Chapter Text
"Kim Possible, the one who can do anything...but not for long..."
Little did she know what would follow, even though she dealt with this kind of pain before - but not with the brute force he delivered to her chest prior - and it was the most horrid feeling ever.
Her vision burst along with a slightly ruptured dent in her sternum, having enough medical expertise to know Fukushima struck an important part, but he didn't seem to plan to kill her, only hurt her enough to get his opponent before him riled up, causing her to worry for Monty more than herself. However, the agony that exploded throughout the rest of her body, from bones to muscles and blood vessels, et cetera, she gasped sharply as she could not even scream because her lungs constricted from the impact.
She did hear Monty's raging roar mixed with Fukushima's cruel laughter; Kim soon found herself thrown forward, sliding across the earth and coughing up blood before her world turned fuzzy and blackened. The last thing she heard for sure was Monty crying her name as she lay on her stomach, throbbing and numb, bleeding out the mouth, and losing consciousness.
~o~
"Admiring my handiwork, are you, outsider?"
He snarled with all the vengeance of a male animal losing his mate or even a child at that and whipped his head upwards at the man responsible for this monstrous attack on his heart, as well as hers. Kimberly was bleeding out her mouth, and she'd just lost consciousness. Gritting his teeth, Monty reached down to place two fingers on her neck where he felt her pulse still throbbing. She was still alive, but she needed medical attention now.
"You will pay for this."
"Oh, I'd like to see you try," the demon sneered back, waving his hand. "What a pathetic beast you are, giving yourself to such foolish emotions that I could never because of my family name. Love is a weakness from where I am standing. I'm the strongest here - you are absolutely nothing, and now the world will see this." That hand waved back and forth, gesturing to the other Yamanouchi watching them all.
There he went again, pushing Monty Fiske's buttons the wrong way again, and this time he went too far. Standing up, he paid no heed to Hirotaka diving beside him along with Ronald and Rufus, the latter two exclaiming in horror at the sight of their fallen comrade. But then the rodent leaped from his master's shoulder and onto Monty's, getting his attention and guiding it back to Kimberly, now in Hirotaka's arms and exhaling sharply in her state to let him know she was still alive, for now, since he last checked her pulse.
The sight of the blood lingering down her chin, the flow stopping now, caused his own to sizzle and bubble like magma rising from the earth's core.
He turned his attention from Fukushima, who was angrily but patiently waiting and found himself taking her hand. Somehow, at the feeling, she was brought back to awareness and blinked tiredly, looking up at him. "Monty," she managed, smiling weakly.
"Save your strength, Kim Possible," Hirotaka urged.
"Yeah, KP," Ron agreed, reaching down to take her other hand, also forgetting they had an enemy behind them - and a very impatient but obliging one at that. "Don't talk too much. We're gonna take that guy down for you, aren't we, Monty?" His teeth were bared like a buck's which made him bite back a chuckle. His stamina and determination, courage? It was enough to earn his respect and agreement.
"Yes, Kimberly - we will fight to our last breath." The Lotus Blade was safely behind him in its holding, but its energy stirred with the need to make contact with the body of the other behind them all. He leaned down to place a kiss on the back of her hand.
But she wasn't finished. "I never got the chance to take him for you," she said with a tinge of regret in her voice.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Monty tried to assure her.
"You once told me a gentleman never lets a lady go alone. Now you should know that a woman should always fight beside the man she loves." And her eyes told him that once this was over, he was going to be with her in the future when she would go back to saving the world. He inhaled through his nose. If she wanted him, then he would have her when he would be back in his own world.
Promises made, he allowed his cherished friend to take her away to be treated immediately, but now he and Ronald were alone with Fukushima, and the other students and warriors were still watching them, apparently knowing this was their fight with this one who used to be one of them - and had betrayed them all.
A glimmer of red at his feet caught his attention. Seething, Monty knelt down whilst returning his gaze back to Fukushima and reached down with one hand while his other went to the hilt of the Lotus Blade. This was nothing to be taken lightly; once you made this vow, you could never go back on it. The skin of his palm tingled with the cool wetness of Kimberly's blood, the ruby a stark contrast against pale flesh, as he dipped his fingers and the top of his palm into the fluids slowly sinking into the earth. He held it up for all to see and called out indignantly.
