Aki stood in Natsumi's empty room. A heavy, somber feeling was on her, pressing all around like a thick blanket. Her daughter was off in college now, training to be a flight attendant. Like her father, Natsumi longed to travel the world. But Aki wondered, would she see anything but the steel walls of an airplane? There were much better ways of traveling. And why just stick with this one world? Thanks to the Keronians, there were many more worlds to visit. Why wasn't she taking that opportunity? Deep inside, Aki knew that Natsumi just wanted to be as normal as possible. She sighed, then shrugged. At least Fuyuki saw the merits in having an alien friend. He was studying to be an ambassador for the "Pekopon" race. Her boy had always been calm and level-headed, like herself. The career would suit him.
Thinking about all of this suddenly made Aki feel old. Were her children really grown up already? She was too young for this. She didn't want this part of her life to be over. She didn't want to be alone. 'Should I date again?' she thought. Haru had moved on and left her behind long ago. He had been obsessed with travel, and the two had never married. Since then, she'd had a couple of other encounters with men, but none of them serious. Most men she knew couldn't see past her looks. They didn't notice how strong, kind, and capable she was.
The possibility of dating made her break out into a sweat. She pulled open Natsumi's sliding window, and stepped out onto the balcony. The fresh summer air felt good, but she wanted to go higher. 'The stars might be out tonight,' she thought. 'I haven't seen them in awhile.' Not really sure how she was doing it, Aki stepped up on the edge of the little balcony, then found hand and footholds against the outer wall to climb up. It was a short way to the roof, and she grasped the eave, hauling herself up. Then she stood, walked into the middle where it was flatter, and lifted her head to the sky. When she saw the vast clusters of stars winking at her, she smiled at them.
"Ku, ku, ku..." The high voice made her stomach clench a little, but then she relaxed. It was only Kururu. She wasn't afraid of him. She kept her gaze on the stars and replied to his strange greeting.
"Hello, Kuru-chan." A breeze blew, and she shut her eyes and enjoyed the way it caressed her long hair. She missed being touched like that. She felt Kururu's eyes on her, so she slowly turned around to face him. He stood a few feet away, his head tilted up, watching. The starlight glinted off his glasses, and when he saw her looking back at him, a faint blush colored his cheeks. Instead of turning away, he took a few steps toward her. The high "Piko, piko" sound of his footsteps were loud in the still night air. Aki was fascinated with that noise. She figured it was the squeak of their moist little feet as they hit a flat surface, but she wasn't sure. If only she was a Keronian herself, she could find out. She would love to inhabit that squishy, slippery body. When Kururu reached her leg, he stopped. For some odd reason, Aki wanted him to touch her with that tiny hand, but she knew he wouldn't. The two of them had been friends for years, and if he were to reach out to her someday, she would respond to him. They were already connected mentally, but it was an infrequent thing. Their signals would cross sometimes, then pull apart, and then cross again. It was like a neurological dance they did, and Aki took pleasure in it.
"Ku..." The soft noise floated up to her.
"You know...a lot of those are satellites, not actual stars." Kururu murmured. Aki continued to gaze at the shimmering orbs.
"Hmm...Well, metal comes from rock originally. So, in a way, the satellites are like children of the stars." Kururu was silent, but she thought she heard him take a breath. She waited, and when he didn't say anything, she asked:
"Are any of yours up there?" He sat down with a little grunt.
"Not any of these. My satellites have all floated out of your galaxy by now. I have one down in my lab, but he's stationary right now." Aki sat down beside him, her mind stepping back from the edge of melancholy and into something brighter.
"He?" She asked cheerfully.
"Ku, ku! More of a 'he' than an 'it', really. A lot of my creations tend to become sentient. I don't really know why..." He paused and looked up at her. She had a sense that what he'd said was a test.
"Meaning they have a mind of their own, right?"
"Right." His eyebrow arched, but Aki could tell that he was pleased, not annoyed.
