Author's Note: Holy hell, it's been almost two years since a proper update! I am SO sorry...I never wanted to abandon this story, but right when I was trying to work on chapter eight in early 2016, I fell into fandom discourse that left a bad taste in my mouth. Rather than letting it stain the next installment, I decided to just put it on the back burner until I was feeling better. And that time is finally here, so let's go!

The former Tenma Manor was a mess. One side was still a mess of shattered stones and drywall, stained by rain and the elements, and the other side was a weed-tangled unkempt mess that brought to mind images of haunted houses. The lawn was ruined in patches from where Lamp's industrial mecha had taken steps; these patches had turned into muddy rainwater-filled holes of scorched earth. Police tape outlined so many areas of Tenma's house and garden, with ends of the tape becoming loose and waving in the breeze. that they almost looked like discarded party banners.

Inspector Tawashi led a small police group up the crumbling stone path. Nanora Inoue followed, stone-faced and alert, an equipment robot at her side. The police had been getting reports of delinquency within the fence of Tenma Manor, and Tawashi had quietly invited Nanora along to study the building remnants.

Tawashi stopped suddenly, catching sight of a piece of graffiti on one of the standing walls. "KAFFY" had been emblazoned in bright green spray paint. Tawashi clicked his tongue in disgust.

"At least we know it's just some punks," he grunted. "I'm not ready to deal with another person with a bone to pick with Tenma."

"I've been hearing about young people picking the manor as the latest urban exploration location," Nanora added. She'd heard stories from one of her younger clients.

"Then these kids oughta enjoy exploring a jail cell..." Tawashi hissed. He waved one hand, gesturing for the group to keep looking around.

They entered the former living room, utility robots and humans alike both glad to find the room empty. Nanora took notice of some shattered photo frames on the ground around the mantle, and gingerly stepped forward. The rest of Tawashi's group begun to move through the room towards the kitchen doorway, but Tawashi stood still, expectantly watching Nanora.

Nanora knelt down to study a few of the frames, but stood up with a jolt; she had nearly let her knee sink into a shard of glass. Thanking herself for wearing jeans that day, she begun to kneel down again, but far more apprehensive. The pictures had either fallen from the tremors of Lamp's robot, or – what she most suspected – from someone throwing them down from the wall.

She picked a smaller portrait frame up, looking into it initially with fondness. It was a portrait of Tenma and Tobio, the latter clad in a little leagues uniform, standing outside of a baseball park. She started to smile at the image, but a cold, creeping realization sunk in.

The boy's hair wasn't soft and brown, it was black and metallic. The rest of the photo looked to be from at least five years ago, a solid two years before Astro was even built.

Her eyes strained to examine the blackness of the boy's hair. It wasn't entirely natural with the rest of the photo; it matched the lights and darks around it, but too well. It was obviously painted in digitally.

Nanora stared down at the rest of the photos on the ground. They all had the same editing. Human child, black pointed hair. There was nobody who could've done this but-

"Tenma used those as props," Tawashi said suddenly, stepping over to Nanora's side. "When he more or less abducted Astro. Advanced gas-lighting techniques."

Nanora's eyes were wide, her words stuck in her throat. The frame tumbled from her hand and she forced herself to stand up. She turned to look at Tawashi, finding his expression concerned but disgusted.

He nodded. "I wanted you to see this for yourself, so you can realize what you're working with."

"The..." Nanora stepped away from the frames, tense. "The doctor's not like this anymore."

"If your therapy and the prison treatment are actually working, then he should be." Tawashi walked briskly towards the kitchen doorway. He shook his head, hissing, "This is one of the creepiest damn cases I've ever been on."

"I don't...I don't blame you," Nanora sputtered, changing gears mid-sentence.

She followed wordlessly after him. She noticed her shaky hands and realized how startled she really was. The equipment robot she had come in with tottered back up to her side, and she was relieved to have its presence again.

