[Author's Notes]
Hello and welcome back to yet another one-shot!
If you somehow breezed past the description, this will be a prequel to Grá. Not to be confused with a sequel as this one-shot details events that led up to that moment instead of the aftermath.
I should point out the glaringly obvious fact this story is written primarily focused around Tigress's point of view. It will not be told in the first person but will mainly revolve around her… You'll most likely see what I mean later down the line. - There's also some very subtle TiPo, which is obvious knowing the stories I write :P
As always, your support is infinitely appreciated and your feedback alongside any constructive criticism is unspeakably helpful as it helps me improve as an author!
Alright, without further ado, Dashishen proudly presents to you…
Lyfjabirnir
"Inner Peace… Inner Peace. Inner P- Peace…" Tigress's silent mumbling of that dreaded phrase remained dampened by the sounds of the waking warriors surrounding her. Tigress's mentality and physical patience was being brought to its knees thanks to the excruciating amount of pain she was enduring.
Despite the sun outside beaming through the window with its unbreakable rays, the sounds of nature whispering alongside the wind whilst the wood spoke with its familiar groans and creaks thanks to the pressure from the breeze alongside her comrade's feet tapping against them… Tigress's body was far from reaching a state of Inner Peace and her mind was far from grasping serenity.
Truth be told, whilst she had watched Po recover with ease after being blasted by Lord Shen's unrelenting cannons, the striped feline looked onto him with awe. How was he able to recover so fast? Why was he seemingly immune to pain whilst she was struggling to blow past the feeling in her chest despite training herself for 2 decades to block pain? - Thoughts like these ran rampant throughout Tigress's shattered mind, of which she had done her best to wear a mask over whilst training.
Tigress sighed, yet another attempt of attaining Inner Peace or merely meditating had imploded within her mind as it shifted back to the Dragon Warrior. "It's only been a week since we returned, how has he shrugged off this pain?" She silently cursed under her breath as she rose to her feet, hearing that familiar bone crack in her spine as it unleashed a searing pain throughout her body.
The doctors had given her their most gracious treatment, the best healers and even Master Mantis himself had attempted to relieve the stressed and uncomfortable Tigress… Master Shifu even dared to consult a doctor from another dynasty, who declared a conquest to fix her back but was deemed as completely useless when it came to solving Tigress's pain. Yet, there was always one who managed to calm her uneasy nerves and to seemingly reduce the pain… That was none other than Po, the Dragon Warrior.
The striped feline and extremely disciplined kung-fu warrior was crushed to admit it, however, Po seemed to be the only one who was able to work some type of magic around her. Not only was this true, but it was also seemingly calming her mind alongside her body. This was now exactly a week since she had returned to the Jade Palace and felt some type of intense pain throughout the day, she was actually somewhat thankful she trained with the Dragon Warrior. Despite making it clear from the very beginning that she didn't want him to go soft on her, it was almost like Po could sense something was wrong and wasn't trying to overexert her as he usually would on some days.
Whether or not that was an artefact from him licking the wounds of his own injuries or if he was truly able to sense something was wrong within Tigress's body and training style was beyond her, but her day would be bright either way; knowing the Dragon Warrior and his enchanting energy, he was sure to make every day of pain she experienced worth it. On the contrary, her mind was completely rattled by silent knocking at her door. Being able to sense the amount of weight placed on the floorboard merely by the intensity of the groan, she swiftly deduced it was none other than the Dragon Warrior.
"Who is it?" Tigress played the oblivious card as her throat croaked, she never knew trying to sound tired would actually bring out her true feelings as her voice travelled to Po's ears.
"It's just me, Tigress!" Po quietly replied. "Can I come in?" He politely asked, his voice mildly trembled thanks to his nervousness.
"Why would you want entry-" Tigress sputtered as she did her best to lift herself without pain eclipsing her body, softly sitting on her bed and leaning against her wall before continuing to speak. "Pfft, anyways, come in," Her voice sent mixed messages as Po gently slid open the door with his foot, revealing himself to be carrying a bowl of noodle soup, some dumplings and jasmine-scented tea. Almost as quickly as he opened the door, he tiptoed in before gently shutting the door with haste.
Tigress silently pointed to her bedside desk as she raised an eyebrow in confusion, never before had she seen the Dragon Warrior be so willing to enter her room; especially after she swore he had spooked him with her intimidating welcoming alongside her very open conversations about keeping her privacy a secret. Po wasn't very surprised when he peered around Tigress's room and found two posters, both detailing her release from the Bao-Gu… He also collected a massive amount of dust on one of his claws as he ran it across the wooden wall before gently placing her breakfast at her designated location.