"I promise to the one I love that you will not be spared of my wrath." He curled his fingers inwards, forming a fist that he brought to rest against his heart. "At this moment, I am not Lord Monty Fiske, the one you call a foreign outsider...I am Monkey Fist."
Monkey Fist...Tai Shing Pek Kwar translated to mean just that, though it was really "monkey axe-hand", close enough. And to know it sounded so similar to his own name. He never thought to call himself anything else other than the one he was christened with at birth, but now things had changed. He changed internally for the moment, but there was no telling if this would extend beyond today.
Primates were known to protect those they loved, attacked the one who threatened their loved ones, or even took them away - and now Fukushima would pay for just that.
"Monkey Fist? Oh, now you name yourself after the art you mastered," the younger one stated plainly. "That's a laugh, ironic as it all is."
Ron snapped and took his place beside Monty, baring his teeth. "Don't you be dissing my partner, dude-san!" he spat. "You know what they say: you mess with one of us, you mess with ALL of us!" Rufus jumped up and cheered before blowing his tongue out, and that was it for all of them. They stood and talked long enough; it was time to fight.
Monty grasped the Lotus Blade and drew it, flashing it in the sunlight. The sword was wildly illuminated with the power of the sun; it was like Amaterasu, the goddess, was blessing it, and he could use it. Ron's jaw slackened at the sight before he returned his growling attention back to Fukushima who still could not keep his mouth shut.
"Knowing full well I will beat you, Monkey Fist, that sword will be mine."
Kimberly's words came to light that his lips let them slip. "That's going to happen - never!" he declared, brandishing the sword before his being, below his stomach. "I will not waste time testing it and instead go right for the immediate kill..."
And with that great shout of his, he whirled forward and slashed the blade out, but then he was greeted with a surprise from the even more powerful Fukushima surrounded by his shadowy mist.
Ron was screaming out, but he paid no attention to what the younger man was saying exactly when he found himself enveloped in shadow and smoke, his vision blocked so he had no idea what was happening. If Fukushima planned to counteract and kill him this way with whatever was up his sleeve...
Seconds felt like seconds when he found himself on the earth, with the blade still in his grip. He lay on his stomach, looking up at his now-clear surroundings. The school lay behind him now, several yards away, and surrounded by nature. He snarled when he looked up at the other man in black with his own weapon being smoke and abnormal physical strength. "Impressive," Monty stated, getting to his feet, "but cheap smoke tricks are no match for Tai Shing Pek Kwar."
"You really think that this is just something in which I simply step into a circle and acquire?" Fukushima sneered. "No, it was more than that. Something that my father had hidden but entrusted his friends to save for me if I ever needed help."
Standing, Monty assumed the position, not dreaming of lowering his guard - but his interest was piqued. "And what, pray tell, did your lecherous father leave you this time?" he spat.
Fukushima answered smoothly. "Oh, a very rare one. You're an archaeologist, so I think this would be up your alley, as it had been in your parents'. Are you familiar with the Kage Scroll?"
The Shadow Scroll...
"No need to answer. I can see the look on your face." Yes, Lord Fiske read about it in the archives, though there was no true evidence or even an artifact of the mystical Shadow Scroll, the Japanese word being "kage". Containing various incantations and spiritual contacts, this particular piece of Japanese culture was considered to be very dangerous that it had been well-hidden, but no one ever knew who; they knew why, and it was what Fukushima continued with. "It has its reasons for being rare and never found; even most were too scared, but not my father or myself now. No time to explain because we both know that elaborate education is done for. Father had the secret location, even a map to it, but only to use it as a last resort, and I have honored that resort. Not even Sensei himself knew about this.
"And to keep it brief, once more," he finished with both hands raised, smoke forces pouring out from his palms, "the Shadow Spirit itself has blessed me with what you have witnessed."
Outraged, Monty pieced it all together: he'd sold his soul and became a literal form of his own shadow - a living dark side. "Oh, you young, ambitious fool...you're no longer human!" he raged. "You are a DEMON!"
