Sitch of a Wish
Chapter 2 - Black and Green and Greens
Shego lay down on the blanket, enjoying the feel of sun on her skin and the smell of the ocean. Vacations were always a good thing, in her book. She got one every decade or so, and the beach was the first place she went. Yeah, it was more sand, but it was a beach, so that made it good sand.
She grinned. Life was pretty sweet. Here she was, only 500, and already a full genie of the lamp. Even better, her lamp was buried in a cave, so she didn't have to do anything at all. Hang out in the lamp, read, do her nails, work out, train, whatever. No pesky wish granting, no flashy appearances, just lots and lots of nothing.
Shego streched out, shifting to get comfy on the blanket. The rest of the day was going to be great. She had nothing planned except lounging here. She briefly considered conjuring herself a massage, but that seemed like too much effort. After all, she was on vacation from work. The whole point was to take a break from doing nothing in the cave by doing nothing here. She pulled out a scroll to read while she tanned. Maybe tomorrow for the massage, assuming she felt up to it...
Then it happened.
Shego had never experienced it herself, having taken over for the previous genie after lamp had already been hidden away in the cave, but she knew what it was. No genie could mistake that sensation.
Someone was rubbing her lamp.
"No! Not now!" Shego hugged herself, trying desperately to stay here, to deny what was happening. But it was no use. She could no more resist the summons than she could pretend she didn't know what it was.
Her smoke swirled around her body, tugging her back towards the cave and her lamp. "Nonononono..."
She reformed, calling forth her fire, determined to make whoever had ruined her vacation pay for it.
"Awright, whoever interrupted the first vacation I was having in a hundred years is gonna fry!"
Shego glared at the redhead in front of her. Okay, so maybe she had exaggerated how long it had been between vacations, but it was supposed to be a dramatic entrance and 'century' sounded better than 'decade'. She was a genie after all, and she had a reputation to protect. Besides, from the way the girl dropped into a fighting stance, she was looking for trouble, and genies were supposed to give people what they wanted...
"KP, what's going on?" A young man peered out from behind a coin stack and gasped when he spotted her. "Who's that? How'd she get in here?"
"I dunno, Ron." The redhead kept her eyes on Shego. The genie was slightly impressed that the girl wasn't letting herself get distracted.
Growling, she launched herself at the girl, her blazing fist flashing towards her opponent's head. But the redhead ducked the punch and leaped over her followup kick, nimbly dodging just out of reach. Shego had to jump back herself, as the sandy haired boy had moved up to help his parter and tried to knock her away. "Hey lady, what's your problem? You're trapped here with us too. You should be trying to help us."
Shego laughed, flaring the plasma around her fists before sending a blast towards the young man. "Trapped? I'm a genie, you buffoon. You mortals might be trapped, but I have an appointment on a beach waiting for me."
"Uh, genies aren't real." He argued. She raised an eyebrow, surging her plasma again for him and illuminating the green of her skin. He gulped. "Ohkay... maybe they are..."
"Hold it... you were in the lamp?" The redhead frowned and held out her lamp. Her lamp! Shego refused to let the shiver she felt show. She had to play this right. She had to hope... "So if you're the genie of the lamp, does that mean...?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm the genie, I serve the master of the lamp, you make wishes and I grant 'em. Agreed?" Shego scowled at the girl, who just nodded her acceptance. "Good, now if all the talking is done..." She snapped a kick towards the redhead, almost clipping the girl in the side. She needed to keep her off balance, make sure the girl didn't realize how much power she really had here.
A followup attack sent the redhead bumping against the wall, and the girl barely ducked a plasma swipe that left glowing gouges in the rock wall. The girl kicked out, knocking her away and buying herself some space. Shego laughed, this time from sheer excitement. As much as she liked not having to do anything, fighting like this was pretty fun too. Even her brothers couldn't really match her skills, so to find a mortal who could keep up with her was surprising to say the least.
