Chapter VII: The Competition

Kim could not believe it. Ron was here! A thousand things ran through her mind. Why was he here? More importantly, how did he get here? Kim looked at their mode of transportation and frowned. Why did that dune buggy seem familiar?

"Isn't that the buggy the tweebs were working on in the garage?" Shego said frowning in thought. "How did those two get it?"

"It is possible that Kim-san's brothers assisted Ron-san and Nicholas-san," Yori said making the two girls look at her tiredly.

"I'll bet that that's it," Kim sighed. "I never thought that the tweebs would help Ron find us."

"I don't think they're looking for us, Kimmie," Shego said as she watched the two walk towards the Sheriff's office. "They're not looking around. They have a definite purpose. They know that we're here but they're not making any move to look for us."

Kim frowned and glared at the two specs by the Sheriff's Office. "Of all the nerve... What are they doing here if not to find us?"

"They are wise," Yori said with a small smile. "They knew that we couldn't possibly be in town since all of those people know our faces. They are mingling with the outlaws and trying to get the jewel."

"Assuming that that's why they are here," Shego said. Suddenly, her eyes grew as she realized what the two were doing. "Are they out of their minds?"

"What is it?" Kim asked, starting to panic. She could not afford to lose Ron. Not after just three days back together.

Shego merely growled and crept back, making sure she was not seen. There, she opened her duffle bag and took out a lady's dress from the Wild West era. However, it still had her colors and pattern.

"What are you doing?" Kim asked as Shego began to undress.

"Doi! What does it look like? I'm going in," Shego had her top off, revealing her smooth skin. Kim blushed, she never gotten used to Shego undressing like it didn't matter. Plus the face that she had a body most men worship.

"Not wearing that you're not," Kim said as she stalked towards her and grabbed the dress. "Don't you have anything else? They'd recognize you in an instant with these!"

"Well I can't borrow yours," Shego argued, turning to face Kim completely topless. "Your dress is slightly lacking in the chest department. Blushing, Kim glanced at Shego's chest then to her own. She then sighed, defeated. Shego was a generous C-cup and Kim was a B-cup. Flushing, she glared at the green skinned woman.

"Must you always compare?" Kim grinded her teeth in annoyance.

"Simply stating the facts Kimmie," Shego said and then, after a while, sighed. "Sorry, but that Preacher boils my blood."

"In more ways than one, one would think," Yori said as she continued her surveillance. Kim smiled when Shego's cheek reddened at the innuendo. Unconsciously, Shego wrapped her arms across her bare chest, keeping prying eyes from seeing her assets though there were none. She then wore her top once more and buttoned it, shy all of a sudden.

Kim blinked in surprise. Shego was never shy, especially about her body. What made her that way? Could it be that she really liked the Preacher? To Kim, that was quite possible.

"He does not boil my blood that way," Shego said in a harsh whisper.

"Then you do not mind if I have him?" Yori said in all seriousness.

"NO!" Shego shouted as her hands ignited but then realized two things; one, she had as well as admitted that she liked the Preacher and two, she had shouted, probably giving away their position.

She didn't know what was worse but Shego would rather faced a hundred angry villains than face the embarrassment she was in.

"Shego, why is it important for you to go to town?" Kim asked, ignoring the fact that their position may have been compromised. Shego took a deep breath and sighed her frustration.

"They signed up of the competition."

>>>>>>>>>>>

"NO!" the word echoed through the valley and immediately Nicholas knew who it was from. Before the first syllable was heard completely, he gave a shout of his own, louder than Shego's and stomped the ground repeatedly.

"Scorpion!" he shouted, stopping his stomping and then pounded the ground with his cross. The people around him either laughed or ignored him but he had accomplished what he set out to do.

He had diverted their attentions from the girls.

"Nice save," Ron muttered as Nicholas stopped his pounding.

"Are ye goin' ta save its soul?" A short man in a kilt cracked as he looked at the two with wary eyes. Nicholas smirked at the man and began to pray. The short man huffed and moved on, leaving disgusted at them.

"Who's the shrimp?" Nicholas muttered as he opened his eyes to confirm that the man was gone.

"Duff Killigan," Ron said with a smirk. "The world's deadliest golfer."

"The guy with the exploding golf balls?" Nicholas frowned and looked at the retreating form of the golfer. "Is he in?"

"According to the roster, he is," Ron said with a shrug.

"Is he fast with a gun?" Nicholas wanted to know. He had a feeling that he hasn't seen the last of him.

"Actually, I think he'll be using a golf club," Ron said.

"How fast is he?"

