JE NE SUIS PAS MORT MES AMIS! As in, I'm not dead quite yet, pals and gals!

I'm not gonna ramble on too much before letting you move on to read, that's what you're here for after all, not hearing lame excuses (I won't even do the mailbox). I'll just stick to: I'm sorry for disappearing on everyone, it was totally uncool of me.

Also, FYI: Now I know what Rick Grimes felt when he awoke in the damn zombie apocalypse. The freakin fandom is DYING?! Seriously, really comes to show what happens when a guy falls off the radar for a year.

Anyways, without further ado, START READING!

Chapter thirty-three: Hardship strengthens character

Valley of peace - Jade palace grounds - Sacred peach tree of heavenly wisdom.

Tigress felt like going on a rampage worthy of Tai Lung himself by now; that's just how frustrated she was feeling. "I simply can't catch an Oogway damn break!" She yelled inside her mind, her beautiful face planted firmly in her hands as she tried to rub the annoying uneasiness away.

If it wasn't official before, it certainly was now: whoever was in charge of life, fate, or whatever force it was that influenced the way a person's day would turn out, undoubtedly, absolutely, positively HATED her.

She'd been up here meditating for almost two hours, with a significant deal of effort as it was, after her little situation with her adoptive father and just when she had managed to gain some semblance of peace of mind, the stupid unsettling sensation that hadn't left her alone ever since her first night without her dragon warrior decided to increase its intensity. The fact that she now suspected the terrible uneasiness was connected directly to Po's status only served to make her feel even worse.

With a growl of irritation, the master of tiger style dragged her wounded paws down her face, revealing the exhausted expression plastered all over it. "What am I supposed to do now? I can't work out anymore with my paws like this, well I can, but I'm not that much of a masochist...all the time" she thought, looking down at her knuckles, which still were covered in her dried blood, with an almost bored expression before she sighed tiredly "Besides it's not like it will help any since I already tried it. Meditation is apparently out of the window now too...I don't get it, it was going so well, I mean I wasn't being nagged any less, but at least I was getting used to it...sort of...I barely, almost had my center! I..." -Agh!- A grunt escaped the tigress' maw after she hit herself on the forehead to stop her mental rambling.

The great Master Tigress rambling to herself.

"Tsk, yet another side effect of forgoing my unemotional shell" she thought bitterly.

Although most of the sensation came out of how internally drained she was feeling, after everything she had beed through since the beginning of the competition with Song, and especially after today's happenings, that small part of herself which couldn't help but wonder if accepting her love and the rest of her emotions so readily had been such a good idea did get a bit stronger.

For the past year she had not doubted her decision even once, getting to allow love, fun, friendship, excitement, and so much more positive feelings to bless her soul with their presence; but with the recent developments in her life she finally realized all that time had been nothing more than some kind of fairytale phase, where everything around her was pink colored and, while there were small grievances from time to time, nothing was that far from being truly perfect.

But now?

Now she was getting to experience more of the dark side of the emotional spectrum: jealousy, restlessness, anxiety, and unhealthy amounts of irritation/anger being the most common ones. "How can people deal with this so easily?!" Tigress asked herself mentally, but even with the taxed state her mind was in, the answer presented itself to her five seconds later at most, prompting her to snort scornfully "But I guess someone would have to stumble upon that little dirty secret in the first place and then share the answer"

And if not even Grandmaster Oogway managed to obtain such a feat, she was pretty certain it would remain as one of life's many eternal mysteries.

Whether she liked it or not, emotions were messy; there was no way around that. Heck, probably their only purpose in existence was to make living even harder than it already could be...and all everyone could do was suck it up and accept it. "Well, it's not exactly ALL that can be done; I chose not to have anything to do with them for nine or so years of my life...and that decision certainly came back to bite me" she thought with a grimace.

Above all things, emotional walls or not, the master of tiger style was always blunt, be it with others or herself, the later case being fairly uncommon and mostly only used to exhaustingly kick herself when she made a mistake; so it was relatively easy for her to recognize that she wouldn't be in so much distress right now if she had more experience dealing with twists in her life under her belt. Had she not retreated into her hardcore, emotionless façade all those years ago, she would know how to cope better with everything today.

But she hadn't, and for that she was unexperienced...she was weak and unstable. Thinking back to her earlier wonderings on the subject, if putting walls around one's soul could be seen as an act of cowardice, the stripped feline scowled as she fully accepted the bitter truth. That's exactly what it was. All those years of telling herself feeling emotions was pointless and weakening, she had only been running away from them like a scared child.

Running from the pain and the sadness.

Evading anger in fear of doing something she might regret and be looked down upon as a monster. Shielding herself from life's blows.

True, maybe blocking everything life threw at her and lasting as much as she did without breaking required some sort of praiseworthy strength...but not as much as taking the hit and managing not to crumble, but stand back up and be ready for more. Emotions might make life that much harder, but that was just how the universe tested all sentient beings, and like in any other test, if you were capable of overcoming it, then you would come out much stronger than before in the end.

-Heh, no wonder I'm like this-Tigress grumbled, bitterly amused.

Making a quick recount of her unfeeling life, she couldn't help but be slightly disgusted at how she used to act; brushing her friends off while they tried to merely understand why she had changed so much from the girl they met when she brought the team together, thinking of them as lazy and irresponsible when they wanted to use their spare time in fun and relaxing activities rather than getting ahead on their training or studies, being just polite enough while rejecting their offers to join them, and so many other acts. She'd treated the rest that way for years, being cold and keeping them at arms length for so long that, in time, she brought them down to her level...or well, maybe not all the way down to her level, but she did change their joyful personalities into those of a bit too much more professional and subdued individuals.

The female's ears fell down as she bowed her head in shame, causing her depressed amber eyes to focus on her lap, where her injured paws were resting.

"A recluse, a downer, and pretty much practicing self harm in the name of a sacred art; for all I know, had it not been for my determination to be the best, I probably would have gotten a catnip addiction, become an alcoholic, or even killed myself had things stayed in that path" Thought the tiger master, closing her eyes tightly in fear of starting crying out of her turmoil.

...

So much for being a revered and mighty kung fu master.

...

Almost a decade's worth of cowardice; so many days of her life wasted.

...

Thinking about it, how amusing it was she'd had the gall to call Po a disgrace back when she didn't even know him? What a joke! Because herattitude clearly portrayed that of an honorable warrior that time.

...

She'd been no different from a spoiled brat beating on some new kid for no better reason than dumping her troubles on top of him! Might as well just have given him a wedgie like any other good bully! "Oogway, I'm so pathet..."

"Now, stop beating yourself up for this okay?"

Tigress' eyes snapped back open when Po's words from the day he had awakened after the dubbed 'Training hall incident' abruptly resounded in her head, interrupting her growing depression while bringing her a bit of comfort at the mental sound of his voice; and just like it's his tendency, the powerful light of the wonderful male specimen that crashed into her life came to her rescue...indirectly at least.

"I'm actually sort of grateful you were so harsh on me, it makes me appreciate your friendship even more, it makes me push myself harder to demonstrate I'm worthy of being the great Master Tigress' friend...I said there was nothing to worry about, it's in the past"

"Stupid, big hearted moron trying to pick me up even when he's miles away" The thought caused a small smile to come into play in the feline's lips for a couple of moments as her veil of self-depreciation fell away. It was a good attempt, worked for the most part, but her mood still came back down and a saddened sigh escaped into the night air; after all, as comforting as the little memories had been, they also served to remind her that her dragon warrior still hadn't returned and that he probably wouldn't do so in a while longer.

In total honesty she didn't enjoy how dependent of his presence she'd discovered she turned out to be. The thought of her being clingy wasn't very appealing, but that male had done so much for her that no matter how she looked at it, she couldn't find a reason to NOT miss having him home as bad as she currently did. In only three years he had annihilated the ever present tense atmosphere that had surrounded the Jade palace for almost a decade, restored her friends to what they were before she had soured their attitudes; actually, he had made them all better. Po also had been the one to take the aged burden that was Tai Lung from her adoptive father's heart, and while she had seriously resented him because of that for some time, she now felt nothing more than gratitude for it; how couldn't she? Knowing that she would never have been able to do so. Even if she had been named the dragon warrior, she probably would have failed where her chosen male had succeeded.

After all, there was no way she could have helped her master's heart heal while hers was just as battered if not more, even if she didn't recognize it back then, so it was only logical for Po to be the one to do it.

It was the dragon warrior, her dragon warrior, who had helped fix all the things broken in her life.

