Post grad

by metalzippy99

Kim is in College, Drakken on the lecture circuit leaving Shego alone to reflect on her life. Where does she go from here, and how does it affect those around her? Set after Graduation. Rated M for language, maybe other reasons in later chapters. Kigo

14. Ch 13 A Mountain of trouble

Shego rocked back on her heels and sighed in disgust as she looked down on the blubbering wreck beneath her.

"Will you stop crying?" She didn't bother to hide her contempt for this weakling. Even Drakken would have put up more resistance than this. "I haven't even started yet."

This was literally true, she hadn't laid a finger on him, but already he was sobbing piteously, promising to tell her anything as long as she didn't hurt him. It was embarrassing.

She briefly considered slapping him around a bit anyway, as a release for her own pent up frustration, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Even at her worst, the idea of hurting someone just for kicks was a step too far.

"Oh, get up!" She rose to her feet. Brushing the dirt from her suit she turned away, seeking a moment to reorganise her thoughts, and taking this opportunity to switch on the light. A few seconds later, the sound of her quarry pushing himself up from the floor recalled her mind to the task in hand.

"OK Dementor, spill it!" The man flinched as she poked him right in the chest. "Where's Gemini?"

The question appeared to throw Dementor. He just stood there blinking, but Shego wasn't in the mood to give his brain time to catch up. With one swift move, she closed the gap between them and grabbed his shirt in a fist, pushing him up against the nearest wall.

"Even you aren't insane enough not to take precautions against a double-cross when dealing with that madman. You must have been keeping your ear to the ground."

Dementor looked at her, his eyes rolling in fear as he realised the dilemma he was caught in. His mind worked furiously as he pondered who he feared the most, Gemini or Shego. True, Gemini ran a global organization with influence stretching throughout the whole evil community, but Shego was right here. One look in her eyes was enough to know she would do whatever it took to get what she wanted.

A quick shake from his captor was enough to drag his attention back to what she was saying.

"Where is he?" Shego gave him another shake to emphasise the question. Holding her free hand up to his face, she let her power flow, the flames casting a sickly green glow over his face."

"He's in Japan." Dementor couldn't get the words out fast enough. "I'm not sure where, he wouldn't say!"

"Japan's a pretty big place." Shego growled, tightening her grip. "You'll have to do better than that."

The twisted garment clenched in her fist was now pressed against his windpipe, cutting off the oxygen. His face, or what could be seen of it under his metal helmet began to turn a bright shade of puce as he gasped for breath.

Shego let him suffer for a few seconds before releasing the pressure slightly. Dementor gulped in a few breaths of air, but the powerful woman was impatient. Twisting her hand at the wrist, she reapplied the pressure to his airway, this time leaving it constricted for considerably longer.

When she finally let him breathe once more, his gasping was even more frenzied, his neck now sporting a weal where the cloth had rubbed against the skin.

"I'm waiting!" The thief flexed her arm, beginning to reapply the pressure for a third time.

"Wait!" Dementor managed to croak, his voice hoarse as his vocal chords protested at the treatment they were receiving. "I did hear something."

Shego didn't bother replying, she just looked at him, one eyebrow raised in enquiry.

"Alpha was talking about some allies of theirs, apparently on some mountain somewhere. It appears he used to know them from years back and was warning Gemini they couldn't be trusted."

Dementor paused to catch his breath, but Shego wasn't having any of it.

"He must have mentioned a name, something. There are a lot of mountains in Japan."

She gave him a shake for good measure, causing his eyes flick towards hers nervously. His tongue moistened his lips even as his knees quaked under the relentless gaze of his captor.

"He called it er... "

His voice faltered as he struggled to remember the conversation he partially overheard several weeks ago. Shego gave him another shake to jog his memory.

"YammieNookie" His voice squeaked as he blurted out the word. His eyes desperately seeking some sign that his ordeal was over. He didn't get one.

"YammieNookie? There's no such place." Shego's eyes narrowed as a thought popped into her mind. "Do you mean Yamanouchi?"

Her voice had dropped to an ominous tone, causing Dementor to sweat uncomfortably under his metal helmet.

"Ja, das ist es. Yamanouchi" He nodded excitedly, slipping into his native German, hoping he had done enough to placate the dangerous woman. Her reaction was not what he was hoping for.

Shego pulled the German scientist towards her, until his nose was pressed against her own, her forehead resting on the cool metal of his helmet. She was taller than him, and she bent her head forward, forcing him to tilt his head back as she glared into his eyes.

"You're lying. There's no way Yamanouchi would have anything to do with Gemini!"

Despite training with another ninja clan, Shego had heard of the elusive Yamanouchi School. They were a legend among the Japanese underground, never hiring out like all the other schools, but pursuing some private agenda of their own. Defending their territory with vigour, but otherwise remaining separate from the outside world. Outwardly they maintained a strict policy of neutrality, but rumours abounded of them influencing events from the shadows, always in a way that promoted the virtues of Truth and Justice.

"It's true, it's true," Dementor panicked as he saw his chances of escaping serious injury recede. "He said that even if Master Sensei had died the council would still be dangerous."

"Master Sensei is dead?" The Yamanouchi leader was almost as big a legend as his school. If he was no longer around, it might be possible that their priorities had changed. If WEE was teamed up with Yamanouchi then things were getting serious indeed.

She cast a suspicious look at the deflated Dementor, who shrugged apologetically. "That's all I remember" he whined.

Shego released her grip on his shirt, much to his relief. Her mind was racing as she tried to assimilate this new information. If Gemini was holed up on Yamanouchi Mountain, she would have almost no chance of getting back that recording.

Dementor watched nervously as she paced up and down the room, her mind working furiously as she struggled with her dilemma. He twitched as she stopped abruptly, but he was the last thing on her mind.

"That friend of Kim's was Yamanouchi." She didn't realise she had spoken the thought aloud until Dementor's "Huh?" reminded her of her audience. Glaring him into silence, she wondered what this new development could mean. She pictured the delicate asian features of the girl who had intervened in her last attempt to pick a fight with Kim. Was the ninja school keeping tabs on Kim for Gemini's benefit?

"If Yamanouchi was tracking her all this time," she pondered, keeping her thoughts to herself this time, "what was Gemini playing at?"

Something was obviously going on that she didn't know about. That lack of knowledge could prove fatal. There was no other choice. She would have to infiltrate one of the most tightly guarded places on the planet. There was no way she was going to let Gemini loose with that incriminating recording of her, and while she was there, maybe she could find out what Yamanouchi were doing associating with an organisation like WEE.

She considered giving Kim the heads up first, but quickly dismissed it. The cheerleader could probably look after herself if the Yamanouchi girl tried anything, and warning her could alert Gemini to the fact that she knew whom he was associating with.

Her mind made up, she headed for the exit. The watching Dementor kept quiet, praying that he had been forgotten, but his hopes were dashed when she grabbed him by the scruff of the neck on her way out.

"Where are we going?" His whining was starting to get on Shego's nerves but she answered him anyway.

"To the airport, where else?"

Ignoring his protests, she frogmarched him out of the building. Her plane should have arrived by now, Drakken had promised to ship it over days ago, and there was a small, pressurised cargo bay that should do just fine. It would be a tight fit, but Dementor would probably be OK for the relatively short flight to Tokyo.

Shego's face was grim, but her mood wouldn't have got any better if she knew the developments that were taking place over at the airport. Hastily requesting clearance for takeoff, the multi-coloured jet was already taxiing down the runway, refuelled and heading north. Hego knew that he would never be able to tail Shego without being caught, but he remembered something he had read a long time ago. Good hunters don't track their quarry; they wait for it to come to them.

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Yori sat in the main body of the prop-driven aircraft making its way across the Pacific Ocean. To an outsider, she appeared to be meditating, but inwardly she was fretting at the slow progress they were making. Ever since Kim's dramatic appearance yesterday, delays and setbacks had hindered her from getting Ron to where he needed to be. Bad weather over Middleton had delayed their departure for eleven hours, and when she saw the aircraft they were travelling in, she had thrown up her hands in frustration. It looked like it had been built in the fifties. Now, sitting on a pile of boxes in the cargo hold, she really began to appreciate how convenient the modern Yamanouchi transport and logistics system had been.

There was very little space in the belly of the aircraft; only a narrow corridor weaved its way from the cockpit right down to the cargo bay doors in the tail. Lying in a small, hollowed out area made marginally more comfortable by some old sacking draped across the crates and boxes filling the plane, Ron surreptitiously watched the ninja, sitting bolt upright as she had done since take off several hours ago.

