32

The red in Kenji's eyes disappeared completely before returning with a fierce but flickering brightness as he looked at Airi's mother in a panic, wondering what to do.

'Mom, I'll tell you everything inside,' said Airi, turning around once anxiously to ensure no one had seen them, before pushing past her mother and signalling Kenji to bring Shen-ja in and follow.

'What do you think you're doing!?' said her mother, glaring at everyone. 'Stop this right now! I do NOT want those aliens in here!'

'Please, Mom, they're harmless, and they're in danger right now!' said Airi, shutting the door behind them.

'Harmless? Have you seen what they're saying about those things on the TV?' exclaimed her mother. 'And you, how could you hide something like this from me, Airi? I found out from a television that my own daughter has been hiding an alien boy in her house! My house! How dare you?!!'

'Mom, I'm so sorry; I know it sounds kind of shocking, but in those circumstances, there was no other choice!' said Airi desperately.

'Well, now there is a choice! Send those aliens back to the military people for them to deal with, and get yourself out of this mess!'

'No!' said Airi firmly.

'How dare you oppose me?' said her mother, towering over her dangerously. 'You will do what I say! And I say that you will send them away!'

'Mom, I can't! They're not bad and they deserve so much better! Do you know—'

'Oh, please, I don't need to hear this nonsense!' said her mother frustratedly, shaking her head as she looked at Airi in disbelief.

'Will you at least listen to me?!'

'No! There's nothing to listen to! Do you realise that you are wanted by the military for treachery?! I still can't understand why you did something like this...'

'I don't care what they're saying about me!' exclaimed Airi. 'At least you should have some faith in me and trust that if I did something, I did it for the greater good!'

Her mother laughed darkly. 'Greater good? Really? I know why you did it! It's all because you like that boy, isn't it?' she said, gesturing towards Kenji as though he were some ugly, hateful thing.

'Well, so what?' said Airi indignantly. 'That's not what I'm trying to say right now!'

'But you are!' snapped her mother, before taking a deep breath and speaking a little more calmly. 'Look, Airi, I don't mind you having a boyfriend, but you can NOT have anything to do with that... creature!'

'He's not some "creature", he's a Zeljari!' said Airi.

'A what?!' said her mother incredulously.

'Just like humans live on Earth, the Zeljari people live on their planet Shian-sha!' said Airi. 'They are just as worthy of respect and friendship and love — yes, love! — as we are, and to diminish them as some sort of despicable creature and subject them to biased ill treatment is against everything on which we pride ourselves on being human in the first place!'

Her mother looked at her, rather taken aback. 'You're just like your father,' she said slowly. 'And you'll end up like him, too — ' Her voice quivered slightly. 'Dead in the line of duty!'

Airi blinked back the tears in her eyes as she thought of her father, who had been a brave police officer, and who had died many years ago during an ambush by a local gang.

'He was a hero,' she said with a sniff, 'and you know that!'

'I loved him too! I admired him and his virtuous principles!' said her mother, with an edge in her voice which told her that she, too, missed him very much. 'But he isn't here anymore! Idealistic people like him don't survive in a cruel world like this! And I don't want you to be like him!'

'Mom, I am like him, and I can't help it!' said Airi passionately. 'He taught me how to draw, do you remember? We used to colour together every night no matter how tired he was because he knew how much I loved art! We used to listen to the same music together! You used to say that we were crazy when we used to sing along to our favourite songs, out of tune but perfectly happy!' Airi wiped the tears off her cheek as she continued, her voice trembling with emotion, but steady with determination. 'He used to truly live life, Mom, and he taught me how to do that, too! His principles... they were a part of who he was, and I know that he wouldn't have had it any other way — even if he had known what was going to happen to him that night... he would still have gone! And I loved him for that! And I want to be brave like he was; I want to live and die for something that truly matters!'

'Why, Airi, why?!' said her mother, breaking down into tears. 'Why must you be so stubborn in this of all things, when you know what the consequences are! It's all your fault—' here she turned to Kenji aggressively. 'You've brainwashed her or something! What have you done to her!?!'

'I did nothing,' said Kenji quietly. 'All I did was love her!'

'How can you love her?! You're not even human!'

'Humans are not the only creatures capable of love!'

'They're saying that your people have no emotions!'

'We've all been lied to!'

'Your people are waging war against us!"

'Not any more! I want peace, and so does every Xeljari!'

Airi's mother paused and looked at him, her expression softening for a second before she retracted and frowned at him again.

'Even if you mean well, I don't want to see you with Airi again! You look so... weird! I will never accept you!'

'Mom, he's not weird, he's only different!' said Airi earnestly. 'Why do we always react with hostility to someone just because they aren't like us? I know, if Dad were here today, he would not have objected!"

Her mother looked away for a few minutes as she blinked away a stream of tears. At last, she turned back to the two of them, her expression softer than Airi remembered it being since her father had passed away.

'Did you really mean what you said, Kenji?'

Kenji looked at her determinedly. 'Yes, every word. I truly love Airi, and I won't let anything happen to her, or to humans in general. Our two races will live together in peace and harmony, not in war!'

'Airi, you do realise that siding with an alien means that the worst of humans become your enemies?' said her mother.

'I overcame that fear the day I stood up to the colonel who asked me to betray him,' said Airi resolutely. 'And I don't have any regrets!'

'Your father and I were just like this when we were young,' said her mother, smiling at them through her tears. 'Ready to take on the world together if it came to it! When he passed, I felt so alone, so betrayed, that day by day, I changed and became more world-wise, and slowly, I lost my old self... until you reminded me of what I was like once...'

Airi put her arms around her mother and embraced her.

'Oh, Airi,' said her mother, kissing her forehead and letting go. 'Very well; if this is how you want it, then there's nothing I can do. And you're right; your father would have been proud of you for the courage you showed for the truth. And he would have been happy to accept you, too, Kenji.'

She reached out and placed a motherly hand on Kenji's head, and he smiled, slightly surprised at the gesture.

A sudden noise from the wheelbarrow made the three turn towards it; Shen-ja was stirring, but he was still in great pain.

'What happened to him?' said Airi's mother worriedly.

'He's never been hurt this bad,' said Kenji, looking at him concernedly. 'God knows what the colonel did with him when he took him prisoner! And they call us savages!'

'We'll take him to the spare room to lie on the bed,' said Airi's mother, walking towards Shen-ja and feeling his forehead. 'Here, help me lift him up. And then I'll fetch some medicine from the market, and make him some special tea that will heal him — I know a remedy or two!'

'Thank you,' said Kenji, his voice full of emotion. 'I just want my friend to be okay again...'

'He will, don't worry,' said Airi's mother comfortingly. 'There, he'll be able to recover better now that he's on the bed — now I'll go quickly and get the things from the market!'

'She's so nice, after all...' said Kenji musingly, watching her as she fixed her hair before going out, the door clicking behind her as it closed.

Airi looked happily at Kenji. 'See?' she said thoughtfully. 'Today, my mother accepted you; accepted us. All it takes is love and sincerity to resolve any differences, any misunderstandings... A little more effort and convincing, and soon, our two worlds will be at peace with each other like this, too!'

Kenji smiled. 'You're right. At first, it seemed impossible for us to be able to change anything, but now... now... I have hope.'