Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible
Claimer: I do own any OCs in this fic
This is not the last actual chapter as I had said, this is just what happens during the night. The next chapter will be the last, followed by the epilogue, unless things change. This one will also be slightly longer than normal, like the last one was. One more thing, I might, instead of writing a prequel, write an alternate version of this story, starting with the second chapter; since, as you might recall, the person he meets could be just about anyone. I'm still thinking about it. Hoping for reviews to help me decide. Who knows, I might just do both. It seems everyone is good with the edition of Sashna, I haven't received anything to the contrary, so that's good. Maybe I should write more cat/human stories.
" " speech
' ' thought
( ) author's notes
***** scene change
*~* dreamscape
The Assassin
Chapter 11
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They all sat at a long, low table, sitting on cushions. Kim, who had been woken up a little earlier, glared at Nate with hate in her eyes as she ate. No matter how many times Ron and Tara told her that he was okay and had saved their lives she refused to change her mind about him. Though her mind had changed about Shego, after hearing how she helped. She hadn't seen what Nate really was, and no one was telling her, and she wasn't even going to ask about Sashna, who seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but always thought better of it.
"How do we get to Drakken?" Kim asked a bit abruptly.
"I thought you weren't talking," Nate said.
"Well I am talking now, so what do we do to get Drakken?" she repeated.
"Kim, there is no we, this is something I'm doing alone," he retorted.
"You think I'm going to just let you slice his head off?" she stood up.
"Yes, I do, because you'll be safe and sound back in Middleton," he stood as well, tail swishing about angrily. "Do you even know why I'm doing this?"
"Yeah, for money."
"Wrong, do you think that arresting Drakken, and throwing him in prison will solve anything?" he asked leaning over the table towards her, making her lean back.
"Well..."
"No, it won't, and hasn't so far. He is the greatest source of evil in the world right now Kim, and because of that, the scales are out of balance."
"What scales?" Ron asked receiving him a glare from Nate for butting in.
"These scales," he said and produced a pair of ancient looking weight scales (you know what scales look like, right? 'Cuz it's kinda hard to describe them.), and placed a little Drakken figure on the right side. "You see, Drakken, and the rest of the evils in the world, are on this side, and you and the rest of the good people in the world are on this side, and he still outweighs you."
The side with the Drakken figure in it dipped downward.
"So, by killing Drakken, the scales will return to their normal, even position," he said, and removed the Drakken figure. The scales balanced out, becoming exactly level with each other. "It is my job to keep the balance Kim, and no cheerleader is going to stop me."
"I'll take them to Middleton tomorrow," Shego offered.
"Thank you, the less innocents there are to witness it, the better," he said as the scales disappeared.
"But, I still don't see why you have to kill him."
"That's enough Kim, if this has to be done then let it be done," Ron said sounding very little like himself at the moment, his voice was the same but it had a certain air of respect to it.
"You're against me, too?" she said sounding shocked.
"This is a natural course of events that has been going on for thousands of years, Kim, you can't stop it," Sashna said moving to place her hand on Kim's shoulder.
"It's late, we should get some sleep," Sahid said not wanting a fight to break out and destroy his priceless antiques. "Come, I'll show you to your rooms."
Nate and Sashna didn't move, saying they would catch up later. Sahid led the four of them through the finely decorated halls, to one hall in particular. This had ten doors on each side, with more than enough space between them. He showed Kim and Tara to one room, then Ron to the room across the hall. Shego had the room right next to Kim and Tara's, with a door joining them.
In Kim and Tara's room there were two beautifully made beds, both had to be at least four feet thick. They both slipped under the sheets and were fast asleep in moments. Ron was the same way, he wasn't even under the covers before he was asleep. Shego, on the other hand, had taken a book off the shelf next to the bed and was reading.
Back in the dining room, Nate was finishing his meal, from which he felt he had been rudely interrupted from, and Sashna was pacing, her tail swishing around anxiously.
"Settle down, okay," he said finishing, "after I finish with this balancing, I'll come home."
"Really?" she said suddenly happy. "You'll really come back?"
"Sure, it'll feel good to spread my wings over the jungle again," he said standing to look at her smiling face. "Go to bed, I'll be up in a bit."
"Okay," she nodded and left.
"Stupid girl, trying to stop my mission," he threw the goblet he was holding across the room. "Strange, even after all that she's seen, she still denies her inability to stop me. But, that is what those kinds of humans do."
His tail whipped around him and grabbed a large drumbstick from one of the plates. It placed it in his hand and he continued to eat, never truly feeling full. His body may have been normal for a human, and so was his stomach, but it just never felt full. It wasn't just the size of his appetite that was the reason for his eating so much, the change from human to dragon, and back to this hybrid state takes enough energy to kill a normal person. And all that energy had to be resupplied somehow.
"So, you are having seconds thoughts my friend?" Sahid asked entering through the door which Sashna just exited through.
"No, I've never had a second thought about anything in my life," he said as a few spikes on his head shifted side to side, as if blowing in some nonexistent wind. "You said you had dragons."
"Yes, would you like to see them?"
"Yes."
*****
Nate stood in front of a large, metal door, think how he would go insane if he saw one more metal door. Sahid opened the door and inside was a regular- looking square room. Each side had a door, and each was labeled differently. One said ice, another said water, and the third was labeled forest. Nate nodded to the first door, and Sahid opened it. They were instantly blasted with a torrent of cold wind and snow.
Inside the room was a recreation snowfield, much like the arctic. Then it came from behind the first snowdrift. At first you'd think it was a wolverine, but upon closer inspection it was clearly reptilian, what with the fur covered wings and narrow, beak-like snout. The tail whipped around behind it. All in all it looked like a fur covered komodo dragon. The little dragon walked over to them and looked up at Nate, then bowed its head, making a hissing sound.
"A snow dragon, they're hard to find," Nate said crouching down and patting the dragon on the head. "And a female no less."
