Well, here I am again! Hope you all had a good Christmas and Happy New Year! I got a lot of reviews for the last chapter and I was so very happy! (does a little dance) I apologize for all the grammar issues and stuff, but I don't have spell check on Tomato (my laptop), so that makes things harder for me to check. Believe me, I scour over my stuff before I submit, but somehow stuff escapes my gaze. It's maddening! (screams while ripping out hair) LOL! Anyway, as many of you guessed, the last chapter was a bit of a filler, and yet it was an important chapter. I'm trying to get used to slipping in important details in small places (HINT HINT). XD! Sorry, but I'm in a good mood and I'm happy to be able to update again. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Chobits, the characters, or the story this fic is based on are not mine. Just the OC, a couple of socks, my Converse, some manga, etc. are mine. XD!
Chapter 4- Admit
She stopped dead in her tracks and cocked her head at the sight before her. On a bench just outside the bookstore was an older girl and a little boy reading a soft blue book, and the little boy looked as though he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Chi stepped closer a little to try and see what they were reading, but the cover was down on the woman's knees. She could hear the woman's soft words and stopped to listen, her love of reading winning her over.
" 'There are two kinds of lies, lies with short legs and lies with long noses. Yours...', " the woman stopped to poke the little boy's nose, receiving a giggle, " '...happen to have long noses'."
Chi placed a hand over her nose and suddenly felt afraid, worrying if she had told a lie that could make hers longer. She continued to listen to the story, and as she did, she learned of a boy very much like herself who was trying to make himself a real boy. He had a father who loved him very much, but the boy kept making his father sad because of all the trouble he got into. In the end, the boy became real after the woman with blue hair forgave him and he and his father lived happily after all.
Chi walked home that night thinking about the story that she had heard and wondering if she too could become a real person. That night, she and Hideki wished to the stars.
'Maybe me too...'
He lay rigid with his hands clasped together over his chest, focusing all his attention on the ceiling instead of the girl pressed up against him. His cheeks burned with bright embarrassment and he involuntarily gulped when she shifted weight and wrapped an arm around his. She cooed in her sleep and he cracked a strange smile, though it erased when she snuggled against him more.
It was at least two in the morning and he was grateful he didn't have school that day. He hadn't been able to fall asleep all day because of the torturous thoughts crashing together in his head. Chi had worried about him when he sat staring out of the window for two hours straight. He wondered if this was what it was like to go insane.
Hideki sighed slightly and looked down at the top of her head. He had seen truly fascinating events earlier- ordinary things to the normal person- as he watched Chi. She had eaten dinner with him, actually eaten, and went to the bathhouse to take a shower without anyone's help.
The hacker really had "taught" her how to do things a girl her age could do. That meant Blue had to be a mechanic of some sort also. If Chi really did know all of this, hopefully she would be caught up with all the things she should know for school, too. So, did that mean she also knew about...
He shook his head and slapped his forehead with his free hand as though to ward off evil thoughts. Chi whimpered at the sharp movement and he froze with his hand still attached to his forehead. He hated being so jumpy, but many other thoughts had been plaguing him as well. Ever since Chi's...operation...he had been hiding from all his friends. Friends that had helped him so much before and had built bonds with him. To make things worse, Mr. Ueda had called earlier today to check on them and Hideki hurried through the conversation. 'That wasn't obvious at all...' he mumbled to himself afterwards. Poor Shinbo hadn't even been lucky enough to hear his voice over the phone, but that wasn't the worst of it. Ms. Hibiya...Sweet, caring, mothering Ms. Hibiya had had the door slammed in her face when she brought more clothes over for Chi. It had been pajamas, too, which she desperately needed, and it had pained him to see price tags hanging off the sleeves; she had gone out and bought the clothes this time. He knew that this was her way of taking care of her even though Chi wasn't really her daughter anymore. It hurt him deeply to act so rudely to her...
"You can always talk to me, Hideki..."
