The Dance


It started off simple enough, but they didn't think it would end up like this. The panda stared into the tiger's eyes as he held her in one arm while she leaned into a dip. The tiger, breathless and shocked, stared back with her arms around his neck as her back was mere inches off the ground. She didn't know the panda was this strong. Strong enough to hold her and the lute in his other hand. And now they stared deeply into each other's eyes. The tingle of their warm breaths brushed each other's lips. The silence was broken by Po's gulp. Then everyone clapped and cheered, but the two were in their own world with no one able to penetrate it for what seemed like hours.

How the heck did this happen?

About a week ago, the Furious Five were arranging stuff for the next festival coming up for the summer. Tigress groaned, "I'm getting tired of these festivals."

"Huh? I thought you were okay with them," Crane said. "You've never had a problem with them before."

"And I don't. I'm not the most social person-"

"That's the understatement of both this life and the next to come," Mantis muttered.

"But," Tigress growled, "Don't you think we've had enough festivals for the year? We've already had seven."

"Sounds more like you're just tired," Viper said as she helped a villager with the banners. The team was helping the villagers prepare for the festival, and while the others were content, Tigress found it a little tedious. "Why don't you skip this festival?"

Tigress groaned, "Because Po would probably coerce me into coming anyway."

"Just growl at him. That usually stops him," Monkey sniggered. The tiger grumbled under her sharp teeth.

"Maybe you should come to the festival just to make sure no one gets hurt," Crane said. "We could use a lookout."

Tigress rose her eyebrow, crossing her arms with a curious yet somehow judgmental lift of the side of her lip, she asked, "And what will all of you be doing?"

"Having fun," They all said.

"So I'm supposed to be the party bodyguard?"

"Would you actually enjoy the festival?" Monkey asked, expecting a no.

Tigress rolled her eyes. "I never said I disliked it. I just-"

"You just don't like being social all the time," Viper guessed, rolling her eyes with a smile. "It's okay, Tigress. It's just one more festival."

"Yeah but this one has dancing!" Monkey grinned, moving his hips.

Viper rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure Tigress wouldn't like to dance in front of everyone."

"Yeah, you're right," Monkey chuckled. "Besides, I don't know if Tigress even knows how to dance. HAHA! Then again, if Po's dancing, we might want to stay clear of the dance floor."

"By the way," Crane interrupted and turned his head left and right. "Where is he? He hasn't been helping us with the festival decorations and he's usually the first one here."

"I think Mr. Ping needed his help for the festival," Tigress muttered.

"Maybe we should go and see him," Viper suggested. And so the team strolled their way to the circular entrance of Mr. Ping's empty shop; it was closed for the festival much to Mr. Ping's dismay. When they peeked inside, they saw Po glaring hard into a lute placed on the top of the kitchen counter. His lip pouted and his head was held up by his hands. Tigress tilted her head. Why did he look upset?

The others didn't seem to notice and sat right on the other side of the counter. "Hey, Po! What's up?" Monkey loudly announced.

"Huh? Oh hey guys," The panda mumbled out his response.

"What's the matter, Po?" Tigress asked.

Po sighed, "My dad wants me to play the lute for tonight's festival."

"You play the lute?"

"I can play almost any instrument," Po answered Viper.

"And you don't like playing the lute?" Crane asked.

"I love playing it. What I don't like is playing in front of everyone I know. I hate being the entertainment."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a natural mess-up, that's why!" Po bellowed at Viper. The snake slithered behind Monkey. "I'm sorry, Viper. I'm just not having a good day. I didn't mean to shout."

"Have you tried telling your dad you don't want to?" Tigress asked.

"It's good for business, plus most of the festivals are done here, remember?"

"Don't worry, Po. We'll be there for support," Viper offered.

"Thanks, but that's not gonna help that much. I don't want people noticing the bumbling player that I am."

"I'm sure the villagers don't think of you like that," Viper gently argued.

"Yeah, sure they don't."

"Po," Tigress spoke up, "It's not like you to be worried about performance. Messing up can't be the only reason why you're worried. I've heard you sing in front of people without a care. Is there something you're not telling us?"

Po glanced at her for a moment and gave a loud groan. "Alright, fine." He stood silent for a moment. "My... ex will be there."

Everyone looked at each other.

"Your ex?" The Furious Five echoed.

Tigress stared hard, narrowing her eyes. "I didn't know you had an ex." Po didn't need to even glimpse at the tiger's stare. The silent heat from her eyes nearly singed his fur.

"Why would you know?" Mantis asked. Every eye turned on the tiger.

Tigress shook her head, "That's... That's not the point."

