The Last I Love You


          Ataru once again woke in a cold sweat, his heart beating a
     million miles a minute, and tears flowing from his eyes.  Looking
     out the window he noticed the sun was just starting to rise.  He
     walked over to the closet where Lum usually slept hoping beyond
     hope, like he had been doing for the past few months, that
     everything that happened was just a bad dream.  Ataru slid the
     closet door open quietly praying to see Lum's angelic face
     sleeping therin, with Jairten in her arms, but reality hit him
     once again as only her tiger skin blanket was there and nothing
     else.  Grabbing the blanket and holding it tight the memory of
     that day came rolling back over him as it so often did nowdays...

+++FLASHBACK+++

          It was almost graduation time and suprisingly Ataru had made
     the grade, even if by just a very narrow margin.  He was looking
     forward to post graduation events but first he had promised to
     see Lum off as it was also time for her to go home and renew her
     passport so she could stay on earth.  Ataru smiled to himself, a
     while back before Lum's abuction by a now former fiance {author's
     note: referance to Final Chapter,  I can't remember the
     characters name} he would have been overjoyed at her leaving for
     a while so he could go on his girl chases in peace.  Since that
     event though he had found himself mellowing out somewhat.  This
     is not to say he had given up on chasing girls, he just didn't do
     it as often.  He also found himself spending time with Lum and
     even taking her out on the occasional date.   It was with these
     thoughts in his head that Ataru arrived at his back yard where
     Lum's UFO was parked.

           Lum had just put Ten on board when she noticed her Darling
     walking up.  "Darling you came!!" Lum exclamed happily.  She had
     been a bit worried that he might not show, after all old habits
     do die hard sometimes.  "Of course I came, I said I would didn't
     I." Ataru responded.  He knew that she had thought that he might
     try to skip out but decided not to say anything about it.  Lum
     just smiled and ducked into the saucer for a second and came back
     out with a small box.  She walked over to Ataru and handed it to
     him still smiling.  "Whats this??" Ataru asked eying the box that
     now rested in his hand.  "Open it and see." was all Lum would
     say.  A bit of paranoia reasserted itself in Ataru as he slowly
     opened the box.  Even though Lum had not tried any of her
     contraptions on him or tried to make him eat some of her cooking
     lately he still didn't want to take any chances.  All that rested
     in the box was a tiger striped locket on a silver chain.  Ataru
     took the locket out of the box and poped it open.  Inside was a
     lock of green hair and a picture of Lum with the words 'Happy
     Graduation darling, Love Lum XOXOXOXOXO'.  He replaced the locket
     back into the box and said "thank you Lum it's Lovely."smiling
     once again at her.  "Oh Darling I'm s glad you like it" Lum
     squealed as she glomped onto Ataru, "Since I won't be here for
     graduation I thought I would give it to you now".

         "LUM-CHAN WHEN ARE GOING TO LEAVE?!?!?!?" Jairten yelled from
    inside the ship.  Lum sighed and broke off the embrace.  "I will
    be gone a few days but I'll hurry back as soon as I can," she said
    as she got into the ship "I love you darling." was the last words
    Ataru heard as the door slid closed.  A few minutes after Lum had
    launched Ataru started getting a real queasy feeling in the pit of
    his stomach,while watching the thin stream that Lum's ship was
    leaving in the upper atmosphere, as if something really bad was
    going to happen. As if on que a bright flash of light appeared
    right where Lum's ship would have been.  The queasy feeling soon
    became a feeling of utmost dread and fear as he watched what
    seemed to be a shooting star, except it was daytime and therefore
    to bright, fall from the point he had last figured Lum's ship to
    be.  The falling  object grew brighter and brighter as it streaked
    towards the ground, and Ataru found him self running in that
    direction yelling Lum's name over and over.  A few seconds before
    the object impacted Ataru could swear he heard Lum's voice whisper
    'I love you Darling....' and he heard himself say "I love you too
    Lum-chan".  He could almost mentally visualise Lum's smile as a
    Blinding white light when off along with a very loud earth-shaking
    boom.

        The Oni arrived a few days later to help recover the wreckage
        as
    the inside of the crater was a bit on the ionized side.  Ataru sat
    behind the barracade the entire time not moving, when he saw them
    bring up a charred body out of the wreckage that seemed to be
    holding a smaller body in it's arms.  Seeing this Ataru screamed
    out in anguish and passed out.

        The funeral was quite elaborite as Lum's parents, and Shutaro
        Mendo
    pitched together making sure Lum had nothing but the best.  During
    the burial people would stop by and express thier condolances to
    the familys and Ataru.  While everyone wept Ataru just sat there
    like a zombie.  Sakura could not help but worry about Ataru. 
    After the service was completed she returned to the temple and
    consulted her crystal ball, but no answer was forthcoming.

+++END FLASHBACK+++ 

 Sakura looked up from her crystal ball as Ataru walked in, what
    suprised her was what Ataru was wearing.  He was wearing Lum's
    blanket as a cloak along with a tiger striped locket on a chain
    and on his finger he wore the ring Lum gave him when they had
    first attempted to get married.  Ataru walked up and whispered
    something in her ear. Sakura nodded and went into her room
    returning after a few moments with a monks staff....

 Almost the entire town was out looking for Ataru  after he had been
    reported missing.  When they asked Sakura if she could scry for
    him in her crystal ball all she would say is "Why?  all he's done
    is go for a walk".

Epiloge.....

        Sakura was out tending the graves when she noticed someone
        over by
    one of them.  "Who is that??" she wondered as she hobbled her old
    bones over that direction. "There hasn't been anyone over at those
    graves in 20 years" she mumbled to herself remembering that it was
    the Moroboshi plot that the person was at.  When she finally got
    over the person was just getting ready to leave.  Sakura noticed
    he was wearing a old and worn cape with tiger stripes.  Something
    about this tickled her memory but she was not quite sure what it
    was.  The gentleman turned to face her as he he heard he r
    approach.  He bowed humbly to Sakura and started to walk away.
    Just before he was out of earshot Sakura heard him say "Good to
    see you again Sakura-san" then he was gone.  Looking down at the
    grave marker she read the name of the grave the man had been bent
    over 'LUM'.  She also saw two small dolls sitting on the marker,
    one of a boy in a school uniform and one of a green haired girl
    with horns.  The dolls seemed to be holding hands.  Sakura looked
    off in the direction the man had gone and said "Good travels
    Ataru".

FIN              


***************************************8
Authors Notes.
Well since I just finished ch1 of village Tale and since It's been a
while since i posted anything, I thought I would pop these back out
since they have been cleaned up a bit since they first hit the ML All
C&C, MST, R&R's are welcome. Be kind this was the first fic I put 
onto to the list

See you on the flip side,

Rabbit