"How long do you intend on hugging me?" A2 asked finally breaking the silence
"Oh, right… my bad" X1 breaking the embrace
X1 forgotten he was hugging A2. After breaking the embrace, he turned to the side trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Hmph right…" A2 remarked
"Well then I see someone is back to her old self," he answered back
Looking over the carnage they had done, he made his way to the lower half of the flight unit and leaned down. Looking over the damages he continued tinkered with the remaining parts. While A2 stood in the distance studying him.
"Proposal: X1 should return to the village. Asking Starlight for another unit may be more effective than fixing this one"
"Yeah, but I got it destroyed, there has to be a way to fix it"
"Here are the schematics to the unit." Pod 077 flashed a blueprint
"Well shit that is more complicated than a car. Well, we might as well salvage it for parts then."
"No shit flight units are one of the most expensive pieces of armor YoRHa has" A2 added
"Gee, thanks for the confidence booster" X1 sarcastically replied
Going back into the unit he started grabbing parts. Moving from one piece to another he left A2 to observe. Watching as X1 messes with the flight unit A2 could not feel, but want to study him. The human side of him was what most androids would want to know. Soon a beep was heard as Pod 129's alarm went off.
"What the fuck. What is going on Pod"?
"Alert: incoming transmission from Starlight would X1 like to answer it" spoke Pod 129
"Yes put her on" X1 replied, making a screen appear in front of him
"X1, how are you doing?" Starlight asked
"I'm fine, how is everything over there"
"Everything is peaceful once again. How about you, did you make it to your destination?"
"Uh… No, I didn't make it. I was attacked by a large swarm of machines. Having made it to the ocean I had to turn back to land before I was shot out of the sky."
"Oh no, that's not good news. Do you need help or anything"?
"No, I'm good no need to worry about it"
"Wait, who is that behind you," Starlight asked, spotting white hair flowing from behind
"Oh, right her name is A2 I just met her" X1 answered
"Unit number 2? Are you alright, she didn't try to kill you or anything?"
"Heh… yeah… let's just say we had a nice dance"
"I kicked his ass nothing to say more" A2 remarked
"Hmm, X1 may I speak to her?" Starlight asked
"Sure, I'm just going to look over this" moving back to the remains.
"A2, are you after X1?" Starlight asked
"Hmph, I was after his ass for his smart ass remarks, but finding out he's a human shocked me"
"I see… it indeed shocked everyone here. But we now know that he's the only human alive. A2 I want to have a truce with you fighting each other will not solve anything. With that said, I'm sure he's coming back to my village you are welcome here. As long as you do not attack anyone here"
"What makes you think I'm going to follow him?" A2 answered
"I have my ways of knowing. If you were not interested in him you would have possibly left after the fight"
"…" A2 could not find a counter to her
"Warning: X1 should be careful with the wires in the flight unit. They still are bustling with energy touching one may have consequences." Pod 077 warned him
"I'll be fine no need to worry. This is no different from a vehicle I just have to make sure not to get near it.
Soon in the background X1 stumbled upon a power cell that had remaining energy. He accidentally touched a wire that remained hot with power. The wire zapped him, causing him to flop over onto the ground with his pod trying to bring him back to his feet.
"OH MY!" Starlight yelled
"What a dumbass. He should have listened to his pod"
"X1 are you ok" Pod 077 asked
"Well then… I think if I was still human that would have killed me" X1 holding up a power core
"Why the hell did you pull that out for?" A2 asked.
"Well, for now, I'm going to make it as a power generator. Its going to be a long trip back to her village might as well have something useful from this before moving on"
"What makes you think I'm joining you my goal is to destroy all the machines"
"Well then you can go if you want I am heading back, I got a place to be at"
"Well anyways X1 if you would like we can come pick you up it would probably be faster that way"
"No need I want a nice walk anyway need to clear my head of things"
"Ok, we'll wait for you for your arrival" Starlight finished as the hologram dissipates
Finishing packing the parts salvaged from the flight unit. X1 interacted with his pods and began checking the map for the fastest route to the village. A2 sat on a stone pillar that had fallen over wondering if she should follow him. Looking over she spotted as he finished with his plans he gave both pods a shake before looking up towards her.
