So much had changed since she had last seen him...and it had been so short a time. She was a ninja and a daughter of Yamanouchi. He was both and ally of Yamanouchi and a personal friend. She should have no nervousness about seeing him again, yet she was uneasy. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him; she was very much looking forward to it. It wasn't that she was concerned about her assignment. She was properly concerned, which was as she should be. The issue was that she had finally admitted to herself that she wanted to be more than a friend with this young man. The problem was that she didn't know quite how to go about telling him.

She reached their meeting point before he did. That wasn't surprising, as Yamanouchi was much closer to the site than was Middleton. As was his usual mode of transportation, he had caught a ride on a series of flights, which could not land where he needed to go. Instead, a cargo plane of some sort flew overhead and a parachute bloomed behind it. At first, she was concerned that only one chute was present but when he landed in front of her, she realized that she would prefer that only the two of them take on this assignment. She honestly liked and respected Kim Possible, but the fewer people who knew Yamanouchi's secrets, the better. Besides, she preferred his solo company.

"Yori!" He exclaimed, once he had disentangled himself from the parachute. His arms went open and it took all her discipline to not throw herself into them. Instead, she offered him a proper bow; and wondered why she had exercised such restraint once the traditional greeting was finished.

"Stoppable-san," she greeted him. "Thank you for coming on such notice; and, if I may be so bold, it is good to see you again."

"Likewise," he told her, seeming to take no offense at her not embracing him. "So, what can I do for you?"

"With all due respect to your technical support man, there was only so much that I wished to divulge when he could hear," she told him. "Speaking of keeping secrets, will Possible-San be joining us?"

"No," his cheerfulness seemed to dim a bit. "I mean, if you'd rather have her along..."

"No!" her voice was a little more forceful than she had intended. "It is better that you have come alone. I merely wished to determine who would be present."

"No problem," his smile was back. "So, about the mission..."

"Of course," she smiled back at him. "Lord Fiske has once again infiltrated Yamanouchi...and before you ask, he was observed as he escaped so this is not another false trail. He obtained a scroll, which will put him on the path to obtaining a powerful weapon. He will be able to use it to access a temple which contains a key to lead him to another temple and translate more of the scroll. Should he reach this second temple and obtain its key, it will lead him to a third temple, whose key will give him great knowledge of this weapon. We cannot allow him to gain access to the weapon; in the hands of such as he..."

"You don't have to say any more," Ron assured her. "Let's see what we can do. I assume that the first temple is fairly close by?"

"A reasonable assumption," she assured him. "If you'll follow me, the first temple is said to be guarded by sand."

"That's all?" He asked her. "I mean, could it be quicksand?"

"In the scroll's ancient language, the term for 'quicksand' does not include the word 'sand'," she told him. "I know that sand does not sound dangerous, but it is best to not underestimate the lengths to which the ancients would go to protect such secrets."

"Got it," he nodded. "So, how much farther?"

"Just over this hill," she told him. She noted that he merely nodded in response, clearly understanding that it was time to be quiet.

The two peered over the crest of the hill that she had indicated, to observe a simple shrine. The building was located on open ground, so there was no point in trying to hide their approach. He seemed to understand this, as well, when he exchanged a nod with her before rushing towards their goal. She noted that while he was not as quiet as a trained Yamanouchi ninja, his rapid sprint was far from noisy.

They reached the entrance just in time to hear Lord Fiske chide his monkeys and bemoan the fact that he had to do everything himself. Upon looking inside, she saw that a yellow gemstone floated above an altar. Between the altar and the entrance was what appeared to be a pit full of sand, in which Fiske's monkeys were stuck. The Lord himself used his monkeys' heads as stepping stones and reached the altar. Upon seizing the gem, he produced a scroll form his clothing and peered at it through the jewel.

"Excellent!" The altered man exclaimed. "The location of the second key and a clue as to the nature of the weapon itself."

Yori noted that while the Englishman was utilizing the key, her companion pulled off his boots. She was puzzled, then she realized that his feet, while not fully prehensile like Fiske's, had developed a certain simian structure. Then she realized why he had taken off his boots, when he mimicked Fiske's earlier action, using the monkeys' heads as stepping stones. Unfortunately, his attempts at stealth were thwarted by the monkey howling a warning.

"Stoppable!" Fiske snarled, upon looking up and seeing his nemesis. "And the wench from Yamanouchi! Where's the cheerleader?"

"Off doing teen things," Ron retorted, closing in on his adversary. "You know how that goes."

