"Stay with me, Len, please. We're almost there."

Her clothes are completely soaked through, clinging to her body in unsavory places, but she can't stop moving. Her entire figure aches and she's struggling to continue forward, but her own will is what drives her- that, and Len's body slung over her shoulder. He's much heavier than she remembers him to be. He must have a program that makes him control his weight distribution, but once he shut down there was nothing to prevent him from feeling like a two ton lump of metal. Onlookers see her pass them by, and hide away, afraid of her reaching out for help. She scorns them, disgusted by their behavior.

It doesn't matter. Nothing else matters except for getting him to safety. Please, God, don't let it be too late.

She can still see that look on his face. His face covered in mud, the sparks popping from his severed arm, his blue eyes dull and flickering, dimming out to opaque. He had fallen in slow motion, his blonde hair drifting away in the breeze like a sorrowful painting.

Her heart had dropped with him, leaving her numb in the face of what was happening.

Questions swirled in her head in a horrible cacophony, but she had no time to solve them. All that was left in her mind was screaming, a sense of horrible emptiness.

Len was dying in front of her, and there was little she could do to stop it. She wasn't there for him when he was destroyed, and now he's in pieces.

It brings back that terrible reminder about what he really is, what she's let herself delude about. He's not a person, he's not a real human, and the vibrant blue blood dripping from his body is evidence enough. She remembers when that dog mangled his arm and bit through to his wiring; this is so much worse.

If only I could have stopped it. Len, I… I'm so sorry.

I can't let you die on me like this.

Dying. That word again. Even though he's just an android, she can't call it anything else. The thought of him being gone forever taints her worldview, stains it crimson. It leaves everything hollow.

A world without Len seems so lifeless and sad. Going back to a time where he wasn't there… It's too much of a tragedy to think of.

She's grown so attached, come to think of him so fondly— no, that's wrong. She's not just fond of him.

She's in love with him, and now he's dying.

"Please, please," she begs under her breath, her chest heaving with exertion, praying her body would move further. "I can't lose you. I can't."

It's so unfair, yet here they are, his body unmoving and hers about to collapse.

As if a beacon in the storming night, she sees it. The telltale lights of Gumi's workshop. She'd managed to bring him all the way to her, by some miracle, even though she feels like she's on the verge of a blackout.

Giving herself a last burst of speed, she forces herself to the door, a wave of relief washing over her when she's close enough to use a hand to viciously attack the wood.

"Gumi! Gumi, please, are you there?!" she cries. "Gumi!"

There's silence, and for a moment Rin's filled with apprehensive dread that she's not there; then finally, the sound of rustling, and the door swings open.

Gumi, in a blue bandana and stained white tank top, wrench in hand, looks ready to bite the head off anyone at the door. As she sees the sorry pair on her doorstep, however, the words she was about to spew die in her throat.

"G-Gumi, I… Len is… please help him!" Rin breathes harshly.

Her body gives out then, and she hits the ground, his lifeless form dragging her down quicker. Gumi rushes to her, and Miki's silhouette covers them in shadow.

"Rin, what happened?" The green-haired woman exclaims in shock.

"I don't know, Gumi, but we don't have time!"

Rin grips at her chest, willing her heart to calm some; the erratic beat of it causes her immense pain, and she can't hold Len up anymore. Thankfully Gumi is there to take his weight off her, trying to keep her supported as well.

"Miki! Pick him up and get him inside, I've got Rin."

Len is taken away from her in a sudden swift movement, and she finds herself reaching out to him, unable to keep her body from moving on its own to take him back. Gumi stops her, scooping her up under the shoulders and helping her back to her feet.

"You look terrible, Rin, come inside right now. Are you feeling okay?"

"Don't worry about me, please," Rin's words are biting and scattered, and she shakes her head quickly. "I need you to make sure he's okay!"

Gumi guides her in, and Rin catches a glimpse of Len being taken into the workshop, his head slung backward and his arm hanging by his side like a corpse's. Her chest fills with fear.

