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 8: Resolve
(The Possible Backyard: Five Minutes Ago)
Being green does have its benefits; Agni thought as her skin tone helped to keep her well blended in with the bushes she was hiding behind. The vantage point she had found allowed her complete cover from prying eyes, and a clear view to watch what appeared to be a very tense conversation between her Mother, whom she openly adored, and Kim Possible who she was annoyed and frustrated by to no end.
Earlier, when Kim had so abruptly told the pale-green girl to go inside and clean up, Agni knew that the hero had been hiding something. Kim's instructions just didn't hold water considering that she was not even that dirty in her honest personal opinion. It took a great deal more than some tumbling around to get her to build up a sweat of any kind, especially in autumn weather. There was no reason at all for Kim to tell her to go on ahead that the pale girl could think of, unless she wanted Agni gone for something private.
Understanding that any vocalization of her suspicions would only result in half-baked excuses, Agni appeared to do as she had been instructed but really had no intention of following Kim's directions without finding out what exactly had prompted them in the first place. The exact instant that Agni felt that the redhead's attention was off her, the green girl was in full sneak-mode and hidden well away, just watching and waiting. She remembered how when she was younger she would always sneak up on and surprise her Uncle Mego because she loved the sound of the girly shriek he would make when she would pop out, it was something that her Wego Uncles had taught her to do. Her twin Uncles were always the best for fun things like that, when they were around at least. Of her Uncles, she greatly preferred them to the two alternatives, but on the other hand, it was not a hard contest to win.
Mego seemed to hate kids as a general rule so that meant that having been forced to live with one for several years just resulted in him complaining about Agni every chance the violet man got. Of course, not that he needs an excuse to complain about everything anyway. What really bothered the hell out of Agni regarding her Uncle Mego was his secret nickname for her that he thought no one knew about, "My Sister's Bastard". When Agni had first read that in his journal, she hadn't known what a "bastard" even was, but she could tell that it was certainly some kind of insult if it was anything. Later when she found out its definition, it was not quite as bad as she had thought, but it was still hurtful. Agni was glad when he finally had the good grace to move out.
Hego she disliked for an entirely different set of reasons. He was pompous, arrogant, and always thought he knew what was best for everyone despite the fact that he was almost thirty and still living with his parents and working at a fast-food restaurant. He was also completely vapid and a total comic book nerd. When Agni was ten, she had actually confronted him with her problems at school. Either he hadn't gotten it, or he simply didn't want to get it, but all he had done was smile wistfully, say "Ahh, the joys of childhood," and sent her on her way with the parting advice that she should, "Cherish these precious moments." What she did cherish was that later that night she put dog poo in his shoes. Agni certainly cherished that precious moment.
The Wegos however were actually always pretty nice to her, all things considered. It probably had something to do with their generally gregarious demeanor, but it was still appreciated. They always insisted she drop the "Uncle" title when it came to them and just call them Wego. They even once said that Agni was easier to think of as a baby sister rather than as a niece since the alternative made them feel old. She never could quite get the hang of that. The only problem was that they were always so busy, and all over the place. The Wegos had an active social life, and were full-time college students living it up in some dorm outside of Go City. It was a cruel joke that the only family she could enjoy outside of her Mother was never around when she needed them.
Agni's train of thought was suddenly derailed from the proverbial tracks when she heard Kim call out a very familiar name. Her green eyes widened and snapped in the direction that Kim called out towards, somewhere around the side of the house. Slowly much to Agni's shock, Shego appeared from around the corner, approaching Kim at a guarded pace and stopping when there was ten feet between them, a perfect lunging distance if needed.
How the hell did she find me so quickly? The twelve-year-old thought in open amazement. She had thought she had bought herself at least three days to herself, but apparently, she had managed only about nine hours. It was a humbling realization. Did she have me bugged or something?
Agni had never pegged Kim as a very dangerous person, even with her notable skills taken into account. She just didn't have the killer instinct that the pale girl found necessary in her Mother's line of work, and she herself had in abundance. However, her opinion of the cheerleader began to disintegrate when she saw how the two regarded one another. It was as though Kim's personality had done a complete one-eighty. Any warmth on her face fell away until all that remained was the razor-edged skill and the intent to use them. It was disconcerting for Agni to say the least.
I guess a girl her age doesn't smash up sociopath nut-jobs on a semi-daily basis without having something to show for it.
