Po laid the unconscious Tigress down on the stone slab. He checked her stitches once more, and once he was sure that they were fine, he turned to Monkey, his expression sour.

They had found what was probably one of the best hiding spots in the city: an underground crypt that was so dark Po had no idea how big it was. Po and Monkey had come across the entrance while running through the streets of the city. At some point they must have taken a wrong turn, because they had found themselves in the gardens, overgrown but still full of delicious produce. After running through the gardens and escaping through the exit at the far side, they came across a cemetery and discovered the entrance in a mausoleum that was as big as Mr. Ping's restaurant.

And that was were they were now, panting heavily after such a long run, Po even more so from carrying Tigress all the way. They were standing just inside the mausoleum building, which housed the slab Tigress was currently lying on and two depressions in the wall where two empty caskets sat, concealed by two faded white curtains. There was also a stone trapdoor in the floor, which when opened revealed a staircase that led down to the crypt. Since there was no light in the crypt, Po and Monkey had chosen to stay above ground.

Po was about to speak when he changed his mind, ripped off the curtain covering the upper casket, and draped it over Tigress like a blanket.

Then he turned back to Monkey.

"I don't think it will find us here." He said.

Monkey nodded, slightly, well aware that Po was still angry. He glanced at the door, wondering if he should run for it.

"Don't even think about it." Po said quietly. Monkey sighed and turned away from the door. He crossed his arms and learned against the wall.

"Three or four days ago, Master Shifu gave you a direct order." Po said. "A direct order that you would not do something totally stupid, abandon us and get us killed. Why did you disobey him?"

"Because that monster killed my father."

"And Shen killed my mom, but that didn't stop me from being there for my friends when they needed me! What were you planning to do when you found it, huh? Did you even have a strategy?! You could have gotten yourself killed, let alone us!"

"As a matter of fact, I did have a plan!" Monkey replied coldly. "But as it turned out, the Yeti had an antidote to the poison arrow I shot it with."

Po's expression did not change.

"And what was plan B?"

Monkey shrugged.

"Dammit, Monkey!" Po slammed his fist against the wall, cracking it. For a moment, he continued to glare at Monkey… and then his cheeks puffed up as he fought not to scream. Once the pain subsided, he resumed his glaring. "Monkey, you've seen what that monster's capable of! I know it killed your dad, but seriously, what were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking about how that murderer destroyed my family. See, that's what makes this situation different than what happened with Shen! All you wanted from Shen was answers. You didn't know that he'd destroyed the village where you were born. You didn't know what he'd done, and how much he screwed up your life. You didn't have to live with the memory of the night you lost everything. You don't know what it's like to know that the one who screwed you over is still living, for so long avoiding the consequences of their actions."

Po's glare faltered. He hadn't thought of that.

But then he remembered that hellish stormy night where he found Tigress bleeding and dying in the snow, and his eyes narrowed.

"That doesn't give you the right to put your own grudge before the lives of everyone in the fortress." He replied.

Monkey laughed humorlessly.

"You're one to talk. Aren't you forgetting that time when you went after Shen when Tigress told you not to, ruining our plan to stop Shen's army and nearly getting us all killed?" He demanded.

"No, and not a day goes by that I don't beat myself up over it!" Po retorted. "Because of you, Tigress is probably scarred for life, Viper, Mantis and Crane are god knows where, and with most of us gone from the fortress Shifu, Emperor Xian, Su and the rest are in danger!"

"You didn't have to go after me!" Monkey said. "If you'd just stayed in the fortress and let me be, none of this would have happened!"

"Oh, like you and the others let the powder kegs blow up and kill me just so you could stop Shen?" Po replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Monkey stiffened.

"Yeah, Tigress told me about your plan to blow up the factory using powder kegs that time she was yelling at me for disobeying her." Po said. "She also mentioned that when you saw me fighting Shen, you were the first to start putting out the barrels. If you were so willing to put my life over completing the mission, then what the heck made you think that I wouldn't do the same? If you had really thought things through, you would have known that if you left we'd just come after you."

Monkey grimaced.

"Aw just forget it!" Po snapped suddenly and turned away. "Arguing isn't going to help us or Tigress. Now shut up and let me think!"

The pair of them sat down on the floor, weary and deep in thought. Po glanced at Tigress, wondering how in the hell he was going to get her back to the fortress in her current condition. The city wasn't safe, and there was no telling if the Yeti was still around. He hoped she would wake up soon. She usually knew what to do.

