-Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda or any of it's characters.-

New Feelings, New Ambitions

Part 6

Another day was dawning over the Jade Palace. The gong had been rung, the students greeted their master, and now they were preparing for their day.

Shifu had said that today was a "free day". That meant nothing like it sounded. The Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior still had to train today, they were just allowed to choose any method they wished, and if anyone was caught goofing off, they were given the most tedious chores.

Tigress had decided to spend her day doing basic training. She was preparing in her room when she heard Po's door open across the hall. Her ears twitched, tentatively waiting for another sound. She found herself wishing that he would knock on her door again. Regrettably, she only heard the sound of his feet padding down the hallway, away from her.

Tigress frowned when she could no longer hear Po. She almost felt cheated, just from Po not greeting her personally.

Wait… no… that is selfish. Po has his own training to attend to, he doesn't need to spend time chatting with me…. Still… it would've been nice to talk to him. Tigress left her room and began walking towards the training hall.

The wind was high that morning. It whipped ever which way around her, and forced her fur to form waves across her body. She felt a chill run up her spine when a gust swept across her shoulders, slipping under her vest. She had made it to the training hall by the time the sensation had past. She opened the door and found that no one else was there. Perfect. She enjoyed having the course to herself. She set down her bag and got ready.

Tigress stretched for a moment, loosening her muscles and joints. She lifted hourglass from her bag and she placed it on the ground. She shook out her arms and legs while closing her eyes. She crouched into a pounce position, took a breath, and exhaled.

The world was silent, she was all there was, her path was set. She opened her eyes and lunged forward. The twisting logs began rolling beneath her, she expertly leaped from one to the next, dodging the wooden spike clubs that feel to meet her. After smashing three of the clubs, she vaulted onto the turtle bowl. She held her balance while rolling from angle to angle striking defensive poses. She rolled once more and flipped into the rotating fists. She blocked and countered every last blow before cartwheeling over the furnace. She listened for the sound of the heat escaping the pipes, and effortlessly dodged every flame that attempted to singe her fur. She surged into the air and swung on and through the Seven-Talon Rings. She quietly landed right where she had started and flipped the hourglass.

A new record. Tigress thought, pleased with her performance.

"Woooooaaaah."

A voice startled Tigress and she whirled around to find Po standing at the entrance to the training hall.

"That….was….AWESOME! I've never seen anyone complete that course that fast on their own! That must've broken a record or something! Wow!" He was running around in circles and pumping his arms in the air like he often did when he was excited.

Tigress watched Po. How long had he been standing there? His dance was spinning closer and closer towards her until he had stopped only a couple feet away from her.

"You are so amazing Tigress! That was so cool! I can't believe how awesome that was." He was beaming at her. His face was full of joy and his smile shared that with her.

Tigress gazed at Po. She felt so warm around him, and he was so genuine. She took a step forward. Looking up at him, she took another step.

Po looked confused, but his smile didn't fade. "Tigress?"

She was so close to him, she smiled up at him and said, "Thank you Po."

She closed the gap and reached around Po. She hugged him, not like she had in the prison, but softly, simply holding him. She let her face rest on his chest, and she herd his heart beat. It was strong, a deep comforting sound, but was also beating very, very fast.

She felt his arms lift around her and then they closed over her back.

"You're welcome." Po managed to finally say.

They stood there for a while, holding each other. Tigress nuzzled a bit into Po's fur. She felt so perfect. He felt warm and safe, and he smelled amazing. She let out a sigh of absolute content and relaxed.

Po loosened his grip and stepped back, letting his hands rest on her shoulders. He was looking at her the same way he was last night.

Tigress smiled at him and asked, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be training?"

Po grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. A blush spotted his cheeks, visible through his white fur. "I was going to start training in here but you had beaten me to it." He laughed a bit. "I'll just go meditate in the Dragon Cavern, you stay here and keep being awesome." He turned and started to walk towards the door.

Tigress felt her smile fade and her chest began to clench again seeing him go. She had just begun to turn when Po called out, "Oh, and Tigress?"

She quickly spun to meet his eyes. "Yes?" She was hanging on what he was about to say, curious to no end.

The panda made a soft smile and said, "That was really nice, thank you." And with that he shut the door.

Tigress felt like she was floating. She could feel her cheeks were as hot as ever, and she had goose bumps beneath her fur.

Yes, that was really nice.

-And behold, Part 6! This one was fun to write, I'll tell you that. I love this so much even I got all warm and fuzzy writing about that hug. Well I hope you guys enjoy reading as much as I did writing! Please comment and review! One of the best parts about this is hearing from fellow Po x Ti fans. Thanks again for reading! Until next time!-