"Umm, do you all hear that?"
After their fruitless trek into the forest, the lack of a true leader and their stubborn desire to protect his infant form from 'outsiders' by any cost, left the machines completely incapable of having any kind of rational discussion with the androids. This left them no choice but to leave the forest, their plan for a possible truce sadly deemed impossible, the group traversing through the abandoned mall with nary a word spoken between them.
All the androids wanted to do now was to get to safety, mostly for Leah's sake, though they refrained from saying this specific feeling out loud. The androids chose to instead believe in the human's ability to take care of herself.
As soon as the curious group of one human and her three android companions crossed the rickety bridge, Leah desperately clinging on to A2's arm the whole way once again, not that the android minded, they could make out the faint sounds of…music? And it was getting closer at an alarming rate.
Stepping protectively in front of the brown-haired girl, sword appearing in her hand with a gentle glow, A2 scanned the field and narrow alleyways for the possible source of the strange music. Machines have been known to adopt characteristics and technology from humans, so the chance of one of them having learned about music was extremely high. And whoever they were, they were very fast.
"Wait? Doesn't that voice sound familiar?" 9S turned to his partner with a quizzical expression, 2B nodding in agreement as she began scanning the horizon, the pair clearly aware of something that A2 and Leah weren't.
"You know what this is?" Whirling around to glare at the YoRHa androids, clearly annoyed with their constant secrecy, A2 was too distracted to notice the sudden sound of wheels screeching around the corner as it headed directly toward her.
"A2! Watch out!" Whipping her head around at Leah's scream, steel-blue eyes wide with shock, A2 barely had time to roll out of the way before a strange vehicle zipped past right where she had been standing mere moments ago, the speed at which it was going would surely have left her severely injured. Summoning her sword, the combat android was preparing to launch a counter-attack on her unknown foe when she felt a strong arm holding her back.
Turning her head with an incensed glower, her teeth gnashing angrily at her female counterpart, A2 was ready to give the short-haired woman a piece of her mind, but the exasperated, and frankly exhausted, look on her face gave her pause.
"Pod, open fire." Sighing heavily, 2B casually ordered her Pod to shoot at their mystery foe, the floating machine obediently obeying her command as it opened fire with a rain of bullets upon the singing vehicle. As if it had done this before, the projectiles hit their target with perfect aim, the sudden impact, mixed with its speedy movement, causing the vehicle to fly into the air in a large arc.
"Woaaaaaaahh!" With a surprised yell, the vehicle toppled end over end before landing upright back on the ground, the strange song having come to a stop, replaced simply with the soft humming of its engine. Wait? Why did it yell?
Letting her sword dissipate in a sparkle of lights, A2 stared at this weird, for a lack of a better word, 'thing' in confusion, simply baffled by its odd appearance and behavior. The outer hull closely resembled one of the cars humans used to travel around in, A2 having seen many broken down shells of these vehicles strewn throughout the city, though never quite in this odd a shape and size. The back trunk was stuffed to the brim with various relics from the past, as well as some useless items like steel beams and pipes, many of which the combat android could not begin to guess what it was using them for or what their function could be. How they didn't all go flying while it was airborne she couldn't even begin to fathom,
The strangest thing about it, if that was even possible, was the spherical 'head' lodged in the front, a creepy toothful smile spread on its face as two blank eyes stared unblinking at the assembled group. Though, A2 had to admit the scarf wrapped around it's 'neck' was an odd choice in its own right. Why would a sentient vehicle feel cold?
"A2! Are you ok?!" Feeling a tug on her arm, A2 turned to stare into the concerned green eyes of her human companion, Leah worriedly scanning the android's body for any possible injuries. Smiling at the brown-haired girl's concern, the simple gesture causing her black box to flutter once more, A2 lightly placed her palm upon Leah's head before lightly ruffling the girl's hair until it was a frenzied mess.
A2 remembered hearing back on the bunker how humans would do this to show affection to people, especially shorter ones, they cared about, though the slight pout on Leah's face had her worried she may have done something wrong.
"Ack!" Moving out of A2's reach, Leah's fingers frantically running through her hair as she tried to fix the mess the android had made of it, her lips down-turned into an annoyed frown. "Who told you that I hated that!?"
Feeling a slight panic form in her chest, the former YoRHa soldier was ready to apologize to the brown-haired girl as she timidly placed her hand back at her side, but the smile on the human girl's face gave her pause. While the human girl was sending her a pointed glare, Leah's emerald orbs sparkled with nothing but amusement and joy, the corner of her lips trembling slightly as she tried to keep herself from smiling.
'Oh, she's only pretending.' Grinning in amusement, the combat android lightly shook her head as soft giggles from the human girl graced her ears, A2's anger slowly fading away as she pulled the brown-haired girl into her side for a half hug, her arm draped over Leah's shoulder in a comradely fashion. A2 completely failed to notice the slight blush on Leah's cheeks.
"Ah! The androids!" A2 and Leah were pulled from their little game by the sudden appearance of a new voice, one that sounded an awful lot like a young boy's, coming from the crashed vehicle with the strange head. "It looks like you've made some new friends since we last saw each other."
