Fall into Darkness
Chapter 1
KisameHoshigaki257's Author Note: Hello everyone, long time no see! Yes, I'm still alive, though that is negotiable at this point. I apologize to everyone for the long delay in posting anything, but school, work, car wreck, and several other things have gotten in the way of my writing. Building My home with you isn't dead, merely sleeping, so don't worry. However, I present to you fine readers two new things. First, is the wonderful and lovely Shego2009, a brand new authoress here on who sought me out to do some beta-reading for her. Fortunately, I was in a good mood and agreed. Quickly, though, we ended up brainstorming off of an idea of hers and thus this story was born. How fast it goes and what its like is in the air, but hopefully you'll enjoy it and her. That is the second thing I present to you, Falling into Darkness, the story of Ron, Shego, Kim, and everyone else after the series has ended set in the dark world that follows the end of our bright and happy youth. Enjoy, and feed back is always liked. However, I will roast my enemies in the flames they provide, as well as marshmallows. So say the demon shark, Kisame Hoshigaki!
Shego2009's A/N: This fic is based off the movie wanted It has scenes of Sex, Violence, lots of Heavy language and death so if this bothers you don't read. The Rei Hino We are using is from the Live action Sailor moon and not the Cartoon. This is an AU.
Disclaimer: Kisamehoshigaki257 and Shego2009 own only this plot, the Characters, settings, and anything else not claimed by us belongs to is prospective owners, whomever they may be.
For Ron Stoppable, life had become meaningless. No the kind of meaningless that fuels teen aged angst or drives people towards depression and suicide. No, it was the kind of meaningless that people didn't notice. The kind where you get up every morning alone, shower alone, drink coffee alone, drive to work alone, work eight hours with a bunch of people in suits while still being alone, go home alone, eat dinner alone, and go to bed alone. The kind of meaningless that makes you pop pills for ADD, ADHD, anxiety, sleeplessness, and one or two nervous disorders the company insurance approved shrink said you had, but could be fixed with therapy and medication.
It was the kind of meaningless that came with crushed dreams and settling for what you could be instead of what you wanted to be.
Ron drifted in and out, he found. Wake up alone, no Rufus to watch his back anymore or cheer him on. Have three cups of coffee, because two just didn't do the job now, no matter how sick it made him feel. Drive his plan old economy car to work, popping several pills when he started feeling anxious and making a not to find a stronger drug next time.
Then, he'd get to work, sit down in the company approved cubical that was just like everyone else's, right down to the poster of a cat clinging to a three branch with the caption: "Hang In There!" Turn on the out of date computer with the special ergonomic keyboard for his repetitive strain injuries. Then, pull out the reams of paper work that defined his life as an actuary, to tally up risks and innumerable other numbers just in time for his boss Janet to show up.
Janet was a three pill person. She was what some people called "large and in charge," though Ron merely thought of her as fat and obnoxious. Cheerful, demanding, obese, always eating something sweet and sticky while complaining about her weight, Janet walked around, or waddled depending on one's point of view, as if she ruled the world and it owed her. At least, until the higher ups came around, in which case she did a very amazing impression of her black ancestors pre-civil war attitudes. Smile and thank the master while putting powdered glass in the food or pissing in the soup. Ron had to thank his civil rights class in collage for that tidbit.
Of course, that meant that the people under her faced hell for her 'humiliations' at the hands of the higher ups. Ron found himself her favorite target thanks to his medicated ineptness and nervous anxiety. It didn't help that he was one of only three white guys in the office, and the only Jew. Janet always made it sound like a joke, but Ron had lost count of the racial slurs and expressions she'd used towards him. Hell, most of them he heard for the first time from her.
Ron bit back a sigh as Janet appeared, licking jelly off her hand and holding two more doughnuts in her other hand. "Well, nice to see you here, Ronald, no Jew Holiday this week I hope?" Janet said, fat lips smacking as she sucked jelly out her doughnut, the pale custard gathering at the corners of her wide mouth.
