If any Kim Possible characters happen to find their way into this story, they are merely passing through on their way home to Disney. This story is written for fun, not for profit. Attention lawyers: Don't waste your time suing, the Tax Man got here first. There's nothing left for you.
Almost Like Sisters
Things were not right. From the moment she woke on that fateful day Kim Stoppable felt empty and alone. She had no idea why she felt this way. Ron was often gone for days, even weeks. Ron and his sister Hana were at the Yamanouchi School where Hana received training during her summer vacations. Usually Kim went along, but with the twins only months old she felt it best to stay home this year.
Her day was one frustration after another. One unproductive meeting followed another at Global Justice, while the real work piled up on her desk. She would have a full briefcase again tonight. To top it off, she was late picking up Miriam and the twins, leading to another tongue lashing from the woman in charge of the day care center. 'I should remind her whose husband signs her check,' Kim thought as she strapped the children into their car seats. She was not looking forward to the evening. Miriam in particular was difficult when her father was not home to entertain her.
Miriam wanted to wait for her father's call before going to bed. When nine o'clock rolled around with no call, Kim finally told her daughter, "Daddy is very busy and couldn't call tonight." After much protest she finally got Miriam down for the night. Kim felt a strange sense of foreboding as she laid out her work and logged on to the Global Justice network. She was reviewing a recent mission against Duff Killigan when the doorbell rang.
'Why tonight?' she asked herself as she headed to the door. Pushing the button on the intercom next to the door she asked, "Who's there?"
"Rabbi Katz," came the answer.
Kim opened the door. Standing on the porch she saw Rabbi Katz and Yori, the latter in a black kimono known as a mofuku. "Oh, God, noooooooooo," Kim cried as she grabbed at a table next to the door for support.
KPKPKPKPKPKPKP
A week had passed since the jet carrying Ron and Hana Stoppable disappeared in a storm over the Pacific. Officially, they were considered missing. Despite the best efforts of Wade, Global Justice and the Navy nobody knew what had happened. The plane was on radar with communications fully functional one minute. The next it was gone. According to Wade nothing short of a nuclear explosion could have disabled all onboard communications. Ron and Hana's tracking chips went silent at the same moment. Sensei had used his powers in an attempt to reach Ron without success. Despite encouragement from family and friends, Kim held forth no hope. While family and friends stood ready to help, Yori turned out to be Kim's rock.
At first Kim was reluctant. She felt it was a terrible imposition on someone outside her family until Nana told her, "You must understand her culture, Kimberly. Yori served your husband, now she serves you. To send her away disgraces her in the eyes of the Yamanouchi ninja."
The vigil held earlier that evening in Middleton Park seemed like a wake. The large crowd surprised Kim. She had expected a few friends and co-workers. The crowd included a number of people she remembered helping and even a few world leaders. There was an exceptionally large group of Japanese in attendance as well. "Yamanouchi graduates," Yori whispered in her ear as the group approached. She and Kim's brothers handled crowd control, keeping the myriad of visitors from overwhelming her. Several times Kim had to excuse herself lest she break down in front of everyone. Through it all Yori remained stoic, except for a few moments when she and Sensei stepped away from the crowd.
It was nearly midnight when an exhausted Kim Stoppable finally tore herself away from the remaining guests and headed for her car. She and Yori drove home in silence. Once home, Kim headed for the bedroom, removed her clothes and collapsed on her bed, crying herself to sleep.
Waking from fitful sleep, Kim looked at the clock next to her bed. The glowing numerals brought back memories of the first months after she and Ron began dating. Looking back she understood he found it difficult to believe his good fortune. Every bad dream, and there were lots of them, resulted in a call rousing her from a deep sleep. She glanced at the phone, wishing it would ring, waking her from this nightmare. But it remained silent.
She lay down again but sleep eluded her. Finally she struggled out of bed and after putting on her robe went to check on her daughters. They slept soundly, Miriam in her canopy bed and the twins in matching cribs. She smiled to see them so peaceful. They were much to young to understand the meaning of the activity around them. 'They are the lucky ones,' she thought as she silently slipped from the nursery, closing the door behind her. She was about to return to the bedroom when heard sounds coming from the direction of the living room.
