A/N: In honor of the release of Kung Fu Panda 3, I decided to do some digging in my old computer files to see what I'd done for the series over the last few years. I realized that of all the fanfictions I'd written, I had several stories planned for the films, but never actually published any. And so, I'm breaking that streak right now. I dug up this old TiPo one-shot I wrote back in 2011 and opted to publish it for your enjoyment, with revisions of course. Lastly, this one-shot contains some mild spoilers, so if you haven't seen the third movie, don't read it! Happy reading, and don't forget to review, follow, and favorite! Read on!

The Dumbest Thing

By: Joei Write

"This one's his favorite." Master Tigress said as she slowly meandered through the Sacred Hall of Warriors.

The object to which he was referring was the Urn of Whispering Warriors. Po had always had a soft spot for that fragile piece of pottery, despite the fact that he'd broken it so many times. The tiger looked over the cracked sprawlings across its surface, reminiscing about the days passed when she couldn't stand Po being in the Jade Palace. A bittersweet smile snuck onto her face, and she lowered her head to the urn and all the memories that came with it.

Tigress moved to the middle of the Hall and approached the Moon Pool. She climbed up the small steps and peered over the edge. Staring back at her was an unfamiliar tiger, least by comparison. Master Tigress was not vain, so she hardly ever happened upon her own reflection. The feeling of having another you gaze at yourself was confounding to the kung fu practitioner, but all the same she continued to look. Her fur seemed brighter than the last time she had seen herself, and she noticed that the light in her eyes showed more prevalently in her new golden robes. They suited her, and for the first time in a long time, Tigress found herself smiling at her reflection. She had changed since Po had come into her life, but only then had she fully realized just how much. Tigress felt pride, and gratitude; she let the feeling consume her as her right ear twitched. Someone was in the Hall with her.

"You've grown so beautiful, Tigress." The voice was coarse, almost gruff. Tigress lowered her guard, and turned to see that the one accompanying her was her former master, Shifu. The red panda bumbled down the Hall, swishing his plum tail from side to side. Tigress' guard retreated, and the utmost respect paraded onto her face. She'd devolved into the warrior she'd once been in his presence, and it hadn't gone unnoticed. "There's no need for that."

"But there is, Master. A lifetime of respect doesn't just fade away because I'm not learning from you anymore."

"I suppose not. What I meant was that there's no need to stop smiling. It suits you, somehow. Quite a rarity indeed." Shifu's kind words carried over to Tigress, but the subdued flattery that penetrated her was quickly abolished. Shifu also climbed the few steps leading to the edge of the Moon Pool, and he too looked into the water. However, it was apparent that he was not looking at his own reflection, but instead that of Tigress. As he stared, he also noticed the very same things that Tigress had noticed about herself just a few moments prior. She'd grown into a fierce warrior, a fine woman, and an irreplaceable friend. Her master knew this. He couldn't have been more pleased to see it show, even if she was still shy about doing so. "Are you feeling well, Tigress?"

The orange cat was taken aback by the red panda's questions. The part that surprised her the most was the unexpectedness that came with it. She had shown no apparent signs of feeling unwell. Not only that, but Shifu had just clearly said that her smile made her seem different, in a good way. She was baffled as to why Shifu would ask such a question, and she hastened to answer him. Placing her left paw into her right palm, she bowed honorably and lowered her head to the red panda in respect.

"Of course, Master Shifu."

"Are you sure?" He said intrusively.

"Yes, Master. Absolutely sure." She tried to make solid her claim, but it was obvious that Shifu had only scratched the surface of his little scheme.

"Alright, I was just wondering because…well, it's not every day that I hear you speaking to yourself. Let alone about someone else." The golden-clad tiger knew to what her teacher was referring. Earlier she'd made a comment about the shattered urn; Shifu must have been in proximity to hear her.

Tigress was caught unprepared to defend herself, for she thought for sure that she had been alone in the Hall. There was nothing she could say to try and justify her comment, and so she was forced to take responsibility for her blunder. At least, that is how she perceived it. She bowed her head and apologized to Shifu, but the small panda only chuckled. He placed his index finger beneath her chin and raised her head. Tigress' eyes opened as her head was lifted.

"No need to apologize, Tigress. I'm just curious is all. Is there something you wish to speak with me about? Is it Po?"

