If you need to know if I own these things, look at the first 12 chapters because I refuse to do it again.

The Lazarus Factor

Chapter 13 - An Eternity of Endings

"If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking." - George S. Patton

            The ninja lunged at Kim, his sword raised to strike.  Her mind began racing, trying to find a way out, when a shout from overhead caught her attention.

            "Kim.  Catch," Kim looked up toward the voice only to see something silver falling towards her.  Her mind suddenly snapped back to her nightmare, the thin, sharp piece of metal impaling her between the eyes.  But the object did not strike her, instead it fell in front of her and stuck in the ground.  Surprised, the ninja and his comrades hesitated.  Looking up Kim saw Ron standing on the roof, and what he had dropped had been the Lotus Blade.

            The ninja quickly recovered from the distraction, and he rushed her again, bringing his sword down in an overhead slash at Kim's head.  With little time to act, Kim grabbed the Lotus Blade, bringing it up to block the attack.  Kim felt a jolt pass through her as she grabbed the sword and as the two weapons clanged against one another, everything seemed to slow down.

            Kim looked around, amazed.  She looked around at the group of ninja, seeming to move towards her so slowly now.  The one that had attacked her seemed to be underwater as he recoiled from her deflection of his sword.  She could see the twitches in their muscles and feel the movement of the air they displaced.  Every little action suddenly spoke volumes to her, telling her what each person was going to do before they had done it.

            In the back of her mind she came to the conclusion that this must be the power of the Lotus Blade, but the rest of her brain could only register the power and strength that the Blade was pouring into her.  The ninja were still moving and the others had drawn their weapons and were running towards her, but the fight was already over.  She had decided how to beat all of them almost immediately.  A malicious grin spread across her face as she watched them attack.  They rushed her all at once, their swords drawn.  Kim waited for them, and as they all reached her at the same time, she finally moved.

            The ninja never had a chance, Kim was a blur of motion, blocking their every attack, the grin never leaving her face.  It seemed for a while as if she was toying with them, but then she finally tired of the game.  Ducking under a swing, she rolled behind the group, slashing two across the back before they could turn around.  One tried to catch her from the side and was caught in the chest by Kim's sword.  The remaining three jumped at her only to hit empty air, glancing around they tried to find where she had gone.  One of them looked up just in time to see her descending on them from the massive jump she had made seconds before their swords had reached her.  One was knocked down and stabbed through the shoulder with his own sword, pinning him to the ground.  The other two didn't have time to react before Kim dashed behind them, slicing the tendons in their legs, causing them both to drop to the ground in a painful heap.

            Kim glanced around at her defeated opponents, smiling slightly at her victory, though she felt a slight disappointment at how easy they were to beat.  If only they would have been stronger, it would have been so much more fun.  A thump behind her signaled the arrival of Ron, jumping down from his perch on the roof.  Kim didn't even need to turn around to know it was him.  Something seemed to call to her, telling her it was him, it felt like he was a piece of herself, like someone being able to recognize their own hand out of a group of others.  She turned, the half smirk on her face matching his own.  She wanted him to be with her, to stay by her always.  Ron held out his hand and suddenly all the new feelings and sensations drained away, leaving the normal Kim shakily holding the Lotus Blade and staring wide-eyed at the men who lay on the ground bleeding.

            "What.... what did I... do?" Kim stammered, dropping the sword into Ron's waiting hands.

            "I'm sure you could have handled yourself," Ron replied, carelessly, "but I thought I'd better play it safe, so I allowed you access to the Blade's power for a little."

            "But, I.... enjoyed it," the disgust was evident in Kim's voice.  The feelings that the Blade had engendered were still clear in her mind.  She had loved fighting the ninja, loved slicing into them with the sword, loved the sensation of power, and it had all felt so right.  Now though, with the sword's power gone, her natural feelings were back and she was appalled at her own thoughts and actions.

            "Kim," Ron said, sheathing the sword, "you've got to understand.  The Lotus Blade is a weapon and it exists to fight.  It doesn't perceive the world the same as a person.  It sees both worlds, the living and the dead, so it doesn't have the same values for life that you do.  If someone dies, the sword can still find them in the afterlife.  To the sword, no one ever really dies, so to it, killing someone who may deserve it isn't perceived as really evil."

