A Sense of Purpose

Chapter 7: Lady Tigress

"Hm, tougher than expected," Tai Lung muttered, giving the five unconscious Kung Fu fighters a light frown. They had almost defeated him here at the bridge, and he had only managed to turn the fight around by using a slightly dirty trick. Though my training and stamina also played a key role, he added and looked back at the incredible distance he had catapulted himself across.

"I like your fighting style, actually."

The voice made him whirl around. Tigress? I paralyzed her and knocked her out! How can she still be conscious? "Didn't I just tell you that-" He froze. "...Tigress?" The person in front of him most definitely was Master Tigress, but yet... it wasn't. Tai Lung cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.

"Like what you see?" the female fighter asked, idly stroking her pink kimono with the cherry blossom pattern. Even during this utterly surreal moment, Tai Lung noticed that it emphasized her figure nicely.

"Wha..." He glanced past her and saw the real Tigress lying on the ground, just like he had left her. Then he gave the feline in front of him a look. "Who... how...?"

"Does that matter?" the second Tigress asked and batted her long eyelashes. "I'm here, you're here... and together, we can claim what is rightfully yours! The Dragon Scroll!" She took his hand and beamed.

Tai Lung gave her a long stare. Finally, he groaned. "This is just a dream, isn't it?"

Lady Tigress giggled in the most girlish way possible. "Of course it is, silly!" She stepped forward and let her hands run over his arms. "I'm your perfect girl." Her mouth found his neck, and she started to nibble on it, sending shivers down his spine. "I'm everything you desire."

"You're not real!" he hissed and shoved her away. "You're not real! And... and you're not Tigress. This isn't what Tigress is like. At all."

She smirked and crossed her arms. "Of course I'm not like the real Tigress. The real Tigress would never fancy the guy who almost killed her. The real Tigress would never do something girlish just to make you feel more secure. The real Tigress hates you."

"I'm working on it!" he snapped, showing his fangs. "But it's not like your opinion matters since you're wrong, anyway! You know nothing about the real Tigress!" He laughed nervously, hoping that she wouldn't call his pathetic bluff.

The fake Tigress rolled her eyes before giving him a disgusted look. He shuddered when he realized that this made her look a lot more like the real Tigress. "Oh please. Who are you trying to fool? This is your dream, remember? I know everything you know, so you might as well admit that I'm right. Your dream of dating Tigress will always remain just that: A dream." She suddenly gave him a playful grin. "So you might as well make the most of it while you're around!"

"No!" He stumbled backwards, shaking his head frantically. "You're wrong! I can do better than this! I can convince Tigress to give me a chance! I can make her see the real me!"

She snickered at that and shook her head. "She already saw the real you. That vile, pathetic and obsessed fanatic who-"

"SHUT UP!" he roared and lashed out at her.

Tigress flinched, and Tai Lung paled when he noticed the blood on his claws. But before he could say anything, she looked up at him again, her face disfigured by three wide gashes. "See?" she asked and gave him a cruel grin. "This is the real you."

"NO!" Tai Lung screamed as he finally woke up. "Damn it all..." He looked down at his hands and flexed his claws. No blood. Of course no blood. That had just been a dream. No, a nightmare.

"Nightmare," he repeated quietly and shook his head. When was the last time I had one, actually? I always thought that nightmares are for people with weaknesses, not for the future Dragon Warrior. The snow leopard got up and stretched idly. The cave he had slept in was cool, but not cold enough to be truly uncomfortable. Of course, it was a far cry from his old room in the Jade Palace, but moving back in was out of the question as long as the others didn't trust him.

Nightmares are a sign of fear, aren't they? But what am I afraid of? Nothing! Even when I came back here, fully expecting Shifu to send me away or kill me on the spot, I hadn't been afraid. So what- He sighed. "Tigress." Of course. I'm afraid of being rejected by her.

With a groan, he sat down on the blanket again and rubbed his forehead. Why can't I get her out of my head? Is this... love? Am I in love with her? Tai Lung briefly reviewed his dream and sighed again. Who am I kidding? Yes, I'm in love with Tigress. In love with the girl who tried to prove herself to her Master by killing me. The girl who greeted me with a punch to the face when I returned. The girl who looked oh-so-graceful doing all that.

"Ugh, I'm hopeless," he muttered. Yeah, just listen to yourself! She tried to kill you, and all you can think of is the way her fur glistened in the sun when she smacked you down! You can't even think straight when she's involved! You act and talk like some twenty-year-old! He grunted. I am a twenty-year-old. Sort of. Well, okay, slightly older than that. But not that much. And those years in Chor Ghom don't count, do they?

The feline frowned. What if she thinks I'm immature? Maybe she'd prefer the more mature me and thinks I'm just being silly? She is certainly the type to dismiss not completely serious attitudes as silly. What with that stick up her tail and all... Yeah, Tigress just needs to loosen up. And she's trying, isn't she? I mean, she did relax when Shifu officially confirmed that she had secured her place in the temple again. I think she even smiled when Viper apologized for throwing the basket away. And I bet she also would've given me a smile if I hadn't opted for the "I walk away while you realize just how much I helped you" exit back there!

His tail twitched. I could have made her kiss my feet, but I instead opted to be cool. And now she's up there with her friends, and I'm stuck in my cave again. So close to the temple, and yet so far away. And she never even thanked me properly! Bah, it's my own fault. I should've taken advantage of the opportunity instead of thinking that-

"Nice cave."

He froze. Somebody had found him, and his - admittedly flimsy - disguise was out of reach. If it's someone from the village, there is going to be a mass panic before I can ask Shifu to clear things up! But then he realized that he knew the voice. He just hadn't heard it say things like "nice" before. "...Stripey?" he asked and turned around to look at the cave entrance.