She cast her emerald gaze towards Shego, and was met with an equally conflicting mess of emotions. Shego had also dropped any semblance of the motherly compassion Agni associated her so closely with, and replaced it with a tense rigid ferocity hidden underneath a thin layer of icy indifference. Chills ran up the preteen's spine just looking at Shego.
That's my Mom?
It was strange; large parts of her wanted to abandon her vantage point, run forward and throw her arms around her Mother's waist like she had done back in Nevada. Seeing her standing there, so close, made her innards twist tightly. However, another part of her was honestly frightened of the woman's current state; she had never seen her Mother look so cold.
This must be Mom when I'm not around… Scary.
The two exchanged what the girl could only assume was standard banter before the inevitable fight. To the green preteen's surprise, the volatile situation was defused when Kim made mention of why Shego had shown up in the first place. The moment her name had been thrown out amidst the posturing, both Kim and her Mother's aggressive auras dropped entirely, almost like flipping a light switch. It was a disorienting sight for any observer how quickly the two were able to go from being moments away from tearing into one another, to what could go for civilized (albeit guarded) conversation.
Among many things about the current situation unfolding in front of her, the thing that had Agni's most rapt attention was that the topic of conversation was she. What exactly were they going to decide? Kim hadn't come up with any kind of plan that Agni knew about, and her Mother had made it very clear last night what she intended to do over the phone. What other options were there? There were no other options; she was going to be thrown to the wolves. It was stupid to think that Shego could have done anything for her in the first place. All the pale-green girl could do was settle in behind the bush and watch her destiny unfold.
(The Backyard: Now)
"So," Kim started, clearly lost for where to begin. "About Agni…"
"Yeah," Shego added, looking equally uncomfortable. "About her…"
"I guess you're planning to take her back to her Grandparent's, right?" Kim decided to ask flat out. Her attention was on the toes of her shoes rather than looking Shego in the eye.
"Well I don'twant to," Shego stated defensively, "but I don't have much of a choice."
"Yes, you do!" Kim all but shouted looking up into Shego's eyes, with more force than she had actually intended shocking the both of them. Kim didn't allow herself to waste any embarrassment on her outburst before continuing. "You and I both know that. Why can't you just take her back?"
"Oh, I don't know," Shego said laying on the heavy sarcasm. "Being a fugitive who is wanted in several countries does not have anything to do with it." She stated coldly making a dismissive hand gesture to enforce her point.
Kim furrowed her brow in open annoyance. "I think we both know that that wouldn't stop you," She crossed her arms. "You could take her back if you really wanted it."
"No I couldn't!" Shego all but shouted, abandoning her indifference for anger. She took several steps forward so that she was nearly on top of Kim. "You just don't get it do you?"
Kim looked up at the taller woman unfazed or intimidated by the close proximity. "Yeah, you're right, I don't get it." The redhead snapped back. "Why don't you just explain it to me?"
"Listen you! I," Shego unexpectedly cut her next words off before she could finish what would likely have been a scathing insult. Instead she slowly took a step back to regain her space and shook her head. "…It's just… I wouldn't be good for her, okay? Trust me; I'd make a lousy parent." Shego turned away from Kim's olive gaze.
Surprised by Shego's change in attitude, Kim calmed herself down and chose her next words quickly. "You'd do worse than the alternative?"
Shego inclined her head back up so that she could regard Kim with a cautious sideways glance. "And what do you know about the alternative?" She asked suspiciously.
"Honestly?" Kim shrugged, "Not much more than Agni's highly edited version." She walked around so that she could meet Shego eye-to eye. "But I do know that it was bad enough to make a twelve-year-old girl run across three states just to find you!"
Shego opened her mouth to retort but stopped when she realized she had nothing to say to counter the redhead's argument. "…"
Seeing an opening, Kim jumped for it, "Can't you just reconsider?"
Shego scoffed and looked down into Kim's olive-green eyes. "Why do you care so much- no, scratch that, I forgot that you were such a goody-goody control freak."
"And you're a kleptomaniac sociopath!" Kim retorted back automatically, before realizing it. Responding to Shego's insults had over the years become a reflexive action.
"Yeah," Shego said, finding her own opening in Kim's argument. "And that tends to be poor mother material, wouldn't you agree?" She added with well-practiced spite.
