Search fora Soul
Chapter 15
"Realization"
By MEGAMANX411

Mega Man X slowly opened his eyes, and was greeted by the morning light that came in through the nearby window. He could feel his body being caressed by the gentle light, and a smile slowly appeared on his face. He struggled to sit up, and was given the immense pleasure of seeing Alia by his bedside. She was visibly happy to see him, to the point where she looked like she would erupt into tears at any moment. Of course, knowing Alia, seeing her erupt in tears of joy meant it was something very serious. Alia tended to take business rather seriously, and not too many people had seen her so openly express emotion. However, one could argue that she never really attached to anyone that much, save for X in this case. She had a very big smile on her face as she saw X sit up.

Both X's and Alia's eyes glanced down to see that they were each holding their hands tightly, but they didn't let go. X and Alia merely looked back up into each other's eyes, and just waited a moment to discover whether or not this moment was truly real. X felt phenomenal. For the first time in a long time, he actually felt complete. He felt like the missing pieces had been returned to him. He felt as though the thing he had lost had finally been reclaimed, and his place in the world had been realized. What is a soul? Is it one's emotions? Is it one's free will? Is it intelligence or purpose? Is it reason or logic? Whatever the answer, X knew that he had realized the existence of his own soul. He couldn't come close to explaining how he possessed it, or why he knew, but he simply knew that he had a soul. He could feel it, and he felt it deeply.

"Alia..." X whispered.

"X, you're ok!" Alia shouted.

Alia quickly leaned over and embraced X tightly, wrapping her arms around him. X didn't struggle, he simply let her hug him tightly. A few tears streamed down Alia's face, and it appeared as though she was struggling for words. For Alia, the normally incredibly intelligent and talkative person, that certainly was not the norm. X hugged her in return, something that no one would've expected. They both closed their eyes as they held each other.

"I thought...I had lost you," she whispered.

"And I thought I lost you," X replied, holding her equally tight.

Alia and X then pulled away from each other, and Alia wiped the tears from her eyes. X knew now was the time to finally be true to his feelings. He had learned his lesson. He would tell others how he felt, he would finally be able to express himself. There was something he wanted to say, something he needed to say. And Alia had to hear it.

"Alia, there's something I need to talk to you about," X muttered.

"What is it, X?" Alia asked.

"I have to tell you...about how I feel," X replied.

Alia was both surprised at what X said, and eager to hear more. After all, X had never really expressed himself so outwardly, and if he was doing so for Alia, it had to mean something. Alia didn't say a word. She was overcome with curiousity, and was almost too shocked to speak. X was finaly opening up to her! X continued slowly, taking his time. Each moment seemed to take an eternity.

"Alia, I've realized something. Something very special," X added.

Alia's curiousity picked up at the mention of "something special." X had kept a very serious yet somehow still very happy composure as he talked. He remained very focused. He obviously had this on his mind, but he simply couldn't get it out. Now, he was finally able to do so. Alia was feeling more and more anxious each passing moment.

"What do you mean?" Alia asked.

"A little while ago, I almost became a monster. I almost became what I had detested the most. But I didn't. I searched within myself, and I found the answers I wanted," X replied.

Alia knew partially what X was talking about, but she didn't fully comprehend his entire meaning. She didn't really know how to respond, and she was so fascinated by X that she couldn't avert her attetion elsewhere. She focused intently on X, and didn't look away.

"Answers? I don't understand," Alia responded.

"I have often questioned the reason why I fight. I hate to fight, but I desire peace. This is my dillema," X stated.

It was a very obvious statement coming from X. Alia had been aware of this for quite some time. But he had to mean something more. She remained silent, and hoped he would continue. Luckily for her, he did.

"I searched within myself. And I discovered something. I wasn't a mere machine that was created for a task. I'm a person with choice. I can do what I wish. I wasn't given weapons to be a warrior, I was given weapons so I could protect those I love," X added.

The world "love" resonated in Alia's mind. What was X getting at? He couldn't mean that he loved her...could he? Was it possible that X was finally opening up to someone, and to her? Alia didn't know what to say.

"I've realized I have to come to terms with my emotions, and express myself. I've realized Alia, that I have feelings I simply couldn't express before," X whispered.

Alia could tell where this was going, but the wait for the next stream of words from X seemed like an eternity. She was so stunned that she simply couldn't speak up. She had to hear what X had to say, she had to know what he felt. She wanted to hear the next words that would come from his mouth. She could hardly wait to hear them.

"Alia...you've given me something that no one else has. I've felt things that I never have before, but I think it was Dr. Light's intention for me to feel this way at one point or another. When I'm around you, everything seems better than it is. Everything seems to focused on you, and I can't pull my eyes away...I..." X whispered.

X almost couldn't force the next few words out. He had waited a long time to say this, and finally blurting it out took a lot of effort. He knew he had to say it at one point or another, he had to do this. He knew how he felt, and if he bottled up his emotions, he knew what the end result would be. He had to say this. He waited too long. Finally, Alia would know the truth.

"I love you."

Those were the three words that X had been longing to say, and that Alia had been longing to hear. These fated words seemed to make the world stop, and everything was focused on X and Alia. Nothing else seemed to matter on the moment. All X could do was stare into the eyes of the girl he had admitted he loved, and all Alia could do at this point was gaze into X's beautiful eyes. She couldn't believe what he just said. Something she herself wanted to hear, but she was still so amazed to hear it.

