Kim Possible and all related characters etc. belong to Disney.
I haven't written anything serious about Monkey Fist in a while, so I decided to give this idea a shot.
INSIDER
Night had fallen and cloaked the ancient ninja school under lurking shadows between the mountains. Dim lamps gave some light to the front yard, but everything was resting in darkness beyond the walls of the school. Not even the moon and the stars could bring much more light to the setting. It was as if the school had been built to a place where it was forever hidden from all prying eyes.
In the long history of the school, not many had found their way to it uninvited. The location was so far away from all civilization that nobody in their right mind would have wandered to such a place. Its lights could never be seen anywhere at night because they had been placed exactly so that the mountains would block them from view. And even if someone did stumble upon this well kept secret, there were always guards scouting the area to make sure they never made it to Yamanouchi.
This guarding task was the responsibility of the students. Though there had been no disturbances in almost over a century, Sensei thought it was good practice if everyone took turns at patrolling around the school at night. Nobody liked this task very much for nights could get chilly up in the mountains and the night guards were never excused from the following day's lessons.
"I can't believe I have to do this twice in a row," Fukushima muttered to himself as he took a glance at his surroundings. Everything was almost eerily quiet. There were no insects at this time of the year and his footsteps and breathing were almost silent due to his ninja training. There wasn't even any wind rustling the leaves on the nearby tree. For that he was glad because there was already snow higher up the mountains and wind would have only brought the cold down where he was.
He had been on patrol duty the previous night as well. Nobody ever had to work two nights. This had to be a punishment for his words earlier that day.
Fukushima clenched his fists and could barely hold back the angry growl that threatened to escape through his teeth. He couldn't believe it that Sensei was foolish enough to reveal the school's most guarded secrets to an outsider! He might have understood the decision if the person in question had been skilled, spent a great amount of time among them and had proved their trustworthiness, but Ron Stoppable had done none of that. He was nothing but a pathetic idiot who could do nothing right. It was an insult to the rest of them that he was allowed to study among them as an equal.
How did Sensei know that he could trust Stoppable? He would only be with them for a few days as part of the exchange program. What stopped him from revealing everything about Yamanouchi and the Lotus Blade to everyone once he left? The whole school and the future of all of the students was in danger because of that one senile –
Fukushima shook his head. No, he shouldn't go as far as to think that way about Sensei, as tempting as it was. Maybe the old master did have some sort of plan. He had never made a mistake for as long as Fukushima could remember, and he had been at the school for almost his entire life. Sensei had always been good, if a little hard, on him. He had no reason to complain or judge his decisions.
And yet… Fukushima simply couldn't bring himself to place the same trust in Stoppable. The lad had experienced nothing but failures during his stay, had wrecked parts of the school and made a complete fool of himself. Even his pet rodent had more skill! It was an utter disgrace that someone as incompetent as that was even told about the school, least of all allowed to study there.
The events of that day were still crystal clear in his mind, and he felt his blood boil when he thought about it. How Sensei had so carelessly told Stoppable about the Lotus Blade had shocked him enough to make him step forward and voice his objections. Instead of acknowledging him, Sensei had scolded him in front of everyone and made him apologize to Stoppable. To that foreign outsider! Fukushima would never forget the burning shame he had felt then, being treated like a fool before his friends and peers.
His anger gave him strength and warmed up his body against the chilly night, but it also made him careless, blind and deaf. He didn't hear the faint sound of someone's footsteps before it was too late to alert the others. Still, he tried to grab a hold of the horn that was hanging on his waist, but it was knocked out of his hand before he could blow into it.
The young ninja took a staggering step back to get some distance between him and his enemy. It was so dark that his eyes couldn't make out many details of his attacker. He could only see it was a man with unruly hair, and he had a lean but somewhat hunched silhouette against the starry sky.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Fukushima demanded to know. Even as he spoke, he took a fighting pose. Anyone who was approaching the school at night and with such secrecy could be nothing but an enemy.
"I don't think introductions are our primary concern at the moment. All you need to know is that I've come for the Lotus Blade," the stranger said. He spoke Japanese with a foreign accent that immediately told Fukushima that he was dealing with another filthy outsider.
