Dark Retribution

by Sestren NK

Story II of the Dark Nemesis Trilogy. Using mind control to make them fight to the death failed. I survived, but what must be done requires for the manipulation of everyone I know. No one will see it coming. KR.

24. 23: Desideratum

Chapter 23: Desideratum

Oh, if I could only animate this… I apologize for any confusion for any of the moves described in this final bout. Try to use your imagination and keep in mind where Kim and Val are and what positions they're in.

Contrary to what I said before, there are three more chapters. I extended the epilogue into its own chapter. Glad you're all still with me after this reached 200,000 words.

On with the final battle.

---

So this is what it comes down to…

Kim and Val had engaged in one final duel once more, commandos appearing to be working for GJ lined up against the edges for no escape, and it was all broadcasted on worldwide television. If only there was music involved, this would also add to the intensity of the battle.

But not all was well. The commandos were holding Ron hostage and taking orders from Val. He had several guns aimed at him, but as long as he didn't interfere, he would be safe. But he was fine with that. KP could handle Val. He had his doubts earlier, but watching the fight for just five minutes, he knew his girlfriend definitely stood a chance as she always did.

Compared to the rest of the world, Ron got the real front seat. He could never get it in the movies, but he sure got it here. But as an observer, he also tried to study everything that was going on, and he was already well perplexed before the fight went underway.

The obvious was the so-called GJ commandos. They were all just as huge as Elurt was, but why were they taking orders from someone like Val? GJ works for good, not some fight-crazed maniac like Val, right? Did he still have his ties to the government? Why did they cooperate?

Ron couldn't figure out this one, but if you asked him in person, he'd tell you he was no good at these things.

That wasn't the only thought to cross his mind, though. The second was what Kim had said right after accepting Val's final challenge.

"For the fate of the world…"

But didn't Val just confess that there was NO nuclear threat? That the whole thing was faked? But then again, Wade did say the nukes were still missing. Maybe Kim didn't buy it. But then again again, not everything Val said was credible. It seemed like he spoke the truth half of the time, and made stuff up to play them the other half. But then again again again…

Well, that was really all Ron could think of. Usually the bad guy would reveal all right before he tried to kill you, and Val did that for the most part. But he left out just as many details. He couldn't help but think there was still more to everything than Val let on. More bad road ahead? Knowing their luck, maybe.

With how the fight was going, Ron did not wish to interfere in any way. For his sake, he hoped it would stay this way. Yori was still out, and one of the commandos removed her body from the scene. He had a rag in his hand with some kind of substance in it, ready to rub it in Yori's face if she regained consciousness and chose to interfere.

The only thing Ron could do was cheer on the girl he loved.

"Go, Kimbo!"

---

Charging at each other like bulls as the spotlights changed the colors of everything like a night club, Kim and Val already knew what their first strategies were. This was the beginning, and neither anticipated that it would end quickly. It was going to be a long and hard fight. Soon, their audience would figure this out by each other's first moves.

The instant they were within a striking distance, both Kim and Val executed the exact same move, twisting sideways and performing a reverse somersault kick. If one had successfully utilized the move, they would kick their opponent square in the jaw and send them flying. It was a mix of an evasive move and a critical offensive maneuver, but both flew past each other as their bodies made the same motion nerve for nerve. They even exchanged eye contact upside down as they passed the very center of the floor, both with a determined glow in each of their eyes. Whether or not it was due to the swift spotlights was irrelevant.

Physical prowess means nothing, Kimberly Anne! Only will the spirit's content decide the battle!

Upon landing, both leapt in the air to perform a spinning airborne roundhouse kick. Like before, they flew past each other.

Swing and a miss…

Likewise…

This is how the beginning of the fight turned out. Kim and Val would inadvertently perform the exact same move and fly past each other with airborne attacks. Kicks, somersault kicks, knees, elbows and even grapples. At this point, Ron couldn't see if everything was done by chance, or if one was copying the other's technique. Things took for a change when both tried to attack on ground. Kicks collided with kicks, arms collided with each other from backhand attacks, and when it came to punches, fists collided with each other with bone-crunching collisions that could even be heard by the pilots of the helicopters. Both were able to completely hide any pain from it. From there, they went airborne again, shoving their foot into the other's abdomen, bouncing off of each other again and again.

Proverbial… have you anything new?

You haven't seen anything yet!

At one point, both abruptly went for a spinning kick, but their legs collided with each other, stopping all momentum in them and forcing them to fall. Neither seemed affected by it, and just as they were able to use their hands to balance themselves, both went for a counter sweep with their other legs as they evaded. They picked themselves off the ground with this move. Val dove in for a low sweep, but found Kim high in the air performing a mid-air spinning kick. As soon as she landed, he performed the same move she did, only to find out she did the same. Val went high, Kim went low. Val went low, Kim went high. Both were endlessly spinning as they tried to confuse each other with their next move.

At this rate neither of us will go anywhere…

When Val decided to go in for a high spinning kick again, his feminine opponent chose not to go low. She charged straight into her adversary long before his leg could do any damage, striking him down with a hard clothesline. The impact was so great that Val's body somersaulted itself twice in mid-air before his abdomen slammed straight into the floor.

Good… but not great…

As of this small moment, Kim was winning the fight. Instead of reacting toward a victorious blow, she kept her guard up, as Val suddenly spun his legs outward. Had Kim not moved backward, he would have wrapped both around her neck and slammed her into the floor. Using the momentum of his spin, Val got onto his feet and jumped at her with a fierce spinning somersault kick that could knock someone's head off. Kim was easy to evade, but it turned out Val's move was meant to fly past her, and he thrusted his other leg outward the second he landed, striking Kim in the back of the neck. He quickly followed with another spinning kick that sent her back sliding against the wet terrain. She used this momentum to send her body upward and back onto her feet.

Val, this ends here and now!

I would have it no other way!

Both fighters smirked at each other as people around the world roared. Everyone watching was astonished. Many of Val's attacks were so quick that the human eye, or cypher cameras for that matter, could not see them. He attacked with grace, power, and lightning-fast agility that they thought only existed in the movies.

But it wasn't that that caught people's attention.

It was the fact that Kim was, too.

She fought with no less grace and power, but that was no surprise to anyone who knew Kim. It was the fact that she was actually matching Val's speed with her offensive that was. No one knew how or why, and even Ron himself couldn't believe his eyes. Where did this come from? Kim didn't even know of it. While she had already seen how quick Val was, he was not as fast as he could have been in this fight. At least, that's what Kim thought. If she had taken the time to look at her surroundings, she would have noticed that time slowed down. It wasn't science or the supernatural.

Yes… Now you see…

Continuing the fight, they walked calmly toward each other, casually even. This was done not only in an attempt to keep the other guessing, but also to maintain their stamina for a brief moment. They kept their eyes glued on each other like predators.

Impressive, but I grew to expect the unexpected some time ago! I hope that's not your only trick!

I haven't even started.

No one really realized that Kim had learned so much about her opponent within the last couple of hours. Not only did she try to figure out who he was as a person, but his fighting ability as well. Upon her sparring lessons with Ron, she was able to better interpret her opponent's moves. She would learn how they were executed, where to be when attacked, and probably the deadliest of them all: How to perform the same moves and tactics against your opponent.

No… not. at. all.

Throughout the night, Val had been mimicking everyone else's moves against them. Kim's current strategy was that if she could confuse an opponent by using their own moves against them, she could have a chance at victory. She wouldn't rely on this strategy for long, as Val was soon to figure things out.

The walk also gave her time to develop another strategy, and she was sure that Val was doing the same.

Let's dance.

When they were close enough, they instantly went on the offensive again. Val was the first to start, charging at Kim as he thrust his elbow out. She managed to dive right under his arm, and he immediately attacked with a back kick. This time, Kim not only somersaulted backward, striking Val in the chin while avoiding his attack, but she also performed a swift cartwheel to her side just as she landed. Both of her heels managed to strike him twice over and knocked him back.

Once Val's head realigned itself, he charged at Kim as he twisted his body like a screwdriver, heading low. Kim quickly leapt into the air to avoid the oncoming attack, but without an attack of her own, Val took quick advantage of this. Before going underneath her, he cancelled out his attack and performed a front somersault, striking Kim's chest and landing on it. She was quickly able to brush him off as she rolled over, but also wrapped her legs in-between his, forcing him to lose balance. As quickly as he fell, she got up.

She knew that Val would attack as quickly as he got up, and she was right. Val did a handspring to get back on his feet, and at this point, his back was facing her. He quickly jumped and landed behind her, perfectly switching positions with a clear view of Kim's back. She could feel the wind behind her and ducked as Val's metal arm swung over her. She kept in the same position in case he thought she would get up. If she had done that, she would be blind to an oncoming attack. Instead, Val had anticipated this, using his spinning motion and the same arm for that matter to drive his elbow up Kim's abdomen as he moved to her side. It had enough force to send her up in the air, in which he did a spinning kick with his body parallel to the ground. Instead of kicking her aside, he dug his foot hard into her body so that she wouldn't fly away, spun a full 360 and sent debris everywhere as her back broke into the floor.

