Chapter 19: "Secret's Out"
"That's a nice tan. Where'd you go over the break?" Tai asked as she did her pre-training stretches.
It was a crisp and warm morning that day. There were a few people about in the campus since it was only six in the morning. It was the ideal time for the football team of Go University to practice since mornings tended to be cool and the obvious lack of people. The only odd sight that morning was the presence of Kim. Why was it odd? The auburn-haired girl's classes would not be starting until ten later that morning.
The football player released a long sigh after plopping down on the grass to stretch properly her legs. "What's wrong Kim? You wouldn't be up this early if something was not up." She frowned at how stiff her leg muscles were and began to pound her fists into those lining the inside of her thighs. "It won't help to keep mum about it, you know."
"I did it with Shego," Kim blurted almost too loudly. Luckily, Tai's teammates were too far down the field to hear her abrupt confession.
Amber orbs blinked once, then twice as the meaning of Kim's admission sunk in. "Did I just hear you right?" Tai asked, stretching out her legs in front of her and leaning back on her hands, the grass tickling her palms. "The infamous Shego has already taken the world-renowned Kim Possible to bed?" From the way she phrased that, it seemed like she was genuinely surprised despite the straight tone of voice she used.
Kim scowled, but nodded her head anyway. Leave it to Tai to take in such shocking news with an indifference that bordered becoming annoying. It's not like she had a choice on who to tell anyway. She had originally tried to contact Monique, but the fashion major was out of town for a project. Tai was the next best person outside of her family.
"So is there anything else you want to add?" Tai raised an eyebrow at her friend and gave her a knowing smile. "Having sex with Shego doesn't seem to be that big a problem. There has to be something more to that since it made you come outside this early." True, ever since Kim entered college, she rarely left her apartment before eight in the morning.
"I..." Kim frowned hard. "I just have this gut feeling that someone's been following me."
"You're worried that your relationship is going to be found out?" Tai clarified. Despite the fact that Kim was a quick thinker particularly during her missions, she had this annoying tendency of beating around the bush. In a way, she sort of had this gut feeling that Kim was worrying about her relationship with Shego going public.
The heroine nodded her head and sat next to her friend. Ever since she had broken up with Ron, Kim found it hard to come by a person she could confide in. Monique was getting harder and harder to reach and there wasn't anyone else she was close to in Go City aside from Shego and Tai. "I don't think Shego noticed, but there was a strange person lurking around the airport and looked like he was following us around on our way back to Middleton."
"Are you sure you weren't just imagining it?" Tai pointed out, leaning forward and hugging her knees. "You are quite famous and it may have just been a curious fan of some sort." The football player glanced at wristwatch then got back on her feet. "Anyhow, don't worry too much about it since nothing bad has happened yet." She leaned down and pulled up her socks. "I got to go," Tai jerked her head at her teammates who were getting ready to play a quick game. "Just give me a call if anything comes up." She playfully ruffled Kim's hair before running off.
The redhead let out another long sigh. "Don't make this a big deal," Kim muttered to herself as she gazed at the playing football players. "Nothing has happened… yet." She shook her head vehemently and got up to her feet. She was worrying needlessly at something that she wasn't even sure of, but then again when was the last time her intuition led her astray. The teen hero shrugged her shoulders. "It's still too early," she mused, looking up at the sky. "I guess I'll head home first and have some breakfast," she decided, happily hoping that her lover would be awake enough to have breakfast together.
Blissfully unaware as the redhead jogged for the nearest exit out of the campus, a suited figure's gaze followed the movement of his target before casually getting out of his seat on the bench.
"Wakey-wakey!" Kim dove into the bed she shared with her lover. "Let's have breakfast together, Shego!" She snuggled up to the grumbling and blanketed figure of her bodyguard. "Oh come on! It's not healthy to sleep in until late! You have to get up early once in a while!" she said cheerfully.
"That may count for other people, but it definitely doesn't count for me," Shego muttered, rolling to her side and facing away from her young lover. "Go away Kimmie," her voice muffled because her face was pressed into a pillow. "I need more sleep!"
Kim rolled her eyes and didn't let up as she continued to shake her lover's body. "You didn't sleep late last night and that gives you no reason to stay in bed!" Seriously, despite being an item, it was still incredibly difficult to get the green-skinned villainess out of bed.
"Since I have no idea how often you're going to get called out for missions, I need to get all the sleep I can get just so that I could follow you around and protect you at the same time!" Shego retorted. Quick as lightning, she grabbed Kim's arm and expertly flipped Kim onto her back. Perched atop Kim's lithe body, Shego roguishly smiled down at her. "What? Blushing already?" Shego laughed as she pinned Kim's wrists on either side of her head. "You're just too cute, princess," she teased.
