Waltz for a Green Haired Girl: fanfic

[mr skunk]

I wrote this (part one) two years ago in freshman year..... :d oh: So yeah, some parts are embarrassing for me, and it has changed drastically the two years I've been writing it. I post this not to get comments, but to share with you these changes, as you might find them interesting. As chapter five roles around, it takes a drastic turn to a dark, retrospective of the human mind and how we cope with change and our urdges. I do want to end it on a lighter side, but the main point is that when I read it over, I see how much I've changed as a person in the span of two years.

This is a take on the 2003 version. I also gave names to two of Skunk's buddies, who in the show seemed to lack them.



Waltz for a Green Haired Girl

Part 1



“Oh yeah? ...well....well you’re fat ”
“I can’t believe it...this early in the morning and already you’re acting like an idiot.”
“Alright, That does it! You and me walrus, right here! I’m gonna mop up this floor with your ugly face!”

The sudden change from quite to unbearably loud startled Denkou right out of her sleep. She jumped in surprise as she fell out of her tiny, little bed onto the hard, wooden floor.
“Owww...” she rubbed her head as she stood up and looked at the clock on the bureau. 7:00 in the morning. Hmmm, if they were up this early, then they must be hungry.
She looked over across the room at the bed a lot bigger than hers. It was empty.
Well, she thought, Mr. Skunk is already up...must be why it’s so loud.
“I swear to God, I’ll knock you into next Thursday ...or Wednsday...or...Darn, What the hell day is it? DENKOU!”
Denkou quickly rushed around the little room putting on her school uniform. “Coming ” she called out to Mr. Skunk. She dashed out into the kitchen where the three of them were located, Mr. Skunk, Mr. Nooj, and Mr. Raff.
She quickly tied an apron around her waist and set off to work. “Luckily your yelling woke me up, Mr. Skunk,” she said, with a cheerful chirp in her voice, “otherwise you guys would have gone hungry ”
She took out some eggs from the refrigerator and turned on the stove. She got out the milk, bread, and the sausage and then got to work.
Denkou liked having a somewhat positive affect on the three of them. None of them could cook or clean and weren't really good at anything, so that’s where she would come in. She would cook breakfast for the three of them everyday before she went to school, and before bed she would make their lunch for tomorrow after they had finished dinner. After her home work was done she would do laundry and sweep up a little. She hardly had anytime to do something for herself, but she didn’t care. Working and helping the people she cared about made her happy in itself. The fact that when she first came here the house was dirty, all the food was instant, and none of them had even heard of an ironing board before, that made her laugh.
When she first started cooking and doing laundry, she got a lot of surprised glances. Sometimes Nooj or Raff would just watch her from the doorway of the room as she did the dishes or ironed their clothes. No one ever said anything to her about it though. Getting their stunned reactions the first week of this new treatment was thanks enough for Denkou. She knew it didn’t go unnoticed, though. One day she was ironing some of Skunk’s clothes as he lay and rested on the bed. She smiled and hummed softly to herself, always happy. She thought he must have been asleep, so she was startled when she heard him speak to her.
“You’d make a good mother.”
Denkou turned to the side and looked at him. He was laying on his stomach, his face turned slightly so he was looking at her. She looked back down at his clothes. His white dress shirt he wore under the black jacket, a pair of jeans, and a button T-shirt. She smiled. “You really think so?”
She could hear him turn over on his bed. Probably onto his side. “Well, that’s what mothers do, right? Cook and clean stuff?”
Denkou smiled even wider. She nodded.

