Orange and Red

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

Note: this is AU

Chapter 6- Where Reality is Twisted into Origami

The training hall was filled with the normal sound of yelling and smashing. But that's not where we find the subject of our story. Tigress was sitting under the Sacred Peach tree of Heavenly Wisdom, looking up at the sky reflectively.

Tia Ling had been defeated by Po, of course, but she couldn't forget the loss of her dear Master Oogway. He had always been a beacon for her, and then that beacon was just… gone. Like the wind had blown it out. She was still trying to get over the hurt that Tia Ling had caused her.

Tia Ling had been like a daughter to her, and she had been betrayed. But that was not what was on her mind at the moment. A different, much… smaller matter consumed her. And she couldn't let herself stop thinking about it.

"Master?"

Her golden fire eyes flitted back to the source of the sound, recognizing it as one of her students.

"Yes?" she asked quietly, not turning around. She couldn't bear to look at him anymore, not without getting close to embarrassing herself.

"Is everything alright?" Shifu asked coming to stand next to her.

Shifu.

How to describe him. The red panda was her prized student, and her most dedicated. Shifu was always the one to throw the extra kick, run another lap of the obstacle course, even though he had memorized it.

"Nothing is wrong, if that's what you mean," she answered quietly. Shifu didn't say anything. "Shifu, answer a question for me," she finally said, still holding her tone to just above a whisper.

"Of course, Master."

"Do you believe that everyone deserves forgiveness?" she asked.

"Master Tigress, if this is about Tia Ling, you shouldn't…"

"It's not about Tia Ling. It's about my relationship with you and the others."

"Our… relationship?" he stammered. She nodded. Tigress looked down at her student. He was shaking a little.

"I've been too cold with you over all this time. I never respected any of you enough. And I beg your forgiveness," she said, putting a gentle paw on his shoulder. Shifu's eyes flitted down to where she was touching him.

"Of course I forgive you, Master—"

"No more Master. Just Tigress. I want to be friends with you." Shifu flinched a little. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"… Nothing," he whispered.

She reluctantly let it go. "So how has—"

"I'm sorry, Master," Shifu said quickly, interrupting her.

"Sorry for what?" she asked.

"I've lied to you. Kept things from you. And I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Well we have time. You can tell me now." Shifu looked up at his master's forgiving smile. He felt the constricted feeling in his chest that he always felt whenever she smiled. "Shifu, you can trust me. I know I've never shown you much affection, but you can trust me," she whispered.

And she truly meant it. When the red panda had arrived at the Jade Palace, he used to talk to her nonstop. Then she exploded and told him that she didn't have time to listen to idle chatter. After that, it was pretty quiet. But she would always listen when he needed guidance.

She took his hands in her paws and shook him a little. "Talk to me." He looked up into her flaming eyes.

"I love you."

With the lightning fast reflexes that she had helped him hone to perfection, he grabbed the back of her head and pulled her lips down to his. The first reaction that Tigress had was to push him away, but as he continued to press their lips together, she warmed up it.

It felt… nice.

But a few moments before she mustered up the courage to start kissing back, he pulled away. "I'm sorry, Master. I have disrespected and dishonored myself." And before she could utter a word of protest, he was running off back towards the Jade Palace.

She put her fingers to her lips. They were tingling. Her instincts had been awakened at his intimate touch, and they were telling her to run after him.

After all that you've been through, after all the emotions that you've kept hidden and suppressed, just go! You know you enjoyed that. You know you want to go and kiss him and hold him in your arms and feel his tongue in your mouth and his hands on your body.

She pushed away the thoughts. They could never be together, and she knew it. But she tucked away the kiss from her most prized and loved student like a jewel, and would never let herself forget how she didn't run after him and take him, right then and there. She would never forgive herself for her biggest mistake.

A/N: Yeah, that's right, I made Tai Lung a girl! Mwahahaha! I'm so evil. If you're having trouble picturing this, then just imagine the Shifu that you see at the beginning of the flashback scene in the movie with Tigress from the movie. Yeah... maybe I'll redo this chapter and make them even more in AU. Holla!