The rest of Astro and Tenma's day wasn't exactly comfortable; not a lot was said and finally Tenma just went to bed early. But, as predicted, he wasn't sleeping. Like almost every single night previously, Astro observed through his scanners how Tenma lay tense in bed and barely even slept.

Then next morning, things started to go awry already from dawn. At six in the morning, there was a knock on the door. Astro stayed on his recharge table, waiting for Tenma to answer it, but he didn't. Instead, he merely went to the kitchen and made his coffee, like every other morning.

The knocking didn't stop, though; it just continued. After fifteen minutes of constant knocking, Astro finally got up and walked to the hallway only to be stopped as Tenma's voice called,

"Astro, don't open that door!"

Astro halted, for a moment glancing at the door but then finally went to the kitchen instead and watched Tenma sit down with his coffee. Today he was not reading the newspaper, instead he was reading an ordinary book.

"Father?" Astro asked.

Tenma exhaled deeply. "Remember what I told you yesterday?" he asked. "Don't let anyone in you don't know."

"You think those are journalists out there?" Astro asked, turning to the door where people kept knocking.

"A fair number of them, yes," Tenma nodded.

"Oh. Who else other than journalists would be out there?"

"It could be any number of people," Tenma supposed. "Greedy businessmen who hope they can make a deal, robot engineers asking for expertise, politicians who want to look good on television. The possibilities are endless," he said as he dully turned a page in his book.

"And you don't want to talk to any of them?" Astro asked.

"No."

"What if one of them is here to ask for your help?"

"Then that person would be better off asking for help elsewhere," Tenma said. "Even if I desired to help people out of good will, my hands are currently tied. I am under house arrest and any robots I build or have my hands on will be under severe observation for a long time. I don't think my help is as desirable as some may think at the current time."

Astro looked at Tenma, who didn't even glance up from his book and coffee. Astro sighed; it was hard to argue against that.

The knocking, though, kept sounding and it was getting louder.

"Erhm... Father," Astro tried as he looked at the door.

"Don't invite them in," Tenma repeated calmly, but then a shout sounded.

"DR TENMA OPEN UP ! IT'S ME!"

Astro gaped. "PROFESSOR OCHANOMIZU!"

And then another shout came from the other side of the door. "BIG BROTHEER, HEEEELP THEY ARE SQASHING ME!"

"URAN!" Astro shouted and then ran for the door only to be met by a waterfall of people and an overwhelming amount of flashing camera lights.

"Urgh!" Astro hissed as he had to cover his eyes with his arms.

A strong hand on his shoulder pulled him back into the apartment. Astro looked up to see the taller, slender figure of Tenma reaching out and pulling the plump old professor and little robot girl in as well before he put all his weight on the door, trying to close it again. "GET OUT!" he shouted at the masses.

"DR TENMA!" a voice shouted. "Could I ask you just a few questions!?"

"DR TENMA! Do you think it's fair you were let out of prison so early?"

"Dr Tenma! What is your view on the current politics of the robotics institute?"

"I HAVE NO COMMENTS!" Tenma shouted as he tried to push the door shut.

Then, finally, Astro came to help and pushed as well. Uran jumped beside him, and even the old professor. Finally, by working together, they managed to close the door and Tenma turned the lock. At last, he could relax, gasping deeply for air.

"Well, Astro, I hope you understand a little better now why I didn't want to open the door."

Astro gaped at Tenma with wide eyes. "That was scary!"

"Phew, I never thought it would be so difficult to get to an apartment," Ochanomizu commented as he wiped his forehead with a white handkerchief.

Uran, however, ran to the window and climbed up on a chair to push the curtain aside. "They're surrounding the entire building!"

Tenma quickly pulled the curtain back in place, blocking the view.

"Hey!" Uran shouted.

"Trust me, you don't want to be caught on camera," Tenma warned.

Ochanomizu sighed deeply. "So word of your release has finally gotten out."

Tenma shrugged. "I suppose it was only a matter of time."

