At first, Kim just stood there, the combination of rage and shock momentarily causing her to freeze at the sight before her. As the moments passed by in complete silence, the shock of their betrayal began to ware off but her rage was only beginning to grow in intensity. Yet, before she was able to act on the fury that was inside of her, she knew that there was something that she had to do first.
The redhead took a step towards the table and, placing both hands on its cold, hard surface, looked into the face that had belonged to her best friend. It was just as she had remembered it, perfectly intact with his cute freckles and untamable blond hair. She brought the back of her hand up to gently brush his cheek, thankful that his eyes were still closed. She then bent down and kissed his forehead before grabbing the white shroud and replacing it over his face.
As his face once again disappeared from view underneath the white linen, something deep inside Kim snapped. Between the emotional toll, the lack of sleep, and the rage that had turned into a fire that could rival the sun, Kim made a decision to cross a line that she swore she would never cross. She was going to kill the old man in front of her. She was going to make him suffer unmercifully at her hands, make him understand the suffering that she was going through, and then, and only then, grant him the sweet release of death.
Silently and deliberately, Kim slipped into a fighting stance and prepared to take on the Master of the Yamanuchi School. The old man never moved, his stoic expression held even as the decision to send him to his maker, curtsey of one Kimberly Ann Possible, was being made. The utter lack of emotion, of remorse for his deeds only served to fuel the fire that burned inside the teen and she tensed her body in preparation for her fatal strike. Yet, just as she was about to flip over the stone table and aim a flying kick right at the old man's head, she heard someone call out her name from behind her. She turned quickly to see who the interloper was and gave the new arrival a cold, humorless smile. Perhaps the old man could wait until after she had gotten through with Yori.
The redhead turned, aiming lethal fists at the young Asian girl that had started all of this madness. But instead of falling into her own fighting stance, she merely held up her hands in an attempt to calm the enraged girl in front of her. "Please, Kimberly, before you do something that you'll regret, hear us out," Yori pleaded. She had told her master that this was a bad way to show her this, that it would only enflame her passions, and that was exactly what had happened.
Kim was through putting up with the fantasies and delusions that Yori kept spouting, and decided to take the approach of 'shoot first and ask questions later'. She bent her knees and placed her weight on the balls of her feet in preparation for her first strike. But just as she was about to launch herself, the voice, the one that had been whispering to her to come here to Japan, spoke up again. And it was telling her to let Yori make her case, to hear the girl out, to give her one last chance. And, then, if she didn't like what the Asian girl had to say, well...
Even still, she wasn't about to let her guard down, however, regardless of what that part of her psyche wanted. So, while holding a perfect Lotus stance, the heroine nodded at Yori. "I'm listening," the redhead prompted when the other girl didn't continue.
Yori breathed a sigh of relief. This was her last chance to convince Kim before the teen heroine went berserk on her school, so the Asian girl decided to make it count. "Kimberly, there is one more part of the legend that you have not heard. Suiko was devastated by the death of her husband after the final fight with Nobunaga. It was not the fact that he had departed from this life, for she could have waited until she had passed to see her beloved again. It was the thought that his soul was forever trapped here on Earth and that she would never be able to see him again for all eternity that had crushed her spirit."
"The students of the school realized that Suiko was in no condition to bury Tushimo, and so they took that duty upon themselves. It was a simple ceremony and his body was interred in the valley beneath us. You can see it from this vantage point, his favorite mediation spot. After the funeral, it took Suiko many weeks before she was able to begin the process of recovery from her loss, and when she did, she found that she got the most comfort from meditating in this spot."
"On the day of the one year anniversary of the defeat of Nobunaga and the death of Tushimo, Suiko spent the entire day here in contemplation. Towards the end of the day, as the sun was setting over Mount Yamanuchi, she received her first vision. Since she had never had one before, she was unsure who the monk that was now appearing to her was."
"He explained to the young woman that in life he had been Toshimu's mentor and had instructed him in the ways of Ti Shing Peck Quar and that now, in the afterlife, he had become the avatar of the gods, the method through which they communicated with those still in this life. Naturally, Suiko was very curious as to what the gods had to say to her as she thought of herself as just a simple peasant girl."
"The monk explained that the gods were not oblivious to her suffering over her loss. He told her that the gods knew of the sacrifice that Toshimu had made to help protect the school and Ti Shing mysticism, but they were also aware of the sacrifice that Suiko made in losing her love for all eternity. And the gods had decided that, because of the great devotion that she had shown Toshimu by staying true to him for a full year, they would offer her a way to be with her beloved again."
