Not to Pry, an astro boy fanfic

Holy crap: My first story! It probably wasn't a very good idea to upload this kind of story since Astro Boy isn't as popular as Legend of Zelda and Big Bang Theory are, but I liked this idea and I'm in an Astro boy slump, and I wanted to write it down. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but not flames.

Not to Pry

Cora had been different lately. Distant, but she used the word "busy" in place of that. The girl always looked sad, tired, and often had a blank look on her face, staring off in a direction that diverged from the source of the moment's action. She never spoke much anymore, either, almost cutting herself off from social contact completely.

Or rather, social contact from Astro. And he didn't like it one little bit.

Think of the most important person in your life. Who is it that never fails to make your day? Mother or father? An elder? A best friend, maybe. Or even that special someone who keeps you up at night and makes you smile. Remember all the fun you had with them? The laughs? That time when they goofed up so bad you could never let them hear the end of it (what times)? And even the tears you tried to smile through while the held you and whispered "There, there". Abandonment was unthinkable and your faith knew no bounds. The one place you were truly safe, right here.

Now imagine all of that gone. Poof!

Is it cold? Is it lonely? Dark, no doubt. And that deafening silence that will never break hangs heavy and unmovable. Call out. Try it, it won't help. Scream until your throat goes raw. Fall to your knees and cry a river. No one will come to pull you up when you drown. Pray that God will help you as you sink into uninhabited depths, only to land, forsaken, in a pitch black hell.

This was how Astro felt. And it hurt all the more for him. Ask the boy and he will be honest. Astro loved Cora, but he was not about to tell her that. When you love someone, you want to keep them around for as long as possible. To scare them away would be the worst mistake you could make. And to let it happen would bring about not only a broken heart but an unbearable shame. No man, nor woman, could live with that.

His neural CPU reeled with a hurricane of abstract suspicions. Was it something he did? Said? Was she still mad about the lie concerning his "breed"? Or maybe it was some all-consuming fear of an unknown origin (girls can become very phobic of certain things for no reason at all-a truly baffling behavior). Surely a fuse would blow if the subject berated his mind any longer.

Robot attacks had died down significantly, so Tenma had given Astro the privilege to return to school, seeing how there was more time. "I could try to be a normal kid," begged Astro and his father gave in. It was now 3thhour. This meant study hall with Cora-and a chance to ask a few questions about the android's best friend.

Astro stood at the corner of Cora's desk. The girl held an electronic tablet, the screen blanketed with what seemed to be history data or some other social science. A black composition book was open to receive chicken-scratched notes. Her face was completely shrouded with her short, black and purple hair, bent over her work in a deep, invincible concentration. It was like watching Toby's memories of his father, working late like a poor man in a sweatshop. The connection was a bit unnerving for him because of the pain it could forebode. Finally, Astro spoke up.

"Um," he began apprehensively. "Hello?"

Cora continued with her notes. She didn't even bother to look up.

Astro decided to try again. "Hello? It's me, Astro."

Still no response. Now he was getting a little annoyed.

"Hey, I want to talk to you."

"I can hear you," came a monotone reply, "and I'm busy."

"I know you're busy," he moaned. "Just take a quick break: It'll only be a second."

"I have to finish this report for world history."

This was starting to feel like a battle. Cora scrolled down the tablet, revealing a side picture of what seemed to be the Mayan calendar. "That isn't even due until next week." The robot was beginning to feel helpless. "Cora, I'm worried about you-

"Leave me alone. I want to get this done. "

"But you've been different lately. I'm getting scared." Astro adopted defensive tactics.

Cora continued to fight. "Do you have an off switch?"

"Please, I want to hel-"

WAK!

The boisterous ruckus had played nonstop since class started. No one paid any attention to the boy or girl. Still, it happened all too fast for anyone to clearly discern what had happened. Astro was on the ground, a red welt forming on his cheek. Cora towered above like a predator, tablet in hand, and unnaturally livid. It was terrifying, to say the least. The robot trembled in his bulky red boots. The hunter inflicted the final blow.

"Just shut up and leave me alone." Cora wasn't even yelling, despite her rage. "Quit acting like you care. You're a robot, remember? Stop pretending you're human and get out of here." She spat on the ground. "Get out of my sight, you worthless piece of scrap."

