broken memories and hearts (A Zodiac Book)

I just don't know how to smile

Leo woke up and rubbed his eyes. He filled a glass of water down stairs. Aquarius walked out of the bathroom. "Good morning Aquarius". Leo said yawning. "Good morning". Aquarius replied back. Leo was surprised. Aquarius usually never responded to him. "G-good morning". He stuttered. "Good morning". Aquarius said unemotional. Leo blushed. He then got super happy. "Good morning! Good morning! Good morning"! Leo yelled. Scorpio opened the door. "Shut up"! Scorpio said pissed. Leo rushed over to her. "Listen! Aquarius said, 'good morning'! Yes! I'm so thrilled"! Leo Said happily. "Huh"? Scorpio asked. Scorpio saw Aquarius taking her clothes off. "W-wait she's changing her clothes! Get you butt outside"! Scorpio said throwing Leo out of the room. Leo hit the wall.
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Leo sat at his desk smiling happily. "Geez. Stop grinning over the thought of seeing Aquarius change clothes! You're so creepy!" Scorpio said sitting down at her work desk next to him. "That's not what I'm doing"! Leo Said back to her. "Now that you mention it, I saw Leo reading a strange book the other day". Aries said. "Strange book"? Scorpio asked. "What was It? Oh I know! It was something like 'the lovey-dovey newlyweds' manual". Aries said and shot Leo an evil smirk. Leo stood up from his desk. Scorpio had a purple aura surrounding her. "Newlyweds"? Scorpio said in a deep voice. Leo turned the other way in embarrassment. "I-I did buy that, but...it wasn't much help". Scorpio sighed and leaned across the table to Aquarius. "Aquarius, are you sure you want to live with this guy"? "If it's Leo...I don't mind". Aquarius said. "Aquarius..." Leo said. Scorpio looked back and forth from Leo to Aquarius. "I...I see. As long as your okay with it, it's fine with me". "You two have become the best of friends, Huh? Actually...she said, 'if it's Leo', right? I wonder what she meant by that. I'm so curious! Maybe Leo is getting all touchy-feely with her every night? The way Scorpio is with me. All ruffling my hair..." Aries said. Scorpio stood up from her desk in embarrassment and turned to Leo. "Leo! Would it kill you to clean up your desk once in a while"? "Oh, uh, sorry"! Leo Said starting to clean up his desk. Scorpio sat down in her seat blushing. Why does this frustrate me so much? Scorpio thought while blushing. Gemini entered the room holding papers. "All right! I'm gonna divide this week's tasks! We have seven new clients this week. Scorpio, you take Minerva and Carl. Minerva's owner could give you trouble, so watch out." Gemini warned. "Oh crap, a diplomat"? Scorpio asked. "Aries, You can handle it, right"? Pisces asked. "Spasibo". Aries said. "And I'm giving Capricorn-" Gemini started but looked down at his desk. "Hey, Virgo where's Capricorn"? "I cannot reach him". "Again"? Gemini asked in disbelief. "I will relay to him what our duties are". Virgo said. "You do that." Virgo nodded in understanding. "Leo, you handle Marcia, okay"? "Right"! Leo Said. Scorpio raised her hand. "Gemini, that job...wouldn't I be a better fit for it"? "You would. But this time...I want Leo to get the experience. If you have any trouble let me know right away. Anything eles?" Pisces opened a file. "We received a notice from the head office. Black market retrievers have been on the move lately. Please be careful." Pisces explained. "You mean thoes scumbags who use our name to retrieve andorios"? Gemini asked. "What? But isn't that illegal"? Leo asked. "It certainly is. But...the police can't reing them in. If you see anyone suspicious, repot it quick. Pisces explained. "One more thing. Let's work efficiently. Okay...?" Taurus said.
