I dedicate this work to all those out there who encouraged me to keep at my writings, my art, and my dream.

Thank you, all of you.
 

The night sky presented a magnificent show for those who watched below. A multitude of shooting stars raced across the background of near blackness. In addition to the show, the world below was spotlighted by the luminous glow of a full moon. The spectacle was meant for the audience to enjoy, especially the stargazers. Young and old alike looked up to the heavens as the stars winked and twinkled, streaks of light crossed the sky, and the moon itself basked its borrowed light onto those willing souls who came to enjoy themselves.
However, one young man who stood on a cliff above a beach not only enjoyed the stargazing, but found peace in looking up to the stars. This night was only different by a little compared to last night, and the night before. This night, he had a camera set-up pointed toward the sky, and a telescope on the side. While the camcorder recorded the sky's display of meteorites as they flew across the sky into the horizons, he looked up to the starry night.
“It has been nine years since you two have left this life, Mom and Dad. Natalie has her security job and is sometimes gone for days at a time, sometimes a week or two. I know you would be proud of her.” The young man paused and pushed his blue-framed glasses back on his nose. “However, the only thing I've been able to accomplish is graduate college. Robotics is a hard field to find a job in, and there aren't many jobs around here that require a Computer Programming degree.” He inhaled slowly and exhaled as he looked down. “I haven't even found a girlfriend yet. Twenty-four years old and still a virgin. I may as well just be single. But I'm pretty sure you don't wish that of me. So, like you once told me, Mom, I'm gonna try your suggestion.” He paused and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small bottle with a strip of paper rolled up inside of it. “Put your wish on a piece of paper, stick it in a bottle, and give it to the sea. If you make the wish with a heartfelt desire full of goodness, and throw it into the ocean, It will make it's way to an unseen world, and your wish shall come true.”

The young man looked at the corked bottle for a moment before he closed his eyes and held it to his heart. “I, Gustav Heralds, make a wish. I wish to find someone to love, someone who would love me for who I am, and can understand my feelings and needs without needing to dig it out of me. This is my wish, and I released this wish into the sea where dreams do go.” He reared his hand back, then threw the bottle outward towards the ocean. He watched as the bottle spiraled haphazardly through the air before it left his sight in the darkness.
“PREPARE TO DIE!” His smartphone's ringtone screamed out, followed by death metal music. This caused Gustav to nearly soil himself.

“What the hell!?” He exclaimed. “That is not my ringtone!” He pulled out his phone and looked at the sender of the call. It read: D-Pad. “Damnit, D-Pad.” He slid his finger across the screen to the answer zone, then put the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“Hey, dude. How's it going? Enjoying the Leonids?” The husky male voice inquired on the other end.
“It could be better...”
“How so?” D-Pad asked.
“Well, for starters...” He inhaled through his nose, then screamed into his phone. “YOU COULD STOP HACKING MY PHONE, DUMBASS!”
“Hey, hey, hey!” D-pad began, calm and cool-headed. “First, A dumbass couldn't possibly pull that off. Second, You're secure code was too easy to figure. Third, I'm D-Pad, and therefore, I'm awesome.” There was a small chuckle on the other end.
“Smartass.”

“Indeed. Now that the name-calling game is outta the way, I found something of great interest to the both of us.”
“That being?” Gustav asked monotonously.
“I was watching the meteors that were passing through the eye of the Hubble and found one instance of something rather perplexing. Sending you the video now.”
Gustav looked to his phone as the notification of a video file popped up. He opened it and tapped the link.

The video played the imagery of some meteors heading towards earth. Most were quite small by cosmic standards when it dealt with the variety of meteors that entered the atmosphere. A little after midway into the duration of the video, There was something strange; a prismatic glimmer that was visible only for a second.

“Dude, what was that little glittering?”

“I don't know yet. Weird, huh? Anyway, I'm gonna keep traking it as the night progresses. I'll call you when it enters the atmosphere... Wait-a-minute...”

“D-Pad, what's wrong?”

“Give me a second. Something weird is going on. Gonna hang up for now. I'll call you back when the issue is settled. Peace.” Then the phone hung up.

Gustav looked at his phone, blinked in confusion a few times, then returned to his home screen and looked up towards the night sky. “Well, so much for that.”

Suddenly, something distracted him from his upward gaze, something above the eastern horizon, above the moonlit waters of the ocean. It was a prismatic light, swirling through various hues. It started off small, but proceeded to grow bigger. Gustav was mesmerized by the light, before he realized it was heading towards where he was.

“PREPARE TO DIE!” His phone produced the ringtone his friend hacked into existence. Gustav quickly answered it.

“Dude, Get away from there now! That thing is heading your way!” D-Pad screamed through the reciever.

“I know, I see it.” Gustav said calm. “Nothing I can do now.”

The prismatic light struck the surface of the water with a hiss and shrill. Steam arose from the surface of the dark waters, refracted by moonlight. The light curved away from the cliff Gustav stood at and hit the shallows by the shore on the cliff side a little ways further from him, almost near his family's home that sat near the sheer wall of clay and stone, then the object slammed against the beach and finally into the cliff face.

Gustav was stunned by all that he just witnessed. He didn't realize his phone was still connect to his friend. When the young man realized this, he was about to reassure his friend that he still lived.

A pained yell emanated from the beach below. Gustav stood silent. Was he hearing things? He must be hearing things. He saw and heard no one before that thing totaled into the side of the cliff.

The scream again. He heard it for sure this time. He walked to the edge where he was and looked down to the beach. There was burning objects scattered about, the majority of it was burning near the cliff where black oily smoke rose above it. He scanned the beach below and noticed a figure on the sands struggling to move.

“Someone's hurt.” Gustav softly spoke to himself, hung up on the cries of D-Pad, then grabbed his bag and rushed towards the stairs that led down to the beach. Luckily, the stairs were unharmed by any debris the thing produced upon crashing into the cliff. He nearly jumped down the series of stairs, all the while he fumbled with his bag as he searched for the flashlight he had. He pulled it out after he searched. It was a large yellow flashlight with the handle on top and the button within the reach of his thumb. He turned it on and hit the sands of the beach with his shoes. He ran towards the figure a few yards before gradually walking towards the one in pain.

