***warning - violence, blood, death***

The story so far:

---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija witnesses a strange event one night – light emanating from Rez's body. The kidnapper is after her soul, next, but he leaves her alive and goes away. Another man finds her, he wants to take her somewhere else - Aija though wary of him agrees. Aija learns of the existence of the aliens – the Ytai. Also, about the R'ies and H'eon, Harvesting and Àvo from Etrie. Etrie tells her that the man, who Harvested Rez (Thieron), will now go after her. He tells her that the spy/kidnapper's name is Luka. Etrie asks her to work along with him. Aija agrees to work along with Etrie on Harvest Stopping Missions.

---- Zuri is back at her hometown. She tells Alex why it's important to do well at school - so that they can both live at Innermost and bring their parents there too. Zuri meets with her friends. She admits that she likes someone - a girl. Her friend Amyas tells her that he likes her.

---- Aija invites Zuri on a Harvest Stopping Mission. Zuri agrees to go and leaves her hometown earlier than intended. Zuri is picked up by Kuna, Etrie's partner. He tells that Etrie will erase her memories.

---- Kuna and Zuri reach the place and meet up with Aija, Etrie, and Maya. The Harvesters come and attack them. One Ytai attacks her.

✽✽✽

****16.5 - Zuri****

***warning - violence, blood, death***

Zuri screamed, surprise taking over her. 

The Ytai tried to grab her blade, but she kicked him backward, he staggered back but regained his composure in a second. He lunged for her again as if she just hadn't kicked him with all her force. She simply held out her blade at the very last minute. It pierced him in the chest, and he stared at her in shock. Zuri let go of the blade. She hadn't foreseen that either.

The Ytai pulled the blade out of his chest slowly. She looked on in horror as he threw her blade back at her as if she'd struck him with nothing but a blunt toy; it landed at her feet.

"Not enough," he told her in accented CommLang, smiling as if he hadn't been struck by the blade; like it didn't hurt at all. "Try harder, you filthy human."

Zuri felt her heart pounding against her ribs as she picked up her blade.

"Scared?" he asked, grinning, closing in on her.

Zuri hadn't been prepared for this. She jumped at him, blade clutched tightly in her hand. She struck him, but he just moved to the side, avoiding the blade by a significant distance. She turned around and struck again; her surprise turned to anger with each strike she took at him. But each time she failed, and she realized she was stupid to have thought she could take on a Ytai.

The Ytai deflected her strikes, and he kicked her in the gut. She lost her balance as the pain blazed through her, and she fell to the ground.

"Had enough?" the Ytai taunted a creepy smile lacing his lips.

Zuri flinched, getting up. She was Zuri King; the Kings never gave up. No way.

She ran to him and jumped to kick him. The Ytai caught hold of her leg, pulled her to himself, and punched her hard across the face.

"Zuri!" she heard Aija's voice at the same time she felt the pain.

Zuri fell to the ground again; her tears pricked her eyes. Something was broken – either her nose or her jaw. She wasn't sure which of it was broken or perhaps both. The pain blinded her vision for a moment. She put her hand to her face, and when she was able to see again, she saw blood.

The Ytai, who was laughing at her, suddenly grunted. Zuri saw Aija behind him – she had driven a blade into his back. The Ytai removed the blade just as easily as he had removed hers and flung it at Aija. It smacked her across her eyebrow, and she fell from the force of it.

"You pitiful humans are no match for me." he laughed. 

"I am." Etrie's voice came from behind the Ytai.

The Ytai's neck twisted with a sickening crack, and he fell to the ground, lifeless. Zuri had seen Etrie move behind the Ytai man, but she didn't think that that the outcome that was coming.

Zuri stared at the fallen Ytai, mouth open.

It grew quiet, and she turned around, looking for nothing in particular. The Ytai, who had been fighting Etrie, was on the road lying down facing away from them. He wasn't moving.

Aija came to her and said, "You're bleeding, Zu."

"So are you," Zuri whispered. There was cut above Aija's right eyebrow where the blade had struck her.

"Such a mess...." Maya appeared behind Etrie shaking her head in disapproval.

"Something's broken," Zuri spoke through the pain.

Aija looked at her face, horrified at all the blood.

"I'm impressed," Etrie told her and helped her up. He held her chin between his thumb and index finger, lifted her face inspecting it, and told her, "Your nose is broken. It can be fixed."

