Kim Possible belongs to Disney.
ONE MOMENT TO DAWN
Chapter 3
Kim slept in the next day. It was Friday, her classes had been cancelled because her professor was sick, and she had the evening shift at the café, so she could turn off the alarm clock with a good conscience when it woke her up at seven in the morning. Even when she finally did get herself up from the bed, she felt groggy and tired like she hadn't slept at all. It took her a moment to realise why her sleep had been so restless, but as soon as she did, she felt like collapsing back against the pillow and throwing the cover over her head.
Had she really said all that to Yori? What on Earth had she been thinking? Yori had loved Ron and suffered heartbreak when he had chosen Kim over her, and now she had only made it worse by admitting that he might have made the wrong choice. Kim could easily recall the jealousy and protectiveness that had set her heart aflame when it had looked like Yori might be an enemy in romance. Those feelings and her happiness and relief when Ron had wanted her and how Yori had accepted it gracefully had been turned into gnawing guilt after Ron's death; she had basically taken him for nothing, hadn't she?
She forced herself to sit up on the bed and place her feet on the floor. Her bedroom had bare floors, but she didn't like the cool surface against the unprotected skin of her feet, so she had placed a fluffy little carpet right next to her bed. It was a stupid thing, but it made the room look like hers.
Kim groaned and leaned her head on her hands for a while, letting her red hair fall over her face and shoulders in a tangled mess. She felt naked and vulnerable now that she had revealed her greatest doubt to someone, and she couldn't make any sense of the thoughts that were spiralling in her head. She had loved Ron so much, but it hadn't been enough. Or had it? All relationships had problems; maybe that had merely been the beginning of the first one between her and Ron. Maybe they would have worked things out if she just had had the courage to talk to him. Maybe they would still be together.
It was her cowardice that was so hard for Kim to swallow. She had been afraid of so many things. What if Ron had started to hate her after hearing what she had to say? What would everyone, her parents and friends, have said if they had found out that the perfect couple wasn't so perfect after all? That it was all Kim's fault because her feelings were not strong enough? That the girl who could do anything couldn't do the most important thing in her life and love her boyfriend like he deserved?
In retrospect, she realised that she had been too uncertain of herself. Kim had thought she had got over that in high school, but it had haunted her well on her way to college. She should have trusted herself more. She should have trusted Ron. He had always been so understanding of her problems and flaws that he would have understood this one as well.
Or maybe that was the exact problem. Kim was too aware of how much she had hurt Ron over the years by ignoring him and pushing him aside for cooler friends and hobbies. She had learnt to know better, and she hadn't been able to stomach the idea of hurting him even more, especially since he would have probably endured it with a smile like she was some sort of goddess to be worshipped. He had deserved better than that.
She couldn't help but think about Yori next. Would she have been a better girlfriend for him? Had she deserved him more than Kim had? Yori had seen the potential in Ron right away while Kim had been too distracted by the high school food chain. Maybe she would have been able to love him like he had deserved.
No. No, no, no. Kim shook her head to get rid of such thoughts. She had told Yori she was over that and didn't blame her for not fighting for Ron. As Yori had said, there was no way of knowing what would have happened if things had progressed differently. If she wanted to keep her sanity, Kim would have to let that part of the past be and concentrate on what was to come.
She got up and walked to the kitchen and started to fill the coffee machine. The familiar routine soothed her nerves somewhat, and by the time she was sitting at the table and listening to the steady hum of the machine, she was already feeling a little better.
As much as she cringed at the idea of someone now knowing her greatest shame and doubt, it was also almost a relief. She didn't have to pretend anything in front of Yori anymore. Apart from Ron's parents, Yori had been the person who had made Kim feel the most uncomfortable because her secret affected her directly. Maybe they could work things out once they had both dealt with the issue on their own.
Yeah, that might actually be nice. Kim took her first sip of the coffee and wondered what friendship with Yori would be like if they ever got that far. It would be interesting to get to know the other woman as more than just an ally and Ron's almost-girlfriend of the past. Maybe if she got comfortable around Yori, she would feel a little better about everything else as well.
