Paper

One page too short.

Shuko was sitting across from Ace in the hovercar that was taking them to the painstakingly calculated location of XX's origination. Ace's software had been completed successfully, but there was a small chance that it wouldn't work against XX. The final additions and coding of the software had to be done rather quickly, and Shuko and Ace barely had any time to look over it. Now, all they could do was hope that it pulled through for them. If it didn't... there were going to be some nasty repercussions.

"Hey there, are you okay?" a young Shuko asked, bending down in front of another- Ace. His face was bruised and his dark eyes were filled with tears. Shuko knew that he was a cyborg immediately; there were ports on the higher part of the boy's neck. The other boy quickly rubbed at his eyes, his dirt-smudged face contorting into a defensive expression. "Leave me alone."

Shuko tilted his head to the side. "Why? I don't want to leave you here by yourself."

The cyborg boy wiped at his face again. "I'm always by myself. Go away."

Shuko knelt down on his knees, his mismatched eyes shining with curiosity and determination. He had never met a cyborg before. He had no idea that they could cry. They were much more complex than he had originally thought. Just wait until he told his brothers about this! They would love it.

"I'm Shuko, what's your name?" Shuko said, holding out his hand. The cyborg gave him a teary glare. "Go away. I don't want to talk."

The dark haired boy gave the cyborg a small smile. "Well, 'go away', I'm still not going to leave you here all by your lonesome. It's not safe to be alone in a place like this. Us urchins gotta stick together, you know? Besides, you're crying. Even I know you shouldn't just walk past a person who's crying."

The cyborg sniffled but didn't say anything in response for several moments. Shuko frowned but kept his hand out. He wasn't going down without a fight.

Then, came; "Ace. My name's Ace."

Shuko's eyebrows went up. "Wow! That's a cool name- by the way, could you please shake my hand, it's getting really tired..."

Ace took Shuko's hand very briefly, finally meeting his gaze. Shuko grinned at him. "I think I'll call you Aka-chin."

Ace was about to reply, looking confused and rather annoyed when Shuko reached forward and touched the cyborg's messy dark red hair. It went down to the boy's shoulders. Shuko had never seen anyone with red hair before.

"I like your hair," He said, making sure not to brush his fingers against any of the ports or chips alongside the buzzed part of Ace's head. "It reminds me of strawberries."

Shuko pulled his hand away. "I love strawberries."

Ace watched as the other boy stood up. Shuko stretched before looking to Ace and reaching his hand out. "Come on, don't just sit there, Aka-chin. You look peaky~ my brother will make you something to eat. We don't have much, but I'll share my portion with you," He said. Ace stared at him. Then, he hesitantly took Shuko's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up.

"There you go!" Shuko continued to hold Ace's hand. He looked over Ace's face, frowning slightly at the tear streaks. Without any reluctance, he dried Ace's face. "I'll wash your face when we get home, too, okay?"

Shuko smiled at Ace, who looked confused. Then, the cyborg's eyes began to fill with tears once more. Shuko began to lead the way to his home, Ace crying quietly as they walked. Shuko gave him a rather sad smile and squeezed the cyborg's hand in reassurance.

"It's okay. You won't have to cry anymore, Aka-chin. My brothers and I are going to be your family now, alright? We can't just leave you on your own," Shuko murmured as they turned a corner. Their bare feet kicked up dust from the sandy ground.