**Disclaimer: I don't own Outlaw Star or the characters... Konnichiwa minna-san! I finally wrote this chapter! It's the last one :( ....Maybe I'll write a sequel if you guys like it so much... Well, I hope you like this and keep reading my stories! Oh yeah, thanks for all the wonderful reviews!
Chapter Twelve
Gene grinned and pulled the trigger. The bullet shot out of the barrel and headed toward Harry, spinning with violent force. But once Harry heard the loud BANG, he instantly moved to the side. The bullet ended up only grazing his cheek, causing blood to trickle down his face.
"Lucky shot, Gene," Harry said, covering his cheek with his hand. "Don't celebrate yet, this fight is just getting started."
Gene clicked back the hammer on his gun. "Well, you could at least make it challenging for me," he said sarcastically.
"I'll give you a challenge," Harry replied, and pointed his gun back at Gene. "Get ready to run."
Harry pulled the trigger. Gene tried to dodge the bullet, but it hit his arm, causing him to crouch over and his arm to go limp at his side. "It must have hit an artery," he said to himself, trying to get use of his arm, but it wouldn't move, it just hanged at his side like it was dead.
"Did I hurt you, Gene?" Harry asked, grinning wickedly.
Gene straightened, as pain flooded his body. "No, I'm fine," he replied, trying not to show his pain. "Just peachy, thanks."
"Well, I guess you wouldn't mind a bullet in your other arm," he said, and aimed his gun at Gene's other arm. But when he pulled the trigger, nothing came out. The barrel of the gun just rolled; it was empty. "Damn it!"
Gene grinned. "Looks like you're out of luck, Harry," he said, unsteadily holding the gun in his hand. He tried to focus his sight on him, but his vision was getting fuzzier by the minute. The pain was too much for him to keep his mind straight.
"What's the matter, Gene? Can't shoot me?" Harry asked. "Or are you about to pass out from pain?"
Gene shot a couple bullets, hoping that one of them would hit him, but none of them did. He dropped the gun, since it was empty, and ran out of the room and down the long hallway. He couldn't let himself pass out there, anywhere but there. He ran up a winding stairwell that was lighted by torches with burning flames. The stairwell ended, leaving him in a circular tower with wooden doors on the walls. He opened one of the doors and walked inside. It was small like a closet, but large enough for him to lay down in. He locked the door and fell down to the ground, letting himself slip away into a dark sleep.
--
"What are we going to do?" Jim asked, kicking rocks with his feet.
Jim and Aisha were still locked in the concrete tomb, looking for a way out. They tried everything from clawing the door apart to digging the concrete floor. Nothing seemed to work for them. Nothing at all.
"Jim, I think we should take your advice and just give up," Aisha admitted, leaning against the wall. "It's no use. Nothing is working."
"I suppose you're right," he said, and walked toward her. "Maybe it was supposed to be like this. But I still can't believe-of all the people in the galaxy-I'm stuck in here with you."
"Is it such a bad thing?" she growled.
Jim swallowed hard, shaking his head vigorously. "No, not bad at all."
"Good," she said, and nudged his arm. "It's not so bad being in here with you either. You're all right for a ki-young person."
"Thanks," he said, blushing. "You're all right for a cat girl with claws."
"I know," she said, smiling.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside the door. They exchanged frightened looks and jumped to their feet. "Who's there?" Jim called out, as they moved closer to the door. The noise grew louder and louder; it sounded like someone was trying to break down the door. "Who's out there?"
"Answer," Aisha growled, projecting out her claws. "I command you to answer us, or I will be forced to rip you to shreds."
The noise stopped as quickly as it started. "Stand behind me, Jim," Aisha said, pushing him a side. He moved behind her, staring at the door with curiosity.
Suddenly, it opened, bringing in rain and a cold chill. The wind blew dust and leaves around them, as they tried to get a good look at the two figures standing in the doorway.