Walking over to stand in front of the vehicle, person, A2 and Leah stood next to their YoRHa partners, the two of them seemingly familiar with this person. As the two of them came into eyesight of the smiling orb, Leah let out a shocked gasp as it suddenly turned to look at them, it's blank eyes staring directly at the newcomers.
"It's a pleasure to meet both of you. My name is Emil." Rotating in its socket in a crude imitation of a nod, the creature named Emil greeted them with a joyful, exuberant voice, one belying his somewhat creepy features. "I didn't know 2B and 9S had any other friends."
"We only met them a week or so ago. This is A2." Pointing to the taller woman, A2's hard glare pointed at the creature that had almost run her over, 9S then moved it to the brown-haired girl at her side. "And this is Leah."
"Oh my, a human. It's been a long time since I've seen one."
All four of them stood in shock at Emil's simple declaration, each one of them rendered speechless, though each for a different reason. 2B was wondering how easily he had deduced what she was while 9S was hung up on the fact that he had seen any at all. A2 was wondering just how old he must be to have met a human while Leah silently hoped that this meant there might be other survivors such as herself.
"Y-you've met some?" Leah asked tentatively, almost fearfully, the human girl trying her best not to get her hopes up too much. Hope is a dangerous thing, one that can cause you to fall just as far down as it can lift you up.
"No." Deflating at his simple answer, Leah had to swallow down the pained sob that wanted to tear from her throat as a quiet, mournful shiver ran through her body. She guessed she had to keep being the last of her kind, a stranger in this world, with all the burden that entailed. "Well, not really. I think."
"What does that mean?" 2B huffed angrily as she crossed her arms over her chest, her angry scowl easily felt even through her blindfold, clearly annoyed with the disembodied heads cryptic answers. The Type-B android had enough of raving lunatics for the day.
"I don't think the people I knew were technically human, though they seemed very close to it." Emil's voice took on a strained, almost pained tone as he spoke as if the act of remembering was physically causing him harm. 9S was prepared to ask a follow-up question when he was suddenly distracted by Leah standing next to Emil's loaded cart, her emerald eyes staring at the pile of junk in wonder.
"Wow, look at all this stuff." The three androids and Emil, as best he could, turned to face the curious human, Leah having boosted herself up onto the back tire to get a better look at the vast collection of goods. "This is all stuff from around my time. A TV, some teddy bears. You even have a Jukebox!"
Everyone could feel the excited energy that started radiating off of 9S in waves, arms swinging nervously back and forth, his whole body vibrating as his love for new knowledge started to overflow. Rushing to Leah's side, practically throwing himself onto the edge of the trunk, 9S pressed his face uncomfortably close to Leah's as a mile wide grin spread on his lips.
"You know what this stuff is and what it was used for?" Nodding dumbly at the male android, the human girl leaning as far away from him as the limited space afforded her, Leah was immediately bombarded by a series of questions from the naturally curious scanner model, 9S pointing at each item with unrestrained glee and lust for knowledge.
"You have some great friends." Tearing their gaze away from the poor girls suffering, 9S's insane questioning and Leah's flustered answers fading to the background, the two combat model androids brought their attention back to the spherical boy. Despite his unchanging facial expression, A2 could still sense the nostalgic yearning and pained loss in his voice, something she was all too familiar with.
"I wouldn't assume you'd want to join me in a little expedition, would you?" Emil asked tentatively, his voice unsure yet hopeful, the silver-haired women regarding him with questioning stares. One harsher than the other, A2 still not 100% convinced this strange being was trustworthy. She was going to defer this to 2B as the battle android was more familiar with him.
"What do you mean?" Cautious, yet not a direct rejection, the perfect YoRHa response A2 noted with a slight bitterness, the lingering hatred for her past life still sitting in the deep recesses of her system.
She couldn't fault 2B for it, the battle android a slave to her programming as much as she had once been. A2 had to admit though that the short-haired woman had proven to be much more caring and flexible than what she remembered YoRHa soldiers to be during her time. If that was Leah's influence, or something else, A2 couldn't tell.
"I heard there is a beautiful flower in the shopping mall. Something about it has me intrigued. Like I'm being drawn there."
'A fool's errand.' A2 thought bitterly, a simple task that could be performed on his own and yet he was hoping to drag them along with him in some bid for companionship. Usually, the long-haired woman would just leave and not entertain this request one second longer. But something in his voice, the underlying hints of longing, reminded her too much of herself. When she was still seeking a reason to live, to make sense of why she was the one who survived, to have memories that would not cause her to scream out in rage and despair.
Before she had found Leah.
"I believe we should go with him." A2 said with the barest hint of a smile tugging on her lips, before turning to her combat brethren, 2B giving her a nod of agreement. She had clearly been planning on agreeing to his request from the beginning. Despite her tough outer shell, 2B liked to help people.
"I think so too." Leah's voice drifted into the conversation as she and 9S returned to their side, the human girl giving A2 a soft smile before turning to Emil, giving his vehicular body a couple of gentle pats. "I'd like to see this flower for myself. It must be very beautiful."