"Not at all," Fiske retorted, tucking scroll and gem into his clothing and hopping onto his monkeys to meet the teen. "I didn't waste my youth in such frivolity."

"You should have tried it," Ron quipped back, now within range of the nobleman. "It might have made you more pleasant to be around."

"I have no need for such foolishness," Fiske growled. "While your usual companion is off socializing with her artificial boyfriend, I am on the verge of acquiring a weapon that will give me ultimate power!"

"Just how many plots does that make?" Ron asked him, now trading punches and kicks with the nobleman. "First there was the Mystical Monkey Power. You got it, but I don't think it gave you ultimate power. Then there was getting to space to meet Frederick, then there was trying to steal the Lotus Blade, then there was the amulet thing and now it's this. Just how many ultimate power plots can one man have?"

"I believe you are going to have to tell me about some of these incidents, Stoppable-san," Yori chimed in. "Once we have defeated this particular ultimate power plot."

"Be prepared to hear about a bumbling, stumbling fool that rides a cheerleader's coattails and lucks into his goals." Fiske snarled at her.

"Why do you have to be so negative?" Ron retorted, still fighting the man. "And after we rescued you from DNAmy."

"I had that situation well in hand!" Fiske snarled. "If you hadn't blundered in, she never would have found me!"

"Sure," Ron smirked at him. "You would have waited her out in that tiny closet."

Fiske's only answer was a snarl as the two combatants continued to fight. Yori moved up behind Stoppable, but didn't dare get too close, as the fight had him first retreating, then attacking. She got as close as she could, then vaulted over both combatants, landing on monkeys behind Fiske. The simians squealed their displeasure at being utilized in this way, but she did not care.

"Do the two of you really think you can beat me?" Fiske sneered, while continuing the fight.

"That's the idea," Stoppable answered, in a surprisingly cheerful voice.

"A very bad plan," Fiske told him, now having to dodge or block Yori's strikes; while occasionally attacking her. "You'll never get the better of me."

Yori admitted that this was quite possible. While the monkeys did their best to remain steady while Fiske stepped on them, they struggled and squirmed when they bore her or Stoppable's weight. This did a great deal to overcome his disadvantage of fighting two foes.

Even as she considered this situation, and thought that it would perhaps be better to take this fight to more solid ground, Stoppable landed a solid strike to Fiske's midsection. The nobleman staggered back towards her, but he quickly regained control of himself, blocking one of her strikes that would have easily incapacitated him.

"You've grown stronger, Stoppable," Fiske admitted, now coming back with a flurry of blows that Stoppable struggled to block or evade.

"Football and world saving does a body good!" The blonde teen quipped right back.

"But you still don't have the proper dedication," Fiske countered. "Tell me Stoppable, are you this wench's lackey, like you used to be for Possible, or is she your lackey?"

"Neither!" Yori chimed in. "We share a bond of honor!"

"Honor!" Fiske snorted in return. "Stoppable doesn't know the meaning of it. All he does is follow Possible around like a whipped dog and dress up in a ludicrous dog costume."

"Hey, don't be for dissing the Mad Dog," Stoppable continued the banter. "Dressing up in the costume is a good workout."

"And it is not dishonorable to do so when you seek to entertain others," Yori added. "Whether it is as the mascot of a high school's sports teams, or as the mascot of a pickle factory."

"Whoa," this time, Stoppable directed his comment towards her. "When did you hear about me dressed up as Kosher Dilly?"

"Dolt!" Fiske snapped at him. "It is customary to direct your banter at your opponent during a fight!"

"Never be normal!" Stoppable countered him. "Besides, I'm just asking a question."

"I observed you at the Middleton Days Festival," Yori told him. "Shortly before visiting you at your home that night."

To her shock, Stoppable stared at her with wide eyes. "Wait a minute!" He exclaimed. "That really happened?"

"Of course!" She felt offended by the question. "Did you not find our activities worth remembering?"

Stoppable was staring at her and Fiske took full advantage of his shock. The nobleman feinted low then vaulted over the teen's head and onto solid land near the shrine's exit. Grabbing the nearest monkey, he pulled the creature free of the sand. As this monkey had joined hands with the next, who was clinging to the next, and so forth, all of the monkeys were pulled free. Both Yori and her companion were sent sprawling into the sand.

"I'd love to stay and listen to the two of you debate Stoppable's questionable memory," the Englishman taunted them. "But I'm sure I would be bored to tears over what you are going to discuss and I have another key to collect and a weapon to find. Ta ta!"