Kim sighed and shook her head, giving up on the aggressive approach. Shego obviously treated every exchange of words the same way she treated physical combat; never giving an inch. Kim would have to try for the moral high ground. "I'm just trying to look out for Agni's best interests."
"Yeah," Shego finally said, mellowing some at Kim's bold statement. That was a sentiment she could certainly agree with. "Me too."
"She seems to think you'd do a much better job than her Grandparents, that's for sure." Kim stated sounding confused by the notion. Honestly, she still had trouble seeing the pale thief raising anyone, especially someone who so openly hero-worshipped her.
The corners of Shego's black lips tugged upwards despite her best efforts. "She was four when we last saw each other in person. She's idealized me, that's all."
"Well that's true, considering the facts" Kim said smiling impishly.
"Hah, you're a riot, Cupcake." Shego stated dryly. Suddenly her attention moved elsewhere, she seemed to be looking around the backyard as though in search of something, Kim however didn't notice. She was busy working up the courage to ask Shego something very personal.
"Hey…" Kim finally said, getting the woman's attention away from whatever she was looking around for. "Why did you leave in the first place?" She managed to ask, much to Shego's visible displeasure with the change in topic. Despite this, the redhead continued unabated. "Agni told me-"
"Hold up." Shego said, cutting Kim off with a hand gesture. She walked over the one of the bushes in the backyard, before shoving her hand through the branches and pulling free the struggling form of her daughter, lifting her up by the hood of her sweatshirt. Through Kim's surprise, she saw the image as reminiscent of a mother cat holding her kitten by the scruff of her neck. Although, Kim honestly doubted that kittens struggled quite as much when lifted. Shego finally dropped Agni, and the young girl barely managing the grace needed to land on her feet instead of her bottom.
Shego regarded her with the same strict appearance Kim had seen Anne regard her with a hundred times in the past. "Agni, go inside!" Shego stated pointing at the house.
"Grrr, how did you even know I was here?" Agni whined in open disbelief. As far as the girl could tell, she hadn't made a single noise and been under complete cover. The only way Shego could have known where she was was if she had been aware ahead of time, and that was impossible. That meteor gave them many things but X-Ray vision certainly was not one of them.
"Because I'm that good." Shego said smirking. Internally she reevaluated her own strict attitude regarding the small eavesdropper. Kneeling down so that she was eye to eye with her estranged daughter, Shego placed both gloved hands on her shoulders. "Listen, I'll talk to you when you finish cleaning up, but until then give the adults some privacy, okay Kid?"
After a moment of silent consideration, Agni looked Shego in her eyes before slowly nodding. Shego smiled which by itself managed to lift the young girl's spirits, before she turned for the houses backdoor. Before stepping inside, she turned around and regarded Kim silently for a moment, before sticking her tongue out at the cheerleader (for forms sake, if nothing else). Kim just sighed in defeat. Beating one Shego was nearly impossible, two however…
"Tsk, Adults…" Agni grumbled as she entered the Possible residence.
Finally finding them with some much-needed privacy, Kim was about to restate her earlier inquiry before something confusing occurred to her. "How did you know she was hiding there? I didn't even notice." Kim doubted that Shego's senses were much more in tune than her own were, but she had not had any idea that they were being watched.
The thief smirked and dismissed the question with an overly cryptic statement. "It's a mother-daughter thing."
(Possible Residence: Earlier that Afternoon)
Jim and Tim were used too many unusual things, most of which involving their older sister in some way, but they could lay claim to their own share of oddities. They were genius engineers despite their young age, and had even occasionally (forcibly) inserted themselves in their sister's active hobby of world saving. Throughout there relatively short lives they had helped face down blue mad scientists, mutant bees (of their own creation), and even giant toy devil-robots. Each time they managed to maintain a cool and collected, albeit, reckless, attitude towards whatever it was that they currently faced.
However, even despite all of this impressive experience, they were both still completely thrown off their game when the mysterious girl who had appeared yesterday afternoon left Kim's attic room and pushed past them as she headed towards the bathroom. They both were quick to note that she was sporting a new pale-green complexion as opposed to her off-white skin tone from yesterday. The dark-haired girl cast the two Tweebs an annoyed, dismissive glance as she closed the bathroom door, as though she lived there. Moments later they heard the telltale noise of the shower nozzle emanate from within. Jim and Tim stared at the closed door blankly for well over a minute before Tim looked over at Jim.
