A/N: I just couldn't resist when this idea popped into my head, fully formed. I'm in love with the NieR series. I was a shameless shipper of Kainé and Nier (still am, actually), and now Automata's out I've become even more shameless, and now ship 2B and 9S. Good lord they're beautiful together. It's not faaaaaaiiiiiiir.

As I said in the description, this contains MAJOR spoilers for endings A, B, C, D and E. If you haven't gotten that far into the story, DON'T READ THIS! GO BACK NOW!

As for those of you who have seen all endings, then I invite you to continue reading. See you at the bottom!

Disclaimer: Jeez, I WISH the NieR series was mine. Thank you, Cavia, CriWare, Squeenix and Platinum Games!

Cryptic Puzzle

Vague Hope

2B had always been the one to suffer in silence. It was something she, after years and years of war and killing, had become very skilled at.

The cycle stayed true. Every time, she would be partnered with the unit known as 9S. She would always try to remain aloof; cold, even. She would erect walls around her metal heart to stop him from working his way in.

But always, he would find a way through. He, with his human-like personality, his naïveté, the way he would do his best to watch out for her too, despite being only a Scanner model. The littlest things would begin to make her smile; his laughter, the way he saw the world.

The way he saw her.

And even though YoRHa androids were forbidden to bear emotions, she bore them in secret. In silence. By this point in time, it was the only way she could cope, could bear the weight of it all.

By the end, all she wanted was to be 2B. His 2B. To be allowed to show him who she was, who she desperately wanted to be. She didn't want to keep being 2E, didn't want to keep killing the one she cared for the most.

Even she had a breaking point. If pushed much further, she would become the unit she came across in the city ruins with 9S, the one who repeatedly wiped her own memories before going mad completely. And she could feel it. Every time she had to kill 9S, she felt something inside of her break apart, shatter into pieces that couldn't be picked up or put back together.

Killing her friends, killing…just killing. She couldn't take much more.

Could the people around her sense it? Sense her stress, her anguish, hidden just under her skin, the cool and composed front she always put out?

And 9S was smart. Much smarter than the average Scanner model, and too curious for his own good. She knew, with every fibre of her physical body, that he would one day figure it out.

And she would have to kill him once more.

Was this the reason why the Commander was constantly keeping her busy, putting her on missions down on the surface, so that she could distract herself with wiping out the enemy?

No thinking, no worrying. Just fighting.

Fighting…with 9S by her side.

E…for Execution.

"Never forget your mission."

My mission…I…

Memories flooded her mind.

9S…I want…I mean…

Overwhelming rage flowed through her system as she gripped her sword.

At first, when she stepped into the elevator for the Copied City, she didn't know what to expect and she didn't much care. All she did care about was finding 9S and bringing him home. As she ran through the bone-white streets, ignoring the corpses that were strewn about everywhere she looked, one thing kept her going.

9S…I'll find you. I promise. I promise.

And now, the machine Adam was in her way.

"Welcome…to my beloved city." The white cubes floated benignly around him as he bowed mockingly in her direction.

"I – or we machine lifeforms, I suppose – have a keen interest in humanity."

2B ran towards him, but he teleported to the other side of the clearing in a whirl of light, all the while continuing to talk.

"Love. Family. Religion. War. The more human records I unearth, the more charmed I am by their complexity. This city is one of many areas I created out of a desire to know – to understand – humans. It's grand, don't you think? Almost…spiritual." He grinned. "And yet it's currently no more than an android graveyard!"

2B fought not to react to his spiel, but he suddenly darted towards her and began to attack. "I seek to learn and adopt all facets of humanity! Some desired love! Others family!"

2B darted backwards and to the side, successfully evading the cubes he manipulated. Just shut up and let me get to you…!

"Only then did I realise the truth…" he continued, never stopping his speech even when dodging or teleporting away. "The core of humanity…is conflict. They fight. Steal. Kill. THIS is humanity in its purest form!" He lashed out as she darted closer, sweeping a kick in her direction, but she dodged before he could land a hit, and she landed her own. He staggered back slightly, and a dome of energy surrounded him.