"How do you know about the Lotus Blade?" he asked. Nobody outside the school should have known about it! Their ancestors had taken great care to destroy all written documents that spoke of it and kill everyone who didn't deserve knowledge of the sacred weapon.
"My sources are irrelevant. All that matters is that you are going to help me to get it," the man said.
Despite the sudden foul taste in his mouth, Fukushima chuckled. "What makes you think I would ever do that?" he asked.
"Oh, I can be very persuasive when I want to," his opponent said in a casual tone. "And I think I know exactly how to bring out the traitor in you."
"Enough! I will never betray Yamanouchi and Master Sensei!" Fukushima snapped. He no longer cared who this new enemy was; all that mattered was that he had to be defeated. Maybe Sensei would then be proud of him and see that the students at Yamanouchi were far more capable than the foreign idiot he had accepted among them.
He charged at the man and drew back his hand to deliver a chop to where he estimated his neck to be, but his strike was blocked and he was knocked back, barely keeping his balance. It was too dark to fight properly, but the stranger's words had only fed his already brewing anger and made him reckless. If he had stopped to think about it for even a moment, he would have tried to find his horn instead of taking on the enemy alone.
He tried to guess where the stranger had to be and attempted to kick him off his feet. He was inwardly cursing that he had no weapons; he always fought the best with a long battle staff, and a weapon would have given him more much needed range in the dark night.
His enemy was again faster than him and Fukushima's attack barely touched him and sent the lad off balance instead. He groaned as he received a kick to his side and flew against the tree behind him. He sank to the ground on his knees and tried to gasp for breath even as he forced his body to get up, ignoring the way his head was spinning and his ears ringing. He almost made it into a fighting pose when his assailant smashed against him and pushed him painfully against the trunk of the tree, squeezing his throat between his fingers.
Fukushima gritted his teeth against the pain and tried to struggle in the stranger's grip, but he only managed to make it more uncomfortable for himself. When it became apparent that he was not going to be killed, at least not right away, he let his body relax a little. He could strike back later; now it was time to learn a little more.
"I was hoping we could settle this in a more civilised manner, but you aren't exactly giving me any choice," the man's low voice growled into his ear. Fukushima could feel his hot breath on his face and tried to turn his head away, but he found he couldn't move an inch in the man's hold.
He wished there were more light! It was most unnerving to be captured like this when he didn't even know what his enemy looked like. It was impossible for him to try to find a weakness or negotiate in a situation such as this.
"Gnngh! I will never help you!" he said between clenched teeth.
"Pity. In that case I have no option but to kill you. I cannot let you warn the others," the man said with no humour in his voice. He tightened his fingers around Fukushima's throat, making the young man grimace and desperately try to get some air into his lungs.
His hands are so hairy, he thought to himself. It was odd how the strangest ideas popped into one's head at the most inconvenient moments.
Fukushima knew what he should have done. Stories of great heroes and martyrs were spiralling in his head, and he knew that the only right thing to do was to accept death and die without giving in and staining his honour. It was what Sensei would have wanted him to do, he was sure of it. However, the more painful the grip around his throat became and when his lungs started burning, he forgot all about that. He didn't want to die! Not like this!
"Please… don't kill me…" he managed to whisper. He felt shame for his weakness scorch his insides, but he welcomed it gladly when the hand around his throat slowly let go. Fukushima gasped for breath and fell on his knees to the ground, panting and trying to swallow, but his throat was too sore for that.
"If all Yamanouchi students are like you, I am sorely disappointed," his opponent said in a snide voice. Fukushima didn't need to see the man's face to know that he was smirking down at him.
"Go to hell," he muttered, still trying to get himself back together and to form a clear thought. The man had spared his life. Now he would expect Fukushima to assist him. If he refused to, they would be back where they had just left off, and Fukushima doubted the man would be so merciful a second time. Something in that voice, cultured and yet so cold and unfeeling, made shivers go down his spine.
"Now, now. That's not the way to talk to someone who just let you live," the stranger said.
