I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long. I have exams coming up and all my teachers thought it'd be a wonderful idea to swamp me with as much work as they possible can. And on top of that (as if things couldn't get any worse than it already is) I have currently been undergoing a near-fatal case of Writer's Block! Whatever I write is crap, crap, CRAP! And I refuse to sacrifice the quality of my chapters simply because I feel like updating my stories. Anyway, I managed to get a good chapter up for you now so hopefully you will accept my oh-so-humble peace offering.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Treasure Planet in any way, shape or form.

Enjoy!

-xxXxx-

Not hesitating for a second, Jim picked up Rune bridal style ignoring the way she mewled into his neck. He half-walked, half-ran into the nearest corridor, searching for anything that seemed familiar; rugs, vases or doors, but nothing called out to him. Rune moaned into his shoulder and Jim felt a delicious shudder travel all the way down his spine. This was becoming way too much.

"Rune? Where's your room?" he growled as he looked this way and that, only to recognize the hallway that lead to his room, not hers. Rune snaked her arms around his neck and a sweet scent made its way to his nose.

"Jim," the way she said his name forced Jim to stop and look down on the woman in his arms, "Jim," she pulled herself up to his ear, pressing her chest enticingly against his, "I want you Jim."

All Jim wanted to do at that moment was take this woman on the floor, spectators be damned. But a small voice in the back of Jim's head spoke up.

'This is that Lust Haze Rune was talking about,' it said, 'don't fall for it a second time. Get her to your room and send for Amelia to help!' Jim growled deep in his throat but made it down his room's corridor. He managed to nudge the door open, ignoring Rune's moans and kicked it shut behind him. He laid Rune on the bed where she immediately stretched out her lithe form. Her dress hiked up in the motion, revealing her beautifully toned legs, scars and all.

"Jim," she sighed, reaching out for him to join her.

'It's the Lust Haze!' the voice screamed in his head and Jim forcefully turned his eyes away from the gorgeous female form lying in his bed. He walked over to the dresser to search for something, anything to take his mind off Rune on his bed behind him. His mind was all over the place but mostly hyper aware of the woman behind him.

The extremely horny woman behind him.

The extremely horny woman behind him on his bed.

The extremely horny woman behind him on his bed, calling his name.

This must be the cruelest torture any god in the entire universe could come up with.

"Jim," he shuddered at the sound of his name coming from those full, wine-colored lips. It should be made illegal for someone to sound so….Jim couldn't find a word for it as the sweet scent chipped away at his resolve. He jumped slightly when he felt small, calloused hands running up his chest. He turned to watch Rune lean against him.

Dear Etherium she was going to drive him insane! Her calloused hands danced across his shirt before reaching up and beginning to un-button the offending object. Jim made a move to stop her but she clawed the material, ripping it from his body.

"Jim," she grazed his torso lightly with her claws, her blue-green gaze holding his captive, "Don't fight this. I know you want this as much as I do," she added huskily, lips inching closer to his. This ultimately undid him.

Grabbing her roughly around her waist, he all but threw her on the bed and pounced after her. He wanted her so badly he could taste it! Her dress was in the way as Jim ripped away the beautiful material, leaving her in nothing but the long, decorative loincloth and a plain white tube top. He relished the moans he elicited from the woman beneath him as he kissed and nipped at her neck. She gasped and arched into him as he bit her, long lean legs unconsciously wrapped around his waist. His member roared to life as she moaned his name over and over again.

He ran a hand through her auburn locks, dislodging the hair ornaments, freeing her ears and rubbed one. This awarded him with a hot mouth sealing his as Rune whimpered. That feeling of dominating roared to life as Jim slid lower and lower over Rune's supple body. Her chest heaved from the kiss and he trailed a line of kisses into the valley of her breasts. She tasted so sweet; he couldn't get enough of her. He ran his hand down her waist to her endlessly long legs, pulling her tighter around his waist drawing her closer to his erection. He pulled down the material that hid the mounds of flesh on Rune's chest and immediately clasped one in his mouth.

Rune gasped and cradled his head in her arms, pressing him closer and raking her claws lightly over his scalp sending delightful shivers running down his spine.

"Oh Gods! Jim!" Rune cried as he swiveled his tongue around the hardening bud. She arched up against him, giving him more access to her breasts.

Her hands grasped at his wide shoulders before flipping him over and straddling him. Jim groaned as the Halfling ground down on him, rubbing against him in the most delicious of ways. She kissed Jim deeply, exploring every inch of his mouth with her tongue as she raked her claws down his naked chest. Jim reached behind Rune and pressed her down on his erection eliciting a moan from the woman. The only things separating him from her were a few measly scraps of cloth.