"Hey Jim, am I going crazy-"
"Yes", Jim answered in a somewhat distracted voice cutting his brother off.
Tim smirked, and shook his head; "I was going to say, am I going crazy or was that girl a different color yesterday?"
Jim nodded, "Yeah. I guess she was wearing makeup or something." The barely-older brother reasoned.
"I think she must have spent the night, huh?" Tim stated. When he wasn't favored with a response he turned and addressed Jim with a questioning look. Jim seemed lost in his own head as he looked over at where the girl had disappeared. For some reason, Tim found that disconcerting.
"Jim?" he asked.
Jim quickly turned towards his brother in surprise. "Huh? What did you say?"
Tim sighed in annoyance. "I said that I think that weird girl stayed the night."
Jim nodded. "Yeah, must have…" His face lit up suddenly with an idea. "Hey! Let's ask Sis who that girl is." In Tim's opinion, Jim seemed a bit overeager under the circumstance.
What is with him all of a sudden?
Tim craned his eyebrow. "Why? She's probably just another random person Sis is helping. I don't think there's anything special about her."
Jim frowned slightly and shrugged. "I dunno… it's not like we have much better to do, right? Don't you at least want to know why she's green?"
Tim looked at Jim in wide-eyed astonishment. "Nothing better to do? Weren't we going to work on that force-field generator? And after that we were gonna finish work on Mech-Twin's right arm."
Wasn't it his idea that we finish all that by tonight so that we could test it tommorow?
Jim shook his head. "I didn't forget about that stuff, but this won't take a second."
Seeing how set on this Jim seemed, Tim decided to concede. After all, it was another opportunity to bother their Sister, even if it was under a pretext that Tim wasn't particularly found of. Jim's sudden interest in that girl was, if nothing else, vexing for the younger twin. He just didn't get it. Tim was shaken from his reverie when he noticed his other half had already run up the stairs leading to Kim's door, and never one to be left behind; Tim abandoned his current thoughts and ran up next to his brother.
The both started knocking (or in Kim's opinion banging) on her door. From inside they heard the clearly annoyed sound of their older sibling's voice cut through the noise. "Get lost, Tweebs!" she shouted over at them.
"What was that, Sis?" asked Jim coyly.
"We can't hear you," added Tim playing off his brother. This always managed to get to Kim within the first three minute. In Tim's head, the inevitable would play out as it always did. Kim would open the door, probably threaten them with a painfully slow death, and then chase them around the house in a futile attempt to enact said threat. Their sister was nothing if not predictable.
"When I get out there I'm gonna make the stuff from Splatter Mall look like Babes in Toy Land!" Kim shouted, slamming her door open and preparing to rush her annoying younger siblings. She halted however, when she saw that neither of the two had scattered in different directions, as she had grown accustomed to. Instead, the two of them just grinned up at her impishly.
"Hey Sis," said Tim.
"We want to ask you something," added Jim.
"What's up with that girl?" They both finished in unison. They both knew how it annoyed Kim when they talked like that, which only meant that they practiced at it for that very reason. Secretly Tim could have cared less about that girl, but Jim for some reason was curious and when in front of their Sister they needed to keep up the appearance of a united front at all times.
Looking confused, Kim craned her eyebrow suspiciously. "Why do you care?"
"Humor us," said Tim.
"We're curious," added Jim.
Their older sister frowned and shook her head. "No way. I don't know what you two are up to but I want know part of it. It's none of your business anyway."
"At least tell me her name!" Jim suddenly blurted out before Kim had a chance to shut her door. The almost pleading undertone in his voice caused both Kim and Tim to look at Jim in surprise. That unsettling feeling Tim had been experiencing earlier came back with full force. Jim had never shown such interest in anyone else before.
No one outside of us at least…
Kim stared blankly, before visibly shaking herself out of it and regarding Jim with an unreadable look. "Her name's Agni."
"Agni?" Jim asked, and then smirked when Kim nodded. "Thanks Kim!" He then grabbed Tim by the arm and bolted off towards their room before Kim had a chance to say anything else.
When they finally reached their room, Tim looked at Jim as though he thought the other was from Mars. "What's with you today?" He exclaimed.
