A/N: For anyone who actually reads this I appologise, I wrote this chapter up some time ago (over the summer) and never got around to posting it. I am in the middle of chapter 9 already but having trouble. Please give me some feedback, okay?
Chapter 8 - Hope and Despair
Hideki sat in the back room at Club Pleasure, they'd just finished setting up and getting everything ready for opening, which was still a good five minutes away. He sighed sadly and let his head fall into his hands, elbows propped on his knees. After his little meeting with Minoru and that Tokimi woman the stress had soared to astronomical levels, worse than it had ever been. And Chii, yet again, was the focus of his torment, the danger to her existence has not ended and after having lost her once the thought of a second time seemed unbearable... and if the unthinkable happened... If she were destroyed...
The pressure to keep her safe but still let her have a normal life instead of cooping her up in their small apartment was pushing his body to the breaking point. The past week had plagued him with nightmares that made him wake screaming, he feared every conscious moment but sleep terrified him at the same extent. And he knew Chii was deeply worried about his deteriorating health, he could see it in her eyes with every fleeing glance or parting of ways.
"Hideki, are you alright?" A kind, soft voice asked as a small hand gently grasped his shoulder. Hideki's face lifted to the concerned brown eyes of Yumi, whose worry grew deeper when she noted the puffy redness that had encompassed his eyes, the dark circles beneath them, and the fear that they tried desperately to contain. "No... not at all." She answered for him, knowing how silly her question must have seemed. Grabbing one of the nearby chairs she sat down.
Hideki averted his eyes, "I don't want you to worry about me Yumi..." He sighed, no one else needed to be dragged into this after all.
She pursed her lips, "If you don't want to talk to me that's fine, but either way I am already worried." Glancing over he could see the seriousness in her face, something not normal for Yumi. "And if you aren't going to tell me about it then you should go home, it's obvious you're in terrible shape." He features softened, "You shouldn't endanger your health like this."
Staring blankly back at her for a moment, Hideki's gaze fell to the floor. "It... I just... Things are... complicated." His dark eyes focused on the floor, as though keeping them there held the balance of the entire world in it's power. "Chii might be in danger, again, and there is nothing I can do to protect her. I feel worthless and afraid, all the time I'm scared that I will get home and she will be gone... or I'll find her dismembered body lying in the hallway... That I'll never see her happy face again. It's hurting her to see me like this, I know... but I can't comfort her because she can see the torture I'm feeling every second." He felt like he was going to cry as he spilled his caged emotions out like a flood, he'd never felt this way about anyone and now that he did all that followed was anguish.
Yumi nodded sadly, there wasn't anything she could do to help, "I'm sorry Hideki... I didn't know you were going through all that." There was a grave silence in the room before a voice began calling them. "Sounds like it's time to open... you really should ask to take the day off."
Hideki shook his head, "No, I'll be fine." Both knew it was a lie but pushing the subject would gain nothing.
Hikaru stepped into Duklyon Cafe, he'd finally conceded to the letter and decided to come. With a sweeping glance he surveyed the room, there was a table he was supposed to find. Spotting the table his brow knitted in confusion but he headed for the designated meeting place. He stopped beside the table, "You're the one who sent the letter?" He asked skeptically.
"Ah, I was hoping you would take my proposal seriously, please sit there are some things we must discuss." Minoru said, setting his soda down and tenting his fingers on the table before him.
Yuzuki was seated next to him and smiled as Hikaru took a seat across from herself and Minoru, "Pleased to meet you Hikaru, do not be surprised by Master Minoru's age I assure you this is not some kind of trick." She assured him pleasantly.
"Oh, you're a persocom." Hikaru blinked, she didn't look like one at first glance but her mannerisms were the indicator. He shook his head and looked to Minoru, "Sorry... Minoru, right? Why did you ask me to come here? What do you know about Kin, and more importantly how do you know about her?"
"I was actually hoping you would bring her with, but maybe it is best you didn't in the end. I'll answer all your questions but this may take some time... please order something to eat and we will further discuss your situation and how it is I came to know about it."
"Hey Hideki, I was thinking... what if we got Chii a job here? She could take my old position and I would go work at Chiroru... That way I could be with Ueda and you'd have to worry less with Chii." Yumi had been thinking the entire night and come up with what seemed like a great solution. She liked it at Club Pleasure, but it would be nice to go back to Chiroru and spend extra time with Ueda... plus Chii would easily adjust to the new position, she was a persocom after all, and it would be less worry for Hideki.
Hideki looked up, he'd been getting ready to leave and had missed Yumi's comment. "What was that?"
Yumi smiled, "I said, Chii and I should trade jobs! She can come and work here and I will take her old position at Chiroru." She explained cheerfully.
Hideki's face brightened significantly, "Really? I mean, you'd do that? You think our managers would approve?"
Yumi nodded, "Of course, they're both good guys and we've gotten along well with them... I know Ueda would gladly have me back," Her cheeks flushed slightly, "And boss likes you, with Ueda's recommendation I'm positive he would trust our judgment."
"Y-you think so?" Hideki asked, it certainly would ease some of his worries to have Chii around.
"I do." She responded with an affirmative nod, "I'll go ask about it right now. Wait here."
He sighed and let his body drop onto one of the empty crates in the alleyway, if this worked it would certainly make things better, he'd know that Chii wasn't being grabbed by any lunatic with a motive and he wouldn't have to resort to treating her like some kind of animal by forcing her to stay home. He laughed slightly, it had been such a simple solution and within the course of the workday Yumi had solved his fortnight's worth of troubles. There was still prep school to worry about but it paled in the comparison to an entire day with barely seeing Chii.
Yumi walked back out into the alley beaming, she gave Hideki a thumbs up, "He said it was alright and that you should bring Chii by tomorrow so he can meet her and she can get a crash course in the Club Pleasure routine."
"You mean you can't fix him then?"
Tokimi shook her head sadly, "I'm sorry, his system is unlike those we have ever encountered... we can't place him under any model or manufacturer, he has to be a custom job. The original owner would be the only one who could fix him appropriately but the hard drive must have been wiped before you came to own him."
The woman sighed, brushing a few wisps of blonde hair from her face, "Just my luck I suppose."
"If you'd like you can take him back, we'll dispose of him otherwise."
She shook her head, "It's quite alright, if it doesn't have any use then I don't want it. Too bad, it was a handsome model." She smiled, "I'll make it a point to stop back in during business hours and give your stock a look over, maybe I'll find another that suits my tastes. Thanks for the effort though." The woman waved to Tokimi and left the store.
Tokimi sighed lightly, she was thankful the woman had decided just to leave him, now she could take him to Minoru's and get him running properly. Heading to the back she began to prop the Chobit up on the table when the bell at the door tinkled. Tokimi frowned, maybe the woman had forgotten something. "I'm terribly sorry, we're closed! You're welcome to come back in the morning." But there was no sound as though the person was leaving and they made no reply. Dusting her hands off she smiled and headed back to the front counter. "I apologize but-"
"Maehana Tokimi... glad to see you're living so peacefully with your constructs." Runiko smirked, her arms folded across her chest with a look of satisfied amusement on her face.