This is my Juunanagou (Android 17) fic. To tell truth, I wrote this for English. We had to do a piece of writing using the story of Icarus (not Gohan's dragon, the guy from the Greek fable, who's wings melted when he flew too close to the sun). Teehee, I got an A for it too!
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A pair of ice-blue eyes open, and Juunanagou awakens. He sits up. He runs his hand through his black, shoulder-length hair. He ties an orange scarf around his neck. He curses the gods. Normal morning routine.
Juunanagou stands, and looks around his lodgings (he never refers to it as his 'home'. That is not a word familiar to him). Juunanagou lives in a tumble-down shack out in the wilderness somewhere. The middle of nowhere. But, he doesn't care, not at all......
Juunanagou snarls. Who is he trying to kid? Of course he cares! He hates his life. He is worthless. Pathetic. He spits on the ground, snarl still distorting his attractive face.
The walls of Juunanagou's shack are 'decorated' with many things. Photos. Newspaper articles. And a painting.....or - more correctly - a counterfeit copy of one. Juunanagou walks to the painting and runs his hand over the textured surface. He stops, holding his palm against it, as if trying to draw power from it. Whatever he had in mind does not work, and Juunanagou snarls again.
He knows the name of the painting, but not the artist. The painting is called Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. Juunanagou keeps the painting as a constant reminder.
"Don't fly too high, #17. Or your wings may melt."
Juunanagou gives a grim smile. Gero may have been a foolish and worthless old man, but he occasionally had some good advice.
"If only I'd listened, instead of killing the old bastard." Juunanagou touches a section of the painting, where the remnants of Icarus disappear. A hopeless mass of feathers, and a pale leg. But no one else in the painting notices. They simply go on with their pathetic lives, while Icarus faces the end of his.
Juunanagou sympathises with Icarus. At least, he thinks he does. He is not capable of true emotions, so he guesses a lot.
"I feel your pain kid. You and I are a lot alike. We both were warned, but neither of us listened. We both flew too high. Curiosity, pride. Hmmm. Showing off comes at a price, doesn't it?"
You gave me life, Gero, and you tried to teach me. But I learnt nothing from you. Did Icarus feel the same way about his father? Juunanagou closes his eyes, and remembers.......
* * * * * *
"#16 is not to be activated." Dr. Gero commanded. "He is far too powerful, more so than you, even."
Juunanagou smirked. "More powerful than me? I highly doubt it." He turned to leave. "I'm gonna wake him up."
"17, stop!" Gero snarled. Juunanagou stopped, and Gero smiled knowingly. "That's better. My dear boy, one of these days, you are going to get yourself destroyed, if I don't deactivate you first."
Juunanagou clenched his fists. "What do you mean by that, old man? Tell me!"
"You are far too reckless. And you over estimate yourself. You believe yourself to be better and stronger than everyone else. Well, I've got news for you, 17; you're not. So get used to it!"
While Juunanagou suppressed the urge to pound Gero to a bloody pulp, the doctor wandered to a painting on the wall.
"Do you know the story of Icarus, 17?"
Of course I fucking do! You've only told me 400 times. Juunanagou controlled his rage. "Yes, Doctor. I do."
"Ahhh. Dear Icarus. Daedalus, his father, warned him. 'Keep to a moderate height. Too low, and the damp will clog your wings. Too high, and the Sun's heat will melt them.' But did Icarus heed Daedalus' words? Well, did he?" Gero glared at Juunanagou, waiting for an answer.
"No, Doctor. He flew too close to the Sun. The wax holding his wings together melted, and Icarus fell to his doom."
"Yes, that's exactly right. And nobody cared, really. Look at this painting. Is anyone paying attention to poor Icarus? No. Icarus was a foolish child, who disobeyed his father, and got exactly what he deserved for it. So, 17, do you understand what I'm getting at? What the moral of this story is?"
Juunanagou shook his head. "No, Doctor."
"Don't fly too high, #17. Or your wings may melt." Dr. Gero aimed a device at Juunanagou and all went dark.
* * * * * *
"He deactivated me. How dare he!" Juunanagou growls, and punches the wall. He leaves a hole, to add to the many blemishes marking the wall.
Juunanagou takes a deep breath, and counts to ten. He returns to his conversation with Icarus.
"I flew too high, just like you did, kid. I thought I was better, stronger than everyone else. It seems I wasn't. The Sun melted my wings too. And now look at me. I'm a worthless bum, who spends his day talking to a stupid fucking painting!" The tears twinkle as they fall. The Sun melts the wax of Icarus' wings.
If Juunanagou was capable of emotions, he's certain he would feel regret now. But he is not, so he feels nothing.
And outside, the world turns. The ocean dissipates the feathers of the falling child, and life goes on as if Icarus/Juunanagou does not exist.
The End
So, what do you think? Did it deserve an A? ^-^