She set down three plates with eggs, sausage, and toast on them. She poured some glasses of milk and orange juice, along with a plate of tomatoes and lettuce, she put them on the table. Her toast popped out of the toaster, and she carried it in her mouth as she ran around the house gathering her books, her bag, and her jacket. When she came back out, Skunk was holding a fork and yelling something about plucking Nooj’s eyes right out of his head. She ignored this and instead opened the fridge and pulled out her lunch that she made the night before.
“Lunch is in the fridge,” she mumbled, the toast still in her mouth, “just warm it up whenever you’re hungry. I have a poetry meet today so I’ll be home a little late, but I’ll start dinner the second I get back. Oh, and there are clean clothes in the closet. Don’t throw your underwear on the floor, put it in the laundry room and I’ll get to it later,” she added, finally taking into consideration that they were still wearing the t-shirts and boxers they wore to bed.
She shoved the last bit of toast into her mouth and slung her bag around her shoulder, “okay, I’m off.”
“Hey, wait a second...”
She heard Skunk’s voice come from behind her. She turned, her huge, green eyes alive with question wondering what he wanted.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Denkou,” he replied, with a smug tone to his voice, “tell these two idiots how to use the stove so they don’t burn the house down trying to warm up their lunch.”
“We aren’t the ones who need help,” Nooj spat back from across the table, referring to him and Raff, “you’re the one who can’t use any of the electronic devises in this house without blowing something up You’re just using us as an escape ”
“Shut up ” Skunk jumped up from the table, his fists clenched. “I can take you on. I don’t care if it’s this early in the morning. C’mon, you an’ me, outside!”
Raff was still sitting at the table, just listening to insults being thrown back and forth between his two ‘friends’ as he continued eating his eggs with lettuce on them. Just the way he liked it.
“Don’t.” Denkou’s voice came from the door way, still staring at the two men insult each other. The argument stopped and Skunk turned his head to look at her.
“Don’t do what?” he asked.
“Don’t use the stove.” She replied.
“Huh?”
“Well, use the microwave,” she said, pointing to the microwave oven in the corner of the kitchen, “it’s a lot easier.”
She was met by two blank stares.
“Ummmmm...do either of you even know how to use the microwave?”
They were silent for a moment, but after a few seconds Skunk slowly moved his hand in the air. Nooj hit him with a tomato. The hand quickly went down.
Denkou sighed. She had a feeling she would be late for school again.

End Part 1

[mr skunk]

Again, this was writen around the same time period. It's the same happy mush the story started out with and has evolved from. Not to say that stuff is bad, but there's a way to write it, and I'm not sure this is how.





Skunk

Skunk was the one Denkou found herself spending the most time with. Not because he was fun to be around or was nicer to her than Nooj or Raff, but because she felt that behind his hot headed temper and uncontrollable mouth, he was just lonely.

Nooj and Raff found his bad attitude very aggravating at times and completely shunned and ignored him when he got that way. But, Denkou knew what it felt like to be left out, to feel alone and unwanted. She felt like that a lot at school. That’s why whenever Skunk was upset or having one of his usual tantrums, Denkou would be the one to talk to him. About anything really. School, friends, life, or as Skunk called it, “stuff that nobody cares about.”

It was true, Skunk would get mad, defensive even, when Denkou tried to talk to him. Maybe it made him feel weak, talking to a little girl, a robot even, she never knew. At first, Denkou got nervous and frightened when Skunk yelled at her. Skunk was scary when he was mad. But now, she would just laugh it off. That was who Skunk was. It’s not like he enjoyed making her feel small and self conscious when he said stuff like, “you’re such a runt ” or “will you ever grow up?” These words, as hurtful as they were, came from a part deep, deep inside him that he never wanted to expose again, a part of him that he shut off, locked away, barricaded. And Denkou was certain that one day, she would pick that lock and finally open up the door to his heart.

She understood now. She understood that the Skunk she sees everyday isn’t the real Skunk. However, she had begun to realize just a little bit more of him shinning through each time she and him would talk. If she nagged and persuaded enough, sometimes she would get a full fledged conversation out of him. He would talk. She would listen. And when she listened, he would just keep on talking. It was a strenuously long commitment, but worth every minute. This was the side of Skunk that was enigmatic, the side Denkou loved to be exposed to, but was rarely given the opportunity. And though he would never admit it, Denkou got the feeling talking with her made him feel so much better.