Val quickly leapt off, but was surprised to find that Kim grabbed him in mid-air and slammed the top of his head into the marble floor. Considering what just happened, she shouldn't have been able to get up so quickly, but she did. Kim foolishly kept close, and Val used a handspring to pick himself up, kicking Kim straight in the face before he somersaulted onto his feet. He was pleasantly surprised to see his cheerleader opponent fought to avoid falling off her feet.

Speed may determine the winner in kung fu, but this is more than that…

The changes in Kim's attitude were clearly present, and Val was more than glad that she chose to fight like this than before. He wasn't interested in making a fool of Kim by using endless counters on her. He wanted the fight to last as long as it could, until one or the other was exhausted out of their minds. As long as she maintained her composure, she proved to be a worthy adversary. Perhaps more.

"Go Kimbo!"

The first words blurted out ever since the bout began.

Both Kim and Val silently smirked at each other as they continued. The entire time the fight had almost been silent, minus the usual grunts and cries from blows and evasive maneuvers. No dialogue was shared between them, but they could easily see what they were thinking just by the looks in their eyes. The reason for the absence of discourse was because Val was only interested in the fight and Kim chose to look at her adversary in a different light. She knew that if she continued to fight out of anger and make this a personal fight, she would lose. But if she could keep her cool and see her enemy as a fighter, blocking out any thoughts towards the recent events, she could do this.

Live in the moment, my friend…

But in the back of Kim's mind, another realization: Her reputation. If the world was watching, she had to win to keep the respect and trust of the people, those who knew of her and those who were saved by her. If she lost with the world watching, her career would be down the tubes. But that was nowhere as important as fulfilling her mission and defeating her opponent. And that was all she would do.

Yes… that's the look I've been waiting for…

If either of them said anything, it could trigger conversation, and Kim knew that if Val spoke he'd speak simply to tug at her nerves. But the looks in each others eyes, there was something different about it…

After shaking the water from each of their heads, they went at each other once again. While Kim's thoughts were focused on why she was fighting this fight, Val had changed his strategy. The two were constantly doing it to avoid move prediction.

Kim started off by changing her position, as she was near one of the commandos. She too pondered about their actions, but other things were more important right now. She leapt in the air with intention to fly over Val, but he leapt as high as she did. The two collided in mid air, chest to chest, but Val turned things around by putting his biceps around Kim's neck. She didn't even need to descend for a second to know he was about to slam her neck against the floor again, and she managed to grab his arm and free herself from the attack. Again, the two landed the same distance from the center.

They quickly engaged in a fistfight again, having Kim defend herself against Val's punches. However, since his legs were idle, Kim slipped one of hers around Val's, and started her onslaught. This kept Val pinned in place unless he wanted to lose his balance and fall. As she expected, it wouldn't be easy as he defended himself by pushing her fists away. He too noticed that her legs were idle, and he figured out how to escape. By moving his trapped leg backward, it knocked Kim off balance, but she spun herself using her other foot to keep from falling. She was able to quickly use her now-free leg to attack, using the same spin to deliver a kick. Val caught her foot in his hands just inches away from his face. This time, he decided to pull Kim forward as he dashed under her, thrusting his leg as hard but quickly as he could into Kim's spine.

To everyone's surprise, it sent Kim flying high into the air. The throw was enough to even send Kim higher than the helicopters.

Val was ready to deliver an endless barrage of grave punches to Kim to save her from the fall, and he didn't bother to keep his eyes open while performing the attack. He had mastered it from long ago. He knew what to do.

But he should've kept his eyes open.

Instead of striking Kim in the stomach, he felt both of her hands wrap around his. She was able to turn her body upward as she descended, anticipating this kind of attack. Now that she had a grip on cold steel, she used the momentum in her fall to swing her legs around to the side and send both of them straight into the side of Val's head with one blow.

Only afterward did she finally land back on the floor, only to find Val still on his feet and ready to engage her once again.

Crafty…

It appeared that he was about to thrust his human fist at her, and she moved to the side in reflex. However, just as his fist connected to where her head once was, he cancelled out the move and instantly grabbed Kim. His metal arm was wrapped around her, his hand with a firm grip on one of her shoulders, and a leg wrapped around one of hers. Now both were facing the same direction. He quickly went for a front somersault throw that would have Kim following his motion and landing on her back. Like before, she figured out how to escape in time, and Val tossed himself onto his own back. Laying down, he grabbed one of Kim's legs and attempted to throw it, but she tried to shake him off. In the end, he ripped the bottom portion of her pant leg off. He threw it at her face in an attempt to blind her momentarily, but she slapped it aside. But once she resumed her sight to Val, he was nowhere to be seen.

Kim quickly figured that he was right behind her, and the fact that Val had already slammed one of his knees into her spine wasn't the cause. The blow was enough to send Kim in the air again, and Val used the same leg to perform a vertical axe kick that sent Kim back on the floor. Once she opened her eyes, she saw a boot ready to crush her skull. She grabbed it with both of her hands just inches away from her nose, and used the weight of it to get back onto her own feet. Val was eager to swing his other leg across her face, but missed as Kim slanted her spine backward. Her grip still strong on Val's foot, she swung him around and tossed him upward into the air, upside down and his back facing her. She ran a couple of steps before launching herself in the air and delivering a dragon kick (that's an airborne kick that uses the momentum of a run to knock your opponent down even if they manage to guard against it) onto Val's spine. It struck, but he was able to flip his body in the air, ready to land on his feet.

Come on. I have yet to see what you're made of.

I'll be glad to deliver.

Things took an abrupt turn when Kim tried to ambush him with a serious offensive. She didn't even allow Val to get on the ground before slamming her foot on his and punching him in the face repeatedly. She didn't allow for an ounce of breathing space, striking him with whatever she had every time his head recoiled. Since he couldn't even line his head up with hers, it was impossible to accurately shove her fists away and defend himself. This went on for at least seven seconds before Val's head snapped back in a completely different direction, and he was now able to see what was going on. As she was ready to deliver a left hook, he caught onto her fist with his right hand. She was about to counter with her own right, but he moved her arm around so that she wasn't able to make contact, and trapped it between her arm and his. Letting out an intense battle cry, he quickly unleashed a powerful uppercut on Kim with his metal hand. It was more than enough to send Kim screaming in pain as her body flew in the air, crashed onto the floor and rolled several times before she came to a full stop right next to Ron. He maintained his distance as everyone else kept their ground from the shockwave that spread throughout the arena.

"KP!"

The blow rendered her almost unconscious, and there was reason. What caught the attention of everyone on the roof was that it started to suddenly rain pieces of scrap metal, mostly screws. Once Ron turned his attention to Val, he was still standing with his arm high in the air.

But there was no hand to go with it.

The blow Val delivered to Kim was so powerful that it destroyed his entire cybernetic hand. This even put him in a state of shock. Because he designed his arm to have the same weight and mass as his human skeletal arm, he could only imagine if he had used that fist instead. Because there were no nerves in his bio-mech arm, he didn't feel any pain at all. With Kim nearly incapacitated, he collapsed onto his knees, panting for air. He was clearly starting to grow exhausted.

On Kim's end, Ron tried to yell as much as he could to wake Kim up.

"Kim! Get up! Answer me! Please respond! Come in, Kim! Earth to KP!"

Finally, his girlfriend let out a painful moan. "Ron… I'm awake, okay…?"

He could see her wince with every movement of her jaw.

"You all right?"

Kim decided to speak through clenched teeth to avoid further pain. "I am so going to feel that for a week. Ow…" She hadn't realized that her opponent destroyed a limb with that last blow, spitting out a small mist of blood through her teeth. "At least my jaw's not broken. But still… ow…" She was quick to rub her eyes and her head, and focused on rubbing her chin afterward. "Ow…"

Ron to say the least was surprised. From the impact of the blow and the way Kim flew in the air, it looked like it was more than enough to break her jaw. She should have been spitting out all her teeth at this moment. But she only pouting as she did in cheerleading practice when Bonnie destroyed the pyramid and sent her falling nine feet below. It was amazing she was still conscious.

"You're incredible, Kim. I thought you were down for the count!"

Kim rubbed her jaw further as she spoke through her teeth. "Well, Ron. This is what happens when you eat a nutritious meal everyday," she weakly smiled.

Apparently, Ron thought the whole "strong bones through a balanced breakfast" was just a conspiracy theory or a myth, since he had been doing it for as long as he could remember and nothing showed (and half the time he ate Bueno Nacho, which we all know was anything but a nutritious meal). It never occurred to him that it played a huge role in his training and even the incident at the hangar.

Kim wanted to get up, but the pain multiplied tremendously once she got onto her feet. In reflex she instantly got onto her knees. She couldn't see what was going on with Val because of the helicopter spotlights forming a silhouette of him, but she could see that he too was panting for air.

Break time.

---

"Hon, did you just see that?"

"I did… oh, poor Kimmie. But I hope she's right in it not being broken…"

"Kim will be fine. Now that other guy, I can't believe he destroyed his own hand like that!"