"Who are you?" Jim asked.
The two figures stepped out of the rain and inside the tomb. "Jim and Aisha, it's me," said one of the figures, taking off their blue hood, "Melfina."
"Melfina!" Aisha shouted, and ran toward her. "I'm so glad it's you! But who is that?"
The other figure took off their hood and smiled. "Suzuka," she said.
Jim lifted his mouth off the floor and quickly ran to the door, but stopped when Aisha called out to him. "What?" he asked, turning to them.
"Where are you going?" Aisha asked.
"Gene," he said, "he needs help."
"Gene? Where is he?" Melfina asked, worried. She looked at Jim, who stood in the doorway, getting wet. "Where is he, Jim? Is he in danger?"
Jim nodded, shuffling his feet on the wet soil. "I mean, you know him, he's a risk taker, very impulsive," he said. "He needs someone there to watch his back. You know, like a sidekick."
Melfina walked toward him and took his hand. "Let's go," she said. He nodded and they walked out of the door, leaving Aisha and Suzuka alone in shock.
--
Meanwhile…
Gene's eyes fluttered open. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He still felt pain all through his body, but it wasn't as bad as it was before he lost consciousness. Blood stained his arm and shirt. He slowly stood up and opened the door. Surprisingly, the room was empty, without a soul in sight.
He pulled out the spare gun from his holster and loaded it with bullets. Once he was finished, he pulled back the hammer and made his way down the stairwell. With every step, he felt his heart beat harder against his skin. He could feel his adrenaline pumping beneath his veins. He loved that feeling.
He got to the bottom of the stairs and stopped when he saw Harry, leaning against the wall, polishing his gun.
"I see you finally came to face me," Harry said, grinning. "And it looks like you've lost use of your left arm as well. Can you make it any easier for me, Gene?"
Gene hid his gun under his shirt. "Actually I can," he replied, and curled his hands into fists. "How about we fight one on one, without guns? That is if you're man enough."
Harry put the gun to his side and placed it on the small table that was next to him. "I'm man enough, Gene" he said. "More of a man than you'll ever be."
"Maybe you're right, Harry," he said, moving closer to him. "But then, who am I to judge?"
They walked toward each other as if they were cowboys in the Wild West. Their hands were curled into fists, tightly squeezing all their muscles in their arms. Their steady stare was piercing like daggers, they didn't look away once.
Harry threw a punch at Gene, but he blocked it, while he shot an inverted punch toward his stomach. Harry slightly bent over as the pain rushed through his body.
"That was for Melfina," Gene said, pulling out the gun that was hidden under his shirt. He aimed it toward Harry, who was still crouched over, trying to catch his breath. "And this, is for Hilda."
Gene clicked back the hammer and went to pull the trigger, when he heard someone walking behind him. He quickly turned, but saw nothing.
Suddenly-without warning-Harry lunged out on top of Gene. They fell to the floor, hard. Harry then pulled out a knife that was hidden in his pocket. He put it to his throat, grinning.
Gene was tempted to push Harry off of him, but he knew that he would slit his throat before he could even move one inch.
"Looks like the hero is in an uncompromising position," Harry said. "I guess evil will always be greater than good."
"Only in your own world," Gene said, his voice was hoarse. "You'll never be anything, Harry. You know why? You rely too much on weapons to do the dirty work for you and you keep pissing everybody off."
Harry tightly gripped the handle of the knife. "If you say another word I swear I'll-"
Then something happened. There was a loud gunshot and Harry collapsed on top of him. He quickly pushed him off of him and sat up. He looked up and saw Melfina holding up a gun with smoke rising from it and Jim standing at her side.
"Gene," Melfina said, and throw the gun on the floor. She went to hug him when he groaned out in pain. "What's the matter? Are you hurt?"
He looked up at her. "You're all right," he said, smiling dazedly. "Did they hurt you?"
