Your standard legal disclaimer thing: I don't own Kim Possible. I will remove this story off the net if they give me shit. Blah blah blah, yada yada yada. You all know the drill by now.
Small Surprises, Big Consequences
Chapter 7: Relations
Shego sat back and stared across the street as Kim and Agni went back and forth sparring in the backyard of the Possible residence. Well, to be fair, it was pretty generous to call what went on sparring; it was more Agni trying to beat up Kim, and Kim dancing around her with natural ease. It was quite a sight, considering her hated rival and her beloved daughter wouldn't even be in the same room as one another in an ideal situation, let alone spar together.
Shego had driven over to the Possible household a half hour earlier, having finally gotten up the nerve she needed to take her wayward daughter back to Go. However, when she finally arrived, a quick glance around had revealed to the green thief that Kim and Agni had left for somewhere. She decided to use her free time by waiting in her car and rehearsing what she intended to say to Kim and Agni when she showed up to collect. Her plan basically involved being stern with the young twelve-year-old, and trying to discourage any future attempts to egress, but Shego doubted that any of it was going to sink in. Agni was as stubborn as her mother, in fact probably more so.
Well, Mom is stubborn too, so I guess I can just blame genetics for that lousy trait.
After around roughly ten minutes of waiting, planning and preparing, Shego saw Kim and Agni approach from down the street. They seemed to be conversing with one another about who-knew-what. Having dealt with Kim for a couple of years now, Shego had developed an instinctive insight into the moods of her unusual opponent (somewhat to her own dismay). It was painfully obvious that something was troubling the youthful redhead. Kim's expression temporarily distracted Shego from leaving her car and approaching the two as she had originally intended.
She was surprised when she saw them make their way towards the backyard rather then walk in through the front door. Soon they were out of the green thief's range of vision entirely. Remembering her original intentions, Shego left her vehicle parked along the far curb and snuck over and around the house to see what the two were doing. As she stealthily approached, Shego heard the sounds of heavy breathing, shouting, and hurried footfalls; the telltale noises associated with a scuffle. She quickly peaked around the corner to reaffirm her suspicions.
Well I'll be…
The two were fighting… in a sense. Agni was frantically running around and jumping at Kim with her claws outstretched and her powers released to their low-medium output. The thief's daughter was throwing sudden energy bolts, slashes and kicks at the smiling heroine who was dodging the amateur attacks with graceful disregard. Every now and then Kim would speak out a word of encouragement or advice, which Agni would quickly (albeit begrudgingly) employed immediately after.
Shego was honestly impressed with the little firecracker. She knew from Agni's letters that she got into fights at school often, much to Shego's dismay (not because she didn't want her daughter to fight, she was completely fine with that. She just hated the reason that the girl had to), but she never knew that the Agni was as skilled at it as she currently displayed. Her sense of balance was impeccable as she landed on her feet from an aerial kick, or slash, and she corrected her own errors, even when Kim didn't say anything.
Definite natural talent there, but that's obvious. She is my kid after all. Shego thought smugly. At the same time though, she felt an unwelcome stinging pang of jealousy. Watching Kim interact with Agni like that (something Shego could no longer do because of her own choices) was a bit much for her to bear witness to.
Suddenly Kim found herself pinned between the tree in her backyard, and the little green firebomb rushing headlong towards her. She saw Agni grin, thinking she had her victory all but assured, and went in for the kill. Shego sighed and shook her head.
You're way too impulsive, Kid.
As expected, Kim merely vaulted clear over the girl, which resulted in Agni smashing headfirst into the very tree she had counted on as her trump card. Shego winced, but then covered her mouth to suppress a smirk at seeing the young girl struggle to free her hand, before crashing into the grass. Kim for her part didn't even try to hide her amusement, and laughed out openly. Shego found she couldn't fault her. She did frown though when she saw Kim laid her hand on Agni's shoulder so familiarly. It made that awful little seed of jealousy in her chest grow. The thief was now more than close enough to hear their conversation with crystal clarity.
