I don't own these characters. I also don't own Veet. I don't own iPods. I also don't own Marvin the Martian.

Marvin the Martian: I claim this pairing in the name of Mars.

SL: Hey, wait a minute!—punts Marvin— I claim this pairing in the name of Earth!

A/N: Yeah, so I've never seen this pairing before, so I'm going to give it a try.

The Price of Honor

1: Being Ninja Ain't Always Great

Drakken sat at his desk in his lab, going over his bills. He figured since he was a genius, he could balance his own books and everything. Shego generally had a good laugh over that, believing it was just another thing for him to screw up. She was mostly right, especially since he noticed he might have to borrow money from her again to pay… well, her. He doubted that would go over well, especially if he had to explain that one.

"She'll get all huffy and start with the hurting words and then the hitting," he muttered, feeling her sting already.

The scientist sighed, looking at the expenses that came from henchmen, hoping there would be some answer there for his budget problem. He searched his ledger, marking down every loose dollar, but it did not help much. He thought maybe he could skim money from the henchmen and funnel it to Shego's paycheck, but as he eyed the paper, the gears in his mind turned.

The henchmen were almost as expensive as Shego and they did much less work. They were more pleasant to be around than Shego, but pleasant did not steal the components he required to take over the world. Pleasant also did not hold off Kim Possible long enough for him to get a scheme rolling. Pleasant did not pull him out of any close calls. If he held off on paying them, then he could pay Shego, but he knew he would eventually have the same problem again if not next month then the one after that. It was always like that.

The cerulean-skinned male huffed. "It's like I'll never get out of debt!" He cleared his desk of books and paper by sweeping his arms across the table like a petulant child. He folded his arms across his chest, wrinkling his cobalt jumpsuit.

Drakken turned his heated obsidian eyes to the floor where he pushed all of his papers and noticed some magazines mixed in with his finances. He would not have thought anything of it, but one of the magazines was open and it was opened to a very interesting advertisement. He rubbed his chin in thought.

"Maybe…" he mumbled.

Drakken stood up and went to retrieve the magazine to get a better look at the ad. His expression melted from upset to intrigued, the wheels in his head spinning once again. Maybe what he needed was cheaper and more competent help than what his henchmen provided. After all, Shego was worth more than all of his henchmen put together and there was only one of her. Even though Shego's check alone was as much as the henchmen put together, she did infinitely more than they did, so they cost him much more in his opinion. So, maybe instead of having a bunch of worthless henchmen, he should get one more Shego.

"One that's not as snippy," he mused, mumbling thoughtfully to himself. Yeah, one more Shego would be nice, but one who did not have all of the extra mouth and hopefully one who did not want as much money as Shego.

Despite Shego's smart-mouth, Drakken valued her, of course. She did what he told her to do for the most part and she even hung out with him sometimes, sort of like a friend. She went to karaoke night with him, watched movies with him on occasion, and sometimes even celebrated holidays with him if he asked nicely. She was supportive of him in her own weird way. Sure, she made fun of him all the time, but she never turned down a job once he got started, which she could easily do. Without Shego most of his projects would not even get off of the ground since it was not like he could steal most of the equipment that he needed.

"Why do I even have henchmen?" he asked himself with a snort. He was pretty much throwing away money by having them around since Shego did everything. She got the equipment, she held off Kim Possible, and she helped him escape, if not from the lair than from jail… most of the time anyway. It would definitely be a good move all around to find someone else as capable as Shego than keeping around a bunch of henchmen that did not do anything. "I might even be able to win with twice the Shego."

He scanned around for a phone or anything to get in contract with the number on the ad, but the floor was totally cluttered. He supposed now, looking down at the mess that he made, clearing the desk with his forearms might not have been the wisest thing to do. He bent down and started grumbling to himself as he he searched for the phone. He shouted his triumph to the ceiling when he came across the lost the device.

"Ha ha! Drakken — one, phone — zero!" he cheered as he set himself up against the desk and began dialing the number. This is a lot of numbers. Still, he made it through. "This is probably my best idea this week!" he congratulated himself already, doing a little dance as he waited for an answer.

