Turn Me On:
Summary: What defines us as humans? Unit L-13 wakes up to find that she's become something more than a robot, but also something that would never be recognized as a living being. Belaliech w/ cyborg Liechtenstein
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Only a year later, and she still was learning. Now, the emotions part she had down, however, she was still a little clumsy with the whole not being a know it all.
Erika Vogal worked in a shop with her brother, Vash, now an independent business doing work on cyborgs needing repairs, and those with robotic limbs knew he was one of the best in terms of how human and robotic parts worked together. She worked best on the humans, since they were always more talkative, and lively. Their human lives were so amazing…so much enjoyment in such simplicity. She was with a client's child, reading her a fairy tale from a book, since it was unwise to recite from memory all of the time.
She sighed as she finished the story of The Swan Princess, identifying with Odette, helpless to change herself from what she was trapped as- a cyborg with thoughts.
She looked to the ending once more, and saw that a declaration of true love would have saved the Princess, but since her true love had pledged himself to the wrong woman, Odette died. Later, the prince died with her, but that wasn't what she wanted… what she wanted, was for the curse to be lifted, which the little girl agreed with and voiced the opinion loudly.
"Remind me not to read you the Little Mermaid." She smiled congenially, before the very much rich mother came out, calling for the girl to come along, they had to get going.
Erika smiled at Vash, who nodded, giving her a list of parts to go to the market and get for him. She nodded, and grabbed her small purse, attaching it to her hip and sticking the list inside. "Goodbye, Bruder." She said, in the German she knew he liked her to use.
She left, whistling softly as she enjoyed the beauty of the world in early twilight, the sky starting to burn as the day came to an end.
On her way to the market, she failed to notice a pair of curious eyes watching her, the person who owned them following her.
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At the market, she asked around and got what she needed, buying a pie along with the pieces to surprise her brother. But, while she was paying for the pieces, she saw perhaps the most beautiful human being she had ever seen.
Her face softened, and she went toward the woman, before a hand grabbed her from behind, and she gasped, but the man's hand covered her mouth as she was pulled out of the women's line of sight.
"Shhh!" He shushed loudly, before she was staring into red eyes. "Erika…do you know who I am?" Erika stared, frightened by this pale man, who sighed. "Ugh, just what I thought…what we thought, actually…they're using those who dig too deep…"
"What are you talking about, sir...? I don't know you…?" She mumbled, worried and a little scared.
"Not anymore you don't." He corrected. "You and I were living together, in the alps, when I went missing, and after you found me, they took you, and…and it's a long story, but I finally found you again, Erika!" He smiled, laughing.
"What…?" She asked, frightened by what very well sounded like a conspiracy theory.
"Ugh…" He sighed. "Where's Vash, since I'm assuming you're living with him…?" He asked, vaguely annoyed.
"Y-You know my Bruder…?" She asked, suddenly confused.
"Uh, yeah. You guys are my cousins…" He said, before he backed up. "I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt. Your older, awesome cousin!" He grinned. "Can you take me back to Vash…?"
She nodded, now a little calmer after this man had revealed he was a total dork. "Alright…but…why were you looking for me?" She asked, softly.
"Because, Erika." He murmured, red eyes narrow. "I was the one who called to tell him you had died."
Her eyes widened, and she felt fear settle into her heart. Erika screamed. "Help! I don't know this man! He's taking me somewhere!"
"Aw, shit, Erika," He said, but ran off as the woman from before looked alarmed, and ran over to them, taking out a knife when she saw Gilbert holding Erika.
Once Gilbert had let her go, and run off, she was breathing hard, and didn't notice the woman with the black bow on her head looking her over as though she was unreal, like she was something out of a vision. Her white-gloved hand gently reached out to her face, before her eyes focused on her hand, and they widened slightly, before her face went blank again.
Erika looked up at her blank but elegant face, blushing. "Thank you…" She said, a gentle smile on her face, making the woman blush as well. "I'm Erika…" She said, and the woman nodded.
"Natalia…" She introduced with her eyes averted from Erika's.
"Thank you then, Natalia." She mumbled, dusting herself off and ensuring she still had her bags. "Would you mind walking me back to my brother's workshop? I don't want that man to come back."
"Of course not." She said, but something looked wrong, something about the woman was off.
"Are you alright, miss?" Erika asked softly, her face creasing into a slight frown.
Natalia looked back down at her face, icy blue eyes catching warm green ones, if only for a moment. "I will be, miss." She said, firmly. "Where does your brother work?"
Erika smiled gladly, before she started chatting about her wonderful brother's workshop and how he worked on robots and the like after he broke off from the main companies. Natalia seemed to be paying attention, but perhaps she wasn't listening to Erika's words as much as the blonde cyborg thought she was.
"I have a robotic arm that needs assistance…" Natalia murmured, and Erika smiled, bright.
"Well, he should be able to fix that no problem!" She said, before she was cut off.
"Would you look at it?" She asked, voice soft.
"Ah-ah, well, I do have an elementary knowledge of robotics…" Erika said, nervous. In truth, it was far more than elementary, but Vash didn't want her to work on other robots for fear of being discovered.
Natalia's eyes narrowed. "I would like you, if that was alright. I do not like men much, outside my family."
She nodded, biting her lip. "I will do my best, miss…" She said, before Natalia spoke up.
"Please…Erika. You may call me Natalia, or Natasha. Natasha is preferred, though."
"Ah…" She nodded, agreeing quietly.
Once they got back to her brother's workshop, she noted that Vash wasn't in. "Hmm…he's not here right now." She mumbled, confused. "Well, that's alright! I'll just work on you, then."
Natalia nodded, "Thank you, Erika." She said, before she sat down in the chair Erika instructed, pulling up her sleeve and revealing the older model for a robotic arm.
The honey blonde girl with the big heart made of metal worked delicately on the icy blonde woman before her. Once she had finished, she smiled. "There was just a blockage in some of the internal wiring. A lot like a blood clot, you could say." She smiled, and Natalia put her sleeve over the robotic arm once more.
"I'd say that knowledge is a little more than elementary." Natalia murmured, eyes distant, she closed them, and stood up. "But I will be off. Thank you very much, Erika. I hope to see you again soon."
The cyborg disguised as a human nodded, smiling, and as Natalia left, Erika noticed something on her left hand's ring finger- a beautiful ring, silver with blue sapphires and diamonds on it.
Her heart sank. The woman she was smitten with was engaged.
She sighed, going back to sorting things for Vash.
….
Dammit.
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Later that day, she had to go out to get the things for dinner, but was worried that Vash had not yet returned.
On her way, it was none other than Gilbert who dragged her into an alleyway.
She gasped, before he covered her mouth, sighing. "Look, Erika, I didn't do a good job explaining earlier, but I wanted you to know, yes, I know you're a cyborg, but I'm your ally." He smiled, and she looked even more confused, pushing his hand off her mouth.
"What do you mean?" She asked, worried.
"Where's Vash?" He asked, red eyes looking straight into hers.
"Uh, I, um..." She mumbled. "I don't know. I left earlier to go to the market, and when I got home, he was gone."
"Shit…" He muttered. "Look, Erika, you have to stay hidden, okay?" He said, before his head tilted, his red eyes narrowing suspicious, and he suddenly threw the two of them to the side, grunting in pain as they hit the ground as the air around them burned in an explosion.
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A/N: Do you guys know that feel when you simply want to do a cute human/robot love story but suddenly it becomes a huge multiverse that you want to write desperately?
Well I do. This story itself will only have 3 chapters, this being the second, but there will be sequels galore. Enjoy!