A/N I regret nothing, except the fact that I KNOW this is gonna be bittersweet at best, so buckle up everyone. We're in for an emotional ride.

Now to get this disclaimer out of the way…

Disclaimer for whole story: I don't own NieR Replicant, NieR Gestalt, or anything related to the NieR series, which does also include the Drakengard series!

Yoko Taro, I am not, but god damn, there is so much y'all gotta appreciate that came out of him. So give him a chance if you're not yet familiar with any of his games, yes?

Anyways, happy reading!

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It happens during the early morning—so early, that mostly everyone is still asleep. A woman goes in to collect the eggs from the chickens that she and her husband are raising. She stops at the sight of a stranger—what appears to be a girl with long hair—sitting amongst the chickens. She is otherwise just staring at a chick that she holds in her hands. It peeps at the stranger, while the chickens nearby tug and tug at the snow-white hair that covers the ground.

There is not much response that the stranger gives, no matter how many times the woman calls out to her. Her gaze just refuses to leave the chick in her hands, her eyes never once blinking. That's when the woman decides that the stranger isn't alive, having seen little to no movement from it. It might not even be a person, either—it seems too flawless to be human.

Must be a doll that someone had left behind as a prank. Stranger things have happened in this village. It's not uncommon to find people with too much time on their hands. In fact, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise to find that the doll had other purposes, based on its size and how tight and revealing its clothes were…

For now, the doll remains in place, unmoving with an unwavering gaze that remains on the chick that sleeps in its hands.

As the hours go by, more and more people wake from their sleep. And in turn, more people discover the strange prank left behind as people begin to discuss over who could have done it. After all, no one has the means nor spare funding to purchase such an expensive-looking doll. Nor does anyone have the specific skillset capable of producing a doll of that size.

So…

Where could it have come from?

No one can exactly tell.

Maybe someone from Seafront got bored of one of their possessions and decided to do something with it. It's the most likely explanation, given how poor most of this village's inhabitants are.

Regardless, everyone avoids going near it, with most parents telling their children to avoid it at all costs. Who knows where it's been—or what it's been through, for that matter.

There are better things one can do in the village…or so everyone tells their children.

All save for one child—a ten-year-old boy by the name of Nier.

He stares at the doll, wondering who could've left such a well-made item behind like this. If no one wants it, then maybe…maybe he could do something with it?

He's always in need of some extra money, for him and his baby sister. It's just the two of them now, after their mother had died a few months ago. They're not exactly hurting for any money just yet, but it is always better to have something saved up in case of an emergency.

Nodding his head, Nier decides to interact with the doll, to maybe salvage some of its parts…and that's when he confirms that the doll isn't a doll.

Oh no.

It's alive.

It's just very, very good at acting as though it isn't.

Everyone gathers at the scene almost immediately, having heard Nier scream as gloved hands suddenly caress his face. There is no harm brought to him whatsoever, though that does nothing to take away from the nasty scare he's been given. Blue eyes stare into a pair of lilac-tinged silver eyes, their piercing gaze almost seeming to look through him. He freezes still, his ears barely picking up a string of murmured words before it is quickly drowned out by the villagers that crowd around them.

It takes a combined effort of a pair of red-haired twins to calm and disperse the crowd, allowing the boy some space as the "doll" is pulled away from him.

"Are you okay, Nier?" asks Devola, who has left her instrument behind in a rush.

Nier can only nod his head as he watches Popola apprehend the "doll". "Y-Yeah…just got scared—that's all. I need to get back to Yonah."

It's a quick excuse to save face, but in truth, it's a justifiable concern he has, when he's left her home alone. He's never out for too long, anyways…

"Go ahead," Popola tells him, gently nudging him in the direction of his home with her free hand. "Do tell us if anything pops up. We're always here to help."

"I know…" That still doesn't make him feel any better, since there isn't much that he can do at his young age. He feels like a burden to Popola and Devola, even though they insist that he is anything but. "Um, if there's anything I can—"

"Worry about Yonah and yourself for now, we'll handle this." Devola's tone is firm, as is her expression.

Knowing better than to argue with Devola, Nier makes his way back to his home, where Yonah is babbling away, having since woken up from her nap. He feeds her some of the leftover baby food that Popola had made for him out of pumpkin. Compared to most other foods, Yonah really does enjoy the taste of pumpkin. It's enough to keep it in her mouth instead of spitting it out.

She's getting better at walking, though it still worries Nier whenever she is out of his sight for more than a minute or two. It's why he stays with her until she falls asleep again. After which, he goes back into the village again, looking for any odd jobs he could take. Right now, his focus is on getting more food for the week. He can worry about money later…

Throughout the days that go by, Nier often finds himself pushing aside each thought he has of that strange "doll". Though he isn't actively looking for information, from what he's overheard, Popola currently has it at the library under observation.

Devola insists it's harmless, though some of the other adults have their doubts. It's why the library is devoid of any visitors—even Nier avoids it, until he absolutely can't.

It happens when he is offered a job in someone's garden that requires quite a few of his hours. The duration is a lot longer than he's comfortable with, as it means he'll have to leave Yonah home alone for that long. He almost refuses the offer, but then he stops himself as he reconsiders.

Popola is always available to watch over Yonah… Devola said that a while back—he remembers that. In fact, she highly encourages him to seek her sister out.

"You're allowed to act like a child."

