Fire and Ice
By: Painful Innocence
A/N- I don't know anything about the Outlaw Star mangas, or the female characters in them (other than the ones in the anime), so if there are any likenesses between this and them (which I seriously doubt), it was just coincidence! ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own Outlaw Star… But anything original, I do own! 'Cause I'm just that cool!
Notes:
Words and conversations in addition signs (ex: +blah+) are flashbacks. Words in asterisks (ex: *blah*) are dream sequences. "blah" denotes speaking. 'blah' denotes thoughts. blah denotes person's conscience thinking (read; Jiminy Cricket).
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Ch. 1
Jim blinked, and rubbed his eyes. The fumes coming from the wax and paint they were putting on the Outlaw Star must've been doing something to his eyes, because things were starting to get blurry…
"Jim…" He turned, and saw the black-haired bio-android Melfina standing there, looking as pretty and concerned from the day the Leyline had been found.
"Yeah, Mel?" he asked, rubbing his eyes again – disturbing his blue goggles that were resting on his crown of dark blonde hair.
"Maybe you should get some sleep. You've been rubbing your eyes a lot now, and you seem pretty tired."
"Someone's got to stay to make sure they don't mess up the Outlaw Star, Mel. And I'm fine – really," he insisted. But Melfina put a hand on his arm and gently took him away from the viewing window. "I'll do it, until Gene comes back from calling our new client. Go get some rest, Jim."
Jim hesitated, then nodded and walked off to the small hotel they were staying at while the Outlaw Star was being repaired: The BlackRose Inn. He found the room's hallway, and walked down it, when he heard footsteps other than his. He turned. Nobody.
He kept walking, and heard the footsteps again. He turned. No one. But he was sure he saw the tail of a cloak waft behind the corner of a doorway… He reached into his jacket pocket, and took out the small gun Gene insisted he carry with him. It held only about three bullets, but the fact that he had it (and not that he could aim well), made him feel safer.
He kept walking, slightly on edge, and he sped up. Right when he was about to reach the door way – still running – he stopped abruptly. Footsteps still rang across the hallway. He turned, heart beating fast, and saw a woman standing there. She was about as tall as Gene, maybe a half-inch shorter, and stood with the same confident stance.
She had shoulder-long, chestnut brown hair with a thing overlay of tawny-gold so it shimmered brown or slight blonde at different angles. Bright ocher eyes glimmered behind strands of stray hair. Her skin was baked a gentle golden-brown, as if she had a permanent suntan, and shone as if she had been soaked with water – or was sweating a lot. She had a model's figure, but the muscles hidden under her clothes said she was anything BUT a model. Her clothes, speaking of which, consisted of black spandex shorts that went a little above mid thigh and hung low on her hips – showing some of her thin stomach; a black, form-fitting tank-top with a black shirt over it that had baggy sleeves; biking gloves over her hands that ended at the knuckles; and tight, cloth black boots that went a little below her knee with what seemed like a silver clamp on the ankles. She would have been very pretty, and seemingly harmless, if Jim hadn't seen the silver sword hanging from her loose black leather belt. A black and red Caster, and gray Blaster hung from a red belt around her waist – along with numerous caster shells strapped over her chest under her over shirt, and Blaster bullets and pellets on the same belt.
"Who are you?" Jim demanded, feeling the cold fear that seeped through his body. He aimed his gun at her chest – though the way he had aimed and shot in the past, it would probably hit her waist.
'Better than not hitting her at all…' Jim thought and asked the question again, this time with more fear showing.
The woman smiled grimly – showing white teeth and plain lips. She flicked a strand of tawny/brown hair from her orange eyes, and started creeping towards him. "I won't hurt you. No, I will only hurt you if you don't tell me where Fire is."
"W-what?" Jim stuttered. Who was this woman? And who was Fire?
"Where is Fire?" she asked again. She crept closer to him, and Jim walked backwards in time with her step. He could feel the gun shaking in his hand.
"I-I don't know who…or WHAT…you're talking about…" he squeaked.
"Where.is.Gene.Starwind," she said lowly, quietly. Her hands wandered to the hilt of her sword. She unsheathed it with a sharp, metallic shing!, and Jim's eyes widened at the sheer sharpness of it. It was like a harpoon, and the tip gleamed stormily when the light from above hit it. And it was the size of Suzuka's bokuto [wooden sword; some call it a bokken – i.e. Tenchi Muyo!/Universe/in Tokyo… The wooden sword Tenchi trains with].
"Why are you looking for Gene? Who are you?" Jim exclaimed.
"No matter who I am," she said fluidly. "What matters is where he is!"
"Who the hell are you? Jim, you know this person?" said a familiar voice. The woman turned slowly, sword still trained on Jim, and her eyes brightened when she saw the fiery read hair, the famed two scars, and infamous Starwind smirk and gleam in the teal-blue eyes.
"Gene Starwind…" she hissed like a snake. Her eyes narrowed, and she formed a smirk to rival even the famed "Hot Ice" Hilda. "How glad I am to finally meet you…after all these years of blood-lust unquenched… All I've wanted to see, for so many months was your head on a silver-platter, Gene Starwind… Or your voice proclaiming your passion for me – which I knew you had; I could feel it. Couldn't you understand, Gene? All I ever wanted was you…all I ever wanted was for you to be mine… But that day will never come, will it Gene? That day will never COME…!" At the last word, she had taken her sword from Jim, and had rushed at Gene with it raised.
Gene crouched, ready for the blow, when he heard a shot, a yell mingled with surprise and pain, and the sound of lazy metal and wood coming together. He opened his eyes, and saw that Suzuka had taken her bokuto and replaced Gene's body with it. The woman was lying lifeless on the hallway floor, scarlet blood seeping from her right side – a clean bullet wound explained the blood. But who…who had shot the gun?
Gene looked at Jim, and saw he was staring at the woman on the floor. He had a gun in his hands.
"Jim…" Gene murmured.
"Who was she, Gene?" Jim asked, looking up at him.
Gene looked at Suzuka, who had moved and turned the woman over to look at her face – and possibly find an article that would tell her name. Gene's chest contracted.
'No…it can't be…' he thought, shaking his head slightly. 'No…'
"Gene?" Melfina asked. "Are you alright? Who was she?"
Gene paused, then said in a small voice, "Eriko…"
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A/N- The End! Not! More to come! Review!