-Chapter 3-
Zim looked up. Finally, he was at Skool. His legs wobbled over to the front door, where he waited very patiently for Gaz's bus to arrive. Why was he so nervous? He'd worked so hard on his poem he'd written for her, that must be it. He'd worked so hard that he wanted the approval of the one whom he'd written for. Yes, this was it. Nothing more, nothing less.
After about an hour, Gaz's bus stopped on the asphalt of the road in front of the school building. Kids flooded out of the vehicle in a frenzy to hurry to their classes. But the green-skinned boy searched thoroughly through the quorums of students in all their childlike madness. And then, the last one off the bus. Gaz. She had her hair down this time, which is why he hadn't recognized her at first. It was actually a good look for her.
She walked calmly up to the school's front entrance, only glancing at Zim for a moment before continuing her short-lived journey.
Her ignorance only slightly angered him. "You will not ignore ZIM!" he yelled to her.
"Not now, grass stain," she drawled.
He took action when she was about to pass through the establishment's doors. His arm reached out and grabbed her shoulders. He pulled her to the side of the brick facility and got out his neatly-folded piece of paper. He slowly unfolded it and looked over the writing quickly, assuring himself she'd like it. The alien cleared his throat and began. "Roses are red, violets are blue. Sugar is sweet, but not as sweet as you," he recited. He lowered the paper to reveal an excited grin on his face.
Her right eye twitched in irritation. "I'm not sweet."
He felt his squigglysmooch sink. Rejection hurt... WAIT! Hadn't Gir said that female humans always played coy at first? That must be it, she was just playing coy. So she had only faked rejection. But it was obvious she didn't like the poem. Thankfully, he'd memorized the poem Gir had recited to him, just in case this poem didn't work. He skipped the clearing of the throat and reitterated the same poem to her.
When he was done, she simply stared in disbelief. Who knew Zim, of all things, was a poet? She decided not to comment and walked around the corner and into the building. If he'd made her tardy, he was gonna pay with his vocal cords.
The Irken smirked, thinking he'd done it. He balled his hand into a fist and shook it happily, finishing with a leap for joy. Apparently, he'd gotten a step closer to a major part of life for a human. Or at least he thought he did. And that much was enough for him.
At lunch, it wasn't much different. Zim was swarming Gaz with the exact same poem. And the worst part was she didn't even know why. Was he hitting on her? It didn't matter, but he needed to stop with the poems before he got seriously hurt... Every time he finished it, he laughed in excitement. Must be some kind of Irken thing...
"ZIM!" Gaz shouted, finally fed up with him, "SHUT UP!"
"Why are you mad?" he asked plainly, confused as to why she'd liked the poetry before but hated it now.
"You're annoying me. Shoo!" She dipped her hand and waved it dismissively.
Again, his squigglysmooch sank. Why did her rejection hurt him so much? He was a mighty Irken invader, not a pathetic human! These were his thoughts as he sat at an empty table to eat alone. Well, he wouldn't actually eat this horrid Earth food, but he toyed with it using his spork. Was this what ll the other human males felt like when courting? Like it was too hard and they should just give up? Well, it was certainly what he felt like... Wooing Gaz was taking alot of effort; he'd repeated her liked poem at least one hundred times, and she still shot him down.
"Zim, I know what you're up to," a low, paranoid voice growled at him.
He lifted his gaze to find Dib looming over him. "Lies!" he screeched.
Dib covered his ears and glowered at Zim. "Geez, man, control yourself. How'd it go with Gaz, anyway? Did she even pay attention to you? Probably not; you don't know anything about what girls on Earth like. You probably used some kind of wierd Irken courtship dance or something."
Zim lowered his eyes and returned to playing with his food, swishing the peas back and forth and sometimes twirling the spork to make the peas clear a small area. After a few minutes, he replied, "...The Gaz human has...rejected me..."
"What did you do? You look like you've been put through the wringer," he pointed out.
Without looking up, he answered dishearteningly, "I wrote a lovely poem for her, but she disliked it. So I recited a poem Gir came up with, and she said nothing. I assumed she was playing coy, like my servant has told me the females on your planet often do during the first stages of courtship. I repeated this poem to her many times just moments ago, but she screamed at me and told me I was annoying her."