While unsure of what to say at first, Tigress sighed in downfall. She'd been had, and the tiger was lucky that the only one to hear her was Shifu. Before speaking one more, Tigress sat down on the steps leading up to the Moon Pool. Shifu sat with her, as they once had in the orphanage. The bond they had once shared still burned strongly, and that was precisely why Tigress felt a degree of comfort speaking about what she'd said to her master. Shifu extended a hand and placed it on Tigress' right arm and gently stroked it. Tigress felt his comforting touch, and she grasped his hand. Looking towards Shifu with an irresolute canvas for a face, she felt her words trickle up from her throat. Some of them felt like they singed her on the way out, dancing fiercely across her tongue.

"I am unsure of what to make of Po. I know he's my friend, and I have long since acknowledged him as the Dragon Warrior. But lately I feel as though there's been something else. A new and strange feeling with which I'm unfamiliar. It's like I feel the need to prepare what I say before I say it, and that I need to always remind myself that he's a friend. Master, I've tried telling myself that over and over, but all the same it's not working. I don't know what this is, and I don't want to be conflicted like this for longer than I must. At first, I thought it was just great respect, and then admiration, and then simply appreciation. But it seems no matter what word I try and put to it, it never seems to match."

"I see." The red panda continued to rub Tigress' arm. All the while he had a sly grin on his face. His left ear winched as he smiled at his student. "I must admit that I'm unsure of what this is," he lied, "but it sounds as though you must discuss it openly with Po himself. Only then will you be sure to solve this problem."

"If that's what you think, Master, then I'll be sure to…"

"No, Tigress…" Shifu stopped her as she attempted to get up. He held her by the arm, and he gave her a strict gaze. He'd been disappointed with her response, for he'd hoped she'd act on her own. Shifu stood up and walked over to her and looked up. They still stood on the stairs, but both were perched perfectly still. "Don't speak to the panda because I'm telling you too. Speak to Po because you want to. Because you want to solve this. Tell me honestly, Tigress…have you not already considered the options of speaking with him?"

The big cat nodded inelegantly. "I have." The looked on Shifu face spoke the words he needn't say. He was clearly wondering why she hadn't if she'd already thought about it. "Master, I don't know what I would say."

"Then don't think, Tigress. Conversation is just as much an art as practicing kung fu. Sometimes if you think too much you'll let down your guard. At times like these, it's best to act like Po, to go in with no plan. I'm sure if you do, the worse that can happen is that he'll make you angry. After all, Tigress…it's nothing he's not already done. Repeatedly, I might add."

Through the holes in the front walls of the Jade Palace, the orange light of dusk reflected off of Tigress' robes. She could feel the heat colliding into her. The kung fu master stood floppily, dumbfounded by the sheer common sense of what had been said. She wouldn't dare beat herself up over what had been exchanged, but at the very least she knew what she had to do. Tigress bowed to her former master, and smiled. Shifu could sense the confidence brimming in her. He was glad to see her personal storm clouds disperse.

"Thank you, Master Shifu. I will take your advice. As always."

The mentor returned the symbol of respect, and then he made the gesture towards the front door. Dignity flowed through the tiger as she approached the rebuilt front doors of the Jade Palace. Opening them, she felt the sharp light pierce her eyes. It didn't bother her, but it was certainly irritating. Covering her eyes with her paw, she turned around and looked into the Hall to see Shifu already making his back to his quarters in the back of the palace. Tigress smiled, for once again her master knew what was best. Tigress closed the doors and made a right turn, walking the stone path past the wooden rails high above the Valley of Peace. She knew where she was going, but not how to get there. She would take a passage from one of Po's scrolls and improvise. If Po could do it, then so could she.

After a few minutes of walking, the bottom of the scarlet sun had touched the edge of the horizon. Tigress had finally arrived at Dragon Grotto, knowing perfectly well whom she was going to find inside. She breathed deeply, not sure if she was prepared for what may unfold in the ensuing minutes. All the same, her resolve hardened as she turned the corner and entered the grotto. As expected, Po was there. He was meditating, oddly enough, in a serene-like fashion before the statue of the dragon at the far center of the rocks. Tigress listened to the silken currents of the streams running through the rocks, lulled by its ethereal hymn. The rocks on the inside of the enclave had a smooth touch to them, very much unlike the rough surfaces of the rockface just outside. The atmosphere going from one place to the other was such a drastic change, and yet at the center of it all sat the most unusual of giant pandas.