"You're all over the news!" Uran exclaimed as she reached for the TV remote. "All the channels! Look!" She turned on the TV and was met by the sight of a male anchor standing on the street.

"And we have just gotten word that Professor Ochanomizu, the current head of the Ministry of Science, has entered the building -"

Once again the TV was turned off as Tenma had taken the remote.

Uran gaped. "That was from down the street!" she said, running to the window, but had to stop due to the blinds blocking the view. "Down there somewhere."

Tenma exhaled deeply. "You probably shouldn't have come," he said to Ochanomizu.

"I suppose," the old professor sighed. "But I was worried, and so was Uran."

"I am guessing you had your fair share of journalists knocking on your door as well."

"Yes, I did," Ochanomizu replied. "However, my home is highly secured. Unwelcome journalists will not be able to make it past the front gate. I had several calls, though, and invitations to a number of news channels."

Tenma raised an eyebrow. "And have you responded?"

"Not yet," Ochanomizu replied honestly. "Sadly, I can't make time for all of them."

"You intend to actually talk to those people?"

"Of course I do. Transparency is very important!" Ochanomizu argued. "I'm sure it'll put the public's mind at ease to know that you are not out to do them any harm, Dr Tenma. You must feel the same way, I'm sure."

Tenma shrugged. "People can think what they like; it's no business of mine."

"Oh," Ochanomizu blinked. "I see."

Uran pouted. "Why are so many people interested in an old meanie anyway?"

Tenma smirked. "Because of Astro," he said simply. "If I had just been a regular terrorist, there probably would have been a bit of attention, but certainly not to this degree. No, this is because everyone adores Astro; he's a celebrity, so to speak."

"And you're the person who created me," Astro finished. "That's good then isn't it? You must be like a hero to them!"

"If there is something the media loves, it's a good drama," Tenma shook his head in amusement. "People will not be satisfied by a simple, happy solution. Such is the nature of humans." He lifted the remote again and they were all faced with the footage of a huge explosion from two years ago.

"This man, who hates human life, now walks freely among us! How can the mayor allow that?! A man who would value a robot higher than human life should not be allowed to walk free! He is a dangerous, a sick man!"

Tenma turned off the television.

Astro swallowed. Uran as well was quiet, lost for words.

Uncomfortable, Ochanomizu rubbed his neck.

"That… is so unfair," Astro breathed.

"Is it?" Tenma asked indifferently.

"Father! You're not… I mean you don't…"

"I did attempt to kill people," Tenma pointed out. "I fully intended to do it. By all means I should have been in prison for the rest of my life. The only reason I am not is because of you, Astro."

Astro fell silent. "All of this… is because of me," he breathed. "That's not what I..." His words trailed off.

Wide eyed, Uran looked up at Tenma. "Do you really think robots are more important than humans?"

Tenma shrugged. "I'm not sure," he said. "These days, I feel quite indifferent to either being."

"That's mean!"

"It's the truth," Tenma replied. "However, if it sets your mind at ease, I don't have any particular wish to see a human get hurt anymore. Nor do I have any wish to see a robot getting hurt. I feel quite indifferent."

"Except…" Astro then spoke quietly, "the reason why people found out is because you saved that girl yesterday. You saved her. I know you think you're a bad person, but maybe you're not as bad as you think you are."

Tenma smirked grimly. "To tell the truth, I don't even know what went through my head when that happened," he said. "It was more of a reaction than a calculated effort."

"Still, you reacted," Astro smiled then was halted by the sound of more knocks on the door.

"How are we even going to get out of here again?" Uran asked, concerned.

Astro was quiet for a moment. "I can fly you out through the window," he suggested. "I think that's probably the easiest way."

Ochanomizu looked tired by the suggestion already, but nodded his consent to the idea, just as another big shout sounded from the door,

"STAY BACK! I AM AUTHORIZED TO USE TRANQUILIZERS AND TAZERS!"

