Chapter Twenty-Three: Impact

"So, this is it?" Crane asked.

Mei Ling nodded to the bird master, who was understandably taken aback by the vibrating shard between them. The strange object that had eluded him and his companions for so many weeks, the Dagger of Deng-Wa, was at last within reach.

"Doesn't matter how many times you see it - it will never become normal." he said, eyeing the relic on the raised stone platform.

The dark fur markings of the cat's brow contorted in momentary confusion, "You've seen it before?"

"Yeah," Crane huffed, "our mutual acquaintance the princess threatened me with it in Xiangyang."

Mei suddenly wished she had bashed the leopardess' face ten-times harder in their fight. She was nearly at her wit's end with that cat. Unaware of her internal anger, the avian continued examining the gyrating object.

"Remind me again, what exactly does the Khan need you to do with this thing?"

The golden cat was much more taken by the implication of his asking than the question itself.

"You mean... you aren't just going to take the dagger and leave - complete your mission?"

"Mei, I thought we'd been over this." They finally looked at one another, both ignoring the object at last. "I'm not leaving."

"Only until you get what you came for. That's what you said." she asserted.

Crane paced to the side of the platform where they stood, the confines of the Khanbaliq citadel antechamber seeming more claustrophobic by the minute. His neck hung forwards, showing a shamefulness that Mei could not decipher.

He gave a frustrated sigh, "Po and Tigress - they're here for this thing. But me?"

His self-directed question hung in the air for several moments, until he at last raised his head to look directly at the golden cat, a flattering innocence in his russet eyes.

"I think I'm after something entirely different now."

Her first impulse was to look away in embarrassment, guilty for a funny reason she couldn't quite describe. But when she stole an upward glance in Crane's direction, she saw that he hadn't even flinched - he'd meant what he said. Her senses began to go blind - even the perpetual metallic shaking of the dagger faded away. Realization began to set in; guilt became concern - then fear.

"But... Xian, don't you know what that would mean? Your whole life, your-"

"What if," he cut her off, "I don't want my whole life to be Kung Fu anymore?"

"Then what do you want?"

"I've dedicated so many years to the Jade Palace, to my duty. I even let you walk away because of it." The bird shook his head at the admission. "I promised myself I'd never make that mistake again."

His words gave Mei pause; she had learned to never expect such decisiveness from Crane. Though the fragile young bird she'd met so many years ago had been hardened by age, his free spirit could never be tamed. He'd made his choice. Now she needed to make her own.

"If that's truly how you feel, you should know," she closed the distance between them, "All these years I've felt the same, made the same promises. I understand."

A wave of relief overcame him; the muscles of his wings relaxed. He felt what had previously been the very rarest of emotions, and the golden cat's euphoric smile - simultaneously adorable and inspiring - showed the feeling was mutual. Finding a soothing comfort from each other's embrace, they reveled in the moment for a long while, time having a funny habit of becoming irrelevant.

"You know... a life together with you," he sighed as her paw caressed his neck, "is all I've ever wanted."

The cat pulled away slightly to look him in the eyes, "I know - and we can have it. Despite everything else, we are so close now..."

Their attention returned to the Dagger of Deng-Wa, the spasmodic motion of its silvered blade reflecting the torchlight at odd angles. Crane found his resolve once more.

"Show me what we need to do."

She took a deep breath before nodding in understanding.

"Okay. Per my request, the Khan leaves me alone to do my work; we shouldn't be disturbed... Watch closely." the cat instructed, straightening herself and lowering her stance before the platform.

The deliberate, flowing movements of her limbs nearly hypnotized Crane as she began to use her Chi abilities. Although it took noticeably longer than when Po used such techniques, Mei's paws began to glow faintly with a pulsing golden energy. At once, the rattling noise stopped as the dagger was held eerily still by her efforts. The mesmerizing scene playing out before the bird master was undermined by an unforeseen feeling of dread that enveloped him; he couldn't quite explain it, but the impression was unmistakably sickening.

