The Amusement Park

9S looks at A2, 'Hm? Did A2 always have an interest in things other than killing machines?'

He stares at her as A2 and 2B chat on the way to the amusement park, trying to figure her out as a person.

Along this short journey, 9S sees glimpses of the humanity that A2 possesses, and doesn't fight back against it with his previous beliefs about her.

The three of them make it to the ladder towards the sewers.

"Ummm, how are we going to get down there like this?", says A2.

"Pod, tell us of possible ways to go to the amusement park while still holding our hands.", asks 9S.

The pod makes an analysis, "Suggestion, go through the pacifist village-"

"There's no other way 2B, we have to fall."

"Wait, what?", 2B is baffled.

"I'm with 9S on this one.", A2 agrees with a tinge of extra concern.

"Um… did something happen to the village?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"…"

2B shrugs and walks towards the hole before taking a plunge and pulling A2 and 9S in with her.

"AAAAAHHH!!!!"

2B sprints and slides while dragging 9S and A2's flailing bodies, and make their way to the amusement park through the sewers.

2B reaches the exit, jumps, A2 and 9S slam into one another as they are squeezed through the exit, and pop out on the other side.

A2 gets angry, "WHAT'S THE POINT IN CHANGING IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO *THAT*?!"

9S says, "You get used to it."

A2 says, "Just learn how to hover like I do when I speed up, not THAT!"

"Oh yeah, you do do that, don't you? Would you mind if I did an analysis-", 9S goes silent.

"Let's just get this thing over with.", he continues. "Ha? What's wrong Nines?", 2B questions. "Nothing." "What's wrong Nines?"

"Nothing..."

"What's wrong Nines?"

"NOTHING!"

2B stops, and 9S walks his hand out of hers without noticing.

9S goes ahead towards the amusement park, leaving them behind.

"That's the first time he yelled at me…", 2B begins to tear up.

A2 is shocked, and quickly tries to do something about the waterworks situation with 2B, "I-It's ok-"

"WAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!"

"IT'S OK IT'S OK IT'S OK IT'S OK. HE DIDN'T MEAN IT, I PROMISE!!"

"A2~ What do I do noo-o-o-oow..."

"What do you mean?", A2 asks with concern.

"Does 9S hate me now…?", her goggles fall, revealing her beautiful but puppy dog eyes.

A2 tries to come up with a response, "Um, I think he just needs a little time to himself-"

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

"IT'S OK IT'S OK IT'S OK IT'S OK-"

…

[Meanwhile]

"I can't believe I almost saw that MONSTER as a FRIEND! I'm such a half-assed piece of shit!!", 9S grinds his teeth as he walks up the stairs, passing by many celebrating machines with balloons, who are bumping into one another as they stop to stare at 9S muttering to himself.

One of the machines waddles over to him, "What's wrong mister?".

It's a child machine who wandered off from her family who are busy playing with her sibling.

"Ha? Um, nothing."

"It doesn't look that way to me. I know, I know."

"What are you doing here? Go back and play with your family."

"I can't. My mother and father only care about playing with my baby brother."

"Oh."

"I wish I could play, but they're too overprotective."

"Goodness", he pats the child machine on the head, "How long has this been going on for?"

"Five-hundred years."

"FIVE-HUNDRED WHA-"

9S tries to hold back the rest of his reaction, before responding with, "Hey, I've got some friends with me right now, what if the 4 of us were to play together?"

"Friends?"

"Yes, exactly. This is 2B and this is-"

9S turns around to notice that he is completely alone, he looks at his hand that he was using to point behind him.

2B isn't holding it.

"OH CRAP!"

"OH NO! You said a curse word!!"

"You're five-hundred years old, get over it."

9S stares out into the distance and uses his goggles to zoom his vision in, seeing 2B cry on A2's damp shoulder.

His eyes widen, and he falls back onto the floor.

"Mister?"

"I'm going to need your help."

"What is it?"

"Is there a flower shop nearby?"

"Oh yes! Follow me, I'll lead the way!!"

9S guiltily gets off the ground, and follows the child machine who is hopping away really quickly.

The child machine then meets a machine in the back ally.

The back ally machine talks to the child machine in a suspicious tone, "Hey there girly, you got a friend here who wants some *breaths in a deep and electronic breathe* flowwwwweeeerrrrssss~?".

The child machine responds, "Yes, a whole bouquet, on the double.".

"Now listen here missy, you can't possibly have the doe to buy that much".

"How much?", 9S asks assertively, while in his head thinking to himself, 'What the hell is going on right now?'.

"50 machine cores."

"50 WHAT?!"

"50. Take it or leave it."

"Don't you have any cheaper flowers?"

"I only sell the top grade *breathes in a deep electronic breath* flowwwwweeeerrrrssss~."

"Why are you saying it like that?"

"Look, you wan'em or not?"

9S thinks back to 2B crying because of him. He looks down at the floor and clenches his fist,

'I'm so pathetic. No price tag can ever make me say no to getting her to stop crying. It's all my fault, so this is my duty.'.