One night while washing the dishes, Denkou had an interesting talk with Raff. Well, any talk with Raff is interesting, considering the fact he barely ever talks, unless he has something worth saying.
“Oh, and thanks...” Raff said, completely out of the blue. Denkou jumped about three feet, startled by his voice and startled by the fact that......well, he was talking.
“Oh, about what?” she asked, looking over at him from where she was at the sink. He was reading a book. She couldn’t see the title.
“Well,” Raff said, placing his book down, “ever since you came here, Skunk’s been a little easier to deal with.”
“Oh.” Denkou looked into the sink.
“I mean, he still has his moments, but over all....I dunno. He just seems different. He’s changed. Not sure how...” Raff picked up his book again and began flipping through it. “He used to wanna fight everyone, always mad. And it was serious! I know Nooj an’ him still fight, but it’s more verbal now, less physical.” He tucked the book in his back pocket as he stood up from the table. “Plus,” he added, “When they throw insults back an’ forth like that, it’s quite a funny show for us audience.” He gave her a wink, and with that, he walked out the door, down the street, and was gone. Denkou sighed and looked out the window over the sink. It wasn’t a very nice view. Nothing but cars and smoke and trash cans. She knew what Raff was talking about.

Skunk had always been.....well, a little odd. It didn’t develop over time either, Denkou realized, he must have been born like that. Some people are just born crazy. Skunk was one of them. He’d go from happy to raging in a second flat. Sometimes he would become manic, getting an idea in his head so far fetched and reckless, nothing Nooj or Raff or Denkou said could talk him out of it. And you know that when Skunk got an idea in his head, that idea wouldn’t leave until he followed through on it. Some people would call it stubborn. Denkou would call it amazing.
Sometimes he would go on mad cleaning sprees, going crazy or over reacting if Nooj or Raff so much as got a little of their cigarette ashes on the floor. Denkou got a break when this happened, watching T.V or reading a book as Skunk scrubbed and washed the floor. This only lasted a day or so, then Denkou was back to being their personal house cleaner.

Despite Skunk’s somewhat “interesting” qualities at times, when serious came to serious, Skunk knew what he wanted. He was smart, clever, and damn sneaky. This annoyed Nooj and Raff to no end, but Denkou thought it was great. Skunk was so fast and quick with his hands, and sometimes walking down the street he would steal a piece of candy from a concession stand and give it to her. No one ever knew he did this, except for Denkou, when he would slip it into her hand while walking back to the house. He did that about once or twice a week, and after the third week, Denkou went into his room at night to thank him. He was laying on his back, staring at the ceiling.
“Shut up,” he said, after she had thanked him. “Don’t be stupid.”

Skunk was just a little crazy.

She heard the bell ring for the start of school about two blocks away. She ran.


end part 2





"These words, as hurtful as they were, came from a part deep, deep inside him that he never wanted to expose again, a part of him that he shut off, locked away, barricaded. And Denkou was certain that one day, she would pick that lock and finally open up the door to his heart."

[mr skunk]

Here we start to see a change. This isn't surprising, considering I didn't write for about six months before writing part three. I incorporate more of the characters in this chapter, and dwell less on the character's weird quirks but instead on the way they function as a "family."

I focus more on accepting things, rather than writing them changing, as would be in a fairytale. For example, earlier in the story, Skunk was noticing what Denkou was doing, paid attention to her, and overall found a change coming over him. Now, we see things don't work out that way, so I took a more realistic step into it. It is romantic to think somebody can change, but even though they might know they're wrong, it rarely ever happens. Another example would be when Denkou is walking with the boys, the story states she has accepted the fact she will never be fully respected by them. The difference being she's a girl, and they're boys; two planes that will never cross or understand each other. She grows as a character just as I grew mentally in the process of writing this.

Oh, and by the way, I'm now well aware his name isn't "Tamago" :d oh:





Part 3

“Denkou.......pssst Hey, Denkou ”

Denkou sighed and buried her head deeper into the book, hoping this will send a sign to Tomago that it’s not the time nor the place to be talking. Alas, all hope of getting out of that situation safely was destroyed when Tomago threw a crumpled up note across the room that hit Denkou on the head.

“Ow! Tomago, what’s wrong with you?” She rubbed her head and looked across the room.

