A/N: To everyone who has been reading.. thank you for sticking up with me. And now we are at the end of my very first short fanfic, Aye Mastah! I hope you guys enjoyed the ride as much as I do. Thanks to everyone for your reviews. It gave me inspiration to work on this. u Till the next fic!!

-Last Chapter-

"Mastah..."

"Eh? Sumomo?" I squinted my eyes. This seemed all too familiar, I could've sworn I saw this scene before. This same fog... this same warmth enveloping me. Was it a dream that I last have seen this?

"Sumomo? Doko?" I tried flailing arms to find my way. Suddenly a soft hand slid on my arm and grabbed my hand.

"This way mastah..."

I walked through the white blindness and suddenly stepped on something pointed but soft enough to tickle my feet. The fog slowly cleared up and I found myself standing in the middle of a meadow. Sumomo was in front of me and looked back, smiling a kindly. The strong, cool wind brushed past us and her hair flew wildly. She sat down and motioned me to do the same.

Sumomo's gaze never wavered the least bit. She was staring intently at me as if she was the happiest girl in the world. She was still holding my hand but this time, she was gripping on it more tightly. Her pink hair now rested on her shoulders beaming beautifully under the sun.

I couldn't speak. I was captivated by her very presence. Sumomo was my best friend. My partner. And now she's grown... grown into a lady. I never noticed it back then... but maybe I depended on Sumomo a little too much. I exhausted all my efforts to make her. Maybe while I was making her, I hoped for something else.

She sat on her feet, her white knees exposed under the sun.

Maybe while I was making her I wished to have a companion. Not really a simple computer with internet access. But a real friend. A real person. Maybe that's why she was so important to me. If I had treated her just like a persocom and nothing more, I would've just had her repaired someplace else and not spend seven grueling days manually fixing her. I flinched with the memory of that incident flashing through my mind. With Sumomo suddenly breaking down like that. At that time, I could still remember concretely, I panicked. I even cried. It felt like someone I love just died. But that can't be now can it? She's a persocom.

Sumomo leaned forward slowly, her eyes lost and searching.

But she's no longer a persocom now right? She's a real human being. That body may be genetically manufactured, but the one inside that... that's Sumomo. She has become human now. She's capable of everything. Does this mean all those inhibitions and self-convincing I do to myself can finally be overlooked? Does this mean, I'm allowed to love her now?

Her face drew closer and closer to mine and finally our faces were only inches apart. I could feel her soft lips graze mine.

I can really love her now. I can show her everything. Make her feel the joy of being in-love... being filled with that strong passion. Yes... This is...

I closed my eyes and kissed her.

"Shinbo... Shinbo...SHINBO!!!"

Argh... My head hurt. It felt like a bear trap just clamped itself snugly on my skull. I tried opening my eyes but the slightest movement of my eyelids pained my forehead.

"Thank goodness... I thought you were never going to wake up..."

Wait.. I know that voice.

Shimizu.

"Sumomo! Where's Sumomo chan!?" I forced my eyes open and spun around. I have this aching feeling in my chest that---

"Relax.. Sumomo is here" Shimizu said in a solemn voice. I looked around. My room is about as small as two cubicles put together. My eyes do not deceive me, Sumomo is not here. I looked at Shimizu in panic.

"WHERE IS SHE?!?!" I yelled.

Shimizu looked at me in alarm, not believing that I actually raised my voice at her. She heaved a deep sigh and tried to compose herself.

"Shinbo, you were asleep for three straight days after... after what happened..."

"What...?! What happened?!" I asked in urgency.

Silence. Shimizu looked away.

"Damnit Shimizu!! What happened?!?!" I gritted my teeth in anger.

"YOU HAD AN ELECTRICAL SHOCK OKAY?!? When Hibiya san was about to remove the microchip inside Sumomo's brain, you suddenly jumped in there and took off all the plugs!!!!"

I stared at her in shock. I... I did that?

"Hibiya san explained to us that she really needed to remove the chip... the body would die and would destroy the chip!! She had to do it to save Sumomo" Shimizu was already crying.

"You were okay about it at first but you suddenly jumped in there and.. and... I was so scared Shinbo....!! I know you have already developed feelings for Sumomo but... she's a persocom Shinbo!!! She's a PERSOCOM!!!!" She stood up indignantly.

Looking at me with those fierce eyes, she storms out of the room.

I didn't even think of following her. My main concern was...

"Sumomo??" I called out.

"Aye Mastah!!!!"

I looked beside me and there she was... under the covers. In her pink costume, her pink hair... she crawled out of the covers and grinned mechanically at me. I sighed heavily and picked her up with my hand.

She stood steadily on my palm and put her hands together on her back. She swayed sideways grinning at me as she does so. I curved my lips to a smile and patted her head.

"Sumomo, could you do a system check-up for me?"

"Aye Mastah!!!!"

I waited... and felt a tear trickle down my right cheek.

FIN

Footnote: I'm a sucker for sad endings... I'm sorry if this ending leaves you unsatisfied but... I think this is how everything should be set right. I would've opened a little possibility that she could be human.. but doing that would be a tad too redundant and it's not really my style to prolong the inevitable... again thanks to all!! Will be proceeding to do my next fic which is going to be a Getbackers one. Ja mata ne!