This is primarily Hyouka fanfiction. Because it would be hard to find if placed under the crossover category, it's been tagged as the regular one. This story will, as I said, primarily revolve around Hyouka characters - with persocoms from Chobits, but without any Chobits characters.

I will upload new chapter, every Sunday.

PART 1 –Chitanda' remembers

Completely dissatisfied with my own words,
again and again, I end up trying to embellish my lines awkwardly.
I will send my thoughts your away together with
this pain which I'm unable to express in words.

Although both light and shadow are still far in the distance,
we still wish to know the reason for this kindness.
Towards a far and radiant place no one has been able to reach yet,
let's go find it before everything becomes history.

I will find you before you become history.

September, 2015.

It was just another rainy day over the town, whose name is altogether unimportant, for it's a part of the memory which should be buried. Polished, black Volskwagen New Beetle rolled down the street, veiled in the misty, wet curtain. Oreki remembered how mesmerizing those red traffic lights looked like. He also remembered mesmerize of her face. She was like an angel, with her wide smile, lilac eyes and raven hair.

„Oreki! I can't wait to see those new Twin Sphynx statues! I'm so curious!"

„I only wish we were able to do it on some, less rainy, day." Oreki muttered. Of course, he knew. Once Chitanda set her mind on something, she grabbed hold onto it, just as sure as barnacle would grab the wet limestone. No one in the world could pry her off.

They had the right to pass the street, and Oreki turned the leather-wrapped wheel with the bored look on his face, hypnotized by the rhythmic concert of wipers, sliding here and there, along with blinkers, click-clacking with the iridescent, blinking light behind the wheel. Maybe because of the rain, or because he was too sleepy, but he hasn't noticed a pair of strong headlights which swerved from right to left in a sudden, twisting curve. But she did... and he still remembers that scream, engraved in his brain. Oh, how he wished he was riding shotgun that day.

It was over in a matter of seconds. Skidding, sound of rain slamming the windshield thrown by the huge wheels, the terrified honk of the horn and then loud crash. Oh God, and the sound of metal bending, like a midnight vixen's scream. He had just enough time to lower his head, instinctively, before a large chunk of metal twisted itself above his head, leaving him trapped.

Oreki still remembered that grave silence, those five minutes of utter, dead silence which followed. He spent it listening to the sound of rain, slowly tapping on the chunk of metal above his head. Bleeding gash on his arm was painful, and as his nose picked up the metallic scent of blood his heart dropped in his ankles.

„Eru...?" he whispered.

„Chitanda...? Can you hear me...?" he whispered again, with the shaky voice. But no answer was heard. Now, Oreki wished for the next ten years that he had enough strength to battle his curiosity. He could, before, but newborn curiosity was her gift. And... He turned his head around. And he screamed as a child, looking at Chitanda's maimed, lifeless body, pinned to the seat with the large chunk of metal which'd pierced her abdomen and chest, killing her instantly. Her lilac eyes lost all the usual shine, with one thin drop of blood sliding down her chin as she stared at him with those lifeless amethysts.

„Hey... Chitanda... are you alright?" he whispered, trying to grab hold of her hand, but the metal blocked his way, and he couldn't move. For a first few minutes he didn't want to trust his eyes. Maybe, he thought, he fell unconscious and this is but a vision which will disappear once both of them wake up in the hospital. But Chitanda was dead silent.

„Chitanda, Chitanda! Wake up, hey! Don't mess with me!" he screamed, feeling the helplessness. He tried to pinch himself, but the pain in his hand was enough to confirm his fears. This wasn't a dream, neither an unconscious vision. A cruel reality hit him square in the jaw, a painful realization. Chitanda was dead.

„Please, don't leave me alone! I don't have anybody else, please! I'll never call you annoying, again! You were curious about those statues, right? Let's get out, we can walk! We can..." he was stopped by a gush of tears streaming from his eyes and he wailed, trying hard to reach her hand but every time he tried, mass of bent metal stopped his advance.

