Author's Note: Ok, this story was written for my English class during my senior year in high school. It's nothing much, just a story about Chi-Me in the future time where everyone's basically dead but the few that survive the initial android problem of 17 and 18. In this story, Chi-Me is going to buy a book for Gohan at a store that I based off of a comic book store in the East Bay area in California called Flying Colors. Call it a side-story from all that is going on in their world from day to day. Also, the book in here is from Chobits. In my opinion, that book was the only good thing that came out of Chobits, and so because of that I decided to put it in this story and see what happened. Good or bad, I have my opinion, but we'll see what you think. Hope you like it. Enjoy!

The City With No People

Relative Peace, the name which hung over the door of the Orange County comic book store had once been a much different title than it currently held, but the events recently taking place in the streets ever since the invasion of the androids was enough for even a comic book store to change its name to give its customers at least the illusion of better days. Chaos and mayhem had taken over the streets of Orange County, and the inhabitants would have done anything to go back and win back their once happy lives, but it seemed that this time was all over. The warriors that once protected the county, as well as almost every county surrounding it, were now gone. All but two lone survivors had died upon their first onslaught with the mechanical monsters. Now, all the people that remained could only wait for the next attack, hoping that the two remaining soldiers could still hold their own against the enemy. A lone comic book store was all they had apart from these two for a future. Everything else was gone.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere came a ring from the door announcing the arrival of a customer to the store, causing the remaining workers to look up to see who could possibly be brave enough to come by alone these days. It was a girl that looked about seventeen years old, with waist length long black hair as dark as the deepest night and eyes even darker, like the feathers of a raven, which for a moment seemed to show immense emotion of grief and despair, but then lit up with a new light as she looked up to greet the clerks at the counter with life and energy. "Hello everyone! I just thought I'd drop by to see how everything's going. Are you all holding up all right?"

The manager walked up to greet her, and shook her hand before giving her a warm embrace, tears in his eyes. Then he released his grasp and looked at her joyful face. "I'm just glad to see you're all right, Chi-Me. I hear that you and your brother Gohan are still taking on the androids all by yourselves. Bless you both."

Chi-Me nodded and her eyes and smile became a little less bright. "Yes, we're doing the best we can. But we may have someone else to help us soon, a young boy by the name of Trunks. He was the son of one of the best we had before..."

The manager nodded. "I know... I know...Now, are you sure you're all right, my dear?" he asked with concern.

"Don't worry," Chi-Me insisted. "My brother and I are fine. I just came by to check up on you all and get a comic book for Gohan."

"You certainly are a strong one, Chi-Me. Your father would be proud," the manager told her, leading the way to the section of the store where both Chi-Me and Gohan always drifted to buy comic books. It was a series called "The City With No People," a story talking about a time much different from their own, and he couldn't figure out for the life of him why they liked the books, but he figured that if it keep these two going, who was going to try and stop them.

"I can think of a few others who would be proud as well..." Chi-Me said softly as she forced herself to hold back her tears as she remembered all of her friends who were gone.

The manager acted as if he hadn't noticed this, Chi-Me would hate it if she knew she appeared weak in front of others at this time. It had to be so hard for her. When at last they came to the stack of books titled "The City With No People," he leaned down and picked out the newest edition that he knew Chi-Me and Gohan hadn't previously purchased. "Here you are, Chi-Me," he said, handing her the book. "Would you like to look it over first?"

"Yes, Please," Chi-Me told him as she looked at the cover and walked over to a lone beanbag chair in the far corner of the store. This was where she would always go to read here, it was one place that still felt like home. Sighing to herself, now alone with her book as the manager walked back to his fellow staff, she opened up the first page and began to read.

The City With No People Volume 4

Walking down an empty street, a human sized lop eared bunny-looking creature walking on her own two feet looking around at the town before her. She wore a simple cotton jumper and her two beady eyes search the streets for people, but none were to be found. All the people were inside, with Them. They were always with Them, it made the people happy, but so happy that they forgot to live. Was this right, she wondered? Was it wrong? Could one ever be happy living only with Them and not other people instead?

What is happiness? Could she have happiness? She was an android. A special android created to have emotions and feelings, unlike the others. Too pretty to make the humans long for other humans to take the place of Them. But wasn't she like Them? Did she exist only to make others happy? But what about herself? Was she ever to find a special someone, just for her? Was that allowed? She didn't know.