“Tomago, settle down.” Teacher’s voice came from the front of the room. She didn’t need to turn around from the black board or stop what she was doing to know who it was making such a ruckus.

“Read the note ” Tomago hissed loud enough for Denkou and the whole class to hear. The children giggled at how he was still trying to hide the fact that he was passing notes, even though for a long while now, it was very obvious what he was doing.

Denkou sighed but opened up the note none the less. By now teacher was turned away from the black board. Teacher was nice, but Denkou could tell she was getting aggravated with the whole situation.

Denkou’s eyes could be seen scanning back and forth from both sides of the letter. All of a sudden, she blushed a deep crimson, and glared across the room at a grinning Tomago, him moving his eyebrows up and down in a silly and perverted way. She threw the note at his face, and slide slowly lower and lower into her seat until her face was hidden from the world.

“Ow! You gave my eye a paper cut ” But he was laughing. And so was Denkou. Try as she may, she could never get mad or lose her temper with anyone. Some may call it a curse, when in actuality, it can be a blessing. The class was snickering with them.

“You can’t get a paper cut on your eye ” Denkou giggled as Tomago picked up the note and tore it into shreds. Jokes shouldn’t be remembered as hurtful. “Well,” he said, still chuckling, “I’ll have the first case of it ever in history ”

Atom and Kenichi were smiling. Denkou, who recently just started attending this school a few months ago (Skunk finally gave into her nagging), had already made friends with four of the boys in her class. Atom: a young robot like her, Tomago: a nerdy egghead computer whizz, Kenichi: A very polite and well mannered young man, and Abacrombie: a big bully who can dish it out but can’t take it.

“Alright Tomago, are you all set? Can I continue now?” Teacher was talking in a stern voice but she too was smiling, and Tomago, embarrassed but still happy, nodded his head in a meek fashion and stuck his nose further into his book. Denkou looked back up at the board and continued writing notes, but her mind couldn’t help tracing back to what that note said.
..


“So, Denkou...what’s it like living with three men? Must be very exciting, eh? Do they give you a run for your money?” Tomago repeated the question he asked Denkou in the note, taken that she never had a chance to answer. Abacrombie gave Tomago a high five for this little outburst, and Kenichi couldn’t help but stifle a giggle. Denkou glared at him, and the smile wiped right off his face. “Um, hey guys...that’s not funny...” but he was still laughing.

“Augh...boys...” Denkou pinched her nose and lifted her face in the air, as if she smelt something terrible. “Hey, what do ya expect?” Kenichi licked his finger and shoved it in Tomago’s ear. “Boys are gross. It’s our nature.”

Atom had been exceptionally quite. Hanging around with four boys, Denkou finally figured out she was never going to get much respect. It was even worse with the three men at the house. All the burping and farting and scraching.....well anyway, men will be men. But Atom would usually take part in this grossly behavior, but today, something was up.

“What’s up?” Denkou trotted up beside him. The five of them were walking home from school, and decided to take a short cut through the alley way where they first met Denkou. Atom looked at her and smiled. “You certainly have a way with knowing when something’s wrong, don’t you?” He popped her one in the shoulder. She rubbed her arm. “Call it a gift.” Her bag was slipping so she gave it a boost up unto her shoulders. “So, what’s wrong?”

But Atom wouldn’t look up. “I’m just...you know....” Denkou waited. “I mean....they’re criminals Denkou....” His face shot up to meet her eyes. The three others were already a ways ahead of them. “Hurry it up ” Abacrombie sounded impatient. “You guys are acting like prissy girls ”

Atom couldn’t help but laugh at this comment. “That’s because I am a girl ” Denkou shouted across to Abacrombie. He put his hands in a cup over his mouth, “You are not ” Tomago and Kenichi keeled over in their laughter.

“I can still beat you in base ball ” Denkou put her hands on her hips and looked over the distance at Ambacrombie and the two other boys walk away. “Call you guys later ” Atom shouted. Kenichi lifted his hand up as an indication that they heard him.

