Shadows crept around the dimly lit underground passage. A group of cat-robots kept watch anxiously for intruders. Suddenly, another cat-robot approached them from farther within the passage. This cat-robot was yellow and dressed in a cowboy outfit.

"You guys look tired," he said kindly. "Go back to the base and get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

"But Kid-san..." began one of the other cat-robots, but Kid cut him off.

"No buts," he said firmly. "You guys are no good to anyone if you're about to fall asleep on your feet. Go on."

They reluctantly agreed and headed back to their base.

Kid sighed and leaned against the passage wall, keeping watch for anyone approaching. Med, Wang, Matadora, Nichov, Rinho and a few other cat-robots had all gone for the final debate for the legislation for the rights of the cat-robots and other artificial intelligence to exist as individuals in society.

Their struggle had gained interest from some humans and other near-human robots. Other cat-robots from different production years had been the most numerous to join though a lot more stayed away from the resistance for their own safety. Their numbers had been bolstered but not by much.

Personally, Kid knew that if it came to battle, and all out assault against the company would result in utter annihilation for the robots, the only way they'd stand a chance would be through guerrilla warfare, but Kid knew that would only lead to a very long and painful struggle, but it was better than being wiped in one swoop.

He heard some noises coming towards, waking him from his thoughts. He quickly drew out his Air Gun and remained in the shadows, watching for the intruders. Soon they were near enough for him to see.

It was his friends, all of them battered and wounded, but otherwise alive.

"Guys!" he cried, jumping out of the shadows.

Wang turned sharply, ready to attack, but managed to stop when he saw it was Kid.

"Damn it, Kid-san!" said Wang wearily. "Don't do that! We might've ended up killing each other!"

"Sorry," said Kid, as he ran to his friends to help.

They managed to get to the base where Kid quickly got a few other robots to help him patch them up.

Once they were looking better, Kid immediately asked them the question that had been burning inside him.

"So...how did it go?" he asked.

They all stared at each other incredulously before breaking out in laughter. It wasn't a pleasant, mirthful sound that most people associate with the sound. Instead, it was hard, cynical and filled with bitterness.

"We lost our argument," said Med. "They refused to grant us rights that would abolished our status as "products". Not only that, they ordered us to cease our struggle and turn ourselves in to the company for the recall."

"Damn them!" snarled Kid. "They'd have to be nuts if they think we'd agree to that!"

"That's what I said to them," said Matadora. "They tried to arrest us, but we managed to fight our way out. The other guys who came with us...they didn't make it. They decided to hold up the company and the police so that we could get away."

"Their sacrifice won't be forgotten," said Wang, his voice laced with grief at the loss of their comrades. "But it gets worst, Kid-san. Now that the senate voted against us, they see us as renegade robots. It won't only be the company coming after us, now the government will also back them up."

Silence followed this statement.

Nichov, half his face hidden by his scarf shook his head slowly.

"We can't win," said Rinho softly.

"We all know that," answered Med wearily. "The question is what we do now?"

Nichov suddenly growled, the sound slightly muffled by the scarf but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What is it, Nichov?" asked Kid, wondering if Nichov heard any intruders. "Is it intruders?"

Nichov shook his head, but growled even more fiercely.

"You mean we must fight?" asked Matadora.

Nichov nodded, his normally half-shut eyes wide, blazing with a fiery spirit.

"Nichov is right," said Matadora. "There is no longer any question of what we must do. The only thing we can do now is fight. It's either fight or die."

"I guess so," said Wang reluctantly. "But if we fight, we will all eventually die anyway."

"Then what do we do?" cried Kid angrily. "Go out there and turn ourselves in and let them destroy us anyway?"

"No," said Wang wearily. "It's better to go out fighting. I mean, do we just fight to die? Or do we fight so that some of us can survive?"

"What do you mean?" asked Med.

"We're cat-robots," said Wang. "We were never designed for battle. Those of us who can fight can do so because of special circumstances. There are many cat-robots here who are too peaceful for battle."

"So what are you suggesting?" asked Rinho.

"We will fight, but we must allow some of us to escape this era," said Wang. "We will allow those who are willing to fight to stay, but we must also get those who can't or won't out of this era. At least, even if those who fight are all obliterated, at least some of the cat-robots of our generation will survive. Our struggle will survive. Maybe they can succeed in ushering in change for our kind where we have failed."

He looked at his friends for the reactions. Kid and Matadora looked as though they didn't approve of this idea. Wand could understand their feelings, such an action would be probably cut down their numbers greatly, but it would ensure that at least some of them would survive. Med was nodding his head, Rinho looked uncertain but it was Nichov who helped them all decide.

He walked forward and growled, nodding his head at Wang. His eyes showed his approval and he turned to others and growled at them too.

They all nodded and agreed with Wang's suggestion.

"What about Doraemon?" asked Med suddenly.

"He still has Nobita to handle," said Wang. "Once he's done over there, he'll probably come to join us."

"I'd rather he didn't," said Med softly. "Doraemon is happy over there; I don't want him to throw it all away just to die in battle."

"We can't hide the truth from him though," said Matadora. "He knows us too well. Knowing him, he'll definitely come."

"But he's also one of the more battle-hardened of all of us," argued Kid. "He's been in so many battles on his adventures with Nobita and with us. Sure he still panics sometimes, but his experience would be a boost for us!"

"Do you really want Doraemon to throw away his happiness just so that he could fight and die in a doomed struggle, Kid-san?" asked Wang coldly.

"I never...I...I..." Kid stammered, his face turning red before looking away, ashamed of himself. "No."

Rinho patted Kid on the back comfortingly.

"What do you think, Nichov?" Rinho asked.

