I'm not dead I swear- Maybe- Idk anymore ;-;
Been distracted with other projects, lost motivation again, yadda yadda yadda. Gonna be honest, I have no clue when the next chapter will be coming out. Thanks to all for being patient and sticking around all this time. I can't believe this story has been on here for five years now. Maybe someday I will finally finish it, but who knows!
(P.S., you should play Miitopia, it's awesome and adorable, and the wholesome af character interactions are what helped me get the motivation to work on this again)
Enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter 21: Not Yours Anymore
"I'm glad you could make it, sis," Doraemon murmured, watching Dorami sit down on the couch beside him.
"Of course, Big Brother. What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Dorami inquired.
Doraemon flattened his ears, hesitating. He scooped up the yellow kitten, who happened to be curled up nearby, and held him.
"I don't think I'm cut out for this," he confessed, looking down at the kitten and gently stroking him.
"What do you mean?" Dorami asked in confusion.
"Maybe I shouldn't be a babysitter. Taking care of these kittens is hard work. If I can't handle two kittens, how am I supposed to care for a human child?"
"But you don't have any training yet. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think once you learn more."
Doraemon sighed.
"I'm supposed to be taking parenting classes this year. I should be learning about how to be a good caretaker, but instead I'm sitting here at home, watching over my own two kittens," he lamented.
"At least you're getting experience," Dorami pointed out.
"I suppose, but the first day of November is next week. I've already missed nearly three months of school because of these kittens. I have so much I should be learning, but with each passing day I'm just falling farther and farther behind. My graduation is going to be delayed, I just know it."
"But you can't just stop taking care of your kittens. They need you."
"The Academy will only let me stay home for so long. I've recovered from my surgery, and that dumb body part gadget finally let my body go back to normal. I don't want to have to start this year over because I missed too much."
Dorami looked down at the floor thoughtfully. She didn't really know what the right answer was.
"Being a parent requires sacrifices," she murmured.
"I don't want to make sacrifices. I'm tired of sitting at home. That's all I've been doing for the past seven months," Doraemon growled in frustration.
"But what about the kittens?"
Doraemon hesitated.
"I'm considering giving them away," he admitted.
"You want to give them away?" Dorami asked in surprise.
"Yes. I love them, but… I'm not ready to deal with this responsibility. They deserve to be raised by someone who can handle it better than I can."
Dorami was silent. She could hardly believe what Doraemon was saying.
"I don't want to part with them, but I think giving them away will benefit all three of us in the long run. I can go back to my normal life, and the kittens can have a parent who knows what they're doing," Doraemon continued.
"Getting rid of the kittens won't magically solve everything. You still haven't made up with Doramen," Dorami reminded him.
"I'm not sure if Doramen even wants anything to do with me anymore."
"Don't you remember what Doralien said? Doramen just likes to be alone when he's sad. That doesn't mean he doesn't care about you."
"I feel horrible. I made Doramen so sad that he stopped talking to literally everyone in his life."
"But Doralien said—"
"I don't care what he said! This is all my fault!"
Doraemon flattened his ears and began to tear up.
"This is a nightmare," he murmured.
Dorami hesitated. She hated to bring up something so personal, but the curiosity was eating away at her.
"Doraemon…. Why did you cheat on him?" she asked quietly.
A tense silence followed. Doraemon stared intently at the floor, thinking about how to respond.
"I didn't cheat on him. I would never do such a thing!" he answered.
"Don't lie to me, Big Brother…"
"I'm not lying! I would absolutely never do that! Doramen should be the father of these kittens!"
Dorami looked at her brother in concern for a moment. She couldn't bear to believe that he would lie to her.
"What do you think happened, then?" she asked.
"I… I don't know…," Doraemon murmured.
"What do you mean you don't know? You have to know what happened, right?"
Doraemon sighed in frustration.
"I swear I only slept with Doramen. I remember it so vividly, like it happened yesterday. I know for an absolute fact it was Doramen. It was his face, his voice, his body… I've never met a cat quite like him. He's definitely from somewhere far away. It wouldn't be easy for him to just blend in with everyone," he explained.
"You never noticed anything odd?" Dorami asked.
"Don't be ridiculous, Dorami. It's not like someone put on a disguise and broke into my house."
