Dear Reader:
Please know that the characters appearing in this tale are not my own; they belong to the mouse-eared empire. This story is not intended to generate profit, it is merely an expression of my imagination, brought on by Covid quarantine. With the legalities aside, please enjoy...
"It is good that the two of you answered my summons so quickly," Master Sensei told the two women in front of him. "A task lies before you, one that both of you may find distasteful, yet it is necessary."
Yori managed to avoid smirking at the statement. Of course two students of Yamanouchi were going to answer their master's summons quickly, they could do no differently. Instead of pointing this out, she noted that her current companion, Junso, was unable to prevent her eyes widening at this news. Clearly, this announcement meant more to her than it did to Yori.
"So I see you have deducted the part you must play," Sensei nodded sadly at the young student. "Are you prepared to do what you must?"
"Hei, master," Junso bowed to the elderly man.
"And it is time for the two of you to learn more of what you must do," Sensei sighed. "Yori has specialized in American culture and can travel about that country with minimal notice. She has also forged contacts with certain residents of that country. Although Junso is the elder here, Yori is the more trained and skilled. She will be the lead on this mission."
Junso bowed her acceptance, as did Yori. Yori quickly reviewed what she knew of her fellow student. Junso was a couple of years older than she was, but not as accomplished in the arts of ninjutsu. Of course, this was not a smirch on Junso's ability; false modesty aside, few were Yori's match in the Ninja's combat arts. Junso was capable enough; fit, agile and much stronger than she appeared. The ability to fight was not always a ninja's most necessary skill, and Yamanouchi did not always let other students know their fellow ninjas' additional talents. The older girl could have an aptitude for languages, for observation, for legal matters or many other skills.
"What shall now be spoken must not be repeated to any but me," Sensei instructed them. Yori couldn't keep her eyes from flying wide, at least momentarily, at this news. Almost everything within the Yamanouchi school was secretive, so the old master actually saying that something was secret was a powerful statement. She took a slight bit of pride that her companion was also unable to conceal her shock.
However, the mission goals that Master Sensei described soon had her eyes wide again. Her companion was more composed, but Yori still had a certain amount of compassion for her. While their master described the older girl's task as an honor, both young women were fully aware that within the ninja organization, "honor" usually meant a difficult, dangerous, or even degrading task.
However, when the old man covered all of the details, a great deal of her sympathy vanished.
Her personal feelings were not allowed to affect her performance. Yamanouchi had placed a great deal of dependence upon her and despite her young years, she would not allow herself to fail in her obligation.
Of course, that didn't mean that she was about to be any more kindly towards Junso than she had to be.
Halfway through the flight between Tokyo and San Francisco, she realized that she was acting unprofessionally. On board a commercial aircraft was not the time to apologize, neither was the airport, nor the flight to Denver, nor the Denver Airport, nor the connecting flight to Middleton, nor even the Middleton Airport. Instead, the two took a bus to a particular parking garage. This facility, run by a Yamanouchi Alumni, had a vehicle waiting for their use. Soon, they were at an apartment they had rented online, with the assistance of another Yamanouchi Alumni. Yori was certain that the parking garage owner and the real estate agent were unaware that they were both assisting an active mission, nor would they ask. A secret never learned could never be repeated, even under duress.
Once in their home for however long it would take to complete their mission, the two women swept the dwelling for hidden microphones, finding none. Finally, truly alone, Yori offered Junso heartfelt apologies.
"You have feelings for this young man," the older girl noted. "Although such feelings are not wise for a ninja to indulge, there is nothing inherently wrong with it, as long as you do not allow it to inhibit your obligations."
"Hei," Yori agreed, lowering her head in acceptance of the chastisement.
"And you have not done so," Junso pointed out. "Such feelings you have, you dealt with before we left the first aircraft. Any friction between the two of us, you resolved immediately upon arriving here. I do not see where your honor has been besmirched."
"My thanks," Yori offered her gratitude. "I failed to note that you are much more affected by this mission than am I."
