Note: Hello all!

Things have been a bit slow in this story, but now things are going to be picking up. There are a few more OCs introduced here, but they're minor and don't really have too big an impact on the story.

That said, I hope you enjoy it!

Reflections and Recollections

July 27th 21XX

"They're displaying both a vast number of differences, as well as similarities," Fujiwara told Cain, he and Cain observing the two robots from behind a thick, glass pane. The scientist had currently placed them in a small room and monitored their performance on this current test.

"All right, begin!" Then, Fujiwara said, the test was finally able to start.

X and Roll were sitting at a table with a chessboard on it; the blue robot looked at it curiously. What is it?" the blonde asked. Have you seen a chessboard before?

"Well, I know what it is, supercomputer brain and all, but," he then took a black pawn in his hand. "I guess it's just different when you, well, you know, see and feel something for yourself." he held the pawn, feeling over its rounded head. Then he heard a small tap. He looked and saw that a white pawn had been moved. "You…you cheated!" he suddenly said, surprised.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Roll asked. She seemed to be confused by her (younger) brother's reaction. "Didn't Dr. Fujiwara say that the test had begun? Besides," she smiled. "White always goes before black." X huffed, knowing well that she was being smug about it.

"You're not the only one with advanced AI," X stated, making his move immediately.

Fujiwara jotted down everything he had seen while Cain watched on. The two machines continued the match, battling against each other in, ironically enough, a rather ancient game. X and Roll moved piece after piece: pawns, bishops, knights, and soon were up to their most essential pieces against the other. Unfortunately, X had only a king, while Roll was left with both a king and queen.

Both of them were silent for a moment, pondering what the other's next move would be. But then, Roll began speaking. "So, I read through the first volume of that series you gave me." she explained.

"Hm? Oh yeah, Dune." X answered. "So, what'd you think?"

Roll bit her lip. "It's a little…depressing at the end," she admitted. "I mean, after all that happened, the hero gets such a terrible vision of the future."

Well, it doesn't get much better. X thought. "Yeah. I'll admit that I'm reading more of the series just out of curiosity. I'm too deep in now." he told his (younger, NOT older) "sister." "But I get what you're saying."

Then Cain and Fujiwara witness the conversation grow from casual to something entirely different.

"I guess I'm just curious about what that books talk about," X said.

"Like what?" Roll asked. "I have no interest in reading any further, so you don't have to worry about spoiling it for me." she assured him.

Still, X was wondering how to word this exactly, but he had to answer eventually. Finally, he found his voice. "The concept of fate."

Roll and the two humans observing them were puzzled. "Fate?" she asked. "What about it?"

X shrugged. "I'll admit I'm not really sure," he confessed. "I know what the concept of it is, of course, but that's also what sort of bothers me about it." he said.

"Are you seeing this?" Cain asked, Fujiwara only giving a soft "hm" as he continued recording and monitoring the exercise. The older man found himself wanting to contribute to the conversation yet knew that he could talk later. For now, it was probably best if there was no interference.

"What does?" Roll asked.

"Well, I guess it's just the fact that your life or your very existence is out of your control." the blue robot explained. "You can be born into this world with your wants and needs, you have your own goals and dreams, but if it doesn't align with fate, then it doesn't matter. So what your role is in life is your role." he then paused for a moment. "And there's no breaking out of that box, no matter what you do."

Roll thought a bit on these words. "Hm. Honestly, I never thought about such a thing like that before." she then urged X to move a piece.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." he then made his move. "It's probably just something I'm dwelling on too much. I mean, something that has no proof of existence but is the basis of so many works ranging from literature to ancient Paganism. But-"

"Checkmate."

X's green eyes stared down at his fallen king, his sister smiling triumphantly on the other side of the table, her queen having taken down his king. "You cheated again!"

"Did not!" Roll retorted. "The whole goal of chess is to outthink the other player." she saw the blue robot pout a bit. Rock never beat me, and I guess "fate" has decided that for you too.

August 1st 21XX

With another shot of his buster, another concentrated bullet of plasma tore through the flying mechaniloid coming his way. While they were little more than more durable toy helicopters, the laser pistols were a problem. Another physical test was on the agenda for the day, which meant that X would use his weapon. Cain, Fujiwara, and Roll observed him from the view panel above, X's movements and actions being monitored and analyzed.