Fiske and his monkeys hurried away, hooting in triumph and leaving Yori trapped by uncomfortably restraining sand and an uncomfortable situation with her companion. Fortunately, the sand had a stone floor beneath it, so she was able to attempt to walk, even if it was painfully slow.

"So, we really..." Stoppable said to her.

"Yes!" She allowed a bit of irritation to creep into her tone. "But perhaps we should concentrate upon getting out of our current predicament before discussing this topic."

Stoppable took the hint and concentrated on extracting himself from the clinging, yet dry, sand.

"Okay, I've got an idea," he suddenly told her. He apparently groped at his waist; she could not tell since it was under the sand, then produced what appeared to be a child's dart gun. He took aim and fired a small projectile, which trailed a cable while expanding into a grappling hook in mid flight. His aim was off; the hook did not catch on the stones at the temple's entrance as he intended so he rewound the hook and shot again. This time, the hook caught and he was able to pull himself free of the sand. Standing on the edge of the sand pool, he fired the projectile into the sand next to her. She caught the hook and he pulled her free.

"Could you not have used this as Monkeyfist was making his escape?" She asked him, trying to understand why he hadn't done so.

"Um...this is the first mission that I've had it with me," he admitted. "I sort of forgot that I had it and like you saw, I need some practice with aiming."

She was about to issue a harsh rebuke but then recalled the hook and ribbon at her own waist...that she had forgotten about in the heat of battle. Even his efforts to use his grapple had failed to prompt her memory. Shaking her head at her own shortcoming, she decided to focus on the matter at hand, rather than reliving her failure.

"Lord Fiske has the first of three keys," she pointed out. "And this will lead him to the second. I shall contact Yamanouchi and find where the next key is located."

"Wait," her companion interrupted her. "Why didn't they just tell you where all three keys were at?"

"So that if Lord Fiske captured and tortured me, he would not have an easy path to the third and final key," she told him. She would have rolled her eyes at the question, but she recalled that he had not grown up as a ninja.

A quick phone call gave her the location of the next temple and arranged transportation to it. Fortunately, Master Zhiui did not seem overly upset. Of course, she remembered that the old man was even better than Master Sensei at hiding strong emotions. She could be in for praise when she returned to Yamanouchi, or she could be in for painful reprimands. It did not matter, what mattered was her assignment.

"The next key is located in a shrine some two hundred miles from here," Yori told him. "I have been warned that while the first key was guarded by sand, this key is guarded by stone."

"I'll call Wade for a ride," Stoppable offered.

"Yamanouchi has already arranged for transportation," she told him. "It will be here shortly and will not compromise Yamanouchi's secrets with one who is unwholesomely clever and curious."

"Yeah, Wade does have a habit of learning things that you might wish he didn't," Stoppable admitted. "But he's good with secrets."

"I do not doubt that," Yori assured him. "But what he does not know in the first place, he can never reveal."

There was silence then, as they waited for their ride. The silence wasn't entirely comfortable.

"Depending on how long it takes for the ride to get here," Stoppable finally stated. "Maybe we need to talk about..."

"I wondered why you did not seek to renew our intimacy when I solicited your help to search for Master Sensei," Yori stated, which was honest enough. "I thought that you were upset with me, or perhaps disappointed with what we had done."

"No!" His quick denial gave her a great deal of satisfaction. "It's just...I've never really had a pretty and incredible girl show that kind of interest in me. Then, you were gone the next morning and you never contacted me..."

"Such is the life of a ninja," Yori averted her eyes. She knew that she was pretty but somehow, him saying that he found her such had a great deal more impact on her than it should have.

"Ninja...right," he said. "So let's get this mission taken care of, then we can figure out where we go from there."

"This sounds most reasonable," Yori nodded.

"So, what's the plan?" He asked.

"It will take Fiske some time to decipher the location of the next key," she told him. "While a source in Yamanouchi told me where it can be found. We shall rush to this location and take the key. Should Fiske be there when we arrive, we will overpower him and take the keys and the scroll from him."

"Straight and to the point," he complimented her. "That's the way I like it."

Yamanouchi's transportation proved to be a truck driver. Yori did not care to know how he became affiliated with her school; such things were best not known. However, she came to the conclusion that he was used to being paid by the mile, rather than the hour. He seemed to only be able to keep his truck in motion with his right foot flat against the floorboard. As such, the trip that Master Zhiui said should take about four hours was completed in less than three.

"I've ridden a garbage pod from a satellite down to the arctic," Stoppable said, once they were dropped off. "I've faced a killer, robot flamingo and I've dealt with spinning tops of doom; but I've never been as scared as I was on that ride."

