★Masters of Chi
- a Kung Fu Panda fanfiction
- Warning: contains Kung Fu Panda 2 & 3 spoilers. Hence, if you still haven't watched the movies, proceed at your own risk and with extreme caution.
- p.s: please watch the movies if you still haven't, they're brilliant~
-----☆Work Text
Originally, the universe thought it would be a great thing to arrange things for what seemed to be the predominant disadvantage in the naked eyes of an ordinary passerby, or perhaps preferably, a common thinker who knows the nature and ways of the Valley of Peace and its protectors- the Masters of Jade Palace.
First, Master Shifu just suddenly decided that it would be preferable to hand over his teaching duties to the Dragon Warrior, as the red raccoon practices the power of Chi. Whether it be by one quirky whim, a sadistic ploy to embarrass the panda, or genuinely helpful in one way or another, no one could decide as of the moment. Not anytime sooner and especially not one member of the Furious Five who just barely made it out alive much less in one piece from a lesson gone wrong and for once they all came down to the conclusion that 'teaching', 'Kung Fu lessons', their very own training grounds and the Dragon Warrior himself are ingredients of a perfectly deadly combination for a one way ticket to the spirit realm.
Second, Po saw the look on each Masters bruised and unamused faces and they are indeed enough to tell him of how dreadful he is as a teacher. With a nervous laugh, the panda tried to loosen his death grip on the wooden pole he used to hide himself in as he watched and flinched every time he saw one master miscalculating a step in an attempt to follow his stupid instructions and ending up bumping on the other before crashing in one of their death-defying training equipment. That part wherein he accidentally caused a duck to fire a burning arrow on Tigress' back wasn't even the tiniest bit pleasing much less acceptable for him at all.
"D-did you at least learn something?" he stammered, apologetically. Tigress continued to glare, seeming to mean what she had said before their 'class'.
"All you have to lose is our respect." In a bow like the rest of the others, but with her own sly and challenging smirk.
"Yes, that you can't teach." Present Tigress said as she slapped the paw Po reached out to pinch the flame from her ear away.
The Dragon Warrior winced at the contained ferocity within her successful attempt of retaining calm, some residues of which had managed to make itself known through her physical disapproval.
"A~nd that Tigress is flammable, turns out." Crane quipped, trying to break the building tension between the Dragon Warrior and their leader. For as far as the flying master knows, Tigress had never been the tolerant type, but at the same time, she could be quite the virtuous one- in her own way. But the amount of patience she usually allows for audacity as this is actually quite limited, and the fact that she, herself was inconvenienced- he wouldn't even begin to find the nerve to contradict the master should she decide to chow on the panda's chubby neck. Heck, his own body still hurts as hell.
It made an involuntary shiver run up Po's spine. There's just something about messing things up that feels horribly different -and not for the better- whenever the kung fu master was there to see it, all the more get involved in his havoc. Its not as if he isn't used to any abashment. Hell, back in Gongmen he was a total mess. He just found out that he wasn't his dad's genuine son, that he was adopted, and as if to make matters worst, he *is* by then, the Dragon Warrior. And as he grew up, he fed himself with the stereotypes that 'Masters' and 'warriors' are hardcore and bullet-proof, that they don't feel a single thing and that if they ever did, they would try so much to cover it up and hide it within themselves so as to appear as if they never break. Who would've thought otherwise when his role-model ever since then was none other than the Great Master Tigress?
And that only made it harder for him to open up the topic about his frustration of not knowing a thing from his past back then because he thought it was ridiculous for warriors to carry such burdens and wallow over it while they could've been wasting their time fighting bad guys rather than crying over something that's far behind.
Thus, it had shocked Po when Tigress openly listened to his woes on their boat ride to the city of fireworks. It was dark, barely even past midnight, and she appeared saying that the mast was not a worthy opponent. Offering to spar with the panda and he thinks for a split second, whether or not it was out of the goodness of her ironheart, or she just grew tired of punching all the Ironwood trees behind Jade Palace and needed a fluffy giant furball of a panda as a punching bag for a change.
Po decided it could be both. Because she helped him by then. So many times had she aided him to sort himself out, even the sole moment where she lent him an ear was more than enough to lessen the burden off his chest. From the time they escaped the castle to the prison where they argued, she assisted him, hugged him even. Saying that 'the hardcore do understand... ', that she does understand, so solemnly that he was both surprised and ashamed of himself for doubting the master's compassion. For once, something made him feel weird, warm and fuzzy on the inside and it wasn't even food to begin with. So when the tiger caught the bullet that was supposedly for him, he felt as if the world had suddenly stood still, that time was nothing more but an eternally halted notion along with the defeaning sounds his pounding chest made. Nothing made sense and he was stuck in the middle of nowhere. All of them were hurt, bloodied and damaged upon the explosion and he tried to avoid thinking of the possible worst case scenario for the one who took more than half the damage everyone did. He could've admired the bravery his favorite master had proven -never once failing to put him in awe- had he been rational enough to stay even remotely calm on the inside. But he couldn't, he desperately wadded through the waters and debris in search for his friend. Friend.
Would he be worried this much over a friend? Of course he would be.
Would it have felt that relieving and strange to hold paw-by-paw with a friend? He couldn't give the thought that much time as his head was more than content enough to process the fact that Tigress was safe. A bit broken and injured in some places, but safe. He found himself squeezing her paw as his jade eyes took in her exhausted and pained form before deciding that he needs to make Shen pay for this much damage he caused. So with a mind made up, he gently pushed the debris his comrade held onto in order to save her from further harm as he took on the peacock.
After their confrontation, he found himself in the water once again, pondering over the same thoughts concerning one Kung Fu master, when said Tigress reached out one paw to help him out, bent over from where she stood on the wooden planks of the pier. He could feel his world brighten up a bit from the tiny smile that she wore over her dirtied face, took her offer and hoisted himself up and back on land where his friends awaited him. Maybe he was too overwhelmed by then, seeing them all safe and sound -he liked to use this same excuse whenever this specific memory would resurface inside his head- not a single head lost in battle so he found himself with his arms wrapped tightly around Tigress. Po felt her freeze in surprise and he recalled himself feeling the same way back in Gongmen City when it was her ever so steady and reliable arms wrapped around him, it was pleasant and the fuzzy feeling of belonging somewhere was back. Crane's beak dropped and it made a clacking sound as it made contact on the wooden planks they stood over and he suddenly felt self-conscious and was snapped out of his little short-lived heaven.
Wait, what? Heaven? In his friend's arms? In a split second, he retrieved his arms from where they once were, albeit with a feeling of slight dismay at the sudden lost of the warm sensation in his belly and he couldn't have helped the slight blush that had spread over his chubby cheeks even if he wanted to so he resorted into hugging everyone else instead- so as to save himself from awkwardness and humiliation.
A lot that happened since then contributed a significant bit to the answer for the whole 'find out who you really are' a.k.a 'who am i' pop question that Shifu threw at him as a template to master Chi.