"He seems to be growing in his strategic skills," Fujiwara said aloud, musing over what he was currently seeing. "Indeed, Dr. Light built him with the same capabilities of the original Mega Man."

"Seems like it." Cain agreed. "Though I wonder why he would immediately go through the trouble of constructing a robot for battle right away. Dr. Light was never really known for creating weapons unless necessary. Mega Man himself didn't start as a fighting machine." he watched X continue to fire at the targets firing back at him. So what occurred to make Dr. Light give X all of these abilities outright?

Roll said nothing, her teal eyes watching as X shot at the incoming flying mechaniloids. Indeed, the way he moved and used his buster was very much like Mega Man. Or rather, Rock, seeing as X was technically "Mega Man" as well. It still felt so strange to acknowledge that. As well as swallow the fact that, aside from him, there was nobody else. As far as she knew, X and she were the only ones left of Light's work. And she wasn't technically built by him; her program was just based on what was found in her old body! And even that was just old scrambled memory files! While she had been given the same "advancements" as X, her personality was programmed to gravitate towards certain traits that corresponded with what was seen on the files.

So…was she really "Roll?"

Just then, she saw X being swarmed by the flying mechaniloids, all firing their pistols to trap the blue robot in one place. Finally, they managed to corner him against the wall, a beam striking him in one of his pectorals. "X!" she shouted, about to leave, yet she felt herself seized by Cain, even if she had far superior strength. She watched as X was shot while the other robot had to deal with his current predicament.

The beams did not cause any major damage, but damn! They delivered a rather painful sting! And having multiple of them on him at once made concentration difficult for the blue android. He had to get out of this fast or the mechaniloids would send him to the ground, and then he'd be a prime target for sure! The only thing was how to do it? Shooting the flying machines individually would do him no good, as he would only manage to take down a few before they would swarm on him again.

Fujiwara had told him that these models were used for military training, so they wouldn't show him mercy. Not that they had the capacity for it anyway, as he also told X. Musing over such things wouldn't get him out of this, however! He had to take down more of their numbers!

He needed a more powerful shot.

Just as soon as he pondered that, he found that some unknown components in him "clicked." As if he had just solved a problem when the answer was so obvious. Seizing the moment, X performed a maneuver no one expected. First, X backed up into a corner, but then he turned and "kicked" up the wall to where he was above the flying machines. Then, he kicked off the walls again and performed a backflip over the small helicopters. X slid back until he came to a stop on the other side of the room, and once he did, he aimed his buster at the airborne mechaniloids. But he didn't fire. Instead, he waited, collecting more and more energy in his weapon.

"What is he doing?" Cain asked, looking to Fujiwara for some sort of answer.

The Japanese man looked at the readings X was giving off and found an unusual amount of energy developing from within his buster. "He's building up plasma in his buster," Fujiwara observed. "But I've never seen a weapon able to charge this much!"

Roll looked at the screen in front of Fujiwara and saw the blue robot's weapon's erratic readings. "But Dr. Light gave Mega Man the ability to charge his buster, and he was fine!"

"Not with these ratings!" the scientist countered. "At this rate, his entire arm will explode!"

"What?!" again, Roll tried to run, but she was grabbed at the last second by Fujiwara. She looked and saw that light was emitting from X's canon as if what was building up inside was leaking out. She was dragged back to where she was previously standing, and the Asian man went back to documenting his findings. "But you just said he-"

"I know," Fujiwara said. And I'm not letting this fool potentially damage himself. "X! Fire your buster!" the scientist commanded, yet the robot didn't unleash one shot. "X! Fire!" the mechaniloids flew closer and closer, but still, X didn't shoot. "What are you waiting for!? FIRE!"

X said nothing, but he obeyed. He unleashed what he was building up from within his weapon, the blast blinding the two humans save for Roll, who saw everything that came out of X's buster. Instead of being small and gold (very much like Mega Man), the shot was a large wave of vibrant blue energy that obliterated the flying mechaniloids, the room being rocked by the small explosions occurring. And even after that, to Roll's amazement, X continued firing. When the light died down, Cain and Fujiwara saw that X had taken down most of them out, leaving only one remaining. It dove towards him, yet a single gold shot took it out.

The three above looked down in shock at what they had just witnessed, X was standing in the middle of a circle of destroyed mechaniloids. "So," X began, wanting to break the silence that had fallen over everyone. "Does this mean the test is over?"

August 10th 21XX

"He made that many?!" X exclaimed, not believing what he had heard.

