Year: 771

A little more than 3 years after the Cell Game

... And understand

Put in a difficult situation, the giant snake had taken advantage of a moment of inattention to rush towards Ruri, easier prey in its eyes. A predator's reaction, perfectly logical. As a result, 17 had done everything to avoid repeating the mistake he had made that day, by engaging the dragon in a fight rather than a hunt. He had also taken care to keep it as far away from the young woman as possible to protect her.

That's why he didn't expect her to appear out of nowhere: she was now right in the path of the sea monster's attack. This human, she was so small, so frail. He knew it better than anyone, he who had held her so many times now in his arms: Ruri could not survive if the projectile hit her.

After a brief moment of stupefaction, 17's reflexes fortunately took over and he threw himself forward, with all the speed he was capable of. Just in time, he grabbed the young woman with one hand and with the other he deployed his barrier which allowed him at the very last second to protect them from the explosion that occurred.

The dragon arrived just after and began to hit the barrier with all its might, roaring louder and louder, raging at not being able to reach these two prey yet so close.

Knowing he was safe, 17 turned his head, determined to ask Ruri for an explanation of why she was there. He had done everything to keep her safe, he had taken care of everything, and he was in control of the situation. Why had she taken such a risk? A foolish risk. But as soon as he saw her, all his anger vanished. Ruri stared at the dragon with wide eyes of terror. The monster's screams grew louder by the second, and he could see her trembling with all her body as she cuddled up to him, hiding her face against his chest. There would be time to talk to her later, the important thing was to get her away from here.

- Hang on, he said simply.

As soon as he felt Ruri tighten her grip on his skin, he deactivated his barrier. Then, he threw a wave of energy towards the dragon, weak but sufficient to make it move back. He then took advantage of the short time that followed to run away, propelling himself as fast and as far as he could.

"A place with relief..."

The sea monster was in pursuit, but 17 knew what he had to do: hide in a place where the presence of many rocks would confuse its detection system. Going deeper into the cave, he finally saw a path on his right, leading to another slightly smaller and steeper cavity. Sneaking in as quietly as possible, 17 quickly found a small crack in a wall in which he began to hide. Holding Ruri close to him, he didn't need to talk to her so that together they adopted the right attitude: not to make the slightest noise, the young woman hardly daring to breathe. The gigantic sea monster had slowed down and 17 saw it coming in their direction, passing right next to the place where they were, then moving away, silently advancing, until finally it left his field of vision.

So Ruri was right: he was most likely blind and could only locate them if the space around was clear enough.

17 waited a few more minutes to be sure that the danger was over. Then he slowly loosened his arms and released Ruri, who breathed a sigh of relief. On his side, he felt an emotion that was still new to him. A mixture of satisfaction and an exasperation very difficult to contain. He was indeed angry with the young woman because she had put herself in great danger. In fact, he realized that he had been especially afraid for her, and it was the principal reason of his irritation. He wanted at all costs to have explanations on her part.

- Ruri, he then began, can you tell me what you were doing... AAARGH!

But 17 could not finish his sentence because Ruri had just seized a lock of his hair that she began to pull vigorously.

- Don't even try to give me the slightest bit of grief, tin can! I'm her because of YOU, because you're an IDIOT !

- Argh ! Are you crazy ? Stop it !

- I was sure that at least this would hurt you! IDIOT!

- Let go of my hair !

Ruri finally complied, and 17 looked at her. To his surprise, he noticed that she didn't look terrified at all anymore.

- I hope you are happy with yourself? she asked him suddenly, the tone of her voice leaving no room for misinterpretation: she was angry, very angry.

- I'm sorry?

- You have understood me very well 17. I warned you to be careful, but you don't care about what I say.

- But... wait... what are you talking about? I told you to stay in the tunnel, you're the one who left without warning, and I still don't know why!

- Because Mr. 17 forgot that the headphones have a maximum range. You've moved too far away from the submersible, they're not getting a signal. I haven't been able to contact you for several minutes. Haven't you noticed?

- No, I just thought you didn't have anything special to say.

- And it didn't seem strange to you?

- Now that you mention it, it's true that you never stay more than 5 minutes without talking...

- Very funny.

- I think you are very shameless, human. I moved away precisely to keep you safe, to protect you from the dragon.

