Disclaimer: In this chapter Kim and Ron head off to rescue Shego. Will they make it in time? Let's read and find out.
Chapter 17: Rescue Mission:
Possible Residence:
"And that's what happened."
Kim had just finished telling her family, and Ron, about Shego's past. They all just sat in stunned silence, neither of them knew what to do or say. Just then, Kim's kimmunicator beeped.
"What's the sitch?"
"Kim, I'm picking up some heavy, electrical frequency in Japan. I'll send you the exact coordinates, when I figure them out, but if I were you I'd at least start heading to Japan now."
"Thanks, Wade."
Kim then disconnected the call.
"Come on, Ron, we have to get ready to go."
Kim began to gather up her mission gear.
"I can't go with you."
Kim stopped what she was doing, and looked at her best friend, like he was insane.
"But Ron, you always go on missions with me."
Kim's voice sounded a bit pained.
"I know, KP, but my parents are going out to dinner, and they need me to babysit Hana. Believe me, I'd go with you if I could."
Kim couldn't believe it, her best friend was bailing on her, when she needed him most.
"Fine, I'll just handle this mission myself."
Kim's voice was bitter, and she finished getting ready. Ron felt torn. His parents needed him, but so did his best friend. Everyone else could feel the tension building in the room. Suddenly, Jim got an idea.
"Why doesn't Rufus stay home and babysit, Hana, while you go on the mission with, Kim?"
Ron thought it over, for a minute. Hana did love Rufus, and he was pretty smart for a naked mole rat, so he was sure he'd be able to take care of her. Plus, his parents were only gonna be gone for an hour.
"Alright, I'll head home, and ask if it's okay, to let Rufus babysit by himself."
Ron, then left out the front door, and headed home.
After about twenty minutes, Ron came back and let Kim know that he could go on the mission with her. Kim gave a sigh of relief, glad that her best friend was going to be with her.
"Okay, let's go."
Kim headed to the sloth. Ron followed closely behind, wondering if they would make it to Shego, in time.
In the Sloth:
Kim and Ron were in the sloth, on their way to Japan. Wade had sent Kim the exact coordinates of Shego's location, and she typed them into the sloth's navigational system. Kim then set the sloth on autopilot, as she didn't really feel up to flying it herself. Her mind was just too focused on what was most likely being done to Shego. And, while she didn't like what she knew Shego was most likely being put through, she was confident that her, and Ron would be able to save her. She just hoped they would get there in time.
"Please be okay, Ciel."
They rode in silence, for the first half hour. Ron looked over, at his best friend. Kim had been really quiet, and he was starting to get concerned. He looked at her face, and saw no emotion in it. On the outside she looked calm, cool, and collected. But on the inside, she was ready to break at any moment. Ron wanted to cheer his best friend up, but he didn't know what to do. He decided that talking to her would be a good start, maybe ask her about where they were going.
"So, where exactly in Japan are we going?"
"To the top of Mount Fuji."
Kim's eyes were fixated, straight ahead.
"We have to climb a mountain?! Aww man, that tanks."
Ron hated climbing mountains. Kim didn't say anything to that. Normally she would chide Ron about his complaining, but she just wasn't up for it. The two fell back into silence, and stayed that way for the rest of the trip.
Mount Fuji Lair:
Shego was still strapped down to the table, her soul almost completely drained. As she lay there on the table, her eyes growing dim, she thought about how her life had been going so far. Sure, she had lost her glow, but it hadn't been all bad. After all, she had gotten together with her princess, and the Possibles treated her like one of the family. Heck, even Ron had come around and bought her a Christmas gift. Thinking about the few memories she had made with Kim, and her family, Shego began to smile.
"Why are you smiling? You are having your very soul taken, you have nothing to smile about."
Hiroshi, said.
"I'm smiling because I'm happy. Sure, I've been through hell these past few weeks, but I've had some good times, as well. I mean, I got the girl of my dreams to go out with, and for the first time in years, I've looked forward to celebrating Christmas. And you know what? It's all thanks to, Kimmie. She helped to believe in the magic of Christmas, again. She showed me that it's okay, that I don't have to be afraid anymore."