And here he is. Gazing at his roots, the hidden panda village up in the mountains with tons of what seemed to be rolling black and white life-sized dumplings. He had already let his comrades down by not being a passable teacher so he might as well spend his time mastering whatever it was that he needed to do at the moment to be able to defeat Kai and fulfill his duties as the Dragon Warrior.
"Po, what are you really doing out here?"
Said panda instinctively turned his head around fast enough to cause a sharp snap from his neck, hard enough to cause the sound but not at all dangerous enough to break a bone. The phrase sounded all too familiar and he, or at least, some part of him was expectant upon hearing it.
"Ti- oh, hi Mei-mei." He himself was quite surprised at hearing his enthusiasm take a sudden drop. Giving the ribbon dancer a weak wave, he went back into staring into space.
Who is he really? What is he doing outside the Valley of Peace and in this village? What was he really out here for?
A deep frustrated sigh escaped his lips and he wanders back to one thought, "where is she when I need her..." as if the master would be able to give him the answer to his question. Or at least hear him out once again... like in Gongmen. That is, if she was no longer *that* mad at him from the damage he caused a few days back.
Heavy eyelashes blinked a bit in confusion and surprise,
"Where is who when you need who? Who do you think I was?" So he's taken, huh. She could change that, "I'm all you need, pandah~" she cooed while batting her eyelashes at Po, sitting beside him on the luscious green grass that covered the expanse of the ground.
He was busy admiring the mountain tops and binging, it was all he ever learned since his arrival a few days ago and the slow progress was bothering him for quite some time now. The Dragon Warrior was way too preoccupied that what Mei-mei had offered took him off by surprise and he accidentally choked on the dumpling he was eating,
"Whah?!" He coughed and inwardly cursed himself for swallowing down the wrong pipe. Mei-mei, however, was quick to whip her ribbon out, wrap it around the other panda's stomach and pull him in, in one swift motion.
The endeavor was successful enough as it can be since Po was able to not swallow down, but spit the dumpling out whole as if a cat or an owl spitting out a hairball or a pellet.
Tigress watched the scene unfold in mild amusement as Po muttered a "stupid dumpling..." under his breath afterwards, pouting at his feet. But she went here to fetch him for business, and they have no time to be dallying until they had defeated Kai and set their friends free, so she walked over them with her usual authoritative demeanor and spoke, without any room for nonsense or disagreement,
"I'm sure this isn't the time to be choking on dumplings, Po." She began, her otherwise intimidating mien temporarily marred by a slight hint of tenderness as she carried the young panda that took quite a liking to her and wouldn't stop calling her 'stripy-baby'.
The Dragon Warrior jumped upon hearing the wontedly deep and sophisticated female voice his subconscious seemed to yearn for and turned around to acknowledge the source, couldn't help thinking that his favorite master -slash- role model looked adorable and almost motherly as he stood up and reminded himself not to gawk or stare too much lest he would want to add another offense in his already unforgivably long list of violations. He tried to gather his bearings as he made random hand gestures whilst slowly standing up and stuttering,
"U-uh, o-oh, y-yeah, I know, sorry." He nervously dusted his pants with shaking hands and he doesn't even know why he's more anxious now than disappointed at knowing that his father had lied to him about knowing how to teach him Chi.
Mei-mei inwardly sighed and quirked a knowing smirk at the Kung Fu master who chanced a glance at her before turning to Po,
"Geez, you should at least *try* to be more discreet, Po. You'are being way too obvious~" she said, every word coated in a voice and tone of melted honey as she sauntered over to where the other panda was standing stock still like a boulder- a shivering nervous wreck of a frustrated boulder- hips swinging in every step made.
The leader of the Furious Five rose an elegant brow in askance, arms crossed since the baby panda she held in her arms now decided to climb and perch herself around her neck.
"Loosen up a bit, will you?" The ribbon dancer went on, avoiding the questioning glance both Kung Fu masters gave her as she patted the Dragon Warrior's chest before turning fully in the tigress' direction, "seems like Lei-lei has taken quite a liking to you. Quite surprising since you don't look like the motherly type." She joked.
Po winced at the mild venom in what seemed to be Mei-mei's provocation. Is she trying to pick a fight with Tigress? That wouldn't be so wise, heck, that would just be entirely stupid even in an ordinary person's point of view. As if the savage impatient air that grew around Tigress wasn't already enough to scare onlookers away.
"Uh, Mei-mei-" he tried to cut off, gingerly while watching the irritation build up on the Kung Fu master's facial features, "I think you should go practice with er- uh, the knunchucks more. You know, with the dexterity and all." He managed wild exaggerated punching movements as he diverted his attention in making the female panda leave before she even gets herself into further trouble in engaging a fight with the tigress.
Mei-mei only chuckled a bit at this,
"Of course~ I should at the very least be strong enough to be of use. You're running after the hardcore types after all~" she teased before skipping away and whipping her ribbon around with a few 'hiya's' here and there.
Po instantaneously blushed at this, 'she couldn't have figured it out, right? There's just no way. Unless- unless I, I was too obvious. But I wasn't. Or was I? Ugh nooo...' he allowed himself a face-palm and a helpless groan and it only gave him away more.
"What's with her?" The uncharacteristically calm master walked towards her friend, Lei-lei now waddling beside her, small paw in hers. She was way too focused on keeping her strength in check as she held the young panda, aware of her paws inability to feel and therefore trying to avoid unintentionally crushing the child's appendage, to notice the inaudible sigh of relief that came from the Dragon Warrior.
Po only shook his head in response once Tigress tore her gaze away from the panda village down below and turned to look at him, betraying the look of unease building up on his obvious face,
"I- I don't know." He shrugged, "she might not just be used to seeing other girls that much?" Was his feeble answer under her skeptical vermilion eyes.
"She's a ribbon-dancer, just in case you failed to notice, Dragon Warrior. She works with girls far more than she talks to guys." Tigress tried hard not to roll her eyes and, instead, settled onto giving him a subtle incredulous look.
The panda averted his gaze and bit his lip, looking around as if he could find the answers on the trees that littered his surroundings or Dim and Sum who belly gonged on the air above him,
"What I meant was, er, females of another species. You know, uh, non-panda folks. Yes, non-panda folks. That was what I meant." He laughed awkwardly scratching the back of his head as he turned back to face his comrade.
