Last time on Ttakepa: Shego received her new combat uniform and started training in magical combat with Ron.
Chapter 14
Shego valiantly struggled to keep sleeping that morning, but the feeling of something being different was hard to ignore. Even in her groggy condition, she tried to reason with her old instincts so that blissful slumber could return. The feeling wasn't unfamiliar, just hadn't been there before. Since it was familiar, there was nothing to fret about, and there was no reason not to keep sleeping. But her mind still wanted to know what it was before relenting. Sighing, the young woman opened her eyes. Her vision quickly focused and was filled with the toothy smile of an excited little girl.
Yelling out as she jumped to the side, Shego tumbled out of her bed, dragging the sheets with her. Still lying on the ground with a leg resting on the bed, the brunette propped herself up by an elbow and rubbed the back of the head. "Big Brother can kiss your boo-boo and make it all better. He said his kisses make the girls feel really good."
The young woman smirked at that. "What are you doing here, kid?" She knew she should be angry with the little redhead, but it just seemed to her like the child could do no wrong.
"Can I come and watch the duel with you, Big Sister? Please, please, please," Katarin begged.
"Ron said it would be pretty brutal," the pale woman stated as she climbed back into bed and pulled the princess into her embrace. "But if your dad said it was fine, I'm not going to complain. Did you ask your dad?"
The girl fidgeted and wouldn't make eye contact, confirming what the woman had figured. "Um, daddy said it was okay if you said I could come."
"Uh-huh. Well, we could ask your big brother," Shego commented innocently. "He said he would be meeting with your dad early and then finish packing so we could leave around midday. I'm sure the king will have talked to Ron about it."
Katarin fidgeted quietly for several minutes. "Big Sister?" the girl called quietly. "Daddy didn't say I could go."
"You lied," the pale beauty gasped in exaggerated shock.
"I'm sorry," the petite child apologized, hugging the older woman. "I wanna see Big Brother fight. He never tells me about any of the battles."
"Well, there's really not much to tell about these kinds of things," Shego assured the girl. "Besides, you'll probably get to see more than your fair share when you're older. Right now, you should focus on your studies and being the sweetest, most cutest little princess ever. Okay?" she asked before relentlessly tickling the redhead.
Katarin squealed with laughter under the attack while trying to agree. When she was done torturing the child, the young woman picked the younger girl up under an arm. "Now, let's get cleaned up and see what Ron made for breakfast."
*-*-*-*
Once they finished taking a bath, Shego put on some traveling clothes. She braided the young girl's hair into pigtails and then let her help brush her own long hair. By the time they were done, the blond owner of the home had completed a decent meal for them. While the two girls ate, Ron was loading their luggage on the horses. When he returned, he called out his arrival.
Katarin ran up to the large man and jumped up to hug him. Holding her with one arm, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You haven't been giving Chloe any trouble, have you?"
"Nope, she's been the sweetest, most cutest little princess ever," the pale woman assured him, winking at the little girl.
"Oh, Big Brother," the girl exclaimed, "Big Sister hit her head when she woke up. Kiss it and make it better."
"Why didn't you do it?" he asked. "Kisses from princesses are special."
"No, mine are too little; yours are the bestest," the redhead replied as if it was the most obvious thing ever.
"Fine," he answered, setting her down. Putting an arm around the former villainess' shoulders, the young man kissed the top of her head.
Grinning mischievously, she directed him to the site of the actual bump, which she had completely forgotten about until now. When he promptly kissed there, she pointed to her lips. "Oh, here hurts, too." He started to lean in but caught himself and tried to disengage. Unfortunately, the pale beauty had latched onto his torso. "Come on, Stoppable. I heard your kisses make the girls feel really good."
Ron pushed on her shoulders, repeatedly yelling out about cooties while the young woman made kissing sounds at him. After an intricate series of moves, the blond was able to get her tossed over his shoulder. "Well, look at the time," he exclaimed, out of breath. "I'll get you a souvenir," the young man promised, kneeling down and kissing the little girl on the forehead. He gave her a light poke in the belly. "Be good."
Turning around, he allowed the woman over his shoulder to give her goodbyes. "Last one out turns off the lights," the brunette told her, scratching the top of the girl's head. "Now, give me a kiss so I can miss you while I'm gone, one for each cheek so the other doesn't get jealous," she requested, earning a giggle from the child.
