The deeper they traveled into the forest, the less sure A2 became that this was a good idea.
While A2 did share the same curiosity as her human companion about this supposed peaceful machine village, the concept almost baffling to her, the former YoRHa soldier couldn't help the voice in the back of her head that had built up after years of distrust and rage toward her former enemies, causing a growing sense of unease to build up within her system.
Leah turned to face her, a slight reassuring smile on her lips as she looked at the concerned android, clearly aware of where her companion's mind was wandering, A2 returning it with a small one of her own. No matter what happened, A2 was sure no harm would come to the human girl. She would make sure of it.
Despite the robot pairs head start, A2 and Leah had managed to catch up with them fairly quickly as Pascal seemed to still be struggling with wrangling the agitated little boy into going home. A2 was sure she wouldn't have been able to deal with the little brat as calmly as Pascal was, the taller machine using a soft and tender voice to help placate the child, her hand itching to summon her sword to silence the machines incessant whining once and for all.
Luckily, they wouldn't have to deal with the moody child for much longer as they came upon a series of metal platforms, the robots leaping up onto them and disappearing momentarily from sight, the machines robotic chatter slowly fading but never fully going away. Surely, beyond this barrier, they would find the robot's village.
Leaping upon the first platform with a single bound, the silver-haired android landing with practiced style and grace, A2 knelt down to offer her human companion a lift up. Grabbing ahold of the offered hand, A2 hoisted Leah up with ease, the human girl weighing next to nothing to the former YoRHa soldier. Losing her balance upon landing on the platform, Leah fell into the waiting arms of her silver-haired companion with a startled 'eep', A2 pulling the brown-haired girl into her body protectively.
"You android's and your strength." Leah giggled merrily into A2's chest before gently pulling away from her protective embrace, a light dusting of red on her cheeks as she punched the taller android playfully on the shoulder, the former soldier barely registering the impact. "Bunch of showoffs."
"I'll boost you up this time if you prefer." Placing her back against the wall, A2 bent her knees sightly and interlaced her fingers, prepared to help the girl up to the final platform. Gulping nervously, the human girl started to shake out her limbs, A2 quirking her eyebrows curiously at Leah's strange behavior.
"Ok, I'm ready." Nodding affirmatively, A2 braced herself as the time-traveling human placed her foot onto her interlaced hands, Leah adjusting her footing before giving the silver-haired android the go-ahead. Dialing back her strength a bit, the combat android boosted her human companion up onto the top platform, Leah letting out a startled yelp that was followed shortly after by the dull thud of her less than graceful landing.
Quickly following after her, A2 merely grabbed onto the ledge and pulled herself up in one fluid motion, landing safely on her feet at the top, only to find Leah sprawled out on the ground, an angry pout directed at the silver-haired woman. A2 couldn't contain the small giggle that escaped her chest at the brown-haired girl's comical appearance, Leah's less than intimidating glare only adding to the android's growing amusement.
"You're lucky I can't throw you around," Leah grumbled angrily as she got into a seated position, rubbing the back of her head to help alleviate the pain her rough landing caused, "because I...would..."
Trailing off, Leah's mouth fell open as her eyes widened, the combat android worried something may have happened. Turning around, A2's steel-blue eyes looked upon what had rendered the human girl speechless.
Crudely constructed huts and platforms were built into the side of a colossal tree, the village shaded by its outstretched canopy of leaves, several levels having been built to accommodate the surprisingly large amount of robots milling about the area, their green eyes signifying a lack of hostile intent.
A large makeshift courtyard was created at the base of the tree, several larger robots having made it their chosen hang-out spot, the less than secure structures built around the tree surely unable to support their increased weight. This did not stop them from having fun, as a cobbled-together robot chased one of the aerial machines across the courtyard, making sure to keep an eye on it's smaller brethren to avoid crushing them beneath its feet.
While certainly strange and unusual, it truly did exude the feeling of peace and harmony that Pascal had promised.
"Wow." Crossing a crudely constructed rope bridge, the pair cautiously entered the robot's village, Leah's eyes shining wide with wonder and awe as she soaked in the incredible view before her. "This is amazing. It's like a giant treehouse."
"Treehouse?" Turning to her human companion curiously, A2's question would remain unanswered for the moment as the instant they entered the village proper the pair were accosted by a large group of inquisitive robots, their green eyes staring up at the two women with rapt fascination.