- And how do I get in touch with you, Mr know-it-all ?

- And may I ask what you had to tell me that was so important, Ms. I-don't-care-about-everything?

- I was afraid for you, you stupid cyborg!

- But WHY? I had everything under control before you came out of nowhere!

- No!

And very delicately, Ruri took 17's right hand and put it on the oxygen capsules of his mask. He only then realized that out of the 4 he had brought with him, 3 were already empty, while the last one was well underway.

- But ... what happened? he stammered, surprised.

- That's because you've been straining to face the dragon the way you have. Swimming so fast, moving around, you used up more oxygen than you normally would. You once told me that being tired and being out of breath are two different things, right? Well, that's totally true. I saw your oxygen supply melting like snow in my control screen and I wanted to warn you, but you couldn't hear me. So I had no choice, you might drown stupidly so I went out. To warn you. Stupid cyborg.

Suddenly, 17 did not know what to say.

He hadn't thought of that.

He had not paid attention to it.

"What an idiot!" he thought after a few seconds.

- With such superhuman strength it would have been completely stupid to drown, don't you think?

The tone and the face of Ruri had softened. In one movement she came closer to him and took him with great tenderness in her arms.

She was trembling.

Again and again, she trembled.

17 felt her so frail, huddled against him. She had come to warn him of the danger he was getting himself into, and in doing so she had come face to face with the thing that frightened her most in the world. She had taken an unconsidered risk. But...

- Why? he whispered. Why did you do this? Why did you come?

- Don't you have a little idea? answered Ruri, her head resting against his chest.

- No.

The young woman sat up straight and looked him in the eye. Compared to confessing to him what her heart had been screaming at her for months, facing with the sea dragon finally seemed like child's play to her.

What she wanted to express to him, she had never felt for anyone.

She had never told anyone.

Two small words, so easy to pronounce but so devastating.

Two little words, which she wasn't sure he could understand.

Two little words that could change everything between them.

But Ruri didn't want to hold them back anymore.

So she let them escape.

- I love you.

At the time, 17 did not know how to respond. He remained silent for a long time, his stress level increasing with each second. He wasn't sure how to understand what Ruri had said, but he knew he had to answer her. Ruri, on the other hand, felt incredibly calm. She knew what she was feeling, she was sure of it, and this unshakeable certainty gave her a confidence and assurance she didn't know she had. She never thought she would have the courage to express her feelings. How many times had she wanted to say it, to shout it. But she had backed away, afraid of appearing ridiculous and futile to 17.

He was so strong, so distant, so far away from human considerations, how could she tell him such a banal thing? How could I tell him how much he meant to her? That he had made her a completely different person. And that she didn't want him to go back and leave her.

Go back.

In spite of what they had experienced, in spite of the fact that she had offered herself to him, in spite of his growing interest in animals, this anxiety had never really left Ruri. Indeed, 17 had only promised to accompany her for one year, the time of her expedition. And after that, wouldn't he want to leave again? Wouldn't he want to go back to his freedom, which he considered to be above all else?

Wouldn't making this confession encourage him to do it even sooner?

However, on closer inspection, she realized that he seemed to be much more embarrassed than she was. In 17's eyes she even thought she detected an embarrassment that finally made her laugh: he looked like he was lost in the middle of the forest, searching for his words like a lost walker would search for his way through the woods. He was even funny, with that completely bewildered expression that invaded his beautiful face.

So Ruri, teasingly, finally spoke up again:

- Well, what a silence all of a sudden. Are you out of order? A battery problem maybe?

17 stared at her for a few more moments, hesitating on what to do, before answering in turn:

- I don't know.

- You don't know what?

- What I have to tell you.

- It's up to you, depending on how you feel.

- Yes, but that's just ... I don't ... I don't actually know what that word means.

- Which one?

- Love. I know that word, but I don't know what it means. I mean... It's like...

- Yes, I know. The cars and all that.

- What?

- 17, stop wracking your brains, okay? You'll end up with a short circuit. I get it. You know the meaning of the verb, but you don't know if it's how you feel, because you've forgotten what emotions are.

- I'm sorry Ruri.

- Why?

- I know you want something from me. And I don't know what to say. It's... Complicated for me I...

Ruri did not let him finish, once again. She stopped him, placing a finger gently on 17's lips.

