"Of Friends and Foes"
Chapter 6:Conversations and Dreams
Kim stood over the freshly covered grave. Everyone else had left an hour before, but she decided to stay behind for a while. The grounds keeper left her a chair to sit in for her foot had not completely healed. Nothing was broken, but the twist during the fight caused a very bad sprain. Using crutches to move around she went over to the chair and finally sat down.
"Well Ron, I'm sure you'll be glad to know that no charges were brought against us for those crimes. The fight has been on all the news channels and has been circulating on the internet. Everyone came to the realization that the doppelgangers did all that and not us, but I'm not sure I like all that being out in the open. They have the decency to cut out the sensitive parts on the TV at least. What is going around on the internet though shows everything." Kim closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She sat there a few minutes looking up at the sky, the gray clouds were moving out finally. She returned her gaze back down again, catching a glimpse of her bandaged foot.
"You came out of your fight in better shape than I did. I didn't even notice that you had improved. When I saw you fighting, you were moving so fast that I could barely keep up. You seemed to have got better than I was. I bet you didn't let on for my sake, but when it came down to it you really shone. I could barely handle my doppelganger but you had little trouble with yours. If it had not been for Rufus, I would have lost that fight. You were right. I do get overconfident sometimes. We've been in so many life and death situations that we came out of, that at times I never thought that one of us actually could . . ." Kim pulled out a handkerchief to dry her eyes.
"Oh Ron, why did it have to be you? I am the one everyone calls and I drag you with me. Most people don't even know your name, not even Drakken could remember your name. Why did he target you? Why could he not have aimed at me instead? Everything happens for a reason. You reminded me of that phrase when I woke up in the hospital. Well I have a question for whoever decides these things. What was the reason for this? For what purpose does this serve?"
Kim heard the sound of a vehicle come up behind her. She turned and looked, her mother had come back to pick her up. "It's getting late now Ron, I should get going. Thank you Ron, for being my best friend, for being there when I needed someone to be there. Goodbye, not forever, just till we meet again." Kim picked up her crutches and stood up. She looked at Ron's grave one last time then went to get in the van with her mother.
Kim woke up with a start. Her room was dark. A quick look at the clock told her it was four in the morning. "Again?" she said, "Why do I keep dreaming that?" She turned on her light and sat up. A protesting squeak came from a small pink ball curled up in the sheets. "Sorry Rufus, can't sleep." She turned off the light and exited the room. She went into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Who are you? Why can't I get you out of my head?" she asked to no one in particular.
"Kimmie, nightmares again?" came a voice from the door.
"Yeah Mom, the same one again," replied Kim.
"The one where you hear someone calling out to you?" her mother asked as she sat down across the table from Kim.
"Uh-huh. It's always dark, I can't see anything and then those eyes appear out of nowhere. I don't know why, but those eyes scare me to death," said Kim. Her mother looked at her from across the table with a worrying look in her eyes.
"It's been a week now since you started having this dream. Are you sure it's not caused by Ron being killed?"
"Yes Mom, I am sure," said Kim, "But it might not be far off from it. That morning I had a similar dream. Ron had one too, but he never told me much about it. He just said he dreamed about me getting hurt. He warned me to be careful, he told me that I tend to get over confident in what I can do. He was right too. I didn't think that the doppelganger was going to be so tough. I got hurt and Ron's dream came true. Then that guy on the roof had those eyes. Those eyes I saw in my dream, that I still see in my dreams. The voice seems familiar, but before I can find out who it is, those eyes show up and I wake up."
"You think that your dreams mean something?" Kim nodded, "Well I don't know much about that. I have heard stories of it though, but I do know for a fact that dreams help you deal with the day's events. What you went through was a very traumatic event, and it will affect you for a while. Give it time though, it will lessen. It might not go away altogether, but it gets easier. If it ever gets too much to bear, you know you can always talk to your father or me."
Kim smiled, "Yeah, I know. Thanks Mom, I feel a little better now."
Mrs. Possible stood up, "I'm glad to be of help. Well, I'm going to go back to bed. You should try to get some more sleep yourself since you haven't been sleeping much lately."