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"Android children"? "That's right. Children who've lost their biological parents, were raised by Androids, such as us". Aquarius explained. "In other words, the owner, souta, marcia is like his...foster mother? What should I look out for"? Leo asked. "That varies case by case". Aquarius said. "For example, do we help him find a place to live afterwards"? Leo asked. They stopped infront of the house. "This is it". Leo said. They rang the doorbell. A cheerful girl opened the door. "Welcome! You're from terminal services, aren't you"? Both Aquarius and Leo were surprised by her sudden out burst. "Uh, yes! I'm Leo." He said nervously. She took Leo's hand with both of her hands and shook it. "Welcome"! "And this is aqua". Leo gestured to her. She looked at Aquarius. He face instantly lit up. She hugged Aquarius tightly. Aquarius struggled to breath against her cleavage. "It's so nice to meet you, Aquarius"! Marcia pulled away. Aquarius's oxygen cycle returned. "Now, then, come on in"! Marcia said. They entered the apartment. "Souta should be getting home from school soon, all right!" Marcia said. "Let me make some tea! Please, take a seat wherever"!  Marcia said. Leo walked over to the cork bored to see pictures of his family and events from school and childhood. Pictures of Marcia hugging him also filled the bored. "You two are close, huh"? Leo asked smiling at the pictures. Marcia chuckled. "That boy is very clignly and we've been together for so long. After I'm gone...will He be able to make it on his own? I'm a little worried about that." Leo's eyes landed on one of the pictures. "Are these souta's parents"? "Yes, they passed away three years ago, though." Leo looked down. Marcia appeared behind him and started speaking. Leo jumped. "Oh, but they were both such nice people! They even treated me like their own daughter. For example, on their days off, I used to go shopping with mom all the time! Mom and I would pick out clothes for souta and dad! You see, dad had the worst possible taste in clothes. So he left it all to mom. Mom was very stylish! She had the whole neighborhood buzzing! Oh, but dad was amazing in his own way, too! Especially sports! He was as good as a pro. He took souta and me on jogs, and all sorts of things! When souta wanted to give up halfway through, there would be mom, smiling with the cake she's baked! And thoes cakes were the best in the world"! "Talking about that again"? Marcia turned around. Oh, souta! Welcome home". "Who are they"? Souta asked. "They're from terminal service. I told you about them, right"? "You told me." He sighed. "Don't believe anything Marcia says because it all lies". "Huh"? Marcia said confused. Leo and Aquarius looked at him with the same expression. Marcia smile and put her hands on her hips. "Souta! Can't you see you're making Leo and Aquarius uncomfortable"? Souta looked away. Leo spoke up. "Today we're here to ask you to sign the agreement from". Souta held out his hand. "I just have to write my name"? "Huh? Uh, yes". "Take her away right now! I don't want her anymore". Souta said. "What do you mean, you don't want her"? Leo asked. "Don't you get it? You're a moron". "Souta! That's now way to speak to our guests". "I don't have to listen to you, marcia". "If your going to be like that, then no snack for you today"! Marcia said. Souta grabbed the file from leo and slammed it on the table and began signing his name. "What a nag! You're just an android." Marcia gasped. "Hey, hold up! Stop, stop!" Leo frantically said. He grabbed the file from souta. "In these circumstances, we can't accept your signature". "Wh-what do you mean? I'm telling you to take Marcia away! Oh I get it! You guys are Androids too, aren't you? All Andorios ever do to me are lie"! "Lie"? "Souta! Remember what dad always told you. 'If you can't friend sympathy in others, you'll never find happiness'". "I don't know anything about mom or dad"! Marcia's face grew sad. "Souta..." "whatever you say about mom or dad is just a bunch of lies anyway! Since you also lied about never leaving me!" Aquarius looked surprised. "I just know it"! Souta ran to his room. Leo and Aquarius looked at Marcia. "Souta...ever since I told him about my lifespan, he's been like that". Aquarius looked down.
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"Lies, huh?" Scorpio asked. "I kind of know where he's coming from. He's probably having an identity crisis. Not that marcia's to blame, but...hearing about her lifespan could've been a reality check that Marcia's an android and not really family". Scorpio explained. "So that's why he started thinking the stories about his parents were all lies; too"? Leo asked. "Losing sight of who you really are...that can be pretty scary". Scorpio said.
Flashback
"Don't believe anything she says. Because it's all lies".
End of flashback
Leo looked down at his desk. "Isn't there anything we can do"? Leo whispered. "The important thing...is get him to believe that he was loved, I think". Scorpio said. "Get him to believe, huh"? Leo said to himself. "If you want, I can give you a hand". Scorpio offered. "Really? That woupd be great"! Leo Said. "I'll let Aquarius know, then". Leo said. Aquarius walked in holding a tray of tea. "Actually, I changed my mind." "Huh? Why"? "Because I said so!" Scorpio yelled. Aquarius looked at them.
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"As I'm constantly reminding you, I'm sure each of you terminal service chiefs are doing what you can to cut costs. With one exception. Terminal service one. Chief Taurus!" "Y...yes, sir!" "How many times have I called on you now"? The head office asked. "Uh, I can't quiet recall..." Taurus said nervously. "You overhead is at least five times higher than anywhere else". The office said. "Yes, about that, I'm taking measures to..." "and how many times have I heard these same words"? The office said. "Well, uh...if we're going to provide sufficient aftercare, labor costs for each and every client will be incurred-" Taurus was cut off. "Enough of your excuses. I advise you to turn in a specific roadmap before next meeting. if there is still no potential for improvement, I have a solution of my own." "Y-yes, sir..." chatters were starting talking about Taurus. "Must be hard on Taurus." "Doesn't he realize talking like this only makes it worse"? "They just gave him a long leash before". "One flase move could get him demoted".
