Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable, Kim, and Monique sat in the lobby of the Middleton International Airport waiting for Ron's flight from Japan.
Bonnie and Tara would have been there, but instead they had gone on a mission to England, helping stop a planned terrorist attack. Adrena and Francis were holding down the fort at Headquarters.
The plane landed on time, and soon the passengers who were stopping in Middleton were disembarking. In the middle of them was Ron. Kim noticed immediately there was something different about him. He walked with a spring in his step, and seemed much more confident and less clumsy. He had also filled out a bit; his normal clothes didn't hang off him the way they used to.
As soon as he passed through security and customs he was mobbed by his parents, friend,
and fiance. He still wore that same goofy grin he always had, and Kim was glad that hadn't changed.
Rufus popped out of his pocket, and waved to everyone.
Kim reached Ron first, enveloping him in a bear hug. Right away she noticed that her first impression was right-- there was muscle under the shirt now. They kissed; a deep, satisfying kiss that left both of them breathless.
"Welcome home, Ron. I've missed you," she said.
"Thanks, KP. You don't know how much I've missed you," he answered, and kissed her again.
She finally let him go, and the others, who had waited patiently, took over.
Kim suddenly noticed there was a small-statured, black-haired young Asian woman standing at a polite distance nearby, watching the greetings with a small smile on her face.
Kim turned to her. "Yori!" she exclaimed, "I wasn't expecting you!"
Yori bowed. "Possible-san, it is good to see you again," she said, "And you as well,
Robinson-san."
"Hey, girl, it's been a while," said Monique.
"She's here for a reason, KP; we'll tell you all about it later," said Ron around his mother's hug.
"Okay," said Kim.
Ron introduced Yori to his parents. He had contacted them a week earlier, and they had agreed to let her stay with them for the time being.
Seeing the look on Kim's face, Monique whispered to her, "You're not still jelling, are you?"
"Maybe just a little. Sorry, but I can't help it," she answered. "I know she needs somewhere to live."
"Do not be concerned on my account, Possible-san," said Yori, "A few years ago I would have given you a.. how do you say?... a run for your coins?... but now Ron-kun and I are just good friends and fellow warriors who have seen combat together."
"Once I have settled in and learned about Middleton, I will seek a place of my own," she added.
Kim looked relieved and ashamed at the same time. "I'm sorry, Yori, I thought I was more mature than that."
"I see the green-eyed monkey no longer has you in it's grip," said Yori, dismissing the whole subject.
Going to the luggage carrosell, the two travellers found their luggage. Ron had, as usual, gone overboard and taken seven or eight suitcases with him. But all he picked up was a single blue bag.
"What happened to all the stuff you took?" asked Kim.
Yori giggled, picking up a small black bag.
"Ah... a little accident. It's all at the bottom of Mount Yamanouchi," he answered, red-faced.
"Glad you didn't take the good luggage, then," said Mr. Stoppable, laughing with the rest.
They left the airport, Ron riding with Kim and Monique, Yori with Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable.
Bueno Nacho was the first stop.
"The Tokyo Bueno Nacho was okay, but there's no place like home's!" said Ron, he and Rufus digging into a large order with gusto.
He told them of his time in Japan; the training, the beauty of the mountains, the peace and quiet, the friends he made, and in-the-field training with Yori on missions in Tokyo.
Yori spoke up, nibbling a burrito. "He has progressed quite rapidly," she said, "Far surpassing Sensei's wildest dreams."
Ron looked embarrassed. "Kim was my inspiration. I didn't want to stay away from her any longer than I had to. I figured I'd better get real good real fast."
Everyone laughed.
"It seems to have worked," said Monique.
After the meal, both Ron and Yori yawned. "We're still on Japan time, and feel the need to be asleep," said Ron.
Kim nodded. "I understand that. Go on and get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow."
Shortly thereafter, Kim and Monique were going back to headquarters. They rode in silence until Monique spoke up.
"Girl, he's looking really good. That trip made a lot of difference in that boy," she said.
Kim eyed her. "Is the green-eyed monkey going to grab me again?"
Monique looked at her slyly. "You never know, girlfriend. It just might happen. Somebody comes along who's more beautiful, more talented, and with better taste in clothes, and zip, he's gone!"
"Hey!" said Kim, and they both laughed.
At headquarters they told Adrena and Francis of Ron's arrival, and Yori's unexpected appearence.
"Ron said she was here for a purpose, but didn't say what," said Kim.
"Hm. Should I put out a press release on Ron's return?" asked Adrena.
"No, not yet. Let's find out what's going on first. I don't think Yori should be mentioned anyway. She's a ninja, and that she's here should be kept secret," Kim answered.
Adrena nodded her agreement.
"Well, if she's going to join us, I'd better order some more equipment," said Francis.
"Good idea," said Kim, "Assign her a locker, and get whatever she needs."
"I'll take care of it," he promised.
The next day Ron and Yori arrived at Headquarters to be greeted by everyone. Bonnie and Tara had come home the night before, having successfully stopped the terrorists.
Introduced to the latter two, Yori seemed to be familiar with some of their adventures already, and told them she looked forward to working with them.
They invited her to participate in exercises with them, and she readily agreed.
"Yori, this is Francis Lurman, our accountant and building manager," said Kim.
Yori bowed. "Lurman-san."
"Hi, glad to meet you. Welcome aboard. Come see me when you get a chance; I've got you a locker assignment, and will get you whatever you need," he said.
"I will do so," said Yori.
"And this is our media expert, Adrena-Lynn Rush," said Kim.
Yori snorted with laughter, then turned red and slapped her hand over her mouth. She bowed deeply to Adrena. "I am sorry, Rush-san, please forgive me. My rude behaviour shames me."
Adrena laughed. "It's okay, Yori, don't worry about it. I know perfectly well what my name sounds like. My parents have a quirky sense of humor."
Yori's blush faded, and she tilted her head slightly. "What is 'quirky'?"
"Strange, unusual," answered Adrena.
"I see. Thank you," said Yori.
"Say, would you teach me some Japanese? I get inquiries about Team Possible from there, but translation programs leave a lot to be desired," said Adrena.
Yori bowed. "It would be my honor."
"Well, seeing as it's nearly eleven A.M., and I haven't been in the kitchen in half a year, I'm going to go whip up some lunch for everyone," said Ron.
Tara squealed, and Bonnie smiled, as did everyone else. They all loved Ron's cooking.
"And after that, we need to have a meeting in the conference room," he added, "And we can tell you what we know of the sitch."
Glances were exchanged between the others. Must be serious, they all thought.
Ron grumbled a bit about the condition of the kitchen, and what was available there. He and Monique went to the store and restocked things. Then he got to work and before long had everyone in range of the smell salivating.
It was a wonderful lunch.