"Thank you so much! All of you!" The whole group couldn't help but smile happily at Emil's joyous cry, his wheels spinning excitedly in the dirt as he turned to face the shopping mall entrance. "Let's go!"
Puttering off at a steady pace, making sure to not speed off without his new friends, Emil lead the way toward the mall, the quartet quickly following after him. Stopping short, face drained of all color, Leah shakily grabbed a hold of A2's wrist, the former YoRHa soldier giving her a worried stare.
"Does that mean we have to cross the bridge again?"
After another harrowing crossing of the bridge, the added weight of Emil's body straining the ancient bridge like never before, the human and her android friends entered the ruined remains of the mall once more. A2 was pretty sure by this point that Leah's repeated death grip on her hand must have done some internal damage to it. The human girl really was terrified of that bridge.
"Do you know what it's supposed to look like?" 9S asked the spherical-headed boy as he scanned the various nooks and corners of the crumbled interior, keeping an eye out for this supposed fabled flower. If it was beautiful enough to circulate within Emil's unknown network, which 9S was beginning to wonder who they were, it must stand out amongst the multitude of flora littered throughout the city.
"I don't, sorry. But I'm sure we'd be able to tell once we saw it." Emil responded with cheery optimism, the light hum of his engine echoing through the abandoned building as he expertly traversed the cracks and overgrown vines covering the ground.
As the boys continued their talk, the three women in the group were busy looking for any flower that could possibly be the one Emil was looking for, searching for anything that made them stick out amongst the lush vegetation growing all over the mall. Huffing in annoyance, A2 ducked underneath a loose-hanging tree branch, her long, flowing hair momentarily getting snagged in the offending piece of wood.
Pulling at the loose strands caught in the branches grip, A2 had to wonder if agreeing had been a good idea after all, the combat android already annoyed by this quest for a supposed magical flower. She couldn't really blame anyone but herself for her current predicament though, A2 having agreed to Emil's request just as readily as everyone else. It was something in his voice, the sad longing, that just pushed uncomfortably at a feeling deep inside her chest. One of shared pain.
Shaking out her hair, her fingers roughly running between the long, silvery strands, the former YoRHa soldier noticed a strange glow out of the corner of her eye, a luminescent white light emitting from between the sea of green. Curiosity peaked, the combat android slowly walked toward the strange light, turning around a rather large root to find a truly gorgeous sight.
A single flower, it's petals sprung open in full bloom, sat nestled in between a series of leaves and vines. A brilliant light shone off of its white petals, the soft glow reminding A2 of the moon, surrounded by the endless darkness of space, the combat android remembering staring at it in fascinated wonder during her time in the bunker. Was this the flower Emil was looking for?
"I think I found it!" Calling out to her companions, her voice carrying loudly through the abandoned building, a series of footsteps, and one pair of wheels, converging to her point letting her know they heard her.
"Oh, wow." A soft, breathy exhale behind her as well as a soft hand placed on her arm, let A2 know that Leah had made it there first, the android turning to look at her human companion who was currently staring at the luminescent flower in awe. The Type-A android could only stare at the brown-haired girl's eyes with captivated wonder, the light from the flower causing her emerald orbs to shine brilliantly within the shade of the looming tree above.
"What kind of flower do you think it is?" Pulled out of her trance, A2 quickly looked away from the captivating sight as Leah turned to look at her, a strange sense of embarrassment coursing through her system at being caught staring. Why would that be a bad thing? Leah is a very beautiful girl after all, but something just now was different. It was as if A2 couldn't physically look away at that moment, some unknown force keeping her gaze locked on the time-traveling human. A2 was worried her programming was finally failing her.
"That is a Lunar Tear." Pod 153's voice floated over behind them, the rest of the group following behind shortly as they all crowded around the magnificent flower, entranced by its beauty. They all stood there for several seconds, none of them saying a word, simply admiring the beautiful specimen before them.
"So this flower is called a Lunar Tear…." Emil was the first to break the tranquil silence that hovered over the group, all of them turning to stare at their newest companion, a look of concern blanketing their faces at the barely restrained pain in his voice.
"Seeing this dredges up all kinds of memories. Some of them are a bit strange honestly. Like the one where I'm being attacked by a boar over and over again? Or another where I keep trying out new parts every time my body is damaged…"
All of them stared at the spherical head in confusion, the memories he was recalling seeming awfully strange and not really good ones at all. Something about the repairing damaged body parts resonated strongly with the trio of androids though, recalling their own time within the medical bay after an especially harsh battle and all the pain that came with it.
"Something about this flower fills me with an emotion I don't really understand. It's like something is pushing down on my chest really hard…"
Placing her hand upon her own chest, A2 could clearly feel the pain he was describing with horrible clarity, having felt it herself for the last three years. The crushing sense of loneliness and regret, that threatened to swallow you whole.
"Do you mind if I ask you a favor? If you find Lunar Tears growing anywhere else, would you let me know? I want to know what this feeling as all about."
