Chapter Four: Waiting in Vain
Nobody knows how many times,
I've sat in my room and cried!
How many times I've lost hope.
How many times,
I've had to swallow the pain.
And nobody knows,
how many times,
I've had to force myself to get back up.
And no one will ever know...
... After everyone ate their meal, they all gathered in the Common Room to let their stomachs settle and to socialize for a spell. 009 took his place at the balcony doors; keeping an eye out for danger like he always does. 004 leaned against the wall beside the main entrance. 003 sat on the couch with 001 in her arms; rocking him back and forth. 006 had made a fire in the fireplace across from where the couch was. 007 sat at the desk across the room; typing away at his trusty typewriter. 005 was sitting in a rocking chair next to the fire. 008 took a seat at the recliner; kicking his feet up and throwing his hands behind his head. 002 was also sitting on the couch with 0020; making sure to stay as close to her as possible without having any physical contact with her.
Everyone had told 0020 about Black Ghost and what they did to all of them. They also told her what Black Ghost did to her as well. The group could easily tell by the way she stared into the fire that the news of her new life wasn't sitting too well with her. And right now, they were waiting to see what her reaction would be. However, 0020 didn't seem to respond. And that alone disturbed the others.
002 looked over at the silver-eyed girl with a deep sympathy in his eyes. He saw a storm brewing in her eyes. He sighed, reached over, and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. He was about to say something, but 003 cut him off.
"I'm so sorry, 0020... It must be so hard knowing that you can't go back to your family..." She said in an apologetic tone; resting a caring hand on top of hers. "I'd imagine you're in a lot of pain right now."
0020's face contorted into nasty frown. "No, no, it's okay. Really, 003. I never really had much of a family ta begin wit'... or any friends fer that matter." She said; looking deeply into the fire.
"Really? That's too bad." 007 said in a disappointed tone; looking back at the girl on the couch.
"So, you were an orphan, huh?" 009 asked in a sympathetic tone; looking over at the girl with understanding eyes.
0020 gave 009 a sharp look. "Neigh, 009," she said with narrowed eyes, "I 'ad a mother and grandfather... but..." She trailed off quietly; hanging her head slightly.
002 leaned forward to look at the girl sitting next to him. "But what, 0020?" He pressed in an unsure tone; not liking where this conversation was going.
"Let's just say that my family wasn't exactly what you'd call, "good role models" if you catch my meaning." 0020 stated dryly; looking over at the fire.
004 was about to ask her what she had meant, but Doctor Gilmore walked into the room; carrying a box in his hands. He looked over at 0020 for a moment before he looked down at the box he was holding.
"Hey, there, Doctor Gilmore." He said with a weary smile. "What's that you got there?"
Doctor Gilmore looked up at the German cyborg, and returned his smile with one of his own. "Actually, 004, this is a box of 0020's personal effects. I thought she might like to have them back." He said in a kind tone; walking over to the girl and placing the box in her lap.
'... It don't really come out that way! ...'
0020 looked up at the human before her, and seen him smiling kindly at her. She looked down at the box in her lap, and used her nails to open the bindings. Once the bindings were broken, she leaned forward to peer inside.
Inside the box, there was a bag with some kind of fabric. She shook her head, and found an old photo of herself and a boy who looked identical to her. They both looked so happy standing together. The next item she found inside the box was a silver, rectangluar box, a silver zippo lighter with a type of crest on the side and lid. The last item she found was a silver pocketwatch with an old Celtic design embedded into the lid.
0020 gasped at the sight of the items in the box. "But this is..." She whispered to herself while keeping her eyes trained on the contents of the box.
003 looked over 0020's shoulder. "Is that a dress? May I see it?" She asked in a plolite tone; pointing to the box.
0020 quickly shut the box and lowered her head. "No matter what I do or how far I get, I can't escape that life..." She whispered under her breath.
002 leaned closer to the girl sitting next to him. "Huh? What did you say, 0020?" He asked in a curious tone.
0020 shook her head and stared down at the box in her possession. "You can have anything you want out of that box, however, I do want the pocketwatch though..." She said in a hollow tone; reaching into the box and pulling out said item.
003 stared blankly at the girl. "Really?" She asked in a stunned tone; not sure how to respond. "Are you sure?"
0020 shrugged her bony shoulders, and stood up from her seat. "That dress is ruined anyway. And everything else is pretty much junk. You can just burn it for all I care." She explained in a firm tone; keeping her head hung low.
