Hola, Peeps and peepette's of the internet. I give you the next chapter with love. Hope y'all enjoy and don't forget to review.

SergiusTheGreat: Kasumi? Sorry, no Kasumi to be seen here. No one sees Kasumi. Ever.

EddyPM: Thank you. Hope you'll enjoy this next helping of plot-stew.

Kafaei-Detour: Well I hope I live up to your expectations.

Chapter 2: Introductions

"It may have been seven years ago, Hiroshi, but I still remember it like it was yesterday." Michael told him from across the table. Hiroshi took a sip of his tea and nodded in agreement. The two of them were in the kitchen in Michael's apartment, drinking and reminiscing about the accident that shook the entire colony to its core.

"It's fortunate that Pranae was unharmed after all that. I can't imagine what things would be like if she was." Hiroshi said. He put his cup down and took a bite out of a biscuit from his plate.

"I'm just glad that she gave birth to a healthy boy." Michael said with a faint smile. Hiroshi smiled knowingly and nodded.

"Yes, Klenon is a joy isn't he?" he asked.

"Like he's my own flesh and blood. I really do feel like he's my own." Michael said with a proud grin.

"Like you're the luckiest guy in the galaxy. That's how I felt when Kasumi was born. She's my pride and joy." Hiroshi said. He looked around Michael's apartment and furrowed his brow.

"Speaking of Kasumi, I wonder where she went."

…

Kasumi happily skipped down the hall of Michael's apartment. She had never been here before. Everything looked so new and exciting for her. She looked around at the things hanging on the walls, paintings and pictures of every possible thing. It all looked so valuable and irreplaceable. She had half a mind to take them so she could stare at them all day.

She came to a halt when she almost ran into a door at the far end of the hall. She reached up and ran her fingers through her dark brown hair tied in a neat bun.

I wonder what's in here. She thought. She turned around to make sure nobody was watching her and quickly opened the door before anyone noticed.

The bright white light poured into the hallway. Kasumi had to cover her eyes to stop them from hurting. She squinted through the bright light and saw a giant bubble like the ones her dad blew from a soapy wand, but this bubble was different. There were thick, metallic wires shooting out of it like tentacles and lights that almost looked like menacing eyes. Kasumi was afraid that it was a monster, but then she noticed what was inside.

A small, pale boy was inside, stacking colorful blocks on top of one another. He wore a light blue jumpsuit and his eyes were a milky white. All around him were toys and a small cubby hole with a bed inside. He didn't seem to notice her so she curiously took a few steps inside. The boy stood up to stack another block on top of the tower he was making. The tower rocked unsteadily as he tried to place it the final piece. The boy tried his best to keep the tower steady, but the more he moved the block, the more the tower shook.

After a few adjustments, the boy felt confident enough to let go of the block. The entire tower came down in front of him and the blocks flew around his feet. With a huff of disappointment, he sat back down on the floor and started stacking the blocks again.

Kasumi stepped closer to the plastic bubble and put her hands on it. The boy still didn't notice her. He definitely didn't look like her or her mom and dad; or anyone else in the colony for that matter. So many questions were in her mind and she wanted the answers to all of them.

She pressed her nose against the bubble and continued observing him. He began stacking the blocks in a pyramid shape. Kasumi's dark brown eyes watched curiously as he continued building. When he finally finished he got up, went to the opposite side of the bubble and ran through them making monster noises.

Kasumi laughed at his playfulness. Her laughter got the boy's attention and he turned to face her. His eyes widened and he awkwardly wrapped his hand around his arm. Kasumi decided to be friendly and waved at him. The boy just looked down at the floor, refusing to make eye contact.

"Hi. My name is Kasumi. What's yours?" she asked politely. The boy nervously played with his feet and shrugged. Kasumi noticed how different he was from her. His shins were curved, he only had three fingers, and there were only two toes on his feet.

"Are you a monster?" she questioned. The boy shook his head. Kasumi got more curious and poked the plastic bubble.

"Why are you inside this bubble? Are you sick? Do they let you outside?"

The boy shook his head again. Kasumi walked around the bubble to try and find an entrance. The bubble took up the entire room and Kasumi had to squeeze through the small space between the bubble and the wall. The boy just watched her move around. He had never met this girl before. Then again, he had never met anyone besides his mom and dad and one of dad's friends. He was a little scared that she'd break the bubble.

"So how old are you?" she asked again. She didn't get an answer. Kasumi sighed and stopped at the front of the bubble. The boy was gathering up his blocks and putting them in a red box.