"'Non-panda'? Seriously, Po, I don't even think such a word existed before you used it." The tiger master snickered, finding herself enjoying the panda's futile excuses for his species' behavior. Meanwhile, Lei-lei had managed to walk her way to Po and clutched on his leg, tugging at the end of his tattered pants and Tigress wonders just when would he finally decide to replace that *thing*,
"Cuddles, up! Up!" The young panda waved her little limbs up to emphasize her desire to be lifted off the ground, instantly dismissing the awkwardness that accumulated around the older panda. Kids just had that effect, she pondered from her past experiences with them. She didn't, doesn't even want to bother with them in the first place, primarily because she isn't sure about what to do with them aside from having to feed, protect, clothe, put them to bed and providing them with their basic needs. She never knew how to play or entertain them since she was never really a proper kid so much as she is a Kung Fu master. But as time passed by, she picked up a couple of things or two. At least enough to make her a competent guardian, or protector, the surprise whenever children shows interest in her never ceases, but at least now she knows how to properly deal with them without upsetting or scaring them off, and worst of all, making them cry.
Po complied with a light-hearted laughter of his own and lifted the little panda up in the air, spinning her in circles. Lei-lei giggled heartily, suspended in the air as she flailed her arms around her in excitement.
Tigress found herself eased by both pandas. Maybe pandas in general just had that sort of impact on her. Ever since Po came into the Jade Palace, there was this comfy, informal and unguarded air of home that begun to suspend in the air around them. At first she found this intimidating, annoying even, because that was what she wanted everyone else to see her as- more irritated than overwhelmed like a trapped animal because that would just be ridiculous. But as time went by, she grew used to it like many other things that came her way, up to the point that the Garnet Palace suddenly seemed too deafeningly silent and stilted that she begun to regret ever deciding to abandon her friends back in the Valley of Peace. Po came to her rescue then, like the impudently loud yet reliable Dragon Warrior that he is, and they ended up defeating the mistress and laughingly walking down the path that lead back to the Jade Palace.
She couldn't help the genuine smile that stretched across her customarily stern features and could've made her way over them to join their little fun had the bells not rung to signal the arrival of their dreaded enemy.
Both masters froze at the sound, the baby panda just plain confused when Po had suddenly let her down.
Tigress suddenly switched into protective mode as she ran over and scooped Lei-lei into her arms. She chanced a sharp glance of alarm at the older panda before speaking up in a grave tone,
"He's here." As if both a notice, a warning and an order for him to go defeat the ox and come back in one breathing piece. Because seriously, she could now pray to tons of gods that would be willing to listen and Oogway at that too for that imbecile's protection. She saw him back then, he was throwing random kicks and punches at a dummy he made, obviously expecting to gain the upper hand on Kai using Kung Fu and every single knowledge and Shifu all contradicted that. Po needs -desperately so- to master Chi in order to defeat him.
The tiger master only watched the panda's retreating form making its way towards the village to gather his specially trained panda army. She sighed and hopes that it would be enough compensation to match Kai's jade zombies and his own collection of stolen Chi.
She watched as Po trained the villagers, always standing a few steps beside him. Calculating every intentions behind the ball kicking, dumpling eating, rolling, catapaulting, and worst of all, hugging that everyone's been doing in answer to Po's given instructions and she couldn't find one single sense in any of those at all. So it wasn't an astonishment whenever she finds herself raising a disbelieving brow instead of agreeing with the words of approval and encouragement the Dragon Warrior was offering the training pandas. He seemed confident enough with this whole endeavor of him building his own panda army to fight Kai and it unnerved Tigress to no end at all. Fighting Kai using ordinary Kung Fu was one thing, involving civilians into a dangerous war as such is another, and both doesn't even begin to appeal to either her physical or common senses. All that left her with at least a tiny bit of hope is the fact that Po at least somehow understands the true meaning of the answer behind Shifu's reoccurring question.
"I am not turning you into me. I'm turning you into you."
She herself was quite confused by the question at first, it's not even any clearer now as she fights her own batch of jade zombies with Lei-lei still under her care and protection. Though his plan and days spent in teaching the villagers are somewhat fruitful as she sees the progress everyone else are making as they seem to both enjoy and successfully divert the attention of the so-called jombies from Po. All that's left is for the panda warrior to fulfill his part of the plan and everything would go smoothly by then.
"What was he planning to do again?" Mei-mei directed the question towards her as she spins both ribbons and knunchucks on both hands, effectively taking down a number of foes. Now, out of everything else, this particular panda's skill admittedly seemed to be the most useful at first glance for the tiger master herself.
"He's, hya!" Tigress did a backflip kick and landed back on her feet. Once she made sure that all enemies are immobile, thus rendered temporarily senseless and unable to relay any information to Kai, she answered, albeit in a whisper "-planning to use the Wuxi finger hold." threw a punch at another incoming enemy -that woke up- whilst balancing the baby panda on her back.
Mei-mei looked quite baffled, though still continuously fighting,
"Use the what finger what?"
The Kung Fu master sweatdropped at this, suddenly hating herself for her lapse in judgment. Of course the female panda won't know a thing about that- she's a frigging ribbon-dancer from a formerly peaceful secret village in the mountains, they're already lucky enough that the villagers' own sets of skills could be, by some weird stroke of luck, applied in actual combat. They probably have never heard of any recent war for as far as she knows before now.
"Let's not push our luck too far then." She muttered. More as a note for herself than for anyone at all. Lei-lei heard it nevertheless and began giggling and cooing 'stripy-baby' and she finds herself quite amused and worried that it's already becoming the young one's habit to call her that. "it's a Kung Fu technique." The tigress added, deciding to answer her question as directly as she can while leaving out the technicalities so as to prevent any further confusion. Though she made sure to leave out any details that might give the panda's key plan away.
"Oh. Would it work then?" The dancer kept on asking, dodging -or more like, avoiding her foes' attacks via skipping.
Tigress sighed and tried to keep her tone even despite her growing aggravation, she snapped to turn to her,
"Of course it would! What makes you thi-" before trailing off in astounding realization, barely dodging what could've been a critical blow from one of the jaded long dead Kung Fu masters she was facing.
Wuxi. Wuxi fingerhold... but doesn't that trick only work on...
A deep growl escaped her throat before she turned to the direction from where Kai was supposedly controlling his warriors and saw Po landing on his behind after several attacks from the ox.
Without another word, the tiger went off bolting on all fours to help her comrade, not a single hesitation in heading straight-on to battle against an ancient enemy visibly more powerful than any of them. Her paws made contact with crushed snow and she leaped occasionally to fasten her pace, still making sure that Lei-lei was secured on her back with every step she takes. She's not to allow any harm to befall a single panda this day and she ought to make that an oath she'll surely fulfill even if it means that certain sacrifices are to be made.
By the time she got there Po was long done and pretty beaten up that it made him look ugly. The look of utter defeat was etched on his normally so confident face and it didn't take long for Tigress to figure out that the whole thing was a bust and she would have to prepare herself for battle should the Dragon Warrior fail to protect the villagers and it was her only option left apart from evacuating them in a breath's interval which seemed to be impossible since they're practically outnumbered by both the enemies and the people in need of protection.
"I- it didn't work. Sorry. You have to run! Run!" He tried to clamber back on his feet in vain as Kai continued to taunt him and threaten everyone else that was there to witness the scene.
