Voices, they were the first thing she became aware of, they were a lot of them, some loud but distant, some just hushed whispers, however close. When her eyes opened, sunlight flooded her senses.
Was she dead? Was this heaven?
No, she didn't deserve that, she'd be placed in hell if there were even an afterlife.
As her vision cleared, mismatched eyes finally took in the surroundings properly, now that she could see again, though her mind was feeling rather foggy.
She could see people around her, six in total, and three floating things above some of those people's shoulders, a purple, white and black one… Pods her mind reminded her as she counted them.
The ones staring at her were all women, except one boy with white hair, who at her side had a girl with equally white hair.
2B and 9S…
Two other women wearing the same face and fiery red hair.
The twins, Devola and Popola.
Another female, with a long green cape on her shoulder stood a little further away.
The Resistance Leader, Anemone.
And then, closest to her, wearing a long mane of white hair, and the same face as 2B, with two sorrowful blue eyes…
A2…
Her enemy that become friend and partner…
The woman that she had sacrificed everything for with no hesitation, and that she'd do the same for again and again…
"Hey…" a small smile crept on her face, as a hand rose to place itself on A2's cheek.
A2's own hand came to rest on hers, she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Robin was here again, in front of her, looking at her with those different yet sweet eyes of hers. She remembered her…
She remembers…
Slowly, A2's other hand went to rest on Robin's shoulder, as she then lowered herself on the woman's body, burying her face in the crook of her neck, always mindful that the human didn't like being touched too much.
Even though she was sobbing and sniffling, she had a smile on her face, and just then, all the loneliness, the sadness, the longing disappeared right in that moment.
She was… happy…
Like she hadn't been in years…
Robin's free hand embraced A2, dragging her even closer, as she too smiled like never before, basking in the warmth this hug brought her.
The coldness of their android bodies would never seep through the warmth of their feeling, as they reunited, once again. Like they always did through these months.
But this time, it felt even more special.
This time Robin was not going to leave, ever again.
"I missed you so much…" she felt A2 nuzzle into her neck, her white mane tickling her skin, as she threaded a hand through it.
"I'm sorry…" for leaving her alone, for being yet another person she cared for she had to leave behind, for having to watch her die too… "I'm sorry…" she repeated.
"I know, I know…" idle on A2's back, there was her faithful black and red sword. She had gotten her last message then.
Robin didn't expect to return, ever, with the Bunker destroyed and nothing to back up data, and YoRHa gone, but here she was again. Defying fate once more, beyond what any other human could ever do or hope for.
There were people that believed she'd been worth the effort of going through the whole process of either building a new body, or fixing her old one, she didn't know yet what happened, but was in no rush to ask.
Your existence is a sin, Robin!
You should have never survived!
And yet… those voices still haunted her.
Perhaps some things never changed, and would never do.
But she was not going to worry the others with her past, for the time being, she didn't want to ruin this moment, that no matter how she put it, it felt right to be here.
She felt… wanted… loved even…
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, A2 got off her enough to allow her to sit up on the cot she was in, though she was still clingy as she lay her head on her shoulder. She hadn't recognized the medical tent of the camp at first.
"Welcome back to the world of the living." these words and a grin came from Devola, as she leaned in on the bed, still flashing a bright smile at her.
Robin took her proper time to look at the people before her one by one again, then bowed her head.
"I owe you everything."
And she meant it, she owed them so much more than her life, if only they knew all about her…
Maybe in the future…
"We're glad to have you back." 2B sat on the other side of the cot, slowly but gently taking Robin's hand, almost surprised when she didn't pull away.
"It was child's play." 9S flashed her a grin, reminding her of the boy she'd come to know through their Operator once again, instead of the murderous angry person he'd become the last time they met.
She wondered if he ever thought about what he saw in her head, and what he thought of her now that he did.
But for now, the fact that he and A2 weren't being hostile with one another, was enough to tell that things were at least okay between them. Perhaps they found a way to make peace with one another while she was gone, which was a really good thing.
As long as they weren't pointing blades at one another it was all fine.
She'll probably come to know of the events in between, eventually. But one thing at a time for now.
"The Pods helped us a lot." Popola admitted, her green eyes pointing to one of the support units in particular, Pod 007.
"Upon the completion of Project YoRHa these support units were bound to delete all data regarding said project, however, these Pods believed that Units 2B, 9S, A2 and 26E deserved another chance." her little purple companion floated closer to her face.
"However I am ashamed to say that, unlike Pod 042 and 153, this Pod was unable to bring back its supported Unit alone."
Hence the presence and intervention of the twins and of 9S, she assumed. Also, didn't her Pod speak of being ashamed? Could they feel too now? Was it why they wanted to save them despite being built to delete them?