Yori paused for a moment, in part to collect herself, catch her breath, and allow herself to relax and in part to ensure that Kim was still listening to her. Over the last few minutes, she had noticed that the redhead had allowed slight imperfections creep into her Lotus stance. Kim was still a superior martial artist and only a very trained eye could have picked up on the clues that her body was giving off. Those clues were telling Yori that Kim was once again losing herself in the story of Toshimu and Suiko. But, now that she had stopped, Kim was shoring up her stance and losing her patience once more, thus prompting the Asian girl to continue.
"Naturally, Suiko was ecstatic at the thought that she would be able to see Toshimu again, even if it was in another life. She asked the monk how she could accomplish such a feat, and he replied that what she must do would come at a great cost and asked her if she would be willing to proceed. Suiko agreed immediately. The monk then told her that since part of Toshimu's spirit resided in the Lotus Blade, he would never be able to move on to the afterlife until both parts were reunited. Suiko responded that she was aware of this already, as her love had told her this before dying."
"The monk then said that if a fractured soul was keeping Toshimu here in this life, then the same fate would await Suiko if she were to infuse the Lotus Blade with a part of her soul. If she were to choose a destiny to forever protect the innocent, just like Toshimu had, then she would be allowed to be reincarnated along with her love and that the two souls would forever be tied to one another. Their love would then live for as long as the stars and nothing could ever come between the two of them again."
"The monk then reached out and touched Suiko, giving her the knowledge and power to do what only Toshimu had done before. He then told her that it was her choice, that she would only have the power to give of herself to the Lotus Blade until the next sunset, and then he took his leave of her."
"Suiko knew what she had to do. Without any hesitation or delay, she went to the shrine that held the Lotus Blade and brought the weapon to the spot where you now stand. No one knows precisely what she did to infuse a piece of her soul with the weapon, but we do know that she was successful. Unfortunately, she was not powerful enough to survive the process and she passed into the next life. The students found her the next day, kneeling in exactly the same position that she is depicted in her statue in the courtyard."
"Thus, for seventeen hundred years, the souls of Toshimu and Suiko have been reincarnated, always drawn to Yamanuchi and each other as their destiny dictates. In that time, there have been forty manifestations of the lovers, and before their duty is fulfilled there will be forty times forty more. And we, the students of Yamanuchi, will always await their return."
Kim listened to everything that Yori had said, but she hadn't allowed herself to relax her Lotus Stance. Her rage had cooled over the last twenty minutes that it took Yori to finish the tale, but only by a hair. It was pure fantasy, a superstition that held as much weight in the real world as the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot. Her patience all used up, she tensed up once more, ready to strike and finish it once and for all, when, before she knew what was happening, a question sprang from her lips, something that she was dying to know.
"What does any of this have to do with me and Ron? Not once have I seen a connection between us. Your story has not told me why you have hurt me or dishonored Ron. So, before I exact vengeance on you for defiling the body of my best friend, you've got one last chance. What does this have to do with me and Ron?!" she all but shouted her final question.
At this, Yori broke down. She took a single step towards Kim and told her in a voice that was at once pleading and annoyed, "Do you not see, Kim-dono? Do you not understand why we have brought you here, shown you things that no outsider has seen in over a millennium? It is because Ron Stoppable is the fortieth reincarnation of the soul of Toshimu! And you are the fortieth reincarnation of Suiko! The myth of our founder and his love is your story! You are Suiko!"
The redhead blinked. Out of all the things that Kim had expected to hear, this was not one of them. Anger began to be replaced by utter confusion. Unconsciously, she slipped out of her fighting stance, dropping her arms down to her sides and relaxing her shoulders. "Wha...what are you talking about?" she asked the Asian girl in a voice that was cracking under the stress of the moment.
Yori breathed in a huge sigh of relief at the realization that she was finally getting through to the stubborn redhead. "You, Kim Possible, are the current living embodiment of the woman that our founder loved. And the man that you love, the man that you gave up eternal peace in the afterlife for, is currently embodied by Ron Stoppable."
Kim just stood completely still. The idea of her and Ron being long lost lovers, reincarnated time and time again, always destined to return to one another, was simply too fantastic a tale to believe. "I don't believe you," she told Yori without a hint of amusement in her voice. "First, there is not a shred of truth to the story that you have told me. And second, assuming it was true for the moment, what makes you think that I am Suiko? There is no way that you can be sure."
