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Tigress was in the Sacred Hall of Heroes, alone. She was looking around for the other Five, Shifu or the Dragon Warrior, but they were nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her coming from the palace's entrance.
"Tigress?"
It was Po.
She ran to him, asking him with worry in her voice what had happened to everyone.
"Why do you ask? Don’t you want to spend some time alone with me, kitty?"
She frowned, her hands resting on her hips. " What did you just call me?!"
The panda had a strange grin on his face, one she had never seen on him. Tigress had a bad feeling, then she finally understood.
"You are not Po," she said slowly. "You are Bad Po. His bad side. I thought we got rid of you long ago!"
He laughed maniacally before answering, "Of course not. I never left, and you know it."
Bad Po approached her much more than she wanted. He whispered in her ear, "Plus, I know there’s something you’ve been wanting to tell me for a while."
Her eyes opened wide.
No way. He couldn't know. Who had told him, Viper...? No, she would never betray me like that. But then how can he know...?
Tigress stepped back, her confidence faltered. She hated feeling so vulnerable. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now get the hell out of here, you’re acting weird." She didn’t like the way her voice sounded much less harsh than she wanted to, either. Bad Po noticed this and grinned.
"I love it when women get tough. They make things so much more interesting."
Bad Po took a step towards her, but she backed away. "Oh, c'mon Tigress! I just want to have a little fun with my favorite cat."
He raised his big black arms as if to show her that he didn't want to hurt her, but his expression betrayed him. She had seen that look before, even though it didn’t belong to him. She knew exactly what was coming for her.
She was terrified. Every inch of Tigress was screaming for her to run away, but for some odd reason she couldn’t move a muscle. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, her breath was fast, her palms were sweating. It was not like her to behave like that, which frightened her even more.
"A little birdie told me that someone here is madly in love with me. Okay, I actually figured it out on my own. Like you know, it’s not that hard to see. You’re so obvious."
Her heart lost a beat.
Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no! Am I? That's impossible! But... Who else could know, Shifu? The other Five? Or even-
"Hey, hey. It's alright, don’t worry. C'mere, I know how to make you feel better."
Bad Po ran towards her, ready to grab her. Finally she managed to move. With a jump, she avoided his malicious grip. She landed behind him, where she hit him with a kick. He groaned as he fell on the ground with a thud. Tigress turned and took the opportunity to escape from the hall. But just when she was a few meters away from crossing the palace's threshold, something grasped her arm. She didn't react in time. A strong, painful kick in the stomach threw her across the room.
When she fell to the ground, she felt a thick burst of pain exploding in her abdomen.
Ugh! When did he become so damn strong?
She could only remain still, her breath heavy, while the panda picked her up and smashed her back on the wall. He stuck her wrists over her head while her whole body was crushed against his. She tried in every way possible to free herself from his grip, but the panda held her still. There was no way out. She moaned in frustration.
"Shh, it’s okay. We’re gonna have so much fun together. Okay, maybe at first it’ll hurt you a little bit. Or maybe not? Well, there’s only one way to find out..."
Tigress swallowed, her eyes wide open in terror. Bad Po lowered a hand on the edge of her qipao and began to remove it. That’s when she panicked. She screamed at the top of her lungs, kicked, punched, struggled with all the strength she had.
Tigress's eyes snapped open, a rush of adrenaline flowing in her veins. It was the middle of the night, she was sitting on her own bed. She could still feel the heaviness weighing on her, as if Po's body was still pressed on her. She shuddered at the mere thought.
She had dreamed it all. Yet, in her entire life she had never been so frightened of a nightmare as she was now. She knew there was no point in being influenced by something as irrational and unreal as dreams, but she couldn’t help it.
It was only after twenty long minutes of meditation that she managed to calm down. She curled up and went back to a dreamless, unresting sleep.
The next morning she felt different. If before she was upset, now she was deadly furious. First of all, she was mad at Po because he was irresponsible and he didn’t give a damn about the consequences of his actions. It drove her crazy like nothing else could. If he hadn’t opened that stupid closet like Master Shifu had told him, Bad Po would never have come to life. And she wouldn’t have had that bloody nightmare.
On the other hand, she was angry at herself. In that dream, she had proven to be unable to defend herself, so she couldn't stop thinking if she would have been able to do it if Bad Po had actually tried to rape her in real life.
After skipping breakfast, either because she wasn’t hungry and because she didn’t want to be around Po, she went to the courtyard of the Jade Palace. When the others joined her as well, she did nothing but avoid the panda's gaze and be frowny, but no one really noticed because, well... she was always like that.
"Today’s lesson will be about direct fights," Master Shifu said. "During a battle, it is essential to prevent the opponent from taking over and maneuvering you at their will. One must always be alert and watch every move they make. You even need to be able to predict their next attacks. For this reason, you will train in pairs today."
Tiger’s heart sank.
Please, all but not him. Anyone will be fine, anyone! Please don’t say-
"Tigress, you will train with Po."
She cursed under her breath. It couldn’t get any worse.
