Chapter One: So It Begins.

Of all the things Earth has to offer, Skool food has got to be the hardest to get used to. In the two years that Zim had lived on the filthy planet, he had grown used to almost everything else.

The courtyard was filled with many other students eating their lunches, including Dib and Lya on the other side. Ignoring the human babble surrounding him, Zim poked his hamburger with his plastic fork. It squeaked, then got sent flying several feet.

During the past years, Zim's appearance had changed quite a bit. Most importantly, he had grown several inches. His disguise had been midified with a black t-shirt, a red vest and black jeans.

On inspection of the classmates Zim had gotten to know so well the alien observed that most of them had changed vastly. Only Dib and Lya, it seemed, hadn't changed a bit, if you didn't count height.

Actually, they had changed somewhat. Though they were both heavily worried about aliens taking over Earth, they had obviously fallen in love.

It wasn't as though Zim hadn't experienced love himself. He had some definate feelings for Cas, who was the only other Irken Zim had come in contact with since starting this awful mission.

The female Irken was as beautiful now as she was when Zim had first met her, in or out of her human disguise.

"Hey, Zim." A familiar taunting voice said over the alien's shoulder. "Where's your girlfriend?"

"leave me alone, Dib. I'm not in the mood for you." Zim replied. He was hungry and tired and didn't feel like putting up with humans right now.

"Oh, sorry, Zim. I didn't realize you were in a bad mood after last night. Perhaps getting rid of your anger would help that." Perhaps taking it out on Dib would help....

"Ouch!" Dib yelped. Zim heard a snap of glasses as he realized he had actually punched the annoying human.

As the Irken tried to see how much damage he had actually done to Dib's face, he got a return punch.

"You want to fight, Zim?" Dib taunted through his broken glasses and bloody nose. "I'll fight you, and then I'll show the world who you really are once I win."

That got Zim going. He knew Cas disapproved of him and Dib fighting, but he couldn't appear a coward to the Earthanoid.



"Cas?" Dal nearly choked on her meal as an unmistakenly Irken someone walked by.

"Yes?" Cas looked around wildly for who had called her.

When her eyes finally fell upon Dal, she walked over. "Who are you?" Cas asked, not recognizing the face at first.

"Don't tell me you don't know who I am." Dal didn't lose Cas's eye contact. "It was big news when I was banished from Irk."

Cas looked clueless for a moment more, then it suddenly hit her who she was talking to. "Lez was so upset when you left. I didn't think he'd ever be in his right midn again."

"Thanks." Dal let a smile rest upon her lips for a very short moment.

A large kid, Chunk, interrupted the moment by yelling: "There's a fight in the courtyard!"

With quick glances at each other, Cas and Dal hurried outside.



Dib suffered many more punches, but managed to get in some of his own. Between every sudden burst of black pain, he saw a crowd for around them.

Aiming a cheap shot, Dib spotted Lya's face among the swirling, jeering rows of people. Her long, blonde hair was stuck to her face, and tears were welled up under her thick glasses.

It was only after seeing her horror that Dib realized how beat up he was. Backing away, he slowly raised his hand to his cheeks, nose, forehead and lips. Warm blood blanketed everywhere.

Zim had backed away, too, staring in awe at his own blood-stained gloves. The alien seemed surprised at the strength of his anger.

WIth that, Dib dropped down into the grass, too naseous to stand any longer. He didn't need to open his eyes again to know who's shadow fell over him.

"Are you okay, Dib?" Lya asked urgently, leaning down to get a better look.

Shaking his head slightly and opening his eyes, Dib tried to reassure here. "I'll be find, Lya. Don't worry."

Nevertheless, Lya put her arms around his damaged head and pulled him close. Her warm body felt good to Dib, so he didn't try to pull away. "Let's take you to the nurse."

Wanting to argue that he was fine, he resisted the urge. No one had ever cared for him the way Lya had, and he knew it was the same for her.



Professor Membrane was very diappointed in his son. Two hours earlier, he had recieved a call from the skool principal.

The door slammed quietly as Dib walked in, finally home from skool. The boy seemed to know something was up, considering the nervous glances he gave into the living room.

"Son." Membrane called. "Come in here and talk to me."

For the first time in a long while, Membrane was sitting on the couch. His son's face showed mild shock before it fell down, unable to keep eye contact.

"Dib." Membrane started. He had trouble bringing himself to say the boy's name, but it was neccesary. "I can't believe you were fighting."

"Dad, I...." Dib got no farther than that.

"No, no, son. None of your excuses. Do you know that you have put the name Membrane to shame? Why do you dare to disgrace my name?"

The look on the boy's face turned to rage. "He started it!" He protested. "He punched my face!"

"You fought him back."

"What? I couldn't let an alien think I was a coward!"

Instead of allowing his son to stammer to an eventual apology, Membrane got up and delivered a strong punch right into the child's face.

"Well, then. Can I think you're cowardly, son?"

The boy looked up, horror filling his eyes. He had virtually no other choices than to punch his father back, and they both knew it.