Guten Tag, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the "improved" first installment. ^^' I think it's going okay so far. Well, please tell me if I've done something wrong. All criticism will be taken with an open and thoughtful mind. =) I need to improve my writing, though I think my style has taken a turn for the better. Maybe my English teacher will at long last realize my forte is not formal essays but creative writing? I am quite sorry for the delay, though, but now 'tis spring break so I have free time! *collective gasp* Anywho, do enjoy the second chapter of In the Eyes of My Maker. Keep your eyes peeled, for in all due time things will pick up.

Warnings: Some more yuri/shoujo-ai hints. If you're smart, you should have figured out who the pair is. ^~

He cried; not on the outside, but within his heart, he cried. The yearning to comfort the small form in his arms was overpowering. Inside was a storm, one that blazed behind ice-grey eyes and tore apart the many steeled walls guarding his inner soul. Rare were the times that Gene allowed his emotions to control thoughts and actions, but shock had taken control and all rationality was shut down.

Gene shifted slightly, careful not to disturb the sleeping boy in his arms. Jim, too, had cried, his tear-stained face proof enough, though Gene had managed to quietly lull him into a silent sleep which left the red-haired outlaw to his own thinking.

All thoughts, however, were banished when the soft click of a door echoed through the house, reaching his ears and alerting him to the presence of others. He held his breath as the sounds of soft chatter made its way to the room Gene currently occupied, and he instantly acknowledged the intruders as none other than Aisha and Suzuka. Their voices were silenced with the coming of another Gene guessed to be Melfina. Her worried tone seemed to be contagious, and their conversation dulled to fervent whispers. Quiet footsteps soon neared the entrance to Jim's room.

Soft, gutter-water eyes peered around the slightly ajar door and blinked slowly at the image before them.

"Gene…?"

Another face, one of bright cerulean globes always so full of mischief and intrigue worked its way around Melfina's. Her face was wrinkled into a worried frown.

"What's wrong with Jimmy?"

The door was slowly urged open to reveal the three girls, Suzuka with one hand still on the steel door and the other resting lightly on her bokken. Melfina was the first to step forward, while Aisha hung back close to Suzuka, sticking to her like a lifeline.

Gene turned around to face them, still holding the boy close. It was now or quite possible never.

"Melfina, Aisha, Suzuka… There's something I think I should tell you."

~*~*~*~

Silence. Gene looked at each of the girls, trying to prompt a response from any of them. Doubt of his actions began to creep into his mind, and he shuddered at the sensation of black spinners* crawling steadily up his back to infest his thoughts. He found himself sparing glances towards Jim's room, wondering if he had done right in telling the three of the new and startling situation.

The boy was still sleeping, to Gene's knowledge at least. He had left Jim in his room so as not to wake him with their talking for Gene had been suspecting some rather flamboyant responses. Gene sighed, preparing to tell the girls that all was in jest, a simple joke (albeit a well-acted one) meant in goodwill, when Suzuka finally spoke up.

"This should not change anything." Her voice was firm.

Aisha nodded, clutching reflexively at Suzuka's arm. Instead of the usual reprimand, the quiet assassin pressed a hand lightly over the Ctarl's own.

Melfina's eyes were bright with held back tears. She wrung her hands in her lap and showed her agreement as well, though only with a dazed tilt of her head. ~Oh Jim..~

"Aniki."

The soft voice instantly recognizable, Gene and the others turned to spot Jim standing just outside the doorway of his room. He took one tentative step forward before rushing to Suzuka, flinging his arms around her. Muffled against her clothes, the only discernable words were "Thank you."

Quiet as they were, Suzuka heard them, and in a sudden bout of emotion, laid her arms round the boy in a gesture of not only friendship but also a subdued motherhood.

Machine or not, Jim was family, and one never harms family.

~*~

A plan, one wrought of a tactical and most of all rational mind, was most certainly needed. Now that the immediate emotional turmoil had been relieved, the rest of the doctor's words came rushing back to Gene with an alarming slap.