Rune's hands were fumbling with the buckle on Jim's pants when he flipped her over again, grinding into her hard.

"Ah! Jim!" she breathed heavily, "Jim! I want you, Jim!"

Jim was just about to comply to the beautiful woman under him when the door to his room exploded inward, filling the room with a blinding white light.

"Argh!" Jim threw up his arms to spare his eyes from losing their sight. Next thing he knew, he was thrown backward, off and away from Rune.

"No!" he roared, fighting the force keeping him from his Rune. The woman was whimpering and moaning in pain somewhere in the light, out of his sight. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the light died revealing his Rune to him. The Halfling was collapsed in a confused Nastas' arms, eyes closed and sweating profusely. Kiwi was twirling agitatedly around in the air with barely a sound, leaving a glowing white trail in her wake.

"Get away from her!" Jim roared again, barreling towards the man holding onto his woman.

Kiwi shrieked, landing clumsily on Nastas' shoulder and baring her little fangs at the captain. But before Jim could get to them, Amelia stepped in and shoved Jim away from the two.

Amelia hardly recognized her Captain and the young man she'd grown to know. Jim stood in a feral crouch, growling at her. He was completely focused on getting past her and ripping the unconscious Rune from Nastas' arms. This thing, Lust Haze was what Rune had called it, was really getting out of hand.

"Jim! Get a hold of yourself!"

Kiwi shrieked again and jumped her perch to the air again. The little white dragon dived at Jim, barreling into his chest. Jim was lucky; Kiwi just barely missing stabbing him with her small golden horns.

The blow didn't do much in a way of an attack but it seemed to do the trick. With a soft flash of white as Kiwi's paws made contact with Jim's skin, Jim blinked several times and shook his head. What was going on? Why did his head and chest so much?

"Urgh, Amelia? What are you doing here? Where's Rune?" Jim looked past his First Mate to see Rune unconscious, sweat plastering her auburn hair to her face and neck. Nastas was checking her pulse and pressing a hand to her forehead when he winced, quickly pulling his hand away.

"Mrs. Doppler! Miss Rune is burning up! We need to get her to a doctor immediately!"

Amelia shot a look at Jim before rushing to the young man holding the Halfling. Rune was panting heavily; sweat dripping freely down her skin. It looked as if her body couldn't decide whether to go pale as a sheet or flushed with fever. Amelia inwardly cringed when she came close enough to feel the heat radiating off Rune's body. The girl was practically on fire!

"Nastas, carry her to the medical ward, NOW!" she barked and the young man jumped up, cradling Rune carefully in his arms. Jim straightened and stepped forward urgently.

"I'll take her," he offered but Amelia held out a hand to silence him. Even though she was not the captain anymore, the commanding tone she'd used was hard not to obey and Jim clapped his mouth shut. Amelia turned so she was fully facing him and blocking Jim's view of Nastas hurrying out of the room with Rune. Kiwi bounded after the two, paws barely touching the floor in her haste to catch up with her mother. It looked like she still didn't have enough endurance to fly just yet and that her aerial 'attack' was just a one time deal. Amelia's cat-like eyes glued Jim to where he stood.

"No, Jim. I don't believe you are sound of mind..." Amelia held up her hand again as Jim was about to interrupt, "…enough. You are not completely over the Lust Haze's affect. It would be unwise to be around Rune at the moment as…responsive…as you are at the moment."

Jim was about to protest when Amelia glared at him. The captain hung his head sadly in defeat.

"Can I go to the medical ward?" Jim glanced warily up at Amelia who was turning to go inform Sepla of Rune's sudden condition and request a doctor well-versed in both animal and human medical practices. Amelia wasn't sure which kind of doctor would be able to see to Rune but she'd get both a normal human doctor and a vet if she had to. She glared down at Jim for a moment, "I'm won't do anything. I…I just want to watch over her. Please."

Amelia's hard glare softened at the small break in Jim's voice at the last word. After an eternity, at least that's what it felt like to Jim, the tall feline finally stepped aside and motioned to the door. Jim barely nodded his thanks to her before racing down the hall Nastas had run down just moments previous.

Jim rounded the corner just as Nastas pulled a blanket over Rune's still form. Nastas turned his head to him and his mouth tightened into a thin line.

"I've already summoned my father. He'll be coming with a doctor in a moment," Nastas slumped down in a seat nearby as Jim stood stock still in the doorway. The young man was still trying to figure out what had just happened. It was obvious that he was just under the Lust Haze from what Amelia had told him. What he couldn't understand was why Rune lay on the table, sweating buckets and burning like a solar flare. How in the world did those tie together? Jim racked his brain.

