Chapter 37:
In The Sky:
Kim and Shego were in the sloth, flying back from having stopped Killigan from turning Denmark into a giant golf course.
"Did you see the look on Killigan's face when you dropped in to help me?"
Kim giggled.
"I think he might've wet himself just a tad."
"I'll say. Anyway, thanks for having my back."
"Anytime, princess."
Shego then flashed Kim a warm smile.
"So out of curiosity, did you ever call Ayumi?"
Shego shook her head.
"But speaking of Ayumi, do you think you could drop me off at home? I should at least let her see that I'm still alive."
"Sure thing."
Kim then punched Shego's address into the sloth and headed to her place.
After dropping Shego off and saying a quick goodbye, Kim headed back home.
Possible Residence:
Kim walked into her home and was about to head to her room, when her mom called her into the living room.
"Hey mom, what's up?"
Kim asked, taking a seat on the couch next to Anne.
"I saw Ronald earlier and he looked really upset. Do you have any idea why?"
Kim rubbed the back of her neck nervously.
"He, uh, he caught Shego and I kissing in my room, and she was topless."
"Kim, were you and Shego about t-"
"Oh my god, mom! No!"
Kim yelled, quickly cutting Anne off.
"Look, Shego was only topless because she was showing me the scars on her back from the time I kicked her into that electrical tower."
"Why were the two of you kissing though? Also I've seen her back and she doesn't have any scars there."
"That's because the Ægishjálmur allows her to keep them hidden. As far as why we were kissing though, I'm not really sure. She started kissing me first, then I started to kiss her back, and before I knew it we were basically making out."
"Does Ayumi know?"
"I don't know. She knew that Shego was over here, but I'm not sure if Shego's told her about what happened between us."
"Well if I had to wager a guess, I'd guess that she'd be upset just like Ron is. What you and Shego did to your partners was not okay."
Kim bowed her head in shame.
"I know, mom. It's just, when I kissed Shego, it felt right. I know it was wrong, but there was just something about being with her that made me like I was where I belonged."
"Sounds to me like you have feelings for her."
Kim shook her head.
"That's just it, I don't have feelings for her. I'm in love with Ron."
Anne eyed Kim for a moment.
"Well if that's true, then I think you have some serious thinking to do. Ron's a great guy. I would hate to see him get hurt."
Kim nodded her head in agreement.
She then stood up from the couch.
"I'm gonna go give him a call, and see if he'd like to go get Bueno Nacho with me. Bueno Nacho usually cheers him up, no matter how sour of a mood he's in."
"I think that's a wonderful idea."
Kim then left to give Ron a call.
Meanwhile in Go City, Shego was relaying the events of her time with Kim to Ayumi.
Ayumi and Shego Residence:
"So are you back to being a hero now?"
"Psh, as if. I just didn't want to miss an opportunity to get in a good fight."
"That and you wanted to protect Kim."
"Yeah maybe, but it doesn't mean I'm going back to being a hero. Do you realize how fast Logan would try to get me back on Team Go, if I suddenly started saving the world again?"
"Yeah, I don't see that ending well."
Shego nodded in agreement.
"Now tell me, if Ron hadn't walked in on you and Kim, would you guys have done it?"
Shego shook her head, taking Ayumi by surprise.
"What, why? I know how you feel about her, I've heard the dreams you have about her. And based on her response to you kissing her, it's clear that she feels something for you too. Even if she is in denial. So why not?"
"For two reasons. One, I'm still not ready to go all the way with someone, no matter how badly I may want to. Two."
A small blush graced Shego's cheeks as she said the second reason.
"I want my first time to be with you."
Ayumi smiled lovingly at her girlfriend and cupped her cheek.
"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that. I promise, when you're ready, our first time is going to be magical."
Ayumi said, sealing her words with a kiss, which Shego happily returned. After the kiss had ended, Ayumi pulled Shego into a loving embrace.
"By the way, I talked to Hiroshi and Chiharu today."
"You did? But I thought you had to wait until next week to talk to them."
"Normally yes, but they got to call me early because they had some great news to share with me."
"What's the great news?"
"They're getting released."
Ayumi beamed, a stark contrast to Shego's fear filled expression.
"But, but why?"
"They've basically been model citizens since they've been incarcerated, and the warden decided they've earned themselves an early release."
"How soon are they getting out?"
