~Chapter 4~

~Emerald Eyes...~

"Hello There."

My eyes met light, grass green eyes. A Male Droid stood next to the professor, his armor a great light blue, with light gray panels on his chest plate, he had a red jewel upon the front of his helmet. His skin, a light tan color. He wore a gentle smile as he looked to me, however as kind as his eyes were, they showed fury within. I grew nervous, shy. I've never seen a droid with such skilled perfection. 'His creator had to have been a absolute genius. This droid is practically perfect...' I thought, as Thorn nudged me. "Go on, stop staring and go see him." she insisted.

"Ala, please come here." Doc said, as he motioned his hand for me to walk over. I nervously rubbed the back of my head, as I walked over slowly. Doc held his arm out. "This is Ala, one of my finest Droids. I apologize, she isn't exactly used to visitors. I can't exactly remember how long ago it was that we had such a visitor. It gets quite lonely here." Doc stated, X smiled towards my direction. "No need to apologize, I understand." he responded kindly.

He towered over my by a few inches, but up close he seemed more kind than intimidating.

"I'm sorry, we didn't really meet correctly did we?" he asked, a chuckle slipping through his smile as he held a hand out to me. "My name is X, it's nice to meet you Ala." he said, as I reached my hand out nervously to grip his, shaking it nervously. It was soft, and much more masculine than my own.

"It's nice to see a familiar face." he stated, looking at me. I gave a confused look, what did he mean? "So X, what made you want to come by?" Doc asked, X looking to him. "Well, because of the recent attacks from Red Alert, Commander Signas suggested we go on patrol and watch out for any suspicious activity. That and, I wanted to see how everything was here." he responded, putting a finger to the tip of his chin. Doc smiled. "That's very kind, I've recently been working on higher security, I'm sure everything will be fine..." Doc stated. 'Higher... security?" I thought nervously.

X opened a screen from his wrist panel. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Please call me in case of anything." he said, as he later took his leave, quickly leaving the facility for whatever call he needed to attend to...

"Doctor... that was, Maverick Hunter X?" I asked, Doc nodded. "Of course it was, didn't he tell you his name child?" Doctor chuckled as he walked over to a desk. "Silly girl." he said, as I watched him sit on his chair to continue his work.

"I'm.. just shocked that's all." I said, "It's not often, you allow outsiders here."

"Yes well, commander X is always welcome, he's supported my laboratory and had protected you all for years, so he is welcomed any time." Doc responded.

I wanted to ask questions about how Doc knew X so well, how X fitted into the picture, but I kept them to myself and took my leave with Thorn...

"So, what do you think of X?" Thorn asked, I shrugged. "I dunno. He's nice though." I responded. "Not everything on the outside is as bad as you think, Doc simply has difficultly understanding that... after a certain problem. Let's just say bad things happened." she stated, like usual I kept all questions to myself.

"mm... Red Alert... do you really thing they'll attack us? I keep having dreams, and something keeps telling me, that someones coming or something." I muttered, Thorn sighed. "Ala, I'm sure it's just paranoia, nothing is coming I'm sure." she responded. I sighed, trying to relax the nerves that have been bugging me for so long.

"Ala, I wanted to ask you something. Would you like to leave with us tonight?" She asked me, I looked up at her. "Leave? What do you mean leave?" I asked. "I mean, leave the facility. I wanted to show you how it's really like outside." she responded...

I took a moment, but excitedly nodded. I wanted to see the outside, but I felt scared, however I was certain with Thorn and the others around me, I'd feel safer.

Thorn knocked on my door, it was now past midnight. One o'clock, to one-thirty. Thorn had told me to stay up late so she could come get me, so it'd be easier to slip out without anyone stopping us. "Ala... are you ready?" she asked, silently calling out to me. I walked up to the door and opened it. "I'm ready." I responded...

"Ala... I want you to promise me something before we go." she began, I nodded. "I want you, to remain with your jacket on if you will be walking around in your human form." she stated. "Why though?" I asked, "Your barcode tattooed to your shoulder shows too much information, don't ask questions... you're precious Ala. We cannot risk it." Thorn stated, as she had told me, I no longer asked questions but nodded in agreement. "Alright. I'll hide it." I responded...

"Good."

Thorn began escorting me out, as I slipped on my jacket. My jacket only reached up to my upper stomach, it wasn't that chilly out, so I left it undone. I preferred revealing my stomach a bit, it was just how I liked how to dress, and it kept my cool. I had a scarf wrapped around my neck, to allow heat to stay around my neck.

Fortune and Lolli stood outside. "Are you guys ready~?" Lolli asked, I nodded and Thorn shrugged. "Always ready, just waiting to know if you are." Thorn stated, Fortune nodded. "Of course."

We began our way, my hands remaining in the pockets of my cargo pants, light snow fell... even when it was snowing I still felt no cold... Soon I began seeing city lights, my breath appearing in the front of my nose and mouth as I breathed.

I looked up, seeing cars fly above, city lights of blue, red, yellow, green and some purple filled the sky, high until the sky scrappers separated the clouds above. The lights mixed into the almost golden city, and snow only added to the beauty I continued to see...