Even wearing the traditional shinobi shozoku, the only concession to comfort being the facemask currently unhooked and hanging by her side, he could see how tense she was. He knew how important this was to her, the school was her life, and Master Sensei had been the only father figure she had known since early childhood. Now she was returning on a quest to save everything she held dear from some unspecified danger, Ron figured she had every right to be uptight.

For his part, he was more blasé about the whole situation. Just another mission like countless others he had been on now that Kim was back to her old self and on the team. As far as he was concerned there was nothing they couldn't handle. Even so, he couldn't wait to get this mission over with, he much preferred the carefree happy Yori to the driven neurotic version he had been dealing with for so long lately.

Even meditating, Yori was aware of Ron's scrutiny. His attention was disturbing her inner calm for many reasons and now was as good a time as any to address them.

Firstly, there was her irritation at his lack of urgency for the task before them. He was the Monkey Master, and as such would be the one to face whatever threat the prophecy was warning against. To her mind, it was time he grew up. He was too happy to let others take the lead when it was his rightful position, especially when Kim was around.

That was another problem Yori had. She just couldn't trust the girl. OK, so she was a hero who had saved the world several times before, but lets face it, she was hardly the most stable personality at the moment, what if she had a crisis of confidence just as Yori was relying on her? She didn't know Kim very well, mainly by reputation and Ron's eulogies, both of which she correctly assumed to be exaggerated. What she did know was how low Kim had been in recent weeks after her injury and subsequent media witch-hunt. True, she appeared to have recovered somewhat, wherever she had been had done her a power of good, and she was focussed on the mission, but her demeanour didn't fill the young ninja with confidence. There was a distance to her, as if part of her mind wished it were somewhere else. Yori could only hope she would become more committed when they actually arrived at their destination.

Then again, if Kim did turn out to be as single-minded as she was reported to be, it could raise further problems. From what she had heard, Kim had strong opinions on what was right or wrong, and wasn't open to compromise. There was a risk that her aims mightn't necessarily match those of the Yamanouchi dojo, or at least Yori's version of them, and would seek to impose her own moral code on a substantially different culture. The potential for a conflict of interests was obvious, and coloured every decision the young ninja made; but when the time came for Ron to step up and fulfil his destiny, she feared previous loyalties to his lifelong friend would taint his decision making.

She was stuck on the horns of a dilemma. She didn't have the resources to dispense with Kim's services, even if Ron would have begun to contemplate the idea which she knew he wouldn't. She wasn't really sure she even wanted to, the thought that someone else with more experience in this sort of thing backing her up was very comforting, but she didn't feel able to rely on her either. All she could do was to trust in the will of the Buddha. It didn't fill her with any confidence.

All these issues paled into insignificance, however, when compared to the elephant in the room that she had been ignoring for far too long. She had concentrated so hard on the 'where' and 'when' aspects of the prophecy, that she hadn't given the 'what' any consideration. Only now, with time running out, had she delved deeper into the ramifications of what lay ahead, and they chilled her to the bone. For weeks she had been satisfied with her original translation "By his actions, the lotus blade will be freed", but now she wasn't so sure.

On closer inspection, she had recently realised that there were several possible interpretations of that key phrase, and it changed everything. The etymological root was unclear, and the implications were terrifying. 'Deeds' or 'Decisions' were safe but 'Sacrifice' had connotations she didn't even want to think about.

Yori looked up, studying the blonde haired young man lying a few feet away. Feeling her gaze, he looked up and gave her that lop sided smile that caused her heart to flutter, triggering a shy smile of her own in response. Even now, his first concern was the welfare of his friends; it was one of the things that made her love him so much.

Ruthlessly she stifled that thought, now was not the time. Also, indulging in a relationship with someone whose maybe ex-girlfriend was sitting only a few feet away really wasn't going to help matters. Especially when said girlfriend probably still blamed Yori for causing them to separate in the first place.

Even so, there was something about the young man that touched the very core of her being. True, he was immature, lacked confidence and had a lackadaisical approach to life, but she figured they were faults that could be addressed. What couldn't be denied were his kindness, bravery and above all decency. Also, while occasionally annoying, his carefree approach to life was a breath of fresh air to a girl who had grown up in a rigid hierarchical, even patriarchal, society. Returning his smile with a sheepish grin of her own, she resolved that if any sacrifice were required, she would be the one to make it.

Unnoticed by either of the two in the cargo bay, Kim saw their shared smile, and noted the faint colouration in the young ninja's face. A faint feeling of jealousy flared in her heart at the implied intimacy between the two of them. She had never reacted well to sharing Ron's affections even before they were an item. Discovering his secret association with a ninja school had been something of a shock; the idea that he would have a facet of his life where she didn't feature was a levelling experience for her. Although she had quickly got over it once she realised it hadn't affected her relationship with him, there was a definite feeling of being excluded. This whole sitch was a Yamanouchi affair, she was just along for the ride, and she didn't feel comfortable about it. Also, she couldn't help blaming Yori a little for the estrangement between herself and Ron. True she had to bear some fault for jumping to the wrong conclusion regarding their relationship, but watching the young ninja surreptitiously, she was sure that Yori still held feelings for him.

It didn't help that she still had reservations over Yori's motivations. Ron was far too trusting for his own good, and would follow the Japanese girl into deadly danger without question or consideration for his own safety. True, he had been doing that for her for years, but that was different. Kim figured it was up to her to keep an eye on him, and if Yori pushed too hard then she would have to intervene.

Oblivious to the underlying conflicts and doubts affecting his passengers, the pilot happily continued his flight, just glad to be able to help the woman who had rescued his daughter after getting lost in the Peruvian Andes but, as the interminable hours passed by, the claustrophobic atmosphere and enforced inactivity only served to allow the tension to build up to fever-pitch levels.

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By the time the plane finally landed at the small private airfield that served as a front to the Yamanouchi School, Yori's frustration was boiling over. Even before the plane had finished taxiing, she had opened the side door, jumping out at the earliest opportunity, leaving the two Americans to scramble after her in unseemly haste.

"Hey Yori! Wait up!" Ron's cry halted her briefly as she waited impatiently for the others to catch up, earning herself a resentful look from Kim that just annoyed her even further.

"Let me guess, it will be our honour to walk." Ron's joke broke through her irritation and she flashed him a half smile at the reference to their first meeting. She was rewarded by a grin from the young man, while Kim looked on, once more feeling excluded from the friendly camaraderie between these two.

Seeing Ron interact with Yori made her feel sad, but not as much as she had expected. A gap had opened up between the two of them, and she felt that the Japanese girl looked to be filling the hole in his heart where she used to be. Instead of filling with jealous rage, however, she merely mourned the loss of carefree intimacy between them they used to share when just friends. She had finally admitted to herself that she and Ron just weren't compatible despite how much she wished they were, but things couldn't just go back to the way they were before they had started dating. She was beginning to believe she would never find someone with whom she could be happy and struggled to be glad on his behalf that maybe he could.

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Yori set a blistering pace. Unencumbered except for the tools of her trade, many of which were concealed about her person, she quickly led the group away from the trappings of civilization, into the foothills that marked the approach to the mountain she had called home for so many years. After two hours, they were starting to climb more steeply as they reached the mountain itself, and she finally called a halt.

Ron was suffering badly. Despite his first trip here having taught him to travel light when Yori was in charge, he still found the pace she had set challenging, and as soon as she signalled them to stop he collapsed in a heap, gasping for breath in a fashion that was almost bordering on pantomime. Kim on the other hand, to the ninja's irrational annoyance, looked even fresher than she did.

"You're pushing him too hard." Kim's reprimand went over the young man's head, as he lay on the ground gasping for breath. "He can't handle this level of pace for so long."

Yori turned back to face the angry redhead, her face calm.

"You think so?" Her voice rose in surprise at Kim's statement. "He is the Monkey Master, a little exercise won't hurt him. I think you underestimate his abilities."

Kim's hands dropped to her hips, her whole body posture exuding condescension. "We've been friends since we were six. I think I know him a bit better than you do."

"Hey, I am still here you know!" Both women ignored Ron's plaintive cry as they faced up to each other.

"Really? Yet you still fail to see what he is capable of! Amazing."

Kim's face reddened at the insult. "Oh I know what he can do believe me."