As he watched the golden cat contend with mystical forces unseen, it became clear that the aura could be emitting from nowhere else: the primeval weapon that had remained - frustratingly - the sole conduit towards his ultimate aim in this wretched city. Wary or not, the avian was determined to follow the new path he had chosen - wherever it might lead.


For all the smoke, noise, and general bustle of the city, sunset in Khanbaliq had its charms; this was especially apparent from the rooftops where Tigress had sequestered herself for much of the day. The feline master had always preferred high, out-of-reach places like these when in a brooding mood - which was the case, more or less, all the time these days. Still stewing over how she was beguiled into that charade the princess called a fight, she felt consumed by the sense of frustration that had been building for many days.

Having her reclusion interrupted by the Dragon Warrior was far from a welcome surprise.

"That fight today was amazing." the panda said, accentuating each word as he struggled to scramble over the last bit of a nearby terrace. "Your flying side kick was even faster than in that tournament in Guangzhou, and don't get me started on that one palm strike where you-"

"Please, for once, could you not do that?"

"Ah, okay... of course. Right." he mumbled in an awkward, yet endearing way.

She knew he couldn't help it, but she was in no mood to hear praise about a fight; a fight that was no better than any other, and a fight she had lost.

"Beautiful view from up here, huh? So this really strange thing happened, there was this lotus flower, right? And it-"

"I don't feel like speaking right now." she dismissed, walking towards the opposite edge of the rooftop.

"Well, uh... maybe you should." he interjected, making her halt in stride. "You're clearly not yourself, haven't been for some time."

Tigress stood silently for several moments before speaking, "I'm fine. Just have a lot on my mind. That's it."

Po was about to point out her rather obvious evasion, but both of their attentions were immediately seized by a disturbance directly above them.

Darting just above the skyline of the city, a tight grouping of several birds - an uncommon sight since they had arrived - moved towards the fortified center of Khanbaliq. They seemed to be carrying something, or someone, with them. Already seeking an exit to the unwanted discourse, Tigress seized on the curious development and started pursuing the avians, leaping from rooftop to rooftop on all fours. Po did his best to keep up with her, and on several occasions only narrowly cleared the distance between terraces.

At last the birds slowed, finally landing in the middle of a courtyard in the palatial district. The feline stopped immediately on the last roof overlooking them; Po, on the other hand, had built up significant momentum and threatened to bound straight over the edge, had Tigress not held him back.

Collecting themselves, the two masters peered over the edge to observe the scene below. There were four of them in all, three of which Po recognized as servants of the Khan. Two were the condors that had been seen guarding the entryway to the throne room, and another was the unmistakable golden eagle from the feast, Altan. The last avian however, was unlike any he'd ever seen: a crest of dark quills featured prominently on its head, complimenting the monochrome feathers. This one in particular was beaten down and barely able to stand under his own weight, clearly a captive of the other three.

"More of them." Tigress whispered to Po, pointing to the far end of the courtyard where two more figures had emerged.

Yuelen and her brother Zhenjin greeted the three Mongol soldiers, who thrust forward the wounded stranger at their feet. The royal progeny seemed thoroughly unimpressed.

"Altan, Altan... what have you brought me this time?" the princess teased.

"I have a feeling you'll like this one." The eagle tossed a message scroll to the leopardess. "Found him carrying military orders."

"And from the Emperor, no less." she added, having already begun reading.

The announcement surprised the spying masters on the rooftop above.

"This won't end well..." Po whispered to Tigress, who kept watching with an unbreakable focus.

Zhenjin stepped forward, examining the captured messenger more closely. "Where did you find him?"

"En-route to Xiangyang, my prince. Put up a hell of a fight too, resulting in his... lamentable condition at present."

"I see..." the tiger said as he prodded the wounded bird, who gave a rasping groan of pain.

Yuelen had since finished reading the missive, handing it to her brother. "Our father will appreciate this information - you've done well."

