Breathing hurt. Her feet were burning, Stabbing pain shot up her spine. The heat was unbearable.

But Tigress had to keep moving.

She couldn't see where she was going anymore, but it was move or die now. In the seemingly far distance, Po was moving forward, but Tigress made herself move forward so she wouldn't fall too far behind.

Come on, Tigress. You've faced worse. Keep going. For Viper. For Crane. For Monkey. For Mantis. For Po. Run.

It felt like the pain would never end. Maybe they would be soaked up by the lava. What a boring method of death.

Not that Tigress thought about her method of death often.

Everything felt dire, hopeless. The game had been lost, and the enemy had won... Maybe they would save Po. Maybe he would be deemed too innocent... mentally unstable.

The world was blurry, now. The edges of her vision were lined with a darkness, a darkness that was crawling in slowly, with specklings pattering around her sight. The end was nigh...

Oh.. oh! It made sense, obviously! In an evil, twisted way, it was genius. Use the volcano to kill off the weaklings, then the others together for a fight. After all, if there were warriors killing one another, they were more focused on their own survival, and would stop at nothing to win, even if it meant killing others. So there would be an end, eventually, as it is far more scarring to watch people kill each other than nature kill us.

"PO!"

"TIGRESS!" Still racing forwards, he turned his head to answer her call

"KEEP GOING!"

"I AM!" He yelled back, as if it weren't already obvious.

Gradually and extremely gently, the heat seemed to die off slightly, and the air became more breathable. Still, they kept on moving, for if not there was still an imposing risk. By now, they had entered a rocky terrain, with little help in terms of shelter and sites to hide. There was a slight curve upwards, which they followed. A few hours of hiking, the air had cleared and they both felt cooler. Choosing a pile of rocks to rest temporarily in, Tigress spun around, before letting her knees buckle until she disgracefully lay across a flatter area. In this time, she let her eyes gaze at Po, who was sitting on a rock, lost staring in the distance. It was getting darker, and both felt the cold.

All of the forest had been destroyed, as had the jungle. Unless you were already in them, or could afford to take a large detour through the rocks, the mountains weren't an option. They were actually quite high up over the arena - the gentle curve wasn't visible from the middle of the arena, where she'd been brought into this sick and deadly game.

This sick and deadly game called life.

Faces were appearing on the screen now. Oh god, it was awful, so many faces that she would never see again.

The pain truly sank it's teeth in when Viper appeared. She was probably the most innocent and lovely member of the five (Po wasn't counted), it was like having a little sibling you adored being torn from you.

It didn't hurt you, no.

It drove you insane. It made you thirst for blood, for others to understand what you've just gone through. It wasn't a far off comparison, Master Tigress and the Volcano. Burning. Death. For Viper.

And then the awful numbness of no return. There just isn't anything left. They won't be back, however hard you try, no matter what you do, they're forever gone. An emptiness impossible to fill, a thirst impossible to quench.. Except you don't want the emptiness to be filled, the thirst to be quenched. You just... can't, anymore.

If Po too had died, Tigress would've gladly killed herself. There would be no point anymore. She almost felt suicidal already. But she needed to live, and stay trong for Po. If it came down to the two of them, she would welcome death with open arms.

To think this is what the grand, cold but majestic Master Tigress and Tiger style Kung Fu has become. A suicidal, empty soul, wishing for the end, the only dignity she retains is being put into keeping Po alive. Desperately wandering amongst the dead.

All in the space of a few days.

Po was cold, and so was she. But Po still had some hope, maybe, which drove them both on. Tigress, to save her best-friend the Dragon Warrior. Po, to keep Tigress alive.

"You know, I hate them now. For killing all these people. It's horrible." Barely registering Po had spoken, Tigress nodded, gazing at what her world had become. All she knew was it was awful, and would only get worse. "You, uh, okay?" A pointless question, as both of them were so obviously not, but Tigress nodded again to keep the panda's appetite for knowing everything at bay. "Look, uh, I know you don't really wanna talk, but I think you'll want these." He took something that was coated in ash, blew gently on it until it was once again a pearly white, and placed it firmly in her palm. Staring down at it, Tigress knew instantly what the flower was. A magnolia flower. What Po was implying and the meaning of the plant's beauty did not fly past her, by any means.

"Th-thank you." Her whisper blended in with the air around herself, but they were both content with that. Tigress took Po's paw in her own, and cradled in there, with her other paw holding the gentle flower. A calming breeze blew gently upon the pair, as the night began, and Tigress knew what to do. Holding out the beautiful plant, she kissed it gently on a petal, then threw it to the wind, watching it fly away in a little dance. "Goodbye, sister."

a/n: MY EMOTIONS! :( Okay, I will try and update during the holidays, but I cannot promise anything. Expect weekend updates. I would reccomend listening to Tomorrow will be Kinder (Secret Sisters) whilst reading this, especially the end. Maybe, a brighter day will come Tigress and Po's way, and tomorrow will be kinder to them. Please review, as it helps me improve and the feeling when you get a review is, well, INDESCRIBABLE HAPPINESS AND LOVE! Thank you, please follow for more, and goodnight.