"What brings you in here, Dragon Warrior?" Tigress rubbed her eyes as Po gently opened the window, sneaking a dumpling for himself before kindly offering Tigress her chopsticks. "Is something wrong?" Tigress gave it her all and attempted to adjust her posture, that's when she cursed her body as she winced in pain before she was able to successfully sit up. Po's warming and peaceful jade orbs looked down onto Tigress and her orange eyes that reminded him of a stovetop flame as his facial expression melted from optimism to concern.
"Nothing's wrong, Tigress, business is usual today!" Po's concern was snapped away as quickly as it arose as he turned back to gaze out the window and into the sunrise that barely rested above the horizon. "I'm just here because I woke up early and decided to make you breakfast. I also joked with Monkey about how you didn't show up to grab your breakfast today… So I decided to bring it to you!" Tigress didn't express it at the time but Po really knew how to make her heart melt with his charming smile and his beaming green eyes.
"That's very kind of you, Po… But I wonder why you didn't just wait for me to grab it myself?" Tigress gazed at him with an accusative look as she reached over for her chopsticks to begin devouring her dumplings. "I was only late because of some meditation, there's no need to jump through all these hurdles for me- you should be resting, you were shot by a cannon a week prior!"
"Are you forgetting that you were also shot by a cannon a week ago? I've done enough when it comes to taking it easy, Tigress, I've been taking it easy for a solid 20 years of my life!" Po reminded Tigress of that fateful evening where she was shot by a cannon a mere handful of hours after he was. "The reason I've recovered so quickly is because the soothsayer worked her magic on me back at the panda village- which was like, woah, so cool! Yet I'm still going to worry about you, Tigress… You may say you're fine, but I've learned from being friends with you for a year at this point that you have a softer side to you as well!" A subtle growl escaped from Tigress's throat as she chewed on her first dumpling, a growl that swiftly turned into a slight whimper of pain as Po's ears rose in response to her compulsive noise.
"I promise- Po, I'm fine. I appreciate your help, though… It makes this a little easier," Tigress shuffled across her bed to better enjoy her breakfast, she may have thought nothing of it at the time but Po picked up on her stiff movements and gently took a seat next to her.
"Are you sure you're okay, Tigress? You're looking a little- how do I put this, statue-like?"
"It's only because I just came out of a state of meditation 5 minutes prior and- ow- I haven't moved much this morning," Tigress swore under her breath as she attempted to hide her verbal wince of pain by chewing down another dumpling.
"Maybe we should just take it easy training today, you've been pushing yourself a lot and you seem to forget that we experienced the same injury!" Po chuckled as he rubbed Tigress's shoulder with his paw, he was completely oblivious to the fact Tigress's aching pain in that region magically dissipated thanks to that act. "I'll always be here if you need to borrow any of my awesomeness, just take it easy this morning, okay?" Po smiled as Tigress slurped down a noodle, her heart being squeezed by his passion for her.
"Understood, Po… Just don't worry about me too much, you know how capable I am! - Make sure you don't go too easy on me, I'm still itching at the opportunity to give you a beating for rushing through that factory and letting yourself get shot by Shen's cannons!" Tigress nodded in appreciation but her jokes still unnerved the panda. He desperately wished to take her advice and vote of confidence within herself, meanwhile, his mind was screaming at him to at least keep a close eye on Tigress today thanks to her fragile and stiff state.
"And you know I'm still waiting to bore you with my own Dragon Warrior wisdom- pushing me out of the way to save me whilst taking a cannonball to the chest was one of the most hardcore, awesome and sudden decisions you've ever made!" Po cackled and tried his best to quell his nervousness with a joke of his own whilst rising from the bed and tip-toeing over to Tigress's sliding door. "I'll see you at the training hall, Ti," Po gave her a thumbs-up whilst creeping out of her room and back into the corridor.
"I just hope to the Spirit Realm I survive today," Tigress whispered under her breath as she continued to savour every sip of Po's noodle soup and praised every bite of his dumplings, washing it down with some heavenly jasmine tea as she cleared her head and rose to her feet. "C'mon Tigress, you've got this!" She used some of Po's own confidence and motivational tactics to ready herself for the day as she cracked open the sliding door and made her way to her next destination… The infamous training hall.
After making a painful yet bold sprint towards the training hall and lining up inside alongside the Dragon Warrior and Master Crane, Tigress could already feel her own ignorance of her situation begin to blind her as pain seared across her torso. Being the hardcore warrior she was, the determined striped feline was able to push through all of that with ease as she bowed to Master Shifu to acknowledge his presence.
Her mood would soon fall when she realised she would most likely have to do runs around the entire training hall. It had been some time since Master Shifu had tested the five with such strenuous activity and her eyes kept peering towards the training hall which was powering up in unison.