"Wait!" The redhead called out, and Shego had to fight an involuntary desire to stop right where she was. It wasn't a wish, so she wasn't forced to obey it, but it was still the desire of the master of her lamp. Damn it! This is so not why I took this gig! She tried to cover her hesitation with a flurry of blows, but the look in the redhead's eyes said that she'd been busted. "If you're really a genie, I wish you'd stop trying to fight me so we can talk this all out."
"Doy!" Shego groaned and backed off, letting her plasma fade away. She tried not to grind her teeth. "Your wish is my command."
The two mortals kept their distance, but the glances that flashed between them spoke volumes. Busted big time. She stood back, bound by the girl's wish. She could feel her own power holding her back, and knew that there was nothing she could do until the girl released her or the wish was fulfilled. Still, a small part of her gloated victoriously. The girl had wasted a wish on something so simple, so easy... at this rate, she'd be free to return to her vacation in no time.
"So... let me get this straight. You're the genie of this lamp," The redhead brandished it towards her, "and that means you have to grant me wishes?"
"Yup, and you already wasted one, cupcake." Shego replied sarcastically. "You heard the deal, three wishes, and now you're down to two."
"Three wishes?" The girl smiled slyly. "That's not what we agreed to."
"It's standard genie rules. You accepted the deal, so too bad for you, but you're gonna have to be stuck with it. It's magic that makes the rules, not me." She smirked, but for some reason, the grin still hadn't left the other girl's face. She shared a look with her friend that worried the genie.
"Well, let's test that. I wish you could hear what you said to me when you told me the terms." The redhead's voice sent another round of shivers racing through her as her magic once again activated.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm the genie, I serve the master of the lamp, you make wishes and I grant 'em. Agreed?" Shego heard her own voice, loud and clear. Her heart sank as the girl spoke up again. "See? Nothing about only three wishes."
"But- you- Genies are supposed to only grant three wishes! It's tradition!" She sputtered.
"Sorry, you made the deal, so too bad for you, but you're gonna have to be stuck with it." The sandy haired boy gloated from next to his friend. "Magic might make the rules, but you're the one who messed up. Not Kim's fault that you didn't say only three."
Shego glared at him. "Look, I may not be able to hurt her, but there's nothing protecting you, buffoon."
He gulped, but the redhead - Kim - stepped in between them. "Okay, genie-"
"Shego." She growled. She might be stuck with this, but there was no way she was gonna go through it as 'genie' this and 'genie' that.
"Shego." Kim corrected. "I wish you wouldn't hurt Ron, either."
"Granted." Shego ground out.
"So what now?" Ron asked her. He glared over her shoulder at the green woman. "Hey, mind giving us some room to talk?"
"Privacy!" Rufus added his own scowl.
"You're not the master of the lamp, so I'm not taking orders from vermin." Kim wasn't facing her at the moment, but she could practically hear the scowl that had to be gracing the genie's face.
"Hey, Rufus isn't vermin, he's a naked mole rat." Ron protested.
"I wasn't talking about him." Shego retorted.
Kim sighed. "Shego, please?"
"Whatever, Princess." The genie stepped back a whole pace. "There, space. Happy now?"
"Thrilled." Kim replied dryly. She pulled Ron to the side and they backed away from the green woman. "What's up, Ron?"
"Look, if she really has to grant your wishes, why don't you make her get us out of here?" He asked.
"Kinna the plan..." Kim looked around. "I guess I'm just a bit worried. You know she's gonna try to mess with my wishes, so we gotta be careful, y'know?"
"So you're gonna take the lamp with you?" Ron nodded to it.
"Yeah, can't just leave it here, not when we know what it does." Kim tucked it back inside her pack.
"Booyah! Team Possible's got their own genie." He grinned.
"We need to keep this quiet, Ron." She reminded him.
"Yeah, but wishes!" His gaze drifted.
"Yo, you two lovebirds need more privacy or are you gonna make with the wishing?" Shego complained from where she waited.
"Cranky, isn't she?" Ron muttered.
Kim ignored his comment and focused on the genie. "Shego, I wish you would get us out of this cave safely." She stressed the last word.