"I can't betray the school," Fukushima said. His life would be ruined if he did. He had spent such a long time at Yamanouchi that he barely knew his parents. They would never take back a son who was a traitor. His friends would abandon him, and he would be kicked out of the school. All that he would have left then would be the dishonourable life of an outlaw.
"Why not? They have clearly betrayed you," the man said.
"What? You speak nonsense!" Fukushima snapped.
"Then why is it that you're here tonight when it's not your responsibility?"
How did this man know about that? Had he been watching him? Fukushima glared at the shadow of the man, again wishing that there were light. He wanted to know what sort of man he was dealing with!
When he said nothing, the man decided to continue.
"Is it not true that your Sensei has decided to punish you simply for voicing the truth about his unwise actions? That he is giving an outsider privileges that many of his students will never get? That you are being treated like scum for being the only one who sees this and has the courage to question it?" he asked.
It was like he had read Fukushima's thoughts. That was exactly what had been going in circles in his head the whole day. Why was he being punished for being the only one who remembered and respected the rules of their ancestors? And if Sensei had a reason behind his actions, why didn't he tell about it to his students? They deserved to know instead of having to tolerate that buffoon whose mere presence was a disgrace to their school. It wasn't fair!
"Well?" the man asked.
"It's all true," Fukushima admitted, hatred making his voice strained as if he had trouble talking. "But why should I help you? You have admitted you came to steal the Lotus Blade!"
"Stealing is such a vulgar word, but you're welcome to use it if you want to. I, on the other hand, would rather use the expression 'claiming what is rightfully mine'," his opponent remarked.
"The blade belongs to the school!" Fukushima snapped.
Without a warning, the stranger grabbed him by the front of his gi and brought him up to his face. That close, Fukushima could see the moonlight flash in the man's mad eyes.
"It belongs to me! The Lotus Blade was meant to be the weapon of the Ultimate Monkey Master!" the man shrieked and tossed Fukushima aside, and the young ninja let out a pained yelp as his back hit the ground.
"Who… who are you?" he demanded to know. This man was insane! Nobody in their right mind would just walk to Yamanouchi and claim such a title. It was especially stupid to attempt stealing the blade for the punishment for that would be most severe. Sensei would never hand over the sword to someone he didn't think was worthy, and a thief would never be worthy in his eyes.
"For the time being you may call me Monkey Fist, but that'll change once I've claimed my destiny," the man spoke. There was a faint sound as he placed something on the ground. A match was lit and Fukushima blinked against the small flame that felt too bright for his eyes. He saw now that Monkey Fist had put a small lantern on the ground and was lighting it.
"Don't worry; I made sure the light won't be seen anywhere at the school," he said, as if the two of them were accomplices and planning something. Fukushima felt his stomach turn at the mere idea. Even if this man understood him and the injustice he had suffered perfectly, it didn't mean that they would work together.
"Can't risk someone coming to save me, then?" he asked.
"I think I can make you see things my way when we're through," the man said. He was now finished with the lantern and suddenly there was much more light for them.
With morbid interest, Fukushima looked up to finally see the face of the man who was tormenting him. He gasped when he saw the sight of him and instinctively tried to back away from him. Monkey Fist had hands and feet that were covered in fur, and he stood hunched like he was only half-man. Shadows were dancing on his face due to the flickering light of the lantern, and from the depths of them two cold eyes were staring right at him. He was wearing a black gi not unlike Fukushima's own, but seeing that familiar garment on the frame of someone like that felt almost perverse to him. With that snide sneer on his face, Monkey Fist looked more like an animal than a man.
"What are you?" Fukushima asked.
Monkey Fist's frown deepened. He was obviously not happy to hear such a question.
"If I were you, I'd be more concerned about what I will become," he drawled.
"You are not the Ultimate Monkey Master. To be that, you would have to have --" Fukushima started, but he was quickly cut off.
"Mystical Monkey Power? That has been taken care of," Monkey Fist said.
Fukushima blinked. That couldn't be true. According to their legends, Mystical Monkey Power could only be achieved by joining together four jade monkeys, but they had been safely hidden and everyone had forgotten where they were.
