Disclaimer; I dont 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 dont sue me! Ive only got some old
drawing books and empty pocky boxes anyway so you wouldn't get much.
Okay, Im done.
Dedication; This story is dedicated to the people whove 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! ^-^
~*~*~*~PLESASE READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~*~*~*~
Notes; My computer hates me. It died. No, really, it's deader than
dead. The hard drive is crashed so badly that it can't be saved.
Luckily, I have a laptop. Yay! ^^ I am writing on it now. Hurrah.
However, the word processing program is different and my files are not
compatible. Grrr. I have tried everything but it won't open the files
in any legible way. Also, my internet capabilities have been cut
severely because of this mess and others.
I'm in college now. Hurray! However, the internet that was supposed to
be functioning in my room wasn't until about a week ago. Boo.
I am sorry. Very sorry. Please do not kill me. ;___________________;
Because of the horrible wait I've put you all through, I've decided to go
ahead and plow through the story instead of making this chapter a short
character intro thing (that's been cut a little and put as a chapter
beginning). That's right, you're getting the good stuff. IT'S TIME FOR
THE PLAN!!! ^^
Tarian Ch. 15 : Breaking and Entering
By: Adakie
Shean Arato. Gene did not know what to make of him. He'd gone
from wanting to tare his head off and shove it down his neck to being
somehow moved by his story in mere minuets. The man's face, along with
his supposed partner, had haunted his dreams since he'd lost Jim. He'd
been wanting to kill those two for so long and the impulse was hard to
get rid of. Still, he was an ally . . . at least he thought so.
Gene had spent a long time watching the older yet smaller man but
could not understand him. He was nervous, timid, even shy. In fact,
he seemed almost like a wraith that moved through the base in an ethereal
silence. It was unnerving to say the least. This man seemed more like a
scared puppy than the cruel kidnapper Gene had classified him as before.
Actually, the scared puppy look was putting doubts in Gene's mind about
this mans capabilities to hold his own in battle too. How could someone
like that really be a spy?
He tried not to think about it much anymore, it just wasn't worth
it. No matter how much he thought about the man or how much he observed
him the results were always the same and he was unable to deny that he
knew absolutely nothing about Shean Arato . . . nothing of any substance
at least. He had learned that the man had a fondness for apple pie, but
that didn't count. [1]
He didn't know how long he'd been stuck in the compound. There
was nothing to do there and he'd played more games of solitaire than he'd
even wanted to. Rin and Shean were always working on . . . whatever it
was they were working on, neither of them ever told him. He decided it
was probably best to just stay out of their way. He didn't think he
could wait much longer. There was a growing sense of dread in the back
of his mind that he could no longer ignore and the desire to pound the
demon dog that had attacked him into the ground was an ever present
thought.
Gene was shaken out of his thoughts by Shean's voice calling his
name. He looked up into green eyes that seemed much happier than they
had since he'd arrived.
"Gene, we're all finished." he said with a bright smile.
"Uh, okay. Great. And that means what?"
"We can finely go break into the prison."
Gene leapt to his feet, hands clenched into fists.
"Alright! You have no idea how much I've wanted to hear those words.
Let's go kick *ss!"
The older man laughed a little at Gene's enthusiastic display.
"Just make sure you're ready, okay? We leave just after nightfall."
"But I thought you said we were ready! That's not fair! Let's just go
now, kick ass, rescue everyone, and be done with it."
"Gene, you should know it isn't that easy. The prison is heavily guarded.
It'll take quite a lot of both stealth and luck to get in unnoticed.
We'll have to get by the guards and the Deronine."
"The what?"
"The thing that bit you."
"Oh . . . that."
"Yes, that."
"What is that thing any way?"
"A rare form of dog from the planet Xia. They're known as the ten blade
demons because of their double rowed teeth and claws."
"That sounds about right."
"By the way, how's your arm? Do you think you'll be up to going on this
mission?"
Gene's eyes blazed with sudden furry.
"I'm fine."