"I know! That is so cool! If he decides to take on our sister with only one hand, that would be just-"

"Boys, we've told you many times before, no rooting for the villain!"

"Sorry, Dad."

---

But the hand wasn't quite the reason Val was panting. Like his opponent, he had weaknesses of his own, and his primary one was not knowing when to quit. This wasn't the first time he engaged himself in a fight today. He had already taken on the three teen teams, Kim in a Hind F, both fighters of Team Possible, Ferno, Yori, Elurt, and now Kim again. He may have been AAA-grade material in just about everything, but his flaw as a fighter was that he barely took his stamina and vitality into mind.

He had also become fully aware that Kim's fighting abilities had multiplied tremendously in this bout. Upon his further research on the well-revered hero, he gathered footage on Kim's many fights. She was not only able to keep her cool, but she was a quick thinker in combat, able to utilize all of her limited abilities quite well. Defense, offense, counters, throws; she had it all down. He had hoped that with Kim's training with her ninja boyfriend that she'd learn so much, but he found himself disappointed to no end how carelessly she fought him the first time with just her fists. Even he knew that brute strength and anger would not easily determine the victor. If Kim could only fight him out of hatred and lose focus of who she was and what she stood for, then she was finished. Shego had fought her for that reason alone, and Monkey Fist fought completely out of arrogance; overestimating his own abilities and underestimating all those who stood in his way. There were times where they won, but their records consisted almost entirely of losses by the high school student.

As much as Val himself denied it, he too was arrogant. Of course, most people at eighteen would just die for the knowledge, experience, and abilities that were his, but Val didn't let them go to his head this time around. He was confident of what he could do, and while he refused to see himself as all-knowing, he did a lot of research on everything his mind came to. Although he gave off the appearance that he was completely insane, he actually did have a good notion of what was really right and what was truly wrong in a world gone mad. It got to the point where he wanted to actually challenge the whole world and reform it. But with all opposition in high numbers, it would not be easy.

He had a few things on his mind, and with the fact that he wasn't engaged in combat, he gazed upon his opponent. The last blow did seem to put in her in instant pain, but at the cost of a limb; one that while designed to be just as strong and fragile as human bone. He was only slightly surprised now, remembering that the Bio-Mech technology wasn't quite as revolutionary as everyone must have thought. He knew that Kim and Ron would easily see it as an advantage on his part, but now he was at only a slight disadvantage. Yes, slight. Before having to completely reassemble his arm the first time, he learned how to defend himself without a hand. He couldn't directly attack now, but he could still hold his own. One hand was all he needed.

He wasn't going to give up just now. Good thing on his part, too, as Kim was starting to get back on her feet. She cracked her knuckles before resuming her battle stance. In return, Val got back into his own. Instead of charging at each other as they had done again and again, they chose to slowly engage each other. When they were close enough, they walked in circles. The audience couldn't tell whether they were trying to make up another strategy for themselves or try to anticipate the next move.

You're tougher than I thought.

It'll take more than that to knock me out.

Then Kim started out, dashing to Val's side in an attempt to shoulder slam him, but he had performed the same move just as she did. As before, they knocked each other back but were quickly at it again. Kim knew that she got him good with her onslaught of punches to his face, at least until the uppercut came along, and she had to land a move like that again. She knew it would be a bad idea to do it again so quickly, so she went for one of her usual attacks. Low punch to the gut and-

Val was quick to catch her fist before it reached him and tossed her across the roof. Kim was quick to catch the sitch she was in and landed on her feet. She quickly went for Val again, but now she was focused on striking his left. Without a hand he wouldn't be able to deliver a fierce offensive. Wrong. Every time Kim went to attack there, Val grabbed whatever appendage she attacked with and tossed her across the room. There were also many times where he tried to slam her onto the ground, sometimes using his own body to harden the blow, but Kim managed to escape every counter that came her way. Even if Val was successful in throwing her, she always landed on her feet.

She kept firm in thinking his left was a weakness, but Val knew that using an arm without a hand would easily confuse his opponent, if not gross her out. He would feign a punch with the very arm to throw Kim off, as there was no fist to attack her with. But that didn't also leave him defenseless. Often he would tangle his arm around her right arm and keep advancing to prevent her from escaping, but Kim was able to anyway by shoving her foot up his nose. He quickly retaliated by performing a backhand with his left arm, but Kim didn't even step back. He completely missed, quickly realizing something.

Another disadvantage: Reach.

He came to realize this after his arm went past Kim's nose, but she didn't let it get past her face before getting a firm grip where Val's wrist should have been. She attempted to turn around and pull him over and throw him on his back, but his arm easily slid out of her grip due to the absence of a wrist. Kim quickly realized her back was facing him and quickly somersaulted over him. She found it awkward that Val chose not to turn around, but it gave her a clear opening at his head, neck and back. She quickly went to attack his neck with a swift and deadly chop, but he was able to block it out with his arm. Kim repeated the same moves again and again using both hands and even her legs, but Val didn't bother to turn around as he constantly defended himself. In the middle of another attempted strike, he quickly turned spun around and kicked her straight in the gut, sending her skidding across the rooftop. She refused to take a fall.

Out of nowhere, Val let out a loud sneeze. Another disadvantage: He caught Ron's cold. But he wasn't going to let that stop him at all.

At this point, both realized that at this rate, even with their current injuries and exhaustion, they could still go at it for some time. Val was having a ball, and Kim would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't enjoying this, but even as fighters they were both still human beings.

Ron could also note this as well from where he was at. Both fighters were getting winded. At first, they had both taken several hits but went on as if nothing had happened to them. But as the fight went on, both Kim and Val were hurt by more kicks, throws, punches and counters. You could go on fighting if you didn't take any hits, but such a thing couldn't be said for the two. Their thoughts laid on this as well. They wouldn't last much longer before losing the energy to continue, so it was time to end it. They could see the sparks in each others' eyes with this in mind.

You exceed your reputation…

Compliments aren't going to help you!

How much longer can you last?

Longer than you.

We shall see.

Charging at each other for the last time, they went into an all out brawl. No special moves, nothing fancy, and defense was the last thing to cross their mind. Once they were close, Kim had landed the first punch at Val, striking him right on his temple. Once he regained himself after staggering, he struck in the same place. Kim went for a left hook, which Val blocked with his left arm. But Kim quickly used her right to strike.

From here, it was an endless clash of strikes to the face. Neither chose to defend themselves as often as they normally would, willingly taking the damage. They were exhausted to the point where it started to interfere with their minds. Kim punched Val several times in this face, and he was quick to return the favor. But instead of using his left arm as his fist, he chose his elbow as a replacement. Almost being knocked down from that, Kim did the same, usually shoving an elbow into Val's jaw right after a punch either hit or miss.

Ron was starting to get worried as blood started to make its appearance from both fighters' mouths. At this rate, he thought they were going to kill each other. Then he saw something in each of their eyes. Everything went into slow motion for Ron as he watched the two continue on. He wasn't sure why this was, but he could see the deranged enjoyment on both the face of his girlfriend and her bewildering opponent. Their clothes torn, burned, dirty, bloody and wet, their faces cut with small cuts, soaked by rain and sweat (hey, I made a rhyme), neither knew when to give up.

Then it happened.

Everything slowly returned to normal as he heard both Kim and Val deliver loud battle cries as they both lunged a hard fist into each other's faces at the same time. The bone-crunching blow echoed throughout the place as time froze. The only areas that moved on each were their eyes, soon their muscles. After that, they rubbed their sweaty fists off each other's faces. From there, Kim attacked with one more fist, but Val blocked it with his left hand.

From where Ron was, he could see Val's right hand go into a fist and charge back. He would have yelled to warn Kim, but something inside held back from doing such a thing. He could only fear the worst, but he dared to watch.

Just as he predicted, Val's arm went straight into an uppercut motion, but instead of using his fist, he turned it into an elbow blow at the last minute. If this was going to be anything like the last uppercut, he didn't want to watch, so Ron looked away and closed his eyes.

But instead of hearing the collision of human bones at high velocity, Ron only heard the wind howl. Upon opening his eyes, he saw for a split second of what happened. Just as his elbow was centimeters away from Kim's lips, she moved her head aside. As a result, the wind from the attack only sent her hair upward. Val completely missed, and he knew it. Upon making eye contact with Kim's, she could see that his eyes were those of shock. He could see a sly look in hers.

From there, Kim immediately slammed her foot on once of his, trapping him. Before he could return his left arm to normal position, she threw everything she had at him, punching him as hard as she could and using every ounce of energy she had left in her fists. Val had tried to escape, assuming that Kim's light weight would have made it easy to knock her off. But she put just as much strength in her foot to keep him secured, and would not let go. He had lost his balance a few times, and in his efforts to regain it, he only met Kim's fists further. It also didn't help that he was temporarily blinded by every sneeze.

Ron couldn't believe it. Val was getting the beating of his life. He was also starting to grow scared of Kim again, because in the past, moments like this would show an intense rage in her eyes. Yet, once he was able to focus in on Kim, he saw that there was no such thing in them.