2B gritted her teeth, glaring daggers at the machine from underneath her military visor. "You know nothing about humanity," she replied as she stepped backwards and used her Pod to fire at him.

Adam laughed, the energy dissipating. "Have I offended you, little android? Did I speak ill of your beloved humans?"

Yes. But she would never say that aloud.

"The truth can be so painful. I strive to obtain nothing less that the essence of humanity itself. We machines exist in a connected network. We are immortal. Invincible."

2B scoffed inwardly. Invincible? Yeah, right.

"And yet, within all those infinite bits of data, there exists not even the merest flicker of being. Of life. Death…even the concept of death…has no meaning to us."

And then, in the middle of the fight, he dropped all pretences and said something that momentarily shocked her.

"Thus, I decided… that I shall risk my life in battle." White cubes floated around him as he stood before her, calm and collected. He lifted his hands, swaying them as the cubes followed his movements – and then dropped to the ground. 2B, having been ready for another attack, lowered her weapon, eyes wide. "I have severed my connection to the network. Now…let us embrace death!"

2B parried his attacks, landing some of her own in a whirl of light and blade. After a time, she darted backwards, away from Adam. "I don't have time for you. I need…to find 9S!"

Her driving force. Her reason to fight. 9S…I know you're here somewhere…

"Ah, 9S…" Adam began to chuckle at her words. That chuckle escalated into pure, mocking laughter, and 2B narrowed her eyes. Taking advantage of his distraction, she launched herself forward, striking a whirling left kick into his chest. He staggered back, hand and knee hitting the floor as he tried to stay upright. Balancing on that one knee, he straightened his back, closing his eyes and smiling. "Oh…I do enjoy this…"

He extended his arms – and began to float, higher and higher until 2B had to crane her neck and lift her chin to keep him in her sight. A section of wall caved outwards, revealing a male YoRHa unit staked inside in what looked horribly like an attempt at crucifixion. And he looked very much like…

Recognition hit her like a bag of bricks. She staggered forward, emotion whirling within her. "9S!"

Crystallised silicon carbide stakes jutted out from his open wrists, his knees, legs and feet; a few randomly placed through his body. His blood stained his clothing, his head bowed down, and even from below she could hear his ragged, shallow breaths.

Reaching forward, Adam grasped his chin. "I prepared this just for you!" he cried, loud enough for her to hear him. He swivelled 9S's head to face him. "I mean, after all…we all need something to fight for, don't we?"

The sight of 9S in danger, in pain…and Adam got a kick out of it all. 2B all but quaked with rage as she heard 9S's groans of agony. "You son of a – I'll kill you!" She bent double, the sheer power of her anger forcing growls from her throat she didn't know herself capable of.

Adam turned at lighting speed, abandoning 9S and focusing on 2B below him. "Yes!" he sneered, his face contorting into something different, something ugly. "That's it! That's the feeling…pure hate!"

As his piercing laughter echoed in her ears, she ground her teeth, her jaw locking as she fought to control herself. But all she saw was red. And in her vision, his figure was a deep, pure crimson as he dropped to the ground, landing with a thud. "Come, 2B!" he cried, flinging his arms wide.

She ran toward him, releasing a jagged cry as she laid into him with her blades, slipping smoothly from one weapon to the other despite her hate. Her Pod rained heavy fire down upon him as she ducked and wove her way around, over and below his strikes, her anger a powerful weapon.

As he manipulated powerful pillars of light her way in a desperate attempt to push her back, 2B dove underneath and used all her strength to plunge her pristine white blade deep into his stomach, twisting it as he cried out. He reached for her, caressing the back of her head, embracing her figure. "Is this…death…?" She gritted her teeth and forced the weapon out through his side. He moaned and collapsed at her feet, his blood soaking her and the ground below.