"Of course we will." Leah was the first to speak, her voice thick with emotion but the conviction behind her words was still strong, her emerald eyes shining with compassion for the boy. The androids all gave him an affirmative nod, wanting to help out their new friend with his quest.
"Aw, thanks!" Backing up slightly, a joyous lilt in his voice, Emil slowly maneuvered his way around the crawling roots and debris. "You can contact me on this frequency when you find one. I'll get there as quickly as possible! I'll see you later!"
And with that, he was gone, his car zipping off into the distance, the distinct sound of tires squealing and his strange jingle fading off into the distance. This left the original foursome on their own, unsure of what they should do next, a strange heaviness hanging over the group after Emil's emotional response to seeing the Lunar Tear.
"We should go look for them, right? I don't think I can leave Emil feeling like that. He sounded so…so sad." Leah looked toward where Emil had disappeared to, her emerald eyes shining with worry and sorrow for the poor boy, desperately wanting to help him any way she could. No one should be alone like that.
Stepping up to her side, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, A2 gave the brown-haired girl a reassuring smile, the combat android reminded once again at just how wonderful and caring Leah truly was. It was things like this that had endeared her so to the androids, her unflinching want to help others, even ones she barely met, like her and Emil, and ones that had once been her enemies, like 2B and 9S.
"9S. Can you scan the area for any more Lunar Tears? I'm sure 21O can assist you if need be." Nodding at his partner's suggestion, 9S quickly turned to his Pod, a familiar screen popping up as he contacted YoRHa command. After a couple of seconds of silence, a veiled android appeared on the screen, one closely resembling the one 2B had called before, only her hair was straight while 6O had hers in braids.
"Yes, what is the point of this unannounced transmission?" A gruff, annoyed voice was the first thing that greeted them, the Operator model's green eyes narrowed into angry slits as she glared through her screen at her assigned soldier. Clearly, she had to deal with 9S quite often and was not a fan of it.
"Hi, 21O! We need some help in locating a specific flower. We are going to need a scan of the nearby area for any Luna Tears you can find." Smiling brightly at his operator, completely oblivious, or choosing to ignore it, the woman's clear exasperation with him, 9S gave his request with a chipper tone that caused 2B to facepalm at her partner's idiotic nature.
"...Contacting command for such a frivolous reason is highly frowned upon. What do you need this for?"
"We are hoping to help out a new potential ally with his request, which is to locate these particular flowers." A pregnant silence was all that followed his words, 21O harsh glare never wavering as she stared unblinking at 9S, not showing any indication that she was going to help them with their request.
"Leah, you know, the human, was hoping to help him too. It would be a shame to deny her, wouldn't it?"
Stepping to the side, 9S gestured to the human girl with a smug grin on his face, a low growl rumbling through A2 throat as Leah stood in shock at being put on the spot so suddenly, her hand rising up meekly to give the operator model a small wave. The combat android was pissed off that he would use Leah like that.
"T-the human?" Eyes wide with surprise, 21O looked at the brown-haired girl with something other than pure contempt, her hand raised up to her cheek as she let out a small squeak that caused everyone to raise their eyebrows curiously. Where had that come from?
"Very well." Releasing a heavy sigh, the sound of typing could be heard from the other end of the screen as 21O input their request, her annoyance with the 9S still clearly visible on her face. The barest hint of a smile could be seen beneath her veil, the operator model android secretly happy that she would be able to help out the last surviving human with her request.
"There. I'm sending you a list of known locations of Lunar Tears within your area. They will appear on your map shortly. Make sure not to spend too much time on this, you are still soldiers after all."
"Yes, yes." 9S flippant reply led to a quick scolding by 21O, the operator assigned to 9S clearly not amused by his childish antics, though the rest of the group could sense the underlying care behind her words as she admonished him. She obviously had his best interest at heart.
"Now don't contact me unless you have something important to report. And make sure to keep the human safe, for my sake. Count it toward one of the many favors you owe me."
With nary a goodbye, the screen flickered off and 21O was gone, the last thing she did before signing off was sending a gentle wave toward the brown-haired girl.
"Alright, let's see what we have here." Rubbing his hands together in anticipation, 9S brought up a 3D projection of the area, little red dots denoting locations of Lunar Tears in the vicinity of the group.
Staring at the digital map, they were surprised to find that four of them were in very close proximity to them, the group easily able to travel to all of these places in a single day. Back in the forest, within the ruins of an Amusement Park, near the coast, and in the desert.
Clapping her hands together in excitement, Leah turned to her companions with a bright smile on her face, one the androids returned with ones of their own. They were all determined to fulfill this quest as quickly as possible. For Emil's sake.
"Alright. Let's head out."
Finding the first Lunar Tear ended up being easier than expected due to the mall being directly connected to the woods that one apparently was located in, which meant it took them less than thirty minutes to find it.
The luminescent flower was nestled comfortably within a cave overlooking the massive gorge running through the middle of the forest, a small path near its edge leading down to its entrance, the light emanating from its petals brightening the interior with its heavenly glow.
