***Disclaimer: I don't own Outlaw Star or the characters…
Hey everyone! Long time no update, eh? I'm sorry, but I was grounded off the computer for two weeks, so I haven't been on to write. I promise to have the next chapter soon! Please review!
Chapter Six
Hanmyo jumped off the edge of the concrete rim of the fountain and stood next to Jim. She smiled at him, showing off her pearly whites. "Hi Jim. It's very nice to meet you."
Jim only blushed. He didn't know what to say. It was the same feeling he has whenever he's around Aisha. It's the feeling of freefalling into space, with nothing but air around you. But you're not alone, because you could feel the warmth of the person you care most about right beside you. You're body's filled with complete tranquility and you pray for it to never end.
She giggled. "What's the matter, Jim? Cat got your tongue?"
He shook his head. "No."
She put her hand out. "Want to see something amazing?"
He looked at her hand and then back into her eyes. [I guess Gene won't care if I'm a little late. I mean, it's not as if he's my mom or anything.] He nodded and put his hand in hers. "Sure."
"Let's go."
--
"I wonder where Jim went," Melfina said, closing the curtains. "It's getting dark and he's been out there for a while."
Gene took off his white T-shirt and threw it on the floor. "He'll be fine. He's a tough kid, Mel."
She nodded. "I suppose you're right."
"Of course I am," he said. "I know the kid like the back of my hand." He lifted his hand to his face. "Well maybe not that well, but I know him well enough."
She had a worried look on her face. "I guess I worry too much."
Gene slid into bed and leaned his back against the headboard. He watched as Melfina stared at her reflection in the mirror. It was unnerving how she stared at her reflection as if she was trying to see through he skin; to see the real her that was inside. She looked depressed and he felt as if it was all his fault. But he didn't know how to apologize He didn't even know where to start.
"Gene?" she said, looking at him in the mirror.
"What is it?" he asked, trying not to sound annoyed.
"Did you really mean what you said on the ship?" she said. "About me not being real?"
He scratched his head. He was tongue-tied. All of his words were trapped inside his throat. So he only stared at her, hoping she could read his mind or even his eyes.
"Why do you question things?" she asked. "Why can't you just take things as they are?"
He didn't answer. He kept his eyes on her.
"You question everything, Gene. You look for everyone's motives for them being nice to you, it's like you can't accept that they only care about you and not trying to use you like people have in the past."
She turned to him. "Real or not, I still love you, Gene. I love you more than the whole universe. And I'm not programmed to say that to you… It's how I feel inside, where it counts," she said, as tears built up in her eyes.
"Mel… I-I"
"Things don't always happen for a reason. Some things are just hard to explain and shouldn't have to be," she said. "So why do you need a reason for me loving you? And for me being the navigator for the Outlaw Star?"
He stared into her eyes. They were glossy like pools of sorrow as tears grew in her eyes. He stood up and walked over to her.
"Gene?" she said, startled.
He hushed her and then wrapped his arms around her. "Forget what I said on the ship. I wasn't thinking right."
She smiled and tightly held on to him. His embrace felt like a warm sweater that smelt of ivory soap. "I love you, Gene."
--
"Wow, Hanmyo," Jim said. "This is amazing."
"I told you," she giggled.
They stood high above a pool of crystal clear water on a boulder that shined with limestone and quartz. Waterfalls and small springs cascaded down rocks and out of dark caves. It looked as if they were at the bottom of a huge wishing well.
"Is this drinking water?" he asked, placing his hand under a tiny spring. The water was cool like melting ice from glaciers.
She nodded. "Yes. This water is purified, unlike the water that this planet has in other places."
Hearing this, he cupped his hands and filled his hands with water. He then lifted his hands to his mouth and sipped the water. The water glided down his throat, numbing it.
"Good?" she asked.
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and turned to her. "Very," he replied.
Suddenly, a beeping noise started to go off. At first Jim thought it was Gene beeping him to come home, but when he saw Hanmyo's startled face staring at a flat screen. He knew it wasn't for him.
"Don't worry, I'll be right there," she said to the person on the screen. "Yes. All right. I'm fine. I'm with a friend."
Jim's cheeks turned red. [I'm her friend? I HAVE to talk to Gene about this.]
She put the screen in his pocket and smiled at him. "I'm sorry, Jim, but I'm afraid I have to go."
"Oh that's all right," he assured. "I have to go, too."
She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Will you see me tomorrow?"
He stared at her in shock. He couldn't believe that she just kissed him. It was on the cheek, but it still meant something.
He nodded in a daze. "Yeah."
"Great. Meet me at the fountain, tomorrow at noon," she said, and ran away.
On the way to the hotel, Jim stumbled upon a huge bucket of unwanted flowers. He looked them over, noticing that all of them were dead, except for a single pink rose. He scanned the street and when he was sure no one was watching him, he picked it up and ran with it.
"She'll love it," he said to himself. "The perfect gift."