He made low hissing and growling sounds, and the six foot dragon moved back a little and spread her wings. A full twelve feet from tip to tip, an impressive span for this species. He reached out and ran his hand along the webbing and arm of the wing, inspecting the tendons and small claw at the elbow. Satisfied he stood up, giving the dragon one last pat on the head, and sent her on her way.
"I take excellent care of my dragons," Sahid said opening the door for Nate to exit.
"I can see that, thank you," Nate said moving to the water door.
"It's late, don't you want to sleep?"
"You don't have a water dragon, do you?"
"Yes, two, actually, and you know what time of year it is," Sahid said.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," he looked at the door. "What room is Sashna in?"
"The third door on the right."
"Alright, I'll be taking the one on the left then," he said turning to the forest door. "It is that time of year, you know."
"There are two in there as well."
"You could have told me that," Nate said turning around yawning. "I think I'll head up now, it is getting late. Third door on the right, right?"
"Yes."
"Thanks."
"Eh, what are friends for?" he asked shrugging his shoulders.
"Yes, what are they for, that is the question."
He opened the door and left, climbing the stares to the surface level. The door there opened into a hall that looked like it was completely unkempt. Dust covered the various pieces of furniture and decorations, such as medieval suits of armor and paintings. He walked along the halls, tail swishing side to side, making a long, wave pattern in the dust on the floor.
*****
Upon reaching Sashna's door he leaned close and placed his ear against it. Hearing sounds of her moving around, mewling and purring. He guessed she was already asleep, so he turned around and entered the room across the hall. His wings spread themselves out as far as they could go, and then folded around his shoulders. The wings continued to wrap around his body, making it so that anyone looking at him would just think it was some weird robe, unless they looked at his back. He then got onto the bed, not bothering with the sheets, and listened to the sounds of the fortress.
He heard Shego quietly reading to herself, he heard Ron's snoring from down the hall, he didn't hear Kim or Tara, which to him was good thing, and he heard Sashna's continued mewling from across the hall. Sighing, he contented himself to planning out his attack on Drakken. But there was one small problem, he would first have to find him. He knew Drakken was being careful this time, and most likely had a dampening field generated over the power source for this facility. The only way to find Drakken, would be to work on his predictability.
Being the revenge-driven, psychopathic, mad scientist he was, there were only a few places he could be. His hometown, to get revenge on all those people who had wronged him as a child, or to Middleton, to destroy everyone Kim has ever known and cared about, besides the obvious. He then smacked himself on the forehead, and wondered how he could have ever been so stupid. Of course he would go for Middleton. Which meant that they wouldn't be safe there, and to make things worse, his parents would be arriving tomorrow.
"Dammit all to hell," he said as his wings slowly unraveled themselves from around his body. He was so busy thinking that he almost didn't notice the door open, and the lithe figure sneaking into the room, silently closing the door behind her.
When Sashna leapt at him, his wing flipped up, creating a wall, and she hit it dead center. Luckily she had her arms out in front of her. The wall folding down, and he looked at her.
"It felt like you wanted to see me about something," she said standing up quickly as he adjusted himself so he was sitting on the edge of the bed.
His wings were spread out behind him, straight out off the other side of the large bed. He lightly patted the area of the bed next to him, and she climbed up and sat next to him. Gently he placed his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned against him. He leaned his head close to one of her ears, which, being on top of her head, were much more easily accessible than if they were on the sides of her head, and he whispered:
"I want you to take the others to the temple."
"But why, it is a sacred place, no mortals not meant to be there can be there," she said resting closer to him.
"Because, the plan of taking them back to Middleton isn't going to work, most likely the town will be a war zone," he continued to whisper.
"I understand, and will make all the proper preparations, the armory shall be closed off, the shrine sealed, and the abyss locked," she said continuing to snuggle against him (I needed something to better describe her actions). "Nothing will happen to them."
"Midora, serenco nik ha'tset aq pina'ku bentr," he whispered in a language that sounded much like jibberish (translation: Thank you, Midora, you have always been a loyal priestess). This was not actually Nate or Sashna speaking at the moment, but the souls within them; both of the humans were aware of this.
"Qua nima ser gi, gut'an fen hitatsu (It is of no trouble, my purpose is to serve)," she responded as her head slowly tilted upward.
(Do not try to cross-reference any of these words, all of them are complete jibberish, at least I think so.)
Her wide eyes locked on his smiling face, it was small smile, just registering at the corners of his mouth, but it was a smile nonetheless. He leaned his head down a little further, brushing past her ear with his cheek, sending a shiver through her body. His wings folded around them as he wound his other arm around her front, half hugging her.
"By the time the sun rises on the seventh day, all this will be over," he said holding her close. 'Maybe it would be better if she fell in the abyss, most likely her parents are dead by now.'
Nate closed his eyes and concentrated on feeling out Kim's family. After a few moments of this he found them, safe at home, and nothing had been reported, besides weather, between his position and theirs. Drakken's ship was moving with the storm, dragging it along behind it, wiping out entire cities in its wake, and it was already having disastrous effects on the entire global ecosystem.
"Time for you to go back to bed Sashna, now run along," he said standing and pulling her to her feet. But there was a small problem with this, she was already asleep.
Sighing he laid her down on the bed and covered her with the sheets, gently tucking her in. With that done he walked over to the large couch that covered an entire side of the room, and dropped down onto it. One wing went straight up, resting against the wall, while the other went straight out, resting just above the floor. His long tail fell off the front of the couch, and was lying on the floor in a large coil pattern.
'For so long I have remained as an enigma, now that know who and what I am,' Nate thought closing his eyes. 'I hate to erase peoples' minds, even if the information they possess could actually be vital to the world; I must remain hidden.'
He slowly turned onto his side, the wing underneath him slid like liquid out to flap up against the wall with the other. Following its movement, he slowly turned onto his stomach, both wings now held themselves, folded, above his back. In this position he fell asleep.
As Kim twisted and turned in bed she dreamed, she dreamed of things she couldn't think have possibly happened, like she was seeing it through someone else's eyes.
