Mori didn't notice any of this anymore. The slim alien had disappeared with the power of the ring at the last second and wanted to lead his pursuers astray. But nobody was on his heels.

Was he really that much faster because of the reinforced shield?

He waited with trembling lips, tense and listening with all his senses, not to miss the slightest change. Had he made a mistake? And lured his love into the clutches of his species? They weren't allowed to hurt him, no that was an alien law. The killing of humans was forbidden under penalty of death. Mori swallowed. What if they wanted to blame him for all this. That way, two birds with one stone would be trapped. The human who knew about them eliminated and the alleged defector executed as murderer.

The alien was shocked by his strategic thinking. "Oh no, what have I done?" he thought to himself and was already toying with the idea of turning back when he noticed the first vibrations of his kind. A little bit calmer, he continued the game of hiding, but soon noticed that his strength was waning. After each change of location he waited patiently for his pursuers and moved further and further away from the human space station. Exhausted, he finally reached the place where he wanted to stay, a few hours until he had managed to shake off the special forces here on this planet. Except for cold rock and an endless tunnel system, which ran through the whole celestial body, there was nothing worthwhile to be here for. But Mori knew the tunnels like the back of his hand and only he knew what treasures were hidden here. The risk of not being the only one with this knowledge, he had to take, for better or worse. Because if he should manage to get rid of his hunters, this variant was the safest. He could keep them busy for the rest of the night.

So he roamed left and right, laid out small baits here and there, often went many ways three times to confuse them. Then he slipped through a crack on the other side of the "Skull Planet", just wide enough to create a side exit for the narrow alien. What Mori didn't consider were his feelers, which he wore retracted but caused much bigger bumps on his head due to the state of full bloom. A stabbing pain went through him as he passed the last few centimeters and floated back into space.

The injury was not very bad, yet he felt a slight dizziness. A sign that his body was overloaded. It would only take thirty minutes to regenerate, but three hours had already passed. The astronaut, Mori hoped so much, would already be at the agreed place and the love-crazed alien could not waste another minute.

It was a fight with his powers, he had to take two breaks, breathing heavily and completely weakened. But he did not give up. It was not far away and the thought of the blond man, to whom he wanted to give everything, gave him the impulse to start a last teleportation.

"Herr Kommandant! He is... Mori has escaped. Reported by a member of the unit. "These tunnels are like a huge labyrinth, I can't perceive him on my own anymore either, it's possible that he's long gone on the other side.

"What does the tracking device say, Mori is weakened, it's easy to track him, what fools you are!"

"But we're not supposed to use it when we're around humans." The alien looked a little confused at his superior. "They've been telling us that long enough." Kazmi nodded absent-mindedly, he was already one step ahead with his thoughts.

"Of course,... I will test you until you can say it in your sleep. "Any frequency we send out could be detected and then... hell in space will begin," he warned, as he had done so often before.

There was a plan that would save his son's head if only no one set this device in motion. If all goes well, Mori will be reunited with his partner in the end.

It's called fatherly love, although Hichan had to do a lot of preparation.

"We'll split up. Three of us will go with me. You two go back to 10969 and stay here for a while in case he shows up." No one objected, the commander's orders were to be obeyed, even if they didn't sound logical. It was only when the trio took up position that Kazmi announced the place of their next landing.

It was fortunate that the astronaut was quite well prepared for the unforeseen due to the long and difficult training. He was able to survive longer without oxygen than many a recreational diver.

This had also been his salvation here, because only when he did not perceive the vibrations anymore did he wake up from his feigned powerlessness and looked around carefully. They were gone, whoever it was, they were chasing Mori and wanted to get rid of the person who had already seen him. Torio took a deep breath, tried to become calm again and thought of Mori's words. He could say goodbye to humanity, start a new life, in another universe, with him. The idea that in a short time he would have nothing more of everything that made his daily routine so much easier when he was impaired gave him something to think about. The training equipment, containers in the kitchen and bathroom, the wheelchair, were, so to speak, vital for the astronaut. How did Mori imagine the whole thing, what should the future of the two look like? Torio sank to the ground again and tears filled his eyes. He felt weak and helpless like never before. And Tomo and Ryo? What would happen to them? His two loyal friends, whom he actually wanted to have around him for the rest of his life. And his mother? After the death of her husband, she was already in psychological care, would she be able to cope with another loss?

On the other hand, there was this unknown, strong feeling towards the alien. Love he had never known in this form, the desire for warmth and tenderness, so strong and intense that he wanted to savour it at all costs.

The blond no longer knew how long he just lay there and cried. His body was stiff, his legs more numb than usual. He should still train, strengthen his muscles, because only the daily workout gave him small rays of hope to be able to put weight on his lower body again.

"Oh God Mori, I can offer you nothing. I can only be a lifelong burden to you. Slowly he crawled to his mobile base and lifted himself up. Falls from the wheelchair were not uncommon and by now he had long since mastered the technique of how to get back up on his own, tediously but safely. Then he started to pack up a few things that were very important to him. Yes, he wanted to leave... forever!

After almost three hours, the astronaut rolled over the ramp of a small transporter, onto the gravel road. The backpack hung on the handles of his wheelchair, the guitar lay on his lap. The taxi was sent back by him and Torio bumped over the stony ground towards the lake. The path was sparsely lit, which made it quite strenuous for the blond man to make his way along the rough terrain. But it was worth the effort, because the view of the glittering surface of the water, the dark woods behind and the infinitely deep black sky above, studded with stars, was uniquely beautiful.

