chapter6 ~-=Curse of the Flesh=-~
A Big O fanfiction by Grendel226 a.k.a. Arren Dracone

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Big O or any of the characters. All are property of Sunrise and their respective parties. This fanfiction is rated R for mildly disturbing images, mild violence and adult situations. As always comments are appreciated, and flames will incur my wrath. ;-) Note: Asterisks denote a major jump in time and/or location.

Epilogue:
The Curse of the Flesh
This is Paradigm City. A city of lost memories and lost hopes. But I have retained some of my memories. Roger Smith was long in understanding what I meant when I told him the dangerous game always held the curse of the flesh as an ending. Many years passed which we spent in relative happiness. True to Roger's and my shared stoicism we never married for we saw no reason to. Our relationship was a series of subtle intricacies each of which we cherished. However, when Norman passed away Roger began to realize what I had meant. As the years advanced, Roger's jet-black hair began to gray, and his tall form was a bit more stooped with each passing year. Yet functioning on my synthetic blood I have remained the same as the day I took my step towards sharing the world that humans know. He lay in his bed and smiled up at me serenely, "Just as beautiful as the day I first met you. And never a victim of the curse." He then closed his eyes, his face a perfect mask of peace. Oh, but I have succumb to the curse of the flesh Roger Smith. Leaving his room I walked to the table of hourglasses and began flipping them all with my unheard of mechanical speed. Always racing, always hurrying to turn them all before the last shimmering grain of sand in that first hourglass flipped falls and is forever forgotten.
I lean against the stone bearing Roger's name, knowing this is the closest I can ever be to him again. And this is my burden of the curse: I have regained my memory of what life alone is like. I know the sheer agony of solitude again, as I am suspended in the stream of time a solo, the other half of the duet gone forever. The lesson I have learned is that humanity is a beautiful thing but even more beautiful when shared, and that a brief existence is best when one truly lives rather than just existing. But as I have always done, I will adapt to meet the curse head on. I run my fingers over the smooth marble bearing the name of Roger Smith as I reach for my power supply. Before giving the wires a merciless and irreparable tug, I wonder how many other androids and humans in this world have been in this situation. However, I, R. Dorothy Smith, Have Come To Terms.

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Authors Note: I'd like to thank everybody who made it all the way through my story. This was my first attempt at a fanfic based on anything other than a video game so I had far more concrete character styles to wrestle with. I'd greatly appreciate any comments or constructive criticism so that I can improve my writing and hopefully come out with some better work. But I do hope you enjoyed the read.