Stunned, they all turned to the door which was being unlocked, and in came a very disheveled looking Yukata. Her usually neat hair was a mess, and her little flying robot bristling with sparks.

"Get back!" she hissed, pushing people back with her high-heel-clad foot. She finally managed to kick a man in his stomach, sending him flying back, allowing her to shut the door and lock it once again before she shouted at the door, "YOU SAVAGE BEASTS!"

Stunned, they all looked at her and Yukata turned to them, straightened up, and ran a hand through her hair as if trying to regain her composure. "Well I never," she huffed. "I'm sorry you had to see that." She straightened her sleeve.

"Heh, welcome to the fold," Tenma greeted. "Coffee?"

Yukata exhaled deeply as she rubbed her forehead. "Yes please," she said and Tenma led them all to the living room, where he found two clean coffee cups for Ochanomizu and Yukata.

"So what brings you here Ms Yukata?" Tenma asked. "You are a few hours early, are you not?"

"When the first thing I saw turning on the television this morning was your face, I knew something had to be up," Yukata replied. "And it is my job to ensure you don't suffer a relapse."

"Well, as you can see, I have not gone into a rampage. You should be quite safe," Tenma lifted his own mug.

"This is indeed a problem," Ochanomizu sighed deeply as he held his coffee. "Dr Tenma, maybe you would like to move to another location until this dies down?"

Tenma shrugged. "If you think that's the easiest thing to do."

"I'm sure we could arrange it so you can stay at the robotics institute for a while," Astro said. "You could stay with us."

That made Tenma pause. "That's very kind of you, Astro, but I rather not go there."

Yukata sighed. "The police should soon arrive and clear out the building," she said. "The journalists are all on the verge of breaking an entrance."

"I suppose we won't be able to go to the park today," Astro said a little sadly.

"No, I don't think that would be wise," Tenma agreed. "I'm sorry, Astro; it'll probably be a while before I should go to the park again."

"That's sad," Uran frowned. "Are you just going to be locked up in here then?"

Tenma shrugged.

"As your psychiatrist, I can't really recommend that," Yukata countered.

"What, then, would you suggest?"

At that, Yukata was clearly stumped as she didn't answer, but frowned in annoyance.

"Ms Yukata, will you be staying with father?" Astro asked. "I have to go to school soon, but I don't like father being alone here right now. I could stay if here if you can't."

"Astro, please don't skip school on my account," Tenma said.

Yukata sighed. "I can stay for a while, but not the entire day."

"Dr Tenma, if you need something, please don't hesitate to call me or Yuko," Ochanomizu added.

"I know. Thank you," Tenma nodded lightly at the professor. He huffed as suddenly there was a knock from the window. He crossed the room in three strides and opened the curtain to see a flying droid constantly flying back and forth into the window. "Whatever your owner is selling, I am not interested," he flat out told the droid and pulled the curtains shut again. That, though, didn't stop the droid from continuously flying into the window, and soon double knocks sounded, indicating that a second droid had joined it. Tenma grumbled in annoyance.

It would be so damn easy to make an electrical pulse that would shut down any droids coming to bother him. The problem was that if he installed such a pulse, it would probably interfere with all those stupid surveillance robots as well, and he would be in trouble with the police.

Everyone took a step away, as they could see Tenma was clearly very agitated

Somehow, Astro had a feeling that this was going to be a long day.

And, indeed, when he arrived at school, the building was buzzing, and everyone was talking about the same thing.
No matter where Astro looked people were talking about Tenma. Of course, the moment a group of children realised Astro had arrived they ran to him.

"Astro!" a young second grader shouted happily. "I didn't know your father had been released! That's awesome!"

"Is it though?" another child asked. "My mom says Dr Tenma is a dangerous criminal and he should be locked up. Sorry, Astro."

"That's, okay," Astro blushed. "He was put into prison for a reason, I suppose. But my father is a lot better now! He's doing his best, he really is!"

"Didn't he try to kill a bunch of people?" a girl asked and Astro gaped.

"Erh."

