Hey everyone. Sorry I'm late, it's a jungle out there. I had to beat an old lady with a stick to get this chapter finished.

slydx21:

I will NEVER abandon this fic. Believe that.

Ke-Pa:

Yes, indeed I have read Finding Balance. Good shit. I haven't finished it though.

Markens:

Ryan is Texan, he laughs at the vegans. It'll be a rather interesting conversation.

Footrot Flats:

Thanks man. I just wish there were more original passionate fics that didn't revolve around one specific thing all the time. Ya know? Repetition isn't best when it comes to stories.

MacanAsia1:

lol Yeah. I always found it weird in other KFP fanfics that no one ever addresses the fact that KFP is in China and they speak fluent English. And when I think about it, it makes me hate The Dragon Knight show even more. They made England cannon and they weren't smart enough to realize this dilemma. Netflix ruins everything it touches.

SpiritChannelerJosh:

Thanks man. Glad you like it. And I will.

Markiejoe: I am and I will. ;)

Now that the replies are outta the way; it's time for the moment you've been waiting… 2 Months for? Holy shit, my bad…

Anyways on with the new chapter.

Chapter VII: Running with Scissor Blades

Somewhere in Waco, Texas.

Ryan stood up top a guard post. A scoped Sniper Rifle at hand. Ryan looks through the scope and sees what is practically an army waiting outside his compound. For fucks sake, they even have a tank!

A middle-aged balding man in body armor pulls out a megaphone.

"This is the FBI, ATF, CIA and just about every other three letter agency that exists in America. All we want is the Tiger and the knowledge as to how she got here. Give that to us and we promise we won't drive this tank into your house and slaughter you like dogs."

Ryan aimed his sniper right at the middle-aged man.

"I TRUSTED YOU! EAT SHIT AND DIE YOU FUCKING FEDS!" He shouts.

The middle-aged man threw his megaphone down in frustration.

"You know what? Fuck the deal, blow up the fucking house. Kill them all."

The massive tank fired straight at Ryan.

BANG!

"AH, SHIT FUCK!"

Ryan jumped out of bed in a fright and falls right off, landing on his face. Tangled up in his blanket.

"Ah...shit…"

"You okay?"

"Huh?"

Ryan looked up and saw Tigress standing above him.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that you talk in your sleep."

"Oh… sorry about that. Did I wake you?"

"Yes, however, no apology is necessary."

"Why is that?"

"Your "Leather Couch" as you call it, was rather comfortable. I would have overslept if it wasn't for your rambling. Thank you."

"Uhh... You're welcome, I guess... Uhm, Tigress? ...What exactly was I rambling?"

"Apart from the various and abundant uses of distasteful obscenities, some were just incoherent babbling and groaning."

"Oh. How long was I asleep?"

"It's midday."

"Shi--ah… *clears throat* crap."

Ryan groggily gets up out of bed and stretches, pulling off the blanket and placing it nonchalantly back on the bed. He looks to Tigress and sees that she's still looking at him...

"Need something?"

"Uhm..."

Or rather… still looking down...

Ryan looks down too and sees that he's shirtless.

"Oh. Right. The, uh, shirt I had on last night had bloodstains on it. I had to take it off."

Tigress immediately turns away.

"Forgive me! I shouldn't have stared."

"That's alright."

"No it's not. I shouldn't have even barged in here without knowing if you were decent."

"Tigress, it's okay. I forgive you...but only if you let me see you without a top."

Tigress immediately turned to face Ryan.

"WHAT?!"

Ryan backs off.

"Just a joke! Just a joke…"

Tigress's blush wasn't visible through her orange fur, but her facial expressions said otherwise. She sighed of mild relief and quickly turned back around.

"C'mon Tigress, it's okay. Don't beat yourself up over somethin' so... not an issue. At least I'm still wearing pants."

"Could you just….just please put something on."

"Alright, alright." Ryan walks into his closet and pulls out a black T-Shirt with a 4:3 (four by three) square picture of a blonde man in his late 20s, wearing round Harry Potter like glasses, holding a carbon black colored semi-automatic assault rifle, possibly an AK-47, up across his torso.