Shego's voice was in a soft whisper.
"She sure is strange."
"Maybe so, but soon we shall have our immortality, brother."
Chiharu grinned evilly, and Hiroshi let out an evil chuckle. It was true, soon he and his sister would have their immortality, and then they would be an unstoppable force.
"You're absolutely right, and look, her soul is almost completely drained."
Chiharu looked over at Shego, and noticed that her eyes were still open, but completely lifeless, and that her powers had stopped as well. Also, her skin was a ghostly white, and the flame encircling her body had turned from a deep, crimson red color, to black. In just five more minutes, Shego's soul would belong to their god, Shinobu, and they would have the power they've dreamt of since they were kids.
In the Sloth:
Kim and Ron were fifteen minutes away from their destination. They were riding in silence, until it was broken by Wade, appearing on the car's small, built in kimmunicator.
"Hey guys, how's it going so far?"
"Things are good so far, right, KP?"
Ron tried to engage his best friend, in conversation, but to no avail. Wade and Ron were both concerned about Kim, and Wade was about to make things worse.
"Kim, I have something to tell you, about Shego."
This got the redhead's attention, and she looked at Wade with such intensity, that it made the super genius flinch, slightly.
"I, lost Shego's signal. I'm sure she's still in Mount Fuji, but the electrical frequency is gone. It pains me to say this, but I think Shego may be d-"
Kim disconnected the call, before Wade could finish his sentence, for she refused to believe that Shego was dead. After all, a lost signal could mean anything, and Kim didn't give up on Shego when she was in the hospital, and she wasn't about to give up on her now. She was going to make Hiroshi and Chiharu pay for what they did to Shego in the past, and for what they were doing to her now. Ron looked at Kim, and noticed the determination and anger on her face.
"You really care a lot about her, don't you?"
"I love her, and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to save her."
Kim's voice showed, that she was trying to hold back so many emotions.
"We should get ready, we'll be there in five minutes."
Kim checked that she had everything she needed. Ron nodded, in understanding, and then checked to make sure he had what he need, as well.
Mount Fuji Lair:
Hiroshi and Chiharu were smiling, wickedly. Shego's soul was completely drained, and now they were waiting to receive their immortality. The flame took Shego's soul, which was a small ball of light, and placed it into a black orb that hung from a silver chain.
"The girl's soul has been fully removed, but I am leaving it with the two of you. Because of the great power contained within her soul, if I were to bring it back with me, my entire world would be destroyed. If she were just a normal human I would take her soul back with me, since I would be able to manipulate it anyway that I please, but since she is anything but ordinary I am powerless to alter her soul in anyway."
Shinobu then passed the black orb, that contained Shego's soul, over to Chiharu, who placed it around her neck. Once Chiharu had Shego's soul in her possession, two black crystals on silver chains appeared.
"Put these crystals on, they contain your immortality."
Hiroshi and Chiharu did as told, and placed the crystals around their necks.
"Now, listen carefully, so long as you wear the crystals you shall have immortality. But, should you take them off, or they be destroyed, then your immortality will be gone. Have I made myself clear?"
Hiroshi and Chiharu nodded, in understanding.
"Then my work here is done."
Shinobu then disappeared, without a trace. The twins admired their crystals for a moment before looking over at Shego.
"What should we do with her body?"
Hiroshi, asked.
"It's nothing more than an empty shell now, just toss it."
Hiroshi did as he was told, and unstrapped Shego from the table. He then picked her up, and tossed her aside, not really caring where she landed.
In the Sloth:
Kim and Ron were now right above Mount Fuji. Kim was currently making a scan of the mountain to see where an entrance into the lair was.
"It looks like our best bet would be the vent, in the northeast corner."
Kim pointed in the direction of the vent, and placed a parachute on her back.
"Hang on, we're jumping?!"
"Yes, Ron, we're jumping. Why did you think I packed the parachutes?"
"I dunno, I guess I just thought you had some new, weird parachute fetish."
Ron then placed a parachute onto his back. Once both of them had on their parachutes, Kim pressed a button, and opened the passenger and driver side door to the sloth.
"Okay, we're gonna jump on three."
