Once again, we're back. Thank you to Cant_Catch_Rabbit for the beta-reading!


First things first: Miku needed a sponge bath. She had splattered Dex's blood all over herself, so while Luka's suit was in the wash, she helped the android delicately rinse away the gore, letting her use the prized lavender soap first. Luka even shampooed her hair, taking extra care to not splash the water, or let it get any into the new tears in her skin.

With that done, Luka took a shower of her own, rinsing away the remaining blood, spice, and glass. Both squeaky clean, smelling of lavender, they changed into fresh sets of clothes. Ruko took care of the ship; within minutes, there was no remaining evidence of the day's events.

Second, they caught up properly. Luka told her everything since Miku was knocked out with the taser, from her return to Terranova to the failed fruit heist. Miku told her story in return, though it was far briefer; she had spent most of their time apart in a box, under the threat of another shock should she move even a bit too fast, leaving her to scream and cry unheard in the hopes of wearing her out.

Both glossed over the more painful details. Luka admitted that she had gotten orthodontic work done, that she had needed a new tongue, but didn't exactly say that she had gotten her teeth kicked out. Miku admitted to invasive examinations; Luka could only imagine what exactly those entailed.

While they talked, Luka carefully sutured Miku's skin, starting with the wounds on her back, before she studied the damage done to Miku's arm. It was a lot more brutal than whatever had been done to her communications, so it was far more urgent. The poor android could barely get dressed with her arm in that state, the stray struts getting in the way, her hand collapsing and opening without warning. Without the barrel to play the role of main support structure, the limb was so flimsy it almost flopped about.

Once they had finished telling their stories, they focused fully on the repairs. Since Miku couldn't send Ruko the blueprints to display, she carefully explained what went where, letting Luka attach little color-coded flags to the loose struts. Miku assured her that it didn't hurt, but she nonetheless shied away every so often. When the explanations were done and all the notes taken, Luka started working in earnest, attempting to sketch how it ought to look, pulling and pushing at times to see how the mechanism would move.

Early on, she saw it would be a long-term project. The design was intricate, novel. It was like a puzzle box that didn't just need to be solved, but be put back together in exactly the right order. She took diligent notes though, determined to right this wrong no matter how much effort it took.

Miku, sitting on the floor next to the workbench, watched her think. Luka easily assumed she was worried, perhaps even wary; after being pulled apart for so long, being repaired was different only in an abstract manner. This probably still felt invasive. She could only imagine.

"That's my most dangerous part," Miku said.

"What, your gun?"

"Yes."

"Well, sure," Luka said, scribbling another note.

"Why would you fix that?"

The scavenger looked up from her work. "What?"

"I can see you're still scared of me. You're terrified, Luka," Miku whispered. When Luka took too much time to consider her reply, she asked, "Why did you even save me to begin with?"

The rapid-fire questions were destabilizing; Luka needed a moment to think. "Does it matter?"

"It shouldn't," Miku admitted. "But it does. I want to know. I know that you had always wanted us to go our separate ways. You were finally freed of me and left with your life, your ship, and no further bounty or punishment. You were safe, you didn't even need me any longer. Why would you go to retrieve me? Why did you go into harm's way just for my sake?"

"I couldn't just leave you," Luka muttered. "Anything could have happened to you. And it's not like I had any fortune left over to spend towards my paradise."

Miku nodded. "I suppose that is true."

The scavenger put down her pen. She felt a rising frustration at having her decisions challenged, but she pushed it down. "I admit, I knew that odds were that you would be all right, relatively speaking. You're capable, so it was just a question of surviving and overcoming whatever would happen, really, but..." She inhaled deeply, held it, exhaled. "I didn't want to bet on that. We are probably better off apart, sure. But I wanted to make sure you were safe."

"I am safe, now," the android said, her voice weak.

"Thank the stars for that," Luka muttered, picking up her pen again. "I only investigated Dex because we had the chance to."

"You don't have to fix me, though."

"I want to."

"You could replace my gun with another support structure," Miku went on.

"You see any spare metal lying around?"

