差し出されるその手繋ぐから。

"Kame!"

9-years-old and barely able to see over the small tree that separated him from his caller; Kame grinned back at the voice of his friend, Tanaka Koki. Kame was on his way to school during the cold of December's winter when Koki, his friend and neighbor, had called him.

Kame turned back in amusement, his overtly long brown hair gently brushing back as he did so. "Koki!" The younger boy looked over worriedly at his small watch. "We're going to be late...let's hurry!"

The younger boy began to run but was stopped abruptly by the 10-year-old's warm hand. Kame looked back, puzzled. "Koki?"

"Let's skip!"

"Huh?!"

Before the studious Kame had any time to protest, the older male was already dragging the poor boy along with him. Kame sighed, a little frantically. It wasn't as if Koki hadn't skipped before; he even got into trouble for it from both his parents and teachers.

But never once had Koki been able to convince his little friend into joining him to a day around town. Kame didn't know why, but on that one particularly cold December 11th, somehow he had agreed.

"Where are we going?" Kame didn't bother to liberate his hand from Koki's. His small gloved hands were cold and in desperate need of warmth.

"To have fun, silly!"

Kame had moved to Hokkaido, Japan nearly 4 years ago when his father had changed locations for business purposes. Never one to fit in easily, Kame had struggled a little at first throughout his beginnings of school. It was then that he had met Tanaka Koki, one of his only and closest friends. The two families became familiar with each other rather easily, and soon after the two boys had begun spending a lot more of their time together.

Kame would laugh when Koki's parents would say that if only their son was as obedient as he was then he wouldn't have gotten into as much trouble as he did. But the mischievous Koki didn't care however and was energetic and happy everyday.

But it happened that one day, Koki had convinced the fragile-looking Kame into spending the day with him and away from school.

That day Kame didn't question Koki as the two a boarded the public bus and found seats near the back. Koki allowed Kame the window seat, aware of the younger boy's preferences. 

Kame whispered a shy 'Thank you,' as he sat down beside his friend. The two had lived carefree lives - more on Koki's part - but together they passed their days happily. It made the world think that the two had not a care in the world.

Until December 11th, 1995.

The two got into a bus accident.

Kame looked out the window, pleased to have left the stuffy air of the classroom for one day. It wasn't that Kame didn't like school, that wasn't the case at all; it was just that he felt that he needed some fresh air.

He was only 9 and in need of fun; he was glad Koki had talked him into skipping. He glanced over at the older boy who was carefully leaning his head back against his seat, his school bag thrown under his chair in a sloppy manner as opposed to Kame, who carefully kept in on his lap.

"Let's go to the amusement park." Koki said suddenly.

When Kame hadn't answered in his small, soft voice as he usually would have, Koki looked over at him in worry. The younger boy's were wide and teary-eyed. "Kame?" Koki asked again, but this time the younger boy was frantically trying to unwind himself from his seat and get up. "Kame?!"

Koki glanced out the window to see what Kame had.

A car had been skidding in the direction of the bus.

The others on the bus were now as frantic as little Kame and were scurrying across their seats, the mob of people too heavy for Koki to see over.

He lost Kame's face in the crowd as most people began to run towards the back of the bus, afraid of the car that was hurrying towards the front. Koki pushed through the people, unsuccessfully finding Kame until it had been too late.

His little friend was at the front of the bus with no one around him except the driver who was anxiously turning the steering wheel in possible hopes of avoiding the incoming collision.

He too soon realized his attempts were futile and scurried away from his and to the back. Koki tried to run after Kame, to yell at him, to desperately bring his hallucinating friend back to reality.

"KAME!!!!"

Kame's eyes widened. He braced himself for the coming impact. "AHHH!!!!!!!!"

Kame was scared as he heard the faint sound of ambulance sirens in the background, his body felt stiff and numb under the rubble of what used to be the bus. He thought he was going to die.

He smelt the wreckage, the gravel, the overall impact of the crash as he lay motionlessly under part of what used to be the bus. He opened his eyes a tinge to see Koki, blood plastered on his cheeks and a few cuts above his eyebrows and down his neck. Kame's stomach churned.