Ron felt sick and shakily took out the bottle of anti0anxiety pill he always carried and quickly pooped three of them into his mouth, swallowing without a drink. "No, Janet, not this week," He replied, trying to control his body's shaking as the world started to spin. 'Ask off for Yom Kippur one time, to spend the day fasting and praying, and this is what I get,' part of him snarled deep inside.
Janet smiled at him as if he were an obedient dog. "Good, a smart Jew boy like you needs to work hard, not go running off to pray to some non-existent god," she said, looking down at her fat, sticky fingers. "You need to know your place, Ronald, people are always happier when they know their place."
Ron swallowed hard, trying to keep his emotions and anxiety in check long enough to let the pills kick in. 'You can't know our place if you don't have one,' the little voice inside him whispered. Ron clenched his finger around the arm rests of his chair, praying Janet was too stupid to notice. 'Shut up!' he snarled at the voice. 'You're not a hero, you're not even a side kick,' the voice whispered, 'you couldn't even save…'
Ron jerked up out of his seat. "Um, excuse me Janet, I need to use the restroom," he said quickly. Janet looked stunned, having still been ranting on, and didn't manage to say anything before he rushed away. Ron didn't stop till he was safely inside the men's room, the pills rattling like machine guns firing. "Fuck," he groaned, trying to block out the sound. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he said over and over, the sounds kept coming, bringing images of blood and broken bodies as he moved to gaze into the bathroom mirror.
The face that stared back was one he knew all too well. The close cut, messy blonde hair, sunken blue eyes. Yet, it wasn't the face he remembered. There wasn't the humor anymore. He didn't tell jokes or make people smile. He just went through his day, doing as he was told. He couldn't remember the last time something mattered.
The rest of the day passed in a grey washed blur. Deal this Janet, who was pissed that he'd had the nerve to walk away from her, not caring that his trip to the bathroom had ended with him vomiting in the sink. Crunch numbers till they were an endless stream of meaningless shapes and his eyes hurt. Decide if a product needed a recall because that would be cheaper than fighting a lawsuit.
Then, it was back into the car, driving home with hundreds of people just like him. Idly, he wondered when the last time he got laid was. College, maybe? That time, with this girlfriend Kim's roommate? The time that had officially ended his partnership with the great Kim Possible, hero of the world and ace crime fighter. It was ironic, really, it wasn't the danger or that last fateful mission that had ended their relationship. Instead it was a Japanese girl giving him the one thing that Kim never bothered too. Not that she ever saw a need to either.
Traffic was hell, causing him to pop more of his pills that didn't seem to work anymore. It seemed like an eternity before he made it home, to an apartment on the fourteenth floor of a building where they skipped thirteen because it was unlucky.
The inside was fashionable, modern, and straight out of a home fashion magazine. The kitchen was small and he never, ever used it except for the sink and the microwave. It was perfect and impersonal.
Ron dropped his brief case on the living room table, jerked his tie loose, and tiredly pulled of his brown leather dress shoes. Dinner was a frozen pizza cooked for the three minutes and consumed in front f a thirty-six inch plasma screen television showing some hip modeling show that he barely noticed.
Ron felt like he couldn't care about anything anymore. The drugs finally started doing their job. He looked around his living room, filled with nice things that society said would make his house feel like a home, make him cool and hip and the life of the party. He groaned, he hadn't felt at home since…well, he'd lived with his parents over five years ago. Vaguely, he wondered how his folks were doing, since he hadn't talked to them in three or so years. His little sister Hana had to be close to six now, right?
Ron closed his eyes and sighed. So much had happened in the last five years, since he'd given p his dreams because he couldn't, wouldn't face what had happened and walked away from family and friends. The TV droned on, another vapid model with and empty smile pretending to be what men and women desired as he slowly drifted into a dreamless, empty sleep in his apartment that wasn't a home.
"Where did it all go wrong?"
When you get to collage, it is the single most unique experience of one's life. Well, at least as far as education goes. The switch from a regimented daily schedule to a free flowing, set your own time table type of learning can cause massive headaches and a sense of freedom that can be heady. Then, of course, there's the fact that most collages are massive in comparison to high school, leaving one overwhelmed at time, especially when it involves a university.
