Chapter 7
The Reception
No sooner had Kim and Ron arrived at the auditorium, and their reception, than they were approached by several members of the media, and press, all asking the same questions,
"What prompted the two of you to get married?"
"Are you still doing the hero thing?"
"Do you plan to have children?"
"To answer your questions," Kim said, Ron standing beside her, holding her hand, "We got married because we love each other, yes, we still plan to continue our work, and it's too far in the future to talk about children at this moment, now, if you'll excuse us, we have a reception to attend."
When Kim and Ron walked into the reception hall, they found it decorated, mainly by Drakken, and Shego, who had spent all day yesterday getting it ready,
"Like our handiwork?" Drakken asked, making a sweeping motion with his hand,
"Love it." Kim said, now looking up at a banner that read:
Congratulations, Mr.and Mrs. Stoppable.
"Unbelievable," Ron said, looking around the hall, "I never thought you had it in you."
"It was mostly Shego's idea." Drakken said, now allowing the bride, and groom to walk into the reception hall, and to the head table.
The reception had been open to the public, within reason, Kim's main rule was that you had to know the bride, groom, or both, personally, if Kim and Ron said they didn't know, they weren't allowed in, which kept the press at bay. Several people that Kim and Ron had helped were there, including a few faces that Ron couldn't believe,
"Yori, you're here." Ron said, running up to the pretty Japanese girl,
"Ah, Stoppable-san, good to see you, Sensei is over there, he has brought you a gift." Yori said, bowing,
"Thanks, Yori." Ron said walking away from the girl, leaving Kim to talk to her,
"How do you know Ron?" Kim asked,
"He attended the same school I did when he came over during the exchange." Yori said,
"Oh, the one week exchange program, I always wondered why they chose Ron for that." Kim said,
"I will tell you, but you must never tell anyone." Yori said, she then began to tell Kim of Ron's adventures at Yamanouchi,
"Woah," Kim said, her eyes getting big, "Ron did all that?"
"Hai. it was, as you say, all Ron." Yori said, bowing to Kim,
"He never told me." Kim said, looking at Yori,
"That is because he was sworn to secrecy." Yori said,
"He's never been able to keep secrets from me before." Kim replied,
On the other side of the room, Ron was deep in conversation with an elderly Japanese man,
"Thanks for coming, Master Sensei." Ron said,
"I would not miss it, Stoppable-san." Sensei replied, bowing,
"Yori said you had something for me." Ron said,
"I do. It is time for you to take what now rightfully belongs to you now." Sensei said, presenting Ron with a large wooden box, Ron recognized it immeadltely as the box that held The Lotus Blade,
"Sensei, no, why are you giving this to me?" Ron asked,
"It has chosen you as its new owner," Sensei said, bowing, and presenting Ron with the beautiful kitana from within the box, "and we cannot stand in the way, we were simply custodians of the blade, until such time that it chose an owner, it has made its decision, you are the new owner of The Lotus Blade."
Ron quickly put the sword back in the box, and put it into a small room off the main hall,
"Monkey Fist will soon be here, and I don't want him knowing that it still exists." Ron said, now running back into the main reception hall,
"You are wise, as you are a warrior, Stoppable-san, age is becoming on you." Sensei said,
"Thanks, Sensei." Ron said,
"Now, I must go. My students await me." Sensei said, bowing low,
"Safe flight, Sensei, give by best to your students." Ron said, returning the bow,
"I will." Sensei said, turning to Yori, who was still talking to Kim, "Yori, it is time to go."
"Hai. Sensei." Yori said, bowing, and running to catch up with her teacher,
"Goodbye, Ron-san, I am sure that we will meet again," Yori said, enveloping Ron in a hug, "and congratulations, you two make a perfect couple."
