It was a day of rest, after a few days of mind-numbing exercises. And to pass the time, Kim had teasingly suggested that Shego invest in a tan. Kim was now in the process of regretting her jibe.
Not that the place Shego had chosen for their excursion wasn't lovely. Er-Mei was chockful of natural wonders, it just took a little searching to find them. Shego, apparently, was very familiar with the area and had lead Kim to a sparkling waterfall that spilled into a deep large pool. Moist, dark earth surrounded the edge and trees dipped their branches into the crystal clear water. Sunlight bathed the area, reflecting off the pool of moving water and gave the area the illusion of light dancing in the clearing.
No, the beautiful setting wasn't what was making Kim regret coming here. It was the fact that, while she was floating aimlessly in the water, she was uncomfortably aware of the fact that a topless Shego was sun-bathing near the shore.
The clothes Shego had brought for Kim and herself did not include swimsuits. So Shego had decided that swimming in their bras and panties would do. Kim had agreed with the idea too. The problem was when Shego had unclipped her bra, and then turned over to face the sun, her perky('ohmygod, did I actually think that?’ Kim blushed) breasts pointed upwards, and Kim couldn't help but admire that physique. It was everything Kim had imagined it would be. Not that the redhead spent a lot of time imagining her enemies’ bodies… yeah…
Drifting on her back, Kim tried to banish the thought of Shego's body. But the image was burnt into her head. It was definitely a body of a fighter, a body that people either wished they owned or wished they could worship. Her thoughts drifted from Shego's body, to what Shego did with her body, and Kim thanked the cool waters that kept her full-body blush in check.
‘Who Shego did with that body of hers.’ Kim moved her arms lazily, keeping her body afloat. Since the lychee incident, Kim had been… curious. That was the first time Kim noticed Shego exuded a natural sexuality that struck a disconcerting, but not unpleasant note in Kim. She didn't want to be rude and dig around Shego's love life, so she kept her questions to herself. Kim Possible had always been… inquisitive. Ever since she was a child. As Mr. & Mrs. Dr. Possible could attest to, their oldest daughter poked her nose into every hole she could find, and asked questions as often as possible. And now, Kim wanted to ask about Shego and Fong.
What did they do when they were together?
How did they do it?
When did she find out she was attracted to women?
The idea of Shego's sexual orientation didn't bother her at all. She just wanted to know how someone came to that conclusion. Did it feel the same as with a guy?
“Hey.”
Kim's ability to float left her abruptly, and she sunk like a stone, before kicking back to the surface and coughing up water. A still topless Shego watched her wryly. “Boo.”
“You,” Kim sputtered, brushing back a stray lock of wet red hair that had gotten in her eye. “Do you always just creep up on people like that?!” Kim was motioning furiously with her arms and trying desperately not to look down at Shego's bare breasts. “What are you doing?!”
“Swimming.” Shego gave Kim a lascivious grin and leaned back into the water, floating away towards the churning waterfall. Over the sound of falling water, Shego's innocent question set Kim on guard. “Like what you see, Kimmie?”
Kim, hearing the note of challenge in Shego's voice, swam after the woman, determined not to be embarassed.
“What do you mean by that?” shouted Kim over the sound of the waterfall.
‘Hook, line and sinker. Too easy, Kimmie.’ Shego laughed inwardly. Outwardly, Shego shrugged, her relaxed body radiating indifference. “You know, the scenery. The mountains and the waterfall,” Shego, deliberately ran her hands over her breasts and belly in a very casual, VERY sensual movement, knowing that Kim's eyes were glued on her. Shego took a deep breath and sunk under water, to surface bare centimetres away from Kim and purred the next words. “The privacy…”
Kim eeped, and lost the ability to tread water, sinking again, before regaining her ability to swim.
“Okay, that wasn't nice.” Kim wiped water from her eyes. The cool water could not erase the apparent blush on her peaches-and-cream skin.
“I'm not nice, Kimmie. Don't you remember?” Shego smiled lazily at the other woman. “I'm a card-carrying, good guy butt-kicking bad girl.”