"Now, today we will all be focusing on getting into a rhythm when it comes to our training once again. We will be working together as partners of two, demonstrating our own strengths and weaknesses as we switch through our allies. We cannot truly be prepared for those unlikely things that will strike us in battle, however, we can be prepared for events and moves that can be easily predicted," Master Shifu proudly announced as the training hall was surrounded by fire thanks to the cauldrons that bore a mighty flame. Geese fired their crossbows across and into the cauldrons, igniting them as the training hall took its first true breaths of life since the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior set out for Gongmen City. "Let us hope your minds haven't grown too confident of your light training regiment since you've all returned, for a massive day of training shall overwhelm that void of missing confidence and set you on the track of honing in on your abilities to attain focus, Inner Peace and to repel opponents!" Master Shifu jumped down from Oogway's staff and stroked his chin with his hand.
"Master Shifu?" Tigress peered into the red panda's sky-blue eyes with curiosity as he raised an eyebrow. "Who will we be paired with today?" Tigress was somehow able to use all of her willpower to break through her pain and remain limber as Master Shifu continued to think.
"You will be permanently paired with the Dragon Warrior today. I was just thinking about the recent injuries you've both attained. Po is still wearing that wrapping around his chest and you're undoubtedly doing the same," Master Shifu calmly replied as he looked towards the four healthy warriors. "You two are exempt from most strenuous activities today, I want you both to focus on balance and honing in on your abilities as a pairing on the battlefield. I heard about the move you've developed whilst battling those wolves at the Musicians Village, I'd like you two to hone in on that ability whilst using the Jade Palace turtle of wisdom to simulate an unstable environment," Master Shifu smiled and nodded as Po and Tigress did the same, slowly walking off together as they walked on the path leading around the training hall.
"As for the rest of you. I expect you to take it easy at first but pick up the pace. I don't want any of you attaining any injuries that could hinder you in case of an attack on the valley," Master Shifu courageously instructed as he waved his wand in front of Monkey to prevent him from opening his mouth. "Before you say anything, I will be pairing you up with another warrior. On the other hand, I do expect you to collaborate with the other pairings as well as swap between them. Today will focus purely on teamwork during rough and rugged scenarios… Any questions?" Master Shifu jumped back onto his staff as Master Viper slithered forward.
"Are you sure Tigress and Po are still fit for training? Po seems to be recovering well but I've also noticed him needing to care for Tigress a lot more. He even brought the breakfast he prepared to her this morning!" Master Viper's blue orbs contested those belonging to Shifu as he sighed.
"Quite honestly, I am taking a risk… But I'm sure Tigress would rather train instead of sit aside with the Dragon Warrior. I have confidence in Po that he'll take care of Master Tigress and immediately inform me if there is a sudden turn of events," Master Shifu quipped as Master Monkey eagerly raised his hand. "What is it, Master Monkey?" He sighed as the primate lowered his hand to his chin.
"You've forgotten to tell us who we're pairing up with!" He confidently stated before he was looked upon in shame.
"You are adults, not children! I don't need to direct you through everything… Just pick a partner to begin with and adventure onto the training course!" Master Shifu, despite entering the first stages of acquiring Inner Peace, still had a comically short fuse for his patience and snapping at his students was still a common occurrence. "If I must direct you, Monkey, I'd rather you pair up with Viper today as your fighting styles differ and could use some collaborative training… As for Crane and Mantis, the same rule applies to you, just don't forget to switch partners!" Master Shifu rallied them before ordering them forward with his staff, to which he lazily sat back in a nearby rocking chair and began to observe the Furious Five.
"Tigress, are you sure you want to train today- you look battered already!" Po grasped Tigress's paw as he helped her down onto the sandy path leading to the entrance onto the Jade Palace Tortoise of Wisdom. There was no way Tigress and Po were going to be able to jump onto it manually with Tigress's injuries annihilating her agility and confidence. "You can always sit out like you did yesterday after your usual hour of training!" Po advised her, to which she shrugged it off before he grabbed her and gently lowered her to the floor.
"Po- I'll be fine just- take it easy on me, okay?" Tigress's dignity felt diminished as she finally made her request for him to be gentle. He happily smiled as he knew Tigress was taking his advice before helping her onto the Tortoise of Wisdom. "I don't want to get hurt but- ow! I don't want to miss out on training, too!" She winced as Po climbed aboard the balancing device and they faced off against one another.
"I wouldn't have it any other way, of course you're too hardcore to say no to training!" Po confidently smirked before gently swinging his paw at Tigress, who dodged it with relative ease.
"I said take it easy, panda, not treat me like a precious vase made out of sacred glass!" Tigress cackled as she swung two strikes at the panda, who also blocked them. She almost felt her reflexes and part of her agility return as her muscles loosened up and she could feel herself waking up. "I seem to be waking up!" Tigress happily shouted as her flurry of strikes increased in power and ferocity as Po reversed her moves and began to counterattack.
"Make sure to pace yourself!"