"Stop worrying about me, Gene. I'm fine," she said. "I'm more worried about you."
"It's only my arm," he said. "He shot me in my arm, that's all. It will be fine."
She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Gene I know about the premonitions," she said. "They told me while I was locked up in that warehouse. Why didn't you tell me about them before?"
"I didn't want to worry you," he said. "That's why I wanted to protect you, so they wouldn't happen."
"Is that the only reason why you're with me?" she asked.
He grinned and they stood up. He pulled her close to him and kissed her. "For that, too," he said.
"Get a room," Jim said, rolling his eyes.
"You're too young to understand, Jim," Gene said. "Come on, let's go."
"All right," Melfina said.
They started to walk when they heard a faint moan. Gene turned to see Harry slowly lifting himself up. He quickly reached for the gun that was hidden under his shirt and pointed it toward him.
"Harry, why won't you just die?" Gene asked.
"Go to hell, Gene," he said in a faint voice.
"You can save me a seat then," Gene said, and pulled the trigger.
Harry fell to the ground, dead. It was finally over.
"Come on, Gene," Jim said.
Gene nodded and they walked out of the chapel, leaving everything behind. When they came outside, the rain still fell, but the sun's dull rays came through parts of the dark clouds. Suzuka and Aisha sat under a tree, waiting for them to return.
"Aisha! Suzuka!" Melfina shouted.
They both turned and ran toward them. "So you guys did make it out alive," Suzuka said, and then glanced at Aisha. "I think you owe me some money for our bet, Aisha."
"What bet?" Aisha asked with her best I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about expression. "I don't remember any bet. I wouldn't bet on their lives, anyway."
"Sure you wouldn't," Jim said sarcastically.
"I thought you were on my side, Jim," Aisha said.
"I'm on my own side, Aisha," he said, crossing his arms.
Gene and Melfina laughed as they watched them argue. It was like everything was finally going back to normal, well at least as normal as is it can get.
"Gene, I guess your adventure is over," Melfina said.
He shook his head, looking up at the vast, blue sky above. "No, it's only the beginning."
---
The End
Please Review! And tell me if you think I should write a sequel!
Chapter Twelve
Gene grinned and pulled the trigger. The bullet shot out of the barrel and headed toward Harry, spinning with violent force. But once Harry heard the loud BANG, he instantly moved to the side. The bullet ended up only grazing his cheek, causing blood to trickle down his face.
"Lucky shot, Gene," Harry said, covering his cheek with his hand. "Don't celebrate yet, this fight is just getting started."
Gene clicked back the hammer on his gun. "Well, you could at least make it challenging for me," he said sarcastically.
"I'll give you a challenge," Harry replied, and pointed his gun back at Gene. "Get ready to run."
Harry pulled the trigger. Gene tried to dodge the bullet, but it hit his arm, causing him to crouch over and his arm to go limp at his side. "It must have hit an artery," he said to himself, trying to get use of his arm, but it wouldn't move, it just hanged at his side like it was dead.
"Did I hurt you, Gene?" Harry asked, grinning wickedly.
Gene straightened, as pain flooded his body. "No, I'm fine," he replied, trying not to show his pain. "Just peachy, thanks."
"Well, I guess you wouldn't mind a bullet in your other arm," he said, and aimed his gun at Gene's other arm. But when he pulled the trigger, nothing came out. The barrel of the gun just rolled; it was empty. "Damn it!"
Gene grinned. "Looks like you're out of luck, Harry," he said, unsteadily holding the gun in his hand. He tried to focus his sight on him, but his vision was getting fuzzier by the minute. The pain was too much for him to keep his mind straight.
"What's the matter, Gene? Can't shoot me?" Harry asked. "Or are you about to pass out from pain?"