The android shifted, uncomfortable. "My point remains. I am safe. You put yourself in harm's way more times than I can count, just for my sake. You don't have to make me more dangerous than I already am."

Luka paused. "You're thinking that I might be less afraid of you without your gun?"

"Perhaps."

"What did you say at the auction? That you don't need a gun to strangle someone?" she asked, turning her attention back to the repairs. Her patience was already wearing a bit thin. "Look what you did to Dex."

"I just..."

"What?!"

Miku shrank a bit, and Luka regretted the edge of exasperation at her voice.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. I..." She sighed. "I got too used to solitude again."

"Then I will try to be brief," Miku muttered. She carefully chose her words, before saying, her speech slow, "I am happy to be back. Words cannot describe how happy I am to be with you again. I meant what I said on Crypton; if I am welcome to, I would follow you anywhere until the end. However, no matter how happy it might make me, it doesn't matter if I only make you miserable. We fight. I scare you. Nothing is forcing us together any longer. You don't need my protection; moreover, you just proved to us both that you can fend for yourself. I'm sure you know these things, too. Yet you went to get me anyway. And even if you wince at my touch, you're still making me more dangerous. You could work on retiring once again instead of wasting time, effort, and money on me." She shook her head. "To be even more brief: you were free, and through your own actions, you aren't anymore. And I'm worried about the reason why."

The word choice startled the scavenger. "Worried?"

"Yes. Why?"

Luka gulped. "I... I'm not too sure. It's just right. The right thing to do. Isn't it?"

"You're a scavenger. You don't necessarily do things because it's the right thing to do."

The woman frowned, exhaled sharply. "I don't think..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't express myself properly." Miku sighed heavily, though her chest didn't rise or fall. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't think I have ever felt so many conflicting emotions."

Luka watched her think, slowly putting her tools down. "It's okay."

"I suppose that I'm afraid that you did all this because... Because you felt an obligation to."

"Of course I felt—" she cut herself off, taking her turn to consider her words carefully. "I mean... I guess it depends on what exactly you mean by that."

Miku stared at her, letting her arm stay where it was even if the scavenger was no longer working on it. "Were you afraid that I would find you and get revenge for letting me be taken prisoner?"

"What? No!" The tealette recoiled at the intensity of Luka's reply, but the scavenger ignored her reaction and powered on. "That never came to mind. Not once. If I imagined that you'd broken free, I thought... I really hoped that you would go and live your best life."

"Ah."

"I get why you're asking," Luka said, though she was directing half of what she was saying to herself. "I really do. I still get startled easily. But I'm afraid of you subconsciously. I want you here."

"You do?"

"I do."

"So you didn't save me because I love you."

Luka opened her mouth to answer, but she hesitated. "No. Not... Not quite."

"No?"

The scavenger stood and paced the limited area of the ship. She didn't know how to have a conversation, much less an honest, emotional one. She set her jaw, but she didn't want this to become a fight. Miku wasn't an adversary.

"You care about me," Luka said, unable to look Miku in the eye. "I guess I can accept that. And I guess I can admit that it feels nice to be cared for. But I didn't come to your rescue because of that. You said it yourself, didn't you? Your love isn't meant to cage me. You never forced my hand with that, not one way or the other."

"Then why?"

"Didn't I say it already? I want you here."

Miku nodded, but her expression betrayed that she didn't look entirely convinced; she was thinking, looking for another likely explanation.

"I..." Luka paused, clenching and unclenching her fists. "I think that you greatly overestimated how miserable you make me, and totally failed to acknowledge how happy you make me."

Miku didn't seem impressed by her answer. "The point remains that you still cower and we still fight. I can feel one brewing right now. Any joy is surely overshadowed."

"But the joy overshadows everything everybody else has ever brought me," Luka insisted. "And maybe that's not a good thing. It's more a testament that my other relationships were totally fucked up. Our friendship being only mildly fucked up isn't great."

"Hardly."

"But..." She sighed. "I don't know. I couldn't even sleep, wondering what was happening to you. And seeing you broken like this? If I don't feel like I'm making progress getting this fixed, I swear I might explode."

At that, Miku blinked in surprise. "You care about me."