Tigress eyed Po from behind. He appeared to be sitting with his legs crossed and his paws were resting in his lap. His breathing sounded steady and rhythmic, as if he'd been practicing. The ears on top of his head were completely steady, as was his tiny puff of a tail. To Tigress' surprise, he was also wearing an entirely different outfit. As opposed to his normal ramshackle trousers and sandals, she saw him wearing a finely crafted robe made of white silk. The outlining stitching was black, and the embroidery had been done with a sleek golden thread. Not just that, but none of Po's massive belly was hanging out of the front. It was almost as if someone had taken his exact measurements and then precisely made a new robe just for him. More than likely, it was to solidify his new status as Oogway's heir. The tiger was still a little envious of that fact, but not enough to feel any resentment towards her friend. To surmise her thoughts into a coherent comment, Tigress thought Po looked official.

"Po?"

Her voice drifted from the corner of the grotto to the centre. She saw Po's left ear twitch as he heard the sound. Tigress watched as the panda shook his shoulder, stretching his arms out and yawning so loudly it echoed through the whole cavern. Typical Po; he'd undoubtedly been bored by his meditative state. She watched him stand up and shake his buttocks, knocking the dust and moss off of his new attire. He shook his head and scratched behind his ear. Afterwards he proceeded to stick one of his stubby little claws into his ear and pull out a small collection of wax. Flicking it away into the water, he turned around and saw Tigress. Raising his right paw into the air, he smiled at her and waved.

"Hey, Tigress!" His voice was louder than expected, and the echo made both of their ears ring. Tigress covered her ears, and groaned while the sound faded, and Po was already tripping over the rocks making his way back. "Sorry, sorry," he said grasping his ears, the same as Tigress. "I keep forget about the acoustics in this cave. Everything in here echoes…everything." Tigress expressed no desire to imagine Po's bodily noises resounding in the Dragon Grotto, and so she quickly moved to change the subject. Po had just arrived in front of her as the sound of his pervious yell had begun to wane.

"Hello, Po. We're meditating now?" She was curious to hear his reply, and she was pleasantly surprised by what she heard.

"Well yeah, you know, I'm kind of Oogway's heir now, so I sort of need to be like him. At least a little bit. You know I've been trying to practice my breathing like Shifu taught me, but this is just so boring. I don't know how Shifu and Oogway did this for hours. I'd rather be out there with you and the others fighting bandits. That's where the true awesomeness can be found!" Po raised his fist into the air with his last comment, but Tigress only giggled at him. "What?" the panda asked.

"It's nothing. I'm just relieved to see your new position hasn't changed you."

"Well what did you expect, Tigress? I'm still the Dragon Warrior. I'm still going to go out there and serve those bandits a bowlful of kung fu, with a side dish of justice every chance I get. Although, I guess with Kai, Shen, and Tai Lung gone, it'll be fairly quiet around here for a while."

"I wouldn't count on that, Po. Someone is always willing to cause trouble." Her arms were crossed, right over left, and her stance suggested that she was hiding something. Po noticed, and he was quick to say something.

"So Tigress," he began. For some reason, Po felt as though he was standing over a tar pit, and that he was slowly sinking into it. He couldn't quite place why, but there was the feeling that it was something to do with why Tigress had come. Her confidence mixed with his boredom, and the resulting concoction was oozy to say the least. Po swallowed his phlegm very loudly, and then he scratched the back of his head. "Is something wrong? Has Master Shifu sent for me?"

"No. No one sent for you, I was actually hoping that we'd have the chance to talk." The tiger's legs shifted, like she'd briefly lost her balance. This surprised Po when he saw, for Tigress never, ever lost her balance. He began to feel a budding concern develop. But before he had the chance to inquire about its source, Tigress continued. "Po, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. It's nothing serious, I promise, but I thought it'd be best not to put it off."

"Uh, alright," mumbled the panda.

She was still unsure of what to say, and thusly she improvised. "Why were you so interested in learning about the way I trained? You know, on our way to Gongmen City?" Her comment made her feel dumb, but it was the only thing she could think of to say.