Po squealed and jumped in joy, as if he loved the idea of being kicked in the butt by the strongest of the Furious Five. She just rolled her eyes.
She and Po stood in the middle of the courtyard. Tigress had never been so ready. As soon as Master Shifu said "You may start", she threw herself at Po. He was taken by surprise. She was so fast he didn’t even see her. However, he felt a kick against his stomach and one of his arms being turned behind his back, forcing him to his knees. Another blow, and he ended up moaning lying on the ground.
Tiger reappeared in her initial position. Master Shifu's mouth was open, just like the other Furious Five.
To her surprise, Po got up giggling. He stretched a bit and said, "Someone wants to fight, huh?"
Tiger felt a shiver running through her back. She wouldn’t let him knock her out, not again. The panda jumped on the spot, frowning in concentration.
"Well, then get ready to feel the thunder!"
He hurled himself at Tigress. She easily dodged him. She grabbed his arm, pulled him and threw him far away. Po landed with a heavy "thud" on the other side of the courtyard. He opened his eyes just in time to see her coming. He dodged sideways. She jumped against the wall and did a backflip, before landing behind Po and hitting him with both her hands. The strong blow sent him back to the ground on his stomach.
He was about to get up, when she put a foot on his back and pulled an arm backwards. Po squeaked in pain.
"Ouch, ouch! Uh, you’re doing great Tigress! You look better than ever."
Her lip spasmed.
Why does he keep on being so kind to me even after I hurt him? It doesn't make any sense!
She got off him. "Stand up."
He struggled a little, but he obeyed. She stood straight in place, her arms stretched out against him. Her gaze was colder than ice.
"I’m ready."
He stretched his shoulders and attacked again. They battled, dodged and fought for several minutes. Tigress was so fast that Po was struggling to keep up with her and cover up all the blows.
"Hey, you’re not training secretly, are you? 'Cause today you're bodaciously awesome!"
Tigress got even angrier, especially because he too had improved a lot in Kung Fu. She tried everything she could, but she couldn't make him give up. This brief moment of rage was enough to distract her from Po's kick. To avoid losing balance she grabbed the first thing she saw, which was Po’s arm, and they fell on the ground together, he on top of her. Tigress felt a rush of panic, making her lose her mind.
"Get off me!" she cried out before instinctively hitting him right in the chest. He barely had the time to get back on his feet that she kicked him straight into his crotch.
Everyone gasped in surprise. Po collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony.
"Why did you do that?" he asked in a shrill voice, curling up in a fetal position. The rest of the Five and Master Shifu rushed to Po’s side to check on him. Tigress could feel the adrenaline pulsating in her veins. Only then did she realize that everyone was watching her.
"What?" she asked.
Shifu became even more serious. "Tigress, I’m disappointed. Don’t you know that cheap shots are forbidden in kung fu?"
Tigress was astonished. " I... Uh," she forced herself to bow. "Of course I know. I'm sorry, master, it won't happen again."
Mantis approached Po and asked, "Are you all right, buddy?"
"Yeah, uh..." he gasped. "Just give me a minute."
Tigress was getting impatient. "Come on! I didn’t even hit that hard."
Monkey looked at her dead serious. "Trust me, no matter how hard you hit. If you aim at that spot, it will always hurt like hell."
Tigress had had enough. She rolled her eyes and sighed, before leaving. She needed to be alone and vent her anger safely, without the chance of hurting anyone. That’s why she decided to exercise in the Training Hall. She had no idea how much time she stayed there, but she was grateful that no one had come to disturb her. The others knew that it was dangerous to talk to her when she was blinded by rage, especially during her workouts.
After kicking and punching, jumping and dodging the tools, she decided to lock herself in her room. She sat down in a lotus position and began to meditate.
A few minutes later, however, she had an enlightenment. In fact, she only dreamed that Po would hurt (or at least was about to hurt) her. Plus, she knew he’d never, ever do anything like that, not even his darkest side. On the other hand... she had hurt him physically. And for no good reason. She knew it wasn’t fair and that she had to make it right somehow. This new realization made her feel embarrassed, especially because the other masters had seen her lose control and unleash her anger on the panda without an apparent reason. Although there was actually a reason.
Her thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked on her door. She hoped it was Shifu who came to scold her and give her more training as a punishment, but she was wrong.
"Tigress...?" called Po with an insecure voice. He was probably afraid that he could infuriate her again. "Can we please talk?"
She would have preferred to disappear from the face of the earth, but she forced herself to say yes. Without opening her eyes, she heard the door sliding and the heavy but careful steps of the panda. By the way he was breathing, she figured he was nervous. Still, he approached her and sat down, keeping a certain distance between them.
"What did you want to talk about?" she asked with a monotonous voice, her eyes still closed.
Po hesitated, pondering carefully on the right words to say. "I wanted to, um... You know, earlier in the yard I got the impression that you were a little bit... Mad at me." When Tigress snapped her eyes wide, Po gasped. "Or maybe you weren’t?!" he laughed nervously, before taking a deep breath and cracking a smile to temper the tension. "Look, it’s not your fault, okay? We all have bad days, even me! Well, maybe I don’t go around beating people up or anything, but everyone has a different way to vent. And if it’s something I did, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to infuriate you."