Kim wasn't sure what to think of Yori's words from the previous evening. Though she had said that she didn't blame Kim for anything, it hadn't felt very comforting. Yori had seemed distant and it was almost like she had only said those things because she knew it was the only honourable thing to do.
I wonder if she really does hate me, Kim thought. Nobody could be as understanding as Yori had been. She had to feel some resentment for her, but maybe she just wasn't letting any of it show on her face.
So many people had the right to hate her now, but nobody had done it so far. Ron's parents still thought of her as a friend of the family, her friends had all been ready to offer her a shoulder to cry on, and Rufus had nuzzled in her arms when she had last seen him. Kim's mother had told her that the mole rat was now Hana's pet and was so protective of the little ninja toddler that it was adorable. It almost made Kim smile.
Maybe I should be a little more forgiving on myself, she thought. Somehow it felt easier to see it that way now that she had told her secret to someone. She didn't have to pretend to be perfect for anybody's sake, least of all her own.
Kim's shift at the café started at four. Unlike many other coffee houses, Café de Flore didn't close until late in the evening because many of the customers liked to enjoy the last hours of the day with good company and a cup of macchiato or cappuccino. Kim had come to think of the place as more of an elegant bar than a café, but she knew better than to say that to her employer.
"Here's your double espresso, ma'am," she said to the elderly lady she was serving. "And a piece of chocolate cake for Lady Liberty," she continued and placed a big plate before the white poodle sitting beside her owner.
The lady offered her a grateful smile. "Thank you, Kim. Ever since you started working here, Lady Liberty won't eat any cake unless it's served by you," she said.
"Oh. Uh, thank you," Kim said. Was that a compliment or an accusation? She never knew with the eccentric rich people.
"No, no, don't look so nervous. It only means that she likes you. Isn't that right, Lady?" the woman said, turning to coo at her dog that was in the middle of gulping down the cake and getting her snout messy.
"Such horrible table manners," the lady muttered with a shake of her head.
Kim was glad when the bell above the door let out a tingle and new customers entered the café, providing her with the excuse to leave the lady and her dog alone. She immediately noticed that it was one of the regulars, Mr. Miyagi, a Japanese businessman who had come to lead one of his companies in the States. He was accompanied by his girlfriend, a lovely brunette called Charlotte Charitable.
"Good evening, Mr. Miyagi. Can I lead you to your usual table?" Kim asked.
"Good evening, Ms. Possible. Yes, that would be delightful," he replied and followed to a more secluded table in the corner. Kim didn't like prying, but since she had to walk back and forth serving customers, it had been impossible for her not to notice how close Mr. Miyagi and his companion were. They were almost like teenagers when they thought nobody was looking, and she had often caught a glimpse of him leaning to whisper something into her ear. It always made Ms. Charitable giggle.
Kim sometimes found herself wondering if she and Ron would have been like that when they got older. Probably, but she saw the two of them sitting at Bueno Nacho instead of a fancy little café like this.
"Can I get you anything, sir?" she asked, ready to write down the order. The couple decided to have their usual drinks, so Kim left them alone and went to the back to make them. Once she got there she almost bumped into her co-worker, Dan. He just happened to be one of her new friends from college and had been working at the café for a year and a half already. He had taught her everything she had to know about making coffee and hot chocolate, and she knew she owed her fast learning to him.
"Anything special?" Dan asked as he was pouring some whipped cream on the coffee he was making.
Kim shrugged. "Not really. It's the usual order for Mr. Miyagi and Ms. Charitable," she said. She took out two grand sized glasses and started preparing the drinks.
"They've been here a lot lately," Dan observed. "Do you reckon he'll propose to her soon?"
"You shouldn't talk about customers behind their back," Kim pointed out. That was one thing that had been made clear to her on her very first day at work. There was to be absolutely no gossip or rumours among the employees. The owner wanted the café to be a safe zone and a place where the cream of the community could relax.