"Oh, yeah. That. I don't know, I was curious. Shifu always told us that you can tell a lot about warrior from the way they fight. You can't fight without training. I guess it was just that, well…you surprised me."

The kung fu masters stood in silence. Neither was entirely sure of how to succeed that statement. Tigress turned her head away from Po, out of embarrassment and uncertainty. Po was stricken with bewilderment as he tried to maintain eye contact with his friend. The panda felt his stomach turn, and not in a good way. He started to bounce on his tippy-toes while he waited for Tigress' response, all the while nervously whistling.

"I don't understand. What do you mean I surprised you?" Tigress questioned. She turned her face back to Po's, but he was still bouncing in place. An onlooker would've said he needed to use the restroom.

"Well, what I meant was that how you trained didn't really seem to match up with the Tigress I knew. You were tough, definitely hardcore, no doubt. But at the same time, it was like you had put on a mask. Sure, before I came to the Jade Palace and actually got to know you personally I would've believed anything you told me, probably just as a fan. But now that I'm here, now that I'm your friend and your teacher, it's almost like…I don't know, there's…"

One could feel the discord thriving in the air above the masters. It grew like a parasite, feeding off the abundant disarray. Po sighed and lowered his head in defeat, and Tigress dropped her arms. She extended her right paw out to him and placed it on his shoulder. She could feel his tension through the finely woven tailoring of the robe. She wore a painted expression of concern, despite the fact that she felt plenty of her own.

"Po?"

"Tigress," her friend said. He peeped very softly, like he was recovering from an injury. "If I tell you a secret, could you not tell the rest of the Five?" Tigress nodded. "Okay. Tigress, you have no idea how much I admire you." His opening remark tripped Tigress, and he had only just begun to say his piece. "Even after everything that we've been through, you are still one of my biggest heroes. I may be the Dragon Warrior, but I've lost count of how many times I've wished I could have half the confidence that you do! I mean look at me, it took a crazed kung fu maniac, a deranged peacock, and the destruction of the Jade Palace for me to finally figure out who I am! But you, that's not you. You have always known who you are, and you own it! Yeah, you own it like no kung fu master I've seen." His speech was slowly tearing her to shreds.

Tigress couldn't comprehend all the things that Po had said, all the compliments that he'd given her. She wanted to accept them, tell him that he was right, but a fractal of doubt enshrouded her. She'd no idea that Po had thought so highly of her, even after the way that she had treated him. She cupped her paws and brought them to her chest as she turned away from Po. Her eyes narrowed, and her mouth dangling in the dusk air. Po watched as her tail darted from side to side. She was distressed, but she wasn't sure why.

"Tigress?" Po said affectionately, reaching a paw out to her. But before he touched her she turned back around and pushed his paw away.

"I…" she stuttered. "I should be going."

Po whimpered a little as his tiger friend turned away from him and started to walk off. The fingers on his outstretched paw began to quiver, and a void appeared in his stomach. He wasn't sure what to do, but he knew he had to do something. He couldn't let it end like this, not when they'd been so near to one another. Po longed for the day that Tigress would open up to him, to accept him not just as a friend but as a confidant. He wanted to be the one to which she'd speak. Po knew that was selfish, but he just couldn't help it. He cared for her too much.

"Tigress!" He called to her, and she stopped walking.

He walked up to her from behind and felt the ground on which he stood push against his heavy heart. It was sudden, but he gripped her and turned her around. Face to face, he stared into her eyes and felt his words smolder up from within. "This may be the dumbest thing I've ever done…" he said softly, and the world proceeded to stop.

Without notice, Po tenderly massaged Tigress' shoulders in preparation. Before the master could ask him what he was doing, she found her lips busy. Po had pressed his firmly against hers, and their own personal supernova erupted in the space between their faces. Tigress could feel the heat coming from Po's face, and she struggled to find the comfort in it as she explored the feeling of being kiss. As the panda held her, she was taken back to distant memories of days since passed. It was a strange feeling, like she'd been loved. Her eyes, while once locked open by surprised, started to drift closed in a soft manner. Before Tigress could identify any of her emotions, she felt the desire to caress Po's cheek. Reaching for it in the light of the setting sun, Tigress brushed her densely conditioned paw against the fine patches of fur running down the side of Po's round face. He could feel the stroke as he broke their kiss to steal a breath, and then resumed it. He held her in his arms more confidently, empowered by the reciprocity of her actions. Po moved his paws from her shoulders to her neck, brushing it like waves of grass. Tigress felt it tickle her as her thumb found a home on Po's cheek. Her remaining fingers supported his neck, and the silly giddiness she felt in her chest expanded with each moment.