"The point is," Po muttered, "that I don't want her seeing me. If I didn't have to play for the festival, I would've stayed in my room."

"Why are you avoidig your ex?" Viper asked. "Did you two leave on bad terms?"

"We didn't, but..." Po trailed off and shook his head. "Look, guys. I just don't want to play while she's there. It's not a big deal. I'll get over it."

"I'm sorry, Po. If there's anything we can do, please let us know," Viper replied. Po gave a brief smile and sighed as he grabbed the lute and sat down to play. Monkey, Crane, and Mantis respectfully left. Viper was about to leave but saw Tigress staying. "Tigress, what are you doing?"

"I'm... I'm making sure that Po is okay," She whispered.

"Why? He's just a little nervous, that's all."

"I just want to help him."

"How?"

"I don't know. But I'm not leaving him in this state," Tigress finished. Viper nodded, though a quizzical look lingered on her face as she slithered out of the empty shop. The tiger took a seat next to the panda. He was too focused on playing the lute to fully notice. His fingers expertly danced across the neck as he closed his eyes to see each note being played.

He played like the air was butter. Slippery, smooth, and with the ease of silk riding against satin sheets. It was beautiful. For a moment, Tigress forgot everything and just listened. The music's calming ring slackened her shoulders and massaged her brain. Finally, though too short for the tiger's taste, Po stopped playing.

"Why didn't you tell us you had an ex?" Tigress asked. Po sighed, looking in the opposite direction. "Po, I want to help."

With a big sigh, the ursine warrior finally spoke, "Because she's always better than me. I mean, she never said it but she was always better than me. She's a grizzly, so she isn't fat like me. She plays much better than I do, and she even cooks better than me. When we were dating, my goose dad even thought about making her an honorary Ping! I just... I didn't want her to see how... behind I am."

"Is she a Kung Fu Warrior?"

"Tigress," Po groaned, getting up from his seat. "That's not what I mean and you know it."

"Po, I know what you're going through, but I think you already know what I'm going to say."

"That I shouldn't bother about it and I should just accept that we're different people and that I should focus on being the best me I can be. Yeah, yeah, I heard it all before Master Shifu," Po grumbled. "It doesn't feel like it helps."

"Feelings come and go, even if we don't think so," Tigress answered. Po glanced over his shoulder and gave her a small scoff as he set the lute down. "You play beautifully."

"Thanks."

"I didn't know you play so many instruments."

"Yeeeeeeaaahhhh I kinda learned how to play each one because I wanted to one-up Lu-Shou."

"Your ex?" Tigress guessed. Po nodded. "How did that end up for you?"

"Not so great because now I'm doing something I don't want to do in front of someone I don't want to know how behind in life I am."

"Does she gloat over how much better her life is?"

"Well... no."

Tigress rose an eyebrow. "I think you're making an enemy out of a friend. And you're jealous."

"Yeah? Well, sue me," Po grumbled. He went into the kitchen and fetched a big pot. He threw water, vegetables, and spices in while igniting the stove. "The only good thing about this is that people will be dancing."

"Why is that good?"

"It might distract her. Of course, she's a great dancer too," Po grumbled as the pot started to boil, Tigress watched in silence as the panda sulked with his saddened grumpy face on. It would be a cute look if he weren't feeling so down.

"I'm surprised at you, Po," Tigress said.

"That I'm so jealous of her?"

"That and that you haven't asked anything about me dancing."

"Why?"

"You usually ask those kinds of questions."

"Can you dance?"

"That's not the point, Po," Tigress said. "I've never seen you this distraught about anything."

"Yeah, well I am," Po replied as he turned the pot's heat down to simmer. "And I know you wouldn't like dancing with anyone from the village. Besides, the only person I can kinda see you dancing with is Crane or me and I know both of those are out of the window."

"Why Crane?"

"He's as tall as you but I don't think you'd like his beak getting in the way."

Tigress nodded with a small chuckle. "But why you?"

"Because you'll immediately look a lot better dancing next to me," Po chuckled.

Tigress growled, slamming a hand to the counter. "Po, stop putting yourself down! What can I-we do to help?"

"I'm sorry Tigress, but I don't think you can." Po gave a small smile. "It would be nice to see you dance. I'm sure you'd be a natural at it."

"Hm," Tigress grunted and walked out of the shop, sadder than she walked in.

Po was miserable the entire week leading up to the festival, trying everything in his power to change the circumstances. From faking an injury to faking a mission, there was nothing that Po could do to get out of playing for this event, and his dad made sure of it.

"Everyone wants you to play, Po! And it's good for business," Mr. Ping said.