"Hey, Mrs. Valdes isn't here today. Nobody will know," Dan said, smirking. He was always smirking at something, it seemed. If Kim hadn't known that he was dating Laura, another new friend of hers, she might have thought he was trying to pick her up.
"I wouldn't take the risk," she replied.
"Oh? And I thought you were all about that," Dan pointed out. Everyone at her new college knew of her world saving adventures, of course. It would have been impossible for her to remain anonymous after the press attention she had got as a teen.
"Not anymore," Kim said. This actually made Dan's smirk fade just for a moment.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry," he said quickly. Since everyone knew of her adventures, they naturally knew about Ron. The difference to Middleton was that nobody had known either of them personally, so everyone treated her just like any other girl who had lost someone close to her.
"It's no big. I don't think I'd be taking that many risks anymore anyway even if… you know," Kim said with a forced smile. Even if it made her a little uncomfortable, she actually liked it when people sometimes forgot that she was Kim Possible and that she had lost Ron Stoppable.
"Yeah, right," Dan said. He finished preparing the coffee and went to take it to his customer.
Kim sighed. Her great evening was somewhat ruined now. She had been able to push Ron and the whole issue out of her mind for a while, but Dan's comment had made it come back. Now she would probably play with her thoughts for the rest of her shift, and she really hated feeling miserable at work.
Well, at least some people are happy, she thought as she started taking the coffee to Mr. Miyagi and his companion. They were talking about something in soft voices, and he was resting his hand on hers. The sight made Kim feel a little better.
The couple grew silent when they saw Kim approach. She briefly wondered what they had been talking about. It had to be something romantic; there was a faint blush on Ms. Charitable's cheeks.
"Here you go. Have a nice evening," Kim said.
She turned away and was about to return to the back since no customer was demanding her attention at the moment, but that was when she caught a glimpse through the large window. It was already getting dark and snow was falling, making the dim scene look like it was straight from a fairytale. It wasn't any of this that caught Kim's attention, however. There was a familiar face outside.
"Kim, where are you going?" Dan asked as she rushed past him on her way to the door.
"I'm taking a break. Cover for me for a while, okay?" she said over her shoulder.
Kim stepped into the freezing outside air that made her shiver in her waitress's uniform, but she had no time to think about that. The figure she had seen had noticed her and was just about to dash behind a corner. Kim ran after her and grabbed the person's sleeve before she had time to get away.
"Yori? What are you doing here?" she asked.
Yori looked stunned for a moment, her dark eyes widening slightly as she realised who had caught her staring through the window. She yanked her arm free of Kim's grab and straightened her coat.
"I was just passing by," she said.
"What are you still doing in Layton? I thought you were going to return to Japan," Kim said. As she said the words, she realised that Yori had never actually said anything to that effect. She had just somehow assumed that because Yori didn't exactly have a reason to stay.
"My flight was cancelled, so I had to remain here," Yori replied.
"And you didn't think to tell me?" Kim asked.
Yori lifted a curious brow at her. "Why should I have?" she questioned.
"Well, I… I don't know. I'm the only one you know here. We could use the opportunity to talk some more," Kim said, suddenly feeling uncertain of herself before Yori's stare.
"I thought you said we have nothing to talk about," Yori pointed out. The icy tone of her voice surprised Kim somewhat; Yori sounded very different than the previous night.
"If this is about what I said yesterday --" she started, feeling her own annoyance flare up. If Yori had a bone to pick with her, she should at least come out and say it.
Yori shook her head and smiled a little. "Forgive me. You just startled me, so I wasn't prepared for this. I didn't know you worked here," she said.
"You like it? It's a really nice place. Do you want to come inside? I could buy you a coffee," Kim offered. She didn't know what she and Yori would talk about if the ninja accepted, but she felt that this opportunity to get some more of her thoughts sorted out was too good to be wasted.
"I'm sorry, but I must decline. I am in little bit of a hurry," Yori said.
"Oh. Okay. I guess I should be getting back to work anyway," Kim said. She glanced inside through the window, but nobody seemed to be missing her. Her hair and uniform were now covered in snow, and the wind was starting to chill her bones.