"Shego! Get off!"
"What if I don't want to?"
"I thought you said you wanted to sleep some more!" Kim pointed out, wiggling her hips in an attempt to get Shego off her body.
"Oh please!" Shego rolled her eyes. "After all the shaking you did on me, how could I possibly go back to sleep?" She let out a low growl as Kim continued to struggle beneath her. The movement of Kim was starting to… arouse her in a way. "You do realize what you're doing to me?" she asked, letting go of one wrist and letting her hand travel down from Kim's auburn hair to her cheek in a gentle caress. "If you keep moving like that, I'm not sure how long my control will hold out," she wickedly informed her younger lover.
"O-Oh…" Kim breathed out, feeling heat travel quickly up her body to color her face into a deep crimson color. "I-I don't think it's the appropriate time to do that Shego."
"Who are you to decide on that?" Shego smugly replied and dipped down to place a light kiss at the junction of skin where Kim's neck and shoulder met. "We've only done round one so far and round two is a little bit overdue." Her calloused but slender hands glided down Kim's chest and slipped underneath her lover's shirt. An involuntary gasp escaped from Kim's lips as her body jerked from the contact. It was merely a whispery touch on Kim's flesh, but it certainly had a profound effect.
"S-Shego!"
The villainess pulled away and yearningly gazed at those jade-green orbs. "Tell me then," she ordered huskily.
"Tell you what?" Kim rasped, already breathing heavily.
"Tell me that you don't want this and I'll stop."
Kim froze at what Shego just said. To her, it sounded very much like an ultimatum. She had to admit though that in the few months that she and Shego had been together as a couple, they hardly had any time to be intimate with each other aside from the kissing, occasional groping, teasing and the first time they had sex. Though now that she thought about, she shouldn't really consider that as their first time since she was delirious from the drug. Feeling slightly teary-eyed, Kim raised her arms and wrapped them around Shego's neck, pulling her down towards her and burying her face in the villainess' shoulder. She didn't have the heart to push her away. "Shego?" she said softly.
"What is it princess?" Shego's voice was as soft as Kim's as she too wrapped her arms around Kim's smaller body and pulled her close.
"I do want this," Kim told her, pulling back and gazing lovingly up at Shego. A sense of happiness seemed to form on her lover's face so she took the opportunity to weave her fingers into the long mane of raven hair, lean up and place soft kisses on Shego's forehead, cheeks and lastly her lips. "I love you too much to refuse."
A lump formed in Shego's throat upon hearing Kim's confession. For so long, their relationship was simply one-dimensional; Kim was the hero while Shego was the villainess. Their relationship never developed into anything else at that time. Eventually, it did evolve to becoming arch-nemeses, but after the attempt on Kim's life, Shego unknowingly exposed herself to possibilities that she never thought would happen to her or to Kim. It was an unwritten and unspoken rule that she broke; that a villain should never fall for the hero. To hell with that, Shego thought. How could she have denied her feelings and the feelings of Kim? Even before their relationship, she did care for the teen heroine but not in a romantic way. Being put together in such a precarious situation simply led them to come together as a couple… a controversial one at that. "Tell me again," Shego growled low in her throat, as she gripped Kim's chin, tipped her head back and suckled on her lover's neck.
Kim gasped and tightened her grip on Shego's hair, still conscious enough to not exert too much force to not hurt her lover.
"Tell me that you love me," Shego breathed out, pulling back and capturing those kiss-swollen lips with her own.
"I… ohhh…" Kim whimpered between their heated kisses. "…love you… Shego!"
The villainess smiled, straightening herself while she straddled Kim's body beneath her. "That's all I need to hear, princess," she remarked, pulling off her shirt, throwing it aside and doing the same for Kim. "That's all I need to hear," she repeated, laying herself fully on top of her lover, savoring the heat created by their intertwined bodies and locking their lips in a passionate kiss.
"C-Could you stop staring like that?" Kim stammered, deeply embarrassed.
Shego chuckled and continued to appreciatively gaze at her girlfriend's quite naked body. It was nearly two hours later and Kim was in the process of dressing herself to get ready for her ten-thirty am class. "Why the hell are you embarrassed? From the two times we've done it, I've practically acquainted myself with every inch of your bare and sexy body." She purposely phrased her reply that way so that she could revel in the easy embarrassment of the teen heroine. Sultrily grinning, she winked at the deeply red Kim. "Interesting," Shego remarked, rubbing her chin in thought. "You turn red everywhere too!"