"It's true!" Roll responded. "True, Dr. Wily started with just the eight that he had kidnapped, yet after that, he began constructing his own." she told her "sibling." "I don't know exactly just HOW many robots he made, but it was certainly more than Dr. Light ever created." she continued. "Though don't think that I'm praising that madman," she explained. "It's because of him that Rock had to undergo his alterations."

X was absorbing all that he was hearing. "Well, why didn't Light make any more? Before me, I mean."

"Oh, yes, he did. Just not as many as Wily." Roll answered. "Although, I'll admit that parts past some certain dates are really scrambled up." she put her hand to her temple and closed her eyes, deep in thought for a moment. However, it didn't last long, as once again, she couldn't find what she wanted in her systems.

X was silent for a moment, unsure whether or not to give her space. Yet after a short time, he found that he couldn't contain himself. The moment he had read the articles about Wily's machines, he was hungry for more. "So, what were they like?" he asked.

Roll looked at the blue robot, puzzled. "What do you mean? There were all a bunch of no-good punks, that's what!" she crossed her arms over her chest. "Did nothing but cause trouble for both humans AND robots! Our reputation, as well as Dr. Light's, was in shambles after Wily first kidnapped Cut, Guts, and, well, I told you their names already," she said. "In a way, it was rather fortunate that Wily decided to create his own machines so people could see Rock as the hero he truly was."

X shifted a bit. "Your brother sounds like a nice guy."

"He's your brother too, you know." Roll told him. "It really is a pity." she sighed. "You and he have so much in common."

Another comparison to Mega Man. It wasn't as if X minded it so much; it just seemed to be one of his defining traits to resemble the Blue Bomber, though that seemed to be it. There was no "Rock" or anything that he had been known as before. The blue robot had always looked like this as far as he knew. But his interest wasn't exactly on his older sibling (who actually WAS older than him!), but more on the ones Roll had only briefly covered.

"Did Wily's robots ever break away from him? Like, did they maybe join Dr. Light?" X asked.

Roll shook her head. "No, but they probably wouldn't have been able to, even if they wanted to," she explained. "They would've surely have been reprogrammed, and Quick Man made it clear to my brother that was never going to happen."

Quick Man? Yes, he had heard about him, but X was puzzled by such a reaction. "Reprogram? As in, completely rewrite their systems?" he asked. Roll nodded. "But wouldn't that erase everything?" he asked. "Their personalities, their preferences, likes, and dislikes, that would all be gone?" Again, Roll nodded. "But that…that's horrible!" he exclaimed. "Wouldn't that be doing the same thing Wily did to Light's original Robot Masters?!"

Roll was surprised by her brother's (YOUNGER brother) reaction, but it wasn't something unexpected, especially from what she had seen from him so far. You really are like Rock.

"What happened to them?" X asked. "Dr. Cain and Fujiwara say they don't know, but," he rubbed the back of his neck. "You wouldn't happen to know anything, would you?"

Roll sighed. "Unfortunately, no." she answered.

X wanted to ask just one more thing; then he would leave her be. But still, he needed to hear an answer from someone like himself. "How slim of a possibility would it be for some of them to still be out there somewhere?" he questioned. "And, well, maybe some of Light's robots too. Like that prototype that disappeared?"

Roll was once again surprised. "You know of him?" X nodded. "Well, I never knew him well, and I still don't believe that there's much if anything left." she then closed her eyes. Even now, it was still hard to accept. "Dr. Light and Wily are gone." she continued. "And from what I have also been informed of, there hasn't been any machine like them or us for that matter since the year 20XX."

"But, just hypothetically speaking, do you think that a robot could survive throughout all that time?" X asked, having broken his promise of only asking one more question.

Roll was silent for a moment, pondering this question. "I think that technically, it's possible," she said. "Given that we don't 'age' persay." she continued. "But that would mean they would have to be in hiding, given the current laws."

What her views on them were, X couldn't say for sure, yet he found the entire situation of Wily's machines quite depressing. But if there were still machines around from such a long time ago, then what would happen to them? What would happen to the mechaniloids, if what Cain and Fujiwara hoped to do (though it was more of the latter than former) succeeded, then something new would come around. More like himself. But would that mean all the others would be rendered obsolete?

X sighed in frustration. He had come to Roll seeking answers, yet all he found were even more questions. Though some questions, he wasn't sure if he was ready to find the answer.

