A/N: I am so excited to be back to present you all this chapter. Parts of this chapter have been in the works since I first started this story and I'm super happy with how it's turned out. I hope all of you will enjoy it too. It's fairly short and a touch fluffy...but I had so much fun with it. Many thanks to all of you for reading and for keeping up with this work. I really appreciate it! Best wishes and God bless you all.
Disclaimer: NieR: Automata is a product of Square Enix, Platinum Games, and Yoko Taro. This buffoonery is a Fanfiction. Ya'll know the difference. XD Lol.
Warnings: I don't even know. This chapter has some fluff but it's a touch unhinged too. You'll see why. Enjoy!
We're Broke! Please Give Us Money!
-5-
Life is often unpredictable, necessitating adaptation in order to survive. Furthermore, changes of circumstance often led humans to periods of introspection in which they could choose to shift their mentality on the world at large...though most of the species didn't bother with such things due to overloaded schedules, constant standardized testing, and the ever increasing stress of maintaining financial stability.
Thinking isn't all that lucrative unfortunately.
Of course, money matters do not concern the YoRHa fugitive, Attacker Number 2.
Her thoughts at present are centered around one of the...stranger twists her life had taken.
"Your Majesty! Your hair is so pretty!"
"May we braid it please!"
"Please! Please let us!"
A2, sitting in the space once occupied by the infant Forest King, growls internally as one of her eyebrows twitches to showcase her mounting agitation, not that the machine children surrounding her noticed. They were too busy screeching a chorus of, "Please let us braid your hair!"
"I should cut it all off just to spite these treacherous little vermin," she thinks, clenching her fist tightly when the chanting increases in volume and pitch.
"Alright! Alright already! Do what you want. Just be quiet."
"Yaaaaay! Her Majesty is so kind! SO KIND!"
"Shut up and braid it already!"
The machine children quickly quieted down and got to work on combing through A2's long, platinum locks with makeshift combs made from rusted materials. Another groan slips past the fugitive's lips as she rests her chin against her raised knees. Her sword is within reach, crackling with electricity as a form of warning, which the machine children outright ignored when they made their initial approach. They acted like they knew she wouldn't attack.
Stupid as the machines typically were, A2 realizes that they weren't exactly wrong in this case. If she really wanted them out of her presence...or dead...she would have acted accordingly long before they ever drew close.
"What am I doing?" she wonders, exhaling a sigh upon feeling mechanical fingers in her hair. "My comrades would be so ashamed if they could see me now. I should just kill these things and move on from here."
Even though her thoughts are heavily centered around murdering the machines quietly giggling as they play, A2 remains still.
In their eyes, she is their ruler: The Forest Queen.
All the machines of the region submit to her command now, which was...an outright ridiculous turn of events. Even now, the fugitive couldn't quit wrap her mind around how it had all happened or why she was still playing along with the madness.
A little over a month ago, A2 had slain the previous "ruler" in front of 2B and 9S, two YoRHa units she had come across and killed in times past. With this particular battle she'd been forced to retreat thanks to some hacking damage from 9S and a viciously brutal strike against her forearm from the combat bracers 2B happened to be using that day. To make matters worse, her left leg started seizing up during the battle - a result of her lack of regular maintenance no doubt.
Though she managed to escape, it wasn't long before her right arm started acting up as well, which made fighting off any enemies difficult from that point forward. Thankfully YoRHa hadn't sent any more E-Models to hunt her down, but this was mainly due to the extremely hostile and territorial machines living in the forest region. Funnily enough, their physical might provided A2 some unintentional protection.
She didn't really notice it at the time though, since her body was crumbling in on itself little by little, so she spent the next three days of her aimless wandering hobbling around in hopes of finding weaker machines to dismantle. Field repair was the best she could hope for after all.
Unfortunately, on the fourth day she found herself cornered by a small army of heavily armed machines riding on boars covered in metallic armor. The leader of said army, with a giant spear in hand, stared down at her with glowing crimson eyes.
A2 had stared back unflinchingly, for her back was pressed against a tree trunk and her right arm had stopped functioning altogether.
Even if she forced her way through the crowd of enemies, she wouldn't get far before dropping dead.
So instead of running she waited for the end with as much dignity as she could muster up. The machine's wouldn't see her fear or anguish. They wouldn't get the satisfaction of her regret...
She waited...
And waited...
...
Then waited some more...
...
The stillness in the air reached a fever pitch when the crimson glow of the leader's eyes transformed into a liquid gold color. A2 stiffened at the sight of it, unsure of what the change meant.
"Take this android to the castle for interrogation."
Without any understanding of what was happening, A2 went along quietly, figuring that she might have a better chance of surviving this ordeal if she did.
In silence the machines escorted her through the ruined halls and chambers of the once illustrious castle. She glanced about the area looking for potential escape routes as they walked or a weakness in the machines' formation around her, but there was none.