With that, the girl returned to her seat and continued with her studies. Looking at her in this moment, you couldn't tell the fight had taken place.

Astro was a different story. He sat on the ground, paralyzed. Astro's whole being throbbed with the sting of Cora's words. Tears picked at his eyes. His stayed that way for several moments. Eventually, the he picked himself up. The trip back to his own desk was a numb daze and seemed to stretch for miles. Astro looked back to Cora as he took his seat. She scrolled up on her tablet again and scribbled down more notes. It was like fighting with the great Stonewall Jackson.

The android sat down and buried his face in his hands. This was the first battle he had ever lost. Before, he was confused and worried. Now, he was confused, worried, and thoroughly hurt. A single question multiplied the storm of self-consuming madness tenfold.

How can I possibly fix this?

In the blur of afternoon classes, homework, and a quick patrol to pass the time, the pain had numbed over some. A myriad of reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows plastered themselves in the sky like a carefully crafted oil painting. The android's head, though far from calm, was a little clearer than before. Sprawled on his bed, the hurricane still whipped the insides of Astro's troubled head.

The android flopped over on his stomach, facing the shelves at the head of the bed. In the past, a single picture stood on a lonely shelf-A proud father, Dr. Tenma, and a brilliant boy, Toby Tenma. Since Astro's "birth" a new array of photos cluttered the shelves, all displayed in jagged frames made of various metals that came directly from the surface. One held a group picture-Zog, Cora, Zane, Widget, Sludge, Trashcan, Hamegg, and Astro scrunched together to fit inside a 3X5 in. photo. Another was a peeper picture of the night Astro and Cora had their chat sitting on the old hover car. One, tacked on the wall, was a strip of photo booth images that depicted a short slide show of the gang and their antics. The last slide had a mud stain on the lenses since Trashcan didn't get his yet that day. Astro couldn't help but laugh.

Then there was his favorite, protected with thick glass and a white frame, adorned in red, oriental calligraphy and sakura blossoms. An icy blue moon illuminated a lake in the background. There she was; no make-up, a black kimono paired perfectly with an umbrella and purse. A breeze had slipped in the picture just in time to play with Cora's hair. The girl's eyes were closed only slightly, giving off a mysterious, faraway look. Her smile was warm and she stood alone, head turned back as if to flirt. No, she had said. I look stupid.

The picture was taken at a festival, celebrating the meeting of two celestial lovers. Astro had Toby's memories of such events, but had never experienced one himself. The boy's own yukata was navy blue, striped with rebellious streaks of red and grey, which he kept tripping over as he was not used to wearing these sorts of clothes. The lights bent and frolicked to lively music and bubbly, festival chatter. The lake was found in the later hours of the evening. It was the most wonderful night of Astro's night and he didn't want to let the time go forgotten.

Astro hugged his pillow, wishing it were a certain tangible being. Maybe she's just having a tough time with things, he thought. And it made sense, too. Cora wasn't one to tell even her closest friends about her problems. The android found out himself about how the girl ran away, still wondering if her parents cared enough to actually look. Cora refused to say anything, but the stress was too much, thus provoking the angry outburst. Yes, it was a completely reasonable explanation.

Astro sat up and walked to his desk. He stooped down to his computer's power system. It looked to be little more than a silver box with a power button, a few USB outlets, and some disc slots. Astro fired up the computer, but didn't get in his seat just yet. He rummaged through the top desk drawer and pulled out a double-ended USB cord. One end was inserted into the power box' outlet. The other end was plugged into a similar outlet in Astro's chest hatch, near the blue core. The boy took his seat and turned on the monitor, pulling his shirt over the cord.

He was going to hack into Cora's computer.

Not to pry, oh no. Just to help with the project discussed earlier that day. A little indirect help, so to speak, since there was no way he could step within the perimeter and not anger Cora again. Angry or not, the girl was Astro's best friend. If he could help, even with something as minor as a world history project, he would surely do it. You can't forsake those who need you, even if they deny it and especially if you truly care for them.

The report required one to describe the beginning, high point, and fall of an ancient civilization. Also required were possible reasons of collapse, economic prosperity, and what the civilization was best known for. Astro recalled the image of the calendar on Cora's tablet-Ancient Mayan. Instantly, he pulled up a Bing window on the computer and entered the school website address.

