Outlaw Star Fan Fiction ❯ The Cupid Chronicles ❯ Catch the CACHIT! ( Chapter 2 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Nate Grey 
The target is spotted, and Suzuka is the first to fall...in love! Who does she fall for? The answer may shock you!
Anime/Manga: Outlaw Star Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Comedy / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.30.2001 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 923 | Status: Completed
The target is spotted, and Suzuka is the first to fall...in love! Who does she fall for? The answer may shock you!
Anime/Manga: Outlaw Star Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Comedy / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.30.2001 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 923 | Status: Completed
The Cupid Chronicles 2: Catch the CACHIT!
Note: Despite the rumors, this is NOT a Gene/Suzuka fic. I really don't see how they could ever get together, with Gene annoying her all the time. So it ain't happening here. Trust me when I say Suzuka will be with the person you'd least expect. At least, I think so. And keep in mind that this IS supposed to be funny, even if it is a romance story.
Summary: The gang gets their first glimpse of the target, and Suzuka is the first to fall...in love, that is. But with who? The answer may shock you!
Cachit wasn't stupid. He didn't trust anyone, not after what the humans had done. Or tried to do, anyway. Before long, he figured out that he'd be hunted for the rest of his life. So he made life miserable for any human that came after him. His brand of justice was a twisted one, though. He made them happy for the rest of their lives...even if it was just an illusion of happiness, it seemed real enough to his victims.
But as the net came down over his head, Cachit realized that humans were a persistent race. He decided to wait and see what kind of person had tried to capture him this time.
It was a red-haired man with dark eyes. Nothing too special there. The star tattoo on his shoulder was...different, but lots of humans had tattoos. Some only had one, while others wore them like a second skin. Then the man spoke.
"Gotcha, you little runt!"
Cachit didn't like being called a runt. So he drew back and headbutted the man right between the eyes. He heard a muttered curse, and within seconds, he was free, racing across the rocky plains. He hadn't gotten far when another human tackled him.
This one was much smaller than the last, and he smelled like motor oil. He tried a different approach.
"Hold on, little guy," he said, patting Cachit's head. "We're not gonna hurt you."
Cachit liked the way his fingers felt. But then he spotted the red-haired human closing in, and leaped out of the boy's arms.
"After him, Jim!" the man shouted.
"Gene, back off! I had him until you came along!"
Gene sighed. "Well, never mind now. He's heading towards the ship. Let's hope Aisha and Suzuka have better luck..."
* * * * *
Aisha was bored. In fact, she'd almost fallen asleep when she felt something rub against her ankle. She slowly looked up to see...something...sitting next to her foot. It had been so quiet that even her ears hadn't caught its approach.
The creature appeared to be a blue dragon, though it was the size of a small dog. It had tiny, white wings on its back, which flapped silently every few seconds. That was probably how the thing had snuck up on her.
Aisha quickly realized that this was the creature they were looking for. She slowly stretched out a paw. "Hi there, little guy. You lost?"
The baby dragon let out a low squeal and pressed its snout against her paw.
Aisha smiled and scratched his head. "Well, I don't see what's so dangerous about you."
"THERE IT IS!" Gene screamed. "GET IT!"
The baby dragon's eyes widened, and he took off like a shot. He hadn't gotten far when a blur of white and red flew past, slamming him to the ground.
Gene and Jim finally ran up to find Suzuka crouching on the ground, holding the struggling dragon in her arms.
"Jim, get the tranquilizers!" she shouted.
"I'm on it!" Gene said as he pulled some needles from his pocket.
Upon spotting the needles, the dragon let out a frightened squeal and began struggling even harder.
Suddenly, there was an earth-shaking explosion. When the dust settled, Aisha was the first to speak.
"Brilliant move, Gene. Why don't you just SHOW him the needles before you stick him? That way he can know EXACTLY what he's getting into!"
"Shut up, Aisha! I didn't see you doing anything!"
"Um...I was luring him in! Until YOU came along and ruined it! Why'd you start shouting, anyway?!"