He was proud to have figured out a way to reduce costs in his operation on his own. Plus, he was probably going to raise efficiency. Shego would not believe it. She thought he could hardly tie his shoes without supervision. Take that, doubting Shego! He did not even take into account all of the expenses that would go down if he had to let go all of his henchmen, like he would not have to worry about providing people with those red jumpsuits or feed a bunch of lazy, fat guys who probably could only catch Kim Possible if she had a steak tied around her waist.

"Why didn't I see this before when they couldn't open that pickle jar!" Drakken groaned to himself as he was put on hold. He began humming the tune that played, moving his body with the music. It was a peppy song that was just making him feel even giddier about his plan. He smiled all the way through it.

-8-8-8-8-

Yori was meditating in a secluded garden when she was summoned by Master Sensei. It was all a part of her morning ritual. She tended to devote much of her time to her art, so when she woke up in the morning, she did a couple of hours of Tai Chi, even though many of the ninja preferred to go through katas; katas were evening exercises for her. She took a shower and ate breakfast. She then went into her mediation on normal days, but it would seem that she was not in a normal day anymore.

She broke out of her trance when a bird landed on her shoulder with a note tied to its leg. She read the paper, which only had Master Sensei's name on it, and hurried to his office in the main school building. It was disrespectful to keep Master Sensei waiting, so whenever he called for her, she always dropped whatever she was doing as soon as possible. There were a few students who made fun of her for how she snapped at his directions, but they did not know she heard. She did not care what they thought, especially since they more than likely would not last at the school. She did such things out of courtesy and a deep respect for the man who she believed not only saved her life, but gave her a purpose, like every other ninja there.

Yori had lost her parents at a very early age. She had been left with family members who did not like her much and did not take great care of her. To be blunt, they treated her like a slave for the most part, abused her, and did not seem to care if she lived or died. She never did understand why. She ran away when she was seven and probably would have died on the streets, frozen and starved, if Master Sensei had not come across her. He gave her a warm coat, fed her, and paid her simple attention. During that time she explained she was an orphan. He brought her to Yamanouchi and introduced her to the ninja arts, along with all sorts of stories about the heroic ninja who trained at the school, especially the founder. She had devoted her life to being a ninja from that point on and took it quite seriously, hoping to one day be like the honorable warriors she heard exciting tales about.

The light in the office was dull as usual since there was only one window open. Master Sensei sat against the wall with a small table in front of him. There was a paper on the table and he was focused on it.

"Sensei," Yori greeted him, bowing deeply as she spoke.

"I have a mission for you," Sensei informed the young ninja.

Yori nodded, expecting as much. Ever since she graduated the school and became a full-fledged, well-respected ninja, she was given missions like every other ninja at the school. She did not have many problems with taking on missions now, but the first time she had been given a real assignment had been a different story. She was still adjusting mentally to certain tasks, but it worked better for her to think that she was over her issues with those things.

"Here's your contract and your instructions," Sensei said while rolling up the paper that was on his desk. He sealed it by wrapping a string around it and stamping it with hot wax. Then, he handed it over.

"I will do my best," Yori replied in a strong voice.

The old man nodded and smiled with pride in his eyes. "I know you will. You're free to leave at any time."

Yori nodded and bowed again before exiting the building. The only time she was allowed to leave the school was when she went out on assignments. She had yet to earn any other privileges and she understood that. Being a ninja at Yamanouchi was all about earning rights through succeeding in missions. Missions were what kept the school going because that was how the ninjas earned their money, like their ancestors. None of the students at the school paid tuition, so something was needed to keep the operation moving and that was sending the graduates out on missions.

Once Yori was outside, she untied her assignment instructions. She read what was she was supposed to do and was shocked to see she had a long-term mission. She was being hired out indefinitely, as long as her new boss could pay for her services, she would be there. She was going to be acting as a "lackey." Her brow furrowed and she frowned. Why was her mission described as "lackey?" She was used to cryptic language in contracts, but she never saw the term "lackey" before. She supposed she would have to have her new employer explain that to her.

Beyond that, there was a list of qualities she was expected to have as a "lackey." Following directions and being amicable were at the top of the list. Those did not seem difficult. She would never dishonor her school or disappoint Master Sensei.

