The Price of This Love~*
By: Anime Angel ^0^
Naomi began to approach Gene, the knife still hidden into he folds of her shirt. Oh yes, she would make sure that they would be together. Whether it would be heaven or hell, she would make sure that the outlaw was there.
"Gene...do you still love me?" Naomi whispered, a tight smile playing on her thin pink lips. She stopped directly in front of him, making sure that he was looking right into her eyes. "Do you?"
The outlaw looked confused. "Um...Naomi..." He sighed. "Look. I did love you, but after now..."
"Well, I love you...why can't you love me?" she whined, leaning forward and planting a soft kiss on his lips. "I didn't mean to hurt the boy. I was just so frightened." Naomi, with her unused hand, began to draw circles on Gene's strong chest nervously, tears welling in her eyes. "I really am sorry..."
"No, I'm sorry," Gene said, pulling away from the girl. "Sorry that I was too blind to notice what you were doin'."
"Gene! I was just so scared! You know what my last lover did to me....it....it was happening all over again with you!" Hot, wet tears began to slide down her cheeks, and for a moment she thought she saw a look of pity in her outlaw's eyes. "I just...I just don't want to be lonely again...."
"Naomi...what you did -- it wasn't necessary! You tried to murder Jim dammit! He's an eleven year old kid! How could ANYONE do that?!" Gene took a step back and Naomi then realized that her lover would never understand how she felt, no matter how many tears she spilled for him. Her only hope now was to end it all, for both him and her, before things got worse. She yearned so badly to be alone with Gene, even if it meant that they both had to die in order to do so.
Naomi let him back away a little, a look of complete sorrow now in her eyes. She was about to pull the knife, when a soft sound caught her attention. Her eyes, as well as Gene's, moved to the stairs where a very tired looking Jim stood quietly.
"Jim!" Gene said, surprised that the boy was actually up and out of bed. For a moment he forgot about the crying girl standing next to him, and instead rushed to his partner's side. But Naomi just stood staring hatefully at the two.
"How ya feelin'?" Gene said, ruffling the boy's hair. Jim looked up at his older partner, dark circles rimming his eyes. He was very pale, and they stood out against his almost pure white skin.
"Tired Aniki," Jim murmured.
He looked down at the floor and then, instead of looking back up at his partner, he looked straight at the girl standing only a few feet away.
"Aniki..." he began, still looking at Naomi. He seemed nervous, and he continued to focus his gaze on her while talking to Gene. "I...I need to talk to you about something..."
Naomi felt the fury knot in her stomach as the kid stared straight at her with bright blue eyes. Slowly she began to advance on the two, stopping when the sound of knocking echoed through the apartment.
Gene, totally oblivious to what Naomi had been about to do, sighed. "Man, I told Aisha and Suzu to leave us alone," he whined, obviously annoyed. "Though, it's probably just Aisha. Didn't she ever hear the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat'?" He shook his head back and forth and headed for the door, leaving a very nervous Jim alone with Naomi.
For a second the boy just continued to stare at her, a confused look in his eyes. Then, after a moment of awkward silence, he spoke. "Aniki...." His voice shook with slight fear.
Naomi watched as Jim began to inch his way down the stairs, obviously trying to get to his partner before she got to him. She let him go, however, without any hassle. Revenge would have to be taken later, for now there were more people in the household.
"Damn." Naomi took the knife out from under her shirt, and looked at it for a moment, letting a last teardrop fall onto the shiny metal. With a reluctant sigh, she placed the weapon back in the kitchen and headed to the living room. Her plans would have to wait until she was alone with her Gene again. Naomi was only glad that she hadn't lost total control, or everything would have been ruined. The Ctarl Ctarl and assassin would have seen her trying to kill him, and then stopped her.
No, she told herself. I can't lose control. I have to do this carefully, or else I will never have Gene. And that can't be allowed to happen.
I will never be alone again.
Naomi smiled inwardly as she positioned herself behind the living room wall, just out of sight. The right time would come soon, it had to.
~*~*~*~
Jim gasped as he was engulfed in a large Aisha bear hug. The Ctarl Ctarl, Melfina, and Suzuka were all now sitting in various places in the living room, along with Jim and a very antsy looking Gene. As soon as Jim had plopped down onto the sofa, a very happy Aisha had pounced on him. Now he was being squeezed...VERY tightly.