Nichov's ears just drooped and he closed his eyes.

"You know Doraemon would be a big boost to our cause, but you also want him to be happy, so you're torn in two about it?" asked Rinho.

Nichov nodded.

"Why don't we let Doraemon decide on his own," said Matadora. "Then we'll just respect his decision."

All of them nodded.

DDD

Doraemon sneezed.

He rubbed his nose and looked out of the window of Nobita's room. The moon was shining brightly and the clock ticking on the desk showed that it was nearly an hour past midnight.

Doraemon put the book he was reading down and yawned, his mouth stretching wide.

He wondered how Nobita's proposal was going.

The evening before, while Doraemon, Nobita, Gian and Suneo had been fooling around on the clouds, Nobita had gotten an idea. He had asked to borrow the Dokodemo Door and the Cloud-Solidifying Spray. When Doraemon had asked him why, Nobita had just smiled and said: "Trust me."

Doraemon yawned again and headed down to the kitchen to make himself some hot chocolate and sneak some dorayaki.

When he got back, he found the Dokodemo door just appearing in the room before swinging open, a red-faced and flustered Nobita stumbling through it. Doraemon quickly put the hot chocolate and dorayaki beside the door before rushing forward to help Nobita steady himself.

"Nobita-kun, what's wrong?" asked Doraemon anxiously. Did Jaiko reject Nobita's proposal? "What did Jaiko say?"

"She..." said Nobita, breathing heavily, his face red.

Doraemon felt cold inside. Did Jaiko really reject Nobita? How could she? Why would she? Nobita was a good man! One of the best! What is wrong with her? Something must be wrong with her if she could...

"SHE SAID YES!" cried Nobita loudly.

He quickly explained to Doraemon that after dinner, he had used the Dokodemo Door and Cloud-Solidifying Spray to take Jaiko on a stroll on the clouds under the moonlight before proposing to her. Jaiko had been floored by the proposal and had said yes.

Once Nobita finished, he grinned at Doraemon, breathing heavily and his face flushed with happiness.

Doraemon just stared back expressionlessly.

"Doraemon?" asked Nobita, his grin faltering a little. "Are you okay?"

Doraemon started and blinked. He looked at Nobita for a few more seconds before his wide face broke out in a massive grin.

"Of course!" he said. "I was just stunned by the news! Well done! Congratulations! Good for you!"

Nobita smiled back happily at Doraemon, though Doraemon thought he caught a hint of unease in Nobita's face. Nobita opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by his parents, who had come upstairs to check what the commotion was all about.

Doraemon watched as Nobita told his parents the good news and smiled a little as they both started hugging their son proudly and happily. Mrs. Nobi dragged him downstairs to get more details while Mr. Nobi went to get some sake to celebrate.

Once they were gone, Doraemon sighed.

When Nobita had told him the news, several things had been running through his mind at once that he spaced out.

This is it.

My days here are numbered.

It's almost time for me to go.

This is truly it.

I'm done here.

Nobita-kun's getting married and there's no place for me here anymore.

Nobita-kun no longer needs me.

Doraemon sighed and climbed into his closet. He laid down on his futon to sleep but was interrupted by a buzzing sound.

He rummaged in his Four Dimensional Pocket and retrieved that Time TV. Pressing several switches, the screen showed some static before revealing Dorami's anxious face.

"Oni-san, how're you?" she asked.

"I'm great," answered Doraemon. "Nobita-kun's getting married with Jaiko."

"Really?" asked Dorami, looking distracted. "That's good...that's good..."

"Dorami, what's wrong?" asked Doraemon, concerned.

"Oni-san, this about your friends," said Dorami, sounding almost hysterical. "Yesterday was the final chance for them to state their case for to revoke their status as 'products' and be recognised as citizens. They failed, and were ordered to surrender to the company. They fought and escaped. The government has declared their batch as renegade robots posing a danger to society, and will be working alongside the company to destroy them all. Oni-san, this means war!"

"What about Wang and the others?" asked Doraemon, shocked. He hadn't expected things to go this far. The company was already a formidable enemy, but with government backing them, his friends and their resistance didn't stand a chance.

"They got away," answered Dorami, crying now. "But the government and the company are now actively hunting all cat-robots from your year. There are no confrontations just yet, but it's only a matter of time before things get out of control."

"I have to go back!" said Doraemon, angry now.

"No, oni-san! You can't!" cried Dorami. "The Time Patrol knows that some of your batch are in different time periods and are on the lookout. They'll catch you if you come back!"

"I can't just stay here while my friends are getting killed!" said Doraemon heatedly, his voice rising.

"Please, oni-san!" cried Dorami, tears streaming down her face. "You can't come back! Think of Nobita-san!"

Doraemon cringed. He badly wanted to stay with Nobita, but he wanted to go and fight alongside his friends as well.

"Nobita-kun can manage fine without me now," said Doraemon slowly. "He is getting married after all."

"But he's not married yet!" cried Dorami wildly. "You have to make sure he actually ties the knot! So you can't come back until then! Or else anything can happen during the engagement!"

Doraemon seethed, knowing that while the odds of that happening were now pretty low, it could still happen. Dorami was right. He had to make sure the wedding actually takes place.

"Fine," he said. "You know my bank account? Transfer all my money to your account and give it to Wang and the rest. Get Sewashi-kun to do it, or else it'll be suspicious. Make sure you draw it in cash, or else the government can trace it."

Dorami nodded.

Doraemon said goodbye and killed the connection. He lay back on his futon and sighed with frustration.

This was supposed to be a happy time for him, but his friends are getting killed.

Doraemon didn't know how he was going to cope without short-circuiting himself because of the stress.