Gene shot a couple bullets, hoping that one of them would hit him, but none of them did. He dropped the gun, since it was empty, and ran out of the room and down the long hallway. He couldn't let himself pass out there, anywhere but there. He ran up a winding stairwell that was lighted by torches with burning flames. The stairwell ended, leaving him in a circular tower with wooden doors on the walls. He opened one of the doors and walked inside. It was small like a closet, but large enough for him to lay down in. He locked the door and fell down to the ground, letting himself slip away into a dark sleep.
--
"What are we going to do?" Jim asked, kicking rocks with his feet.
Jim and Aisha were still locked in the concrete tomb, looking for a way out. They tried everything from clawing the door apart to digging the concrete floor. Nothing seemed to work for them. Nothing at all.
"Jim, I think we should take your advice and just give up," Aisha admitted, leaning against the wall. "It's no use. Nothing is working."
"I suppose you're right," he said, and walked toward her. "Maybe it was supposed to be like this. But I still can't believe-of all the people in the galaxy-I'm stuck in here with you."
"Is it such a bad thing?" she growled.
Jim swallowed hard, shaking his head vigorously. "No, not bad at all."
"Good," she said, and nudged his arm. "It's not so bad being in here with you either. You're all right for a ki-young person."
"Thanks," he said, blushing. "You're all right for a cat girl with claws."
"I know," she said, smiling.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside the door. They exchanged frightened looks and jumped to their feet. "Who's there?" Jim called out, as they moved closer to the door. The noise grew louder and louder; it sounded like someone was trying to break down the door. "Who's out there?"
"Answer," Aisha growled, projecting out her claws. "I command you to answer us, or I will be forced to rip you to shreds."
The noise stopped as quickly as it started. "Stand behind me, Jim," Aisha said, pushing him a side. He moved behind her, staring at the door with curiosity.
Suddenly, it opened, bringing in rain and a cold chill. The wind blew dust and leaves around them, as they tried to get a good look at the two figures standing in the doorway.
"Who are you?" Jim asked.
The two figures stepped out of the rain and inside the tomb. "Jim and Aisha, it's me," said one of the figures, taking off their blue hood, "Melfina."
"Melfina!" Aisha shouted, and ran toward her. "I'm so glad it's you! But who is that?"
The other figure took off their hood and smiled. "Suzuka," she said.
Jim lifted his mouth off the floor and quickly ran to the door, but stopped when Aisha called out to him. "What?" he asked, turning to them.
"Where are you going?" Aisha asked.
"Gene," he said, "he needs help."
"Gene? Where is he?" Melfina asked, worried. She looked at Jim, who stood in the doorway, getting wet. "Where is he, Jim? Is he in danger?"
Jim nodded, shuffling his feet on the wet soil. "I mean, you know him, he's a risk taker, very impulsive," he said. "He needs someone there to watch his back. You know, like a sidekick."
Melfina walked toward him and took his hand. "Let's go," she said. He nodded and they walked out of the door, leaving Aisha and Suzuka alone in shock.
--
Meanwhile…
Gene's eyes fluttered open. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He still felt pain all through his body, but it wasn't as bad as it was before he lost consciousness. Blood stained his arm and shirt. He slowly stood up and opened the door. Surprisingly, the room was empty, without a soul in sight.
He pulled out the spare gun from his holster and loaded it with bullets. Once he was finished, he pulled back the hammer and made his way down the stairwell. With every step, he felt his heart beat harder against his skin. He could feel his adrenaline pumping beneath his veins. He loved that feeling.
He got to the bottom of the stairs and stopped when he saw Harry, leaning against the wall, polishing his gun.
"I see you finally came to face me," Harry said, grinning. "And it looks like you've lost use of your left arm as well. Can you make it any easier for me, Gene?"
Gene hid his gun under his shirt. "Actually I can," he replied, and curled his hands into fists. "How about we fight one on one, without guns? That is if you're man enough."
Harry put the gun to his side and placed it on the small table that was next to him. "I'm man enough, Gene" he said. "More of a man than you'll ever be."