Eventually the machines sit her down before the cradle of their former king with her wrists and ankles bound together by thick cords of wire she couldn't break free of with only one functional arm. Hundreds of machines filtered into the wide space as the seconds ticked on, their shrill, mechanical whispers bouncing off the walls and through A2's increasingly sensitive eardrums.
"Definitely don't like this..."
"I was the king's closest confidant before we placed his core in the body of an infant machine," the leader of the machine army roared to the crowd gathering around him. "He once told me that in the days of the old kingdoms, the assassins of kings often became the new rulers. He then said, 'Should I ever be killed...my assassin is to be my successor.'"
He paused to point a mechanical hand toward A2.
"This android is the one responsible for killing our king! By order of the former Forest King, she is to be our next ruler!"
Many of the machines fell into immediate protest.
"Accursed Android! Murderer!"
"We bow to only one king!"
"We will never accept you! NEVER!
"Hmm...but then again...this android is..."
"Pretty, isn't she?"
A2 immediately raised a brow at the shift of tone. "What?"
"And strong. Our king fell to a fearsome warrior. It's what he would have wanted."
A2, dumbfounded by all this, balked at the praise of the machines and subtly started struggling to loosen the wires around her ankles with the hope that a few fierce tugs would be enough to free her legs and flee while they were distracted, but the wires held strong regardless of her increasingly violent movements.
"This android took our king from us! She must be punished!"
"But look at her," one stubby biped murmured, raising its arms. "She was built for royalty!"
"Oh give me a break!" A2 growled loudly. "If I get out of here, I'm killing all of you. End of story."
"See! The android is a blood-thirsty fiend!"
Another biped, who was wearing a fake mustache for some inexplicable reason, stood in front of A2, holding its arms out wide as a measure of defense.
"Blood-thirsty or not, the wishes of the former king should be respected," it said with a voice full of mechanical conviction. A second later, it glanced at her with bright green eyes. The fake mustache twitched.
A2 glared at him.
"Besides...the way the light shines in her hair is so beautiful," he continued, undeterred by her menacing stare. "She can destroy me anytime."
"Me too!" another agreed.
"STEP ON ME SENPAI!"
A2 was legitimately terrified after hearing that particular shout. She couldn't believe it. These machines had gone from planning her death to complimenting and professing their undying love and loyalty, which was just plain ridiculous to witness.
"We will follow you to the end, Forest Queen!"
"ALL HAIL HER MAJESTY, THE FOREST QUEEN!"
"LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!"
"STEP ON ME YOUR MAJESTY!"
Though confused and frightened, at that moment A2 figured out she could use their so-called "loyalty" to her advantage.
"I'll have them cut these stupid wires off," she had thought, smirking in a way that could be considered evil. "I'll have them repair me...and then, once I'm all fixed up, I'll destroy every last one of them because that's what they deserve for all the lives they've stolen. All the machines will pay. All of them."
Unfortunately, while concocting her scheme, another android happened to awkwardly stumble into the throne room.
This model was YoRHa Unit 4S, a he had no combat capabilities whatsoever.
Apparently he was clumsy too because what gave his presence away was the sound of him tripping up the stairs.
"CRASH!"
The Scanner lay face down on the stone floor, grumbling profanities at himself while the forest machines raised their spears.
"You dare intrude upon the sacred chamber of the Forest Queen!"
"FOR THIS INSULT TO HER MAJESTY, YOU SHALL DIE INTRUDER!"
"I WILL STEP ON YOU AND PRESENT YOUR CORPSE AS A MARRIAGE OFFERING!"
4S leapt to his feet, clear shock displayed in his shrouded expression.
"W-wait a minute... I am...not trespassing. In fact...I'm not even here. You're all hallucinating!"
"AND HE'S A CRIMINALLY BAD LIAR TOO!? OFF WITH HIS HEAD!"
"UNACCEPTABLE!"
"STEP ON HIM! STEP ON HIM! STEP ON HIM! STEP ON HIM!"
Since he was a YoRHa Android, A2 knew it would have been in her best interest to let the machines "step on him" as they put it, and completely erase his memory of her.
But instead...
"Leave him alone."
Though the command wasn't all that loud, the machines halted immediately. 4S stood still, unable to move a muscle.
"But your highness!"
"You heard me!" she roared. "Leave. Him. Alone."
The machines gathered in the room scrambled a bit, filing into ranks before stating, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Good. Now cut these wires off of me."
The machines did as she asked and released her from her bindings. Rather than kill them immediately though, she stood up and stretched, her gaze on the YoRHa soldier.
"I want every machine to leave me and my guest alone," she ordered, her voice echoing through the room. "Bring me some materials for maintenance as well."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The machines scattered every which way, departing into separate tasks as they fled from the room. A2 immediately released a sigh once all of them were gone, but a problem still remained.
