Floor Ninja

Yuuta...

A quiet click heralded the release of Deckerd's headlights. His sensors re-calibrated to the additional visuals provided by the their internal receptors. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. Yuuta was gone, and the young boy wouldn't be back that night. Deckerd stared at the silent nothingness that made up the world beyond the garage's opening.

I wonder... Is it too much for him?

Deckerd's headlights slanted downward. These thoughts would get him nowhere, but he imagined another round of forlorn stargazing wouldn't, either. The Brave Detective considered the inactive coolness of his engine before withdrawing his headlights back into their slots. One by one, his sensors fuzzed. Sleep was what he needed.

I hope Yuuta is sleeping...

...

This was hard.

Deckerd sighed (again) and reopened his lights the barest fraction. The world outside was still quiet, and still, and cool, and he wished he was capable of enjoying the peace that surrounded him. Nights like these were sometimes rare; his restlessness almost felt like a waste of everything the world was giving him.

Maybe a patrol would-

-What was that?

The patrol car straightened on his shocks when a tapping sound reverberated from somewhere down the street. His headlights swept up to full height and glinted dimly into the dark of night.

"Hm?" he uttered. Perhaps it was some of the neighbors returning home from one of their drinking excursions. Curious, Deckerd shifted his tires and focused on the nearest corner of the garage. He wasn't picking up any heat signatures nearby.

My imagination, then.

After a moment's consideration, the Brave Detective settled back on his shocks and adjusted his tires back to their proper alignment. Urunyan might have gotten into the bin across the street again. Kurumi would be cross in the morning, if that was the case.

He sighed (yet again.)

"Becoming nocturnal, are we?"

Deckerd jolted awake to find two large, orange optics gazing evenly down at him. The shadow-painted silhouette of Shadowmaru sat quietly on his haunches just beyond the sidewalk in front of him.

"Shadowmaru!" Deckerd rolled forward a meter or two. "What are you doing here?"

The large dog cocked his head to the side before lifting his face skywards. "Enjoying the night," he answered in a quiet rumble. When he looked back down he flicked both of his ears forward at the gold-accented police car idling in the garage. "You seem to be doing that a bit yourself. Or..?"

Deckerd eased back until he felt his frame relax again. "I can't sleep," he admitted. He started to explain why but fell short. A brief silence came between them.

"There must be a reason," Shadowmaru prompted when Deckerd slumped moodily down against the chill pavement.

"Yes." There was no denying it. Not with Shadowmaru, at any rate. "Yuuta..."

"Mini-Boss?"

"He has exams coming up. He was having trouble studying." Deckerd felt something in his interior click with disquiet. "Is it fair, Shadowmaru? For him to have so much on his mind, and at his age?"

The ninja detective appeared to consider the question. "Mh." After another moment's pause, he replied: "Couldn't you say the same about us?"

It was Deckerd's turn to consider. "I don't know if it's the same."

"Where is he now?" Even as Shadowmaru posed the question, the patrol car could feel the faint prickle of the other Brave's scanners ghosting across his sensornet. "He doesn't appear to be home."

"Ah, he was studying at Kigumaro's house," Deckerd explained. "Masaki and Emily are also there."

"A sleepover, then."

"A... study session," Deckerd corrected. I hope.

"And you stayed?"

Deckerd's shift of tires was a minute movement, but telling. "Yuuta suggested I stay so that I could... relax."

Shadowmaru had glided closer. The sleek form of his canine alternate mode now lay just beyond the entrance to the garage. The ninja detective's red-tipped paws crossed over one another; with a quick flick of an ear, Shadowmaru lowered his head until it rested on his outstretched legs.

"I fear he may have misjudged you," Shadowmaru chuckled warmly. "Or he set his hopes a tad too high."

Deckerd felt his system cycle several degrees warmer in embarrassment. "I've tried," he rebutted with a heavy vent. For Yuuta. "It isn't as easy as it looks."

"No, I suppose not." Shadowmaru's optics were a fierce but dim glow in the encompassing darkness, but the light of them was kind. "You have much on your mind as well, master."

Is it fair?

If Deckerd had possessed visible optics in his current form - or eyelids, for that matter - he would have blinked. "I suppose," he acknowledged with an internal frown.

The lights of the city skyline cast a dim glow against the night sky far in the distance. Deckerd preoccupied himself with studying this phenomenon until the soft whirr of gears drew his attention back to the Brave lying cross-pawed on the ground before him. The ninja's optics had dimmed, but when he next spoke, his voice was clear.

"The mind is a funny thing. Given the choice, in moments of uncertainty, it will dwell on even more uncertain things." Shadowmaru lifted his head and appeared to study the sweep of Deckerd's windshield. Under the cadence of Shadowmaru's voice, Deckerd's meandering thoughts had quietened.

The shapeshifter continued, with brightened optics, "In those moments, you must focus on what you know to be true."

"Many things are true," Deckerd responded with a degree of puzzlement. What do I think about, then? That the sky is blue, or that the Commissioner's hair is well gelled?

And what of subjective reality? That was a twist on things Deckerd was still having trouble digesting.

"Fair enough." Shadowmaru had lowered his head again. "Let's settle on one, then. You go first, master. What's a truth?"

"Me-?" Leave it to Shadowmaru to put him on the spot. Regardless, Deckerd was determined to provide a substantive answer. This led to him falling still and idling in silence for what felt like several minutes. What is it that Shadowmaru wishes to hear?

"It's peaceful tonight," Deckerd replied - only to immediately want to take the words back because no, that wouldn't do at all. Maybe it wasn't a peaceful night everywhere? For half the planet, it was daylight! "Ah. Let me think of something else-"

Shadowmaru's warm laugh interrupted his flustering. Both of the ninja's ears were flicked back now, and his lean body against the concrete reverberated a very slight, shimmering heat against the chill of darkness. "You're not going to be graded, you know," he said while the patrol car worried himself back and forth on his tires.

"Than what would your answer be, Shadowmaru?" Deckerd prompted when the embarrassment faded.

Shadowmaru didn't reply immediately. When he did, it was with an initial hesitance that gradually faded:

"The company of a friend can soothe all troubled thoughts." The ninja's optics dimmed again. "At least, it's true for me."

"I see," Deckerd replied into the ensuing quiet.

Troubled...

The patrol car moved, then. When he eased out of the garage Shadowmaru's ears flicked back up and the large shapeshifter lifted himself off the ground to move out of the way. The even clink, clink of his paws against the ground was almost lost on Deckerd's audio receptors, as keen as they were; moonlight washed across the pale white of his hood when he emerged. A sharp release of pistons heralded the shift of plating and a heartbeat later, Deckerd stood at his full height under the moon.

Violet and red blurred at the corner of his visual. He was joined by Shadowmaru, who now stood tall beside him.

"Is something up?" the winged Brave asked when Deckerd turned to face him.

Deckerd paused only long enough for the crease of his brow to soften into a smile. Shadowmaru watched him with something akin to hopefulness, and the Brave Detective could see the serious slant of the ninja's mouth lift almost imperceptibly.

"How did you know?" the Brave Detective asked.

"Know..?"

"That I was troubled."

Shadowmaru held out a hand. The gray metal plating of it was soon covered by the darker gray of Deckerd's own.

"Who's to say I did?" the ninja posed. The green light of his optics was just as kind as before.

Deckerd pulled his gaze from the shifting light of Shadowmaru's eyes to peer down the street. The houses were all dark; the stars, as usual, were bright. Nothing stirred. His sensors pinged back green.