"Who are you?"
"Where did you come from?"
"What kind of clothes are those?"
"Why aren't you wearing clothes?"
"Play with us!"
"I like your hair! It's pretty!"
A cacophony of childlike questions and exclamation assaulted the former YoRHa soldiers ears, piercing her mind like tiny incessant knives of annoyance. A dark scowl crossed the combat android's face, the childish machines voice's grating on her nerves causing A2 to tap her foot in agitation.
Leah, meanwhile, had a broad grin on her face as she knelt down to the robot's level, her emerald eyes sparkling with amusement as she pet them kindly on the head, the kids cheering excitedly at the human girl's attention. This only made A2 frown harder, her hand subconsciously running across the top of her own head, remembering the time Leah had done the same for her.
"Alright, alright children. Please give our new guests some space." Pushing through the throng of children, Pascal gently guided the human girl to a little spot off to the side, the shorter robots letting out a collective whine as they lost their new source of entertainment.
"I apologize. The children get excited quite easily." Crossing her arms hotly, A2 merely stared the village leader down, clearly unimpressed with her first impressions of Pascal's village.
"It's quite alright, Pascal. They are really cute." Leah, on the other hand, was ecstatic, her whole body practically brimming with excitement, a face splitting smile spread across her lips as she playfully waved at the crowd of kids behind them, a raucous cheer ringing out from the huddled mass of machines at being acknowledged once again.
"You are too kind. I'm sure they would be excited to play with you both," A2 huffed indignantly at that, not planning on getting anywhere close to the children, "but I was hoping to speak to both of you before that."
"About what?" A2 scanned the village leader suspiciously, her stance taking on a more threatening demeanor, clearly still wary about this whole thing. The combat android was prepared to get Leah to safety at a moment's notice should she spot any signs of hostility.
"I understand your suspicion of us. The war between androids and machines has been going on for much too long, leaving many scars and bad blood between us." Pascal's tinny voice sounded almost tired, like some world-weary traveler who had seen too much strife in their time.
"That's why I've been trying to form alliances with as many androids as possible. I have hope that if we band together we can convince more machines to disconnect from the network and live in peace, free from war."
A2 couldn't help but scoff at the robot's idealistic sentiment, her past proving peace is just not possible. Too many have died on both sides to ever forgive each other. Hate is a strong emotion, one even A2 herself has only recently been able to put behind her. But the silver-haired android couldn't ask Leah to be everyone's savior like she has been to her and the rest of the android they had met in the last couple of days. Such a burden shouldn't be placed on one single person.
"I am ashamed to admit that is partially the reason I invited you here." The combat android rolled her eyes at his revelation. Nothing ever came without a price. "I was hoping to form an alliance, a partnership, with YoRHa. I feel it would be-"
"We are NOT a part of YoRHa!" A2 spat venomously at the startled robot, her steel-blue eyes burning with indignant rage, her fist clenched angrily as she gnashed her teeth in aggravation. "I will never be a part of that traitorous organization! Not anymore!"
"A2." A gentle hand on the silver-haired android's back calmed the rising rage within her, her body relaxing slightly as Leah put a comforting arm around her shoulder, the human girl giving her a sympathetic look. "It's ok. You're ok."
Pascal's green optics flickered between the pair quizzically, the tender gesture by the brown-haired girl catching the village leaders' attention immediately. While not unheard of, androids, especially ones associated with YoRHa(former or otherwise), were known to keep emotions to a minimum, some even forbidden to express them at all.
And this wasn't your typical type of android emotion either, the more stilted and unsure expressions of feelings androids would project was completely absent. It was curious, indeed.
"Sorry." Bowing her head slightly, A2 begrudgingly apologized to the tall robot, something she never really believed she'd do. Leah has really affected her in a multitude of ways and the silver-haired android couldn't really say that it was in a bad way. "If nothing else, I will help you out as best as I can."
Spotting Leah's smiling face in the corner of her eye, emerald eyes shining with pride, A2 felt the soft palm of the human girl slip into her hand and give it an affectionate squeeze. Such simple gestures are what A2 appreciated the most about Leah, little reinforcements to remind her that she was there and that she cared made all the difference in the world to the once solitary android.
