Chapter 2: Departure and Arrival

Ron awoke fairly early in the morning. He gathered his things up and headed out towards the main courtyard of the school. Ron was greeted by the sweet smell of the cherry blossoms from the trees as he stepped outside the main dormitory. He took a moment to take this wonderful place in. He knew he would be here again, but still he felt he needed to burn this moment into his memory. It had been a great summer. He had arrived the day that school had let out, and from the second he passed through the gate his intense training had begun. He had become more than proficient in the arts taught by the school by midsummer, and the last part of the summer he spent in preparation for the binding of his power.

Ron's back muscles twitched at the thought of the seal on his back. If he concentrated enough he could feel the power locked inside them, yearning to become one with him again. But that was the point. He needed them under his control, not resting lazily inside of him or erupting at the most desperate times. He had needed to first learn to fight without them, and now that he was capable of that, he could access the power and become unstoppable.

Ron turned towards the large gate that leads to the exit of Yamonuchi. Standing near it were two people. One was the master of this school, Sensei, and the other his prize pupil, Yuri. Ron had been hoping that she would still be asleep, but really wasn't surprised that she had come out to greet him before he left. She was in love with him. He knew this, but cared for her only as a good friend and fellow student. Yuri looked at him with a slight sadness in her eyes, knowing how he felt but still holding on to a slim hope.

Ron approached them slowly, taking in the feeling of the school one last time before leaving. Sensei was the first one to speak.

"Good morning, Stoppable-sama. I wish to speak with you a moment before you go. I want to make sure that the seal is still holding. I also wish to have a demonstration that you are able to unlock the powers held within the smaller seals. Would you please use the Sharigan eye?"

Ron nodded as he closed his eyes. He quickly went through about five hand signs and said "Sharigan Eye!" When Ron's eyes reopened, the normally chocolate brown eyes were replaced with yellow gold iris with three small black flecks distributed throughout the outer rim of the iris. Yuri gasped at the startling change. Sensei walked around Ron as Ron lifted the back of his shirt up. The second circle on his back had changed from having black marks to glowing blue ones.

"I see that you have accessed the second seal without activating the first or releasing the entire seal. Excellent. I have consulted an ancient scroll about the color of your Sharigan eye. Normally the color is red, but Toshimoru the founder's Sharigan was also yellow. I believe it to be a byproduct of the mystical monkey power. You may release it now if you wish. I am satisfied that the seal is holding perfectly."

Ron closed his eyes again. Using this power, the world was completely open to him. He could duplicate any action he saw, from a simple martial arts technique to the most advanced jutsu. Ron had spent hours copying the numerous martial arts and jutsus known by Sensei. But there was more than just being able to copy anything. Using this technique, he vision was increased a thousand fold, he could see miles off into the

horizon, see the finest grains of the wood in the gate, and more disturbingly he could 'see' into the minds of his opponents. He couldn't literally see their thoughts, but when he locked eyes with anyone while using his Sharigan, he could feel their intentions, emotions, and often times felt their thoughts as they were his own. Sensei had remarked while training Ron about his Sharigan that to his opponent it seemed as though Ron could

see into the future, knowing their actions and plans before they could even implement them.

With a quick breath Ron released the Sharigan, and when he reopened his eyes they were once again their normal color. Shaking his head to clear the sudden change of vision, Ron turned towards Sensei. "So, everything looks good to go then?"

Sensei nodded. "You are ready, Stoppable-sama. Have a safe journey home."

Ron and Sensei bowed to each other, Ron then turned towards Yuri. "It's been a great summer, Yuri. But I guess it's time for the Ronster to head on home. Take care of yourself and Sensei for me." Ron flashed her his trademark goofy grin and started out the gate when a hand stopped him.

"You're going to her, aren't you?" Yuri barely whispered the question.

This was what Ron had been hoping to avoid. "Yes." His voice was firm but still friendly.

Suddenly, Ron was spun around and Yuri had thrown herself into his chest. She pulled herself close to him, so close he could barely hear her speak. "Why..why I am a not good enough?"

Ron placed his hands on Yuri's shoulders and pushed her back so that he could look her in the eye. "Yuri," he started off slow, "it's not a matter of your worth. Yuri, you are a wonderful girl. And under other circumstances, I could see you in the way you want me too. But, I've..I've been in love with Kim since I was four years old! I never have been able to get over that. I'm sorry Yuri. But what I feel for Kim, I don't think I'll ever feel that for another person." Ron whispered the last part.

