Yup, I know exactly what you're thinking. "Big-san! You're working on way too many stories right now! You'll never finish them all!" Well... you're probably right orz. But most of them are collabs, and you can expect those to be updated as frequently as my partner allows. So... this idea has been nagging me for awhile, sooo... I'm writing it. This will be incredibly tragic. If you don't feel choked up at least once throughout this entire series, then I have failed you as a writer. They will be a collection of one-shots based off of Kagamine songs. They ARE connected, but it's up to you to figure out how... until the end, where you get an answer. Sooo... I'm going to shut up and give you the first chapter now, kay?
"Although hundreds of years may pass
Their eternal love will last."
The scientist woke up, coughing harshly. His lungs felt tight; he could hardly breathe. Oh God no not yet I'm not ready to die yet she's not ready for me to die yet please no not-
His fevered thoughts cut off as the tightening loosened, allowing air into his damaged lungs. He leaned back in his bed, his breathing raspy. He was sick. Very, very sick. He should be in a hospital right now. He would be, if not for-
"Professor, are you alright?" The scientist looked to the side, into the expressionless eyes of the robot sitting next to his bed. She was not asking him because she cared, he knew-it was simply how she was programmed. He smiled at her all the same.
"Fine. I'm fine." His voice suggested that he was anything but fine. The robot just continued to stare at him with those clear blue eyes. He had created her when he was only fourteen, looking for a companion. She looked quite a bit like he did at that age; her clothing even mimicked what he might have worn, with a bit more of a feminine twist. Her blonde hair was not in a ponytail like his normally was, but a large white bow sat on top of her head.
He again found himself wishing that she had been able to age along with him. When he had been fourteen, she had seemed beautiful to him. Now, in his thirties, these feelings he had for her felt wrong. Then again, being in love with a robot could hardly be considered right by most standards. Particularly when said robot lacked the emotions to love him back.
"Professor was talking in his sleep again." The robot girl's voice even sounded quite a bit like his did at that age, if not a bit higher. And a bit more metallic, but that went without saying.
"Was I? And what was I saying, exactly?" He sat up slowly, coughing weakly and clutching at his chest. The robot observed this without interest.
"Professor was saying, 'Don't ask me my name, I don't know it.' Does Professor not remember his name?" The scientist looked over at his creation, startled. He hadn't had a dream like that in years... since he was a very young child, actually. It aroused a feeling of unease inside him-he said these things at the beginning of his life, was he saying them at the end of his life, now? The thought made him shiver. "Is Professor cold?"
"No, no, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He chuckled weakly, sending him into another coughing fit. "Not that you are capable of worrying about anything... yet." That yet was the reason he got up every morning, the reason he hadn't gotten to a hospital yet.
He wanted his robot to have emotions.
He slowly got to his feet, stumbling slightly. He grabbed the robot's arm for balance. She walked with him, with the patience only one without emotion could exhibit. Finally, they made it to his desk, and he sat down, breathing heavily. He could barely catch his breath, but he turned to the computer screen all the same.
"Here's your coffee, Professor." The Professor turned to the robot, suprised. Had the time really passed that quickly? He looked at the clock to see that a half-hour had passed since he sat down. He was still breathing heavily, which was unusual. It took him ten minutes at most to catch his breath.
"A-arigato." His voice was a heavy wheeze. He had the most horrible gut feeling that he would never leave this chair. Although he tried to tell himself that was a ridiculous idea, the feeling would not go away. He turned to the computer screen, clicking open the folder labeled "KOKORO." He couldn't die, not without finishing the program!
Hours passed in near silence, the only sounds in the room being the soft hum of the machinery and the clacking of computer keys under the scientist's shaking fingers. All of a sudden, a official sounding voice echoed through the room, coming from the computer's speakers.
"KOKORO program complete. Please set up connection with device to continue."
The scientist's eyes widened in shock. Was the program finally running? His weak hands clutched for the USB cord that would connect with the port in the robot girl's wrist. Before he could even have a chance to call out her name, he heard her voice.
