Astro Boy Fan Fiction ❯ Eternal Bond ❯ Return to Painful Memories ( Chapter 2 )

"Some just can't wait to die!"

~Auron-Final Fantasy X

Eternal Bond

Chapter 2

His feet softly touched the concrete as he descended from the sky. He stumbled a little bit, his body readjusting to the gravity of Planet Earth. He had been in space for so long he had forgotten what it was like to stand and walk on his own two feet, being weighted down by an invisible force.

Atlas surveyed the citizens of Metro City, his gaze as sharp as a hawk. He chuckled to himself as the unsuspecting humans continued their busy routes like mice scurrying though a maze. They were so completely unaware of the danger that stood in their midst that it amused him to no end. He had been more then tempted to start blowing up buildings than and there, but he decided against it. If one wants to cause discord and chaos, one must do it wisely.

He had changed himself into his human form, not wanting to draw attention to himself just yet. A scowl graced his face as he stepped onto the dimly lit street, recognizing that he was in the rich part of Metro City where Bakamano Acetylene Lamp resided. His former home with Tokugawa was in this part of the city; he had spent of a good deal of his life after the age of nine avoiding the place like the plague. Both adult and child alike were superficial, thinking of nothing but themselves with no concern for others. Unwanted memories began to arise within Atlas of him being teased by the snobby children for not being human. He had told Tokugawa about it once; all he had done was scoff and say he should learn to handle it himself.

Stupid humans! They should all… Atlas's chain of thought was interrupted as his highly sensitive hearing picked up the sound of a girl singing as she walked down the street. She sang rather softly to herself, the way one does when having a song stuck in their head they can't get rid of, however, from the sound of her voice, it sounded like she enjoyed the song. Her voice was angelic and sweet, almost like a nightingale that had learned how to use words. There was only one girl Atlas knew of who possessed such a voice. His suspicions were immediately confirmed as he saw Livian walking down the street, a paper bag in her arms, dressed in her caterer's uniform, a navy blue button down shirt, matching slacks, and white sneakers. Her blonde hair was held up in a braid, a few strands curving around her face to hide her scar.

He took a step back, hiding himself further into the shadows, watching as she passed him by without so much as a second glance. For some reason, he did not want to face her just yet. That of course didn't mean he couldn't follow her and make sure nothing happened to her while she walked back to her appointed house. Besides, he was itching for a good fight and wherever Livian went, trouble usually followed.

He kept his head low and stuffed his hands into his leather jacket, his eyes gazing upon the back of his long time friend. He couldn't explain it, but there was something different about her. She still appeared the same as ever; there was just something…else. Something in her demure had changed quite drastically and he wanted to know what that something was. Her eyes always expressed how she was feeling deep down and he had often looked into those sapphire pools many times to read her emotions, but he was unable to do that now. In order to do that, he would have to face her, a feat he was not ready to perform yet.

Her voice wafted gently in the wind, gracing the ears of the few who would listen. Atlas knew this was a clue as to what was so different about her; the problem was that he just did not know what it was he looking for. He had no idea of what change had transpired in her while he was gone.

Livian, what's wrong? What is it that's so different about you? Ya look like ya got the weight of the world on your shoulders. What could have happened that could do this to you?

"Hey baby! Nice voice ya got there! Too bad nobody`s paying attention!"

Atlas's eyes narrowed at the three boys who had pushed passed him, each dressed in preppy style clothes and who clearly had their greedy eyes on the blonde.

Livian turned around, a rather annoyed look on her face, "And the fact that I'm singing to myself concerns you…how?"

The boy in the middle grinned and took a step closer to her, "We just thought someone as hot as you could join us for a little…private party. We could certainly help you reach those high notes." They boys laughed at their stupid dirty joke while the expression on Livian's face remained the same.

"Really? Well, you know what?" She then proceeded to give them the one finger salute, her expression going from annoyed to pissed off, "You can all screw yourselves for all I care! It's people like you that give the human race a bad reputation!" She then turned on her heel in a huff and walked away, her head held high while the three preps just stood there in mild surprise.

Atlas had his arms wrapped around his stomach, bawling over with laughter from the scene while he stood behind a corner of a nearby building. He liked seeing Livian angry; the reaction on the victim's faces was always so entertaining. Both she and her sister had a reputation for having fearful tempers, he was really the only one who could take whatever she dished out and vise versa. She and Lucy were the only ones who were not afraid to yell back him and he respected them greatly for that. He allowed a few more chuckles to escape him before he stepped back onto the street, still intent on following Livian, but frowned slightly when he saw that the three preppy gang wannabes blocked his sight of her.

"That dirty little bitch!" said the first guy, "She can't talk to us like that! I say we teach her a lesson, what do ya say?" A grin graced their features as they pulled out retractable short swords with silver-blue blades with gold hilts. These swords where known as vibro-blades, a common weapon among the lesser and more savage gangs. They could cut though steel with the greatest of ease and were common torture devices used on robots to entertain the humans who had nothing better to do with their time.

"Heh, heh, this'll certainly make that lower class harlot scream," said the second prep, giving his sword a few test swings, the three of them chuckling at what they planned to do with Livian once they got their hands on her.

"Don't you think those toys are a little too high tech for you?"

Atlas now stood before the three boys, his arms crossed over his chest and a wicked smirk on his face. A silent understanding came before the four as they walked over to the nearest alleyway so the Metro City police would not catch them. Once they were hidden away from the world, the preps lunged at their target all at once. Atlas continued to smirk and merely jumped to the side, holding back a laugh as he watched all three fall to the ground face first. Only the third one stood back up, the blow and knocked out the other two.

"You sorry son of a bitch! You're gonna pay for that!" The prep ran at Atlas and swung his sword at him wildly, missing him every time. The prep then raised the sword over his head in an attempt to split his opponent in half. Out of programming, pure instinct, of whatever one would want to call it for a robot, Atlas raised him arm to ward off the attack, only realizing a second too late what damage vibro-blades could do. When the sword struck him, both gawked in disbelief as the blade shattered into pieces. Atlas's wicked smirk returned, watching as the prep slowly backed away, his face becoming a mask of terror. "Y-You're not human!"

Atlas's smirk just grew wider, "You say that like it's a bad thing," and proceeded to punch and kick the prep until he too lay on the concrete, unconscious. For a brief moment, Atlas considered changing into his other form and blasting them away until they were nothing more then mere ash smudges on the sidewalk, but decided against it. They're not worth it. He looked down at the arm that had guarded against the vibro-blade's attack, seeing that the only damage that had been done was on his leather jacket. It was something he would have to see Doctor Tenma about later, but for now, he had a girl he had to keep an eye on.