"But I have had years to accept this mission," Junso told her. "While the exact time and circumstances have come as a surprise, I had long ago resigned myself into doing what I must." She allowed herself a small sigh. "There have been times I wished it could have been different; times I have wondered if I could be a better fighter, had the instructors drilled me harder, but they could not risk certain injuries, could they? I was spared certain infiltration missions, as not only could I not be risked, but exposure to certain chemicals would be detrimental to the task I must eventually perform."
Yori lowered her head again, offering her condolences for what Junso would have to do.
"Still, being melancholy won't get the job done," the older girl announced. "We must do what we must and when I am finished, perhaps the life of an infiltration agent will still be open to me."
"Perhaps it will," Yori noted. "In the meantime, as we agreed, I shall perform the close-in surveillance while you take care of the distance support; until such time that we are prepared to act.
"Let me assist you," Junso offered a small nod.
Although Yori's previous familiarity with the target made it, theoretically, risky that she would be recognized, her skills as a ninja eliminated such probability. First, she bleached and curled her hair. Contact lenses gave her blue eyes and cosmetics lightened her complexion. Although she usually spoke English with a Japanese accent, that was only a front. She was capable of speaking the language with either a southern or an east coast accent. Fake documents had already been sent to the high school. The next morning one Cindy Grouse, recently from Georgia, showed up for her first day at Middleton High.
Under her new alter ego, Yori observed her American friend, Ron Stoppable. Yamanouchi had a certain...service...required from him, but he was to not know that he was providing it for the school. In order to obtain this service, Yori had to observe him, learn characteristics about his behavior and attitude...then exploit them. It did not take long for her to note that most of the young women in Middleton High did not view Ronald Stoppable as a potential boyfriend. She observed and listened, determining that while a couple girls had a genuine disdain for the young man, most simply assumed that he and Kim Possible were either already, or soon would be, dating. Yet, Yori noted that it wasn't the case.
She couldn't understand it; Stoppable and Possible were not related, yet they were closer than most siblings. With all of the time that they spent with each other, isolated from the rest of the world, one would think that nature would have taken its course. Yet, it clearly had not. Perhaps this would make her job easier, or perhaps it was an indication that her job would be difficult. No matter, the job would be done.
She watched while Fiske showed up and apparently worked to recover an amulet that was turning Possible into a monkey, and she continued to observe. She was amused that Stoppable thought that a real monkey was actually Possible, but there was no answer to how to fulfill her mission. She learned that Stoppable went on a mission to South America to recover and orchid to prevent Possible from being blushed out of existence, yet no particular weakness suggested itself to her. When Stoppable and Possible inadvertently revitalized a boy band's popularity, she realized that Stoppable may have a weakness for one or more of the girls on the cheer squad, and brought up the possibility with Junso.
"We perform a dishonorable act," the older girl pointed out. "Yamanouchi is not an organization like other ninja clans; in some way we are ninja and in other ways, we are more like honorable samurai. Taking advantage of Stoppable's potential desires is not honorable, but it is necessary. Perhaps we would be better served by finding a dishonorable one to perform this dishonorable act."
"You seem to have someone in mind," Yori noted.
"Indeed," her companion turned her computer screen so that Yori could observe a picture of an overly thin, blonde young woman. "Camille Leon. While the world sees her as a spoiled socialite, she is, in reality, a shape-shifter. She also has several petty crimes on her record. As representatives of Yamanouchi, we have the ability to make some of those crimes vanish, if she does what we want her to."
"That is...vile," Yori protested.
"True," Junso pointed out. "But this whole mission is vile, reeking of manipulation and deceit. Since we are going to manipulate and deceive the chosen one in order to gain what we need from him, why not make this spoiled socialite, who has scorned the benefits of wealth and station, bear the burden?"
"I do not like bringing another into this plot," Yori protested. "And I do not like the idea of this...fool...being intimate with Stoppable-san."
"Then how else are we to gain what we need?" Junso asked, with a mild tone. "Our subject does not have the emotional characteristics to quickly become intimate with one he doesn't know. Perhaps you, as Cindy Grouse, could establish a relationship with him and obtain what we need."