"Do you want to play?"

The boy stopped. He never had somebody to play with, but he was nervous about her. Kasumi watched as he picked up the box and put it inside the cubby hole next to the bed and crawled inside. The boy gave her one last look before the cubbyhole's door closed, sealing him from view. Kasumi knocked on the plastic but the cubbyhole's door didn't open.

"Are you shy?" she asked loud enough for him to hear. No response.

He has to be shy. He's afraid to talk to me.

"Come on, I won't bite." She teased. She hoped that a joke would get him to open up. The room stayed silent. The only sound Kasumi could hear was her dad's deep voice from the kitchen. Determined to get him to talk, Kasumi sat down cross legged and pulled out a paper crane from her pocket.

"I have a toy for you." She said. She set the crane in front of her and waited. Shortly after, the cubbyhole's door opened, but the boy didn't crawl out. Kasumi sat up and smiled. "I want you to have it."

The boy eyed her suspiciously. He slowly crawled out of his hole and sat down in front of her, the plastic material of the bubble separating them. He pressed the tips of his fingers against the plastic bubble. Kasumi furrowed her brow and looked up at him. Their eyes met only for a second before he directed them away.

"Can you get out?" she asked. The boy shook his head and then pointed at the paper bird in front of her.

"It's a crane." She explained, holding it up for him to see. "I made it out of paper."

The boy gave her a puzzled look. She set the crane back down and scooted closer. "What's your name?"

"K-Klenon." He squeaked. Kasumi had to suppress a grin. She was getting through to him. Klenon got up to his knees and pressed his hands against the bubble.

"I've never seen you before. Are you a friend of my dad?" he asked. Kasumi shook her head. She couldn't help but stare at his three fingered hand. Each individual finger was thicker than her own. Klenon followed her eyes and pulled his hand away. His cheeks were burning and he couldn't help but blush. He felt like she was studying him like an animal at the zoo.

"You're not human are you?" she asked. Klenon looked at her then shook his head.

"My mom says I'm a quarian. She said I can't leave until I get older." He said solemnly. He sat back down and casted his eyes downwards with a sigh. Kasumi's deep brown eyes scanned the bubble again. There was no clear way how he got in there. She guessed his mom only knew how to get him out. Her eyes centered back on Klenon. His eyes were closed and his hands cupped his cheeks.

"I can come back and talk with you. You're nice. Want to be friends?" she asked. Klenon's eyes shot open, but he didn't move. He looked up and stared at her. No, he wasn't staring at her, something behind her.

"Kasumi, what are you doing here?"

She turned around to see her father towering over her. A nervous smile appeared on her lips. Her father bent down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. His face was blank, but Kasumi could tell she wasn't in trouble.

"Dad, can we bring him out?" she inquired, pointing at Klenon who scooted away from them. Hiroshi looked at Klenon with an observant stare and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Kasumi, we can't. Pranae said he can't leave there." Hiroshi explained to his naïve daughter. Kasumi nodded understandably the whispered something in her dad's ear.

"I don't know sweetheart. We'll have to ask Michael first. But we have to go now." Hiroshi said. Kasumi reluctantly nodded and stood up. She stared at the paper crane on the floor for a second before she turned her attention to Klenon, who was retreating back to his bed.

"You can keep it." Kasumi said while pointing at her creation. "I can make more."

Klenon turned around. His eyes fell on the bird and he walked back towards her. "…T-thank you…" he stammered as he knelt back down. "…Kasumi."

Kasumi replied with a smile and a nod and took her father's hand. Together they left Klenon's room. Klenon smiled at the bird then went back to his bed. Kasumi looked up to her dad and tugged on his hand. He bent down and she whispered, "He's nice."

Klenon watched the girl leave from his bed. He found himself smiling that he made a friend. He looked back at the crane on the floor. Once his mom or dad came to check on him he'd ask them to bring the crane inside. But for now, Klenon crawled into bed and slowly drifted to sleep.

The next day had been quiet. Klenon awoke to the pleasant sounds of birds singing outside of his window in beautiful unison. He spent the majority of his day examining the paper crane that was now in the middle of his bubble. His mom had noticed it when she came in to check on him and put it inside when he asked.

He picked it up and began flapping its wings. Its smooth texture sent an unfamiliar sensation through his fingertips. He didn't know how Kasumi made it, but it definitely looked like it took her a long time to do it. He felt bad that she put all this hard work into something so elaborate and just gave it to him without a second thought.

He gently placed the crane on his bed as if it were made of glass and grabbed the datapad next to it. He lay down in bed next to the crane and started reading.