"More than human, Fiske...myself."
Himself...that could be interpreted in many forms. Monty Fiske was more himself than he could remember in his life, but to sink as low as this one?! He was without honor and wisdom! He nearly killed the woman he loved, wounded and murdered others of his own, and here they stood one-on-one. "And so am I," Monty said, curling his lips. And with that, he drew the Lotus Blade again and threw himself at Fukushima again, springing in his leaps.
"COME AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN, FUKUSHIMA!"
The Lotus Blade was no ordinary sword; the Mystical Monkey Power could unleash a rare ability that you never expected. Just as he imagined, the thought arose in his mind that he should turn the sword into something stronger to serve the benefit. The blade itself was very powerful, but it appeared so delicate that it should be transformed into something more brute to block the attack - and yes! Just as Fukushima withdrew a shadowy sword of his own from the confides of his gi, smoking along with his being, Monty envisioned a naginata, which was a classic samurai feudal pole-arm that women of those times often used - however, slower in use and varied in size to accommodate man or woman.
Despite however sluggish the motion and weight, he was able to clash against his opponent first by bringing the long pole at the end underneath and striking the other where it hurt the most - his manhood. Which lessened his stone-cold dignity and caused him to double over before he ultimately regained his composure - with incredible speed and superhuman abnormality, but Monkey Kung Fu surpassed only if you believed it would, and that was what Monty Fiske was doing.
He believed he could beat this Shadow Fukushima.
~o~
Okay, what he saw: Fukushima wrapped Monty and the Lotus Blade up in smoke and took him away - sick and wrong! Was Ron Stoppable the only one now to step in and help him?!
Kim was in the healing room being treated, so he had no choice in the matter but to follow them. "Rufus, we're on," he started, only to be startled by a series of frantic screeches, none other than the monkeys. "Oh, you guys are coming, too!" he agreed, knowing that they could not leave their master behind. They might end up getting killed, but at least they died for a heroic cause.
"Stoppable-san, not without your weapons," Yori reminded him when she handed him his bo, katana, and everything else on his belt. He was ready to go...and that was when everyone noticed how the monkeys seemed more...excited in their leaps and parries in agreement. But before Ron could open his mouth, Sensei was there.
"They have stepped into the circle. They will now join their master in battle."
"Well, no time to waste; let's go!"
No time to admire the scenery, no time to stop and rest, for it was not that far away when they all finally arrived and stopped in their tracks, watching in shock as the battle went on between Monkey Man and Shadow Man.
Ron wanted to yell out, but that would only distract Monty and therefore place him at the mercy of a killing blow. He wanted to know what Fukushima had done to himself, but one thing was for sure: ancient forbidden magic.
For a while, they parried and dodged attacks with their different blades - smoke-emitting steel against gleaming silver. Soaring in the air and landing to clash again. To jump from tree to tree, allowing himself to be chased - this was part of Monty's game now - but with his weapon in hand. Monty so far had the upper hand, so that was good. Master of the Mystical Monkey Power could do anything, right?
It was then and there that Fukushima started to gain up on Monty, who was just leaping out of the trees and was about to whirl around and deliver the latest blow from the Lotus Blade - now transformed into this sword-pole thing whose name Ron had forgotten but remembered it was used in feudal times - to the one who almost killed KP, but from what Ron saw with Rufus and the monkeys, Fukushima had transformed himself into a shadow and shrunk away so that Monty lost track of him.
He swallowed that horrible lump in his throat before he forced himself to yell just as the ninja lord leaped from the trees whilst continuing his search. At the same time, the grim puff of smoke arose from the earth and formed the shape of a human. "Monty, behind you!" Ron yelled out just as the other man whirled around only to be struck and thrown off his feet, towards the small group, and onto his back. Oh, no, the Lotus Blade reverted back to its original state in a flash and stabbed the earth some feet away from them!
"Uh, oh!" Rufus cried, jumping into his pocket. The monkeys screeched and threw themselves at Fukushima, but he growled and struck them all in a single blow, sending them all to the side and hitting the trees...and a sickening crack was heard from one of them. Watching with the same mortification etched in Monty's features, one of the monkeys - the female - fell limply and lay there.
