A/N: Knifeman3874, you are very much correct. The amount of stories in MIA is...Quite low. Thank you for reading so far! It makes me delighted to know you've done some research to understand some random fanfiction. It appears I'm doing my job right...

"Hey, Dark Rockman?"

The robot spared the little girl a glance as he absently turned back to the book he held. It has been an entire week since he's come to the surface, and rich calm from the town had irked his nerves. Dark Rockman felt his circuits(nerves?) already begin to crave the remnants of battle. It's been on his mind the whole morning, and here he was; reading a book. "What do you want?" Perhaps his voice was too harsh because the coral haired girl appeared to flinch.

"I just...Um...I wanted to ask about your fingers!" Mitty blurted, eyes wide and nervous. "They er...Look weird."

Dark Rockman scoffed, flexing his digits. "The hell are you talking about? My fingers are," He nearly paused upon catching sight of the odd bolts clashing with his metallic fingers. The colors of the foreign metals versus the actual material clashed horribly. A sickly black hue on pale fingers.

Oh. He dumbly thought. From that time. Seething, the robot crossed his arms. "Don't stare." Dark Rockman demanded, slightly disturbed at this new development. "Just a misfortunate event." He finally grumbled, swiping his book again from the table. "Now don't bother me. I'm still trying to read."

Mitty blinked quizzingly at him. "Even though you're having trouble reading?" Her voice was curious, full of question and wonder.

The robot didn't hesitate to glare at her, a harsh sneer growing on his lips. "Heh. For your information; I'm doing much better than I was a few days ago." And that was the truth. His translators have been registering words more fluidly, and his practiced writing skills have gained a consistent pattern. Dark Rockman had practiced for hours; Mitty refusing to leave his side for more than an hour.

There was a wordless agreement to meet up at this library ever since the day they met. The former-netnavi still isn't fond of the child but she had her uses. ...He doesn't know what she gets out of watching him and reading stories aloud when he's busy writing but that's not his problem.

Sure, Mitty's tiring to be around, but that's likely because he's never been around someone for so long without fighting them. It's draining him mentally. Dark Rockman wonders if there were any other navies who ended up in a situation similar to his. He'd definitely sympathize with them. The Net and the outer world are completely different.

One might call it 'Homesickness.'

Dark Rockman would call it a lack of adaptability.

While walking around as a robot wouldn't be his first choice; there were worse options such as a normal human. Living creatures had their own limits. His metallic body lacked lungs to breathe but he could still move. Yes, his structure still needed energy but the abyss could provide such for him. This was a world where Dark Rockman held the advantage.

Still, it's best to know the enemy. The pit with monsters remained dangerous as he resided as an outlier. The more information, the better.

"...Really?"

Dark Rockman barely managed not to twitch in annoyance. "See it yourself!" He snapped, the little girl before him snatching a paper of writing near his resting arm. She waved the sheet rigorously.

"I will!" Mitty boldly announced, soon quelling as she skimmed the paper over.

The robot went back to reading but paused when he heard a light shuffle in movement.

"It's not bad," The coral haired girl commented, and the former-navi did his best to ignore the shot of pride through his systems. "But it's not great either. I can do much better in my sleep!" Her words destroyed whatever ounce of confidence the robot had left.

Dark Rockman scowled at her for a long minute before it melted into a smile. He clasped his fingers together without a care, an atmosphere of the utmost calm surrounding him. On the inside, he was burning with fury but the librarian was present today. He refused to get banned from the only decent source of significant data.

Yes. The girl would feel his wrath later. Just not now.

The sudden weary look on Mitty's face was worth the action.

"W-Which is why I'll continue to help you get better! O-Okay? Right!" The girl blurted with a shake of the head. On closer inspection; the robot noticed Mitty had fumbled her words, an attempt to make phrases have a softer impact than usual.

Its a shame as a cruel navi himself; he was the master of such word-twisting. Though perhaps; the former-navi could allow this episode to pass. Not because she was a child but because the girl was trying this method on someone clearly stronger than her.

Dark Rockman could always use the amusement.

"I've finished this book. Could you be a dear and you get me a new one?" He drawled, waving the object lazily.

