Yay! I'm starting a new fic! And it's my first mystery murder type thing...wowhoo! Yes, this is a Viper/Monkey fic, which was started by Kippis05. You should totally read his "This is Our Song" Fic. I love it! And I hope you'll love this! Please continue reading, I don't mind at all.

Don't own the movie....

Viper glided along the pathway that led to the outskirts of the valley, not having any specific place to go in mind. She had given direct orders to the other masters that she wanted to be left alone, and that if she saw any of them come after her, they'll be leaving with a sure sign that her health and teeth are in perfect condition. Not for nothing.

A light puff of air blew across her features, causing the lotuses she placed on each side of her cranium to flutter away in the wind, drifting off in different directions. She didn't pay any mind to the fact that her head now laid exposed to her surroundings and kept on with her trail.

Thoughts about what recently happened a day ago clouded her mind with questions of the emotions it left her with and the position that it left her in, and now she paid no attention to where she was led to by the course. It wasn't the fact that she was nearly crushed by an out of control cart that sent blood rushing to her face, but rather, the person who came to her rescue just in time. How could she not have seen the cart coming at her anyway? The answer to her was actually pretty simple. She went through exactly what happened.

She had just stepped out from the usual makeup store with one of the servants from the Jade Palace. A young mouse she handpicked herself, named Fu. The mouse was probably the most outspoken of all servants in the Palace, opposed to his size. If something would not look right, or if you needed to know the truth in something, Fu was the one to ask. Although he is bluntly truthful, Viper appreciates his ability to know the difference between purple and periwinkle.

Viper didn't know why, but she remembered stopping on the spot, and she along with Fu, observed two children playing kickball on the opposite side of the street. Fu sighed wistfully as he hopped onto her head and rested between the blossoms that graced her expression. Viper moved her eyes upward and frowned at the weight that now burdened her head. "What's wrong Fu?"

He scratched his head and flickered his tail once. "Don't you miss being a kid, Master Viper?"

Viper cocked her head, causing Fu to accidently fall into the bag. His low yelp is what got her attention, and that's when she started to search the bag frantically. It was then that she didn't see the cart spiraling out of control. Now she remembered! She had taken Fu out of the bag far too late to realize the cart was aiming right at her. She had squeezed Fu tightly and curled herself in a protective ball. She shut her eyes tight and twisted her neck to brace herself. She remembered how she had been waiting for about 2 seconds to open her eyes again, and saw that Fu was staring at something that had kept them safe from harm. She forced herself to turn her head and face the other direction.

Viper was speechless. Their faces were just a mere 2 inches apart and she felt Fu's fur frizz up. A smile graced the culprit's face, causing Viper to blush lightly. She looked at the ground, trying to avoid any gazes she received from the only two pair of eyes she thought were watching. "Thanks…" she mumbled.

Fu squirmed his way out of her tight grip and brushed himself of. He then glared at Viper, and spoke in what he tried to keep into a calm tone. "Thanks? Thanks!? Master Viper, with all due respect, this…this hero just saved our lives!" Viper opened her mouth to speak, but was shut down when he turned to their rescuer and bowed. "Thank you, Master Monkey."

He shrugged. "No problem. And don't be hard on her, she must still be in shock, you know?" Viper blinked twice and gave Monkey a thankful smile.

He faked a cough, "Do you need help, with your bags?" He asked as he pushed the cart away and gave her some space. Viper said nothing as she picked up her purchased items and placed them back into her bag. She tied the sack and held it out towards Monkey.

"If you're up to it?" she shrugged.

Monkey took one look at the bag and took it with no hesitation. "Anything for the lady!"

It took just a small situation like getting makeup, to cause a humongous ship filled with questions, to sail right into her mind. That one time left her with a different perspective of Monkey in her mind. For one t, how did he know she was in danger? Was he watching her or just hanging around at the scene of the crime? That wasn't the only time she felt that way. When Shifu heard about the cart that went crazy, he sent Viper, Tigress, and Monkey to investigate the scene. Viper wondered how things got so serious so fast.

Monkey, being the most approachable of the Five, asked the questions, while Viper investigated the cart with Tigress. The moment the two females laid their eyes on it, was the moment Viper understood what had gotten the cart to almost kill her. The driver was dead.

Viper, who came prepared with her kit, handed over some gloves to Tigress, who searched the victim: a young looking wolf, who by his size, stature and most notably color, seemed to originate from the Snow Mountains of some foreign country. They placed the wolf on a bed stand, and Tigress was able to examine what had killed the victim, the size of his injuries and hopefully, any clues as to who would kill him. Although Mantis would usually help in an evaluation such as this, he and the other two males searched around the borders of the valley, asking questions and looking for a suspect to launch the investigation with a head start.

"Two stabbings on his lower abdomen, one just about three inches away from the heart, and a wire that appeared to have choked him to death. So far, no evidence of an identity yet. But he does look around his thirties'…"

Viper sighed. "We're to going to have to do a more evaluated search if we want answers…" she observed the cart and read the logo imprinted on the side. "Red Dragon."

"What?"

"The logo on the cart, it says 'Red Dragon'. That's a food market place, right?" Tigress nodded and Viper looked below that, "Hey, it says that it's around West Lake, Quanzhou. But it takes days to come here, if not weeks due to the remoteness of this valley. How could the food last that long without going bad…?" Viper slithered to the cart and opened the back doors. Bags and piles of Money flew out of the cart, startling her. Tigress raised a brow.

"What would he be doing here with all this money?" Tigress bent down and examined the unfamiliar paper money. "This money…it's not from around here."

Viper took it from her and saw a face on one side and a house of some sort on the other. "Do you think…it could belong to any of the foreigners we've been hearing about?"

Tigress placed her hands on her hips. "I don't know, but it looks like we've got a mystery on our hands."

"Tigress!" Monkey jumped down from a ceiling and landed in between the two girls. "I've got a league!"

Tigress wasted no time in exchanging information. "So do we! Red Dragon at West Lake, Quanzhou. Cart filled with foreign currency, with bills of 5s' and 1s'. What'd you find out?"

"His name. It's Fao Chiang, age 34, born 5/13/1872."

Viper was impressed. "Wow, how'd you figure out all that?"

He pulled out a card. "I found this," he handed it to Viper, "at a trail that led to an old and what seemed to be abandoned warehouse."

BONK!

Viper's thoughts came to a sudden stop when she collided with an oak tree. She rubbed her head. How far had she gone? She looked up at the sky, and saw that it was just after noon. She turned around, intending to find her way back safely to the Jade Palace. Her thoughts of Monkey are going to have to wait; they've got an assassin to find.

So, should I continue? Please review and tell if you like what you've read. I won't if you disliked it. I will if you liked it and MOST certainly will if you loved it...