She had never been here before, but she could tell that this was supposed to be a place of tranquility, that had been tainted by the recent violence.
Kim wasn't in the habit of deep contemplation, nor did she apply human emotion to inanimate objects...other than cuddlebuddies...but even she could feel the tragedy here. This place was clearly ancient and lovingly maintained, yet it had been horribly marred by a horrible force. While most of the grounds hadn't faced the destruction that the Yono had brought, the jolts from the simian temple hadn't been gentle. According to Yori, the temple that she had seen carry Fiske into the Earth had emerged while she was turned to stone...Kim accepted this explanation, since she hadn't seen it appear. She shook her head, the damage to Yamanouchi had been done and no amount of reflection would make it go away. Now was the time to deal with the emotional damage that the school...and this particular ninja...had inflicted on her friend.
"This is an exercise yard," Yori told her, as they walked between two buildings and into an open space. "So it is made to withstand violence. Should the two of us prove incapable of having a civil conversation, the school has sustained enough damage."
"That makes sense," Kim answered her. As much as she wanted to put a beat-down on this girl who had hurt Ron so badly, she suspected that it wouldn't do much good...other than make herself feel better.
"Perhaps it would be best if you started by stating your grievances," Yori stated. Kim noted that the girl seemed to casually lean against a wall but in reality was keeping her weight centered over her feet.
"You even have to ask?" Kim snarled, shaking her head. "Okay, lets get it all out. A couple of months ago Ron went on a two-part mission to help you against Monkeyfist. Before he left the first time, he had been irritable and defensive. I couldn't say anything to him without him taking offense; and as much as I'll admit that there was some issues between us in the past, he was blowing them out of proportion. When he came back the first time, he was more reasonable and easier to get along with. Then, when he came back the second time, he was friendly, cheerful and motivated. I didn't get the details, but I'm pretty sure I know what happened."
Yori maintained eye contact with her, although a touch of color showed on her cheeks.
"I don't think it was just a roll in the hay...so to speak," Kim continued. "He was happy and when a friend of mine...a very pretty girl who got along fairly well with him...asked him for a date, he politely refused, saying that he was seeing someone from out of town. That tells me that he thinks he had an emotional connection with you. That lasted until Fiske contacted me and told me about his mutation and the fact that Yamanouchi could very well be behind it.
Yori maintained her silence.
"I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt," she continued. "After all, this is a ninja school and being secretive, one ninja probably doesn't know what another ninja is doing. Even after he found out that Yamanouchi did this to him deliberately, he kept his feelings for you. Even after he found out that any kids he might have will probably be mutated beyond what Fiske was, he kept his feelings for you. Even after he found out that if Yamanouchi had told him the truth when it happened, he might have been able to reverse the procedure but it was too late when he actually found out, he kept his feelings for you. Then, we caught Leon and she decided to sing like a canary."
At that point, Yori dropped her gaze, took a deep breath, stiffened her shoulders, then met Kim's eyes again.
"That's when I saw all the happiness he had found just go away," Kim growled at the ninja. "How could you do that to him?"
"To prevent something worse," Yori answered, calmly. "Do you think that I took advantage of his emotions because I enjoyed doing it? Do you think that I set him up for that encounter with that...GaishÅ ...because I wanted him to eventually learn the truth and be devastated?"
"Why did you?" Kim demanded.
"You saw the Yono!" Yori now met her gaze without flinching. "You saw what it was capable of, and the lengths to which Fiske would go to gain ultimate power! That is why I manipulated a kindly young man, so that the world we all live in would be free to grow!"
Kim was stunned by this statement. Before she could respond to it, Yori continued.
"I had my doubts before tonight," the ninja confessed. "I wondered if Yamanouchi...my own Sensei, understood the price extracted from those who it and he extracted from those of us who serve. A close friend gave her life to bring the Han into the world and while I miss her terribly, I am glad that the Han exists. Had Fiske and the Yono gained the victory tonight, do you think that the destruction would have been limited to Yamanouchi?"
"But...there had to be some other way..." she protested.