Po begged everyone and found himself regretting ever stepping foot in the village and bringing his troubles with him, continuously blaming himself for whatever would become of them once Kai takes their chis. He's one phone call away from giving up when he saw the look on his fellow Kung Fu master's face.
Tigress was never the type to show not even the tiniest amount of fear in her eyes, she'd always been strong, defiant and downright hardcore- he knows that, practically everyone who knows her and Kung Fu knows that. Its a fact. But this, this Tigress that he looked up to from the ground, this one dressed in glorious gold, was terrified. Not obviously so, but the Dragon Warrior never failed to notice how her grip on Lei-lei had tightened, how her jaw clenched and her form was of pure unease as she placed herself in front of the others,
"Ti-"
Vermilion eyes fixed on Po's jade green ones as if mentally kicking him to do something while also reassuring him that -even though as cornered and helpless as they all are- she still has faith in him, somehow, that she still believes that he won't allow anything bad to happen to the villagers, she's begging him to get up and protect the villagers if not himself or her. Because its their duty, and it's all that Po needs to gather whatever strength he has left to stand up and formulate a plan.
And once again, it brought him back to his crucial mistake, "It only works on mortals..." he stood firmer now, one final glance at his friend who looked back at him with slight uncertainty but with a platinum will to reassure him.
Friend. He still thinks about it more than he usually does. Especially now. Since she had once again appeared to help him clear his fogged mind as he was relentlessly training with the ox dummy he made, more so when she recently gave him the strength to rise back up and had once again provided him with something concrete yet abstract to lean onto at the same time, the unwavering belief of a trusted comrade he knows he'd do everything not to lose.
"Thanks, Ti." He muttered thankfully, flashing the other master a genuinely coy smile before turning back to face his opponent.
Furious Five's leader tried to hide the anxiety and bafflement that came with the finality in his tone. She didn't like it, simply putting things. She hates how resigned the Dragon Warrior sounded and he was quick to dismiss any questioning glance she might've thrown his way by abruptly turning his back on her.
"You're right. I'm wrong. It only works on mortals." Po stated so suddenly before jumping on the ox's back and cockily smirking, "and I'm going to take you with me." He finalized as he held his finger up in his other hand in position of the legendary technique Oogway taught him.
Tigress recognized this almost immediately and tried to intervene,
"Po, no!" She jumped up to stop him but the effort proved futile as both warriors quickly disappeared in a flash of a blinding golden light and all that was left for her to grasp was a couple of pink peach petals that floated from where both warriors disappeared.
Standing still and frozen, she stared at where they stood earlier in disbelief, still yet to accept the fact that he might be gone for good this time. Because this time, he might not be half as lucky as Gongmen. Yet it all feels the same for her, the ghastly realizations and possibilities she wouldn't want to consider. She watched him nearly die for countless of times but the Kung Fu master would've thought Gongmen to be the worst- Tigress had given up hope then. She didn't even know how to begin composing herself as her fellow masters turned to her for any form of reassurance that they could still make it out of the situation alive. Her entire being and senses had been in pieces as if she herself was caught in the explosion that 'killed' Po in their eyes and it was more than enough to put out what was left of her fighting spirit. So she hung there with the Furious Five, half-hopeless half-devastated and in a dozen pieces with a whirlwind of confusion in her self that she would never speak out loud neither make obvious to anyone who could've seen.
And all she could say as everyone else turned into a hushed rendition of a panic was,
"This wasn't what I had in mind..." as she tried to steel her legs, jaw, every part of her that could've trembled should it be left unmonitored. Evened out her breathing, blinked back salt that accumulated somewhere around her eyes and momentarily let go of Lei-lei- the prospect of her accidentally breaking the young panda's bones in a puddle of nerves and uncertainty too disturbing of a thought to entertain- the need for another reason to feel guilty for her situational inability to provide any actual help was quite impractical for her attempt to maintain a calm and functional mind at the time.
The proposition to help the panda came from both his dads and for once Tigress was actually glad that someone came up with something whilst she was trying to arrange herself. She couldn't even trust herself to speak without a snap, snarl or -worse- a growl neither could she move without suddenly punching a wall or destroying anything that stood on her path with blinding fury and rage and ferocity so great because if things are to go downhill from here and Po wouldn't return, she had just lost everything she ever had- her friends, her master, and Po, everything that was the closest to a family she ever had the slight miracle of having. And she couldn't do a thing about it.
And Li Shen figured it'd be wise to use Chi to save his son. Everyone else around her had spoken what they realized was their true selves with the Dragon Warrior's help and it had always amazed the tiger how the dumpling-eating Kung Fu master had always had this unique ability to unite different people and bring out the best in them.
Just like how he did with her back in Gongmen. Though indirectly, he helped her realize that she's more than just the hardcore warrior everyone thought she was, that there was also this understanding and compassionate side of her willing to listen and sympathesize even though it might not be seen in the ordinary gentle manner common to every normal person. With the simple gesture of her offering to spar with Po and not punching him back in the prison when she -or at least, the Tigress in the past- already could've done so under the circumstances that they were in. She never really knew why, but somehow, she developed some form of a second voice in the back of her mind telling her that he might've just misunderstood her back then. As if it was the part of her that never wants to hurt Po despite of how much of a handful he could be. That specific part of her that told her to hate Po when he stole the title of the Dragon Warrior from her had completely vanished and was replaced by something that would now always hope for the best for the panda; an instinct to always be there, to be the one to listen to him rant about his frustrations; to kick some sense back to his fogged mind by sparring with him because she was never the tender type; and at times, to simply just watch over the panda and make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid.
Like this. She was there yet she couldn't do anything and it irks her to no end, particularly now as she spreads her paw out stating that Po helped her realize that she was a 'friend' and nothing happens.
Everyone else had golden glows reflecting their own palms or paws but her own remains it's dull normal color.
"What?!" She involuntarily growled, brows scrounged up in growing vexation, "why. Isn't. It. Working?!" Emphasizing each word by rubbing her paws together and putting them out.
Lei-lei looked up at her worriedly, then at her spread paws and Mei-mei had followed the younger panda's gaze to the bothered tigress.
"Oh~ seems like we have a little problem here~" the ribbon-dancer walked close and whispered so that it'll only be between herself and the Kung Fu master.
Tigress immediately turned to glare at this,
"No," she didn't even hide the growl from her cool 'get off' tone and voice this time, "I'm perfectly fine."
The female panda raised a skeptical brow at this, unbelieving,
"Really? Because I don't see any golden 'chi' from you besides your outfit."
"Are you really trying to pick up a fight?"
"No. I'm too amazing to even bother." Mei-mei stated confidently dismissive, "anyways, what I'm trying to say is, are you really what you say you are?" She added, quite suspiciously and knowing at the same time.
Tigress arched a brow in question,
"Are you saying I'm not a friend?" Her tone sounded more offended than she would've wanted.