„I just want to reach your hand! Why is this happening?!" he screamed. That one last touch... he only wanted that one last touch, feeling the warmth of her skin before it leaves her body, forever. Alas, murky rain, bloody car, her lifeless body... everything disappeared from his mind as he woke up.

July, 2025.

Oreki almost fell out of his bed in a shock. Another vivid nightmare, one in the many recurring ones. He was 28 now, living alone in the one story flat. He turned around, sliding bare toes into the pair of comfortable slippers, readying himself for his morning coffee ritual. Brushing his teeth, showering himself... all was done before he sat down to drink, watching TV.

„They can talk! They can sleep! They can do everything you want, and so much more! Feeling lonely? Need a friend? A helper? House-maid? Persocom has it all covered! Order yours now, for a mere price of 60.000 yen!"

Suffice to say, Oreki almost choked on the coffee he was drinking. He spurted it all from his mouth, instead. 50.000 yen! No, add 10.000 to that! It was more money than he ever saw, in his whole life! And just to add one little crystal of salt to the wound, those things were incredibly cute.

„Whatever... those things need too much time and the effort." he muttered, turning the TV off. Just as he drank the soft, bitter drink, his mind cleared enough to take the notice of his surroundings. They were dirty, smelly, full of trash, used napkins and the other stuff. Basically, a typical student room. Only, Oreki was 28 now.

He still struggled with his college, becoming a droput, barely making it to the third year where he stopped, repeating it again, and again... forever student, that's how everybody called him nowadays. And he wasn't dumb. But events from ten years ago destroyed him from inside, melting his motivation down. He was unmotivated before... now he was even worse.

„I'm hungry... Satoshi, bring me some food..." Oreki slammed his cheek on the table, feeling a painful sting in his abdomen. And just as he did, a doorbell rang. It was nobody else other than Satoshi himself. Pushing the trash away with the door, he danced around the piles of junk until he stopped right in front of the table. Ten years after, his personality remained unchanged. Alas, his hair was conversely proportional. It somehow crawled backwards, unnaturally extending his already big forehead. Oreki caught a glimpse of Mayaka too – but for some reason she angrily moved away as soon as she realized he was watching.

„My, my, Oreki! This stench is aaawful! Might you tell your Satoshi how're you faring these days?"

„Oh, hi, Satoshi... it's same as always. Crappy, old Monday."

„I see, I see. Anyway, I've brought you some food. You're hungry, aren't you?"

„Leave it on the table." he muttered.

Satoshi looked at him, passing fingers through his nonexistent hair. He clicked with his tongue, shifting from one leg to another. Oreki just raised one of his eyebrows, not even raising his head up.

„Come on, Oreki... it's been ten years. She wouldn't have wanted you becoming this. Why don't you come with us? We can go to the arcade, or to the cinema. Mayaka baked some cookies; we can go to my place and eat. Come on, it will be fun!" Satoshi tried cheering him up. But, Oreki wasn't budging. Instead, his face darkened and he stood up. His disinterested demeanor absolutely dissipated.

„How the hell do you know?! How the fucking hell do you know what she thinks?! You're fucking stupid to simply forget everything! She was your friend and yet you act like everything's right! Get the fuck out of my apartment!" he screamed. Satoshi looked down as his face saddened, but then his lips tightened, eyes filling with resolve.

„Oreki, you idiot." he calmly started, „Of course I haven't forgotten. How could I? Chitanda was my friend. But you're also the same thing to me, and I can't stand watching you, throwing your life away. Goodbye." he calmly said with a shaky voice and the obvious pain on his face, as he walked out, kicking the trash away. Oreki overheard him arguing with Mayaka as they walked away. As soon as their voices died out, he fell down on his knees, sobbing in sadness and pain.

But Satoshi wasn't ready to give up, just because of the outburst. He had something planned in his mind... and it will change Oreki's life. For better, or for worse.

Next chapter: Persocom