Melancholic

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Stressed
Zag had been sitting at the table glaring a hole through Dib. There were times in her life that she couldn't believe him related to the mother she had made up within her mind. Sitting in this crème colored room with a cold tile floor just irked her even more. Her eyes traveled passed Tak and back to Dib. Tak was standing a bit out of her eyesight dressed in long crimson shirt that reached her knees with slits that traveled to her hips. She wore simple black rubber pants to match her attire and belted boots. Dib was wearing a similar outfit, but his shirt was a royal blue. They all had similar outfits of various colors. Zag glanced to the doorway that Dib stood next to and watched as Red walked in.

Red grimaced and looked to Zag who sat upon the counter and then to Dib who was too close for comfort. There was tension in the room and he didn't like it at all. His crimson eyes turned to Tak for an explanation. She simply closed her eyes and shook her head. Red looked to Dib and saw him now glaring. Dib crossed the room and pointed to the cut upon Zag's shoulder much to her protest.

"What the hell is this?" Dib calmly questioned.

"A…gash," Red answered not knowing if there was a right answer.

"I know that!" Dib snapped. "Why is it there?"

"She got it during training," Red answered as he pulled a bandage out.

"What did you do?" Dib mocked. "Throw her over a cliff?"

Red paused and looked to Dib with a conflicting look. Dib's features instantly hardened as he watched Red contemplate that thought. Red chuckled and shook his head.

"No…she was spacing and was injured because of that," Red replied as she wiped the crusted blood off.

Dib glared and dryly said, "You can't go slicing her up every time she spaces."

Dib crossed his arms as he gazed at Red. Tak had suddenly smirked and turned her gaze to the window on her right. Zag raised her antennae in questioned and few strands of violet frizzed up with the movement. Red's eyes darkened as he glared at Dib.

"How stupid can you be?" Red growled. "If she spaces in a real battle she would be killed!"

"She'll never be in a real battle!" Dib growled at him as he took a step forward.

"You don't know that!" Red shouted.

"Who wants nachos?" Purple shouted as he walked into the kitchen carrying a bag.

"The cheese is in my head!" Gir laughed as he ran past the arguing two.

Zag smiled and opened her arms. Gir launched himself into her arms and she smiled as she hugged him. Zag laughed as he began to whisper something to her. Purple raised an antenna in question.

"Squeak."

Red glared at the moose that floated in. He raised his hand and poked it away from his face. Purple raised the other antenna and sighed.

"Squeak."

"I think you're right," Purple softly said to Mini-moose.

Tak rolled her eyes feeling as if the stupidity had just gone up. Dib turned his gaze to Purple and the Irken nervously chuckled. He had been the only Tallest that Dib could get along with. Purple was too lazy to be a threat and he had helped on more than one occasion. Dib turned his glare to Red. Purple walked past them and set his bag on the counter next to Zag.

"I guess no one wants nachos," Purple whispered with a smirk.

Zag chuckled and held Gir in her lap, as she replied, "No, they just battling for dominance again."

Purple's eyes widened in understanding and he nodded to her. Purple looked back to the two and now saw Tak walking out the back door. She vanished and the clicking of the door was ignored. Purple sighed as Red and Dib began to size each other up. This type of thing happened at least twice of week, once if Zeta was lucky. When Zag reached an age to start training Red had shown no mercy. He had agreed to raise her and refused to do anything wrong. Red had set his mind to raising her and nothing would stop him. He wanted her to be a warrior, one with intelligence. Purple didn't know if he was doing this out of an agreement, guilt, or some other motive.

Red quickly turned his crimson gaze to Purple and raised an antenna. Purple blinked and raised his right antenna in defiance and confusion. Red growled and lunged at Dib. He grabbed the human by the elbow and dragged him out the door. Dib protested at the movement when his brain told him something was happening. Purple rolled his eyes back to Zag.

"Would you like nachos?" Purple calmly questioned her.

"Sure," Zag replied.

"Say cheese!" Gir screamed.

The cheese exploded from his head covering them all. A pond of cheese reached Purple's ankles as he stood in it.

"Squeak?"

"No…I don't have a mop," Purple answered.

The temperatures on Zeta never dropped below seventy-five. The days were dry and warm and the nights were simply cool. Each star shined upon the surface, nothing was blocked from view. Dib growled and pulled his arm away from Red. The claws slightly scrapped his skin and Dib stepped back. Red quickly turned around and faced Dib with a volatile look. The look didn't faze Dib; Red was always volatile. It often made Dib question the Irken's sanity. Dib had always wondered why the Irken didn't just snap and go on another killing spree or self-destruct. Dib knew that Goop had helped stabilize the alien, but her death had slightly damaged him even more. She had taught various lessons, and the lesson of death had been the worse.

"You shouldn't push her so hard…she's still a child!" Dib began.

"She's old enough by Irken standards to already be on the front lines," Red informed with a grin.

"We're not on Irk," Dib coldly reminded.

"It's not about that," Red growled.

"Than what's it about?" Dib questioned.

Red sighed and stood up straight as he replied, "You know that this treaty is destined to fail."

Dib scowled and replied, "You really think a war's coming…again."

"It's not just that," Red sighed, "she's a girl…a hybrid at that."

"So now you're genocidal sexist?" Dib snorted as Red glared.

"I killed everyone equally," Red defended as he smirked.

