He'd waken, eyes fluttering as the silver haired android would rise from bed, a word always escaping his lips as he'd look to his side looking for a body that should be next to him.

"2b?" he whispers, but as eyes would adjust and he'd look to his left, the bed would be empty once more and the android would lower his head, a low sigh escaping his lips, simply sitting, staring at his lap for an unknown period of time, not moving, simply staring at a spot on his knees as his systems hum at a low level before he'd finally motivate himself to move and rise, a voice inside him asking 'why am I doing this anymore?' even as he'd go through the motions of dawning his boots and jacket. It all felt... trivial. A weight on his shoulders he no longer wanted to deal with.

As the door would slide open, the android would pause as he'd see the silver haired woman before him, she tilting her head to regard him, wind blowing softly, whipping her hair about her face as she'd regard him with concern, she raising her hand as if to touch him before pulling back, her hand closing self consciously.

"9s? Are things alright? You haven't been getting up at a reasonable hour as of late. Do you require maintenance?"

He'd tilt his head, the android looking at the other, who is supposed to be his partner as he'd choose what words to say, to roll them in his mouth. He.. Wanted to tell her things weren't alright. That he wasn't feeling well, but even as he'd move to speak another figure would step forward, arms slipping around 2b's torso, pulling her back as they would pull her into a brief if almost chaste kiss, lips pressed against another before they're regard him with cool if hard eyes.

A2.

"So you finally decided to get your lazy ass out of bed, eh?" she'd say, her voice holding mirth and derision. The android would regard her a moment, his own lips firming into a frown, brows furrowed in anger, as fingers would slowly curl into a fist. Why was she here? Why was she always here?

"Hey, did you want to go exploring that old mall in the ruined city," ask the long haired android, a smile playing on her lips as she'd completely ignore 9s. "Maybe we can find some T shirts to wear or something else," she'd say, glancing towards the male android. He'd notice how a smile would play on 2b's lips, the woman nodding as she'd turn her attention towards the other, the android noticing how her fingers would move to lightly hold the woman's wrist softly, fingers seeming to caress it, 9s feeling forgotten already as he'd take a step backwards away from both.

"That sounds reasonable," the woman would say, turning to regard the male for a moment. "9s. Did.. You want to join us?" she ask, her voice seeming unsure, as if she were afraid of his answer. Maybe because he'd interfere with her lover? He's unsure. "You always wanted to explore the human ruins. So maybe..."

"No," he say sharply, his voice coming out harsher than he meant it to, his thoughts of the other woman souring his mood almost instantly.

"Hey! She was just asking you to join us! You could bare to be a little nicer after what she did for your sorry ass," the long haired woman would snap back, the android turning to regard her with narrowed eyes. Maybe he'd enjoy such an invite, if she wasn't with them. But she was always with them. No. Always with her. Not him.

"No, A2. It's alright," 2b would say quietly, her voice coming almost in a whisper. "If he doesn't want to... then let's leave him be."

Both would remain silent, seeming to stare at each other, unsure of what to do. Like a chasm had opened up between both and they didn't know how to cross it. He couldn't see her eyes because of the visor, but her lips seemed to turn in worry, 9s almost wanting to apologize when the other voice would speak up more sharply, interrupting him... again.

"Come on, let's leave the brat alone," A2 would say, her hand sliding down to grasp 2b's tightly, pulling her along and away towards the stairwell, 2b only staring back once to regard the smaller male for a moment before letting the other pull her away, the android himself lowering his hand as he'd turn it, looking at his open palm, feeling a shudder run through his spine. He'd been reaching for her, but she simply moved away.

Once it was his hand that she'd take and hold of, but that... seemed like so long ago now, he'd think, head bowed as he'd try to ignore the shudders running down his spine and the choked gasping. He'd squeeze his hand into a fist and turn, slamming it into the metal wall of the doorway, the metal of the wall crunching inwards, the metal beginning to bow, another dent added to the multitude that were there. One per each day so it seemed that the wall didn't have any smooth surface near the frame of the door way anymore. He'd consider this, wondering when it was that any semblance of joy had left him?

His hand would slowly open and close as he'd grit his teeth, feeling a bitter tear run down his cheek. No. He knew when. Ever since she'd entered their lives, made him question command, that's when any semblance of happiness left, though he hadn't known it at the time. Since then, the rogue unit has never left them alone. No. She's never left 2b alone. She left him in complete solitude. He'd hold his forehead, shivering, trying to hold back the emotions that wanted to spill forward. He had to ignore them. Ignore them. Emotions are prohibited. Isn't that what she always said? Emotions are prohibited. And it's not like it would do anything to let them take control and pull sway over him. It would be.. Meaningless. Just like anything else in this damnable world.

He'd walk around the tower, heading down the stair well to a floor below, opening the door to a small room two doors to the right, flipping the dim lights on. On the other end she lay on a metal table, silent as when he found her. 2b. The 2b he knew before she was taken away. No, she's from the point where she was taken. Where his entire life was destroyed and ruined.

On his wanderings as the current 2b had slowly drifted from him he'd found her, partly buried beneath rubble, the raw wound open along her chest, black dress faded with the red blood that still showed the injury from where A2 had pierced her chest after she'd been infected with the logic virus.

A2. Hands had curled into fist at the thought, the last time he really knew love from 2b, when she'd glanced back at him, showing him genuine affection, for him and him alone. Before that blade had cut her down and torn away any dream he'd had with her.

