Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman ZX or Advent. (Well, I do, but not the rights.) If I did, Giro and -spoiler- would still be alive! (I'm figuring anyone who reads this knows about Giro.)

People die, but real love…

"Well, now that's taken care of." Vent commented as he transported back onto the Guardian airship after a long day of seeking out Mavericks. Still in model ZX form, his lips formed a grin as he hurried to see Prairie.

"Hi, Prairie." He commented cheerfully as the door to the bridge opened and he dashed inside. The grin faded, however, and he reverted back to human form as he saw Prairie standing up and leaning forward on the control panel, staring intently ahead. The boy was just about to approach and see if there was anything out there, when the Guardian's commander turned to face him. Her skin was slightly paler then normal, and seemed to be somewhat weak, but she smiled at the sight of Vent. However, her face soon turned serious.

"Vent…"

"W-what is it, Prairie? …Is something wrong?"

"I… I'd like to talk to you somewhere private, please."

"Sure thing, Prairie…"

She smiled softly once more at the brown haired boy. "Follow me, then, please…"

Vent blinked as he looked around the room he was in. It was Prairie's bedroom, and it was just about the only place on the Guardian Base he hadn't been in. Almost no one was allowed in the Commander's bedroom, Vent wasn't sure if anyone besides Prairie herself had been in it before…

Well, the room reflected Prairie very well, in Vent's opinion. The walls were painted to look like the sky, a sun on the ceiling, clouds lining the walls. There was a pink desk with a small chair, and a pink bed facing out from the wall. However, perhaps the most noticeable feature was the multitudes of stuffed animals in all directions.

"You can sit down, Vent." Prairie told the human boy. Vent then sat down slowly on the bed, while Prairie rested herself in the chair by the desk. The space was smaller then Vent had thought, as only about a yard separated the two. He looked straightly at his commanding officer, but Prairie's head was bowed, and shadows covered her eyes.

After a few moments of silence, Prairie spoke up.

"Vent, I… I'd like you to take control of the Guardian Base."

Vent blinked in surprise. "What? W-why? Are you retiring?"

Prairie, her head still lowered, smiled slightly. "Yes, I suppose you could say that… it's been so long since I've heard it used that way…"

"What are you saying, Prairie?" Vent said, his voice low.

This time, Prairie raised her head, and look Vent straight in the eye, a few tears gathering in her own. Vent was slightly taken aback. What was wrong? He didn't like being kept in the dark, especially if he could help…

However, the next words Prairie said he never could have imagined hearing from her.

"I'm dying, Vent."

"What?" The question came out barely as a whisper, Vent's thoughts now in a flurry, spinning in his head, all seeking to gain dominance of his attention. "How… how could this happen? Aren't you a Reploid? I mean, an old-style one, before the life-span limits? Maybe… I dunno, you caught a virus of something?"

Prairie shook her head. "This… isn't my original body. You know that I used to be a Reploid called Allouette?"

Vent nodded, still confused. Prairie had told her everything about herself over the past two years since he met her, and learned all about when, over a hundred years ago, she had been a member of the famed Resistance, and adopted sister to Ceil herself, creator of the Ceil system… and the Biometal.

"When the… new regulations were made about Reploids and humans, I was given a new body. I suppose it was supposed to be some sort of a gift… since now, I was finally able to grow up." Now, Prairie smiled sadly. "Not that it did much. I may have grown, in years and physically, but I still have the programming of a little girl, don't I?"

"That's not true!" Vent protested. "You're the leader of the Guardians! You've gone through so much, Prairie, it's amazing. You've been able to keep your innocence, and still be a strong and caring leader. You're definitely not a little girl, Prairie, and there's no one who could do as good a job as you leading us."

"…" Prairie smiled again, only really this time. "Thank you, Vent."

"And don't thank me. I'm only stating fact." Vent said firmly.

Prairie actually broke out into a full smile for the first time since Vent returned.

"You're sweet, Vent… and that's exactly why I want you to take over after I die."

Vent frowned. His thoughts had thankfully drifted from what Prairie had told him, but they hit him again full force. His protective side now took over completely.

"Prairie… you won't die. You CAN'T die! I'll stop it, I'll protect you somehow…"

"You can't, Vent, and you know that." By this time, the girl's face had slipped back into a neutral expression. "This isn't a matter of an attack, and you know that. This body will give out within the next half-hour, most likely."

"What?" Now the boy felt frightened. Prairie had said she was going to die soon, but… well, the knowledge of the fact she was going to die at all completely overpowered the fact that she would die soon. He surprised himself by feeling a sort of weight in his heart. He had always thought, yeah, she may be a little over a hundred years old, but she was a Reploid right? And not a new one, but back before the laws about "Reploids Rights", which basically just meant they gave them limited lifetimes, as if, somehow, giving them mortality would in some way make them more human. He thought that gave him enough time.

Enough time to delay telling her how he felt.

Gulping down these thoughts, he asked a different question newly raised.

"How long did you know?"

"Well, ever since I got this new body, really. For all Reploids, their lifetime is now 80 years. And… it was this day, eighty years ago, I was transferred into this body."

"Why… why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you say anything before this!?"

"I didn't want to have you treat me any differently. And… to tell the truth, I tried not to dwell on the fact that I would die soon. But really, humans know too that their time is limited. We just know the exact date, that's all." Prairie smiled, somewhat darkly. "I guess, in that way, that law has brought humans and Reploids closer together."