            "I guess now I understand why you're so..."

            "Evil?" Ron cut off his friend.

            "Excessive," Kim narrowed her eyes at Ron.  His explanation had not relieved her at all.  Now she just felt like anyone, no matter how good, could easily become a killer.

            "Look," Ron said gently, "if it's any consolation, you didn't actually kill any of them."  Kim sniffed slightly.  He WAS right.  The ninja were cut and hurting, but they would live.  Ron noticed the slight brightening of Kim's face.  "I thought you'd feel better if you could still feel superior to me," he laughed.  Kim opened her mouth to protest, but Ron held up a hand to stop her.  "Just kidding, KP," he smiled, "now where's Yori."

            "Keys," Kim quickly explained.  She couldn't be feeling sorry for herself now, Yori still needed help.  "He knew we were here.  Caught us by surprise and tossed me through a skylight.  I don't know what he did with Yori."

            "Well, let me set your mind at ease," Kim and Ron turned towards the voice only to see Yori's limp body tossed through the air and land heavily at their feet.

            "YORI!!"  Kim ran to her the girl, kneeling down and feeling for a pulse.

            "Oh, don't worry," Keys said, striding confidently towards them, "she's still alive.  If a little worse for the wear."  Ron glared at the tall man, slowly walking over to Yori.  Kneeling down to help her, he suddenly felt as if something was wrong, the sword seemed to be alarmed, but he didn't know why.  As he reached out to Yori her hand suddenly came up.  Grabbing his shirt, she pulled herself up, slamming into Ron, sending them both falling backwards.  Recovering quickly from Yori's surprise attack, Ron threw the girl off him.  Getting up he watched as Yori slowly rose from the ground, her head seeming to lull a bit before snapping up to stare at him.

            "Yori," Kim yelled, "what are you doing?"

            "Please, don't blame her," Keys laughed, "I'm afraid that it's all my doing.  You see, this young man was coming to destroy me.  And with half the rosary and his interesting sword, he had a really good chance of doing just that.  I, of course, could not let this happen, so I was forced to rearrange this young lady's mind a little."

            "Rearrange her mind?" Kim glared with unconcealed loathing at Keys.

            "To put it simply," he smiled, "I took all those little things in her head like loyalty and free will, and shoved them all down into a little box and locked it.  I needed her to get close to you."  A look of grim realization suddenly washed over Ron's face as he checked one of his pockets.  Not finding what he was looking for, his eyes slowly rose to watch as Yori raised her hand.  From it dangled Ron's half of the rosary.

            "Crud," Kim mumbled, wide-eyed.

            "Thank you miss," Keys said with mock gentility as he took the beads from Yori.  "Now," he continued as he started attaching the two halves together, "kill them."  Yori ran forward, grabbing two swords from the fallen ninja as she went.  Both Kim and Ron were surprised at Yori's speed.  "Your friend is quite amazing," Keys called, "I'd really like to know where she gets this power from."

            Yori was, indeed, fighting a lot better than she ever had before.  She attacked Kim and Ron with a speed that forced them to retreat, blocking her lighting strikes.

            "Keys has the entire rosary.  We can't let him escape."  Kim gasped, as she and Ron dodged a horizontal swipe and back flipped away, giving them some breathing room.  "What do we do?"

            "The only thing we can," Ron stated flatly.  Kim felt a sinking sensation as he ran towards Yori.  The two collided and Kim could barely follow their movements as they blocked and slashed at each other.  Suddenly there was a shower of sparks and Yori's swords were cut in two by the Lotus Blade.  She jumped back, glaring at Ron, and reached behind her, pulling out a dagger.

            'She won't stop,' Kim thought furiously to herself, 'what's Ron think he's going to do?'  Yori charged Ron again, but to Kim's surprise Ron made no move to intercept her.  He stood perfectly still, his sword held at his side, as their former friend rushed toward him.  Kim desperately wanted to look away, but found her eyes glued to the two figures.  Yori drew near Ron, raising the dagger to strike, when Ron suddenly raised the sword, spinning out of her path, knocking the dagger downwards as he spun.  As Yori went by him, stumbling from the force of him knocking away her dagger, he brought the sword around with his spin, thrusting it behind him.