"I...considered that," Yori admitted. "But it would risk exposing Yamanouchi. I use artificial means to change my appearance and these artificial means might not work should we become...intimate. Also, I change my speech patterns and accent to play the part of Cindy Grouse. My role playing is sufficient to fool Stoppable-san as a fellow student. I do not have confidence that he wouldn't eventually see through it, or that I would be able to maintain the façade, should we become something more than casual acquaintances."
"There is no need for shame," Junso assured her. "You merely speak the truth. However, we are still faced with the same dilemma; we must obtain his seed without his suspicions. He is idealistic, and does not have the moral stance to indulge in a quick liaison with someone he doesn't know. He seems unlikely to enter into a romantic relationship, much less an intimate one, any time soon. From my perspective, our best option is to enlist Leon and have her ready to assume the identity of one of the girls with which Stoppable-san is familiar. Then, we wait until a time when he is emotionally vulnerable and take advantage of the situation."
"How can you be so calm about this?" Yori demanded.
"We all do as we must," Junso told her. "Much as you trained in the combat arts from childhood, I have been emotionally conditioned. I am a direct line from Toshimiru himself, so I have known that I will not find a mate in the way that most do. Granted, I long thought that I would eventually enter into an arranged marriage, so I separated the concept of love and mating, at least in my mind. If you wish to know the truth, I prefer the idea of a short liaison to a marriage. However, I bear the chosen one no ill will, so if we can obtain what we need from him without any emotional trauma inflicted on him, so much the better."
"Perhaps that is a better way," Yori admitted.
"Your plan wasn't bad," Junso assured her younger companion. "But it did not take into account his unique social position. You had hoped that you could introduce me to him for a short affair, but he seems to have little interest in girls. Also, what you have learned about the one girl he dated suggests that he is not comfortable moving things along to a physical relationship very quickly. Master Sensei did not give us a schedule to meet, but I know that our time is not infinite. The Han must be born, so we cannot wait for a perfect time, we must influence events, as well as react to them."
"Very well," Yori agreed.
It wasn't hard for her to provide Middleton High with documents, from her non-existent parents, stating that Miss Grouse had a family emergency to deal with. After this, she quickly left the city and confronted her new target. To her surprise, this target did not object to the role the ninja planed for her. In fact, she seemed to relish it.
Again, documents were forged. A new girl, Susan Reed, was created, transferring to Middleton High from a Southern California town. There was no need to disguise her appearance; Camille Leon was blessed with the ability, far beyond what any ninja could hope to match. Yori and Junso learned something about the shape-shifting socialite; she had to have physical contact with someone she wanted to mimic. This was easy enough; although the girl had limited skills and no athletic ability, she had a talent for gossip, and that translated into a reasonable approximation of an interest in journalism.
At least at the high school level.
Yori wanted to be critical of the girls that were somewhat close to Stoppable-san; thinking them vain for being willing to sit for short interviews with the new school reporter. However, she realized the the girls were probably being polite, willing to help the new girl who wanted to publish short, personal interest articles. The motivations did not matter, those girls being interviewed shared a handshake with their interviewer. In less than a week, "Susan Reed" had the ability to morph into any member of the Middleton High Cheer Squad (including Stoppable), Zita Flores, Monique, and several other students included as a deception measure. The pieces were now in place; they only needed the opportunity.
Unfortunately, Leon was considerably more intelligent than first impressions would suggest. She knew what the ninja wanted of her, but she demanded to know why they did. To her frustration, Yori realized that she had to provide the socialite with some information, so she would be prepared to play her part when the time came.
"Why we need what we do is none of your business," she told the shape-shifter. "However, we need to obtain it in such a way that we do not pique Stoppabe-san's suspicions, affect the relationships he has with his friends, nor endanger his close ties to Possible-san."
"Why the last?" Leon asked, her eyes showing more interest than Yori was comfortable with.
"Stoppable-san has great potential, and a great role to play," Junso told her. "His association with Possible-san, going on missions and assisting those in need, enhances this potential and his ability to fulfill his future role. The close ties between the two must not be compromised, that is all we will say on the mater."