She leaned forward to emphasise her point. "I was there when he defeated an alien invasion. I know he beat down Warhawk and Warmonga after I'd been knocked out, but I also know the real story on how close that battle was. All those stories about him glowing blue and levitating; absolute rubbish. They're based on the testimony of one six year old girl who happened to be in the area and is a rabid Ron fan. The fact that some newspapers printed her fantasies verbatim doesn't make them true. He also didn't hurl them hundreds of feet into the air to collide with their spaceship. As far as I know Global Justice is still holding them somewhere."

Kim leaned in even further, her finger jabbing the young ninja in the chest as she made her final point.

"I was there, I saw what happened. I don't remember seeing you there at all!"

Yori's face remained steady. Only two points of colour on her pale cheeks displayed her anger at the disrespect she was being shown.

"I am well aware of the limits of his abilities." Yori kicked herself for rising to the bait. She should had anticipated Kim's protective reaction and forced herself to remain calm. Now wasn't the time to trigger a confrontation, there were more important things to worry about. "But I also know what he can achieve if he is given the chance."

"Do you? Do you really?" Kim wasn't ready to let this go now she was in full flow. "'Cos it looks to me as if you see him as some religious saviour who only needs to wave his little finger to make everything OK."

Yori opened her mouth but Kim hadn't finished yet.

"Whatever sitch you're leading us into, it's likely to be dangerous enough without piling unreasonable expectations on him!"

Only Ron's rapid intervention prevented things from spiralling even further out of control. Moving with an alacrity that surprised him, he picked himself up from the floor and positioned himself between the two women.

"Hokay, we ready to move on?" His forced cheeriness punctured the tense atmosphere that had developed between his companions, and by forcing them to break eye contact; he seized the initiative and changed the subject.

"It's that way, right?" he pointed down the path they had been following, directing his comment to Yori, and when she nodded, he set off, forcing the other two to follow in his wake. Yori hesitated only long enough to give Kim a look as if Ron's sudden burst of energy proved her point that he was far more capable than he liked to admit, before hurrying to take the lead, but inside she was silently thanking the Lady Amaterasu for his intervention.

Unseen by the others, she flushed as she admitted to herself that the bust up with Kim had been her fault. What kind of leader picked a fight with her team while on a mission? The kind that got her last team killed, the nagging voice in her head retorted. Ashamed at her failure to match up to the responsibilities of her position, she fervently wished that someone more senior was here to tell her what to do.

Kim watched the two of them set off once more, following on more slowly, catching up with Ron as he slowed his pace.

"Cut her some slack KP okay?" Ron kept his eyes on the black clad figure a few metres ahead while talking to his oldest friend. "This isn't just some mission for her, it's personal."

"That's what I'm worried about." Kim hissed back, not wanting Yori to overhear. "She's not thinking rationally, it's going to end in trouble."

Ron shrugged. "It's her home and family at stake, how rational would you be?" Giving Kim an apologetic style he quickened his pace slightly, leaving Kim to consider what he had said.

Looking back, her family had been threatened several times over the years, and she had never acted like Yori did. She had never overreacted because she had always known everything would work out, never even considered the possibility that things could end badly.

The prospect of failure to her had always been merely a theoretical outcome that happened to other people, so could be dismissed in her own mind as inconceivable. Looking back, she realised how fast and loose she had played with the people that mattered to her most. The thought of something happening to her family made her sick, reminding herself how she had felt when she thought Shego had hurt her brothers due to her own thoughtlessness. Her recent injury and subsequent collapse into depression had changed everything. It had opened her mind to the concept of failure, and she suddenly realised she could empathise with Yori's doubts. It made her look on the female ninja with new eyes, realising for the first time how young she really was to be carrying this burden. Yori's loss also brought home how lucky she had been that her loved ones had always escaped unscathed from all the danger she had exposed them to, especially Ron who had faithfully followed her while she faced up to some of the most dangerous criminals on the planet. Could she really judge Yori for exposing Ron to danger when she had been doing so for so many years?

Thinking of Ron made her watch the young man as he followed Yori down the trail. After a few minutes observation, it struck her that he was different somehow. Usually when they worked together, she took the lead, and he was perfectly happy to follow, relying on her instincts to warn them of trouble. With Yori, however, he was taking a much more active role. He was scanning the surrounding area as much as she was, the two of them working together in a way that he had never done with her. It came as something of a revelation that she had never expected Ron to pull his weight in Team Possible, their roles had been firmly segregated into Hero and Sidekick. Watching Ron and Yori was more like a partnership of equals with Yori expecting Ron to back her up and him acting accordingly.

It was a side of her personality she never liked confronting, but this was another example of how she tended to dominate everyone around her simply because she was always convinced she was right. Ron, Monique, even Wade to some extent were dragged along in her wake. It had got her into trouble in the past and, more recently, led to the break-up of her relationship with Ron yet she never seemed to learn. It only served to cement her feeling that there had been something wrong with their relationship from the start.

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Ever since landing in Japan, Shego questioned her decision to bring Dr Dementor along on this trip. Sure it had seemed a good idea at the time, she couldn't leave him free to warn Gemini about her plans after all, but he was proving such a burden that not for the first time, she was considering throwing him down one of the many cracks and fissures that were scattered across the mountain slopes, hinting at ancient volcanic activity, although it was now, very clearly, extinct. "Should have dropped him off with Drakken." She muttered to herself as the German super-villain moaned once more about the climb.

The two of them were about three quarters of the way up the mountain. Below them could be heard the faint roar of a waterfall somewhere to their left and the slopes were getting steeper with each step. Shego didn't actually know how to get to the Yamanouchi School, it had always been a closely guarded secret, but she had been hoping to find some clues to its whereabouts on the mountain. It was beginning to look like a fruitless journey.

"How much longer are you going to continue with this ridiculous farce?" The Doctor's voice was really starting to get on her nerves. Fighting down the urge to melt his tin helmet over his mouth, she ignored him and kept climbing.

"You know, you are in serious breech of the GenEvil convention." It was a point Dementor kept bringing up, as if she might have forgotten in the five minutes since he last mentioned it. Knowing what was coming next, she tried to block out his voice.

"As your prisoner, I cannot be compelled to betray my fellow evil-doers, nor be subjected to anything but cruel and unusual punishment." Dementor's voice took on a pious tone as he quoted the relevant clause verbatim. "I don't think being dragged up a mountain counts as unusual" he concluded.

Shego had had enough. She whirled round and grabbed the annoying villain by the throat.

"Listen to me shithead!" she snarled, thrusting her face up close to ensure he got the message. "Firstly, Gemini never signed the convention, so I doubt you're covered."

Her grip tightened causing Dementor's face to turn an unhealthy puce. "Secondly, do you honestly think Hench is going to give a flying fuck about how I treat someone involved in infiltrating his network?"

She pushed him away, his hand massaging his bruised throat while he struggled to catch his breath.

"Now shut up before someone hears us." she snarled

Dementor glared at her as she turned away, but Shego caught the look. "I wouldn't wish too hard that we get caught," she said as she once more started heading up the mountain, "I wouldn't want to be in your shoes if Gemini catches you helping me."

A look of panic swept across the doctor's face at the thought of Gemini's renowned short temper when dealing with perceived traitors. He scrambled after his captor, from now on keeping his thoughts to himself.

With that distraction dealt with, Shego once more set her mind to finding any clues to the location of the hidden school. "It's never like this in the movies." She muttered to herself, "As far as I can tell, the whole mountain is desert..."

A tiny sound stopped her in full flow. A pebble, clattered over some rock, a few meters above them. Shego's senses where instantly on high alert, and she signalled Dementor to stop. The older man sank to the ground, grateful to have a break from the strenuous climb, but Shego ignored him, every instinct she had honed over the years was screaming "DANGER!"

There was nothing specific, no footsteps or voices disturbed the peace, but something told her that they were about to be discovered. This definitely wasn't part of her plan. She had intended to follow someone to the school, not be taken there as a prisoner. The thought of being back in Gemini's clutches sent a shiver down her spine.

Something told her she only had seconds to act. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Dementor was focussing on removing a stone from his boot, the backpack she had been making him carry lying by his side. With his attention diverted, she took her chance. There was no wayshe could save her belongings but she could save herself. Nearby was a small sinkhole, just large enough to squeeze through. Wasting no time she slipped over the edge, hoping to brace herself against the narrow walls of the vent that led down into the mountain. She instantly wished she had chosen another hiding place, however, as the drop proved steeper than expected and she slid down several metres before jolting to a stop when she hit a ledge. Taking deep breaths to counter the rapid heartbeat caused by her impromptu fall, she risked a brief flash of green light to see where she had landed.

