Love and Life: an Epilogue
After that night on the roof of the apartment building, things have changed. Chii and Hideki see each other in a different way. Lovers. But sometimes, Chii still doubts she can provide for Hideki what every other wife is capable of providing. Children. Being a sophisticated wife. Cooking a good meal. What if Hideki stops loving Chii because she isn't good enough? Because she can't give him everything he wants?
Hideki has changed too. He has matured, in heart and mind. Porn magazines are a thing of the past for him. He has also been noticing changes in Chii. She seems more human. Her eyes look so real, with black pupils surrounded by dark brown irises. She also seems to understand things better and speaks more fluently, naturally. She can recall memories of her first days with her sister Freya. Sometimes Chii and Hideki will be waking in town, past manager Ueda's bakery, and she will say, "I see Manager is baking brownies today."
Hideki says, "Chii, how do you know that? The kitchens are in back."
Chii says, "I can smell them."
Everyone knows persocoms can't smell or taste, so that is quite unusual as well. Once, Hideki was late coming home from work. Way late. Chii was afraid and started to cry for him. Cried. Real tears. But it turns out; Hideki was just stuck at work, cleaning up, and couldn't call home due to a power outage.
One night, Chii and Hideki were sitting at the table, talking. A commercial came on the television, a Gerber commercial. Chii said, "I would love to have children someday." "Me too, Chii. But-" "But it is impossible." A look of disappointment crossed her face and she looked as though she might cry. Hideki gathered her into his arms and caressed her hair and back. "We'll find a way, Chii. I promise."
Little did they know, Hibiya was standing outside the door, ready to knock. In her arms was a pile of new dresses for Chii. She smiled and said to herself, "No, Hideki. I'll find a way. I promise."
She rushed back to the lab after putting the dresses in an empty box outside the door and knocking. Hideki picked up the sleeping Chii and laid her on their futon. Then he went to the door and opened it, finding the box of dresses at his feet. He picked up the box and brought it inside the tiny apartment. Then he looked over at Chii, still in her white stockings and maroon dress. He went over to the dresser they shared and pulled out a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt. He tiptoed over to Chii, then gently unbuttoned the front of the dress and even gentler pulled it off. He pulled the white shirt over her head, then her arms trough the sleeves. He lay down beside her and closed his eyes. A soft, faint snore escaped from the same Hideki who undressed a woman and got through it without a nosebleed and next to him the woman he undressed smiled and took his hand in hers, closed her eyes, and drifted into a beautiful sleep.
Meanwhile, Hibiya was in the lab, preparing for a project she hadn't tried since Chii and Freya were born. Preparing for the child persocom that would become Hideki and Chii's child. She would need materials. Software. A design. And, most of all, time. If Hibiya was going to do this alone, it could take her months. If only she knew someone who knew how to build custom persocoms and had software. Knew a lot about persocoms and problems and cables. Wait! She did! Minoru and Shinbo. They knew Chii and Hideki also, so they would probably be more than happy to help. "I will call them in the morning after Chii has gone to work and Hideki to Cram School. And with Shinbo and Minoru's numbers in her head, she went back to her apartment and fell asleep.
The next morning, Hideki awoke to a wonderful smell. He turned towards the kitchen, seeing Chii at the stove, cooking an omelet. He got up and went over to Chii. "Good morning, Chii! "Good morning, Hideki." Her face was red, as if she had been crying. "What's wrong, darling?" She sniffled and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Nothing! What ever made you think something was wrong?" At this she broke down crying, her tears falling into the frying pan with a sizzle. "Chii, you can tell me. I need to know so I can make it better. Please, Chii!" Between sobs, Chii got out, "I want to be able to give you a real child! I'm afraid you will stop loving me because I can't give you everything you want. I'm sorry, Hideki. I'm just so useless." Chii collapsed to her knees, sobbing harder than Hideki ever thought possible. He pulled her onto his lap, stroking her fine, silky hair.
"Chii, you are a lot of things. Smart. Beautiful. Amazing. Wonderful. Cute. My only love. But I know, and I hope you do to, 'useless' isn't one of them. Chii, I love you with all my heart and soul. There is no way in the world I would ever stop loving you. Sure there are things you aren't capable of, but what matters to me most is you that you always believe in me and will always love me. Children would be wonderful, but what matters to me most is that you are happy and content." With those words, Hideki kissed Chii's lips and held her close. He reached up to the stove and turned off the burner. After about 10 minutes, Chii looked up into Hideki's face with those big, brown eyes and said, "You mean it?" "Of course I mean it! Let's make a promise: No matter what happens, we will always love each other no matter what. Okay?" Instead of an answer, Chii kissed Hideki on the lips with such relief she started to glow. She was so relieved inside. Now she really could be happy. She would ask Mother (Hibiya) about a child sometime. If Chii couldn't physically give Hideki a child, maybe Mother could create one.
