"IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP, MASTER!" Rang Plum's shrill voice throughout the house of Hideki Motosuwa.
"Holy HELL!!!" Hideki woke up with quite a start as the laptop banged her tamborine right in his ear.
"It's time for your morning exercises, Master! And one and two and one and two!" Before Hideki had a chance to properly wake himself up, Chi had scrambled to her feet and was doing windmills with Plum. Hideki groaned and rolled over, trying to go to sleep again. "MASTER, WOULD YOU LIKE TO CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD?!"
"NO!"
"When changing your password, it is wise to use a combination of numbers, lower-case, and upper-case letters!"
"I don't want to change my password!"
"Password! Password!" Plum rang as she danced around, tapping at her tiny tambourine and dancing about, Chi still trying to follow her moves.
"Fine! ChObItS998 !!"
"Password saved!" Plum stopped her movements abruptly, causing Chi to fall on the floor. "Master! Today is your birthday!"
"Here we go." Hideki groaned, covering his head with his pillow.
"HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! TO YOU! TO YOU!" Plum sang as she danced around. Chi curiously lifted the pillow from Hideki's head, and asked through Plum's racket,
"What is a 'birthday', Hideki?"
"Oh...uh, it's the day that I was born on. I turn 20 today."
"20 what?"
"Years."
"Chi does not remember when Chi was born." Chi said quietly, looking down sadly at her hands. Hideki sat up, not quite sure what to say.
"Ring ring! Phone call!" Plum giggled as she hopped into his lap. Hideki nodded, and Plum's eyes glazed over as she accepted the call.
"Hey Hideki, happy birthday!" Came Shimbo's voice from the other line.
"Oh, thanks Shimbo." Hideki smiled, glancing over at Chi, who blinked and watched him curiously.
"I got you a present, but I gotta work today so I'll have to bring it by tomorrow. I gotta run now, talk to you later!" Hideki smiled and laughed a bit.
"Bye, Shimbo." Plums eyes went back to normal, and she looked up at Hideki, then scrambled up onto his shoulder.
"Why did Shimbo get Hideki a present?" Chi asked, clinging to Hideki's arm as she looked up at him with curiosity in her hands.
"It's just something you do on birthdays. People buy you gifts!" He smiled and stood up and Chi let his arm go, but she did stand up next to him. A look of despair spread accross her face, sending pangs of guilt rocketing straight to Hideki's heart.
"Chi didn't get Hideki a present!"
"No no no no no! It's alright Chi, you didn't know!"
"Chi has GOT to get a present for Hideki!" She exclaimed, running for the door, but Hideki grabbed her arm before she could get anywhere.
"Chi, um, maybe you should change out of your nightclothes."
"What does Hideki want?" Chi asked as the two strolled through the market place.
"Oh God, I dunno....Whatever you think is nice, I think is nice." Hideki said with smile. Chi smiled back brightly, then ran off ahead of him. He began to stop her, but figured it would do no good, then stopped and flipped through a few books on a nearby merchant's table.
"Hidekiiiiiiii!" Came Chi's voice as she ran through the crowded marketplace. "Hidekiiiiii!" Hideki looked up from the magazine he was scanning to find Chi's face just inches from his. She smiled and shoved something at his chest. "Chi got Hideki a present!" Hideki looked down at what she had handed...er....shoved at him. It was a big, lush bouquet of pink and white flowers. It was kind of embarrassing.
"Errr...." He began, his cheeks turning red, "Thanks Chi, they're really nice." Chi squealed with delight and hugged him.
1 Week Later.....
Hideki stood, leaning on the railing of the balcony of his apartment. He looked down at the bustling sidewalks, watching as people and their persocoms passed. They all looked so happy with their persocoms, happier than people with other people looked. The funny thing was, he was happier with Chi than he was with any normal person. Over the time he had spent with her, he discovered he could think of her as just a machine. She wasn't just a machine. She was Chi. He knew deep down inside that her emotions were as genuine and as real as his. He sighed and held a hand to his forehead. Thinking about this always gave him a headache, but he felt the need to tell himself that Chi really did like him, and it wasn't all just programming.
"Hideki!" Came Chi's voice from inside. She ran out next to him. "Hideki, there is something wrong with the flowers! They turned brown!"
"That's because they're dead."
"But...Hideki, why did they die?" Hideki shrugged and looked down at her.