And there was nothing the panda could do to change Mr. Ping's mind. Po would grumble and frown almost everywhere, and the Furious Five couldn't cheer him up for the life of them. Not even dumplings helped.

The dreaded night finally came. Po sweated more water than his belly could hold. He desperately hoped the pressing crowd and the noisy atmosphere would hide him and the band in the back of Mr. Ping's packed and decorated shop. But there was only so much that the panda could hide, even with the influx of pandas moving into the Valley of Peace.

"Po!" And nothing could hide him from that gaze. Po looked past the crowd of bunnies, ducks, and large pandas and saw her. The female grizzly had beautiful red lipstick on with her silky flower dress. Her gaze, always in a half-lidded stare, widened a bit. Her top fur was tied into a top bun. She was about the same height as Tigress, though not nearly as strong. She was attractive. Po huffed. More attractive than he was, he thought. Lu-Shou ran past pandas and ducks and wrapped her arms around the panda and the lute. "It's soo good to see you." Her voice was as perfect as ever. In fact, she seemed to only grow prettier with age.

Whether that irritated Po more or less, the panda couldn't say. He simply smiled. "Lu-Shou. It's good to see you."

"You've grown so much since I last saw you," the grizzly smiled. "And you're much thinner. Must be nice being the Dragon Warrior."

"You knew?"

"PFFT! Po, you're famous all around China. I'd have to be under a rock not to know," Lu-Shou said.

Po chuckled nervously. "Yeah, well, you know." Then the crowd started to cheer and whisper as some people came in.

"Who's that?" Lu-Shou asked.

"Must be the Furious Five."

"Oh! You have to let me see them!" Lu-Shou beamed. "I've never had the honor of meeting them."

"Hehe, yeah," Po groaned a bit through gritted teeth. Through the crowd, the Furious Five made their way to Po, with Tigress in the back.

But Po was the first to notice Tigress's choice in outfit. "Uhhh Tigress?"

"What?" She answered sharply.

"Uhhh, what's with the uhhhh dress?"

Tigress was wearing a bright red qipao that stopped at the shoulders and ran down all the way to her feet. It had a shimmering golden dragon on it with flower petals wrapped around it. Tigress crossed her arms and avoided Po's curious stare.

"We thought that she would be more comfortable in this," Viper smiled widely.

Po rolled his eyes and scowled softly at his friends. "Guys you shouldn't have... ugh never mind. Lu-Shou, this is Master Viper, Master Mantis, Master Crane, Master Monkey, and the ever-furious and dress-hating Kung fu warrior, Master Tigress who is probably going to kill her friends after this."

"Hey, we're not the ones who came up with the idea," Monkey said.

Po widened his eyes and stared at Tigress who looked at every corner of the room to avoid him. While the rest of the Furious Five were talking to Lu-Shou, Po took Tigress aside. "What are you doing?"

"I'm... here to support you," Tigress replied.

"With a dress?"

"You don't think it looks appealing?"

"No, no!" Po spluttered. "That's not what I... you look awesome. Really awesome! But... why? Supporting me is one thing but why dress up for it?"

Tigress cleared her throat twice before giving a long sigh. "I... wanted to... help you with playing the lute... tonight."

Po blinked several times, looking up at the darkening sky to figure out the mental cogs not making his brain function. This made no sense, he thought, and if he could figure out that it made no sense then Tigress already knew that this was out there.

"How is dressing up like this going to help me play the lute in front of Lu-Shou?" Po asked, pointing back to a fully distracted grizzly.

"Because I will...dance as you play so the spotlight won't be on you."

"Wait, wait, wait, you can dance?! Like really dance?"

"It's... one of my favorite things to do," Tigress shyly replied.

"How did I not know this?!" Po exclaimed.

"I don't tell you everything, Po. Although, I do tend to do much better when I'm alone, I do have other... enjoyments other than Kung Fu."

"That's awesome!" He shouted, but Po noticed her crossed arms tighten. "Tigress, what's wrong?"

"I just... never danced in front of people before. Grrrr, I'm starting to regret my decision," Tigress grumbled.

"What?! No, no, Tigress. You're a great Kung fu warrior and even if you mess up, I'll be there to help, okay?" Po smiled his usual big-hearted grin. It was roughly a week since Tigress had seen that grin.

If doing this could change the panda's mood for tonight, Tigress was willing to do it. For her friend, of course. The feline took a deep breath, nodding to her panda comrade, and finally met Lu-Shou. "It's so great to meet you, Master Tigress. And you look lovely in that dress," The grizzly said.

"It's... not my usual attire," Tigress muttered. Po rested his hand on her shoulder, making the tiger relax a little.

