Chapter 9: The Pulse of Fatigue

One week had passed since the arrival of Roll at the Reploid Education Center. News spread slowly due mostly in part to Zero's quiet but apparent efforts to keep everybody calm and reduce the fuss made over her arrival. Part of this was of course, because it's what Dr. Cain asked of him before he went off to supervise a dig, but part of it was also to keep some of the reploids he termed as "goons" away from Roll. They needed their privacy, and it seemed that while their relationship was blossoming nicely, X shied away from being seen in public. Zero figured that he was still afraid to lose her to someone else. X was always slow to confidence anyway.

Not that he was without his boldness, X had switched quarters to a more homelike human atmosphere, you wouldn't be able to tell that the room belonged to a reploid unless you inspected it closely. That was another thing Dr. Light had all figured out and that modern scientists were baffled by, All reploids had to go into regeneration chambers to sleep...except for X, he could sleep in a bed like a human and recharge that way. The news of Roll's existence, and her relationship with X was just starting to become household knowledge. The goons were disappointed, naturally. Zero swore up and down to himself that he saw one of them start to salivate at the first glimpse of Roll. Zero figured that if they made more female reploids, you wouldn't get situations like that, but there just wasn't that many for some odd reason.

Cain remained in contact with X and Zero as much as he could. He didn't ask questions, he wanted to save those for a more interpersonal, private and most importantly quiet discussion. It seemed as though Cain might be returning tomorrow. He seemed happy to finally be able to come back, and also tired. Zero made up his mind, as soon as Cain returns, he would talk to the doctor and see if he can't get him to slow down a bit. He didn't exactly look healthy. Zero thought with a quiet reverence that Cain would not be with them forever, and he wondered who would ever fill his place.

The Maverick Hunters' faces were like a rainbow of smiles and smirks. All of them were enjoying peacetime and not a single one lusted for another Maverick War. Although Zero was their leader, most of them looked up to X the most and always wondered why he wouldn't just relax once in a while and enjoy the peace he helped create. Now that he seemingly was, they all were happy for him and breathed a sigh of relief. All of the elite squad of Maverick Hunters were handpicked by Zero and he was proud of every one of them. Not a shred of jealousy was seen.

The other reploids' opinions were as diverse as one could imagine, ranging from insane blind hatred spawned from jealousy and a clear lack of self worth, to a total lack of interest. X received both letters of congratulations and death threats. The latter of which were taken care of by Zero. He couldn't help but think to himself, how very immature it was. Roll herself seemed to take no notice of the advances of any others, she didn't even seem to really talk to anybody but X. Not that Roll was unsociable, she was quite a pleasure to talk to, as Zero found out, she was just too into X to really have any concern towards anything else at the moment.

The humans were split on the issue, but not down the middle. Zero tried his best to remind everyone that it was none of their business, but X was a celebrity, and as a celebrity his love life seemed to be open by close examination by the media. One specifically infuriating report on a local news magazine show claimed that since both X and Roll were "fathered" by Dr. Light that their relationship was nothing short of incestuous. Of course most of the humans didn't feel that way. The religious nuts and the ignorant and their say about "abominations" and such, but these were the same crowds that held anti-reploid demonstrations and were virtually ignored by anyone with a shred of intelligence.

Most of the humans thought it was endearing, even spouting out such sickening, cutesy words as "cute" and "adorable" as if Roll and X were two puppies sleeping in a basket. Zero smirked at that, he didn't quite know how to react. He could react with contempt that they thought of reploids as little kids, or even worse animals, however a sickening positive reaction was better than a poor one. And of course there were always those who just didn't really care at all.

At 21 hours, X lay in his bed, above the covers. He was tired, and his energy reserves were down to 41%. He never imagined he could drain himself that much in one day without any form of combat. He and Roll had gone out all day, and he had shown her the downtown portion of the city. So many activities today, he had taken her shopping, even female REPLOIDS seemed to enjoy that one activity a little bit too much. They had gone to the theatre, they had gone to museums. He had held her on a bench as she wept by the crystal statue of Dr. Light. His day was so crammed, no wonder, he thought to himself, no wonder the humans are so tired after a day of leisure.

X was more tired than he had ever been after a battle with Sigma, but it was so worth it. The sparkle in Roll's eyes and her sweet smile as he showed her things that pleased her made him think he would take on a dozen Sigmas at once if only to see her smile. X was drifting off and barely heard the whisper of his door opening, it was Roll, she walked into the room, which was still brightly lit enough for him to see all of her features, and stood by the foot of X's bed, putting her knee on it. She had changed clothes again, into some of the newer ones they had purchased today. It was summer and Roll seemed to enjoy fashion, not making any distinction between "human fashion" and "reploid fashion." The clothes she wore now were human by any standards, a light, loosely fit white T-shirt and short pants. X was glad, he had not seen her long silky thighs since the suit she wore coming out of her pod.

X thought to himself in a haze, not fully aware yet, that it must not be Roll, the girl standing before him was a human. He didn't see her wings at all, folded up under the shirt most likely. No wonder she wore it loose. "X, you've made me so happy today....actually you've made me happy all week" She seemed serious, X thought. It was odd in a way for her to praise him in such a tone. She leaned forward a bit, her leg bunching up his sheets a bit. X's brain was full of nonsense, he wondered what it would be like to be sheets on a bed, and feel her lying on him, wrapping around him, clutching him close to her in the cold, and biting down on him when she had a frightening dream. X propped himself up on his elbows, if he was to talk to her he had better start making more sense then that.

"X, today was great....you look so tired." X nodded, he really was tired, but lying in the bed he felt relaxed already, he had discovered just the act of lying down helped him replenish a bit. Lying down wasn't as fast as sleeping, and even that wasn't as fast as regenerating, but he rarely pushed himself hard enough to use the chamber, which was in his closet, and he found a pleasure in sleeping that he had not known previously. Roll had gotten on the bed, she was crawling to him now. X openly accepted her embrace as she laid on top of him, resting her head on his chest. "X, you know I love you right?"

He had not, his heart humped and for a moment he was frightened that she had felt it. She had and she disregarded it. "Now I do" he spoke his first words to her in the bed. It had been a week, and they had exchanged many endearments together, but the strongest and most intimately powerful one had just been delivered. His thoughts were going slowly, it had been a minute since she spoke when she spoke again, she was asking him if he loved her. Silly question, he thought to himself. He had loved her since she took him in her arms and comforted her, telling him it was all right. He kissed her and said "Of course I do, I love you Roll."

She rested her head back down on his chest and relaxed, humming softly to herself. She had his hands on his sides and her legs comfortably against him. The feeling of her thighs shifting against his was intoxicating. "I'm so tired X," she said. "So am I," he replied, realizing that a week ago he might have thought the reply to be lame. He gently rubbed his hands up and down her back and through her hair softly and wondered if she was going to go back to her room soon. Better not to ask. His last few thoughts as he sailed off were strangely enough, of Dr. Light. The couple fell asleep together and didn't move at all during the night.