CHAPTER V. HOME

"Mizi! Blasted! Where on earth are you!" Riko calls, almost angrily, "C'mon, girl! Your friends never replaced you, no-one will can!" He stops as he sees a movement from behind a tree. "Mizi?"
"I am not Mizumi," a voice whispers, "I am her daughter..." He grabs the girl's hands.
"Hey, you're Saka, right? The one with the black hair... Do you have any idea of where Mizumi might be?" The girl simply shrugs, and Riko sighs deeply. "You're not much of a help, are you?"
"I have a clue, but I am not sure of where she might be," says Saka, "but I can ask..."
"Ask who?" She smiles merrily.
"My sister, of course! Jira is with her, she is the one who took her with her. Just a moment, then I can contact her..." She closes her eyes, concentrates. Jira? Are you there? She thinks it that loudly that even Riko can hear it.
"Wow," he mutters impressed, "I've never known persocoms could actually do this kind of stuff, communicating via thoughts..."
I am here with Mizumi, the answer suddenly sounds.
Yes, I know. Why do you not tell me where you are?
I simply will not.
O, come on! Why not?
Mizumi does not want me to tell it. She does not want Riko-san to find her now she has completely crashed, and Riko-san was the one who asked you to find her, was he not?
"She has WHAT!" Riko calls. Saka opens her eyes gently.
"Not so loud, Riko-san, you're disturbing my contact."
"But..."
"Ssh." Jira, are you... at home? A silence. Then:
I… I can not tell.
So you are?
I... yes... Saka opens her eyes, closes the contact and looks merrily at Riko.
"I have got it! Listen. Jira and I ran away to go back where we came from after Tazuka-san fired our mother. Then she contacted us, which was this afternoon, and told us she was crashing and desperately needed help. She managed to get here, fell down into Jira's arms, completely crashed down at that moment. She muttered your name and that you had to stay away from her, so we decided what seemed for the best... Jira would take her to a safe place, while I actually should be waiting for you to tell you that you could not see Mizumi ever again." She coughs. "I have inherited from my mother that I can hardly say 'no', you know... so it went a little different..." She sighs deeply, suddenly glares at him. "You... you have started to care about her very much, did you not?" He nods.
"Yes, I did... It feels like I've known her for so long," he says, "like... we've always been, and always will be, together."
"I see..." Saka smiles. "I have already seen it coming... I have always known that He would appear in a shape like yours..."
"Huh?" Riko asks. Saka chuckles.
"Yes, He! The One..."
"The... One?"
"Gees, you look like my mother qua intelligence," Saka grins, "that kindly means you are 'not quite smart'... Come on, Riko-san! Oh, I have a better idea, I think..." She grabs his hand, smiles. "We are going to my mother and sister!"

"What the..." Riko whispers, standing next to Saka in front of a huge building.
"This is the place I can call home," Saka says, "this is the place where the "Nepuchun" were made."
"Nepuchun?"
"The persocom-series I am a member from. We are called after our creator, Nepuchun-sama."
"And he lives here?"
"Lived. He deceased, but his spirit never really left this place." She closes her eyes again. Jira? Are you around?
So you did come... Did you bring Riko-san with you?
Of course I did! Jira, he is Him!"
You are sure?
Yes. Now, show yourself!
"Over here." Jira's opened the door gloomily. "Well, I guess I can not send you back anymore now you have come so far... Come in." Riko enters after Saka, can only gaze at the space around him.
"My god..." the ceiling is covered with stars and planets and is incredibly high. It's like they're walking in space, and in the middle, there's a kind of capsule placed. "What's that?" Riko asks, pointing at the subject.
"That is..." Jira hesitates. "That is where Mizumi is at the moment... To recover..." She glares at the floor.
"Re...recover?" Riko asks scaredly. "Did I..."
"Not you," Saka says, "it is..."
"Neko," Jira whispers, "Mizumi felt betrayed by her, by everyone. All of her feelings suddenly fell together and she crashed... Worse than ever..."
"Worse than ever," Riko repeats, "Does it mean she's..."
"Jira? Who is there?" The door of the capsule suddenly opens and Mizumi gets out of it.
"Mizi!"
"Oh, it's you," says Mizumi coolly, "Riko-san."
"Mizi, what... tell me, girl... why did you say you never wanted to see me again?" He says gently. Jira grabs his arm, pulls him backwards warningly.
"Be careful, I do not know what she might..."
"Get out," says Mizumi. Riko gazes astounded at her.
"Mizi, what is..."
"Get out!"
"But..."
"GET! OUT!" She screams. "GO! AWAY! NOW!"
"Listen to her," Saka calls, "go! Jira, take him outside, I will stay here with Mizumi!"
"BUT MIZI!"
"GET OUT!" Flames are dancing in Mizumi's eyes as Jira drags Riko out of the building.