Hey Guys!

*ducks to dodge rotten tomatoes being thrown at her head*

Yeah, I know I said something about chapters being weekly...last chapter...and it's been like 3 weeks...eheh...

But you know what's hard? School. And real life. I've got math, Spanish, science, english, history, home ec, and a billion other things on the brain 24/7. But you don't want excuses, you want a chapter.

I admit, this chapter got to be longer then I expected, and Lord have mercy was the first part hard to write. Inspiration didn't hit as hard as I thought it would. If it's boring and dull and lifeless compared to the second part, I apologize. I also apologize for this being so freaking late. Like, I ddidn't know time went by that fast.

Anyway, here's the chapter!

Mints, Portmanteaus, and Bo Staffs

Po really hated thinking of himself as a bad kid. His good hand was quaking as he pulled up a seat, trying to guess if Mr. Oogway had learned about skipping classes.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked shakily, falling into a sitting position as Principal Oogway had asked.

"Not at all Mr. Ping." Oogway said amiably. He fixed his bifocals and pushed a bowl of mints towards Po. "Do you want a mint?"

"Er, no thanks." Po shifted in his wooden chair, growing mildly uncomfortable. Oogway only added to his uneasiness by staring at him with a semi-creepy smile on his face.

"I see," the old man – at least in his seventies – started with a quiet smack of his lips, "that you've gotten in another fight. You know, violence is not the answer to everything."

Po rubbed his forehead, winced when he touched a bruise, and sighed quietly. "Uhm, yeah, my dad says that a lot. And it's not like I want this to happen to me it just…does."

Oogway nodded. "Would you like a mint?"

"…No thank you," Po repeated himself, frowning and honestly hoping that he wouldn't end up repeating everything he said.

"If you're sure." Oogway reached forward and plucked a red-and-white mint from the glass bowl. "You know, life is like a mint."

"Really? How?"

Oogway popped the candy into his mouth. He shrugged, hummed, and began to crunch at it. "I dunno," he said finally.

Po leaned back in his chair with a slight huff. So much for words of wisdom. "Alright then…"

Ooogway swallowed so loudly, it made Po cringe. "But I do know that what you're doing, or what Tai Lung is doing, isn't healthy." He reached forward to grab another mint. "Look at yourself Mr. Ping, and don't tell me you're fine. I know a beating when I see one."

Crunch crunch crunch.

Po cringed again. "Yeah, I must look pretty awful, huh?" he gestured to the whole of himself. "But I'm trying to handle this, Mr. Oogway, honestly. If I don't do anything he'll stop; you just said violence isn't the answer."

"I did, didn't I…" Oogway mumbled, and reached for his third mint. "You know, my doctor says I shouldn't chew these mints. Bad for my teeth…or," he chuckled, "lack of them." He opened his mouth, to Po's disgust, and tapped on his teeth. "Dentures, these are. The hard candy is bad for them."

And, as if he hadn't said anything at all, began to chew his mint.

He didn't say a word, just crunched in silence, while Po fixed him with a perplexed look. However, he didn't say anything. Maybe Oogway was just being weird, and that was normal for old people, right?

Crunch crunch crunch.

Po rested on the back of his chair as he realized Oogway wasn't going to say anything more. He whistled quietly, trying to drain out that annoying—

Crunch crunch crunch.

He wondered what Viper was doing. Probably thinking about how much of an idiot he was. Not that he blamed her.

Crunch. Cruuuuunch.

Good lord, how many had the old man had?

CRUNCH. CRUNCH. CRUUUUNCH—

"Principal Oogway!" Po burst out. "Don't you think you should stop?"

His principal shook his head. "No," he said lightly.

Po's eyebrow twitched. "But didn't your doctor said—"

Oogway interrupted him with a loud CRUUUNCH. "So?"

"…Sooo…you should stop."

The old man seemed to think it over. "Nah." He reached for his, what seventh?, mint…

But Po knocked his hand away from the bowl. "No," he said firmly. "It's not good for you."

Principal Oogway raised his eyebrows at the teenager.

"Oh." Po's hand retreated instantly. He smacked it to his forehead, face paling and thinking up all the consequences that could come out of smacking your principal's hand. None of them were good and each involved months in a prison of some kind. "Ohmygosh I'm so sorry!" he was nearly hyperventilating.

Oogway wasn't offended in the slightest. He laughed and pointed a finger at Po. "Calm down, boy. You see, my crunching was bothering you, right?"

"…well…maybe a little…"

"Hm." Oogway nodded, "And doing nothing didn't make me stop. But, when you became a little bit forceful, I understood that you were being serious."

Po nodded slowly, paused, and made a face. "I have no idea what you're trying to say."

"Po, doing nothing isn't the same thing as trying to remain peaceful," Oogway said patiently. "I said violence isn't the answer, but I never said that doing nothing is."

Po nodded again this time smiling. "So what you're saying is that I don't have to let Tai Lung walk all over me, 'cause that's not the only way to avoid violence?"

Oogway tapped his nose. "That about sums it up."

