Feeling Love


"Oooohhh right there," Tigress groaned as Po massaged her lower back. The tiger blissfully sighed while the Dragon Warrior kneaded the hardened muscles beneath her clothed back. He offered this to her after she started complaining about some back pains. Though he offered, Po was greatly surprised that Tigress actually said yes. Everything had changed ever since that first night they meditated together. Ever since then, Tigress had been... brighter? It was hard to explain. In either case, Po definitely never thought he'd be in this situation. "A little to the right," She grunted.

"Easy," Po soothed, "I can't help if you tense up." Tigress took a slow deep breath, and the muscles finally released their tension. "Ha! There we go."

"Mm, it feels... nice," Tigress sighed as Po finally stopped his massage.

"Alright, you're free to go. Just try not to do any more awesome Kung fu kicks to throw your back out."

"I was just a little... sore," Tigress muttered. Admitting her weaknesses was still new to her... and everyone else. Po rolled his eyes.

"Just make sure you take it easy for a while." While Tigress slowly stepped off the table, Po folded the towels back into their proper place. "And... could we please keep this between us?"

"Why?"

"Well, Mantis is really the doctor around here, but... I just learned the massage moves so I could... uh...Actually, it doesn't matter," Po laughed, but the tiger's eyebrow rose.

"Po, what is it?"

"It's nothing, really. Alright, have a nice-"

"Po!"

"DAH!"

"Please," Tigress said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Tell me. I won't tell the others." Looking back at her, the panda sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"I... I learned the massage techniques... before I became the Dragon Warrior because...I... thought it would... boost my chances at... finding a... girlfriend." Tigress's eyes lept wide as the panda looked away.

"Really?"

"It's stupid, I know. And I shouldn't be-"

"Po," Tigress interrupted, "That was before you were Dragon Warrior. You weren't held to that standard. And there's nothing wrong with learning how to do this. Mantis is... admittedly rougher with his side of medicine." Her mind remembered all the near misses she had herself with the bug. "But I'm glad I took your offer. You were very good."

"Ahem?"

"AHHH!" Po jumped and spun his head to the entrance. Shifu stood there with his hands folded behind his back and raising an unimpressed eyebrow. "Oh! Master Shifu. Please don't scare me like that."

"I came in here to make sure that you two were okay."

"Is something wrong, Master Shifu?" Tigress asked.

"Mr. Ping requested Po's help at the shop, and I do need to talk to you, privately," Shifu said. Po gulped loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"Well, uh... I should get going. Hehe." The giant panda ran out of the room quicker than any punch Shifu could deliver. The red panda simply shook his head and closed the door behind him. Tigress stood at attention. Her breathing tightened in her chest, but she remembered the calming technique Po and Shifu showed her. That didn't stop her teeth from clenching. What did the master have to say?

"You and Po seem... close."

"Master?"

"I overheard something about... massaging?"

Tigress's shoulders relaxed. "Master, Po just wanted to keep... his massaging ability secret. Nothing more happened."

"I... didn't know that he knew so much about that."

This couldn't be what he wanted to talk about. "Master Shifu, you wanted to discuss something?"

Shifu paced around the room for a moment, stroking his beard. His gaze on the wooden floor never broke for a moment before he finally rose his head. "Ever since you've meditated with Po, I've seen you grow at an exceptionally impressive rate. You're strength and control have increased and your demeanor has improved. I'm greatly proud of you."

The 'but' was loud enough to not be spoken.

"I've also noticed a...closer relationship with some of your teammates, namely Po."

"Master, nothing happened between me and-"

"I never said anything happened... today," Shifu said. "I've noticed that you have that... free spirit that you had when you were younger... that my... mistaken parenting snuffed out." Tigress winced. She had stood up for herself in an argument with Shifu and angrily said some words about Shifu's parenting skills. The ones he lacked, anyway. Though everyone forgave each other, the truth of that statement never left Tigress or Shifu.

"Master Shifu, I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright," Shifu sighed with a smile. "It was the truth. But that's not what I'm trying to say. I just... never thought I'd have to say this about Po."

"Master?"

"Tigress, with the closeness and freedom that you feel now, has your outlook on Po changed?" The man was speaking in riddles and both of them knew it. Shifu gave a sharp sigh, "Do you care about the panda more than a teammate?"

