AN:- Hello all. I'm back.

Chapter Two: The Long Wait

Kin sat and stared at the heart monitor as it ticked quietly over. Beep. Beep. Beep. Each beep seemed to take far too long, was that normal after someone had a stroke? Or was her Nana's heart about to fail her? That couldn't happen, it absolutely couldn't, not to Nana, not to someone who had trained with Navy SEALS and mastered eighteen styles of kmartial arts, things like that just didn't happen.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Across from her, her father was leaning forwards in his uncomfortable plastic chair, his head in his hands and his hair looking distinctly ruffled. She had never seen him like this before, absolutely speechless. He had said perhaps three words since they had entered the hospital, and then sunk into his chair and gone still. Her mom had shuffled the boys off to get some food but Kim had refused to leave, folding her arms and stubbornly planting herself in the chair until eventually her mom gave up and left her to it.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

She had texted Ron nearly two hours ago, and he still hadn't shown up. Didn't he have some special way of contacting Sensei? Or was he actually heading off to Japan to try and find the ancient teacher. Was he even alive? In the aftermath of the Lorwardian invasion there were still so many places out of contact. Kim hadn't even thought about the ninja school, although she bet Ron had.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Ron and that stupid Yori girl, who was so totally not okay with Ron and Kim, that was obvious. She was probably going to use her wiles to get Ron after Sensei had used his power to heal Nana. And I sent him right to her, smart move Possible. She folded her arms tighter and sunk lower into the seat, wishing that the blasted beeping would go away.

Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

She exploded out of the chair, only vaguely aware that her father had done the same; going to the bedside while she went for the door. Before she could open it a nurse and doctor rushed in, moving James aside and checking Nana from top to bottom. A second later the beeping resumed. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"What the hell just happened?" Mr Possible asked.

"Did no one tell you?" The doctor looked absolutely exhausted, but he tried to put on a placating smile for the family, "In elderly victims, a stroke of this magnitude can lead to other complications. Slight arrhythmia, breathing difficulties. All perfectly normal, if a little alarming."

"No," Her dad ground the word out through his teeth, "No one told us."

"I'm very sorry." To his credit, he did look genuinely upset, and the smile was gone, "But everything's all right now. She's actually recovering quite nicely from all indications."

"When will she regain consciousness?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. Your wife is a neurosurgeon, so I'm sure she understands. There are some things about the brain we just can't answer, even today. It could be later today; it could be weeks from now. All we can do is keep her comfortable and see what happens."

Her mom had returned, and the doctor smiled at her, "I have other patients to attend to, if you'll excuse me?"

He walked out and left them alone again.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Ron had never really taken to meditation. It just seemed like a whole lot of sitting around to him. Sure when he had the monkey mojo flying it was a lot easier, but then that was mystical monkey power, it came when it was needed and it went away when it wasn't. Sitting still and hoping it appeared was another thing entirely.

Next to him Rufus was of course already in a full trance, glowing a faint blue and hovering half a foot off the ground. He decided to focus on the naked mole rat, and imagined a little blue string connecting the two of them. It could have been his imagination, but for a second he imagined he really saw the link glowing, but then he was out of his body and hurtling through the air.

Maintain focus, He thought desperately as the ground whipped beneath him, Oh this is intense!

As soon as it started the ride was over and he was floating above the Yamanouchi School, exactly as he'd planned. Now he just had to find some way to control his new ghost body…

He tried an experimental flip and found himself a foot higher, and also upside down. Below him he watched Rufus descending neatly until his little paws hit the dirt, and then the naked mole rat turned and yanked on the blue chain between them. He felt a sharp tug in his stomach and sailed down towards it, alighting on the ground with all the grace and poise of a tranked up rhino.

"You know, buddy, we really gotta work on these landings." He pulled himself to his 'feet' and walked in towards the main building, wondering why it looked so untouched by damage. Surely the Lorwardians had been here? And even if they hadn't then the Yono had destroyed the school only a few months ago. Surely even ninja builders couldn't build that fast?