"That's impossible!" he snapped.
"Oh, really?" Monkey Fist asked. He snapped his fingers and suddenly five monkeys appeared out nowhere, as if they had materialised from shadows. Two sat hunched in the tree while three others had formed a straight row behind the simian man. Each of them was wearing a black gi and their faces were hidden so that Fukushima could only see their eyes.
He swallowed. "So you can train monkeys," he said, unable to turn his eyes away from the animals. They stood entirely still and every muscle in their bodies was tense and ready to leap into action. The young ninja had no trouble imagining them all jumping at him, biting and scratching. He tried to put a condescending smirk on his face to appear unimpressed, but he found he was unable to manage that.
"They are not circus animals. I have taught them the way of the ninja myself, and if you have done your homework, you know that only someone who has had access to Mystical Monkey Power can do that," Monkey Fist explained.
To illustrate his words, he gave a sharp command to the monkeys. The animals instantly broke into action and leapt at Fukushima in silence and with such speed that the lad had no chance but to yelp in fright and attempt shielding his face from the attackers. He braced himself for the first blow, but none came.
He dared to open his eyes. All monkeys were standing right beside him, their arms stretched out in familiar poses that told him that any of them would be able to kill with one single strike. Not one of them was moving, but their intense glares and almost eerily unfeeling faces for monkeys were enough to make him want to close his eyes again.
Monkeys weren't supposed to be like that.
"Do you see now?" Monkey Fist asked, sounding amused and self-satisfied as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He called the monkeys away and they immediately returned to their original spots.
"Even if you have Mystical Monkey Power, it still doesn't mean I should help you. You're asking me to betray Yamanouchi," Fukushima said. He felt that his legs were still a little too shaky for his liking, but he forced himself to get up. He couldn't keep sitting on the ground before an enemy.
Monkey Fist smiled at him. "I am asking you to save Yamanouchi," he said.
"What do you mean?" Fukushima asked.
"As much as it aggravates me to admit it, I am not the only one with Mystical Monkey Power. There is another, and I'm afraid he has won the favour of your Sensei, even if he has none of the required qualities," Monkey Fist said.
Fukushima's eyes widened. "You can't mean…"
"He is stupid, weak, a coward, has no skills or training whatsoever and is even terrified of monkeys. It is a disgrace that he even has such a great power when he doesn't want it and doesn't know how to use it. It would be even worse if he were given the Lotus Blade," Monkey Fist continued.
"The outsider!" Fukushima snapped, hitting his palm with his fist. That description could mean only one person for there couldn't be two such buffoons in the world.
"Indeed," Monkey Fist confirmed with a smirk.
"But Sensei would never give him the Lotus Blade! It belongs to the school!" Fukushima tried to reason. Sensei simply couldn't be so stupid. Even if Stoppable had Mystical Monkey Power, everyone could see that he wasn't worthy of it.
"Your Sensei is convinced that Stoppable is the Ultimate Monkey Master. He will give him the Lotus Blade. If not now, then later. And that will only be the beginning." Monkey Fist's voice grew grimmer with every word, in tune with Fukushima's thoughts.
No, it couldn't be like this. It just couldn't.
"Once Stoppable has the Lotus Blade, few will dare to question him. He will become an honour student here regardless of his lack of skill for he will always be protected by your Sensei. And who do you think will replace the old man when he dies?" Monkey Fist continued.
"No, we have laws! The master of Yamanouchi can never be a foreigner!" Fukushima objected. Sensei couldn't just throw away all the foundations of their school.
"Do you think that will matter? Stoppable has a way of getting things he doesn't deserve. Everyone will bow to that pathetic simpleton and he will get everything when he has earned nothing!" Monkey Fist's voice grew higher with his irrational anger until he was screeching not unlike one of the monkeys in his command. Fukushima watched with morbid interest how the man transformed from a bizarre but controlled warrior into a raving lunatic who no longer seemed to be aware of his surroundings and only saw his insane inner world.
"I have seen it! He stole my Mystical Monkey Power and defeated me despite my superior years of experience! He stole my first monkey ninjas! He always ruins everything!"