With everything said, Ron carried his bundle out the door. Shego waited several minutes to see if he was going to let her down. "You going to carry me all the way to the stables?"
"I have to make sure we get there," he replied. "Don't want you spreading your girl cooties," the blond teased.
The young woman wiggled and kicked her legs but couldn't break free. Almost ready to give up, the mischievous woman caught sight of a new target. With stealthy precision, she struck at the man's backside; but he shifted position so that her hand missed. "You're not supposed to dodge!"
"All's fair in love and war," the larger man singsonged. "And bad girls should be punished." With a resounding smack, he brought a hand against a butt cheek.
"You'll pay for that, Stoppable," the pale beauty threatened. Trying several more times to strike at him again, she was only rewarded with slaps that alternated the sides of her bottom for her misses. Switching tactics, the brunette began grabbing handfuls of her target as her raucous laughter filled the air; this also rewarded her with continued swats. By the time they made it to their destination, both were quite saddle-sore before they had even mounted the horses.
*-*-*-*
Ron paced around the room, clothed in a light robe. "Come on," the blond whined, "we should have left by now."
"I'm dressing as fast as I can," Shego yelled through the closed door. "You're the one that said I had to wear this stupid battle suit instead of one of my training suits." The young woman finished the last few closures on her underarmor and started working on attaching the breastplate. "It's not like I'm gonna be doing anything," she growled under her breath.
"You'd be done by now if you had focused on channeling your energy into the transformation gem instead of playing with that dog," the young man chastised the former villainess.
"And if you were any kind of ninja, he wouldn't have been able to track us down every time we got out there," she snarked. Shego knew he was right, but she'd be damned to admit it. She also knew the armor would let her be a lot more comfortable by now had she not skimped out on the training. As it was, what she could wear literally did little more than protect her modesty.
Ron ended a tirade that the young woman had been resolutely ignoring as the door opened. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that a gentleman must wait patiently while a lady prepares for an outing,"
The larger man smirked, "I'll remember that the next time I see a lady."
"Being a lady isn't as much fun anyways." Shego gave a sultry pout and ran her finger down his chest. "If I can tame a beast with just my hands," she replied, pressing herself into him before finishing in a seductive whisper, "imagine what I can do with everything else."
Before he had a chance to fully collect himself, the young woman pushed herself away and started for the door. "Better get a move on or we'll be later than we already are."
"I swear you will be the death of me," Ron groaned.
"You would be so lucky," the brunette called over her shoulder.
*-*-*-*
Shego nervously watched the coliseum grounds from the royal box seats, her role in these events completed. Behind her, she could hear Ryujin-sennin, her previous training master, translating between the king and the leader of the Chitauri, Elder Bantu. Like King Martis, Elder Malandela had a warrior's physique, but the Chitauri were lizardmen. The scary kind that were always trying to destroy the human race in her brothers' comic books. Maybe that's why these guys crept her out.
Studying the arena stretched out before her, the young woman couldn't help but to go over the factoids Ron had annoyed her with on the ride to town. Scattered throughout were the ruins of pillars that once helped to define the different sections of gladiatorial combat; several still standing tall to attest to the architectural abilities of some dead guys. Runes had been etched into the stadium walls for the spells that would be active during the duel. Squinting, Shego could just make out some of the nexus points where mystics would be working to power and maintain the magic that would not only protect the spectators gathered with her, but it would also form a temporal field inside the arena. The combatants would appear to move at a little over half speed, and a precognition effect would teleport the loser seconds before death. That was the jist of all the goobledegook she had been told anyways, though her companion had spent hours excitedly explaining everything to her.
Near the middle, Ron and Ntombela, the young man's opponent, sat facing away from each other in quiet meditation to await the start of the duel; both wearing nothing but loincloths. The brunette was so lost in her contemplations, that she did not notice the older man until he clapped her on the shoulder. "Ronald will be fine. He will fight with everything he has to bring peace between our nations," the king assured her.
Shego smiled half-heartedly. "Sure. A war for peace."
The regal man sighed. "These are restless times. Borders are continuously being contested, and nations look to their neighbors for spoils. Were it not for Ronald's vision of what he calls a United Nations, I would not have believed I would see an age like this until after my children's grandchildren were nothing but forgotten dust. But, yes, Ronald has had to wage a war that I have gladly endorsed so that our world can know prosperity."