He sighed and flinched as Chi let go and rolled over on her own, immediately missing her touch. It was so strange how she always made him feel...He shook his head and sat up, looking for Plum and Kotoko; he stifled a cry of surprise to see the little purple laptop now standing on his knee.
"Kotoko?! What are you doing?" he whispered quietly.
"You didn't fall asleep. Are you sick?" Her dark eyes bore into his. "Shall I search for illnesses that match your symptoms?"
"No, no, I'm okay. I just can't sleep." She seemed disappointed and frowned. "Listen Kotoko, I need to take a walk to clear my head. Could you watch over everything for a while and make sure nothing happens?"
"Yes." She bowed and jumped down.
He smiled and ran a hand through his hair. This wasn't going to be easy, but he knew sooner or later he had to tell somebody, and he had decided it had to be her.
When he finally reached the door, he was so nervous the click of the door exploded in his ears and scared him halfway out of what little wits he had left. His legs felt like jell-o and the floor was ice-cold on his bare feet. The hallway was pitch-black compared to the soft glow of the streetlight from his room. As he closed the door behind him, he breathed a quick sigh and walked quickly to her door. As he approached, he noticed that the light was on and he could hear the faint murmur of the T.V., surprising him, since it was after two in the morning and she seemed fully awake and well.
His hand raised to the doorknob and froze; what was he going to say? He had come over without really thinking about it and now that he was here, he didn't know how to start.
He knocked anyway and kicked himself, biting down on his lip to stifle a grunt of pain. Maybe she hadn't heard- it had been a light knock and maybe she really was asleep- but there was a soft "Just a minute!" from inside. Seconds later she opened the door, bright light blinding him temporarily; once his vision cleared he saw her in a long nightgown and bathrobe.
"Oh, hello Mr. Motosuwa. I see you couldn't sleep either. Would you like to come in?" She opened the door wider and moved back so he could step past.
"Yeah, okay," he mumbled absently. He saw her T.V. on and it appeared she was watching some sort of romantic comedy. She politely clicked it off and sat on the couch, offered him a seat, and smiled.
"So, what do you need?"
"Um, well..." he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair again. He froze again; everything he could come up with seemed wrong. Finally, "I think, um, I think you'd better come with me for a while."
Her smile disappeared as she realized that he wasn't over for a friendly visit. She rose slowly from the couch. "Is Chi okay?"
He found that he couldn't reply and opened the front door to her apartment. She followed him silently and they slipped down the hallway to his door. He saw movement inside and suddenly wondered if Chi had woken up after he had left. He froze on the handle once more and turned to Ms. Hibiya; even in the darkness he could tell she was worried.
"Um, Ms. Hibiya?"
"Yes?" Her voice was heavy with anticipation.
"This may be a bit of a shock."
Her breath caught in her throat. "You...didn't reset her, did you?"
"Huh? No! No, she's fine."
"Oh, alright..." she sighed in relief. "I think I'll be fine now that I know that. You see, that was what I was afraid had happened, but now..."
"She's safe, don't worry." He blinked, slightly taken off guard. 'She's just a human being instead of a Persocom,' he answered in his mind. He forced back the urge to kick himself again and turned the doorknob. The door squeaked a little and startled them both; he felt his nerves couldn't take much more of this.
The light from the streetlight caught in her light hair and he could see her silhouette sitting up. Ms. Hibiya slipped by to look and he stood still, unsure if he should stop her and yet sure that he shouldn't.
"Hideki? Is that you?" Chi asked, her voice full of sleep. He nodded dumbly, forgetting she probably couldn't see him. "Ms. Hibiya?"
The silence following slapped him back into reality and he closed the door behind him in fear that someone might go by. He quickly came to her side; just aas he did, there came a strange sound that made chills shoot up his spine. It was like an animal whimpering after being separated from it's pack, and Hideki almost checked out the window until Chi raised a hand to the manager's cheeks.
"Ms. Hibiya, why are you crying?"
