Strain in the Friendship

Po was leaping for joy. "She likes me! She likes the TRUE ME," He exclaimed joyously. Vince's eyes rolled around in his head as he was sitting on his bed. Viper stood in the middle of room looking at a dancing slim panda with black hair. The sight was enough to make her giggle. The four were in the barracks with Leng leaning on the silk panel of the door.

"So, where does that leave you Po?" Vince asked. Po stopped his dancing. Viper had just told him about their conversation with Tigress; minus the part about Crane.

"I...I don't know," Po said very unsure now. "I mean, do I continue to become Fang Po, or do I tell her?" Po asked.

"I have an idea," Leng said, "You could just ask her if she likes you." Po looked at the duck as if he had just said the unpardonable thing. Leng took out his sword and twirled it around in his hands. "Look, Po the longer you prolong this, the worse it's going to turn out," Leng said wisely. Po rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed.

"I don't know what to do," Po said. Vince got up.

"Well, I know what you can do," Vince replied, "There's a friend of mine that I want you to see. He's been...distant for some time now and I want to make sure that he's alright."

"Do you mean Gu?" Leng asked. Vince nodded. "Gu is a small red fox that use to be our friend before Vince was transformed," He explained to the others.

"What happened to him?" Viper asked.

"I don't know. Which is why I need Po to go to him. I would ask you that you approach him as Fang Po, though," Vince conditioned. Po raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why?" Po asked. Vince took a long time thinking about his answer.

"Because I don't trust him," Vince replied plainly, "Gu's been gone for about five years now and I'm just now getting information of where he is. I just want you to see if he's okay."

"Why don't you trust him?" Viper asked.

"I'm a snake. Deceit and distrust is my instinct. You should know that," Vince replied. Viper did her "good point" nod and sigh.

"Well, that means that you should get on with yourself, Po. It's sure to be a long trip," Viper said. Po groaned.

"But I don't want to," Po childishly whined. Vince and Leng rolled their eyes as Po exited the room to go explain to Shifu. One day after Po left, Viper went over to the Training Hall, where Monkey, Crane, and Tigress were, not sparring, but talking.

"I don't understand why Vince, Po, Viper, and Leng are always talking to each other. Do you think Vince and Leng have them doing something?" Monkey questioned.

"Po does speak to them a lot. Especially with Viper," Tigress acknowledged. Viper would overhear the jealousy in her voice.

"Guys! These are our friends. I understand both of your distrusts in Vince and Leng because they're new, but Po and Viper are our friends. They haven't changed," Crane protested.

"Oh please lover boy," Monkey interrupted, "Don't let your love for Viper cloud your judgement. Even you notice how close they've become." Crane couldn't say anything after that.

"Crane's right, though, these are our friends," Tigress said.

"But not Vince and Leng," Monkey replied. Viper was surprised and shocked. She didn't think that Monkey would implant thoughts like this into the others.

"So...what should we do?" Crane said falling prey to the pressure. Viper ducked behind the corner hoping they wouldn't see her. Well, one did. The next moment she saw Tigress seemingly towering over her with a scowl she had never seen before. Tigress picked up Viper and showed her to the others.

"Looks like we have a little spy," Tigress said pushing her into the center of the room. Viper stumbled to the floor.

"I wasn't spying, I was just walking around," Viper said defensively as Crane picked her up.

"And what were you going to do with the information you just heard?" Monkey questioned

"Nothing!" Viper exclaimed.

"Monkey don't you think that-"

"So you were really just going to do nothing with what you just heard?" Tigress interrupted Crane, "You weren't going to tell it to Po or someone else?all"

"Why are you so angry? I wouldn't do anything. I just want to be with my friends," Viper said defensively.

"Then why were you spying?" Monkey said bombarding her with questions.

"That's enough!" Vince shouted causing everyone to stop where they were. "And here I thought you all were friends. Come on, Viper. I need to talk to you." As Viper walked out of the circle of menacing eyes, Tigress's keen ears picked up this much from their conversation exiting the hall:

"That darn cat is getting on my last nerves," Vince muttered.

"Tigress isn't-"

"I wasn't talking about Tigress," Vince interrupted. That was all of what Tigress heard. As Monkey started trying to talk to them, Tigress interrupted him.

"Monkey, why are you saying these things?" Tigress asked. This made Monkey look like a crook on trial. He sighed and said.

"I guess I'm just lonely from not having all my friends," He reminisced. So that's why he was upset with the four "Potion Warriors" as he had called them. He was just jealous. Of course, that didn't clear up what Vince had said.

"Listen loverboy! Your fantasy-reality is causing some mess in this palace! You need to tell her!" Vince exclaimed as Po sat across the other side of the table. The three day journey turned into six days when Po learned that Gu was actually planing to destroy the Valley of Peace. He put a stop to it, as Fang Po, of course. Po sighed.

"Look, the situation you explained can't be any worse than you're exaggerating," Po said. Just then, Viper rushed in and glared right at Po.

"Oh yes it is! I just came out of a conversation with Tigress of how she was saying that she was concerned that I was letting my feelings for you get out of control since I'm around you so often!" Viper said angrily. "We are NOT DATING PO!" Po was taken back.