"Shego!" Kim shouted, turning her back at her lover and hurriedly pulling on her underwear.
"I was enjoying the show," Shego yawned, finally relenting to give her younger lover a break. Rolling to her side, the villainess reached towards the bedside table and grabbed her communications device. "Huh, no messages or orders from the director," she remarked to no one in particular. "I'm hoping that it means you won't be sent out on missions today."
"That would depend," Kim said, hopping over to their shared closet and pulling out a pair of jeans and a pale blue sleeveless hoodie shirt. "I'm actually hoping myself that I won't be called out today. I've been missing quite a lot of classes and it's getting difficult for me to catch up." She saw the raised eyebrows on Shego's face and shrugged. "I'm only human," she reminded her. "There's only so much that I can do as a working student."
"I guess so," Shego agreed, remembering herself that she had been put in a similar situation back when she was a college student in Go University. She pushed the blanket away, got to her feet and stretched her recently exercised body. "Who's doing the staring now?" Shego teased, linking her hands behind her head and smugly watching her once again very crimson-colored lover. "You're just too easy to tease." Walking over to her frozen girlfriend, she first smiled at the deeply embarrassed young woman before leaning down and sweetly kissing her. "You go ahead to your class. I'll follow as soon as I take a shower." She tucked a stray strand of that auburn hair behind Kim's ear before heading into the bathroom, purposely putting a sway to her hips to further tease the younger woman.
Taking a deep and shaky breath, Kim struggled to get a hold of the emotions thrumming beneath her skin. She was indeed a bit too easy to tease and she did get embarrassed rather easily. Shego had fun at her expense, but she knew that despite the teasing, there was affection in her green-hued lover's voice and deep emerald-green eyes. She had to admit that she never felt this content and pleased until she had convinced Shego to become her girlfriend. Ron had been sweet, but it was a bit too much like puppy love and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she somewhat felt that their relationship was hassling. Speaking of her former boyfriend, Kim thought that it's about time that she try to patch things up with him. After all, he was her best friend. Checking if she had all her things, Kim slung her messenger bag onto her shoulder and rapped on the closed bathroom door. "I'm leaving Shego!"
"I'll be with you in half an hour," Shego called from inside the bathroom.
With that, Kim headed out of the modern-style apartment and decided that it was too fine a day to take her car to the university campus. She leisurely walked the two blocks that separated Shego's apartment from the nearest gate of the university and strolled into her first class for the day just as the bell rang to signal its start. While her classmates waved at her and gave her cheerful greetings, Kim settled herself in a vacant seat by the window. She had become particular with her seat in various classes especially when Shego came into the picture. While Shego preferred Kim to seat herself away from the windows for fear of making herself an easy target, Kim thought otherwise. She decisively and quite stubbornly kept to the seats by the windows. Knowing that Shego was nearby, seated on a bench below or draped on a tree's branch gave her assurance that she was safe. Balken Steel was still at large and the longer he stayed out of trouble, the more nervous it made Kim.
A body plopped into the seat next to her. "Did I miss anything?" Tai whispered so that their professor wouldn't notice.
Kim shook her head and smiled at the football player. "He just started so there's nothing for you to worry about," she assured her friend. For a moment, she was slightly confused with the odd look her friend was giving her. "What?" she demanded in a soft voice.
"Kim, you're-"
"Miss Possible and-" the professor frowned at Tai. "-and miss football varsity player," he amended since he couldn't remember the girl's name. "I have barely started with the class and you're eagerly sharing whatever unnecessary tidbits to each other. Please save it for after the class." He gave one more frown at the girls then returned to discussing the notes he had just written down on the blackboard.
"Later," Kim mouthed to Tai who simply nodded her head in agreement. For the rest of the period, Kim diligently listened to the lecture and took down notes. Occasionally, she glanced out of the windows to check if her protector was there. It took her a few times until she finally spotted her disguised lover. The leafy cover of the trees lining the road blocked most of her view of Shego, who was most likely seated against one tree trunk. As the wind momentarily displaced the leafy branches, Kim was able to see that Shego was dressed in her usual disguise of black racing suit, high-collared leather jacket, shades and her skin tone color-changing patch. Shego was a dedicated protector and a devoted lover… well, that was how Kim saw it. Other people may see it differently. They probably would have seen a greedy villainess defecting to the other side just for money and a former hero and role model who turned out to be a lesbian corrupting the image of the most renowned heroine of the present.
By the time the professor called a halt to their lecture, Shego had disappeared from her spot underneath the shade of the trees. She was obviously scouting for her next position at the next building Kim's following class would be held at. Kim and Tai bid their professor and their acquaintances in the class goodbye then headed out into the crisp outdoors.
