A/N: Sorry about not being able to update - this semester has been a wild ride!

Enjoy Chapter 3!


"I rolled a six! I should have won!"

"Jadeite, it was just a game-"

"You say that when your precious alcohol is on the line, and then we'll see, Nephrite!"

Mamoru groaned loudly as his friends bickered an aisle over, debating over who should have won the board game they were playing before. It had been a week since SRNT-3421 began living with him, and she had suggested that for the weekend, Mamoru invite his friends over for a little get together. Mamoru, unfortunately, had made the mistake of taking her advice, and was now paying the price for it as Jadeite and Nephrite fought in the cereal aisle, their voices augmenting and attracting more and more attention.

"Mamoru!" SRNT was now next to him, her expression excited as she held up two avocados. She still had her hair arranged in that ridiculous bun-hairstyle a week after Minako had introduced it to her, and Mamoru simply didn't have the heart to tell her how weird he found it - his friends, however, thought it was adorable.

"I found these two perfect avocados! They're not too ripe, but they're not too firm, either, so they're perfect for today's lunch."

She handed him the two fruits and he pressed gently on them, the slightly-soft texture confirming that, yes, they were perfect for use. He placed them in the cart and smiled at her. "Great job, SRNT. You seem to be getting good at this."

"I did have the best teacher." The droid beamed and then pointed towards the vegetables. "I'm going to go get some cabbage."

As Mamoru watched SRNT leave, his smile still in place, Zoisite walked over to him, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. "Flirting with the droid, I see?"

"What?" Mamoru blinked as his grin disappeared, his face flushing. "Zoisite, she's a droid- we created her, how did you-"

"Just remember to use protection." Zoisite winked, leaving Mamoru flustered and scowling.

Once a security guard had come over and asked that Nephrite and Jadeite keep it down lest they wanted to be kicked out, Kunzite threw a few chocolate chip cookie dough packages into the cart, a starry-eyed SRNT behind him. Mamoru frowned, but Kunzite simply shrugged.

"I'll pay for it."

Shoppers watched Nephrite and Jadeite as the group paid and exited the grocery store, and the two men avoided each other's gaze, angrily mumbling under their breaths. Meanwhile, behind Mamoru, the droid was trailing Kunzite like an ecstatic puppy, holding his hand and bouncing with each step she took.

"Thank you so much, Kunzite!" she repeated over and over with each bounce.

Kunzite chuckled, using his free hand to pat her on the back. "You're welcome. You're free to come over to my place and bake them any time if you'd like."

If it were possible, SRNT's eyes seemed to have widened even more, excitement pulsing through her. Jadeite seemed to flinch slightly, but Kunzite stood his ground, smiling at the droid.

Mamoru, however, frowned. Cookies was his and SRNT's thing - it was the first thing they did after her first day at Earth Biotech, and he thought it was a pretty memorable memory. Granted, they didn't make the cookies, they bought them, and sure, he wasn't a great cook but neither was SRNT. She was programmed to save the world, not make desserts.

'Wait,' he thought, shaking his head, 'I just said that baking desserts was something that a droid and I did. A droid! Chiba, what are you thinking?!'

Mamoru's irritated thoughts were cut off by a tug at his shirt, and he glanced down to see SRNT walking next to him, her arms wrapped around his while she continued talking to Kunzite. She leaned into him, not putting all of her weight on him but walking closer to him, and seemed to be doing it unconsciously.

All of Mamoru's irritated thoughts disappeared immediately, a warm feeling bubbling in his chest as he felt SRNT chatter on happily next to him.

Once the group reached Mamoru's apartment, preparations immediately began for the afternoon lunch. Zoisite was buzzing around the kitchen, smacking hands if anyone tried to help him, but complaining that he was doing all the work. SRNT offered at one point to help peel the bananas for the dessert, but Nephrite held her back, claiming it was a "lost cause".

"Says you!" Zoisite called from the kitchen. A loud clang then echoed throughout the apartment, followed by a "DAMN IT!".

"Please don't tell me he's cooking everything." Jadeite pleaded as he threw the tablecloth to Motoki. "I'd rather eat Nephrite's cooking."

Both Nephrite and Zoisite turned, offended by the comment. "Hey!"

Motoki laughed. "I think Zoisite's just making the salad."

SRNT tilted her head in confusion as she walked over to the table, plates in hand. "Then why is he. . ." she nodded to the frazzled man who was rushing around the kitchen, his ponytail swishing around as he moved.

"He likes to pretend he's in charge."

"Ah."

Mamoru walked into the kitchen and opened one of the grocery bags, taking out the avocados SRNT had picked. Zoisite glanced at him, eyebrow raised.