"Of course I care about you," Luka said, trying to keep the exasperation from her voice. "I saved you from a slaver even when I thought you were a dumb toy, why wouldn't I care about you now that I know better?! You're the one person I ever met that made company better than solitude and damn it, that really means something. I wanted you back here with me. Dexter or no Dexter. Fights or no fights. I'd rather be an angry mess and know you're safe than be lonely and wondering."

The android took a moment to digest her response. "I see."

"And I guess it would be ideal if I was neither miserable nor angry. But I guess I've never really had that," Luka admitted. "If I had to choose between spending time with you and anybody else, I would choose you, without question. But if I had to choose between being with you and solitude, I'd still choose you. And I... I really want to try to learn how to get along like a normal person because of that. Without relying on a crutch like Dexter. Just patience, communication."

"Are... Are you saying that you want me to stay?"

"Yes."

"I thought... I thought you would drop me off somewhere eventually. After the repairs. Now that we have the option."

Luka felt her fist curl into a tight ball, her chest tighten. "Do you want me to?"

"No. I'd rather stay, if you would have me."

"I would."

Miku frowned. "Are you sure?"

"If... If you want to stay and live somewhere, I'll understand," she muttered. "I'll sleep better knowing you're safe. You could actually get a real career started, start singing for the masses—"

"Luka."

The scavenger clenched her jaw, met her eye. "Yeah?"

"If you were the only person who would hear my song for the rest of time, I'd be happy."

"Okay."

"As long as being with me would make you happy, too."

"I want to at least give it a proper try," she said. "It'll be another exercise. We won't make progress every time. I might fail every now and then. But I'll do my best."

Miku smiled at her. "Very well."

Luka almost smiled back, but was distracted by an unexpected fluttering in her belly.
It felt light, but so overpowering. "Is that okay with you?"

"Yes."

"Can I get back to work now?"

"Please."

"Just tell me, honestly, if I hurt you again. And if this makes you uncomfortable or if you need to stop at any point or any reason, just let me know."

Miku relaxed further, leaning against the wall, looking up at Luka with her beautiful opal eyes. "I will. Thank you."


As predicted, the arm was far too complex to finish fixing in a single day. Luka couldn't even find a way to get the barrel back in there; the place where it attached to her elbow was a whole other puzzle, and she was sure some parts had been broken. So, she organized and took notes, did her best to pack it up in a painless and efficient way, and helped Miku close her limb again. While the arm still flopped about somewhat, nothing was sticking out at least, and that was some progress.

After that, Luka had dinner, then started asking about her communications unit.

"It's in my back," the android replied, already pulling her shirt up over her head. "It's a small part, however..."

Luka blinked, still unaccustomed to the sight of the nude android. "You really don't mind stripping all that much, don't you."

A panel on Miku's back opened to reveal a mass of sockets. "I suppose not. Not around you."

The woman, who had opened her mouth to ask where exactly the unit was, paused. "What happened to you not being able to technically be naked?"

The android shifted. Luka felt a flash of regret. "Never mind, forget I asked."

"It's fine. You're right; my opinion on that has changed. Clothing provides protection. I learned that."

Luka gulped, looked around, avoiding the sight of skin. "Where is this thing?"

Miku directed her, and the scavenger soon located the small chip; it was cracked and fried. "Damn. I can't fix this."

"No?"

"This will need replacement," she said, poking it once. The shard she pushed against moved independently from the rest. "It might take some effort. Maybe a custom part... I don't know what exactly you're compatible with from a hardware perspective."

"Neither do I, though I can provide exact specifications. This is a recycled part from one of the numerous robots that humanity left behind eons ago."

She hummed. "It looks really sophisticated for its time. The new one might be smaller, though."

"I would imagine. And far more capable, too."

"Most likely."

The android sighed a fake sigh, turned her head towards the ship. "I suppose we can communicate out loud in the meantime then, Ruko."

"If it would not bother Luka," the AI replied.

"Sure, chat as much as you like," the scavenger said. "Not while I'm asleep though."

"We can whisper," Miku said with a small smile. "Very, very quietly."

The woman grinned back, rolled her eyes. "Fine. You can get dressed; maybe we'll find a replacement part for you in Terranova. We might have to talk to some nerds, though."