Wow, Zim knew nothing... "Ouch... Yeah, Gaz hates poetry. You won't be able to get her to like you, though, Zim. You might as well give up."
"Invaders never give up! NEVER!" he yelled, his usual self returning. "But I must thank you, Dib. Now that I know she does not take interest in such repulsive rhyme as poetry, I shall never utter another poetic word to her again. She will be mine."
"Try all you want. I'm her brother, and I'm telling you up front that you suck. She doesn't like you," Dib stated before he moved to get his lunch and take a seat beside his younger sibling.
"Doesn't now, but in due time, she will," he retorted.
Exactly a week later, Zim was just finishing plucking a black rose. It, obviously, had black petal that were velvet-soft. It's stem had been completely stripped of its thorns, and it's stem was smooth and slender and green. This one was perfect. She was sure to love this one!
Over the past week, he had carefully observed Gaz. She seemed to like black and purple. He'd also had many trials and all had ended with much shame involved. Somehow, he'd made an error in every one. But this time would be different. It was his last hope. It had to work. If it didn't...he would be at a total loss. He been growing fond of Gaz over the weeks he spent trying futilely to woo her.
He'd once made her a cake. She shoved that in his face. He tried to shield her from the freezing winds of winter by offering her his jacket. She walked right past him without acknowledging his presence. He tried to take her to dinner. She never showed up. He had tried to sing to her at her own home. She had thrown a rock at him. He tried to make her a golden bracelet. She had tossed it in a storm drain. He had tried to give her an umbrella in the rain while he stood there burning in the foul stuff. She'd held up her own umbrella and glared at him until he went away.
But a black rose...it was ingenious!
"Master, if you don't like Gaz, then why are you trying so hard to romance her?" Gir asked.
Zim looked down, wondering the same thing. "I have to blend in with ordinary humans," he told himself.
Gir assumed this was the answer to his question and shrugged. Then he reached for his dog suit and put it on. And then he pulled out a slushy from his head compartment and began slurping on it loudly and contentedly.
Zim hopped off the stool he was using to reach his desk and examined the rose one more time. It was flawless. She would love it so much! He smiled at the inevitable praise he would get from her. But then he frowned. Nothing else had worked; what made him think this would? Besides, he was an alien, not a human. And here he wondered why she didn't like him.
But it was only natural. He was foreign to this planet. He even looked different. Nobody liked him... Gaz sure didn't; she'd made that clear several times over. Dib didn't; he'd also made that very clear. Gir was a robot programmed to like him. But it was Gaz, he realized, that truly mattered to him. The whole reason he kept at her...it made perfect sense. He loved her. He loved her so much it was painful. Too painful for him to bear.
He went into the living room and slumped on the couch, eventually slumping so much he was laying down on it. Gaz hated him; what was the point of his life anymore? The mission? What for? To destroy that which he loved most? there was no point in living. there was no point in loving. He'd tried it, now look what happened.
Another week passed, and then another. Everything in the world seemed more lifeless with out Zim. It was more boring; quieter.
"Zim absent again?" Mrs. Bitters asked to no one in particular.
Everyone looked around and shrugged.
The teacher sighed. "Is he sick? I need a sick note if he's going to remain tardy like this."
"Analyzing... Analyzing... Analyzing..." Gir said, his serious mode activating immediately. "Life force: low. Mortality rate: high."
"It looks like he's not coming to class, Mrs. Bitters," Dib said. Even he was getting suspiscious. What if Zim was completing an evil plan of his? What if mankind was doomed this time? And what if there was no reversing it? Panic-stricken, he raised his hand to ask to be excused. But he didn't need to.
The challenged SIR unit came crashing through a window, grabbing Dib's hand as he turned and rocketed back out the same way he came in, not caring about anyone seeing his true form of a red-eyed robot.
"Hey! I demand an explaination! Are you part of Zim's evil plot?" Dib demanded, struggling to get free of the SIR unit's powerful grip.
