For The Soul of The Stars: First Steps Into Trouble

Written by: Lynderia

Disclaimer: I do not own the great characters of Outlaw Star, even though I wish that I did. I do own Kat, and any characters not recognized from the OAV series Outlaw Star.

Aisha was tired of sitting around. She growled at the game she held, she lost again. It had been a day since last she seen the ungrateful girl. Aisha wondered if they could really trust Kat to help them find this Uriel thing? Maybe the Ctarl-Ctarl empire knew something about this Uriel. But then again, she wasn’t about to ask. They had ditched her and she wasn’t going back. She liked going on adventures with Jim, Gene, Mel, and Suzy. How would Kat affect the balance amongst her and her friends seem to be the real question. “I can’t take anymore!!” Aisha said jumping on the railing.

“Aisha, keep it down, would ‘ya.” Gene said. He was beginning to doubt Kat. It didn’t even look like she was coming back, maybe he should have followed her. How could he fulfill an old man’s dying request when he didn’t know what he was supposed to protect?

The door bell rang. “Hello, who is it?” Melfina asked

“Kat.”

Melfina didn’t want to open the door for the monstrous girl. Kat hated her-she just knew Kat hated her.

“I’m leaving now.” Kat said. If Melfina wasn’t going to open the door she had someplace to go, like back to bed.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Melfina said opening the door. She plastered a smile on her face.

“Don’t fake it for my sake, Nature’s Freak. It makes you look uglier.” Kat said passing her.

Melfina tried to ignore her, but couldn’t. She thought she could be ready for the insults Kat threw at her but she wasn’t. “You’re a mean and bitter girl!!” Melfina shouted trying desperately to hold back her tears.

Kat stared at her. It scared Melfina how Kat sometimes lacked emotion. Kat abruptly turned away without saying a word.

Upon entering the room, Kat saw Jim by his computer, Gene lying on the couch, Suzuka drinking tea, and Aisha punching air. “It’s lazy bum central!”

Jim turned his attention away from his computer and towards the voice, “Kat.”

“Hello Jim.” She didn’t smile her voice was flat.

“I see you came. Did anything important while you were away?” Gene smiled a little. Maybe he wasn’t wrong to not follow her.

“And Captain Shit-Face speaks. Now my day is truly ruined.” Kat said moving to the far corner of the room, near a window.

“My name is Gene! Get it through your head! Before we work together let’s get some ground rules down. First, you must call everyone by their name. No one is going to be putting up with your shit!!” Gene stopped his raving and noticed Kat looking out the window.

“Is that all, only one rule? Why stop making a fool out of yourself? Setting rules, what a laugh! What a true idiot, and an ugly one at that.” Kat said still looking out of the window.

Was she purposely trying to make it hard on him-on all of them? Gene’s face expressed pure anger for the first time since he had met Kat. He had to put her in her place. Gene walked over to Kat, turned her around, and slapped her hard. He had slapped her hard enough to make her lip bleed.

“Gene!” Jim shouted. He knew Kat had gotten Gene angry but he didn’t have to slap her that hard.

“Finally, someone shut her up. I was about ready to do it myself.” Aisha cheered. Kat’s personality, or the one she projected toward them, was disgusting. Kat always put everyone in a bad mood, and Aisha didn’t like that.

“It’s true what they say. A bitch’s bark is worse than her bite.” Kat said looking at Gene with emotionless eyes. “Do you feel better Captain Shit-Face?” Kat had to admit, she was pushing it. But there was always that part of her that protected her. It hurt-the slap really had hurt, but she couldn’t let them know that. She had to-it was a must to close herself off from certain stimulus, and people until the right time.

Gene stared down at her. Emotionless was the only word that seemed to come to mind. Not a look of defiance or even insult but Kat held a look of nothingness-emotionless. Gene slapped her again, “I told you know one is going to deal with your shit!! So, fucking stop it already! We work as a team here, no person is an island!”

Funny, Hilda had told her that once. It was a long time ago, around the first time she met Hilda. ‘No person is an island,’ Hilda had told her, ‘so let me in, let yourself trust me.’ She did trust Hilda to the up-most fullest, but sadly she never let her fully in, she could never do that. She had to keep her promise. “Let me set some ground rules. I don’t like you and I can tell that none of you, excluding Jim, like me either, but I don’t give a shit. You and your ugly friends can work as a team but leave me out of it. I said I would help you find Uriel, but I didn’t say I would join your team, Captain Shit-Face.” This was going to take the cake, “By the way, I noticed you slapped me with dirty hands. In the future please make sure you’ve taken a bath with soap and water before slapping me again. Filthy, stinking, dirty, bad breath animal, let God have mercy on you.” Kat turned around and to look out the window once again.