The volcanic vent she had jumped into was ancient, possibly thousands of years old, and dropped at a 30 degree angle for about 20 yards before levelling out into the small ledge she was now standing on. About six feet away, the drop continued down into the depths of the mountain. All in all, Shego figured she could have done much worse, even if she had left Dementor a sitting duck. That was his problem. If she were lucky, whoever it was that found him would take him straight back to Gemini, allowing her to follow them right into the secret ninja school. All she had to do was remain hidden until they left.

Dementor's gasp of surprise at being caught was almost inaudible in Shego's hiding place, but the voice of his captor was all too clear, as if he were standing right at the top of the vent.

"Why Herr Doktor, what a pleasant surprise!"

"Alpha" Shego thought to herself, and suddenly her hiding place seemed much less secure.

The conversation was muffled as the man moved away from the vent entrance, but Shego had no doubts that the mad scientist was being questioned about what he was doing here, and why. She had no misconceptions about his ability or willingness to keep her name out of the affair. Dementor would give her away in a heartbeat in an attempt to save his own skin, however futile that may be. Judging by the speed with which footsteps approached her hiding place, he didn't put up any resistance at all. She barely had time to register the hiss of an activated flare before she saw a shadow cast over her sanctuary. She barely had time to slip over the edge of the ledge, before the smoking light was dropped down the hole, landing on the ledge she had just vacated. Hanging by her fingertips, she managed to rest one toe on a tenuous protrusion, taking much of her weight off her arms.

"Nothing here sir." The call was repeated by several voices as all the nearby hiding places were checked. The thief breathed a sigh of relief as she realised Dementor hadn't noticed where she had gone, but Alpha hadn't finished yet.

"Shego! I know you can hear me!" The voice was quite clear, as by chance he was standing very close to his quarry's hiding place.

"I know this mountain like the back of my hand, I grew up here!"

Shego processed that surprising bit of information. "Yamanouchi. That explains a few things," she thought to herself. It also confirmed her fears that Gemini and Yamanouchi were working together.

"Those tunnels are a labyrinth, you'd never find your way through them," the voice continued, "and even if you did find the secret path, you won't get past Grawl." There was a hesitation as if the speaker were contemplating something. "Actually, I'd love to see your face if you try to set him on fire." He laughed at some private joke.

The confidence in the man's voice worried Shego more than the words. If he really were Yamanouchi, he would have an extensive knowledge of the area. The fact that he knew about a secret way into the school through the lava tunnels hinted that he was genuine, although she took comfort in his mistake. After all, until he had mentioned it, she had had no idea of its existence.

"I'll give you one chance to give yourself up." Shego snorted at the man's presumption. He really thought she was going to throw herself on his tender mercies? As if!

"You have until the count of three!" The voice continued, "One ... Two ... Three!"

There was a couple of seconds pause and then "Ok boys, use 'em."

Through the smoke of the flare, Shego saw three small round objects drop through the hold above her head. They landed on the ledge with a metallic ring, bouncing a couple of times before coming to a halt. Her eyes widened in shock as she recognised the fragmentation grenades for what they were. Releasing her hold on the ledge, she let her body slide down the much steeper slope hoping to catch herself on the small protrusion of rock she had been standing on. She missed. With quickly increasing acceleration, she began to slide down the vent unable to stop herself even as the explosions went off high above her head.

Arms and legs scraped on the walls of the vent as she desperately tried to halt her descent, but only managed to slow her fall marginally, until it came to an abrupt end as she dropped through the ceiling of an old magma chamber.

"Oh Crap!" was all she had time to say, before hitting the floor of the chamber with a bone-crunching thud. Fortunately, she had been falling feet first, and managed to roll with the momentum, preventing serious damage. Pushing herself to her feet, rubbing one hip that had hit the stone floor particularly hard, she shook her hair from her face and took stock.

There wasn't a sound to be heard, so she risked a flare of green light, raising her glowing hand above her head to illuminate the surrounding area. Wherever she was, the space was too large to light completely so she stood in a globe of sickly green light encased in blackness.

To anyone less observant, there would have been no clue as to which direction to take, but Shego had an intimate knowledge of her plasma powers, and quickly noted the subtle distortions in its flow. There was a breeze. It was too faint to be felt directly, but its effect on the plasma flame erupting from her hand was clear. Edging slowly towards the source of the air current, she finally reached the edge of the cavern and found an exit tunnel. It was rough, presumably left over from some ancient lava flow, but she could now feel the movement in the air over her face. Somewhere there was a way out.

Progress was slow as she worked her way down the natural tunnel; the floor was uneven and treacherous, especially given the low light levels available from her Go glow. She had no way of knowing if she were going in the right direction, or even if it would lead to a way out, but what else was she going to do. Anyway, she figured that if air could get in, there was a good chance that someone could get out, especially if that someone had the ability to blast her way through solid rock.

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The closer Yori led her companions to the secret entrance to the school, the more nervous she got. The idea of getting past the waterfall without being intercepted was farcical, but there was no other way, or at least not one she wanted to contemplate. All she could hope for was that when the confrontation took place, the three of them would be able to handle it.

There were some reasons for optimism. Whatever Ron had said to Kim seemed, in Yori's eyes at least, to have calmed down the volatile heroine, and she now appeared to be more accepting of the situation, even Ron looked to have appreciated the seriousness of the situation, he was taking a much more active role in scanning the surrounding area for enemies, but she knew all too well that if a Yamanouchi ninja didn't want to be seen, the first thing you would know about their presence would be when they attacked.

The ambush, when it came, was devastatingly effective, six ninjas appearing to materialise out of thin air just as the small party passed their position. Only Yori's unconventional route, and Kim's incredible reflexes, prevented them from being overrun. As it was, however, the attackers were some metres away from their targets when they revealed themselves, giving Kim a fraction of a second to react to their appearance.

Yelling a warning to her companions, she took the attack to the ambushers, seizing the initiative in a way that no one else could possibly have achieved. Expecting, his target to be a sitting duck, the luckless assassin nearest to her failed to realise he had lost the element of surprise. Leaping to the attack, he realised too late that his target was no longer where he thought it was. Unable to change direction in mid-air, he started to twist into a more defensive position, but Kim beat him to it. Grabbing one foot as it passed over her head, she pulled it close to her body while twisting her shoulders resulting in her luckless victim being redirected straight into a tree.

Not waiting for the sickening crunch that heralded the impact, she let her momentum spin her round to face the other black clad attacker that had been targeting her.

Shaken by the speed with which this young woman had despatched his colleague, he hesitated for a second before screaming his defiance and launched an attack of his own, the wooden sticks he held in each hand blurring as he tried to bring down his quarry.

Unable to match the speed of her ally, Yori still managed to evade the initial attack but at the expense of separating herself from the man she was sworn to protect. Realising her error, she whipped her metal fans from her belt, snapping them open with an ugly metallic ring. Snarling her defiance, she launched her own attack, no attempt to hold back, she was just seeking to cut her way through to where she could fulfil her oath.

Both her opponents were armed, one with a six foot long bo-staff, the other wielding a Nunchaku. They approached from different directions to avoid interfering with each other, seeking to penetrate the whirling wall of steel of Yori's fans. There was no way through, but neither could the young girl make any progress without exposing herself to attack. Frustrated and desperate, she upped her tempo in an attempt to break free, only to be met by an equally robust response from her attackers.

Watching the battle from the mountain slope, the squad's team leader clenched his fist in annoyance. What should have been a textbook ambush was rapidly turning into a disaster. On the right Yori was exhibiting the skills that had made her star pupil of the entire school, holding two fully trained ninja's at bay, threatening at any moment to escape his trap. Even worse, his left flank was being annihilated by the red headed devil Kim Possible. He had heard of her, of course, but could never have imagined the raw power and agility encased in her slight frame.

Even the gaijin Monkey Master was a problem. Unable to emulate the martial skills of his companions, he was, nevertheless, causing his opponents difficulties. Initially caught by surprise, he had somehow managed to wriggle free of his attackers clutches and was currently giving a master-class in evasion. Every skill he had ever learned, either on the football field or dodging automated lasers in Senor Senior's lair, was being utilised as he ducked and weaved every attempt to pin him down.

With a gesture, the squad leader committed his reserves, two more Yamanouchi, to shore up his exposed left flank. Now facing three fully trained assassins' Kim was once more on the defensive, although every nuance of her body language expressed a calm assurance that she would win through in time.

Even with these reinforcements, the situation was not clear-cut. Both flanks were now bending back on the centre, as the pressure exerted by the two women began to tell. Concluding that there was no other way, he launched his own attack.