Much to his surprise, Mitty took the book without complaint. She raced away with the power of awkwardness and excitement combined. Not even a moment later; the girl threw herself into the chair next to him, practically vibrating in excitement. "I got one for us to read! It's my favorite!" Her cheery mood spoke volumes about her attempt to manipulate him moments before.

Dark Rockman decided to remain quiet, simply observant as she flattened the book on the table.

"Okay, okay! So!" Mitty squinted as she opened the book to the first page. "This book tells of the rumors and possible truths about white whistles-Which I'll definitely be one day!" She gloated, revealing her dream to dusty books and one lone robot.

"Uh-Huh." Dark Rockman effortlessly glossed over her declaration.

Mitty didn't seem fazed by his impassive expression at all.

He turned her out as she rambled about the excitement and mystery of the abyss, bringing up several theories of her own. The robot viewed the book's old texture and gave it a tiny look-over as a question finally registered.

"Hey, Dark Rockman, what do you want to do in the abyss?" Mitty exclaimed a little too loudly, piping down when the old librarian nearby tossed her a look. An apologetic grin was on her face before a tiny finger tapped on the paper sheet of the book. "I mean, isn't that where you came from?" Her voice dropped to a whisper, heavy curiosity in those coral eyes of hers.

The robot held up his head with an arm, still uninterested.

"I don't have a specific goal; if that's what you mean." Dark Rockman allowed his words to spill true. "For now, I'm just doing what I want." Which is completely fine with him. He wasn't going to rush, no matter the amount of fire flowing through his circuits. Rushing was another key factor to his deletion. Hastiness is an enemy.

...At least, half the time.

"That's…" Mitty squinted her eyes. "Kinda cool. You know; you have that 'I'm so cold and dangerous so don't approach me' vibe!" She helpfully told him. "Doing whatever you want is good too!" The little girl then flipped to a page with pale whistle designs. "This is a white whistle! The way they shine in the moonlight and hold a majestic aura…!" She appeared to grin widely. "Isn't it awesome, Darky?"

Dark Rockman didn't refrain from stopping the scowl on his face. "Don't you dare call me that! We may meet up at this library but we're certainly not friends." He snapped and relished in the slight hurt flashing across her face.

"Er," The little girl lightly coughed into a hand. "Sure...Sorry, Dark Rockman." She apologized softly before a wave of positivity came crashing back on her atmosphere. "Now let's begin!" Her announcement was quickly shushed by the lone librarian again, and she shyly apologized before rushing to open the neat stack of paper and colored-fabric.

...The robot had the strangest feeling she wasn't too hurt about his attitude at all.

He wasn't sure how to tackle that topic and merely decided to dismiss it for now.

And so Dark Rockman took in Mitty's constant (and very very absurd) readings with nothing more than a straight-faced look of acceptance.

Well, it's not like I have anything else to do… The robot reasoned with himself, somewhat reluctant. It's more information on my part, anyway. I'll just stick around for this last book.

In the end, he stayed with her for an extra two hours.

A jolt of mirth ran up and through his circuits, entertaining him with ideas of what to do with the current footsteps following him through the snow. Dark Rockman tried not to be too obvious, nervously glancing left and right while averting his eyes with expert meekness. Occasionally he would pause to observe some fruit or humans passing by. This was an efficient way to stall. He led his stalker through the town's roads, eventually walking into one of the most-human-absent allies of the town he had learned to around in.

Honestly, the former-netnavi had no idea why this person decided to follow him-He's not in armor. Surely Dark Rockman looked broke despite the clean clothes he wore?

Then I guess they just fancy children? The robot certainly looked the part.

Ceasing his steps in the snow, he turned to face his likely soon-to-be assailant. "You shouldn't follow children around. That's disgusting." He chirped, smiling a little under his gleaming hues of sharp ruby. Multiple ideas flashed through his processor, and glee began to tickle his chin.

"You." The person quietly started with nothing more than a breath.

"Me." Dark Rockman eagerly answered, fixed metallic fingers flexing.

He took a moment to realize the other's face was covered by a hood. The creep-factor shot through the roof as the robot frowned. "...Well, if you're not going to say anything." Dark Rockman fell into a stance of offense. "Then I'm going to do something to ease my bloodlust. This is just self-defense, you know?" And all that.

The robot took a step forward but paused when the suspicious person spoke once more.