            For Kim, time itself seemed to stop as she looked at the horror in front of her.  Ron stood with his back toward Yori.  Yori stood with her back close to Ron's, her head bent, staring at the blade that jutted out of her abdomen.  Blood slowly soaked her clothes, turning the black fabric darker.  She raised her head looking at Kim, though the redhead could tell she was talking to Ron as well.

            "I'm.... sorry," the Japanese girl rasped, as a small stream of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.  Tears began to blur Kim's vision as she watched Yori slip off the sword's blade and fall, lifeless, to the ground.

            "Ah," the voice of Keys was like nails on a chalkboard to Kim, "it seems my little puppet is dead.  Oh well, only to be expected I suppose."  Ron turned his gaze to Keys, his eyes filled with a silent rage.  "I can tell you're VERY determined," Keys mocked, "but you seem to forget that I have the entire rosary of Hachiman and I'd wager that the power of the Japanese god of war is more than a match for your little sword there."  Ron didn't answer, he simply raised the sword to an attack position.

            Keys wrapped the rosary around his wrist.  "Very well," he sighed, "I can see you're determined to make one last doomed stand."  Keys clenched his fist, summoning the full power of the rosary, and rushed at Ron.  Holding the sword out behind him, Ron charged towards Keys.  Kim watched helplessly as the two flew towards each other.  As they neared, Ron brought the sword around, swinging it towards his opponent, as Keys drew back his hand and aimed an attack at Ron.

            The Lotus Blade and Keys' fist flew directly at each other.  A bright flash blinded Kim as the two met, she could feel energy crackling around her as she forced her eyes open.  She looked over to see the two fighters seeming to be momentarily frozen, Keys arm thrown out, his fist connecting with the sword's blade as Ron swung it.  Then she felt a shockwave spread out from the two, and suddenly Ron was thrown back, crashing into a pile of discarded metal and boxes.  Kim was stunned, looking over at Keys, who still stood in the same spot, his hand smoking slightly.

            "Well," he said, breathing a little hard, "that sword was a little more powerful than I thought.  But still not enough in the end."  Smiling he turned and headed into one of the buildings.  "See to your friend Possible," he called over his shoulder, "I have an army to raise."

            Kim ran over to where Ron had been thrown.  Shoving aside the junk, she finally found her friend laying face down, his hand still clutching the Lotus Blade.  The sword's blade was scorched and cracked and the handle was split.

            "Ron," Kim called softly, hoping he would answer, "Ron, please, wake up."  But Ron didn't move.  Tears slid down Kim's face as she turned away.  For a couple minutes she stood there, her face in her hands, crying softly.  Then she stopped crying.  Her head slowly rose, her eyes fixing on the door Keys had gone through.  Hate burned in her eyes as she turned and searched Ron for his Desert Eagle.  Finding it she ejected the clip, making sure it was full.  She then started toward the building, picking up one of the ninja's swords as she went.  She knew there wasn't really any chance of winning, but she was determined to make Keys pay, or die trying.  He had destroyed a huge part of her life, all he could do to her was kill her, and with two of her best friends dead, she wasn't really to big on living right now anyway.

            As Kim followed Keys into the factory, Ron's fingers twitched slightly.  His hand tightened on the destroyed Lotus Blade and he slowly raised his head.  He sat still for a minute as if listening to something.  The sword was still calling to him, but it was different this time.  The sword wanted something.  Something it hadn't known before, but knew now.  Ron looked at the sword, listening, and then looked over to Yori's body.  He looked back to the sword and then again at Yori.  And suddenly he understood.

            Inside the factory, Kim carefully made her way to Keys' position.  Doing her best to keep out of sight, she reached a hiding place directly behind him, hoping that if she could take him by surprise she might have a chance.  However, her hopes were dashed in the next second.