Fully engaged with her three attackers, Kim was starting to work up a sweat. The men facing her were very good. A week ago, she wouldn't have lasted thirty seconds against them. Now however, with her confidence restored, she was actually enjoying the workout.

The attack, when it came, was literally out of the blue. The squad leader had used the high ground advantage to position himself above her, launching himself at her back as she drove back one of his men in her attempt to come to the Monkey Master's aid, he flew through the air, his leg extended and locked, aimed directly at the middle of her back.

Kim couldn't have said what warned her of this silent threat, but by some instinct, she managed to twist her body just in time. The result was that instead of a solid hit smashing her to the ground, the foot glanced off her shoulder and the two of them crashed to the ground in an ungainly heap.

The momentum bowled the slight teenager down towards the river, still entangled in the flailing arms of her foe. The two of them continued to trade blows, even as they rolled down the hill until they jolted to a halt, stopped by a tree stump on the edge of the bank.

Kim recovered first, and pushed herself to her knees. Before she could get any further however, an arm grabbed her top as the man beneath her refused to give in. Slapping his hand away, she threw a punch, determined to end this fight as quickly as possible.

It never reached its target. Blocked by the prone ninja's arm, he quickly grabbed her wrist. Recognising the disadvantage he was in, he didn't try to overpower his more skilled opponent. Instead he rolled over the edge of the bank, using his greater mass to drag her with him. With a startled cry from the surprised girl, they both fell into the fast moving water with a large splash and were swept away.

"KIM!" Ron's cry as he saw his best friend disappear distracted Yori at a critical point. Unable to help herself, she looked away from her attackers to see what had distressed him. It was a costly mistake. The end of the Bo staff slipped under her guard, catching her elbow. Her fan dropped from nerveless fingers and, barely managing to jerk her attention back to the matter in hand, she somehow blocked the follow up attack, once more conceding space as she sought to regain the use of her damaged arm. Down to a single weapon, and still facing two armed attackers her position looked grim. It looked even grimmer when the three ninjas that had been fighting Kim converged on the frantically struggling Ron Stoppable.

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The tunnel went on for miles. There were the occasional branching of ways or offshoots from the main tunnel, but using the breeze as a guide, Shego continued for what felt like hours although it was hard to keep track of time in the darkness. At first, all she could hear was the echo of her boots on the uneven rock floor but as time passed, something else began to make itself heard. A low level rumble, it took her a while to realise what it was, the sound of running water.

A her lips twisted in a satisfied smirk as she reasoned that if water could get in, she might be able to get out, and she quickened her pace in anticipation. She had only taken a few steps however, when A low guttural roar echoed through the tunnels causing her to freeze. There was something else alive down here and, from what Alpha had said; she really didn't want to run into it. She waited for a few seconds, listening intently to see if was anywhere near, but after hearing nothing more, she figured it was just a trick of the tunnels carrying the sound over long distances and resumed her journey.

The breeze was definitely getting stronger, and the sound of the underground river louder, until she finally reached the end of a tunnel. It opened up into a vast cavern, the floor of which was an unknown distance below her. She had two choices, up or down and to be honest, neither seemed too attractive.

She was still considering her next move when she heard something on the rocks below. A scraping sound that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to prickle. She held her breath and listened intently. There! She heard it again and it was getting closer. Snuffing out her glow, she backed away from the edge, back into the tunnel.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realised she could actually see vague details. Somewhere far above was a crack in the mountain, letting a tiny amount of light into the darkness. Shego could just about determine where the tunnel ended and waited, holding her breath, and hoping that whatever it was would just pass her by.

The wait between each sound simply heightened her anxiety as each time it sounded closer and closer. First was a "Ching!" as if some great claw were taking a grip on the rock face, followed by a low humming growl, and the sound of scrabbling feet as whatever it was pulled its way up the cliff. In her head, she pictured some great apelike creature hauling its way up the sheer face of the precipice, huge claws attached to long hairy arms, its jaw filled with slavering teeth. Pressing herself back into the rock behind her, she gathered her power within her, ready to release it in one devastating blast.

She saw the claw attach itself to the lip of the tunnel edge. It looked several inches long, suggesting that whatever creature it was attached to was huge. The growling was louder now, although the echo in the cave, and the roaring noise of the water below made it hard to judge.

Seconds passed, before she heard something scuffing on the rock below, almost immediately followed by a head appearing over the cliff edge, one pale orb glowing dimly in the gloom.

"Yaarrrgh!" Shego's scream filled the tunnel, her plasma igniting in a bright green glow as she summoned all her power and sent a great bolt of green fire shooting down the tunnel. Even as she fired, she finally saw the face of the creature, jerking up her arm in a desperate attempt to adjust her aim.

"Eeeep!" The high pitched squeak elicited by the great fireball streaking over its head and shooting off into the cavern behind was drowned out by Shego's own expletive.

"Shit Possible, you trying to get killed?"

The vague shape she had taken for some monster's head was just the teenagers hair, the single eye a lamp attached to a band wrapped around her head.

Both women glared at each other, as they fought to get their breathing and heartbeat under control, the adrenalin coursing through their veins preventing coherent speech for several seconds.

"Shego! What are you doing here?" Kim was the first to recover. Still hanging onto the rope of her trusty grappling hook, the teenager had nearly let go of her lifeline when she first saw the green fireball heading for her head. Luckily it had missed by inches, but she had serious concerns for the state of her hair.

"ME? What about you? You're supposed to be recuperating!" Shego's hands were shaking from the pent up stress that she had been building up over the past ten minutes or so. She still couldn't believe that the girl she had seen off at the airport less that two days ago was here under an extinct volcano deep in the Japanese countryside. I mean, what were the odds?

"Look, if you've finished trying to blow my head off, how about giving me a hand?" Kim drew the older woman's attention back to the fact that she was hanging onto a ledge above a drop measured in hundreds of feet.

"Do I look like a servant?" Shego was still snippy from the fright she had been given, but she sighed and headed over anyway, grabbing Kim under her arms and pulling her to safety.

"T..Thanks" Kim stuttered as she flopped over the edge onto the rock floor. No longer warmed by the exertion of scaling the cliff, she shivered involuntarily as the cold draught cut through her sodden clothing.

"Why are you wet?" Shego's exasperation was clearly evident as she rubbed her hands dry on her catsuit.

"C..C..'Cos I fell in the river!" Kim stammered. She thought this should have been obvious, Shego's eyebrow twitching at the sarcastic retort.

"Hey, I'm not the one at risk from Hypothermia here!" Now Shego had got over the shock of seeing the redhead, seeing her doing a drowned rat impression was initially amusing, but she soon realised that falling into a mountain river in the middle of winter was potentially dangerous.

"Stand still, and don't move. This is going to be difficult enough without you wriggling about." Her voice changed from it's usual sardonic tone to a much more dictatorial tone. She took Kim's head in her hands and looked her straight in the eye. "I mean it. If I misjudge this, I could set you on fire."

Kim swallowed nervously as she realised how serious Shego was, but the older woman didn't wait. She pulled her young charge into a close embrace and closed her eyes. Kim didn't notice anything for a second or two, and was feeling rather self-conscious, wrapped in a hug with her arch-enemy. She stood, her chin resting on Shego's shoulder and wondered what was supposed to happen.

Gradually, she realised that the light levels around them were increasing. Previously unseen details slowly becoming clearer as a soft haze of green light appeared to materialise around them. It puzzled her for a while, before realising that she was seeing Shego's Go glow for the very first time. She had seen it evidenced by the other members of the superhero team, but with Shego, it had always been manifested in her plasma powers, this was the first time she had seen it in its pure form.

Suddenly she gasped with surprise. Every nerve-ending in her body began sending signals to her brain, the hairs on her arms standing erect as an intense tingling sensation played across her skin, causing her muscles to twitch involuntarily.

"Keep still!" Shego hissed in her ear as she pulled the teenager even closer, all the while battling to maintain control as her power sought to fully manifest itself in its customary green flame. She brushed her hand through the hair on the back of Kim's head, running the strands through her fingers and pulling the teenager's head into her shoulder. Faint tendrils of steam began to rise from Kim's clothes as the gently warmed air began to have its effect, but Kim wasn't paying any attention to that. Instead, she was battling the suddenly intense stimulation she was experiencing from her close proximity to the other woman as each of her senses became highly responsive.