"Granted." A green glow surrounded them, blinding them momentarily. When she could see again, Kim found that they were on the dunes above where the cave had risen from the sands. Ron stumbled against her, blinking as he tried to clear his vision.
"Dude, I'm gonna... gonna..." He stumbled away from her just in time to throw up. "Ugh... No more wish-travel-magic..."
"Charming." Shego smirked.
"Shego, play nice..." Kim warned the genie.
"Yes, boss." The green girl replied insincerely.
"Can you get us back to the palace?" Kim asked her, ignoring Ron's violent headshake. They needed to get back and show Sultan Betty the lamp and tell her about Vizier Lipski's actions.
"Sure can." The genie stood there, not moving.
Kim waited. And waited. But nothing happened. "Well?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't hear an 'I wish' in your little question there." The green woman grinned. "Since you're all about following the rules and all that."
"Fine... I wish you would get us back to the palace." Kim ordered.
"Granted." Once again nothing happened.
"Uh, shouldn't we be there?" Ron looked around, confused. "Not that I mind not throwing up, but I'd rather get it over with if we hafta..."
"Don't worry, your ride's on the way." Shego pointed to a dune, and some camels wandered over the top.
"I sorta meant for you to get us there a little faster." Kim glanced at the camels skeptically.
"You didn't mention that in your wish." The green woman gloated. "Guess you gotta be a bit more careful with your wishes, Pumpkin."
"Then I wish you would take us there immediately." Kim tried again.
"Sorry, can't do it." Shego's smile grew wider. "We're still dealing with the first version of your wish. Can't interrupt it until we're done."
"Snap." Kim muttered. "Guess it's camels for us then."
"I am never riding a camel again after this." Ron declared as he stretched, rubbing the soreness out of his legs. He nodded at Shego. "They smell worse than glowy-hands there."
"Buffoon, I might not be able to hurt you physically, but think long and hard about all the little ways your life can go wrong." The genie threatened. "How many accidents that are just waiting to happen in your day to day routine."
"Enough." Kim replied absently. Over the past week, Ron and Shego had agrued practically nonstop. Early on, she tried to stop them, but short of using a wish, she didn't see how, and she really didn't feel right using a wish on something like that.
"Why do you put up with him? The mole rat would do a better job, and drop his pants less." Shego growled to her.
"Rufus doesn't wear pants." Ron argued.
"Exactly." Shego agreed.
"KP, why can't she just wait in the lamp until we need her?" Ron asked.
"Doesn't work that way." Shego interrupted. "I can't go back till she's done with her wishes. Genie rules."
"You're just making that up to mess with me more." Ron shot back.
"Yeah, because I just love spending time with flea-ridden, ill-tempered beasts." She paused. "Not to mention, I'm not fond of camels, either."
"Hey!"
Maybe a wish wouldn't be so bad. Kim mused. It would only be to help them, after all. Just a little wish to get me some peace and quiet. No, bad thoughts, bad thoughts. No wishing to change people. No matter how tempting certain green girls make it.
"Please guys, now that we're almost there, can you at least pretend to get along? Two more days, okay?" Kim tried to rid herself of her own stiffness. She looked out to the horizon, where the lights of the nearby town gleamed. They could use a night at an inn. Real beds. Hot, cooked food.
Lipski stumbled up the stairs, clutching the ruby to his chest. Rubble rained down around him, but he kept running. He had to get out of here, before the cave collapsed and sealed him in or worse. Not to mention, he needed to make sure the Sultan heard the right version of events. It wasn't his fault, after all. He was just checking the treasure vault, making sure that no dangerous relics were loose. He couldn't risk having Possible or Stoppable trying to pin this one on him.
One last surge of adrenaline carried him out of the mouth of the cave and he collapsed, panting on the sand. He'd made it! For once, Lipski was the winner. He'd made it to safety while Possible and Stoppable failed. And... He admired the ruby. Even in the fading light, the red sparkle was breathtaking. This would change everything, and it wasn't like the sultan needed to hear about it, after all...
He was so wrapped up in the sheer joy of living that he failed to notice the approaching riders. When he looked up, Lipski felt the blood drain from his face. Lord Gemini, his golden gauntlet unmistakable, smiled at him. "Well, well... what have we here? My dear sister's lapdog. And look, he's brought me a present."