Just then a hand grabbed Astro's shoulder and pulled him out from the growing mass of people.

"Astro!" a familiar voice shouted and Astro turned to see the face of his dark skinned best friend.

"Kennedy!" Astro exclaimed. "Sorry about leaving you in the park yesterday; things got a little hectic."

"They sure did," Kennedy nodded. "Your father sure acted cool though, getting that girl of the airike and all of that. That was pretty brave."

"Yeah, I think so too."

"Astro!" Abercrombie cried as he and Alejo came running. "Look at this, you made it to the front page of the newspaper." He held up the paper in question. "I know that's pretty normal for you, but this sure is different."

Astro blinked as he took the newspaper and looked at the title. "'Does one genius invention excuse a lifetime of crime?'"

He saw his own picture side by side with Tenma's. "This front page is lying," Astro pointed out. "My father has not lived a lifetime of crime; most of his life he's been law abiding. And he's made way more brilliant inventions than just one!"

"Some of these titles are pretty out there," Alejo agreed. "I mean, look at this one." He held up another newspaper.

'Umataro Tenma: Psychotic Madman or Misunderstood Genius?'

Astro glanced at the title then turned away uncomfortably.

"Astro?" Kennedy asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I… I'm fine," Astro swallowed.

"Would you rather we just don't talk about it?"

"I don't know," Astro admitted. "Father said this would happen; he wasn't surprised by it at all."

"How is your father?" Abercrombie asked.

"He's doing alright I suppose."

"You don't really sound too confident," Kennedy pointed out.

"No," Astro muttered. "But I don't know what I can do about it. Whatever I do, father seems to keep on being… I don't know."

"Well, your father is a bit strange," Abercrombie grinned.

Alejo gasped. "Abercrombie!"

"What? He is!" Abercrombie countered. "When we play he just sits there in the corner looking kind of creepily at us. He kind of looks like a vampire. And that is a bit strange, but that only makes sense. Astro's father is a genius, after all, and geniuses are always a bit strange. That's what my mom always says!" he grinned. "That's what makes them a genius! So if Dr Tenma wasn't strange he wouldn't be a genius, and if he wasn't a genius he couldn't have built Astro. And I sure am glad he did build Astro, so it's all good!"

Stunned, Astro looked at Abercrombie. "Yeah!" he smiled.

"My dad also says you can't trust the newspaper anyway," Alejo stated as he threw the newspaper in the trash can.

Kennedy nodded. "I'm sure if any of this was important Dr Tenma would tell Astro."

"Yeah, I suppose," Astro replied a little uneasily, making his friends look curiously at him, but there wasn't time for more talk as the bell rang, signaling that it was time for class.

For the rest of the day, Astro's friends put up a brave front, almost acting like his bodyguards to keep all the other kids away who were desperate to ask questions. Thankfully, the school had already gotten quite accustomed to noisy journalists who wanted to interview Astro, and as a result they were simply not allowed to enter school grounds. That didn't stop them from standing on the other side of the fence trying to catch a glimpse of Astro and call him over, though. But as long as Astro stayed inside it wasn't really a problem.

However, it was quite hard to get past all those newspapers lying around, and Astro had a hard time suppressing his own curiosity.

It felt like took forever but finally school was over and Astro was just itching to get back to the apartment, hoping that Tenma was okay. He was just about to take off as Uran came running.

"BIG BROTHER!" Uran shouted. "WAIT FOR MEEEEE!"

"Uran?" Astro asked as he turned to her.

"I'm coming with you!" Uran said. "You're going to look after your father right? I'm going to look after you then!"

"Are you sure Uran?" Astro smiled. "I would love for you to come, but I'm not sure that father will be such pleasant company."

"Well that's just an even better reason!" Uran retorted. "Catch me, Astro!" She jumped up on his back and Astro yanked up her legs.

"All right then," Astro told her. "Hold on."

And they were off, flying over the city. Uran laughed happily as she hung onto Astro and Astro made a loop in the air for Uran's pleasure.