"Hey, everybody SHUT UP for a minute!" Jim cried.
Gene and Aisha fell silent, not because Jim told them to, but because he probably had something important to say.
Jim cleared his throat. "Has anyone seen Suzuka?"
"Hey, she IS gone!" Gene suddenly realized. "The last time I saw her, she was holding the thing-"
"And then it blew up," Aisha finished with her usual talent for describing the obvious.
"I don't think so, Aisha," Jim said. "I think it might have teleported."
"Teleported?!" Gene cried. "It already moves like a cheetah on steroids! Why in the world would it need to teleport?!"
"Well, SOMETHING blew up," Aisha muttered sullenly. "How else can you explain the huge explosion?"
Jim frowned. "I was wondering about that, too. I think it was a distraction."
"Worked pretty well," Gene mumbled, kicking at some debris. "So not only is the thing super-fast, but now it can actually HURT us."
"Among other things," Jim added.
"Oh, right. The love thing. Well, I don't know about Suzuka, but at least we know Mel's safe, right?"
"But Suzuka was part of the crew, too, Gene. We can't just forget about her."
"Yeah!" Aisha chimed in. "If it wasn't for her, we never would've known that thing could explode like that! I say we form a search party and find Suzu!"
Gene rolled his eyes. "Well, I say you're both nuts. That doesn't pay anything, but that little blue thing is worth SEVENTY MILLION WONG!!! So you can go look for Suzuka, but I'm going after that Smurf reject, even if I have to do it all by myself!"
"FINE!" Aisha shouted. "I'll be sure to let Suzu know you said that when we find her!"
Gene snorted, and then gasped. "Wait! I see her!"
"Where?!" Jim cried, looking around.
"There! And there! And there!" Gene laughed, pointing to various places on the ground. "Ooh, and there's a little bit of her here, too!"
"THAT'S NOT FUNNY, GENE STARWIND!" Aisha screamed.
Gene grinned. "Really? Cracks me up. Heh."
"YAAAAARRRRRGH!" Aisha suddenly turned and leaped onto Gene, attempting to bash his head in. "How can you be so insensitive?!" she screamed.
Jim didn't even try to pull Aisha off. She was much stronger, and he'd probably get slashed to ribbons if he got in the way. Besides, he agreed with her. Gene was being a real jerk, and they didn't even know if Suzuka was alive or not.
Of course, she was, but THEY didn't know that...
* * * * *
Suzuka wasn't what you might call the shy type. She had absolutely no problem going anywhere to get something done. Which was probably part of the reason she'd slipped into the expensive penthouse in the first place. The second reason was hovering over her shoulder, watching her progress. The third reason was actually in the bed she was staring at.
The man was obviously asleep, as was evident by his loud snores. Strangely enough, he was wearing some sort of night mask to keep the moonlight out of his eyes, and clutching a doll that looked mysteriously like a certain Outlaw.
Suzuka hardly noticed any of that, though. She just thought he was the most impressive sight she'd ever seen. She carefully stepped away from the white curtains, taking deep breaths as she approached the bed.
The man grunted slightly and rolled over, then began to snore again.
Suzuka continued her approach, until she tripped over something on the floor. She landed on all fours with a loud thump, which woke the sleeping man.
"Huh? Who's there?!" he called with a shaky voice. "I'm armed!"
Suzuka quickly scrambled to her feet as he removed the mask from his face. "Don't worry, my darling," she whispered seductively. "It's only me."
The man's face turned white. "NO! Get away from me! Guards! Guards! HELP!"
Suzuka chuckled softly. "They can't hear you. They're all unconscious now. I wanted to be sure there would no interruptions."
The man swallowed nervously. "Fine. Just go ahead and kill me."
"Oh, I'm not here to do that," she responded, stopping at the foot of the bed. "I'm here to make sure that you never forget the name...of Twilight Suzuka."
The man gulped loudly. "Look, I can pay you! Whatever you want!"
"It's not about the money," she whispered, slowly untying her kimono.
The man's eyes widened. "Wait. What are you doing?! Stop that at once!"