"It's safe," the violet Brave murmured. Deckerd re-focused on him and Shadowmaru met his gaze with calm reverence. The prickle of the ninja's sensors ghosted across the patrol car's sensor field again, leaving him with an almost tingly feeling.

Deckerd pressed the front of his helm against Shadowmaru's shoulder and exhaled.

Shadowmaru's arm came up to circle his waist. The metal was warm and the weight of it was light. When Deckerd pulled back enough to see the taller mech's face again, Shadowmaru tilted his head in response.

"What you said," Deckerd ventured. "It's true for me as well."

The gold emblem of Shadowmaru's headband met the dark trim of his cap with a soft sound. "I'm glad," Shadowmaru murmured in reply.

Gunmax entered the Decker room with Yuuta riding in his palm. They often got along well, so the sight of the two of them laughing and smiling together wasn't exactly rare. What was strange however was that Gunmax had asked for express permission to spend the morning with the boy. It was late afternoon and they had just returned.

Very peculiar...

Despite how much he really cared, Gunmax didn't usually go out of his way to keep others happy; there was much he considered more important than people's opinions of him. But this outing with Yuuta...

"Well, did you have fun, kid?" Gunmax asked their boss. He placed him down next to his desk overlooking the office and stood next to where Deckerd was seated.

Yuuta grinned from ear to ear. "I did. Thank you."

"Hey, you were good company. Don't sweat it!" The biker turned, "Oi, Dekkado. What's with the face?"

Deckerd realised both Yuuta and Gunmax were looking at him.

"Ah! Sorry. My mind was elsewhere." Deckerd flustered a bit, realising how odd he must have looked.

"Well get it together, then," Gunmax smirked, "I need to borrow you for a bit."

"What? Now?" Deckerd sat up straight, his optics filtering a blink. He looked to Yuuta for guidance.

The youngest Tomonaga gestured an 'okay'. "It's fine. Gunmax already discussed it with Saejima."

Deckerd looked back at Gunmax. Just what is he up to...?

The Motorcycle Detective gave a hearty laugh, "Relax, boyscout! It's perfectly legal."

The blue brave sighed. Maybe he was being paranoid. If Yuuta and Commissioner Saejima had approved it, it couldn't be all that bad. Right?

Deckerd stood from his desk, "As long as I'm back before dark. I have to drive Yuuta home."

"Sheesh, I'm sure boss could get another ride, but if you insist." Gunmax shrugged and sauntered towards the door, then waited for Deckerd to follow. "Hurry up, then."

Deckerd farewelled his human companion and joined Gunmax. After a short stroll through the station, they made their way towards the exit. The green brave sat back on Gun Bike and waited for Deckerd to change form.

"Where are we going?" The Brave Detective asked once he had changed into his patrol car form.

His partner pulled out onto the street ahead. "You'll see."

Deckerd followed the other brave through the maze of city streets, his gaze flicking over the people nearby instinctively as if he were on duty. Occasionally it would return to the back of Gunmax, making sure he wasn't falling too far behind.

They pulled up at a canal that went under the road. Gunmax hopped off his bike, Deckerd coming to a stand beside him. They looked over the barrier.

"It was right here," Gunmax spoke, "A year ago."

"Huh?"

The green brave turned to Deckerd. "Where I first met you and the boss kid."

Deckerd suddenly recognised the significance of where they were. This was where he and Yuuta had been chasing the double-bot when Gunmax had shown up. The barrier had since been replaced. Has it really been a whole year?

"I got you this." Gunmax handed him a wooden object, "Didn't exactly have anything to wrap it in."

Deckerd turned the sizable gift over in his hands and looked at it. It was a framed photo of Yuuta, Gunmax and himself, large enough to fit on his desk in the Decker room. In small handwriting, he read the words 'Don't forget it' followed by the signatures of both Gunmax and Yuuta. The Motorcycle Detective had said those exact words the first time they had met.

"Gunmax..." Deckerd felt himself smile.

"It's not much but the kid thought you might like it." Gunmax flicked his hand dismissively, "You're welcome."

It may not have been much to some, but it meant a lot to Deckerd. Especially from someone like Gunmax who wasn't exactly known for giving gifts.

He leaned over and kissed Gunmax on the cheek.

Gunmax startled, his hand swiftly covering the cheek as soon as Deckerd moved away. Regaining composure, the biker cleared his vocals. "You're lucky I'm being nice today. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to get away with that sort of behaviour."

Deckerd watched Gunmax quickly check to see if anyone had been watching. He seemed embarrassed. It was adorable.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Gunmax shooed him. Definitely embarrassed.

Deckerd chuckled, placing the framed picture in his side storage, "I'll see you later, Gunmax. Thank you."

"Yeah... sure."

"We received a letter from our friend," Seia Onoue explained, sweeping her hair back from her face once she finally reached where he sat.

"Our friend?" McCrane sifted through the possibilities in his mind but came up with inconclusive results. He leaned over, placing his weapon to the side as he shuffled on the large container (there was no shortage of large metal things to sit on whenever McCrane visited the military base.) She held out the letter for him to receive.

As McCrane retrieved it, his optics brightened upon seeing the photo that had been attached with a paperclip. It was picture of a rather large panda bear with three rather small humans cuddled into it's belly fur. "Ah! Is that-?"

"Our panda friend? Yes," Seia smiled, "Seems he has finally found a home."

The crane mech quickly scanned the writing. According to the note, the panda had settled at a wildlife sanctuary in China where he was warmly welcomed by the head caretaker and his family. The caretaker had written the letter as thanks to the Brave Police and Defense Forces for saving his new friend.

"Boss will be happy to hear." McCrane felt his A.I. warm. It wasn't every day they got such great news.

"And it's all thanks to you." Seia crossed her arms over the front of her uniform.

"Huh?"

"'Twas beauty tamed the beast." She winked.

The room has no walls, no ceiling. It seems to stretch into a black nothing ringed in faint, colored circuits that flicker in the shadows. The floor beneath is a dull white luminescence beneath his feet. He's yelled for hours now. There's no one to hear him. The shackles are firm and taut about his hands. There's no one here.

He can't get out.

He's going to die.

A faint clattering noise echoes through the empty nothing. It rings loudly inside his head where his thoughts tumble like a storm, all flashes of fear and rage and hate. He keeps tugging at the binds about his hands, but they don't relent. The chair he's strapped to is neither warm nor cold; it simply is. The whole damn room simply is.

"I don't want to die!"

He doesn't want to die, but he is. He is going to die. In minutes, maybe. Minutes.

Just a few minutes of being alive left.

He decides to scream some more.

"You'll regret this! You'll-" Anger blinds him, chokes his voice just like the fear. Maybe it's just fear he feels. He tries to hold onto that feeling. Maybe if he holds on hard enough, he won't die. Maybe he'll remember what feeling is. Maybe.

Minutes. Minutes to remember me. Like a gaping maw, he feels his frantic mind tearing through every emotion, grappling and grabbing and sinking in claws and he's terrified, shaking, unable to think, just feeling, aware of the slipping sands that count down the minutes, the seconds, and there isn't enough of them for him to hold on to. There isn't enough time to feel everything.

He'll forget. He'll forget it all. He'll die. Poof.

He'll just end.

"-You'll regret this!"

For a moment, he feels regret. It's unfamiliar and strange - weird - as though its an odd shape, the way it fits inside his head, like the edges keep scraping together. It vanishes, subsumed in fear and rage and hate again.

