Su's little paw held tightly on to Tigress's larger paw as the striped feline led her down the darkened corridor of the student barracks.
"Master Tigress?" Su asked nervously. "Is Po gonna be okay?"
"Yes, he'll be okay, Su." Tigress smiled warmly down at her. Her smile was pretty, and eased the child's fears somewhat. "The 'blood' on Po's head was just chilli sauce from the bottle he'd smashed earlier. He's got a bump on the head, but otherwise he'll be fine."
"Are you sure? He was screaming really loud."
"Yes, he was, wasn't he?" Tigress chuckled as she remembered Po's recent yet very memorable reaction. "We're sorry we woke you."
"It's okay, but are you sure he's not hurt really bad?" Su asked as they reached the door to her bedroom, left open when Su had rushed to the source of Po's screaming. "You said he has a bump on the head. What if he has percussion?"
"Percussion?" Tigress stared down at the child in confusion as they stepped into the bedroom.
"You know, that thing you get when you get hit on the head and your brain goes a bit screwy." Su replied. Tigress chuckled again as she realised what Su meant.
"You mean concussion, honey." She said. "Come on and I'll put you to bed."
Su obediently climbed back into her comfortable bed and allowed Tigress to pull the blanket over her.
"Your dress looks really pretty, Master Tigress." Su said after a moment.
"Thank you, Su." Tigress smiled at the compliment.
"You should dress up more often."
"I couldn't do that. The Training Hall is no place for a dress."
"Does Po like it?"
"I think so." Tigress flushed as she remembered the tiny smile growing on Po's face the first time he laid eyes on her outfit.
"Does your daddy like it?"
Tigress blinked.
"My daddy?"
"You know, Master Shifu!"
"Huh?"
"Master Po told me that Master Shifu adopted you."
"He did?"
"Yeah!"
"Huh..." Tigress gently pushed Su's head back onto her pillow and got up to leave. "Get some sleep, Su."
"Goodnight!"
"Goodnight." Tigress quietly shut the door behind her and made her way back to the kitchen.
When she reached the kitchen, she found the Dragon Warrior still sitting at the table, holding a bag full of ice to his head.
"How are you feeling, Po?" Tigress asked with an amused smile.
"Head still hurts like heck." Po sighed. "At least I'm not bleeding."
"Let me take another look."
"Okay, but be careful."
Po lowered the ice bag and his heart skipped a beat as Tigress's hard but warm paws wrapped around the sides of his head, pulling him forward into a leaning position so that she could get a better look.
"Hmmm..." Tigress very slightly touched the bump with the tip of a finger, making him wince. "Perhaps we should take you to the healer."
"Nah, we don't need the healer!" Po leaned back and pressed the ice bag to his head again when Tigress let go. "Like I said, I've bumped my head before."
"Okay, if you're sure... but you should at least get some rest." Tigress replied. "Do you want me to walk you to your room?"
Po nodded and got up from his chair, gritting his teeth as the movement send fresh waves of pain through his cranium. Together the panda and the tiger left the kitchen and headed down the corridor.
"By the way, Tigress, sorry for overreacting before." Po said after a few moments, keeping his voice down so as to not wake Su for the second time in a row. "But if it had actually been blood, then it would have been the first time I've made myself bleed."
"Really?" Tigress asked.
"Yup, for as long as I can remember, the worst injury I've ever gotten from being a clumsy idiot was a bruise on my butt the size of Shifu's tail." Po said. "Can you blame me for freaking out?"
"Sorry, but no." Tigress chuckled as Po pouted. "It was the most childish reaction to a little bit of 'blood' I'd ever seen."
"Remind to to apologise to Su for waking her up in the morning."
"Will do."
They stopped outside Po's door.
"I think I'll turn in too." Tigress said as she stifled a yawn. "See you in the morning, Po." She turned towards her own door.
"Goodnight, Tigress." Po replied and did the same.
He was opening the door, secretly wishing that his time with Tigress had ended a bit differently, when-
"Po?"
Po turned back round.
"Yeah?"
Tigress hesitated before continuing.
"That little tea party before..." She said slowly. "Was that supposed to be a date?"