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Aquarius and Leo were at Marcia's house. They were looking though photo albums. "This is all of them"! Marcia said carrying more photo albums. "Thanks"! Leo Said. Marcia saw what Leo was looking at. "Oh, wow, that brings back memories! This is from souta's fifth brithday party! It'll be three years ago tomorrow, huh"? "Is tomorrow souta's birthday"? Leo asked. "Yes". Marcia said looking down at the photo album. "Oh, look at that"! Marcia said pointing to the picture of a strawberry shortcake. "Mom baked this herself! Mom baked the best strawberry shortcake in the world! It was so good...but souta ate most of it himself. I helped her line up the strawberries, you know. If you put the biggest strawberry in the middle, that makes it look even better!" Leo frowned. "There are even photos...but souta doesn't even Remember that day". "Well, I'm sure it must have been a shock. After mom and dad passed away, souta was withdrawn for a long time. But even so, I don't want him to think that they were just a lie. He can call me a liar all he wants..." Marcia said. Leo turned to page. A pink paper fell out. "Oh!" Leo picked it up. "This is the recipe for that strawberry shortcake"! Marcia said taking the paper from leo. "Oh, wow! It has the secret ingredients written down, too! All this time, I had no idea how to make it"! Marcia said. Leo looked at her.
Flashback
"The important thing is to get him to believe that he was loved, I think".
End of flashback
"You're going to throw souta a brithday party tomorrow, right"? Leo asked. "What? Yes." "Would you mind if we joined you, too? Let's bake this strawberry shortcake together"! Aquarius looked at him. Leo was smiling brightly. "Oh that's a wonderful idea! We'll cover the whole room with dazzling decorations, and celebrate with smiles on our faces, just like this photo"! Marcia said. "Yes"! "Aquarius, you give me a smile, too!" Marcia said. She stretched Aquarius's face. "Like this! You're such a pretty girl, you really should smile!" Marcia said. Aquarius tried to smile but it came off as creepy.
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Aquarius stood in front of the bathroom sink and stared into the mirror.
Flashback
"I will never forget my memories of working with you. But...I won't be your partner anymore. That would be better...for the both of us, don't you think"? Gemini said.
End of flashback
Aquarius looked at herself a tried to smile.
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"Leo"? Aquarius said in the car. "Huh? Is something the matter"? Leo asked. "Is this really for souta's good"? "Huh? What do you mean by that"? "Nothing. Never mind". "But..." "we each have our roles, so I'll go along with whatever you decide". Aquarius said. "Hey, there he is"! Leo said. The saw souta walking. "Okay, let's get the ball rolling"! Leo Said. "Right". Aquarius replied.
                                   ~
souta was walking until he came across a boy and his mom. Scorpio walked up behind him. "It's tough not to give in for so long, isn't it"? "Who are you"? Souta asked. "I'm Scorpio from terminal services." She held up her badge. "Nice too meet you, souta". Souta started walking away. Scorpio followed him. "I was brought up by a Android, too. Not to imply that I understand how you feel. But you should at least be live in your memories. Who have you been living with for the last three years? You do remember that, don't you"? Scorpio asked. Souta stopped walking. "All my memories are lies"! Souta started running away.  "No way I'm gonna believe in them"! "I can't just let's this go, after all". Scorpio said.