"So what were you going to say awhile ago?" Kim asked her friend, stuffing her hands into the front pockets of her sleeveless hoodie shirt.
Tai blinked her amber orbs at Kim then grinned, somewhat making the teen heroine feel nervous. "I was going to say that you've been blooming."
Kim furrowed her eyebrows at the comment. "Blooming? What exactly are you trying to say?"
"The love life is apparently agreeing with you," Tai explained with a wicked smile. "Your skin has a healthy glow and rosy in color." When Kim continued to gawk at her, Tai let out a long sigh and moved her lips close to Kim's ear. "Having a sex life supposedly wields such results," she whispered so that Kim wouldn't get embarrassed.
"W-W-What?" Kim stuttered, instantly turning red.
Tai laughed and wrapped a friendly arm around the slightly taller girl's shoulders. "Having a sex life does have its upside aside from providing you sexual satisfaction and pleasure," she patiently informed her. "From what I know, it's a good form of exercise."
"I do have to wonder how you know so much about this," Kim muttered as they walked down the path and dodged oncoming students.
Tai shrugged. "Excellent sex education program that my parents made me go through back in high school," she said, not at all embarrassed by her admission. "They were traditional parents in terms of love and relationship, but not so much that they were confident enough to educate me themselves in those sensitive matters. They figured that if they wanted to avoid a situation where I get pregnant at such a young age, making me go to a sex education program would be the best thing to prevent it."
"Really?" Kim was genuinely surprised. "Well, my mother did all the educating in my case. Once I was old enough to understand kissing and the possible things that it may lead to, she took me aside and gave me a thorough education in a medical perspective."
"Ouch," Tai let out, feeling sorry for her friend. "I feel for you," she said.
"Thanks. The details my mom went into were quite overwhelming for a thirteen-year-old girl."
"So how often have you been going at it with Shego?" Tai asked.
"T-Tai! Why do you have to be so direct with your questions?" Kim demanded, pressing her hands against her got face. What made her feel all the more embarrassed were the people who noticed her obvious embarrassment.
"If I beat around the bush, you might not end up getting the point," Tai explained. "Especially with these types of questions, it would take you forever to understand if I wasn't direct with you." She withstood the playful punches of Kim. She was about to retaliate when she spotted a small group of people staring at the stairs leading up to the entranceway of the next building. "Wonder what's up?"
Kim shrugged. "Maybe they're just hanging around?" she guessed. Her jade-green eyes widened upon realizing who the people were looking at. "It's Shego!" she whispered to the football player.
"So?"
The teen heroine shook her head and pulled Tai closer to her. "Something's up," she said in a whisper. "If we're in public and she's on duty, she doesn't willingly expose herself to people. She prefers to stay hidden to keep her identity and reputation safe."
"Maybe she's tired of staying hidden?" Tai suggested jokingly, but followed Kim anyway.
Kim hesitated when she finally stood before her disguised lover. Many of their audience carefully looked at the appearance of the shady-looking woman before them, but visibly relaxed when they saw Kim approach. "What is it?" she asked, trying to keep a normal tone in her voice.
"I have to leave," Shego answered, the collar of her leather jacket somewhat muffling her distinctive voice.
Jade-green eyes widened in surprise then in worry. "Why?"
"The director wants to see me," Shego replied, pushing her shades up the bridge of her nose to fully hide her eyes. "What she wants to see me about," she shrugged. "I have no idea, but I know better than to keep her waiting." She jerked her head at a group of Global Justice agents loitering nearby. "She sent them to keep an eye on you while I'm gone."
"How long will you be gone?" Kim asked, trying not to sound worried.
"An hour or so," the older woman replied. "Stop your worrying and get to class. I'll be back before you know it." Shego stepped forward and gently ruffled Kim's long auburn hair then mounted her motorcycle and drove off.
"-her bodyguard," an indistinct woman murmured from the crowd.
"Looks really shady," another person remarked. "It just doesn't look right even if her life really is in danger."
"Some people just can't stop gossiping," Tai announced, glaring at the gossiping crowd. "Come on Kim." She took hold of her friend's hand and pulled her up the stairs. "We have a class to attend."
"I guess it's starting," Kim said softly when they were both seated.
"What's starting?"
"The rumors," Kim said, wringing her hands. "It wasn't as bad when Balken first made an attempt on my life, but after the mishap in that radio tower in Chicago and having a mysterious and rather suspicious character as my bodyguard," she paused and shook her head. "I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but it does hurt you know."