I gripped my scarf tightly, as they led me to a... large square... it's bottom was filled with ice and people glided across it, children playing with one another, while some people simply stood outside and watched, families had fun with one another... it was like our home...

"This is an Ice rink. You've read about them right? From the books I'd bring you?" Fortune asked, I nodded. "I know a little about them..." I responded, I was too distracted by the reflections in the smooth ice, though slightly scratched up, one could see their reflections perfectly...

"Wanna try?" Lolli asked, as she held skates to me. "Try what?" I asked, "Skating silly." Lolli responded cheerfully. "I-I guess I could try..." I said as I took them from her.

"Good, I made sure to get them the same size as your boot size."

"I'm aware." I smiled, as I slipped them on after taking off my boots and putting the skates on. I got up, however struggling for the first half of the time, eventually got the hang of not only walking in them, but skating as well...

My ankles started hurting and soon I walked over to the outside of the rink, sitting on the wooded, slightly wet benches that surrounded it. I changed from my skates to my boots. I mainly now just wanted to watch Thorn and Lolli on the ice.

"Romantic spot huh?" Fortune asked, giggling.

"I don't understand Romance you know... who would want to be stuck with somebody forever anyway? Really... isn't love just another form of friendship?" I asked, the idea of Romance slightly bothered me... but, it didn't anger me... it more, made me feel empty inside...

"It's not a form of friendship Ala, being in love is a feeling in which you experience when you meet that one person who can turn your whole world around... It isn't a friendship, it's a companionship. You meet a person who truly makes you happy, someone you never want to stop seeing, never want to stop missing, someone you just want to be by every second on every day, no matter what." Fortune said, smiling as she looked at the people around us. "So many young ones finding love these days... I'm jealous."

I smiled slightly, "Yeah..?" I mumbled, as her voice began to low... I began thinking about my dreams... emerald eyes came to mind... I just kept wondering what they meant, who's they were... Why I was so attracted to knowing about something so small...

I looked up, my head raising from my hand that laid on my chin... I got up from the bench, walking over to the wall and leaning on it. I saw somebody across the rink...

A boy, with emerald eyes much like the ones I'd seen... but at the same time they weren't. They looked sad... not flaming with fury. He looked human from afar... but simply seeing the panels that covered where his ears would have been, expressed that he was a Reploid... His hair, tied in a ponytail, was bright Auburn color, a scar across his face, and his skin a deep tan. He wore navy blue, a white shirt underneath the jacket, and wore a chain around his neck.

My chest tightened... He looked so sad, so lost. 'Is that.. no, no. I doubt it. Those can't be those eyes." I thought, rubbing my head, my eyes closed. When I opened them again... he was gone. I felt my chest loosen, but fill with emptiness... my face had turned to a disappointed look...

"Ala, is something wrong? You look a little cold." Fortune said, I nodded. "I'm a little cold... it's getting late. Can we go back now?" I asked. I was never so eager to go back to bed...

"Alright we can head back." she smiled. "Thorn! Lolli! We should head back."

'Why did I feel like that..? Why do I still feel this way?' I thought angrily... I followed behind my family, keeping behind them, I wanted to avoid them but of course couldn't do much of that...

I let go of my scarf, and when I had a gust of wind threw it off from around my neck, causing me to shiver... I looked back, and began to follow after it, people looking to me and looking away to continue on their way. It had finally stopped, but wrapped around someones leg. I looked at it nervously, watching as the person bent forward to grip it up. "I-I-I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean for it to hit you..." I was about to panic...

But, soon my feeling of cold had vanished as every nerve in my body began to flare into heat... I met emerald eyes with my own... He formed a smile. "It's alright, don't worry. It didn't hurt or anything." he said, one hand in his pocket. "Looks like you lost it huh? Well better keep it on or you'll get sick..." he said, he looked me over as he walked up to me, I felt a chill run up my spine as he wrapped it back around my neck.

"There, all better now." he said, looking me in the eyes, observing me...?

"T-T-Thank you. B-but, I really have to go..." I said, as I looked behind me. He let out a small chuckle. "Well go on then. I guess I'll see you around right?" He asked, He was so nice and calm... but those eyes were still so... sad.

"O-o-oh... maybe... I-I mean if you'd wa-want to..." I said nervously, covering my mouth later. He laughed. "Ah, you'll probably see me sooner or later, I wander." He stated.

"Ala!" Thorn called, the boy looking up, his eyes filling with fear as he was startled.

"Gotta go. Bye." he stated, as he jumped up, rushing up the side of a building, vanishing into the lights above me...

"Don't run off like that, we thought we lost you!" Lolli exclaimed, Fortune looking at me with the worried glance she had... "I'm sorry. I lost my scarf and went to find it..." I responded.

"It's alright. Now let's get back before dawn..." Fortune said, as I nodded and followed them...

He watched from above... the lights hiding him. He watched until I vanished myself...

The boy with the emerald eyes... dug his way into my mind...

A/N

Got the story up and running with better thinking and more planned out story ark. :3