Hey there again! This is just an idea that I refused to let just gather dust in the back of my head. Haven't seen much of Mei Ling the rogue in KFP fanfics, so I thought that I'd incorporate her in one of mine. I'll see you all at the bottom of this page. Anyways enjoy! :D

Mei Ling's Return

*Several years before Tai-Lung was adopted by Shifu*

(Outskirts of the Valley of Peace)

When she spotted him for the first time practicing Tai-Chi on a narrow cliff at midnight, she thought, "My, my. This will easier than I thought. Who would even practice such a useless art so late anyways..." Little did she know that the red panda she had so carelessly misjudged as a rich merchant who was simply hiding underneath a peasant's robe was indeed Master Shifu, Grandmaster Oogway's prodigy and member of the current Furious Five. This meant that himself and masters Snow Leopard, Rooster, Elephant, and Owl (commonly known as Fenghuang), were committed to dedicating their lives in order to protect the Valley of Peace from the toughest bandits to the usual miscreants, like Mei Ling.

Finders, keepers. That was her way of life. What she grew up around. How she kept herself going. Mei Ling abandoned her parents long ago, thinking such ties were only going to burden her in the future as she continued down the path of greed and selfishness. She kept her feelings bottled up and mostly detached from others to avoid becoming notorious within city limits, although when seduction became an easy option to mislead males into handing her their priceless jewelry, she would still pounce on the opportunity nevertheless. However, it all changed when the fox met Shifu.

The fox herself, sporting a light pink robe with white trimming along with a matching pink sash, was hiding in the dense foliage of an adjacent cliff near Shifu's, waiting patiently for the right time to strike. The moment arrived soon enough, and Mei Ling proceeded to launch herself out of the bushes and knock out the supposedly entitled merchant with a single blow to a pressure point on the side of his neck. It would have been a successful attempt, but the red panda with his acute hearing and superior reflexes had easily dodged her outstretched fingers and flipped her on her back, knocking the air out of her lungs.

Mel Ling didn't give up, and rolled away from him as much as she dared without falling off the narrow cliff. Her eyes then widened as she realized just who she had decided to rob and mentally reprimanded herself. "Of course my target just HAS to be the most annoying possible target of all... Shifu... You really do surprise me. Why wear such an ugly robe when you can clearly buy something more presentable? I mean, you do live in a palace that is made entirely out of jade, quite the expensive mineral if I may add. Nevertheless, I'm not afraid of getting a little bounty placed on my head just because I assaulted some 'Kung Fu Master'."

The rogue then delivered a complex series of punches and kicks towards the red panda, some of it clearly hitting its mark, before he retaliated. Shifu caught both of Mei Ling's wrists, then released them too quickly for her to react and landed a strong jab at her stomach before back flipping gracefully to the edge of the cliff.

Mei Ling spat out some blood out of the corner of her mouth from the severity and precision of Shifu's attacks but was not hindered in any way. "He's really as good as word on the street, but then again, he's an animal, just like all of us. He has to have at least some mistakes that I can expose later on." the fox thought with a cold determination on her face. She recovered enough energy to deliver a strong punch to the side of Shifu's face only to reel backward in pain while grasping her cheek along with the red panda. It turns out, he was thinking the same thing as her, and they simultaneously socked each other in the cheekbone, thankfully not shattering or fracturing and bones.

How Mei Ling had achieved her Kung Fu skills was unknown and probably questionable, but she still possessed an uncanny skill for it without a doubt. In fact, her aptitude for it was enough to rival a well trained, Kung Fu master like Shifu to a certain extent. The two locked eyes together, and the red panda spoke for the first time that night.

"M'lady, listen. I don't know why you'd even try something as foolish as this, but you now have two choices. You can either come quietly with me to the prison located near this village, or I can drag your unconscious body there. Honestly, I don't take any form of pleasure in fighting women, but I can and will do what I must. I'm sure you understand, hence your attack on me when my guard was lowered."

The vulpine's eyebrows raised slightly at his choice of words. M'lady? Seriously? "What a gentleman," thought Mei Ling sarcastically, "yet he is still willing to punch such an impressionable girl like me. Hmph. The nerve of that hypocrite." Her thoughts were interrupted as she just barely dodged a roundhouse kick aimed at her face and refocused her thoughts on the combat situation in front of her.

"It seems you want to do this the hard way. Unfortunately, it seems I have no choice now. Ma'am, I'd like to say that I DID in fact inform you of your two options, so take it up with the constable if you don't like what's going to happen next, not me."

Shifu had a hint of a smug smile as if he had waited for forever to use that cheesy line, which he probably had in fact done just that. The fox could only sigh in exasperation while face-palming herself.

Mei Ling then suddenly lowered her fighting stance, held out both her arms to him, and said quite defeatedly, "Fine. You win. I'll submit to you. Take me to jail. Just please go easy when tying my wrists together; I can get marked quite easily..."

Shifu, blinking in confusion at first, cautiously accepted the fox's surrender, and calmly walked towards the now flat-eared fox with a length of rope produced from his robe. "Better to be over-prepared, than underprepared... I'll have to thank you later for your wisdom, Grandmaster Oogway. For now though..."