Monkey, meanwhile, took to thinking about the events that had brought him to this place, which had been strokes of luck more than anything. The first stroke of luck happened when the storm finally passed, and he'd waited until daybreak before venturing outside. Because of the blizzard the landscape was very different from what it was a couple of days ago, and he'd had to take a wild guess as to which direction he should travel in. Said direction turned out to be a lucky hunch, for after a few hours he'd reached the base of a hundred foot high cliff where he made a surprising discovery. Half buried in the ground had been items he recognized from the Yeti's person: a knife the size of his forearm, some pieces of metal, and a small bottle half full with a dark colored fluid that smelled of fruit mixed with spicy herbs.

The bottle had resembled the bottle he had seen the Yeti ingest the poison antidote with, but this bottle was slightly smaller and colored black. There were words in Nepali etched into the bottle: Gambhīra cōṭa lāgi- for severe injuries. Monkey had remembered the neck wound Master Eagle Jr. had inflicted on the Yeti and how it had vanished only the next day, and he risked a small sip.

And in minutes the cuts and bruises he'd sustained from traversing the treacherous landscape had disappeared without a trace.

Monkey had pocketed the bottle of healing elixir and continued on his way, and soon he'd experienced his second stroke of luck. He'd spotted a speck in the far distance, which upon closer examination turned out to be his quarry, pulling a large sack full of lumpy objects out of a crack in the ground. After the disastrous first attempt with the poison arrow, Monkey had reluctantly chosen not to attack right away, instead following at a safe distance to see if it would lead him to its lair. The Yeti had eventually led him to a concealed opening in the mountainside, and after an endless journey through a dark tunnel in which he'd lost track of his father's killer, he'd ended up in the last place he'd expected: a massive city covered in overgrown vegetation.

"What the heck is this place, anyway?" Monkey asked out loud.

"Shambhala." Po replied simply.

"Get out of here."

Po didn't answer, not that Monkey cared much whether or not it was true. He was more worried about the cold shoulder the panda was giving him right now.

The primate glanced at Tigress. He knew her enough to know that she must be very badly injured to be in her current condition.

"What happened to her?" Monkey asked.

"She's been clawed along the torso, and you know darn well what did it."

Monkey remembered the size of the Yeti's claws and his heart sank.

It's because of me.

The only reason she had been injured at all was because she had joined Po's little search party. Knowing her, she probably spear-headed the whole thing. And now there she was, Master Tigress, the strongest person he knew, lying motionless on the stone slab, stricken with what Monkey could only guess were pretty horrific wounds.

"I messed up. There I said it."

Monkey wasn't saying that just so Po would stop being angry at him. Now that he had seen what had happened to Tigress, what had probably happened to Viper and the others, he felt horrible, very stupid at how totally brainless he had acted. Though he didn't regret trying to kill his father's murderer, there was no doubt in his mind that abandoning his friends and allies when they needed him most had been a mistake.

Po turned to face Monkey.

"Took you long enough." He said.

"I should have stayed with you. That monster would have attacked us sooner or later. I could have gotten it then without putting you all in danger."

Tigress stirred. Po rushed to her side, but it was evident that she wasn't going to wake up just yet.

"I'm sorry, Po." Monkey said pleadingly. "I never meant for any of this."

"Forget it." Po said. "All that matters now is getting Tigress out of here and back to the fortress so she can get a proper doctor." Monkey saw him stroke her cheek with his thumb. The panda was clearly worried. It would probably be weeks before she would be strong enough to make the journey down the mountain, and with a nearly invincible killer on the loose neither she nor the fortress may last until then.

But perhaps they may not have to wait that long.

Monkey pulled out the bottle the Yeti had dropped.

"You know how I followed the Yeti here?" Monkey asked.

Po didn't reply, his eyes still on Tigress's still body.

"Well, while I was tracking it, I found this at the bottom of a cliff. I think it may have dropped this."

Po turned round, and saw the bottle.

"What's that?"

"I think it's some kind of healing potion. Remember that neck wound Master Eagle gave it?"

"I think it's Eagle Jr." Po said. Suddenly he gasped and snatched the bottle out of Monkey's hand.

"A healing potion? Are you freakin' serious?!"

"If you give it to Tigress, she would probably be ready to go down in a few days, tops."

Po stared at the bottle in his paws as if it were the last almond cookie on earth. Monkey hoped it would be enough.

