It's dangerous to let Randy near his keyboard of what he thought was a finished chpt. More keeps coming.

I said there would be no uplifting moments in this story. I don't know if the glimpse of Kim and Hana together or my musings on Lon's blossoming chivalry qualify as uplifting. I'll let y'all decide.

I finished this chpt while first watching the miniseries Shogun then listening to Disney's Fantasia. All this samurai imagery and glorious music swirling in my head.

BTW...Google Don Quixote, Parsifal, Dulcinea, and Kundry, and you will have obtained a crash course in chivalry.

chpt. 6

renewed resolve & journey home

The convening of the Elders of Yamanouchi had concluded.

And like the conclusion of an official session, participants began milling about informally.

Hana embraced her brother. "I'm sorry I freaked on you, big brother."

Ron returned the embrace. "That's okay, Han. Hey, this whole sitch has made a basket case outa me."

Life had passed so quickly. He called her his "Little Intruder"...or "Widdle Intwuder" when she was an infant. He had taught her to clap her hands, sing, turn the pages of a book, and dance to the Flippy videos. She had taken her first step for him…and began immediately walking on the ceiling.

It had freaked Kim. "The ceiling, Ron! I mean…the ceiling!"

In many ways, he thought of Hana as his firstborn…almost like their firstborn, his and Kim's. They had all gone on missions and battled villains together. Hana had squealed with delight at her first parachute drop, strapped to Ron's chest. Together they had parented her in those precious few months before Kim's disappearance as much as the actual adoptive parents, Rachel and Abel Stoppable. He had looked upon it as practice for their own children. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Stoppable.

Kim was even teaching Hana the Puppy Dog Pout. "Hana…do this." And they would both gaze at him with the big sad eyes and the little quivering lip. And together they would burst into laughter when he covered his head with his arms. "Aw! Mannn! Both of you?"

It had broken his heart at Kim's memorial service. Kim had been missing for weeks before being declared dead. Hana was sitting on Ron's lap. She loved being with "Brother" but she missed "K.P."…or, as she said it, "Kaypee". She had heard Kim's name repeated over and over in the eulogy. She had stood up on his lap, peered over his shoulder, gazed all around, and looked up at him with those big inquiring eyes. "Brother…Kaypee?"

And he had to wipe away his tears and try to keep from bursting into sobs. "K.P.'s in heaven, Hana."

Hana's perplexity only increased. "Heben?"

And he had sighed like his heart was breaking. "Yeah, Hana. Heben."

When Tara began dating Ron, she had tried to bond with Hana. But Tara had not Kim's natural babysitting gifts nor acquired babysitting skills. And Tara had a way…a quiet insistent way…of superseding…of gradually replacing whatever might be competition for Ron's affections.

Hana now gazed wistfully up at her brother. "It's funny. I've been all over the world…and the only place I heart that word 'sitch' is back home. I know I've hardly been around for the kids' growing up I haven't seen your little girl since she was a toddler."

Ron shook his head. "Hey. No big. It's all good. You're doin' Sensei level stuff. The kids look forward to their ridiculously large money gifts from their rich geezer Aunt Han every holiday. Mom and Dad are excited you call every week. Y'know, you're very Jewish like that."

They both laughed at this levity.

"But seriously, Ron…I'll try to be around more. And if you ever feel the need to get away…you know, with the family…I'll be more than willing to housesit and keep watch on…this is so awful…things. Maybe it would help."

"Thanks, little sister. But I don't think I'll be takin' any long vacations soon. That won't fix the mess between me an' Tara. My work is kinda cut out for me. And don't stress about how to refer to Kim. You bein' here tonight shows me where your heart is. That helps more than I can ever tell you. Thank you, Han…again."

And Hana embraced her nephew. "Feeling better, kid?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Aunt Han."

"I'll come to Middleton, soon. I have to meet this girlfriend of yours."

Conversation hung rather awkwardly between Hana and Lon. They simply had never been as close as Hana and Ron had been.

They began to gather outside and pull on the shoes they had taken off earlier.

Sensei took Ron aside. "You are still and again the Saishū-tekina saru no Kyōshi; the Ultimate Monkey Master. The Four Jade Monkeys are gone. Monkey Fist's attempts to find another source of the Mahō no Saru no Nōryoku proved futile. His endeavor to control your sister and the power of the Han awakened the Yono and resulted in his death. Rufus-san is gone. You and your children are the last repository of the mystical power. If the world is to be kept safe from Possible-san, we must beseech the blessing of HaShem upon your family line."

Sensei's use of the Orthodox term for the Name of G-d did not surprise Ron. His sister Hana, always more the scholar than her brother, had once noted that The old teacher was not a dogmatic Shinto; that he was closer to Theism; and she did not sound favorable in her estimation.