"Maybe we can talk later when the time is better for us. I feel it would do injustice to us both if we parted ways like this," Yori suggested.
"Yeah, how about tomorrow?" Kim asked.
They agreed to meet the next day at another café. Kim didn't feel comfortable talking about such private issues where everyone knew her, and Yori was ready to trust her with the choice of the place.
"What was that about? Who was it?" Dan asked when she returned inside, completely covered in snow and trying to brush it off before it melted and made her look like a drowned rat.
"Just a friend I haven't seen in a while," Kim said.
"Then why didn't you call her in? It would have been fun to get to know her," Dan said.
Since it was not a busy evening, Kim decided to indulge in their own products and got herself a simple cup of steaming coffee. Just one sip was enough to make warmth go through her body as a wave. She shuddered at the lovely sensation.
"She was busy, but I'll introduce you later if she wants me to," she said.
Kim arrived at their agreed meeting place ten minutes early the next day. It was a cute little café that had decent coffee and amazing cream cake. She didn't go there very often because working at a café made her so full of such places that she preferred spending her free time somewhere else. At the moment it seemed like the place was packed and busy, probably because it was Saturday and the weather was crisp and clear; it was the perfect time to go out and drink something hot.
She wanted to get a table as far away from the other customers as possible, but there wasn't much to choose from. Eventually she settled for a little table that was partly hidden behind a plastic plant. The noisy family with three little children at the next table would probably make sure that nobody could hear what she and Yori said to each other.
She didn't have to wait for long before Yori arrived. The ninja stepped through the door only a few minutes later, nimbly dodging two young men who looked like they were currently too lost in their thoughts to notice what was happening around them.
Kim thought about waving at Yori, but the other woman noticed her right away despite the crowd.
"Hi. I hope this wasn't too much trouble," Kim said when Yori took a seat on the other side of the table.
"Why would it be trouble?" Yori asked.
Kim shrugged. "Well, your flight was cancelled. I hope you didn't stay here for another day just because of me," she said.
"Oh, that. Don't worry. I wasn't planning to leave yet," Yori replied.
Kim now wished that she had ordered something that would have given the excuse to look anywhere but her hands or Yori. She felt like she had nothing to do, and stirring a cup of coffee would have at least made her uneasiness look somewhat normal.
"So…" she started and stole a glance at Yori. The woman looked just like the previous day, which reminded her…
"Why did you try to run away yesterday?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Yori asked innocently.
Her memory couldn't be that bad. Kim frowned as she tried to read Yori's face to see if she really was that dim, but she was disappointed yet again. Yori wouldn't reveal her secrets that easily.
"I mean when I noticed you outside the café. You were trying to get away when I came to take a look," she said.
"Oh," Yori said, as if she had only now recalled the moment. She smiled a little. "I'm sorry. You simply startled me. I'm used to slipping away when someone suddenly comes at me. I can't let myself get caught in my line of work," she explained.
"Right, you're a ninja now. What exactly do you do?" Kim asked. She was glad that they were talking about something else than Ron and his death.
"I can't really talk about that," Yori said, shifting on her seat.
"No, I don't mean that you need to give me any details about your missions. I just want to know what a ninja generally does," Kim corrected. She wondered if she had accidentally offended Yori with her question. If keeping Yamanouchi secret had been so important that they had asked Ron to keep it from her, his best friend, maybe they couldn't talk about their work either.
"It's nothing special. If somebody needs something done and wants to do it in secret, they hire a ninja. That's all," Yori said. She picked up a menu card and started reading through the list of what sort of tea the café offered.
Kim lifted her brows in surprise. "That sounds a little fishy," she said.
"I'm not an assassin or a thief if that's what you mean," Yori said sharply, glancing at her with suddenly cold eyes over the menu.
"No! That's not what I meant. It's just that --"
"I can assure you, every mission I accept is an honourable one," Yori cut her off. "And besides, I believe it was you who bought Monkey Fist's lies and retrieved the statue that granted him his powers."