Doraemon's eyes narrowed slightly as he remembered how persistent and needy Doramen had been the following morning, yearning for more affection and love, despite all the frustrations with the body part gadget. He never would've suspected how much energy Doramen really had in the right scenarios.
"I just want to get to the bottom of this," Dorami said.
"We can worry about where the kitten came from later. Right now, I just want to figure out what I'm gonna do with these little guys," Doraemon murmured sadly, looking down at Doraspirit, the yellow kitten.
"You'll regret it if you give them away. They're your kittens, Big Brother! You should be there for them in their lives!"
"I want my life to go back to normal. Haven't you heard how much in-demand robot cat kittens are? There are tons of families out there that would love to care for two little kittens like mine."
"But think about all the valuable things you would learn from raising them!"
"That's the problem, Dorami. When you babysit, you only care for the child for a short period at a time, maybe a couple days at the most. But, raising my own children means nonstop care for years! I don't know if I'm willing to sacrifice my education to care for kittens that weren't even intentionally conceived."
"You told me you were looking forward to being a mother. And I'm sure you could work something out with the Robot Academy."
"Yeah, I was, but I was looking forward to being a mother alongside Doramen, and that's not going to happen now. I love Doramen, and I can't bear to let these kittens destroy my relationship with him. He's made it clear that he has no interest in them. It's been two months and he hasn't contacted me at all to see them or even ask about how they're doing. These kittens deserve better parents. They need someone who is committed and prepared to raise kids. Doramen and I are not ready to be parents. We're still in school, and learning should be our top priority right now. I'm sorry Dorami, but I really don't think this is going to work out. I hate to part with them, but giving them away will improve the quality of life of all of us."
Dorami was silent. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Doraemon really was about to give away his kids, probably to never see them again.
"Are you sure this is right for you?" she asked quietly.
Doraemon was silent for a moment, before nodding slowly. He gently stroked the top of Doraspirit's head. The yellow kitten mewed quietly in response. He was too young to be even attempting to talk yet, instead making little kitten noises.
"I have to do what's best for us. I have to give them away, and I already know where I'm going to take them," Doraemon mumbled.
"Where?" Dorami questioned.
"There's an adoption center a little ways away. I see robot cat kittens in there every time I pass by it. I'm sure they would be happy to have more that they can give to loving homes."
"So you're going to put them up for adoption."
"I don't have any other choice, do I? This is the only way to ensure they go to someone who can properly care for them, and give them the love and support they deserve. I just hope they'll stick together, one way or another."
Dorami was greatly saddened to hear her brother come to a decision, but she knew there was nothing she could do to stop him. Instead, she nodded, accepting his choice.
"You're the parent, not me. If you think this is best, then you should do it. I just hope you realize that you will probably never see those kittens again once you drop them off," she reminded him.
"I know," Doraemon murmured, tearing up. "And it hurts to think about it. My babies will be growing up with strangers. But, it's best this way. I can't give them what they need, and the sooner that changes, the better lives they'll have."
Dorami scooted over and brought Doraemon into a gentle embrace. Doraemon gently set Doraspirit down and returned the hug, crying softly into his sister's shoulder.
"I'm gonna miss them," he croaked.
"I know, I know you will, and that's okay. I'm here for you. Just do what you think is right. You don't have to make that choice right this moment," Dorami murmured assuringly.
"No. I've been thinking about this for over two weeks now. It's time to say goodbye. I have to get rid of them today, or I'll never gather the courage."
Dorami felt herself tear up at Doraemon's words.
"Are you sure?" she asked quietly, trying so hard not to let her voice tremble.
"Yes. I have to, Dorami. I have to. It's time for them to find better homes. I'm going to miss them a lot, but I will be happy knowing that they'll be well taken care of. The least I can do is provide them with a good quality of life, and I can't do that with them living here," Doraemon whimpered, crying harder.
Dorami rubbed Doraemon's back comfortingly.
"You're their mother, and I trust that you will make the best decision you can…"
….
A chilly breeze swept across the Robot Academy's campus. Red and brown leaves were drug across the ground, getting stepped on and creating the iconic crunch noise of autumn. The sky was clear, the sun casting a warm glow onto the ground, although it did little to help. The heat of summer was long gone by now.