"What? No! No, no. Why would you ask that?" Tigress questioned. Shifu's eyes measured every single body movement on the tiger; none of them told him what he needed to know.

"Partly because of the closeness that I...that the others... that everyone has been noticing."

Tigress crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Everyone notices? How are you so sure?"

"The orphans you look after ask me if you two are married; Mr. Ping wanted to make a bet with me on when you two will be dating; I've overheard the Furious Five talking about a similar bet; and when Crane, Viper, and I were protecting the southern valley from a bandit raid, the bandits mentioned that they were glad we came because they didn't want to fight the Dragon Warrior and his tiger wife."

Tigress awkwardly cleared her throat, feeling her stomach flutter like birds' wings. "Oh."

"Which is why I ask. It's been several months since you've started growing like this and I can't help but notice that the growth has been around Po," Shifu paused. "So I ask again. Do you like Po more than a teammate?"

"No," Tigress said. Shifu noticed her stomach flexed like she was trying to keep something down. Even her chest tightened. "I don't have any kind of feelings towards Po. I don't even know what it means to be in that situation, Master Shifu."

"Why?"

"Because... it's never happened." The corner of her lips curled down a bit before she shook her head a bit. "Master Shifu, there aren't any feelings between me and Po."

"I see," the red panda slowly stroked his beard and headed towards the door. "Just make sure that you're honest with yourself on this."

"Master?"

"I'd hate for you to say this out of...ignorance." Without another word, Shifu left. The tiger stood with a sick feeling in her stomach. For a moment, her chest tightened, but she didn't know why. She started walking out of the sick bay. Her feet carried her somewhere, but her head was still dwelling on what happened.

She had no feelings towards the panda. None whatsoever. Yet the sick feeling in her stomach wouldn't go, and all their ginger root was gone. So the other option was to ask Mr. Ping for help.

Tigress sighed. Somehow, she knew that it wouldn't help ease her stomach, but her talk with Master Shifu didn't leave her brain until she found herself at the entrance of Mr. Ping's shop. "Huh?"

"Tigress?" Po said, serving the last table. "What are you doing here? Are you okay? Did Master Shifu say something to you?"

Tigress smiled and slowly walked over to the kitchen. "Nothing, Po. We just had a... little talk. Mr. Ping? I may need some ginger-"

"Already on it, dear. I could see you clutching your stomach a mile away," Mr. Ping quickly answered. Tigress sighed as she sat at the stools. Po sat next to her.

"So what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just... Master Shifu was congratulating me about my personal growth."

"That's awesome!" Po exclaimed. Tigress held her small smile for a moment. Just a moment. "Then why do you seem so upset?"

"He just... asked some questions that made me... think," Tigress sighed. The cup of ginger tea slid down to her hand, and she sipped the whole thing. But her stomach still churned.

"What kind of questions?" Po asked.

"It's not important."

"Tigress, if it's enough to get you this upset, then it is important. At least let me figure out why you're upset. It's better than you suffering from a tummy ache."

"Hmm." The tiger looked at her empty cup, considering her options. On the one hand, she could tell him and see his reaction. On the other, she could be saying this from total confusion and it could turn out badly.

The best thing to do was to figure out how to even... figure this out. "Could I talk with you privately?"

"Sure." The two walked up to Po's room in the shop. Mr. Ping had spruced the room up a bit, even reinforcing the wooden floor that had weakened as Po had... grown up. A bigger, sturdier bed was put in, and the walls were clean from the posters Po collected. "So, what's up?" Po asked as they both sat on the edge of the bed. Tigress had her arms crossed. Never a good sign.

"Po... have you... do you know... how do I say this?"

"Is it that bad?"

"I... I don't know," Tigress replied. "but... I want to know... do you know what... love feels like?"

The panda's eyes shot open and blinked profusely. "What love feels like?" Tigress nodded slowly. Po cleared his throat of the awkward mucus that snuck up into his chest and looked around the walls for the answer. "I... I guess I would say that... Love... isn't a feeling. It's just something you know. Sure there are some warm touchy feelings in there and you get to kiss someone close, but... it's not just romance and stuff. Love is an action, not a feeling. You think about it, you don't just feel it out. It's... a reflex? I don't know. It's something you do without thinking much."