"You've got a lot of spirit, Agni," Shego heard Kim say in her usual chipper voice. "And you're really good, too. But, here's a piece of advice for you," The redhead's tone became serious, "You need to lay off all the aggressive strikes and put more thought into the way you move. If you don't it leaves you open to attack and you might hurt someone pretty badly."
"Isn't that the point?"
Shego had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing again.
Kim sighed and crossed her arms. "No, the point is to defend yourself, and on top of that even if hurting the other person was "the point" even your mom never kills anyone. She knows better." Kim stated matter-of-factly.
Shego winced at Kim's words. If only you knew what you were saying Pumpkin…
Agni scoffed and shook her head. "You don't know much bout my Mom, do you."
The thief's emerald eyes shot wide open at hearing her daughters implicating tone. She couldn't mean-
Kim furrowed her brow and spoke out more annoyed than she intended. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know how my Mom used to do the hero thing, right? Why do you think she left?"
Kim frowned "Your uncle told me she liked being evil more than fighting evil." Her voice sounded unsure but Shego was still too shocked to hear it.
"Uncle Hego is an idiot who thinks up a lot of junk. Yeah, she likes being a thief more, to be sure, but that aint the reason."
Kim blinked in confusion. "Then… why?"
They didn't…
Agni smirked humorlessly. "'Cause she finally up and killed someone."
They told her!
Shego leaned against the house, just out of sight fuming with awful rage, barely keeping her power suppressed. She could feel it's surging intensity just begging to be released through her skin. Internally, Shego raged.
Who told her? Who the fuck told her? I thought they knew better, I should have known they'd spill that. Was it Hego? She shook her head. No he's in denial that it even happened. Mego knows not to piss me off, so I doubt it was him. The Wegos? They never would cross that line, even to piss me off. Shego narrowed her eyes dangerously. She knew exactly who told Agni.
Mom you stupid bitch! How long ago did you tell her? You promised me you wouldn't, god dammit!
Shego slid down to the grass and sat there fuming, wondering how long Agni had been aware of what she had done. She wondered what the girl thought of that. What was it like to live with the knowledge that your parent was a killer? Shego grit her teeth, what a stupid question to ask yourself…and on top of that…
…Now Kim knew too. Shego certainly didn't look forward to approaching them now. All of her mental planning and preparation had slipped down the proverbial drain. She had no idea what she would say to them now, or how Kim would react to seeing her. For some reason, the idea that Kim might look down at her after hearing about what she had done troubled Shego greatly. It was a strange unsettling feeling that the green thief was completely unaccustomed to. Her black lips pulled down at the corners when she considered the notion.
Y'know what's ironic, Shego thought to herself, Both Hego and Agni are both way off… The real reason I left… that night…
(Go City: Eight Years Ago)
When consciousness returned to Shego, the first thing that came to her jumbled and confused mind was a single indisputable concept; pain. Her muscles hurt terribly; they ached as though she had been beaten with lead pipes for well over an hour. Her lungs burned from overexertion, which was a feat in itself considering her supernatural fortitude. She was taking deep gulping breaths, both to re-oxygenate her system and also to calm her frazzled nerves. The tingle that usually ran up her arms whenever she used her powers was now a steady throbbing pulse, like a heartbeat, an uncomfortable feeling that always accompanied using her full output, something she had only done three times in her entire life due to its sheer overly destructive capabilities. When on full Shego had almost no control over the resulting jade maelstrom.
Her physical discomfort aside, she felt a deeper, far more intrusive pain from deep within herself. Her heart felt as though someone had slowly wrenched it from her chest and showed it to her purely out of cruel spite. Shego felt a desperate ache from within, a sadness and pain that was foreign and new to her. The worst part was, at that moment, she couldn't remember why.
