Both of you

Run, Run, Run, Run…

It was going to get them.

It was going to hurt it.

It was going to kill him.

It hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts...

Its torn-out legs ran as fast as they could, its one arm throwing everything it could reach behind him in desperation. If it could just reach out and get help maybe they had a chance to lose the monster while leaving the rest to die towards its blades. It had to survive, it was so afraid.

Before it could reach anywhere its left leg was cut off from an unknown attack, the huge body that was frantically looking for a way out falling unto the stone ground with a heavy thud. Using its one arm they started crawling towards the exit of the building, before stopping when they realized who exactly was waiting for it at the door.

The face was obscured, but it could still make out the distinct color running all around, it was red, the devil was red and it was going to kill them.

They didn't want to die.

The beast raised its sword.

It didn't want to die.

The arm was going down.

He didn't want to die.

Slash.

Aaah… I'm dead.

(Shirou)

Shirou looked upon the machine's corpse with a blank face, before sighing and sitting on the ground waiting for the girls to catch up. They had been hunting the machines for a couple of hours when they saw the larger one around the city, instead of fighting through it left its comrades behind and ran away.

Did they now know what fear was, from what Popola told him they were but minimalistic lifeforms with barely any nuance or knowledge about feeling or sense of self. They were evolving, it was clear from the get-go with how many variants of machines were already in existence but the fact that they were evolving in more than just outward appearance was… frightening.

He turned his head after he heard panting.

"Jeeez Shirou you run way too fast." Popola said as she faked being out of breath, trying to make him feel bad for running out of their view.

"So you got him, huh. That's the last one right?" Devola appeared near her sister looking more composed with a grin on her face.

"Yeh it is did gave me a good run." Shirou said getting up still looking at the machine in slight worry.

"Is everything alright Shirou, he didn't hurt you did he?" The perpetual mother bear of the group said giving him a once over to check for injuries.

"I'm fine the machine was trying to survive more than anything didn't even bother attacking me."

"That's comforting, I guess." Popola muttered glancing at the large body of the machine "Still though we've been doing this for way too long now."

"Don't we still have to gather some stuff for Jackass." Shirou said going around the machine looking at every part.

"Why are we even doing this for her to begin with." Devola said crossing her arms.

"Didn't she say she was trying to make some kind of healing supplement, that seems like a good enough reason." The man said shrugging.

"You know what she really wants right?" Popola asked now walking over to the entrance.

"I already told you I know exactly what she wants, she's a researcher a scientist and I'm currently under the microscope, trust me I know how to deal with those types of personalities." picking up a piece of the machine that spilled over from the cut he gave unto its midsection "She wants to know how I work but she doesn't want help doing so, she won't talk about me to anyone and while doing so she'll continue giving me information about any strong and dangerous machines to try and see what I can do."

Devola sighed and walked closer to him "And if she finds out you're human."

Shirou shrugged "If she does she does, I will eventually talk to Yorha myself, and based on the machines we fought things are escalating already or have been even before, regardless I will eventually come clean anyway."

The sisters looked at each other worriedly, would they lose their one chance this quickly after getting it…

"I think you two are right though we've been running around for some time, how about we get a day off, let's go somewhere you two want." Shirou gave them a smile making their thoughts clear and releasing some of their worries.

"Eh really?" Popola asked enthusiastically.

"About time, hey how about we go to the outskirts of the city I remember a quaint place near the ocean, hell maybe we can do what you wanted to show him Popola." Devola said going back to having a big smile while putting her arm over her sister's shoulder.

"Eh? You do-don't mean." Popola stuttered slightly.

"Yep, we're singing." Devola said pushing her further down until her head was firmly into a headlock.

"You two can sing?" they had lovely voices from what he could tell but they never once brought up that they could sing, his head tilted as he tried imagining it.

"Well I can at least, she on the other hand needs something to actually reach my level, ain't that right sis." Popola would have answered if she wasn't busy trying to get out of her sister's grip, much to Devola's amusement.

With a grunt though she finally was able to break the hold and glared at her sister before sighing "Yeh I need a special drink to really be able to sing properly, lucky enough I've been preparing for it no help from Devola of course."

Devola merely laughed "Well then I guess we're done here right."

Popola watched her sister go with a shake of her head before looking at Shirou who was still gazing at the machine in thought "Are you sure everything is okay."

Shirou simply looked at her and gave her a small smile "Just fine, let's get going before Devola gets bored."

She gave him a worried look before smiling and walking alongside him to the entrance of the destroyed building, the machine had gone near the factory before being cut down. He wondered if that meant something, did the machines see that as a safe place, or was it more, he would have to look there at some point.

As they walked back to the entrance of the building he noticed that Popola was trying to read his face "What's up now Popola."

Popola huffed when she figured out she had been noticed "It's just you allow us to be your partners but never let us in on what you're thinking, c'mon I know it hasn't been that long but we're here for you."

Shirou stopped and looked at her "What exactly do you know about machines."