"His damage looked extremely extensive, but I'll see what I can do, okay? Rest in here for now, and I'll take care of him."

Her words do nothing to assuage Rin's worries, but she's not able to do anything but sit down in the armchair Gumi puts her in. Her whole form aches from the trek, but her thoughts overpower her own soreness. She doesn't matter right now; only Len's wellbeing is important right now.

So she waits. And waits. Her impatience is marred with bouts of sleep, and she has terrible nightmares of Len being disassembled in front of her very eyes. Hours pass, a half day, and still no word from the greenette, the woman hard at work in the other room. Rin tried to go in once, but the door was locked from the inside, preventing her from seeing what was going on within. It left her even more frustrated, but she tried to tell herself to give her some credit. Gumi has done this for a long time, and if Len could be fixed by anyone, Gumi was the person to go to. It just meant that Rin had to pace the room forever in vain hope that the door would open again and Len would pop out just like he'd been before.

A silly pipe dream. How could he be fine after that? It would take a long time before he'd ever be able to be fine again. Yet he isn't human; couldn't repairs be made in a timely fashion and bring him back to her the same as he once was?

No, no, no. She doesn't know enough about how androids work to piece together the puzzle. She keeps jumping to catastrophic scenarios, but in reality she knows nothing.

I just want you to be okay. Please don't leave me.

It seems like an eternity later when the workshop opens, revealing Gumi's extremely tired figure. Rin hops from her seat and crosses the room to her, barely stopping before putting her hands on her shoulders to shake the truth from her.

"Gumi! How is he? Is he okay?" she blurbles.

The resigned, exhausted look on her face seems too telling, and Rin feels her hopes crash to the floor. The tears threaten to well up again, but she tries to force them away.

"Well… I did repair him," Gumi begins, taking a seat nearby despite Rin's searching gaze. "He's now reinforced. His model was not made of as sturdy material as most, so he was easily broken. I even gave him a new arm, courtesy of having the parts on hand. He's nearly good as new, I'd say, thanks especially to Miki doing most my work for me. But…"

"...But?" Rin chokes on the word.

Reassure me. Tell me something good. Please.

Gumi raises her head to meet Rin's expectant eyes.

"I did everything I could for the time being to repair him completely but by the time he reached me, there was quite a lot of water in his circuitry. I couldn't clean him out completely; some of his internals were unsalvageable."

Rin's breath catches in her throat.

"...What does that mean?" she barely has the heart to ask.

"It means that the rain, along with whatever damaged him so poorly, caused enough destruction to his inner workings that he may not be exactly himself again. I can get parts in to try and fix what's mostly ruined, but I don't have any of it right now. If I leave it, there's a chance that he'll act differently or his programming won't be intact fully. However, if I try to work so closely to his core, it could cause significantly more damage if something goes wrong… Down to permanent system failure, or a complete memory wipe."

The floor seems to fall from beneath Rin's feet. Like a nightmare, she's presented with two equally awful choices, neither of which seem easy to jump to. He could either become a totally different android now without the repairs, or he can lose his memories of her or even die completely. What kind of sick joke has this turned out to be?

Why? Why does life always throw these things at me? I can't choose between these. I don't know what's right. There's no way to know how it will go.

I wish he was with me right now. Can he think right now? Is he awake in the other room, wondering about me too?

I wish I had your guidance with me.

"I know these don't seem like sunshine options, but it's all I have for you," Gumi sighs softly. "I'm sorry. It's completely up to you. I do promise he's going to be up and functional as soon as I charge his inner battery. There should be nothing wrong with his outer shell."

It's a small comfort, but a reassurance nonetheless. Thank goodness he's at least okay. A weight she had forgotten about lifts itself from her chest at the new, and she allows herself to sink into the chair beside Gumi's, the material rough against her cheek but not preventing her from dipping deeper into it. Her exhaustion is getting the better of her now.

"I… I don't know what to do," Rin murmurs softly, closing her eyes temporarily. "I think maybe we should wait. If he's mostly fixed, then I can live with a few issues here and there. As long as he's still Len, anyway."

