Sorry this chapter took so long to publish. I had a lot of stuff happen in the past couple of months, including a total drain of any creative energy I had. Plus I didn't realize how long this chapter was becoming so it took me a few days to finish once I actually sat down to write it. I hope you guys like it. 

Early in the morning, an extremely grumpy emu trekked through the grounds for any sign of his student. He only had one. The others had been extremely disobedient and were punished accordingly. They wouldn't be any of his concern for a little while. He stalked around for a while, slamming doors open, stomping around, and kicking bushes straight into the air. She was small enough. She could be hiding anywhere. The emu checked the kitchens, the training arena, and even the bedroom. Where on earth was she?! 

Frustrated, the emu took in a deep breath and screamed at the top of his lungs, "MEI-LING!!!!!!" 

The master only had a few seconds to wait before a small figure suddenly appeared before him with a look of terror. 

"Well?!" the emu demanded sharply. "What's your excuse this time?!" 

"I'm sorry, Great Master Aruf," Mei-Ling stammered apologetically. "I could have sworn you said training began at 6." 

"Don't give me that! You were out of bed two hours ago when I came in to punish you! What have you been doing?!" 

"Meditating." 

Master Aruf gave Mei-Ling a dirty look and walked angrily over to her. Mei-Ling backed off a little in fear, but the master reached a wing out to her, yanked her forward by her high brown collar, and immediately noticed a bulge in the side of her equally brown pant pocket. He reached down and grabbed hold of the object, pulling out a small stuffed rice ball. "Where did you procure this then?!" he demanded. 

Mei-Ling turned sheet white  and a look of terror passed through her eyes. "Th-the market," she admitted. "I-I-I really do try to obey your orders, really I do! But I'm just so hungry!" 

"A true master doesn't need the sweets of the world outside it's walls!" Master Aruf snapped. "You'll never learn to survive on the good nutrients required for someone of my stature if you don't apply yourself!" 

"D-d-don't you think three pinches of rice per day is too small?" Mei-Ling suggested with a crack or two in her voice. 

"You're spoiled rotten!" the emu accused, throwing her roughly to the ground. "If you can't appreciate everything I've done for you, then perhaps a good lockdown in the dungeon will refresh your memory!" 

"No no no no please! Anything but that I beg you!" Mei-Ling pleaded in terror, getting to her knees. "I'll be better behaved I promise! You're right! I don't know what I'm doing! I'd be dead if you hadn't taken pity on me!"

"That's right!" the emu master snapped. "Not everyone takes in a skill-less orphan for charity! You ought to be grateful every second of your life! Now go fetch me my whip! If you're not going to the dungeons with Tye-Roll, you're to be punished that way for your insolence!" 

Mei-Ling bit her lip and silently got up and did as she was told. Not that this punishment was any better, but it beat the week-long alternative.....

Mei-Ling was suddenly interrupted from her train of thought by someone planting a kiss on her cheek. She jumped a little, but then smiled and turned to greet the person next to her. "How's Mrs. Fan's room coming along?" she asked. 

"Everything's all set up," Shifu told her. 

He waited for the tea pot on the stove to stop whistling before grabbing it and pouring himself and Mei-Ling a cup of tea. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You seem a little vacant today?" 

"I got lost in thought," Mei-Ling admitted. "I try not to think too far back into my past, but...it does love to rear itself every once in a while I'm afraid."

Shifu gave her a quick kiss on the lips, telling her that she was welcome to talk about it with him at any time. Mei-Ling promised she would and the two took their tea and sat down at the kitchen table to relax and talk about things. 

"So what's Po's training lesson for tomorrow?" Mei-Ling asked. 

"The same as before," Shifu said. "However, instead of the training hall, I want him to test time out in the Dragon Grotto." 

"Sounds interesting. What's your ideal timing?" 

"Well, climbing up the waterfall was demonstrative of that, but I'll make sure Po doesn't just copy the lesson. He could also wait until the cave starts it's cycle at high tide and make sure special objects are found before they're swept into the cave or over the falls. Choreographed kung fu team exercises are also a good part of timing as well as exercises that race against the clock."

"Well, hopefully Po learns from last week and improves on that one." 

The conversation then dived into what the two would do with themselves once Po took over teaching at the Jade Palace. They discussed whether or not they wanted to travel, how many early and late walks they would take together, where they would live, if they'd even stay at the Jade Palace, and what might potentially happen to the Five once they'd mastered all the skills necessary to be teachers themselves. Of course, this was a future that was years away, so Shifu didn't want to reflect on it too much. He'd rather discuss more present details, such as where they'd have the wedding and who was going to attend. (Shifu's dad was out of the question. He'd probably steal all the wedding decorations and anything valuable while he was there). 