"And I love him that much more for doing so" The feline thought, absolute conviction breaking through whatever remnants there were of her bout of depression. Miserable day or not, whether she had done the right thing letting her emotional barriers down or made a mistake, she was certain that her heart belonged to him completely. From the experience that was her infatuation with Master Shifu during her teenage years and a couple of other past instances she'd experienced over time that were too insignificant in her opinion to even be acknowledged, she knew a crush would have disappeared a long time ago, more so with all the irritating screw ups and dangerous situations Po had put her through before he decided to drop his immaturity level a little bit. Even with her crippling inexperience, she knew her feelings were too great to be something other than romantic love.

"I'm still going to hit him extra hard during training for leaving me without any warning though...or who knows? Perhaps I'll just hug him so hard his spine will crack just a tiny bit" Thought the tiger master, smirking with amusement at the idea of Po apologizing over and over while she gave him a lesson on why not to leave on secret missions in the middle of the night.

"Now that is more like it, you look way better when you're happy"

Her smirk softened into a warm smile when yet another phrase Po had said to her came into her mind; and with it, a sudden realization dawned on her: He wouldn't want her to be thinking this way.

And by that she didn't mean she had to force herself to be bright and happy only because the panda liked to see her in high spirits, but she shouldn't be sitting here, wallowing in her own misery and making herself feel even worse. It was even more pathetic than trying to extricate herself from everything other than kung fu and much unhealthier.

"Bringing myself down will only cause my own downfall" Tigress concluded, feeling annoyed at her immediate reaction to the day's collective turn of events...but also getting a new spark of determination to ignite in her being. "I might have retreated into hiding before, I might have spent years cowering behind my walls, but I won't let myself crumble now that I decided to step out. Maybe things are rough at the moment, but since when has my life been a joyride? Things were never easy before, I shouldn't be surprised they are starting to get tough once again. Actually, I should be happy I got a break for a whole year instead of be whining about a few recent bumps in the road"

The creator of tiger style could feel the spark in her soul turn into a flame, which started getting bigger and bigger as her internal monologue continued and became more passionate, until it suddenly changed into...something...she hadn't felt this strongly in a very long while; not since her second and final round against Boar 'The unstoppable' when she was fifteen years old.

If she was to put it into words, she'd say it was like having a roaring inferno burning in her chest; ever growing while trying to consume her entirely from the inside-out and never subsiding, never giving an inch once it started, yet giving her a sensation of power and...a strange fulfilling familiarity with its scorching warmth. Master Shifu had done his best to put it out at the beginning, back when he was sure that it was nothing more than proof of how she lacked discipline and self-restraint, and after the new furious five were formed he still tried to have her tame it; fearful of what it might do to her if she allowed it to have free reign.

Although she had never voiced her opinion back then, she didn't agree with her adoptive father on the topic, but out of respect for him she obeyed and struggled to only tap into the soothing blaze as little as she possibly could. It wasn't until she put up the walls around her heart that it went down, so far down that sometimes she had even forgotten it existed; she could still use it, but unlike years before it was much easier to not use more than what she thought was necessary and she had set a rule for herself to never use a lot of it and reserve it as a second wind, a backup, when she was in need of one. She used to believe that by using something other than her physical strength, carefully honed skills, exercised mental might, and sheer will she was admitting her own weakness to herself.

Thankfully, yet again, Po Ping entered her life and fixed her right up.

During her denial, the controlled fire inside of her being started getting its previous strength back and kept flickering as her love for the monochromatic bear grew, fighting against her to be released from her emotional barriers like it had once used to do.

When the dragon warrior kept trying to befriend her, the flame intensified and warmed up her cold, unfeeling self; as if trying to melt through her walls.

When she accepted him as her friend, its light shone through the cracks of her weakening hardcore mask.

When he earned the title of her best male friend, it was as if the renewed scorching fires had managed to build up pressure, a LOT of it, and her capability to keep whatever was left of her stony exterior and push back was almost nonexistent.

Then the mission to Gongmen city came and she got to experience having the ever-present heat of her blazing spirit be extinguished; got to feel the absolute cold of true emptiness when Po had been blasted away from her. But when she saw him standing atop that rooftop alive and well, the flame returned, and it did with such a vengeance, her nine-year-old emotional shield didn't stand a chance in stopping it.

That night, as she fought against the evil peacock and his cannon wielding wolves in the name of her country, freedom...and her newly accepted love, the powerful blazes in her soul burned stronger and brighter than they had done in a long time; perhaps not to their fullest, since it had been a while since they were free of restraints and they had to regain their power after being completely snuffed out, but it had been liberating to allow herself to feel that scorching warmth inside of her without keeping it at bay after so many years.

After that, the sensation of power went back to what it used to be in the past; perhaps it fluctuated in intensity depending on what activity she was undertaking, but it didn't retreat under her command, it had become untamed once again...and she was fine with that.

The last time the blaze had spiked abnormally high had been during the bandit raid almost a month ago when Po had been hurt by the oversized boar leader and she had used it to beat the underworld out of his spiteful self. Though, as first stated, tonight was the first time in twelve long years that she felt the scorching warmth grow so strong in such a short notice. She could feel it coursing through her veins, heating her hammering heart, consuming her soul with its roaring blazes, and filling her spirit as a whole with the untamable sensation of power. She could swear that, if she focused enough in that moment, she would feel the shift in her feline pupils, going from their nighttime dilated state to mere, frightening slits.

"I, am Tigress. I'm a kung fu master, the creator of tiger style, and I've been a symbol of strength and power, for better or for worse, since I was a cub. I have a great life, with good friends, and a male that I love who, even if I can't say for sure if he returns those feelings, thinks highly of me...admires me. I will not succumb to something as petty as pitying myself over past mistakes" She thought, self-confidence oozing from her being, and finally stood up from her lotus position to stare at the scenery beyond her fiery eyes -Life can do its worse to bring me down...let's see how far that gets it- The striped feline muttered challengingly before she turned around and started walking towards the stairway, promising herself to deal with whatever was to come out of her life in the future, both near and far, just like everyone else had been led to expect of her.

Head on. Without a single ounce of fear or doubt.

...

"Although, as much as I actually managed to learn with my visit here, I still wish I had found a way to get the stupid feeling of unease to leave me £#$ $% alone!" Tigress groaned annoyedly inside her head.

Just as her right foot touched the first stone step to go down, a...peculiar...idea came to the female's head, and she subtly looked back at the sacred tree over her shoulder. She kept her gaze locked on it for a couple of seconds before she returned her gaze to the path ahead "No, it's a preposterous idea" she concluded, shaking her head lightly in dismissal while a quiet, amused chuckle escaped her lips.

Her feet restarted moving and took her down five more steps.

...

And that's as far as the mighty Master Tigress got, prior to turning around and walking all the way back up at a fast pace. "Oh, it won't kill me. Besides, it IS its basic purpose...but if anything negative comes out of it, I'm blaming that panda and his damn influence on me" Thought the feline.

After being at the top of the plateau once more, Tigress made her way over to the peach tree with a more controlled speed. "Heck for all I know, there are none left by now, so...what the hell!" Those were the thoughts that coursed through the tiger's mind until she came to be right below the ancient branches and she stopped dead in her tracks, a half-shocked and half-irritated expression creeping up her just pacified features.

When she had halted her descent towards the Jade palace's living quarters it had been done so in plans of looking for a couple of pieces of juicy fruit to get a bite of; she hadn't eaten a thing since breakfast and besides, Po had continuously made it known over his years at the palace that wisdom wasn't the only heavenly thing one could find at the sacred tree and that, if given the chance, the sweet nectar of the fuzzy edible had the ability of taking all your worries away with a single bite.

Now, she obviously knew that his opinion probably came from the fact that his main coping mechanism when he felt upset was to stuff his face with whatever food he could get his paws on, but what did she have to lose? Both of her ways to deal with things had proven themselves to be ineffective, so she had thought that she might as well give this a try...if she found any peaches at all that is; it wasn't exactly the right season to pick the fruit.

Interestingly enough, she came to find that there indeed were a few fuzzy treats left in the tree, although they honestly weren't the best looking in the world...besides, that wasn't the reason for the tiger master's reaction when she reached her current spot under the foliage, oh no, that honor completely belonged to the form of a certain snow leopardess she found sleeping on one of the branches. "Was she spying on me? Ok, scratch that, that's a stupid question...but just how long has she been up there?" Tigress thought in irritation, although a part of it was directed at herself for not realizing there had been someone watching her for who knows how long.