Dorami wandered through campus, her arms folded behind her back anxiously. She desperately needed to talk to Doramen. It was clear that the red robot cat was still recovering from the incident with the kittens, but he was visibly improving. Turns out Doralien checking up on him was enough to make a difference after all. Doramen was finally smiling again, and seemed to have regained at least some of his motivation to learn and do assignments. Dorami hated to bring up the incident again to him, but it was important. She needed his verdict.
It was lunchtime, so there were students absolutely everywhere. Dorami tried her best to weave through the crowds without bumping into anyone. She had to find Doramen before the bell rang. This was not something she could whisper to him real quick during or between class. She wanted to call out his name, but feared that he would grow embarrassed and would be even harder to find. Instead, she kept her eyes peeled for any red robot cats she came across.
After a few minutes, she spotted someone sitting at a table by themselves. Their back was turned to Dorami, although she could see that they were eating a slice of pizza. They had dark-ish red fur like Doramen, along with a light green collar and red tail. Was it really him? It was impossible for Dorami to know for sure from that distance. She crept closer to the other cat, hoping that she wouldn't scare them if they turned out not to be Doramen. Slowly, she walked around the side of the table, keeping her distance. When she finally got a glimpse of their face, she knew instantly that it was indeed Doramen.
"Doramen!" she called, approaching him.
Doramen lifted his head and gave her a curious look, chewing. He set down the rather small slice of pizza and watched as Dorami came up to the table and sat down across from him.
"Hi Dorami," he mumbled around his full mouth.
"Hey Doramen. I'm sorry to bother you, but I need to talk to you about something that I think is really important," Dorami explained, deciding to get straight to the point.
Doramen took a moment to swallow. He was intrigued, and mildly concerned, by her serious tone.
"What's up?" he inquired.
"Have you spoken to Doraemon recently?" Dorami asked.
"A little, but not much."
"About what? What did he say to you?"
"He messaged me out of nowhere earlier this week asking if I wanted to hang out with him. I had to decline, 'cuz I had a ton of homework to do. He said that was alright, and that he loved me. It was kind of weird. It's been a while since we've said we loved each other."
Dorami looked down at the table thoughtfully.
"I think something's wrong with him," she admitted.
"Like what?" Doramen asked, his eyes widening in concern.
Dorami looked around her nervously, as if worried that someone was going to hear her. She leaned in towards Doramen, him quickly doing the same.
"He's suddenly acting like the kittens never existed. It's really bizarre," she explained in a hushed voice.
"Like he's denying they were ever born?" Doramen questioned.
"It's more like he doesn't remember them. He keeps insisting that he never got pregnant, and that it's impossible, and I must be going crazy. He said he doesn't remember any kittens and claims he has no idea what I'm talking about when I brought them up to him."
Now it was Doramen's turn to look down at the table in silence.
"Wow, you're right, that is bizarre. I have no idea where all that came from. Doralien hasn't given me any updates on how he's doing in quite a while," he said.
"I want to think it's just how he's dealing with it, but I don't know, this came out of absolutely nowhere, and he's been adamant that none of that stuff ever happened. He kept giving me this look of worry and confusion when I would try to describe the kittens to him," Dorami remarked.
"Do you think he's got amnesia or something?"
"I don't know. He easily could have used a gadget on himself to make him forget that mess, but I don't think he would do that, at least not on purpose."
"If he made a mistake, then I think it's our job to figure it out and fix it."
Dorami shifted her position, knowing well that she was running out of time. The bell was going to ring soon.
"I agree. Could you stop by after school? We can talk more about it then," she suggested.
"Sure, no problem. I'll come over as soon as I can," Doramen replied with a determined smile.
"Thank you. We've got to get to the bottom of this before something worse happens."
….
Doramen paced back and forth thoughtfully across Dorami's living room. He thought long and hard about what could be causing Doraemon's sudden forgetfulness. His knowledge of gadgets was not that great, and nothing in particular was coming to mind.
"Any idea what could be causing this?" he asked.
Dorami sat on her couch, digging through her pocket, also in deep thought. She paused for a moment and sighed.
"I don't know. The only gadget I can think of that erases memory is the Forgetorator, and that only makes you forget the past ten minutes. Doraemon has clearly forgotten several months of time," she answered.
"Maybe he hit his head or something," Doramen proposed.
"I suppose that's possible, but he's never appeared to be hurt. He seemed to be really sad and confused about why you weren't talking to him."