"And this one doesn't want to be launched into space again." He continued, his tone tinged with amusement.
"Why not?" Aki leaned towards him, smiling.
"He says that it's too cold and lonely up there. Ku, ku!"
"But...that's what he was made for!" She laughed.
"Try telling HIM that! I'm his creator and he still doesn't believe me! KU, ku, ku!" Aki was laughing with him, and she felt it again. The connection. Then she felt something else. While he was laughing, he reached out and swatted her leg. It felt like a pat, and was such a playful move that she found herself reaching out and touching his head. His orange cap was softer than she thought it would be. She wondered what it was made of. Kururu's laugh faded, and he flinched a little. Aki thought she'd gone too far, but he didn't move away. A sudden cooler breeze whipped past them, and she felt him shiver under her hand. She pulled back and looked at him, making sure he was paying attention. Then she lightly tapped a spot on the rooftop. A spot that was right between her legs. Kururu's face grew red, and he choked on a "ku."
"It's okay, Kuru-chan." Aki's voice was silk.
"You don't have to sit on my lap or anything. I just thought that if you leaned against me, you'd get..." He was already stepping over her outspread leg and sitting down between them. He pressed his back against her stomach.
"Better?" She asked.
"Ku..." came his whispered reply.
If she had been wearing a coat or a robe, she would have tried to wrap it around him, but the night was warm, and she hadn't thought about it.
"It must be like a jungle on Keron." She said suddenly. "The humidity and heat, I mean."
"The weather is perfect all the time there." He sounded far away, and she wondered if he wanted to go home. That thought made her sad. She visualized him leaving, all of them leaving, and her...never seeing them again. She realized how much she'd come to love her alien friends, and how extraordinary it was to have them in her life. Then, unconsciously, she reached out with her arms and wrapped them around Kururu's small body. He jumped, and gave a little squeak.
"Aki..." But it wasn't a warning. He sounded breathless, almost urgent. She took her arms away.
"Sorry, Kururu. I didn't mean..."
"You've gotta warn me before you start doing stuff like that!" He stood up, and walked a few Keronian steps from her. He looked lost and confused, and for the first time, Aki realized that he didn't have his laptop with him. What had he been doing up here before she came? Had she interrupted some profound epiphany? Suddenly she felt like a trespasser. Even if it was her own roof.
"Kuru-chan," she whispered. "Would you even say 'yes' if I warned you first?" His back was turned to her.
"Maybe. Maybe not. You're a beautiful woman, Aki Hinata. You're hard to resist." He was being unusually serious. He hadn't even laughed. Aki found herself sighing at his words.
"That's what all men say."
"Ku, ku. Maybe all men are right." Aki stood up quickly.
"Maybe all men are shallow idiots. I thought you could see beyond that. But maybe all men, even aliens, are the same." Her voice was cold and it trembled a bit. Kururu was still for a moment, then said:
"Tch. I only said that you were beautiful. I didn't specify about the outside or the inside." He was looking at the stars again, and Aki stood still, waiting.
"And?" She whispered.
"Both." He turned his head and looked at her.
"But I'm starting to sound like Saburo's poetry. So...let's get off this damn roof now. I'm cold. Ku, ku." Aki smiled at him.
"If you meet me in the kitchen, maybe I'll make us some tea?" She ventured. He stuck his thumb out, giving his okay. Then he slowly sauntered to the edge of the roof, and stepped off. Aki stifled a gasp. She should be used to his antics by now. When she looked over the edge, he was on his tiny yellow hover craft, and it was lowering to the ground like an elevator. She followed after him, jumping first onto the balcony, and then sliding the glass door open into Natsumi's room. When she'd gotten down the stairs. the kitchen lights were already on. The teapot was on the lit burner, and Kururu sat at the table, two mugs in front of him. She could even see her lavender one there with the leaf on it. How did...?
"Cream or sugar? Ku, ku!"