A/N: This is my first FanFic. I am a long time fan and reviewer of several authors. Please read Whitee Foxclaw's, FFcrazy15's, ScarletShadow's (Rated M), and The Green-Eyed Wolf's stories; they are all wonderful and inspiring.

Hope you all enjoy. Let us begin.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda, Dreamworks does.

Introduction

Valley of Peace, Jade Palace.

"Gurgle…"

"Calm down, buddy, we're almost there," Po whispered to his stomach, caressing it gently.

Po huffed and gasped for air, as he walked up the stairs. No matter how much he trained, it seemed like the stairs were infinite. He was relieved that he had to defeat bandits and armies instead of these "massive stairs of doom".

Po turned his head and gazed back down towards the valley, looking at the Dragon Warrior's Noodle Shop with a smile. He reminisced on the moment with his father, when he gave him that big hug with tears that swelled in his eyes. He told him about the battle with Shen and how he found inner peace, despite his troubled past. As soon as he was done, his dad started to brag about it to the customers. He announced that it was a day of celebration and offered them free food – well, with purchase of course.

I couldn't have asked for a better dad, Po thought with a warm sensation that emitted from his heart. He then immediately let out a small chuckle from his dad's extreme cheapness.

"Grumble…"

This time his belly was a little louder. Po let out a hearty laugh, turned his head and continued up the stairs. He was on a new quest, for something… delectable. Po decided to sneak somewhere for a special dessert; his destination was the Jade Palace cookery.

Po reached the palace gates, and got ready for operation: cookies. He used his stealth mode – or lack thereof – to make sure nobody was there.

The Furious Five must be training already. Perfect, Po rationalized, as he gave a mischievous grin with his paws rubbing together cunningly.

Thirty minutes passed by in his quest for glory. A loud rumble echoed in the kitchen, as Po tried to figure out the new place where Monkey hid the almond cookies. His eyes searched every possible spot, as his mind deducted the areas he already checked. Pots, pans and food were spread across the floor. The culinary area now looked like a disaster had struck it. His mouth began to water, as he thought of those crunchy morsels and how they all will be devoured.

If I was Monkey… Where would I put my almond cookies? Po thought as he rubbed his unsatisfied stomach.

Po continued to search, and made sure that he left no stone unturned. He sensed that he was getting warmer, and that the search was almost over. He became frantic, as he felt that he was going to starve without those delectable cookies. When he was about to reach the last possible spot–

"Eh-hem."

Po froze instantly, as his heart skipped a beat. He slowly turned around with a sick feeling. He hoped it was not whom he thought it was. His gaze finally reached the witness of his crime. A look of relief came across his face, but suddenly he felt utterly awkward.

Crap, it just had to be her. She always sneaks up on me when I am doing something stupid. At least it wasn't Master Shifu; Po scolded himself mentally.

"What are you doing, Po?" Tigress questioned with a smirk. She already had an idea of what he did, when she examined the room. She just enjoyed seeing the panda squirm a bit. So, she continued, "Looks like you let out the awesomeness in this kitchen, huh?"

"I … uh," Po stammered nervously "was – uh – re-organizing the kitchen and –" Tigress put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. Po looked at her expressions and finally confessed; "I was looking for Monkey's almond cookies. I haven't had them since the battle with Tai Lung, I was very hungry and I promise I was gonna buy him some afte–"

Tigress held her paw on his mouth, immediately quieting the rambling panda. She chuckled and informed, "Monkey does not hide his cookies in the kitchen anymore, Po. He put them somewhere else after that incident... and – no – I am not going to tell you where."

Po was utterly devastated – with hint of embarrassment. Curses! I'll find them one day with my eyes of rapid searching! He pouted in his mind, as he twiddled his thumbs, and looked around like a child in trouble. He then felt the gaze of Tigress piercing through him; he knew that the pain was coming.

Po gulped, "Please don't tell Master Shifu; he will kill me!"

"You do not have to worry about that," Tigress replied with a devious grin that went unnoticed by the panda.

"Thank you, Tigress! Oh man, I was worried there. Haha… ha… huh?"

Po finally realized the look Tigress gave him; it was like she went 'hardcore' on him with her eyes, and that smirk... crap. He knew what was coming next, as he winced with anticipation.

"Oh, not a problem, Dragon Warrior," she said deviously, emphasizing the Dragon Warrior. "You just have to deal with me instead… and no snack stops either."

Ugh, first I have to spar with her, and now I can't eat till we are done. She is just as bad as Master Shifu! Po grumbled mentally.

Po then looked at her and put his head down in defeat with a low sigh. "I will see you in the training room," he muttered while walking out of the kitchen.

"Rumble…"

"Yeah, yeah… I know!" Po yelled at his stomach.

Tigress snickered quietly; she always found Po's stomach noises amusing.

I just killed two birds with one stone, Tigress thought happily.

She would never admit it, but Tigress liked when she sparred with Po. She always admired the fact that he never gave up. No matter how much she beat up on him, he was ready for more and was always willing to learn. She knew that his enthusiasm for kung fu had no bounds, which helped him in training. He began to grow on her after every session. Even his skill improved greatly over time, which she gained respect for. At first, after Tai Lung's defeat, he lasted seconds during a fight, but now he lasted an impressive amount of time.

I wonder how he will do with his new found inner peace? Tigress questioned mentally with eagerness, as she smiled slightly, enough to see her pearly white fangs. I love competition, especially with him – huh? Tigress shook her head. What am I thinking? He is going down! I am going to kick his ass! His soft round – enough! Tigress scolded herself, as a slight redness appeared on her cheeks.

