Long time, no update, eh? I said it for you. This is the last chapter of Return to Earth and sort of a bridging story to the sequel, which I will start I don't know when. Merry Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Yule and whatever other religious holiday you are celebrating this month. Next month is Wintereenmas. W00t! Heh. Ctrl+Alt+Del is a good comic. So, I thank all who faithfully followed this story and hope you will like the sequel, when it comes. Kitty, I just made my deadline! XD Enjoy!

Thwei-Tjau'ke: Bloodstone.

Awu'asa: Armor.

S'yuit-de: Shit, derogatory term.

C'jit: Damn.

Guan-Thwei: Night Blood.

Kainde Amedha: Hard Meat.

Chapter twelve

"M… Matt?" Celia stuttered.

"What?" called Matt, booted feet thudding on the hardwood floor. He stopped, framed in the doorway, a grim specter. His hands had the remains of a great deal of blood drying on them, partially wiped off. Blood splattered its way up both arms and a broad swathe of gore cut diagonally across his broad chest. There was a hardness around his mouth and his brow was knitted slightly. He was tensed, coiled like a panther, alert. A look that made her stomach churn unpleasantly was in his brown eyes, so like her own, but at that moment, vastly different. His gaze continually darted about. Matt's right hand flexed and relaxed; she could see the muscles in his arm doing the same. The hair prickled on her neck. Celia had seen Matt as many things throughout her life; brother, friend, guardian, confidante, provider, annoyance, even stranger. But he had never, ever scared her before.

"M… Matt? W…Wha?" she trailed off, voice failing her. She cleared her throat and tried again. "What happened?"

He blinked. "I disposed of those who had no honor." Matt said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You dis…? Is that what you call it?"

"Yes." He scowled more deeply.

"Matt! You fucking killed people!" Thwei-Tjau'ke hissed and gestured for silence.

"They had no honor. They lost it. I did them a favour. It is better to die than to live without honor." Lee gaped at her brother; she couldn't believe this shit that was coming out of his mouth!

"So what? They didn't have the same beliefs as you! What about the cops? Did they have no honor?"

"They had to die as well. They knew too much about the Yautja." he said, voice empty of emotion.

"What about me? I know a hell of a lot more than they did! Do I die next?"

Matt shifted uncomfortably, some of the disturbing look fading from his eyes. "No… Of course not. Don't be silly… You are my sister. Any Yautja would have killed them too. I wasn't exactly being vindictive; just what was necessary." Lee couldn't stand this Matt; completely indifferent to the fact that not only had he committed multiple acts of murder, he was still covered in his victim's blood! Here he was, trying explain it rationally to her!

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" she shrieked as she saw red. She drew her arm back and slapped him across the face.

…..

"Ki'cte!" yelped Thwei-Tjau'ke as Matt staggered back, pop-eyed and clutching his cheek.

From upstairs, Jessica could be heard. "Celia? What're you screaming about? What's happening? Hello?" Thwei-Tjau'ke leaned his bulk against the door. Celia bore down on Matt, who, for a bare moment believed she was going to pick him up, shake him until his teeth rattled and then proceed to throw him across the room.

"MATT! You fucking retard! You killed people! Sunk into your thick head yet?" C'jit! He had! But up until now, it hadn't really mattered. He didn't care. That was what the Mesh'in'ga did; made you indifferent to anything but the task that you had set yourself to do. He saw from Celia's point of view; her brother, covered in blood. They had to die, but he should have been more subtle.

In the sudden silence, broken only by Lee's harsh breathing and the Yautja's nervous clicking, they heard Celia's friend. "Let me in! What the hell's happening? I'm scared!" She thumped the door.

"Celia." Matt hissed. "I'm sorry for what I did. Honor demanded it!" She snorted and crossed her arms. Matt stared down at his hands; the nails were rimmed with drying blood, coursing the lines like gory streams. "If I didn't do it, d'you know what would have happened to me? Huh? Guan-Thwei, you remember Guan-Thwei, the warrior we saved, who scared off that good-for-nothing s'yuit-de of a father, treated our wounds, protected me when I first lived with the Yautja and made me a warrior? He would have hunted me down and killed me."

Lee scowled, "Why the fuck would he do that? He's your friend. Stop being dramatic."

Jessica continued shouting and banging. "I'm gonna call the cops if you don't lemme in!"

He sighed. "Listen. I don't have long. He was betrayed by a friend when he was younger, a friend who lost his honor. He told me he would kill me if I ever lost my honor. D'you want that? I didn't think so."

"Matt. I know you are a warrior now; but you are my brother. Respect my culture too!"

"Lee. I'm a Yautja now. I can't be human and a Yautja too! I'll die if I try."

"M'aat-hew!"

"What?"

"Jess'ca has gone back up. She is calling the ooman Arbitrators."

"Oh, gods…" he growled, exasperated.

Lee rubbed her face and sighed. "Who was it?"

"What?" Matt questioned, surprised.

"I want to know who you killed. I'd rather hear it from you now than from those bastards on the news later."

"I shouldn't. The police will question you later and you shouldn't know more than anyone else."

"Cut the bullshit. You don't want to tell me." He swallowed nervously and managed a thin smile.

"You still know me."

"Matt."

He said slowly, "George. And Landis." Celia's lip trembled, but she didn't cry. "I was honor bound and that George was one of the guys that used to beat me up after school." Lee almost smiled. It was hard to imagine Matt getting beaten up. Sirens started up, faintly but growing closer. "Landis was an ass. He was just using you and one of the guys that started whole thing. He was a vengeful coward, a tarei'hasan. A weasel. Understand where I'm coming from, OK?" Lee sniffed. "Guys like him don't last long among the Yautja." Matt suddenly muttered to himself and patted his at his armor, twisting and turning as he searched. Finally, he pulled something out from the back of his belt and handed it to his sister. "Happy Birthday." Celia turned it over in her hands. It was a sheathed dagger. The leather sheath was gray-blue in color, etched with silver designs. She grabbed the polished metal handle and drew the blade. It was made of some shimmery blue-black stuff. The blade was long and curved, tapering away to a fine point. The blunt edge was carved into strange, oblong-headed beasts.

"It's beautiful." she breathed.

"It's made out of the tail barb of a Kainde Amedha. I killed it and Thwei-Tjau'ke did all the work." Matt jabbed his thumb at his friend. At a look from the crippled hunter, he again fumbled at his awu'asa. This time he took out a black rectangle and a piece of folded paper. He handed it to Lee. She saw that it had a small screen and a keyboard. Red glyphs adorned the buttons. "Now we can communicate. The translations are on the paper. The police are almost here. We must go." Celia nodded and threw her arms around Matt. He returned her hug, then replaced his mask and cloaked. Thwei-Tjau'ke did the same and then they were gone, sirens screaming out into the empty darkness.

…..

When Jessica got to Celia, she was standing by the open door, ignoring the spots of drying blood on her clothes, a strange dagger and a black box in her hands and a small, slightly sad smile on her face.