Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 7: Part 2

Melfina walked through the Galaxy Mall, wondering where to start. Before they found the Galactic Leyline, she had dressed rather asexually. Oh sure, she wore a skirt, but her blouse was very similar to a man's dress shirt. With the combination of the loose fitting shirt and her jacket, she had ensured that none of the feminine curves from her thighs up were visible. After the Galactic Leyline, she had gained the confidence to start wearing formfitting dresses, and while she kept her jacket, she found less and less reasons to actually wear it. The reason for the change in wardrobe was because she felt the events that transpired at the Galactic Leyline were a turning point in her life, something that had fundamentally changed her view of her very existence.

That is how she saw the events of last night as well. It would forever change how she viewed herself and how she would allow Gene to view her. But how was she going to change? What style of attire would best suite the change in their relationship? She looked from side to side at the different stores, trying to decide where to start. After looking at the window display of over a dozen shops, she came to one that specialized in casual business attire. She was captivated by the serious yet feminine appearance of the outfits, not revealing or promiscuous in any way, but not hiding the natural curves and contours of the female frame either. She smiled to herself and walked into the store.

Three hours, seven outfits with accessories and shoes, and four shopping bags later, Melfina emerged from the store. She had always enjoyed shopping, even way back when Jim first took her to find clothes on Blue Heaven, just days after being activated. It was a way for her to escape the worries and concerns of the real world for a time. Now it was a way for her to change her identity, to redefine herself. Before, she was Melfina, ship's navigator and cook, and Gene's… would be girlfriend. Now she had decided she would be Melfina, still navigator and cook, but also an equal partner in Starwind and Hawking Enterprises, just like Jim and even more than Aisha and Suzuka. For while the other two women only shared a portion of their earnings with the rest of the crew, keeping the majority for themselves, this also limited their input in the business decisions of the company. And while Gene usually asked their opinions on important matters - well at least Suzuka's opinion - the final decision was always made by him and Jim. He would ask her opinion sometimes, but that was more often than not just his attempt at being polite, and she knew it. So most of the time she would just agree with him.

'Well, no more. I'm just as important to the crew and ship as any of them, and it's high time I start acting like it. Lets see you pilot the Outlaw Start without me Captain Gene Starwind, if you have any questions about my importance.' She mused.

And now with her new look, she was going to take an active roll in trying to drum up business as well. 'By finding new customers, I'll not only be an equal partner aboard the Outlaw Star, but I'll be an equal partner financially as well. No more asking for handouts or waiting for Gene to remember to give me an allowance. This way, I'll be entitled to an equal share of whatever profits we make.' The notion brought a smile to her face.

Melfina continued on this train of thought when the strong smell of hair products assaulted her senses. She turned to see the hair salon she was now standing in front of. Smiling to herself she thought, 'Yes, serious clothes need serious hair as well.' And with that thought in mind, she walked inside.

*****

Gene sat on the sofa, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He had wandered the streets of Heifong all night considering the consequences of his actions. After hours of driving around and beating himself up mentally for his shear stupidity, Gene finally came to a place where he resigned himself to the fact that perhaps he and Melfina were not meant to be.

'Maybe it's better this way.' He reasoned. 'Working and living with your lover when you're still young and desirable to so many other women just doesn't seem right. Maybe Mel was right, maybe it's best that this happened now before things got too serious between us. Sure, this way we can still be friends and I can still be the bearer of love for countless other women, not just one.' He had concluded during the night.

But then he had seen her this morning on her way out. The instant he laid eyes upon her all his arguments seemed to vanish away. Seeing her so cheery and anxious to leave, not wanting his company; it seemed obvious to him that ending any type of relationship with him was proving to be a much easier and better thing for Melfina than it was for him.

Still lost in these thoughts, Gene didn't hear the footsteps of the young teenager coming from the stairs and walking past him into the kitchen. A moment later the boy came out of the kitchen, walked up beside his red-haired partner, reared both arms far back, and….

CRASH!!!!

He sent Gene sprawling on the floor with an aluminum skillet over his head. The outlaw mumbled something, made a futile attempt at sitting, and collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Jim raised the skillet to see the huge dent he had just put into it.

"Guess I'll need to buy a new one." He turned to walk back to the kitchen. "AWW!" He nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Why didn't you use the iron skillet? Afraid you might kill him?"

Clutching his heart, Jim responded. "No, I just didn't want to crack it over his thick skull. Those things are hard to come by now a days, and they're not cheap either."

"I see." Looking from side to side, Suzuka continued. "I see Melfina is not here this morning."

