Author tries not to cry: So this is it. Well, there's still the epilogue. If you are reading this just before your work shift is about to start… go to work! The story will still be here when you get back. Besides, this chapter's a long one. And this after I did a ton of cutting and editing. But I guess I didn't want a quick goodbye, much the way Tolkein reluctantly ended his masterpiece (not that this work is anywhere near that, but I understand now why there are so many endings to Return Of The King). Sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter. I got called 'evil' no less than twenty times. I just wanted to write the ultimate cliffie; the universe ends and the hero vanishes. Oh, one more thing, in this chapter I put a tribute to my favorite Christmas movie: A Christmas Story. Please understand that's all it is, and please spare me any politically correct griping via e-mail, I'm just having a little fun here.
My grateful thanks to all who read this story, and actually stayed with it despite rocketing up over the two hundred thousand word count. It's over now, and I'll write the epilogue, then take a few weeks off. Then I will get started on three crossovers, all of which take place in the REUNION Universe. I know I said I would write the Incredibles crossover next, but I pushed it back.
Coming Soon: "Indiana Jones and the Idol of Destiny". Find out just how the Tempus Simia came to be in the Middleton Museum… and what Nana Possible had to do with it.
Grateful thanks to the reviewers:ar1502599, JPMod, Zaratan, cwizard, RamaFan, Andy Costa, PseudoJuliet, Happy Raven, Visigoth 29527, The Incredible WereKitty, qtpie235, Muttly, Kemiztri, aimtbj, Widow Shark, Pwn Master Paladin, Sestren NK, the X-Factor, Tazer Zero, MrDrP, Commander Argus, Invader Thing, no name, Cold-Chaos, Texas Dad, Ezbok58a, jiggcitychick, Porphyria-Kris, Sean Of War, Scoutcraft Piratess, Chao-hellsing, Autumn C, bluegman, mattb3671, WesUAH, Dreammurgurl, and Dixon-San.
With my sincerest apologies to the late Johnny Cash…
XXIV
The chaos and nothingness of the void actually had a calming effect on Yori. Here at the end of all things she was overcome by a sense of serenity.
Soon it would all be over.
She watched as Drakken flailed about for a short time then winked out of existence. Yori noted the horrified look on Kimono's face just before she also vanished.
She waited for oblivion to come to her. This would be a relief, a blessing. She wouldn't have to face the others, or face herself. She wouldn't have to live with the consequences of what she had done, both to herself and those who had considered her a friend.
'What exactly is the sitch between you and… Stoppable-san?'
Kim had asked her that more than a decade ago.
And what was your reply?
Yori noted with some dismay that the Voice had not ceased to exist.
In the distance, Shego, misery plastered on her face, disappeared.
Come on, answer the question!
Yori realized she wasn't breathing, though she was not losing consciousness either. She simply existed in an eternal gray void with a few remaining people and objects and what looked like two bands of energy - one crimson and one a yellowish color - stretching into forever.
Yori tried to answer the question aloud, but no sound came form her mouth.
'A bond of honor' Yori thought to herself.
Not exactly 'I'm in love with him', is it?
'I… I was not raised to express my feelings well.'
Ah, so this is all Sensei's fault.
Several of the Ohana Blades winked out of existence.
'No… it is not.'
Good answer. Because the truth is, if you love someone enough, you'll tell them. You'll tell them and understand that you cannot make them love you in return.
Again, tears emerged from Yori's eyes.
Something bumped in to her shoulder. Yori turned her head and saw the Tempus Simia beginning to drift away from her. She reached out and took it into her arms, cradling it as though it were a newborn child.
'Soon,' She thought, 'It will be over very soon now.'
So we've established that 'a bond of honor' is a poor substitute for 'I love him'. What do you suppose it means when someone says 'I would follow you back to your world, or any other, just to gaze upon your beauty'? That goes well beyond 'I think you're a hot chick', yes?
'Yes.'
It does because you knew what he meant when he said it. He would gladly devote himself to you.
'He wouldn't now.'
No?
'No."
Look up to your left.
Yori's head swiveled around and her eyes locked with Kintaro's. He was drifting, not too far away from her, and he was not panicking. Yori could sense he understood what was happening. In his hands he grasped the Lotus Blade.
Look at the way he's looking at you.
'I…'
He knows what you've done and even now he looks at you with eyes that hold no anger, no wrath toward you. He loves you, even though he has every right to hate you for what you've done.
Kintaro tried to say something, but no sound came from his mouth. He pushed the Lotus Blade in Yori's direction.
You are content to let your existence end. Are you content to let his end as well?
The Blade drifted toward her.
Love is not a decade-long obsession. It does not wallow in self-pity. Love puts others first, even if sometimes those others might not love us in return.
Sensei vanished. Soon after, TJ disappeared.
Sometimes a hero is someone who overcomes self-doubt and self-loathing, struggles to her feet, and carries on once more. Remember long ago when Ron told you of the night he and Kim were taken captive by Drakken? That was when Drakken unleashed those Diablo-bots on the world. I know you remember that night, you and Hirotaka spent time battling the Diablo-bot you got at the Tokyo Bueno Nacho.
'I remember'
Kim had given up. She had been beaten, and began to feel sorry for herself. As Ron was telling you about this, you realized, even if Ron did not, that it was his belief in her – his love for her – that gave her the strength to fight on; to do the right thing.
'Yes.'
Several more random objects disappeared. There was not much left now. The two energy bands began to fade.
What are those eyes telling you right now?
Yori looked into Kintaro's eyes once more.
You have the heart of a hero. And someone loves you, believes in you. What are you going to do about it?
Yori extended her hand and called the Lotus Blade. With the other hand she held the Tempus Simia out in front of her. The Lotus Blade glowed bright white as she changed it into a large hammer. She brought it down on the idol with all her strength.
Halfway through the arc of her swing, the Lotus Blade vanished.
Disbelieving, Yori watched as her empty fist swung harmlessly past the monkey-shaped idol, brushing up against the side of its head. She turned a shocked expression toward Kintaro. He returned her astonishment, then his countenance fell.
All was lost.
Yori pulled the Tempus Simia back to her, and looked at Kintaro once more. He shook his head sadly.
'What do I do now?'
The Voice did not answer.
Yori could not believe what had just happened. Now, at the end of everything when she finally decided she did not want it to end, oblivion would come to claim her after all.
Filled with despair, she began to extend her arms outward, releasing the Tempus Simia into the void. Soon she would-
Something was different.
Yori caught hold of the idol and brought it close to her face. The head of the Tempus Simia was turned slightly to its right. As many times as she had recently held the small monkey statue, she knew that the head always faced perfectly forward.
With one hand on the body, and one hand on the head, Yori turned the monkey's head further to the right and then pulled on it, separating it from the body of the idol.
Monkey Fist suddenly appeared in front of her.
In addition, one of the energy bands blazed back to its full crimson glory. From the near end of the energy stream, a ribbon shot forth, opening in a vortex near Monkey Fist.
Yori pushed the head of the Tempus Simia in Kintaro's direction. He just managed to catch it, but could not take his eyes off of what was happening.
Monkey Fist was a vision of confusion. He looked about wildly, trying to comprehend what was happening. He twisted his head this way and that, then twisted his body around to see behind him. What he saw there struck him with overwhelming terror.
Yori, her eyes blazing with wrath (the fact that, from Monkey Fist's perspective, the crimson vortex was reflected in those eyes contributed much to his fright), held the body of the Tempus Simia above her. She hurled it forward with every ounce of strength she could manage.
The idol slammed into Monkey Fist's head, shattering into more than a dozen pieces, and fracturing his skull in the process. The impact drove him somersaulting backwards into the vortex, which closed around him and the shattered remains of the Tempus Simia like a devouring maw.
Both energy bands blazed forth with the intensity of a supernova.
Yori was instantly aware of stars, then the sun, then blue sky. Air rushed into her lungs. The ground winked into existence beneath her feet, followed soon by gravity. She stumbled and fell into the just-appeared grass. The tent abruptly formed around her.
Kim Possible was suddenly standing at the entrance to the tent, her back to Yori, her arms raised over her head.
Empty apartment.
Then various furnishings and things reappeared.
Soon, she was standing before him once more.
"What…?" She looked around, confused, "Something just happened. What was that?"
"SHE DID IT!" Wade shouted at the top of his lungs. "Kim restored the timeline!"
Before Monique had a chance to react, Wade took her in an almost suffocating bear hug and planted a huge kiss on her lips, not letting go until she begged to be let up for air.
"Was that what happened?" she asked, laughing, "Kim did what you guys were trying to do?"
"Yeah!" Wade said excitedly then kissed his fiancé again, "I gotta get back to my basement and check on a couple of things. I love you, baby!"
"I love you too, ya big hambone!" Monique giggled.
Wade bounded down the stairs of her apartment building and back to his car screaming at the top of his lungs, "WOOOO HOOOO!"
Monique watched him drive off, looked up at the sun and the sky and took a huge breath of air.
"Way to go, girl!" She said quietly.
"What was that you said about bacon?" Mrs. Doctor Possible called from the kitchen.
"I said you know I always like bacon with everything, I'm surprised you still feel the need to ask after all these years." James Possible said to his wife, then looked around, "Did something just happen?"
"You know, I think something did just happen," His wife said, giving him a strange look, "What do you suppose it was?"
"Hard to say," He answered, "But I bet Kimmie and Ronald had something to do with it."
Dr. Justine Du watched as the key component she had been working on for her Quantum Disruptor reappeared in her hands. She stared at it for a minute, relishing the feel of the piece of metal and silicone in her grasp once more.
The phone at her workstation rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me."
"Darling!" Justine gushed, "Hi! How are you feeling?"
"Still pretty banged up, but much better. Did the timeline blink out and come back just now?"
"I think that's what happened, yes. Whatever it was, I had nothing to do with it."
"Well, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going crazy, or got a serious bump on my head the doctors didn't catch."
"No," Justine said laughing, "You didn't get a bump on your head. As to your sanity… that's up for debate."
"Ha ha. Hey, if you get some free time today, do you think you could bring my laptop to the hospital? I got this cool idea for a Speed Racer time travel story."
"Ugh!" Justine groaned, "Please tell me you didn't just dream up some multi-dimensional death for that poor monkey."
"Chim-Chim is evil and you know it."
"OK, OK!" Justine protested, laughing once more, "I am not having this argument again. You know what? It seems I suddenly have some free time just now. I'll run home and grab your laptop and come right over."