Suzuka saw the frustration and anger in Gene’s eyes. At this point Kat seemed unreachable. “Gene, she feels less than the metal she works with.” Was that statement true? Suzuka had noticed the way she acted around them. She had never seen Kat smile-for them.

Gene sighed in defeat. “Jim, maybe you can get through to her. She is your friend.”

Jim didn’t know what to do. Kat had two personalities. She had never been really mean to him, not like she was with his friends. Why did she act this way? Jim was about to say something to Kat when the door bell rang. “I’ll get it.”

“Hello.” Jim said over the intercom.

Was this him? He wasn’t sure. “Yes hello. Is Jim there?” He had to make sure. There was no room for any mistakes.

“Who is this?” Jim didn’t know this person.

He had to think of something, “I’m sorry, but I have a package for a Jim Hawking. I need a signature.” This had better work.

Jim wasn’t expecting anything. Who knows maybe it was something good. Jim opened the door to find a rather large man standing in front of him. “Where do I sign?”

All this trouble for a little kid? This was going to be easy. “You’re Jim Hawking right?”

Jim suddenly got a terrible feeling. “Y.. Yes.”

Something wasn’t right. Something was out of place. Her skin was crawling. She glanced at the street and saw a raven. Raven? Kat glanced again, the raven was gone. But what she was feeling didn’t go away. Her nostrils were filled with an unfamiliar but disgusting smell. It made her sick, almost as if death was right outside. “Does anyone smell anything?” Kat suddenly asked.

“What, are you going to tell me to take a bath?!” Aisha asked annoyed.

Kat suddenly turned around. Her face was a pale blue. “Just answer the question.”

She didn’t look so good. “What’s up with your face?” Aisha asked curiously. Kat looked extremely ill.

“Idiot. Jim?” Kat said walking off.

No, not again. Jim tried kicking the large figure. He couldn’t even scream for help because the figure was holding his mouth.

“Jim?”

That was Kat’s voice. Jim wanted to scream, but it was muffled under the man’s hand. Who was he anyway?

“Jim, this is for the best.” the figure said. “You are needed someplace else.” He didn’t know all the details but he was given a job.

“Jim?” Kat said entering the room. She saw the figure. What was he doing to Jim? “Leave him alone!” Kat said as ice crept in her voice.

He knew that voice. The bitch! Why was she here? Hadn’t she caused enough trouble for him? The figure turned around. “Long time no see, Hellfire Diamond.”

It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. “Rongo.” Kat hid her surprise with a mask of ice.

“You’re not surprised to see me?” Rongo smiled. He thought she would at least have fear written on her face. She was the one that turned him in-for the big one.

It was Rongo. The voice was the same; even that stupid smile was the same. But how could he be here? “You’re dead.”

“I know. Ain’t life grand?!” Rongo’s smile grew wider. He would have to get rid of her. She had been the one to kill him. He was humiliated, he let some kid kill him, and that was three years ago. However, he couldn’t let himself get sided-track like the one before him had. Rongo continued to walk away with Jim securely in his hand.

People were coming back from the dead to haunt her. Who was playing this sick game?! Kat delivered a deadly kick to the base of Rongo’s neck then, punched his shoulder-the arm that held Jim. Rongo went to his knees. “Jim, run!” Kat ordered. Rongo was a big guy but she had gotten stronger and faster since their last meeting. The blow to the neck should have killed him, again, instantly. As soon as Kat turned her back she felt a hand grab her by the waist.

“You shouldn’t have interfered Hellfire Diamond.” Rongo said standing up with Kat. He was crushing her against his body. “Doesn’t this feel nice? I hope your enjoying this as much as I am.”

Kat heard a cracking sound. It hurt. She then butt-headed him in his chin making Rongo bite his tongue. “Bitch!!” Rongo shouted in anger. Rongo threw her into the wall making all the items on the wall fall with her.

“Kat!!” Jim shouted as he ran to her.

“An old friend of Kat’s, I presume.” Gene said aiming his caster at the new comer.

“Your name is Kat? I must remember that Hellfire Diamond.” Rongo laughed. Turning his attention toward Gene, “Do not interfere. The boy will come with me.”

“Jim isn’t going anywhere with you!” Gene shouted. He fired his caster. This made Rongo, as large as he was, sail through the air outside onto the street, Gene looked at the unmoving figure. “That was easy.” Gene grinned.

“Don’t pat yourself on the back.” Kat said. There were forces here they couldn’t understand. She, herself, couldn’t understand.

“Would you stop giving me grief? I killed the bastard. You could at least thank me.” Gene said a bit irritated.

“Killed? You can’t kill him with a normal caster shell. He was already dead.” Kat explained.

Gene was about to protest. “Gene, look.” Melfina said pointing outside. The body, it was gone. Rongo had vanished without a trace.

