Ryou woke up in the basement of a ruined building. It must have been a parking garage once. The vast space was thick with stale, musty air. Cracks ran through the walls everywhere, and water dripped — plink, plink — from the pipes on the ceiling. The faint light filtering down from above was just enough to make out his surroundings. His body ached. Every joint felt like it was grinding. He'd been on the surface, surrounded by Raptures, and then— (*Am I... alive?*) "[gentle]You're awake." A voice came from right beside him. He turned his head. She was sitting there, right in front of him. Silver hair. Even in the dim underground light, it shimmered strangely. Long, smooth, meticulously cared for. For a combat humanoid — a Nikke — every single one of her gestures was graceful. Blue eyes. The color of a clear sky, gazing intently at his face. Her hand was still resting on his forehead. "You're..." His throat felt glued shut. The words barely came out. "Marian. Your partner." Partner? His mind, still muddled, repeated her words. Partner? What did that mean? He wasn't a Commander. He'd been exiled long ago. Marian was dabbing at the wound on his forehead with a strip of cloth torn from the edge of her own clothes. Her touch was incredibly gentle, as if she were handling something fragile. "Do you remember? The Raptures attacked you." "...Yeah." He remembered. Surrounded by three Grinder-class Raptures. Cast out of the Ark, he'd walked for three days straight. He'd been at his limit. He'd thought he was going to die. Honestly, he'd thought that was fine. But here he was. "Thank you. You saved me." "[gentle]Of course." Marian gave a small smile. That smile was so painfully human it made his chest ache. He knew she was a Nikke. Not human. A weapon. That's what the Valhalla Command had decided. But no matter what, he couldn't see her as an object. His gaze drifted to his left wrist. The broken Link Band was still wrapped around it. The screen was cracked, displaying no information whatsoever. Its functions as a Commander were completely dead. "I'm not a Commander." He said it with self-deprecation. Saying it out loud made his situation sink in all over again. "I was exiled. For disobeying orders." Marian listened to his words without stopping her hands. "[serious]Even so, to me, you're my partner." "Why? We just met." "[gentle]That's true. But when I saw you, I just couldn't leave you alone." She set the cloth aside and then took something from the pouch at her waist. A small package. She opened it. Inside were two hard-looking biscuits. Portable rations. Nikkes could function on far less food than humans, but they still needed energy replenishment. She was offering him what had to be her meager supply. "[surprised]No, that's yours..." "[gentle]It's fine. I'm more fuel-efficient than you." She smiled again as she said it. His hand trembled. (*Here it is again.*) An alarm blared in the back of his mind. — *You're trying to rely on someone again.* — *And you'll get that person killed again.* The day he was exiled from the Ark flashed back. He'd ignored the retreat order to try and save a wounded Nikke. The result: his entire squad was wiped out. He was the only survivor. This time, he might put the woman in front of him in danger because of his own actions. "[cold]Just leave me alone." He turned his face away. "Nothing good comes from being involved with me." Marian said nothing. But her hand gently touched his. Her cool fingers rested atop his dirty ones. "[gentle]Fighting for someone else... that's my joy." Her voice was quiet. "So even if you refuse me, I will protect you." Those words seeped deep into his chest. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. Back in the Ark, Nikkes were disposable pawns. Command only cared about maintaining numbers. If one broke, they replaced it. They had emotions, but no one cared. But Marian had said, of her own will, that she would protect him. (*A Nikke — supposed to be a weapon — how can she be so...*) "...Hey." Resigned, he accepted the biscuit. He took a bite. It was dry and had almost no taste. But it was the first food he'd had in three days, and it went down his throat. "Why is a Nikke like you alone on the surface? Aren't you registered with Valhalla?" He tried to check her Nikke identification code with his Link Band, but it was broken and showed nothing. Still, he couldn't sense any signal from her indicating official affiliation. Marian lowered her eyes slightly. "[sad]Three years ago, my squad was wiped out in the Sector 7 battle." Sector 7—. He'd heard about it in the training academy. A large-scale Rapture assault had annihilated a Nikke squad. Command had sealed off the area, and it was still a restricted zone. "I survived by some miracle. But Command listed me as KIA, and I was left behind on the surface." She smiled a lonely smile. "Officially, I don't exist anymore." "...That's..." "[gentle]But it's okay. As long as I can protect someone." There was no lie in her words. She truly meant it. She genuinely believed it didn't matter what happened to her. Her figure overlapped with the allied Nikke he'd failed to save back then. She had said the same thing back then. "Please, leave me behind." She'd truly believed that