He forgot his questions as he floated into the main hall and saw the ninjas of the Yamanouchi school all gathered, bowing their heads in supplication towards a central stage, where Yori knelt next to a prone figure he recognised very well.

"Aw no Sensei!" He ran, forgetting that he wasn't there in spirit, and somehow managed to find himself floating about a foot above Sensei, looking down into the wizened old face that now looked so peaceful and yet so strained. "Sensei, please be alive, you have to be alive!"

One eye creaked open and the beard quivered into something that was nearly a smile, "Stoppable-san, you have returned as I knew you would. A true Monkey master and a gifted ninja."

"Uh, heh, not exactly Sensei," Ron rubbed the back of his astral neck and grinned, "Rufus is the real master, I just need to ask your help."

"Ron-san," The use of his first name caught him by surprise and he looked down into Yori's tear streaked face, surprised to see anger there, "Sensei is very sick, this is no time for you to ask him for help."

"It is alright Yori, I know why he has come." Sensei's eyes fixed on Ron, "You have come to ask if I can help Mrs Possible, to heal her from the ravages of age and her own mind."

"Uh, yeah, how'd you know?"

"Because once, very long ago, I met a young Miss Terious, and trained with her in the art of monkey kung fu."

"Miss Terious? Who's that?"

"Miss Terious went on to marry a man named Possible, when she returned to your United States."

"Oh woah that is so totally blowing my mind!" Ron pointed at the old master, "You know Nana?"

"A lifetime ago I knew her very well indeed. I know how special her life must seem, and I know how strongly the Possible family will fight to preserve it, but you ask in vain Stoppable-san. I cannot prolong a life that is ending by natural means."

"But you have the way of the monkey, you can do all sorts of cool healing, why can't you fix this?"

Sensei spread his arms as wide as he could, "Stoppable-san, look upon me as well. Do you imagine that I would wish to leave, and to cause my students such pain?" He reached up and brushed a lock of Yori's hair away, "If it were in my power to give I would grant all that I love a thousand lives, but it is not, and it is right that it is not. The power to give and take life should not belong to any one man. You know this Stoppable-san."

Ron hung his head, "Yeah, I know."

"Then you know what you must do now."

"I need to see Kim; she's going to need her dose of Ron-shine."

"You may speak as a fool sometimes Stoppable-san, but you have a wisdom beneath the surface. Always remember that."

"Stoppable-san," Yori gazed up again, the tears flowing freely now, "Please…"

She left the request unfinished, but he understood. He found the precision to bow deeply to Sensei, "Master Sensei, it has been my honour."

"As it has been mine, young Master Stoppable."

Ron didn't know exactly what sent him back, but he found himself in the same moment opening his eyes to nothing more than his room, and his house, and Sensei's face was already fading from his mind.

If Sensei can't help us, then we must know someone who can. He nearly ran for the computer to call up Wade, but he managed to stop himself. Kim first, I need to see her, and she needs to see me.

AN:- Am I going to be returning to KP full time? Probably not. I'd like to, and I still have a lot of ideas for this series and where it's supposed to go, but I just don't have the same sort of time that I used to while I was in university. Also, my other writing (personal original stories) does have to take precedence.

That being said, I have missed Kim Possible and its fanfiction like you wouldn't believe, so hopefully this will become slightly more regular. Sorry for leaving you for a year without an update (and on a cliffhanger) but hopefully this chapter and the ones to follow will make up for it a little.

Some notes:

'Miss Terious:' Nana Possible's name was never mentioned in series, but if she's James P's grandmother then she must not have been a Possible all her life. I was going to try and come up with some sort of witty name that worked with both Possible as her surname and something else as her surname, but it was more a one off gag so I went with the easy option.

And Sensei. The last time we see Sensei in series he is very old and ill, so it seemed only natural to carry this on to this fic. And I always liked the idea of him being part of the training Nana had. Of course, back when they first met they probably weren't the best of friends, given the time period and the cultural attitude Japan has taken towards women in the past, but I think he has seen past that for a long time now.

Chapter title is in no way related to real life circumstances (tee hee hee)