"Are you interested in a wager?" His or her voice was monotone, disinterested in the fact the robot aimed to beat them to a pulp. It was concerning, to show such little emotion for one who practically declares they're going to hit you hard and without mercy. That kind of recklessness is unnatural. It's highly likely the other had a trump card.

Dark Rockman frowned, "Not...Really." This was turning out much differently than what he had originally planned. "Why don't you make a bet on who wins our little brawl? That works for me." The lack of response from the other gravely disappointed him. He took a step forward to continue what was started but the other retreated a couple steps.

How boring.

"A shame." The hooded person commented as they stepped into the shadows of the ally. "I was hoping you'd play a small game with me," The pause was enough for the robot to scoff loudly.

"As if you idiotic crook-" Dark Rockman began to taunt,

"Then, I'll see you later, my precious Robot-kun…"

Dark Rockman never moved so fast in his whole activation period. His arm had dug through the alleyway wall like it was solid clay, creating quite the large hole. Pieces of brick fell to the snowy ground as the quiet itched at him.

The person he aimed to stab had vanished as if they never existed.

Meanwhile, his thoughts were jumbled and unhealthy.

He's alive? I crushed his head! Dark Rockman took a moment to recall the wet crunch and more. Past memoirs loaded up without his permission; the robot coming to terms with having memory banks. Useful, but the situation wasn't improving. Are you kidding me? He had left the encounter with the mad scientist at the back of his head.

Now the events were rushing back, the mere thoughts causing him grievance. The darkloid snuck a glance toward his fingers, eying the contrasting bolts. He moved the digits, listening to the tiny clink of unnatural metal.

"Damn…" The robot glanced to the footprinted snow, traces buried by heavy snowflakes.

Everything just piles up, doesn't it?

Dark Rockman had taken the time to thoroughly look and ask around about his strange encounter. In the end, no one had seen them. They should've, with that weird hood, but they didn't. It was as if they had never existed.

On the bright side; some actual punks decided to attempt picking on him. He tore them a new one for their troubles. No one was permanently mauled but rumors of a 'demon child with red eyes' had certainly spread. Keeping his head down was easy enough. Those who saw his eyes easily kept quiet in case they were next on his 'list.'

"Thank you, for your purchase!" The familiar high-pitched voice gathered his attention. "Come back again!"

The robot glanced over at the loan stand several feet away, Mitty seated with horrid wooden carvings. Her 'shop' looked poorly made, nails and wood black and brown with rot. She had an expression of both patience and determination wrapped in one; thoroughly dismissing her own poverty.

Dark Rockman couldn't help but want to see this.

He arrived just on time to see an old man walk off with one of the girl's products. After keeping a close eye on him; the robot observed how the human threw away the wooden piece into the darkloid wouldn't have noticed if not for his zoom-in feature. "What are you doing?" Dark Rockman questioned Mitty, trying to keep it together through the light bubbles of mirth wanting to break through.

"Oh! Dark Rockman?" Mitty blinked with wonder. "I'm earning money!" She proudly told him, gesturing to her unethical crafted structures.

One of them looked like a dying slime. He wondered how she managed such a feat with such poor marksmanship.

"For what?" Those rags she keeps wearing?

"Some relics! Oh, and food." And almost on cue; her stomach released a mighty growl to agree with her story.

Dark Rockman resisted a flinch, cautious of the sound. He knew it was normal for humans but the involuntary growl didn't creep him out any less. "What do you need those weird rocks for?" He questioned in his haste, feeling woozy.

"Some to observe, others for you," Mitty explained with a thumbs up. "All that metal but you can't fool me! The reason why you skipped out on our library sessions is that you're low on energy, right?" She clasped her hands together.

Dark Rockman stared at her, mouth flatlined.

Snowflakes continued to descend without a care.

"I guess." He decided to say, shrugging absentmindedly. "And so you decided to sell...This?" Those wood pieces shouldn't exist. It looks horrid, done by a drunk handler. The girl was underaged, however; how did she manage to create these monstrosities?

Her coral eyes sparkled. "Yeah! Do you like them?"

As much as I like masked creeps, He opened his mouth to tell her such.