            "I know you're there Miss Possible," Keys called, "You must know you can't win, the power of the rosary makes me pretty much invincible.  I really suggest you turn around and leave."  Kim didn't answer.  She had climbed the machinery she was hiding behind and leaped off the top, firing at Keys as she did.  Keys spun around to face her, using the power of the rosary to dodge the bullets.  Kim spun in the air, turning around completely, she sailed over Keys and landed facing his back.  Drawing back the sword, she shoved it into his back as hard as she could.  Hitting his back, the sword bent and snapped, pieces falling to the floor.

            Kim stared in disbelief at the broken sword and Keys' unmarked back.  The tall man slowly turned around, a triumphant smile on his face.

            "You don't catch on too quick, do you?"  He smirked, suddenly grabbing Kim by the throat and lifting her off the ground.  "You can't hurt me, no one can."  Kim squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the hand tighten, slowly crushing her throat.

            "Mind if I try?"  The voice stopped the squeezing of the hand.  Kim's eyes flew open at the familiar sound.  Keys threw her away, but she was sitting up almost immediately, her eyes fixed on the person who had just spoken.

            "Ron!" she cried happily, "I thought you were dead."

            "Yeah," Ron grinned, glancing over at Kim, "you thought that when they buried me too, and look how wrong everyone was."

            "This is all very touching," Keys scoffed, "but I already proved I was more powerful than your sword.  Why do you insist on dying in some futile fight?"

            "I don't think we were quite ready last time," Ron smiled, raising the Lotus Blade to a ready position, "we'd like to try it again."  It was then that Kim noticed the Lotus Blade.  It was no longer cracked and scorched, its silver blade seemed to almost glow in the factory's dim lighting.  Keys frowned at the boy in front of him.

            "Very well," he spat, "I don't mind killing you a second time."  Ron and Keys ran at each other once more.  Kim could swear she saw small ripples of electric like energy shoot out as Keys blocked Ron's strikes with his bare hands.  Ron flipped backward, making Keys raise his arms to block the sword.  Landing in a crouch, he leaped forward, under Keys raised arms, dragging the Lotus Blade across Keys' gut.  Ron landed behind him and for a moment neither moved.  Then Keys slowly looked down at his side.  A gash could be seen through the hole in his clothes, not a deep one, but a definite scratch.

            "Impossible," Keys turned, his eyes wide, "the rosary should protect me from any harm."  He looked over to where Ron was standing up and turning to face him.  Keys squinted his eyes, as if looking more closely at Ron and the Lotus Blade.  Drawing on the rosary's power, his eyes suddenly went wide in realization.  "Her soul," he said softly, "you took her soul."

            "Wrong," Ron raised the sword again, "I took everything."  Keys glared at Ron, attacking again, he started ripping apart the building itself in an attempt to destroy his enemy.  Ron dodged and blocked the attacks and flying bits of machinery, taking a shot at Keys whenever he had a chance.  The tall man suddenly pulled back his fist, slamming it into Ron's raised sword.  Ron blocked the attack, staying on his feet, but was pushed back several feet.  Keys raised his hand over his head and brought it down, slamming it into the floor with an earth shattering boom.  An invisible energy seemed to spring from the impact, tearing through the floor, heading straight towards Ron.  Ron made no move to dodge, but waited until the explosions were almost on top of him and then brought the sword up in front of him as if to deflect it.

            The floor in front and around Ron erupted in debris and dust, swallowing him up.  Keys smiled triumphantly, starting to walk towards the settling cloud.  Suddenly, something flew out of the cloud, straight into the air.  Looking up, Kim saw Ron as he jumped into the air, hung there for a split second, and then fell towards Keys.  Keys raised his arms to try and deflect the Blade.  There was a flash as Ron hit the tall man, and Keys was thrown back against a wall.  Keys shook his head, standing up and preparing to attack again, when he suddenly looked worried.  His eyes went wide as he looked down at his wrist.

            "Looking for this," Ron smiled, holding up the rosary.  It dangled from the end of his sword, until he flipped it back, catching it and putting it in his pocket.  "You were so bust protecting that pretty face of yours, you didn't even notice slip it off with my swing."  Keys glared at Ron, his teeth grinding against themselves.  A look of defeat was in his eyes, even as he reached for a sword mounted on the wall beside him.

