Author's Notes: Another one shot, one I'm not sure if I could be proud of it. Well, anyway, you shouldn't be reading this right now. I mean, you're supposed to read the story! Not my ramblings, but whatever. This is just a basic sasusaku story. I hope you guys like it, though I can't say the same thing about me…
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, enough said.
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Artificial Intelligence
"Here." A voice huffed, obviously tired. He plopped a heavy object down on the bed. He grinned at his companion, who was staring at him. No scratch that, glaring at him. He blinked, "What? You don't like it? I thought you would need some help around the house, you know."
"Take it out. Now." Dark eyes twitched as they stared at light blue ones. He crossed his arms and looked to his side. He saw blonde hair shuffling, "But, Sasuke! It'll help you! Just try it, maybe for a few weeks or so."
"Hn." The one called Sasuke glared all the more. The blonde did not waver from what he was saying, "You don't have to take care of it much. I think it's just a house server. So, you don't have to worry about bringing it out."
"No, Naruto." He replied. Naruto turned to him, eyes in slits, "You're even lucky that I found one for you that looks so pretty. I can't believe someone would throw out an AI like her! C'mon, Sasuke, just give it a try."
At the sound of his whiny voice, Sasuke ran a hand through his black-blue hair. He sighed. Naruto took it as a good sign. All he had to do was convince his friend more. He continued, "And it looks so much like her too."
Dark eyes moved sharply to meet with Naruto's. The blonde suddenly gulped, feeling that he just crossed a line there. He bowed and interlocked his fingers above his head, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't know what I was saying!"
"Fine." Sasuke said. Naruto looked up at him, puzzled, "Huh? Are you going to keep her?"
"Yes, if it gets you off my back. I hate your whiny voice." The dark-haired companion replied. Naruto started jumping up and down. He stopped and grinned at Sasuke, "So, it's already turned on. All you got to do is just give it a little knock in the head."
Naruto turned to the body lying in the bed. He gave a little grin. Giving its head a little knock, he winked at Sasuke, "I'm sure you both would get along."
Suddenly, the body started to move. It slowly lifted itself up, long hair falling over its face. It slipped off the bed and stood up, facing the two men, eyes still closed. Slowly, it opened them, revealing beautiful green orbs…
"Konnichiwa, I am Sakura. I am a 2010 model, type B, house server AI." It said in a soft voice. It bowed then stood up straight. Sasuke stood transfixed. Finally regaining his bearings, he walked around the girl in front of him. Naruto grinned, "Yep, looks like her, talks like her! She even has her name!"
"Naruto." Sasuke only had to whisper his friend's name to silence him. The girl looked to be around their age. She was not that tall and not that small. What was amazing about her was her hair. Long and silky for an AI, and it was even pink!
"I'm sorry. But, you know I can't help but exclaim the truth." Naruto said. He faced the girl who was standing stock still. He grinned at her, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. How old are you?"
"It is nice to meet you Uzumaki-san. I do not know how old I am. But if you base it on human years, my program tells me that I am 18." The AI told him. Sasuke's eyes widened. She sounded so much like her, even he was amazed…
"See! It's so cool! But it's an old model, so, you can't really do much with it except tell it to clean your house, cook your food, you know, all that kind of stuff." Naruto explained. Then, he turned to the AI once again, pointing at Sasuke, "Sakura, he's Uchiha Sasuke. He'll be your master from now on, okay?"
The pretty face turned to look at him, with eyes he thought he'd never see again. She gave a little smile, Sasuke's heart raced. She bowed, "It's nice to meet you, Uchiha Sasuke-sama. I hope I would be able to serve you well."
"Naruto, you're mocking me. Take it out now." Sasuke snapped. Naruto turned to face him, raising an eyebrow, "What? I thought you agreed already."
Naruto saw the distinct emotion in Sasuke's eyes. He gave him a comforting smile. He turned to the AI, "Sasuke, she's a robot. She isn't anything like her. It's time you moved on. She's gone, you're now managing your family's company, and you have an AI. No big deal."
"But it's her, Naruto. You brought this freaking robot to haunt me!" Sasuke answered hotly. Naruto shook his head, "No. No, Sasuke. I brought this robot with me because you need help around the house. Sheesh, look at the mess in here!"
"What meal would you like for this evening, Uchiha-sama? Is Uzumaki-san having dinner with you? Should I set an extra plate?" her voice interjected into their conversation. They turned to her, she was smiling.
"Sasuke, she's a robot, nothing more." Naruto whispered. He saw Sasuke calm down a bit and nod. The dark-haired man turned to the smiling robot and said, "Sukiyaki, Sakura. And yes, Naruto will stay for dinner."
