Hello, my friends and loyal readers! I'm back, (oh my god, look how short the time intervals have gotten!) and now Emerald Kimana is getting her share of romance, comedy, and action… hopefully. I have no idea how this is going to turn out, so DON'T ASK QUESTIONS!! Anyway… I don't own GX or anything I may or may not mention in this story. If I owned GX, do you really think I'd be here? Actually, yeah I would… But I'd also be firing a few 4kids people and making the show EVEN BETTER.

Shara stood on top of a ladder, hanging orange and black streamers from the tennis court's walls. The ceilings required lifts to get to, and those haven't arrived yet. Jaden and Kris, previously having set up a few long snack tables, started bringing in round tables for guests to rest at. Leslie and Zane were practicing levitating techniques while bringing fold up chairs in. Emerald, Syrus, Alicia, and Aster were desperately trying to design Japanese-style lanterns in orange paper, but it wasn't going the best of ways. Syrus just glued his middle finger and thumb together. Alicia's lantern looked kind of… well, let's just say it looked nothing like a lantern. Emerald had lost interest in this project, and was now decorating a toothpick-Duel Academy with the leftover tissue paper. Only Aster's paper resembled anything like a lantern.

"That's pretty good, Emi," Aster complimented her on her miniature Duel Academy. Emerald blushed.

"Thanks. Your lantern is really good." Aster smiled at her, making her face redden even more. Chazz randomly snuck up behind her and whispered in her ear:

"Do you like tomatoes?" Emerald shouted and fell backwards off of her chair (they were working at a table). Chazz chuckled slightly as the people around him burst out laughing.

"Chazz!" Emerald shouted, embarrassed.

"What? You guys need to lighten up a bit more. The dance isn't for another…" Chazz checked an imaginary watch. "Five days. And it's a dance, not a wedding!"

"Yeah, well…" Emerald sputtered.

"I rest my case," Chazz said, and strode over to Leslie and Zane to tell them off for practicing outside of secluded areas. Emerald glanced over when he got there, and Zane was laughing his head off while Leslie just stared into space and ignored Chazz. At first, Chazz was frustrated, and then his shoulders shook in sniggers. Aster followed Emerald's gaze and smiled at the scene.

"That Chazz, he sure is funny, isn't he?"

"Only when he wants to," Kris cut in, setting a table down near them. Jaden wiggled under the table to lock the legs.

"And even when he's not trying to be!" Jaden added. After locking the legs, he leaned his head back to look at Shara, who was stepping down the ladder. Suddenly, the ladder wobbled, and Shara lost her balance. It was only a few feet from the ground and, being a Neko, she would have probably been okay. The only problem was, was that a guy ran in a caught her. He had reddish-brown hair with a buzzcut and a hook-like ponytail. His was well built, with patched, dark jeans, an Obelisk outfit slightly too small for him, and narrow black eyes. When he caught Shara, she ended up bridal style.

"Um thanks—"

"Jerome Dalton," the guy interrupted.

"Thank you for catching me, Jerome, but I'd rather you put my down. I DO have a boyfriend, and also, I would not have been hurt if you did not catch me. Please put me down NOW," Shara ordered. Grudgingly, Jerome set the girl down. Shara brushed herself off and strode away to work on hanging more streamers. She could feel Jerome's eyes on her the whole time. Jerome also sensed someone come up behind him. He whirled around and found Chazz glaring at him.

"Dalton, go back to your dorm. You're not supposed to be here."

"What, I can't help decorate?" Jerome snorted rudely.

"You can't if you're not on the committee, and you certainly didn't ask before we started."

"Well jeez, if I knew she was going to be there, I'd've asked!"

"But you didn't. Leave."

LATER

Jaden finally found Shara sulking in a corner. The decorations were done for the day, and the students needed time to complete homework.

"Why are you sulking?"

"'Cause that stupid Dalton person tried to flirt with me with you in the same room!"

"I didn't see him flirt…"

"He did it discreetly. When he caught me, I knew he liked me. Good thing I'm taken," Shara giggled, looking up at Jaden's warm brown eyes. She stretched her arms out toward him, and he hugged her.

"C'mon, we need to get to class. I think we have swimming in P.E."

Emerald sat dully in Alchemy class. Professor Banner was absent, so Aster had to help them understand a lab they were doing. Once they were finished, they had to work on their transmuting projects. This lab was about trying to create a spark from a circle, kind of like Colonel Mustang, Aster said. This lab also meant that Aster couldn't "help" Emerald. He would be too busy doing what Professor Banner should have been doing.

Emerald sighed at her misfortune. She knew she liked Aster… a lot. But nothing could be done. She settled on concentrating on her lab. When she was ready to create a spark that they're trying to light a match with, the whole match shrivelled into ashes in one loud POP from the fire.

"Emi, can you meet me outside, please?" Aster asked gently. He strode out of the room, Emerald following anxiously.

Once outside, Aster turned to her. "Emi, I would have called you out here anyway. Emi, I—I have something I have to show you."

"What is it?" Emerald queried worriedly. Aster's gaze shifted around the hallway to make sure no one there. He turned his left wrist over and dug his fingers into just below where the palm met the wrist. Emerald winced, but did not look away. Aster needed to show her this. Slowly, Aster pulled his hand back, peeling his "skin" back. Underneath was a robotic arm.

"Oh my god," Emerald whispered, clamping a hand over her mouth. "You're a robot?" Aster looked at her sadly.

"I wasn't always. I—I was—I was created, Emi. When I was about ten or eleven, my father told me to stand inside a circle and he… he… he transmuted me. He wanted to make the 'perfect robot,' who could dream and live like a human, but then have robotic powers also. He almost succeeded. I have a weak spot right here, on my left wrist, and I'm far short from having any special robotic powers like guns, except for a little bit of extra strength and infrared vision."

"Why did you tell me this?"

"Emerald…" Aster started to stutter. "I… I believe you can help me. I… I want to be… human again. I believe it can be done. That's why I came with Professor Banner. Please… Please! Will you help me?" He begged. His blue eyes looked pleadingly at her, eyes filled with long-time sorrow and hope at the same time.

Emerald stared back at those eyes. The rest of the world faded. She could see Aster was actually… suffering in this form. "Yes, I'll help, but how?"

Aster pulled out his PDA and touched something on the screen. A file opened, and he showed it to Emerald. "This is the answer. I did some studying on the transmuting circle my dad used on me and, with Professor Banner's help, developed this circle. It's basically the original one's reverse. Emi, I—I think this could work."

Emerald's gaze turn fierce and determined. "We will make you human again."

Oh my god, what a cliffie I put! Tee hee hee. Mwahaha. Tell me how I'm doing so far! Or… just leave a review. Always love reviews. Next Chapter… Will Emerald and Aster succeed in making him human again?