"Fine," Leon grumbled. "But..."
"Perhaps you do not understand the situation you are in," Yori interrupted. "Curiosity can be a dangerous thing. At this time, you do not know enough to harm the organization we work for, and it is best that you keep it that way. Do your part, receive your payment, then we will part ways to our mutual benefit. Should your learn to much..."
"What?" Leon asked, not taking the hint.
"We are ninja," Yori told her. "If needed, we can remove any threat to our organization. As it now stands, eliminating you would create more problems than benefits for us. The more you learn, the more the scales shift to benefit, rather than liability."
"Got it," Leon grumbled.
"But perhaps you can answer something, in exchange for what we have just told you," Yori noted. "Most people consider what we are asking you to do to be something special, to be shared with someone they cherish. Even those who indulge in a more random manner seek partners with an appealing build, a handsome face, or a high social standing. Stoppable-san has none of these, so why did you agree to perform this act so quickly?"
"Well, those misunderstandings on my criminal record being gone had a lot to do with it," Leon admitted. "But Kim Possible being a celebrity made it easy to decide."
Both Yori and Junso looked at her, perplexed.
"Don't you understand? Kim is famous!" The shape-shifter tried to explain. "She's not as famous as me, but she's still famous. Now, whenever I see her on the news, or if I meet her in person, I'm going to know that I got to her friend."
Still, Yori and Junso stared, not comprehending.
"It means I'm better than her!" Leon almost shouted at the two, as if volume could assist them in understanding a concept that was beyond, or more likely beneath, their understanding. "If they're already getting it on, doing it with him means that I can take him away from her. If they're not, it means I got to him before she did. Can't you understand this?"
Yori couldn't and after a quick glance with Junso, she realized that the older girl couldn't understand it, either. Rather than seek a more detailed explanation, both ninja decided that they didn't need to. Instead, Yori felt more guilt for planning to allow such a person to be intimate with the chosen one.
In the meantime, Yori continued to observe her target and those around him. She had never known why Master Sensei had insisted that she learn to play a musical instrument, but it was helping her at this time. She played clarinet in the pep band, which allowed her easy access to observe the cheer squad during sporting events. She noted that one of the girls, Tara, seemed interested in Stoppable-san, yet the boy did not seem to notice and the girl was too shy to make her interest more obvious. The ninja was a little irritated with Possible-san because of this, as a friend should have told him what was happening. Yet, this made her mission easier, so she suppressed her temper and trusted that the same fate that had seen fit to gift Stoppable-san with the Mystical Monkey Power would also provide her with the means of completing her mission before her patience was exhausted. Fortunately, fate took pity upon her situation.
At first, she thought that she had failed. She had a network of spies to rely upon; men and women who simply observed, not knowing the significance of what they reported. Through this network, she knew when Stoppable-san accompanied Kim Possible on one of her missions, or even went on one himself. It wasn't a significant mission that they took, this one that came close to a local celebration known as Middleton Days, yet the aftermath was shocking. Upon returning from the mission, Kim Possible seemed irritated with Stoppabe-san yet, before long, she was clearly infatuated with him.
This was bad news! Yori was able to view the situation with an impassive judgment and came to only one conclusion...she had failed. Kim Possible was stunningly attractive and was emotionally closer with Stoppable-san than most siblings. Should she seek a romantic relationship with him, she would certainly achieve this and the two would become inseparable. Despairing, yet determined to exert her full effort towards completing her task, she observed them at their date to the celebration.
Her heart plummeted upon seeing Kim Possible's choice of attire; a dress that was clearly intended to gain Stoppable-san's attention and demonstrate that she wanted him to notice that she was desirable. Her heart rallied when Stoppabe-san seemed reluctant, she became frightened when Kim Possible attacked the Chosen One, but trusted that fate would see him safe, even as she kept as close to the two as she could, in case she needed to intervene. Then, she heard the good news.