It didn't last as Kim's face changed as she let out a loud cry that was filled with the utmost intensity.

Ron watched as she charged up her own uppercut, and Val had already been knocked into another world from her onslaught. He couldn't even see straight.

A loud, thundering and bone-cracking roar filled the air as Kim's fist made contact with Val's mouth, sending sweat flying high in the air and blood from between his teeth. The blow was so powerful that it sent him high and far in the air, and from the looks of things, it almost sent his head off and might have broken his neck. Once his body made contact with the floor again, his body rolled uncontrollably before it came to a completely stop in-between Kim and the commandos.

A weak groan from Val was enough to determine the end result of the fight.

Kim.

The fight was over. The mission was over. Everything was over.

To her, everything went silent. Beaten, panting, and yet triumphant, Kim came to realize exactly what happened as time resumed itself.

"Boo…oo…y…ah…"

The commandos knew that the fight was over, and Ron was released as they lowered their arms. The first thing he did was sprint to his girlfriend.

"Kim! You did it!"

She didn't respond, but Ron knew that she could barely maintain her footing. He wrapped one of her arms around his shoulders to support her. The commandos stayed in place for some reason, but now that the fight was over, Ron knew what came next: Answers, if Val were still conscious and alive, that is.

As the two slowly walked up to his lifeless body, they could see that his chest was moving, a clear indicator that he was breathing. Other than that, he appeared to be unconscious. Kim released herself from Ron's grip and walked up to Val's body to confirm his condition. He was out all right. Once determining this, she slowly turned around to her boyfriend.

"I… I did… didn't I?"

Suddenly, she felt a slight breeze on the back of her neck, and she turned around to see what it was. Her face met with Val's. Their noses just an inch from touching, she could hear hoarse breathing from him. Time stood still as both stared at each other. Beaten, bruised, exhausted, and barely conscious. Their eyes were not of anger and hate, but of mutual respect as warriors.

…

…

No thoughts entered their mind. They stared at each other's eyes for about ten seconds before they both collapsed backward.

Val's back quickly met the marble floor as Kim found support in Ron. He didn't even need to say anything as he saw her closed eyes. She had completely passed out, but instead of a face drawn by pain, there was a small but cute smile on it. Even though her hair was wet, dirty and tangled, her face and arms having several small cuts and some bruises, dirty and wet, there was an odd purity to her. She looked beautiful.

From here on out, Ron would carry his girlfriend in his arms.

"Go ahead and rest, KP… I'll take it from here."

The moment was interrupted when he heard a hoarse male cough.

"Sto… Stoppable…"

"Val? No way…"

Val coughed up a small mist of blood. "The fight is over… I lost… I finally lost…"

Ron could've sworn the tone in his voice was serene. "Dude, you sound like you're happy."

Val tried to laugh, but sneezed instead. "Perhaps… I wasn't concerned with winning or losing… Victory in battle doesn't mean anything to me anymore… When you fight people with endless and endless victories… it starts to grow repetitive… lose its meaning… Just being engaged in the fight was all I wanted… and Kim delivered… That was all…"

"Wait, you wanted to lose?"

"Surprised? I don't fight to win… I fight because it makes me feel alive… Fate never allowed other than endless victories… I needed something new… We become obsessed… with new… unfamiliar feelings… I only felt that once… but that was no real fight… In all honest and fairness… I lost to a beautiful valkyrie… The feeling… I can't describe it… Nostalgic…? Inner peace…? I wish I knew…"

Ron didn't know what to say.

"All tranquility aside… reach into my left pocket… In there you'll find… what's rightfully yours."

Ron did so without question, and was shocked to find a ring case.

"Why do you have this?" Ron yelled with intense anger, grabbing Val by the throat with one hand.

Val coughed again, but chuckled. "Protecting it… you were going to lose it on the fall earlier… it would be a shame to see this… go to waste… Don't worry… Kim hasn't seen it… I must admit… you have good taste in jewelry…"

Ron would normally become freaked out by the smile on Val's face, but it wasn't one of insanity. It was one of envy.

"I was wrong about you before… You really do love her…"

"Yeah, what gave it away?" Ron sarcastically asked.

"Be cool, Ron…" Val let out another violent cough. "I protected that and that's… how you show your gratitude…? Never mind… I'd expect that much… out of you for what I did…"

"Dude, if you wanted to lose, then… why all of this? I don't get it!"

"I expected that much… out of you, too…" Another grating cough. "Don't get me wrong… I wish I could really tell you… but…"

Val slowly rolled his eyes in a circular motion, referring to the commandos. He couldn't say things here?

"…now is not the time…"

Ron turned his attention to his sleeping beauty, observing all the damage done.

"So, are you satisfied?"

"Not entirely… but I got my enjoyment… she was worth it…"

Ron could only grind his teeth.

"Go ahead… say it… I'm insane… I'm deranged… I'm the worst of the worst… What kind of person would get a thrill… out of fighting a girl… like Kim…?"

"A lot of people. Monkey Fist and Shego come to mind." Ron suddenly replied calmly.

"That's… not what I meant… but whatever…"

"Look, I know you're having some kind of weird moment of enlightenment, but…"

"I know… I know… The nukes…"

"Yeah."

"There was no threat… there was never a real threat… but…"

"What, did you lie about everything?"

"No… some of… aid was tr… no… ll of w…"

Val fought his hardest to let his words make their way out of his mouth, but he passed out almost immediately.

Ron sighed. 'There go the answers again.'

His thoughts were immediately disrupted when everything turned red by gun sights. Ron's sword was still near the corner of the roof, and even if the commandos let him reach it, he didn't know how to deflect bullets from all directions. With both Kim and Val knocked out, he wasn't sure what to do.

"Um, Rufus?"

The naked mole rat had the same look on his face, putting his hands up in surrender.

"We're screwed."

Ron groaned at his pet. "Rufus, I was kind of hoping for something more… y'know, hopeful! 'We're screwed' doesn't help us much!"

The two let out an eerie gulp. Ron quickly turned around, Kim still in arms, to see the leader of the commandos approach him. He appeared to be communicating via radio.

"Yes, Ryan and Possible are unconscious. Terminate all? Affirmative."

Well, this was nice. Surrender was not an option. Ron didn't think he had a chance against this fully armed commando, not that he had time to think about it. He watched as the laser sight on the leader's rifle quickly went to his forehead, and quickly pulled the trigger without a thought. Ron shut his eyes, and was ready for the darkness to turn into light. However, everything was still dark, now accompanied by the sound of steel clashing against just about everything. Ron opened his eyes again, only to see that the commandos were all yelping in surprise as their guns were suddenly hacked in two. The ones who still had functional weapons tried to fire at Ron, but either the bullets were deflected or sliced in half. No one could determine the cause, not even Ron himself. One thing had come to mind. Stealth camo? He wasn't sure if it was destroyed in the Hind explosion.

He quickly took a peek to where his sword was, but it was gone.

He also turned his eyes to where Val was, but he was still laying there unconscious. The invisible clashing continued as baffled faces spread throughout the rooftop. Not only were the commandos' guns sliced in half, but most of their weapons had also been sliced apart. Within a minute they were all completely disarmed.

Ron became even more confused when he started to hear the radio communication again. This time, he could hear the voice on the other side as the commando winced in pain.

"ABORT MISSION! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE! DO YOU HEAR ME?"

It was a female voice. Elderly.

The commando on the receiving end had to regain himself before he answered. "Affirmative. Fall back!"

The commandos immediately took their leave as the helicopters lowered and took them in. Within seconds all of the commandos had jumped off the building and onto the helicopters and flew away. Just as Ron made eye contact with one of the cyphers, they made their leave as well, flying off into the great unknown. He had no idea what the heck just happened, but he was more concerned with the mysterious entity that saved him. Almost immediately, he could feel something in the air… a scent. It smelled of a light perfume, but not the kind you'd purchase from the store. It smelled of flowers, and not just ordinary flowers. It was then that he recognized it.

"Yori…"

Right then he saw his blade slide across the floor, coming to a stop near his feet. He hoped to see the ninja girl in front of him, but she was nowhere to be seen. Rufus didn't know what to make of it, but leapt back into Ron's pocket, leaving him alone in the cold and lonely night. Much like prom, once everyone had left, the energy in the scene went along with them. The only thing left was the wind. Like before, he was holding Kim in his arms, but this time she wasn't in makeup or a blue dress, even though one could compare the burnt clothes. Tonight was anything but romantic, and it appeared that the night was not to last much longer. A hint of light could be seen from the horizon.

So Val, whatever he was up to, failed. Was it over? In Ron's mind, it was. Confused as he was, Val was no longer a threat.

That didn't mean it was time to leave. Ron gently put Kim down and made his way toward what was still left of their equipment. Val was right, most of it couldn't be put back together. Plastic was broken or melted, wires were cut again and again, metal was bent, melted or rusted, and glass suffered the same fate. Ron found it odd that the Kimmunicator was the only device not completely broken apart. But Kim already had that on her, so Ron tried to pick up what was still important. Instead of going for the exterior parts of their equipment, he went entirely for hardware chips and put what he could in his pockets. It wasn't a lot. Most of them had been burned by the fires of the Hind or soaked by the rain, but whatever was left he still picked up.