She kept her eyes focused on her feet. "I need some fresh air... I promise I won't go too far and I won't be long." She said in a quiet tone; walking over to the door and stepping through the threshold.
'... All hearts could be warmer... ...'
002 stared at the door. "What was that all about?" He asked in a stunned tone; looking around at the others. "Something's not right with her."
"Maybe those items brought up some rather painful memories for her and she wants to have some time to get over it?" 009 suggested with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Hey, didn't she say something about her family not being, "Good rolemodels or something to that effect?" 004 asked in a confused tone; folding his arms over his chest.
003 picked up the box, and looked through it. She pulled out the bag with the dress and opened it. She held it up and gasped at what she saw.
The dress was an elegant-style gray dress that looked like a figure skater would wear. It was ripped and torn at the shoulders, and the lacy sides were also torn up. It was also muddy, but that wasn't what had disturbed the blonde cyborg.
What really made 003's blood run cold was when she realized that the mud she saw was actually dried up blood! It was faded with time, so the blood actually looked brown rather than the commonly seen red. It was smeared all over the mid-section of the front of the dress and looked almost as if she had been splashed in blood!
"What is it, 003?" 008 asked in a curious tone; getting up and walking over to her.
"...I - I think I know why she doesn't want the dress..." The French woman said in a shocked tone; holding up the dress for the others to see.
009 scannned over the dress with his own eyes. "Is-Is that blood on the dress?!" He asked in a shocked tone; looking up at the blonde woman.
002 looked over at the dress for a moment, and jumped away her. "Yup. That's blood alright!" He exclaimed in a disgusted tone; pinching his nose. "Oh, wow! That thing is ripe, dude!"
"Do you think it belonged to 0020?" 007 asked in a worried tone; looking over at the dress. "I hope she wasn't wearing it when it happened!"
003 touched the spot on the dress where the blood was centered and felt a hole in the front. "I think she was wearing it when it happened. See?" She replied, as she stuck her finger through the hole.
"Well, at least now we have a better idea about why she acts the way she does when she's around us." 004 stated in a grim tone; frowning at the dress.
'... Do something original! ...'
003 looked over at the door with sad eyes. "Oh, that poor girl..." She said in a worried tone; holding the dress close to her heart.
There was a thick silence hanging in the air, and everyone was tense with concern and worry. What could they possibly say or do to help someone like 0020? Of course everyone has had their own demons that they'd rather forget, but no one can say that their own mothers ever tried to kill them. They all silently agreed that 0020 suffered a far greater pain than they would ever know. They were all startled out of their thoughts when they heard the door open.
They all looked to see if 0020 had returned, but were slightly disappointed when Doctor Kazumi appeared at the door. They had hoped 0020 would open up more to them, but their prayers proved in vain.
"Oh my! What's with the long faces all of a sudden?" He asked in a slightly surprised tone; looking around at all the people in the room.
"It's nothing, my friend. I'll tell you about some other time." Doctor Gilmore said in a lazy tone; waving the old man off. "Is there something you need?"
Doctor Kazmi smiled at the man. "Yes, there's a storm headed this way and I was hoping I could use some help locking up all the windows. It's a very big house and I'm afraid I'm not as young as I used to be."
003 smiled kindly at the old man and got up from her seat. "I'll be more than happy to help you, Doctor Kazumi."
"I'll help, too!" 009 said excitedly; moving from his place at the balcony door.
004 smiled at the three and pushed himself away from the wall. "0020 just went outside." He said in a fatherly tone; joining the trio at the door. "I'll go get her before the storm hits."
002 shook his head and took off for the door. "I'll bring 'er in, 004!" He said in an urgent tone; opening the door for everyone. "We won't be long!"
Everyone looked at one another and waited until the door closed before 004 smiled and placed one hand on his hip and the other in his hair.
'... All stars could be brighter... ...'
"Well, how do you like that? Is it just me, or does 002 fancy 0020?" 007 said in a sly tone; a cheezy grin on his face. "Can't say that I blame the poor guy. She is quite the looker."
004 sighed and walked over to the fireplace. "I think he stands a better chance at getting 0020 to come back inside than any of us do right now." He said in a teasing tone. "She did really take a shine to him when they first met."
008 chuckled and kicked back in his seat. "Ah! Can you feel the love tonight?" He said in a joking tone; closing his eyes as he relaxed in his seat.
"I have a feeling 002 will be able to help 0020 accept the facts and help her learn to trust us." 005 said in a wise tone; smirking into his cup of coffee.
"I just hope they make it back in time before the storm hits... It's going to be a rough one." Doctor Kazumi said in a worried tone; looking out the balcony doors to see the clouds rolling in...