"I'll try to," said Kim as she watched her mother leave the room. She then got up and went back to her room. Sitting down on her bed she turned on the light again, this time there was no protest from Rufus. Sitting on the nightstand, she saw a small black box. "Strange," thought Kim, "I didn't think I had put that there." She picked it up and opened it. Inside were the gold medallion and crystal pieces that had been placed in it before and now the card that had been Ron's. She picked up the card and looked at it for a minute. "Somebody has died in the last two missions, if I go on another one I might not come back." She placed the card back in the box, turned off the light and lay back down. After a few minutes she drifted off to sleep.
Kim found herself standing in the middle of a forest. She looked around at her surroundings. There were mostly pine trees, but a few of the others were sporting orange and red leaves. The others were bare. In the distance she could hear the sounds of a fight. She began running in the direction of the noise and came upon two people fighting, or at least what looked like two people. One was a young man with long blonde hair wearing gray colored, old style of clothing and a cape. His eyes glowed red and he opened his mouth to hiss at his opponent, revealing elongated upper canines. His opponent was even less human looking. He looked like a wolf standing up on its hind legs. "This is just crazy!" said Kim, "I must be dreaming to see a werewolf fighting with what must be a vampire!" She watched the two fight, fending off each other's attacks until at last the werewolf latched onto the vampire's shoulder with its jaws.
"Be careful not to kill him Uncle," came a voice from behind a tree on the other side. Out stepped a young woman with long black hair wearing a long white dress that just touched the ground. Around her waist she wore a belt with a heart-shaped red jewel.
"That couldn't be," said Kim. The young woman walked up to the vampire, who was now on his knees, held down by the werewolf, and placed the jewel around his neck. The werewolf let go and stepped back. The vampire began to change its appearance. It began to look more like the werewolf, but with differences.
"It's working Uncle," said the woman, "The legend was true. The bite of a werewolf to break the control on him and the Ruby Heart Pendant to control the bloodlust, he has become the one who will unite the clans and end the war." The now vampire, werewolf hybrid on the ground looked up at the girl.
In a gruff voice it spoke, "I-Illiya?" In a flash of light it changed back into a man, only now he had short brown hair and brown eyes.
"He looks like T!" exclaimed Kim. "But, but how?"
"Everything happens for a reason." Kim jumped from the voice beside her. Standing there watching the event was a human like lizard. It stood at five and some half feet tall wearing what looked like black bicycle shorts, compensating for a long sinuous tail, and a sword sheath strapped to its back.
"What did you say?" asked Kim.
The lizard-man looked at Kim, "Everything happens for a reason."
"Somebody before has told me that," said Kim. "Where have you heard that? Who are you for that matter?"
Everything went black, Kim turned around to find herself in another section of the forest. It was nighttime now. Behind her she could see a village in the distance, in front of her were three people. The one closest to her was the man that looked like T. Standing in front of him was the woman he called Illiya. Another woman was holding her. She was a head taller than Illiya and she too had long black hair, but whereas Illiya's hair stopped half way down her back, the other woman's hair nearly reached the ground. "Let her go Duchess," said the man in an angry tone, "It's all over, you've lost so give up."
The tall woman laughed, "Just because you've become the Vampwere Guardian, doesn't mean I am going to give up. You may have taken control of the Vampire Clan, but I've got your traitorous girlfriend and I am going to enjoy my revenge on the two of you." A dark swirling vortex appeared behind her. With a final laugh she stepped back into it and disappeared.
"ILLIYA!" screamed the man and he jumped into the vortex after them.
Kim watched as the vortex closed, "She called him Guardian. What is this? Where is this?"
"Behind every reason is a purpose," said a deep growling voice from her left. Kim looked to see a six-foot tall creature standing beside her. This one looked much like the lizard-man except it was much more muscular. Its tail was thicker and had spikes on it that went all the way to its nose, and instead of a sword sheath on its back it had a pair of wings. It looked down at Kim with its yellow eyes. "All will be revealed in due time," it spoke and once again the scenery changed.
She now found herself standing in a room of an elaborate mansion. A candle chandelier was the only source of light. Standing in the center of the room was Illiya. Kim could tell that there was something different about her. A voice came out of the shadows, "Illiya, is that you? Are you okay?"
"T, you came for me. I knew you would," spoke Illiya.
"T? Could it really be him?" Kim asked herself.
T walked over to Illiya, "There are rumors of a monster terrorizing the villages around here. I figure it has to be Duchess, do you know where she is?"
