A.N. Well, I have to say I'm a little dissapointed. . . I did not get one review. (sighs) oh well. Anyway, this is the second to last chapter...

Chapter 9- Back to Start

I expect a memory to come back to me now.

Moments and moments of her pushing me around, abusing me, I expect years and years of resentment and hatred to emerge, but. . . it's barely Ginna.

She's old now, not as tall as I remembered, weak. . .

Her eyes are wide.

"I killed you," she whisper. Across her forehead is an enormous scar. "I KILLED YOU."

This is it. I can kill her now, while she's still too shocked to do anything but scream at me. . .

My pistol, where's my pistol?

God dammit, I had put it down when I approached the grave, where is it now?

My eyes search the ground frantically. And there it is, right by Ginna's heel, but she doesn't notice it.

"What the fuck are you doing here!" she screams. She's not moving though. . .if I could just get past her. . .

Without a word, cautiously, slowly, I get up, walk towards her. . .

Next moment, her boot slams against me, and I fly backwards, straight into Steg's grave.

As I stuggle to get up, a voice calls out, alarmed,

"Tak!"

and I'm about to tell Joon to get back, don't get involved, but then I realize he wasn't the one who called out.

"Zim, get away!" I shout, suddenly paniced.

I watch, frozen, as Zim jumps into the air towards Ginna with the aid of his spider legs, and then. . .

With the back of her hand, she knocks him away, sends him flying.

As if he were just a bug that she had nonchalantly swatted away.

Yards from us, he's not getting up.

Why isn't he getting up?

I begin to rush over in a panic, but Ginna stops me. Knocks me down.

It's always like this.

She attacks me over and over, I fight back, do some damage, then run away.

I had come here wanting to just kill her. Be the one to find her. Be the one to find her, provoke her, and then she'd just die at my hands.

But I'm back to start.

I'm scared, really scared.

I don't want to fight anymore, I just want Zim to be okay, my body to quit aching, but I know Ginna couldn't care less.

She turns to me and smirks.

"Is this who you're into now?" She taunts, motioning to Zim, who's just started to lift his head from the ground.

I'm so relieved to see this, that I don't answer Ginna, though I don't think she wanted an answer anyway.

She makes her way over to him, and suddenly, my view of Zim is blocked, and so I get up and realize she just knocked him out.

Still watching them, I reach for my pistol. . .

See Ginna raise her blade over Zim's head. . .

And I shoot.

Ginna falls, but I know she isn't dead. I only hit her shoulder. That wasn't an accident.

I rush over, and inspect Zim. He's bruised, but nothing that huge. . .

"Nasty bitch," Ginna hisses.

She's fallen to her knees, but now she gets up, clutching her shoulder.

I wait until she's towering over me.

Then I shoot.

Her right leg first, then her left. . . she falls.

She cries out in pain, no swearing, no insults, just a cry.

But even as she's doing this, she's reaching for her blade. So I shoot her wrist.

Then her other one, to be safe.

And now all she can do is lie there, bleeding, crying out.

I stand over her.

She's so focused on the pain, she doesn't look angry.

Scared.

For the first time ever, I recognize fear in her expression.

Ginna's afraid.

I take her blade and snap it in half. Stab one piece through her right wrist, the other through her left. . . leave them there. . .

Stare, stand overher, she's just crying now. I place my pistol in my pak.

And then I step back.

I go over to Zim, and pull his arm around my shoulder in an attempt to support his weight. . . he's still unconscious. Joon rushes over, and holds Zim up on his other side.

"Aren't you going to finish me off?" Ginna shouts from behind, her voice strained through the pain.

I don't look back. I don't answer.

"This won't kill me," she cries out, sounding desperate, "My people have faced far worse. . . they know how to fix these wounds. . . I'm going to live. . ."

I don't reply and she shouts, hatred dripping from her voice,

"Why won't you kill me? Can't you handle that one task, filthy Irken!"

"I won't kill you," I say slowly, firmly, "because you want me to. . ."

Ginna's eyes widen, and I continue, without waiting for a reply,

"You can't stand living, can you? It's hell for you, being alive, isn't it? You have nothing to drive you. . .nothing at all. . .so I'll let you suffer here, alive. . ."

Ginna cries out again, but says nothing.

"And my name is 'Tak'," I say coolly, "not 'Irken'."

"Where will you go from here?" Joon asks.

He's standing by the entrance of his ship.

"With Zim," I say, "and I'll wait."

We're both quiet for awhile, then Joon says with a smile,

"You're as kick-ass as ever, kid,"

and I smile too.

"I'll miss you Joon," I say.

"Well," he says, "if you need me, you know where you can get me."

"Are you sure you don't want to spend a few more days with us?"

"Nah. I have a few more stops to make before the Massive."

And then I realize in between our life on Slaytia and now, Joon has had a whole other life, with other people.

"Tell Gir I said 'hey'," Joon says, as he boards his ship, "and call me when you and Zim get hitched."

"Oh, shut up, Joon."

"Whatever Tak," he says, grinning, "just be happy."

He shuts the door of the ship, but then a second later, reopens it to say,

"Oh, and Tak? Ditch the breast wrap please, that'll make everyone happier."

I pick up a stone and chuck it at him, but he closes the door just in time.

I can hear him laughing as I walk over to my own ship, and I turn my head back for a moment and smile.

"Bye Joon," I whisper, "Bye Steg."

Suddenly, my ship opens and Dib's inside, and he laughs nervously once he sees me.

"Heh," he says. He's sitting at the controls. "That's what that button does. . ."

I climb in and say,

"Did Zim wake up?"

"Hehm. . ." says Dib, disinterested.

I look and see Zim's still knocked out. There's hardly any room with the three of us. . .

"Hey Dib, why don't you pilot?"

"Really?"

"Sure, you've flown this before, right?"

Dib nods vigorously, as I squeeze in the back, almost stepping on Zim by accident.

I sit in the corner, and lift Zim so his head's resting on my lap.

Dib starts the ship, and pretty soon, we're off Slaytia. For good.

And then it's out of sight.

"Hey Tak. . ." Dib says, "sorry about the whole stowing away thing, it was Zim's-"

"Shut up," I say, without much heat, "Don't wanna hear it. You two are idiots, I'm learning to accept that."

Dib turns around for a moment, to check exactly how serious I am. I just stick out my tongue and he turns back around, and then I smile to myself.

Without thinking of it really, I lightly stroke Zim's forehead and close my eyes.

"You idiot, Zim," I whisper, "I told you not to get involved. . ."

Suddenly I feel his head turn in my lap, just slightly, but I know he's still unconcious.

Even so, knowing he's okay. . .

"What did you say?" Dib asks.

"Nothing, nothing," I say.

He turns around again, and sees me stroking Zim's head, and he looks a little weirded out and defeated.

Suddenly, I think back to the cafeteria fight, the one that got him and Zim suspended. I'm begining to wonder what it had been about. Not to be concieted, but for a second, I wonder if it was over me.

If that's the case, I'd rather not have them fight. . . rather not have Dib like me. . .

"Say Dib. . ." I start slowly, "What do you think of Kacer. . .?"

end of chapter 9. . .

Last day of Spring Break. Chapter 10 should be up sometime this week, but I don't know when. Anyway, please review. Yeah...