"Wh...where are we now?" she asked the robot.

"We are heading to the upper floor," it recited, its calm demeanor pre-programmed but soothing. "We did not determine anyone in the basement nor the rest of the ground level."

"All right." Nanora nodded and continued forward. She was thankful to not be going into the basement.

Nanora had an appointment with Tenma the next morning. She could already tell it was going to be stupendously tense, at least on her end.

Friday morning came, and so did the last visitation days of the month. Nanora had come down to the general visitation hall once more, walking alongside two prison guards and one of her medium security cases. He had always insisted Nanora call him "Nooj", but she couldn't manage anything less formal than "Mr. Nujowitz".

"You must be excited, Mr. Nujowitz!" She said warmly, looking over at him from around one of the guards. "I've heard you've been talking about this all week!"

"Yeah!" The stout, usually irate man was overjoyed that day. "I haven't seen mom in person in a couple a' years!"

"Has she been to Metro City before?"

"Nah, but she's gonna join a tour group...!" His smile couldn't get any bigger. "God, someday I wanna show her around town myself!"

"That's good!" Nanora added. "That's definitely something to look forward to!"

Nanora was almost surprised upon seeing the Mother Nujowitz in the visitation hall. Here was the mother of one of the central members of the Skunk Kusai Group, one of the most rash and infamous criminal groups in Metro City: a small, plump Polish woman with a prim curled bob and a maroon pantsuit. She sat orderly at the designated table, natural and pleasant, as if she had been plunked into her seat by nature. "Nooj" had to be slowed down on his way to the table before he was finally allowed to sit down.

"Mom!" He yelped. "It's been a while, eh?!"

"Don't you be so casual, bubbala, you know I worry so much about you!" But she was still clearly happy to see him.

One of Nanora's favourite parts of her job was the family reunions on the way to recovery. The thought of Tenma intruded on her thoughts. She was due to see him immediately after this, and she suddenly wasn't sure if she was ready. The week building up to Friday had been so achingly lonesome right up until the exploration of Tenma Manor. She forced herself to focus on the words "Tenma is better now" over and over, like a mantra, to try and calm down sufficiently.

"And who is this?" Mrs. Nujowitz suddenly asked, ecstatic. Nanora turned on her heel and immediately assumed her professional stance.

"Hi there! I'm Nanora Inoue, your son's case worker!" She gave a small bow; the woman was foreign, but it couldn't hurt to be polite with her own culture's manners. "I've been working with Nathan for three months now."

"How nice, how nice, and it looks like you're doing well!" Mrs. Nujowitz turned back to the inmate. "This boy's finally sitting up straight like a human being!"

"Ma, I'm 34!"

"That's why I say "finally"!"

Nooj groaned loudly but theatrically. Mrs. Nujowitz went about pulling something from her purse, and the standing guards leaned forward in anticipation. She brought out a little plastic packet with something inside, the contents obscured by the warden approval sticker.

"I went to visit your uncle after he got that bionic arm put in..." She put the packet in her son's hands. "It's a little bit of protection for you. Just in case, you know!"

"Yeah, I know...!" He seemed to smile at this. He gave the packet a lookover and then smugly flipped it over to Nanora; it was a little metal hamsa, handpainted and hanging on a dark blue cord. She nodded at this fondly.

"Aw geez, thanks ma!" Nooj began opening it, and immediately hung the charm around his neck. "It's gonna make Skunk an' Kuma jealous, though!"

"Speaking of, how are those shvitzers?"

"Just fine, ma. Skunk's been hangin' around the prison library and Kuma keeps gettin' mad that they won't let him wear his sunglasses.

"I need to cook for all three of you when you're out, all right?"

"Hey, hey, I know!" Nooj laughed, happier than Nanora had seen him in a while. "I'll call ya when we're all out!"

Nanora watched the two of them talk, letting their happiness crash over her like a wave. She deeply hoped Tenma would make a come-around this noticeable soon enough.