It didn't take them long to reach the apartment building near the park. Things didn't look too good though. Now there was a big line of police officers and robots keeping the people away from the building.

"Wow," Uran breathed. "They really want their photos of Mr. Tenma."

"Not just that; only half of those people are press," Astro observed.

"For such a big meanie, he sure is popular."

"He's not that mean, Uran," Astro told her. "Come on, let's get inside." He flew towards the window. The blinds were down, though, so it was impossible to look inside and Astro had to knock on the window. "Father!" he shouted. "It's me, Astro!"

Shortly after, the curtains were pulled aside by Tenma and he opened the window, stepping aside to allow Astro and Uran in, before he closed the window and pulled the drapes again, leaving the room in semi darkness.

Uran blinked as she looked at Tenma, then finally crawled down from Astro. "Are you building a lair in here?" she asked.

Tenma turned to her and smiled in slight amusement. "It wasn't my intention, but I suppose I am," he admitted. "Uran, does Ochanomizu know you're here?"

"Yes, I told him I would go home with Astro after school this morning," Uran smiled sweetly. "It's okay. Besides, the Professor is going to be very busy today; he said he probably would be home pretty late."

"I see," Tenma nodded. "How was school then?" He moved to his armchair.

"It was good," Astro said. "We had a class in the holo-room today. We saw a recreation of a Viking boat. It was really cool."

"And I was taught about photosynthesis in trees!" Uran beamed, jumping up and down. "Did you know that plants breathe air too?"

"Yes," Tenma nodded. "All creatures that move need to burn energy somehow. And energy is the conversion of one form of matter to another. Your own breathing, for instance, Uran. Your mouth carries the function of an exhaust pipe. Inside of you a constant reaction is taking place, transforming oxygen into carbon dioxide. The conversion is part of your power source, so your inhale always brings new oxygen into your body, and when you breathe out carbon dioxide escapes. You and Astro are the only two robots who actually breathe like humans, I believe. Which is what allows you to keep on going for a little while even if you are out of power. All other robots have to either run on fuel or electricity solely."

"Whoa, really?" Uran asked. "I get energy from air just like humans?"

"Well, yes and no," Tenma reflected. "How good are you with molecular physics?"

"Erhm…" Uran blushed. "That's okay you don't have to explain it to me."

Amused, Astro shook his head. "So, you managed to keep all those journalists out?"

"It certainly helped when the police arrived," Tenma replied.

Astro tilted his head. "How long have you've been alone here?"

Tenma shrugged. "Just a few hours, I think."

"Really?" Uran asked. "What did you do for all that time then?"

"Nothing much; just reading."

"That sounds boring," Uran commented then looked towards the shut window. "We should go out and do something."

"Uran, we can't," Astro then reminded her. "Father is under house arrest; the only two places he can go is the park and the grocery store and both will be filled with people who won't leave him alone."

"Aw man!" Uran exclaimed. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

Astro was silent for a while. "I'm sure father would like to teach you about molecular physics if you ask him nicely."

"What?!" Uran asked. "Erh, that's okay. Maybe I'll just catch up on some homework!" She found her schoolbag and turned it upside down to empty the contents out on the coffee table.

Astro glanced up at Tenma, and was relieved to see him smirking in amusement.

"Don't you have homework as well, Astro?" he asked as he leaned forward and picked up his pipe from the table.

"Sure," Astro nodded. "Do you know anything about the Vikings?"

"Not particularly; history has never been my field," Tenma admitted as he filled the pipe with tobacco. "Ask me if you have any questions about physics, mathematics or chemistry." He lit the pipe and inhaled a bit of smoke before exhaling a small cloud.

"Sure thing."

"Mr. Tenma!" Uran exclaimed. "The professor says smoking is really bad!"

"He's probably right about that," Tenma replied. "But it also happens to be quite relaxing. I fear smoking is the only thing keeping me from destroying one of those things," he pointed at one of the many security bots in the corner of the room.