Deciding the best way to get answers was to ask the snoozing ex-criminal herself, the striped feline clenched her paws tightly and raised the arm that was next to the tree's trunk, then smashed the side of her fist against the wooden surface with enough force to make the whole thing shake; actually, such was the strength behind her blow that she managed to feel the slightest tremor in the plateau under her feet.

It was a miracle she didn't snap the ancient bark.

"Note to self, avoid punching things while in blazing soul state" she thought, cringing when she heard a cracking sound come from the place she had hit, and also in part to the fact she had just unconsciously given a name to her little...mode...right out of the blue. "Po is definitely rubbing off on me a tad too much" Oh well, it came with the whole 'being in love' affair she supposed; besides all techniques received a name at some point.

-Huh?...what the heck is...! AAAHHHHH!-

*Thud!*

Excessive as her power might have been, the tiger master's purpose for it had indeed been fulfilled; she couldn't have stopped herself from smirking in satisfaction at seeing her rival groaning on the floor after falling off the tree face first even if she wanted to. "I guess this makes us even after she got to kick me in the face during our spar" Tigress thought, keeping her lips curled up for a couple more seconds before adopting her serious face. -Oh my gods! I'm so sorry, Spots, did I wake you? I know spying on people must be a very exhausting activity- She said, sarcasm dripping from her tone, while crossing her arms in front of her chest.

-Ngh...real mature, Stripes, reaaalll mature- Song replied, picking herself up from the floor as one of her paws held onto her sore maw -Was it necessary to make me fall off the branch though? I could have broken my nose or something!- she added in annoyance.

-Like I care about your stupid harlot face!- The tiger bit back, moving swiftly to stand right in front of the leopardess -Now, you have five seconds to start explaining why the heck were you watching me while I obviously was in the middle of a private moment before I knock all your teeth off. And pray for some miracle to save your sorry hide if your answer is that you were making sure I didn't leave the palace in the middle of the night!-

The violet eyed female, feeling the ever present bothersome irritation she got when interacting with her rival-in-love, prepared herself to fire her best snappy and/or sarcastic come back...but was stopped dead in her tracks when her gaze came to focus on the tiger's angrily glowing, ruby eyes. "Shoot, that's scary as hell!" Song thought, feeling her eyes grow bigger and her heart beat faster in primal fear each second she spent looking at those slitted pupils. -What's up with your eyes?-

Honestly, the question had been innocent, no ulterior motive to make fun of the other female or anything of that nature; she just really wanted to know why did her eyes do that, since as far as she knew...only the smaller members of the feline species could do it, and certainly not at nighttime.

But whether there were dark intentions behind it or not didn't matter in the end though, because almost as soon as the last syllable rolled off her tongue, the highly irritable tigress had advanced on the startled dancer and grabbed her by the throat, slamming her back against the tree's trunk with force in the blink of an eye.

-That's not what I asked, Spots!- Tigress snarled while tightening her grip just enough to show the snow leopardess she was being serious, without cutting off her air supply, and lifted a fist -Now, I'll give you one more chance to answer or I swear I will...-

-I was just checking up on you, ok?! Which, by the way, I totally regret doing now! So do me a small favor and chill out, you psycho!- Song exclaimed in alarm, interrupting the other female mid-sentence. Any other day she wouldn't have allowed herself to be intimidated by the striped woman, but after watching her pummel the ironwood tree and knowing just how unstable she was at the moment, she seriously didn't feel like taking any chances.

Meanwhile, the tiger master had completely frozen up after her spotted rival had shouted her answer in her face...but the truth was she'd barely heard her words; the fearful tone in her usually annoyingly smooth voice and the panic in her regularly confident and sly violet eyes had taken most of the master's attention to her surroundings away.

As the events that had transpired throughout the night up until now showed, in her current exhausted state, Tigress admittedly didn't possess as much control over her mind's inner workings as she did everyday; and because of that fact...the memories of scared orphans and matrons bewaring the rage of the "monster" that shared a building with them caught her completely off guard.

Song's panic was replaced with bewilderment once she saw the ruby eyed feline's angry expression contort into one of deep shame for a split-second before Tigress sharply stepped away from her, releasing the hold she had on her neck, and turned to move over to the edge of the plateau. "Now what in the world was that?" Song wondered, quirking an eyebrow as high as it could go while cautiously taking a paw up to massage her mildly sore neck -Stripes?-

-What reason could you have to "check up" on me, leopard?- The master asked as she crossed her arms, doing her best to keep up her hardcore act to the best of her ability; although if she was to be honest, it was quite a taxing affair to do so.

The leader of The ladies of the shade frowned a bit at being so blatantly ignored, and with such a pitifully forced cold attitude to boot, but didn't let the thought bother her.

-For the same reason you went looking for me after the incident with my scroll perhaps? You were awfully collected after Ming Ling finished her report and you excused yourself from the kitchen...when you didn't show your face by dinner time, I assumed something was up and decided to find out where you were- Song explained calmly as she walked over to stand beside her rival; if the tiger felt anything in regards to her actions, she didn't show it.

-Hmm...ok, so you were repaying a debt; but correct me if I'm wrong, Spots, dinner time was several hours ago and, don't let this go to your head, but I don't believe you are incompetent enough to have just found me when I came up here- Tigress stated, her forced monotone relaxing into seriousness -In other words, I should be right to assume you've been watching me since I was training in the ironwood forest- She added matter-of-factly.

Song almost flinched when she heard the change in her voice, half expecting to be attacked at any second, but when nothing of the sort happened, she risked stealing a quick glance at the woman beside her...which led her to discover the female tiger hadn't even bothered to turn her head in her direction. "Wow, whatever happened before really did a number on her" She thought, blinking a couple of times in amazement before refocusing her attention on the darkened scenery in front of her and answering with -Okay, fine, I admit I have been watching you the whole time; but I guess it's not a big surprise for you, coming from a former thief and all, huh? Old habits do die hard- she said while shrugging.

The snow leopardess waited for some kind of response; a few mocking words of agreement or a new choice of words that had a more insulting edge to it, but no sound escaped the master's lips. This fact really made her feel annoyed...mostly because it caused the smallest of smidgens of concern to appear inside her mind.

And so, in order to get rid of such a feeling, a quick plan formed in her head.

-What, you're giving me the silent treatment? No insults, punches, or sarcastic comments? I'm almost disappointed, Stripes- Song taunted a bit more, pushing the annoyance back and plastering her typical sly grin on -That argument you had with the Grandmaster really did a number on you, didn't it? Must say, I would never have pinned you as the "daddy issues" kind of girl- She said, her grin widening when she heard a low warning growl emanate from the woman next to her -Although in retrospective I guess it makes sense; maybe your thick skull, bigger-than-life pride, and being the queen of all tomboys takes care of holding back the promiscuity, the clinginess, and the need to flirt and please any male figure whose company you come to enjoy...-

-Spots, I was trying to have a half-baked moment of civility with you for once to honor the one you sort of gave me back when I talked to you about the scroll incident, but I swear if you really want to die...- Tigress tried to cut her off, finally directing her narrowed eyes towards the other feline, but was completely ignored. So absorbed in her rapidly increasing irritation was the master of tiger style, she didn't even notice how the roaring flame within her quickly went down to a simple, still hot but simple nonetheless, ember.

-...but other than those everything else fits! The emotional barriers you built up as a last resort to protect yourself from a world you thought hated you, the untrusting nature, how you despised to be alone, but still found it easy to push all of your friends away at a moment's notice- Song listed, shamelessly reveling in the way her rival's face was drained from her growing anger and contorted into an uncomfortable expression.

-And you can talk as if you actually know me, because?!- The tiger master knew her self-control and mental prowess had never been in worse conditions than this day, not taking into account the mission at Gongmen city, but she still loathed how much it actually affected her to listen the confident, almost causal way the snow leopardess spoke about her; it made her feel vulnerable and exposed all of a sudden. "Having others read me has never been enjoyable...but if there's ever been a worse time for this feeling to take a shot at me, it is right now! And because of this harlot of all people!"

-First rule while being a thieving seductress is to always be able to analyze your target as quick as possible...besides, Po talked about you for a little while when we first met- The dancer confessed; it kinda dampened the good time she was having, to remember how the bear had rambled on about the striped feline for slightly more than 'a little while' on their first meeting, but she focused on not letting her argument be cut short. And she would be lying if she said that the way her rival's face started to relax and the soft smile that was crawling up her features at what she said last did not made her bristle. "I don't care how messed up she is, I can't have her getting her hopes up. Po is still mine to claim and mine ALONE!" Song thought, fighting off the urge to frown instead of keeping up her "astounding" act of compassion.

