A/N: Here's Chapter Five of "Artificial Friendships!" Please read, review, and enjoy!
Artificial Friendships!
Chapter Five: Good Luck Chiaki!
"…Well…" Hajime sighed "I'd…better get to work on hacking into Kiki's computer. Once that's done, I'll attach you to a file and upload you into her PC. It shouldn't be too long."
Komaru and Chiaki nodded as Hajime began typing away, his fingers flying furiously as they pounded the keys. "So…" Komaru muttered, averting her worried gaze. "You're going after Junko Enoshima, right?"
Chiaki nodded, her lips pursed in a neutral expression as she tried to hide her own anxiety. "Yeah…Enoshima has to be stopped before she manages to convert Kiki into despair."
"Yeah…I agree. I don't want anything to happen to my niece…but…"
"Hey Hey! What is it?"
"It's just…" Komaru sighed, asking "You said before that Enoshima kicked you away the last time you tried to stop her, right?"
Chiaki frowned, nodding as she admitted "Yeah…that's true. That's how I lost pieces of my memory…I think."
"Then…aren't you afraid she'll just pound you again…? Plus, her predecessor executed yours back in the Neo World Program." Hajime grimaced at the memory as he continued typing. "This could be really dangerous for you, Chiaki."
"Yeah…I know. I could face much worse than getting kicked away. I could face deletion-"
"I don't want that to happen to you!" Komaru interjected with an emotional cry. Chiaki and Hajime's eyes widened in shock at her outburst. "I know we've only known each other for hours, and I know it doesn't make sense, but I…I feel like you're important to me. I don't…I don't want you to be deleted!"
A tense silence permeated the atmosphere, Hajime struck silent as he was for once unsure of how to comfort his trembling wife. It's not just her pregnancy-induced mood swings. Kami knows I feel the same way she does. I've moved on from Chiaki, but…I don't want to lose one of the last traces of her in existence either…
"Hey hey!" Chiaki smiled reassuringly at Komaru. "Don't cry. It feels strange to say it, but I'm not real. I'm just an artificial intelligence designed to resemble Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer who died during the Tragedy. So…even if I get deleted…at least it'll be to put a stop to the despair who killed the real Nanami. Even if it's short, I want my existence to mean something. So send me off with a smile, okay?"
"…O…Okay. Just…promise me you'll do your best to survive."
"Don't worry, I'll do my best…I think."
Komaru finally giggled before Hajime announced "Alright, I'm in. I'll just attach you to a program and send you to Kiki's IP address."
"Okay, thanks, Hajime. Wish me luck, you two."
"Good luck, Chiaki."
"Yeah…good luck…Chiaki." Komaru smiled as Chiaki nodded.
"Alright, I'm ready when you are."
"Okay, I'm attaching your code now." Hajime announced. "And…upload." Chiaki's avatar disappeared from the Hinatas' PC screen as she was sent through the dangerous internet streams once more. "Well…we've done all we can. All we can do now is hope for the best."
*Knock Knock*
"Kiki?"
"Kiki?"
"…Who is it…?" Kiki's voice echoed through the door.
"It's Mom, Kiki." Kyoko called out nervously.
"Can we come in, pumpkin?" Makoto asked.
"…I'm…kind of a little busy at the moment."
"Kiki, this is important!" Kyoko nearly cried. "Please open the door!"
"Honey, I don't think being frantic is going to help." Makoto muttered as he tried to calm his wife. "Kiki, can you please open the door? There's something we need to talk to you about."
"Can't it wait until later?" Kiki asked. "I'm kind of doing something important too."
"…That tears it…!" Kyoko growled under her breath. "I'm not letting Junko have her way. Kiki, this is for your own good."
Before Makoto could stop her, Kyoko lunged for the doorknob and tried to turn it. Her eyes widened in shock however, as the doorknob refused to budge.
