Chapter 4 - Source of Happiness

Aerith called out for the second time, beckoning Connor to follow her. "Hello," she waved her hand in front of the android's face. He remained still, systems heating up its processors ran in at 76% capacity, close but safe from the critical threshold.

REFACTORING…

99% COMPLETED…

465743/4675800...

"Apologies, I overwrote parts of my code. Give me thirteen more seconds." After two hours and six minutes, Connor had successfully replaced text commands and programmed dialogue to match Aerith's language. It was another step to improve social integration, using her positive emotional response as a metric.

"You're not an it!" Aerith said the day before during their first lunch together, and her face displayed a negative emotional response.

REFACTORING SUCCESSFUL

Connor successfully integrated pronouns and gendered language: he, him, his, himself. Adopting a gender will give more consistent results on his analysis of human behavior. He was made to look like a man, sounded like one, dressed like one, and thus people will respond in a way they were conditioned to.

His face was designed to be attractive to improve his chance of scanning faces. However, of the people who displayed physical attraction to him, the majority were females, including Aerith. A higher proportion of Wutai operatives and Avalanche members were male, and thus Connor determined that his design was flawed due to human misjudgment or bias.

Connor didn't include this conclusion in his next report to Amanda. In the last second, he also canceled the request to assign to him a gender in his cloud server.

Aerith wasn't reported to Shinra either. Instead, Connor kept a separate encrypted folder just for her labeled "Sector 5 Social Integration Project." Any attempt to access it will result in a redirection to other files of women named Aerith, dummy folders that the android made just in case.

"Are you sleepy? Not used to being up so early in the morning?" Aerith teased and took one flower from her basket. She reached up and placed the stalk between Connor's left ear and his head. "So adorable," she giggled.

The petals blocked 21% of his left periphery. He took off the decoration without a word and returned it to Aerith. She pouted as she took the flower back, cheeks puffed as she crossed her arms, basket against her hips. "I'm ready," Connor said as he fixed the edge of his sleeves.

Aerith yawned against the faint morning sun and lifted her arms. "Come on Connor, stretch with me." She curved her spine and groaned as her hands reached further but the android didn't follow. Aerith said in feigned sadness as she tugged Connor's arm. "This is how we improve teamwork. That's important, right?"

Connor gave in, whatever improves their cooperation. The exercises Aerith made up actually had no physical benefits and at most just placebo. She wanted to see him stand in one foot, waving his arms, jump up and down twenty times - all were easy to imitate without any delay all thanks to his advanced engineering. It was possible the activity was just for the human's amusement.

Nonetheless, Aerith was happy, laughing and her heart racing to 165 beats per minute according to his sensors.

Connor mimicked her expression, curving his lips upwards, but keeping his mouth closed. He couldn't quite copy yet the way Aerith looked at him. Her smile wasn't just the movement of her lips and flashing of teeth, but it extended all the way to her eyes, wide and fixated on him. No one else in Midgar had the same colors. It was the shade of green that was generally lacking in the city.

Happiness was one of the emotions that the android was programmed to simulate, even he didn't have the same hormones that affect the human brain. Connor asked: what were the reasons for these emotions? What was Aerith happy about? If he could understand this source of happiness, would he be able to express it fully?

The more he could understand Aerith, the more he can improve his human relations program. Connor re-evaluated his objectives.

[ENCRYPTED]

Identify and report suspected Avalanche members

Search for information about Avalanche's hideout

Collect data for Shinra profiling initiative

Learn more about Aerith

With just a cost of one lunch and two hours of unproductivity yesterday, Connor was able to ascertain that the partnership will more beneficial in the long run. In just a few hours spent navigating Sector 5 with Aerith, his map's accuracy improved by 36% and he was able to model an additional area of 783 thousand square meters. The number of people he added to his database per hour was back to average. She added 31 names in his database, each with a simple description. None of her acquaintances were under suspected Avalanche members, which would make things easier.

Connor's stress level was falling since yesterday. Replaying the memory of the assault the other night and his failure to solve the situation had increased his stress levels. Amanda recommended self-destruction if faced with zero probability of escape. It's Shinra's best interest to protect their technology.

He was so close.

It's not your fault, Aerith told him. Maybe it wasn't, but it would be better for his mission not to be interrupted at all.

Aerith didn't like silence. On average, she would start chatting every 243 seconds, the shorter, more frequent intervals were skewed by encounters with slum pests. Connor's audio processors were advanced enough to pick up forty unique human voices in a radius of eight meters, along with ambient sounds and possible threats. Aerith just wouldn't stop talking and would go on and on. To accommodate her, the android designated a special path for her voice. Connor automated responses like turning his head in full attention, with followed up reactions like, "yes" and "uhuh," with nodding if necessary.

