A gear is fastened at the base of the mechanical dragon's wing. He knows not to adjust it too much. Too tight and it wouldn't move; too loose and the wing would fly off. Fingers run over the metallic wing, lightly holding onto it as he bends it up and down. Green eyes focus on the gear that was just in place. It moved without issue.

Seeing progress for his small companion, Kai's lips turn into a small smile. That was one wing down; now he just had to do the same for the other side. Then, after a few more tests and adjustments, he could give it the Breath of Life. His latest companion would be walking and shooting flames in no time.

Determined on finishing his dragon tonight, he reaches for the wing lying on his desk. It was nearly done. He just had one more patch to fill in, maybe apply some grease to the joints and then he could add apply it to the dragon. If he was lucky, he could get this all done in an hour.

SLAM!

Kai jumps and the wing lands on the desk. He's quick to grab it and inspect it for any sign of damage. Thankfully, the fall from his hand to the desk was just a small gap so there were no dents or broken bits.

"KAI!"

He does his best to hold back a sigh. The last thing he expected was Miwa, of all people, to end up slamming his door. Kai lifts his gaze as he hears the footsteps coming running towards his living quarters. The door to his little workshop was already open, and Miwa practically flung himself down the stairs when he found him at his desk.

"Kai!" Miwa breathes out his name. He still had his goggles on and only now was pushing them back. Grease and ash stained his clothes, and Kai prays that he hadn't left a trail on his way in here.

"What?" He snaps.

"I need your help- oh." Miwa pauses as he looks to Kai. He could see his work on his desk, that annoyed look in his eye- one that was actually holding back some anger. "Sorry for interrupting, but I need your help."

"With what?"

Miwa first responds with a nervous laugh.

"You see…You know that robot I was working on? It may have…run off."

"So, you let it run away?"

"No!" Miwa sighs. "It's kind of a long story. In short, it was accidentally given a Breath of Life too early and then ran out of the city before I could stop it. I wanted to chase after it, but with how dangerous the animals have been lately, I thought I could get your help."

Miwa gives him a sweet smile and Kai sighs. He looks down to his work and begins pushing everything aside. Maybe tomorrow he could finally finish this dragon.

Kai gets to his feet and passes Miwa. He pulls on the lever to reveal his gear underneath the staircase. For himself, he grabs a blade, hoping he doesn't have to use it, and a long-range gun. He tosses Miwa a spare of the latter.

"I knew I could count on you, Kai~!"

~…~

There was no trouble when it came to leaving the city. The guard gave the usual warning about heading outside. How it was dangerous and to keep their time in the wild short.

Leaving the mechanized world of their arcology and stepping out into the barren fields was always a shocking change. The lands surrounding their home had lost their fertility. Pieces of scrap metal were littered about in place of plant life. If you wanted to see any of that, it was miles away and safe from the pollution that came from the city.

"How long has it been since it ran off?"

"Give or take thirty minutes? I went to you right after it left."

"Hm."

Machines that were given the Breath of Life were highly active for the first hour. They were like newborns, testing out their abilities and limitations. If they weren't careful, they could easily run out of steam. If Miwa was right about prematurely giving his robot life, he wouldn't be surprised if they found it lying in the ground somewhere trying to recover its lost energy.

And if they were lucky enough, they could find it with no trouble. But he'd be foolish to think it would be that easy.

The wildlife out here had changed over the years. The waste that came from the city affected them. Badly. While most animals kept some of their normal forms, they were anything but that.

"See anything?"

"No, not yet."

"Which robot was this?"

"It was my backup one! I couldn't just let it sit unfinished in my workshop. Maybe I should have if this was going to happen…" Miwa sighs. "Wait! I think- there it is!"

Miwa points over to a fallen robot. If it weren't for the shine of its metal, he would have guessed it was like any other piece of junk out here. Although…the fact that a beast was gnawing into it was a sign that it was 'fresh'.

A wolf was pulling out the robot's metallic flesh. Piece by piece, bolt by bolt. It chewed on the robot like it was a piece of meat.

"I guess it got to it before us," Kai mumbles.

He holds up his gun, aiming it at the wolf. It was larger than the norm, had a hunched back and pure bloodshot eyes. It was panting as it pulled away from the robot. It paused and sniffed the air. It knew it wasn't alone.

"Get ready."

Miwa nods as Kai holds his stance. He fires once. Twice. The wolf cries as it's hit, but keeps on its feet. It snarls at the two of them, ready to charge its way over and dig its fangs into softer flesh. But it's Miwa's turn to strike. He shoots out a different bullet. When it hits, it makes the creature whine, cry, and run off.

Kai holds his hand out, not wanting the other to run out just yet. That last shot should have done the same to any lurkers out here. It wouldn't have the same effect, but it would drive them off. When he's certain that there isn't any hiding, he lets Miwa dart over to the machine.

And Miwa runs fast, as if his life had depended on it. Which was…odd. Kai wasn't aware he loved his backup robot this much.

"Why did you want to chase this one, anyway?" Kai asks once he's closer to them.

Miwa doesn't answer. He's busy digging at the robot's remains as if he's searching for something.

"Found it!"

He holds up a very old and rusty mechanical dragon. It was on the smaller side, one that could barely fit in the palm of his hand. Pieces of metal that resembled the creature's scales were missing. Its tail was just a bare skeleton, and the wings were in no shape to fly.

"It grabbed this before it ran off," Miwa says as he holds the old dragon in his hand. "Couldn't lose this."

"You…still have that?"

"Yeah!" Miwa grins and holds it out to Kai. "You think I could ever get rid of your very first dragon? I know it's not as cool as the ones you make now, but this little guy is important. Don't you think so?"

"No," Kai huffs and turns his head. Okay, maybe it was important, but he didn't want to admit to it. He thought he came out here to save Miwa's robot, not an old gift.

"Aww, getting sentimental, are we?" Miwa teases. He chuckles before looking at his robot's remains. "I can take some of this back, but that wolf really did a number on it. Well, at least it didn't get to this."

"If you can bring it back to my place, I can repair it."

"You don't have to help. I know the automatons aren't your style. But if you're going to offer…Guess I'll take you up on it!"