Disclaimer: I don't own Aliens or Predator, and so on. Except my characters, they're mine. MINE! (does a crazy laugh)

CHAPTER 6:

Kaen'Dre's Room Of Interest

Kaen'Dre couldn't stop glancing everywhere. He was interested in everything that was in the room, which made him touch a lot of the things in it. What were they? What did humans use them for? So many questions popped into his eager mind. They were currently in Kiara's dormitory which looked pretty big to him compared to his quarters back on the ship. He clicked curiously while Kiara watched him from behind.

He is definitely not of this earth with the way he acts around everything, she thought. Then sighed mentally, I'm surprised I was even able to get him here.

She had sneaked him into the palace easily since he could turn himself invisible, but sometimes, if you looked closely you could see him shimmering in the air like a heat distortion outside in the dunes. He had used the ability ever since arriving meters from the kingdom to avoid being seen. Kiara had taken him through another path, a quiet one away from the investigation site all the way to the palace. Kaen'Dre had gotten interested in the homes and bazaars the instant he entered the kingdom but she had to hold onto his hand to make him stop from going anywhere, despite he could yank her to the side with one motion alone. But she had gotten him into the palace somehow while avoiding everyone, especially her family and friends. They had gone to an empty room afterwards in which she healed him with her medicine, despite his arguments, and she was careful not to touch his blood just in case.

Kiara took off her weapons and set them down at the bottom of her bed. She then stretched and threw herself onto it, absorbing the softness and silkiness of the matress. She loved her big crimson, gold bed ever since her father had it made for her at a top carpenter's shop. She looked over at Kaen'Dre while still laying on her back, amused by his intrigue. She smiled while looking on how he kept on examining everything in her room from her clothes, jewelry, furniture, even cosmetics. It didn't bother her at all, as long he didn't take an interest in her undergarments.

He seems more like an amused child than an immortal god, she thought. But all gods are different, I suppose.

Kaen'Dre heard soft giggling from behind which made him turn. He saw Kiara laying down on her bed on her back facing his side with a smile on her face. What was he doing that amused her so? He put down some type of necklace with stones on her mirrored table and walked over to her carefully. He studied the bed's structure and leaned down to touch the fabric of the covers, which was very soft and slick. Very different compared to the fabrics and furs of his kind. Tracing his eyes to her, he saw that she seemed pleased by lying down and kept her eyes locked on him too.

"Is it a pleasing environment, my lord?" Kiara asked, softly.

"Don't call me that, my name is enough" Kaen'Dre said, quickly. He didn't want to seem like an owner of hers. "But yes, this seems comfortable."

"Would you like to sleep in anything similar?" Kiara asked him. Timidly, she added, "If you do sleep, my lord?"

"Yes, I will require a place for rest somehow" Kaen'Dre said, nodding. Stretching his muscular arms, he grunted, "Something comfortable."

Kaen'Dre tested the softness of the mattress by pushing his hand down on it. It seemed comfortable so he took off the weapons and Medicomp he carried on his back, then put them on the floor. Afterwards, he took off his weapons belt and did the same. He laid down on the bed on his back and applied his full weight on it to see if it could handle it. To his pleasing, it did and it felt soft and comfortable to his skin, which made him purr after not being able to lay down ever since morning.

Kiara felt him lay down on the bed but she hadn't expected him to be heavy enough to sink the bed a bit. She also didn't expect her weight on the bed to give out and get thrown onto his side in effect. She fell on top of him which easily got her nervous and shivery from his cold armor. But she also felt his skin and net-like outfit was warm against her own skin. She glanced down onto his mask while blush crept onto her cheeks and kept her arms on his chest in case she needed to get out of his way quickly.

Oh dear, stay still, wait it out, she thought nervously.

Kaen'Dre glanced on the ooman on top of him who had gotten a pink flush on her cheeks, which he guessed was from blushing. He'd never had any type of female on him in his life and this one was the first, which brought a quick flush of his own blood to his face, but luckily he had his mask on. It made him wonder if she'd be frightened by his looks now, since she hadn't been back then when he was a child. But for now, he had to focus on the nervous being over him.