"Wait, hold on!" Mitty blurted, cutting his future words off. "I forgot," She shuffled in the back of the stand, eventually bringing up a single wooden piece. "I made this one for you! Free of charge." The young child looked awfully proud of the work; back straight.

Dark Rockman stared at the silly wooden figure which was supposed to be him.

It looked like an old-fashioned Candyland gingerbread piece. He didn't even realize he picked it up until the tiny structure fell backward on his palm. The robot snorted at the poor craftsmanship, amused by the sloppy face it was given.

Still. Now that he thought about it; this weird wooden thing was willingly given as a gift.

...Now if only it wasn't so ugly.

The former netnavi then noticed the girl's waiting face of positive attitude.

"It's okay…" He carefully began but silenced himself afterward due to Mitty's bright smile of pure happiness.

Her teeth sickened him a little, reminded of a young brunette from not too long ago. Those pearly whites should not be this clean! Isn't she poor?

"I'm leaving." Dark Rockman announced, swiftly turning to leave and continue off into town. He placed the wooden structure in a metal compartment that could open and close. The robot would...Throw it out later.

"See you later, and caaatch!" Mitty's voice echoed in warning.

He didn't need to turn around in order to grab the relic. Dark Rockman blankly stared ahead, the sphere crumbling in his hand as his systems registered its presence. He didn't give her a 'goodbye' and left into the deeper part of the streets.

"Dark Rockman?" The high-pitched voice brought his attention back to the book in hand. The library's quiet was too distracting to his processors, apparently. "Why have you been so mad lately?" Mitty questioned, eyes full of the curious wonder he's come to resist scowling at.

"None of your business." The robot grumbled, swiftly closing his book.

Mitty didn't seem to give up. "Are you looking for someone?" Her curiosity irritated him.

Dark Rockman gave her an unkind smile. "What makes you think that?"

Coral hues gained an unknown gleam. "I've seen you wander the streets occasionally. Your walking habits actually brought you close to the orphanage." Mitty explained. "If you want; I could help you!" She offered with a smile.

The robot stared at her with a dumbfounded facet. "I thought you lived on the streets?" The little girl certainly looked the part.

"No? H-Hey! I have somewhere to sleep!" Mitty corrected him with a near-offended tone. "I just don't like staying there for too long. Its boring." Mitty murmured with a shake of the head. "But you're different from all those other kids." Coral hues sparkled with the pleasant admiration. "You like adventures too!"

Dark Rockman decided not to say anything to that.

"So? Who are we looking for?" Mitty inquired, fingers spread on the table.

"We, aren't looking for anyone. It's personal. I'll be the one to find them." Dark Rockman finally said, mouth curved into a smile. "It'll be much too violent for you to see what I have planned." He admitted with a thoughtful expression. The girl next to him merely blinked. "...Just," The darkloid roughly messed up her hair with a cruel smile. "Stay in your bubble and do children things."

Mitty shrugged. "Okay." Although it was obvious she wouldn't do that. "Just be careful, Dark Rockman. Adults around here aren't too nice to kids." She warned with a slight wince.

The robot nearly scoffed but ended up nodding along. If she wanted to think they were around the same age; so be it.

"Yeah yeah…" He'll keep that in mind.

Now that he thought about it; perhaps the whiny brats of this town knew of the hooded stranger.

Dark Rockman flipped a coin in the air; the gold piece snatched by oddly patterned digits as gravity tried to take the flat circle for itself. The air was clean today; a lack of annoying flurries made the robot have a more positive mood. The extra change he had only gave him a bigger grin.

Now how he got the money…

Well, the children of this town were certainly generous.

...He didn't rough the brats around too much. They attempted picking on him like the idiots they were, so he merely emptied their pockets after hanging them by the foot from tree branches. If they wanted to be insufferable brats, then they would face punishment. They may be poor but the robot holds no mercy for those who approach him.

The coins...It wasn't a lot of money but it was enough to feel smug about. They would likely either fear him next time or come at him with a bigger group. Perhaps with actual adults and weapons.

Honestly; the former-netnavi didn't care which.

Looking at the money; he could buy himself a nice hat with this! ...Like those angled pieces he saw on the Net all the time. A fedora maybe? It certainly looked stylish but he couldn't exactly waltz into a store without being attacked by the net police in his world. In this town, no one knew who he really was; minus the rumors anyway.