The only time he'll allow himself that chance is when he is absolutely certain that he can afford to. At the moment, he cannot…which is why he finally decides to ask Popola for help.

He goes to her in the morning, carrying a sleeping Yonah on his back. He has some difficulty getting his request across, feeling somewhat frustrated about his own limitations. But Popola only smiles and takes Yonah out of his hands.

"Take however long you can," she reassures him gently. "There's no need to rush."

It's not a suggestion, and Nier knows it, which is why he doesn't even try to argue with her. He isn't in any position to do so.

"Then…I'll see you later." He will do his best to make the most of this time spent away from Yonah. That is something he can most certainly guarantee.

When he returns in a few hours, it's to the sight of the strange "doll" sitting in the corner of the room, holding a babbling Yonah close to its chest. It murmurs incomprehensible things as Yonah roughly tugs at its hair. It all happens under the watchful eye of Popola, who doesn't seem at all concerned. If anything, she only smiles when she sees Nier.

"Welcome back," she tells him. "I trust everything went well?"

Nier struggles to find his words, his eyes darting to the side at the "doll" and Yonah. He isn't certain of how he should feel about this, especially with how calm Popola is.

"If you're wondering about her…I left to reshelve a few books," Popola begins, her gaze shifting over to the "doll" and Yonah. "When I came back, I found her playing with Yonah."

"Playing?" Nier repeats, arching his brow in question.

"Well, it's more that she walked into the room, and Yonah was curious about her." Popola chuckles softly. "Devola and I have said it more than once already—she's harmless. In fact, she seems quite amicable, despite not being all there. Otherwise, I would have never let her near Yonah."

"Is that so…?" Popola's explanation alleviates some of Nier's concerns. Even so, he still shows his hesitance.

"I understand how difficult it is to accept it, and I won't tell you how you should feel." Popola pauses for a moment. "That said…I do have an offer for you, if you're still looking for work."

"R-Really?!" The offer is enough to take Nier's attention away from the "doll" and Yonah.

"Even better—it'll allow you to work from home, where you can watch over Yonah." Popola's smile grows even wider. "All you have to do…is watch over her. Nothing more beyond that."

Nier blinks, his ears picking up on the babbling coming from Yonah…which that "doll" soon begins to mimic. "Her…?"

"Just make sure she doesn't get into any trouble." It should be an easy enough task for Nier, Popola thinks. More than that, it should keep him at home, and not elsewhere, doing difficult tasks for money or food.

For all intents and purposes, it really isn't something that Nier should hesitate over. And yet, he still does as he considers the offer that he's been given. Popola almost expects it, considering the boy's young age.

That still doesn't stop her from smiling when he nods his head, and says, "Okay…I'll do it."

"Then let me help you take her home." It's the least Popola can do, when the poor thing can barely keep a steady pace without falling to the ground.

"Do you have a name for her?" Nier supposes that he can't just keep referring to her as a "doll"—especially when that isn't what she is anymore.

"Devola has been calling her, 'Era'—it's based off a word she seems to keep repeating." Popola walks over to the girl to help her off the floor. "It's not exactly a name, but it's certainly better than keeping her nameless."

It's also better than referring to her as a doll, though Nier keeps that to himself. He assists Popola with Yonah, who has a difficult time letting go of Era's hair. Despite her harsh grip, Era never once reacts to it. Her patience seems to know no bounds, though that doesn't make Nier any less wary.

Yonah, however, feels differently than her older brother, based on how eager she is to share her food with Era. It takes a few attempts, but Era eventually responds to the handful of baby food that's pressed over her mouth. The sight causes Yonah to squeal in delight as she continues her attempts to "feed" Era.

Nier can only sigh in defeat as he reaches over to clean whatever mess that Yonah was creating. It could be worse, though he still isn't ready to accept Era.

Not even when she somehow manages to fill that empty space in their bed that was left behind, after their mother had died—nope. That doesn't change anything…

Or so Nier tries to tell himself, as Era caresses his face.

…

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A/N Y'all would've known this was coming, if any of you guys have been following my tumblr or been around for my NieR streams (started with Automata, and then NieR Replicant).

Anyways, here's 404 ERROR, 4E, or Era (as she is currently called, and it is subject to change). There's a lot to be said about her, but the best way I can describe her is the Legendary Yamada Tae from Zombieland Saga. She's not entirely there, but she's trying her best. She's also an SI, but in the loosest sense, since, AGAIN, she's not all there.

Not like it really matters much, if you're already familiar with the events of NieR. Basically, just prepare yourself for a wild ride, created by the madman, Yoko Taro, himself.

And Nier is stuck in aaaaaaaalll of this, as he's only ten, and Yonah is still a toddler. His parents are both dead, and he's always on the lookout for work to provide for both him and Yonah. He is wary of Era, and honestly? I don't blame him…

Yonah, however, is different, and has accepted this weird stranger into her family already. It's just a work in progress of how long it'll take Nier to do the same.

Moving on, there's more than meets the eye to this fic, so ahhh…do keep an eye out for the things that are subject to change. We're six years before the events of NieR Replicant, so anything can happen.

Also, it's my birthday today, so if y'all got something to say to me, feel free to do so in a review! If not, just tell me what you think of this so far.

I apologize if it's not an update from a different fic, but I am currently in a NieR mood because I just…LOVE this series so much.

That's all I have for now, so until next time! Stay safe!