"Let me tell you of a mission I undertook somewhat before we met," Yori told her. "I infiltrated a Yakuza operation by posing as an illegal immigrant. For weeks, I worked domestic jobs for the wealthy, who didn't care much where the domestic labor came from. After several weeks, this labor bore fruit and a Yakuza footman selected me as a potential candidate to serve the head of one of their clans. For weeks after that, I played the part of a frightened, helpless girl, desperate to please her masters and stay alive. For those months that I played my part, I was at the mercy of men who had no mercy. Had any of them decided to take full advantage of the situation, I would have been obligated to continue my act and let myself be ravaged."
"So, what does that prove?" Kim demanded.
"In the end, I was able to expose a human trafficking organization and cause a minor war between two Yakuza clans," Yori answered. "I consider that to be worth the price, worth the risk. Even had one of the Yakuza footmen decided to force his attentions onto me, even if the master had decided to make use of the maid instead of acquiring the services of a professional, it would have been worth it. Because I took on the risk, others would not have to go through such degradation. Is that not worth it?"
"No!" Kim snapped back. "What's the point of it, if you have to give up yourself?"
"Human trafficking still occurs," Yori answered. "The Yakuza and other groups exploit human vice and misery, making a profit from both. You are strong, Kim Possible, but do you know who to fight to end this?"
Kim couldn't answer.
"The Yakuza, your own Mafia and several other organizations are active, even while we speak," Yori continued. "Yet they fight from the shadows, from the sewers beneath the notice of most. They hide there, picking their targets, and then strike. While various law enforcement agencies do their best, they are constantly on the defense, only reacting. To truly counter such depravity, someone must crawl down into the sties and cesspits that they inhabit. Someone must meet violence with violence, match ruthlessness with ruthlessness. I take no joy in this, yet I take pride knowing that because I put myself in danger, because I put myself in a position of vulnerability, others can live in peace."
"It is the same with mystic powers," Yori told her, when Kim didn't answer. "There are malevolent forces, beyond what science says can exist. These are like the Yakuza but worse. The sacrifices needed to counter them are different but still harsh. My friend gave her life and I manipulated one I care deeply for. Would you say it was worth the price to banish The Yono?"
"But what about Ron?" Kim asked, after a moment's thought. "He didn't volunteer to be mutated and although he didn't resist your other plan, it was manipulation through and through. It's much easier when you force or trick the sacrifice on someone else, isn't it?"
"I will regret what I did to him for the rest of my days," Yori told her. "I will regret what my school did to him, as well. However, I will not make false claims of wrongdoing. You saw the Yono, you felt his power. It took the Han to counter him and although I could have handled her creation better, I did what I had to do. As for the mutation, it increases his likelihood of becoming the Ultimate Monkey Master. Even if he loathes this school and uses the Mystical Monkey Power to raze it to the ground, it was worth it. He will never hold dominion over others, the way that Fiske would have. Much like you, even when he has been wronged, he will continue to do the right thing."
"The consequences to him be damned?" Kim prompted, heat creeping back into her voice.
"I repeat myself, I shall regret what has been done to him for the rest of my life," Yori countered. "Yet, what would you do if the alternative was giving Fiske even more power? You saw what he had unleashed, should he become the Ultimate Monkey Master, he would have matched the Yono for raw power. If you had the choice to inflict this injustice upon your lifelong friend, or watch Fiske gain this power, what would you do?"
"I would never do that to Ron," Kim told her, letting her voice grow cold to show the ninja what she thought. "Especially without him knowing about it. And I would never stoop to the level that you are ready to go to accomplish the mission. There's always a better way."
"Or so you believe," Yori answered her. "I do not believe that the world always provides a neat and clean solution. It is my belief that one must endure the stain of dishonor for a greater good." She paused a moment. "Before this night, I did not think so. In my mind, I scorned Yamanouchi and Master Sensei for what they did to R...Stoppable-san and for what they expected of me. Yet, this night I realized that the world isn't always a shining, pure place. It can be dirty and predatory and in order for most to live in the light, some must embrace the taint and the dark. I will be that person; not because I desire it, but because if I do not, someone else must. Much as with being defiled; I was ready to be defiled by the Yakuza so that it would not happen to another; I am ready to endure your scorn so that someone else will not."