Doramen felt a wave of guilt crash over him. It was no secret that he'd been avoiding Doraemon ever since he saw the purple kitten at the Robot Hospital. He didn't really want to talk to the yellow robot cat, even now that he'd managed to crawl out of his depressive episode when Doralien had confronted him.
"I just want some space," he muttered, his gaze lowering until he was staring at the floor.
Dorami gave no comment. She continued to rummage through her pocket before suddenly gasping as an idea hit her.
"Hey Doramen, how about we use the Time TV to see what happened to him?" she proposed.
Doramen immediately lifted his head back up to look at her.
"That's a great idea!" he exclaimed.
Dorami swiftly pulled out the Time TV and began fiddling with it, trying to determine when the event may have occurred. After taking a few moments, she came to a decision and put in the information. Doramen sat down beside her and watched the screen eagerly. However, it merely displayed Doraemon going about his usual routine. After a few moments of watching Doraemon walk around his house, something suddenly dawned on Doramen.
"Wait a minute, where are the kittens?" he asked with great worry.
Dorami hesitated.
"He gave them away. He didn't think he was capable of raising them. He said that he—"
She cut herself off when something suddenly dawned on her. Doramen just gave her a saddened and confused look, akin to the look that she had described Doraemon giving her.
"I bet something happened to him when he left to get rid of the kittens!" she proclaimed.
"What did he do to those kittens?" Doramen asked sternly.
"He told me he was going to take them to an adoption center in town. However, I didn't hear from him for a few days afterwards due to schoolwork getting in the way, and when I spoke to him again, that's when he was acting strangely."
Doramen's heart pounded with anxiety. He began to worry about the safety of the kittens.
"Look right now! Something could have gone horribly wrong!" he demanded.
Dorami hurriedly punched in a time and date. The Time TV's screen went to static for a moment as it honed in on the coordinates Dorami had provided. Then, it displayed a street, late at night. There was Doraemon, walking down the sidewalk with a blanket bundled in his arms.
"Is he carrying the kittens in that?" Doramen asked, flattening his ears.
"Probably," Dorami answered sadly.
Doraemon walked down the street for a few minutes, occasionally looking around as if he were looking for someone. He was nearly invisible at times, only being lit up by the occasional street lamp.
"Hey, you!" a muffled, male voice suddenly called.
Doraemon stopped and looked across the street. A dark figure began to walk across the road towards him. Absolutely no distinguishing features about them were visible. They looked like nothing more than a big blob of darkness.
"Yes?" Doraemon asked with hesitation.
The figure stopped when they were just a few feet away from Doraemon.
"What are you doing with those kittens?" the dark figure asked, pointing to the blanket Doraemon was holding.
The camera angle changed, and now Doramen and Dorami could clearly see the two kittens' heads sticking out of the blanket.
"Erm… I'm going to give them away," Doraemon answered nervously.
"Oh, well I can take them off your paws. I work at the adoption center. You shouldn't be wandering out here all alone," the figure replied.
"Really? You mean it?"
"Of course. You could get hurt out here, you know. It's not safe. You never know what's lurking in the shadows."
Doraemon looked around him anxiously, clearly looking paranoid that he was about to get attacked. He hesitantly stepped towards the dark figure.
"Are you sure you're willing to do this?" he asked.
"Absolutely. They will be in good hands, I promise you. All kittens deserve a loving pair of parents, don't they?" the dark figure inquired.
Doraemon shifted his feet, growing closer while nodding his head.
"Yes, they do. They deserve to be raised by someone who is able to give them all the love and care they deserve."
The dark figure nodded. They reached out and gently took the kittens from Doraemon.
"Thank you, Doraemon," they murmured in suddenly what sounded like a faint, restrained accent.
Doraemon's eyes widened.
"How do you know my name?" he asked with fear.
The dark figure was silent. They suddenly appeared to pull something out of their pocket, and in an instant, a blinding light filled the entire screen for several seconds. When it faded away, the dark figure was gone, and Doraemon was lying on his back, appearing to have been knocked unconscious.
"What the hell just happened?" Doramen murmured to himself in shock.
After a few seconds, Doraemon opened his eyes and sat up, groaning. He rubbed the side of his head as he stood up and looked around.
"Where am I?" he wondered aloud.
He stood there for a few moments before finally sighing and walking away, soon disappearing out of view. The screen then went to static, indicating that the clip had ended.
Doramen and Dorami looked at each other, their eyes wide.