- Shhhh, that's enough. Don't talk, listen to me. I said I love you, okay? I love you. 17. I love you as you are, right now, and not as I want you to be. I wanted to tell you that. No, I needed to tell you. But I don't expect a response from you. I just love you. So stop. Just understand that this is why I didn't want my cyborg to drown, because as soon as I'm not there, he only does stupid things.

17 was taken at this precise moment of an irrepressible desire to tighten her in his arms. Then he spoke again, without loosening his embrace:

- I thought I had it under control. Again.

A terrible guilt resounded in the tone of his voice, and Ruri now understood perfectly what 17 had in mind. Without leaving the comfort of his arms this time, she answered him tenderly:

- You're too hard on yourself. You were in control better than anyone could have been. You knocked out the sea dragon! You just forgot one little detail. But luckily, your teammate was there. It's a team work between us, remember ?

- You had to put yourself in danger because of me.

- You know what allowed me to dare to leave the submersible?

- No?

- The fact that I knew I was not in danger at all, on the contrary.

- What do you mean?

- That with you by my side, I am safer than anywhere else. I trust you. In ways you can't even imagine.

- How much?

- To the point of entrusting my life to you.

The expression in Ruri's eyes was so sincere that 17 was almost taken aback. She showed no trace of the slightest hesitation.

Without knowing it, the young woman repaired by her act a very deep wound from which 17 had never recovered. Behind the assurance that he often displayed about the extent of his strength was a wound that was still gaping, although invisible. During his fight against Cell he had experienced a pain that could not be compared to any other. He who had always thought of himself as invincible, from which he had drawn a certain pride and arrogance, had found himself knocked down.

Struck, unable to fight back, forced to be rescued and ultimately absorbed.

What he had felt since that day had a name: humiliation. A bite, a burning tear in his self-esteem.

But Ruri did not see him as the weak person he thought he had become. On the contrary, she had an unshakeable trust in him, and understanding it made him feel incredibly better.

- Ruri... he told her before being interrupted again.

- Shut up, you idiot. Your only mistake is still thinking you're alone and acting like if you were. You and I are a team now. I'm the brains, you're the brawn!

- Yes, it's true, but you could have found a less risky way for you to warn me, he answered with a smile.

- Only the result counts, isn't that what you said?

17 then laughed.

- Hahaha okay, I deserve it I admit it. Well, now that everything is clear, what is the new plan?

- What do you think?

- You have to get back to the submersible but I can't see the dragon now. It's risky to go until I know where it is, we have to locate it first. I'll go.

- What about me?

- I still think it's too dangerous for you to come with me, protecting you takes away my freedom of movement. I'd rather you wait for me here.

With a big smile, Ruri took several oxygen capsules from her mask and placed them on 17's mask, who reacted immediately.

- What are you doing?

- Don't worry, I'll keep two. If you ever meet the dragon and it goes wrong you'll need oxygen so you need to have as many as you can. If I stay calm and still, I can make them last at least two and a half hours. That gives you the maximum amount of time you can have.

17 began to think.

Yes, it did indeed seem like the right thing to do, but he didn't want to take any risk with Ruri's safety. So he pointed a finger at the rock wall and with a beam of energy he cut a notch in it, just wide enough for the young woman to enter.

- Wait for me here. The dragon won't be able to reach you there, he told her as soon as he had finished.

Ruri obeyed and made herself as comfortable as possible. As 17 turned to leave, she grabbed his arm to hold him for a few more seconds.

- Without you, I can't get out of here so don't be a fool, cyborg.

He immediately came back to her and moved as far forward as he could so he could press his forehead against hers. Ruri was wearing her wetsuit and diving mask to protect her from the water pressure, but he could clearly see her beautiful green eyes looking at him like no one else had ever did. With such gentleness, faith in him, and emotion that he felt like he could hear her in his head without her having to say a word.

"Come Back"

That's what her look was telling him.

He then plunged his eyes into hers.

- I will never let anything happen to you. Even if it costs me my life, you will return to the surface safe and sound with your samples.

- Don't talk about dying like it's nothing!

- What?

- I'm getting to know you 17! You feel guilty about I don't know what, so I hope you don't have the idea to sacrifice yourself or anything stupid!

- I'm not afraid to die, but that doesn't mean I want to die Ruri.