*~*
In front of her was a massive, serpentine dragon, that seemed to be familiar in some way. She looked around, Ron and Tara were standing not ten feet away from her. She looked down at what she thought would be her body, it was indeed her body, but it was asleep in her green and black clad arms. She crouchd down, carefully placing her body on the ground and reached back, grabbing a lock of hair. Pulling it in front of her she saw it was black.
"How can this be?" Kim asked relieved it was her voice she heard coming out of her mouth.
"Easy, I am showing you what you were not awake to see," it was Shego's voice...coming from her unconscious body.
Her body's eyes opened and it stood up, looking up at her. Lightly Shego raised her arm, placing her hand lightly on Kim's face (from now on, when I say Shego, I mean Kim's body, and when I say Kim, I mean Shego's body, well, at least until they switch bodies).
"Why?"
"So many questions for someone so smart," she said grabbing Kim's arm and leading her closer to the dragon, which, strangely didn't move, since everything except them was frozen. "Have you figured out who this is yet?"
"No, who is it?" Kim asked looked at the dragon from the tip of its snout to he eyes, to the horns, then the wings, and onto where it faded from view as the body turned to fit in the courtyard. Her eyes moved back to the head, seeing the pike blade. "Is it who I think it is?"
"Depends on who you think it is," Shego replied letting go of her arm.
"It's him, isn't it?"
"Yes, I told you you were smart," she lightly laughed, then looked up at Kim's face. "Would this be easier if I gave back your body?"
"Yeah, I mean, I don't mind being this tall, but I'd like to be in my body," Kim answered wondering just how this was going to happen.
The next moment she was looking at Shego square in the chest. She tilted her confused face up to Shego's.
"What, were you expecting something more elaborate?"
Kim nodded.
"Well, this is actually in my mind, so anything I want to happen, will happen."
In an instant the world around them began to fade to an almost overpowering whiteness. There they floated, right in the middle of it, their feet hanging below them. The next instant there was a brilliance of colors that sent Kim to fall back on her butt. That's when she noticed there was ground beneath them again. They were standing on an island, a tropical island, with people around them, frozen while going about their business.
"Why did you bring me here," Kim asked looking around.
"This has always been one of my favorite places to be, even when I'm just dreaming," she replied and started walking down the beach.
Kim then noticed that their clothes were different. They were both wearing bathing suits, as if to fit in with the memory. Shego had on a green and black one piece, while Kim also had on a one piece, but it was colored purple and gold. She saw that Shego's entire body was that sickly pale color, and she had always thought it was just her face.
"What happened to your skin?" Kim asked instantly regretting her mouth even opening.
Shego stopped and turned, causing her hair to fly around her shoulders. There was a look in her eyes that Kim had never seen before in anyone's eyes. It was like a deep longing for something, but she wasn't sure what it was.
"No one has ever asked me that before," she said sitting down on the sand, digging her feet in.
"Really, I thought people would be curious," Kim walked over and sat next to her.
"They are curious, they just never ask."
"Oh, but why is it so pale?"
"Because I was born without any skin pigment, okay?" she almost spat out. "That's why I'm like this."
"You're not a freak, lots of people are like this," Kim said, she couldn't believe that she was trying to comfort someone who had tried to kill her so many times. "Besides, why didn't you just get the treatment for it to be replaced."
"My profession, it was helpful to scare people with this skin, it worked so well," she said pulling her feet out of the sand and drawing her knees up to her chest.
"Why are you showing me and telling me all these things?" Kim asked standing up suddenly.
"So you'll understand," Shego stood as well and moving closer to Kim. She gently wrapped her arms around the girl, and locking her wrists in the back. "I wanted to convince myself that telling you these things would make it easier for me to say what I want to say next."
"What's it that you want to say?" Kim asked getting a little unnerved now, 'a little' being an understatement.
"But it hasn't made anything easier," she continued not even listening to Kim now. "I had wanted to be with you for so long, all those times I had tried to kill you I was only acting. If I wanted to, I could have easily killed you."
"Is that so?' Kim said sliding out of Shego's grasp and jumping back.
Above them the sky was changing, and the people on the beach had disappeared. The sky, on the other hand, was darkening, looking more and more malicious. Lightening flashed illuminating the now darkened dreamscape. It lit up Shego for Kim to see, and what she saw surprised her. She had expected her to suddenly start fighting, but what she saw on Shego's face was anything but a 'game face'. Her face looked hurt, almost
Throwing caution into the wind Kim decided it was an act. She leapt at Shego, who grabbed her and threw her to the ground, then spun and forced her knee into Kim's chest. She drew her hand back, fingers pointed forward like a spike.
"I told you," Shego said getting off her and letting her up.
The island scene around them blasted away into little bits that fell into the white oblivion below.
"If you want I'll just send you back, not remembering anything that happened here," Shego offered.
"Remembering nothing at all, or are there things I could choose to remember?"
"Nothing, or everything and hear what I've been trying to say. Three seconds," she said holding up three fingers.
"I..."
"Two."
'Blue foxes can't resist a challenge Kim, here's a challenge practically hitting you in the face, hahahaha,' Kim's own mind laughed at her.
"Uh..."
"One."
"Okay!" she screamed hoping she was in time.
"All right then, I'm glad you said yes," she said floating closer to Kim. She outstretched her hand and lightly brushed the young girl's cheek.
Kim instinctively pulled away, but the sudden grip she was expecting never came. Instead Shego looked patient, waiting for her. It seemed strange to her and so she thought for a moment, slowly drifting from the other woman.
"I changed my mind, I don't want to know," she said moving further back.
Shego didn't move, didn't say anything, just faded out from the dreamscape, leaving Kim alone, and unenlightened.
*~*
Kim woke up to the howling of wind still beating against the window. She looked around, seeing the glowing numbers of a clock. It was only three AM. She looked over at Tara, whose bed was across the room, still sleeping soundly, and wondered what her dream was about. A vague memory of Shego and an island, but other than that there was nothing.
"Oh well, I'm sure if it was important I would have remembered the whole thing," she said pulling more covers over herself.