She could hear the thump-thump-thump of Shego's heart, the soft susurrations of the older woman's breath in her ear. The soft fragrance of Shego's perfume, usually so subtle, now overpowering her mind with it's musky scent.

Then there was her touch. Feather-light caresses from Shego's hands were sending shivers down her spine, causing her skin to react with goose bumps wherever they passed. She was very aware of Shego's hip brushing her inner thigh, the soft mound of her breast pressing against her body, every touch seemed to trigger a response deep within her core. Biting her lip, she stifled a whimper of pleasure as her erogenous zones all lit up at once under the intense stimulation of the power flowing around her. Her legs trembled as the feelings intensified, her body reacting in a totally inappropriate way as waves of ecstacy flowed through her being.

Shego felt the girl sag against her, silently cursing this added complication, totally unaware of the effect her power was having on her companion. Too focused to even spare a second to curse, she just concentrated on holding back the raging pulse of power that was seeking to break free. Of all the members of Team Go, she had the ability to project her power externally. Normally this was extremely useful, especially in her chosen profession, but in cases like this, she struggled to keep control. Sweat was beginning to bead on her brow with the mental strain of maintaining the delicate balance required.

Kim lost all awareness except for the waves of stimulation shooting through her body. All she could concentrate on was her attempt to stifle the groan of ecstacy building in her throat. Unconsciously pressing herself against the other woman's body, she bit down harder on her lip, the coppery taste of blood in her mouth only slightly deadening the euphoria she was feeling.

Eventually, with a gasp of effort, Shego pushed the two of them apart. She was exhausted with the strain and staggered away seeking the support of a wall to lean on, giving Kim a chance to regain control of herself.

Chest heaving as her nerve endings continued to spark, the cheerleader took several minutes to regain control of her voice.

"What the hell was that?" she gasped, left bewildered by the effect it had had on her body.

"Fucking difficult, thats what." Shego's reply characteristically snarky as she leaned up against the wall gasping for breath. "Don't expect me to do it again OK?"

Kim shuddered at the thought of going through that again, uncomfortably aware of how stimulating her body had found the whole experience. It took her some time before she could get her mind back on the mission; the feel of her clothes against her skin just amplified the tingling sensation she was feeling all over her body, especially in areas she would rather not think about. It was a very self-conscious young woman who followed her older companion back to the tunnel's edge once she regained her composure.

Shego surveyed the situation. There were obviously only two choices before them, up or down, and judging from the direction Kim had come, that really only left one.

"Up it is then." She looked over her shoulder to check that Kim was behind her then started to edge her way out onto the cliff face, tentatively feeling for handholds, all too aware of the long drop below.

Kim watched for a while before edging her own way out to the tunnel edge. The sensations were starting to recede and her mind slowly regained focus on the situation they were facing

"Okay, so how about we do it the easy way now?"

Shego stopped and looked back, to see the teenager pull her hairdryer from her belt. Pointing it up the cliff face, she triggered the mechanism that sent the grappling hook shooting up into the darkness, catching on the rough rock surface far above with a metallic crunch.

"You go first, I'll follow." Kim suggested, watching as the older woman reached out and grabbed the thin line. With the rope to aid her, Shego quickly vanished into the darkness above. Giving her a few seconds lead, Kim followed, the automatic rewinder reeling in the line as she went. Shego cringed a bit as she felt Kim's weight on the rope below, but reasoned the teenager knew how much of a load the line could take and continued to climb.

After about eighty meters or so, she came to another old lava tube running into the rock. Above her loomed the ominous shadow of an overhang that looked impassable. Taking the hint, she pulled herself into the dark tunnel and waited for Kim to catch up.

As the redhead appeared out of the gloom, Shego reached out pulled her into the refuge of the tunnel. As soon as she was secure, Kim pressed another switch on her hair dryer and the grapple released itself, quickly being reeled in by the winder mechanism. It was a tool Shego had witnessed time and again, but never from this close, and she had to admit it was an amazing piece of engineering. Her fingers twitched with the urge to take it apart and see how it worked.

Once she had stowed her grapple back in her belt, Kim gestured Shego to take the lead, switching her headlamp back on while Shego lit the way with her own version of the human torch.

They had been walking for maybe five minutes before Kim remembered what she had been going to ask before Shego's drying technique had driven all other thoughts from her mind.

"Shego, what are you doing here?" For the life of her, Kim couldn't figure out what Shego would be doing in Japan.

"Gemini's here. He's got something I want." Shego's reply was nonchalant, as if it were no big deal, but Kim was having none of it.

"Gemini? What's he doing here?"

"I dunno, something to do with a hookup between WEE and Yamanouchi according to Dementor. Didn't make much sense to me at the time, but I'm beginning to think there's actually something in it now."

Maybe that's why they jumped Ron, Yori and me." Kim speculated. "From what Yori was saying, I assumed it was Ron they were after."

"What would WEE want with the doofus?" Shego's incredulity all too obvious from the tone of her voice.

"Not WEE, Yamanouchi, we were jumped by a squad of ninjas. That's how I ended up in the river." Shego couldn't help but chuckle at the hurt in Kim's voice at the suggestion that she could be defeated by any of Gemini's goons, but there was something in her statement that didn't add up.

"But I thought that Japanese girl, Yori was it, was Yamanouchi."

Kim sighed, "She is. Apparently there's some kind of power struggle going on at the moment. She thinks Ron is the key to sorting it all out, I'm not really very clear on the details."

"Oh that's just great." Shego's notoriously short temper snapped on hearing this news. "So now we're walking into a civil war between ninjas? This just gets better and better."

"You never know." Kim tried looking on the bright side. "They might be too busy fighting each other to notice us."

That earned her a look. It reminded her more of Ms Go the teacher than Shego the master thief, she couldn't help giggling at the thought.

"Right, and this Yori thinks the buffoon is the one to sort everything out? She been puffing a bit too much on the hash pipe or what?"

Kim ignored the slur on her friends. "I dunno, its all some Mystical Monkey Power thing apparently.." but Shego didn't give her time to finish her sentence.

"Oh God, not that crap again. I got enough of that from Monty without you drivelling on about it too."

Kim shrugged. After all, it wasn't her idea. "Didn't hear you complaining when he took down Warhawk and Warmonga. How do you explain that if there isn't something in it huh?" but Shego wasn't having any of it.

"Yeah right. And I suppose you think I was just standing there watching? Or that Drakken's roses didn't have a narcoleptic poison on their thorns that was already starting to affect them? Don't tell me you've started believing all that levitation crap they printed! I didn't think you hit your head that hard."

"No! But he still helped take them down after I had been knocked out. Even drugged, they were pretty tough." Kim was determined that her companion should recognise the contribution Ron had made in ending the alien invasion.

"So he's picked up a few moves over the years, it doesn't mean its because of some weird monkey mojo bullshit!" Shego still wasn't buying it. "He should have learned something watching the two of us fight so often!"

Shego hadn't finished, and Kim was looking to butt in to make her own point, but neither got a chance to speak. A shattering roar echoed through the tunnel, loud enough to drown out both their voices and the sound of the underground river far below.

"What the fuck was that?" Shego whispered, sharing a fearful look with her companion.

"Nothing I want to meet!" Kim replied, speaking in hushed, fearful tones. I don't think we want to go this way after all."

"I think we do." Recalling Alpha's words on the mountainside, Shego figured this must be teh way out. "That must be Grawl."

"Who's Grawl?"

"Dunno, but according to Alpha, we need to get past him if we want to reach Yamanouchi." Shego wasn't very enamoured of the idea. "Unless you know another way?"

Kim had to concede that she didn't. She had only been to the ninja school once, she had been relying on Ron or Yori to show her the way.

"Just my luck." Shego muttered as she once more took the lead. She thought about turning off her flame, but reasoned that whatever it was it could probably see a lot better in the dark than she could, and instead made it burn even brighter so as to illuminate as much of the passageway as possible as she headed into the depths.

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Yori came to with a groan. She had a splitting headache, and took a few moments to remember where she was. The ropes around her wrists and ankles soon told her the situation, and she opened her eyes to find herself lying on the ground next to a worried looking Ron.

"You OK Yori?" he asked anxiously. "You took a hell of a beating."

Yori closed her eyes briefly as she assessed her condition. She could feel blood running down her cheek from a blow to the head she had never seen coming. Her arms and legs too felt like hell as she had frantically tried to fend off the blows from the bo-staff after sacrificing her last fan in disabling the wielder of the nunchuku.