Tigress exhaled, breathing relief and acceptance in one pure motion. Po could feel his heart beating out of his chest, but all the same he held Tigress firmly by the shoulder, and soon by the hip. Boldly, Po moved his right paw from her shoulder and slid it down her arm. He nestled it onto her hip and pulled her in closer than before, forcibly pressing harder on her lips. Soon, he felt as if they'd been fused. And then it was Tigress' turn. She broke the kiss to breathe, and then she rushed her other paw onto his neck and roughly kissed him again. It was their third time, all in the same few breaths. Tigress had begun to feel passion, a long dormant emotion. Both her eyes were closed, but in the blackness burst forth the color of fireworks. Her chest tightened, like she'd been kicked. Po felt his grip on her waist ease, as if he'd grown accustomed to holding her in such a fashion. Like Tigress, his eyes were also entirely shut. He needn't see anything, for his instincts would provide all the necessary vision. After a few more moments, the decision to end the kiss was jointed, and Po and Tigress pulled away simultaneously.

For a second, the only thing that happened was staring. Po looked deeply into Tigress eyes and was shocked to find not the serenity he'd been hoping for, but instead confusion. Her lips had said something completely different. The light in Po's eyes dimmed with the setting sun over the horizon, and as the ball of light continued its descent, Tigress took a step back and pulled away from Po. His heart had yet to cease its hummingbird pace. The panda watched as Tigress' look changed from confused to ashamed, followed by a pout. She turned her head down to the right, anxious not to look Po in the eye. She spun around and grabbed her arms, like she'd been a scared little orphan all over again. There was no time for Po to speak between this motion and the first of her tears.

"I…I-I'm sorry, Po. We shouldn't have done that." She ran off down the path from whence she came. Tigress could hear Po cease his breathing as the blackness of night enveloped the remnants of the day. Night had fallen.

The giant panda was left there on the cliff, alone and heartbroken. He didn't know what had happened, or why Tigress had pulled away like she had. The only thing he knew for certain was that it was indeed, quite possibly the most idiotic thing he'd ever done. Po tried to deny this many times, but all the same, nightfall wasn't the only thing that caked him. The heir sighed in disparity, saddened by the events that had taken place. All the same, Po couldn't move. The dissonance in his heart, and his qi, was too pronounced.

…

The master of Tiger Style found it impossible to sleep in the cordial hours of the night. Each time she closed her eyes, she only saw the shattered resolution lingering on Po's face. She had known why she had run away, but she could think of no way to explain it. At the very least, she couldn't find a way to explain her feelings aloud. She tossed over on her cot in her room, putting all her weight onto her right side. Her head was facing the door, and she watched malcontently as figures moved down the hall in the candle light. Tigress couldn't begin to imagine how Po was feeling, and even though she couldn't find the courage to speak to him about their kiss, she was just brave enough to check on him. As a master of qi, Po was undoubtedly going to remain composed, but Tigress knew him too well. If he said that he wasn't hurting, she'd be able to call his bluff. It was not often that Tigress got to catch Po in a lie, and she relished the idea of having that chance. With a brief grin appearing on Tigress' face, she kicked herself out of bed and cracked her knuckles. The relief it provided was always welcomed.

Tigress slid her door open and looked both ways down the hall. Shadows from the light inside her room danced down the dark corridor, appearing like evil spirits taunting her from the safety of the woodwork. The sight made the kung fu master sigh, as the ever pressing guilt she felt continued to gnaw at her. Without any further delay she headed down the hall to where Po's room was, but before she could knock she felt a pit form in her stomach. Her strength fell into it, and all the came forth from her mouth was a raspy puff. Tigress took a deep breath, trying to regain the fortitude she'd once possessed, and she tried again. This time the words carried.