*****
The next morning Nate woke up to find that Sashna had moved in the night, and was nestled on top of him, on his back. At first he joked and thought of her as a living blanket, then he stood. She fell off, landing perfectly on the couch, not even waking up. He looked down at her, her arms reaching out, trying to find him to hold onto. She found his tail, and pulled it up to nuzzle her cheek against it. Not wanting to wake her up, he lifted he tail, taking her along with it. When he left the room, he grabbed the pike.
As he entered the hallway, Shego was there, looking somewhat depressed. She looked at him, but her gaze wouldn't quite meet his.
"What's wrong Sam?" he asked absently saying her real name.
"Nothing, and don't call me that," she snapped, but her voice didn't have that tone.
"Alright," he said walking past her, slightly swinging his dragon tail side to side. "Samantha."
"Don't say that name," she repeated, obviously annoyed.
"Okay, okay Shego," he continued walking. "You didn't...dreamshift her, did you?"
She looked away from him, feeling ashamed, not that she had dreamshifted Kim, but that she couldn't bare to admit it to Nate. When she turned, Nate took the opportunity to open Sashna's door with his tail, and fling her inside it, landing her on the bed.
"Yeah, but she didn't accept it," she turned back to him, but looked down. "I offered her information on what happened while she was unconscious, in return to hear what I wanted to say. But she wouldn't do it, she wouldn't let me just say that one thing."
"Come on, I'm sure she'll come around, eventually," he said placing a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder.
"You're always so sure of this stuff, aren't you?"
"Well, I do have my doubts, but from what I saw her doing last night, I'm sure she will."
"No messing with her mind, alright?" she looked at him, a slight glint in her eyes.
"Promise."
The door behind Shego opened, and Tara stepped out, Nate took a step back. She had no make-up on, and her hair was completely unkempt, pillow hair is what it's more widely known as.
"Do you know where the bathroom is?" she asked.
"I'll show you," Shego said following her into the room.
Nate was relieved that she did, if that's what Tara looked like in the morning, he did not want to see Kim. He continued walking down the hallway, running his fingers through his hair, which had not been disturbed in the night. Having slept on his stomach, it didn't touch anything to mess it up; Sashna had slept to one side of it. He lightly shook his head, feeling the feathers and spikes rustling up top.
Continuing his walk he soon entered the room they had eaten in the previous night, ducking slihtly to avoid hitting his head (I don't think I've mentioned how tall he is in this form, he's around 7'6"). Sahid was there, as was Tena and Nena. They were all eating breakfast, and he wondered where the fearsome five were. He decided not to think much about it, besides, Sahid was speaking.
"Nate, how did you sleep?" he asked standing from his cushion.
"Not bad, probably the best sleep I've had in a while," Nate replied looking over his shoulder. "Sahid, I need to ask if you can watch the others while I'm gone?"
"You mean, have them stay here, I thought they were going back to Middleton?"
"That's not going to work, Middleton is most likely a smoking crater by now," he walked over to sit down next to Tena, who shied away a little.
"Yes, but you don't know for sure."
"But I do know that that is Drakken's first stop," he said carefully folding his legs beneath himself. "I've known my share of insane people mind you, and he is definitely the most psychotic of them all. So, about them staying here, it'll only be for a day, at least."
"Alright, they can stay, it's the least I can do."
"Thanks."
*****
An hour later, Kim and Tara were both awake and down at the table, while Ron was just entering. Nate told Kim that they would be staying at the fortress for the time being. She had not protested, though he asked her if she minded. Ron and Tara, having agreed with Nate, didn't say anything.
"I'd still like to come with you though," she said nonchalantly, like he should have known.
"Fat chance of that Kim, unless you can put aside your childish beliefs of right and wrong, there's no way you're coming with me," he said eating a piece of toast.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked standing.
"Unless you can actually bring yourself to kill someone, then you're staying here," he smirked, knowing she could never do that.
Sashna, kneeling next to him, kept silent, her hands folded in her lap, and her ears flattened against her head. She didn't want to contradict him, but at a time like this, she believed he should bring her.
"Nate?"
"Yes?"
"I...I think you should take her with you. She deserves that much to see what Drakken has done," she said in an almost fearful voice. 'You never know, it might show her how futile it is to wish for peace from a maniac.'
'You've got a point there,' he thought back, then said, "Maybe, I'll think about it."
They went back to eating until Shego came into the room with a not-so- cheery hello. No one questioned why she seemed depressed, and only Nate knew. But he was too busy thinking which weapon to allow Kim to use, that fake sword had been his only one. Something easy for her to use, something light, but it also had to be strong.
'The katar, no, too heavy, maybe the ken, no, what about the kukri, that should be good for her to use, or maybe the kaybar, but that's too short, damn it, why is so hard to choose a weapon. Not the kwaiken, that would seem degrading, if not to her then to me. I've got it, what about the naginata, that should be okay," he finally made the silent decision.
Reaching into his belt he pulled out a small sword, maybe 18 inches long. It looked somewhat like a large tanto, with a six inch handle.
"Think fast," he said throwing it across the table to Kim, who fumbled but ultimately caught it.
As soon as it was in her hands the long pole extended from the end of the handle. It was maybe a foot shorter than his pike (Which, as you should remember, looks like Hiten's from Inu Yasha. I realize a pike is actually a long spear, almost 14 feet long, but that is what they called the weapon, so it is what I shall call the weapon.), the pike also had extended itself due to the increase in his own height.
"Why are you giving me this?" she asked looking over the pole and blade in a skeptical manner.
"Because, you're coming with me," he said bluntly and went back to eating.
TBC
There, sorry for it taking so long, but I have had other stories to tend to. I found a book of weapons from 5,000 B.C. to 2,000 A.D., though the book is copyright 1990. It has supplied me with so much information, and those weapons I've listed are just the first flake of snow on top of the iceberg. You wouldn't believe how many types of knives, and swords, and rifles, and pistols, but I digress. Anyway, next chapter is the last chapter, and we'll see just what state Middleton is in, and how Kim reacts to it. The end of Drakken is coming, and it will soon be here.