Dead.
"NOOOOOOO! MILA!"
Ron's heart was gut-wrenched at the sight of Chippy picking himself up and throwing himself onto his dead mate, howling in grief and heartbreak. The same kind of heartbreak Kim would bestow if she found out the man she loved so much was killed now, for Fukushima was advancing on the fallen Monkey Man now - but oh, not on Ron Stoppable's watch. Not if he had anything to say about this. That left one thing left to do, and he was not afraid. He would do this for Kim and Monty, for Yamanouchi, and everyone in the world.
He allowed himself to stand in front of his fallen partner as the shadowy blade pierced his side.
~o~
First Mila - and now Ron!
His wondrous little friends risked their tails and their lives to defend him, and he ended up losing one of them in the process. He saw it all happen with his own two eyes. To lose Chippy's mate struck his heart worse than an arrow or any lethal weapon - including the one that would have reached him - and even more when Ronald Stoppable stepped in and took the blow for him to his side.
Fukushima snarled and shoved the blond off. "Get off my blade!"
Monty caught him in his embrace. The stabbing wasn't fatal, but he needed medical attention soon. "Ron!" he cried, keeping him close. Rufus leaped out of the pocket and shrieked, jumping onto his master's lap and crying into his tunic. "Why - WHY did you get in the way?"
Ron's brown eyes looked up and shone with his smile. "Because it wouldn't be right to let you die before Kim saw you again," he answered, no breath halted. It amazed the Englishman how strong he was.
He...Ron took the blow just for him and Kimberly...
His mind and sanity were screaming that Ron should never have done this, risk his own life like this. What about his woman back in Middleton, his partnership with Kim - and their rivalry would have been the last thing on his mind if he died, never mind the fact they had somehow grown closer...
A scoff brought his attention back to Fukushima who was raising his weapon again. "That's what he gets for getting in the way."
Monty was about to retort when a ferocious screech sounded as well as a buzz of brown flew before his eyes, and Chippy was attacking Fukushima, knocking out his weapon and tackling him to the ground. That was for what the demon did to his mate, so now the monkey knew what his master felt for his own. It was also this opportunity Monty grasped when he gently set Ron down, who was clutching at his side with help from Rufus, and Fiske dove to grab the Lotus Blade, barking at Chippy to stay back so he could finish him off himself.
The first thing he did was just to deliver a warning slash to the other's face, leaving a gash on Fukushima's cheek. He howled in pain and clutched at his cheek. He was subdued temporarily; now his rival held the weapon while he was laying on the ground unarmed. Finally, to finish this off.
"This is for the beloved school and comrades you betrayed," Monty Fiske growled, "and for my Kimberly. And now you will answer to your ancestor before he sends you to hell..."
However, just as he raised the shining blade, the voice of Sensei sounded in his ears. His former master was speaking to him telepathically so. Fiske-san, hold your weapon.
He was dismayed, hesitating only for a moment as he continued to glare down at his fallen enemy, who wore a petrified look on his face and glazing fear of death in his eyes, awaiting the inevitable. Monty wondered why Sensei didn't want him to murder this creature right here and right now; that was why he had the Lotus Blade, was it not? He was the wielder of the Mystical Monkey Power, and this sacred weapon unleashed it, so why couldn't he kill Fukushima here and now?
Take to heart my tale of how I avenged my beloved and would have fallen down the path Fukushima has taken, Montgomery Fiske - a path we have all feared you would succumb to. The Lotus Blade is made for combat and negotiation, and any other nobler use, but it is not for blood-stained murder. Fukushima has been defeated, and he knows it. The choice is yours to make, but don't allow more blood to be spilled...or for that blood to be on your hands.
His own blood froze in its channels. Sensei was telling him to NOT kill Fukushima - what was he thinking?! Fukushima was too dangerous to be kept alive, but the story of the younger master and his murdered beloved lingered on his mind...Kimberly had almost been killed by this one, and here he, Lord Monty Fiske, was standing over him with the mystical sword of Toshimiru himself in his hands, ready to deliver the blow that would result in blood covering this blade. Was this what it was now: an ultimate test for how he would use his newfound powers, whether or not he would spare or kill Fukushima with them?
