Mori sat thousands of miles above the bell-like dome in his transparent bubble, brooding. Something had gone wrong. The small rocket disappeared far too quickly in the alien atmosphere. Even all his attempts to steer the capsule into a stable orbit failed. It had become so familiar to him, this ride, after he had made a few small changes to the rudders, was a great place to live. He didn't want to lose this varied free taxi, but with all its accumulated energy, it would certainly have burned up. The extreme heat inside him and the painful cry of this person had taken him completely by surprise. A reaction that could not, and should not.

He had to let go of the person, it was no use. As much as his feelersb twitched, it was time to say goodbye.

His tender fingers lay on his pale cheeks and he closed his big almond-shaped eyes. He would never forget the last weeks. It was so much fun travelling and singing with the three of them. When he heard the sound waves for the first time and located the foreign object, he was so excited and obsessed that he didn't want to separate anymore. And since the shell he was in had a unique protective shield that made him invisible to all radar systems, he attached himself to the rocket and got to know rock music. That, was exactly his thing and it didn't bother anyone when he sang along loudly. Until the moment when he curiously peered into the capsule and saw him. Mori actually had no interest in people, so he preferred to travel along as a stowaway for the time being. But something inside the rocket attracted him like a magnet and that was ... him. Torio. With this thought his palms began to warm up and the tiny suction cups tightened around his face. Again and again he had felt the need to touch the very tall, blonde person in this little missile, but he didn't want to hurt him, certainly not. Only the look into those special eyes made the alien glow.

"Arg..." Startled, he pulled his hands from his cheeks, the heat inside him had got out of control. He was burning inside, which had a wonderful reason. This reaction of the body was frightening but at the same time exciting, thrilling and above all unique. Mori had fallen in love, he was on fire for ... a human being? After this realization he lost all control over the space capsule and had to let go of it. Forever?

"Mori, Mori, you should leave it alone," a voice croaked above him and in the next moment a hologram appeared and showed a mischievously grinning boy with bright red hair. "It is forbidden ... don't you remember what Mum and Dad said? No little human being is allowed in our house. Do you remember? Do you?" Instead of an answer, the apparition was blanked out with a gesture of the person addressed.

"Of course I didn't forget," he growled depressed. "Just for a moment because I've never been so happy in my life?

"Mori nii?" it came more carefully this time and the redhead appeared right in front of him. "They say you quit your sentry job and ran away. Is that true? ... Where are you now?" Actually he was not in the mood for this conversation, but he was his brother and if the younger one hadn't been just a delusion, they would have hugged each other deeply. Their relationship with each other had improved with the separation of their parents, but they could not see each other too often because the red-haired boy was still in training.

"Hey, Hichan, I'm... I'm not." Sadly, the elder stroked his antennae, whose fringed end immediately retracted and the antennas converged like a telescope. Although Mori was much older, he had much less idea about love than the boy before him. That was because he ran away from home very early and took his life into his own hands. Which eventually led him to this activity, as he showed no interest in any other job. Mori was a defiant child and a headstrong teenager, but the lonely journeys through space made him very silent and thoughtful. The species he belonged to was highly intelligent, learned enormously fast and could move freely in any atmosphere. They also mastered the gift of teleportation, even slipping into the body of another being for a short time was no problem. But the alien did not need all that. His life was as one-sided as ... it was, until this rocket suddenly appeared and awakened so many hidden talents in him. He wished so much to be able to turn back time, to feel the music from this small space capsule and to crow, sing and scream with it. He had loved it... and he loved... him.

"You look pretty beat up, brother. What's the matter? Lovelorn? The fire inside you is so hot it'll burn you up if you don't do something." Again the alien just growled and looked at his glowing hands.

"So, what do you suggest we do, Mr. Foamy-Balls?

"The way I see it, you have no choice. You have to find her and mate with her. That's the only way she'll become one of us. Mori's eyes, which were generally very large, now became dark spheres staring incredulously at the hologram.

"What's wrong? ... "Don't worry, it's not much different from ours, you just have to keep your fire under control, otherwise..."

"Mou... the silly heat... these people are also very sensitive... eh... and how on earth am I supposed to have sex without touching... the person?"

"Doesn't sound easy, does it?" Hichan laughed exuberantly. "You can forget about the normal way. She'll be a roast pigeon before you know it. Mori, think. There is a way. It's not pleasant, but it might work. There was a big grin on the younger brother's lips. He bragged about his knowledge of how to reproduce with another race. In fact, it wasn't impossible, some parts of the planet 10969 OOR from which they came were inhabited by such mixed cultures. They were tolerated, but not really accepted. They had no rights, only the duty to do their work.

"I don't know if I... want that."

"Oh no? What, then? ... You don't think so? ... No Mori, don't do this. You could never go back. And all at once, Hichan looked very worried. "Tell me I'm wrong. "Don't give up your life, you'll lose everything, your skills, all the practical things... No one can be that perfect to sacrifice all that."

"But it's love, Hichan. I've been drawn to this person, this voice... He lit me on fire, and I still burn after four days..." The dark-haired alien showed his blazing palms and sighed deeply. "I must find him... or else..."

"That bad? Hmm, what I wouldn't give to burn so hot once in my life. She must be really something. What does she look like?" the younger one wanted to know and probably expected a more precise description of the lady, but Mori just came along:

"Eh... blonde... and tall."

"Uhh... an American? ... Okay, you talked me into it. I'm going to help you with this one. Tell me his location and I'll call in sick for the week.

Somewhat off the top of his head but very happy for his help, the brothers met in a wooded area on the human base on the planet "Outland". Since Mori had equipped the rocket with a tiny homing device, he could immediately recognize the location of the landing. The rest was easy, because the alien sensed his human immediately.

"Highest train, you're terribly hot," Hichan said as he pressed the elder one against him. "Why did you wait so long? You could have contacted me days ago."

"I thought it would stop ... go out by itself ... but if I think about it for even a moment ..." and already the extended feelers began to vibrate and the redhead had to let go of him so he wouldn't get burned.

"Boy, oh boy, you've really got it bad," he laughed and fanned cool air at himself. "We need a counterpart to your chosen human whose shape you must take in order to have any chance at all of meeting and eventually mating. Still, the problem of heat is still risky. Although the human skin absorbs most of the blazing flames, there have been cases where the loving couple burned helplessly." He explained expertly. "So you must be careful not to endanger yourself and your love.

"Have you ever done this before? ... I mean, slip into a strange body?"

"Well, to be honest, I do it all the time. At school, but not with the same intention. Nah, I just annoy the professors. But it's not much different in people, I've heard. Except for the suction cups and the feelers, there's practically no difference. Of course, they're primitive creatures, much weaker and have only a low IQ. They use only a fraction of their brains, as you can see from those tin cans they send into space." Hichan shook his head and looked around. "Tell me where I can find your human. I'm really curious to see what he looks like, blond and tall." Mori smiled embarrassed, gave his brother a location and wanted to find a few words of clarification, but the red haired one already disintegrated, the teleportation was already running.