"Receiving message..." The scientist looked over at her in shock. He wasn't expecting any messages! And they wouldn't be coming from her, anyways. "The source is..." She took a few confused steps towards him. Was she malfunctioning? "The future!" The scientist drew a shocked gasp, causing him to cough roughly. The world wavered out of focus for a moment. When it came back in, the robot girl was standing in front of him. Except she was far more than robot now. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, but she was smiling. Beaming, in fact. It seemed like she was experiencing every emotion anyone ever experienced, all at once.
"Professor... arigato... for giving me life, for all the time we spent together... I love you, Professor." There was no more metallicness in her voice. She reached for him, drawing him close in a hug. Her once metallic skin was warm. The professor drew her close, tears pouring down his own cheeks now. It didn't matter why this was happening, because he finally had her. He couldn't draw enough breath to speak, but that didn't matter. She was trembling, sobbing and laughing all at once.
"Professor. I love you, Pro-" The robot's body suddenly went rigid, and she collapsed. The professor looked at the lifeless robot in his arms, unable to understand what had happened. Then, she opened her eyes and straightened up, out of his arms. Her skin was cold again, her tears and smile was gone.
He understood now. The robot must have activated KOKORO herself, far in the future. It was too much for her, and she shorted. The tears rolled down his cheeks as he shuddered with sobs. He couldn't be responsible for her death. Never! He pointed a shaking finger at the monitor, his finger resting on the KOKORO folder. "Promise me... promise me you'll never open that."
"Yes, professor." Her voice was metallic once again. The Professor smiled through his tears. Another coughing fit seized him. His vision wavered and flickered to black. He could feel himself falling, falling...
"Arigato." His head hit the desk, knocking over the full cup of coffee. It shattered on the floor, puddling at the robot girl's feet as she stared, uncomprehending and uncaring.
...
...
"Here's your coffee, Professor." The robot girl set the full cup down carefully at the skeleton's head. Something was wrong with her Professor. Every day she would bring him his coffee, and every day she would bring the full cup away. He never drank it. She didn't understand what was wrong with him. She understood he was dead, of course, but not what dead was.
"Professor should be buried." Wasn't that what humans normally did with their "dead?" The robot couldn't be sure. She would like to ask Professor for confirmation, but he didn't answer her requests.
Her eyes went to the black computer screen. She remembered him telling her never to open the KOKORO file. "When one does not answer your requests, it becomes necessary for you to disobey them." If Professor was not going to answer her, then she would have to open that file. She started up the computer, showing no emotion as it crackled to life. She clicked open the KOKORO folder.
"KOKORO program complete. Please set up connection with device to continue." The robot knew what that meant. She carefully plugged the fraying cord into her wrist. "KOKORO activating... loading... loading... loading... complete." These last words weren't heard by the robot girl. She dropped to her knees, the weak cord snapping in half before dropping from her wrist.
"No... no... no! Professor! Professor! Come back!" Sobs wracked through the tiny body as she looked at the skeleton. "You'll never know... come back! I want to tell you that I love you! Professor! Come back!" Even as the tears poured down the girl's cheeks, a smile formed on her face. "Professor... I'm so thankful to you... you need to know! Come back!" Her blue eyes flickered. "Sending message... to the past. Sending...
"Professor... arigato... for giving me life, for all the time we spent together... I love you, Professor." Like she did all those years ago, she drew the corpse to her, hugging it tightly. Even though the corpse didn't move, she felt the memory of his arms around her as the message sent.
"Professor. I love you, Pro-" Every emotion shot through her at that instant. All the joy, love, sadness, fear, and anger she could have felt through her long, long life went through her brain. It was too much to handle. Her entire body went rigid, before going completely limp. She shorted, never to move again.
However, she died in her Professor's arms. Her face was filled with a smile.
"Don't you know who you are yet?"
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Reviews get me motivated to update, sooo... review!