"Speaking of relationships," Mei-Ling commented as she finished up her tea. "And I trust we're entirely alone, so I feel free to say this...what's going on with Tigress and Po?" 

"If I know Tigress well enough, and I trust I do," Shifu explained. "I think she's just trying to adjust at the moment."

"Adjust to what?" Mei-Ling asked in surprise. 

"Tigress has never been a big fan of change," Shifu explained. "Even as a kid, it took her a while to get used to living in the Jade Palace and having certain rules in place. When something comes along that challenges the ways of life she's been used to, she's usually very resistant to it at first. So, I imagine she's probably mentally preparing herself for what might happen if she enters a public relationship." 

Mei-Ling eyed him. "She hasn't been in a relationship before?" she asked in surprise. "Not even as a teenager?" 

"She was involved with another master for a couple of months, but he lives in Japan, so their relationship was a lot more private. Even in the temple." 

"Oh, I see." 

Shifu finished his tea and got up to wash the cup. "Speaking of Tigress," he said. "I need to talk to her about this whole situation with us being wed. She seems fine, but you can never tell with her. Plus I think you two should probably talk one on one." 

"Is there anything I shouldn't say to her?" Mei-Ling asked. "I'm not sure how sensitive she is to certain things. Or how will work out with all this." 

Shifu frowned and thought for a moment. "It probably wouldn't be a wise idea to mention Tai Lung or her relationship with Po," he said after a second. "Tai Lung left a sour taste in everyone's mouth for quite some time and Tigress doesn't have a good word to say about him." 

"That's understandable." 

"Aside from those two things I can't think of much else. I guess the main goal is to see how comfortable she is with the whole wedding idea and to get you two bonding." 

Mei-Ling crossed her arms in thought and stared up at the ceiling. She then looked back at Shifu and asked, "So...do we want it where she's calling me "mom", or are we just making sure she won't throw a tantrum because she thinks you prefer her over me?" 

"I sincerely doubt she'll ever get to either of those two points, believe me," Shifu answered. "She doesn't even call me "dad"." 

"She has lately." 

"Not publicly and only every once in a while. Which is understandable considering our past. However, I would like for the two of you to get along well-enough to the point where maybe you're at least good friends." 

Mei-Ling thought that over before nodding. "That sounds reasonable," she said. "That might take a bit of time though. I don't exactly have a clean record." 

"Well, it's cleared now," Shifu assured her. 

Mei-Ling smiled and gave him a kiss. "It is thanks to you," she admitted. 

The two heard some commotion from outside the kitchen which sounded like Crane and Viper talking something over with Po. A few low snickers then soon entered the conversation, followed by a "WILL YOU GUYS STOP?!" from Po. 

Shifu sighed. "I'll go and get my staff," he grumbled. He walked over to the corner of the kitchen and grabbed the old staff that Oogway had bequeathed to him years earlier. 

"Where is Tigress?" Mei-Ling asked before he walked out the door.

"Helping a child at Bao Gu," Shifu answered. "She should be back a little later." 

And with that, he left the kitchen to go take care of Monkey and Mantis. 

Much later in the afternoon, closer to dinner time in fact, Tigress finally returned from the orphanage of her childhood. Shifu was quick to intercept her and told her about his plan for her to have a sit down discussion with Mei-Ling later to talk about the wedding, where Mei-Ling should put her boundaries when addressing Tigress afterwards, and so on. Tigress looked visually uncomfortable with the idea, but Shifu assured her that everything would be fine and that he wanted any awkwardness or personal space issues out the way as early as possible. 

"You're not going to make me have makeup sessions with her, are you?" Tigress asked. 

"It's just a casual discussion in the Hall of Warriors," Shifu clarified. "And since she does want to get to know you better, perhaps that's one thing you should probably let her know." 

He and Tigress then both agreed to have the conversation later after dinner when everyone had cleared out and went to do their own things. They then dispersed and Tigress took to heading to the training hall to destroy a couple of clubs and alligator heads as a way to ease her nerves. Dinner was finally ready and Viper was sent to collect the master and bring her to the kitchen to eat. (Po had asked her privately to do it since he didn't want to give Monkey or Mantis an opportunity to get further on Tigress' nerves). Dinner consisted of Po's secret ingredient soup, a few bean buns on the side, and everyone's favorite tea to drink. Everyone began to chitchat about how the day had been, how to improve on Shifu's new training exercise, and the autumn festival that was coming up in a few months. 

