The Story Behind the Jin-Min


As promised by Tigress, she poured hot sauce into Po's breakfast resulting in Po screaming and jumping around fanning his tongue. The team got a laugh out of this. Then Tigress remembered something. So after the panda's flaming fiasco, she took Po out of the royal kitchen and spoke to him. "What did you want to ask me?" she asked. Po tilted his head. "There was a question that you wanted to ask me last night. What was it?"

"Oh! That! Um...You know what? I forgot it. Sorry about that," Po said, waving it off.

"Po, what's wrong?"

"It's a silly question, really."

"I thought you didn't remember the question."

"Well, I...um...darn it!" Po said, making Tigress chuckle a little.

"What is it Po?" she asked. Po was silent for a moment.

"Well, have you ever been in love with someone?" Po asked awkwardly.

"You're in love? With who?" Tigress asked impatiently.

"Whoa, easy. I was just curious if you ever were in love with someone?"

"But why now? Here? Who are you in love with?"

"No one. I'm not in love with...anyone," Po said. Was that jealousy that he was hearing from her? No, couldn't be. In any case, she seemed to settle down a bit.

"No. I've never been in love... much," Tigress said.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you know that I had a crush on Shifu when I was a teen. And well...I don't think you'll like the other-"

"I know you had a thing for Yijiro," Po said calmly. Tigress looked at him. "You can't hide ALL your emotions." Tigress sighed, defeated.

"Well, yeah, other than that, I've never been in love. Well, True love. Now, why do you ask?"

"I was just curious," Po said.

"Okay, then have you ever been in love?" She asked.

Po looked around nervously. "Well, yes and no. But I know I won't find love."

Tigress's face fell and her eyes narrowed as Po started walking away. "Why?"

"Tigress, it's practically impossible for me to have a girlfriend, much less a girl who would like me. I mean it's either: I'm a panda, I'm the Dragon Warrior, or someone's trying to kill me."

"I...don't understand," Tigress said, walking with him.

"One, I'm a panda. Correction: I'm a quote "Big Fat Stinky Panda." People wouldn't exactly try to go out with someone like that. Two, I'm the Dragon Warrior. Since I'm the Dragon Warrior, people just want me for popularity and riches. Three, someone's trying to kill me. If there's some girl that gets past the first two, they're usually related to or involved with someone who wants to kill me."

"You can't give up that easily," Tigress encouraged.

"Tigress, I've been at this for a long time. You give up hope after a while," Po said sadly. Tigress unsheathed one claw and placed it lightly on Po's chest.

"Don't. Give. Up," She said VERY sternly, scaring Po a little. "There's a person for everyone, Po. You just have to patient. Never forget that. Got it?" Po couldn't really argue at this point. He simply nodded. "Good. Now, I have to train with Leo. Don't forget what I said." She walked away. Po noticed she was swinging her tail and hips a certain way. Tigress looked back and smirked. Po's eyes widened as she turned the corner. Did she just... Po shook his head. Nah! She would never do that. Would she?

Meanwhile, Tigress just walked in on Miwa and Leo talking to each other in the garden. They seem really relaxed. In fact, it was the first time that Tigress had ever seen Leo smiling around a tiger. "*Ahem* I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I need to train with Leo," Tigress said.

"Oh! Um, of course," Miwa blushed, "Well, I'll leave you with Tigress, Leo. Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Leo said, waving her off.

As she went away, Tigress chuckled at Leo's daze. "You really like her, huh?"

"Huh? What I...Um.. let's just get back to your training," Leo sighed, "Today, you'll just have to chase me around the entire palace."

"To be honest with you, Leo, I don't feel like chasing you today. Can't we do something else?" she asked.

"That's what I thought you would say. So I took the liberty of taking this from your room," Leo answered, producing a tattered journal from his back. Tigress's eyes went wide. "And I can tell you that the part about Po is very interesting," Leo smiled evilly.

Tigress's face turned more orange. "LEO! GIVE THAT BACK!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" Leo said, dashing off. While the two were running around, Po and Tiger talked for a while down the royal hall.

"But anyway, we've got to talk about how you got to be the leader of the Jin-Min."

"Well," Tiger started, "the spy business lets you create strong allies. I was able to rally a rag-tag team to overthrow the previous leader and Wong-Hu. I even got some of his own men on the conspiracy. But Wong-Hu heard about the movement, and I had to move quickly. So we manage to invade the palace, seize it, and kill the leader. But Wong-Hu got away. I thought that he wouldn't do anything else, but then..." A tear came from Tiger's eye, "Then his men killed my wife in a dark alley. That's why I was so afraid for Miwa when Leo saved her." Tiger grumbled, "She was supposed to go with an escort, but she's stubborn like her mother."

"Um...no offense, Tiger, but stubbornness is something that your whole family has. I'm sorry for your loss, though," Po said sadly.

"It's alright. Well, one day I will be. Anyway, you and my sister seem to be doing very well," Tiger smiled smugly.

Po rolled his eyes. "It may LOOK like it. I usually screw up or do something to make her. She has mellowed... some," Po sighed. Tiger patted him on the shoulder.

"She's Tigra's daughter. What did you expect?"

"Well, I didn't know that until I came here and met her. Then I realized why she was this way. I guess I should count myself lucky," Po said, "She could be a lot worse."

"How?"

"She could be EXACTLY like Tigra," Po said, making both of them laugh.