"This is ridiculous." the prince sneered when reading it for himself. "The Chinese know more about the movements of our own armies than we do."

Lowering the scroll, he scrutinized the bird once more, weighing his fate.

"I see no reason to keep this wretch around, the message is the only thing of value here."

Altan signaled his understanding; the eagle lifted one of his talon-serried legs to the smaller avian's neck.

"Give the word, my prince. I'll make it quick."

"Now where would the fun be in that?" the leopardess interjected.

The Dragon Warrior did not want to linger in the shadows any longer. "We need to move, they're gonna kill him."

But before he could take any action, Tigress forced him back roughly, out of the sightline of those below.

"We can't risk getting involved - remember why we're here!" she asserted in the harshest of whispers.

Yuelen approached the messenger, unsheathing her claws.

The tiger master used a great deal of her strength to hold the panda down as the bird's screams echoed throughout the area. When the sounds had faded, she at last relented, allowing him to stand.

"Why did you do that? We could have stopped them!"

"And then what? We fight the entire population of Khanbaliq?" Tigress shot back, irate. "I knew this was a mistake."

"What was?"

"Letting you take the lead, make the plans. It's going to get us all killed."

It was certainly tempting for the panda to match her sudden ire, but he had the foresight to know it would do more harm than good in the tiger's erratic state. Instead, he moved to the roof edge once more to survey what had transpired below.

The princess, satisfied with her work, had withdrawn from her victim; the bird still lived, but fumbled about awkwardly as if unable to stand.

"Now then," she said, blood dripping from her paws, "let's see if he can find his way home - without his eyes, that is."

Zhenjin glared at his sister with disgust, "Enjoying yourself?"

Rather than respond, she just gave a threatening feline hiss. It succeeded in getting the tiger to flinch, and she giggled in amused satisfaction.

Po shook his head, unable to comprehend such pointless torture and violence. In frustration, he turned back to his fellow master.

"How can you abandon someone to a fate like that?"

Tigress' eyes narrowed and her ears flattened, an outward sign of her anger that was rarely if ever directed to one of her friends.

"Because being a leader isn't always about just playing the hero - it's about moving forward, even when there are no good choices."

"I understand that-"

"No, Po. No you don't. Sometimes just being lucky isn't enough."

Now the panda was the one to grow tense. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The two warriors stared each other down in silence; it was a standoff that was painfully reminiscent for both of them.

"I'm going." Tigress said at last.

"Where to?"

"To go and do what we should have done days ago." She turned away, climbing halfway up the side of the next rooftop in an instant. "Don't try and stop me."

And just like that, she was gone. For a moment he considered going after her, but something in him wouldn't allow for it. Po knew Tigress only ever set out alone for one reason - to prove something.


He just doesn't understand.

The tiger master was moving as fast as she possibly could, the power in her strides threatening to crack the stone roofing beneath her paws.

I've played his stupid waiting game long enough; I'm finishing this now.

Her anger grew as she thrust forward, adrenaline instilling the tiger with increasing strength. The fading rays of sun cast her shadow as it split across the streets below, the only possible trace of her presence as she practically flew between the tops of the buildings. She had no one else to account for, no bumbling pandas to blow her cover. Her movement had become deathly silent.

Tigress' focus was locked onto the citadel of Khanbaliq, in her mind the only logical place in which her quarry would reside. As she drew ever closer to the fortification, she calculated the best route upwards and made the necessary adjustments. The first torches and lamps in the city were being lit for the coming night; she vaulted from the apex of a watchtower to a makeshift ramp of wooden construction scaffolding. The tiger was quickly running out of surface beneath her as she neared the end of the ramshackle platforms. It was time to jump.

Here goes nothing.

She sprung from the last boards of the scaffolding, soaring through the orange-tinted evening air.