Looking back at Ron, she gave him a weak smile. "I'll live." She said, injecting her voice with an upbeat tone she wasn't feeling inside. "You?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ron sounded depressed as he contemplated his own failure. The fact that it had taken five ninjas to corner him was inconsequential in his eyes at his failure to help his friends.

"Good, you are awake." The leader of the squad had heard their conversation and walked over to where his two captives lay.

"Hirotake!" Yori spat, "what are you doing, can't you see who this is?"

"The Monkey Master's reputation precedes him." His bow at the hogtied young man seemed somewhat inappropriate given the circumstances. "But our orders were clear."

"Who's orders? Master Akiyama, Master Miyamoto? I cannot believe they would resort to such methods." There were tears in her voice as she faced the reality that the facade of a united Yamanouchi brotherhood was being ripped away by factional infighting. "I certainly wouldn't have thought that you of all people would become involved."

Ron alternated his view between his friend and this stranger. Not being able to speak Japanese, he had no idea what they were talking about, but the accusation and sensation of hurt betrayal he sensed from Yori suggested something bad.

"Do you think you could all, you know, speak English?" He didn't like the feeling of exclusion, but was apprehensive of asking his captors for any concessions given the perilous situation he found himself in. He needn't have worried; Hirotake's response was calm and courteous.

"Of course Stoppable San. I apologise for my initial rudeness."

He bowed once more and gestured to two of his men to untie his legs.

"I am sorry we had to meet this way, I wish the circumstances could have been more amenable."

"Yeah, me too." Ron grumbled, even as he was pulled to his feet. Yori too was helped up, although both their arms remained tied, leaving them with no doubt as to their status as prisoners.

"Please do not try to escape. I regret the use of violence, but will not hesitate to use every means I have at my disposal to ensure that you reach the school as I have been ordered."

Ron blinked. "Dude, that's where we were going anyway. Couldn't you like just have asked us politely?"

"My orders were clear."

"Whose orders Hirotake?" Yori pressed but the young man didn't have time to answer.

"Those of my master!" The voice came from behind them, causing both captives to turn to see who this newcomer was.

Ron thought the voice sounded familiar, but didn't recognize the man, dressed as he was in full WEE uniform, the alpha symbol prominent on his chest denoting his rank as Gemini's right hand man. Yori however, didn't have any difficulty.

"Fukushima!" The hatred in her voice brought a gloating smile to the man's face as he mocked her predicament.

"Yori, Yori. You'll never change. Always the naïve fool." Her eyes glared at him as he slowly circled around them. "It was this quaint adherence to rigid moral mores that required us to restrain you in this way."

He then turned his attention to the fair haired man standing beside her.

"So outsider, you finding your welcome here a little different from last time?"

Ron's eyes widened as he suddenly recognised the man who had betrayed him to Monkey Fist on his first visit to the school. It also hardened his attitude. He had beaten this little prick all those years ago; he certainly wasn't frightened of him now. Straightening his shoulders, he didn't dignify his captor with an answer, simply spitting on the ground as a demonstration of his contempt.

Yori turned back to the squad leader who had captured them.

"You associate with this traitor?" She couldn't believe that someone as honourable as Hirotake would do something like this.

"Things change Yori San." The man bowed once more, this time in apology at the young girl's fury. "When you see what I have seen, then you will understand."

With that final comment, he signalled his men and they began to lead the two prisoners towards the hidden entrance to the Yamanouchi School. Yori looked so dejected and Ron cursed that he couldn't do anything about it. He wanted to give her hand a squeeze, but with his arms tied behind his back, the best he could do was briefly to rub his elbow up and down her arm. It brought a pathetically grateful half smile to her face, she appreciated the gesture, but then she didn't know what he did. That Kim was still out there somehow and would surely mount a rescue, and that still concealed in his pocket was Team Possible's secret weapon. Rufus had tapped his leg a couple of times, letting him know that his pet was aware of the situation.

Their guards were considerate in their treatment of their prisoners, making every effort to ensure that they didn't stumble, leading them behind the waterfall, and down the long passageway that led to the secret caldera that concealed the school.

Formed by the collapse of an ancient magma chamber, it wasn't the main crater of the extinct volcano; that was much further up the mountain, beyond the tree line. This far down, the climate was more clement, especially sheltered as it was by the rock walls that surrounded it, allowing trees to grow that would otherwise only be found at much lower altitudes. As the party walked down the path, they passed one such grove of trees, resplendent with white blossom. They were the winter cherry trees Rufus had seen in his vision.

Ron nudged Yori's arm, getting her attention.

"The blossom hasn't fallen yet, we're not too late."

"It remains until the first winter storm" Yori said, "it should be any day now."

"It will be tonight." Hirotake interjected, having overheard the exchange. Both Ron and Yori wondered how he could be so sure, but he moved away before either of them got the chance to ask him.

As they entered the compound, they passed a lifesize statue of Toshimiru, defending the entrance with drawn Katana, dressed in full battle armour. Each ninja bowed deeply as they passed, giving respect to the founder of their clan. Ron and Yori were led to one of the buildings surrounding the main training area, placed inside one of the rooms and left alone, although they could see the shadows of guards through the paper walls. Their bonds were released, but there was no chance to escape.

"Stoppable san, I am sorry I failed you." Yori's black mood had returned with a vengeance. She had been counting on there being disagreements between the factions that made up the elder council, but from what she had seen, they were united in opposing the true Monkey Master. She didn't understand it, something momentous had obviously happened, but if even the moderates such as Hirotake were in agreement with the accord, it meant that she now had no friends left to call on.

Ron moved over to where the young ninja was kneeling. Not knowing quite what to do, he sat down beside her and put an arm around her neck. He felt her shiver under his touch, and giving her arm a squeeze; he pulled her close so that her head came to rest on his shoulder.

He could feel her shake as the sobs convulsed through her body, silent tears leaking from her eyes. Her vulnerability sent conflicting emotions through his mind. His heart aching for her misery, while his body reacted to the soft feel of her skin and faint scent of summer flowers that rose from her hair. Hugging her tight, he first rested his chin on the top of her head, before moving to place a kiss on her crown. Pulling her tight once more, he tried to give some comfort while she struggled to regain her composure.

Yori let herself wallow for a while, the pressure of leading in the face of such overwhelming opposition having finally become too much to handle. She felt his kiss like a tingle through her entire being, and the thought that she had placed him in so much danger was unbearable.

"It'll be OK Yori, Kim is still out there, she'll save us, she always does." Ron whispered in her ear so that the guards outside wouldn't hear but the words had little effect. The river Kim had fallen into was notorious for drowning people, the currents in the water, fuelled by the waterfall, were too strong for anyone to escape, and the whole river disappeared underground about half a mile away from where Kim had fallen. The only time they were likely to see Kim again would be if her body was washed out further down the mountain when the torrent re-emerged.

"Plus," Ron continued, unaware of the negative thoughts running through his friend's head, "we have Team Possible's secret weapon."

"uhuh, uhuh." Rufus popped his head out of Ron's pocket and gave her a toothy grin.

Yori couldn't help but chuckle at the eager face of the naked molerat, but the sight of the gold ring still circling his head quickly sobered her as it reminded her of the impending doom that was facing the world. It also stiffened her resolve. To try her best and to fail in the attempt would be an honourable end to her life. To not even try, even if she lived through the aftermath, would place an ignominious stain on her karma that would take many cycles of the cosmic wheel to eradicate.

Pushing herself up, reluctant to leave the comforting folds of his embrace but determined to face her fate full on, she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Hai, Stoppable San, you are right. We must not give in to despair."

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The light was beginning to fade when the door to their prison opened once more. Hirotake and Fukushima were both there, as black clad ninjas pulled Ron and Yori to their feet. In silence, they were led out into the courtyard, and then through the school towards a small grove of trees. The wind was beginning to pick up, even in the sheltered surrounds of the crater, and the first few blossom flowers were beginning to fall.

The trail led them through the trees towards the edge of the crater. Yori was puzzled, she had lived here since childhood and knew every inch of the place, but she couldn't think of any reason to head this way, there was nothing out here.

They continued until they reached the crater wall. Yori gasped as she saw two guards standing waiting for them. As they approached one of them pushed a section of the rock which swivelled on some concealed mechanism revealing a doorway that led into the mountain.

"Wha..?" her confused exclamation was matched by Ron's "Cool!" as they ducked under the low lintel and were led down a dark passageway, dimly lit with torches. It led down about a hundred feet or so before opening into a large chamber. Lined up around the edge stood the full compliment of Yamanouchi School, with a small cluster of WEE guards standing around Gemini looking very uncomfortable; but it wasn't this that caused Ron to gasp with shock and stagger as he stepped across the threshold. As soon as he entered the chamber, he could feel a buzzing sensation in his mind, as if something extremely powerful was trying to gain access to his brain. He couldn't tell what it was, but from the sudden jerk in his pocket, he knew Rufus could feel it too.