The Asian girl gave Kim a smile that told the teen heroine that she was mistaken when she asserted that Yori could offer no proof as to the validity of her claim. "Oh, really, Kimberly? I can offer no proof that you are who I say you are? Do you remember when you were told how after Toshimu fell on the battlefield after defeating Nobunaga, he went up Mount Yamanuchi for a day and a night? When he came back, he did not come back alone."
"He knew that he was dying and that he would be reincarnated soon and that the students of Yamanuchi would have to begin their search for him. He wanted to help his students in their quest so he went up into the mountains and found a deposit of jade. Choosing four of the largest pieces that he could find, he carved the four jade monkeys that Stoppable-san encountered in Lord Fisk's castle three years ago. The jade monkeys were then, at the insistence of Toshimu, blessed by the gods so that, when the four were placed in a certain order, if a person who was able to receive mystical monkey power would step into the circle that was formed by the jade monkeys, the statues would channel mystical monkey power into that person."
"At the time that Toshimu created them, he believed that he was the only one who would benefit from such an encounter, which was why when we learned that Stoppable-san had received the power of the jade monkeys, we were certain that we knew who he was. He was invited to Yamanuchi as an exchange student so that we could be certain, and when he was able to yield the Lotus Blade to its full potential, we were sure that we had found the fortieth heir of Toshimu."
The redhead shook her head. "Let's say I believe you, which I don't. But if I did, you've only proven that Ron is Toshimu, not that I'm Suiko. How do you know that I am his, his.... lover," she all but whispered to Yori, finding that she was having great difficulty in calling herself that.
"Do you remember, Kim-dono, when Lord Fisk went after the amulet of the monkey king? That amulet was created sometime around 975 AD. After his death, Nobunaga had gathered a following, a secret society bent on succeeding where he had failed. One of his future disciples infiltrated the school here at Yamanuchi. It was his belief that by using a piece of one of the jade monkeys, he would be able to contact Nobunaga in the next life and receive the power that the demon had given the evil sorcerer."
"He was both successful and unsuccessful at the same time. The thief and betrayer managed to sneak into the chamber where the jade monkeys were kept and he did manage to remove a section of jade from the bottom of one of the statues. He smuggled the piece out of the school and back to China where the secret society was able to craft the piece of jade into an amulet."
"But when the leader of the society put the amulet on, nothing happened. It was believed that once the jade was removed from statue from whence it came, it lost all its power. The amulet was then used by the secret society as a symbol of leadership, the bearer earning the title of the monkey king, until the society failed. It was then discovered by archeologists in the year 1932 AD and subsequently ended up in the Forbidden City Museum."
"Then, two years ago, you were able to successfully stop Lord Fisk from stealing the amulet from the museum. But something happened when the amulet was placed around your neck. For the first time since it had been separated from the jade monkey, the little piece of jade was able to access the blessing that the gods had given it. Unfortunately, since it was never designed to be a separate piece, the effects were somewhat.... surprising."
"But what is important is not the fact that you were turned into a monkey. What is important is the fact that the amulet had an effect on you at all. Only someone who is able to channel mystical monkey power would have had any effect when they put on the amulet. It was once believed that only Toshimu had such an ability, but over the years we have discovered that there are three people that have the ability to receive mystical monkey power. The first is Toshimu, whom we already know to be Ronald. The second is Nobunaga, whom is currently residing in Hell. The third is Suiko, whom by process of elimination is you."
Kim was now dumbfounded. Now that Yori was relating how she fit into all of this, she couldn't deny that it was starting to make sense. But then she analyzed why it was making sense to her and she realized that it was all based off an assumption that the mystical monkey power could only be received by those three people.
"Yori, if what you are saying is true, then only three people can receive mystical monkey power. But how do I know that you are not mistaken about that, or worse, lying to me? You said that there was once a time when your people believed that only Toshimu could yield mystical monkey power, but now you know that to be mistaken. I know nothing of the myth that you have told me and even less of the mystical monkey power. How can I know for certain that I am the woman that you claim I am?"
At this, Yori walked past Kim and up to the table that held Ron's body, kneeling and removing something that was residing underneath it. When the Asian girl stood once more, Kim was able to get a look at what it was that she was holding and immediately recognized it as the black, lacquered case that held the Lotus Blade. The redhead felt herself once again drawn towards the weapon, just as she had back in the little coffee shop in Middleton, and she found herself focusing her entire concentration on the case.
