"Curiouser and curiouser...."

Kyt mumbled to herself as she walked along the long hospital-like hallway. It was dark up ahead and there was no doors nor any signs of living creatures. She felt as if she had walked into some weird episode of Mysterious Mysteries. As she continued down the hall she saw a bright light, and a figure. She recognized it immediately. She bolted toward it on impulse.

"Dib!!"

       He turned and stopped Kyt in her tracks. That wasn't Dib. It was his father.

Dr. Membrane tilted his head to the side as if trying to figure out how to dissect her. She took several steps back, staring at the man wide-eyed. She couldn't think, her body wouldn't function. She just kept moving back until she hit a wall. Or so she thought.

Slowly turning her head, Kyt saw she was on a metal table slab. Just as she was about to jump off metal cuffs protruded from the bed, pinning her down. How typical!, She wanted to scream but her voice was mute. She squirmed and managed to let out a hoarse whisper, "Dib..."

She heard the slow tromping of footsteps. The halls suddenly reeked of death, rot, and decay. She could make out Dr. Membrane coming towards her, some sharp tool in his hand.

"Don't worry, this will only hurt a little."

Kyt's racing heart suddenly calmed at the sound of his voice. Zim's voice. Panic quickly set back in when Dr. Membrane raised the tool above his head. Her panic transformed into shock and sickness he lowered the sharp object to his forehead and dug it in.

He began to cut down his face, making no sound of pain or shedding any blood. In terror, Kyt watched. Once he got down to his navel his skin and clothes slipped off like a suit. Zim was inside looking at her with blank eyes. A smile spread over his face.

Gir was beside him in his human form, holding the tool. Blood was splattered across his face. "Hi, friendly friend."

A scream built up in her chest, but never came out as Gir lowered the knife-like tool into her chest. She felt no pain in her chest, only in her head. Her eyes were shut tight. She felt warm blood trickling down her stomach.

Despite the terror running through her she managed to open her eyes for a moment to see Zim still watching her, his face blank.

"Kyt!"

Dib's voice came out loud and clear, full of worry, straight up from the whispers that had begun to push their way into Kyt's mind. A scream echoed around her. She was unsure if it was her own or anothers. Before she had time to process it, she found herself gripping her desk, sweat running down her face.

Her eyes met Gir's curious ones before anyone elses. Then to Dib's and finally, Zim's; his lips moved silently. The world seemed to close around her.

Everything became blank and the whispering began again. It was maddening. Kyt was becoming slightly frustrated at her racing heart, overheated body, and insane pain. Again, her body would not listen to her brain. What.. is... wrong with me?!

A flash of light illuminated the darkness and all that had been happening ceased. It was quiet. Am I dead? She wondered to herself.

Suddenly , Kyt felt herself falling into the endless white abyss of light.

~¥~

Dib sat silently with his head between his hands, his arms rested on his knees. He sat in the hospital's waiting room, where Kyt had waited for him. His eyes were screwed shut. He couldn't get those awful, heartwrenching screams out of his memory. Or the image of her on the ground writhing in agony.

He had thought she was going to die.

He also felt... angry with himself. He hadn't done anything to help. He had become immobile at the thought of her death. It had been Gir to be the first to have any reaction. Any helpful reaction. He had simply picked up Kyt and ran with her at inhuman and inrobotic speed all the way through the city.

Zim had given Dib a worried glance. That was the first non-hateful look Dib had ever received from anyone, besides Kyt and his father. And over a girl.

Somethimg struck him in that moment. Dib raised his head to look at Zim across the small area, who was sitting in the same position as he, but his body was shaking. Gir was beside him, sipping away at a Poop Soda. His gaze returned to the Irken boy. He knew. He knew that the alien had feelings for the girl. A twinge of jealousy hit his heart.

As if Kyt would ever be with a disgusting creature like Zim!

Yet again... Kyt had chosen him to be her bestfriend...

~¥~

"Boys... and girl." The nurse said stepping into the enclosed area, clipboard in hand. "I am happy to say Miss Lucifine is fully awake now and she has requested to see all of you."

Zim's heart jumped happily at this. His squeedly-spooch erupted with butterflies. What ARE this strangely great, yet sickening feelings within ZIM?!, The Irken male wondered as he rubbed away his tears. Zim hadn't even known cold-blooded Irkens even had the capacity for such filthy humanly emotions. He was unsure of how to deal with them. They disgusted him. They angered him. They surprised him...

