Prepare for Love and War!
Tigress sulked on palace steps looking at the village below her. The height reminded her of the Jade Palace. She sighed, bored. Po, Mei, Lee, and Leo left for the troops, and without Po to talk to and Leo to train her, there wasn't much to do. What about her old training? The arena, surprisingly, wasn't built up to the standard of the Jade Palace. You would think they'd know the strength of a tiger, she thought. Then Miwa came and sat next to her.
"Hmmm," They both sighed. Then they looked at each other and laughed.
"So...my niece," Tigress started.
"Yes, my aunty?" Miwa answered back.
"Is it true that you like Leo?"
"Yeah, but please don't tell him." Miwa blushed immensely.
"My lips are sealed," Tigress said.
"So do you like Po?" Miwa asked back.
"As a friend, yes."
"Do you like him as something more?"
"You ask a lot of questions."
"I asked the same amount of questions you asked."
"No, you didn't."
"Yes, I did."
"No."
"Hey! Stop avoiding the question."
"What was the question?"
"Aunty Tigress," Miwa sighed, "If you hate the panda, just say so."
"I don't hate him! Why does everyone think that?" Tigress snapped.
"Because he's told grandpa and grandma about his life there and... you really didn't seem...kind to him," Miwa fumbled out.
Tigress hung her head. "I...Yes, I guess I was very abusive to him at first." She sighed and looked at the sky. "I just couldn't believe that he was the Dragon Warrior, the very thing I worked for my whole life. But, as I got to know Po, I saw he deserved to be the Dragon Warrior." Tigress chuckled a little, "Even if he made a lot of mistakes."
"So you like him more than a friend?"
"Yes...I Mean! Um...," She groaned while her niece laughed.
"Don't worry, I won't tell," Miwa winked, "So...what are we going to do without them? It's so boring around here. When did they say they would come back?"
"An hour from now," Tigress huffed. Miwa huffed too.
An old male tiger smiled stood behind them, "It's good to see you two are getting to know each other."
"Hey, Grandpa," Miwa got up and hugged Qiang.
"If you two have some spare time, I could use some help discarding some old things," Qiang said.
"Might as well," Tigress said, "There's nothing else to do." So the three tigers went into Qiang's room where a whole closet of dusty armor and old papers sat. They started moving the stuff when Tigress came across an old painting. "Is... this us?" Qiang looked over her shoulder and chuckled.
"Yes, you were just 6 months when we had it made. Your brother was one at the time," he said. The wedded couple was smiling in the painting while Tiger played with his feet in Tigra's lap and little Tigress smiled as brightly as the sun. "Your mother threatened the painter to paint faster. That's why we could hold the smile."
"What do you see in her?" Miwa asked innocently.
"Well, even if you see a vicious person, I see a kind, beautiful, smart woman. Someone who can love this hard old bag of bones and give him a good kick in the rear sometimes," Qiang smiled. He didn't know that Tigra was right behind her. When he did, he jumped and smiled sheepishly. It was the first time either Miwa or Tigress saw Qiang actually emote. But Tigra hugged him.
"That is the...nicest, kindest thing you've ever said about me you old bag," She smiled. Qiang breathed a sigh of relief, running his hand through her head fur. "I just wanted to see that you didn't throw away any secret papers."
"Right, I forgot," Qiang smiled. Tigress watched her parents while a silent question boiled in her head. "Is something wrong, Tigress?"
"Why do you say that?"
"You shift your eyes and purse your lips like your mother."
"I... hate to bring his name up but... if I'm going to fight him, I need to know. What is Wong-Hu like?" Tigress asked.
Tigra exhaled weight on her shoulders as if she had carried that weight since the start of the war. She sat down with her husband on the bed while Tigress and Miwa took seats around them. "Would you believe talking about him isn't as bad as that?" Tigra said, "It was dealing with him that was the pain in the-"
"Dear, Miwa's here," Qiang reminded her. Tigress smiled while Miwa rolled her eyes. Though the girl was as old as Leo, whatever age that was, Miwa was still treated like a child.
"Right, Wong-Hu is a calculating, misogynistic... bad guy," Tigra corrected, "that is very apathetic to people's suffering."
"What does he want?" Tigress asked.
"Jin-Min, he's using the new peace between Japan and us to stir feelings among the tigers," Tigra explained, "He's promising a strong rule for tigers everywhere. Of course, that's a lie."
"If he dislikes women, how did you become one of his officers?"
"He only thinks women are good for subtlety, so I was one of his spies. Of course, he didn't expect me to carry my own so well. That and he was probably scared of me."
"Why?" Tigress asked.
"I... may have given him that huge scar on his back as well," Tigra glanced away.
"Why?" Miwa asked.
"When I figured out that he... murdered the tiger orphans... Let's just say you two haven't seen my... pure rage," Tigra said. "He would have sent me away or had me killed if it weren't for the fact that he needed my strength and smarts. Qiang and I were too strong to kill and too intelligent to exile. The best option was to keep us in close contact."
"Which is why you became an official," Tigress finished.
Tigra nodded, "He has no care for people... except... Po."
"Why?" Tigress and Miwa asked.
"Po has always been an oddity for Wong-Hu. Before him, the Japanese empire was struggling to defend itself. Back then, Wong-Hu was just very cold, colder than any tiger you've seen. Then Po came onto the scene and completely turned his tactics on its head. At first, Wong-Hu just got angry with the men for slacking, but when he fought Po for the first time, sword-to-sword... you should have seen it. It was as if he finally found his dream. Po was gritting his teeth, glaring into Wong-Hu's awful smile. I had never seen that smile in my life. There are even rumors that Wong-Hu was born without muscles to smile."
"Whoa," Miwa said.