"Sweet! See you soon!"
"Yes you will… Wil."
THWARTED!
Somehow, some way, something had gone horribly right.
He was aware of everything around him disappearing, and was filled with a supreme sense of self-satisfaction… then, here he was again. Just… here, trapped once more in the simulation.
Apollyon looked around at the synthetic backdrop of Paris in disbelief. It had all disappeared. He'd seen it! Then it all had come back.
He noted with bitter sarcasm that he had just joined the long list of villains whose plans had somehow been foiled by Kim Possible. Because it could have been no one else but her, and her team of cohorts. With dread, Apollyon began to wonder if Ron Stoppable might have had something to do with it as well. Deep within his synthetic mind, he believed this was very likely true.
Rage consumed him. He had become like Drakken, like Monkey Fist…
…like his creator Ray Beam.
Failure began to feel like a stench that clung to him.
He turned, looking about until suddenly his vision was filled with what looked like a gaping, metal tunnel. Apollyon stepped back a couple of paces to discover the metal tunnel was actually the barrel of a sawed-off, pistol grip shotgun pointing at his head.
Holding the shotgun was a six-foot tall naked mole rat wearing a black trench coat and black leather pants.
He was also wearing a smirk.
"You lose." Rufus cracked, "Oh, and Team Possible says 'hi'."
Apollyon's world was suddenly filled with fear, fire and agony.
"DESTROY TH-" Ron skidded to a halt, blinking in surprise. He had been aware of Kim's disappearance, and the world had fallen away beneath him. But suddenly here he was again in the central camp of the enemy, his wife was standing at the entrance to Monkey Fist's tent, her arms stretched above her in an absurd sort of 'touchdown' gesture.
He took a step forward when suddenly a horse appeared in front of him. It just simply appeared, galloping from nowhere, without a rider.
Kintaro's horse actually continued to gallop for several more minutes before it realized its rider was no longer upon its back. Confused, it eventually made its way clear of the battle and found a nice meadow in which to munch grass the rest of that day.
Kim looked up, disoriented for an instant. It was as if the lights had gone out in the world, and when they came back on, the Tempus Simia was no longer in her grasp. Thinking Yori must have snatched it from her, she whirled around to see the other woman standing behind her. Instantly she went on the attack.
"Where is it?" Kim snarled, driving a fist into Yori's face.
Yori did not attempt to defend herself, and was sent sprawling. She struggled to her feet.
"I destroyed it." She said weakly.
"I don't believe you." Kim leaped into the air and brought her foot thudding into Yori's jaw, snapping her head back violently. Again, the other woman did not attempt to defend herself.
"It is true." Yori's speech was slurred by the blood that trickled from her mouth and her rapidly swelling jaw.
"We don't have time for this!" Kim growled, snatching up a short sword that lay near by. She moved quickly to Yori and took a handful of the other woman's hair in her fist, yanking her head back at an almost impossible angle.
Yori felt cold steel against her throat.
"Yes." She said calmly, though tears began to slide down the side of her face, "This you must do. Please make it quick."
Kim let go of her and took a step back. This wasn't right. Warily she scanned the room to see if the monkey idol was hidden somewhere.
"Kim!" Her husband's voice came from the entrance to the tent.
"Please," Yori sobbed, "End my life."
"It's done, Kim. Look!"
Kim turned around to see Ron. Next to him was Kintaro who was holding the head of the Tempus Simia in his hands.
"Ask him what happened!" Ron prodded, eager to know himself.
Kim did so, and Kintaro gave her a quick version of all that had taken place within the void. Barely believing it, Kim relayed the story to Ron.
"The Lotus Blade!" Ron blurted, then ran outside.
The Ohana Wraith was nowhere to be seen. In the center of the camp stood the still form of the Stone Guardian of Satsuma, surrounded by a jumbled pile of Stone Gorillas and Stone Chimp archers. None of them moved. In front of the Stone guardian, the Ohana Blades were standing, protruding from the earth as though someone had stuck them there.
Ron raised his hand and called the Lotus Blade. It sailed to him, coming to its familiar rest in his grasp.
Then he became aware that a massive battle was raging all around them. Whatever disorientation the armies had suffered, they were over it now and fighting in earnest.
"Kintaro-sama! Kintaro-sama!"
About thirty warriors came running into the central camp; they were dressed in ceremonial kimonos and carrying ornate katanas. The Imperial Shogunate Guard; elite samurai whose combat skills rivaled, and sometimes excelled, that of any ninja. They took up a defensive position near the entrance to the tent, while the captain of the guard went in to check on the condition of the Shogun. He admired the way Kintaro had led the charge when the attack began, but was somewhat vexed when he saw his new master fight his way through the enemy lines and into the enemy central encampment alone.
"Dad!" TJ's voice was heard above the roar of battle.
"Looks like this is the place to be." Ron muttered as he saw TJ helping his father-in-law into camp while Shego and Kimono followed, blasting at enemy troops. They were being protected by a contingent of warriors Hidesato had dispatched to defend them.
When the timeline restored, Drakken was so disoriented he lost control of his flying machine and they went down hard. Because they were at such low altitude, no one was killed, though Drakken broke his right arm upon impact. They would have been slaughtered immediately by the enemy had not the Zuijen who had been on board the copter set to work. Shaken and bruised, they were much relieved to be back on the ground, and thus their aim had drastically improved. They held off the enemy until Hidesato managed to get some protection over to them. But by the time they were ready to return to Hidesato, the enemy had surged forward and cut them off, so they fought their way down the hill and into the central encampment.
"You guys all right?" Ron's voice was laced with concern.
"Pop's got a broken arm," TJ panted, "The rest of us are bruised but OK."
"Up for a fight?" Ron continued, looking from his son to his daughter-in-law.
Both TJ and Kimono nodded.
So far, Ishigawa's forces were staying beyond the ring of Stone Gorillas, having been ordered upon pain of death never to enter the central encampment. And since the three armies were now thoroughly engaged, the enemy archers were unable to do anything other than fight hand-to-hand. The Zuijen, of course, continued their masterful marksmanship unabated.
Kim made a quick assessment of Drakken and assured him he would be all right. Drakken was having a difficult time staying conscious because of the pain.
Ron changed the Lotus Blade into the Cactus Blade and destroyed the Stone Guardian, shattering it into many smaller pieces. Still none of the Stone Gorillas moved. Whatever power controlled them was clearly gone.
"Get Dr. D into the tent," Ron ordered Shego, who surprisingly just nodded her head and did as she was told.
Kintaro gave orders for his samurai to guard the tent. Without questioning, they took up a defensive position around the small pavilion.
"Gear up, Stoppables," Ron said to the others, pointing to the Ohana Blades protruding from the ground nearby, "Let's finish this war!"
"Impressive." Ishigawa observed as Sensei managed to stay just out of reach of his slashing katana, "Most impressive."
Sensei said nothing. Ishigawa continued to attack his former teacher, while Sensei continued to dodge, and move back several steps with each ingress of his opponent. Sensei looked out of the corner of his eye toward the tent, trying to see if anyone might be coming to assist his attacker.
Ishigawa turned his head for an instant, following Sensei's gaze, then looked back at his old master.
"No one is coming to help you," he jeered, "You cannot pos-"
Something was not quite right.
Sensei stood there placidly observing Ishigawa. No emotion could be seen on his face. But neither was he poised as he was before, ready to dodge another series of Ishigawa's attacks.
Sensing his opportunity, Ishigawa moved to strike down his former master, but suddenly was aware of a jarring, blinding pain. He looked down to find his own katana buried in his abdomen, his hand still on the hilt of the sword. Somehow, as Ishigawa's head was turned for just that brief instant, Sensei had moved - seemingly faster than was humanly possible - and impaled the lord of Satsuma with his own weapon.
Ishigawa collapsed to his knees, still gripping the hilt of the blade, trying to remove it from him, but unable to.
"It seems you will not rule Japan after all." Sensei observed calmly.
Ishigawa turned unbelieving eyes up toward his master.
He was dead before he hit the ground.
Sensei grunted once, then folded his hands behind him and strolled over to Monkey Fist's tent.
Such was the nature of ancient warfare, however, that the enemy did not simply give up because their leaders were dead. Communication was commonly interrupted in battle, and so standing orders were always: fight to the death. Surrender was an option preferred somewhere below committing ritual suicide.
So Ishigawa's army fought on, not knowing their leader had lost his life; some of them unaware that a second army had attacked from the south. Ishigawa's generals continued to attempt to give orders as best they could, but it was difficult since something had apparently happened to Ishigawa's signal bearers who were supposed to be stationed near the central encampment. There were signals coming from the central encampment, but they were unrecognizable.
The Imperial signal bearers had gotten confused and followed the Shogunate Guard as they fought their way to Kintaro's position. But Kintaro realized that somewhere out there was the Emperor, and even combined, Hidesato and the Emperor's forces were still outnumbered almost two to one.
Kintaro ordered the signal bearers to take station atop the crumbled remains of the Stone Guardian.
"I want to know exactly where the Imperial banners are," Kintaro told the chief signal bearer, "Then tell them to remain where they are. We will come to them. Their orders are to protect the Emperor at all costs."
"Understood." The chief signal bearer bowed low and immediately began to relay the orders to his subordinates.
Kintaro tried to compose this thoughts. Most of the forces he now commanded were on the far side of the valley, and his father's army was busy engaging Ishigawa's army to the north of the castle, not to mention the fact they were likely fatigued from the siege. He needed a clear the way from the central encampment to the emperor.
He turned to Kim.
Ron, with TJ on his left and Kimono on his right, charged through the ring of Stone Gorillas and into the seething mass of enemy warriors.
Kintaro had shown them the location of the Imperial Standard bearers and asked if they could clear a path to the Emperor.
Kim stayed behind. Ron had seen the familiar look in her eyes, smiled to himself, and plunged into battle flanked by his son and daughter-in-law.
TJ wielded the Cactus Blade, and immediately set about cutting a swath into the enemy soldiers. For the most part, he kept the Blade off the ground, not wanting to lose it in the turmoil of the battle. And while the Blade shattered stone, it had a different effect on living tissue. The enemy soldiers did not burst when struck with the Blade. However, the effect on them was like being front row/center to a sonic boom. Whenever the Blade made contact with an enemy, the concussion of noise would drive enemy soldiers back, killing those closest to the Blade by shattering and splintering bone and cartilage. Others felt the booming noise go through their heads, driving consciousness and sometimes life itself from them.