"I'm not sure, the details are still being worked on. I'm hoping it will be before Christmas though, that way we can all spend it together."
Ayumi then noticed Shego wasn't looking so hot.
"Ciel, babe, are you okay? You don't look so good."
Ayumi said, gently wiping the sweat off Shego's brow; taking note that her girlfriend's face was a sickly green color.
"I, I think I need to go lie down."
Shego then stood up to make her way to the bedroom, but began to sway as she felt the room start to spin.
"Here, I'll take you."
Ayumi said as she picked Shego up and carried her to bed.
Once she laid her down, she began to wonder what had caused the other girl to suddenly take ill.
"She didn't start looking like she was about to be sick until after I told her my siblings were getting an early release."
Suddenly, Ayumi let out a sharp gasp.
"That has to be it. Oh man, I need to find out what they did."
Ayumi then quickly ran to the living room and grabbed her phone. She then dialed a number she had memorized by heart.
"Hello?"
Asked the person on the other end of the line.
"Hello, Warden Howard, it's Ayumi. Listen, I know it's not time for my usual phone visit and that I already spoke to them earlier today, but I was wondering if it would be at all possible for me to speak to Hiroshi and Chiharu? I have something important I need to ask them."
"Normally I'd say you'd have to wait until next week, but given that they're scheduled to be released soon, I don't see why I can't give you a few moments with them. Let me go fetch them for you."
"Thank you, sir."
Ayumi then waited for her siblings to be put on the line.
After a few moments, Chiharu spoke.
"Hey, sis, to what do we owe the pleasure?"
"Hey, I was calling because I have something very important I need to ask the two of you."
"What's up?"
Hiroshi asked.
"What did you guys do to Ciel?"
"Why are you asking?"
Chiharu's voice was cold and Ayumi felt a chill run down her spine.
"Because I told Ciel you guys were getting out early, and now she's not looking so hot. Please, I need to know why she seems to be having such a negative reaction to the news."
Ayumi could hear Hiroshi let out a heavy sigh.
"Listen, Ay, I think it would be best if we didn't bring it up. It's best left in the past."
"Guys, please! If you could see Ciel right now you'd understand why I need to know. Please, please just tell me what you did. I don't care how bad it is, just please tell me so I can help her."
Ayumi could then hear her siblings talking amongst themselves. After a few moments they turned their attention back to her.
"Alright, we'll tell you. Just to warn you though, you aren't gonna like what you're about to hear. Are you sure you're ready?"
Chiharu asked.
"I'm ready."
"Alright, before we tell you though, there's something we have to know."
"What is it?"
"How far have you and Ciel gone?"
"Why are you asking that?"
"Because it's important."
"We've recently made it all the way to third base."
"I see. Have you tried to go any further?"
"No, but I want to though. And I know she does as well, but she says she's not ready."
"Well Hiroshi and I are the reason she's not ready."
"What do you mean?"
"Without going into too much detail, let's just say you weren't the first to take Ciel to third base."
Ayumi couldn't believe what she had just been told and she felt like she was going to vomit.
"H-How could you?"
"We were angry with her for not wanting to move at the same speed as you in your relationship. We could see how much it hurt you whenever she rejected you going any further. So, we decided to show her why you wanted to do more than just kissing and the occasional light petting with her. We know she wanted you too, because at one point we heard her whispering to herself to pretend it was you touching her and not us."
Hiroshi said.
"You could've just talked to her. You didn't need to do all that."
"We know."
"Was it just a one time thing?"
"No, it happened multiple times. You were actually asleep in bed next to her during one of the times."
Ayumi felt like she had been punched in the gut upon hearing her girlfriend had been violated in such close proximity to her.
"She was being hurt right next to me and I was completely oblivious."
Ayumi thought.
She then heard talking in the background.
"Hey, Ay, Hiroshi and I gotta get going. We'll talk to you next week, okay?"
"O-Okay, talk to you then."
Ayumi's voice sounded distant as she was trying to process the bombshell that had been dropped on her.
"You take care."
"You too."
Once the call ended, Ayumi let her phone slip out of her hands, landing on the floor with a small thud.
She then slowly made her way back to the bedroom, her legs seeming to move on their own.
When she made it to the room she found Shego curled up in the fetal position, sound asleep. She could tell by the tear stains on her cheeks that she had been crying.