August 20th 21XX

A large wave of blue energy took out both the mechaniloids on the ground and those in the air. Another test complete. X thought. Thank God.

"All right," Fujiwara said from above him. "That concludes this exercise." the door to the room opened. "You may go."

X was about to leave but stopped at the last second. "So, Roll IS out, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Fujiwara answered. "Currently, she's at my residence," he explained. "But rest assured, she shall be returned."

"About that," X said. "When can I go out? Out there?"

Neither Fujiwara or Cain answered him. "The test is complete, you may go." the Asian man told the blue robot.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get what he sought, X exited the room and made his way back to his own. Cain left the observation panel above and managed to catch X in the hallway. "I know you're disappointed," he told the robot.

"If I have to be honest, I'm a little angry too," X told the human. "Why can she go, but I can't?"

"You know why. We've been over this." Cain responded, feeling very much like a father arguing with their child. "While I understand how you feel, the fact remains that she isn't armed; you are. Besides, Sho was only willing to use one containment unit. And she'd probably have to be put dragged around in what's little more than a less comfortable suitcase, so perhaps you being here is better."

Upon hearing all of this, X found himself rather grateful that Fujiwara hadn't chosen him, though that didn't quench his thirst for the world outside of these walls. "How much more does Dr. Fujiwara need from me? From us?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Cain admitted. "But it must be a sufficient amount to present to the council. First, we have to convince them that you are not a threat."

X's brows furrowed from underneath his helmet. "And how do we do that? All I've done is logic tests and destroying whatever Dr. Fujiwara feels like throwing at me," he complained. "And how can I prove I'm not a threat to humans if I don't even see any other humans?" he then looked at the arm where he kept his buster. "It's because of this, isn't it?"

Cain was quiet for a short time before answering. "Ultimately, that is one of your defining features." X continued looking at his weapon, looking at the built-in canon as if he were studying it. "But remember, Dr. Light built this into you for likely the same reason he had remodeled Rock Light into the original Mega Man. And Mega Man was built to counter Wily and improve the relations between robots and humans."

X was quiet, green eyes gazing intensely at his buster. "There was something installed in my hard drive, something about how I had to be sealed up in that capsule for at least thirty years."

"Well, yes, there was that." Cain nodded, remembering that event all too well.

"And the message also said that even if I know the Three Laws, I'm not completely dictated by them." X continued. He didn't speak this out of any sinister intent; he was just recounting what he remembered. If anything, he found the very idea of breaking any of the Laws, especially the first, rather distressing. "And even more, Light feared that should I break these Laws, he feared nothing could stop me."

Cain nodded nervously, not understanding where X was going with this. "Yes, the message said that too. But why would that concern you?"

"Because," X paused, not taking his eyes off his weapon. "If that's the case, if Dr. Light knew all of these risks, then why?"

"Why what?" Cain asked.

"Why would he create something like me?" the blue robot looked himself over. "Rock, or Mega Man, I can understand. There was no other choice," he said. "But for the Doctor to design me right off the bat to be capable of combat, then why would that be?" he questioned. "If there's been no sign of Wily for decades, then there would surely be no need for any sort of weapon, right?"

Cain pondered this. "You could assume that, yes." he admitted.

"Then maybe it was for been for when Wily was alive?" X suggested. "Then again, I don't have any records of seeing the man myself." he then touched the ruby gemstone on his helmet. Or in any of the bits and pieces I DO have in my memory banks. "But if that's the case, then what could Wily have made that Light would have to give me this right away?" he then looked at Cain. "I know Dr. Light's death was recorded but was there anything on Wily?"

Cain shook his head. "A body was never found, and there were no witnesses save for Dr. Light himself and his robots. And many of them only gave just enough details but didn't come and say what happened outright."

"So, it's still a cold case?" X asked.

"Probably one of the most infamous cold cases of the last hundred years." the paleobotanist said. "But both Light and Wily are gone, so neither can do anything anymore." he then winced. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to offend."

"It's all right," X replied. "Perhaps I'm dwelling too much on things," he admitted. "But it's frustrating when you have what's supposed to be advanced AI, yet with all the information you can pull up in a second, there's so much empty space that you want to fill up. And the bits and pieces you do manage to find, they have no context to them and barely make any sense!" he groaned in exasperation, holding the sides of his head. Then he took in a heavy breath despite not needing to breathe. The cool air felt good on his heated vents. "Sorry to vent so much."

