Disclaimer: Kim Possible is owned by Disney and indivual creators, not me.
This story is the property of me, Mereel Skirata and cannot be used without me permission.
Pairing: KIGO.
Warning: contains dark themes, intended for mature readers. You have been warned.
The young red-haired girl slipped into her room, exhausted, wanting nothing more than a few hours sleep.
She had staggered into her parents house only a few minutes ago, barely possessing the strength to open the door, letting it swing shut behind her and pull herself upstairs.
She hears a voice call out to her, one that is both familiar and yet out of place, at the same time.
But her head is so full of recent events that there is no room in it for anything else.
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Flashback - yesterday morning.
Ron smothered a yawn, as he stood on the airstrip, waiting for their ride to arrive.
Once again, Wade had called with a message about something posted on Kim's website.
Once again, a quick phone call later, his companion had managed to wrangle a ride to...wherever they were going.
He was sure that he had been told, but his sleep fogged brain seemed unable to hold it.
"Uh, Kim, where are going, again?"
Kim Possible grinned, her olive eyes bright with humour, despite the early hour.
Ron really wasn't a morning person.
"Yamanuchi School. Sensei said he had something that he wanted to show us."
Ron nodded, prevented from saying anything by another deep yawn.
Kim suddenly cast her eyes skyward, as she caught sight of their ride approaching.
An old, battered C-130 touched down lightly, the faded logo on the side proudly displaying Ashitaka air freight.
The pilot leaned out of the cockpit, waving them over.
"Ohaiyo, Kimberly-san. Ogenki desu ka."
Kim waved back, "Ohaiyo, Ashitaka-sama. Genki desu. Arigato gosaimasu. Thank you for stopping over to pick us up."
"No problem. I owe you one, after you saved my plane from that fire.
Kim shrugged, "Anyone can taxi a plane away from some exploding fuel drums. So not the drama."
I open the rear hatch to the cargo area and Ron jumps in. I'm right behind him, pulling the hatch closed with a clang. The plane is already picking up speed, preparing to lift off again, as I pick a clear space between two boxes of chicken feed. I press my back against the bulkhead, quickly getting comfortable. Japan is a long way away.
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I snap out of my light doze, as Ashitaka calls out to me. We're over the co-ordinates I gave him. I drag Ron to his feet; he mumbles something about two more minutes. I swear he called me mum, as well.
I open the hatch, pushing my sound asleep boyfriend out, the sound of his snores carried away by the wind.
I wait a few seconds, before following him out.
Ron's not asleep now I notice, as I arrow dive towards him, quickly catching up. Freefalling at several hundred feet per second will do that. Better than coffee, that s for sure.
A few minutes more and we deploy our chutes, the wind catching in them, slowing us rapidly. We gently float down into the clearing I had spotted before we jumped.
As soon as we land, I repack my chute, ready to head to the school.
Ron looks around, "So, where's the welcoming committee? They had to have seen us, so why aren't they here by now?"
"Ron, how would you see them? They're ninjas, remember? Masters of the Art of Invisibility."
He scoffs. "Please, K.P, I'm a master of Monkey Fist. Nobody can sneak up on me."
"Are you sure, Stoppable-san?"
A quick flurry of movement that even I don't follow and suddenly a black clad figure is behind Ron, pressing into his back, one hand held a few inches away from his neck, like the edge of a knife.
He starts, leaning into the person behind him.
I can tell who it is, even behind the nondescript black top, trousers and mask.
"Good one, Yori-san. " I chuckle.
"Hi, Yori-chan." Ron replies with a grin, trying to face her.
She responds by moving her knife hand nearer to his throat, pulling his body hard against hers.
I frown. What's this? Ninja flirting?
I pull Ron away from her grip, dragging him behind me.
Yori gives me a confused glance, before leading us towards Yamanuchi.
I follow, equally confused.
A short walk later and we are at the school, swiftly lead to the central building, where Sensei awaits us.
Both Ron and I bow deeply as we enter, offering out respects to the school. Slipping our shoes off, we approach the raised area where Sensei sits, bowing again, this time to him personally.
We sit, cross legged, as Yori moves to stand behind Sensei.
He speaks, his voice warm and friendly, yet something hard lies underneath.
"Greeting, Possible-san, Stoppable-san. How can we be of service to you."
That throws me. I pause, considering my words carefully, before I speak again.
Ron doesn't. It's like his brain shouts go and his mouth can't wait to obey.
"What do you mean? You called us, remember. The message you placed on Kim's website."
I wince. Good thing Sensei has a soft spot for Ron. Mystical Monkey Power and all.
"Message? We placed no message. But come, you have travelled far. You will be our guests tonight. Yori will show you to rooms where you can rest.
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The room I have been given is not luxurious, but it is comfortable. I have the last room in this side of the building. Yori's room is next to mine, on the left and Ron's is the one after that.
