AN: For those of you who aren't familiar with me, my name is Thorongil82. I am the leader of a writing group that operates mainly on here that is called the GMAD. I don't want to go into too much info right now, so if you want more information or wish to join, feel free to let me know.

This was pretty much something I wanted to write after seeing the second film and going through the TV series, not to mention after reading some great stories on here. I do like the idea for having Po and Tigress paired together, so I thought I'd take my own shot at it. Not that I'm used to writing a thorough build up into a romantic relationship (regardless of all of my stories having one ...), but that's beside the case.

Anyway, set shortly after KFP 2, haven't seen KFP 3 yet (it comes out tomorrow in Australia at the time of this chapter's publication), slow sort of build up and kinda like a short story. I'm used to writing roughly 8000+ word chapters. There are going to be a few chapters, four or five at the most. Please enjoy.


Chapter 1 – Stirring the Desires of Our Hearts

The battle that nearly escalated into a war ended any chance for further altercations to spiral China into disaster, to the immense gratitude of all across the land. The masters of the Jade Palace alongside with Masters Croc and Storming Ox had defeated Lord Shen, due mainly in part to the Dragon Warrior finally finding inner peace. Though Gongmen City had been wrested from the wings of Shen in the wake of his demise, ironically from his own cataclysmic weapon, the wounds that such a titanic struggle inflicted upon all still left grief and devastation in their wake. The loss of many victims, in particular the legendary Master Thundering Rhino, scarred the hearts and minds of many. Loved ones mourned the deaths of their kin, while the masters of kung fu took in the damage wrought by Shen. Not only that done to Master Thundering Rhino, but to all of kung fu that they had yet to understand.

Still, their duty was to the people and, pushing past their grief, they set about to helping the vast reparations being undertaken. At the suggestion of Po, in his kind heart, they transformed the annihilated temple into a memorial, a place to rest the dead and the sorrows of those still living. Such an undertaking would take many resources and a great deal of time, but time they seemed to have aplenty as the whole country of China appeared stunned by the knowledge of what could have been. Stone bricks torn asunder were repaved, the names of the fallen from both sides lying inscribed upon each slab. To accommodate the vast figure of names, more were dug up in to be replaced by inscribed bricks. No one complained about the extra work this entailed, for it remained in all their minds a noble task that deserved to be undertaken. Master Thundering Rhino's chipped hammer had not been touched, remaining instead impaled into the ground in the same place that the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior saw it upon their capture. A large slab with his name chiselled on it would be placed in front at the behest of his two pupils, Masters Croc and Storming Ox, the only thing that they deemed remotely necessary for him to be remembered by.

The temple, the Tower of the Sacred Flame, was also being reconstructed, though only to two stories due to the lack of resources and able bodies. Here, artefacts from the conflict would remain, a reminder of the past and of what madness could bring to the world. On a tapestry covering the furthest half of the temple, the names of the fallen would again be written. The golden peacock throne was somehow recovered and was to be placed on the second floor, a testament to Shen's parents and the sorrow that they went through; the sorrow that killed them. In the floor before the throne, not from popular demand but from the masters' acceptance of the peacock lord's actions, Shen's name was left along with a small word:

Here lies the memory of Lord Shen, both in his youth and in his demise. Let his tale serve as a deterrent towards the madness of others that seek absolute power. May he now rest in the peace he could not find on this earth.


The reconstruction of the temple and its courtyard was nearly finished. Everyone who had partaken was weary with the effort they had exerted, but still they pushed on with the fiery determination in their heart to do the right thing. Master Shifu, with Masters Croc and Storming Ox, sat in lotus position at the base of the temple. From here, they both watched over the final touches being applied and directed the workers while meditated, Shifu helping the recovering masters through their anguish that lingered in the fortnight that had passed. Crane, despite the bandages covering his right wing, took it upon himself to carry up any resources or tools that the builders up high required. Viper helped along by slithering through the narrow nooks and crannies that no one apart from Mantis could fit through, fixing anything that was needed in those tough to reach areas. The afore mentioned praying mantis took it upon himself to heal the pressure wounds and stress that the builders collected during their strenuous task, relieving their aches and strengthening their joints due to his expertise in nerve points. Master Tigress, with her powerful arms, cut through the materials with precision, pinpointing the exact lengths required to be used.

