Chapter Four - With Hate Comes Love
Dib, who had just climbed out of the crater, noticed something a hundred yards ahead of him. He approached the figure cautiously, and saw that it was a girl. Despite the fact that she was in Irken uniform and obviously the enemy, he felt sorry that she was cold, and he gave her one of his blankets. After carefully tucking it around her waist, he left once more. However, he didn't feel right about letting her alone in unfamiliar territory, so he walked back to where she lay.
Now smiling, she looked as though she couldn't be happier. Still, he wanted to do something for her, and did something that hadn't once crossed his mind in his life-he gently kissed her forehead, and treaded back the other way. Her eyes snapped open, and she immediately stood up. As her vision focused, she saw the one she was instructed to kill standing right over her.
"You!" Yuki leapt up from her blankets, and tackled him, pushing him close to the edge of the great pit. "Say your prayers, Earth-monkey." She pulled out a knife-like laser and pressed it to his neck. A slow trickle of blood dripped from the tip of the laser as she pushed it harder to his skin.
"Wait! You don't get it! I'm trying to save Earth!"
"You're just asking for it! I want you to die, screaming in horrible pain. Now scream, or I'll throw you off this cliff!"
"Please, don't! Please, don't kill me!" Her grip on him tightened, and he couldn't move.
"Zim will reward me beyond my wildest dreams if you die at my hands."
"No, he won't! He's just using you! He doesn't care about any humans! That's why he wants to conquer Earth!"
"Don't talk about my Zim like that!"
"Really! I'm just concerned for you. You seem like a nice girl. What did Zim do to you?"
"Nothing. I love him."
"Oh, come on! I don't buy that for a second! Did he insult you?"
"Of course he did, but..."
"Did he threaten you?"
"Yes..."
"Did he try to get you drunk?"
"Sort of..."
"Then he doesn't care for you. That's how he treats all the other humans. He doesn't know compassion."
"What if you're right...?"
"I am right. Now, for your own safety, leave."
"All right. But first, can I help you up?"
"Sure." Dib extended his hand to hers, and she sliced it open; he yelled out in agony. "What was that for?!"
"Did you really think I'd fall for it? You're going down." Yuki took him by his severed hand and dragged him to the very edge of the vertical, deep crater. Hoisting him over her shoulder, she let him drop over the side. Only his injured, weak hand held onto hers and kept him from falling.
"Please, don't let go. You're too good for Zim. He doesn't deserve you."
"And who do you think deserves me? You?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying. Please, help me get back up, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
"Make silence, Dib, or I'll let you go right now."
"Why haven't you let me fall yet? Maybe you don't want me to fall."
"I can't help you up, Dib. I'm sorry. It's my duty."
"Duty? Doesn't Zim care for your wishes?"
"Of course he does! I volunteered for this mission, though!"
"Fine, then. I guess that if you don't have any choice, then you're going to kill me."
"Okay, I will." Yuki looked down at him; she stared deep into his eyes, searching for something. She saw fear, remorse, pain, disappointment...wistfulness. He longed for something. Could it be his life? No, it was something much more. It seemed he had accepted his fate, and was now preparing to die. Reacting on an impulse, she heaved him up and rested beside him.
"W-why did you do that?" he panted in deep gasps for breath.
"I-I don't know. Do you need any help?"
"Yeah. My hand..."
"Here's a rag. It'll help stop the bleeding." She tossed him a square of cloth, and he pressed it tightly to his severed palm.
"Thanks."
"I can't go back to Zim, you know."
"Why not?"
"I saved your life. I was supposed to destroy you. Look, I'm even helping you recover."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Does it really matter? You're going to be well again, aren't you?"
"Yes, but why? You seemed so dedicated to Zim."
"I still am. I just couldn't let you plummet. I wasn't ready to kill you yet."
"Are you ready now?"
"That would depend."
"On what?"
"Many factors, Earthling. Many factors."
"If I were to stand at the edge of that cliff, without any means of defense and promise that I wouldn't resist with you right in front of me, would you push me over?"