"Speaking of training, Po, I hope you've been thinking about how to improve your teaching methods for tomorrow," Shifu said as he finished half of his soup. 

Po froze, the bean bun he was holding halfway to his mouth. "Uhhhhhh.........tomorrow?" he squeaked. 

"Yes. Tomorrow. It's been a week since your last attempt. Now you're going to try again." 

Po swallowed nervously. "Right..." he said, the bean bun still hovering a few inches from his face. 

"You'll be fine Po," Viper assured him. "You got a good idea of what to do and what not to do the last time. You'll do better tomorrow." 

Shifu mentally smirked to himself as he thought about how Po was going to have to rethink his entire training lessons. Adaptability was important when training students. The rest of the masters were giving Po words of encouragement and even suggesting ideas beforehand since it wasn't yet Po's day to teach. They then fell back to eating their dinner. 

"Wait, if Po's teaching tomorrow," Crane piped up. "That might be a problem with my mom." 

"Your mother is arriving in the afternoon," Shifu said. "Po will be teaching you in the morning so that you can have the afternoon off to get her settled." 

"Oh. Okay. That's fair enough," Crane said. He took a sip of his soup before suddenly looking up. "You guys made sure the borders are secure, right?" he asked anxiously. "I don't want her to be attacked again!" 

"We triple checked the borders, the trade routes, and we've been listening for any suspicious activity," Tigress assured him. "And we've also secured all the artifacts in the Sacred Hall of Warriors. She'll be fine. No one's coming into the Jade Palace on our watch." 

Viper gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Everything will be fine," she promised. 

She began to eat her food again and the conversation around the table began to start back up. A few minutes passed by before Tigress turned her attention to Viper. 

"What does your dad say about this?" she asked the master. "Or has he not responded yet?"

"I got a message from him this morning. It's...mixed." 

Crane looked nervous. "Um...mixed how?" he asked. 

"I'll probably have to visit him to talk about it more before you meet him," Viper explained. 

"Oh. I see." 

Viper gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulders. "He'll get used to it," she promised. "Dad's very old-school and my sisters are already married to people in the village. I'm surprised his message sounded as calm as it did." 

The masters continued on with dinner conversations before finishing up and dispersing. Po offered to stay behind in the kitchen and wash the dishes and Monkey volunteered to dry them. Po seemed a bit reluctant with the idea, but the rest of the masters simply left the kitchen and went on to do their own activities. Crane decided to stop by the Sacred Hall of Warriors to double-check on his mom's room one last time while Viper headed over to her room to write her dad a reply to the message she had received. Mei-Ling and Shifu went out for an evening walk and Mantis told everyone he'd be back late since he was helping Quan-Ying do some evening shopping. (She didn't like doing it during the day since she was a bit claustrophobic and the evening was when there was less bustle). Once everyone left the kitchen, Po looked straight at Monkey and said, "I know you're only here to bug me about Tigress." 

Monkey laughed. "I only do that to wins bets from Mantis," he assured the master. "He's got other things to do, so we can just hang out and talk." 

He started cleaning off the table as Po got to work with washing his friend's dinner dishes. "When did you and Mantis even start doing bets anyway?" he asked. "I wouldn't have taken you two for the betting type." 

"I only bet with people I'm friends with and who I trust pretty well," Monkey explained. "It's still risky, but that way it's more fun and less harmful. I used to do it with my brother, but...well, that ended when we got a little older. And then there was a kid I used to do bets with, but we were pretty little, so it was only a matter of who'd get whose dessert that day."

"Mmmm, sounds tasty," Po remarked, thinking of the cookie bet Tigress bribed him with a little over a month after she recovered from Lord Shen's cannon attacks. "Why don't you and Mantis do those kinds of bets?" 

"Banana cream pies and almond cookies can't buy rare special made swords or fart pillows." 

"Ah. I see. And...when exactly did you guys start that?" 

"Not for a while. Mantis was the last one to come and join the Furious Five and he only came here because Crane broke his wing during our battle at the Golden Fall Mountains and he happened to be near by and able to help out. I kind of thought he was more of a serious kind of master, like a toned down version of Tigress, so I didn't bother making a bunch of jokes at him."

"What changed that?" Po asked as Monkey finally came over and began to dry some of the washed dishes. 