Little did he know that a very serious conversation was happening right outside his door.

"Michael, we received the test results last week. We went over them four times and the results came back the same. There is a very strong possibility that Klenon may have eezo nodules growing in his spine." Dr. Vicks said. The blonde-haired man watched as Michael leaned against the wall. He ran a hand over his hair and looked down at the ground.

"So what does that mean? Is Klenon a biotic?" he asked disbelievingly. Dr. Vicks lightly skimmed through his notes on his omni-tool. The air filled with a dreadful silence as Michael patiently waited for an answer.

"Not yet." He finally said. "The eezo nodules have to develop throughout his entire body before we can officially classify him as a biotic. But from the looks of these charts, I'd say that it isn't out the window."

Michael nodded solemnly. Thousands of things were running through his mind at a blistering pace. They were barely able to make ends meet now, how were they going to raise a biotic child?

"What am I supposed to do? If he does turn out to be a biotic…there's so much we have to provide for him if he is." Michael proclaimed. Dr. Vicks nodded understandably.

"Not everyone can afford to give their child the necessary utilities. If you cannot, you do not need to give him the amp. He can live his life without it." He said. Michael took a few quick paces, running the possible scenarios through his head, before stopping in front of the doctor.

"I just don't know. I need to talk this over with Pranae, can you come by tomorrow? We'll have a definite answer for you then." Michael asked. The doctor slightly nodded.

"Of course. I'll come around tomorrow afternoon. If you do decide to provide your son the amp, we'll go through the necessary paperwork." And with that, Dr. Vicks left Michael in the hall and exited his apartment.

Michael pinched his nosebridge with worry. He couldn't believe his luck. The one thing that he wanted to stay in the past just came back. And to make matters worse, it was affecting his son. He could only hope that it wouldn't affect his life too much.

Michael heard a knock on his door; he crossed the living room and opened the front door. Pranae was on the other side, wringing her hands nervously.

"So…I just talked with Dr. Vicks." she said slowly. Michael nodded. Without a word, the two pulled each other into an embrace. Michael sighed and rested his head on her shoulder.

"We'll figure something out okay?" Michael said. Pranae nodded and after a while the two let go of each other.

"What did the doctor tell you?" she asked. Michael looked back towards the hall that led to Klenon's room as if his son was hiding around the corner.

"Klenon's not an official biotic until the eezo nodules grow throughout his entire body. But Vicks said there is still a large chance that he could be one." Michael said. The two walked inside and sat down on the couch.

"And he said that if we can't afford to give him the amp, we don't have to give it to him. Normally, they wouldn't give us an option and put it on themselves then ship him to BAat, but since Klenon isn't human, they not going to let him in." he finished. Pranae looked down at the floor with a frown.

"I see. So we're left to deal with this on our own." Pranae said. Michael wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"It's alright. We'll get through this. If we can't give him the amp, he's doesn't need it. He can live a normal life." Michael said, hoping to comfort her. His words had their desired effect. Pranae visibly relaxed and leaned back in the sofa.

"I guess so. Should we tell him?" she asked. That question gave Michael pause. Klenon was always protected in every sense of the word. He was ignorant of all the things that happened outside his bubble. It was his own little world, yet if Michael told him about his biotic abilities, it could all come crashing down.

"I don't know. I have no idea how he'll take it." Michael admitted. Pranae leaned her head against his shoulder. After a brief moment of silence, Pranae spoke up.

"Maybe, if we decide to not get the amp for him, we don't tell him. It's no use for him to worry about it if we do nothing about it." she suggested. Michael rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I think you're right. So if we don't get it, we don't tell him. If we do…then we'll tell him. Agreed?"

Pranae nodded. "Well at least we can finally agree on something."

A slight smile tugged at Michael's lips. "True. I'm having the Goto's over for dinner. So remind me to put some extra plates down."

A few hours passed. Inside the bubble, Klenon was running his finger over a screen on a small tablet. He was reading a book that Michael had given him. Since he wasn't able to go outside and sometimes he would get bored of his toys, he'd resign himself to reading. His dad always told him it was good for him.

The door to his room opened. Klenon looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see Kasumi there, wearing a long, red silk robe with gold linings and her hair tied in a neat bun. She sat down in front of the bubble like yesterday and her painted lips curved into a smile.

"Hi. What are you doing?" she asked. Klenon looked down at the tablet.

"R-reading." He said somewhat awkwardly. Kasumi leaned forward to get a peek of the tablet.