Kim winced. "Ouch. You got me," was all that she could say. Yori had a point; she had been very trusting in the past and assumed that everyone who asked for her help had their heart in the right place.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," she said, hoping that she hadn't ruined their good start.
"It's alright. We're allowed to make mistakes, and without that specific one Stoppable-san wouldn't have received Mystical Monkey Power, and I would have never met him," Yori said. "Unless you consider it to be a bad thing, of course."
Alright, Yori was certainly walking on thin ice now and trying to make Kim angry. The redhead wondered what the ninja's purpose was. Did she maybe want to lure her into losing her control because responding to that was the only honourable way Yori could blow up at her in return? Or maybe what she had revealed to her before bothered the ninja more than she let on.
"I think it was great that you and Ron got to know each other. I only had a problem with it when I was an immature teenager," she said, trying to keep her voice civil. She didn't want to fall into Yori's trap and have a rerun of what their conversation had been like last time.
Yori put down the menu and turned her eyes on Kim. For a while she only stared at her intently, but finally she let out a small sigh, like she was tired.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't let my mood make me behave like this," she said.
"Is there something wrong?" Kim asked, then felt like slapping herself. Yeah, what a great question. Of course there was something wrong. Yori had just learnt that she might have had a chance with Ron if only Kim had come out with the truth in time.
"I mean, other than what I said last time," she quickly added.
"No, I'm alright," Yori stated. "And that includes the events on Friday. As Sensei says, it is always better to let the truth out."
"I'm not so sure about that. Do you really mean that you don't hate me at all? Not even a little? I was lying to Ron all that time and keeping him from you," Kim said. She didn't want to make an enemy out of Yori, but somehow she felt it would have been better if the other woman had resented her and showed it to her. Yori was too perfect when she took everything in stride and claimed to understand everything. Kim didn't want to be the only one with weaknesses.
Yori was silent for a long time.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't angry, but my anger is not directed at you. I know Stoppable-san wouldn't have come to me had he known the truth. And even if he had, his feelings for me would have never been like those for you. It is my fate that I could never have him, and I have learnt to live with that," she said.
"But why can't you let me see those feelings? You shouldn't bottle up those emotions like that. If there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here," Kim said, realising the irony of her words. How many people had said that exact same thing to her and how many times had she refused? Now that she was faced with the fact that she wasn't the only one who truly mourned Ron like that, she could suddenly see how selfish and harmful her past behaviour had been. She felt like calling her mom right away.
"Thank you, but I have my own way to deal with sorrow," Yori said.
Kim didn't know what to say to that, so she followed Yori's earlier example and picked up the menu. She didn't feel like having coffee, but a piece of strawberry cake sounded very tempting. She suddenly felt herself smile when she kept reading the list of baked goods.
"What is so funny?" Yori asked.
Kim shook her head. "Nothing. It's just that they actually have cheese doughnuts here. Ron would have loved those," she said.
"Ah, I see. I remember Stoppable-san was devastated when he learnt that cheese is not part of the menu at Yamanouchi," Yori said, smiling a real happy smile for the first time during their conversation.
"Really? I bet he asked if he could order take-out from Bueno Nacho," Kim guessed.
"He did."
Soon they were talking about Ron and recalling the times when he had made them laugh or when he had stepped up and proven what a hero he was. Though Kim knew the basics of what had happened during Ron's first visit to Yamanouchi, she only knew about the adventure with the Lotus Blade. Ron's antics at the school, how he had dealt with the other students and Sensei was all new to her. She couldn't help but laugh when she imagined the scene in her head; it was all so Ron.
She had much more to tell Yori, and she didn't even know where to start. She told her of how Ron had always been by her side, even when she had pushed him aside for something seemingly better, but she didn't dwell on her own guilt. There were too many happy memories to share, and it felt amazing to talk about them instead of always thinking about her own failings.
"Then that one time he bought me the jacket that had caused the whole thing. And that was long before we started dating," she said.