Claimer: I do own any OCs in this fic
This is not the last actual chapter as I had said, this is just what happens during the night. The next chapter will be the last, followed by the epilogue, unless things change. This one will also be slightly longer than normal, like the last one was. One more thing, I might, instead of writing a prequel, write an alternate version of this story, starting with the second chapter; since, as you might recall, the person he meets could be just about anyone. I'm still thinking about it. Hoping for reviews to help me decide. Who knows, I might just do both. It seems everyone is good with the edition of Sashna, I haven't received anything to the contrary, so that's good. Maybe I should write more cat/human stories.
" " speech
' ' thought
( ) author's notes
***** scene change
*~* dreamscape
The Assassin
Chapter 11
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
They all sat at a long, low table, sitting on cushions. Kim, who had been woken up a little earlier, glared at Nate with hate in her eyes as she ate. No matter how many times Ron and Tara told her that he was okay and had saved their lives she refused to change her mind about him. Though her mind had changed about Shego, after hearing how she helped. She hadn't seen what Nate really was, and no one was telling her, and she wasn't even going to ask about Sashna, who seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but always thought better of it.
"How do we get to Drakken?" Kim asked a bit abruptly.
"I thought you weren't talking," Nate said.
"Well I am talking now, so what do we do to get Drakken?" she repeated.
"Kim, there is no we, this is something I'm doing alone," he retorted.
"You think I'm going to just let you slice his head off?" she stood up.
"Yes, I do, because you'll be safe and sound back in Middleton," he stood as well, tail swishing about angrily. "Do you even know why I'm doing this?"
"Yeah, for money."
"Wrong, do you think that arresting Drakken, and throwing him in prison will solve anything?" he asked leaning over the table towards her, making her lean back.
"Well..."
"No, it won't, and hasn't so far. He is the greatest source of evil in the world right now Kim, and because of that, the scales are out of balance."
"What scales?" Ron asked receiving him a glare from Nate for butting in.
"These scales," he said and produced a pair of ancient looking weight scales (you know what scales look like, right? 'Cuz it's kinda hard to describe them.), and placed a little Drakken figure on the right side. "You see, Drakken, and the rest of the evils in the world, are on this side, and you and the rest of the good people in the world are on this side, and he still outweighs you."
The side with the Drakken figure in it dipped downward.
"So, by killing Drakken, the scales will return to their normal, even position," he said, and removed the Drakken figure. The scales balanced out, becoming exactly level with each other. "It is my job to keep the balance Kim, and no cheerleader is going to stop me."
"I'll take them to Middleton tomorrow," Shego offered.
"Thank you, the less innocents there are to witness it, the better," he said as the scales disappeared.
"But, I still don't see why you have to kill him."
"That's enough Kim, if this has to be done then let it be done," Ron said sounding very little like himself at the moment, his voice was the same but it had a certain air of respect to it.
"You're against me, too?" she said sounding shocked.
"This is a natural course of events that has been going on for thousands of years, Kim, you can't stop it," Sashna said moving to place her hand on Kim's shoulder.
"It's late, we should get some sleep," Sahid said not wanting a fight to break out and destroy his priceless antiques. "Come, I'll show you to your rooms."
Nate and Sashna didn't move, saying they would catch up later. Sahid led the four of them through the finely decorated halls, to one hall in particular. This had ten doors on each side, with more than enough space between them. He showed Kim and Tara to one room, then Ron to the room across the hall. Shego had the room right next to Kim and Tara's, with a door joining them.
In Kim and Tara's room there were two beautifully made beds, both had to be at least four feet thick. They both slipped under the sheets and were fast asleep in moments. Ron was the same way, he wasn't even under the covers before he was asleep. Shego, on the other hand, had taken a book off the shelf next to the bed and was reading.
Back in the dining room, Nate was finishing his meal, from which he felt he had been rudely interrupted from, and Sashna was pacing, her tail swishing around anxiously.
"Settle down, okay," he said finishing, "after I finish with this balancing, I'll come home."
"Really?" she said suddenly happy. "You'll really come back?"
"Sure, it'll feel good to spread my wings over the jungle again," he said standing to look at her smiling face. "Go to bed, I'll be up in a bit."
"Okay," she nodded and left.
"Stupid girl, trying to stop my mission," he threw the goblet he was holding across the room. "Strange, even after all that she's seen, she still denies her inability to stop me. But, that is what those kinds of humans do."
His tail whipped around him and grabbed a large drumbstick from one of the plates. It placed it in his hand and he continued to eat, never truly feeling full. His body may have been normal for a human, and so was his stomach, but it just never felt full. It wasn't just the size of his appetite that was the reason for his eating so much, the change from human to dragon, and back to this hybrid state takes enough energy to kill a normal person. And all that energy had to be resupplied somehow.
"So, you are having seconds thoughts my friend?" Sahid asked entering through the door which Sashna just exited through.
"No, I've never had a second thought about anything in my life," he said as a few spikes on his head shifted side to side, as if blowing in some nonexistent wind. "You said you had dragons."
"Yes, would you like to see them?"
"Yes."
*****
Nate stood in front of a large, metal door, think how he would go insane if he saw one more metal door. Sahid opened the door and inside was a regular- looking square room. Each side had a door, and each was labeled differently. One said ice, another said water, and the third was labeled forest. Nate nodded to the first door, and Sahid opened it. They were instantly blasted with a torrent of cold wind and snow.
Inside the room was a recreation snowfield, much like the arctic. Then it came from behind the first snowdrift. At first you'd think it was a wolverine, but upon closer inspection it was clearly reptilian, what with the fur covered wings and narrow, beak-like snout. The tail whipped around behind it. All in all it looked like a fur covered komodo dragon. The little dragon walked over to them and looked up at Nate, then bowed its head, making a hissing sound.
"A snow dragon, they're hard to find," Nate said crouching down and patting the dragon on the head. "And a female no less."
