The Lady in Blue

It was quite the normal day in Station Square, about the same as a couple of months ago when Cortana had kidnapped Julie, Rez, SX6, and a few others for interrogation by Dr. Kasshoku Inari. Where, afterward, Julie's expression as she left was burned into Cortana's memory, filling her with constant guilt.

For a while now, Cortana had tried to track down a good time to confront Julie not to kidnap her but to apologize and make up for what she had done. Cortana had ended up finding Julie at Sonic Cafe, where, despite the rocky start, they ended up making amends, possibly even friends.

However, during the conversation, Cortana had realized that she no longer felt right working for Kasshoku, and stated that she would quit being his assistant.
While her heart was set on this goal, it was very much easier said than done.

Kasshoku wasn't the most mild-mannered type of person and is prone to taking drastic action in a stressful situation. If he refused to let her leave, at best she would just be reprimanded, but at worst...

She could be deactivated for good.

Despite what might happen, however, nothing was going to get done doing nothing. After an hour-long arcade gaming session to calm her nerves, Cortana makes her way to Dr. Inari's laboratory.

Cortana arrives at the laboratory, inputting the password onto the keypad as she always had before, the door sliding open afterward. Walking down the stairs and through the main corridor, Cortana was starting to consider not going through with this plan.

She could be killed, or reprogrammed, or perhaps even be locked in the lab for good. Dr. Inari was cruel to many people, there was no reason that she would be an exception.

Maybe she could just run away? No, she would be deactivated for sure, and not going through with it would hurt more than any punishment.
Any further thoughts she might've had were interrupted by the door at the end of the hall.
On the door, there was a sign labeled:

     DR. INARI KASSHOKU
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

The "Authorized Personnel" pretty much only consisted of the Inari family, Cortana, certain authority figures, and ironically, his rival; Slash Kopis.
If things go well, that list would be one person shorter.

Entering in a second code, Cortana walked in to find Kasshoku on his work desk, likely writing testing logs as usual. Whatever it was, Kasshoku stopped what he was doing to turn around towards the door.

["Ah, Cortana, welcome back, I trust your outing went well?"] Kasshoku spoke, talking in his native tongue.

Cortana had not told Kasshoku about her mission with Julie, as he would have found it unnecessary, and likely would have not permitted it.

["It did go well, Inari-san."] Cortana replied, also speaking Japanese, as they would usually do when it was only the two of them.

["I'm glad to hear it. When you are ready, there are some reports that need sending to the higher-ups-"]

Cortana decided to interrupt, she wanted this over with.

["Pardon the interruption, but there is something urgent I must ask of you."]

["Oh? What would that be?"]

Cortana takes a deep breath and tries to look her creator in the eyes.

["For a while now, I have been working for you on these espionage missions. It didn't matter who's data needed analyzing, or what project needed canceling, I did it for you without question."]
["But recently, on the mission to gather data on Slash Experiment 6, you gave me the order to kidnap innocent bystanders conversing with the robot. In doing so, I ended up traumatizing a young woman by the name of Julie Winchester."]
["This filled me with guilt, which gave me doubts to if you were a good person or not, Inari-san."]

Cortana paused, Kasshoku only responding with a stern look.

["Because of that, I did some thinking, and I came to a decision; I wish to quit my job as your assistant."] ["While I can't say for certain whether I see you as good or not, I feel that this is the right thing to do."]

Kasshoku, shockingly, was not shocked by this news, in fact, it looked like he was expecting it, as he gained a sad look on his face.

["I see. Cortana, you do realize, that as my creation, that this would count as going rouge?"]

["I am aware."]

["Very well then."]

Kasshoku turns back around and types away on his keyboard, and after a few moments turns back around.

["From this moment on, your status is now officially 'rouge'."]

Cortana was surprised, she was not expecting this to go so smoothly.

["I-Inari-san, are you truly letting me go? With no objections?"]

["I am, I figured it was only a matter of time until my own daughter decided to leave home."]

Daughter? Cortana was now even more confused.

["Your daughter? But how can that be? I thought I was merely your creation?"]

Kasshoku looked away, towards some of the other robots he had created as he explained.

["Many years ago, my daughter had died in an attempt to save her by uploading her mind into a hard-light simulacrum."] ["Since then, I attempted to bring her back to me by programming an A.I. to be just how I imagined her."] ["That data became corrupt, and became you."]

Cortana was having trouble processing this, but as she thought about it, it made sense.
She was not the only A.I. that Kasshoku had given sentience, but out of all of them, he always treated her like she was a co-worker, and not a robot, and barely ever acted cruelly to her, unlike other people.
And of course, most obviously, she was the most lifelike compared to the others of her kind, but she had always deduced that this was because she was a prototype.

["What was the child's name?"]

["Cortana Inari."]

After taking a moment to think, Cortana asked another question.

["If I was to be your daughter's copy, then why did you treat me as if I were an employee?"]

["I did so to prevent complications, people would ask questions if I said my creation was my daughter. A selfish reason, for sure, but that is my reason."]

Cortana looked down, she understood now.
With no more questions, she gave a bow to her creator.

["I see. I have no more questions, and I will be on my way."]
She says as she turns around, about to leave.

["Hold it, I never said you were free to go. That is how I know you are my daughter, always so quick to leave."]

With that, Cortana turns back around, what more was there to be done?

["What is it, Inari-san?"]

["Bring me your Core Disk, I have something to give you."]

Cortana intrigued, walked over to Kasshoku and took the Core Disk off her back, presenting it to Kasshoku.
Without a word, Kasshoku takes the disk and places it in his computer, typing away on it until Cortana's fur glowed vibrantly. He gave it back soon after.

["What have you given me?"]

["I have given you your original coding, as well as form data that I had left out."]
["With that code, you can now make adjustments to yourself that you couldn't before, such as your power over electricity."]

Cortana was once again shocked, with this, she was truly her own person, no longer a servant to Kasshoku.

["I... I don't know what to say, I-"]
Cortana, for the first time in her life, started crying, even though there were no tears, the emotions finally caught up with her.

Kasshoku merely only stood, and placed an arm on her shoulder, choosing not to say any more until she was done.
After a while, Cortana suddenly hugged Kasshoku and made her first change.

["Thank you, father."]

["You are welcome, Cortana."]

Soon after that exchange, Cortana had left the laboratory for what would be the final time, more lively than when she came in.
Before she walked away, she shifted into her new form; the form of a fox, bearing many similarities to her father.

This was her original form.