"Ron!" Kim shouted, running up to, and fiercely hugging her longtime friend, just outside the city's resident faux Mexican resteraunt.
"Err..." He scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Do I know you?"
Kim stared up at him, aghast. "Ron, what are you..." Then she remembered what she was wearing. "Oh right, the hologram."
A woman who looked remarkably like Shego, minus the green skin, walked towards him, holding a pair of crutches under one arm. "It's us Bafoon." Then she turned to Kim. "And the next time you drop everything to hug someone, give me some warning, or make sure I'm the one getting the hug." Shego scolded. She handed Kim back her crutches. "Now take these back, and start using them, or I'm telling your physical therapist."
Grumbling mutinously, Kim slipped into the crutches.
As Shego glanced around, she saw that they were attracting some odd looks from various people. She suddenly didn't mind the holographic disguise she wore, and resolved to thank Wade for it as soon as she could. At least her model could be worn around the waist. Kim was stuck with the 'neck bracer' as she had taken to calling it.
Next to Ron, who now looked thoroughly confused, Yori spoke. "Excuse me, but perhaps we might wish to continue further conversation inside?"
Shego nodded immediately, and after a quick look to survey the scene they were causing, Kim did too. Sego held the door open for Kim, and Yori had to guide Ron, who's brain was still not quite responding to outside stimuli as he dealt with a mental 404 error, inside.
"Let me get this straight." Ron said cautiously, after a naco and an explanation. Or two. Explanations that is. Kim had to repeat it. "You guys have been hiding from Global Justice, and all our old villains, by disgusting yourselves and continuing to fight crime?"
"Well..." Kim paused, realizing how far they'd fallen into cliched comic book superhero territory. "Okay yeah. That's pretty much it."
Kim and Ron sat on opposite sides of a booth table, while Rufus munched on a platter of nachos in between them. Yori and Shego had left to place their orders. That had been several minutes ago.
"Any you guy never thought to tell me, Yori, or Wade that you were alive, until now."
Kim blushed furiously and averted her gaze.
"You told Wade didn't you?" Ron whined. "Come on, why am I the last one to get the news?"
Kim sighed. "Ron, did Wade tell you that Global Justice was tracking you?"
Ron nearly chocked on his food. "What?" He gasped.
"Yeah, they had all kinds of surveillance on you, that wasn't lifted until recently. That's why Wade never told you. He wanted too, but I stopped him."
"Kim." Ron whispered, pain evident in his voice. "Why?"
Kim's tone dropped to a remorseful squeak. "I was afraid."
Those words shocked Ron more than anything else she could've said.
"I was afraid of what Global Justice had done. What they might do if they realized we survived." She cradled her head in her hands. "I'm so, so sorry Ron." She sounded on the verge of tears. "Please forgive me."
He reached over the table and patted her head, admittedly somewhat awkwardly, but it was still reassuring. "I understand Kim, you don't have to apologize."
Instantly, her head shot up, a mischievous grin and a bright gleam in her eyes replacing the trembling lip and tears that Ron had expected, that Kim sounded like she'd had only seconds ago.
"Good, now that we've moved past that, I'm hungry." Se stood, and hobbled over to the nearest service counter. "Come on," she call back at him. "I can't carry any of it back myself."
Ron remained in his seat, stunned. "Hey!" He shouted after her once the shock wore off. "No fair, that was worse that the PDP Kim!" He stood, and started after her.
From across the restaurant, two pair of eyes watched the display.
"Just like old times." Shego observed, leaning against the wall.
Next to her, Yori nodded in assent. "Indeed, though I do not see why we had to leave them alone."
"They needed this." Shego said, softly, a small smile creeping onto her face. "That and it was dammed funny."
Yori looked at her bemusedly. "You knew this would happen?"
Shego smirked, still keeping a careful eye on the other half of the once Team Possible. "I know my Princess." She stated simply. She'd better, Kim did the same thing to her not a week ago.
"Apparently." Yori turned her eyes back to them as well. "Should we rejoin them?"
"Nah." Shego decided after a second's hesitation. "Let 'em goof off a bit more before we do. We'll have enough time to get dour all over their carefree later."
Yori pondered that for a few seconds, then settled into a segment of wall next to Shego. "I sometimes forget that you are not very different from before."
Shego's eyes flicked to the ninja briefly. "You mean before I 'died' right? Or is it before the whole hero thing?"
Yori grinned slightly, moving her hand in a small, sweeping, circular motion. "Before all of this."
"Ahh." Shego exhaled, realization dawning on her. "I keep forgetting about that. Though, in that case, you haven't changed a bit either." She looked back to Kim and Ron, who were now seated back at their table, eating quickly, sending occasional comments to each other, and Rufus. "Then again," Shego said, pushing herself from the wall, and moving back towards her Princess. "Maybe none of us have.
"Perhaps." Yori smiled, following closely.
"Hey you two." Kim said warmly as the two previously absent woman rejoined the table, noticeably without any food for themselves.
"Hey yourself." Shego smiled as she slip into the booth beside Kim. Across the table, Yori did the same beside Ron.
"You're not eating?" Kim raised an eyebrow at Shego.
"Nothing seemed particularly appetizing." She replied smoothly. She caught the hint though. Kim knew something was up.
"So." Shego felt relieved as Ron changed the subject. "What's on the agenda for today, because I for one, have no idea how to get around this town."
Kim and Shego shared a glance, complete with decidedly devious grins.
"I..." Yori gulped. "...have never seen such a look."
"I have." Ron squeaked, remembering the times he helped babysit Kim's brothers. "But I never knew Kim used it!"
Kim and Shego, in unison, began to chuckle, then chortle. Within a few seconds, it was a full on evil laugh. Ron was left hoping, no, praying for Wade to save them from what horrors awaited them with an urgent mission. Wade, monitoring everything from a nearby security camera that he'd tapped into, laughed too.
A/N-Yatadesune! Now that semester exams are finished, and my weekly Pathfinder sessions are on hiatus, I once again have time to regularly devote to the story. And to catching up on Naruto. But mostly the story part.
I apologize formally for dragging this on, and that this will be the last 'plot' based chapter for the Yuletide season. And for those of you still wondering about the 'cliched comic book superhero' line, allow me to spell it out. Kim and Shego were almost killed by a secret government organization that they cannot fight back at, therefore they have assumed disguises and new identities, and fight criminals. So yeah, I stand by that line.