The brunette chuckled. "Kind of funny to see all this from a guy that was barely passing history classes. It's surreal sometimes. I end up thinking of him as two people most of the time, Ron and Kriger. I lay awake some nights wondering if he thinks of me the same way."
"Like Katarin, Ronald's views of people are fairly simple. You are you and can only be you. Whether you are called Chloe or Shego, you hold a place in their hearts," the king assured her. Gesturing to a servant, he took the package the young man was holding and presented it to his lovely companion. "Your birth anniversary is approaching, according to our scholars at least. Unfortunately, I will not be available when that day actually arrives; so I present it to you now. Katarin desired that I ensure you are aware she helped in this gift."
The former villainess accepted the present reverently. "Can I open it now?"
"I would much prefer you did," he chortled.
Once unwrapped, Shego was holding up a green hooded cloak with a black lining. As she moved out around to examine it, the green seemed to shift in shading. "Dragon skin?" she inquired.
"Wing," Martis corrected, grinning excitedly. "There's not much harvested, but it does have many applications. Try it on. Katarin chose the clasp."
Smiling happily, the young woman wrapped the garment around her shoulders and examined the closure. The two pieces interlocked to form a silver fairy with long hair, and her outstretched arms were wrapped in flames and provided the tacking points. "The kid's got good taste."
"No need," the sandy-haired man waved off her concerns. "You bring a great deal of joy to Katarin, and we think of you just as much of a daughter as Ron is a son. The cloak does have a simple enchantment that was added. There is a small wind spell that will respond to your thoughts; this will keep it out of your way in a fight or move to hide your actions."
Shego tried to speak a few times, but no words would come out. "I love it," she finally said. "I don't know how to thank you."
"I would not decline a hug," Martis suggested slyly.
Grin wide on her face, the young woman tightly embraced the older man, receiving a similarly warm squeeze. "I haven't been this happy for a birthday in a long time."
"It brings me much joy to hear such," the king thanked her, kissing the brunette on the top of her head. "Ronald taught me a phrase in your words to express myself, that he has assured me would bring you much merriment." Martis cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I like it when you call be Big Poppa."
Shego buried her face in the man's chest to muffle her squeal of laughter.
"You find my words humorous. Did I say them correctly?" he asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Say it again." the young woman requested.
"Ronald said you would be familiar with the song and the performer," the blond man stated after fulfilling her request to another round of hearty laughter.
The brunette wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh, wow. Yep, I'm familiar. Those lessons about the "running of the castle" we've been having are paying off," Shego admitted, providing the obligatory hand motions.
The king had become familiar with a few of these mannerisms and some of the ones that kept his young companion in happier moods. He stuck his tongue out at her. "Have I not been most enlightening in regards to the duties of those that tend the grounds, kitchens, and stables?"
"Yeah," the young woman drew out. "Walks through the gardens, lunches, and horseback riding. With Big Poppa, that's just quality time."
"I cannot deny that there is enjoyment in being accompanied by a lovely lady," he shrugged, "and knowing my newest daughter better. I also gain the benefit of learning your language better, and you may always speak of anything that troubles you. Point of fact, have you yet corrected young Ronald of the belief that his heart belongs to any other but you, yet?"
The brunette slapped the older man playfully on the chest. "No," she conceded quietly, blushing a little. "There was a time I wouldn't have cared and just taken him."
"Understandable. While the love you have experienced here has made you a woman better suited for an honorable man, this also means you know that his heart must be earned by similarly honorable means."
Shego noticed the other dignitaries moving for a better view. "I guess things are going to get started now."
Martis looked down into the arena. "Indeed. The battle will be very brutal. As you stated before, there is my son Ronald and my commander Kriger. Just as you have discovered joy, my son has discovered anger. Until now, you have only seen Kriger appear as but a shadow upon the ground." The king nodded towards the combatants. "The beast now steps into the light."
A/N_____
Haha, I'm not dead. Boo that's it's been two years since my last update. Wish I could remember what it was that sidetracked me, but I can't. Hopefully, I can keep more dedicated to writing. I guess it's like reading a book. I know how everything goes, so I want to read something knew. Hope this was worth the wait.