Sensei reached up and grasped both Ron's shoulders in a fraternal gesture. "I will attack my library with renewed vigor, my Stoppable-san. I will consult and pore over every sacred and mystical text I can find. And I will confer with wiser men and women than I. Perhaps I may find a way to restore her-or release her"

It warmed Ron's heart. He loved the old man as he loved his own father and his rabbi, Immanuel Katz. "You really think so, Sensei?"

"Heaven only knows, my son. Heaven only knows."

The ninja pilot who had earlier shuttled Lon and Ron across the western United States and the Pacific Ocean from Middleton was present to shuttle them back. He bowed himself to the ground at the sight of all the Sama; the Elders, and the Hachisu Kyōshi and his son.

Yoriko whispered something to Hirotaka, and Hirotaka addressed the pilot. "We will shuttle them back, Keichi-san."

The pilot bowed again. "Hai, Abé-sama."

Yori beamed at Ron and his son. "You have walked enough. This time it will be our honor to give you a ride, my Ron-san."

Lon and Hirotaka walked together to the shuttle. And Hirotaka clapped a hearty hand on Lon's back. "Come, my Alonzo-san! I will teach you what to do and say to secure the affections of this fortunate young lady you set your heart on. She will be your number one girlfriend by next weekend."

Yori and Ron walled together. Yori giggled quietly. "Alas for the women of Middleton, my Ron-san. They will find a Casablanca among them."

Ron looked confused. "Casablanca?"

Yori appeared nonplused. "Er…perhaps I've said the wrong word. Who is the Frenchman who seduced many women."

Ron laughed. "Casanova."

Yori blushed and giggled again. "Oh, dear. Is this American, or Nipponese style buffoonery?"

Ron took her hand and squeezed it. "On you, it's called appealing, Yori."

She covered her lips with her hand and cast her eyes down in a most endearing manner. "Ron-san! You're more shameless than Hirotaka-san. But thank you." She tried to make it sound like a rebuke and failed.

Ron fell silent. "Kim once called me Casa-no-duh." His mouth contorted with sorrow and his eyes welled with tears. "God, Yori, how do I deal with this? I still love her. I still miss her. All I wanna do is throw myself off this mountain…or crawl inside the cistern with her."

Yori spoke with quiet insistence. "You must let your thoughts dwell upon your children, my Ron-san. And your grandchildren yet to come. They're your hope. And you're their bulwark. Your beloved was like a sister to me. She once told me she couldn't save the world without you. In her name you must continue… even if she is the one you must save the world from."

As they approached the shuttlecraft, Ron sighed. "Yori…I…" He hesitated. "I'd rather say farewell here. How can I say it…seeing you reminds me what I missed. It's taking all I got to go home now. The longer I'm with you, the harder it is to remember I'm somebody's husband."

Yori nodded and sadly blinked. "You are wise, Hachisu Kyōshi."

Lon looked crestfallen that she would not accompany them on the trip back. "Kansumi-san?" he blurted. "Could I…could I…" He cleared his throat and tried to sound formal. "May I have the honor of corresponding with you?" He glanced nervously back and forth. "…And Abé-san?" he hastily added.

Both Yori and Hirotaka grinned. And both nodded yes.

Yori smiled. "I should be honored to hear from you, my Alonzo-san." She kissed each on his cheek. "Farewell, my Ron-san. Farewell, my Lon-san."

Lon blushed furiously. What was more, everyone turned their head to stare at Yori and him. The significance of her deed was not lost on them. She had bestowed on the son and recognized successor of the Hachisu Kyōshiboth an adult's honorific and a term of affection not unlike that of the father's.

The men all seated themselves in the sleek craft. It had the seating capacity of a minivan. Ron nodded admiringly. "Nice little buggy, Hiro. I've hopped a lotta rides in my time. This one looks sweet."

"Ah," bragged Hirotaka, "If only you were traveling on a Nihonda with a Number One Girlfriend. That would be a sweet ride!"

Ron laughed. "Hiro…you sound like a commercial!"

Yori stepped back as the hatch closed. She waved at the passengers. Both Lon and Ron held their palms up to the windows.

The shuttlecraft's hover jets emitted a piercing whistle. The craft slowly ascended. Then it rotated to face east and slowly accelerated out of sight.

"Sayonara, my Ron-san…my Lon-san," she said quietly. "May your feet ever tread the Path."

In the craft, Lon mused aloud. "Dad...she's something else." And he realized how moonstruck he sounded. "Uh…I mean…"

Ron nodded. "I hear you, Lonnie. I'm there." He mused himself. "Take good care of her, Hiro. Don't let anyone get to her." Plainly he was thinking of Kim and the unspeakable possibility of something similar happening to his other great love.

"We are rarely apart. But I will heed your admonition, Hachisu Kyōshi."

Lon tried to sound casual. "Dad? Do you think I could attend Yamanouchi? Y'know, since I gotta be a ninja too?"

