A fic based on the picture at the end credits of KFP where it is shown that Tigress and Shifu are enjoying noodles together.
(Of COURSE I do not own Kung Fu Panda….*kicks scripts under table*)
"Ah, I see that you've decided to try some of Po's noodles for once." Master Shifu chuckled at the feline sitting at the table all alone in the kitchen.
Said feline had already sensed someone presence proceeding to the kitchen a few seconds earlier…she just did not expect to see her master.
After giving him the usual greeting, a bow and a soft spoken: "Master.", she took her seat back and was about to eat what Po had called, 'The most awesome-istic noodles one could ever taste with taste-buds of pure bodacity'…or at least that's what she thought she remembered him saying, considering that he said it all in one breath and couldn't stop shaking while he fixed her a bowl of the noodles, claiming that it was so EPIC that she had decided to try some.
…he really has to stop before he hurts himself one of these days..
Picking up her chopsticks and carefully placing her napkin beside her in case any of the noodle's 'awesomeness' were to make a mess, she proceeded to eat.
..Well…almost.
Till she realized that Shifu was still standing there and staring with a grin on his face.
….not a very comfortable setting for the tiger master.
…so why not make it even more uncomfortable by saying the following?
"…would you care to join me, Master Shifu?"
A red panda smiled a little more at his pupil's comment before turning back towards the door- getting ready to make his leave.
"Oh, such a kind gesture Tigress, but I do believe that I have some meditation to get to."
Tigress watched as Shifu walked out the door before turning back to her bowl of noodles.
…only to see the same Shifu sitting at the chair right in front of her.
"But then again, I am a little hungry." He chuckled.
Hearing his laugh was a very rare thing.
But then again, so was eating lunch with him.
..and having a conversation with him.
…..and eating noodles…..with him.
"So Tigress," he broke the silence, "what brought you to have some of Po's "famous" noodles"?
"…Po." She replied back.
"…Oh…of course." His eyes wandered away from her as he got from the table and proceeded to the stove to help himself to some noodles as well.
With all due respect, Tigress was feeling just a little strange.
It was already bad enough that she was finally trying Po's noodles…
-but Shifu was trying to make small talk as well?
…She should've never accepted that cat-nip present from Viper yesterday…
Her attention snapped back to the sound of Shifu placing his bowl in front of his chair while taking his seat.
Breaking his chopsticks and getting ready to eat, he stopped suddenly, taking a glance at Tigress before asking, "Aren't you going to eat?"
The feline looked at him in the eyes before realizing something.
He wasn't hungry at all….
He was attempting to bond with her!
After all these years, he chooses now to do this!
….Who would've thought that Shifu was bad at timing things?
Despite the fact that this was happening only because Tai-Lung was defeated, and that her master's burden was finally lifted off his shoulders, Tigress still couldn't shake the feeling that he was only doing this because the problem was finally taken care of.
That his 'son' is no longer a threat to him.
Well, his 'daughter' has a different opinion to that…
"Shouldn't you just go back to meditating?" She boldly replied back to his earlier statement.
Shifu was taken aback at her comment, and not just her comment, but her tone of defiance towards him!
"I'm sorry?" he asked, completely not understanding what she meant.
"What do you want, Shifu?" she glared daggers at him, beginning to make him uncomfortable.
"All I am asking is if you were goin to ea-"
"-And all I AM asking is why should you care?" The feline was seething.
He thinks that after all these years, he can simply bond with her over some noodles?
"Tigress, what is the meaning of this?" Shifu demanded, not liking that his pupil was acting strangely.
"I'm not sure master, you tell ME first, because I'm JUST AS CONFUSED as you are!" Tigress practically roared while standing up and causing her chair to fall.
"Cease this behavior THIS INSTANT!" He shot back at her, hopping on the table and walking towards her.
"Only if you CEASE YOUR FAÇADE!" She growled.
Shifu stopped in his tracks, ears flattening back.
"…What façade, Tigress?" he spoke softly, the look of hurt etched on his features.
"MASTER Tigress." She spoke, before continuing.
"With all due respect, I am happy for you- that he is out of the picture…out of your life…" she gazed at Shifu, knowing that he now understood what was being discussed.
"…but it will take a lot more than a discussion over noodles to consider a bond with me."
"Tigress, it's not like that, I was only-"
"-You were only asking me if I was going to eat- yes I know….I just find it IRONIC that you just so happen to actually CARE."
"But-"
"When was the last time you've even SEEN me eat and JOIN me? When was the last time you've tried to start up conversations about my day, or your day?"
"I-"
"-WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU'VE EVEN REFERRED TO ME AS BEING YOUR DAUGHTER, other than just you pupil?"
"YOU STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS!" Shifu exclaimed at the tiger master.
"You have no right to talk to me with that type of tone Tigress, and you and I BOTH know what the consequences are if you continue on with this.."
The red panda's words had struck a nerve in her mind, making her boil to her core in anger and rage.
What would HE know about 'proper consequences'?
What would HE know about HER 'rights'?
…but this is SHIFU she was 'arguing' with…she couldn't actually go through with this..
…could she?
Tigress took in a shaky breath before addressing her master,
"I….am sorry Shifu, I understand that…you had raised me…"
As her words entered the red panda's thoughts, he began to feel a little more at ease.
