Yay, part two! I'm really pleased with how this one turned out, and I hope you are too!

Chapter 5: Part 2

"Tak?" Dib gasped incredulously. He was shocked, but half-smiling. Weirdo.

Tak stepped forward out of the shadows of the alleyway, revealing her human disguise, altered to have green skin. Her eyes glinted coolly.

"Yes, I have returned…just as I said I would." She flipped her hair. "I admit, I underestimated the speed at which you foolish creatures could travel, yet I promised I would catch you and well…" she raised her hands, smiling darkly, "here we are." Her eyelashes flicked open like sinister, amethyst-velvet butterfly wings. I looked at Dib, hoping to convey my "can-you-believe-her" face, but I growled when I noticed the rosy blush accompanying the dopey look on his face.

"Tak…I…" Tak raised an indifferent eyebrow at him.

"You what, Earth-boy?" The cool, subtle rejection was—for once—not lost on Dib. He hung his head and I stepped in, knowing he would be useless in this exchange.

"Tak, what do you want with us? Do you want your ship? 'Cause you'll have to fight us for it." I opened my eyes and raised a fist threateningly. She opened her eyes wide, studying the pose…and then threw her head back and laughed.

"You think I want that trash? I have long since upgraded; that old thing is a mere toy in comparison to what I have now." What? I lowered my fist in confusion, vaguely noticing Pik cowering behind my leg. It was my turn to raise an eyebrow.

"If you don't want your ship, then why are you stalking us?"

"I'm not stalking you!" Tak almost lost her cool…almost. "I followed you to produce the information I need to exact my new goal: revenge on the ex-Invader Zim!" Oh…how funny. I coughed out a laugh.

"Join the club," muttering sarcastically, I turned away from her, pulling the still-moping Dib by the sleeve. "C'mon, Dib, let's go…." Stopped in my tracks, my sentence was left forgotten. Standing like a deer in the headlights at the entrance to the alley was the source of all my problems; the eternal thorn in my side...the object of my persistent, unforgiving crush.

Zim.

Making eye contact, he returned my frustrated glare, his blue eyes glistening with the slightest trace of fear.

Then he ran.

"COME BACK HERE, IDIOT!" Releasing Dib's sleeve—and with Pik still grasping my leg in terror, I launched myself after the emerald-colored moron. I saw his black hair bobbing up and down in the crowd; it was a miracle Zim had grown as tall as he did. I shoved the pompous citizens who were obnoxiously meandering in my path, pumping my legs to reach my victim. Shouts of indignation and bewilderment rang behind me, but I only had eyes for the alien running helter-skelter in front of me…in more ways than one. Zim dared to throw a glance over his shoulder, locked eyes with me, and then did the most immature thing I should have expected. We ceased our chase for a moment. Pik whimpered in fear, clutching my leg for dear life.

"DID YOU JUST STICK YOUR TONGUE OUT AT ME?" The entire crowd of people around me turned and stared, glancing nervously at Zim, who had too-late realized the look I was giving him.

In a burst of wrath-driven inhuman speed, I tackled him to the ground. We rolled a few, coming to a stop with one of my knees pressed firmly in his chest. He coughed at the cloud of red-orange sand.

"Pitiful Gaz-beast! You shall not gain victory over ZIIIIM!" Briefly releasing one of his wrists, I slapped him clean across the face, hissing into his ear.

"Shut…up! Do you want to blow both of our covers? You know as well as I that…only aristocrats are allowed here." He stared at me blankly.

"YOU'RE LYING!" I pressed my hand across his mouth, glaring at him with both of my eyes fully open.

"Zim…you have no idea how much strength it's taking me right now not to rip your head off. Now shut up." I stood, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him to the nearest alley. I smiled as girlishly as possible and waved to the crowd.

"Oh, don't mind us! My mom has been looking for my cousin here for the longest time!" The crowd nodded and returned to their business. I dragged Zim to the end of the alley. Before I could begin his dooming however, he pressed me to the wall.

"Wha-?"

"You didn't honestly think that the almighty Zim was so weak, did you?" He whispered into my ear. I wriggled in his vice grip. He smirked cockily…. Ugh! If I could have clawed that smug grin off his face I would've…but why was it so attractive? I grit my teeth, trying to avoid eye contact. Zim lifted my face with a gloved claw.

"I'll admit, Dib-sibling, you did a fair job of tracking me to my hiding place." Unable to resist any longer, my eyes lifted to his blue ones. I saw his smugness—his crazy pride that fueled him in his every endeavor. "However," he continued, his voice going dangerously soft and low, "now that it is I who have caught you, you will understand why you shouldn't have followed me."

He extracted a strange rod-like device from his Pak, pressed it against my forehead, then whispered breathily in my ear, "Goodnight, little Gaz."

Pik yelling "Mistress!" was all I heard before my vision went black.

I really like the tension between Zim and Gaz in this chapter; I'm really excited to write it from Zim's perspective in chapter 7. I hope you liked it! Remember, R&R and have a great day!