Suzuka smiled impishly. "Make me." She tossed her sash aside, allowing the kimono to slip away from her shoulders.
"AAH!" The man covered his eyes. "No, no, no! Put it back on! PLEASE!"
The kimono gradually fell away from her lovely body, hitting the floor in near silence. Then Suzuka's smile widened, and she slowly crawled onto the bed. "Don't worry, my dearest," she whispered. "I'll be gentle with you...at first."
The man tried to back away, but she was on him in a second, straddling his chest and pinning his arms with her hands. "No!" he whimpered. "Y-You can't DO this! I don't even like woMMMMMPH!"
Suzuka silenced him with a passionate kiss that nearly lasted an entire minute.
Then she began to undress him.
"You have to listen to me!" he pleaded, panic slipping into his voice. "You can't do this! I DON'T LIKE WOMEN! I'M GAY, DAMMIT! G-A-Y! GAY!"
Suzuka's lips brushed against his ear, and she whispered ever so softly, "Not for long."
The man's eyes widened in sheer terror, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream that sounded remarkably like a woman's.
Cachit grinned at his latest masterpiece from the window. Yes, Suzuka would make that lucky man very happy, if only he could stop screaming like that. But now it was time to make sure that her friends hadn't messed up his home. So Cachit flew away from the penthouse window, even as Fred Luo's screams continued until...yeah, you guessed it...twilight.
* * * * *
"NO! Go left! LEFT, DANGIT! AAAAAH!"
Jim smiled as Aisha's spacecraft got blown up for the sixth time. His, on the other hand, didn't have a scratch on it. Not that it mattered anymore. The screen flashed, and the words "GAME OVER!" flew up in big, bold, multicolored letters.
Aisha threw the controller down. "No fair! Human games are stupid!"
"Is that because you lost, or because I won?" Jim asked.
Aisha's eyes narrowed. "It's because...HEY!"
Jim laughed as he stood up. He did enjoy teasing her, especially when he was the only one that could get away with it. It gave him a certain feeling of power that was unusual to have over any Ctarl-Ctarl, much less one of Aisha's fierce temper.
Aisha stood up as well, still glaring at him, but didn't move to pounce on him. Instead, she stole a page from Gene's book. She put him in a headlock and gave him a noogie to remember.
"Ow, OW!" Jim shouted. "C'mon, Aisha! Let go!"
"Say it!" she demanded.
"Okay, okay! Aisha ClanClan is the most delicate and beautiful flower of the Ctarl-Ctarl Empire, and she can kick my butt anytime!"
Aisha released him, going into a fit of giggles when she noticed what a mess his hair was. However, she didn't have time to giggle long as something slammed into the back of her head with an audible pop. Before she realized it, she was drenched.
Aisha slowly turned to see Jim holding a water balloon in one hand. He grinned evilly and took a step towards her.
"You wouldn't DARE," she hissed. "You don't have the guts!"
The water balloon hit her right in the face.
"No, but I sure got the arm!" Jim chuckled.
"JIM!" Aisha roared, diving at him.
Jim ducked out of her reach and took off. He could hear her just a few steps behind him, growling and hissing like something twice her size. Jim wondered faintly if he'd gone too far this time. "Should've taken pictures," he muttered. "I'll never get a chance like that again."
As Jim tore up the stairs, he glanced behind him, letting out a startled gasp. At some point, Aisha had lost it and actually transformed. Now all he could see was something that resembled a huge Siberian tiger...on steroids, anyway. He swallowed noisily and kept running, despite the protests his legs were beginning to give him. There was no way he could stop now.
Finally, his legs wouldn't cooperate, and Jim dove into the nearest room. He didn't realize it was Aisha's until it was too late.
Aisha burst into the room, only to find Jim cowering on the bed. She let out a roar of anger, and then leaped effortlessly onto the bed, baring her razor-sharp teeth.
Jim drew back, even as her hot breath rolled over his face. It seemed like a good time to apologize if there ever was one. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was tiny squeak. He kept trying until it actually worked. "Aisha," he whispered, "I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! I'm really sorry! Honest!"