Astro was special in the sense that he could decipher binary and beeps into clear English. By connecting himself to the computer, the android could easily tell it what to search for without even touching the keypad. Half a second after the cord was plugged in, not even a wire of the computer's functioning was hidden from Astro's awareness. He knew everything not just about the machine, but of all the individual parts, minor and major, of the gestalt-the whole. It was not an overwhelming amount of data to absorb, but was rather displayed in his mind's eye like a quark board of articles, filed and visible. Losing his way in the network, despite its vastness, would be impossible.

Now to find Cora's computer file.

The internet was not where he was looking, but the network or users. It took some narrowing down from Metro city residents to Metro High students to Metro High juniors. Then he found it. A password bar popped up, asking for the desired word.

Astro typed in the word "password". The lock rejected it. He tried "password" again with a capitalized P. Still no dice. Astro leaned back in his chair. "Well, I'm out of ideas," he sighed.

He looked down, deep in thought. The bulge beneath the robot's shirt caught his eye. His gaze followed the cord to the computer's power box. He could have slapped himself. Astro was HACKING into the computer. He didn't have to play a freaking guessing game with the stinking password!

Astro directed his attention to the screen. He focused hard. Crack that password!

Various letters, symbols, and digits scrolled through the slots in the password bar. One by one, an asterisk took its place, forming a 9-item code ("passwords" as the boy later found out, shouting a good handful of curses and foul language). The screen went black, but only for a moment. Graffiti-styled wallpaper replaced the black screen from before. Countless icons littered the page, including search engines, paint and typing tools, and several games from Angry Birds to Chuzzzle to Solitaire.

Find an overview of the Mayan civilization. Exclude Wikipedia and websites similar to Wikipedia.

A moment later, several links had listed themselves on the Bing window. To Astro's pleasure, Wikipedia was absent (the information on this sight is misleading). After some searching, Astro had lists of the best and worst rulers, possibilities of collapse, time periods, and several other bits of data. Now to summarize the information.

Yes, Cora was rude earlier. Her words hurt, especially because they could have been true in some connotation. But, obviously, Astro did not care. He had fallen for the girl, yet not for beauty, but for character. In her own way, Cora was special-irreplaceable-in the android's life. She didn't care what other people thought of her. The girl was not just a friend, but a protector and guardian to the orphans he'd met on the surface. Like a merciful angle, surely this was a gift from a clearly existing God. Astro would not want to lose her all too soon. And even if she was irrational or irate in the rare moments she was, it was worth it. Though Astro did not want to think of it, there would come a time when Cora would move on, leaving the poor robot to rust on earth. But that poor robot would make every second count, look back on the time, and be able to smile without regret or shame. Astro would be happy, just like the memories he would make.

The android found a Microsoft typing tool. He clicked on it. There were only two saved documents. One was the project, titled "Mayan Report". Astro was about to click, when the second caught his eye.

This document was labeled "Diary". The moment he laid eyes on the icon, Astro could feel the magnetic pull through the curser. Every part, every circuit screamed "Don't do it! You know it's wrong." But the truth was that he still didn't know what had upset Cora so much. "She's already mad. Don't do it!" This had to be where the answers were. "You can't do it!"

Click.

There were a small number of entries, meaning that Cora had only begun writing quite recently. The individual memos themselves were short. It was be almost like reading a short story, maybe a novella. It wouldn't take long. Astro could upload the report data later.

Entry 1

I guess, on rare occasions, fairy tales do come true. It turns out my parents did want me. Ever since I ran away, mom and dad looked constantly for their daughter. That was me. I had run away (when I was only nine) to a place called the surface. It was thought to be an uninhabitable wasteland, but I made many friends there and lived with them for half my life. Zane, Widget, Sludge, Grace, Hamegg, and all the other orphans had become my family.

And then there's Astro.

Said robot leaned in closer to the monitor.

At first we all thought he was one of us. Human. His appearance covered it up pretty well since he looked like a little kid. Astro was a nice guy, even if he did practically come out of nowhere (fell from Metro city). Of course, we found out that he was actually and android robot. That was a bombshell and a half for all of us. I was mad for a while, but later realized that he was probably scared. After all, Hamegg did pit robots together in death battles. No wonder he didn't say anything.