"Honestly? No idea. It's been four years, you know," Nicholas did know. He merely shook his head and looked at the masters of ceremonies take the stand.

"It's starting," Nicholas said, nudging Ron.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the 2nd Annual Quickdraw competition. I'm your host, Jack Hench. The rules are simple. There would be three rounds in this competition, round one will be simple. At twenty paces there will be six bottles arranged in a row. Now those of you who broke the most bottles in the least amount of time will automatically go to the shooting range where they will face, what I like to call, the Gauntlet!"

"I don't like the sound of that," Nicholas said, Ron heartily agreed.

"The remaining contestants will have to get from the end of Main Street to the other end, while dodging live fire coming from snipers, C.O. Hench CO. You could hit the snipers, if you could find them.

"If there're survivors, the remaining contestants will be informed of the next round if that time comes. Now! Let's throw lead!"

"Something tells me, May City will be a cake walk compared to this," Ron whimpered as the first contestant went to the target range and drew. He had struck only two bottles, creating tease and taunts from the spectators.

"Something tells me that this Jack Hench wants to keep the diamond for himself," Nicholas sighed as he walked towards the shade of the sidewalk. Ron followed, with a worried look on his face. Another contestant went to the target area and tried his luck, he didn't hit a single bottle.

"Will the contestant Stampede please take the line," the announcer said. Ron took a deep breath and went towards the target area. Taking another calming breath, Ron saw the targets clearly and drew.

He had hit all the bottles in two seconds. Longer than he would have usually have. He knew if he had shown what he was capable of they would be ready for him. As he reloaded, he walked back to where Nicholas was leaning and giving him a thumbs up sign. He also noticed another thing, three beautiful ladies were standing beside him and one of them was looking at Ron worriedly.

"Keep knocking them dead out there," Nicholas said, smiling. Ron sighed and gave him a gun belt with a revolver.

"I should say the same with you," he said. Nicholas's smile faded as he saw the revolver.

"You didn't," Nicholas sighed and glared at Ron.

"Will the contestant Nicholas C.T. Wolfwood please step up or be disqualified!" Almost immediately, Nicholas wrapped his hands around Ron's neck and shook it vigorously.

"What did you do that?" Nicholas screamed.

"I thought it would get our chances of winning up," Ron said when Nicholas stopped shaking his head. "I didn't know about the gauntlet."

"I hate you sometimes," Nicholas sighed as he let Ron go. But before he went to the firing range, Ron stopped him with a smile and an offered hand.

"For love," Ron said glancing at the ladies behind him. Nicholas sighed and shook his hand.

"And peace."

>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shego couldn't believe it. Nicholas had struck all the bottles as if he was shooting guns from a young age. And the way he holstered the gun, it was like out of a western movie. When Nicholas came up to them, he sighed and leaned on the wall.

"That was good shooting," Kim said in awe. The girls had 'borrowed' some dress from the saloon. Kim was wearing a green dress and a hat to cover her fiery hair. Yori opted for a red Chinese dress. While Shego... Shego was wearing a short leather skirt, black stocking, leather boots and leather jacket which was zipped halfway up, showing a deep cleavage. She was wearing a biker's hat, concealing her raven hair.

When Nicholas saw her he almost lost it completely. How could someone so desirable could be so bad?

"You shoot like a gunman," Shego said, crossing her arms under her breast, lifting them up. Nicholas looked away before desire gave in. not that it would matter in anyway.

"Unfortunately, I lived in a dangerous world," Nicholas said, seeing Ron's concerned look. "Speaking of which, why are you here? There are wanted posters all over with your faces in them." Nicholas whispered into her ear, tickling her in the process.

"I was worried," Shego admitted, whispering into his ear, not wanting the others to know. This calmed him as he smiled.

"Thank you," Nicholas said squeezing her hand and leaned on the wall once again.

Never in a million years would she admit that she was worried of someone. But with the Preacher, it came natural to say what she felt. It excited her that he appreciated her worry. Then, composing herself, she frowned at him.

"Now," she took a deep breath but Nicholas looked at her and shook his head. It was a serious gaze that made her pause.

"Later, when this is all over," he said. "The walls have ears." With a reluctant nod, Shego complied.

"What are you doing here?" Kim asked as Ron lazily watched the rest of the men compete.

"Actually, trying to win the jewel," Ron said to Kim's dismay. She thought that he was there to see her. Perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps he didn't care. "That way, you wouldn't risk your life getting it." Or perhaps he did. "Listen, about yesterday..."

"We'll talk later kiddies," Nicholas said as he checked his revolver. "I think the gauntlet's going to start.