"You just contradicted yourself."

"Yeah, that's because love is contradicting," Po smiled. "My dad said love is like a tension between like and dislike, joy and sorrow, reason and ignorance, duty and freedom. But why do you want to know?" Tigress stood silent, gazing at the floor. The room creaked under their weight. Her stomach ached more, struggling with the words trapped in her throat. She couldn't form the words that she wanted to say. This feeling. Po had helped her try to identify feelings better. Being aware makes you feel fair he'd say. What was she feeling? It was so familiar.

Fear. That's what she felt. Something clawing her heart down into a pit so familiar that she didn't even finch it.

And she would have sunk right into it, said it's fine, and moved on her way if it weren't for Po's arm gently wrapping around her back. It shook the dark curse out of her mind. The panda's smile shone brightly. "Hey, it's okay," Po said. "Just tell me."

Tigress took a deep breath. "Shifu asked if we were dating?" Po's eyes turned as white as the moon. He snatched his arm away and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh! Uh... wow! Uh... really?"

"Are you okay?" Tigress asked.

"Never better! I mean not never. I mean I wouldn't never not... What I mean is GAHHHHH!" Po held his head in his hands as it malfunctioned. The tiger gave a small smile, resting her hand on his back.

"It's okay. I think I know what you mean."

Po shot his head up to attention. "You do?"

"It's okay. I told Shifu we weren't," Tigress exhaled those words like it was her worst nightmare.

But Po's reaction wasn't what she was expecting. "Why?" His eyebrows furrowed together and he narrowed his eyes on the tiger. Tigress took her hands back and folded them in her lap.

"I... we... aren't. Right?"

"Yeah, but you made it sound like it wouldn't ever happen."

"I mean..." Tigress blinked several times. Her brain stopped working, like a train barreling through a pig farm.

But then her lips cracked into a smirk as she lowered her eyelids. "I don't know... did you want it to happen?"

"Yeah, I MEAN! UGHHH! STOP SAYING WORDS!" Po bemoaned. Tigress laughed.

"It's okay, Po. I just... didn't know if I... could love you back."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I've... never experienced something like that. I've only experienced companionship and mentors," Tigress said, staring at her hands in her lap. The panda gently took one of those hands, as if it were a baby, and held it, smiling.

"Would you... like to find out?" Po asked. Tigress's heart thumped hard. She couldn't see the time going, nor the time freezing. Her hands tensed and relaxed under Po's hand. Fear, fear was there, but something else. Something already there that she never could fight back. Something that she couldn't fight especially if it was Po. Something kind, protective, patient, hopeful, preserving.

Whatever it was, Tigress knew it wouldn't fail.

"Yes," She replied. His goofy smile made her laugh and she laid her head on his shoulder. The faint beating of his heart warmed and steadied her own. The panda wrapped his arms around her like he had done when they first meditated together. It comforted her, cradling her. She had never felt safer in her life. "Thank you, Po."

"Uh... thanks! But uh... what did I do?"

"You... gave me life." Po's confusion was loud enough for her to hear. "You showed me that it's okay to live without others' expectations of you. It's okay to have fears as long as you don't let them haunt you. In the end, your fears are there to alert you, not to haunt you. But when they do happen," She lifted her head up and stared at Po. "You're never alone."

The panda sniffled, covering his eyes. "Are you crying?" Tigress smirked.

"No, I just have some onions in my eyes," Po sniffled. The tiger shook her head and brought his head up with her hands.

"Thank you, Po."

"You're welcome," Po smiled. The two kissed each other as the day slowly curved over the edge of the earth. They held each other tightly while the steady chuff of Tigress's throat echoed in the room. In each others' eyes, they saw futures, dangers, joys, and pains, but they more importantly saw each other.

"I can't wait to learn more."

"About what?" Po asked.

Tigress smiled wider than she ever had before. "Love."

Things do work out for the best. You just have to let them work.

*****FF*****

"So what's the point of this whole story?" Demi asked.

I shrugged, "Your fears are never as scary or as long as you think they are? Things do work out. Don't be too hard on yourself?"

"Hypocrite."

"Shut up," I muttered. I looked at my hands. "Life's too short to live it in fear. And take care of yourself, otherwise, you can't take care of others."

Demi smirked, "Well said."

The end