Okay peoples, here's another chapter for your enjoyment. Leave a review and maybe I can bring myself to write longer chapters. And all that jazz.
Meh… for some reason I feel like I'm beating my head against a dead horse whenever I try to write. Anything. So, if anybody has a spare muse or something, I'd dedicate a chapter to you if you can manage to get me inspired for a whole other chapter. Mm'yep…
Disclaimer: If I owned it, I wouldn't be writing fics about it, would I? Now read the story.
Warning: Probably loads of OOC-ness. I hate myself for OOC-ness… -_-0
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Zim couldn't sleep. Something was nagging at the edges of his mind, begging, demanding to be heard. As long as he didn't know what it was, he couldn't sleep. It was about the Dib-human, that was all he knew. Other than that, the nagging feeling at the back of his mind was unhelpful.
Zim guessed that, in the end, it was something about feeling for Dib. Feeling worry over the human, feeling sorry for the human. Zim previously only felt this stuff for himself. Why would he waste emotion on another being, after all? Only ZIM was worthy of such feelings from himself, wasn't he?
Needless to say, Zim was confused. He was sitting in a chair, thoughtful and silently staring into space. He felt some level of respect for Dib, sure, the human was the only intelligent life on earth, it seemed. But that feeling seemed to be mixed with something else, now. Was it concern? Affection?
Zim growled and almost slapped himself as the word 'affection' crossed his mind. It was simply not possible for him to feel affection, especially not for Dib.
But he was still a bit uncertain. Which was enough to set the small Irken off. he shouldn't be uncertain, Dib was a human, unworthy of such feelings as affection from an advanced specimen of a different (far more advanced) planet. The pure notion of being uncertain of something as important as this was enough to drive Zim insane, or insaner than he already was.
Zim was puzzled (and actually thankful, to some extent) by the distraction Dib caused. Otherwise he would have had to think about his abandonment, and instead of becoming numb to the subject, he might have turned to a not-quite-healthy alternative, like Dib. And Zim was becoming numb, or at least sensible enough to be angry instead of simply giving up. The Empire may have abandoned him on earth, but Zim refused to bend or break for the Empire anymore. Simply put, he would not give them the satisfaction of him dying.
Zim was deep in thought when GIR, shrieking and in his doggie costume, came flying down from the ceiling and landed on Zim, making the little Irken scream in surprise. GIR screamed happily in return, then hugged Zim. "Yooou've got maail!" GIR shrieked, trying to imitate the AOL 'you've got mail' thing from commercials.
"GIR!" Zim hissed, angry his thoughts had been interrupted. "What are you doing?! Get out!"
GIR pouted, big cyan 'eyes' somehow filling with tears before getting distracted by what he had previously come to do. GIR grinned happily, head compartment opening up and a robotic hand coming out of his head holding a letter. GIR offered the letter from his head to Zim, then, when Zim took it, bounded off screaming about Squirrel-murdering Leprechauns.
Zim completely ignored GIR's rambling screams, preferring to wonder about the envelope in his hand. It wasn't glued shut, merely shoved closed, and it didn't seem to have a familiar scent, not even that of paper. That was odd.
Zim opened the envelope, taking out the note inside and skimming it over. It was a note from Dib, but not just any note, Zim noticed with an unexpected jolt of concern, it was a suicide note.
'Zim,
I know you hate me and want me dead, so you should enjoy this immensely.
I'm giving up completely. Humanity is a mass of stupidity and nastiness. Nobody will ever care about me, and I doubt they care now. I had a family once, and if they were still here, maybe I wouldn't be going this far. But, every reason I had for living is gone. Including stopping you.
When you read this, I'll be dead. So, if you'll honor my last request, if you ever do decide to rule humanity, blow up the skool.
Dib.'
Zim's eyes widened a bit, antennae falling flat back against his head. Dib was … dead? No, that couldn't be right, the Dib-human couldn't be dead. He simply couldn't be. Zim didn't know why, but he was consumed with a need to make sure Dib was okay. The only creature from the planet that was intelligent, Zim couldn't let Dib die. He didn't know why, but the thought of being alone, completely alone, the thought of losing Dib as well as his home planet, his life, his original existence, he couldn't stand it.
Standing, Zim came to a conclusion. There was a chance the note had been delivered early, wasn't there? There had to be that chance. So there was also a chance that Dib was still alive.
There had to be a chance that Dib was still alive. The only connection to his lost life, the one thing he could have a conversation with on this damned dirtball, the person who puzzled him, made him insane while keeping him sane… Dib had to be okay.
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