"-and because of that, I apologize for being so selfish.."
Shifu's ears twitched, "Selfish, Tigress?" he questioned her.
"Yes master…'selfish'….selfish for wanting to please you."
"Hmm, that's a little bit of a ridiculous claim to make.."
"Try telling yourself that after living in the shadow of someone you could never overachieve."
"Where are you going with this?"
Tigress gritted her teeth, "How can you NOT see ? How can you be so BLIND, master?"
"I can assure you, Master Tigress, that the pain I have gone through has led me to be anything BUT blind."
"I beg your pardon Master, but YOUR pain? Seriously?"
"OF COURSE I am serious!" Shifu grew irritated.
"You just don't get it….you don't even have a clue about this…what this MEANS.."
"Tigress, what are you-"
"You don't seem to get, that I went through all the guilt of knowing of all the pain and suffering I did for you, all the hard work I spent, ALL THE AGONY OF KNOWING THAT I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO MAKE YOU PROUD….." she paused before continuing.."will LITERALLY never be able to make you proud….not….not like Tai-Lung used to…"
Shifu looked down…
He felt it…
He felt her pain.
All her pain that she had bottled up for years, only to be released now.
"I…I look up to you as a master, but most importantly, a father…but I can see that it's only ME who's thinking naïvely, because from what I've experienced, NOTHING will ever make you proud..because I'm not Tai-Lung."
…..He hated it.
Because he knew it was the truth.
"All I ever wanted…was to make you proud, Shifu…"
He visibly flinched at those words…those haunting words…
"Tell me Shifu, HOW PROUD ARE YOU?" She shouted, placing her paws on the table, which only gave Shifu a good look of her scars from punching something….something….hard…
"A-are those…?" he weakly asked while still staring at her paws.
"….from punching the Palace's ironwood trees?" this time, he looked up at her, trying to make eye contact.
To punch training dummies was one thing, but ironwood trees?
Even he couldn't do that without at least letting some sort of grunt from the pain.
But seeing as how he JUST now noticed her paws, she must'v e been doing this for awhile….a long, LONG while..
He was cut from his thoughts when Tigress placed her hands behind her back, "That's not important right now…actually, when was ANYTHING that pertained to ME important to YOU?"
That didn't stop him from walking over to her and taking her paw into his small, petite hand.
"…how long?" was all he could ask.
"…twenty years. She softly replied.
"…Twenty years of trying to prove my worthiness….twenty years of trying to earn your approval…" She continued on, each word sounding more painful than the last.
"Twenty years of pretending that I was loved." She finished while looking Shifu dead in the eyes.
"-and now…I feel nothing."
The last words had, to say the least, broke her master's heart.
..because he knew that all her pain was cause by him.
"Tigress…I…" he tried to find the right words, but it was obvious that he was struggling to even say words…not after knowing that he messed up another child…not after knowing that he failed a second time.
Said tiger didn't even wait for his next line, she just stared at him with those red, fiery orbs….with a dead look written all over them.
He knew that there was nothing more to do…nothing more to say…it has already happened and been over with, and he had just now realized it.
…But perhaps…..but perhaps it's not too late.
-And with that, Shifu did something that Tigress had rarely-no, EVER seen him do.
…he hugged her.
She couldn't do anything but just stand there...speechless.
.and that was fine, because now it was Shifu's turn to talk.
"I….I was always proud of you…from…from the moment I had first taught you…and…and I was afraid….afraid that you would turn out like…like him. You were never a disappointment….and if anyone were to be considered a 'failure'…then it would be me….and I still am a failure…for I have failed you as both a master.." he brought his eyes up to meet hers, "..and a father."
"Tigress, please…I have no right to ask you of this…but…please forgive me for my ways. Forgive me for not realizing how much hurt I have brought upon you…forgive me…for being the reason for this." He held her paws before letting them go and getting up from his position on the table.
Shifu made his way for the door and would've continued to leave..
…if it wasn't for two orange arms wrapping themselves around him and a soft velvet voice stating, "You may have emotionally neglected me for years…but that does not mean I will turn down your apology, for I know it comes from your heart, master…and I wouldn't have it any other way…"
Shifu stared at her sudden change of mood, from being outraged and feral, to a calm enigma…
"Would you really accept my ignorance and cruel ways after all I've put you through, Tigress?" he questioned her as she could only answer with a smirk, "Of course I can, and will…besides, You haven't even touched your noodles….master."
Shifu turned around in bewilderment only to see Tigress smile warmly at him, beckoning him to sit with her at the table and resume their lunch.
She continued on, "Care to join me…again?"
He smile in return, "I…..I would love that."
"Wow…Po's noodles really are decent…not that I didn't think so to begin with." The south China tiger complimented the lunch before continuing.
"I agree, for once I can eat something that doesn't involve mastering my gag reflexes." Shifu concurred.
"For once, I don't have to use my gag reflexes." Tigress smiled.
Shifu chuckled at her little joke, before taking a good look at her, and laughing out loud.
"…Was my gag reflex joke really that hilarious, Master?" Tigress asked confused.
Shifu's laughter subsided before commenting, "Why, of course it was, my twin."
At first she didn't have a clue what the red panda meant…
..until she felt something dangling from her muzzle.
..and that something…was a noodle.