-Anyways, lastly, I assumed the possessiveness you had over Po came from your feline traits, but it must origin from the fact no other male has ever caught your eye...unless you had some teenage crush?- Song said, scanning the tiger with a devilish smirk; which widened upon noticing how Tigress' face turned completely sour before she could even blink and she caught onto the 'Shut the hell up!' Look her amber eyes sent her way -You did! Oh this is rich! And don't tell me, don't tell me, it was on mean, old, big eared foster daddy himself wasn't it?!-

The snow leopardess would have crumbled to the floor in a cackling mess when her night vision managed to catch onto the faint darkening in the master's face; which, taking into account her orange fur and the fact that it was nighttime, meant she had hit the nail right in the head and caused the hardcore feline warrior to blush.

A lot.

Yes, that's what would have happened...had the former thief been fast enough to defend herself and avoid having her feet swept from under her by said feline warrior, who couldn't be more embarrassed and pissed if she tried.

Violet eyes widened in surprise at the sudden turn of events and she barely had enough time to recover some of the air that was knocked out of her by the hard impact between the floor and her back before a sandaled foot was placed against her throat. Her first reaction was to grab onto the tiger's ankle to make an attempt to throw her off, but she desisted from doing so when she felt an increase on the pressure being exerted on her windpipe.

-Give me one excellent reason to not keep this up until you lose consciousness and then leave you out here all night, Spots- Tigress demanded through gritted teeth; although it was the dangerous flash of fiery red in her eyes that made the snow leopardess almost go numb in fear at the thought of the unnatural slitted pupils inside those ruby orbs making a come back to pierce her soul.

-Be..Because a respectable kung fu master such as yourself wouldn't abuse her power over a defenseless, pretty, little woman like me?- Song wheezed out in sarcastic response, allowing her smart-mouth to get the best of her. The choked breath that came out of her maw barely made it over the sound of the tiger's angered growl from how big was the increase in pressure; it was enough of a hint for the dancer to understand that, even if her answer had been for real, Tigress would not feel regret in crushing her throat hard enough to take away her voice permanently. "From how hard she...she could kick those trees, m..me digging my claws on her foot would...do nothing but tickle, wouldn't...it?"

Deeming it too dangerous of an experience to find out, Song had to swallow her pride and desperately tapped on the striped feline's foot; had she possessed the luxury to do so, she'd have snarled when she witnessed the maliciously amused smirk that curved Tigress' lips at her pitiful situation.

"I will freak...freaking get you back for this one, Stripes!"

-Hmm...now what's this, did all that harlot over-confidence finally left you, Spots? Well it's about damn time- The tiger sneered down at the pleading leopardess, and for a brief moment she actually found it refreshening to watch the way those violet orbs barely bulged out...how the gray fur on her face darkened in the slightest as the skin under it started turning blue...to hear the small wheezes that her sensitive ears managed to pick up from Song's maw.

"How does that feel, you little spotted slut? I sure hope it hurts! Come on, squirm more! Struggle harder! Beg for mercy! It will not mean a damn thing to me! Because whatever you get to feel can't compare to how much of a pain you've been since you barged into my life!" She exclaimed inside her mind; the anger and frustration she'd worked herself out of barely ten minutes prior bubbling back up.

"Everything was going MY way! Po was MY best friend! MY first chosen! MY first true love! It was pretty much logical for him to be MINE in time! I was actually ready to confess before you came along and messed with everything! I should have hunted you and your group of conniving sluts down back when you first showed your face in the palace! I should have kicked you out as soon as Po left for the mission! Know what, I should kill you right now!"

An urge to put all of her 276 pounds on top of the leopardess' neck to see if it would snap started welling up inside of the psychologically precarious tiger. It would be so easy to dispose of the other female; no one was around to witness it or stop her. If she did it her problems would be finally over, her panda would be ALL hers; she wouldn't have to share him with anyone, not even partially like this Oogway forsaken competition forced her into doing.

So what if it was selfish?

So what if it was underhanded and dishonorable?

She had earned the right to think in herself, her wants and needs, for once in her life.

Right?

She deserved the easy way out to get rid of her troubles and regain the peace her life lost the moment Song stepped in; it was only fair after all the things she had sacrificed in twenty seven years. All the pain and suffering she had gone through.

Logically speaking it was plain, old justice...

...Right?

...

...

Yeah, not really.

Perhaps in some twisted reality where she is in love with Tai Lung, or some other random guy who possessed a decent personality and promise in the ways of kung fu or any other martial art, and she becomes some sort of mindless sex addict it would be.

But not in this life; not for as long as she had some semblance of sanity.

"In the name of the thousand scrolls, what am I thinking?!"

And with that mental screech of horror, the master of tiger style came back to her senses and immediately lifted her foot from her downed rival's throat; allowing the violet eyed girl to sit up quick as lightning with an enormous, pained gasp and cough a couple of times as she gulped down as much air as she found possible. Apprehension, shame, and guilt flashed inside her amber orbs in quick succession at having even acknowledged thoughts of such villainous nature in her moment of weakness and a grimace of distaste twisted her expression while she stepped away from Song, thus prompting her to come to the conclusion that enough was enough; she needed to go to her room, or maybe even Po's just to be sure, and sleep all this madness away.

The leader of The ladies of the shade didn't know if to feel pity or annoyance as she dully noted the striped woman's current disturbed state of mind acting up again; she settled for just feeling relieved the pressure on her throat was gone and relish the precious oxygen filling up her lungs.

-So what made you *coff* change your mind, Stripes? Did you finally come to your senses and succumb to my charms or were you scared daddy would find out and spank you?- Song mocked her in disdain; she was not cautious in the least and she felt no fear in showing the colossal contempt she had for the other woman at the moment. "With the kind of reaction she had, I wouldn't be surprised if she crumbled right on the..."

-Shut your trap, Spots, just...just shut it- Tigress' voice interrupted the snow leopardess' line of thought, and while her statement was indeed weighted down by her burdened mind, it still carried a degree of firmness in her tone.

"Humph, well there goes that idea. I don't even know why I would expect anything else from Ms. Tall-&-mighty-hardcore-shemale" Song thought with a roll of her violet eyes. A quiet sigh passed through her lips when she saw how the dejected tiger tried to take advantage of her musing to slip past her and abandon the sacred plateau; too bad for her, since they were certainly not done here. -Hooolldd it just a second there, Stripes- She said with decision and moved her paw at great speed to firmly grasp a certain posterior appendage of Tigress' for good measure. It was unorthodox and underhanded in a way since, as a fellow feline, the snow leopardess knew just how annoying and uncomfortable it can be to have someone suddenly pull on your tail, but hey, at least it would guaranty Tigress stayed for a little while longer.

There was a deeper reason she'd stuck around the master's vicinity all night after all. Watching her composed persona crumble and listening to everything she said and did brought the former seductress to the realization there was a discussion they had to undertake, and now was the perfect moment to do so; now that the striped feline had burnt out her unstable fury and was vulnerable enough to have the words to go through her.

Although the snow leopardess expected Tigress to be caught off guard and feel uncomfortable at having her tail tugged, it certainly took her by surprise to hear the absolute master of hard style kung fu clamp down on a girlish squeal before she snatched her striped tail back from her clutches and whirl around to face her with a flustered expression of astonishment.

-W..What's the big idea, Spots?!- She stuttered out, narrowed eyes unsettled, voice sharp yet half an octave higher, orange fur puffy, and a slight redness to her cheeks.

The violet eyed feline could only stare in bewilderment at the woman who she'd been living with for the last several weeks and she knew to be as tough and stiff as tomboys possibly came, acting in such a vulnerable and undignified way. "Stripes has been a complete wreck the whole time I've been watching her, but this...the way she cradles her tail close to her body and the...wariness...she's watching me with reminds me more of a startled child than a troubled woman" Song analyzed reflexively, but since that line of thought was making her feel even more concern, and perhaps some sympathy, for the chick who was trying to take her little ying and yang cub for herself, she promptly tried to squash those ideas with a little of her usual sarcastic humor, accompanied by her innocently malicious smirk. -Aww, what's the matter, Stripes? Don't tell me the big bad tigress has an oversensitive tail-

-Of course it's sensitive! It's my freakin tail! How would you react if all you wanted was to go to bed and I suddenly decided to pull on yours?!- Tigress shouted back, bringing said appendage just a little bit closer to her body while she tried to reign herself in. Song briefly chuckled at the look on her face, making sure she wouldn't forget the picture anytime soon, before replying.