Ryan walks out and Tigress notices.

"Who's that?"

Ryan smiles a bit to himself.

"Someone you don't want to put in a self-defense situation."

Tigress raises her eyebrow.

"It's a bit of an inside joke, I'll explain later. Anything you want?"

"Breakfast...and lunch."

"Ah fuck! You don't know how to make foo- Ah dammit. I'm so sorry. I'll get right on it."

Ryan quickly rushes out the room, but not before Tigress grabs his forearm, stopping Ryan in his tracks.

"We also need to talk."

"Uhhh...okay...about what?"

"I'll explain later."

Ryan got a bit more nervous at that after Tigress let go of his arm.

Ryan powerwalks again to the kitchen and pulls out two more spicy Limon Chili noodles out of the cabinet, making sure to avoid grabbing the Chicken and Beef flavors. That's a can of worms that Ryan definitely doesn't want to open anytime soon.

As he began to pour the water in he pulled out his phone and began to browse on his favorite Television & Film related basket weaving forum. He entered a thread that discussed the leaks of the upcoming Indiana Jones film. Where Indiana is (((allegedly))) going to go on a retarded Time Travel adventure with his inept niece where she's going to lecture him about the patriarchy and being a privileged straight white man. And Indy is ((((again, allegedly))) going to meet his younger self from the past and sacrifice himself for her because he feels guilty or some stupid shit like that. And because Indy's young self is the one sacrificing himself, that means Indiana Jones never existed and Indy's inept niece, despite the fact that she shouldn't exist either; ends up accomplishing all that Indy did in the other four movies. Finding the Ark, freeing the child slaves, finding the Holy Grail and discovering the truth about Roswell. Oh, and Mads Mikkelson is going to play an Ex-Nazi who works for NASA, who wants to bring back the Third Reich with his time travel bullshit. The leaks seemed to be too dumb to be true, but Ryan remembered that this is modern day Hollywood, so Ryan replied to the thread:

Anonymous 12/10/22(Sat)12:37:50 No.66288146

66288003 (OP) #

Young Indy sacrifices himself, rendering all previous accomplishments moot

Indy will never reunite with his father

Indy will never meet his son

Indy will never get married

Indy will die alone

The Legend of Indiana Jones is now but a faded memory lost to time

I fucking hate Hollywood writers so much, it's unreal…

Finish the captcha.

And send.

"What is that?"

Ryan turned his head to see Tigress standing right next to him.

"Whoa!"

Ryan jumped and almost dropped his phone.

"God, you nearly gave me a heart attack…"

"Apologies. I just wanted to get a closer look at your... rectangular...thing…"

"That's alright and this rectangular thing is my mobile phone."

"That doesn't look anything like the one's from The Matrix."

"Well phones like this didn't exist back then."

Tigress' curiosity got peaked again.

"The phones you saw back then are the ones they used back in 1999. It's been more than 20 years since that film was made. Technology evolves with time."

Ryan thinks back to the Indiana Jones thread and remembers The Matrix Resurrections. He sighs.

"Unfortunately… Writing and Storytelling de-evolves with time…"

"How so?"

Ryan then got flashbacks….

"I bypassed the compressor!"

"It's Lois! Lois Lane! She's the key!"

"Hope is like the sun, if you can only believe in it when you can see it."

"I'm the Avatar! You gotta deal with it!

"How does it feel to have lived long enough to see all your favorite franchises go down in flames?"

...

"You don't wanna know….."

Tigress gave him a look as if to say:

"Okay then."

"Uhm. Hey, you wanna see something cool about this phone? Watch this."

Ryan opened up his YouTube app.

"You like music?"

"Sometimes."

"Alrighty."

Ryan typed into the search bar:

Back in Black by AC/DC

"Alright listen to this."

The song played and Tigress really couldn't make out what exactly she was listening to. It certainly had a melody to it, but the instruments used were certainly foreign to her. She saw Ryan bobbing his head to the rhythm of the song and even pretending to play a guitar type instrument.