Kim Possible's attraction to Stoppable-san had been due to a chip that manipulated her emotions! Rather than failing, this chip would give her the ability to complete her mission! She rushed off to the apartment she shared with Junso and Leon, whispering an apology into the night air, begging the unaware Stoppable-san for forgiveness for manipulating his emotions the way she was about to.
"The time to act is now," she told both her companion and the one they had enlisted to do the job. "Stoppable-san will be emotionally vulnerable. Although it is dishonorable to take advantage of him in this state, it is necessary. May the fates see us successful."
Ron had been down many times in his life. Really, this shouldn't have been a big deal. He had wanted to break up with Kim. Thinking back on it, he really didn't have a good reason, other than something seemed so wrong about the way she had gone from mad at him to throwing herself at him in a matter of minutes. He had never had a girl really like him before. Sure, he and Zita had gotten along well enough, while it had lasted, but she had never actually come out and acted like she was into him. It was more like she was enjoying that he was into her and went along with it. Then, he found out that Tara had liked him, but he had never noticed.
He shook his head; in one day he found out that he had blown his chance with one girl...without even knowing that he had a chance with her...then turned down another. These two girls weren't just any girls; they were probably the two prettiest girls in the entire county. Okay, looks weren't everything but...how could he of all people have two drop-dead gorgeous girls into him and somehow manage to screw it up with both?
What was worse was that his parents were gone again and Rufus, exhausted from the mission and the Middleton Days fiasco, was out like a light. Naked more rats spent most of their lives sleeping and the little guy was seriously overdue. Felix was out of town, some visit to MIT to display the robotic wheelchair he had helped build. Ron understood, this visit would mean the difference between MIT being happy to admit him and begging him to attend. Still, it meant that he had nobody to talk to about tonight and he really needed someone to tell him that he had done the right thing.
The knock on the door was equal parts irritating...who would be showing up at this time of night...and welcome, distracting him from unwelcome thoughts. He stalked down the stairs, turned on the porch light and looked through the peep hole. Both of his eyes flew wide when he saw who was waiting outside, even though he was only looking with one.
"Yori?" He asked, opening the door for his Japanese friend. "What are you doing here?"
"A job brought me to this part of America," she answered. "I thought I'd drop by and say hi."
Something seemed wrong about this whole sitch, but Ron was too tired to think about it much. Even though it was Yori's voice, it didn't sound like her. Also, he had seen her in ninja mission garb, in a training gi and in a school girl uniform, but he had never seen her in casual, western clothing before. Something seemed wrong but he was too tired to really think about it. Instead, he waved her into his home and took her coat.
"Please, have a seat," he pointed her toward the living room while he hung her coat. "Can I get you anything? A cup of tea, a soft drink, a sandwich? You won't have to grab it out of my hand."
"Tea would be fine," Yori looked a little confused, but took a seat on one of the chairs. Ron quickly brewed two cups of tea and brought them into the living room.
"It's American tea," he told her. "Not quite brewed for Japanese tastes."
"This will be fine," she assured him, taking the cup he offered her. "How has life been treating you since...since...the last time we saw each other?"
"Same old same old," he said, taking a seat on the couch. "Just stumbling through as best I can." His eyes flew wide. "I didn't tell anyone about Yamanouchi!" He insisted.
"That's...good," she answered. "But you look a little troubled. Anything you care to talk about?"
"I really shouldn't..." he began, but then he stopped. Here was a good friend, someone who could keep secrets and would be back in Japan before too much longer. "It's just...I think I did the right thing today but I'm still bummed about it."
"Oh?" She sat her cup down. "What happened?"
It all came out; finding out that Tara liked him only after she was already with one of the coolest guys in school. He described Kim crushing on him, kissing him in the hallway, and demanding that he take her out on a date to the Middleton Days Celebration. He told her that he knew something was wrong, but how his determination wavered when he saw her in the little black dress. Then, her infatuation turning first to sorrow, then to rage. He described dodging her and avoiding her the best he could, until the chip that was controlling her emotions burned out.
"So, it was all the chip," he grumbled.