After that night on the roof of the apartment building, things have changed. Chii and Hideki see each other in a different way. Lovers. But sometimes, Chii still doubts she can provide for Hideki what every other wife is capable of providing. Children. Being a sophisticated wife. Cooking a good meal. What if Hideki stops loving Chii because she isn't good enough? Because she can't give him everything he wants?
Hideki has changed too. He has matured, in heart and mind. Porn magazines are a thing of the past for him. He has also been noticing changes in Chii. She seems more human. Her eyes look so real, with black pupils surrounded by dark brown irises. She also seems to understand things better and speaks more fluently, naturally. She can recall memories of her first days with her sister Freya. Sometimes Chii and Hideki will be waking in town, past manager Ueda's bakery, and she will say, "I see Manager is baking brownies today."
Hideki says, "Chii, how do you know that? The kitchens are in back."
Chii says, "I can smell them."
Everyone knows persocoms can't smell or taste, so that is quite unusual as well. Once, Hideki was late coming home from work. Way late. Chii was afraid and started to cry for him. Cried. Real tears. But it turns out; Hideki was just stuck at work, cleaning up, and couldn't call home due to a power outage.
One night, Chii and Hideki were sitting at the table, talking. A commercial came on the television, a Gerber commercial. Chii said, "I would love to have children someday." "Me too, Chii. But-" "But it is impossible." A look of disappointment crossed her face and she looked as though she might cry. Hideki gathered her into his arms and caressed her hair and back. "We'll find a way, Chii. I promise."
Little did they know, Hibiya was standing outside the door, ready to knock. In her arms was a pile of new dresses for Chii. She smiled and said to herself, "No, Hideki. I'll find a way. I promise."
She rushed back to the lab after putting the dresses in an empty box outside the door and knocking. Hideki picked up the sleeping Chii and laid her on their futon. Then he went to the door and opened it, finding the box of dresses at his feet. He picked up the box and brought it inside the tiny apartment. Then he looked over at Chii, still in her white stockings and maroon dress. He went over to the dresser they shared and pulled out a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt. He tiptoed over to Chii, then gently unbuttoned the front of the dress and even gentler pulled it off. He pulled the white shirt over her head, then her arms trough the sleeves. He lay down beside her and closed his eyes. A soft, faint snore escaped from the same Hideki who undressed a woman and got through it without a nosebleed and next to him the woman he undressed smiled and took his hand in hers, closed her eyes, and drifted into a beautiful sleep.
Meanwhile, Hibiya was in the lab, preparing for a project she hadn't tried since Chii and Freya were born. Preparing for the child persocom that would become Hideki and Chii's child. She would need materials. Software. A design. And, most of all, time. If Hibiya was going to do this alone, it could take her months. If only she knew someone who knew how to build custom persocoms and had software. Knew a lot about persocoms and problems and cables. Wait! She did! Minoru and Shinbo. They knew Chii and Hideki also, so they would probably be more than happy to help. "I will call them in the morning after Chii has gone to work and Hideki to Cram School. And with Shinbo and Minoru's numbers in her head, she went back to her apartment and fell asleep.
The next morning, Hideki awoke to a wonderful smell. He turned towards the kitchen, seeing Chii at the stove, cooking an omelet. He got up and went over to Chii. "Good morning, Chii! "Good morning, Hideki." Her face was red, as if she had been crying. "What's wrong, darling?" She sniffled and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Nothing! What ever made you think something was wrong?" At this she broke down crying, her tears falling into the frying pan with a sizzle. "Chii, you can tell me. I need to know so I can make it better. Please, Chii!" Between sobs, Chii got out, "I want to be able to give you a real child! I'm afraid you will stop loving me because I can't give you everything you want. I'm sorry, Hideki. I'm just so useless." Chii collapsed to her knees, sobbing harder than Hideki ever thought possible. He pulled her onto his lap, stroking her fine, silky hair.
"Chii, you are a lot of things. Smart. Beautiful. Amazing. Wonderful. Cute. My only love. But I know, and I hope you do to, 'useless' isn't one of them. Chii, I love you with all my heart and soul. There is no way in the world I would ever stop loving you. Sure there are things you aren't capable of, but what matters to me most is you that you always believe in me and will always love me. Children would be wonderful, but what matters to me most is that you are happy and content." With those words, Hideki kissed Chii's lips and held her close. He reached up to the stove and turned off the burner. After about 10 minutes, Chii looked up into Hideki's face with those big, brown eyes and said, "You mean it?" "Of course I mean it! Let's make a promise: No matter what happens, we will always love each other no matter what. Okay?" Instead of an answer, Chii kissed Hideki on the lips with such relief she started to glow. She was so relieved inside. Now she really could be happy. She would ask Mother (Hibiya) about a child sometime. If Chii couldn't physically give Hideki a child, maybe Mother could create one.