Kim, turned, so that she was facing out the door.
Ron did the same.
"KP, by jump on three do you mean it like, one, two, and then on three we jump? Or, do you mean it like, one, two, three, and then we jump, so technically we'd be jumping on four."
Kim just groaned, in frustration. She did not have time for Ron to be asking such stupid questions.
"Just jump when I jump."
Ron let Kim know that he understood, and then he got into the jump position. Once they were above the vent, Kim jumped out of the sloth. Ron followed soon after, and the two free fell for about a minute. After the minute had passed, Kim deployed her chute, and Ron did the same. When they landed, Kim removed her shoot, and used her laser lipstick to open the vent. Ron somehow managed to get himself tangled up in his chute upon landing, and was now trying to untangle himself. After a few moments, Kim got the vent open, and removed the grate.
"Alright, let's go."
"Uh, KP, a little help here."
Ron was still tangled in his chute. Kim walked over to Ron, and then used her laser lipstick to cut him free. Once he was free Kim walked back over to vent, and climbed in. Ron followed after her, tripping along the way.
Mount Fuji Lair:
Now that Kim and Ron were in the ventilation shaft, Kim began to navigate the twist and turns. They had been crawling around for about ten minutes, when they came to a fork in the road.
"Which way now?"
Kim closed her eyes, for moment. Seeing her eyes closed, Ron thought that she had fallen asleep. Just as he reached his hand out to wake her, her eyes shot open.
"To the left."
Kim then crawled down the path, that was to the left, and Ron followed.
"Hey, KP, how do you know we're going the right way?"
"I just know."
Kim and Ron made it to the end of the ventilation shaft, and looked down. They could see Chiharu and Hiroshi, but not Shego. Wasting no time, Kim kicked the grate of the vent in, and jumped down onto the floor, landing in front of Chiharu and Hiroshi. Ron ended up landing on his butt, about five feet away from where Kim had landed, and he had to pick himself up, and sprint over to Kim.
"Well, well, nice of you to join us. It's a shame you didn't make it here sooner, you might've been able to stop us from stealing this."
Chiharu then gestured to the black orb around her neck. Kim's eyes widened in horror, she knew exactly what Chiharu had around her neck.
"So you see, you're far too late. You may have the body though, we have no use for it."
Chiharu pointed to Shego's body, which lay limp on the ground. Kim rushed over and picked Shego up. As she cradled her in her arms, and stared into those dull, lifeless eyes, she felt her anger boil over. She then walked over to Ron, and handed Shego over to him. She was going to make Chiharu and Hiroshi pay for what they had done, and she needed her hands free to do that.
"You bastards, how dare you take Ciel's soul. You're gonna pay!"
Kim then lunged at Chiharu, tackling the other woman to the to the ground. As the two rolled around, trying to pin each other, Hiroshi went after Ron. As he lunged at him, Ron did a sidestep to avoid the attack. Once he was safely out of the way, Ron placed Shego gently onto the ground, and then turned back to Hiroshi.
"You wanna fight? Fine then, let's fight."
Ron got into a fighting stance. Hiroshi did the same, and the two began to circle each other, each waiting for the other to strike first. Meanwhile, Kim had managed to pin Chiharu to the ground. As Chiharu struggled under Kim's hold, Kim grabbed ahold of the orb and crystal that were around Chiharu's neck. She tried to pull them off, but Chiharu stopped her, by grabbing her wrist.
"I don't think so"
Chiharu gripped Kim's wrist, tightly. Kim grimaced in pain, but continued to reach for the orb and crystal. Chiharu just laughed, as Kim struggled to grab the items from around her neck.
"You're pathetic. Just give up all ready. Even if you do manage to get her soul away from me there's no way you'll be able to put it back inside her body."
"I'm not giving up, I'm gonna save her. Besides, I'm Kim Possible, and I can do anything."
Kim then broke free, from Chiharu's grip, and ripped the orb and crystal off her neck. She then stood up, and did a sidestep, when Chiharu tried to take the items back from her.
"Give those back to me."
Hiroshi looked over, and noticed that the orb and crystal were now in Kim's possession. Seeing that he was distracted, Ron took the opportunity, and removed Hiroshi's crystal from around his neck.
