Disclaimer: I don't own Megas XLR.

A/N: Ok, this story going to get pretty dark, and I don't intend to change that much. Expect the darkness to really start after Chapter 3-4. Also, any constructive criticisms/corrections are welcome. Flames will be used to heat my house :-)

Chapter 1: Living in the Moment

The sun was just setting on the horizon as Kiva climb the stairs to the small room over Coop's garage. She could hear Coop and Jamie saying good-bye on the street below, and the front door of Coop's home slammed shut. Not wasting any time, Kiva plopped down onto the small bed propped against the wall, and suddenly felt very tired, which was understandable. Going to one of those "rock concerts" was very exhausting, although this time Coop actually got his nachos, and not the Glorth. At least she now knew, thanks to Jamie, who pushed her, why Coop wanted to try the mosh pit; it was a very interesting experience. And although she'd never admit it to Coop or Jamie, she did have some fun, although she couldn't hear the music at all. Light was streaming in from the window across the room, and bathed everything in reds and yellows.

"Sunsets here are so different ..."

Although Kiva was born on Earth, she grew up on one of the colonies, and lived there until she was roughly 5-6. Although most of her memories from that time was blurred together, she did remember seeing the sunset, because the window in her was facing the west, but there, they were mostly purplish-green, not red and orange Even after two and half years living in 20th century Earth, things as simple as a sunset amazed her.

Kiva, who was already drifting into sleep suddenly opened her eyes. It had just seemed like yesterday she met Coop ... and lost to him in combat. Accepting the fact that Coop, who is basically a fat geek who spends all of his time on cars, games, and now Megas, easily out piloted her was a serious blow to her ego. In her time, she was the best of the best of Earth, and had only ever lost to Gorrath in one on one combat. However, seeing Gorrath retreat like that after that first battle ... well, she basically needed to have her eyes checked considering that he was easily the best pilot in her time and easily blew any enemy forces out of the sky with ease.

Although after the defating both herself and Gorrath, she thought it might have been a fluke, but seeing Coop taking down enemy mechs time and again convinced her that he had some serious talent. Which was good, considering with all of modifications done to Megas have left it in a state that only Coop knows how to operate it. How he learned to modify Megas like that, however, remains an unanswered question, since he pretty much created a new control system out of junk for a technology that extremely advanced, even in her own time. Coop was one of a kind, and Kiva was incredibly lucky to meet him.

She paused, letting that thought repeat in her mind, before getting up and shifting into a sitting position. It was at this moment where Kiva really thought about just how those last two years had changed her. For instance, she rarely wore her combat suit, which was hanging in the closet, and was currently wearing the shredded top and jeans she normally wore when she went to a rock concerts.

Turning to look at the mirror on her desk, her own reflection staring back to her. She had let her hair grow out, and it was currently tied into a ponytail, which totally covered the data port on the back of her neck. Coop and Jamie never said anything about it, but she' had sometimes noticed, that when in public, people were staring oddly at the back of her neck, which made her feel a bit self-conscious. Originally, this never bothered her, but as time passed, she just wished to fit in and stop getting odd looks.

As she thought about it, she had changed after all this time. She usually only critized Coop now when he did something extremely stupid, and had learned to enjoy many of this Earth's customs. Letting her mind wander, she remembered the first Christmas she experienced here. Although she had learned that it was based on religion, and Kiva was an atheist, Coop still gave her a gift, which was a small figurine of Megas which he apparently made out of scrap metal fused together and painted. It was very unexpected of Coop, and it was really the first gift she could remember receiving.

Shifting away from that memory, Kiva walked over the window over the garage door below, and looked over New Jersey and resumed thinking. As she looked over New Jersey, it struck her as highly ironic that she had considered Coop and Jamie nothing more then primitives, yet here she was, trying to emulate them as best as possible. The truth of it was, that Kiva had actually accepted the fact that there was a very slim chance of her ever seeing the future again. Even though Kiva had built a time flux control unit now, a time portal would not stabilize, meaning that Megas could exit at any time period. Due to the fact that the Megas exited at a different time then herself and the Glorft seems to suggest that the original time portal itself was unstable. This leads to the likely fact that the time drive never worked correctly, and ... return to the future with it was impossible.

As the twilight sunk into the night, she let her mind drift again. Even if she couldn't return, was that such a horrible thing? The question repeated in her mind, the solider half of her saying yes, but the human side of her said no. Earth was gone in her time, nothing but a shell of what it once was, and ... she had to stop thinking like this, it wasn't right for a solider.

"..."

Now what ...

That was the one thought that kept repeating in her mind now, and she was getting sick of it. Returning to the small bed and lying down, she finally reached her resolve. She would stay in this time, and continue training Coop to the best of her ability, and hopefully find a way to reach the future. As sleep began to take over, the last thought in her head was:

'I'll live and make my choices in each moment, and I won't worry about what is, and what isn't.'