Tai sighed. "Kim, you're just a girl. You're not perfect," she advised the redhead. "You may be a hero, but you're not a superhero who can practically fight off everything thrown at her. It's alright to feel hurt about these rumors, but it is a good idea to not let it ruin your life." The football player gave Kim a reassuring smile. "As long as you have your bodyguard, then I'm sure things will turn out alright," she said in the barest of whispers.
A soft smile formed on Kim's face as she mouthed "thank you" to her friend. There was nothing else to talk about between them so they paid attention to their professor. Their professor was in the process of giving them their homework before ending the class when the familiar beeping of the redhead's kimmunicator filled the air. "Sorry," she quickly offered an apology to her professor then headed out of the room. "What's the sitch?"
"Break-in at the Go City National Museum," Wade reported. "A priceless artifact dating to two thousand years ago was stolen." He flashed a picture of the said artifact on the screen of the Kimmunicator. "It was just recently added to the museum's collection and aside from a few sketchy historical data collected about it, for now it's considered as just an ancient artifact."
"Okay…" Kim slowly replied, not at all sure how she was supposed to go about this mission. "Who stole it then?"
"That's our only clue," Wade informed her. "Security cameras in the museum caught a number of black-cloaked monkeys running around."
Kim released a sigh. It was simple enough to figure out who had stolen the said artifact. "Monkey Fist," she guessed, already quite sure of herself. "He's the only other villain I can think of who'd rob a museum of an artifact that has little or no value in it. What makes me wonder is how he was able to escape his stone prison." Checking her outfit, she determined that her pair of jeans and her sleeveless hoodie shirt would hopefully be enough to go through the mission. "Do you know where he's headed and I need some gear." She poked her head back inside the classroom and quickly explained to her professor that she was being called out on a mission.
"The Global Justice agents keeping an eye on you should have your gear," Wade replied. "I sent over your grappling gun, the laser lipstick, a couple of flash bombs and a new gadget I just developed!"
"A new gadget?" Kim asked, quickly making her way down the building and outside.
"Well, they're sort of like those power-dampening gloves Shego has," Wade explained. "They're like normal gloves, lightweight and stuff, but I specifically designed it for defensive purposes. You prefer hand-to-hand combat so I figured that I should help even out the odds when you're up against villains who fight with weapons."
"That's nice of you Wade," Kim remarked, running over to the group of agents waiting for her and taking the equipment Wade had sent to her. "So what do the gloves do?" She first put on a utility belt then proceeded to fasten the grappling gun on it then tuck the laser lipstick and flash bombs in the pouches.
"The gloves are made out of a high-tech and extremely durable material that was just recently developed by the military. It's purported to be five times better than Kevlar! Anyhow, with practice, you could learn to deflect bullets and other handheld weapons without injuring yourself. I still have to test if it could hold up against lasers and other similar energy projectiles."
"Thanks Wade," Kim gratefully thanked the young genius before tucking the gloves into her belt. Perhaps she would find use for it later on when she bumps into Monkey Fist. "So have you figured out where he is yet?"
"Just picked up the signal." He flashed a map of Go City and pointed at the blinking red spots. "Monkey Fist and his monkey henchmen look like they're heading to this park in the business district. As to why he's heading to that place, I can't really say I have a sure idea. My guess is that it's their pick-up point to escape."
"Possibly," Kim agreed. "In any case, the business district is just a couple of blocks away from here. I'll get there as soon as I can."
"The agents will take you there and I've also sent a message to Shego about your whereabouts. She's apparently still in a meeting with the director and cannot be disturbed or interrupted."
"She'll follow anyway," Kim said, following the agents to their cars and hopping inside one of them. "She'll either get there while I'm still fighting Monkey Fist or she'll get there when everything is done with. I'll call if I need anything else." To the agent at the wheel, she said, "The park at the business district and fast!"
Three minutes later, their vehicle swerved in front of the entrance of the small park. "Stay here," Kim ordered, taking a step towards the entrance then suddenly flipping backward and over the car as shurikens flew at her. "What a nice welcome," Kim muttered as she and the agents took shelter behind their cars as more shurikens embedded themselves into their vehicles. "Distract them. I'll find another way in!" The redhead crept around the cars and headed to the high brick wall that surrounded the park. Deftly jumping, she grabbed hold of the ledge, pulled herself up and jumped down on the lawn. As expected, Monkey Fist's ninja monkeys were hurling the many-pointed projectiles.