"I'm impressed," Etrie told her and helped her up. He held her chin between his thumb and index finger, lifted her face inspecting it, and told her, "Your nose is broken. It can be fixed."

"You handled that Ytai all by yourself. I'll give you credit; you are brave." Etrie continued as he wiped the blood off his cheek with the back of his hand.

He took out a small piece of cloth and wiped the blood off her face. It stung, and she winced. Kuna handed him a small glass container. Etrie said, "This will hurt for a second." He tilted her face and pressed her nose.

Zuri screamed in pain even as Etrie kept asking her to stay still. When he was done resetting her bone, he put the transparent balm from the container – it was cold - and then put a tiny tape over it. It was tight and pulled at her skin. The pain subsided almost in an instant after he applied the balm, and she felt better.

"My nose is fixed?" she asked. "Just like that?"

"Yes..." Etrie gave her a smug grin.

"Let's head home," Kuna said, taking back the balm from Etrie and applying it to Aija's cut. She winced once at the pain, and then the cool balm must have soothed her pain as well, for she calmed.

"Maya and I will clean up this mess," Etrie told them. "Kuna will take you two back home."

"What about her memories?" Kuna demanded.

"What memories?" Aija sounded concerned.

"I'm letting you keep them," Etrie spoke directly to her, and Zuri was secretly relieved as she learned that it had indeed been a serious threat.

"Etrie? No..." protested Maya.

"She's a useful one, this human," Etrie said, still looking at her.

Kuna looked utterly displeased as well, but he stayed silent.

"Go home now; you did well tonight," Etrie said and turned away.

Maya glared at Zuri and snarled at Aija before turning.

"I want to help too." Aija's voice was soft.

"No," Kuna's voice was curt. "You two must get some rest. You have school tomorrow."

The three of them walked back to the station, leaving behind Etrie and Maya to deal with the 'mess'.

The events of the night had chased away her sleep, so Zuri stared out the window at the houses and intermittent greenery. Aija had been happy that Mrs. Nyer was safe. So was Zuri, but her shock was stronger than her relief.

When she closed her eyes, she could still see the blade she was holding strike the Ytai man's chest; him removing it and Etrie twisting his neck. Zuri hadn't expected Aija to put the blade of her own volition into the Ytai's back. But then again, if Aija had been in her place, Zuri might have done the same for her too.

Zuri now understood why Aija had been so shaken and hadn't wanted her to experience this. Aija had been trying to protect Zuri from this trauma, this feeling of helplessness. And Zuri had felt helpless as the Ytai man had toyed with her, and if Etrie hadn't been there, she'd be dead. It was one thing to hear it happen, another, to be the one doing it.

Zuri held Aija tighter as her best friend rested her head on her shoulder and drifted off to sleep, not before saying, "It'll get better – this feeling."

They first dropped Aija home. Kuna then walked with Zuri to her Block.

"I can take care of myself," she told him, but her voice didn't come out as strong as she intended it to be.

"I know," his voice was soft as they got into the elevator together.

"Do you always kill Harvesters?"

"Most of the time, yes," he whispered. "They deserve it anyway."

"How is it that all of you know perfect CommLang?"

"Because we're taught CommLang before we are deployed to Earth." he frowned at her, but his tone wasn't harsh. "If we need to work here long term, we must know the right language to communicate. Else, you and I wouldn't have been talking right now."

"Right," she agreed.

"I know you'll be with us a long time," he said. "I can see Etrie and tell he finds you interesting. Just know that this is dangerous work, and it might lead you somewhere unintended. Stay vigilant always. Harvesters love killing humans working with Ytai for fun. Be alert; stay safe."

Zuri stared at him. Was this the Kuna she knew?

"Don't you hate me?"

The elevator door opened on her floor. Kuna pressed the button to hold the door open as he said, "I never hated you, Zuri King. I just didn't want more humans to be worried about. We have enough going on as it is. I didn't want one more human getting involved in danger."

"But, Aija..."

"It is a necessity."

Zuri could see that it was hard for him to have Aija in danger. Then what was this 'necessity' that made them take her on such risky missions?

"You can get from here to your room?"

"Yes," she glowered at him.

"Then go," he said, removing his finger from the 'Open Door' button.

She stepped out of the elevator and looked at him. He nodded once, and the door closed. She stared at the closed door for a second and then turned left to her Apartment room.

Someone was sitting outside, leaning to the front door. 

Zuri thought of calling Kuna back but then noticed that she knew who it was.

✽✽✽