"You're human, " Pascal's voice echoed through the androids head like a warning siren, her system screaming out danger as she turned toward the village leader in shock, "aren't you?"
"Um, yes." With an almost embarrassed tone, Leah answered the robot's question without hesitation, failing to notice the alarmed expression on her android companion's face.
Before anyone else could say anything about the brown-haired girl's casual revelation, the conversing trio was distracted by a loud thumping sound reverberating behind them, tinny shrieks and hollers of excitement mixed in with the pounding of several metallic feet upon the cobbled-together platform.
A large group of the smaller machines surrounded the startled human girl, their tiny claws lifted excitedly in the air as a resounding chorus of 'Human!' bleated out of their rotund heads. Their rough hands poked and prodded at Leah's soft skin, small winces of pain screwing up the brown-haired girl's face, the children unaware of how fragile a human truly was.
A2's sword materialized into her hand in an instant, her internal system screaming at her to eliminate the threats upon the human girl's life, to get her to safety at any cost. Taking a menacing step forward, her body primed for combat, the former YoRHa soldier was stopped in her tracks by the desperate plea of the village leader, Pascal stepping protectively between her and the mob of children encircling Leah.
"Please stop! They mean no harm." A2 was prepared to cut down Pascal right then and there, her programming demanding she eliminate the obstacle standing between her and Leah, but the combat android stayed her hand, reminding herself of what she had learned during her time with the human girl. She was not merely a tool for war.
Lowering her weapon, A2 took in a deep breath to help calm herself down, letting her sword slowly disappear back into her NFCS storage. She couldn't keep falling back to her rage-induced ways at every unexpected event that pops up before her. For Leah, A2 had to be better.
"Are you really human?"
"Uhh yes, I am." This question was definitely the most prevalent one amongst the robot children, so the flustered human girl decided to start off with what she assumed will be quite a lengthy line of questioning from the excited mob of machines.
"Wooow! How old are you then!? You must be ancient!"
"I'm only 23." Huffing indignantly, Leah was not pleased with where these kids' questions were heading. Sighing heavily, the human girl had to remind herself that they were just children, machine children specifically and that they had never even seen a human before, considering she was possibly the last one existing on earth.
"Your body is so squishy! Is it made of mud?"
Leah's mouth hung open dumbfounded for a couple of seconds at the odd question, clearly having not expected something like that. This was going to be much more complicated than she thought.
"Umm, no I'm not made of mud. Human's have skin with muscles underneath that are not as hard as your little metallic bodies." Playfully rapping her knuckles on the child's head, small thumps bouncing off of its hard surface, its synthesized voice giggling with glee at the human's attention.
"Why do you look like androids?" Leah cast a quick glance toward the silver-haired android, A2's interest apparently piqued at the little robot's inquiry, obviously interested in the answer herself.
"Well, I'm not 100% sure about this, but I believe humans created androids in their image to help build a stronger emotional connection toward them." Looking into A2's gray-blue eyes, wide and shining with wonder, Leah shot her an affectionate smile. "I personally believe it was so that androids could one day become their own people."
A hushed silence fell upon the crowd, the seriousness of her response curbing the previous enthusiasm of the rowdy children. Embarrassment flooded Leah's body at the awkward silence that had befallen the crowd, afraid she may have ruined the children's mood. It definitely had nothing to do with the lovely smile that A2 was currently sending her way. Not at all.
"Will you play with us?"
"Yes! Play, play!"
"Play with us!"
"Play!"
Glad that she hadn't ruined the mood after all, Leah could only smile cheerfully at how cute the little machine kids were. In many ways, they weren't much different from human ones. Insatiably curious and obsessed with fun and play.
"Yes, let's go play!" Raising her fist high in the air, the kids cheering loudly in response, Leah could feel their metallic claws clamp onto her new clothes, pulling her eagerly toward a solitary ladder that led to the wide courtyard below.
"I'll be back soon." Yelling over her shoulder, Leah gave her android companion a quick wave before sliding down the ladder and into the courtyard below, A2 merely shaking her head in amusement.
"Hide and seek! Hide and seek!"
A2 settled herself down into a seated position, her feet dangling lazily over the edge of the platform, to watch over Leah as she indulged the kids in their little games. Though A2 could tell from the smile on the brown-haired girl's face that she was enjoying it just as much as the children were.