"I can understand you," Kim told her, after taking a minute or two to think things over. "But it doesn't mean I agree with it. One thing I don't understand is your time in Thailand with Ron. Why did you do that?"
"Because I desired him and I knew that he desired me," Yori replied, in a matter of fact manner. "You have gotten a glimpse into the life that I live, the life that I have chosen to live. On any day, I may face a demon or a Yakuza strongman. My life may end at any time, or I may be called upon to do...something extremely distasteful. Stoppable-san may not have the constant danger that I do, but his life as your assistant is far from safe and secure. Why shouldn't we take what pleasure we can, when we can, when it doesn't harm anyone?"
"Was that all it was to you?" Kim felt herself growing angry again. "Just a break?"
"I do not share myself with just anyone!" Yori's hiss dropped the already cold temperature. "I shared myself with someone who I admired, desired and respected and who I knew respected and desired me" If I could make the world something I wanted, I would live a life in which I trained and studied daily. I would take on dangerous, but not degrading or time consuming missions that would improve the world. I would be in a romantic relationship with Stoppable-san, and we would face such dangers, as well as the trials of every day life, together. It cannot be; we live on different continents and the life I live doesn't well lend itself to a long term relationship. When we parted in Thailand, I told him that I would understand if he found someone to share his life with. But, for those few days, it was wonderful to pretend that it could be and just be a young woman, sharing time and life with a young man. Is that so very wrong?"
"It shouldn't be," Kim answered. "But when you throw everything else on top of it, it really hurt him. He came back from Thailand...happy. Now, that happiness is gone and it's worse than it was before, because what pulled him out of that depression has proved to be something other than what he thought it was."
"Then I shall apologize..." Yori offered.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Kim told her. "I had my differences with him and he needed space to clear his head. He probably needs space for this, as well. I'll keep in touch and let you know how he's doing." She paused a moment. "This is for his sake, not yours. Don't burn him again."
"But, perhaps..." Yori tried to argue, only to be interrupted.
"The rides on the way," Ron's voice sounded over the Kimmunicator. "The sun's coming up and pickup will be at the foot of the mountain about the time we get there. We might as well get moving."
"Got it," Kim told him. "I'll give you some time to say your goodbyes."
"No need," his voice made the Kimmunicator feel cold in her hand. "I've seen about as much of Yamanouchi, and the people in it, that I ever care to."
Yori had discipline, Kim had to give her that; but even iron discipline couldn't hide the expression of having a knife twisted in her heart.
It wasn't an easy walk down the mountain. Of course, she had never walked down this mountain before, so she didn't know just how rough it could be, but this didn't seem easy.
It was cold, but not terribly so. It wasn't so cold that you weren't warm by keeping moving. The sun had just come up, so while there were shadows, it was light enough to see. It was steep, but she had scaled steeper slopes and since it was meant to be walked, the grade wasn't the problem. The altitude was a bit of an issue; the thin air sapped energy but they had dealt with high altitudes before. Carrying Hana didn't exactly help matters. Although she wasn't very big, every pound of weight was telling on a long, high altitude hike on a steep mountain trail. The little girl could sense her brother's...her father's...disquiet and was more restive than usual. All of these factors could have been fairly easily dealt with...it was Ron's disquiet that made it a long trip.
Kim was a person of action, not one of observation and contemplation. She was capable of both, mainly when they were a prelude to action, but contemplation as the end and the means wasn't something she was inclined to do and she suspected that she was doing a very bad job of it. Fortunately, Ron wasn't particularly talkative for the walk and that gave her plenty of time to contemplate what she should be doing. Had it only been last fall that she came to the conclusion that she wasn't attracted to him in a romantic sense, told him and set off a series of events that led to their estrangement? It had been a dark path for him, which he had eventually overcome. What he was going through now had to be worse, if only for the fact that one of the reasons he had been able to pull himself out of that dark place was why he was in this dark place.
