Chapter 5
With things in hand in the living room, Kim carried Hana towards the kitchen table so they could talk. Sitting in a chair with the girl in her arms, Kim asked. "You okay, little Han?"
Still sniffling, Hana looked up at her aunt and replied. "Y-yeah, b-but C.J.'s friends with that girl a-and she's…"
Putting a finger on the girl's lips, Kim interrupted her. "Now Hana, Ron and I knew who Sarah's mom was since we first met her." The Asian girl that she was holding looked at Kim in stunned horror.
Looking her in the eyes, Kim said. "Hana… Do you think Ron and I would let someone in our house to play with you and C.J. that would hurt you?"
Not meeting Kim's gaze, the young girl replied in a soft voice. "No"
"Has she done anything to you or C.J.?" Kim asked, already knowing the answer.
In an even softer whisper, Han replied while shaking her head. "… No" an evident tone of shame starting to enter her voice.
After a moment, Kim lifted the child's chin up with a gentle finger and continued. "Why did you get so scared sweetie? Ron and I have known you sense you were a baby and I've never seen you panic like that… ever."
"I-I don't know." Hana replied as her face scrunched up in confusion. "But I remember you and Ronnie saying how See-Go was really mean and tried to hurt you two all the time with that fiery stuff. She's Sarah's mommy. And Sarah has that fire stuff too. I-I thought that, that she would, I thought she'd…"
"Hurt you with her powers?... Like her mom?" Kim finished, as Hana's voice trailed off.
The ninja girl just nodded her head, silently.
Kim sighed to herself. This was about to turn into a serious conversation that part of her wanted to put off for now. But this sitch had the words teachable moment written all over it. And if there was one thing Kim could never do, it was to not take action when an opportunity presented itself.
"Han, you remember us explaining to you about Ron's mystical monkey power right?"
The small girl nodded happily, remembering all the fantastic stories of her brother's adventures with Kim.
"And you know C.J. has the same power too right?"
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssss…" Han replied slowly with a hint of confusion, not knowing where these obvious questions were going.
"Well… You don't think your big brother or C.J. would hurt you with their powers, do you?" Kim asked gently, trying to coax the girl to the right conclusion.
"No, but Ronnie's never hurt anyone." Hana paused and looked at Kim perplexed, not sure what just caused her aunt to flinch.
I ferociously hope he didn't hear that. If everyone keeps bringing THAT up, poor Ron's not going to be able to get to sleep for months! Kim silently ranted to herself before continuing the conversation.
"Hana, just because someone can hurt you doesn't mean that they're going to hurt you."
"You mean, like Ronnie and C.J. won't hurt me?" Hana said, starting to understand.
"Mmm hmmm… That's right." Kim said, while nodding. "And believe it or not, you're a lot like Ron and C.J. And even Sarah, you can do things that even most grownups can't do."
"Like when I run on the ceiling?" Hana giggled.
"Yep, and you know how I know that you, C.J. and Sarah are never going to become evil?"
"Why's that?" the girl asked curiously.
"Because your parents, my parents and Ron and I, and I think Sarah's uncle as well have always been trying teach you kids something that I don't think Sarah's mom ever understood." Kim finished, smiling to herself knowing that she had the little girl hanging on her every word.
"What's that?" Hana asked curiously, in the tone of voice children used when they think they're about to unlock the secrets of the universe.
"That just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do it." Kim explained, in a soft but serious tone.
The two sat quietly for a moment. And Kim watched Hana's expression closely, as the girl processed what she said.
"And there's something else you need to think about, sweetie." Kim said, moving on.
"What's that?" the young girl replied, looking up at Kim.
"Your parents explained to you that you're adopted and what that means, right?"
"Yep." Hana nodded happily. "It means that I didn't come from my mommy's tummy, but mommy and daddy wanted to be my mommy and daddy because my other mommy couldn't take care of me."
Kim nodded and quickly reminded herself that Ron and Hana's parents wanted to leave out the details regarding Yamanouchi, at least until Han was older.
