Summary: Aelita is changing.
Disclaim. I don't own anything in this story (unless you count the plot)
"Why is this happening to me?"
Aelita stared at her eyes in the mirror. Strange, red, machine-like eyes stared back her, shinning the light of the room.
"What is going on?"
A knock on the door broke Aelita's concentration: she jumped and gasped. Blinking, she looking back in the mirror: her eyes had turned back to their normal green. Shaking, she stood to her full height.
"H-Hello?"
"Aelita, it's Jeremie. May I come in?"
The pink-haired girl, still shivering, opened the door. In walked Jeremie, worry written all over his gentle face, and in his blue eyes. At once, Aelita felt her heart jump, as it always did at the sight of him. Jeremie closed the door behind him, then gently took her left hand, blushing slightly.
"Are you alright, Princess? You were so quiet at lunch today, and you didn't eat a thing." He tilted her chin up slightly, his cheeks turning red once again. "You know you can tell me if there's something bothering you."
Aelita hesitated, knowing that he would have trouble believing what she was to tell him. Why her hair suddenly had become long, why she blinked so often, and why she simply refused to go to Lyoko: all were questions that he was asking. All were questions she had no answers too. He wouldn't believe her. Unless she showed him.
"Jeremie…there's something I… there's something happening…that you need to see." She took his hand, and let him out of the room and down the hall, her heart pounding with the combined set of nerves from touching him, and from what she was about to do. Jeremie followed her willfully, looking confused.
"Aelita, what's going on?"
She didn't answer, just speeded up her feet. In what seemed like an eternity, they reached the factory. Aelita, breathing heavily, looked up at Jeremie. "If you really want to know why I'm upset, I'll show you. But I don't… I don't understand it."
Jeremie just nodded and squeezed her hand. "I'll go wherever you do, Princess," he told her softly, and for a moment, the two blushed slightly. Then, Aelita pulled Jeremie into the elevator, and soon came out into the supercomputer room. Jeremie frowned when he saw her go right over and begin the virtualization countdown.
"Aelita?"
Aelita turned without a response, and lightly pulled him back into the elevator. They reached the scanner room, Aelita still strangely silent. The blond boy next to her seemed to realize that she wasn't going to tell him, only show him. He sighed, and gingerly got into a scanner. Across from him, Aelita's door closed with a soft swoosh of air. Shaking, she felt the strange yet familiar sensation of being virtualized. Her eyes closed, and let her mind fly back to the day of her sixteenth birthday. The day she felt a pull to go to Lyoko.
Flashback
Her feet landed on solid ground, and Aelita let her virtual eyes open. Almost immediately, she frowned. Something seemed very different. Her eyesight seemed sharper, her ears more attuned to the smallest of sounds. And…green and black eyes widened as Aelita gasped.
She could feel.
She looked down at herself, and let out a little scream of surprise. "What on Lyoko-"
A skin-tight pink suit covered most of her body, except for her neck and shoulders, which it left bare, and her arms and feet, sheathed in red-black gloves and boots with red fringe. When had this change been calculated into the supercomputer, and by whom? She looked at her hands, then back down at herself. On the very top of the neckline was a small green jewel. Aelita frowned, and peered closer. Inside it was the pink and blue symbol of Lyoko that adorned the back of her life-card on the supercomputer. Her symbol.
Something tickled her cheek, and she turned with a little cry. Nothing. She frowned, and looked around her. The desert region was empty, except for the usual rocks and such. Then she looked behind her.
Her jaw dropped.
Wings. Giant feathered wings sprouted from either side of her spine, sparkling strangely in the light. Aelita reached back, and gently touched a blue-green feather. It was soft and smooth, just like a real feather. She looked up to the top of the wings, and saw a round, green jewel attached to the tip. Slowly, Aelita closed her eyes, and thought of how she would move these strange new wings. Could- Could I fly? She thought, a sudden fearful joy bubbling up inside of her. Taking a hesitant step, she found that her new suit, although like a second skin, still allowed her to move as freely as she normally would. She took a deep breath, then let it out.
"What am I?"
End Flashback
Jeremie felt the wind rush around his body as he landed in Lyoko. Inside he grimaced slightly. Now he couldn't hide how dumb he looked in his virtual form. And Aelita was there, who was the last person he wanted to see him in such a ridiculous outfit. Then he opened his eyes, and his mouth fell open.
"Aelita!"
A slim young woman with long, flowing pink hair stood before him, her eyes unreadable. Jeremie felt his cheeks flush as he looked at her. Never had he seen her in something so strange, so…he blushed even harder as his eyes ran over her…tight. Then reality set in, and he stared. She had wings. Large, beautiful green-blue wings that seemed to move in the wind as if they were dancing.