He waited for the heavy paw to come crashing down on his head. Only it never came. Jim started to relax, until the hot breath returned. He whimpered and lowered his head. And was quite surprised, but not exactly relieved, when a long, wet tongue licked his cheek. He slowly raised his head, only to stare up at Aisha's grinning face.
"Gotcha," she whispered.
Jim blinked in disbelief for a few seconds. Then he fainted.
* * * * *
Melfina glanced at the clock. "Gene's been out there a long time, Gilliam. Maybe I should check on him."
"I cannot allow that, Melfina. Gene gave me strict orders that you were to remain onboard at all times. However, I would have no problem doing a perimeter scan."
She sighed. "Okay, do that."
There was a slight pause before Gilliam spoke. "Gene is about one kilometer south of the ship. He is alone."
"And you still haven't found Suzuka?"
"I'm afraid not, dear. She's still missing, but...wait. Someone else is out there with Gene."
Melfina's eyes widened. "What? Who?"
"I'm not sure, but I've just picked up another ship. It's the El Dorado."
* * * * *
Gene grunted and shifted his weight to his right leg. "Stupid dragon. First he's all over the place, and now he won't even come out. But I'll be waiting for him."
Suddenly, there was a slight noise behind him.
Gene spun around, aiming his gun, only to have a great weight crash into the back of his head. He dropped to the ground like a stone.
The young man behind him chuckled and dropped the large rock, which would've been hard for the average human to lift. A small device emerged from his arm, and he spoke into it. "I got him, Ron."
"Nice work, Harry," replied the voice on the other end. "What about the others?"
"They're probably in the ship. What should I do with Starwind?"
"Leave him. I'll be coming right behind you. Just get on that ship and make sure it doesn't go anywhere."
"Understood." Harry grinned as he stared at the Outlaw Star. "I'm almost there, Melfina," he whispered with a twisted smile, "and I'm coming for you!"
* * * * *
When Jim came to, he instantly knew that he was still in Aisha's room. Partially because it smelled like her, but mostly because she was lying right next to him. Her long, white braid acted as a barrier, separating the two of them.
His first thought was to leave and to do it quickly. But something prevented Jim from leaving. Instead, he wondered what if might feel like to touch her hair. He carefully reached out and touched a few of the silky strands, momentarily forgetting how sensitive a Ctarl-Ctarl's skin (yes, even their hair) was.
Aisha instantly turned over and looked at him.
Jim swallowed a gasp and tried to come up with an explanation.
But Aisha just smiled. "You're a very lucky kid, Jimmy."
He blinked. "Why?"
"You're one of the few humans I can tolerate."
"Is that why I'm still in one piece?" he asked.
She nodded. "I always knew you were smart. Just didn't think you were crazy."
Jim grinned uneasily. "I guess Gene's rubbing off on me. I needed a challenge."
"And did you get it?" she asked, giving him a toothy grin. On anyone else, it might have been endearing, but on Aisha, it just looked scary.
"Definitely," he replied, not wanting to risk being chased again.
"In that case, you can stay here tonight." She rolled over and turned away from him. "But no snoring!"
"Right." Jim paused for a moment. "Hey, Aisha?" he asked quietly.
"What?" she murmured, already starting to fall asleep again.
He decided to ask her the question that had been starting to bother him. "When you said I was cute...did you mean I was cuter than a healthy baby Ctarl-Ctarl, or one that was sick?"
Aisha didn't glance back at him, as he thought she might. Instead, she muttered a few seconds later, "A healthy one. Go to sleep."
But Jim didn't sleep very much. Instead, he found himself playing with Aisha's hair again. Only this time, she didn't try to stop him. He never even gave thought to why, which was pretty unusual for someone like him.
Then again, Aisha was always telling him to stop working so hard and relax. Being around her, he really did feel like a kid again, and not some eleven year old prodigy that could assemble a working computer in three minutes. It was a nice feeling, one that he hadn't felt since Hamniyo. But it was certainly one he could get used to.