"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you . . . I just wanted to make sure we
didn't need to postpone th-"
"You two have been postponing things long enough. I'll be d*mned if I
let anyone or anything stop me from going and that's that."
He stormed out of the room and into the small one that served as
the only bedroom leaving a very startled and clearly upset Shean in his
wake.
~~~*~~~
Night found the two young men creeping their way through
thankfully dark halls desperate to keep in the shadows. They were both
shielded by black coats which hid weapons and other necessary things.
Gene had a first aid kit in his along with his gun but he had no idea
what the other man had brought with him and didn't feel the need to ask.
There weren't many guards in the section they were making their way
through so Shean hazarded a whispered comment.
"Gene, I'm sorry I upset you before. I was just . . . concerned, you
know?"
Blue eyes, almost navy in the darkness, looked at him with an
intense, studying gaze.
"I know. It's alright, I know you didn't mean it like that. It's just
that I've been waiting so long to get this far . . . I don't want
anything holding me back no matter what."
The older man nodded in agreement.
"I understand. Actually, I feel the same way."
They stopped their quiet conversation as they neared the next
corner, not wanting to alert anyone to their presence. They were
getting close to their destination and didn't want to have to back track
if they were spotted. Gene would not let thoughts of their all to
possible capture enter his mind.
They ducked into a dark corner as two guards approached. This
had become a common situation in their mission and by this time the two
were very adept at hiding themselves. The guards came and went without
noticing a thing and Gene and Shean resumed their trek. It wasn't long
until the last corner came into view.
Gene pulled Shean over to the side of the wall.
"This is it," he whispered, leaning out a little. There were two guards.
One was staring off into space, looking like he really did not want to
be there, and the other was snoring loudly, quite obviously asleep. He
noticed the deronine out off the corner of his eye. "What are we going
to do about big mean and ugly over there?"
Shean did not answer him. Instead, he smiled knowingly and
reached into a large pocket of his coat. He pulled out what looked like
a miniature crossbow and a black, square case. He pulled out three small
darts from the case and quickly loaded them into the crossbow. He leaned
over and positioned the gun just around the side off the wall. After
taking careful aim he pulled the trigger three times in rapid
succession. There was no sound but Gene knew that at least one dart had
hit it's mark by the way the black creature before them snarled and
whipped it's head around.
They ducked back around the corner and waited patiently. After a
few minuets, Shean looked out again. He motioned for Gene to fallow him.
Both of the guards and the deronine were out cold.
"How did you do that?" Gene asked quietly as they made their way towards
the door.
"A lot of training." was the only reply he got.
A quick search of the guards provided them with the key to the
thick metal door and, after dragging the bodies a ways down the corridor
and hiding them in the shadows, they unlocked it. They left the deronine
where it was, not wanting to have to detach the chain from the thick
collar it wore around it's neck. With a quick glance at his companion
and a nod, Gene opened the door.
At first, neither of them knew what to do. Inside the large cell
was a very large crowd of people. They were all looking at the two new
arrivals with shock and disbelief. Along one side of the wall was, Gene
hated to admit it, a large pile of dead bodies.
The scent hit him all at once. The stench of humans, both living
and not, was overpowering in this place. Gene nearly choked as he
somehow found the strength to not throw up. Reality seemed to return
then and he immediately began scanning the crown for a familiar pair of
blue eyes. One man from the crowd stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
It was Shean who answered. Gene wouldn't have even if he'd been
asked directly and he suspected that the older man knew why already.
"We're here to help you."
"Are you really?" came an excited voice from the crowd.
"Honest?" came another, "you'll get us out and all that?"
"Yes yes, we'll make sure you all get out of here and we'll take you to a
place where you can get help."
Some people were cheering. Others were crying. Some were even
laughing. Gene strained his ears for a familiar voice as he continued to
search.
"Hey," a young man asked, "who's the other guy with you? What's he
doing?"
"Aah, don't mind him. Gene's just . . . looking for someone. His
partner."
