Awww….It's finals time again!! That means I'll have even less time for new chapters….*goes off and cries in a dark corner*

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Invader Zim or any of the songs. I am not claiming that I do!

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Chapter 9: In The Raven's Eyes.

The rest of that day passed quickly. Kodi and Maddie said goodbye to their friends as they went the opposite direction to their house.

Rain was falling. At first is started out light, but was now heavy and felt cold. Strong winds mixed with the rain and made it difficult to see ahead. Though, this didn't bother Kodi and Maddie. They just kept walking; both listening as the rain fell around them.

Kodi seemed to be staring into space as he thought about that encounter with that raven…or whatever it was. Was the raven speaking the truth? Did he really have "importance" somewhere else? Did that "somewhere else" even exist?

Thinking of all these things almost made Kodi trip on the porch step as he followed Maddie. But, he caught himself and managed to get inside.

Ember walked in to greet her children, only to see that they were soaking wet. She walked over to them, reached down and hugged them with a gentle smile on her face.

"How was skool?" Ember asked as they let go and she stood up straight.

"Okay…I guess…" Maddie said as her and Kodi followed their mother into the hallway. They came to a small room. That, when the door slid open, was revealed to be a laundry room.

Ember grabbed a couple clean and neatly folded towels from the top of the dryer and handed one to each twin.

"Thanks, mom." Kodi and Maddie said in unison as they grabbed the towels and wrapped them around themselves like a blanket.

They pressed a button on their watches, and the hologram faded. They, once again, looked like Irkens.

Suddenly, an explosion was heard from one of the underground labs. The sound of the elevator door opening came a few minutes later.

Zim nearly ran out, almost in a panic. He leaned against the closed elevator door and tried to calm himself as he looked at his wife and children.

"…Don't go in the lab…" He finally said. Then, with his family, walked into the living room. He turned around and saw that Kodi was going into his room.

"…Kodi! Where are you going?" He asked.

Kodi just shrugged as he disappeared into his room.

"What's wrong with your brother?" Zim asked as he turned around to look down at Maddie. She was sitting on the couch, between her mother and Gir.

"I don't know…" Maddie said as she looked at the TV. Watching as the theme song to Scrubs began to play.

Zim and Ember looked at each other; they looked away and a silent agreement was made to talk to Kodi later.

---

Kodi was now lying on his bed; sitting up against the headboard and staring up at the wired ceiling.

The dog that was sleeping at the foot of his bed awoke and made its way over to Kodi. It tried to lick his face, but was gently pushed away.

"Hey Serpent…" Kodi said as the dog settled down next to him. This dog…was the only (known) son of Dragon.

At first Zim and Ember weren't sure about the little puppy that had followed Dragon home one day. But, this puppy was defiantly not someone's pet. It was filthy, underweight, and shy (and sometimes aggressive) towards humans. And, they were sure that Dragon wouldn't take a stray puppy from its mother…

The only reason why Zim and Ember considered Serpent to be Dragon's son was that…he looked almost exactly like him. The only differences being that Serpent's fur wasn't as dark as Dragon's was and his two front paws were black. However, he looked to have the same bloodline as Dragon. Half dog, half (or part) wolf.

It was still possible that this was Dragon's biological son…maybe Dragon didn't always stick with Gir when he went out to get a Suck Monkey…

Unfortunately, Zim and Ember would never know for sure. Because…Dragon had passed away the previous year; in his sleep. But, hey…he was nearly twenty five years old. Not bad for a dog/wolf hybrid.

He was buried in the front yard in the top right corner, near the lawn gnome that he had nearly destroyed back when he was two years old. In fact, you could still see the teeth marks on the sides and head of it; also the small dents.

To be honest, Zim was surprised. By his understanding, hybrids such as Dragon had shorter life spans and…Dragon ended up living a lot longer than most dog breeds. But…that didn't make the hurt of losing a family member any less painful.

Serpent was at first just a temporary pet; because, Zim didn't want two dogs (and one insane robot) in the house. But, after Dragon had died, he had a change of heart.

Serpent was just like his "father"; both inside and (almost) outside. Now three years old, Serpent is a beloved and wonderful member of the family.

However, it appears that Serpent has a strong bond with everyone in the family…but, his bond with Kodi was the strongest. It made Maddie a little jealous, but she saw how happy it made Kodi…so she let it go.

Kodi sighed as he petted Serpent's head. He reached over and turned his stereo on, remembering to turn it down to a more appropriate volume.

But, he turned it off as he heard his name being called.

"Kodi!" ...His dad.

"Oh great…What'd I do now?" Kodi whispered as he glanced down at Serpent and got up. He walked out of his room and into the hallway; seeing that his father was waiting for him near the elevator.

Zim stepped into the elevator and waited for Kodi.

"I thought you said not to go into the lab." Kodi said was he walked in.

"Eh…it should be fine by now…" Zim said as the elevator door closed. "Kodi…what's been going on with you?" He asked as he looked down at his son.

