Please, Not You

Whispers in the night filled her head to keep her from resting after a long journey.

She tossed and turned, relying on her meditation skills to at least allow her to get to sleep.

As she fell into unconciousness, her memories continued to haunt her as dreams. They mocked her as her mind now made her feel the memories as reality. The whispers grew louder, became faster. They rushed throughout her body until she began to sweat profusly imbetween her sheets.

"Sorry to disturb you"

"You don't belong here."

"I know this is your room."

"You don't belong at the Jade Palace.

"You are a disgrace-"

"Big fan-"

"Your training has paid off,Why are you really out here?, This bothers you?"

"Thirty eight bean buns,Double death strike,my dad isn't really my dad."

"Thetruth-thentellmewhy-thehardcoredounderstand"

"Iwastryingtofigureouthisplot!-!-thehardcorewouldntunderstand!-NomorerunningShen!"

"NOOOOO!"

Tigress sat up panting in her bed with her eyes wide. She looked over at her door and made herself stop panting as she listened intently. A sigh of relief left her and she put her paw over her heart, closing her eyes as she listened to the peacful sound of Po's snoring. But then she bit her lip as her body began to shake. She cried silently into the night from the painful memories that cut into her soul.

Eventually she stopped crying and stood up. Her shaking legs led her to her desk where blank scrolls and ink sets sat at he ready for her. Tigress had always had the skill to write, but never truly pursued the habit as it always cut into her studies or training in the past. But now that skill was pulling her into her seat. And it egged her paw on to grasp at the brush. Before she knew it she began to write, allowing her aching heart to rest on the paper with every word written.

Four days later.

A new tea shop opened in the village below, and Tigress was adamant that this is where everyone should go to spend their day off, as it would be their last day off since their return to the Valley of Peace. No one argued. They were infact curious as to how wonderful such an establishment could be if it made the great Master Tigress so much more stubborn than usual, and that was saying something. That night, the Five and Dragon Warrior sat at the circular table in the corner of the shop. It was absolutely packed and very busy. In fact it was so busy and sociable none of the others noticed Tigress' nervous behavior.

She excused herself and said that she would go see what was taking so long for their tea to arrive. This confused everyone, but the feeling was shrugged off. She returned a minute later looking ashamed of herself. She sat back down beside Po, but now she had to sit a little closer since a family of sheep had been seated beside them, and given the choice the tiger would rather feel uncomfortable pressed up against Po rather than the strangers she did not care to know. She kept her head down with her paws in her lap, even when their tea came. Po tried to ask her what was wrong in a whisper, but she cut him off and told him to just wait and ask later.

A few minutes later the business owner got up on the small stage in the adjacent corner, it was an older bunny. Not elderly, but he was certainly getting up in years. He cleared his throat and called everyone for their attention.

"First I would like to thank everyone for coming here to my new business. You bring me great new life in this old heart at the sight of all these customers. I am truly in this Valley's debt. Now as those of you here may or may not know, we will have annual poetry readings here at the Hopping Brew. And I would like to open the evening with an...an anonymous poem that has just been submitted. I will now read this poem. It has been dedicated to the Dragon Warrior."

Everyone glanced at Po, even Tigress as she tried to act natural.

The bunny cleared his throat once again to gain their attention for a second time.

"From every day since you arrived I was angry,

You took away my happiness and showed me pain,

It could have been someone who would not tary,

But please not you, not you,

You proved your sorrow was as much as mine,

Your confusion now obvious,

So I tried to keep you safe from dying,

But not you, please not you,

Yet you conquered the evils and my stubborness too,

I tried not to feel sick,

Could it not be someone else I was close to?,

Please not you, not you,

Over time you made me feel safer,

I smile from my now warming heart,

But will I warm yours later?,

Let it be you, oh let it be you,

Our travels take us to far away beaches,

And no one can see my pain,

For you are within my reaches,

Please not you, it had to be you,

I run and I run in the doorway of death,

My eyes show tears overflowing,

I watch as you now draw your last breath,

Please not you, please not you,

Let those who wish to fight to fight,

For I cannot anymore,

You took away my right,

Oh only if you knew, it would have been you,

Blood spills around from where I lie,

My eyes watch in horror,

As I wish for those who deserve to die would die,

But not you, please oh please not you,

Put me on a crucifix,

Stab me in the throat,

Drown me in oil as fire covers me in licks,

But only for you, only for you,

How long until we finally say,

And as you sit beside me now,

I wonder when you'll leave one day,

But please take me with you, only with you."

The bunny then rolled up the scroll and hopped off of the stage. The entire establishment was silent. There seemed to be a few who actually let out tears at the sad yet romantic poem. All eyes had turned to the Dragon Warrior, who was now staring at the table in thought. Then he noticed that his right side felt a little cold when he rubbed his arm. He looked at his side and realized that Tigress was gone. To everyone's confusion he got up and ran out of the tea shop.

Po looked around and ran up the road towards the Jade Palace, he could recognize an orange dot slowly making it's way up the Thousand Steps. He called out the orange dot's name and to his relief the dot stopped in it's tracks and turned to face him. The panda ran as fast as he could, as fast as he'd ever ran. Once he was halfway imbetween the dot and the bottom of the stairs he could clearly identify the dot as Tigress. And he could tell she had been crying.

Black and white soon met orange and black, to the latter's surprise, with a very intimate embrace. The tears in the tiger's eyes still fell, but they turned from those of sorrow to joy. She shut her eyes and embraced him as well, their lips now dancing with each other in a quiet conversation, with one seeking comfort and another more than happy to give it.

Once their lips broke apart, the tiger was shocked to find the panda's tears.

"Don't you dare write such a poem again. If I hear another poem from you it had better be about us and how we'll never be apart.", he said with pain in his voice.

"Then give me something to write about.", she replied as her lips met his in almost a lock.

Their embrace lasted for a long time, and as the moon showed their sillouhette they finally appeared as one.

The End