"Will my weight break this bed?" Kaen'Dre asked, nervously. Kiara laughed.

"No, but it will do what it did to me if you wear all that armor" Kiara said, grinning. "Before you knock me down, it was not my intention to. .um. .be on you like this. Gods must be worshipped but not in this disrespectful manner."

Kaen'Dre laughed in his own way and said, "I do not hit females of any sort or in any way to disrespect them."

"Is that why you apologized to me back in the jungle?" Kiara asked, curious. He nodded gently and she brightened up, "That's so honorable of you."

"We believe no female should be treated in any way that is cruel, but to be respected, they are the givers of life after all" Kaen'Dre said, nodding firmly.

"You're a very principled being, Kaen'Dre" Kiara said, tracing a hand down the cheek line of his mask. "Very virtuous."

Kaen'Dre found himself purring at her gesture in return which made him surprised. He's never purred at anyone in a manner that made him feel quivery on the inside. She smiled wider at hearing him purr which made him more uneasy. Obviously, she liked it and he purred weakly from embarassment. What was that nervous feeling? Why was he feeling like this? A warm clench in his stomach as his muscles relaxed. Maybe it was the way her body was positioned so closely to his face-to-face. He could feel her entire form on his, what male wouldn't feel uneasy with a strong female like this? But she was an alien, an ooman!

A hunter cannot act like this with prey, he reminded himself. But she's not prey at all though, just the males of her species are.

"Why do you touch me as if you don't fear me?" Kaen'Dre asked, softly.

"I don't, especially after hearing about your principles" Kiara said, smiling. "I met you when I was a child, I wasn't afraid then and I won't be now."

She's not? Oomans are supposed to be afraid of us, he said, thoughtfully. I'm not a child anymore like back then, I am older. I look and think differently.

"Even after knowing how frightening I can look to you . .mortals?" Kaen'Dre asked, tilting his head on the bed. She smiled at the way he cocked his head.

"Maybe to others, but not to me so far" Kiara said, easily. Then carefully, "If I were to ask, would you mind taking off your mask so I could see your face again, Kaen'Dre? I want to see how the little boy I met has grown into such a graceful warrior."

No one's asked me that before, he thought instantly. This being is odd but kind.

"I may frighten you" Kaen'Dre pointed out and touched her chin.

"I doubt you will" she said, patting his chest plate. "Especially now that I know who you are."

He nodded and motioned for her to get off of him. She quickly did and sat up while blushing slightly. He clicked his mandibles amusingly at seeing a being act that so shyly. Yautja females were dominant and aggressive, not calm like her. He sat up afterwards and fixed his ponytail which had come loose when he had lay down. Afterwards, he proceeded to take off the two hoses that connected to his mask near his left temple. The air escaped and he grabbed his mask to take it off while it finished releasing any pressurized air. He placed it onto his lap and looked over to her with a timid face. It had been years and he'd aged like any person, his eyes were brighter, his teeth and tusks were sharper and stronger, his skin more refined and toned, and the color of his coat was fully developed over his body.

Kiara glanced at her friend while he looked at her. His face was older yes, but it still held the same similar features on his face when he was small, especially his eyes. She'd never seen eyes so bright and hauntingly beautiful like those in her life. He opened up his mandibles and growled at her, revealing his inner mouth with sharper teeth in it. His teeth had been more rounded back then, she mused. She didn't flinch because she simply wasn't afraid of him. Sure, he would frightful to others but she didn't get a hostile feeling from him. He hissed again trying to see if he made an impact, but he failed again. Making a small rumble in his chest, he finally stopped in defeat. She chuckled softly and traced her finger on his forehead over a scarred marking that looked exactly as the one bored into his mask. She took her hand away afterwards and smiled at him.

"Still believe I'm afraid of you?" Kiara asked, raising her brows.

"I've never met anyone who wasn't" Kaen'Dre said, looking over her. With a small grin, he teased, "You're strange."

"You call me strange, when you're not even mortal?" she said, laughing. "You're the strange one, my friend."

