Kim was concerned. Ron had been acting really strange. He hadn't let her take any risks, but he himself had offered to do anything, regardless of the consequences, to make her fall in love with him. She was kind of glad that he hadn't received the memory chip, yet the bond that the tweebs had told her of seemed to have appeared. Ron would not let her out of his sight unless he was absolutely certain of her safety, which rarely happened, or he needed to do something he deemed 'too dangerous' for her. She was about ready to pull her hair out. Little by little, the insane glow left his eyes, but his overprotective streak remained. Finally she snapped. "Dammit, Ron! I used to save the world! Why can't I take the garbage out?"

"There could have been a sniper on the roof of one of the houses near by." Ron was calm.

"Ron, you know I love you, but you can't do this! If I can't do anything, then I'll go crazy. If you can't deal with letting me do some things, I'll have to leave you."

"I knew that it would come to this eventually."

"What are you talking about? How could you know something that I only just confronted you about?"

"I knew that eventually you would become fed up with this life. It's just the way you are. You can't deal with monotony. You started cheerleading to curb the boredom, so you started helping people. When that got boring you moved on to super villains. When you finally became bored with that, dating. Now you're looking for something else. Well I'm sorry, Kim. I won't let you leave. I'd prefer you hated me to the possibility of losing you."

"What are you talking about, Ron? Ron?" Kim's query merely fell upon deaf ears as Ron turned and slowly walked away.

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Zorpox was sitting in the lab of his newest evil lair, his eyes and face moist. He was crying. It wasn't truly accurate to call him Zorpox anymore. He was now an entirely new creature. His hate was falling to low levels. His sanity was entirely intact. His dominant trait was Sadness and Fear. He also had a large portion of aggression, but that had no influence without a driving force, something his self hatred could no longer provide. He had nothing to do, no goals, no aspirations. He was slightly interested in making amends, but the sadness in him could not see the point. He was noticing a drop in the influence of both sadness and hate, and though he wished no ill will upon his opponent any more, he began to feel hope. Hope was an emotion that even the owner of despair could feel. It was powerful. He felt his strength returning. As he noticed his skin tone fade to that of his original, he realized that his self hatred no longer influenced him. He looked at the golden lines connecting him to Ron. Three of the bonds were broken, but the tie of love and hatred was still connected. This worried him as it meant that Ron was losing his hold on love. The new Ron without an anchor was nearly unthinkable. The Zorpox who was no longer actually Zorpox but had yet to reinvent his identity shuddered.

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Kim had tried every door and window in the house. None would open. Anything and everything even remotely dangerous had been removed. All of the electrical cords were impossible to get to. There was absolutely nothing that could even give her a paper cut in the entire house. She was trapped like a rat, yet she was self aware. She was bored. Kim had exhausted every source of entertainment in the house. She was reduced to waiting for Ron. All she could do was hope that he would arrive before madness set in. That way she could try to fight him. Maybe if she could best him in combat the house would let her go free. Maybe she'd need to best him in combat to get him to see that she could survive by herself. Maybe he'd gone insane and would need to be taken down. They didn't need another Monkey Fist, after all. Kim resumed the one past time she'd never stop, crying. She felt as if her eyes would never be dry.

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Ron felt a pang of sadness from Kim and flew to her side immediately. Insane or not, she always came first.

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Kim felt rather than heard Ron open the door. She jumped up and tried to knock him out of the way. Her fist connected with the side of his face, and she saw blood well up from a gash caused when his teeth cut into his cheek. He merely continued typing in the security arming code. After ripping out a tooth and throwing it into a small bin in her room where it was instantly incinerated, Ron turned all of his attentions to Kim. He noticed that she hadn't moved from the spot on the floor where she'd landed after hitting him. Her eyes were glued to the spot where a few specks of blood had fallen onto the floor. Sighing, he went to the kitchen, retrieved a rag, and knelt by the blood. Wiping vigorously, he finally managed to scour the floor to his satisfaction, at which point he took Kim by the hand and led her to her room. Sitting in the chair next to her bed, he couldn't help but notice that she stared at him in a mixture of fear, sorrow, and guilt. "It wasn't your fault Kim. I don't hold anything against you. Hell, at this point you would legally be allowed to kill me, if you were so inclined. I won't do anything to hurt you, so long as I can help it. I'll never hurt you again." Seeing that her wide eyed stare would not recede, he got up. He left.

