Hisui slowly swung the door open, pressing him to the wall adjacent so Richea could come in. She walked in, her eyes looking around the room with amazement. Hisui closed the door behind her and locked it.
"So...this is my apartment." He said lamely, spreading his arms out for a second. "It's pretty small..." He didn't want to buy some huge house, so he settled with a three room flat. A bed, bathroom, and a kitchen that shared a fair sized living room.
Richea was utterly amazed at something as trivial as his apartment, scrutinizing every detail and object in his apartment. Which made him uneasy, he was worried that his last week of not cleaning his apartment would catch up to him and disgust Richea. Though she looked as if she wanted slowly survey all the microorganisms in his kitchen, she didn't leave his side, even he walked into his room. She followed him like his shadow, which unnerved him.
"I'm just finding you something to wear...I might have my sister's clothes...And uh, Richea." He said and turned around, staring down at her pale face.
"Yes?"
"I don't know if this is because you're an alien or something, but it's creepy to follow people around this much." He said. A ghost of recognition passed her face. She nodded and silently walked away from him.
"I understand. You must value personal space a lot." She said. Standing at his door this time. At least there was some distance.
"You don't?" He asked, opening a drawer and digging through it.
"I do." She answered. "But I've had a lot of space between people. Too much."
So that was it. She spent a life as lonely too! He almost laughed at her, but stopped himself, because...damn it her kindness was contagious. Thinking she was lonely was odd, though he had known her for less than ten minutes, she was kind, beautiful, innocent, radiant...which made her the perfect candidate for an entire planet of friends. Her beauty alone would probably guarantee a huge list of suitors that would fight to the death for her.
"How?" He asked, curious on how such a lovely girl could be lonely or avoided by people...well unless her planet was full anti-social jerks like him. But even he was attracted to her, which was saying something.
"I'm a princess of sorts." She said and shrugged sadly. "I...well people have to keep their distance from me. Even then I have a bodyguard that will not allow anyone close to me."
"A princess?" He echoed, surprised. Though he was still trying to wrap his head around the notion, or the thought that she was from the Black Moon, so he was still in disbelief. "Oh no, I hope your body guard doesn't kill me." He said and chuckled jokingly.
"I...hope not too." She said with concern. He couldn't see her biting her lip.
"What is he your boyfriend or something? Like super strong and five hundred times bigger than me?" He asked, rolling his eyes, and finding a white skirt and shirt that was from his sister, plucking it out of his drawer. "Why'd you ask for my help if he's going to smash my skull?" He grumbled at this, knowing he'd probably get into a fight sooner or later if he did come.
"Well...no, he's not my boyfriend. He's my guardian." She said firmly. "Each of us is assigned a special guardian that we make ourselves. Kunzite...well...he's a bit strong. He's an automaton, so no man's strength is match for him." she said and shook her head.
"So you mean a robot?" -Richea nodded in affirmation. "Yeesh, aliens and robots go hand in hand then. What's next zombies?" He asked sarcastically and handed Richea his little sister's clothes.
Richea opened her mouth and raised a hand to object, but Hisui quickly interrupted her. "Actually, I really don't want to know." He said and sighed. This was getting crazy enough.
"Thank you, for your hospitality and kindness Hisui." She said again. "If there's anything I can do to thank you."
Staring down at her, Hisui blinked. Damn, he thought, oblivious must be bliss. "You're just very lucky you found me. Who knows what creeps would do to you out there." He wasn't the cleanest person alive, but at least he was trustworthy, and he wouldn't harm or do anything to her. He had morals.
"I am lucky, aren't I?" She chuckled sadly. She shook her head. "I...well, I'm going to change now." She announced. He pointed to the bathroom. "In your bathroom." She stated. He nodded. Was she being awkward or what?
"Okay." Hisui urged her on. "Call me if you need anything. I've got enough towels for you, I think..." He trailed off, following the length of her hair.
"You really have a nice home, Hisui." She said, still awestruck.