This seemed to help the dancer make something up, because she shook her head with a slight giggle,
"What? No, silly! I was just asking if you're so sure of your role as just so when it comes to Po." Then she added with a snicker, "you're so defensive. Just like him~" and a wink.
Absolutely fed up with all the games, Tigress sighed,
"Okay. If you're aiming to confuse me, you could now stop because you've already succeeded." Before going back to thinking about how to settle herself because everybody's noticing the lack of power.
If she's not friend, then what else is she? A kung fu master? A savior? Protector? A tiger?
"What are you really?" Mei-mei began once again, "for Po at least." She stated in a tone that was nothing less wondrous.
Maybe she could go with 'tiger', that's the most obvious of all the things she thought of,
"What do you mean?" Was what came out of her mouth. Because really, where's the sense in that question? What she is to Po? What does that got to do with anything at all?
But she couldn't find herself dismissing the thought quite easily as she would all others she deems not worthy of her time. What is she to Po?
A friend. She could think of herself as one, just like what Viper, Monkey, Crane and Mantis is to him. Someone she would protect with her life during battles, someone she would help whenever they need it. Nothing more, nothing less.
Then why didn't it work? Why did she feel a sudden feeling of quease in her stomach when she saw Po so close to Mei-mei that they were almost hugging? Why was she annoyed with Po stupidly choking down on dumplings when he normally does so and she wasn't that bothered by it until then? Why did she feel a little something on the inside die whenever she thinks the panda's dead? Why did she feel the need to follow him that night he woke up on their boat ride to Gongmen? Why did she feel it was necessary to lend him an ear and spar and comfort and hug him back then when he had daddy-issues although she was never that involved with the other four and they were with her far more longer than she was with Po and had been through far more worse for all she knows? Why? Why was she this devastated of his death when they are warriors and this is a battlefield and death is as inevitable as the sky is blue and the sun is yellow? Why is she no longer mad at him for being the Dragon Warrior and was actually glad for it? Why?
Was it all because she was just a friend?
Just... a friend?
Just a friend that admitted she was jealous of that goat he was engaged to. Just a friend that tried her best to unearth how said goat just wanted to use Po to save her own brother. Just a friend who 'talked' with another girl for the truth. A friend who nearly bursted into tears when he died- or at least, they thought he did.
"So~?" The female panda prodded on, seemingly not knowing when to stop.
What was she to Po?
She felt helpless. This is just stupid. She's not good with these kind of things because unlike everyone else, she was never open to these, not to anyone, not even to her own self. But it doesn't mean as if she never had these kinds of thoughts, because she did.
Still in Gongmen, after the battle, Po had held her tight after she helped him out of the water. It was as if he'd lost her once and now he never wanted to let go ever again. It was back in the water when Po waded close to where she floated and held her paw and squeezed it in reassurance after a short solemn whisper of her name with guilt lacing his tired raspy voice. It was his unsure comebacks and innocent demeanor contrary to hers that had seen the world for what it really was.
An endless battlefield.
And yet to him, it was a world where his idols existed and he needed sketches with the jade zombies as he was getting his Dragon Warrior ass kicked, it was a world where everything from the Jade Palace and the Hall of Heroes was still from his beloved books and everything was still a new experience that he couldn't help the urge to get his panda paws on, a world where he still kept the figures of the Furious Five as if he doesn't work with them battling bandits on a daily basis,
Its a world where he still sees Tigress with the eyes of a fanboy.
"Want to try again?"
She found her earlier thought quite funny and quirked a tiny smile,
"An idol?" She tried, although she knew it sounded more of another question to the posted question and a ridiculous one at that too.
"Quite shy now, aren't we?" The female panda tapped her chin in thought, inwardly shaking her head for the tigress' thick-headedness, "still no. Let me give you a clue: why not try... 'love interest' for a change? Since you're so helpless." She finished, a bit too much sass in her mien.
Furious Five's leader choked on air,
"What?!" Meaning to sound intimidating despite the falter in her speech and the stain on her cheek.
"what's happening?" Li Shen started in a panic.
"That's precisely the problem, nothing's happening!" Mr. Ping added and looked around, "Tigress? What's the problem?" All heads turned to the one in question at this.
She could hear Mei-mei chuckle in amusement before she heard a teasing whisper,
"Go on. Better try it now or Po gets stuck inside wherever he is right now." With a wiggle of her brows. Though the feline herself could sense the underlying urgency and worry behind the mockery.
"You don't even know if that will work and I'm everything but that." the master countered in her defense, suddenly conscious of herself because of both Mei-mei's proposal and the expectant looks she got from everyone else,
"I'm fine, Mr. Ping." She reassured the duck, deciding whether or not it would be feasible to let him into her troubles, and she goes on with her usual collected tone, "just having a bit of a trouble is all."
The noodle-maker gave her an understanding smile of trust at this,
"Of course. You could handle it. Po had always looked up to you in order to be the best person he could be." He chuckles a bit at some memory that seemed to come up to him, "sometimes, I even doubt if it's just pure admiration or a crush because he nearly always talks about you and there'd be these sparkles in his eyes that only food used to conjure before you."
Everyone 'aww-ed' romantically at this and Li Shen allowed himself a proud guffaw,
"So our son's in love, eh?" He elbowed Mr. Ping a bit harder than he would've intended to because the duck glared up at him after saving himself from toppling sidewards, before turning to the tiger master with a large grin in acknowledgement, "and to such a strong and fine lady at that too."
Tigress found herself shrinking at the amount of unnecessary attention she was getting. Nevertheless, she couldn't deny liking the facts that she had gathered from Po's two dads.
"What do you say? Let's bring him back home and tell him of our new discovery, shall we?" The dancer beamed from beside her with an encouraging push on her back.
Against her better judgment, the kung fu master allowed herself a bit of curiosity,
"B-but I thought?"
"You thought what?" The panda answered, clearly intrigued.
"That you liked Po? "
Mei-mei's face fell in shock,
"Was I that obvious?", the tiger nodded, "well yea, but he obviously likes you more and I'm too gorgeous to be of any competition to you so~ I'll be doing the universe a fabulous favor~!"
Tigress shook her head at this, not in disapproval but more in helpless disbelief at her overflowing self-esteem that it's almost admirable. And she decided, after all the knowledge she had gathered and the inner realizations she made and the limited time they have in their hands...
She might as well bet on something bigger for once.
"A...."
An intervention from the young panda beside her had made her chest tighten and her stomach flip,
"Stripy-baby, Stripy-baby~ love cuddles~!"
Does she? Maybe she should take it slow, pace herself so as not to jump into wild conclusions regarding these unfamiliar emotions.
"An admirer..." she finally settled in saying and a strong vivid glow erupted from her outstretched arm to her open paw.
----------In the spirit realm---------
It had already been a few seconds since little paw -and in Mr. Ping's case, a wing- prints appeared on different parts of his body yet Kai's Chi stealing technique was still yet to stop.