"Po? Are you there?" There was no reply. "Po?" She saw no lights flickering from behind the door, so she thought perhaps that he'd been asleep. Tigress grabbed the handle and slid the door quietly as not to wake the sleeping panda, in the event that there was one. Unsurprisingly, the room into which she peered was empty. Po's cot was void of any impressions, indicating that he'd never been there that night, not even for a few minutes. The candles in the corner by his meditation table had clean wicks; they had yet to be burned. Po was not there, he'd never been.

The tiger closed the door and thought to herself where her friend could be, and what she would say. If she knew Po as well as she thought she did, he'd been in either one of two places. The first and more likely place was the food storage room, but she immediately ruled out that place. She knew because Po was an extremely loud eater. If he had gotten into storage, sounds of his munching and crunching would be echoing all throughout the Jade Palace. Shifu had once described to them the sound of his event, and Tigress had no desire to experience it herself. That left only one place: the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. He'd got there many times before when he was distressed or subdued, several times already he'd gone there because of something that Tigress had said. If he was indeed at the peach tree, it wouldn't have been the first his presence there was of her own doing. Not wanting to delay the inevitable, Tigress turned away from Po's room and walked down the hall and out of the barracks.

Hanging to the left and cutting through the kitchen and dining area, Tigress exposed herself to the night, letting the cool air wash over her. It was mildly satisfying, like splashing cold water on the face in the tender hours of the morning. Tigress began her trek down the stone stairway, subtly shaking each time her feet made contact with the ground. She hadn't taken off her robe, but she was walking barefoot. The stone she tread on dug into her feet, much in the same way she was sure her actions had dug into Po. It only served to remind her of what she was venturing towards. With the moon still high, she started climbed the staircase up to where the peach tree was. From below, she could see a few of its branches, and they had started to bloom again. It was the first time that they'd done that since Oogway's ascension. This made Tigress feel nostalgic, for memories of Po's first day came back to her. She couldn't stand him then, and now she was heading to speak with him over their first kiss.

How I've changed. She thought to herself. How he's changed me.

The thoughts put a fading smile on Tigress' face, and it vanished by the time she arrived at the top of the stairs. As she had predicted, Po sat on the edge of the cliff. His back was to the tree, but he didn't appear to be meditating. Instead he looked to be sitting on the rock, staring introspectively at the moon. She didn't hear any sounds coming out of him, just his breathing. She noticed him shift in position, pulling one leg under himself and resting his elbow on the extended knee. He was preparing, he must've heard her arrive. While Tigress was uncertain herself, she thought it best to talk it out. Better that than awkward training sessions for the next couple weeks, or months.

Tigress joined Po at his side and crossed her legs. She sat to his left, and as she'd suspected, he was looking up at the moon, or perhaps it was the stars. All of it lingered in the same dark blue mass above their heads, and Tigress was just glad to see him remain. There was a moment when she worried he'd be too embarrassed to speak to her, but luckily that seemed to not be the case. Tigress reached out and placed her paw on his shoulder and kept it still. Her comforting look illuminated the scene, like how she'd smiled at him after defeating Shen's weapon. Po blinked, and then his voice split the invisible wall between them.

"Hey, Tigress," He sounded like a cub again, meek and unconfident. Tigress maintained her warm expression, but she started rubbing his shoulder to loosen the hostility. "Couldn't sleep, huh?"

"No. But I guess you already knew that." She stopped rubbing his soft fur, and then she turned her face towards him and stared. Po refused to look at her, and that made Tigress even more uncomfortable than during their kiss. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, I guess," he answered. "I just thought I could calm down if I came up here. I've been staring at the sky for a while now, nothing ever really happens up there."

"Not true, Po. You just have to know when to look." With that comment, Po's ears livened, and he turned towards Tigress with a disoriented expression. Tigress was the last person from which he'd expect to hear something so poetic; it shocked him, but it made him smile.

"Yeah, I suppose." Po looked away and interlocked his fingers, and returned them to his lap. He breathed easy, and Tigress removed her paw from his shoulder. The tension between the two seemed to evaporate, even though hardly anything had been said. The mood was a testament to their bond, whatever stage it may have been. Under the white light of the crescent moon above them, Tigress exhaled and attempted to speak first, but instead Po was the one that abruptly ended the silence. "Tigress, I'm sorry about before. It was dumb, I know. I even said so right before and I still did it. I'm sorry, really. I never should've made you feel so uncomfortable. I…I hope we can still be friends."