Cain shook his head. "Don't be. If anything, I'd rather you do than not. If anything, you're presenting yourself as independent in thought."

"You think?" X asked. "But would that be a trait that the council would consider positive or negative?"

"I'll admit I'm uncertain of that." the older human sighed. "But hopefully, you'll show any naysayers that your existence is an extraordinary thing, not something to be reviled or feared."

X pondered Dr. Cain's words, yet he was still uncertain. If Dr. Light built him for the same reason he upgraded Rock, he was surely meant to use his abilities to benefit humanity. Yet, at the same time, he had no restraints in his system that tied him to the Three Laws of Robotics. And indeed, if he was gifted with independent thought, then surely Light would be aware of the risks; otherwise, why was he sealed away?

But even if he had no reason to think otherwise. Cain had made his stay in Fujiwara's bearable since he first arrived, and Roll's addition had made things much better. But still, he wondered whether or not what he had been programmed with was exactly a good thing. And assuming that he would honor the Laws, could the same be said about someone else like him?

Such a question troubled him. Especially since, while he had never said it, X knew full well what Fujiwara's ultimate plan was.

Fujiwara's Residence

Arcadia, the White City

When she had been told that she would be taking a trip outside of the lab, she was elated. However, she was instructed not to tell X, as surely he would want to go, and Fujiwara could only transport one of them. Furthermore, the containment unit she was stuffed into was only just big enough, and she had to take down her hair to fit inside. The ride to wherever the Asian man was taking her to wasn't exactly pleasant either, having lost count of how many bumps she was wheeled over.

Eventually, she was released and found herself in a large house that she soon found to be Dr. Fujiwara's abode. It was pretty significant, far more extensive than perhaps was necessary for a home just for one. Much of the furniture was white, along with the walls and floors. There was minimal color overall, and Roll found herself not feeling any different than when she had been in the lab.

"Consider this a test just for you," the blonde robot remembered Fujiwara saying to her. "Cecilia is out of town due to issues with her mother."

"Is she sick?" Roll questioned; Fujiwara nodded in confirmation. "I'm sorry, that's quite unfortunate."

"Indeed." Fujiwara agreed. Though Roll didn't hear it, the Asian man's concerns over his housekeeper's relative weren't strictly out of any sense of compassion. "Which is where you come in." he jumped on the following subject right away. "Since Cecilia will be out for the day, I shall entrust you with her duties until she gets back."

Roll remembered trying to ask questions as to what the scientist meant and if cleaning was the only reason she was brought here. But Fujiwara just told her what he needed to be done before he came home from the lab, as he had to have X perform some more tests. Then he left her alone in the house, the robot hearing nothing but the low hum of her engines running from within.

With little else she could do, Roll went to work and tended to every task given to her. Dinner was planned out and prepared to be cooked later, the floors were washed, and shelves dusted. Thankfully, Fujiwara had gotten the vacuum out for her, so she didn't have to go searching for it, so getting the areas underneath the furniture was no problem.

After some time, the robot stopped to look at her handiwork. Everything was just as white as before, but it did look cleaner. She'd yet to do the second floor, but she cleaned down on the first floor already, so it probably wouldn't take her much longer to do the other. The only problem was that it was only afternoon, and it'd probably be hours until Fujiwara came back. And even when she finished her "duties," she had no idea whether or not she was even allowed to use his television or anything else of his.

Even so, at least she had completed everything Fujiwara had listed, so she had some free time. Perhaps she could at least explore the house-

"Patarche! No!" she heard someone shout from upstairs. "Bad dog! Come back here!"

"Hm?" Roll began to ascend the winding staircase that led to the second floor. "What is going on-"

Suddenly, her vision was engulfed by a flying ball of white fluff, the object hitting her face and sending her tumbling down the stairs. The impact was immediately heard by whoever was upstairs, Roll hearing steps from above approaching her. "Patarche!" when the robot looked up, she found herself surrounded by two young girls and a white young puppy. Or rather, he used to be white. The girl dressed in red picked up the pup that was coated in dirt. "No! Bad boy!" she then turned to the other girl with her. This girl had shorter black hair curled under her chin glasses and wore a white shirt and a blue skirt with light blue stockings and white shoes. "I told you to hold him so he doesn't get out!"

"I'm sorry!" the other girl apologized. "He's stronger than I thought he was!" she then looked at herself. "Oh no! My mom's going to kill me!" her clothes were covered in the same dirt that was all in Patarche's fur.