Looking over at Ron, briefly, who was sitting upwards halfway and grimacing as he held his side with help from Chippy and Rufus, then at Mila's corpse a distance away, Monty's rage continued to bubble, but his heart didn't. It was thumping with a lightness that caused his body to quake in the muscles. His hands tightened around the sword's hilt, wishing he could just take the easy way and do him, his fallen partner behind him, his wounded beloved, and all those who suffered and died as well as the ones who survived a big favor - but ultimately, he took the harder way and decided he would do the honorable act. He wasn't a murderer, and knowing Kim, she would say that even though Fukushima became a monster, he was still a human who would be justly dealt with. If he came back, then a second time would not be so merciful. Yes, that would do.
Choosing to spare his life proves you are wielding the Monkey Power honorably, my former pupil. You have made the decision wisely.
Monty took a few steps back then, rolling his shoulders whilst continuing to glare down at his enemy, who appeared baffled. The blade lowered before his being, ready if the other tried anything fancy. "Outsider, why won't you kill me?" Fukushima taunted.
"I will not," Monty answered simply, unblinking. "You are going to live because I will not allow any blood on my own hands, even though your death would do the world a favor - but you are still but a young boy. I refuse to take a child's life. But you will go back to the monastery and answer for what you have done, quickly and quietly. Try anything, and I shall be forced to drive this -" He held up the sword and not in a menacing manner. "- through your heart for sure."
He motioned Fukushima to stand then, keeping the weapon on him, and if he just needed anything to keep him subdued for the short journey back to the school, he envisioned a pair of American - or English? It didn't matter - style handcuffs and was about to order Fukushima to put his hands behind his back when the unthinkable happened.
"What's happening?!" the boy screamed when he held up his hands, which were fading, starting at the fingertips and turning into black ash, singed with fire, traveling north to cover his hands, his arms, and the rest of his body. "NOOOO!" His eyes as well as his mouth erupted into flames, consuming him and erupting, forcing Monty to retreat back and stumble against the injured Ron and the animals.
By the time it was over, there was nothing left except lingering floating ash which faded along with the smoke. Fukushima had vanished without a trace as if he never existed.
"Oh, wow," Ron gasped, then flinched as he was apparently wracked with some spiking in his side. Grunting, Monty helped him to his feet with the Lotus Blade tucked back behind him. Rufus was back in the pocket; behind them, Chippy hauled poor Mila's body onto his back and tagged after them. She would be taken back to England for a proper burial as soon as they were all away from here. "What just happened?"
Monty wet his lips, feeling the dry cracks forming. Everyone knew in every culture that striking a bargain with forces beyond your comprehension resulted in terrible consequences, and that was what happened to Fukushima. He was beaten, and he knew it as much as the Kage Spirit from the scroll knew it. When he lost, the spirit within him ate him up until there was nothing left, taking him to devil knew where. Wherever that blasted scroll was now, he wasn't sure, but after everything was settled with taking care of the dead and the wounded, he would gladly ask Sensei's permission to hunt it and perhaps destroy that thing once and for all - it was too dangerous to be kept in the museum, that much was clear. But for the moment, he relished a clear victory that turned out in their favor.
He'd passed the test of morals on this very day, and he had every reason to feel proud of himself.
~o~
She was in and out of consciousness when she was brought into the healing rooms, unaware of much other than the numbing pain, before she was brought back to awareness and in time to see Ron and Monty stumbling in accompanied by a couple of healers, and she gasped at the state Ron was in now. He was holding his side, bleeding but not a lot, which surprised her. She gritted her teeth, thinking of Fukushima.
Speaking of which, they took care of him, didn't they?
"Possible-san, you shall make a full recovery," Hirotaka told her when he knelt beside her, smiling before turning it in the direction of his childhood sparring partner who was doing a fine job of trying to cover his...behind. Kim swallowed, trying not to laugh as her chest still hurt a little. Did he...did Monty tear his pants in battle like Ron was known to do? He caught the way she was looking at him and only narrowed his eyes even though he was smiling. He was happy to see that she was all right, and she was glad he and Ron were, too.