If anyone else were to arrive on the roof later, there would be no trace of Wade's technology to duplicate. Then he found it. The stealth camo. The plastic cover only suffered burnt marks, but the device inside was completely unharmed. He also put that in his pocket as well. Could be handy.

After that, he picked up his girl and carried her toward the stairs, but he stopped when he heard an approaching noise. Rotors. Much to his delight, with frustration, he saw that official Bay City police helicopters were on their way.

"Oh, now they get here."

Ron didn't even need to do anything to grab the pilot's attention. There was more than plenty of space to land, but Ron decided to put Kim on one end of the building, and drag Val to the same area. For their own safety, of course. He didn't seem to have a problem with picking up Kim and putting her down repeatedly, and picked her up again as the plane was coming to a land. He shielded both his and her eyes from the winds.

When the plane would land, the police would offer to help with Kim, but he refused. He chose to carry her all the way in. The pilot didn't appear to be surprised that Ron looked frustrated as he lay Kim to rest inside.

"What took you so long?" Ron demanded.

"We were ordered not to arrive at the scene. Some other team already had it handled, we were told."

"From who? Which team?"

"I'm not authorized to answer those questions, I'm afraid. But we couldn't just sit back anymore."

Ron didn't even bother anymore. It took off right after that, and from the window he witnessed as another police team tied Val up and took him away in another chopper.

---

Colors. Both cool and warm colors… beautiful colors…

"R…. Ron?"

"Looks like you're awake."

Once Kim's vision became clear, she could see a beautiful sunrise. There was a dark and shady person nearby, and came to realize they were on the rooftop of a small building. The second she interpreted all of this, she grabbed Ron as hard as she could and gave him a hard and tight hug. Once she released herself, she blushed in embarrassment to find that Ron was still carrying her in his arms. She was quick to become distracted by the red sunrise, being absorbed in its colors.

"It's beautiful…"

"Yeah. I figured this was a nice view."

"It is…"

Both kept their eyes onto the vibrant colors of the skies, and it wouldn't be long until the sun would come and light the city.

"So… what happened?" Kim knew when she was out, but not what happened during then.

Ron didn't pick it up immediately. "What? Val? He said there was never a nuclear threat, but he passed out before he could deliver the details. Police got him."

"Oh. Did he say anything else?"

Ron didn't even notice anything suspicious in Kim's tone. "Nothing important, and you know I only remember the important stuff."

Kim giggled. She knew what Ron was hiding, but she would let patience build up her excitement. "Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it's all over?"

Ron sighed. "Val's no longer a threat, but there's a lotta unanswered questions, too."

The city was silent and peaceful for the time being, and the two wanted to enjoy this moment. Ron would slowly notice that Kim's fingers were crawling up his cheeks. Once he turned to look at her, he took a deep gaze into her beautiful green eyes, shining with red from the sky. Ron also had the same look in his eyes, and it wasn't long before the two engaged in yet another long and passionate kiss that would last for several minutes. It was a long and hard time for them, and they finally got what they deserved from it. Kim had waited for a moment like this for so long, a long kiss in front of a beautiful sunset. Normally Ron would sleep in, and sometimes she would too. But the scene was just too perfect. She melted like butter from the sensation. After a long few minutes, their lips departed.

"I love you, Ron Stoppable."

"I love you too, Kim Possible."

Kim giggled and gave Ron an Eskimo kiss right on the nose. While her body was still in pain, she also felt a huge load of relief, like a huge boulder of strain and stress fell right off her back.

"Um, Ron?"

"Uh huh?"

"You can put me down now. I think I can stand."

Ron already forgot he was holding her. "Oh, okay."

It took Kim some time to balance herself as Ron gently released her, but she managed. She quickly cuddled herself up against him, rubbing her head onto his chest. Maybe Val was right about one thing, the feeling of love when you hold someone tightly; it was enough to warm your blood in a sensational feeling. Kim could never explain it, but there was something about being in Ron's arms she loved so much. The beauty of the scene started to slowly dwindle as the city itself woke up. It wasn't long before cars were running and people were walking. But to their surprise, they heard a clicking sound from behind.

A camera.

When they turned around to see what it was again, the noise was heard again. The person behind it gave them a cute beam. It was obviously not a cypher.

"Jen!"

The blonde with the camera waved. "You guys are so cute together! I am so jealous."

Both Kim and Ron blushed, not knowing what to say to that. Jen took the moment to take another picture, and both hid their faces.

"Aw, c'mon! Don't hide now!"

Kim giggled as she pulled her hands away from her face. "Stop it…! Why do you have a camera?"

"Memories worth remembering, duh," she smiled. "And besides, look at the beautiful scenery. It's so romantic. I gotta hand it to you, you two really belong together."

Kim cleared her throat. "You don't suppose we could enjoy the moment further?"

Jen shook her head uneasily. "That's actually the reason I'm here. I know it looks good, but you have to be extremely careful in this town. The second the sun comes up, it unleashes a blinding light all over the city for a split second. I don't think you would want something like that to ruin the moment."

Ron lightly scoffed. "Blinding lights? Psshaw! Ron can handl-"

Just as Jen said, once the sun appeared, it released a blinding light. She and Kim covered their eyes as Ron got a front row seat.

"AAAH! It burns us! It burns us!"

Running around while covering his eyes, it was no surprise that he lost his balance and collapsed backwards. Both girls laughed.

Jen offered to help Ron up. "Well, now that that's out of the way, it's good to see you both made it out of there in one piece."

"How about you?" Kim asked. "What happened with you?"

Jen pulled Ron onto his feet, patting the dirt off his back. "I guess all the commotion on the Tower caught the attention of the people, and riots broke down on the outskirts of the city. Good thing I was armed with a flying battle tank. Even though I scared the crap out of everyone, it kept them from looting and destroying things."

Ron noticed a smile crawled its way onto her face. "Had fun, didn't ya?"

"Heck yeah!" she cried ecstatically, "Too bad it ran out of fuel and I had to land it elsewhere. I wouldn't mind having one of those puppies around to fly in."

Kim smiled. "Figures."

"But one thing bothered me, though."

"Let me guess," Ron smirked, "No police?"

"Yeah… it makes no sense."

"One of them helicopter pilots told me they were ordered not to interfere, that those commandos had everything covered."

Jen was lost in thought. "I've never seen those guys in my life…"

Kim was suspicious of who they were as well. "I didn't understand that myself. Ron?"

He merely shook his head. All of them were clueless.

"Well… I suppose we can look into that later."

Everyone kept silent for some time.

"So I guess this is it, huh?" Jen pondered. "It's really over."

"Yeah." Kim answered. "Val's no longer a threat and was taken in by the authorities. Took them long enough, but they got him."

Ron noticed something different with Jen. "You… look kinda depressed."

Jen crossed her arms. "I guess. I just… I don't know. This was my first trip around the world and I have to say, it was a blast working with you guys. I know there were some hard times, but in the end, this was one heck of an adventure. I'll never forget it. It's just hard to believe it's over."

Ron was almost tempted to hug the girl and assure all was well. She sounded like she was going to cry, but Jen sucked it up. Instead, Kim made a welcome offer.

"Why not join us?"

"Join you?"

"Well, let me put it this way," Kim warmly elaborated, "We really don't have any solid allies. Sometimes we get help from someone other than favors on our missions, and we never see that person ever again. I have to admit, I was skeptical about the whole team thing at first, but with all the help you - and admittedly Yori - had to offer, maybe it would be good to expand the whole save the world thing. I've got enough favors for them to pick you up and meet wherever we are. Honestly, I don't know if we could've pulled this off without your help. We could really use your help later on."

Looking into Ron's eyes, he seemed to agree. There was a long moment of silence as the warm glow from the sunrise lit up the city, the light reflecting through every window of every building, painting the area in magnificent light rays.

"That's so nice of you, Kim." Jen then lifted her head up with a confident smile. "But I can't. My place is here, my home. I still have my own family and some of my own friends here. This is where I'm needed. But… next time you're around, just whistle. Maybe we can take on some goons again, or maybe we could just hang out. There are so many places I wish I could take you to, but you're both probably homesick."

"We are." Kim expected Ron to say the same thing, but he just nodded instead. He was getting better in anticipating Kim's jinx attacks.

"You don't have to worry about the city. I can handle it."

"With the help of your gear head, of course." Ron smirked.

Jen's face lit up with this comment. "'Of course' indeed."

Kim's face went to limbo. "So… you're serious about him? I mean-"

Jen crossed her arms. "Oh, c'mon, Kim. He told me that you turned red once you laid eyes on him for the first time."

"But tha-"

"That's nothing. He's really not that bad. He might be a huge dork and a geek, but he's cute and not afraid to be who he is."

"And that's what matters, huh?" Ron asked.

"It works for me. I know he's shy about it now, but he'll come around. I hope."

"I'm sure he will." Ron assured her.

