Chapter 3: <I Have How Many Grandkids?>
D-518 instinctively glanced down, trying to verify, and find evidence of what the voice had said; incredibly doubtful of what the voice had referred to him as. After all, last time he checked, he wasn't a deer, but a 20-30 year old, male human; he knew since he didn't have hoofs, antlers, or a, cute, plush butt.
Especially that last one; his butt was practically a void.
Nothing was there.
No cake.
At all.
With the slight panic, he had forgotten that he was basically blind; thus, although he initially tried "looking" with enthusiasm, his eyes were met with nothing but pitch-black. So, from an outsiders perspective, it just looked like a deer moving his eyes, up and down, while bopping his head like a pervy old man.
The voice that had been conversing with him previously got closer, before jolting back with a gallop; "... Gramps... Why are you moving your hands like that?"
"Because I can't see-"
"... Oi... This is not my voice... I sound old..."
"Obviously, because you got stabbed in the eye. Remember?-"
"Oh... Yeah..." D-518 hesitantly mumbled.
"I-I-I... f-f-forgot..." The voice choked on what seems to be his tears.
"Grandpa lost h-his mem-mories..."
"h-h-hic..."
"Kid, don't cry."
H-H-Hic..."
"..."
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."
"..."
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."
<5 minutes later...>
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."
<15 minutes later...>
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."
<30 minutes later...>
""… Wah... W-ah..."
"... Are you done?" D-518 irritably questioned, with a harsher tone than he intended;
the consistent cries had gone to his brain, and no matter how he asked for the voice to stop, it came upon deaf ears. Naturally, he just gave up, and figured he'd give a piece of his mind.
Of course, once fatigue would start dawning little Xiao.
The voice whimpered, then responded in a slow nod, that had air ripple onto D-518 face; tickling the outspread hair like weeds in the wind.
"... My face's hairy?"
"... Maybe I really am a deer..."
"Z. 3r0 has talked about few sources regarding reincarnation, and spiritual stuff..." D-518 pondered, internally reasoning with the unexpected scenario; he wasn't one to believe in gods, but it wasn't that he didn't acknowledge that others did.
C-7 regularly talked about Christianity, and frankly it was self-admittedly his blazing passion; he would ramble on and about the simplest aspects, making it seemed so sophisticated, yet perfectly comprehendible. Of course, he would sneak in a few remarks of persuasion, but D-518 wouldn't take any of his "evidences" to heart, but still would listen diligently, until C-7 would go to do something else.
By any means, he did believed in the presence of a higher-being during his early years, but soon argued with it until it seemed improbable. Hence, he now has turned cold to most ideologies; as, even if there was a god in the end, it has become that, he'd be willing to be punished for each of his apparent sins.
It wouldn't be avoidable after all; who knows how many lives he's ruined under the organization?
Not one is forgivable, and he knew that ;everything he's destroyed with his own two hands, were beings of life: individuals with their own minds, and thoughts. He would occasionally think about the consequences of his actions, and everything along that line, when his insomnia would act up; the pop-corn ceiling of his room would become his comfort, as he peered into miscellanies for entertainment.
The wooden, hand-painted pendulum clock would tick restlessly, echoing through the hallway like the buzzes of bees, as the snores of other recruits would sometimes accompany the inconsistent melody. The dark patches of night would creep like hands around each corner; latching onto the edges of his cabinets and bed, while his cotton blankets would lay still with an illuminating glow from the corridor lamps.
Silent, and surreal; it never smelled like home, and yet he felt so comfortable.
What'd you expect?
It was a bear cave of wanted criminals.
But, it was still his...
"Little Xiao!" A higher-pitched shout, accompanied by a sound of hooves resounded from a distance, and whisked D-518 back to reality
"Is gramps finally awake?" It seemed to be rhetorical question.
"Oh that's... T-That's j-just... L-Lovely..."
"Oh gramps... You have no idea how much little Yu was worried..." A feminine, sweet voice complained, with a strangely clear concern in her words.
"..."
"Who are you?"
"..."
"What do you mean grandpa?"
"... Do you...?"
"... Who are you?" D-518 once again asked.
He had contemplated about asking, but the odds weren't so bad; it would be pretty believable if an old, injured "deer" had lost his memories.
.
.
.
"... I-It's all... l-l-little... X-Xiao's fault..." Little Xiao wearily said, with an almost ashamed fashion.
"... I knew it." Little Yu (assumingly) gritted her teeth in mild frustration, and seemed to think for a little while before disrupting the silence again.
"Ever since, "that" started to run out, we've been in disorder. Even the elves are having trouble..." She sighed.
"Pow."
"AHHHHP, WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"
"For eating Grandpa's hay." Little Yu nonchalantly replied with a swift of her head.
"You little thing... Use your head once in a while, would you?" The feminine voice scolded.
"...Anyhow Gramps lost his memories, didn't he?"