It's even worse when you're alone.
For Ron Stoppable, a person who'd always been a social outcast and never without his best friend Kim Possible for a period of more than eight hours, it was worse than ever. Two years ago, she'd gotten a full scholarship to Harvard University and promptly agreed, especially with her interests in law and criminal justice.
Ron was happy for her, his fear of being alone not having shown up yet, plus he'd gotten accepted into a highly prestigious culinary school. Everything had been looking up for Ron. Kim was his girlfriend, he got into the school of his dreams, and they spent the weekends together enjoying themselves.
They didn't go on missions anymore, except as a rare thing, and even then it was generally Kim by herself. The reason for that was Ron's teachers at the culinary school weren't exactly thrilled with him running off all the time. So, Kim went on missions and he spent his time learning to be a chef and thought everything was cool.
The first clue came about a year into their college careers when Kim slowly stopped spending the weekends with him. It didn't happen all at once, thought. First it was every now and then, Kim telling him that it was a mission, cheerleading trip, or some other excuse that seemed reasonable and completely understandable.
And then, as always happens when life seems to be going perfectly, when birds sing and the sun shines, shit hit the fan.
When Kim asked Ron if she could borrow his phone, the last thing he had been expecting was for her to go through his personal phone book. They'd been relaxing back at her parent's house, enjoying a rare weekend break when she wasn't off running around somewhere and they didn't have mountains of homework. Well, Kim didn't have mountains of homework, Ron wasn't sure what he had beyond a rather large list of recipes to remember.
It started off innocently enough, Kim said she was going to put in her new number and Ron hadn't thought anything of it. At least, not until looked over at him with a rather cross look on her normally lovely features and flipped her red hair back, her green eyes sparking at him.
"There are a lot of girls in your phone, Ron," Kim said slowly, her voice low and slowly picking up an edge to it, "Is there a particular reason for that?
Ron blinked and turned to face her, running a hand through his short blonde hair. "Well, there are a lot of girls in culinary school Kim, they're just some classmates that I've been helping out with some of the more complicated recipes." He said simply, not understanding what the big deal was. Hell, Kim was cheerleading over at Harvard and was constantly surrounded by guys who were better looking or smarter than him, but he didn't worry about it, 'cause Kim was his girl and she'd never do anything.
As for Ron doing anything himself, the thought had never crossed his mind. Sure, he and Kim had yet to do anything beyond light petting and making out, but he didn't mind. The one time his friend Felix had actually gotten him to talk about it, Ron had explained that Kim just didn't seem to be all that into sex even after a full year as a couple. Ron had figured it was because Kim wanted to wait till they were married or something.
Felix had had a different idea.
The two of them had been sitting at Bueno Nacho, scarfing down nacos and tex-mex food that was as good as it was cheap. "Honestly, I swear she's just waiting for a serious commitment or something, Felix," Ron said around a mouth full of cheese, beans, and mystery meat. Rufus ran about, grabbing nachos and scarfing them down with enough cheese to drown a naked mole rat.
Felix shook his head. "Ron, you two have been best friends since pre-k and you've been dating her for almost a year. You go all over the world together, fight evil villains that could kill you, and you say she's waiting on a serious commitment! Dude, how dense are you?" Felix said calmly, sipping on his drink.
Ron shot him a hurt look. "Well, what the hell do you think it is then? I don't mind it, but…" he continued, looking down at his food. Felix nodded in understanding, the whole needing a wheel chair because his legs didn't work had the side effect of knowing about trouble with having lovers. "Well, my guess is she's a 'Disney girl' when it comes to relationships and sex," Felix replied slowly, popping a nacho into his mouth.
Ron looked puzzled as he and Rufus stared at Felix. "What on earth is a Disney girl?" Ron asked, his food forgotten on his tray. "Uhuh!" Rufus squeaked, nodding emphatically. Felix shrugged and steepled his fingers, looking thoughtfully at Ron.
"Okay, you've watched Disney movies, right?" Felix began, pausing long enough to see Ron nod painfully. "Yeah, Kim loves them," the blonde man replied. Felix nodded, closing his eyes slightly.