"We went to eat at a cafe one time after a battle way off in the northern mountains," Monkey told him as he put a few bowls away. "There were a few waiters arguing over something and I made a joke about how they're probably going to trip over something and Mantis made some nonchalant comment about them crashing into each other. Then a few minutes later, the one waiter tripped over a chair and crashed into the other. We had a laugh over it since we were both right, and after that point we became closer friends. We don't make bets as often as you think; only for things that we find entertaining."

"Like me and Tigress." 

"You really like her and she clearly likes you. Mantis and I are just confused about why you're not dating. Isn't that the next step of a relationship?" 

"Not always. Tigress doesn't like getting a lot of attention and personally, I don't like people poking and prodding into my personal life."

"Wait, really?" Monkey asked in surprise. "You, the great teller of heroic stories?"

"That's different. Battle stories are awesome and legendary and totally inspiring! Especially to kids who are like me. I'm talking about personal and private details that are embarrassing. Like the stories dad tells about how I couldn't say tomato until I was almost twelve!" 

Monkey snickered, but only for a second. "I think I understand now," he finally said as he dried the last of the dishes. "You two mighty warriors of steel and legend are a bunch of shy guys underneath all that toughness."

Po blushed a little but made a simple mumble of agreement. Monkey smirked at that idea, but simply leaned against the counter and switched his expression from amusement to assurance. "I'll talk to Mantis about, okay? It is nice watching you two hang out and waiting to see when you'll decide to get together, but I guess it is kind of annoying having people staring at you from the sidelines." 

"So you'll stop betting on us?"

Monkey laughed. "No way, buddy. But we'll stop following you guys around all the time. We'll mind our own business and keep the betting to just very quiet observations and paying up out of sight and mind so you two can be left alone."

"Thanks, Monkey," Po said, smiling and sighing in relief. 

The masters all settled in for the night around 10, though Crane headed there a little later since he was concerned about having everything ready for his mom the following day. Tigress, however, was sitting by the peach tree waiting for the conversation she was supposed to have with Mei-Ling. Shifu told her that he needed to help Crane with final preparations for his mother, so Mei-Ling would find her herself to have their one-on-one conversation. Tigress wasn't sure how long it would take, so she took up meditating for a little while. She tried to keep her mind focused on calm, steady things and on a few kung fu moves that she needed to work on for the future. At some point, (she had lost track of the time), her concentration was interrupted by some light coughing from Mei-Ling. Tigress opened her eyes and looked over at her. The fox was standing next to her with a pleasant look on her face, though she looked about as nervous as Tigress was feeling. 

"I made some tea for our talk," she said. "Since Shifu and Crane are still doing room preps and border controls, we can talk in my room." 

"That sounds fine," Tigress replied expressionlessly. 

The two then headed down the peach tree's slope and made their way to the Sacred Hall of Warriors. They walked up the stairs in absolute silence and entered the building. Mei-Ling led Tigress towards the Moonpool where the only two existing bedrooms were, though she turned suddenly to the right where a set of stairs would lead them to the lower level of the building. Tigress thought the idea to be a strange one since Mei-Ling had only just been cleared of her stealing habit, but if Shifu was willing to let her stay down there then so be it. 

"I take it the storage room is your new bedroom?" she questioned. 

"Oh, don't worry, dear, Shifu got that all cleared out. That stuff will sit in a larger room until Crane's mother leaves." 

"I'm surprised it didn't take that long. When Shifu moved into Oogway's room, it took him a full day."  She paused and thought for a moment. "Of course, he also did look through all of Oogway's stuff and sort them into twenty different boxes to not crush anything "sacred"." 

Mei-Ling laughed. "Well, Shifu takes forever because he's an absolute pack-rat," she explained. "I took barely an hour to move all my stuff down here. And that included going up and down the stairs. I come back to help with Mrs. Fan's room and I find Shifu in there organizing an entire box of broken alligator heads. I had to go in there myself and take stuff out!"  

They finally reached Mei-Ling's room, only for Tigress to stop dead in her tracks when a sudden thought came through her head. "Wait, why was Shifu's stuff in the back room?" she asked. 

"That's where he's been sleeping," Mei-Ling replied, turning to give her a confused look. "He gave me his room and offered to take the back room since he wanted me to feel more at home. You weren't aware of that?"

"No. Shifu told us all you were sleeping in the room you stayed in last time. I assumed that was the back room."

"Oh. He did say that, didn't he. Well, we changed the room plans at the last minute. I guess maybe he didn't think it necessary to mention. Or perhaps it slipped his mind." 