He had to be seeing things, or he just might have went crazy already. The figure his light was on, while obviously humanoid, wasn't even human..

“My God...” Gustav breathed out as the light of his flashlight revealed the figure to him. The otherworldly being had smooth, bright pink skin. It had four fingers, instead of five. The being was obviously female as Gustav noted she had large breast, a curvy shape, and no sign of bulge that would mark a male's genitalia with her skin tight, purple and silver suit. She had a tail that looked like a sting ray in shape. Her eyes were a combination of green and blue, the iris repeating this colors in a full circle. The cornea of her eyes were a very pale yellow-green. Her ears were kinda like that of what elves were depicted with, except the bottom edge was somewhat squared in two places; the larger of the two being closer to the head. The tips of these ears curved inward towards her head. She had thin slits for nostrils as her nose was minimal, just a slight raised section in the middle of her face. She sported no hair anywhere on her body or head. Her forehead, however, did have three elliptical object that looked like incredibly smooth rubies, the middle one centered while the outer two had a slight slant outward. Her lips, somewhat thick, were teal in color.

Gustav looked at her in shock. He was looking at a being that had to be from another world. He was unsure if he should run or stand there until someone came.

The alien woman then reached out to him, and cried in pain. Her eyes filled with sorrow and hurt.

His previous thoughts and fears were banished upon seeing this. He walked up to her, knelt beside her, and took her hand. “Don't worry. I'm here. I'll attempt to get you patched up.” He spoke with a genuine concern for her. She wasn't human, but she was in need of help and medical attention. If he didn't provide it, no one would. He reached into his bag for a minute and pulled out a medical kit he bring with him for emergencies. He has done this since the day his parents died.

He used his flashlight to scan for serious injuries. He found that her right leg, furthest from his gazing direction, was angled weird. He took the alien woman's hand and looked to her. “This will hurt a bit, But I have to get you on your back to look at your leg, and fix it. Do you understand?”

The alien female blinked at him. He knew she probably didn't understand, but he knew it was better than just giving her the attention without explaining. He carefully rolled her over. She cried in pain as her right leg moved along with the roll. When he carefully laid her left side down on the sands, he looked into his kit and pondered what he could possibly do. He had some surgical tube, wrapping gauze, duct tape (for some strange reason), and a lot of stuff normally found in first aid kits. He knew he had to make a splint, so he reached into his bag and looked for some option to make a improvised one. He found he had about a half-dozen paint stirrers from when he was painting the fence the other week. It was better than nothing.

He carefully set her right leg back into alignment to the best of his ability, then used the paint stirrers, wrapping gauze, and duct tape to make the splint. Gustav apologized to the alien for any pain he caused, despite the fact she probably didn't understand him. He surveyed her body for any other injuries. The rest were just very minor cuts and abrasions, which he would see to later.

He looked to the alien woman's face and placed his hand on her face, and took hold of her right hand with his free left hand. “I'm gonna attempt to carry you to my house. It is up the stairs and a ways off from the cliff. I'll clean you up and tend to your other minor injuries up there. I promise it'll be okay.”

After he explain this, The alien woman blinked twice, then smiled at him. A genuine smile. Gustav smiled back, then placed an arm between the back of her knees, and his other arm behind under her arms and behind her back. He carefully lifted her up using his legs and stood up. He looked to her one more time with a smile.

'I'm carrying a woman home in my arms. If this situation was different, I would be ecstatic. However, She hurt and needs time to heal. Natalie will be gone for a few more days. Hopefully she won't come home and start bitching at me for bringing home an alien.' Gustav thought to himself. He made his way up the stairs with his bag on his back and the alien woman in his arms. He struggled to climb the stairs while . he took care not to have caused her pain. He managed to climb the stairway fifty feet upward to the walkway to his house.

The two story house was made with an islander theme. The roof was made of multiple layers of treated bamboo, which ran down to very large bamboo gutters. The rest of the exterior was very much like any other home in the suburb, which was a twenty minute drive from his home's front gates. The sides of the home was painted with a pale sea-green. The garage door had a painted image of fish and other aquatic creatures.

Gustav made it to the sliding door where he saw someone inside. It was a large black man with small braided dreadlocks in his head. He was wearing a jersey and some long baggy jeans. He was bound to a custom-made wheelchair. As soon as he saw Gustav, he turned to him and quickly rolled toward the sliding door. Gustav noticed he had tear stains across his face. The young black man pulled the door open for Gustav.

“D-Pad? What are you...”

“I was worried about you, dude! I thought you were dead for a minute, until you hung up. Do you know what kinda stress you put me through!?” D-Pad looked to the alien person in Gustav's arms. “Who the hell, and What the hell, is that?”

“I don't know her name, if she is indeed a her, and She is an otherworldly life-form if I can reckon a guess. She's hurt and need to get some minor medical attention. I need your help with this, D-Pad.” Gustav explained.

D-Pad raised an eyebrow. “Where the hell did she come from?”
“I can safely assume another world.” Gustav answered as he headed pass D-Pad.

“Smartass.” D-Pad stated, then smiled. “Alright, What do you need me to do?”
Gustav looked to him. “Well, I can't treat her other injuries while she has sand all over her, so can you run the bathwater and fill it up a little. I'm gonna grab some beach towels and regular towels. She has a broken leg that I made a splint for, So When I get the sand off her, I'm gonna let her rest in my bed and elevate her leg.”
“Your sister will be so excited to find out you got a girlfriend.” D-Pad stated. Gustav smirked.

“Dude.” Gustav stated to get his friend's absolute attention. “I'm gonna be an asshole and say go fuck yourself.” Gustav then moved ahead of him in the hallway. “Can you open the bathroom door?”

“Sure.” D-Pad stated and rolled up to the door and turned the knob to open it. He pushed it open and rolled his wheelchair back some to allow Gustav to carry the alien girl inside. Gus went inside and carefully sat her down into the white tub.