            "Go to hell, Stoppable," he spat, rushing Ron, the sword raised.  Ron brought his sword back, readying an attack.

            "You first."  Ron flew forward, too fast for Kim to see.  There was a brief flash of sparks as Keys' sword was cut in two.  Keys stood, frozen for a second, his mouth open as if surprised.  Then his head slowly lulled to the side and dropped off his neck, tumbling to the floor.  The rest of his body followed as Ron sheathed the Lotus Blade.  Kim slowly walked over to where Ron was standing, looking at the ground.

            "Are you alright," she asked cautiously, reaching out to touch his shoulder.  Ron turned around, looking at Kim.  Making eye contact, Kim's heart jumped as she saw Ron's eyes.  They were no longer held the cold darkness she had seen ever since his resurrection, they were now the same bright color she had known all her life.

            "Ron," she could hardly bring herself to breath, "is... that you?"  Ron didn't answer for a second, but then smiled back at her warmly.

            "Yeah, KP," he said, finally, "it's me."  Kim felt a surge of joy.  Her Ron was back.  She grabbed Ron, hugging him as hard as she could.

            "Why," Kim stammered, "I mean, what happened?"

            "Don't know," Ron shrugged, "guess my job's done."  Kim smiled, hugging him again.  She had never dared to hope that Ron would return to normal after his task had been achieved.  They walked outside to find the sensei and the other guardians of the Lotus Blade waiting for them.

            "I had a feeling we should show up," the sensei bowed, "We were just, what do you call it... 'mopping up' the rest of the Zenryoku."  Kim smiled at the old man, but then suddenly became upset.

            "Where's Yori," she cried, "she was right here.  She di... she was..."  Kim trailed off, tears welling up in her eyes.  The sensei looked over at Ron, as if acknowledging something.

            "Do not worry," he said softly, walking over and patting Kim's shoulder, "she has been taken care of."  Kim looked at the old man's smiling face and nodded sadly.  Something in the back of her mind was telling her that Ron didn't seem that upset, but her relief and joy at having her friend back to normal drown the little voice out.

            They said their good-byes and thank yous to the sensei, Lt. Yun, and the others and headed for home.  They called ahead, telling both their parents that they were going to Kim's house first.  Ron thought his parents were going to go nuts on the phone.  His dad demanded to know who was making such a sick prank call.  Kim took that phone, asking the Stoppables to just meet them at her house where they would explain everything.

            The explanation was a somewhat farfetched one, but the parents bought it anyway, mostly because they wanted to.  Kim explained that the Ron that had died was actually a robot double that Drakken had switched for the real Ron at some point before the mission.  The real Ron had been held in Drakken's base, and was freed in the explosion.  He missed Kim and the military choppers, and ended up having to walk back to Middleton.

            This scenario did nothing to explain Ron's desecrated grave, or where Kim had been the whole time, but the grown-ups didn't care.  They were so happy to have their kids back safe and sound they would have accepted any explanation.  The two families stayed up far into the night, talking and laughing.  Ron's parents sat on each side of him, as if to make sure he wasn't going to go anywhere.  After awhile the Stoppables finally decided it was time to leave.

            "I'll see you tomorrow," Kim said, hugging Ron tightly.

            "Sure thing KP," Ron smiled back, "It feels like forever since I've been to Bueno Nacho."  Kim laughed, waving to the family as they walked to their car and drove away.  Kim went back inside with her parents and brothers.  As she was getting ready for bed Kim stopped, looking at her reflection in the mirror.  The scars were still there, but for some reason they didn't seem as heavy now.  The scars may cover her skin, but they wouldn't cover her true self.  And this was her true self, she thought, smiling.  Happy, friendly, and optimistic.  Those were the core characteristics of her personality, and though they may be stifled for a time by hardships or tragedy, they would never be fully extinguished.  Just as Ron's true self had not been destroyed by either death or the Lotus Blade, so her true self would continue to survive.