"It's about a boy with magic powers that fights bad guys that are trying to take over the world." Klenon said. "I like it."

Kasumi pulled away and noticed the crane next to Klenon's bed. "They put it inside?"

Klenon looked back at the crane and smiled before turning back to her. "Yeah. My mom put it in."

"I met your mom and dad. They're nice." She said. Klenon looked down at his feet and tapped them together.

"They play games with me sometimes. Sometimes they even play games in their room. I can hear them laughing in there at night." Klenon said.

"Why does your mom where a suit?" Kasumi asked bluntly. "I asked her and my dad told me not to talk about things like that."

Klenon eyed her curiously. "She says because she's different, she has to hide in a suit."

"What about you?" Kasumi asked. "You look different. Why aren't you wearing a suit?"

"Mom says I'm not old enough." Klenon said quietly, as if ashamed. "So I have to stay in here."

"It's no fun." He added with a sigh. "I've been here forever. I want to get out."

"What if I ask your dad?" Kasumi asked. Klenon shook his head and lowered his eyes.

"Dad won't let me either. It's not fair. I keep asking them, but they never let me out. I feel like I did something bad." He said. Kasumi scooted closer so that her knees were touching the plastic material of the bubble.

"I don't think you did something bad. You're really nice." Kasumi said with a small smile. Klenon shrugged with slight embarrassment. He wasn't used to compliments from somebody that wasn't his mom or dad.

"Ummm…okay. Thank you?" he said. Kasumi stifled a grin.

"You're really shy. I guess you don't have a lot of friends, right?" Kasumi questioned. Klenon looked back at his bed. The paper crane stayed next to it, watching over the room like a watchful guardian.

"No. I don't have any friends." He finally said. "Mom always told me that I didn't need friends; that I should keep reading and playing until I get older. I don't know why. She never tells me why."

"I can find out. I'm good at asking questions. You just have to be very nice." Kasumi said with confidence.

"Uhh. Okay. Thanks…again." Klenon said. Kasumi nodded and got up to her feet.

"I'll be right back."

Kasumi left Klenon's room and tiptoed through the dark hallway. Orange sunlight light burst through the windows and spilled into the living room. The smell of chicken and spice flooded Kasumi's nostrils as she rounded the corner and into the kitchen. Klenon's parents as well as hers were all eating and talking and laughing at the table.

Time to get into the act. She thought. She put her hands behind her back, put on her adorable smile and walked up next to Klenon's mother.

"Hi. You look nice." She said sweetly. Pranae looked down and smiled.

"Hello. You have a really polite daughter." She said to the Goto's. Hisoka and Hiroshi nodded and continued eating.

"Why is Klenon inside the bubble? He says you might know." Kasumi said. Her parent's immediately stopped eating and gave her a stern look. Pranae was taken aback by her forward question. Michael just seemed amused at the whole thing.

"Kasumi that isn't-"Hiroshi said.

"No no. It's okay, Hiroshi. She's just curious." Pranae said. She turned back to Kasumi, who was lightly bouncing on her toes waiting for an answer.

"He has to stay in there because if he doesn't he'll get very sick." Pranae said. Kasumi nodded and almost instantly replied with another question.

"Why doesn't he have any friends? He's always reading or doing something boring like that." She said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Kasumi, that's enough. If you want, you can be his friend." Hiroshi said calmly but firmly. Kasumi huffed and disappeared back into the dark hallway.

"She asks a lot of questions, doesn't she?" Pranae quipped.

"She's always like that at home. Always wants to know about everything around her. I guess she's naturally curious." Hiroshi said. Hisoka held his arm and grinned.

"That's good, Hiroshi. It'll make her more observant in the future, more knowledgeable. She can use that to succeed in any career she chooses." Hisoka said.

"Yeah, guess you're right about that."

Kasumi opened the door to Klenon's room. He saw still sitting where she left him, eagerness shining in his eyes.

"They said you would get sick if you got out. I guess you'll get better when you get older." Kasumi told him while she was sitting down. The shine in Klenon's eyes faded and he started playing with his thumbs.

"She…she said I would get sick? I-I didn't know that." He said barely above a whisper. He looked up and for the first time since they met, his eyes met hers.

"Thank you I guess. I know why I can't leave. I owe you, Kasumi." He said before he broke off eye contact and went back to looking at the floor. Kasumi still smiled. She felt like she was getting through him.

Klenon looked back up and put his hand against the plastic wall. Kasumi realized the gesture and put her own hand up against his. She could feel a small warmth coming from the other side.

If no one else is going to be his friend, I will.