"What the hell?"
Hiroshi looked back at Ron, and saw that he was holding his crystal. As Ron played keep away with Hiroshi, he got an idea.
"KP, heads up!"
Ron then tossed Hiroshi's crystal over to Kim, which she caught with ease. Now that she had both crystals and the orb in her hands, Kim began demanding answers.
"How do put I Ciel's soul back into her body? I know the two of you know."
Hiroshi and Chiharu looked at each other, and then back at Kim.
"Why should we tell you? Besides, wouldn't you much rather hear why we took it in the first place?"
Hiroshi, asked. Kim gritted her teeth, her fist clenched tightly.
"I already know why you took it. You took it because you wanted immortality. But, that's the only reason. You also wanted it because you wanted to have a sense of power and control over someone smaller than you. All your lives you were teased and bullied, because you were interested in dark magic, so you targeted Ciel, since she was smaller than you, and you would be able to torture her if you pleased, just like others had tortured you."
Kim's cold, steel gaze bore into Hiroshi and Chiharu. Hiroshi gave a slight laugh, and then a grin.
"Bravo, Kim, you have us all figured. But tell me, does Ciel love you as much as you love her?"
Kim looked at Hiroshi, quizzically. What on earth could he be talking about?
"Oh, now, why do you look so confused? Ciel isn't capable of loving anyone. I mean, don't tell me she never told you about, Ayumi."
"Ayumi?"
"Yes, Ayumi, our little sister. She was a sweet girl, too sweet in fact. She was always an easy person to hurt, and we always told her to be careful. But, she fell in love, and ended up getting her heart broken. And do you know who broke it? It was, Ciel. She broke our little sister's heart, and she'll just do the same to you. Therefore, you should be thanking us for taking her soul; we've just saved you a lot of unnecessary heartache."
Chiharu, said. Kim grew angrier, she didn't want to believe their lies.
"You're lying, Ciel would never hurt me like that."
"Don't be so naive. After all, has she even told you that she loves you? I bet she hasn't. You know, Ayumi said it to her all the time, but she never said it back, once. And, that's how she broke her heart."
Hiroshi, said.
"Shut, just shut up, okay?"
This time it was Ron that had spoken.
"You guys don't have a clue what you're talking about. Ciel loves Kim, I can tell. I can see the way she smiles at the mention of Kim's name, how her eyes light up whenever she sees her. How she enjoys being held in Kim's arms, and kissed, softly by her. Sure, Ciel hasn't told Kim that she loves her, but you know what? She doesn't need to. Her actions alone show that she does. And you know what else? She may not be ready to tell Kim that she loves her. Telling someone that you love them is a big step in a relationship, and she could be wanting to take things slow. You know, I bet she was the same way with Ayumi. She showed her that she loved her, but wasn't ready to say the words."
Everyone just sort of stared at him. Who knew someone so clumsy could be so profound. Chiharu was about to counter what Ron had said, until she realized that he was right.
"Now tell me, how do I put Ciel's soul back into her body?"
Kim's patience was wearing thin.
"Oh, we actually have no idea."
Chiharu, said. Kim had reached her limit, and with a feral yell, she smashed the two crystals on the floor, shattering them into a million pieces. She seethed with rage, the black orb still held tightly in her hand.
"KP, it's gonna be okay, we'll figure something out."
Ron tried desperately, to keep his best friend calm.
*Boom!* Everyone turned to the sound of the blast, and saw Dr. Director step through a large hole, followed by a dozen Global Justice agents.
"Hello, Kim, Ron. Wade called me, and informed me of your mission. I figured now would be a good time to make my arrest."
Dr. Director then signaled for her agents to arrest Hiroshi, and Chiharu. As the twins were be carted off, Dr. Director asked where Shego was. Ron ran off, and grabbed Shego from where he had put her down at. When he brought her back, Kim placed the orb around Shego's neck. Ron then handed her over to Kim, and she cradled in her in arms, protectively. Kim then stared down into those dull, lifeless, green eyes, and felt her heart break. As she held Shego close to her, Kim closed her eyes, and allowed for a single tear to fall. That one tear drop hit the orb, and it began to glow and spark.
