Corriander Week

It wasn't his decision to join this project. 

Professor Xander had better things to do than create a prototype of a mechanical weapon, a task that seemed to suffocate his passion for innovation. As someone who had graduated in robotic engineering, hoping to follow in his father's footsteps, it was too late for him to realize that creating weapons of mass destruction was one of his tasks. 

The golden hair man  had always dreamed of building machines that could heal, not harm. And how he hated facing the reality that he had a talent for it, that his mind seemed to effortlessly grasp the intricacies of destruction.

When these people approached him, dressed in suits that seemed to carry the weight of their importance, he declined at first. He had no interest in lending his expertise to the military-industrial complex. But eventually, he fell for it when they presented their project idea. 

It wasn’t because The complexity, the challenge, the sheer potential for innovation—it was all because of a strand of hair that founded in the deceased King of old civilization of a sunless kingdom.

There was something that drew him in, a strange fascination that took hold the moment he saw it standing before him. It was odd, really, since he wasn't a history buff like his younger brother, Leo. Yet, the memory of the day Leo had shared his findings lingered. His brother, a historian, had told him about the tomb of a king who shared his name, Xander. 

“They said he loved his wife above all else,” Leo had said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Even in death, he still kept her memory close. His corpse was found holding a strand of hair that was said to belong to her.”

According to Leo, it was a tragic love story, one of a king who had lost the love of his life during his reign. She had sacrificed herself to defend their kingdom, and though there weren't many surviving texts or evidence about the queen's identity, a short message had led historians to believe her name was Corrin.

The same name Xander had chosen for his creation.

“Professor.” a soft voice called out, breaking the silence. A young woman made of steel stood beside him, a simple band adorning her beautiful, long white hair. Her glasses, with red orbs for lenses, gazed at him gently as she held out a warm cup of tea in her hands, intended for him. 

She gave a cheerful smile, a gesture she had been programmed to mimic. “Thank you for your hard work, Professor.”

Xander's mind wandered back to the reason behind this project. The military had approached him with a proposal to create a robot powered by the DNA of a long-extinct creature, a dragon, said to possess the power to manipulate the elements. They wanted to use this power as a weapon, and Xander had been tasked with bringing their vision to life.

The robot's human-like design appearance they ask was crucial for its mission as a spy, allowing it to blend in seamlessly with its surroundings. As for the robot's design, Xander had made the choice to give her a feminine form, with long white hair inspired by the strand of hair the military had provided. 

But her face... her face was different. It was based on an image found on the tomb of the king, the same king whose story his brother had told him about. 

"Xander couldn't shake off the feeling that his encounter with the king's tomb was influencing his decisions in ways he couldn't fully understand. But what really piqued his interest was the question of how the DNA of a dragon could be found in a strand of hair.

He knew the royals had long claimed to be descendants of dragons, but modern technology had debunked that myth, proving they didn't have any dragon DNA in their blood. Most people considered it a ridiculous claim, a relic of ancient superstition.

Corrin, the robot, stood patiently, waiting for Xander to take the tea from her hands. Her red orbs sparkled with a warmth that seemed almost human, and for a moment, Xander wondered if he had made a mistake, creating something so lifelike, so full of emotion

"Thank you," he said, taking the cup from her. After a sip of the warm tea, he felt a soothing warmth spread through his body. 

Without a word, he returned to his work. The robot took a step to position herself near him watching the professor working on his magic at the coalition of steel in front of him. As the clock showed after midnight., she began to speak again.

"Professor, it's already late," she said. "I think you should rest, as Assistant Professor Laslow advised."

"I'll rest soon, but I need to finish this first," he replied, his gaze fixed on the mechanical components in front of him.

The robot fell silent for a moment before speaking up again. "I'm sorry, Professor, for saying this, but you always tell us to get some rest so we won't overuse our power. Shouldn't that apply to you as well?"

Xander chuckled softly, a hint of amusement in his voice. He set the cup down and rubbed his tired eyes, feeling the weight of the day's work, “'You're right, Corrin. I guess I'm just as guilty of not following my own advice.” 

Corrin's expression remained gentle, but her tone took on a slightly concerned note,  “Professor, you're not just tired. You've been pushing yourself too hard lately. Assistant Professor Laslow's concerns are valid. You need to take care of yourself.”

Xander smiled wryly, feeling a pang of guilt, “I know, Corrin. I just...I want to get this right. For everyone involved.”

She gently placed her hands on him, a gesture that felt incredibly intimate. He could feel the coldness of her metal skin against his, and his heart began to beat faster than he could explain. For a moment, Xander wondered if he had programmed this gesture himself or if his assistant had installed it as one of his pranks. But regardless of the reason, he couldn't deny the warmth it brought him.

"Please, Professor, I beg of you," she said softly. "You've done your best. You are not sleeping for at least almost forty eight hours. If you keep continue, you can endanger not only your self but also people. Let's get some rest."