"So there is a method to your madness," Po said excitedly.

"Mhm." Oogway leaned forward and lace his fingers together. "Which is why I believe you should join a sports team of some sort, in case you need some force behind what you're trying to say. And please, pardon me if I'm being nosy, but this is just from what I've witnessed in the past few years."

Po shook his head, "No, you're not being nosy at all. I'll look into some teams or something…"

"That," Oogway smiled, "is a marvelous idea."

Po stood quickly, grinning. "Yeah, I'll try that. Uh, thanks Mr. Oogway. May I leave now?"

Eyes twinkling, Oogway shooed him away. "Of course boy. Would you like a mint before you leave?"

"Uh, I'll pass," Po said hurriedly. He turned to leave before pausing midstep. "Hey…could I get some advice?"

"Why of course."

A bit embarrassed, Po rubbed the back of his head. "Well, there's…this…there's this girl—" he stopped abruptly and mentally smacked himself. He wasn't going to stoop low enough to asking his principal of all people about girls.

"Nevermind," Po said quickly. Without waiting for a reply, he tripped over to the door and raced out of the office.

A sad smile on his lips, the principal sighed. He looked at the bowl of mints on his desk. "I don't even like these," he said with a hint of surprise in his tone.

Meanwhile...

Two girls sat on a green wooden bench, a mirror at the their backs. One looked livid and ready to run to her car, take her weapon, and beat it over the other girls' head. The other seemed nervous—a look that didn't fit her solemn features. She was staring at her toes peeking over the edge of her flip-flops and seemed to be thinking of the many different defense tactics she would be forced into using before the end of the meeting.

The first girl, hair braided down her back and wearing a graphic T with sweatpants, gave the appearance of an angel.

With fire in her eyes.

It was quite terrifying actually.

Well, Tigress decided as the first girl continued to give her a withering glare, good news was Viper hadn't killed her yet. Bad news…

"You're sick," the black haired girl spat. "And pathetic. And awful."

Tigress sighed. "So I've heard…"

Viper jabbed a finger in her shoulder, "That makes you sawfthetic." She paused. "Which is really insulting, just so you know."

Nodding, the taller girl attempted to swallow her annoyance. "I figured," she mumbled. "But Viper, as much as I probably deserve it—"

"Probably!"

She grimaced. "Fine, as much as I do deserve it, there are more pressing matters at hand then whether or not you chew me out." When Viper opened her mouth to speak, Tigress held up a hand. "Would you just listen to me?"

Viper frowned but gave a tight nod.

"Thank you," Tigress cleared her throat. "I just…well not just, but I need—or, eh want-" her voice cracked here "-to be…to have him- no you- no both of you…" Another grimace overtook her face. This had been a lot simpler in her head.

It didn't help that Viper was trying to hide a wide smirk—and failing horribly. To make matters worse, she stubbornly chose to stay silent and make the other girl find the words herself.

Actually blushing at how flustered she was, Tigress looked off to the side. "Stop that," she threw in, "you're not helping."

"I never agreed to help. I agreed to listen." Viper's smirk widened. "So speak."

Tigress cursed under her breath. "Fine. I…what I'm trying to say is that," she paused to inhale deeply and mentally prepare herself for a serious blow to her pride, "I want you to forgive me." There, she said it.

Viper's face was unreadable. Her eyebrows were raising and dropping periodically, while her nose flared and her eyes would glow and dim again. It was slightly unnerving, honestly, to see that number of emotions drowning a person's face in so little time.

"You don't have to answer me now," Tigress added quickly. "But I…I have to admit, I'm not the same girl I was when we were kids. Or at least, I don't act like her. I wish I did. It's not because I don't want to, or that I'm lacking in courage, but…being this now is so much easier." She sighed heavily and covered her face with her hands. "And that is at the top of the list of biggest mistakes I've made. I look more like a coward then any moron in history ever could."

Her hands dropped back into her lap with a quiet slap. Tigress felt (more then slightly) humiliated about pouring out everything within seconds to some who wanted to toss her off a cliff. Not that it wasn't necessary, it really was, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing.

Viper wasn't helping matters either. She shifted in her seat, playing with her wristband rather then looking at Tigress. It sounded like she was mumbling to herself, and kept glancing at the door, as if she wanted to leave. Finally, she sighed and looked up. "You're a horrible person," she said quietly, and it hit Tigress like a slap. "A really, really, terrible person." She looked off to the side, and Tigress found herself trying to follow her eyes. "But…I think everyone has a good side to them. And I know you have one, if you could just break through your abrasive shell." With lips drawn in a tight line, the girl fell silent.

Tigress knew what was coming next. She braced herself for the force of a kick slamming into her…

"That's why I'm going to forgive you."

Jeez, why was she taking so long—

"What?" Tigress squeaked. It wasn't a sound that she usually made, but at that moment, every part of her forgot serious, solemn, 'give me a funny look and I'll kick your ass' Tigress and replaced it with a squeaking, surprised, caught way off guard version of herself.