Tigress didn't say anything in response. Mei-Ling simply picked up her tea pot and swallowed nervously. "Not such a great start to our conversation, I suppose," she admitted as she poured the tea into two separate cups.  "But I'm sure we can pick it back up." 

Tigress sat down in front of the little table on the floor and took the tea when Mei-Ling pushed it in her direction. They sat in silence for a little while before Mei-Ling cleared her throat and started to ask questions. 

"How long have you been training here?" she asked. 

"Since I was 7," Tigress answered promptly. "I was the only student until Crane showed up." 

"I see."

Mei-Ling opened her mouth to ask another question, but Tigress quickly interrupted her with, "Where did you train before you went rogue?" 

The fox sat there with her mouth open in nervous contemplation. She finally sighed, and putting the teacup down on the table, said, "The Ash Temple above the Pumice Bloom Pass." 

Tigress gave her a surprised look. "You're from Tibet?" she commented .

"Not from," Mei-Ling corrected. "But I did live there for some time. It's pretty competitive in some places." 

Tigress took a sip of her tea as she thought the information over. Hoping to stay off the horrible subject, Mei-Ling decided to swing the conversation back over to Tigress' life. "Shifu told me you were in Bao Gu for a while before you met. How long were you there for?" 

"My parents left me there when I was baby to hide me from Kai," came the prompt response. 

Mei-Ling coughed on her tea in shock. "And no one knew about it when he trained at the Jade Palace?!" she exclaimed. 

"I didn't remember," Tigress explained. "Just recently with an orb I was given. Shifu didn't tell you?" 

"No, but I suppose it was probably because your conversation was private." 

Tigress drank some more tea before asking Mei-Ling why she had gone rogue. The master could tell that part of the conversation seemed a bit uncomfortable, but she wanted to make sure her potential new "mom" wasn't hiding anything else. She still had a bad habit of being overly-suspicious. Mei-Ling's response was a bit hesitant, but she soon informed Tigress it had been because of her old master. 

"Master Aruf is the strictest person I have ever met," she explained as she poured herself some more tea. "He believed that the only true path to the ultimate perfect form of kung fu was through self-denial." 

Tigress paused half-way through sipping the last few drops of her tea. "Self-denial?" she repeated. 

"His motto was "Pleasure and joy from the belly to the mind make one selfish, disloyal, and blind"," Mei-Ling recited with an eye roll. "Absolutely no music, no laughter, or celebrations were allowed. We had one pinch of rice for every meal to remind us that we suffer for other's pleasures, one cup of tea per day, and we were whipped or thrown into the dungeon if we disobeyed." 

Tigress winced at the thought. "You'd have to be some kind of fool to purposely put yourself through pain and suffering just to achieve the perfect ultimate kung fu-" 

The master interrupted herself when a couple of flashes went through her mind about her own childhood at the Jade Palace. Punching the iron wood trees until her hands bled and she couldn't feel a thing, eating nothing but stir-friend tofu as a teenager, and refusing to go to festival in the village unless it was absolutely mandatory as it took away from her kung fu practice. 

Seeing the look on her face, Mei-Ling reached across the table and gently patted Tigress' paws. "There's a difference between self-denial and obsession," she promised. "And Fufi told me you dealt with a lot of negative things as a child. I can imagine that probably didn't help." 

Tigress didn't answer. She simply finished off her tea and poured herself another cup. 

"Why don't we stay clear of the past for a little while?" Mei-Ling suggested. 

"I'd prefer it," Tigress admitted. 

Mei-Ling thought for a little while, leaving the room silent apart from someone sipping their tea. She finally decided to settle on something that would hopefully be vague enough to get a decent conversation rolling. "What's your favorite dinner food?"

The question was so generic and predictable that Tigress actually laughed. "That's the question you're going with?" she asked. 

Mei-Ling chuckled with a wide grin on her face. "Well, I have to try and start somewhere. And I know everyone has a favorite of something. Even if they don't admit it." 

"And what if I said I don't have favorites?" 

"Then I'd say between you and Shifu, I don't know who's worse."

Tigress smirked and drank some more tea before admitting she preferred tofu soup. "I'd tell you Shifu's, but the only time we ever got that kind of information was whenever Oogway was around." 

"Oh, Shifu's I know. He can deny it all he wants, but stuffed dumplings will pull him from any busy activity he's doing. I made some the other day while you were all training and by sheer coincidence, your training was so impressive it was cut short." 

"That actually explains a lot," Tigress admitted as she thought back to how odd it was that Po's training bumble hadn't caused Shifu to make him redo the course. "What about you?" 