--
Please Review!
Hey everyone! Long time no update, eh? I'm sorry, but I was grounded off the computer for two weeks, so I haven't been on to write. I promise to have the next chapter soon! Please review!
Chapter Six
Hanmyo jumped off the edge of the concrete rim of the fountain and stood next to Jim. She smiled at him, showing off her pearly whites. "Hi Jim. It's very nice to meet you."
Jim only blushed. He didn't know what to say. It was the same feeling he has whenever he's around Aisha. It's the feeling of freefalling into space, with nothing but air around you. But you're not alone, because you could feel the warmth of the person you care most about right beside you. You're body's filled with complete tranquility and you pray for it to never end.
She giggled. "What's the matter, Jim? Cat got your tongue?"
He shook his head. "No."
She put her hand out. "Want to see something amazing?"
He looked at her hand and then back into her eyes. [I guess Gene won't care if I'm a little late. I mean, it's not as if he's my mom or anything.] He nodded and put his hand in hers. "Sure."
"Let's go."
--
"I wonder where Jim went," Melfina said, closing the curtains. "It's getting dark and he's been out there for a while."
Gene took off his white T-shirt and threw it on the floor. "He'll be fine. He's a tough kid, Mel."
She nodded. "I suppose you're right."
"Of course I am," he said. "I know the kid like the back of my hand." He lifted his hand to his face. "Well maybe not that well, but I know him well enough."
She had a worried look on her face. "I guess I worry too much."
Gene slid into bed and leaned his back against the headboard. He watched as Melfina stared at her reflection in the mirror. It was unnerving how she stared at her reflection as if she was trying to see through he skin; to see the real her that was inside. She looked depressed and he felt as if it was all his fault. But he didn't know how to apologize He didn't even know where to start.
"Gene?" she said, looking at him in the mirror.
"What is it?" he asked, trying not to sound annoyed.
"Did you really mean what you said on the ship?" she said. "About me not being real?"
He scratched his head. He was tongue-tied. All of his words were trapped inside his throat. So he only stared at her, hoping she could read his mind or even his eyes.
"Why do you question things?" she asked. "Why can't you just take things as they are?"
He didn't answer. He kept his eyes on her.
"You question everything, Gene. You look for everyone's motives for them being nice to you, it's like you can't accept that they only care about you and not trying to use you like people have in the past."
She turned to him. "Real or not, I still love you, Gene. I love you more than the whole universe. And I'm not programmed to say that to you… It's how I feel inside, where it counts," she said, as tears built up in her eyes.
"Mel… I-I"
"Things don't always happen for a reason. Some things are just hard to explain and shouldn't have to be," she said. "So why do you need a reason for me loving you? And for me being the navigator for the Outlaw Star?"
He stared into her eyes. They were glossy like pools of sorrow as tears grew in her eyes. He stood up and walked over to her.
"Gene?" she said, startled.
He hushed her and then wrapped his arms around her. "Forget what I said on the ship. I wasn't thinking right."
She smiled and tightly held on to him. His embrace felt like a warm sweater that smelt of ivory soap. "I love you, Gene."
--
"Wow, Hanmyo," Jim said. "This is amazing."
"I told you," she giggled.
They stood high above a pool of crystal clear water on a boulder that shined with limestone and quartz. Waterfalls and small springs cascaded down rocks and out of dark caves. It looked as if they were at the bottom of a huge wishing well.
"Is this drinking water?" he asked, placing his hand under a tiny spring. The water was cool like melting ice from glaciers.
She nodded. "Yes. This water is purified, unlike the water that this planet has in other places."
Hearing this, he cupped his hands and filled his hands with water. He then lifted his hands to his mouth and sipped the water. The water glided down his throat, numbing it.
"Good?" she asked.
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and turned to her. "Very," he replied.
Suddenly, a beeping noise started to go off. At first Jim thought it was Gene beeping him to come home, but when he saw Hanmyo's startled face staring at a flat screen. He knew it wasn't for him.
"Don't worry, I'll be right there," she said to the person on the screen. "Yes. All right. I'm fine. I'm with a friend."
Jim's cheeks turned red. [I'm her friend? I HAVE to talk to Gene about this.]
She put the screen in his pocket and smiled at him. "I'm sorry, Jim, but I'm afraid I have to go."
"Oh that's all right," he assured. "I have to go, too."
She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Will you see me tomorrow?"
He stared at her in shock. He couldn't believe that she just kissed him. It was on the cheek, but it still meant something.
He nodded in a daze. "Yeah."
"Great. Meet me at the fountain, tomorrow at noon," she said, and ran away.
On the way to the hotel, Jim stumbled upon a huge bucket of unwanted flowers. He looked them over, noticing that all of them were dead, except for a single pink rose. He scanned the street and when he was sure no one was watching him, he picked it up and ran with it.
"She'll love it," he said to himself. "The perfect gift."
--
Please Review!