A/N: IM AM SO SO SO VERY VERY SORRY D: I know it's been a while and I said I would update but during this past month I've had to move to a new apartment and help move crap and paint stuff and fix crap and BLAH. In other words I've been really busy moving in so I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO UPDATE. But never fear! I am back to update. If you saw yes, I changed my name and everything just because I felt like it :D Likes it? So bye bye to Renesmee5550123, hello to AstraCastle! Wow that's gonna take some getting used to... Annnnyyyyywayyy, I don't want to bore you guys with my sobbing life story so here is another chapter. OH! One more thing, I kind of made this confusing for myself :l See, the prologue is chapter one, and then chapter two is chapter one, and chapter two is three and so on. IT CONFUSES THE CRAP OUT OF ME DX. So instead of going back to change everything (too much work. Too lazy...) pretend prologue is actually chapter one and chapter one is chapter two and so on... So basically I skipped chapter 5... Pretend the last chapter was chapter 5 cuz I put it under the title chapter 4 so just PLAY PRETEND and make believe this never happened. Chapter 6 up and ready! Oh and the next few chaps might be a little shorter than usual because I have a lot of work to do lately, not to mention vacation homework *looks at tall pile of papers* SHUDDERS.
Disclaimer: (Always forget these...) I dont own Astro Boy. NOOOOOOOO THE TORTURE DX. Trust me, if I owned it there would definitely be a sequel. And another. And another. And another. ^^ Sadly, though, I only own this plot. Good enough, though, right? I think so too!
Chapter 6
"I feel bad..."
"You should feel bad. You're the one who made him faint."
"No I didn't! It was all you! If you hadn't been here-"
"No way! It's all your fault. Don't even try to deny it."
"You're the one who's denying the truth that it's your fault he's unconscious."
"Not true. Not true in the slightest! The one to blame here-"
"Is both of you!" Astro and Toby stopped arguing at once when Orrin rolled into the room, metal arms folded across his chest. His mouth was formed into a frown, something unusual for usual peppy Orrin. That just meant he was serious. "Seriously, if you two had just kept it together and acted normal then Dr. Tenma wouldn't be in this mess! You didn't give the poor man any room to react, let alone breathe!"
Both boys bowed their heads in shame, knowing that Orrin was right. Maybe they had went a little too far. What would have happened if they hadn't acted like complete animals in that kitchen? He'd probably be with them now, smiling and embracing them both. Grimacing, both of them simultaneously turned their heads to look at an unconscious Tenma lying on the couch with an ice pack on his forehead. They were all now in the living room, waiting for him to wake up. Astro was sitting in the single couch chair while Toby sat down on the coffee table. Orrin stayed by the doorway to keep an eye on not only Tenma, but the two boys as well. He had done anything he could to help his master. Now all they could do was wait.
The room filled with an awkward silence as they just sat there still as stone, watching. Waiting. No one had anything to say as of now. They had stopped trying after Astro and Toby had their first argument when Tenma was out unconscious. It resulted in Orrin carrying an angry Astro over his shoulder and out of the room for a while before the robot could blast poor Toby with one of his arm cannons. They thought it'd be best to not say anything at all unless it was necessary.
All of a sudden, though, that silence was broken when Toby whispered aloud, "What's he gonna think of me?" His eyes were swimming with sadness and confusion as he looked at his dad, then turned to look at Orrin. "What will he say?"
"I don't know, Toby. I really don't," Orrin replied honestly. He didn't know what to tell the poor kid. However Tenma reacted to his return was to remain a mystery until he actually woke up.
A few more achingly slow minutes passed with Toby's thoughts becoming too much. He finally sighed in aggravation and asked, "When is he supposed to wake up?"
"How are we supposed to know?" Astro replied, folded his arms across his chest.
Toby shrugged it off and exclaimed, "I'm serious! Why do we have to wait so long?" He got up from the table and went right up to Tenma.
"Toby..." Orrin warned, wheeling a bit closer.
"I mean it's not like he's dead or anything." He leaned in towards his face and shaped his fingers into a flicking position right in front of Tenma's nose.
"TOBY NO!" Both Astro and Orrin yelled at the same time, lunging forward to try and stop the boy from what he was about to do. But it was too late. Toby put everything into his fingers in that moment and flicked Tenma extremely hard in the nose. The two robots stood beside him in shock, mouths gaping open.
"Why would you DO that?!" Astro yelled.
Toby furrowed his brows and shrugged. "What? I don't see the harm in it." He looked over to his dad and gasped, a wide grin spreading on his face. "Look! It worked, he's waking up!" He pointed a finger at Tenma, who was slightly stirring on the couch with a distressed look on his face. His eyebrows were scrunched in a scowl as his hand slowly came up to his nose where Toby had flicked it. He rubbed it and groaned.
