Deadline 5

The final third day came and went, that same night they got the call. They were informed of a group of bandits attacking the village nearby, the leader was a horse just like her vision had foretold.

It finally happened, the time of her death had come and in the end she was okay with it, her soul was at peace. The other masters thought this was a regular mission but Shifu knew better and sent his students away with a deep tender sadness in his eyes, Tigress smiled at him and with a final grateful bow at her master she went with her friends to fight the battle.

-"Oh it is ON"- Po said happy to launch himself into battle and do Kung Fu, the other masters rolled their eyes at his enthusiasm, Tigress just kept quiet during the whole journey. In spite of her efforts there was still one final unfinished business that she could not settle, it was something she hadn't seen coming until yesterday and now it was too late for her to fix it. To be honest even if she had all the time in the world she still wouldn't know what to do about it.

Yesterday Po had dragged her to the noodle shop and made her a bowl of his special soup, apparently the reason Po was so eager to see Mr Ping was that Li Shan was visiting the valley of peace and decided to kill time by working in the noodle shop as well. The dragon warrior was really eager to hang out with both of his fathers.

Once inside the shop Po was always solicitous around her but that day he was worse than usual, he didn't waste time preparing his special spicy sauce for her along with her favorite jasmine tea.

-"Po what is this all about?"- She asked a bit perplexed about his excessive fussiness

-"Well I noticed you were skipping meals and thought that maybe you didn't like the way I cooked, so I figured me and my dads could come up with new recipes"- He said sheepish while twiddling his thumbs

Placing her paw on his shoulder she gave him a warm smile -"Your cooking is fine, it's just that I've been preoccupied with something that's all"-

-"What is it then? Something is really bothering you, we are all worried"- He told her inquisitive, he looked different when he was serious, there was even a glimmer of intelligence in his green eyes. It was part of a strange duality that he had, he could be a dumb clumsy goof of a panda most of the times but there were moments when he could be wise and insightful.

She couldn't tell him the truth but she couldn't lie to his face either, since there was a good chance he might see through her, so she settled for something in between. -"It's something that will solve itself very soon, don't worry about it"-

Li Shan exchanged glances with his co parent and Mr Ping took the cue, then dragged Po inside the kitchen to make a nice dessert for his friend. As she drank her tea Li Shan respectfully asked if he could sit with her, by the solemn look in his eyes she could tell he had serious issues to discuss. With a respectful nod she invited him to the table, he sat in front of her and cleared his throat.

-"Master tigress, maybe you don't know much about pandas courting rituals. Po in fact doesn't know much either, being raised so far away from his people. We are picky when it comes to finding a mate, and while there are exceptions it takes a long time for two animals to interact and create a romantic bond, yet once that happens that bond is impossible to break. I think my son doesn't see it just yet, but I can see by his body language that he might have chosen his mate"-

-"Okay"- She said confused and a little awkward, not knowing why was Li Shan talking about this particular subject with her of all people -"I haven't seen him around any female here, has he fallen for any of the panda girls from the village?"-

-"No I think he was already in love by the time he met the other females of his kind."- He sighed, it was just as he suspected, both were from different species and probably unexperienced in romance. He could drop hints all afternoon and she still wouldn't get it so he might as well be direct -"I think he's in love with you"-

She laughed, how absurd was that idea. They were good friends but neither of them had done anything even remotely close to flirting in all the years they had lived on the same roof, she saw him as an overgrown child and he saw her as a buddy. Li Shan saw no humor on the subject and stared at her with serious eyes, so keeping her composure as to not disrespect Po's father she told him patiently.