Atom sighed, and when he turned back around, Denkou was waiting for him to finish what he was saying. “I guess I just want you to be careful. You know they’re not exactly the safest people to be around.”

Denkou laughed, “Oh But what would they ever do without me? I’m the glue that holds that house together! Yes, I know their reputation, but the more time I spend with them, the more they’re becoming like family to me."

Atom looked away, “Yeah, I guess. I know it may not be too apparent, but we do worry about you. You are part of the group, and you are one of our friends. So...you know...don’t be afraid to ask if you need anything.....”

Denkou smiled. She might cry. How wonderful it feels to have someone so concerned with your well being, to be wanted and loved so dearly. She gave Atom a big hug. “I’m so lucky to have friends like you ”

..

Denkou whistled softly to herself as she neared the entrance to the three men’s secret base, or as she liked to call it, home. She took out her key to open the door, but was surprised as Skunk quickly opened it up, looked both ways, and then dragged her in. Denkou looked up at him curiously. He looked down at her.
“Cops. Some guy tried to rob the mart across the street. The block is swarming with them....”

“Sooooo, they haven’t caught him yet?” Denkou asked with a slight hint in her voice. Skunk looked down at her. She smiled.

“So? And what’s it your concern, you little twit ” Nooj walked in and stretched his arms up over his head. “Hey Skunk. Put some pants on.” Denkou had just noticed what she failed to when she got home. Skunk was still wearing what he wore to bed: Boxers and a T-shirt. She blushed. “You didn’t want to get dressed, Mr. Skunk?” But he was too busy glaring at Nooj. “Who cares ” He shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the fridge, like it was the most normal thing in the world to be wearing underwear at six in the evening. “By the way, were you suggesting that I was the one who tried to rob the mart?” He took out a can of beer and opened it.

From a chair positioned in front of the T.V, Nooj laughed. “And what’s so funny? You stupid bag of crap...” Skunk hoisted himself up onto the counter and lay down. Denkou watched him and couldn’t help but laugh. What a place to rest! She walked over to the sink to wash the dishes from lunch, only to realize that they had already been taken care of. Her smile vanished and was replaced by a look of sheer surprise.

“That’s exactly what she’s saying ” Nooj turned his head from the T.V and looked into the kitchen. “I mean... c'mon Skunk, hadn’t we agreed we’d take a break on this for awhile?” Denkou turned around from the sink. “Um, guys...?”

“Oh, this is fresh.” Skunk slide off from the counter and walked over to the table. “I’ve been friends with you for how many years?”

[mr skunk]

continued..........



Nooj cocked one of his eyebrows. “What does that have to do with it? I’m just saying it’s suspicious that it was right across the street and they still haven’t caught the guy.... plus it doesn’t help that you’re walking around here all paranoid and stuff....like you gotta take a whiz really bad or something...”

“Ummm.... guys?” Denkou was watching the two men readying themselves, and readying herself for another argument. “Shut up, midget.” Skunk lifted his hand to Denkou’s mouth to silence her. “This is between me and the walrus over there.” He pointed his hand across the room to a very confused Nooj sitting in a chair. Nooj rolled his eyes and let his head fall back onto the couch.

Denkou sighed and walked over to the stove. From the sounds of it, this wasn’t Skunk’s first can of beer today. Talking to him about something serious when he’s in this condition would be futile. She’ll just have to figure out who helped her with the dishes after he’s slept it off. She started dinner.

..

Ah, dinner. The most INTERESTING meal of the day.

“Look at what I can do ” Skunk put a spoon up to his nose. It fell off. Nooj laughed. “You suck.” Skunk picked up the spoon and glared at it. “I can get this.” He slowly tried to balance it on his nose again. It fell. And Denkou laughed.

Raff wasn’t much for this type of dinner behavior. He usually took his plate in the other room and ate in his favorite chair while reading a book. Let’s face it, being around Skunk wasn’t too appetizing. He was drinking another beer. Denkou smiled and ate, but she wasn’t hungry anymore. The part of Skunk she liked disappeared when he got like this.....