Ron almost laughed. Plainly, Yori left an unforgettable impression on his oldest son. "I supose so. Something mor to think about…Lon-san."

And both Hiro and Ron did chuckle in mirth.

And Lon's cheeks turned crimson again. "Dad!" he exclaimed in a tone of exasperation.

Ron had come to Yamanouchi broken in heart and shattered in spirit. He departed still broken in heart; but filled with new resolve. For the sake of a love and a marriage he thought was the consolation for Kim's death, he had denied his hero's legacy. The marriage was destroyed, and his hero's legacy reclaimed. He discovered himself once more. He would be a watchman on the wall.

He would nurture his family; that is, his children and grandchildren to come; for they were now assured him. It was karma. There was no choice in the matter, if he was to keep the Undead Thing from escaping its cage over the course of the generations. He derived a bizarre comfort finally knowing where his Kim was, and in a bizarre way would lavish his love and attention on her.

Lon had come to Yamanouchi in a surreal nightmare. From a night of Trick-or-Treat revelry with his Dream Girl, to watching an Abomination try and drag his mother off to Perdition while strangling him, to learning his mother's hands were stained red with lifeblood and his father was high exalted warrior…it had been a wild ride.

He departed Yamanouchi with a sense of high destiny and expectation. His mother was still a murderer. The Abomination was still buried in his yard. But he had been told he had his own gift all along. He had been told he was next in succession for membership in the same fellowship of exalted warriors. It would be his obligation to woo and marry his Dream Girl to insure the continued succession.

And the next time, he would look the Thing in the eye and say "Bring it on, bitch! Show me what you got!"

And so without realizing, Lon entered into the spirit of the original Team Possible. Like Kim, he would Save The World. And like Ron, when it came to Winning The Beautiful Girl's Affections, it was his honor to do so.

Lon also departed with a new, yet ancient passion. He didn't know its name yet. He was barely aware of it. It was akin to the ardor Christian knights had for Mary, the Blessed Mother of Christ, and the reverence Muslim warriors had for Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet.

It was Don Quixote's love for Dulcinea and Parsival's love for Kundry. It was a love so strong, so rich, so multifaceted, yet so holy, that one could love the same woman as a queen, mother, sister, wife, and daughter, yet remain pure. That passion was chivalry. Lon had found his Madonna, his queen, who bestowed her grace upon her knight. The object of his ardor was…Yori.

As they were over the Pacific, father and son fell into conversation.

"I was thinking, Lon. Your mother always wanted a gazebo in the back yard. Maybe this is the right time. With a picnic table. You and I could try out our mad carpenter skills. My kids could have a wedding party under a gazebo."

"Seems kinda frivolous. Dad. Kinda silly after all that's happened. A wedding on top of the cage is just…how do you say it? Sick and wrong?"

"I'm trying to find the silver lining in a ferociously freaky sitch, Lonnie. I know how it would feel weird. Hell…I mean, heck. Your mom and I had our wedding and reception in the back yard. Over the cistern."

Lon thought. "Kim would be totally pleased."

Ron stared at his son.

"I mean my sister."

Ron shook his head. "Oh, yeah."

Lon clasped his father's shoulder. "For her I'd do it."

Ron clasped his son's hand. "Yeah. Me too."

"Dad? Are we gonna bring Roy into the loop? And if so, when?"

"Jeez. This just gets more complicated."

Hana and Sensei waved at the departing shuttlecraft from the house porch.

But after Hirotaka, Lon, and Ron had left, while Yori was still out of hearing, Hana confronted Sensei...with a radically changed demeanor.

"My Sensei...my unworthy self begs pardon for my outburst. But I tried to alert you! My brother's exposure to the Four Jade Monkeys is a grotesque calamity. A mischance! It was not intended! I warned you of the consequences! All manner of misfortune would result!"

"Are you assured that your brother's exposure to the Jade Monkeys brought this to pass?" asked Sensei quietly.

"Are you assured it did not?" countered Hana.

Sensei sighed sadly to himself. This tragedy was compounded by Hana's intractable attitude.

The sweet bubbly child with the infectious smile, chiming laughter, and bouncy stride became the stern repressed adult with the narrow, prejudiced outlook. She had read the works of Professor Montgomery Fiske regarding the Monkey Warrior cults. She subscribed to the philosophy of the traitor Fukushima Ishido. The lore of Yamanouchi belonged to the Ōyashima-the Great Country of the eight islands that compromised the original realm. Furthermore, the learning of the lore and the possession of the Lotus Blade belonged to the Nihon-jin-a native of that same realm.

And so Hana felt in her own heart that no Gaijin...no Outsider...no matter how kind, selfless, courageous, or noble...could ever legitimately be considered the Chosen.

Not even her own adopted brother.

to be continued