"Ya," Gene said, finding his voice at last, "Jim. He's a little guy,
about this tall . . . " he held up his hand to indicate the boys height,
"blond hair, blue eyes. He's . . . well he's kind of my little brother.
Have any of you seen him? He should be here."
Dread entered Gene's heart as a few people from the crowd sobered
and became downcast once more. The man who'd spoken first looked at him
with an unreadable expression.
"I think I've seen the one you're asking about."
"Is he . . . still here?"
The man lowered his eyes and raised a shaking hand, pointing
towards the far wall and the pile of bodies. Gene's breath caught in his
through and his mind seemed to shut down. On auto pilot, he walked to
the wall and fell to his knees. Some of the dead had their eyes closed,
but some did not and those blank, vacant stares seemed to bore into Gene.
A sudden desire to see his partner once more, no matter the
circumstances, filled him and he began to lift one of the bodies from the
top of the pile. He placed it on the ground almost reverently and then
removed another.
Seeing what he was doing, both Shean and the man who'd spoken to
him about Jim came to help. The other inhabitants of the cell just stood
there, too shocked by all that had occurred to do anything else. Shean
and the man worked together and tried to offer their assistance to Gene
but he would not accept it. Not long after they'd begun, Gene heard
Shean gasp. He looked over just in time to see the green eyed man
lifting a small body into his arms.
Gene couldn't breath. He didn't want to believe it. It couldn't
be true. There was just no way. Jim couldn't be . . .
He stood and held out his arms in a wordless command that was
fallowed without question. Shean gently placed Jim's body in Gene's
arms, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
Jim was pale, he noted dimly, more so than before. His skin looked almost translucently white . . . bloodless. His lips were a pale blue color and that nearly made Gene break down in hysterical sobs. His eyes, mercifully, were closed.
The tears began to fall and he couldn't find the strength to stop them or even to care.
He fell to his knees and hugged his former partner's cold body to his chest. A small part of his mind told him to get up and get over it or else he'd never stop crying but he shoved that annoying voice away. He didn't care if the sun never rose again, all he wanted to do was cry. Someone needed to cry for Jim. Someone had to care.
So deep and consuming was his sorrow that at first he didn't feel it but then, slowly, a sensation registered in his mind. Something warm was on his neck. Warm breath. Someone was breathing against his neck and there was no one around him. Everyone had stepped away out of courtesy or respect or perhaps just because they didn't know what else to do but give him space. It could only be one thing, but he dared not believe it.
Gene lowered his head and placed an ear against Jim's chest. That's when he heard it. A pulse. Dead people didn't have heartbeats. That meant . . .
"He's alive."
~Owari~
*throws confetti* Yay!!! It's over for now!!! Hurray!!! I wrote a chapter after soooooooooooooooooooooo long! *random people complain about said 'sooooo long' time that they had to wait* Eeh . . . oh ya . . . sorry. --' Really, I am, it's just that life gets in the way of fiction. ;_; I'll try to be more on the ball this next chapter. It won't be quite so hard to write anymore (this was by far the most difficult chapter for me and it probably shows).
Well, at least the expected chapter count has been pushed down a little.
^^ I think there'll probably be one or two more chapters. I still have
my plans for the third story of this arc and judging my reviews (158
YAY!!!!!) it might be a good thing do write.
What do you say people? Do you want the end of the trilogy? (warning,
your opinions may change at the end of this one depending on how you
like/dislike certain mysterious characters that won't go away ^^)
If I get enough responses I'll write it and I can assure you it'll be
shorter and with much more action than this one. ~.^
[1] - Okay, this is a throwback to Tsuzuki Asato from Yami no Matsuei (I
highly recommend this anime as long as you don't mind shounenaii/yaoi).
I wasn't going to use him as a basis originally, but I decided that
Shean needed some fun quirks and Tsuzuki was the perfect one to go to for
them. This is also fun because Shean himself resembles an older Kurosaki
Hisoka (another main character of YnM). ^^
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 dont sue me! Ive only got some old
drawing books and empty pocky boxes anyway so you wouldn't get much.