"Kimberley, you might want to take a look at this."
Dr. Director's eyes were fixated on Shego. Kim opened her eyes to see black lighting come out of the orb, and wrap around Shego's body.
"How, how is this even happening?"
Kim was completely baffled.
"It's because of your love for her."
A mysterious voice, said. The voice startled Kim, and she quickly turn around. What she saw shocked her, for it was a spirit. The spirit looked like the members of Team Go, and he was smiling warmly at Kim. Ron, Kim, and Dr. Director all just gaped at him.
"I bet you're all wondering who I am. Allow me to introduce myself. I am, Jasper Go, Ciel's dad. Kim, Ciel's soul is being placed back into her body as we speak, and it's all thanks to you. You see, the orb that Ciel's soul was placed into is said to stay in there, unless someone who truly loves the soul frees it. Kim, you freed her soul. By allowing that one tear drop to hit the orb you showed the love and compassion you have for my daughter. Now, as for why I'm here. I am here because I want you to promise me something, Kim. Promise me that you will love and care for Ciel, no matter what. That you'll hold through her darkest days, and smile with her through her starriest nights. Promise me that you will protect her from all dangers, great and small, and that you'll never hurt or betray her."
Kim looked down at Shego for a moment, allowing Jasper's words to sink in. After a few moments she looked back up at Jasper.
"I promise."
"Then my work here is done, goodbye."
Jasper then faded away.
As she stared at the spot where Jasper once stood, Kim hadn't noticed that the life had returned to Shego's eyes.
"Princess, what are you staring at?"
Kim let out a gasp, of surprise, and looked down to see bright, green eyes staring up at her.
"Ciel, I'm so glad you're okay!"
Kim was ecstatic. She then enveloped Shego into a tight hug, and squeezed her with all her might.
"Gack, Princess! Stop, you're squeezing the life out of me."
Shego struggled to fear herself, from Kim's grip. Kim then gently placed Shego onto her feet.
"Oops sorry, I'm just really happy to see you. I thought for sure that I had lost you."
Kim teared up a little, and Shego wrapped her arms around the redhead, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Pumpkin, you'll never lose me."
As the two women shared a tender moment, Dr. Director decided to have word with Ron.
"So, those two are together, huh? Do you think that's a good idea?"
"Of course I do. KP and Shego have a very special connection, with each other. They were meant to be together, and if you're worried about Shego going back to villainy, don't be. I know that she wouldn't just up and leave, Kim, not after all they've been through, together."
Dr. Director could hear the truth and sincerity in Ron's words.
"Well then, it appears I have nothing to worry about. Goodbye, Ron."
Dr. Director then departed. Once she was gone, Ron walked over to Kim and Shego, only to see the two in lip lock. They were obviously sharing a moment, and Ron didn't want to interrupt. So, he just stood there, awkwardly, until the kiss was over. Once the kiss had ended, Shego looked over at Ron.
"Hey, Stoppable, thanks for everything."
Ron gave her a smile, glad to have done his part in rescuing Shego.
With the mission finally over, and Shego save and sound, Kim pressed a button on her kimmunicator; and within a few seconds the sloth appeared right outside the gaping hole that Global Justice had created.
"Let's go home."
Kim then grabbed a hold of Shego's hand, and walked with her, to the car. Ron followed behind, and soon the trio was in the car. Ron sat in the driver's seat, but kept the sloth on autopilot. Kim and Shego sat in the back, holding each other. About twenty minutes into the flight, Shego fell asleep. Seeing that she was asleep, Ron felt it was a good time to ask Kim the question he had for her.
"Hey, KP, have you decided on what you're getting Ciel for Christmas yet?"
"Yep, I have the perfect gift in mind."
Kim then looked at Shego, and smiled warmly. Kim did indeed have a gift in mind, and couldn't wait to go get it. She was also glad the storm was over, and she could finally enjoy the holidays with her loved ones.
End of chapter 17:
A/N: Hooray, Shego's safe, and all is well. In the next chapter, Kim goes shopping for Shego's gift. So until next time, this is PokémonSoulMaster93 signing out.