Stealthily making her way around the preoccupied monkeys, Kim alternated hiding behind trees and crouching behind stone benches that littered the park's vicinity. She was a few yards away from the medium-sized fountain of the park when she heard the familiar British-accented voice of the noble turned genetically-mutated villain. Peering around the tree she used for cover, it was indeed Monkey Fist casually sitting by the lip of the fountain with the stolen artifact in his hands. Seeing that he was alone, Kim strode out of her hiding place. "I'm impressed that you were able to escape from your stone prison after you kidnapping attempt on Hana," she remarked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"It was only a matter of time, Kim Possible," Monkey Fist replied, clutching the artifact with both his hands. "I was lucky that the rocks didn't crush the life out of me."
Kim sighed. "So why did you steal that artifact?" She looked relaxed, but she had readied her body to spring into action just in case the villain tries anything.
"To put it simply, it's for upgrade purposes."
"Upgrade purposes?" Kim repeated, not at all sure how such a small artifact could help the former noble.
Monkey Fist nodded and even showed the teen heroine the artifact he held in his hand. It was only then that Kim noticed that the said item was steadily emitting a yellow glow. "After escaping, I buried myself in my research, to seek for a way to become stronger and achieve my goals," he began. "It was by the luck that I came across the information that there was an artifact that acted as counterpart to the monkey idols. Bringing the artifact to the stated altar and breaking it would imbue the holder, who has inherited the mystical monkey power, with another power."
"You've always been the bookish type," Kim said, her knees suddenly bending as she prepared to lunge forward and snatch the artifact away from her opponent.
"You're too late, Kim Possible!" With a evil smile, the villain hurled the artifact to the ground, watching in fascination as the item seemingly shattered into pieces before disintegrating completely. The steady yellow glow transferred to the body of Monkey Fist who began to glow himself. After a few seconds, the glow subsided and the dark-haired man clapped his hands together. "Now then, how about a demonstration of my new powers?" Holding one hand out, there was a flash of light and suddenly that same hand now held three kunais.
Kim goggled at the spectacle. "W-What?"
"The power I just received enables me to create weapons such as these to aid me in whatever battle I am in," Monkey Fist explained. "Swords, staff, spear, whatever weapon related to the martial arts are practically available to me at my beck and call!" He hurled the kunais at the still shocked Kim who managed to evade the projectiles at the last moment by diving behind the cover of a nearby tree. "Come now! That was only an introduction!"
The teen heroine was breathing heavily as she quickly tried to come up with a plan to take down the empowered villain. Dealing with a skilled Monkey Fist in terms of hand-to-hand combat could be dealt with, but dealing with a Monkey Fist skilled in both hand-to-hand combat and armed combat was a completely different matter. What made things worse for her was that her opponent could now create weapons in thin air without so much of an effort. Her best chances of defeating him would be to knock him out cold. Darting away from behind the tree, she grabbed one of the flash bombs in her pouch, shielded her eyes and lobbed it at Monkey Fist. As the area burst into bright light and blinding anyone caught in the non-lethal explosion. Even as the light dissipated, Kim sprinted towards the monkey-obsessed villain, left her feet and aimed a sure knockout kick at where she thought Monkey Fist's head was. Instead of connecting with his head, Kim's foot connected with a long and narrow shaft. In those few seconds where she was seemingly suspended in midair, she realized that her kick had been blocked by the shaft of a spear weapon resembling a glaive. Using the small purchase she had on the spear shaft, Kim flipped back and defensive raised her fists in front of her chest.
"A good tactic, but it would have never have worked," Monkey Fist remarked. "You are not going to defeat me this time, Kim Possible." He lunged forward, quickly stabbing the spear at Kim's torso. When the redhead flipped back once again to evade his attack, he quickly brought back the weapon to his body then swung it at Kim's legs once she landed, knocking her onto her back. With a yell, he jumped and attempted to end the teen heroine's life with a direct thrust to her heart, but was unsuccessful when his opponent rolled away at the last second. Dislodging the long blade of his spear from the ground, he allowed the pesky girl to get back on her feet. He didn't even think when the girl calmly took out a pair of gloves and pulled them onto her hands. "I don't suppose you could make things easier for me by allowing me to get rid of you once and for all? No? So be it!" This time, he lunged forward with the spear raised above his head. Viciously, he chopped downward, the air whistling around them as Kim once again dodged the attack. Monkey Fist repeated the same move and could not contain his mild surprise when the redhead caught the downward strike of his spear with her gloved hands. "Interesting, but I hardly think that it will change the flow of this battle!" He yanked the spear away and kicked at Kim's legs, making her fall once more on her back.