Okay, Im done.
Dedication; This story is dedicated to the people whove 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! ^-^
~*~*~*~PLESASE READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~*~*~*~
Notes; My computer hates me. It died. No, really, it's deader than
dead. The hard drive is crashed so badly that it can't be saved.
Luckily, I have a laptop. Yay! ^^ I am writing on it now. Hurrah.
However, the word processing program is different and my files are not
compatible. Grrr. I have tried everything but it won't open the files
in any legible way. Also, my internet capabilities have been cut
severely because of this mess and others.
I'm in college now. Hurray! However, the internet that was supposed to
be functioning in my room wasn't until about a week ago. Boo.
I am sorry. Very sorry. Please do not kill me. ;___________________;
Because of the horrible wait I've put you all through, I've decided to go
ahead and plow through the story instead of making this chapter a short
character intro thing (that's been cut a little and put as a chapter
beginning). That's right, you're getting the good stuff. IT'S TIME FOR
THE PLAN!!! ^^
Tarian Ch. 15 : Breaking and Entering
By: Adakie
Shean Arato. Gene did not know what to make of him. He'd gone
from wanting to tare his head off and shove it down his neck to being
somehow moved by his story in mere minuets. The man's face, along with
his supposed partner, had haunted his dreams since he'd lost Jim. He'd
been wanting to kill those two for so long and the impulse was hard to
get rid of. Still, he was an ally . . . at least he thought so.
Gene had spent a long time watching the older yet smaller man but
could not understand him. He was nervous, timid, even shy. In fact,
he seemed almost like a wraith that moved through the base in an ethereal
silence. It was unnerving to say the least. This man seemed more like a
scared puppy than the cruel kidnapper Gene had classified him as before.
Actually, the scared puppy look was putting doubts in Gene's mind about
this mans capabilities to hold his own in battle too. How could someone
like that really be a spy?
He tried not to think about it much anymore, it just wasn't worth
it. No matter how much he thought about the man or how much he observed
him the results were always the same and he was unable to deny that he
knew absolutely nothing about Shean Arato . . . nothing of any substance
at least. He had learned that the man had a fondness for apple pie, but
that didn't count. [1]
He didn't know how long he'd been stuck in the compound. There
was nothing to do there and he'd played more games of solitaire than he'd
even wanted to. Rin and Shean were always working on . . . whatever it
was they were working on, neither of them ever told him. He decided it
was probably best to just stay out of their way. He didn't think he
could wait much longer. There was a growing sense of dread in the back
of his mind that he could no longer ignore and the desire to pound the
demon dog that had attacked him into the ground was an ever present
thought.
Gene was shaken out of his thoughts by Shean's voice calling his
name. He looked up into green eyes that seemed much happier than they
had since he'd arrived.
"Gene, we're all finished." he said with a bright smile.
"Uh, okay. Great. And that means what?"
"We can finely go break into the prison."
Gene leapt to his feet, hands clenched into fists.
"Alright! You have no idea how much I've wanted to hear those words.
Let's go kick *ss!"
The older man laughed a little at Gene's enthusiastic display.
"Just make sure you're ready, okay? We leave just after nightfall."
"But I thought you said we were ready! That's not fair! Let's just go
now, kick ass, rescue everyone, and be done with it."
"Gene, you should know it isn't that easy. The prison is heavily guarded.
It'll take quite a lot of both stealth and luck to get in unnoticed.
We'll have to get by the guards and the Deronine."
"The what?"
"The thing that bit you."
"Oh . . . that."
"Yes, that."
"What is that thing any way?"
"A rare form of dog from the planet Xia. They're known as the ten blade
demons because of their double rowed teeth and claws."
"That sounds about right."
"By the way, how's your arm? Do you think you'll be up to going on this
mission?"
Gene's eyes blazed with sudden furry.
"I'm fine."