"Ok, fine.", 9S plops out all 50 Machine cores from his net inventory.

"Now give it."

[Meanwhile]

"Do you feel better now?", A2 asks 2B.

"*Sniff* Y-es.", 2B quivers.

"Gosh. You and 9S are so in love with one another, just go out already."

"A-Ahahahaha. That would be nice."

"Why not? He really does love you."

2B then thinks back to what 9S once said on their adventure while the machine war was still going on, '…we'll enter a new age of peace. And, when that happens, we should go shopping together. I could buy you, I don't know, a T-shirt maybe? Something that looks good on you.'

'A t-shirt?'

'What? Not up for it?'

'Hmmm. When that day comes, I'm all up for it.'

'That's a promise right?!'

'Yep.' …

"Thanks A2, I think I know what to do now."

"*Gasp*! You're going to confess?!"

"…Not now. Like you said, I have to give him some space."

"WHEN? TELL ME. WHEN?!"

"Hmmm… When the mood is right, I guess."

"Then give me a cue beforehand, I want to see it!"

"Ahahaha, you're so embarrassing."

…

"… I have to mention something.", A2 mentions.

"What is it?"

"You're different from how I expected you to be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, don't kid yourself. You're obviously much more emotional."

"… I always have been.", 2B looks down slightly sad.

"I know, you held a lot in back then. But what I'm saying is that what you're letting out now is a whole lot more than anything you held in before. It's human."

"Human?"

"Ah-ha.", A2 nods.

9S walks out of the amusement park with the child machine hopping beside him, with flowers at hand.

"Gosh, I'm such an idiot. How could I hesitate like that?"

"Cheer up mister, your moment is now!"

"Ha? Oh, oh yeah."

2B looks out into the distance and notices 9S.

2B and A2 are no longer holding hands, and A2 gives 2B a pat on the back to push her in the direction of 9S.

2B starts walking over, with A2 following behind.

"Gosh, she's going to slap me."

"Ummm, what did you do mister?"

"I yelled at her…"

"… That's it?", the child machine says in a bratty/disappointed tone.

"What do you MEAN that's it?"

"You're such a wuss."

"Says the back alley dealing five-hundred-year-old toddler."

"That sound's like the opposite of a wuss to me."

"Touché."

9S watches 2B walk towards 9S without slowing down, if anything, it looks like she's speeding up.

"Um, what?"

2B begins to run at 9S.

He lifts the flowers up as a sign of trust, in hopes that it would shield him from whatever impact may befall him, "AAAAAHHH!", he screams in fear.

2B gives him a big bear hug.

A2 calmly smiles while walking up to the two of them.

9S blinks a couple of times, making his goggles fall off too.

"2-2B?"

"I'm sorry I questioned you so much. If you want to be alone, then you can turn back around and go, I won't be mad."

"What? No! I'm back because I want to. Look."

9S brings down the bouquet of flowers, which includes desert roses, lunar tears, and a big yellow beautiful flower that is unlike any flower they have ever seen in the middle of it.

"WOW, where did you GET this?"

"I have my secrets."

The child machine coughs, "MY secrets- what the, HEY!!", A2 picks up the child machine against its will, and watches 2B and 9S's exchange.

2B takes the large bouquet from 9S so she can see his face again.

"They're lovely.", she sniffs the different types one at a time.

As she does this, 9S is silently looking over to the machine child that is dancing in A2's hands, and the 3 of them begin dancing in celebration while 2B is distracted with her flowers.

As 2B pokes at the yellow flower, its center suddenly blossoms, and sprays a gas into the air.

*Cough Cough Cough*, she coughs.

"What the?! 2B!"

"What *cough* is this one? *cough cough*"

A2 frantically goes over to 2B and takes it off her, "I'll put it somewher-e-e-AAACHOOOO!"

"Did you just sneeze?! Can we do that??", 9S is surprised.

"What's a sneezeeeeeeAAAACHOOOO! ACHO! ACHO!!"

"Hey, kid! What's the meaning of this?!"

The child machine was already dropped out of A2's hands because she was sneezing, and is hopping away at 160 km/h, (100 miles per hour).

"Wha- HEY!!"

"What ACHOO, is happening to me pod?", asks A2 to 2B's pod.

"Analysis in progress. Estimated time for answer: 16h 59mins and 59seconds."

"WHAT?!", shouts 9S.

"What about me? How come I'm not sneezing?", asks 2B.

"Analysis of both questions in progress. New estimated time for answers: 29h 59mins and 53seconds."

"This is so unfair… ACHOO!"

"Try to stop sneezing.", says 9S.

"WHAT DO YOuuuu ACHOO, THINK Iiiiiii'm Doooooing~."

"What's wrong now?"

"Ttttthats me tryiiing to st-tt-t-top IT!! ACHOOOO!"

"… Let's go home."

"Yeah, this seems serious. Where did you get these flowers from?", 2B asks 9S.

"…A back alley in the amusement park…"

"… Nines, I'm disappointed. *sigh*"

"ACHOO!"