Summoning her sword, she addressed the YoRHa Scanner.
"State you name."
"Uh..." he quickly knelt before her. "Um...YoRHa Unit Number 4 Type S, Your Highness."
A2 narrowed her ice blue eyes at him. "Don't call me that. I'm not their ruler. Those machines are just...insane."
4S kept his head bowed. "Machines have been exhibiting odd behaviors lately. Those cut off from the machine network seem especially complex in their nature."
"There's nothing complex about those murder bots," the fugitive argued, taking a few steps closer. "Did YoRHa send you to hunt me down?"
"No," 4S replied, lifting his head to set his shrouded gaze on her eyes. "This is merely my assigned area of reconnaissance. I was already in the library when I saw that army of machines dragging you in. I came here...to provide support if needed. I guess it wasn't."
A2 pointed her sword at his throat. "You really are a horrible liar. YoRHa considers me a traitor. They want me dead."
"Yeah, but no one knows why," 4S explained, shrugging his shoulders. "9S tried finding out from the Commander, but she told him the information was classified."
"Figures."
"He would have been better off asking me," the Scanner murmured, rising to his feet despite the blade mere inches from his throat. "I've been tracking you for some time now, Attacker Number 2."
"For what purpose?"
"I'm interested."
"In?"
4S smirked. "You."
The fugitive stared at him for a long moment, but when he didn't say anything else she grew frustrated.
"What kind of an answer is that?"
"A truthful one," he replied, tilting his head in a playful manner. "You're the only Attacker Model in existence now. Scanners like me are naturally curious about anomalies like that."
A2 felt her grip tightening around the hilt of her weapon. "I'm no one's test subject. Not anymore."
"You've been experimented on before?"
"In a sense."
"When?"
"None of your business."
4S's smirk drifted into a solemn frown. "You're right. I'm sorry. At any rate, I don't have any intention of reporting you to Command. Truth is...I'm considered a defective model and because of that...I'm pretty much left to my own devices as long as I supply the Bunker with useful Old World data. The library here has so much data available that I never have to worry about running out...but...lately I..."
The Scanner's words faded into an oddly tense silence. A2, unused to all the social activity, was overcome by a strong sense of mental fatigue. Looking at 4S, she noted there was exhaustion in his expression too.
Seeing it made her chuckle in a way that lacked any real mirth or warmth, but 4S smiled regardless.
"If you need maintenance I can help," he suggested, watching the Attacker Model carefully as she lowered the blade away from his neck. Swallowing he added, "I've seen you limping around. It's...been kinda tough to watch."
A2 scoffed and took a seat before former king's cradle once more.
She was tired. She needed repairs. This Scanner Model, despite being a YoRHa Unit, wanted to help.
"Fine. Do what you want."
That was how their relationship began, and in the three weeks that have passed since that initial meeting, A2 has inexplicably fallen into a pit of deep emotion. She can't process what any of it means logically, but she feels content when 4S is in her presence. Their togetherness had softened her to some degree, even with the machines surrounding her day in and day out.
It felt nice to have a place where she could rest...a fortress where she was protected.
She didn't have to run from anything anymore. She wasn't scared or lonely anymore either.
Guilt gnaws at her though. She swore to make the machines pay for what they had done to her comrades, yet here she is, basking in the warmth of the sun as machine children braid her hair.
Life truly is unpredictable.
It's while she's processing this thought that she hears light footsteps enter from afar. The machine children are quick to notice the sound and tense up until they see the silhouette of 4S.
"The Forest King is here!"
"Please help us braid the queen's hair!"
4S smiles easily for them. "Okay, okay. Keep the talking to a minimum though. The Queen prefers things quiet."
"Okay!"
The machine children make space for 4S to sit behind A2, who sighs as soon as she feels his fingertips combing through the strands at the base of her neck.
"Why do they keep calling you the Forest King?" she asks, moaning softly when he starts massaging her scalp.
"I guess it's because I'm the man in your life."
A2 responds to this by lightly elbowing his stomach, which results in calm laughter. It's a melodious sound…even with the slight edge of discomfort in it.
Soon 4S' fingers weave through the strands at her neck like they're thread while the machine children hand him different flowers and other ornaments to place in the braids. They chatter quietly, saying things about how beautiful the queen is or how lucky she is to have such a devoted and loving king to help run the kingdom. A2 has to suppress a groan at all the different comments.
"Fascinating, isn't it?" 4S murmurs, his lips near her ear. "The way our whole perspective on life can change within a short frame of time?"
"It's more surprising than anything," A2 answers, clutching the stem of the Desert Rose near her hand. "Not sure what to make of it honestly."
4S doesn't reply for a while, instead choosing to focus on the task of braiding A2's hair for the children. When he's finished, the small machines make squeals of delight.