"Alright, then you know how the romance works in those movies, Prince Charming running around all suave and cool, saving the day and looking handsome, right?" Felix continued, getting another nod. "So tell me, how does sex work in those movies, or any physical contact between the heroine and her prince?"
Ron froze, looking thoughtful for a long time. Felix finished his drink and wheeled himself to get a refill. When he got back, Ron was still frozen. "Well, do you have an answer, Ron?" the dark haired man asked, sipping his drink. Ron nodded slowly, his eyes coming back into focus. "Well, they kiss some, but I don't really move beyond that as far as I can tell, but their kids' movies, what does that have to do with anything?" Ron replied, still looking confused.
Felix sighed as Rufus hit himself in the face and fell over. "Ron, as far as Kim is concerned, that's how relationships work. All dramatic, with beautiful women being swept off their feet by strong, handsome men. Sure, there's kissing and hugging and sweet romance, but you through something as nasty as sex in there and it gets ruined. Something like that doesn't help a world that's based on sweetness and sacrifice and heroics that are all neat and clean."
Ron's mouth dropped open. "Felix, come on man, it doesn't work like that…"
Felix held up his hand, stopping Ron from continuing. "Ron, think about it, has Kim ever said anything about having sex with you? Or with anyone for that matter? My guess is that she hasn't, beyond telling you that the two of you should wait, am I right?"
Ron was still for a moment. "Y-you're right, Felix." Ron's hands shot up to press against his head, his thoughts racing like crazy as he remembered every time he and Kim had seriously started getting into a serious make out session. He shuddered as he thought about the first time Kim had felt him get a boner. She had freaked, which had made Ron wonder if there was something wrong. It had taken Kim a month to even kiss him again.
Ron could tell by the look on Felix's face that the other man already knew. "Ron, I hate to break it to you, but you're her prince charming, and that means that she really doesn't want to think of you in any sort of sexual way. Doesn't mean she doesn't love you, just that she doesn't want to realize that you are a man and will have certain needs and desires." The other man said calmly.
Ron looked over at Felix and sighed. "So, what can…what should I do?" the blonde man asked softly. Felix shrugged and looked down too. "I don't know man. I can tell you what the problem is, but I don't have the answer. Maybe you should stick with Kim and hope things change, or you could find another girlfriend who has a more normal view of sex, or maybe you should just let things remain the way they are," Felix replied just as softly, "But if you take that last option, I don't know what will happen. You two might get married and have kids, but I doubt Kim will ever really want to see you as more than her chaste prince."
Still, Ron thought, not like that was going to happen either. Kim had been spending less and less time around him, while growing more and more jealous of him showing any interest in other women. Still, he had an idea for them to go out and have some fun next week, a nice little surprise date that he hoped would bring some spark into their relationship. He really hoped so, Kim had been rather distant lately and he really wanted to prove Felix's idea wrong as well.
For Kim Possible, life was good. Well, not all that good, it was filled with its ups and downs, but it was still good. She had gotten into Harvard, the best school there was, and she had the most wonderful boyfriend, one who would do anything for her. And she was still saving the world. Life seems so good to her, that was, until she moved into college. That's when things went downhill.
One day, they were at Ron's house having a wonderful time watching a movie, laughing and just plain enjoying each other's company. That was when Kim asked to see his phone. She hated being away from him because she knew that Ron was a bit of a flirt. Though, she had no room to judge him since she had cheated on him four times with Josh Mankey.
She began to flip thought his address book and she found more than eighteen girls names in his address book. Her eyes turned into dangerous slits as she saw the name Reiko Hino. 'What was her name doing in his phone?' Kim thought as she turned to Ron.
"There are a lot of girls in your phone, Ron," Kim said slowly, her voice low and slowly picking up an edge to it, "Is there a particular reason for that?" She asked him.
Ron gave her a shitty reason and she did not believe his half ass story one little bit, so she decided to make it her mission to watch her roommate very closely. She just better not catch that little slut fucking around with her man.