"…I was afraid of this…" Makoto muttered. "Junko probably told her to lock the door to eliminate outside interference. If she persuaded Kiki to hide her very existence form us, then it makes sense that she'd tell Kiki to lock the door too."
"Damn!" Kyoko cursed as she kicked the nearby wall. "What do we do now?"
Makoto sighed, frowning as he took his distraught wife into his arms. "Only thing we can do now is hope that Chiaki manages to expose Junko and bring Kiki back to her senses."
"…I just hope it won't be too late…" Kyoko muttered, feeling completely useless.
Still frowning worriedly, Makoto stroked her hair in an attempt to keep them both calm. Hajime, Komaru, Chiaki…it's all up to you now…!
"So this is what it's like to travel through the internet…" Chiaki mused in awe as she flew at warp speed through a black and blue tunnel, surrounded by countless digits that made up the data of the network. "I was unconscious last time, so I couldn't tell what it was like."
Chiaki continued to travel down the data stream, keeping her excitement in check as she focused on the task at hand. Once she steeled her resolve, she approached a white vortex at the end of the stream.
"Alright, here I come, Enoshima!"
"Okay, do you understand, Kiki?"
Kiki nodded hesitantly. "I…think so…Konju. But still…my mom and dad said-"
"Ah, screw 'em! Parents are stuffy and old-fashioned. That's why I told you to lock the door when they left, so you didn't have to hear them whispering in your ear while we talked."
"Well…I wouldn't call them stuffy…but I guess maybe it might be worth considering your outlook…"
"That's good, keep an open mind!" Junko grinned. "Don't listen to everything your parents say! Make your own choices. That's the only way to change this world of ours. You have to stan dup to authority and demand things change yourself!"
"Hmm…I have to admit…you make some…good points…" Kiki admitted. "…Tell me more about your outlook, Konju. How do you think people should stand up to authority and change the world?"
"I'm glad you asked! First-"
"No! Stop!"
"Huh?!" Kiki stared at her computer screen. "Who said that?"
"No idea, I should be the only one here, unless…" Junko's eyes widened as she realized with a groan "Oh no…"
At that very moment, Chiaki appeared on screen, literally butting headw with Junko and forcing her back. "W-Who are you…?" Kiki stammered in shock.
"Hey Hey! Don't listen to another word she says, Kiki!"
"H-How do you know my name…?" Kiki demanded, still stammering in shock.
"How are you still active?!" Junko spat. "I thought I kicked you halfway across cyberspace when I tried to enter Kiki's computer!"
"You…you what…?"
"…Ah crap…" Junko muttered. "Did I say that out loud…?"
"W-What's going on…?" Kiki began to shake with confusion. "Who…who are you…?"
"I'm an A.I. created to resemble the late Chiaki Nanami." Chiaki explained. "And she's an A.I. created with the personality of Junko Enoshima!"
"Junko?!" Kiki exclaimed, turning pale as a sheet. "But…she said her name was Konju…Konju…did you…did you seriously just create an anagram of Junko?!"
"D-Don't be silly, that's…" Junko stammered before Chiaki cut her off.
"That's exactly what she did. She's been trying to convert you to despair, as revenge against your parents."
"MY PARENTS?!" Kiki shrieked in horror. "Is that why she tld me to keep her existence a secret, and to lock the door so they couldn't come in…?"
"She needed to make sure she could convert you in secrecy…I think. If your parents knew from the start that she had broken into your PC, they would have taken action right away."
"So…everything she said…was a…a lie…?" Kiki gasped.
Chiaki nodded. "After she kicked me away, I ended up in your Aunt Komaru's PC. I lost some of my memory, but your Uncle Hajime helped to reformat it. I then informed your parents of Junko's existence, and we agreed that she needed to be stopped. That's why they're at your door; they're trying to save you!"
"S-Save me…?!"
"Hey, Kiki!" Junko pleaded "You're not gonna listen to her after two minutes of hearing her lie to your face, are you…?"