"Uhm...what exactly am I listening to?"

"This is the type of music that my world has. Whaddya think?"

"Is there anything in your world that sounds like music?"

"You don't like it?"

"I mean… It's melodious, but… I'm not really into it. No offense."

"None taken. Lemme see. How about something with string instruments?"

"Sure. Do you know any?"

"Do I know any?"

"Yes. Can you play any instruments?"

"I mean...I have a guitar...but...I barely ever use it. Why do you ask?"

"My friend, Viper once told me that someone should have a hobby and we'll… I was wondering if… All I ever did before was just non-stop training. I mean, I love Kung Fu, but… After experiencing death… I feel like I should do more with my life. So… could you… teach...m...mm…"

Tigress grumbled out those last few words.

"Do what?"

"Teach...me…"

"I'm sorry what?"

"Teach me how to play an instrument. I would like to learn."

"Uhm. Sure. I'd love to... Uhm… wait right here."

Ryan put the noodles in the microwave and press for 4 minutes, he didn't press start however because he then walked into his room and into his closet, there he found a black guitar case.

He brought it out into the living room and sat down on the floor, legs crossed. Tigress did the same and sat across from Ryan.

Ryan unzipped the case and beheld a burgundy red and black guitar.

"That looks beautiful. I've never seen an instrument with that color."

"Thanks. It was my Dad's. He gave it to me before he...uhm…hold up lemme just…"

Ryan tuned the guitar…

Hmm. What to play?

As he tuned it and strummed it a bit. He found a tune that reminded him of a song he loved. So he tuned his guitar until it was perfect enough to play. Then he played.

He strummed a few notes before he closed his eyes and began to sing:

When you were young you were the King of Carrot Flowers.

And how you built a tower tumbling through the trees.

In holy rattlesnakes that fell all 'round your feet...

He strummed some more then continued singing:

And your mom would stick a fork right into daddy's shoulder.

And dad would throw the garbage all across the floor.

As we would lay and learn what each other's bodies were for…

The way Ryan played. The melody in the guitar and his angelic voice were almost hypnotic. He continued:

And this is the room one afternoon I knew I could love you.

And from above you how I sank into your soul.

Into that secret place where no one dares to go...

And your mom would drink until she was no longer speaking.

And dad would dream of all the different ways to die.

Each one a little more THAN HE COULD DARE TO TRYYYYYYYYYYY

...

When he opened his eyes he saw Tigress completely mesmerized.

"That was beautiful."

"You really think so?"

"Of course. I've never heard a song like that before. I can't even describe it."

"Thanks. It's been a while since I've played anything on this."

"You said it was your father's?"

"Yeah... he's uh… no longer here…"

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"That's okay… you know the fucked up thing is… he died… and I didn't find out until a month later… I was looking for him too…"

"He went missing?"

"Nah. He was just never around. Probably because of my mother. They couldn't stand one another; and because of Dad's history with alcohol they wouldn't let him have custody of me."

"So you lived with your mother?"

"Yeah. Sometimes I wish I lived with my Dad instead."

"Why?"

"..."

Tigress looked at Ryan. Almost studying him. She could tell this was a very touchy subject.

"We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to."

"thanks..."

Ryan stared at his guitar and then began to play again.

After hitting a few notes, he began to sing:

What a beautiful face

I have found in this place

That is circling all 'round the sun

What a beautiful dream

That could flash on the screen

In a blink of an eye and be gone from me

Soft and sweet

Let me hold it close and keep it here with me

And one day we will die

And our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the sea

But for now we are young

Let us lay in the sun

And count every beautiful thing we can see

Love to be

In the arms of all I'm keepin' here with me

What a beautiful face

I have found in this place

That is circling all 'round the sun

And when we meet on a cloud

I'll be laughing out loud

I'll be laughing at everyone I see

Can't believe

how strange it is to be anything at all

When he finished he looked up and saw Tigress, hypnotized, staring blankly into nothing. Tears streaming down her face.

"Tigress? You okay? You're not cryin' are ya? Heh..."

"Huh? What?"

"Oh shit, you're crying. Was I that good?"