"You are to seek and destroy the Tritolion Deheir."

That was all well and good, but where was this thing- this object of such power that it was deemed imperative to obliterate it? Gene did not like being left with questions for it made him feel helpless, a feeling not welcomed to those of the outlaw breed.

Thoughts and emotions having been laid bare, Melfina had thankfully offered to busy herself in the kitchen. This had been an inadvertent reminder of the concept of Time, bringing it back in full swing, and all crewmembers were grateful for the distraction that food provided as well as filling up there hungry bellies. And so they had spent the next few hours, silently mulling over past, present, and future- and the possibilities all held.

Surprisingly, it had been quiet and peace-loving Melfina that had brought the group back to reality.

Outlaw Star to Gene. Ya' in there? Or do I have to take you over my knee to keep you in the waking world?

Oh sod off…

Through the persistent annoyance of the voices in his head, Gene managed, along with the rest of the crew, to piece together a choppy outline of what could or could not be recognized as a plan. Either way, it gave them a sense of direction and most of all, purpose- a feeling the group had not felt since the incident with the Galactic Leyline.

Suzuka, Aisha, and Melfina had left to search minds, books, and hard-drives for any and all information on the Tritolion Deheir. This left Gene and Jim alone with the exception of a surprisingly quiet Gilliam.

Turning to his small friend- Jim had remained silent ever since Melfina had served up supper- Gene smiled reassuringly. "Do ya think you can check on the computer for some dirt on this all-powerful star?" His eyes were soft, devoid of their usual gung-ho 'I'll take on anyone and anything' sparkle and replaced with a display of devotion so very rarely shown in the older outlaw. Jim forced a smile and a nod- he felt truly touched at the sheer amount of love the group shared but the shock of the day had not entirely wore off and his mind was spinning in crazy loops, managing to take the perfectly valid world and transform it into something unbelievably insane.

Despite the confusion, Jim got quite the surprise when Gene settled down in a chair along side him, watching the computer screen alertly.

Woah, back up.

Gene working? And more importantly- Gene was helping him? This was a bit too much for Jim's mind, and it gradually shut down, attention focused on the flashing screen before him. Colours melded into one, all thoughts disappeared and soon enough he was entirely absorbed in the work.

Objective. Objective. Objective.

The two partners were quickly so wrapped up that they paid no heed to the returning of the girls. They stood just outside the doorframe of the living room, watching with loving care the two almost-brothers as they worked. All three of them had come back empty handed, no closer to knowing the alleged man than they had been when he first appeared. It seemed he had disappeared. They had found an empty medical record, but the only information it gave was his name. This man certainly had a knack in secrecy, and the girls were apt to believe that any possibilities of tracing the call were long gone.

Melfina smiled warmly at the sight before her. In a way, she understood- or partially understood- the thoughts young Jim must be lost in.

A cry of triumph and surprise drew the three towards Gene and Jim- the former now with a cocky grin plastered on his face as he stood and stretched. "We got it! Nothing on that guy, but at least we found a general location for the Tritolion De-whatever." Already Gene was searching through a pile of dirty laundry for his cloak, his mop of read hair bouncing up and down.

Jim, after downloading the information into Gilliam's files, stood as well. "Aniki! And just where are you going?" A coy smile touched his face, though it left his eyes haunted.

The older outlaw, snorting in reply, clasped the now found cloak about his shoulders. "Jus' to the bar, Jimmy. Where else?" Jim looked about to protest so Gene hurried on. "I'll only be gone for a little while! 'Sides, all that work has given me a craving."

That's a lie straight through the teeth, if I haven't heard one!

Jim frowned slightly before standing. "I better go with you- to keep you in line" Despite the clear annoyance, his tone was gentle- the protective voice of a friend and comrade. To cover up, Jim hastened, "No tellin' who or what you may bring back if I don't come along!"

The girls laughed, even Suzuka letting out a small chuckle-. The mood grew contagious, and had soon enough spread to both Jim and Gene. For a brief moment in time, everything seemed to wash away.

And for that one short minute, life was truly good.