At least I got the chance to crash for a bit.
Sensei decided that Ron needed to make use of this time and instructed that he join the other students.
I'm starting to feel restless, now. I think I'll go for a stroll.
I walk to the edge of the school compound, past the central courtyard.
I pause for a bit, watching the students as they run through their drills. Ron is next to Yori, in the first row. Something about how close they are distracts me. As does the way they move. Punch. Punch. Snap kick. High kick. Sweep. Elbow. Knee. Each move Ron makes is in perfect synch with Yori's. Not a second s difference. The angle, force and direction are identical.
I walk on, trying not to be jealous of what I've just seen. He's just enjoying being back here, I tell myself.
My mind accepts this. Deep in my heart, no matter how much I try to bury it, is the feeling that it is so much more than that.
I head away from the school, losing myself in the sights and sound around me. Lush flowers; green, vibrant foliage. Bird calls, numerous rustles and cracks as small creatures move through the undergrowth. A monkey calls, short and sharp.
I hear the call again.
No, not again. Another one. And another. And another.
My blood chills. The forest is now filled with monkey cries, drowning out all the other sounds.
I sprint back to Yamanuchi, the dreadful screeching seems to follow me all the way.
I'm greeted by a scene straight out of a martial arts movie. The entire courtyard is packed full of black clad figures, all locked in deadly combat.
The air is full of screeches, cries of pain and the clash of weapons.
I feel, more than see, the figure drop towards me, arms reaching for me. I drop flat on my back, kicking my legs straight up, catching the ninja that attacked me squarely in the chest, flinging him behind me. I catch a glimpse of his very animal face as he goes flying.
Monkey Fist. He has to be here, somewhere.
I have to find him. Do that, and maybe I can bring this to an end.
I see him, up on the highest point of the walls that surround the school. He's not attacking, though.
He seems to be looking for something.
Sensei, I suddenly realise.
The whole battle scene around me makes sense now. The monkey ninjas are trying to reach Sensei, who they will attack and tire out, before Monkey Fist arrives.
To kill him, if he can.
Time to change his plans, then.
I dive into the courtyard, plunging straight into the melee, keeping moving forward.
Dodging, punching, kicking, whatever it takes to clear my path.
One ninja takes a swing at me with a katana. I feel the blade passing an inch over my head. Yori steps in before he can take another swing, trapping his sword arm, driving her shoulder into his chest, knocking him back.
He collides with two of his team mates, all three sprawling onto the ground.
She and Ron are with me now. They must have figured out what I going to do. Yori certainly has. Ron might just be tagging along with her.
We advance faster now. I feel sorry for anyone that tries to stop us. Having reached the base of the wall, I tell Ron and Yori to leave me. If I fail, Sensei will need all the help he can get.
I leap up the wall, using the small ledges and cracks in the stone as steps, closing on Monkey Fist.
He snarls when he sees me, launching into a flurry of attacks. My hands are already up, blocking his blows, trying to find an opening to strike back. His guard is good. I jump a sweep kick, but he was ready, grabbing my arm, using my momentum to throw me over his head. I flip myself over a second after he releases me, somersaulting down into a crouch.
I look up, Monkey Fist is already charging at me. I bring my hands up, ready to defend myself again, hoping to buy enough time that I can escape him and get some distance.
His fists are flying at me. I block one, two, three. The third is a feint; his hand not a punch, but a slap, pushing my guard wide and to the left. Before I can bring my hand back, his fist slams into my chest, all the air driven from my lungs. I collapse, face pressed onto the hard stone. My stomach heaves and I retch, trying to draw breath.
I can't move. Can't breathe. Can do nothing to stop Monkey Fist as he throws another punch at my head. This is it, I tell myself.
His punch never lands. Suddenly, Sensei is there. His power and agility still surprise me, despite his age.
He dodges and blocks, easily parrying the blows aimed at him. No wasted energy or movement. Just what he needs to do the job. His counter attack is equally efficient. Slipping past his opponents guard, he traps Monkey Fists arms with his left hand, his right, palm open, slides up under his chin.
I hear the impact, as Monkey Fist's head is snapped back, blood flying from his mouth.
Still, he is able to use the impact to launch himself away, his powerful legs carrying him a few steps back.
Damn monkey DNA.
He lands on the edge of the wall, a straight drop to the sea below him. Unfortunately for him, the stone where he landed is old, cracked. His impact is too much for it. The wall splits, a huge chunk of rock falling away, taking Monkey Fist with it. He leaps forward, trying to get back onto the wall. Sensei blocks him, a kick to his chest driving him off the edge. So way to stop that. His scream fades as he plummets.
His forces, seeing and hearing him fall, break off, either racing to save him or just losing the will to fight. We let them go, only caring that they are gone.