"What are we going to do about Viper, Crane and Mantis?" Monkey said. "I haven't seen them since I left."

"If they're not in the fortress by the time I get Tigress there, I'll go back out and look for them." Po said. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to finish what I started." Monkey replied, his eyes hardening.

Po stared at Monkey in dismay.

"You can't be serious!"

"This isn't about my father anymore! That monster has hurt you, Tigress and probably hurt Viper, Crane and Mantis, too! And it's probably getting ready to finish the job as we speak! I'm not going to let it hurt anyone ever again! I'm going to end this, whether you like it or not!" Po was wide-eyed, paws clutching the bottle tightly. "Besides, I can draw it away from you, make sure it doesn't find you here. Then once Tigress is healed you can get her back to the fortress where it'll be a little safer."

Po sighed deeply.

"I'm never gonna change your mind, am I?" He asked.

Monkey merely stared at him. Po sighed again, and set the bottle down on the slab next to Tigress.

"Fine. Go ahead." He said. "There's no point in trying to stop you."

Monkey cast his gaze down to the stone ground. He knew Po was hurting inside, and once again it was Monkey's fault. The panda was so easy to read: anger, fear and hope, all mixed up to form the furrowed brow, narrowed eyes and pressed lips that made up Po's expression.

"Po, I can still set things right." Monkey said. "Please trust me."

Suddenly Po lunged.

Monkey nearly struck out in self-defense, but found himself engulfed by Po's large furry arms. The panda's grip was tight, but painless.

"Po?"

just as quickly, Po released him. His green eyes were glimmering.

"Just come back alive so I can kill you!" Po snapped.

Monkey smiled shrewdly. He folded his arms teasingly.

"If you're going to threaten me, then I will make no such promises."

Po's grim face faltered.

"The passage I came in from is in the rock wall next to the gardens, in case you want to know." Monkey said as he headed towards the door. "Hey, do you have any weapons?"

Po shook his head.

"Okay, take this." Monkey unstrapped his crossbow and handed it over. "As it turns out, it's not very good at killing Yetis. But if the Yeti does turn up, this might distract it long enough for you to grab Tigress and run. The arrows are poisoned, so be careful."

Po took the crossbow and smiled ruefully.

"Thanks, brother."

Not even an exaggeration could help Monkey describe how relieved he felt to hear Po say that.

"See ya… brother." Monkey said.

And then he left.

Po put down the crossbow and returned to Tigress's side. Now that Monkey was gone, he could risk waking Tigress without her getting angry and injuring herself further.

Po lightly tapped on Tigress's face with his paw.

"Tigress… Tigress."

She murmured. Po slapped a little harder until she opened her eyes.

"Po?" She asked softly. "What… happened?"

"You blacked out." Po said matter-of-factly. "I told you not to exert yourself."

"Sorry…" She looked at her surroundings with displeasure. "Where are we?"

"Inside a mausoleum. We had to hide from the Yeti, but I think it's gone now."

Tigress was dismayed.

"It's still alive?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. I don't think it will find us here."

Tigress didn't seem assured, but suddenly a bright fire lit up in her eyes and she bared her teeth.

"Where's Monkey?" She demanded. Even though she had just woken, she looked ready to start ripping throats.

"He's still missing." Po lied, taking a huge risk.

"What? but I saw him just before everything went black!"

"I didn't see anything. I don't think we're going to find him any time soon." He quickly stopped wringing his paws and hoped that she hadn't noticed.

Tigress frowned, unsure of herself.

"But… but I just saw him…"

"You must have imagined it!" Po said quickly, and he grabbed the bottle. "Hey, look what I found!"

"What is it?"

"A healing potion. If you drink this, we'll be able to get back to the fortress in no time!"

Tigress snatched out at the bottle, but then shouted in pain from the movement and gripped her side.

"Hey! Easy!" Po yelped. "Please tell me you haven't burst your stitches!"

"No…" Tigress hissed, eyes screwed shut in agony. "Sorry, Po… I should have been… more careful…"

"It's okay. It's okay, Tigress."

"Give me that bottle."

Po did as he was told. Fighting to maintain her focus despite the pain, Tigress uncorked the bottle and brought it to her nose.

"What are you doing?" Po asked.

"Making sure there's nothing harmful in this bottle."

"You can tell just by sniffing it?"

Tigress gazed at Po, who was staring back with wide eyes full of awe.