The walk down the mountain gave them plenty of opportunity to talk, but he didn't act like he wanted to. Kim could understand, he was still processing and the walk was strenuous enough without carrying a restive child. After that came a bus ride to a town...this didn't offer any opportunity to talk, since they didn't want to be overheard. After that came a military aircraft, in a drafty, cargo hold, all to themselves. Here, she did one of the most difficult things in her life; she waited him out.
It was somewhere over the Pacific when, after several almost starts, he finally started talking.
"So, none of it was real, was it?" He finally asked.
"Just what all are you talking about?" She asked, in return.
"All of it," he answered. "The getting better in school and on the team, Yori acting like she loved me, even the interest that Crystal showed me. Did you put her up to that?"
"No," she told him. "Crystal told Monique that she thought you were cute and nice, so I dropped her a hint that you weren't with anyone. That's all it was, me telling her that the way was open. Her asking you out was all her."
He rallied for a small smile, which vanished quickly.
"Do you really think that Yori liked me?" He asked. "Or was it just a duty, keeping me on a leash?"
"She had it bad for you," Kim assured him. "And she still does." Kim thought a moment. "Maybe it went faster than it would have normally. Okay, it definitely went a lot faster than normal, but she told you why, didn't she?"
Ron nodded. "I guess I can't be normal, can I?" He shook his head. "Aren't teenage guys supposed to want something like this? A hot, exotic girl who's down with being friends with benefits and doesn't mind if I find someone else?"
"I'm willing to bet that there's a lot of guys just like you, that would like a steady girlfriend more than the 'FWB' thing," Kim answered him. "But then again, we're not normal people."
"Tell me about it," he snorted. "How many teenage boys would be upset to learn that they had slept with Camille Leon?"
"I don't get into boys' locker room talk," she reminded him. "But someday, you're going to have to tell me about the ottoman."
"Only me," he snorted, now laughing.
"Ron," she said, taking his laughter as a good sign. "I know that this has been rough on you, but don't let the good things go to waste because of it."
He cocked his head with a curious expression on his face.
"You took up football, made a team and became a star your first year," she pointed out. "You've gotten better on the missions and have made friends at Eastside. Maybe the mutation gave you a little nudge in the right direction, but it didn't help you learn the playbook or make you knuckle down in class. Maybe you're a little stronger because of it, but you've pushed yourself to make yourself better. Don't give up on what you've done."
"I guess I shouldn't," he finally murmured. Then, he gently rocked the sleeping Hana. "After all, I'm a father now, aren't I?"
She smiled at that, then frowned when he looked down to dote on Hana some more. He was a father now, so should she be taking him along on dangerous missions? She decided to think some more on that once they were home.
"You know, Crystal still hasn't found anyone," she told him. "I should know, we hang out more than we used to. If she were to find out that your out of town romance was over..."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Ron told her. "I'm not that great with girls and after this one...I think a little time is in order."
She just nodded and smiled.
"So, what now?" She asked him. "Now that the Han has fulfilled her destiny?"
"I don't even want to think of those terms," his face had become serious. "But Sensei gave me some strange things to think about."
"Anything you care to share?" She asked him.
"Nothing specific," he sighed. "They never are, are they? Anyway, he told me that my destiny wasn't yet fulfilled, but it would be found away from Yamanouchi. I told him that it was just as well, since I had no intention of staying around."
"Good for you," she commented.
"He asked me to raise Hana as best I could and that the Mystical Monkey Power would guide me," Ron continued. "I told him that I had had about as much of the Mystical Monkey Power as I could stand and he told me that while that was unfortunate, it had served me well. I started to argue but he told me that it was more than coincidence that caused Leon to spill the beans, so to speak, about what she did, so that I'd get curious at just the time I needed to be at Yamanouchi, with Hana, to face Yono." He shook his head. "I didn't believe him but I kept quiet, hoping that he'd say something useful so I asked him how he knew that I was the one who got the Mystical Monkey Power and I think he let something slip."
"What?" Kim prompted.
"He told me that Yamanouchi knew that Fiske was collecting the statues, but they didn't know if he was the servant of light or the servant of dark. They suspected dark but didn't know for sure. They knew that he had called you to recover the last one and the Lotus Blade let them know that the statues had been used , then one of their spies spotted us heading towards his mansion and shortly after that, the Lotus Blade let them know that the statues had been used again, then destroyed. That's when he let something slip; he said that he suspected that I was the one who had gained the MMP, but he wasn't sure. At that point, he went all mystic about threats from beyond the world and all that."