Jim furrowed his brow. "Nothing's with me. Hey, let's finish up the shield-generator's grav-shifter," he said quickly changing the subject. He walked towards their current improvised workstation and picked up one of the tools they had filched from their father. He started working happily on the complex machinery with a strange smile on his face.
Tim regarded Jim for well over a minute before finally making his way to his usual place by his brother's side. Even next to one another, for Tim the space between them was a much greater distance then was comfortable.
(Possible Residence: Three hours later)
After several hours of labor, the Tweebs decided to take a break from their work on Project: Mecha-Twin and go downstairs for a quick snack. Honestly, Tim was more than grateful for the distraction. For the last three hours, ever since earlier that afternoon, Jim had been totally spacey and distracted, and as far as Tim was concerned it had been that girl, Agni's fault. She was the reason that Jim wasn't acting like himself, and Tim decided that he wanted nothing to do with her. He honestly hoped that whatever Kim was doing for her, she finished soon. Then Agni could leave, and Jim could get back on track.
Ironically the two females in question were the first things the twins saw when then were making their way towards the kitchen. Both stopped dead in their tracks at the unusual sight. Their sister and that Agni-girl were in a fight. Not only that, but Agni's hands were glowing with the same green aura as that crazy lady Kim was always dealing with. The two both ran to the window to watch, Tim just watched out of mere curiosity and the opportunity to see a good fight, but had he looked over at his brother, he would have seen the weird smirk on his face. Jim wasn't focused on the fight so much as he was focused on the girl.
After a minute or two Kim stopped the match and said something to Agni that neither twin could hear. The pale girl shrugged and made her way towards the door, disappearing from view of the window. Kim to their surprise walked off in a completely different direction seconds later. Tim smirked.
Maybe she's going home…
Jim frowned when Tim pulled him in the direction of the kitchen, reminding him of why they came downstairs in the first place. With nothing further for them to witness Jim begrudgingly conceded. They sat at the table with two ham sandwiches and a bag of barbeque potato chips in front of them eating in awkward silence.
It was Jim who broke the ice. "Wasn't she cool!" he exclaimed. Tim didn't need to ask whom he meant. They had both seen Kim fight a million times, so he wouldn't have gotten so excited over that. He could only have meant that girl.
Tim shrugged dismissively. "She was okay, Kim was winning though."
Jim frowned. "Kim always wins; I just meant that I thought it was cool that Agni could fight like that." He took another big bite from his sandwich.
Tim sighed but than remembered something he wanted to say. "Didn't you notice anything familiar about that weird green fire stuff she was doing? It was just like that crazy rival Kim has. I bet there's a connection."
Once again Tim wasn't favored with an immediate response. He looked up from his own sandwich only to see Jim once again lost in thought. He frowned. "Jim!"
Jim looked over at his brother and frowned. "What? Oh, yeah… That green power, I guess there might be a connection." He shrugged and stood to throw his now empty paper plate in the recycling bin. Tim soon joined him, and that was when the girl in question burst in through the back door.
Jim and Tim quickly backed away as the current object of their observations; a fuming green twelve-year-old of the fairer sex, walked past them grumbling to her self and glaring at the two boys as she walked by. Agni made her way over to the living room couch before practically throwing herself along its length, crossing her arms, and glaring bloody death at the far wall. They could almost see a black rain cloud hovering over the preteen. Even a blind, deaf and mute person could tell that the girl was pissed off beyond all reason.
Despite all of these warning signs, Jim just grinned and hurried off in Agni's direction, or at least he had intended to before Tim snagged his arm. Jim looked over at his brother in annoyance. "What are you doing?"
Tim regarded Jim with a look that showed how obvious his intentions should have been to his brother. "Think about it, if she's connected to that Shego lady, than isn't it possible that she's evil too?"
Jim shook his head. "I think there's an age requirement for evil. You have to be eighteen or older, something like that."
"There is not!"
"Is so!"
"Is not!"
Jim pulled himself free of his brother's grasp and looked at Tim in annoyance. "Well, we'll never know if we don't talk to her, right? C'mon, where's your sense of adventure?"
Back upstairs with our science projects, not down here with some creepy girl, Tim thought, but he didn't have the heart to say it out loud. He begrudgingly followed behind his arrant brother towards the girl propped across the couch.