Lastly, Po was mainly just helping around carrying around equipment, pushing up walls and pallets upright and occasionally making food for those who were hungry as he was told not to stress himself too much. Still quite heavily bandaged, the panda bore still wounds that had trouble healing from his conquest against Shen. As he had not healed completely from the cannon shot that was barely contained by the iron wok, those nagging injuries carried through to when he rescued the Furious Five and took a fair blast from another cannon, this time being saved by the hardcore Tigress who flung Po out of the way and took most of the hit. Though the others bore wounds, most minor but a few major, especially Tigress, they could not be held down to rest and wait. Everyone knew better than to force Tigress to take a break, her fierce yellow eyes striking fear into all. Still, for all the physical damage they had received, Po had the most grievous dealt upon him. As such, for no one wanted to see the hero fall after all that had been said and done, and the battle won, he was ordered by Shifu to stay away from strenuous work and recover, with the masters keeping watch over him. Though concerned that he still moved around all day, they all realised that he would've still tried to come out and contribute to the reparations even if they had locked him inside an 'unbreakable' warrior case. Nevertheless, they all kept an eye out in case he suddenly broke down and, with everyone else around in the area, having extra eyes wasn't going to hurt in the slightest.

Around the middle of the day, with the sun at its highest, the majority of workers at the temple took to having lunch, with a handful laying out some of the last bricks to go into place, making sure that they hadn't missed anything. On the steps leading up sat Po, a bowl of delectable bean rolls beside him, looking at the city before him. His mind wandered to their desperate adventure through Gongmen City, trying their hardest to prevail against the darkness Lord Shen was attempting to shroud China in. He smiled gently as he recalled the stealth mission through the hustle and bustle, hiding in a dragon costume and chasing down the wolf who had socked his jaw with a hammer just a few days prior. A firm expression crossed his face as he called to mind their capture and escape, their first encounter with the white peacock with feathered eyes of eerie red. He cringed at the harsh but just treatment he received from Tigress back in the jail, while the first cannon shot to hit him racked his whole body. Ribs groaned as his heart beat faster and harder, his large hands instinctively touched his chest, covered with bandages that reached his waist and wrapped around his shoulders.

"Are you okay, Po?" a familiar voice said beside Po. The Dragon Warrior turned with a painful twinge in his eyes to see the playful Monkey standing next to him, a bowl of bean buns in hand. The primate sat down beside his friend as they looked at one another.

"Oh … uh, yes. I'm fine, Monkey," Po replied, rubbing his chest. "Just … thinking about what we just went through. The body still remembers the shock that cannon delivered to it the first time."

"Ah," said Monkey, nodding his head and placing a bean bun in his mouth. "That makes sense."

The two pals sat and looked out to the city, before Po twisted around and looked to the temple as it reached for the heights it once gallantly embraced.

"She's a real beauty, isn't she?" Monkey marvelled, looking with Po at the temple.

"Ye- wait, she?" Po questioned, looking confused at the primate.

"Yeah, what else would she be? So majestic, standing tall as a beacon. Pity she couldn't be rebuilt to her former illustrious height. What I wouldn't have given to climb up and down her all day-"

"Monkey, it's a temple. Lifeless, made of wood, brick and stone, just like any other."

"It's not just a temple, Po," Monkey retorted, still gazing upon the structure. "This is what remains of the Tower of the Sacred Flame. It's filled with memories. History. Adventure and misery. It's so much more than just a building."

Po looked again at the building, attempting to look at it through his friend's eyes.

'I guess it certainly must be, now it has been rebuilt as a memorial,' Po considered, returning from his pain to the caring man who had suggested such a task be undertaken.