"Right. And Shego didn't take care of Sarah. She was adopted by her uncle, just like you."
"Oh… So, she isn't evil?" Hana asked, after receiving this new information.
"Nope." Kim replied while shaking her head.
"Does not mean I gota apologize?" Hana ask in a pouting tone, already knowing what she should do.
"Yep. But let's wait just a little bit and make sure Sarah's done talking with her uncle. Okay?"
"Okay Aunt Kim." Hana nodded happily. Thinking they were done, she lunged herself forward slightly to get off Kim's lap but was held back.
"Not so fast little one." Kim said in a warning tone. "We're not quite done yet. If I remember correctly, I put this picture of Sarah's mom in a very specific place. A very specific place that you and C.J. aren't allowed in." as she said this, Kim moved the file folder she was still holding in front of Hana for emphasis, then looked her in the eyes and continued. "So how exactly did you find it, young lady?"
"Um-er uh…" Hana stuttered, realizing that she had busted herself in her panic attack. "Well… I may be, sort'a kinda… broke the… lock on the… attic door?" She slowly confessed, slowly trailing off into a whisper. Then the girl pouted as she asked "Does this mean you're going to call my mommy and daddy and get me in trouble?"
Kim laughed to herself silently as she thought about her mother in law desperately trying to hold the little ninja down for a spanking or worse, what Kim was sure would amount to an epic struggle trying to keep the turbo tot grounded. And for a moment she considered this as oh so sweet revenge for the "surprise play date" that was sprung on her and her husband earlier today… But Kim had bigger priorities at the moment.
"Hmm… I tell you what, I won't tell your parents if you promise not to do it again and you apologize to Sarah later. Okay?" Hana nodded her head so fast, that Kim was worried she would give herself whiplash. Then she snuggled up to her aunt and hugged her and thanks.
After the incident in the living room, Ron took C.J. upstairs to his room to talk and give the others some privacy. After sitting his son down on the bed and closing the door, Ron asked, "So, what exactly happened down there, bud?"
"What do you mean?" C.J. asked with a confused look.
"I mean" Ron replied "what was with you using the monkey power? I've never seen you charge up like that before."
C.J. stuttered in confusion, "I-I don't know. It just kind'a…kind'a happened."
"Well…" Ron said rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Wh-" he started to ask before being interrupted by his cell phone once again.
Ron let out a sigh. With the bad luck the small device had been bringing him today, he was just about ready to throw it out the window. First, he got called to the meeting in which he had been injured. Then his mother called with barely any warning before dropping off his hyperactive baby sister. Now he took a deep breath to brace himself for whatever he was about to hear. He then answered the call and brought the phone to his ear without looking at the caller id.
"Hello?" he answered nervously.
"Tara? How are you?" he said with relief. "What? Uh-huh…uh-huh." he replied hesitantly. "Wow. Um, ok. I see…" he continued to listen while the former relief he'd felt slowly became slight alarm. "I understand. I'll let them know…He and his niece are here with us. We'll take care of it… Oh, ok. We'll be there. All right. Thanks. Have a good day." He gave another sigh glad to have the call over with, but realizing that his phone calls were now three for three.
"What was that, Daddy?" C.J. asked. "Why did Miss Tara call?"
Rubbing the back of his neck again, Ron answered "Oh, well… um just some adult stuff me and mommy need to take care of later, okay? Now why did you use the MMP downstairs C.J.? Ron asked to change subjects and to get to the bottom of things after conversation he just had with Tara.
"I-I don't mean to I was just… scared." C.J. finally answered is dad after hesitating a moment.
"Scared of what, buddy?" Ron asked, in concern.
C.J. stuttered, looking at the floor with his legs swinging back and forth on the bed. "I… I thought that s-someone w-w-was gonna take Sarah and hurt her 'cause of the picture. She almost got beaten up today at school 'cause of her powers! I-I thought that was gonna happen again." C.J. finished, crying lately.
"Okay buddy, and since you brought it up can you tell me what exactly happened at school today again?"