He had slipped the rope around and between Mei Ling's outstretched wrists, watching her face for any signs of struggling or deceit. The vulpine calmly stared back, her face revealing nothing, but a neutral demeanor and reluctant acceptance. Shifu was just about to finish tying the last knot to secure her properly, only to be headbutted quite painfully in the space between his eyes.

Mei Ling smirked mischievously when she noticed the red panda fighting back the tears that were slowly accumulating underneath his eyelids. She knew that would have hurt more than she had planned to. "Hah, how gullible can men be? To think he actually thought that I would just quietly let him tie me up so he could haul me to jail. His naivete knows no bounds, does it?" thought the satisfied vulpine while quickly biting through the ropes binding her wrists.

Once she was free, she did not hesitate to lunge towards the temporarily incapacitated master with a strong uppercut followed by a swift leg sweep. She was about to land the finishing blow on his chest while he was down, but of course, Shifu rolled away just in time before she struck.

"She clearly has a natural talent at this," mused Shifu, "but it all ends now. A shame. Perhaps she might have even become a student under the Jade Palace had she not taken to petty thievery." While Mei Ling was clutching her paw painfully after striking the ground below her, narrowly missing the master yet again, she didn't have enough time to complain over the slightly bleeding knuckles she now possessed as the red panda quickly kneed her in the face, effectively disorientating her. When she finally was able to focus, she came to with an image of Master Shifu on top of her,straddling her and pinning her to the ground. With how isolated the cliff was and the setting of her environment, this would have almost been romantic had it not been so infuriating.

Mei Ling had effectively been brought down. No matter how hard she squirmed and struggled, Shifu had an iron grip on her. Knowing fighting was useless, the vulpine went limp. Shifu however, did not fall for her tactics this time and only added more pressure on her wrists that he was currently restraining. The rogue paid no attention to it, with much difficulty, and decided to play her ace. Her being a thief, she didn't have the time to buy a lot of makeup to lift her appearances. She would always be too busy spending most of her free time running away from the angered guards whom she had chosen as easy marks to pickpocket.

She knew she was attractive, though. Actually, scratch that. She was VERY attractive. The men who would walk up to her and forcibly try to mate with her at first sight proved as much. Obviously, the males that made a move on her were never successful. They either had myriad bruises around their sacred area and couldn't walk for a week, a slit throat, or were currently resting at the bottom of a river, slowly decomposing to get rid of the evidence. The fox inhaled inaudibly, mentally psyching herself up for probably being the first woman ever to seduce a Kung Fu master.

She opened her amber eyes to see a pair of steel blue ones, staring firmly back, watching for any signs of resistance. She smirked up at the red panda above her and harbored a suggestive smile, harboring a sparkle in her eyes when she tilted her head a certain way.

"My, my... The great Master Shifu of the Furious Five has just pinned downed a lady like me, and we're all alone... free from prying eyes on top of this cliff. Do you have anything else in mind after tying me up and rendering me totally helpless?"

At this, Shifu blushed profusely. In truth, he had thought that she was quite the beautiful vulpine, but didn't let that knowledge get in the way of their confrontation. It wasn't until where he was now that he could actually appreciate her features. Realizing his ignominious ogling, the red panda scolded himself in his mind and forced his mind to return back to its previous state. Shifu's concentration faltered once more as he reflected on just what exactly the rogue was implying.

Mei Ling was enjoying this spectacle. Though Master Shifu currently had the upper hand, the look in his eyes gave away his inner turmoil. Ironically, she had him right where she wanted him. Now, all that's left is just one, tiny nudge in the right direction...

"I know who you are, Master Shifu. I myself am quite a shrewd negotiator. As you can clearly tell, I'm in quite the predicament. I really do not want to go to jail, and am willing to do ANYTHING to avoid it, so I was hoping I could 'persuade' you to ignore this one infraction. Well? What say you to that? Quite the... arousing idea, don't you think?"

While she spoke, Mei Ling had winked when she said "persuade", and batted her eyelids flirtatiously at him. If the master wasn't completely flustered already, he definitely was now. It was quite the comical sight. His left ear was flapping back and forth rapidly, and his right eye was twitching as if there was a mosquito buzzing around it. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was incoherent and probably indignant stuttering.

The seductress of a vulpine giggled in an adorable fashion at his reaction, but that moment was short-lived as she had turned the tables on him, so to speak. While Shifu was still trying to regain what was left of his composure, Mei Ling had taken the initiative and flipped him over, effectively reversing their positions.

Master Shifu was stunned. No one had ever gotten the better of him like that. Not even the famed "Ladies of the Shade" who had at the time claimed superiority in the field of enticing men with their flawless skills and a flattering articulation.

Shifu tried to be angry, to yell at her to get off, but all that came out was a goofy grin as the fox looked down at him with a victorious smirk. It quickly changed to one of seriousness and assertiveness.

"I have won, AND as fair as a rogue could possibly ever win, so in regards to your title and reputation of Master...I'll let you go. But, since I've proven myself, I hold you to your obligations and I'll be able to walk away from all this scot-free, you hear me?" The red panda only nodded numbly in response, not even uttering a single word as she released him and prepared to jump downwards off the cliff.