"'Bye, Yori, see you later." Ron said, bowing to Yori, and returning to the party,
"So, what did you two talk about?" Ron asked Kim, placing his hand in hers,
"Not much." Kim said, but Ron picked up on this quickly,
"She told you, didn't she?" Ron asked,
"Told me what?" Kim asked innocently,
"About Yamanouchi, what happened there?" Ron said,
"Yeah, she did." Kim said, smiling,
"I thought so, you didn't say anything when Sensei gave me his gift." Ron said,
"I knew what it was, The Lotus Blade, Yori told me all about it." Kim said,
"Now, I just got to figure out a place to keep it." Ron said,
"Will you two get over here." Shego said, grabbing Kim and Ron by the arms, and pulling them to a huge table, piled with gifts,
"Don't you think you should get started." Shego said, pointing to the huge pile of gifts,
"Open this one first." Drakken said, handing Ron a small, quickly wrapped package.
Ron opened the package with shaking hands, inside, was a deed to a bar, and a set of keys,
"It's been in my family for more than a hundred years." Drakken said, smiling,
"Why are you giving it to us?" Kim asked,
"I never got the hang of being a pub owner, so, it's time to let someone else take a shot at it. One condition, though," Kim and Ron turned to look at Drakken, who was smiling, "I get to stop by and tend bar sometimes."
"Oh, all right, I guess." Kim said, smiling,
"So, you're giving it up?" Ron asked, looking at Drakken,
"My dreams of taking over the world. Yeah, I figured, 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.'" Drakken said, smiling widely,
"And what about you, Shego?" Kim asked,
"Mutual agreement, Kimmie, I'm getting out of the evil business as well." Shego said,
"You're not the only ones." came the voice of Monkey Fist from behind them, the two former evil partners turned to look at the monkey master,
"I can't keep going forever, it's time for me to give it up, and move onto something else, something less hazardous to my health." Monkey Fist said,
"Same here." said Duff Killigan, "Besides, I got me tour card this morning, watch out Tiger Woods, here comes Duff Killigan."
"You made the PGA?" Kim asked,
"Aye," Duff said, "I applied for me tour card a month ago, and I got it this mornin'."
"Good for you." Kim replied
"Oh, by the way," Drakken said, catching Kim, and Ron's attention, "there's an apartment above the bar, the only way to get to it, is via a stairwell that runs behind the building."
"Coolio." Ron said, smiling his trademark goofy grin.
The rest of the gifts that had been given were good, and would serve a purpose, both Kim's, and Ron's parents had given toasters, and Shego had given them something they couldn't believe,
"You see a set of keys, and a flight plan," Shego said, "one of them is the keys to a copy of Sadie, I'm sure you remember her, and the other, is for a private charter to the Caribbean, and three weeks of fun, and sun, enjoy your honeymoon."
"Boo-ya!" Ron said, smiling widely,
"You didn't have to do this, Shego." Kim said,
"I know. But I did it anyway, so shut up, and enjoy it." Shego said,
The rest of the gifts paled in comparison to the one that Shego had given them, until they came upon the last one,
"What is this?" Ron asked, looking at the heavy package, which wasn't much bigger than their marriage license,
"Open it, Ron." Drakken urged, looking over at Ron's mother, who was smiling.
Ron opened the package with trembling fingers, as soon as he opened it, out fell a heavy, leather-bound sort of document,
"Read it." Mrs. Stoppable urged her son,
"I Rosalie Fineberg, being of sound mind, and not under duress, Grandma's will?" Ron said, looking at his mother, who said nothing, instead, she grabbed the paper from Ron's hand, and turned it several pages,
"Read this." she said, handing the will back to her son,
"To my only Grandson, Ronald James Stoppable, I do bequeath my entire fortune of $750,000,000,000 to be given to he, and his spouse, upon the day of his marriage, WOAH!!" Ron said, his eyes threatening to pop out of his head,
"You're a very rich man now, Ron, what are you going to do with it all?" Shego asked,
"I need some time to let this sink in." Ron said, having never seen a number that high before, and definitely not with his name attached to it,
"I'm sure we'll think of something, hon." Kim said, bumping her hip into Ron's side, causing him to come back to reality