"Maybe you're right, Harry," he said, moving closer to him. "But then, who am I to judge?"
They walked toward each other as if they were cowboys in the Wild West. Their hands were curled into fists, tightly squeezing all their muscles in their arms. Their steady stare was piercing like daggers, they didn't look away once.
Harry threw a punch at Gene, but he blocked it, while he shot an inverted punch toward his stomach. Harry slightly bent over as the pain rushed through his body.
"That was for Melfina," Gene said, pulling out the gun that was hidden under his shirt. He aimed it toward Harry, who was still crouched over, trying to catch his breath. "And this, is for Hilda."
Gene clicked back the hammer and went to pull the trigger, when he heard someone walking behind him. He quickly turned, but saw nothing.
Suddenly-without warning-Harry lunged out on top of Gene. They fell to the floor, hard. Harry then pulled out a knife that was hidden in his pocket. He put it to his throat, grinning.
Gene was tempted to push Harry off of him, but he knew that he would slit his throat before he could even move one inch.
"Looks like the hero is in an uncompromising position," Harry said. "I guess evil will always be greater than good."
"Only in your own world," Gene said, his voice was hoarse. "You'll never be anything, Harry. You know why? You rely too much on weapons to do the dirty work for you and you keep pissing everybody off."
Harry tightly gripped the handle of the knife. "If you say another word I swear I'll-"
Then something happened. There was a loud gunshot and Harry collapsed on top of him. He quickly pushed him off of him and sat up. He looked up and saw Melfina holding up a gun with smoke rising from it and Jim standing at her side.
"Gene," Melfina said, and throw the gun on the floor. She went to hug him when he groaned out in pain. "What's the matter? Are you hurt?"
He looked up at her. "You're all right," he said, smiling dazedly. "Did they hurt you?"
"Stop worrying about me, Gene. I'm fine," she said. "I'm more worried about you."
"It's only my arm," he said. "He shot me in my arm, that's all. It will be fine."
She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Gene I know about the premonitions," she said. "They told me while I was locked up in that warehouse. Why didn't you tell me about them before?"
"I didn't want to worry you," he said. "That's why I wanted to protect you, so they wouldn't happen."
"Is that the only reason why you're with me?" she asked.
He grinned and they stood up. He pulled her close to him and kissed her. "For that, too," he said.
"Get a room," Jim said, rolling his eyes.
"You're too young to understand, Jim," Gene said. "Come on, let's go."
"All right," Melfina said.
They started to walk when they heard a faint moan. Gene turned to see Harry slowly lifting himself up. He quickly reached for the gun that was hidden under his shirt and pointed it toward him.
"Harry, why won't you just die?" Gene asked.
"Go to hell, Gene," he said in a faint voice.
"You can save me a seat then," Gene said, and pulled the trigger.
Harry fell to the ground, dead. It was finally over.
"Come on, Gene," Jim said.
Gene nodded and they walked out of the chapel, leaving everything behind. When they came outside, the rain still fell, but the sun's dull rays came through parts of the dark clouds. Suzuka and Aisha sat under a tree, waiting for them to return.
"Aisha! Suzuka!" Melfina shouted.
They both turned and ran toward them. "So you guys did make it out alive," Suzuka said, and then glanced at Aisha. "I think you owe me some money for our bet, Aisha."
"What bet?" Aisha asked with her best I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about expression. "I don't remember any bet. I wouldn't bet on their lives, anyway."
"Sure you wouldn't," Jim said sarcastically.
"I thought you were on my side, Jim," Aisha said.
"I'm on my own side, Aisha," he said, crossing his arms.
Gene and Melfina laughed as they watched them argue. It was like everything was finally going back to normal, well at least as normal as is it can get.
"Gene, I guess your adventure is over," Melfina said.
He shook his head, looking up at the vast, blue sky above. "No, it's only the beginning."
---
The End
Please Review! And tell me if you think I should write a sequel!