For Umataro Tenma, the day had taken decades just to get to 12:00 PM. He felt starved for real life contact with Nanora, and had been going through every prison chore and appointment as well as he could, knowing she would at least be around in the end.

The guards didn't feel like they were dragging Tenma to the meeting room this time. He walked strongly and steadily, back straight, and a smug look with what could possibly be hope in his eyes. It was a relief for all of them; the escorting no longer felt like a hassle or a big production.

They entered the meeting room, where Nanora stood at attention beside one of the couches – pink blazer and shoes, with white slacks and dress shirt, almost reminding Tenma of a candy cane – gripping a clipboard with both hands. She nodded formally at the guards, and watched as Tenma was promptly deposited on the couch. Tenma couldn't help but notice how stiffly Nanora seemed to move as she watched the guards leave, and then shuffled to take a seat.

Nanora shuffled through her satchel, pulled out a small collections of forms, and then finally looked up at Tenma. She nodded curtly, saying softly, "Good afternoon."

"Afternoon," Tenma drawled, giving it just the slightest purr. "I've been absolutely dying to see you, Nanora."

She smiled, nervous and stiff. Tenma felt almost a cold chill run through his chest; Nanora immediately realized her apprehension had been too obvious, and she sighed, her shoulders rising and falling with the breath.

"Doctor, we've been talking for almost a year now, and I won't lie to you..." Nanora finally looked up, matching with Tenma's eyes. "...I was part of a search team that inspected your old manor today."

Tenma seemed to deflate before her very eyes, his smile falling; the creases on his face framed his worried eyes and frown, waiting for whatever else Nanora was going to say. His mind ran feverishly with the possibilities.

"The...the picture frames on th-"

"Oh," Tenma groaned. He doubled over like he'd been punched in the stomach, his face falling to his hands. The now-alarmed Nanora leaned forward, her hands before her, preparing to move around the table and bring Tenma in for a reassuring hug, but she was relieved to see he was only massaging his temples.

"...What was wrong with me...?" Tenma groaned under his breath. "...What was I thinking...?"

Nanora sunk back into the opposite couch, still holding her hands out. She almost babbled, "Y-You regret it."

"Well of course I would!" Tenma snapped, looking up at her with a glare. "Everything I did pre-treatment is a nightmare!"

"Umataro, no! You've come so far!" Nanora leaned in, wide albeit nervous smile across her face. "You're far, far more aware of morality in your actions now!"

Tenma gaped back, almost confused. He looked away, murmuring, "I...I suppose."

"Don't you think that's a good thing?" Nanora stifled a laugh; the doctor almost seemed like a bashful little boy in that moment. "I must say, I'm very proud of you. I didn't know how you'd react if I brought up the pictures."

Tenma didn't respond, staying deep in thought. She was right; all the things he'd done in the past – manipulating his own son, the enormous waste of energy and robots on destructive schemes, funding a war – now terribly stung to remember. Had he even realized he'd changed his mind?

Of course not, Tenma realized. He hadn't had other people to talk to and help process his thoughts. When he was living alone, he only had himself or Shadow, a portion of his own mind, to talk to. It had been like living in a dirty, unfiltered fish tank, doomed to swim in circles until he either gave up or the filth around him finally killed him.

"Are you okay?" Nanora asked softly.

"Yes," he breathed, equally soft. They looked at each other for a long moment, Tenma's eyes embarrassed but Nanora's enthused. He sputtered, "I-I guess you got a look at the kind of person I was."

"I did," Nanora shrugged, "But it helps me put your progress in perspective. And, not to be too harsh, but one of the hardest things to get past was your ego."

Tenma chuckled. "Oh, I can believe that."

"Now, how have you been doing?" Nanora asked. "I know it's been a while since we met!"

"Oh, things in prison have been the usual, very normal and orderly..." Tenma sat back. "...And I'm still absolutely smitten, if I might say."

