Dib sighed, gazing up at the starry sky above him. 'What was my purpose in life? To save the world- when I was eleven. To defeat Zim- when I was thirteen. To protect Gaz- when I was fourteen. But now? I have a girlfriend, I start college in September, Gaz seems to be satisfied with her life, Dad is busy (as always), and I've fufilled my promises... what is there left to do?'
As he pondered his thoughts, Dib hardly noticed his younger sister climbing up on the roof beside him. Like every member of their family, her eyes were a dark shade of amber, and like their mother, she had long purple hair with a slight curl. At sixteen, Gaz was clearly one of the prettier girls in the hi-skool, though she refused to accept a boyfriend. She had been in love with Zim, unknown to Dib at the time, and had been in a furious rage for about a month after her brother caused him to self-destruct, and was depressed for about half a year after that. She'd recovered on the outside, but Dib knew that she'd never truly healed from their mom's death, and having Zim die only reopened old wounds. She held a can of cola, her GS3 having broken several days ago, with no replacement yet.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice listless and lacking the enthusiam (well, hatred) that once filled it.
He shrugged, mostly ignoring her question, knowing better than to mention Zim around her. 'Three months left until I'm eighteen.. two weeks until I move out.. and a date with Gretchen tomorrow night. There's nothing wrong with my life- well, nothing much, but I still feel unfufilled, like I have no purpose.'
The sound of Gaz snapping open her soda can shoved Dib back to reality, and none too gently. He scowled at her, though it lacked his usual spirit. A scream pierced the night... or did it?
The dark-haired teen was back in the alley, where he'd been when Gaz had learned that Zim was dead. He was forced to watch as his younger self dashed towards Zim's house, only to be greeted by a sobbing GIR and a furious Gaz bent on destroying him. Dib watched regretfully as Gaz attacked him, her punches hurting him, but her expression hurting him more.
The older Dib, invisible to those he watched, stared unhappily as Gaz began dragging him home, and a heartbroken GIR exploded into nothing more than a lining of dust on the floor.
Dib shivered- perhaps he shouldn't have taken his chance at destroying Zim... if only one could turn back time...
Suddenly, a faint whisper reached his ears. "There is a difference between dead and gone, Dibstink," murmured an all-too-familiar voice. "A planet-sized difference..."
A/N:: Well... it's short, but I like it. D I hope you all like it too- this was interesting to write... and I needed something to help me get going on The Final Battle again. Seriously- who agrees that writer's block is a pest?