Gift of Love Chapter 2-Loves Fault

Tigress' POV

Tigress left the kitchen after Po left for his dad's shop down in the valley, and it was all in good timing too because she had to get something off her chest but she had no one to talk to. "Well there is Viper" she thought, and she thought it was a good idea at least because maye Viper could lift this weight off her shoulders.

When she made it to the Student Barracks she started walking towards her friend's room. She stood in front of her room and knocked three times and seconds later she heard a voice "Come in" Viper said. Tigress opened the rice paper door "Hey Viper, are you busy?" she asked looking at Viper. Viper was surprised that Tigress was at her door, after she started to practice with the Iron Wood tree's and become a 'H*** Master' to impress Shifu, she hadn't come to her room in years.

"Oh Tigress it's you?" she said surprisingly with eyes wide "What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you about something…something important" Tigress said while turning around and shutting the door behind her, hearing it click into place "What's so important?" Viper asked confused on what so important, surely they could of talked it out at breakfast "I need some...eehhmmm…advice" Tigress admitted.

"Advise…what kind of advice?" Viper asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"Advice about…about…" Tigress then took in a deep breath before letting it go in a deep sigh "advice about how to express feelings towards…someone" she finally said putting her head down, looking at the ground trying to avoiding the green serpent's stare.

Viper was in shock, yet again, for she couldn't believe what she heard from the tiger "feeling towards others? Towards whom?" Viper thought as she grinned "she finally has feelings for someone…and I know exactly who" her smile soon turned into a 'the wicked one'

"May I ask who? If you don't mind me asking?" she said slithering towards Tigress

It was now Tigress's turn to feel shocked because, she had never thought she would admit who she had feelings for "For ehhmmm…for-for" she stuttered as she swallowed a lump in her throat ready to finally come clean with her little secret. But her thoughts were interrupted by Viper.
"Is it Po?" Viper said with a knowing smile. Tigress went wide eyed, she felt like she got 'caught-with-her hand-in the-cookie jar' and needless to say she wasn't expecting that question. "Ye-yes, how did- you.." "I KNEW IT!" Viper cut her off before she could finish "she has feeling towards...PO! Now they will end up being together, I just knew it…those boys owe me 400 almond cookies!" she thought to herself not hearing Tigress's question.

"Viper, hello" Tigress said waving her hand in front of Viper

"Huh-oh, sorry I was in thought" she retorted

"I was asking how you knew about my feelings towards Po?" Tigress asked again feeling a little embearassed to have to say the question again.

"Oh come on Tigress, it was obvious…you gave away a lot of signs that you cared for him…a lot , but I don't really think he caught on" she giggled as she slithered back to her bed and coiled herself on it, patting the empty spot beside her telling her striped friend to come sit with her.

"I…have?" Tigress asked "Have I really let myself show a lot of emotion...and affection towards another" Tigress thought to herself walking towards the bed and sitting herself next to Viper "Yes, you have…you've changed a lot as well, ever since he came to the Jade Palace" she said looking at her friend who was in deep thought. "You've started to smile, more than I thought you ever could… and you smiled mainly around Po" she giggled making Tigress feel embarrassed "You also joke around…you make jokes!, you even laugh which we thought was impossible, you also hugged him something I thought you would never do for anyone…but all those things only happened when you were around Po"

"He's always there for me when I need him, when am frustrated or anger, sad or depressed…sometimes he would check on me in the middle of the night just to make sure I was fine and happy and he would always push me to have fun using his childish charms to break down the walls I have placed in my heart for all these years. I just want to return the favor for him" Tigress said thoughtfully "To show him you care and that you love him, right?" Viper said with an evil smirk "Y-yes that's true too" she said blushing to the point it showed through her orange fur, making her friend giggle at her embarrassment.

"It's just that, I don't know how to show him that I…love him" the tiger said putting her head down in thought.

"Well the first thing you should do is get him alone…to tell him how you feel towards him" Viper suggested putting the end of her tail on one of Tigress' shoulder "Then you can show him how much you love him"

"Try to get him alone…then show him-...I got it!, I can ask him to meditate with me at the Training Hall, that's when I can tell him, then after that we could go get a snack from the kitchen, hopefully I could lead him to walk under the mistletoe" Tigress said as she made to revelation. "I got it, thanks Viper" she then shot up and sprinted out the door. Making her way to the peach tree to go over her plan and to wait for the panda she loved, hoping Po will feel the same way.

