Chapter XXVII:

Another Memory

A deathly quiet befell the floral cave. 2B averted her eyes. The mortifying revelation of what she had walked in on only just started to fully set in. Her hands trembled. This time, not out of excitement but out of sheer despair.

9S was the first to speak his mind. "Uh… 2B? What are you doing here? Why don't you go wait outside? I'll be up there in a bit. Okay?"

She did not hear his words. Only his voice. She knew only that he said something and that she needed to respond. Her brain was fried. She found it difficult to form coherent words let alone full sentences. To the best of her ability, she stammered out an uncharacteristically meek reply.

"I-I-I… I don't. Wha…?"

9S furrowed a concerned brow. It sounded as though she were malfunctioning. His memories, as shoddy as they were, never indicated a time when she acted in this manner.

"He said leave," snapped Devola.

The ill-tempered twin already had her fill of 2B's unwanted presence. Humiliated and irate all at the same time, she made her lack of regard for 2B's rapidly determining mental state abundantly clear.

Across the bed, Popola saw the fury swelling in her sister. She too was not exactly thrilled but retained her composure. She tried to settle Devola down. For once, her usually fool-proof methods of comfort failed.

"Get out," Devola shouted. "GET THE FUCK OUT!"

2B finally got the hint. She said not another word. With her head bowed beneath the weight of so much sorrow, she walked straight back to the elevator. She did not dare stop. Not once did she look back. The doors sealed behind her.

With the coast clear, Popola shot a harsh glare at her sibling. "Devola, you need to calm down."

"Me!? That bitch walked in on us! She ruined everything!"

"She was Nines' old friend. Don't speak that way about her."

Popola shifted over to 9S who mostly kept quiet up until that point. His azure eyes were firmly locked on the ascending elevator. Popola reached to the ground at the foot of the bed where his tunic had been tossed aside. She picked it up and flung it at him.

"You get dressed."

The soft fabric struck him, draping over his head like a dark blanket. He pulled it away from his face and nodded in agreement.

"…Right."

He frantically stood up and gathered the rest of his clothes. "I guess I'll just go say goodbye," he stammered. "I don't know why she'd go through the trouble of tracking me down like this."

That struck Popola as odd. Surely he would have picked up on the obvious signs. "You mean you don't know?"

9S froze.

"I'm reasonably certain now that she harbors feelings for you."

"What? Are you making this up?"

Popola gave a firm shake of her head. "Of course not! Her reaction just now made it plain as day. Not to mention the fact that she went out of her way to find you. She must be mortified by what she saw. I feel terrible for her."

"Then what do you think I should do?"

The ancient android lowered her head. Her emerald eyes darkened with encroaching sorrow. "That depends. Do you wish to go with her instead?"

"No," 9S staunchly exclaimed, wildly running his fingers in his hair. "I wanna be with you, not her! Do you even have to ask that!?"

Popola shrugged and shook her head. She gave the issue more thought. An idea came to her. While hesitant to mention it at first, she perked up and let her voice be heard once again. "You could tell her upfront and be done with it, or you could go the extra mile."

"Extra mile?"

"Take her on a date."

In horrified unison, both 9S and Devola shouted back at her in rejection of this unanimously hated idea. "No!"

"Please hear me out! When I say date, I really mean a friendly outing. I have a hunch that she has feelings for you. She just walked in on you in bed with us. She already knows what's going on with us. She also has a history with you, I presume."

9S gave a confirming nod. "She does. We were partners in the past. Under YoRHa."

"Then I say she deserves one final memory with you. One last day to share in your company. Take her to the Amusement Park or somewhere well lit. Take her to the Festhall if you have to. Be her friend for one more day. Make sure she smiles. Keep her entertained for just a few hours. When it's all over, say goodbye. I promise that she'll feel better about it by the end. If I was in her shoes, I'd want exactly that."

9S calmed himself and mulled it over. Devola remained quiet but one look at her was enough for him to know she despised the idea. Regardless, he could not think of a better plan.

"I guess I can do that. It's better than telling her to screw off, right?"

"Exactly. Now, go on. Have fun. We'll be here when you get back."

There was nothing more he had to say. He donned his clothes and darted for the elevator. The twins watched as it swallowed him whole and ascended to the surface. Only when he was out of earshot did Devola finally voice her obvious concerns.