-Well I can certainly assure you, my dear male stealer, you wouldn't have me fighting back screeches and jumping out of my fur about it- Song's smirk became a tad more pronounced when she noted the almost visible tic mark that formed in the tiger's forehead and she felt prompted to take one last jab -I guess all the lost sensitivity in your freaky rock like paws and feet had to go somewhere...and now I can't help but wonder to just how many and which places it ended up in. Feline curiosity can bite, huh?-

The mix between coyness and amusement in the spotted woman's visage had even the mighty warrior blush in embarrassment under her striped orange fur, forcing her to direct all her drained mental strength at an effort to push back the uncomfortable feeling that arose in her -If there was an Oogway damn reason for you to pull me back by my tail, then you've got my attention, Spots. Whatever you have to say, just spit it out quickly so I can freaking go to bed and get away from the stench of your cheap perfume...Though, knowing how little self-control you have over yourself, Ican't help but wonder if you did it simply because your slutty nature got the better of you- Tigress said in a perturbed tone of voice.

"To not have killed you by now shows just how 'little' self-control I've got" Thought the dancer, any mirth she had before gone the second her brain processed the other female's come back -Sorry to disappoint you, you striped wench, but I don't swing that way, not even partially- She deadpanned in response; not like she really had something against homosexuals, heck some of her friends back at camp were, she'd simply had that insinuation thrown in her face one too many times. Ok so her living conditions had her spend a lot more time among females than she did males, big whoop, that didn't mean it was mandatory for her to develop an attraction for her own gender.

-Disappoint me?! As if I would...-

-Look, let's just say I wouldn't be too surprised if your rivalry with me was nothing more than you acting out in denial; you already are more of a male than a lot of the guys I had to seduce in my thieving days- Song stated, a glimmer in her violet eyes at the affronted look that took a hold of the master's face. Before Tigress could give a response though, the snow leopardess quickly adopted a serious visage and lifted her right paw to make her pause -Okay, okay hold your horses for a moment- She took a quick breath after saying that and released it quietly to continue speaking -Now in all seriousness. First of all, I didn't really mean anything by what I said, that was just your messed up brain jumping to conclusions- Pausing briefly to observe Tigress analyze her in search for any dishonesty, the spotted feline waited patiently until she saw her huff and give an annoyed nod for her to continue -And secondly, as much of a bonus I got from seeing you act all rattled and flustered, I did hold you back with good reason. We need to talk, Stripes. And I mean to actually talk, not our usual insult barrages-

Her statement had the tiger master narrow her eyes as she took a good look at the woman in front of her in order to gauge her body language for deceit a second time, then blink once in surprise when she found herself assured she was speaking the truth -Well I'll be damned, you're not lying through your teeth as far as I can tell- Then again, her mental faculties was extremely faulty at the moment, so... -What will you be aiming to gain from this conversation?- The tiger asked.

Song rolled her eyes in annoyance at the pointed stare she received and she was quick to return it in kind, placing her paws on her hips at the same time to attempt looking sterner -Look Stripes...Tigress...truth be told, while I did search for you to check how you were holding up after learning about Po's experience with my girls and I stayed around so I could mediocrely help you snap out of it, once your volatile temper quelled some mind you, fact of the matter is I kept tailing you even after your little spat with Master Shifu drained most of your blind rage because I felt it was high time we had a girl-to-girl talk. Pointedly answering your question, I aim to have a mature discussion with you for a change, so we can perhaps obtain some degree of peace of mind and not lose our sanity altogether for however our little competition lasts-

There was little the striped feline could do but keep staring at her rival and the resolve that seemed to surround her being, caught off guard and unsure of what to make out of her words; for no matter what angle she tried to analyze them from, she simply couldn't fathom -Why?- Tigress asked, perplexed at Song's sober attitude; and once her night vision caught sight of the small, solemn smile that was sent her way by the other feline, her confusion only grew.

-'Cause as much as I hate you for coming between my male and I...I can't ignore the fact that everything you told Master Shifu in the ironwood forest made me realize...we might actually be able to see eye to eye in a few things if we make a little effort- The snow leopardess answered, her eyes sincere and smile still in play -After all, from one orphan to another, it shouldn't be too hard to see where each of us is coming from if we get our heads out of our asses while around each other every now and then, don't you agree?-

As much as some part of herself told her she should have seen it coming , Tigress still felt some shock at hearing that the leader of The ladies of the shade shared her parentless fate; how the leopardess came to be on that boat was a mystery to her, it might not even come close to her own experience, but it still was surprising to have such a key personal factor in common with the female she'd been antagonizing and being antagonized by for almost a month "Have we really been at each other's necks just for occupying the same plane of existence at the same time for that long?" Tigress asked herself, clearly astonished at how stupid that sounded when she's not too focused on heated discussions and glare-fests. Even so, some of her stubborn personality managed to cling onto her psyche, which led her to react defensively. -While you make a fair point, Spots, how can I know you aren't pulling my leg to get my guard lowered? It IS what you did for a living for who knows how long- Tigress bit in response as she observed her rival suspiciously, throwing in a silent challenge for her to dare to lie right in her face.

-Other than the fact we're both supposed to be full grown adults, do you think you're the only one who would hate seeing you get like this more often? For one you are so much more damn annoying than usual and, based on the fact you came a couple of pounds short from choking me to death earlier, having you totally snap because of our situation certainly wouldn't bid well for me or anyone else- Song answered tiredly, resisting the urge to rub her temples in frustration, before smirking a little bit to ease the tension built up in Tigress' mind. -Besides, you cannot tell me having a spat every two hours isn'tgetting old real fast, Stripes! I mean seriously, we could at least set up some conditions to keep things spicy- She added.

Ignoring the forced humor input to the statement, the master of tiger style considered the other girl's simple-and-to-the-point arguments for a few moments, trying to find the fault or trick in the notion while at the same time adding her own point of view. It took a couple seconds longer than it should have, but in the end she decided to relent and crossed her arms, lowering her gaze slightly as well, and breathed out in resignation. -I'm listening...Song- Came Tigress' sour mutter, clearly not exactly pleased at giving any sort of satisfaction to her fellow feline if the way she half-choked on using her actual name for once were any indication.

Not knowing if to sigh in relief or plaster a smug grin across her face to rub her small victory in, the violet eyed ex thief went for a compromise in the shape of a satisfied smirk, accompanied by a nod of appreciation for not fighting against her suggestion too long.

Unfortunately, their little would-be-moment ended up being interrupted when both felines were forced to put their paws over their sensitive ears, grimacing in slightly significant pain at the extremely high pitched scream that filled the night air.

"What...or who the heck is that?" Tigress thought as her teeth ground against each other; as far as she knew only a hysteric Viper might be capable of reaching a note like that and even that would be a risky bet. "Besides she's still out of the valley, so unless one of those pathetic bimbos who enjoy trying to sneak into Po's bedroom in the dead of night managed to get in and end up trapped inside the training hall...again...then I can't possibly figure whose shri..."

-Ming?!- Song exclaimed over the dying screech in astonishment, which drew a confused look from her striped rival for a second before her amber eyes widened in surprise at recognizing the name.

-Wait! Dance girl's still here?- Asked the tiger with a disapproving frown directed at the snow leopardess, uncovering her ears as soon as the hurtful sound came to an end. Much to her frustration though, the former thief did not deign her with an answer before getting herself into gear and bolting down the sacred landmark at incredible speed. A bewildered blink later, Tigress shook her head and did a quick eye roll "So much for chatting. How crazier can this night get?" She wondered, then she took off as well.

Down at the barracks

No one could say life as a kung fu master often had a dull moment, especially when being a part of the notorious Jade Palace. Nonetheless, this was one particular situation Crane had never found himself in through all his years of defending his homeland from the forces of evil; not like he'd ever thought he would end up in his current position, why in China's name would he? He was no player and the only feline, other than his dear old friend Mei Ling, he knew tended to carry herself with a perfectly cool head...most of the time.

Nope, the possibility of doing something like this certainly had never popped up in his mind; yet here he was, standing behind a furious Ming Ling with a tight hold around her waist to keep her from going after the helpless target of her ire, all the while focusing as hard as he possibly could in her cussing shouts, not losing his footing to the erratic movements caused by her powerful struggles, and the wild swings of her claws...in order to refrain his mind from processing the fact an incredibly attractive woman was pressed flush against his body, clad in nothing more than a thin, flower patterned, sleeveless silver silk nightgown. Although by the flaming red tinge in his face, it wasn't working out perfectly for him.

He was quite grateful the attire was its usual length, covering all the way down to her ankles, because if he'd had to deal with the sight of whatever amount of cleavage Ming was showing and what he was pretty sure would be a pair of perfectly shaped legs...

Yeah, he'd probably faint on the spot at the very least.

