-Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda or any of its characters-

New Feelings, New Ambitions

Part One

All of China was in celebration. The evil Lord Shen had been defeated at the hands of the Dragon Warrior.

Gongmen city was alight with fireworks and the bright light of the sunrise. All of its inhabitants (and it's visitors from the Valley of Peace) were ecstatic after witnessing the victory of Po, a panda who had harnessed the power of inner-peace. All except one.

Master Tigress was still standing like a statue after getting a massive panda hug from Po. Her "hardcore" demeanor had been totally rattled and she has no clue how to process the feeling that was rolling over and over in her looked over at Po, who had just attempted to hug Shifu, only to find himself grasping air. She observed his smile, his gaze, and movement. The hug he had just tried to give did not mimic the one she had just received. It was a caring one, yes, but it was missing something. She thought about it, and realized that when he hugged her, it contained a quiet yet strong feeling that she couldn't identify.

Tigress suddenly realized that this thought process had made her cheeks begin to heat up beneath her fur. She could only imagine that her blush was as crimson as her own eyes. Quickly, she stifled the thought and tried to regain her professional mindset. However, she couldn't help but let a very small grin escape her mouth as she watched the fireworks with her friends.

"NOOO!"

Tigress shot up from her sleep mat into a a battle ready position. Po was dead. No. No he wasn't. It had been a dream, a horrible dream.

She had once again witnessed Po getting shot with the weapon in the factory, Shen's laughing still echoed in her ears. She relaxed her stance, letting her arms fall to her sides. She gathered her composure as she began to remember how the day had gone, reassuring herself that Po was very much still alive.

The Furious Five, Po, and Shifu had arrived in the Valley of Peace early that morning. The villagers all clamored about, shouting praises and shaking their hands in gratitude. Po carried two crates of radishes with him, a massive smile covering his face. He walked with the Five and their master halfway through the village before stating "You guys go on ahead, I'm going to stick around here for a while." With that he ducked his head into his father's noodle shop. Tigress watched him disappear as she continued on towards the Jade Palace.

Tigress now sat on her mat in the cool darkness of her room, her tail curled around her as she thought. Po had spent nearly all day with his father down in the Valley. He returned to the palace just in time to bid everyone goodnight. He was so happy. Tigress had seen it in his eyes. He looked upon his friends with such gratitude and joy that it lifted the spirits of all those nearby. She thought about when he looked at her, when his jade eyes met hers, how she instantly was thrown back in time to when he hugged her, when he held her so close. She felt her face get warm again as she thought about the look in his eyes, as though they were holding some sort of secret. But what?

"Zzzzz" Across the hall, Tigress could hear the Dragon Warrior snore. It was no where near as atrocious as it was when he first arrived at the palace. She listened to him breath. The sound relaxed her, and she felt a smile spread across her face. She found herself getting up, and quietly sliding her door open. She silently crossed the hall and entered Po's room. Before her was a soft, plushy mass of panda sleeping on the floor. She watched his chest rise and fall with each breath, and caught a glance of the small smile that still traced his lips. She looked at his arms, those that, only days earlier, had held her so gently and close.

She knew that she had also hugged him before. And she also knew that it was the few times she had ever let herself get close to someone. The only other one being Shifu, and he did not reciprocate in the way she had hoped. Po, on the other hand, had returned her hug ten fold,her only regret now was not hugging him back. She had just been so shocked that she hadn't known what to do with the situation. Now, looking down at Po, she wanted to return the favor.

Doing her best not to wake him, Tigress knelt down and slowly wrapped her arms around Po. His warm and soft fur instantly gave her stomach butterflies. She let herself melt into his warm chest, exhaling a sigh of content. She nuzzled into his chest a bit and smiled, relishing the feeling of happiness this gave her, but there was something else.

The butterflies in her stomach were still in full flight and she didn't know why. This feeling was nothing like when she felt sick, no, this still felt good, but was foreign to her.

"Mmm... Tigress... zzzz" Tigress opened her eyes when she heard Po's voice. He was mumbling in his sleep. He didn't say anything else, just little moans and groans of content and his smile had widened.

How did he know it was me? Tigress thought as she looked up at him from his chest. She let her head back down and listened to his breathing a bit longer. To think, he almost was gone. She stood up and smiled down at Po. Her butterflies still going strong in her stomach, she returned to her room and laid down on her mat.

What is this feeling? She wondered as she placed her paw over her stomach. It's never happened before. Tigress laid there going over in her head why she felt this way. She fell asleep not long after, and dreamt of Po.

-Ok, so, there's part one. I've been considering writing this for a while now, and I decided to finally got through with it. I am very open to criticism! Please, I want to make this a great story to read for all Po x Tigress fans out there. I'll post part two very soon. Thanks for reading!