Impact. She immediately heard the hollow scraping of her claws against the exterior of the steppe castle. Managing to hold her own weight with just her paws, she began to free-climb the final stretch of the supposedly-unscalable walls. Reaching the precipice, she promptly had to duck her head back under the ledge, allowing several patrolling Kheshig to pass. Seeing them move on, she finally lifted herself over the berm of the fortress bulwark.

Tigress instinctively drew into the shadows of the poorly-lit area, as the high walls blocked what little sunlight was left. The courtyard before her was mostly desolate of defenders, as no-one in their right mind would ever expect this withdrawn part of the fortress to be infiltrated from the outside. Opposite herself was a single entryway protected by two masked guards; they wouldn't be much of a challenge outright, but she still had no intentions of being seen.

Need to draw them away somehow.

She looked about the area, searching for an opportunity to exploit. It didn't take long to find. At the top of each of the fort's parapets where bronze signal bells; these would serve her needs well enough. Grabbing a small stone and flicking it discreetly at the furthest such target, the resulting impact made just enough noise to snare the curiosity of the two sentinels.

The way now wide open, Tigress darted across the open area and into the castle itself. The interior corridors were colder than one might expect; she worked her way through them diligently. Her breathing slowed, the feline's ears flicking with sensitivity as they listened for the slightest hint of oncoming guards. But there were none.

The place was completely empty - eerily so. After passing many alcoves and recesses in the stone walkways, one in particular grabbed her attention. There was something emanating from it, a trivial ray of gilded light - far too bright to be from torches. Carefully following the curvature of the entryway, she tilted her head to the side, eager to see what might be causing the phenomenon. Tigress liked to believe that nothing could catch her off guard; she was undeniably surprised by what she found in the chamber before her.

It was there - the dagger. Somehow, its presence was the least shocking element of her discovery. The relic levitated several feet off of the pedestal in the center of the small room, glowing a solid gold hue as Mei Ling seemed to be controlling its movements through the use of Chi. If this wasn't disquieting enough, her fellow master, Crane, stood just to the feline's side. He was completely bewitched by what the golden cat was doing, making no attempt to capture the weapon the three masters had journeyed so many hundreds of miles to secure.

"Looks like your wing has healed." she observed, announcing her presence at last.

Crane flipped around in an instant. When seeing who had interrupted them, his startled expression quickly became one of impassive concern.

"Xian, what is it?" Mei asked, her eyes still closed.

The avian did not answer her as he just stared back at Tigress. The golden cat's focus on the Chi manipulation faltered with the disruption, and the lights began to fade. The tiger just glared darkly as there was a brief flash of red and the relic returned to its usual silver coloration, falling back to the platform below. Mei dropped to her knees as it did so, evidently drained of energy from the technique.

Crane and Tigress had still not said a thing. Both were looking the other over; making sense of implications, coming to realizations. Having known each other long enough, they could discern a great deal in complete silence.

"Are we here for the same thing?" the tiger prodded at last, already having her suspicions.

Crane glanced to the side at the still-recovering golden cat; the fear growing within her was evident. He turned back to his fellow Jade Palace master, steadfast.

"Not anymore."

Tigress' bearing changed, her facial features shifting subtly, projecting raw aggression at the ice in his tone. In her mind, everything was starting to make sense. He didn't need to say anything else; no misdirections, no lies. She knew. A part of her had known for some time, having seen the way the two of them had been inseparable at the Khan's feast, how withdrawn Crane had been ever since. But just because she knew, it didn't mean she would understand.

Sensing what was happening, Mei forced herself up, standing between the two other masters.

"Whatever's happening here, it doesn't need to be this way. We can talk about this." she implored, trying to be the voice of reason.

"There's nothing to talk about." Tigress dismissed. "Isn't that right, Crane?"

He didn't object. The bird did his best to maintain composure, despite how intimidating the tiger seemed at present. "What happens now?"

"Now," she started moving forward, "you're going to stand aside. I'm taking what we came here for."

Crane matched her encroaching steps, not backing down. "We can't let you do that."