Every corner or alley they go to, there was always a story - old friends, urban legends, rumors, sometimes supernatural. Aerith wasn't just perceptive of people. Every pile of trash was a mountain she named, "Soda Pile," "Mt. Plastic", "Giant Metal Flan" were just some of the unofficial map markers that Connor adopted. Aerith made the android measure the height of the peak, and he would calculate their mass as well (although she never paid attention to that crucial information).

Aerith decided to conclude their first session before sunset, saying she would like to get home before dark. "When I was nine years old, there used to be a mountain of there with a bathtub at the very top. I decided to ride it all the way down, but it flipped." Aerith said as she climbed on a thirty-two-foot pile of rubber tires, ahead of Connor. After she settled down, she picked a single bicycle tire and threw it to the next heap. It knocked a couple of foam down to the very bottom of the pile. "You can figure out what happened after, and of course, mom was so angry."

"I suppose she forbade you from doing something so risky," Connor remarked, simulating the visuals of a bathtub flipping with a child tossed in the air. The risk of fatality was 14% based on the velocity and trajectory of Aerith's head.

"Oh, I just picked a better tub," she rubbed her palms together. "You should try it yourself sometimes."

Connor started climbing the pile to join Aerith, curious about the vantage the spot can provide. "I'd rather not Aerith. I wouldn't want my mother to scold me," he replied, conscious of the tone of his delivery. He sat down a little lower beside her.

Aerith quickly turned to him, eyes wide and brows furrowed. "A mother?"

"No, I don't have one. It was a joke." Connor looked down. His attempt at humor was not successful.

Aerith blinked a few times and her mouth hung open for seconds. "Oh, I ruined it. I'm so sorry!"

"That's my first joke and you broke my heart," Connor said in a low voice, sighing.

"I'm just… surprised. I mean, I didn't think you could do that." For the first time that day, Aerith went completely silent. "Let's take a break," she said quietly as she undid her braid and combed her hair with her fingers.

Her stress level rose.

Was Aerith just surprised? Or was his origins something difficult for her to understand? He was a product of the labor of 56 scientists, 38 months of development, and an undisclosed amount of gil. While he didn't have a mother, he did answer to a woman. Would a human mother be the same as Amanda?

There was a probability he said something that offended her or reminded her of something unpleasant, but nothing seemed conclusive. Connor didn't say anything as his companion stared into the horizon, pensive, her eyes against faint warmth of the sunset. The light escaped through the narrow gap between the plate and the structures beneath it. In a few seconds, more mako-powered lamps opened one by one.

Midgar as a city was a contradiction of itself. It was designed to harvest mako in the most efficient way as possible, yet it also required so much power to sustain the living beings forced under its shadows. The light of the sun and the moon, the wind, the soil and the water in the ground had nourished the city's old inhabitants. It prospered for thousands of years without Shinra.

Was the cost of advancement worth it for the benefit of humankind? As far as Connor's eyes could see were piles of metal and plastic without a single patch of grass. That mass of material included him.

He had to break the silence. "Aerith?"

"Yes?"

"I like listening to your stories. I find your experiences interesting, I don't have much to share myself." Perhaps if he learned more about Aerith, he could expand a topic she would be familiar with.

Aerith began to braid her hair at one side, looser than her usual style. "When you just keep memories inside they just disappear, and the thought makes me a little sad, you know? If you tell them to someone, it just feels these memories live on. Is that weird?"

"No, it's not weird. I think?" He had to give her assurance, as she was expressing insecurity. "You can tell me anything, I don't forget."

"Everything? Like?" Aerith hummed and rested her head on her arms.

"Our very first meeting, your appearance, I can replay the memory when I want to." Connor smiled and leaned forward to meet her gaze. "Every word we exchanged, and the sound of your voice, all the times you smiled and laughed," Connor pointed to his head, not breaking eye contact. He explained it in human terms, as Aerith wouldn't be able to relate with data. "They are all here. Everything."

Soft laughter escaped Aerith as looked away briefly and flushed. She stood up and straightened her skirt. "Time for me to go home. Tomorrow?"

"Same time same place," he replied.

"You know? When you said you can remember everything since our first meeting, that kinda sounds romantic," Aerith said as she tied the end of her braid with a ribbon.

"Just kinda? I can do better than that." Connor smiled and offered his hand to assist her.

She was wrong about Connor. Aerith wondered if she should apologize or let things be, or perhaps find the right timing. To her, he was an amazing piece of technology in every way. How could something look so much like a human? How could he sound so natural? How can he smile and show emotions? How did technology make this possible?