"Yeah, she left a note in the kitchen. She went shopping, but left breakfast in the oven for us."

"In that case, shall we?" The assassin gestured toward the kitchen.

"After you." The boy genius gestured back and deposited the deformed skillet in the trash.

*****

Following Melfina's request for a serious business-like haircut, the beautician shortened her hair off her shoulders, layering it as well. Melfina looked in the mirror at the finished work. She turned her head one way, then the other, finally smiling at her reflection, then up at the beautician.

"It's perfect. Thank you."

"My pleasure, ma'am." Her stylist bowed politely.

Melfina got up and gave him a sizeable tip, for which he bowed deeply once again. Then she went to the front of the shop to pay for her cut and retrieve her bags. As she paid, the young brunette had an idea.

"Excuse me, do you have a room or restroom I might be able to change in?" She asked.

"Oh, yes. It's in the back to your right." The cashier said, pointing in that direction.

"Thank you." The bio-android replied as she walked to the back of the shop and into the restroom.

*****

Gene walked into the kitchen rubbing the back of his head and cursing under his breath. Jim and Suzuka were finishing their breakfast when he walked in.

"What's the big idea hitting me like that Jim?" The outlaw spouted angrily.

Jim just ignored him and continued eating.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" The redhead barked.

Jim glared up at his partner for a moment, then returned to his meal.

"What I do to you?" Gene frowned as he wrinkled his brow in confusion.

With that, Jim slammed his fork down and stood up, turning to look at the object of his anger. "It's not what you did to me! It's what you did to my friend! I knew you were a pervert, but I never thought that even you could lower yourself to the level of a snake!" The young teen shouted.

"Is this about Melfina?" The outlaw asked innocently, still rubbing the back of his head.

"Of course this is about Melfina! You hurt her, Gene. You hurt her bad. She spent the whole day getting herself ready, all that time to make herself beautiful just for you, and you left her waiting for hours. I bet when you finally got home you were drunk and smelled like cheap perfume." The more the boy genius thought about it the angrier he got.

At this point Suzuka placed her fork down and readied herself for any possible occurrence.

Gene took his hand away from his head, slowly lowering it to his side. The memories of last night were still very fresh in his mind. "I know all too well what I did to Melfina," he said soberly, "and I don't need you to remind me."

"You might not need it but you deserve it!" The boy snapped back.

The outlaw knew his partner was right, but his pride prevented him from admitting it, not to himself and especially not to his young friend. "What do you know about what I deserve? You're just a kid! You've never even had a girlfriend, let alone been in love! You know nothing about what I'm going through! You'll never know!"

"I should have shot you instead of hitting you with the frying pan!" Jim yelled.

A cold look glazed over Gene's eyes. "Take your best shot, little man."

"GRRR…. AAAH!" Jim reached for his gun behind his back, his hand clutching the handle, but before he could pull it out he felt the barrel of Gene's pistol pressed against his forehead.

"Haha, sorry Jim, you're just too slow- Augh." Gene's eyes went wide as he felt the blade of Suzuka's bokudo pressed against his adam's apple.

"I suggest you put down your gun, Gene Starwind. This is not worth losing your head over, but if you press the issue, I assure you, you will." The assassin spoke coldly.

Not taking the chance to move any part of his body other than his eyes, he gave her a sideways glance. "This fight doesn't concern you, Suzuka."

"I've chosen to make Jim and Melfina's welfare my concern, therefore this does concern me. Now lower your gun." She insisted.

Gene obeyed her instructions, taking a moment to show her the safety setting. "I wouldn't have shot him, the safety was still set." He re-holstered his weapon. "I just needed to put him in his place." He stared at Suzuka for a moment and she withdrew her sword. Staring back at Jim for a moment, who was still heaving in anger, he laughed, then turned around and started walking away. "I need a shower."

"All the showers in the world couldn't clean a filthy snake like you, Gene Starwind!" The boy hollered.

"Stop your crying, you big baby." The outlaw snapped back.

With that Jim drew his gun and fired.

*****

Melfina was quite pleased with her new image. It felt right. Now if she was going to be an equal partner in Starwind & Hawking Enterprises, she was going to have to go out and drum up some business. As she made her way to the front of the store, both the customers and employees couldn't help but take notice of this very well dressed, professional looking woman walking past them. One even commented, "When did she walk to the back room?"

At the front of the store, she walked up to the cashier once again. "Excuse Me." She said in her normal polite manner.

"Yes ma'am, how may I help you today?" The cashier asked.