Because they learned to care?
"But Pod 007 has been crucial in handing over all the data we needed, and also for saving your consciousness and memory data." 9S added, they would have never managed to recover her fully, if it hadn't been for her companion.
Chances were, if 007 didn't have that data, that they would have brought back an android that only looked like Robin, but with no memory and no personality.
She wouldn't have been herself and most importantly, she would have never remembered her humanity, nor the time and the bond she shared with A2, during the time she'd been with her.
It would have hurt A2 more than knowing her dead instead, because she would have never been herself ever again.
So in the end, even if a little pissed that only Robin's Pod possessed such a protocol to save his unit's data, it was also the key they had needed to make sure she returned the way she'd been before. Since unlike 2B, her sword didn't possess a storage big enough for such data either.
White had taken her precautions for all cases with her. They just wished she had the same regard for her other soldiers, but again, Robin was special.
"You've been good, Pod." she motioned for him to come over, so she could pat his head. In the end, he still tried, and he has still been useful too.
She assumed, looking at 2B, and the fact she'd been dead even before her, that the Pods rebuilt her too, and obviously in a shorter time than her, but what surprised her, from what she gathered, was that 9S and A2 had died too, was it not?
Or at the very least had been damaged enough to need repairs?
There were so many things she had yet to find out.
And upon gazing at the sky, she noticed something. That big, tall and imposing white Tower in the middle of the city was no longer there.
That had been, besides the fact of being alive again, the biggest change she could see so far, without needing to ask or investigate.
"The Tower is gone." she just said.
"A2 destroyed the server within, and it fell with it." 2B answered, leaving out the part of A2 herself falling down with the structure as well. Her older sister gave her a look of gratitude.
It was up to her to tell what happened there at the end, along with what they found out, about themselves, and about her too. No idea how she'd react to the information, and right now, they couldn't speak about it, not without either the twins or Anemone hearing about Robin's former humanity either.
Or worse… some other Resistance members that could spread voices around the camp.
"And with the server gone, the machines linked to it died too, and with them, the virus they were spreading. Number 2 put an end to everything." Anemone had a really fond smile towards her friend as she said these words.
The woman was never supposed to survive in the first place, kept fighting for years everything thrown at her, and saved the world.
"Only because someone believed in me." A2's blue eyes met mismatched ones, and the smile beneath them.
A2's only regret had been that out of the two demands, she hadn't been able to save the machine children.
Thinking about it stung harder than she ever thought it would. Who knew she'd ever get so attached to machines? If someone told her in the past she would have said they were being crazy.
"I always did."
Robin had placed her faith in A2 since she decided to spare her life, and it only grew stronger after. She never regretted doing that, even though she did regret leaving the rest of YoRHa to its own.
But perhaps, given how it ended, it had been the better decision in the long run, though she'll never know what could have happened had she stayed.
Probably she would have just caught the virus before time, and either died, or kept living as a shell of herself, murderous and berserk, until her body gave out, or until someone found her and finished her off for good.
Before she could make more victims.
She didn't really want to think about how dangerous an E type, made to kill and already a danger for others and themselves too, could be when possessed from a logic virus.
But at least now there wasn't that risk anymore. All thanks to A2.
Her story as someone that was thought as expendable, and that had to be killed at all costs, that had risen above all to save this world that didn't want her.
That would be a story to tell people. And Robin knew a lot about people's stories.
And each one of theirs, including hers, was one of a kind worth taking into the future.
"There's still a lot of things to talk about." 9S caught Robin's attention with these words, and she nodded. However…
"I know, but if I understood correctly, now we're at peace." a hand went to hold A2's waist, much to her delight. "Which means we have all the time we want for all we desire."
And right now, as much as she appreciated the others, she wanted to go back to having a moment alone with A2 again.
They hadn't been able to be truly by themselves ever since 2B died, and was taken in from her older sister. And even if just a voice, it was still one more person between them.
And she was positive she felt the same too.
"There will be time to talk about everything, but there is no rush anymore." and again, probably not the best to talk about certain things here at the camp.
She'd confess, eventually, but only after she caught up with everything else that was missing from her memory, that she hadn't lived through but the others did, and only then, she would tell her tale.
She didn't want to risk putting herself in a precarious position without knowing more, and also not right after waking up again. She did want to enjoy her life a little more, at least.
Then, whatever decision the Resistance would take about this lying human, she'd accept.
"Wouldn't it be best to spend time with each other now that we can?" and without fear nor repercussions.