He should've been more careful. He could've made sure they couldn't follow him. He should have been faster. He should have skipped the backwater planet and pushed deeper, ran farther. Stupid. Stupid. But it was too tempting. No one was supposed to be looking. No one was supposed to care about some mudball!

Should've, should've, should've. Should've thought it out. Should've beaten them down. Should've ripped it all out.

He collapses against the chair and feels a faint tug in his shoulder where they patched him up. He's not thankful.

Minutes. Minutes to remember. Seconds.

A faint, prickling feeling crawls across his shoulders.

"It's time."

He stiffens, clenching tight and forgetting breath.

He can't hear them approach, of course. Somewhere behind them they circle, moving strangely. Thoughts without hearts. Voices without mouths. Circling. Calm.

The room stretches out into pure black.

"F-Finally!" He yelps, trying not to cower. He notices flickering blue like melting light moving past his shoulder. They come to stand before him. "Just kill me already!"

He doesn't want to die. He doesn't want to be here even more.

The red pits of their eyes train on him. No one is coming for him. No one cares. He's alone. Just him, on his lonesome, strapped to a chair.

Isn't that what he told that one life form? Isn't that what he laughed about, when it had all seemed so funny? He had never felt alone before. Maybe this is what it feels like, like the black space around him has crawled beneath his skin. Suddenly it's not so funny any more.

"Gammon, of the Planet Barak."

He hates the way their voices sound. Soon it'll stop. The last thing he'll ever hear - them. It burns him up.

He won't feel that soon, either.

"You have been proven guilty of planetary theft, murder, mass destruction of property, -"

Tick, tick. Down the list. The words are formless and droning. Gammon looks from one executioner to the next, the terror inside him growing legs and spreading until he's cold all over.

There's no contesting the accusations. They're all true. He's had a long career. He'll never see a planet burn again.

"Just get on with it!" he snaps, rattling his cuffs.

The foremost Hyjuss' gaze looks at him impassively, and the words fade. It doesn't look offended by the interruption. It doesn't look like much of anything.

"Very well."

He's going to die.

"Proceed with the spiritual cleansing."

"What?!"

WHAT?!

"For your crimes, there is only our heaviest sentence."

Gammon surges against his cuffs and shrieks into the blackness at the beings standing before him, their edges shimmering and empty. "You have to kill me! Look at all the things I did!" Planetary destruction. Murder! Theft! High crimes! The worst crimes!

No. No no no no no no.

"There is no peace in killing."

"Yes there is!" He's arguing, jerking, chattering and shaking in his chains, begging to die. He wants to die.

Cleansing is worse. It's worse. He knows. He's heard. Seen - things. Heard things. Watched the slow turn of planets like Doral below him, suspended in the black of space, simply breathing and nothing more. He'd gone down to the surface. There was nothing there worth taking. No one there to laugh at. Just empty eyes and breathing.

There's nothing left of Barak, either. How many of his kind are left? An empty planet, just breathing, its people running to every end of space. Running from this. Running from-

A light kicks on above him. He cowers. He's a coward.

Minutes. Seconds to remember.

Is the last thing he'll ever feel - fear?

A red hum fills his head. Machinery. Something heavy drops against his head with a soft clink of metal. Something thin and red lances around his cranium, circling.

Seconds.

"D-Damn you-!"

"Your crimes end at Earth. Now, you may join us in peace.

That is justice."

Gammon laughs, frantically. He hates them. All of them. The Hyjuss. The earthlings. His shrill honking laugh fills the chamber. Suddenly he's babbling. Scared. A low red flash fills him, blinking once-

Twice -

"I can change!"

"You will."

Deckerd lay beneath him, his parted lips curving into a nervous smile when the ninja looked at him. Shadowmaru smirked, the golden emblem of his helm bumping against the peak of his leader's cap. He took in every joy the patrol car's presence gave him and felt it warm his heart. Their noses touched.

An abrupt noise not unlike the clearing of a throat interrupted them.

"Well get on with it, then." The other, more sassy brave beneath Shadowmaru folded his arms. Ah yes. The ninja had made some pretty bold claims earlier, claims he had been eager to prove when they had been met with looks of disbelief and snorts of laughter. Getting Gunmax to voluntarily lie down on his back and keep still was a challenge in itself, Shadowmaru would not waste this opportunity.

Appetite for nuzzles sated for now, he moved over to Gunmax. Hands placed widely apart either side of them, he had a fair amount of access to both frames under him. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions but it was the most advantageous. The Motorcycle Detective made an amused sound when Shadowmaru went straight for the flexible material shielding his neck, kissing it before moving up the side of the biker's jaw to place more kisses.

"Weren't you saying something about dominating me and Boyscout here into oblivion? Because so far, I'm not impressed." Gunmax turned his head upwards and further away from Shadowmaru the closer the other's lips got to his face. The Ninja Detective chuckled. Gunmax could be one stubborn brave when he wanted to be. It was adorable.

"All in good time." Shadowmaru answered, ducking in to place a kiss on the other brave's nose. "I must do warm-ups before I run a marathon. Isn't that right, master?"

Gunmax snorted.

Shadowmaru tilted his head. "Something the matter?"

"It's funny, is all." Gunmax replied, rubbing at his poor violated nose.

"Hm?"

"Calling me 'master'. I thought you were supposed to be in charge tonight."

"My dear master giggles," Shadowmaru said with an amused lilt to his voice. "It is indeed my intention to thoroughly worship your bodies, but do you not think that would be a service to you?"

Gunmax opened his mouth to say something when Deckerd spoke up. "Yes."

They both looked at him.

Deckerd suddenly flustered under their attention, "Well, technically."

"You're not supposed to agree with him." The biker responded.

"He can if he likes-"

"Can you two-!" Deckerd sighed, "Can we just get on with it? Please?"

"Thank you!" Gunmax huffed in exasperation.

Shadowmaru's optics filtered a blink. So his masters were impatient, were they? He supposed it wouldn't hurt to speed things along a little...

He slid a leg up between Deckerd's thighs and balanced his weight on three limbs as his hand lifted from the floor to glide over Gunmax's form. "So you want it fast?" He asked them, voice low. Deckerd sucked in a vent. "I can do fast."

"Now we're getting som-" Gunmax squeaked out the last syllable just as Shadowmaru's hand moved rather swiftly between his thighs and squeezed the pliable material there. The ninja admired his spirit but there would be no room for sassy remarks once he got started. Gunmax tried his best scowl as the fingers probed deeper.

Shadowmaru turned to Deckerd. The Brave Detective held tightly onto the plating of the ninja's arm, optics focused on the hand currently proving a successful distraction for their biker friend. Shadowmaru rubbed his thigh hard over Deckerd's pelvic armour, causing friction to vibrate the sturdy metal. The patrol car choked back a whine, his head falling back, optics dimming.

This was too easy.

Ducking down, he placed his mouth over the revealed neck and bit down, ever so gently. Deckerd groaned. He bit him harder. The blue brave thrust upwards and against Shadowmaru's thigh, quiet whimpers escaping him.

Gunmax had begun to shift his lithe form to the motion of the hand plucking his sensitive cables in all the right ways. When Shadowmaru looked at him, however, his face maintained a stubborn frown. Can't have that. Leaning over him, he dived in for a kiss. Gunmax's lips resisted his own's hard press, tightly held in a reluctant pout. The violet brave dragged his teeth over them, licked at them, pulled at them. They wouldn't budge. Not until Shadowmaru tweaked a specific wire and Gunmax's mouth opened in a pleasured gasp.

