I, Friend?

Another day, another opportunity for nothing extraordinary to happen to YAMI whatsoever. Not that he was complaining of course, just the opposite. It was better for him to blend in to the background, at least for now, so that nobody could see how his body looked just a little too perfect, like a doll. Or that his movements, even with practice over the past while, never seemed to move properly, always in a mechanical manner. There was that time with a magnet, but he had managed to play it off rather well he thought.

Pulling up the map on his display, YAMI found the quickest route on the way to his next class and began walking, avoiding the groups of people on his way. He had no need for friends, and yet every now and then he would feel a pang of loneliness, almost like a completely real emotion rather than the ones he had programmed into his 'mind'. It was a working theory of his that he, for some reason, was 'growing' unlike most other A.I.s, but that was an illogical thought, one that was pushed to the background most of the time.

It was hard to tell if today had gone as well as yesterday. Maybe it had maybe it hadn’t Honestly Spring didn’t know if yesterday could have been counted as a good day or not. In any case today she had been able to avoid talking to anyone so that was good. Most of her classes were good, as long as she sat in the back and made sure to activate her semblance whenever the teacher called for people to answer their questions. For now she was wondering the halls. She still wasn’t sure where everything was yet so she decided that whether or not she liked it she needed to know where everything was.

As she walked Spring kept her head down and shoulders in. Most people just ignored her or stared, but no one tired to talk to her. It was better that way and it wasn’t like anyone would want to talk to her anyway. Or even look at her for that matter. As she passed a student a sudden chill went down her spine. Unlike anyone else she had passed when she walked by this boy she hadn't gotten the same nervous feeling in her gut that she normally got when around people. In an instant she turned around and stared at the boy. She couldn’t place it, but something was off about him. Spring had spent far too long watching people to not see that he was… different.

As he quietly made his way through the school, a girl caught YAMI's eye. Not because she was amazingly different, although she did seem to have scarring across one side of her face and possibly elsewhere, but rather because she was staring at him. And while for most people it would have been uncomfortable at worst, for YAMI it could spell disaster if somebody figured out why he was different. And so, determining to see what she knew or thought about him, he walked towards her, trying to look non-threatening so as to not scare her away.

"Excuse me miss, was there something I could help you with?" One of the first things he had learnt at this school was that human interaction was full of niceties and distractions from what they really wanted to ask or say, and that they didn't really like it when this system wasn't followed. He sighed mentally, maybe this wouldn't be too tedious and he could have an interesting conversation.

Spring’s eye narrowed as she stared intently at this boy. A few people passed by her as she did, though all were on their way with haste when they saw the look on her face. When the boy turned to walk towards her another chill ran down her spine. Once again this was a situation where she should normally be very nervous and afraid, but for some reason she wasn’t. As the boy got close she scanned him up and down, trying to figure out what it was that made him different. When he spoke it seemed normal enough, but it also seemed that he was trying to enter this conversation as politely as he could. Spring on the other hand was not good with niceties, or even conversation for that matter.

You… you’re different….” Spring said in an almost half wispier, though it was quiet it still seemed to hold weight behind it. This somewhat worried the girl. Normally by now she would be running away and trying to find somewhere to hide. Hell she couldn’t say hello to anyone without having a breakdown in most cases, expect for this guy. No when he was close to her she didn’t feel any of the same inhibitions that she normally did. Why?

It was strange, the way this girl looked at him. It seemed like a strange mixture of confusion, apprehension, and possibly a hint of relief. And when she spoke, it was quiet and reserved, but her words were to the point. If YAMI had any blood it would have run cold as he realised that she saw him for what he was, even if she didn't fully realise that fact. He would need to be careful to make sure she didn't tell anyone what she knew, if she knew anything.

"I'm not sure what you mean, but I am no more different than you or any other student here. Unless you meant something specific, of course." Hopefully she would tell him what she was thinking and he could plan for that.

The simple fact that being this close to whoever this person was didn’t send a chill down her spine sent a chill down her spine. Why wasn’t she afraid to talk to him? He looked normal enough, sounded normal enough, smelled normal enough… but he wasn’t normal. Spring was both intrigued and highly worried. Possibilities flashed through her head, but none came up that seemed to fit.

Suddenly an explanation popped into her mind. It was the only one that made sense to her, even if it was based of the plot of an old science fiction movie. “You’re a robot!” Spring said with absolute confidence, “You were sent back I time to stop the other robot who plans to kill a young boy who will become the leader of a resistance faction and cause the downfall of the machine empire, thus liberating humanity from the reign of artificial intelligence!”