Melfina smiled as she realized that the young woman didn't recognize her anymore. "Yes, is the owner or manager available?" She asked.

"Umm," she looked to the back of the store, "one moment please." She picked up the phone. A moment later she hung up and said, "The owner will be right with you."

As the cashier had said, the owner of the salon, a tall attractive blonde, impeccably dressed and walking with an air of confidence, came to the front of the store. Melfina, assuming this woman had to be the owner, turned to greet her, hand extended.

"Hello."

"Hello, my name is Salvia Hitarishi, I'm the owner and operator of this salon." The woman smiled. "How may I help you, Miss…?"

"Melfina." The bio-android shook the owners hand. After a brief moment, she realized that the woman was waiting to hear her surname as well. Melfina thought quickly. 'Well, I was created by Professor Gwen Kan, but I don't want to be reminded of that man, and besides, I don't like the name Kan. It sounds illegal. I'm the sole navigator of the XGP, the Outlaw Star, but XGP is not a name. Hmm, Outlaw? No, Star? Perhaps, Melfina Star. No, sounds like I should be some kind of celebrity.' She quickly glanced slightly to the left and right of Miss Hitarishi, stopping when a row of hair care products caught her attention.

Deciding quickly, she said, "Miss Melfina Airbright." She smiled.

"Well, Miss Airbright, what can I do for you?"

"Actually, I was hoping, if you had a moment, I may be able to do something to help you." The brunette offered.

"Oh?" The blonde began walking toward her office, gesturing at Melfina to walk with her.

"I represent Starwind and Hawking Enterprises. We specialize in solving the problems that threaten otherwise healthy businesses. I couldn't help overhearing some of your employees mention that you're having problems with your current supplier." Melfina explained.

"Yes, they hold a virtual monopoly on imports from the Faa system, which is where the hair care products we use are manufactured. They continue to raise their rates, and it's getting to the point where we simply can't afford it anymore. We've looked at switching importers, but for just about everyone the trip to Faa is a special run, so it's even more expensive. Others won't even attempt the trip because it's right in the heart of Ban Pirate territory, and hijackings are a regular occurrence there. We've considered switching brands, but these products are what our customers like. Unfortunately, even our customers have limits as to how much they will be willing to spend, and if we can't pass on the increased expense, then we're going to lose any profits we are currently making."

"I see. Well, how many cases do you usually purchase each month?" Melfina asked as they entered the owner's office and closed the door.

*****

On Suzuka's recommendation, Jim went to see about the maintenance needs of the Outlaw Star, and to the local wreckers for parts they could possibly resell.

"I can't believe the little bastard shot me in the ass." Gene groaned into his pillow as he lay face down on his makeshift bed with his pants pulled down.

"Jim is a young man of deep passions. You of all people should know better than to provoke those passions." Suzuka said as she removed the gauze from the point of impact. She searched in the first aid kit and retrieved a pair of surgical clamps. "Alright Gene, this is going to be quite painful. Would you like something to bite down on?"

"Just get the damn thing out." He commanded, burying his face into his pillow.

"Very well." Suzuka inserted the instrument into the bullet hole until she felt the tip of the clamp touch the bullet. She proceeded to open the clamp wide and shove it in a little further. Gene gritted his teeth, refusing to let out a scream.

Clamping down on the bullet, Suzuka slowly pulled the offending object out. In doing so, the wound began bleeding once again. Grabbing more gauze, the longhaired woman applied pressure to the wound while still pulling out the bullet slowly.

Struggling to keep from crying out in pain, the outlaw tensed up every muscle in his body, which just made it harder for Suzuka to extract the bullet, resulting in even more pain.

"You need to relax your muscles, otherwise I will end up doing more harm trying to remove this thing." She instructed.

"I'm trying!" The outlaw yelled through gritted teeth.

"Try harder." She insisted.

But even with her insistence, he couldn't get himself to relax.

Fed up with his childish behavior, she released the gauze and picked up the first aid box, striking him over the head with it.

"OUCH!" He yelled.

In that instant, his body relaxed, and she pulled the bullet the rest of the way out.

"Ouch!!" He yelled again.

Ignoring his complaints, the assassin discarded the offensive object, grabbed additional gauze, and continued to apply pressure until the bleeding stopped.

"Why did you hit me?" The outlaw yelled.

"To get you to relax your muscles. And it worked." She responded coolly. "Now stay still until I can get the bleeding to stop."

"You didn't have to hit me in the same place Jim hit me." He mumbled, rubbing his sore head.

"Actually, that was precisely the place I was aiming for." She countered.

"What?!"

