I am way beyond sorry that this chapter is coming up so late! Like I mentioned earlier, the computer I was using wasn't my own so it wasn't always in my possession long enough to write, but now I have my own computer again and it is fantastic! After I switch the files around from the hard drives (which isn't going the way I planned it, but it's getting done), I should be able to get back to this story easier (along with the three other fics I'm trying to work on, all for my Mega Man AU that's, like, my baby at this point). So -hopefully- updates should be on a more regular basis again after the switch.

Also, if you have some free time, look up Landscape by Florence and the Machine- it's the song I listen to when I'm writing about Uran because I feel it fits her pretty well in this story. There's especially one line in the song that almost feels as if Astro is giving her encouragement, and it inspired a scene that will take place later in the story that I hope I'll be able to convey well enough for you guys.

Any way, enough talking, on with the story!

Astro wasn't able to ask the professor anything before dinner, but had given him plenty of time to think out what he was going to say. He waited until the perfect time to ask, hoping that if he asked at the right time, he would be able to get a direct answer with little shock.
"How was your day today?" Professor O'Shay eventually asked after he had finished eating a rather hearty meal.
"It went rather well." Astro told him with a smile as he took the professor's plate away to wash it. "I even made some friends too."
"You... did?" O'Shay asked, almost sounding a bit surprised. Astro nodded in confirmation.
"I even met a rather interesting girl." Astro then said, "Her name was Uran."
It took a moment for the name to sink in, then Astro could feel something about Professor O'Shay change. The feeling the man gave off was... odd. It was almost like... remorse...?
"Do you know her?" Astro asked, tilting his head to the side slightly with curiosity.
"No." O'Shay said shortly, attempting to get up from the table. Instantly, Astro knew that the professor was going to ignore the question, which inspired the little android to press further.
"What about Tenma?" Astro then asked. This time, Professor O'Shay froze. Naturally, Astro took this as a sign to continue, "I brushed against Uran by accident in the hallway, and there was something about her. Every bone in her body seemed to whisper it to me like a hypnotic spell- it said 'Tenma, Tenma, Tenma' over and over. Who was that?"
At this point, O'Shay was barely moving. If Astro wasn't able to feel the human's heart race a million miles a minute, he would have assumed he had died standing up.
"Professor O'Shay..." Astro then inquired carefully. "Why won't you tell me who Doctor Tenma is?"
For a long time, the professor remained silent, acting as if silence was going to make Astro decide to change the subject. It didn't, and it almost started to make the little android burn with even more curiosity.
"It's been a long day." O'Shay then decided, refusing to look Astro in the eye. "It's time for bed. Good night."
Disappointed of how the conversation had derailed so quickly without even leaving the station, Astro gave O'Shay a curt little nod. "Good night professor," he said, his voice toneless and hinting at a bit of anger. With a nod, Professor O'Shay left the room and quickly as he could without saying anything else to the android.
Well, if this is how it's going to be, then there's more than one way to skin a cat.

. . .

There was no love lost when Professor O'Shay dropped Astro off at school the next day wordlessly or without eye contact. Astro made his way up the front steps of the school and headed straight toward his first class. As he walked along, Astro took good note of the students that went by, hoping that Uran would be in the crowd somewhere so he could talk to her one on one. Unfortunately, he couldn't find her at all during the entire morning.
Kennedy was quick to pick up on Astro's dismay.
"Thinkin' about Uran?" Kennedy asked before their teacher came in. Astro looked at Kennedy with a shocked look.
"How did you know?" Astro questioned, almost surprised.
"You get this really funny look when you think of her." Kennedy told him. "Noticed it yesterday- what's she got against you that you think about her so often?"
Astro thought carefully before answering, Kennedy's curious face did not help Astro decide on what to say. "I..." Astro slowly started to admit with Kennedy hanging on every word, "I think that she might be related to me."
Kennedy gave Astro a blank look before giving a snort of disbelief.
"Go ahead and try to tell her that." Kennedy snickered, "See how far it gets you to being smacked in the face."
"I know it sounds ridiculously unlikely..." Astro admitted, scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "B-but I think I'm right, and it wouldn't hurt to ask..."
"You think that," Kennedy laughed, "But you'll find quickly that Uran's bite is worse than her bark."
The android boy said nothing further on the subject with Kennedy, or his other friends for that matter, knowing that eventually the conversation would not go in his favor. So, Astro waited out until lunch time to search for Uran again, knowing that she had to be in the mix somewhere, and he almost ended up missing her as she took her packed lunch and squeezed out a door that headed outside. Refusing to acknowledge any of his friends when they tried to wave him over to their table, Astro followed behind Uran as swiftly as he could out the door and down a path that led to the school's garden.
Curious, Astro hid behind a bush as Uran sat down on a bench near a looming weeping willow tree. Slowly, Uran got out her lunch and started to munch on a rather sad looking turkey sandwich that had been slathered with gravy on top. Several minutes passed as Uran ate her sandwich in silence before a squirrel came up to her. The squirrel looked up at Uran with intent, as if it were expecting her to give it some of her food. Uran looked down at the squirrel and frowned.
"I'm not giving you any of this." She told the squirrel sternly. "You beat me out of a cherry cobbler yesterday, you're not going to do the same today."
The squirrel tilted its head to the side a bit before jumping up on the bench next to Uran.
"You're getting fat." Uran then told the squirrel grimly. "I'm not giving you anything when the other students do that job for me. Just look at you- if you keep leaning on my lunch bag like that, it's going to cave in and everything's going to be squished."
Hearing this, the squirrel backed up a little, but it did not leave the bench. Suddenly, in a rather moment of genius and stupidity for not realizing it earlier, Astro realized that she was actually communicating with the squirrel; a real conversation too, like the kind of conversation you'd have with a friend.
"She can understand animals!" Astro said outloud, as if to cement how obvious it was to himself. He said it a bit too loud though, because the squirrel finally left Uran alone while Uran herself jumped a few centimeters in the air from surprise.
"Get up and look me in the eye if you're going to spy on me!" Uran demanded, standing up to assert her authority. "Get up!"
Feeling obligated and more than a little guilty, Astro did as he was told. From there, he stood awkwardly as Uran looked him over with displeasure.
"H-hi Uran..." Astro slowly greeted, refusing to look up at her.
"Hello," was the curt reply.
"Can I... can I join you for lunch?" Astro then asked knowing how dumb the question seemed after saying it. Of course she wouldn't want to eat lunch with him after she caught him spying on her through some bushes. It would have been stupid, ridiculous even. In fact, Astro wouldn't have been surprised if she wouldn't even touch him with a ten foot pole if she had the chance. He highly doubted that he would even be able to ask her if-
"Sure." Uran told him, replying so quickly that he had to rethink for a moment to make sure she had said what he had heard.
"Are you sure?" Astro asked in a dumbfounded tone. Uran gave a stiff nod.
"You can eat lunch with me." The girl affirmed. "As long as you stay in those bushes and face the school."