"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you . . . I just wanted to make sure we
didn't need to postpone th-"
"You two have been postponing things long enough. I'll be d*mned if I
let anyone or anything stop me from going and that's that."
He stormed out of the room and into the small one that served as
the only bedroom leaving a very startled and clearly upset Shean in his
wake.
~~~*~~~
Night found the two young men creeping their way through
thankfully dark halls desperate to keep in the shadows. They were both
shielded by black coats which hid weapons and other necessary things.
Gene had a first aid kit in his along with his gun but he had no idea
what the other man had brought with him and didn't feel the need to ask.
There weren't many guards in the section they were making their way
through so Shean hazarded a whispered comment.
"Gene, I'm sorry I upset you before. I was just . . . concerned, you
know?"
Blue eyes, almost navy in the darkness, looked at him with an
intense, studying gaze.
"I know. It's alright, I know you didn't mean it like that. It's just
that I've been waiting so long to get this far . . . I don't want
anything holding me back no matter what."
The older man nodded in agreement.
"I understand. Actually, I feel the same way."
They stopped their quiet conversation as they neared the next
corner, not wanting to alert anyone to their presence. They were
getting close to their destination and didn't want to have to back track
if they were spotted. Gene would not let thoughts of their all to
possible capture enter his mind.
They ducked into a dark corner as two guards approached. This
had become a common situation in their mission and by this time the two
were very adept at hiding themselves. The guards came and went without
noticing a thing and Gene and Shean resumed their trek. It wasn't long
until the last corner came into view.
Gene pulled Shean over to the side of the wall.
"This is it," he whispered, leaning out a little. There were two guards.
One was staring off into space, looking like he really did not want to
be there, and the other was snoring loudly, quite obviously asleep. He
noticed the deronine out off the corner of his eye. "What are we going
to do about big mean and ugly over there?"
Shean did not answer him. Instead, he smiled knowingly and
reached into a large pocket of his coat. He pulled out what looked like
a miniature crossbow and a black, square case. He pulled out three small
darts from the case and quickly loaded them into the crossbow. He leaned
over and positioned the gun just around the side off the wall. After
taking careful aim he pulled the trigger three times in rapid
succession. There was no sound but Gene knew that at least one dart had
hit it's mark by the way the black creature before them snarled and
whipped it's head around.
They ducked back around the corner and waited patiently. After a
few minuets, Shean looked out again. He motioned for Gene to fallow him.
Both of the guards and the deronine were out cold.
"How did you do that?" Gene asked quietly as they made their way towards
the door.
"A lot of training." was the only reply he got.
A quick search of the guards provided them with the key to the
thick metal door and, after dragging the bodies a ways down the corridor
and hiding them in the shadows, they unlocked it. They left the deronine
where it was, not wanting to have to detach the chain from the thick
collar it wore around it's neck. With a quick glance at his companion
and a nod, Gene opened the door.
At first, neither of them knew what to do. Inside the large cell
was a very large crowd of people. They were all looking at the two new
arrivals with shock and disbelief. Along one side of the wall was, Gene
hated to admit it, a large pile of dead bodies.
The scent hit him all at once. The stench of humans, both living
and not, was overpowering in this place. Gene nearly choked as he
somehow found the strength to not throw up. Reality seemed to return
then and he immediately began scanning the crown for a familiar pair of
blue eyes. One man from the crowd stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
It was Shean who answered. Gene wouldn't have even if he'd been
asked directly and he suspected that the older man knew why already.
"We're here to help you."
"Are you really?" came an excited voice from the crowd.
"Honest?" came another, "you'll get us out and all that?"
"Yes yes, we'll make sure you all get out of here and we'll take you to a
place where you can get help."
Some people were cheering. Others were crying. Some were even
laughing. Gene strained his ears for a familiar voice as he continued to
search.
"Hey," a young man asked, "who's the other guy with you? What's he
doing?"
"Aah, don't mind him. Gene's just . . . looking for someone. His
partner."