A servant dashed into the medical ward, briefly announcing Sepla's presence before the man came barreling in as fast as his short fat legs could carry him. Another man, well into his 70's judging by his white hair and beard, followed closely behind Sepla.

"What is going my dear boy?" Sepla addressed his son, breathing heavily from his run through the halls. Nastas moved and allowed the older man a clear view of Rune lying still as a corpse except for the rapid movement of her chest. It looked as if she were barely getting any air into her lungs. Sepla paled, his once red face rapidly turning white as a sheet. He turned and motioned for the older man with the white hair move forward, pulling a stethoscope out of nowhere.

While the doctor set to work, Sepla pulled Nastas and Jim aside and demanded an explanation. Seeing Jim refuse to meet his father's eyes, Nastas began first.

"I saw Captain Jim and Miss Rune leave in a hurry and went to ask Mrs. Doppler if they had business to attend to. She and I went to check on them and found Kiwi scratching at the door leading to Captain Jim's room. I had barely turned the knob before Kiwi lit up with this bright, white light and slammed the doors open. Mrs. Doppler and I found Captain Jim and Miss Rune in a, uh…a compromising position. Mrs. Doppler grabbed Miss Rune and I took her to here after I felt her burning up," Nastas finished. Sepla glanced from his son to Jim. He nodded, confirming what could only be true. Jim honestly couldn't remember anything past trying to get Rune out of the main ballroom. But he'd felt this kind of 'loss of time' before and knew he'd been under the Lust Haze. He just hoped he hadn't gone too far; hoped he'd been stopped before he did something he'd really regret.

Sepla, Nastas and Jim all jumped when the doctor yelped and stepped back from Rune in disgust. Jim didn't notice anything out of the ordinary but by the looks on Sepla and Nastas' faces, something was up. The doctor had turned Rune over to her side to get a clear heartbeat from the open plane of her back. Jim could see nothing out of the ordinary; scars criss-crossed this way and that her tail lying-

Her tail! Jim shot forward as the doctor pulled out a surgical knife out of a near-by drawer and prepared to bring it down on Rune's unsuspecting back. Jim tackled the old man before he could strike, sending them both crashing into a flimsy table meant to hold medical instruments, sending surgical tools raining down on them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jim yelled over the noise of the clattering instruments. The doctor let out a harsh yelp as Jim knocked the scalpel out of his hand with unnecessary force.

"Captain Jim!"

Jim turned to see Sepla leaning over him, questioning him silently with his eyes. Nastas stood over Rune with wide eyes as he observed her tail and ears. The old man beneath him rasped, bringing the young man's attention back to him.

"I'm doin' that thing a favor!" he wheezed and Jim resisted the urge to strangle him, "That thing shouldn't even be alive!"

"Rune isn't a thing!" Jim hissed under his breath. He felt Sepla's meaty hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly.

"Let him up, boy," he commanded, low and threateningly. Jim hesitated a few seconds before giving the doctor's throat a final squeeze, promising further harm if he so much as touched Rune again. The old doctor coughed and hacked violently as Sepla helped him back on his feet. Jim shoved his way past Nastas still standing over the unconscious Halfling, placing himself between the doctor and Rune. After finishing his coughing fit, the old doctor turned his steely glare at Jim. Sepla eyed the white-haired man questionably.

"That thing," he hissed, putting extra emphasis on the word, "is a Halfling. It shouldn't even be alive! Boy, if you have any heart for this creature at all, you'll let me do what needs to be done."

Jim scowled.

"Do what exactly?" Nastas stepped forward and for once since they'd arrived, Jim was happy the young, darker-skinned man was on his side. The doctor pointed to Rune lying on the table.

"That thing needs to be killed! You can't have filth like her running around this city, bringing calamity and destruction-"

The old doctor was cut off as Nastas shoved his closed fist into the flesh of his cheek. The doctor crashed back into the surgical mess scattered on the ground. Jim stared shocked at Nastas who glared down on the man on the floor.

"Don't you ever, ever, call Miss Rune filth again!" the young man hissed hatefully, "She has done nothing to you, and yet you call her 'filth'?" Nastas grabbed the doctor by the front of his robes and dragged him over to where Rune lay, "That is my woman lying there; dying! You will heal her; you will make her better. And then, you will leave Donoma and never return! Unless," Nastas' voice suddenly turned sickly-sweet, "you'd care to spar with me? I'm sure my Dao swords would love the taste of your filthy, old flesh," the darker-skinned man spat, releasing the doctor who stood trembling. Nastas pointed again at Rune and the doctor bowed deeply, apologizing for his behavior. Jim, Nastas and Sepla stood back as the doctor approached Rune and began working.