"…Then it's probably better you just smoke."

It actually ended up being quiet a pleasant afternoon between the three. Not a lot was said, but it was a rather pleasant silence. Both Astro and Uran worked on their homework while Tenma sat with a puzzle book. He seemed to be decently entertained by these brainteaser puzzles, even though he answered all of them at a much quicker rate than they were probably supposed to be solved. In any case, it was the most relaxed Astro had seen Tenma and that was good enough for him.

Eventually, though, Uran had finished her homework and grew bored. She started to zap through TV channels but got pretty annoyed that only news programs were on. "Seriously! Why does everyone care so much?" she huffed. "Don't they have a life?" She flicked through several more channels and then stopped. "Hey it's the professor!" she pointed out and both Astro and Tenma looked up. Just as she'd said, Ochanomizu was seated on a chair in front of a journalist in what looked like a TV set for the news.

"And it's live," Astro realized, glancing to the left corner of the screen.

Tenma heaved a mental sigh and went back to his current puzzle problem while Uran turned up for the sound.

"You worked with Dr Tenma for quite a while didn't you, Professor?" the interviewer sitting in front of Ochanomizu, a rather handsome young man with chestnut brown hair, asked.

"Yes, indeed," Ochanomizu nodded. The kind professor looked pretty relaxed and like he intended to do his best to ease the situation. "I first met Dr Tenma while I was working at the Ministry of Science as head engineer. Dr Tenma was head-hunted by the institute and started to work with us the moment he had gotten his university degree. He was indeed exceptionally gifted; it only took him two years working for the institute before he made the breakthrough that led to the robot AI as we know it today, making modern robotics possible."

"When you think back to that time, what do you recall about Dr Tenma?"

"Well," Ochanomizu rubbed his chin in thought. "I remember what really stood out to me was, well, he was so young. I myself wasn't exactly a spring chicken already back then, and I had been working with robotics for most of my life, yet he exceeded my skills in almost every way. He was a very quiet man, though, and very well spoken, always so very polite," he reminisced. "He never boasted about his accomplishments or demanded praise. All he asked for was the ability to work. And he was indeed a very hard worker. Now that I think about it, I do remember times where Dr Tenma would be working as I went home for the day and then he would still be there when I came back the next morning."

"Is that so?" the interviewer asked. "Wouldn't you call such a behavior an obsession?"

That made Ochanomizu blink. "Well," he hesitated, "he certainly was passionate, that much is for sure. The robotics industry truly flourished while he was there, always ready with a number of new design ideas. It didn't really surprise anyone at all when he was appointed the new Minister of Science. Most of the advancements the institute made during that time were indeed due to his hard work and brilliant mind."

"The time he became Minister, that was also around the time he was married was it not?" the interviewer asked. "And his wife was also an engineer."

"Ah yes, Hoshie," Ochanomizu nodded as he sighed deeply. "It's no surprise Dr Tenma would marry another robots engineer; he barely ever left the institute, after all."

"What do you remember about her?"

"She was very kind," Ochanomizu smiled a little sadly. "Always nervous around Dr Tenma, it was clear for everyone to see that she had a crush on him. We were all quite surprised when they actually went out together; none of us believed Dr Tenma had it in him. Only a year after they married, and I believe it was six months after that that Tobio was born."

"Would you call their marriage a happy one?"

Ochanomizu was silent for a while, then finally nodded. "I believe so," he said. "They were both quiet people, but I also think that it was a good fit. I can't speak for their home life, but they never seemed unhappy to me. Umataro gave Hoshie anything she ever asked, and Hoshie seemed to look forward to getting a real family."

"And then Hoshie Tenma died a mere one and a half years after Tobio Tenma's birth. How did Dr Tenma react?"

"It is hard to say," Ochanomizu admitted. "Dr Tenma never spoke much about his own emotions or private life; all I know is that he dedicated himself to his work after that."

"What about his son?" the interviewer asked.