"This definitely is another one of the Lunar Tear's." The group nodded simply at 2B's statement, the flowers bright glow and mysterious allure making it completely unmistakable from the many others that littered the forest luscious plant life. They really had to thank 21O properly once this was done, the operator having made their job much simpler with her expert scanning skills.
"I'll contact Emil to let him know we found one." Turning to his companions with a bright, tooth-filled grin, the scanner android quickly rang up their vehicular friend, a short hush falling over the group before Emil's distinct boyish voice appeared over Pod 153's intercom.
"Hey, guys! What's up?" Though they couldn't see his face, the exuberance in his voice was clear and distinct, his ever-present grin flashing collectively in their minds. Even though they hadn't been separated for long, Emil had clearly been anxiously awaiting a response from them.
"Emil, we managed to find a Lunar Tear." 9S informed the boy with an excited tone, the rest of the group sharing the scanner's enthusiasm to various degrees, A2 sporting a small smirk at how happy everyone seemed.
"Wait right there! I'll be there as quickly as possible!" With that, the line went dead and Emil's voice was gone.
"Umm, I didn't tell him where we are." The male android turned to his companions, a deeply perplexed look on his face at Emil's sudden disappearance. "I hope he doesn't take too long. We still need to find all of the other ones th-"
"I'm here!"
"GYAAH!" Leah and 9S's twin set of startled screams rang through the forest at Emil's sudden appeared behind them, the spherical-headed boy somehow managing to sneak up on them without making a single sound, the pair jumping into their respective partner's arms in fright.
The two combat androids, reacting on instinct honed through years of training, caught them with ease, Leah and 9S gripping tightly onto the two silver-haired women, their eyes wide with terror as they stared at the smiling face of Emil, his engine purring softly within the shallow cavern.
A2 and 2B merely looked at each other in bewildered confusion as they held their respective partners securely in their arms, both of them having not expected such a reaction from them, especially not from 9S.
"Uh…sorry." Coughing out a shy apology, A2 gently placed the brown-haired girl back onto her feet, an amused grin crossing the android's lips at the embarrassed blush on Leah's cheeks. Keeping her hands placed softly on Leah's shoulders, only removing them once she was standing safely, A2 merely shook her head to let the human girl know that it was ok.
Meanwhile, 2B simply dropped her scanner partner roughly on the ground, 9S hitting the ground with a dull thump.
"Oh, hey…now that I think about it, this whole area once…" Emil slowly trailed off as he stared intently at the Lunar Tear.
"Used to be what?" 9S asked the skeletal looking boy as he shot his partner an annoyed glare, the short-haired battle android pretending not to notice, keeping her gaze locked on the Lunar Tear.
"It's all pretty fuzzy, but I seem to have a memory of caring for this flower a long time ago. But the sand kept expanding and the flowers gradually wilted. Now, that I think about it, that was around the same time I stopped seeing people."
A somber silence fell over the assembled group after Emil's words, the weight of his repressed memories slowly dawning on them as his voice slowly fell into a sad whisper. The android couldn't help the small twinge of pain that coursed through their system at the mention of humanity's disappearance, the weight of that event still baring heavily on them, the moment of their failure to protect them.
"Thank you for your help. If you find more, can you let me know?" They all gave him a simple nod of confirmation, the weight of his recollected memories still sitting heavily in their stomachs, none of them trusting their voices at that moment.
"I'm gonna stay here for a bit."
A soft crinkling sound reached A2 ears, the combat android turning to see a distressed frown briefly pull at Leah's lips before returning to a neutral thin line, the brown-haired girl twisting the hem of her shirt tightly between her fingers as she looked at the back of Emil's cabin. Leah's emerald eyes were thick with an emotion the former YoRHa soldier couldn't quite place, one centered directly at Emil's stationary form, a brief tremble running through her small body as she slowly loosened her grip on the stressed fabric of her shirt.
Eyebrows creased with concern, A2 stared at the time-traveling girl next to her, a strange constricting sensation running through her chest as she tried to decipher what was going through Leah's mind at that moment. What was causing her such distress? Did something in Emil's story dredge up some painful memories of her own?
Noticing the androids worried stare, Leah shot A2 a quick, reassuring smile, the silver-haired woman noticing the forced strain behind the action as the human girl quickly averted her gaze once more. Something was clearly bothering her, but she didn't seem to want to talk about it as Leah quickly turned to the rest of the group, silently gesturing for them to give Emil his privacy, quietly leading the pair of YoRHa soldiers out of the cave and back up the path they had come from.
A2 stared at the back of the retreating human's head with concern darkening her steel-blue gaze, taking one last look back at the silent Emil before following after the rest of her group.
"Wow. I'm surprised this is still here." Leah breathed out in awe as they walked down the run-down streets of what she had described as being an 'amusement park', a place humans built solely for entertainment and leisure. It was made to look like a fantastical castle from some kind of fairy tale, each facet of it made with the sole intent of eliciting excitement and wonder from patrons visiting the park.
Frankly, it was something A2 couldn't quite fathom, her life being created with express intent and purpose toward a singular cause, one of war and strife that did not allow any time for 'fun'. In a sense, A2 was created simply to die, to be used for the advancement of another, to be forgotten and branded a mere footnote in a never-ending war.
