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Soldier of Fortune	By : Florville Category: +G through L > Invader Zim > Het- Male/Female Views: 5451 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter 4: Tete a Tete

****This chapter is for Levi, a new reviewy person of reviewy doom!

Upon waking, Tak stretched and yawned, purring. She’d had wonderful dreams, although she couldn’t remember what they were. If she really wanted to know, she could always search through the information in her pak, but Tak figured if she was really meant to remember the dream she would remember it on her own. Walking into her bathing room, Tak stripped out of her clothing, standing before her large mirror, examining herself critically. Yes, she was beautiful, as always. She smiled, stretching and then curling her antennae. Perhaps when she was finished disposing of Zim she could go and visit the Tallests again. The thought made her grin. Red fancied her, and she knew it. There was something absolutely unmistakable in a male Irken’s eyes when they saw a female that they desired. Tilting her head up to its usual haughty angle, she tapped the button on the wall for her gel bath. She liked Tallest Red. He was strong-willed and at least somewhat intelligent. Purple on the other hand…she rolled her eyes. All he was good for was being Tallest Red’s plaything. Although she was intrigued…she wondered what it would be like to watch them together. It would bring to light a side of Red she’d never seen…

She shivered, then looked over and realized that the bath was full. Stepping in, she sunk down to her chin, purring and closing her dark amethyst eyes, playing with that little fantasy in her head.

*

Tak woke with a start a few hours later, looking around and scowling when she realized that she’d dozed off.

“Curses!” she hissed, climbing out of the bath and drying off. Now she’d have to wait until tomorrow to execute Zim, because the Tallests didn’t like having their sleep (or other activities) interrupted. Tak sighed and shook her head. Well, it wasn’t like one more night would make much difference.

Dressed in casual Irken garb, Tak went down to the room where she was keeping Zim, walking in with Nara following behind her. Deactivating the perimeter field that would prevent him from escaping, she stepped into the room, approaching the bed. It was only now that it dawned on her that Zim had grown. Granted, she had gained about six inches or so herself in the past ten years, but Zim looked like he was a good five feet tall now. How was that possible? Perhaps there was some chemical on this planet that accelerated Irken growth? It would be interesting to find out…perhaps even to market it…

As she moved closer, she saw that the odd-looking brownish formation on Zim’s forehead had healed completely, smooth green skin in its place. Examining his long, thick antennae, she frowned a little. One of the smooth arcs was bent slightly; on closer inspection, she saw that the antenna was fractured a few inches from the base. She scowled, her dark purple eyes glowing with rage. Those filthy humans…

Zim stirred at the feel of something running along his one of his antennae, and he opened his eyes, looking up at Tak curiously. “What are you doing?”

Tak snatched her hand back and cleared her throat. “One…one of your antennae is fractured.”

He smiled grudgingly. “It’s the least of my worries…but yes…it hurts…” he sat up a little, the blanket sliding down to his waist, covering the lower half of his naked body. He touched his antenna gingerly, then sighed, shuddering. “That filthy dirt-human…touched me…” he made a disgusted face, shuddering again.

Tak quirked a curled antenna. “Which, the Dib-beast?”

“No…” Zim frowned. “No, the Dib-slime just wanted to cut my antenna off…that…female human thing was pinching and…and touching them. Ugh…” he shuddered again. “Just thinking of it makes me feel…dirty.”

Tak smirked. “Well, you don’t have to worry about it any more.”

Zim gave her an odd look, then grimaced. “Ah yes, you’re going to destroy me now. Did you decide whether you’re going to torture me or not?”

Tak waved a hand dismissively. “The execution will be tomorrow. And torture is too much work. I came here to kill you, nothing more.”

Zim chuckled. “I suppose.” There was a momentary silence between them, during which Zim actually got his first good look at Tak since he had fought her off ten years before. There was dark wit and intelligence in her purple eyes, and also something hinting that if the wrong thing was said to her, she would not hesitate to unleash pain unlike any known form of pain upon the one who said it. The dark liner around her eyes was not as strikingly thick now, and the few inches in height that she’d gained in the last ten years seemed to have gone mostly to her legs, which were already long and slender. Her skin looked soft and smooth, and he had the strangest urge to run his fingertips over it, but he pushed the urge back. She would be the one to destroy him, after all. No sense in having those kinds of thoughts.

Then again, with only one day left to live, perhaps he could afford to take a risk or two…

“I barely recognize you.” Zim smiled and stretched, then hissed sharply and cradled his broken arm. Irken bones didn’t heal as fast as their skin, of course.

Tak watched him, reaching back into her pak for a vial of pain salve. “Why is that?”

Zim grinned at her. “You weren’t beautiful last time you came to Earth.”

Tak blinked at him in shock, then scowled, her fist clenching around the vial. “Are you saying I was ugly?”

Zim saw what she was holding and held back the laugh that almost slipped out. “No. You just weren’t beautiful.”

Tak scrutinized him warily, slowly twisting the top off of the vial. “So you’re saying that I’m beautiful now.”

Zim nodded. “Yes.”

“Flattery will not help your fate, Zim; I am still going to destroy you tomorrow.” She scowled.

Zim shrugged one shoulder.