He should take advantage of that fact.

Dark Rockman mused about the color choice of fedoras until he paused at the uncomfortable sound of a growl. Not from a savage animal, and he noted such when the robot turned the corner and glanced down on the indented snow with a little girl on top. The coral-colored hair was easy to recognize under all the white fluffy ice. She looked to be cradling her stomach, curled in a venerable position.

The rumble coming from her resulted in unease; Dark Rockman flexing his fingers.

"What's with you?" Why was she on the floor like that? Was the girl ill or something? There's no snot running down her nose...Or an apparent fever.

A single eye opened. The single eyeball moved it's pupil to find the speaker, unsettling the robot further."Oh. Dark Rockman..." She murmured. "I'm just...Playing a game, see?" The obvious lie was almost laughable. "I don't have the energy, so I'm preserving it." Her voice was tired, almost raspy against the light cheerful-tone she had.

Dark Rockman slowly nodded with a thoughtful hum. "I see. Well, have fun." He would leave her to it.

He made it five feet because the stomach growling halted his tracks. The robot turned to glare daggers at the insolent human but paused when he noticed her expression of pain. Unsure of what he was doing it was too late; the robot stood over her. "Hey. What happened to your crappy wooden-figure shop?"

Mitty didn't respond.

Dark Rockman impatiently slammed a metal arm against a concrete wall. The noise startled the human below as a shiver wrecked her form. The robot patiently waited this time.

"I lost my money, so I didn't get to..." The young child admitted quietly, voice falling to a rasp.

"How?" He cut in, sincerely curious.

"Some other kids took it from me." Mitty bitterly grit.

Dark Rockman snorted in amusement, wondering if he could retch another negative response from her. "Those weaklings?" He cackled, thoroughly amused by the prospect. The robot waited for her to get angry and rebut with something ill-intentioned but the girl kept true. Her tiny sigh irked him greatly. "Huh. Guess that just means you're weaker. No harm no foul, yeah?" He inspected his own fingers; the disguised brunette taking a moment to recall his current mission.

"Yeah…" Mitty agreed, the pitiful human closing her eyes again. "I'm just...Gonna take a nap here for a bit, okay? I'll see you at the library tomorrow. Same time?" The coral haired girl questioned, sounding dazed and out of it.

"Yeah. Whatever. Same time." Dark Rockman offhandedly told her, noting how she went silent. He stared at her resting face, mouth curved into a tiny frown from obvious pain. Different from her usual smile and beaming positivity, she clung to a desperate string of life.

He turned to leave, intent on continuing his search for the day. There may have been a few places he hasn't seen...

...The robot turned back, footsteps quiet as the still-air. The atmosphere was entirely non-existent as if it was just him in the area. Dark Rockman absentmindedly out his change and poured most of the coins in front of her hands. Mitty's eyebrows twitched but she didn't get up. The former-netnavi mourned the loss of getting the fedora he finally stepped away and left off down the alleyway corner.

He didn't feel lighter, content or any of that proposed mushy robot only felt cold from the freezing air; his systems straining a little from the frost trying to force its way in. Perhaps it was because he was a being of metal and not unique data, and now his previous ability to properly express emotions had vanished.

Did this mean he became a common robot? ...His structure looks too refined to be common. Dark Rockman lacked the knowledge of the robot's true function, and so he was still stuck in terms on how to push this body to its limits.

"Irritating." The former-netnavi grumbled, searching the gray clouded sky for an answer to his own predicament.

To his surprise; Mitty appeared in his processed thoughts. A suggestion about the girl determining she may aid him in whatever as long as he listened to her absurd stories. There were a couple problems with this solution.

Dark Rockman didn't like humans. They always got in the way. He would likely lose patience with her, and such lead to violent outbursts he'd rather not deal with.

Well, maybe Dark Rockman ask her later; if she's still alive that is.

"Dark Rockman!" The annoying familiar voice called out.

It didn't take long for the girl's voice to register. Unsurprisingly; she was alive.

Dark Rockman absentmindedly kicked a pebble on the streets.

Seconds later, his pathway was blocked by Mitty herself; coral eyes shining with something he couldn't identify despite radiating happiness. "I finally found you!" She announced with a grin, gaining attention from a couple of nosy people. They moved about their business when she began dragging him away. The robot only allowed her to lead because he had nothing else to do.