-8-8-8-8-

"Uh… Doctor D, where are all the henchmen going?" Shego asked as she entered the main room of the lair. She noticed a bunch of men in street clothes walking the opposite way and they carried boxes full of their personal junk. She would have thought they were changing lairs, but the henchmen would have been in those stupid jumpsuits if they were.

Drakken laughed. It was not quite his usual maniacal laughter, but smug nonetheless. Shego's head hurt before he even answered. She just knew this was going to be "good."

"They're fired. We don't need them anymore!" Drakken declared proudly, standing haughtily with his hands behind his back and a pleased look on his face.

"We don't need the henchmen anymore?" Shego echoed with a raven eyebrow arched high on her head. She could not argue that one since she figured they did not need them much in the first place. Just about the only thing they were good for was heavy lifting. A crane and a forklift could do the same thing they did with less complaining and no medical expenses. Of course, it would probably take longer, but hell, they could rent guys from Hench Co if they really needed manpower. Maybe he's getting better with money. She laughed. Come on, this is Drakken. This is somehow gonna be dumber than having henchmen.

"Nope!" he proclaimed with a grin. He clapped.

"And why don't we need the henchmen anymore?" she asked, going to stand near Drakken. She found mocking him face-to-face was better than doing it a few feet away. What stupid idea came to his insane head to have him let go of all the muscle?

"Because I've come up with something even better." He put up a dramatic fist, like in a pose.

"Better how? What'd you come up with?" she inquired, feeling she was about to be on something that would keep her amused for the rest of the day. Amused, or suffering from a headache, depending on what he did.

"Only this, Shego." He held up the magazine he found the other day and showed it to Shego.

"You came up with 'how to have smoother legs longer'?" she asked with a tiny smile.

Drakken balked at the question and pulled the magazine back to see what Shego was going on about. He saw the page he showed her as a "Veet" advertisement. He huffed and grumbled angrily as he started flipping through the magazine to find what he was talking about. Once he got to the page, he handed the magazine back to his sidekick, practically shoving the book into her hands.

"Tell me you didn't," Shego said, trying to hold in her laughter as she looked down at what Drakken showed her. Yeah, she would be amused for quite a long time from this. She might not stop laughing for the rest of the day.

"I called the number," he boasted, putting his chin in the air and puffing his chest out.

Oh, god, Shego thought. She could not believe how proud he was over this. She bit her lip to try to keep herself from laughing, but it was not enough. It was just way too much for her. The emerald-eyed thief burst out, guffawing long and loud. She held her sides and bent down from the heartiness of the laugh. Tears gathered in her eyes. He was such a chump!

"Laugh all you want, Shego—" the mad scientist started, but she cut him off before he could do any further.

"Thank you, I will!" she remarked, slapping her knee. She felt like she understood the term "bust a gut" laughing now. She could not breathe! It was too funny.

He was not fazed by her typical behavior. "I'll have you know this'll save us all sorts of money and I won't be behind on with your paycheck anymore," he stated soundly.

"I'll believe that when I see it," she scoffed, wiping away tears. She coughed somewhat. "Oh, god, I needed that." She took a breath, trying to pull it together. "I can't even believe this. You actually fell for this!" She went right back to laughing. She pointed to the ad in the magazine, figuring it might annoy him, which would make things better for her.

"Look, this'll definitely work," he argued, folding his arms across his chest because of her reaction to his brilliant move. The fired henchmen did not even stop their movements, too used to how Drakken and Shego interacted.

"You ordered a ninja out of a magazine and you think it'll work? Oh, man, this is too much! How can you not see the scam? I mean, really? I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" Shego hooted, placing a hand on the floor to keep herself from falling over.

Darken stomped his foot and glared at Shego. "It will work! My ninja should be here in four to six business days."

"Four to six business days! Did you have to pay for shipping, too? This is just too much! And this is why you're firing all of the henchmen because of a hired ninja out of a magazine?"

