There were still a few remaining on the line to the register. The wide, busy place reeks of dirt, sweat, and a smell of rust, but a different kind of rust, something new, something really rare, unusual, something

          unordinary.

          Yes, that's the word we're looking for. That's what everything is here after all. Well, most of it. At least they have a normal looking clothing store, not to mind the other odd clothes it has, but yeah, it's the most bearable. All of the things here, even the place, the gadgets, clothes, the people, or persons, or creatures - organisms, aren't things you see everyday, especially when you're someone like me, and planet-leaping (Yes, that's how they call road-tripping now, but with planets) wasn't always a part of the equation of your day-to-day life, just before yesterday. Not to mention I'm now at planet Xirio.

          Hell. I can only hope she doesn't get to me here.

          The line moved after the man (that's how he looked like to me) in front finished paying for the clothes, which were in what seemed like a good idea of a bag, but the store policy appeared to me that whatever is in that kind of a bag must be presented to the register at the table. And man could I imagine how hard it is. You see, his bag was a small pouched-shaped kind with white light on its metallic rim (which was foldable in half so the bag can be closed) that made it look cool, and everything he bought freaking made it inside the bag almost a whole hand's size - human hand's size, sorry. But it felt hard getting out a ton of clothes that would fit into a large sack out of that very small bag. He even showed a hologram of the list of what's inside the bag, but the register guy - creature (It's really confusing to tell which word really suits them, sorry about that. Wanna switch and be in this run-and-hide shit rather than me? I'm open for offers) insisted on him showing it all to him while he pays for the goods.

          He turned the bag upside down,  held out its rim, just a few seconds it took and the clothes came gushing out like entrails of a body, all coming out at once with such strong force that the owner of the bag and the clothes almost lost balance, but managed to keep it and not cut the momentum of the loud thuds and sounds of the products as they came falling out of the bag. Ugh, the smell, it's very... foul. Dust - if that's what those are - danced around as the clothes landed, and with it the smell. I covered my mouth and nose with my hands, but why is it just me that finds it foul? It stings my nostrils so hard that I thought something would've gone to my stomach and kill me. The smell, it didn't seem to bother anyone, except me. And surprisingly enough, the clothes' buyer as well. Huh, someone may be of help for me today.

          The register guy - creature, looked at the guy then at the goods with his bulge-shaped eyes that looked heavy and ready to close and let him sleep as he checked the clothes and its prices. Nothing common nor any relation can be seen with the clothes, but they all seemed to be in different sizes and bizarre designs. I didn't bother looking keenly since the line is taking forever, but I saw that one was a coat that extends to knee length, which I guess is an overcoat, but it had sturdy-looking, thorn-attached metal plates in parts that looked like what an armor would have, and the whole coat was almost covered by those, if not for the separation of the plates. Clever design, but how, just how will any creature (Yeah, I got the word right now, imbeciles) be able to wear that without hurting themselves?

          Two more creatures finished their businesses quickly. It was my turn now. I unveiled the jacket that I bought, with LED-looking white lights that trace the sleeves and through the back. I waited for the guy with the bag to turn right at the corner left of the register, and motioned as if I'd present the units equivalent to the jacket I'm purchasing. 

          Then the place shook, and a sound of something exploding can be heard.

          I had no time to lose. That's probably her.

          "The register. Show it to me, now." I motioned to the register creature that I was pertaining to the doohickey thing on the table. It had a holographic blue screen to type on.

          The creature spoke in his language that seemed gibberish, but I was able to make sense out of what he meant. "I'm, going to show it to you... but are you... sure you want to get that gun out in here?"

          His eyes just went from being heavy and uninterested to being alight and intimidating.

          Before I knew it, guns of all sorts were pointed at me. Who pointed them? The ones in the line to the register.  I looked down at my hand. It wasn't a hand now, but a blaster with a muzzle twice the width of my arm, and it was glowing with blue plasma charge. 

          "Shit." I whisper. I brought out my gun to the creature's chest by habit. Hah, I'm still not used to it, huh? I raised my hands slowly, and restored my blaster to being a hand again. I explained my intentions of looking at the register.

          "I need to know who that third guy in the register before me is. I need him to help me get to Ar."

          "You mean... the guy with the Bankpack... let me check..." and his eyes were back to being heavy again, then he began typing to unlock the register.

          As soon as he opened the list I was greeted with the name of the last person that purchased from the store. I hurriedly scrolled down. Scenio Hed. That's him.