- Still... you don't seem to care...

17 smiles at her.

She suddenly seemed worried about him leaving. But his approach was not suicidal. He understood, however, from her expression that he had to dispel her doubts.

- Listen, he said, I am not afraid to die, because I have already died once. But my first death was meaningless. I was absorbed and died at the same time as Cell without being able to do anything about it, I suffered without being able to react. But this time, it's me who decides. And if my death allows me to save your life and help you to realize your dearest dream, then this death will be much sweeter for me.

- But...

- But I don't want to die. I promise to come back. Reassured?

- Yes...

She looked like she believed him, but the ever-so-slightly worried pout on her face made her absolutely adorable to 17. He couldn't hold back a burst of laughter, gently caressing her right cheek.

- I have a furious urge to take off your mask and that damn suit, human. It's really the fact that it would kill you that stops me.

After a brief second of hesitation, Ruri gave him a smile in which he thought he detected the promises of infinite pleasures that would await him on his return.

Then, amused, she replied:

- You can take it off me and everything underneath, but only if you come back.

- You couldn't have given me a better reason to come back, 17 whispered.

Then he came close to her again and said:

- If you wait here quietly, I promise to tell you who really killed Cell.

- You couldn't give me a better reason to wait for you.

He didn't answer anything but a wink, and then he went back in search of the dragon.

This time 17 ventured much more cautiously into the winding paths of the cave, doing his best to move without making a sound. Swimming slowly, it took him almost an hour to find the trail of the monster, which had sunk even deeper into the shadows of the abyss. When he found it, it was moving forward without seeming to know where to go, wandering from one place to another in the greatest of silences.

But after a while, it seemed to have reached what it was looking for: a huge cavity, much bigger than the others. The water was even warmer than in the rest of the cave, and although the darkness was still intense, a very faint white glow illuminated the rocky walls all around, coming from thousands of small crystals that were embedded in it.

Always taking care to remain hidden behind the steep reliefs, 17 took the time to observe this strange environment: stones, thinner and higher than the others, gave off black clouds whose heat he perceived even from a distance. Probably the black smokers that Ruri was talking about. No other animal seemed to live here.

The dragon was alone. Completely alone.

17 saw the monster suddenly stop, before letting out a long, heart-rending scream, a complaint such as he had never heard before, but which he understood instantly.

Animals have a language, and as Ruri had taught him, all he had to do was listen.

Grief, loneliness, and immense sadness was what this cry expressed, and 17's heart clenched in his chest as he heard it, while the dragon lay full length on the ground.

17 approached, very slowly, advancing on the floor of a cavern littered with gigantic skeletons. Corpses with shapes and dimensions very similar to those of the monster. Probably because they were other specimens. When he reached the height of its head, the dragon began to stir as if, despite its blindness, it was desperately trying to look at him.

"You are afraid..." thought 17 immediately, "and you are so alone. Here you all had nothing to eat, and you had toeat each other. You must be pretty strong to be the one who survived the longest."

He gently placed his hand on the top of the monster's skull, which began to tremble even more.

Instinctively, 17 began to speak to it:

- Shhh, don't be afraid.

After a few seconds the dragon stopped moving. Its breathing had become slower, deeper. More weary, too. It looked almost resigned. Now that he could see it more closely, 17 noticed that the scales covering its body were not like those of the giant snake. They were damaged, cracked, some were even missing or ready to fall off.

It must have been very old. How many years had it been trapped here? Even if he brought it to the surface, the monster was probably too old to survive, now unable to see and having probably lost its ability to hunt anywhere but here. It was the energy of despair that had given it strength in the assault, but in reality it had probably drawn on its last reserves.

17 had the greatest respect for this animal. As he had for all the others, all those he had met during his excursion with Ruri. He had the impression that he could understand them now, better than humans. Their emotions were no less real, and he felt almost ashamed that he had never paid attention to them. 16, despite the fact that he was a robot, had been able to see that and that's why he loved them so much.

Deep inside 17 felt for a brief moment the bitterness of not understanding until it was too late to express taht to his fellow traveler when he was still alive.

"When it's too late, there's no turning back..." he thought, wondering what he should do now.

Then the dragon let out another long sigh, its tail flapping limply.