The last time he had ever felt this way over anything was when he had been hatched. He had loved the cold, unfeeling arm that had hatched him even though it couldn't love back. He hadn't known any better until given his Pak.

Zim watched as the Dib-monkey rose from his seat. The bigheaded worm baby seemed shaky. Interesting. Zim watched him with his normal impassive expression. Dib didn't even bother to look, only following Gir, who was skipping down the hall after the nurse.

After a few moments, Zim followed watching the two others. Gir had run Kyt to the hospital, while he and Dib-stink had watched her helplessly. This amazed Zim. After having the dysfunctional SIR unit for five years he had not once see him do something GOOD or sane, besides the one time he had put him in permanent duty mode.

Zim shuddered. That had ended terribly.

Zim wanted no further thought on it. When he made it to the room Kyt was in, no one noticed him. Dib and Kyt were talking with smiles and Gir was sitting on the other side of the bed, eating a cup of chocolate pudding.

Zim stayed at the doorway and leaned against its frame. He watched for several moments before Kyt looked up to see him.

"Hey." She gave him a smile, which he attempted to return.

"Hello, Kyt." He noticed something in her eyes was very strange, yet very familiar. He shook it off, "It seems you are better..."

Kyt smiled trying not to notice the way the alien boy's eye would twitch or how he would grimace every now and then... Was it really that hard for him to be polite? "I am fine. Thank you, Zim."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Zim's lips and he tilted his head to look down at his boots. He heard Dib shift a bit, sensing he wanted to get the girl's attention back.

Zim looked up at him, darkly. "Come, Gir. We have things to tidy up at... home..."

Zim seemed to gag on the word. He shuddered and turned on his heel towards the door.He didn't hear Gir following. He repeated in an irritated tone, "Come on, GIR."

"Okay! Hold on, sheesh." Gir sighed. Zim looked over to see the now humanoid-robot digging through his jacket with much focus. Gir finally pulled out his favorite rubber piggy, and held it out to Kyt. She took it, immediately hugging it tightly. "Thank you, Gir."

Gir barked happily. "BYE, KYTTIE."

Zim quickly continued on, Gir bounding after him.

The two humans watched the Irken and his robot leave them room. Kyt turned her glowing eyes to Dib, "So, where's Gaz?"

Dib scrunched up his face, "Home with Dad. She was here earlier, but she left...."

Kyt nodded with nothing to input or ask. They sat in there in silence for a few awkward minutes. Finally, Dib cleared his throat, "So, Kyt..."

He nearly froze up in shyness when her cat-like green eyes were back on him, calm and cool. He bit his lip, shifting from foot to foot. "There's a dance coming up in a month or so..."

He summoned the courage to look at the unnaturally beautiful girl. Sometimes he had to wonder if she was even human. "I was wondering if you would go with me?"

Kyt blinked dumbly. Then cracked into a grin. "Of course! I'd love to."

Dib slumped with relief. He had been preparing himself for an utterly horrible rejection. Like Gaz had demonstrated whenever he had brought up the subject a few nights earlier. It had not been a pretty demonstration.

Kyt smiled, reaching over to grab her friend's hand.

~¥~

A cackle came from the darkness. "How delicious!"

The slender purple eyes narrowed in glee at the monitor screen. "They're all a lot more oblivious than I had expected... Seeing as my little project has gone well... Why not expand it?"

The disimbodied voice laughed again, changing the monitor screen to two tall Irken males chowing down on snacks. One was clad in purple to match his eyes, the other in red, strongly resembling the idiot-brained Zim. The one in the shadows shuddered at the thought, blood boiling.

"Hey?!? Why did it get dark?!" Almighty Tallest Purple began to panick.

"Is it broken?" Red pondered, looking at it closer.

"Greetings, my Tallest." The co-rulers immediately jumped back in surprise.

While Purple began to whine over the spilt snacks, Red raised a curious brow. "That voice. Is it-"

"Yes, it is I, you baffoons." The voice snarled in annoyance. "Now listen... I have a propisition to make to make you rulers of this and any dimension you wish."

At this point, Purple had recovered his snacks and was listening. "ANY dimension, you say?"

The 'twin' rulers looked at eachother, then back to the screen, "We're listening..."