"Somebody hurt Doraemon and snatched up the kittens!" Doramen shouted in dismay, putting his paws on the sides of his head.
"We need to do something! This is serious!" Dorami exclaimed.
"I recognize that part of town. Let's go and see if we can find that guy! I've got a bone to pick with him! Or even several bones!"
Dorami nodded in agreement. She put the Time TV back in her pocket and raced out of her house, Doramen right behind her. They had to get to the bottom of this, no matter how long of a wild goose chase it took.
It took several minutes, but eventually they were able to narrow down the area where the encounter had taken place. Rain poured from the dark clouds above, forcing the two robot cats to pull out their umbrellas. They scanned the area intensely, and after coming up with nothing, decided to split up. Dorami headed down the street, while Doramen headed up.
Dorami searched far and low for any sign of a person having been in the vicinity. She was frustrated to see nothing, but she wasn't going to give up. She continued to walk farther and farther down the street, looking all around for any signs of someone watching her from the shadows. There was nothing but the sound of raindrops rapidly pattering against the ground.
With some hesitation, she turned a corner, putting her completely out of sight from Doramen. After only taking a few steps, she got the sensation that she was being watched. Her heart pounding, she looked up at the wall that stood beside her, and sure enough, she could see someone sitting at the top of the wall, a black umbrella obscuring most of their body. She could immediately tell by their feet that they were another robot cat. Their legs were unusually long and covered in black fur.
"Hello there," they murmured in a deep, raspy, male voice.
Dorami took a few steps back, feeling intimidated.
"U-umm… hello… I'm looking for someone who has been in this area. Have you heard of any strange activity?" she asked nervously.
"Strange activity?" the stranger echoed. "You mean the flash of light down the street?"
"Yeah! That's it! I'm trying to find the person responsible for that!"
The stranger let out a deep chuckle.
"I know who you're looking for," he murmured.
"You do? Can you take me to them? Or at least tell me who they are?" Dorami asked.
The stranger was silent for a few moments. Suddenly, he hopped off of the wall and landed right in front of Dorami. She suddenly began to feel nervous again.
The stranger was several inches taller than her. His fur was completely black, and his collar and tail were a dark blue. He had dark orangish-yellow eyes that seemed to pierce into Dorami's soul. His collar was missing its bell, and his tail was unusually long, snaking around the side of his leg like a real cat's tail. He held the umbrella over his ears and gave Dorami an intimidating smile.
"W-who are you?" Dorami asked.
"It doesn't matter who I am," the stranger responded, a faint smirk coming to his face. "I'm just here to help you, remember?"
Dorami hesitated, before nodding slowly in acceptance.
Meanwhile, Doramen hadn't wandered nearly as far as Dorami had. Within the pungent smell of wet concrete and tar, he could smell the scent of a robot cat. Someone had come by this area very recently, and was possibly still around. There was a brick wall on both sides of the street, and Doramen was frustrated that he couldn't see over them.
He decided to be bold and began to climb one of them, scraping his claws along the brick in an attempt to get a grip. With some effort, he was able to reach around the top of the wall and hook it with his wrists, giving him resistance to pull himself up. There was a large tree directly on the other side of the wall, and as Doramen stared at it, he could swear he could see something within it.
Suddenly, a force pushed him in the chest, causing him to fall backwards off of the wall and land back on the road. He cried out in pain, his umbrella falling beside him, causing him to almost immediately become soaked. Groaning, he slowly staggered to his feet, retrieving his umbrella in the process.
A snide chuckle coming from the direction of the wall made him jump. He looked up to see a figure emerging from the tree he'd just been looking at. A robot cat dressed in dark clothing emerged, laughing at him. He had purple fur and was wearing a dark suit with a cape, along with a top hat and some sort of strange face mask that concealed only his eyes. He had a thin, curly mustache instead of whiskers, and had a huge grin plastered on his face.
He gracefully leapt out of the tree and landed right in front of Doramen. Doramen stared at him in bewilderment, at a complete loss for words.
"We meet at last, dear Doramen," the stranger greeted in a French accent.
Doramen was even more flabbergasted. He blinked several times, almost expecting the figure to be a hallucination, or even a dream. But, nothing changed.
"Who the hell are you? Do I know you from somewhere?" Doramen asked in incredible confusion.
"Doramen!" called a female voice.