"No time. Master is in grave danger. Activating defensive measure 3A-N1 in code file B-8." Gir's eyes flashed a bright light and he went even faster, not unlike a speed demon.
In mere seconds, they were at Zim's house. Gir set Dib down and beckoned him to follow into the house itself. He followed, but went slowly. The lawn was very unkpt and grass was beginning to grow out of control. Weeds were srung up all over the place. A thistle was growing to one side of the yard. The garden gnomes weren't attacking. In fact, they stayed drooped over themselves, as if permanantly deactivated. As if Zim was expecting him...
Inside the house was no better. Robotic arms used for many things now hung limply from the ceiling and walls. Lights were flickering on and off, and it was clear the base Zim had worked so hard to set up was falling into extreme disrepair. Irken technology apparently couldn't last a few weeks without constant maintance. Even Gir had an unclean look to him. A little rust here, a few dents or scratches there. He was going with the house. What had Zim been doing?
The SIR unit, surprisingly still in his duty mode, led him deeper into the house and got into the trash can, again beckoning for Dib to follow.
He did, but not without caution. The elevator the was supposed to lead down to the alien's base creaked slightly as it went down. Even this place was going under...
The machine stopped and its doors were a little slow to open. They were at the main section of the base, where Zim often came up with his ideas for destroying mankind. Was he being led straight into a trap? It didn't look that way... Zim's base was always kept tidy, if nothing else.
"Gir..." a voice strained, "I told you...not to bring anyone here..."
"But, Master... You're-"
"No... I just wanted to go in peace... Is that too much...to ask...?" The voice stopped, and Dib took awhile to recognize it as Zim's.
He rushed over to have a look at the alien that had so badly wanted to obliterate Earth. What he saw was definitely something he hadn't expected to see. Zim was laying on a metal bench-looking thing. His eyes were open, but just barely. And he hadn't changed out of his human disguise. His lens still remained on his Irken eyes, and his wig was still on his head.
His eyes turned to him. "I'm actually...glad you...stopped by." His body shook with every labored breath he took. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was happening to him.
Zim's trembling hand reached up to remove his lenses, revealing two dull red eyes. He handed them to Dib before removing his wig to reveal two broken and battered antennea. He handed this to Dib as well.
The paranormal investigator looked from the items to his rival in sheer confusion.
"Your life's dream...you can have it now. Didn't...you want to...expose me? I have...a needle in the...drawer if you...need blood," he explained. Talking was becoming exceedingly difficult for him.
"Why are you so weak? What happened to you?" Dib asked.
"What hapened... How funny you...should mention that," Zim said.
"My master hasn't eaten anything in two weeks... He refuses to eat or drink... He will surely die if nothing is done to help him..." Gir said sadly.
"It's okay...Dib. I wished for...this to happen. I knew...it would eventually...lead to death. Now, if you would be...so kind as to...let me die in peace..." his voice trailed off and his eyes blinked slowly.
Zim was extremely weak and needed medical attention right away if he was to live. But what did Irkens eat? Dib knew nothing of his alien anatomy. But now he had to make a choice: carry out his life's dream or let Zim suffer before finally dying. And for him, death was probably very close. He looked down at the wig and lens and then back at his old foe.
"Please...I don't know what I would do without my master..." Gir cried, his serious mode deactivated.
"Gir, summarize what happened to make him like this," Dib ordered, hoping the correctional robot would respond to his command.
His serious mode reactivated. "My master has tried many things to woo the Earth female known as Gaz. After failing every time, he had given up all hope of anything else working. He fell into a depression that is fatal to Irkens. It is a depression caused by...love. After being cruelly rejected countless times by the one he loved, my master saw no point in living. He stopped eating and drinking because his brain would no longer register his hunger or thirst. For two weeks he has suffered this depression, and now can no longer support his body. His vital organs are shutting down. Once his brain or heart goes, he dies."
"So, wait... Gaz did this?"
"No, not Gaz. Her rejection is the underlining cause."
"And Zim...loves her?"
"Correct. After trying to court her several times, my master began to accept what he felt. It was the same fond affection seen in humans and Irkens and every other alien race."
