A/N: I'm not sure what to say about this one... it simply popped up in my head and refused to go away until I wrote it down and decided I'd make it into a fanfic. There was a time I considered making it part of Half Empty Glass... but the idea never made it through, since it just doesn't fit in. Unlike HoL, which can be considered as a prequel to HEG, this one is simply unrelated to others. Here it is, then, ending up as a rather short one-shot I don't plan to continue, at least for now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda

Of Heroes And Their Burden

Given the time she's known him for, Tigress grew accustomed to the Dragon Warrior's antics. His fanboy quirks, his ever-present enthusiasm, his never-waning excitement about everything the bear deemed awesome...

And of course that when the moment Master Shifu presented the panda with the legendary Sword of Heroes came, all these traits were present in full force. Po had the decency to act humble and awed, at least to an extent, but his excitement was the most notable by far. He seemed as a child recieving a long expected birthday present; it would almost seem adorable, if it weren't for the fact that he nearly managed to wound his friends with the blade, waving it around like he did the moment it was in his hands. Fortunately, all of them were quick enough to dodge.

Crane's hat wasn't so lucky, though...

The day after, however, it was all gone. Tigress could not help but feel concerned about the panda, looking at him as he sat there at the campsite, slouched, staring at the fabled weapon in his paws. It made no sense to her, one day he's all giddy and excited and the next he sits silently, his expression sullen, looking almost as if he was mourning...

The fact that he was still awake so late despite it not being his turn to keep watch did nothing to ease the feline's mind either...

„Considering how rapt you tend to be about stories and legends, I find it surprising you're not afraid of getting yourself cut, staring at the blade as you are."

The panda let out a short cry of surprise, his back immediately straightening and his head turning from side to side as he searched for the owner of the voice.

„Oh! Tigress! Don't do that!" he said amidst panting as his so suddenly raised heartbeat slowly steadied down. „Why are- what are- shouldn't you be sleeping?"

„It's my turn to keep watch," she stated palinly, her head slightly cocked to a side. „Or did you think it was yours?"

„Er, no, I just-"

„I certainly hope not, for you would be doing a very poor job at it. There are no enemies hidden inside the sword."

Ouch, he winced inwardly, looking ashamed, caught red-handed as he was. „No, I... did not think it was my turn..."

Silence followed; it seemed he was not going to speak further. He just remained sitting there, his eyes back on the sword he was holding. After short reconsideration, Tigress decided to drop the stern approach. She sat down next to him, her tone becoming noticeably softer.

„What is bothering you, then?"

His head snapped in her direction, his eyes wide as he started stuttering out excuses.

„Wha- what makes you think I- er, I mean-"

„Po," she interrupted warningly, her tone stern again for the moment.

He instantly clamped his mouth shut; there was no point in lying, especially to her, he knew.

„Sorry."

„Is it the sword?" she tried, her voice soft again. „You seemed so... thrilled about wielding it yesterday. What changed?"

His gaze was back on the blade, his mouth not uttering a word. As if he did not even hear her...

„I know it's a burden; these weapons are not given to just anyone. But Po, you are the Dragon Warrior, you-"

„It's not that," he mumbled. The words were barely audible, but given her sensitive hearing, Tigress could hear it well. She looked at him with an inquiring expression on her face, waiting for him to continue.

It seemed he was not going to, however.

„What is it, then?" she asked after waiting for a whole minute, urging him to explain. He remained unresponding for so long that Tigress was beginning to wonder whether he was even aware that she was still there, but just as she was about to remind him of her presence, he finally spoke.

„It's like I, y'know, finally woke up or somethin'," he whispered, his gaze lowering from the blade to the ground. „As if it all has just become real..."

„What do you mean?" the feline asked, not understanding.

„I don't know, I-" he sighed, thinking of the right words to say. „I- we've trained with weaponry many times; there were numerous times I sparred with Monkey... using various weapons... I even had throwing stars back at the noodle shop before becoming the Dragon Warrior... I ha- had even dreamed about using the Sword of Heroes, imagining myself defeating armies of demons with it, but-"

He gulped loudly, staring at the blade again, almost as if he was scared of it.

„But I guess I just never thought... never realized what sword is used for in battle... what it does! I mean, I've never-"

Another gulp caused him to stop. He closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing that raised again during his answer. Tigress watched him with sympathy in her eyes; she understood now.

„Drawing blood," she concluded, „that's what scares you."

Po merely nodded, still not looking at her.

„I understand this is hard for you, but remember why Shifu gave it to you in the first place," the feline said. „The reports said that the enemy wears armor most weapons are useless against; the Sword of Heroes might be one of very few blades able to pierce through it. Even I carry weapons with me."

Po finally moved his gaze in her direction, but he still wasn't looking at her, though. He just briefly glanced at the bladed fist-weapons strapped to her waist.