"Are you going to keep staring at those avocados, or are you ready for them to be peeled?"

The dark-haired man blinked for a moment and then shook his head before handing it to his friend. "Sorry."


The next day Mamoru woke up to the deafening beeps of his coffee machine. Panic flooded through him as his sleep-ridden demeanor separated reality from logic in his mind and he immediately threw his sheets aside, scrambling out of the bed. Pushing the door aside, he dashed out towards the living room.

"SRNT!" he called out, jumping on one leg as he pulled a sock up his other foot, "SRNT, there's a loud beeping-"

Mamoru turned to see the droid, completely dressed in her company attire and staring at him from the coffee machine, his thermos in one hand and the coffee pot in the other. She held them both up. "I was just making your coffee for today."

The genetic engineer stood there for a moment, the algorithm "SRNT + beeping + safe" adding together in his mind. He nodded quietly and ran a hand through his hair, turning around, feeling rather embarrassed by his half-ready appearance.

"Sorry."

As his bathroom sink faucet ran, Mamoru brushed his toothbrush rather slowly, not wanting to go out and face SRNT after that certain episode. The mint toothpaste slightly stung the inside of his mouth and he felt shame burning through his cheeks as his hand moved back and forth, wondering if it was possible for a droid to request a new owner.

No, no. He wasn't thinking clearly - SRNT liked him, she had said so herself when she first met Minako. One sudden, sleep-ridden reaction to an electronic coffee machine was completely normal.

Right?

"Mamoru!" SRNT's voice called out from over the running water, "Your coffee is ready!"

Mamoru spit out the last bit of toothpaste and rinsed out his mouth, quickly wiping it clean. Whatever SRNT thought of him was irrelevant because she was a droid. They were meant to think, but for strategic reasons, not for opinions of others. SRNT specifically was a war weapon, made for their victory over Tomoe and his Daimons, and Mamoru wasn't supposed to question it. He was a genetic engineer chosen to look after her and keep her maintenance up.

He was her caretaker. Nothing more, nothing less.

After changing into his work clothes, Mamoru walked into his living room and placed his bag on the kitchen counter. SRNT was leaning against the counter, holding his black notebook in her hands. She was flipping through it, scanning the contents of the page with ease, but her eyebrows were knitted together in confusion, wrinkling around the crescent moon on her forehead. "I don't get it."

Mamoru reached for his full thermos, popping the top open to take a sip of his coffee. "Mm?"

"Why do droids need a daily function check and humans don't?"
"Humans do have a daily function check," Mamoru lowered his untouched coffee, "We check ourselves when we go shower."

SRNT blinked.

"Humans go and clean themselves in the shower. It depends on when people want to shower - some people prefer to go after a long day, some prefer to start the day with one."

"Why?"

"Because…" Mamoru searched for an answer that wasn't completely associated with biological processes, "...we feel unclean afterwards. Microscopic particles of dust and pathogens can latch onto our skin, and although the integumentary system is capable of fighting off those pathogens, sometimes it can provide a sense of cleanliness and propriety."

SRNT's confused expression hadn't changed, but she nodded. "Why don't droids shower?"

Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "Droids don't need fluids or food to function. Your digestive system and immune systems far surpass those of humans, and can fight off almost any pathogen. You-"

"Yeah, but why?" SRNT interrupted and let out a huff and leaned forward, resting her head on the counter. "You let me have coffee yesterday. You know I didn't need it."

"You seemed curious, so I let you have some. It's not like eating food is going to destroy your system."

The droid's frown deepened, clearly unsatisfied with Mamoru's answer. She placed the black notebook on the counter and sighed. "Alright, let's start."

Mamoru nodded and opened the notebook to the current date. He unzipped his bag and reached in, rummaging through it for a pen. "Lift your arms, please."

SRNT did so without question and Mamoru pulled out a pen, scribbling down his notes.

"Curl your fingers and your wrists, then bend your elbows."

SRNT groaned. "Do I have to?"

Mamoru grinned. "If you want to ride the motorcycle, then yes."

SRNT and Mamoru were out the door within five minutes.


It was a slow day at Earth Biotech, but with Mamoru's friends, it was never too slow.

After he and SRNT parted their ways, Jadeite immediately showed up, greeting him with the news that someone had left their air condenser reflux on for too long, and now there was benzocaine on almost every inch of his lab's floor. On the bright side, though, "it's a white precipitate so it can be cleaned up easier - right?"

Mamoru didn't feel like explaining how cleaning up that precipitate would not be fun to Jadeite, so he shrugged and hoped that SRNT was having a better time in Sector 1 than he was in his lab.