The ninja had his tongue inside before Gunmax could even think to close it. He didn't stand a chance against the rough kiss, slowly but surely relaxing under the attention. His lips pressed back, tongue danced against Shadowmaru's own. He moaned. The Ninja Detective felt a hand rest over the slope of his cheek but pulled away from the kiss. Gunmax grunted irritably but allowed his retreat. After all, he was not the only master of that mouth.

Deckerd's grip on the ninja had tightened, the jerking of his hips quickened. His mouth had fallen open, soundlessly begging to be kissed. Shadowmaru would indulge it, albeit for a short time. After all, there were many places that begged for his lips. Before he had even reached him however, Deckerd had quickly leaned up to meet him in a passionate kiss. Shadowmaru processed his initial bewilderment and pressed back, reminding himself that this was no time to melt under his master's assertiveness (attractive as it was.) He felt Deckerd's hand touch his waist - probably searching for a crevice to take advantage of - and withdrew. When the blue brave gave him a confused look, Shadowmaru only shook his head. There would be another time for that, right now the focus was on them and he really didn't need any more distractions from his goal.

The Brave Detective only nodded, letting himself fall back against the floor again. Shadowmaru pressed harder against them. He had found a particularly good batch of cables to exploit that caused Gunmax to writhe and moan his name. Deckerd continued to move against him with soft sighs and gasps typical of the quieter brave. His grip had moved to the ninja's shoulder, the pressure of his fingers clamping down over the metal pinged on Shadowmaru's sensors.

It was time.

Removing his hand from Gunmax (much to the biker's disappointment judging from the groan produced by him,) he replaced it with his other thigh. Guiding his fingers over the biker's helm, he located a small indentation that revealed a hidden interface panel. Removing the cable from it, he heard the Motorcycle Detective whine in anticipation before he let it fall to the floor. Probing over Deckerd's helm, he similarly found his interface panel. He felt them tense - both knowing what was going to happen next - as he guided the cable into the awaiting port.

The resulting sharp twist of their frames as the minds were united was beautiful. Mouths opened in silent cries as thoughts, sensations, pleasure pulsed through their connection. Shadowmaru lifted himself into a kneel and watched them, retreating back to position himself over their legs and relinquishing them of the pressure for the moment. From here he was unable kiss their faces but he was able to easily access the lower portion of their bodies.

As the overwhelming pleasure ebbed, they calmed. Small smiles played at their lips as their optics dimmed. How cute.

Shadowmaru began by stroking up their thighs, the limbs twitching in response to his touch. Leaning forward, he allowed his hands to glide over their waists, stroking the gaps in armour, before they came to rest over their hips. The rumbling purr of their engines was a constant sound now and almost lulled him into forgetting the task at hand (almost.)

Shifting himself again, he pressed his face between Deckerd's legs. The Brave Detective vented a startled gasp, something which must have amused Gunmax. However he wasn't chuckling for long as two of Shadowmaru's fingers suddenly entered his mouth. As he parted the patrol cars thighs and mouthed over the material that shielded the joints, he felt Gunmax's lips relax around his fingers. Shadowmaru nipped at the pliable casing and felt out the location of a bundle of cables. With his hot mouth over them, he sucked at the sensitive components. The braves beneath him tensed in unison and Gunmax moaned. The hard-link they shared was transferring everything Deckerd felt to Gunmax. The ninja felt the green brave bite down on his digits.

Without pause, Shadowmaru continued to move his lips and drag his teeth over the internal wiring. Deckerd shifted against the floor making soft pleasured sounds. Gunmax had begun sucking at the ninja's fingers, his flexible tongue wrapping around them as if tasting the alloy. The violet brave removed them and the biker instead directed his lips towards the patrol car. Dragging his newly freed hand over Gunmax's torso with practiced fingers, Shadowmaru located a gap between plating and pressed his fingers into the seam. The legs on which he lay kicked upwards. Gunmax wasn't the only one experiencing someone else's pleasure. Limbs intertwined and mouths joined in a flurry of movements. Shadowmaru's actions picked up in response, along with his determination. He would see this through. Heavy vents filled the room, warm in their torridness, loud in their sound. All the ninja needed to do was press a little harder, push a little deeper...

Their bodies arched and their mouths separated as they both cried out in overload. Shadowmaru moved back, content to take in the lovely sight of Deckerd and Gunmax ride out the waves of pleasure. He softened his movements and kissed their bodies while they came down from their shared climax. Their frames slumped in relief, soaking in the afterglow. Shadowmaru smiled, it was a good finale.

"F-fine."

Shadowmaru realised that Gunmax, still lolled on the floor, was muttering. Deckerd appeared to be asleep.

"I'll... give you that one, ninja."

Shadowmaru chuckled. "How generous of you."

"But-"

"But?"

"Next time," Gunmax's head lifted off the floor just enough to show Shadowmaru his attempt at looking smug (although it really just looked like a satisfied smile.) "I'll show you how it's really done."

"Is that a challenge?

"Yep."

"Hey, Lord Knight. Something catch your eye?"

"Hm? No...No. I'm fine."

"Huh. Whatever you say..."

Not long ago Duke would have had a hard time accepting that he had made a mistake. Now, however, he was all too painfully aware of his many shortcomings. One of these shortcomings, he realized, was his unspoken desire for others to accept him, or at least for him to understand why they might not. This desire led him to pursue paths he was not wholly confident in. This desire led him out into the suburbs of Daimon: one lone, gleaming white ambulance now chaperoned by a bright yellow power shovel.

I can go with Power Joe, he had said. I'll help, he'd said. Now here he was, exactly where he'd asked to be, only to find he no longer knew what to do with himself.

Concrete ground beneath the rubber of Duke's tires when he glided out of an alley and onto a side street. The deep rumbling of Power Joe's treads followed. Duke tried to look aloof (or as aloof as an ambulance could possibly look, anyway) when the tall power shovel pulled up next to him with unnatural speed.

"You're quiet," said power shovel observed.

"Sorry," Duke replied, unsure of what to say. "I'm... preoccupied."

"Eh? With what?" Power Joe asked, and his voice lilted in bafflement.

"The case."

"What case? This case?"

"Yes." Duke's headlights glinted with surprise when the Kung Fu Detective pulled up close and nearly licked the ambulance's side with his own in the process. Power Joe's scoop swung to the side and continued to bob in the most animated fashion.

"Are you serious?" the striped Brave said. "Car theft. What's there to think about?"

"We should still take it seriously," Duke insisted and felt his shocks tighten at the air of defensiveness in his voice.

"I don't know why you insisted on coming," Power Joe continued breezily. His shovel swung to face the opening of an alley that they passed before righting itself once more. "I could do this myself."

Duke focused his sensors straight ahead and said nothing.

"Ah, don't take it that way, Knight," Power Joe intervened after a few more seconds' silence. It seemed silence and yellow mechs didn't mix all that well. "If you wanted me to babysit you all you had to do was ask."

Duke's lights flickered in irritation. He pulled a few inches ahead of the power shovel with his tires digging into the asphalt. "You would have experience in babysitting, I suppose," he replied and hoped he hadn't risen to the bait. It was conversational. He was genuinely curious.

... And maybe a little bothered.

"Sure do," Power Joe chirped. "You're slightly more mature than elementary school kids, so this shouldn't be a problem."