Yori could only nod in agreement. "Perhaps we should move on to face Fiske and his ninja monkeys," she suggested. "That will probably be calming after such transport."

"Got it," he agreed. "Which way?"

This time, she led the way and was once again gratified that he realized the need to remain quiet. It took them perhaps another hour before they entered a narrow ravine that wound deeper into a mountain. Twenty more minutes of walking saw the ravine open into a draw; and a stone temple carved into the mountainside. After sharing a look, the two walked in.

Stoppable gave a low gasp upon seeing the inside and she could only agree with the sentiment. The walls were lined with several gargoyles that while grotesque, were beautifully carved. Of course, both of their focus fell upon the blue gem, floating above an altar, deeper in the temple.

"It would appear that we have beaten Lord Fiske to this location," she stated, as the two approached the altar.

"Yeah, unless ugly here has already eaten him," Stoppable gestured to one of the gargoyles...which promptly lashed out and seized him.

Caught by surprise, in a most un-ninjalike action, Yori stood dumbfounded while another seized her. Both embarrassed and concerned, she noted that while there were many gargoyles, only four seemed to be mobile. Unfortunately, all four were focused upon the two.

"Well, since you were so kind as to expose the temple's guardians before I got here, it would be impolite of me to fall for them."

She looked up to see a smirking Fiske. The gargoyles did not look to him, so he simply rushed by them and seized the jewel. This captured the attention of the two who weren't holding the teens, but while the creatures could lash out fairly quickly, they moved only slowly and they were now out of position. They tried to cut Fiske off and trap him in the temple, but they were far too slow. Once the nobleman left the temple itself, they seemed to lose interest in him and focused their attention back on her and Stoppable. It was at this time that Rufus emerged from Stoppable's pocket, took one look at the dire situation, and screamed in terror.

The mole rat dropped to the ground, dodged a swipe from one of the gargoyles and scampered between its legs. Yori noted that while the stone guardians were slow to accelerate, they could pick up considerable speed if given enough room. This was shown true when Rufus scampered between the other gargoyle's legs, prompting a collision between them that shattered both.

"Go Rufus!" Stoppable cheered his diminutive friend.

The two gargoyles holding the teens roared in anger and the one holding Stoppable allowed the hand that clutched the teen to come within range of her legs. She lashed out with a kick, hitting the stone creature at its elbow joint. The limb, stressed from holding Stoppable aloft, crumbled and dropped him to the ground. Stone shattered when it struck the floor, freeing the young man.

"Oh, I get it now!" He exclaimed, then returned the favor, springing into the air and striking the limb that held her. She saw his fist and his eyes take on a blue tinge just before he struck. Charged with his Mystical Monkey Power, his blow shattered the creatures entire arm, freeing her in mid-air and allowing her to land gracefully.

"Now it's time for some smack-down!" He declared, setting himself to fight their captors.

"There is no need!" She corrected him. Running by him, she caught his shirt and dragged him after her out of the temple. Understanding, he scooped up Rufus and ran with her. As she had noted with Fiske, the gargoyles lost interest in them once they were out of the temple.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of the nobleman.

"Back to the road!" She ordered. To his credit, her companion understood her immediately. The two ran back the way they had recently come. When they got to the spot that the truck had dropped them off, the only thing to be seen was a set of taillights vanishing in the distance.

"Only one key stands between Fiske and the weapon," she groaned, unable to keep the despair out of her voice.

"Yeah, but we'll stop him," Stoppable assured her. "We always do."

She wished that she could drum up his sense of optimism. Instead, she pulled out her phone and called her contact number. Again, Master Zhiui proved to be unfazed by her report, even if his instructions were unexpected.

"You are to return home," she told her companion, after speaking to the master. "The final key is located in a dormant volcano. This volcano will become active in four days' time. At this time, the temple that houses the key will become accessible. It is then that we must face Fiske."

"But...why should I go home?" He asked. "Shouldn't we train and get ready?"

"Your continued absence from Middleton may create unwanted suspicions and attention," she answered him. "Please do as my master has asked, and I will meet you where and when we need to confront Fiske."

"Right," he agreed. "Give me a minute."

Stoppable stepped away and spoke into the communication device he wore on his wrist. Within minutes he had returned, shaking his head in amazement.

"Wade must have had transport on standby," he told her. "I'll be catching my ride in a few minutes." He took a long breath. "Yori, I wanted to say that I thought that what we did was dream. I didn't think..."

"You have already explained this," she told him. "I also didn't handle this well."

"Where does that leave us?" He asked her.

"It leaves us with a mission to complete," she reminded him. "And then we can determine where we stand."

