Chapter 7: Scars
Doramen sat at his regular table at school, his face buried in his arms. It has been a week since the sleepover incident. Doralien has been in the hospital the entire time, getting treatment for his wounds. Doramen has been too afraid to visit him, despite constant ushering from Doraemon.
A deep sigh escaped Doramen. Doraemon had told him earlier in the day that Doralien had been released from the hospital and would be returning to school tomorrow. He was honestly afraid of Doralien, because he knew he would hate him for attacking him.
Someone help me… Tomorrow is going to be a nightmare…
The next day, Doramen was sitting with Doraemon. It was before-school "recess", so it was still early and chilly. Doramen was pressed up against Doraemon, his fur fluffed up in fear. The two robot cats were sitting near the entrance to the school so they could see Doralien when he arrived.
Doramen's heart pounded as he stared out into the large, empty space where students walked onto campus. Doralien could show up at any moment.
Doraemon was confused by Doramen's fear. He thought Doramen would be excited to see Doralien again. But the red robot cat was obviously very afraid of Doralien's return.
After several minutes, a teal figure could be seen approaching the school. Doramen squeaked in fear and shoved his head behind Doraemon. Doralien was slowly walking up to the table. His head was lowered to the ground, not looking very happy.
Doraemon tilted his head to the side curiously. A hat could be spotted atop Doralien's head that not only covered his ears but also his eyes. Doraemon had never seen the teal robot cat wear a hat before. It concerned him to see his friend suddenly wearing such a large one.
Doralien walked all the way up to the table and stopped, still looking down. Several seconds of silence followed. Eventually, Doraemon gathered the courage to break the silence.
"H-hey Doralien… I'm glad you're better… We missed you…"
Doralien did not reply, or even move. He continued to stare down at the ground, frowning. Doraemon flattened his ears in concern. He nudged Doramen, silently urging him to say something. The red robot cat did not stirr. Frustrated, Doraemon decided to continue.
"Err...Doralien… I know you've had a traumatic experience, so if you want us to leave you alone, we will. But, if you wanna talk about it, you're also welcome to take a seat…"
Doralien drew in a shaky breath.
"I'm sorry…," he said quietly.
Doraemon twitched his ear curiously.
"For what? You didn't do anything wrong! It's not your fault some psycho broke into your house and attacked you!" he protested.
When Doralien had still been in the hospital, he lied to Doraemon and told him that some crazy person broke through the window and attacked him. He also falsely reported that Doramen had disappeared from the house after the attack because he was chasing after the criminal. Doramen had no part in the making of the lie, but he was grateful to know that Doraemon didn't know the truth and was still his friend.
Doralien chuckled softly, a weak smile appearing on his face for a moment. He reached up to his hat and pulled it off his head. Doraemon gasped in horror. Doramen stayed silent, trembling.
Doralien's right ear was completely gone. There wasn't a single trace of it. Five long, ugly scars stretched from the empty spot where his ear should be down across his right eye, which was tightly shut.
"D-D-Doralien….. Y-your eye…." Doraemon stuttered quietly, staring at Doralien's eye. "A-and your ear…. It's completely gone..!"
Doramen remained silent, trembling harder. Tears blurred his vision and threatened to fall down his cheeks. His heart was pounding so hard he thought for sure Doralien would hear it.
Doralien stared silently at his friend. He dropped his hat onto the ground, his whiskers twitching. He felt slight satisfaction from the horrified look on Doraemon's face. His half-blind gaze shifted to Doramen, who had made no comment the entire time.
"Doramen."
Doramen flinched, but made no move to face his injured friend.
"Doramen, look at me," Doralien ordered gently.
Doraemon roughly jabbed Doramen with his elbow, clearly unhappy about the red robot cat's unresponsiveness. Doramen squeaked in pain and lifted his head. He slowly turned towards Doralien, gasping when he saw the damage done.
I did that to him…
Tears started streaming down his face as he stared. Doralien stared back. His frown deepened, but his gaze was gentle.
"Doramen."
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…," Doramen murmured as he continued to cry.
"It's not your fault, Doramen. It never was, and it never will," Doralien told him gently.
He cautiously walked over to his sobbing friend and sat down beside him so that they were at eye level.
"Look at me, Doramen. I don't blame you for any of this," he assured.
"But-"
Doramen was cut off when Doralien pressed a paw to his lips. The teal robot cat smiled as he stared into Doramen's tear-filled eyes.
"Nothing you say will change my mind. Don't beat yourself up over something you couldn't control. I should've locked the window," he said softly.
Doramen cried harder. It hurt him more knowing that Doralien had to twist his words to keep the truth from Doraemon.
No! It is my fault! I could control it! You shouldn't be forgiving me! I permanately disfigured you! You're probably blind in that eye and deaf in that ear!
Doralien pulled Doramen into a gentle embrace. Doramen hugged back and shoved his face into Doralien's left shoulder. Doraemon reached over and rubbed Doramen's back comfortingly.
"It's not your fault," Doralien murmured.
"It's not your fault," Doraemon repeated.
The two robot cats repeatedly murmured reassuring things to Doramen in order to calm him down. After several minutes, he finally stopped crying. He broke out of his embrace with Doralien and looked up at him.
"You feeling better?" Doralien asked.
"It's not my fault," Doramen answered.
Doralien smiled warmly.
"That's the positivity I like hearing from you," he said.
Doramen halfheartedly smiled back.
It's not my fault.