"Why am I putting myself through this again?" Crane asked himself in embarrassment.

-LET GO OF ME, DAMN IT! QUIT PROTECTING THAT F****** PERVERT!-

Oh right, he was stopping the gray eyed beauty from killing his stupid teammate.

Since calling him all kinds of names was pretty much everything she offered in context, the feathered master didn't understand exactly why he and Mantis came crashing through the door to the guests' section of the barracks in response to an impossibly loud screech, only to discover they got there just in time to see a kneeling Monkey, who was holding onto his crotch and already sported the initial signs of a black eye, get decked across the face by the enraged dancer so hard, he actually went flying through the door to one of the empty rooms. The scene had left the two furious five members quite stunned, but luckily the tall bird got over it in time to take off down the hall and intercept their surprise guest before she could go after his fellow warrior, while Mantis sprinted into the suddenly occupied room a few moments later.

"Even so, whatever she accuses Monkey of doing to warrant such an assault...probably won't surprise me too much" He thought frustratedly.

-CRANE I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T RELEASE ME, I WILL...-

-IN THE NAME OF CHINA, JUST WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!-

And just like that, the dark hallway fell deadly silent as everyone in it froze and slowly turned their heads towards the suddenly lit up entrance; even Mantis peaked his head out of the bedroom to observe. Standing there, clothed in a sleepwear set that greatly resembled his usual outfit and carrying a lantern in Master Oogway's staff, Shifu analyzed the scene in front of him through squinted eyes for a few seconds, before his firm gaze settled on the unfamiliar snow leopardess entrapped in his avian student's wings.

-Master Crane, who is that woman and why is she inside the premises at this hour?...in sleepwear no less- The small red panda asked in a stern tone of voice, prompting said female to blush and bring her arms closely around herself for cover as she apparently came to the sudden realization of her current attire.

-Um...well, this is Ming Ling, Master Shifu and she...uh...is a friend of Song's, so she came to pay her a visit, I guess?- Crane explained, uncertain yellow eyes directed at the feline, who nodded meekly to confirm.

The old mammal's right eye twitched a couple of times in annoyance as he struggled to keep his feelings towards the news in check. "Of course it would be something related to this competition nonsense" Shifu thought frustratedly "Of all the messes that panda has caused, this one must be his biggest. If I were not trying to avoid garnering any more of Tigress' ire, I swear I would..." But before the small master had a chance to let his imagination fly on the horrors he'd put Po through, he found himself being forced to get the heck out of the way as the last two current residents of The Jade Palace burst into the hall in their respective battle stances.

-Ming, are you ok?!/What happened?! Is everyone alright?!- Tigress and Song questioned in unison, scanning the hallway and its occupants to assess the situation as quick and efficiently as they were capable of.

Once the mild rush from avoiding getting trampled by his adoptive daughter and her rival, both of whom seemed to have previously been off together somewhere, if them arriving from the same direction at the same time were to be taken as any indication, Shifu regathered all of his wits and delivered an answer before something could get out of hand.

"I don't know how this could be blown out of proportion, but based on everything that has ever happened in this palace since the panda moved in, I'm positive it would" He though in irritation. At least Tigress and Song had been forced to come over to the barracks before they could start arguing or, even worse, fighting yet again wherever they'd previously been. -Both of you, calm down! Everything is fine, there is no need to get agitated!- The grandmaster said; and given the way he banged the bottom of Oogway's staff against the floor to compliment his stern attitude, none of the other animals present dared to do so much as move a muscle in caution of somehow stepping out of line.

Given how everything seemed to be in order, and because Master Shifu obviously wasn't in a great mood, the pair of felines simultaneously breathed out as they relaxed out of their positions. -Whoever it is I owe the migraine to better start explaining themselves, right now- Tigress demanded through clenched teeth, using her exasperated amber gems to give Crane, or the increasingly nervous leopardess who subconsciously shrunk into said avian's embrace trying to hide her embarrassed self to be precise, an unnerving glare. Luckily for Ming Ling, her best friend didn't lose time to speak up in her defense.

-Hey leave her alone, Stripes! Ming has never screamed like that for as long as I've known her, so I'm pretty sure she had a perfectly good reason for doing so now!- Song said resolutely -Besides, something's been bothering her a great deal lately; you getting on her case like that is not going to help matters!-

She knew that small piece of info wasn't quite useful or relevant, especially since her sister-in-all-but-blood still had refused to tell her just what said problem was after her report that evening, a fact that still hurt a little and had her more than a bit worried; but it was imperative that she use any cards at her disposal to take the heat off Ming Ling. After all, the violet eyed feline wasn't stupid and was well aware of the risk this situation represented for both of them; if allowing a stranger to invite themselves over to spend the night at The Jade Palace wasn't enough of a breach of confidence on her part, having them cause a ruckus in the middle of the night certainly could push Master Shifu into kicking her and Ming out. "I have to tread carefully here or courting Po will become almost impossible; hope my silver tongue isn't too rusty"

Of course, the tiger style master didn't appreciate how her harlot of a rival felt in liberty of speaking to her in such a tone, especially considering the current circumstances, and immediately readied herself to deliver the snarly come back her brain so helpfu... "Actually, I'm SO not in the mood for a stupid argument right now; I just want to get this over with and FINALLY GO TO SLEEP!"

There was also the fact that, annoying as it was to even think about, the points Song made whilst they were, surprisingly, beginning to converse before being interrupted came to her mind as well. Surely if she handled this as the kung fu master she was instead of a moody and territorial cat the situation could be dealt with much more calmly and swiftly. -Hmph...fine then, but her explanation better be rock solid; if I detect the slightest hint of a lie...- Tigress found herself a little disappointed when none of the animals present gave signs of feeling intimidated by her pending threat; they had a pretty good reason for it though, or at least for them it was.

"Song spoke to her so rudely...and she didn't flip out! Since when does that happen?!"

-Right, uh, Ms. Ming Ling if you would be so kind?- Master Shifu managed to keep his mind on track with the current objective, but just barely since his daughter's reaction also took him for a loop. According to the volatile conversation he shared with her mere hours prior, he'd have figured a fight between the two women would be imminent under the smallest of provocations. "Even in Tigress' standards, she railed in her turmoil exceptionally in a very short time, especially considering her behavior all this weeks...there must have been some kind of breakthrough between those two and I simply missed it"

As intriguing as the subject was, his musing would have to wait, for not even fifteen seconds after his request to the intruding dancer had been made, an angry growl escaped her throat and her pearly fangs were bared to the world. -Why doesn't that creep explain, then? He's the one that shrieked when I kicked him in the balls after I woke up to catch him perving in the room!- Ming spat in contempt, prompting everyone else to follow the accusing finger she thrusted at...

"Monkey...ugh, of course it would be Monkey" Shifu's mind groaned in exasperation while Tigress's face screwed in annoyance at the primate that had just re-entered the hall with his insect best friend by his side. On a regular day it'd have been easy to take pity on him, what with the steadily darkening eye, swelling face, the noticeable limp he shuffled forward with, and the way he positively withered under the outraged scowling faces of Ming Ling, Song, and even Crane. "Although, considering exactly what he's being accused of, this is one misunderstanding that cannot be simply dismissed"

Conclusions drawn, the Grandmaster prepared himself to come in defense of The Jade palace's and his primate student's honor. In all honesty he had no idea what Monkey could have possibly done to be marked in such a way by the newly arrived feline, but he would make sure to straighten up the situation; surely there was a perfectly reaso...

-*Scoff* You mean he's going back at it? Come on, Monkey, didn't you learn anything from all those beatings I gave you?- Tigress said with irritation, unknowingly bringing her master's thought process to a crashing halt, as she glared her teammate down in disapproval -I knew you weren't quite the sharpest sword in the rack, but one would think this lesson should be simple enough to for anyone get-

-You're going to hold that over my head right now, Tigress?! I was sixteen at the time!- Monkey exclaimed in his defense, though by the way all the glares he had on him intensified, it was most likely taken as a confession to his crimes. Thinking it might take some pressure off of him, the golden langur recited a quick prayer and added -Would it help me any if I told you I only did it because, um, someone dared me to find proof you were actually a female?-

Even though it did get a very small snort of amusement from Song, which took Tigress' attention away from him for the brief instant she used to send a dirty look her way, it was pretty obvious his comment served little purpose to save him from his predicament; if anything, he was lucky it didn't make his current situation worse.

