Chapter 1: Birth
I awoke from the darkness with a shudder. As my eyes opened, the light blinded me, but I didn't notice. The hand moved out from between my legs, and I moved up from the floor, naked as a newborn baby. The light surrounded me, molded me, became part of me. My short black hair flew out from my head, and I fell to my knees to stare at the man in front of me.
"Perfect!" He murmured, running a hand over my cheek. "No, to check your system diagnostics and make sure that everything is working properly."
System diagnostics? I thought to myself, just staring at him. He was the most fantastic thing I'd ever seen in my life. He was a large man, tall and wide, with a balding head and a graying beard. He opened one of my ports and pulled the cord out of it, hooking it up to his computer. I watched him curiously as he typed for a few moments. Finally, he grinned happily. "As I said: everything is perfect. In first class working condition."
I cocked my head at him curiously, and whispered, "Perfect?"
"Ah, her first word! We must program something into you for starting. It would be very confusing if I sold you and you didn't know what to say to your new master," he said, patting me affectionately on the head.
"Master?" I asked, cocking my head in the other direction.
"Of course. You are a computer, a Chobit. And I am your master. That is how you will address me. You must never say my name," he informed me, his affectionate look turning very stern and cold.
It frightened me, and I asked, "Name?"
"Ah, yes, I suppose I should name you. Well, maybe not. I must first decide if I am going to sell you or not. For now, let us just find you some clothes and see how you work around the house."
"Clothes? House?"
All of a sudden, I had a million questions burning inside me, threatening to burst. And for some reason, I knew the answers to some of them already. But the rest… like what colors were. And feelings. What was I feeling? Emotions? What were all these new and wonderful things? Like light. All I had ever known was darkness.
"Now, I must bring you to my patrons, so they may see how my work has turned out. They wanted to see if Chobits could be created by other scientists, and if I had the genius to make one. And, as far as I know, I do!" He gloated happily, and I felt disgust rise in my belly. But it was behind the awe and reverence I felt for him. And love? He was the one that had turned me on, the one who had… created me?
"Chobit?"
"Yes, indeed, my little creation. A Chobit. A computer that has a will of her own. If I have succeeded, you will be one of the only ones in the world. And you will be worth a fortune!"
All of a sudden the burning questions of emotion, touch, sight, and sound left me in a flurry, and were replaced by questions that I had to have an answer to. What am I? Why am I here? What makes me different from you? Do you love me?