"Well… We were going out to recess, I got thirsty so I went back to get my juice box, and when I came back outside Sarah was in the middle of the circle of everyone in class and they were being really really really mean to her!" C.J. Explained slowly getting more upset and angry as he went.
"C.J. settle down and tell me how they were being mean to her" Ron said, trying keep his son calm.
"This really mean boy was calling Sarah a weirdo and a freak and he said she was sick. Then the other kids started laughing at her. And then the boy tried to throw a snowball in her face!" C.J. almost shouted at the end.
Ron raised a confused eyebrow before asking "He tried to throw a snowball in her face? Did he miss?"
For the first time during the conversation, C.J. smiled as he shook his head. Then said "Nope! I caught it before it hit her!" then he paused for a moment, thinking before adding "I think I might 'a used the MMP to catch it. I don't know. " he finished with a shrug.
"Okay, what happened then?" Ron asked.
"Um… The mean boy yelled at me "Why did you do that?" and then, I said "Just because somebody's different doesn't mean you should laugh at them, or hurt them for that matter." But it was really weird, my voice was different… I think I sounded like a grownup!"
"Oh… Kay." Ron asked slowly, rubbing the back of his head. "What happened next?"
C.J. shrugged and tilted his head in a relaxed manner before replying "I shrugged and said that was cool, then I turned around and asked Sarah if she was okay, she nodded her head yes, then we started walking towards the other side of the playground."
"Okay… So you and Sarah tried to walk away?" Ron asked, curiously.
"Mmm-hmm…" C.J. Confirmed, nodding his head.
"And next?" Ron asked again.
"Well after that, that mean kid got really angry and ran up and tried to pull Sarah's hair but he got her ribbon instead. Then we turned around and Sarah told him give it back! Then he said "Why don't you make me?" then Sarah got really mad and her hands lit up and I got out of the way."
"So did Sarah attack him?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow.
C.J. shook his head before answering. "No, that's when everyone started throwing snowballs at us."
"Is that when you got hit on the head with a rock?" Ron guessed.
"No we tried to run away first, then everyone caught us at the edge of the playground in front of the big tree." C.J. answered.
Ron was momentarily distracted by the fond memories of him and Kim meeting for the first time in front of that exact same tree, before shaking his head in returning his focus on the present conversation.
"Okay so, you guys ran and everyone caught you at the tree. So what happened next?" Ron prompted his son to continue the story.
"Well, we were surrounded by the tree and I remembered what you and mommy taught me about how being surrounded is really really not good, especially when someone can hit me from a…d-d-dis…" C.J.'s voice trailed off as he fumbled over the large word.
"From a distance?" Ron finished for his son.
C.J. grinned. "Yeah that! So before anyone could hit us I picked up Sarah over my shoulder, like you do me sometimes, and carried her up the tree where no one could reach us."
Ron's eyes widened. "Wait, you picked Sarah up over your shoulder and climbed up the tree before anyone could hit you?" He asked, surprised.
"Yep!" C.J. replied, smiling.
"How did Sarah react?" Ron asked, curiously.
C.J. started scratching his head in thought as he replied "Well, she started crying but it wasn't because of me. She was crying 'cause the ribbon that the boy took was a present from her grandma and she's in heaven like Nina and Rufus."
"Okay, so she started crying. What happened after that?" Ron pushed on.
"Well I decided to get her ribbon back, so I jumped out of the tree to go make that mean boy give it back." C.J. replied.
"Is that when you got hit with a rock?" Ron asked, wondering exactly how long this story was going to take.
"Nope! I landed on my feet." C.J. answered happily.
" Wait… You jumped out of a tree… Never mind keep going." Ron sighed, assuming by this point that anything abnormal his son did was related to the Mystical monkey power.
C.J. pouted, and replied bitterly "I walked up to him and told him to give the ribbon back."
"What did he do?" Ron asked, wanting to know exactly how his son and this other boy interacted.
"He laughed at me and said "Why don't you make me?" and started dangling it in front of me." C.J. answered.