“I'm gonna get a place ready to lay you down in so I can treat your injuries after we get the sand off of you. I'll be right back.” Gustav stated to the pink-skinned woman. He was about to stand back up when the woman grabbed his blue shirt. Gustav looked at her perplexed.

She was looking at him with a expression of fear. Not a scary fear, but a sorrowful one. Gustav recognized the expression immediately. It was the look of someone who had lost everything, including family. It was the look of abandonment. Gustav eyes met hers, and he slowly smiled and placed his hand on her left cheek.

“It's okay. I'll be back.”

“I think I'll get the towels and such ready for you, Gus. It seems she doesn't want you to leave her.” D-Pad stated observantly . “I guess it's because you decided to help her in her time of need, but I'm just throwing out a guess.”

Gustav looked to D-Pad. “You do remember the beach towels are on the very top shelf, right?” Gustav asked his friend. D-Pad smiled, and hit a few buttons on the right side of the arm of the wheelchair. The sound of whirring softly emitted from his accessibility device and the seat rose upward about a foot in a half, and another device came out of the box near his left shoulder. It produced a mechanical pincer of sorts with controls on a handle near his left hand.

“Any other request or questions?” D-Pad asked, then gave Gus a triumphant smug.

“Yeah, one request: Stop being a smartass.”

D-Pad chuckled. “Request denied. I'll get the towels and the bed ready for her.” His customized wheelchair rolled back some, the out of sight.

Gustav returned his attention to the alien woman in the tub, and he turned on the water. He used his hand and checked the temperature of the water as he adjusted the pivoted handle until it seemed the temperature was comfortable. He placed the bathplug into the drain and let the water run. He took a nearby rag and ran it under the water a bit before he carefully ran it down the space girl's back and sides. He noticed while he did this, the alien woman smiled softly at him. He smiled back at her, as he thought it was appropriate. After the water was about an inch or two high in the deeper end of the tub, he turned off the water, and took care as he washed the beach sand off the woman from another world. “You know, despite the fact you aren't human, you're kinda cute.” He said to her as he continued to get as much sand as he could off her. He took the rag and brushed some sand off her face. As he finished, She took his hand with the rag and held it to her face. She closed her eyes and smiled. Gustav wasn't sure why she had done this, but just figured it's a sign of thanks. She opened her eyes and looked to him, her smile was more than it had been.

D-Pad rolled back into view. “The bed is ready. How are you doing bathing your new girlfriend?”

“D-Pad, shut up.” Gustav stated as he turned to his wheelchair-bound friend. “She's not my girlfriend.”

“You did say she was cute, though.” D-Pad stated factually. “I heard you all the way in there.”

Gustav knew he couldn't fight against that. “Well, She is cute, in an otherworldly kind of way. But that doesn't mean she's my girlfriend.” Gustav explained to the best of his ability, despite that the young alien woman continued to hold his hand to her face.

D-Pad smiled. “Well, the way she's clinging to your hand might mean she likes you. That or she likes the fact you called her cute.”

“I don't even think she understands our language, let alone us.” Gustav told his friend, then looked to the woman and tugged his hand a bit. She looked to him, her smile bright and warm, and lowered her hands from his own, and he continued to brush and wash the sand off her body. “I'll bring her to my room in a minute or two. Gotta finish making sure the sand is off her so I can tend to her minor...” he paused and looked her over. “Strange. There was a few scratches on her arms earlier, but they're gone.”

D-Pad crossed his arms. “Maybe she has a faster healing process then humans. That or the power of her affection for you mended her wounds.”

“D-Pad, I swear on everything good and mighty and my skill at kicking your ass in Ultra Street Fighter IV that If you make another comment like that...”

“Fine, fine. I'm just kidding around. Friends who kid with friends are the best kind of friends to be friends with. Right, friend?” D-Pad smiled and held out his fist. Gustav sighed with a smile and fist-bumped with his best friend.

Gustav reached into the tub and unplugged the bath plug from the tub's drain. He looked to the alien lady. She was still smiling at him. “I'm gonna pick you up and carry you to a bed so you can heal up your leg, if you do indeed heal faster.”

“He's gonna carry you like a groom would his bride on their wedding night.” D-Pad quickly added.

“D-Pad.” Gustav looked to his friend after what he just said.
“I know. 'Shut up, Smartass', right?”

Gustav nodded. “Yeah.” He reached into the tub and got his arms under the woman and gingerly lifted her out of the tub. While she was still wet from the bathwater, he managed to get her out without fail. He lifted her up and made his way out of the bathroom towards his bedroom at the end of the hall. He used his foot to open the door wider as he entered. D-Pad had laid the beach towels across the length of his bed, and had three pairs of bath towels laid across the width at even intervals where Gus could lay the woman down. Gus walked to the bed and laid her down on the towels.

“D-Pad, thank you for helping me.” Gustav stated as he turned to his friend. “I have one more favor to ask of you.”

“It's nothing weird, is it?”

“I left my telescope and camcorder on the cliff to the right of the house if looking towards the ocean. Could you stop the recording and hold on to everything until later?” Gustav looked to his friend. “You are the only one I can trust with my stuff, as well as this secret.” He bobbed his head back towards the otherworldly pink woman that laid in his bed.

D-Pad looked to Gustav. “You're my best friend. A true friend. You proved that in high school and college. I'll keep this secret. I'll go get your stuff now, but just a little warning that a crash site like that will draw attention here rather quickly. So stay safe and quiet. Hopefully there will be nothing to draw attention to the house. I'll get your stuff and head home.”

Gustav nodded in gratefulness . “Thanks. And consider the heads-up acknowledged.” He watched as D-Pad rolled backwards, then rolled away. He turned back to the alien woman, who looked at him, a smile still present on her face. He smiled back at her. “Well, guess you stuck here until that leg of yours heals.” His smile dimmed some. “Though this feels like it's a bit of a one sided conversation, since I highly doubt you understand anything I'm saying.”

The alien woman reached out to his face and placed her hands on his cheeks. Gustav wasn't sure what to make of the gesture, but it was nice that she seemed to appreciate everything he had done for her. He smiled at her kindly.