"Are we really about to let him go on a date with another woman!? I won't tolerate this!"

Popola groaned. "Again, that isn't what this is. Besides, you surely trust Nines, right?"

"I do but… what if that harpy tries something!? She could pull a sword on him or try to seduce him! And she's a combat model! She's designed to be stronger than him."

The straight-haired twin stood up off the bed. She smirked back at her sister with confidence. "And that's why we are going with them."

"Huh?"

"You think I'd let him go without our supervision? Now, get dressed. We can't let them get too far ahead."

The elevator neared the surface. 9S could only hope that 2B actually waited. He used this time to check over himself, ensuring he was decent. His uniform was straight. Every button was in place. The twins left his hair disheveled beyond recognition but the rain would fix that in a matter of minutes.

The elevator opened. Surely enough, 2B was waiting. She sat on the top step, back turned to him. Her head rested on her forearms. White hair, soaked in rainwater, cloaked what little her blindfold did not already conceal.

The whole time he gave the situation honest thought. Why did he avoid speaking to her for so long? Why did he never stop to simply say goodbye? He once had a reason but none of it seemed sensible. He failed to understand his own previous ways of thinking. No matter how much he tried to reflect, nothing he did under that red-eyed spell made any sense.

The scanner stepped outside, starting his approach, but lost the will to fully close the distance. He glinted to his left. Pods 042 and 153 floated side by side, watching his every move. He waved at his pod but completely ignored 2B's. His eyes switched back to the android in question. She most certainly heard him arrive but she did not stir.

"Hey, 2B. It's… uh… been a while, right?"

The scanner aggressively scratched the back of his head. Out of all the things he could have said, that was the best he dreamed up. He searched the skies for something more to add. His silent contemplation went on for too long. 2B stood up, still refusing to face him.

"I suppose it has. Longer than I thought."

"Y-Yeah. So, uh… I was thinking about it. You wanna go to the Amusement Park for a while?"

2B finally looked his way. Out of all the things she expected him to say, that was not on the list. 9S could have sworn he saw a smile twitch into existence for a nanosecond before being snuffed out by a perpetual frown.

"The Amusement Park? Why?"

"I just thought it would be fun to see it again. It's one of the few places I haven't visited since I was repaired."

She was uncertain about what he was playing at but the prospect of spending a bit of time with him was certainly a welcome one. She nodded her head in agreement.

This response surprised 9S. He was expecting her to reject the offer.

~O~

9S took his sweet time leading 2B to the Amusement Park. It gave the twins plenty of time to sneak around and ahead of them. Pods 042 and 153 quietly followed them after choosing to initially stay behind while their respective androids ventured out into the ruins.

Popola led the way into a random building. After climbing a few flights of stairs, they discovered a small table surrounded by three overturned chairs near a window. It offered a perfect view of the strip that led straight into the Amusement Park. Popola was the first to claim a seat. Her sister sat on the opposite side.

"Wow! We can see everything from here," said Devola.

"They should arrive soon, Sis. I highly doubt anything will happen but keep an eye on that girl just in case."

"Oh, don't worry! If I see her getting handsy or aggressive at all, I'll jump out his window and tear her…"

"Pod 042 to Units Devola and Popola. Please refrain from using threatening language when referring to Unit 2B unless explicitly provoked."

Popola gave an apologetic bow of her head. "Sorry. Don't mind us. I'm sure nothing eventful will happen today. When their day concludes, we can all go our separate ways again."

"Affirmative," 042 eagerly added.

Festive lights lined the streets below. A colorful hue. Neon mixtures of ambers, blues, purples, reds, and vibrant pinks all came together to illuminate the park. The long road to the old opera house was flanked on either side by buildings that shielded much of the partying in the street from the wind. Tarps were set up to block out most of the rain.

"This place is more lively than I thought," blurted Devola. "I figured it'd be just as dead as everywhere else."

Popola nodded along. "Looks like fun. We should come back here with Nines when we have more time."

"Pod 042 to Unit Popola."

The twins both turned to face the two pods hovering near the edge of the table. Popola smiled at the drone, silently welcoming whatever question was on his mind.

"Unit 9S previously had red eyes that were deemed by myself and Pod 153 to be incurable. How and when did they change colors?"

"…It's a bit of a long story. Do you wish to hear it?"

"Affirmative."