Ron, of course, had the Lotus Blade. Combined with his ninja skills, the enemy soon learned quickly this was not a warrior to be trifled with. Every time they saw an opening to strike, their slashing swords were suddenly blocked by a shield that had not been there before. And upon pulling back their blades, they would then be alarmed to discover an incoming attack from all manner of vicious weapons, many which they had never seen before. Often Ron would make use of the Lotus by transforming it into the Cactus Blade, or one of the Orchid Blades.
Kimono was in possession of both Orchid Blades, and was actually having difficulty wielding two swords at once. Alternately an arc of shadow would spread out followed by a bright arc of light, and though it would temporarily confuse the enemy, Kimono was having a hard time dispatching enemy soldiers.
Then she heard a voice behind her.
"Stoppable-san!"
"Go and fight." Kintaro ordered, "If not for yourself, then for me."
All kinds of self-pitying thoughts came into Yori's head. She tried to select which one to put into words.
"No." Kintaro ordered once more, "No self-pity. No weak-minded self-flagellation. You are a hero. You have redeemed yourself in my eyes. Now go and redeem yourself in the eyes of the others."
"But what if the others do not-?"
"What does that matter?" He demanded.
"You know," Kim said walking up to stand next to Kintaro, "I can see why you were so attracted to Ron. You two have the same flare for overdramatic self-pity."
"But I tried to-"
"Did he ever tell you I kicked his butt once? Smacked him around pretty good, too." Kim interrupted.
"No," Yori answered, "He did not."
"Of course he didn't," Kim mused, almost to herself, "That's my man. He's got a heart three sizes too big. One time I beat him up while under the influence of something called a Moodulator. And he never once held that against me."
"Moodulator?"
"I know about the Chronotheta Radiation. Go and fight; not to redeem yourself in my eyes but to get back some of your self-respect. And while my heart's not quite as big as Ron's, I'll try to follow his example." Kim said evenly, "Just… you know… don't try and steal him from me ever again."
"Then we are-?"
"Oh," Kim said warily, "I don't think you and I are OK by a long shot. But I'm willing to forego demanding the punishment you and I both know you deserve… like I said, I'm trying to follow his example."
"Kintaro-sama!" a messenger came running up to the entrance of the tent. "Signal from Hidesato-sama's standard bearer. They are being driven back toward the castle! They call for aid."
Kintaro strode purposefully toward the entrance to the pavilion, "Pull three units from our southernmost position. Have them re-deployed to Hidesato's forces. Tell them to circumnavigate the castle to the west and engage the enemy from that side. In fact, let's increase that to five units."
"Yori," Kim began, "Maybe you could-"
She was gone.
Kim turned to Kintaro, "I think I may be able to help you."
"Dad?" Kimono called out to Ron.
Ron quickly glanced over at her, then nodded without saying a word.
Kimono rapidly took several steps back and held up the Black Orchid Blade. It sailed out of her grasp and into Yori's waiting fist.
Yori didn't hesitate, but in fact set to work with grim determination. She charged the enemy line, waving the Blade before her. Her opponents saw only shadow in front of them, then practically squealed in terror as the woman emerged from it in an entirely different location than they were expecting. Yori did this again and again; allowing the shadow to dissipate, fighting without using the powers of the Orchid Blade for a short while, then shrouding herself, relocating, and charging forth from a position they could not see.
Soon, the shadow did not dissipate at all. Whatever dark and angry thoughts Yori was exorcising, they seemed to manifest themselves in a black maw that slowly began to spread across the battlefield in front of her. The last thing many of Ishigawa's soldiers experienced was confusion, as they stumbled about in darkness, then were set upon by a woman who came out of the blackness at them with an unbridled fury. She would disappear into the darkness once more as their life poured from them.
Kimono soon began to inflict the most damage upon the enemy out of all of them. At first, she slashed at the enemy with the White Orchid Blade. An arc of light would spread out before her, temporarily blinding the enemy. She would manage to dispatch three or four of them before they began to regain their sight.
Then, in a moment when a group of enemy warriors charged at her, she panicked and slashed the Blade in front of her. Only this time, in her panic, her power flared up. Instead of blinding white light, an arc of turquoise energy exploded from the Blade and spread outward. Though they were not struck blind, the enemy were driven back by the force of her power. Huge arcs of warriors were pushed violently backward, crashing into their comrades, and either inadvertently killing, or seriously wounding them with their weapons.
Kimono stood stunned for an instant, then blazed up her power again, swinging the White Orchid Blade. A turquoise energy band rumbled forth and drove through the enemy ranks like a mystical snowplow. Enemy warriors were crushed against each other, or killed their comrades in a panic to escape the wave of deadly blue/green energy.
Like a flame brought to the edge of a piece of paper, Yori and the Stoppables began to hew a swath that spread southward through the ranks of Ishigawa's army.
Then, a roar in the sky. Something appeared above them.
Kim stood inside the protective ring of the Shogunate Samurai, her eyes half-closed as if in a trance. She raised the Magnolia Blades above her head and crossed them in an 'X' formation. A rumble began to build, a crescendo of roaring like a typhoon wind thundering through the rafters of an old house. The Magnolia Blades sailed from Kim's grasp and flew out over the Idzumo Valley. As they flew, they began to lose solid cohesion, dissipating in a swirling, misty apparition that resembled the long, wide petals of the magnolia flower. Larger and larger it grew until its petals stretched across the breadth and width of the valley, all the while the accompanying roar grew louder and louder until it drowned out the sounds of the battle itself.
Then, for an instant, all sound ceased abruptly, as though it were being sucked out of the air. The gigantic blossom plunged downward, and a sparkling, glittery sort of mist began to swirl in among the soldiers throughout the valley and around the castle.
In the space of a few seconds, some fifty-eight thousand soldiers of the combined forces of Hidesato and the Emperor became the most expert and knowledgeable fighters on the face of the Earth. Weaknesses were discovered and exploited, new maneuvers were invented, revolutionary new tactics were employed.
Near the castle, a newly inspired Masaharu ordered a third of his units to pull back. Dividing the other two thirds in half, he began rotating units off the line in order to give them rest. Every quarter hour, he would order the rotation of another third of his units off the line, while the rested units re-engaged the enemy. Each freshly rested wave that rejoined the battle fought with renewed energy and enthusiasm, while Ishigawa's troops became increasingly exhausted.
At the southern end of the valley, the Emperor ordered his forces organized into three separate wedge formations, then set them to a constant charge. One wedge formation would charge the enemy and engage, but leave enough space for others to get through. While they were fighting, a second wedge formation charged through the spaces of the first, driving the enemy further back, then the third wedge formation would charge and again drive the enemy back while the first formation was withdrawn, reorganized, and sent charging in once more. Ishigawa's troops did not have time to regroup and prepare for each charge, as they were too busy engaging the previous formations.
The Zuijen began firing double and triple rounds of arrows. Three arrows would launch from one Zuijen bow, and each would find a separate target. Several Zuijen began launching arrows high into the air and hitting targets across the valley. After a time, some of them even resorted to showing off, putting the bow behind their backs and firing, or turning around and firing backward. One ambitious Zuijen archer sat on the ground, extended two bows with his feet, and launched six simultaneous arrows at the enemy. Five of them found their targets.
Warriors were able to size up their opponents in a matter of seconds and exploit their weaknesses. Blades found their way into cracks in armor, or past maneuvers previously believed to be without counterattack. Suddenly, every single one of Hidesato and the Emperor's soldiers were expert, efficient fighting machines.
In the space of an hour, one hundred thousand troops had been reduced by just over half.
In the end, it was Kimono who broke through the last of the enemy forces between Kintaro and Emperor Kotei. The Emperor directed his daimyo to order a series of feinting charges northward along Ishigawa's line and rode hard for the central encampment.
Ron and his companions returned to the central encampment behind the Emperor, protecting his flank, though it was rapidly becoming clear they did not need to. Ishigawa's soldiers were being mowed down like ripened grain at harvest.
Upon arrival, the emperor ordered his standard to be lifted above the tent, and a horn to be winded.
Soon, word spread through Ishigawa's forces that the Emperor's flag was flying above the monkey demon's pavilion. Many began to surrender or fall on their own swords.
By early afternoon, the battle was over.
With the accompanying sound of a gale force wind, the massive petals of the Magnolia rose above the valley once more, withdrew into themselves, and soon formed the twin Blades again. They sailed through the air and into Kim's grasp.
A victory shout was raised by Hidesato's men, and picked up by the Emperor's army. It rang out across the Idzumo Valley.
The War of the Tempus Simia was over.
Ron, TJ and Kimono, exhausted but happy, came back into the central encampment with triumphant looks on their faces. Ron walked straight to his wife and planted a huge victory kiss on her lips, then refused to pull back when she became self-conscious. Kim gave up, threw her arms around Ron and returned his kiss with fervent passion while the armies continued to cheer all around them.
Kim broke the kiss long enough to say one thing, "You and I are going to have a talk about telling your wife of your crazy 'surrender to the enemy' plans before she participates in them."
Ron grinned back at her sheepishly, "What can I say? Sometimes I'm just a bad boy… maybe I need a little discipline."
They kissed each other again.
Caught up in the heady rush of victory, TJ took his wife in his arms and kissed her as well. To his relief, Kimono didn't fight it, but rather returned his affection in kind, not caring who was looking or what they might think.
Shego came out of the tent and tapped Ron on the shoulder, "Spankable! When you're done making out with the Princess, Drew could use some attending to."
Ron didn't even break the kiss, but threw Shego a couple of dismissive waves and continued with his amorous activity.
Kintaro grinned at the kissing couples and walked over to Yori, who stood quietly by with her hands folded in front of her.
"Do all from your world engage in such vulgar displays?" Kintaro asked her quietly.
"Some do," She allowed, "I am afraid I do not."
"With such a swollen jaw, I doubt you will be in a position to engage in such an activity for some time," He said with his boyish grin, then lowered his voice and looked into her eyes, "You have done well, my Oto Hime."
Yori blushed deeply and lowered her eyes. For the first time in many days, she smiled, and a shy smile it was. Despite the fact that her looks had been damaged somewhat by Kim, the Shogun of Japan had just called her his Luminous Jewel.