"Still, it couldn't have killed anyone to put in an elevator," Po said aloud, causing Monkey to laugh.

"Ah, Po. Don't you ever change," he chortled, placing a hand on Po's bandaged shoulder. Upon seeing the panda wince, he quickly retracted the hand. "Sorry."

Po waved him off as the primate master stood back up, twisting and stretching his back.

"The rest of us managed to get a table near the bottom of the steps. You wanna come join us?"

"Maybe later, Monkey," Po said, wincing a little. "I just need some time to think about some things."

"Well, you know where to find us if you need us," Monkey replied, waving before walking down the long stairs and off to the east side, on Po's right hand side. Po plopped a bean bun in his mouth as he watched his friend walk away before returning to his memories.

Though his bones still twinged from recollecting the cannon blast, looking back onto his birthplace caused a pang to course through his very being. The flashbacks to the attack, his father's valiant stance to buy he and his mother time to escape, and remembering his sweet mother's face as she gave her silent, weeping goodbye, luring the wolves away from her baby boy. Taking a moment to let his heart and mind settle down, his thoughts then turned towards the final battle. Seeing the Furious Five, his heroes and dear friends, chained and helpless to stop Shen's tyrannical plan, Po could feel the anger swell up in him, the fire that had been lit deep within his warrior spirit. A range of emotions then swept through him as the fight became hectic; relief in seeing the renewed hope in his friends, surprise at the unexpected arrival and support from Masters Shifu, Croc and Storming Rhino, fear as he was targeted once again by the fierce cannon and an intense mixture of shock and agonizing worry as Tigress shoved him out of the way of the projectile, taking the shot that his scarred and lesioned body most likely couldn't have taken again so soon. His huge worry grew as he recalled the bodies in the water, his friends looking defeated as they floated on driftwood from the exploded ships, some being conscious enough to see the fleet sail out of the river and into the harbour. He vividly remembered swimming out to Tigress, looking nearly dead to the world after taking the bulk of the explosion. By some miracle, her ironwood toughened skin managed to be hard enough to protect her … just, though somehow she was able to swim back to land and walk shortly afterwards. Looking back, though, seeing her struggle to maintain consciousness and her grip in his hand weaken stirred up feelings now he couldn't quite place in his weary state, though he knew that her selfless sacrifice at the time gave him the determination to face off in one last stand, embracing his inner peace and ending Shen's ruthless reign. The rejoice of everyone when it was finally over was immense, save for the stunned silence when he hugged Tigress upon finding out that she was safe.

'Why did I hug her there and then?' Po questioned himself, something he hadn't really considered. 'I … I was just relieved, wasn't I? Relieved that she was okay?'

Too tired and weary to think straight, Po groaned as he leant back and lay face up, staring into the sunny sky. Times like these, especially in his condition, were not ideal for contemplating such matters. If his mind and body was struggling to cope with the memories of recent events, then bringing new issues may not be such a good idea.


"No luck?" Viper asked Monkey as he arrived at their table and pulled up a chair. Tigress, Crane and Monkey were also sitting on chairs with Viper coiled up on another while Mantis stood on the table.

"Nope. He said he wanted some time alone to think," Monkey replied, relaying Po's message back to them.

"Some time to think?" Mantis questioned, raising his tiny eyebrow. "Who is he and what has he done with Po?"

They all chuckle lightly at that comment, noting Po's reluctance to think a lot of things through.

"Seriously, though, let's go easy on him," Viper stated as everyone settled down. "We've all been through a lot. He really might be having trouble dealing with some things."

They all look up the stairs, just being able to see Po's head and shoulders above the stone ornate railings that lined the stairs. To them, he seemed to be in deep thought, but from this distance they couldn't see just how he was feeling.

"Should we go up and talk to him?" Crane asked, rising out of his chair slightly.

"No, let's let him think for now," Viper answered, shaking her head. "If he needs us, we'll be there for him."