"I'm not seeing what he let slip," she confessed.
"Back when when I went to Monty's castle for the first time, Yamanouchi thought that you were with me," he explained. "I can't blame them, since I thought that you were with me."
"Look, I said I was sorry about that..." she began to apologize.
"That's not important," he interrupted. "The important thing is that Sensei couldn't know, 100 percent, which of us wound up with the MMP. He didn't say so, but he must have thought it was me because of the whole 'chosen one and The Han must be born' sort of thing...but he couldn't be sure."
"Still not understanding," Kim pointed out.
"Both Hirotaka and Yori speak flawless English and can operate in the US without any problems," Ron told her. "Why do you think the hot guy went to the States to confirm that the girl didn't have the MMP while the hot girl stayed in Japan to meet the boy who they thought had it?"
"More manipulation?" Kim asked.
"That's what I'm guessing," he grumbled. "It cost a Yamanouchi girl her life to bring Hana into the world. Just think, if you hadn't gone on that family game night, you might have wound up being mutated and you might not be here today."
"I think there's more to it than that," she told him. "But it's something dark to think about."
The two were silent for a short time. "Let's talk about the future," she suggested. "There's two more games in the season, not counting playoffs. What are you going to do after football?"
"It just so happens that the head cheerleader at Eastside personally requested me to try out for the mascot position," he told her, his tone full of false bravado. "So, I will crush the competition and become the eagle, so that the Eastside squad can crush the Middleton squad."
"Oh pu-lease," she countered, getting into the trash talking. "The mad dog squad will run rings around the eagles."
"Not in the mascot department," he shot back. "I've got that one in the bag."
"I wouldn't be so sure," she retorted. "Bonnie's already training your replacement."
"Who?" The cocky tone had gone away, replaced by honest curiosity.
"My brothers," she gloated.
"Which one?"
"Both of them," she grinned at him. "There's no more mad dog, it's now the pep puppies."
"Puppies?" He mocked her with the question. "As in plural little dogs? I can understand that it would take two people to replace me, but puppies?"
"Do I detect a few nerves?" She taunted back. The trash talking was good; although the humor he was showing was fragile, at least it was there. "Afraid you won't be able to stand up against a couple of up-jumped freshmen?"
"So not that drama," he told her. "The eagle is going to reign supreme. I'm just disappointed that my proud legacy is going to give way to a gimmick. Pep...puppies...that's not the sort of mascot that instills fear in the opposing team. You need something strong and intimidating, like a mad dog, a majestic eagle or even a leaping lemur. Puppies isn't it."
"Intimidating?" She snorted. "Nothing is as intimidating as the tweebs working together. Go ahead and take us lightly, it just makes taking you down all the sweeter. Middleton hasn't lost a cheerleading competition to Eastside for two years, and we're not about to start now. I'm still twice the acrobat that anyone on the Eastside squad is, Bonnie puts together good routines and the tweebs are so in sync with each other that they finish each other's sentences. They're just as locked together on the squad as they are in a garage."
"Eastside's had a rough run because I wasn't on the squad," he quipped right back at her. "Now that the Eagle is going to be radiating Ron-shine throughout the squad, we'll be unbeatable."
"I almost liked you better when you were humble," she told him. "But this is better. Watching all that pride crash and burn is going to be fun. The mad dog squad is going to crush everyone, the eagles are just going to be a feathery speed-bump."
"Dream on, Possible," he chuckled.
"Oh, I will," she retorted. "I'll dream that the eagles will even be competition."
She smiled as he came up with a comeback to that. They weren't past the hurt and loss that he had suffered, but trash talking was better than wallowing in self-pity. He was just stubborn enough that he would work hard to make his boasts come true. Besides, going up against there former mascot might make the squad push themselves all the harder.
This was going to be an interesting competition season.
A/N: As always, big thanks to Joe Stoppinghem for beta reading.