"Ron?" Yori asked him, getting up, then sitting next to him on the couch. "Aren't you happy to be friends with Kim?"
"Yeah," he said. "That's why I got cold feet about everything. Still, it really felt nice to have a pretty girl show interest in me like that. It's never happened to me before."
"Ron?" she seemed a little hesitant, but strangely certain of herself. "Do you think I'm pretty?"
"Well, yeah," he said. "But what does that have..."
He didn't get any farther. Before he knew it, her arms were around his neck and her mouth was warm against his. He tried to say something, he didn't know what he wanted to say, but the moment he tried, her tongue snaked into his mouth and somehow, she compelled his to slide into hers.
Back when he was under the influence of the truth ray, he had admitted that he had never kissed a girl. That state held true until earlier today, when Kim cornered him in the hallway. It had only been one kiss, but he had learned more about kissing in those few seconds than he had learned in the previous sixteen years. Mainly, he learned that it felt incredibly good. Her lithe body in his arms had driven rational thoughts out of his mind. Now, Yori was expanding that education.
Her lips were just as soft and insistent as Kim's had been, her body the same mixture of slenderness, curves and strength. Her hands, small yet strong, roamed over him, then one caught his hand and encouraged him to do the same with her.
Before he knew it, he was lying on the couch with her on top of him and his lessons continued. By example and with whispered suggestions, she led him through kissing more than the mouth, through caressing and exploring. She slid her hands under his shirt and taught him the thrill of her hands on his naked flesh, then guided his hands to the gap between her shirt and jeans so he could experience it the other way.
He learned. He learned the stimulation of her arousing him while he did his best to arouse her. He learned satisfaction when she made small noises of contentment and approval. When she pulled his shirt up over his head, he learned the excitement of her undressing him and when she nudged his hands, the excitement of undressing her. He learned the excitement of her naked form pressed against his, the joy of her reaction to what he was doing...even if she had to guide him a little.
Then he learned embarrassment. He thought that he had long ago grown past ever feeling embarrassed and in this case, at least according to Yori, there was no need to feel shame. He had never even kissed a girl before today, so he didn't last very long...not long enough to let her finish. Still, she continued to teach him. He learned the joy of being intertwined with a warm body, caressing and cuddling, nuzzling and stroking until he was ready again.
This time, he learned satisfaction. He lasted longer, long enough to get her to her own climax. At that point, she gave him a predatory smile.
"Now, let's get creative."
With that, his education took paths he had never imagined.
It was the early, pre-dawn hours of the morning when the Stoppables' front door opened and Ron Stoppable emerged. He walked to the street, where a car pulled up. This wasn't a strange occurrence; Ron often left at strange times. Had anyone been watching, they would have only had a moment, when he was illuminated by the car's dome light, to note that he was wearing ill-fitting, feminine clothing and that a young, Asian woman was driving the car.
"I am most displeased," Yori told her passenger, who was now wearing her real form. "I instructed you to take the identity of the blonde cheerleader, Tara, to perform this deed."
"What's the difference?" Camille Leon demanded. She held up a small vial. "I got what you wanted."
"The difference is that this may complicate the ability of my organization to work with Stoppable-san," Yori almost snarled.
"You mean Yamanouchi?" Leon asked.
Yori couldn't help but snarl at that. "So that is the reason for this betrayal?" She demanded. "You took advantage of Stoppabe-san's vulnerability to learn that which you should not know? That is both unwise and dishonorable!"
"I'd say we're about equals, morality-wise," Leon countered. "You had me take advantage of him having a broken heart to get his...stuff." She held the vial up. "I don't think you're in any position to call me dishonorable at this time. Do you think you were being honorable, Yori?"
Yori took her eyes off of the road for a moment to glare at her passenger.
"Of course he greeted me by name," Leon told her. "You and the other girl were careful to never say your real names."
Yori could only grit her teeth. "What more have you learned?" She growled.