"Yeah, KP, he got me," he told her when she asked about his injured side that the healers immediately got to. "But I've held out better than a horse so far, so booyah!" At least he was as cheery as ever that it made everyone in the room laugh.
Sensei chuckled. "Stoppable-san, despite taking a nearly fatal strike, you are merry as ever. I am impressed." His face fell. "But we have lost a small handful of lives today," he said with a twinge of grief in his voice that made Kim's stomach drop as she, too, remembered the small number of people - students and staff - lost by Fukushima's hands. "But Fukushima, while he had been a good student in another life, has paid for the sins of his father as well as his own bleak actions against us all. We will all mourn the dedicated young soul he once was - but after today we will remember him as the one who wreaked havoc, pain, and death upon this very school which his ancestor brought to life using the very sword that his true successor wielded to save us all."
It was then and there that he turned his attention back to Monty, who now had a white sheet wrapped around his waist. It looked very funny, but it preserved what he had exposed back there for the time being. But then she noticed, for the first time, the glaze in his eyes despite the victory won today. Something wrenched her chest as well as her guts as she had a terrible idea...
"Monty...what did he do?" she asked, careful not to speak too much or move as he came to kneel beside her. He bowed his head.
"Mila was killed," he said, and then a tear escaped as she tried not to cry, whispering she was sorry as well as heartbroken over the loss of one of his cherished monkey friends who had been with him since the time he rescued them long ago in Africa. "She's coming back with Chippy and I for a proper burial. I shall not leave her here on foreign soil far away from the ones who loved her." He was a good man at heart and always would be.
Her attention fell back to the sight of the white around his waist, contrasting with the black. The only time Monty saw Ron lose his pants was that very first day they met, back in Brazil - and now they were even. It made her laugh inside when it hurt to bring it out to the open.
How was it that she never felt the minor hollow in her gut before? Was it because this was the first time she lost a few lives even if they were just strangers - strangers she loved to help? They were so young and didn't deserve what Fukushima brought on them, and poor little Mila didn't deserve to be taken from her mate or her grieving master like that. Ron had also nearly been put the same way as she almost had been.
Looking into Monty's eyes, glazed with tears as they were, he had saved the day. Cupping his face, she brought him down for a kiss. They may have lost people - and animals - but they would be mourned and missed, never forgotten, and they themselves were all alive. Wasn't that all that mattered?
~o~
The next day after landing in London, Monty set up an appointment with his superior, not the least bit nervous despite Bates' worries.
"So, we're never going to get those statues back," Joanne Reeves stated plainly as she sat behind her desk, lips in a tight line as she observed Monty Fiske, who was impassive but respectful as he delivered her his report. He did not like this any more than she did, but it was all for the best.
"I'm regretting it, Joanne, but it was for the best, I suppose. I was so close to having all four jade monkeys for the museum...but it seems some priceless icons aren't meant to be," he said, putting up his saddest façade the best he could. Before departure, Sensei had spoken to him that he would keep the four jade monkeys locked away below the school for the time being until they would find other remote locations to ensure they would NEVER be found for another thousand years, once his time was up. Whilst there would be men like him and Toshimiru before him, there would always be evils like Fukushima and Kirayoshi before him.
And the Kage Scroll? Sensei ordered it destroyed once and for all, and he had very good reasons because this was by no means safe like other ancient relics of the culture.
Taking off her glasses, Reeves sighed in disappointment. "I see. It's a great pity, my friend. We might be in trouble with the government for this...but for yourself and your mother, rest her, some things are not meant to be as you said." He gave her a smile of understanding that she returned before she turned her attention behind her and called for Grace Leaven, who came out through the opened side entrance with a beam on her face.
"Why, Miss Leaven, what a pleasant surprise," Monty told her courteously. "What brings you here?"
"I was offered an internship here at the museum, Lord Fiske," she answered, her brown eyes shining with mirth - just like Ronald. "And I feel like I want to actually be just like you when I finish. I can't thank you enough for this far."
