Disclaimer: I'm not an owner, I'm just a random shipper.
Once Burned
"Look at you. Worthless. You can't keep up with me, princess."
I can!
"Face it, princess. There's a reason I call you that. You've earned the name. Useless damsel in need of a rescue. Not worth my time"
I'm not, I don't! I'm tough! I can fight you!
"Oh, really? Let's see!"
I couldn't move. A blast of flame hit me, and I couldn't move. My face was on fire. The agony...I tried to scream but nothing came out. I couldn't move. I couldn't move. Move. Move. MOVE!
I jerked awake. It took a while to realize I wasn't dead. My blanket was kicked off the bed, and the sheets were soaked with sweat. The phantom tingle of remembered pain receded slowly from my missing face.
It was 2 am, and sleep was a lost cause. I threw on some dark sweats, attached my faceplate, and snuck out my window. A quick, directionless jog to empty my mind.
But it became apparent very quickly that my subconscience wasn't having any of this 'directionless' thing. I realized I was headed somewhere specific, and as my school came into view, I also realized why.
I threw open my locker and stared her down. It was such a regular, familiar part of my daily life that it didn't immediately send me into panic mode.
I'll beat you next time, I told her silently. This will never happen again. I'm already stronger than I was. I'll get even stronger than that.
Her sardonic smirk didn't change. She seemed to be laughing at me.
I will! I'll beat your hologram, and then I'll find you and beat the real thing! And then I'll keep training, until I'm strong enough to beat ten of you at once!
Good luck with that, she seemed to say.
I slammed the locker shut. The bang echoed through the empty halls. I didn't care how hard it was or how long it took. I resolved to end every session from then on with a meeting with Holo Shego. Eventually I would be able to last longer than a sentence. Eventually I'd be able to fight back. Eventually I would win. It was simply a matter of will. I'd always believed mine was the strongest. It was finally time to prove it.
KPSKPSKPSKPSKPSKPS
"I still can't believe you're making me go. This is such a waste of time."
"Now, Kim. You only get one Junior Prom in your entire life. You don't want to look back on this night 20 years from now and wish you hadn't missed it, do you?"
"I promise that won't happen. Now pleeeease let me go to the training room?"
"You're right." Mom said. I fistpumped. "That won't happen. Because you're going. Get in the car."
"Mooooooom!" I whined, but I got in the car. The choices were go to prom or argue with mom all night until it was over, and then get sent to bed anyway. The first one won by a slim margin.
Mom settled into the driver's seat with a sigh. She seemed to do that a lot lately. "You can't keep shutting everyone out of your life like this, honey. You're cutting yourself off from your friends, and it's not good for you."
"I'm focusing on rehab. I'll see Ron more once I'm back in action." I snapped.
"I'm glad you're getting healthy, but balance is important. You have to have a life outside of crimefighting. Understand?"
"I understand." I lied easily. I wasn't sure if it was the voice modulator or a side effect of the injury, but I could lie like a pro these days. I had no intention whatsoever of cultivating a life outside of crimefighting. I'd go to the stupid dance to appease Mom, and then I'd go right back to ignoring pointless things. And people.
Mom sent me a sideways glance. "You sure you don't want to run back in the house and throw on a dress? They may not let you in with jeans and a t-shirt."
"So much the better."
"Kim!"
"Look, I said I'd go, okay? They're not going to send me home, but either way, I refuse to wear a dress. They're useless for anything but looking good, and that's not something I'll ever need anymore. No piece of clothing is ever going to make me look good again."
Mom went quiet for a long time. She started the car, and we drove in silence. "That's not true, honey." She finally said in a low voice.
A short laugh ripped from my throat. "Oh, yeah? Then why am I wearing this hologram on my face? Your idea, not mine, remember? It's because I'm so ugly now that if people see what I really look like, it'll freak them out! Tell me I'm wrong."
"Baby, no, that's not how it is! You're twisting things! If you want to take off the hologram-"
"No, I didn't mean it." I said contritely. Mom was getting really upset, and I could tell I'd pushed things too far. I didn't want her to decide I needed therapy or something stupid like that. Nobody was going rooting around in my mind, not if I had anything to say about it. "You were right about the hologram. It's been good. I get to have a nice, normal school life again. That's been important to my recovery." Gag me with a spoon. "But I still don't want to wear dresses anymore."