Grunting hard after the fall knocked the breath out of her lungs, Kim slapped her hands together as the spear blade thrust towards her throat and kept it from making a bloody mess of her. She struggled to keep the sharp blade pinned between her hands, but Monkey Fist was easily overpowering her especially in their current position. The tip of the blade shakily inched towards her throat as Kim began to sweat in her effort to keep the blade away and from fear. "This is an unfair fight," Kim muttered, remembering that it had always been easier to deal with Monkey Fist when he still relied on his fists.
"All is fair in love and war," Monkey Fist quoted. "Now give up!" He was about to put his whole weight on his spear and plunge the spear's blade into Kim's throat when he was suddenly knocked back by a blur of black. He flipped back onto his feet and glared at the new opponent. "Now this is what I call unfair," he remarked, scowling at the unknown woman fully clothed in black and kept her face hidden with the high collar of the leather jacket she wore and the dark tinted shades covering her eyes.
"It's not unfair since you can materialize weapons without so much of a thought!" Kim retorted as she got back to her feet and eased herself into a fighting stance. "Besides, you don't really have a choice. These days, she's always nearby to help me out," Kim explained, jerking her head at the disguised Shego who was already making her way towards Monkey Fist. When Shego suddenly darted to the left, Kim followed suit but went right instead. Hopefully, trapping Monkey Fist between the two of them would grant them a better chance of knocking him out, but before any of them could land a punch or kick, the dark-haired villain hurled his spear at Shego who knocked it away with her arm. Frowning hard, Monkey Fist materialized twin katana swords in both his hands and immediately drove the flat of one blade into Kim's side, knocking her away.
While Kim gasped for air, Shego kept toe-to-toe with Monkey Fist, evading his sword attacks and landing a few punches on the unprotected areas of the other man's body. It was one of those moments when Shego frequently wished that she wasn't doing undercover work so that she could make full use of her powers. With her powers, she would have easily been able to dispose of Monkey Fist, but she didn't want to risk blowing her cover. Quickly reaching for her Beretta gun that was holstered against her leg, Shego fired a barrage of bullets at her former comrade. She cursed silently when Monkey Fist deflected the bullets with his twin blades.
Lightning quick, Monkey Fist hurled one of his blades at the black-clothed woman, not really aiming for her body, but for the gun in her hand. As his blade knocked the gun out of Shego's hand, he lunged forward, gripping his remaining blade with both hands. Before he could slash his blade, a shot sounded several feet away from them and a vice-like mechanism gripped his arm, preventing him from following through his attack.
The rope of Kim's grappling hook grew taut, as she pulled hard on it to keep Monkey Fist from injuring her lover. "Now!" Kim shouted, signaling for Shego to knock Monkey Fist out while he was distracted. She watched as Shego drove her fist into their opponent's jaw, his head getting knocked askew from the force of the punch. His body flew a few feet backwards and slammed into the low wall of the fountain. Kim strode towards the barely conscious Monkey Fist as Shego approached, poised to deliver the final blow. "Give up Monkey Fist. It's over." She kicked his remaining sword away and turned away momentarily to deal with the monkey ninjas who rushed to their master's aid.
Sloe-black eyes suddenly flashed angrily. Shego had barely blinked when another sword materialized in Monkey Fist's hand. She jerked her body aside as the blade thrust towards her throat, ripping through the collar of her jacket and biting deep into skin at the side of her neck. The villainess bit back a cry of pain as she unleashed a roundhouse kick and knocked the sword out of Monkey Fist's hand then dropped a full-powered axe kick, her booted heel connecting with the top of her opponent's head. It was only then that Monkey Fist's body slumped onto the ground, unconscious. Taking a deep breath, Shego raised a hand to prod the side of her neck. The collar of her leather jacket was already in the process of knitting itself back together, but from the wetness she felt, she knew that Monkey Fist had caused a deep enough gash to make her bleed profusely. Gritting her teeth, the villainess unzipped her jacket and peeled her jacket off, albeit rather painfully since the material clung to the gash on her neck.
"Are you alright?!" Kim ran to her lover after seeing blood steadily drip down Shego's arm and onto the ground. "Oh my god! Your skin!"
"Relax," Shego ordered her panicked lover. "Regenerative powers, remember?" She pressed her hand against the gash and willed herself to forget the pain. "It'll stop bleeding soon," she assured the redhead who still looked panicked. "What?" she demanded.
"He must have hit your skin-tone changing patch," Kim let out. "You're back to your usual green color, Shego," she informed her, taking Shego's jacket and slinging it over her arm.