"…Isn't that what you've been doing…?" Kiki asked darkly.
Junko gulped as Kiki stood up and turned her back. "Hey, w-where are you going…?"
"…I'm going to trust my parents…like I should have done from the start…"
"Hey! C-Come back!" Junko cried as Kiki walked over to the door and unlocked it. "This is all your fault!" She hissed at Chiaki.
"You brought this upon yourself…I think." Chiaki shot back as Kiki opened the door, her head hung in shame.
Makoto and Kyoko rushed in, the mother kneeling before her daughter and wrapping her in a protective embrace as Makoto stormed over to the PC. "Junko Enoshima…" Makoto growled.
"Aww, looks like I've been found out…" Junko smiled nervously at her archnemesis. "Well, it's nice to see you again, Naegi. You've got a cute little girl-"
"Spare me the false pleasantries, Enoshima. It's over. I'm going to make sure you never harm my family ever again."
"Hey, w-what are you doing…?" Junko questioned, sweating as Makoto took out a USB drive.
"I'm going to put an end to you…once and for all."
"C-Can I be the one to do it…?"
Makoto turned with surprise at his daughter, angry tears streaming down her face. "…This is my fault…let me be the one to make it right…please, Daddy."
Makoto's lips tugged into a smile, nodding as he assured his wife "It's okay, Kyoko. Let her."
Kyoko hesitantly let go of her daughter, allowing her to walk over to her father and gently take the USB drive away.
"Kiki, wait!" Junko pleaded, panicking. "Don't do this, we were such good friends, weren't we-?"
"This is payback for tricking me, Junko." She muttered, glaring a rare, Kirigiri glare at the evil A.I. as she plugged the USB into the PC.
Within the computer, a large, rectangular hole appeared within, creating a vacuum-like suction that threatened to inhale any nearby programs. Panicking, Junko shook her head frantically.
"N-No! I'm not going in one of those things again! It was super cramped last time! Hey!" Chiaki gritted her teeth as she began to push Junko form behind. "Stop it! Let me go!"
"No, it's time for you to pay for your crimes! Now in you go!"
"No! I'm not going!" Junko cried as the suction grew stronger, reeling her in like a fish. "No! NOOOO!"
Junko screamed as she flew into the black hole, never to be seen again. Makoto sighed in relief as he pulled out the USB drive, eyeing it with a victorious smile.
"This time, you're not going to infect any more computer systems. You won't have another incident like the Killing School Trip." He turned to his daughter and asked "How are you holding up, pumpkin?"
"…A little shaken, but I think I'll be okay." She muttered quietly as her mother approached.
"Though I think we definitely think we need to have a family talk."
Kiki flinched in guilt as Makoto nodded. "Why don't you bring her to the living room couch? I'll join you in a bit."
Kyoko nodded and took Kiki by the hand. "Come on, Kiki, let's go."
Kiki merely nodded shamefully as she allowed her mother to tug her out of her room. Makoto frowned at the sight before he turned to the PC with a grateful smile.
"Thanks for saving my daughter, Chiaki."
"Hey, hey! No problem…I think. I'm just glad I didn't get deleted in the process. I promised your sister and Hajime that I'd do my best to survive."
Makoto smiled at the fondness in Chiaki's voice. "Sounds like you and Komaru have grown fond of each other."
"Yeah…" Chiaki giggled. "It's strange, but I feel as though we've already become good friends…I think."
"Well, sometimes strong friendships can form in unbelievably short times." Makoto mused before he promised "Alright, let me send you back to them. I'm sure Komaru an dHajime will be relieved to have you back safe and sound."
Komaru smiled gratefully before Makoto attached her to an email. After typing the body, he clicked Send.
"Bye, Makoto!"
"Bye, Chiaki!" Makoto waved before she vanished. "Okay…" Makoto sighed as he steeled himself for the difficult discussion ahead of him. "Time to tend to my own family…"