a few new tricks

An alarm started went off in Wade's room, and the teenaged genius almost fell off his chair, startled from the game he was playing. He immediately tried to get a connection on Kim. No dice. Last known location? Smack dab in the middle of Middleton.

What?

“How the hell did you manage to disappear from Middleton?” Wade muttered to himself. Team Possible would have to be alerted. “Where the hell could you have gone?”

A name flashed across his memory, remembering the work they had done, trying to locate the whereabouts of Kim. She Cun. Could Kim have been taken back there? Who was powerful enough to get past his technology? His hands clenched into fists. He hated this feeling of helplessness. Despite LORDING over the technological world and

“Wade, what's--”

“--the sitch.”

Of course it'd be the twins first. Wade could see the tension in Jim's shoulders, while Tim was more guarded, ready for anything.

“Is everything okay?” On Wade's screen, a pop-up suddenly appeared at the corner. Drakken was in a pink apron and holding a duster. “I never knew the henchmen had to clean so much… there's dust everywhere!”

“Keep it up, Dr. D!” Tim gave the blue man a thumbs-up. “You're doing great.”

“Why thank you, Tim.” Dr. Drakken beamed, happy that someone appreciated his cleaning abilities.

“Okay, guys, shut up for a second.” Jim sighed, frustrated with the interaction between his brother and Dr. Drakken. Another pop-up appeared, showing Monique clad only in a towel, hair dripping with water.

“This better be good,” growled Monique. “You pulled me from my shower.”

All the men stared at Monique's state of undress, her hot, wet body drying up all intelligent thought--

“Oh, for god's--” Monique disappeared from the screen and came back in a robe that covered a lot more. “Okay, what's up, guys? Where's Kim?”

Wade cleared his throat, a serious look on his face. “That's exactly the problem.”

---

“Congratulations,” The Raccoon-dog demon bowed respectfully to Xaio Qing, who sat on the raised dias with the silken screen behind her. The green snake was dressed in white and green robes, her hair put up into a jewelled headdress. A shimmering cloth that seemed to pulse sporadically was tied to Xaio Qing's right hand and trailed behind the screen, apparently connected to Shego.

“Thank you,” Xaio Qing's chest puffed out in pride as she looked about the large dining hall, seeing the many demons mingling amongst each other. Upon their arrival, they would immediately go to Xaio Qing and offer their well-wishes. The silken screen had been finished, and a ferocious open-mouthed black and green snake rested on the right side of the screen while a green snake rested on the other side. Behind the screen, the shadow of a cloaked person was visible.

“And… Shego, is it?” The Raccoon-dog looked past Xaio Qing, squinting at the shadow behind the screen. The figure dipped her head once, in acknowledgement. “Congratulations.”

Shego's head tilted lower to thank the Raccoon-dog demon, but she didn't say a word. With a final bow, he excused himself and went to the feast. Transformed carp served and entertained the guest, as they ate and celebrated. The party had been arranged by Xaio Qing, who looked like a kid on Christmas day. Demons of all sorts filled the hall. Most resided on Er Mei, and came to pay their respects. There were others, who had come from far and wide to attend this curious gathering. The invitation had come as a surprise to many. Who would have thought that the reclusive Xaio Qing had taken on a human disciple who was on her way to becoming a snake demon?

“Things like this just isn't done. This is ridiculous.” The Rabbit demon muttered, sipping at his drink. Decked in a handsome blue robe with a long sleeveless jacket, the Rabbit demon cut a handsome figure, with his well-defined jawline and his slight but beautiful build. If it weren't for the long white rabbit ears that sprouted from where human ears should be and his shocking bright red eyes, he could easily pass for human.

“Then why don't you leave?” The skittish Mouse demon asked. He had foregone any sort of human disguise, and had instead, chosen to come in his true form. He stood at five feet, a huge mouse with fine whiskers that twitched ever so slightly as he lapped at his drink. Once in a while, he would groom his velvetty fur nervously.

“Ha. Before Shego's fully transformed? I really think Xaio Qing would kill us for that insult.” Rabbit crossed his arms.

The mouse managed a nervous smirk. “If you go first, I'll follow.”

Rabbit shook his head and smiled at his friend. “Why did you come anyways?”

“Same reason why we,” Mouse motioned to the rest of the smaller demons, “are here.” Mouse's ear twitched. “I hope I make enough of an impression so when Shego's a snake demon, she won't eat me.”

“Maybe you'll make enough of an impression that Shego would try to find you as soon as she finishes her change.” Rabbit teased. Even though Mouse's fine downy fur covered most of his body, Rabbit could tell that Mouse had paled considerably.

“I'm joking.” Rabbit said reassuringly, patting Mouse's forearm. Mouse tittered nervously and downed his drink in one gulp. This was definitely not a place Mouse wanted to be. Not only was he deathly afraid of Xaio Qing and Shego, he was surrounded by carnivores. Sure, Mouse was a demon and was about fifty years old, a fine old age; but he still retained some of that instinctive fear of the natural predators of the mouse. Which was everything bigger than it. A tiger had come to Xaio Qing's party, his deep laughter reverberating through the room as he reclined with some carp-women on downy pillows. Owl had shown up, and even though she had the body of a woman, her head was still that of a fierce looking bird of prey. A clan of wolves prowled the dining hall, decked out in matching furry coats that looked similar to their pelt in animal form. Even in human form, the way they held themselves, just the way they acted made it apparent as to what they were.

It was like a reunion of sorts for many of the demons who hadn't seen some of their world-trotting family members. Using the party as an excuse, several families were having an impromptu family reunion. One such demon race were the foxes.

“Yinchun, come here!” Her mother clucked, trying to catch her daughter as she ducked around her family members in a desperate attempt to avoid the other fox.

Yinchun dodged her mother and scowled at the elder fox. “Ma! Not in public!”

“Nonsense, I'm your mother! Why are you so shy? I've groomed you since you were a blue-eyed kit!” The woman, who didn't look more than a few years older than her daughter, managed to grab Yinchun. With an inhumanly long tongue, she started licking her daughter's head, slicking down hair that had been held up in a sort of fashionable mullet.

“No! Ma, no! This is embarassing!” Yinchun moaned and tried to squirm away. She cast frantic looks at her siblings, who just shrugged and grinned.

“Hey, we got it too, so you deal with it.” One of her brothers barked out a laugh while her sisters just tittered in amusement. “And believe me, she's doing you a favour. Mullets are NEVER in style.”

“They are in France right now!” Yinchun said furiously. Her face elongated to a snout and she nipped her mother's arm. The mother fox let out a yelp and released her daughter. Yinchun's face had changed into that of a beautiful red fox. The fur at the top of its head had been groomed until there was a part in the middle, and Yinchun rubbed at it furiously with her hands.

“Who bites their mother?! Bad child!” Yinchun's mother smacked the demoness on the snout, and Yinchun let out a yelp, but did not stop glaring balefully at the woman who gave birth to her. “You never visit anymore! Are you trying to make me believe that you don't want to see your family?”

“Yes I am! Is it working?” Yinchun ran away before her mother could smack her again, sitting down at Xaio Qing's feet. The snake demon laughed delightfully as her friend sat there panting, tongue lolling out of her canine mouth which was slowly retracting and transforming back into a human face. Her hair, to Yinchun's annoyance, was still parted in the middle and refused to change from its current hairstyle.

“Do you like the party, Yinchun?” Xaio Qing asked and held out a hand to Yinchun.

“Course,” Yinchun nodded and took the proffered hand. Xaio Qing squeezed her friend's hand. They had known each other a long time, when Yinchun had been a normal fox with no powers. She had been the most adventurous and fearless of her litter. A long time ago when Yinchun still had baby down on her body, she had wandered bravely into Xaio Qing's house and tried to make off with a slab of meat for her mother. It was too big for the little one to carry, of course, and Xaio Qing had come back to see the tiny kit trying to drag a pound of beef away. Xaio Qing had been in one of her good moods that day and had made a gift of the meat and even carried the tired kit home to her grateful mother who was just happy Xaio Qing hadn't eaten her wayward daughter.

“How long?” Yinchun motioned with her head at the shimmering cloth tied to Xaio Qing's wrist.

“Not too long now.” It was the matter of forcing Shego's body to relinquish its humanity. The scale that had been embedded at first, helped. Xaio Qing was impatient though, and connecting master and disciple together would quicken the process. Despite Mouse's misgivings about having two snakes on Er Mei, the majority of the guests were glad that Xaio Qing had found a companion to replace Bai Su Zhen. After the white snake died, Xaio Qing had been… a bit unstable to say the least. Yinchun had been the only demon ever who had dared breach Xaio Qing's inner sanctum and survived. Xaio Qing was known in the area to be prone to violence when things didn't go her way and her mood swings were incredibly unpredictable. Even though Xaio Qing's territory was rife with demons because it was a veritable haven what with the shield Xaio Qing had set up, these demons didn't dare misbehave. They knew if anything happened to the villages under Xaio Qing's protection, they could expect to be skinned alive. Even the great Tiger didn't dare eat a human from a village that was paying tribute to Xaio Qing. They especially knew not to touch She Cun.

“Now, you must have been to a lot of places since your last visit. Mrs Fox has said that you are very much like the great aunt you were named after. Never able to keep still.” Xaio Qing stroked Yinchun's head, and the fox demon thrummed happily.