-I had already figured about Mantis' involvement in the matter; that's why I hunted him down as soon as I finished pummeling you the first time I caught you digging through my underwear- The tiger revealed, teeth gritted and cheeks warm at the last piece of information as remnants of past embarrassment came to her mind -I'm pretty sure I trampled him hard enough to make him forget his own name, but I still got him to swear he would keep me out of his gutter and call off your little dare. However, you were a lot harder to educate since I had to give you twenty more beatings in the following two months until you finally learnt you'd live longer if you stopped trying to take peaks into my room while I was going to undress or sneak into the female side of the bathhouse when I went in or steal my undergarments-

By the time the striped feline finished her rant, the culprit of the hour was sweating bullets under the murderous aura that emanated from the three females in front of him. The entirety of the hall was so saturated with the oppressive feeling, no one noticed a large amount of it actually came off a different, much shorter source than the trio.

-Um...to be fair, I...kinda forgot to tell him the dare was off back then- Mantis said meekly, trying to spare his best friend however insignificant amount pain he could, but a mere glance from the three girls was more than enough to make him shut up.

-There! See! All those times I thought I was completing a challenge, and you know how hard it is for me to back down. It was just a misunderstanding then, I swear it's the same thing now! Please Tigress!- The primate pleaded pitifully; had he not felt numb from the waist down, he would have gotten on his knees and kissed their feet.

Sadly, the malicious smiles that crept up Tigress, Song, and Ming Ling's lips told him there would be no mercy on his soul. All he had left was to weep and wait for the demons to drag him down to a world of pain.

-Regardless of your reasons, you should have known better than to go into that room this late at night, so it's only fit you get a refresher on those lessons I gave you- Said the master of hard style, punching her palm as she took a step forward along her spotted rival-in-love, whose extended claws flickered in the darkness. Interestingly enough, Ming Ling didn't make any effort to get out of Crane's grip and join the other two, seemingly content with just watching the carnage to follow.

-That will be enough, ladies-

Or would have followed, had Shifu's deadly calm voice not stopped the felines in their tracks. All eyes in the corridor turned in the small master's direction as one when their brains registered the silent edge in his tone, and felt a massive shiver run down their spines at the hard blue eyes that simply promised hellish tortures to whoever dared tap into the bottled up rage kept in them.

-I will take care of this matter personally, this kind of behavior certainly is not condoned at this temple; it is unbecoming of a kung fu master and as the Grandmaster I must see to it's proper...eradication- He said, most likely reciting some lines he had memorized in case an important figure visited the palace and fell victim to a mishap caused by a one of his students; because it was more than obvious to everyone he wasn't speaking as an angry/disappointed kung fu master at the moment -You five should go back to sleep, especially you three since there is training in the morning. You two I'll speak with after breakfast to discuss this little bunk together situation. Have I made myself clear?- Master Shifu ordered, directing his first comment to the three furious five members he wasn't furious with, and the second one to the two snow leopardesses.

-Yes, Master Shifu- All the aforementioned animals immediately responded in perfect union, not wanting to give the old male any reason to get aggravated with them as well.

-As for you, Master Monkey- The way he said the name made it seem he was talking to the reincarnation of Tai Lung, and it caused the primate to flinch so hard, his muscles actually ached against the sudden contraction -Come with me, we have muchto discuss regarding your conduct towards...the palace's female population- Yeah, that was his real focus on the subject.

The swiftest member of the Furious five, as much as he wanted to, knew trying to escape his fate would only make things worse; that being so, he did the most sensible decision and nodded his head in resignation.

"I just wanted my cookie jar back" Monkey thought in despair while he started following his master out of the hall "Crazy thing is, there was a small part of me that somehow knew it wasn't the right time to snoop around Song's room for it, but did I listen? No, of course not, why would I suspect some other Lady of the shade would show up to beat the snot out of me!" He grumbled in head "Then again...had I listened, our first meeting wouldn't have been half as intense" His mood did a complete 180 at the last part, a silly smile growing on his face as he discretely looked over his shoulder in the direction of the second tallest feline in the palace.

His thoughts led him back to that moment when the nightgown clad leopardess caught him while he was going through some pack he didn't remember being there the last time he went into the spotted feline's room; he remembered hearing an angry growl behind him and swiftly turning around, fearful at thinking the violet eyed woman had come back without him noticing and then...then he had his mind blown.

Contrary to what everyone else thought of him at the moment, it was her eyes he first noticed; it was the way they shone like pools of silver in the moonlight coming through the window what enraptured him. Next, his attention drifted to her face, and every detail his eyes drank in of it just served to enamor him more; if you asked him, her features were the picture of perfection: delicate enough to give any empress a run for their money, but also battle hardened to a point where you just knew she was no damsel and deserved to be respected. Only after that, did his eyes trailed down her form; admiring how her nightwear accentuated her exquisite body, which possessed just the right curves to entice him without making people think it was the sole reason he'd date her, and considering himself blessed to be allowed such a sight.

Unfortunately, as it usually happens, his gaping state of awe was sorely misread and the angelic apparition dealt with him according to those misconceptions. Had he not been struck dumb by her beauty he certainly would've been quick to explain himself; although even then his argument probably wouldn't have carried that much weight, given the fact he'd failed to notice that, in his frightened haste, he accidentally managed to snag a thong out of the pack when he whirled around to face the feline's growl.

"Damn, it's gonna be so hard to get in her good side after this little issue. I shouldn't worry, though, I'll just have to bring out my A game from the very start...now, what sort of jokes could work on her type..."

-Well, this is one interesting way to finish a very long day, huh?- Crane muttered once he deemed that his master and teammate were far enough away. The gray eyed snow leopardess, who still hadn't done anything to part from the feathered warrior's grasp, scoffed scornfully at his wording. And she told him as such.

-Interesting is not quite the word I would use, Crane- A look of disgusted annoyance crossed her features -Should I be worried? As careful as he tried to be, I damn sure felt that weirdo's eyes locked on me while he walked out of the hallway- She asked with a shiver running down her spine, but it was quelled by a subconscious tightening of the wings embracing her.

-Worried? About Monkey? Nah, he's a prankster above all things and he's not stupid enough to try any tricks around you after this stunt- Mantis piped in -Certainly not after he goes through whatever it is Shifu has planned for him. Seriously, what was up with him?! I wasn't even the one he was angry at and he still, like, super freaked me out!- The bug exclaimed, throwing his pincers up in the air for emphases.

"So that's how a furious father looks like when he discovers an attempt on his daughter's honor...sure am glad I was born female right now" Song thought, a small bead of sweat rolling down her temple -Nothing of consequence, I'm sure- She said nonchalantly, trying to defuse the situation.

She could've mocked her striped rival someway with her deduction, she was quite sure of that, but the tiger was already somewhat embarrassed by her sharing of the experiences Monkey put her through and surely wouldn't appreciate any lip from her. Especially not tonight when they finally had managed to act civil to one another "At least for a minute or two, after she went psycho on me. But hey, a minuscule victory is a victory nonetheless" She added to herself, directing her attention towards her best friend and quirking an eyebrow; causing the avian-feline pair to fidget self consciously -Now this, on the other paw, I find completely worthy of my attention. Is that nightgown made of bird spider silk or is there another reason for the cuddling? I mean, I know your heat is just around the corner, Ming, but you usually have so much more self control- She inquired, both to change the subject and also out of curiosity, wearing a teasing smirk as she awaited for what she hoped would be an amusing reaction.

Crane and Ming Ling didn't disappoint. As soon as their brains fully registered the reason for Song's comment, both animals' eyes went impossibly wide and bright blushes set their faces aflame while they hastened to separate; unfortunately for them, the feathered master pushed the girl's body away from himself exactly at the same time she made to lurch out of his grip, which resulted in him pretty much shoving the spotted beauty with so much force she ended up falling to the floor, flat on her face. Obviously feeling completely mortified at this point, the avian did the only thing he could think of at the moment and took to the air, flying out the closest window in a blur of black, white, and gray.

Understandably so, Song found herself victim to a titanic fit of giggles and laughs that almost had her falling to the floor along her second in command. Mantis also started to cackle at the predicament his teammate and the hot female accidentally got themselves into, but he was rudely interrupted by an orange foot-paw kicking him out of the hall via another window. Tigress, the obvious owner of said foot, actually felt a small grin creep up her face as well; though if it was because of the humorous display, the leaving of the tension that previously permeated the corridor, or the satisfaction of ridding herself of the irritation her teenage memories brought forth by the bug-punting only she'd ever know.

-I hate you so much right now, sister- Ming Ling grumbled from her spot on the ground, lifting her head just enough for her glowing gray eyes to be seen, trying to glare a hole through her giggling leader.