Doramen turned, only to see Dorami charge up in his face, her eyes lit up with excitement. She barely stopped in time before she would have run into him.
"Doramen! Guess what!" she beamed.
Doramen nervously eyed the darkly-dressed stranger. He stood there, smiling at Doramen in what was now an uncomfortable silence. Doramen turned his gaze back to Dorami.
"Umm… what?" he asked.
"I met this guy who said he knows who that mysterious figure is, and he's gonna take us to them!" Dorami exclaimed.
"What guy?"
Another deep chuckle emanated from behind Dorami. This time, however, Doramen thought it sounded familiar. He sidestepped, getting Dorami out of his face, only for his jaw to drop. There, standing before him, was the dark and tall stranger that Dorami had met. Doramen immediately recognized him, and he couldn't believe his eyes.
"You!" he shrieked, pointing to the tall stranger.
The tall stranger grinned at him for a moment before scowling, giving him a glare of intense hatred.
"Do you know him, Doramen?" Dorami asked curiously.
Doramen grabbed Dorami's paw and pulled her towards him.
"What are you thinking, Dorami? Stay away from him! He's very dangerous!" he scolded.
"Dangerous? How? What are you talking about? He was very nice to me!" Dorami argued.
"Nicer than he will ever be to you," the tall stranger growled, gesturing to Doramen as he hissed out the word "he".
Doramen gritted his teeth, seething with anger.
"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face!" he hissed.
"Like you're any better," the stranger replied with a slight smug tone.
"What's going on, Doramen? I don't understand," Dorami murmured, suddenly beginning to feel afraid.
Doramen pointed to the tall stranger.
"His name is Doratop. We used to get along, but… Now he's a violent abuser," he explained nonchalantly.
Dorami looked over at the tall robot cat, who crossed his arms, clearly unhappy about the accusation.
"I am not an abuser," Doratop stated bluntly.
"Well you sure do love to be violent against me," Doramen replied, gritting his teeth.
"You know exactly why I'm violent towards you. You deserve it for being such a rat."
"She lied to you!"
Dorami took a step back, horrified to realize that Doramen had a bad history with the stranger that she'd trusted so willingly.
"Who's 'she'?" she dared to ask.
"My sister!" Doratop proclaimed. "Doramen committed an unthinkable act upon her, and he deserves to die for it!"
"I did not! She lied to you! Why can't you just listen?" Doramen hissed, his fur beginning to bristle as he started getting more and more worked up.
"Why would I ever listen to a disgusting, scum-of-the-Earth pervert like you?"
Dorami looked at Doramen in shock.
"What is he talking about, Doramen?" she asked.
"Lies!" Doramen answered.
Doratop huffed.
"He took advantage of my sister! When I wasn't around, he preyed upon her, grabbed her with his filthy hands, and—"
The rest of his sentence was cut off when Doramen suddenly lunged at him and punched him in the face. Doratop staggered backwards, covering his face and groaning.
"I will not let you corrupt my friend with your filthy slander!" Doramen shouted, stepping closer to Doratop with each step he took back.
Doratop halted and uncovered his face, scowling at Doramen. He briefly broke eye contact with the red robot cat to look over at Dorami.
"You should be afraid of him," he growled.
Dorami took a step back, having no idea what she should do. It was then that she finally noticed the other stranger, still standing there with his umbrella.
"You should be afraid of him," he repeated.
Dorami took a few steps back from him, her heart pounding. Somehow, he seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't place where she'd heard of him from.
Meanwhile, Doramen and Doratop were erupting into a heated argument that was rapidly escalating by the second. They spat back and forth, accusing each other of various heinous acts with no evidence or proof to back it up. It was apparent that a real fight could erupt at any moment. The two would constantly approach the other, trying to make them start backing up, getting up in each other's faces and shouting horrible insults.
The fur along Doramen's spine was sticking straight up and his shoulders were bunched. Dorami expected him to unsheathe his claws at any moment. Doratop had no need to try and intimidate Doramen, for his height was already enough. His face was filled with unbridled rage that Dorami wondered if it'd been bottled up for a long time.
"Guys, stop!" Dorami shouted, running up to them.
The two bickering robot cats immediately stopped and turned to look at her. They both gave her very cold glares of malice.
"This isn't worth fighting over!" she exclaimed.
"Yes it is!" Doramen and Doratop snarled in unison.
