I wanna know, can you show me;
            I wanna know about these strangers like me;
            Tell me more, please show me;
            Something's familiar about these strangers like me;

            Phil Collins, Strangers Like Me

            Veeken, Ron, and Yori walked towards the entryway to the Yamanuchi school. Standing there was the sensei, an old and wizened man, who nodded. "Stoppable-san, it is an honor that you come to us again", he said. He turned to Veeken. "And you are…?"

            "Oh", Ron said. "This is Veeken."

            Veeken bowed slightly, embarrassed. "Hi."

            "May I ask what you are doing here?", Sensei asked.

            "She came here for advice", Ron said before Veeken could reply.

            "Ah, yes", Sensei replied. "I shall try as best as I can. Follow me."

            With a nervous glance at Ron, Veeken followed the old man into the courtyard.

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            Somewhere above the mountains, Ratigan, Basil, and Olivia Flaversham were aboard a jet plane, heading towards Veeken's location. "Thanks for the ride", he called to the pilot, who nodded. Flipping a switch, the canopy covering their section of the jet popped open.

            "Can't we just land", Basil shouted over the roar of the engine, "And taxi to a gate, perhaps?"

            The pilot pushed a button, launching them into the air, then they started plummeting to the ground. The parachutes deployed, and they landed.

            Basil was the first to speak. "Where are we?"

            "Somewhere in the mountains near Veeken's location", Wade answered from the Kimmunicator.

            "Well, that clears that up then-", Ratigan started to sass Wade, but it was cut off by an "AUGH!" and a SPLASH!

            "Ratigan!", Olivia shouted in alarm, a bit odd for her, Basil intended to tell her later.

            There was a sputtering behind them, and Basil laughed. Ratigan was standing in what appeared to be a hot spring. "Not. A. Word", he growled.

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            Sensei sat on the bench in the courtyard, while Veeken sat on a cushion in front of him. "You wished to seek me, Veeken", he said, "in order to gain insight and wisdom to aid in what troubles you. Now, pray, tell me your story."

            Veeken took a deep breath, and started to tell him how she had met Ratigan the year before, how she had helped him regain his memory, how she and Kim had helped him stand up against the Rogue Dæmon Capture Society, and how he had stayed at her side as partners, leading up to the part when Mrs. Possible told her about the blood test. When she finished, he looked at her, his brow furrowed in thought. Finally, he said "Come with me."

            Veeken raised an eyebrow at this. "What is it?"

            "There is something I must tell you about Ratigan's past that he hasn't told you, not because he doesn't want to, but because he hasn't discovered it himself."

            He led Veeken into a chamber, indifferent from the others, except for one detail, and it was big. A tapestry lined one wall, which seemed to depict some epic battle. "Wow", Veeken exclaimed in awe. "What is this?"

            "This tapestry", Sensei explained, "was created by my father and others when I was very young. It depicts the final battle between the forces of chaos, and the forces of justice."

            "Interesting", Veeken mused. "But what does it have to do with me?"

            "Observe the figures in the center of the tapestry", Sensei replied.

            Veeken took a closer look. The strange, Bast-styled figure had to be Eris, who she'd heard Basil and Ratigan talk about, so the other figure would have to be-. "Hey, that's Ratigan!"

            "Precisely", Sensei said, smiling. "But there is something I should tell you that I fear Ratigan has yet to know himself. You see, 15 years ago, Ratigan managed to escape the Rogue Dæmon Capture Society briefly, traveling to Africa. There, fate had him cross paths with a lioness. You can guess what happened."

            "What? He killed her-?", Veeken started to ask, before Yori, who walked up next to her whispered something in her ear. "Oh, that's what happened. I got it."

            "Ratigan hid in Africa until someone revealed his location. However, by then, the child was born, but it needed a different home, because its father couldn't stay, and there was a threat to the lion pride. So the child was made human, and given to a family in your world, though they never knew it, thanks to the R.D.C.S's technology", Sensei continued.

            "So, who is this child?", Veeken asked finally.

            "You."

            Veeken's eyes widened. "Me?"

            To Be Continued…