Mei looked hesitantly between the two of them, dreading an escalation that seemed more inevitable by the second. Weakened from the Chi projections, she nonetheless turned herself against Tigress to show her solidarity with the avian's intentions. The striped feline's scowl deepened.

So be it.

"If that's how it is..." the tiger started, taking one more half-step towards them.

The only thing they heard next was a piercing growl as Tigress came at them; caught unprepared for the speed of her attack, Crane was kicked aside roughly. Without hesitation, she directed her full force at Mei, a palm strike that threw the golden cat clear across the antechamber and into the stone wall. The Chi master collapsed to the ground from the forceful impact, motionless. The tiger master had sensed her weakness, promptly negating the numeric advantage against herself.

"What have you done?!" Crane shouted at her in a mix of shock, terror, and outrage.

His natural impulse was to rush to Mei's side, but he found himself precariously standing between Tigress and the Dagger of Deng-Wa. He forced himself to remain in place; both masters were now locked in tentative fighting stances.

"Last chance, Crane. Stand. Aside." she said, giving her ultimatum with bared teeth.

"No - I won't do it! What's gotten into you?"

"I could ask you the same thing." She began stepping to the side gradually, circling towards his flank. "You're trying to fight me, after all."

He followed, cutting her off, "I'll take my chances."

"Don't be a fool. We've sparred thousands of times - I know your every move before you even make it." she threatened, her words making him flinch. "You can't beat me, Crane."

"Maybe you're right." He glared into her amber eyes, and did not recognize the unhinged tumult he saw in them. "But maybe not."

Without warning, she lunged at him again - this time he was ready. His wings absorbed the full fury of her combination of punches and kicks, deflecting the force away from himself. The defensive master knew better than to attempt any attacks against such an onslaught. After another wave of powerful strikes, the tiger vaulted clear over him and tried to sweep his legs from behind; he surely would have been felled by the move, had he not already been bested by it dozens of times in training.

For several more tense moments, she continued launching herself at his defensive technique. The bird held his ground but did not remain unscathed, as many of her punches could not be avoided, only mitigated. The fight went on, and their limbs soon became locked against one another - the tiger quickly began to win out in the test of strength. At the last moment before being pummeled to the ground, Crane managed to thrust her to the side, redoubling his efforts with a powerful beat of his wings. Tigress was pushed back from the force of it, four sets of claws shrieking against the floor.

Getting up immediately from the setback, the striped feline leapt as high as the ceiling would allow for. Already recognizing the type of attack, Crane shot upwards and intercepted her mid-air, preventing her from bringing a devastating strike down on him. Brushing the tiger's counter-jab aside, he turned the tables on the technique, knocking her back to the ground with vigor.

He returned to the floor, maintaining his position between his enraged companion and the pedestal.

"Thing is, Tigress - it seems I know all your moves, too."

The room was practically shaking from her growls; the tiger was clearly unsatisfied with how long the fight was beginning to linger. Crane had stymied her in a way no one else possibly could, and it only added to her anger. The growl became a roar, and she surged forth again, this time on all fours; the forward limbs were lifted and drawn back at the last moment into the unmistakable form of her most devastating move.

With a boost from his wings, Crane managed to avoid the double palm strike by the most nominal of margins - the velocity was instead directed into the pedestal behind him. The solid rock was completely obliterated by the impact, shards of stonework diffusing the entire chamber like rainfall. The Dagger of Deng-Wa itself was sent careening to the far end of the room, near where Mei Ling remained dazed, but slowly regaining consciousness. Seeing her there again only steeled the bird's resolve to fight, furious at what the tiger master had done.

Tigress picked herself up from the rubble with a frustrated vocalization. Up until then, Crane had been trying to prevent her from getting to the weapon, but to his surprise, he found the tiger master was now more focused on him instead. Realizing the opportunity in this, he began to back away - and she followed. The fight moved from the small room through the hall and outside to a wide balcony, the two veteran warriors clashing all the while. Finally away from the cramped interior, Crane's fighting took on newfound verticality.