Yori had her fingers wrapped around the mug of hot tea that she had ordered. A bitter aroma was rising from the drink.
"Stoppable-san was always such a good friend," she observed.
"Yeah. I don't think he ever really hated anybody. He would have given anyone a second chance," Kim said.
"I believe that as well. He was special in many ways," Yori agreed.
Kim dared to snort. "I guess it's no wonder we both fell for him."
Yori offered a smile as a response and was about to say something, but sudden noise caught their attention and made them forget about their conversation. They turned to look at the counter where one of the two young men Kim had noted earlier was now pointing a gun at the poor, trembling cashier. The other man was likewise holding a gun, but it was pointed at the customers at the closest tables.
"Okay, nobody move!" the man warned, but it was a needless command. Most of the people at the café were teenagers and families with children, and they were all too stunned to do anything but stare. Some of the children had no idea what was going on, but they could sense the sudden excitement in the air.
"Fill this with money," the other man said and threw a shoulder bag at the cashier.
The young woman took the bag and stared at it dumbly.
"Well?" the first man asked.
"But… but we don't have this much money. This is not a bank!" the woman dared to object.
"Hey, don't get lippy with me! Put the money in the bag or I'll kill you!" the man shrieked, emphasising his words by shoving his gun closer to the cashier's face. She let out a fearful yelp and clutched at the bag in her hands, shaking so much that Kim thought she might faint at any moment.
She made a few quick notes to herself as she observed the scene. The two men were obviously nervous; the hands holding the guns were shaking almost as much as their victims. Their ragged clothing and the fact that they had decided to rob a café of all places said they were amateurs. This was probably their first time. They had to be desperate, so Kim guessed they needed the money for drugs.
She took one glance at Yori and saw that the ninja had tensed and was staring at the scene just as intensely as she was. Kim couldn't help it; old battle routines and memories were flashing through her mind.
Yori turned to look at her, and the two women nodded simultaneously when their eyes met.
"I'll be the distraction," Yori said. Without another word, she left her seat and started approaching the man who was threatening the customers.
"Hey," she called out, keeping her voice smooth and low and stopping to stand a good distance away from the man, her hands visible before her.
"Get back to your seat!" the man snapped.
Instead of that, Yori sat down on the table next to her. The young couple who was sitting there stared at her in bewilderment, probably worried that this suicidal Japanese woman was going to get them killed as well.
"What are you, insane?" the guy asked her.
"I don't want to fight," Yori said to the man holding the gun. The other man was also staring at her now, having forgotten about the cashier and the money bag.
"Then get back to you seat!" he snapped.
"I only want to talk. You shouldn't be doing this."
While everyone's eyes were glued to this scene, Kim used the chance to make her way towards the counter. It crossed her mind that maybe Yori would have been better at sneaking behind chairs without making a sound, being a ninja and having more recent experience. Well, it was too late to think about that now.
She listened with only half an ear to what was going on at Yori's end. Kim was certain that the woman knew what she was doing, and they both had to concentrate on their parts. If either one of them made a mistake, people could get hurt.
Kim made it right next to the counter without any trouble or anybody noticing her. She was close enough to jump at the closest man and take him down, but she hesitated for a moment because of his gun. She and Ron had never faced nervous small-time crooks with real guns, and seeing such a basic but deadly weapon after numerous laser guns and doomsday devices was almost surreal.
Okay, Kim, you've got to do it, she told herself. Yori wouldn't make it alone, and the nervous twitching on the other man's face meant he could fire the gun any time now, even by accident.
The first man took this moment to remember the money and turned back to face the cashier who was still frozen on the same spot.
"The money, or I'll shoot! Now!"
Deciding that it was now or never, Kim leapt into action from behind a chair and aimed a swift kick at the hand that was holding the gun. She landed gracefully only a fraction of the second after the man had let out a pained and surprised yelp and dropped the gun. Kim wasted no time and kicked it away from everybody's reach.
"What are you doing?" the man she had attacked asked in bewilderment, but Kim had no time to stop and answer.
