Thanks for all the reviews! Sorry for the wait.

Golden Wind: Yeah, she has gotten a bit better, but just a note, Matt has visited Lee once since his Kainde Amedha Chiva, but it was really really short. I'm sorry if my writing hasn't indicated that before.

Scarface: The Yautja don't usually deliberately infest planets with Xenos, usually they get loose and severely damage the planet's ecosystem, making it only good for hunting them. The Yautja also don't really have hunting clans although a huge part of the Yautja population lives permanently on clan ships.

Kitty Felone: I e-mailed you your answers!

Jaderen: You'll just have to see what will happen.

Olgite the squidgal: Hmmmm, I should try that. Chocolate: Miracle cure!

Lord Azrael: I get the language from several sites on the internet.

Thwei-Tjau'ke: Bloodstone.

Awu'asa: Full suit of armor.

Ki'cti-pa: Wristblades.

Chapter 3

The huge, sleek ship had landed safely on Earth and its occupants were now readying themselves for the long walk to the ooman city. Matt fastened his cloak around his shoulders and walked out of the room he had claimed for the duration of the voyage. Upon seeing Thwei-Tjau'ke, he swirled the dark gray cloak dramatically. The Yautja rolled his eyes, but grinned anyway. Thwei-Tjau'ke wore a black cloak with gold embroidery on the hem, sign of a high-ranking craftsman. Then they set out. Once outside, Matt again noticed how cold it was, cool enough that he turned on the thermal regulator in his netting suit. The two warriors started walking towards the distant ooman city.

…..

They reached it by nightfall. Frost sparkled on grassblades and metal, turning even the filthiest of allies into glittering grottos. A full moon lit the streets and stars speckled the clear sky. Matt paused in his walking and gazed up at the sky. Thwei-Tjau'ke turned when Matt failed to follow him.

"What is it?"

"Just the stars. They look so different on Earth than in space or on the Homeworld." Matt replied.

"I would not know. I cannot see them. The heat of those suns is lost before we can see them."

"Oh." said Matt. He glanced at a street sign. "We are almost there. What are you going to do?"

Thwei-Tjau'ke shrugged and said, "I will probably explore, improve my stalking skills, maybe even do some light hunting. What are you going to do after your visit?"

"I'm going to stay with Lee for the night. If I can't, I will walk back to the ship. I don't see why I won't be able to stay the night, though."

"Goodbye to you, then. I will see you in a few ooman days." Matt nodded. With that, they split up to go their respective ways.

…..

Matt silently opened the gate and crept through, shutting it behind him. He winced; the click of the latch seemed horribly loud. Matt switched off his cloaking device, removed his mask and stooped to pick up a handful of pebbles. Expertly, he lobbed them one by one at Celia's window. Soon a light flicked on and the window slid up. Lee poked her head out, looking sleepy and disheveled. She was immediately jolted into full consciousness upon seeing Matt.

He grinned and called up, "Happy birthday, Lee!" Celia glanced around and motioned frantically for him to climb up. Matt shook out his arms and flexed the joints, eyeing the low roof of the verandah. He broke into a run and jumped at the roof. He pulled himself up easily, and then climbed through Lee's window.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"I came to visit you for your birthday, silly!" he replied.

"Not for only a short while? The whole thing? Party included?"

"Yes. I can stay for a few days."

"Sweet!" Celia exclaimed, forgetting herself for a moment.

"Shhh!" Matt reprimanded.

"Do you wanna come to the mall and movies with me tomorrow with me and my friends?"

"Alright. I gotta crash here tonight though because the ship is horribly far away." Matt said.

"OK." Celia looked him over. "You have some new scars."

"Yeah. All the Yautja I meet usually want to kick my ass. Sometimes I kick theirs though. They tend to underestimate me, what with all the rumors about oomans being weak and an easy fight. They don't fight as well as they should, even if they know about my fight record! They figure that they are all the best and will be able to grind me into a greasy stain on the arena floor. For such an advanced race, the Yautja can be pretty damn thick-headed." Celia giggled. "I also got a few of them on my hunts."

"Uh, Matt? Do you want some different clothes?"

"What? Oh, right. OK." he replied, glancing down at his armored form.

"I'll see if I can sneak some of my foster father's and brother's stuff. Wait right here." Celia tiptoed out of the room, rather loud compared to the silence that both he and the Yautja could move with. She returned several minutes later with a plain black t-shirt, jeans, runners, socks and a blue and gray windbreaker. "I got these from the clean laundry. No one will notice that they are gone." Celia explained.

"Thanks." Matt said softly. Then he dumped the largest plates of armor, cloak and the larger weapons before retreating into Lee's small bathroom.

The t-shirt was sleek against his lean, well-defined but not overlarge muscles. The jeans were loose and baggy, though not baggy enough to fall low. The socks felt uncomfortable to someone who had only worn sandals or nothing for years. Matt unfortunately could not keep wearing his wrist computer or ki'cti-pa, so he removed them after a quick transmission to Thwei-Tjau'ke. He felt bare and vulnerable without his weapons, so he hid a flat dagger under each arm and a long one in a sheath on his right ankle. Matt tugged nervously at his shirt and opened the door. Lee was gingerly examining his sword, but she put it down when she saw him, unsure if she should be touching it.

"You look great!" she exclaimed. "As one of my friends would say, you are a 'regulation hottie'." Matt gave a small smile and began carefully collecting up his awu'asa.

"Can I stash this under your bed?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'll put a few stuffed toys in front of your stuff to hide it just in case the sheet hanging down doesn't hide it well enough." Matt shoved it under and Lee selected a few large stuffies to place around the armor, effectively blocking it from view. Then she pulled a thick pink gingham blanket off the bed and spread it on the floor with a purple flower print pillow. Matt raised an eyebrow at the horribly little girlish bedding. "What? I like pink now!" At a further look from her brother, she said, "Alright, maybe my foster mother did go a little overboard…"

"What will they think if they open your door in the morning and see me?" inquired Matt.

"I'm usually left alone until noon before I get dragged out. I can lock the door if it will make you feel better though."

"Thanks. That's good that they won't bother you till then. I will be awake long before then. I've learned, well, I've had to learn to get sleep whenever I can."

"G'night." said Celia muzzily, already feeling sleepy again.

"Night." answered Matt as he rolled himself in the blanket. Although it was hideous, it was warm and comfortable.

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