"I haven't seen her in over a month, she left me here when we arrived," she told him. T placed his hand on her cheek and lifted her head up to look into her eyes.
"No. Not you," he said. He took off the Ruby Heart Pendant and placed it around Illiya's neck, "Why does it not work?" T pulled her in close and wrapped his arms around her. Kim could see a look of sorrow on his face. "I'm sorry," he said. Illiya grinned evilly, she opened her mouth revealing her fangs. As she slowly buried her fangs into his neck, he spoke. "Lord forgive me for I must kill the one I love." Seconds later Illiya dissolved into nothing, the pendant and a silver dagger fell to the floor. Kim brought her hand up to her face not wanting to believe what she just saw. T dropped into a chair. He stared out into space, looking at nothing, with tears falling down his face. Kim realized that she too was crying, but she did not know why. It was then that she noticed she was not alone. Standing on either side of her was the lizard-man and the dragon-man.
Both spoke at the same time, "It is these purposes and how we deal with them that determine what we become." Kim looked at both of them, neither looked at her but kept their gaze on the center of the room. Kim looked back at T sitting in the chair.
A taunting laugh filled the room, "Forgive me for I must kill the one I love," the voice said mockingly. Duchess came out of the shadows looking down at T and grinning as though she thought he was a tame animal under her thumb. Kim saw T's expression change into anger. He dropped down out of the chair onto the floor on all fours. "Are you asking me for forgiveness?" Duchess asked in her mocking tone. "If you are willing to come back to my side, then you are forgiven. Oh come now, don't just sit there, stand up and declare your allegiance to me." T slowly stood up, his head hanging down all the time. When he reached his full height, he looked Duchess in the face. Duchess gasped and looked at T with disbelief. She smiled at him and laughed, "You fool." Seconds later she dissolved. Kim saw the dagger hit the floor once again.
"He took revenge on her," Kim said. T dropped to the floor, he blindly groped for the pendant. As soon as he touched it he let out an agonizing scream. Kim watched as for a brief moment he turned back into the blonde vampire. An evil grin spread across his face before he returned back to normal. Everything went black again, and Kim found herself standing in the darkness with the two creatures.
"Do you understand what happened?" asked the lizard-man.
"Was this T's past?" asked Kim.
"Yes," the lizard-man replied, "Do you understand what happened?"
"Do you understand what we are telling you?" asked the dragon-man.
"What you're telling me?" Kim looked at both of them thinking about what they said and what she saw. Her eyes grew wide as she came to the realization of what it was they were trying to tell her.
"So, you do understand," said the lizard-man. Kim nodded. "The darkness resides inside his heart. The Ruby Heart Pendant keeps it trapped inside," the lizard-man spoke.
"If the Ruby Heart Pendant is removed for too long, the darkness will escape. Bringing terror to the world," said the dragon-man.
"Are you saying that it was T who sent the doppelgangers out and killed Ron?" asked Kim.
"No," said the lizard-man.
"Not everything is as it seems," said the dragon-man. "Watch and understand."
An imaged appeared in the air of T and what Kim thought looked like his double. "And who are you supposed to be?" asked T.
"I am Akuma. Your, how should we put it, evil clone," spoke the other.
T shook his head, "Evil clone huh? How cliché."
"Maybe so," laughed Akuma, "But then again I wasn't the first one made." The image disappeared and Kim turned around to face the two creatures.
"I am Guardian Quicktail," said the lizard-man, "You may not understand what you just saw right now, but you will eventually figure it out." Kim looked at the dragon-man.
"I am Guardian Ryuu. Guardian T trusted that you were able to protect your world. That is why he gave you that card. This is the only way we can help you, as we can not enter your world. I hope it is enough." Kim started to speak but was cut off by a booming voice.
"She is mine!" Quicktail and Ryuu disappeared. In front of Kim appeared a young man wearing a gray outfit. His eyes glowed orange and his hair was blonde and brown streaked. "No matter what those two told you, you will be mine. I am coming for you Kim Possible."
Kim sat upright in her bed. The sun was up, Rufus was chattering worriedly to her. "I'm okay Rufus, it was just a dream. Huh? What's this?" Kim opened her hand, inside lay the crystal shard from the box. For a second it looked like it glowed. "Did you see that Rufus?" asked Kim. The naked mole rat shrugged its shoulders. "There's something important I'm supposed to remember about this but I can't think of what it is."