There were no voices any more; no confusion, no tenuous grasp of sanity. Yori felt much sorrow and regret for what had happened. And though she dreaded it, she was willing to return to her proper time and face Sensei's inevitable wrath. But even with all that, Yori felt she had literally been to the edge of the abyss, and just managed to pull back before going over. For years to come she would wonder what exactly it meant that both she and the universe were on the verge of complete destruction, yet somehow managed to pull each other back from the brink at the last possible second.
An exhausted Hidesato and Masaharu rode into camp to the renewed shouting of the armies. Both warriors dismounted and came before the emperor, bowing low. Hidesato bowed with some difficulty, as he was still recovering from his wound. Kotei commanded them to rise, then bestowed upon them a rare honor, given out only a few times in Japanese history. He proclaimed them heroes of the Imperial Court. They would be among a select few, including Kintaro, who would not have to address the Emperor with terms of near-worship. Only those three men would ever call the Emperor 'Kotei-san', while everyone else was required to address him as 'Kotei-sama'; those that were allowed to address him at all, that is.
Then, to his horror, Kintaro found his father and Masaharu bowing low before him.
"Please…" He stammered, "Do not bow to me… I cannot…"
"Do not take your office so lightly!" Kotei said sternly to his Shogun, "As Shogun, you are receiving the fealty of the lord of the Mutsu Province."
"It is your duty to receive our tribute," Hidesato said quietly to his son as he bowed.
"Would you be comfortable if your father bowed to you?" Kintaro asked his father.
"Of course not!" Hidesato allowed himself a slight smile as he looked proudly up at his son, "That is the burden for a Shogun to bear."
Kintaro narrowed his eyes, "You are enjoying my discomfort, aren't you?"
"Very much, Kintaro-sama." Hidesato teased.
"Stop that!" Kintaro hissed, then his attention was drawn elsewhere, "What are they doing here?"
Hidesato straightened up and followed his son's gaze. The Drakkenites came to the edge of the camp, looking distressed and forlorn.
"Ah," Hidesato said, "There is a rumor that Ryu was injured."
"Oh," Kintaro said, raising his eyebrows, "He is within the tent. Come and see for yourself."
While the Emperor was ordering his forces to begin dealing with those of Ishigawa's forces left alive (as a boon granted later at Kim's request, they were put on ships and exiled to China, rather than summarily executed as protocol dictated), Kintaro, Hidesato, and Masaharu entered the tent where Kim was already making a splint for Drakken's arm. Kimono and her mother were close by, assisting Kim with whatever she needed.
"The arm is broken," Kim informed Hidesato, "But he will live."
Hidesato nodded and leaned over to look Drakken in the face, "YOUR FLYING MACHINE WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS."
Masaharu sighed and rolled his eyes, "Broken arm, my lord, not loss of hearing."
They began exiting the tent.
"How would you like it if I sent you on a forced march to Satsuma?" Hidesato glared at his old friend.
"That is not disagreeable," Masaharu said lightly, "I understand Satsuma is in need of a new provincial lord."
"You think you are all things honorable," Hidesato growled, "But you are not."
They emerged from the tent. Hidesato walked over to the Drakkenites.
"His arm is broken, but he will live," The lord of Mutsu informed them.
To a man, the Drakkenites clenched their fists, threw their heads skyward, and laughed maniacally.
Hidesato watched them for a few seconds, then walked away shaking his head. Strange days had descended upon his province of late.
In the mean time, Ron had quietly asked Yori to join him and Sensei just outside the tent. Ron had gathered all of the Ohana Blades together, including the Magnolia Blades from Kim, and brought them to the master of Yamanuchi.
Yori had a very difficult time looking Sensei in the eye, though she realized he did not know her very well. Then with dread she realized the first impression Sensei would ever have of her was as a traitor.
He must have known all of this when he took me in as a child, Yori thought, Why did he never tell me what would become of me?
Before they reached Sensei, Yori took Ron's arm and pulled him to a halt.
"Stoppable-san." she said quietly
Ron half smiled, "After all we've been through, you're not calling me Ron anymore?"
"No," She said firmly, "I am not. I will never address you by your first name again. I do this as a sign of respect for you and your wife."
Ron said nothing, but nodded.
"I know I have no right to ask," Yori went on, "But I am asking your forgiveness for what I have done. I know a simple apology will not make things right, and I have no right to expect forgiveness from you-"
"Well no," Ron agreed, "Of course you don't. That's what forgiveness is, something no one has a right to expect. Forgiveness is something no one deserves, and we are all blessed when it's given to us. And since you're asking for it, then I will give it to you."
Yori's eyes began to brim with tears.
"You know the only way you could have gotten me away from Kim was by pretending to be her. She's my soulmate; the only one I was ever meant to be with." Ron said plainly, "But from what I understand, you could have let the whole universe just vanish from existence. You saved us all. In addition, I believe you regret your actions. I have no right to hold anything over your head."
And that was the last time Ron ever talked to Yori about what she'd done.
They walked over to Sensei who said a few quiet words to Yori to pass along to Ron.
"Sensei says he is sorry for not realizing the Ohana Wraith only saw him as its master. Perhaps much could have been avoided if he had come to this conclusion long ago." Yori relayed.
"Tell him not to apologize for something he didn't know." Ron replied.
Do not apologize for that which you did not know.
Sensei could barely believe his ears. Who was this young outworlder? He claimed to know Sensei in the future, but truly they must be very close friends; perhaps as close as brothers.
Those same words had been uttered by Tanaka so many years before, and it was an echo of his dead master that he heard after inadvertently sending the Ohana Wraith to destroy the school near Osaka.
Sensei suddenly felt a close kinship with the yellow-haired warrior. He would never forget the words Ron had just said to him; words of absolution that had been bestowed upon him by his master more than a hundred years before.
Nor would he forget Ron himself.
"Stoppable-san wishes to call forth the Ohana Wraith," The young woman was saying to him.
"For what purpose?" Sensei asked.
He watched as she spoke to the young warrior.
"He says he would rather wait until the Wraith is called forth." The young woman replied.
To anyone else, Sensei would have emphatically said 'no'. But Ron had just earned his complete trust.
Sensei took the Ohana Blades and arranged them once more in the Chinese symbol for 'monkey'. Soon, to the astonishment of everyone in the valley, the giant gorilla was standing in the central encampment once more.
What is thy bidding?
Sensei looked to Ron and waited. Yori passed along the translation. Sensei asked her to reconfirm just exactly what Stoppable-san was asking of him. She did so, and passed it along to him once more.
What is thy bidding?
'Destroy the Cactus, Magnolia, and Orchid Blades. Leave only the chief Ohana Blade – the Lotus – intact.'
Why is this to be done?
'So that no one may call forth your destructive powers again.'
The behemoth gorilla turned its face skyward. Sensei heard it say one final thing.
Sweet oblivion.
The gorilla burst into a gigantic swirling vision. In a twisting vortex of imagery, the apparitions of a giant green cactus, a massive pink and white magnolia blossom, an enormous Black Orchid, and a gigantic Turquoise Orchid all sailed skyward and exploded like monstrous fireworks, filling the sky from horizon to horizon, while the earth shook and rumbled.
Then all was still.
The Lotus Blade stood protruding from the ground a few feet from Sensei. Ron held up his hand, but it did not go to him. Instead, it sailed to the Master of Yamanuchi. Sensei noted a look of brief disappointment on Ron's face, then wondered as the young warrior smiled in realization.
"What does he smile about?" Sensei asked Yori.
Yori spoke with Ron, then seemed to nod knowingly, "Stoppable–san says the Blades choose who they will. The Lotus Blade did not choose Monkey Fist that day Mutsu Castle was captured because it is evil, or susceptible to anyone with the mystical monkey power; he says the Lotus chose to go with Monkey Fist because it knew Stoppable-san would go after it, and draw him near the Tempus Simia."
"Ah," Sensei said with great wonderment at such wisdom, "So eventually the Ohana Blades all made their way to the monkey demon because they were drawing the warriors to him, and to his talisman. And once they were all in Monkey Fist's possession, we came in and called forth the Ohana Wraith. Interesting."
None of them said anything for a couple of minutes. Sensei seemed to be dwelling on what Ron had just said. Ron and Yori stood by patiently to see if he would say anything further.
Presently, an old man with a tablet and a writing utensil came and asked Yori a question. She, in turn, passed it along to Ron.
"This man holds the position of Imperial Observer. It is his job to record historical events and preserve them at the palace of records in Osaka. He is documenting the events of this war and wishes to know our names, including yours and Kim's. Should we tell him that we are here from another time, or should we tell him something else?"
Ron looked at her, and to her surprise, he was smiling and almost mischievous smile.
In 1971, Author/Historian Sakka Rikishi published a book entitled "Japanese History and Myth: From the Popular to the Obscure". Chapter Four contains the following passage.
Not much is known about the feudal period prior to the Western Calendar year Seven Hundred A.D. However, it is known that Japan experienced a series of large-scale civil wars in the three or four hundred years leading up to the aforementioned date; all of which were feudal conflicts involving various provincial lords who battled for the position of Imperial Shogun. Though there were many Shoguns from many different provinces in that three hundred year period, the line of Emperors was unbroken going all the way back to Emperor Kotei who came to the throne around the year Four Hundred A.D.
There is an historical footnote involving Emperor Kotei that might be of interest to some Western Scholars. In 1946 eminent archeologist Dr. Henry Jones Jr. and United States Army Intelligence Officer Marion Zimmer Possible claimed to have discovered a set of tablets dating from the time of Emperor Kotei which documented a war that took place right around the time Kotei's reign began.
The tablets told of a Roman Centurion named Ronaldus, and his wife, an Irish Princess named Kimarrah, who battled a half-man/half-monkey for control of a magic talisman described as an idol in the shape of a simian. The tale goes on to describe such wild flights of fancy as warrior women who could shoot green fire from their hands; a blue-skinned man who built flying machines and wagons that launched arrows; a woman with orange hair named "Child Of Thunder" who wielded a sword with magic properties, and who single-handedly defeated an army of one hundred thousand soldiers.
Wild tales aside, it has never been established that the Roman Empire made contact with Japan in those days, or even sent explorers out that far. In addition, it is very unlikely an Irish Princess would be involved in a feudal war in ancient Japan.
The discovery was widely regarded as a hoax, and served to further damage the formerly much-respected reputation of Dr. Jones who once reportedly claimed to have discovered the Ark of the Covenant (and subsequently claimed the U.S. Government had taken possession of it and hidden it away), and to have found the legendary Holy Grail and even took a drink from it.