003 told 002 that he would be able to find the girl down by the cliffs, and flew off in a flash. 003 looked over at the others with a pleasant smile on her face. 002 flew high through the air until he found who he was looking for.
0020 was sitting Indian-Style near the edge of the cliff that over looked the ocean. He could almost swear that she was watching the darkened clouds rolling in with tears streaming down her face. However, something wasn't right about her.
002 noticed that 0020 had a very violent look in her eyes, even though she was crying. She looked so angry that it made 002 think twice about landing too close to her at the moment. However, he knew the storm was on its way and he had to bring her back inside before she got sick. So, he decided to take the risk.
He made sure to land a good distance away from her for both of their safety, and that she was aware of him, as he approached her. But for some strange reason, she didn't even acknowledge him walking up on her. She just kept silver eyes on the waves off in the distance. It was almost as if she were in some kind of trance. He even cleared his throat as loud as he could, but she still didn't respond.
"Um- 0020?" He ventured carefully; watching her closely. "I really hate to bother you right now, but there's this big storm coming soon and everybody wants you to come back inside before it hits."
0020 still didn't respond to him. She didn't break her gaze from the ocean, and he was beginning to lose his temper with her. But for some reason, when he looked down at her, he could almost swear on his life that he felt like his spirit was truly broken. He felt like he was about to scream. He felt like he had just lost his dreams all over again. But he soon felt pure, dark hatred out of the blue and he didn't understand why, but as soon as it come, those feelings went away.
It took him a minute, but he soon figured out that it was 0020's emotions that he was feeling! Was this how she felt when she found out about Black Ghost? Or was it about the dress? Or maybe it was the one who hurt her? But who did it and why? At first, he didn't know how to react, but as he looked down at 0020, he figured that she probably has no idea she's even projecting her emotions at all. So, it was easy to forgive her.
"Are you okay, 0020?" He asked again; taking a seat next to her. He frowned at her lack of response, and tried something else. "Are you upset about the dress?"
That got a reaction out of her. She closed her eyes and sighed. "...It was the dress I wore the night Black Ghost took me." She whispered quietly; looking back out at the ocean.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" He asked in a concerned tone; moving closer to her. "It's really not good if you keep it bottled up inside."
0020 let out a shaky sigh, and bent her knee. "...Everybody's got a chapter in their lives that they'd rather not read aloud." She said in a darkened tone; glaring at the distance as if seeing something was in front of her. " 'sides, it really doesn't matter who I was, but rather... who I am. I'm wrong, am I right?"
'... Every victory has a beginning! ...'
002 looked over at the girl with a slight surprise in his eyes. "Can't really argue with that. And no, you don't have to tell us anything you don't want to," he said in a firm tone; reaching over and placing a hand on hers, "but if there's one thing I've learned with all the time I've been here, it's that it helps if you actually do talk about it eventually.
I'm not saying that you have to tell us right now or anything. But I am saying that the past has a funny way of showing its face sooner or later. And it's always ugly when it does."
0020 finally broke her trance, and looked over at 002 with a faint smile. "Thank ye, 002... Tis' comfortin' knowin' there's still some good left in the world."
002 smiled fondly at 0020, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "As long as you stay with us, I promise we'll protect you, 0020... You can trust us..." He cooed in a determined tone; giving her shoulder a slight squeeze.
Their tender moment was rudely interrupted by a horrible clap of thunder. The unexpected sound caused the two to jerk away from each other and stood up all in one speedy motion. They looked over at one another and soon began to laugh at their own expense.
"I think we'd better head on back to the compound before we get caught in the storm!" He said after his laughter faded. "I can have back in no time if I fly!" He added as he held out his hand towards her.
0020 blushed and took his hand. "I-I actually enjoy flyin' wit' ye, 002." She admitted in a quiet tone; looking away from him.
0020 gave the girl a surprised look. "Really? Everyone else thinks my flying skills are a real heath risk!" He said in a joking tone; laughing nervously at his own expense.
0020 laughed right along with him. "I don't doubt th't, 002. But I'd rather fly wit' you than wit' anyone else!"
Once again, 0020 surprised him. It was like she knew he was feeling nervous and altered her answer based off of his emotions. But the question is: Does she even know she's doing it? He remembered hearing her say that she always had the abilty to sense emotions (even before Black Ghost captured her). It could even be Second Nature to her.
"Listen, 0020. I've got to ask you something..." He started to say; giving her a curious look.