Astro frowned. He was deceived into thinking he was a human as well. The robot battles didn't scare him. It was the inability to find what he had lost just days ago. When he came to the surface, He had no father, no home, nowhere to belong. Then he had found Cora (or, rather, they found him). Astro didn't know when another opportunity like this would come and didn't want to let it slip through his fingers. The android continued to read.

It was another shock when he died. Astro did so, practically committing suicide to destroy a psychotic metal giant. I still remember his corpse, cold and still. It was unbelievable that such a good person had such a short life. I didn't know what to do without him…..

But then he came back. A robot Astro had resurrected, Zog, brought our friend back to life. I couldn't remember a time when I was happier. And to make things better, I had finally found mom and dad. I'm back now. They even my room was kept the same. I suppose happy endings do exist.

Astro chuckled at the smiley face that capped off the entry. This was out of character as well, but in a good way. The android skimmed through the entries. The more recent ones would most likely have the answers he was looking for.

…..visited the park today…..

…..did the stupidest thing to day…..

…..in love with Astro…..

…..even though it's -

WOAH! Astro slipped and fell out of his seat, almost yanking out the USB cord. He climbed back into his chair with shaky hands and wide, disbelieving eyes. There was no way. Absolutely no freaking way! Astro reread the sentence at least five times before he could believe it.

Entry 5

I'm in love with Astro.

It should be wrong-to feel that way about a robot. Sick, socially unacceptable, whatever. But that's just it. Astro isn't some stereotype bag of bolts. He is special. The sacrifice he gives for the people is inspiring. His beliefs in human-robot compatibility are strong. Astro never backs down from his duty, even when it doesn't seem that he will make it out ok. When I'm with him, I feel strong, too. Invincible, even, like some kind of high. He makes me want to help other people. No one has ever had the effect on me before.

It's like I have been fighting a war ever since I left home as a child. Even with those around me, I struggled with trust, with happiness, with love. After I have returned home, the fear continues to loom over me like a shadow. With Astro, I don't need to be some all-powerful, emotionless rock. He is my rock. I can have faith and not get hurt because of it. I can rest from my battles. It really does feel good. And, even though it's selfish of me, I want it to last for as long as possible.

Without a doubt, even if Cora was just his friend, Astro loved the girl himself, faithfully and doubtlessly. But HER? In love with HIM?! It just couldn't be.

Astro was made to be a kid. He wasn't perfect-Why did Cora put him on such a high pedestal? Astro screwed up in being Toby, screwed up in not telling Cora he was a robot, screwed up in today when he tried to help and didn't know when to back off. If he hurt Cora or even embarrassed her because of these things, Astro could never even begin to forgive himself.

She was better off without him. That was the truth.

Astro sat there, chin in hand, blank stare in blank eyes. He needed a moment for it to sink in. It was for the best, Cora not wanting him anymore. After all, Astro was a robot-an appliance. It was in his nature to be unwanted and replaced. That was life, cruel as it was. One might as well be a man and get over it, move on.

Something shifted out of Astro's peripherals. He looked up and gave a startled jump. The curser was moving on its own. The pages scrolled down to a blank slate. Words began to appear. Astro looked down to the mouse and key pad. Each sat still, almost innocently, in their spots, untouched. The android realized with a mild horror what was happening.

"She's on right now," he muttered. Astro could only read the live update on the thought of the female enigma named "Cora". The first line was a hook enough.

Entry 8

I can't do this. I feel terrible. After everything he did for everyone else, and I called him worthless, a piece of trash. He came to me today. He was worried and wanted to help. Someone as amazing as him shouldn't have to have someone like me around to hinder him.

Hinder? That couldn't be-it made no sense. Astro continued to read…

What would the people say if they saw a human with a robot? Astro would be hated for trying to be something he's not by societal definition. His own father may not want him again after that if it causes trouble. What would he do then? He can't go back to the surface-there's nothing there. Plus, Hamegg might still be mad about what happened. Astro would probably be wandering the earth for who knows how long.

That's another thing. He doesn't need to sleep or eat like humans do. He doesn't age. Humans do. I wouldn't be around for him if I actually was needed. What would happen after that? I don't even know…..