"You know, yesterday; I got a good deal on bread and cheese!" Mitty boasted, mouth curved in a victorious grin. "It was my lucky day!" She declared with a pumped fist. "The luckiest!"

Dark Rockman silently disagreed considering the prior events of yesterday, and merely glanced away tiredly.

He barely noticed the fabric wrapped over his neck before it was far too late; the robot tensed as he expected some sort of horrors to harm him. Ruby eyes glanced to the object with heavy suspicion. His fingers immediately took a hold of it.

"It's just a scarf, silly!" Mitty laughed as Dark Rockman stared holes into the clean piece of clothing.

"Where did you even get this from?" The robot inquired, gaze occasionally darting to the little girl who might secretly be a thief. ...That wouldn't be a bad plot twist.

"A nice old lady did it. She owns a clothing shop with her grandson not too far from here." Mitty grinned, looking quite proud of herself. "After I got some food to last the week; I had leftovers and brought this from her!" She seemed to cower from him, likely noticing the robot's exasperation. "...Are you angry?"

Dark Rockman glared dagger at her; of course, he's furious! "What do you think?" He didn't give her money to buy...That. Yes, she got the food to survive as needed but the leftover is supposed to be used for emergencies. Instead; the foolish girl brought a scarf? The idiocy of humanity!

"I couldn't help it! I wanted to buy something to thank you!" Mitty blurted with a shake of the head to clear up any possible misunderstanding. "I just...Um…" She trailed off, unsure and suddenly shy. Her poor rags of clothing only irritated the robot further.

"How stupid." Dark Rockman grunted, testing the strength of the scarf with his metal digits. "Thank me for what?" He sneered, ruby glinting with a cruel; the little girl in front of him seemed unaffected.

"For hanging out with me! I really like our time together. Even though you don't look like you feel the same way...Take the scarf, Dark Rockman!" Mitty shouted, her voice lightly quivering with a plead. Her fingers fiddled with one another despite the fire in her coral hues. "But if you really don't want to be my friend...Then I get it." It was understandable. Most loners preferred to keep solo.

At least, that's what people think.

Dark Rockman twirled a piece of the cloth between his fingers. The fabric was smooth in itself, silky and non-transparent. The plain color reminded of his usual netnavi suit, a contrast to his new robot armor hue of dark navy blue. The choice wasn't a bad one; the child had a small sense of fashion, it seemed.

"I don't hate it." The robot mumbled, eying the ground as he wondered about his first gift. "I guess it's mine now…Thanks." He stole a glance back toward her; eyes of hope shining at him. Such innocence was a bit...Irritating to his processors but he'll deal with it since the scene was so minor.

He was prepared when she threw herself at him. Dark Rockman smirked in amusement when she whined right after, rubbing a bump on her face for slamming face-first into pure metal. Idiot. He internally mocked with a pang of mirth.

"Ouch...What are you made of?" Mitty grumbled, and the robot decided to give her an answer to humor himself.

"Circuits, metal and possibly oil." The sequence was simple enough.

"Ehh? Wait! So you're a robot?" Mitty gasped, pointing at him frantically. The girl froze at his stern expression, and she nervously coughed before dropping her voice to a whisper. "That's…! I didn't?" She trailed off again, unsure. "I thought you were some really hard-muscled kid. I mean, I knew you look frail but a robot?" Her eyes gained a familiar sparkle of interest. "Really?" A hint of doubt poisoned her words.

Dark Rockman stared at her.

"What? You didn't know?" He was certain she understood a little! At least, have the knowledge he wasn't human. When she vigorously shook her head; the robot laughed at her idiocy. "I suppose I overestimated you!" The cloth shifting around his neck made him pause briefly. "My disguise is precise. It's no surprise children can't see through it." Dark Rockman hummed.

"Mhm! A really good disguise. It just makes you cooler, Dark Rockman!" Mitty whispered hurriedly in a jolly voice. Her legs were vibrating with either cold or eager excitement.

"Heck yeah, I am." The robot mumbled, glancing off to the side as his circuits began to heat up. He purposely avoided the child's wanted high-five. Instead, he grinned at her pouting expression.

"Don't wear it out."