One of the nearby machine guards glances in their direction at the sound of the squeals. He begs to be stepped on for the thousandth time the instant he catches a glimpse of the Forest Queen.
The Scanner couldn't begin to guess why that particular machine wanted to be trampled on so badly, but A2 wasn't balking at that machine's declarations anymore, so 4S ignored it as well.
Eventually, the machine children and the weird machine guard leave to give the two androids privacy upon 4S' request.
A2 sighs at their departure, her gaze on the Scanner as he reaches into the small knapsack strapped across his chest.
"What are you…"
"In the old world humans used to have these things called mirrors," he interrupts, a nervous lilt to his voice. "9S recently paid me a ton of money to help him fuse some chips. I used those funds to buy some rare materials and…" pausing for dramatic effect, he withdraws a replica of a decorative, hand-held mirror. "Tada!"
She stares at it for a moment.
"Is it…a weapon?"
4S chuckles. "No. It's…a way to look at yourself. Females used this type of mirror in the ancient times, and there are all kinds of stories about mirrors holding magic too. In a world like this...I thought a little magic could help give you good luck."
A2 cringes but gently takes the item out of his hand to examine it and nearly gasps upon seeing her reflection.
"Plus you can see all the work we did with your hair," he says, rummaging in his knapsack again. "Hold on, I have some extra glass. You need two reflective surfaces to see the back of your hair properly..."
As he yammers on, A2 studies a face she hadn't seen with any clarity in a very long time. Though it was obvious that she had been through heavy wear and tear, there was…something in her eyes that seemed different.
And as for her hair…
…
"Why…did you make this for me?"
"Hmm? Oh, I…"
4S stops again, suddenly bashful.
"Out with it."
"Um…it's just that I…wanted you to see...how I see you," he stammers out, holding the glass in his hands a bit higher up to account for her movement.
A2 stares at the reflective surface to see all the flowers and tiny crystals adorning her platinum hair.
She didn't think such beauty suited her battle-worn form.
"You don't like it do you?"
The fugitive doesn't respond. Truth be told, she thought the effort he made to craft anything for her was something special, but sharing feelings isn't her strong suit.
So she leans back, resting a little of her body weight against his chest as a way to answer his question.
His arms fold around her waist easily and with a neutral expression she lowers the handheld mirror to capture both their reflections along the surface.
"I like this image better," she murmurs.
He nods, tightening his hold on her body. "Me too."
A comfortable silence envelops them, and A2 could have rested in that silence for the rest of her days.
But…
"YEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAW!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"9S!"
A2 and 4S both release a sigh of disappointment at the noise.
"Something tells me I better check that out," the female android announces somberly.
"Really?" he asks, lightly kissing her cheek. "I'm sure they're..."
"I'M NOT OKAY! I AM NOT OKAY!"
"KEEP RUNNING LITTLE MAN!"
"I WASN'T PLANNING TO STOP! 2B! DON'T JUST STAND THERE! DO SOMETHING! I AM GOING TO DIE! AGAIN!"
"OH? IS THAT ALL I AM TO YOU? A TICKET OUT OF DANGER? A SERVANT TO DO YOUR BIDDING, 9S?"
"2B PLEASE! WE ARE SOLDIERS! THIS IS UNPROFESSIONAL AND PETTY, NOT TO MENTION EVIL! HELP ME!"
Groaning in obvious displeasure, 4S loosens his hold on his girlfriend.
"Yeah, we're not going to have a moment's peace so long as those two are running around the Forest Kingdom."
A2 quickly extracts herself from her lover while grabbing her Type 40 Sword from off the ground.
"Wait here for me where you'll be safe," she orders.
"As you wish, Your Highness."
She marches toward the entryway to the throne room but stops near the threshold suddenly. 4S stares at her, his expression one of confusion as she pivots to face him.
"Yes?" he asks.
The beautiful wanderer stares at him for a little while longer, her expression unreadable when she takes a step toward him.
With sudden understanding, 4S rises to his feet and closes the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her waist before raising himself up to plant a gentle kiss along her lips. A2 barely returns the kiss, unused to the contact, but when he pulls away, there's a tender smile on her face.
"Be careful, my love."
Grunting in acknowledgement, A2 turns on her heel and flies off like a leaf on the wind.
4S sighs.
"I'm gonna kill 9S."
Yeah, 4S is going to have to get in line on that one, especially because one angry machine lady is already trying to do that as we speak.
Of course, explaining why 9S finds himself in mortal danger this time will require…a flashback of sorts.
"2B COME ON! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"
Okay seriously, I can't leave these two alone for one chapter!
A/N: Breaking the fourth wall is too much fun. So is writing A2 and 4S as a cute couple. My inner fangirl is squealing. Anyway, many thanks again to all of you for reading this story. Best wishes and God bless you all! And I hope all of you enjoy the holiday season as well. See you guys next time!