Yuri trembled, then a defiant look came into her eye. "You profess your undying love for her, but has she ever returned your feelings? It seems to me that this great love you have is unacknowledged and unreciprocated!" Yuri spat the last words back at Ron.

"Yuri! You dishonor yourself by speaking to Stoppable-sama this way!" Sensei interjected, but Ron held up a hand to stop his teacher from speaking further.

Ron looked Yuri in the eye again. "You're right. So far, Kim hasn't returned my love. But I have to try. I think you understand that." Ron gently tilted his head forward and kissed Yuri on the forehead. "Goodbye."

Ron turned again towards the gate when he heard Yuri say. "You're the greatest man I have ever known."

Ron chuckled and looked back of his shoulder. "Thank you Yuri. I don't know if I agree, but I know if I was a great man, it would be because I have friends like you." With that said, Ron waived a goodbye and started down the mountain.

The plane trip from Japan to Middleton took over eighteen hours. Ron was exhausted after enduring the flight, the drunken business men, screaming children and a thrilling showing of Starsky and Hutch.

"How those two keep getting work is beyond me!" Ron exclaimed finally stepping foot off of the plane. He immediately felt decompressed as he walked into the spacious Middleton airport. Taking a moment to adjust to the surroundings, Ron then started to look for his ride home from the airport. His parents were out of town on business, and had asked the Possible family to retrieve their son when he arrived. Ron knew a real quick way to find the Possibles. Just scan the crowd for a hot redhead. It's worked since I was twelve. Ron started to scan with a smirk on his face, when he noticed a flash of red hair. Target acquired! Ron quickly found the person the hair belonged to, and looked into the smiling face of Dr. Anne Possible.

Ron faltered a little, but then shrugged. Not quite the hot redhead I was expecting, but the system still works!

"Kim, he's over here!" Dr. Possible called over to her daughter, who was standing a little further down looking in the other direction. Kim turned around and started walking towards her mother, a big smile on her face. When Kim reached Ron, she hugged him and he hugged her back. That's when they both noticed the change.

"So, was it Draken or Dementor that shrunk you?" Ron quipped.

"I was just going to ask what they've been feeding you." Kim replied.

Throughout their friendship, Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible had always been around the same height. One of them would shoot up an inch or two, but the other would inevitably catch up. That was not the case now. Ron had grown over the summer, he was aware of this. But it hadn't been as obvious as it was at this moment. Kim was level with his chest, and was now tilting her head up to look at Ron. Ron stared down into her green eyes, noting how deep the green was from this new angle. The friends giggled and the new situation and started to step away from each other. Dr. Possible moved in to take her daughter's place and welcomed Ron back with her own hug. Dr Possible noticed something her daughter missed, (or at least pretended to).

"Ronald, what have they been feeding you?" She had her hands around his arms, but unlike it the past, there was something that was keeping her hands from going all the way around. Muscle. Something Ron Stoppable had not had the last time either of the Stoppable women had seen him.

"Nothing, really. I guess…I guess I just got into a little better shape while I was there. No big deal." Ron started to fidget a little from the attention he was receiving. It was just a little bit uncomfortable for you best friend's mother, who was the obvious source of her daughter's good looks, to suddenly notice muscle development in your teenage body. Not that Ron on some subconscious level wasn't enjoying this, but still a little uncomfortable.

Kim was a little more direct. She moved her hands to Ron's shirtsleeve and pulled it up. "Wow, Ron! Did you spend every second there working out?"

Ron shifted his weight from side to side, trying desperately to keep his mind off the fact that his crush for life and her attractive mother were groping on his arms. "Yes…" Ron trailed off.

"I can't wait to see what you've learned. You might make a pretty decent sparring partner now. Of course, you have to have more than a little muscle to keep up with me." Kim jovially punched his arm, drawing her hand back in pain. "Or..a lot of muscle."

Ron took her hand without thinking, "Are you okay? You didn't hurt yourself did you?"

Ron and Kim once again became aware of the position they were in, heat rising to both of their checks as they realized that they were inadvertently holding hands. Ron quickly let it go, moving his hand behind his head. A nervous tick he had developed over the years when dealing with the opposite sex.

Dr. Possible broke the silence, although one could detect a sparkle of happiness in Anne's eyes at observing the exchange between the two. "Well, I guess you're ready to get home and get some rest, right Ron? That was an awful long flight. And Jim and Tim are waiting out at the van with their father. We better get back there before the start experimenting on the fuel injection system. Again." She turned and started towards the exit, followed by two teenagers who were struggling hard not to meet each other's eyes.