“Well, I--”

The doors banged open, interrupting Yinchun. At the doorway, a very familiar redhead stood there, heaving from the run she just had. Cheung and some others had been guarding the steps leading up Er Mei. Ting Ting and Nam Ho had sprung into action, holding the defenders at bay, allowing for Kim to get to the top quickly. Ting Ting and Nam Ho made it clear how urgent it was for Kim to stop whatever was going on before it neared its completion. She didn't know what she was supposed to stop, but now she felt really awkward at barging into what was apparently a party. Various demons rose from their seats, eyeing the human warily.

“Xaio… Qing…” Kim asked breathlessly. “Where… is Shego?”

“Kim, how good of you to come!” Xaio Qing stood up from the dias. Yinchun cast a glance at Shego, who had stood up in agitation. The screen was tall enough to still keep Shego from the view of the guests. “Come eat! We will feast!”

“Xaio Qing,” Kim felt a shudder rip through her body as she finally took a good look around. A large mouse stood there, nibbling on a large piece of cake it had in its paws. A man with rabbit ears. An upright wolf with a woman's head. A large muscled man lounging on an ocean of pillows who's… orange and black striped tail was waving back and forth. There were also so many other things in the room that looked very human, but were not. Or stood on all fours, acting very much like an animal but was not. Then there were those in between. Kim knew what they were. Demons. And the seeming head of this gathering? Xaio Qing. Right beside the green snake, someone was waving at her and trying to get her attention. It took a few moments to recognize who it was.

“Hi~i!” Yinchun greeted Kim in a sing-song voice.

“Fox.” Kim pressed her lips together in a disapproving grimace. She felt that overwhelming need to throw the fox-demon down and ravish her again… but Kim didn't feel uncomfortable with this feeling anymore. She knew why the Fox caused such a reaction in her. Kim had done her homework. Foxes in Chinese mythology (Kim laughs now everytime she hears the word ‘mythology') were enchantresses. Seductresses and tricksters.

“If you were going to come anyways, why didn't you want to be my date?” Yinchun pouted.

“Bring the girl something to drink!” Xaio Qing clapped her hands, and carp-people scurried to obey. “She looks parched.”

“No, thank you.” Kim shook her head, refusing drink. “I came to see Shego.”

“I don't want to sssee you.” The voice sounded muffled from behind the screen and shocked the redhead. The voice, raspy and with an audible lisp, was so drastically different from the sultry, teasing tones that the heroine was used to. But she would recognize this voice anywhere. It was Shego, she was sure of it. Kim zeroed in on the shadow cast on the silken screen and walked determinedly towards it. “Kimmie, go home.”

“I am home.” Kim paused. Shego's voice was just so soothing, even though her message was harsh. Her voice was so comforting even though it was unwelcoming. And Kim yearned for the other woman. She blinked her eyes, hoping she wouldn't cry and took a deep shuddering breath. “I'm right where I belong. With you.”

“What don't you not understand about leaving me alone?” Shego hissed desperately. “Didn't I make myself clear last time? I don't want to see you!”

“I don't believe you. Didn't you say you loved me? I don't think you could change your mind like that.” Kim argued, a teasing smile on her lips to hide the hurt.

“What?” Xaio Qing's voice was pleasantly vacant, but there was a dangerous gleam in her eye.

The room fell dead silent.

Mouse and Rabbit inched towards the exit and left quietly. A few others took the cue too and made a break for it. Tiger also, had risen from his reclining position and started herding out the demons that weren't too keen to pick up on Xaio Qing's anger. This would not be pretty. And even he, feared by all, feared Xaio Qing. It was very much how someone would fear a mad dog.

‘Because, indeed, she is mad.’ The Tiger-demon picked up several young foxes on his way out, struggling to hold the squirming kits in his arms until he growled softly, causing them to fall limp in submissive fear. ‘Mother would definitely agree with me.’

“I don't want to be with you.” Shego said firmly. “You're mistaken. Please leave.”

“You're such a bad liar, Shego.” Yinchun yawned and got up from her seat. Her long red tail had made itself known again, waving gently behind her.

“YINCHUN. What do you know that I do not know?” Xaio Qing asked. There was a definite aura of rage running off of Xaio Qing in waves, timed with her shaky breathing as she repeated herself. “What do you know that I do not know?”

“My dearest friend,” Fox smiled sweetly at Xaio Qing. “Exactly want I said. There's something definitely going on between the two.”

“There isn't.” Shego stepped out from behind the screen, and Yinchun watched with interest. She had been curious as to why Shego hid behind the screen. She was sorely disappointed to see the young woman draped in the layers of a heavy black cloak, concealing her visage quite successfully. “Kim. Leave.”

Kim's eyes fixed on Shego, Fox forgotten, Xaio Qing forgotten. Underneath the rolls of the heavy cloak, was Shego. Kim needed to see her. “No.”

Shego stretched out her arm, a slim dainty hand revealing itself from the long sleeves. She clenched the hand into a fist. Kim was alarmed as she was lifted a foot up in the air, held up by nothing.

“I said… LEAVE!” Shego flung her hand out, and Kim went flying. She recovered midair, twisting so she would fall correctly and rolled back on her feet.

“Let me see your face.” Kim approached again. Her shoulders squared and jaw set in determination. Shego knew it well. Kim wasn't going to let this drop.

“Will you leave if I do?” Shego asked quietly.

“No.”

“What will make you leave?”

“I'm not leaving, Shego.”

“Why are you being so stubborn?” Shego growled angrily. “What don't you understand about no meaning no?!”

“Why are you talking like that?” Kim asked, picking up the drawn out s's in Shego's speech.

Shego sighed. Slowly, her hands reached up to the hood of her cloak and pushed it back.

“Oh my god… Shego.” Kim held a hand against her mouth in horror. The initial physical transformation was well under way. Shego's face was a mass of irregular bumps--tiny new scales--that reminded Kim of a bad case of hives. They criss-crossed Shego's beautiful face, marring the perfection, making it grotesque. Her long hair was all gone now. The skin on the villainess’ head was peeling still, black new scales, shiny under transluscent milky green skin. Eyebrows were gone, and where they were, bony ridges protruded. Her nose was flattening across her face, the cartilage looking as if it had given out. One of Shego's ear appeared like it was… rotting. The other ear didn't look good either.

“Are you happy now?” Shego asked. She felt infuriatingly embarassed. She had been okay, with only Xaio Qing there to look at her. But the green snake's opinion was held in a different regard than Kim's. Xaio Qing telling Shego she was beautiful brought her a little pleasure. Flattery had always pleased Shego. It was Kim's compliments that made Shego blush and become tongue-tied. The thought of Kim thinking she was ugly… made Shego incredibly depressed.

“Amazing,” Yinchun breathed out. Shego's forked tongue flickered out, testing the air.

“Leave, Kim. Forget about everything here.” Xaio Qing said softly. “I have… re-evaluated my opinion of you and your presence here today. You have ruined my party. I like you, Kim Possible. So I will let you leave. You have ten seconds to vanish from my sight. I do not wish to see you again, ever, Kim Possible. If I do…” Xaio Qing let the threat trail off.

“Xaio Qing--”

“Shego.” Xaio Qing's distress rose. “Be quiet.”

That command left a bitter metallic taste in everyone's mouth. They could… taste Xaio Qing's power. It oppressed the room with its sheer weight. Shego fell silent immediately giving Kim one last look before she bowed her head in defeat.

“Ten…”

“I'm not leaving.” Kim said resolutely. Yinchun looked nervously from Xaio Qing to Shego to Kim. This was getting out of hand.

“… nine… eight…” Xaio Qing's face was shifting.

“Run, Kim.” Shego didn't bother to try to keep the panic out of voice. Xaio Qing paused in her countdown and closed her eyes. Sorrow rocked her to the core at the sound of Shego's voice and she swayed on her feet unsteadily. Where she lacked confirmation before, Shego's alarmed, worried call gave her irrefutable proof. You could only ignore the truth for so long. Xaio Qing's face stretched back, as if she had suddenly gotten a rather drastic face lift. No longer was Xaio Qing's face that of a beautiful woman. It was a lot more reptilian. And her eyes bulged out, glowing a sickly green colour bleeding out into a vibrant amber. Pupils dilating, lengthening. The change happened in less than a second.

“Zero.”

Everything happened in slow motion. Kim had spent enough time with Xaio Qing to recognize this move. Kim had done it enough times with the guzheng. Xaio Qing didn't need a medium to gather up the attack. Kim knew, when that force hit her, it would slice through her with a cut so fine she wouldn't even know it until she fell apart. Kim closed her eyes, knowing and accepting the fact that she would never be fast enough to dodge it.

“Kimmie!” Shego's scream seemed distant. Like she was hearing her scream underwater--

“Xaio Qing, stop.” Yinchun's voice was very close. The redhead opened her eyes to see the fox-demon in front of her. They were surrounded by a clear, transparent bubble.

“Yinchun, MOVE.” Xaio Qing's voice boomed and echoed around the large room, sending the fox-demon flying into the woman she was trying to protect. When they untangled themselves, Kim had a distinct impression that Xaio Qing was… growing.

“We're going, NOW.” Shego was in front of them and had untied herself from Xaio Qing. Grabbing their wrists, she whisked them away, recalling quickly a spell she had learned by heart. Back at the beginning when she had tried to gather the means to escape Xaio Qing, the spell had been one of them. Shego had practised it to perfection. There was no escape, Shego knew that now. After many failures, she looked back at how she had tried so hard back then, and she laughed bitterly. There was no escape. And as they disappeared from the dining hall, Shego knew it was only a matter of time before the green snake found them. With Xaio Qing's infuriated roar echoing in their ears, the three fled.

