"Astro...?" Everyone fell silent as all of you stared at him in shock, Astro especially.
"You....know me?" Astro uttered, unsure how to respond. Tobio's eyes went wide for a moment. Before he could speak, his hands flew to his head and he clenched his eyes shut. Your eyes widened as he doubled over in pain and he began to cry out.
"Tobio!" Tenma cried out and he began to cradle his son.
"Ngh, it hurts so much....! Why does it hurt so much, father?" He whimpered. Tenma bit his lip and he began to rub his shoulder comfortingly. He then tore his gaze away from his son and he immediately barked orders at Astro.
"GO! Find a nurse, quickly!" Astro gasped and he hurriedly nodded his head. You watched him race out of the room in a hurried fluster, before you looked back at the boy in pain. Tears leaked from his eyes as he suffered an uncontrollable pain in his head.
"Oh Tobio..." you whispered. Tobio let out heavy breathes as he clung onto his father for dear life. As quickly as it had come, his pain subsided, and he released his tight grip. Tenma looked down at him worriedly as he sat upright.
"Tobio? Are you okay?" He asked. Tobio opened his eyes and he gave his father a heart warming smile.
"I'm alright. I think....I'm fine now." As he said this, he looked over at you, making you stiffen. He then held his hand out to you, prompting you to come forwards. "Come here." Your eyes widened slightly, and you nodded. You then shuffled towards him with your hands clutched to your chest. The moment you were within reach, Tobio made grabbing gestures. You furrowed your brows, and you carefully placed your hand in his.
Astro rushed back into the room with the nurse behind him and he came to an abrupt stop.
"Sir, I've brought the nurse-" Astro fell silent as he watched Tobio hold your hand as if it was his lifeline. You looked back at Astro with worried eyes while Tobio cried into your palm.
"Thank you... thank you so much...!" He whispered and he smiled warmly at you. You stared down at him with parted lips, before you gently tugged back your hand.
"Of course. You needed my help." You stated with a smile of your own. Tenma reached forwards and he gently rubbed Tobio's back. He closed his eyes as he took in this feeling. He then refocused his gaze on Astro, and something shifted within them. "Father, this is..." Tenma's eyes widened in realisation and he snapped his gaze towards Astro, who visibly flinched.
"O-Oh, this is... His name is Astro. I built him after you had fallen into your coma. He was modelled to look just like you." Tobio stared intently at his lookalike.
"You built him?" Somehow, he sounded doubtful. Tobio then reached up to Astro and he beckoned him forwards with a smile. "Can I talk to him?" Tenma looked at him worriedly before he reluctantly complied. He broke away from Tobio and he allowed Astro to approach him. Tenma gave him a warning look before he stood by you, watching their interaction carefully.
Astro fiddled with the hem of his shirt as he stood before Tobio with his gaze cast to the ground. Tobio looked up at Astro in awe, before he gave you and Tenma an innocent smile.
"Can I talk to him alone?" Everyone's eyes widened, and Astro looked back at the two of you nervously. You gave him a thumbs up with a confident grin plastered onto your face.
"B-But Tobio-" Tenma began to protest, but you pushed him towards the door.
"Oh relax! Let them have some alone time. It'll be good for them to get to know each other." You spoke. Tenma was about to make an unnecessary remark when you quickly silenced him by throwing him out the door. Tobio laughed at the two of you. The moment the door clicked shut, his smile disappeared.
Astro looked down at his boots with a small smile on his face and he breathed in to calm himself. He was so excited that he could finally talk to Tobio, he was honestly nervous.
"Astro." Astro whipped his gaze to meet Tobio's.
"Yes?" Astro faltered as Tobio eyed him with almost no expression on his face. What was he doing? His eyes, they were searching for something. "Do you remember me?" Astro's brows furrowed together, giving Tobio a clear answer. The young boy shook his head before smiling like the kid he was. "Never mind. I'm really happy to meet you, I truly am." A chill had run down Astro's spine and his entire body tensed up. Why did he feel so...afraid?
'Something isn't right, just who is this boy...?' Astro wondered to himself. Instinctively, his hand inched between his blade. Oblivious to his advances, Tobio pointed towards the door.
"Can you call in Y/n? I would like to talk to her some more." Astro's hand stopped midair and he looked down at him with wide eyes. He then nodded his head and he dropped his hand. He turned his back to him and he began to approach the door. Tobio watched his every move.
You watched Tenma pace outside of the room with a worried frown as he moved back and forth. The door then opened behind you, making you jump. You whipped your body towards it and you immediately brightened upon seeing Astro exit the room.
"Astro! How did it go?" You eagerly asked him. A flicker of terror appeared on Astro's face before it was quickly masked with a calming smile.
"Tobio wants to speak to you." He stated, making your eyes widen.
"Me!?" Astro nodded his head.
"Yeah." You raised your eyebrow at his down attitude. You then nodded and walked in. Astro's fingers dug into his palms as he stared at the ground.