He made low hissing and growling sounds, and the six foot dragon moved back a little and spread her wings. A full twelve feet from tip to tip, an impressive span for this species. He reached out and ran his hand along the webbing and arm of the wing, inspecting the tendons and small claw at the elbow. Satisfied he stood up, giving the dragon one last pat on the head, and sent her on her way.
"I take excellent care of my dragons," Sahid said opening the door for Nate to exit.
"I can see that, thank you," Nate said moving to the water door.
"It's late, don't you want to sleep?"
"You don't have a water dragon, do you?"
"Yes, two, actually, and you know what time of year it is," Sahid said.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," he looked at the door. "What room is Sashna in?"
"The third door on the right."
"Alright, I'll be taking the one on the left then," he said turning to the forest door. "It is that time of year, you know."
"There are two in there as well."
"You could have told me that," Nate said turning around yawning. "I think I'll head up now, it is getting late. Third door on the right, right?"
"Yes."
"Thanks."
"Eh, what are friends for?" he asked shrugging his shoulders.
"Yes, what are they for, that is the question."
He opened the door and left, climbing the stares to the surface level. The door there opened into a hall that looked like it was completely unkempt. Dust covered the various pieces of furniture and decorations, such as medieval suits of armor and paintings. He walked along the halls, tail swishing side to side, making a long, wave pattern in the dust on the floor.
*****
Upon reaching Sashna's door he leaned close and placed his ear against it. Hearing sounds of her moving around, mewling and purring. He guessed she was already asleep, so he turned around and entered the room across the hall. His wings spread themselves out as far as they could go, and then folded around his shoulders. The wings continued to wrap around his body, making it so that anyone looking at him would just think it was some weird robe, unless they looked at his back. He then got onto the bed, not bothering with the sheets, and listened to the sounds of the fortress.
He heard Shego quietly reading to herself, he heard Ron's snoring from down the hall, he didn't hear Kim or Tara, which to him was good thing, and he heard Sashna's continued mewling from across the hall. Sighing, he contented himself to planning out his attack on Drakken. But there was one small problem, he would first have to find him. He knew Drakken was being careful this time, and most likely had a dampening field generated over the power source for this facility. The only way to find Drakken, would be to work on his predictability.
Being the revenge-driven, psychopathic, mad scientist he was, there were only a few places he could be. His hometown, to get revenge on all those people who had wronged him as a child, or to Middleton, to destroy everyone Kim has ever known and cared about, besides the obvious. He then smacked himself on the forehead, and wondered how he could have ever been so stupid. Of course he would go for Middleton. Which meant that they wouldn't be safe there, and to make things worse, his parents would be arriving tomorrow.
"Dammit all to hell," he said as his wings slowly unraveled themselves from around his body. He was so busy thinking that he almost didn't notice the door open, and the lithe figure sneaking into the room, silently closing the door behind her.
When Sashna leapt at him, his wing flipped up, creating a wall, and she hit it dead center. Luckily she had her arms out in front of her. The wall folding down, and he looked at her.
"It felt like you wanted to see me about something," she said standing up quickly as he adjusted himself so he was sitting on the edge of the bed.
His wings were spread out behind him, straight out off the other side of the large bed. He lightly patted the area of the bed next to him, and she climbed up and sat next to him. Gently he placed his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned against him. He leaned his head close to one of her ears, which, being on top of her head, were much more easily accessible than if they were on the sides of her head, and he whispered:
"I want you to take the others to the temple."
"But why, it is a sacred place, no mortals not meant to be there can be there," she said resting closer to him.
"Because, the plan of taking them back to Middleton isn't going to work, most likely the town will be a war zone," he continued to whisper.
"I understand, and will make all the proper preparations, the armory shall be closed off, the shrine sealed, and the abyss locked," she said continuing to snuggle against him (I needed something to better describe her actions). "Nothing will happen to them."
"Midora, serenco nik ha'tset aq pina'ku bentr," he whispered in a language that sounded much like jibberish (translation: Thank you, Midora, you have always been a loyal priestess). This was not actually Nate or Sashna speaking at the moment, but the souls within them; both of the humans were aware of this.
"Qua nima ser gi, gut'an fen hitatsu (It is of no trouble, my purpose is to serve)," she responded as her head slowly tilted upward.
(Do not try to cross-reference any of these words, all of them are complete jibberish, at least I think so.)
Her wide eyes locked on his smiling face, it was small smile, just registering at the corners of his mouth, but it was a smile nonetheless. He leaned his head down a little further, brushing past her ear with his cheek, sending a shiver through her body. His wings folded around them as he wound his other arm around her front, half hugging her.
"By the time the sun rises on the seventh day, all this will be over," he said holding her close. 'Maybe it would be better if she fell in the abyss, most likely her parents are dead by now.'
Nate closed his eyes and concentrated on feeling out Kim's family. After a few moments of this he found them, safe at home, and nothing had been reported, besides weather, between his position and theirs. Drakken's ship was moving with the storm, dragging it along behind it, wiping out entire cities in its wake, and it was already having disastrous effects on the entire global ecosystem.
"Time for you to go back to bed Sashna, now run along," he said standing and pulling her to her feet. But there was a small problem with this, she was already asleep.
Sighing he laid her down on the bed and covered her with the sheets, gently tucking her in. With that done he walked over to the large couch that covered an entire side of the room, and dropped down onto it. One wing went straight up, resting against the wall, while the other went straight out, resting just above the floor. His long tail fell off the front of the couch, and was lying on the floor in a large coil pattern.
'For so long I have remained as an enigma, now that know who and what I am,' Nate thought closing his eyes. 'I hate to erase peoples' minds, even if the information they possess could actually be vital to the world; I must remain hidden.'
He slowly turned onto his side, the wing underneath him slid like liquid out to flap up against the wall with the other. Following its movement, he slowly turned onto his stomach, both wings now held themselves, folded, above his back. In this position he fell asleep.
As Kim twisted and turned in bed she dreamed, she dreamed of things she couldn't think have possibly happened, like she was seeing it through someone else's eyes.