---

Nam Ho clutched his side, knowing that a few ribs must be bruised, fractured, or broken. He had fought desperately, and now he would lose. Nam Ho was an extremely adept fighter. But so were the inhabitants of She Cun. He was one of them, he should've known. One, he could confidently take them on and win. Two? Fine. Three? He’d struggle. With a lot of luck, maybe even win. Four, five, six? It was only a matter of time until he lost. He had only lasted this long because he practised several martial arts styles that his life as a monk had taught him. He surprised his opponents. But they knew how to adapt. And they had been cruelly toying with him for the past half-hour. Dealing out as much pain as possible to the traitor. Right now, they waited patiently as Nam Ho sat sprawled on the steps trying to catch his breath.

“Give… up?” Nam Ho wheezed, and flashed a grin at his younger brother. The other man smiled grimly. He had faired a bit better than his older brother, with only a split lip and a splatter of bruises.

“That's a question I should be asking you, dai lo.”

“You know our family,” Nam Ho glanced over at Ting Ting. She had been caught near the beginning and was trying to struggle out of her captors’ grip to no avail. “We're a stubborn breed.”

As the fighters made at Nam Ho, there was suddenly an explosion of fire in between them, blinding the fighters briefly. It took a few seconds for their vision to clear, and when it did, they were met by a motley crew of teenagers, a blue man, two animals and Huang. Feng flew to the other phoenix right away and let out a fierce cry of alarm at how her feathers had greyed, reflecting how exhausted she felt. Huang gave her mate an admonishing chirp, sternly stopping him from fussing over her.

“I have you,” Nam Ho limped over and held his hand out to Huang. The phoenix climbed on, and he placed her on his shoulder where she rested wearily. Feng fluttered up to Nam Ho's opposite shoulder. “Thank you, madam, for coming to my aid.”

Huang cooed softly and leaned her head against Nam Ho's cheek.

Seeing this scene, Team Possible turned on the six fighters.

“Six against one is a bit unfair, isn’t it?” Drakken’s finger rested lightly on the trigger of his ray gun. It was small, but it packed a helluva punch. The others were similarly armed with some kind of weapon. Jim had a hand on Tigger's collar, holding the dog back carefully as it bared its teeth in a ferocious snarl. Tim and Monique were wearing some sort of brass knuckles… really, gauntlets that encased their hands and emitted a dangerous high-pitched humming noise. Ron had Rufus, and looked around the surroundings nervously. He could feel it. It was that odd feeling that came off Shego, except this time, it was multiplied a hundred-fold.

“Help my friend, and I promise you I will bring you to Kim Possible.” Huang's voice sounded like tiny bells ringing together.

“And Shego?” Drakken cast a glance backwards at Huang, while keeping his gun aimed at the six fighters.

“And Shego.” Huang agreed. Meanwhile, Cheung was studying the german shepherd with a frown on his face.

“Blackie?”

Tigger stopped growling for a bit and wagged his tail. Jim frowned at the man and tugged at Tigger's collar gently to get the canine's attention. Tigger lowered his tail immediately and conjured up a grave expression to his doggy face.

“Sir?” Monique spoke slowly, hoping the Chinese man holding the phoenix would understand her. “We're here to help you.”

“I know.” Nam Ho replied in English and smiled. “Thank you.”

Monique turned back to the two factions who were regarding each other warily. A sudden movement from one side was the spark that started it all. Team Possible exploded into action against the residents of She Cun.

---

“We should keep going.” Yinchun struggled to get up, but Kim pushed her back down. They were resting in an old fox hole that was surprisingly large. The entrance had been nearly impossible to squeeze through, and Kim had been afraid that the dwelling area would be small and claustrophobic. Kim hadn't expected the tunnel to open up to a fairly large chamber. She also didn't expect the foxhole to be furnished with a small dining table on which rested a small earthenware pot with matching cups. There was even enough room for a small bed in the corner where Yinchun was resting on.

“You're wounded, you can't even move.” Kim said admonishingly. Yinchun grimaced. Xaio Qing's first attack had been blocked enough that it didn't cut off her leg, but it had still managed to hit her. As it was, it was a deep wound, one that would take some time to heal. Her healing time was MUCH shorter than a human's, but it still hurt like hell. It could've been worse, though. Yinchun could've lost her leg. They fell into silence again. Shego sat in the corner, hood pulled down low over her face so no-one could see her, curled up as tightly as she could into herself.

“Go talk to her,” Yinchun whispered. Kim had been giving Shego furtive glances since they had stopped to rest, but didn't approach the other woman.

“You think I should?”

“Do it.” Yinchun nodded and smiled encouragingly. Kim returned the fox-demon's smile with a doubtful one. Taking a deep breath, she walked the three steps over to Shego and crouched down in front of her. At first, they didn't say anything. Finally, a sigh came out of that cloaked mass.

“What do you want?”

“We need to talk.”

Shego chuckled. “Figures.”

“Why did you drive me away?”

“Because I didn't want you here.”

“Why?”

Shego looked up, even though her face was draped in shadows, her eyes were visible. “If you hadn't come back, none of this would've happened.”

“None of this? What is this?” Kim reached out and tried to brush Shego's hood from her face. But Shego was faster and caught Kim's hand, giving a quick shake of her head.

“Don't.”

“Why not?”

Locked in a battle of wills, they tried to stare each other down, with Kim winning easily.

“Fine. Do whatever you want.” The defeat in Shego's voice scared Kim. Shego never gave up. But here she was, resigned and defeated. Those words didn't fit with Shego. Like forcing a jigsaw piece into a part of the puzzle that it wasn't supposed to be in.

Kim flipped off Shego's hood, and stared at that face that looked so vulnerable. The two stared at each other as if searching each other for something.Shego watched apprehensively for the disgust she knew must be coming. But it never came as Kim held that changed face, leaned forward and kissed Shego tenderly.

“Do you still want me to leave?” Kim asked and smiled, in Shego's opinion, too sweetly. When Kim leaned forward again, this time, Shego closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the cool kisses on her face. Her name on Kim's tongue sent unexpected thrills down her spine as the redhead breathed out “Shego” with every sigh. Shego was powerless to stop herself from hugging Kim close, a huge relief washing over her. Selfish relief, of having Kim back here, where she belonged. With Shego. Kim's tight embrace made her feel loved and dashed away Shego's insecurities about her metamorphosis.

“Why did you come back?” Shego whispered the question in Kim's ear, squeezing Kim to her as hard as she could. “You could've been safe. You could've been far away from here. I let you go.”

“I wasn't a prisoner here.” Kim said firmly. “It was my own choice, remember?”

“Was it really?” A flash of guilt crossed Shego's face. “You don't know the whole story.”

Shego could feel Xaio Qing trying to search for her. She would find them, undoubtedly. There was no place in the world Shego could go to hide from Xaio Qing.

“The abridged version, if you please.” Yinchun piped up, giving Shego a cheeky wink when the snake-woman glared at her.

“You know how this all started. The elders told you the story.” Shego's eyes turned back to Kim when the redhead tugged on her hand plaintively. “I followed Fong into the village.”

For some odd reason, Shego had passed the shield, easily following Fong back to She Cun. As said before, Shego had helped fight off the monk invaders, and had garnered the goodwill of Xaio Qing.

“She offered to give me anything I desired. And beating you seemed like a good idea at the time. Xaio Qing could make me stronger, faster--”

“The million dollar woman?”

“Ha ha. Funny.” Shego deadpanned. “Now you wanna hear the story or not?”

Kim settled back into Shego's arm. When there were no more remarks forthcoming, Shego continued with her story.

“Fong and I had slowly gotten… closer. When Xaio Qing found out, she wasn't happy at all. You remember Bai Su Zhen, right?” Kim nodded, and Shego continued with her story. “When Bai Su Zhen died, Xaio Qing saw the white snake's death as a direct consequence of her romantic involvement with Xu Xian. So Xaio Qing has this thing now, where if someone she cared about liked anyone besides her, she'd go crazy worrying that they'd leave her. So me attached to someone else just wasn't good in her books. To make a long story short, I ended up pretty beaten up. After that, I just tried to escape again and again.”

Escaping was no use. Xaio Qing just dragged Shego back kicking and screaming. It was on one of the many escape attempts that Xaio Qing had asked Shego if she hated her.

No matter how trapped Shego felt, she couldn't bear to hate Xaio Qing. Shego didn't have much friends. Her winning personality and biting wit kept people at bay. Xaio Qing, Fong and a few others were about the only people who could not only stand her, but liked her. Shego understood what loneliness was. Being Drakken's right-hand woman was a glorious, but lonely profession. And she could empathize with Xaio Qing's need to keep her here.

“No. I don't.” Shego winced in pain as Xaio Qing's nails dug into her shoulders. It was a little like battered wife syndrome. Shego just couldn't muster up the strength or will to hate the green snake. How could you hate someone who was begging in your arms?

“Do not leave, Shego, please. Do not leave me alone. I would be all alone up here without you. Please.”

“I can't stay,” Shego whispered, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. But Xaio Qing picked up on it. The pressure of Xaio Qing's fingers increased. Shego let out an involuntary whimper as Xaio Qing's grip on her shoulders started testing her pain threshold.