"That way, I didn't have to strike you very hard, but I was still able to get the desired result." Suzuka explained.

"Yeah, right, you sadist." He groaned.

Confident he could not see her expression, she cracked a small grin. With the bleeding stopped, she grabbed the basting syringe she had brought with her from the kitchen filled with her own healing ointment. Slowly, she inserted it into the wound, then she began to squeeze the substance into the hole, gradually extracting the syringe in the process.

"Augh! That burns!" The outlaw yelled again.

"Gene, for a tough guy, you complain a great deal."

"Yeah, whatever." He gritted his teeth, trying his best to block out the burning sensation that continued to intensify.

Completing this task, Suzuka picked up a surgical needle and thread, and began sewing up the bullet hole. This was a pain Gene was accustomed to, so much so that he didn't even flinch once with the repeated insertion and extraction of the needle.

Certain that the worst was over, the outlaw relaxed, then he began getting very tense for another reason. The silence between the two was making Gene very uneasy.

With the task of sewing up the wound finished, Suzuka grabbed a disposable syringe, took it out of its packaging, and gave Gene a tetanus shot.

"There, all done." She tossed the syringe in the trash along with the blood stained gauze, and placed the remaining items back in the first aid kit, closing it securely and tucking it under her arm while picking up the basting syringe with her other hand and standing up. Gene quickly pulled up his pants and got up as well.

"Suzuka."

She stopped and turned toward him just as she reached the stairs.

"Thank you."

She paused for a moment. In most instances like this, she would usually refrain from saying anything at all, especially considering her current feelings toward the outlaw she just aided. But having been around these people for over a year now, she was finding it increasingly difficult not to share her thoughts and feeling with them.

"Think nothing of it." She finally responded. "I know I won't."

She turned to walk away.

"Suzuka?" He called out again.

Taking a deep breath, she turned toward him once again.

"I guess you're mad at me too. Do you think I'm a snake?" He asked, hoping for some kind of reprieve.

Looking at the sincere expression on his face, Suzuka couldn't help but temper her own anger. "No Gene, I don't think you are a snake. But I don't think this has been one of your shining moments either."

"It's not like I set out to hurt Melfina. It's just…" He started to say in his own defense.

"You don't have to start with the intent to hurt Melfina. She is so innocent and naïve that it is easy to hurt her without even trying. What makes her so amazing is her capacity to forgive. She's probably forgiven you for last night already."

"If she has, why can't anyone else?"

Suzuka sighed. "Perhaps my own anger stems not so much with from your actions but rather with myself."

"Yourself?" Confusion was etched in his face.

"Melfina once asked me if I honestly believed you could change your ways. If you could stop being a womanizing drunk and be truly devoted to one person."

"She asked you that?" A slightly hurt expression crossed his face. "She actually called me a drunk?"

"Well, she may have phrased it differently, but that is how I interpreted it. Anyway, my first instinct was to say no."

Gene's countenance fell.

"But instead I rambled on about it being the will and desire of the individual to want to change for the better, if what they were changing for was genuinely important to them. I guess I feel responsible for giving Melfina such a convoluted answer and thus contributing to her heartache yesterday." The raven-haired assassin concluded.

Gene considered her words for a moment, then replied. "Well, I guess your words weren't so convoluted after all."

"Excuse me?"

"Melfina forgave me, but she ended any possibility of a relationship between us as well." He turned his head, unable to stare Suzuka in the eye.

"She did that?" The assassin's expression revealed her genuine surprise and shock.

"She said I wasn't the kind of man she needed. She said she needed someone who was passionate about her, passionate enough to want to change for the better. She realized last night that I wasn't that kind of man." He hung his head low, remembering her words and how they had passed through him harder and hotter than any bullet or knife ever had.

"Hmm, perhaps Melfina isn't quite so naïve after all." Suzuka allowed a faint grin to pass her lips only for a moment before proceeding down the stairs.

*****

Melfina sat patiently in the waiting area of the Fifteen-Minute Printers. After having to make an excuse for not having a business card for the forth time, she decided to have some made up. Not just for herself, but for Jim and Gene as well.

"Miss, your cards are ready." The clerk said.

The young bio-android stood up and walked over to the counter. "How much will that be?" She started to pull out money from the new purse she had bought.

"Hmm, let's see. That's three cards, 500 each. That comes to 36 wong." He totaled.

She flipped through the bills in her hand, ready to hand him 40 wong.

"Oh, by the way, would you be interested in any cardholders?" The clerk asked.

"Cardholders?" She looked up at him.