They all murmur in agreement and eat the dishes in front of them, Mantis eating dumplings, Viper and Crane eating noodle soup and Monkey still with his bean buns. Tigress has a plate of tofu cubes in front of her, though she seems to be mindlessly pushing it around with her chopsticks instead of eating. Her mind is otherwise preoccupied, focused instead on other matters of the mind.

"… Tigress?" Mantis asks, noticing her strange behaviour as he looked up from his dumplings.

"Hmm?" she replies softly, not looking up from her dish.

"U-Uh … you're not eating," he stated, caught a little off guard by her lack of presence. The rest of the Furious Five look at her with a gentle worry in their eyes, the care they have for each other showing.

"Tigress, what's wrong?" Viper questioned, slithering over and placing her tail on Tigress' shoulder. The striped master brushed Viper's tail off absentmindedly, drawing more looks of concern.

"Hello, everyone," a warm yet gruff voice greets them all, away from the table.

Looking at the source of the voice, they all see Master Shifu standing before them in his orange-brown robe and jade green shawl, leaning against Oogway's old staff. The five masters all jump to their feet, or straighten in the case of Viper, and bow to him.

"Master," they all reply in kindness, to which Shifu bowed his head in response.

"I've come to tell you all that you will be leaving for the Valley of Peace tomorrow."

"What? But the rebuilding is nearly finished!" Crane stated.

"Master, can't we stay and finish the restoration?" Monkey pleaded, clasping his hands together. The other members of the Furious Five, minus Tigress, looked at him with similar imploring expressions. The leader of the five just looked upon her master and father figure with a weary expression which seemed to trouble Shifu.

"I'm sorry, but I really need you to head back to the Jade Palace. There are only a few other kung fu students from other temples there that could be spared to look over the Valley of Peace," Shifu explained to the disappointment of the masters. "Not to mention you all still need to rest up properly."

"Yes, master," they muttered downcast, looking at the ground.

"You can have the rest of the day off," Shifu continued, which brought surprised expressions to all, even Tigress. "Get what you want to take back ready tonight. Take in the sights. Relax and rest. A boat will be ready in the harbour tomorrow."

They all nod and bow again before beginning to walk away, setting off in many different directions.

"Uh, could I have a word with you before you go, Tigress?" Shifu asked, putting a hand on her paw. She hesitates, but gives in in the end.

"Of course, master."

They walk off slowly together, Shifu leaning on the staff and Tigress with her hands behind her back.

"Is something troubling you, Tigress?" the red panda asks after a moment of silence, looking at the female he trained since she was a child.

"I … I don't …" she stammers, looking down at her feet.

"It's alright. You can trust me, can't you?"

"I-It's nothing I can't handle, master," Tigress muttered.

"Alright," Shifu concluded, giving in to Tigress with a look of fatherly concern.

The aging red panda looked over her melancholy expression, gloom flowing forth from her downcast face and her distant, usually vivid yellow eyes. Her usually tall and straight figure was currently hunched over as if she had been carrying everyone in China and their problems on her shoulders, aging her complexion beyond belief. Shifu watched Tigress, faintly displaying his growing anxiety over the woman he raised as a young child, before regaining his composure, ears perking up from their drooped position, as he noticed the person in front of them.

"Ah, Po. There you are," Shifu stated, snapping Tigress out of her detached state of mind, her rare expression of shock revealing her sudden revelation that she and her father figure had been climbing the long flight of paved stairs leading up to the temple. Judging from Po's blinking and glancing down at them from his recumbent position, he hadn't noticed them approaching him either.

"Hello, Master Shifu and Tigress," Po greeted, gingerly sitting up and bowing to them. "What can I help you with?"

"I just came here to let you know that a ship will be taking you and the others back to the Valley of Peace tomorrow," Shifu announced to him, holding Oogway's staff at a slanted angle behind his back.

"What?! B-But … what about the temple?! What about the memorial?!" Po started, moving forwards abruptly. The sudden change in position caused spasms of sharp pain to course through his body, bringing a wounded cringe to the Dragon Warrior as he clutched his lower chest. Tigress, letting down her guard with her eyes flashing wide in worry, rushed over to her friend and dropped to one knee beside him. She put her firm paws around Po, one over his large paws and one on his back, gently leaning him back into an upright sitting position.