“If I broke both your legs, how will you leave?” Xaio Qing let go of Shego's shoulders to hug her close, possessively.

“I would die here, Xaio Qing.”

“I won't let you die.”

“I can't stay with you. This isn't where I belong.”

“Where do you belong, if not here?”

Shego remembered a redheaded young woman, outside the boundaries of Xaio Qing's mountain and her village. Odd that she didn't think of Fong first. But her role as Drakken's second-in-command gave her an identity outside of Er Mei and She Cun. That was where she belonged. “Somewhere else. Not here.”

“Of course, that wasn't the right answer.” Shego grimaced. “I'm surprised I didn't die that night.”

The look of horror on Kim's face made Shego quickly correct herself. “I'm exaggerating.”

Kim let out a sigh of relief. Shego caught the look Yinchun was giving her and she narrowed her eyes at the fox demon. Yinchun shrugged and looked away.

“So what happened after?” Yinchun prompted.

“Xaio Qing said I could leave on the condition I find someone to replace me.” Shego twined her fingers through Kim's red hair, remembering how Xaio Qing had bravely suggested the alternative to Shego, offering her disciple a way out. Shego's eagerness to escape was expected, but Xaio Qing had still flinched at the eagerness on Shego's face that time. “Someone who didn't know what entailed staying with the green snake. I lied to the villagers at She Cun and told them Xaio Qing was looking to find another person to train, and everyone about jumped at the chance. I couldn't possibly take Fong, because I was so afraid Xaio Qing would kill her. And I couldn't take anyone from She Cun… I had… gotten to know everybody too well. I needed someone interesting that would keep her distracted and make her forget me. So I chose you, Kimmie. You would take my place.” Shego remembered how Xaio Qing had stoicly ripped off each new scale Shego had grown by herself, and cheerfully told Shego that she would use the extracted scales to make herself something to remember Shego by. It had hurt so much. But how much had it hurt Xaio Qing?

“I would leave and Drakken would finally take over the world because there wouldn't be a person in the world who would be able to stop me with you gone. I kept you here, docile and unknowing. Xaio Qing weaved enough spells to keep you befuddled anytime you thought deeper on the subject of why you were here.”

“Why didn't you continue with the plan?” Kim asked impishly to lighten the mood.

The reptilian woman was caught by surprise by the question and looked away in embarassment.

“Come on, Shego.” Kim pouted. “Why not?”

“Cuz.” Shego said sullenly.

“Cuz what?”

“Cuz I …you know.” Shego replied, still in that sullen tone.

Yinchun grinned and resisted the urge to giggle insanely. She *loved* watching people who were obviously crazy for each other. But now, there were more pressing matters as a growing sense of forboding filled her. She met Shego's eyes, and saw for a brief moment, panic in them. Yinchun was impressed that Shego didn't bolt right away. It took great strength of will for the person that Xaio Qing's wrath was directed at not to run.

“What is that?” Kim frowned, feeling Xaio Qing's anger. The uncomfortable feeling of one's soul being weighed down and the growing sense of fear.

“That,” Yinchun said as Shego got up, pulling Kim up along with her. “Is the feeling a prey gets when it knows a predator is hunting it. We leave now.”

“Take the fox and run for it when I distract Xaio Qing.” Shego brought Kim's hands up to her lips and brushed clumsy kisses against them, feeling incensed that her transformation had deprived her of proper lips to kiss with. She would draw on her own anger to try to counter the crippling affects of Xaio Qing's. Most snakes had the power to freeze someone to the spot with their presence, killing the instinct to fight or flee. Xaio Qing had ample amount of that talent, and on their hunting forays that Xaio Qing had been taking her on recently Shego had seen many animals frozen to the spot, unable to move. Those that could fight that crippling power chose to flee, and Shego had never seen one stand to fight except for one tiny swallow sitting on its eggs. Upon seeing Xaio Qing's approach, it fluttered at the serpent, beating its wings in Xaio Qing's reptilian face and trying to lead it away from its tiny clutch of two eggs.

“A wolf ran away as soon as it saw me. A wild pig stood frozen and could not fight even when I wrapped around it. Can you answer my question, Shego? What makes this bird different than the rest?” Xaio Qing reared up to glance at the eggs in the bird's nests curiously. Shego, saliva dripping from her mouth as she watched the bird flitting around, could not answer. Xaio Qing lowered back to the forest floor and continued on her way.

“Not eating?” Shego asked in disappointment.

“No, that bird is spared.”

Shego had been blinded by her primal side before but she could answer now. The bird wanted to protect its young. Corny as it was, the bird shook itself out of its fear to protect.

“No, I'm staying with you.” Kim said firmly.

“So if you stay with me, who's going to help Yinchun get away?” Shego pointed out.

“Hello? Still here. I can hear you guys.” Yinchun was trying not to be annoyed. They were talking about her like she was just a fifty year old demon, barely able to defend itself. Honestly!

Kim glanced over to Yinchun, eyes pulled to the wound on the fox-demon's leg. Then she looked at Shego desperately.

“I'm no hero, Kim. I'm not gonna sacrifice myself. I'll be alright,” Shego conjured up a smirk on her scaley face. “I'm just gonna divert Xaio Qing. I'll meet you at the bottom of the mountain, alright?”

“You promise?”

“Yeah, sure.” Shego smiled. Xaio Qing was getting really close… they could all feel it. And in the distance, they could hear some huge creature roar, shaking the earth. A fine sprinkle of dirt showered down on them. Kim leaned towards Shego. One more kiss. Shego let herself enjoy it, savoured this gesture. Kim was something else. How could you kiss something that looked so monstrous?

“Later!” Shego's voice was a bit too cheerful. She gave Yinchun a nod, then left the way they had come in. Kim turned to Yinchun and tore up bedsheets to replace the makeshift bandages on Yinchun's legs, which had soaked through with blood. Kim tended to the wound in silence. Another roar, and both fox-demon and woman looked up towards the ceiling. It wasn't directed their way. Xaio Qing had changed paths.

“You know she was lying, right?” Yinchun watched the redhead bend her head, attention back on Yinchun's leg. “She's not going to meet us at the bottom of Er Mei.”

“I know that.” Kim said tersely as she tied a neat knot. Fox looked at the dressing on her leg, impressed. Kim wasn't the daughter of a brain surgeon for nothing.

“What are you gonna do about it?”

“What else?” Kim helped Yinchun up. “Go after her.” Kim paused, a though suddenly crossing her mind. “We've got to go back to Xaio Qing's place first.”

“What do you expect to find there?”

A plan was forming in Kim's head. As Yinchun readied a transportation spell, the redhead looked up when another roar echoed through the earth. Kim Possible's hands strayed to the scale strung around her neck. When Shego had ripped Xaio Qing's scales from her back, she had felt so… under-nourished after that. Starved. She had tried to play out an attack, but hadn't even coaxed out a papercut from her music.

Kim still didn't get the logistics of magic use. But… maybe.

In a flash of light, they were back on Xaio Qing's sprawling estate, which, Kim thought with a wince, had seen better days. The building that had been the dining room had been demolished completely. It looked like something had clipped the corner of Kim's room, and the building was sagging on one side, the roof in danger of falling completely. The courtyard looked like it had been struck simultaneously with three kinds of natural disasters. The carp-people were nowhere to be seen and her first step into the wreckage immediately told her what had become of them. Feeling slightly nauseated, she stepped out of the mess that had been a carp-person. There were bits and pieces of fish and what was transformed fish all over the place. The only thing that seemed to be standing unscathed was Xaio Qing's room.

“Stay here for a bit, I'll be right back.” Kim left Yinchun at the door and picked her way through the debris. She had the layout clearly mapped in her head. Finally, the redhead stopped in front of a pile that used to be a pavilion. Getting to work quickly, Kim hefted beams aside, straining to clear a path to her goal. Finally, she saw it. The light reflected off the tightly strung strings of the guzheng. Miraculously, it had survived the destruction. Carefully, Kim cleared the debris off the guzheng. Taking her necklace off, Kim wound the gold chain around her right hand. She had also researched in her spare time in Middleton. Modern guzheng players now taped little plectrums on their fingers to play the strings. Kim had been taught to play it without plectrums. Then after Shego had ripped out her scale, Xaio Qing had changed tactics and taught Kim how to play with the extracted green scale. Why?

Carefully, Kim played a melody with just her fingers, relieved to see that the guzheng was in tune. Now, with the scale in hand, she played the same tune. With a flick of her wrist at the end of the song, she watched for that almost unseen telltale sign… a ripple in the air… it hit a wooden beam that lay a few feet away, and Kim watched in satisfaction as it split in two.

A noise behind her made Kim whip around, guzheng resting on the ground with one hand supporting it and the other quickly plucked out a fast and deadly chord.

“Kim--!” Yinchun held up a white piece of cloth, just barely managing to block the attack. To Kim's surprise, the piece of cloth seemed to block the guzheng's music. The redhead was sure Yinchun hadn't thrown up a personal shield.

“Ohmygod! Are you alright?! I'm so sorry!” Kim tucked the guzheng under her arm and ran towards Yinchun.

“I'm alright. God. That could've taken off my head!” Yinchun said accusingly.

“I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to! Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Yinchun accepted the apology grudgingly. The beautiful fox-demon held up the cloth. It was the screen in the dining room, the one with the two snakes on it. “This… stopped it.”

“What is it?”

