Hey guys!

I'm not going to lie – I gave up on this story. I didn't have any motivation or inspiration and didn't really think that anyone even liked it. And with all that I had some private problems building up. So I stopped writing and focused on my school and family and now boyfriend.

But then I saw someone making my story on of their favorite. Frankly, I had even forgotten all about FF. But it gave me the motivation to continue. Even though there probably aren't many people left to actually leave a comment or follow my story, and even though it might take me several years, I have to finish it.

So here we go – Tigress and Master Proelio is back.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda

Chapter 16 – Names and destinies

"What are you two doing?"

That was the first thing Tigress said when she saw Po and Monkey in the dinner room. It was actually an excellent question. The boys were sitting at the table, playing with something that could look like a sort of hat made for entertainment. It didn't seem like a hat you would wear on daily base.

"We're making party hats!" the panda squealed, as if it was one of the most exciting things in the universe, "For the festival! We're going to hand it out to the citizens. They'll love it!"

The festival was the last thing on Tigress mind. All she had thought about was Master Proelio and his horrible training. She didn't even like his methods to begin with and now she simply hated them. His words from yesterday still haunted her… Hit me as the monster you are. She didn't feel as a monster. She had anger issues, yes, but that didn't make her a monster. She wasn't manipulating others or haunting others mind with awful insults as Master Proelio. If she was a monster, then so was he.

"The festival has been postponed. So you shouldn't bother making those." It was clear to see that Po was disappointed by the news, but Monkey was concerned about feline as he looked at her with a worried glance. "Tigress, you seem… tired."

She was tired. Not physically, she slept very well last night, but mental. It was like for every hit Master Proelio had received, she had lost energy. And now she could sleep without gaining any rest. All her thought were weird and mixed together into a fog never to be understood. But she couldn't let her friends know that. Or they would start to get sick of worrying too much. And they would probably not even believe if she told them that it was their beloved friend, Master Proelio's fault. So she shook her hand in a non-caring matter and lied: "I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep last night. And I miss training. How come Master Shifu is giving us a day off again today?"

"We were just talking about it," Monkey said and exchanged glances with the panda next to him, "We think it has something to do with the prisoner. The crocodile, you know."

"And also, why is the old lady living here?" Po asked, and then he looked into the air as if he tried to remember something. "What was her name again… Jul? Young?"

"Madam Jun," Tigress corrected before she turned her attention towards the other again, "So is the crocodile still here?" The monkey nodded. Normally a prisoner would only have to stay in the basement for a day before someone came to put it into an actual prison, but this crocodile had been here for three days now.

"Master Shifu is probably busy contacting the prison. There might be some sort of problem with the communication or the road or something," Po said while trying to stick a feather on his hat. Tigress nodded though she wasn't completely convinced. With the mark of the Rulers of the Four Winds and postpone of the removal of the prisoner, she knew something fishy must be going on.

Tigress decided that the best way to figure out what Master Shifu was using the crocodile for was to ask the prisoner. She didn't want her master to know, that she was suspicious and even though she hated hiding secrets from him, she knew that he was hiding something himself.

She was on her way to the basement, where the prisoner's cell was located, but walking through the palace's halls, she was distracted; Madam Jun stood in the middle of the hall looking irretrievably lost. Tigress mostly wanted to walk past her, pretending not to notice her and hurry down to the basement, but with the knowledge about how the old rhinoceros had helped an orphan tiger cub gave her a feeling of obligation to help her as well.

"Sorry to bother you, Madam Jun, but you seem lost," she said while approaching her carefully. Madam Jun turned to Tigress' surprise towards her with a great smile.

"Oh no, dear, I'm not lost, well not in the manner you're asking about. If I'm lost now, I would be lost most of the time," she answered with a quiet chuckle, "I'm simply admiring your home. Though I don't assume Shifu as a man who fancy decoration, but I do like the way he decorated your hallways."

Tigress looked around at the empty walls and frowned but turned her eyes at the old lady again as she continued talking: "Speaking of Master Shifu, he has told me a lot about you, Tigress. And I want you to know that I know what you have gone through. Of course not in the way of understanding your pain, but I work at an orphanage and for a long time ago there was a tiger cub living there with the same issues that you had as well. Unfortunately he wasn't as lucky as you but he did grow up to become a fine young man."

Tigress knew that she was talking about Master Proelio, but of course Madam Jun didn't know that, so she tried her best to act surprised, though she had never been good at showing emotions. But the rhinoceros didn't seem to notice. Instead she reacted to the sound of a creaking floor but there's was nothing to see so she turned her attention to the feline instead.

"I'm very happy for you, Tigress. Shifu seems like a good man and a good father figure for you to grow up with. I just wished that more orphans were just as lucky."

Normally Tigress would feel a sort of guilt; she had been lucky and got the chance that many children at her orphanage only could dream of. But in this situation, with Master Proelio being the orphan who lost his chance, it was hard to feel any guilt over what had happened to him. She was more irritated that Madam Jun talked about how he grew up to a 'fine young man', clearly blinded by his reputation and façade as many others.