"Thanks." There was a moment of silence before something else came to mind. "So you guys are heading back to Middleton already?"

"Probably," Kim answered. "Besides, we don't have a place to stay here. I so wish I could stay just to get some sleep. I am in so need of a long nap."

Jen shook her head. "Oh, I can make accommodations for that."

"You can do that?"

Jen scoffed. "Duh, Kim. My last name is Ferno for a reason. Daddy and I already got you both covered in the same room you stayed in before. You need it. Just ask the newbie at the front desk and she'll give you the keys to your same room, or a new one if you need it. It really doesn't matter."

Kim put a hand on one of Jen's shoulders. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

Shortly afterward, both girls were gasping for breath when Ron squeezed them with a bear hug. "I don't want this to end! I like it here!" After he let them go, he shed a tear from his eye. "I don't want to leave Bueno Nacho… but it's in good hands!" he sobbed.

Jen chuckled. "It's okay, Ron. Trust me, daddy knows what he's doing. And if you have a problem with it, his door's open for you. You can drop by anytime. Just call and we'll have plane tickets ready."

"I'll hold you to that."

Just then, everyone could hear the sound of electric sparks on the edge of the roof, spurting out the image of a human. Once the stealth camo wore off, another colleague was revealed.

"Hey Nev." Ron calmly welcomed.

"Hey you guys." Nev smiled. "Glad to see you're all okay."

"No big," Kim modestly spoke as she always did. "I'm just glad it's over."

"I hope so. You guys have been through a lot… I should've known that Val was behind it…" he spoke with a hint of remorse.

"Well, we missed it as well," Kim admitted. "But we'll get some answers once the police interrogations are done with, Val gets sentenced and the rest."

"I wouldn't be too sure on that," Nev said with skepticism. "If you consider how long it took for them to get here, I mean. But considering everything involved from the Hind blast, the Harpuia and the fight going public, and those commandos, I don't think it'll be an overnight job. The paperwork for just homicide takes weeks. Imagine what will happen here."

Everyone sighed. He might have had a point.

"So I guess this is goodbye, huh?" he asked.

Ron sighed. "I guess so. I don't suppose you'd move back to Lowerton anytime soon, would you?"

Nev shook his head. "Sorry compadre, but this is my new home. Besides, the old place was already raided, and here I've got so much more. As beautiful as Lowerton was, it's nothing more than a painful reminder of a terrible past. Here, I can move on. I have some people here to thank for that."

No surprise Jen turned red.

Kim had a sad look on her face. "You think we'll be seeing you again? You've also been a great help with the hardware and weapons, and I know you've gotten Wade jealous a few times that you knew more than he did on a few things."

Nev smiled. "Well, he's better than I am at getting new information, while I'm pretty handy when it comes to stuff I already know, but then I haven't been completely accurate with everything. We have our own areas we're experts at, but I promise I'll keep in touch. If Wade suffers from a spike again or has trouble finding out something, give me a call."

"You heard when he got spiked?"

"Of course. That's how we first met. He was able to get on the hacker's board that same night, saying that he was spiked by TI. I was the only one who could help him recover all his data. Well, not even that. It turns out that all they did was blow a fuse, but nothing on his hard drives was lost. He wanted to know how he could repay me, and I wasn't sure how much he knew with constructing battle suits with thick but silky armor, but he knew more about it than anyone else I knew. It wasn't long before we became colleagues. A few weeks later, you two arrived at my place and the rest is history."

Kim stretched. "Heh, I should've known."

"He's probably hard at work at building new equipment for you both, since Val took them apart. Have him call me if he needs anymore hardware."

"So you heard?"

"I had a transmitter on Jen relaying all audio just in case a video jamming signal came to play. Unfortunately, it was one way."

Jen's eyes widened. "You did what? Where is it?"

Kim and Ron giggled as Jen frantically went looking for the object Nev mentioned.

"It's where your belly button is," he sheepishly confessed.

"Nev, you are such a dork!" Jen playfully cried.

"Only the very king himself," he gloated. "But yeah, I heard everything from Val's rant to the fight on the Judgment. Unbelievable, and here I thought I knew the guy."

"You didn't happen to find anything out, did you? I mean, about his past, The Bosses, the nukes, anything else?"

Nev sighed as he shook his head. "Apparently not. I had no idea about his other girl or these 'Bosses'. I don't even know what the commandos were about, but I'm confident they're not GJ. However, I was able to intercept those cyphers right after they left, but the data in them revealed nothing other than the footage of the final duel. I can make copies if you want."

"Maybe…" Kim quickly responded with her mind elsewhere. "What about the nukes?"

"Wade and I are actually pretty sure they're in France, but they keep telling us they haven't found jack. If Val said there was no threat and the one Elurt had was a fake, maybe he didn't steal it after all. But then again, we got surveillance pictures of where they were supposed to be at, and they're not there. So I don't know."

Jen broke in. "I guess Val's the only one who does. So where's he at now?"

Ron answered. "Police took him away. I wasn't able to get much out of him at all."

Everyone knew at least one detail Ron was hiding, but kept silent about it. They could only hope Wade or Nev was able to gain control of a satellite to record the very moment when Kim would see that ring case again, and what was inside of it.

Something did come to Ron's mind, though, oblivious to everyone else's thoughts. "What happened to Yori, anyway? She's the reason KP, me and Val are still alive."

Jen took her attention upward and cleared her throat. "You can come out now."

Right there and then, Yori appeared out of virtually nowhere, standing in the middle of the roof and separating the two 'teams'. Her face was anything but happy.

"I found her shortly after landing the Harp. Anything you want to say?" Jen asked as she crossed her arms.

Yori let out an exasperated sigh. "Again, I apologize. I should not even be here."

Kim and Jen kept a skeptical look on their lips, but Ron put a hand on Yori's shoulder. "Yori, you're being too hard on yourself. I never even got to thank you for saving my butt from those commandos."

Yori kept quiet. Kim, Jen and Nev chose to do the same. This was a conversation between just the two trained ninjas.

"Look, we all know you didn't do the right thing, especially with your motives, but obviously mistakes were made. Everyone's here made a mistake, and not just at one moment of their lives."

Ron became focused on everyone else.

Kim sighed. "Centurion Project, thinking Ron wasn't BF material, going in some areas alone, fighting him in Thailand…"

Jen crossed her arms behind her head. "That night on the roof where I tried to kill you, eating Kim's food in Nev's lab, leaving Ron to handle the fake nuke, no offense, walking in Elurt's room without closer inspection…"

Nev let out an embarrassing whistle. "Putting some kind of experimental protocol in Kim's battle suit, putting a baked potato in the microwave when you forget to take off the foil, making a stealth jet immune to accel/ decel heat-seeking stinger missiles, buying a VCR-DVD-combo and expect the VCR to work perfectly…"

Ron focused on himself. "And me? Giving soon-to-be villains ideas, going after some bad guys alone and being kidnapped, provoking henchmen who can kick my can, the thought of dating Shego out a long time back, seeing if Rufus could fix the computer while it was on, shoving a Bueno Nacho Burrito in my mouth right out of the oven, shoving five packs of Diablo sauce in my mouth the first time I tried it, giving Kim a wet willie when she was sleeping, among other pranks, and there was also this one time…"

Yori cut him off. "I get the idea. However, I have not done anything I have later regretted… until now."

"Don't drown yourself in regrets, learn from them. They only make you weaker, you know."

"But that does not change anything. It is my fault all of this happened."

"No it's not. You really didn't remember that Val was behind all of this when you first got involved, did you?"

"No, I did not. I only remembered when I ran like a coward and encountered him."

Ron could tell she was being truthful. "The fact of the matter is, you still helped us. We might not have been able to take down that Fefnir thing if you hadn't been there. And that cave in Tibet…"

"You… knew?"

"That Sensei could also create stuff like that out of his mind to protect us? I kinda figured that part out later on, but his bond with you is stronger. Without you we all would've froze more."

Yori still looked upset at herself. Everyone else appeared surprised at the conclusion Ron came to about the cave.

"I'm sorry. Ryan-kun was right. I manipulated myself from the very beginning, and it was my selfishness that put you all in so much danger."

Ron was about to open his mouth, but Yori didn't allow him to.

"You see… Ron-san… He was right. Now that I remember, I did participate in hopes to see you again, and seeing you with Kim… it was not that I felt jealous, but it made me realize that I fell for somebody I knew so little about. I told myself that I knew so much about you, and your bravery and perseverance was incredible. I should not have fallen for someone too fast for my own good, and I did. I was lonely up on Yamanuchi. You were the only boy there who talked to me like a normal person…"

Ron interrupted. "That's where your past comes in, right?"