~O~

9S and 2B arrived at the overgrown courtyard just outside the park. Fences and a single entrance barred their way. Towering trees stretched out in a canopy that blocked a fair amount of rain. A vegetative shield against the harassing elements.

The sound of fireworks blasting in the skies above resonated with thunderous lightning strikes. It was a good sign. 9S was expecting to have to turn away and find somewhere else to take 2B. Between the crackling of fireworks and the lone machine posted near a renovated gate entrance, he was pleasantly surprised.

"Huh. Guess the people living here aren't affected by what's going on in the city," he stated quizzically. "I thought we'd stumble on a pile of corpses or something."

The scanner wandered ahead. 2B followed behind at a distance. She studied his every movement. There was no red in those eyes of his. No lust for violence. Were 042 and Anemone just crazy or were they lying? When this was all over, 042 would have quite a lot to answer for in that regard.

"Greetings," a medium biped announced upon seeing the two androids.

9S slowed to a stop. "I see you guys here are still holding out."

The machine gestured for the courtyard beyond. Pairs of smaller machines danced with each other. Their metal feet tapped and scraped against eroded concrete. It was far less populated than 9S remembered but a population at all was more than what he anticipated to find.

"We are not f-f-from these p-parts," the machine corrected. The robot's speech patterns were glitched for whatever reason. "We come from up nooorth and arrived shortly before the storm set in. We stumbled upon this place. It… it was deserted and filled with b-bodies. We needed a new home. This place looked… fun. Fuuuun. And so we stayed."

9S gave the machine an acknowledging nod. He then took a step forward, crossing the fence and officially entering the park. He twirled around to meet 2B's despairing gaze. "So, what do you wanna do first?"

"How about just a walk?"

"Easy enough."

He twirled back around. It was blatant that even now she was distraught. Maybe Popola was right in her assumptions. He tried to ignore the obvious and pressed on.

2B's meek voice caused him to halt again.

"That sword," she spoke softly. The tone employed was unlike her.

The sudden shift in conversation rained relief down upon the boy. Ever eager to talk about his favorite weapon, he faced her. Pulling the blade from the hovering ring near his back, he held it out for her to see. He would have simply handed it to her but it was far too treasured to be handed off to just anyone.

"It's called Skald's Song," he exclaimed with equal parts pride and enthusiasm. "Or so I was told!"

A bright smile against familiar boyish features left 2B entranced. He was no different than how she remembered. She found herself staring more at him than she did the shimmering blade resting upon gloved hands.

Her eyes did, however, venture back to the sword. A mysterious gemstone the size of her palm caught her attention. "Is that a real emerald," she asked with increasing interest. She could not recall a time when something of this nature would have ever earned so much as a second glance. This stone, however, was a bit too striking even for her to ignore.

Its enormous size was complimented by the way festival lights danced along a smooth, expertly cut surface. Watching as the reflective sparkles danced against an orb of the most vivid shade of green she may have ever laid eyes on was almost hypnotic.

"I think so, yeah. There's actually two of them."

He turned it over to show her the other one. A perfect mirror of the first. Two identical stones of equal beauty. Twin emeralds. Twins. That seemed to be a reoccurring theme with 9S these days. 2B violently shook her head to banish a certain mental image from her mind.

9S gave her a funny look. His smile faded. "You okay?"

His concern went forever unanswered. "Where did you find this?"

Immediately forgetting about 2B's weird bout of sudden movement, he lifted his gaze skyward in recollection. "It was a gift if you can believe that. A gift from… Devola and Popola."

Hesitation cut through his explanation like a blade carved from well-honed obsidian. The thought did occur to simply explain which Devola and Popola he was referring to. Between the miserable emotions, those memories stirred and the confusion it would likely create for 2B, he decided to simply leave it at that.

"You," 2B muttered. "You and those twins…"

He could sense the turn in her attitude. He swiftly thought of a distraction. "Oh! 2B! I just remembered! Wanna see a magic trick?"

She cocked her head at him. "Magic?"

9S moved to the center of the courtyard. He stood atop an elevated base where a certain golden statue once stood. The android gripped Skald's Song tightly in one hand and with a quick gesture, two orbs of red fire spawned in the air near his waist. They floated several feet away from him, orbiting around him in a single-file pattern.