Kim scoffed. “Not that bad if you managed to get yourself a girlfriend.”
‘So that's where you were heading to.’ Shego sighed. Even though she didn't show it, the brunette missed Fong. She didn't want to think about the beautiful Chinese woman, though. It only made her realize more and more that the whole mess she was embroiled in was purely her fault.
“Ex-girlfriend.” Shego said softly.
“How did you two, if you don't mind me asking--”
“I do.” Shego hissed. Her mood had dipped considerably. She swam to shore, grabbing one of the towels she had brought and towelling herself off, aware that Kim had followed her and stood just a little bit behind her, watching her hesitantly. Shego turned around and looked at Kim grimly, incensed at the… worry that lined Kim Possible's face.
“Shego--” Kim reached out a hand, about to rest it on Shego's shoulder, but Shego was too fast. Avoided the hand, grabbed it viciously, and caught Kim's other hand that had automatically moved to try to free the other.
“What do you want, Kimmie?” Shego's words were spoken through clenched teeth, ignoring Kim's cry of pain as Shego's fingers dug into her flesh. “Are you curious?” Shego pulled Kim closer, pressed her against her bare body. The resultant struggle sent them crashing to the wet earth, With Shego straddling Kim, pinning her down. Rewarded the redhead's concern with vulgarity, as she moved her hips sggestively, the thin layer of their panties the only boundary between them.
“This what you're lookin’ for?” Shego pressed hot lips against Kim's ear. “Some hot and heavy, girl-on-girl action? Experimentation?”
Kim screamed, “No!” and she pushed Shego away, twisted free from Shego's hands and slapped the fiery woman across the face before she could stop herself. Shego smiled grimly, caught Kim's hands again and pinned them to the ground.
“You listen,” Shego said to her captive audience. “and listen good: Don't you EVER,” Shego punctuated the word by tightening her grip on Kim's wrists briefly, “EVER, forget who I am to you. We're enemies. Remember that.”
Shego pushed off Kim, scooped up her bra, and walked back in the direction of the house.
The full moon was almost here. In a day or so… Shego walked on, glancing at the sky. Even during the day, it was visible. Almost full.
Time to head back to the village.
“You guys okay?” Cheung asked when they had burst out of the underbrush. They didn't need to haul anything back from the house, so they went with just a small pack of clothes. Both of the women's faces were dark with rage.
“Just drive, Vince.” Shego stormed passed the man and got in the front seat, slamming the door behind her. Kim followed close behind, getting in the back seat and slammed the door close, too.
“Ooookay…” The asian man got in the car, turning the car around and heading back to the village. There was complete silence in the car, only the drumming of Kim's nails on the window could be heard. After the waterfall disaster, Kim was happy to find out that the next day, they were heading back to the village. Kim's shock had crumbled into anger, and her snippy answers to Shego ruffled the villainess and caused them to have another shouting match before heading down the mountain to meet Cheung. They had descended the mountain in silence, and now sat in the car in silence.
“Could you not do that?”
“Do what?” Kim asked, drumming her nails louder.
“THAT!” Shego turned around and pointed to Kim's hand. “That tapping! STOP IT!”
“Make me!”
Shego ripped off her seatbelt and lunged over the seat at Kim.
“GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS!!!” Cheung held the wheel with one hand and tried holding Shego back with the other, but it was no use. Both girls were locked in a heated fight, trying to pound the other in the confined space of the jeep, as the vehicle careened wildly from side to side.
“What happened to you guys?” Fong noted the state of the car and asked Cheung, bemused. The man turned around, revealing the fact that his right eye was swollen shut by an ugly bruise.
Fong gave a low whistle, her face scrunched into a sympathetic grimace. “That must have hurt. What happened?”