Yori nodded. "When I was around eight years old, I was able to foresee the death of my parents. My father would jump off of a building after losing his job, and my mother would have been involved in a bus accident. I tried to do whatever I could to prevent it, but my interference only resulted in such things to happen. I was orphaned then, and I chose to travel around Japan to find a new life. That's when I stumbled across the school and met Sensei. He took me in and treated me with full respect. Word had gotten around why I was there, and as one of three female students, no one would dare talk to me. They thought I was death in the human form, and that was another reason why many people respected you when you left. You were not afraid to talk to me and treat me as a human. I suppose I got so lonely I became desperate for someone to care for me, and it wasn't long after our second meeting, in which Kim helped, that I realized you liked me as well. But time passed and I graduated from the school, helped a student in need, and shortly afterward, this had all began. Everything Ryan-kun mentioned about me was absolutely correct. I was a fool."

"Yori, you're being too hard on yourself again."

"It would not have worked between us, anyway," she continued. "Our lives are too different. For me, I belong with nature in a world without technology, and you thrive in it. As much as I have tried, I could never learn to appreciate it, but only to fear it. I know such things as nanotechnology, biotechnology and mind manipulation devices are not normal, but I fear in the future they will. I thought that if we lived deep in the woods, we could live in a world without such creations and appreciate the world around us, but I should have known better that you would miss your video games, cable television and more. I could not live in an urban setting even if I tried. This city for example is just too much for me, reminding me of Tokyo. Even with that said, I wanted to learn of the American culture, but I still know nothing of it to this day. And after seeing the way Kim had caressed you so many times on this journey, I knew that was real love. It is not American-style love, but what you call 'the real deal'. I could not compare, and to think I could was foolish. So, perhaps it is best that I take my departure here and not further interfere with your lives."

"You're going to go on a soul search, aren't you?" Ron guessed.

"Yes. Perhaps this time, I will travel the world and explore new places and actually learn about their cultures and traditions. I know only so little of the actual Earth itself, knowing only Tokyo and the school. Every other place is like another world. Most of my life has been spent in the school that I was more focused on my training than who I really was. Anybody can fall in love and fight, but to be aware of who you are and why you are that person, I could not understand. I never thought about who I was and why I did the things I did, and now that I think about it, I do not know. Everything Ryan-kun said about Kim about being insecure and weak, it fit me more than it ever does her. I know of what I am, but not who I am. All my life I have known myself to be just a student at Yamanuchi, and as honorable it was to be taught under Sensei's wisdom, now that I've met you, I wish to be more. I know what I did was wrong, and I will not blame any of you if you choose not to forgive me, but I wish to learn from my mistakes in order never to repeat them. I do not care how long it takes; I will find the path to my being. I know most ninja graduates choose not to live for their mistakes, but…"

"Oh, please. None of us are going to kill you."

Yori looked around and saw no hatred. In Ron's eyes, she saw forgiveness. In Nev's eyes, she saw pity. In Jen's eyes, she saw hope. In Kim's, she saw skepticism. There was a moment of silence between everyone.

"Thank you. I am not worthy."

"Yori, less self-loathing and more moving on."

Yori mentally hit herself. "Very well, but I will do so immediately. I was trained not to feel, but it appears around people I suffer such. If this is how I am as a person, then I know I must take matters into my own hands and do what is necessary for myself. We may not meet again."

Ron tried to keep a firm face, but he didn't look happy about this decision. "I won't change your mind on what needs to be done, but if this is it, it was really nice knowing you, Yori. Thanks for everything."

"I should be the one saying that. It was an honor to meet you, learn about you and fight alongside you, but it is perhaps time we departed and went our separate ways. I will never forget your bravery or wisdom. Oh, and Kim? Please take care of him."

Kim acknowledged by nodding as well.

Yori sighed. "Goodbye, Sto… Ron-san."

She was tempted to hug him, but held back. She chose only to bow before Ron, and he returned it. She slowly took a few steps back before she leapt into the air and vanished. There was no telling if Ron would see the Japanese ninja girl ever again. The only trace she left were leaves that covered her departure.

Ron sighed. "Poor girl, having no idea who she really was all these years." As much as he knew of Yori's strengths and weaknesses, she was still a friend. To him, she made up for everything by saving his butt on the roof.

Kim could only pity her in thought. She didn't particularly like people who suffered from low self-esteem, and Yori was no exception. But she did hope that Yori would find her way, and was grateful for her help in the whole thing. Instead of saying anything, she walked up to Ron and put her hand in his. One thing she admired about him was his ability to forgive people the way he did.

Jen sighed. "I feel sorry for her myself, but at least she's choosing to make a difference for herself. It's too bad, really. I enjoyed talking to her about the ninja life." She too wasn't a fan of people who never thought highly of themselves, but she grew to respect Yori on the trip, but it was the fact that she was a ninja more than anything. It wasn't anything new to her that ninjas weren't perfect.

Nev crossed his arms. "Well, maybe the next time she falls in love, she'll take her time with it. Falling in love in someone and wanting to date them in less than a week usually leads to trouble." He on the other hand met too many self-loathing girls in his life, but never formed a solid opinion on them.

Jen stretched her arms. "Maybe we should make our leave as well."

Nev agreed. "Perhaps we should."

They all sighed.

"Well, you two take care of yourselves." Kim said.

Nev pointed two fingers at her. "You too. Like I said, I'll keep in touch."

"Me too." Jen added.

Both exchanged a friendly look with Kim and Ron, then turned around and slowly walked away.

"Hey! Wait!" Ron cried.

Both turned around.

"I knew I had to ask you something and now I remember it. There's one thing I gotta know before you guys leave!"

Nev shrugged. "Well, go ahead. Shoot."

Ron scratched the back of his head. "Um… when I first got here, everyone knew who I was, but had no idea who KP was. What was up with that?"

Jen giggled. "You don't know?"

"I have no idea!"

"You saved Bueno Nacho from Drakken. Duh. At least, that's what the footage on the news showed: The man responsible for the travesty and the one who took him down. No one saw Kim own Shego, but they all saw you and Drakken, the whole 'Say my name!' thing. For someone not many people were familiar with, that was just too cool for a first impression."

Ron slapped his forehead. "I should've known."

Kim giggled as she clung onto him like a magnet. "That's my hero."

Both Nev and Jen smiled at the sight.

"Well, we'll leave you two lovebirds alone for now, but we'll be around. We'll meet again. I'm sure of it." After mentioning that, Nev flung his fingers at them in a 'see ya' gesture.

Once they both were on the edge, Jen grabbed onto him and leapt off the building. Unknownst to them, Kim and Ron ran to witness their departure. They could see that both landed on the ground safely, although Nev took a harder landing and some time regaining himself. After so, both were walking toward his bike as they shared some dialogue.

"Man, I'm going to miss those two." Nev started.

"I know, but they'll be okay. Hey, I know what'll get our minds off of it!"

"Food…?"

"Of course! C'mon, Nev, take me out to eat, pweeeaaase?"

"Act your age, Jen, please!"

Ron and Kim were shocked to find out that she had her own version of Kim's puppy dog pout – big kitty cat eyes.

"No! Stop it! Keep that up and I'll leave you here all alone!" Nev frantically yelled as he tried to run to his bike.

Jen gave into chase as she kept staring at him with the same face.

It was too much for him. "Okay, okay! Fine, you win."

She quickly snapped out of it. "Woohoo! I know just the place!"

"If you say Waffles I'll…"

"Waffles!"

Nev muttered to himself as he started his bike with Jen right behind him. "You soooooo suck."

Jen just giggled to herself as they drove away. Kim and Ron couldn't help but giggle, but just as Nev's bike disappeared into the city, they both noticed more police cars were racing to the Tower. Both didn't need to say a word to know what the other was thinking, giving each other a brief nod. They decided they were going to see what was up.

Once getting there by leaping from building to building, they were amazed to see people on the scene. A lot of SWAT members in gas masks had already quarantined the entire place, a lot of people were frantically demanding answers as to what happened but police were forced to keep them away. One of the thoughts that entered Kim's mind were the twelve teenage commandos that attacked Val at first. They probably escaped the second they regained consciousness, but she couldn't tell, trying to put her eyes on the 50th floor where that fight took place. The morning mist didn't allow her to see it. Other than that, it looked like the situation was back to normal for the most part. There were a few helicopters where the Hind crashed with what was left of Elurt. More than likely there would be nothing left of him.

Her thoughts were distracted by a hand she was all too familiar with. Ron's.

"Kim, it's over."

"Yeah, I guess so…"

Ron was able to detect something in Kim's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Well… I was glad about it first, but… it's nothing."

"No, c'mon."

"Honest moment, Ron: I can't put it into words."

"You still want to go on fighting?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm expecting more out of this, and it's not there. Something's missing. I just don't know if it's good or bad."

"Probably not anything a little more Ronshine can't solve."

Kim giggled as she wrapped her arms around him. "Maybe that's it."

Both sighed in exhaustion.

"We should go rest. This whole thing's over."

"Oh, I beg to differ."

Kim and Ron instantly went wide-eyed as they recognized the voice. They quickly set their eyes on the source of it, seeing Val being assisted to a police truck.

"Wait. Stop." Kim told the police officer holding him. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah, dude." Ron followed. "I don't know what you were really after, but you're through. It's over."

Val chuckled. "Is that what you think? Oh brother. I thought I left enough clues…"

"Val, get to the point already."

"The point? I wasn't the one behind any of this!"