"...I'm out!" Astro exclaimed, turning on his heel towards his room. He took one step and Orrin had him over his shoulder in seconds. "Aw come on! Let me hide out in my room until he settles down." The young robot pouted, arms hanging uselessly.
Orrin shook his head. "Absolutely not Master Astro." He set him back down on the floor next to Toby, who shot a glare and took a step away. "You both have to confront your father. God knows he'll need all the explaining he can get."
"But what if..." Astro trailed off, looking at Toby warily. The boy wasn't paying attention at all, fiddling with his fingers nervously. The robot leaned in towards Orrin and whispered in panic, "What if he decides to shut me off?!"
"He's not going to shut you off!" Orrin assured Astro, but said it a little too loudly.
Toby heard this and looked over at them in confusion. "Shut you off? What do you mean shut you off?" He asked, looking between both Astro and Orrin. Astro had his eyes wide, mouth opening and closing as he thought of an excuse. None came to mind. Orrin gasped and threw his hand over his blue mouth, now realizing what he just revealed to Toby. He wasn't supposed to know that Astro was a robotic copy of him. Not yet at least...
"Uhh... Um... Well I um... You see..." Astro laughed nervously, scratching his neck as Toby watched him curiously. "I kind of uhh..."
Toby thought about what he had said, staring at Astro as he tried to make out what it meant. It then occurred to him what was going on, and he gasped loudly, eyes wider than saucers. It all made sense now. How there was someone that looked just like him. How there was someone that looked just like him. He wasn't just some regular average boy that happened to be a look-a-alike. He was a...
"Robot..."
Orrin let out a shaky breath, looking down at Astro with a worried glance, unsure what to do. Astro was still as stone, not knowing how to handle this situation. He wasn't prepared for this; he had no idea Toby was going to find out so soon. And now that he had, he could do nothing but stare at the boy who he was programmed after.
"Oh my God..." Toby shuddered, stepping away from Astro with a horrified look all over his face. He pointed an accusing finger at his counter self and squeaked, "You... You're a..." He suddenly clapped his hand over his mouth and mumbled, "Oh God I think I'm gonna be sick." And with that, Toby bent over and spilled all the contents from his stomach out onto the floor.
Tenma chose that right moment to wake up out of his daze, opening his eyes and blinking rapidly. After he took a few seconds to collect himself, he glanced over and saw Astro and Orrin staring at something with hesitant expressions.
"What's going on here?" Tenma made his presence known, suddenly becoming really distressed. The two robots shot their gaze to the scientist as he started rambling, "Astro, I don't know what kind of game you're playing at here trying to make clones of yourself, but honestly you need to stop. You nearly gave me a heart attack with one of them when I thought it was..." He shook his head to clear it, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Never mind. I just have a horrible headache. Orrin would you mind getting me some painkillers from the-"
It was then that Tenma realized Toby was with them in the room. He looked over and watched with a blank expression the so called 'clone' as he was bent over a mess of vomit all over the floor, breathing heavily.
Tenma slowly turned to see Astro looking at anything but him, avoiding his gaze entirely while Orrin whistled quietly, looking away as well. He looked back and forth between Toby and the two robots before he yelled, "Well somebody DO SOMETHING! Orrin please clean this mess up," he said with a disgusted tone and expression. "Astro go to your room and shut this thing down. I'm going back to-"
"Dr. Tenma, sir," Orrin spoke up, gulping as he wheeled forward. "This boy..." He gestured towards Toby, who now had his head raised, revealing a sickly green color to his skin and droopy eyes. "...Isn't a clone, sir."
Tenma stared at the robot blankly, retorting with a raised eyebrow, "Well then what is it, Orrin?"
Orrin opened his mouth, about to answer him when Toby beat him to it. "It's me Dad... Your son... The one who you thought was dead... The one who, who you made a copy, a ROBOT copy of..." Realization dawned on Tenma's face with a look of complete disbelief and horror. Toby turned his head to the side, looking his father straight in the eyes as he stated, "I'm Toby."
A/N: OOOOOH WELL GUESS WHAT I'M STOPPING IT THERE! MUHAHAHAHA! MUHAHAHAHHA HAHAHHAA! HAAAA- *coughs uncontrollably* DX Well that's enough laughing for me! But anyway, that's all you're getting for today! I plan on writing another chap on new years day for you people how does that sound? XD Well we'll have to see about that. If I'm not busy and crap doesn't get in my way then you guys just might be getting a new years present... or two... :D Consider this a late christmas present! Bye for now all! *EXPLODES*