Shego swore and quickly peeled of one of her gloves to see if Kim was right. Indeed, the skin on her exposed hand was back to the trademark pale green she was known for. "I was in a hurry a while ago so I put the patch on the side of my neck then just zipped my jacket up," she muttered, wincing in pain. She pulled her shades off with her free hand and used her arm to swipe at her sweaty forehead. "It's alright. No one's around any-" Her emerald green eyes caught the familiar flash of a camera. "Who the hell-" she shouted and froze as the suited stranger continued to take shots of her and Kim.
"My suspicions were right," the man announced, quickly removing the memory card from his camera and connecting it to his PDA. "This will make headlines! 'Infamous villainess defected once again!'" He furiously typed away on his PDA even as Shego thundered towards him with a murderous look on her face. "You're too late!" he managed to let out before Shego grabbed hold of his neck and raised him off the ground.
"Damn asshole! You've been tailing us for quite some time now!" Shego growled at the unknown man.
"You noticed it too?" Kim demanded.
Shego raised a surprised eyebrow at her girlfriend. "What? You got that feeling too that someone was following us ever since we arrived in at the Middleton Airport?" Effortlessly, she held the man up in the air by his throat as she conversed with Kim. Already, she could feel the gash on her neck healing.
Kim nodded. "I thought that I was just being paranoid," she explained with a frown. "Ummm… Shego, you're going to kill him," she told her lover, pointing to the hanging man who was turning into a deep shade of blue.
"I should kill him," Shego remarked angrily. She held him in the air for a few more seconds then furiously threw him into a nearby tree. "Damn it! He probably put those photos up on the internet!" Cursing loudly and unashamedly, Shego took her jacket back from Kim and shrugged it on. "We have to get back to my apartment," she muttered, prodding the half-healed gash on the side of her neck then fully zipping her jacket up. She grabbed hold of Kim's arm and pulled her towards one of the park exits where her Ducati bike was parked. Setting the shades back on the bridge of her nose, Shego pulled Kim behind her on her bike and wasted no time in starting the engines and gunning the gas. They were safe at their home in less than five minutes.
"Damn reporter!" Shego shouted into the air, trying not flinch as she allowed Kim to check her neck. "This is so fucked up!" She slammed her fist into the couch she sat on.
"Language Shego!" Kim scolded her lover, taking her hands away from Shego's neck once she was satisfied that the gash was healed. "Don't worry too much about it!"
"Am I hearing you right?" Shego demanded. "I shouldn't worry? Princess, my identity and reputation is at stake!" Her emerald green eyes bore into Kim's jade-green eyes. "Your reputation is at stake as well! Do you think people will take it lightly that an infamous villainess highly sought after by the authorities is protecting you?"
"Shego-"
"Things might even get worse from here for you!"
"How?"
"Sooner or later, people will figure out that we're living in the same place. Nothing can be done to stop people from gossiping and making rumors. Give or take two days, there'll be rumors spreading that you and I are an item!" Shego pressed the base of her palm against her fiercely aching head. "I can handle the rumors and the gossip if it does turn out that way," she murmured. "But will you be able to handle it?"
"I-I don't know…"
Shego sighed. "They might even find out enough that Global Justice had to pay me and offer me temporary immunity from the authorities to accept this job." She shook her head and leaned back into her leather couch. "We're in deep shit."
"I'd use stronger words," Director Betty's voice sounded from the large screen hanging against the wall of Shego's living room. "Word travels fast," she grimly told the two women before her as her face flashed onto the screen. "I have agents patrolling your area and making sure that your apartment remains hidden to the public. Unfortunately, Wade relayed me the news that the photos are indeed spreading around like wildfire on the internet."
Shego cursed some more while Kim frowned hard at the news. "What's happening then?" Kim asked.
The director furrowed her eyebrows. "Right now, I'm receiving hundreds of calls, demanding that we hold a press conference to explain ourselves. My officers have uncovered a rat in the organization who leaked out the information regarding the terms of payment we agreed upon with Shego." Betty shook her head and released a tired sigh. "We're truly in a problematic situation. Rest assured, I'll try my best to smoothen things out. Consider yourselves lucky that your relationship has yet to emerge to the public." She gave both women one last look. "Stay indoors until I contact you again."
"Worst case scenario, I'll be sent to jail and Global Justice will be court-martialed for dealing with me," Shego muttered, pulling off her hair tie and shaking out her long raven-black hair. "Hand me the remote." She continued to scowl as she switched on the television and surfed the news channels.
"Breaking news! An anonymous person has submitted controversial photos of the purported protector of the famous Kim Possible! Her identity revealed in just a few moments!"
Furious, Shego hurled the remote control to the other side of the room and began to curse in whatever language she knew, while Kim grimly continued to watch the news.