"Huh?" She immediately wipes off her face and looks away from Ryan's gaze.

"I'm not crying, I was… you were really good…. I've never heard a song like that before."

Ryan couldn't help but smile.

"D'aw. You're just a big ol' softie aren't ya?"

"N-no! I'm a warrior! Real warriors don't cry!"

"Hey, hey, no need to get defensive. That's not a bad thing. Even the most battle-hardened soldiers can cry. It's good to cry sometimes. You feel something when you cry, ya know?…You feel…alive… Heh, ya know, underneath that hardcore warrior exterior is a pure hearted woman."

"You... really think that?"

Tigress found herself once again lost in Ryan's ocean blue eyes. Ryan also found himself lost in hers.

Peace and harmony. That's what they felt when they stared into each other.

"I do."

"H-how do you know that for a fact?"

"In my world there's a saying. "The eyes are the windows to your soul." When I look in your beautiful eyes...I see nothing but beauty. I see nothing but you…"

Tigress couldn't help but blush…

She didn't know what to say.

"Tigress... I have to be honest about something…"

"What?"

"Ever since I first saw you...ever since I first met you... I…."

"Wait… before you say anything I have that something I needed to tell you."

The moment gone, Ryan looked back to his guitar.

"Oh… right... What is it?"

...

"I wish to go outside."

Ryan immediately looked back up to her.

oh…. Fuck…

"Just for a little while. I really wish to see what the outside world looks like here. That and I need sufficient space to train. This living room won't cut it."

"I...I could just...what did you want again?"

"I want to go outside."

Ryan couldn't think straight. Of ALL things she wanted to do, she wanted to go outside.

"W-why would you want to go out there?" Ryan nervously said.

"Is there a problem?"

"Well. Yes, there's a problem. I can't let you."

"Really?" Tigress crossed her arms.

"Look, I just can't okay."

"I'm only going to go train for a few hours, I'll be right back. I'll even only go out at night so no one will see."

"No! No! Out of the question!"

"And why not?!"

"Because as far as I know, I'm the only human who knows you exist."

"So?"

"Whaddya mean so?! If other humans saw you they'd freak the fuck out!"

"Language!"

"Tigress, I'm serious! Some of them may even try to attack you. Some may even try to kill you. I refuse to let that happen."

"I can defend myself just fine."

"You don't get it do you? You go out there and you'll get killed or captured."

"Now why would I be captured?"

"They'll probably want to find out what you are, interrogate you, find out how you got here. Maybe cut you open and study your organs."

"That's disgusting."

"I'm not makin' this up, Tigress. I'm serious. I don't want you goin' out there. End of story."

"You're not my master. I can make my own decisions."

She began to walk towards the front door, however Ryan blocked the way.

"Ryan… What are you doing?..."

"Tigress…"

She walked up to him.

"I can't let you."

"Let me through."

"No!"

"Let me through, damn you!"

Before Ryan could even comprehend the fact that Tigress just swore, he was blindsided by a swift punch to the face. The force of the punch thrusted his back against the door and made him lose his footing. His back slid against the door and he hit the ground.

Tigress stared down at Ryan, who clenched his nose in pain. Ryan blinked rapidly. He felt something warm on his hand.

He removed his hand from his face…

...

Blood...

Ryan looked up at Tigress absolutely mesmerized and dazed. Ryan couldn't even speak, he was just looking up at Tigress, confused. Almost as if to say to her: "Did you just hit me?"

Immense regret hit Tigress like a freight train. Her face changed from anger to worry as Ryan's nose bled a waterfall of blood and didn't show any signs of stopping. She immediately tried to find something to stop the bleeding, but didn't know what she could use as she still wasn't familiar with her surroundings. She then took the initiative and ripped off Ryan's t-shirt and pressed parts of it to his nose. She frantically tried to apologise. Speaking in nervous stutters.

"I-I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I-I swear I didn't mean to hit you."

Ryan couldn't really hear her. He was kicked pretty damn hard. He was also getting pretty tired.

So he relaxed himself and faded away into unconsciousness.