Kingdom Hearts fic: Spontaneous Generation

[mistressofmuses]

I am struggling in my attempts to get caught up!
So still a day behind, but this is my fill for Day 8: Robots and Androids AU.
I had a bit of a difficult time sorting out what I wanted to write for this prompt, and wound up just having to go for it, haha.

---

It had been decided that, while the androids superficially resembled humans, they would not be permitted hearts. Humans had hearts, and the warriors of the light protected those hearts, but hearts were also inherently weak, fragile things. Much as it was not considered beneficial for them to feel pain, it was not considered beneficial for them to feel anything else.

“My chest hurts.”

Riku carefully paused, pulling his tools away from the open panel on Kairi’s arm. She was in for routine maintenance, seated perfectly still as only an android could.

“Your chest hurts?” he repeated.

She nodded, carefully not moving the arm he’d been examining.

“There shouldn’t be any receptors there,” he said.

Which was completely true. They had sensors everywhere, to detect damage, and in some cases to even help stabilize an injury for long enough for them to get to safety and be repaired. That was different than the receptors that gave them human-like sensation, which were far more limited. Sometimes it was a benefit to have human-like nerve feedback, but for the most part it was not considered useful for them to feel pain.

“Can you show me where you feel it?” he asked.

Kairi didn’t move the arm he’d been working on, though he’d given her space to do so if she needed. She lifted the other hand, to gently touch her chest, just barely to the left of center.

Where a human heart would be.

Riku frowned, then tried to smooth away the expression before Kairi could notice it and try to work out why.

How could that be happening?

The androids were maintained in as pure a state as possible. They were to be warriors of the light, and as such, they could not be vulnerable to the corruptions of the darkness.

As such, it had been decided that, while the androids superficially resembled humans, they would not be permitted hearts. Humans had hearts, and the warriors of the light protected those hearts, but hearts were also inherently weak, fragile things. Much as it was not considered beneficial for them to feel pain, it was not considered beneficial for them to feel anything else.

And yet.

Riku put on a smile that he hoped was more convincing than it felt. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Maybe don’t mention it to anyone else, and I’ll look into what might be causing it.”

“All right,” she agreed. “I trust you.”

He knew she’d keep her word, and for that he was glad. He didn’t want anyone else poking at the androids, especially if they suspected something was wrong.

But of course nothing was wrong.

---

The next android Riku had to work on was not for routine maintenance.

He winced as the android came in on a stretcher and was moved onto the metal table. A large portion of his shoulder, and another part of his side were completely gone. The wounds leaked, a mix of organic and mechanical fibers and tubes torn horribly.

But at least they didn’t feel pain.

Riku took a deep breath. It was Sora. Of all the androids he worked on, Sora and Kairi were his favorites. The ones he almost thought of as… friends. That he knew he felt more for than he should. Techs were supposed to treat their charges as the machines they were. Like tools, to be well maintained, but never cared for.

“Tell me if I do anything that hurts. Or, well, feels wrong,” he said.

This would take hours.

“That’s why you’re my favorite tech.” Sora’s voice was a little strained, the damage to his torso probably impacting the resonance. “You always say things like that.”

Riku quirked a smile, but didn’t look up from his work. It was delicate work, how many things would have to be spliced and soldered and replaced… He did his best to focus on the needed tasks, one after the other. Slowly, the torn mess improved.

“This might sting,” he said. Probably the wrong term for how the androids experienced it, but having to feed a strong electric current through something attached to their sensors was likely not pleasant.

Sora made a strained sound, and jerked up off the table.

Riku put out a hand, setting it along Sora’s chest to keep him still.

He felt gentle thump under his hand. A heartbeat.

He jerked his hand back.

“Sorry,” Sora said. “It surprised me.”

Me too.

It had to have been his imagination. Just some remnant of that electrical pulse he’d pushed through. Some hydraulic something creating internal motion. Something.

But he knew what he’d felt.

The rest of the repairs to Sora’s body went well. It would take a little while for the synthetic skin to finish knitting over the internal repairs, but within a day or two he would be out battling the forces of darkness on behalf of the light again.

---

It kept Riku awake at night.

When Kairi said she trusted him, when Sora said Riku was his favorite, were those genuine emotions instead of empty words? Did his caring for them create some bond in return?

Could an android spontaneously generate a heart?

What would happen if anyone else found out?