Star gave a low moan as she felt herself returning to consciousness.
"Star? Are you okay?" ProtoMan's voice filtered through the blackness. The cave must've been darker than Star originally guessed.
Tilting her head, Star tried to look around, there was nothing. Just blackness. Sudden panic gripped Star as she swung her hand to rest in front of her face. Nothing. Slowly, Starfire put her hand right on her face. Still nothing, just black.
At this, Starfire whimpered one word. "Blind."
"What did you say Star?"
"BLIND!" Starfire sobbed hysterically, "I can't see ProtoMan!"
ProtoMan placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hold on Star, just calm down. There's no way that you could know that."
"Oh yeah? Give me something specific to look at!" Struggling to sit up, Star looked in the direction of ProtoMan's voice.
"Okay…Umm…Oh! Three feet to your left is a boulder. What does it have growing on it?"
Starfire hitched a sob. "I don't know! All I see is black! Black, black, black!"
ProtoMan exhaled. "Oh my God…" Seeing his partner this distressed disturbed the red Navi. Leaning forward, ProtoMan hesitantly wrapped his arms around Starfire. To his surprise, she leaned into him, sobbing into his chest.
"I-I don't want to be blind ProtoMan!"
Slowly, ProtoMan rubbed Star's arm while rocking her back and forth. "Shh…. It's okay Star…we'll get through this. You'll see! Hey… take it easy… shh… it'll turn out okay… I promise it will."
After a while ProtoMan felt Starfire relax and her breathing ease as she fell asleep. Strange, in the midst of it all Star could always make him feel comfortable.
"Feh."
Turning, ProtoMan could make out Bass in the half-light.
Bass had his arms crossed across his chest and leaning against the wall. "She trusts you, doesn't she?"
"Yeah." Looking down at the sleeping Navi, ProtoMan sighed. Running a finger along the edge of his sunglasses. Finding the niche near the edge, he pulled them off gently. Feeling utterly incomplete, he set the glasses on Starfire's closed eyes.
"Why."
"What?" Glancing up, ProtoMan stared at Bass.
Flicking his eyes over, Bass gazed at ProtoMan with his deep burgundy eyes. "Why are you trying to help her?"
Staring at Bass, ProtoMan sighed. "She's my partner. I help her, and she helps me. That's how a partnership works."
"I was talking about why you helped her to find me."
"Oh." ProtoMan said, feeling his face grow hot. "You'll have to ask her, or we can wait for night to fall. Just to ensure she doesn't wake up and rip out our intestines through our left nostrils."
Bass nodded absently and stared at a very unremarkable patch of the cave wall until Starfire woke up about a half hour later.
Sitting up, Star touched the glasses gently. "ProtoMan?"
"Yes Star?"
"I'm wearing your sunglasses."
"That you are."
Reaching out, Star felt around in the darkness until she touched ProtoMan's face. "Your eyes…" She breathed when she felt ProtoMan's eyelashes brush against her fingertips.
Blinking, ProtoMan barely dared to breath. "What about my eyes?"
"What color are they?"
Startled, ProtoMan blurted an answer before his mind could think about the question. "Blue. My eyes are blue."
A small smile spread across Starfire's face. The first time ProtoMan had seen that smile, he thought he had suddenly died and an angel was looking at him.
"Hmmm…I love blue. Light blue or dark blue?"
Regaining his cool, ProtoMan considered it for a second. "Dark blue."
With a nod, Starfire pelted him with another question. "Navy blue or midnight blue?"
This last question startled ProtoMan. He rarely ever took off his sunglasses, and the last time had been over a year ago, when he first met Starfire. Now he stared at his own reflection in his sunglasses. "I'd say they're a little bit of both."
Abruptly, Starfire lurched forward, resting against ProtoMan's chest. "Why did you choose me?"
ProtoMan raised his eyes to the ceiling. What was with all the questions? "What do you mean?"
Turning her sightless eyes on ProtoMan, Star pouted a little. "When we first met. Why?"
With a smile, ProtoMan recalled the day like it had just happened. He was the best and brightest of the official Net Battlers. Since he was the best, he was to choose a partner to train. He chose Starfire.
"Why didn't you choose MegaMan? He has all the potential…"
"I want her. She has everything MegaMan has and more. I'm taking her."
Although the partnership was only supposed to be temporary, ProtoMan and Starfire ended up becoming great friends and permanent partners. Shaking his head, ProtoMan sighed. "You struck me as a challenge. Something that hadn't been done before. The others just followed regulations, but you, you had a style all your own."
Star wagged a finger at him. "Need I remind you that you followed every single regulation as well?"
Allowing himself a small smile, ProtoMan reluctantly nodded. "Well, yes, but that was before you came along."
Starfire was quiet for a little bit before sitting up. "Turn around."
"What?"
"Just turn around ProtoMan!"
Shifting so that his back was to Starfire, ProtoMan felt Starfire's fingers delicately combing through his long silver hair. Silently, he let Star comb through it for a little before she started to braid it. In the beginning, ProtoMan would be sitting in front of Starfire in classes at the official Net Battler's headquarters, only to find his hair in a braid when the class ended. "What're you doing this time?"
"I'm practicing my French braiding. Now shush!"
Both were quiet for a while before ProtoMan spoke softly again. "You know that Bass is here too."
Poking her head over his shoulder, Starfire whispered to him. "What, do you want me to braid his hair too?"
Laughing, ProtoMan looked at Star. "No, I just thought you'd like to know that."
As Star leaned back ProtoMan heard her whisper. "But it is nice to have him here."