"Not as much as I would like." Popola sighed and gave him a serious look "We were built before the alien attack, and our purpose was different." she hugged herself slightly as she said this and turned away from him "Don't ask me what that purpose was not as if I could answer you anyway."

"You don't know?"

She shook her head before looking back at him sadly "They scrubbed our memory of the project and most of everything that happened before we know very little but we know it was our fault."

"Your fault huh." the look on her face when she said it pulled on his strings making him try and reach to her holding her hand "From what you said it was another pair of sisters that made the mistake."

She looked at their hands before taking hers off as if she were burned "It was our line of androids that did it, doesn't really matter which one did."

"So you don't consider yourself your own person."

She shook her head to clear her thoughts while holding her hand close to her chest "All I want is for this guilt to stop."

She turned her away from him before muttering something almost inaudible "So please don't leave me." Before stepping away and rejoining her sister.

Shirou could only look as she distanced from him, despite how close they tried to be to him they still kept their distance. Their relationship right now felt more like servants than partners and he couldn't really tell if he made any headway into making them feel better over their perceived guilt. Seems things ran far deeper than he thought then again he couldn't possibly imagine what the weight of an entire species demise felt.

Giving one last look towards the machine lifeform he decided to step out into the sun once again and rejoin the twins. They were off to the side right below the broken bridge connecting the factory with the rest of the city.

"So you said something about the cities outskirts Devola." Shirou said giving her a small smile.

She gave him a look trying to discern why her sister got out of the building with a sad look on her face but decided to let the matter go a second later knowing the man wasn't the type to make someone sad "Yeh it's a bit hard to reach it, but we can probably do it in a few hours."

"Cool, you promised me a song and I intend to get it." he smiled as he saw the other girl giggle.

"It has been a while though so give us some leeway." Popola said rejoining the group.

"I'll think about it on the way." Giving her a smirk.

He still looked at Popola who gave him a small smile and an apologetic look, he shook his head and returned the smile. He felt his left arm getting grabbed by Devola as they started walking towards the cities outskirts.

(?)

"Ma'am the recon mission was a success but..." Said a black-dressed woman with white hair her face was obscured by a thin piece of black cloth.

"But? Get it out, we don't have time to waste." Said an authoritative voice making the other woman buckle slightly.

"We-ll we were able to find the machine lifeforms whereabouts but… we haven't been able to make any sense towards their objective." she gave the data towards her superior.

The blonde woman grabbed the tablet and looked at the information for a second "Why are they grouping up, are they attempting an attack."

She watched as the operator shook her head "No from the images they seem unorganized, at first we thought they were copying migrating animals but once we reached the group… well…"

The blonde woman glared at the operator which made her take a step back "Get on with it."

"I don't really know how to say it, they seemed frightened less planning an attack and more running around scared."

"Scared of what?"

"We don't know, the machines were only yelling and making strange sounds though we were able to find some crude drawings in the walls near where they inhabit." she said giving another tablet to the other woman.

Crude was being nice it barely resembled anything she could make out hair and limbs.. possibly, the color though in all of them was red "They're all the same color."

The operator nodded "That's the only thing that was similar with each of the drawings."

"Have we been able to find out what exactly they are referencing?"

"No ma'am."

The woman gave a long sigh "Contact the resistance, put a tracker team around the city, make sure they are discreet."

The operator put her hand on her chest as a salute "Yes ma'am." before turning away and going towards mission briefing.

The other woman looked at the drawing again "Now let's find out if you're friend or foe."

(Outskirts)

"Isn't this pretty." Devola said while jumping towards another derelict building that was floating on the ocean.

"I guess we have different opinions over what's pretty and what isn't." Shirou said while looking around at the destruction, no matter where he looked the remnants of what once was humanity remained.

"Jeez Shirou don't put the mood down, let's go near the road. GET TO MOVING POPOLA." The redhead was now yelling to her sister who stayed a little behind the other two mostly to just look for any danger.

"Yeh yeh coming, be careful where you step alright Shirou." The other sister said while passing through Shirou who was still looking around the ruined building.

"Where do you want to go exactly Devola."

"There." she pointed towards a small building near the water "I think it has a good enough view don'tcha think so too?"

"You two go on ahead I need to prepare the drink." Popola said as she took out what looked like a bottle he couldn't really make sense of what was in there but it looked alcoholic.

"If you say so, C'mon Shirou." Devola didn't exactly wait for him as she ran and jumped to the ceiling of a small building before sitting near its edge overlooking the ocean, she was closely followed by Shirou who sat at her side.

He stopped for a moment to look at the view, he could see the leftover of the now underwater city skyscrapers littering the background, the very things humanity made to reach the skies now left to rot under the ocean. He didn't exactly know what Devola meant by quaint.

"You don't seem to like the view." Devola said still looking beyond, her voice and mannerism changed into a more forlorn look.

"It isn't exactly something I view with mirth, knowing what existed before and how the world is now."

"So you do know how it was before." Devola ran a hand through her hair.

Shirou looked at her "You didn't care to ask me, until now."

