Though she hid it rather well from the others, 2B couldn't resist smiling as she watched 9S and 6O climb all over the moss-covered remains of the "Forest King," searching for the lost "treasure" they had come to find.

"Whoa, look at the size of it!" said 9S as he crawled up the Forest King's back and perched himself on its shoulders. "2B, you gotta check it out! The view is great! You can see the castle from here!"

"9S, that's disrespectfully!" yelled 6O fretfully from below. "You're standing on the king's grave! The forest machines would get super angry if they saw you!"

"Oh yeah, you're right!" said 9S, wincing at his unintended blunder. "Hold on, I'll be right down – "

"Just be careful," said 6O. "Don't break anything that might make the machines upset."

"I got it, I got it," said 9S. He carefully crawled back down the Forest King's back and safely touched down on the grass, thankfully without leaving any marks on the machine corpse. "There, no problem."

"Ooh, I wish you wouldn't be so carefree about these things," said 6O. "The last thing we need is to start another war with the machines."

"Well, be fine," said 9S nonchalantloy. "Now start looking for that treasure. That weird-talking machine from Pascal's village said it would be around here somewhere."

Ah, yes, the fabled "treasure" of the Forest King, 2B thought humorously as she shook her head. Of course, 2B already knew what the treasure was: An old storage media containing the forest kingdom's history. 2B vividly remembered the trouble she and 9S went through to look for it, only to realize that they had been tricked by the strange-talking machine into killing the Gravekeeper as a form of revenge.

But 9S didn't remember.

When YorHa had released the Logic Virus and attempted to restart their doomed cycle of death and rebirth six months ago, 2B, 9S, and A2 had been the only ones left standing. A2 had warned them ahead of time, which allowed 9S to remove the backdoor in their systems, saving them from infection. Working together, the three of them were able to kill the Logic Virus for good and putting an end to YorHa's damnable cycle.

But it wasn't without a cost. 9S had sacrificed his entire existence from his memories to his personality, resetting him back to default without knowing anything about his past or 2B.

It hurt at first, 2B remembered, sitting next to his cot in the Resistance base, watching him wake up and not recognizing her. There was an unbearable ache in 2B's chest that was worse than all those times she had killed him with her own hands, as her program dictated. All his memories of her – of everything they went through together – were gone, never to return.

But, in many ways she would soon discover after, 2B was grateful. With the cycle over and the war between androids and machines ended, 9S was free to explore their new world without being haunted by the horrible memories of his past. The memories that still plagued 2B at night, which she kept to herself.

It was better this way, she told herself. Watching the white-haired boy that she had come to love as a little brother laughing and playing without worry or fear made it all worth it.

2B chuckled silently as she watched 9S crawl around on the grass on his hands and knees, looking for some kind of hidden indicator to where the treasure might. She then turned her attention to 6O, who was examining the Forest King's body with a critical eye.

Despite what many of her colleague would say, 2B was no fool to emotions, especially 6O's.

She knew how the operator felt about her, how she would contact 2B outside of scheduled check-ins just to talk to her. How her eyes would light up whenever she appeared on Pod's holographic screen, looking at 2B like she had hung the stars and the moon. She was in love with 2B, even though the android in question couldn't understand why. She was a combat android – a killer with oil on her hands, whether it was a machine or androids, or worse, 9S's.

At first, 2B tried to keep things civil – only speaking when necessary and keeping her sentences short and crisp. Maybe if she was rude and off-putting, 6O would give up on her crush. But 2B severely underestimated the depths of 6O's feelings. Despite 2B's attitude, 6O's admiration never once faltered and she loved 2B unconditionally. 2B would deny it, but having someone so blatantly fond of her made 2B fell…embarrassed.

Then there was the quest for the flowers. Even though she didn't need to and knew it wasn't part of the mission, 2B still went out of her way to find rare flowers to photograph, sending pictures to the Bunker knowing that 6O would never see them in person. Watching the operator look so happy through the screen made 2B feel a pleasant fluttering sensation in her chest. She liked it.

Then the Logic Virus took the Bunker. They didn't see each other in person, but 6O took over the PA system, thanking 2B for the flowers in a painfully distorted voice before she went silent. It felt like someone had driven a knife through 2B's chest. When she and 9S returned to Earth, 2B had gone off on her own for a little while, only so that 9S wouldn't see her tears.

2B swore not to make the same mistake again. Once the Logic Virus had been eradicated and everyone had returned to normal, 2B had marched straight to the Bunker and kissed 6O right there in the middle of the monitor room. She didn't care about the scandalized gasps from the other Operators or the annoyed glare from the commander or 9S cheering in the background.

The only thing that mattered was how happy she felt when 6O threw her arms around 2B's neck and kissed her back.

And now here she was, living a peaceful life on Earth she had never dreamed would be possible.

2B now lived on Earth with her brother and girlfriend, helping the resistance rebuild the city while occasionally helping Pascal rehabilitate the machines. Commander White still remains on the Bunker, but comes down to Earth once a month to check on the rebuilding effort, usually in the company of an eccentric "Intelligence Specialist." She saw A2 on rare occasions, but she typically preferred to be alone. Though if 6O's gossip is to be believed, the lone android has been spotted alone with Anemone on several occasions – "

"Hey, I found something!"

2B was snapped out of her musings and looked up. 9S and 6O were waving her down in the shadow of the Forest King.

"Hey, 2B, come check it out!" 9S shouted excitedly. "I think we found the treasure!"

"Coming, coming," 2B hummed amusingly as she walked over to join them.

They were all starting a new life, and 2B was going to enjoy every minute of it.