Authors Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story. Studio Pixel rocks my world. Whee!

So, I had this bent idea. Here it is. Read now?

"Lost And Found"
By Skylark Starflower
Started and Finished April 22, 2006

It was a cloudless night, stars twinkling in the atmosphere. The dim light they cast was her only source of illumination in the moonless sky. She almost didn't see the figure sitting at the edge of the outer wall, but a sudden movement caught her eye. Quietly, she walked over and sat by his side.

He tilted his head slightly to see who was next to him, then turned back to the stars. He said nothing, and the two sat in silence for a short while. Soon, she could take it no longer, and broke the calm.

"Quote?"

"Hmm?" Now he turned to look at her. She was disappointed to see that he wasn't smiling even now. She couldn't remember a time when she'd seen him smile.

"Why are you always so…so sombre? I know it's been rough, but surely there's something you enjoy?"

He shrugged. "On this island? Not really." He seemed startled by the hurt look she gave him and turned away. "I don't mean it like that, Curly…"

"I know." She looked down at her hands, which she held cupped in her lap. Several minutes passed in silence before Curly looked up again, grinning. "I know! We need to find something fun to do! Come on!"

She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him to his feet, but Quote resisted. He gave her a questioning look that at the same time suggested he thought she was weird. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get you to move," she grinned back, and pulled at his arm again. Still Quote refused to move, shaking his head as a wry smile crossed his face.

Curly noticed and whooped in triumph. "Hah! I knew it! I knew you were capable of smiling!"

"What, is that what this is all about?" Quote couldn't help but laugh now, his smile widening. He knew he'd never been the most cheerful robot, but it seemed Curly was beginning to rub off on him.

She nodded. "I just wanted to see you happy for once. Your moping was starting to get on my nerves."

"I don't mope!" he yelped defensively. Then he paused and thought about it for a moment. "Well, not all the time." His smile had become sheepish.

Curly sat down next to him again. "It's good to be serious about things, but try to lighten up once in a while, okay?"

"All right," he agreed.

The two went back to watching the stars, both smiling and enjoying each other's company. Curly, her mind wandering, couldn't help wonder if the reason she and Quote worked so well as a team was just because they'd been built that way or if it were something more.

She knew she and Quote were robots, but she also knew they were different from the rest. There was something about them that seemed more human than machine, and she had a feeling it was more than just emulation programming.

She didn't get a chance to think more on it when Quote broke the silence once more.

"Curly? I found something, back in your place at the Sand Zone. I'm not sure it's yours, but I've been meaning to return it, and now seems like a good time."

"Oh?" She gave him a curious look as he rummaged through his things, finally pulling out a rather familiar object. He handed it to Curly, not noticing her eye twitch in annoyance.

"You…stole…my underwear…"

X X X

The Sky Dragon rumbled pleasantly as Kazuma scratched it behind its scaly ear. He had to keep the beast happy or else he feared it would fly off without him, and he had promised to wait as long as he could for the little scout robot to complete his mission.

The dragon's ears twitched suddenly and it raised its head upwards with an inquisitive growl. Kazuma looked up as well, though he saw nothing. The sound the dragon had picked up on finally became audible to him, the sound of… screaming?

Before he even had time to wonder about it, Quote fell past him, too far out to be able to catch himself on something. His terrified screams continued to echo through the night air.

Kazuma blinked. He was about to mount his dragon and go catch the little robot when Curly dropped down before him. She'd stolen Quote's booster pack and was sending curses and deadly laser fire after her unfortunate partner.

As she continued to chase him down the side of the island, Kazuma turned to his dragon. "This island's screwed. Let's get out of here." And he and his Sky Dragon flew away and lived happily ever after.

As for Curly and Quote, well, they both hit the ground and shattered into a million pieces. The Doctor, unhindered by the only probable opposition, created his Mimiga army, which then went berserk and ate him.

Ballos remained in the depths of the island, thinking up new ways to prove to people how batshit insane he was. And that's the end of this story. The moral is: don't steal a woman's underwear, you may be dooming a small civilization in the process.

The End