          I bowed, unsure of how to thank someone in this new environment, then grabbed the LED-lighted jacket. "Thank you, mister, sir... Oh, yes, the units". I almost forgot. I transferred 20 units to him, and just as I was doing so

          a girl in a long-sleeveled, armored shirt showed up at the end of the hallway.

          It's her.

          Our eyes met, her eyes fixed on me more than ever, but hers had rage written all over them. Ah man, she's still so stunningly beautiful. But I can't. She can't get to me right now. I need... I need to go.

          She started charging towards me as I quicken my steps away bit by bit until I was running.

          "Rinz! Stop running!" I can hear her repeatedly yelling out at me. Her heavy breathing. Even her loud rapid steps behind. But I can't get distracted.  I need to get to that man now for all this to be over. I dash through the hallways and through turns leading to the Launch Bay while bumping to creatures fron time to time, pushing, shoving them to the walls unwarned. What do I care? Life will come to be extinct, again, if I don't do this. He's the one that'll help me save the universe. He'll help save everyone, even her. If I could just get to him...

          I spot Scenio walking casually towards the Bay just a few meters to his front. In his hand was the Bankpack, still glowing with white light despite the rims being folded. But that's not what I need from him. I ran and catch up to him while running out of breath. I managed to tap his shoulder so he'd stop.

          "Sir, you're, uhm, Scenio, right? You know... you know Linda?" I say to him between large breaths.

          "Yes, but why? Why would you ask me tha-"

          I stab his neck with a knife while I push him by the chin to the wall. Blood oozed, showering out of his throat, getting in my knife, then in my hand. A bit of blood suddenly went in my mouth, depleting the serious glare I had on my face as a cause of my composure. I let go of his chin, leaving his body to faceplant on the floor like a ragdoll. My knife clanged when I dropped it on the ground while I try to spit the what was in my mouth.

          "Pleh! Ptui! Ah shit," I yell as I tried to spit out the disgusting, light green blood out of my mouth. Then I saw my knife, blood on it evaporating into shiny crystal-like particles, then into nothing. It was a knife given to those like myself, and that was its feature that everybody likes - it cleanses itself of blood on its own. It lay there with its blade clear again as ever, reflecting the glimmering red lights in the hallway. Well, isn't it a beauty? But I can't help but be envious, because shit's still in my mouth.

          "Good for you you won't even be haunted by the taste of it, huh? Pleh..." I talk to the knife as if it is someone, then spit again. I still taste it even when I spit it together with saliva. Gross.

          Steps sounded from somewhere close, from the end of the hallway. She appeared, breathing heavily, charging again at me but as she did I grabbed the knife, put it in my back pocket, then stood in front of Scenio's corpse to avert her seeing this.

          "A... Ann, this is not what it looks like, that... That guy was like that when I got here." Then I started waving my hands in the air, still defending myself, "I didn't do this, okay? I didn't, it was all..." then she kissed me on the lips, her hands on my hair and my nape, her arms resting on my shoulders.

          "I know everything now, baby. They told me that you were an assassin, that Scenio was a threat, and you had to deprive me of knowing so for risk of confidentiality. I didn't believe them at first because I thought you went planet-leaping for an affair with some other woman, but now that I'm here, I know. You're still the man that loves me so much. I'm sorry baby. But you owe me for not telling me," then she pulled in to kiss me again. I kissed back, holding her, hugging her by the waist, tightly as I've missed her so much. Then I remembered.

          "Ann, I love you but..."

          "What?" she asked furiously.

          "Actually... I got blood in my mouth just now so-"

          She gasped, then screamed "What?! Why didn't you say so earlier?" Her face went sour and disgusted as she spit on the floor while wiping her tongue as if that would do anything. It just made her a lot more cute. I can't resist. I laughed at her while she resisted my hug and kiss on her cheeks.

          "I hate you, " she said with a pout on her face.
         
          "Look, I would've told you so if you hadn't had that, those, beautiful eyes when you, uhm, kissed me" I replied, stuttering.

          "Hmp, silly. You're too cute," she said while motioning to kiss me again, but I stopped her this time

          "Woah woah woah, blood, remember?"

          "Oh yeah, well here. Blood cleanser. It's supposed to work as a mouthwash as well as a handspray." She brought out a familiar-looking bottle from her pocket.

          "Where'd you get that? Oh wait, I see. You went through my stuff, did you?" I asked, mockingly.

          She giggled. As we cleaned our hands and gurgled using the liquid, I clicked on a number. "It's done. Well, the units?... Nice, okay. Clean this up now."

          Rough day, but at least I've saved my beloved. And the universe, at that.