She suddenly pulled him closer, He didn't have the position to retain his balance, as he was knelt down beside her. He wasn't sure what was about to happen, but he hoped it wasn't bad. She pulled his head in and the ruby-like smooth jewel on her forehead, at least the one in the center, touched his own. After a moment, he began to feel something strange. It was a strange sensation that he couldn't described. After a few moments, Something entered his mind.

Memories. Memories that wasn't his. Memories of another world. Another sky. Another family he had no connection with. Gustav quickly realized these were her memories. Happy times suddenly turned dark as a war began. She, her older brother, and her younger sister sent away towards a sister planet. The discovery that the sister planet was completely destroyed. The final memory was her brother doing a emergency transfer sequence to any local planet that would support their life, followed by a countdown to stasis. The final memory, a memory of relief, was one from a different perspective.

He was looking at himself. He was looking through this woman's eyes, and felt her emotions and physical condition. When he took her hand, she was relieved. She was overjoyed to find another person, regardless of their species, that was actually gonna help her. As the recent memories came to the touching of their foreheads, He realized that this woman, this otherworldly being, thought he was cute, and kindhearted. She wanted him as her friend, and a possible future husband, regardless of the fact he was a species she knew nothing about.

The memories ended and she slowly released her hands from his face, and looked to him. To his surprise, she spoke to him. Not only did she spoke to him, but he understood it. She spoke in his language.

“I hope this makes communication between us better.”

Gustav was a little shocked. She must have used her forehead jewel to learn his language through contact. He blinked a bit, swallowed his embarrassment, and nodded. “Um, yeah. Much better.” There was a short silence between them before he broke the silence with something he saw as important. “My name is Gustav Heralds, but you can call me Gus.”

The woman smiled and even giggled a bit. “I like that name: Gus. My name is Marianilionaeri Lolatinifunnosuun.” She paused and looked up. “What would be an better name to call me, since that is a kinda long name for your kind to pronounce?”

Gustav thought for a little moment. “What about 'Maria'? It's a human name for a female. And I think it's a nice name.”

“Really?” The alien woman inquired. She looked down in thought for a second, then looked up to him. “I guess you can call me Maria then.”

“Sounds good.” Gustav stated with a chuckle. “So, um, those memories you kinda put into my head with your forehead gem, were they yours?” He asked curiously.

Maria blinked at him, her eyelids slightly more slanted as they moved across her eyes. “I didn't put any memories into your mind. I only drew out the information I needed to be able to communicate with you efficiently.” Her eyes widened. “You witnessed my memories? What did you receive of them?”

Gustav explained what he remembers, even though it wasn't his own memories. Maria listened to every word with earnest.

“Then I saw myself as you looked at me, and me taking your hand, which made you feel accepted, or relieved that there was a person, despite being different, that came to your aid, even as I attempted to comfort you.” Gustav explained as he relayed the information of the memory when they first met.”

“You can stop now. I believe you.” Maria smiled and looked down to the side. “What happened when my dematiloni, what you refer to as my forehead gem, touched your forehead is an incredibly rare occurrence for my race, even if it's between another of my species, the Larzilaena. It's what we called Incidental Mental Bonding. Basically, and please don't get upset, it happens to those who have similar experiences, or have a high compatibility to develop a deep relationship.”

“Really? That's kinda neat.” Gustav stated with a smile. He was glad it wasn't on purpose, but it did leave some questions, which he decided he would ask at a later time.

“It is?” Maria asked curiously

“Yeah. Humans don't really have any special abilities like that. The only thing that I can think of that would make us unique is the ability to adapt to any non-hostile environment. The only place we can't live is underwater, at least not without an apparatus of sorts. Even then, it's limited to the amount of breathable air within said apparatus.” Gustav explained. He smiled at Maria before asking his next question. “I take it your species also heals rather quickly, too?”

“Not all of us. I'm able to do it by channeling some of the energy I have within my body to any area with minor injuries. My leg may be completely healed by tomorrow morning if I continue channeling my energy to heal and repair my injury.” Maria stated to Gustav, then looked to him. “Speaking about that, thank you for setting the bone back into alignment. It'll make the healing go a lot quicker.”

Gustav bashfully chuckled. “I'm not a professional or anything, I just read some books and watched a lot of videos that teach that sort of stuff.”

Maria yawned a bit. “You still have my thanks. Is it okay if I sleep right here?”

“Of course.” Gustav stated and stood up and sat down in a comfortable recliner next to his bed, on the other side of where he was. “I'll be right here if you need anything. If I'm asleep when you need something, just tug on my arm a little bit.” Gustav carefully converted the recliner into a more laid back position.

“Gus, I have one more question.” Maria softly said to get his attention.

“Yes?”

“Do you really think I'm cute? I remember you said that to me when I was in the tub, but I didn't understand it until I was able to comprehend your language.”

Gustav realized he couldn't deny it. “Yeah, I really do think you're cute. You may be of another species, but you are incredibly cute.” Gustav started to blush. “And I know you think I'm cute, just don't know why you think that.” Gustav looked to her and noticed her cheeks were a very bright red. He smiled sweetly to the otherworldly beauty. “But yeah, you are cute.” He got up and walked to the light switch. “Is it okay for me to turn the lights off?”

“Yeah, you can.”

Gustav switched off the lights, and made his way back to the recliner. He sat down, then laid back in the recliner once more.

“Gus?” Maria spoke. “Would it be okay if we became friends?”

Gustav smiled at her through the darkness. He saw her large eyes, lightly projected to him by the moonlight through the window, as she looked at him full of hope. He nodded. “Of course. I'll be your friend, and you can be mine.”

Maria spoke after a few seconds of silence. “Thank you. I'm glad.”

Gustav smiled, then looked out the window.

“This one starry night has been eventful,” He thought to himself, “but at least I made a new friend, one who is quite cute.” Gustav turned his head back towards where Maria was and closed his eyes where dreams soon came to take him away..

Gustav felt a slight tug on his arm, followed by the voice of a young woman. She sounded familiar, but the fog that clouded his mind couldn't place who it belonged to.