"Fried rice patties," Mei-Ling answered immediately. "Especially with a little sweet and sour glaze over top. It's a delicious lunch." 

"It sounds nice." 

"What about activities in the training hall? Do you have a favorite lesson?" 

"I prefer anything that involves breaking an old record." 

"Well then, I hope Po has a good lesson for everyone tomorrow." 

"As long as it isn't something as juvenile as arm wrestling, I'm sure he'll do fine." 

"I hope so. He seemed a bit crushed the last time. And nerves don't always do pleasant things to people." 

"Po's pretty quick to bounce back from things he considers traumatizing."  A red flash started to seep into the master's mind as if it had been giddily awaiting its dramatic entrance cue for too long. But Tigress was quick to shove it back stage again and redirect her attention to the conversation. 

"Do you have a hobby outside of kung fu?" Mei-Ling asked. 

"Nothing consistent," Tigress admitted. "You can ask the others if you don't believe me." 

"Really? I'm surprised. I thought maybe you cooked or did a little baking. I've seen you at the stove plenty of times." 

"That's because Po insisted on it," Tigress explained. "And there's not much persuading him otherwise on that one I'm afraid." 

"Well you do a pretty good job from what I've tasted." 

"Thanks, but I can't take all the credit for that." 

Mei-Ling took a second to think of another question as she drank a little more of her tea. "What's your favorite color?" she asked. 

"Okay, that one I refuse to disclose," Tigress admitted flat-out. "Even if I had a favorite color, I wouldn't even tell my closest friends that one." 

"Oh come now. Everyone has a color they prefer over everything else. Unless they like rainbow, but I think that's just cheating." 

"Po has that same problem," Tigress disclosed with a hint of a laugh in her tone. "We once went on a mission to deliver an Imperial Ruby and the entire time we walked there, all he did was talk about how it would be a great idea to put all the colors you like into one specific color, like flewgew."

Mei-Ling laughed. "That would make life so much easier for the indecisive, wouldn't it?" she commented. 

"I suppose it would." 

Mei-Ling gave her a smirk. "I refuse to believe you do not have a favorite color," she said. 

"Shifu claims to not have a favorite color." 

"I don't believe that either. I'll figure it out one day, trust me." 

Tigress looked at her incredulously. "You're telling me that of all the things you know about Shifu, he's never said if he had a favorite color or not?" she asked. 

"Shifu was never one for freely disclosing information," Mei-Ling admitted. "He's gotten better now, but when we were first dating, it took me a full two weeks to find out his name!"

"You're kidding, right?"

"Not even in the slightest. The only reason I found out was because I refused to tell him mine. He finally cracked, but goodness was he stubborn!" 

Tigress sat back and thought about that for a moment, still not believing her ears. "You're telling me you dated for two weeks before you learned each others' names?" she asked.

"Oh no no, we weren't dating at that time," Mei-Ling corrected. "We were totally in love after our first fight, but Shifu was more concerned with managing his duties as a master and making sure that T-...the...the things in the valley were under control. Balance and all that stuff. I didn't really think much of it at the time. But he was curious in knowing who I was and where I got my skills. But I refused to tell him unless he told me about himself. Which he didn't care to. He said it wasn't important. So I told him I'll carry the fight in my memory and feel empty because my opponent refused to give me answer. Honestly, I didn't think we'd cross paths again, but two weeks later we introduced ourselves and that's when we started dating." 

"That makes more sense," Tigress admitted. She paused for a second and added, "Did you ever meet Tai Lung in person, or did you just hear about him?" 

"No," Mei-Ling admitted, a bit embarrassed about her verbal slip-up. "We never met. Shifu did talk about him a bit on our dates, and then of course I heard about his attempt to steal the scroll sometime after it happened.... I can only imagine how hurt Shifu was by it." 

"I'm shocked he even took me in, considering what happened," Tigress admitted. "I didn't realize anything was the matter until after I came here. Shifu wouldn't talk about it, so I had to hear the story from Oogway." 

"What was Oogway like?" Mei-Ling asked, hoping again to change the subject. "Shifu talked about him constantly on our dates. You'd think he was a celebrity." 

"Oogway was very wise and very kind," Tigress told her. "We didn't always understand the way he thought, especially when he chose Po as Dragon Warrior, but he knew what he was doing. And he also serves as a difficult opponent to beat as we've learned over the years." 

"I thought Shifu said he relinquished fighting after handing over his duties as a teacher?" 

"He did. But Shifu was sick one day, so Oogway offered to train us. Mantis wasn't here yet so he couldn't tell you much about it." 