The soldiers accompanying him nocked their arrows while Gemini advanced to where Lipski waited. His golden glove snatched the ruby from the vizier's grip, and he held it up for inspection. "Very nice. I always wondered what that map was hiding, and I must say, this certainly doesn't disappoint."
He shrugged. "Unfortunate that such a marvel is needed for other purposes, but gifts such as this should not be squandered. If my plans are to advance, I must not waste this opportunity."
He placed the gem in a large sack that he tied to his saddle. "And speaking of wasting opportunities..."
Before Lipski could respond, a similar sack was thrust over his head...
"Kim, something's not right..." Ron muttered as they rode closer to the town. He kept glancing side to side, trying to make out anything in the fading light.
"Scared of the dark, sidekick-boy?" Shego teased. "The only thing that's not right with this place is the unfortunate pebble stuck with pretending to be your brain."
"Pebble?" He glared.
"Oh, I'm sorry, am I being insulting to rocks then?"
"He's right, Shego. Something's wrong with this town. Namely," She pointed at the lit up manor in the distance, "where are all the buildings that should be nearby? And why is there so much grass?"
"Hey, don't look at me, you mortals do plenty of weird stuff, how should I know?" The genie shrugged.
"People who live in lamps and glow green have no business talking about weird." Ron retorted.
"Yes, because talking to rodents is normal."
"Shego-"
"FORE!" A loud voice called out before a small sphere sailed through the air between them, striking the ground and exploding.
"What was that?" Ron took up a defensive stance next to Kim, sparing a moment to glare Shego's way. The genie held up her hands.
"Hey, wasn't me. She wished, remember?"
"Well then-"
"Ach, who is ruining me night game?" A large man wearing a very odd skirt of some kind and carrying a slender... club, Kim guessed, stood up from the walls of the manor. "I'll thank ye kindly get yer rears off me golf course, an I mean NOW!"
"What's a golf course?" Ron asked, confused.
"What's a golf course?!" The man roared. "WHAT'S A GOLF COURSE?! Laddie, you just earned yerself a trip back to that sand trap!"
A second small, white orb whizzed past Ron's head before blowing up. Another followed it, and another. Kim pointed to some nearby trees, and the three of them ran for the cover.
"Ye think the rough can save you from the wrath of Duff Killigan? I will take ye out and still be under par!"
"This guy is nuts." Shego muttered.
"Gee, ya think?" Ron spared her a glance. "Can't you like genie-magic us out of here?"
"With the right wish, yes." The genie pointed to Kim. "But that's up to her. She'd have to be sure to word it right, even with all the stress of the situation..." The green woman grinned.
"We're gonna get blown up and you think this is funny?" Kim asked.
"You two might get blown up, but I'll be fine. Immortal genie, remember? We don't do the dying thing. Worst that happens, I get tossed back into the lamp. Plus, fire's my specialty, so pathetic little explosions like this aren't gonna bother me." She faced Kim. "So, Princess, wanna make a wish, or are we just gonna stand here?"
"Come out and tee up against me, or ye'll be sorry." Killigan shouted. Another orb landed in the trees, the bomb knocking down several of them. "That's it, laddie. I warned ye."
They heard a loud thud from the direction of the manor, and the three of them peered out to see what was happening. Killigan had placed a bucket filled with more of those explosive spheres next to himself, many more. He turned away from where the three friends were hiding, and, reaching down into the bucket, bent over, the kilt riding up...
"Dude, I so did not need to see that." Ron averted his eyes.
"I'm gonna be sick." Shego agreed, looking greener than usual.
"KP, make a wish already." Ron waved. "Otherwise he'll blow us up, or worse, run out of bombs and have to get more from the bucket."
"Okay, I wish we had a way to get out of here without dying." Kim yelped as she dodged a fresh round of golf ball bombs.
"Granted!"
"Ach! How did a water hazard get in the middle of me green?" Killigan yelled. "Yer gonna pay for ruining me course!"