"And I still don't, the only thing that matters to us is that you exist" she pushed herself closer to him their arms touching "But… you seem to have a lot of weight on your shoulders, we're here to help if that means emotionally well…" their eyes met for the first time since they sit "I don't exactly know how much I can help, not being human myself and all."

"Is that something you think about a lot." he kept looking at her, her small smile, her eyes filled with emotion regardless of what either said he couldn't help but just see another person in front of him.

She broke their gaze after the question looking back at the ocean "Not really, well I've been thinking more about it nowadays."

"Because of me?"

She chuckled "Well well aren't you mister important." she stopped and hugged her knees to her chest "I guess I just want to find something, maybe it's you or maybe I don't know… more than anything else I don't want feel empty, like those buildings over there."

"Empty huh." Shirou couldn't really say more than that, was this really how both of them felt.

"We're beings without souls how else would we feel." she gave him a sad smile, it seemed to convey exactly how old she was.

He stayed quiet for a bit not really being able to say anything to the woman, how could he help people that saw too much and lived for far longer. All he could give was companionship something he wasn't good at, his objective was always towards the unknown never the people closest to him.

"Don't worry about me Shirou." she met his eyes once more "I existed like this for a very long time and if nothing else you gave me back a goal that's enough, at least for now."

"Don't get this the wrong way but I don't really feel comfortable with you two living for me, but I will play the role if it makes you two happy."

"Most humans would like to have servants such as us you know, after all, it is what we're made for." She gave him a cheeky smile trying to make him feel better.

"What we're made for huh." Shirou said as he looked at the back of his hand.

She decided to close the distance and put her head on his shoulder, they sat around the moment turning quiet once again as they gazed at what once was a great city, a human, and their last creation.

"I don't know." Shirou said surprising her.

"Huh?" Devola said not really moving from her spot.

"Why I'm here I mean." Shirou was looking at both of his hands "I have an objective, I think." he said in confusion, his left-hand clenching.

"An objective?"

Shirou ran a hand through his hair "I saw it. How the world fell apart i was there at the start of everything in Tokyo, when that... giant thing appeared and tore everything apart." his eyes flickered to the back of his left hand for a brief moment.

"You existed before?" Devola exclaimed in surprise, she went back to how she was sitting before "How are you here? It's been thousands of years."

"I don't know I just suddenly woke up on the bridge near the factory." Shirou stared at his clothes as if trying to remember something that wasn't there. He didn't say more after that stewing on his own thoughts.

"Well, I'm glad you're here." Devola grabbed his arm as if he could disappear at any moment.

"For some reason, I think the same." Shirou said not really understanding where this feeling to move forward came from.

"Well, you two seem cozy enough." A voice was heard from behind them it had a tinge of annoyance.

"Aaah sorry Popola, I saw my chance to get close so I took it." Devola teased her sister not really removing herself from her place.

Popola looked at her with a pout and a glare "Let's just get this over with."

"Don't tell me you aren't excited about this." Devola said standing up and going back down "Now c'mon, Shirou told me all about how he was looking forward to seeing you sing."

Popola looked at him as if questioning what her sister said and while it wasn't exactly the truth he was still looking forward to seeing what they could do, so he nodded.

"Alright then, it's been a while though so I'm kinda nervous." Popola said as she placed her hair behind her ear, blushing slightly.

"I'm sure it'll be great you two haven't disappointed me yet." Shirou gave her a smile that seemed to quell a bit of her anxiety. "What's this song anyway."

"I believe it's called the song of the ancients, it's in a forgotten language so you probably won't understand it." Devola said as she picked up a guitar that was behind a few boxes. "Yep still here, thank goodness."

"Alright let's get this show on the road shall we." Popola said while grabbing some chairs, seemed this place meant something for the two since they had some stuff of theirs around.

They placed themselves a bit further up the road his chair in front of where they were going to sing overlooking the ocean, the background colors contrasting with the vivid red of their hair. It made for a rather tranquil scene almost relaxing.

They started singing after a bit of Devola playing with the guitar making sure it sounded right, he wasn't able to pick up any of the song's words, and while it hit him on an emotional level, he couldn't quite tell what that emotion was. Sometimes the song seemed happy other times almost mournful, regardless it was quite the beautiful performance they would do well back then if they were singers.

As he looked at the twin sisters their hair swaying gently as they sang, the image of a bygone era in the background weighted heavily, still, the only thing on his mind in this moment was of the two not quite human women in front of him and how much he wanted to help them.

"I'll save you…

both of you."

Alright sorry for the wait fake knight took precedent since I was ending the arc and all, also this chapter was kinda hard to write not gonna lie not because of the content but how much I wanted to say. I said this before but how Shirou came to exist in this world is going to be a plot point but i at least wanted to say that he wasn't well isekaid and that he existed in it, walking through the line of how much i can say and can't so i left it a little vague hope you don't mind keeping some secrets.

Did ya like the chapter did ya not was it worth the wait? I'm going back into a more structured arc-type story from here on out this chapter already has some things like that. Also I have no idea when I started with the whole the ending of the chapter references the title of it but by now I find it cute, I'll probably stop doing it eventually sounds gimmicky.