"Forget the clothes." the longer-haired girl said. "What about this house?!" she pointed to the clumps of dirt and soil on the stairs. "Dad's going to murder Patarche for sure!"

"Now hold on," Roll suddenly spoke up.

"Yes?" both girls asked in unison.

I would like it if you would let me up. Both children backed up so she could stand. Are you Fujiwara's children?

"I am." the longer-haired girl answered. "I'm Chiyo," she then pointed to the other girl. "This is Fumiko," she then held out the wriggling puppy. "And you already know Patarche."

"Patarche, huh?" Roll quirked a brow. Seeing Chiyo was about to lose control of her pup again, Roll seized him before he could escape. And unlike the Japanese girls, there was no chance for the dirt-covered ball of fluff to escape. "Well, I assume that you've made quite a mess upstairs, right?" the puppy yipped, though whether this was a confession or denial of what he was accused of, no one knew. "Well, if that's the case, it seems I still have work to do." she then looked at the two girls. "Would one of you lead me to the bathroom?"

"All right, where'd you go?" Chiyo asked, feeling around for the white pup in the mountains of suds. I think I might've used too much soap. Eventually, she found him and held the detachable showerhead.

Roll moved in and held Patarche as Chiyo rinsed him off, the fluffy puppy looking very much like a wet mop afterward. Fumiko then lathered Patarche with shampoo before Chiyo rinsed him off again. Roll then wrapped the wriggling pup in a towel, keeping him still.

"Thanks again for helping us out, Miss." the other Japanese girl, Fumiko, said. "Dr. Fujiwara would probably throw Patarche out of the house if he found out about this."

"Well, from what I've seen, he's quite a handful." Roll said as she dried Patarche with the blowdryer. "If I may ask again, are you Dr. Fujiwara's children?"

"I am," Chiyo told her. "Fumiko's someone I go to school with. Now that I've answered that, who are you?"

"Oh right, yes! How rude." Roll chastised herself. "I'm Roll, though technically, I'm Roll 2.5-" she paused, seeing Chiyo shake her head and an intense expression on her face. "But Roll will do just fine." Patarche

Fumiko shifted nervously. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Roll," she said. "Are you, like, a new maid or something?" she asked.

"Nice to meet you too, young lady." Roll replied. She then stopped blowdrying Patarche, the white puppy completely dry and clean. Not to mention even fluffier than before. "But I'm curious, why didn't Dr. Fujiwara even mention you?"

Chiyo averted her gaze for a moment before sighing. "He told me someone was coming over, so I had to stay in my room. He told me I could invite Fumiko over so I wouldn't get bored."

"She got bored in the first five minutes," Fumiko told Roll. "And Patarche wanted out of the room so badly. So that was when I kind of had to go to the bathroom, and then he got out and got into one of the plants in Dr. Fujiwara's office. And, well, you know what the entire floor looks like."

"Indeed." Roll answered. "Thankfully, I've yet to do the second floor so that you can leave that to me." she then handed the dried puppy to Chiyo. "You two just keep this fluffball occupied in the meantime."

She then opened the door and led the two girls to Chiyo's room. The blonde found that the girl's room was just as bland and white as the rest of the house. It was a far cry from what hers and even Rock's rooms were. Dr. Light allowed them to decorate and decide the layout of their respective areas, just as long as they were well maintained. She, of course, kept everything of hers spotless. Rock, not so much. His room was nothing short of chaos; she wondered how anyone could survive living in such conditions. Of course, he just told her she was exaggerating, but even still, that was a trait of Rock she remembered.

And being here, being tasked with playing the housekeeper for the day, reminded her of just how much she missed that.

"Miss Roll?"

Fumiko's voice brought her back to reality. "Oh, sorry." Roll apologized. "I let myself wander off for a bit. I'll go take care of the little mess Patarche made." she gave the puppy an unamused look while he looked utterly innocent. "I'll let you know when dinner is ready!" with that, Roll left the two girls and pup alone in Chiyo's room. "Oh, and be sure to get out of those clothes. I'll put them in the wash." she said, opening the door slightly and poking her head in. Then she left.

The longer-haired girl saw her friend look as if she wanted to say something but was debating whether to say it. "What's up with you?" Chiyo asked.