Drakken sucked his teeth and turned his attention away from the skeptical sidekick. Shego was now on rolling around on the floor, holding her stomach with both arms. He watched the henchmen and made sure they all got out of the lair. He was sad to see them go. After all, they had seen him through some trying times, but it was time to move on to bigger and better things. He needed to save some money and then he would be able to conquer the world.

-8-8-8-8-

Yori was dropped off on the side of a mountain, flown in by helicopter piloted one of the Yamanouchi ninja. She looked to the older ninja for advice, but none came. She stepped out of the vehicle into the unknown. Her nerves were on edge. There was something off about this mission, but she could not put her finger on it. It did not help that she had been told not to wear her ninja uniform.

She was dressed in casual clothing. She needed to blend in if she was not in her uniform. She wore a dark blue skirt with a v-neck, sleeveless light blue shirt, showing off her tanned skin for the most part. Her hair was pulled back with her usual red headband. She had a large backpack, stuffed with her meager possessions, which was mostly clothes and weapons, since she was not sure how long she would be staying with her employer as a "lackey." I still dislike the sound of that word. She was not sure what it was, but the way it rolled around in her head did not feel right.

"This whole thing doesn't feel right," Yori muttered to herself.

The ninja warrior walked through an open wide door cut into what appeared to be in a volcano from the warmth and smell. She was used to things being in or on mountains, so as long as it was not a live volcano, she did not think anything was wrong with there being a dwelling in the place. As she was coming in, she took in her surroundings. The walls were a mix of the natural stone and steel from the building within. There was a long corridor that was pretty bare, nothing on the walls and nothing on the floor. It was silent, to the point she could hear her own light footsteps on the polished floor. She noticed some cameras and small circles around the place, which she suspected were electronic eyes that did not seem to be on. She tried to avoid the cameras on instinct, even though she was supposed to be there.

A bunch of men marched down the hall, as if they were leaving while she was going in. She wondered why that was. It might just be a busy day for them, but then she overheard some of them talking. Many of them were grumbling about losing their jobs. Others were talking about going to work for a mad scientist that paid better.

"Mad scientist?" Yori echoed, slightly bemused. Did they meant "mad scientist" like the ones she read about in books and comics? She doubted it. Those were just make-believe, right?

She continued on, going through a long corridor. Departing men with boxes passed her by. They had basically two body types between them. There were some who looked what she would consider overweight and then others that appeared to be suffering from malnutrition. She could not help entertaining the idea that the larger ones ate all the food from the smaller ones. She dismissed those thoughts as she came to one open room off to the side. She looked inside, seeing some more men moving about and also two stationary people. She decided that she would go speak with the two people who did not appear to be busy.

As Yori stepped into the open room, she noticed there was a large wall-mounted screen off on the far side. She passed by a circular table that had a light hanging over it, which curiously only had two seats despite the fact that there seemed to be dozens of people in the building. There were mechanical pieces lying about the area and a large machine setup off to her right. It did not appear to be on and she could not even begin guessing what it might be for.

She turned her attention back to the two people who were just standing around. She noted they were different from the other people around the place. First of all, one of them was a woman. The only woman the ninja had seen so far. Second of all, both of them had rather odd skin tones. The male's body type was also different from all of the other men that she had seen so far. They were also dressed different, almost like they were in costume.

Yori took in their stances to try to figure them out. The woman, whose skin looked white with a green undertone, stood impatiently, tapping her foot against the tile with her arms folded across her chest. It seemed like she was annoyed with something. There was an underlying edge to her as if she was dangerous in some way. Yori supposed she would have to wait and see if that was the truth or if the woman's body could lie well enough to make her come off as something fierce.

The man stood with tense shoulders, like he was upset, but there seemed something else to him. His foot tapped against the floor as well, but in a different way from the female next to him. She did not pick up a vibe from his body that he was dangerous physically speaking. There was still something about him that bothered her, though.

"Excuse me, I am looking for a Mister Doctor Drakken," Yori said quite politely to the pair, getting them to turn to her since they were paying attention to the departing men.

"I'm Drakken. Who are you and how'd you get in here?" the cerulean scientist inquired with a puzzled voice. "Shego, have you been unplugging the security system again to recharge your iPod?" he demanded, glaring at the woman with his beady black eyes.