And he was right.

"SRNT, it is time" was the first thing Minako announced when SRNT had stepped on the warp pad and reached the Sector 1 lounge. The short droid tilted her head in response, a bit nervous since she thought she was being tested over something. Ami, Makoto and Minako were sitting on the couch and Rei lounged comfortably on the red arm chair. Ami and Makoto were reading through the large book in Ami's lap, and Rei was filing her nails. A tray of muffins was laid out on the coffee table, filling the apartment with the smell of vanilla and banana. The leader of Sector 1 pulled SRNT off the warp pad and sat her down next to her, an enthusiastic smile on her face.
"It's time for you to get your human name!"

Relief flooded through SRNT as she leaned back into the sofa. "Alright!"

Rei grabbed a muffin from the tray and glanced at Ami expectantly from her position in the arm chair. "Ami? Any ideas?"

"Not necessarily," the blue senshi shook her head, not turning away from the book, "It is, after all, SRNT's choice in the end. We can help all we want, but the nickname is ultimately her decision."

Makoto looked up at the droid with a grin. "SRNT? What kind of name would you like?"

SRNT shrugged, looking down at her toes. "I don't know. Mamoru hasn't really told me much about senshi nicknames."

"Well I'll tell ya all about them, then!" Minako slung her arm around the droid, pulling her in, "Basically, the deal is that our names are too long - as gorgeous as VNUS-1101 is, 'Minako' just screams 'fantastic', y'know?" she waved her hand, "It's just better without all those annoying numbers."

SRNT's mouth twisted into a pout. "What do the numbers mean?"

Before Minako could reply, Ami's head shot up, beaming excitedly. "I'm glad you asked, SRNT!"

Minako groaned, letting go of SRNT's shoulders to frown at the blue senshi. "Ami, it's such a boring concept."

"You would think so, Minako," Rei said, raising an eyebrow, "You think that half the things here are boring."

"Well, they are! Pour exemple," Minako retorted, pointing at the red senshi, "Look at your uniform. Who gives a droid that shade of red with that purple? Clearly no smart person."

Before Rei could launch out of her chair to smother their leader, Makoto jumped up and held her down, patting her on the shoulder. "I-I'm sure Minako didn't mean that! Ami, tell SRNT what our numbers mean."

Ami nodded before facing the droid. "The last digit of our four-digit numbers refer to which sector we were placed in. All of our numbers end in 1, meaning we're Sector 1 senshi. The first digit designates the order in which we were made - Minako's number is 1101, meaning she was the first senshi of Sector 1 to be made. Rei's is 2601, so she was the second to be made. Mine is 3471 and Mako's is 4401, as we were a few of the last to be made. The middle two digits are completely randomized by statistics of which numbers would be in our favor."

SRNT thought for a moment before looking at the blue senshi. "Then why is my number 3421 if I was made last?"

Ami's smile turned into a frown as she tapped her finger against her chin. "I'm….not exactly sure."

"Weren't the plans for the Messiah Project released right after you were made, Ami?" Makoto asked, leaning over to grab a muffin, "I mean, I was made after you were and before SRNT, but the plans for SRNT's regeneration began a few months before mine. She was made after me, but the plans for her have been going on for a while."

"That's right," Rei nodded, "I remember Motoki saying that the new plan was going to be put into effect right before Mako was made."

"Well, that solved that question," Minako huffed, clearly not wanting to be on that subject. She turned to SRNT expectantly, holding her hands in hers. "SRNT, it's time to pick a name."

"I-I don't know what to pick!" she admitted, "Why can't you pick one for me?"

"Because it's your name! Now, c'mon!" Minako swiped the book from Ami's hands and put it in her own lap, pushing it towards SRNT. "This book has a bunch of names, you just need to pick one."

"But how will I-"

"You'll know, SRNT." Rei said, giving her a small grin. "Trust me, you'll know it's the right one"

Silence fell the Sector 1 lounge as SRNT flipped through the pages of the book, her attention completely focused on the endless lists of names that piled from page after page. Name after name entered SRNT's system as she read, but none of them seemed to fit, none of them felt like the proper piece, like a puzzle.

Why was it so hard?

"You can do it," Minako whispered, resting an arm around SRNT's shoulders, "We'll stay here all day if we have to!"

SRNT smiled gratefully and nodded, flipping through the pages at a faster pace.

'No…...no...no….no…..no…..ah-ha!'

SRNT pointed at the name and Minako leaned in, squinting slightly to read it. Ami tried to read which name SRNT was pointing to as well, but the senshi leader pushed the book aside, pulling the droid off the couch for a tight hug. "It's perfect! Perfect for you, precious SRNT- oops! I mean," she winked, patting the buns atop the droid's head, "Usagi."