-"Sir Po isn't the typical panda and doesn't fit what you describe, he has fallen in love at least twice that I've known and even when none of them were the right one he got over the infatuation and moved on pretty fast."- With a tender smile on her face she shook her head -"He is unbreakable in that regard, no matter what you throw at him or how much damage you cause him he will come bouncing back. Perhaps you are confusing his admiration for romance but even if he did have a minor crush on me it wouldn't be a big deal seeing how easily that happens, I'm sure he'll get over it eventually"-

-"I don't know what happened back then, but I can assure you that if he had really loved the other girls he would be married already. A bond like I describe can only be accomplished by two animals in love, it's not something that happens with unrequited affection"- Then he placed his soft fluffy paw over hers -"A minor attraction shouldn't be confused with love, love is caring for the other all the time, to die or kill for them. I've seen him around you, it's not an infatuation or a crush. I've seen how he can tolerate every evil in the world except to see fear in your eyes, like the time Kai almost defeated us and we all thought we were doomed, I saw how he broke when he saw you holding Lei-Lei in fear and sacrificed himself to save all of us. I see how his eyes light up when he talks about you, he is in love, but since his feelings are so different from the short infatuations he had in the past he can't recognize it for what it is"-

-"Even if you were right I'm sure It would never happen"-

-"Why not?"-

- "I care for him as a friend but I don't see him as anything else"- She said coldly while crossing her arms

He scoffed - "That's what his mom said about me!"- He laughed for a second until his eyes regained the subtle tinge of sadness that always invaded them.-" He spends a lot of time by your side, he cares about you and you care about him, one of these days you will see him for what he is and will realize you love him too. And when that happens I just want you to know that I'll be happy that you call me dad, you will be welcomed into the panda village, as far as I can tell you are part of our family already"- He outstretched his arms and gave her a bone crushing hug, she was accustomed to such blatant displays of affection so she tensed up at first but then returned the gesture.

Tigress smiled at the compliment, she could tell where Po had gotten his sweet disposition -"That is a beautiful sentiment, I am honored. But it will never happen"-

-"Why are you so sure?"-

Tigress guessed that she could trust Li Shan to keep a secret, looking around and making sure nobody would hear her she whispered into his ears -"Because I will die soon, it is part of a prophecy I must die so Po gets to live"-

-"What? What kind of prophecy is that? We can't let that happen"- He said blurting out loudly, subtlety was not his forte.

-"If you intervene Po will be the one that dies, you wouldn't risk the life of your son would you?"- She whispered frustrated in an effort for him to lower his voice

-"Of course not! But I know what it's like to lose your mate, I can't let my son go through the same."-

-"We are not mates, and he might be sad about it but as I said he will bounce back, he always does. I am sorry for your loss sir, but in spite of everything you have moved on and for Po it would be the same"-

-"Of course he would, but he would still hurt in way that can never heal. I will never heal from the pain of losing the one I love, no matter how happy I can be and how much I can accomplish her memory will always hurt me. There has to be a way"- He pleaded her with shiny green eyes, the intensity in them told her this issue was reopening old wounds in his soul

-"Not one where your son survives. I'm telling you all this because I need you to take care of him, he is very powerful but might need help to stay grounded. A dangerous enemy is coming and when that happens he will need you, all of you."-

When mister Ping and Po came back with the dessert Li Shan had already left the table, he had gone for a walk into the forest, only Tigress could see the despair in his eyes as he left.

She pushed the memories away, the unresolved emotions Po had around her would be yet another problem for the living to resolve, she couldn't do more than she already did there was not enough time.

Now they are near their destination and she can see the open field. It was just like her vision, a petulant horse was terrorizing the citizens with an assorted group of animals at his side. Like many times before all masters charged at the group of bandits, a big boar with a battle axe came her way but this time instead of fighting the brute she ordered Po to take care of him while she faced off against the horse. For some reason the equine was already squaring off against Mantis and Viper.

-"Leave this one to me, you go take care of the other ones before they run away"- She commanded in a powerful roar, the last thing she needed was for either of them to fall victim of the deadly weapon.

The feline ran towards her enemy and with the momentum caused by her speed she threw a powerful open palm strike at the horse's chest that sent him at least seven feet away. Her foe curled on himself upon impact and she could see that was merely a ruse so she wouldn't guess that he was looking for the cannon on his sleeve.

This was it, this was her final moment.

But the horse didn't do anything this time, looking inside his sleeve he was shocked to realize that there was nothing in there.- "Where is it?"- He said panicking.