Yinchun fingered the seemingly fragile cloth, rubbing the material between two fingers experimentally. “Its made of scales and silk and thread. Xaio Qing… made this. She's woven in a lot of magic into it.”

“What is it?” Kim asked again. She reached out a hand to touch the motif of the green snake on it. “And why would she make it?”

“This is just a piece of magic woven together. The simplest to use, but the hardest to make. The more powerful of our kind usually make things like this. And why? Its a way of showing off. If you have the skill, you would want to make something like this, leave tokens of your power around as a benevolent gesture to mortals. This thing she made, it reacts to the user's thoughts and tries to do its best to obey. Watch,” Yinchun covered her hand with the cloth. Then, with a “Presto!” she drew the cloth off and on the palm of her hand was an apple.

“See, regular non-magical people can do that with sleight of hand.” Yinchun offered the apple to Kim, who took a tentative bite of the fruit. Her teeth broke through the taut red skin and into the delicious apple. “But THAT apple was made by magic. You think, and it creates or transforms. It brings forth into being and adapts. Like how I was praying that I wouldn't get cut up by the guzheng.”

Kim cringed in embarassment. “I'm SO sorry.”

“Eh. Accidents happen.” Yinchun suddenly looked towards the entrance, or what remained of the entrance, of Xaio Qing's home. “And… it seems we have company. Lets go greet them.”

They left the ruins of the house and were just in time to see Nam Ho, with two similar-looking birds on his shoulders topping the steps with Team Possible in tow.

“Kim!” Her brothers and Ron (who had carried Ting Ting on his back) ran towards her, almost toppling her in a fierce embrace. Tigger loped after the boys, with Rufus riding on top of the german shepherd's head, holding onto the canine's ears. Drakken and a tired looking Monique followed.

“Here is your Kim Possible.” One of the birds spoke, her feminine voice betraying her sex.

Drakken faced the birds angrily. “Where is Shego? You said Kim AND Shego!”

“That I have, doctor.” Kim finally put two and two together. Nam Ho had mention there were two phoenixes. The female phoenix was Feng's mate, Huang. “Rest assured, I keep my promises. Please, follow me. Nam Ho--”

“Of course, Lady Huang.” Nam Ho set off in the direction Huang nodded towards with Drakken following closely.

“We're going too.” Kim knelt down to allow Yinchun to wrap her arms around Kim's neck rode piggyback. Yinchun could barely hobble through the wreckage with her injury.

“My sentiments exactly.” Jim nodded. “We've got to bring her and Drakken to Global Justice to be tried.”

“No.” Kim shook her head, sparing Jim a glance. “We are not. We're going to save her.”

“Save her?” Jim spat out the word, as if it disgusted him. “Are you crazy, sis?!”

“It wasn't her fault.” Kim could see Monique leveling a hard look at her. Before the other woman could say anything, there was a loud screaming roar that shook the trees.

“What was that?” They had been following after Nam Ho, and the abbot stopped and walked back to the group that had paused at the strange cry.

“That,” Nam Ho reached up to pat Feng on the back soothingly as the phoenix let out an indignant response to the roar. “Is what is the cause of all of this.”

“Yo, Jim, this is totally Jurassic Park!” Tim said excitedly. Everyone had quickened their pace.

“You think maybe its a t-rex?” Jim's eyes were wide with excitement too. Even though their personalities had developed quite differently from each other, they still shared the same basic interests.

“Maybe we'll get to try out our new gloves on something bigger, eh, Mon?” Tim grinned at the black women, who held out a fist to the teen. Tim tapped it with one of his own, causing sparks to fly out between their gauntlet-encased hands. “Hoosha!”

“I'm surprised whatever that is didn't explode,” Kim scoffed at the gauntlets.

Tim clenched and unclenched his hands as they continued running. “Hey, tested it today. These babies are--”

“--within the accepted test range.” Jim finished.

“Tested it on what? Tweebs, please tell me you didn't test it on a person or something.”

“Man, they deserved the beating they got anyways.” Monique put in. “They were having it in for the good monk over there.”

Kim had a sinking feeling in her stomach when she saw Nam Ho glance back at her and then quicken his pace to a jog.

“Did one of the people you tested your gloves on have a peach fuzz haircut? And a diamond stud in his ear?”

Team Possible nodded.

“Yes, that was one of them.” Dr. Drakken panted. The blue doctor didn't get much exercise. “Your brother, Tim, should maybe think about taking up professional boxing, Kim Possible.”

“You think?” Tim squared his shoulders and started humming the training theme song to ‘Rocky’. Dr. Drakken, Ron and Rufus joined in, and they all ended up cracking up. Jim just rolled his eyes. He would never say it, but he was a bit jealous that Tim was getting along so well with the blue man and everybody else. Tim was HIS brother.

“Is he alright? The guy with the stud earring?” Kim got their attention again.

Ting Ting answered. “Yes, Cheung is fine.”

Kim gave the child a weird look. Ting Ting had been acting… strange. Addressing her father by his name was part of the strangeness too. And the child looked sick and pale, her face drawn into a frown as if she was in pain. Before Kim could question the child, Yinchun interrupted her thoughts.

“We're near.” Yinchun snapped her fingers to get everyone's attention. “Okay, quiet, everyone! I wanna hear what's going on!”

Since she spoke in Chinese, the people who didn't understand just exchanged puzzled looks.

“Who is she and what did she just say?” Jim stage-whispered.

“I don't know,” Tim replied. “But she's hot!”

“She is all that!” Dr. Drakken agreed.

“I know!” Monique joined in on the conversation, gushing, “I think I'm in love!”

The boys all looked at Monique strangely. She blinked and almost tripped over her own feet. “Woah. Lesbian moment.”

“I don't mind.” Jim gave Monique a lopsidedly grin, which earned him a super-powered punch to the arm. “Ow! I think you broke my arm!”

“Sh!” Yinchun looked back at the group again. They obeyed immediately, and Kim rolled her eyes. They had come upon a clearing. And even if Yinchun hadn't shushed them, the sight of a huge green serpent would've shut them up. The snake was a good several metres long, and sprouting out of where the head should be was the upper torso of a naked woman. The snake-woman had her back to them, facing the large limestone cliff that shot up skywards. Its shoulders shook in dry sobs, as it held a body.

Kim felt her heart stop.

“Shhh… its alright Xaio Qing… please don't be angry…” Shego's voice prompted Drakken to try to call out, but Tim and Ron quickly clamped they hands over the mad scientist's mouth. Kim Possible felt her heart start beating again. Shego was alive.

“Why does this have to be difficult, Shego?” Xaio Qing wailed. The green snake pushed back to better look at Shego, giving the group a glimpse of what Drakken's righthand woman had become. Everybody had heard Xaio Qing refer to the person in her grasp as Shego. Shego's voice was barely recognizable, but still hers. Her physical appearance was something else. Tim and Ron were glad they had their hands firmly clamped over Drakken's mouth, his screams muffled by their hands.

“I won't leave, Xaio Qing. Please, let go. It hurts…” Shego pleaded hoarsely. Kim felt angry for Shego. Nobody made the proud brunette beg! Monique was meanwhile looking at the clearing, noting that there were clear signs of conflict all around. The African-American woman could see that parts of the ground in the clearing were stained and scuffed with blood. She shuddered briefly. Everybody was horrified and entranced by the huge snake-woman and the metamorphed Shego, including Ting Ting who had climbed off of Ron's back and was staring at Xaio Qing intently.

“Why do you want to leave?” Xaio Qing was shaking Shego, apparently not hearing what she had said before. Deaf and blind to anything but her own pain. Xaio Qing didn't seem aware of the look of agony on Shego's face, or the blood leaking out of an ugly jagged wound on her disciple's shoulder, that almost severed her arm from her body.

“I'll be right behind you, Kim.” Yinchun whispered.

Huang nodded at Shego. “She can't last long.”

The redhead didn't need anymore prompting. She felt the comforting weight of the guzheng under her arm and Yinchun stepping out with her.

“Get away from her!” Kim said loudly. Xaio Qing whipped around to face Kim, her tail quickly winding around Shego and slamming her against the cliffside, holding the metamorphed woman captive.

“You let her go!” Drakken finally managed to free himself and started firing indiscriminately at the large serpent. The shots bounced off the large snake harmlessly, its eyes only on Kim. Xaio Qing's eyes darted to the musical instrument in Kim's hands, and then Xaio Qing pointed at the redhead.

“YOU. THIEF. YOU DARE TO STEAL FROM ME?” Xaio Qing hissed, eyeing the guzheng. Kim tried to speak but the green snake continued talking, not giving her an opening to give a defense against the accusation. “I GAVE YOU A CHANCE TO LEAVE. NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF IT WERE NOT FOR YOU!”

“Why did you come back, you idiot?!” Shego screamed at Kim. “Why didn't you leave like I told you to?!”

“You think I'd listen to you?!” Kim screamed back. She was angry at Xaio Qing. Angry at Shego. Angry at things being so hard.

“Shego! Get down from there right now!” Dr. Drakken ordered.

Shego blinked a few times, seeing Dr. Drakken for the first time. “Dr. D?”

“Shego!” Dr. Drakken was bawling now. “Shego, where have you been--”

“Move!” Shego's warning gave Team Possible just enough time to scatter as Xaio Qing crashing headlong into their midst.