Agni seemed to have calmed down some compared when she had first entered and caste her death gaze in Jim and Tim's direction. Now she just lay there with her eyes closed and her arms crossed. The only indication that she hadn't fallen asleep was her brow was furrowed as though mentally she were sorting through several troubling thoughts. Tim could relate. When the twins stopped along the side of the couch, the girl opened her left eye halfway to look over at them before closing it and basically dismissing them outright.
Jim cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head before speaking. His voice was slightly stilted, and overly hesitant. "Hey… um, Kim said your name was Agni, right? …So, uh… Hi!" He finally said, opting to open with a traditional albeit dull greeting. Tim rolled his eyes and suppressed a sigh. Agni didn't do anything at all, acting like she hadn't heard him in the first place.
Undeterred, Jim continued. "Um, Oh! I'm Jim by the way, and this is Tim," he said jerking his thumb in Tim's direction. A pointless gesture considering Agni's eyes had yet to open since checking to see who had approached her. "I- I mean we," he quickly corrected, "We were… um…"
Without bothering to open her eyes, the pale girl finally spoke, "What the hell do you want?" Agni asked pointblank, cutting Jim off before he had a chance to finish what would undoubtedly have been more babbling and/or stuttering. Tim thought it was a disgraceful display, and he intended to ride Jim about it in private, but as always, keeping up a united front was the higher priority.
Undaunted by her harsh tone, Jim continued with more confidence since he had just been presented with evidence that the girl had at least been paying attention. "Well, it's not often Kim deals with people our age, 'cept maybe Wade. I- I mean we, were curious about what you needed her for?"
Agni frowned and finally did open her eyes, casting a curious look in Jim's direction. "You help her out or somethin?" She asked.
Jim blinked unsure of the context behind the question, so Tim answered on his behalf. "Sometimes, but not really. Mostly we just mess with her."
Agni sat up and glared at the both of them. "Well then, I guess that makes it none of your business, doesn't it?"
"Oh, I see." Jim said, he thought for a moment before finally smiling. "That stuff you did with Kim earlier was really killer. That fighting I mean..."
Visibly Agni was thrown off by the complement. She stared for a moment, blinking before turning away and shrugging. "Ah, um… okay." She answered. It seemed to Tim that she didn't know what to do in the event of a compliment considering her reaction. Seeing an opening presented by his brother, Tim threw out the question that had been bothering him since he'd seen her fight.
"How did you do that fire thing?" he asked sounding slightly more inquisitive than he had intended for. He backed up slightly as two emerald eyes were flashed in his direction.
"Also none of your business." She stated clearly. Her refusing to answer made Tim frown.
What does a girl our age have to hide? Maybe she was some kind of government science experiment, or a half grown Shego clone. Better to ask than not.
"Do you know this crazy evil woman Kim's always beating up named Shego?" Tim asked glaring accusingly and ignoring his brother's startled look of protest.
Agni's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets but once the initial shock wore off, they slowly narrowed into fierce slits. Her next words were spoken through grit teeth. "What would make you think something stupid like that?"
"It is stupid, right? Haha…" Jim said inserting himself between the two of them to try to salvage the situation. His next words came out rushed. "So, Agni, um, where do you go to school?"
This was apparently a stupid question to ask, and Agni turned her glare in Jim direction that time. "Y'know what?" Agni asked, "I'm sick and tired of question-and-answer time. So how bout we play a new game?" A disturbing grin split across her face.
Neither quite catching the hint, Jim smiled and nodded. "Okay, what game?"
Her hands suddenly ignited with a burning jade flash. "Tag, and I'm it."
(The Tweebs Room: Moments Later)
Jim and Tim finally skidded to a halt within the sanctuary of their room, wasting no time slamming and holding the door shut. Both were breathing hard and wisps of green smoke were trailing from the seat of Jim's pants. Out of breath Tim slid against the door to the carpet breathing hard, while Jim remained standing, leaning his head against the door. Tim favored the green smoke trails with a glance.
"Jim, you're on fire."
Distracted Jim responded halfheartedly, "Am I?" He looked over his shoulder at the smoking hole on his jeans before absently patting away the embers.
"That could have gone better," He said in a dejected tone, "a lot better."
Tim dismissed the statement with a hand gesture. "Well, at least we know that even if she isn't evil, which I doubt, she's at least completely out of her mind," the younger twin stated matter-of-factly. "And creepy." He added as an aside.