"Aisha...AISHA! You're smothering ME!" Jim pushed away from her, and the Ctarl Ctarl looked down at him sheepishly.
"Oh...heh...sorry JIM!" She stuck her tongue out, and before Jim knew it he was receiving a wet, sticky lick from the infamous Aisha ClanClan.
"EW AISHA!"
"Mreow!!" Aisha wiped a bit of spit off of the ticked boy's cheek. "Aisha just couldn't help herself! I guess Aisha ClanClan lost control for a moment..." She tugged on one of her ears. "So how ya feelin'?"
"Fine..." Jim gave them all a reassuring grin. "Just a little tired is all!" A moment of silence passed, until Melfina spoke up from her seat in the corner.
"Um....Jim? Did...did Naomi do this to you?" Everyone's head snapped in the direction of the bio-android. No one had expected HER to be the one to ask that question. In fact, Aisha had planned on doing it herself. But as everyone stared, Melfina only continued to look seriously at the young boy, her large liquid eyes sparkling. "Was she the one?"
Jim turned away in shock as everyone now began to look at him. The happiness in the room had now evaporated like a morning's dew, only...without the beauty.
"I..." Jim began. How could he tell Gene that his lover, the one that he trusted and loved, had tried to kill his younger partner? The outlaw had been so happy with her, so content. Jim couldn't bear the thought of having to break his "aniki's" heart.
He looked up into Gene's dark eyes, and noticed something in them. Was it...understanding? Did the outlaw already know about Naomi? Sudden realization hit Jim. That's what they were talking about when I woke up...
"Jim, go ahead and tell me," Gene whispered, silently knowing what was going on in the boy's head. "I already know."
"But, how?" Jim was confused. Even if Gene had been talking it over with the girl, would she have really told him?
"A certain 'delicate blossom' suspected it all along, squirt." Gene flashed the group a lopsided grin. "It just took me a little longer to figure it out. I mean, I guess you were right when you said I was a little dense, eh James?" Gene pulled the boy over to where he was sitting, and punched him playfully in the shoulder.
Jim let out a small laugh, but soon became serious again. "I'm...I'm sorry Aniki. I mean..." He stared down at his bare feet. "I know how much you loved her and all."
"Not as much as I love you kid." Jim looked up into his partner's eyes with complete surprise. Had the outlaw really just said what he thought he did? He loved Jim? "You're like a brother to me, kid. I couldn't stand it if you were ever gone. I mean, I would rather have you here to bug me, than have the most beautiful girl in the world by my side instead." He patted the boy's head. "So don't EVER think that...all right?"
Jim was speechless, and could only nod. He was stunned...his partner had never spilled his guts like this before. And in front of the girls too!
"R...right Aniki."
Gene flashed another goofy grin. "And Naomi is not gonna be here to bother ya any more...okay? Tonight she's packin' her bags and leaving. AND NO YOU MAY NOT KILL HER AISHA!" he added, sensing that the Ctarl Ctarl was drawing her claws.
"Gene..." she growled, her face contorting in anger. "Aisha feels it's necessary in THIS SITUATION!" she squealed, her voice high and cracking.
Gene rolled his eyes. "Nuh uh. You ain't doing anything. What she did was bad...but she's just really messed up." His eyes darkened. "Really messed up," he repeated. Memories of his suffocating partner began to flood his senses, but he pushed them away. "Right now I think you should--"
The outlaw stopped in the middle of his sentence when Aisha again began to draw her claws. But the Ctarl Ctarl's eyes were not focused on Gene and Jim, they were focused behind them.
"What the hell...Aisha?" Turning around slowly, the outlaw soon found himself face to face with a very angry Naomi.
"So that's what you really think Gene Starwind," she growled. "Well...I happen to think differently."
To be continued...DON'T FREAK! The rest will be coming soon.
*Just as a note, this is not pairing Jim and Gene. They are like family blah blah blah yadda yadda. Anyhoo...more will be here later. SORRY if it is kinda short and all...but I had a hard time writing. (school...does NOT do a body good.) I will hurry with the next! And thanks to all the nice people who actually take the time to E-MAIL me and compliment the fic. THANKS!