It was simple physical sensation that shook the heroine from within her own head; the cool feeling of rain continued to fall over her form, before evaporating away immediately after from the infernal heat of her power. Her ears could hear the sizzling sound of liquid instantly converting to vapor as the storm fell upon her. In the background the heavy crash of thunder rumbled and shook across the cityscape. Shego quickly became aware of a dead weight coming from the direction of her right hand. She realized that within her clawed grasp she held something tightly, so tightly it hurt from her edged nails digging into her palm.
Slowly the teenager parted her eyelids to look at what she held within her gloved grip: It was the collar of a nightmarish black cloak, and the entire body that the black cloak was wrapped around. That is, it was the entire body if one did not include the head. Shego barely noticed that her arms were still both ignited at full power; the sheer heat of the two miniature novas was enough to melt the very floor she stood upon. The body she gripped had already been burned away to its skeleton and was in the process of disintegrating as she watched in blank awe. The reality of her situation slowly dawned on her and she panicked stumbling backwards and landing on her behind. The body she held had crumbled to ashen cinders the moment it made contact with the floor.
Shego's lip trembled as she observed the macabre sight before her; the implications of it were simply too much for her to bear. She knew exactly whom that body belonged to; only one person she knew wore that cloak, Bogeyman. She had been fighting him, she knew that, but how in the world had it ended up like this? With forced concentration, she contained her power back into its restrained state as she struggled to remember what brought her to this point. The last thing Shego could remember with clarity was…
Suddenly she screamed and clutched her head, she screamed and screamed and roared at the world, hatred, frustration, malice, rage, bitterness, sorrow, grief, all were shouted out towards the cruel night as the eighteen-year-old laid there on the ground, curled up around herself and clutching her head in her hands with enough force that her claws were lacerating the corners of her face. She remembered what had just occurred, what she had done, and now all she wanted to do was die.
He tricked me into… he made me kill… he, I…
Her thoughts were an incomprehensible jumble of horrific revelations, the thing that she had been tricked into doing; she couldn't stop seeing it. She couldn't stop remembering the splash of blood hitting her face, the smug synthetic laughter, the anger, the horror, the hatred, and then… She continued screaming until her body could support it no longer, and her raw throat failed her. She wasn't sure how long she lay there, time was beyond her notice, however her wide, bloodshot eyes instinctively moved towards a small shape in her peripheral vision.
The shape was at first little more then a blurred lump on the ground. Shego's eyes were still blinded from her tears, but slowly her vision cleared and the blurred image focused into a clearer form. A young lifeless body lying there, several deep angry green gouges ran up and across her back. The child lay still on top of a pool of her green blood. Shego stared blankly at the young child, her child, lying still, wet black bangs hiding the girl's cherubim features. Proof of Shego's sin was just lying there on the metal foundation in front of her. She continued to stare at the tiny body with hypnotic intensity, as though in a fugue.
And then, suddenly, she noticed something amazing, and impossible.
Steam was steadily beginning to rise up from the four-year-old's injuries and Shego could hear a slight sizzling sound from the rain as it came down on the child's smoking wounds and evaporated. That sound could only mean one thing, life.
She's alive!
Too fast for the naked eye to register, Shego bolted off the floor and made her way over to Agni's side, hoping, praying that what she saw wasn't some beautiful hallucination brought about by her desperate imagination. Looking down at the young girl, Shego could see her chest rise and fall ever so slightly. Agni was still somehow alive, despite her grievous injuries, and despite her lifeless appearance, the young girl was still barely holding onto life. Her regenerative systems were working into overtime, supplying energy to the cells bordering her wounds and forcing them to multiply several thousand times beyond their natural rate. The torn bleeding skin was actually glowing with a faint green light as the edges of her ragged flesh visibly attempted to pull itself back together.
Shego had always secretly cursed and loathed the meteor that had granted, (or maybe cursed), her and her siblings with their current powers, but right at that moment, she couldn't have been more grateful for it. Without that power, a normal child, hell, even a normal adult, would have died from blood loss or shock. Thanks to their overly resilient bodies however, Agni refused to give up the ghost. The girl was as stubborn to be sure.