Sensei helps me to my feet, I'm still dizzy from the blow.
Together we make our way down to the courtyard. The students are already tending to the wounded. I can see at least 5 students, lying on the floor, not moving.
I look at Sensei, his face is full of grief.
Yori limps over, Ron leaning on her shoulder, his face is bruised, proudly displaying one black eye. Blood has dried on his head. Despite that, he is still grinning. I don't want to think about why.
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The whole school gathers for a meal that evening.
They are remembering those they lost. I feel cut off from it all somehow.
I sit down at one end of the table, slowly eating the food that has been placed. I so tired that I'm not really hungry. Long haul flights, parachute drops and battles with monkey ninja's can really take it out of you.
Not to mention being ignored by your boyfriend.
We've been here for almost half a day and he's barely said five words to me
He and Yori are off in their own little world. Heads almost touching, whispering and laughing.
I glare at them. He'll talk to her, but ignore his girlfriend?
I push my plate away. My appetite is completely gone, now.
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Next morning, I wake early, as I usually do. We have to head back and I need to arrange another ride for us.
I pause, rubbing my eyes. Can I hear helicopters?
Making my way outside, I see that I'm right. Two plain, black helicopters are hovering over the courtyard, slowly coming into land.
The whole school seems to have gathered. I approach Yori, ignoring the fact that Ron is next to her again.
"You're leaving, aren't you?"
Behind me, four students approach the helicopters, each carrying an object wrapped in thick cloth.
They place them reverentially inside.
Yori nods. "Now that we have been discovered, we will have to relocate. We have arranged for you to be taken back to Middleton."
She indicates the smaller chopper.
"Please, do not contact us or try to find us. We will contact you, when we are secure again. Farewell, Possible-san. Goodbye, Ron-kun."
'Ron-kun, now is it?' I muse, as Yori joins the rest of the school who are lining up to board.
She looks sad. Everyone here does, given their losses, but with her it's different. I can really explain it.
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I nod to the pilot as I climb into out ride. He does not return it.
I have my suspicions about who these vehicles and personnel belong to, but I keep them to myself.
Yamanuchi has more contacts and clout than I realised.
Ron drops into the seat next to me, his arm draping around my shoulders.
"You okay, K.P? You seem down. Something wrong?"
That does it. He's finally pushed me too far.
I push his arm off.
"Something wrong? I don't know. What could be wrong? Oh, wait, maybe the fact that my boyfriend spent the last 24 hours making eyes at another girl. Could that be it?"
I spit the words at him, literally dripping with sarcasm.
"Hey."
He sounds offended.
"It wasn't 24 hours, K.P. I was asleep for some of that, you know."
I'm speechless. Did he just admit that he was making eyes at Yori?
And does he see nothing wrong with that.
I rise, moving to the far end of the chopper. Wisely he doesn't follow me.
It is a silent flight back home.
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As soon as we set down, I leap out, staying low to avoid the still spinning blades, getting clear before it takes off again. Taking Ron back to his house. I'm glad to see him go, I realise.
I slip into the house. My whole body feels so tired and heavy. I ignore the voice behind me. Despite the fact that it sounds so pleased to see me.
In my room, I close the door, hoping to shut out the world.
My eyes land on the tiny strip of pictures of Shego and me, that we decided to grab from the photo booth in the mall.
I stare at the image of us embracing, grinning widely, as I let the memories of those days flow over me.
I was such a sudden decision, such a small, silly thing to do, yet it just felt that we needed to do it.
Like we both knew that the time we spent as friends would end sometime and we wanted something that would make it permanent.
Permanent was right. Even know I could still recall everything about those precious days. Especially how perfect the time spent with her had felt. With her, I had never felt that her attention was anywhere but on me.
Sure, she might have focused elsewhere for a while, but part of her had always been thinking of me. About me.
At that moment, I would have given anything to be able to go back to that time, to a place where I knew that somebody loved me.
I paused. Love?
Where did I get that from.
Not that I really care, as I let the softness of my bed surround me, pulling my favourite cuddle bunny towards me, driving my pain and confusion away with thoughts of those happy, carefree days.
My last thought before sleep claimed me, was of the last words Shego had said, before Ron had zapped her with the personality reverser again.
What had she been going to say?
I may never know.
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There were no happy thoughts to comfort Shego, as she sat outside Kim's room, hugging her legs to her chest.
The brief encounter in the hall had left her desperate for any contact with Kim, any at all.
So, she had decided that she would just wait here, until Kim decided to emerge.
She would wait, no matter how long that took.
She sat, unmoving, as Anne slipped in to check on her daughter twice, once to see if she was okay, the second to see if she wanted anything to eat.
She made the same offer to Shego.
She was. She was ravenous, but she wasn't going to move, not until she saw Kim.
