Chapter 4: Interrupted Conversations

Ron awoke to the feeling of a damp cloth on his forehead. What? What happened? The last thing I remember was Kim holding something and now I've got a wash cloth on my face. Ron set up slowly, seeing that he was on the couch in the Possible's living room. It was now dusk outside. I must have been out a couple of hours. Ron turned his head as he heard someone entering the room.

"Hey, Ron. Are you feeling any better?" It was Kim. She had another cloth in her hand for his forehead. It appeared as if she were the one who was taking care of him. Kim kept her eyes focused on the cloth in her hand, trying not to look at Ron.

"What happened?" Ron asked. He removed the cloth from his head to the table in front of him.

"You passed out."

"Oh. Why?" Ron shook his head, still clearing the cobwebs from his head.

Kim shifted her weight from foot to foot. "Uh, well, you sort of passed out from embarrassment. Mom had just explained what the clothes were that you brought me and you hit the floor." Kim had a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Clothes?" Ron asked. Then it came to him. It was a wedding kimono she was holding! That's why he passed out. "Oh, man. Now I remember."

Kim still didn't look at Ron. "Why did you bring me a wedding dress, Ron?"

Ron Stoppable's brain started working at a furious speed. How could he explain this gift? Could he tell her the truth? That is was Yuri that had sent the gifts for him. No, that wouldn't work. Confess his undying love for her? The moment wasn't right for that. Better just go with the Ron Stoppable standby. Wing it.

"I just thought it would look really nice on you. I didn't mean to imply anything. I just thought it was nice. And…most people wouldn't know that is was meant for a wedding."

Ron spoke quickly.

"Did you know it was for a wedding?" Kim finally looked up at him.

His expression before he had passed out had given the answer away, and he couldn't go back on that now. "Yeah, I kinda did."

"Did you buy the other kimono? The one for you?" Kim asked, the blush starting to deepen.

"No, that one was a surprise. I don't know how that got in there." Ron was hoping to find some way to steer the conversation away from these garments, but so far Kim hadn't given him an opening.

"Yuri sent it." Kim reached into her pocket and pulled out another letter.

Ron stood and walked over to Kim and took the letter. Again with the letters. Ron thought as he noticed the letter was already opened. Kim must have already read it. Oh boy. I've got a bad feeling about this.

Dear Ron-san,

Hopefully these garments will help you start that conversation that you and Kim-san desperately need to have. Tell her. She needs to hear it. I know if I were in her place, I couldn't wait to hear those words.

Love, your friend

Yuri

P.S. I hope these fit. I have feeling that you two may be wearing these soon!

Ron blushed crimson as he finished the letter. I'm going to have to either thank Yuri or kill her depending on how this goes.

Ron finally found the courage to look Kim in the eye. "Listen, Kim.."

A familiar set of notes cut Ron Stoppable off as the Kimmunicator sounded. Whew! Saved by the bell! Ron moved closer to Kim, readying himself to absorb mission info.

Kim pulled the Kimmunicator out of another of her pockets. "What's the sitch, Wade?"

"We've just got a whole bunch of hits on the site about sightings of most of your enemies. The weird thing is all the sittings are from Middleton. They all seem to be gathering on a central warehouse in Lowerton. What do you make of it?" The tech genius of Team Possible asked.

Kim had stopped blushing. She was in full mission mode now. "It sounds like something we need to check out for sure. Who has been seen?"

Wade typed a few keys on his keyboard. "Well, we've got Drakken, Shego, Motor Ed, Dementor, Duff Kiligan, and Monkey Fist. Numerous henchman.."

Ron stopped listening once he heard the last name. Monkey Fist. He took a deep calming breath. Sensei had been preparing Ron to face the self proclaimed Monkey Master. Ron had been told by Sensei that he would never have full control of his destiny until it was decided between Fist and himself once and for all. Ron knew that he didn't have to kill Fist, just defeat him in a definitive battle. Ron had a feeling that today would put them on the course towards that battle. The other villains were a concern of course, but Ron could only seem to focus on the British lord with whom his destiny was intertwined.

Ron cleared his thoughts and began listening in on the conversation as it was winding down. He heard Kim signing off and saw her starting towards her room to change into her mission clothes. He moved towards his bag to grab his mission clothes when he heard Kim speak.

"When we get back, Ron, we are going to have the conversation that letter refers too." Kim said with a serious look on her face, and then headed up the stairs.

Ron grabbed his bag and started pulling out his clothes, "Great. Can't wait for that.' Ron mumbled to himself.

Ron and Kim were moving silently inside the warehouse. With Ron's new training and Kim's already established skill, they were able to enter the warehouse without arising suspicion in any of the henchman. Navigating inside took a bit more skill. Ron suddenly pulled Kim into the shadows as an unseen sentry came around the corner near them in the hallway. Ron held his hand over Kim's mouth to keep her from yelling her surprise as he held her close to him. They were completely shrouded in darkness. The sentry passed without incident around the corner from which they had just come. Feeling the danger had passed, Ron removed his hand from Kim's mouth, but still held her close to him.

"You've gotten a lot better. I didn't hear that guy coming. You can let me go now if you want." Kim whispered.

"And if I don't want to?" Ron whispered back.

"I'll break your arms." Kim playfully whispered.

"Fair enough." Ron let her go and resumed down their pathway around the corner towards the main meeting room of this warehouse. They were close now. He could just hear the voices of the villains. Kim was right behind him. "We've got to find out what they're planning before we bust some heads. You can sneak in through the ventilation system and listen, but I don't know if we'll both fit." Ron whispered behind him.