Tigress rubbed her forehead with her hand. "I really wish you'd stop calling me that."

Tai Lung jumped to his feet and gave her a surprised smile even as he tried to decide whether or not to grant her her wish. "What brings you here?" he finally asked, avoiding the issue for the moment. "I would've thought that you'd be sick of running up and down these stairs after today's ordeal. Especially like this." He pointed at the cane she was leaning onto.

"Trust me, it's not by choice," she muttered, trying to look as annoyed as possible. "I have been sent here by the others. If it had been up to me, I'd be asleep by now - like the good student I am."

He raised an eyebrow at that one. Did she just make a joke? Or she really that egotistic? Nah, the former, I bet. "Oh, really? And why would the others send you here in the middle of the night?"

She sighed dramatically. "Oh, you know... they played up the whole test issue and decided to throw a small party." She quickly held up her hand. "I of course objected! Especially since my lack of sleep pretty much caused this whole mess in the first place. But they insisted, and so we had this... cozy get-together." The Tiger Style Master grimaced as she spoke those words. Tai Lung chuckled quietly, imagining Tigress sipping tea at a little round table, wearing a silly dress. "And in the end, they asked just how I had managed to get so many apples, what with my sprained ankle and all that."

"Oh no!" Tai Lung gasped in mock terror. "So you actually had to tell the horrible truth?"

Tigress gave him a look that would have made Shifu cry for mercy. "Yes. And you know what they suggested then?"

"Hmmmm... let me think..." He stroked his chin and smirked before imitating Crane's voice. "But Tigress! If it's true that you would have been banished without the cunning and noble Tai Lung's help, we should ask him to celebrate with us! You should go to him right now and invite him!"

Her look became even more intense, and Tai Lung briefly worried that his fur might spontaneously ignite. "Not quite as much praise for the guy who once was willing to maim everybody in his way, but your basic guess was right," she finally muttered.

Does she really hate me this much? Without me, she would be the one living in some cave now! I'd normally guess that this is all an act, but damn, she's hard to read! He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "So you came here to ask me to join you?" he asked to verify.

"I was sent here to ask you," she corrected him and huffed as she mimicked his pose.

For a long time, neither of them spoke. Should I continue following the noble and cool path? It just might work out in the long term, but it's such a big risk! I really would love to join her, dammit! Standing in the spotlight would be wonderful... even if this is supposed to be her party. He sighed. I'm such an idiot sometimes... "Do you want me to come?"

The female Kung Fu Master blinked. This had definitely not been the reply she had expected. A silly, mocking smile appeared on her face. "Me? Want you to come? Are you insane?" She laughed nervously. "Of course not!"

"Then I'll stay here."

Tigress froze in mid-laugh and blinked again. "Wait... are you serious?" The smile was replaced by a look of confusion. "You... would stay? No taunting about how you'll go to the party especially because I don't want you to go?"

Okay, it's a start... just don't mess it up now! He took a deep breath and sat down on the blanket. It was a calculated move to make her feel bigger and in charge. "I'm serious, yes," he finally replied, keeping his tone even. "It's your party, and you went through enough crap these days to deserve a night that goes according to your wishes." And as much fun it'd be to watch you freak out, I don't want to make you mad. "And if your wish is to be alone with your friends, then I will honor that." He gave her a calm smile. "That's why I asked you: Do you want me to come?"

"I..." She bit her lip and averted her eyes.

She's actually considering it? How interesting...

For almost half a minute, Tigress gnawed on her lip and looked at the floor, at the roof, at anything but him. Finally, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "...yes."

Now it was the snow leopard's turn to blink. "...yes?" he asked, not quite believing his ears.

She gave him a nervous smile. "Yes, I want you to join the party."

Wow, talk about a risk actually paying off! He smiled up at her - and frowned. Now what?

Tigress was gripping the handle of her cane tightly, and her tail twitched. "I... you know how... I mean... About today... about how you... helped me..." She took a deep breath, and he was almost certain that her claws were now digging themselves into the handle.

Oh, so that's what this is all about. He rolled his eyes.

"I... I wanted to say-"

The snow leopard got to his feet again and cracked his knuckles, making Tigress jump slightly. "Let's go," he muttered and walked past her. "You're going to be late for your own party."

She gave him a wide-eyed look and gestured wildly with her free hand. "What the- I was having a moment here! I was going to be nice, and you walk out on me?"

For a brief moment, Tai Lung was afraid that she'd start a fight here and now. "Yes, I'm walking out on you." He studied her carefully, holding back his next sentence until just before she went over the edge. The moment came just a split-second later when Tigress flexed her muscles, preparing herself to swing her cane at him. "But you weren't having some sorta 'moment'."

"What?" Tigress snapped, looking both exasperated and disappointed.

Tai Lung asked himself how often Master Shifu had seen her like this. If she's anything like me, at least a hundred times. "You were forcing yourself to thank me. I guess you felt... what, guilty? Obliged? I don't know, but I do know that you weren't having some sort of magical moment here; and unlike our Master, I'm not interested in forcing you to do some things just because it would be polite." He gave her one of his rare warm smiles. "Once you feel that you want to thank me, feel free to do so. Until then, I'll just bask in the knowledge that you owe me."

She smirked at that, and he could see the relief in her eyes. "You'll regret this, you know? I'm not known for thanking others, so you may have thrown away a once-in-a-lifetime chance."

"Duly noted." The snow leopard gave her a long look. "Should we get going then, Tigress?"

Tigress blinked in surprise, but then smiled. "Longing for your place in the spotlight?"

He bowed theatrically. "You know me so well."

"No, I don't think I do... yet," she whispered as she limped past him.