Tigress was starting to strike less cohesively; her movements less calculated. Crane knew his best ally had always been the tiger's own style working against her, the ferocious attacks sapping her energy with each passing minute. But she wasn't defeated yet. Half-scaling the wall and launching off of it, she landed a kick directly to the bird's head. The unbearable pain of the hit sent him to the ground; stunned and disoriented, he watched as the feline moved closer, her piercing eyes stark against the night.

"Like I told you Crane," she panted, chest heaving, "you can't beat me."

He managed to look at her straight, "Why... why are you doing this?"

"I'm completing the mission!" she practically screamed, voice growing hoarse.

Crane saw through her front, however, noting that if this was truly what the tiger was after, she wouldn't have come alone.

"We failed the mission weeks ago. This is nothing but folly and madness now."

Tigress drew her arm back. "Says the one who's turned traitor!"

"Who have I betrayed - our fool of an emperor?"

"No." She unsheathed her claws. "Shifu! You betrayed Shifu!"

As she struck downwards, he surprised her by taking off from the ground entirely. Crane snagged her by the neck as he rose, taking the tiger with him as he flew high above the roof of the fortress. She clawed at him wildly, but his upward momentum kept the avian safely out of reach. After reaching the apex of his climb he released the tiger, who rapidly begun to free-fall downwards. Delaying for a brief moment, he quickly proceeded into a dive after her; at the decisive moment, he struck her from behind, ensuring the ensuing impact with the roof was anything but soft.

Tigress wheezed as she futilely tried to get up after the rough landing, the air having been knocked out of her lungs. She only got as far as propping up her front limbs, blood trickling from her mouth and nostrils and onto the shattered ceramic roofing. Be it from hubris or just miscalculation, she had never expected the bird master to attack in such an annihilative manner. Crane certainly could have made it hurt more for the feline, but he'd held back just enough to prevent permanent injury; he couldn't deny that he relished seeing her in pain after what she had done to Mei Ling. Now having the upper hand, he continued the previous conversation on his own terms.

"It's always about Shifu with you, isn't it?" he spat, confident enough to pace closer. "Do you really think anything you prove now will change who he is, how he sees you?"

Initially he got only pained growls in response.

"Even if it doesn't, I still have my honor." she choked out feebly. "Unlike you."

Crane shook his head. "That kind of loyalty is its own insanity... and it's clearly taken you."

With some effort, Tigress was able to stand once more, but she said nothing.

"You can't shame me just because I've found something real to fight for." he postured.

The tiger master knew the fight was already over, but she simply could not stop herself; conceding defeat was never an option. She readied to fight once more. Crane's expression cautioned her not to - the warning was not heeded. They re-engaged one last time, but it was short-lived. As Tigress levied her remaining energy into an ill-advised pouncing attack, the bird master easily evaded it, moving her precariously close to the end of the roof. Redirecting a final jab, Crane delivered a decisive kick to her chest that sent her over the edge. There was a last roar of defiance, and he quickly lost sight of her falling into the blackness beneath him.

It was over. The adrenaline in his veins faded, and the cumulative hits he'd received became all the more apparent. The reality of what had occurred began to set in. Never had a fight demanded so much of him; the bird would have collapsed from the fatigue had Mei Ling not come up from behind to support him.

"It's alright, easy..." she consoled, helping him stay upright. "I've still got it."

The golden cat held out her paw for him to see, the dagger securely in her grasp.

"Good." was all he could manage to respond with, exhausted.

"It all happened so quickly - I'm sorry. I should have been at your side."

"Don't apologize Mei, you didn't start this mess."

He surveyed the city below, certain that somewhere amongst the darkened buildings the tiger sat perched, staring back. He began to fear the consequences of what he'd just done.

"There's damage everywhere up here." Mei noted, observing the aftermath of the fight. "What happened?"

Crane let out a sigh of regret, "Nothing good."