"Nothing, Dad…" Kodi said; not wanting to make eye contact.

The elevator stopped and the door opened; allowing Kodi and Zim to walk out.

Instead of looking up at his dad, Kodi just stared at the various beakers filled with brightly colored chemicals on the table as they walked by. They remained unused and collected dust as they were not needed anymore. Zim had given up his "mission" years ago. What was the point? He had made friends (well, close enough) with his nemesis, and his leaders were never even interested in Earth anyway…so it was useless to try to conquer it.

All Zim did was look down at Kodi with a concerned look on his face. "Kodi…" He said with a sigh. "…I—" But an alarm stopped him from finishing.

"Incoming transmission from…The…Tallests?" The computed announced; then questioned with surprise as to why the Tallests were calling Zim.

"…Oh no…" Zim whispered.

"The Tallests?! You mean your leaders!" Kodi gasped, and then continued as he stared up at Zim. "I wanna meet them!!"

Zim just shook his head. "No! You can never meet them!" He said a little more harshly than he meant to.

"What? Why?!" Kodi asked.

"What's going on?" Ember asked as she came out of the elevator.

Zim sighed with relief when he saw that Maddie hadn't followed. "Ember, take Kodi to the main level and keep him and Maddie up there until I'm finished talking with the Tallests!"

Ember nodded and walked up to Kodi. She put his arm around his shoulders and, with same persuading, got him to come with her into the elevator.

"But, mom!!" Kodi yelled as the elevator door closed in front of him.

The elevator door opened again, revealing the hallway. Ember put one hand on each of Kodi's shoulders and made him walk in front of her as they walked into the living room. She didn't want him trying to go back down to the lab…

"What's wrong?" Maddie asked as she looked away from the TV screen.

"Nothing…your dad's just…talking to some old friends. That's all." Ember reassured her daughter.

Maddie only shrugged and turned her attention back on the TV.

Kodi wiggled out of his mother's grip and looked up at her. "That's not fair! Why can't I meet them…Don't I have a right to?!" He yelled.

Ember sighed and kneeled down so she was eye level with her son. "I'm sorry…you just can't!" She said as gentle as she could.

"Why?!" Kodi looked down. "Are…are you and dad ashamed of me and Maddie?" He asked; close to tears.

"Honey, of course not!" Ember pulled Kodi into a loving hug. "We…just can't let you…" She said.

Kodi pulled back and pushed his mother away. "Or…maybe you're ashamed of me." He said as he backed away close to the door.

"Kodi!" Ember said as she stood up and took a step towards her son. "Please…"

But, that "please" went unheard by Kodi. He had gotten to the door and ran out, turning on the hologram as he left; then, slamed the door behind him.

"Kodi!!" Ember and Maddie said in unison.

--

The wind was now a breeze; but still cold. The smell of rain still lingered as Kodi ran out the cul-de-sac. He headed towards the park…unsure of how long he would "run away" this time.

He took put is Zune, put on his ear buds, and picked a song.

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends

Kodi ran into the park. He looked around and didn't see anybody.

He sat down on one of the benches. Then…a voice came from a tree branch above him.

like my father's come to pass
seven years has gone so fast
wake me up when September ends

"It's about time you showed up…" A familiar voice said as the flapping of wings was heard.

Kodi didn't even look up. "What do you want?"

"I think it's clear what I want!" The raven almost snapped as it landed on the back of the bench beside Kodi.

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when September ends

Kodi glanced at it; then looked back down at a remaining rain puddle on the path in front of him.

"What did I tell you, child?" The creature said in an eerie voice.

"I don't know…What did you tell me?" Kodi whispered.

"Don't get smart!" The raven snaped.

summer has come and passed
the innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends

ring out the bells again
like we did when spring began
wake me up when September ends

"Please…just leave me alone."

"Why? So you can just go on with this little pathetic life you live? Trust me…there are better things for you to be doing!"

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are

"Like what?"

"Like…like helping my master."

"With what?"

"That's a secret!" The raven disappeared, and then reappeared on the other side of the bench.

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when September ends

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends

"Of course it is…" Kodi said as he looked at the raven. He stared right into its piercing black eyes.

"What do you say, child?" The raven sneered.

like my father's come to pass
twenty years has gone so fast
wake me up when September ends
wake me up when September ends
wake me up when September ends

Kodi stared at the raven for a long time. He kept looked right into its eyes. There, he saw his…future.

In the raven's eyes, he saw respect. In the raven's eyes, he saw the adoration that he truly deserved. In the raven's eyes…he saw power and a better life. A life that he could actually enjoy; without bullies and cruel skoolmates.

Kodi smiled.

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Wow this chapter took a long time…mostly because I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen.

I also wasn't sure it I had used that song in a previous story, I know I have used it in the Wolf Brothers series…but I wasn't sure if I had used it in the Zim/Ember series. And…I was too last to go back and check.

So, I'm sorry if it is a double…

Song: Wake Me Up When September Ends by: Green Day.

Next chapter should be up soon (I hope) :)