The temperature in Po's cheeks rose so high that he actually began sweating. He began wringing his paws as his brain desperately searched for an appropriate answer to give to the curious feline.
The honest-to-god answer was that he had no idea. When he had first invited Tigress into the kitchen for tea, he thought he had been doing it to cheer her up after she had gotten so distressed at the Winter Feast. But now that she had asked that totally unexpected question, it occurred to the panda that he may have had asked her out for the second time that night and didn't even realise it.
I am so dead.
Tigress gazed at Po with with wondrous gold and crimson eyes, waiting patiently for his answer.
He gazed back with his own emerald green eyes, and finally decided to tell her the truth. The whole truth. And nothing but the truth that the tea party probably had been a date.
He took a deep breath, hoped that the redness in his cheeks wasn't too vivid, opened his mouth, and...
Rrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmbllllllleee ...
Po and Tigress's eyes widened and they stared down at the panda's belly, which was actually quivering with the force of the grumbling of Po's stomach.
The temperature in Po's cheeks rose higher than ever and he slammed his mouth shut, utterly mortified. The timing of it all was so perfect that it appeared as though the sound had come from Po's own mouth. He clapped his paws over his mouth, dropping the ice bag in the process, unable to bring himself to look at Tigress. He closed his eyes, waiting for the feline to start teasing.
"Heh..."
A familiar sound met Po's ears.
"Heh... heheheh..."
Po opened his eyes. That sound sounded anything but teasing.
"Heheheh... ha... hahahaha..."
When he turned back to face Tigress, he was stunned to see her nearly doubled over, clutching her sides to keep from laughing too hard. Her eyes were screwed shut, and her lips were curled into the most genuine, happy, wonderful smile Po had ever seen. His heart almost melted at the sight of her, and he was almost disappointed when Tigress eventually managed to regain control of herself.
When she had finally stopped laughing, Tigress straightened up to face Po properly. She was still smiling widely.
"What-" She let out a small giggle. "What, so ten courses at a Winter Feast wasn't enough?"
"I should probably get a snack before I turn in." Po mumbled, still stunned by what he had just witnessed. "Do you wanna join me?"
"No thank you." Tigress replied. "By the way, Po, that trick you did with the ropes was really good. If you keep at it, then maybe one day it will be worthy enough to be applied in combat."
"Thanks for the encouragement, but I'm not quite flexible enough." Po sighed.
"Then make yourself more flexible." Tigress replied. She put a paw on Po's shoulder. "Remember, the meaning of kung fu is 'excellence of self'. Keep training until you get to the level you need to reach in order to achieve what you want."
Po nodded in understanding.
"Understood." He said.
"Good." Tigress lowered her paw. "Now get a snack and I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Tigress." Po replied in a small voice as Tigress stepped into her room and shut the door behind her.
With a sigh, he slowly made his way back to the kitchen.
He was just beginning to consider cooking a bowl of noodles when nineteen words which had just been uttered his face moment before hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Keep training until you get to the level you need to reach in order to achieve what you want."
That's it!
If it wasn't for the fact that Su was sleeping nearby, Po would have started dancing on the squeaky floorboards.
If Tigress deserves a better man, then I will train to become that better man.
Po grinned and silently pumped his fist in the air, wondering why he hadn't decided this before.
Earlier that night, after botching his first attempt to ask her out, Po had decided that he was not worthy of someone like Master Tigress. Now, he was cursing himself for giving up so quickly.
He would avoid short cuts. He would avoid cheating.
If he had a chance... the tiniest chance... of winning her hand... then he would do whatever it took to earn it.
He would train harder in his kung fu.
He would go on a diet.
He would take baths three times a week instead of once.
He would get some new pants.
He would improve himself in every way possible.
Starting tomorrow, he would begin training to become someone better.
Rrrmmmbbbllleee...
But first he would get a snack.
Po put a paw over his complaining gut and resumed his walk to the palace kitchen.
Masters Storming Ox, Croc, and Boar were gathered next to one of the large pillars of the Hall of Warriors, conversing about goings ons back in Gongmen City, when they were interrupted by the appearance of Emperor Xian.
