sorry if this is a bit..dribbly. having trouble writing and drawing lately. Kai


By the time Dib had managed to drag the unconscious Kai even halfway to her orange base, the sun had dived behind the city. Her demon robot had ran off at some point, picking up something in the air. He sighed trying once again to prop her tall body up so it looked as if she was walking, then continued to haul her down the pavement. He shook his head. Why am I helping her? Shes...an alien! Going to destroy the planet as far as I kn-

His heart jumped into his throat as a hand was put on his shoulder. Spinning around to face a tall, blonde boy with eerie, nearly scary midnight blue eyes, he accidentally dropped Kai. Her body fell without jarring loose the pink clothing wrapped around her irken form. Dib bent to prop her on her feet, but the strange boy stopped him.

"Ill take her. You go on home."

"Who are...Is that cupcake?" Dib pointed to a pink smear in the boys hair, then to another one on his baggy black shirt.

"Look. You do not want to be around Kai when she comes too. Just...let me take her."

"You know her?"

"Yes. Now..." The boy stooped, scooping Kai up into his arms. Dib sighed.

"Ah, what do I care. Take her. She-" He stopped, noticing they both had vanished. He glanced around, slightly paranoid.

"Strange..."

When my eyes fluttered open, everything hurt. That was the first thing that registered. Whatever that...Skool had tried to do to me, it had hurt me pretty badly. I opened my mouth, trying to choke in breath, but it just felt like I had inhaled acid. I couldn't find my voice, and the air I was forcing myself to breathe was searing my flesh. My head was on a pile of uncomfortable pink cloth. I whimpered, my interface sparking, then tried desperately to focus my eyes against the blinding starscape in front of them...wait. Starscape? That wasn't right...A hand touched my shoulder.

"Kai, what got ahold of you? You have never been out like that before..."

As the voice registered in my oxygen deprived brain, I shook my head. This day. Was so not good.

"L...arx...home..."

"Yes, you are going home."

"Mwha?" My body twitched involuntarily, and I realized my neck was being bandaged. I tried to make a choking hiss.

"Irk, Kai. You need to go there for a while."

That got my attention. Weak as I was, I managed to get to my feet, now aware of the fact I was on a ship. Larx, now flicking off a blonde, human disguise, walked slowly over to me.

"Kai, you have a Trial to attend. Nothing big, but if you-"

"Oh, no. No, I wanna go backhomethataway." I pointed sadly at the small, penny sized figure of Earth now drifting further away. My speech slurred, and I wavered on my feet. Larx caught me.

"Look, If you run and they catch you, you are going to be killed. Or sent back to Ceberos. Kai, for once, think about thi-"

"No. Thought enough. Wanna go home. Thathome." I shook my head, trying to make sense of what was happening. "They'll kill me anyway! You..." My blade slid out of my hand again and I poked him with it. "Are condemmening me to death for the...second time." I hissed, and pushed myself to my feet. Larx looked at me sadly.

"Kai, if you want to be free you have to win your freedom. Now, relax and let me check your-"

"NO! Dont come near me!" I raised my blade again, noticing that for the first time it quavered slightly. I put my hand to my face, feeling hot tears touch my skin. Larx was the only creature I ever cared about, but he always managed to cause so much pain. "You don't care if they will kill me!"

"Yes I do. Don't ever think for one minute that I don't."

"Then you wouldn't have betrayed me. Larx, I cared. I...don't really know what I felt, but I did feel something and at times I still do. And you...after I saved you, you shot me. That did permanent damage-"

"Which they can fix on Irk-"

"No, Larx. No fixing me, no Irk. There are kinds of damage that cant be fixed. I know that now. No amount of bloodshed has made me feel any better. I'm going back home. That home, not Irk."

Larx stood up tall, now with a furious look in his eyes. "Kai, you are coming to Irk."

I stepped forward, my blade receding in favor of a small needle-like object. I walked quickly up to him, sticking it into his shoulder. He blinked, then fell to his knees.

"They'll...come...kill...you..."

"I know, Larx. Ill kill them first. Thats what I'm good at, isn't it...You didn't think taking me would be this easy. Now go home. Be happy."

"Kai...You mean the world to me...just come...back...it will all be fixed...I promise."

"No. No more empty promises." I spun around, tears now streaming down my face. I hated this, felt bad, but my life was at stake. I knew what I'd done, and a Trial would fix nothing. It was a death sentence in waiting.

"...you did mean the world to me at one time, Larx. You do..." Hopping into the escape pod of his ship as Larx fell unconscious to the floor, I turned back to Earth.

As silence once again fell around me, I fought to keep my breathing under control. The short trip back to earth involved me concentrating on nothing but the blackness of space that eveloped me. Larx would be fine. I did care about him, and that was why this hurt so much.

Upon entering my house again, I walked swiftly to my room, ignoring Cypher's quizzical glance. Shutting and locking the door, I sat down in the corner, curling my knees to my chest. The fluffy, warm green carpet provided no comfort at all, as I turned my glazed vision to the sketches I had posted all over the walls. All of beautiful things, things that only reminded me of how I wanted life to be. I remembered what I had done in the past years, and for the first time I felt bad. Guilty, for taking those lives. Guilty for the actions I had been so sure about. Guilt was something I didn't feel...at least I thought I didn't. I didn't know what to think anymore...

"Whats...wrong with me?" I took a choking breath, putting my hand to my damaged interface. It was busy repairing itself as my tears stained the carpet beneath me. Even the hot trails down my face felt numb now. I was shaking, chilled to the bone by a nonexistent cold that filled the room. After pushing myself to my feet, I walked slowly and carefully out the door and to a black door across from me. Punching in a code, the door slid open, revealing a room not unlike a intergalactic rainforest. I walked to the back, to a set of stairs, ducking away from a razor edged vine hanging over it. It took another dive at my head, and I hissed, catching it in my hand without cutting myself.

"No."

The vine fell limp, and I continued down the dark stone staircase into a much larger version of the above room, with a stone waterfall of turquoise liquid in the back room. Walking over to it, music started to echo loudly. Thousand Mile Wish, a song that I guess suited my mood at the moment. As I sat down on the edge of the rock pool, a different razor like vine curled up along my arm. I unwrapped it, then looked down indifferently at the lime blood now trailing onto the rocks from small cuts on my arm. Cypher padded up to me, licking at my arm worriedly. I pulled it away.

"Good. I deserve it." I laid back onto the rocks, closing my eyes and listening to the music. I was aware of the fact that I should fix my arm, that the cuts were pretty bad, but I didn't care. Let me bleed. Its what I've done to so many others. I deserved every bit of pain I got.