Genuinely intrigued by the lights, 2B drew closer. She was careful not to step too close to those orbs. The fact that they were made of literal fire was more than enough to keep her from reaching out and grabbing one.

"Aw," 9S grumbled, somewhat disappointed by his own performance. "I meant to make more. Give me a sec."

As he fumbled with his sword, the burning wisps danced around him. The vibrant display drew numerous onlookers. A cluster of bipeds surrounded the two androids. They quietly crept up to the duo and watched the fireballs twirl with curious interest. 2B failed to see them approach until 9S had already attracted an undeniable crowd.

Trails of golden angelic script rippled in the air, following along like tails to a pair of comets. 9S managed to spawn another orb. Then a fourth and fifth shortly after. Only when he looked up from his sword did he see the machines watching him, pointing at and whispering about the spheres in automated awe.

Eager to entertain, 9S jumped about on the platform. In some cases, jumping on nothing but thin air as all YoRHa models could do. The orbs followed him, cutting swaths of enchanted light through the air as he went.

2B stood among the crowd of cheering machines with a minuscule, amused smirk.

~O~

Having grown tired of sitting, Devola opted to stand for a while. She leaned her back against the wall and poked her head out the window, arms calmly folded. The girl had an air of relaxation that betrayed her wrathful demeanor from earlier. Popola was beyond relieved to see her settle down.

9S was easily distracted by just about anything that glimmered. Around the park he went, darting between various alleyways and objects of interest. He chatted with just about every machine and the occasional android he came across. All the while, 2B struggled to keep up.

"The difference is like night and day," Devola mumbled as she watched 9S scurry about in the streets below.

Popola leaned back in her chair. "Oh, you mean Nines?"

"Yeah. Look at him down there."

"It makes me wonder just how much sway that monster had over him. He really is a completely different person."

Devola looked to the pods. "Was he like this in the past?"

The two drones glinted at each other. It was a surprisingly difficult inquiry to answer. 153 then floated forward with her response in tow. "Affirmative. The 9 personality type generally indicates outgoingness and curiosity."

"Right," Devola replied. "I knew YoRHa types were given a letter based on their combat role but I never knew what the numbers meant."

Pod 042 cut into the conversation. "Correct. All YoRHa models are given model designations rather than proper names. No.9 types such as Unit 9S are generally rarer to be manufactured. 9S, in particular, is considered to be one of the most advanced YoRHa units and is considered to be the most advanced in the scanner line."

Devola shifted back over to the window and stared down at the android in question, quietly removing herself from the conversation.

The male pod then turned to face Popola again.

"Pod 042 to Unit Popola. Please elaborate further on how exactly you determined it was a case of possession. Such a conclusion seems illogical."

Another long explanation. Popola cleared her throat.

~O~

Over an hour was spent watching 9S dart from attraction to attraction, sparing but half a second on each one before something else caught his eye. 2B eventually gave up trying to follow along. She found an old table near one of the buildings and claimed it as her own. Soon enough, 9S joined her after noticing that she had stopped trailing him altogether.

Idly, he tapped his finger on the table, waiting to uncover a topic to discuss with her. All the while, with the way he seemed to look everywhere but forward, 2B could not help but think that he had somewhere else he would rather be. She never addressed the concern.

"It's a shame all the rides are out of order," said 9S. "It makes sense with the weather being so terrible and all but still. I'd have liked to go on the Ferris wheel or… anything really. Oh! Remember the roller coaster? We used that to get inside the opera house one time. Where we fought that giant machine?"

"I remember," confirmed 2B.

Before the conversation was killed off yet again, 2B decided to be the one to speak up this time. Her mind was still frazzled. Still fathoming what she walked in on despite all her efforts to avoid thinking about it.

"So, what have you been up to all this time?"

It turned out to be a difficult question to answer. He thought about just where to begin.

"We started by searching for my memories," he explained.

9S told a criminally simplified version of the events that transpired while she was gone. He never so much as mentioned No.9. Opting instead to leave him and certain other key details out to spare her any confusion.

"I learned how to dance," 9S blurted out in the midst of explaining it all.

That caused 2B to perk up.

"Well, learning I should say. Devola and Popola taught me. They're both so talented. We found a lute once. Devola plays it and sings for us all the time. Popola does too. Sometimes she'll play the lute so Devola can dance with me. She sings as well, but she's shy about it. I kinda have to go through a song and dance of my own just to get her to do it. Amos and I traveled from here all the way to the belly of a volcano just to make that happen."