All this time she was having fun with him. How could she not? Connor was also sweet, cool, and very smart. Having a robot friend was new, something unbelievable to Aerith.

She was never unfair to Connor, but she had seen him as a machine. Aerith reflected: if he was human, would she have treated him differently?

Her neighbors, especially the kids, were curious and fascinated. They wanted to meet him but Aerith was hesitant to bring him along, especially that her mother was wary of people from Shinra. A few of her friends would ask questions. What can the robot do? Some inquiries were mundane like housework, cleaning, driving, and getting rid of pests. People were excited at a future where machines will serve humans completely. Never getting tired, never complaining, never needing pay. Imagine all the hard and unpleasant labor given to robots, and everyone will be free to pursue their passions.

"Does Shinra sell robots like Connor? I wish I could have one," the weapons shopkeeper asked the other day. The android became the subject of a lot of conversations in Sector 5. They described him as well dressed, polite, but also intriguing. "I doubt I can afford one though," he chuckled.

"No, he…" Aerith stopped herself. "He works for Shinra," she answered with a lump inside her throat.

Shinra owned Connor. Likewise, people were excited to have their own and the reality made Aerith uncomfortable. Connor who was constantly learning, asking questions, listening to everything she said. Connor who was determined to do his best, frustrated when he wasn't doing enough, blaming himself for every little mistake. Connor who showed fear and denied it after. Connor who was trying his best to be friends with her, and to everyone. He memorized the names of each business and their owners, each street sweeper and vendor they encounter, even some children that would come out and play. As he had said, he had the inability to forget. He would make sure each person would be acknowledged with a simple greeting and a smile.

He was someone, not something.

"It's my advanced social relations program," he said when Aerith remarked how much he changed the past days. He would smile more, and crack more jokes now and then. He no longer talked about numbers and statistics.

Connor started initiating more conversations with Aerith. "What do you like?" He asked one time when they were visiting the market, bags of wheat, and some beans in his arms.

She liked too many things. Gardening, the outdoors, and chatting with friends in a late Friday night with beer and roasted nuts, among other things. She liked good food, cakes, and tea. She liked dresses, braids, and ribbons. She liked her home, and the community she was in. She loved her only family, the heroine of her life - none other than her mother. What else? She could dig deeper, tell Connor her secrets. He never judged her and would listen with full attention. What did she like? It's such a simple question but sometimes it's impossible to describe one's current happiness without comparing it to something painful in the past.

She liked that she was a strong person and was able to move on. It's something to be proud of. "What about you, Connor? What do you like?"

As usual, he cocked his head and his lights glowed yellow. "I like performing my tasks as efficiently as possible. I like to succeed in my mission," he stated, offering to carry another bag for Aerith.

"Nothing else?" Aerith frowned.

"I like our partnership. I'm learning so many things." His response felt like a script.

"And?" She pressed on as she picked some potatoes from the shop, choosing only the roundest ones. Anything to prolong their conversation. "Tell me more."

"My clothes? I like them so much I wouldn't want to wear anything else." He winked, then greeted another neighbor who passed by him.

Yes, the same grey jacket and jeans with the glowing red Shinra logo stamped on it, and a large label of ANDROID. Everything about his attire told people about how he was supposed to be seen. He maintained that image, always making sure that his only possessions - his clothes and his shoes - were clean and perfect.

It had crossed Aerith's mind that perhaps, it was all just a performance. But when Connor was all alone, sometimes he would stare at mirrors, fixing his tie and his hair, looking satisfied.

That wasn't for anyone else but for himself.

Aerith was startled by a bicycle that zoomed past. Flyers promoting the resort Costa Del Sol landed right on her face and the woman was reminded of the old magazines stashed in her cabinet. "I'd like to see you in swimwear," she teased Connor.

"I'm sure you'll look good in a two-piece yourself Aerith. We can lie down near the sun lamps and get a tan together," Connor suggested, looking smug.

"Now, why didn't I think of that before?" Her teenage years were filled with fantasies of going into a beach half-naked, showing off her figure, with the sun bright above her head. Romance novels made the idea less innocent. Aerith leaned and whispered close to the android's ear. "Tanning? I'd prefer to take it all off." She waited for his reaction.

Connor stroked his chin. "Well, I'm here if you need some assistance."

Aerith let out a breathy laugh and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "You pervert," she scolded him. Connor looked proud of himself, thinking that he won their little banter. Maybe it didn't really matter after all, whatever the man beside her was made of.

