Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. All recognizable characters are the property of their respective owners. All unrecognizable ones are the intellectual property of yours truly; their theft is punishable by severe voodoo-induced pain in any and all sensitive organs of the body, followed by eternal damnation.

Because, you know, stealing is wrong.

Title: Only Natural

Summary: Pre GitS:SAC. "I guess we need to start with introductions. Togusa Kozue, these are the Tachikoma, Section Nine's heavy artillery. Tachikoma, this is our newest member, Togusa Kozue. Say hello."

Rating: K

Warnings: none

Author Notes: This is the companion fic to "Value Undefined," to be sure to stop by and read that one if you haven't. Reading order doesn't matter, just that they reflect on one another. :3 Enjoy!

Only Natural

But remember, with strength goes responsibility - to others and to yourselves.
- Mr. Gruffyd, "How Green Was My Valley"

"So what do you think, Mister Batou?"

Batou resolved to find whoever had introduced the Tachikoma to The Hunchback of Notre Dame and draft him, her, or it for robot-sitting duty. The tanks were not talking about the original book version, either; rather, the Tachikoma had spent the better part of the morning debating the finer points of the twentieth century cartoon. Batou was not cut out for explaining the finer points of Disney philosophy to a group of eccentric AIs.

He skimmed the video file swiftly, brows furrowed as he contemplated the current topic of discussion. Beyond the file window taking up nearly half of his visual field, he could see the gathered Tachikoma, all of them fidgeting like kindergarteners awaiting a story. It was an endearing picture (not that he would ever admit it aloud), but he felt distinctly out of his depth.

He ventured tentatively into this unfamiliar territory of philosophical debate. "The guy in black is the bad guy, and the hunchback is the good guy. So?"

A ripple of groans and unsatisfied mutters echoed around the room's metal walls.

"That's not it at all!"

"Mister Batou! We're talking about humanity!"

"Frollo is obviously a bad specimen of the species, but does he not better qualify as human than a mutated version?

"But the song says—"

"'Who is the monster and who is the man?'" This was not in a Tachikoma's voice, but rather a recording of a song featured as part of the film. Batou grimaced at the shrillness and lowered the sensitivity of his aural receptors.

Another Tachikoma waved its forelimbs to gather attention. "It is obvious that by society's standards, Quasimodo, as a half-formed human being, would be the monster, while Frollo, being normal, would be the man. Isn't that right, Mister Batou?"

"But doesn't the song have a double-meaning? Aren't we talking about 'inner beauty'?"

"You mean circulatory and skeletal systems? Do humans consider them beautiful?"

"An artist might. Symmetry is attractive to the human eye."

"So Quasimodo's internal structure is more appealing than Frollo's?"

"That doesn't sound right at all!"

"Mister Batou!"

"Mister Batou!"

"Tell us, Mister Batou!"

Batou's salvation came in the form of the subtle ding of Section Nine's entrance elevator. A hush settled over the Tachikoma, and the room buzzed with the sound of roughly thirty mechanical eyes swiveling toward the unexpected interruption.

The elevator door slid open, and a nondescript young man stepped cautiously into the brightly lit room, uneasy brown eyes taking in the sight of the white-haired cyborg surrounded by roughly ten bulky, bright blue sentient tanks. Batou's identification protocols ran a scan of the man's facial features and body stature, immediately pulling up a screen identifying the newcomer as Togusa Kozue, Section Nine's 'natural newbie.'

Batou grinned, clearing away the information screens and pushing away from the Tachikoma he had been leaning against. "Didn't expect you in today," he said by way of greeting. "You weren't scheduled 'til next week."

"I…" The man's gaze seemed to be caught on the nearest of the tanks, which incidentally was sidling nearer to him (as much as a machine of that size could 'sidle,' in any case). "I thought I'd take a look around, and… see what I was getting into."

"Smart guy." Batou pushed at one of the Tachikoma, and it shuffled obligingly out of his way. Batou made his way over and offered his hand to the human. "Batou Buttetsu," he introduced himself.

"Togusa Kozue."

The human probably could not tell, but the Tachikoma were deep in gossip. Batou's cyberbrain could pick up the ultrasonic buzzing of their silent conversation as a low hum toward the base of his skull.

Batou's grin widened fractionally. "I guess we need to start with introductions. Togusa Kozue, these are the Tachikoma, Section Nine's heavy artillery. Tachikoma, this is our newest member, Togusa Kozue. Say hello."