"Make sure to keep up with my pace!" Tigress teased as she countered Po's strikes and threw him into the air, which is where a servant threw a plate at him for him to destroy before landing directly in front of the feline. "Impressive, now I wonder if I can do that!" She smiled as she encouraged the panda to throw her up into the air, she successfully struck the plate before landing before the panda. Po had to hold onto her as Tigress came close to falling off the rotating tortoise.
"That was awesome!" Po gawked as he rolled across the tortoise and onto the other side. "Now I wonder if you can use that in battle," He winked as Tigress shifted into her battle pose.
"It's on, panda!" She enthusiastically bellowed as she flew into the panda, where they entered a momentary dogfight before Po contested her and forced her into the shell of the tortoise. "Argh, I'll get you next time!" She said with spite in her voice as she climbed out of the tortoise, silently wincing at a wave of pain that ran across her body and temporarily shook her. Tigress would merely shrug off that pain as she went to continue practising with Po.
"Are you sure Tigress will be able to handle training with Po?" Viper whispered whilst she was sparring with Monkey, who had found an extremely crude way of using Viper's style to his advantage.
"I'm sure it'll be fine, Viper. I'm worried too but that's the Dragon Warrior training with our fierce leader. Tigress has been fighting against her injuries since day one and I'm sure today will be no different!" Monkey optimistically replied before using her like a whip against several plates before she began to slither through various hoops, where Monkey would have to use her moving body like a pair of monkey bars before they landed on the soft surface of the sand below them.
"I feel like we should rethink the way we train together. Like, why on earth are you using me as a pair of living monkey bars and a whip?" Viper hissed at him as Monkey picked himself up from the floor.
"The same reason you seem to think I'm a totem pole that can be guided into any destination you can't reach before sliding off me and having me narrowly dodge other parts of the training hall!" Monkey retorted, smirking at her as his confidence reached new levels before climbing onto the path surrounding the training hall to try their luck again. "Let's go!" He cried as Viper slithered alongside him whilst he charged into a minefield filled with wooden poles that emitted fire from their sides.
"Man, we're moving a little slow, aren't we?" Mantis whined as he clung onto Crane's straw hat as he avoided fiery arrows and swinging clubs mid-air.
"I'd like to see you try and fly!" Crane cawed back as he spun around, deflecting a multitude of arrows and putting them out before landing on the floor. "What can you do? Sit on the ground?" Crane mocked Mantis as he hopped on the floor before charging into the hordes of spiked wooden and metal poles that rapidly began to spin as Mantis made his way around the course.
Crane swooped up and continued to watch as Mantis picked up the pace before launching himself into Crane, grabbing his neck as he used all of his energy to swing him around and throw him directly across the training course. Whilst Mantis rode on with the world slowed around him, Master Shifu, Viper and Monkey watched in horror as Crane struggled to maintain any sense of direction before flying into an oversized wooden pillar that overlooked the training hall.
"You two, over here, now!" Master Shifu's voice whipped across the training hall as everyone momentarily interrupted what they were doing, almost allowing Monkey to get decapitated by a swinging steel blade as he panicked and their training continued. "Mantis, why did you launch Crane across the training hall?" Master Shifu asked in disgust.
"What? You paired me up with a bird that wasn't flying fast enough, imagine if Crane had that much speed during fights!" Mantis contested Shifu's condescending attitude as the red panda became struck with a thought.
"Crane? Are you alright?" He looked over Mantis and over to the avian, who nodded in response. "I want you both to improve on this… You've found something unique here, something that may be reckless but using this type of ability in a battle against an unsuspecting opponent is exactly what I'm looking for with our collaborative training sessions," Crane couldn't believe what he was hearing and let out a defeated sigh.
"See, my ideas aren't entirely horrible!" Mantis cheered as he tried to drag Crane away.
"Do I really need to let myself be thrown across the training course and potentially injured?" Crane gazed at Master Shifu, who merely chuckled.
"You remember our motto, right? The only souvenirs you collect here are bloody knuckles and broken bones! As long as you're able to guide yourself without hampering your abilities with injuries then I highly encourage this type of training!" Master Shifu cackled back as Crane flew to catch up to Mantis as the insect shot off a cocky smirk at him.
"What's putting the butter in your sandwich?" Crane melancholically asked the insect.
"Oh, nothing," Mantis's throat erupted with a gruff laugh. "I just never knew that would work… Now we get to try it," His smirk turned into a villainous grin as Crane briefly had a moment of terror wash over him.
"Oh boy," Was the only phrase Crane could eke out of his mouth before Mantis launched himself back into the assault of spinning wooden beams before throwing Crane into a consistent loop of trying to fly at breakneck speeds.
"Tigress, are you sure you're doing alright?" Po temporarily took a step back as Tigress's blows became disorganised and lacked their usual ferocity as her breathing became audibly intense. "Would you like to have a break?" He asked, to which Tigress huffed and tried to strike him again.