Surprisingly, Ron was the first one jumping into action. There was something… different about him. With a screeching scream, he jumped onto the snake's back, managing to hold on quite well as he bit and scratched at Xaio Qing, his attacks reminding everyone of a berserking monkey. Xaio Qing tried to buck him off, howling as the man actually made marks on the parts of her body that resembled more human than snake. Being confronted with so much of a monkey's natural enemy had overwhelmed Ron's human senses. The rational part of Ron's mind couldn't deal with the fear Xaio Qing inspired, so it left the Tai Shing Pek Kwar master in him to deal.

“Ah!” Rufus held onto Tigger for dear life as the german shepherd dodged away from Xaio Qing's wildly squirming form. Tigger did a quick turn and launched itself at the snake's body, but skidded off the scales, yelping as he landed on his side. Rufus had managed to hang on throughout the whole thing, and now patted Tigger's forehead worriedly. “Doggy?”

Tigger made a short growling bark in response and got back to his feet.

“YINCHUN… YOU TOO?!” Xaio Qing writhed agitatedly, as if in pain. The green snake threw Ron off and the blonde man hit a tree, stunning him. The wounds Ron had inflicted were quickly closing, healing. Xaio Qing raised her hands, then brought them down in a sudden, deadly gesture. Yinchun held up the silk screen just in time to block whatever power Xaio Qing threw at her. It reflected off the silk motif and bounced back at Xaio Qing, marking a hit on the snake's hip with a thin line of blood. Monique and Tim, meanwhile, had fired up their gauntlets.

“Full power, lets see what this will do,” Tim grinned at Monique. While Xaio Qing had been distracted, they had snuck up as close as possible. Now they raised their fists high above their heads, energy crackling dangerously around their weaponized fists.

“Hickabickaboo?” Tim grinned at Monique.

“Whatever.” The dark-skinned woman rolled her eyes and smirked.

“Hoosha!” Tim whooped and they simultaneously brought their fists down on the long body. Xaio Qing howled in pain as the electricity managed to pass the protection her scales provided and shocked her.

“Watch out!” Kim winced as Tim and Monique went flying into the outskirting forest. Kim set down the guzheng and played a jarring melody, each note slicing through the air and leaving thin cuts all over Xaio Qing's skin, even managing to scratch Xaio Qing's pristine scales.

“YOU DARE?!” Xaio Qing roared and spun around, forgetting about everybody else again and centering on the redheaded heroine. In her distraction, she had dropped Shego.

“Shego, get up!” Dr. Drakken hissed, hoping he didn't attract the snake's attention. “Get up! We have to go!”

“Dr. D, why'd you come?” Shego struggled to her feet. Kim saw what Drakken was trying to do and cast around for Ron, finally catching the blonde man's eye, communicating silently to him. They've been best friends forever, and being able to interpret silent looks was part of the whole ‘best friends’ package. Torn between wanting to fight with Kim and doing what Kim asked; Ron stood there for a few seconds, indecision holding him in place. Another desperate look from Kim spurred him into action.

“Here,” Ron ran to the cerulean doctor and held up Shego from the other side as Drakken struggled to drag her away, both of them careful of her shoulder wound.

“Why are you here too?” Shego asked angrily.

“No, ‘thank you, Ron’. I shoulda expected it.” Ron grunted. He tried his best not to look at Shego when he talked to her. Just the feel of the smooth scales of her arm brushing against the back of his neck made him queasy.

“I didn't ask for your help.” Shego snapped back and pushed away from the two men, half-running, half-limping back to Xaio Qing.

“Xaio Qing!” Shego shouted. “Xaio Qing, stop!”

The green snake turned away from Kim immediately, and the redhead stilled the strings of the guzheng, placing both palms on the strings and stopping the deadly music.

“Shego,” Xaio Qing bleated. “Do not leave me. Please do not leave me!”

Xaio Qing slithered to Shego slowly and lay down at the woman's feet, arms encircling Shego's waist.

“Shego--URK!” A white ring of glowing Chinese characters surrounded Xaio Qing's neck, and Nam Ho stepped closer, his lips moving silently, prayer beads wrapped around his hands. The two birds on his shoulders had taken flight, emitting a low clicking noise in their throats. Xaio Qing's arms suddenly clapped to her side, and she fell to the ground, eyes wide in surprise, unable voice her surprise. Nam Ho was obviously the persons responsible for the hold on the green snake.

“What are you doing?!” Shego tried to grab Xaio Qing's shoulders with her one good arm, but was repelled.

Nam Ho paused to glare at Shego. “Saving you! Run for it!”

Shego stood there, still unwilling to leave her master's side.

“Shego!” Kim's call made the other woman look away from the bound Xaio Qing. Kim held out a hand to Shego, pleading with her. “Come with me.”

Shego looked at Kim, then back to Xaio Qing. The green snake renewed her struggles, managing to crack the bind on her voice.

“She…go… Shego…”

“Come with me, Shego.” Kim asked again.

Shego didn't need to be asked a third time. She stumbled to the redhead and just about threw herself at Kim, to the surprise of Team Possible. Holding onto each other tightly, Shego took in deep shaky breaths, feeling Kim's tears wet against her cheek, adding her own tears to the mix.

“Why are you crying?” Shego pulled back and smiled, her eyes inadvertantly fell on Xaio Qing. Hiccupping and bound in the dust, the green snake was trembling and shaking her head in continuous twitchy movements, mouthing the word ‘no’ over and over.

“I'm sorry.” Shego bowed to Xaio Qing. “I can't do this, Xaio Qing. I can't--”

“RUN!” Nam Ho roared, visible strain on his face as the grief on the green snake's face was changed into one of rage. Shego looked at Xaio Qing, almost in regret, then turned away. Leaning heavily against Kim, Shego made her escape.

“Well, then…” Yinchun snapped her fingers. She suddenly disappeared, clothes falling to the ground in a pile. In the midst of that pile was a beautiful red fox with a handsome white-tipped tail. Said fox had a wound on its leg, and it busied itself with limping away.

“Yo, did you--”

“--see that?!” Tim finished the sentence. Both him and Monique had just picked themselves up and came back into the clearing just in time to see Yinchun's transformation.

“Guys, less gaping more running!” Jim noticed the injured fox and whistled to his dog. Tigger perked up attentively.

“Tigger, go get it!” Jim pointed at Yinchun. The fox yelped when she felt Tigger pick her up by the scruff of her neck, and went limp instinctively.

“Good boy! Now, follow!” Jim glanced at the struggling half-snake half-woman nervously. She was… growing. Parts of her bulging grotesquely. It was definitely time to leave. Everybody followed Kim and Shego's example and ran for it.

In a few seconds, there was nobody at the fight scene except for Nam Ho, the mystical birds and Xaio Qing.

“MONK,” Xaio Qing hissed. She was getting so large that her girth had burst through some the binds on her body, granting her movement of those parts. Sweat dotted Nam Ho's forehead. His whole body was sore from the beating he had gotten, but he had to do this. Just a little bit more. Give them a head start.

“MONK, WHEN I AM FREE, I WILL GRIND YOUR BONES TO DUST.”

“I would beg your forgiveness, grand auntie, but I think I would be wasting my breath.”

“YOU ARE RIGHT, TRAITOR. HAVE I NOT GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING, NAM HO? HAVE I NOT SHIELDED YOUR ANCESTORS PAST? HAVE I NOT GIVEN SHE CUN EVERYTHING IT NEEDED?”

“You have, auntie.” Nam Ho grimaced as he strained underneath holding Xaio Qing. “And I am no traitor. You might not realize it, but guarding She Cun is bad for you.”

“SHE CUN IS MY EVERYTHING.” A bit of the madness left Xaio Qing's eyes. “I HAVE NURTURED AND WATCHED IT SINCE IT WAS YOUNG.”

“You've done an excellent job. But maybe its time you went elsewhere.” Nam Ho grunted.

“TRYING TO DRIVE ME OUT OF MY HOME?” Xaio Qing's eyes took on that half-crazed look again. The last few magical binds broke and Xaio Qing lunged at Nam Ho.

---

There was a loud explosion, back the way they had come from. Kim stopped in her tracks, and looked back, dread filling her when she saw twin dots in the sky--the phoenixes. But what about Nam Ho? Even though she wasn't on good terms per say with Nam Ho, leaving someone behind to face the large demon wasn't something she felt good about doing. And… where was Ting Ting?!

“Kimmie, we don't have time to smell the roses.” Shego had one hand clamped over her shoulder.

“Ron… where's Ting Ting?” Kim asked. “The little girl, where is she?”

Ron's eyes widened in panic. “I… I don't know.”

“Tweebs, Mon. Get Shego out of here.” Kim ordered. The three that Kim had singled out for the job exchanged looks then started protesting all at once.

“Girl, I *know* you ain't thinkin’ of going back--”

“What?! I'm not--”

“--leaving! You've got to be--”

“--crazy to think that! We're--”

“--secondly, who you think you are ordering me around--”

“GUYS!” Kim had tried to get a word in edgewise, but that hadn't been possible. Her shout got their attention, though. “This is NOT up for discussion. Do it NOW.” Everybody, including Shego, was stunned into silence by Kim's commanding tone and the lack of a ‘please and thank you’. Kim forced a smile on her face. “I'll have Ron here--”

“And me!” Yinchun had become a woman again. A very naked woman who had the snake-stitched silk screen barely covering her private parts. Everybody tried not to gape at her.

“And Yinchun,” Kim said dubiously then became serious again. “Now take her and go.”

“You can order them around, princess, but not me.” growled Shego in Chinese after she had shaken herself out of her stupor.