Moving slowly and silently down the hall, past the kitchen, Kim peeked into the large living room. Yori was kneeling in front of the fireplace. On the hearth incense and candles burned next to a photograph of Ron and Hana taken the previous summer at Yamanouchi. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she chanted in Japanese. Kim knelt and bowed her head, listening to words that were most likely a prayer for her husband and his sister.
Then something happened Kim never expected to see. Yori clutched the picture to her breast and began to cry. Small sobs at first, building to a keening wail interspersed with a soul-wrenching lament in Japanese. "Why did you not protect them," she cried, addressing the various kami who watched over the Yamanouchi School and its' graduates. "I have done everything asked of me, even surrendered the man I loved to follow his destiny. Now I have nothing. You have taken my daughter, her father and my beloved partner. All the good they would have done for others. Gone. Do I deserve nothing for my devotion to tradition and my family?" Yori then collapsed on the floor, crying hysterically.
Kim couldn't believe what she was hearing. While not fluent in Japanese from the words she knew she was able to discern the reason for Yori's agony. A few years earlier those words would have sent her into a jealous rage. During her years at the university and rising through the ranks at Global Justice she had learned that most situations are not as they may first appear. She moved next to Yori and put a hand on her shoulder. "Yori-chan," Kim began. "I understood enough of what you just said to know there is a secret here, one that involved my husband and I hate secrets. So spill." Yori shook her head. "Please? I have to know."
It took a few moments for Yori to regain control of her emotions. "There was one night, before the Chosen One knew his destiny," she responded softly.
"It was South America! I knew something happened," Kim exclaimed, barely keeping her temper in check. 'Amp down. You told everyone, including Ron, that weren't interested,' she told herself. "So what happened?"
Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, Yori began, "We had nearly reached Monkey Fist's tree house and it was getting dark. It was cold. We had only one sleeping bag which we shared, for warmth." Kim raised an eyebrow. "We did not know one of the four jade statues had once been hidden in the large monkey idol nearby. The idol had absorbed some of the statue's power.
After the statues were destroyed Mystical Monkey Power could survive only in the children of the Chosen One and Monkey Fist. Sensei had told me what I must do if the opportunity arose. I was to capture the essence of the Chosen One insuring the continuation of the power as a force for good. It was not a difficult process. I had seen boys do it many times at the school," Yori said, turning away from Kim and blushing slightly. "While attempting my task I found myself becoming excited. I foolishly chose to use a more natural method to collect my specimen. At first I thought the Chosen One slept through the entire process," Kim covered her face to hide her chuckle. "but it awakened his powers. Surrounded by the glow of his power, I collected several more specimens that night. One of them became Hana.
The Yamanouchi School is no place to raise a child. When Sensei discovered the Stoppables were looking to adopt, he took the opportunity to place Hana with her father. When she became old enough, I was to train her. The time spent with my daughter was one of the few pleasures in my life."
Kim remembered Yori's reaction upon seeing Hana just before the battle with Yono the Destroyer. Thinking back, the signs were there. Kim took in a deep breath. The question had to be asked, even if she might not like the answer. "Were there other times?"
Yori's head snapped up and anger flashed in her eyes, "I am not saseko!" Holding her head in her hands she continued, "When it happened I believed he was my destiny. There was only one night." She began sobbing softly, "Only …. one …… night."
Kim was also crying softly as she said, "So sorry but I needed to know."
The two women sat on the floor holding each other for several minutes before Yori regained her composure enough to speak. "The kami sometimes play cruel tricks. In another time, or with another man I might have at least become second wife. But the Chosen One's heart was filled with another. There was no room for me other than as a friend and fellow warrior."
KPKPKPKPKPKP
Kim fell back into her daily routine of motherhood and her duties with Global Justice. After a long discussion Dr. Director finally gave in placing Kim in charge of the search for Ron and Hana. Yori remained in Middleton, ostensibly taking Ron's place as liaison between Global Justice and the Yamanouchi Ninja. She frequently traveled back to Japan to meet with Sensei who had his entire roster of graduates looking for clues to the disappearance of the plane carrying Ron and Hana.