Fukushima barely dared to breathe out of fear of upsetting him even further.
"He should die!"
Fukushima stopped to think about. Did he want Stoppable to die? Was he enough of a nuisance? No, he was more than a nuisance. He was a threat to the entire school. Sensei wouldn't have told him about the Lotus Blade if he wasn't planning to give it to the boy. And if he got the Lotus Blade, nobody would challenge his right to lead Yamanouchi after Sensei. Fukushima felt fear and hatred unlike anything else he had ever experienced bubble inside him. Everything would be ruined then. All the hard work of everyone at Yamanouchi would go to waste. They would all be disgraced. That outsider had no right to do that!
But did he want him to die?
Monkey Fist had stopped his mad rant and was now looking at him with a calculating gleam in his eyes, as if he could read Fukushima's thoughts and doubts.
"There is no other way," he said. "He has already blinded your Sensei."
"I will talk to him. Sensei has asked for my opinion before," Fukushima said. Maybe if they only kicked Stoppable out…
Monkey Fist shook his head. "No. Stoppable has wrapped everyone around his little finger. Opposing him or Sensei would only bring the scorn of the others on you, as you already experienced today."
"Then what can I do?" Fukushima asked.
"Help me get the Lotus Blade and I will dispose of Stoppable for you!"
"But why should you get the blade? You're an outsider just like him!" Fukushima accused him.
"Silence!" Monkey Fist bellowed. "I am more than deserving of the Lotus Blade! It is my destiny to wield it and lead an army of monkey ninjas to battle!"
Fukushima had no courage to ask against whom he would battle. As he looked at the madman before him, he knew that he was nothing like the mighty and noble hero legends spoke of. The Ultimate Monkey Master should have been honourable, skilled and wise. This man here was a thief, clearly mentally unstable and ready to kill for opposing him.
And yet he was more deserving than that outsider. At least Monkey Fist was a ninja, could speak their language and seemed to understand their traditions. The fact that he had so much information about Yamanouchi clearly proved how efficient he could be. He was not a choice Sensei would have approved of, but he was better than Stoppable.
Fukushima felt a brief stab of sadness inside him. Sensei had been a good teacher for him for almost his entire life, but it was clear that age has now taken its toll. The man was no longer fit to make decisions that affected the school. If he wanted to see Yamanouchi survive, something would have to be done.
"I will be kicked out of the school if I help you," he said. The mere thought of being alone without the company of his peers frightened him. Where could he go?
"Then you will just have to be the martyr. Would you rather remain and serve under Stoppable?" Monkey Fist asked.
The answer flew out Fukushima's mouth before he even realised he had spoken. "No! I would die before that!" he declared.
"Then you will assist me," Monkey Fist stated.
Fukushima turned his eyes to the ground. Did he have any other options? He was clearly the only one who could see the ruins Stoppable would lead them to. That fool didn't deserve anything that was being given to him, and if Sensei really thought he was the Ultimate Monkey Master… Fukushima could see the foundations of his life crumble before him. Yamanouchi would fall to shame if the outsider was not dealt with.
He briefly thought of Yori who had been by Stoppable's side ever since he had arrived. Anger and disappointment in her made him clench his fists; she had clearly forgotten her honour and would never see reason. For that she had to go down as well. Everyone who supported the outsider deserved no other fate.
"What do I have to do?" he asked, lifting his head.
Monkey Fist was smiling like he had always known that Fukushima would join him. "I need to know the exact location of the Lotus Blade inside the school. When I have the sword, we will set a trap for Stoppable," he said.
"And kill him?"
"Isn't that what he deserves? It's the only way to save Yamanouchi," Monkey Fist said.
"Yes…" Fukushima admitted, letting his anger take control. What they were doing was justified. Battles were never fought without spilling blood, and he didn't cower before that. He had been trained to be a ninja. His enemies deserved nothing less but death. The outsider should have thought twice about infiltrating their school.
"I will help you save Yamanouchi," he said.
As Fukushima basked in his righteous anger, he failed to notice the self-satisfied smirk on Monkey Fist's face.
"Of course you will."