Po was resting from his exercise with Mei and Lee. Leo and Tigress were still chasing each other around. What Leo did this time, Po didn't know. Then he jumped when he heard something. "I WILL COOK YOU ALIVE YOU MISCREANT!" He knew that voice. Po sighed and walked to Tigra and Qiang's room. When he opened the door, a duck servant ran out for his life. Po looked at Tigra. The servant had accidentally spilt noodle soup all over her. Long strings of noodles dangled down her head as if she had long noodle hair. She was steaming, both from anger and the warm soup. Po could only shake his head and smile. "If you say one word about how I look, panda, I'll use your pea-sized brain as a sponge for this mess," Tigra muttered.

"Ok, ouch," Po said calmly. "My brain is the average size for a panda. Or at least, I hope so. But don't you think you are a little too...hot-tempered?" Tigra glared at him. "I'm just saying, all that rage can't be because you're just naturally that way. And I don't think you'd like Tigress or even Miwa to pick up on your habits." Tigra paused and then took a deep breath.

"Ugh! You're right, Po. I did overreact," Tigra said.

"Wow, you're agreeing with me? That's new," Po said as he helped her get the noodles out.

"It shouldn't be," Tigra smirked, tapping his nose, "Your clumsy mouth is what saved your life the day we met."

"Really?"

"You do have a way of crashing into people's lives."

"Heheheh," Po chuckled as he remembered the day he became Dragon Warrior.

"But you can't be angry at me for my anger. Tigress is just like me, and I didn't raise her."

"Well, maybe anger is inherited," Po said, making Tigra shake her head. "But Tigress is much calmer than you."

Then...

"GIVE IT BACK YOU DOG!" Tigress shouted as Leo burst into the room. The wolf kept dodging her using a round table.

"Come now, Tigress. It's not that bad! It's just a book!" Leo cried out. Tigress jumped over the table. "Yipe!" Leo crawled under and ran outside.

"GET BACK HERE!" Tigress yelled darting out the room. Tigra smirked at Po; her hands resting on her hips.

"No comment," Po muttered. Just then General Lu-Yin came in, "Ah general. Finally, someone who DOESN'T have a short fuse. What's new?"

"Our scouts confirm your suspicions. There have been sightings of Wong-Hu near the Northwest mountains," The one eye tiger replied. "We're still waiting news from the Emperor's men, but... may I have a private moment with you, Dragon Warrior?" They moved out of Tigra's room. "Wong-Hu's strength is growing while we stand here in wait."

Po rubbed his chin. "You're right. We still have two more days until the message gets to the North and then another three days back to us. That's too much time for Wong-Hu," Po muttered. He thought about it for a long time. "Okay, I've got it. Is there a village at the valley?"

"Yes," the general answered.

"Then we'll have to use that as our fighting ground," Po said. "We'll have to use the cannons only after we take care of all the people there."

"If I remember correctly, there should be a cannon there already, but it may be old. I'll have the men get more."

Po nodded, "Mei, Lee, Leo, and I will go and try to aim for an offensive play."

"What about Master Tigress?" General Lu-Yin asked. Po sighed. "You'll have to have all the strength you can get."

"Hopefully it won't come to that," the panda said quietly. "You know what to do. Thank you, General."

The tiger bowed, "It's an honor working alongside you, honorable Zaber."

"You too, General Lu-Yin," Po bowed back as the general went away. Just then, Miwa walked by. "Oh hello princess," Po smiled.

"Hello Dragon Warrior," Miwa bowed.

"Just call me Po. So are you looking for Leo?"

"How did you know?"

"You like him."

"What?! I...um...we...uh, we're just friends," Miwa spluttered.

"Cooool! I didn't know tigers could blush," Po observed.

"I'm NOT BLUSHING!" Miwa exclaimed, darting her eyes around. "Anyways, do you know where Leo is?"

"Last I remembered, Tigress was chasing him about a book."

"Oh Tigress's journal?"

Po's eyes widened. "That's why she's chasing him?! Wait, how do you know that it's Tigress's journal?"

"We were talking about it when Tigress came in. We didn't look in it, but I'm guessing that Leo used it as blackmail." Just then, they saw Leo skidding to a stop and charging down the hall they were in.

"Po! I need your help. Just...stand there while I get on your head," Leo said, quickly scurrying onto his head.

"LEO I'LL-" Tigress slid to a stop when she saw Po. Leo waved while Tigress composed herself and cleared her throat, "Um...hello, Dragon Warrior," She said in a dignified manner, "I was just...training with Master Leo."

"Master Leo. I like that," Leo grinned proudly.

"And he has something of mine," Tigress said menacingly.

"You mean this?" Po asked, producing her journal in hand. Tigress quickly snatched it from him.

"What the- how the- where the- oh forget it," Leo muttered. "We're done training for today."

"Good, come on Leo. There's still part of the palace I want to show you," Miwa said, pulling Leo off of Po's head and dragging him.

Po smirked, "I think Leo's seen all of the palace with you chasing him." He looked at Tigress. "So, that's your journal?"

"YOU READ IT?!" Tigress shouted.

"No, no, no!" He held up his hands, "Miwa just told me that Leo was blackmailing you with it." Tigress cursed under her breath.

"It's...um...personal." Po's face sank. "It's nothing bad about you. I just... don't feel comfortable sharing it," Tigress said.

"Oh, okay. Well, we're going to moving the troops soon, so Lee and I may not be here tomorrow," Po informed.

"I could go with you."

"Uh...It's alright. We'll only be a little while. See you later," Po smiled and waved her off. Slowly waving back, Tigress stood there with her journal, alone.

To be continued.