Mechanical heart (Dilma x Lilith)
Liquid splashed across her face as a shadow fell over her.
The cyborg blinked. It took only a moment for her to fully process the scene in front of her, but in that time, multiples thoughts ran through her mind.
The first thought was that it was illogical. After all, as an earthly fighter, he was far more vulnerable to the armor's fire strike than her.
The second thought was that it was expected of him. He was somewhat foolish, and such acts were the norm for him.
And the last thought when his form falls down, a gaping hole in the middle of his torso was… She do not know how to word it, but something stirred inside of her. It felt as if her core is being crushed to piece. Hesitantly, she reached out, her eyes refusing to look away.
"Heh… you… okay … Lilith?"
"… Dilma?"
"Lilith? It's something wrong?"
His voice – no different from the one she remembered – snap out her out of her trance. A hand placed itself on her shoulders. Unconsciously – or perhaps consciously – she leaned into it, finding it – what did lady Reeze said?... Ah… - comforting.
'It was … nothing. Merely a memory" Lilith replied, glancing at her companion.
He was the same as the one in her memory, just without… The cyborg grimaced slightly when that image came to the forefront of her mind.
"Are you sure?"The martial artist frowned, concern in his eyes "Reeze said that you haven't fully recovered yet, so don't push yourself too hard"
"I am already at 80% capacity, so it should be fine. But thank you" She nodded her head in gratitude, the corner of mouth curling up a bit when she sees the blush forming on Dilma's face.
Had it been before, she would have ignored his question altogether. She used to find his constant worry for her useless and foolish. After all, she was a cyborg, a machine made in the form of a human, so she could be rebuild any time. She had tried to tell him once, only for him to reply with a solemn answer:
"Maybe so. But… it won't be "you" anymore"
She had dropped the subject after that, letting him do as he please. She was far more occupied with helping lady Reeze tracking down her armor.
But… somewhere along the way, against all odds, he had managed to install his presence into her core, to the point that there are times that she would consider his safety over that of her creator. It puzzled her, because it's logically unsound and impossible.
She had suppressed those thoughts and feelings, burying them deep into her core so that she can focus on helping Reeze. She was sure that he would be there, bothering her with his adoration that she never thought of the logical conclusion for his love for her.
Namely, the fact that he would shield her from a lethal attack despite it being far more dangerous for him. And obviously, he didn't make it.
A part of her core disappeared that day. No matter what she did, no matter what she tried, one part of her core remains damaged. Even lady Reeze couldn't fix it despite being her maker. It was only later – long after that day, and thanks to a talk with the other summoned spirits - that she realizes why: her core was damaged because that part died with Dilma. Or in the words of the girls: She had fallen in love with him.
"Are you sure you're all right? You're spacing out again"
"Like I said, it is merely a memory. Although…"
Despite not needing to, the cyborg took a deep breath and leaned further into the Sama fighter.
"Uh, L-l-lilith?"
"I am only at 80%, so there are still problems in my body. Do you…" She struggled to finish the question, a strange feeling of hesitation rising up in her core. "Do you mind if… if we stay like this, for a while longer?"
"Um, no! Not at all!"
Closing her eyes to clear away the memories, Lilith felt Dilma shifting in his seat. One arm wrapped around her shoulders to keep her from falling over.
Perhaps it was out of character for her, but right now, she's determined to make the best of it. Last time, she didn't even know just how important he was to her. This time, she's definitely not letting him slip away from her again.