"Quiet, ain't it?"

"Yep," said Mae, nodding in agreement. She took a sip of sweet iced tea and set the glass down. "You goin' fer a walk?"

"Yeah."

"Bring Mokona with ya."

"Ain't much point. Her counterpart broke th' otha day."

Mae eyed Nokosu warily. She was wearing white gloves, a blazing red jacket zipped half-way over a purple tank top, and long black pants. "Ya sure tha's enough? Cold out hea. Only gonna get colda."

"I'll be fine, Ma," Nokosu said with a smile as she started down the porch steps.

"You be careful, ya hear?" Mae called. Nokosu raised her hand and waved in acknowledgement as she walked away.

People think it's always hot in th' desert, but at night, it can dip below freezin', Nokosu thought. The sky was a deep purple dotted with the whites of distant stars. She giggled to herself. I'll bet Yui an' th' rest of 'em are shiverin' in their beds wonderin' what th' hell's goin' on.

She stretched out her arms as a cool breeze touched her face. When it didn't subside for several moments, she pulled off her left glove and held it out against the wind, smiling. It felt fantastic. She scooped a handful of sand and let it run through her fingers.

She stood up again and looked around. Already she was a good mile away from her house. She started walking again.

She was a good three miles away when it happened. Her right leg lifted in the air, slowed to an agonizing pace and then ground to a halt. Nokosu's eyes widened and she fell to the ground, squeezing her eyes shut against the sand her body kicked up. When it settled down she propped herself up and stared at her leg.

"Dammit!" she howled, slamming her fist against it. All she got was the sound of metal on metal, a resounding clang that broke through the desert silence. She shivered, and somewhere in the distance she heard the howl of coyotes. She flopped back down on her back, fighting the tears. "Dammit…"

Mae was right. It was only a little past midnight and alright it was freezing. She scowled at her right arm as she felt it begin to freeze up, too. The coyotes howled again, this time a little closer, but she didn't worry too much. After all, what was left of her that they could take?

She lay on her back for hours, staring up at the stars. The only thing she could still move now was her left arm. It was starting to frighten her. If her artificial lungs froze, up, too, she could die here. Without the Mokonas she couldn't call for help, either.

She was helpless.

~X~X~

Yui woke up early and got dressed before the sun had even thought about rising. He slipped outside and stood on the porch, stretching. It had been a while since he had been able to run. He used to do it all the time, but he didn't get to many chances on board the Phoenix.

He started out at a sprint but slowed down soon to a casual jog. It was dark out, but the moons and stars shone bright enough that he could see well. After thirty minutes, he was able to make out something laying on the ground ahead of him. At first he thought it was a dead animal, and he started to steer away from it, but then he thought he saw one of its limbs move. It was still alive. Maybe he could help it.

He slowed down to a walk and approached it cautiously. When he was about ten feet away, he noticed to his surprise that it was a person lying on the ground.

"Are you alright?" he called out, stopping. He eyed the form nervously, waiting for a response.

"No," came a girl's voice, and Yui started with surprise. He recognized that voice.

"Nokosu!"

"Hiya."

He scrambled to her side and crouched next to her. "What's wrong? Why are you out here?"

Nokosu smiled thinly, and struggled to prop herself up with just her left arm.

"Is your arm broken?"

For some reason, Nokosu burst out laughing. "Somethin' like that, I guess."

"How does it feel?" he asked, helping her sit up.

"Nothin'. It feels like nothin'. Same thing with my legs. They're broken, too, you could say."

"We've got a problem if you can't feel anything. How far away is the nearest hospital?"

"I don' need a hospital, I need a can o' anti-freeze an' a better mechanic," Nokosu grumbled. She sighed at Yui's puzzled expression and unzipped her jacket, letting it slip down to reveal the metal arm and shoulders underneath. "I ain't all here. In fact, most of me ain't. This arm an' both my legs're machines, an' then some. They froze up is all."

Yui only glanced at her arm, gleaming in the moonlight. He had seen plenty of cyborgs before- in fact, he had guessed about her, from the way she had put her hand on the still-hot barrel of Mae's gun and the sound of her footsteps, but he hadn't wanted to seem rude by assuming.

"Do you have what you need at your house?"

Nokosu nodded, and Yui scooped her into his arms and started back. She was a lot heavier than she looked, but he managed alright.

"You know, Kurogane has a prosthetic arm, too," he said after a few minutes.

"I can tell," said Nokosu. "It chinks up every now an' then, just a bit. Mine runs smoother, but then it gets cold an this happens."

"Maybe you need a new mechanic."

"Nah, I'm just complainin'. Mae does good enough, an' she's free. I'd do it myself, but I don' have the medical know-how."

"I see."

There was silence for a long time. Yui guessed it would be another two hours at least before they got back.

"Thank you," Nokosu said suddenly.

"Well, I couldn't just leave you there."

"That's not what I meant."

"… For what, then?"

"For not starin'," mumbled Nokosu, nuzzling against his chest sleepily. "Everybody stares."

~X~X~

~ I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LACK OF KUROFAI 0.o It had to be done. I'll make up for it next chapter, I promise! *is shot*

I only need three reviews for the next chapter this time, since there was no KuroFai :3 ~