A Final Ambition

A year is a lot of time for change and no change at the same time. People, friends, relationships, and thoughts change and stay the same all at once without anyone noticing. Po was right. She did like the view. The top floor scanned the entire city with trees of square skyscrapers and the unique fever dream of building architects. A long rectangular field of grassy green made a park that interrupted the metal forest in the bottom right corner of her panoramic window. The businesswoman folded her hands behind her as she stood in front of that window, smiling.

She glanced at her watch. "Time for my break stroll." Tigress walked out of the door and made her way one floor below, taking the stairs. The floor still had the sea of cubicles, though she had taken the time to get to know some of the people in these little boxes. She walked over to the CEO's office. "Mantis."

"Ah, Chairwoman Tigress," Mantis grinned. The small green bug bowed a bit with a sweep of his raptorial claw. "A pleasure to meet you. Are you looking for Mr. Monkey?" Tigress nodded. The little bug hopped off his desk and loudly knocked on the door. "Eh! Monkey! Boss woman's here."

Tigress chuckled a bit. Though polite most times, the little insect was rather blunt. The door opened and a golden snub-nosed monkey in a gray suit with a bright blue tie opened the door. "Ah! Tigress, what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to make sure you were adjusting to your new role... And that you're not slacking off," Tigress smirked as they stood in the hallway; ever since Po left, she made it a practice not to step into Monkey's office without someone else.

"I'm hurt by something so utterly true about me," Monkey laughed loudly.

"Amyway, how are you doing? I know the job can be stressful."

"Yeah, but that's what I'm here for. To make sure everyone isn't taking this thing so seriously," Monkey grinned. "Honestly, Po did most of the work when he cleared out those corrupt guys. Now, I'm just dealing with your demands my queen."

A small stress vein popped out on Tigress's forehead as she crossed her arms. "I told you not to call me that."

"Sorry, sorry," Monkey chuckled nervously.

"And Mantis?"

"He's doing fine. Adjusting well, though his bluntness is annoying, sometimes," Monkey muttered.

"I heard that!"

"And his hearing is above average." The simian grumbled lightly before reviving his pleasant smile.

"By the way, Mantis. Do you know how Tai Lung is doing?" Tigress asked.

"Oh! He likes his new job at the BBB. Mei Mei is excited that they can officially date, although Viper misses him. I still don't understand why he left just to date her."

Tigress shrugged. "He said he didn't want to complicate things."

"So he gets a new job, moves, and starts dating her all in the same month?" Mantis asked. The tiger couldn't say anything against that. "Peng says his uncle likes the new change. So there's that."

"I'm glad. I think that's all I have for right now. Keep up the good work," the tiger grinned.

"Will do," Monkey smiled as he went back into his office. The feline strolled down the hall, smiling a bit to herself.

She headed to Viper's Sales and Marketing department where Tai Lung's office was occupied by a female goat, glancing over a board much like Tai Lung would. Tigress knocked on Viper's door. "Oh! Come in, come in. Chairwoman," Viper grinned from side to side. Tigress closed the door behind her and sat down. "So... how are things?"

"Busy but much less stressful," Tigress sighed. "I was wondering how you're doing with Tai Lung's replacement."

Viper laughed, "You know, I thought I would miss Tai Lung so much when he left. He and I made a great team. But his sister is just like him, only smaller. It really catches people off guard when she's assertive and boisterous to them just like a big brawny snow leopard."

Tigress smiled, "I guess people don't expect that. She's adopted?" Viper's face fell. "I was just making sure."

"Yes, she's adopted. But she definitely acts like Tai Lung. Does great work too. And I'll be honest, it's nice to have someone who isn't flirting with HR."

"It was a problem with Tai Lung?"

"Just annoying."

"Ah, and I'm sure your eyes and smiles weren't annoying Mei Mei at all with your 'frequent' trips to HR," Tigress smirked. Viper bashfully averted her eyes. "How are you two doing?"

"Well... we're officially dating. We're taking full advantage of the company policy that says no relationships within departments. But," The snake took a deep breath, "I'm hoping to find a different job just in case."

The feline's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Honestly, I like this job, but it's not truly my dream." Viper put down her pen and smiled sharply at Tigress, "But enough about me. How are you and your new boyfriend doing? It's been a year now."

The chairwoman smiled shyly, rubbing her arm. "It's... very nice. It feels very nice. He's loving his new job as a game developer. He got promoted recently."

"That's great! How are the rest?"

"Well, Lei Lei really likes him even though he's more careful and assertive with her cuteness." Viper quirked her head. "Po is more immune to what he calls... panda cuteness than me."

"And what about dates?"

"It's easier now that Po's aunt, Shen, and his father are on board," Tigress smiled. "They really love Lei Lei."

"Even Shen?"

"Especially Shen. He says that she reminds him of life before his crazy obsession with money. And I can tell he likes being Ayi's advisor/model for her business."

"How is Song dealing with that?"

Tigress gave a long sigh, "Shen sent her a handwritten letter apologizing for his actions. Song is slowly getting around to accepting him. It'll probably take more than a letter, but Shen seems okay with atoning for his actions. I don't think either of them has worked up the courage to talk face to face, but Shen seems determined to do so."

"Wow, he's really changed. What did Po's aunt do to him?"

"I don't know." Tigress smiled, "But Po's hours are more flexible so he babysits Lei Lei more often. Which is good because we really don't want to rely on Ayi and Shen."