He initially laughed at his own memories but fell quiet. Something about delving into that volcano stirred a dark thought. It seemed as though he recalled finding something else down there. His memories of it were fuzzy. He could not recall for the life of him what was found if anything at all beyond that pesky flower.

Did the Cherub steal yet more memories from him whilst being yanked from his mind?

"Amos," asked 2B. "You know him?"

The boy was surprised that he managed to go this long without mentioning his faithful, salty companion up until then. He was more shocked by the fact that she seemed to know his name.

"You know him?"

"I met him shortly after my reactivation. We happened on each other out in the ruins. I even mentioned you but he never reacted."

"That's crazy! He's been helping us out this whole time. And yeah, he doesn't talk much, or at all."

2B looked away. She watched the rain land on concrete and run down the sloped path in a shallow stream. Her right hand clenched into an ever-tightening fist. "What's the deal with you and those twins? You seem… close."

The fact that she would ask at all was a tad unexpected despite it being such an obvious concern. 9S thought carefully about how he was to answer this. He could read her body language quite easily. It was a distressing topic. Her movements made that fact very blatant indeed.

"Kinda hard to explain. I guess I took a liking to them fairly quickly. They were the only friendly faces around and those faces weren't exactly difficult to look at either."

2B tried to hide her growing envy. She stared straight into the pair of vibrant cobalt eyes across the table. A familiar face, yet nothing about his demeanor or what came out of his mouth was recognizable.

Not realizing his former partner's ever-increasing discontent, he carried on in longing reveries. "Popola's really calm, reserved, and nice. Devola's sweet too! Not that you could tell. She's nice to me at least, but she's sorta unfiltered. I liked all of that about them. To the point where I could never really pick one. In the end, I never had to choose. Thankfully."

Hearing him gush over two other women was not the best of experiences. 2B zeroed in on the flower proudly displayed in his hair. Defiantly, it clung to his head in spite of rain and cyclonic winds alike. A perfect match to those worn by his newfound lovers. To him, the gift was likely a symbol of affection. To her, it was the perfect encapsulation of the undeniable fact that she had been left behind.

He was visibly happy anytime he discussed those two. Every word of praise or compliment directed at them left the sensation that he was reaching into her chest and twisting her heart upside down. Not once did she try to stop him. Ultimately, her composure allowed her little more but sit and quietly bear it.

"They're definitely the jealous types too," he added. "Both of them but especially Devola. They were at each other's throats over me for a short time. I'm honestly surprised that Popola asked me to do thi..."

Realizing exactly what he was about to admit, he stopped himself. He needed a distraction fast. Before she started asking questions.

9S's head turned sharply. Those blue eyes darted to an attraction across the street. Without warning, he leaped out of the chair and bolted. There was a crowd of machines that way. 2B remained seated in her chair. She was stunned.

Despite how quickly he tried to divert her attention, it was no difficult task to complete that sentence in her head. She stood up after mulling it over, then approached him from behind. She trembled in utter despair. She stared blankly at the back of his head as well as the lustrous jewel embedded in his sword. They taunted her with their dazzling splendor. His words played on loop inside her head.

A machine at the center of the crowd held several sticks in its mechanical arms. 9S greeted the metal creature.

"Hello? What's going on here?"

The machine responded swiftly. "I'm learning to juggle."

"Juggle?"

"Humans did it at festivals for entertainment. You take something like these sticks, toss them in the air and catch them. The goal is to keep throwing them without stopping. That's juggling."

The machine tried to demonstrate. It threw the three sticks high into the air and tried to catch them but each one fell upon its iron head.

"That sounds fun. Can I try?"

"Yes."

2B watched from the sidelines as 9S was handed the gathered sticks. He tried several times but failed at each attempt. As it happened, 2B was left feeling as though she were frozen in time.

Her brain remained fixated on that last thing he said to her. Incomplete as it may be, she was almost certain that she knew precisely what he was going to say.

"I'm honestly surprised that Popola told me to do this for you, 2B."

And there it was. It made perfect sense. As the day progressed, she became more accepting of the inevitable fact that 9S had fallen for those twins whom he showed no signs of wanting to leave for her meager sake. It was expressed in the way he smiled while talking about them. Illustrated further by that damnable flower.