“You're right.” Kim replied in English. She suddenly spun and kicked Shego in the head, catching the reptilian woman before she hit the ground.

“Shego!” Dr. Drakken aimed his gun at Kim, but a quick punch from Jim knocked the doctor out too. Kim, who hadn't paid any attention to Drakken when he tried to shoot her, was checking Shego worriedly before setting her down on the ground with a tenderness that continued to surprise everyone.

“Jim, take Drakken too.”

“I'll go if you agree to keep Tigger with you.” Kim agreed quickly and Jim obediently hefted the blue doctor onto his shoulder, setting off with Tim and Monique following after with Shego between them.

“I can't order you to do anything, Shego.” Kim whispered as she watched the group retreat. “But I can damn well make you.”

“Just the two of us, Kim?” Ron gave his best friend a winning smile.

“The four--five of us.” Kim held out a finger to give Rufus a tiny high-five while Yinchun gave Tigger a pat on the head. The sound of trees crashing to the ground in the distance made everybody nervous.

“Ready?”

“Nope!” Ron replied cheerfully. “No big though, right Kim? Team Possible, old skool stylez!”

Ron high-fived Kim cheerfully.

“Me too!”

Ron high-fived Yinchun too.

“Booyah.” Kim agreed and the trio started back the way they came. They didn't have to go far since Xaio Qing had been seeking them out too. The glint of Xaio Qing's now fully reptilian body could be seen in the near distance. Their good cheer left them when they realized that the slowly approaching snake had doubled… tripled… quadrupled in size. Trees parted like grass in her wake. Instead of heading directly towards them though, the snake turned to the left.

“What is she doing?” Ron squeaked.

Kim had a sinking feelin in her stomach as it suddenly dawned on her what was happening.

“She's making sure that we don't have an exit.” Yinchun realized, just a step behind Kim, watching Xaio Qing circle around.

“You were always very smart, Yinchun. So why did you suddenly decide to not be smart and go against me?” Xaio Qing chuckled as her head came into view. The green snake's head was the size of a small car and her eyes were the headlights. Kim moved the guzheng protectively in front of her, fingers ready on the strings.

“Kim Possible, I taught you well, so…” Xaio Qing reared up, tongue darting out to taste the air. “Maybe you can offer me more than a few seconds of entertainment?” Then without another warning, Xaio Qing shot forward.

Kim dodged out of the way, frantically playing on the guzheng. The melody stabbed deep into Xaio Qing, the green snake's howl marking the first hits. Ron, meanwhile, was climbing up and onto Xaio Qing's body. Deftly avoiding Xaio Qing's crushing coils, he raced towards the head. The monkey master in him knew instinctively that the only weak spots right now were in the head, in those hypnotic eyes.

A warning bark was all he got before Tigger barrelled into him with Rufus riding on the pup's head. While Ron had been concentrating on running to the head, he hadn't been aware that Xaio Qing had turned to seek him out. Fangs passed by perilously close to his body, ripping off his pants.

“Good boy!” Ron praised, making a mental note to repay Tigger with a lifetime of steak as soon as they got out of this mess. Patting himself down to make sure all there, Ron ran back to engage, sans pants.

While Kim was concentrating on driving attack after attack into Xaio Qing, Yinchun was literally lighting a fire underneath Xaio Qing. There was plenty of fuel around since Xaio Qing was quickly reducing the mountainside to firewood. And with the snake screen in hand, Yinchun found out that her powers had risen exponentially.

“Xaio Qing, calm down!” Yinchun shouted up at Xaio Qing. But the green snake was beyond listening.

---

“Kimmie… what… Kim?” Shego opened her eyes, brought to consciousness by the jolting gait she was being carried away at.

“Welcome to the waking world, girl.” Monique motioned to Tim to stop. They slowed enough to put her on the ground. The substitute leader of Team Possible started tearing at Shego's cloak and used the make-shift bandages on Shego's damaged arm. “Looks like you're okay.”

“Looks like she fell off the ugly tree and hit every spiked branch along the way.” snorted Jim. He dropped the unconscious cerulean man on the ground. Dr. Drakken groaned when he connected with the earth, but he didn't wake up.

“Yo, cool it Jim.” Tim warned his twin brother. Tim had caught the self-conscious look on the reptilian woman's face just before it turned into a sneer.

“He didn't mean that.” Monique slapped Jim on the arm and he scowled at her. “He's usually really nice.”

“Whatever,” Shego rolled her eyes and struggled to her feet. “He obviously has some issues he's gotta work out, and I'm not staying around to play therapist. I gotta get back to Kimmie.”

“Hold it,” Jim grabbed her forearm, making sure to put as much strength into his grip as possible and felt viciously elated at the pain that flashed across the woman's reptilian face. “Kim told us to--”

“--get you away from here.” Tim finished enthusiastically.

Shego looked from one to the other twin and shook her head incredulously. Almost scornfully, she took hold of Jim's hand and flipped him over her shoulders. “First rule: you don't touch me.”

“Hey, now, that wasn't nice.” Monique watched Shego warily while helping Jim up.

“I could imagine.” Shego tched. “That's why, to make sure it doesn't happen again, none of you touch me. Second: What the hell is wrong with you people? Kim tells you to sit and stay? Guard and watch? Grab me and run for the hills? What the hell kinda friends are you?” Shego turned to Jim, wanting to hurt this boy who obviously held some kind of grudge against her. “What kind of brother are you? Even my dumbass brothers wouldn't run off when I'm in trouble!”

“Hey, we're here for Kim, aren't we? Where the hell is your family?!” Jim countered.

“Yeah,” Shego rolled her eyes as if Jim was an idiot. “Didn't I make it obvious that my brothers are useless? When I left, so did the brains of Team Go. I wouldn't expect them to find me and if they did, that means hell froze over. Now get outta my way.”

Shego breezed past her three would-be guards, back the way she came. Monique, Tim and Jim looked at each other then at Dr. Drakken.

“Leave him here?” The twins asked simultaneously.

“He's a big boy. He'll be alright.” Monique agreed. The three quickly ran after Shego to join in the fray.

---

“That was fun,” Xaio Qing hissed, smiling grimly. The green snake had shrunk down back to her half-human half-snake state. With the silk screen draped over her shoulders, she glanced about the clearing, observing the havok she had just wrought. Yinchun held Tigger close to her, trying to wake the unconscious dog. A glancing blow from Xaio Qing had smacked the faithful dog against a tree. He had fallen with a loud yelp and hadn't gotten back up. Ron was pinned underneath a length of Xaio Qing's scaly body and Rufus was trying in vain to help his master. That left Kim alone, clutching onto the zither instrument. Her frantic playing of the guzheng had taken their toll. Kim's hands shook, as blood dripped off the tips of her fingers. From the pain, Kim could hazard a guess that her enthusiastic playing had torn off a few nails.

“Did you actually think you could keep up with me?” Xaio Qing asked condescendingly.

“No,” Kim said ruefully. “But at least I tried, right?”

“Xaio Qing!” Shego had rushed back just in time and now she stood in front of the redhead, blocking the heroine from her master. Xaio Qing's mouth drew back in a twisted grimace, trying to hold back her anger. The snake demon kept her lips pressed together, not trusting herself to do anything.

“Stop, please. I was wrong, I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have left. Just, please, Xaio Qing.” Shego knelt down on the ground, begging the furious demoness. Kim watched the back of Shego's head and could feel a fresh onslaught of tears. Shego…

“Mercy, Xaio Qing. My life in exchange for hers.”

“No, Shego,” Kim whispered.

“You've done enough, Kimmie.” Shego turned her head to look at Kim angrily. “Let me do this. You'll leave alive. That's all I want right now.”

“Hm.” Xaio Qing's rumbling voice was closer.

The twins and Monique burst into the clearing suddenly, charging at Xaio Qing. With a flick of her hand, glowing roots twisted out of the ground and snared the three. The rest of the people in the clearing were secured in similar fashion, allowing Xaio Qing to concentrate on her two disciples. Slithering forward, Xaio Qing cocked her head at the two women.

“You love her, though, yes?” Xaio Qing's face was a flat plane, showing no emotions. Shego's previous experience told her not to let her guard down. When Xaio Qing was in one of her insane temper tantrums, Shego could brace herself for the hurt. Right now, Xaio Qing seemed like she was thinking, calm and composed--which made her more dangerous than ever.

“Xaio Qing--”

The green snake's lips drew up in a snarl. “ANSWER THE QUESTION, SHEGO. DO NOT LIE.”

Shego bowed her head and nodded once.

The furious expression on Xaio Qing's face was chased away by sadness. The feeling softened the demoness’ features, losing some of its demonic qualities. She looked more like the kind, playful woman Kim had gotten to know in her time at Er Mei.

“Shego.” Xaio Qing cupped one side of Shego's face. Shego leaned into that hand out of habit, watching Xaio Qing trustingly, relaxing. The green snake's hand trailed down to Shego's shoulder, her face pulled into an expression of regret. “I never meant to hurt you, I am sorry. I know now you would never want to stay here. You would hate every second of it. And every day here would cause you to love her more and hate me for keeping you, even if you do not hate me now. I know if there was a slim chance that you thought you could escape, you would. You would lie to me, Shego. Did you think I would be able to stand that? You hating me? Did you think I would be able to do that to you? I love you, Shego. I could not.”

“What are they saying?” Ron called out to Yinchun, not understanding a word of the Chinese going on between them. Yinchun didn't answer, fixated to the scene before her.