He really had no idea what she saw in his flat. There were no life in the walls or furniture, everything ranged from a boring black to a fading white, from the kitchen counter to the couch, to the towels to the bed sheets... He didn't have much furniture either. Besides a TV and a computer, there was nothing in his ordinary home furnishings that weren't extravagant or special.
"Uh...thanks." He said, weirded out by her behavior. Though, secretly, it made him kind of happy. She was too positive, which made him positive in return. "Do you want anything? Like dinner? Are you hungry?" He asked, then couldn't resist adding another question, "Do you ever get hungry?"
She shook her head emphatically, which made it cute. She was now in her sister's clothes, plus a black shirt Hisui offered her, after realizing his sister's clothes were a little too short in certainareas.
"I'm not that different." She said, pouting. "I'm human just like you. We speak the same language, don't we?"
"You're right...but that's weird, if you guys built robots and stuff, then why haven't you travelled here yet? Or why haven't we ever heard of you...we're so close to each other." He said, locking his hands behind his neck.
"Well...we were content with watching you for now. My sister wasn't so sure if contacting you was such a good idea, after all...none of use knew what you were like...but it seems you must have come to see us first." She said and frowned, tilting her head to one side. She walked over and sat next to him on his couch.
"What do you mean? No one has been to space yet..." He said. It was a fact. There were talk and rumors of sending small animals or robots (not nearly as close to what Richea described Kunzite though) to space. There was no apparent thought of humans ever reaching space yet.
"Are you sure?" She asked, grabbing the towel around her shoulders and setting it on her lap. "I'm sure it was Celland. They were the only ones close enough...but the only things I saw on their jackets that clued their origin was 'Velleia' on it." She began to wring her long, turquoise locks of hair above the towel.
"What? Velleia? How can the church control space travel?" He asked her incredulously.
"I don't know." She said, then somberly added, "They took my people. They might have murdered my people. I don't know what they were trying to do, but...now I don't have any family left." She tore her eyes away from his gaze and looked down at the towel on her lap.
"I...I'm sorry, Richea." He said and touched her wrist gently, lowering his hand to rest over her hand. If he weren't trying to console her, he would have clapped himself on the back for being so smooth. "If it helps, I don't have much of a family either."
"What?" She asked quietly as her lips quivered. She looked up at him. "I..." To be honest, it did kind of help her. To know that someone was just like her, she didn't think that she would meet such a perfect stranger. "It does help..." And she trailed off, too scared to add what she was thinking.
"It's really funny how similar yet different you are." He said, chuckling a little.
"Yeah...I didn't think you'd have lost all of your family." She said. "Because I had little family to begin with."
Hisui sighed. "Okay, Richea, I lied. I do have some family left." Her eyes widened. "I have a little sister, but she's got a boyfriend and is spending her life with that idiot-" he gnashed his teeth at the thought of Shing. Talk about over-protectiveness. "-and I have a grandma back in my hometown...but she's really old and barely remembers me. She barely remembers her own name sometimes. So I do have family...it's just that, technically, they're not there."
"Oh." She sniffled. He bit his lip and hoped she didn't burst into tears or call him a liar. "I see...but what about your parents?" She asked him curiously.
"Dead." He said and exhaled slowly. "I still remember them...but I know how you feel. Don't you have any parents? You always talked about your sister like she was the only one there..."
"Yeah..." she said. "My parents...I never knew them like you. But now I'm just sorry. I'm sorry for delving into your family history. I'm sorry for dripping water all over your apartment. I'm sorry I'm just a stranger that you have to look over. I'm sorry that-"
"Shh..." Hisui put a finger over her lips and silenced her. "Look, I'm taking you in as my responsibility. After this huge mush fest, I think it's better we get some sleep, okay."
She nodded. "Okay."
They had talked a lot. A lot of confusing stuff made his head ache, and he could tell Richea needed a well-deserved rest from all the crap she was facing.
He inwardly sighed. Just wait for tomorrow, he thought to himself, it'll be crazier with that girl for sure.