2B knew full well from the start that this was one last gesture on his part. A day spent with her before saying goodbye and returning to his friends and twin lovers. However, a small part of her believed that this outing signified that there was but a microscopic chance she could convince him otherwise. It gave her a shred of hope throughout the day. His last statement, however, offered a very different reality.

The only reason he was doing all this for her was not that he wished to spend time with her. Not at all due to any genuine care for the likes of her. Not because it was his idea.

The sole reason that this last, wonderful day was made possible was Popola asked him to do it.

The revelation left her in shambles. A worse truth than waltzing in on him copulating with those terrible twins. It took every fiber of her being not to collapse to her knees under what felt like a tsunami of liquid depression threatening to drown her forever.

Yet unaware of her mental turmoil, 9S smirked at her from over his shoulder. His words were accompanied by boyish laughter. "Wanna give it a shot, 2B?"

No pre-programmed composure or nearly impervious emotional shell could protect her this time. Not from this onslaught. Stray tears escaped her blindfold but were easily mistaken as drops of rain. She could not find the words. All she could do was shake her head in rejection.

Much to 9S's surprise, 2B took the lead for once. She had one place in mind. "One last stop," she promised him. Well and truly intrigued, he followed her through the Amusement Park and toward the Ferris wheel.

She did not state where they were going but the imposing sight of the forsaken ride gave little room for other options. It was never a difficult task for him to put two and two together but he was still left wondering why. The wheel was not being operated. Wild winds made it too much of a hazard. These facts did not deter 2B.

They arrived at the base of the ancient ride. Ivy vines intertwined with the rustic legs. The leaves were wilted from so much exposure to rain. The storm was drowning out all of the plants that once offered a green shimmer to the city.

"What now," asked 9S.

"Let's go to the top."

"But why?"

"You'll see."

She leaped forward and jumped a second time in the air. With arms outstretched, she grabbed one of the beams. She hoisted herself up, scaling straight to the cart dangling from metal wires at the top of the ride.

Before he was left behind, 9S pursued her. At the top cart, she waited, arms held behind her back. Eyes locked on the northern horizon. 9S tried to speak but his inevitable questions were cut short. 2B spoke softly.

Racing winds rushed past them, threatening to blow them off at any second. Lightning sparked all around them. Rain flew at them with an almost hurtful force. As peaceful as such a scene should have been, it was anything but. It took all of 9S's strength to keep from being overwhelmed by the elements. As she started to speak, he listened carefully, straining to hear her over the typhoon. All the while, he pondered the reason why she beckoned him up so high.

"I searched for you," 2B explained. Her tone was a bit shaky. More unusual behavior from her but 9S did not stop to ask why. He already knew at least part of the reason.

"When I finally thought I found you, I felt… joyful? I think that's the right one. I thought we could leave this city together. That you would come with me. That we could be free from YoRHa together. I probably already know the answer but I have to ask. Will you leave all this behind? Will you come with me? I know your memories are gone but I can help you remember in time."

9S forced a smile. He knew this moment was coming. It finally arrived and there was but one thing left to do.

He let out a cheery laugh. A friendly response but one that 2B took as a mockery. Her heart sank in anticipation. She turned around to give him her full attention. Her happiness rested in the balance of this singular decision and it was completely out of her control.

"Well, it's not that I don't remember," he stated aloud, nervously scratching his hair. A sharp gust of wind reminded him where he was. The scanner immediately grabbed hold of a metal bar beneath his feet and held on with both hands.

"You see, I do actually remember you."

2B's eyes widened in shock. "You do?"

"Yep. I always remembered you. For the longest time, those memories didn't feel like mine because I had no emotional attachment to them. It was just a side effect of my red eyes. And no, your pod wasn't lying if you hadn't gathered that from the story I told. I really did have red eyes."

2B gulped hard.

"But now I remember those emotions you evoked back then. The only problem is… they aren't my memories. They never were and they never will be."

Strangely enough, 2B felt nothing at this sudden turn for the worst. Perhaps her hopes had already been trampled so many times in the past ten hours that she had grown numb to it. All that was left was to hear his rejection and try to carry on with her life. And so, she waited. Waited and listened.