Kim looked up above her head to the grate where she could enter the ventilation system. She hadn't seen Ron even pay attention to it. It's like he completely aware of his surroundings. That ninja training must have stuck this time around. And listen to him come up with these plans. He's thinking things out, not just reacting like he used to do. Kim looked at the back of her best friend, seeing how much he had changed. It's also like he's not afraid anymore. Like he's sure of himself. I just realized that on this mission I've been following him around instead of the other way around. Wow. What brought all this out of him?

"Alright, give me a boost." Kim whispered. Ron kneeled down so Kim could stand on his shoulders. Looking down she noticed that Ron didn't seem to be burdened by her weight. Before this summer the strain would have been obvious on his face, but he showed no signs of effort. Kim thought she noticed something else. His shirt was getting pulled down around his neck a little due to the fact that she was standing on his shoulders. She looked down and thought she saw some marks on his back. Before she could reaffirm this Ron looked up at her, blocking her view.

"Are you ready?" Ron whispered.

"Yeah, just a second." Kim reached up and carefully unlatched the grating on the ventilation system. She handed it down to Ron, who gently placed it on the ground. Kim then started her way up the ventilation system.

When Kim turned around to see if Ron was still there, she was surprised to see he wasn't.

"KP, over here."

Kim turned and moved further into the air ducts, and noticed that Ron face was showing through a much smaller vent. To do this, he must have been hanging on the outside of the air duct. "Ron, what are you doing?" Kim hissed.

"Get down to the meeting room. Listen as long as you can. When we decide to show ourselves, I don't want a bunch of goons rushing us inside of an enclosed room. I'm going to go make sure they can't. When you're ready, make you self known. I'll be there in a second to back you up." Ron said quietly.

"Ron, we must have passed thirty or more guards! You couldn't possibly take them out by yourself. We'll be lucky if we get thirty seconds of listening time by the time the guards have been alerted!" Kim hissed again, a little fear present in her eye for her friend.

"Do you trust me, Kim?" Ron whispered.

"What?" Kim whispered back.

"Do you trust me? I wouldn't have offered this plan if I didn't know I could do it." Ron whispered again, his eyes locked with hers. There was excitement in his eyes, and determination. Kim had rarely seen this combination in Ron Stoppable. But when she had, Ron had never disappointed her.

"I trust you. You can handle this." Kim whispered again, a smile crossing her face.

Ron Stoppable smiled right back, and winked. "Believe it." Then he let go of the side of the air duct.

Kim never heard him land. Oh, he's good. Kim smiled to herself, and then started to quietly crawl down to the meeting room.

Ron stopped in a corner of the building. I'll need to be fast to take down the guards. Looks like it's time to open the first seal. Ron quickly went through a series of hand signs, and spoke. "Sacred Seal Jutsu-first seal release!" Ron felt a tingle as the first seal began to glow. Ron then started moving. Fast.

The first seal was the seal of speed, with this released Ron could move at superhuman speed. His reflexes and thoughts moved just as fast to keep up with him. Ron had spent three weeks training with the skill before he was secure enough to use it. It was also the hardest of his powers to access, that's why after the training of how to access all his power Sensei had insisted that Ron makes this one the first seal.

Ron was moving so quickly through the warehouse that he was undetectable to the human eye. He scanned the entire building twice before deciding it was time to take down a guard. The first one he just bowled over in the middle of a hallway, the next victim was grabbed by the neck as Ron ran by and slammed into a wall. Both men went down with out a sound. Well, two down. Twenty nine to go. Ron thought with a smirk.

Kim listened intently as the villains assembled around a table. Drakken had placed himself at the head of the table. "I'm telling you. The world will be ours if we can set aside our differences. Who could stop us? Global Justice? They haven't even come close to stopping us individually; no way could they handle us together. Possible? She would put up more of a fight then Global Justice, but she would fall just the same. Join me and together we will rule the world." He let out one his trademark laughs.

The other villains gathered around the table murmured amongst themselves.

"I'm in Cuz. This is gonna rock!" Motor Ed followed his voted with a little air guitar.

"Aye, I'll join ye too Drakken." Duff Killigan said.

"I vas going to laugh in your face, Drakken, vhen I first heard your plan. But I am impressed by you conviction. I vill join as vell." Dr. Dementor added with a nod.

"I will join as well." Monkey Fist bowed slightly.

"Well, what say you, Shego?" Drakken turned towards the green and black clad mercenary.

"I thought I was already in since you were, Doc." Shego said no looking up from her nails.

"No, Shego. The other men and I have been talking. We've decided that you will enter into this partnership as and equal, not as a sidekick. This is your ticket into the big league. What do you say?"

Shego stopped filling her nails; she was actually touched by this promotion. "Well, I guess the only thing I can say is I'm in." Shego smiled a little as she looked at Drakken.

"I think I've heard just about enough. I hate to bring this meeting to an abrupt end, but I don't think I can stomach anymore of your bonding." Kim said as she dropped to the ground from the vents. She sent the grate down hard to signal Ron.

Ron had been waiting for the signal. He had taken out all the guards except for the two stationed outside the door of the meeting room. Ron rushed towards them at full speed, but as he was traveling he begin once again to use hand signs. "Sacred Seal Jutsu-Bind!" he said as he finished his last hand sign. The seal closed instantly and his speed was cut off. However, Ron still had the momentum going, and he jumped up and put his feet out in front of him as he reached the guards. The result was that the guards were hit with his full momentum, sending them flying right through the door. Ron landed on his back, and flipped right back upright. Ron walked through the shattered remains of the door, brushing himself off. He was met by a room full of shocked occupants, including Kim. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?" he added with a smile.