"No- thanks Po, I- I'm doing fine!" Tigress lied through her teeth, a lie that would travel through the room like the various amounts of fire-wielding arrows that came before it. "If anything- we should probably practice the Double Death Strike!" Tigress stopped striking at Po and took a much-needed break so she could take in some breaths and allow her body to rest after such strenuous tasks.
"You know what? That doesn't sound like a bad idea, just make sure to take it easy on yourself!" Po's neverending desire to keep Tigress safe couldn't be more pronounced, she smiled at the thought of Po caring for her, a smile that hadn't been awoken for several years at that point. She swiftly coughed and cleared her rosy cheeks as she shifted into a more defensive pose. "Geese, throw the plates!" Po declared as they began to hurl plates at both warriors to simulate enemies and how to counter them.
Initially, Po and Tigress met a relative amount of success. Tigress was able to keep her strikes more soft yet effective as she snapped the plates directly down the middle before landing alongside the panda, which is where she grabbed him and threw him up into the air for yet another volley of plates and bowls. Unfortunately for Tigress, she almost lost her balance by the time she landed as she was beginning to overexert herself.
Wishing to look brave in front of the Dragon Warrior and Master Shifu, who was clearly looking over her, she shot a determined smirk at Po to begin their third and final wave. She threw Po into the air with a little help from the panda himself before disconnecting to strike at their plates in unison. Usually, this wouldn't be difficult except for the fact Tigress's arm decided to become stiff at the worst time and she let go of Po slightly later than she should have.
This wouldn't have been an issue if they were practising on even ground as she would've had plenty of time to adjust, but today would be an exception due to training on the Jade Palace Tortoise of Wisdom.
"TIGRESS, WATCH OUT!" Po screamed as he attempted to adjust his position and the outcome of her impending fate. Whilst Po called to her in an act of desperation, Tigress completely missed the plates and bowls that had been sent her way as she ended up rocketing into the edge of the jade green tortoise head first, producing a violent and bone-crunching sound as she folded up as if she were a portable chair… To amplify her pain and add to her predicament, she took a mighty fall from the Jade Tortoise of Wisdom and landed face-first on a pile of sharp plates, her ribs cracking in the process as she blacked out thanks to the pain.
Unknown Time - Jade Palace - Tigress's Room
After facing off against a mighty blow and having several stitches sewn into her head by Po personally, a barely conscious Tigress began to crack open her eyes and made a feeble attempt to gaze into the darkness around her. The striped feline would've rubbed her eyes if her arms weren't wrapped in dense slings to disrupt her own sense of being in an unfamiliar reality… She wanted to pinch herself as she could no longer feel pain.
Tigress attempted to make a noise, however, her body hadn't fully woken up from Po's medicinal treatment for her to safely do that. She had to fight with her body for a bit to even get her eyesight to clear, which is where she laid eyes on the darkened room around her. She could've sworn she was in her room… But why in the name of Lord Shen's cannons was it so dark?
The injured feline felt a calming sense of peace wash over her as her brain began to wake up and truly acknowledge her surroundings. She was unable to see Po but she could sense him in the form of his strong Chi, which is most likely a side effect from the medicinal solution she had force-fed her right before he began to stick up her head. After much more struggle with her own senses, Tigress was able to lift her chin slightly and let out a sigh.
"Argh-" Tigress's sudden groan instantly awoke the panda who was staying by her side as he repositioned his rocking chair so she could barely see him in the corner of her eyes. "Po?" Her voice was filled with curiosity and dare she say, anxiousness as Po finally moved into her full field of view, deciding to slide the chair to the side as he inspected her body before gazing into her amber orbs.
"Everything's going to be okay, Tigress, you're safe with me," Po's gentle voice was strung like a gentle lullaby as Tigress felt her eyes laboriously close and reopen as her anxiousness was replaced with bliss. "Besides, I'm just glad you're awake now instead of later!" Po's positive energy was a warm blast of hope that Tigress desperately needed as it would prepare her for those negative thoughts that slowly crept in on her as if she were stalking her prey in the wild.
"What time is it?" Tigress's eyes darted around the dark and desolate room as she felt the chilling wind brush against her fur. She was fruitless in her attempt to sense the temperature beyond the top of her head as she was wrapped in a thick blanket. "How long have I been like this?"
"Well- you were injured in the morning and I spent several hours treating you," Po flatly stated as he finally sat in his chair, making sure he was in Tigress's field of view and that he stayed close. "I made sure you looked comfortable before telling the others I'd keep an eye on you. I slept for a few hours and awoke to moonlight blasting my face instead of the sunset that should've been there if I stayed awake- there's also a reason I wrapped a thick blanket around you," In spite of being injured, Tigress managed to find a way to raise an eyebrow as her orbs shifted from one needle lining her arms to the next… She could even feel the makeshift jaw support Po had put together alongside the ice pack resting on her head, which most likely amplified the coolness of the wind.
