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Chapter 15 Bad News

Kim sat bolt upright in bed. It was pitch black and disorientation overtook her. She grabbed her right wrist to illuminate her watch but remembered she had removed it when they had arrived at the cabin. "Ron," she whispered softly. There was no response. She closed her eyes and thought of her new husband. "Ron, where are you?"

"Hi KP, I'm outside," he telepathically communicated to her. She rose and padded to the door. Ron was just outside, staring off in the distance. "You'd better put something on, we're going to have company." He pointed down the trail and Kim saw lights bobbing up the path.

"But Rufus just..." Kim said pleading.

Ron cut her off. "Yes, I know. I heard his thoughts too."

Kim spun and ran into the room, grabbed her kimono wooden sandals and found a couple of candles. A minute later the cabin glowed softly in the minimum light. She raced back outside and jumped into Ron's embrace. "Oh Ron, I'm so sorry," she mewed. "I knew it had to happen, but the reality..." She looked at his face in the moonlight and saw the tears streaming down his face. She let her tears flow freely.

As the lights approached the cabin, Kim broke from the hug and snaked her arm around Ron's waist. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of the kimono. "Hi Mommy, Daddy, Yori," Kim said weakly. "Hello Mother Stop..." she choked slightly and leapt into her mother's arms, burying her head in the embrace she received.

"Hi Mom, Dad and, nodding to the Possible parents, "Mom and Dad. Come on in Yori." He held the cabin door open for the visitors.

"How are you doing Dear," Ann Possible asked her daughter as she stroked the young woman's hair. "Is there anything we can do?"

"No, you just being here is comforting enough," Kim answered. A question suddenly struck her. "How did you know we would know about Rufus?"

Yori spoke up. "I told them everything." She held her hand up to stop Ron's protest. "Master Sensei said it is time for them to know. After all, you are family and they deserve to hear of the perils you both face."

"We had our suspicions," Dean Stoppable said. "I mean, Ron being sent to school here in Japan and coming back changed? The self confidence and improvements in your school work and on missions? And don't think your Mother and I haven't noticed how buff you've gotten."

"How much did Yori tell you Dad?" Ron queried.

Dean's head sank to his chest. "Everything. The prophesies, reports on you and Kim and your abilities..."

"You can add hyper-speed to mine," Kim cut in. "although I'm not as fast as Ron."

Ron grinned slightly. "And you can call Kim, Dr. Doolittle."

Ann Possible asked in surprise, "You can talk to animals?"

Kim nodded toward Ron. "Both of us."

"Anyway," Dean Stoppable continued, "we were reading some of the reports when Jim and Tim brought out their experimental jet plane they had brought along. Rufus was excited about testing it."

"I checked their figures and looked over the craft from stem to stern," James Possible affirmed. "There was absolutely no reason for that jet to explode!"

Ron stared out the window. "Pinhole in the fuel line, There's no way you could have found it, it was so deep in the fuselage. Rufus pushed the engine past the red line and..." his voice cracked and trailed off. Finally he added, "He knew what he was doing and he knew the risk he was taking."

Yori got up from the table. "I will make some tea."

"The kettle should be ready in a minute," Kim said. She looked around the table and saw five faces staring at her. "What? We could see you coming so I stoked the stove and put the kettle on. It wasn't the Power."

"Sorry Dear," Jan Stoppable chimed. "It's still a little difficult for us to wrap our minds around this Power thingie."

"I understand Mother Stoppable," Kim said sympathetically, using the name Jan wanted Kim to call her. "I went through the same thing when Ron first started exhibiting his Power."

A hush fell over the room. "You know the boys feel absolutely terrible," James said quietly.

Kim looked over to Yori at the stove. "Do the Tweebs know about the Power?" she asked.

Yori shook her head. "No. They are not to be told. They are to continue to think of Yamanouchi as a regular school."

"It would be easier to explain the sitch to them if I could tell them about the Power," Ron said. "But I'll still talk to them."

Kim laced her hand with his. "We'll talk to them. They know how attached I got with Rufus and I don't want them afraid of me, thinking I might attack them out of revenge."

"Kim Dear, they would never think that!" Jan Stoppable said.

"Mother Stoppable," Kim said, "They're eleven years old and have imaginations the size of Canada."

Yori brought over the teapot and cups to the table. "If you would like something stronger I believe there may be a bottle of sake or wine here somewhere."

"Half a bottle each," Ron chuckled. "We found them and tried the wine. It wasn't that good. We had some sake with lunch." Everyone joined in with a laugh of their own.

"I did not think you drank Kim-sama," Yori stated.

"Normally, no. But I found out I like sake," Kim said smiling and bowed. "And thank you for elevating me."

Yori bowed deeply. "It is truly my honor."

A puzzled look arose on Jan's face. "I'm a little confused with the san and sama things."

"It is confusing to an occidental," Yori stated. "Simply put, san means friend, usually a male friend and the equivalent for a female would be chan. Chan is not used too much anymore so everyone is san. Kim and I were san until her Power merged with her. Now she is sama, a superior. The only other one you need to know is Sensei. It means teacher or master."

"Thank you Yori-san," Ann said and bowed slightly in her seat, "for enlightening us with your teaching."

Yori giggled. "I thought Kim-sama was suppose to be the diplomat of the family." She frowned and bowed to Ron. "Oh, I apologize for bringing levity to a solemn occasion."