The pain (or anxiety or confusion or indifference) flowed freely from the page like water. The cause was just as clear. She was worried about him. But the reasons seemed somewhat…over exaggerated. The situations themselves seemed very unlikely to happen. Even so, the uncertainty and paranoia pulsed forth from the words on the screen. It was more than enough to give the robot an unnerving chill.

The only thing I can do is get Astro to hate me. But even then he's too patient and forgiving for his own good. It might not work. The only other solution is-

The typing stopped mid-sentence. Astro's eyes darted around the screen. "W-what happened," he stammered out loud. The pause had an anxious and foreboding element . Astro already knew how to finish the sentence. Despite being a writer, a magician in the artifice of words, I have no words that could describe the terror he felt in this moment.

Astro's next action was done on impulse, almost as if it were a survival technique.

Accessing webcam.

Now Astro doesn't have a real heart, but what he saw broke it anyway, like a thin sheet of glass under a colossal, merciless boulder.

Cora was crying. Hot tears ran down the girl's face. Her eyes were red and swollen by now, yet she made not a single sound, save one, small, sniffle. One of her thin, weak hands gently covered her mouth. She sat before the screen, though her gaze strayed off to the corner somewhat. Astro could see her face clearly.

Cora turned her head away, as if she sensed that someone was watching her. Astro let his hand drift up to computer screen. Perhaps he could reach through, tell the girl everything would be alright and hold her until she felt better. He wanted to say that she should never think like that again. That he was proud and lucky and undeniably happy to have such a wonderful person in his life. That there was no price for a girl like her, nor any possibility that he would give her up. Tears seemed to press through Astro's own eyes. His fingertips touched Cora's picture gently, suddenly aware of the barrier that separated the two. For the first time in his life, Astro was truly useless-powerless- to help someone he cared about. Someone he loved from the bottom of his heart, even if it was just a battery.

But there was something he could do. He didn't care if it blew his cover. Astro was here to help. Cora needed to know. Astro picked a bright red of the ink's color palette, enlarged the font, and hammered his fingers on the keyboard.

Don't think like that, Cora.

Cora didn't notice the message at first-her eyes were closed. Later, she glanced at the screen and did a double take. The girl leaned forward to get a better look. Gaze shifting from screen to keyboard, her response came.

Who are you?

Astro's answer was almost immediate.

Someone who cares.

The girl furrowed her brows in thought. Not suspicion, but problem solving. After a moment, a cocktail of horror, shame, surprise, and many other emotions etched itself into Cora's features.

Astro?

I saw everything.

Cora's face began to grow livid again. She looked as though she was about ready to smash her own computer to bits and pieces. She began to type an answer. Cap locks were on, words were jumbled and misspelled and exclamation marks were countless. More angry words, more anger all together. Astro just highlighted her insults and hit the backspace bar with a big, loud, "click". He missed the girl's alarmed sneer, and let loose himself on the keyboard.

I hacked in because I wanted to help you, but there is only so much I can do. All I can say is that I wish you can see what I see. I can't say you're pretty-you're beautiful. I can't say you're nice-you're amazing. I can't say you're valuable-you're priceless.

The webcam view of Cora was completely ignored at this point. However, it seemed the girl had visibly improved somewhat. Her tears did not let up and her eyes were still red, but the inflamed rage had died down and reason began to slip back into functioning.

I love you, too. But when you are hurt, it affects me also. I'm sorry, but there will always be people who won't like a robot being with a human. The Cora I know wouldn't care, and would want to do it even more because the people are against it. That Cora has the right mind about the situation. That's the Cora I want back-the one who can be happy, no matter what circumstance, no matter who thinks what.

Think about that, alright? Good night.

Without a second thought, Astro logged out. Closed the Microsoft document, closed the webcam view, shut the computer off all together, the original purpose of his visit forgotten. The USB chord was yanked out and put shoved in its drawer. The robot halted, rested his forehead in his hand. Astro glanced out the window. Night had fallen, not that any stars were visible against the colorful city lights.

The android almost couldn't believe what had happened. That he said what he said and just up and left. The worry did not die down, but the suspicions were new. Did I say the right thing? Was I too hard on her? Will she truly be alright now?

