31_days | [March 1] [Ghost in the Shell] Bright Lights

Title: Bright Lights
Day/Theme: March 1: the heart knows the world's disguise
Series: Ghost in the Shell
Characters: Batou & Motoko
Rating: G

Bright lights.

He barely pays attention as they flash by, the sapphire background of city looming in the distance. He simply drives, mechanical eyes staring into the inky darkness of the horizon, the bright lights almost nonexistent around him. He wonders what the darkness is like, what a truly dark night would feel like, and all he can remember is the jungle.

When that thought crosses his mind, he realizes he doesn’t particularly enjoy darkness. Even his fake eyes can’t mask the truth, the dark around him, and it leaves him feeling anxious. But that doesn’t matter now.

He continues to drive, away from the lights, as far away as he can mange to get. It’s a long drive, and he feels tired. He wonders if Gabriel is waiting impatiently at home, whining at the door, and he feels the briefest inclination to turn around and go back. But he knows he’s going to have a much more impatient woman waiting for him if he does.

More time passes, and he finally finds himself at the brink of the horizon, and he sees the moon. It’s been a long time, and when he parks on the side of the road, he finds himself in a mixed state of anxiety and calm. It’s a curious feeling, but Batou doesn’t try to dwell on feelings. He climbs out of the car and shuts the door, and locks it. It’s pointless to do in the middle of nowhere, but it’s habit, and he smiles anyway.

He can hear water, and the faint sounds of birds. The trees hum with life, something inaudible but clearly felt. It’s a feeling he hasn’t sensed in some time, and he’s momentarily taken off guard.

He climbs up the path through the trees until he finds her. Her skin is remarkably white in the moonlight, her hair almost blue. He stands next to her, barely listening to her remark about him being late. It’s true that he is late, and the show has already begun, but he knows it doesn’t matter – they have time to watch.

The stars are streaking white along the sky, a brilliant display of nature, of reality. Bright lights glow on the black eternity, just like the light of the city, but it’s real.

He knows he can’t stay long, they will eventually return to that world of subjective reality, something that’s can be so false.

He wonders why Motoko would invite him to see such a thing, but as he stares up at the falling stars, he knows. The heart knows the world’s disguise, he knows one set of bright lights is truer than another, he knows that while his eyes are false, his vision isn’t. But he also knows Motoko cannot make the same distinction with herself, that she cannot determine if her soul truly exists, or if she’s simply another complex artificial intelligence.

Bright lights flash across the sky. He watches, and she does, and they remain silent.