*~*
In front of her was a massive, serpentine dragon, that seemed to be familiar in some way. She looked around, Ron and Tara were standing not ten feet away from her. She looked down at what she thought would be her body, it was indeed her body, but it was asleep in her green and black clad arms. She crouchd down, carefully placing her body on the ground and reached back, grabbing a lock of hair. Pulling it in front of her she saw it was black.
"How can this be?" Kim asked relieved it was her voice she heard coming out of her mouth.
"Easy, I am showing you what you were not awake to see," it was Shego's voice...coming from her unconscious body.
Her body's eyes opened and it stood up, looking up at her. Lightly Shego raised her arm, placing her hand lightly on Kim's face (from now on, when I say Shego, I mean Kim's body, and when I say Kim, I mean Shego's body, well, at least until they switch bodies).
"Why?"
"So many questions for someone so smart," she said grabbing Kim's arm and leading her closer to the dragon, which, strangely didn't move, since everything except them was frozen. "Have you figured out who this is yet?"
"No, who is it?" Kim asked looked at the dragon from the tip of its snout to he eyes, to the horns, then the wings, and onto where it faded from view as the body turned to fit in the courtyard. Her eyes moved back to the head, seeing the pike blade. "Is it who I think it is?"
"Depends on who you think it is," Shego replied letting go of her arm.
"It's him, isn't it?"
"Yes, I told you you were smart," she lightly laughed, then looked up at Kim's face. "Would this be easier if I gave back your body?"
"Yeah, I mean, I don't mind being this tall, but I'd like to be in my body," Kim answered wondering just how this was going to happen.
The next moment she was looking at Shego square in the chest. She tilted her confused face up to Shego's.
"What, were you expecting something more elaborate?"
Kim nodded.
"Well, this is actually in my mind, so anything I want to happen, will happen."
In an instant the world around them began to fade to an almost overpowering whiteness. There they floated, right in the middle of it, their feet hanging below them. The next instant there was a brilliance of colors that sent Kim to fall back on her butt. That's when she noticed there was ground beneath them again. They were standing on an island, a tropical island, with people around them, frozen while going about their business.
"Why did you bring me here," Kim asked looking around.
"This has always been one of my favorite places to be, even when I'm just dreaming," she replied and started walking down the beach.
Kim then noticed that their clothes were different. They were both wearing bathing suits, as if to fit in with the memory. Shego had on a green and black one piece, while Kim also had on a one piece, but it was colored purple and gold. She saw that Shego's entire body was that sickly pale color, and she had always thought it was just her face.
"What happened to your skin?" Kim asked instantly regretting her mouth even opening.
Shego stopped and turned, causing her hair to fly around her shoulders. There was a look in her eyes that Kim had never seen before in anyone's eyes. It was like a deep longing for something, but she wasn't sure what it was.
"No one has ever asked me that before," she said sitting down on the sand, digging her feet in.
"Really, I thought people would be curious," Kim walked over and sat next to her.
"They are curious, they just never ask."
"Oh, but why is it so pale?"
"Because I was born without any skin pigment, okay?" she almost spat out. "That's why I'm like this."
"You're not a freak, lots of people are like this," Kim said, she couldn't believe that she was trying to comfort someone who had tried to kill her so many times. "Besides, why didn't you just get the treatment for it to be replaced."
"My profession, it was helpful to scare people with this skin, it worked so well," she said pulling her feet out of the sand and drawing her knees up to her chest.
"Why are you showing me and telling me all these things?" Kim asked standing up suddenly.
"So you'll understand," Shego stood as well and moving closer to Kim. She gently wrapped her arms around the girl, and locking her wrists in the back. "I wanted to convince myself that telling you these things would make it easier for me to say what I want to say next."
"What's it that you want to say?" Kim asked getting a little unnerved now, 'a little' being an understatement.
"But it hasn't made anything easier," she continued not even listening to Kim now. "I had wanted to be with you for so long, all those times I had tried to kill you I was only acting. If I wanted to, I could have easily killed you."
"Is that so?' Kim said sliding out of Shego's grasp and jumping back.
Above them the sky was changing, and the people on the beach had disappeared. The sky, on the other hand, was darkening, looking more and more malicious. Lightening flashed illuminating the now darkened dreamscape. It lit up Shego for Kim to see, and what she saw surprised her. She had expected her to suddenly start fighting, but what she saw on Shego's face was anything but a 'game face'. Her face looked hurt, almost
Throwing caution into the wind Kim decided it was an act. She leapt at Shego, who grabbed her and threw her to the ground, then spun and forced her knee into Kim's chest. She drew her hand back, fingers pointed forward like a spike.
"I told you," Shego said getting off her and letting her up.
The island scene around them blasted away into little bits that fell into the white oblivion below.
"If you want I'll just send you back, not remembering anything that happened here," Shego offered.
"Remembering nothing at all, or are there things I could choose to remember?"
"Nothing, or everything and hear what I've been trying to say. Three seconds," she said holding up three fingers.
"I..."
"Two."
'Blue foxes can't resist a challenge Kim, here's a challenge practically hitting you in the face, hahahaha,' Kim's own mind laughed at her.
"Uh..."
"One."
"Okay!" she screamed hoping she was in time.
"All right then, I'm glad you said yes," she said floating closer to Kim. She outstretched her hand and lightly brushed the young girl's cheek.
Kim instinctively pulled away, but the sudden grip she was expecting never came. Instead Shego looked patient, waiting for her. It seemed strange to her and so she thought for a moment, slowly drifting from the other woman.
"I changed my mind, I don't want to know," she said moving further back.
Shego didn't move, didn't say anything, just faded out from the dreamscape, leaving Kim alone, and unenlightened.
*~*
Kim woke up to the howling of wind still beating against the window. She looked around, seeing the glowing numbers of a clock. It was only three AM. She looked over at Tara, whose bed was across the room, still sleeping soundly, and wondered what her dream was about. A vague memory of Shego and an island, but other than that there was nothing.
"Oh well, I'm sure if it was important I would have remembered the whole thing," she said pulling more covers over herself.