"We are strange friends then" Kaen'Dre said, nodding. She smiled amusingly. "But if you ever meet any of my brethren, stay away, they do not know you and may do something to you."

"I thought they couldn't" Kiara said, confused. "I would never seek to receive their wrath."

"There are some who bend the rules over different beings" he said, patting her head. "Beware of them, little one."

"I will" Kiara said, nodding. She smiled again. "Thank you for befriending me, I don't have many friends besides the ones here in the palace and my brother, so I'd like to thank you."

"I should thank you actually" Kaen'Dre said, smiling. Then whispered, "I've never had a friend until the day I met you at the waterfall. You were my first acquaintance and I- I hoped we would meet again."

"Really?" Kiara asked, happily. He nodded quietly. "Oh, give me a hug."

He stared at her while she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She hugged him tightly while he had a perplexed look on his face and blinked his round eyes. Why was she holding him in that manner? Only parents of children and mates did that, yet she was doing that like nothing to him. He traced a hand down her back and kept it around her waist. He felt her silky hair and soft skin against his which he didn't mind. Surprisingly, he felt comfortable in her arms.

"You are really warm" she said, letting him go and gazed at him. "I'd like to know everything about you, Kaen'Dre."

I wish I could but I can't, little one, he thought. I made up what storyline to follow and there's no turning back. But I could spare her some little details.

"What do I get in return?" Kaen'Dre asked, tilting his head.

"Like I said, anything you want" Kiara said, softly. He smiled.

"I want to go to the waterfall" he announced instantly. "Or to see one of your triangular structures."

She glanced at him amusingly from his quick answers. She had expected him to come out with many places. It would be fun to go back to the old waterfall with him. She watched him twitch his mandibles into a form of smile she guessed was addressed among his own.

"I'll take you tomorrow after dawn" Kiara laughed and nodded. "Sounds good?"

"Indeed" he said, glancing around. "What nutrition do you have here?"

"Something to eat? I thought immortals didn't-" Kiara started.

"We breathe, we bleed, we eat, Kiara" Kaen'Dre said, quickly.

"We can eat in a little bit, I'll sneak in some food for you" she said, smiling. "Anything else?"

"Where could I bathe? I hate feeling dirt on my body in any way" Kaen'Dre asked, tracing his fingers over his hair.

"I will show you later on after sundown, it will be emptier" Kiara assured. He nodded in relief.

"Where will I sleep?" Kaen'Dre asked, looking around. "I could leave and return in the morning."

He needed to contact his ship and tell his friends or elder where he was. He was not comfortable about the idea of being around complete aliens, especially without hunting them. But he wanted to stay with Kiara, the only one he trusted on this planet so far.

"If you'd feel more safer" Kiara said, a little disappointed if he wanted to go. "You could stay in my room if you want, it is pretty safe. My pet, Asim, usually sleeps at the bottom of my bed though."

Great, another creature sleeps in here, Kaen'Dre thought and sighed. But it's probably just a small pet of hers. How bad could it be?

"Where would I sleep then?" Kaen'Dre asked, cautiously.

"Well, you could sleep there" Kiara said, pointing to a bed-like settee near one of her windows. "Or you could sleep here in my bed with me, it's pretty large for three forms."

Kaen'Dre stopped his breath short for some seconds. Sleep in her bed? He, with a female? A half-naked female? He didn't sleep or had slept with anyone in a bed, and he wasn't planning to in any way. He glanced around the room trying to clear his head of any unusual or erotic thoughts, especially with a being like this. He focused his gaze onto his right wrist gauntlet instead and ran his fingers over it with the other hand to occupy his mind.

"What's wrong?" Kiara asked, grabbing his left hand. She ran her thumb over the top of his hand. "Did I say something to displease you?"

Maybe if you stopped touching me in that manner, Kaen'Dre thought. But I won't say I'm totally objective to it.

Where'd that comment come from?, another voice thought in his head. And why am I still thinking to myself?