Jim looked down at Tim in disapproval. "She's not creepy Tim, I think she's pretty cool."
"Jim, she's able to blow stuff up with her hands, us in fact, not to mention her skin is green!" Tim pleaded with Jim, trying to convince him of what seemed obvious.
Jim scoffed. "What's wrong with green? I like green!" he stated, pointing at his green t-shirt.
"You would." Tim said, annoyed. His brother wasn't making any sense at all. "Why are you so interested anyway?"
Jim smirked, "Isn't it obvious? She is really cute."
Tim sighed and banged his head against the door defeated. "Jim, you're hopeless."
(Downstairs, Living Room: Now)
Agni smiled despite herself and reclined back against the couch, thinking back on the look on those Tweeb's (Agni found the title appropriate) faces as they ducked and dodged low-output energy bolts. She had to applaud their agility, they managed to avoid nearly all of them, save one, and that had only been because the one with the green shirt stopped and looked over at her for some reason that Agni couldn't fathom. His vexing behavior didn't stay her hand though as she landed a scathing hit right on his butt.
In retrospect she was mildly upset about that, to be honest. Jim had been almost okay, by her standards at least. For some unknown reason he seemed like he had honestly been trying to be friendly. It was weird as hell, but not exactly the bad kind of weird and she could forgive his question about her school since he probably didn't know better than to bring that Pit up in conversation with her.
Also being complimented by him felt… she wasn't sure exactly, but certainly not unpleasant. It was rare for her to be complimented on anything she did. She was usually either yelled at for her actions or ignored, never praised. It was a unique experience.
The other brother however, Tim, was a little brat who didn't know when to keep his big mouth clamped shut. He had been the one she was aiming for the most, and Agni was frustrated that she hadn't pegged him like she intended to. And that thing he had said about her Mother, that she was a; "crazy evil woman Kim's always beating up," what the hell? What audacity! What nerve he had.
I should have burned his eyebrows off for that. Y'know what? I think I will burn his eyebrows off! It'll serve as an important lesson in freakin manners!
She was about to mentally go into all the nasty things she intended to do to Tim Possible, but her vengeful thoughts were suddenly cut off by the sound of the back door opening, and the approaching rhythm of a pair of light footfalls. Startled, Agni suddenly stood up straight, fidgeting her hands behind her back, and tried to keep herself from panicking. Seconds later the familiar form of Shego stepped into the room with her. The woman's expression was difficult to discern for the young girl.
On the one hand her Mother wasn't frowning which was certainly a good thing, but she wasn't smiling either, which wasn't such a good thing. Agni's mind was a maelstrom of panicked thoughts as she tried desperately to figure out what degree of bad news she was about to hear. The possibility that it might have been good news never once occurred within the pale-green girl's mind.
This is it… this is where my vacation comes to a crashing halt. Well, I tried I guess, no one can say I didn't try…
Shego held her hand out and Agni reached up hesitantly to take hold the offered appendage. She looked up at her Mother with wide, troubled eyes and finally asked the question that had been eating up at her from the inside for the last fifteen minutes.
"Are… are we going back, to Go I mean?" He voice was hesitant, troubled by all the things waiting for her back home. She was able to derive little comfort from her Mother's warm hand.
When Shego finally nodded in affirmative, her heart felt like it crashed through the floor. She didn't have the strength in her to protest, or even show on her face what she was feeling inside, but somehow Shego could tell. The older woman smiled slightly and shook her head. "You've got the wrong idea, Kid."
Agni blinked, unsure what Shego meant by that. "What do you-" She cut her self off when she heard the sound of heavy footfalls running down the stairs and Kim appearing in the room carrying a light travel pack over her shoulder. The redheaded hero grinned.
"Okay, I'm all ready."
Agni blinked, completely lost as to what was going on around her. Agni looked up into Shego's emerald eyes and spoke out her confusion. "Mom? What's going on?"
Shego sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose before looking over in Kim's direction. "Were leaving for Go, but Kim's coming too."
Chapter 8: End
Authors Notes: As proof that I actually listen to people's suggestions, a certain suggestion given to me by FortressMaximus was used in this chapter. FM knows the one I mean, and I thank him for it. Also, a new and improved picture of Agni is up here: festum. deviantart. com/ art/ Agni-02-67709500