He took no pride in the victory, but it was his, nonetheless.


The streets were empty at last; the city at night was hauntingly quiet, inimical to that of the day. It wasn't like Po was complaining, either. Silence had its uses.

Trying to meditate, the panda still hadn't budged from the spot where Tigress had left him over an hour before. His attempts at concentration only gave him blurred visions - spectral illusions of strife, agony, and a sense of betrayal. The source of such insight was no mystery at all; he could sense her coming long before he saw her. Even a novice of Chi would be able to sense the withered semblance permeating from the tiger master in all directions.

In an uncharacteristic stumbling manner, Tigress fell off the nearest overhanging roof; she'd ended up right where she started, still empty-handed.

"You're still here." she realized with saddened disappointment.

Po was caught unprepared for the lack of force in her words, especially after the two of them had been at odds earlier. But given her current physical appearance, he supposed it was understandable. The tiger had been in a fight, and quite evidently had taken the worst of it. She didn't try to run away from the panda like before; perhaps she just didn't have the energy, or perhaps she no longer cared to avoid his questions.

"What happened?" he asked, outright and terse.

"It's Crane... he's- he's..."

The widened look in her eyes showed she couldn't find the words. But she didn't have to. Based on what he already knew of the bird master and conjoined with his premonitions, it was plain as day what had occurred. He immediately felt like a fool for not pre-empting this eventuality.

"It's Mei Ling, isn't it? They have the dagger?"

She nodded, stopping to grasp in pain at her side. The Dragon Warrior raised a paw, lowering his face into it in disgrace.

"You were right, Tigress... everything you said. You were right about me - I'm not fit to lead."

He'd expected her to respond with resentful vindication, but she didn't. The tiger master merely paced forwards, her facial features unreadable. Feeling defeated, the panda sat down, unsure what to make of it all; seeing this, she sat down as well, tucking her legs close to her body. It was strange to him, as she looked even more vulnerable than before.

"Po... I don't think what happened was your fault." she said, barely above a whisper. "It was mine - I rushed in and forced Crane to act. Don't blame yourself."

Po shook his head. "I told him to do this without even knowing it; I said to follow his heart."

"And that's a bad thing? Crane is just confused, like all of us. It didn't need to come to this... my anger blinded me."

He decided to dig deeper at what she was feeling. "Why did you get so angry before, what were you trying to prove?"

Her face sunk lower towards her knees.

"What I'm always trying to prove: that I'm worthy."

Po looked away in discomfort. An all-too-familiar source of guilt overcame him.

"It should have been you, you know. The Dragon Warrior. You've always been worthy."

He saw her tense up, claws nearly digging into her own legs.

"Don't say that." she mumbled, not raising her head. "Please, don't ever say that."

"Tigress... I've always known you wanted it - and how could you not? I took it from you. You were right about that too: I'm just lucky." he admitted, guilt seeping from every word.

The tiger winced at a pain that was not from her physical wounds. At last she began to raise her eyes to him, not immediately sure of what to say. She wanted to cry so badly, but she couldn't - not in front of him.

Not in front of anyone.

"I wouldn't have taken a cannon shot for you if I didn't think you deserved the title, Po." She moved her paw over the spot where Shen's weapon had struck her. "I was wrong to say what I did - you have what it takes... and I don't. Despite what I once believed, I never could have been the Dragon Warrior."

"Why not?" Po asked, embarrassed and still unable to look her in the eyes.

"Because I'm weak - weak in a way that can't be fixed."

This brought back Po's confidence. She stood up again, and he followed - shocked that she could say something like this.

"That's not true." the panda asserted.

"When we fought... Crane said things to me." She turned back to him, wiping some of the blood from her mouth. "At the time I was furious with him; but I know now that he was right. So much of what I claim to do out of 'duty' or 'honor' is just out of envy instead."

"Envy of me..."

The tiger huffed, "It's not about the damn title, Po. It never has been."