“Oh God....” She heard his voice. Hurtful, and Nooj in there patting him on the back. They had been friends since grade school. Nooj sighed, “Your friend the toilet bowl.” Skunk laughed, then punched Nooj in the arm. “Don’t make me laugh It hurts ” More moaning and groaning until finally the last of the poisons and toxins were out of his body. They had lowered their voices.

“You know, you’re always chugging them down....”

“I know.... ”

“Well, c’mon Skunk....she’s here now.....”

A long pause.

“I know.”

She heard his footsteps down the hall, heading to the room the two of them shared. She threw the skirt under her bed and turned out the light as she snuggled under the covers. He walked in and closed the door, but stopped for a moment. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know he was looking at her. And her feet were cold and shaking. Finally, he took a deep breath, and got under the covers in his bed.

Denkou finally settled in when she thought Skunk was asleep and got ready to go to bed herself. She found a comfy position and closed her eyes.

“Kid?”
Denkou was startled. It took her a while to find her voice, and it really didn’t produce any words. “Hmmmm?”

“You awake kid?”

“I’m here.” She rolled over on her back so she could hear him better. He paused, and for a minute she thought he had fallen asleep.

“I didn’t....” She waited. “I didn’t rob that place.....I mean..... everyone’s saying I did, but I didn’t I swear it.... ”

“I know.” Denkou sat up in bed so that she was looking at him. Through the dark, he looked so feeble. “I believe you. I know you didn’t...”

For a while, though she could not see him, she could feel his eyes on her.

“You’re the only one who ever believes me.”


end part 3

[mr skunk]

This chapter is strange. It takes an unbelievably sharp turn in a direction even I didn't know it was going.

Warning: This chapter strays from the plot, for the most part, and talks a lot about sexuality and whether robots go through puberty. There was some bad language, but I censored it. If it's still a little two "out there" for this forum, please tell me and I will gladly remove it. The last thing I want to do is make people sick.....




part 4

One more thing
Why is it my fault?
So maybe I try too hard
But it’s all because of this desire
I just want to be liked
Just want to be funny
Looks like the joke’s on me
So call me captain ‘Back fire.’

-”My stupid mouth”, John Mayer

Waltz for a green haired girl

“So what’s that big dipper looking thingy called?”

“Ummm....the big dipper?”

“.........Makes sense I guess...”

“Are you sure you have a stomach ache....?”

“What about the one that looks like a belt? What’s that one called?”

Denkou was trying her best not to offend Skunk by cracking up in a thunder of laughter. Sometimes he would fake being sick just so Denkou could go with him on the roof and get some fresh air. He usually did that once every week, and on a Thursday for some random reason. It’s been obvious for a while he felt fine, but Denkou played along.

“You really don’t know much about the constellations, do you?”

“Hey, that’s your job, remember? You’re the brains of the group.”

“If I’m the brains then what does that make you?”

Skunk lifted up his head for a moment in thought before he answered. “The sexy one.”

Denkou squirmed and shook her head. “Ewwwww Gross ”

“What? You don’t think I’m sexy?”

Denkou didn’t answer with words but instead stuck her tongue out at him.
“You stick that thing at me again I’ll rip it out and throw it over the ledge.”


..


“Kid. Your turn to wake up Skunk today. Kid?”

Denkou must have fallen asleep at the table again. She shook out her head and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah?” She looked up at a very grouchy looking Nooj.

“Get in there and wake Skunk up.”

Denkou looked over to the door that led into the room she and Skunk shared. It was dark, like a cavern, and had the feeling of being haunted. She could have sworn she saw smoke rising out from the bottom. Skunk was an eye sore in the morning.

“Does your head hurt?”

Nooj didn’t answer. He instead began to message his temples with his right hand, his left busy pouring a cup of coffee.

“Cause if I let him sleep in it might not be as noisy.”

Nooj set the mug down and took a deep breath. “Yeah, but then he won’t stop complaining about how we let him sleep in and how he feels like the whole day has been wasted.” He took a sip and then grimaced.

“Yes, but what about...”