He was surprised when she told him she was advancing because of him, and something inside him swelled with pride. "It was an honor and a privilege having taught you, Miss Leaven."
Following the meeting, he was home at the castle, but the air was thick with mourning. He had been all in black for the entire day, mainly due to the fact that he did not feel like changing as soon as he returned home in time for the services on the castle grounds. Mila's resting place was beneath a tree shade, placed with a bouquet of white and peach roses with greenery and Queen Anne's lace that he'd bought from the flower shop only today. She did not need anything overtly fancy because this had to be as sweet and natural as she had been in life. Chippy was ooking and wailing over her gravestone, placing empty banana peels over it, making him and Bates chuckle.
"I know, we will all miss her," he murmured to Chippy when he placed the flowers beneath the epitaph: Rest well, Mila, beloved mate, and devoted follower - may your journey be a celestial one.
~o~
It was Christmas time that arrived when she and her family - including Ron bringing Tara along for a change, as his forbidden presence had at last been revoked by the master himself - arrived at Fiske Castle on Christmas Eve. According to Bates, this would be the first time the estate would have a beautiful Christmas celebration and bring life back into its master's life here. Kim could hardly contain her excitement.
She and Ron both made great recoveries, though in her case, the pain in her chest remained due to a slightly fractured bone, but in a few more weeks, it would be over, according to the doctor. On Ron's part, his side healed, and he was discharged immediately after surgery because it wasn't as serious, which was a miracle because between them both as well as Monty, it was supernatural to heal a little faster than average.
Speaking of their adventures, Kim had officially decided what her new book's adventures would be about, including what the identical-looking Iris as well as her dashing lover - a British gentleman named Monty, no less - would be on. It would take maybe less than the time it took her to do Kathryn's Journey because this one was deep from the heart without further need to research and change a lot of things. However, Iris was more like her in the sense she was a college student but working for a degree in history until she was called for an internship on a dig involving a supposedly cursed monkey temple - and the man who commissioned her was none other than the adventurer she'd idolized since childhood and inspired her to become what she wanted to be. As it turned out, this "handsome, mysterious dark-haired man" ended up being the one she would fall in love with while they embarked on the adventure of their lives when the spirit of the temple was unleashed to take its wrath upon the world. Now, who did NOT love an epic romantic adventure like this one?
In more ways than one, it was like any other film or movie those people out there who would read this grew up with. But she would try her best to not make it too similar to anything else known, even though it was no surprise that no one could naturally help it.
Besides the point, she thought this particular title best suited: The Seekers. That could be interpreted into the forms of seeking not only the adventure of the lifetime but also another to fill the emptiness that you couldn't bear in your life any longer.
When she, Ron, and the family arrived in the main hall of the castle, they were all greeted with a stunning surprise: greenery and lights were draped on the staircase, the windows frosted with handmade snow crystals, and lights were illuminating the cold stone walls with so much warmth that her skin was washed in it after the chill outside. Her parents, the tweebs, Nana, as well as Ron and Tara, were praising everything in a buzz that she didn't understand them individually, only concentrated on the man on the stairs whose attention raptured them all now.
The way Monty looked now surprised her. Yes, it wasn't new that he was in a collared shirt and fitted slacks, but his shirt was red this time to accommodate the holiday season, rolled up to the sleeves, and he wasn't wearing gloves any longer - except at work, he told her with a shy smile, because even though he grew comfortable with accepting his wild side to her, he still had more time to allow the world to be ready to know.
But if not, then the world was better off not knowing the truth about Lord Monty Fiske.
"Welcome to my castle," he said to the guests as he descended the stairs and nodded to Bates to lead them all down the hallway and in time to be in awe at the grand Christmas tree that had not been bestowed with its lustrous glory in ages. So much gold and silver, snow, and some pops of blue - his eyes. Which were currently shining when he came to stand beside her, hooking his arm through hers and looking her over, taking in her shimmering golden dress with the bejeweled side, and the diamond locket around her neck which treasured his face. He smiled but said nothing. But why should he right now? Kim Possible thought that her chances of a happily ever after were too far-fetched - but it all changed when Lord Montgomery Fiske walked into her life.