"Look out!" Yori shouted in warning and Kim jumped behind the counter, taking the stunned cashier with her as they crashed against the floor just as the other man fired his gun at her.
"Are you okay?" Kim asked the woman. When she nodded with wide eyes, Kim continued, "Okay, stay here and don't come out until it's safe." She didn't wait to get a response but rose up to her knees and took a careful peek over the counter, just in time to see Yori deliver a punch to the side of the man who had fired his gun. That was all Kim got to see because the gunshot had made everyone panic and the café was suddenly filled with people screaming and diving under their tables or rushing towards the nearest exit.
She decided to trust that Yori could handle the other man on her own, so she jumped over the counter and landed before the man whose gun she had kicked away. The man had already taken the first steps towards the door, but he froze on his tracks when he saw Kim.
"Going somewhere?" she asked with a smirk.
This paled in comparison to stopping another world domination plan by Drakken or Dementor, but Kim could still feel the familiar rush of adrenalin and excitement. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was suddenly aware of the warmth that had spread everywhere into her body, right up to her fingertips.
"Just who are you?" the man asked in a bewildered tone.
Saying that she was Kim Possible felt corny now that she was older, so Kim chose to reply by leaping into the air and aiming a sharp kick at her opponent's side. The man, much clumsier and probably under the influence of something, had no hopes of dodging her. He still tried to protect himself by pushing her aside, and he actually managed to make her lose her balance for a moment.
Kim grimaced as she landed and felt her ankle sprain a little on the slippery floor. She took the pain with gritted teeth and drew her fist back before her opponent had the chance to use her mistake to his advantage and finished the one-sided battle with a blow to the man's jaw. He fell back and crashed against a table, knocking it down and falling to the floor with it.
Kim whirled around to see Yori stab her fingers against her opponent's neck, making him collapse on the floor as a limp heap.
"What did you do to him?" Kim asked, eying the man in slight worry. Whatever the men had been up to, she didn't want to cause them permanent harm.
"He will be alright in a couple of minutes," Yori explained.
Kim turned to look at the café and the customers who had stopped their panicking and were now staring at the two of them.
"Was anyone hurt?" she called out. It crossed her mind that someone might have caught a bullet in the chaos that had followed her and Yori's attack. Had it really been worth the risk to stop the robbery?
She was about to call out again to make sure that everyone was fine, but that was when the front door was pushed open by three police officers. Apparently someone had had the sense to alert the authorities. Two of the officers went to take care of the fallen criminals while one of them approached Kim and Yori with a stern expression on his face. Kim was more used to seeing gratitude.
"Just who are you two and what did you think you were doing? You risked the lives of everyone in here!" the officer snapped.
"We had to act. These men would have killed someone if we hadn't," Yori pointed out.
"You don't know that. The fact is that civilians shouldn't --"
"Hey, that's Kim Possible!"
"Oh, yeah! I thought she looked familiar!"
Before anyone had time to say anything else, the customers had swarmed them and were shaking Kim's hand, thanking her for saving them and singing their praise for her. Some of them asked where she had been and why she had disappeared from the media while others were just grateful for that she had been there to defeat the robbers.
Even the police officer seemed more impressed now. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ms. Possible. I didn't recognise you," he said.
"It's no big," Kim said. "You were right. We should have waited for you to come and deal with the sitch."
"In normal circumstances I would have to take you in for at least filing a report, but I think we can let it go this time. Nobody was hurt," the officer said.
"Okay, sure," Kim said, feeling a little uncomfortable all of a sudden. It didn't feel right that she would get off the hook just because of her reputation. She turned to Yori to ask her what she wanted to do, but she noticed that the ninja had disappeared.
"Yori?" she called out, but she could hear no reply from under the voices of he crowd. She pushed her way past the people and stopped to take a look outside. At first she thought she had lost the other woman, but then she saw her standing next to a phone box. Somehow she managed to look like she was disappearing into the shadows even though it was the middle of the day.
Kim went back inside to get her coat and then hurried to Yori.
"What's up with skipping the scene like that?" she asked.