Yori then took the case over to a pedestal off to the side of the meditation area and opened it, once again revealing the perfect blue blade inside. She then stepped away to allow the Master of Yamanuchi to walk over to the weapon, and he removed the blade from its resting place. He held it in his hands for a moment, as if savoring the feel of it, before he turned to Kim.
The old man then walked over to where the redhead stood. "Kimberly, do you feel some sort of connection with the weapon that I now hold?" He waited until the heroine nodded her agreement before continuing, "I want you to take the Lotus Blade in your hand. If you are not Suiko, then nothing will happen and I will do everything in my power to make things right by you and Mr. Stoppable. But if I am right, and you are who we say you are, then the part of your soul that resides in your body will connect with the part that resides in the Lotus Blade and you will know your true destiny."
Kim was now looking at the glowing blue blade in front of her with a trepidation that she had not felt before. She was sure that when she held the blade in her hand, nothing would happen as she was sure that she was not Suiko. But what if something did happen? Was she ready to take that chance, to find out that she had an unknown destiny that spanned several lifetimes? And that in each of those previous lives Ron had loved her and she had loved Ron?
She stood there for a moment, not moving, barely even breathing, just staring at the weapon. And then she realized that, as much as the thought of knowing scared her, the thought of not knowing scared her even more. So, her mind far from being certain, she reached out and took the Lotus Blade in her hand.
At first, nothing happened. A moment passed and Kim breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that what Yori and the Master Sensei had said was false. Then, just as she was about to relinquish the weapon back to the Master of Yamanuchi, it began. It was a difficult sensation to describe, but it was if memories that she hadn't thought about in a long time were coming to the surface of her mind, only they weren't any memories that she had ever made. In every one, she was a woman, but in each memory she was of varying ages and races. There were many that were located on the grounds of Yamanuchi and some even involved the Lotus Blade.
As the minutes passed, Kim felt herself getting swept up in the flood of foreign memories as more and more came rushing to the surface of her mind, at a faster and faster pace. And just as the memories were reaching a fever pitch, they began to focus on a single girl. It took her a moment, but Kim soon realized that the girl that she was now focusing on was Suiko.
At this realization, something happened. It was as if the entire world had faded away and she was now standing in the same little meditation space, but everything was different. The table was gone, as were Master Sensei and Yori. In their place, there was a man who was sitting in the Lotus position, obviously in meditation. Kim knew instantly that the man was Toshimu, but it was more than that. She knew more about him than just being able to recognize him on sight. She knew almost everything about him now, from how he liked to meditate to the private training session that he used to give her to what his skin felt like against hers and Kim realized that there had been a time and a place where she had been this man's lover.
At this realization, it all came crashing home for her. Everything that Yori had said was true, from their first lifetime as Toshimu and Suiko to the battle with Nobunaga to the thirty-nine subsequent lives that she had led. She remembered them all now, every moment of every life. It should have been overwhelming but instead it was as if she was just remembering some long lost memory from her present life.
Yori had been watching the entire scene unfold before her as the more Kim remembered, the more she was able to draw on her own ability to channel mystical monkey power. The heroine had fallen into a trance-like state and as more of the mystical monkey power became concentrated inside of her, the more a faint blue aura began to form around Kim. At about the same time Kim was coming to the realization that she was Suiko, Yori made the decision to focus her on the task that she had to accomplish.
So, the Asian girl walked over to where Kim stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. She could feel a tingle run through her body as she made contact with the mystical monkey power, but she knew that she had to get through to other girl. "Suiko, can you hear me?"
Kim was reveling in her newfound memories, jumping from one lifetime to another, when she heard Yori call out her name. Part of her knew that her name was Kim Possible and not Suiko but another part instantly responded to her Asian name. Kim then opened her eyes and instead of greeting Yori with her emerald beauties, her eyes had taken on the bluish glow that now surrounded the rest of her body.
Undaunted, Yori pressed on. "Suiko, Toshimu needs you. You need to bring him back to us. Use the Lotus Blade and reunite body and spirit once again."
Kim had heard what Yori had told her but had no idea what she was talking about. She was just about to question the Asian girl when her body began moving of its own accord. Momentarily frightened by the prospect that she had lost control of her own body, Kim was about to panic when a voice, the same voice that had been urging her along this entire time, spoke to her, telling her that there was nothing wrong, that another part of her was in control now, one that had laid dormant until recently. It was then that another flash on insight hit Kim and she realized that the voice that she had heard, the voice that had beckoned her to Japan, who had asked her to hear Yori out, and was now telling her that everything was going to be all right, had belonged to Suiko.
