A/N: why hello! It is CRAZY how many followers/favorites/ readers I have had since I posted this two days ago. I am so glad you guys are showing an interest in it! Please, again, let me know if there's anything I can change or add to make this story better.

ALSO (I promise this speech is almost over): I will be introducing a couple of OCs in this story, but they aren't the main focus. I hate it when fanfiction doesn't actually focus on the main characters. So, the OCs I create are solely for the progression of the story. There will be no long series of stories or a crazy long flashback about them. Sorry. Anyways, enjoy. This chapter is a little longer to say "thanks for reading my rant". Love ya.

It took four days and a series of many unexpected stops to make it to the Imperial City. Early-winter rain made for muddy streets, and the four of them walking made it all the more troublesome. Two days in, Viper diverged from them to take a path into Xiongxang, a trip that was supposed to take a few hours. She got there after Shifu and the others reached the Imperial City.

When the trio reached the gates, they were soaked to the bone and their legs and feet were covered in mud. The guard at the gates gave them a once over and shook his head good-naturedly.

"Glad you made it safely. We were afraid the incoming storm system would put you a foot under snow." He opened the gates for them and gave them directions to the palace.

Po thanked him and the three of them hurried through the main street into an awning of a closed restaurant. . The market stands remained empty in the downpour, so the only place to take shelter was the palace itself. They must have looked like quite the group when they inadvertently tracked mud through the Great Hall.

"This. Is. So. COOL!" Po cried, hands on either side of his head. He looked around at the towering columns and the gold ceiling several stories up. Despite the mud and rain outside, the golden glow from the candles bouncing off of the ceiling was enough to make them feel warmer.

"I'm glad you like it." Echoed a voice back. Po startled. His head jerked around until he found the source, a young man walking towards him who was dressed in a simple tunic and black pants. He held a pad under one arm. There was a small smile on his olive toned face and excitement in his green eyes. "I am Li Tong, the Emperor's assistant. It's nice to finally meet the Dragon Warrior in person." He held his hand out and Po shook it excitedly.

"Did you hear that? He's excited to meet ME!" He turned to Tigress, whispering excitedly.

"I heard." She nodded with a small smile. "It's good to see you, Li Tong."

"A pleasure as always, Master Tigress. Grandmaster Shifu, you are looking well." The grey haired master nodded his head slowly. "If you will follow me, we've prepared rooms for the three of you where you can change." He glanced at them with a mixture of disgust and understanding. Po chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his hand through his dark hair.

Li Tong led them across the room and through a door on the other side. The hallway they moved through was almost as tall as the room, but much narrower. Along the sides were displays of old battle armor. Po ogled them, but his hand was smacked away by Shifu before he could touch a breastplate.

A few more turns and Li Tong stopped. "Those two rooms are for the men." He stated, folding his hands in front of him. He gestured to his right with his head." Tigress, your room is this one." He pointed to the door on his left. "I will be back here in an hour." He left them alone, and the trio glanced at one another briefly.

"Po," Shifu called before the Dragon Warrior could enter his room," remember that we are guests here. Please behave yourself."

His glare didn't deter the Dragon Warrior, who nodded eagerly and disappeared. However, before Tigress or Shifu could leave the hall, he came running back out. "There's fancy soap!"

"Go bathe, Po." Said Tigress with a small smile. He stuck his tongue out at her and vanished again. Shifu looked between the doorway and his daughter with confusion.

"You haven't told him, have you?" he murmured. Her smile faded and she glanced at her master with reluctance.

"I told him we had a thing." She shrugged and folded her arms defensively across her chest.

"A thing?" He whispered fiercely. His blue eyes were bright and it kind of scared her. "Tigress-"

"I know, okay?" she replied bitterly. "That was a long time ago, and he knows that something happened, so drop it." The end of her statement turned into a hiss and the intensity of her stare caused him to sigh.

"He is good for you," His comment surprised her, "whether you notice that or not. Po has a kind heart, but the kindest hearts are the ones that are easiest to break."

With that, he left her in the hallway.

She took a deep breath and entered her room, shutting the door behind her. The room, just as she remembered, was massive. Crimson walls and dark wood floors made it cozy and warm. She walked straight through to the bathroom, not even bothering to stop and look around. The bath had already been filled with steamy water for her, so she stripped off her muddy clothes and climbed right in.

Bathing seemed to only force her to think of the very thing she wanted to forget. Visiting Liang always brought conflicting emotions. However, Shifu had been right. She hadn't told Po the entire truth. In honesty, telling him they had a "thing" was probably the biggest understatement of the century.

She removed the soap from the side of the tub and began cleaning herself. Once she had successfully scraped the mud from her ankles and legs, she let down her dark hair and began trying to get her curls clean and detangled. As she worked her fingers through the knots, she thought about Po.

Po was something she had never had before. He was her best friend, her confidant, and...her lover? God, what were they? Because the kiss on the cheek and the hand holding told her one thing, but she wasn't sure how she felt about it. When he first came to the Jade palace, she was jealous of him, hated him. Now, she loved him? He had certainly opened her up, and broken down the walls she had tried so hard to build.

Couple that with her increasingly stable relationship with her father, she was almost...human again. It felt good.

She dunked her head under water and then left the now-cold water. She grabbed a towel from the counter and wrapped it around herself. On her bed, someone had laid out a new, grey long sleeve and black pants, as well as new wrappings for her ankles and chest. when she was dressed, she braided her long hair back. Feeling clean and more ready than ever to see Liang, she stepped out of her room.

A/N 2: Shoutout to MarionetteJ2X! Your comment made me laugh :)

The next chapter will have more plot development, I promise.