Po initially thought he'd feel stronger after all the Chi given to him by his friends and family back in the mortal realm. But as he feels the power transferred to him, he couldn't help but feel as if there was something significant missing from it all.
Something that means both life and death for him literally and figuratively. He couldn't place a finger on it though but a scene flashed back in his mind as if to make him remember this particular something.
"Kai could only be defeated by a true master of Chi. I've seen him fight and he couldn't be taken down by ordinary Kung Fu. This wouldn't work."
"He didn't see me fight."
"The wuxi finger hold?"
"Yes?"
"It won't work."
"It would."
"It won't. You wouldn't get close enough."
"I could."
"Kai has an army of jade zombies. Whatever they see, he sees. You would never get close enough..."
And instantly, by the end of the recent one of their many spars, an overwhelmingly strong wave of warmth washed over him and an all-too familiar print appeared right on his left chest- just above his heart.
"Tigress..." he gasped, eyes wide with a couple of happy tears swelling from it. His heart suddenly pounding too hard and fast in his chest he felt as if he's going explode into confettis and glitters.
He doesn't even know why but he thinks that her answer to the question was a big leap for the master herself.
"Well, you seemed to be quite happy for someone who's about to die." Kai had cut his parade off with a conceited sneer.
Po smiled in a manner that was stupid for Kai and haughtily replied,
"Who said I'm gonna die?"
Before bursting into different rays of gold and coming back dressed in white, gold and black. The Dragon Warrior floated in mid-air tracing parts of a dragon as he stated the things that he is,
"Who am I? I'm a panda, the son of a goose, a warrior, a student, a teacher,a friend," then mid-way he thinks of sparring sessions and boat rides and that midnight confrontation, fireworks, water and the comfort of one paw whose warmth spreads from his palm throughout his body to the tips of his ears and toes, his belly and straight through his heart from where it nullified any common knowledge and sharpened his senses to what he truly feels, "an admirer..." he trails off a bit thinking about Ironwood trees and twenty years and numb paws and vermilion eyes, of sturdy independence, unwavering strength and resolution and oranges, blacks and whites and red and golden outfits.
Taking a deep breath, he smells damp grass during a mild sprinkle instead of the orchestra of redolence that the spirit realm offered because in doing so he felt more at home,
"Turns out, I'm all of those." And the dragon was complete.
"Wait," Kai placed a hoove out to signal a pause while restraining a crude guffaw, "did you just say you're an *admirer*?" He sniggered.
Po nodded slowly,
"Well yea, I could've also said-"
"What? 'Hopeless romantic'?" The ox mocked and finally began his rude hysteric.
"Uh, no, I was about to say, 'tiger-lover' among many other things, but maybe that too." The panda nodded more to himself than at his opponent.
The beast of vengeance have him a look of utter shock and disgust,
"Have you no shame?"
Po flinched a bit at this before fixing the maker of widows a disapproving glare,
"What's wrong with that? Well sorry if you hadn't known or felt such feelings before, gramps, but I have enough of this chitchat and should be heading back now." He finished and prepared himself for battle, "see this dragon? Its formed and completed by the things you loathe and *this* is gonna chow you down."
The battle went on for as far as Kai could've handled the Dragon Warrior before the great warlord finally bursted into pieces with Po fulfilling his desire to take his Chi by giving his own to the ox as he so wished.
Now Oogway stood before him after the panda successfully freed them all from Kai's work, and handed the Dragon Warrior his golden Yin and Yang scepter to officially proclaim him as his true successor,
"You had finally become the panda you were destined to be."
Po felt coy wash over him at the praise and scratched the back of his head sheepishly,
"U-uh thanks? I guess. You're extra shiny too!" He finished, laughing awkwardly.
The tortoise matched his merry with his own,
"No need to feel so embarrassed, Po. You should even feel proud of yourself for getting this far and knowing when to take sacrifices and stand up for the people you love and care about." He reached out to pat the panda's forearm before he started drifting away in a flurry of peach petals.
Jade green eyes widened at this,
"No! Oogway, please don't go!"
And as if to answer his plea, the great kung Fu master immediately popped out of an accumulation of petals from the trunk of a large tree right in front of the Dragon Warrior,
"Who said I was going anywhere? I live here. But *you* have to go back."
"I could?"
"Who knows?" The old master spread both arms out whilst laughing, "I never tried." Everything else that followed seemed more of Oogway thinking out loud to himself in cryptic language, "go now~ you'd surely make it back. Specifically now that you've got someone special you'd like to come home to. Though, I never could've imagined for it all to be mutual since she really did seem to hate you a great deal in the beginning. But alas, the power of fate!"
And before Po could even seek more assurance of the elder's claim, he was whisked back to the mortal realm in, once again, a whirlwind of peach petals and golden light before it was all sucked off by some invisible force and the Dragon Warrior was back in his own tattered pants as he fell and bounced back to the ground.
A chorus of worried and relieved 'Po's' could be heard everywhere and the panda himself tried to look around and down each and every faces that he succeeded in protecting and he smiled to himself thinking that it was all worth it.
Especially when he saw his friends and the sole person he grew to admire more than so standing among them.
"Son!" Both his dads ran up to him and enveloped him in a tight and loving hug, "don't you ever dare go disappearing in petals ever again!" The goose started in a feeble attempt to reprimand the son he just thought he lost.
"Po!" Viper started and both fathers saw the gem that laid in the situation who stood amongst their son's friends and teacher.
Li Shen was the first to start the spark,
"Now go tell her, son!" He smiled and pushed his son playfully on the back.
Taken aback, Po paused and abruptly turned to his dads, not even being able to make eye contact with one particular master in the process,
"Tell who what?!" He nearly screamed but managed to keep his voice down midway. The sudden realization that hit him made him snap his head on his goose father's direction,
"What did you tell him, dad?" He asked slowly in a low voice.
"Nah, it wasn't just me, Tigress was there too." The older panda interceded in a louder voice than Po could've wanted.
"She was what?! He what?! How much did he tell you gu-"
"I was there. Mr. Ping told us everything we needed to know." Said feline had cut him off coolly and Po couldn't even see an ounce of unease in her answers as she fixed her sturdy vermilion gaze on him, one of the many things he admired about her. And the thought only made him flush harder and squirm from wherever he was standing at the moment. She then turned to his fathers and her whole countenance signalled respect, "Now could I please excuse the Dragon Warrior?", this time, Po begins to envy her calm nature as she stood there high and mighty yet still dutifully deferential and polite.
"Why of course! Now aren't you a catch! Don't let this one go, son!" And the younger panda wonders if it'll hurt his father to just try and keep a secret sometime, especially one of this caliber.
Being hated by Tigress for stealing the title she practically trained her entire life for was one thing, being hated by Tigress for falling desperately so hard for her and knowing it from his talkative dads is an entirely different one.