"Not so fast," Leon rolled down her window and held the vial outside the car. "You may be sneaky ninjas, but you're honest, sneaky ninjas. I want you to promise me that you'll keep your side of the bargain we made. I have the...misunderstandings...taken off my record and I leave this town, unharmed. If not, I think I'm going to drop this...hard."
"Very well," Yori agreed, after a moment's thought. "But should you cross me or my organization again..."
"I get the idea," Leon pulled her hand back into the vehicle. "I didn't really learn anything from him, but I can make some guesses."
"What are these guesses?"
"Well, there's only one reason you get a guy's...stuff. You want to make his baby, don't you?"
"That is none of your concern," Yori told her.
"Oh, I get it," Leon smiled at her. "I tell you my guesses, but you don't tell me if I'm right or wrong. This vial doesn't have any fancy freezing thingy, so I'm guessing that you're going to use the stuff yet tonight. It's probably either you or the other girl...I don't know her name."
Yori merely gave her a measured look.
"Fine, fine, no real names." Leon rolled her eyes. "You decided that he wouldn't get it on with someone he didn't really know, so you were trying to come up with some sort of backstory to make him believe that someone he knew suddenly wanted to get it on with him. You picked out someone who he found out was kind of sweet on him in the past, so he'd believe it and go through with the act, and you picked a time when he was shook up so he'd be more likely to go with the flow."
Yori only answered with her silence.
"Finally, I'm guessing that you're sweet on him, yourself," Camille smirked at the driver. Yori couldn't prevent herself from suddenly glaring at her passenger again.
"Ha! Got that one!" Leon now wore a satisfied smile. "And if I figured it out in a couple of weeks, I'm sure that whoever runs this Yamanouchi place probably figured it out, as well. Hey, this isn't the apartment!"
"This is the Middleton Motor Lodge," Yori told her, bringing the car to a stop in the parking lot. "We took the liberty of obtaining you a room until tomorrow. My companion didn't think it would be wise to have you in the apartment with me after you performed your service."
"So I was right, you are sweet on him!" Camille almost crowed.
While she was distracted, Yori snatched the vial out of her hand.
"I will come and get you tomorrow morning. For now, ask for a room under your assumed name. It will be considerably more luxurious than the one you have with us. Will you require any precautions for what you did tonight?"
"No," Leon kept the door closed, knowing that they would want privacy to speak. "When I change to a male form, I lose the ability to carry children. I'll just have to take Ron's form a couple of times in the next few days to make sure."
"Make sure that you do," Yori hissed at her.
"Oh, I hit another nerve," the shape-shifter smirked at her. "I don't know how much you were able to see and hear, but I did tell Ron that this was just for tonight and he should keep it our secret."
"I guess I must thank you," Yori whispered. "But it is what I requested of you when I told you to assume the cheerleader's form."
"Yeah, about that, you didn't think it through very well, did you?"
Again, Yori glared at her.
"Do you really think it would have just stopped at tonight, between the two of them?" Leon shook her head. "They're on the same squad, for goodness sake. Do you really think that Ron would never bring it up with her and get confused when she didn't know what he's talking about? I'm guessing that with you being part of this Yamanouchi thing, he wouldn't be surprised if he didn't see you again for years, or ever again, or if he saw you again in a couple of weeks. You vanishing now would be nothing strange to him, but Tara acting like this was nothing to her? He'd eventually get suspicious about that."
It was something that Yori had been uncomfortable with, but she had been determined to keep Yamanouchi's involvement a secret, even if it made things complicated between Stoppable-san and a casual friend and teammate.
"Your best move would have been to just do what I did," Camille told her. "It would have been between you, him, and your companion. He would have had no trouble keeping his mouth shut about someone nobody here in Middleton knows. Not only that, you would have had a little fun with your mission."
Yori colored a little at the last comment.
"Oh, so you did think about it!" Leon was smiling even wider. "But let me guess, your own sense of honor got in the way of you doing something you wanted to do, anyway." She actually giggled a little. "Let me leave you with one thought; maybe whoever runs this Yamanouchi thing knew you were sweet on him and sent you along just so you could do it."