0020 looked up a 002. She gave him her full attention, as she waited for him to continue.
"Are you aware of your Empathy? Like, do you even know when you're using it or not? Did your family even know you had it?" He asked in a curious tone; closing his eyes tightly as if he was waiting for her yell or hit him.
0020 looked over at 002 with a blank expression. Then her silver eyes widened in shock and looked down at herself. "I'm sorry, 002... I guess even now I don't realize I'm doing it. I may have been aware of my Empathy, but I never did 'ave much control o'er it."
002 raised a brow at the girl. "Really now?" He pressed slightly; hoping to keep her talking but not trying to force her. "Do you know why?"
0020 pulled out of the boy's grasp, and turned back to the ocean. "Been to afraid ta e'en try... I just ignored it fer so long that I forget sometimes and it ne'er 'ad a 'appy endin' fer me..." She said in a hollow tone; narrowing her eyes at something she saw in the distance.
002 allowed himself a few moments to let 0020's words sink in. Then he pulled her into a tight embrace. He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt like he had to hold her. It was almost as if he was in a dream, and she was just an illusion.
"...I'm so sorry for everything that's happened to you, 0020... I'm even more sorry that I... er - we weren't there when you really needed us... but hey, we're here now, right? And I know it's gonna take more than just kind words and smiles, but I promise we will help you."
0020 gasped and slowly pulled her trembling hands up to the front of his shirt. She buried her face into his chest, and began to shake. Her body shook so horribly that the weight in her legs nearly gave out form under her. Luckily for her, 002 had a stronger grip than she did and held her tightly against him.
"Are you alright, 0020?" He asked in a frantic tone; putting her back on her feet.
0020 began to sob violently against the boy holding her. "...Thank ye fer tellin' me that, 002... You 'ave no idea what that means ta me..." She choked out.
002 patted her back a few times and grinned down at her. "Hey, now... don't go fallin' apart on me now!" He cooed at her. "Don't forget that we need to head back to the compound soon and you don't want anyone to worry about you any more than they already are, right?"
'...There's a whole new world on the other side! ...'\
0020 sighed and regained her composture. "Ye be right 'bout that, 002." She said in a weakened tone. She looked up at the boy with her bravest smile. "Really, 002, I'm fine now. I just needed to get that off my chest."
002 chuckled and pulled 0020 closer to him. "If you ever need to blow off some steam from time to time, I'll always be there, okay? I'll be your wing man! Deal?" He said jokingly at her; causing her to giggle quietly, and his grin to grow from ear to ear. "And I promise I won't tell the others anything you don't want me to, okay?"
0020 nodded to the male cyborg, and looked down at the ground. She was about to give him her thanks once again, but a terrible clap of thunder startled her. She yelped and buried her face in his chest once again.
002 chuckled and looked down at 0020. "Don't like storms, huh?" He asked in a teasing tone.
0020 narrowed her eyes at 002. "No, I jus' wasn't expectin' it." She said in a defensive tone; fighting down her blush.
0020 chuckled and pulled her closer to him. "Alright then... let's head on back to the compound, shall we?"
And with that, 002 activated his jets and took off into the air; making sure their conversation was left behind on the cliffs...
TPW: Whew!
002: What's up with you making me an oc, wolf?
TPW: *smiles innocently at him* Hey, cheer up, 002, it gets a lot worse!
004: Why did it take you so long to rewrite our story again? It's been since what? '08 '09?
TPW: *Shruggs* Well, I kept having computer problems and writer's block wasn't helping, either. But mainly because I didn't have a computer to type on. So, I had to use the old fashioned pen and paper.
TPW: *Turns to the readers* I'm deeply sorry it took me so long to post anything new, guys. But I promise that I will do my personal best to post new chapters to old stories just as soon as I get the chance. However, I can't really make any promises that I'll post regularly due to the holidays coming up. So, just bare with me and I will do what I can!
TPW: *Turns to the cyborgs* So, who wants to do it this time?
Cyborgs: *backs away except for 002*
002: *looks back at the others and notices they're behind him* What the? Why me?
TPW: Because you're the one who had to say something first! Now, do it! Or else I'll stop the story right here and now!
002: *gasps and turns to the readers* The Paper Wolf doesn't own Cyborg 009 or anything to do with the anime/manga. She just owns this story and 0020.
TPW: *smiles and hugs 002* You are just too sweet, 002! Thank you so much!
002: *blushes and looks away* Yeah, whatever, man!
TPW: *turns back to the readers* That's all for now, guys! Have a good day and always remember: Smile until you stop!