Ochanomizu sighed deeply. "Tobio. He was a very kind boy, always brightening up the institute when he was on a visit. I have no doubt in my heart that Dr Tenma loved his son with all of his heart. I shouldn't have to say that though; Astro is proof of that. All the love Tenma had for his son went into the creation of Astro. And to this day, Astro is still the ultimate robot. No other robot even comes close."

"Yet Astro was abandoned and it was up to you to resurrect him," the interviewer pointed out.

Ocanomizu sighed deeply. "I won't pretend to know Dr Tenma's reasons or thoughts back then," he said. "However, I know the pain and anguish he must have gone through would have been far greater than either of us can imagine. We already know that humans do irrational things when their hearts are compromised. Tobio's death was tragic and senseless. Dr Tenma is a brilliant man. Perhaps he was just desperate to make sense of it."

"What about now?" the interviewer asked. "As Dr Tenma is free again, do you think society is safe with him walking free?"

"Oh yes!" Ochanomizu stated, looking up. "I don't believe Dr Tenma is out to do any harm. Knowing him from so long ago, all he really wants is just a bit of privacy."

"So do you think we can still expect exciting new projects from Dr Tenma?"

"Who knows?" Ochanomizu replied. "That is his own decision; if he wishes to continue his brilliant research or fade into obscurity is entirely up to him. In either case, I will always be thankful to him."

"Thank you for your time, Professor Ochanomizu," the interview then ended. "This has, indeed, been a very interesting talk."

"Wow," Uran breathed.

Annoyed, Tenma looked away, grumbling a bit to himself. Something about it not being Ochanomizu's place to spill out his life story. Although, since Tenma's life story was available in any newspaper, it probably didn't matter what Ochanomizu said on television, as far as Astro could gather.

"What did your wife look like?" Uran then suddenly asked Tenma directly.

"Hmm?" Tenma blinked.

"Hmm, I don't think I've ever seen her," Uran muttered. "You had so many pictures with Tobio and Astro in your old house. Why didn't you have any of that Hoshie person?"

Tenma glanced away. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "Logically speaking I ought to, shouldn't I?"

Astro was confused as well; that was indeed a pretty good question. "Didn't you like her?" he asked.

Tenma shrugged. "I didn't dislike her," he said leaning his head in his hand.

"You must have loved her!" Uran exclaimed. "You married her, after all. Why would you marry her if you didn't love her?"

"Because she asked me," Tenma replied distantly. "She thought we should get married; I saw no reason not to. People get married all the time don't they? And the prospect seemed to make her quite happy."

Confused, Astro looked at Tenma. "She's the one who wanted to get married?" he asked. "Didn't you want to get married?"

"It made very little difference to me, honestly."

"That's not very romantic," Uran pouted. "There must be something! I'm sure she was really beautiful!" she stated. "No wait, why would anyone beautiful marry a big meanie?"

"I suppose she was rather beautiful." Tenma finally said. "And quite clever. Very calm and orderly. I didn't mind her company."

Uran was just about to open her mouth again, but was stopped as Astro laid a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. It was clear this conversation was over now. Astro was pretty lucky that Tenma had opened up this much without losing it. He really didn't want to compromise what little common ground they had found.

"Uran, do you want me to fly you to the institute?" Astro asked.

"Yes, please!" Uran smiled.

"Father, is there something I can pick up for you on the way back?"

"If you wouldn't mind picking up the items on the shopping list I wrote," Tenma asked. "I put it on the fridge. I'm afraid it seems like I won't be able to go to the store for a while."

"That's okay," Astro nodded.

Soon after that, Astro flew out the window with Uran on his back. Beneath them there were still both the press and other people kept back by the police.

All things considered, though, the day hadn't been too bad. The last part had been outright nice.

"Astro," Uran then spoke. "You know, maybe he's not that big of a meanie after all."

"You think so?"

"Maybe," Uran said. "But don't tell him I said that!"

Astro laughed. Yup, this hadn't been a bad day at all.

The chapter has been beta read by MugetsuFoxPipe