“Jim, are you okay?” Melfina asked. She didn’t want this to happen, not again. Why was this happening? She wanted everyone to stay together. Was that so much to ask for? She felt like crying, but she held her tears.

“Yeah Mel, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. Everything is gong to be fine.” Jim comforted. Was everything really going to be fine? Why was this happening to him?!

“It was definitely Tao Magic, Gene. I smelled it all over him.” Aisha said. This was very unnerving. This time no one was taking Jim anywhere. Not even over her dead body.

“Yes. It was Tao Magic. The same as with Donte.” Suzuka informed. There had to be a link between Donte and Rongo. The common thread was trying to abduct Jim. She became very worried.

“Fine. It was Tao Magic, then how come my caster didn’t work? Kat, do you have an answer?” Gene shouted at her. He hated feeling helpless. He was not about to let anyone hurt Jim or anyone else. “Well, answer me!!” he shouted again at the young girl sitting on the floor in the darkest corner of the room, which was freaking him out.

First Donte, now Rongo. Jim and Uriel. These names were wrapping themselves around her brain. “Donte, Rongo, Jim and Uriel.” Kat whispered quietly to herself.

“Hey, did you hear me?! I want some answers!!” Gene shouted. Why was she sitting like that? He noticed how Kat made herself as small as possible. She had pulled her legs in hugging them, and rested her head on her knees.

She suddenly looked up at him. “Idiot. Must I explain everything to you? Think about it. Casters, usually work against Tao Magic, but it didn’t work against those clay face creatures and they were pure Tao Magic. Casters only work on first levels of Tao Magic. The enemy is at the master levels of Tao Magic. Your weapon will be useless against them. It may slow them down.” Kat explained not moving form her corner. She felt safe there. She wanted to stay there and not be bothered.

“Are you saying Jaguar sent him after Jim?” Gene asked. Kat seemed to know a lot.

“No. The fact that Rongo knew me as Hellfire Diamond confirms it. Besides the MacClown Brothers are his lackeys now.”

“But you just said the enemy is at the master levels of Tao Magic.” Aisha said.

“Jaguar may be a master level user of Tao Magic, but whoever sent Rongo is an ultimate user of Tao Magic.” Kat looked at Aisha’s confused features, as well as Gene’s. Suzuka seemed to understanding. “Idiots.” Kat then rested her head on her knees.

Suzuka wanted to know how Kat knew so much about the subject of Tao Magic.

“That still doesn’t answer the question of who is after Jim and why?” Gene said.

Melfina and Jim entered the room. “I’m sorry lunch is so late.” Melfina said. She sounded sad.

Gene walked over to her and pulled her cheek. “Hey, don’t be.”

“Okay.” Melfina smiled pulling Gene’s cheek in return.

They both laughed happily at their own private joke. For an instant that forgot their troubles.

“Let’s eat. I’m starved!” Aisha said happily running into the kitchen. Suzuka followed her.

Jim noted Kat in the corner. He didn’t approach her, “Kat, are you going to eat?”

She was ready to have a break down. Kat hated herself when she had a break down. “No.” She got up. “I’ve gotta go.” She didn’t even look at him and keep her gaze on the floor as she headed out the living room.

“Kat?” Jim asked. Where was she going? He needed her here. Suppose Rongo showed again. “Kat?”

“I’ll be back later.” She had to get out of here. Her eyes were stinging her.

Aisha looked from her food and saw Kat walk out the door, “I knew she was a chicken!”

Was Kat really not going to come back? Gene looked at Jim and saw the disappointment in his eyes. “Hey buddy, don’t worry about. I’m on it.” Gene smiled.

“Gene, your food.” Melfina said. Why was he following her? Did they really need Kat that much?

“Jim can have my share.” Gene said flashing Melfina his world-trade smile before taking off after Kat.

That smile seemed to calm Melfina’s fears.

Kat took a pillow, sat in a corner, and pushed her face in the pillow. Only muffled sounds were heard. It seemed that the horrible things that plagued her mind just wouldn’t go away. Something today seemed to trigger it. She could never let anyone see her like this. Hilda never saw her like this. Proteus never saw her like this. The muffled sounds seemed to get louder. Kat’s body was shaking uncontrollably as she pushed her sorrow and her pain into the pillow she tightly held.

He had been sitting in the lobby of a four star hotel for two hours. Gene sighed. He had to make sure Kat wouldn’t jump ship. She seemed to know more than anyone about their current situation. Did this attack on Jim have some connection to Uriel?

End

After Thoughts: Does Jim have some connection to Uriel? Um…we’re just going to have to wait and see. Who would have thought Kat was so complex? We knew she was a pain in the ass for the crew of the Outlaw Star, but it seems she has more than one persona. Keep reading to find out more about this new adventure. ~~Lynderia