Trusting in the fact that the ghost of her former life would not lead her wrong, the redhead began to relax and allow whatever it was that was controlling her complete freedom to do what it willed. Once she had let go, Kim saw herself moving towards the stone table that held Ron's body. She stopped just in front of it and, grasping the Lotus Blade with both hands with the blade pointing straight up into the air, she began to meditate on images of Ron as he was in life. Images of the two of them at the Bueno Nacho opening, of the two of them on a mission, of the two of them at their senior prom began flooding her consciousness. And the more she meditated on him, the more she felt as if his presence was surrounding her, growing steadily stronger and stronger. Finally, when she felt that he was so close that she could simply reach out and touch him, the redhead gave a fierce scream, yelled a single word in Japanese, and plunged the Louts Blade deep into the chest of her best friend.
As soon as the weapon made contact with Ron, Kim was forced to let her grip on it go. She instantly fell to the ground, horrified at what she had just done. The blue glow that had once surrounded her was gone, as was the presence of Suiko that she had felt inside her, guiding her into such a betrayal of her friend. She began weeping at the base of the table, unable to bring herself to look at what she had just done until Yori came over to her.
"Come, see what is happening, Kim-dono," her guide begged of her with a hopeful smile.
Not wanting to look but realizing that she would have to at some point anyway, Kim allowed herself to be helped up by Yori but with her back turned towards the body of her friend. At Yori's gentle insistence, Kim reluctantly turned to face the sight of her horrific act when she saw something that went beyond anything that she had ever believed was possible.
The blade was still embedded in his chest, but the same blue glow that had once surrounded Kim now surrounded the white shroud that covered Ron. Unsure of just what was going on, Kim decided to take a step closer to look at what was happening underneath the white cloth when the right hand of Ron Stoppable suddenly reached up and grabbed the hilt of the Lotus Blade. The heroine knew that, deep down, she should be screaming at the unnatural sight in front of her, but she was just too shocked to do anything. So she simply stood still, watching the scene unfold.
Ron, with his hand still on the Lotus Blade, then sat straight up, bent at the waist so that the burial shroud fell off his face, the white cloth ripping around the blade that was still in him and pooling around his waist With his eyes still closed, he moved his head as if he were looking at the weapon that was stuck in his chest and, with a mighty scream, yanked the blade out. He then tossed the shroud to the side and leapt off the table, falling into a perfect fighting stance, holding the Lotus Blade like he had been born with it in his hands.
It was then that he finally opened his eyes, revealing not the chocolate orbs that Kim had come to know but the glowing blue power that had once possessed Kim only a short time ago. He quickly surveyed all that surrounded him until his eyes fell upon his best friend. It took a moment for him to recognize who it was that he was looking at, but when he did, his facial features changed from the stoic expression that he had held since his funeral to one of pure joy.
He rushed over to the redhead, who was still unable to move out of shock and bewilderment, crying out, "Suiko!" He was in front of Kim in a heartbeat and, taking her into his arms, he leaned into her and pressed his lips to hers. The combination of the power that resided in him and the force that he placed behind it combined to easily make it the most passionate kiss that either one had experienced in this lifetime. Caught up in the rush of emotion, at some point Kim found herself forgetting that it was Ron, her best friend, and began to kiss him back.
It was towards the end of the kiss that Ron finally let go of the Lotus Blade that he had still been holding onto so that he could fully wrap his arms around the woman that he loved. As the weapon clattered to the floor below, the blue glow that had surrounded him and had once surrounded Kim began to vanish. Finally breaking the kiss, Ron pulled back slightly from Kim while still holding onto to her. Their faces inches apart, the two best friends finally looked each other in the eye before a look of confusion replaced the look of joy and love on Ron's face.
"KP?" was all the blond was able to ask the redhead that he held in his arms before his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out.
Author's Notes: Thanks to all who reviewed. This story was originally supposed to end in the next chapter, but I think that there might be more story left to write, especially at the insistence of a friend. I won't promise anything, but don't be surprised if everything isn't finished after the next chapter.
Speaking of which, in Chapter 5 we're going to get to see the triumphant return of Ron Stoppable. I glad to see the Ron fan's out there not give up hope and not lynch me for killing him off in Chapter 1. Now, he's back but obviously things have changed and some of that will be the focus of next chapter.
Until then, enjoy Chapter 4.
