Our Place in the Food Chain Chapter 23: Part XXIII, a kim possible fanfic

Our Place in the Food Chain: Part XXIII

Ron sat lotus style on the side of the road, patiently waiting. The bus had dropped him off fifteen minutes earlier, leaving him with just his backpack and the remains of the lunch he had picked up at the airport while waiting for the shuttle. In the distance he could just make out the crest of a ridge neat the peak of Mt. Yamanuchi. To the naked eye the school was all but invisible from this distance, the tips of the buildings blending perfectly with the thin mountain spires.

This time he was far better prepared than he had been two years earlier. Besides the half eaten Chimirito (wow, they sure tasted different here for some reason) in a rolled up bag he only had his camping backpack. He learned the hard way the last time not to bring almost everything he owned with him. When he found out he had to not only walk to the school, but the path led almost straight up the mountain itself, he was forced to hide most of his luggage and by the time he finally made it to the top he had stashed all the rest, leaving him only with the clothes on his back and one last, cold, stale Naco.

Flying first class was something new to him. Sure, he'd been on private jets many times, but that had been business and more often than not Kim would insist they use the time to study or catch forty winks. There wasn't as much personal space in the first class lounge of the Japanese Airways plane, but the seats themselves were huge, made of soft leather filled with something soft yet supporting. For the first time ever he found it easy to fall asleep despite knowing how high he was above the ground.

After his nap they had actually offered him a choice of sake or even beer in a strangely shaped silver can. The thought of sake intrigued him but the memory of Kim's trouble at the party back in the summer was still fresh in his mind, so he chose some Japanese pop at random. One taste of that (it was made by the American company who made his favorite cola, but the similarity ended there) and he wished he actually had tried the rice wine. Of course it took a while to get the attention of the flight attendant, who had been by every few minutes before. Maybe it was an inside joke among them that Americans found the drink unpleasant.

He was alone on his row, which actually made him a little sad. Every so often he would look at the empty window seat and wish Kim was with him. He rarely traveled alone. In fact, the only times he could readily recall doing so was his last trip to Japan and a quick run down to the Amazon to get a flower he needed to save Kim's life. The former was spent in coach, so he was crammed in with the rest of humanity for the fourteen hour flight and he didn't feel so lonely. The latter he was too worried about getting back to Kim in time and couldn't remember anything else about the flights. He also had the benefit of keeping in touch with Wade for most of that trip since he had the Kimmunicator with him and he only briefly lost the signal as the plane crossed one of the few gaps in the satellite signal.

Plus Rufus was with him.

Friday night's date was scrubbed when his little buddy fell ill. He was listless and wouldn't even squeak. He almost panicked when the little naked mole rat refused a chunk of Stilton. They spent several hours worried sick waiting for the exotic pets specialist to arrive at the emergency veterinarian clinic. It turned out to only be a mild case of food poisoning, which itself was shocking. He always seemed to be able to eat just about anything any time and in any quantity. It was a wonder the little rodent wasn't a big as his head.

Kim swore up and down she hadn't fixed anything in the kitchen except for coffee (the one and only thing she could make well in there) so there wasn't any chance he had gotten into anything of hers.

They kept him overnight for observation, mainly since most naked mole rats are communal creatures, living in vast groups underground in a society much more like bees than any kind of mammal. The fact he lived alone with a human, was significantly more intelligent than most of his kind, ate human food with gusto most of the time and was now well past their normal lifespan while seemingly still in his prime made him a special case the vet didn't quite know how to deal with.

Ron has suspicions why, at nearly six, Rufus was so overall healthy but he had no confirmation on it. He was round and smooth, instead of wrinkly. His eyesight wasn't the best but it was better than his nearly blind kin. He had a bad moment wondering if that alien scientist he had met in Hawaii was right about him actually being an alien genetics experiment after all, but he recalled the little girl emailing Kim that they had located the real Experiment 607. No, it was something else entirely.

It was something he would have to ask Sensei about, something that made it doubly sad he had to leave him with Wade.

Wade's home had been an utter surprise. You could actually see the house from Kim's room. They had known him since he was nine yet until the twelve year old genius had offered to care for Rufus they had no idea where he lived. They almost didn't get to see him, his mother taking so much time hugging the two of them when they arrived.

His room was actually in the basement, most of it taken up with a holographic simulation chamber and his computer center. They were expecting a jumble of converted ordinary computer equipment, but he had been busy. There were still lots of monitors and keyboards hanging at all angles around his complicated looking leather chair but the main console was an integrated system, with all sorts of controls. Off to one side was a workshop with what looked like a partially completed jetpack of a new design, using a safer, more reliable power source than their old rocket packs.