He could see the Tigress they grew to know obviously exasperated by trifles like this, never even bothering the unamusement building up in her features by a furrow in her brows, a frown on her mouth and deathly daggers in her eyes. But this one, this tiger clad in gold did everything she could to appear less intimidating even through the stiffness in her form and the near-unnoticeable discomfort in her countenance.
His daydreaming was cut off by a firm "Shall we?" In the deep refined voice of the master that fogged his mind, nearly a few feet away from him and only half-turned to acknowledge his unmoving form in question.
"O-oh, right." Po stumbled in his tracks as he hugged the villagers and his friends that walked right up to him.
Shifu was the first to speak, taking notice of his newly acquired staff in surprise,
"Where did you get that?"
Po jumped a bit at the edged question and decided to answer gingerly,
"Oogway gave it to me." he began, slowly, still taking note of the distance Tigress had already covered from him.
This earned a face-palm from the red panda,
"Of course he did..."
"Shifu, I think I already mastered Chi." The wonder was evident in the tone the panda warrior used, but nevertheless, it didn't keep the second face palm from coming into the older master's face.
"Of course you did." He replied in a dismal tone, quite ashamed of his own slow progress, but not long after was it replaced by understanding that he might as well learn Chi from the Dragon Warrior later than everyone else did rather than to entertain his pride and not learn it at all, "c-could you teach me?"
Smiling at his master, Po nodded.
"I wish you luck then, Dragon Warrior." Shifu smiled back, before turning into a much more serious face and tone in a split second, "You'll need it."
The panda shivered at the implication, looking around to see that the tiger was no longer anywhere to be found.
"Are you sure it wasn't a life insurance he needed, master?" Mantis mused, "he did just literally burn Tigress a few days ago."
Viper hissed at the indelicacy in the insect master's statement,
"Hush now, it's not like Tigress to just burn anyone out of revenge from an honest mistake!" She slithered towards Po and tapped his hand in reassurance using her tail, "don't worry about it, Po. She only wants to talk." She offered him a gentle smile.
The snake had always been so kind to everyone, even back then when every member of the Furious Five complained to Shifu concerning the panda's failure as a teacher, it was Viper's name he never heard mentioned, not once. And it bothers him that maybe, sometimes, they might be taking her for granted.
So he flashed her a genuinely thankful grin, and wholeheartedly thanked the snake master, who never ceased smiling at all.
"Since we're all being nice here. Don't you worry bro, should she reject you, I'll give you a shoulder to cry on." Monkey stated in a consoling tone all the while slinging an arm around the panda's shoulders and for once, his friend's attempt to cheer him up was a total failure.
"Or a new chick to hit on~" Mantis butted in once again and this time it made Po evidently quiver.
"Or a lifetime supply of dumpling valid till you had conquered depression." Crane added fuel to the fire and the panda felt as if the tension and torture from his friends are now more likely to kill him rather than whatever it would be Tigress is about to give him - whether it be rejection or acceptance or a scratch on the face, with the use of her claws.
"Uh, guys, you're not helping." Po decided it was high time to let his voice on the matter be heard in the form of a pitiful little whine.
This made the whole group erupt in laughter,
"O-of course, forgive us, Dragon Warrior. Entertainment seemed to have overwhelmed the power of wishing a good friend good-will." Shifu tried to stifle himself down and ceased into a few disappearing chuckles.
"Aww, you know I wasn't serious, man!" The primate hugged his best friend tighter, "best case scenario is she might even spare your life and go on as if none of this ever happened, right?"
"Oh shut up, Monkey! You're killing the poor lad's hopes!" Mantis intervened and snapped his claw on Monkey's tail earning him a bewildered yelp from his large friend, "best case scenario is she won't burn you alive!"
Viper whipped the insect up using her tail, not hard enough to cause any injury but just enough to distance the unreasonable bug from the panicky panda,
"Don't listen to them, Po. Just tell her what you truly feel, don't be afraid. Promise, she'll thank you for being true, at the very least...." and for once, along with that sentence, the comfort he found in the snake's words, trailed off.
She noticed her mistake from the sudden fall on Po's shoulders and was quick to redeem herself,
"But~ that is if, and only *if*, she doesn't already feel the same way and smother you down with ki-"
A sudden dark aura had cut off both Viper's attempt to brighten Po up and the panda's own daydreaming.
"With what, Viper?" The voice they all suddenly feared began to speak.
Po suddenly froze since he heard the voice just a few centimeters behind him.
"N-nothing, Tigress!" The reptile nervously laughed it off and slithered back to Master Shifu's side along with Monkey and Mantis who were quick to disappear the moment they sensed the intimidating presence of their leader.
"I was wondering what was taking you so long and I find you here, talking behind who's back?" The tiger asked, still not leaving her post from behind Po's back.
"N-no one's?" He offered weakly and was all the more unnerved by the shocked disapproving looks he got from his friends as if mentally screaming at him for picking the worst possible time to lie to the tiger.
He heard her sigh from behind him,
"The truth, Po."
And he figured he might as well tell her the truth now instead of adding up another reason to upset her,
"Y-you." He whispered weakly, "We w-were talking a-about you..."
"Very well then, let's go." She answered dismissively as if not minding that they just talked about her behind her back and went on her way expecting the panda to follow her.
And he did.
"So... what is this about?" Po began, once they were out of both eyesight and earshot. He took in their surroundings and found himself in a secluded area where a few chosen trees of vibrant green grew despite of the cold weather conditions; a pond rested at the foot of the tree Tigress had taken residence under for the time being, it's water so clear you could see the schools of different colored fishes and Po muses the fact that this might even be connected to a waterfall or an ocean of some sort by the use of a tiny channel; the grass beneath their feet was moist and the whole place smelled of freshly fallen melted snow that quite resembled a day after a soft sprinkle; the sun hung high above their heads covered by fluffy winter clouds and it was neither too cold nor too hot.
"You tell me, Dragon Warrior." The tiger master answered as she laid her back on the sturdy trunk of what Po realized was a half-blooming peach tree, "what did you do just then?"
'Oh, good. So we aren't going to talk about what dads' said.' The panda thought to himself and doesn't know whether or not he should be comforted by the thought,
"I fell down from the sky?" He guessed and was rewarded by a look from Tigress that seemed to ask him if he's stupid, "u-uh, but I defeated Kai, right?", 'out of the question' her frown seemed to say, "I, uh, get to inherit Oogway's staff and teach Shifu how to master Chi?" He could see her falter a bit at the mention of Chi and the pink that dusted her cheeks didn't go unnoticed but he chose not to speak of it as it was gone in a millisecond and was replaced by a look that strongly told him he is indeed an idiot.
"You just wuxi finger held yourself." She stated, matter of factly, and clearly aggravated.
The panda nodded vigorously in membrance,
"O-oh! Y-yeah! I just did!" He made wild hand gestures and toppled in his feet in excitement, "I was awesome, wasn't I?" He fist pumped in the air, "the great Dragon Warrior went to the Spirit Realm and back to save the day and defeat the Beast of Vengeance!"