A horn honking prevented any response he could have made. The two looked away from each other to see another truck pull up.

"Man, Wade is efficient," Stoppable murmured.

"I must agree," she told him. "Prepare yourself for a confrontation. We must be ready, when next we meet."

She quickly seized the front of his shirt and pulled him in for a short, but passionate kiss. Before he could respond to this, the horn honked again, prompting him to stumble to his ride. For her part, Yori awaited her own ride and wondered how severe the preparations she would face at Yamanouchi would be.

Contrary to what many believed about him, Ron was capable of keeping his mouth shut when he needed to. Case in point, he had kept Kim in the dark about Yamanouchi for the better part of a year. This was more difficult, since his parents and Kim knew that he had gone on a mission. However, he had learned since then; it was better to tell as much of the truth as you could than it was to make up complete fabrications. He simply told everyone who asked him that the mission hadn't been completed and that the person he helped didn't want him to talk about it.

His parents bought it; they always did. His teachers and coaches bought it, because Wade had informed them of some of the missions he and Kim had gone on. Granted, Coach Roughman worked him hard to make up for the lost practice, but he seemed to accept that he was keeping himself in proper shape. Ron had to admit that while fighting Fiske on monkeys' heads, shattering stone gargoyles and struggling out of deep sand wasn't your typical workout, it kept a body ready for football.

Felix and Monique both gave him odd looks when he said that he would have to return to finish the mission in a couple of days. Kim actually smiled about it and he couldn't figure out if she just wanted him out of the way or if she was somehow happy for him doing...whatever it was he was doing. He really couldn't spend much time trying to figure out that particular mystery, since time that wasn't spent in school or on the practice field, he devoted to getting ready for another rumble with Fiske.

Football practice was good for that; it kept him in shape and sharpened his strength and endurance. Doing kata's and shadow-boxing hopefully helped as well. Wade had set him up with a couple of videos that he was following, but videos couldn't match the hard contact that a real fight had. Still, it was the best he could do for now. After this, he'd have to see about visiting a dojo somewhere for some better preparation.

The other thing he had to do was adjust to his new sister. Granted, he didn't like the idea of being banished to the attic, but his folks could hardly put a baby there. Still, he wished that they would have told him that they were considering adopting. Sudden surprises like this weren't easy to deal with. It was easy to be annoyed with the little girl, except for one, little detail.

She was almost nauseatingly cute.

When he and Yori went on the mission to save Sensei, he came to the conclusion that listening to pretty girls was going to get him killed. He never realized just how much he was willing to make a fool out of himself to get a giggle or a smile out of a girl who was less than a year old. Those smiles on that tiny face just brightened up his entire day and the giggles were more addictive than any drug. Babies were dangerous.

So, he had no problem when his parents asked him to watch her while they went out on a date; it would be a pleasant way to spend his last evening before leaving...to wherever he had to go...to help Yori keep Fiske from getting the last key. He should have taken his unique luck, or rather the lack of it, into account.

First of all, his father firmly believed that cell phones were a passing fad and a waste of money. Secondly, he had gotten so used to his parents' "hands off" parenting that he didn't think anything about them not actually telling him where they were going. Besides, he had a direct link to Wade and even in the very unlikely case that Wade couldn't track them down, the young boy could arrange to have any number of experts at his home within minutes if there were any problems. So, when his wrist communicator chimed that evening, he wasn't nervous when he answered.

"I've got a patch through from Yori," Wade reported.

Still, Ron wasn't nervous; it was probably just last-minute instructions before he left to join her tomorrow.

"Stoppable-san," the Japanese girl announced, short of breath. "We must hurry, there has been a mistake and the shrine holding the red key will be accessible a day earlier than predicted!"

"What?" He was stunned. "Are you sure you want to be talking about this? Wade is listening!"

"Our immediate need overrides such concerns," she told him. "Yamanouchi maintains operatives in many organizations, and these operatives were observing seismological data. Seismic disturbances have intensified a full day before we expected they would. At this time, elders reviewed the prophecies and realized that at some point, a leap year was discounted. We must move now! If your friend can arrange for quicker transportation to Doi Pha Hom Pok, please take it!"

"Wade?" Ron asked.

"Working on it," Wade's voice chimed in. "Okay, the best I can do will get you there in about eight hours. Yamanouchi must have pulled some strings, because Global Justice and a few more organizations are being a lot more cooperative than usual. Is that better than Yamanouchi can do?"

"Yes," Yori answered. "I am leaving at this time. It is very likely that the temple will already be accessible by the time Stoppable-san arrives. If so, I shall try to delay Fiske."