"To keep me warm?" Tigress innocently asked.
"Unfortunately, no," Po bit his tongue as he decided telling the truth would most likely bring a sea of internal conflict into Tigress's mind but that conflict would only be temporary. "I had to remove your clothes to reposition your cracked ribs to make sure they healed quickly as well as sew up a hit you took to the chest… Please don't kill me?" Po winced in fear as he expected Tigress to rip through the casts he had crafted and hit him in the face, she merely chuckled at him before exhaling a pleased breath.
"I'm glad I have you by my side," Tigress warmly stated. "It may be your medicine talking here but no other member of the Furious Five would rip off my clothes and get straight to work, they'd be too busy staring," Tigress's laugh was extremely weak but it was able to work its magic in the form of enlightening Po, who chuckled back.
"Who said a panda can't multitask?" Po snickered before assuming a more serious stance. "I'm joking, I don't want to be mauled as soon as you recover from this, do I? I also had to remove your wrappings, undergarments and jeans as you took quite the shot to your thigh as an arrow whizzed by," Po was somehow able to maintain his sweet charm despite admitting to catching a glimpse of Tigress's exposed body.
"I'm unfortunately not done, as it turns out, part of the arrow broke off and I had to operate in an extremely private area to remove that chip of wood… Just don't- I don't know, use the restroom too irresponsibly once you recover from this?" Po stuttered as Tigress just grinned at him with evil spread across her face.
"It's fine, not the first time I sustained an injury of that nature… You wouldn't know that because you respect my privacy and didn't gawk for too long, I have a scar there!" Tigress giggled before a coughing fit quickly came over her and she did her best to cover her mouth with her spare arm.
"Don't stress about noise, Master Shifu ordered the rest of the Furious Five to sleep in the worker's rooms down near the construction site- pretty awesome, isn't it? Master Shifu's installing some statues here!" Po tried to small talk with Tigress, who was surprisingly open to the idea as she felt like she had rested enough. "Wait- you have a scar there?"
"I'm not about to discuss that in detail because quite frankly it was disgusting… Just know kung-fu was involved," Tigress's grin only widened when Po's eyes seemingly beamed with a mix of excitement and confusion.
"How-"
"No questions!" Tigress raised her voice whilst her face became more tense and red. "Just know I was performing with an injury at the Dragon Warrior ceremony-"
"Awh man, it's almost like the best stories are left out of your life on purpose!"
"Naturally, that hurt! Remember when you took that shot to the tenders when you first trained here?" Po winced at that painful memory and felt it almost like it happened yesterday. "That happened to me literally a week before- on the same pole! I swear it's not positioned right!" Tigress's tongue was looser as her mind switched away from her own relatable injury and switched to other events that happened in her life. Although she would've usually been against small talk whilst she was injured, she had nothing else to do and she would rather talk to someone instead of having them sit in silence.
"Please, don't remind me!" Po flinched as he recalled becoming an embarrassment in front of his childhood heroes. "It may have been funny to you, but it felt like I blew any chance I had at making an impression!" Po strained his voice as he looked to the outdoors for clarity, noticing the previously clear and moonlit sky was now beginning to swirl with fearsome clouds.
"Oh, trust me… You made a positive impression, you just didn't make such a good first impression," Tigress smiled as she flinched at an itch. "Po- I hate to pester you but could you scratch my arm? It's a little itchy and I can't exactly use my other injured one to do it?" Tigress felt humiliated and stripped of her independence, thankfully those thoughts were swiftly washed away when the Dragon Warrior almost tickled her itch to make sure it disappeared for good.
"That's better," Tigress smiled in satisfaction, Po was truly astonished by Tigress's warm smile. In a way, he wished she smiled much more. Yet at the same time, he would be sure to treasure the rare times he got to see his childhood idol beam with such happiness in the face of adversity. The Dragon Warrior yet again snapped back to the thought of Tigress being under the influence of his medication, briefly turning his head to grin in triumph whilst a gentle rain began to fall outside. "What's catching your attention, Po?" Tigress tried to move to face his direction but was struck down by pain and stiffness as she silently moved back in place.
"It's beginning to rain outside, I always thought of rain as a nuisance before I saw it at night… You know, if my father didn't catch me gazing at the rain!" Po's calming nature acted as a sedative on Tigress, almost putting her to sleep as she rapidly blinked to remain awake.
"How is business at your father's? He's got a lot of slack to pick up now that you're not working for him… Is he managing well?"