"Terranova?" Ruko asked.

"Yes?"

"In that case, I am afraid a misunderstanding has occurred," the AI admitted. "When you said home, I had understood that you had wanted to visit your new home. Not the old one."

"We're going to your planet?" Miku asked, pulling her shirt back into place. Luka watched her, words dying on the tip of her tongue.

"Yes. Should I redirect?"

Luka sat on her bed. "How long until we get there?"

"Another cycle. There is just enough fuel to make the trip there and back, provided we stop at the nearest populated planet."

"How long to Terranova?"

"Nine rotations."

Luka thought about it. "It's been a long time since I've been there. Would you mind the detour?"

"Not at all," the android chirped, making her way to the pilot's seat.

"It'll take longer for you to get your communications unit back."

"I know. But I am eager to see where your new home will be. And I can wait. I suppose my only concern is that I will have to direct all my questions about the universe to Ruko out loud."

Luka's brow raised at that. "You two chat a lot?"

"Often, at great speeds," the AI replied. "Miku has many questions about our reality."

The android said, "Where else would I have gotten all my information?"

"Information?" Luka asked.

Miku smiled, though she fidgeted in her seat. "I know all there is about human affection and sexuality thanks to Ruko."

"I thought that information was hard-wired into you."

"How could it be? There wasn't even music left. As a musician by design, I could create in that regard. But when it comes to up-to-date factual information on modern society, I needed to acquire it. It was one of my first priorities upon waking. The moment I could communicate with Ruko in a reliable manner, those were among my first questions."

Luka hummed. "Huh. I hadn't even realized. What else did you ask?"

"I asked about population numbers, any ongoing conflicts, areas of difficulty, the basics of biology and medicine. Such things."

"Huh."

The android smiled, though she glanced back at the human two or three times. "Is it so surprising?"

"No. I guess I just didn't give it that much thought. Sorry."

"That's fine."

Silence settled in the ship. After a moment, Luka saw it fit to start her bedtime routine, getting changed and brushing her teeth. Before she could tuck herself in, however, Miku turned in her chair to face her.

"After we visit your planet, after we go to Terranova, what then?"

Luka shrugged, sat on her bed instead. "I go back to work."

"Scavenging?"

"What else can I do? I have just a bit of money left from pawning the handbag. That will run out, sooner or later. I need to repay Meiko for all her help, too. But then I have to work on getting money again."

"What for?"

"I have my planet, but it's still uninhabitable," she explained, noticing and acknowledging her rapid loss of patience. "I'll need to buy the parts needed to make sure I can live on it long-term. Even once that's done, though, I'll have to keep working to make sure I can put food on the table and all that."

Miku deflated somewhat. "Ah, of course."

"The odds of another freighter of Galdyssian spice getting split into two just a few sectors away are practically zero; I'll never see that fortune again. So, well, I guess it's back to the old grindstone for me. And probably for good."

The android hummed, a finger stroking the flower from the Sapphire Shores. "I'm sorry. It's devastating."

"Well, now that I know I can be a bit more brazen, and with you at my side, we can probably tackle some bigger targets. Maybe we can save up, who knows?" she said, already lifting the covers to get settled for a good rest. Just as she started buckling herself in, however, she paused. "That is... If you want to help. You don't have to."

"I'd love to help if I am able," Miku said. "Once I am fully repaired, I can be quite intimidating if need be."

Luka fidgeted. "You're not a scavenger, though."

"That's fine. I can still help, no?"

"You're not made for that. You're a person who brings people together. Not one who holds people at gunpoint."

The android's movements stilled. "Perhaps."

"And you've been doing an awful lot of the latter, lately. Figuratively speaking," the woman added. "Not so much uniting, despite your best attempts."

"I have the rest of time to do that. If, while you are alive, I can make your days easier by assisting you, then I will."

Luka frowned. "I guess that's one way of looking at it."

"I do not mind so much, Luka. I do mean it when I say that you as my only audience would suffice. I am over the moon at the fact that you want me to stay. Don't worry. I am happy."

The woman hesitated, grasping at her blanket.