Another sigh from Mom. "Well, I've never told you how to dress, and I'm not going to start now. But honey, I want you to know that someday, you're going to meet someone who thinks you're beautiful, scars and all. When that day comes, don't be afraid to drop your mask for them. All of your masks." She gave a little chuckle, sounding a bit like she used to. "And maybe when that day comes, you'll want to wear a dress after all."
"Sure, Mom. Someday." Yeah, right. When pigs fly.
We pulled up to the school. "I know you didn't want to come, but try to relax and have some fun. Who knows, you may end up enjoying yourself by accident." Mom said in parting. I shut the car door without replying.
I could tell the teacher at the door wanted to say something about my casual clothes, but I pinned him to the wall with a hard glance, daring him to open his mouth. He wisely kept it shut, and I brushed past.
The dance was in full swing. Not many people noticed me enter. Bonnie did, and she immediately pulled Brick to the other end of the gym. A few months ago she would've been overjoyed at the chance to rip into me for coming to a dance wearing...well, actually she would've ripped into me no matter what I was wearing. She'd taken her harsh lesson to heart, it seemed. Good for her.
Ron was at the buffet table, of course. He and Rufus were stuffing themselves with no regard for dignity. Monique stood nearby, watching them with nonjudgemental disgust. My friends. I guess I did miss them a little. Not enough to want to be at the stupid dance, but a little.
Mo was the first to notice me. "KIM! You made it, girl! I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!" We hugged briefly, and she pushed me back for a once over, holding my shoulders. "Oh my God, what happened to you?! These arms are ginormous, they feel like rocks! You been bench pressing trucks lately, or what?"
"Good to see you too, Mo."
"And what is this you're wearing?" She scolded. I knew that one was coming. "What possessed you to walk out your front door in this fashion disaster? Oh, I should've taken you shopping weeks ago."
"It was kind of a last second decision to come at all."
"That's no excuse! The casual look can totally work if that's what you want, but you gotta put more effort into it, girl! Where did your fashion sense go?"
Ron saved me from a reply by finally noticing the world outside the buffet table existed. "Oh, hey KP. I was just, uh...taco?" He held out a half eaten one.
"Taco! Mmm!' Rufus repeated.
"No thanks, Ron. I can't eat, remember?"
"Oh, yeah. I always forget that." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "That hologram is really good. Well, I guess I don't need to save you any, then?"
"Have at it." I guestured at the table. The rest of the student body would be lucky to get one mouthful a person.
"Ron, I think you should slow down. Overeating can be really bad." Mo said gently. For her.
"What's that? Huh? Can't hear you over the sound of delicious free food going in my tummy!"
"Free food! Yum!" Like owner, like pet. I've often wondered if Rufus would be so ravenous if someone else had brought him home that fateful day...
"RON STOPPABLE! I'VE FOUND YOU!" A voice boomed over the music. The lights flickered.
Ron's face drained of color. "Oh, no. Not here. Not now."
"What's going on?" I asked calmly, scanning the gym for the disturbance. I spotted him. A tall man...was he a man? A tall, dangerous looking man who seemed to be part monkey, pushing through students to reach us. I could tell from his stride that he was a force to be reckoned with.
"We've gotta clear the gym asap, KP! He's coming for me, and he won't care who he hurts! EVERYBODY OUT!" Ron started yelling. "DANCE IS OVER, GO HOME! Mr. Barkin, help me out, here!"
Barkin had also spotted the intruder, and for once was actually being helpful. "ALRIGHT, PEOPLE, YOU HEARD THE MAN! OUT!"
While the normie students flooded out of the gym, Mo grabbed my arm. "Kim! Do you need anything from me?"
"Try to help Barkin keep everyone out of the way."
"You got it."
The monkey man seemed content to wait for the room to clear, glaring at Ron from about ten feet away and completely ignoring me.
"Where is the Golden Lemur Amulet?" He demanded when the noise died down.
"Global Justice has it. You're welcome to storm their headquarters if you want it back." Ron said smugly.
"Ron, who is this clown?"
"Oh, riiiight, you two haven't met. Kim, Monkeyfist. Monkeyfist, Kim."
'Monkeyfist', as he was apparently called, continued to ignore me. "Oh, well. I suppose I shall have to content myself with regaining the half of the Mystical Monkey Power you stole from me...by tearing it from your lifeless body!"