"Well, I've been working for him a little bit more in the past week. I may have been hurting but the Ping mindset wouldn't let me give up just because I ached a little. Business is going well, he says the new wave of advertising and defeat of Shen has brought many people from other valleys into his noodle restaurant purely because he's the father of the Dragon Warrior! They come for the noodles but stay for the ambience, my father's welcoming attitude and most importantly, the food!" Po's eyes lit up like a lantern as he turned his attention away from the falling rain to take a seat next to Tigress. "That reminds me, would you like something to eat?" Po's question needed no answer from her mouth as Tigress's stomach growled with a vengeance. Po just smirked at Tigress as she rolled her eyes.
"What will you bring me, Dragon Warrior?" Tigress wasn't a huge fan of all the questions she was asking, yet another reason she hated being cared for and being sick in general.
"It's a surprise!" Po squealed with glee as he silently shut the door behind him and instantly ran to the kitchen to fetch the ingredients required for an operation he had nicknamed 'Healing a broken tiger' - Which involved him taking Tigress's favourite meals, cooking them for her before he infused his signature noodle soup with a special healing broth.
"Alright, what do I need first?" Po whispered as he climbed around the kitchen and into a cupboard that had the words 'Emergency use ONLY' etched into the wood. Of course, this cupboard belonged to Po and housed many herbs and medicinal supplies he had brought up from his own bedroom just in case of any Jade Palace incidents. "I'll take two pinches of these herbs, add some spices and give it a little bit of that Dragon Warrior love!" He peered into the cupboard, reaching into his wooden bowls and taking pinches of varying herbs and spices before mixing them inside of a finger-sized bowl.
"Now I need to get to the main course, thankfully I made some noodles in advance! All I have to do is make the broth, form the dumplings and wait patiently!" Po was making sure to voice his thoughts out loud, a commonly used tactic to ensure he remembers what he's doing and doesn't forget anything. He carefully ran the tap that tapped into the Jade Palace's natural water springs and patiently observed the water spilling into his large metal pot. He sliced some vegetables and made sure to sprinkle some of the herbs on them before tossing them in the pot.
The Dragon Warrior was slightly short on time as he wished to deliver Tigress's meal as soon as possible. He made the daring decision to mix his noodles with his own crushed up combination of herbs and spices before throwing them into the pot with his vegetables. Upon completing this task, Po instantly moved over to mixing Tigress's favourite jasmine tea, which was a fairly easy task once he waited for the water inside of his secondary smaller pot to boil. To ensure he was cooking to utmost perfection, he silently leaned over and tasted part of his boiling broth; skipping around in pride once he realised it was almost finished cooking.
Po scanned the room to make sure he had done everything, that's when a chunk of wood flew into his face and he made the terrifying discovery of forgetting to form the dumplings. Without spending another second goofing around, Po quickly shaped the dumplings with his remaining material and tossed them into a wok, adjusting their positions with the same spoon he was using to prepare the noodle soup.
Immediately after finishing the one-hundredth elephant he had counted in his head, The patient panda slowly put out the flame underneath his boiling noodle broth and sipped the mixture for one final trial taste.
"Perfection!" He said as he began to serve up to two portions of noodle soup. Just to be safe, he prepared double in case Tigress's appetite decided to compete with his own as after all, she was unable to eat for the entire day. "Now I just need the serving tray!" Po hunted down the serving tray by rummaging through the various drawers inside of the kitchen before he found an old wooden plank, he sighed and decided it'll be sufficient and so he placed it on the table; which is where he mixed the noodle soup one final time, stirring it before he shifted his attention towards the dumplings.
Po had never been an expert at cooking dumplings but he decided his mix would suffice, he was sure Tigress would spend less time gawking at the food and more time enjoying it as Po lamented over the thought of spoon-feeding his favourite member of the Furious Five. He tossed the dumplings into an empty bowl before lazily reaching over towards the tea mixer and grabbing his completed cup of tea, sneaking a sip of his own prior to lifting the wooden plank everything was neatly laid out on and tip-toed back to Tigress's room.
The Dragon Warrior silently knocked on Tigress's door before letting him in with his own foot. His hands were preoccupied with ensuring the wooden plank he was carrying maintained its balance as he smiled at Tigress and brought over his completed meal.
"How long were you gone? I was dozing off over here! You're right, it gets boring in solitude if you can't find something to do," Tigress complained whilst watching the panda slide his plank of wood loaded with food onto Tigress's bedside table, his joyous facial expression radiated a tranquil aura the striped feline had never experienced before; calming her to the point where she didn't notice Po sit beside her on her bed.
"What meal would you like first, Tigress?" Po pointed his dull claw at the selection of dishes he had prepared, the smell of all of his creations blending caused drool to spill out of Tigress's mouth. "Would you like a sip of tea to get you started?"