"Well you're right about one thing, it was rather foolish." Tigress smiled as she made her declaration, but Po wore a look of offense. "But no, it's not that I was uncomfortable. I thought I'd made that obvious." In her reference to her actions during the kiss, Po should have concluded that she wasn't feeling out of place, but instead something else entirely.

"But…if that wasn't why then what was? I thought for sure that I'd done something to make you run off. It was, I don't know, embarrassing. Even though there was no one around."

"Po," her tone changed. The voice she used suggested truth, and Po noticed. "If I ask you to tell me the truth, would you?"

"Of course. I trust you Tigress."

"Alright then. Tell me…tell me why you kissed me." Po's eyes widened, and he began to sway from side to side in a heap of nerves. His fingers came undone and he started to bat them against one another. His display sung of discomfort, but Po was no liar. He'd promised to tell her the truth, and he intended on doing so.

"Well, I'm not sure you'd understand." He murmured weakly.

"The truth, Po…"

The panda was defeated. He looked at Tigress, her gold eyes glowing in the darkness of the night. They shined like suns. Po couldn't tell a lie to those eyes, the eyes of a friend. "I wanted to."

"Huh?" asked Tigress. "You wanted to…?"

"Yeah, I kissed you…because I wanted to. I know it sounds crazy, and weird, and…well, dumb, but that's the truth. Honest."

"Po, I don't understand. You say you wanted to, but you must have wanted to for a reason. What was it?"

"I don't know. I just did. Really did."

"Po, look me in the eyes, closely," she said. Po leaned in closer, and stared into her luminous orbs. They pierced him, and they made his mouth furrow with regret. She was attempting to yank the truth from him, all the while Po was falling under her spell. "No jokes, no remarks. Po, tell me how you feel about me."

Po turned his head to the left, scared to look her in the eyes any longer. She'd made him feel so embarrassed all over again, but this time it was intentional. Po understood her purpose, yet he still disliked the way it made him feel. There was no one around, but yet the sense of having one thousand eyes watching him dangling precariously over his black and white head. Po blinked excessively, and he felt his heartbeat increase. He placed a paw over his chest feeling it, and the thump he felt acted as a rhythm. Po followed it closely, using its influence to calm himself in the face of this battle. Not even his fight with Kai had gotten his heartrate up that much, but yet Kai wasn't Tigress. She'd always had the ability to fracture his resolve.

"Tigress, I…" the words to express what he felt eluded him. They'd become lost in the maze of his throat, struggling to find the exit. Po sat there with his mouth hanging open, but nothing came out. Tigress waited patiently, hoping for the predicted response. "I-I can't Tigress. I just don't know. You're my friend, yes. You're my hero, yes. You're even my favorite action figure! But here, now…lately…I just don't know what you are. Not anymore."

"Then let me." Her words struck Po as swiftly as jade lightning. Tigress pulled on Po's shoulder and turned him towards her with gentle force. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and Po could feel his heartbeat start back up. Tigress too felt a welling in her gut, but unlike Po she hadn't let it show. They were too close, physically and emotionally, to let such a fleeting moment flash by. Tigress was ready to speak, and she could only hope that Po was ready to listen. Before Tigress said anything, Po unconsciously grabbed her other paw, the one not on his shoulder, and cupped it in his paws. He held it like a dying leaf, softly but with resolve. This had conveyed to Tigress the message that he was ready, even if he didn't know it himself. "Po," she began. Her whiskers began to frizzle, but all the same she continued. "For the longest time, I couldn't stand you. Even now, some days I find myself thinking that you're still the biggest disgrace to kung fu. But yet, time and time again you've managed to do things that I couldn't. My distain turned into respect, Po. Respect for you. And then soon after, then came admiration. Mastering inner peace and qi in a matter of months, whereas it took Shifu and Oogway years, no one could've predicted that from you. My admiration grew into veneration, and lately, I've come to believe that it might have grown even more. Grown into something with which I'm not exactly familiar." Tigress could feel Po's paw shaking in her hand. She felt sorry for him, but she sought to complete her thoughts. "Po, I'd be lying to you if I said that I didn't feel anything towards you. I can't…I won't lie to a friend. All I'm saying is that, I want to know what is it that I'm feeling first. Then, maybe then, we can be something a bit more."

