Disclaimer- Why must I waste my breath, and your time?

Robotnik stared down at the lifeless body of his recently-late nephew.

The young man looked so innocent lying there on the cot in the Infirmary room, so child-like... save the fact that his dead-white face was covered in dried blood and bruises, as was the rest of his body- both inside and out. For it was internal bleeding that had killed him.

Robotnik now knew that he should have stopped after yelling, but the fat tyrant just got so furious that he could never seem to control his actions... his own violent actions. When aroused in fury, he could get angry enough to kill- which was exactly what had happened tonight.

The man had a temper that could frighten even a Grizzly bear. It didn’t take much to infuriate him and once he became angry enough, things were sure to get ugly. It would usually begin with a long, dangerous pause... followed by a glare that could almost turn one to stone, with those red eyes of his angrily glowing like a pair of Christmas lights (though sometimes he could be most deceptive; sometimes his eerie silence would be accompanied by a completely calm, expressionless look!)... then the impatient drumming of fingers on the arm-rest of his seat... sometimes followed by a reply spoken in this utterly calm tone, though always accompanied by a dangerously-strong hint of obvious anger or disgust in the background... perhaps another pause... and then things would turn nasty. First there was usually the harsh grabbing of his puny nephew by the shirt, pulling him directly up to his furious face... followed by a round of yelling, screaming, horrible threats, and harsh shaking... then the rough dropping, throwing, or slamming Snively down to the ground, sometimes followed by a kick for good measure.

However... if Robotnik happened to be extra and especially displeased- which was at least 8 out of 10 times- then he would get violent. Instead of merely letting Snively, as well as the matter go, he would then proceed to unleash his anger to the max, like a wild demon unleashed from the fires of hell- in other words, he would beat Snively to a bloody pulp. Depending on how great his fury was, he would usually beat him senseless... until he passed right out. Almost every bone in his weak little body had been broken over the years, and almost every rib had been cracked. Hardly a week passed when he didn’t wind up in the Infirmary to be repaired and operated on by the MediBots.

Robotnik’s temper was his curse.

He glanced down at his lifeless kin on the cot. He felt something within his cold, metallic heart at at that moment, such a feeling which was completely strange and foreign to him... he felt pity. No- it was far more than mere pity. It was remorse... sorrow... grief. For the first time in his life, Robotnik actually regretted his words and actions from over the years- but especially this time. He also felt a sense of simple love for the lad, the sort of affection which family members usually demonstrated towards each other, the sort of natural love, for example, which a father felt towards his child.

He tilted the little man’s chin up towards him. “Oh, Snively... my poor, poor little nephew... what have I done to you? How could I possibly have done such a thing?” he sobbed. Tears... yes, that was another unusual part of this cold, heartless tyrant... but now this whole strange, new emotion just overwhelmed him, rendering him completely unable to hold it in. “All these years, I treated you like a slave instead of my own flesh-and-blood. I admit, there were times when I nearly forgot that you were my own family, even denied it in my mind- but now I realize, too late, that I was wrong... so very, very wrong. I never should have treated you the way I did all these years... I used you, abused you, completely took you for granted... I never realized how truely fortunate I was to have such an intelligent, wonderful nephew. All those times I demanded complete perfection of you and punished you for giving me less than perfection, when I should’ve realized that no man is perfect. All those times I blamed you when things didn’t go according to plan... now I see that, more often than not, it was rather my own fault that all my plans backfired- my own miscalculations, my own stubbornness- yet I just could never bring myself to accept that I was no less than a genius, capable of imperfection, and so I always claimed it as entirely your fault... even when, more often than not, it wasn’t in the least.” He shed more tears, letting them splash onto Snively’s cold cheeks, as he held his head gently in his hands, stroking his smooth, yet bruised face. “I see it all now... I was a fool. I cannot bring myself to deny the truth any longer- you were far more intelligent then I ever gave you credit... far more intelligent then I ever was. You were the true brains behind my empire; if it weren’t for you, I would be nothing. You did everything for me... and I rewarded you with pain. And now I... you’re-” He sobbed bitterly, holding his kin close to him. “I’m sorry, Snively... I’m so very, very sorry. I realize that it is too late, but I just hope you can hear my words from heaven. “I’m so sorry... that’s it’s come to this. Despite what I’ve always said to you in the past, you don’t deserve to die... it is I who derserve death for all that I’ve done to you, especially for now.” He wept uncontrollably. “I know it is not nearly enough for me to say that I am sorry... oh, words alone cannot express how my heart and soul aches, nor what a monster I truely am. If I had just one wish... it would be that I could be given a second chance. If I was allowed another chance, I vow to you, as God as my witness, that things would be different.” He paused. “I’ve never said this to you before, Snively, but I have to say this now- I love you, my nephew. I love you more than all the power in the world. I would let go of all the power I have, if it meant bringing you back.”

Robotnik had him burried just a few miles away from the Death Egg, in a secluded area of Robotropolis, the very next day.

After saying a quick prayer for the heavenly angels to watch over him, he heaved a heart-wrenching sigh. He slowly started back for the Death Egg, but not before taking one final glance over his shoulder at the tombstone he had the SWATBot implant. It broke his heart in two just to look at it- the symbol and result of his anger... his curse.

THE END

I’m not gonna beg you for reviews, okay? Either you do, or you don’t. I’m too tired to care right now. Whatever; you probably won’t, anyway. Sighs

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