Fong had watched the jeep's arrival at the east side of the village, breaking through the woods to screech to a halt in front of the people who had decided to wait on Cheung's return. Cheung exited from the passenger side, kicking the door closed behind him. Unfortunately, the door wouldn't close for some odd reason and he started swearing and kicking at it until it finally closed. Brushing off the questions the villagers asked him, he went to the front of the jeep and looked at the car in anguish. Shego came out of the driver side with a guilty expression on her face, and Kim exited from the back with a similar look on her face. While the two women were surrounded by villagers, Cheung was angrily examining the front of the jeep. The left side had been dented in, and Fong could tell by the brown marks around the area that he had probably hit a tree. The usually laidback man was so angry, Fong could see a vein pulsing on his forehead.
“Don't fucking ask.” Cheung growled. Walking past Fong, the woman caught Cheung mumbling, “Fucking women are crazy!”, before disappearing into the village.
“Shego?” Fong watched the woman step away from the crowd, glaring at Fong defiantly, as if daring her to say something. Kim behaved a bit better and had the decency to look ashamed. Some people watched the scene unfold, chuckling amongst themselves.
“What did you two do?”
“It was her fault!” Shego and Kim said simultaneously, then glared at each other.
Kim made a sound of pure frustration before following in Cheung's footsteps, rushing into the village. Everybody laughed out right. Some of the children grabbed Shego and Kim's bags and made off back towards the village, followed closely by the adults who gave the two remaining women looks that clearly said ‘behave’.
“What did you do?”
Shego glared at Fong. “Why is it always something *I* did?”
“Please,” Fong rolled her eyes. “I know you better than that.”
Shego rolled her eyes. “Whatever, its not like it was anything big.”
Fong shook her head. “You're too much.” Shego spread out her hands in a ‘what did I do?’ gesture and Fong rolled her eyes again. “Like I said, don't give me that. I bet it was totally and utterly your fault. You just like antagonizing people until they snap at you.”
“Hey, I don't antagonize everyone!”
“You antagonize plenty,” Fong crossed her arms and looked at Shego disbelievingly. “I can't believe you would even try to DENY the fact that you rub a lot of people the wrong way! Especially me!”
Shego's head shot up. “Don't make this about you and me.”
Fong threw her hands up in the air, feeling completely helpless. “Yeah, sure. Lets not talk about it. Lets not tell people we're not seeing each other anymore! Oh, wait, nobody knew for sure if we WERE seeing each other in the first place--”
“I told her.” Shego's words cut the asian girl off. The green-eyed thief looked at Fong intently. “I told her that we're together. Were together. I told Kim.”
“You told her about us?” Fong asked, delighted, her anger forgotten. Shego rarely talked about ‘us’. The smile fell from the Chinese woman's lips just as quickly as it appeared, though. “A little too late though, isn't it?”
“Better late than never.” Shego reached out to touch Fong, but seeing Fong shake her head, she pulled her hand back apologetically. “I'm sorry. Its… hard for me.”
“Hard for you?” Fong's voice took on a bitter edge. “How do you think I feel, Shego?”
“Mich--”
“No, Shego. I don't want your ‘its for your own good’…” Fong shook her head sadly. She reached out, and Shego leaned into Fong's hand, closed her eyes at the feel of that hand, turned her head and brushed her lips briefly against those hands. Fong shivered at those soft lips. Lips that dropped scathing words like acid. But could give her such a cleansing kiss. Fong backed away, clutching her hand as if burned. “Take me with you. If you love me, take me with you.” Fong demanded, eyes narrowed to slits. Knowing the answer, but asking anyways.
As expected, Shego frowned, annoyed. Shook her head. “No. We talked about this. I would die if I had to take you up there, Fong.” Shego's face had constricted in pain.
“Don't go all melodramatic on me,” Fong chuckled weakly, her voice took on a pleading note. “Please, Shego.”
“Don't.” Shego heard her voice, it sounded faraway and distant, like it wasn't her saying these words. “Don't, Michelle. Its over. We had our fun. I just want this to be over.”
Shego said everything without flinching. Grinded her heart under a compassionate heel. Of course, Fong would never see it that way, as her eyes hardened with grief. But nothing could be done.
Shego's head snapped to the side, felt the sting of Fong's hand against her cheek, right on top of the slap that Kim had given her the day before.