As you entered the room, you found Tobio staring out the window. His pendant hung loosely around his neck as the light shone through the curtains, lighting up his brown hair. He sported the same hairstyle as Astro, but it looked a lot softer to the touch. You swallowed hard and walked forwards. As you approached his bedside, you gave him a shy little wave.
"Um, hello." You called out to him. Tobio turned towards you and he brightened instantly.
"Hello." You stood nervously in front of him as Tobio watched you. He then awkwardly gestured to the seat with his hand. "Um, would you like to have a seat?" You practically threw yourself at the chair, almost knocking it over. Tobio stared at you with wide eyes before he bursted out laughing. Your cheeks reddened in embarrassment and you kept your head low.
"Ahhhh man." You began to complain. Tobio calmed his laughter and the awkwardness he held before was no longer there.
"This makes me feel much better." He spoke, prompting you to raise an eyebrow at him.
"How?" Tobio dragged his hand across the sheets as he fixed his position on the bed.
"To be honest, I was kind of nervous seeing you. I thought you would have been strict and stuff. But...it calms me knowing that you're also a kid, just like me." He admitted. You gazed at him for a moment, before you relaxed your entire body and laughed along with him.
"Hahahah, yeah. We are kids, aren't we?" You and Tobio laughed with each other. Tobio then calmed himself and he leaned towards you.
"You saved me, didn't you?" You gasped and you began to wave your hands in denial.
"W-Well, yeah. But it was nothing really." You stated bashfully. Tobio pouted at you and he shook his head.
"Don't be so modest. You totally saved me! And..." He reached forwards and he grasped you by the hand, making you look down. You bit your lip as he held it up and clenched it tightly. Your heart almost skipped a beat as he smiled at you. "I would have never thought that I would meet the guardian of the black onyx pendant. To be honest, I thought the cycle had been broken forever." He admitted. You chuckled nervously. You then frowned.
"Wait, you thought that the cycle was broken? What made you think that way?" You questioned. Tobio sighed and he leaned back.
"Two hundred years ago, the great war happened. It was also the last sighting of the black onyx guardian. I'm not quite sure if you know this, but we're the reincarnations of the guardians. I am the reincarnation of the white diamond guardian, and you're the reincarnation of the black onyx guardian." He revealed as he pointed a finger at you. Your eyes widened. Tobio then looked out the window.
"So much has changed in so little time. I...will I be able to adapt?" He whispered. You nodded encouragingly at him and you rested your hand on his. Tobio glanced at your hand.
"Of course you will. You're Tobio Tenma, the guardian of the white diamond pendant. I'm sure that you'll be fine. And Astro will be with you too!" You exclaimed. Tobio's eyes widened. He then tightened his hold on you and his cheeks tinted red as he smiled at you.
"Thank you." You jumped to your feet and you planted your hands onto your hips.
"Well, I should probably be getting back. And I'm pretty sure that your dad would want to talk to you." Tobio nodded.
"Yeah." You waved to Tobio and left the room. Tobio waved back to you. He then dropped his hand as Tenma rushed in. You walked outside with a happy smile on your face. You then turned to Astro, who watched you with worried brows. You giggled and you leaned up before pressing your finger into his forehead.
"Stop frowning like that. You'll get wrinkles." Astro blinked in surprise before he rubbed his forehead.
"But I'm a robot. I won't get-" you held up a stopping hand.
"Yeah I know." Astro eyed you funnily while you looked back at the door. He then grabbed you by the hand, making you look up at him.
"We should head back." You nodded your head in agreement and you allowed him to whisk you off your feet. You rested your head on his shoulder as he took off down the hallway. You would have walked, but it felt nice having Astro carry you. You smiled silly to yourself at the thought. 'I feel like a princess.'
Astro stared ahead of him, also lost in thought. He couldn't get Tobio's words out of his head.
"Do you remember me?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once you were back at the academy, Astro landed on the ground and set you down on your feet. You saw that the sun was beginning to set and turned towards the dorms.
"Looks like we made it back on time." You told. Astro nodded and looked up at the sky. He then sighed and sat down. You turned towards him. "Is everything okay?" Astro jumped. He then looked towards you before shaking his head.
"A-Ah, yeah. I'm just a little tired." You leaned towards him.
"You're tired?" Astro nodded his head and he hid his flushed face from you. You continued to stare at him. Astro's hands trembled, and he constantly looked up in your direction. He then grabbed your hand and pulled you towards him. Your eyes widened as you fell into his arms, and a massive blush spread across your cheeks. "A-Astro!?" Astro bashfully clutched you to his chest tightly and he squeezed his eyes shut.
"Please, can we just stay like this for a little bit?" You stiffened in his hold. You then nodded slowly. Ever since he had spoken to Tobio, he looked so down. You glanced up at Astro. Astro felt your movement and he looked down at you. Your eyes widened as well as his, and your faces mirrored each others as they turned beet red.
Instead of actually separating, Astro hugged you tightly, hiding his face from your view. You clung onto his shoulders as you stared ahead of you with wide eyes. You then relaxed your body and you allowed yourself to settle into his hold. You and Astro stayed like this until the sun had fully set below the horizon.