„I know," he nodded. „But it's just- isn't there other w-way to-"

„There alway is, Po," she interrupted. „But sometimes the situation calls for hard measures. We have our duty, and sometimes the worst is inevitable. Besides, it's not the first time you-"

She immediately realized it was the wrong thing to say, hearing the sound the panda let out in response; almost like a whimper.

„I didn't- I never- I did not want to-" he almost croaked, stopping when the paw holding the blade clenched too hard, causing the edge to cut him. His paw slided on the blade, leaving a thick trace of blood on it. The other paw, which held the hilt, began to shake. He threw the sword away, closing his eyes tight.

Tigress cursed inwardly when she saw what she caused. The bear was struggling to keep himself from crying now. Her mind raced as she desperately searched for a way to comfort him.

„I know you didn't, Po. None of us did," she soothed. „But there are times when we are forced to do what we don't want to in order to protect what we love. It does not change who we are; we still just defend what we hold dear, what we know to be right."

„Ye-yeah, I know," Po responded with a slow nod. He tried to look composed, getting a hold of himself, reaching for bandages in the backpack beside him, but Tigress could see that her words were still not getting through.

She eyed him wordlessly for another moment, considering...

„Po," she spoke gently, placing a paw on his shoulder. He finally turned to look her in the eyes. „You're not alone in this. We are with you. I am with you."

Her voice carried the slightest hints of hesitation, but she let out a relieved sigh when it seemed her words had the desired effect. He embraced her in a hug and she, after another short hesitation, returned the gesture.

His shoulders were still shaking a bit, but eventually he calmed down.

„Thanks."

„You're welcome," she anwered. Another short pause followed. „Not exactly awesome, huh?"

„Not so much," he replied with a snicker that was still heavy with the suppressed crying. „But at least you're here."

She ran as fast as she could, frantically looking around, searching for him. They should never have allowed the enemy to separate them. She should never have allowed it. There were more of them than was expected and they used the advantage well.

„Po!" Tigress kept crying his name, running through what was left of the town, the smell of death and fire all around her. Dead bodies littered the ground; she prayed she would not find him among them...

A sound of someone coughing nearby caught her attention, causing her to stop. She jumped over one of the burned down buildings, her head turning from one side to another until, finally, she spotted him.

„Po!"

He looked terrible; exhausted and dirty. One hand leaning on the wall he stood next to, the other one still clenching the fabled sword.

Another cough came. Glancing at the ground, Tigress realized he just threw up; the contents spread over his matted fur, covered in mud, sweat and blood...

...and tears...

His eyes seemed unfocused. He made no sign he knew of her, standing there, watching him worriedly.

„Po?" she spoke softly, touching his shoulder. He reacted with a startled cry, whirling around and raising his weapon. She quickly grabbed the hand holding the sword, looking him straight in the eyes. „Po! It's me!"

„T-Tigress!" he stuttered, recognizing her. He fell to his knees, breathing heavily, paying no mind that he kneeled in his own puke. „I... I was..."

„Shh, it's alright," she cooed, kneeling beside him, ignoring the smell and the mess. None of it was important. He was important.

She sighed with relief when she saw that most of the blood on him was not his own. He wasn't seriously injured, not physically at least...

„I... they were... they kept coming, I-!"

„It's alright, it's over. I'm with you," she said as she placed her paw on his back. Glancing down, she noticed the sword still gripped tightly in his hand. „Let go, Po. It's alright," she said as she reached for it.

„I... I c-can't"

„Why?" she asked, confusion and worry on her face.

„It's... it's cramped."

The feline's heart sank, realizing the weight of what he must have been through. How long has it been since the battle started? If she only got to him faster...

„Here, let me help," she spoke as she took his paw in hers, trying to gently pry the fingers off the hilt, careful not to cause him more pain than necessary. As soon as it was loose enough, Tigress gripped the weapon by the blade and threw it aside.

The legendary weapon fell unceremoniously on the ground, scattering the mud and blood alike.

As soon as his paws were free, Tigress embraced the panda in a comforting hug, rubbing his back in a soothing gesture.

„There. It's alright now."

He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. As if a huge burden was suddenly lifted from his shoulders. He settled into the hug, burrowing his face into the crook of her neck. His arms remained as they were; he felt too weak to lift them.

„Tigress," he whispered weakly, his breathing steady again. „I want to go home."

She closed her eyes as she carresed his ears, answering quietly.

„Yes, let us go home."

A/N: And there you have it! Thank your for reading! Let me know what you think. Good or bad, I'll appreciate it. A lot. More one-shots are to come, maybe I should consider turning them into a one-shot series... but I think I'll finish chapter eleven of HEG first. I left you waiting for long enough.