Disclaimer; I don't own Outlaw Star or any of the characters or any of the other elements of the series. There, that pretty much covers it. However, I do own the original characters and situations presented in this and Boutou Hoshi. If you want to use them, please e-mail me and I'll probably let you do it. Please don't sue me! I've only got some old drawing books and empty pocky boxes anyway so you wouldn't get much. Okay, I'm done.

Dedication; This story is dedicated to the people who've stuck by me for the past three months, especially Jade S., Anime Angel, heehee, barbo-chan, and Trunks. Also, this is dedicated to my friends Legacy Lost, Bishexy no Miko, Tamahome no Miko, Shattered Stars, and (especially!) my sis Blayse! Thanks you guys! ^-^

Notes; Ack, deadness. X_x Well, I finely got around to working on this. Too many death threats, argh. School is EVIL, yes it is. ; _ ;

Review Responses;

The Dragons - Don't kill me please! *offers print from of new chapter* See, I wrote it!

Julia - Hiya! Sorry this took so long. Please don't kill me. I can't wait to read the revised version of your story! Send it as soon as you can, okay.

Anime Angel~^0^ - I'm glad you're moved in. ^^ Thanks very much for the comments, I'd glad you like some of my ideas. Also, yes, she is dead. Sorry about that. -_-

EVERYONE ELSE - Thanks very much for reviewing and (especially) for being patient with me. Now that I have some time I should be able to get a lot of work done on the next chapter. I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to do there. This one, however, was really hard to write. I don't know why, it just was. *sigh* Oh well, at least it's done! ^-^

Tarian Ch.12: Another Day

By; Adakie

"You can't be serious!"

Gene simply could not believe his ears. Every second it was becoming increasingly clearer that Doctor Rin . . . was a nut case.

"Oh I'm serious Mr. Starwind. Dead serious. I've been planning this for months."

"Ya, obviously. But do you really think it will work?"

"If I didn't think it would work I wouldn't have asked you to do it, now would I?"

Gene sighed heavily. Yes, this man was insane. There was no doubt about it.

"Alright, I'll do it."

~*~*~*~

He was trying to compose himself, he really was. It just wasn't working. He couldn't stop the tears that streaked clean lines down his dirt smudged face. His breath rasped in and out in short gasps that made his chest ache. Some of the others had taken Ka-san's body. They'd placed it with the others in the pile. He couldn't even look at it, at her.

It was quiet. It seemed to take much longer for everyone to get over this particular death. Even Raelen seemed calm and depressed. She was sitting in her place, the small space she'd claimed as her own, hugging her knees and rocking slightly. Jim found himself doing the same thing. He figured that it was a natural reaction to this kind of situation.

The boy who had lost his father was a few feet away from him. He was sobbing almost uncontrollably. It was the only real noise, and it almost echoed. No one was with him. No one bothered to spare a comforting word for him. Jim wished he could go and sit with him at least, but he could not bring himself to. A part of him knew why, but he didn't want to truly admit it. If he joined the other boy, he'd just break down too.

He couldn't do that. Not now. He had to be strong.

If only it was that easy.

~*~*~*~

Gene looked over the blueprints once more. They were a completely detailed map of the makeshift containment facility where Jim and the others were being held. He'd agreed to Doctor Rin's plan, but he still wasn't completely sure about it.

The plan was that, as soon as everything was ready, Gene would break in at a strategic point in the building and make his way to the holding cell. From there he was supposed to use a pocked explosive and blow a hole in the south wall. Their hope was that the prisoners would be able to escape and that those keeping them there would not put up too much of a fight once everything got underway.

Rin had set up a hospital facility of grand proportions in an abandoned warehouse a few miles from his home. Gene was still in aw as to how one man could create something of that magnitude. He believed that he had a working antidote to the virus but it could not be tested in any other way than administering it to a Tarian victim directly. It was risky.

'Ch, what isn't risky these days.'

There were countless holes in this plan, countless places where something could go wrong and everything that they had both worked for could go up in smoke. There were countless ways he could fail. Still, it was a chance. Perhaps his only chance. Jim's only chance.

He could not fail.

~*~*~*~

"AHHHHH!!"

The scream jerked Jim out of his own thoughts, connecting him once again to the grim reality he'd come to know. His head snapped towards the source of the sound and he vaguely noticed the others doing this as well. The source, oddly enough, was Raelen.

She was on her feet, staggering out into the center of the room. Her hands were tangled in her dark brown hair and she was hunched as if in great pain. She screamed again, her rage clear and distinct. He couldn't tell what it all meant, the only thing he knew for sure was that he didn't like the looks of it. She straightened, green eyes blazing brightly. They seemed like green glowing embers that light up the darkness around her.

"You! It's your fault! All of you! You did this to me!"

There eyes locked and, as burning green met shadowed blue, he found that he could not look away. Her pale, shaking figure still seemed imposing and dangerous but there was something different about it . . . about her. A violent tremor shook her form.

'She's dying.'

Another tremor struck, this one stronger than the last.

"It's all your fault!!"

Another. Then another. Everything became startlingly clear. It was a seizure.

She collapsed face down on to the ground, shaking uncontrollably. Somewhere in the dark a young woman screamed. They all knew what was happening, there was no denying it now. All they could do was wait.

Eventually the tremors stopped and she lay still. He was still staring at her face, at her still open eyes. He vaguely saw Dieken's tall figure step towards her. He carefully turned her onto her back. Jim's eyes widened in shock. There were small trails of blood coming from her mouth and nose. Dieken checked for a pulse at her neck. It seemed to take an eternity.

Eventually he stood and gathered her body in to his arms. No one spoke as he carried it across the room. He placed it beside Ka-san's.

Another death.

Another loss.

Another day.

~Owarii~

Well, there it is. That was much harder to write than the other chapters. I don't know why. Maybe it's just because I had to sort of get into character with Raelen. I was always much better with Riakie. It's easier to write from her point of view (and the name similarity was not intentional at all, really!). Well, sorry about the depressing turn of events. -_-

Excuse me while I go scream into a pillow (it's a wonderful way of getting back to normal after writing something like this, believe me).

~*Please be a responsible reader and review!*~