Wade spent his free time scanning satellite photos from the day of their disappearance, checking and cross checking. He knew there was a clue somewhere. He just had to find it. GPS readings from the aircraft defined the area of the air and sea search he directed. He analyzed and reanalyzed the last data transmissions. Everything was normal up until the moment the aircraft vanished. The disappearance remained a mystery.
Global Justice along with various intelligence, counter-terrorism and police agencies listened and probed their contacts for information. If someone on the wrong side of the law were responsible, they certainly were not talking about it. After this much time, there should at least be rumors, their reports told Kim.
Although the search continued, Kim knew it was in vain. For as long as she could remember a special bond existed between she and Ron. It had only grown stronger after their summer at Yamanouchi. She, like Sensei was unable to reach Ron. This fact alone confirmed her worst fears. Six weeks had passed when she finally made the decision. Meeting with Wade and liaisons from the various organizations assisting in the search she made the dreaded announcement. She was calling off the search. She now believed Ron and Hana were most likely dead, and given that belief the manner of their death did not really matter. There were more pressing needs for the resources devoted to the search.
After talking with Rabbi Katz, Kim and the Stoppables decided to observe Shiva for Ron and Hana at the Stoppable home. Kim spent her days and evenings there, returning home exhausted after the last visitors had given their condolences and departed.
"It has been a difficult day?" Yori asked as she entered the house.
"So not my favorite thing. I always hated funerals. In a way, this is worse. I just want to collapse in bed and stay there 'til it's over." Kim replied.
"You should bathe first. The hot water will relax you," Yori suggested. "Someone went to all the trouble to duplicate the ofuro from the guesthouse at Yamanouchi, yet you have not used it once since I have been here."
Kim sighed deeply. "It was a special place for Ron and I. Something I have not wanted to do since…."
"For us, the bath is a ritual. Often when training was finished I and the other female students would relax in the ofuro before evening meal. It was an excellent opportunity for some girl talk," Yori told her. "If you wish, I could join you. I wish to know more about the ritual being held for my daughter."
A few minutes later, the two women had showered and were relaxing in the shoulder deep tub of hot water. Kim found it surprisingly relaxing to sit with Yori. "Like sisters," she remarked. Their conversation continued into the early morning hours. Finally Kim forced herself to leave the tub, dried off and put on her nightclothes.
"I so don't want to be alone in that bed tonight," Kim said as she walked into the master bedroom. "I'm thinking couch tonight."
"In such times," Yori said, "it is not unusual for sisters to share a bed, to comfort each other. You are welcome to share with me instead of the couch."
For the first time since the disappearance, Kim slept well. When she awoke the next morning, she found herself snuggled up against Yori, much as when she slept with Ron. The ninja did not seem to mind.
KPKPKPKPKPKPKP
It was the last night of Shiva. The final prayers were said, and the visitors were gone. The ordeal was finally over, at least the public part of it. Kim's spirits were at their lowest ebb when she returned home. The past week had taken every bit of emotional strength she possessed. As they had for the last several nights, Kim and Yori were again relaxing in the bath. "I miss him so much. Still, we had a good life together. I really have only one regret," Kim said in a soft voice. "Ron wanted a son so much, but all I gave him were girls."
Yori nodded, "It would be a great honor to bear the son of the Chosen One. Perhaps there is still a chance."
A/N: Many thanks to Dutchman for allowing me to build on his fic, "The Amazing Rain Forrest."
As the credits roll:
Kim and Yori stand in a secret chamber at the Yamanouchi School.
"Essence of Ron?" Kim asked looking through the glass freezer door. Yori nodded. "Heh. How much is there?"
"Enough for both of us, I think," Yori replied, blushing slightly. "If you do not mind sharing"
Kim bowed slightly to her companion, "It would be my honor."
What? Me own KP? So not gonna happen.