*****
The next morning Nate woke up to find that Sashna had moved in the night, and was nestled on top of him, on his back. At first he joked and thought of her as a living blanket, then he stood. She fell off, landing perfectly on the couch, not even waking up. He looked down at her, her arms reaching out, trying to find him to hold onto. She found his tail, and pulled it up to nuzzle her cheek against it. Not wanting to wake her up, he lifted he tail, taking her along with it. When he left the room, he grabbed the pike.
As he entered the hallway, Shego was there, looking somewhat depressed. She looked at him, but her gaze wouldn't quite meet his.
"What's wrong Sam?" he asked absently saying her real name.
"Nothing, and don't call me that," she snapped, but her voice didn't have that tone.
"Alright," he said walking past her, slightly swinging his dragon tail side to side. "Samantha."
"Don't say that name," she repeated, obviously annoyed.
"Okay, okay Shego," he continued walking. "You didn't...dreamshift her, did you?"
She looked away from him, feeling ashamed, not that she had dreamshifted Kim, but that she couldn't bare to admit it to Nate. When she turned, Nate took the opportunity to open Sashna's door with his tail, and fling her inside it, landing her on the bed.
"Yeah, but she didn't accept it," she turned back to him, but looked down. "I offered her information on what happened while she was unconscious, in return to hear what I wanted to say. But she wouldn't do it, she wouldn't let me just say that one thing."
"Come on, I'm sure she'll come around, eventually," he said placing a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder.
"You're always so sure of this stuff, aren't you?"
"Well, I do have my doubts, but from what I saw her doing last night, I'm sure she will."
"No messing with her mind, alright?" she looked at him, a slight glint in her eyes.
"Promise."
The door behind Shego opened, and Tara stepped out, Nate took a step back. She had no make-up on, and her hair was completely unkempt, pillow hair is what it's more widely known as.
"Do you know where the bathroom is?" she asked.
"I'll show you," Shego said following her into the room.
Nate was relieved that she did, if that's what Tara looked like in the morning, he did not want to see Kim. He continued walking down the hallway, running his fingers through his hair, which had not been disturbed in the night. Having slept on his stomach, it didn't touch anything to mess it up; Sashna had slept to one side of it. He lightly shook his head, feeling the feathers and spikes rustling up top.
Continuing his walk he soon entered the room they had eaten in the previous night, ducking slihtly to avoid hitting his head (I don't think I've mentioned how tall he is in this form, he's around 7'6"). Sahid was there, as was Tena and Nena. They were all eating breakfast, and he wondered where the fearsome five were. He decided not to think much about it, besides, Sahid was speaking.
"Nate, how did you sleep?" he asked standing from his cushion.
"Not bad, probably the best sleep I've had in a while," Nate replied looking over his shoulder. "Sahid, I need to ask if you can watch the others while I'm gone?"
"You mean, have them stay here, I thought they were going back to Middleton?"
"That's not going to work, Middleton is most likely a smoking crater by now," he walked over to sit down next to Tena, who shied away a little.
"Yes, but you don't know for sure."
"But I do know that that is Drakken's first stop," he said carefully folding his legs beneath himself. "I've known my share of insane people mind you, and he is definitely the most psychotic of them all. So, about them staying here, it'll only be for a day, at least."
"Alright, they can stay, it's the least I can do."
"Thanks."
*****
An hour later, Kim and Tara were both awake and down at the table, while Ron was just entering. Nate told Kim that they would be staying at the fortress for the time being. She had not protested, though he asked her if she minded. Ron and Tara, having agreed with Nate, didn't say anything.
"I'd still like to come with you though," she said nonchalantly, like he should have known.
"Fat chance of that Kim, unless you can put aside your childish beliefs of right and wrong, there's no way you're coming with me," he said eating a piece of toast.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked standing.
"Unless you can actually bring yourself to kill someone, then you're staying here," he smirked, knowing she could never do that.
Sashna, kneeling next to him, kept silent, her hands folded in her lap, and her ears flattened against her head. She didn't want to contradict him, but at a time like this, she believed he should bring her.
"Nate?"
"Yes?"
"I...I think you should take her with you. She deserves that much to see what Drakken has done," she said in an almost fearful voice. 'You never know, it might show her how futile it is to wish for peace from a maniac.'
'You've got a point there,' he thought back, then said, "Maybe, I'll think about it."
They went back to eating until Shego came into the room with a not-so- cheery hello. No one questioned why she seemed depressed, and only Nate knew. But he was too busy thinking which weapon to allow Kim to use, that fake sword had been his only one. Something easy for her to use, something light, but it also had to be strong.
'The katar, no, too heavy, maybe the ken, no, what about the kukri, that should be good for her to use, or maybe the kaybar, but that's too short, damn it, why is so hard to choose a weapon. Not the kwaiken, that would seem degrading, if not to her then to me. I've got it, what about the naginata, that should be okay," he finally made the silent decision.
Reaching into his belt he pulled out a small sword, maybe 18 inches long. It looked somewhat like a large tanto, with a six inch handle.
"Think fast," he said throwing it across the table to Kim, who fumbled but ultimately caught it.
As soon as it was in her hands the long pole extended from the end of the handle. It was maybe a foot shorter than his pike (Which, as you should remember, looks like Hiten's from Inu Yasha. I realize a pike is actually a long spear, almost 14 feet long, but that is what they called the weapon, so it is what I shall call the weapon.), the pike also had extended itself due to the increase in his own height.
"Why are you giving me this?" she asked looking over the pole and blade in a skeptical manner.
"Because, you're coming with me," he said bluntly and went back to eating.
TBC
There, sorry for it taking so long, but I have had other stories to tend to. I found a book of weapons from 5,000 B.C. to 2,000 A.D., though the book is copyright 1990. It has supplied me with so much information, and those weapons I've listed are just the first flake of snow on top of the iceberg. You wouldn't believe how many types of knives, and swords, and rifles, and pistols, but I digress. Anyway, next chapter is the last chapter, and we'll see just what state Middleton is in, and how Kim reacts to it. The end of Drakken is coming, and it will soon be here.