"But Po pulled it out of him. I think that's when Wong-Hu's attitude started getting worse, but Po kept throwing him and the men off, and they couldn't figure him out. I don't know. He's always had this weird... thing for Po. When Po left, Wong-Hu's energy seemed to completely vanish. That's when we raided the capital. It's like he'll only fight his best, or worst, when Po's there," Tigra finished.
"I didn't think Po had that effect on people," Tigress said.
"He's special," Qiang spoke up, "You learn a lot from him. Although, I'm not sure if his decision-making is going to finish this war."
Then an idea came into Tigress's mind. "Maybe I can help. Mother, can you come with me to get some information? I think I'll need your 'kind nature' to help me," Tigress smirked.
The duck was thrown across the bar and hit his head on the wooden wall. All the other men, groaning and moaning, laid on the ground as the two women walked calmly to the duck. "I'm telling you! I don't know anything about Wong-Hu!" The duck exclaimed. Tigra and Tigress were in the worst part of town in a bar, looking for what they could get about Wong-Hu. Tigra was doing the talking. She picked the duck up and extracted her claws, holding them close to his face.
"I just got these things sharpened," Tigra frowned.
"Okay! Okay! Okay! All I know is that they were looking to attack the village at the bottom of Mount Shang where they camp out! That's all I know! Please don't hurt me anymore!" The duck begged.
"How do you know this?" Tigress asked.
"Wong-Hu's scouts come in here from time to time. Earlier today they were bragging that they would attack the village three days from now and then wipe out the capital! But they said that they would pound me to dirt if I told anyone," The duck said.
"Be glad that you're not torn to pieces." Tigra dropped him and the duck scampered away. "I think we're done here. Now, we have to tell the others when they get back," Tigra said, walking out at a brisk pace. Tigress only smirked. She admired her mother's character. Like daughter like mother.
"Great," Po grunted, "Just great. We have to move the troops faster."
"Or we could just go there," Tigress suggested.
"No. You can't go," Po said. Tigress blinked several times, dropping her ears. "I'm sorry, Tigress, but I was sent to bring you here safely and end Wong-Hu's crimes. I can't do that if you're fighting him."
"Po, I'm a Kung Fu warrior. I can handle a couple of villains. I'll be fine," Tigress said.
"Absolutely not, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you were hurt," he said and then whispered, "That and Tigra would probably skin me alive."
Tigress's eyes narrowed into furious slits while her arms folded over each other. Leo, Lee, and Mei quietly and awkwardly stood in the meeting room while the bear and cat glared at each other. Tigress's words came out like stinging needles. "You never planned to let me fight, did you?"
"Tigress," Po sighed.
"So what was my training for? To keep me busy? Even Leo going."
"I just don't want-"
"Come on, Po," Mei chimed in, "Don't you think you're being a little overprotective?"
"No," Po replied flatly.
"Po, you're caring a little too much. This is Wong-Hu. We need to stop him and we'll need everyone to do it," Lee suggested.
"And," Leo added heavily, "Tigress is one of the strongest among us. Besides, this is war. No one is excluded from it. You should know that." They were right and Po hated it.
"Fine," the panda groaned. Lee, Leo, and Mei left the two to talk it out. "I don't like this."
"Why?" Tigress hissed out, "You don't think I'm as strong as you?
"It's not that."
"Then what?"
"I don't want you to get in between the crossfire. Wong-Hu will not hesitate to attack people I care about," Po said.
Though she paused a bit to realize what he said, she continued on, "And I'm supposed to stay here and worry about you?"
"If it keeps you safe, yes."
"Why are you doing this, Po? Don't you remember how much it hurt me to see you hit by Shen's cannon? I'm not letting you do this alone!"
"And I'm not letting you go with me," Po said, narrowing his eyes.
Tigress growled through gritted teeth. "Is it because I'm a woman?"
"Tigress, you know that's not it."
"Is it because I'm not a samurai. Because Leo-"
"It's not because of that."
"Then what?"
"I just... I just don't want-"
"You don't want? Want what? A shot to fight Wong-Hu yourself? Is that what this to you?"
"Of course not!"
"Then why can't I go?!"
"BECAUSE I DONT WANT TO LOSE YOU!" Tigress's eyes widened. "I can't lose you, okay?" Po shouted on, "This isn't just another bad guy. This is Wong-Hu. The one who's murdered orphans, killed parents, and destroy lives. This isn't just another Kung Fu battle. This is war! I don't want you to get hurt! I...I...I love you too much for that to happen."
"W-W-W-What did you say?" Tigress stuttered, looking into his eyes.
"I...I said that I...I..." He never finished. Their lips drew together; his being slightly bigger than hers. The ground felt like it couldn't keep them bounded. She was floating. Higher than she ever thought her heart could fly, and after all the pain and anguish, this panda finally cracked her stony heart. Tigress's eyes fluttered shut as she wrapped her arms around the panda. She chuffed happily through the kiss. She never had this kind of happiness before. It was new, deeper, better. Like a treasure trove that kept going the further you scooped in. As they released each other, Tigress stuttered to try and find the right words to express the feeling. Finally, she just smiled, saying,
"I love you, too."
"Aw man!" Both of them jumped out of each other's arms. Leo and Miwa stood at the entrance. "Dang it! I was so close," Leo grumbled.
"What are you doing here, Leo?" Tigress blushed.
"Watching myself lose a bet," Leo murmured as he handed Miwa some money. He walked towards the new couple. "The worst part is that I can't blackmail you to chase me now."
"You could just ask," Tigress growled lowly.
"Nah, you have to put your heart into it. Ah well. Well, there's always the backup. Miwa, staff please." Miwa handed him a bo-staff. Leo bashed Tigress with it and ran off.
"LEO!" Tigress roared, chasing the wolf. Po sighed as Miwa giggled.
to be continued.