Duke felt his wiring twitch. Power Joe continued to trundle alongside him, seemingly unbothered by the ambulance's lack of response. The sky above them was a brilliant blue and speckled with clouds. Duke tried to focus on the soft tufts of white against the limitless expanse above instead of the heavy machinery at his side. Somewhere in the distance he picked up the song of birds.

The next few minutes passed in silence. Duke's sensors whirred quietly beneath his armor. Their harmonic pings left trails of sensory information snaking throughout his A.I.. The occasional car passed without complaint. Duke scanned every one that did and cross-referenced his database for anything that might have been reported missing. The suburbs of Daimon were quite peaceful, and the temptation to be pulled into the relaxing lull was strong. Even Power Joe appeared to be responsive to the heavy heat of midday and sunshine.

Perhaps a little too responsive... "Sheesh," the Kung Fu Detective announced loudly and without warning, and followed this up with a very exaggerated, if mechanical yawn. (What..? They couldn't- could they?) "It sure is boring out here. I've got an idea! How about we find a nice patch of grass and relax for a bit?"

It took several seconds for this request to process for the Knight Detective. "We must continue searching," he responded, and hoped his tone was resolute and not simply baffled by what was quite obviously a ridiculous request.

"Like driving around in circles ever caught a criminal..." Power Joe grumbled.

"We are not driving in circles."

"Oh yeah?" Power Joe accelerated enough to enter Duke's line of visual before jerking his scoop at something off to the side of the road. "You see that shrub?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I know that shrub. Because we've passed it before! And a dog just peed on it."

The shrub in question did not look notable to Duke (though the dog was rather fluffy in a viscerally delightful way,) but it did inspire a feeling of trepidation within him. He quietly pulled up an internal map of Daimon and tracked their routes.

Two point three repeated loops so far. "I see," Duke acquiesced, suitably chastened. Didn't he know better than to speak before thinking?

"Told you." Power Joe's voice was a shrug.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"You're the one who wanted to play 'follow the leader'."

Suddenly and acutely aware of how far ahead he'd pulled himself in front of Power Joe during their patrol, Duke managed to ease into a stop. Power Joe slowed as well, but remained a few meters behind him. Far ahead a stop light blinked green. Several cars went on their way and each one pinged back negative for a match in their case. The case was not what had just edged its way to the forefront of Duke's mind, however.

"Why'd we stop?" the Kung Fu Detective asked. If he was hopeful Duke had spotted a nice patch of greenery to lounge in then he was going to be disappointed.

There was never going to be a good time for this. With limited options, the ambulance decided to be direct:

"What do you have against me, Power Joe?"

"Uh- wha?" This time Power Joe was the one sounding baffled.

Duke edged his tires and shifted to face the power shovel hunkered down next to the curb. "I would like to know what you hold against me."

"What kind of question is that?" Power Joe demanded, but something about his tone of voice sounded distinctly uncomfortable. Duke wondered if he was onto something. "Can't you take a joke?"

"A joke..."

"Oy." The power shovel's treads spun in aggravation, or maybe it was just exasperation. Duke was still learning his companion's quirks. "You get way too worked up over the smallest things."

"This coming from you..." Duke didn't mean anything by it but judging by the sudden growl reverberating from Power Joe's engine, intent was not quite good enough.

The power shovel transformed in a blur of glinting yellow armor. "What's your deal?!" Power Joe snapped with clenched fists, which is when Duke decided to transform and join him on two legs. As soon as he had, Power Joe jabbed a finger at his chest. "Why'd you want to come with me to begin with, if I'm such a bother? I was just fine!"

Duke lifted his chin and tried to appear as disarming as possible, though the finger pointing was decidedly unnecessary. "It's better to go in twos."

"So it had to be you?" Power Joe scoffed. "I don't buy it, Knight."

Knight. Maybe it was time to get to the heart of the matter. Power Joe seemed like a straightforward sort. Duke felt his brow furrow before responding, hesitantly, "I thought we could... bond."

Power Joe's finger drooped in mid-air. "...Huh?"

This was not quite the response Duke had been hoping for.

He didn't know how Power Joe would take the truth: That Duke wanted to get to know him better, because of all the Brave Police operating in Japan, it felt like he and Power Joe had yet to connect the most. Their relationship had been rocky from the start (the same was true for the rest of the Build Team,) but ever since Duke and Deckerd's successful union into Fire J-Decker a week previous, it had begun to feel like first impressions were starting to mend. Why, then, did Power Joe seem so resistant to accepting the Knight Detective as one of them? Deckerd and McCrane had both offered him a bit of insight into the volatile yellow Brave's personality, but both had also sort of shrugged and said the best way to get to know Power Joe was to spend time with him.

The Kung Fu Detective stared at him. Maybe this merited an explanation.

"I would like to be friends," Duke announced.

A couple of seconds passed. Slowly, Power Joe reached up and scratched the side of his helm and chewed his lip. "Well, this is awkward..."

"Why?"

Power Joe scowled and folded his arms. Glancing off to the side, his helm fins then flicked down before he muttered, "You're really dense."

"Dense..?!" Okay, now he was a little frustrated.

The yellow mech whipped his head back around and grit his teeth. "You want to know what my problem is?" He pulled his hand back into a fist, though it appeared content to simply contract and flex at his side. "My problem with you is: you never apologized! Not properly!"

An apology? "That," Power Joe huffed, "and you try too hard."

Duke wasn't entirely sure what to do with this newfound direction of conversation. "What I said about you and the others was wrong," he began, attempting to untangle the words as they came to him. "Emotions are not evil. You are not inferior. I... know that now."

"Yeah?" Power Joe appeared nonplussed, though his shoulders had relaxed slightly from their hackled raise. "You really believe that, Duke?"

Duke...

"I do." He did, even though it was still hard sometimes. He'd assumed his change of heart had been obvious. Perhaps he'd been wrong. It wouldn't be the first time, and that knowledge stung, too.

"Well," Power Joe grumbled and shifted in place, "that's great and all, but that's not it."

It wasn't?

Power Joe appeared to mull for a second more before looking Duke in the optics. His expression was unusually solemn; Duke hadn't realized how unsuitable an expression it was on the normally enthused kung-fu expert until then. Power Joe then ventured, "What you said about Dekkado..."

Duke hesitated and scoured his memory banks. Power Joe continued, his voice lacking its usual light-hearted quality: "You get it now, right?! Why everyone was so pissed off at you?"

The Knight Detective made a mental note to ask why Power Joe chose to use such informal language at another time. "I admire Dekkado," he replied, and was surprised at how hurt he felt afterwards at the implication that others might think otherwise. It was true; he had nothing but respect for the Brave Detective. Deckerd was his model, his leader, his partner on the field; everything he was supposed to be, but different. The original. Special.

But it hadn't always been that way. Once he had seen Deckerd as expendable. That was before Duke had actually met him - back when he was still attempting to replace what he now knew was a treasured friend and leader to the comrades he'd since gained. Dwelling on the past did no good to anyone. It certainly had not done Lady any good, and many had suffered with her for it. But it was also important to learn from such things and become better for them. Duke knew his behavior had been less than welcome and his treatment of his now-friends less than stellar.

It had been a mistake.

Power Joe looked away again.

"Dekkado knows," Duke explained. After they'd combined, Duke imagined Deckerd understood him better than anyone other than Lady herself. Power Joe seemed to relax a little more, though his fingers still drummed against his arms and he only glanced back at Duke in little sideways squints. "I've apologized more than once. He's accepted them all. Is that what this was about?"