"What would make you happiest, though?"

The question was enough to make the android drop her hand and think, before slowly turning to face the woman. "There are some things. I won't list them all."

"All right."

"Performing for crowds, like I had done at the Sapphire Shores? That made me so very happy. Knowing that people were sharing videos and recordings of me, discussing me, knowing that I was uniting them in their love for music? That, too, made me happy. As for what would make me happiest?"

"Yeah?"

The android shook her head. "It would be asking too much."

"Ask."

"Too much from you."

"Me?"

"Entertaining people is one thing. Uniting anonymous masses, that is another. Don't think for a second that performing for you alone pales in comparison. Hardly. Performing for any individual would make me happy, but not so happy. That is only because I love you. If I could do more than perform, if I could capture your attention, be the apple of your eye? That would be a dream come true."

Luka understood, her insides once again tingling. "Ah."

"If I could ask for anything, it would be to perform again. That is my answer. But you need my help, and I shall provide it."

She hummed.

"Please believe me. You will only be around for so long," Miku said, a deep note of sadness in her voice. "I will cherish every second we spend together, no matter what we are doing."

"Right, okay."

The android smiled. "I look forward to working with you, then."

Luka nodded, tucked herself in. She expected the pure relief of finally having Miku back with her to be enough to send her into a blissfully restful sleep, the first night of that kind in entire cycles.

Instead, her mind spun even faster.


There was quite a bit to do on their way to Luka's new planet. The most time-consuming and exhausting task was to finish repairing Miku's arm. The more Luka looked at it, the more mind-boggling it was, the more notes she wrote and the longer the road ahead looked. But she stubbornly sat down at the desk at least twice per rotation, determined to get one thing in place each time, just one. The barrel stayed on the desk, waiting for the day she could figure out that puzzle. Miku didn't complain.

There was also some brainstorming over what the planet could be called. The official name was written on the sheet, but a semi-random string of numbers and letters did not make for a good name. Luka asked the android about old Earth names, but none really stood out to her. There were Tokyo and New York and Geneva and Prague There were Togo and Minsk and Athens and Sydney. There were more names than Luka could ever imagine for a single hunk of rock, each different and unique and full of character, but none quite like the one she wanted.

There was also conversation. As promised, Miku and Ruko continued communicating in near-total silence while the scavenger slept, their whispers so low Luka couldn't hear them. During Luka's waking hours, however, they conversed at regular volume, allowing her to pitch in at times. This made for an ongoing exercise in patience, but every now and then Luka would grow tired of the endless talking and request silence; despite her best intentions, she couldn't bear the energy drain of constant dialogue. There was also their other exercise, their older one, which they had resumed like a ritual, usually going for a few hours after Luka's dinner.

Much like before, the android stood at one end of the ship, usually starting at her usual location by the trash chute, while Luka sat in the pilot's seat. And the android would approach, ever so slowly, while the scavenger wrestled with her knee-jerk reactions.

To Luka's unspoken surprise, it was far easier than it had once been. She hadn't suspected as much, especially after feeling the lingering fear when she had Miku draped over her, and especially after seeing the android literally tear a man to shreds. Perhaps missing Miku so much had made more of an impact than she had anticipated. Luka still winced at her touch and remained hyper-aware of her presence, but the need to avoid Miku's gaze had been replaced with a more gentle, cautious buzz. As Miku moved closer, eyes locked on Luka, the woman squirmed and gulped, though it wasn't so much out of fear. Her heart raced, yes. Her palms grew sweaty and she couldn't sit still, yet it was easier to bear. Lighter. This version of the lingering trauma was complex, yet almost tender.

Luka didn't know what to make of it, if she had to make anything of it at all; the moment Miku got closer, the older fear returned and she cowered when the android would raise a hand to touch her. She did want to think that it meant that she was generally more comfortable with the android sharing her living space.