Po's POV

Po was at the noodle shop, helping his father serve the crowded restaurant. Barging out of the kitchen door with several bowls going up his forearms and walking carefully out to the hungry customers in the diner. He started passing or throwing the bowls of soup to the impatient, waiting customers "Alright dad that was the last one…I have to get going now ok" Po said breathing a sigh of relief, as he looked around at the customers who sat content enjoying their soup. "Ok son, just make sure you come back soon" Mr. Ping said as he stopped what he was doing in the kitchen. Then he walked out of the kitchen to say goodnight to his only son. Giving each other a warm father-son embracement before heading their separate ways for awhile "I'll try to visit as much as I can" Po whispered in his father's ear tightening his grip around his father, making sure not to squeeze him to hard.

After a few minutes they released their heartwarming hug "Bye po… but before you visit make sure the valley is safe, I don't want no robbers or bandits to intervene in my time with my son" Mr. Ping said smiling watching Po as he walked towards the entrance of the noodle shop "Ok dad I will" he said chuckling at his dad's final remark.

Po was trying to make his way to the Ten Thousand Steps but he having a little bit of trouble on the way there. As he was walking through the village, he kept hearing women in the village or his 'fan girls' call for him they used his title, but not his name, and they were all asking if he wanted to go to the Winter Festival they were still asking 'The Dragon Warrior' to go to the dance with them, but not po" he thought to himself before he let out a deep continued on his way until his path was block by nyung she was the owner of the herbal tea shop in the village and Po could see that she was a part of the 'fan girl mob' that wanted him to go to the festival with her. Po tried to move around her put she just went on and on asking the same question. "Would you go to the festival with me?". Po sighed and Po got on his knee to talk some sense into nyung.
"Look Ms-uumm""Sinyung..." Po said as nyung batted her eyes at him "Ms. Sinyung…I can't take you to the festival" he said calm and softly, taking a hold of the bunnie's hands "Why not?" she questioned in anger " Well there's nothing bad or wrong with you nyung, your smart, cute and all that but it's just that-that I eehhhmmm…I uuhhh" he said sighing nervously closing his eyes and reaching deep in his mind in search of the right words to say, and he concentrating hard. Seconds passed before he re-opened his eyes, saying his next carefully with a tone filled with confidence and nervousness "I hhaaavvee…s-someone in mind a-already" he lied.

"You do!?" nyung said, sounding surprised on what she heard "Yes I do, I am sorry Ms. Sinyung" he retorted.

"Oh…then I am sorry for my pleading Dragon Warrior, I didn't know…my apologies" she said with sorrow in her voice, looking down at the ground she felt ashamed, sliding her hands out of the warriors' black and white hands she started walking past him.

Sighing again feeling bad for the female bunny "At least say something po, come on!" his mind spoke said to him making sure he would regret what he said. He looked over his shoulder and turning around to see nyung make her way back to her shop. "HEY" he yelled, making her stop in her tracks she turned around to face the panda "I hope you find the right person for yourself… I hope you find your Mr. Right" he said softly trying to cheer her up. She smiled to him while saying "Thank you" and started to walk once more.

Turning around and looking up at the sky, he saw the sun as it set behind the high peaks of the mountain side, making the atmosphere a redish – orangish color with its rays of light and warmth. Moving his gaze down towards the Jade Palace, shining bright in the light it intimated within the beautiful building. Then down to the entrance of the palace doors and to the beginning of the Ten Thousand Steps, that were in the distance.

Letting his head hang low for a couple of seconds. He let out a slow light sigh "I might as well get started with these stairs" he whispered to himself and started to climb to the steps and up to his home.

Tigress' POV

In the Jade Palace's massive training hall sat the master of the tiger style with her legs cris-crossed, her feet resting on top of her lap. Her back stood up straight and high, her eyes were closed and her facial expressions were a solid stoic look; she was deep in thought. She was meditating in her lotus position with wooden splinters all over the floor, lying in front of her, made up from the training dummies she demolished only a few moments ago. She had never been this nervous in all her life.

She was still in thought about her plan to express her heart's feelings for the very person she once hated, but over the years the hatred that once burned within her had changed to a warm, caring feeling towards that one person. Just that one individual had changed her whole personality; going from a 'H*** Warrior' she once was to a 'Soft Kitty Cat'. She actually liked the change but only she acted like that way around Po and not around everyone else, because she stilled believed that if she showed her weakness and vulnerability to others then they wouldn't see her as a strong leader but she felt she could be her real self to him because she trusted him with her secrets and her life story.