"Yes. It's a perfect opportunity."
"I don't think you would."
"I would. You cannot defy that."
"Then I will challenge it. I am going to stand there, my back to you, and let you push me over if you desire. If you don't, you will know that you cannot kill me."
"I accept that offer. I must take the opportunity to fulfill Zim's orders." Dib stood, and faced away from her, to the opposite end of the crater.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes." Yuki walked his direction, and got ready to push him over. Quickly and abruptly, she grabbed his arms, squeezed tightly, and prepared for the motion of thrusting him forward. Dib gasped a little, but then went silent. Instead of her pushing him ahead, she pulled him back toward her, allowing for the two of them to catch their breath. She released her grip on his arms; instead, she locked them around his stomach in a tight embrace. When at last she let go, he got to his feet and helped her up.
"You haven't even told me your name, my unsuccessful assassin."
"My name's Yuki. Do you know of anywhere good to eat at?"
"The moon's not my terrain. Sorry."
"You sound surprisingly casual considering I just tried to kill you."
"And you were surprisingly 'friendly' with me considering that you just tried to kill me."
"Dib?"
"Yes?"
"What are we going to do?"
"Well, I'm going to destroy Zim's base here, take my Voot back to Earth, and...what's wrong?"
"You're...going to kill Zim?"
"Yes." After seeing the tears come to her eyes, he regretted saying that. "Yuki, I'm just concerned for my planet."
"Earth deserves to be destroyed."
"How do you know? Have you ever been there?"
"Well...no, but-"
"Then how can you know what Earth's like?"
"I'm...sorry. I just...this is my home. Earth's military doesn't want this colony to exist, and they're fighting us...I don't want my home to be destroyed, just like you don't want yours to be, either. Wait-you have a Voot?"
"Yeah. How do you think I got here?"
"But that's an Irken ship!"
"Yeah, it belonged to a...er...friend...before crashing into my lawn. I made the repairs a few years back."
"You're going back to Earth...can't you just stay here?"
"No. I can't."
"Why not?"
"Earth's my home. I don't want to leave it for good."
"We could visit there. I'd love to see what it's like."
"'We'? You're already thinking of us as a couple?"
"Well, a couple of friends..." They stood there in silence, looking at one another, almost as if expecting something of monumental importance to be said or done. "Dib, my loyalty lies with the Irken Empire, but my heart lies with you. I cannot give up on either."
'She talks as though we're dating or something. She's ACTUALLY in love with me!' Yuki stared into his eyes, wondering what could draw her to him. He completely defied the Irken Empire, and was an enemy to them. This should've made him her enemy, but she couldn't hate him after seeing him in person.
"I want to get to know you better. We can rent a place in Mitchell."
"Mitchell?"
"That's the name of a nearby city. Most of the cities are named after the crater they're nearest to, many of them inside."
"Inside?"
"Yeah. It makes it easier to dome with more space and add two levels to a city. It's really good if you want to conserve space."
"Oh. When's Zim going to attack Earth?"
"Maybe in a week."
"We don't have time to spare!"
"Let him have Earth. What's the difference?"
"My home. He can't have it! I'd rather die than for him to conquer!"
"Dib..."
"Yes?"
"Nothing. I just like saying your name."
"Oh. I like saying your name, too. Yuki...it's very pretty."
"It means 'snow'. My parents loved the snow."
"'Loved'? Are they...?"
"No. I just haven't seen them for a while. I've been living here since I was eleven, but my parents couldn't go with me. That's how I got into the military so fast."
"At least they're alive." Again, they looked at each other in uncomfortable silence, until Yuki finally spoke.
"Dib, stop the shyness. Don't hide your feelings from me. You can't hide them any longer."
"I know I can't...but I can try." They kissed, interrupted only when the whir of a ship. It was about four times the size of a normal Voot Runner, and approached them at a terrifying velocity.
"It's Zim! We've got to hide!" A transmission appeared on Yuki's wristwatch, showing Zim's face.
"Not likely, humans." Zim said, glowering, as he beamed the two of them up.