Still looking, still searching, the bunny's eyes watched the windows, hoping for someone to come out. The city is lonely without any people. What is a city without people, anyway? Wasn't it the people themselves that made the city? Yet, the people were happy with Them by their sides, instead of people. So perfect, always doing what people wanted Them to do. No questions were ever asked. Is that what set her apart?

Ears drooping, she looks down at the pavement, cracking from neglect, as the pale moonlight is shining down on her smooth head. Then suddenly somebody comes out from the shadows. Was this somebody with one of Them? No. He is alone. He is a lone person out on the streets with no people. He is walking over to me, smile on his face. What did he want? Is he my special someone? Or was he just thinking that she was one of Them, and would only make her sad? She looks away, hoping that he could be the one special someone only for her. He calls to her asking if she will come with him. Will she go? Can she ever truly be happy? Or will she keep going, searching for a city that has people? She wonders, are there any cities that have people in them anymore? Or are they all gone, with only cities with people inside, with Them? Should she go? She didn't know... She wants to be happy, happy with that special someone just for her. But how is she to know who that person is. Looking again at the person in front of her, he smiles. She smiles back. Maybe she'll see. Give him a chance. Maybe he could be the one just for her. And if he isn't, there are always other cities, other cities with no people.

Chi-Me sighed as she closed the book she held in her hands as it rested on her lap. It was true that the stories in these books were very far out, but it reminded her of something. The world that she lived in now, the world that she fought to protect and make sure nobody would suffer as much as either she or her brother had was something special. In the world of the book there was no world to protect. Everyone thought they were happy, living with androids because they could be made to perfection, even better than humans. The people in the book thought they lived in a perfect utopian society. However, from where she stood this wasn't true. The perfect society in her eyes was the one the androids were destroying, one full of happiness and life. She couldn't let the reality of the books come to life, for she had to protect what little bit of the world she loved remained.

Then, with a new thread of determination, Chi-Me stood up from her beanbag chair and walked over to the counter to buy the book for her brother. The book was a reminder. A reminder of what she and her brother had to save the word so it wouldn't become like the world in the book or possibly even worse. It was a warning of where not to let society fall, no matter what it took.

"Is this all for you to day, Chi-Me?" asked the clerk as he rung up the price for the book she handed him.

"Yes, thank you," she answered with a smile.

"That'll be 5 zeni."

She searched in the pocket of her purple cotton pants and counted out three dollars and twenty-five cents, before handing it to the clerk.

"Can I ask you something?" he questioned as he took the money from her hand.

"Sure, go right ahead."

"How do you keep going, knowing that all you ever grew up knowing could be gone in a second? I mean how do you keep fighting when it seems like loosing is the only option?"

Chi-Me paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and answered in a serious tone, "I keep going because I know that there's something left to save, and also because I know that the people who died making sure my brother and I lived wouldn't want us to give up. I keep going for them, and for the rest of the world. Hoping that one day there will be hope. Otherwise, there wouldn't be hope for anyone."

He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Just make sure you keep your hope alive, we have plans underway on how to get us all out of this."

"What, can you change the past?"

"You never know," Chi-Me answered with a sly smile. "Anything's possible from Capsule Corps."

"Let's hope so," he said, handing her the bag with her book inside.

"Have a good day, Chi-Me. And say hello to your mother and brother for me, will you?" insisted the manager as Chi-Me started to walk towards the door, her bag in her right hand.

"I will, thank you again," Chi-Me assured him. She then walked over to the door and proceeded to walk outside only to lift off the ground and fly off in the direction of her home, to her brother and her mother.

"That girl is something else," the manager said, shaking his head and smiling. "I wouldn't want to know what the world would be like without her. She and her brother keep the hope alive, and the very least we owe them is a book in return."

Suddenly there was a static wave from the radio on the counter, then the announcer began to speak. "There has been another attack, I repeat, another android attack. This time they are at the carnival in Pepper city. It is advised that you keep away from there at all-" the manager flipped the power off on the radio. Chi-Me was right. They had to keep their hopes alive, otherwise they would have nothing left. That alone was worth fighting for.

The End (owari!)