He lingered for some time and let the picture take effect on him. You could almost think you were on earth, the cool fresh air blew through his hair and put a smile on his lips. Only a few more minutes separated him from the uncertain future and yet at this moment he did not want to be anywhere else. Slowly he rolled on, closer to the shore and smelled the humid musty air around him, the grass was wet and his wheelchair left deep marks in it. He stopped and decided to wait here, took his guitar and began to play a slow melody, the sound of which merged with the rustling of the wind and the gurgling sounds of the dark water. His deep voice hummed softly and all his senses were directed towards Mori.

Suddenly they were there, the eagerly awaited vibrations, very strong and from all sides.

"Mori?" He looked around, listening. A jolt from out of the blue on his chair, startled him. Something had slipped past him and landed on the grass a piece away.

Kazmi and his two men, who had long since been on the heels of the one they were looking for, were amazed when they saw the man. He was supposed to be lying dead in his apartment, at least the two companions of the commander assumed so, and the commander wondered once more about the tenacity of his future son-in-law. He dreaded his next actions. Hichan had warned his father that it would not be easy to deceive everyone, but it was the only and safest way not to look suspicious.

"Who is it? Mori?" Torio asked, now a lot louder. The curved figure moved and tried to get out of place. The astronaut wasn't sure. and suddenly the person addressed raised his head slightly, but was immediately pressed down again by an invisible force.

„T... Torio... As if it were an invitation, the astronaut placed his instrument in the damp grass and rolled towards the curved body, still not sure if he could see his alien in it.

"Yes... "Yes, l... ahhh," sobbed the hoarse voice and whimpered in pain. "It... "I am... so sorry." An outcry rang through the silence and the curled up body twitched as if it was getting strong electric shocks. "To... Toriooo... No!" That was the last we heard of Mori. With all his might the blond appeared on his wheels, but was stopped abruptly. As if someone had blocked the wheelchair. There were only a few meters left and now Torio could see the antennae of the alien, which were bumping into him. For a short moment the eyes of the lovers met and Mori began to glow. The flames seemed to devour him until Kazmi put an end to it. He couldn't bear to see his son suffering like that anymore. Despite the hardness and stubbornness towards Mori, this situation brought the father to the brink of despair. Once he had to separate them, as soon as possible, otherwise all would be lost. There was no time for sentimental outbursts.

Invisible orders were given and executed, every action precisely calculated. The astronaut tried to get ahead, but it was impossible. Something was holding him back.

"What's going on here? Mori! What's happening to you?" Man's last hope was to lift himself out of the chair and crawl forward, but when he bent over, he felt the resistance on his chest as well. "Mori! I can't go any further, what shall I do?" He didn't get an answer anymore, as the alien slowly faded away from him, the feelers retracted and the figure collapsed.

"No! Don't leave me... Mor..." The enormous thrust forced the air out of his lungs and hurled the man in the wheelchair back to the shore. The backpack fell onto the damp grass while Torio tipped over the bank, lost his balance and fell down. The dark, almost black, ice-cold water swallowed greedily and the first shock left Torio drifting as if lifeless. Of course he could swim and when he got his senses back under control he emerged. All traces were covered. His rucksack, the guitar and even the deep impressions of the wheelchair in the damp earth as if by magic.

His beloved alien had also disappeared, only pitiful cries and shouts could be heard from afar. The further away they went, the colder the water seemed to the swimmer. His legs, which were not doing what he wanted anyway, hung clammy down and even his strong arms slowly tired. Instead of paddling ashore, an unnatural current pulled him further and further into the middle of the lake. Small clouds of steam rose from the mouth of the exhausted man and his gaze was directed upwards into the endless starry sky. A tender smile played around his lips.

"Yes, I do," he whispered the words like a promise, loving and happy. Tears, which could no longer be counted, ran down his wet bluish cheeks. With his last ounce of strength, he drew himself out of the water.

"I love you, Mori... ...do you hear? I love you!" The loud echo of his voice seemed to mock him, for as he disappeared into the depths, the words still echoed in his ears. He was ready to let go. His life was over... over. Almost solemnly he closed his eyes, his perception blurring with the floods in the depths. The last thought was of his first and only love. His full lips, he could literally feel them, soft and tender and when he opened his mouth for the last time, he tasted the bittersweetness, like dark chocolate.

The powerful stream of air that passed through the astronaut at that very moment filled his lungs with the vital oxygen. In a flash Torio's eyes opened and all he saw before him was red! Full of panic he wanted to fight his way free, flailing wildly around, but this creature had sucked itself onto him and acted like a diving bottle, blowing and drawing air in and out of his mouth constantly, like a respirator. Shouldn't he be happy? No matter who or what saved him from drowning? But the Russian space explorer didn't want to live without Mori and the alien that stuck to him was not the slim brown curly head. So the fight went on, hand and foot! The blond man tried his best until a blow on his head brought a quick end to the bickering.

Hichan had had enough and lost his patience. It cost him enough effort to breathe to the helplessly floating in the water and then he resisted!

'What a stubborn donkey,' he thought angrily and swam into the hidden cave where Mori met his father hours ago. It was only when the heads came out of the water that he let go of the astronaut's mouth.

"Man oh man, my first intense kiss with a human being would have been different," he grumbled and licked his lips. Then he effortlessly pulled Torio out of the ice-cold water and laid him carefully on the smooth stones. "Big as a giant but light as a feather, what's wrong with his legs?" Curious, he unbuckled the belt of his jeans, he would have to undress Mori's future wife anyway. The human body was far too weak to survive such a night dive unharmed. He would probably get pneumonia and his rescue operation would be in vain.

This should not happen under any circumstances, his brother needed this man and Hichan wanted to make sure of that, even if it looked like he was going to make his own way to his victim at the moment.