"Yeah, I'm crazy," Viper said. "But I will forgive you. You…well, I was probably being hard on you when I called you all those things." A short pause, and then, "Sorry, by the way. You didn't deserve that."

Tigress nodded slowly. "It's okay. I did. I do, still. In fact, I'm really surprised that you just forgave me and apologized at the same time."

Viper snorted. "I could tell. Squeaking doesn't really fit you."

Fleeting smiles met her comment. "…well," Tigress said after a beat of silence, "since that's been taken care of…there's another matter that needs to be addressed."

Viper's eyebrows rose up, but she didn't look too surprised. "I figured. You want me to help you get Po's trust back, right?"

Note to self; Viper is perceptive. Might be a mind reader. "Yeah," she mumbled. As an afterthought, she chuckled bitterly, "Doesn't that sound awful? I can't even apologize to a blubber ball the right way. Shit, I must be a failure of a human being."

"Yeah, you kind of are," Viper said as she sympathetically patted the girl's shoulder.

Tigress rolled her eyes, "You are the picture of empathy."

"Oh do stop; I'm blushing."

Impressed that Viper had met her sarcastic tone with one of her own, Tigress gave a quick laugh. "That's all fine and dandy – the insulting me part – but I still don't have a clue about what to do about…" she gulped, shut her eyes, and felt her face flushing, "Po."

Viper leaned on the back of the bench. "I don't either," she said, somehow missing that completely uncomfortable expression on Tigress' face. "He hasn't talked to me in over a week." Her face saddened considerably. "He won't talk to Mantis either. I think…something happened – beyond what Tai Lung did and what you didn't – and he blames it on me…"

Tigress shook her head firmly. "Not a chance," she said, feeling confident. "There's nothing he can blame you for, other then making his life suck a bit less."

Viper blinked, obviously taken back, and smiled slightly. "Oh, uh, thanks. I guess. Tat's reassuring."

The flush returned when Tigress spoke again, "Would you…possibly…help me make it up to him?" Hurriedly, she added, "I mean, I just need to talk to him. And I know he doesn't trust me now – hell he won't even give me the time – but if I could just say a few words…and have him listen …" she trailed off.

The idea didn't seem to settle with Viper too well. "I may forgive you, but that's doesn't mean I trust you any more then Po does."

"Please?" Tigress asked. Viper crossed her arms resolutely and looked away. "I feel bad. Guilty." She pointed at herself. "It's worse then being beat up—at least I can take medicine for that. Advil doesn't exactly cure this stupid guiltiness…"

"You think you could possibly feel worse then he does?" Viper snapped. "You weren't there when he was nearly frigging unconscious and bleeding and—" she shut up promptly, a deep frown on her face and eyes prickly with tears. "He feels worse," she whispered, following with a vehement curse and rubbing away stray tears.

Tigress felt nauseous. "I know that," she snarled, "and I'm trying to make things better."

Viper chewed her lip thoughtfully. It was obvious enough that every part of her was demanding she go get her bo staff and threaten to shove it down the other girl's throat (though there were no ideas on what the outcome of that would be) but it also seemed like a part of her was nagging at her own hypocrisy.

She was mad at Tigress for sitting there and doing nothing…and now, she was actually contemplating doing the same thing.

This girl, sitting next to her and looking downright humiliated, was so much like her childhood friend. The one that would punch someone's lights out for being even slightly rude; the one that would rather die then watch some innocent person get beat up.

The nagging spot in her brain jumped about wildly, commanding that she help this girl or so help me you'll feel this guilt in your grave.

"Damn conscious," Viper muttered. Tigress looked up, quirking an eyebrow, but had the decency to not comment on it.

Sighing, Viper leaned forward on her knees. "Listen, I'm still pissed at you—"

"I don't blame you," Tigress interrupted. She rubbed her temple; if Viper said no then she could kiss sleeping goodbye. And eating. And ever feeling like an actually person.

Damn it all; she was too young to be this stressed.

"But I'll help you," Viper said reluctantly.

Tigress blinked. She felt so relieved, it made her light-headed. "Thank you. You're really an awesome person for putting up with me, even though I'm…me."

"Damn straight," Viper nodded. "But don't be so hard on yourself. It's not like you were the one to beat him up. I don't hate you half as much as I could."

Both of them took on confused frowns. "Well, thanks then," Tigress said after a pause. "Will you be saying strange things like that often?"

The other girl shrugged and stood. "Maybe you just bring out the weird in me."

Tigress shook her head as they both walked towards the exit. "Trust me; you didn't need my help with that."

After that exchange, it was decided that Tigress would get a ride home from Viper (seeing how Shifu wouldn't answer his phone and Tigress didn't want to walk home in the heat). Tigress was about to buckle her seatbelt when her eyes narrowed. She gave Viper a perplexed look wile reaching for the bo staff resting below the windshield.

She raised it up, expression inquiring.

Viper blushed and plucked it out of her hand. "It was to, uh, end any arguments," she explained, not meeting the other girls' eyes.

Needless to say, it was an instant conversation killer.