does she put up with him? It's a wonder to her.

"But now that you are, how about making breakfast? I'll help if you want." Tigress said, placing a paw on his shoulder, in an effort to lift his spirits.

It seemed to do the trick because, in a flash, Po had stars in his eyes at the idea of Tigress, of all, helping him cook. She had never, ever done that.

A few minutes later, they began preparations for breakfast. Tigress was kneading the dough for the dumplings while Po worked on the filling.

While doing their respective tasks, Tigress noticed Po yawning multiple times. Even though he complained of waking up early, Tigress knew very well that within a few minutes, Po would be bubbling with energy.

Was he not able to sleep well last night? An uncomfortable feeling rose in her chest. Guilt. She had broken a fair share of hearts, knowingly or unknowingly, without a hint of remorse. But the thought of Po, her closest friend (though she wouldn't admit it to his face or anyone) not getting proper sleep because of her made her feel... guilty.

"Po, were you able to sleep well last night?" She asked, looking at him.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." She shrugged, a bit unsure.

"It's ok. Tell me." Po said with a smile, his attention now on her.

"It's nothing, really." Tigress said as she began making balls of the dough. But after a while, the question nagging her rolled to the tip of her tongue.

"Po, was I asking too much and disturbing you last night?" Tigress said monotonously, while making the balls and setting them aside.

"Not at all. I can sleep anywhere with no problems at all." Po said.

"No doubt about that." Tigress chuckled, facing him again. Po rolled his eyes.

"Besides," Po held her numb paws, "It's what friends are for." He said with a soft, reassuring smile.

A gentle smile formed on Tigress's lips. He was the friend she had always needed (unknowingly) but never had.

Seeing her smile, Po mentally applauded himself for the accomplishment.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" She murmured, stepping forward and resting her head on his shoulder. Tigress let go of his paws to wrap hers around him. They sure didn't get along a few years back, or more specifically, she didn't. Now she can't imagine living without him.

Po was taken aback for a bit. There was only one time she hugged him willingly, and that was to prove she understood and wasn't completely hard to the core. This time it wasn't to prove anything or to show empathy. This time she simply did it because she wanted to.

Po returned the embrace with a pat on her back. The hug didn't last long. She pulled back as quickly as she had hugged him. Giving him a rare smile, she resumed making the dumplings.

A few minutes later, the remaining furious five entered the kitchen to see an odd sight of Tigress setting up the table along with Po.

There was nothing wrong or out of place. They just had a few hundred questions as to why was Tigress helping out instead of meditating as usual; or how come Po woke up before any of them; or why was there the slightest hint of a smile on Tigress's face? It would remain a mystery because neither of them had the guts to ask. Besides, nothing was wrong, everything was normal, so perfectly normal.