Watched Fong turn away from her and walk back to the village.
Cheung wasn't one to stay angry for long. He was rational, and he would go over events in his mind until he had stoppered each source of his anger. In his mind, as he had stormed through the village, he went through the list of things that he was mad about.
1. His black eye.
Cheung soothed his indignition at being belted across the face by patting himself on the back and affirming that there was no lasting damage. The bruising will go down. Shego didn't mean to kick him in the eye.
2. His car crash.
Accidents happen.
3. The car.
Here, Cheung's ire rose. He had taken care of the jeep, changed the oil, tuned it, kept it working. He was attached to the vehicle. But brutally, he made himself remember that the jeep was getting on on its years. It had a lot of mileage on it and the repairs wouldn't be worth the entire vehicle.
‘Besides,’ Cheung sniggered, ‘I didn't buy it.’
Shego had bought it, but since she was on Er-Mei all the time, it was Cheung who drove it around. Shego would probably buy another one. Maybe an off-road vehicle that had more torque, more power. Things weren't that bad. The car still ran even after it hit a tree, his passengers was okay. Life didn't suck. He had his health, his daughter and--
“Hey Cheung, wait up!” Kim's voice floated to him, and he slowed down for the other girl, now completely calm and quite cheerful at that. The redhead approached hesitantly. “I'm so sorry Cheung--”
“Eh, its nothing.” Cheung grinned cheerfully. “I was just a little pissed before. And nobody was hurt too bad, so its fine.”
“You sure?” Kim winced at the sight of Cheung's horrible black eye. “Hey, maybe we should put some ice on that or something.”
“Oh, yeah.” Cheung touched his eye gingerly, and swore out loud when the resultant pain felt something equal to a knife in the head.
“Come on, lets go to the kitchen, maybe they have some ice…”
“We got no fridge. But lets go to the water pump and get some water. The water there is kinda cold, I'll just run this under the tap for a while.” Cheung grinned lopsidedly. “Jesus, you girls pack a punch.”
“Glad you found it so enjoyable,” Kim joked and slapped him on the back. As they travelled quickly with Cheung as a guide, since Kim wasn't familiar with the twists and turns of the village, she noticed that there seemed to be an excess amount of… red.
“Hey, Cheung?” Kim looked around at the general redness.
“Hm?”
“Why's everything so red?”
Cheung let out a light laugh and grinned at Kim. “Well, red is a festive colour. And a wedding is always a festive ocassion in the village.”
Kim looked about in wonder. “Wow. I wish I could see.”
“Well, you're invited, of course. Everybody is.” Cheung smiled charmingly. “Shego's gonna be coming to my wedding, I'm pretty sure she's not gonna just leave you alone.”
“That's so ni--” Kim did a double-take. “YOUR WEDDING?”
“Yup. One that I missed years ago. It was arranged when I was a child,” Cheung explained. “The village didn't have any children and the elders were afraid the village would die out. Its very important that our descendants carry on what we do here.” Kim suddenly remembered the innate knowledge of martial arts that everyone seemed to have, from the morning she left for Er-Mei. “The day of the marriage was arranged and everything, but I had gone and knocked up someone else, so obviously, the marriage wouldn't take place.”
“I didn't mean to sound… so amazed. But, wow. Congratulations!” Kim hugged Cheung briefly. Even though she had known the young man for a short amount of time, he had gone out of his way to make her feel comfortable, and had lessened the shock of being suddenly ripped from her familiar life in Middleton. He was a friend, and Kim sincerely felt happy for him. “Who's the lucky girl?”
“You've met her already,” Cheung smiled brightly. “Wong Hiu Fong. Michelle.”
Kim froze in her tracks. She regarded Cheung, and judged, from the genuinely happy expression on his face, that he wasn't joking. But just to be sure…
“You're… joking, right?”
“Naw. The elders picked a date already.” Cheung watched her in amusement. “Just a few days before the next full moon.”
endnote: DUNDUNDUN! I dunno, guys, I dunno.