Shego reached down and gently, but also enthusiastically, picked up the small form and held it to herself in a tight embrace. The heroine reveled in the feeling of the light breaths on her neck, and the girl's body heat competing with her own. It spoke of life, and that was worth celebrating.
I'll have to get her to a hospital; her body's going to be utterly drained by the time that wound is closed. She needs an IV drip or something…
Standing up, Shego wrapped both of her arms around Agni to support her small body as she got to her feet. She wasn't pleased about moving Agni until the cuts were finished closing but she lacked the luxury of waiting. A quick look around made it obvious that the building they were in was on its last leg. Her fight with Bogeyman had been all over the complex, with her powers melting and igniting everything in their path. Support beams, concrete foundation, all of it was crushed, sliced through, melted down, or simply overtaxed from taking on the extra weight. She could actually hear the building creaking and shaking with every passing instant. It was a miracle that it hadn't fallen already.
Seeing no other option, Shego ran for it. She didn't need to avoid the fires, which was a good thing since they were numerous, but some of the floors were burned clean through, and several hallways had caved in entirely. However, the dangerous course did little to slow her down as she jumped and outmaneuvered any and all pits and falling debris. The feeling of wetness dripping from Agni's back only served to spur her on.
In spite of this dangerous situation, her mind was not entirely on the task before her. In a sense Shego's body was moving entirely on autopilot. The majority of her thought processes' were all focused on what she had done, and what she would have to do now. Her being alive doesn't change anything. The fact of the matter is that I almost… I thought I…She suppressed a deep snarl as she tried to avoid that line of thinking; all it served to do was distract her from the task at hand. However despite her attempts, she simply couldn't help herself.
I can't protect her, I'm a hero and I can't even watch over my own family! Well of course I can't, I can barely even see her any more…
That son-of-a-bitch! I'm glad I killed him. I'd love to do it again! I wish he wasn't wearing that stupid mask; then I could have seen the look on his face when he realized what he had driven me to. I hope he burns in hell; I certainly saw to it that he burned on earth. Her justified raging didn't however distract her from her earlier thoughts, regarding the girl in her arms. The facts were all clearly lined up in her head; she couldn't protect Agni. This wasn't the first time either, just the worst. There had been other villains, other attempts, but none as successful as Bogeyman.
The stress of it all was driving Shego to her wits end; she was having trouble even caring anymore. Most of the time these days she would just let smalltime creeps run off, and when she did decide to pull her share of the team's weight, she made sure that her opponents were not turned in to the authorities until they were reduced to a bloody wreck for presuming to waste the heroine's time. Hego called it excessive, Shego called it efficient.
Be that as it may, she was under no delusions that her brothers were becoming increasingly wary of her and her actions, and she admitted that they were right to. She didn't like the kind of person she was becoming. She had never used to be so bitter, so angry, so disillusioned with everything. Team Go, school, her home, she had nowhere to turn to anymore where she could just be herself. Where she was the one to set her own expectations. The one person in the world who loved Shego for just being herself was ravaged in her arms on Death's door, and it was all her fault!
Being a hero with green skin didn't really help maintaining a hidden identity either. Any villain with even the slightest trace of common sense could find her if they really put there mind to it. Hego was a complete idiot if he thought that going by an alias and wearing a black mask fooled anyone but Aviarius. Shego remembered back when Dyno-Saur burst in on their front room when the lot of them was just lounging around at home, not the Go-Tower, their home. After Dyno-Saur there was also Subterraniac, Tri-Face, Blasting-Zone, she could go on. Shego couldn't believe how many masked psychopaths she had had to deal with outside of her green-and-blacks. Bogeyman had been the first to go directly after Agni though, which made all the difference. In the end however, it all came down to one thing;
Being a hero is putting Agni in front of a firing squad.