Continued in Part 3: Crazy Love
Mama McDougall would be turning in her grave if she could see what her boys were up to! You wouldn't believe what Cachit's got in store for these two brothers! Plus, Gene gains a male admirer...and it isn't Fred! (he's a little busy now...heh...) And if that wasn't enough, Suzuka returns, but with startling news!
Note: Despite the rumors, this is NOT a Gene/Suzuka fic. I really don't see how they could ever get together, with Gene annoying her all the time. So it ain't happening here. Trust me when I say Suzuka will be with the person you'd least expect. At least, I think so. And keep in mind that this IS supposed to be funny, even if it is a romance story.
Summary: The gang gets their first glimpse of the target, and Suzuka is the first to fall...in love, that is. But with who? The answer may shock you!
Cachit wasn't stupid. He didn't trust anyone, not after what the humans had done. Or tried to do, anyway. Before long, he figured out that he'd be hunted for the rest of his life. So he made life miserable for any human that came after him. His brand of justice was a twisted one, though. He made them happy for the rest of their lives...even if it was just an illusion of happiness, it seemed real enough to his victims.
But as the net came down over his head, Cachit realized that humans were a persistent race. He decided to wait and see what kind of person had tried to capture him this time.
It was a red-haired man with dark eyes. Nothing too special there. The star tattoo on his shoulder was...different, but lots of humans had tattoos. Some only had one, while others wore them like a second skin. Then the man spoke.
"Gotcha, you little runt!"
Cachit didn't like being called a runt. So he drew back and headbutted the man right between the eyes. He heard a muttered curse, and within seconds, he was free, racing across the rocky plains. He hadn't gotten far when another human tackled him.
This one was much smaller than the last, and he smelled like motor oil. He tried a different approach.
"Hold on, little guy," he said, patting Cachit's head. "We're not gonna hurt you."
Cachit liked the way his fingers felt. But then he spotted the red-haired human closing in, and leaped out of the boy's arms.
"After him, Jim!" the man shouted.
"Gene, back off! I had him until you came along!"
Gene sighed. "Well, never mind now. He's heading towards the ship. Let's hope Aisha and Suzuka have better luck..."
* * * * *
Aisha was bored. In fact, she'd almost fallen asleep when she felt something rub against her ankle. She slowly looked up to see...something...sitting next to her foot. It had been so quiet that even her ears hadn't caught its approach.
The creature appeared to be a blue dragon, though it was the size of a small dog. It had tiny, white wings on its back, which flapped silently every few seconds. That was probably how the thing had snuck up on her.
Aisha quickly realized that this was the creature they were looking for. She slowly stretched out a paw. "Hi there, little guy. You lost?"
The baby dragon let out a low squeal and pressed its snout against her paw.
Aisha smiled and scratched his head. "Well, I don't see what's so dangerous about you."
"THERE IT IS!" Gene screamed. "GET IT!"
The baby dragon's eyes widened, and he took off like a shot. He hadn't gotten far when a blur of white and red flew past, slamming him to the ground.
Gene and Jim finally ran up to find Suzuka crouching on the ground, holding the struggling dragon in her arms.
"Jim, get the tranquilizers!" she shouted.
"I'm on it!" Gene said as he pulled some needles from his pocket.
Upon spotting the needles, the dragon let out a frightened squeal and began struggling even harder.
Suddenly, there was an earth-shaking explosion. When the dust settled, Aisha was the first to speak.
"Brilliant move, Gene. Why don't you just SHOW him the needles before you stick him? That way he can know EXACTLY what he's getting into!"
"Shut up, Aisha! I didn't see you doing anything!"
"Um...I was luring him in! Until YOU came along and ruined it! Why'd you start shouting, anyway?!"
"Hey, everybody SHUT UP for a minute!" Jim cried.
Gene and Aisha fell silent, not because Jim told them to, but because he probably had something important to say.
Jim cleared his throat. "Has anyone seen Suzuka?"
"Hey, she IS gone!" Gene suddenly realized. "The last time I saw her, she was holding the thing-"
"And then it blew up," Aisha finished with her usual talent for describing the obvious.
