Cloudless Authors

Chapter C

"What the heck?!" Monkey exclaimed.

"Monkey!" Tigress cried. "I can explain!"

"There's no need to explain anything!" Monkey assured her. "Even I wasn't expecting Tai Lung to be alive! I just don't understand how that's possible!"

"I don't either if it makes you feel better," Tai Lung told him. "No one's been Wuxi Fingered and lived to tell the tale."

"You hold him off- or, keep holding him off- I'll go and get the others!"

With that, Monkey quickly left the room, leaving Tigress and Tai Lung alone. Still sprawled on the floor, Tai Lung glanced over  at Tigress, an eyebrow raised at her. "You didn't tell them I was here?" he asked in surprise.

Tigress felt some of the color drain out of her face. "I..." she stuttered. "I-I-I...no."

She let out a sigh and stood up, leaning gently against the alligator heads and placing a paw to her face. Tai Lung watched her groan and keep her face covered for a moment before getting to his feet himself. The snow leopard looked at her curiously. "Are you being serious?" he asked.

Tigress didn't answer him, but she did peek an eye above her paw and narrow it at him.

Surprised by this, Tai Lung added, "So, does this mean that deep down you don't see me as a threat?"

"No!" Tigress snapped. "It's just...well...you're supposed to be dead!"

"Yeah...and...?"

"And? And what?! You're not dead! You're supposed to be, but you're not! You being here is the last thing I was expecting, let alone understand!"

"Oh, I get it," Tai Lung said, crossing his arms casually. "You were shocked so much when you saw me, you thought that you were hallucinating."

"Maybe not quite hallucinating, but close enough," Tigress muttered.

Tai Lung thought about that for a second. He was about to lean on the alligator limbs too, but he thought better of it and instead opted to just stand in place. After a moment, a small smirk began to form on his face. "You know," he said. "Shifu doesn't have to find out."

Tigress lifted her face out of her paws and looked over at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Tell you what?" Tai Lung asked. "I won't tell Shifu we bumped into each other yesterday if you give me a kiss."

Tigress did a double-take. "What?!" she exclaimed.

"I spend many years at the Jade Palace. However, most of my attention was focused on bettering myself in the art of kung fu. I never made time for what I once considered trivial matters: friends, love, fun.... Not that I didn't have fun with Shifu, but once you stop being a kid, life isn't all fun and games."

Tai Lung rested his paw on top of the alligator limb head and continued looking straight at Tigress. "Anyway, I figured that, since it's more than likely that they're going to bring Po along to kill me, I thought it would be nice to get a first, and possibly last, kiss. And since I have leverage...."

Tigress snarled at him. "I am perfectly capable of owning up to my actions!" she snapped. Granted, she knew the consequences that would follow from failing to report an immediate threat, but she'd rather deal with that than let her sworn enemy kiss her.

Tai Lung laughed. "You're a stubborn little thing, aren't you?"

"Look who's talking!"

Tai Lung scoffed at the comment. "Listen, Master Tigress," he said sternly, folding his arms across his chest again, tighter this time. "I know I'm no saint over here, but Shifu's a worse force to be reckoned with once he gets mad. Trust me, I know."

"We're all aware of that," Tigress scowled.

"Really? I figured that since you're willing to bear his wrath, you must be too stupid to understand the severity of the situation."

Tigress narrowed her eyes at him in fury. "How DARE you!" she bellowed. She then proceeded to lunge at Tai Lung who quickly grabbed her arm and knocked her across the training hall. Undeterred, Tigress proceeded to get to her feet and came back for round two, this time a bit more focused. Tai Lung was quick to block her though, and the two thus began another heated fight.

"You know," Tai Lung commented, twisting the master's arm around his neck and effortlessly tossing her over his shoulder. "You remind me of myself when I was your age."

Tigress kicked him in the knee and attempted to scratch his face as hard as she could. She just barely missed. "You and I are nothing alike!" she snapped.

"Sure we are," Tai Lung countered. "You're ruthless, ambitious, talented, addicted to the art of the kung fu...."    He grabbed her arm again and this time held her in a tight hold with both arms behind her back. "Just like me."

"Ruthless isn't quite the word I'd use."

"Really? Okay then. How about...'wise enough to stay out of Master Shifu's line of anger'?"

Tigress gave him a suspicious look. "Didn't you just..." she started, but was interrupted when Tai Lung quickly brought her forward and gave her a kiss. The master tried to squirm away in protest, but Tai Lung held the kiss for a couple of seconds before finally letting her loose. And by that, it meant  that he quickly shoved the master towards the other end of  the training hall only for her to slap him two seconds later.

"I could kill you if I wasn't sworn to never stoop to such an act!" she threatened through gritted teeth.

"Well then, I'm very grateful for that," Tai lung said. "But you gave me what I asked for...more or less...so I'll hold up my end of the bargain."

Tigress narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing.

The doors suddenly opened again, startling the two, and this time, Master Shifu could be clearly seen with Po and the rest of the Five behind him.

"Tai Lung..." Shifu said venomously.

"Well, it was nice fighting you, Tigress," the snow leopard said. He stepped forward casually, a small smirk on his face. "Nice to see you again, Shifu."

"What are you doing in here?"

"Clearly startling one of your students with my non-deceased presence."

"As I see," Shifu grumbled. "Well, how you escaped I don't know, but I do know that I cannot allow you to roam free and exact vengeance."  He turned his attention to Po and said, "Dragon Warrior...."

Po cracked his knuckles threateningly as Tai Lung simply shrugged his shoulders. "If you insist," was all he said.

Choose what happens next. Skip to chapter:

g- Tai Lung escapes

h- Tai Lung is captured

i- Someone is wounded