As he gazed into her eyes, a fleeting image flashed before him. For an instant, he saw her transformed – wearing a black dress, her appearance completely different from the robotic form he was accustomed to. But those familiar red orbs remained, and the vision vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving him face-to-face with the robot standing before him.

"What in the world...?" he whispered, his mind reeling. It seemed his exhaustion was starting to take its toll.

“Professor?”

“Its… Nothing…” He told her. 

As he surrendered to her gentle guidance, she led him to his chamber. The soft rustle of her movements and the quiet hum of her mechanical body were the last things he noticed before she helped him lie down. As he settled in, he heard her begin to hum a soft, soothing melody. The gentle vibrations of her humming seemed to wash over him, calming his racing thoughts and lulling him into a deep sleep.

The last thing he remembered was the sound of her voice, whispering softly, "Sleep tight, Professor."

Irregardless of that, however, Xander would still attend to his duties and keep to his routine as usual.

... However, an unknown presence in his room made it seem like this day was not going to start as ordinarily as it was going to end.

"Who dares enter the Crown Prince's chambers unnanounced?" He asked with steel in his voice, reaching for the "decorative" sword placed atop his bedrest.

A small gasp and shuffling of cloth made its way to his ears, easening Xander's tension immediately.

"Big brother, it's me...!" Kamui whispered, just a tone over a mumble, but in the stillness of the room -- of the time, of the breaking of dawn -- he heard her voice clearly.

"Kamui...!" He didn't know if he should scold her or welcome her with open arms. "What are you doing here? If you are found out of your tower--" in the end, the scolding won, but only up until she shuffled her way to the corner of the bed.

She was completely bundled up underneath a cloak that was clearly too big for her -- it was one of his cloaks that had somehow made its way to her tower in one of his, well, let us say, visits.

Her cheeks, flushed from the cold, barely the only exposed part of her body, shimmered in the twilight. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't leave without permission, but... I wanted to be the first one to see you today." She bit her lower lip in a way that made him feel all twisted inside. He wanted to be the one to bite that lip, to suck it and to taste it--

"Huuu..." He breathed deeply, shooing away any impure thoughts. It did not help that it was morning and his, er, tent was completely up from the start. Seeing her act so adorably like that only stimulated him more, making it throb.

Hearing his troubled breathing, Kamui shuffed inside the cloak a bit more. She knew that it was risky, but she couldn't help it.

"I wanted to be the first one to wish you a happy birthday..." She looked up at him from below, an unconsious action that always disarmed him no matter how strict he had been with her previously.

(In truth, her simply pouting was already a critical hit to his heart anyway, but pouting and doing the puppy eyes was simply too much for him, who was weak to her; to her whims.)

Xander deflated, leaning on the headboard. He cocked his head towards her, smiling the way that only he could -- the way that made Kamui's legs tremble and her heart squeeze in her chest. "Come here," he opened his arms, inviting her in.

Eagerly did Kamui jump on the bed, throwing the cloak on the floor as she dove into Xander's arms -- the warmth of the replacement could never compare to the real thing, after all.

"Happy birthday, big brother -- Xander." She cleared her throat, correcting herself. During the day, she was so used to calling him big brother in front of their siblings that it sometimes slipped during their more intimate times.

Of course, she also knew that her calling him that during their... shared heat turned in on beyond measure, but that was for some other time. For now, she wanted to be the Kamui that loved him and was loved by him; the Kamui that would be with him in the future and walk alongside him.

She squeezed him in her embrace, then pulled away to sit on his lap with her legs on either side of his body so as to look him in the eyes. "Happy birthday..." she repeated, the intensity of his gaze making her bashfully look away. Still, she looked back into his deep, crimson eyes. "I love you, Xander. I'm so happy that you were born, and that we're here, together."

Xander's throat choked up for a moment, but he managed to gulp it down -- his adam's apple going up and down not going unnoticed by Kamui, who absolutely loved this positively masculine part of his body -- the warmth of her body permeating all the way to his heart.

Just moments ago he was coldly calculating the amount of time he would need to go through the day up until the little "surprise" party Elise would throw him, but now... now, his heart was filling up, slowly but surely, with joy; sprinkled in with a bit of will to live, even.

He wrapped both arms around Kamui's slender waist, digging his face into her shoulder.

The alluring scent she emanated; the softness of her skin coupled with the rigidity of her muscles; the wave of her hair and the sound of her heartbeat -- faster and faster the closer he approached -- all made him close his eyes, overwhelmed with emotion.

Just by having her in his arms, he already felt like he had everything.

He was just a man with a routine a few minutes ago.

Now, he was a man with a purpose, with a future; a man with a path and a companion to walk alongisde with.

"Thank you..." he croaked out, emotion pooling into his eyes, though never daring to trickle down. Her scent was just so overwhelming, so calming, so invigorating; so ravaging yet so down to earth.

Truly, he could ask nothing more than to be with her; in these moments before the dawn that would lead to the path towards their future together.