The adrenaline rush Doramen got from shouting that was finally enough to push him over the edge. He suddenly erupted into a fit of rage, unsheathing his claws and lunging at his enemy, clawing and lashing wherever he could. He sunk his claws into Doratop's skin, tearing at the vaguely rubber-like flesh.
Doratop lashed his tail and cried out in pain as he began to bleed. He reciprocated by punching Doramen several times in the side of the head, causing the red robot cat a great deal of pain. Doramen let go and slumped a bit, his head pulsing with intense pain. But, he wasn't going to go down that easily.
He shook his head in an attempt to ease off the pain and proceeded to grab Doratop's arm and bite it with considerable force. Doratop groaned and lifted his leg, kicking Doramen right in the stomach. At first, Doramen bit harder, but the pain was crippling. He let go and slumped onto his knees, groaning and gagging.
"Look at how pathetic you are. Just as I remember. You haven't changed one bit," Doratop hissed. "You're not worth my time."
Doramen remained silent and stationary for only a moment before suddenly leaping up and grabbing Doratop's collar. He wrapped his paws around it and unsheathed his claws, trying to sink them into Doratop's throat. He thrashed his paws wildly, scratching and scraping his collarbone and face. Suddenly worried that he may be critically injured, Doratop tried to push Doramen off of him, but quickly resorted to another punch to Doramen's stomach.
Doramen arched his back and squeaked in pain, but was determined to keep his grip. Filled with even more anger, fueled by pain, he let go of Doratop's collar and proceeded to rake his claws down Doratop's chest and belly, creating massive gashes that began to bleed so much that it was visible even against the black fur. Doramen then roughly shoved Doratop until his back hit one of the brick walls. He proceeded to pin him against the wall to the best of his ability, and was able to deliver a punch, when Doratop suddenly retaliated. He punched Doramen hard in the chest, then shoving his paw in Doramen's face and pushing him until he lost his grip.
Doramen stumbled backwards, breathing heavily from the pain in his chest. Doratop charged at him, pushing him again until he fell to the ground. He then proceeded to kick Doramen several times in the back and shoulders, all while Doramen writhed on the ground, struggling to get up with the wind knocked out of him.
"You're pathetic! A waste of space! It's a wonder that anyone on the planet could look at you and decide to be your friend! You deserve to die alone where nobody will remember you!" Doratop shouted as he kicked harder, adrenaline pulsing through his veins like a tsunami.
Bang!
Suddenly, in an instant, Doratop was flung backwards. He hit the brick wall with great force, cracking it in several places, before falling to the ground where he grew still and quiet. Doramen, quivering, slowly lifted his head, only to see Dorami standing over him with an Air Cannon. She was breathing heavily and trembling slightly, also pumped full of adrenaline.
"D…. Dorami…," Doramen breathed.
"I couldn't stand to watch you guys fight any longer," Dorami murmured, her voice shaking.
She hastily put the Air Cannon back in her pocket and looked over to where Doratop lay. He was visibly breathing, but unconscious.
"Come on, let's get out of here," she said, holding out her paw for Doramen to take.
Doramen took it and shakily rose to his feet with her help. He was badly beaten, although he had no external injuries.
"Are you okay? Should we go to the Robot Hospital?" Dorami asked worriedly.
"No. I just want to go home," Doramen muttered.
"Not so fast," growled a voice.
Doramen and Dorami turned to see the other stranger had retreated to the tree, looking down at them with his cape wrapped around him.
"You must be Doratop's little buddy," Doramen hissed in a quiet, raspy voice.
"Hmph. You dislike him quite a lot," the stranger murmured.
"Yeah, he's a piece of garbage who keeps trying to ruin my life. It's not my fault his sister is a fraud. I never did anything to her, or to Doratop."
Doramen turned to Dorami.
"Thanks for teaching him a lesson for me," he said.
Dorami simply nodded, keeping her eyes on the stranger.
"I see you really care about your little mate," the stranger observed.
"You mean Doraemon? Yes, I love him! And I want to know what happened to him!" Doramen exclaimed. "I bet you have something to do with it!"
A smirk came to the stranger's face.
"I'll show you everything you need to know," he said.
Doramen took a step back hesitantly, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. The stranger once more leapt out of the tree and landed onto the road. Doramen was surprised to notice that he was holding some kind of staff this time.