"But-"

"It's about everything else you have - people that not only respect you, but love you for just being yourself; a life where you don't have to spend every day striving for appreciation you know will never come!"

She looked to be on the verge of breaking down entirely.

"That's all I've ever wanted. You have two fathers; thanks to my brother, I never even had one!"

To stop her from spiraling out of control, Po responded in the only way that made sense in the moment: he reached out and pulled her into a hug. The panda knew there was a certain chance he'd get kicked off of the building entirely by doing this, but this was not the case.

After a moment of understandable frozen shock that had stopped her from speaking, Tigress began to lean into him, reciprocating the gesture.

"It's okay, Ti... It's okay." he exhaled, not knowing what else to say. "It's gonna be alright."

He didn't care that she was staining his fur with blood; a part of him couldn't really believe what was happening. The panda gradually felt the tiger's body relax, and she at last became calm entirely. After a long while like this, Tigress lifted her head from his chest to look up at him - he gave a gentle smile, showing gratitude for her finally being open with him. This moment felt unique, different. It was peaceful, a flat stretch of clear water amongst the turbid rapids of the past weeks.

"Thank you, Po. You're always willing to understand. It's just-"

She should have known better, that such things never last. The panda's face suddenly became petrified, and the tiger master watched as the whites of his eyes lit up with a reflection of scarlet flames.

"Po - what is it?"

He did not respond, transfixed by the light; she was forced to turn around and see for herself. Illuminating the night sky, an ignited spherical projectile soared overhead - it collided with a bell tower and sent a metallic shriek tearing through the city. In a matter of moments, the building in question began to collapse amid a furious conflagration.

Coming completely without warning, more projectiles - innumerable flaming orbs - came raining into the city. People began to take to the streets at once as homes, shops, and barracks alike were set aflame or crushed outright by the impacts.

"We're under attack!" came the shouts from the guardsmen in the streets below. "Everyone to defensive positions!"

Quickly following the initial strikes, a swarm of arrows began to fill the air, landing at random and with complete impunity upon the city - both civilians and soldiers were cut down in equal measure.

Realization finally hit the two masters, and they tried to get their bearings as the entire city of Khanbaliq entered the chaotic opening of a siege.

"What do we do?!" Tigress pleaded as the temple across the street from them was leveled to the ground, sending an ash plume high into the night.

Po set his mind to making a plan of action, but it was already too late - he looked up just as it was about to hit them. His only instinct was to leap forward, grabbing the tiger master and shielding her from the unavoidable collision of the blaze coming right for them.

Tremendous shock-wave forces traveled under their feet as the building on which they stood was shattered; they were thrown about wildly. The roof gave way beneath them, and they abruptly lost sight of one another amidst a sea of hot rubble and brimstone.

Peace was once again an afterthought.


Author's Notes:

- A lot of action this time around! I found it somewhat difficult to juggle all of the character's conflicting motivations and outlooks; hopefully the end result was enjoyable to read

- After an extremely long hiatus last time, hopefully I can earn back some goodwill with this one: my longest chapter yet, less than a month from the last chapter (for the first time since late 2018 lol)

- There are a few references in this chapter regarding Tigress' actions, some of them to herself and some to Tai Lung; some are more subtle than others

- Pitting two fighters who know each other so well against one another had its own unique challenges, but overall it was fun to write; I think it's not super ridiculous for Crane to win here due to Tigress' compromised mental state

- I don't like that we never really got a true resolution to the conflict arising from Tigress wanting the Dragon Warrior title, so I view the confrontation that her and Po have as the natural result of the envy she has; the twist of course, is that Po still feels guilty about it as well

- As of this update, all instances of Yue's name have been altered slightly from "Yuelun" to "Yuelen" - there are a couple of reasons for this: firstly, I think the name looks more aesthetically pleasing this way, and secondly, this spelling is much more faithful to the way the name is actually pronounced

- Thanks for giving my fic a read! Thoughts and suggestions are always appreciated