"Of course, my mouth feels like it's been replaced by the Gobi Desert!" Tigress's hyperboles amused the panda as he brought over the cup of jasmine tea. Her eyes lit up in appreciation whilst she wafted down half of its contents before nodding at the panda to tell him she had enough. "How about we give those dumplings a try… Hey! Why did you make two bowls of noodle soup?"
"Just in case you were hungry… or I got hungry again," Po giggled, bringing his chopsticks into the bowl before lifting one out; he took a proud sniff before serving it to Tigress.
The leader of the Furious Five had a secret brewing in her mind, seeing Po take care of her was an oddly cute sight. She could feel her heart beginning to squeeze as hard as Po squeezed her that fateful night at Gongmen City. She would've been robbed of her dignity, her pride and her honour if anyone else were to care for her… Yet with Po, it just felt unspeakably natural for her. Tigress's cheeks slowly grew more bright red as she finished Po's dumplings with relative ease, unleashing an extremely unfeminine burp prior to it earning a laugh from both warriors.
"Looks like someone enjoyed her meal, would you like to move onto your noodle soup, Master Tigress?" Po's impression of a royal servant brought smiles across the faces of both warriors as Tigress slowly ran her free arm across Po's cheeks, noticing his subtle blush as he pulled away. "Hey, I'm trying to be a servant, not a pin cushion!" The panda jested, reaching for his previously prepared healing soup.
"Why does that smell so… Enchanting?" Tigress could feel her neck subtly rise as her body played on its placebo mindset of being closer to the soup somehow equalled to her being able to smell it better. "You're taking care of me, Po… Thank you," Tigress's voice went from curious to innocent, melting the panda's heart in the process. Po reached forward with his spoon to finally feed Tigress her noodle soup, instead, she snatched it out of his hand in defiance; smirking as she wafted down the entire bowl in one go.
"Wow, Tigress! Take it easy, I don't want you to-" Yet again, the panda was absolutely blown away by another ear-piercing burp as Tigress placed the bowl on her lap, burying her free arm underneath her warm blanket once again. "You may begin to feel better after this, but it'll also make you sleepy," Almost on cue, Tigress could feel her eyes begin to droop once again, the trade-off being her body was almost completely freed from the shackles of pain.
"I don't think I'm hungry enough for the bowl, Po, you can have it," Tigress yawned whilst Po grabbed the spare bowl of noodle soup and wafted it down equally as fast. "You're right, I'm beginning to grow tired," Tigress commented as she yawned again, feeling her body grow loose and her smile grow wider.
"Would you like me to leave you in peace for a little while?" Po gently asked, rising from his chair and gesturing towards the exit.
"I'd rather you stay. You've been a lovely help, Dragon Warrior… Plus this room felt really empty without your presence," Tigress's heart fluttered as her confession of liking the panda's company was definitely not an aftereffect of his medicine. "You're okay with this, right?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Tigress," Po stroked the striped feline's head with the little room he had before softly stroking her chin. He could feel his subtle gestures working their magic on Tigress as she smiled and slipped into a sleepy coma. Po was slightly hesitant but he smoothly leaned over and gave Tigress a soft and caring kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Tigress, you're awesome and you're going to show these injuries who's truly deserving of coming out on top!" He whispered as he leaned back into his chair, part of him didn't expect Tigress to hear or feel what he had done; he was just doing it to satisfy himself.
Tigress may have given off the impression she was asleep, but she was still consciously aware of the panda's actions. Tigress experienced a wave of precious peace wash over her whilst simultaneously smoothly sailing away into her dreams, which is where she stumbled across an enlightening yet sinister discovery. Perhaps her pain wasn't entirely physical, her agony wasn't washed away purely because of Po's medicine; it was also washed away thanks to his presence serving as a sedative for her fragile mind.
It may have been a sneaking suspicion beforehand, however, her fight with her injuries and Po's relief of those injuries confirmed her thoughts... Po was more than a friend, more than the Dragon Warrior; he was her grá.
[The End]
[Author's Notes]
Fun fact, although the translation is mixed, this would've had a longer title if I didn't simplify it… I don't know, I really like the idea of using obscure languages in my titles!
Anyways, you've now made it to the end of Lyfjabirnir, I'm very glad you took this journey with me, as it was very fun to write this!
I've never really worked with a prequel before, which posed an interesting yet satisfying challenge for me to charge into.
I know some of the language used inside of this one-shot may have been a little repetitive, I'm still learning how to connect events more subtly as opposed to using words such as 'before' - 'as' - 'whilst' - I'm honestly thinking about dropping the use of those words and inviting them to more occasional appearances. - If you have any thoughts about this, please feel free to let me know in a review!
Not only did I enjoy writing this, I also enjoyed the learning experience that came from it… Hopefully, despite the dense language used in some places, this was still an enjoyable read.
Alright, I think I've rambled enough for today. Your patience is infinitely appreciated and I hope you have a wonderful day. Take care and we shall meet again once the time is right!