Though the tale itself borders on the ludicrous, the tablets have since been authenticated as dating roughly from the time period described. The most popular theory is that Dr. Jones found blank tablets and fabricated the story in an attempt to gain some notoriety, or perhaps regain his former respectability.
This particular theory is often the subject of much debate within the archeological community, and Dr. Jones himself has refused to discuss the matter with anyone.
Other theories point to the possibility that the tablets were used as a part of…
For the next three days, Kotei's forces were busy mopping up the Idzumo Valley; collecting weapons, disposing of bodies, and marching the prisoners out to the coast to await their exile.
Hidesato offered his army to assist in the effort, but Kotei ordered that they should rest, as his warriors were only fatigued from one battle, while his had been almost constantly engaged since the day Ishigawa marched his forces across the Mutsu border.
Kim had a long conversation with Drakken that evening about what had happened to the timeline. After listening to a detailed description of what happened in the void, Drakken theorized that had the Tempus Simia been destroyed, the vortex would have opened up and simply pulled in anyone who didn't belong in that particular timeline, which as it happened, was Yori. But Drakken also theorized that Yori would have simply emerged at the other end of the vortex into the same void, because it was Monkey Fist's timeline displacement that caused the collapse in the first place.
But, since Monkey Fist was the one who placed the head of the Tempus Simia on the body in the temple in Africa, then removing the head pulled the cosmic tether taught. Monkey Fist was apparently still attached to that tether, thus he was pulled back into existence, then pushed through the vortex and into his proper place in the timeline.
"In fact," Drakken explained, "Monkey Fist is traveling through the vortex as we speak, and will be for the next fifteen hundred years, but to him it will seem like an instant."
"How was the tether still attached to him if he blinked out of existence?"
Drakken shrugged his shoulders, "That's quite the head scratcher. Clearly he went somewhere if the tether was still attached, but I've got no plausible theories on that one."
"What about us?" Kim asked, "Will we pull apart the timeline because we're out of place in it?"
"Not if we use the method of travel you used to get here." Drakken answered.
"Sensei's room up in the cliff?"
"Right. Best guess: this room you described has some sort of properties that allow it to exist simultaneously inside as well as outside the timeline. By traveling back to your time in that room, our energy signatures will exist within the next fifteen hundred years, which means we won't cause another collapse of the continuum."
"OK," Kim said nodding, "I got one more question and I'll let you rest."
"You're wondering why we're only conscious of the timeline's collapse during the battle. If the whole timeline collapsed and then restored, we should be aware of it every day, right?"
"Right." Kim confirmed.
"My only guess is that the timeline collapsed and restored at the point where each separate section is connected."
"You mean the railway car couplings."
"Yes. It's a weak supposition, but I would guess that these points are the only places we would be conscious of the collapse and restoration, and the battle today was one of those connection points. I know it leads to a thousand other questions, but I just don't have answers to them. Sorry."
"No big," Kim said lightly, "As long as the timeline's restored. That's all that matters."
"Indeed."
Hidesato declared that a victory celebration would take place on the fourth night after the battle, and asked the Stoppables and Drakkens to stay at least that long.
So they agreed, and the Stoppables decided they would use that three days to finally lay Ronnie-Anne to rest. They loaded her body on a wagon, journeyed up to Mukashi's home, and buried their beloved Veronica in the garden next to the old warrior.
Since Kintaro had been to Mukashi's home once or twice as a child, he served as their guide on the journey, and Sensei accompanied them so that he might pay his respects to his old friend. Yori went along as well, at Kintaro's request, but would not go unless the Stoppable's were agreeable to her being there.
Along the way, Kintaro asked if she might stay in ancient Japan and become the wife of a Shogun. Yori reluctantly told him that she needed to return to her own world and face the consequences of what she had done. It was with great sadness that Yori realized she had fallen in love with Kintaro at last. He had believed in her, never given up on her, and he loved her unconditionally. Not only was she breaking his heart, but her own as well. Yori decided it was yet another punishment for what she'd done, and this was somehow worse than execution or prison. She would soon be fifteen hundred years away from someone who loved her, and someone she had come to love in return.
Kintaro, of course, was escorted by the Imperial Shogunate Guard, and offered to have them dig the grave. But Ron politely declined. He and TJ dug Veronica's grave, and gently, with many tears, laid her to rest in it. Sensei said a few words over Ronnie-Anne, while Kim and her daughter-in-law clung to each other, consoling one another through tears of deepest grief.
Sensei also took time to say a few words for his friend Mukashi.
Kintaro and Yori stood next to each other and maintained a respectable silence. Afterward, Kintaro remarked to Yori how much he liked Mukashi's remote residence. Yori silently agreed, the lonely simplicity of the place reminded her of Yamanuchi, and she felt she could be very happy in a home like this.
And though she had already told Kintaro she could not be with him, Yori did not simply leave him alone after that. It was emotionally difficult to spend time with him, but Yori did not want to simply break off their friendship and leave him to his lonely position as Shogun; at least not as long as she was in ancient Japan. She spent many hours talking and listening attentively to him; laughing at his jokes (which she genuinely found to be funny) and complimenting him on his handling of Kotei's forces. She answered all of his questions, including some very personal ones about what went through her mind in the void when they attempted to destroy the Tempus Simia. Kintaro accepted all that she told him without comment or judgment. Yori noted the sadness that hung about him, and believed her gentle declination of him was beginning to sink in.
Yori sadly wished she was already back in her proper time.
The party spent only one night at Mukashi's. A large pavilion had been brought for Kintaro, and his samurai took shifts standing guard outside it while he slept. Yori also slept in the pavilion, though they did not sleep in the same bed. Ron and Kim stayed in the rear stall of the tiny barn, while TJ and Kimono slept outside on the ground under the stars, as did Sensei.
That night, Kim and Ron took solace and consolation in each others' arms, and by some act of ironic Fate, or an incredible happenstance, Veronica Anne Stoppable was conceived not far from where she had been laid to rest.
"So this is what beer tastes like?" Rufus took a tug on his bottle.
"Kind of hard to see what all the excitement is about, isn't it?" Wade sipped his own drink and looked around.
They were sitting at a sidewalk café in Wade's Paris simulation. Wade had just activated a program and sat, waiting with his friend. On the table in front of him was what looked like a dart gun.
"What's going to be done about Ron?" Rufus asked.
"Justine is going to complete work on her Quantum Disruptor and take some readings of the timeline. Then we'll figure out some way to get into the future and find him before he pulls the timeline apart." Wade explained.
"You think it'll succeed?"
"Actually, I do." Wade said firmly, "Justine took a reading this morning and we compared it with a reading from before the universe collapsed. The new readings are much more stable. If Ron is affecting the timeline, then he hasn't done anything to it yet. But Justine thinks that if Ron did come back into the timeline only ten years after his death, then there wouldn't be enough of a gap between his energy signatures to collapse the continuum."
"Which means Apollyon was wrong about that."
"Yeah, in fact Justine believes you could exist as much as fifty years away from your original energy signature and not cause any instability to the physical construct of the timeline." Wade explained.
"Interesting."
"In fact, she thi-… woops! Here comes company!"
Apollyon came stomping up to their table and stood waiting, he had a look of rage and strain on his face, very likely due to the fact that the program Wade activated had caused him to involuntarily seek them out and stand before them whether he wanted to or not."
"What is the meaning of this? What's going on?" He shouted.
"Calm yourself," Rufus trained one of his shotguns on Apollyon.
The artificial mind that looked like Ray Beam quieted down.
"I managed to locate your artificial brain, but I can't for the life of me hack into it," Wade explained calmly.
A sneer erupted on Apollyon's face, "So the great computer genius is not so genius after all."
Wade regarded Apollyon with abject contempt. Casually he picked up the dart gun, aimed, and fired. The dart buried itself into Apollyon's abdomen, then disappeared. Wade pushed a button, deactivating the program that had brought Apollyon to them.
"You can go now," Wade said with a dismissive wave.
"What is that, what did you do to me?" Apollyon demanded, the fear in his voice palpable.
"Virus." Wade said simply.
"I've got every kind of virus protection there is!" Apollyon jeered, "You really are stupid, aren't you?
"OK," Wade said easily, "What I did was write a program that changes the requirements of your power regulator. Right now your power-regulation subroutine is being re-written to indicate that your electrical needs are several million times more than what they actually are. To compensate, your power regulator is now drawing in as much electricity as it possibly can."
Apollyon stared at him blankly.
"I can't just shut down your artificial mind. Someone could find it and reboot you." Wade explained, "Your hardware needs to be destroyed. I bet you don't have that kind of surge protection."
"You're going to fry." Rufus said with contempt.
Soon, Apollyon was screaming. He tore at himself as if he were trying to get to something horrible that was going on within him. He shrieked in pure pain and terror, collapsed to the ground, and writhed uncontrollably.
Several minutes later, he lay still, and disappeared.
Apollyon had been thrown into the abyss.
It was a warm evening. Lanterns lit up the eastern wall of the castle and dotted the hillside. A grand viewing pavilion had been set up for the Emperor, his Shogun, the lord of Mutsu, and the Outworlders, that faced the castled itself. Just this side of the pond, to the right of the bridge, a stage had been constructed.
The feast began in the late afternoon, not long after The Stoppables and their companions returned from the home of Mukashi. Shego was glad to see them and glad to have some company. She had stayed at the castle to keep Drew company, but he wound up secluding himself with the Drakkenites and had not come out in three days.
Upon hearing this news, Ron and Kim gave each other a look. What could he be working on now that the war was over? Did he suddenly have his own plans to conquer ancient Japan?
Even when the feast began, Drakken did not come out of the castle to attend. Shego and Kimono spent most of the afternoon talking to each other, while TJ hung out with his parents. Both of them knew their time with their respective parents was growing short, and wanted to spend it with them as much as possible. It's not often a child gets to spend time with his parents when they're the same age.
The armies were camped in the Idzumo Valley and came up over the hill to sit upon the slope, and view the proceedings.
The feast was magnificent. All manner of roast venison, pheasant, fish and game hens were served with rice, grains, dumplings with many different kinds of sauces, and there were fruits, some strange and exotic that the Stoppables had never seen or heard of. Shego guessed they were varieties of fruit that had probably died out or disappeared in the fifteen hundred years between their time and this.
