Suginei: I'm not dead yet. And I'm not allowed to touch my PMs, so don't think too much about it if I don't reply to your PMs. A oneshot... weird. Guess I'm just lazy?
Cover art by Joosme on deviantART, story also inspired by the art.
For as long as Einam knew, Alpha was always there by his side. Always. Even before El Dorado recruited him.
He remembered that at that time, he was still a kid, and Alpha... he was the captain of Omega Protocol. And yet, he still made free time especially to visit him. Some say it's just because his parents gave Alpha money to babysit him. But to tell the truth, that deal has been off for months already.
"Hey, Alpha, why do you still come?"
Alpha glanced over at him and smiled, while patting his head gently, "You don't remember?"
Einam shook his head innocently. "Story time~?"
"Maybe tomorrow."
"No fair! You always say that!"
Leading a reluctant young Einam to the bedroom, Alpha's face darkened. But there was no way he was going to let Einam see this side of him. He was only a child after all.
He laid him down tenderly on the soft bedsheets where his favorite stuffed animals were waiting. "Good night, I'll come again tomorrow, okay?"
Einam rubbed his eyes and yawned, "Okay~ come early, okay? I'm lonely..." his voice slurred as he drifted off to sleep. It was all too easy for Alpha. But however, he, himself, couldn't figure out why he felt attached to this little boy.
That's right, he was an android. He wasn't supposed to have these emotions... and yet... was this what they called an imprint?
"Alpha! Look!" Einam grew a little older, Alpha, however, didn't age at all. "Here!" He handed a stuffed teddy over to him. "Nee-san taught me how to do it!"
Alpha smiled secretly, this boy was getting way too feminine... it pays to have too many sisters. "That's great, Einam. It's cute."
"Heh heh!"
Seeing that angelic innocent smile of his, Alpha reached out his hand and brushed the semi-long hair away from Einam's cheek, "I love you."
"What... do you mean... you're going to recruit him?"
"What I said, Alpha. Master has made his decision."
"He's only a kid."
"He's old enough to look as old as you. Don't think too highly of yourself."
"..."
"Hey! What are you doing? Get your hands off- ugh!"
As usual, Alpha walked Einam to school. The grade's bully came over with a baseball, smirking. In his eyes... was a dark glint...
Thud. Crack. But before anything could happen... to Einam, that is, Alpha had grabbed the baseball bat from the bully, Tsukiyama Mukai, and... swung the bat... from the side... sending a blow with a sickening metal thud to Mukai's head. The bat bent and broke with a distinctive crack.
...A metal bat. Swung by full force. By an android with invincible strength. Over a middle school child's head.
For a moment, everything stopped. It was Einam, Alpha, and a couple of other kids in the playground. And of course... Mukai. His head was lying in a pool of blood.
Einam vaguely remembered what happened after the ambulance came, except for many shouting, pointing, and crying.
"Do you know what you should do if someone approaches a kid with a weapon?"
"I should take the weapon from the person and use it on him if necessary."
"What if that person happens to be a kid?"
"Then I should take the weapon from him or her and talk to him or her in a calm and serene manner."
"Are you well aware of who Tsukiyama Mukai is?"
"Yes."
"What happened to him?"
"He died."
"Why?"
"I hit a baseball bat over his head."
"Why did you do that?"
"I had to protect Einam."
"But your system prevents you from taking violent actions on children. Why were you able to do that?"
"I overrode my system."
"And how were you able to do that?"
"I don't know. All I knew, was that I had to protect Einam."
"Do you know what's going to happen to you now?"
"No."
Einam hasn't seen Alpha ever since...
But this fateful day has come... when El Dorado sent in new members. Einam was one of them who made it to the highest level, Protocol Omega. "And now, introducing your captain, Alpha."
Einam's eyes grew wide as the figure of Alpha appeared in front of the team. His eyes were cold and didn't seem to be focused on any particular point. He gave off a completely different feeling from the Alpha he once knew.
"I am Alpha. From now on, you will obey my commands."
"Yes, Sir." The newbies chorused, all except for Einam.
Alpha's cold eyes swiveled towards Einam. "You... I suppose you didn't hear clearly. You will obey my every commands." Einam was still silent, he couldn't believe this. Alpha... what have they done to him? He refused to accept this. Alpha was definitely not this kind of person! "Do I need to repeat what I just said?"
"...No... Sir." He was... no longer... the same Alpha.
"No!" Einam protested loudly as the Alpha's image blurred along with three other team mates who were to be sent to Eternal Prison. He reached over to grab his captain, his android, his bodyguard, his babysitter, his big brother, his best friend.
His eyes widened as Alpha's fingers caught onto his outstretched hand, turning around, his face was already fading and blurry, but Einam could still see a faint smile...
"I'll come back. I promise." Tears quivered in Einam's wide stretched eyes, who said he had changed? This was the same old Alpha... "Einam, it's because I-"
...
And with that, he was gone.
Einam stood there, his hand still outstretched, Alpha's voice still ringing in his ears.
Why... why was god so cruel? He just... he just wanted to hear it again... he wanted to hear him say it... again...
He stared blankly at the spot where Alpha was just standing. His smile... it was so blurry... he couldn't even enjoy it in his memories...
And the worst part?
He... never had a chance to say it... to say that... that...
"I love you, too..."
Why was it that androids suffered more than humans when they weren't supposed to know the feeling of suffering?
Why was it that humans can't speak their minds out till it was too late?
Why was it that androids and humans can't share the same happiness?
...What does it mean to be human?
...What does it mean to be an android?