            At the Stoppables' house, Ron had finally gotten his parents to let him go to bed.  They were so happy he was back they couldn't seem to bring themselves to leave him alone, like they were afraid he'd disappear when they weren't looking.  After insisting that he was very tired and that he'd be fine, they had finally consented, heading off to their own room.

            Ron walked into his room.  He didn't turn on the lights, but simply took off his jacket, throwing it on a chair.  He also took the Lotus Blade from his belt, propping it on the chair's seat.

            "You lied to her."

            "Yes," Ron stated simply, sitting down on his bed.

            "You're not normal.  Things will never be the same, will they?"

            "No, they won't," Ron admitted, "but they'll be okay.  She has her Ron back, and if she wants to believe that it wasn't really me this whole time, why not, if it makes her happy?"

            "Well, well.  Someone seems to have grown a heart."

            "If you're going to make fun of me," Ron smirked, looking over at the Lotus Blade, "you could at least do it face to face."

            "Fine."  The air around the sword began to twist, smoke rose from the Blade, and the sword itself seemed to dissolve in the mist.  The cloud grew and condensed, taking on a vague shape, growing thicker and thicker until it finally solidified into a young Japanese girl with black hair down to her jaw line.  "Better?" asked Yori.

            "Much better," Ron smiled.

            "So why did you lie to her," Yori asked, leaning on the wall.

            "She needed it," Ron said, "she was already so broken up inside.  If she believes I'm back to the way I was, then that's something for her to hold on to.  She's still my friend and I don't want to see her suffer."

            "Then I'm glad you did it," Yori smiled.

            "And how are you feeling," Ron asked, getting up and walking towards Yori.  "After all, it's not everyday you discover you're actually a missing piece of an ancient mystical weapon.  And definitely not a normal occurrence to have your soul and dead body absorbed into said weapon and used to kill the leader of an army of ninja."

            "You're teasing me," Yori smiled, narrowing her eyes.

            "Yes, I am," Ron grinned back, "but not when I asked how you are."

            "Hmmm," Yori thought for a moment, "It's different.  That's for sure.  I feel like some missing part of my life that I didn't even know I had lost has fallen back into place.  I feel like," Yori looked up at Ron, a strange smirk twisting her lips, "I feel like fighting."

            "Well, you are part of the Lotus Blade now, " Ron smiled, standing right in front of Yori, "you and the sword are both the same thing now, so some of its personality will have rubbed off on you."

            "All those strange feelings I had around you and the sword," Yori continued, thoughtfully, "even then I was feeling something of the sword's thoughts."

            "You weren't just sensing them," Ron laid his hands on the wall on either side of Yori's head, "you felt them because, even then, you and the Lotus Blade were the same person.  When you were drawn out to the garden, when you wanted to come with me in the club.  You were feeling the Blade's connection to me."  He paused leaning a little closer, "YOUR connection to me."

            "I do feel bad," Yori suddenly stated, changing the subject, "that we didn't tell sensei."

            "He knows."

            "What?"  Yori looked up at Ron.

            "He knows," Ron stated simply, "he could tell as soon as he saw us after killing Keys."  Yori was amazed, though she knew she shouldn't be surprised.

            "Man, he knows everything," she laughed quietly.  "So," she said, after a slight pause, "what do we do now?"

            "What do we do?" Ron asked, leaning even closer.  "We do what we want to do.  With the new, more powerful you, we should have some great fights."

            "Doesn't power corrupt," Yori smirked.

            "Sure," Ron leaned a little more, his breath playing across Yori's lips, "but we're not out for power.  We're just in it for the fun."

            "Won't Kim object," whispered Yori, "she doesn't really approve of senseless violence."

            "We're not always around Kim," Ron whispered back, "there'll be plenty of time to find some fun."  They were only centimeters apart now, their lips barely grazing.  "So, what do you say?  Will you stay and fight with me?"  Yori smiled, looking into Ron's eyes.

            "Sounds great," she whispered.  Ron smiled as he saw a flash of black energy pass over Yori's eyes, mirroring the darkness that flashed across his own.

            "Boo-yah"

The End