Hey guys!

I'm sorry that I hadn't been uploading a new chapter for a while. There have been some troubles with my internet.

Oh yeah, and sorry that this chapter is so short. I have been busy..

Thank you for all the reviews :D You can continue that if you feel like it…

Chapter 10 – Accept it

Her friends didn't say anything about Master Proelio until they were in the corridor to their bedrooms. Tigress knew what they were thinking; Master Proelio and she had been standing that close to each other when her friends came in that it could seem like she liked him. Or rather like she was in love with him.

"So Tigress," Po asked carefully, "What was it Master Proelio wanted to talk with you about?"

Tigress decided to tell the truth. "He just wanted to talk about the training," she said and before Po could ask more questions she went into her bedroom.

What she said was true; Master Proelio did want to talk about the training. It just wasn't the training that her friends were thinking about. It was her training. Actually something told her that Master Proelio only wanted to 'help' her so he could insult her. But she needed to continue the training. She somehow knew that she couldn't stop now.

Two days after

"Why are you doing this to me?" Tigress said while panting and looked angrily at Master Proelio.

Once again she had met him in the training hall after the day's training. And once again he had told her to take deep breaths and had talked about her weakness. Today he had said that everyone hated her and that she hated everyone. And Tigress was panting after attacking him after his last words: "You don't know how to feel love and that's why no one loves you."

And the male-tiger smiled like nothing was wrong. "Can't you even see it?" he asked, "I didn't expect the great Master Tigress to be that blind."

Tigress raised her arm to hit him again but he grabbed her wrist before she could do anything. She snarled at him.

"Tigress, calm down," he said and let go of her hand. "Why won't you understand? I'm doing this to help you."

Tigress took a step away from him when he let go of her and sneered: "And how are you helping me? Please, tell me."

Master Proelio took the dagger from his sheath; it was now his toy. "This is the first level to perfect control of your anger and strength. I prefer calling it meditation."

"This is not meditation," Tigress said, "I'm trying to meditate but you keep circling around me and distract me with your annoying voice."

Master Proelio didn't seem to get offended about her rude words and explained: "This is actually meditation. I'm teaching you how to calm down and focus even when there is a lot of annoying and frustrating noises around you."

So he was saying those things to her so she could try to ignore them?

And like Master Proelio had read her mind he quickly said: "And please don't misunderstand me; I'm not teaching you to ignore the noise. I'm teaching you to accept it."

"Accept it?" Tigress asked skeptically, she didn't know what he meant.

"Accept that it's there," Master Proelio said, "Accept that noise will always be there. Noise is a part of the life and you have to accept the life."

So Master Proelio really did want to annoy her. But he did it so he could help her meditate. Tigress didn't think that it made any sense.

"You don't have to understand it," Master Proelio said, "You just have to do what I'm telling you to do. You have to learn how to trust me."

Tigress snarled again. "Why should I trust you?" she asked furious, "The only things you tell me are lies."

"Tigress! I'm really tired of your anger. I know that I can act very mysterious but I'm telling you what you have to know. I'm not telling you lies, and I don't want you to say that I do. I just want you to trust me, okay?"

Tigress was actually surprised. This was the first time that she had ever seen him annoyed. She had seen him happy, cruel, teasing and even angry – but never annoyed. And then the male-tiger smiled again and again he was the foolish boy.

"You seem shocked?" he asked with a teasing voice and again Tigress look at him with a cold glance.

"I'm not," she lied, "I will do as you say but I can't trust you until you deserve it."

The master sighed. "Fine," he finally said, "Let's try again."

He took a step towards her but she avoided him. She wasn't finish talking and she wouldn't train with him yet.

"First you have to tell me where Master Shifu is," she said firmly. After Master Proelio's speech he had to tell the truth.

"He's right behind you," Master Proelio said and Tigress turned around to see the red panda that was looking at the male-tiger.

Master Proelio and Master Shifu bowed to each other and Tigress was silent; she knew that it was improperly to interrupt two masters.

"It's good to see you again, Master Shifu," Master Proelio said and he was now the serious master, he didn't even smile.

"It's also good to see you," Master Shifu said and then he turned his eyes at Tigress.

She quickly bowed for her master and said: "I'm glad that you're here, Master Shifu."

Because she was really glad that he was here. Master Proelio's mystical behavior gave her a bad headache and she really wanted to know where Master Shifu had been. He had been gone for three days.

"With all due respect to you I have to ask," Master Proelio said, "How long have you been standing here in the training hall?"

"I just came in," Master Shifu answered and then he asked a bit suspicious: "Were you and Master Proelio training privately?"

At the same time that Tigress said, 'yes', Master Proelio quickly said, 'no'. Tigress looked at Master Proelio with a confused glance. Why did the master want to lie about the training?

"I just told Tigress to stay after the training so we could talk about her problem with anger," Master Proelio said, "She can be very… furious."

He sounded very convincing and even Master Shifu didn't show any suspicion when he turned his blue eyes at Tigress and said: "You need to show more respect for Master Proelio. He's here to help you and the others with the training."

Tigress just nodded. Something told her not to tell the truth to her master. Maybe Master Proelio had a good reason to lie but she doubted that.

"I will go and rest. It had been a long journey," Master Shifu said and then he left the room.

Before Tigress had the time to ask, Master Proelio answered: "Master Shifu won't let me train you privately. But you need it as we both know."

"So I have to lie for my master?" Tigress asked, "And why won't he let us train?"

"I can't answer you right now Tigress," the male-tiger answered, "Now let's try again."

Tigress sighed and closed her eyes.

And the training continued until the moon was shining in the dark and Tigress was really tired. She didn't even get mad at Master Proelio when he was talking about her weaknesses. In the middle of the training she opened her eyes and stopped breathing slow.

Master Proelio smiled at her. "You can go to bed now," he said with a soft voice that surprised Tigress, "You could use some sleep."

"Thank you, Master Proelio," Tigress mumbled and tried to hold back a yawn.

"Please. Call me Proelio," the male-tiger said but Tigress just shook her head.

"I prefer calling you Master Proelio." And that was the truth. She would only see him as her teacher, not her friend or anything else.

"Well, then goodnight… Master Tigress," Master Proelio said with a teasing smile and then he left the training hall.

Tigress watched him while leaving. She wasn't even annoyed, maybe she was too tired. She started walking towards her bedroom and couldn't stop thinking about what Master Proelio had said while circling around her.

You don't have a future. Your whole life is just about training. You can't think about anything else. Not even love and happiness… Just training.

A shiver ran down Tigress' spine and she started walking faster. She hated the terrible feeling that she now felt every day. The feeling was haunting her and she didn't know why.

She finally reached her bedroom and walked inside. She sighed and went to bed.