Seeing the carefree smile on Leah's face as she turned her back to the children, her hands playfully covering her eyes as she counted down from 20, brought an immense amount of joy to the former YoRHa soldier. The time-traveling human has had a rough time since her awakening, having to contend with a new world that was so different than her own, all while having to fear for her life pretty much at all times.
A2 hoped the world would be much kinder to Leah from now on.
Soft clinks and the rattling of gears signaled the village leaders approach, Pascal standing next to her seated form, his green eyes surveying the grounds below, the taller robot practically humming with joy at the delightful sight before him.
"How did you find…her?" The village leader hesitated slightly before finishing his question, A2 recognizing that they had never shared their names with Pascal.
"Her name is Leah." Pascal hummed thoughtfully, quietly repeating the name to himself, his green eyes returning to the playing children below, Leah finally finishing her countdown and turning around with a loud cheer of 'Ready or not, here I come!'. "I'm A2."
"I stumbled upon an abandoned elevator within the forest that led to an abandoned science lab built deep, deep underground." Leah looked down at the robot right in front of her as A2 began recounting how she first found the last surviving human, the child having forgotten to go hide during the countdown. This did not diminish it's enjoyment as it raised its hands in excitement at having been found.
"The forest? The one with all the feral robots believing to be some kind of knights?" Nodding her head at the apt description of the manic machines that roam those woods, A2 continued on with her story as Leah ran into the next badly hidden child who had placed itself behind a tree that was much too thin to obscure its body from view.
"The humans had set up a series of cryogenic chambers to preserve their bodies so that they could be woken up years later….all of them had died. All except for Leah." A2 black box clenched painfully in her chest as she remembered all those humans who had died, their faces of death seared forever into her mind.
"How…how long was she asleep?"
"Over 9000 years." A sharp gasp rang out from Pascal's mouth, his hand raised to his head in shock as he stared in disbelief at the last-surviving human below, Leah having amassed a long line of robot children that she had found, all of them merrily following along with the brown-haired girl as she finds the final hiding spot.
"It's a miracle. Surviving so long in a machine designed only to last a couple of decades at most. And yet here she is, alive and well. She survived such incredible odds to be here."
A2 found herself silently agreeing with the village leaders' words as the game below switched to a round of Tag, the human girl having to go extra slow to make sure she didn't catch up too quickly to the kids with their short, stubby legs. Leah truly was a miracle. Her compassion and kindness, mixed with her resolute nature and surprising tenacity, was something this cruel world sorely needed. A2 knows she did.
"Pick me up! Pick me up!" Bending down, placing her hands around a child with its arms raised expectantly in the air, Leah tried to lift up the excited robot, her whole body straining to pick it up off of the ground. Face turning red, her arms shaking under the strain of trying to lift such an immense weight, Leah collapsed dramatically onto the ground in failure, the child cheering happily despite the human's failure to move it a single inch.
"She seems so…fragile." Pascal's wistful voice pulled A2's gaze away from the amusing scene below, her eyebrows quirked in question at the village leaders' odd exclamation. "And yet she seems to have some kind of inner strength that is truly inspiring."
Pascal's words were something A2 had thought about many times since meeting the last-surviving human. Humans did not possess the same skills or enhancements that both androids and machines had, their lives could be snuffed out in an instant and there would be no data backup for them to use t download into a new body. Once a human's life ends, there is no coming back. As much as it pained A2 to admit it, one day, it will happen to Leah too.
And yet, she soldiers on. Leah knows the risks this new world poses for her, especially her, but she refuses to hide away, braving the world with a smile on her face. Despite all the pain she has felt, the tears she has cried, in such a short amount of time, she has found the strength to care for others that are not even a part of her race, ones that had been created solely to serve. She saw them as friends, equals.
"Her heart is the most amazing thing." A2 said softly, the words escaping her lips at barely above a whisper as she stared affectionately at the human girl who was currently helping a robot tie the blue bow on top of her head, smiling gently as the machine thanked her profusely for helping her look pretty. Unknown to her, the combat android's words had been heard by the village leader, Pascal staring intently at the silver-haired woman.