There were dozens of different types of rice wine, served at different temperatures for different courses throughout the meal.
As the sun fell into the west, lanterns were lit and strung up all across the hillside, and many were set up on the stage. Into the third course of the feast, performers began to entertain the Imperial party and the armies.
There were acrobats, and jugglers as well as theatrical performances in both Kabuki and Noh styles. Musicians performed and sang ancient songs of battles long past, and heroes almost forgotten.
Though all the performances were magnificent, there were three very memorable highlights during the course of the evening.
The first was a performance of an ancient battle song by none other than Hidesato and Masaharu. To Kintaro's utter astonishment, the old lord and his daimyo sang of an ancient warrior and his son who battled a great dragon that had come across the sea from China and sought to devour all of Japan. For many weeks they fought the great beast, but were never able to overpower it. Finally, on a stormy night while the thunder rolled and the lightening flashed, the father was struck down by the dragon. But as this happened, one of the Dragon's great claws broke off and remained with the body of the father. The son was greatly distressed, and threw away his sword, taking up the dragon's claw and continuing on with the battle. Shortly, the beast was slain, and the son stood triumphant over the body of the dragon. Then, in grief and despair, he buried his father near the place where the dragon had been felled, and drove the claw into the ground to mark the spot where his father lay.
When they reached the final verse of the song, Masaharu fell silent and Hidesato sang alone of how the spirit of the father looked down with great pride upon his son. This he sang while gazing up at the viewing pavilion; at Kintaro, never once taking his eyes off of him.
It is a matter of pride that great warriors in ancient Japan did not become emotional, or express feelings that might indicate some weakness on the warrior's part. But while Hidesato felt he could not tell his son how he truly felt about him, Kintaro came to realize that his father had just told more than fifty thousand warriors how proud he was of him. Kintaro did his best to keep his emotions in check; such a display would have embarrassed him, his father, and the emperor. Yori quietly slipped her hand into his and squeezed it. Kintaro found the strength to remain placid and calm, though inside he was practically weeping in gratitude at his father's gesture. He never forgot that night.
Highlight number two was the performance of a musician. He was dressed entirely in black, and carried his own stringed instrument. A nearby group of musicians struck up a lively beat while the man introduced himself.
"Hello, my name is Tsu Yen."
Murmers drifted across the hillside.
"I don't understand," Kim turned to Yori, "What is everyone whispering about?"
"'Tsu' is a Chinese name. The people of ancient Japan do not think very highly of anyone from China." Yori answered
Tsu Yen began singing, and soon all those on the hillside were laughing boisterously. Yori and Kim translated for the benefit of the others.
My father left home when I was just three,
And he did not leave much to my mother and me,
Just a rusty katana and an empty container of yu.
I do not blame him because he fled and hid,
But the most dishonorable thing he ever did
Was, before he left, he went and named me 'Tsu'.
Laughter rolled across the hillside.
Now he must have thought this quite amusing
To give me a name of such ill choosing
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some woman would giggle and I'd feel disgraced,
Or some man would laugh and I'd smite his face,
It is certain that life is not easy for a boy named 'Tsu.'
Again, more laughter.
I had to grow up fast, and grow up strong
My sword became quick, my list of kills was long,
I roamed from province to province to hide my shame.
So I made a vow to the gods and the stars
That I'd search every town both near and far
And kill the dishonorable man who gave me that name.
Laughter rippled across the hillside once more.
Then one day near Yokohama
I found the man who had left my mama
The dishonorable dog who was cause to all my pain
I challenged him to a duel that day
And soon upon the ground he lay.
The man who named me 'Tsu' at last was slain.
Cheers and laughter erupted from the armies as Tsu Yen finished his performance, bowed low and exited. The Stoppables clapped politely but weren't entirely sure of the humor in the song. They began talking quietly to each other when the musicians struck up another song.
This particular tune, however, was not done in the Japanese style of minor chords and slightly off tone strings. It had a strange western feel to it, and there was something hauntingly familiar about the melody.
As they pondered this, Drew and the Drakkenites quietly walked up on the stage. The Drakkenites stood in a large semi-circle, dressed in their blue kimonos with black belts, while Drew stood in the center. The Drakkenites began to hum, harmonizing with the musicians and the oddly familiar song they were playing. Drew stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and began to sing:
I'm going through a tunnel, stuck in a canyon,
In an elevator, do you even listen?
No.
No, no, no. No, no, no.
Whoa Whoa.
And then, the Drakkenites began singing in perfect harmony.
HERRO, HERRO, HERRO
CAN YOU HEE ME NOW
GOT TO STAY CONNECTED
GOT TO GET THOO SOMEHOOOOOW
HERRO, HERRO, HERRO
HERRO…
Drakken sang solo once more:
My phone is losing signal
Got a low battery
But do I want to listen
To all your shallow flattery?
No.
No, no, no. No, no, no.
Whoa Whoa
And the Drakkenites sang once more.
HERRO, HERRO, HERRO
CAN YOU HEE ME NOW
GOT TO STAY CONNECTED
GOT TO GET THOO SOMEHOOOOW
HERRO, HERRO, HERRO
HERROOOOOOOOOOO!
And the song was over.
A roar erupted from the hillside as the armies went ballistic. Even Kotei and Kintaro were on their feet clapping enthusiastically. The bedlam was deafening, and went on for a good five minutes before everyone calmed down. The Emperor asked for the performance once more.
The Stoppables, with jaws hanging on the ground throughout the first performance, soon began trying to stifle laughter, to the point where Kim , TJ and Ron were shedding tears from laughing so hard and trying to hide it.
Once again, the armies raised such a shout that their thunderous approval of the performance was even louder than the victory cry after the battle several days before. Drew and the Drakkenites bowed low then faced each other, bowed, and laughed manically in celebration of a successful performance.
"Unbelievable," Ron said, wiping tears while laughter continued to escape him, "Dr. Drakken has given the first karaoke performance in the history of Japan."
The celebration lasted well into the night.
The following morning, a large caravan was assembled and ready to leave. Kintaro would be accompanying the Emperor back to Osaka and living in the Shogun's palace, serving as the Emperor's right hand in the rule of Japan. Kintaro tried to convince Kotei that Hidesato deserved the position, but the lord of Mutsu would not hear of it.
"Mutsu is my home," He told his son, "And it always will be."
"I consider it my greatest honor that I am your son," Kintaro said with a bow.
His father said nothing, though his eyes glistened. He returned the bow as a show of silent love and respect.
The Stoppables paid their respects to Hidesato before mounting horses provided by the Emperor, and Sensei gave a few parting words to the lord of Mutsu, his old pupil. Shego and Drakken rode in a wagon, while Yori rode beside Kintaro.
Ron watched with longing as the Lotus Blade was placed in a ceremonial wooden case, then put in a large chest inside a wagon that was reserved solely for carrying the last of the Ohana Blades back to its proper home.
At last, the great procession began moving diagonally up the slope, heading southward. The armies parted and stood on either side of an impromptu pathway, cheering and shouting the praises of Japan's newest heroes.
The Drakkenites stood atop the castle wall and shouted "RYUUUU" until long after the procession had disappeared over the ridge.
"Hello, Wade? It's Agent Berman. How are you?… uh huh… I'm fine, thanks. We've arrived at the African temple per your directive and found something you might be interested in… yeah… well, after a thorough search of the temple, we found only one person… Yep, it's him all right… No, actually he's dead… No, I'm not kidding… yes, checked his vitals twice… looks like the cause of death may have been a blow to the head with a heavy object. There's some severe bruising about the forehead… no, we didn't bring a mobile unit. We could bag him and… Sure, we can do that. Also, we found what looks like pieces of a statue… whoa, you're talking too loud and too fast. Repeat that, please?… 'Thoroughly destroyed', yes I'm underlining it as we speak. I've got a couple of tools that will pulverize those chunks into a fine powder… no, it's no problem. Is there anything you want us to do with the powder?… I'm just asking because you seem pretty adamant on the destruction of these… OK, great…yeah, we'll see you back at GJ… no, we'll take him directly to the morgue… not a problem. Talk to you soon."
The journey to the base of Mount Yamanuchi took five days to complete. Emperor Kotei offered to escort the party up to the school at the top of the mountain, but Sensei politely declined. It was time to end the ceremonial pomp and pageantry and let the Outworlders go home quietly. The Stoppables, The Drakkens, and Yori dismounted their horses. Kintaro led Yori off a little ways to say goodbye.
Yori's eyes brimmed with tears as she tried to find the proper words to express her gratitude. She tried not to dwell on the fact that she was once again being taken away from a man she had fallen in love with.
"Say it," Kintaro said quietly, "If you feel it. I would hear the words come from your lips at least once."
"I love you, Kintaro," she whispered. Tears began pouring down her cheeks.
"And I you," Kintaro replied quietly, "You will never leave my heart, my Oto Hime."
The Stoppables bade the Emperor farewell. Kotei dismounted his horse and bowed low to them all, thanking each of them quietly.
Until, that is, he got to Drakken.
"YOU HAVE THE GRATITUDE OF ALL OF JAPAN!" He bellowed at the startled blue man. Watching Hidesato, Kotei had surmised that the one called Ryu was hard of hearing.
"What's with these people?" Drakken whined to Shego, "Everyone here yells at me!"
"Everyone everywhere yells at you," Shego countered with a smirk.
They watched for a short time as the procession moved on. Kintaro turned in his saddle and drank in Yori's beauty one last time before turning his face toward Osaka and what would be his new palatial home.
The journey up the mountain was a quiet one. Everyone was filled with a sort of melancholy now that their adventure had come to an end. The world seemed quieter somehow, more peaceful.
"Not bad for your first mission back, KP." Ron whispered to his wife.
Kim looked at him and smiled warmly.
Soon, they reached the waterfall and crossed the bridge, then made their way through the front gates. The school was deserted.. Sensei, who was carrying the case with the Lotus Blade, went and put it in his living quarters. It was odd, this one remaining Ohana Blade almost looked out of place without its companions. But Sensei nodded to himself, appreciating the wisdom and foresight of Ron Stoppable. The Wraith was gone, and no one could call forth its destructive powers again.
Sensei then came back outside and led them to the base of the cliff. High up in the room, another Kim and another Yori were sitting, facing the wall, nearing the end of their journey back through time.
He turned and spoke to Kim.