Since then he'd hunted her. The one who murdered 2b. Wanting... not revenge. But... to join her. To join 2b. He thought that was what might happen when he felt A2's blade pierce him and he joined the stream to leave his consciousness. But even there... somehow... he still longed for her and he... couldn't find her. Even with the many entities that were in that stream, she was not there. And so, despite being surrounded by multitudes upon multitudes of conscious, the one he longed for to join with most closely... that being was not there. Not there, no matter how long he searched or where, she was not there. The one he held close to his heart.

So it was that when he woke up, when the first thing he saw... was her radiant blue eyes staring back at him, that he thought... maybe he'd finally found happiness. Or at least a semblance of it, even if it was a dream. That he'd found her and they'd never need to part again, even if it was illusion.

Except...

Soon after, he'd see another come into vision, arms wrapping around her, pulling her close, away from him. At the time, he'd been confused, wondering what that meant. But there didn't seem to be a day he could spend alone with 2b. A2 was always near, often pulling 2b away to see something, or speak with her in private, leaving him to his own devices, to his own solitude. It was minutes at first, but as time went on, it became hours, 2b seeming comfortable to leave him alone and wander off with the other unit, hand in hand with her. And that solitude that started as a small pain in his chest that seemed to grow over time so that despite being with her, it felt... like she wasn't there at all. Like it was just someone with 2b's skin and not her at all.

That feeling became so strong that after a time, he started refusing to accompany 2b to any exploration. What was the point? When she'd always be with 'her' and leave him alone? He might as well not bother if she wasn't actually there with him.

So it was that he'd gone exploring in places he shouldn't, places that seemed risky, not worrying about injury... though when he was hurt... 2b seemed to show concern, scolding him, taking his hand in hers, watching over him. It felt like her old self, for a moment... but soon the other would push her way in, taking 2b to the side in private to speak. For minutes and then longer. like a sliver under the skin burying itself under the surface and 2b would start leaving him anew. They didn't even bother to hide their affection for one another. Like it didn't matter.

The first time he'd seen her kissing the other, he'd barely been able to do anything, simply staring in shock, 2b only separating from the other when she'd noticed 9s in the room with them. She'd looked bashful and nervous as if she'd been caught doing something wrong, hands rubbing against one another, but A2 had simply laughed it off and pulled 2b into another kiss, her lips connecting against 2b's, pressing with need and hunger, pulling her deeply into a kiss as she'd hold her in a form that was more intimate and tell 9s to leave the room. It's when he knew that he'd lost her. Somewhere along the way, when he'd been searching, he'd lost her. Lost her to someone else. Why? It wasn't his fault! It wasn't! It...

"2b..." he whispers, walking forward, hand caressing her cheek slowly as he'd regard her still body, a warm tear running down his cheek to land on hers as if it were her own tear.

He'd found her half buried, lips parted, eyes looking up vacantly at the sky. As if she were cut down while still speaking to another. He'd felt angry and lunged at her, hands wrapping and squeezing at her neck, his voice screaming out in an agonized cry. The words coming from it unrecognizable and shrill until somehow he'd calm down and realize what he spoke. What words he said. Why did you leave me?

Why?

It was then that he'd slowly loosen his fingers from around her throat, lowering his head as the tears would flow down his cheeks and he'd accept his loss. That she was gone. The 2b he cared about... who cared about him, was gone.

Even so... he'd remove the dirt and debris from the body, taking time to clean it up and bring it back to the tower where he placed her in this room, taking time to try and repair her body while the 2b he 'knew' wandered off with her lover to do who knew what. He didn't care anymore. She wasn't the 2b he knew.

Why? Why was he doing this? She was gone. And yet... yet it was something that he could not leave. He had no purpose outside this. He'd lost that some time ago. Everything else... it had been meant to be shared with her, not alone. Alone like this...

Slowly he'd lean forward and kiss her lips, part of him wishing she'd wake and return those feelings, but that wouldn't be, he'd think. Her lips were still cold, only a slight spark in them, but for as much as he can get the fuel cells of this body running, having repaired the outer damage, and most of the internal.. that still didn't change the fact that he was missing a crucial component.

A black box. He needed... a black box. Yorha models don't work without one. And despite his searches, he had yet to find one. It didn't help that the other pods had seemed to keep eliminating any yorha models not his own or 2b's. at first he'd been unaware of this extra directive, the directive from the pod units to destroy any trace of yorha model androids so even those who had been taken by the red sisters and deactivated couldn't be found. None. And any of his own models or 2b's... had broken boxes damaged beyond repair. He couldn't bring her back without one, he'd think, hand self consciously running against her cheek.

"2b. I miss you..." he'd whisper, before he'd turn and lean against the table, wondering if there was somewhere else he could search... or if there were any way he could make a black box. But much of that data was outside his reach, leaving him in a similar place as now.

He'd pull his knees up to his chest and lean his forehead against them, body trembling and shuddering. There wasn't anything he could do anymore. His options felt exhausted and he just felt... tired. Tired...

Even though he'd just woken up, his eyes would begin to shut anew as he'd drift back into darkness. It wasn't like there was anything worth keeping himself online for in this reality. There wasn't anyone here for him. He was alone.

"I wasn't meant to know happiness..." he whispers, a tear running down his cheek. "I hate this..."