"WHAT?" Kim asked. "Okay, I am so not buying it. If you're not behind it, then who is?"

Before Val could answer, the police officer slammed his nightstick into his neck. "That's enough out of you!"

Kim and Ron quickly noticed Val wasn't saying anything to begin with. But the blow wasn't enough to send Val completely out of it.

Weakly, he spit out some last words, or numbers, rather.

"45574."

This was quick to confuse Kim and Ron, more so due to the fact that Kim's Kimmunicator started to vibrate intensely, reacting from Val's words. Once the two laid their eyes back on him, he was already being thrown into the truck. It was a good thing he wasn't a transport box with the word 'Fragile' on him. Yet, his expression was calm and cool, and he even waved to Kim as the police closed the doors.

"Come and visit me sometime!"

With that, the doors shut and the truck drove off. Ron was totally baffled.

"Yeah…" Kim thought out loud. "I think I will…"

Ron sighed. "Well, there goes the usual explanation of everything."

"Ron, are you sure he didn't say anything before he passed out the first time?"

He slapped his forehead. "Oh, yeah, he did! I asked him about what was really going on, but he said he couldn't because of the commandos. He actually looked like he wanted to spill the details."

"Hmm… Sounds like he wanted a private conversation. Ron, you don't think the whole conspiracy theory about The Bosses is true, do you?"

"Not sure, but some things were just too screwy. GJ commandos that aren't GJ commandos, police that never got here until after everything was over… wait. One of the commandos was taking orders from somebody else. An elderly woman."

"A name?"

"No…"

Kim sighed in disappointment. Again she had no answers for so many questions. Right at the end of that thought, her Kimmunicator went off. She quickly answered it.

"What up, Wade?"

"It looks like you managed to defeat Val hand-to-hand. That's incredible. How did you do it?"

"Just had to do what I had to do. I really don't know how I did it. I just fought with everything I had, but I chose not to fight him as an enemy or out of a grudge."

"How were you able to accomplish that?"

"I really don't know. It just entered my mind, and the whole fight was almost completely in slow motion. I'm really not sure I won the fight to be honest…"

"Because you both collapsed at the same time?" Ron remembered.

"Yeah."

"But you delivered the final blow that finished the fight, Kim. So I'd say you were the winner, unless he went easy on you."

"I have no doubt that he went full throttle with the look in his eyes. My jaw still hurts."

"But you still beat him."

Kim sighed. "What for? Now that I know there wasn't a nuclear threat in the first place, and now that he said he wasn't behind it, the fight was nothing more than just another win…"

Ron had a hard time believing it. "That doesn't sound like you at all, KP."

"I know. I told myself that I wanted to fight him at first just to end this, but I don't feel like I really gained anything this time."

"You're wrong, Kim."

Kim was surprised to hear these words out from Ron.

"This wasn't simply just a fight to destroy your opponent, to win or lose. There was something more involved. Before you just did what you had to do to get someone out of the way. I gotta admit sometimes in your fights with the Ice Shadows, I thought that sparring with you was a bad idea because of the way you went overboard at times. Just that creepy smile when you won, scary. But when you fought Val, you were completely cool. You might tell yourself that you fought to win, but I saw something different in you as you fought. I hadn't seen you fight with that level of cool since before we started dating. And often, you just used CQC and survival techniques, with a bit of theatrics, but this time you fought with everything you knew. I hope it's not the last time I see you dominate like that."

"Maybe it hasn't hit me yet… Maybe you're right."

"Only you know what you felt, KP, but I know what I saw."

Silence filled the rooftop. Maybe that's what she felt, but she didn't get the rise that Val did from it. Ron saw it as denial.

Kim was quick to change the subject. "Let's focus on the real problems. I wish I could have just gotten something out of him… but so much of this doesn't make sense. There's no threat but the nukes are missing, I don't know if he had another motive for broadcasting our fight on live TV, and especially what those commandos were for and why the police weren't around."

"I'm already on it, Kim." Wade replied.

"Find anything?"

"Not yet, but don't concern yourself over it. Just leave it to me. I'll drop a line if I find out anything new, and you'll be the first to know."

"As always." Kim smiled.

"So what are you two going to do now? And don't mention police reports or interviews. I've already gotten that covered as well."

"Spankin'. I wouldn't mind going home, but I think I'm going to take up Jen's offer and head back to that hotel Ron and I stayed in. I so need the rest, and probably a desperate shower. If my parents call, tell them Ron and I are fine."

"Already relayed the message. They called right when the broadcasting signal from the cyphers were taken offline."

"You rock, Wade, but I just have another favor to ask."

"Your equipment?"

"Yeah. Sorry you have to do it all over again…"

"I heard. But I guess it's time I finally upgraded everything. If Val took them all apart, there's no telling who else will in the near future. I'll get on it once I'm done with all the paperwork is done…" The sound of a printer turning off could be heard. "And that's that. Go back to the hotel, Kim. Rest. You've earned it."

"Wade, you're the best. You should get some rest, too. I'm sure you've been up all morning."

"Just about all of us. Nev, Jen, Yori, your friends and families here in Middleton. We'll be awaiting your return. Take it easy until then."

Communications ceased.

A positive look on Kim's face turned into a cynical one. "But there's still no telling when we'll find out what Val meant by everything, even after everything's said and done."

Before Ron could say anything to counter this, he noticed a smile crept its way onto her face again.

Kim seemed to be lost in thought. "Everything's going to be okay. I already have a plan."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"I'll explain it later. But right now…" she let out a huge yawn. "I need my hours of sleep back."

Ron chuckled. "Hotel service, here we come!"

Because their presence wasn't needed at the Tower anymore, they both walked through the streets of town and back toward the hotel. On the way, however, Ron decided to wrap his arm around Kim, aimed at her lower back. But after tripping on a sidewalk tile crack, it went a little lower. Kim's whole body went straight, oblivious to Ron's own clumsiness.

"Ron! Did you just grab my butt?"

He went frantic. "I tripped! I didn't mean to, I swear! It was leverage, Kim! LEVERAGE!"

An angry look on Kim's face quickly went into a sly smile. "Oh… too bad…"

If the sudden seductive look on Kim's eyes and lips already scared Ron, what came out of her mouth did much more than that.

"Do it again."

Ron almost fell onto his face with this. "Kim!"

She burst out into laughter. "Oh, Ron, I'm only kidding!" She even went on to grab his cheek. "You are so cute when you're shy!"

Ron couldn't believe what was going on here, and Kim was able to easily read the confusion on his face.

"See? This is why I need sleep!" she excused as she let out a loud yawn.

He didn't know whether or not to believe her, but he got an idea, abruptly grabbing Kim and held her over his back.

It caught Kim by surprise. "Ron! What are you doing?"

"Just go to sleep now, and I'll carry you to the hotel!" he answered.

Kim tried to escape his grip, but with no success. "Ron! Let me go! I was only joking!"

"Yeah, and you're freaking me out!"

"Ron, I mean it! Put me down!"

She started yelling hysterically when Ron started to run.

"Ron!"

"I can't hear you, KP."

"Put me down or else!"

"Not hearing anything!"

"Ron! I'm not kid… kidd… kiddin…k-!"

Kim couldn't help it, bursting out into laughter as Ron ran faster through the streets toward their destination.

"ROOOOOOON! PUUUT! MEEEEEE! DOOOOOOOOOOWN!"

---

It was going to be a long day back in the hotel room. The two quickly engaged in mucho snuggling, kissing, snuggling, flirting, snuggling, pillow fights, kissing, and some TV, then some kissing. Did I mention snuggling and kissing?

Never realizing how messed up she looked, Kim almost screamed when she went to do her makeup in the bathroom. She couldn't believe how Ron could still love a woman with this look, but even with that thought, she decided to take a shower. She was hoping to come out and see Ron's jaw drop again, falling in love with that reaction since the moodulator date. But the second she came out of the bathroom, he rushed in needing to take care of some business. He also took a shower while he was at it.

Even though some couples would grow tired of tender moments, Kim always loved it, and Ron had the energy to keep at it for some time. She didn't know whether it was the way he held her, his tender lips, how safe she felt in his arms, or that she melted like chocolate just by being close. But she couldn't get enough of it, and she instantly felt it the night of the Prom. Ron's kisses never got dull or boring, and he always held her in a way that she never grew tired of. To her, she didn't hit the top of the food chain, she hit the jackpot. Now that her thoughts were on the engagement ring, she could only wonder what other things Ron had to deliver.

But before her thoughts could continue, he came out of the shower. For a moment, she felt disappointed. Ron actually looked cooler with his beaten-and-dirty-war-hero look. But it wore off quickly once he crashed into bed and she rubbed her cheek against his.

For a moment, it looked like things were about to get a little bit too tender. Ron had reached for the strap on Kim's shoulder, and she had her hand on his belt. They didn't let the feeling show in their faces, as their eyes were closing. It looked like the moment people either embrace or fear.

Instead, their eyes completely closed and loud snoring from both filled the room. They wouldn't wake up until long after the sun had gone down that day.