Dib, who had just climbed out of the crater, noticed something a hundred yards ahead of him. He approached the figure cautiously, and saw that it was a girl. Despite the fact that she was in Irken uniform and obviously the enemy, he felt sorry that she was cold, and he gave her one of his blankets. After carefully tucking it around her waist, he left once more. However, he didn't feel right about letting her alone in unfamiliar territory, so he walked back to where she lay.
Now smiling, she looked as though she couldn't be happier. Still, he wanted to do something for her, and did something that hadn't once crossed his mind in his life-he gently kissed her forehead, and treaded back the other way. Her eyes snapped open, and she immediately stood up. As her vision focused, she saw the one she was instructed to kill standing right over her.
"You!" Yuki leapt up from her blankets, and tackled him, pushing him close to the edge of the great pit. "Say your prayers, Earth-monkey." She pulled out a knife-like laser and pressed it to his neck. A slow trickle of blood dripped from the tip of the laser as she pushed it harder to his skin.
"Wait! You don't get it! I'm trying to save Earth!"
"You're just asking for it! I want you to die, screaming in horrible pain. Now scream, or I'll throw you off this cliff!"
"Please, don't! Please, don't kill me!" Her grip on him tightened, and he couldn't move.
"Zim will reward me beyond my wildest dreams if you die at my hands."
"No, he won't! He's just using you! He doesn't care about any humans! That's why he wants to conquer Earth!"
"Don't talk about my Zim like that!"
"Really! I'm just concerned for you. You seem like a nice girl. What did Zim do to you?"
"Nothing. I love him."
"Oh, come on! I don't buy that for a second! Did he insult you?"
"Of course he did, but..."
"Did he threaten you?"
"Yes..."
"Did he try to get you drunk?"
"Sort of..."
"Then he doesn't care for you. That's how he treats all the other humans. He doesn't know compassion."
"What if you're right...?"
"I am right. Now, for your own safety, leave."
"All right. But first, can I help you up?"
"Sure." Dib extended his hand to hers, and she sliced it open; he yelled out in agony. "What was that for?!"
"Did you really think I'd fall for it? You're going down." Yuki took him by his severed hand and dragged him to the very edge of the vertical, deep crater. Hoisting him over her shoulder, she let him drop over the side. Only his injured, weak hand held onto hers and kept him from falling.
"Please, don't let go. You're too good for Zim. He doesn't deserve you."
"And who do you think deserves me? You?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying. Please, help me get back up, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
"Make silence, Dib, or I'll let you go right now."
"Why haven't you let me fall yet? Maybe you don't want me to fall."
"I can't help you up, Dib. I'm sorry. It's my duty."
"Duty? Doesn't Zim care for your wishes?"
"Of course he does! I volunteered for this mission, though!"
"Fine, then. I guess that if you don't have any choice, then you're going to kill me."
"Okay, I will." Yuki looked down at him; she stared deep into his eyes, searching for something. She saw fear, remorse, pain, disappointment...wistfulness. He longed for something. Could it be his life? No, it was something much more. It seemed he had accepted his fate, and was now preparing to die. Reacting on an impulse, she heaved him up and rested beside him.
"W-why did you do that?" he panted in deep gasps for breath.
"I-I don't know. Do you need any help?"
"Yeah. My hand..."
"Here's a rag. It'll help stop the bleeding." She tossed him a square of cloth, and he pressed it tightly to his severed palm.
"Thanks."
"I can't go back to Zim, you know."
"Why not?"
"I saved your life. I was supposed to destroy you. Look, I'm even helping you recover."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Does it really matter? You're going to be well again, aren't you?"
"Yes, but why? You seemed so dedicated to Zim."
"I still am. I just couldn't let you plummet. I wasn't ready to kill you yet."
"Are you ready now?"
"That would depend."
"On what?"
"Many factors, Earthling. Many factors."
"If I were to stand at the edge of that cliff, without any means of defense and promise that I wouldn't resist with you right in front of me, would you push me over?"