"As a kung fu master, sometimes we are tasked with protecting very important people." Tigress said, even though she knew Po knew that. "There are times when we have to check food and drink for poison, and sniffing for strange odors is the first step we take."

"Awesome." Po whispered. "Is there anything you can't do?"

Tigress didn't bother answering, and returned to sniffing the bottle.

"Unbelievable…" She muttered.

"What's unbelievable?"

"I can't identify any of the ingredients in this fluid." Tigress said. "Except for this one herb… Valerian."

"What's Valerian?"

"It's a plant that when ingested acts as a sedative. It's probably added to help the patient endure the pain of severe wounds during the healing process."

Po wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.

"Are you saying that if you drink this, you could fall asleep?" He asked.

"Probably. Chances are there are other sleepiness-inducing plants in here."

Po grabbed the bottle.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this!" He said. "How long would you be asleep for?"

"With Valerian, probably a few hours." Tigress said. "And that's if I fall asleep at all."

"Just a few hours?" Po asked weakly, fear setting in. If Tigress did fall asleep… would she wake up again?

Tigress seemed to realize what he was thinking.

"Po, I highly doubt this will kill me." Tigress said. "Just as long as I don't drink too much."

The small doubt in her eyes made Po reach out and touch her face.

She barely showed a reaction to the black fingertips brushing the coarse but soft fur of her temple, but there was the tiniest of smiles. Po realized with amazement that she was actually enjoying the affection. And so was he, at least in that he was being allowed to display how much he cared for her.

"Tigress?"

"Yes?"

Po held up the bottle.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Yes." Tigress said gently. "It's the only way we'll be able to get back to the fortress at any rate."

Against his better judgment, Po gave her back the bottle.

"Just have a sip, okay?" Po said. "And we'll see how it goes."

Tigress nodded. She looked a little apprehensive as she slowly lifted the bottle to her lips. She sipped at the elixir inside. She set the bottle down on the slab's surface beside her.

Po held his breath. Tigress stared up at the ceiling.

"This might take a while." Tigress eventually said.

She looked a little nervous, and who wouldn't be. At any moment she would drift off into deep sleep from which she might never wake up from.

Po leaned across the slab and slid his arm beneath her head, acting as a pillow once more. The least he could do was make her comfortable.

"Tigress, can I ask you something?' He said, trying to pass the time. "What did you do with that green dress after the winter feast?"

"It's still in my room." Tigress said. She seemed grateful for Po's attempt as leisurely conversation. "I didn't have time to store it properly before we left the valley. Why do you ask?"

"If you were wearing it right now, people would think you're Chang'e, fallen from the sky like a bright and beautiful shooting star." The words came out of Po's mouth before he could stop himself.

Tigress looked at him strangely.

Po closed his eyes.

"That sounded a lot less cheesy in my head."

"You're comparing me to the goddess of the moon?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Why a goddess?"

"Well, my first thought was a flower, but I thought you deserved a better comparison."

Tigress looked so happy in that moment, as if her most burning question had been answered. Then her eyelids drooped and she instinctively reached up and gripped the front of Po's coat.

"It's… happening." She murmured.

Po knew at once what she was talking about, and it alarmed him that it had taken effect so quickly. He gently draped his paw over the orange ones gripping his coat as Tigress desperately fought to stay conscious for just a little longer.

"P-Po… could you do something… for me?"

"What is it?"

"Take me back to the cave… it's warmer there… and I don't want to be… cold… anymore."

"Uhhh… am I getting a double meaning?"

"Yes."

"Are you referring both to your near-death by hypothermia and your old ice queen personality?"

"Yes."

Tigress was getting weaker. Po lifted her head up with the paw he was holding beneath it.

"Don't worry, I'll get you there, Tigress. When you wake up, I'll make you some more soup. We'll eat, we'll be warm, just like you want. Then we can go down the mountain together."

Tigress was slipping away with each word, but her gentle happy smile remained the same.

"It was a date… wasn't it? Not just a tea party."

"Yeah." Po said with a sad smile of his own. "But like someone like you could ever fall for someone like me."

He was suddenly aware that Tigress was trying to pull him closer towards her, despite her fading strength. He brought his upper body forward so their faces were fairly close together. He could see just how much her eyes looked like polished amber stones, right down to the little dark brown flecks.

"Po…" Her voice was barely a whisper. "Someone… like me… is more… than capable… of falling… for someone… like you…"

Tigress closed her eyes and Po closed his as they both leaned in.