Ayumi then laid next to her on the bed and gently ran her fingers through Shego's hair.
"Hiroshi and Chiharu told me what they did to you."
Ayumi spoke barely above a whisper, not wanting to disturb the sleeping girl next to her.
"I'm sorry for getting mad at you for reporting them and for getting upset when you refused to tell me. If something like that ever happened to me, I don't think I'd have the courage to tell a single soul. I'd just take it to my grave."
Ayumi then carefully pulled Shego closer to her.
"I'm also sorry for not protecting you from them. I promise I'm never gonna let them hurt you again."
"It's not your fault."
Came Shego's hoarse reply as she looked at Ayumi with bloodshot eyes.
"You're awake? How do you feel?"
"I've been better."
"How come you never told me what they were doing to you?"
"I didn't think you'd believe me."
"Didn't think I beli-Ciel!"
Ayumi then smacked Shego on the arm.
"Ow! Hey what was that for?"
"For being an idiot. Of course I would've believed you. What the hell made you think I wouldn't?"
"Well I know how much your siblings mean to you, and I thought you would think I was trying to taint your image of them or something. We were arguing and fighting a lot around that time. Plus I also thought you wouldn't remember if I told you. I'd reject going further intimately, you'd hit me, go drink as a way to cope, and then come back with no memory of any of our fights. I would then remind you of what happened, you'd apologize, we'd make up, things would be okay for a little while, and then the vicious cycle would start all over again."
Ayumi just stared at Shego in complete and utter shock.
"Ciel, I…I don't know what to say. Why on earth did you ever stay?"
"For the very same reason I'm giving you a second chance now. I love you, Ayumi."
"What made you finally decide to leave then?"
"It wasn't actually you that I was leaving."
"What do you mean?"
"I was leaving Team Go. I fucked up on a mission."
"I thought you left because the more you fought evil the more you ended up liking evil."
"Ha, that's just some dumb lie that Logan made up."
"So then what was the reason?"
Shego released a shaky breath and sat up in bed.
"It happened when I was fifteen."
Flashback:
A fifteen year old Shego was making her way through the streets of Go City. She had just finished having another fight with Ayumi, and her brothers were being more annoying than usual.
"Ugh, I could really use a drink right now."
Shego thought.
Unfortunately, Hego hadn't bought any alcohol recently, so there was none back at Go Tower."
"I could always just steal a drink from somewhere."
Shego thought, scanning her surroundings.
"No, that's not something a hero would do."
Just then Shego heard sirens in the distance, and turned to see a couple of fire trucks racing down the street.
"Must be a pretty big fire if they're bringing in two trucks."
Shego thought as she followed the trucks to their destination. When she made it to where the trucks had stopped she saw an old run-down building covered in flames. After looking around for a minute she spotted Hego and the rest of Team Go talking to a construction worker.
"Hey, what's going on?"
Shego asked, standing next to her brothers.
"Shego, there you are. We were wondering where you ran off to."
Hego said.
"Not important, I'm here now. So what happened?"
"We were demolishing this building by burning it down. Unfortunately, the fire grew too big for us to control."
The construction worker said.
"Aren't there supposed to always be firefighters present when a building is being demolished by the use of fire?"
Wego 2 asked.
"Yes, and we had a team of firefighters here. However, their truck was not enough to contain the fire. So they called for backup."
"I see. Well if there's nothing else let's get this fire put out."
Team Go then turned their attention to the burning building, and Shego could've sworn she saw someone looking at her through one of the windows.
"Guys, there's someone in there."
Shego's brothers turned to her and looked at her like she was crazy.
"Shego, this building has been abandoned for five years and is now being torn down. Trust me, no one is in there."
Hego said.
Shego wanted to believe her brother, but when she looked at the building again she could see someone staring at her. Only this time, she could see them clearer and the figure staring at her through the window was a boy.
"No Hego, you're wrong. That building may have been abandoned five years ago, but there's a boy in there."
Shego then tried to make way closer to the building, but was stopped by Hego grabbing her arm.
Hego then pulled her away from everyone else. When he was sure that no one would be able to hear them, he spoke.
"How much have you had to drink?"
Hego whispered.
"What are you talking about? I don't drink."
"Oh really, then why was there an empty bottle of vodka in your room?"
"Why were you in my room?"
"You've been acting strange for quite some time now, and I wanted to know why."
"You could've just asked me."