Did Miku still scare her, though? Luka wasn't so sure. She didn't want Miku to scare her, but the android was still a person with her own thoughts, her own goals, dreams, and opinions. Worse yet, Miku loved her, and when people said that, it usually meant that they wanted something. That's how it always went. But Miku had told her time and time again that she wanted to stay, that her love didn't exist to trap Luka, and that even if Miku could only sing for her, she would be happy. Luka believed her; Miku was a woman of her word. She was still a machine, though, a machine that could crush her and kill her without warning. Nothing would stop her. Luka's only security was Miku's own promises.

It almost felt as if it was enough. Almost. She would have to deal with it, though; she wanted Miku to stay more than anything, so she would make herself get over her lingering fear eventually. Miku wasn't like anybody else, after all. She wasn't like Luka's previous families, from the backstabbing, extorting lot of her childhood to the well-intended yet too-caring Meiko and her ever-present, ever-needy children. Miku wasn't like Luka's previous partners, thirsty for attention and affection, playing mysterious games and always nagging for more. She wasn't even like her occasional nightly companions, who were entirely too cold and transactional for it to be anything real. If anything, Miku struck a careful balance between them all, and this was perhaps what made Luka want to keep her around. She wanted Miku to stay so she could have a taste of normal companionship, easy company. And if Miku would stay because it made her happy, too, how could Luka throw away the opportunity? How much time would she have to search before she found someone just like Miku, should the android ever decide to leave? Because she would have to find someone, Luka had realized. If Miku were to ever leave, she would be forced to find a way to fill the huge void left behind. The very thought of returning to her previous solitary existence was too much to bear.

It made sense, then, that Luka did her best to make Miku want to stay. She kept her patience and temper in check for as long as she could, more importantly making sure clearly signal when she reached her limit. Anything to ensure that things would stay well between them. She hoped she would never have to see the android leave.

"You are deep in thought."

Luka blinked back to the present. "Maybe."

"What about?"

"It's nothing important."

"It was enough to make you zone out, now of all times. I didn't think it was possible," Miku teased. "It was probably important."

Luka nodded, seeing that the distance between them had shrunk considerably; the android was only a pace away from her pilot's seat. How long had she zoned out for?

"Maybe."

Miku took another step forward, and Luka was surprised to notice almost no mounting anxiety. Just those butterflies in her stomach.

"What was it about?" she asked. "Can I help somehow?"

"I was wondering," she started, wondering where the fear was. With nothing to hold her upright while the android stepped ever closer, she felt as though she were standing on a wire, teetering without falling. "What will you do after I'm gone?"

Miku's reassuring smile fell. "You mean, after you die?"

"Yeah. Maybe beforehand too; humans don't always age so gracefully. I might even forget who you are ten years before I finally kick the bucket. I was wondering what you would try to do, where you would go."

"I am not sure," the android confessed. "I had given it some thought, back when we discussed parting ways. I had thought of being dropped off in a populated area and starting to gather attention there, much like what I had done at the Sapphire Shores."

"Just like that? Just you and the clothes on your back in a big city?"

"I require no food and little shelter; what else would hamper me?"

"I guess that's a good point."

"Otherwise, I had no other ideas. There are universities, schools of music. Choirs and groups and clubs. I could also find areas of conflict, where people could use hope. But..." The android shrugged. "I suppose I shall see when the day comes."

Luka nodded, cringing a bit when Miku approached, finally felt her heart rate speed up. "'Cause that day will come."

"It will." The android tried to smile again, though it felt cautious. "Are you concerned?"

"Maybe. It sucks that you'll have to start again, from scratch, once I'm no longer fun enough to hang out with," Luka muttered. "I should know."

"I've already started from scratch a few times since you first woke me. I'm fated to live forever; I'm sure I can handle doing it again a few times."

Luka hummed, eyes fixed on the android as she approached yet again, a lot sooner than usual. Their knees almost touched. "I guess that's fair."

"I'll be all right."

"I know."

"If you manage to fix my gun, then I am sure I will be just fine. I'll just be mindful not to get tased again," she joked.

"Maybe we can install something to help against that," the scavenger whispered. "Like a lightning rod or something."

"Perhaps. That would be a welcome change."

"And make sure you don't get dropped in water," Luka muttered. "Guess you'll be golden after that."

"I will. So don't worry."

"Okay."

Miku stretched out her hand.

Luka still flinched.