Tak shook her head and poured some of the salve into one hand, setting the vial aside and carefully taking Zim’s arm. As she rubbed the substance into the skin, she felt Zim tense, although he didn’t make a sound. She could feel the rough edges where the bones were still mending themselves under the skin. “What happened to your arm, anyway?” She muttered, trying to sound uninterested.

Zim clenched his teeth, then growled softly. “The Dib broke it.”

Tak finally looked up, one eye narrowed as she looked him in the face. “When he was capturing you?”

He shook his head. “When I was strapped down on the table.”

Tak paused in her rubbing, her eyes glittering with faint sparks of rage. “He broke your arm when you were tied down?” She hissed. “Disgusting, cowardly little stink-beast.”

Zim quirked his good antenna, smiling at her. He couldn’t have said it better himself. Tak’s outrage at the dirt-child’s filthy tactics pleased him. “He wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise.”

She snorted. “Again, your arrogance presents itself.”

One of Zim’s eyes narrowed slightly, although he didn’t stop grinning. “Arrogant? I, Invader Zim, arrogant?”

Tak rolled her eyes. “Are your ear-spots not working, or are you just plain stupid? YES, you are arrogant, Zim.”

Zim smirked. “My arrogance is justified.” He gasped when Tak gave his broken arm a rough squeeze, pulling away from her and grimacing in pain.

Tak snickered. “Justified? By what?”

Zim rubbed the sore area and scowled, although the salve was starting to numb the pain. “I don’t think I’ll tell you now.”

Rolling her eyes again, Tak stood up and put the cap back on the vial.

“Wait, don’t put that away yet—” Zim blurted out before he could stop himself.

Tak gave him an odd look. “Are you trying to give orders, Zim? If you are, I hope you realize that you are invoking horrible screaming pain upon yourself.”

Zim flushed a little. “I’m not. I just…need it somewhere else too.”

Tak’s eyes narrowed. “Where?” If he said what she thought he was going to say, she was going to let loose with the screaming pain and then some.

“My knee.” Zim moved the blanket aside, lifting his injured leg a little. “I don’t think it’s broken, but they did something to it...”

Tak reached out and probed the area, smirking when Zim gasped. “Tsk, poor little smeet...” she cooed mockingly. But when Zim shot her a hateful glare, there was something in his eyes that made her shut her mouth and the smug smile instantly faded.

“Don’t mock me.” Zim growled. “Don’t ever mock my pain, Tak.”

She blinked at him in surprise, unable to believe that the dumb fool of an Invader she’d come to take this planet from ten years ago was the same Irken that was sitting before her now. He had changed more than she thought...and for him to continue to surprise her was not a good thing…she didn’t like it when she couldn’t anticipate the enemy’s next moves…

Zim saw the hesitation in Tak’s eyes and sighed, shaking his head. “Never mind. I suppose it’s not all that important.” He looked at her curiously. “Why did you come down here anyway, if you’re not executing me until tomorrow?”

Tak scowled. “It’s my base, I can go wherever I want inside of it.”

Zim nodded. “I realize that. But why bother coming down to this room when I’m here? I thought you despised me.”

“I do.” She snapped, standing up and snatching the vial out of his hand, putting it back in her pak. “I just wanted to…to make sure you weren’t up to any trouble.”

Zim grinned. “I see.”

Flustered, Tak turned and walked towards the door.

“Wait—” Zim rose to his feet, forgetting about his injury and dropping like a stone, cursing loudly.

Tak paused, watching as Zim lay on his side, clutching the injured knee he’d just landed on, cursing a blue streak in the official Irken language. Her antennae quirked and she grinned, walking back over to him. “Well, it’s good to know you learned something in the Academy.”

Zim just clenched his teeth.

She shook her head, helping him up onto the bed again. “Now, what do you want?”

Zim met Tak’s eyes, his expression still tight with pain as he held his knee. “I…have a last request…” Zim swallowed hard. “I wish to know what happened to GIR…my SIR unit.”

Tak snorted as she pulled the vial out again and started rubbing the pain salve onto Zim’s knee. “You’re in no position to make such requests, and you don’t deserve to have them granted.”

Zim sighed, his antennae drooping slightly. “I know that.”

Tak suddenly realized the sincerity of Zim’s request, and frowned in puzzlement. “Why on Irk would you care what happened to a measly little SIR unit anyway?”

Zim smiled ruefully. “Because he was unique, unlike any other…and he was mine. I’ve never seen a single SIR that had such a strong personality, even if it was a completely ridiculous one.”

Tak considered his request for a long time, then stood and walked towards the door, letting Zim keep the pain salve. “I make no promises, Zim.”

***************************
Okay, first thing I have to say is....OMG I MET JHONEN VASQUEZ IN PERSON ON SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOOOO!!!! *does monkey dance* I have photos, but I won't be able to upload them until this weekend coming up. For now, I've scanned and uploaded the autograph he signed for me. If you wanna see, here's the addy: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/22336571/

And now...Lurve to all who reviewed! LURVE!!!!

To GothycCoalChambr: *bows* I shall continue, soldier! Read on!
To Levi: Thanks for reviewing! Welcome! *dances* I'm so happy to have another reviewer! *lurves* And yes, I must admit I'm glad I can write slash and het too, I'm terrified of being one-dimensional.
To Tamago: *Offers kleenex* thanks for reviewing! *lurve*
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Soldier of Fortune