"Ya," Gene said, finding his voice at last, "Jim. He's a little guy,
about this tall . . . " he held up his hand to indicate the boys height,
"blond hair, blue eyes. He's . . . well he's kind of my little brother.
Have any of you seen him? He should be here."
Dread entered Gene's heart as a few people from the crowd sobered
and became downcast once more. The man who'd spoken first looked at him
with an unreadable expression.
"I think I've seen the one you're asking about."
"Is he . . . still here?"
The man lowered his eyes and raised a shaking hand, pointing
towards the far wall and the pile of bodies. Gene's breath caught in his
through and his mind seemed to shut down. On auto pilot, he walked to
the wall and fell to his knees. Some of the dead had their eyes closed,
but some did not and those blank, vacant stares seemed to bore into Gene.
A sudden desire to see his partner once more, no matter the
circumstances, filled him and he began to lift one of the bodies from the
top of the pile. He placed it on the ground almost reverently and then
removed another.
Seeing what he was doing, both Shean and the man who'd spoken to
him about Jim came to help. The other inhabitants of the cell just stood
there, too shocked by all that had occurred to do anything else. Shean
and the man worked together and tried to offer their assistance to Gene
but he would not accept it. Not long after they'd begun, Gene heard
Shean gasp. He looked over just in time to see the green eyed man
lifting a small body into his arms.
Gene couldn't breath. He didn't want to believe it. It couldn't
be true. There was just no way. Jim couldn't be . . .
He stood and held out his arms in a wordless command that was
fallowed without question. Shean gently placed Jim's body in Gene's
arms, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
Jim was pale, he noted dimly, more so than before. His skin looked almost translucently white . . . bloodless. His lips were a pale blue color and that nearly made Gene break down in hysterical sobs. His eyes, mercifully, were closed.
The tears began to fall and he couldn't find the strength to stop them or even to care.
He fell to his knees and hugged his former partner's cold body to his chest. A small part of his mind told him to get up and get over it or else he'd never stop crying but he shoved that annoying voice away. He didn't care if the sun never rose again, all he wanted to do was cry. Someone needed to cry for Jim. Someone had to care.
So deep and consuming was his sorrow that at first he didn't feel it but then, slowly, a sensation registered in his mind. Something warm was on his neck. Warm breath. Someone was breathing against his neck and there was no one around him. Everyone had stepped away out of courtesy or respect or perhaps just because they didn't know what else to do but give him space. It could only be one thing, but he dared not believe it.
Gene lowered his head and placed an ear against Jim's chest. That's when he heard it. A pulse. Dead people didn't have heartbeats. That meant . . .
"He's alive."
~Owari~
*throws confetti* Yay!!! It's over for now!!! Hurray!!! I wrote a chapter after soooooooooooooooooooooo long! *random people complain about said 'sooooo long' time that they had to wait* Eeh . . . oh ya . . . sorry. --' Really, I am, it's just that life gets in the way of fiction. ;_; I'll try to be more on the ball this next chapter. It won't be quite so hard to write anymore (this was by far the most difficult chapter for me and it probably shows).
Well, at least the expected chapter count has been pushed down a little.
^^ I think there'll probably be one or two more chapters. I still have
my plans for the third story of this arc and judging my reviews (158
YAY!!!!!) it might be a good thing do write.
What do you say people? Do you want the end of the trilogy? (warning,
your opinions may change at the end of this one depending on how you
like/dislike certain mysterious characters that won't go away ^^)
If I get enough responses I'll write it and I can assure you it'll be
shorter and with much more action than this one. ~.^
[1] - Okay, this is a throwback to Tsuzuki Asato from Yami no Matsuei (I
highly recommend this anime as long as you don't mind shounenaii/yaoi).
I wasn't going to use him as a basis originally, but I decided that
Shean needed some fun quirks and Tsuzuki was the perfect one to go to for
them. This is also fun because Shean himself resembles an older Kurosaki
Hisoka (another main character of YnM). ^^