"I asked for a way out, not a lake, Shego." Kim complained as she stared at the large lake that was now between them and the edge of town.
"Hey, I did the magic, and it gave you a lake. Not my fault you weren't more specific." She shrugged.
Kim's eyes widened when one of the golf balls landed in the lake... and didn't explode. "Ron! We're gonna swim for it. His bombs don't work underwater!"
They threw themselves into the water and took deep breaths before diving beneath the surface. Kim led the way, trusting Ron to follow behind her. She came up for air, taking her bearings quickly before going back under. Several golf balls splashed into the water around where head had been, but didn't blow up. When they finally reached the other side, they dragged themselves out of the lake, doing their best to shake off the excess water.
"Nice wish, KP, we're far enough away from him now." Ron grinned at her.
"Don't think ye'll be getting away from me that easily!" A now-familiar voice roared. With a groan, Kim turned to see Killigan rapidly advancing towards them, riding a miniature cart pulled by a pony.
"Does this guy ever give up?" Ron sighed.
"Guess we're doing this the hard way." Kim glanced over at the genie. "You wanna help or you just gonna watch?"
"You can lead this dance, cupcake. If I can't fight you, I can at least fight next to you." The green girl copied her stance, and the two of them leapt into battle.
Shego jumped, letting Kim boost her up and over a wild swing from Killigan's club. The redhead ducked under, kicking up as she did so. Shego used her plasma to slice through the metallic shaft of the club as she sailed through the air, sending the head of it spinning off into the darkness. She landed lightly on her feet, reaching down to pull the redhead up. The younger girl grinned at her as they watched Killigan turn his tiny cart around to face them once more.
"Ye asked for it! Ye ruined me irons, time for the woods." The kilted man pulled up an even larger club from the bag next to him in the cart as he glared at the girls.
This time, when Killigan charged, Kim and Shego waited until the last moment to split up. Shego dodged to one side, Kim the other. The crazy golfer focused on Shego, her glowing hands easy to spot in the darkness. The other girl took advantage of his distraction, snapping a kick at the man and knocking him out of the cart.
"Oof..." He landed with a thud on the grass. When he tried to get up, a punch from Shego sent him sprawling onto his back. Dazed eyes stared up at them. "Ye're gonna... pay for ruining me... handicap..."
Once they were sure the crazy golfer was truly unconscious, Kim tied him up and dragged him back to the cart. Shego quirked an eyebrow at the scene. "Never figured you for the souvenir type, princess."
"I'll let Sultan Betty decide what to do with him when we get back to the palace." The redhead shrugged. "We can't very well leave him here to cause more trouble."
Ron volunteered to drive the cart the next day, and Shego was more than happy to be able to put some more distance between herself and the buffoon. She'd rather spend time with Kim anyway.
"Hey Pumpkin?" She asked the shorter girl.
"Yeah, Shego?"
"When we camp tonight, you wanna spar some? You've got some nice moves, for a mortal."
"So, you can fight me now?" Kim asked her. "What about my wish?"
"I didn't say fight, I said spar. S-P-A-R. You know, practice?" Shego snickered. "We did good work there with golf boy. I wanna see just how good you are."
"Okay, you're on." Kim grinned back at her. "Tonight when we camp."
That evening, once they'd finished dinner, Kim and Shego walked a bit away from the camp and faced off against each other. Ron and Rufus stood to one side, the sandy blond frowning. "I don't think this is a good idea, KP."
"It's just practice, Ron." Kim reassured her friends.
"Yeah, relax, I won't bruise Cupcake too badly." She stretched, raising an eyebrow at the redhead. "Ready to lose, Princess?"
"Talk, talk, talk... you gonna do anything?" Kim took up her stance, inviting Shego to attack first.
The genie smiled ferally and sprung forward, knifing a hand at the redhead's side. Kim easily dodged the blow, sending a low kick towards Shego's ankles. She leaped over it, using the jump to launch her own kick aimed at Kim's head. The girl blocked it, twisting the blow to send the genie flying. She managed to right herself and land steadily on the sand, but Kim wasn't giving her the chance to fully recover.