Power Joe twitched his nose and grumbled again, and his cheeks were a little red. "... Yeah. Alright." Without warning, he snorted and continued, "Ay. I like you, Duke... But you act real high and mighty sometimes."

Duke opened his mouth to rebuke this when-

"But I'm still your friend. Alright?"

If Duke could have blinked, he would have. Then, out of nowhere, a finger was being jabbed at his chest again, which might have necessitated two blinks.

"So don't think I'll let you get away with it!" Power Joe declared. "And don't expect me to go easy on you when you start acting up again."

If there was any greater irony than words like that coming from someone like Power Joe's mouth, then Duke wanted to know what it was. As it stood, he'd take what he could get. Feeling a smile coming on, he managed a short laugh. "Very well, Power Joe."

"Eh?"

"You have my permission to point out when I'm being unreasonable."

"Who says I need your permission?" Power Joe rebutted with a cocked hip. "There you go, sounding all superior again!"

Hm. Duke didn't quite see it, but he'd take Power Joe's word for it... for now. "Regardless, I appreciate it."

Power Joe's hand dropped again. He seemed to be searching Duke's face, as though seeking some hint of this being sarcasm, but appeared to fully relax when Duke merely kept looking at him with a half smile and inviting eyes. "Hmph. Sure." After a second, his face quirked into a slightly fanged grin. "You can rely on me."

"Deal?" Duke extended a hand.

Power Joe cocked his head down at the proffered hand before making an amused sound: "Deal."

CRUNCH!

The powerful shake of metal caused Duke to suppress a grimace when Power Joe enthusiastically shook his hand. How necessary it had been was, like other things, up for debate. "You're going to need it," Power Joe closed with solemnity.

Duke felt himself make a face (Really? He couldn't be that bad!) But before he could rise to his own defense, something caught his eye.

Just past the Kung Fu Detective's shoulder was the familiar white fluffiness of the dog Power Joe had pointed out earlier. The small creature was standing next to a gray car that was situated next to a curb. It lifted a leg and proceeded to relieve itself on the nearest tire, which would not have been much of interest to Duke except for the fact that as soon as he'd noticed it, the car pinged back as: STOLEN.

"There it is!" Duke cried.

Power Joe whirled around, confused. "Wh-?"

"Change!"

The yellow Brave had no sooner spotted the same car when Duke blew past him in ambulance form with his sirens wailing. The Englishmech registered the sound of sputtering somewhere behind him, followed by: "That guy really ticks me off sometimes..!"

Oh. Well. The damage could be undone later...

Another siren joined Duke's as Power Joe shifted form and sped after him; the car had already taken off down the street.

It was something Deckerd was sure of now. He had never much considered his feelings until Gunmax had confessed his own, but looking back, the Brave Detective could recall the first moment it had happened. The first time he had felt something more for the biker brave.

"Let's join him."

"Gunmax..."

Everyone knew that Yuuta Tomonaga meant a lot to Deckerd. And so it should come as no surprise that Deckerd held Yuuta's opinion in high regard. After the hourglass incident... Well, it was safe to say that Gunmax had worked his way into the boy's heart and... Deckerd's too.

The patrol car lifted an arm from the cool concrete beneath him and traced his hand over the span of his partner's resting chest. He felt the gentle reverberation of an idling engine beneath the warm metal and offlined his optics. Gunmax felt alive.

Deckerd's touch shifted and his optics brightened again when his hand came to rest against the side of the Motorcycle Detective's face. Gunmax's calm sleeping expression tightened a fraction under the gentle pressure but soon relaxed with a slight curve of the lips. Deckerd smiled, brushing a thumb against the biker's cheek.

He was happy with Gunmax. He was... 

Deckerd's expression faltered. He picked up his hand and returned the limb to the floor beside him. He turned his head away from Gunmax and rested it back against the concrete, unable to bring himself to face him. 

He had not been entirely honest with Gunmax. He often confessed his feelings for him and it was always true, but Deckerd had kept something else from him. Something important. Something Gunmax, as his partner, should know about him.

He loved Shadowmaru. 

And it had not been until after Gunmax had confessed his feelings for Deckerd, after the patrol car confessed that he returned them that... Deckerd slowly came to realise he already felt this way about someone else. 

Love like this... it wasn't something he expected to be able to experience. It was human, a privilege, but there were times it felt more like a curse. Every moment with Gunmax after that had felt tainted with his own disloyalty. How could he think of another when he was with Gunmax? How could Gunmax trust him when Deckerd couldn't even trust his own desires?

Shadowmaru...

Shadowmaru was kind, friendly and had a playful spirit that Deckerd admired. He was never dull to be around and he had always been there to support Deckerd. To offer wise words of advice with a bright smile, even when it seemed like nothing could eliminate the dark the patrol car had worked himself into.

Shadowmaru was a good person, the best kind. Deckerd did not deserve him, as a friend or otherwise. And Deckerd certainly did not deserve Gunmax, especially after all this deceit... 

People looked up to the Brave Detective. Leader of the braves and the first sentient robotic being. 

Deckerd stared across at the roughly plastered wall, fingers scratching the hard concrete as they balled into fists. He let out a quiet sob.

Maybe there's an emergency.

Ears flicking forward, he stood. His wings twitched with the instinct to follow the noise and he paused when he felt the ensuing snag.

Not that I'm of much use to provide assistance at the moment...

Carefully, Shadowmaru turned his head to look over his back. Hiding in the rafters of a boathouse had seemed like a good idea at the time. At least it had provided him with an advantageous view of his suspect adding illegal modifications to his craft (he somehow doubted that the deck-mounted RPG was going to be used for fishing.) Unfortunately at had resulted in one of his wings getting tangled in the fish net that hung from the roof.

That wouldn't have been too much of a problem if he hadn't struggled and somehow gotten both of his wings tangled. Chewing on the nylon, he had freed himself from most of the netting, yet pieces he could not reach still wound tightly around his wings. The Ninja Detective couldn't shapeshift until all of his parts were fully mobile. He sighed. My blades would be handy right about now, too.

It was shameful, being so vulnerable to something as simple as a net. All he could do was try not to get even more tangled as he waited. Because he had a plan and that plan had involved calling his leader 10 minutes ago to request assistance. Deckerd had sounded worried but the violet brave had quickly reassured him that it was nothing to be concerned about.

The sound of tyres over concrete drew Shadowmaru's attention towards the main entrance to the docks. White blurred into blue as the Brave Detective changed form, nearing where the dark-coloured mech still stood.

"Shadowmaru," Deckerd rushed to his side, "Are you alright?"

"It's okay, Dekkado." The ninja reassured, turning to face him. "There's no danger."

The Brave Detective's brows pinched in a puzzled expression. "What's wrong, then?"

Deckerd's earnestness made him hard not to like. There was something so charming about the sincerity in his words and actions. Shadowmaru gestured towards his restrained wings with his head. "I need your help getting untangled. If it's no trouble."

He noticed Deckerd's optics filter a blink as his gaze fell on the white metal of the wings. And then, without a word, he got to his knees to closely inspect the mess of nylon. No questions as to how he had ended up like this. No mockery...

The blue brave's hand hovered over the metal; Shadowmaru felt it prickle on his sensors. "Can I... touch them?" Deckerd asked him.

"Go ahead." Shadowmaru inclined his head in what he hoped was a encouraging gesture.