“Gus, are you awake?” The haze of sleepiness began to stir and dissipate as he opened his eyes. It was morning. The sunlight poured in through one of the windows in front of him, basking its rays across his floor and legs. He leaned up and stretched his arms upward and legs outward. He turned his head towards where the voice came from.

A pink skinned woman with fairly large breast, large eyes with pale chartreuse cornea and blue-green eyes, three ruby-like gemstones on her forehead, and wearing a silver hemmed tight suit the color of a ripened grape. She had no hair to speak of on her head, nor arms or legs. As he looked at her, the events of last night ran through his head and the haze and fog lifted from his memory completely.

“Oh, good morning, Maria. Did you sleep well?” Gustav greeted her as he leaned up.

“Very well, thank you. I have a question.”

Gustav smiled at her. “Alright, what's the question.”

“What's that straining under your clothing covering your pelvic region?” Maria asked innocently and pointed to the subject she referred to. Gustav cocked his head some, then looked to where she had her finger pointed towards.

His eyes widened when he realized her finger pointed towards his morning wood that bulged visibly in his jeans. He chuckled bashfully. “Um, ha ha, that is something personal that I wish not to explain at the moment.”

Maria blinked and retracted her finger. “Oh, okay. I have only one other question.”

“Yes?”

“Where can I go to... well, to but it blandly... urinate and defecate at?” Her face showed she was very uncomfortable asking the question. Gustav sighed and got up from the recliner.

“Is your leg fully healed yet, or do I need to carry you?” He asked her concerning her injury.

“It's near full restoration, but to be safe, I would appreciate it if you carried me.”

Gustav smiled. “Alright.” He reached under her knees and her back, and placed his hand near her knee, and the other just under her armpit. He lifted her up off the bed. His glasses slipped down his nose. “Um, Maria, could you push my glasses back up on my nose, please?”

Maria looked to him and took her finger and carefully shifted his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose. “There you go.”

“Thanks.” He acknowledge her help. He still had that condition in his pants, so he moved slowly as he left his bedroom and headed toward the bathroom. The door was slightly opened, luckily, so he had Maria push it open and he took her in. He bobbed his head towards the toilet. “We use that to take care of the business that you mentioned you needed to do.”

“Before I can do that, I need a favor from you. You might be a little uncomfortable with the request.” Maria stated, her cheeks flushed like before when he confirmed he called her cute.

“What's that?”

“My suit doesn't have any function to take care of such, at least not without removing it to about the knee joints.”Maria stated and looked to Gus, a look of shame on her face. “I don't want to show you my bare body, but...”

Gus sighed. “I'll help you, since you asked.”

“Thank you.”

He slowly sat her down on the tub's edge, then pulled the seat down on the toilet. He picked her up again and sat her on the seat. Maria leaned forward and pointed behind to her back to a raised section of her body suit. “See this section? Can you tug the outsides of it outward. Doing so will loosen the tightness of the entire suit.”

Gustav was intrigued to see how that worked. He took the index finger and the thumb of his hands and lightly pinched the fabric. The fabric had a sleek look, but the texture was similar to thin cotton. He did as Maria instructed and tugged the outside edges near the raised selection in the center line of the suit's back. As he did so, the raised section illuminated with various lines, and looked a lot like circuitry. After a moment, the suit loosened and lost the tightness it had prior. “Wow! That' pretty cool.”

“Um,” Maria began, “Can you turn away from me for a sec. I need to pull the suit down a bit. I know your species consider a woman's chest to be sexually attractive, so please turn away.” The tone in her voice was timid and shy. Gustav understood the logic and complied with her request. He looked towards the wall opposite of where the toilet was located. After a couple of minutes, Maria spoke up again. “Um, I need your assistance again, but I'm unsure if it's possible to even cover my genitalia and get the suit down.”

He turned to see she had an arm covering her more sensitive portion of her breast, but the suit was down to her hips. He took a guess that because she was covering herself with one arm, she would have a time pulling the rest off. “You know, I could step out, and you wouldn't need to worry about covering yourself.”

“But I would have to worry about the condition of my leg.”

Gustav nearly forgot about her leg. He sighed and thought. “Can you use your free hand to cover your... reproductive canal for lack of a better term... and I'll help work off your suit until it gets to your knees. Would that work?”

Maria's cheeks were red with embarrassment, but she nodded. She reached her free hand inside the bodysuit and between her thighs. Gustav knelt down beside her and took a hold of her suit around her waist and carefully expanded it to move it off her hips. His face was flushed. He had worked off a suit for a young woman, though from another world, because she had no way to undress herself because she was concerned about her injured leg that was currently in the process of recovery. He returned his thoughts to the task at hand and continued to pull the suit down her hips, then her thighs until it rested at her knees.

“Is this far enough?” he asked as he looked up at her. Maria smiled and softly nodded. “Then I'll wait outside until you're finished with your bathroom needs.” He pointed to the roll of tissue paper. “I'm not sure about your planet, but we use toilet tissue to clean ourselves after defecating.” He turned to the door and was about to walk out when Maria spoke to him.

“Thank you for your help. I know it was difficult to do something like this for me, especially considering that I'm almost naked, but I'm glad your considerate enough to grant me the assistance. Thank you.”

Gustav nodded. “You needed help. I'm here, so it had to be done. I was a little uncomfortable doing it, but I'm glad you appreciate it. I'll be out here. Just call my name when you want me to come back in and help.” He opened the door and closed it behind him without looking back.

He stood out in the hall next to the bathroom. “Damn, I'm still aroused.” He thought to himself. “I want to take care of it, but I don't want Maria to be stuck n the bathroom. I guess I'll have to think about something else.” He searched his memories and thoughts for something that wouldn't be exciting in that sort of way.

He came across a lot of Maria's memories. He came across one where she was reading a story on a flat tablet of sorts. While the characters of her language was completely new to him, he understood it using her thoughts. She was reading a book on love and romance. She had never had a special someone before, but she desired to have someone that was kindhearted and considerate. Someone that was smart, but didn't really boast about it.

“Gus.” He heard Maria call his name. “I'm done. But before you come in, How do you get the waste material out of the contained bowl?”