"KAME!" Koki yelled as he began to dig through the parts. He pushed what held Kame back against the ground away and took his friends into his arms. He picked Kame up bridal-style, the younger boy wincing in pain.

He felt the tears stream down his cheeks and Kame was certain that he was crying - but he simply couldn't hear himself. He wanted to yell out for help, desperately make some sort of sound to show how much pain he was in. But no matter how hard he tried - nothing came out.

Kame couldn't make a sound.

Koki's breathing was hard, coarse and edgy as he ran into the hospital. "SENSEI!" He shouted again and again, running through the corridors. Kame was clutching on to him, soundlessly crying as his grip on Koki's uniform blazer tightened.

"SENSEI!" Koki yelled again, running even faster and almost knocking himself into another boy who was being pushed by an older man in his wheelchair.

He missed the quizzed look he received from the boy in the wheelchair as he ran down the hallway with a couple of doctors coming rushing over to the lifeless boy in Koki's arms.

The other boy looked back as he was being pushed in the opposite direction, clearly more interested in what was going on with him than with his own matters. He hesitantly turned away and looked back ahead of him, trying to drown out the angry yet sorrow-filled screams from the boy who was making a loud commotion.

The same day in the waiting room, Kame's parents as well as Koki's had come running in to the hospital upon hearing that Kame had been admitted while Koki himself suffered very minor injuries that would take a few days to heal.

It was then that the doctor's told Kame's mother and father that because the boy was very frightened and traumatized from the experience, that their son wouldn't be able to talk for the time being.

For a few days the doctors did a lot of examinations and gave the 9-year-old a lot of medicine to eat, but nothing happened. Kame felt bad for Koki, whose parents had continuously yelled and yelled at him for days on end, blaming the older boy for Kame's lost voice.

It felt even worse that Kame could not defend his friend and could only watch as his parents had, too, yelled at Koki.

"They've only got Kazuya! If Kazuya becomes mute for the rest of his life, then you're going to take care of him for the rest of yours!" Kame heard Koki's father yell at him on day from outside his hospital room. He frowned visibly from his hospital bed, it was the first time in his life that he had seen Koki blame himself so much and refuse to meet Kame's gaze when he came to visit.

As Kame lay on the hospital bed, he was still unable to comprehend the fact that he was not able to speak. He didn't want to stay like this for the rest of his life.

Kame had never liked his voice to begin with; many kids in his class would make fun of him for sounding as girly as he did. But at that moment, Kame would give anything to hear his voice again.

The following afternoon, Kame ran to the rooftop of the hospital and tried to yell as loud as he could. But nothing happened.

He suddenly felt alone, helpless, as if he were some sort of Martian from outer space who was unable to communicate with the humans of Earth, even though he could understand them.

So, at a secret place in the hospital's garden, he placed a note behind a brick that was able to come out of its place. He was aware that he was being silly, childish, but the little boy hoped that somehow, as impossible as it seemed, something would happen.

So, Kame waited.

He waited for the day where maybe a Martian friend would come along so he wouldn’t have to feel so alone anymore.

Unexpectedly, in the same afternoon, Kame received a message from a Martian. In the note that he received, the alien friend of his said that he was a 'Martian' and he too could not understand the people of Earth.

Excited, Kame wanted to meet him. He wanted to see what a Martian looked like; so hurriedly he ran back to his hospital bed and wrote a new note. Kame went back to place it behind the brick but stopped short as he heard faint footsteps behind him.

Surprised, Kame turned around with his naturally brown hair bouncing back as he did. There was a boy standing behind him. His hair was naturally dark, darker than Kame's, and he used a single crutch to get around. Kame stared at the alien while the alien himself seemed to be staring back at him in disbelief. Out of shock, Kame accidently dropped the letter in his hands but hurried to pick it back up.

"It's you..."

Kame looked back up at the boy. His complexion was peachier than Kame's but Kame was used to being naturally paler than most people. The boy was clearly taller, not by too much but a reasonable amount to ensure Kame that he was older if not by 1 year, than 2. He leaned carefully on his crutch as if balancing himself was a chore.