Six days later Kim was in her room watching Rei unpack some crap she had gotten from her friends. 'As long as it's not from Ron, I'm happy,' Kim thought only to be interrupted as Rei's phone rang.
"Moshi moshi?"hello Rei asked as she answered her phone. Kim decided to eavesdrop on this little bitch since finding her number in Ron's address book. She kept a close eye on Rei.
Rei sat on her bed listing to the person on the other her smile became bigger.
"Hai!"yes Rei said happily. "Itsu-ni?"When Rei listened to the other person talk then shook her head as if the person could see her. "Do-demo ii-yo" I don't care, anything's fine "Ah, Ron-san?" Rei asked
"That little slut!" Kim thought "Damn! Can't the bitch speak fucking English?" Kim was getting angry now.
"Arigato, Ja ne!" Thank you, see you later. Rei smiled as she hung up the phone.
"Sooo," Kim begun she wanted to know why was this tramp talking to Ron. "Who were you talking to?" Kim asked with a fake smile on her face, she was sitting on the edge of her bed looking at Rei, trying to play it cool.
Rei looked over at Kim and gave her a scowl that reminded Kim of Shego, her arch nemesis. "None of your business," the Japanese girl snapped. Kim's eyes went wide in shock, this girl was a real bitch! The next few hours were spent in silence as Rei continued to unpack her gifts.
After Rei was finished, she looked at her watch then picked up the outfit she had placed on her bed, and then she went into the bathroom and changed. When Rei came out she was dressed in black knee high boots, a short black skirt, a red shirt, and black leather jacket with a red cowboy hat.
'She looks like a fucking hooker!' Kim thought looking at Rei's outfit. 'She better not be seeing my Ron and that tramp outfit!'
Rei went over to her bed and sat down waiting for her friend to come and pick her up. Just as she picked up her book to read there was a knock at the door, but before she could get up Kim ran over and answered it.
Kim was shocked to find Ron standing at the door, and he was wearing a blue tux with a black tie. He was holding a dozen red roses in one hand the other he held a teddy bear with a red ribbon.
"Ron!" Kim said with a smile on her face "Wow, what a surprise!" Kim said taking the flowers and bear from him. "Thanks, these are just wonderful!"
Ron blinked in surprise as Kim through the door to her dorm room open, though he was happy with how thrilled at how happy she looked. After that incident with his phone, she'd been acting extremely upset, but it looked like she was over it as she took the flowers and bear from him.
"You're welcome, Kim, I thought I'd surprise you and come over," Ron replied with a grin, happy to see his girlfriend so happy. "I was thinking we could go out for the night, that is, if you weren't busy," he continued, slipping a finger under his tie and trying to wiggle it loose. Kim grinned up at him and kissed him as she grabbed his hand and dragged him into her room. "Sure, just give me a moment to get changed," Kim replied playfully, pulling away.
Ron walked further into the room as Kim ducked into the bathroom, something long and black draped over her arm. He looked around, noticing a new poster up on Kim's half of the wall and the neatly made bed squeezed into a corner. Walking over to her desk, he glanced at her homework to see what subject she was studying. 'Damn, I know Kim wants to do stuff for Global Justice, but this looks really complicated," he thought, depressed at his inability to understand even a word on the page.
"Ah, Ron-san, you look dashing this evening," a seductive, Asian voice said behind him and Ron spun around, blushing brightly. He blinked as he saw Kim's roommate lounging on her bed and felt his mouth go dry. "Oh, uh, hi Rei-s-san," he stammered out, trying not to get distracted by just how tight and revealing her outfit was.
It didn't help that Japanese girls were a weakness he'd had ever since his trip to Japan in high school.
"Um, you…you look good, you going out tonight?" He managed to say without tripping over his tongue as Rei smirked and crossed her legs. Ron could have sworn he'd seen something small and red as she'd moved. "Well, I was thinking about it, there's a new club opening up if you'd like to join me," Rei said slowly, her dark eyes slightly hooded as she languidly moved to sit up.
Ron thought he heard something crash in the bathroom, but when Rei didn't react to it, he decided it must have been part of his brain protesting its treatment. Violently protesting it. Though, on the other hand, other parts of him were far from rioting in displeasure.