17 remembered the orcas, their speed and power as they swam through the infinite expanse of the ocean. Such a huge animal must have felt cramped in this dark and empty cave.

Unable to move, deprived of its vision, deprived of its family.

Like in a prison.

Just as 17 had felt for 10 endless days.

He understood it. And he understood Ruri, when, facing the wounded elephant...

Then 17 had no more doubts. He knew what he had to do. He began to gently caress the dragon, which reacted immediately to his touch, making weaker and weaker sounds, first frightened and then, as the seconds passed, almost becoming murmurs of satisfaction. It was calming down, slowly.

17 then offered it what no one else could, because only he was powerful enough to come to it in that underwater cave: the deliverance of a quick and painless death with a single ray of energy thrown at the base of its skull.

Then, after having made sure that the animal was really dead, 17 took some last photos, took some more samples on its body and around it, then he left to join Ruri.

The young woman waited for him, motionless and with her eyes closed, saving as much oxygen as possible. As soon as she saw him, she knew that something had happened, because 17's gaze had changed.

He was serene.

She told herself that there was no need to ask him any questions, and she let herself do so when he took her in his arms to bring her back to the submersible. Once arrived, he put it in its capsule and went back inside the tunnel, tightening his companion against him, always without a word.

Ruri remained silent, as she was getting to know 17 well by now. There was no need to force the issue. Swimming home was his way of giving himself some time to sort out his thoughts. But sooner or later, when he felt ready, he would talk to her. He was indeed not at all as expansive as her, quite the contrary, he was someone closed and silent, whose distant character she learned to tame every day a little more.

Loving the other as he is, not as we would like him to be.

So she waited, and on the way back 17 finally started talking to her and telling her what had happened. They talked for a long time until the lack of oxygen forced them to get out of the water. They continued their discussion while flying, and then for most of the night.

Lying together on the deck of the boat, 17 explained everything, and Ruri found herself understanding perfectly what was hidden behind each of the long silences that punctuated his story. She reassured him that he had made the right decision. The dragon would not have survived long if he had pulled it out of its cave. It had probably been locked up for years, maybe even centuries. He may have even been born in this cave, but it was undoubtedly the last of its kind, so its species was already lost. And above all, 17 had followed what his heart dictated, and this was the first time that something like this had happened.

They talked for a long time, so much so that Ruri didn't even have time to think about what had just happened in that cave or the memory of her missing parents. She even fell asleep, exhausted, as the first rays of the sun began to appear on the horizon. 17 settled her on her bed and let her sleep, while he occupied his day putting away the material and the collected samples. It was only in the early afternoon that the young woman woke up and joined him on the deck where he had settled, sitting on cushions, looking out to sea.

With her eyes still half closed, Ruri came and sat down next to him and did not say a word at first. She silently drank a cup of coffee and handed another to 17, who also accepted it without saying anything. The young woman was used to these long moments during which they did not exchange any words, but once she woke up, she could not stand still, so much was she assailed by thoughts that she contained with great difficulty.

But it was not at her initiative that the conversation started.

- Are you okay? 17 suddenly asked her.

- Well, let's just say it could be worse. I have a billion emails and messages waiting for me asking if I'm still alive, ALL MY BODY is painfull because of the pressure and muscle fatigue, and my scar is itchy. But with a little rest it should pass. What about you? Still not tired?

- Still not. But that wasn't really the point of my question.

- Really?

- No. I wanted to know how you were doing... more... in general.

- Do you care about my psychological well-being?

- I think that's it, yes.

Ruri took a few seconds to think about this strange question. Since when did 17 pay so much attention to emotions? He hadn't waited until she looked bad to ask about it, he had anticipated it by asking her first. A real feat for him.

- I'm actually doing better than I thought, she finally replied.

- What does that mean?

- It's hard to explain but I'm not sad anymore. I mean, I still miss my parents but I feel like... I can finally say goodbye. And it's very soothing. It's not very explicit I know...

- No, no, I think I understand. That's good.

- Yes, it is.

Then again, a long silence followed. And to Ruri's great surprise, it was 17 who interrupted her again, laughing.

- Haha, well human, am I going to have to interrogate you to tell me what's bothering you or are you going to decide to tell me?

- Why do you say that?

