A/N: Just a little oneshot for any Alisa fans out there. Wrote this randomly when I woke up today to get the creative juices flowing! R&R


"Don't tell me you fell in love with it"

Even though she had already shut down, those 9 words had still been stored in Alisa's memory banks. And even after reactivation, she couldn't stop thinking about them. She knew that Jin was talking about her, and even though she didn't quite understand love herself, she knew what it was. She frowned at his phrasing though. It. Her father always called her "his little girl", so she assumed she was female. But Jin seemed to be referring to her as neither male nor female. It made Alisa feel like she wasn't human, and even though she knew she wasn't, she had often deluded herself into thinking she was to not appear suspicious to strangers. And...she liked it better that way. Somewhere deep inside her there was a longing to just be a young woman like her father often called her.

Still, she didn't understand love, but she at least knew what it was. Her father often read her stories that revolved around it. It sounded like a wonderful feeling, and she often wondered what it actually felt like. Perhaps she possessed the ability to find out; she hoped as much. She certainly cared for Lars. She knew he treated her like a real person, and she admired that wholeheartedly. Being treated like a human being with emotions and feelings was something Alisa wanted more than anything else in the world. She was confused as to why she wasn't treated as such. She had emotions, and she understood emotions. But people still thought she was a machine that was devoid of any feelings and treated her that way. It made her upset. People didn't understand her, even though she was trying her best to understand them. It made her feel alone, and she felt like there was no one to turn to.

Except Lars.

Alisa suddenly found herself with a silly smile on her face. Maybe that was what love was; knowing that someone would always treat you like their equal, despite your differences. She thought back to their travels together. Even though Alisa was forced to make her true nature obvious through combat, Lars had never once questioned her humanity. Perhaps he thought she would feel upset. Perhaps he didn't want to upset her. Alisa found herself smiling even brighter at this thought. This new feeling she was experiencing...maybe this was love? She never jumped to conclusions, but this thought made her feel very warm inside. She nodded her head to herself. Even though she still didn't know for sure, she would hold onto this assumption. And in time, maybe she could ask Lars himself. But she suddenly felt herself get another unfamiliar feeling. She started shaking ever so slightly and felt her cheeks heat up a little. "I am nervous", she observed. Maybe she wouldn't bring up the subject of love around Lars.

At least not yet.