"You may," Nanora replied, sly. "But I think we should maintain a professional relationship until further notice."

"Ah. Good idea."

"I only have one more piece of bad news until we can really get into talking..." Nanora grabbed a form and observed it, trying to catch all the keywords as quickly as possible. "The council's still discussing your reintegration into Metro City. They're tied between relocating your loft, or giving you back the loft with a tighter power intake maximum. Basically, it's at a crossroads right now, but still coming down the road. Sometime."

Tenma nodded in annoyance. "It's good to see bureaucrats haven't changed while I've been in here..."

"But, onto the good news..." Nanora put the papers aside and looked up, beaming with excitement. "There's a new series of inmate craft classes coming up! I sat in on a previous series, and they're a lot of fun. I think you'd like it, unless weaving and clay are too cute for a man of your status!"

"I'm sure I could take it," Tenma said with a smile. "I don't feel like bending over backwards to defend my image anymore."

Thirty-Two Years Earlier

"Master Tenma," recited the Tenma family chauffeur robot. "We have arrived at the lakeside."

"Just a minute-!" Umataro grunted from the back seat, hurriedly unfastening the screws holding a clear plastic orb together. It popped open in his lap, and with a grin, he turned to the small robot bear in the seat beside him.

"Bear, climb on in! I tested this with some cotton in the pool at home. You'll be able to swim with me!"

"And it didn't leak at all?" Micro Bear chirped from its seat.

"It's airtight! You'll be totally safe!" Umataro held out the plastic capsule. "I wouldn't take you to the cottage if you couldn't really hang out!"

Soon enough, the trunks-clad Umataro ran out of the limousine, the plastic orb under his arm, waving to the family up ahead at the shore. Micro Bear excitedly chanted, "Beach! Beach!" inside the buoyancy orb, as Umataro ran straight up and off the dock and into the lake. Cool blue engulfed the two, and Umataro opened his eyes when he submerged; bubbles swirled around him, with the green of short pondweed and rocks deep below him. He relaxed, and let his body resurface with the water flow.

Micro Bear greeted him at the surface. "This is a wonderful place!"

"I know!" Umataro gasped around lake water. "You should see Uncle Hideyuki's boat!"

The two swam through pure aquamarine. Bear bobbled around contentedly at the surface, staring down at the freshwater floor below its protective orb. Umataro could feel the curls of his hair unfurl in the sea water, the ones that he had hotcombed into straightness days before out of shame. But now, he felt fluid and lightweight in crystalline waves.

Umataro barely took notice of his visiting relatives. He and Bear spent some time trying to study the lake floor, with Umataro bobbing up only for air or to declare he saw a magnificently-sized fish. He envied Bear's strength; Umataro knew he shouldn't expect his human body to withstand almost two full hours of swimming, but it certainly was easy to compare oneself when one's best friend had a 16 hour battery charge.

"I'm..." Umataro gasped for air, leading Bear back to shore. "...I'm going to get a lemonade. Let's go and visit the cousins."

"Sure thing!" chirped Bear, sitting in its bubble as the waves carried its orb back to shore. When they reached shallow water, Umataro picked up Bear's orb with one arm, carrying it close to his chest. He couldn't afford not to assume one of the cousins would try and throw Bear.

Mother and Father were off discussing their new line of AI-implemented farming machinery with Uncle Hideyuki and some friends. Umataro would've loved to listen in, but he'd been warned that some sort of business proposition was going to happen at this lakeside party. He had been delegated to the children's group. Umataro and Bear drew closer to a rock-carved picnic table, where two of his teenaged cousins were in the middle of a travel hologram chess game.

One of the girls sensed movement nearby, and she looked up to see him, letting out a disgusted, "Oh my god."

Umataro narrowed his eyes. "...What?"

"It's been three summers and you still have that stupid bear?!" she hooted back, slapping her hands on the tabletop. Bear shook its head, calm.