He tugged at his collar again, fidgeting as he waited for Kim to come back out. "S-sorry, but I've already got plans with Kim," he squeaked out, bumping the desk behind him. 'Wh-when did I even move?' he wondered silently as Rei gave him a very predatory smile. "Oh well, your loss, Ron-san," the small Japanese woman purred as she slithered off her bed and headed towards the door just as Kim popped out, wearing a long black dress that hugged her curve.
Rei gave Kim a smirk as she passed her. "Poor thing, he's too much man for you, you should just give him to me," Rei said with a light laugh, ducking out the door. As she closed it, Rei smirked back at him. "Catch you later, Ron-san."
Ron waved by uncertainly and then blanched in fear as he looked at Kim. He could swear that he saw a murderous aura surrounding her as she glared at the closed door. Carefully, trying not to draw attention to himself, Ron shifted a little, attempting to hide any affect Rei had had on him.
Kim turned slowly and Ron whimpered as her glare focused on him. "Ron, sweetie, mind telling me what that was all about?" she asked, her voice sweet despite the look in her eyes. Rufus chose that moment to make an appearance, only to squeak promptly hide again. 'Damn it, lucky bastard of a naked mole rat,' Ron thought ungraciously, 'leaving me here alone.'
"I-I have no idea, Kim," He managed to stutter out, smiling at her and raising his hand in a warding gesture. "Your roommate is a little weird, I don't really get her." He continued, slowly edging towards the door. No sense in getting trapped.
Kim narrowed her eyes at him and sniffed before tossing her long red hair and marching to her dresser to start applying her makeup. Ron noticed just how tight her dress was and couldn't help but be turned on. 'Damn, I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world,' he thought to himself, licking his lips and wishing his mouth wasn't so dry. 'Booyah.'
Kim leaned forwards to apply her mascara and Ron though he was going to faint. Kim never really dressed up this sexy. Part of him that had been buried deep wondered if this meant something, like the two of them finally moving past second base. He turned away as Kim started to shift about on her high heels, her hips swaying. The last time she'd caught him staring hadn't been pleasant, filled with questions like if he only thought about her in terms of getting in her pants and didn't he respect her and why did he have to be such a perv?
He almost jumped when he felt her hand come to rest on his arm. Kim gave him a sweet smile that barely reached her eyes. "Ready to go, Ron?" she asked, leading him to the door, her heels clicking softly on the thin carpet. "Um, yeah, I guess so, KP," he replied with a smile, working hard to hide his trepidation.
More and more, Kim had been avoiding anything involving sex and him. The thing with Rei was just the latest example. Two weeks ago, he'd managed to overhear Kim and her mom talking. When the Mrs. Dr. Possible had asked Kim if they were being careful, Kim had pretty much freaked out and asked how her mother could even ask that, since the two of them were still virgins and Kim was not that kind of girl. Ron had wondered what type of girl she meant. The talk had gotten even worse, and he'd left without either of them knowing he'd been there.
Kim let go of his arm long enough to walk around to the passenger side of his rather beat up Honda Accord. When they'd first started dating, she'd let him be a gentleman and open the door for her. Shortly after they'd gotten into college, she'd insisted on appearing more independent, something about being empowered and not needing a man to coddle her. Ron had zoned out, it was way to political sounding, and had pretty much let her do as she wanted. At least she wasn't insisting on driving this time.
The drive to the restaurant was silent. Kim was frosty and Ron just didn't know how to talk to her anymore. Harvard had changed her more than he'd thought it would, and more often than not the few chances they got to be together had tended to be like this. He'd hoped this romantic night out would help, but so far it was going about as well as most things he was involved in. 'At least I haven't lost my pants yet,' he thought as he navigated the evening's traffic, 'though, considering I'm with my girlfriend, I'm not sure if that's something to be proud of.'
Ron almost sighed with relief as he parked the car and climbed out. Kim shut the door a bit hard and he winced. "God Ron, I didn't hurt it, chill out!" Kim said crisply as she marched around the car and took his arm, her spiked heels clicking sharply on the concrete. 'Sometimes, I wonder which one of us is the girlfriend in this relationship,' he thought coolly as she led them to the door.