“Denkou!” The little robot jumped at the sound of his voice and the mug being slammed down on the counter top. “I’m not in the mood today...”

The whole time Raff was standing in the other room, looking out the window. It was the window Denkou hated. She thought it might look nicer if it was painted, or maybe didn’t have the crack in the side. The fellas didn’t care for the idea. That day was scary. That was the day Denkou realized they really didn’t think of their home as a home. It was more of a base to them. It could be as cold and unwelcome as possible, it didn’t matter. The more she thought about this, the more it made sense. Why make a house feel welcome if you might need to desert it? It was a waste of time. A sad thought, but none the less true.

Nooj was still looking at her, waiting for her to jump into action. Looking into his eyes was quite an experience. So full of aggravation and anger. Denkou tried her best to say that she would go wake Skunk up, but all that really came out was

“UUugghttteee....”

Nooj looked over at Raff, and then back at Denkou. “What did you just say?”

“I...I’m going.”

..

Waking Skunk up took skill. Not just anyone could do it. Usually she was the one chosen because...well, did she really have a choice? She tried her best not to step on anything that might still be alive in the mess of crap surrounding his bed (dirty clothes, cigarette packages, crumpled up paper, a few beer cans...). When she was able to find a clearing, she stood on her tiptoes and peered over to see his face. His body was nothing but a curled up bulge under the covers, his head sticking out the top and his feet entwined around each other at the bottom. Every time he’d breathe, the bulge would move up and down. He was a snorer.

“Mr. Skunk?”

No answer.

“C’mon Mr. Skunk. It’s time to get up.”

Still no answer.

She stood straight once more and just watched the bulging covers breathe for a minute or two, trying to find a solution to this problem. After a while, she took her index finger and quickly poked what she assumed must have been his back.

“Whatayadonninnnnggg.....”

Well, at least he said something. She waited a little longer and then poked him again. And again. And again. The most he did was twitch his foot, but other than that, no progress. She quietly and slowly pulled the covers down from his neck to his knees. Maybe feeling some of the cool morning air would wake him up. He was wearing a battered, gray T-shirt and dirty, old pajama pants. She waited, but he still didn’t move.

“Mr. Skunk?” She tapped him a few times on his leg, but nothing happened. “You need to get up now.” She put her hand close to his thigh and began to shake it. “Wake uuuuuuupppp.....” She shook it back and forth a little harder. He began to mumble something. She stopped for a second to see if he was awake. Of course, he wasn’t. She began shaking him back and forth again, in a rhythmic motion to match her sing song voice.

“Wakey wakey Mr. Skunky Skunky...”

“Mmmmm.....that’s it. Right there.....”
Denkou jumped back in surprise. Perhaps Skunk was having a very....”exciting” dream. In school, her class had just begun learning about human sexuality. She wondered, however, where she fell in. Humans are able to make children together, and if they love each other enough, they can get married. Also, something else that kept Denkou up to all hours of the night. She wasn’t sure how it was done, or even if she could do it, but the nagging thoughts and visuals were still there.

Sex.

What a horrible word. What a putrid word. It had never crossed her mind once until a few months ago, and now it won’t seem to leave. She had dreams about it, read stories about it, saw commercials and shows on T.V about it, yet she didn’t know what it was. Was it acceptable for a robot to partake in these acts? Was it even possible? She was alone in her discovery of this new sensation. She could never talk to the three men about it They would laugh at her and wonder what kind of stupid thoughts went through her mind. She had always been on her own, but this felt different. This was more lonely. She had never felt more different and out of place. Skunk must have been dreaming about a woman. A beautiful woman.

A human woman.

Not a dumb little robot like her.

..

[mr skunk]

continued........




“Hey, where is he? Is he up?”

Denkou kept her face towards the ground to hide the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. She had been crying a lot recently, but none of them knew. Her stomach hurt.

“He was...I dunno. He’s not up.”

“Why not?” Nooj cocked an eyebrow and eyed her suspiciously.

Denkou shifted uncomfortably from side to side, tugging at her clothes and pulling at her hair, a sure sign that someone is nervous. “I’m....I’m not sure....he’s just....not up...”