He purred softly at her gentle touch against his hand. He closed his mouth quickly and felt blood rush to his cheeks from his sudden reaction. He saw her smile at him which made him more timid on the inside. Why did he have to be so quiet and reserved? He was a great hunter with skills but he had no skills when it came to females. He kicked himself mentally, maybe he should've picked off something from Kwei'De's experience.

Kiara glanced at him and noticed a hint of slight green on his cheeks. Was he blushing somehow? She wondered why and how these beings could be so mortal-like. She smiled when he glanced at her coyly with his bright eyes and made his quiet purrs.

"We. .um. .gods usually sleep on our own in the mortal realm, and in our own realm" Kaen'Dre said, timidly. "I have never had sleeping arrangements with any being before."

"Neither have I, but I won't hurt you" Kiara said, squeezing his hand. "I will not make you uncomfortable in any way, so you can sleep on the other choice if it's to your liking."

"Will it break under me?" Kaen'Dre asked, looking to his left at it.

"That's why I offered my bed, but I'm not sure" Kiara said, following his gaze. "It's your decision, my lord."

"Don't call me that" Kaen'Dre groaned. She nodded, still shy on forsaking the title. "But I will take my chances."

"All right, but if you change your mind, I'll be here" Kiara said, grinning. "Just be careful around Asim, he's protective."

Great choices, I either fall on the floor while sleeping or a creature attacks me, Kaen'Dre sighed mentally.

"You seem worried" Kiara said, tracing her thumb over the top of his hand again. "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything is well" Kaen'Dre said, looking at her. "May I ask a question?"

"Of course, feel free" Kiara said, bowing her head to him. He groaned again.

"Don't do that either" Kaen'Dre said, quickly. She laughed softly. Then casually, "Why do you touch me like this, unafraid and caringly?"

"It's how I am" Kiara said, smiling but blushed lightly. "I've been taught by my mother to care for and be kind to any being in any way I can, and I do. If you are uncomfortable with it-"

"No, it is simply makes me feel peculiar at times" Kaen'Dre said, timidly. "I've never had anyone regard me in this way."

"Well, as a friend this is how I am" Kiara said, chuckling. "Whenever you need someone to hold, talk to about anything, seek advice, or explore around with, I'll be here."

She's strange indeed, Kaen'Dre said mentally. No one around me talks about what they think or feel much, unless it's Ani'Twei's sister or Kwei'De.

"I'll take that into mind" Kaen'Dre said, nodding. She smiled. "You always wear a smile on your face. I cannot see all faces in detail, only in infrared lighting- thermal heat, but I always see one on you ever since I met you."

She smiled and squeezed his hand softly. He purred softly but quieted quickly, trying to hide the fact he enjoyed it somehow. Tracing her fingers over his palm softly, she let go of his hand. He sighed mentally from feeling her cool gentle touch against his warm skin. She looked at him until he looked back at her with his golden eyes.

"I always wear a smile around everyone, but not everyday can be happy for me" Kiara said, sighing. "Especially now, with this recent attack on my people, but I try to cheer myself up when awful things happen."

He glanced at her feeling a bit guilty. His people were the ones who had brought the hard meat to this planet and it would be getting worse soon, through her view. She seemed to care very much for each person, including him, despite he was hiding his true being from her. He wanted to make her feel better which was pretty rare for him, and gave him that uneasy feeling in the stomach again.

"What where they, Kaen'Dre?" Kiara inquired softly.

"I will tell you later" Kaen'Dre stated simply.

"Promise me?" Kiara asked, looking at him closely. He nodded quietly.

"Do not feel anguished" Kaen'Dre said, placing her hand between both of his and squeezed it. "I think everyone could benefit from your kind spirit. It will get better and so will you."

"Thank you" Kiara said, softly. She yanked the hand she held softly, "Come with me, I'll show you a view from my balcony overlooking the kingdom. I think you'll like it."

"I'll enjoy anything you show me" Kaen'Dre said, smiling. He saw her blush again which made him purr in return. "Lead the way, Kiara."

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End of Chapter 6. As always, I thank everybody for all of their wonderful reviews. Hope everyone liked the chapter! (Gives a happy jump)