“Pull the lever down until it flushes. It's gonna be on your right if you're still sitting down.” Gustav explained to her. After a few seconds, the sound of the toilet as it flushed away the contents in the bowl filled the air behind the door.

After it finished, Maria called out to him. “Okay, I'm covered. Can you please come back in and help me?” Gustav smirked and went to the door and opened it. Maria was still on the commode, and was covering her modesty with her arms and hand. Gustav grabbed her suit, held between her knees, and carefully pulled it up her thighs and carefully over her hips.

“You can remove your hand now. I'll pull up one side of your suit if you use your free hand to pull up the other. Is that okay?” Gustav asked his alien female friend. Maria grabbed the right side of her suit as he held the left. They pulled it up until it covered her breast, which she then took her suit and put it back on herself. She reached behind her and tugged the outer edges of the raised section on her suit's rear near the neck and Gustav noticed the suit tightened until it fitted her.

Maria looked to Gus. “Thank you so much for your help.” She then stood up, placing her weight on her left leg. “I think my right leg is fully restored. I'm about to see if it is possible to stand on.” Maria carefully added weight to her right foot gradually. Gustav watched on, concerned that her leg may not be fully healed. As he observed he saw that her leg was stable. Her facial expression showed no sign of inflicted agony as she added her full weight on her leg. She stood on it with all her weight, and smiled. “Well, fully healed.” She looked to her human friend. “Thank you so much.”

“Again, it's okay. You needed help, and I provided it. It's just how I am, and it's been that way since...” Gustav had explained to that point, but he didn't want to speak about that terrible day. The very day he lost something precious to him.

Maria looked at him curiously, She looked at his saddened expression. “You lost something important, just like me. You saw my memories, so you know what I lost. What did you lose?”

Gustav looked to Maria after she asked the question. He didn't want to recall it, nor explain what happened. However, she had a point. He had her memories in his mind as well. Her family was destroyed by war, and she was alone here on Earth. His eyes then dropped downward, followed by his head. “My father and my mother. An idiotic drunk driver ran the stoplight and crashed into the driver's side. My father died instantly. My mother was in critical condition, and lived for three more days after the collision. I made a promise to her that if someone was of need, to help them by any means necessary.” Tears began to form in his eyes. “I was very close to my mother. I even carry out some traditions from her side of the family still today. I... I...” Gustav couldn't hold back his tears any longer. He began to sob loudly as tears flooded his eyes, and rushed down his cheeks until they crashed unto the polished oak floor.

Then, just outta nowhere, a pair of arms wrapped around his frame and held him. Maria embraced him and spoke softly to him as he cried out his pain. “You aren't alone when it comes to those painful memories. You are not alone.” Maria tightened her hug, and Gustav heard her sniffle, then sob as well. He wrapped his arms around her, too.

They were the same. Both had lost their family, and the only comfort they could find was with one another. Gustav remembered the explanation of the transfer of her memories, about those it usually happened to: Those with similar experiences, or those who would be able to develop a deep bond with each other. He believed both were true as of that moment they shared the same pain. The agony of losing loved ones.

Gustav and Maria stood there as they cried for quite some time, until he pulled his head back up and looked to Maria. “Thank you. I needed someone who understood how I felt.”

Maria looked to him, tears in her eyes and tear stains on her face, and smiled. “It's okay. It's okay.” Maria softened her smile as a loud growl had produced from her stomach. “Um, I'm hungry...”

Gustav laughed a bit. “I'll fix you something to eat, but it'll be after I use the bathroom.” He opened the door for her. “You can wait outside. I'll be done in a minute or two.”

Maria nodded and walked outside. “Okay, I'll wait out here.” She leaned against the wall on the left side of the door. Gus closed the door and locked it, then proceeded to head to the toilet.

After he used the bathroom and washed his hands, he opened and walked out the bathroom. Maria was still leaned against the wall, and turned to him as he came out. “So, what are you going to make for the meal this morning?”

“Something simple.” Gustav said. “Scrambled eggs, and some apple juice to drink.”

“I can't wait to try it.” Maria said eagerly. Gustav motioned for her to follow him, and he led her to the kitchen. Maria's eyes scanned the room in awe. “So this is a kitchen.” She walked up to a rack that held the oven gloves, and admired the little pictures of chickens on them. “Wow, that a cute bird. What is it?”

Gustav had pulled out a non-stick skillet and was near the refrigerator when she asked. He looked her direction and noticed what she was talking about. “Oh, those are chickens. They are a farmhouse fowl. Basically they are normally raised on farms for the purpose of being turned to food, or for laying eggs for food as well. The eggs I'll be cooking come from chickens.”

Maria looked to Gustav. “Humans eat chickens and their eggs? Can they be used for pets?”

Gustav pulled out the egg carton and sat it on the counter where the stove was located, along with some butter. “Not indoor pets. Chickens have a very nasty odor from what I hear, not to mention they can cause harm to young children by pecking at their legs and ankles. They can be rather temperamental.”

“Okay, I understand.” Maria said and pulled out a chair and sat down in it. She watched as Gustav cooked the food for their breakfast. She was rather curious about his species. She knew some life-supporting planets never get a chance to meet other life forms. She assumed this world was the same. But if she wanted to learn more about his species, she would either need to know more about the world through information, or through experience of the world by exploration.

“Gus, I have a really big question.”

He glanced to her as he continued cooking. “That would be?”

“Do you have any sort of device where I could learn more about this planet and your species? I'm curious to know, since it looks like this will be my home for the remainder of my days.”

Gustav was silent for a moment as he scooped up the eggs and placed them on a plate. He grabbed some wheat bread and popped it into a toaster, and set it for a light toast. “Well, I have a computer in my room with internet access. I'll show you after we get done eating.” He went back to the fridge and pulled out the apple juice. “You don't have any allergies to anything, do you?”

“Allergies?” Maria asked and looked up in thought. “I don't know of anything that causes me to have any reaction, but that's on my planet. I guess I don't.”