"Calm yourself, panda," Shifu chastised softly, jumping over next to Po and keeping a wary eye on he and Tigress as she aided the large panda. "This is why you are all leaving tomorrow; to allow you all the chance to completely heal from your injuries."

Tigress slowly pushed back against Po, leaning the panda back until he reached a position that his pained expression seemed to ease up, the only visual indication they had of the torment happening within him.

"Thank you," he sighed to Tigress when she had finished assisting him. In response, she gave him a soft, warm smile, closing her eyes and nodding to Po.

'She really should smile more often,' Po couldn't help but think when looking at the master of the Tiger style of Kung Fu, his heart fluttering a tad. 'She looks so beautiful when she does, it really suits her.'

"You don't need to concern yourself with this now, Po," Shifu continued after observing that Po was alright, now standing in front of the panda with a hand on Po's leg. "The temple can be constructed without the aid of the rest of you; there isn't much else that needs to be done. Other masters and students from Kung Fu temples around China are going to be coming here to help organise what the next course of action will be, and the memorial will be held later. You can all attend then if that is your wish. "

"Okay," Po grumbled, a little upset as he felt he was just being thrown aside to put everyone's mind at ease over his injuries.

'I'm healing fine as it is,' Po mentally complained. 'We can all stick around, surely?'

"This isn't just for you, panda," Shifu added, spotting the discontent on Po's face. "You all need to heal from your wounds, and it's better for that to happen when everyone is out of harm's way. Not to mention, the villagers at the Valley of Peace will want to see you all made it. Your father was particularly traumatized by the whole experience, especially when I made to follow you. He knew that something was wrong."

"Don't you want to see your father? Let him know everything's fine now?" Tigress questioned, remembering how deeply Mr Ping was saddened by Po's departure. Not to mention, she promised him that Po would be back quicker than he could say "noodles", and she was determined to make sure Po returned home even if it killed her.

"Y-Yeah … I guess …" Po muttered, looking down.

"We're going with you, remember?" Tigress warmly spoke, putting a comforting paw on Po's arm. "You aren't going to be alone."

Both Po and Shifu were surprised by the softness that Tigress was displaying, her softer side still rarely coming forth despite opening up more since Po had defeated Tai Lung.

'Ah … Is this what is troubling you, child?' Shifu mused, his eyes widening slightly at his foster daughter's display. 'Are you sure this is the path you want to take?'

"W-well, I'll leave you to it," Shifu stammered, clearing his throat and walking away. The slight awkwardness in which he spoke went unnoticed by the younger masters as they looked upon each other with friendly warmth, though emotional confusion ran through each other's veins. Their feelings for one another unexplored thoroughly by either creature.

Within Po, old but strong feelings of admiration and adoration for his favourite member of the Furious Five fused with his current affection and friendship with her, building up into something that threatened to boil over. His heart pounded like a drum, rattling his cracked rib cage. For Tigress, what flowed through her was foreign and strange. Sure, she'd had fleeting moments of fantasies over others, but this was something far deeper and more powerful.

Without thinking, she slowly started rubbing her thumb along his arm, caressing the fur underneath. Startled, Po looked down at her paw, watching her gentle touch brush against his thick black arm. The benign rubbing of her thumb brought rapid heat to his cheeks, while thoughts of something intimate between them resurfaced from the depths of his mind. Dreams and fantasies Po thought long gone merged with the shivers sent by Tigress' seemingly benevolent touch on his arm set the redness in his cheeks to a fierce blush, hidden thanks only to the sheer whiteness of his fur.

Curious, Tigress looked down at where Po's normally friendly eyes were focused, to find her hand gently rubbing his arm up and down, reacting to her heart's desire to make sure he was okay over her confused head. Finally realising what she was doing, she forced her hand away from its slight intimacy with Po and, jumping to her feet, held both her paws behind her back, each paw clasping the other in order to prevent her limbs from wandering when her mind was in shambles.