"I don't think so, Aisha," Jim said. "I think it might have teleported."
"Teleported?!" Gene cried. "It already moves like a cheetah on steroids! Why in the world would it need to teleport?!"
"Well, SOMETHING blew up," Aisha muttered sullenly. "How else can you explain the huge explosion?"
Jim frowned. "I was wondering about that, too. I think it was a distraction."
"Worked pretty well," Gene mumbled, kicking at some debris. "So not only is the thing super-fast, but now it can actually HURT us."
"Among other things," Jim added.
"Oh, right. The love thing. Well, I don't know about Suzuka, but at least we know Mel's safe, right?"
"But Suzuka was part of the crew, too, Gene. We can't just forget about her."
"Yeah!" Aisha chimed in. "If it wasn't for her, we never would've known that thing could explode like that! I say we form a search party and find Suzu!"
Gene rolled his eyes. "Well, I say you're both nuts. That doesn't pay anything, but that little blue thing is worth SEVENTY MILLION WONG!!! So you can go look for Suzuka, but I'm going after that Smurf reject, even if I have to do it all by myself!"
"FINE!" Aisha shouted. "I'll be sure to let Suzu know you said that when we find her!"
Gene snorted, and then gasped. "Wait! I see her!"
"Where?!" Jim cried, looking around.
"There! And there! And there!" Gene laughed, pointing to various places on the ground. "Ooh, and there's a little bit of her here, too!"
"THAT'S NOT FUNNY, GENE STARWIND!" Aisha screamed.
Gene grinned. "Really? Cracks me up. Heh."
"YAAAAARRRRRGH!" Aisha suddenly turned and leaped onto Gene, attempting to bash his head in. "How can you be so insensitive?!" she screamed.
Jim didn't even try to pull Aisha off. She was much stronger, and he'd probably get slashed to ribbons if he got in the way. Besides, he agreed with her. Gene was being a real jerk, and they didn't even know if Suzuka was alive or not.
Of course, she was, but THEY didn't know that...
* * * * *
Suzuka wasn't what you might call the shy type. She had absolutely no problem going anywhere to get something done. Which was probably part of the reason she'd slipped into the expensive penthouse in the first place. The second reason was hovering over her shoulder, watching her progress. The third reason was actually in the bed she was staring at.
The man was obviously asleep, as was evident by his loud snores. Strangely enough, he was wearing some sort of night mask to keep the moonlight out of his eyes, and clutching a doll that looked mysteriously like a certain Outlaw.
Suzuka hardly noticed any of that, though. She just thought he was the most impressive sight she'd ever seen. She carefully stepped away from the white curtains, taking deep breaths as she approached the bed.
The man grunted slightly and rolled over, then began to snore again.
Suzuka continued her approach, until she tripped over something on the floor. She landed on all fours with a loud thump, which woke the sleeping man.
"Huh? Who's there?!" he called with a shaky voice. "I'm armed!"
Suzuka quickly scrambled to her feet as he removed the mask from his face. "Don't worry, my darling," she whispered seductively. "It's only me."
The man's face turned white. "NO! Get away from me! Guards! Guards! HELP!"
Suzuka chuckled softly. "They can't hear you. They're all unconscious now. I wanted to be sure there would no interruptions."
The man swallowed nervously. "Fine. Just go ahead and kill me."
"Oh, I'm not here to do that," she responded, stopping at the foot of the bed. "I'm here to make sure that you never forget the name...of Twilight Suzuka."
The man gulped loudly. "Look, I can pay you! Whatever you want!"
"It's not about the money," she whispered, slowly untying her kimono.
The man's eyes widened. "Wait. What are you doing?! Stop that at once!"
Suzuka smiled impishly. "Make me." She tossed her sash aside, allowing the kimono to slip away from her shoulders.
"AAH!" The man covered his eyes. "No, no, no! Put it back on! PLEASE!"