As they headed towards the company garage, SRNT - 'Usagi', Mamoru had to constantly remind himself - rattled on about how the name process had taken so long, and how Makoto "officially declared" she was "the warp master".

"That's not how air quotes work," Mamoru remarked, "You're using them incorrectly."

Usagi pouted. "Well, then," she held up each of her index and middle fingers, "'I'm sorry'."

"Remind me to thank Minako for teaching you what air quotes are." Mamoru added, rolling his eyes as they reached his motorcycle. He grabbed his helmet and held it out to her. "Here."

Usagi reached for it but then frowned, taking a step back. "Why don't you wear a helmet?"

"Your genetics are unstable because your regeneration was rushed." Mamoru replied, gesturing to the helmet again. "You're not as strong as a normal droid, so in the meantime you should take safety precautions."

"So I'm weak?"

"No, no!" Mamoru sighed and placed the helmet on the front seat, "S- Usagi, you are strong, but just not as strong as a normal senshi droid. The senshi droids, like Ami and Minako, took a lot more time to create than you did. You were a higher priority, and so Setsuna wanted you to be finished as soon as possible. Your magic and abilities are still growing, but your health is still susceptible to other things."

"In short?"

Mamoru smiled wearily. "In short - you have to be careful."

Usagi looked at the helmet, unsure. "What about you? I'm stronger than you, why don't you wear it?"

Mamoru blinked. He hadn't expected that question. "I, uh, have years of experience riding this motorcycle."

"Anything could happen, though!" Usagi grabbed the helmet and - rather hardly - jammed it on his head, fastening the strap underneath his neck.

Mamoru stepped away from her, taken back as he fiddled with the strap in an attempt to take it off. "SR- Usagi-"

"Mamoru!" Usagi slapped his hand away from the strap, grabbing both his hands in hers. "Mamoru listen to me! Your safety is just as important as mine."

Mamoru didn't move but just stared at her. He wasn't used to hearing words like those, especially from a droid. He wanted to yank the helmet off his head and put it on hers, but expression made her seem really adamant about it, and he dropped the issue.

"Alright."

As they rode back to his apartment, Mamoru felt Usagi hold him tighter. He didn't say anything, though, and leaned slightly back towards her, enjoying the warmth.


"Kaorinite."

The call had echoed loudly through each hallway and each room, most likely to ensure that the intended recipient had heard it. Each and every member of the company did hear it, yet each being resumed working, undisturbed, as if the call was not made.

A tall, red-headed woman stood up from her seat immediately and exited her office as the command echoed through the halls and her earpiece. She closed her office door behind her and took a few steps forward into the dark, ill-lit lab, her eyelids closed as she bowed. "Yes, Professor?"

The bespectacled professor's back was facing her, his fume hood surrounded with multiple chemicals and beakers - yet he didn't take his eyes off of the one test tube in front of him, slowly lowering it into the beaker on the hot plate. The clear solution in the test tube started to turn a dark pink, some of the contents solidifying and forming a white precipitate at the bottom of the pink solution. He smiled at the result, lifting the test tube out of the beaker with the same slow, careful precision he had before, placing it in a test tube rack.

"Do you know why I called you here?"

Kaorinite didn't move from her bowed position, her eyelids opening just slightly in order to glance up and see the professor's back still facing her. The lab assistant had no idea as to why she was called into her boss' lab - whenever they discussed upcoming projects or important news about the opposing side, they talked about it in his office, not in his lab.

She took a shot in the dark. "Is it about Earth Biotech, sir?"

"Earth Biotech?" Dr. Tomoe let out a small laugh and picked up the same test tube, pouring the contents of it into a vacuum filtration device and turning on the vacuum. "No, no, Kaori, it's not about those children playing with chemistry sets."

Kaorinite was genuinely confused now and stood up straight. "Then, sir?"

The professor didn't respond for a few moments as the vacuum hummed, sucking the pink liquid out of the mixture. Kaorinite leaned in slightly in an attempt to see what was happening, but the professor's lab coat was too wide for her to see anything. Soon, the professor turned off the vacuum and picked up the funnel in which his result lay, turning to face his lab assistant.

"This is why I called you here, Kaori. Real science that should be appreciated."

Kaorinite glanced at the result of the experiment, her purple eyes widening in realization before she nodded, a smile on her face.

"I'll tell the genetics department to begin manipulation immediately."

Dr. Tomoe turned back to his fume hood. "Excellent."

In the funnel lay a small, white egg.