Aelita blushed, seeing how Jeremie's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at her. Oh, how she wished she hadn't grown so much this year…or maybe…she saw, behind the surprise…was that awe? Her heart began to speed up of it's own accord, but the girl blinked, and tried to wake herself up out of her stupor.
"This is just the beginning," she whispered, and Jeremie's eyebrows rose. Aelita couldn't help smiling slightly. He looked so handsome in virtual form, with his blue pants and navy tunic. It was simple, but it fit him. The oval goggles he wore over his eyes only made him seem cuter. A little giggle rose from her throat, and she blushed again. Extending her hand to him, she smiled. "Fancy a tour of Lyoko?" she asked, keeping her voice light.
"Aelita," Jeremie began, looking at her with glowing eyes. "Aelita…you look…amazing." He took her hand as if in a trance, and reached out to push a pink strand away out of her eyes. At least her face was unchanged: beautiful and elflike, with those pink tear-like vertical lines under her eyes. The young man smiled. "I'd love a tour, Princess. But how…"
Aelita simply put a slender, black-red gloved finger over his lips. "I do not know why my body has changed. But, I do know one thing." Before Jeremie could ask what, she closed her eyes. Those giant wings began to beat slowly, and to Jeremie's extreme surprise, he felt his feet began to lift off of the ground. He looked up, into Aelita's face, and saw she was watching him, her cheeks slightly pink. Then she smiled, and flew.
Flashback
"Owf!"
For the second time since that morning, Aelita felt her behind hit the ground hard as she lost control of her wings. She had no idea what she was doing, obviously. The pink-haired girl sighed, frustrated, and stood. What am I doing wrong? Quite suddenly, a rush of wind seemed to circle the new flier, and Aelita felt the feathers on her wings move.
'Imagine…' the wind seemed to whisper, and Aelita blinked. Imagine? Whatever for? And when on Lyoko did the wind ever give her advice?
But when had she ever had wings?
Taking a deep breath, Aelita tried to picture herself flying. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, she felt a strange tingling down her spine, and she gasped. Suddenly, she was able to feel the muscles in her back as the wings flexed slightly. Taking another breath, she tried to tell those muscles to move her wings. Nothing seemed to happen. She closed her eyes and tried again.
The next moment, she felt her feet leave the ground. When she opened her eyes, a view like she had never dreamed of met her eyes. She had risen higher then the tower at one end of the desert platform. Higher than she had ever even imaged she could be in Lyoko. Suddenly, all of her fear and nervous died, leaving her with a strange, wild joy.
"I'd like to see those crabs try to shoot me now!" She said loudly, to no one. Then she laughed, and began to truly fly. Over the tower, over the entire land and back again. This was amazing…this was wonderful! She laughed aloud again, and swooped down toward the ground. This was better than being on Odd's overboard, or Yumi's overwing. This was…
A pain suddenly ran through Aelita's head, and she yelped, clutching her temples. Immediately, she plummeted toward the virtual ground. At the very last second, her wings furled out, and caught a current of air. Aelita landed on her feet, tripped, and landed in heap of pink hair and blue-green feathers.
"This is insane," she mumbled as she stood. How could have she been so stupid, getting carried away like that? What if X.A.N.A. attacked? She frowned, realizing she sounded like Jeremie. Then she smiled slightly, and sighed. Oh, what he do if he saw her like this…winged and strange. She felt her cheeks warm, looking down at her body. Chubby child fat had left her at the age of fourteen, leaving her as slim as she had been as a virtual A.I. two years ago. Only now…she blushed just at the thought…she had, what Yumi called, become a woman.
"Aelita!"
The girl jumped, and looked around wildly.
"Aelita, are you alright?"
It was Jeremie. She let out of a sigh of relief. "Yes, Jeremie," she called. "I'm coming."
End Flashback
The next day:
"Aelita? Can I come in?"
Aelita's head jerked up, her eyes opening. Not thinking to check in the mirror, she opened the door. Almost immediately, Jeremie let out a soft yelp.
"Princess! Your eyes…"
Aelita cursed softly in Italian and looked back in the mirror. Her eyes had gone red again. Jeremie came up behind her, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Is this another one of the changes since your birthday, Princess?" The girl nodded, remember their conversation the day before.
"I don't understand it, Jeremie. I'm changing, and I'm… I'm scared." Jeremie nodded, than took a deep breath.
"I found something that might help us, Aelita," he whispered, going to close the door. "Something that even boggles me."
Aelita looked at him inquisitively.
"Aelita," Jeremie began, then sighed and looked her in the eyes. "Aelita, have you ever heard of a bioroid?"
Dun, dun dun…I know, I know. This is WERID! But, hey, so am I, so there ya go. Please tell me what ya think. Love ya ALL!