Knowing Ming only called her 'sister' in extremely serious situations or when she was seriously pissed at her, the violet eyed woman did her best to stop laughing and quickly moved to offer the other leopardess a paw.

-Heheh, sorry Ming, I couldn't resist. You know I can't pass up a good opportunity to mess with you, given how little chances you give me with how careful you are in, well pretty much everything you do- Song replied, still taking her friend's dirty look in stride with an amused smirk and a mischievous gleam to her eye.

-So let me get this straight. I offer to cover for you at the camp so you can get the opportunity to bag your chosen male, do everything in my power to protect said male from a lust-crazed horde of felines when YOU managed to lose track of him, again do everything at my disposal to stop the borderline psycho nymphos from hunting him down to ravage him, take the trouble of coming all the way to this valley to give you a full blown report on everything you missed and offer my support in this competition dilemma you got yourself into, and lastly, save your new 'panda catcher', which I bought for you by the way, from being stolen by a perv...and as thanks you embarrass me the first chance you get?- Ming enlisted in a deadpan voice while crossing her arms in front of her chest sternly.

-The primate got his hands on those, ugh!- Song groaned, scrunching her nose in irritation and mild disgust. The other snow leopardess was not amused at her response, which was made abundantly clear by the tick mark that appeared on her forehead -Oh c'mon, Ming, lighten up! It wasn't so bad-

-You think so, huh? If I told you I skipped a small detail in my report and forwent telling you that I marked Po before entering camp and pretty much paraded him around as my own, but only to dissuade at least a few of our fellow Ladies from jumping him, what would you say?- She felt a little stupid for actually revealing the information while both interested women were in the same room, but she needed to get her own shot at her best friend. She blamed it on the late hour.

All traces of good humor vanished from Song's face the second Ming Ling finished posing the scenario; instead, her expression tightened as she fought back a snarl and her fur got on edge. Tigress was much the same, though she didn't try to hold back her primitive vocal warning.

-I'd say that's a low blow and that, should it be true, you better look for some other place to spend your vacation. Because if I find out you actually did something that foolish, best friend or not, I'll maim you- Song stated, her threatening words further reaffirmed by her rival baring her fangs a bit more. For her part, Ming Ling hid her apprehension well, and managed to keep her monotone when she answered.

-Fair enough...I'll keep it an eye for an eye then- Ming shrugged and shifted her attention to the master of tiger style. -She's pitifully ticklish from the waist down, especially on her legs and feet; it comes from all the pampering she gives them since they're the best she has to offer...if you know what I mean-

The gray eyed girl's stoic expression finally broke into a small, devious smirk as Song's face paled and her ire gave way to horrified disbelief. On the other hand, few things could've made Tigress feel lighter at that moment, if the uncharacteristic snort of amusement that barreled through her own anger was to be believed.

"I actually just might like this girl. Go figure"

The tallest of the two leopardesses basked in her friend's reaction for a couple more seconds before she decided to end her crazy day in style. Walking up to the still shell shocked Song with a sly swagger to her steps, Ming Ling stopped right in front of her and smiled sweetly down at her while taking a paw to softly pat her in the head.

-Aww c'mon, Song, lighten up! She was going to find out eventually- She stated, turning her best friend's words against her; a purr to her voice that somehow made her sound eerily predatory. Satisfied at the results of her performance, Ming finally pushed past the two other felines to go to sleep, though she didn't miss the opportunity to snap Song out of her frozen state with a sharp slap to her derrière. Grinning at the loud yelp her fellow Lady gave in response, she walked all the way to the room she'd be staying in, before stopping to throw a quick 'goodnight' over her shoulder and then proceeding to enter and close the door behind her "Whoo! I hadn't had a chance to really play with my personality since the Ladies of the shade reformed. I gotta admit, it's good to know I still got it" She thought, feeling more at ease than she had since heat season started back at camp.

Perhaps the day wasn't so bad after all.

Back in the hallway, the two rivals still had their eyes locked on the closed door through which the gray eyed woman had disappeared into the abode; Tigress' expression conveying little more than a raised eyebrow to show her surprise at that last move she pulled, while Song's did little to mask just how astonished she felt at her friend's number.

"If this is how she regularly made the targets feel back in our thieving days, then I'm not surprised Su tried to only use her for the more special assignments" She thought while rubbing her stinging cheek.

-So...should I start calling you 'Flatty' now?- Tigress mockingly asked, finally tearing the snow leopardess' mind from the small episode they just went through.

-Oh shut up, Stripes! She was just pulling your oversensitive tail 'cause she got angry at me- Song snapped in reply, though a blush came to her face when Ming gave a quick 'No I wasn't' from within the room -O..Okay, okay, maybe I don't have much in the upper floor department, but I assure you my butt is just fine and, as previously stated, I can comfortably say I've got a pair of killer legs; besides, unlike those balloon floozies that only know how to flaunt themselves like peacocks, I actuallycan use what I've got- She said, doing her best to radiate confidence by casually cocking her hip while she rested one of her paws on it and the other was left on top of her thigh.

-With all the practice you must have gotten over the years, I bet you do- The tiger replied, smirking at the way Song blushed harder as she bristled.

-My experience insures I'll blow you out of the water as soon as the kitten gloves in this little competition finally come off. You're lucky to have lasted this long because I wanted to get Po through personality alone; but come on, keep on the taunting and I'll show you just what my "flat" body and I can do against you and the mountain range you carry under your clothes- Song sneered out in challenge.

The embarrassed feline expected for the situation to turn in her favor or at least get some reprieve from the onslaught her second in command had started, once her rival snapped back in defense of the hunky physique she was sure to possess...but that wasn't the case. In fact, all her words managed to do was unnerve her more because they apparently prompted the tiger master's smirk to become smugger.

-Well, I wouldn't say my body is a 'mountain range'...although, I will admit to beingproud of my abs, but I certainly don't expect you to understand that- Tigress answered nonchalantly -As for your knowledge on male charming and seduction...I guess we will have to wait and see if they actually are enough to fend me off that easily, now won't we?- She added, feeling satisfied as the dancer's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in horror at the implications of her words.

"She's gotta be bluffing...she simply has to be! There's no freakin way in hell the tomboy queen actually..." Song did not even wish to finish the line of thought and risk getting nightmares. The stupefied ex-thief shook her head to snap back into reality when she heard Tigress' voice calling out to her again and found herself feeling a strange mixture of annoyance and relief at discovering she already was about to exit the hall; seemingly having deemed she had been kicked around enough for one night -What did you say, Stripes?!- Song demanded while she tried to swallow the bitter fact her rival-in-love had outwitted her tonight.

-I just said 'See you in the morning', Spots- Tigress replied dismissively, not bothering to turn around and face her or even stop walking out of the room.

The snow leopardess blinked in surprise at the somewhat polite farewell she received from the master; it felt weird. One of her big, black ears flicked at the sound of a paper door sliding open and her attention drifted to her room's doorway, where she found Ming Ling leaning against the frame with her arms crossed over her chest in a relaxed manner.

-By the look on your face, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that's the first time you two have parted ways without a direct insult- She deduced, lazily raising an eyebrow in contemplation -Considering just this morning you were a hairsbreadth away from murdering each other, I just have to ask: what did you do?-

After ridding herself of her last vestiges of amazement, Song felt her lips curve into a small grin as she fully considered Ming's question before answering.

-Hopefully, I gave the first step into making our little feud...slightly...less stressful-

TheAlienHeart: MILESTONE ACHIEVED! (Blows a small trumpet)

AlienHeart of darkness: (Rolls his eyes) About damn time if you ask me! And what are you celebrating?! Now those two will team up against Tlanextly! And let's not even mention the fact Ming Ling's presence at the palace is going to raise even more conflicts between the residents! Things are more chaotic than ever! (...) Actually, all that sounds very fun, so (Takes the trumpet for himself and blows)

TheAlienHeart: (Glares at him and mutters) Jerk. Anyways, what did you guys think? Was it the right call to make Tigress and Song find some common ground or was it too soon? Were you tired of their constant bickering or found it entertaining?

AlienHeart of darkness: You make it sound like they won't go at each other's throat ever again, when everyone knows there has to be a catfight between them from time to time.

TheAlienHeart: (Shrugs) True. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and here's to hoping for the next one in advance.

Read everyone later.

Writers, let's do our job and update/post. WE MUST SAVE THE FANDOM!

P.D. Again, I apologize for the year long absence; total jerk move on my part. Also, I'll be making some adjustments to all the characters' ages since I just fully realized the events in KFP 2 happened 30 freakin years after Po's birth village was destroyed, so he has to be a bit older than 28. You'll find the corrections at my profile.