"I'm sorry to say, 2B, but the 9S you knew is dead. And I'm not speaking in metaphor, either. I mean that version of me is literally dead. Technically speaking, I was never created by YoRHa. My parts were, but I'm just a product of 153 grabbing my old body and some random chips, spare parts, and slapping everything back together. She's my maker. Hell, even my OS chip isn't the same one. She swapped it with another one cause she thought it would cure my eyes."

Lightning revealed his face to her. His blue eyes. That look of innocence even as he repeatedly pulverized what little emotion she felt.

"The memories that other 9S had of you may be housed in my OS, but like I said, they were never mine. They're too distant to be mine. My memories are of all the time I spent running around with Amos, 153, Popola, and Devola."

9S ducked his head to hide the redness in his cheeks. "And as you saw earlier, I've had a lot of time to spend with those twins in particular. I can't imagine my life without them at this point. I won't abandon them and I refuse to betray them! Not for you! Not for anyone!"

An aspect of 2B desperately wanted to find a means of convincing him otherwise. To argue until the sun poked through the clouds. Perhaps she could convince him if she grew out her hair or even change its color somehow. Maybe he would go with her if she learned to dance and sing. She could even attempt to hack into his systems with the aid of her pod and erase those pesky memories.

These fleeting thoughts all came and went in an instant. Dark urges were pushed beneath a desire to preserve her own dignity. All of those ideas were terrible. The mere fact that they spawned from her ever disquieting mind made her queasy.

With her mind made up and her fate finally sealed, she smiled at him. A warm grin to hide the festering desire to take out her sword and plunge it into her own gut. As if that would free her from this well-earned torment.

"Very well, 9S. Maybe it's better this way. Now, you can be free. Free from YoRHa. Free from that endless war. …Free from me. You can do whatever you want now, and there's nothing I can do to stop you. I'll never be able to hurt you again this way. As it should be."

"Uh… 2B? What are you talking about?"

2B nearly choked out a mournful giggle.

She stepped away from him, inching closer to the edge of a metal beam. She looked down to the void below. "You know," she began in an oddly emotional tone of voice. An emotion 9S could not identify but she sounded much more lively than she usually did.

"There's this place humans talked about. A place vile souls go when they lived a wrongful life. They go to a place called Hell. They see horrible things there. It's a place without sunlight. Where the dead walk and nothing makes any sense. They're killed over and over again and tormented to atone for their past transgressions for all eternity."

The speech became more perturbing with every word to escape her quivering lips. 9S was at a loss of what to say and so he kept quiet. 2B continued on.

"When I was first repaired, I came to this city and met a man. All that was left of him was a head stuck on a pike. He was still alive. Should be impossible, right? I asked him if I was in Hell. He never gave me a straight answer. I guess he never needed to. I think I just found it. I'm okay with it. I deserve to be here."

"You're not in Hell, 2B. It's just a really bad storm. And yeah, there's weird stuff going on, but maybe these ruins were always haunted. We never really had time to slow down and find out in the past."

2B made no retort to his argument. Doing so would only drag on the inevitable, and it was high time this date come to an end.

"Enjoy your freedom, 9S. I hope those girls give you the love you deserve. Goodbye."

With the conversation having been refocused to a more sane topic, 9S nodded apprehensively. He too had no desire to prologue this excursion. "I guess this is it then. Farewell, 2B."

Those parting words destroyed what was left of her. 2B lost all composure. She aimed her eyes at the blackened skies and let out a horrifying yelp. A shout of pure, agonizing misery. She leaped from the Ferris wheel. She landed on her feet. A fall from that height was not at all enough to damage her. It did sting a bit, however.

She walked away, head down, arms folded to shield her aching chest.

That scream. It curdled the boy's blood. He watched her disappear into the darkness below.

"Was there a better way to handle this," he asked aloud.

He could go after her, but why bother? He failed to think of a single thing more he needed to say. It had to happen one way or another.

Atop the Ferris wheel, he spent some time by himself. An interval of quiet reflection before he returned to the twins. He studied the black clouds. The lightning. The rain. Absorbing the sound of rippling thunder. Enduring the harshness of the wind. In the midst of it all, he wondered.

Did spending this extra time with 2B help at all or did it make things all the more difficult for her?

Note: This chapter was a little late. The first draft consisted of 9S going up to the surface and talking with 2B. It was a bit on the boring side so I rewrote it.