Groaning, the Machine awoke. The ivory shade of marble swirled in front of her, finally focusing. Her teal eyes darted around, showing that she was still in the bedchamber of the King. Looking at herself, she saw chains of light wrapped around her wrists and ankles, tying her to his bed. Instead of the school uniform she usually wore, a soft toga was wrapped around her, exposing most of her breasts. She yanked on the chains, trying to pull herself up. But, to her dismay, they didn't let up.

"Oh, you're awake." A voice made her look up. Leaning over her, teal hair hanging in his face, was Mikuo, looking as smug as ever.

"I am." She agreed, not feeling a twinge of dread in her body. No, she had no idea what the King had in store for her, only what she wanted to do to him.

"You look beautiful in this light, my Queen." Once again, he used that title to refer to her, disgust in his mind.

"Really?" she smiled.

"Yes, I got all of that blood off you," he began, sitting on the edge of the bed, "And now look at how beautiful you are." He held up an ornate silver mirror, letting the Machine see herself. Her eyes widened.

"I've never seen my face before." She whispered, inspecting every part of her face. And it was true. She never drank water, never needed to. Never looked at a shard of glass, a mirror, or any reflective surface. No, what she truly looked like was a secret to her until this moment.

"Really?" Mikuo asked, hiding his shock.

"I look… like you."

Silence hung in the air for several minutes, both of them in their own world.

'Why do I look so much like him? It's weird… Can I kill someone so much like me? No… he can't be like me. Nobody is. I'm all alone in this world. I always have been, and always will. That's what master has told me so many times.' The Machine ranted to herself, clutching the sheets.

'She's never seen herself before? I guess that makes sense, but it's so unnatural. Did she ever have anyone to brush her hair, tell her how cute she is? Let her look in the mirror? On another note, what's that mark on her arm?' Mikuo asked himself a slew of questions, his eyes traveling to her arm, where he had seen the mark.

Blood red, it stood out against her skin. Since he was finally close to her, he saw that it red' 01'. Like a merchandise tag or something…

'I guess that would explain the machine part, but why does she act so… human-like? When I breathed in her ear, I felt the electricity shoot down her spine. When I let her see herself, I saw the shock and awe on her face. Can machines truly experience emotions like that?' he paused, looking at her face again, 'I'm not sure if I can kill someone… who actually has feelings.'

"Why am I chained to your bed~" the Machine sang, but it was more of a declaration than a question.

"You'll find out soon enough." Mikuo smirked, pushing away the sentimental thoughts he felt for the murderer.

"Oh?" she smiled, "London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London bridge is falling down, my fair lady…" she began to sing, wind chimes again.

"…London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London bridge is falling down, my fair lady…" the King joined in, remembering that song from his childhood.

Luka and Lily would always sing it together when they played in the gardens, dancing around with the younger children. Ryuto, Mizki, Mikuo, Rin, Len, Miki, and Piko. Those children that became gods.

As Mikuo rediscovered this memory, he remembered something. There was always a girl who didn't play. She sat away from everyone else, singing the same song to herself. She always wore all-white, including a veil that covered her face and hair.

'London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down… London bridge is falling down, my fair lady…' she sang, watching a butterfly flutter its wings as it perched on her pale hand.

'What are ya doing?' Mikuo asked, approaching the girl. She squeaked, jumping up and running away. As she ran, a pink and black ribbon fell from her hands, landing on the soft grass. 'Hey, wait up!' he yelled, chasing after her. But she ran too fast, disappearing into the castle. Mikuo cocked his head, then looked down to see the ribbon at his feet.

He picked it up, fingering it. It was silky, and slid down his hand like running water. With a shrug, he tied it around his wrist, promising himself to give it back to the girl when he saw her again.

"Missing?" he overheard Ann and Al talking once, making him quickly hide. The two older Gods walked into the room, deep in conversation.

"Yes, she went missing last night. There are no traces of her anywhere!" Ann explained, sounding distressed.

"This is not good…" Al groaned, rubbing his temples. "What could've happened to her?"

"I don't know…" the woman cried, tears welling up in her caring eyes. With depressed looks in their eyes, they embraced, crying deeply.

Never again after that did Mikuo see that white clad girl.

Looking at the Machine again, he noticed how she only had one pigtail, and the rest of her hair was down. The pigtail that was up, however, was tied with a pink and black ribbon.

'Is she… the missing girl?'

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