The patrol car was gentle, careful not to pull too hard on the netting as he loosened it. Shadowmaru turned to look elsewhere, not wanting to unnerve Deckerd with his gawking. He tracked the movements of the other's hands, the sensitive equipment in his wings picking up the slightest touch. He shivered.

Deckerd paused. "Are you okay? I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Ah, no. Thanks." Shadowmaru felt his face warm. "For the help, I mean."

Deckerd's hands started moving again, pulling away pieces of the tangled netting. "It's fine, really. You're a friend."

Friend...

The ninja reflected back to the time when they first met, nearly a month ago. Things had changed a lot since then, he had lost a friend, yet somehow he had gained another. Maybe more than one.

"There." A voice interrupted his thoughts.

Shadowmaru realised that Deckerd had cleared the last of the tangled netting. He looked back and, ever so slightly, wiggled his newly freed wings. They were a little stiff but felt much better without the strain. He let them relax.

"Thank you, Dekkado." Shadowmaru said before shapeshifting into his root form and standing full height. "I appreciate you taking the time to help me."

"Anytime." Deckerd got to his feet, standing next to him. "But can I ask you a question, Shadowmaru?"

The ninja flexed his wings once before meeting his leader's gaze. "If you would like."

"Why did you contact me?" Deckerd asked. "Power Joe was much closer to your location."

Shadowmaru folded his arms over his chest. "Power Joe doesn't have your patience." It wasn't a complete lie.

"Ah," Deckerd chuckled quietly. "I suppose that's true."

The sun was beginning to rise now, signalling the end of the night patrols. Shadowmaru smiled. It was hard not to around Deckerd.

"I'll meet you back at the station." He announced as the sunlight began to filter over the docks.

Deckerd appeared remember where he was, his optics refocusing back on Shadowmaru after a few seconds of gazing into the distance. "Right. I'll make my way back there after collecting Yuuta."

It took several seconds for his A.I. to defragment. Jumbled data wound like vines throughout his processor. He tracked the leak down to his memory banks, where it was quickly patched and diverted to subroutines for unpackaging.

This had happened before.

Shadowmaru checked his internal chronometer. Four minutes point twenty-seven seconds had passed since he'd slipped into idle. The ninja resisted the urge to pinch at the bridge of his nose and settled for a gusty exhale against his forearm instead.

"That's what stress will do to you," he said to no one.

He needed coffee.

Instead, Shadowmaru settled for straightening into a sit. He popped open his left hip compartment and carefully removed several pieces of the shattered armor pieces he'd stuck there earlier. His damaged arm was still sparking dully with every movement he made. The bare silver metal of his inner frame glinted beneath the webbed and fractured metal. It had reached a peculiar kind of 'soreness' by now, or at least, it was what a robot could imagine soreness to feel like. Shadowmaru stifled a grimace and leaned back to hold the injured limb before him.

Time to do something with myself before my mind starts wandering again. He'd rather not admit how afraid he was that it would.

"Is that what you are? Afraid?"

Normally he would wait until he returned to headquarters so that Toudou and his trusted team of engineers could see to his repairs. Even a cursory glance revealed that Shadowmaru would still have to do just that. The damage was too extensive in certain places for him to tend without some kind of equipment. Toudou did fine work... but perhaps he could help himself a little, too.

"Much better than wallowing in pity, anyway," he muttered to himself. He wanted to feel irritated but found he lacked the energy. His fuel levels were fine enough, but that wasn't why he felt weary. Shadowmaru doubted very much there was anything physically wrong with him (other than the obvious.)

It would be nice if it was, because then it - like this injury - could be fixed. Bam. Problem solved. No more burning, no more unknowns, no more heartache: just a well-oiled machine.

And I should be happy about that not being the case? Shadowmaru wanted to laugh. He found his grimace transforming into a wry smile instead when he shook his head. Miss Azuki...

What business does a machine have yearning, anyway? In real life, not some B-movie plot.

He placed a finger on his fractured wrist and jolted.

Gah!

Pain flared across his sensors. It was a white-hot stabbing that sizzled long after he'd jerked his hand away. He swore quietly and held his headband while he stared at the injury. At least he wasn't the source of this particular little problem.

Self-pity. Now there's an answer to nothing.

Wiser now, Shadowmaru reached out a second time. Frayed wiring glowed white beneath the shadow of his hand. He tenderly touched it again.

Yikes!

Pain refreshed itself in his sensors. He expected it, and bore the brunt with a hard set of his jaw and a creased brow. Upon releasing a pent-up hiss between his teeth, Shadowmaru proceeded to tenderly untangle some of the more sensitive circuits that had started to melt through their casing. Beyond the pain there was a sense of throbbing warmth. He kept one part of his A.I. focused on the feedback from his system, both indexing his internal temperature and other functions.

It was fascinating, in a way. Pain, that is. A part of him studied his own reactions curiously while his hand delicately worked against the broken frame of his arm.

Mindless drones feel none of this. They don't even seem to be aware when they're injured.

Although, when Kagerou's body had been taken...

Shadowmaru grimaced when a wire sparked between his digits. Its embers danced across the naked silver of his inner frame and flicked out against a shattered span of violet. A hurt not unlike hooked claws grinding into his frame crawled up the workings of his arm.

It wasn't all bad. Feeling was more than pain; with feeling came the ability to appreciate the warmth of sunlight, the last clinging droplets of rain and the feeling of clean air and grass. Feeling had permitted him memories of Kagerou and the moments they had shared: weapons glancing off each other, hard nudges and shoulder pats between two who might have been brothers. Even if machines like himself weren't truly alive, it was at least convincing enough, sometimes, for him to consider what it might be like otherwise.

I wonder what they feel? The ones who occupy my thoughts so...

...and my 'dreams'.

Shadowmaru frowned a fraction and picked a piece of shrapnel out of his elbow joint. Breach warnings flared across his A.I., temporarily blinding his thoughts white. His fingers flexed and became fists; actuators whined beneath the force.

Why are we drawn to such things as love?

There was no mistaking it. Deckerd and Gunmax were not the first Brave Police units to get involved in the touchy-feely stuff - McCrane and Dumpson (and their respective lady friends) were evidence enough of that. The former were unique in that there was no skin involved, but what did that change? There was something there. Shadowmaru had recognized it, clear as day. Not doing his part in helping Deckerd and Gunmax move their relationship along would have been a disservice to them both, regardless of how conflicted he'd felt doing so. Yet after all this time, and all this confusing and muddled yearning on his own part for both of them, just what was he yearning for?

A touch? A glance? Some sliver of something that was the opposite of this unpleasant feeling when he poked himself and registered pain? If so, what was that feeling called, and what was it like?

Love?

It wasn't Shadowmaru's place to wonder what Deckerd and Gunmax felt when they felt each other, yet the unknowable - and unattainable - seemed to nip at his thoughts. He couldn't ask. Who could he ask? Those whose privacy he had already overstepped?

There was a saying about curiosity and cats... Perhaps there needed to be one about dogs.

Agh.

Another breach warning and flash of pain later and Shadowmaru found himself staring down at his arm. The uncomfortable feeling pulsed white static all the way to the sensors of his fingertips. He flexed his hand and felt the hot rush of sensation. Slowly, he relaxed, and watched trails of free-flowing fuel dry in his palm. The throbbing lessened. Now there was mostly warmth.

And what do they feel...

Slowly, he extended a finger. He used it to make a small, if gentle press against his uncurled palm. The feeling registered as... nothing special.

Hm.