"Ok...so things have gotten out of hand a little," Po replied. Both walking snakes glared at him. "Okay a lot. What do you want me to do?" Vince thought about it for a while.

"Actually, nothing. You have to do something," Vince said pointing to Viper.

"Me? What I am I suppose to do?" Viper asked.

Crane was walking towards the kitchen to get to talk to Viper. He had, yet again, failed to protect her from Tigress's menacing tactics. He had to apologize for being a terrible friend. As he neared the kitchen, he heard a loud shout. "NO! I WILL NOT DO IT!" Crane knew it was Viper, and he ran to the edge of the kitchen door but hid out of sight. "I WILL NOT DO IT!"

"Come on, it will get Tigress off your back and make the unity better," Vince explained.

"This is worse than that idea of going to test Po's heart and Crane and Tigress found us," Viper countered. This shocked and confused Crane. They had seen her and Fang Po. Could it be that-

"Oh come on Viper. You'd be getting what you desire most," Vince said. All the while Po was silent.

"I will not tell Crane about my love for him! What if...I mean, he WILL reject me. No one wants a creepy walking snake," Viper said sadly.

"You have so little faith in yourself?" Crane said now standing in the door, presently facing Viper's back. Viper whirled around to see Crane standing there. She blushing bright right in her face. Vince and Po stood up.

"We know how this is going to play out so...we'll just awkwardly leave," Po said as he and Vince went out the door. Crane and Viper stood there looking at each other in silence. Crane rubbed the back of his neck.

"Viper, I...I want to apologize for being such a bad friend when you needed me most," Crane said.

"Oh...oh, don't worry. I wasn't being a good friend either. I shouldn't have spied on you guys," Viper said regretfully.

"Oh, so you do admit that you were spying," Crane joked lightly. They chuckled lightly. The air was still awkward between them. Crane decided to pluck up courage. "So...you love me?" Crane questioned. Viper sighed sadly.

"Listen, Crane, I know what you're going to say and I'm sorry," Viper said with her head at the floor, hoping Crane would at least let her down easily. Crane was close to her.

"It's alright," Crane replied, "Viper, can I do something and can you promise not to get angry?" Viper raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"Okay," Viper said unsure. Suddenly, Crane kissed her, resting his wings around her waist on the table she was backed against. At first, Viper's eyes widened in surprise. Then she fluttered her eyes shut and started kissing back, wrapping her smooth arms around his neck. Soon, her snake tongue slithered into Crane's beak as Crane did the same. As they parted, they looked into each other's eyes. "Oooookay," Viper stuttered, "I'm definitely not angry." She was actually giddy.

"I love you, Viper. You're not a creepy walking snake. You were beautiful before and after the transformation. I love your character, not just your body," Crane smiled. Viper smirked.

"But the body is a plus?"

"Oh most definitely," Crane agreed making Viper laugh.

"I love you, too," Viper said as she kissed him again.

"You saw them what?!" Tigress asked incredulously. Monkey, Po, Vince, Leng, Tigress, and Song were all in the Training Hall room. Apparently, Song had done some sneaking.

"I said I saw them kiss. I didn't think that they were dating," Song replied. She had told the gang about how she had accidentally stumbled upon Crane and Viper kissing in the kitchen. Luckily, she had snuck out just before they noticed her.

"They weren't. They just started dating," Vince said smiling.

"When?"

"Just now," Vince replied to Monkey, "Now that they've finally confessed their love for each other, things are going to get all lovey-dovey. Eck!" Po's eyes rolled at Vince's reaction.

"So, what were we talking about before Song came?" Po asked. "Oh you and the others."

"Right, again if there is anyway I can soften the tension between us, just let me know. I'm sorry you feel this way towards me," Vince said to Monkey and Tigress. Monkey sighed feeling guilty now. The four were in the Training Hall discussing the tension between the palace warriors and the potion warriors. Monkey now knew that Vince wasn't planing to take advantage of anyone. Rather, he had come to bring them more together.

"It's my fault. All these behaviors from me is because I don't have Mantis by my side. I guess I just feel alone a lot of the times," Monkey paused for a moment before talking again, "Now I know what Po felt like."

"That's not true," Tigress protested.

"No, no, that's about what it felt like. Like I was the single island and everyone in this merciless, mean palace was out to get me and try to push me off the cliff even though I was just a guy that was just accidentally thrown into this palace and this village where I NEVER BELONGED ANYWAYS!" Po finally shouted in a rage. He looked around to see all the people around him a little scared. He brushed back his black spiky hair with his hand and said calmly, "But I'm over that."

"Anyways," Vince said after Po's outburst, "Truce?" He outstretched his hand. Monkey grabbed it and shook it.

"Truce," He said. Then the five of them looked at the entry of the room to see Crane and Viper laughing and giggling with each other. They stopped and blushed when the others looked at them with a smirk on each face.

"What?" Viper questioned nervously. Monkey started whistling, Po just said nothing, Tigress started looked around the room, Leng and Vince started a conversation about nonsense between them, and Song started filing her nails. Things were getting very interesting for Jade Palace.

to be continued

Trivia

1. What is Gu?

2. What "cat" was Vince talking about?

3. Why was Crane going to the kitchen?

Answers for chapter 11

1. A flower

2. Tiger lily

3. Hug him then kiss him