Xaio Qing leaned forward eyes closed and pressed one side of her cheek against Shego's and breathed out a shuttering breath. Tears were streaming out of the demon's eyes. A demon's tears were rare. This particular demon had only known tears once in her lifetime before this. In all her thousands of years of life, she only cried one other time.

When Bai Su Zhen had died.

Wild defiant eyes opened and locked on Kim's, standing behind Shego.

Then Xaio Qing plunged her hand into Shego's chest, her fingers exploding out of the woman's back.

“Shego.” Kim's eyes had widened in horror as Xaio Qing let Shego slip off her blood-slicked arm. Tears still falling down her face, Xaio Qing's hand enlarged, disproportionate to her body and caught Kim around the throat before the redhead could even reach out to catch Shego. The guzheng clattered to the ground.

“Your life,” Xaio Qing spat out the words as if they were abhorrent to her. She directed her words at a convulsing Shego, who was beyond hearing. “Is worth NOTHING to me now. Your life, yes, I wanted. Your life with vow to me intact. You promised love and loyalty. You loved someone else and your loyalties shifted. Again and again, you broke your word and I turned a blind eye. Your promises to ME, Shego. Without that, even if I have your life, I have nothing. Nothing.”

“Shego!” Kim didn't even notice the precarious situation she was in. She just struggled, trying to reach out to Shego. Delirious in her grief, she struggled to get to Shego, sputtering out gibberish in Chinese.

“Kim!” Monique gnashed her teeth in despair and the twins and Ron echoed her cry. There was no use struggling against the restraints Xaio Qing had placed on Team Possible. Kim's attention was focused solely on Shego and she continued talking to the villainess in a mixture of English and Chinese.

“Shego, wo ai ni,” Kim wept and blubbered. “Wo ai ni, so don't die…”

Words were cut off quickly as Xaio Qing's fingers tightened around the redhead's throat. Kim didn't struggle, only kept on looking at Shego hopelessly, tears streaming down her face.

“You would not want to be apart from her.” Xaio Qing watched Kim close her eyes, the hand around her throat cut off the little air the redhead was getting. “I will send you with her.”

“Xaio Qing. Stop.”

The green snake dashed away tears from her eyes quickly and turned to glare at the newcomer. A small child.

“Ting Ting… run!” Xaio Qing's grip had loosened slightly at the arrival of the girl and Kim managed to gasp out the warning.

“Tiny mouthful, you are Cheung's daughter, are you not?” Xaio Qing tilted her head to one side. “Go back to your father. I am not in a good mood.”

“No.” Ting Ting tilted her head to one side. “And no.”

“No and no?” Xaio Qing stared curiously at the girl. She seemed strikingly familiar. As if she SHOULD know her. But did not.

“No to your question. And no to your request, Xaio Qing.”

“It was not a request. It was a command.” Xaio Qing's upper lip pulled back to reveal fangs. “You are not Cheung's daughter?”

“She is not.” Nam Ho walked out of the woods, unharmed. Feng and Huang were circling overhead and alighted on an uprooted tree, watching the proceedings with interest.

“I destroyed you.” Xaio Qing stared at Nam Ho in confusion. “How are you alive?”

“Me.” Ting Ting raised her hand and smiled. “I saved him.”

“You?” Xaio Qing laughed hysterically. “That is impossible, a tiny thing like you!”

Ting Ting answered by giving an irritated wave of her hand. Xaio Qing changed into full human form, letting out a squeal of surprise, her sudden change making her fall to the forest floor as her size decreased drastically. Xaio Qing's hand also changed back to regular size, and she dropped Kim on the ground also.

“Shego!” Released, Kim was at Shego's side in a moment. Kim desperately tried to staunch the flow of blood out of Shego's body, crying as she did so. Shego was in so much pain, but she couldn't even scream, she couldn't cry. It took so much energy to just try to live… and Shego wanted to live. But Shego had already lost too much blood and her eyes were dimming, breath shallow and heart sluggish as her body went through the process of dying.

Ting Ting walked over to Shego and crouched down next to the downed woman. Staring at Shego, she placed a hand on the body and concentrated, willing Shego's skin and bones to knit back together. Even as Ting Ting's power rushed back to her, death had a grip on Shego. Ting Ting wanted to weep, but no tears trickled from her eyes as she watched Shego fighting for every second, no matter how painful those seconds were. Every being on this earth, when dying, had that instinctive fear of death and wished to continue living. Shego was not exempt from that instinct, and she gulped in as much air as she could in a bid to delay that inevitable fall, choking on the blood gurgling up her throat, past her lips. All Ting Ting's healing could do now was take away the hurting of Shego's body. There was no way she could detain the soul that was already leaving.

“Rest,” Ting Ting said sadly. The choking stopped, and Shego felt an odd kind of catharsis on her body. Those brilliant green eyes darted to look at the young girl in wonder, Shego's reptilian face relaxing as the pain disappeared. Then Shego turned her head to look at Kim and gave her a tearful apologetic smirk before letting out one last rattling breath.

“I'm sorry.” said Ting Ting. Feng and Huang let out low mournful cries of dismay.

“Who are you to challenge the master of Er Mei?” Meawhile, Xaio Qing had drawn herself up haughtily, not moving to cover her naked body. Ting Ting tsked and stood up, a sad, indulgent smile on her face.

“Have I not told you, Xaio Qing? When we are in human form, we must wear clothes.”

There was confusion on the green snake's face, recognition, then wild happiness. Could it…? No, it couldn't. It had been so long.

“Do you remember me?” Ting Ting asked softly. “Or was I wrong to come back? Have you forgotten me?”

Xaio Qing tried to walk but she dropped to her knees, no longer able to stand upright. Her body folded forward until her head was resting on her knees as memories stabbed through her mind. She hadn't dwelt on them fully for a long time. Sure, she thought about the past often. But to be confronted by something like this. It was unimaginable. “Oh no… no, no… please… you are not real. You can not… no…”

When she felt a touch on her shoulder, Xaio Qing gave a start and looked up into a familiar face. The child had disappeared, and all there was was Bai Su Zhen.

Lady White Snake. Beautiful, eternal, immaculate.

“Sister?” Xaio Qing dared not touch Bai Su Zhen. The white snake was in a long white dress, trimmed in blue, a white silk coat resting delicately on her shoulders. Taking off her coat, Bai Su Zhen draped it over Xaio Qing, covered Xaio Qing's nakedness. Bai Su Zhen opened her arms and that was the only permission Xaio Qing needed to fall into her sister demon's arms.

“KP.” Ron and the others had become mobile again and the blonde man went to his best friend's side and tried to pull Kim off Shego. The redhead had placed her lips over Shego's and was desperately trying to breath life into Shego.

“No time, Ron,” Kim's voice was oddly calm as she motioned to Shego's body. “Try to stop the bleeding, we can save her.”

Monique knelt beside the woman, watching her sadly trying to do something impossible. “Kim--”

“What are you guys doing?!” Kim stopped long enough to scowl at them. “Start helping!”

Yinchun was crying quietly, still sitting near Tigger, not moving from her place as her eyes were fixed on Shego and Kim. The dog had woken up but after trying to stand up--he yelped in pain as he put weight on one of his hind legs--he lay back down. Jim was at his dog's side, one hand on Tigger's neck to make sure he stayed down, watching his sister from the distance.

“Kim, she's dead.” Ron tried to pull Kim away, but the redhead turned around and socked Ron across the face, to the astonishment of her friends and family.

“Don't you fucking say that!” Kim hissed, fists clenched at her side. Ron stayed down, hand pressed against his right eye. He could feel it swelling up.

Xaio Qing lifted her face away from Bai Su Zhen's chest, to look at Kim and Shego.

“What have I done?”

Kim kept on trying to revitalize Shego, working up to a feverish pace. Nobody tried to stop her, just watching as Kim finally abandoned her efforts and gathered Shego's limp body into her arms.

“No, no, no… Shego…” It was a long drawn out wail. Kim pressed her lips against Shego's ear, whispering her words mournfully. “Wo di ai ren, ni bu shui jiao, ma? Ni ting bu don? Wo ai ni, Shego. Don't scare me, Shego, please. Wake up, wake up…”

“Is she dead?” Xaio Qing asked mournfully. Kim froze at the sound of Xaio Qing's voice, piercing through her grief. Putting Shego back on the ground gently and closing those unseeing eyes gently, Kim brushed away the twin streaks of dirt on Shego's face, marking the trail of the dead woman's tears. Shego's scaly face had slackened, relaxed as if in sleep.

Shego, Shego, Shego…

No, please. No.

Kim's mouth trembled as a sob tore out of her throat.

God, oh god…

…please…

“What do you think?” Kim asked. Her voice barely squeezed out of her throat. A bitter mix of anger and sorrow seemed to fill her body to overflowing. When Kim thought she could hold no more of that mixture inside of her, she would remember that way that Shego did… something. Anything. A smile, a laugh, an angry snarl. And she felt like her body would burst at the seams. Kim wished her body would burst. Right now she had to satisfy herself with choking out tears, and she let the fire consume her, rather than let the flood inside drown her.

“You killed her.” Kim held up her fists, muttering in Chinese. “Now I'm going to kill you.”

---

endnote: sad, aint it? And this is the end of ‘a few new tricks’. Well, no, there's the epilogue to consider too… lol. ahahaha… DON'T KILL ME, PLEASE!!!