The kimono gradually fell away from her lovely body, hitting the floor in near silence. Then Suzuka's smile widened, and she slowly crawled onto the bed. "Don't worry, my dearest," she whispered. "I'll be gentle with you...at first."
The man tried to back away, but she was on him in a second, straddling his chest and pinning his arms with her hands. "No!" he whimpered. "Y-You can't DO this! I don't even like woMMMMMPH!"
Suzuka silenced him with a passionate kiss that nearly lasted an entire minute.
Then she began to undress him.
"You have to listen to me!" he pleaded, panic slipping into his voice. "You can't do this! I DON'T LIKE WOMEN! I'M GAY, DAMMIT! G-A-Y! GAY!"
Suzuka's lips brushed against his ear, and she whispered ever so softly, "Not for long."
The man's eyes widened in sheer terror, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream that sounded remarkably like a woman's.
Cachit grinned at his latest masterpiece from the window. Yes, Suzuka would make that lucky man very happy, if only he could stop screaming like that. But now it was time to make sure that her friends hadn't messed up his home. So Cachit flew away from the penthouse window, even as Fred Luo's screams continued until...yeah, you guessed it...twilight.
* * * * *
"NO! Go left! LEFT, DANGIT! AAAAAH!"
Jim smiled as Aisha's spacecraft got blown up for the sixth time. His, on the other hand, didn't have a scratch on it. Not that it mattered anymore. The screen flashed, and the words "GAME OVER!" flew up in big, bold, multicolored letters.
Aisha threw the controller down. "No fair! Human games are stupid!"
"Is that because you lost, or because I won?" Jim asked.
Aisha's eyes narrowed. "It's because...HEY!"
Jim laughed as he stood up. He did enjoy teasing her, especially when he was the only one that could get away with it. It gave him a certain feeling of power that was unusual to have over any Ctarl-Ctarl, much less one of Aisha's fierce temper.
Aisha stood up as well, still glaring at him, but didn't move to pounce on him. Instead, she stole a page from Gene's book. She put him in a headlock and gave him a noogie to remember.
"Ow, OW!" Jim shouted. "C'mon, Aisha! Let go!"
"Say it!" she demanded.
"Okay, okay! Aisha ClanClan is the most delicate and beautiful flower of the Ctarl-Ctarl Empire, and she can kick my butt anytime!"
Aisha released him, going into a fit of giggles when she noticed what a mess his hair was. However, she didn't have time to giggle long as something slammed into the back of her head with an audible pop. Before she realized it, she was drenched.
Aisha slowly turned to see Jim holding a water balloon in one hand. He grinned evilly and took a step towards her.
"You wouldn't DARE," she hissed. "You don't have the guts!"
The water balloon hit her right in the face.
"No, but I sure got the arm!" Jim chuckled.
"JIM!" Aisha roared, diving at him.
Jim ducked out of her reach and took off. He could hear her just a few steps behind him, growling and hissing like something twice her size. Jim wondered faintly if he'd gone too far this time. "Should've taken pictures," he muttered. "I'll never get a chance like that again."
As Jim tore up the stairs, he glanced behind him, letting out a startled gasp. At some point, Aisha had lost it and actually transformed. Now all he could see was something that resembled a huge Siberian tiger...on steroids, anyway. He swallowed noisily and kept running, despite the protests his legs were beginning to give him. There was no way he could stop now.
Finally, his legs wouldn't cooperate, and Jim dove into the nearest room. He didn't realize it was Aisha's until it was too late.
Aisha burst into the room, only to find Jim cowering on the bed. She let out a roar of anger, and then leaped effortlessly onto the bed, baring her razor-sharp teeth.
Jim drew back, even as her hot breath rolled over his face. It seemed like a good time to apologize if there ever was one. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was tiny squeak. He kept trying until it actually worked. "Aisha," he whispered, "I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! I'm really sorry! Honest!"
He waited for the heavy paw to come crashing down on his head. Only it never came. Jim started to relax, until the hot breath returned. He whimpered and lowered his head. And was quite surprised, but not exactly relieved, when a long, wet tongue licked his cheek. He slowly raised his head, only to stare up at Aisha's grinning face.