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Several months later…
He arrived home, and everything was spick and span like he expected it to be. He saw the light on in the kitchen and stepped in. He saw the AI bustling about, preparing his meal. He didn't know much about them, although he was one of the heirs of the AI producers.
His older brother was more into the "production and development" part of their business. He was the businessman. He didn't want to take part of the creation of artificial life. That was the reason she and all the other females in this city disappeared…
"And dream of me tonight." The robot sang as it moved around his kitchen. His eyes widened. He watched her, speaking up, "You can sing?"
The AI turned to him. It smiled at him, tilting its head a little bit. It nodded. No, he thought, she nodded. She bowed, "Welcome home, Uchiha-sama. I am preparing your dinner. What would you like?"
"You can sing?" he repeated, ignoring her question. Her smile never wavered. She nodded, pointing to the little kitchen radio he had. Funny, he never turned that on since forever. She spoke, "Hai, Uchiha-sama. I heard this song from this radio."
"Hn." And that signaled the end of their conversation. Sasuke never talked to her much, only asking about the groceries or his food. No, there was nothing more they could talk about. He was a human, she was a robot. But…
Strange things have happened. Like how this robot seemed to take a liking to gardening and had turned his little unkempt garden into something out of a magazine. She said she came with that program but he saw her often stare into the roses as if she were human…
"Uchiha-sama? Uchiha-sama?" Her voice broke through his thoughts. She smiled again. He was glad that his older brother made them smile only. No AI had a program to frown. He turned to her, "Yes?"
"There is a Hyuuga Neji here to see you. Should I set an extra plate?" She asked, wiping her wet hands with her apron. Sasuke nodded and removed his coat and tie. He set them on the living room table and opened the door. The man outside nodded to him, "Sasuke."
"It's nice to see you again, Neji." They shook hands. They were friends since high school. Actually, they were batch mates along with Naruto, Neji's cousin Hinata, Shikamaru, Shino, Chouji, Lee, Tenten, Ino, and her. Sakura…
"Konbanwa, I am Sakura." Both men turned around to see a head full of pink hair bowing. Sasuke saw Neji's eyes cloud with confusion and recognition. He stepped forward, "Sakura? How did you-"
"It isn't Sakura, Neji." Sasuke interjected. Sakura took Neji's coat, smilingly. She stated, "I am Uchiha-sama's house AI."
"I'd never thought I'd see the day that dear old Sasuke would finally get an AI. I thought you hated them." Neji said. Sasuke shrugged, "Naruto found her and gave her to me. She's working fine, actually. She's been with me for several months now."
"Ah. Well, what model are you, Sakura?" Neji asked, trying to be polite. Sasuke knew he wasn't fond of robots either. Sakura smiled at him too, Sasuke saw Neji flinch a little. She said, "I am a 2010 model, type B, house server AI."
"Oh. That's… nice. Isn't she an old model, Sasuke?" Neji asked. Sasuke nodded and led him to the dining room. They watched as she finished making their dinner. Neji commented, "How the hell did Naruto find someone who looks and sounds like Sakura?"
Sasuke shrugged. He didn't want to talk about it. He was content with the way things are now. He didn't want to delve deeper into the subject. She finally turned to them, holding a tray of scrumptious looking food and said, "Bon a petit!"
After a few hours of talking and reminiscing, Neji bade goodbye to his old friend. As he walked out the door, he asked Sasuke, "Don't worry. We hope to find them soon."
Sasuke nodded to him and closed the door. He found Sakura cleaning the living room, dusting one of the pictures when she stopped. She tilted her head. Sasuke walked over and saw what she was looking at…
It was their batch picture. All of them. He saw her eyes fixated on one person. He sighed, "Haruno Sakura."
"Haruno Sakura?" The AI echoed. He nodded and picked the picture up, rubbing his thumb over a certain person's face. He sighed again, "She was… one of my closest friends. I've known her since we were twelve. I thought she was just another fan girl. Wait, you know what a fan girl is right?"
"Hai, a female human exceedingly enamored and overly obsessed with a certain male human." She stated. He raised an eyebrow at her, "Do you come with a dictionary too?"
The AI nodded and looked at him, "Does Uchiha-sama want to continue this story? Uchiha-sama seems to be not feeling well. Perhaps Uchiha-sama should go to bed?"
Sasuke shook his head, his lips set in a grim line. He turned to her, "Are you really curious or is it another program?"