He and Ron cordially greeted each other, but mostly as friends instead of enemies now, which lifted Kim's spirits as she knew things were going to be better from now on.
As the evening went on, and as the family socialized at the dinner table, Kim and Monty looked at each other with silent remembrance of all their happy times and the harsh moments of their relationship and the possible future to come.
And speaking of which, Monty surprised everyone by standing from the head of the table and walking over to her, kneeling at her side, and she gasped when she saw what he pulled from his pocket and held in front of her, filled with so much confidence and pushing aside any fears he might have about this decision. Before her family and friends and on Christmas Eve of all days...and after the next eight months that passed, there were no regrets.
She had not since been able to get over this ring he gave her on that night, after only barely four months of knowing each other and having endured so much. The craftsmanship was simply majestic: gold and bearing a rosebud and leaf along with a diamond twinkling enough to grasp attention...but it was all the more special in that this had been his mother's, like everything else.
"Kimberly Ann Possible, you fill my life with countless adventures and passion that I never dreamed of in my lifetime. If you will have me, will you someday spend the rest of your life with me as my lady?"
She just could not say no, and it wasn't the heat of the moment. This was the time she had waited forever for, too, and her father looked disgruntled but otherwise happy for her and liked Monty Fiske the moment they met. The hall erupted with tears of joy after the shared kiss and the placing of the ring on her finger.
Graduation followed six months afterward, and she was planning to move out of Middleton and live with him in England, where the university offered her a teaching position as a professor of history and literature; she could not refuse the offer. Yet even though she'd left Middleton before, she never realized how much she was going to miss her old life here, being thousands of miles away from her family and friends, but it was not like she would lose contact EVER. And her new book sold well, even topping the last one on the bestseller's lists, which made her proud and had her fiancé sweeping her off her feet. Even though she never knew Catherine Fiske and never would, she gladly intended to follow her example in keeping her independence whilst still making her husband happy - well, soon-to-be. And Monty had no complaints.
Kim felt like crying when she looked at herself in her wedding gown, which was simple but stunning, with rosettes down the front of the skirt. It was modern and traditional at the same time, billowing out and baring her shoulders and part of her chest. Her mother, Anne, could not stop tearing up herself as she and Monique helped with her hair and makeup. Fiery auburn locks were braided behind her head and accented with intricate jeweled flowers in vines. "My Kimmy," Anne whispered, kissing her cheek.
"Yeah, girl, and so great to be your maid of honor!" Monique, in strapless baby blue silk, chimed in as she handed her the jewelry set, which was delicate and based on upper-class British. The earrings were dainty drops like flowers and leaves, complete with a matching layered necklace and a bracelet like her headpiece.
And with the floating, dramatic cathedral veil without any embellishment attached to her braided locks, the bride was ready to meet her groom in the Fiske Castle chapel where his parents had wed almost four decades ago.
Looking out a window, Kim saw the dark clouds and the pouring rain gliding across the window and even heard it from where she was standing. But it was all a good omen, and they were getting married indoors. Rain might be gloomy, but it also made things nurture and grow - even marriage. When she and her party finally reached the chapel, glimpsing the one hundred guests behind the aisle of flowers - white roses, lilies, and draping ivy vines - amidst medieval arches, she could not keep herself together as she let her father take her up to the altar and give her to the man who was going to be her new husband. She kissed James Possible before handing Tara her bouquet and giving both hands to Monty, promising to be his until the day one of them died - or both of them together - and to never let anything come between them.
Her words brought tears to the eyes of those around her, and she saw, from Monty's side as the best man, Ron blew his nose along with Rufus, earning some laughter before it got serious again.
Looking into his eyes, she saw the same sincerity as he spoke his side of the vows, swearing that she was his forevermore until they parted in death. She was his lady and his equal in everything and in name. A tear fell down his cheek at the same time she felt hers, swallowing and taking the ring to place on his finger before allowing him to do the same for her.
The last words of The Horseman's Bride returned to light, and befitted them so well that it was neither foolish nor impossible: They stood together on the threshold of a new life, surrounded by love.