"Anyways…"

"The Irkens won't follow her because she's human…the Humans won't trust her because she's Irken and a female," Red listed.

"Why would only humans not follow a female?" Dib questioned.

"I've studied your race and they're…disgusting. Irkens on Planet Irk will follow the Tallest no matter of gender, but they need a strong leader. Humans always doubt a female because they are…emotional," Red explained.

"The training still shouldn't be as harsh," Dib sighed.

Red's antennae twitched in anger as he gritted out, "I am raising her…I will do as I see fit!"

"I'm her uncle…I have more of a say!" Dib shouted.

Red scowled and stepped closer to Dib. He poked Dib with a single finger careful of his claws. Dib stepped back and than glared at Red.

"Don't forget…you were the one that gave her to me to raise," Red lowly reminded.

"Raise Red, there's the key word!" Dib loudly said. "Raise not train to kill!"

Red snarled and spat, "I'm raising her to survive!"

"She wouldn't have to survive if you hadn't had ruined her parent's lives!" Dib angrily retorted.

Red froze and his mouth thinned. He knew that it was true. His existence was the reason the universe was so screwed up. If he hadn't had snapped he might have actually still been a lazy ruler, but that didn't happen. He had sent some crazed Irken to finish Zim, than he messed with Gaz, and she took vengeance, than he took vengeance by killing off her race. It was a list of he did that; she did that, and now the result. Red had known that he had crossed the line with Zim's body, but he still did it. He never knew that the virus used to stop the Irken Empire would drive Zim to madness…he never had dreamed that Gaz would choose to die with Zim and that a smeet would be sent here.

'A smeet,' Red thought. 'There's still another one out there.'

"I can't change the past, but I have no regrets," Red said as Dib's eyebrows furrowed.

Red had spoken his mantra aloud. If he thought it enough it sometimes became true. He had regrets that would always torment him. Every time he was around Zag he thought of Gaz and Zim. He thought about how life would be different if he'd had never did anything. He knew that Purple would never fully trust him, another regret. Red knew that he would live out his life as a nanny to Zag, a slight regret. There had been times he wondered if she was related to him. He had found out from some old messages and records that Dib kept that her pregnancy happened after him. He had found that out only after raising the smeet for a good five years.

Dib scoffed and threatened, "I don't know your motives…but if you hurt her…I'll kill you."

Red raised an antenna at that comment and simply nodded. He was in no mood to comment. Dib glared at him and than walked back into the house. Red turned his gaze to the stars wondering why life had suck so much. He knew why, it sucked because of his own actions.

'Stupid actions,' Red thought.

His mind than drifted to the motives that Dib had called him on. There weren't many motives that would harm Zag. If anything, he had her best interest in mind. He would build her to be a strong leader, one that Zeta would have no choice but to follow. Red let his eyes fall in the direction of Irk. He also had to prepare her for battle. Something constantly whispered to him that she would leave or something would come to her. He reasoned that if Gir and Mini Moose could find Zeta…than so could the Irkens upon Irk. His eyes narrowed in thought.

'Who is ruling Irk?'

Zag laughed as she scooped up another handful of cheese. She whistled and Purple raised an antenna from behind the overturned kitchen table. Zag chuckled harder and threw the cheese. It smacked his antenna and he yelped. Purple simply flung the cheese from the ground and over the table. Zag raised an eyebrow as it landed a great distance away from her.

"Red's right…no wonder you made a bad Invader," Zag mocked with a smirk.

Purple got to his knees and raised his head above his base. He opened his mouth and cheese smacked him in the face. His eyes opened within the cheese mask and he blinked.

"Lesson one…keep everything under control," Zag mocked Purple.

"Squeak!"

"Hey!" Purple shouted, not bothering to wipe the cheese away. "I would not be a bad Invader."

"Mini Moose is right," Zag sighed.

She scooped up the cheese and jumped out from behind a counter door. Purple's eyes widened and he prepared another assault of cheese. He threw and she rolled past each glob and purposely slid and hit the table. Purple screamed as his base pinned him against the wall. Zag laughed and smeared more cheese upon him.

"You got bested by a kid?"

They all stopped their fight and looked over at the door. Red stepped into the cheese and stared at the scene. A glob a cheese smacked him in the face.

"I got-ed him good!" Gir cheered as he fell down from a ceiling light.

"And you got bested by a piece of junk!" Purple jabbed.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Red darkly muttered.

"Cheer up," Zag chuckled. "Purple was helping me train."

"In cheese?" Red doubtfully questioned.

"He wanted to test my skill in a different environments and conditions," Zag explained as Purple quickly nodded with a grin.

"Brilliant!" Red beamed. "Now we can test your endurance and dedication!"

"Really?" Zag and Purple questioned.

"Yep…by cleaning the kitchen," Red answered.

Zag and Purple groaned as Red tossed them a sponge. They both looked at the sponge as it floated in cheese.

"Just one?" Purple questioned.

"It could be two if you both share it," Red suggested as he quickly stepped outside.

Zag and Purple both glared at his retreating back.

Author's Note:

A short chapter, the next one will begin to merge Zig and Zag's world together if all goes right(which I hope so).
I thought about making Xero and Gaz the same being, but I know that's too simple. I think Zig's personality will come out in the next chapter. I think Zag already has a persona going.

Thanks for the reviews!