"Yes," He reached under the counter and pulled out a large glass case that displayed 12 different types of cardholders, six designed with men in mind and six designed with women in mind. Setting the display on the counter, he explained, "Each is designed to hold 20 cards, and is a stylish and professional way of protecting your cards, and quite impressive when you pull it out and open it to hand a potential client your card." He opened the case, and following the direction of Melfina's gaze, pulled out a cardholder and held it out for her to hold.

She took it into her hand, admiring the workmanship that went into making it. "That one is made out of turquoise with slivers of dragonite inlaid, creating the image of the butterfly you see. Turn it slightly under the light." He suggested.

Melfina did as suggested. "Aaa! The butterfly looks like it's flying." She smiled. "How much is it?"

"Twenty-five wong, each one is twenty-five wong."

"Oh, that's more than the cards." She said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Yes, but if you take care of it, it will last you for years to come." He explained.

"I suppose." She looked at the case again, then decided. "I'll take it."

"Very good." The clerk smiled as he added it to her total.

She looked at the amount of money she had left, then said, "I'll take two more as well."

"Very good!" He quickly added them to the total, then asked. "Which would you like?"

"Hmm, let me see, … that one… and… that one." Melfina pointed at the two she wanted.

"Two excellent choices." The clerk took out the two she pointed at. "This one is made of onyx with geometric designs carved in, as you can see. Perfect for an engineer or scientist."

"Yes, Jim would like it, I think." She ran her hand over the case, tracing the designs with her finger.

"And this one is made of a titanium alloy, very rugged, very durable; ideal for the man on the go, simple yet stylish."

"Mmm, perfect for Gene." She smiled but then thought, 'What if he gets the wrong idea? What if he thinks this gift is my way of saying I want to get back together?' She paused for a moment, considering her own words. 'No, it's not like I'm getting it only for him. I'm getting one for Jim too. This is an appropriate gift for a business partner. He should understand that.'

"Yes, I'll take these two as well." She handed them back to the clerk.

"Shall I wrap all three for you?" He asked.

"No, I wish to use mine right now, if that's alright?" She smiled hesitantly.

"That's fine, but would you like me to get you a new one from the back?" He inquired.

"No, this one is fine." She assured him.

"Very well." He placed the two male cases back in the display and walked to the back room to retrieve two new ones.

While he was gone, Melfina opened her case, then opened her box of business cards. Counting out 20, she removed them and closed the box. She took a moment to admire them. They were simple cards, with the company name, "Starwind and Hawking Enterprises" printed in the middle in large raised lettering. In the lower left corner was her name, "Melfina Eirbright". She had spent quite a bit of time writing out different variations of the name she got from a bottle of shampoo, Hairbright, in an effort not to have her new surname confused with the hair care product. Below her name it said "Partner/Ship's Navigator". On the lower right corner it said, "Owners of the Spaceship the Outlaw Star". She turned the card over to see their company slogan, "We solve all problems, from tractors to relationships". Back on the front in the upper left corner was the company's website and on the upper right, the business number of the shop.

"Simple but informative." She smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Yes, it's an all new Melfina. I wondered long and hard if she was actually capable of such a change, but after re-watching the last couple episodes, I was convinced that yes, Melfina could do something like this. The Melfina after the Galactic Leyline was a much more confident and self assured Melfina, and I think after the final conflict with Gene, Melfina is now emotionally grown enough to know that it's about time for her to be living up to her potential. She is personable and intelligent, and her physical appearance is more than engaging enough to get her in the door, especially with her new look. Now I know some of you will probably say this is too great a leap for Melfina to take, but if you think about it for a while, it really isn't. In addition, this type of personality change is not unprecedented in Japanese entertainment. I've read accounts of Japanese shows where a character will use a single defining moment as the catalyst to alter not just their appearance, but their very behavior. So in that sense it is consistent. But don't worry, Melfina will still be Melfina, and there is still lots of more interesting stuff yet to happen. ^_^

Thank you all so very much for your supportive comments and reviews. It really makes my day when I log in and see that people are reading my story, and are being entertained enough to take the time to leave a review. ^_^ Thank you all so very much.

And a special thanks to my beta-reader, Janice, who continues to do a great job at editing my stories. Thank you so very much Janice. ^_^

By the way, if anyone here is going to ACEN'04 this year, be sure to look for me at the Fanfiction Panel. I've been asked to be one of the panelists, and I'm very excited about it. ^_____^ I hope I can prove helpful to other writers and prospective writers with my suggestions and ideas. So I hope to see some of you there. ^_^

A. Amishi