She asked herself the same question, both enemies saw each other in confusion for a while, it was almost comical.

Realizing how dumb it was to be just standing there while her opponent looked for his weapon she kicked him hard on the stomach and continued with the fight, as her enemy slouched once more from the pain they both heard Mantis hollering behind them.

-"Looking for this?"- The insect said holding the mini cannon triumphantly on his tiny pincers, the device was almost as big as him.

Exasperated she took the opportunity of his distraction and punched the horse hard on the face knocking him out

This was not going according to plan, something had gone wrong, she should be dead by now!

Frantically she looked around for the reaper but couldn't find him, could the deal be broken? Is Po still in danger? Looking at the panda she could see he had little trouble handling the boar, with a flying high kick the boar fell to the ground and his axe fell right beside him, the dragon warrior merely grabbed the weapon and threw it as far as possible, accidentally breaking the roof of a nearby hut. -"Sorry"- Po said flinching a little at the angry stare of the villagers who now had much more repairs to do.

Yeah Po was still a klutz but as far as she could tell he was out of danger.

-"It doesn't make sense."- She whispered while shaking her head -"Mantis what did you do?!- She told the insect while frustrated, he stole the weapon from the horse before he could use it.

-"Saved your tail apparently"- He said poking the mini cannon, by fiddling with it he inadvertently pulled the trigger, an explosion sounded and a nearby pole was hit by the pebble. Viper came close to it and was horrified when she noticed that it had left a big whole on the sturdy wood.

-"Master Shifu was right this thing is dangerous"- The snake said worried while inspecting the damage.

-"He told you about the weapon?"- Tigress said dumbfounded, so that's why those two intervened

-"Told you about what? That thingy?"- Po said scratching his head, he was the only one that looked as confused as her. The masters meanwhile didn't look too surprised at the strange device.

-"Shifu said he had a vision, he saw that you would be killed by this weapon so he gave us a strategy to neutralize it"- Crane said placing the weapon on a metal box so it wouldn't shoot itself again and cause more harm.

-"Hey why didn't he say anything to me?"- Po asked angry, he believed that if one of his friends was in danger of getting killed he had the right to know.

-"Because he was afraid you might screw it all up"- Monkey told him with a mixture of patience and a bit of condescending. The panda scoffed at first but then shrugged, he did had the habit of screwing up well calculated plans. Most of the times he could turn things around but if Tigress' life was on the line then he understood the need to make sure he didn't ruin anything.

Tigress felt her blood run cold, Shifu was the only one who knew about the reaper aside from Li Shan and she was certain the older panda would never intervene on this matter. The deal still had to be in place, the life of a noble warrior would still be taken for another, Shifu would never sacrifice Po (and the welfare of China) to save her, but why was she alive?

"When I told you about the importance of self sacrifice it was about my life not yours" He had told her yesterday.

-"No… it can't be."- She whispered terrified. -"What did you do?!"- She told the other masters angry.

-"You okay Ti?"- Po said placing his paw on her shoulder gently

-"Yes and that's the problem! You shouldn't have stopped that horse I was supposed to die today"- She blurted out furious at them.

-"What?!"- All masters said shocked, most wondered if she had hit her head while fighting because she was acting crazy right now.

She was about to tell them of her deal with the reaper but was interrupted by a swarm of flying petals that came out of nowhere, they twirled around them in a small whirlpool and then fell to the floor revealing Master Shifu right above them. The red panda looked ethereal, almost transparent.

Tigress cried when she saw him, the masters behind her didn't understand what was going on. Po was the only one connected enough with the universe to see what was happening, he knew his master was moving to another plane and his spirit came here to say goodbye -"Master Shifu is dead, he's going to the spiritual world"- He explained to the others.

-"Why master why would you do this?"- Tigress yelled at her mentor, how dare he sacrifice himself like this? Doesn't he know that Po and the others need him? Can't he tell that she could face death but not the guilt of being the reason he died?