"I am only curious about things concerning my owner and master. My curiosity reaction only activates when Uchiha-sama tells a story or some information about himself." She stated monotonously. He turned back to the picture, taking in her face…
"She was never down, never crying. She was always smiling." He looked at his house AI, she smiled. He whispered, "Just like you are."
She knotted her eyebrows in confusion. Sasuke continued, "We were together most of the time and I thought she was just pure annoying. But she wasn't. I know now she was just worried. My parents were both sick and I was just 16. My older brother was already in the business when they died. She was worried that I might go on a breakdown."
"She was… worried, Uchiha-sama? Were you sick?" She asked. He shook his head, "I told her I would be fine and that I'd have to take over the company along with my brother. She often visited me but I was too busy. Then, business was booming and people all around the city went crazy with AIs."
"I didn't know you were my creator, Uchiha-sama. I am grateful that I am able to repay you for giving me life." She was ignored as Sasuke gave a humorless laugh, "Yes, yes. I gave you life. We gave you life. But I lost mine in the process."
"Sakura-san was… your life?"
A pause. He nodded. He whispered, "She told me that we were creating replacements for them because all the AIs we were creating were female. She said that one day all the real females would disappear… which they did. She was right. And now, it's like I feel so empty inside."
He turned to her and reached out to take a lock of her long pink hair. She looked up at him, tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion yet again. He shook his head as he closed his eyes, "And here you are, reminding me about her, making me feel all the guilt I should've felt a long time ago."
He sighed and let go of her hair. His shoulders slumped as he turned away, "Don't forget to lock the doors. Goodnight, Sakura."
The robot smiled at him and nodded, "Oyasuminasai, Uchiha-sama."
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A few days later…
He wondered where she was. Breakfast was ready at the table as usual. He stepped into the living room and glanced around. No, she wasn't there. His eyes fell on another picture. A picture of him and her. Together…
He walked over to it, studying their faces that were close. She had a beautiful smile on, holding her hand in the "PEACE" sign. There was a hint of a little smile on his face. He sighed, "Maybe, it's time to let you go, Sakura. The AI Naruto found, as you said, can be your replacement-"
CRASH!
Sasuke whirled around to find a wide-eyed AI staring at him. He looked down and saw shattered glass around her feet. He looked up again and frowned. She looked like she was going to cry. Suddenly, she turned to the front door and ran out…
"Sakura! Sakura!" He called out as he dialed the AI hotline number. He yelled, "I need back-up! An AI's gone haywire. Yes, yes! Can you track my phone down? Okay, good. I need to follow her! Yes! I'm going!"
He ran out after her…
He didn't know that AIs could run this fast. This was what he got for not knowing much about the things he was selling. After all, he didn't want to meddle with his older brother. He ran as fast as he could. Finally, he caught up with her. She was panting. He cursed his lack of knowledge about AIs…
"Sakura. It's okay, we'll get you fixed up." He held out his hand. She had her back turned to him as she faced a solid brick wall. He saw her sigh deeply. She looked at him, he saw tear-filled eyes, "What the… You're not an AI are you? You're…"
"No, I'm not… It's me… Sasuke-kun…"
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He stared at her, dumbfounded. How dumb could he get? He didn't notice all the signs. The singing, the gardening, the curiosity, the cooking! It was her! He stood still as if time stopped. They just stared at each other…
"I couldn't bear it already. It hurt too much." She was now facing him. Sasuke did not see any switch on her nape. Nothing. He cursed himself again. She let her hands hang down to her sides, "It hurt too much to think that you would open up more to a robot than to a human. What is my purpose then, Sasuke-kun?"
He couldn't answer. She closed her eyes and clutched her heart with her right hand, "All I wanted was to love you. You never gave me a chance. And now, you really want to replace me… How could you? How?"
"I didn't know…" He trailed off. He looked down. How many times had he made her cry before? He couldn't count. She continued, "I thought… that once all this robot madness stopped, we could all come back to our loved ones. I wanted to come back to you… But… Sasuke-kun, what you said awhile ago, makes me sure that you don't want me back…"
He heard sirens but blocked them out. His focus was on this girl in front of him. She reached her hand out and placed a soft hand on his cheek, "But I'm glad that at least, I could see you once last time before they take me away."
Suddenly, the touch was gone and Sasuke watched before his very eyes as the scientists went crazy over finding a real female. It all passed by, their looking for her switch, their confusion, their conclusion and their taking her away in hand cuffs…
The last he saw was her eyes, emerald orbs filled with hurt and longing. He didn't understand. Then, it dawned on him. They'd probably take her to the lab and start experimenting on her, copying her system to make more realistic AIs. He felt rage. He ran back to his house and decided to pay someone a little visit…
He rushed through automatic glass doors and looked for a certain door. Finding it, he immediately stalked towards it. An employee called out, "Uchiha-sama, you're-"
"Don't you dare call me that!" He snapped at the man clad in a lab coat. He pulled him by his collar and asked, angrily, "Where did you take her? Where is she!"