Lu-Shou noticed this. "Oh! I see. Pardon me for asking, but... are you and Po dating?"

Po and Tigress looked at each other with wide eyes. "No, no, no, no!"

"Tigress is uh... just helping me with theeeeeeee performance! Right?"

"Right," Tigress agreed. Lu-Shou examined both her and the panda before slowly nodding.

"Well, I'll leave you alone then," The grizzly said, seeing the panda's goose dad come up. "It seems like you're about to go on. I'd love to see how you dance, Master Tigress."

"Oh good," Tigress grumbled under her breath as Lu-Shou left to talk with the others.

"Don't worry," Po smiled, wrapping his arm around Tigress's shoulders. "These are just the villagers. They won't see you any differently." Tigress still grumbled to herself. "Hey, thanks for helping me. I really appreciate it. You being here makes this whole thing a lot easier."

"Well, I'm glad that you feel better," Tigress muttered.

"Don't worry. Just ignore everyone else and focus on me. Imagine that you're dancing for me."

The two warriors looked at each other.

"Okay, that came out very wrong and we both know that we're just gonna play that off as one of my Poisms."

"Poisms?"

"Just go with it," Po sighed. The tiger chuckled a bit.

The night went on. Po's playing, accompanied by other musicians, warmed the room. Actually, Po's music seemed to swallow up everyone's conversations with joyous laughter. A warmth spread around the room.

And then the dancing started. A few people came out. Some old couples danced for a while, two-stepping their way forward before melting back into the crowd. Then a few rambunctious kids would take their turn. Then Lu-Shou came onto the stage. Po tried his best to cover up the bumbles on his lute, but Lu-Shou's steady gaze and slow dancing made it difficult.

But she only danced for two short minutes. "Huh? That's weird," Po mentioned. He could remember the time when the grizzly would dance for hours in her practice. Why so short?

Then he realized why. Lu-Shou smiled at Tigress, wanting her to go next.

Tigress took a breath and closed her eyes. She took a step out of the crowd. One more breath in, and she started to move. She knew her dancing technique; she could do it blindfolded. And so she did. Shutting her eyes, twisting her hips, and swinging her arms, the tiger twirled around several times and then delicately spread her foot and hand out while she balanced on one leg. She backflipped and landed on her other foot, balancing like she carried three bowls on her hands and extended foot.

Po stared at her, playing his lute faster and sweeter. The rhythm of the music lifted up into the air. Unlike Lu-Shou's short slow dance, Tigress's was fast and fiery. It fit her so well. Everyone's eyes zoomed in on her and Po kept egging her, playing more and more frantically. Tigress twirled and twirled; the technique called for a lot of twirling.

But at the end, she tripped, falling backward; Po knew that stone tripped up a lot of people. The graceful tiger fell back. She knew how to fall.

Suddenly, she was caught and caught onto something. Her arms naturally wrapped around the rescuer. She opened her eyes. The moment was too brief, but now all time seemed to stop. Her eyes fixed on the panda's jade orbs. Somehow, he still had the lute in the other hand while his left hand kept her off the ground. They panted. How long were they in the zone? Two minutes? Two hours? Tigress shivered in the panda's arms. He wouldn't drop her. That wasn't what she was thinking.

It was the first time Po actually got to feel her dress. The silk flowed under his touch. She was so light. How could someone who could break men with her glare feel so fragile and light?

"Ahem," Tigress coughed. Finally, reality started to set back in as everyone clapped and cheered them on. Po helped her back to her feet. "T-thank you."

"D-Don't mention it."

"Trust me, I won't."

"Heh," Po nervously chuckled. They looked around. Everyone's cheers filled the room. Po chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "I guess, we gotta bow." Tigress nodded. The two held hands and bowed to the crowd, receiving their praises. Then the crowd slowly went back to chatting and enjoying the festival. Po looked at the musicians. "Um... I think I'm gonna take a break, guys. I'll be back in five?"

"Sure thing, Po."

Po lightly grabbed Tigress's hand and pulled their way out of the small shop. They rounded the corner and planted their back against the stony wall. "Wow, okay, uh... that was... new."

"It... was," Tigress simply agreed. She smirked, though she still panted. "You were playing pretty well."

"Your dance was so awesome!"

"Th-thanks," She panted, "Do you think Lu-Shou noticed?"

"Hehe, I kinda forgot all about Lu-Shou. I was um... too focused on you."

Tigress's eyes widened but she shook her head. "Um... thanks."