So the idea of spending any time in a place like an amusement park seemed impossible and pointless to her, though a part of her, deep inside, wished to live such a carefree and happy life someday, one free to simply enjoy her existence.
Maybe it was still possible.
"Where did 21O say the next Lunar Tear was?" Pulled out of her daydream, A2 barely sidestepping a bumbling robot in a jester outfit, the combat android growling angrily as it showered her in confetti, she turned to stare at the human girl walking ahead of the rest of the group, safe in the knowledge that these machines meant them no harm. A2 wasn't too sure of that herself but decided to trust in everyone else, her fist clenched tightly around her sword. Just in case.
"It should be just down here." 2B informed the brown-haired girl as they turned down a narrow alleyway, the reddish bricks of the buildings surrounding them in ominous shadows, the twin Pod's illuminating the path for them as they descended down a narrow set of stairs.
"Would it even be able to bloom in a place like this?" The brown-haired girl asked as she thoroughly scanned every nook and cranny of the park for the elusive flower, thinking that something that shone so brightly must mean it should be easy to find in such a dark place.
"Ah! There it is!" Leah let out an excited cry as she pointed toward the corner of the back-street they had found themselves in, the flower growing out from a patch of dirt where the concrete had been torn up, a shining beacon in the dark.
"I'll let Emil know." Once more the familiar sound of ringing filled the empty streets, the faint sound of the robot parade the only other thing to be heard, everyone anxiously awaiting Emil's answer.
Playing out in a similar manner, Emil again appeared out of seemingly nowhere, startling Leah and 9S once again, though they managed to restrain themselves from leaping into the combat android's arms, something A2 was surprisingly disappointed by.
"That's it. I remember now."
"Really?!" Leah excitedly jumped in front of the sphere-headed boy, her green eyes sparkling with impatient wonder. "What do you remember?"
"Back when the aliens first invaded. I fought as hard as I could to save Earth." Four pairs of eyes looked at him in shock, not having expected something so grand from the strange boy.
"I think..I had something I wanted to protect. Something really precious to me. But I don't know what it was." Silence fell over them once more as his voice fell into a sadly familiar depressed tone, the pain in his voice causing a painful sting in A2's chest.
"Thank you all for doing this. I really appreciate it." Emil slowly eased up to the solitary flower, his unflinching gaze remaining focused on its illuminating petals.
"It's no problem, Emil." Gently placing her hand on the front of his car, Leah gave the boy the same strained smile as before, A2 noticing the slight hint of tears in her emerald eyes before they were quickly blinked away.
This caused the concern in A2 to increase, knowing that Leah was clearly in a great deal of pain, but was unwilling to share the cause with them. But why? Did she not trust them? Was she trying to be strong? But for what reason?
"I'm gonna….stay here for a bit." The same request as before passed Emil's lips, this time it only seemed more strained, sadder. Lowering her head, painfully biting down on her lower lip, like there was something she wanted to tell him, Leah gave his chassis a couple of gentle pats before making her way out of the alley, not once meeting A2's worried gaze.
The next flower ended up being harder for them to find, not for its location but simply for the convoluted way to reach it. The Lunar Tear had made its home in the ruined landscape near the ocean, situated underneath the destroyed remains of a highway, somehow managing to grow into a beautiful healthy specimen even in such harsh terrain.
The only way to reach it had been through a destroyed pipe near the crater at the city center, A2 having to carry Leah part of the way on her back, the climb much too treacherous for the human girl to attempt on her own.
"This flower is very tenacious. I'm surprised there are so few of them." 2B noted absently as she stared out at the raging ocean before them, the tops of skyscrapers barely poking out from beneath the dark waves as the water slowly reclaimed the abandoned lands.
"I'll let Emil know." Ringing up the spherical boy once more, the group felt a small amount of dread and worry settle in their stomachs, afraid of what depressing memories this Lunar Tear will pull up from Emil's memory. Clearly, the seemingly chipper boy had had a tough life, one that he was relieving again for the first time.
"I'm on my way!" 9S didn't even get a chance to say anything before Emil hung up, appearing behind them mere seconds later, somehow managing to traverse the unforgiving terrain to their location without any problems.
"Oh. That's right." Emil stated simply, the pain in his voice worse than before.
"I was fighting the aliens. It….wasn't going well. So I decided to create multiple versions of myself to help with the fight."
"Multiple…versions?" A2 asked in disbelief, not having expected something like that from the boy. Were there other Emil's somewhere out in the world?
"But the aliens just kept coming. I lost so many friends that day. It was a long time ago, but still." Shaking her head slightly at his words, the long-haired android knew that such pain didn't just go away, no matter how strong you try to be. It always stays with you, a shadow constantly hovering over you, only ever able to catch brief glimpses of the sun.
"Say, Emil?" 9S hesitantly asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer to his question. "How old are you?"
"I'm not sure. I didn't need that memory to fight." A2 could feel a terrible sensation running through her system at his words, her own past flashing in her mind's eye, the fear of never-ending battle and war clenching harshly at her black box. Is that all anyone in this world was made for? To fight?