-"We all mourn our masters eventually but even when it hurts we learn to move on. Yet mourning our students is not the way nature works, that is not supposed to happen. At the face of death you gained a lot of wisdom, now that you have the choice to live I hope you don't lose it. Goodbye my students, you all have made me very proud"- And with a last smile the older master disappeared into the sky, the flower petals soon scattered into the wind.

Her legs gave out as she cried, not caring to keep the facade of strength and poise anymore. When Po's massive arms enveloped her she didn't even fight back. The other masters now understood what had happened and they joined the hug so they could all cry together.

Four days later Po was meditating under the peach tree when he felt Tigress approach him, she was silent as the wind but he could smell her perfume of incense and orchids.

-"How did the meeting with Taotie go?"- He asked her worried, their former enemy would be an invaluable ally in the upcoming battle.

-"Now that we gave him the original weapon he could do reverse engineering on it and knows how to make more of them, he's looking for ways to create an armor that would stop the projectile. It would be the only way to fend off an enemy who can manipulate it, no kung fu technique can stop a bullet going that fast."-

-"I wouldn't be so sure, there might be a way"- He told her as he took a peach from the tree and split it in half, he gave one part to her and ate the rest, then threw the seed in the air and made it levitate. With a flick of his wrist the seed flew almost as fast as a projectile from the gun straight at her face. She didn't even flinch as it came near her, she knew Po would never hurt her, well at least not on purpose. A golden shield made of pure chi appeared in front of her and the seed disintegrated as soon as it made contact with the defense mechanism

-"You can use your chi as a protection"- She said smiling

-"Not against something that fast, not yet. But with enough practice I might, and once I do I'll teach all of you how to do it"-

This is why the reaper wanted him to live, he was the one who could defeat the upcoming enemy. They knew now that the horse was merely a scout sent to test the weapon, a new enemy was coming their way with a large army with those cannons at hand and without Po's guidance her friends would be quikly overpowered.

Looking straight towards the night sky she wondered if it wouldn't be much more useful that a strategist like Shifu had remained alive, instead of a fighter like her who would be useless against this new weapon.

-"Don't do that"- The dragon warrior scolded her.

-"Do what?"-

-"Wish it was you that died instead of him"-

-"Are you reading my mind?"- The feline told him annoyed

-"No I can just feel your sadness"- Raising up from his meditation pose he told her tired -"I miss him too ,we all do. But you have to honor his sacrifice instead of blaming yourself for his death"-

-"Don't you think he would be better to help you face this instead of me?"- She asked determined. There were no tears in her eyes, those had dried out shortly after the funeral, the sorrow remained intact nonetheless

-"Shifu was a great guidance and so was Oogway. It sucked to lose them but losing who you love is part of life, just because we should remember them it doesn't change the fact that we have to move on"-

Sighing she nodded and turned around to leave

-"And in case you're wondering I need you more than I need him"-

-"What do you mean?"- She said coming back to his side

-"Losing my teacher is awful, but losing my… buddy, I don't think I could handle it"- He said shyly while staring at his feet.

She placed her fingers below his chin and forced him to face her so she could see his eyes, for a second it was like watching Li Shan remembering his lost wife. He knows, he knows he loves her but hasn't mastered the courage to tell her yet. Li shan had been right about him, had she died Po would have been left with the only wound he could never heal. Maybe Shifu saw it as well, maybe he convinced the reaper to take him instead of her because a being this pure hearted and powerful shouldn't be left with such deep scars. A lost teacher he could bounce back from, a lost love maybe not.

She had been right, the ones left burdened with the struggles are the living, it is up to her to take care of the dragon warrior and help him guide the growing powers within his immense chi. As for his feelings she has no idea on how to solve that situation but at least now she has the time to figure it out.

-"We'll be fine"- She told him in a rare bout of optimism, it must have been the right thing to say because she saw him relax while a peaceful smile lit up his face.

His fluffy soft hand slowly crept towards hers and she let him do it, their fingers intertwined as they looked at the starry sky, the peach tree was still in full bloom.

THE END.