"... Seems like it." D-518 dumbfoundedly replied, not completely understanding the conversation; "what does "that" mean?"
"... Gramps... I'm sorry..." Little Yu apologetically uttered.
"If we hadn't pestered you that day, we wouldn't have gone to the sugar hill, and if we hadn't have gone to the sugar hill, that kid from St. Thirens Village wouldn't have found us, and if that kid didn't find us, then he wouldn't have found anyone to shoot with that gun-"
"It's alright. Could you start at the beginning?"
Little Yu seemed to have widened her eyes, taking a moment to calm before she solemnly nodded (with a smile).
D-518 didn't know whether it was a smile or not, but he guessed it was, through the slight disturbance in the air.
"That day, me and little Xiao, little Yuan, little Hua, little Zhan, little Qin, little Ye, Little Fei, little Zhu, little Xuan, little Guan, little She, little Shen, little Ke, little Gu, little Jue, little Xian, little Shu, little Tang, little Bu, little Zhang, little Suo, little Su, little Kang, little Cun, little Lun, little Lin, little Qu, little Jie, little Si, little Zha, little Teng, little Long, little Cao, little Ci, little Zhuang, little Duo, and little Qiu went to your stall, since we wanted to play outside."
Little Yu chanted.
"... Ah...?"
"... 40... Grandkids?..." D-518 thought.
"Little Tang, little Bu, little Zhang, little Suo, little Su, little Kang, little Cun, little Lun, little Lin, little Qu, little Jie, little Si, little Zha, little Teng, little Long, little Cao, little Ci, little Zhuang, wanted to play at Sugar Field."
"The host must've had a lot of stamina..." D-518 thought.
"But little Yuan, little Hua, little Zhan, little Qin, little Ye, Little Fei, little Zhu, little Xuan, little Guan, little She, little Shen, little Ke, little Gu, little Jue, little Xian, little Shu, little Duo, and little Qiu wanted to go to the Bamboo mountains."
"I feel bad for the wife. I can't imagine the horror she had to go through..." D-518 thought.
"Grandpa said yes, so we all went with you to the Maple Field. But Little Zhu, and Yuan got tired, so gramps used his cultivation method, and we flew to Sugar Hill instead."
"Wow, that's not a surprise. Of course this crazy, baby-machine would be able to cultivate."
"The more you learn." D-518 thought again.
"While we played, grandpa stayed under a tree since you said you were tired."
"We were playing in the forest."
"Aunt Luo, uncle Luo, aunt Zhi and all the other aunts and uncles said it was dangerous to go in, but because you were there today, you said it was ok."
"But, when it was around 7:00 p.m., a little kid holding a hunting rifle came up the hill, and ended up shooting random shots at us. He didn't seem to know what he was doing, but it was scary, especially for the littler ones."
"Grandpa came and helped, but because you were protecting all 40 of us, you got hurt."
"While you sent us away, the little kid came with a knife, and stabbed you in the eye."
"We were able to get uncle Zhou to come, and when we found you, the little boy left, and you were in the snow, still in the same place."
"... I see..." D-518 quietly whispered, absorbing the information.
"It's really my fault..."
"If we hadn't pestered you that day..." Little Yu started to sob, and the air stopped while her apricot-like tears splattered onto the ground like chimes.
D-518 didn't respond, and waited his apparent grandchild to stop weeping like a swaying willow, thinking that release would be comforting; he'd say something, but not now. There were some instances where comments are needed immediate, while others needed no words, simply because it would worsen the situation, and D-518 believed in was the second one.
If he replied, she could interpret his intention as an attempt to comfort her, and since she already believes that she is to blame for his injury, wouldn't pity make it worse?
"... You guys can take care of me, right?..." D-518 uncomfortably asked, not really used to comforting others face-to-face.
"... If gramps allows it..." Little Yu said while sniffling.
"Well, we won't be the only ones."
"In fact, it will be the entire family of uncle Li, uncle Su, uncle Zhao, uncle Tang, uncle Lu, uncle Suo, uncle Cun, uncle Sheng, uncle Zhen, uncle Yi, uncle You, uncle Ci, uncle Ge, uncle Nu, uncle Ma, uncle Yun, uncle Re, uncle Run, uncle Ri, uncle Ru, aunt Shu, aunt Zhao, aunt Wei, aunt Kan, aunt Zhe, aunt Yi, aunt Ke, aunt Ming, aunt Tian, aunt Ren, aunt Jie, aunt Wo, aunt Men, aunt Dai, aunt Nian, aunt Shang, aunt Dai, aunt Di, aunt Xing, aunt ZHuan, aunt Hu, aunt Hao, uncle Chu, uncle Xi, uncle Zi, uncle Gong, uncle Si, uncle Mei, uncle Mai, uncle Le, Aunt Dong, my mom, and my dad."
"Of course."
"The whole, freaking family."