A/N: My First fanfic for Kung Fu Panda, so please be nice to me...*whimpers*.

ch1- Just Another Day

Shifu woke up to the utter silence. Why hadn't his master, Oogway, gotten him up early like he always had? With this question in his mind, he got ready for training. When he came outside of the Jade Palace, he warmed himself up, but there was still no sign of his master. It was then he decided himself that he would look for him. Walking around, he came to the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. There Master Oogway sat, and Shifu became even more confused. He walked over to speak to him, asking him what he'd been wondering earlier.

"I figured I'd let you sleep today. I have some big news for you," Master Oogway told him. Wondering how this news affected him and his training, Oogway continued.

"As you already know, I've got another training ground on the other side of China. It must come down because I'm no longer able to get there and back here constantly. One of my students, Miss Aundrey, wishes to keep training, no matter what the cost. So, she's coming here to the Jade Palace," he explained. Shifu sat down on a rock next to Oogway, still wondering why he'd skipped training today.

"I don't mind master, but why am I resting today?" Shifu asked.

"You can still train, my friend. I assume you've already warmed up. Miss Aundrey is arriving tomorrow," Oogway informed him. Shifu, being so devoted to his Kung Fu, went off by himself to train. It didn't last for too long, though. The thought of not knowing whether or not his position, technique, or attacking stance was correct, irritated him. After he could stand it no longer, he stopped. Walking into the Jade Palace, he passed his master eating in the kitchen. However, he wasn't hungry, and he understood little of what his master was doing to him. He walked into his room to see his staff leaning against the wall.

"Must've left it here on accident," he told himself. He picked it up, and he walked outside.

The sky was clear today, with the sun beating down onto him as he walked to the side of the Jade Palace. As always, he found his favorite spot to relax, a shade tree. He sat under it, looking at his staff. Shifu had trained with that staff for a long time. He knew almost everything he could do with it.

"I guess I should make something of the day," he told himself, getting up. Picking up the staff, he spun it around with ease in a circle. From there, he moved on to combinations. He did this until an idea struck his mind. Shifu decided that he would walk around the village. He went to put the staff away in the indoor training arena, and he found his master once again. He wasn't doing anything too drastic, but Shifu took little notice of this at all. Then, he put the staff back where it belonged, which was on a nice rack where other weapons were. After doing so, he was about to leave, but Master Oogway asked him where he was going.

"I have decided that for the remainder of my time, I will simply walk around the village," Shifu told his master.

"Very well," Oogway said, and Shifu walked out. When he opened the final door to the entrance to the Jade Palace, he saw the giant stairs. The Jade Palace was on top of a very large hill, with a good 500 (probably more) stairs.

"I've forgotten how large these stairs are," he murmured. "Oh, well." He started his way down, taking in everything around him. It was a nice day, and Shifu hoped this would clear his mind out.

He took his first few steps into the village. Shifu rarely was out and about in the village at all. He was so busy with his training that he didn't really have much time to enjoy things like this. Now, he finally saw how much the village had changed since he was last here. Shifu come upon a noodle house, and it smelt delicious to him at the moment. Before he knew it, he'd paid for a bowl of noodle soup and he went to sit at a table by himself. A waiter, at least it looked that way to Shifu, came up to him.

"Mind if I sit with you?" he asked. The guy sounded pretty tired to him, considering it was only about one 'o'clock in the afternoon. Shifu let him sit down across from him, and the panda looked thrilled.

"Thank you," the waiter told him. Why is this guy so tired, Shifu thought to himself.

"Were you up late or something? You look tired," Shifu told him, trying to make a conversation.

"Naw, business is just nuts today," he told him.

"Are you the only one working here or something?" Shifu asked next.

"Of course, I'm the owner's son. My name's Po Ping. I serve everyone here," the panda said, not sounding too proud of his answer. That's got to be tiring, Shifu thought as he watched this guy catching his breath.

"Po! What are you doing?" a voice came, sounding annoyed. His voice was so odd sounding that Shifu had to look up to see who called the waiter's name. He looked up to see a duck at the counter.

"Sorry, Dad. I'm coming," the waiter called back, and he got up to go over to the duck. So the panda's his son, Shifu comprehended.

After finishing his noodle soup, which was most likely the greatest thing he'd ever tasted, Shifu walked up to the counter to give a tip. He continued walking until he came to the edge of the village. He hadn't noticed this until he found out he'd been walking on grass for the past few minutes. Shifu thought that he was still distracted today for some odd reason.

He turned around to head back, but instead, a little tiger stood right in front of him.

Review! (pretty please...)