"U-uh… She's o-over there, U-Uch-, sir…" The man stuttered as he pointed to large metal doors at the back of the huge laboratory. Sasuke dropped the man and walked off, not sensing the cold smile someone sent him…
He pushed the big metal door and stood in front a suspended huge glass capsule that housed her body. There were scientists who were checking her system, taking down notes, and monitoring her vitals. He looked up at her as she floated in a clear blue liquid, an oxygen mask on her face…
His eyes caught hers and when she closed them, he saw tears float from them. His eyes narrowed and he grabbed the nearest man by the collar, he yelled, "Let her out! Now!"
"Sasuke… Sasuke… Foolish little brother, aren't you trespassing?" A cool smooth voice called out to him. Sasuke turned around and was face to face with one of the people the hated the most. He glared at him, "Let her out, Itachi."
The said man walked around his little brother and gave a little sinister smile, "I'm sorry, dear otooto, but I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, I need her to be able to produce better AIs. I can't let her go just like that."
"You will let her go." Sasuke stressed each word, feeling all the anger in his body rise. One eye twitched but his brother just stood there, smiling. Sasuke spoke again, "You WILL let her out, Itachi."
"Tut tut, Sasuke. You're making quite a ruckus." The older man just pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke to it, "Boys, I think my little brother needs some assistance in getting out of the building. Mind helping him out a bit?"
As he placed the walkie-talkie down onto the nearest table, the metal doors opened, revealing a dozen buffed men. They immediately took hold of Sasuke, who struggled against them and put up quite a fight. However, they were too many and soon, Sasuke was overpowered…
They dragged him out. His eyes never left her body as the metal doors closed. He never saw her again…
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Three years later…
"Happy Birthday!" a chorus of yells were thrown at his face. He flinched. He glared at all of them. They coughed and gave little apologies. Naruto came forward, "Hey, Sasuke! Aren't you glad we threw this little party for you? Hinata-chan worked hard to get everybody together."
Sasuke sighed tiredly. He was in a new company now, working his ass like hell to throw off the depression that he settled into. Somehow, his quitting the AI selling business caused it to go bankrupt. And now, people were getting sick of the AI errors.
"After all, you were the one that made our lives better. I mean, if you hadn't quit, then, the girls would never have come back!" Naruto blabbered. The dark-haired, pearly-eyed woman beside him, nodded. She gave a sympathetic smile, "I'm sorry about Sakura-chan, Sasuke-san."
"Hey, Sasuke-kun! Come here and give me a hug! It's been so long!" A blonde woman called out. Shikamaru was finally reunited with his best friend turned girlfriend and was finally seeing life as "not troublesome." Sasuke walked over and was engulfed in a comforting hug. She whispered, "It's okay. Don't worry, alright?"
He pulled away, confused. Yes, it was his birthday. He was 21 now and he felt a lot older. No, that wasn't what he didn't understand. He didn't understand why they were comforting him. He hasn't seen Sakura in the last three years.
He heard that the laboratory shut down shortly after he resigned. He never heard about her and what happened to her. He didn't bother. He felt she was just lost to the world already…
A lot of things happened after he quit. It was strange, really. The AIs were always dysfunctional and full of errors. But the strangest thing was, the girls appeared out of nowhere. He asked Tenten about it and she said they were just hiding underground, going above only to act like AIs to get supplies…
Then, Naruto found Sakura, who fell unconscious due to the sudden sight of him on the road. Being slightly clueless, Naruto was convinced that she was just an uncanny replica of his best friend and decided to be nice for a change; he gave her to Sasuke.
Suddenly, he was pushed towards his wooden dining table; on top of it was a gigantic box, big enough to stuff a human being inside. They handed him a glass of beer before turning him to face the box. He took a gulp of the beer, "So, what's this?"
"Like, duh, Sasuke! This is your birthday gift! From us!" Tenten exclaimed, a little over tipsy. It seems she's been drinking since they all arrived to prepare his little condo. Lee had to steady her while Neji shook his head, ashamed. Sasuke took another swig, "Fine."
Everybody held their breaths as he ripped off the covering. They watched as he pulled the box covering to reveal glass. The thick plastic cup Sasuke held fell with a thud. The silence was eerie. Suddenly, they heard snickering, they saw Sasuke stifling his laughter, "God. I can't believe you guys did this!"