"Aww, come on! Can't we try a laxative or something first?"
"I don't know who you are, freak, but nobody's killing my sidekick!" I snarled.
Monkeyfist still didn't look my way. "Stay out of this, girl. You do not wish to anger me as this fool has done."
"Uh, dude, do you know who you're talking to? You don't tell KP to stay out of anything. Especially if you, like, want her to."
"KP. Kim. Ahhhhh, Kim Possible. The legendary teen hero." The lights finally came on. "But I heard you were dead. Killed by a mere sidekick, no less." He finally looked me over. "Nevertheless, it seems you may be an obstacle after all, and I don't need any interruptions. Monkey Ninjas! Attack!"
The gym was suddenly crawling with small humanoid forms dressed up like every stereotypical depiction of a ninja since the beginning of time. It would've been cute if it weren't so serious.
"AAAAAAHHH! MONKEYS!" Ron ran, but they weren't going after him. Monkeyfist was.
"Keep her busy!" He yelled over his shoulder, loping after Ron on all fours like an ape.
I confess it was hard to take the threat seriously. Even though I could see at a glance that they were highly trained, the largest was a tenth my own weight at best. How strong could they possibly be?
Very strong, it turned out. I could feel it when I blocked attacks with my arms. Chi mastery infused their strikes with more force than should have been possible. That, combined with their inhuman agility and the perfect coordination of a tight knit fighting unit, meant they were far more dangerous than they appeared.
Still, this mission was quite a few notches lower than what I was practicing on these days.
Short legs meant I never had to deal with the direct approach, but they instead came at me in swarms through the air, never less than three at a time. Their anticipation was amazing as well. Each time I dodged, I found another attack already waiting at my new position. It was fun, but annoying as well.
What really surprised me was the durability, though. Monkey bodies should be breaking like twigs from every punch, but they got back up over and over again. It wasn't like I was hitting as hard as I could, but I expected to thin the numbers a bit by now.
A yell from Ron distracted me just a little. I glanced out of the corner of my eye. He and Monkeyfist were fighting with some kind of weird blue aura surrounding them both, and it seemed Monkeyfist had the upper hand at the moment.
In my moment of distraction, an unprecedentedly low attack slipped past my guard. A monkey kicked out my knee, and I dropped to my other one. My vision disappeared. I quite literally saw red. I could feel the next attack coming, a kick to the back of my head intended as a knockout blow. Without turning, I shot out a hand and grabbed the attacking monkey out of the air by the neck and slammed him to the ground in front of me. It struggled and squirmed in my hand, trying to find breath, kicking at my wrist. I twisted sharply. Dead silence.
I stood slowly. The remaining monkeys watched me motionlessly. I could see the hatred in their eyes. With a heave, I threw the dead monkey like a baseball into a garbage can over by the buffet table. Perfect shot. They erupted with screeching and howling, jumping up and down and shaking their fists at me, but not one attacked. I took a step forward. They fell back. I took another step. They fell back more. I ran at them. They scattered. One of them ran to Monkeyfist, interrupting his still even fight with Ron and chittering in his ear.
"What? No. No, it can't be. No!" He slowly approached the trash can, reached inside, and cradled the dead monkey against his chest. Ron and I watched, him ashen-faced and me dispassionate. Monkeyfist turned his head to look at me, a solitary tear running down the side of his face.
"Kim Possible. I have been called by many a villain, and it is true enough. A villain I am. But you, you are a monster."
"This coming from the guy who wanted to crack open my sidekick and suck out his energy." I scoffed. "It's just a monkey. Get over it."
"I will not 'get over it'. You have made an enemy this day. We will meet again, and you will regret ever laying a finger on my family! Monkey Ninjas, fall back!"
He dropped a smoke ball, and the monkeys exited the building from every opening. But I didn't need to see him to track his movements, and the distance between us wasn't even close to enough of a headstart for him to get away. He grunted in surprise when I pulled him out of the window and tossed him onto his back. I frontflipped and landed sitting casually on his chest, driving the air from his lungs. His eyes bugged out in pain and fear.
"Regret? I've got one of those. I'll show you." I whispered. I turned off the hologram. He jerked his face away and squeezed his eyes shut tight. "That, I regret. Killing a nasty, dirty little monkey working for a maniac? Not so much. I'll regret that about as much as I'll regret this." One last punch, lights out.
