The girl begins stroking my arm again, her eyes glazed over with worry mixed with some confusion.
It's only another three days, child...then you'll return home, and I'll try to find some abandoned asteroid to live on...and mope.
The girl stops, and I try to steer my thoughts away from that dismal subject.
"Are you okay?" the girl asks, and I reply by sending her a feeling of contentment mingled with confusion.
The girl smiles and says, "Okay. Just asking, Saggitarius."
"Your emotion-talk went weird for a second," the AM-ian on the girl's hand adds.
I close my eyes and begin purring.
In my mind, our two beings appear.
Ikonu is across from me, and I- Saggitarius the FM-ian- am able to speak.
"Ikonu," I say, "you do know that we can't remain on this...Earth...forever?"
"We can," Ikonu argues, "We can ask the girl...or our guides."
"They will all refuse," I snap, "Especially the girl. She's afraid of us, of me...of us. We're forever Primal, forever alive...We can't remain here."
"We can," Ikonu repeats, "But until Drago is deleted, we are in constant danger. We'll need their help, Saggitarius."
"We can't ask them!" I say, "I'm sure the girl will be for deleting Drago, but what about our guides? What if they have some use for Drago?"
"The girl only needs to know that we can be trusted," Ikonu says, "and we can put any fear of hers to rest, but we'll have to work for it."
"We're only doing it for our guides!" I hiss, "Nothing more. Your cute romantic side is making me think the girl is the princess."
"She nearly looks like Akina," Ikonu says with a dreamy tone.
"I'll talk to you when you get over your romantic dreams," I say.
I open my eyes.
The girl is still stroking my arm, but she's talking to her AM-ian companion.
"Drago wants to take out my spirit, so that way he can make an immortal human, correct?" the girl says.
"Yeah. So?" the AM-ian says.
"Is Saggitarius' human the same human he used to destroy 40-Incognito?" the girl says.
"Yeah," the AM-ian says.
"Then if Drago can find a human and cause them to go Primal...and then if someone were to place him to sleep..." the girl says, "then he would have what he wants."
What? Drago can't try that stunt!
The girl's hand freezes.
Idiot. What were you thinking?
The girl looks at me, but her expression makes me blink.
Her eyes are in an expression of concern, as though she truly thinks that I am merely a human in need.
The girl removes her hand from my arm and places it on my head, gently rubbing my head.
"I still don't get it," the girl says, "You're supposedly a planet-destroyer...but how can you be capable of such kindness? You fed me with your own blood, you tried to protect me...why?"
I...I don't know why. Why am I doing this? Why am I treating this human as though she is more than a package...more than something I had to deliver? Am...Am I...Egh! Disgusting, but the thought just remains...Am I falling in love with this human?