"If I may," Turning again toward the tall robot, A2 gesturing for him to go on, "please keep Leah safe. I don't want to see such a wonderful person taken from this world. I feel so much regret that my ancestors eradicated the human race such a long time ago. We lost something truly special when we did that."
"I decided to do that a long time ago." A2 replied simply, yet truthfully, her voice strong with conviction as she stared resolutely into Pascal's green optics. Turning his body fully toward the seated android, Pascal stared at her, seemingly mulling something over in his mind.
"You truly care a lot about Leah, don't you?" If his words shocked the silver-haired android, she did not show it, her face remaining passive as she returned to watching the human girl's playful exploits with the children, not deigning the village leader with a response.
A flying unit, its lower body comprised of a hovering mechanism, offered the brown-haired girl a ride on him, Leah nervously accepting the offer. Climbing onto his back with shaky feet, Leah clenching tightly onto its upper torso, the pair slowly lifted into the air, the drone robot circling lazily around the courtyard at a safe height.
Straightening herself a bit more on its back, Leah watched the ground move by slowly below her, her green eyes sparkling in excitement as she took in the surroundings from her newly elevated vantage point. Joyful laughter, full of life and merriment, echoed through the village, the human's happiness infecting everyone with good cheer.
A large smile spread on the usually stoic android's face, her whole body relaxed and devoid of any tension and worry. A2 was fully and completely content as she soaked in Leah's ecstatic laughter, completely unaware of the robot watching the combat android intently.
'Is she experiencing what the humans called love?'
"Leah!" Pascal had no chance to ask his next question as A2 called out to the airborne human, a wide, tooth-filled smile covering the former YoRHa soldier's face as the human turned to grace her with one just as big. "We should probably go!"
"Don't go!"
"I'm sorry! I really would like to keep playing, but I have to go." A round of disappointed cries rolled through the gathered mass of robot children as they begged Leah not to go, their rotund heads lowered in sadness.
"Don't worry. We'll definitively be back." Patting them gently on the head, Leah knelt down to their level, inviting them all into a hug, one they enthusiastically accepted without hesitation.
A2 stood patiently at the village entrance with Pascal, the pair watching the farewell with varying degrees of amusement, the village leader glad to see the children so happy while the silver-haired android felt the same for the last-surviving human.
"Cherish her, A2." Pascal voiced one last request to the combat android, neither of them looking away from the sight of the brown-haired girl being encircled by the mob of robot children, A2 simply nodding in response.
"Ok, let's go." Running up to the waiting android, Leah turned toward the taller robot with a bright smile. " Thank you for inviting us, Pascal. Let's talk some more next time."
"I would enjoy that very much. You both are always welcome." Waving one final time at the group of children, the pair made their way out of the village, Leah occasionally turning back to wave a couple more times at Pascal and his flock before they were completely out of sight.
"I had fun." Leah said as she dropped off of the ledge into A2's arms, the silver-haired android catching her with ease before placing her back on her feet. "It's amazing how different machines can be, y'know, when they aren't trying to kill you."
"They aren't so bad." A2 remarked nonchalantly, her response garnering a large smile from the brown-haired girl as they followed the now-familiar path out of the forest, their earlier footprints still visible in the dirt.
Seeing the light of the sun shining brightly between the foliage at the forest edge, the pair knew they were almost out of the woods, Leah adjusting the pack of clothes on her back for the millionth time, the human girl thinking she may have grabbed a couple outfits too many.
Passing through the treeline, A2 and Leah stopped suddenly in their tracks as they saw the unexpected sight of their YoRHa companions, 2B and 9S approaching the pair with hurried steps.
Approaching the stationary pair, her shoulders squared and body poised into a hostile stance, 2B angrily ripped the blindfold off of her face, her blue eyes glaring fiercely into A2's steel-blue gaze.
A/N: Things are serious when 2B takes her blindfold off.
A little fun and relaxation for the pair this time as they get to know some of the nicer machines in the world. Leah gets to finally have a moment to just enjoy herself while A2's feelings for the human become a bit more apparent that even a robot could notice them.
Also, as of posting this on May the 29th, it is my birthday! I was hoping to get this done in time for that because it would be neat to have a chapter posted on my birthday so I'm glad I succeeded!
Thank you all so much for your continued support of this story! I never tire of writing about these characters and I hope you can gather some enjoyment from this little thing I've created. Take care of each other and I love you all!