After the hugs the warriors shared and the emotional roller coaster they went through during the battle with Shen, Tigress became confused on her feelings for Po. She grew to care for him and that was fine, but recently it just felt… different. She never really had interaction with males, unless it was professional. Shifu made sure of that earlier in her life. When she grew older it was all about training for the Dragon Scroll, not to mention she felt men were a waste of time. Yet, when Po came into her life, she opened up more. At first she looked at him in disgust and anger. But when she got to know his pure heart and carefree attitude, her walls she put up against the world began to crumble. All that 'hardcore' Po talked about started to melt away. He never tried to convince or persuade the changes either; he was just being Po.

"We are just friends – best friends maybe – but nothing more. Get it together, Tigress," She said softly, trying to convince herself.

Tigress gained her composure and scanned around the 'war zone' her friend left. She chuckled to herself, thankful for the fact that she was not an almond cookie. Suddenly, Tigress realized something of great importance. "Wait a minute. Po, get back here and clean your mess, you lazy bum!" She yelled, as she dashed out of the kitchen to chase after him.

Po looked back at her with his signature smirk. "I will, but you have to catch me first!" Po teased, as he ran away – or attempted to.

"Oh that's it, big boy!" Tigress shouted with a minor smirk on her face.

Another challenge, he knows me too well. Po, I am glad you dropped from the sky, into our lives, Tigress thought, as her smirk widened contently into a smile. She then chuckled and chased after her prey.

Location Unknown, Xiong Shou Base Camp

The damp smell of morning dew entered into her nostrils. The feline breathed in deeply, closed her eyes and felt the cool breeze trickle through her thick fur. The campfire she was next to became dim, as the dawn of a new day began. She examined the area around her, as she waited for the lord to come out of his tent.

Her eyes were deep blue, like sapphires. Her fur glistened a golden hue, as the light shined brightly through the trees upon it. She was slim and slender, yet her muscles could be seen through her pelt. A feline not native in this land, she was a lioness. Her attire consisted of pants and a vest, with a hood that covered most of her face. The outfit was dark as the night during a new moon.

Meticulously, she checked her weapons and poisons to make sure everything was in place. She wanted to make sure she was ready for, hopefully, her last mission. The lioness wanted to leave her "legacy" behind. You would not call her famous, more so a myth. Some called her the Angel of Death, for not only was she lethal but also the most beautiful creature you would ever see. Others called her a shadow, because that was all you saw when you bled onto the floor profusely, as you waited for your demise.

Her ears suddenly perked up, as she heard the footsteps from within the lord's tent.

Finally, I want to get this mission over with so I can see her again. She growled under her breath, as she examined her sharp claws.

As the tent opened, she kneeled and greeted respectfully; "Morning, my lord, you summoned me?"

This was her first interaction with him, yet she was told by Diablo – her previous employer and right hand man of the lord – that he must be spoken to in that manner.

"You may rise, assassin," The lord responded in a commanding tone.

The lioness stood straight, as she examined her new employer. The first thing she noticed was the scar on the right side of his face. His right eyelid was sealed, with a red claw mark over the middle. His left eye was crimson; it burned like the fire in the depths of hell. His fur was white with black stripes, a white tiger. He was a muscular and shirtless one, with his large arms crossed over his broad chest. He wore blood red slacks, with a black tortoise emblem that ran up the left side. She looked at his grin and also saw his long sharp fangs.

The lord walked up to the lioness and examined her thoroughly.

Impressive, she will do, he thought with a devious smile.

"My first commander, Diablo, highly recommended you. As you know, if you complete this mission, I promise your freedom from your debts you owe him. Yet if not," he chuckled darkly, "we will talk about that in a second."

"What do you wish of me, my lord?" The lioness inquired; she tried to keep her composure, for she knew the emotions would not help the situation.

"Call me Lord Johan. Let me ask you, have you heard of the Dragon Warrior?" Johan inquired nonchalantly.

The lioness's eyes widened, Surely he doesn't want me to…

"Yes, Lord Johan, I have heard of him," she responded somewhat timidly, as she tried to prevent a shocked expression externally.

"I need him eliminated, with proof of his demise. Here is the all the information we have gathered of this Dragon Warrior," Johan stated, as he handed the lioness the bound scroll. "You have one month to complete this mission." He then paused for a minute to stroke his chin and then continued, "Oh, and Sheva, do not bother coming back if you have failed."

My ears must deceive me; how does he know my actual name? The only person who knows that is – Sheva's heart instantly sunk into the pit of her stomach.

She growled with anger with her heart pounding from within her chest; "You leave her out of this! She is innocent!"

"Temper, temper… remember who you are speaking to. We wouldn't want something to happen to her, would we?" Johan responded with a teasing tone and then laughed evilly. "Think of it as collateral; she will be taken care of by my wife until you return."

Sheva contemplated, Bastard! How did he find out about her? I was careful to make sure nobody followed me when my missions were complete. I will never forgive myself if – I need to regain my composure… for her.

"Apologies, Lord Johan, it will not happen again," Sheva yielded.

"Good. Now, get out of my sight. You are wasting precious daylight," Johan spat; then immediately turned and walked back into his tent.

Sheva glared towards Lord Johan's makeshift dwelling and growled. Everything within her being wanted to tear him to shreds, but it was not a risk worth taking – not now at least. Sheva did not wait a moment longer, as she got on all fours. She dashed from the camp with all her might and disappeared into the thick green forest.

A/N: Thank you for taking your time to read my story. Post a review and let me know what you think.