"I am not stupid," Bear said. "I have been programmed to have an IQ of 300. Feel free to ask me a question!"

The girl turned away, disgusted, in a flurry of black curls. Three of the younger kids could hear their sister yelling, ran over to the table with their sights set on Bear's orb. Umataro yelped and hoisted the orb over his head before their cloying hands could attempt a grasp.

"Get lost, Naoki!" he yelled down at the nearest child. "This is my robot!"

The boy squealed back, "No, it's a toy!"

"No, it's a conscious robot! Get lost!"

The boy's face contorted into vicious forced agony, his eyes narrowed as if tears were coming. He stomped his foot and howled, "I'm gonna tell my mother you're not sharing!"

"You try that! Aunt Sumi already knows about Bear!"

As the three children ran off in the direction of adults, Umataro turned to give a sneer at the girls at the table. One of them spat out, "You're seventeen and you're playing with teddies."

"At least I can afford a physical chess set," he smirked, turning back to the lake shore. One of the girls cursed after him, but he couldn't really hear it. Bear hadn't been too rattled by the moment.

"I would love to see your uncle's boat," Bear chirped.

"We'll be going on it in an hour or so," Umataro replied, fighting off a heaviness in his voice. "Let's go get a lemonade first."

It should've been a fun day. It had been something the two had been discussing for weeks. But as Umataro sat on the boat, with a talking teddy bear in an orb balanced among his gangly teenaged limbs, the stares of relatives brought him far less pride for his creation than it had years before.

"I can't wait to see what real robots you'll cook up," Uncle Hideyuki had said at dinner. Aunt Mimiko nodded warmly. Umataro only looked over at Bear, whom had been seated on a stool beside him at the enormous dinner table. Bear's validity was crumbling among Umataro's relatives and the robot couldn't even notice.

In that moment, Umataro both pitied and loathed his bear's limited AI.

That night, Umataro and Bear had stayed up late, reading an issue of Modern Engineering Magazine. Bear pointed out all the new colours of matte paint that it liked. Umataro nodded, smiling, engaging it as much as he could. A knot had been forming in his stomach over the last two hours.

"I'm completely exhausted," Umataro breathed, shutting the magazine. "I think we should get some rest."

The moonlight beamed in through the bay window; it filled their little guest room with a blue glow that could have been lovely on any other night, but just made Umataro feel even more jarred. Bear walked on toddling little legs up to Umataro's pillow, looking for a soft place to settle. It soon curled up right beside Umataro's head.

"What a good day, my friend!" Bear said. "I will settle into sleep mode again."

"Okay," Umataro replied, the smile on his face clashing horribly with the cold chills in his arms. "Good night."

"Good night!" Bear finally said, resin eyelids sliding shut over black lenses. The whir of its internal machinery came to a halt, making the room finally and completely silent.

Now.

With one shaky hand, Umataro reached over, twisted the sleeping bear's ear to the side. His fingers just barely found Bear's nose and he pressed into it thrice. The faint pulse in Bear's head was completely gone now. Umataro's hand dropped limply, his fingers twitching with each thump of his heart.

His eyes couldn't move from Bear's stilled face. It was now in reset mode. All energy functions had stopped, its memory wiped, all interests and activities uninstalled. It was effectively dead; a small metal corpse.

Horror set in. Umataro sat up with a gasp, grabbing Bear with one hand like a dead hamster, and yanking open the bedside table drawer with his other hand. He shoved Bear in and slammed the drawer shut. He was free, technically; nobody would make fun of him for the rest of the weekend, but he didn't feel free. He could either restore Bear to the most recent backup on his laptop, and act like nothing had happened that night, or he could lie to everyone that Bear was just out for repairs. Umataro fought between these two options back and forth until he was so exhausted that he could only sleep.

The weekend ended with Bear still deep in the guest room drawer. It was probably still there.