sacrificing herself was the right thing to do. "I..." His voice trembled. "I can't protect you. I'm a failure as a Commander." The words spilled out. "I disobeyed orders. I let my comrades die. And yet, here you are, protecting me again. I'm—" He was pathetic. It was always the same. He wanted to protect, but couldn't. He wanted to save, but couldn't. It was always just regret. Marian listened to his words in silence. Eventually, she quietly spoke. "[gentle]You're kind, aren't you." "No. I'm weak." "[gentle]It's not weakness. That's your strength." Her blue eyes looked straight at him. "You tried to save your comrades even if it meant breaking orders. A weak person couldn't do that. Your kindness isn't weakness at all." Something warm spread deep in his chest. All this time, he'd thought his choice was a mistake. He'd regretted it, thinking he should have followed orders. But she told him he was wrong. For the first time, he felt like someone had validated him. "...Thank you." The words came out honestly. That was when it happened. — *Clank.* A mechanical sound echoed in the distance. The sound of metal on concrete. A rhythmic pattern, slowly drawing closer. A Rapture. "[tense]They're coming." She stood up. She took the large rifle from her back into her hands. But her movement suddenly stopped. "—Ngh." Marian clutched her chest and staggered. "Hey, what's wrong!?" He rushed to her side, but then— Her right eye flashed red for an instant. An eerie red light, just like a Rapture's sensor eye. Her body went rigid. She put a hand against the wall, desperately trying to stay on her feet. "[scared]I'm fine... I can still... stay myself..." Her voice was shaking. She was gritting her teeth, enduring the pain. "What's happening, Marian!" "[scared]Corrupt Seed... Back in Sector 7, when I fought a high-ranking Rapture to protect my squad..." She kept her hand on the wall, her head hanging low. "I suffered initial-stage corruption. It's still only the first phase, but under heavy stress or proximity to Raptures, my control becomes unstable." Corrupt Seed—. He'd learned about it in the academy. An electronic corruption program deployed by high-ranking Rapture entities. It progressively overwrites a Nikke's electronic brain, ultimately destroying their ego. There was only one countermeasure. Forced shutdown of the infected Nikke. In other words — termination. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" "[sad]Because I thought if I did, you'd leave me." She was desperately trying to make a smile. But her eyes weren't smiling. The red light in her right eye had vanished, but sweat was beading on her forehead. "[gentle]If I become a danger, then run. Just get yourself to safety—" "Don't be stupid!" He was shouting before he knew it. The voice came from the pit of his stomach, surprising even himself. "I'm not running anymore. I'm not abandoning anyone ever again." His legs were shaking. He was scared. He might get someone killed again. If the corruption progressed, there was nothing he could do. Even so. "I'm not running." He took a step forward. And then, he reached out and took her hand himself. It was a cold hand. But it was definitely there. Marian looked at him with surprise. His pathetic face was reflected in her blue eyes. Messy hair, dirty cheeks, eyes that looked ready to cry. Even so, he looked straight at her. — *Clank, clank, clank...* The mechanical sounds outside slowly faded into the distance. It seemed they hadn't been noticed. They must have been off the Rapture patrol route. The tension eased. The strength drained from Marian's body too, and she leaned against the wall. "[gentle]...You're stubborn, aren't you." She gave a small laugh. A real smile this time. "I get that a lot." He found himself laughing too. "Hey, Marian." "[gentle]What is it?" "Let's survive together. I'll protect you. So... you protect me too." It was a declaration. The words came out without a trace of hesitation, surprising even himself. Marian's eyes widened, and then she looked down. "[crying]...Okay, partner." A single tear traced down her cheek. He showed her the Link Band on his left wrist. "Let's use this to establish tactical coordination between us. It's broken, but if I repair it, we should at least get basic comms working." Marian showed him her own left wrist. A band with her identification code. It bore the mark of the Elysion Manufacturer. "[gentle]Let's try it outside tomorrow." The pained tone from before was gone from her voice. He didn't know when the corruption might flare up again. Even if it was just a minor first-phase state, it was still like carrying a time bomb. Even so — right now, he wanted to believe in this first step. "Thank you, Marian." He murmured it. She gently reached out and stroked his head. A cold, but gentle touch. "[gentle]Goodnight, partner." "Yeah. Goodnight." He lay down on the concrete floor. Exhaustion washed over him in waves. Marian remained leaning against the wall, quietly closing her eyes. *So Nikkes enter rest mode too*, he thought. Outside, the mechanical sounds of Raptures echoed in the distance. But now, strangely, they didn't scare him. For the first time, he felt like he could face forward and live. Together with her — under this gray sky.