Kim turned to the others, "Sensei says the nine of us should-"
She checked herself and turned back to Sensei, "'Kyu?'"
Sensei nodded and said a few words to Kim who turned back to them in a daze.
Yori gasped.
"He says I am with child." Kim said numbly.
Kimono also gasped.
"Veronica!" Ron whispered excitedly.
"Wouldn't that be eight?" TJ asked, confused.
"She is not the only one who is pregnant," Yori said quietly.
She had turned white as a sheet, fear and confusion played across her face.
"Kintaro?" Kim asked hopefully.
Yori merely shook her head.
Kim suddenly found that whatever anger she had toward Yori was now gone. Yori deserved some deference for her part in saving the universe, but she also had a whole new consequence to deal with because of what had happened. Either she would have to deal with the termination of a pregnancy, or bear the child of Monkey Fist. Kim found herself pitying the other woman.
"Sensei says we should say goodbye here, because we will not be able to in the room up on the cliff." Kim told the others.
Needless to say, the farewells were emotional ones. Kimono clung to her father and gave her mother a fierce bear hug. Shego returned it, shedding a few tears herself. Ron, Kim and TJ embraced each other in a group hug, telling each other how much they would be missed. TJ was especially emotional as he would soon return to a world without his father in it.
TJ then shook hands with Drakken while Kimono had an emotional parting with Ron and Kim. Both of Kimono's in-laws told her how glad they were she was a part of their family.
Soon, they were all climbing up the impossibly steep staircase. Drakken required some assistance as his arm was in a sling, but eventually they managed. Sensei led them inside and turned to the right. He did not order them to face the wall, but simply asked them to stay quiet so as not to startle or frighten the Kim and Yori that were on the other side of the chamber.
It was difficult for Yori to watch, and eventually she turned her head away. She wanted to shout to her other self and warn her of her impending betrayal, but realized it would probably sound garbled and backwards.
Yori also realized the answer to a question that had burned within her for days. She could not understand why the Sensei of her time had not told her or Kim about what would happen. Yori finally understood that if Sensei warned her of her treachery, she might avoid it altogether, and altered circumstances might not put her in a position to destroy the Tempus Simia. It was a balance too delicate for Sensei to meddle with, and Yori realized his withholding information was the correct course of action. Still, it saddened her to look at her other self across the chamber and realize what was in store for her.
Sensei bowed to them all and wished them a safe journey, then exited the room.
Soon, the room felt like the inside of a strobe light. They all looked at each other, marveling at the fact that time was rapidly advancing outside the room. Faster and faster the strobe effect continued, until it was blinking so fast, none of them could tell the difference between the light and the dark. The room was swathed in a fluctuating grayness.
Then, suddenly, a smiling face appeared among them.
For four years, Kintaro maintained order in Japan while the Emperor came of age. Several weeks after he parted company with Yori and the others, he and his samurai attacked the cave temple in Satsuma. The Dark Monk and his ninja followers put up some resistance, but were overpowered by the elite Samurai and their ninja/Shogun leader.
Kintaro had the entrance to the cave sealed and a marker posted forbidding anyone to enter the cave.
Those creatures in Monkey Fist's army that were not made of stone - the Kijo and remaining Monkey Dragons – had scattered when their master disappeared. Kintaro spent some time hunting them down until they were almost all wiped out. For several hundred years afterward, there were constant rumors of demon ape-like creatures in the woods, or dragons in the mountains.
Kintaro was also compelled to deal with one or two rebelling provincial lords who wanted the Shogunate for themselves. He was never once defeated in battle, and soon became known as the mightiest warrior in all of Japan.
Hidesato, meanwhile, never fully recovered from the wound he received at the battle to re-take Mutsu Castle. He lived for four years after the end of the war but finally died in his sleep one Autumn night.
Kintaro was devastated, and mourned for quite some time. The body of the old lord of Mutsu Province was taken by his son up to Mukashi's home and laid to rest next to Raitaro.
The Emperor, now twenty years old, gave Kintaro the option of relinquishing his position as Shogun and returning to Mutsu to be its lord. To his surprise, Kintaro accepted.
Kintaro was received warmly by Masaharu who pled an oath of fealty to his new master. Kintaro rejected the oath. Instead, in a ceremony witnessed by the entirety of Mutsu Castle's residents, Kintaro declared Masaharu the new lord of Mutsu province.
In all that four years, Kintaro was never able to get over Yori. He thought about her every day and wanted nothing other than to be with her. When his father died, Kintaro had no family left. There was only one thing in all of Japan that he wanted.
The day after installing Masaharu as the new lord of Mutsu, he bade his old friend goodbye and journeyed to Yamanuchi.
"I will follow her to her world, or any other." Kintaro said firmly to Sensei.
The master of Yamanuchi said nothing, and led Kintaro – who was now only a couple of years younger than Yori – up to the chamber on the cliff.
In an office building in Downtown Middleton, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
The second the last electrode was removed from Ron, a panel in the ceiling slid silently open and what was clearly a ray-emitting apparatus was lowered via mechanical arm.
Kim watched in horror as Ron was suddenly enveloped in the yellow glow of a gravimetric field and lifted from the chair.
A second, crimson-colored ray shot forth from the apparatus. A burst of reddish light accompanied a deep, pulsating explosive kind of sound. A visible, pale red shockwave emanated from the light-burst and spread out in all directions, knocking everyone off their feet. Kim was sent hurtling backwards and smacked painfully into the wall behind her, crumpling up in a heap on the floor. She struggled to lift her head, then summoned all her strength just to bring herself up to her knees.
A vortex opened in the air near the chair. Ron began floating toward it, faster and faster.
"RON! NO!" Kim cried out, she began to move toward the vortex. Wherever Ron was going, she was going with him.
The gravimetric field abruptly ceased and Ron sailed into the swirling crimson maelstrom.
And, like a TV turning off, the Vortex closed suddenly. Kim was in mid-dive when it closed. She was unable to prevent herself from smacking painfully against the far wall.
"RON!", she screamed.
For a split second, all was eerily silent.
Then the apparatus exploded into a billion tiny pieces. The explosion was accompanied by several louder, much more powerful explosions from somewhere beneath them, the floor of the building began to heave.
Kim found herself hauled to her feet by two powerful arms. Her mind blank, she was led, running down the hallway. But instead of running for the elevator, she was taken into one of the empty offices.
The window shattered as a grappling hook shot outward from the room. She looked numbly into the face of Wil Du as the floor beneath them lurched and fell away. Wil and Kim sailed through the window and out over the street as the building collapsed behind them. One more powerful explosion finished the job, and blew Kim and Wil into the building across the street.
Kim struggled to get to her feet, and stumbled over to where Wil Du lay, groaning in agony. He had broken his leg, and sustained a pretty bad cut or two, but he would be all right. Kim stood up and looked around in confusion. Dust from the collapsed building poured through the large space where the window had been.
The room had been filled almost to the ceiling with pillows and other cushions.
Just down the street, two shadowy figures crept around the back side of a building and met each other in the alley.
"I got the guards," Ron whispered, "I had to knock them out first, but I left them lying near the wreckage. You said those were the only two who were killed, right?"
"Right," Kim whispered back, "Them and Wil, and that was-…whoa!"
"What's wrong?"
"I have a memory of Wil surviving this now. He goes to the hospital with a broken leg. I go stay at my parents for the next two days until Sensei contacts me in my room and tells me to come to Yamanuchi. Wow, that is so weird! I remember having a memory of Wil dying and now I remember he was just injured."
"The timeline's already shifted because Wil wasn't killed." Ron said, doubt in his voice, "Are you sure it was a good idea to leave the cliff room early? Sensei warned us about interfering with events."
"I know, Ron, but I just couldn't sit by and let Wil die knowing I could do something about it." Kim explained.
"I understand." Ron said, "What happens next?"
"My other self goes to Yamanuchi the day after tomorrow. Presumably the timeline collapses soon after that."
"Well, since you're other self is going to go stay at your parents', I guess we can go home and wait there. Hope you don't mind being cooped up for a few days."
"Are you kidding? I can't wait to take a real shower. And I can think of a few things we can do while we're hiding out." Kim said seductively.
"Oh…really? We can do that? I thought since you were pregnant and all…"
"We can still do plenty of that, even when I'm pregnant." Kim explained patiently.
"Booyah!"
It was the early part of the twenty-first century. Sensei had just finished some personal instruction with one of his better students; Yori, who would be seventeen the following week. It was an odd experience for him to be training her, knowing what she would be going through later in her life. But Sensei was determined to make sure she would be thoroughly taught, so she would have the skills and strength to do what needed to be done.
The day was bright, and most of the students were either training outside or taking a short break from sparring matches.
Sensei spied one of his students reading a magazine. Though he did not forbid things such a pop culture magazines, or personal music players, or other things of that nature, he very much frowned upon it and did not make those particular feelings a secret.
Folding his hands neatly in front of him, Sensei strolled over to where his student was sitting.
"What are we reading today, Hirotaka?" He asked the young man.
"It is about cheerleaders in the United States, Master," Hirotaka said sheepishly holding out the magazine for Sensei to see.
And there he was.
(You and the Lotus Blade are connected by destiny)
The article was titled "The Cheerleader Hero"; it was a puff piece about the life of teen hero Kim Possible from Middleton High. Accompanying the article was a full-page photo featuring Kim and the rest of the Middleton High School cheer squad. Ron stood in the background, waving at the camera and wearing a goofy grin.
Sensei gazed at the photo.
"Hirotaka," Sensei said placidly, "How would you like to visit this Middleton High School as an exchange student?"
"I would like that very much, Sensei. I am interested in meeting this one." Hirotaka pointed her out in the photo, "The photo caption says her name is Bonnie Rockwaller."
"Very good," Sensei replied, handing the magazine back to him, "I will make the arrangements."
It was time for Ron Stoppable…
(You were not chosen to come to Yamanuchi by accident)
…to begin his training.
It was weeks before the exchange finally occurred. Sensei was very busy making preparations, training Yori, and trying to understand why one of his students, Fukushima, had become so agitated lately.
At last the day arrived. Sensei sent Yori to the airport in Tokyo to meet Ron. He wondered how the young man would react if he knew his older self was in a chamber on a cliff high above the school.
Finally, late in the afternoon, Yori came across the bridge, leading an exhausted, young, wide-eyed, blond-haired kid carrying a naked mole rat on his shoulder.