"I see." 

The two finished their tea and Mei-Ling poured the last of what was in the pot. 

"Do you normally hang out by the peach tree?" she asked the master. 

Tigress gave her a quizzical look. "I beg your pardon?" 

"Fufi told me you saw us leaving the Jade Palace last night and coming back this morning. The only vantage point high enough to see us is that peach tree, so I figured maybe you hung out there a lot." 

"Not normally," Tigress answered as she picked her tea cup off the table. "The peach tree is more Shifu and Po's place to meditate or relax. I prefer something with a little more punching."

Silence. Some tea was sipped to break it before Mei-Ling spoke back up.

"Do you have anything you'd like to ask me?" she inquired. 

Tigress thought hard for a moment. She hadn't really prepared anything to ask, though this was because she was expecting a session with Mei-Ling giving a speech. Or something of the like. But after a moment, something popped into her head. "Have you ever had a satisfying moment of revenge?" she asked. 

Mei-Ling blinked at the question, not expecting it to even come up in the conversation. "Have you?" she asked. 

"I'd like to start with you on that question, please." 

Mei-Ling paused, nodded in agreement, and drank her tea while pondering the question. Within a few seconds though, she had an answer and proceeded to tell the story. "Remember earlier when I mentioned my master was strict?" she said.

"Yes." 

"That was my revenge. He was a terrible person, though you probably guessed that off the bat.  He had a dungeon that could scar you for life. I won't tell you what went on down there. I went once and I don't care to recall it. "  Mei-Ling shuddered before continuing on. "His worst fault was manipulation. I came from nothing. I had no family to care for me and people made sure I remembered it. No one cared to take me in or treat me like a decent person. When I met Master Aruf, I was a sick and starving teenager living in the back alleys of a crowded street. And if ever I stepped out of line, ever talked about making my own way in the world, so much as discussed something from the past, he reminded me of that. Every time." 

Mei Ling shifted to a look of depression before going back to a more neutral expression. "I was grateful for a roof over my head," she said. "But I still starved. I still felt unworthy, like some kind of failure. I tried to buy food from the market, but when Great Master Aruf found out I wasn't spending it on ancient scrolls or artifacts to study, he cut off my pocket allowance. After a while, I got so desperate for food that I resorted to stealing. And...I enjoyed it."  She started to smile at the memory. "It gave me this fun thrill," she admitted. "And I kept doing it. Again and again and again...a bad habit, I suppose, but when your master gives you a bitter taste of kung fu, you don't really care I suppose." 

"I had a mistress like that once," Tigress admitted. "For a short while. She was looking for a new student and I volunteered not realizing it was a death trap. She made it nearly impossible to leave." 

"How'd you escape then?" Mei-Ling asked in shock. 

"I had some help from Po, thank goodness."  A pause. "What happened with Master Aruf?" 

"He found me out eventually, of course, but I decided to challenge him instead of doing as he asked," Mei-Ling continued. "I was so happy having control over what I did myself that I wasn't interested in what he wanted. And I had learned a trick or two at that point. I used a little charm, a little trickery, and a little cunning."  She laughed. "I have never seen him in so much denial before. He couldn't believe he lost to a student. After all, how dare the student surpass the teacher, right? But it felt really good. And I left. I used my new skills to get what I needed to stay off the streets and I lived pretty nicely. And then I met Shifu a few years later, and...well, that's a whole other story right there." 

"I'm glad he got what he deserved. He sounds horrible." 

"He was."  Mei-Ling shuddered, though she was soon lost in thought. "I wonder how he's doing now," she wondered aloud. "I wonder if he still teaches or if he exiled himself because he was so embarrassed. Oh well. I don't care to find out. The less I know the better."  She then turned to Tigress and asked, "What about you?" 

"Master Jao," was the immediate answer. An irritated growl soon followed before the story began. "Every year, the masters of China hold tournaments to measure the skill of the teacher and the progress of the student. That was the first year Shifu let me go and I was the only student representing the Jade Palace. Naturally everyone was asking about Tai Lung and consoling Shifu, and at the time I just decided to hang out by myself since I was tired of hearing about him."

"Does that still bother you?"