"So dark…so col…d…"

Once she was sure he was dead, she raced forward towards her fallen comrade, who had fallen from the wall to the floor below. "9S…" She stroked his cheek, carefully turning his head so he could see her as she pulled him into her arms.

"2B…" he croaked, his voice ragged.

"Come on. Let's go home," she whispered. A smile crossed his face, and he nodded. 2B couldn't help but smile back at him as she gently lifted him off of the silicon carbide floor, her arms effortlessly supporting his weight as the wall blocking their way crumbled to nothingness.

Did she love him then?...

…

"Please, 2B…I need you…to do this…for me…"

The corruption, the virus, was forcing its way through his system, crawling up his physical body. His eyes glowed red, but part of him still remained, the sane part, the part she loved.

And he was asking her to kill him.

The abandoned factory, the copied city…didn't hurt nearly as much as this.

With both their military visors off, 2B could see the pain in his eyes. He didn't want this either. He didn't want to say goodbye. For him, this was only the first time he was experiencing death at her hands.

For her, it was pointless to count.

She gritted her teeth. She knelt down on top of him, straddling him, as her hands first caressed his cheeks, then wound their way around his throat, almost of their own volition – and squeezed.

Don't let him see your tears. Don't let him see how much this hurts you.

From her peripheral vision, she saw his hand reach up for her face. His eyes, as the life left them, were full of adoration, and, dare she think it, love. Whether it was familial or something more, she didn't want to know. Didn't want to think about it.

His hand hit the ground. His eyes were blank as they fluttered closed. His beautiful blue eyes.

2B hugged his still-warm body close to her, and wept. She wept for him, for all the people who had died around her, and for herself. She sobbed, her voice sounding broken even to her own ears. "It always…ends like this…"

I never want to see another pair of eyes again.

Her tears hit his face.

She didn't know she could cry.

The tears stung her eyes and throat. Her chest convulsed with the strength of her sobs. She briefly wondered if her sobs could be heard throughout the city ruins, and promptly decided that in this moment, she didn't care. She didn't give a good goddamn about anything else. All she could feel was anguish.

She had lost him. The 9S that had existed in this moment was gone forever.

And it was the machines' fault. No, it was this goddamn war…that had raged for far too long.

Beeping sounds forced her to look up. Across from her was a machine's head, its eyes glowing green. On and off and on again. "There's still…some alive…?"

She snapped.

Forcing her tired and broken body upright, she grabbed what was left of her broken white sword. She staggered towards the hateful machine head that was obnoxious enough to stay alive while 9S was dead.

"Goddamn…machines!" she screamed, raising her sword high.

Just before she brought her sword down and through the machine head, other heads all around her began doing the same thing. Eyes glowing green. Off and on and off again. Almost like…

"Is this…a message?" 2B asked to no-one. "The data transmissions…they're resonating with each other…"

And it wasn't just in the crater. As she looked around, she could see green sparks of life above her, around her, wherever she looked. Despite herself, she began to hope. Could this be…?

No. He can't have…he's…

A sound behind her had her whirling around to find its source, only to see it was a goliath-class machine freeing itself from a pile of scrap.

No! I won't let you…!

She raised her weapon once more –

"Wait a second! 2B!"

She knew that voice...

"Who are…?" But she knew. She knew even before he said anything else. She knew that voice. It was him.

9S had survived after all.

And as he babbled about documenting the experience of being in so many minds on the machine network, and multiplexing the data for when he eventually returned to his own body, 2B just smiled.

"9S…I'm glad you're alright."

Don't you dare scare me like that again.

Relief had washed the madness away, and all that was left was overwhelming emotion. Her heart beat at a steady rhythm once more, ready to overflow with warmth.

All for him. For his sake.

She never wanted to leave his side again.

A/N: Aaaand, done! Next chapter will have something from 9S's POV, so watch this space for more! I am quite hopeful that all the hype for Automata will generate a little more love for Nier, as well. Because that game is also quite beautiful. And soul-crushing. And heart-wrenching. And mind-fucking. Yeah, I could go on and on with these two games.

Until next time!