"I'm not–" Tigress snapped. She hesitated for a moment and sighed in an attempt to clear her mind. "I don’t want to talk about it."
Po's face darkened as he looked away. "So it is my fault."
Tigress inhaled sharply. "Po, if only you were more careful about what you do and didn’t do whatever comes to your mind, then some things wouldn’t happen. You never listen to Master Shifu when he tells you not to do something, and that not only endangers your safety, but ours too! That’s why you need more self-control and discipline and... And... Ugh, I probably need more as well."
Po’s expression immediately changed from hurt to confusion. He had so many questions in mind, yet he was too afraid to ask her why she was clearly upset. Plus, she said she didn’t want to talk about it. But if there was one thing that could help her, it was definitely opening up to someone.
"Is something bothering you?" he asked. "You know you can tell me. Maybe it’ll help you feel better."
Tigress looked at him uncertainly, but he nodded to encourage her. Eventually she closed her eyes and sighed. "I guess I owe you an explanation."
Po was relieved that she hadn't smashed him in a sudden fit of anger.
"You see, the day you looked in the Mystical Mirror of Yin and Yang and were divided into Good Po and Bad Po, I discovered a side of you that I never thought existed. You were bossy, arrogant and mischievous. I didn’t like that at all. I never liked guys like that. The point is, last night I had a stupid dream that you– I mean, Bad Po – got rid of all the Furious Five except me. You caught me, and you... You tried to..."
Tigress shut her eyes tight as a painful knot formed in her throat. Po was confused. What was it that he wanted to do to her that she couldn’t talk about it?
"What did I want to do?" he asked, seriously worried.
Her paws were sweaty. She forced herself to open her eyes, look him in the eye and say, "You wanted to rape me, okay?!"
They stared at each other for a moment, before Tigress looked away. Po was so shocked that his mouth was open. On the other hand, she felt a huge burden weighting on her chest, an uncomfortable emotion that she could not describe. But one things was sure: she hated it.
She clenched her hands in fists. "I know it’s stupid," she murmured. "Like, you wouldn’t hurt a fly. But I’ve never felt so... scared in my whole life. Except once."
Po’s eyes widened even more. "Go on."
Tigress hesitated, her mind lost in her memories. " I was 11 when one night I snuck out of the Palace to go into the valley. Just for once. I knew it was wrong, especially because I was alone and hadn't said anything to Master Shifu, but I did it anyway. However, when I was coming back home, a bear and a gorilla came out of nowhere. They were huge and had weapons. They wanted to... I mean, they tried, but luckily I was strong enough to knock them out. But this time, this nightmare... It was different. I know it wasn't real, but seeing that you were the one trying..."
Her voice broke. It was then that for the first time in a long time, Tigress burst into tears. She couldn't help it; the pain and fear that she'd bottled up to that moment came back to the surface stronger than ever. At first it was just one tear, then two, then a river of tears that soaked her fur.
He shook his head as he recovered from the shock, his brows frowned with worry. "Tigress, I would never, ever, ever do anything like that. Not you or anyone else. I made a mistake to disobey Shifu and look in that mirror, but now it’s all over. You don't have to worry anymore, 'cause I will never try to hurt someone ever again. Well, only the bad guys who threaten the Valley of Peace or my friends. The bad guys who threaten to hurt you."
Tigress gasped. She could feel her heart beating fast, her stomach was in knots, and the worst part was she didn’t know why. She looked at him and he just smiled at her. Then he immediately got serious. "I don’t remember what I did when I was split in two, but I must have acted really bad for making you dream something like that... I never wanted anything like this to happen. I’m so sorry, Tigress, I really am. I never meant to upset you or make you uncomfortable."
It was then that she realized the difference between Bad Po and the real one. The one that she truly loved. And to think that she had hurt him for something that he would never do either in the past or now.
Po didn’t know what to expect. What if she would have yelled at him that an apology wasn’t enough to make up for his mistakes? Or what if she would have kicked him out the door and never spoke to him again? Or–
Po was startled when he felt Tigress, the same one who a few hours earlier had beaten the crap out of him, was hugging him tightly. He looked at her dismayed, before relaxing and surrounding her with his arms. She was shaking lightly, and that was when he realized that she was still crying.
"Shh, it’s all right. You’re safe now, you can trust me. I’d rather die than hurt you."
She really had no idea what she had done to deserve him. No matter how cold and mean she was with him, he kept treating her with love and kindness. And that’s what drove her crazy. Deep down, she thought that perhaps being crazy wasn’t so bad if it meant loving him, right?
Every once in a while, a small whimper broke the silence in the room. He realized that she must be suffering much more than she showed, so he hugged her more. She felt warm and comfortable against his soft fur, so much that she eventually fell asleep. Po was about to get up and put her to bed, when his ears picked up a noise that he had never heard in his life.
Tigress was purring.
Again, Po found himself speechless. He smiled lovingly, before lying on the ground with her wrapped in his big arms.
"Good night, Tigress."