Yori was so shocked that she couldn't argue, couldn't do anything but wonder if the petty criminal in the car with her had seen deeper into Master Sensei's motivations than she had.
"Well, I hope that you accomplish what you try to do," Camille told her. "But if you need to harvest some more of his stuff, you might just want to do it yourself." Her smile grew even wider. "If he does something you like, thank me for teaching him."
Yori was once again shocked into inaction as Leon exited the vehicle and made her way into the motor lodge. After a moment or two, the ninja put the vehicle into gear and drove to the apartment. It was tempting, she had to admit. Accidents could happen and Leon was a known betrayer. Why wouldn't Junso believe that the shape-shifter had destroyed that which she had collected, requiring Yori to obtain another sample? In the end, honor won out; she turned the vial over to Junso and left her to do what she had to.
Ron was glad that it was Saturday; after all that happened yesterday, he really needed to sleep in and he was in no way ready to deal with school and Bonnie's snark. Instead, he tried to make sense out of last night. With a good night's sleep bracing his mind, he realized that Yori called him by name, she had always called him Stoppable-san at Yamanouchi. Not only that, she had talked more like one of the popular girls at school than he remembered from Japan.
Had it actually happened? Ron had very vivid dreams and was known to walk in his sleep at times. There was no sign of Yori. Sure, he woke up on the couch and some of the furniture was moved slightly, but if he had walked in his sleep last night, he might have moved things around. If that was the case, he was glad that his parents were gone last night.
He snorted at that thought; of course it was a dream! What were the odds that Yori would show up here, in Middleton, at just the time that he was feeling down and his folks were gone? Not to mention, the things they had done in the dream...on the couch, on the kitchen table, on the ottoman...they didn't teach that at Yamanouchi. Well, he didn't know everything about the ninja school but if he learned that they did teach that and Sensei didn't have him attend those classes, he was going to be mad.
Maybe it was some of the food from the festival stalls that he ate. That stuff always gave him weird dreams. With that decided, he straightened out the house, took a shower and headed out the door to meet up with KP. It was going to be awkward, but it was time to put what had happened between them in the past and get back to being friends again. In the meantime, he reviewed everything he had eaten and drank at the festival...even though he didn't know if he wanted to avoid it or indulge again sometime.
Epilogue.
Yori discussed the situation with Junso and the two agreed that Camille Leon's actions had made her continued presence unnecessary. On Monday, Middleton High School received word that Susan Reed would be transferring back to her school in California. Vice Principal Barkin shook his head, deciding that the girl's parents must be having some sort of marital problems and it was adversely affecting their daughter's education. He wished he could meet them in person, to give them a piece of his mind. On Tuesday, Camille Leon reappeared in Southern California, to the paparazzi's delight.
She only said that she had vanished for a few weeks to get away from it all, but that it was good to be back.
At the end of the week, Junso informed Yori that the procedure was a success, so they did not need to remain in Middleton. Steve Barkin shook his head again when another student who had recently transferred to his institution of learning now transferred out. In this case, he personally said farewell and offered his best wishes to Cindy Grouse. She was the type of student he liked, polite, quiet and studious.
A couple of days later, an apartment became available in Middleton and two young women booked flights from Middleton to Denver, then on to San Fransisco and Tokyo. The two reported their success to Master Sensei, accepted his thanks and praise, then went back to the life of Yamanouchi students and ninja.
Yori knew that the chances were that she would never again meet Stoppable-san but she somehow felt that she just might, and before too much more time went by. In a way, she felt a bit of gratitude to Leon-baka, as the dishonorable girl had given her some intriguing possibilities, should she ever find herself working with the chosen one again.
Author's Notes:
Before anything else, my thanks to Joe Stoppinghem, for beta reading.
That said, it's strange the paths that your mind can take when you've tested positive for Covid and are quarantined. This story is a direct result. For those of you reading this, please get your vaccine when it becomes available to you. I had the J&J shot a week before I developed symptoms, and I shook the disease much faster than my relatives and coworkers who came down with it at about the same time.
Until next we meet, stay well, stay safe and best wishes;
daccu65.