"Everything dies. That's just the way it works."
"Is Hideki going to die?!"
"NO! Well, yes, eventually, but no time soon." Chi gave him the most heartbreaking look he had ever seen.
"Chi does not want Hideki to die..." She said, hugging his arm, snuggling her face into the fabric of his sleeve. He turned around to face her and almost immediately, she latched onto him. "Don't die, Hideki,,,"
"I'm not gonna die any time soon, Chi." He said gently, stroking her long hair and holding her against him. He slowly pushed her head back, looking into her sad amber eyes, then leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He pulled back and looked down at her again.
"What was that?" She asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.
"It's called a kiss..."
"Why did Hideki give Chi a kiss?"
"It's...uh..." He stuttered. It was too late to go back now. He'd done himself in, "You kiss people that you love..." Chi blinked and looked up at him quietly for what seemed like hours. Then, slowly, she closed her eyes and leaned up, kissing him.
"Chi....Chi loves Hideki." Hideki smiled slightly.
"Hideki loves Chi." He figured Shimbo would think he was a perv for kissing a persocom. Minoru would scold him for falling in love with a machine. But he could live under the consolation that Chi wasn't a persocom. Chi wasn't a machine. Chi was Chi. And he loved Chi.
He kissed her again, more hurriedly this time, cradling her face in his hands. Chi blinked, but quickly enough her arms were around Hideki and she was returning the kiss. He edged them inside, breaking now and then for breath. Slowly but surely they made their way inside and broke their kiss. Hideki sat down on his sleeping mat and Chi hurriedly sat down on his lap.
"Hideki loves Chi..." Chi smiled. She looked more happy than Hideki had ever seen anyone. "Hideki loves Chi!" She repeated, throwing her arms around his neck. Hideki smiled and nuzzled her cheek, his arms encircling her waist. Suddenly, the fact that he was a dirt poor college student didn't bother him anymore. Nothing mattered; except Chi.
That night he watched her sleep, curled up against his chest. Most would say she was just a machine who was either shut down for the night or in sleep mode. But he didn't tell her to go into sleep mode, he didn't push any buttons. She did it herself. She was just asleep, just like any other normal person. He smiled and kissed the top of her head, then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep as well.
end.exe
"Holy HELL!!!" Hideki woke up with quite a start as the laptop banged her tamborine right in his ear.
"It's time for your morning exercises, Master! And one and two and one and two!" Before Hideki had a chance to properly wake himself up, Chi had scrambled to her feet and was doing windmills with Plum. Hideki groaned and rolled over, trying to go to sleep again. "MASTER, WOULD YOU LIKE TO CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD?!"
"NO!"
"When changing your password, it is wise to use a combination of numbers, lower-case, and upper-case letters!"
"I don't want to change my password!"
"Password! Password!" Plum rang as she danced around, tapping at her tiny tambourine and dancing about, Chi still trying to follow her moves.
"Fine! ChObItS998 !!"
"Password saved!" Plum stopped her movements abruptly, causing Chi to fall on the floor. "Master! Today is your birthday!"
"Here we go." Hideki groaned, covering his head with his pillow.
"HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! TO YOU! TO YOU!" Plum sang as she danced around. Chi curiously lifted the pillow from Hideki's head, and asked through Plum's racket,
"What is a 'birthday', Hideki?"
"Oh...uh, it's the day that I was born on. I turn 20 today."
"20 what?"
"Years."
"Chi does not remember when Chi was born." Chi said quietly, looking down sadly at her hands. Hideki sat up, not quite sure what to say.
"Ring ring! Phone call!" Plum giggled as she hopped into his lap. Hideki nodded, and Plum's eyes glazed over as she accepted the call.
"Hey Hideki, happy birthday!" Came Shimbo's voice from the other line.
"Oh, thanks Shimbo." Hideki smiled, glancing over at Chi, who blinked and watched him curiously.
"I got you a present, but I gotta work today so I'll have to bring it by tomorrow. I gotta run now, talk to you later!" Hideki smiled and laughed a bit.
"Bye, Shimbo." Plums eyes went back to normal, and she looked up at Hideki, then scrambled up onto his shoulder.
"Why did Shimbo get Hideki a present?" Chi asked, clinging to Hideki's arm as she looked up at him with curiosity in her hands.