Hideki felt the color drain from his cheeks. Even in the poor light, she had saw Chi. The last time Ms. Hibiya had saw Chi, she had been the Persocom her husband had made for her.
A hand slowly made it's way to Chi's cheeks and the young woman sat still and allowed her to touch her, the tired fingers falling after confirming that it was real skin. Though she was still crying, she turned to Hideki; the light reflected off the streams of tears and watery eyes. She could only make out a single word, but it required the hardest answer he had ever given. "How...?"
"I...I don't really know exactly. I came home one night, and Chi was gone. When I found her, she was like this," he sighed.
"Chi wished it, and Blue answered, "Chi stated, causing them both to jump and look at her in surprise. The young woman's eyes were hard with determination and it was the first time Hideki had seen her this way; Ms. Hibiya, however, had seen this look many times before.
"What...what do you mean, Chi?" Hideki stammered, remembering the same words from Blue.
Chi met his gaze. "When you and I wished to the stars, you said that if Chi wanted it enough, my wish would come true. Chi wished to be real because..." She looked away suddenly; from the corner of his eye his eye he saw that Ms. Hibiya had forgotten her tears and was listening intently. "You seemed sad, Hideki. Chi thought you weren't happy with me anymore. It hurt Chi when Hideki would look at me but there would be sadness in your eyes..."
"Where did you first get the idea of being real? Did you come up with the idea by yourself?" Ms. Hibiya suddenly asked; Chi shook her head and Hideki felt his heart skip a beat.
"Chi was walking home from work, and I saw a girl reading to a little boy on a bench. The little boy in the story was like me, and at the end of the story, he became real."
Hideki sank down to the floor, wanting to hold her suddenly and unable to believe what he was hearing. She had done all this because she thought he wasn't happy with her, and now after hearing some kids reading a book, made a wish about it. But...how had the hacker known? He remembered her chilling words that Chi herself had said just minutes ago: "She wished, and I answered."
Ms. Hibiya startled him from his thoughts. "Chi, I think what you did was very noble and considerate- it isn't everyday that people go to such lengths for the ones that they love. I also think that you may have misunderstood things. I don't think Hideki is unhappy with you; in fact, it's quite the opposite. I do believe you two may need to talk about things. If you do, I'll leave you two and allow you to do so." She came up on her knees and stopped. "Hideki, thank you for telling me."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, no problem. I knew I should tell you first."
She smiled and her eyes filled with tears again. "It does help me in a way. Now I know that she really is safe."
Ms. Hibiya stood and turned to the leave; Hideki cried out and shot up to catch her as she began to fall. Somehow, she had fainted and he sighed as she lay limp in his arms. Chi stood up to look at her.
"Is she okay?" There was some fear in her voice and he found himself amazed, forgetting his unconscious manager for a few seconds.
"Oh, um, yeah. I think she just needs to sleep. This was a bit of a shock, after all." He walked carefully to the futon and lay her down, pulling the blanket over her. He looked at Chi. "I'll sleep over there. You go ahead and go to bed, too."
He took a blanket to the wall and pressed his back against it, watching Chi get comfortable under the covers. His cheeks suddenly flared at the idea of having two real women in his bed and forced his eyes to close. This time, he found himself more at ease than he had been in several days and was asleep in mere minutes.
xXx
Chi lay next to her old mother and watched her chest move up and down in small sighs. Hideki was asleep too, but she couldn't close her eyes. She couldn't help but feel as though she had always been her mother, even though her memory had been erased. It was like when she was around Hideki, but somehow it was much different, too.
Without really thinking about it, Chi lay a hand on Ms. Hibiya's arm and curled her fingers into the material of the sleeve. For some reason, she felt sleepy and started to let it overcome her.
Ms. Hibiya sighed in her sleep and Chi looked up some. "Elda..."
She snuggled up close to her and smiled. "Mommy..."
A/N: Ah, so angsty...I hope that I got everybody's character ok...I had a bit of a hard time in some places, but I think they turned out alright. Let me know! Review please!