And neither she nor 2B would receive orders to get rid of their partners either, or see them risk their lives trying to avoid being killed. They were free…
9S opened his mouth to argue but 2B shut him up first. "She is right, now that she is also fixed and active, we can focus on living in peace. The time for talking will come." because it will.
It had to.
The truth shouldn't stay hidden for too long, even if it was already too long.
So, standing up to her full height, she almost forgot how she towered over everyone, even without heels involved, she took A2's hand.
"Our place?" she asked, knowing that pretty much no one but 2B knew about it.
So they couldn't bother them.
A2 nodded, but before leaving she turned back to the others, and even if no words were spoken, her grateful smile said everything by itself.
Hand in hand, they left the camp.
"They're one cute couple, aren't they?" Devola asked, finding her sister's approval as they watched them go. Anemone nodded as well.
"I sure hope that Number 2 will finally find the courage to confess though." remembering how shy she used to be, and how it was always Number 4 back then reaching out to her when she needed comfort.
They did quite a poor job in hiding their relationship, but Number 4 was rather a loud person, so that was kind of expected. Funny how Number 2 believed no one knew about them though, until she told her so.
At least one of them could be happy with her partner once again…
And not only them, as she eyes 2B and 9S heading to their room.
In these moments she wished her companions, a certain red haired Scanner in particular, were here…
The duo made their way back to the commercial facility, standing on its roof, and overlooking the city from the other side of the bridge. Robin had seen the rubble of the Tower as they walked towards this place.
A sign of the android's victory over machines.
Though she couldn't help but be curious of the events that happened in there, she wouldn't ask yet. There would be time for it, and she was sure that A2 would fill her in eventually, when she felt the time was right.
Speaking of the android at her side, she couldn't help but notice the little change in clothing, particularly the black mantle on her shoulders that swayed in the wind. She liked it.
"Where did you find that mantle?" she asked, curious.
"Anemone gave it to me, said she had people sew it for me." A2 fidgeted with the hem of the cloth on her shoulders. Felt weird to be wearing clothing again, yet she loved this gift with all of herself.
What a good friend she was, more than what Robin could ever aspire to be.
Which brought the question…
"Why did you bring me back?" but upon looking into A2's dejected eyes, maybe she shouldn't have asked.
"Are you angry?" she knew she had been, but only because she'd been alone, and she didn't want to face that pain any longer. Perhaps Robin did not want to face the pain of living again.
"No, not that. I…" how to explain it?
"I… have lived my life as a human, constantly being told that I shouldn't have survived what I did…" and yet she kept living again and again.
"Don't say that you don't deserve it." because if Robin didn't then she didn't as well, but she showed her that her life was worth something, so then she'd show her that hers was worth too.
"It's hard to ignore the voices of all the people that told me that, over and over for twenty years." it's not that she didn't want to, but those memories were still part of her past, and would ever be.
"Then I'll keep repeating that until those voices shut up and disappear." A2 took Robin's hands in hers. "Because your life is worth, to us, to me."
And that still wasn't enough then…
A hand rose to Robin's cheek, and the other to the back of her head, as A2 stood on her tiptoes, gently pulling the woman's head down towards her.
And kissed her.
Pouring all her emotions into it.
It lasted only a few seconds, but felt like an eternity to both of them.
When they parted, A2's blue eyes could see those differently colored eyes she so much loved wide, staring at her, and for a moment, neither spoke.
"When I got your message, you thanked me for loving you. I don't want to stop doing that." I want to give even more, because you mean the world to me.
"... Why?" Robin asked. "Why me?"
She, who didn't know what love was…
"Robin, you came into my life, a life that no longer had a meaning, and you gave me one. You took me in, protected me, treated me with kindness that no one else had ever done before." again, A2's hands came to rest on her cheeks. "You gave me all that has never been given to you, because you also desired it."
"I…" Robin was at a loss of words, here A2 was, spilling her heart out through words, and reading her better than how she knew herself, again.
Like always.
"I'm not sure to know what love means…"
After all, she had never received anything good in her life. The only things she could recall were that hug she shared with her mother, as their island burned around them, and Saul's last words.
She wasn't an easy person to love either, she assumed.
"I know, but it doesn't matter." nothing else mattered besides one thing. "I'll be happy as long as you're with me, I'll accept anything you're willing to give me, when you want and if you want to do so. I'll wait."
A2 gave a small smile. "After all, we have all the time in the world."
"Just don't leave me again…" she didn't know if she could handle it.
The white haired android wrapped her arms around her, holding her close, and Robin did the same as they shared a long embrace.
"A2… I don't know love, but…" she spoke with her head on her shoulder.
"For you I'm willing to try."
As long as you will keep loving me.