MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction ❯ Through My Eyes: I'm Not Blind ❯ Chapter 1

They say people without eyesight are blind, that they cannot see. But in truth, those of us without eyesight see infinitely more than any person with working eyes.

I admit I was devastated when I first went blind, when Wily destroyed my eyes beyond repair. The first few weeks after that were pure hell for me because I still tried to think like a sighted person. I know my family meant well when they tried to help me, but it had been five years since the last time I depended on someone, and it's next to impossible to undo five years of being on your own and having only yourself to depend on. I'm afraid I was very snappish and combative toward them during those few weeks, and they didn't deserve any of it. But I couldn't help it. I'm independent by nature, and I seem to thrive on angst, especially my own.

And then I met Karin, a little girl who was in the same boat as me.

It was quite surprising when we met, and it was almost enough to make me believe in Fate or God. I remember I was sulking on a park bench while Rock played with some children on the playground. I didn't realize I was no longer alone on the bench until Karin spoke to me. I remember her first words to me.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" she asked me.

I wish I could say that my response was civil at best, but I'm afraid I snapped at her. And no, I don't remember what I said to her.

But she didn't seem to be paying attention to what I said. Instead, she replied, "Don't you realize how beautiful today is? The sun is warm, the breeze is soft, the spring flowers smell so wonderful, the birds are singing happily, and the grass tickles your feet if you walk barefoot on it."

It took me a few seconds to realize that not once had she mentioned how something looked, nor had she mentioned sight. My curiosity got the better of my ill temper and I asked her rather bluntly why she hadn't mentioned sight.

I could almost hear her smile when she replied, "My eyes stopped working when I was seven."

"You're blind?" I asked in surprise.

"No," she replied. "My eyes may not work, but I'm not blind. I still can see, but not the way most people think. I don't need eyes to know when my mom's cooking my favorite meal of fried chicken, or when a day is as wonderful as this, or when my dad comes home from work. I can smell the chicken cooking; I can feel, hear, and smell all the little things that makes a day wonderful; and I can smell my dad's aftershave when he hugs me. I've heard normal people say that people without eyesight are blind, but in truth, those of us without eyesight can see infinitely more than sighted people. We don't take things for granted like sighted people do."

I was quiet for a while, pondering her words, then I asked, "Do you ever wish you had your eyesight back?"

"No," she replied immediately. "Whenever people tell me there's a rainbow out, I just remember all the rainbows I saw before my eyes stopped working. I still remember what a rose looks like and how everything looks like a Christmas card when the snow is falling." She paused, then asked, "Did you know that if you listen hard enough, you can hear the snow falling? People say that snow is silent, but it's not. It creaks and crunches and squeaks when you walk on it, and thumps when a bunch of it falls off a roof or a tree, or when a snowball hits someone."

I was silent after that. I'd never thought about it that way. I'd once been accused of being a pessimist, once long ago, and there is some truth to that accusation. I'd naturally focused on the downside of being blind- no, being sightless. And yet, this little girl had the same problem as me, but she saw only the good, no pun intended. And she was right. She was absolutely right.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"I'm Karin," she replied, and I could hear her smile then.

"And how old are you, Karin?"

"Seven," she replied, then I heard her get up and run off across the grass at a call from what I assumed to be her mother.

I was silent for a long time after that, putting her words to use. I admit I had been a little surprised to hear such wisdom from such a young girl, but... Well, adults don't give children credit half the time for their wisdom, which can exceed even that of some of the greatest scholars in history.

I never met Karin again after that, but her words have stayed with me ever since. They've changed me. I don't take anything for granted anymore, nor am I as pessimistic as I used to be. They say people without eyesight are blind, that they cannot see. But in truth, those of us without eyesight see infinitely more than any person with working eyes. It took a sightless girl to help me realize that.

Recently, Dr. Light gave me a choice. He'd finally figured out a way to repair my eyes. He told me he could either repair my eyes, which would take almost two whole years, or he could create an upgrade for my helmet so that my visor would act as my eyes.

My choice?

Neither.