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Kim stared at the pool of blood on the floor. What have I done?was the one thought that played on a loop through her mind. She couldn't help but picture what she'd been steeling herself to do to Ron if he wouldn't let her go. She barely noticed as he casually ripped out his own tooth because of the way she'd hit it. She didn't see as he cleaned the floor so it wouldn't stain. Her brain never processed that he'd led her to her room. All she saw was a young blond man lying in an ever expanding pool of blood, his hair and clothes soaked and stained in the thick liquid. She never really slipped into the dream world. She was already in a nightmare. A nightmare in which she had killed the man she loved; a nightmare that made her blood boil and her brain shut down; a nightmare she had made.

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Kim woke in the middle of the next afternoon. Her eyes once again told truth. Her brain didn't. When she remembered what she'd "done" the previous evening, though it was merely a figment of her mind, she decided that she would never again leave her room. She was so adamant in her proclamation, even though no sound came from her mouth, that when the fully automated house tried to force her to eat, she attempted to resist. She failed. Yet another way in which she'd failed Ron. His name hurt to think. She 'realized' that she had been responsible for his death directly. She knew she was a murderer. She was scum.

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Ron misjudged Kim. From her shock and reaction, he thought that she was merely surprised by his ability to shut out pain or instinct at will. Every motion required conscious thought from him now. No longer would his reflexes endanger Kim. He decided to leave Kim to the care of her house. Seeing him only upset her, and he cared merely for what would make her safe now. His own feelings, wants and needs were a non-factor in any and all considerations he made. He would stay away from her, if only because that would help her. He still cared for her feelings, albeit not nearly as much as he cared for her safety. He admitted that his reasons were selfish, if only to himself, but affection was the basis for his actions. He truly felt that he was doing the right thing.

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Kim had not moved from her bed since the morning when she had 'remembered' killing Ron. She was afraid that she might be able to see his corpse from her bed if the view was unobstructed by her door. She could not remember crying this much since the time a month ago when she'd thought she'd lost him forever after finding him. She was worse this time.

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Ron slipped into a deep depression three days after Kim hit him. As he did, he noticed that 'Zorpox' was watching the bonds between them. He growled gently to himself and tried to locate the man who'd caused Kim pain.

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Kim had long ago decided that if the world ever came to her again with another condition like the one that had made her distance herself from Ron, she would choose Ron over the world. In a way, that was what she was doing now. She was laying in bed, letting her muscles wither and die, because she thought that she had killed him. She would never again give herself that chance. Ron would be the first man she truly loved, the last man she truly loved, the only man she truly loved, and the only man whose life she would ever take. She would prove to him that he was wrong. He didn't need to keep her safe. If she thought it would have helped, he would have sought to rejoin him immediately. However, she believed that suicide would prevent her from attaining entrance to that most hallowed of halls where he had taken up residence. So she merely withered.

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Zorpox had finally found a new name for himself. He'd researched the world's super-villains, reading endless stories about every foe Team Possible had ever encountered. At first it was hard to separate the stories made by fans from the factual articles, but he eventually realized that it didn't matter. His first name had come from a comic book, why should his next be any different? This logic wormed its way into his mind, taking up a residence in the small part of his brain that he'd managed to summon to the brighter regions of his conscious mind, his sanity. Soon he began to think about the puns the names of these men seemed to create. Absolutely refusing to use a pun, he simply renamed himself Drew. He didn't assume a last name, though he placed the one his original used upon all the documentation that required it. He even surgically remade his fingerprints, placing this new identifying feature in his file. He hacked into the government's database and soon Drew Stoppable was a Russian-American who had been wrongfully arrested once, had three advanced degrees (chemistry, physics, and philosophy), and had an extremely high security clearance for an average man. He fabricated a past in Lowerton, a mostly deceased family that was very distantly related to Ron's, a full list of charitable deeds, several writing competitions he'd won, and, most impressively to himself, managed to find all of Wade's monitors in the system, easily and elegantly confusing each one. He started to hack into the files of his secure and paranoid double.

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Ron Stoppable was completely and utterly baffled. For the first time since he'd defeated the Lorwardians, he was unable to summon the lotus blade. He knew the legend and the lore. He knew the only explanation was that he was no longer pure of heart. If he was perfectly honest with himself, he could not remember the last time he'd thought of himself as such. He merely knew that it had not happened since he'd murdered an entire compound of comparatively helpless enemies and lost Kim's love. "No," he corrected out loud. "I never lost her heart. She's always loved me. She was the only one. Whenever someone else would try to hurt me, Kim would help me through it." Without truly realizing what he was doing, he flew to the place where he'd met Kim; he flew to Hana.