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Kim's eyes snapped open, quickly focusing on the clock by her bedside, the digital numbers glowing in the low light.
9 o clock? Had she really slept for most of the day? It was dark outside now, so she must have. She could hear heavy rain pelting against the window.
She didn't really want to move, but she felt that she had better go and see her parents. She remembered her mother coming in once, but she had pretended to be sleeping, not yet ready to talk with her.
She stepped out of her room, coming face to face with a sight she had not expected.
Shego, curled up in a ball, just opposite her room.
Her breathing was slow and regular. She looked like she was asleep. Kim's mind suddenly made a connection. It had been Shego's voice she'd heard when she came in.
Had she been here the whole time, just waiting to talk to her? To see her?
She advanced slowly, not sure what she was intending to do.
She stopped when Shego opened her eyes, her face blossoming into a smile, as she laid eyes on Kim.
Not her usual predatory smile, but a smile that said she was delighted to see her.
"Princess." she murmured sleepily, "Pumpkin."
Kim couldn't handle the emotions that smile and those words generated.
She took the first course of action that occurred to her. She fled, leaving Shego alone and abandoned.
Slowly she stood, her heart crushed. She knew what she had to do, though.
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The Possible's looked up as Kim came rushing in, clearly distressed by something.
James slipped out, as Anne began answering the question her daughter was firing at her.
From the sounds of it, she and Shego had run into each other and it hadn't gone well, so he decided to check up on her.
The spare room was empty when her arrived, the window open, rain splashing onto the window sill.
As he moved to shut it, he noticed the piece of paper lying on the bed.
He slowly read the words written there, it looked as if someone had been crying when the wrote it.
Horrific realisation dropped into his mind as she read the last words.
"ANNE." he shouted as he raced back downstairs. She met him in the hall, Kim close behind.
"Shego's gone." He told them pressing the note into his wife's hand.
She and Kim stared at it for a few, terrible seconds, before Kim snatched it, throwing the door open and racing out into the night.
Not even slowing down, she pulled out her Kimmunicator. Wade answered a few seconds later.
"Wade", she almost screamed, "Shego just left my house. Find her. NOW."
Sensing the fear and urgency in her voice, Wade didn't ask any questions, quickly coming up his an answer.
"Security cameras just caught her going into the Mile High Tower."
Kim began to run faster, her worst fears confirmed.
Her mind flashed back to the note clasped in her hand.
'Sorry, Kimmie. I can't stay here. It just hurts so much. Guess it's time to move on. See what comes next. Thank your mom for me. Tell her I'm sorry too.'
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Shego rode the lift up to the top floor of the Mile High Tower, stepping out onto the flat viewing platform at the top. It was deserted. Good. She didn't really want an audience.
The pounding rain had already soaked her clothes, right down to her skin, but she didn't care. What did that matter now.
She advanced to the edge, staring out at the view in front of her. The lights of the city floated in front of her. Streams of lights from the cars moving below were still visible despite the rain.
I climb up onto the edge, when I hear footsteps behind me.
I sigh, as I see Kim standing there. She is as drenched as I am.
"Go home, Princess. Don't make this harder."
She doesn't leave. Instead she runs at me, jumping up onto the ledge and grabs my arm before I can move.
Her free hand catches me a stinging slap on my cheek.
"How dare you?" She screams. "How could you think of doing this? Is your life worth so little?"
Tears are streaming down her face, my face sheltering hers so the rain can't wash them away.
"Not without.." I falter.
"Not without what?" She asks, her voice full of equal parts hope and dread.
Okay. Cards on the table time. This is my last chance, after all.
"Not without you. If I can't be with you, then I have nothing. Nothing."
I'm crying now, as well.
I turn back to the drop, ready to step.
Kim grabs me again, spinning me back around. I ready myself for another slap. Why won't she just leave?
I get my answer as she presses her lips softly against mine. The gentle contact driving the cold out of my body.
She breaks the kiss, drawing me close to her. I wail, crying uncontrollably against her. My body shaking with my sobs and the cold.
She leans in, pulling my head onto her shoulder, placing her mouth against me ear.
"You've got me." She whispers, softly. "You've got me."
Okay, there we go. I promised I would publish before, I went away and there it is.
Sorry to say, there will now be a weeks break before I can upload any more, due to being away from my computer for a bit. But I am taking all my books with me, so I should have at least one more chapter written when I return and another week off from work to type it up.
Once again, I am sorry and I just ask that you hang on.
About Shego's desire to end her life. I wanted to write that in a way that wasn't destructive or fueled by a desire to hurt herself. She just couldn't face this world without Kim and decided it was time to leave it.
Next chapter: Kim and Shego reveal and accept their feelings for each other. But how will Ron react? And how does Kim feel about him?
Oh, yeah. Reviews and constructive criticisms welcome. Just not too many of the second one, please. lol.