"You coming or what A2" X1 asked.
"Might as well, I'm sure you will pester me to follow if I don't say yes"
"Huh, I was going to leave even if you don't want to come. I have to find out what I am. It's already bugging me that I have to deal with the fact I'm tasked with restoring humanity."
"How are you going to bring back the humans"?
"I don't know all I know is I have a place to check out if it still exist. But finding out what the hell happened to me. That takes priority first before anything".
Walking off towards his destination A2 finally deciding on her answer, followed behind. Catching up to him she walked beside as they both head into the unknown. Hours pass with the two traveling together. X1 had trailed behind A2 focusing on the core he wondered how it created. Looking up from the core he could not help but get an eyeful of A2's damages. X1 focusing his attention on all the exposed metal. He questioned if the lack of artificial flesh missing is causing her any pain.
"Question: Is X1 concern with A2 state of being?" Pod 077 asked
"Yes, but don't tell her it might piss her off and we might start dancing again"
"Affirmative Pod will withhold all questions on A2"
"Thanks, that's going to help."
The hours began stacking up A2 now fallen behind X1 had begun to get annoyed at his lax nature. X1 interacted with his surroundings without a care in the world. Not keeping his guard up, she was fuming with anger. Having lived her life fighting and on the constant watch out. Seeing how he's acting having seen the memories from the pod's view. His way of reacting to the new world could not help but light a flame. Drawing her weapon she dashed right into him. Hearing the dash X1 turned around and ducked out of the way. Leaping back he drew his buster sword and got into a battle stance.
"A2, have you lost your fucking mind!" X1 yelled out
"Shut up I'm going to train you. You are too relaxed and it's starting to piss me off" A2 yelled
Charging into each other X1 clashed his blade with hers. Dancing around now the Pod's decided its best to stay out of the situation, seeing as she is just training him. X1 swung the blade with the back side facing her. Aiming for her leg, she dodges and retaliates with a combo only to be blocked.
"A2 why are you so angry all the sudden I'm just trying not to lose my mind on all of this"
"That's exactly why you pissed me off. Your fighting style is also shit; you almost died the entire time since you woke up"
"It's not my fault I was thrown into his shit!"
Kicking his stomach, she launched him into a nearby tree. Trying to recover, he felt the cool metal against his neck as she ended the fight. Looking up, he sighed as A2 stood over him. Picking him up, she teleported her type-40 blade to her back and walked away.
"X1 your fighting style sucks. I'm going to make sure you stay alive if you're sticking with me"
"Sticking with you, are you nuts. You are the one following me"
Ignoring his statement she continued proceeding ahead. Days pass as the two continue their clashes. Every opportunity A2 has she always goes for the kill. X1 now on constant guard always engages the surprise attack. The two soon began enjoying each spar A2 now watch as X1 grew stronger with each fight. X1 began getting better at the using the fight data the pods downloaded into him. Now enjoying the fight, he soon spotted the sky darkening.
"It is going to rain soon by the looks of it"
"Yeah, and? Not like we need to stop"
"We should seek shelter no point pushing on. A2 look at the sky, it's going to be a heavy storm so let's just take cover for the duration of the storm." suggested X1
"Are you serious"?
"Yes, lets head over to the mall over there, it's still intact surprisingly"
"Fine, whatever, let's just go then if you want to be a baby about it"
Going to the mall the two made their way in fascinated how it remained untouched. A2 looked around having been traveling the fact of staying sheltered up felt calming. X1 made his way to the hardware store. Picking up an electric generator he made his way to the bed section inside the store. Having picked up many wires he began splicing away, hoping to make a portable battery.
"What the hell are you doing?" A2 asked watching as he tinkers with the core again.
"Getting power I want to try to see if I can make this work out"
Going back to his work he was left alone as A2 made her way out. Walking to a bunch of stores she kept wondering how humans can enjoy such trivial matter as shopping. Looking inside a stuff animal store, she decided to check it out. Inside the store the rows of teddy bears and other animals caught her attention. Moving from one stuff doll to the next she stood next to a tiger picking it up, she could not help but admire at such a design.