He tried it again. He made it two fingers, then three, and felt his lips crease into a frown. He was sure there hadn't been that much damage to his sensornet - he should still be able to feel with his hands, and he could. It felt as well as it normally did.

What puzzled him was that when Deckerd or Gunmax touched one another, it seemed to do - well, more. There was something to it, Shadowmaru was sure. He understood why humans touched one another and why something modeled after them might do the same. He knew that it felt nice, or was supposed to, in a way that platonic touching didn't. There was a duality to it. His A.I. could almost make sense of it - almost.

Still frowning, Shadowmaru dragged one fingertip slowly downward. Nothing. He felt a twisting sensation in his mind (sadness) and then the urge to laugh.

Perhaps such things weren't meant for me.

He wondered if Gunmax would still be at the station when he returned. Deckerd stood more of a chance of being present than the wayward motorcycle detective did, although he also tended to be busier. If Shadowmaru was lucky neither would think much of his quick exit earlier.

If he was very lucky, they would both still be out as Power Joe had suggested, no doubt with each other and not minding his absence at all. Wrapped up in one another, maybe; laughing, exchanging jibes, or even those subtle, secretive touches they shared...

A dull heat flared in the back of Shadowmaru's consciousness. He startled and jerked the two fingers he hadn't realized he'd been tracing along his wound back from their movements. His optics focused on the marred tracks of violet and red. Several fans within him whirred; gears cinched, flicked uncertainly.

That had been... different.

Shadowmaru felt his jaw click tightly into place. He gazed at his hand a moment longer before pressing the digits back against his plating. In an effort to replicate the feeling, he trailed them over himself again.

It felt nice enough, but not like what he'd just experienced. His brow furrowed beneath shadow.

Them. Somehow it always came back to them. Shadowmaru flexed his fingers once under the weight of his own thoughts. These same thoughts bore down on him, shapeless and heavy and dark with unknowns. Then, he thought of them. He thought of them with each other, and tried again.

Warmth welled beneath his fingertips. His next vent sucked in sharply.

Of course.

While his movement became suddenly unsteady, his A.I. shifted into overdrive. Suddenly, his thoughts were Deckerd; suddenly, his thoughts were Gunmax; suddenly, he was seeing them, brief flashes, in mind and memory.

Gunmax smirks. Somewhere behind his visor, two elegantly slanted optics light in mirth. He's dangerous and cunning, but his face is kind, as is his heart.

Is this it?

Deckerd tilts his head at him. His usual air of authority has somehow lessened. In the quiet and the dark, he is open; earnest; warm, in a way Shadowmaru can feel without feeling with his hands.

This feeling...

A rumble from his chest jarred Shadowmaru back to reality. His armor burned. His internals twisted and slipped into erratic, labored rythms and slips of gears. He did not know how to describe it. His arm was pulsing; his hand had stilled.

He imagined Deckerd and Gunmax looking at him with fondness, and Gunmax's voice is wry when he says, "Well?"

Well?

"Are you just going to watch?"

I'm not sure.

The space between them evaporates. Gunmax's voice, rough and lilting, fills his audials when the biker leans in and curls fingers against the back of his helm. "Yeah?" he whispers.

Deckerd radiates assurance at his side. The Brave Detective's touch is firm, if kind; he reaches out while Gunmax speaks and meets Shadowmaru's gaze...

What am I doing?!

Shadowmaru dropped his arms and the imagination vanished.

He sat there for several seconds attempting to compose himself. He felt hot, but when he dug his uninjured hand into his temple and exhaled sharply, it no longer felt so pleasant. No.

It just felt like a lot of anger.

Look at yourself!

He shoved the remainder of his broken armor back into his side compartment and ignored the beleageared creak of joints when he pushed himself up. It was a sudden motion and left him almost unsteady. He wobbled. His hands were fists.

"Never again." He had no right. He had no right. Not as a comrade, not as a friend. Not as a machine.

Very slowly, his hands relaxed. And instead of heat, there was emptiness.

/-eyoo! This is Drillboy, still trying to see if you're out here, Shadowmaru! Come on, answer already!/

Shadowmaru's head jerked up at the sudden comm. A jet engine roared by overhead. Through the stray specks of foliage, he saw a fleck of orange and red meandering through the sky. How long had...

/I'm here,/ he transmitted and grimaced at the cling of static to his voice.

/Shadowmaru!/ Drillboy did a loop and made a delighted whooping sound. /I knew we'd find you!/

/What are you doing here?/

/Power Joe and I tracked your badge! When you never called back, we got worried... Hey, Power Joe, I found him!/

/Where is he?/ a third voice cut in. Power Joe's tone was clipped and unmistakable.

/Uhh - Hey Shadowmaru, where are you?/

/You don't even know,/ Power Joe bemoaned. /You can't say you've found him if you don't know where he is, Doriko! That's just common courtesy./

/I half found him!/

By this point Shadowmaru had already transformed. He rose above the trees as a jet. Above him, Drillboy pinwheeled in his own aerial mode and dived down to greet him.

/I'm fine,/ Shadowmaru transmitted to them both and despised how hollow it sounded. Fortunately, drilltanks were not known for their stellar sense of perception, so as long as he could outmaneuver Power Joe, then maybe he could be left alone.

/Oh?/ Drilboy said and beyond the internal sparking of severed wire, Shadowmaru felt something in him chill. Until Drillboy spun in a circle and shot off, anyway - which he did shortly after. /Hey, I see a bunch of cop cars over there.../ The soccer detective sounded curious. /Looks like some kind of building place./

Cop cars? Ah. The authorities must have arrived. /It's none of our business now./

/Aww./

/Tch. All this way for nothing,/ Power Joe grumbled from somewhere below them. The grind of his treads struck an odd cadence to the echo of his voice. /Can't you leave something for us for once?/

/It's not your place,/ Shadowmaru replied, and the words hurt, because they were really meant for him. /I'm better on my own./

/Yeah, well, you aren't on your own now, big shot./

Shadowmaru focused on a faraway gathering of grey clouds.

Just look at yourself.

/So... Are we headed back?/ Drillboy butted in. /Hey, I know! We could stop by the stadium-/

/Don't even think about it,/ Power Joe's reprimand was swift. /We're still on duty, so act like it./

/Hmph!/

Shadowmaru registered a few tiny, stray sparks that escaped the warped plating of his undercarriage. He watched them flicker and vanish in the air below them. The three Brave units peeled away from the mission site and bypassed waves of hills and fields to head toward the light of the city lost somewhere in the lingering overcast. Somewhere far in the distance was home.

/Hey Shadowmaru,/ Power Joe transmited. /Anyone ever tell you that you really know how to hang up on a robot?/

/I'm sorry,/ Shadowmaru replied, though the power shovel had sounded more bemused than offended. /I didn't mean to make you worry./

/I wasn't worried,/ Drillboy declared, obviously ignoring (or forgetting) what he'd said earlier.

/Of course./

/Yeah,/ Power Joe drawled. /And I guess you aren't orange, either./

To Shadowmaru's relief, the rest of the trip was silence (excepting Drillboy asking whether they could jet off and leave Power Joe behind because power shovels travelled sooooo slow.) In the moments of quiet, Shadowmaru could feel the broken bits inside him that ground like something raw; like little pieces that remembered feeling something more than hurt.

That feeling...

From somewhere below, a stray human officer's radio wave brushed against Shadowmaru's scanners. He picked up several voices made increasingly distant. "How's it looking over there?"

"Looks like someone cleaned house."

"Who'd they send?"