"Don't do anything foolish," Ron told her.

"Necessity overrides common sense at times," she insisted. Then, she turned off her transmitter.

"Yori!" Ron yelled, then realized it was a pointless, dramatic act that only served to upset Hana.

"Pick up in ten minutes," Wade told him.

"I need to get my folks back here!" Ron insisted. "I can't leave Hana alone!"

"Kim's on her way," Wade told him.

Hana was still upset, so Ron carried her with him as he collected his ready gear. He was finishing his preparations when Kim arrived.

"I really owe you one for this," he told her. "I know we haven't exactly gotten along all that well lately, but this really means a lot to me."

"Don't worry," she assured him. "We'll be fine, just go and do what you have to."

He nodded and rushed off down the sidewalk. At the proper spot, a trap door opened and dropped him into a tube. He yelled in shock and terror; he always did, but this time, he welcomed the drop. Soon, he was in a jet aircraft heading southwest and hoping that he would get there in time. In the meantime, Wade offered a briefing.

"Doi Pha Hom Pok is a mountain with hot springs and geysers," the youngster told him. "This means there is some geothermal activity, but seismic activity has really picked up over the last few hours. Interesting, the activity is extremely localized."

"Just how localized?" Ron asked.

"I'm still triangulating, but it looks like it's centered on a specific point on one side of the mountain." Wade answered. "The local authorities have closed off and evacuated the area, but you shouldn't have any problem getting in."

"Which means that Yori and Monkeyfist won't have any problem getting in, either," Ron pointed out.

"Exactly," Wade agreed. "Uh, Ron, why are you carrying a sack of flour?"

"Whaa?" He looked down and realized that he had gotten so used to carrying the flour in his sling that he forgot he still had it with him. "Man, I'm really taking this assignment seriously."

"Try to get some rest," Wade told him, stifling a chuckle. "I'll keep collecting data as best I can."

She had recently come to question Yamanouchi, but only to a certain extent. While she truly despised the way that the masters had simply used her friend and questioned the idea of sending agents into danger without any support, she couldn't question why it was done. She had seen what the Yakuza would do to people without opposition willing to get its hands as dirty as theirs to fight them. She had seen the sinister, mystic forces at play in the world and knew what evil they would do if not countered. It was the methods that her school used to do this that aroused her ire.

Even though she suspected that if she were in charge, she could very well find herself doing something very close to the same thing.

Still, she understood the reasons she was alone on this assignment; Lord Fiske's Mystical Monkey Power made it hazardous to bring too many to oppose him. As the Yamanouchi Student closest to Stoppable, she would need to be the only one to represent her school. However, the error in calculation meant that she would certainly find herself at the temple before Stoppable arrived; the question was if Stoppable would arrive before Fiske did. While she didn't want to face the nobleman and his monkeys without assistance, she would if she needed to.

The authorities in Thailand had evacuated the area around Doi Pha Hom Pok, even geologists were not allowed to approach the area until more information was available. They did not know that the seismic disturbances would soon diminish. While the roadblocks halted all vehicular traffic, she was easily able to slip past the guardians. Upon reaching the mountain, she noticed a glow showing from one side. Approaching closer, she noted a single, narrow stream of lava emerging from the side of the mountain and flowing down to a crack at its base. Near this stream, a pile of rock showed where a landslide had recently exposed a temple.

She scrambled down the mountain and noted no sign of Fiske or his monkeys. This key was supposed to be protected by fire, which sounded more dangerous than the other two. She had no intention of risking the temple on her own, but she had no qualms about observing it, to perhaps find the best way to go about retrieving the key. However, when she approached the temple, a set of bolas flew out of the darkness and ensnared her.

She was ashamed; not only for being caught off guard, but for forgetting that Fiske was every bit as stealthy as any Yamanouchi ninja.

"So nice of you to show up, my dear," the Englishman announced. "I was just about to send my minions in to find the traps that await us. Of course, I shall now give that honor to you. As an honorable Yamanouchi ninja, I'm sure that you won't be able to refuse."

Even with her arms pinned to her sides, she was far from helpless but Fiske would have been a difficult opponent even at her best. Despite her struggles, the nobleman and his monkeys easily forced her into the temple. This structure was the largest one of the three, but the key was visible towards the back. She looked carefully around to spot traps or guardians, but could find none. With no way out at the moment, she decided to see if she could take the key for herself. She took one step towards it, only to have the floor fracture. She soon found herself standing on a block of stone, one of several floating in a pond of lava. Behind her, Fiske burst into maniacal laughter. She, on the other hand, saw opportunity. Still agile, she sprang from stone to stone towards the key, wondering if either Fiske or his monkeys would dare follow.

