Kim let out a relaxed sigh as she sipped at a hot chocolate that she had just settled down on the couch with. There were wedding catalogues strewn about the entire apartment detailing dresses of various styles, decorations, cakes, and even invitations.
The end of the second semester was quickly approaching and as they got Ron's new windfall in order, Kim was eager to get the stress of college life over with in exchange for the stress of putting together a wedding during the summer break. While Ron seemed suddenly hesitant about the ramp up in pace, her mother told her that was completely normal for a groom-to-be.
She curled her bare toes around the edge of the coffee table and smiled. Ron had wanted to go on a spending spree, and Kim had to admit that even she had wanted to call Monique for a weekend outing. But as much as they both wanted to upgrade their lifestyle to something more comfortable and extravagant, Kim had set the wedding at the top of their priority list. She had already shot down Ron's attempt to upgrade his mode of transportation to the Hatchet super cycle that Motor Ed had tried to steal last year.
"Kimberly-Anne Stoppable." she said to herself with a childish grin, playing with the words on her lips. It wasn't something she thought she'd ever hear even five years ago.
"Speaking of..." she suddenly added, looking up at the clock on the wall. "Where are you, Ron?"
She checked her new wrist Kimmunicator and activated the tracking system. She had gotten Wade to build in a two way transceiver between hers and Ron's glasses that either person could track the other. Her tiny screen zoomed out several levels before pinpointing Ron's location over the Pacific ocean. "Ron!" she growled, her mind instantly leaping to the notion that he had decided to take a spur of the moment flight somewhere.
She touched another button that called Wade. "Wade, I need a..." The sound of a young teenaged girl's giggles suddenly silenced. "Joss?"
"He-hey cuz." Joss said, wiping her mouth with a thumb.
Wade sat up with a dazed look on his lipstick strewn face before shaking his head and looking ready for business. "What's shaking, Kim?"
"You tell me." she replied, glaring.
"Uh... Nothing."
"Nothing?" Joss exclaimed, looking angry.
"Uh..."
"Whatever." Kim interjected, knowing her little cousin was responsible enough to know right from wrong. "Have you heard from Ron? My Kimmunicator is saying he's halfway over the ocean."
"Just a sec." Wade said as Joss left the view of his webcam. "Uh oh."
"Here we go..."
"Just got news that there's been a complete media blackout of the meeting he had today. Seems Ron's uhm... vanished. No witnesses."
"Swell." Kim growled. "Set me up with a flight to intercept. Whether he turned tail or he's been captured, he's in trouble." she said, narrowing her eyes.
"You are a very busy man, Mr. Stoppable." said an Asian man with a seemingly friendly, if deep voice. "You are very difficult to get close to."
Ron had just woken up from a pin prick in the neck an unknown amount of time ago. His head was aching, as were his muscles; and he had to struggle to sit up on what he guessed was a bench. A cloth bag had been placed over his head and his hands were bound behind his back.
"Hey, I know that voice! You're..." Suddenly, the bag was pulled off and Ron blinked a few times to focus on his captor. He was certainly an Asian man, no older than Ron and wearing a cocky smile that didn't quite go with his ninja gi. Well styled black hair adorned his head and he wore a katana on his back. "Hirotaka? Huh. I was thinking of someone else."
"Stoppable-san!" came a far more familiar voice that brought a smile to Ron's face.
"Yori!" he said, nearly shouting as the young Asian woman entered the room through a small doorway. "What's going on? What happened to my meeting?"
"I am sorry, Stoppable-san. Master Sensei has requested your assistance in a matter involving the Mystical Monkey Power. We tried to contact you, however we were only able to speak to a Ms. Kalea. She said we would have to wait at least three months for an appointment. I am afraid that we cannot wait."
"Well okay. Give me the rundown." Ron said, trying to move. "Uhm, could someone take off the cuffs first?" he asked, turning slightly to brandish his bound wrists.
Hirotaka stood and revealed what appeared to be a skeleton key as he unlocked the ancient looking cuffs. "My apologies, my friend. We had to move quickly to avoid detection by the masses around you. We could not waste time trying to convince you to join us."
"Are you kidding?" Ron said excitedly. "I was not looking forward to that meeting! I'm not even sure where I was, actually. Do either of you know anything about a book? Hey, where's Kim?"
"Is he always like this?" Hirotaka asked when Ron stopped his seemingly random questions.