Wade obviously knew what his little buddy needed. A huge network of large sized 'habitrail' tubes had been set up, simulating the underground environment he would normally live in, as well as providing a miniature terminal where he could play Everlot to his tiny heart's content.

Before they left Wade handed both of them capsules to swallow. They eyed him dubiously until he explained they were new tracking chips. They worked by interacting with a signal from the GPS satellites he employed instead of actually sending out a signal. That way they wouldn't be detectable without the specific signal and they wouldn't be destroyed like the one Gemini fried with a power surge. He wouldn't go into any details about how the devices would find their way into the back of their neck or how he managed to get the old chips into them but they trusted him and swallowed them.

He had been in Japan only a few hours, but he was already missing Kim mightily. He could only imagine what it was like for her. He hoped she had a good time Trick-or-treating with Monique, Felix, Tara and Jason. It was already Tuesday morning for her and he found himself wishing he had some way of contacting her. Just as he suspected he was told to leave all communication devices behind. The only way they had of reaching him was to call somebody in a nearby village and have a note delivered, if such a thing was even allowed.

Maybe Sensei would teach him the mystical astral thingy. Kim seemed to think Ron had done that for her before, but he had no idea how he had managed it even if that's really what it was. That would be so cool, though he'd have no way of knowing if it even worked until he got home thirty days later.

Bonnie was the biggest surprise of this whole adventure. When Barkin announced her name his first thought had been how disappointed Kim looked. They had been so sure it was going to be her. Bonnie, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing to do with the Ninja school. She didn't have anything to do with any of them except to be a thorn in Kim's side. The only solace was that she would at least have a week-long break from the 'high school evil', though that meant, if she really was coming to the school, he'd have to deal with her for that week.

Up to the point where they noticed Rufus was under the weather Kim had been stomping around mad. Later she realized another fact, one that made both of them really nervous.

Bonnie hadn't reacted at all to her selection. If she had, it was only with a smug little smile. She couldn't be looking forward to seeing Hirotaka, was she? They had both assumed her farewell kiss to the well coifed ninja was a sort of punishment for Brick, who had tried to beat the guy up for all the attention his girlfriend was paying him.

Then again Brick had dumped her after the prom, leaving her, for all they knew, alone. He just couldn't imagine Sensei sending for her just to reunite her with a prospective boyfriend.

Ron checked his watch again. The bus had left some thirty minutes earlier. The last time he was here Yori appeared as soon as his ride was out of sight. Certainly they knew he was here by now. He could already feel hidden eyes watching him. What were they waiting for?

Then it occurred to him that he had no idea where he was supposed to go before. The bus had dropped him at a seemingly desolate spot on the road. He couldn't even see the trailhead he had been led to then. Now it was as plain as day to him. Maybe they knew he didn't need a guide now. They were expecting him to find his own way 'home.'

Certain of himself, he polished off the last of his cold food and stuffed the trash into his pack. He shrugged into the straps and connected the belt, resting the weight on his hips instead of his back. He started off at a brisk walk, intent on burning up the relatively flat part of the journey but saving as much energy as possible for the difficult climb to the ridge.

For some reason it didn't seem as steep as it had been the last time. Maybe it was just the memory of the climb and how it taxed him. Taxed heck, it had downright nearly killed him. He was at the point of collapse when he finally reached the hidden entrance at the waterfall. Now he found himself picking up the pace. Perhaps all the training he had been doing with Kim, coupled with the improvements she had made in his diet were paying off after all. He certainly felt stronger. Even the pack, which itself was stuffed with everything he could think he would need, didn't weigh him down.

He allowed himself a slight smile when he caught movement off to the side. He was most definitely being shadowed by somebody. It wouldn't even surprise him one little bit if it was Yori who was doing it, though it was likely he would not have spotted her unless she wished to be.

Yori was a big question mark for him. She did seem interested in him, at least in hindsight. He had been completely and totally oblivious to it the last time he had seen her and didn't even know until Kim explained it to him. After that it was perfectly obvious and he spent a little time beating himself up for not seeing it, especially since Kim was apparently unavailable to him at that point.

"Well, you got me." She said that day. His smile got a little wider as he got the double meaning of the phrase. Maybe that's what she meant then, maybe not, but here, today he had her and in twenty nine and a half days he would be headed home to see her once more. It gave him something to look forward to. He mentally replayed the kiss she had given him as they called for his plane to board. Both their parents were there to see him off and his mother and her father had looked decidedly uncomfortable at the display, though their respective mates kept them in check.