"Would he live any longer if he saw Gaz again?" Dib asked.
Gir stayed silent for awhile, as though computing something, and then he spoke, "It is a possibility that the feeling of affection could temporarily overcome the feeling of sorrow. He may be able to register his hunger, if his squigglysmooch has not shut down yet. His heart may also start beating faster and pump the needed blood through his body. He may remain alive longer."
This was all the information Dib needed. He ran into the elevator, telling Gir to do anything he could to keep his master alive until he came back.
"Gaz!" the investigator shouted as he burst through the door to their house. "Gaz, come quick! It's Zim!"
"Ugh... I don't want to hear about his plans..." she deadpanned.
"No, that's not it! You're killing him!" he gushed.
She raised an eyebrow before popping opena soda and sipping on it for a little.
"Well... Technically, you're not killing him, but... It's complicated, okay? Just come with me before it's too late!" Dib grabbed her arms and pulled her out of the house. He dragged her all the way back to Zim's base, which was still not cleaned up.
"Zim, I have a surprise for you," Dib said, trying to at least get him to sit up.
But the alien, seeing no point to life anymore, only allowed his eyes to completely shut. His breath seemed even more labored than before. He was dying. He knew it, and didn't care. He let his thoughts be filled with memories of seeing Gaz. But most of them were only of her fierce rejection.
"Is this thing really Zim?" her feminine voice came.
That voice...! That was undoubtedly Gaz's voice! She was here! He cracked open his eyes. It was as much as he could manage to do right now. He could hardly lift his gaze, but tried to look up at her face. He couldn't. But he could see her legs, and that was all he needed. His small smile was enough to show Dib he was getting a little bit of strength from an excited heart.
"Say, Zim, aren't you hungry?" he asked bribingly.
Zim opened his mouth and spoke in almost non-understandable words. "I want...to go to dinner...with Gaz," he managed between gasping breaths. His breathing was a little less labored, but was still critical.
Dib looked at Gaz, his eyes begging her to do what he asked.
The violet-haired girl sighed and said, "I guess so..." Even she felt pity for the crumped Zim.
If Zim could cry, he would've. Finally...she finally agreed to do something with him. Which reminded him... "Gir, the gift."
The SIR unit came back with an almost withered black rose and gave it to Gaz. It hadn't been pressed, but it had been put in a vase full of water. Most of the petals were gone; the ones that remained were shriveled into nothing more than a husk. The stem was no longer smooth; it, too, had shriveled up.
"It...used to be...perfect. I got it...for you because...I thought you...were perfect," he strained.
Gaz couldn't help but blush to that comment. Here was a guy seen only in legends and folklore, and he turned out to be an alien she'd known for awhile now. She cracked a smile and said, "Thanks. It's cool."
Zim's smile widened slightly. He thought she might like it. But that was a long time ago, two weeks ago. Which was a long time when you were suffering from severe depression. He tried to keep his eyes open so he could see her longer, but they wouldn't comply to his demands and closed anyway.
"Hey, Dib, I don't think it's working anymore!" Gaz called out.
Her brother rushed into the room with a long needle filled with some kind of clear fluid. "Sorry; it took awhile to find his medical supplies."
"Where do you inject that stuff, anyway?" Gaz asked.
This put Dib at another loss. Where? Where was he supposed to stick the needle in at? This wasn't a human's body, it was an Irken's. He pointed the needle at his side, but figured he might hit a vital organ. So he pointed it over his leg, and figured he might hit an artery.
"Here, let me do it," Gir said, taking the large needle. He pointed it at the same place an IV goes on a human, his arm. Right where the joint was. He pierced the skin with the sharp point of the needle end and injected the fluid into his master slowly and steadily.
Zim didn't awaken, but was breathing a little better. That must mean the medicine was working!
Gaz sighed an inaudible sigh of relief when she saw how the little green guy was already doing better. Dib didn't notice this; he was far too busy trying to tend to Zim.
A/N
C'mon people! Please review! I mean, I understand if you don't like the story, but there are more chapters to come, believe me! I updated sooner this time, too...