The human started as the air abruptly rang loudly with cries of 'hello!' and 'how are you, Mister Togusa!' and 'pleased to meet you!' and one unique 'salutations!' from a unit near the back.

"Ah… hello," fumbled Togusa, "... ladies?" He looked to Batou for help.

The cyborg shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

The Tachikoma had taken the introduction as a signal that they could move forward and investigate the newcomer themselves. Batou and Togusa were quickly swarmed by a horde of blue tanks, and Batou laughed aloud at the human's expression as he was poked and prodded from all sides by the Tachikoma's 'hands.' Comments pelted the pair from all around.

"We've never seen a model like you before!"

"What manufacturer are you from, Mister Togusa?"

"Do you have any modifications? Mister Batou has his Ranger eyes, and Mister Saitou has his Eagle-eye and the Major has battle upgrades all over the place, but I don't see any on you!"

"Maybe he has a hidden weapon!"

"Yeah! Like that guy a few weeks ago! He had an automatic rifle hidden in his arm! Do you have one, Mister Togusa?"

One of the Tachikoma grabbed at the human's forearm, and its startled cry of "He's squishy!" coincided with Togusa's yelp of pain.

Batou felt a flash of alarm. "Hey!"

He need not have bothered. A wave of stillness washed over the room. Togusa and Batou were abruptly at the middle of a large open circle of empty space, ringed by silent Tachikoma. Togusa was rubbing at his arm, looking startled and more than a little uneasy.

"You okay there?" asked Batou. What a day it would be if one of the Tachikoma had broken the newbie's arm during his first five minutes at HQ…

"Yeah." The human eyed the surrounding machines warily. "Yeah, just a bruise, I think."

"Sorry about that. They're pretty excitable." He turned a stern look toward the tanks, and they all seemed to shrink beneath his displeased frown. "Of course, they're used to cyborgs and androids for the most part. Saitou and the other near-naturals don't come down much."

"I see."

"I'm sorry!" The guilty Tachikoma clumped forward, waving its forearms in distress. "I'm so sorry, Mister Togusa! I didn't break you, did I? Forgive me! I didn't know!" Its entire body quivered, and it sounded as near tears as a machine was likely to get.

The human blinked. "It's… all right." He managed an uncertain little smile and held out his arm as a show of proof, flexing his hand. "Really."

The Tachikoma did not seem very reassured, and now the others were muttering about 'damaged' and 'reprogramming' and 'oh, what's the Major going to say?'

Batou took the opportunity to take hold of the human's shoulder and turn him toward the elevators. "Go on up to the top. The Major's probably there, and you might catch the Chief, too." He paused, then added, "They really don't mean any harm, you know."

Togusa nodded, and the Tachikoma parted as the Red Sea to his Moses as he made his way over to the second elevator. A tense silence pressed down on the room until he had disappeared behind the elevator's doors, and then the whispers started. Batou stood and watched the debate silently.

"A human!"

"The Major hired him, though! He must be skilled."

"She wouldn't take him if he weren't."

"He's not upgraded, though!"

"That's what 'human' means, silly!"

"But what about in battle…!"

A solemn hush fell over the group.

"… Mister Saitou and Mister Ishikawa do all right…" one of the tanks offered tentatively.

"But Mister Ishikawa hardly ever fights, and Mister Saitou has the Eagle-eye and an upgraded arm!"

"The Major wouldn't send him out if he couldn't take care of himself, right?"

"But he's a human!"

Multitudes of conversations burst into being, and frantically worried debates raged all around the room.

Abruptly, the Tachikoma which had 'discovered' that Togusa was a human drew itself up to its full height and waved its arms imperiously, demanding attention.

"That," it said firmly, "is what we are here for."

The others turned toward it. One by one, each of the tanks bobbed slightly in a sort of nod, and excited agreements rang out.

"We can help!"

"We can carry him!"

"We'll fight for him!"

"We'll protect him!"

The air rang with cheers and more shouted contributions.

"That's right, isn't it, Mister Batou?" asked the first Tachikoma, turning toward him. "If we can help, then we should. That's okay, right?"

Batou nodded, caught somewhere between fondness and amazement for the group of exuberant machines. They really were something else.

"I think you'll do just fine."

EndOnly Natural