Shego's train of though was cut off when she saw the building entryway twenty feet in front of her, which was a blessed thing considering that the entire building was finally starting to come down on the two. Without pause, she charged forwards while crumbling foundation collapsed all around them. The passageway got closer and closer but even still, Shego began to feel like despite that, she wouldn't be able to make it in time. Then something terrible happened, the entryway started to give way.
I'm not going to make it!
At her full sprinting speed, Shego could have just barely have made it in time, however having to constantly jump over obstacles and avoid falling debris was slowing her down terribly, and it was going to cost her in the long run. Before she had a chance to lose hope a very familiar flickering blue light filled her vision, accompanied by a massive form supporting the crumbling entryway. There was only one person in the world strong enough to do so, Hego.
"Shego, hurry up, this whole thing is coming down, now!" He shouted over, his voice strained from maintaining such immense weight on his shoulders.
Shego certainly didn't need to be told twice. She adjusted the weight in her arms and bolted for it crumbling passage crossing beneath Hego's thick right arm and not stopping until she was greeted by her other three siblings on the slick, wet blacktop. With a strained roar, Hego let go of the frame and threw himself backwards just as the entire unfinished complex finished coming down in a pile of crushed concrete, rebar, and twisted girders. When the smoke finally cleared, her brothers all stood around her with varying degrees of surprise, or shock.
Mego looked over at the remains of the destroyed construction site before casting an annoyed look in Shego's direction. "Subtle, Shego, really subtle."
The Wego's were the first to notice whom Shego held tightly in her arms. The twins quickly ran up to their big sister in undisguised worry. "Sis, what happened, why is Agni here?" asked one. "What happened to her, should we call an ambulance?" asked the other.
Shego quickly backed up in order to maintain her precious space, and flashed the twins a warning look. "Back off, got it?" They quickly complied.
She thought for a moment. An inquisitive glance showed that Agni's wound had completely scabbed over, and even that was starting to fade, however, she still needed to get some nutrients back into her system as soon as possible. Shego didn't (and wouldn't) admit it, but she was utterly exhausted, she completely lacked the energy to run Agni to the nearest clinic under her own power.
Resigning herself, she turned to Mego. "Call for an ambulance for me." It wasn't a request.
Mego scoffed and was about to say something, but the venomous look flashed in his direction was more than enough to shut him up completely. He pulled out his Go-Phone and made the call.
Shego sat down on the curb, and was surprised by how stiff she felt. It made sense though, she had been running and fighting for well over three hours straight, and on top of that she was emotionally drained. She gratefully took notice of the fact that Agni's breathing against her had become more regular, and less pained. Shego didn't know what trick Bogeyman had pulled to keep the girl unconscious, but she was partially glad for that. Agni probably would have been terrified out of her mind… and would have seen what had happened. If the Agni ever found out, Shego would be able to deal. She looked up when a large shadow fell over them.
"We came over here when we heard reports of bright green flashes and explosions. What went on here, Shego?" Hego asked sternly using his patented leader-voice. She flashed him an open glare.
"Bogeyman took Agni… he tried to use her to get at me."
Mego's eyes widened. "What? You mean that freak in black? I thought we threw him in a cell last week, he got out this quickly?"
Hego narrowed his eyes. "So Shego… where is he now?"
Her black lips pulled into a cruel smirk. "Hell would be my first guess."
The Wegos stepped back automatically, both at the news and at the cruelly blasé way their sister spoke. Hego's mouth hung open and he just stared, having trouble formulating his thoughts. Mego however, took the information far better then his brothers.
"Do you have any idea how poorly this is gonna reflect on us, or infinitely more important, on me?" He said placing his hand on his chest to emphasize his words.
Shego's expression once again became frighteningly negative. "Ask me how much I care? I double dare you."
Mego stepped back, not willing to press his luck. He had never seen Shego so angry before, and knew what kind of damage she was capable of when pushed to it, a good example of it being the fallen structure behind them. The closest he'd ever seen his big sister in such a state was when Hego tried to discipline that little bastard of her's when she'd spilled ink all over his tax forms. Shego nearly put her older brother through a wall that day. That event seemed tame when compared to her now.
