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Aoi all but drowned in her curiosity.
It was somewhat morbid considering the tragic circumstances of the Incident. She had been on the edge for so long but now, she held it in her hands: an artificial intelligence with free will.
“Aoi, I don’t think that's quite appropriate to ask or for you to know.” Aqua lamented.
Another roadblock.
It was always two steps forward and three steps back. Even when she held Aqua in the cup of her hands and her curiosity came from goodness. She wanted to know what happened so she could better understand it and engage intelligently with the grief that surrounded her since she first became entwined with the Hanoi Project.
Aqua’s response made her wonder, her brows furrowed and Aoi had another, sadder question.
“Is that all I am to you?” she asked. “An echo of her?”
Aqua’s expression wavered. She was sympathetic. Guilty. Her eyes glimmered. She couldn’t hide a thing, not when she could discern truth from lies. It would be unfair if she could lie to those who could not detect the truth like she could.
“I was born from Miyu’s suffering, from her hopes and dreams. We are partners but she is my Origin… I’ll always be connected to her, near or far, whether she knows it or not.”
“I understand.” Aoi accepted the explanation but sounded bittersweet.
Miyu was her childhood friend. Aqua was her partner. She didn’t know which way she was pulled, like the ocean tide to the moon, but she figured she was high and dry regardless of whether Aqua said it aloud or not.
Aoi was right in her assumption.