The girl shot foward, knocking Shego onto the sand. She grabbed Kim's arm, dragging the redhead down with her as they tumbled to the sand. They were both breathing hard. For the first time she could remember, someone had gotten the better of her. Frustrated, she pushed Kim off her and glared at the girl. "Lucky move, Pumpkin. Let's see if you can do it again..."
Kim panted, wiping sweat from her brow. Night had long ago fallen, but Shego hadn't been satisfied with her first rematch, or even her fifth. Neither of them managed to pull off a clean win, and neither of them was willing to accept that. However, she needed some sleep, so this would be their last match for the night.
"You're not winning this, princess." The genie growled.
"Still standing, Shego." Kim smiled. "And by my count, I'm still ahead by one."
"The little stuff doesn't matter, only the last win counts." Shego punched towards her, and she tried to dodge. Unfortunately, their previous matches had taken their toll, and she wasn't quite fast enough. The blow clipped her shoulder, sending her spinning down to the sand. Before she could get back on her feet, Shego was leaping at her. She aimed a kick at the other girl, but the genie had the advantage and batted Kim's leg out of the way.
The green girl pinned her to the sand, a triumphant grin on her face. "Down and out, cupcake."
"That only means we're tied now." Kim stared up into Shego's emerald eyes. The genie was also short on breath, relaxing her grip on Kim's shoulders, but not getting up. Those green eyes were fixed on her. "Shego, wanna let me up now?" She tried to push the genie off her. "Shego?"
"Yeah, red?"
"Mind getting off me, please and thank you?" She shifted again.
"Ah... right, sorry." The green girl stood up, helping Kim to her feet. She dusted herself off, keeping an eye on the genie to make sure that she didn't try anything. "Where'dya learn to fight like that?"
"I picked up stuff here and there." Kim shrugged. "Put it all together into something that works for me."
"Well, you're pretty good, ya know? Not as good as me, of course, but still good." Shego smirked. "So, you up for losing to me again tomorrow night?"
"I didn't lose!" Kim complained. "We tied. Five and five."
"Maybe." The genie gloated. "But if this had been real, the only one that matters is the last one. And I won that."
She glared at the green skinned girl, but felt her frown slip into a smile. Win, lose or tie, sparring with Shego was fun. The genie was almost as good as she was, and she'd already learned a lot from tonight alone. If they could keep practicing together, she knew she'd get better and better.
Shego circled her arms, the green glow of her magic leaping up before fading and revealing two green and black towels. She tossed one to Kim before wiping the sweat off her forehead. The redhead froze for a second, then nodded her thanks to the genie. The green girl hadn't even made her use a wish or ask for it.
"Can I ask you something, Princess?"
"Yeah?" Kim looked over to the raven-haired girl.
"What are you gonna do with my lamp when you get back to the palace?" The genie looked unconcerned, like she didn't care, but Kim could hear the underlying tension in her voice.
"I should turn it over to the Sultan." Kim frowned. "But... I don't know. What do you want me to do with it, Shego?"
"You're asking me?" Shego's eyes widened in surprise.
"Well, yes. It's your lamp, you should have a say in this."
"Doy!" The green girl laughed. "You really don't get the whole 'genie' thing, do ya? The master of the lamp is in charge, I just work here."
"That's not fair." Kim argued.
"Life's not fair." Shego shrugged. "I was just curious, y'know?"
Lipski tried not to flinch as the bag was ripped off his head. Light stabbed at his eyes, and he blinked them clear. He was outside of a large manor, one he recognized. Hope and fear warred inside him as he recognized the lord standing next to Gemini.
Jack Hench walked over, looking him up and down. "What's this, Gemini? A bonus, a hostage, what?"
"Oh, I have a plan for dear Vizier Lipski." Gemini patted his shoulder with his gauntlet. "If he cooperates, he might even live through it..."
Next Chapter: Yori enters the story.
A/N: There will be more backstory with Drakken, filling in the rest of his misadventures. Plus, more of the Kim Possible crew will be joining too!