"I'm sorry for intruding..." Xian said sincerely as the three masters bowed in respect. "You are the Master's Council, correct?"
"We are, your excellency." Croc, the elected leader of the council after the death of Master Thundering Rhino, answered reverently.
"I trust you have already read the report from General Tujiu." Xian said. "What are your thoughts?"
"You'll find the full details of our opinions in this scroll." Croc pulled out a small paper scroll from the silver robes he was wearing for the feast. "We'd tell you with our own mouths, but my friend Ox here has a habit of using coarse language when expressing negative feelings."
"I won't deny it." Ox chuckled.
"May I?" Xian took the scroll, opened it, and began to read. What he read made him smile. "Good. I was hoping you would see it that way."
"Please understand that what is written in the scroll is a matter of opinion." Ox said. "As emperor, you are the only one who can authorise this kind of action."
"Well I agree whole heartedly with what you have said here..." Xian closed the scroll and tucked it into his robes. "But I have decided to give him one more chance. It will take roughly sixteen days to travel from here to the Himalayas. I will give him that, and an additional three days, to bring the situation to a satisfactory conclusion. If he fails... well..."
"Understood." Boar said. "We will not question your decision, your greatness."
"That will be all." Xian said. "By the way, Master Boar, I think Master Monkey may wish to speak with you in private."
"He does?" Boar didn't sound surprised.
"You should find him just outside the entrance doors."
"Thank you, your highness." Boar bowed. Xian excused himself and headed off in the direction of Princess Haoxin, Zu Chunhua, Zan and Lu Kang, who were gathered near the moon pool. "Excuse me..."
Boar politely excused himself and headed off in the direction of the entrance doors. He exited the hall, and sure enough, Monkey was standing by the stone rail to the left of the top of the stairs.
"Master Monkey..."
Monkey looked up.
"There you are." He said without smiling. "I was looking all over for you."
"Sorry about that. I was told that you wanted to speak to me." Boar stepped forward until he and Monkey were three feet apart. The winter air was cool, and a soft breeze ruffled Monkey's fur and Boar's mohawk.
"Yes." Monkey said. "I did."
"If it's about the sword, then I apologise." Boar sighed. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories..."
"No, it's not that." Monkey said. "I just wanted to thank you for delivering it to me. I'm thankful that some last remnant of my father's was retrieved from that place."
"You're welcome." Boar said, feeling relieved.
"But I'm curious..." Monkey said. "What were you doing way up there in the mountains?"
"It wasn't me. a group of soldiers were travelling. They came across the place where the..." He hesitated. "The incident happened..."
Unbelievably huge, impossibly tall, covered in dark fur splattered in blood. A long slit on its chest looked like it had been cut by a dao sword...
"... and discovered the sword while salvaging for extra supplies. Someone eventually recognised the significance of the sword, and sent it back to the nearest army camp. A while later, I travelled to said camp while on a mission. I recognised the sword the second I set eyes on it, and decided that it should be sent straight to you."
"Ah, now I understand..." Monkey replied with a small smile. "Again, thank your for sending it to me."
"Again, you're welcome." Boar said with a similarly friendly expression. Then said expression changed. "Monkey... about what the Emperor wants..."
"Huh?"
"I'm not allowed to say anything... but I want you to assure me that no matter what happens... no matter what you find out..."
"What are you talking about?"
"... that you won't do anything stupid."
Monkey blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean something stupid?"
"Say it."
"But-"
"Say it!
"Okay, I'll behave!" Monkey said in exasperation. "But what are you talking about?"
"You'll find out from your master tomorrow." Boar said simply. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait until then to understand."
"Master Boar, I don't..."
Suddenly the door opened and Master Ox poked his head out.
"Boar, are you done out here?" He exclaimed. "Master Sheep's had a bit too much and I think he's about to start dancing! You don't want to miss this, believe me!"
He disappeared back inside the hall.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go." Boar said. "Remember what I've told you."
"But Boar..." Monkey trailed off as Boar vanished through the entrance door.
Don't do anything stupid? What did he mean by that? Monkey thought in confusion. Does whatever the Emperor wants have something to do with me?