Well, this is short I know, but I wanted some kind of conclusion between things with Aisha and Jim. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading and reviewing. Ja!

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Jim sat atop the roof of Starwind and Hawking, the gentle breeze ruffling his blond hair. It had been almost six months since that disaster with Stephen, and they still had more questions than they had answers. Who was Stephen anyway? Had he been working for yet another Pirate group, or was he simply in it for himself? Or was there a possibility that yet another group was involved in this whole mess? Jim sighed. It was impossible to find out anything from the man now. After the "incident", his mind had snapped. The best you could get out of him now was a, "good kitty." Jim grinned a little at thought. If anything, he wished he could have been there to see that.

A sudden scrape on the rooftop alerted him to another presence. Tensing, Jim turned to find himself facing one Aisha ClanClan, who was quietly picking her way over in an attempt not to disturb him. Looking up, Aisha noticed Jim's eyes on her, and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry Jimmy. You looked so peaceful, and I didn't want to bother you." Jim consciously willed his muscles to relax. He still jumped at every sound, even six months after everything that had happened. Forcing a smile onto his face, he replied to Aisha.

"Nah, you aren't bothering me. I was just thinking about…things." Jim trailed off a little when he realized he didn't really want to talk about what things he had been thinking of. Aisha didn't miss the hint of pain on the boy's face, and even she could put two and two together to figure out what Jim had been thinking of. Coming to a quick decision, she crossed the rooftop and sat down next to the boy. After a brief moment of hesitation, her arm swept out and pulled Jim into her.

"Jimmy…it's okay. I know you have the memories still, and trust me, they won't ever go away. With time, they will fade. Eventually, they won't be much more than some distant nightmare that you can't really remember if they truly happened or not." Jim tried to struggle out of the Ctarl Ctarl's embrace, but Aisha simply held him tighter. Finally giving in, Jim buried his face into her fur.

"I've never felt so helpless. I've always depended on myself, but this was a situation that I couldn't hope to get myself out of and there was no one else there for me." Aisha could barely make out his words, as muffled as they were. She slowly reached down and grabbed Jim's chin. Pulling his eyes up, she forced him to look directly at her.

"Jimmy, I promise you that as long as I am alive, you'll never have to do everything by yourself. It doesn't matter what you do or where you go, I'll be there. I promise you this, and Ctarl Ctarl promises are good as fact." Gone was the usually playful Aisha, and her place Jim found himself looking at a mature woman. Suddenly nervous at what exactly those words had implied, Jim was at a loss for words.

"Aisha…I…I don't…"

"It's okay Jimmy. You don't have to say anything. I meant what I said, and while you may be too young yet to understand, you will be someday. I'll wait." Suddenly the mischievous Aisha was back. "Besides, I don't think Jim or Mel will let me take away their little Jimmy until he's all grown up."

"Hey you, I'm not a kid. You take that back!" Jim smiled through the shouted words.

"Why don't you make me! Bleeeh! Catch me if you can!" With that Aisha went racing off the rooftop, Jim in hot pursuit. Maybe he was a bit too young for her now, him being only 11 and her being 18. But, was there really that big a difference between 18 and 25? As long as she was willing to wait, then he was too. Jim smiled as he went flying through the main room on Aisha's heels, rousing everyone there to the chase. He would wait as long as it took.