A Forced Pleasure

"I don't know why you're so upset," Maz smirked. The sulking Emperor Zander was holding his head in his hands while glaring at his brother.

"One of these days, I will kill you before she does," Zander said, pointing to Lillia. Maz continued to smile.

"I don't understand why you're so upset. You get to marry a friend and a special friend at that," Maz replied.

"But I didn't want to HAVE to marry her. And once I told her, she went into her 'shut in' mode," Zander answered.

"Shut in mode?" Po questioned. "What's that?"

"That's when Zora gets very emotionally unstable and bars the people around her out. She's distant and tries to avoid most people," Maz said.

"Like me?" Lillia said. Maz nodded.

"So how do you get her out of it?" Po asked.

"It comes with time. Usually, we work in teams. I try talking to her one day, Maz tries the next. Eventually, she opens up about what's bothering her," Zander explained.

"So that's why you came? So I could help you open her up?" Maz asked. Zander nodded. "Bro, I don't think she needs us teaming up. I think she just needs you."

"Look, Maz, if this is one of your tricks to get me in-"

"It's not like that. I don't think Zora shut in because of the situation. I think she's shut in because she doesn't know how you feel about her," Maz said. Zander thought about it. Then he stood up.

"Where's Zora?"

"She's in the room you'll be sharing together," Lillia smirked. Zander reddened in the face and went after the jackal. "I better make sure that he doesn't mess this up," Lillia said standing up and leaving. Maz stood up as well.

"Where are you going?"

"I told Master Crane I would go to the shop with him to get something. Something about flowers and drapes for the wedding?" Maz said unsurely. With that, he left Tigress and Po alone in the kitchen.

"Po? Why did you do the studies?" Tigress asked out of the blue. Po sighed.

"Because I wanted to know if I could change myself. Something more... aggressive," Po said. Tigress looked shocked by the fact Po wanted to be something like that.

"Why would you want that?"

"Because I didn't like being a panda at the time. I wanted to be respected and taken seriously. I wanted to be something with strength and power. All I have going for me is my cuteness," Po grumbled. "I didn't like being a... cuddly panda that no one's afraid of. I wanted to be more confident and more powerful. So I wanted to see if I could change how I acted in the studies. After I realized I couldn't change myself, I actually developed a liking for the studies. I just wanted to be more... respected. Like you," Po said. Tigress looked at Po sadly.

"Po, people didn't respect me. They were afraid of me. I'm sorry that you feel people don't take you seriously but that doesn't mean you should wish to be more aggressive," Tigress replied. Po could sense her anxiousness.

"Why are you so worried about it?"

"Because the idea of you being something like me... scares me."

"Scares you? That's a first. Why?"

"Po, because I was aggressive, people didn't come near me. I was respected but feared. Imagine your closest friends suddenly becoming afraid of you because you were aggressive. I understand that you want to be more confident and stronger, but this mean nothing if you're not helping people. You almost sound... tyrannical." Po's eyes widened.

"Tigress, I didn't mean to scare you like that. I just didn't like being who I was," Po said. Tigress suddenly hugged Po, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You're a cuddly panda that is the greatest friend in the world. I don't want you changing anything about you, okay? Don't bother about the people who don't take you seriously. Just be yourself. That's what I love about you."

"That's also what irritated you when you first met me," Po argued.

"And you know why? Because I was being aggressive," Tigress replied. Po sighed. She used his own goal against him to prove her point. She did have a point, though. Though Po was himself, a lot of people loved him like that. Po began thinking for a moment about him being aggressive. All he could really see was an arrogant jerk that no one really liked. "Please, Po. I don't want you to be like that."

"I promise I won't. I'm sorry for worrying you so much," Po replied.

Meanwhile, Zander swiftly went to his room where Zora was. She was just about to leave the room when he came. Upon seeing him, she made a beeline for the exit. "Zora please wait," Zander begged. Zora did so. "Zora please, talk to me." Zora didn't even turn to look at him. Zander sighed. "Are you... upset that we have to do this?"

"No," Zora said plainly. Zander looked surprised. "That's not what I'm upset about."

"Okay," Zander said slowly. "Then what are you upset about?"

"I'm... I'm upset... Actually, I'm just... sad that you have to do something you don't want to do. I didn't want you to be forced to marry me," Zora said. "Plus, I know you don't love me."

"What?! But I-" Zander struggled with telling the truth. "I do love you."

"How do I know that? If you do, why didn't you say sooner," Zora asked. Zander found himself trapped. "See, I knew you don't love me."

"But I do."

"Prove it," Zora challenged. Zander wouldn't move for a moment. Zora still had her back to him. When he was silent for too long, she started to move on with a tear coming out of her eye. Then she felt something grab her arm. She spun around and felt Zander's lips on hers. Her eyes were wide open, her ears stood straight up, and her body tensed up. After she realized what was happening, she slowly closed her eyes. Her ears dropped back down and her arms wrapped around his neck. Just when she started to kiss back, he pulled away.

"I love you," Zander said. "I just didn't want to force you to love me."

"I already love you," Zora replied. She then kissed him again. From a distance, Lillia watched as the two kissed. She walked away with a smug smile on her face. They finally got over their fear of confession. She found it a little pathetic that they couldn't tell each other, even when it was plainly obvious. Then her mind wandered to when she was in the training hall with Maz. Her hand hovered over her lips as she remembered. She violently shook her head.

"No, no. I shouldn't get attached. It wouldn't be right. I can't. I won't. The moment they let me go, I'm leaving," Lillia told herself.

"Why do you reject attachment?" said a voice behind her. Lillia spun around, daggers open, and waited for her opponent to strike. She relaxed when she realized who it was.

"Master Shifu," She said bowing.

"Why do you reject attachment?"

"Because I know that it can go bad very fast. What if someone uses the people around me to hurt me? What if the people who are close to me hurt me? What if Maz-" Lillia paused. She didn't mean to use his name, but she knew she couldn't go back now. "I just can't get attached to someone."

"Can't or won't?" Master Shifu asked. Lillia remained silent. "I know that it's risky to be attached to people, but if you're not, you won't find any fulfillment in life. Nothing is as it seems." Lillia's head snapped up.

"What did Po tell you?" Lillia asked.

"Gong-Go used to be my best friend when we were growing up," Shifu explained. Lillia's eyes widened. "You should consider his moral lessons." With that, Shifu left Lillia alone.

Continued...