Besides she was quickly distracted by another creaking sound, coming from a closer place than before and this time she could faintly see a person hiding behind a tall potted plant. Madam Jun didn't seem to hear anything even with the plant only being a couple of feet behind her.

"Yes. I can see why that's very unfortunate," Tigress kept her eye on the figure that she could now identify at Master Proelio. What a coward. Hiding from the lovely woman who took care of him throughout his childhood. But Tigress was kind enough to spare him from embarrassment and confrontation and she was still trying to avoid him, so she turned her focus to Madam Jun instead.

"It was a nice chat, dear, but I should go to find my bedroom and start packing," she smiled at her, "I can't stay in this beautiful place forever."

With those words she laid a hand on the felines arm and gently squeezed it before continuing her walk down the hall way, looking at the bare walls as if she was searching for something. Tigress' amber eyes followed her until she was gone by the corner and then she quickly turned around to see Master Proelio standing in front of her. His golden eyes shone and his grin was painted on his face.

"You don't think she saw me, do you?" Tigress looked at him with lightning in her eyes. Her glance even made him take a step back and the smile that's usually permanent on his mouth had vanished. For a moment he was silent before he cleared his throat and said: "In all earnestness I came here trying to find you. We need to talk."

"I'm not going to talk to you," Tigress growled. She was about to hurry away, but Proelio grabbed her arm only to have her push him away. He lost his balance and was about to fall but approached her again.

"Tigress, please listen to me. I'm sure you're going to like what I say," he said. The tiger hesitated but his sincere behavior so she gave him the benefit of the doubt. "Thank you. I want to apologize for yesterday. I crossed the line and wasn't proper in explaining my thought behind the training. I pushed you further than what was suitable and didn't think my actions and how it would affect you through. My behavior was unacceptable and I don't expect you to forgive me eventually but I just want you to know that I am genuinely sorry."

Silence. Tigress didn't say anything. She simply stared at him. She had no idea how to react to this unexpected speech. The male-tiger did seem honest and he looked at her with his ears pointed backwards in a pleading way. She had to admit that it was a relief to know that he actually knew a bit about what was right and what was wrong. After a moment that felt like an eternity, Tigress finally sighed and shook her head: "Fine. I accept your apology."

A huge smile appeared – Not Master Proelio's usual grin, but an actual smile, which almost was more unexpected than his speech. It was very rare that he showed a side of himself that wasn't an act. So even Tigress had to return his smile with a smile on her own. But then his smile turned weaker, calmer, into the cocky grin that represented him as a person.

"How come your name is Tigress? And the others' names as well: Mantis, Monkey, Viper, all that. Is it some sort of stage name or does Master Shifu lack all sort of creativity?" His change of subject came out of nowhere as if the day before never happened. He was quick to forget, but Tigress wasn't quick to forgive.

"Master Shifu didn't name us. And I like my name. It represents me. I'm a tiger. And I'm fierce and brave. My name is everything I've lived to become." Master Proelio raised one brow at her as if he doubted what she just said and she regretted forgiving him so easy. She liked him more when he was begging for forgiveness.

"That's interesting. I never thought of your name like that. And remarkable point of view," he said and nodded slowly. The feline wasn't sure whether or not he was kidding.

"What about your name? Proelio is Latin, isn't it?" she asked, trying to give him the attention instead of having him giving it to her, "To battle or a-"

"A warrior, yes," Master Proelio interrupted, "But mostly it is 'to battle'. My name has always destined me to battle. I've known that from the very beginning, it was never a choice. How weird that a simple word attached to a person can decide so much for their destiny, huh?"

He looked at her with a faint smile but she didn't smile back, confused over his sudden honesty. As if he didn't like being rejected, his smile turned into a serious glance and he looked away.

"I like the way you describe the meaning behind your name. It's not something forced upon you, not a destiny that you didn't choose. It's simply a word that describes you as a person. You're not defined by your name, you define it. Because you took your choice and yes: you are very fierce and brace, Tigress."

He looked at her again but it was in a way that he had never looked at her before. His golden eyes met hers, just as though he was keeping the world out and only saw her. And Tigress met his eyes with her own of amber. She felt something she had never felt before, a feeling she only barely remembered from a dream, she had dreamt many times in this short period of time. That feeling was happiness.

"I have to go." With those words Tigress hurried away, leaving the male-tiger behind staring after her. She ran down the hallway out of his sight and continued towards the basement. Her happiness turned to anxiousness. She didn't know what just happened to her and she didn't want to figure out why, just like she wanted to push it as far as way from her as possible. Master Proelio wasn't her friend, wasn't her ally and wasn't a person to trust. She forgave, but she would not let herself forget.

A/N: Sorry for the long and non-excisting chapter! I had to have a chapter to get back on track. But I hope you liked it and please leave a review so I know what you liked :)