Maybe it's not the smartest decision, but it's really all she can muster right now. She just wants him back safely.

Gumi's eyes are hooded, but she nods. "If that's what you want."

"It is."

Leaning back in her chair, the mechanic raises a brow in Rin's direction.

"By the way, do you know what happened to Len in the first place?"

That chill turns Rin's blood to ice again, and she shakes her head sadly.

"No. I have no idea, but… it must have been really bad. Len isn't a violent kind of android, anyway, so whatever he got into tore him up."

It sounds hollow to her, making up excuses for whatever happened. The only person to know would be Len after all, but that doesn't stop her from trying to picture the best case scenario; an accident.

Gumi gauges Rin's expression before continuing. "That's something I wanted to talk to you about, actually. Len wasn't just 'torn up', I think. It looks much more like an attack."

The blonde stares at her. "You're… not saying that he was…?" It's hard to say it, her tongue thickening to prevent them from existing. She doesn't want to believe that, but the somber look on her friend's face is enough to prove it's no joke.

Her mind wanders back to that day a few weeks ago, when she and Len saved that man and his android from being smashed to smithereens by that protesting group. At the time the adrenaline had clouded her judgment, but all she had wanted to do was help. The fleeting thought of being in that man's position was a fluttering dream, not a real consideration; but now here she is being confronted with the possibility, and she can't bear to deny it.

The people my father riled up to do these things have come back to bite the hand that fed them. Her soul goes empty at the feeling, churning. I can't even imagine it, but… in the condition Len was in, I…

"Rin, do you know anyone who could have done this to him?"

She pops back to the conversation, biting the inside of her cheek. "I… no, not that I know of." She doesn't want to have to explain to Gumi her father's sordid deeds. It was bad enough that she let Len in on her family's decisions. Having more people know would connect her to the wrong kinds of people, and she's done a good job so far of staying far away from them.

Having that shadow over her now when she's at her weakest feels like a sharp punch to the stomach.

The mechanic notices her hesitation, but she quickly decides against pressing her on it for the time. Instead, she nods.

"Well, in any case, he should be in good enough condition to take him back to your home. Would you like to come check on him?"

She's jumping out of her chair before the woman's even finished her sentence.

"Please," she says, trying to contain her exuberance.

Standing as well, Gumi leads her to the side door. Knocking on it twice, Miki opens it from within, her long red hair framing her face perfectly as she bows her head.

Rin takes a step inside, and her throat closes up.

There lies Len on a metal table, his body fully restored to its previous pristine condition. It's completely miraculous that Gumi was able to recreate him down to every detail he had previously. His appearance now is a stark contrast to the muddied, cerulean splashed figure he had as she dragged his battered body here. His handsome face is pale and untouched, and his hair is untangled and brushed out around his shoulders. Len's eyes are closed, as if he's having a peaceful rest. The entire sight allows her to finally breathe with true relief for the first time in the last day.

Thank goodness you're okay. You're alive.

She can't stop herself from crossing the room and standing by his side, her hands darting out to catch his fingers between hers. She can feel that soft warmth again that signals his presence, and she lets it wash over her, filling a hole in her chest he had left absent. This is even the arm he had lost, a welcome sight.

He stirs under her touch, and she watches his face with hesitant anticipation, his eyes opening to reveal those blindingly beautiful sapphire irises. It's a thankful change from the black they had been as he fell to the ground. The image haunts her even now when he's fine in front of her.

Maybe we can escape this, and leave it in the past like a bad nightmare. I'm just glad you're fine.

With her free hand, she moves to lay her palm against his cheek. His eyes widen a little, even as she smiles down at him. Her eyes are starting to burn with unshed tears, making her feel weak again, and she pretends she's not at the brink of weeping over his frame.

"Hey," she manages through a knot in her throat. "How are you feeling?"

He blinks, but then lets out a soft chuckle, music to her ears. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

She giggles through her relief, and he grips her hand gently.