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"I'll handle the secret ingredients. Leo, you're incharge of the dough! Okay?" Marcia said. "You can count on me"! Leo Said determined. "I also have to make souta a feast with all his favorite foods! We're going to be very busy!" Marcia said. "Right"! Leo replied. "Let's see, what we need to make the dough for the strawberry shortcake is...all-purpose flour." Leo said. Marcia cut a potato in half. "By the way, how good are you a cook, leo"? Marcia asked. "The other day, I made something called a flambé"! Leo Said straining to open the flour. It ripped in two putting a puff of white on Leo's face. Marcia looked back. "I ended up burning it though". Leo confessed. Marcia sighed. The doorbell rang. "Who could that be?" Marcia asked. "Coming"! She said. Leo looked back at the sheet. "Uh...fifty grams of butter". Leo slowly cut small pieces of butter until it reaches fifty exactly. "That's fifty grams! Next..." the paper was snatched out of Leo's hands. "Look, you..." Leo looked behind him to see Scorpio. "By the time you're done micro-measuring everything, it'll be dark out"! "Scorpio! And you, too, Aries! What are you doing here"? "We came to give you a hand". "But the other day..." "I changed my mind"! Scorpio turned to Marcia. "Marcia, I'll be happy to help out". "That's great! To tell you the truth, Leo doesn't seem like much if an asset"! Leo sighed in defeat. "Here, give it to me"! Scorpio measured everything and then started wisiking the eggs. Oh, my, look at you"! Marcia said. "Do you happen to be a good cook"? Leo asked. "Well, I've been doing it since I was a kid. I used to cook my dad's meals, too". "Oh, really"! "Don't just space out like that! Shift that flour"! Scorpio yelled. "Right"! "Aquarius! Aries! You two removed the stems from the strawberries, and decorate the room"! "Okay"! Aries said. Aquarius nodded. Marcia was peeling the skin off of the carrot. "It's ready"! Leo said. "Then start shifting it". Scorpio said. "All right"! Leo started shifting it really fast that the flour began To rise. Leo sneezed. The sneezed again making it go everywhere. "S-sorry..." Scorpio looked pissed. "This is why I can't stand amateurs. YOU'RE SHIFTING IT TOO HARD"! Scorpio yelled. She put he hands over Leo's and guided him. "That's all you need to do. You got that?" "I see". Scorpio started blushing. Then her entire face began to turn red. She looked at Aquarius and sighed. Wait, why am I feeling so self-conscious? Scorpio jumped back. "Don't put your hands on me all of a sudden"! Scorpio yelled. "Eh"? Marcia put it in the oven. "All right! Let's take a break until it's done." Marcia said. "Okay"! Leo and Scorpio said. You saves our lives by coming to help, Scorpio"! Leo said. "It's no big deal. I didn't do it for you. As a fellow andoriod child, I couldn't stand and do nothing." Scorpio said. Leo looked down. "Hey, listen...you said you knew where souta was coming from, right? In other words, does that mean..." "my father...or maybe I should call him my guardian? He was retrieved three years ago". "What"? "The thing is...my case is the opposite of souta's. Since I've been raised by just my dad for years, I tried everything I could to keep him with me. And because of that, dad became a wanderer". "A wanderer"? "Once past 81,920 hours, andorios start losing their memory and personality. Usually after about ten hours, they can only function on instinct. Sometimes, they may even assault humans...." "assault humans"? "They loose their will and personality. But their motor skills are still intact, so they wander here and there. So they're called wanderers." "Is...that right"? Leo looked down. "Having your retrieval target turn into a wanderer is the worst-case scenario. We've got to retrieve them properly before it comes to that." "Scorpio..." Scorpio looked at him. Leo had tears running down his face. "Why do you have that look on your face"? "I'm sorry. I had no idea..." "I never should have told you any of this! I order you to forget it right away!" "But that's so harsh"! "I don't care! This conversation is over"! Aries looked over at them. "Scorpio is such a good caretaker. Don't you think so"? "Scorpio was always one of our better caretakers". Aquarius said. "But so totally volunteered to help out leo". Aries said. "I have a feeling she's too pumped up over having seniority for the first time. Oh, Hey, don't tell Scorpio I said that, okay"? Aries said. "Aries? What do you think of this look on my face"? Aquarius tried smiling. "It's pretty creepy". Aries said.
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The rest of the day everyone worked on the food and decorations for the birthday. Souta opened the door. "I'm home". He opened the other door to reveal confetti thrown in the air. "Happy brithday"! They all yelled. His eyes widened. "Happy brithday! We've been waiting for you! Go on and have a seat!" Marcia said. "I... never asked you to celebrate my birthday". Souta said blushing. "Aww are you embarrassed? I know you're really thrilled..." "I'm telling you not to do things like this! Even if you do this stuff...you're All just going to leave me and go off somewhere. So fake celebration like this...i don't wa-" souta stopped when he spotted the strawberry shortcake. "This is..." memories flashed before his eyes. He started crying. He took a bite. "Souta..." "This cake... doesn't taste good at all..." souta said while crying. "Right." "The one mom made...was way, way better, you know! Marcia...I'm sorry! For calling you a liar"! "I won't be here anymore. But you and I will be together forever and ever". "There you go...saying random stuff like that again." "Oh, but...this is no lie. These are my true, true feelings. From now on...I'll always be watching over you. And it just won't be me". "You'll say mom and dad are with me, too, right?" "Yes. That right"! "Thank you... Marcia". He started crying again. He hugged her.
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            ~one day before retervial~
The doorbell rang. Souta answered it. "Hello". "Are you souta wakanae"? "Yes I am". "I'm from terminal service. Is Marcia home"? A creepy man asked. "Huh? What about Leo and Aquarius"? "They had some urgent business to attend to, so I came in their place. So is she here"?
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"Hey Aquarius, I don't know if what happened today was for souta's good or not but at least he got to make up with Marcia, right? Don't you think that's better than having it...become a bad memory"?
Omg took a long time. Please vote and comment.