Gustav didn't want to take a chance. “Well, just in case, I'll let you take a sip of the apple juice first. You know, just in case. I really don't want to lose a friend because of information that was unknown to me.” He handed a glass of apple juice to her. “Just a sip for the moment.”

Maria nodded and held the drinking glass in both hands and carefully tilted it until she was able to drink a little bit of it. She sat the glass down and looked up to Gus. After a few seconds, she spoke to him with a smile. “This taste rather good. Kinda sweet and sharp at the same time.”

The toaster popped out the toasted wheat bread, and Gustav walked over and grabbed the toast and sat it on the plates with the scrambled eggs. He picked up both plates and walked over to the table. He sat one plate in front of Maria and the other he sat beside her in front of the chair he would have sat in. He then went to the counter and pulled out a drawer to grab a fork for each of them. “Here's a fork.”

Maria had a piece of the scrambled eggs in her hand and was about to place it into her mouth. She looked at Gustav a bit curiously as he held the fork to her. “What's that for?”

“Well, around here, it's proper to eat with utensils. This is a fork, which you pick up food with to put into your mouth.” He took his fork and went to his plate, and inserted the utensil into a large section of scrambled eggs. He lifted his fork up from his plate and placed the eggs in his mouth. He closed his mouth over it, removed the fork, then chewed and swallowed his food. He handed the other fork to her.

Maria took the fork between her index finger and thumb, then proceeded to use it with the eggs.

“I would also like to note that there are some foods you can handle with your hands to eat, like the toast here.” He explained and picked up the toasted piece of bread and bit into it.

Maria nodded as she chewed and swallowed the scrambled eggs. She picked up the toast and bit into it. After she swallowed the food she chewed up, she looked to Gustav. “Thank you for teaching me. I would hate to look like I had no mannerism when eating on this planet. My kind always used our hands to eat, as a sign of trustworthiness of the ones who prepared it.”

“Really? That's kinda unique.” Gustav said before he forked up another bit of scrambled eggs.

After they finished breakfast, Gustav gathered the plates and cleaned a bit of the food matter off before he stuck it in the dishwasher. At this time, Maria watched him operate the machine. It was primitive in nature, at least to her kind, but if she was to live here, She needed to know how to use such in the future. After he closed the dishwasher door, Maria looked to him. “Gus, could you teach me how to use that device there sometime in the future?”

Gus turned to her, looked to the dishwasher, then back to her. “Sure. I guess you do need to know how to operate some machines here on Earth. I'll show you after we eat for lunch, which will be close to midday.”

“Thank you, Gus.” Maria smiled to him, then stood up from the chair. She looked to him. “So, You said you'll let me learn more about your kind and your world using a computer with internet, correct?”

Gustav nodded and walked up to his friend. “Yeah, I did. Let's head to my room. I'll start up the computer and bring up the internet. I use the Google search engine, since it's quite popular and mostly accurate.” The two of them went back to his room and he sat at the computer desk in his room. He turned on the computer and allowed it to load up.

“Gus, there's something I want to ask you...”

“Yes, Maria?” Gus knew she would have a lot of questions as she was still new to everything on Earth.

Maria blushed a bit. “One of the things I came across when learning your language was the term 'girlfriend'. I know the meaning behind it, as it's very similar to my world's terminology. I was wondering if you had one?”

Gustav looked to her, then looked down. “Truth be told, I have never had a girlfriend. I'm not really that attractive by Earth standards, and I'm a bit of a geek. People just don't want to even give me a chance to allow them to get to know me. The only real friend I have is D-Pad, the guy that helped me yesterday.” Gus paused and looked downward to the floor. “I don't even think I'll ever be able to find one.”

Maria looked to him while still blushing. “If it is all the same to you, could I be your girlfriend? I know I'm not human, but I would really like to be your girlfriend. A kind and worthy person like yourself deserves to feel appreciated by others, and I really like you, because of your concern for me.” She paused until Gustav was looking at her. When his eyes met hers, she gave him a heartwarming smile. “May I have the honor of being your girlfriend?”

Gustav looked into her eyes, and saw nothing that contradicted the words she spoke. She was honest about her feelings, and her attraction to him, like he remembered from her memories, was true. She did like him because he showed her kindness, and cared for her even though they were different. He smiled back at her. He was about to have his first girlfriend, and she wasn't even from his world.

He stood up and embraced her sweetly. “I'll be glad to take you as my girlfriend, as long as you don't mind having me as your boyfriend.” He saw her smile as she beamed at him with a radiant joy.

She hugged him tightly. “Thank you! You really don't know how happy I am. Thank you so much!”

Gustav smiled. “Well, one of the memories that kinda transferred from you to me was you looking at some sort of tablet reading a book or something about love. So I can guess.”

Maria looked up at him and nuzzled his neck. She then lifted her head until her lips were near his ear. “You are the first boyfriend I have ever had. I'm twenty-two orbizels, and never had a boyfriend. Thank you for accepting me into your life.” She looked back into his medium green eyes. “Thank you.”

Gustav smiled at her. “Thank you for giving me a chance to let someone get to know me better. That someone being you, Maria.” As he gazed into her eyes, he felt a deeper connection with her. This stronger bond, he thought, we allow them to go places once he was able to find a way for the both of them to go in public without negative attention focusing on them.

Maria smiled from ear to ear, and her smile sparkled with happiness. She held onto him for a minute or two. She gradually unwrapped her arms from around Gustav, but continued to look at him sweetly. Gustav looked back to his computer, and saw the password screen was up. He sat back down and typed in his password quickly. The desktop came up, and after a minute or two more, He opened the web browser.

“So, what do you want to know about first?” Gustav asked Maria.

Maria looked up in thought, then back to him. “Well, I would like to know about this planet's history, starting with important points that had a major impact.”
“Okay, the only real history references that had an impact revolved around wars. I think the worst war in history was the first and second World Wars. It was a dark time then, and some remnants of it still exist. Let's see what I can pull up on Youtube about them.” Gustav was about to move his mouse when Maria placed her hand on top of his own.

“Nothing about war. I really don't like anything about war.”

Gustav was silent for a second. He turned back to her. “Alright, how about great inventors, or cultural-based topics?”