If nothing else, she could knock the key into the lava, where it could never be recovered.

Of course his ride didn't include a landing.

That was the standard practice and he was sure that he would never, ever enjoy free-fall. Still, nobody was going to accuse Ron Stoppable of being unwilling to face his fears when he had to. On the drop, he spotted a stream of lava and a temple where he was pretty sure there had been only a mountainside before. Okay, his goal was in sight so he guided his chute to a landing close, but not too close. His hunch was rewarded when he discarded his chute, approached the temple and found Fiske and his monkeys staring into it, smirking at something.

He could just about guess what...or more likely who...they were laughing at.

"Laugh it up, Monty," he declared, taking the man's attention away from whatever had triggered his mirth. "You haven't faced the wrath of Ron Stoppable and Rufus!"

"So, the gang's all here," Fiske sneered at him. "Do you really think you can face me and my monkeys?"

"It isn't just me," he decided to confuse the man as much as he could. "It's me, Rufus and Sacky!" He shifted so that the flour in the sling was visible.

"Ah, a bag of flour," Fiske rolled his eyes. "Now it all makes sense. Grab the boy, grab the rat, grab the flour, throw them all into the volcano!"

"Oh, you crossed the line now!" Ron roared. "If this flour gets damaged, I fail health!"

Hyped up to distract him from Yori, whom he was sure was inside...as well as to protect his grade...he met the monkeys head on. It had been awhile since he had fought them; back on Yamanouchi Mountain, he had shocked himself when he found out that he could take beat them. This time, he was ready and willing to take them on. Minutes later, the monkey ninjas were either incapacitated or running away.

"Wow," he looked down at Rufus. "That wasn't so bad."

"Congratulations," Fiske sneered again. "You've eliminated the lackeys. I think you'll find the master more of a challenge."

Then Fiske was in front of him, throwing punches and kicks. A year ago, he would have been running in terror. Now, he was ready to face the guy.

"You can't beat me!" Fiske shrieked. "As the clue said, 'achieving the weapon is your good fortune'."

"Okay, I don't know what that means," Ron admitted, blocking every strike. "Etiquette says that you're supposed to rant with something I'm familiar with."

"It was on the scroll," Fiske growled. "Perhaps you should try reading sometime."

"Oooh, nice dig," Ron complimented him, managing to get a hand past his defense. Knowing that it was a weak strike, instead of punching Fiske, he tickled the man's ribs.

"Stop that!" Fiske redoubled his efforts. "My love for power will bring me invincibility! For loving the weapon makes it unstoppable!"

"Okay, I'm guessing that's more from this scroll," he retorted. "Y'know, if you'd just share it, I'd know what you're talking about! Quoting something that I've never read is really irritating."

"You're worried about manners at a time like this?" Monty sounded honestly shocked.

"Hey, you don't hear me griping about Sacky's feeding schedule," he countered.

"What? Feeding a sack of flour?" Now it was Fiske's turn to be confused.

"Now you know what I'm talking about!"

Even over the sounds of lava flowing through the mountain, she could hear the sounds of combat outside. She had reached the altar, and solid stone. She paused, looking carefully at the entrance. There was no sign of Fiske or his monkeys observing her. They were distracted, and she knew who excelled at distractions. Well, Fiske was about to learn the danger of leaving a daughter of Yamanouchi unobserved. The stone of the altar was hard, strong and rough, perfect for abrading the ropes that held her.

If there was one thing that you could count on Monty to do, it was to go all out to tear apart someone he hated. If there was one person Monty hated, it was him. It didn't take much trash talking to really set the monkey man off...and that was what Ron was counting on. Back when he first met Monty, Ron was admittedly lazy and weak. Since then, his endurance had improved to the point that he could run entire football teams into the ground. It was time to see how long Monty could keep up the attack.

Time seemed to lose meaning; he didn't know how long it was taking but he didn't care; Rufus would warn him if any of the monkeys came back or got up. He was content to block and dodge; whenever Monty seemed to slow down a bit, he would slip a shot past the nobleman's guard. They didn't have to be strong shots, just touching him was enough to set his rage off again. Eventually, Fiske's strikes weren't as crisp, not as precise. Then it was Ron's time.