They sighed in relief and laughed along with him. They were wondering how just a few swigs of beer could make him intoxicated. Naruto shot a glance at the glass box and put his arm around Sasuke, "Yeah. Of course, it's to make you laugh! I thought you'd go ballistic and say that we're making fun of you or something."
Soon, the glass box was forgotten and everybody went on with their merrymaking. Sasuke, who for a moment felt sober, looked back at the glass, taking in the form inside it. An AI, pink hair, green eyes…
"Hey, hey!" Naruto snapped his fingers in front of Sasuke's dark eyes. Sasuke looked up. Naruto grinned, "Are you ready for your real present?"
"What? But this?" Sasuke pointed to the glass box, really confused this time. Neji shook his head, chuckling, "This was just a joke, Sasuke. That AI isn't really Sakura. It's just another dysfunctional AI we found on the street. We dressed her up."
Everybody nodded. Sasuke was completely sober now. He saw the grim expressions on their faces. He asked, "What the hell's going on here?"
"Don't worry, Sasuke-san, you'll know when we get there." Was all Lee said as they ushered him upstairs. They stopped in front of his room. He looked at them, curiously, "My room… What am I supposed to find in my room?"
They opened the door. It was dark. Naruto spoke up, "After you quit, we ransacked the entire lab. We did the best we could, Sasuke. After everything that has happened, it seems she still won't wake up. We tried. We're sorry."
"She? Who she?" Sasuke dumbly asked, dumbfounded by how his friends were acting. They didn't answer him and only pushed him into his room. They shut the door and Sasuke heard the click of the lock. Stepping forward, he saw something on his bed…
He walked nearer and nearer. He saw pink. He rushed over. There she was, sprawled over his bed like how she was when he first saw her when Naruto found her. His heart jumped and he was nervous…
"Sakura…" He whispered. He couldn't believe his eyes. She was there. She was breathing. He aligned his breathing with hers, just to make sure that she didn't stop. She was breathing like a real human should…
"Sakura…" He whispered again. He reached out to touch her face, but drew back. What if she crumbled under his grasp? He was filled with fright and doubt. He rubbed his eyes. Yes, she was still there.
He finally touched her face, so cold yet soft. Her hair, long and silky, was the palest of pink. But her eyes remained closed. He wanted to see those eyes, the eyes that regarded him with every kind of emotion that he could not express.
In an instant, her slumbering figure was crushed against his in a hug much possessive as it was affectionate. He breathed her in, her scent. He buried his face in her hair, "Oh god… Thank you…"
But he stopped. Why wasn't she awake? He wanted to see those eyes! He became frantic, feeling her cold skin and shut eyes. He hugged her tighter, trying to send some of his warmth to her. They stayed like that for a few minutes…
Shuffling. A muffled cough. He was praying so hard, he had blocked everything except his prayers. He felt a frozen touch on his face. He opened his eyes and he was lost in pools of green. He heard the voice that he thought would be gone forever, "Sasuke…kun?"
"You're awake." He muttered, still dazed by her eyes. She smiled at him, he knotted his eyebrows. She frowned then, "What? That's all you can say? After everything?"
"Huh?" He asked, genuinely confused by her questions. She drew away from him. He suddenly felt cold again. She sat there, the white sheets around her, frowning at him. She crossed her arms, green eyes dark, "After all that's happened, isn't this the part where you're supposed to say I love you?"
"Hn." He smirked. His first real smirk in three years. She pouted so cutely, he just grabbed her and pulled her to him. She gave a little yelp at the sudden close contact. But she pouted yet again, remaining silent this time, until Sasuke whispered…
"I love you."
Owari…
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Author's Notes: Crap, my goodness, talk about mushy! But it seems I couldn't get this off my head. I mean, I watched Chobits and Stepford wives and came up with this. Who can blame me! But, like I said above, this is something I'm not really sure to be proud of. You guys decide, I mean, what's an author without readers?
And, Sakura kinda knows that Sasuke loves her, cuz they kinda have a past. Right? I mean, why would Sasuke say that the AI would be her replacement. He wouldn't be affected as much by the AI's likeness if he hadn't had a teensy weensy bit of feelings for Sakura. So, there, I hope that kinda lifts the confusion.
So, if you've got any requests… or whatever, drop me an email, or a pm. Or whatever. Ehehe! Oh yeah, I do hope that you go read my other stories! Please? Pretty please? Well, just the one shots… And I hope you did enjoy reading it as much as I labored over it! Read and review!