Hego in spite of this didn't feel the need to show restraint like his three brothers. In his mind he was the leader, he was the oldest, and his word needed to be followed. "Shego, I can't believe that you… that you…" He couldn't find the words to give voice to his accusation.
Shego casually found the words for him. "Killed him? I believe those were the words you were looking for. I killed him. Actually, to be specific, I ripped his fucking head off!" Her eyes narrowed to back the vehemence of her statement. "And I'd give anything to do it again too."
"Shego!" Hego was able to exclaim little more then her name from the sheer morbidity of her statement.
"Don't you dare "Shego" me, Hego! You didn't have your kid kidnapped, threatened by a psychopath, and t-then, t…"She trailed off momentarily, catching herself in time from making a big mistake. "I just so sick of this crap! Y'know what? The next time someone tries that shit with me, I'll do worse then kill them! I hate this goody-two-shoes bullshit! It's running me ragged, and ruining the quality of my life. I'm so through with it! All of it! I. AM. DONE. Do you get me, Leader?"
Hego looked horrified at what his sister was implying. Mego sulked in the background, and the Wegos kept behind him to avoid their sister's cold gaze. The distant sound of an approaching siren attracted Shego's attention away from her siblings, which they were all secretly grateful for. She looked down at the tiny sleeping face resting quietly in her arms, nodded resolutely, and stood, making her way towards the approaching ambulance. Or at least she intended to before Hego ran up and snagged her shoulder.
"You have one second to drop that hand Hego."
"Shego, you can't just quit, were not just a team, we're family! Heroes don't kill people, and Heroes don't quit!" He stated desperately.
Any further arguments on his part were cut off when a green and black elbow all but buried itself into his stomach. Hego face turned blue (or at least bluer), he heaved holding his wounded abdomen and fell hard to his knees. After taking a moment to regain the wind, which was knocked from him, he looked up to see his sister's retreating form.
"Then I guess that means I'm no hero." Was all she had to say to her siblings as she made her way towards the waiting ambulance.
It was years before she saw her brothers again.
(Possible Residence: Current Time)
Shego leaned up against the side of the house, her eyes glazed over in remembrance of that night.
Who would have thought that leaving would be the easy part… Well, now to get down to business, I've had enough pointless reminiscence. Leaving Team Go was the best thing I've ever done and I don't regret it. I have a glamorous stress free life now, a job that I love… and a kid that I never get to see… Wow, I really suck at these pep talks, don't I?
Shego was shook from her troubling inner monologue by a clear and familiar young voice. "You can come out now, Shego. I sent Agni inside to clean herself off."
What? How did she-?
Shego scowled and crossed her arms. She stood up marched over to where the smug redhead stood in the middle of the yard, her expression tense. Kim regarded her with the same guarded hostility. They were still enemies after all. A day and a half of common interests wouldn't change that. Kim raised her eyebrow at the stalking thief and smirked smugly.
"Your nowhere near as sneaky as you like to think, Shego."
The green ex-hero scoffed. "Just keep thinking that, Pumpkin. See how far that thinking gets you in the future. And to set things straight, the only reason you figured out I was over there is because I'm having a really off day." Her right hand made a fist. "That doesn't mean I not in the mood to beat you down though."
The redheaded hero sighed and shook her head. "As much as I'd like to drag you kicking a screaming to a nice prison cell, I think we both know why you're here."
Agreeing on the inside, Shego decided that now certainly wasn't a good time for posturing. She lowered her guard enough to manage what in her opinion warranted civilized discussion. "Your right. I'm here about Agni."
"Obviously," Kim said. There wasn't any other possible reason for her rival's impromptu visit. "I'd like to talk to you about her too."
They talked, completely unaware that a third pair of green eyes observed the hero and the thief the entire time.
Chapter 7: End
Once again, If anyone has any ideas to help bulk up this story, don't hesitate to PM me.