Fumiko took a moment to adjust her glasses. "Either she has a really, REALLY weird sense of fashion," the girl said. "Or she's not human." she then looked at Chiyo. "She's a robot, isn't she?" Chiyo froze, Patarche also appeared startled. She was silent for a good while before Fumiko asked again. "Is she?"

The other girl sighed. "Yes." she said.

Fumiko's brown eyes widened. "But…but that's against the law! No AI can advance beyond a certain point, and human-like mechaniloids or any sort of machine is forbidden!"

"Exactly!" Chiyo exclaimed, putting Patarche down and grabbing ahold of the other girl. "Which is why you can't tell anyone!"

"I won't! Don't worry!" Fumiko told her, if not just to get her friend to let go of her. "But who made her? Did your dad?"

"I don't know," Chiyo confessed. "I've never seen her before until today." she then thought for a moment. "You know, she said her name was Roll 2.5. Kinda fitting, considering she looks like her."

"Who?" Fumiko asked.

"Roll. DLN 002." Chiyo explained. "She was one of Light's robots-"

"Light?! Like, Dr. Light?!" the other girl gasped. "No way!"

"Yep." Chiyo said. "Dad's got an entire library on the guy." she was thankful that Patarche at least didn't rip up any books. "Though Roll was made for doing chores and stuff," she explained. "There's another robot dad's got at the lab that looks like Mega Man."

Fumiko crossed her arms. "Ok, I find that a little hard to believe."

"It's true! I've seen him myself!" Chiyo said. "He's got a buster and everything! Though he looks older than Mega Man did."

"Well, what's he like?"

Chiyo pulled Fumiko close. "No matter what happens, you can't tell anybody this, ok. ANYBODY."

"Yeah, sure. Ok."

The longer-haired girl took her friend and began to relay all that she had experienced when Patarche escaped her and ran into the lab, the other girl listening with open ears and staring at Chiyo with large, wide eyes.

September 16th 21XX

X sighed as he reclined on his bed, having read through every book he was provided with, as well as finding nothing of interest on television. Suffice to say; he found himself quite bored. Not to mention jealous. Since Roll had first been taken to Dr. Fujiwara's place, he had been keeping her there practically every other day! He had said he wanted to test out her speed and efficiency in doing what she was originally programmed for, but X thought it was because she got things done faster than Cecilia.

Still, even if it's just going to clean the house, it's STILL going somewhere! X grumbled to himself. This is so unfair. Suddenly, he heard not a knock but a frantic pounding on his door. X immediately rose off his bed and found a winded Cain who appeared quite panicked. "Dr. Cain? What's wrong?"

"No time to explain!" the human wheezed before taking the robot by the wrist. "We've got to get you out of here!"

X then found himself being dragged down the hallway, going around twists and turns, all the while becoming aware of the sound of heavy footsteps approaching them. "Dr. Cain, what's going on?!" the blue robot asked, needing some sort of answer.

"All that you need to know is that you have to leave this place! Otherwise, they'll take you!"

Take him? He pondered what that meant at first, but then, slowly, the realization came to him. He didn't need to ask who "they" were. Oh no, he knew very well who "they" were. Though he knew little about them, the most important, and perhaps, the only thing he needed to know, was that "they" held his life in their hands. If they ever found out about his existence, he would've either been destroyed or kept somewhere away from the world forever.

"But, but how did they-"

"I don't know!" Cain told him, going around another corner. "But they've already taken Fujiwara into custody! And I believe Roll's already been-" the older man was cut off by a plasma pistol touching him right between the eyes.

Several other uniformed humans came from either side of Cain and X, all aiming their weapons at them. They were all dressed in black, their faces concealed behind glass visors of red. They wore light armor plating on their suits and almost appeared very machine-like themselves, just with slimmer limbs.

"Wait!" X protested. "Don't shoot him!" he pleaded. Silence fell over everyone. "You're here for me, right?" X asked. "Then leave him alone."

The uniformed task force said nothing, but they moved in and began gathering around the robot, using their numbers to keep him from trying to escape. Seeing that he was putting up no resistance, X was immediately escorted away by most of the officers available, leaving only a few to take care of Dr. Cain.

"Damn," one of the officers said. "I'd like to see you try to explain all of this."

Note: Now things are getting a little more serious. I've been leading up to this, so hopefully, I pulled it off. While Roll is also a character that'll get development, the main character is still X. Also, let me know if there are any errors that I missed during editing!

Thank you!