"What are you going to do with that?" he asked accusingly.
The stranger turned to Dorami and pointed the staff at her.
"Soon, this will be nothing more than a fleeting dream," he murmured.
In an instant, a brilliant light shone from the end of the staff. Dorami cried out as Doramen had to turn away and cover his eyes. The light only lasted for a few moments, and when it was gone, Doramen opened his eyes to see Dorami lying on the road, unconscious.
"What did you do to her?" Doramen demanded, already getting worked up again.
"Relax, Doramen. It'll all be over soon," the stranger assured him, bringing the staff back to his side.
"What do you mean?"
"You really care about what happened to those two little rats?"
"Doraemon's kittens? Yes, I care!"
"But you're not the father, now are you?"
Doramen paused, some of his anger subsiding.
"I… guess you're right," he muttered.
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
"Wait, how do you know that?" he asked in shock.
"Doratop is quite smart, you know," the stranger remarked with a smirk, casually ignoring the question.
"What did Doratop do? He has something to do with this, doesn't he?"
The stranger chuckled menacingly.
"What do you expect, you dumb cat?" he hissed.
"Tell me! I want answers! NOW!" Doramen shouted, his voice strained and shrill from how angry he was.
The stranger was silent for a moment. He reached up to his face and pulled off the mask, revealing his eyes. He had unusually thick eyebrows and deep purple eyes. Doramen stiffened as he stared into the stranger's eyes, only to see Doratwilight, the purple kitten. He realized that the stranger and Doratwilight looked identical in the face, except that Doratwilight had regular whiskers.
"No… You can't be serious….," Doramen croaked, taking a step back in shock, his stomach twisting up.
The stranger smirked at him.
"Y-...y-you're the reason why that kitten is purple..?" Doramen breathed.
The stranger lifted his staff, and the end of it glowed for a moment. The stranger was completely enveloped in a strange light. Doramen watched in fascination and horror as his silhouette changed. When the light faded, Doramen was dumbfounded to see an exact copy of himself standing where the stranger had just been.
A disguise!? Doramen thought in shock. But… that could only mean...
"You… you're a monster!" he shouted. "How could you do such a horrible thing to an innocent cat?"
The stranger held up the staff and changed back to his normal self. His smug grin was gone now. He averted his gaze, glancing in the direction of Doratop, who remained motionless on the concrete.
"Answer me!" Doramen demanded.
The stranger remained silent, continuing to gaze at Doratop for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Doramen thought he almost appeared to be deep in thought. Eventually, the stranger finally tore his gaze away from Doratop and resumed eye contact with Doramen. There was something about the look on his face that bothered Doramen. The conniving grin, suddenly vanished and replaced by a deep frown.
Does he regret it? Doramen wondered.
"How could you do such a thing to Doraemon? What did he ever do to you?" he asked.
Several seconds of silence followed, the stranger dropping his gaze as he thought over how to respond. Raindrops dripped off the rim of his top hat.
"Doratop isn't the person you used to know," he mumbled so quietly that Doramen could barely understand him.
"Well yeah, I know that. He hates me. He's really violent," Doramen muttered in annoyance.
"More violent than you could ever know."
The stranger once again looked over at Doratop. The black robot cat showed no signs of regaining consciousness anytime soon.
Doramen's anger faded a bit as he began to grow concerned for the stranger.
"Is he… violent towards you, too?" he asked.
The stranger was silent.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning zig-zagged across the sky, creating a loud sound as it went. Doramen was terribly frightened by this, jumping into the air with a yelp. Already on edge, the surge of fear suddenly kicked his brain into overdrive. Adrenaline pulsed through him as he suddenly turned around and began to sprint down the street in a blind panic.
At first, the stranger stayed where he was, before realizing that Doramen knew too much. He tightly gripped his staff and began to chase Doramen. The rain made it difficult to see, but he was able to spot Doramen's red fur sticking out against the rather gray and dull surroundings.
I can't let him remember any of this, or Doratop will kill me.. Well, he'll probably kill me either way…, the stranger thought, his heart racing.
Doramen ran and ran, suddenly in a desperate need to get back to his house. He absolutely refused to be outdoors when lightning was afoot. The superheated, fire-causing force of nature was nothing he wanted to be within the range of.
Suddenly, his vision was filled with a brilliant light. His mind went completely numb before he was consumed by darkness.