"Ron Stoppable, we have awaited your arrival. I am Sensei."
Kim set two cups of Tea before them. They drank, traded, then drank again. Sensei arranged flowers in a specific pattern on the small table between them. Then Ron came and knelt down, setting two more cups of Tea in front of them. They drank, traded, then drank again. Finally, Sensei himself poured a cup of Tea and set it before Kintaro. He drank, then handed it to Yori who also drank. Sensei arranged the flowers once more, and then pronounced them married.
Though normally the ceremony involved drinking cups of Sake, Yori did not want to hurt the baby, so they substituted Tea instead.
The wedding was held the day after Yori, Kintaro, Drakken and Shego were brought out of the chamber by Sensei. The Drakkens were escorted to Tokyo General where Drew got the arm set properly. After this, they journeyed to their Caribbean lair and had a sort of stay-at-home honeymoon. They fought a lot… and made up just as often. Drakken had his fill of waffles.
Kim and Ron were the only witnesses to the wedding ceremony, but they had brought plenty of gifts; most of them items for the baby. Top of the line stuff, too, since they could afford it… and then some.
When Ron and Kim had gone home after preventing Wil Du's death, they found a box sitting in the middle of their living room. It was just a plain, ordinary brown box.
Inside were silvery mylar bags with a logo and the words "Bueno Nacho" on them; a month's supply of microwaveable nacos. There was also an envelope with a note inside.
Greetings from the future,
Mom told us all about how Apollyon cleaned out your bank accounts and stuff, so we thought we'd help out a little. Enclosed are the numbers of several Swiss bank accounts which you should be able to access on line. At least Wade says you can. I didn't know the internet had gotten so advanced way back in your day. Anyway, in those accounts are about eight years worth of naco royalties. We didn't think it was all that much money, but again, Wade says it's actually a lot for back in your time. I don't know if it's happened where you are, but the timeline's already shifted here. Wait 'til you see what happens (I really REALLY want to tell you but Kimono's watching me write this over my shoulder, making sure I don't corrupt the timeline. And now she just smacked me on the side of my head).
Anyway, Wade was adamantly against this, because he felt just sending you guys this stuff would change history, but we wore him down. Hope it's enough. Oh, and Rufus Three Thousand says 'hi'. He and Ronaldus are inseparable these days, which means there's dog hair all over the inside of the Ninjet.
We love you, and we'll see you in about thirty some odd years.
TJ (and the old ball 'n chain)
P.S. OW! Again!
Kim and Ron spent three relaxing days in their home, plus one tense moment while the timeline collapsed and then restored once more.
Then they went and had a joyous reunion with Wade and Monique, as well both sets of parents, and Rufus, of course. Rufus had come up with an interesting idea; since he had an artificial brain, why not link it to things like Wade's communications system, and other vital stuff? Then he could be a functioning member of the team, with the ability to perform all kinds of tasks. Wade joked that Rufus might even become the first naked mole rat agent at GJ.
Ron simply nodded and said that he just might.
Then they returned to Yamanuchi.
Ron and Kim congratulated Kintaro and his new wife, who engaged in what Kintaro would have called a 'vulgar display' once the ceremony was complete. The others stood politely by as they kissed. Ron could not remember when he had seen Yori so happy, or Kintaro so red.
They all talked for a time, mostly in Japanese since Ron was the only one in the room who couldn't speak it. After awhile, Sensei told them he had some news for them, and that they should all sit down.
"It is time," Sensei announced, "For Yori to take my place as master of Yamanuchi."
Yori gasped, "After all that has happened, you are still wiling to bestow this honor upon me?"
"An honor it is, yes, but you may find it is also something less than a blessing. You will be master of this school just as I have these last seventeen hundred years. You will watch your friends grow old and die, as well as your children, grandchildren, and so on." Sensei explained quietly.
"And what of Kintaro?" Yori asked breathlessly.
"Kintaro, I think, will be allowed to accompany you on your journey." The old master replied, "You both must spend two weeks in the chamber up on the cliff each year. I find autumn works best, summers get quite warm up there. I have left instructions on the best methods of teaching Ninjitsu. You may decide to follow them, or develop your own curriculum."
"Will you be leaving, then?" Yori asked, her voice trembling.
"My daughter," Sensei said tenderly, with a sad smile, "I have fulfilled my destiny. At long last, the time has come for me to die. I am sorry you had to find this out on your wedding day, but my time grows short."
Tears welled up and slid down Yori's cheeks. Kintaro looked as though he'd been kicked in the stomach. Kim was already crying as she translated what Sensei had just said for Ron.
"No, Sensei, this… no," Ron's voice was filled with despair, "You can't go now. Not… you just can't!"
"Stoppable-san" Sensei said in English, "I have seen you and Yori fulfill your destinies. That was my assigned task; my penance for destroying the school near Osaka when I was young. I have come to understand it now. Death comes to us all, but it is merely a passage, a transition to something greater. I will finally be joining my brothers; Tanaka and Tokugawa, and many others as well. Death is an end, yes, but it is also a beginning."
Ron was speechless. He felt numb.
"And as I speak of beginnings. I have something for you." Sensei reached behind him and pulled forth a familiar–looking wooden case. "Yamanuchi now belongs to Yori… and Kintaro, of course. But this… this belongs to you."
The Lotus Blade leaped into Ron's grasp as soon as the lid was opened, as though eager to be reunited with its master. Ron was happy to have the Blade with him again, but it did not overcome the sadness that now filled him. Tears began to fall from his cheeks as well.
Sensei did not wake up the next morning.
Ron and Yori built a great pyre in the center courtyard of Yamanuchi and solemnly placed Sensei's body upon it. The ashes were collected and put in an urn, which Yori took up the cliff and placed inside the chamber there.
Kim and Ron stayed at Yamanuchi for a week, helping Kintaro to get settled in and assisting Yori while she hesitantly attempted to take over the duties as master of Yamanuchi. It was rough going at first, but they soon came to realize that Kintaro was definitely going to be a co-master of sorts, and Yori liked it that way.
At the end of the week, Ron and Kim said their goodbyes and began walking down the mountain. They had parked the Ninjet at the base, preferring to ascend the mountain as so many others had before. Kim, who had left the Kimjet parked just beyond the waterfall before traveling back to ancient Japan, moved it down next to her husband's car earlier in the week.
As they walked, they talked to each other about Yamanuchi's prospects and decided they were very good after all. Sensei had not said how long Yori was to be the school's master, only that she would know when her time was to come to an end.
After a time, Ron couldn't help pulling out the Lotus Blade and hefting it in his hands.
"Ahhh yeah!" He said enthusiastically, "Ronin is back, baby! And this time I-… HEY!"
The Lotus Blade wrenched itself from his grasp and sailed through the air to his wife's outstretched hand.
"And this time," Kim said with a smirk, "He's got a sidekick."
"You?" He asked, incredulous, "You're going to be my sidekick?"
"Well, after I take my maternity leave. I talked to Wade yesterday," Kim said lightly, "He's making me a new battlesuit; black with thin blue stripes. It'll have a the same neural-interface as yours, and a logo on the front; the Lotus Blade standing vertical with the two Magnolia Blades extending outward to form the shape of a 'K'. And I even get a ninja mask to go with it."
"You're going to keep your name? Doesn't help much in the secret identity department. How about something like Ninjette?"
"Well, Wade suggested 'Kimo', which means 'courage' in Japanese. But I was thinking maybe 'Kaminari'."
"What does that mean?" Ron asked.
"'Thunder'," Kim replied quietly, "Because I am the mother of Raitaro."
The sun had already gone down, the last of the pink was just brushing the underside of the clouds to the west. The surface of the lake was glassy calm, though occasionally a fish would leap at a bug and send ripples out in all directions. The crickets began to chirp, though not very loudly in the cool evening air.
The new grandparents had just gone home, and Ron was out front waving goodbye as they drove away.
Kim stood on the deck outside their bedroom, cradling Ronnie-Anne close as she gazed out over the water. Her newborn daughter slept peacefully in her protective arms.
On the other side of the planet, Yori and Kintaro had welcomed their son to the world a few days earlier. The child was born with monkey hands and feet, though the fur was much thinner than his father's. In addition, there was a six-inch monkey tail that began just above his little baby butt. It, too was furry, as was the immediate area around where the tail joined the body, but the rest of the baby was smooth-skinned, save for the shock of black hair on his head.
Yori named him Toshimiru, in honor of Sensei.
It wasn't long before everyone was calling him Toshi.
Back in Middleton, Kim heard music pouring out of the outside speakers mounted above the deck. The song was 'Into the Mystic' by Van Morrison. Ron had been listening it a lot lately.
"How are my two favorite people in the world doing?" Ron asked jovially as he joined his wife out on the deck.
"She's sleeping." Kim whispered.
Ron leaned over and kissed Veronica's forehead lightly. The baby stirred, but did not wake up.
"What is it with you and this song?" Kim looked up into her husband's eyes.
"The lyrics seem to have a lot of meaning to me lately." Ron replied.
"What exactly do they mean?"
"Well, it's a Shakespearean reference. 'Into the Mystic' refers to Hamlet when he's talking about 'The Undiscovered Country', specifically the Future. The song is about this guy taking a journey with his soulmate into the unknown; into the 'Mystic'."
Kim understood what he meant. Ron had been talking a lot about timelines and changing destinies in the months leading up to his daughter's birth. She looked down at Ronnie-Anne, then back into her husband's eyes again. Hers were brimming with tears.
"She's so beautiful." Kim whispered.
"Gets it from her mother." Ron smiled and kissed his wife. He looked at the two of them and felt almost overwhelmed at how much love he had in him.
She seemed to read his thoughts.
"I love you so much, Ron. Sometimes there aren't rnough words to express it." Kim whispered.
The twilight deepened and the stars began to come out.
Ron pulled a worn piece of paper from his pocket. It had a date written on it, but he'd handled it so many times that the writing had worn off. Didn't matter, he'd long since memorized the date. He wasn't sure what would happen when the time came, wasn't even sure if he should do anything about it at all. If he avoided his death that day, then the timeline might shift. Check that, it would shift. But how much? Enough to destroy the universe once again? Would Ron avoiding his death somehow cause Yori to not be in a position to break the Tempus Simia?
There was no way to know.
But maybe he didn't need to.
Ron realized he was not just holding a piece of paper in his hand.
He was holding on to hope.
And that, at least, was something.
THE END