The quiet air filled their ears. The faint sound of the crowd inside barely made a blip on their radar. Their eyes looked up. The peaceful night sky was filled with shining stars and galaxies. And their light seemed to shimmer.

No. The stars danced, dancing in brilliant light.

A smile came to Tigress's lips. She didn't know why, but she didn't care. They slid down to the ground, still staring at the sky. "I think you need to tell Lu-Shou that you're jealous of her," Tigress finally broke the peace.

Po looked at her. The silence break was awkward and choppy, but then again Tigress wasn't for subtle comfort. "Huh? Why should I?" Po asked.

"Because I'm pretty sure things are not what you think they are."

Po blinked a couple of times. "Why are you so sure?"

Tigress gave a long sigh. "Because I know what it is like to be jealous of someone who seems like they're better than you."

"Tai-Lung?"

"No," She growled. "You."

"Me? What's better about me?"

"Po, when you put your mind to it, you're a natural Kung fu prodigy. I worked my whole life to understand what you pick up almost immediately. I was jealous of you. It took me a while to realize that... you have your own strengths and weaknesses, and I have mine," Tigress smiled.

The panda's mouth dropped, and he searched for the words that could help make sense of what he had just heard.

But someone else made some words for both of them. "So that's why you avoided me." Said a familiar voice. Po and Tigress turned their eyes to the street corner and saw a glaring grizzly bear with her arms crossed and her lip fastened tightly together. Po got up first.

"Lu-Shou, I... uhhhh what exactly did you hear?"

"About you being jealous of me," she answered sternly.

"Hehe, right."

"Po, why would you be jealous of me?"

Po gave a long sigh. "Because you're better than me. You're better at music, cooking, dressing, dancing, books smarts-"

"Then why did you date me?"

"I... Honestly, I didn't know until after we were dating. I don't hate you or anything I just... it's... it's hard to explain," Po groaned.

Then Tigress got up. "He was jealous of you in the relationship because it made him feel that you could do a better job at everything that made him feel special," she explained.

Po glanced back at the tiger with a long deadpanned frown. "Yeah, that." The panda and tiger looked back at the grizzly. Lu-Shou glowered at Po in silence. Finally, she shook her head as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Po, do you remember my parents?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Boon? Yeah."

"Do you remember how they were?"

"A little strict."

Lu-Shou's eyes widened but she simply shook her head again. "I guess I shouldn't be too upset. You didn't really get to know them. Po, they were the ones who kept pushing me to do all of that stuff. I didn't want to do dressing, dancing, or read thousands of books. I don't even like playing the lute."

"What?! But you're soo good at it."

"Yeah, and you're so good at cooking. Does that mean you want to be a chef serving noodles?" Lu-Shou asked.

Po blinked a handful of blinks. "You know, I think I blew this whole thing out of proportion."

Tigress rolled her eyes. "That's an understatement."

Lu-Shou smiled and gently grabbed Po's hands. "Po, being with you and your family was a place where I could be me and not feel the immense pressure on me. Sure, I cooked well, but that was just because I wanted to do something that was... me. And now it's something that I do every day."

"What?"

"Oh! I never told you," Lu-Shou laughed, "I got married to a baker. He and I run a restaurant. Part of the reason I came here was to get some tips from my old mentor, Mr. Ping."

"Wait, you got married to a baker... and are running a restaurant."

"Hehe, not what you'd expect from the 'promising scholar bear'?" Lu-Shou smirked at Po's dumbfounded look.

"Heh, yeah," Po rubbed the back of his head. He could feel Tigress's smirk on the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Lu-Shou. I should've told you sooner."

"I'll say. We could've avoided a lot of trouble. I miss my panda friend." The grizzly wrapped her arms around the panda. It was barely two minutes before she released him. "But I'll leave you two alone. I have to get something from Mr. Ping."

"I'll catch up with you. I promise," Po smiled. Lu-Shou smiled back and walked back into the shop. Po sighed, "Don't say it."

"Told you." Tigress smirked.

"Hmph," Po muttered.

Tigress rested a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's go back inside. I'd love to hear more of your music."

"Actually," Po said in a purposeful cough. "Why don't we stay out here for a while? I mean... I'd love to see you dance more. You were really amazing out there."

Tigress stood for a moment in complete silence. Then she smiled. "I think I could do that. If I have a dance partner."

"Hehe, are you okay with a panda with two left feet?" Po joked.

"Hmmm, lucky for you, I just so happen to have two right ones," Tigress smirked. Laughing, the two slowly and quietly danced under the summer night sky until the festival wound down to a close.

Tigress still enjoys her dancing and sometimes teaches it to the kids she mentors.

Especially when she had a panda dance partner.

The End