"I'm gonna…stay here for a bit." Once again, the same painful and horribly sad request fell from his lips as he stared longingly at the Lunar Tear, not a single other word coming from him, completely lost in his own world, locked in memories of a lost past.
And so they left him there, Leah saying goodbye to the lonely boy with a slight hitch in her throat, the gentle crash of waves his only companion.
"This is the last one?" Leah asked as she stared at the solitary flower, the Lunar Tear surrounded by the harsh wastes of the desert, the familiar excitement and happiness in her voice noticeably dulled, her emerald eyes staring almost lifeless at its glowing petals.
A2 stood close by her side, her fingers itching to reach out and pull the girl close to her side, to try and rid her of this unknown pain that was tearing her up inside. Seeing Leah like that, so clearly in pain, was causing A2 programming to go haywire, her mind screaming at her non-stop to help her, to rid the human girl of this unknown enemy plaguing her.
But what could she do? To her great distress, A2 just wasn't smart enough to figure this out on her own, everything she thought of seeming like the wrong thing to do. A2 had tried to ask the brown-haired girl what was troubling her, to let her help her, but each time Leah simply gave her a weak smile, one wracked with pain, telling her with a shaky voice that everything was fine.
'If everything is fine, why do you look so lost? Why does it hurt when I look into your eyes?'
"I'll call Emil." 9S was sure he didn't even need to call him anymore, each time Emil was contacted he arrived faster than the last.
"Sorry to keep you!" Arriving without a sound, Emil parked right next to A2, the combat android barely registering his presence as she continued to stare at Leah with concern, the human girl keeping her gaze purposefully lowered to avoid the former YoRHa soldiers gaze.
"I didn't even contact you." 9S could only stare in surprise at Emil's improbable appearance, the scanner model starting to feel like the vehicular boy was following the whole time.
"I just remembered….I…" Speaking after a brief silence, everyone turned to Emil with quizzical expressions on their faces, the tone in his voice different than the last couple of times. It was if a realization had finally dawned upon the sphere-headed boy.
"Thank you again. You've helped me remember an important place. A place very special to him." Emil spoke softly, the youthful innocence in his voice seemingly disappearing.
"Him?" 2B asked questioningly, confused with his sudden mention of another person.
"In thanks, I'll tell you how to visit it. Please take this key. It'll let you access the elevator in the shopping mall." Dropping a simple silver key into Leah's outstretched hands, Emil turned to stare at the Lunar Tear, a strange aura of calm surrounding him. It was as if something within him had changed.
"I'm sorry. I need to stay here a while. You go on ahead."
The group did not say a single thing as they left Emil with his thoughts, deciding to take his advice and to check out this supposed special place, back at the shopping mall where this whole quest first began.
It didn't take them long to find the elevator Emil had mentioned, the metal doors standing out amongst the greenery at the center of the mall, practically pulling the group toward it. Carefully inserting the key into the control panel, the red light above the call button turning blue before the doors opened with a silent hiss of the ancient mechanism, somehow still functional after all these years. Someone must have meticulously taken care of it throughout the years.
They rode the rickety elevator down to its mysterious destination in strained silence, each one of them wrestling with various emotions running through their minds, as much as 2B tried to suppress hers. Something in this quest, which had begun simply to help a new friend, had become a journey of discovery and pain.
A2 stood behind the time-traveling girl, carefully studying Leah for anything that would help her figure out what was bothering her so. Her small shoulders were sitting high and tense as her arms wrapped tightly around her waist, slight trembles running through her body at intermittent moments, A2 feeling like Leah would collapse at any moment from the weight of her own feelings.
But still, the human remained silent.
With a sudden jolt, the elevator came to an abrupt stop, everyone's eyes widening as the doors slowly swung open, a soft glow illuminating their shocked faces.
"Wow. There are so many." 2B exhaled as she slowly stepped out of the elevator and into Emil's special place.
A cavern, the ground filled to the brim with Lunar Tears, each one of them shining brilliantly in full bloom, stood before them. The glow of their luminescent petals lit up the whole cave, the group carefully stepping between the numerous amount of flowers, trying not to disturb the serene sight before them. The only other thing to be seen in the cavern was a simple wooden shack, sitting solitary amongst the field of Lunar Tears, meticulously placed with the utmost of care. It clearly meant a lot to its owner.
"Thank you for coming." The group did not even react anymore at Emil's arrival, too captivated with the wondrous sight to be surprised, each one of them slowly turning to regard the vehicular boy.
"What is this place?" Leah asked softly, afraid that if she spoke too loudly she would disturb the invisible peace blanketing the area, that it would all disappear without a trace, like a fleeting dream.
"It's the place from my memories that I worked so hard to protect. Or to be exact, the place protected by the person I used to be."
"Used to be?" 9S asked slowly, Emil's words much more cryptic than before.
"A long time ago, I was created to be a weapon. A weapon that could adapt to any environment and one capable of total destruction. When the war against the aliens started, I decided to strengthen that weapon by making copies of myself. So in truth, I'm only one of a countless number of Emil's."