It had been several hours since Rune had been brought to the medical ward before the doctor finally wiped his hands clean, scrubbing harshly at his weathered hands to rid himself of that thing's filth. Sepla had left a long while ago to attend to his guests but before the loud noble-man had left; he'd ordered Jim to find him if there were any change in Rune's condition. Jim and Nastas had sat silently on the sidelines, watching the old man scurry this way and that, checking her temperature, probing her with strange instruments and writing things down; muttering curses and other things under his breath all the while. Jim had grit his teeth, resisting the urge to pound the old bastard into the ground. Nastas took the whole situation better than Jim did; he sat calmly, hands folded in his lap, eyes trained on the unconscious Rune. This irritated Jim slightly. That and the young noble-man had claimed Rune as 'his' woman. Jim decided that he'd call him out on that as soon as Rune was cleared of the danger zone. Due to the doctor's ministrations, Rune's fever had broken and her breathing had calmed but it still seemed as if she were in the middle of a raging nightmare. The Halfling occasionally moaned in pain or muttered something unintelligible, but other than that she showed no signs of waking.

"There I'm finished now," the doctor turned to Nastas, casting a side-ways glance at Jim. Nastas didn't smile or sigh in relief. He nodded at the door and silently dismissed the doctor. Jim stood beside Rune as she finally settled into a somewhat restless sleep; the doctor had given her something to knock her out before he'd started working on her. Something about not wanting it – Jim wanted to knock the old man's teeth out – to wake while he worked. It infuriated Jim how the doctor couldn't see Rune as the person she was; I mean sure she was irritating as hell when she was awake and she wasn't completely human but that didn't make her anything less, did it? She still had thoughts and feelings; she was no less a living being than either Jim or Nastas.

"I'm doin' that thing a favor!"

"That thing needs to be killed!"

The doctor's earlier words ran unbidden through Jim's head and he growled angrily. Nastas stood beside him looking down at Rune's sleeping face.

"It burns me that he would harm such an enchanting creature," Nastas murmured softly, brushing a stray strand of Rune's auburn hair away from her sweaty brow. Jim felt a slight pang of anger and jealousy shoot through him at the contact but said nothing. He nodded instead. Nastas glanced sideways at him before continuing;

"That thing I'd told the doctor, about her being my woman? Although I said that so the doctor would heal her, I was planning on asking her if she would stay here with me." Jim visibly tensed, but Nastas continued as though he hadn't seen, "I've never been so captivated by a woman before. She isn't at all impressed by my social standing, has no regards to what titles I may hold over her head and has no interest at all in my extensive wealth. She's unlike any woman I've ever had the pleasure of meeting before, human or not."

Despite Jim's growing dislike of the darker-skinned young man, he had to agree with everything the young man said. That was Rune, plain and simple. It would take a lot more than titles, money and friends in high places to impress her. She judged a person according to their actions. Your past was of no consequence and played no part in the here and the now.

"Listen Captain, you might be from the Academy and have a piece of paper that I can't read, but I can sail this hunk o' junk circles around you."

Jim chuckled at the memory. God, it seemed like ages ago when Rune had threatened him despite her illiteracy. And her stubbornness. And her loud mouth and hair-brained schemes; her jokes, both cruel and harmless; her short temper and even shorter patience. And ultimately, the way she'd treated Jim as nothing other than the man he was. Not a high-ranking captain, not an early graduate of the toughest Academy of all time and most certainly not as her boss. Just a man, no more, no less.

Nastas smiled.

"Captain Jim, I've been meaning to ask you something for a while now," Jim glanced over at Nastas who straightened, "What's your relation with Miss Rune? Are you lovers?"

Jim nearly choked on his spit. For a young noble-man's son who was no doubt raised with conversational Do's and Don't's, this was certainly not something Jim had been expecting. Jim cleared his throat.

"Of course not!" he exclaimed, "I'm not even remotely attracted to that crazy girl at all!"

Even as he said those words, Jim knew he was lying. There was definitely attraction between the two; when the two were in each other's presence, you could practically cut the sexual tension with a dull knife. But Jim worried that it was all hormone-induced attraction, nothing but Rune's hormones driving him to 'mate' her. He worried that it was all just one-sided and that Rune didn't feel the same for him.

As Jim brooded over his conflicting feelings, all of them based around the confusing Halfling that lay dosing away on the table before them, Nastas let out a small sigh of relief.

"I was hoping you'd say that. In that case, would you let me have her?"