"Yes. It's a perfect opportunity."
"I don't think you would."
"I would. You cannot defy that."
"Then I will challenge it. I am going to stand there, my back to you, and let you push me over if you desire. If you don't, you will know that you cannot kill me."
"I accept that offer. I must take the opportunity to fulfill Zim's orders." Dib stood, and faced away from her, to the opposite end of the crater.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes." Yuki walked his direction, and got ready to push him over. Quickly and abruptly, she grabbed his arms, squeezed tightly, and prepared for the motion of thrusting him forward. Dib gasped a little, but then went silent. Instead of her pushing him ahead, she pulled him back toward her, allowing for the two of them to catch their breath. She released her grip on his arms; instead, she locked them around his stomach in a tight embrace. When at last she let go, he got to his feet and helped her up.
"You haven't even told me your name, my unsuccessful assassin."
"My name's Yuki. Do you know of anywhere good to eat at?"
"The moon's not my terrain. Sorry."
"You sound surprisingly casual considering I just tried to kill you."
"And you were surprisingly 'friendly' with me considering that you just tried to kill me."
"Dib?"
"Yes?"
"What are we going to do?"
"Well, I'm going to destroy Zim's base here, take my Voot back to Earth, and...what's wrong?"
"You're...going to kill Zim?"
"Yes." After seeing the tears come to her eyes, he regretted saying that. "Yuki, I'm just concerned for my planet."
"Earth deserves to be destroyed."
"How do you know? Have you ever been there?"
"Well...no, but-"
"Then how can you know what Earth's like?"
"I'm...sorry. I just...this is my home. Earth's military doesn't want this colony to exist, and they're fighting us...I don't want my home to be destroyed, just like you don't want yours to be, either. Wait-you have a Voot?"
"Yeah. How do you think I got here?"
"But that's an Irken ship!"
"Yeah, it belonged to a...er...friend...before crashing into my lawn. I made the repairs a few years back."
"You're going back to Earth...can't you just stay here?"
"No. I can't."
"Why not?"
"Earth's my home. I don't want to leave it for good."
"We could visit there. I'd love to see what it's like."
"'We'? You're already thinking of us as a couple?"
"Well, a couple of friends..." They stood there in silence, looking at one another, almost as if expecting something of monumental importance to be said or done. "Dib, my loyalty lies with the Irken Empire, but my heart lies with you. I cannot give up on either."
'She talks as though we're dating or something. She's ACTUALLY in love with me!' Yuki stared into his eyes, wondering what could draw her to him. He completely defied the Irken Empire, and was an enemy to them. This should've made him her enemy, but she couldn't hate him after seeing him in person.
"I want to get to know you better. We can rent a place in Mitchell."
"Mitchell?"
"That's the name of a nearby city. Most of the cities are named after the crater they're nearest to, many of them inside."
"Inside?"
"Yeah. It makes it easier to dome with more space and add two levels to a city. It's really good if you want to conserve space."
"Oh. When's Zim going to attack Earth?"
"Maybe in a week."
"We don't have time to spare!"
"Let him have Earth. What's the difference?"
"My home. He can't have it! I'd rather die than for him to conquer!"
"Dib..."
"Yes?"
"Nothing. I just like saying your name."
"Oh. I like saying your name, too. Yuki...it's very pretty."
"It means 'snow'. My parents loved the snow."
"'Loved'? Are they...?"
"No. I just haven't seen them for a while. I've been living here since I was eleven, but my parents couldn't go with me. That's how I got into the military so fast."
"At least they're alive." Again, they looked at each other in uncomfortable silence, until Yuki finally spoke.
"Dib, stop the shyness. Don't hide your feelings from me. You can't hide them any longer."
"I know I can't...but I can try." They kissed, interrupted only when the whir of a ship. It was about four times the size of a normal Voot Runner, and approached them at a terrifying velocity.
"It's Zim! We've got to hide!" A transmission appeared on Yuki's wristwatch, showing Zim's face.
"Not likely, humans." Zim said, glowering, as he beamed the two of them up.