"What do you mean?"

The striped woman grumbled, "One time, we were on a date, and Ayi and Shen had an emergency while babysitting Lei Lei. So they let Qiang, Shen's bodyguard, babysit her for a while until they came back."

"Is... he a bad babysitter?"

The tiger shuffled awkwardly in her chair. "Not... in the way you think. Lei Lei loves him and he does an amazing job protecting her. But... he decided to teach her some... self-defense moves."

"That doesn't sound bad."

"Not until we came back before Ayi and Shen and saw Lei Lei wrestling a dummy doll to the ground and saying 'Taste the defeat whimp!'" Tigress muttered. Viper couldn't stop laughing. "After that, Qiang isn't allowed to babysit Lei Lei. Shifu and Shen always laugh when they hear the story."

"She's going to have to find a way to protect herself eventually."

"Yeah, but I don't need my disciplinary leadership skills and Qiang's marital arts to put small kids into headlocks. Especially when she reaches high school."

"Okay, fair point," Viper chuckled. "By the way, I know I probably shouldn't ask, but... how is Lee?"

Tigress's eyes widened with her smile. "Didn't I tell you what happened with him? He has a new girlfriend that came out of therapy."

"Oh! That's... good? Who is it?"

"Du Ai."

"WHAT?!" Viper hissed. Her eyes spread so far it nearly took up most of her serpentine face. "He knows that-"

"I told him everything. In fact, after that, we both agreed that it would probably be best to keep a little distance because of Po and Du Ai's history. Po's... growing to forgive. I still don't know how Lee managed to change Du Ai. She seemed completely when I saw her. Modest look, genuine smile, and... humble. You'd have to be there to see it."

Viper rubbed her chin with the tip of her tail, "Hmm. Maybe that's why you and Lee weren't good together. Same goes for Po and Du Ai. Lee knows how to deal with someone like Du Ai, and Po's able to face off with someone like you."

Tigress crossed her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?" Viper held her silence with a deadpan look. "Alright, fine. I know I can be...aggressive."

"And Po doesn't seem to mind," Viper smirked.

"No, he doesn't," Tigress smiled. Just then there was a knock at the door and a goose with a calming blue dress shirt came in. "Ah, there you are Zeng."

"Hmm, and what are you doing here, Ms. Chairwoman? Slacking off? Time is money, you know," Zeng said with his wings on his hips.

Tigress rolled her eyes as she stood up. "You know, you're starting to become like Shen."

"Shen was worried about security, not necessarily money. I worry about finances, not money."

"That's literally the same thing."

"Don't you have work to do?" Zeng muttered. Tigress chuckled and waved Zeng and Viper goodbye as she made her way back to her office. On the way, she got a text from Po.

I have a surprise for you.

The tiger grimaced a bit.

It's not a giant fondue fountain that will mess up my table, is it?

The panda sent a slightly miffed emoji. Why do you always bring that up?

Because it costs a lot to get a new desk. You're lucky that Oogway was so forgiving.

I paid it off!

Tigress shook her head and opened her office door to see the panda standing there with a box of chocolates and flowers.

She covered a chuckle. "What's wrong?" Po asked. "Did I get the wrong stuff?"

"No, no, it's just... adorably cliché... and I don't really have a green thumb," Tigress smiled.

"I know, this is for Lei Lei. Helps kids learn how to take care of things," Po smiled. Tigress rolled her eyes and closed the door shut. "I got off early to hang out with you."

"Hmm, I'm not sure if I can fit you into my schedule," Tigress said, pretending to look through stuff on her desk. Po rolled his eyes and held the tiger in his arms. "Mmm, but I may have a little bit of free time."

"That's great," Po smiled.

"And... since I locked the door, I have an idea of what we can do with that free time," Tigress grinned. The hungry leer in her eyes made the bear gulp.

"Ahhh. Wh-W-What do you mean?"

"I'm just teasing you, Po." The tiger laughed, lightly kissing him on the lips.

"I wish you'd stop doing that."

"But your reactions are so cute."

"Hmph," Po couldn't stay mad for long, though. Not with her. Tigress took the box of chocolate and tasted one.

"Mmm, these are good. This is a big box, though."

"Yeeaaah, that's because... I wanted some."

"Uh-huh."

"Hey, they looked good," Po said, snacking on some.

"They are good," Tigress smirked, kissing his chocolate-covered lips with her own. The two giggled delightfully as they ate their chocolate together, watching the beautiful city through the window.

Tigress took a deep breath, wiping her mouth free from any lingering chocolate, though she was sure Po must have licked it all up with his kisses. "This is nice."

"What?"

"This... part of my life. I know it won't last, but... I really enjoy it," Tigress smiled, resting her head on Po's shoulder. "And I'm glad I could share it with you."

The panda smiled wide, bringing her closer to his side. "Me too."

Two extremes on a spectrum displayed, ambition and none, apart of the fray. One to blind and one to loss, the balance between them the least cost. High ambition gives tunnel vision while focus on fun makes us numb. The balance in-between futures and pasts, is the beautiful today whose joy always lasts. What matters if you, achieving your goal, can't enjoy the fruits, and you lose your own soul?

The End

A/N: You know it's funny, halfway through this writing I realized that I was basically writing a succession piece kind of like Kung Fu Panda 4 but with... you know... characters people actually know and like and... care about? Anyway, thanks for reading.