The group listened to the boy's explanation in astonished silence, amazed that this boy, strange as he may be, seemingly fought the alien menace that had rid the world of humans so long ago, wielding truly staggering amounts of power.
"I-or we, I guess…worked with each other to keep our defensive lines intact. But the more of ourselves we created, the more our original memories began to fade."
"The original Emil liked this place a lot. He spent a lot of time here with people he loved. They were tough times….Sad times…But the memories of that journey are his greatest treasure. And I have a few traces of those memories in my own mind."
A strangled choke ripped through Leah's throat causing A2 to look at her in alarm, the brown-haired girl holding her trembling palm over her mouth, trying to stifle the rest of her cries. Taking a tentative step toward the suffering girl, A2 felt a painful stab in her black box when Leah slowly moved away from her, gently shaking her head 'no'.
"Where is the original Emil now?" 9S asked solemnly, the pair of YoRHa soldiers unaware of the suffering Leah was experiencing behind them, focused intently on the vehicular boy's story.
"I don't know. There were so many of us that after awhile, we just…" Emil trailed off, the meaning behind the pause clearly obvious to everyone as 9S let out a quiet 'oh'.
"And there's still something that all of us Emil's need to settle." Emil finished ominously, the YoRHa soldiers looking at him in wonder.
"You've helped me find some of my precious memories. Now I'll be able to keep pushing forward, even if I'm alone."
A great cry rang out after those words, one full of unbridled sorrow and despair as Leah collapsed to her knees, her hands pressed painfully over her eyes, trying to stop the thick teardrops from running down her face. Hunched over in a pitiful heap, heavy tremors running through her small shoulders, Leah felt the weight of her pain finally crush her.
Rushing to her side, practically throwing her arms around the smaller girl, the combat android could feel the harsh, painful sobs wracking Leah's body between bouts of anguished cries, the brown-haired girl calling out to names that A2 had never heard before.
"Mom! Papa! Aaaaah!" The rest of the names were lost in the strangled cries tearing through the last surviving human's throat, Leah's fingers painfully digging into A2's skin as she searched for any lifeline to hold onto, her emotions threatening to drown her. A2 only held her tighter, being careful not to hurt her, pressing the girl's head gently against her chest, softly stroking her fingers through Leah's hair.
"A2! A2! A2!" Leah called out repeatedly to the silver-haired woman, as if she were unaware of the android's presence, A2 holding her tight as the human girl's arms desperately clung to her, clumsily trying to pull herself as close as possible into the silver-haired woman's body.
"I'm here, Leah. I'm here." A2 whispered softly, her own voice thick with emotion, her black box aching from Leah's pain, the combat android gently pressing her forehead against the brown-haired girls. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I'm scared, I'm so fucking scared!" Leah's screams echoed through the cavern, bouncing noisily off the wall, only intensifying the agony in the girl's voice. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry A2."
"You have nothing to be sorry for Leah." Running her hands softly over the girl's hair, trying to keep her voice as gentle and soothing as possible, A2 just couldn't understand what Leah could possibly be apologizing for.
"I'm sorry, I tried to be strong, I tried. Everything I've known before is gone, everyone I ever cared about, the world I knew, has not existed for so long that not a single trace of them would ever be found. I'm the only one who remembers, the only one who will ever have known them. I've truly lost everything!"
Another series of painful screams ripped it's way out of Leah's chest, the sound sending series of painful jabs into A2's black box, a few stray tears slipping past the combat androids' eyes as she held the brown-haired girl tight.
"I care so much for all of you, I care about you so, so, much." Pulling Leah into her lap, A2 held the time-traveling girl protectively in her embrace as she let all of her pain and anguish out, gladly bearing the weight of the human's feelings on her shoulders. "Then why do I still feel so sad."
A soft gasp escaped Leah's lips as two extra pairs of arms encircled her, her tears briefly forgotten as she looked up at the trio of androids gently holding her, staring at her with their uncovered, shining steel-blue eyes, so full of care and sympathy. For her.
Lowering her head, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, Leah let all of the sorrow of losing her past out, knowing that once the feelings subsided and the tears have dried, that she will be ok. She wasn't alone after all.
A/N: Remember the past and look to the future.
Had a little bit of trouble with this one which is partly the reason for the delay. Had to actually take down notes on Emil's dialogue during this quest and then working my own story around it took a bit of work for me to make it feel right. Hopefully, it all came out alright. Also got a tattoo recently(Nier related one) and that made it a bit harder to write for long periods. It's healed now so I'm ready to get to a more consistent upload schedule.
A very emotional chapter this time around, Leah not as over losing her previous life as she once thought. We see more of A2's slowly evolving emotional awareness coming through as she notices something was wrong with Leah, she just couldn't quite figure out what to do yet. But she'll get there. 2B and 9S get more time to shine as they begin to bond more with Leah and A2.
Next chapter: Fire the Cannon!
Thank you all for reading my story! I know I say it every time but it really means a lot to me to see so many people enjoy my story and give it a chance. I love you all and please stay safe. Remember, you are always important to someone and at the very least me : )