"Hmm, what is this thing?" A2 asked
"By its design, this animal is known as a tiger. It is a part of the genus Panthera a predatory animal belonging to a large cat group. Humans like to take the looks of animals thus creating toys for gifts." Pod 089 answered
"I see, so why do humans have such toys?"
"These toys could have represented affinity. Humans use to give them as gifts with many meanings. Some indicate for lovers, celebratory occasion for yearly anniversaries, and spiritual meaning"
"Spiritual meaning, what could these animals have that could be spiritual"?
"The meaning of the tiger spirit animal is willpower, personal strength, and courage. A shadow or a part of you that you would try to hide or reject. Aggression or anger directed at you. Or felt towards someone; Unpredictability in life, actions or feelings;"
After hearing all the meanings a tiger has A2 could not help but feel as it was hers. She had always been hunting machines after her friends had been killed. The anger she felt at the time of their deaths was what fuel her rage. Hiding her emotions as they got in her way she felt like that of a predatory animal. Petting the stuffed tiger she brought it to her face and brushed her face against it feeling some type of joy.
"Well, now that's a sight to see" X1 spoke, appearing from the shadows
Back in the other store X1 struggling with the generator. He made his way back to the hardware store to gather more materials. Working on making the core work with the generator he finally got the power needed to power the generator.
"Yes, I made it work!" he yelled out victoriously
"X1 why did you need to have power for a temporary shelter?" Pod 129 asked
"Well by the cloud formation I say we are stuck here for a day or two might as well enjoy some old human stuff you know"
Getting up, he made his way into the mall once again. Finding a music store he made his way through the entrance. X1 browsed through all the remaining CD's that had survived through the ages. Going to the classic rock he found the best thing since he woke up. Reaching for the CD he looked at the cover of Aerosmith.
"Jackpot!" X1 yelled.
Grabbing a few others, he thought might be suitable for the rainy day. Grabbing Journey, Survivor, and a few more classic rocks. X1 grabbed a large boom box as he carried all items out the store with his pods holding the discs. Walking on he could not wait until he gets back to the generator. Walking pass the stuff animal store he noticed a figure inside. A2 was walking through all the stuffed animals examining each one. Curiosity sparked up in the man as he sneaked closer watching from outside as she picked up the tiger. Watching A2 snuggle with the stuffed tiger he could not feel as she was no different from a human girl. Walking into the store X1 made his presence to the unguarded A2.
Dropping the stuff animal A2 could not help but feel exposed as she spotted X1 staring at her. Walking over he gently picked up the tiger and looked over it.
"A2 do you like this stuffed animal?" X1 asked
"…."
"Come on don't be shy, I won't make fun of you even with that tough exterior you still have a soft side to you"
"…yes"
"Good now we are getting somewhere with each other"
Smiling at her as she has shown a soft side to him X1 handed the Tiger back to A2. Taking it from him she cradled it in her arm. For some reasons she felt as her old self-began seeping out from her ordeal. Making his way through the aisle, he stumbles upon a stuffed Hawk. Picking up the animal he walked over to A2 and presented it.
"This is my favorite animal so no need to be embarrassed this is a good start to get to know each other"
"Why do you like that animal"?
"Why…? Well, I guess it's because they are great, their ability to fly, hunt and see. They have freedom to go wherever they like, sometimes I wished I had such lifestyle when I was young".
"I see… that's a good way to put it"
"Well anyways A2 lets we head back, I have a couple of things to take back."
"What the hell is all of that"?
"Oh, it's stuff to pass the time we are probably stuck here for a while".
Walking out of the store, they made their way back to the generator. A2 followed behind still clutching the tiger, held it out in front of her. Never in her life would she connect with something as simple as a toy. Looking at the tiger she lowered the stuffed animal seeing X1 bob his heard merrily. She wonders why someone like him would cause her to feel these feelings once more. A feeling lost by such tragedies…
Sorry for the Delay everyone had a lot of work come up. But I hope this chapter makes up for it. Also thank you everyone for the reviews I hope to continue improving and making sure everyone following enjoys the story
2B and 9S they are coming in soon perhaps in about 3-4 chapters maybe who knows just going to throw it out there so everyone know they are near.