"Gotcha," she whispered.
Jim blinked in disbelief for a few seconds. Then he fainted.
* * * * *
Melfina glanced at the clock. "Gene's been out there a long time, Gilliam. Maybe I should check on him."
"I cannot allow that, Melfina. Gene gave me strict orders that you were to remain onboard at all times. However, I would have no problem doing a perimeter scan."
She sighed. "Okay, do that."
There was a slight pause before Gilliam spoke. "Gene is about one kilometer south of the ship. He is alone."
"And you still haven't found Suzuka?"
"I'm afraid not, dear. She's still missing, but...wait. Someone else is out there with Gene."
Melfina's eyes widened. "What? Who?"
"I'm not sure, but I've just picked up another ship. It's the El Dorado."
* * * * *
Gene grunted and shifted his weight to his right leg. "Stupid dragon. First he's all over the place, and now he won't even come out. But I'll be waiting for him."
Suddenly, there was a slight noise behind him.
Gene spun around, aiming his gun, only to have a great weight crash into the back of his head. He dropped to the ground like a stone.
The young man behind him chuckled and dropped the large rock, which would've been hard for the average human to lift. A small device emerged from his arm, and he spoke into it. "I got him, Ron."
"Nice work, Harry," replied the voice on the other end. "What about the others?"
"They're probably in the ship. What should I do with Starwind?"
"Leave him. I'll be coming right behind you. Just get on that ship and make sure it doesn't go anywhere."
"Understood." Harry grinned as he stared at the Outlaw Star. "I'm almost there, Melfina," he whispered with a twisted smile, "and I'm coming for you!"
* * * * *
When Jim came to, he instantly knew that he was still in Aisha's room. Partially because it smelled like her, but mostly because she was lying right next to him. Her long, white braid acted as a barrier, separating the two of them.
His first thought was to leave and to do it quickly. But something prevented Jim from leaving. Instead, he wondered what if might feel like to touch her hair. He carefully reached out and touched a few of the silky strands, momentarily forgetting how sensitive a Ctarl-Ctarl's skin (yes, even their hair) was.
Aisha instantly turned over and looked at him.
Jim swallowed a gasp and tried to come up with an explanation.
But Aisha just smiled. "You're a very lucky kid, Jimmy."
He blinked. "Why?"
"You're one of the few humans I can tolerate."
"Is that why I'm still in one piece?" he asked.
She nodded. "I always knew you were smart. Just didn't think you were crazy."
Jim grinned uneasily. "I guess Gene's rubbing off on me. I needed a challenge."
"And did you get it?" she asked, giving him a toothy grin. On anyone else, it might have been endearing, but on Aisha, it just looked scary.
"Definitely," he replied, not wanting to risk being chased again.
"In that case, you can stay here tonight." She rolled over and turned away from him. "But no snoring!"
"Right." Jim paused for a moment. "Hey, Aisha?" he asked quietly.
"What?" she murmured, already starting to fall asleep again.
He decided to ask her the question that had been starting to bother him. "When you said I was cute...did you mean I was cuter than a healthy baby Ctarl-Ctarl, or one that was sick?"
Aisha didn't glance back at him, as he thought she might. Instead, she muttered a few seconds later, "A healthy one. Go to sleep."
But Jim didn't sleep very much. Instead, he found himself playing with Aisha's hair again. Only this time, she didn't try to stop him. He never even gave thought to why, which was pretty unusual for someone like him.
Then again, Aisha was always telling him to stop working so hard and relax. Being around her, he really did feel like a kid again, and not some eleven year old prodigy that could assemble a working computer in three minutes. It was a nice feeling, one that he hadn't felt since Hamniyo. But it was certainly one he could get used to.
Continued in Part 3: Crazy Love
Mama McDougall would be turning in her grave if she could see what her boys were up to! You wouldn't believe what Cachit's got in store for these two brothers! Plus, Gene gains a male admirer...and it isn't Fred! (he's a little busy now...heh...) And if that wasn't enough, Suzuka returns, but with startling news!