She nodded. "Stoppable-San's American style buffoonery is an endless source of amusement." she replied before turning back to Ron. "Your questions will be answered shortly. Please, enjoy a refreshment until we reach Master Sensei."
Ron yelped in surprise as a black clad ninja seemed to phase out of the minority of shadows in the room to hand him a bottled water and a package of peanuts. "In flight peanuts? But that could only mean..."
He turned to peer out the dark window of the room to see the moon reflecting off of the ocean far below. "Oh, I am going to be in so much trouble..."
The Master Sensei stood in the courtyard of the school of Ninjitsu high atop Mount Yamanouchi. He was the first and last of a great clan of protectors trained in the art of the Ninja that had guarded the Eastern world for hundreds of years. But time was catching up to him now that a new warrior had been chosen, and he was growing tired.
He watched the dark clouds beginning to subtly descend around the mountain as the faintest sound of a pair of his most highly trained Ninja approached him from the gate of the school. They were coupled with the clumsy shuffling footsteps of a familiar and dear friend. "I am glad you were able to join me, young Stoppable-San."
"Sensei-Dude-Sir." Ron said as greeting, bowing in respect before sharing a fist bump with the Ninja master. "So what do you need with a warrior hero? Oh, that reminds me; have you guys got a payphone or something here yet? I should really be calling Kim..."
"I'm afraid that the destiny you are about to face must be done by the Monkey Master alone."
"Wait, what?" Ron asked, now confused more than ever. "I thought I fulfilled my destiny already? Can't a guy catch a break?"
"The destiny of the Monkey Master is continuous. It is time for you to claim your title, Stoppable-San." Sensei said as the clouds grew darker, thick and heavy. "There is a tournament that is only open to the holders of mystical power. Those that win gain glory through the ages."
"And those that lose?"
"Lose everything." Sensei warned, the dark cloud growing thick enough to obscure the buildings around them.
"Well then, it's been real visiting and all, but I've really got to be getting home. To be honest, all this new found attention in business has really given me my fill of glory for the moment." he replied, turning away. "Let me know when this tournament thing comes around again."
Ron stood staring into the dark clouds, unable to see more than a few feet around him. He waved his arms in an attempt to move the fog away, but it swirled and continued to engulf him. "Yori? Hiro?" he called before bumping accidentally into Sensei again. "Could you, uhm, point me back to the bridge?"
"If you do not fight, Stoppable-San; our world will fall." the man said.
Ron heaved a sigh and rubbed his eyes. "Ugh! This Ninja stuff is always so mysterious! Never do I just get a letter in the mail or a phone call as an invite. It's always kidnapping or fake student exchanges, or here's a baby sister who just happens to be destined to fight a mystical entity!"
As Ron stood silently still with his head lowered and his shoulder's slumped, the dark clouds that surrounded him and Sensei began to lighten and part. "I mean, I've got finals coming up, a sudden financial empire to take care of, and a wedding in a couple months that wasn't supposed to be until next year when it's safe! Now, everything's happening just like Hana said because I couldn't bear to tell Kim I wanted to wait! So in addition to somehow figuring out how to stay alive at my own wedding and keep Kim from losing everything she's ever cared about, I have to participate in a super powered duel over the fate of the planet?"
Sensei nodded.
"That's a lot to put on a guy all at once."
"Indeed." Sensei said, turning to walk away through the fading fog. "Your responsibilities as the Monkey Master will be many."
"Hey! Wait up!" Ron shouted as Sensei began to disappear. As he ran through the fog, the light that was beginning to shine through became blinding and Ron held up a hand to see past the glare. "Sensei?"
Ron stood on what seemed like the same plateau at the top of Mount Yamanouchi, but the Japanese style buildings of the school were gone, replaced by ancient looking spires of various cultures that reached high into the clouds. Many of the buildings in the distance were made of some sort of glass or multicolored crystal, while others that stood upon the same plateau as him appeared to be constructed of an assortment of rock such as jade and marble.
Granite statues of all kinds of creatures, both recognizable and not, were strewn about the large mountain top and were all carved with sinister and fierce expressions that put Ron on edge. They seemed to be guarding a very old, yet surprisingly sturdy looking rope bridge with heavy bricks lining its walkway that led to the crystal towers.
"I am definitely not in Japan anymore."