"As if this is my fault. Don't try to blame me if your stupid system can't stop a little girl from getting in," Shego retorted with a scoff. She curled her upper lip and regarded Drakken with distain.

Drakken frowned and then turned his attention back to Yori. "Look, I don't want to buy any cookies or magazines or whatever you're selling… unless you have chocolate chip, anyway. Or maybe some thin mints," he commented, hope in his voice with that last bit. He could really go for some cookies and milk right now.

Yori's face scrunched up from the exchange. She did not know what to make of them. Drakken seemed to be a bit strange, beyond the fact that he was sky blue color. It was almost like there was something wrong with his mind. The woman, Shego, did not seem to have the patience for him.

"Um… I am not selling anything," the petite ninja replied in a confused tone. Why would anyone think she was selling anything?

"No, then what do you want? We're very busy here," Drakken declared, scowling at her.

"Busy laughing our asses off," Shego muttered and she pulled out a nail file. She nonchalantly filed her nails. She had only just stopped laughing from hearing Drakken hired a ninja from an ad in a magazine.

"I am looking for Mister Doctor Drakken. I am from Yamanouchi. My name is Yori," she introduced herself to her current boss. She bowed to him, which seemed to surprise him. The scientist stepped back and looked at the slender ninja with wide eyes and a partially open mouth.

"You're the ninja I ordered?" he squeaked in disbelief.

Yori's graceful features twisted a bit, but she forced her face to go back to normal seconds later. The way he described it made it sound like she was some book he got off the Internet and possibly did not want. She was not "ordered." She was hired, like a person. Unused to such blatant and open disrespect, Yori did not even know what to say.

"This is your big plan?" Shego asked as she got a good look at Yori. So far, the girl had been nothing but polite, almost docile. She probably did not weigh a hundred pounds, the sidekick thought. After taking in the sight of the "ninja" girl, she was at it again, laughing her head off.

"But, I wanted someone better!" Drakken cried, making his tiny hands into two tight fists. Now he looked like a fool in front of Shego, too. This ruined everything.

"Better?" Yori echoed, struggling to keep a neutral expression. He had not even seen her in action and he was already judging her. It was infuriating. She took a deep, calming breath, reminding herself that she had a mission to carry out. She had a responsibility to her school, so it would not be a good thing to knock her employer unconscious.

"They sent you a junior high school student!" Shego remarked, her head bent down and she slapped her knee again. This was the gift that kept on giving.

"What the! Where's that magazine? I'm calling that number back and complain about being ripped off!" Drakken huffed, whipping his head around to hopefully locate that rip-off magazine.

"That's what you get for ordering ninja out of underworld magazines!" his green-skinned sidekick commented, tears coming from her eyes once more. Oh man, Drakken was seriously making her day with everything that was happening.

"I can assure you I am quite capable of anything that you would have me do. I have brought my qualifications and everything if you would like to see them," Yori said in a flat tone. She did not have to bring any of that stuff considering the fact that Drakken and Master Sensei had already faxed each other everything they needed in the transaction. She should not need to prove herself to these people.

"Yeah, I would," Drakken said, frowning deeply because of his displeasure with being sent a ninja that was probably twelve years old.

Yori went into her bag's side pocket and pulled out a folder. He snatched it, which caused a rare frown to mar her face. He mumbled as he went through the folder, reading off the things she could supposedly do. He actually did not understand most of it considering the fact he was not a ninja or even a martial artist. He was thankful it was at least in English.

"Ah, yes, well these appear to be in order. I guess I just expected you to be… older," he commented. He expected older, bigger, and, well, deadlier looking. Yori looked like she might have trouble beating up a panda plush toy.

"Lemme see that," Shego said as she snatched the folder from Drakken. She wanted to see what the papers claimed Yori could do. She would be shocked to find out that Yori was even old enough to vote. Her expression became more and more skeptical as she read the folder. "You expect me to believe you made up that many of your own ninja techniques?" she inquired, glancing up at the younger woman.

"The list has actually been cropped," Yori answered honestly. She had been studying ninjutsu almost all of her life and she was rather talented at it. Mixed in with the fact that it was her passion, she had come up with quite a few techniques that work well with the fact that she was secretly into reading a lot of manga.