"Did you two fight?" Ron questioned.
"Not really…" C.J. replied quietly, looking down like he was afraid of getting in trouble. "I snatched it out of his hand before he could stop me. Then I started walking back to the tree. I think I surprised him and made him even more angry, that's when he threw a snowball at me and I'm pretty sure it had a rock in it. It hit me on the head and knocked me down. Then everything was kinda fuzzy after that."
"so… Do you remember anything after that?" Ron asked, hoping to get a little more information.
C.J.'s response was to scrunch up his face and stick out his tongue in concentration, before replying "Well… I remember hearing Sarah yell "LEAVE! HIM! ALONE!" and I remember seeing her standing in the tree with both her hands lit up."
"Do you think that maybe Sarah attack the bully using her powers? Ron asked, carefully.
"I don't know, maybe" C.J. said in a thoughtful voice. "but I'm pretty sure she didn't hit him."
"How do you know?" Ron asked his son.
C.J. Answered "Well it would be kinda obvious. He didn't scream as loud as mommy said you did, when you had to fight Sarah's mommy." with the completely innocent yet brutal honesty that children his age are known for.
Ron mentally sighed to himself, okay apparently females from the Go clan aren't the only ones who have a natural talent for burning people. I never should have let Kim tell that story…
Downstairs in the living room, Wesley was still trying to find a way to explain everything to his niece.
"Wesey?..." Sarah asked in a still trembling voice.
Wesley mentally cringed, he honestly hated himself right now. Sarah only called him that when she was truly upset and was counting on her uncle to make everything right with the world, the problem was…
He didn't know how. He didn't know what he could do to fix this. He didn't know if he could fix this. And if he could he certainly didn't know how to. How could he fix a problem he can't even begin to explain? How do you explain to an emotionally distraught four year old, that not only did her mother abandon her but also that her mother was one of the most hated people on earth. How do you explain that her mother was feared to the point where battle hardened soldiers would cut and run at the site of her? How do you explain that she had the same destructive power that her mother used to terrorize people? How do you explain that her mentally unstable uncle she had never met before was very likely on his way to kill her right now, even though she hasn't done anything wrong?
If Wesley wasn't so focused on comforting his niece, he would've started crying himself but instead he replied to her and said. "Yes, baby girl?"
Looking up at him with teary eyes,"W-why did my mommy leave? Was she that mean?... O-or did I do something wrong? I don't think I did b-but…". Sarah asked in a trembling voice, with her words trailing off at the end. Then swallowing a lump in her throat, she asked again. "And how am I your birthday present?"
Oh right, I kind of zoned out didn't I? Wesley mentally kicked himself for making the already distraught girl repeat herself.
"Well sweet heart… I don't know why your mom left, she left you at my front door on my birthday with a note that said only to take care of you. She didn't say why…" Wesley let out a heavy sigh as he finished, waiting for his niece's reaction.
"Is that why you call me your birthday present?" Sarah asked, her voice starting to clear up.
"You got it! And you know what?" Wesley replied, smiling.
"What?" Sarah replied wiping her eyes as she looked up at her uncle.
Gently cupping her face with his hands and looking her in the eyes as he smiled, Wesley answered "That was the best birthday ever… Of all time." then kissed Sarah on the forehead and wrapped her in a bear hug.
Wesley was glad that he was able to finally put a positive spin on the conversation but Sarah's next words completely threw that out the window. "Is my mommy the reason people are scared of me? Because she was really mean?"
Wesley took a deep breath through his nose and slowly let it out through his mouth, bracing himself for this part of the conversation. "Well… Not really, it's mostly 'cause you're different and some people don't know how to deal with it… But that could be a problem in the future. I don't want you to be scared all the time but if that happens, you remember the talk we had about how to deal with strangers and our special code words right?"
Looking up at her uncle, Sarah nodded her understanding.
"Good, that's all you need to worry about right now sweetie." Wesley replied with a hint of relief in his voice.
The two of them sat there for a moment before they heard someone behind them clear their throat.