Ron waved his hand. "No big. A little laughter helps speed the healing."

Kim looked around. "What time is it? I took off my watch when we got here."

James Possible checked his watch. "It's after 11:30. Why?"

"It's too late to hike back down the trail and you all must be a little tired from the hike up. Unfortunately this cabin only has one bed." Kim thought for a moment. "I have no idea how we can accommodate everyone."

"I don't think anyone will be sleeping tonight," Jan Stoppable said. "We came up to support you in this time of loss."

"Thank you Mom," Ron said, "but we haven't lost Rufus, he's still with us."

"I know he's looking down from Heaven, Dear," Jan said, patting his hand.

"Oh, he's not in Heaven, Mother Stoppable," Kim said.

"His body might not be alive," Ron continued.

"His soul," Kim.

"And the Power," Ron.

"Have been talking to us," Kim.

"Up until you got here." Ron concluded.

"But the accident happen seven hours ago," Dean pondered aloud.

"That's what the Sixth Prophesy meant," Ron assured his Father. "The third will perish but bring enlightenment."

"He is enlightening us with his knowledge from beyond," Kim concluded, "he talks to us."

"Rufus was the one who told me of what caused the jet to explode," Ron confided.

"Can you... ah... contact him at any time?" his mother asked.

Ron sheepishly smiled. "No, he still sleeps about twenty hours a day." He turned to Yori. "I'm a bit surprised he hasn't contacted you, Yori. He is quite fond of you."

"I was," Yori paused and corrected herself, "I am fond of him, though he hasn't tried to talk to me. Maybe when I meditate."

"I think he went back to sleep after he talked to us," Ron said, his goofy grin appeared. "Don't worry, he's more talkative now than he was before and I'm sure he'll get in touch with you shortly."

"Mom, who's baby sitting the Tweebs right now?" Kim asked. Ann frowned at her. "Sorry," Kim sang, "Who's watching Jim and Tim while you're up here?"

"Monique is keeping herd on them with the help of Felix," Ann said. "Bonny is burning up her cell minutes talking with George."

"They make a cute couple," Jan chimed. "Do you think they'll stay together?"

"Would you mind a double wedding on the 19th, Mother Stoppable?" Kim asked.

"Oh! You think?"

"I think they've already picked out the wall paper," Ron said with a big smile. Everyone laughed.

"Have you found any other powers, Kim-sama?" Yori asked.

"I was able to move Ron a couple of feet with my telekinesis, but I still need to work on the finish."

"Impressive," Yori mused. "You are able to move such a large object."

"HEY!" Ron yelled in mock dismay. "I'm not that big!"

"Compared with the bo you are," Yori said in defensive titter. "Anyway, when we get back I would like to try something with you."

"What's that?" Kim asked.

"I would like to see if you can learn a foreign language quickly."

"But Kimmie has always been good with languages," James said. "How fast are you talking about?"

"We have a machine that will play a language CD at one hundred fifty times normal speed. If Kim-sama can retain at that speed..."

"I could learn every language in the World... in one day!" Kim marveled.

"And you would receive multiple college credits towards your degree in International Diplomacy," Yori added.

Ann Possible turned to her husband. "Hon, didn't you bring along your CD player?"

"Yes Dear," he said and unhooked it from his belt.

"I have an idea." Ann took it, removed the CD and handed the silver coated plastic disc to Kim. "See if you can read this without the player."

Kim held the disc in her hand and smiled. "Yes, I can hear the music in my head." She handed the CD to Ron. "Take a listen."

Ron listened for a moment and smiled. "Does anyone else want to hear it?" Everyone nodded. Ron's fingers glowed a light, robin's egg blue.

The faces around the table lit up in amazement. "Nice choice Jim," Dean Stoppable chimed. "The Electric Light Orchestra."

"Yes," Jan said. "I hear the song 'Don't Bring Me Down.'"

"I hear 'Telephone Line,'" Jim said.

"I believe the song I hear is called 'Evil Woman.' Correct Ron-sama?" Yori said.

Ron nodded. "But it's no reflection on you."

"So you are sending out an individual song to each of us?" Yori asked, "from the same CD?"

Ron's goofy grin sprang to life. "Yep. It's a great way to split my focus and multi-task."

"Well," Ann spoke up, "so much for the stereo system we were going to get you this Hanukkah."

Ron put the CD down and the music in everyone's head stopped. "I'd like to try one more thing." Ron's body started to glow blue. Sounds of static and the occasional radio station filled the room like someone was tuning in an old car radio. "

"Ron! Volume!" Kim yelled over the din.

"Sorry KP!" The noise subsided to a manageable level. It alit on a station playing 'Japanese Drums' by Kitaro.

"I love this song," Kim chimed. "I can hear the different stations in my mind but I can't project them like you can."

"As you said earlier," Ron beamed, "you only got a portion of the Power from the Monkey King Amulet, I got the Full Monkey."

Yori sighed, "I will be filling out reports for days on you two."

"And I think we've only scratched the surface," Ron said slyly.

A/N: The CDs I got the music from are:

Japanese Drums from the CD Asia by Kitaro, on the Geffen label.

ELO Classics CD on CBS Special Products label.

I've had the two CDs for quite a while so they might be out of production. Good luck finding them.