"Not as much as it used to. But at the time I felt like I couldn't live up to his memory, so I did a lot of competing with some person who wasn't even there. But once the competition got started everything seemed to be okay. Except for Jao. That low-stooping, sneering, malicious jerk really made that first year hard for me. He used to constantly call me Tai Lung "by accident", he would make fun of my kung fu style, and he would laugh if I placed a low score. But I did pretty good and Shifu told me to just ignore him and hang out with more pleasant people. So I did, and for a while I really thought I could shake it off. And then he pulled an absolutely horrible stunt."  Tigress took a deep breath before continuing. "In the second to last course, we were supposed to do a series of aerial leaps around the four elements. I got through the first three, but just as I went to perform the last one, my sandal got caught on an unnatural edge in the platform and I fell into the water and hit my head so hard I nearly drowned. I was absolutely terrified!"

"Oh my goodness! What a despicable thing to do!"

"Shifu thought the same thing. He smacked him so hard I thought his head would fly off his shoulders." 

Mei-Ling laughed. "I wish I had seen that!" she admitted. "The absolute deceitfulness! How did you know it was him?" 

"He had no problem with outing himself when Shifu and I returned to the barracks. But since it was our word against his and there was no lingering evidence, he wasn't convicted of anything. But he got what he deserved. He had to resign from the tournament the next day because he decided to act like a lunatic around the grounds and broke his ankle while trying to pull another stunt. I don't know what it was going to be, but we didn't have to see him again after that, thank goodness." 

"Served him right," Mei-Ling agreed. "He could have killed you!" 

The two slipped back into silence with not much else to say and drank the last of their tea. The two were clearly thinking about something else to add, but there didn't seem to be much else to say. Finally, Mei-Ling put her tea cup down and let out a sigh. "I'll just be straightforward with you: I honestly have no idea what you and I will do going forward," she admitted.

"I couldn't tell you. I don't know what Shifu had in mind with this whole thing since we hardly know each other." 

"I think that was the whole point, Tigress. I don't know anything about you. When I first came here, I just assumed you were just another student Shifu had; I didn't realize you had history until much later." 

"No one really knows about the things that go on in the Jade Palace unless we mention them," Tigress assured her. "Po didn't know anything about Tai Lung's past until I elaborated on it." 

"Really? No one noticed that there was a baby training at the Jade Palace or questioned it?" 

"I don't know about his life to that extent, but people around here don't usually notice things unless it's painfully obvious or publicly announced." 

"Or unless they don't care to mind their own business?" 

Tigress laughed curtly. "That too," she said. 

Another moment of silent reflection fell over the room before the conversation started back up again. "Here's what I'm thinking," Mei-Ling started. "And let me know if you're thinking of something different. I know you and Shifu have a long-standing bond, even if it has an ugly patch here or there." She paused when she noticed Tigress eyeing her, but the master promised she wasn't taking offense and asked her to keep going.   "And...I know that the two of you are trying to mend a few things here or there. So, I'm not going to ask you to try and make room for me if it doesn't make you comfortable. Especially since we're more or less strangers." 

"I'd say you're more of a mutual acquaintance," Tigress corrected. 

"Oh. Well, I'm glad to hear that. That makes me feel less like an intruder." 

"You're not intruding on anything," Tigress promised. "I'll admit I was surprised, especially since I'm not used to Shifu being romantically involved with anyone and that's sometimes a little..." She paused for a moment to think over her words before finishing them. "...a little weird. And it's an idea I'll have to adjust to. But..." She paused again. Continued. "It's not like you're coming through here with any malicious intent. I'm sure there will be some things I'll have to adjust to that I'm not even thinking of, but I can tell that Shifu's really happy. And to tell the truth? With all the suffering he had to deal with in the past, I think he deserves it." 

Mei-Ling smiled. "Thank you," she said. "I'm glad to hear you say that." 

The two let the conversation continue on for a few minutes before they finally decided to head off to bed. Mei-Ling carried the tea tray back upstairs to wash the dishes while Tigress made her way over to the barracks. She was glad the conversation hadn't dived into any discussion of making Mei-Ling some kind of "mom" for her, though perhaps Shifu had expected that to be the case. As she walked towards the sleeping quarters, she took a deep breath and breathed out a huge sigh of relief. 

Well, at least that's out of the way, she thought to herself as the barracks came into view. We can just have regular conversations without trying to establish anything. That's one thing I can keep off my list. 

The master walked inside the masters' barracks and quietly made her way down the hallway. Her friends were all sleeping at this point and she didn't want to wake any of them up. I didn't realize Mei-Ling had such a bad past, she thought as she walked into her room and laid down on her bed. And I thought my childhood was bad. Hers must have been absolute torture. 

Tigress felt some of the tension in her shoulders fade as she got comfortable and tried to get some sleep. Between Po teaching the class and Crane's mother paying everyone a visit, she was going to need all the sleep she could get.