Believe it or not, Astro did need some sleep (Tenma made Astro as human as he could) after these events. He dragged himself to the bed, crawled into the covers, and gratefully sank into its cloud-like mattress. Despite the lethargy, suspicion of the next day continued to swirl around in pre-sleep thoughts.

A gentle snore could be herd in the darkness not much later. You wouldn't even be able to tell he was a machine.

Astro caught a good few winks that night, but that didn't mean he was ready for the day. The weight in his backpack seemed to pull down like heavy slave chains. The drive to school was all too fast and Orrin all too cheerful that morning. The android felt queasy and nervous. The least he could hope for was a good beating for breaking into Cora's computer.

…And using the webcam…

… And reading the diary.

I'm going to get it so bad today, Astro realized.

1st and 2nd hour came and went much too quickly. The poor boy couldn't think of anything to say by the time study hall came once again. Everything about simply coming into class was intimidating and unnerving. The door even seemed like the mouth of a monster, ready to swallow him up for a tasty, iron-packed snack.

He stood frozen, unable to move even when the warning bell rang. What to do, what to do, what to do…

Tap.

The sudden touch snapped him out of his trance. Stiffly, Astro turned around.

Cora. She still looked angry, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. This was something like an annoyed indifference rather than an explosive rage or prejudice. She took out her black composition notebook and gave Astro a prompt bonk on the head.

"I changed the password", she said," but what you did is unforgivable. If you try that, expect either a nasty firewall or a good punishment from yours truly." She shoved Astro in the shoulder to move him out of the way. "Get to your seat."

Said boy stared after Cora for a moment. The final bell rang, and Astro did as he was told. That went better than expected.

Astro already had homework assignments from his first classes. He set his books down and reached the lucky subject that would be tackled first.

Poke.

Something dug into Astro's shoulder, pushing in like a dull pin's point. The android retracted his arm. He felt the item shift around and slide down his sleeve. An object fell to the ground with a silent pat. Astro looked down. It was a black piece of paper, neatly folded and undented. Said item was taken up in the boy's hands, flipped and twisted for inspection. After the observation, Astro unfolded the black sheet with a cautious wonder.

The black paper was only for decoration- a border for the brief note inside. The text was typed in bold red and in a slightly enlarged font. There was an E-mail address at .

There was a password: ThankU

Thank you.

Astro looked back at Cora with a giddy hopefulness. Sure enough, she was working on her report, scribbling and scrolling. After a moment of quiet suspense, Cora looked up.

And she smiled.

It was warm and genuine, a reflection or true happiness that Astro had not seen in a very long time. Relief came like cool, refreshing water in a barren wasteland. Cora was going to be okay now. It was contagious, and the boy could not help but smile back.

Looks like these two are going to be up late again tonight.

Cora sat at her computer. Or she would have if she weren't pacing around her room so much. The seconds passed like a patronizing trickster to whom time had no meaning. It was almost painful, really. Cora only had the single class with Astro, meaning not much time to chat in comparison with the rest of the day. For one, Cora had yet to apologize to Astro for saying all those cruel things, as well as for what she didn't say in her avoidance from said friend. For another, Cora wanted to make up for the time she had lost in that span. Valuable time, to her and Astro.

For a second, she was able to sit down, though not very still. She fidgeted and squirmed. "Hurry," she whispered. It was almost as if she were making a wish, and speaking to loud would render the magic useless. "Please, hurry."

Finally a webcam image popped up in the corner. There he was. Cora grinned, showing teeth, but then the smile lapsed into a worried frown. Astro didn't look so good. He looked tired. Light shadows hung under his eyes and his synthetic skin lost a few shades as well. A hand held his head up, covering one eye while the other closed itself.

"Hey," Said Cora. "You alright?"

Astro cracked and eye open and looked straight into the webcam. "You didn't lie about the fire wall," he moaned.

Cora couldn't help but giggle. The two would be just fine now.

Now this is where the story ends, I am afraid. But it is not where these two end. I cannot say exactly where they are now, nor can I say how they are, who they're with, or even if they're both alive. But one thing I can guarantee is that they are (or were) just fine.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed my story. Again, tell me what you all think. Grammar wrongs and rights, requests, lay it on me, baby! And I hope you will enjoy my upcoming stories. See you all soon!

-Magician Irono