There was a slight disturbance behind them as Fukashima, WEE's Alpha agent, entered and headed towards his boss, pushing a very dishevelled looking Dr Dementor ahead of him. As he reached the small WEE contingent, he shoved Dementor hard in the back causing the metal helmetted scientist to crash to his knees at Gemini's feet.

The WEE leader quirked an eyebrow at this display, even as Alpha threw a distinctly patterned bag to the ground.

"It appears the good doctor was aiding a certain thief who thinks you have something that belongs to her." He opened his hand and let the pins of a score or so grenades fall to the floor. "I don't think she will be bothering us any further" he added with a smirk. Gemini didn't respond, but his demeanour showed his approval as his number one joined the cadre of guards around him, leaving the two prisoners the centre of everyone's attention.

The room was large, and the lighting not bright enough to illuminate the entire space so that the far end was wreathed in darkness. Ron and Yori were made to stand some distance from the wall, then their guards stepped back, leaving them isolated and exposed. Out of the darkness emerged five old men, wearing long flowing robes. Ron recognised them as the elders of the Yamanouchi clan, even as Yori performed a low bow purely out of habit.

"Yori San, welcome home." The deep tones of Master Akiyama made her look up in surprise. She had never really liked him, and believed he didn't approve of her either, but his voice was warm and welcoming. "It is time for you to take your proper place. He gestured to a gap in the ring of ninjas that partly surrounded them.

Bewildered, Yori looked at her indicated spot and back at the old man addressing her. "And the Monkey Master?" she queried.

Akiyama's cheek twitched at the lack of instant obedience, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, after all she had been through a lot to get here.

"We shall deal with him later." The words bringing a worried frown to the young girl's brow.

"Master, I am sworn on my honour to protect him. I cannot leave him now." The words were spoken in a quiet respectful tone, but they visibly angered the old man.

Before he had a chance to respond, however, another voice interrupted.

"It is alright Akiyama, I'll deal with this."

Yori gasped, and Ron's eyes widened as out of the darkness emerged Master Sensei. Clad in his orange robes, and walking on the wooden ancient shoes he always wore, the two young people could only stare astonished as he approached.

Yori finally threw off her confusion and rushed to greet him. Fully aware of the impassive scrutiny of the massed ranks of ninjas, as well as the imperious stares of the elders, she didn't hurl herself at his neck as she wished, but instead flung herself at his feet, sobbing with happiness to see him alive.

Hurriedly stepping back to avoid a collision, Master Sensei looked down on his favourite pupil. "Your oaths are fulfilled Yori, and a higher authority is here now. Take your rightful place with your friends."

Yori looked up, puzzled. "And Stoppable San?" she asked, a slight tremor in her voice.

"You know his destiny, it cannot be avoided." The old man's words sent a chill down her spine.

"But Master, this goes against every thing you have ever taught me!" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"In my day such insolence would mean instant death."

Both Yori and Ron jumped at the interruption. The voice was loud, booming even, and carried with it the weight of authority that expected instant and unquestioning obedience.

There was a creaking sound, and the heavy tread of boots on stony ground as the speaker emerged from the darkness. The elders parted, bowing deeply as a tall man dressed in full ancient battle armour, including the fearsome helmet designed to instil terror in his enemies, stood a samurai warrior complete with twin swords fixed to his belt.

Yori paled at the sight, sinking to her knees as they simply gave way at the sight. A murmur rippled round the room as the attending ninjas acknowledged his arrival. "Toshimiru!" Yori's awed gasp finally informing Ron who it was that was so important. Uninhibited by the inherent respect drilled into every Yamanouchi student, his voice sounded loudly in the hushed chamber.

"Dude, you totally look like your statue."

The head turned to regard the young man who was still standing a few feet away. Unable to see the eyes due to the helmet, Ron could almost sense the contempt radiating from the figure as he returned the blank stare of the warrior.

One ninja broke away from the line and struck Ron in the small of his back with a wooden baton, causing him to collapse to the ground in a more respectful position.

"Ow!" he cried then stopped as his attacker swiftly drew the sword he was carrying and laid the sharp blade against the back of his neck.

"Please Master Sensei, you can't let him die!" Yori's pleas fell on deaf ears.

"I am sorry my child, the Lotus Blade requires it." The tone was compassionate but immutable, and the young ninja's eyes blurred at the finality it expressed.

"Please!" Her voice was so quiet that only the two of them heard it. Master Sensei didn't move, making no effort to comfort his favourite pupil. He just looked, his body language showning regret and concern but Yori gasped as she saw something in her master's eyes, a gleam of anticipation, eagerness even.

The girl scrambled back, away from the figure of her old teacher. "Who are you?" she hissed, "What are you?"

"You must obey, Yori!" Master Sensei's voice had a more insistent ring to it, the soft tones underlined with harsh expectation.

"Demon," she hissed, "You are not my master but a fiend of hell wearing his form." Her voice was louder now, and a mutter ran through some sections of the younger members of the school.

"Yori!" The scandalised cry from one of the elders, caused her to look in his direction. "This is insanity."

"Master Ito." Seeing one of the more modern minded elders, Yori entreated him to listen. "Please, you must believe me."

"I am sorry child." The old man shook his head regretfully, "I wish it could be different, but there is no other way!"

"Please master!" She was almost crying as she saw rejection in his eyes. Looking at the other elders she saw they too refused to hear what she was saying, some such as Master Ito looked sorrowful, but the majority looked scandalised at her behaviour.

As a last resort, she flung herself at the feet of the armoured figure that had been a silent witness up to now. "Please Lord Toshimiru, There must be another way!"

The gauntleted hand swept forward, catching the young ninja on the side of the face, swatting her away as if disgusted by her insolence. "Enough!" he roared, his voice filling the chamber and making the assembled students flinch with its fury.

One ninja, reacting with an alacrity that left his colleagues standing, hurried over and grabbed the still reeling Yori, dragging her away in an attempt to prevent her from further defiling his Lord's presence. Pulling her over to where Ron was still kneeling, blade still pressed against his neck, she was forced to kneel down beside him and her attacker took up position behind her.

Seeing the insolent girl being dealt with so appropriately, Lord Toshimiru removed his hand from the hilt of his Katana. Dealing with such a creature was beneath his dignity, far better for one of these lower beings to do the deed.

Ron twitched as he saw Yori treated so badly. He had heard every word, and the joy he had initially felt as seeing Master Sensei alive, swiftly vanished as he heard the direction conversation was taking. "Come on KP, now would be a good time." He thought, even as Yori was pleading for his life, but there was no sigh of her coming to the rescue.

Seeing her manhandled in such a fashion as she tried to defend him finally caused him to lose his temper. He tensed as if to get up, only the increased pressure on the blade at his neck stopped him, but a fire was building in his heart as he watched the girl being dragged away from the impassive warrior.

Ever since he had entered the room, he had felt strange, as if something was pressing on his skin, trying to get inside. As his anger grew, the sensation strengthened, until he could feel it channelling into his being, fuelling the anger that was growing in his breast. His eyes widened as he recognized the long missed feeling of Monkey Power. It was weak, a trickle rather than the deep well of power he had once wielded but for the first time in months, it was there. He felt Rufus stiffen in his pocket, he could obviously feel it too. As Yori was pushed down beside him, he stared intently at her, trying to let her know his intentions.

Even when being driven to her knees, Yori could see Ron's muscles tense up, his body language telling her that he had decided he had nothing left to lose. She gave him a slight nod, agreeing with his assessment, and she prepared to back him up in their doomed attempt to save themselves.

As the ninja behind Yori stepped back, he drew his sword and held it ready to strike. Ron felt the blade lift from his neck and readied himself, pausing just long enough to draw a little more power from this mysterious source that was feeding him. He never got a chance to move.

Seeing the Monkey Master tense up, one of the ninjas read his intentions and acted first. The blade flashed through the air, meeting no resistance as it penetrated the skin. It cut through muscle and bone as if they weren't even there, erupting out of the front of the neck before the brain registered the hit. Toshimiru looked on impassively, as the head sprang from the shoulders and flew threw the air. It bounced twice on hitting the ground, coming to rest up against his booted feet as the decapitated corpse collapsed to the ground.