Kim's heels seemed to click louder as they neared the door and she tugged on his arm a bit. Ron knew that to anyone watching them, it would look like Kim was merely walking beside him, but he knew that this was just one of the ways she asserted her control of their relationship. People could think what they wanted, but Kim was in control and that was just how it was supposed to be. Anyone who protested too much got the boot. 'And a rather vicious boot that is too,' He thought to himself silently as Kim opened the door and deftly slipped them inside without letting him in front of her or letting go of his arm.
The young lady standing at the podium gave them a smile. "Hello and welcome, may I have your name sir?" she asked, her eyes glancing over Ron subtly as her smile grew a tiny bit. Ron knew he'd started to fill out lately, but he wasn't used to the attention. However, Kim seemed to notice how other women keyed onto him. "Stoppable, part of two," Kim said coolly, her eyes turning to green ice as she locked eyes with the young lady.
Ron watched as the young woman's attitude changed from one of admiration to one of fear. "O-of course, r-right this way," she said in a soft voice that Ron was sure would have been very attractive, had it not been laced with so much fear. Within moments they were sitting in a booth near the back and Kim was pouring over her menu, studiously ignoring any attention from the second young woman who came by to get their drink orders. Ron ordered her some water with lemon, since she rarely drank anything else. He got a coke for himself and heard Kim snort. She'd gotten into the health food stuff lately and viewed anything that wasn't organic and natural as evil.
They sat there in silence for a long time, the waitress dropping off their drinks and scurrying away when Kim snapped that she wasn't ready to order yet. Ron glanced over at her and chewed his lip, wondering how to ask what was wrong. He tried to think over what had happened lately, quickly skipping over when he'd come to pick her up and focusing on the past few weeks. He couldn't think of anything he'd done, so maybe it was something else.
"I see you were getting friendly with Rei," Kim cut in before he could even think to say something, her green eyes looking at him coolly. 'I wonder where this is coming from?' Ron thought to himself, 'is this because of earlier?' He sat there and blinked for a moment. "Huh? Oh, well, I guess," he said softly, "Well, I don't know."
Kim fixed him with a glare that was a bit stronger this time. "Really?" she asked, drawing the word out longer than it had any right to be. Ron nodded, "Yeah, I mean, I don't know what her thing was." He took a drink of his coke and let the sharp bite of the carbonation tickle his nerves. The look in Kim's eyes hardened and Ron swallowed slowly.
Then, before either of them could say anything, there was a sharp dinging from Kim's purse. The restaurant had a strict no cell phones policy, but a glare from Kim sent any of the wait-staff willing to tell her to turn it off running for cover. Angrily, she jerked the newly redesigned Kimunicator out of her small black purse and flipped it open. "This had better be damn fucking important," she all but snarled into the camera and Ron could almost feel the person at the other end cringing.
"Well, I think so, Kim." The voice said and Ron recognized their friend and tech guru Wade on the other end. "WEE has stepped up and done some rather heinous stuff in the last few hours, mostly a lot of kidnappings and they've filched some genetic engineering equipment. Global Justice wants you and Ron to go check it out and aid in taking them down."
Kim's snarl grew larger. "Wade, I am on a date! This is no time to…" she started to rant, only to have Ron reach out and grab her hand. He wondered what was wrong, Kim never put herself above helping someone. Wade spoke up at that moment as well. "Kim, they kidnapped your roommate Rei too…I don't know what they're planning, but you can't just turn your back on people in need! It goes against everything we've ever stood for! I understand you baling out on a few missions in the last couple of months, but this is really serious!"
Kim seemed to wilt a little, though she still glared at the screen. "Fine, I see how it is," she snarled bitterly, "Have our ride here in the next five minutes, Wade." The Kimunicator closed with a sharp snap and Kim stood up angrily. "Ron, cover the bill, I'll be outside." She said curtly, her heels clicking across the floor. "And don't make me wait!"