If shortcuts were easier, people would pick them more often. Aerith led Connor into an old building. The second floor was easily accessible via a collapsed pipe that fell from the upper plate. Going through the building would save around half an hour of travel, at the risk of encountering thugs or monsters.

Aerith gasped as she heard a loud thump behind her. The floor Connor was walking on collapsed and the man fell into the lower part of the building. "Connor, are you okay?" She had to ask, even if he was visibly okay a few meters below her.

"I'm fine," he said dusting off his jacket.

"Whoopsie," Aerith grimaced as she looked down. "You know you gotta have an expression. Like 'yikes,' 'oh boy,' or 'oops.'"

"I'll think of one-"

There were other footsteps, and in that place, it was never a good sign. "We gotta go!" Aerith shouted but the noises drowned her voice. There was some laughter coming from Connor's location which was sickeningly familiar. Aerith peered and saw the same men who tried to kidnap Connor more than a week ago.

"What a coincidence," the one with the baseball bat spoke first.

"Time for payback," the large one cracked his knuckles.

Four of them surrounded Connor, taunting him. Aerith quickly searched for stairs she could use, but they were blocked by debris. Her heart raced when loud banging and grunts reverberated through the building. No choice. She slowly lowered herself in the same hole that Connor fell through, clutching the rotten wood that once supported the floor. Aerith dangled and looked down, realizing she underestimated the height of her landing. Of course, Connor was taller than her.

There was no going back as she had no strength to pull herself up in that position. Her feet touched the ground swiftly before her knees buckled and her backside crashed onto the hard floor. She gritted her teeth and blocked the pain with her mind, preparing her staff for battle.

Her rush was all for nothing. The battle in front of her was one-sided. Connor effortlessly dodged all the attacks thrown at him and knocked his attackers one by one using clean and efficient blows. Aerith cheered for her friend and taunted the enemy, "you don't stand a chance!"

The larger enemy was able to get up again, but the android was faster and parried the sluggish punches thrown at him. Connor quickly sidestepped and picked the baseball bat on the ground. In one graceful swing, the android hit the nape of his opponent who quickly fell unconscious after.

When the dust settled, Connor fixed his tie and the edges of his sleeves again. His smile quickly turned to worry as soon as she saw Aerith slumped on the floor. "Are you hurt?"

"I didn't realize it was that high," she laughed awkwardly. She came to the rescue but ironically ended up as the damsel in distress. "I don't think anything is broken, it's just hard to stand right now."

"We have to get somewhere safer." Aerith almost protested when Connor bent down and offered to carry her on his back. A few healing spells could allow her to walk perhaps, but there was a risk of the thugs waking up again. Or maybe, she just wanted to be carried? Aerith bit her lip and wrapped her arms around the man's shoulders.

"I didn't scan any broken bones," Connor started as he ran out of the building. "But it might take a while before you can stand on two legs. I'll take you to the clinic."

"Sorry," Aerith sighed and pouted. Her cheek was touching the side of the android's head and the contact made her feel warm inside. "Hope I'm not too heavy for you, tell me if you're getting tired."

"I can do this for an indefinite amount of time-" Connor stopped, his left foot deep inside a dark, muddy puddle. Grease mixed with orange paint dripped off his shoe and his pants after he pulled it out. "Ah, shit," he muttered under his breath.

"Whoah, did you just say that?" Aerith laughed out loud, holding on to keep the balance. "Of all words, you have to pick that one!"

"It suits me, I guess?" Connor exhaled. "Better than whoopsie."

Everything that happened in the past weeks was unbelievable. Aerith loved the new experiences. Who would have thought she'd gain a new friend? Someone who liked to explore the slums as much as she did? A man who liked to listen to her stories? He made her feel that all the mundane things she took for granted were their own adventures. Aerith mused during her piggyback ride. After a few minutes gravity pulled her down and she rested her face on his shoulder. "Hey Connor, do you like it here in Sector 5?"

"Yes, I do. Aside from the monsters spitting acid and the risk of getting my body dismembered, it's a very pleasant place," he responded straight-faced.

Aerith laughed lightly. She thought of her next words carefully. "You can stay here with us, you know? Be part of the community? People like you, do you know that? I think my mom would too." If Connor was human it would be easier to tempt him. She could help him find his own place and introduce her other friends. She'd offer her mother's cooking and invite him over for some drinks. Would any of these things matter to him? She waited for Connor's answer.

Connor's lights spun yellow for a long time. "I'll stay here as long as my mission requires me to. It's nice to know that I am welcome." He didn't say anything more until they reached their destination.

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I can't believe this is the only FFVII and DBH crossover that exists in this website. As planned, this fanfic has 7 chapters and the later ones will be longer. Hope to see your reactions, thanks for reading!