- You don't say anything, but you don't stop looking at me. Your gaze goes from me to the sea, and from the sea to me. And you've been wiggling your fingers on your cup since earlier, the noise of your nails is quite annoying actually. You are nervous, and I would like to know why. It intrigues me.

- Your sense of observation is getting sharper and sharper I see. Soon I won't be able to hide anything from you...

- Are you still hiding things from me?

- It's not a secret, but rather a question I don't dare ask you.

- Which one?

Ruri felt terrible for being so hesitant, especially since she knew that 17 was an incredibly frank and sincere person. He wasn't going to lie to her, he was always so honest. So she might as well go for it.

- In fact I wanted to know what you were going to do now. You promised to accompany me for the time of the expedition, no more. So... you and me... well... are you... going to leave?

- Oh. So that was it.

- Yes.

- Okay, I understand.

- ... and ?

- And what?

- YOUR ANSWER !

- Oh yes, sorry. Mmmmm ...

17 pretended to think very hard, closing his eyes and remaining as impassive as possible. He knew exactly what he wanted to answer, but he enjoyed leaving Ruri in this state of stress that he saw growing by the second. She was not going to delay to explode, he was convinced of it.

"3, 2, 1..." he thought before Ruri indeed lost patience, as he had expected and for his greatest amusement.

- YOU WANT TO MAKE ME WAIT ALL DAY ? she suddenly exclaimed.

- You're really, really cute when you get upset.

- Stop joking 17 or I'll pull your hair out!

- Hahaha I don't have a choice I think, in front of such a threat. I promise, I'll stop. I'll answer you.

Ruri did not say anything more, but she calmed down instantly. Her look betrayed a certain anxiety, and he did not want to push the game too far and end up hurting her. In fact 17 had had all morning to think, and he had not forgotten his promise and its temporary nature either.

But he was not the same person at all, nothing in him was similar to the being who had spoken those words.

- I also said I would stay with you for a year. That time is not up, am I right?

- No, you're right, Ruri agreed, not quite understanding what he was getting at.

- And you haven't written your article yet so the expedition isn't totally over, right?

- Uh... Yes it's true I still have to write it.

- So technically I can't go back yet. I still have to protect you, you never know what trouble you might get into. No ?

- But what will happen … after ?

- After that it's later. We'll see at that time.

Ruri was trying to make sense of this strange speech.

"Is this... his way of telling me that he still wants to stay with me?" she wondered as she stared at him, searching his eyes for the slightest sign that might shed light on her doubts. But 17 didn't say anything more, just gave her a wide smile, as enigmatic as mocking.

"Raaah you stupid cyborg! Couldn't you JUST tell me that you want us to stay together!"

Ruri was almost maddened to see him so quiet, while she, herself, was seething inside to remain in such doubt about what he really felt and wanted.

Yet, as she saw his face again and the expression he gave off, she felt reassured. After all, if 17 wanted to leave, there was nothing in the world that could hold him back, and he wasn't the kind of person who would force himself into something he didn't want to do. His way of expressing himself was his actions, much more than his words.

"Loving you the way you are, right? Well, it's not going to be easy every day," she finally said to herself. She took a few minutes of reflection, then resumed, this time in a more confident tone:

- So, I think of something...

- What?

- As long as I have my equipment and an internet connection I can work from anywhere. Moving into my apartment in the city would not be very pleasant for you I think.

- ... Yes, I don't like it when there are a lot of hum... people.

- So, since we have time and budget, would you like to go on a little road trip with me? We would travel a little bit the time to find a nice place to stop so I can finish my article.

- I don't care where we are.

- We'll just have to stay at my place for a few days while I talk to my teachers and work out some technical details, but then we can go, Ruri continued.

- No problem. I'm patient, I can wait a few days.

- If you want to not get bored I know plenty of ways to entertain yourself!

- I cannot wait to see it, he answered of this low and suave tone which he knew to take and which made her capsize with the force of a tsunami. But she pretended not to have seized the innuendo, to remain concentrated.

- Do you have an idea of where you would like to go? A particular part of the world?

- No I ...

17 stopped dead in his tracks. He had not expected this question and was about to answer that he had no particular preference when suddenly he was seized by a kind of flash. Again, a fragment of memory came back to him, while a sentence that Ruri had pronounced resounded in his mind.

- Yes, he finally told her. In fact, there's a place I'd like to go.