"No. The *Great* Dragon Warrior went off and Wuxid himself and made people believe he's gone without even bothering to tell his friend about his foolish plan!" Tigress enunciated each syllable as if coating them with venom while slowly steadying herself back up in a threatening standing position before stomping a foot to the ground that made the earth beneath the radius of their current location rattle.
Po stumbled and landed on his behind, looking up at her with guilt in his eyes because as much as he is afraid of her at the moment, he couldn't just shrug off the anguish that flashed in her eyes as she settled on shaking the earth rather than having him see the stubborn tear that escaped her walls,
"I-i know. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you but you know that it was necessary at the time as much as I did." He settled into sitting cross-legged on the other side of the pond, just opposite of the other master but with the water separating them.
She nodded, defeatedly,
"I know. And I understand. We're warriors after all." She looked back up at him and smiled weakly, "we protect the innocent even if it means laying down our lives or sacrificing our comrades."
"And I'm the Dragon Warrior so my responsibility's tenfold. Protect the innocent, save the world and do as much as I can to protect you guys so that you won't have to sacrifice anything at all." The panda smiled cockily and laughed a bit, trying to lighten up the mood as he always does, "e-especially you..." he added in an off-handed whisper.
"What was that?"
"N-nothing..."
'I guess I'll let this one slide at the time being.' Allowing herself a soft sough, she apparently decided to put the matter in her hands seeing as to Po doesn't even seem to openly wish to talk about it and she needed answers,
"I think you already have an idea why I pulled you out here. Do you wish to tell me anything?" The tiger began cautiously, yet still in a 'no nonsense' tone that would be sure to keep the panda's dallying in check.
Po froze on the spot. 'So it's now or never then...',
"I, uh,"
"Do you know how I mastered Chi?" Tigress had cut him off so suddenly that it surprised him.
"Uh, how?"
She began to pace in a steady rhythm right in front of him, both paws behind her back,
"Mei-mei and Mr. Ping helped me. You see, they gave me two questions: one question that I already have the answer to, and the other one, I-I still haven't had the luck to figure out." She finished and stopped in her tracks to turn back to face him, "could you help me?" The tiger never pleaded and this confused / frustrated question was what Po could tell to be her closest one in doing so.
"Of course!" The Dragon Warrior began cheerfully, more than willing to help his, uh, *adored* 'friend', "what is i-"
"What am I to you?"
And the whole world seemed to have stopped and she never once thought the romantic books Viper used to read and the tiger herself used to label as 'absurd' was quite true when it comes to moments of revelations. Its as if time stood still and forgot about their presence, as if the people around them forgot they existed and they we're courteous enough to return the favor, as if every passing second was stolen oxygen from their lungs that could never be returned lest they find the answer to what they seek. Whether it be death or a brand new life no one cares so long as they get out of this temporary illusion where time was frozen and they could never move a limb or hear a heartbeat.
"Kung Fu, I guess..." Po answered truthfully while drawing imaginary circles on the ground he sat on, trying to summarize all that the tiger is to him into a single significant thing he couldn't live without because she's too many things for him: a friend, an idol, his first crush, his confidante, everything he would ever want to be and more, everything he wishes for, someone he wouldn't mind to get hurt for, someone he would be willing to look like a fool to just to make her laugh-
"Kung Fu?" She was listening intently now, why of all things was she Kung Fu? Is it because she would always treat him like her personal punching bag? Is she really that abusive?
He nods reverently,
"Yeah, Kung Fu..." staring at the pond he continues, "what protects me from everything else, the reason why I get up from bed everyday, what makes me happy more than anything else, the main reason I was able to protect so many people," and Po finally makes up his mind that he couldn't really care less whether or not he'll make it out of here alive, all he knows is that he'd rather spill these all out while he has the chance rather than let this go and be uncertain on his wait for another one,
"that one thing I would always want to keep by my side no matter how hard it all gets, that one thing I would be more than willing to take a bullet for, that one thing more precious to me than food or fame, and," he finally, albeit shakily, looks up at her unreadable form and goes on, "and I just so suddenly realized as I mastered Chi, that you're even more important to me than Kung Fu..."
"Idiot."
And she was literally so suddenly gone and in the speed of light she was right in front of him, kneeling so that they were face-to-face and he never really knew that Tigress was capable of plastering all those different emotions and playing them in her eyes like the facets reflected on the delicate cuts of a Ruby,
"Don't you ever dare go disappearing like that again," she pressed her forehead against his, paws fixed on either side of his head as if cradling it and her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke.
Po could only sigh at this,
"Ti-"
Tigress pulled back to sit straight,
"Without telling me things like these first, you idiot." She'd let her paws fall back down to the ground and the panda made an unconscious sound of disapproval at the lost of warmth, she continued,
"Of course I know it's inevitable. But what if, what if, Y-you had gotten yourself in a serious mess back then? Then you wouldn't have ever been able to tell me any of those things."
Gathering enough courage, the panda reached out to grab the other master's paws in both his own and asked in a steadier voice,
"Why does it bother you too much? Just what am I to you?" And for the first time, those jade green orbs were serious though never once void of gentleness as he sought the answers in those turbulent pools of vermilion, squeezing those numb paws as if desperately wanting them to feel the warmth of his own. Obtaining not a single answer, he repeated,
"What am I to you?"
Tigress seriously pondered about the question for a while and the panda allowed her the time to take all of these in. She stared at his feet, their joined hands, his tattered pants and the luscious grass, and a million uncertain thoughts raced through her mind at the time that all she ever succeeded in is intertwining her numb fingers with his and leaning down to nuzzle his nose with hers.
"You're... Chi."
As vital as the breath of life and as hard to understand as life itself.
And that was all he ever need to know because he, himself, knows how significant it is for every living being.
"I love you, Tigress." The Dragon Warrior stated, confidently this time, a pint of sweetness in his voice as he took her frigid form in his arms.
The Hardcore sighed in contentment and bathed in the warmth that had always resembled home for her.
"Thank you, Po... ", he could feel him nod his head and plant a chaste kiss on top of her own.
Pulling slightly away, she finished,
"And I love you too...."
-----☆FIN
End Notes:
-So, I've got a couple of things to say after a long while of unwritten notes:
-This is my first time writing a fic after exactly 3 years and I'm afraid that I might've already gotten a bit rusty.
-This is also a first for me in the non-anime fandom and yeah, took me quite a boost to a different genre.
-I was lucky enough since I just love seeing these two equally hardcore masters together and they're my most recent otp at that too. Plus, Tigress is just too much of my bias and I love her to death and Po's just so darn adorable and sweet and he obviously likes the Hardcore since day one and Kung Fu panda 2 was the peak of it all sooo~
-I hope you liked it and comments and criticisms/suggestions are pretty much appreciated and welcomed \^w^/♪~♪ thank you and see you next time~
©LadyAlicerius21
*************************************
Now open for beta-reading~