"X...I..." she whispered.

Even though Alia didn't have the emotional problems and traumas X had, she had a rather difficult time expressing herself on this matter as well. When she had met X, she admitted she liked him, and she liked being around him. But did she feel something more than that? She knew she did, but just saying it seemed so impossibly difficult. Finally, it was time for X to know what Alia had to say in return.

"I...love you too," she replied, blushing immensely.

X and Alia finally exchanged the words they had both wanted to say for a long time now. They may not have realized that they wanted to say them at first, but the desire to realize their emotion was infinitely deep. X felt a renewed sense of purpose and dedication, like he was once again empowered. He was connected to his emotions now, not bound by them. And he had Alia partially to thank for that. Of course he knew he would always be indebted to Zero, his best friend and companion. Alia, on the other hand, realized that she had indeed become a part of X's life now. She wasn't just the navigator that helped X on missions, but a dear and personal friend.

X and Alia slowly both stood up, and they were still holding hands. They brought themselves closer to one another, and once again embraced each other firmly. This time, however, X slowly brought his face closer to Alia's...they got closer, and closer. They went slowly, and were a little hesitant. They were clearly caught up in the moment, and desired something of each other. Finally, after a little time, they engaged in a romantic moment that they both desired. A kiss. For reploids, that held an especially big meaning. It was far more rare to see reploids kiss, and the fact that Alia and X finally did so...it was the most romantic thing they could've hoped for. X and Alia met in their long awaited kiss. Once again, none of the negativity in the world seemed to matter, and it seemed as though all problems could be resolved. X had a new found understanding of himself, his ideals, and his purpose, and he had never felt better. Of course, the majority of his attention was affixed at the current moment, his romantic moment with Alia. X and Alia slowly pulled apart, and they looked into each other's eyes again.

"Alia...I know that if others find out about how I feel, they may come after you again. Are you willing to accept that risk? Because I simply don't think I could put your life in danger," X whispered.

"X, you have learned to cope with your emotions already. You should do what you feel is right. But no matter what you decide, I will always love you," she replied.

X knew that he simply couldn't suppress his feelings again once he released them. If he tried to hide his love for Alia for the sake of protecting her, he would fail. He simply loved her, and he had no way to hide that fact. Every ounce of his being absolutely adored her.

"I can't bury how I feel. So I will always be there to protect you," X replied.

There was almost nothing Alia could reply with. After bottling up these feelings so long, expressing them finally felt a bit strange. Both X and Alia had said their piece, and know were almost at a complete loss of where to go next.

"I guess X has finally become a man," a figure teased.

Zero stood in the doorway, and he had apparently been there for quite some time. Both X and Alia had completely failed to noticed that he had been standing there, watching them. X and Alia both felt really embarassed. He witness that entire declaration of love, the whole thing. He saw them confess their feelings, hug, and kiss. Both X and Alia turned bright red.

"Oh Zero...I didn't know you were there..." X muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Would you have acted any different if you knew I was?" Zero asked.

"I guess not," X replied, chuckling.

Zero extended his hand towards X. X slowly took it.

"X, we have a bond. And no matter what, we will always remain friends. I'll be there for you, buddy," Zero stated.

X smiled, and returned Zero's determined gaze with his own.

"And I will always be there for you, my friend," X replied.

"Well, I suppose I'll leave you two alone for now," Zero teased. "See you later."

"Later Zero," X replied.

X turned back to Alia. He smiled warmly as he looked at her beautiful face.

"Alia, as long as I have these bonds and these ideals, I will fight. My ideal is for peace, but I also wish to protect the innocent. To do so, I will fight. I will not fight for petty reasons like vengeance or hate, but to protect those I love," X explained.

All of the sudden, the alarm sounded. It was time for action. X raced to the meeting room for briefing. He knew that Dynamo was still around, and Sigma might resurface. Or it might simply be someone else. But whatever it was, he would be ready. X glanced to his side to see his best friend and partner Zero ready for action. Zero loosely gripped his saber, and gave X a respecful nod and a thumbs-up. X returned the favor, and then brought his finger up to the comlink on his helmet. Through it he heard the beautiful voice of his love, Alia.

He had the two closest people to him by his side, and he was ready to face anything.

X knew that he would have to keep fighting, and that Sigma wasn't through yet. He knew that foes like Dynamo might show up to make trouble. He knew that some humans might discriminate against reploids, some reploids may discriminate against humans, and basically not get along. He knew of these problems. But he would work to resolve them. He would no longer break down in the face of fear, evil, and prejudice.

He would stand strong.

He knew Dr. Light's intentions, and he understood them fully. A smirk appeared on his face as he thought of what a fool he was. He had everything he could ask for all this time. He had purpose, he had friendship, and he had love. He understood that disaster and misfortune was an inevitability in this world because something cannot exist unless it has an opposite. But he knew that in order to experience one precious emotion, he would have to endure a painful one.

But he was willing to pay that price.

X once again looked to his partner Zero, and then to Alia.

"Maverick Hunters X and Zero dispatch!"

The End! I had a lot of fun writing this story, and I seriously hope you enjoyed reading it as much I enjoyed writing it. Comments are always appreciated!