Yori actually looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, but you seemed to be handling the situation. It is better if my presence in this town is not widely known," she said.
Kim didn't need to hear anything more to understand. Her brows shot up on her forehead when she asked, "You're on a mission here? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Why should I have? My mission does not concern you," Yori replied.
"But --"
"It's better for both of us if you don't ask anything, Kim Possible."
Kim sighed. "Can't you at least just call me Kim?" she asked.
"Very well."
Kim decided to drop the subject about Yori's mission. She was curious, but she knew it was none of her business, especially since she had made the firm decision never to get involved with those matters again now that Ron wasn't there to be by her side.
"That was some badical fighting back there," she said.
"It was hardly a battle. Those men were not worthy opponents," Yori said.
"Yeah, but – ow!" Kim let out a surprised yelp when she twisted her ankle in a way that made a wave of sharp pain flash through her foot. She winced and lifted her foot from the ground in an attempt to make the hurt go away.
"Are you alright?" Yori asked.
"Yeah. I just twisted it a little when I slipped," Kim replied. She was about to step on her foot again to test it, but the strange frown on Yori's face made her stop.
"What?" she asked.
"The injury is irrelevant. What surprises me is that you gained it in the first place. Only an amateur would have slipped like that. I have grown to expect much better from you," Yori said.
"I haven't fought anyone since Ron's death. I don't do missions anymore, okay?" Kim asked in irritation. An amateur? She was Kim Possible! Even if she was no long active in the crime fighting business, she didn't deserve to be talked down like that!
"What about training?"
"Training? Why should I train anymore?"
Yori looked at her with a puzzled expression on her face. "But you're a warrior at heart. Are you telling me you've forgotten about that?" she questioned.
"I'm no longer interested. Ron's death was the end of the story," Kim insisted.
"Then why did you take on those men?" Yori asked.
Kim stopped to stare at the ninja with a bewildered look. "Because they might have hurt someone! I couldn't just sit back and watch!" she snapped.
"That's exactly why you should make sure your skills are as polished as possible. If the men had been a more serious threat, someone might have been hurt because you were rusty," Yori said.
Kim was about to throw back an angry retort, but she stopped herself just in time before she said something stupid. Yes, Yori had a point. She wasn't planning to get into any dangerous situations, but if they crept up on her like that, she would have to be prepared. If those two men had been even a little more professional, things might have ended very differently.
It was sometimes just so infuriating to admit that she could be wrong.
"Training would be more difficult now. I used to practice with Ron, and now I don't even have the cheer squad to keep me moving," she said.
"There are no martial arts clubs here?" Yori asked.
Kim shrugged. "I don't know. I never looked them up."
Yori bit her lip and looked like she was thinking about something really hard. Her dark eyes kept staring at Kim and gave her the feeling that Yori was evaluating something in her, which wasn't a very comfortable feeling.
"Then maybe we could train together," Yori finally suggested.
"Us?" Kim asked in surprise.
"I could use the opportunity as well. I have not fought a worthy opponent since I left Japan," Yori explained.
"But… I don't know," Kim said. She couldn't imagine picking up kung fu again just like that. It would be too much like training for missions, and she wasn't sure she wanted to think too much back to those times. Saving the world was something she and Ron had done together, and it felt wrong to even think about doing the same without him.
"I won't ask again if you feel you're not ready," Yori said.
"Not ready?" Kim asked. That implied that Yori expected her to get back at some point, even if she didn't do it now. "What do you mean?"
"I don't think helping others is something you can just forget. I only hope you're still prepared for that when the time comes," Yori said.
"You think I'm not ready now?" Kim asked.
"Judging by your mistake back there, I'd say you need a little practice."
Yori was smiling now, and Kim could recognise a challenge when she saw one. Just like countless times before, she couldn't resist the chance to prove that she could live up to everyone's expectations and more and be the best. She wouldn't have to make kung fu part of her life again, but at least she would have to show Yori that she hadn't forgotten her skills after Ron's death.
"Okay then. You name the time and place, Yori, because you're on."