Kame stood his ground, unsure of what to do. He had been so excited in meeting the 'Martian' that he had forgotten he needed to be just as polite when meeting someone new, the way his parents had taught him.

The Martian, dressed in a white dress shirt with a checkered black vest over it, came hobbling towards Kame. He stood a good distance away from the other child, as if he was analyzing Kame was much as the latter was him.

"The one who placed the letter here...it's you." He couldn't manage to keep the excitement out of his voice as he smiled at Kame, who too shared the smile.

There was a small silence before Kame gently held the letter up in his hands and extended it towards the older boy.

Grateful, the Martian accepted Kame's message. Just as the older boy was about to take the letter from Kame's hands, he spotted a small insect - supposedly a spider - on the floor, hurrying towards his feet.

Startled by the insect, the boy jumped back before realizing that he was using crutches. He knocked into a small tree that surrounded the garden before toppling over into a nearby rosebush.

Kame forced down the giggle he wanted to let out, afraid of offending the other male before remembering that he could not let it out even if he had wanted to.

The Martian, upon realizing that he was being stared at, glared frustrated in Kame's direction. Kame saw the pleading in the older boy's eyes and immediately went over to help him up.

After the boy was steadied back on his crutch, Kame went over and removed his hospital slipper and wacked the small spider with it. The younger boy smiled triumphantly and he saw the squished insect under the slipper. He held it out for the boy in the plastered leg to see.

"S-Spiders are a Martian's worst enemy." The boy huffed; embarrassed to have been caught looking scared. Before Kame knew it, the Martian was leaving, slowly hobbling his way towards the exit of the indoor garden and back to the hospital. Kame frowned.

Somehow, meeting the real Martian was a disappointment. He was nothing like Kame had imagined him to be. He and Kame were completely unalike. He was a Martian who was scared of spiders. At least, that was Kame's first thought.

And he remained to think the same way until there came a day where he saw the Martian boy with his plastered leg leaning against a tree just outside the hospital. Kame squinted to see that the older boy had had his headphones on and was silently listening to music.

He looked lonely, leaning against the tree with his eyes closed as if he was the last person on Earth.

Little Kame felt his eyes widen. He finally understood why that boy was a Martian. Because the Martians who live outside Earth would be lonely.

From afar Kame watched the boy, how his dark hair would dance along with the wind, how the breeze toyed with his bangs, his content face as he stood there with his eyes closed as if not caring for any of the humans who inhabited Earth.

Kame then found out that rooftops were another secret place for Martians.

The same night Kame had decided to eat alone on the rooftop, he saw the plastered leg boy sitting there alone and eating a bento that his mother must have prepared. Slowly Kame walked towards the boy and sat down on the same bench.

The Martian looked sideways at Kame before noticing the bento in the younger boy's hands. The Martian grinned widely with a lopsided smile. "You came here to eat too?" He asked; his voice laced with a childlike curiosity.

Kame nodded eagerly.

It was then that the two would unexpectedly meet on the rooftop everyday. The Martian watched as Kame opened his lunchbox and begin to eat his delicious looking riceballs. Kame saw the Martian stare at him and he offered him one of his riceballs.

The Martian smiled his usual lopsided smile and took one gratefully. The two ate in a peaceful silence before the plastered leg boy spoke.

"Hey, want to swap lunches?" He asked Kame curiously. Kame looked over at the Martian's lunch, quietly wondering to himself what kind of food Martians would like.

Apparently they enjoyed eating fancy looking rice with seasoned potatoes and soybeans and all sort of other foods that made Kame's mouth water. He kept his eyes particularly on the tasty looking squid the Martian was currently devouring.

The Martian seemed to read Kame's mind as he stopped eating the squid and used his chopsticks to place that and what other remaining squid he had in Kame's bento.

Kame watched the older boy eat his riceballs, Japanese omelet and grilled salmon in delight. While watching the changing expression of enjoyment on the Martian's face, Kame wondered if they didn't have traditional Japanese foods in outer space.

The darker haired boy looked at Kame in delight. "It's delicious!" He cooed as he went in for another bite of Kame's bento. Kame smiled genuinely and nodded as he continued to munch on his first meal from outer space - squid.