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Hana Stoppable knew that she was not like the other kids in her class. She could run faster and farther than any of them. She could jump higher. She had better eyesight and hearing. She could play any game better, longer, harder than anyone else she knew. She knew that she could catch any throw that came even remotely near her. She was popular. She felt like an outsider. She wondered if anyone knew how she felt. Kim told me stories about the boy she loved and how he was taunted and teased by everyone. She told me how he had stood up for her no matter what. She told me that he would have done anything for her and that he saved her life on many occasions, but everyone in his class was still mean to him. She told me that she hurt him really bad, and she told me that he'd never deserved any of the bad things that had happened to him. She said that because of her he threw his life away and ran to Japan. I wonder if I can ever meet him. I hope I do. If I ever meet him I'm going to tell him to go back to Auntie Kim, 'cause she seemed so sad whenever she talked 'bout him. Lost as she was within her musings, she hardly noticed as the football sailed through the air towards her. At the last moment, she caught the ball and threw it to another team member. She noticed a man, standing by the fence, watching the game. The man was very familiar, and as she recognized him from the hospital room that her mom and dad had taken her to, her eyes widened. She didn't notice the football that hit her in the back of the head until it had done so, and even after it had, she paid it no mind. She continued to stare at the man who seemed so familiar and yet so strange. His blond hair hung loosely over his head, tossed into every direction. She noticed that his eyes appeared to be the most piercing blue in the world, chilling her bones and energizing her spirit at the same time. It must have been a trick of the light, though, as at the next moment they were the world's most caring and comforting eyes, eyes the color of melted chocolate swirling in a bowl, filling your heart with warmth and comfort, destroying any and all thoughts that caused you pain. Her eyes wandered from the mildly tanned and lightly scarred flesh of his face to the pale and much more severely scarred flesh exposed on his arms and at the collar of his short sleeved shirt. She flinched a little as she noticed that his left hand had been cut from the wrist to the base of each finger, leaving four ugly and twisted scars. His slightly baggy clothing made it difficult, but she made out the muscle that he hid, bulging at certain points of his anatomy, such as his biceps. She decided that this man was more than the hero Kim had described in her stories. This man was a true warrior. He could walk along a battlefield among thousands of other soldiers and strike fear into the heart of every single one, but he could also sit with someone he loved and play a simple board game. She knew that as long as this man was alive she would never need to worry about herself. She understood that this man, who Kim and her parents had told her was her brother, was the man who Kim had always relied on, loved, and, eventually, hurt. She ignored the questions and glares her classmates sent her way. She took a step towards this man, this stranger. Every sound on the playground was silenced in a mere instant. Every child noticed the man standing at the edge of the play area at the same time, except for one who had been devoting all of her attention to him. Some were afraid of this scarred behemoth, some were curious at this unexpected intruder, some were angry that this man had dared interrupt their game, and a small group knew that something truly profound and momentous was happening. A voice from the sea of small children called out, "Hana! We're not supposed to talk to strangers!" The statement was so ridiculous to her that she could not withhold the laughter. "He's no stranger," she finally managed to reply. She took another step towards this man who seemed to be, to her, the world's least graceful angel. "Who is he?" another curious voice piped up. "He's a warrior." Another step towards the man who had once been Kim's boyfriend. "He's a hero." Another step to the world's only living Monkey Master. "He's my brother!" With this last string of three words, a small dam holding back a wellspring of tears broke and a crying Hana Stoppable ran towards the brother she'd never known she'd had. Without quite knowing how, Hana found herself wrapped up in large and unimaginably strong arms. She suddenly felt as if life would never be bad again. Ron failed to notice as two more of the 14 connections between him and the man once known as Zorpox snapped.