He passed a familiar landmark and realized he was half way there. With a smirk he picked up the pace, reveling in his newfound stamina.

Kim had changed his life and he hoped he had changed hers for better as well.

Afternoon was drifting into evening and the skies had turned deep umber. A few flakes of snow were blowing around in the light breeze. It was still a bit early for a real snowfall at that elevation, but it was drifting down from the peak. Lanterns were being lit as darkness fell, the colors mixing to create an almost surreal light around the ancient school.

One of the older students was outside, standing on the porch of the shoji walled dormitory where she had lived since her early childhood. The breeze caught her nearly shoulder length hair and the loose folds of her white gi just slightly. If she felt the cold, she paid it no heed. Other things were occupying her mind.

A short man walked up behind her, his wooden sandals making no sound as he moved. He seemed absolutely ancient, though he moved with the grace of a man in his prime. Despite his practiced silence, she knew he was there.

"He's coming." She said, using her native language for perhaps the last time during his stay. To make it easier on their guest they would all speak English, which each and every one of them could do fluently.

"I am impressed. I would have though it would take Stoppable-san longer to realize he must come to the school on his own this time."

"He is far more intelligent than his friends give him credit for." She said, forgetting to mask her disdain for certain people.

"Hai, Yori-chan. But do not hold that against them. He wears his buffoonery as a mask, though he does not know yet he does so. That is his nature and is part of who he is."

She turned to look at her old master. "Sensei-sama, is it true he has given his love to Possible-san?"

He simply nodded in response.

Yori turned away from him, looking at the bridge leading to the entrance. She had missed her chance back in the spring and mere weeks later the inevitable finally happened. It was clear to her how he felt about the redhead. There was history and caring there that she could not hope to overcome. She had seen it in his eyes then. If only she had made her own feeling known then instead of relying on fate to bring them together.

"Child. Do not be sad. He has given his love to her, but he has not yet pledged himself to her forever. If they are meant to be, then that is what fate has set out for them. If not, then perhaps there is a chance that he was meant for you instead. Do what your heart tells you."

"Are you saying I should try to win his heart? Is that fair to him? Is it even the right thing to do if he truly loves her?"

"That would all depend on whether that love is true and deep. He is like you, still a child and he has not the wisdom to know where his heart truly lies yet. I would warn you, if you know in your heart that he does love her with all his, then you must do what is right."

"Hai, Sensei-sama."

"Your skills as in Ninjitsu are complete, but as a person you are still incomplete. You must find the wisdom to know where your own heart lies. Whether that is with Stoppable-san or not, I cannot tell you. Do you love him?"

"Part of me says yes, but another part does not know. I do know I want his love."

"Then you are on the path to wisdom about love. Trust me, you will find where that path leads, though no one knows whether it will be over the next month or years down the road." Without another word he took his leave of his cherished student.

Sensei did not like misleading her this way. He had seen with his own eyes the love Stoppable-san had for Possible-san. He knew it was true and deep, but it still had to be tested. There were concerns that were far greater than the love life of one student, no matter how much he personally cared for her.

The boy was the yin to his beloved's yang. They were opposite sides of a coin, the halves that made a whole. In the coming years that bond would be tested again and again and the fate of so many depended on it remaining true.

He knelt at a shoji door and reverently slid it aside. The young man inside bowed to him and left. Very soon he would send that particular boy to the United States. Hayata was a gifted student, perhaps one of the best he had ever trained, but he still had a wild spirit that would need to be harnessed before he would become a master. He knew he could not take the spirit from him, it was part of what made him whole. No, it would have to be channeled. Given free reign it would only make him dangerous.

Sitting on a stand alone was a Katana. The second cradle that should have held a matching smaller sword, a wakizashi sat empty. If there ever had been a companion weapon he wasn't certain. The history only mentioned the Lotus Blade. He knelt in front of it for several minutes before taking it from its stand.

As such blades went, it was somewhat plain in appearance. The true nature of the sword could only be seen by those who were skilled in the mystical arts or, by right of fate, had the power to wield it. The weapon was only spartan because it lacked any embellishments that it did not require. The blade itself was perfect, the edge keen beyond what any mortal could hone. There was no blemish on the metal, though it had been used to carve the school from the living rock of the mountain itself.

"Your master is coming." He said to the sword as he placed it back on the stand.

May we all pray he does not fail in his calling.