One O'clock Appointments

One O'clock Appointments

Disclaimer: I do not own Outlaw Star and forgive me if this fic isn't that good.  My schedule makes it hard for me to see every episode of Outlaw Star, which sucks.  Like my other fic, this also takes place after the series.

It's been five years since the team of the outlaw star found the secrets of the galactic lay line.  But that didn't make the team split at all.  There was still treasure out there and there were people who wanted to get Gene Starwind.  There was still adventure for Gene Starwind and his team, his friends.

They were traveling in the middle of outer space, waiting for some job to fall into their lap.  "Where are we anyway?" Aisha questioned.  "Hopefully close to someplace to eat!"

"That wouldn't be a problem if you didn't eat everything," Jim complained under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"I heard that, Jim," she hissed.

"Ooh, yeah, forgot about how good your ears are," Jim tapped the controls. 

"The closest station is Symka5," Gillian informed. "By 800 kilometers."

"We are?" Jim asked, "let's go there!"

"Why are you so hyped up about that place, Jim?" Gene demanded.  "There are better stations out there.  Gillian, let's all go to--"

Jim tightened his hands into fists and whirled to look at Gene, "We don't have enough fuel to fly all around space to find the perfect space station when there's a fine one closer to us!"  He looked down at his watch.  It was 12:30 pm.

"I agree with Jim," Suzuka said mildly.

Gene sighed.  "Well, I don't want to go there.  Why do you want to go there, Jim?  Give me one good reason."

"I just gave you one!" Jim snapped.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to fight me, won't you?" Gene teased.

"Fine, I will!"

They leaned forward and began glaring.  Jim hopped out of his compartment and pulled Gene out of his.  Now he wasn't a kid anymore, he had the ability to do so.  He and Jim began to struggle around and Aisha raised an eyebrow.

"Can't they settle down for just five minutes?" she asked.

"We are going to Symka5 at that's final!" Jim hollered, putting him in a headlock.  "I'm warning you, Gene, I've learned a lot!"

"I guess that's what you get for teaching him everything you know, Gene," Suzuka said.

"Okay, okay," Gene wheezed, "we'll go, we'll go!"

"Yes!" Jim let go of Gene so he could breathe.

As soon as they landed, Jim hurried out of the ship, placing his sunglasses on his face.

"Where does he think he's going?"  Gene said, rubbing his head.  "Oh…I think I know," he added quickly, a sly grin came across his face.

"Don't you dare," Melfina said behind him.

"What?" he asked, spinning around.

"I know what you were thinking," she said with her arms crossed in front of her.  "You were going to follow him, weren't you?"

"No, of course not," he mumbled.  "Actually, I thought maybe you would like to go out for a bite while the ships is being repaired and stuff."

"Sounds great to me," Aisha said cheerfully.

"We're not bringing you!" Gene growled.

Aisha's smile disappeared, "hey!" she tried to claw his face off and Melfina pulled her hand down.

"Oh, we'd love to have you, Aisha," Melfina said. 

"Why, thanks!" she smiled at Melfina then glared at Gene, "at least someone here knows how to be polite!"

"How 'bout you, Suzuka?"  Melfina asked.

"Oh, no thank you," she replied.  "I think I'll stay here and keep an eye on things."

"Good, thanks."  Gene said dryly. 

"I'm starved," Aisha laughed, "let's find a good place for some lunch!"

**************

Jim looked at his watch.  It was 12:50 PM.  He looked up at the fountain and saw the familiar image of Hanmyo jumping around.  A second later, she was gone.  He sighed at the memory.  He walked to the fountain and sat down in front of it, a bouquet of flowers in hand.

"Maybe she'll come this time," Jim whispered.  "She probably didn't come last time because she got caught up with something.  She wanted to come, I'm sure of it.  Hanmyo promised."  He always dreamed of her.  What she would probably look like now.  Her hair looked the same and she taller and very slender.  He always dreamed of him petting her cats with her, talking and just sitting next to each other in silence.

He had always wondered whatever happened to Hanmyo after that battle with the mysterious spaceship.  She had promised to come meet him but she never showed.  He spent hours waiting for her.  Why didn't she come?  Didn't she like him anymore?  The sun made him tired and his eyes closed.  A dream came.  He dreamed what it would be like if Hanmyo had come.

****************

"Jim!" Hanmyo cried, running to the entrance of the park, where he stood.  "I knew you would come!"

