http://clampfix.fanworks.net/x-fix/beringsea.txt </head><body><pre>Title: Bering Sea Series: X Author: Tiamat's Child Rating: PG Genre: Drama Characters:Satsuki Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. I'll give her back when I'm done. Summary:Satsuki indulges in a brief moment of narcissism. Note: The legend really /does/ exist. It belongs to the Inuit and Satsuki is misremembering it a little bit, but it really is out there. There are a number of different versions, not all of which have the road, but the road is the image that fit Satsuki, so... Bering Sea Tiamat's Child Perfect. The girl in the mirror is utterly perfect. Her skin is pale to the point of being translucent, like a sheet of rice paper held up to the sun. There isn't a single mark on it, she has never had an acne outbreak in her life, and she doesn't freckle or tan. Even Beast's wires don't leave scars on her. Perfect, perfect skin. Her eyes are large and dark, their color indecipherable. They seem as if they ought to be warm, but they are not. They are frozen, their secrets locked away under the ice. These eyes are distant, as if they see something no human could ever hope to comprehend. They are perfect, in a remote, secret way. Her body is just right. She has slim hips and small breasts, just the way one as young as she should. Slender legs and arms add to the impression of delicacy. A false impression, of course, but a powerful one nonetheless. She does not care if others think her fragile, she revels in the perfect symmetry of her form. She has a fine, delicate face, partially framed by soft black hair. Her hair has been cut short in an almost boyish style that just barely passes her ears. Her nose just barely turns up at the end, in a manner that could be cute, but is somehow not. Her expression is serene, distant, and completely cool. Nothing touches her. She is a goddess, completely in control of her own realm, utterly uncaring about those who are foolish enough to think they can stand before her. And she is me. And I am perfect. I am the one who understands the machines. I am the one who is understood only by my computers. They are the only ones brave enough to ride the heat sapping currents of my mind. Even those who think they know me do not, for they have never entered my realm. Until Yuuto enters the computers he will not be loving me, he will only be loving the girl he thinks I am. There is a legend I heard once, an old tale from the far north. A man threw his daughter from his canoe, while they were far out to sea. I cannot remember the reason, but I know he did it all the same. The girl fell and fell, but found she was not drowning. She marveled at this, and was less afraid. At last she came to rest on a road as thin as a knife-blade that had been raised above the ocean floor. The sea creatures came and spoke to her. They told her that they had saved her to be their ruler. They said, "Follow the road to the palace, but do not stray to the left or to the right, for then you will fall, and we can not help you if that happens." So she walked. And though the road cut into her feet, and she feared that she would tumble to one side, she was joyous. She was free, and, better yet, she was wanted. She came to the palace with feet cut and bloodied from the road. But she came, and she was made the ruler of the sea. She still lives there, sometimes stirring the storms in her anger, sometimes calm and peaceful as can be. And I am her as much as I am myself. I fell into a world of data and logic streams, bright and sharp as shattered ice, and found my palace. The computers are *mine* and mine alone, and I am theirs. I have no time for lesser things. And yet, despite all my wishes to the contrary, I am still human. That is why I stand here, watching my reflection. I want to look at what I am that cannot be altered. I am a beautiful woman. In times past wars were fought over women like me, lovely, intelligent and skilled. Now, I am a soldier in a war, and I like it. I smile at my reflection. So beautiful, so very, very beautiful. Clear and cold as computer code, and as fathomless and dark as the Bering Sea. I am pure. I am perfect</pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>