"You're welcome to take him off my hands," Gumi says from behind her, reminding Rin that she's been standing there silently the entire time watching the exchange. "I think he's well enough to go home, but… remember what we talked about. I'll be here if you decide to change your mind."

A bitter thought crosses the blonde's mind, wishing Gumi wouldn't bring it up, but then she berates herself for being like this. She's just trying to help, but all Rin wants to do is take him home and keep him nearby. At this rate, she'll have to be pried from his side.

"I understand," she replies instead, lowering her gaze. "I will."

Returning her attention to the boy on the table, she tilts her head to the side and offers him a small smile.

"Let's go home?"

He's quiet, but then nods.

"...Yeah."

.x.X.x.

Her apartment is eerily quiet when the two finally get back.

Almost like a new place entirely, Rin takes in the entry, remembering the light she forgot to turn off in the kitchen and her cold cup of coffee she had made right before she'd walked out. Of course she couldn't have known that Len was dying in front of her apartment, but that makes it all the more surreal. Did all of that really happen? If she closes her eyes and tells herself enough lies, she'll make it into fiction.

She had thanked Gumi profusely for her help and expertise, thanking her lucky stars that she'd met her when she did. Everything could have turned out much worse, maybe even losing Len for good, and that's a reality Rin is glad she doesn't have to be part of.

However…

It doesn't change the fact that Len is acting differently. He's become much more quiet and solemn. He hadn't said a word since they left Gumi's, and something seems to be missing behind his gaze.

Was it caused by the injuries he had? Gumi's repairs look genuinely perfect, so what exactly could be wrong on the inside that would change his entire demeanor?

Allowing herself to drop onto her couch with a loud sigh, she observes him going to her kitchen to tidy up the mess she left as if he had never stepped out the day before. His actions seem stiff and unfeeling, like he's just going through the motions as usual. It strikes her oddly, leaving some kind of sour taste in her mouth.

I wonder what he's thinking right now.

Maybe I should ask him about what happened…? Will that make him upset?

No, what am I saying? I can't upset him, he's just a robot. That's not how programs work. I can't trigger him if there is no person to trigger. He's conditioned to answer me.

So why am I acting so hesitant? Why can't I just come out and say what I need to say?

She knows why. It's starkly obvious even to herself. She knows Len isn't just a regular android to her. She actually values his 'feelings', considers him just like she would anyone else. It may be a poor habit to have, but she can't change how she acts so easily. Not to mention Len makes it so difficult to treat him like what he's supposed to be. He's as human to her as her next door neighbor.

But I need to know what happened. I can't prevent it if I'm left in the dark.

"Hey, um… Len?"

Her voice is an unwanted break in the silence, and after a moment he walks back out into the living room. He looks upon her expectantly, but says nothing. Now she knows something is definitely wrong.

"Here, come sit with me," she offers, patting the cushion beside her.

He raises a brow. "...Why?"

Why is he questioning me?

"I just want to talk. Is that okay?"

I can't believe I'm actually asking permission. This is… weird.

After a few more heartbeats, he does as she asks, and places himself at her side. He makes no effort to cuddle her or make contact with her in any way, and it gives her that seeping lonely feeling again.

A realization hits her then. Oh, that's right. Before all of this even happened, we were… fighting. No, not fighting really, but I was… avoiding him. That she can't deny. It's also her own fault she refused to talk about what happened between her and that man. Yet now that she's on the receiving end of the cold shoulder, it's horrible.

I was doing this to Len. It may not have been exactly this feeling for him, but if it was anything like it, then I feel so awful.

We have to sort this out, right now.

"Can you… Can you tell me what happened, Len?"

A beat passes. No response. She peers at his face, studying it for what he may be feeling, but he keeps his poker face maintained.

"An accident," he replies curtly, and if he was someone else's android she would've taken it as the truth. Yet she knows from the moment his lips open that he's lying to her.

Her face hardens. The rising nausea of frustration threatens to pour out, especially with her lack of sleep and all the worry that she's been dealing with since he got hurt, but she forces herself to stay calm.