"It's just something you do on birthdays. People buy you gifts!" He smiled and stood up and Chi let his arm go, but she did stand up next to him. A look of despair spread accross her face, sending pangs of guilt rocketing straight to Hideki's heart.
"Chi didn't get Hideki a present!"
"No no no no no! It's alright Chi, you didn't know!"
"Chi has GOT to get a present for Hideki!" She exclaimed, running for the door, but Hideki grabbed her arm before she could get anywhere.
"Chi, um, maybe you should change out of your nightclothes."
"What does Hideki want?" Chi asked as the two strolled through the market place.
"Oh God, I dunno....Whatever you think is nice, I think is nice." Hideki said with smile. Chi smiled back brightly, then ran off ahead of him. He began to stop her, but figured it would do no good, then stopped and flipped through a few books on a nearby merchant's table.
"Hidekiiiiiiii!" Came Chi's voice as she ran through the crowded marketplace. "Hidekiiiiii!" Hideki looked up from the magazine he was scanning to find Chi's face just inches from his. She smiled and shoved something at his chest. "Chi got Hideki a present!" Hideki looked down at what she had handed...er....shoved at him. It was a big, lush bouquet of pink and white flowers. It was kind of embarrassing.
"Errr...." He began, his cheeks turning red, "Thanks Chi, they're really nice." Chi squealed with delight and hugged him.
1 Week Later.....
Hideki stood, leaning on the railing of the balcony of his apartment. He looked down at the bustling sidewalks, watching as people and their persocoms passed. They all looked so happy with their persocoms, happier than people with other people looked. The funny thing was, he was happier with Chi than he was with any normal person. Over the time he had spent with her, he discovered he could think of her as just a machine. She wasn't just a machine. She was Chi. He knew deep down inside that her emotions were as genuine and as real as his. He sighed and held a hand to his forehead. Thinking about this always gave him a headache, but he felt the need to tell himself that Chi really did like him, and it wasn't all just programming.
"Hideki!" Came Chi's voice from inside. She ran out next to him. "Hideki, there is something wrong with the flowers! They turned brown!"
"That's because they're dead."
"But...Hideki, why did they die?" Hideki shrugged and looked down at her.
"Everything dies. That's just the way it works."
"Is Hideki going to die?!"
"NO! Well, yes, eventually, but no time soon." Chi gave him the most heartbreaking look he had ever seen.
"Chi does not want Hideki to die..." She said, hugging his arm, snuggling her face into the fabric of his sleeve. He turned around to face her and almost immediately, she latched onto him. "Don't die, Hideki,,,"
"I'm not gonna die any time soon, Chi." He said gently, stroking her long hair and holding her against him. He slowly pushed her head back, looking into her sad amber eyes, then leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He pulled back and looked down at her again.
"What was that?" She asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.
"It's called a kiss..."
"Why did Hideki give Chi a kiss?"
"It's...uh..." He stuttered. It was too late to go back now. He'd done himself in, "You kiss people that you love..." Chi blinked and looked up at him quietly for what seemed like hours. Then, slowly, she closed her eyes and leaned up, kissing him.
"Chi....Chi loves Hideki." Hideki smiled slightly.
"Hideki loves Chi." He figured Shimbo would think he was a perv for kissing a persocom. Minoru would scold him for falling in love with a machine. But he could live under the consolation that Chi wasn't a persocom. Chi wasn't a machine. Chi was Chi. And he loved Chi.
He kissed her again, more hurriedly this time, cradling her face in his hands. Chi blinked, but quickly enough her arms were around Hideki and she was returning the kiss. He edged them inside, breaking now and then for breath. Slowly but surely they made their way inside and broke their kiss. Hideki sat down on his sleeping mat and Chi hurriedly sat down on his lap.
"Hideki loves Chi..." Chi smiled. She looked more happy than Hideki had ever seen anyone. "Hideki loves Chi!" She repeated, throwing her arms around his neck. Hideki smiled and nuzzled her cheek, his arms encircling her waist. Suddenly, the fact that he was a dirt poor college student didn't bother him anymore. Nothing mattered; except Chi.
That night he watched her sleep, curled up against his chest. Most would say she was just a machine who was either shut down for the night or in sleep mode. But he didn't tell her to go into sleep mode, he didn't push any buttons. She did it herself. She was just asleep, just like any other normal person. He smiled and kissed the top of her head, then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep as well.
end.exe