Fiske wound up for a powerful strike, which gave Ron the opening to kick his leg before he actually unleashed it. The punch flew wide, letting Ron dodge it and give his attacker a little nudge as he stumbled by. Fiske caught his balance just in time to see Yori's foot driving into his face. This spun him back around in time to catch Ron's knee in his gut. This staggered him back towards Yori, who threw him over her shoulders, driving him into the mountainside. The nobleman crumpled in a heap, the yellow and blue gems falling out of his clothing, along with a scroll.

"We must leave quickly," Yori told Ron. "Various authorities will be here soon and may ask uncomfortable questions." She quickly grabbed the scroll and the gems. Ron noticed that she had a red gem in her possession.

"But, what about Monty?" Ron asked her. "What if he gets away?"

"Let the authorities in the area deal with him," she suggested. "Unless you wish to finish him off at this time."

Ron flinched at that. As much as he hated Fiske, he wasn't about to kill a helpless man.

"I also have no stomach for doing so," Yori told him "Let us get out of here."

Ron could only nod and follow her away from the mountain. They avoided the roads in the area, which allowed them to avoid the authorities keeping the curious away, until they were clear of the evacuated area. Once clear, she led him to a road, where a truck awaited them. She exchanged a few, quiet words with the driver, then led him into the back.

"This driver will take us well away from here," she told him. "We will catch an airplane that will take us to Hua Hin. There, we will wait and determine if we have been followed, or anyone suspects us of having intruded upon the evacuated area."

Ron didn't have much of a grasp of the locations she gave him and instead of contacting Wade, he decided to trust her. If anything, this truck driver was even more reckless than the man who had taken them from the yellow temple to the blue was, so Ron spent most of the truck ride clinging to the side of the vehicle and recalling the various prayers he had learned. He noted that Yori also seemed to be experimenting with religion.

When the truck stopped, both teens were more than eager to exit it to find themselves on a dirt airstrip cleared from thick foliage. He spotted a couple of hangars that were mostly hidden by the overgrowth and a small cargo plane, which looked entirely too new and well maintained for this rustic setting, idling on the runway. He decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to ask just how legal the plane's usual cargo was. Instead, he and Yori spent the flight treating the minor wounds that they had sustained and filling each other in on what they had done. By the time they landed, the two decided to chalk this one up as a victory, although they really could have done better.

A taxi was waiting for them when they landed, and this driver was just as insane as the truck driver had been. What he lacked in raw speed, since he didn't have miles long straightaways to work with, he more than made up for in rapid turns and proximity to other vehicles through the city traffic. Ron was once again debating joining the clergy...any clergy...when they were deposited outside a fairly nice resort. When they went into the front lobby, the clerk gave them tickets, and a sealed envelop for Yori. His companion refused to open the envelope until they were in their room.

It was a nice suite; one with a single, queen-sized bed and a living room with a fold-out couch. Now that they were alone, he became aware that they had not yet discussed just where they were as being...they. Just what did that one night mean? He was bad enough with relationships, much less international ones. Would she expect him to...or would she get angry if he tried to...

"Master Zhiui has requested that we remain here for three days," Yori told him, once she finished reading the instructions. "And he has provided money necessary to see us through for that time. He states that if you were to show up in Middleton so soon after the confrontation up north, a connection between your presence in Thailand and the seismic activities may be suspected."

"Okay," his breath seemed to catch in his throat. "What about my school and my parents?"

"Yamanouchi has arranged for both to receive word that you are providing assistance here, in Doi Pha Hom Pok. You will have to make up your class assignments, but I'm sure you will be able to do so."

"Yeah, I'm sure that Wade will have them waiting for me when I get back," he snorted. "Of course, he might just send them to me here."

"Now that we are safe, perhaps it is time to face the elephant in the room," she suggested.

"As in, just what are we to each other?" He asked.

"Exactly," she seemed somehow reluctant and determined at the same time.

Much how he felt.

"I've never had a girlfriend," he admitted. "So I don't really know what I'm supposed to do next."

"What do you feel like doing?" She seemed as nervous as him, so he decided to take the plunge.

"I feel like kissing you." There, he said it.

"That would not be unpleasant."

Okay, that went way beyond a hint, so he went for it.

He couldn't say how long the kissing went on; he lost all track of time. When he became aware of where he was again, he realized that they were stretched out on the bed.

"Yori?" He asked. "Just...where are you comfortable taking this?"

"Why don't we see where we are both comfortable going?" She replied, breathlessly.

"That works for me," he smiled, then brought his mouth to hers again.

He was very, very happy, some time later, to realize that they were both perfectly comfortable taking things to the logical conclusion.

A/N: As always, fond thanks to Joe Stoppinghem for beta reading.