"An accident? Is that actually true?" She doesn't mean to be so blunt and accusatory, but it definitely comes out that way.

He looks away from her then, betraying himself in the process. "Yes."

"You're lying."

Her outburst startles both of them. He turns back to her, eyebrow raised, not prepared for the look she gives him.

"Why would I lie?"

"I don't know, Len, but I can tell!" She's starting to get louder involuntarily. "I know you better than that. What are you hiding from me?"

He stiffens. "Nothing, Rin. It was just an accident."

"Stop saying that!" she yells, gritting her teeth.

"What do you want me to say, Rin?!"

She reels back as he returns her anger. She wasn't expecting him to lash out, but the empty demeanor he'd had before is gone. Now it's some kind of rage that she's never seen him unleash before.

She leans in this time, not afraid to fight fire with fire this time, more irritated that he's trying to hide it than the fact he's angry.

"What are you talking about? I want you to be honest with me. I thought androids couldn't lie, but it's real clear that you're keeping something from me."

He doesn't back down, however.

"I don't know what to tell you, Rin, because I don't know what to make of it either," he growls. "Do you want me to tell you that I was pulled into a back alley and dismembered part by part? Is that what you want me to say? Do you want a detailed exploration of what it felt like to have my arm ripped from my body, or the sensation of short circuiting from inside my own body?"

She's taken aback, this time at a loss for words. Somehow it hadn't crossed her mind that what happened to Len was that traumatic. How can he even talk about it like this, with such fury and sorrow? It's like he genuinely felt that fear during whatever happened.

No… he basically told her what happened in that statement alone. He was attacked. His words held truth this time. In a way that makes it so much worse; he was planning on ignoring the situation entirely and not letting her know he was in danger like that, wasn't he?

Her hands fling forward and grab the material of his shirt, yanking him close to her face, her eyes burning with emotion.

"No, what I want is for you to talk to me about who did this to you, because I can't imagine being without you! I don't want to lose you!"

His blue eyes, so close to hers, soften up at her declaration.

"Rin… Listen to me, I-"

"No, Len, you listen to me." Her fingers tighten on him. "You got hurt. You went out alone, and if you hadn't come back, I would never have known what happened to you. I was worried sick, you know? I don't want to live a life where you aren't there. You… You stupid… jerk!"

His eyes widen, and she grimaces, before pulling away and staring at her hands in her lap, face starting to burn from what she admitted out loud.

It's true, too.

I've become so happy with Len in my life, the things we've done together, the fact that he's always by my side.

If I lost him… I think I would never be that happy again.

His hand finds hers, and she risks a glance up at his face; he's not smiling, but he's much gentler now, the anger gone from his eyes.

"...Okay. I apologize for trying to keep the real reasoning from you," he says softly. "I just didn't want you to worry more than you already have been. You always show so much care toward me that I knew you would panic if you heard. But… It's over now. I'm still here. I just can't stop thinking of you crying for me. I don't want to see that again."

Her cheeks, once blood red, go ashen. She'd completely forgotten that in the commotion. She doesn't want to remember it either; it brings back the horrible mental images of his broken body, and she'd much rather put that behind her.

Instead, she lets go of his shirt and rests her palm on the top of his head, to his confusion, leaning in and pressing her forehead to his own, she sighs.

"You might be a smart android, but you're a stupid boy," she says with a hint of laughter.

"What do you mean?" he protests, but she shakes her head slightly.

"You may want to hide this from me, but that's the opposite of how I feel. I need to know. But that doesn't mean I can't stay here with you until you can process it." She closes her eyes. "I'm here for you Len, even if that doesn't seem like much. It is. For as long as I can, I want to be."

He pauses, and it's like he melts at her words, allowing her to wrap her arms around him and offer him the same comfort he had always given her. Even with the way the last week had been toward them, they find solace in each other's company.

Don't worry, Len.

Even if that isn't very long, I promise it'll be wonderful.