"Prairie, please, don't talk like that." Vent pleaded. "You're not acting like yourself."

Prairie sighed. "I know, Vent. It's just…" now a few tears welled in her eyes again. "I don't want to die!"

The girl's lip quivered against her will, and the tears spilled down her cheeks.

Vent felt slightly awkward, but then walked forwards and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He was standing up and the chair's back was between the two, but he felt he should comfort her.

"No one wants to die, Prairie."

"It's not that!" She protested, and turned around to face him, looking so much like the girl she really was inside, not the proud, strong Guardian leader. "I want to stay here for all of you! I don't want to stop protecting people. The civilians, the Guardians… and you, Vent! I don't want to leave you alone!"

"Prairie…" Vent released her and stepped back slightly. "I… don't want you to leave me either… please, Prairie… I don't want to lose you too…"

"Vent…" Prairie looked at the boy, her cheeks somewhat tear-stained but no longer crying. Then she stood up and hugged him close from the front.

"I… love you Vent."

Vent stood there, unmoving, for a few moments. Then…

"I'm sorry, Prairie."

The girl shot her head up, trying to catch his emerald eyes with her gaze, but failed, as he was looking deliberately to one side. She lowered her head and released her hold on him. Could it be that he didn't love her back? Was that why he apologized?

Vent responded to this by hugging her tightly and kissing her on the forehead softly.

"I'm sorry I never told you before, Prairie. That I love you. But it's too late now, isn't it? Because you're dying…"

"…Vent, thank you for telling me, even if only now. I… I'm so happy…"

"P-Prairie?" Vent asked urgently, supporting the Reploid girl as she slumped against him.

"I… don't want to leave you…"

Vent kissed her softly on the lips. Shortly he broke away and locked eyes with her for one last time.

"You won't leave me, for I will hold your memory always close to my heart. Remember, people may die, but real love is forever."

She smiled once more, sweetly.

"I… love you… Vent…"

And with those words, the light faded from her eyes and her body went motionless.

"P-Prai…"

Vent stopped himself from uttering any more sounds. It was obvious she had died.

"Vent, what happen…" Gardénia's voice dwindled away as she saw Vent exit the Commander's room alone, wincing at the start of the question.

"…Oh. She died, didn't she?" Gardénia said quietly. "I knew it would happen soon…"

Vent nodded mutely, his eyes tearing up as he stared back at the room he had just left. At the moment, he didn't care that apparently Gardénia knew about Prairie. Maybe everyone on the whole base besides him knew what was going to happen. At this moment, it didn't matter to him in the slightest.

"Vent, are you… okay?" He seemed to be taking this even harder then Gardénia would have anticipated.

"…I'm the new leader of the Guardians." Vent said, finally finding his voice.

Gardénia was impressed, but not really surprised. She knew Prairie thought very highly of him, and he was a Chosen one, not to mention his saving the world.

"So, then, Commander, what should we do now?"

"Now… let's just continue on with protecting the world." Vent started to walk off the bridge.

"Yes, sir." Gardénia saluted.

"Oh…" Vent added, half in the doorway. "Can we bury her on the ship, please? I think she'd like that…"

The operator gave a small smile. "Of course."

Vent walked down the hall to the room given to him for his quarters. Flopping down on his bed, he stared at the cold metal ceiling for a second before closing his eyes. Of course, Prairie's face soon appeared before him.

He clenched his teeth and fists, while tears dripped down his cheeks from still-closed eyes. It wasn't fair; to finally receive love, only to have her die… like everyone else.

Well, even so, he wouldn't stop loving her.

Even though she was dead.

I will stay forever here with you
My love
The softly spoken words you gave me
Even in death our love goes on

Author's Notes: Yes, I know, incredibly cheesy, sappy and cliché. I don't know how to write romance any other way, having never experienced anything remotely like romance, which is why I try to avoid writing it. XP But I had to write this. The main reason was wondering "Hey, in Advent, why does it never mention Prairie? And why is Vent the leader of the Guardians?" And so, I had to explain it, and this seemed to make sense to me. And, of course, being a VentXPrairie fan, I had to write some romance in it. Speaking of which, why is their next to none (or none) PrairieXVent fics out there? They're the pairing I thought of first when I saw ZX. Well, that's mostly because I saw my brother play it before I played it, or AileXGiro would be my first thought of pairing. By the way, I was going to have this be more about how they can't be in love since one's a human and the other a Reploid, but it didn't really work in with the plot. And, yes, Gardénia is one of the operators.

Oh yes, and the title. Based off of "Even in death" by Evanescence. I was going have some of the lyrics in the story, but apparently you're not allowed. Oh well, at least it gave me a name for this story! (Which is harder then it might seem. The title and summary are hardest for me. X.X) And! I was able to work them into the story, albeit slightly altered, and the part at the end. Hope that's okay, it wasn't much of the song…

So… yup, that's all. Hope you enjoyed… well, except the Prairie dying part. Actually, why would this story make anyone happy? O.O Well, you can still enjoy something, even if it makes you sad. That happens to me a lot. XP One last thing, if anyone bothers to read this, I'm planning on uploading a (quite cliché as well) AileXGiro fic… if I ever finish writing the actually part with Aile and Giro. (Really, it's mostly done…)