"Hi, Hanmyo," Jim said.  "Where else would I be?"  Two fuzzy heads rubbed on his legs in greeting.  "Hey, kitty, kitty." He bent down and petted Kemi and Mata, Hanmyo's cats.

"They like you, Jim," Hanmyo giggled, "and I like you too!"  She turned and ran to the fountain. 

Jim looked up at her in surprise as she jumped on the edge and beckoned him to approach her.

"Come here, Jim," she said. 

He smiled and walked to her.  He got to the edge and then she hopped back into the water.  "Uh, Hanmyo, why're you in the water?"

"Dance in the fountain with me, Jim," she said, holding her hands out.

It made him laugh slightly, "what, dance in the fountain?"

"It will be fun," she insisted, "please?"

He shrugged and climbed into the fountain with her.  It came up to their shins.  "The water's freezing!"

"I thought it was rather refreshing," she said, bending down and splashing some water on him.

"Hey!"

She laughed and began running around the fountain.  Jim felt an urge to pursue her.  She kept giggling as he kept chasing her.  Then he stopped and went the other way, nearly colliding with her. 

"Gotcha!" Jim yelled, clasping his hands on her arms.

"Oh!" she gasped. 

Their eyes locked for a long moment.  They were unable to look away.  Jim didn't let go of her.  He didn't want to.  Then he realized…this is what love is.  This is what Gene feels for Melfina.  This is how Melfina feels about Gene.  This is something Jim never thought he would find and now that he had found it, he never wanted to lose it.

"That was fun," Hanmyo said finally.

"It was," Jim admitted, "except for being wet."

"Hey, do you want to see my space ship?"  She asked.

"Sure," he said. 

Hanmyo smiled and pulled on his hand.  "Come along, then!" She led him away from the park and to a factory-like place, finally leading him to a yellow familiar space ship.

"This is my ship, the Torato," she said, "What do you think of it?"

Jim stopped short, "you pilot that?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"B-by yourself?" he questioned.

"No, Kemi and Mata help me," she replied.  "So what spaceship is yours, Jim?"

He didn't answer.  He kept staring at the space ship as a terrifying image of what he once saw just earlier kept replying in his head.  The spaceship blowing into smithereens, Hanmyo's spaceship.  And he was the one who did it.

"Jim, what's the matter?" Hanmyo said.

"Y-you fought the outlaw star, earlier?" he mumbled.

"Yes, Jim."  Hanmyo confirmed, "I was after Gene Starwind.

"But you didn't win," he said, "your ship exploded and Gene won…then, that means…you're, you're dead!"

"Dead?" she whispered and began to fade.

"This can't be happening, this can't be happening," Jim repeated.  "Hanmyo!"

************

"Hanymo!" Jim yelled, jerking awake.  He felt sweat bead across his face but it wasn't from the sun. It was from agitation.  The sweat was cold.  "The spaceship was Hanmyos," he muttered.  "She's dead because of me and I'll never see her again!"  He pulled himself up and began to leave the park as he heard a familiar voice.

"I said I'd be here.  I was here but you didn't see me.  I thought you were just playing.  But then I saw the look on your face and I realized why."

"Hanmyo?" he turned around and saw a translucent, ghostly young Hanmyo.

She was floating right above the water.  "I saw you leave.  You thought I didn't come but I did.  I was here."

"You know it's me?" he asked, "after all these years?"

"Of course I remember," she mumbled.  She noticed the flowers in his hand.  "Flowers, how nice, Jim.  Too bad I can't touch and smell them."

Jim sighed and looked at the blossoms.  They were of no use anymore.  But he held onto them anyway.  "You're here, but how?"

"I come here every day at 1 o'clock, waiting for you to come back.  I knew you would someday.  How long has it been?"

"Five years," he said. 

"You look handsome, Jim," she sighed, almost guiltily, "too bad I never got to grow older, so you can see how pretty I'd get."

"I always thought you were pretty," Jim said.  "You'd become prettier.  I'd bet on it.  You'd be the prettiest girl in the universe."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, floating closer to him, "I didn't tell you what happened to me."

"Don't bother," he said, walking to her, "I already know."

"How?" she asked.

"I-I was there," he stammered, "I should've told you this before we made the next appointment to see each other.  It would've stopped your death.  It would've changed everything!"

"Jim, I don't understand," she mumbled.  "What do you mean you were there?  How do you know this?"

"Hanmyo, I," he choked and forced the next sentence out, "I just woke up from a dream.  You showed me your spaceship.  I've seen that spaceship before."