"You expect me to believe that you would've told me you were drinking?"
"...No."
"How long have you been drinking?"
"Not that long."
"How long is not that long?"
"A year."
"A year!? Have you gone completely insane?!"
"Shh, not so loud."
Shego hissed.
She then looked around to make sure no one had heard her brother's outburst. When she saw that no one was paying attention to them, she spoke.
"To answer your previous question, no I haven't gone completely insane."
"Oh yeah, then would you mind telling me why you've turned into an alcoholic?"
"I'm not an alcoholic. An alcoholic is someone who drinks on a daily basis. I only drink when I need to."
"Okay, and when do you need to?"
"After I have a fight with Ayumi."
"That's everyday."
"No it isn't, we didn't fight last Thursday."
"Congratulations, do you want a medal?"
"This is not the time to be sarcastic. Right now we need to focus on the mission."
"Speaking of the mission, I want you to sit this one out."
"What, why?"
"You're obviously in no condition to help."
"What are you talking about? I feel fine."
"I would hardly call seeing people that aren't there as fine."
"Logan I'm telling you, there's someone in there."
"And I'm telling you to go sit down somewhere, and let the rest of the team handle the mission."
"You won't believe me? Fine, then I'll just have to prove it to you."
Shego then raced off towards the burning building. Before her brother even had a chance to stop her, she was already inside.
Hego then joined the rest of the team.
"Guys, we've got a problem."
"I'll say, this building's gonna collapse any minute."
Mego said.
"Well right now we need to focus on getting Shego out of there."
"Shego's in there?!"
Wego 1 yelled.
"Yeah, she wanted to prove to me that she saw someone in there."
"So what, you just let her run into a burning all by herself?!"
Wego 2 screamed.
"I didn't let her! She took off before I even had a chance to respond."
"Okay, then we better go in there and get her."
"Have you lost it?! We can't go in there."
"Why not? I thought our job was to save people."
"It is, but let's be reasonable. We can't just go gallivanting off into a burning building."
"So we're just supposed to leave her in there?"
Wego 1 asked.
"No, I'm going to get her out of there, but I'm not doing it without a plan."
"Well you better think of something quick, look."
Mego said, pointing to the building.
The rest of Team Go looked just in time to see one of the walls had caved in.
"That's not good."
Hego thought.
Just then, one of the firefighters approached Team Go.
"Is everything alright?"
The firefighter asked.
"Our sister ran inside the building. We're trying to figure out how to get her out safely."
Hego said.
"Well you better work fast, that building's going to collapse completely in about fifteen minutes."
Just then, Mego got an idea and he focused his attention on the firefighter.
"You and your men try to keep the fire from spreading anymore."
"Yes sir."
The firefighter then left to rejoin his team and Mego turned to his brothers.
"Wegoes, you guys go help the firefighters. Hego, try to see if you can safely clear any of the rubble away. I'll shrink down and see if I can make it safely inside to Shego. Any questions?"
"I have one, when did you become leader?"
Hego asked.
"After you failed to think of a plan. Okay, now if you're all done standing around and talking, let's get a move on."
"Mego's right, the sooner we get her out of there the better."
Wego 1 said.
They all then split up to do their assigned tasks.
Meanwhile inside the building, Shego was unconscious and trapped under some beams. She had found the boy that was trapped inside, but before she could get him out safely, a part of the roof caved in. She had just barely managed to shove him out of the way in time, before the beams came down on top of her. Now she was trapped inside the building along with the boy.
A few moments later, Mego found Shego. He also found out that she was not alone.
"There really was somebody in here."
Mego thought as he looked at the boy, and growing back to his normal size.
The boy looked to be about fifteen, and had sandy blond hair and amber eyes. His face was covered in sweat and soot, and his hands had cuts and splinters in them, indicating that he had tried in vain to move the beams off of Shego.
"What happened?"
Mego asked, kneeling next to the boy.
"She ran in here, to try to save me. We were almost out when we heard something snap. She managed to push me out of the way, right before the beams came crashing down."
"Okay, and how did you get in here in the first place? This building's been abandoned for five years."
The boy's eyes became downcast.
"I moved into this building about two years ago. You see, my parents died and I was placed into an orphanage in Lowerton. I didn't like it though, so I left. I used to stay in alleyways and under park benches, until I found this building. I then moved in and I've been here ever since."