>>>>>>>

Lord Montgomery Fiske stretched as he was about to start the Gauntlet. He was sure he would make it through since he was a master of Monkey Kung Fu.

He then ran, monkey style, towards the end of the street. Immediately the snipers started shooting. Monkey Fist easily dodged the bullets he had reached the end of the street without a scratch. Gloating, he challenged anyone to beat that.

Another contestant who made it unscathed was Duff Killigan. Using his charged nine iron, the deflected the bullet before it ever reached him. When he reached the end of the street, the twirled the golf club around and gloated at Monkey Fist, who was ignoring him.

Out of the rest of the contestants, none of them passed. Some of them were fatally injured but they didn't care. They were low lives after all. But a man in red cared. A life to him is precious and not to be wasted foolishly.

Taking a deep breath, he went to the starting line, the emerald eyes of his beloved followed him as her friends restrained her. But he smiled at her, reassuring her that it was all right.

>>>>>>>>>

"How did I get myself talked into this?" Ron said as he waited for the signal to go. Dodging bullets was easy. Staying alive was easier. Making it look difficult was another story.

He was taught not to show his strengths, to fool his enemies into thinking that he was weak.

The start signal came and Ron ran with all his speed, and then the snipers fired. Ron tripped, dodging a bullet that was meant for him. He then turned and sprinted but then the other bullets came. He was dodging the bullets like an idiot, making the people laugh at him.

Kim was beginning to worry. She watched helplessly as Ron dodged the bullets. She kept herself from running to him. Their lives were at stake.

At long last, it was over. Ron collapsed at the finish line, seemingly tired from the ordeal but Nicholas knew otherwise.

"It seems like I'm next," Nicholas said as he walked towards the starting line.

Ron returned to his spot where Kim hugged him briefly and kissed his cheek.

"I thought I had lost you," Kim said but Ron smiled and gave her a peace sign.

"That was a sinch," he said as he brushed his coat. "C.T.'s next, huh?" Ron asked. Now, it was Shego's turn to be worried. But what worried her more was the thing Nicholas said to her.

"Whatever I do, please don't be afraid. I couldn't bear your fear and scorn." She didn't know what he meant but she trusted him.

Nicholas calmly stood in the middle of the starting line. Whereas others were nervous and jittery, he was cool and calm.

And when the official gave the signal, he merely walked.

"What is he doing?" Shego whispered as she saw how calm Nicholas was.

The other spectators booed at his arrogance. But Nicholas ignored them. He drew out his revolver and from his coat drew out an automatic pistol. Suddenly, he did what they did not expect.

Nicholas sprinted, guns aimed at either side of the street and he fired.

He fired in quick successions, pausing only to reload. Then, one by one, they heard moans and screams of pain coming from the buildings. Until one of the snipers fell and landed on the street.

"How did he know?" Shego asked as Nicholas aimed at the walls, the roofs and the windows and each time, Shego knew he had struck a Henchman.

And when Nicholas reached the end, the only gunshots what were heard, came from him.

Half the spectators cheer, the others booed and , to Shego's annoyance, the ladies sighed. Shego looked at Nicholas with a newfound respect. She smiled when he came up the where they were while loading his guns. As they were about to touch...

"FOUL!" Monkey Fist said as he and Duff Killigan walked towards them. Nicholas went to meet them, guns loaded and cocked. "You cheated!" Monkey Fist accused.

"Did I?" Nicholas raised his voice, directing it to Jack Hench.

"Fist, Killigan," the owner of Hench Co said. "The rules were simple. He crossed one end of Main Street to the other without getting hit. He found the snipers and disabled them before they could do enough damage."

"If you have any more grievances, let's settle this now," Nicholas holstered his guns and prepared to draw."

"Easy, young man," said Jack. "You'll get your chance. For the next event will be one on one combat. It'll start after lunch. Let's go gentlemen," Jack said, pulling the two with him.

"This is not good," Nicholas said as Ron and the others joined him.

"Why?" Yori asked looking at Nicholas with awe.

"They're up to something," Ron said. "We must be on our guard."

"He'll do it in the finals," Nicholas said looking at Shego with a sullen smile. "Be careful. I have a hunch he'll use you girls to get to us."

"How did you know?" Kim said, unconsciously wrapping her arm on Ron's arm. Nicholas looked at their intertwined arms and smiled amusingly. Kim looked at what she was holding and released it immediately.

"Anyway, be careful," Nicholas said and all of them nodded.

"This is going to be one of those days, huh?" Ron asked but knew the answer.

Nicholas shook his head and sighed.

"It may be," he smirked. "It may be."

Next chapter: There's more in the line than a simple prize when evil is at work.

Chapter VII: Chaos