9

A week had passed since Airi and Kenji had last talked. Ever since their fight in library, neither had given the other a second look. The assignment had been submitted and graded — their group had come first in the class — and since then, they had both avoided each other at all costs.

Kenji knew that Airi now hated him — of course she did — what else did he expect her to do after all that he had said to her? Humans were entirely different from his people, and to criticise the emotions they held so dear was bound to invoke the worst of that category towards himself.

But he had only said the truth — or at least, what he believed was the truth — and if Airi did not like him for that, it couldn't be helped. In fact, it was better that way. Ever since he had met her, his mission had been faltering; instead of trying to know more about humans, he had wanted to know more about Airi; instead of listing the strengths and weaknesses of humans, he was acting as though he were one himself.

Worst of all, he had been feeling — the very thing he knew he must not do. Without Airi around, it was easier to focus on what he was here for, and to continue to believe what he had always believed, without that annoying inner voice that told him he might be in the wrong.

So he avoided her; and he did not allow himself to look at her for even an instant lest he should grow weak in his resolve and fail at even this.

Airi looked up from her notebook during class and couldn't help glancing sideways at Kenji. She shook her head. He really was a cold person; ever since the library incident, he seemed to have vowed to have nothing to do with her whatsoever. Well, she wasn't going to apologise to him; she knew she had said the right thing. What else was she supposed to say to someone who didn't seem to have an ounce of humanity in them?

She wondered why a part of her still wished that he would talk to her again; tell her that he regretted saying those extreme things; tell her that he had a good reason for the way he acted; tell her that he wanted to be friends with her. Perhaps it was the childish joy that she had seen in his eyes at a simple bowl of rice. Or the cute confusion on his face when he had eaten ice-cream for the first time. Perhaps it was the unique perspective with which he seemed to see the world, that intrigued her in spite of herself.

Speaking of intrigue, she wasn't the only one; by this time, many of the other students had tried to talk to him, and they had all been struck by his oddities. Unlike Airi, most of them didn't take kindly to him even when he was painfully polite.

'That boy Kenji?' they would say to one another, 'what a weirdo he is!'

'He's got like, zero social skills.'

'Freak!'

'He's got some attitude problem...'

'We'll break him soon enough...'

Kenji paid his classfellows no heed. He had already marked them all as 'hostile', 'cruel', 'cowardly' and 'spiteful', amongst other equally flattering adjectives. They were all under the label, 'Typical Humans'. Airi was not in the list.

The bell rang and the school day was officially over. Kenji was left alone in the corridor when he spotted a group of four to five boys his age lurking as though in search of prey. Bullying. He knew the word well by now; this phenomenon seemed to be commonplace in human society. He saw them look at him with sly, malignant grins, and slipped away before they could try anything. He had more important things to do.

He hurried down a street and turned a corner, then walked on until he reached a side road. As he went on, the cars and passersby became fewer and fewer until there was no one but him on the lonely path. There was lush greenery on either side and a few wildflowers growing at the edges, but Kenji didn't stop to admire them.

He had seen a strange speck of light in the sky last night when he was returning home; and when he had looked at it again though the window before sleeping, it had been twice as bright. No human had seemed to notice it, let alone be alarmed by it; perhaps the few who had seen it had thought it was simply a large star. But Kenji had known immediately what it actually was, and it was for that very reason that he was walking here right now.

Kenji stopped abruptly. The road was broken in two by a sharp, clear line. He nodded knowingly. He stepped on the grassy expanse and continued his journey from there, following the fragments of camouflaged metal that only he could see hidden in the grass.

When he reached an open meadow with a strange circle around it, he stood still and called out. 'Ka rei ma nhang?'

He was met with silence.

He called again. 'Ka rei ma nhang? Simah nhang?'

This time, he heard a loud clunking sound from within the circle, and an invisible object struck his head hard before someone appeared in front of him.

'Xiennan! Elinna soyan ha!' the alien newcomer said excitedly.

'Yaaa, Shen-ja!' said Kenji, rubbing his head in pain. 'Yanchan hata!'

'Suna!' said Shen-ja apologetically. 'Ziyn jatana!'

The two of them looked at each other for a while, before Kenji gestured to his fellow to walk with him.

He agreed, but not before drinking the purple liquid that changed their form to a more human-like appearance.

Kenji watched Shen-ja's slow and painful transformation, and remembered his own first day on Earth. Unlike him, his fellow looked a lot more confident and sure of what he was doing. Perhaps it was just as well that he did, for his mission was even more dangerous than his own; as this was the same agent who had been dispatched earlier by his father to infiltrate the human military unit.

Together, he and Shen-ja were to give two halves of a comprehensive report about humans to his father before their people would attack Earth.

As they walked, Kenji filled him in on all the ways and quirks of humans and their world that he had learnt so far. Shen-ja asked a lot of questions, and Kenji answered them as well as he could.

'Shen-ja, tsuza la janya...' said Kenji to his companion, when almost two hours had passed and he had conveyed almost everything he knew. Shen-ja, about the language...

'Moala na xiejan!' said his fellow dismissively. Oh, that's no problem!

Kenji looked at him with questioning eyes, and Shen-ja smiled and walked back to the circle, signalling him to follow.

There was a loud clunking sound again as Shen-ja opened what seemed like an invisible door, and they both stepped in.

It was the inside of the spaceship he had come to Earth on, its gleaming silver walls rounded to form a perfect sphere, etched with various fine instruments and delicate machinery, and an unbreakable glass window above edged with shimmering diamonds.

Kenji, however, having seen such machines many times, was unimpressed by its interior. What shocked him momentarily was the sight of an unconscious human lying on the floor.

'Nhang pog lah ja?!' he asked in alarm.

'Do not panic needlessly,' said Shen-ja disapprovingly.

Kenji found it hard to return to being neutral, but he did it somehow. 'You have learnt human language already? You've only been here a day!' he said, barely masking his surprise.

'Well, as you know, I can wield the Force rather well,' said Shen-ja, a hint of pride in his tone.

'Why is this human here? Why is he unconscious?' said Kenji anxiously, looking at the floor again.

'Well, I had to obtain knowledge of the language somehow, and this nosy fellow happened to be there last night when I landed, before I could finish hiding the vehicle,' said Shen-ja matter-of-factly. 'So I just...took him.'

'Took him? Is he alive!?'

'Of course. He will live. It will just take him a few days to wake up, that is all.'

'But you know that we're not supposed to overuse the Force,' said Kenji reproachfully. 'It can be dangerous!'

'I suppose we should take him to the health centre, then,' said Shen-ja coldly. 'Sorry, hospital. But, then, he has seen rather too much, has not he? I will have to erase all his recent memories before I allow him to leave. But for that, he will have to wake up first...'

'If you don't take him to the hospital, he may never wake up!' exclaimed Kenji. 'And if you use the Force on him again so fast, he could go mad!'

'Please do not tell me what I already know. I will handle it. You manage your side of the mission,' said Shen-ja sharply. I have noticed a change in your manner, Xiannan... But then, you were always... like this...'

'Like what?! Is being concerned a bad thing now?'

Shen-ja frowned. 'Calm down! Please do not exhibit the unsightly temperament that humans have when you are talking to me!'

Kenji frowned back, but he did not say anything further. He walked to the door and waved to Shen-ja. 'Well, I must return now, before it gets dark; if you need any further information or help, you know where to find me. Goodbye.'

'Going already? Very well, then; goodbye, Xiennan. Tsush liex.' Success be with you.

Kenji nodded grimly. 'Tsush liex.'