"How long did you live at the orphanage?"
"Thirteen years."
"Wow, so why didn't you like it?"
"They were always treating me differently than all the other kids."
"How so?"
"Like, like there was something wrong with me. Every time I was around they would speak in a hushed tone. They probably thought that I couldn't hear them, but I heard every word they said. I constantly heard them talk about how I would never get adopted because I was so antisocial."
"Why would they call you antisocial?"
"Because I didn't like to play with any of the other kids. And whenever folks would come by to see about adopting one of us, I would stay hidden until they left."
"Why didn't you want to get adopted?"
"No parents will ever replace the ones that I had, even if I didn't exactly get to know them."
"That's understandable. Now, let's get the two of you out of here."
"You won't be able to save both of us. Just focus on getting her out of here."
"Bu-."
"No buts! Now listen to me, this whole building is going to come down on us in exactly ten minutes. You need to get her out of here, now."
"What about you?"
"Don't worry about me. Now come on, help me get these beams off of her."
The boy and Mego then worked on getting the beams off of Shego. Just as they were about to remove the last beam, the wall behind them started to cave in.
"We better hurry it up, we don't have much time."
The boy said.
A few seconds later, they managed to remove the final beam, and Mego threw Shego over his shoulder.
"Okay, now get out of here while you still can."
"I'm sorry, but I can't just leave you behind."
"Yes you can, now go!"
"No I can't! Now come on, you can make it out of here too."
Mego then tried to grab the boy's hand, but he moved out of the way.
"I really didn't wanna have to do this."
Before Mego even had a chance to respond, he found himself falling out one of the windows, with Shego in his arms.
Fortunately though, Hego managed to catch them right before they hit the ground. A few seconds later, the building collapsed into a heaping pile of debris and rubble.
End of flashback:
"I woke up in the hospital after that. When I asked about the boy, Galilee broke the news to me. After that I became numb, nothing more than a hollow shell. Once I recovered, I left and didn't look back. Someone died because of me; I could no longer call myself a hero."
"Was the boy's body recovered from the wreckage?"
Shego shook her head.
"The firefighters and my brothers searched for his body, but nothing was found. I guess he was completely burned to ash by the time they began their search."
"Do you wish they had found the body?"
"No. Besides, I don't need to see a body to know that he died, and that I was the cause of it. I ran into that building, without the slightest idea on how to get him out. He died because I fucked up."
"Ciel..."
Ayumi wanted to tell her girlfriend that she shouldn't blame herself for the boy's demise, but she refrained and just held her close. As she sat there holding Shego close, she thought about the fact that the boy's body was never recovered. It was a stretch, but maybe he had somehow survived.
"Maybe he's still alive? I'll have to do some research. I just need to find out his name."
Ayumi thought.
"Hey, Ciel?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you ever learn the boy's name?"
"Yeah."
"What was it?"
"His name was Tai Chakotay. Why do you ask?"
"I was just curious. Did they have a funeral for him?"
"Yeah, a lot of people from the orphanage attended. My brothers even went. I guess they felt bad that they didn't believe me, when I said someone was in the building. Maybe if they had helped me, he would've made it. Galilee told me that he tried to help save him, but he felt bad for trying too late."
"Did you go?"
Shego shook her head.
"I thought about going, but I was too fucked up to even function. Plus I didn't want to deal with the fact that somebody had died because of me."
"His death was not your fault."
"Yes it w-"
Shego was silenced by Ayumi pressing a finger against her lips.
"No, it wasn't. If anything it was the fault of those construction workers. They should've double checked that the building was empty, before they started demolishing it."
"I guess, but I was the hero. I was the one with powers. I should've done more."
Shego's voice came out broken at the end, and Ayumi hugged her tight.
"Ciel, there was absolutely nothing more you could've done."
Shego said nothing, and just buried her face into Ayumi's chest. A few seconds later, she could feel her shirt become damp with Shego's tears.
After a bit of time had passed, Shego's tears finally ceased and she pulled herself away from Ayumi's embrace.
"Thanks, Ay."
Shego said, wiping the tears from her face.
"Anytime, love."
Ayumi said, giving Shego's hand a gentle squeeze.
The pair then sat in silence for a bit, before Shego finally got up off the bed.
"Where are you going?"
"To the kitchen. All this emotional talk and crying has made me hungry."
End of chapter 37: