The Price of This Love~*
By: Anime Angel ^0^
"GENE WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Aisha screamed, banging on the door of the outlaw's apartment. Behind her, a very worried looking Melfina stood with Suzuka, serious looks on both of their faces. The three had just received news of what all had happened, and a certain Ctarl Ctarl was not happy. She was about to bang on the door again, when it swung suddenly open, almost throwing her off of her feet. There, standing in the doorway, was Gene. The three girls were silent for a moment, looking him over. The outlaw looked exhausted; dark rings were beginning to form beneath his eyes, and he had a look of utter desperation in his dark eyes.
"Aisha?" Gene looked out at them, running a hand through his matted red hair. "Wha-"
"ALL RIGHT GENE STARWIND! WHERE IS SHE?!" Aisha shrieked, forgetting how tired the outlaw looked and instead trying to push past him. However, Gene stood his ground.
"Whaddya mean, Aisha? What are you guys doing here? Have...have you heard what happened?"
"Yes we did, Gene. Apparently, since you forgot to tell us, Gilliam felt obliged to give us a call." Suzuka pulled Aisha back, and looked deep into Gene's eyes. "He told us everything that happened." Her eyes remained focused on his, even when the outlaw turned away from her. "We need to talk about his, Gene. Something is seriously wrong," she said quietly.
Knowing the assassin was right, Gene silently moved out of the way, letting the enraged Ctarl Ctarl and crew into the living room. He then motioned for them all to go upstairs.
Aisha's eyes searched every corner of the apartment for Naomi as she bounded up the stairs after Gene and the others. But the girl seemed to be no where in the apartment at the moment. I'll just have to have a little talk with her later... Her whiskers twitched at the thought, and she smiled with pleasure. But what if Gene had already kicked the witch out? Before Aisha could elaborate any more on this thought, the group was at Gene's room.
"He's in there, sleeping I think." Gene quietly opened the bedroom door, and entered the room. "He still hasn't woken up yet. I...I'm not sure what to do."
Aisha was the first one to approach the small lump in the bed. As she came closer, it began to murmur, and move.
"Jim?" she whispered, her usually loud voice quiet and calm. "Jim-my...." Aisha sang, slowly pulling the sheets off of the boy. "You awake in there....?" Jim's eyes, as she had figured, were shut tightly. She noticed that he was curled up in a ball, his knees pressing up against his chest and his hands clutching the blanket next to him. All together, the boy reminded her of a sleeping kitten. "Awww...baby Jim looks just like a wittle Ctarl Ctarl..." Aisha's face fell when Jim didn't respond to her teasing, as she had hoped.
"Aisha..." The Ctarl Ctarl felt a hand on her arm and whirled around, only to find herself face to face with Melfina. "Is....is he all right?"
"Yeah sure," Aisha mumbled. "I guess...." She watched as Melfina sat down next to Jim, her eyes filled with sadness. The bio android touched the boy's shoulder lightly, and then got back up.
"Do you mind if I sat here with him for a while?" Melfina asked, looking up at Gene. "Just until he wakes up..."
"That'd be great, Mel. I need something to eat anyways, and I think the kid should have someone here." Gene rubbed his head in thought. "I'm not really sure how he will react when he wakes up...."
"Before you eat, Gene, we need to talk to you," Suzuka interrupted. "The entryway would be best I think."
The outlaw looked up at her, a little surprised, but without a word he headed with the two downstairs, leaving Melfina to watch over Jim.
~*~*~*~
Suzuka lowered her head in thought, thinking about what Gene had just told her. The assassin didn't know what it was about what had happened to her young friend, but something was wrong with the whole thing. Eleven year old boys didn't die of crib death. Not Jim anyway. He was too old, too mature, and he would never fall asleep face down. Babies were the ones who did that, not boys like Jim. There had to be something that the outlaw was leaving out in the story.
"What about Naomi," Suzuka finally said, looking up at both Aisha and Gene. "Where was she when you found Jim, hm?"
"Yeah, where was the bitch?" Aisha's eyes narrowed. Suzuka already knew that the Ctarl Ctarl suspected the girl of trying to kill Jim, but unlike her the assassin wanted more evidence before trying to tear Naomi apart.
"What...you don't honestly think that..." Gene wasn't sure what to say, so instead he got up from where he was sitting and turned to face the wall. "No, she wouldn't do something like this. I know her!" He shook his head. "No...she wouldn't..."
"Really, Gene," Aisha sneered, getting up in his face. "And did Jim tell you exactly what happened to his nose?! Huh?!"
"Yes, as a matter of fact he DID!" the outlaw yelled, pushing the Ctarl Ctarl away from him. "A door hit him, that's what happened!" Gene turned back around, his back facing them and his head shaking back and forth. "That's all, it was just an accident!"
"Did he tell you the rest Gene?" Suzuka said calmly. She had a feeling that the boy hadn't told his older partner everything, and as it turned out she was right.
"Rest..?" Gene sat back down with a thud, and looked into the assassin's eyes. Suddenly, Suzuka got the feeling that he too had thought about Naomi as a suspect. But if this was true, then why was he trying so hard to defend her?
"Look, Gene. Jim told us that Naomi flipped out on him. She took his stuff, and then when he tried to get it back--"
"WHAM!" Aisha finished, smacking her hands together. "The witch spazzed out and attacked 'im!" The Ctarl Ctarl began to growl, softly at first, but soon her throat was rumbling with anger and hatred. "Did he tell you THAT GENE?!" she yelled. "Did he tell you that she's insane!? Oh sure she's perfect around you, but think about it! WHAT HAS SHE BEEN DOING THIS ENTIRE TIME HUH?!"
Gene looked confused at first, but soon a look of understanding spread across the outlaw's scarred face.
"She's....she's been trying to get us apart," he whispered. "Making him move downstairs....interrupting him...." He shook his head once more, it was something he had been doing often since the girls got there. "All along she's been trying to separate us!" he suddenly yelled, causing Aisha to jump back a little. "But....but why?"
"I don't know. But...." Suzuka paused. "I think she just wanted you all to herself. And, well, Jim was in the way."
" I LOVED HER DAMMIT! Why would she think that I DIDN'T LOVE HER?!" Gene yelled. He leaned back heavily into the soft chair he was sitting in, and began to rub his temples. "No....no no no no NO!"
"Gene, you have to talk to her--"
"OR I COULD JUST GO AND RIP THAT BITCH APART!" Aisha screamed, her claws suddenly appearing.
"Aisha," Suzuka sighed. "Gene needs to ask her. We don't know for sure yet--"
"Oh I know for sure!" Aisha growled, and then added, "Where is she now, Gene?!"
Gene, his head remaining lowered, let out an exasperated sigh. "She's...she's out getting groceries or something. Aisha..." The outlaw looked up at his enraged friend. "Lemme talk to her, okay? I..." He thought for a moment. "I'll ask her. And if it was her....well then she can just say goodbye!"
"Oh come on Gene. How ya gonna know if she's tellin the truth or not?" Aisha said, calming down a bit. She retracted her claws, and looked at the exhausted outlaw.
"I will....I know her," was all he said. With that, he got up and headed for his room.
"Come on, Aisha, let's go back to the apartment before Naomi gets back. You can deal with her later....after Gene has talked with her." Aisha pouted a bit at what Suzuka had said, but allowed the assassin to drag her off. Gene only hoped that he wouldn't need the two when he confronted his girlfriend.
Maybe...maybe it wasn't her, he thought, trying to give Naomi the benefit of the doubt. I mean, the love we had. I was so close to her! She couldn't have done something like this. But, despite the words going through his head, the knot in his stomach remained.
~*~*~*~
Naomi knew the instant that she arrived back at Gene's that something was wrong. Maybe it was the fact that inside lay an unconscious little boy, but for some reason she thought that it was something more. Something...something having to do with her.
"Hello?" The apartment was silent as she entered into it. "Hello....?" she repeated again.
"Naomi."
The girl's eyes snapped over to where Gene stood on the staircase. Behind him a very quiet Melfina stood, her hands folded in front of her as if she were praying.
"Gene!" Plastering a fake smile on her face, Naomi set down her groceries and headed toward him. "I thought for a second that everyone in the house was dead!" she chuckled. The outlaw, however didn't return her happy mood.
"Nai...." Gene paused and corrected himself, using her real name. "Naomi, we need to talk."
"Oh...sure....um," Naomi stuttered nervously. She knew what was coming, and needed an excuse out of it. "Let me put away the groceries....OK?"
"Now Noami. We need to talk now."
"All....all right." She let the outlaw lead her upstairs, and past his room. She snuck a quick glance at Jim before following him to her room at the end of the hall. She knew exactly what this was about. It had happened to her before: the lover taking her someplace excluded, telling her that she was no longer loved...needed.... She only hoped that this would be different, but when they entered the bedroom, what Gene said was exactly what she had expected. .
"Naomi, I need to talk to you about what happened to Jim...." Gene's voice was low and serious as he sat her down on the bed. "Were....were you the one who did this to Jim?"
"Gene? What are you saying?" Naomi interrupted all too quickly. Did the outlaw know? Did he know that it had been her? The boy.... she thought immediately. Had he told her Gene that she had tried to--
"Dammit Naomi were you the one who did it?" Gene interrupted her thoughts, shaking her lightly. "Were you?" His eyes were soft, filled with worry. She looked deep into them, noticing that they were beginning to glisten with tears. Maybe, just maybe, Naomi could find a way out of this. Somehow act normal....somehow convince him it wasn't her.
"Gene...Gene how could you accuse me of something like that!" she yelled suddenly, slapping him hard across the face. He released his hold on her arms, turning to face the wall. His hand was soon rubbing the spot where she had hit.
"I love you...you know that. But....but we have to be able to be honest with each other." The outlaw lowered his head. "I was honest with you before, and you were with me. When...when you told me what that guy did to you, that was honesty. Now I am only asking for it again. I need the truth....what happened?"
Yeah right, Gene. Like you're really going to forgive me that easily if I tell you what happened.
"No," she lied, a look of fake innocence glued onto her face. "I wasn't the one who did that. You know I wouldn't EVER do anything so horrid..." Naomi let her voice trail off, watching his expression closely. Would he believe her? No, she realized. She knew her Gene so well, he wouldn't buy it. If his mind was made up about this, then Noami had no hope.
"I asked for the truth Noami." Gene looked into her eyes again, but instead of seeing sorrow, she saw anger. "You were the one, weren't you. You were the only one in the house besides me and Jim!"
"NO! He....he fell asleep in the pillow, REMEMBER?!" She got up from the bed, shaking her head back and forth rapidly. She was failing to look innocent now, and she knew that she had blown it. Naomi had been acting too worried and nervous. An innocent person wouldn't have rushed into denial so quickly. "It wasn't me GENE!" she yelled lamely.
"Then why are you over-reacting so much?! Naomi...I think that it would be best if you--"
"GENE! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" she screamed suddenly. Everything she had hoped for was crashing in on her, and she had to do something to stop it. She didn't want to go through another relationship, she loved her Gene too much. Naomi had to make sure that she would NEVER be away from his warmth and love. "Gene...don't do this. NOT LIKE ALL THE OTHERS!" Tears were pouring down her pale white cheeks. "No....no you PROMISED!"
"This is different Naomi. The moment you did that to Jim, our relationship was OVER," Gene said harshly, rising from the bed also. The outlaw let out an exasperated sigh. "This should have been over as soon as you EVER thought of hurting him."
Naomi was speechless. The girl just stood there now, shaking all over. This couldn't be happening, not again.
"No....NO I WON'T LET YOU GO!" she screamed, pushing Gene out of the way and bolting out the door. She had to stop what she knew was coming. Gene Starwind would NEVER leave her like her former lover had. She would make sure of it.
"Where...where are they!?" she whispered to herself, groping wildly through kitchen drawers as soon as she entered the dusty place. Faintly she remembered the first time Gene had brought her home. She had promised to clean the cobweb-filled kitchen, but had never gotten around to it. Maybe if it had been just her and her boyfriend...
Behind her, the sound of Gene's footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. "Where are the DAMN--" Naomi stopped as her hand brushed something long and sharp in one of the drawers. Pulling the knife out, her lips began to curl into a sick smile.
"Naomi...."
Hiding the knife beneath her shirt and pinning to her back, Naomi turned to face the outlaw standing in the doorway. His eyes were enraged, but at the same time full of pity for the deranged girl.
"Naomi, I want you out of here. I want you gone...ya hear?" Gene motioned his hand towards the door. "I won't hurt you....and I won't come after you. I just don't want to see you again."
Naomi looked him over carefully, and when she didn't see any weapons said sweetly," Of course Gene...whatever you want." She smiled innocently at him as a surprised look crossed his face.
"Re...really?" he asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
Playing with the deadly weapon behind her back, Naomi looked deep into his eyes. "Really," she hissed.
To be continued....of course. Why wouldn't it be? Okay...maybe it would go unfinished if I got hit by a car....but otherwise THERE WILL BE MORE!
*Thanks for the wonderful comments and e-mails I received about his fic. *sniff* It makes me feel so warm inside ^_^ Again if there are any horrible spelling errors...then E-MAIL ME at anime_angel95052@yahoo.com Thanks!!