"Cropped, huh?" Shego mumbled, shaking her head.

"Well then, Shego, why don't you show…" Drakken's mouth dropped open and he looked back at Yori with a finger in the air. "What was your name again?"

"Yori," the ninja answered with a sigh. She got the feeling she was not going to be enjoying her new mission, not that she ever enjoyed a mission. It was just she was certain on her list of "most hatred assignments," she was about to have a new number one. Well, maybe not one, but she was sure this one would end up in the top five.

"Yeah, Yori." Drakken said the name as if he had been the one to give it to her. "Shego take Yori to a free room and show her around the lair to let her get comfortable with the place."

"Uh, Doctor D, do you think it's wise to just show a new girl around your whole operation without being sure she is who she says she is? She could be a GJ agent or something," Shego pointed out, not that she cared. There was only one goody-goody in the world who bothered her and that one did not work for GJ.

"Well, she just said—" Drakken started, but the plasma-wielder cut him off.

"And since when do we just take people's word on things," Shego pointed out with an upset huff. Sometimes, she felt like she was babysitting a cranky toddler. Who am I kidding? I feel like that most of the time.

Drakken muttered and went to go run a check to make sure that Yori was who she said she was. Yori and Shego stood there, keeping the small distance they had between them. Shego went back to checking over Yori's file while Yori noted the hostile vibes radiating from Shego. She figured if she had to work with Shego, things might be a bit difficult, especially since it was obvious Shego did not trust her.

The green-skinned woman seemed to be more on the ball than her employer, Yori noted. Shego went through things that took common sense, which Yori was not surprised Drakken lacked after interacting with him for only a few minutes. Still, she got the feeling Shego was not going to help her enjoy or even tolerate her mission.

Once Drakken was through with his checks, finding Yori was legitimate, so to speak, he told Shego to show her to a room. Shego huffed and muttered something about not being the butler, but she waved Yori on to follow her. Yori adjusted her backpack and then trotted out after the pale green woman.

"Um… excuse me…" Yori said in her usual polite tone.

"What?" Shego inquired in a huff.

"I was just wondering if you know what kind of work I will be doing for Drakken-san," Yori replied. She would have referred to Drakken a bit more formally if he had shown her more respect.

"Knowing Drakken, you'll probably just be stealing junk since he can't seem to invent stuff on his own, even though he wants everyone to think he's a genius," Shego remarked, waving her hands a little.

Yori nodded. The work seemed straightforward then. She had missions that involved stealing. The first time, it had bothered her a great deal, but Master Sensei reminded her that as a ninja, she worked for those who hired her and did not ask any questions once the contract was drawn up and agreed upon. She worked passed her moral issue with stealing by not wondering what things were for or who they belonged to before she got her hands on them. Well, she liked to tell herself that she worked passed it.

"Well, kid, here's your digs. Don't bother me for anything," Shego said rudely while dropped Yori off at the first empty room they came across.

"Thank you," Yori said graciously, bowing to the green-skinned female.

"I'm Shego," the sidekick introduced herself blandly, waving off Yori's formalities.

"Thank you, Shego-san. I'm—" Yori tried to introduce herself, but she was cut off.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got that, kid," the pale female commented and she turned to leave the area.

Shego abandoned Yori at the doorway. Well, it was apparent Shego did not like her. The younger woman figured she would not be making any friends on her mission, which was not something she was looking to do anyway. Assignments were there for money to be made and to keep her school going. She did not need friends, anyway.

The ninja looked into her new room, which was bare. It did not bother her. She could not remember a time when she had a room that seemed personal. But, there was something about this room. The air was stale and the silence seemed mocking. It made her heart hurt a little.

Yori sighed and stepped into the room. The automatic door slid shut behind her, echoing loudly in her ears, telling her that she was trapped. That was the problem. Even though it was the largest room she had ever had, it seemed like a cage. She felt as empty as the barren room. She looked down while running her fingers through her straight ebony hair. She could not shake the bad feeling that now followed her more closely than her shadow thanks to her new assignment.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Yori and Shego have to work together, which they have a tough time of.