"U-Um … i-is there anything you want packed for the journey?" Tigress asked, looking off to the side with a little embarrassment. "B-Besides the pack you brought up?"

"Tigress, I think I can get what I need to on my own," Po answered, looking as if he was getting ready to stand up.

"Considering you were in pain just from moving around on the ground," Tigress responded, her other paw that wasn't caressing Po held out to stop him, "I think you could use the help."

Po caught himself from standing as he pondered Tigress' offer. Sighing after a moment, he sat back down in the position he was to begin with.

"Fine," Po sighed, looking up at Tigress and pouting in unhappy defeat.

" So … what do you want?" Tigress questioned, dropping down on one knee in front of Po and resting her paws on her front knee. There was an awkward silence between the two as Po contemplated whether or not there was anything he needed. Awkward for anyone if they were watching, however. Tigress' stoic nature and the time spent around Po up till now had prepared her for the patience she would show others in these situations, though Po not talking for long periods of time felt strange to her.

"I … I don't think there's anything I need," Po answered after his moment of consideration, causing his tiger friend to raise her eyebrows.

"Are you sure?" Tigress said, tilting her head off to the right. "Because I'm-"

"It's fine, Tigress. Really," Po reaffirmed, the female tiger centring her head again. "Just take care of what you need to."

Tigress pushed herself up to her feet with some surprise. The Po she knew wouldn't have hesitated to request something, especially being in his current condition.

"Okay," she said simply before turning to face the long flight of steps. "I'll see you later then, Dragon Warrior."

Tigress slowly walked down the paved steps, her tail swinging ever so slightly as if it was being held central by a thin wire. Her mind was, unusually, a clatter of thoughts after that conversation with the panda master.

'What's going on with Po? I'm only trying to help him, so why refuse my offer? He's too injured to do much. And what was up with my paw …?'

Tigress looks down and raises her paw up at that last thought, the paw in questions that softly rubbed Po's arm. She couldn't place why she had done it, or when she even thought to do it. In fact, because she was trying to reassure Po, Tigress was willing to put it purely down to just instinct.

"Oh, wait," Po whispered to himself as something suddenly came to him. His eyes seemed to widen and sparkle with excitement and his ears perked up. "Tigress?!"

Upon hearing Po, Tigress stoped halfway down the stairs and ran back up, stopping three quarters of the way to the top.

"Po? What is it?"

"Could you make sure there are a couple of crates of radishes on the boat?"

Tigress' expression goes blank, unable to comprehend why such a thing like radishes would be vital for Po to take back.

"Radishes. Are you sure? There's nothing else you want?"

"Nope," Po replied, shaking his head. "Just radishes."

Tigress, still stunned by Po's seemingly odd request, just turned around and walked back down the stairs with no change in her expression.

'Why would he want radishes?' Tigress mused, baffled by the choice Po had made.

"Thanks, Tigress!" Po shouted after her, raising one large furry paw up in a wave.


AN: Yeah, so I hope you all enjoyed that. If it's a little slow for people, then I apologise. Honestly, I feel that a slower build up suits the relationship between Po and Tigress a lot better, mostly due to Tigress' style and personality. That could just be me, I don't know.

If you do like my style, and this story, then I invite you to read my other fics on here. They may not include other Kung Fu Panda fics, but there are How To Train Your Dragon fics for you Dreamworks fanatics. I do have other stories for KFP I want to write, but for now I'm going to take this as I can. I am in Yr 12 after all, and it is not a good time. Not because it's hard or anything, I just get either really bored or really pissed off at school. So, I write to ease my mind.

By all means, feel free to tell me what you think of this. Constructive criticism is always welcome. If you want to ask anything, or even just talk, I'm happy for you to do that as well. But yeah, thoughts either through PM or in the reviews are most welcome. How else can I know if what I'm doing is good or not?

Until next time. Adios.