Maria nodded. Gustav typed in 'common cultures in North America'. The search engine pulled up a vast array of items, from primitive culture to urban celebrations to Art and music and to customs and traditions.

“Well, that's a lot to choose from.” Gustav stated, and moved over so Maria can look.”Anything peaks your interest?”

Maria pointed to a site listing. It was a link to great known artworks, as well as unknown artist and their works. “Art is very interesting to me. I've always loved looking at it.”

“Art it is, then.” Gustav agreed with Maria and clicked the link. He then stood up and pulled the task chair out and turned it to Maria. “Have a seat.”

Maria sat down, and moved around a bit. After a minute or two, She looked back to Gus. “It's rather uncomfortable. My tail is in need of room.” She stood back up and turned to Gus as she showed him her tail just above her buttocks. He remembered it from last night. It looked a lot like a string ray with protruded tips, but no barbed tail, with the front of the shape connected to her lower back, near the coccyx. It was pink like her skin, but had some lighter, pale colored, markings. As he looked at her back, he saw that the patterned markings weren't limited to her tail, but all up her back as well, from an opening that allowed her tail to remain on the exterior of the suit.

“Hmm, allow me to grab a folding chair. I know it has room for your tail. Cool markings by the way.”

“Wait, what?” Maria asked, flabbergasted by his previous comment.

“The markings on your tail and back. I like it. It's really cool looking. It's kinda like a tattoo we humans get on our bodies as art.” Gustav told Maria. She stood there shocked for a moment, but afterward blushed and smiled.

“You really think those body marks are really that nice?”

“Maria, the pattern and colors are beautiful.” He looked at her confused. “Wait, you don't like it?”

Maria closed her eyes and turned to Gustav. “Gus, on my world, brighter color markings like mine were associated with wickedness, tyrants, and worst of all, a symbol of great evil. I was never any of those things growing up. I was always sweet and kind to everyone. And yet, because of my markings, I had no friends that weren't family as well.” Tears began to fill her eyes.

Gus searched Maria's memories, and understood what she meant. She was always left out by her peers. As she grew up, she tried to make friends, but because of her markings, no one wanted her, nor would have given her a chance.

Gustav wrapped his arms around her from behind. “It's okay. I'm here for you. I'm your friend, your boyfriend, and the man that will make sure no harm befalls you.”

Maria smiled and took her right arm and wiped her tears away. She looked back to Gustav and smiled with greater love. She turned around and hugged him tightly, tighter then she did before. She buried her face into the nape of his neck and remained there for a while. Gustav wrapped his left arm around her back, and placed the hand of his other arm on the back of her head for comfort.

“It's okay. I'm here.” Gustav repeated softly. “Do you still want to learn about the art of our world?” He asked Maria kindly, his voice still soft as he continued to comfort her.

“I do, Gus, but later. I just want to stay like this for a while, if you don't mind.” She whispered audibly enough that Gustav heard her.

Gustav smiled. “I don't mind, though it'll be better if we laid down like this. Standing up is okay, but with that little bit of rest from late last night to early this morning wasn't enough to give my legs rest.” He chuckled a bit. “Not to mention that I carried you to the bathroom earlier.”

Maria was quiet for a few seconds before she answered. “Okay, Let's lay down.”

Gustav lifted her face up to his own for a sec and smiled at her. “Alright.” He then went up to the bed and removed the towels that was on in last night and cluttered them onto the recliner. He then turned to Maria and gestured to her to get on the bed. She understood and climbed onto the bed and laid down on the same side as last night. Gustav sat down on the bed and moved himself about to lay down beside Maria. Once he got comfortable, Maria leaned up and then laid herself down on Gus. She laid her head on the left side of his own while her torso laid on top of him, with the exception of her legs, which her right leg occupied the empty space between his parted legs, and her left leg the right side of his right leg.

“Thank you.” Maria graciously said, and continued to nuzzle into his neck. She was very happy she met Gustav. She felt as though she had found her one, true partner for life.

Gustav smiled as she showed her thanks by nuzzling her neck. However, he was in a dire situation against another struggle. Maria's boobs were pressed against his chest. This was a lot different than standing up and feeling them on his chest. This time, the entirety of their weight was pressured down on him. He tried his best not to think about how soft they were, or how big they were. He fought against the nature of his body, as he refused to get aroused with the current situation. If he let it happened, Maria would had probably questioned him about it. He didn't want that to happen this early in their relationship. Sure, It's only been about ten or fifteen minutes since they became a couple, but if he had explained what happened when males are very attracted to someone, whether or not they had relations with them or not, he would had experienced a new level of awkwardness. He continued this struggle as he embraced his arms around his alien girlfriend.

At least they got to know each other better and develop a stronger bond than before.

“Gus?”

“Yeah, Maria?” Gustav responded to her.

“Since you are my boyfriend, and I'm your girlfriend, what are the human ways of showing affection?”

“Well,” Gustav began. “There's hugs, which is something you have done already by wrapping your arms around me, There's also giving small gifts as tokens of affection. There's also kissing, where two people that love each press their lips together. Then there's...”

“Can we kiss?” Maria quickly asked Gustav after he explained what it was. Gustav blushed by the fact she was so casual about asking about them kissing.

Gustav was looking upward since she was in the crook of his neck. She leaned up, both arms on either side of his head, and looked at him. She looked into his eyes lovingly. Gustav, his face still flushed, glanced downward for a bit. He forgot that she was leaning at an angle to a point where her cleavage came into view. He quickly looked back up to her, and hoped that his south pole wouldn't react.

“Yes, we can, if you want to.” Gustav answered her seeing that she actually did have feelings for him. He wasn't sure how strong her feelings were at this point, but he granted her the simple request.

Maria leaned down and placed her thick teal-colored lip upon his own. Gustav placed his left hand on the back of her head as they kissed. The contact of their lips brought them to a level of their relation much greater than before. Maria felt loved. Gustav felt the chemistry between them. They had there lips together for only a few seconds, but those few seconds meant more than they could had ever dreamed of.

This was the moment they knew they were meant for each other.