Looking behind them, the two found Kim standing in the doorway to the kitchen with Hana standing next to her.
"Wesley, if you two are done talking I think Hana has something she wants to say to Sarah." Kim said.
At hearing this, said ninja toddler looked down at the floor and poked at carpet with her left foot.
Nodding his head, Wesley said "Yeah, I think we're good in here."
"Go ahead little one." Kim said gently, nodding at Hana.
Slowly walking into the living room, the tiny ninja cautiously lifted her gaze to look at Sarah before swallowing hard and saying "I… I'm sorry for freaking out… And saying all those mean things about you. C-can we still be friends, please?..."
Sarah looked at the other girl then sniffled and wiped her sleeve across her face before replying. "You. You still want to be my friend?" She asked, hesitantly.
Hana nodded, saying. "Yes, I'm really really really really really really super sorry!"
"Well… Okay. " Sarah answered, sounding a little more confident.
As the children were talking, Kim made her way into a living room to speak with the Wesley. "Wesley, I think Ron and I have a couple of ideas about how to help with, uh… Sitch we were talking about before the kids came down."
"Yeah definitely. At this point, I'm ready to just about the with anything. What were you guys thinking?" Wesley replied, scratching his head in curiosity.
It was about this time that Ron and C.J. came back down the stairs.
"Well, looks like everything's settled down here." Ron said with a smile as he and C.J. walked in to the living room.
"Are you two still fighting?" C.J. asked in a concerned tone.
Hana shook her head in reply. "Nope! And I'm really really really sorry I got so scared C.J."
"It's okay Han." C.J. Said, relieved. "So… Are you guys friends now?" he asked, hesitantly.
"Yes." Hana and Sarah answered.
"Are you sure?" C.J. asked again.
"Yes." The two girls repeated themselves, nodding.
"Are you really sure?" C.J. persisted.
"Yes." The pair answered again with Sarah crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow as if to say, are we really going to do this?
"Are you really really sure…" C.J. asked yet again.
"Yes!" The other two children raised their voices.
The adults watching knew that they should probably step in… But they just couldn't resist the fun of letting the silly situation before them play out.
Unfortunately, C.J. decided to continue oblivious to the affect his questioning was having. "Are you really really really sure?"
As Sarah opened her mouth to give a retort that she hoped would end this crazy conversation, she and everyone else in the room was shocked when Hana beat her to the punch.
"YES! I'm not scared of your friend anymore! We're both friends now! And I didn't even get in trouble for going into the attic and finding that picture! This. Sitch. Is. OVER!" The little ninja took several deep breaths after yelling the last word at the top of her lungs, with everyone in the room staring at her in shock.
C.J. looked at his aunt for a moment before rubbing the back of his neck nervously and saying. "Oh…um, oh kay?"
And that was all it took for the adults in the room to bust out laughing for a few moments. Then Kim calmed down and said. "I don't you all find something else to do for a little bit? Wesley, Ron and I still have a few things talk about. All right?"
While the children all greed Ron mentally groaned. He was not looking forward to having tell the others about his call from Tara.
Just as C.J. and Hana were about to start discussing what to do, Sarah yanked C.J.'s arm behind her as she marched back to the staircase.
"What are you doing?!" C.J. Shouted in surprise.
Sarah replied without looking over her shoulder or breaking her stride. "I'm going to pick something to do next that doesn't involve getting in trouble before you two start arguing again!"
This left poor C.J. struggling to keep up and fumbling over his words trying to understand what was happening. Meanwhile Hana was trailing bind them giggling herself silly saying. "They're already married! They act just like Ronnie and aunt Kim!"
Unbeknownst to the giggling turbo tot, this caused her big brother to face palm and her aunt's eyebrow to start twitching again. This continued until the children were up the stairs and Wesley cleared his throat snapping the other two out of their trance.
Giving the married couple a desperately concerned look with just a shred of hope, Wesley asked. "Kim, you said a few minutes ago that you two had a plan."
He paused take calming breath before finally asking. "Well, what's next?..."
TBC…