Nooj uncertainly looked over at Raff, who was just as confused as anyone else, and shrugged his shoulders. He looked back over to Denkou, “What’s the deal with you today?”

“What’s the deal with YOU today?” Denkou shot back as she grabbed her back pack and trudged out of the house. Nooj was left standing there dazed, not exactly sure what to make of the whole situation.

“Wait, wait, wait....hold up here....” Raff turned his head to talk to Nooj. “Did she pitch in and make lunch or what?” Nooj walked over to the fridge and looked in. “Doesn’t look like it. Anyway, we probably got more things to be freaked out at right now...” Nooj closed the fridge and dumped the rest of his coffee down the sink....cause it tasted like crap.
Raff shrugged and walked into Skunk’s room.

(kick)

“Son of a..... ”

He walked back out again.
Skunk ran out of his room with a sheet held up around his waist and a look of fury in his eyes. “Okay! Who did it? WHO DID IT?! ” Of course, neither Nooj nor Raff answered him, or even acknowledged that he was there. “Oh Nice....real mature...” He kicked the sheet back into his room and closed the door. When he got to the table, he collapsed with a violent thud into the chair and let his head smack down on the table. After a few minutes of sitting like that, he lifted up his head and looked around the room.

“Where’s the kid?”

Nooj didn’t even pick his eyes up from the table. “Left.”

“When?”

“Few minutes ago.”

“Where?”

“Denver.”

“What?”

“To school you idiot.”

Skunk gave him the patented “hardy har har” look and got up from the table. “Did she make lunch?” From the couch, Raff could be heard laughing at the comment. Skunk looked over at him. “What?”

“She didn’t make lunch today. She left in a huff. Quite frankly, I think we have bigger things to worry about than lunch....”

“I’ll say.” Raff said from his little sanctuary on the couch.

Skunk looked back and forth from both of them. He had a look on his face that could only be measured in bad sushi. “What? What’s more important than lunch? Does she want me to starve? ”
“Oh for the love of....you can make your own sandwich every once in a while!” Nooj went over to the counter and proceeded to make another batch of coffee, hoping this one would be better then the last.

“Alright, then tell me this. You all appear to know what’s going on. Care to fill me in on the details?”

“It begins.” Raff turned his head around and looked at Skunk, with a genuine smirk on his face.

Nooj laughed. “I like that....”

“WHAT BEGINS? ” Skunk’s hands were tugging at the hair around his scalp, his frustration building.

“Denkou’s decent into womanhood....or robothood....or....what the hell is it called?” Nooj turned his head over to Raff, who just shrugged his shoulders. “Anyway...” he turned back to Skunk, “I’m not looking forward to it...”

Skunk rolled his eyes. “You guys are being babies. I mean, it can’t be all that bad, can it?”

He was met by two sets of glaring eyes.

“Whatever....” Raff marked his place in the book he was reading.

“I didn’t even know robots went through adolescence until recently.” Nooj lifted up his head in thought.

“Well, they are becoming more and more like us humans everyday,” Raff mentioned. “Who knows. Maybe one day humans will be able to mate with robots, though I hope not. It’s actually kinda creepy and perverted if ya think about it...”

“I agree, let’s stop talking about it. I’m losing my appetite.” Nooj got up and poured himself another mug of coffee.

Skunk had been exceptionally quite throughout the entire conversation. He took a moment to juggle the thought back and forth through his skull. So, Denkou was growing up, eh? Great. Just great.

Nooj took a sip of coffee and immediately spit it out in the sink.



end part 4

[dannavy85]

this is great! Your writing skills are excellent Skunk!

[mr skunk]

this is great! Your writing skills are excellent Skunk!

*blush* Oh, thank you! I must say, I've read all of your fictions that you posted on the forum, and I must say the same. You're an excelent writer as well! I'll have part 5 posted as soon as I can.

[astro_mcfly]

You did a good job so far, mr skunk! Can't wait...

[jeffbert]

I like the story except for certain parts. I have PMed you regarding those.