"The Torato?" she asked.

"Yes.  Don't you see? I was on the outlaw star!  I've been a partner with Gene Starwind since I was a little kid--way before I met you.  I was on the ship that destroyed yours!  I helped kill you and your cats!  It's all my fault, Hanmyo!  You're dead because of me! Hanmyo, I'm so sorry!!"

If she could still breathe air, she would've taken in a big gasp right now.  "I don't believe it."

"It's true, Hanmyo," Jim said. 

"Why?"

"I don't know," Jim replied.  "I don't even get along with Gene all that way.  I guess I stay because he doesn't do all the hard work.  If I were to leave, he would be is so much trouble.  He needs me."

"I should've told you about me too," she said.  "I'm part of the Anta Seven.  I was given orders to assassinate Gene Starwind.  If I had known about you being partners with him I never would've tried to fight you again."

"You're part of the Anta Seven?" he mumbled. 

She nodded.  "Never expected it, huh?"

"No.  If I had known, I'd let you join us, become part of our team."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I've missed you, Jim," Hanmyo whispered, tears that weren't even real trailed down her cheeks. 

"I've missed you too," he admitted, his voice breaking.

Hanmyo floated backwards to the fountain and he followed her.  "Goodbye, Jim."

"Hey, wait!" he cried, "let's dance in the water fountain!"

"But Jim," she protested, "I can't feel the water under my feet."

"Please?"  He asked, "I had a dream we were playing in the fountain as kids.  It was your idea."

She smiled, "all right." 

They began to dance in the fountain and chase each other.  Slowly, maybe it was the water, but Hanmyo started to look more solid.  Then she grew from a young girl to a young woman, like Jim had always dreamed of how she would look at his age.  Noticing this, he took advantage of the moment and embraced her; afraid she'd become a ghost before he'd get the chance.

"I've dreamed of this moment," Jim breathed.

"Jim," she said softly and stepped back, "It was fate."

"Fate?  But you weren't meant to die the way you did!"

She smiled and splashed him to keep him from being so serious.  "There's nothing we can do to change what happened.  Let's try to have fun, okay?"

He chased her around the fountain again.  The bouquet of flowers was floating on the water.  Then later the adolescent Hanmyo became a young girl again.  Jim could see through her.

"No, don't go," he begged.

"Goodbye, Jim," she whispered, going invisible, out of sight and never to be seen again.

Jim looked down at the water sadly then got out.  He was drenched head to toe. 

Aishia jumped back five feet.  "Hey---you're all wet!"

"What were you doing, Jim," Gene demanded, "dancing in a fountain?"

Jim gasped, "Were you spying on me?"

"So you were dancing in a fountain?" Gene cracked a grin.

"Why didn't you come with us?" Aisha said, "You could've ate something!"

Jim looked slightly hurt, "excuse me," he said.  "I'd better go change before I catch a cold."

He pulled on a dry pair of jeans and a black T-shirt.  He sat on his bed, wondering about what just happened.  If only he had known sooner, it wouldn't be this way. 

"Are you all right, Jim?" Melfina asked.

"I'll be okay," he replied, pulling out his laptop to make him look like he was busy, "we can take off now."

"Okay."  She left him alone to tell the others.

Jim tried not to cry.  He had lost his first love without even saying goodbye.  She'd only remain in his memory.  Gathering his guts and pushing his pain aside, he stepped to the control room and took his position.

"So, did you see your dream girl?" Gene pried.

"She's dead," he said flat out.

"Huh?"

Jim figured he might as well be open about it.  Gene would only find out later.  "Remember that spaceship we fought when we were staying at Symat5 last time?  My dream girl was in that ship.  We were going to meet later but weren't able to because we killed her.  I just found that out."

"Are you serious?" Gene asked.

Jim closed his eyes for a second, "would I lie about something like this?  I saw her today, her ghost.  She's dead and we're responsible for it."

"Oh, how sad," Aisha sighed, "now I've lost my appetite."

"Hey, cheer up," Gene said, leaning over and placing his hand on the top of his head.  "You didn't know."

"I'll never see her again," Jim mumbled.  He cleared his throat, "let's get out of here, okay?"

"Hasty to get here, now you're hasty to leave."  Gene sighed, "I'd wish you'd make up your mind!"

They took off and Jim took one last look at the image of the station.  'Goodbye, Hanmyo.'

End.  Sad, huh?  But it also makes me want to dance around in a fountain.