"Tigress…" he whispered. It was so quiet, like a fleeting breeze.

His claws tightened around Tigress' paw, crushing the dead leaf. She could tell that she'd hurt him, but it was nothing unnecessary. Tigress needed time, and patience to learn about this new emotion, if it was indeed what she had suspected it to be. Po understood this, he respected that, but all the same he couldn't help feel like his heart had been clad in iron. It weighed him down, forcing him to turn away from Tigress and face out at the valley below. From on high he could see for miles, but in that moment the world had become blurry. He sighed and closed his eyes. He nodded his head respectful to Tigress as his ear twitched once more.

"I understand, Tigress. Take all the time you need. Not like I'm going anywhere, anyway."

"You'd better not," said Tigress as she stood up and leaned over him. Her lips were closing in on his left cheek. "The Palace would be far too boring without you here." She snuck in a quick peck onto the unsuspecting panda's cheek, and she could easily see the skin underneath his think fur turn red.

Po reached up his paw and felt the cheek she'd kissed, and then he smiled as he turned to her. Reassured, Po got away from the edge and stared directly at Tigress. They stood face to face by the edge of cliff, and both worn gleaming smiles. The tension had dispersed, and the once fluent relationship they had had been restored. Po lowered his upper half in a rejuvenating bow, and Tigress returned the gesture with the utmost respect. They completed the movement and returned to their original positions, but Po still kept his paws folded. He kept his gaze locked firmly on Tigress, she still smiled, and his heartbeat finally subsided.

"Always a pleasure, Tigress."

"Likewise…Master." She nodded, and then she left. Before she walked down the stairs, she turned her head to Po and winked at him, making him feel giddy. She then disappeared behind the corner of the rock, and Po was left standing under the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom with nothing but a dumb grin on his face and an eased conscience on which to sleep.

True to her words, several days went by before Tigress had come to a conclusion about how she'd felt. She'd spent most of these days throwing herself into her training, for nothing made her think better than some hardcore style fighting. Her sparring partners noticed she had a bit of extra fire burning in her. It was intended as a compliment, but Tigress had seen it as a sign. She had realized what she felt on the fifth day, just a few hours after her latest training session with Po. She opted to remain behind in the Training Hall, working with the assorted devices until she'd had enough. She swiftly moved to punch the dummy, sending it flying across the room and splitting it into wooden fragments. Satisfied, Tigress removed the wool wrapping she encased her paws in and tossed them aside. For the next of many times, a smiled prowled onto her face as she walked along the pathway to the exit of the hall. She'd built up so much confidence, and she'd gone through so much introspection that she was eager to tell Po her conclusion. The only dilemma she faced was how she was going to say it.

Last time, it had been Po that couldn't find the words. This time though, the cat had been on Tigress' feline tongue. Even though she knew what she was going to tell him, the way to put it eluded her, and she almost found herself bending over backwards in the hall thinking of a way to figure it out. Before she knew it, she happened upon the old panda dummy in the corner of the room. She stopped to stare at it for a moment, and in a flash she relived the moment Po first set foot in the Training Hall. So much had changed within the Jade Palace since that day, and she wasn't the only one that had felt the effects. The feeling of reminiscing was a pleasant one, and not a sensation that Tigress experienced often. She'd hoped that more like them would come, and with the nostalgia came the words she needed.

I still don't know what this is, if it's love, but I don't particularly care. What I do know is that I want to be there for Po, in all his endeavors. As his friend, or as something more, it doesn't matter to me. Not anymore. I want him here with me, more so than I'd like to admit aloud.

Her thoughts were put to a halt by the sound of a loud belch coming from the direction of the palace kitchen. A blench such as that could have only come from one source, and she started giggling at the thought of noodles spouting from Po's ursine nose. Tigress covered her mouth as the noise escaped her. It was then that she had finally fully realized what Po had brought her that she'd been feeling those passed days. The one thing that completed her more than anything else: joy. He'd brought her joy, and it was a gift well worth the years spent waiting.

Po…thank you. She smiled.

And Tigress ran off, her heart brimming with joy, eager to tell her big, fat panda the good news.

The End