Before she could though, the fox heard one thing come out from the stuttering master's lips.

"W-Wait!"

Mei Ling paused but didn't turn around. She only had her ears perked up, signifying that she was listening.

Shifu exhaled a little tiredly. "What... is your name, if I may ask?"

The vulpine did not answer his question right away. Should she give out her identity? Or should she just walk off? She had never encountered a situation where she would need to reveal her name, therefore she took the time to think before answering. Letting her opposition know her name was clearly not a smart move, but a tug on her gut convinced her otherwise.

"It's... Mei Ling. And don't get your hopes up. It'd be best if you forgot it, as the only time you will probably ever see me here again is because I'm in desperate need of help, which I do not want and certainly never will. Nor do I wish to see you again, as I'll likely get arrested the next time we meet. Enjoy the rest of your night... Master Shifu."

The rogue finally turned around to give the red panda a mocking bow, before leaping gracefully off the cliff and into the mist below, where a road was concealed by the dense fog. She walked down the path, looking far into the clustered trees, awaiting a surprise attack. If it was a bad day, maybe an arrow or two would be sent flying towards her right in the center of her forehead. Fortunately, none came, leaving Mei Ling to recede into her own private thoughts.

She sighed, frustrated that the heaviness in her heart had refused to cede. What was going on with her? She had never felt this sense of longing after enticing someone. The fox had also pondered why seducing him seemed easy for her, and not subtly forced as usual. She walked on faster, hoping that getting away farther from the red panda would ease her anxiety. Perhaps she was still in the heat of the moment. Maybe her adrenaline rush was still traveling throughout her body, causing her to feel this way.

The fox walked on with a steady, determined face. Not exactly threatening to others, but not enough to cause the occasional traveler to raise an arm in benediction and open up a light conversation with her.

After many miles of walking she eventually got to a clearing that contained a river bank, with the water continuously flowing downstream at a steady rate. The nighttime moonlight had eventually started to succumb to the slowly approaching dominant rays of the sun, thus creating quite the enchanting view. The river bank was not on the road, so it was avoided for the most part, and it was in the middle of the bamboo forest Mei Ling passed not too long ago. Inconspicuously lying further down the riverside was a spacious cave in which had a mossy overhang, concealing its entrance from prying eyes. The vulpine walked towards it, gratefully sighing in relief before pushing the plant-life aside and entering.

This was her "home" if you will. Though she was always on the move in case the city guards were notified of her presence in the area, she was always able to lose them and come back to this seemingly unimportant cave that had and still is currently acting as her safe house. Its irrelevant nature was what inspired Mei Ling to move inside of it in the first place. When she first arrived, it had been out of desperation to avoid a harsh winter blizzard, but she had soon renovated it into something more comfortable to live in after realizing its tactical advantage.

Her home consisted of a kitchen table, with a stool that should probably be replaced soon as it was now a dilapidated safety hazard, and a fire that had been long put out sitting idly in the center of the room. At one side of the cave lay a relatively clean bed mat with a few medical supplies lying next to it in all of their respective containers. Mei Ling felt her way through the darkness and started the fire once again. The shadows that the crackling fire illuminated only added to the serenity and the sense of welcome emitting from the interior of the cave.

Exhausted from the fight, the rogue walked over to her bed mat, treated her wounds, and closed her eyes awaiting the comfort of sleep. Just then, her stomach rumbled quite obnoxiously. The vulpine opened her eyes slowly, then closed them once again, trying to avoid her hunger pangs. Of course, she had forgotten to do her weekly routine of snatching food out of unsuspecting people's baskets in order to sustain herself. Oh well, she'd deal with that later. She was too tired to care. As the sun started rising up, signaling the presence of morning, Mei Ling put out the fire and went back to her attempts at getting some rest.

Being nocturnal took a while for the fox to adjust to, but her capabilities at stealth and likewise were exponentially enhanced when there were fewer witnesses to watch her pick a pocket. These days, the rogue was a natural at her reversed schedule: Wake up at the crack of dusk, do the things that made her, HER, and casually retreat back to her home. Hopefully with quite the usual rich spoils, which she would quickly get bored of and toss them aside after a week.

As Mei Ling slowly drifted off into slumber, she had pleasant thoughts of Master Shifu...Wait a minute, Shifu? The vulpine shook her head trying to erase his memory from her mind with a great amount of denial and disgust, while physically clenching her fists tightly.

"Knowing you, you'll eventually turn me into the guards. That's how the world works. 'Good guys prosper', while the rest are just there to pick up the scraps...It's only inevitable. I guess I'll have to deal with YOU as well as my hunger later on...For now though, consider yourself lucky you're not my first priority...Shifu..."

Author's Note: Well, what do ya think? Questions? Comments? Snide remarks? Flames? I got inspiration for this chapter by watching KFP LOA: "Shifu's Ex" again. BTW, I also decided to include the 'fight scene flashback' from that episode into this chapter, and am quite happy with the way it turned out. Anyways, I'll release the second chapter whenever I have the time to, so I'll see you all later :D