Hana Stoppable was extremely happy. She knew that this man truly was her brother, and because of a conversation he'd had with the teacher, he was being allowed to sit in on class. Hana was extremely impressed at how proud he seemed of her, regardless of the activity the class was engaged in. She found herself smiling and laughing more and more frequently as the day progressed. When they went outside for second recess, all of the other kids came over to them and asked them both questions. She noticed that one girl was hanging back, looking thoughtfully at Ron. Hana smiled to herself and then whispered in Ron's ear conspiratorially. Ron briefly gave his sister the largest smile he could manage. "Is there a Susie King* in the crowd here?" He saw a small timid hand slowly rise at the back of the small crowd around him. Ron laughed at her timidness. "You're a lot like Tara, but you've probably heard that before, right?" Susie's eyes shot open. "Well, come on up here." The happiness seeping from every crack and crevice in his body drew the young and timid girl in. As she got close to him in the churning sea of young faces, she smiled and said in a small and barely audible voice, "My sister told me a bunch of stories about you." Ron raised one eyebrow questioningly, and then lifted the small child up onto one of his shoulders, opposite the one Hana sat on. Susie giggled as he ran and jumped, gripping his shoulder tightly. She and Hana, not to mention the rest of the children, were both surprised and delighted when his antics managed to dislodge neither of his passengers. All of them laughed and giggled, running to catch up to the man who was transporting two of their classmates. Soon they were all gathered at a small wooden platform. Ron stopped, tapping his lower lip thoughtfully. He set his passengers down on the wooden platform, and they were quickly joined by the rest of their class. They lost sight of Ron, and every single one of them was surprised when the wooden pallet lifted up into the air, carrying the entire class off of the ground. They all shrieked in pure enjoyment as the wooden platform under them started shooting off towards the classroom. Soon they found that Ron was going to turn this wooden platform into a new toy for them. They acted as if it were Christmas. They all quieted instantly as Ron shone with an electric blue glow. His hair stood upright. He opened his eyes, and they were an ice-cold blue. A small blue fire appeared at his hand. The children watched, transfixed, as he carved the pallet into an amazing series of tunnels and openings formed into an intricate pattern. They saw a small girl defending a small boy appear at the top. One small girl recognized the two people in the statue, Auntie Kim and her brother, as little children. She knew that this scene was the day they had met. This day was the best day her brother could remember. She felt a tear touch the corner of her eye.

After recess, the teacher told Ron that she thought that he and his sister should spend the rest of the day together, and that his parents had agreed. When he asked Hana, she literally started to vibrate with excitement. Ron loved to see his sister like that. He felt as though the world was full of good and that nothing could ever go wrong again. Ron took his young sister to the town proper to get to know her better. He bought ice cream and candy. He took her to see anything a preschooler would want to see. He was impressed by how much his little 'Han' had grown. After telling her about himself and his life, as well as about her earlier years, he encouraged Hana to tell him about herself. By the time she had finished her third story of how brave Kim was, he could not justify keeping her inside anymore. At the end of the next story, he could no longer remember his reasoning. When Hana asked where Kim was, he offered to take her to see Kim.

Ron told Hana to go in and see Kim that he had something to do. Hana happily complied. She really wanted to see Kim. She needed to know how Ron's eyes lit up when he heard her name. She needed to know that he was still the same man.

Drew Stoppable was mildly surprised, in a good way, to find that although Ron was regaining his sanity, his own seemed to still be intact. He felt that due to the lack of behavioral change, this time he might be able to stay sane.

A/N: Thank you all for your continued support. When I checked my email a day after my last posting, I found a number of people who had put my story in their favorites and/or under alerts. I am always loyal to those who began with a story, but I love to see new faces. In particular, Zaratan. The fact that someone who is so accomplished as a member of this site makes me post this. In fact, I meant to wait until the next chap is entirely done, and to post them together, but hey. If I get that much attention, I have to do something to help people review.

Thank you to Robzone, whose suggestion that Hana be angry at Kim stuck in my head. It grew and grew, but because of all the damage to Kim's psyche I don't think she can stand much more from her freinds. ; ) I have no clue at this point if many more of the characters will appear, excepting, of course, Tara and Monique. The next chapter may be a while in coming because I have managed to devote myself to some of my old pastimes. I've recently spent my time working for charities, translating random phrases into either binary or dead languages, reading old fanfics, playing World of Warcraft, and just being all around boring. If any of you want to convince me to stop slacking off and get to work, I started a new toon on Turalyon, a Blood Elf Hunter named Scallar.

Thanks to CajunBear, as always, for your overwhelming faithfulness as a reviewer. Anyone else who would like to bribe me to place their name in every one of my notes, please just leave the money on my doorstep. I'll decide if you're worth it later.

As always,

That creepy guy in the corner,

Sircot