Authors Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story. It belongs to Studio Pixel. Worship him! Tee hee hee.
If for some reason, you're reading this and haven't played the game, then I suggest you go download a copy and do so. It's freeware, so it's okay. Anyway, I don't have anything else to say about this, so read on and enjoy!
"Innocence Lost"
By Skylark Starflower
Started April 24, 2006
Finished May 2, 2006
She seemed surprised, her form reverting back to normal before her eyes slid closed and she slumped to the floor with a gentle thump.
The little robot holstered his weapon and approached the fallen mimiga with trepidation. She was lying awfully still. Kneeling, he reached out a hand and touched her shoulder.
"To…Toroko?"
She didn't reply, but his sensors were already telling him what he feared. She was dead. He withdrew his hand, standing quickly and backing away. "No… no…"
"You killed her…"
He bumped into something warm and soft and turned. He had forgotten about the other mimiga, and now King was standing, glaring at the little robot. He leveled his deadly blade and narrowed his eyes.
"You killed her. You killed her!"
"I… no… it was an accident! I didn't mean to!"
"You killed her! You killed her!"
King's form seemed to grow until the mimiga towered over the little robot. He raised his sword, preparing to strike. With an animalistic roar, he swung.
The scout robot raised an arm to protect himself and screamed.
X X X
He snapped awake and was surprised to find he had been crying. He raised a hand to wipe away the tears, idly wondering why his creators would include such a useless ability in his design. It made no sense to him.
The dream bothered him. He didn't want to think about what he had done; yet his electronic brain wouldn't let him forget, not even while he was sleeping, though he didn't understand why it chose to warp the events.
"Hey, are you alright?"
It took him a moment to realize the voice was talking to him. He wished he could remember his name, being referred to as 'hey you' and 'little guy' was getting annoying.
"I'm fine," he replied, turning to face the nurse. After he had retrieved the cure-all from the old clinic and fought off the ghost, he had returned to pass on the medicine to the doctor. He had been asked to stay so Dr. Gero could look at his injuries, and he had ended up falling asleep.
Nurse Hasumi nodded and turned back to her duties. His eyes fell on the other robot sleeping next to him. Curly looked much better now that the doctor had helped her using the medicine he had brought back.
He would never be able to tell her all the stories of his adventures since his reactivation. She was very fond of the mimigas; he had no idea how she would react to knowing he had killed one, even if it had been an accident. He wanted to talk to someone, though. He wanted someone to help him come to terms with what he had done, finding he was unable to process the information on his own.
But he had no one to tell. His only real friend on the island was Curly Brace, and he had already decided he could never tell her.
He lay back down, rolling onto his side facing the wall away from Curly and the others. He had fought frenzied mimigas before, but he had always been able to stun them or have them revert before he could hurt them too badly. He had never been forced to take an innocent life before. It hurt, yet it was not a pain the little robot was accustomed to feeling.
He could deal with physical pain. Physical pain was fleeting and would fade with time. This pain, he felt, would be with him for the rest of his life. Time could dull it, but it would never truly die away.
Though his body was still tired, he found he couldn't keep his eyes closed. He studied the rocky cave wall for several minutes before his gaze strayed to his equipment, which he had left in a pile by the wall. Most of his weapons and items were small enough for him to tuck into his rucksack when not in use, but he had had to strap the blade he had acquired from King to the outside. The sword had come without a sheath and he didn't want to risk damaging it or his other things by putting the unprotected edge inside the bag.
Fire from the torches lighting the room flickered brilliantly on the blade's razor sharp edge, but he didn't care. The sight of King's sword only served to remind him of his failure, both to Toroko and King himself.
He squeezed his eyes shut as they began to brim again with tears. He didn't fully understand why he felt this way, but he couldn't help it. He hid his face in his pillow to muffle his sobs and cried until his body gave into sleep once more.
X X X
Curly Brace awoke to a sharp stab of electric pain from her damaged arm. Though she was in much better shape now after being treated with the cure-all, she had yet to completely recover.
As she rolled over, trying to find a more comfortable position to sleep in, she noticed an odd muffled sound coming from beside her. Sitting up, she looked over to the bed next to hers. The other robot seemed unaware of her watching, and at first, Curly couldn't tell what he was doing. Observing his trembling shoulders and listening to the muffled sounds, she soon realized he was crying.
Her expression softened. She didn't know what had happened to him, but she still felt sorry for him. When she had met him at the Sand Zone, he had revealed that he too was suffering from a similar case of amnesia, but at least she could recall her name. He didn't even have that.
She wanted to do something for him, comfort him somehow, but she didn't know what would help. Before she could think of anything, she realized that he had cried himself to sleep, and decided it would be best if she let him be.
His personality was the polar opposite of hers, and though neither knew it, this was due partly to the fact that his emotional programming had also been damaged along with his memory. Curly tended to be bright and cheerful, while he seemed somber or solemn most of the time. She wished he could be happier, but she didn't know how to help him with that.
She wasn't going to force him to tell her anything, however, deciding it would be best to let him talk to her if and when he wanted to. For now, it was best for them to rest before continuing on their quest.
Sighing, she lay back down, gave the other robot one last regretful glance and pulled up her covers. Sleep was soon to claim her.
The End