"I don't know if I should or shouldn't, but if I don't I'll never get the answer to my problem. But if I do, my life may forever change; when the time comes I don't know what I'll do. I don't even know if my heart's decisions and feelings are true, I believe my plan will work but yet it shouldn't because the cons overpower the pros, should it be planned differently? Or shouldn't be done at all…maybe so. But all this sounds like sapless and passionless talk. What if it's just what my mind wants me to think?…What if it wants me to think of myself as someone who is not worthy of love, I need to get the courage to say it and for those simple words to take their place in my heart and that's what empowers me to do so, that's what I need most. But the question still lies 'should I or shouldn't I? " she thought, after her 'speech' she started feeling an uprising of courage overcoming her, telling her she was ready to tell Po that she loved him dearly, to tell her true feelings she was hiding. All day planning this one plan and hoping it would work perfectly.

Her ear twitched at the sound of the front gate of the palace's doors opening and then closing. She knew it had to be the one and only person who was down at the village all day, she opened her eyes seeing the obstacle course sitting in front her "I guess it's time to get to work" she whispered to herself before jumping to her feet and walking to the doors of the training hall.

She barely slid the door open to the point where her head was able to peer out. Seeing a black and white figure walking about the area of the arena with its head down a face filled with pain and sorrow "What's wrong with him…he looks crestfallen? I just hope it's nothing bad…maybe my plan will cheer him up" she thought with concern then walked past the doors, she hid her body in the shadows making her way to the fallen panda.

"Hey po what are you up to…what's wrong?" she asked worriedly putting her right hand on his shoulder trying best to comfort him.

"I was planning to relax for a little while and for your second question, it's nothing important" Po said with a sad and low voice, still looking down at the concrete floor not even bothering to look up at the tiger that was at his side.

"Do youuuu want to talk or…meditate over it?" she asked nervously yet hoping he'll accept her offer.

"Maybe later, how about tomorrow…not to be rude it's just that am not in the mood to meditate right now or even talk about it for that matter" he responded softly finally looking up at her, staring into her fiery red amber eyes.

"You sure, it could help you with whatever's brothering you" asking one last time turning him around, were his body was facing her.

"Yeah, I'm sure Ti I am fine" he repeated reassuring her that he was ok.

"O-ok then, if that's what you want then I'll fulfill your wish" she said sadly "My-my only opportunity…to-to get Po alone, to show him what I feel for him has…has" she stopped her thinking and turned around walking away with a rather fast pace, leaving him be to do as he wishes. She walked to the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom to think about another plan but…her emotions began flaring, her eyes started to become filled with tears with sadness but yet confusion, her blood boiled with anger for some odd reason?

Po just watched her walk away and decided to head his own way, to the barracks and sleep but a feeling came to him. A feeling of shame and guilt, for letting his best friend go off by herself possibly feeling broken hearted. "All she wanted to do was to make me feel better, to comfort me, to cheer me up. Maybe I should take her up on her offer, it would help with my…problem and spending time with her would probably do the trick" his expressions started to enlighten and he followed her footsteps towards the Sacred Peach tree, the perfect place to meditate… and to talk things out.

Tigress arrived at the peach tree that overlooked a small plateau that led it's way to the village and sat herself at the base of the tree trunk. Her mind was racing with hundreds of questions on what could be wrong with her-... or what was wrong with Po, but yet one question really stuck out to her "Why do I care if my plan failed to follow through, surely I just could have made another…I" her thoughts were interrupted by a noise of rustling bushes.

Po came out of the dark moonlight and showed himself to the tiger that was sitting not so far away "Hey TiiiIIIiiIIi" he mutter out before he tripped on a root that stuck out of the ground tripping him up. He tried to catch himself but to only land on an off guard tiger and hearing a growl come from her.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME YOU FAT WASTE OF SPACE!" she yelled at him forcing him off of her.

"I am so sorry" he retorted getting to his feet fast then offering a paw to her, but she instead swatted it away.

"Of course your sorry you dumb oaf, you're always sorry when you do something wrong or seriously stupid…Ha sometimes I ask myself why you were even picked as the 'Oh So Great Dragon Warrior' when your nothing but a dumb, lazy, and fat panda who only knows how to eat noodles. Why can't you just leave the palace and never come back, and leave me alone!" she screamed at him also giving him the death glare, letting her anger get the best of her.

"Is…that what you really want?" he spoke feeling hurt by her choice of words.

"Yes, that would be the best for all of us!" Tigress hissed at Po.

"Ok Tigress, I'll leave you alone" he said sadly as tears streamed down his cheeks, leaving the little plateau of the peach tree and disappeared into the shadows.

Tigress stood there for a while looking at the spot where the panda once stood. After a minute or two her eyes went wide in realization "What have I done!?, I screamed at him for no reason…I…I let my anger get the best of me again, I-I have to apologies him I can't lose him. And I will not fail my mission" she whispered to herself with tears flowing down her face just hoping he haven't left the palace grounds.