Su didn't feel comfortable with all of the Persacom parts lying about. "So, what's your name anyway?" The homeless man asked. She was reluctant to answer. Though he was a friendly guy.
"It's…Su, Ken gave the name to me." She finally said.
"Oh! Yes, the Goddess said we'd see him tomorrow too." He said.
"Who is this Goddess exactly?" She asked.
The man smiled warmly, taking a sip of something from some type of mug. "Exactly what she sounds like, a Goddess," he said. "Yes, she told me we should go to a radio tower tomorrow…and ensure he sees your reunion with Kentaro."
"How do you know Kentaro?"
He just gave a chuckle.
"I don't…the Goddess tells me everything."
-
Dita followed Hideki; he was trying to ignore her. There wasn't anything he could do, even if it was Adam. Hideki was just a human, what possible help could he be? Then again, he didn't want to really do anything about it in the first place. He just wanted to find Yumi, and that was it. "Why are you following me? There's nothing I can do." He told Dita, walking faster and faster as if to avoid her.
Dita however was a Persacom. She would always be able to keep up with Hideki no matter how fast his legs took him. "Look, we don't need your help," she said. "It's not like you have to anyway. Zima said we needed you for something, but I don't know what. It's probably nothing at all." She was now ahead of Hideki.
Hideki stopped suddenly.
"Why would a Persacom want my help? Look how much help I was when Chi died!"
Dita had to stop and turn to him. She couldn't answer him because she had no answer. She never had any answers it seemed. It was just as well, because that's how she was. She only focused on what was important and in the now. Of course, this was the now. Hideki stared into her crimson pupils almost to see if there was any hint of reality in there.
"Besides, Persacoms are just artificial beings. Why should I care what happens to you?"
Dita felt angry from the remark, then saddened. This didn't seem like the same guy from three years ago. No, this was no longer an idealistic farm boy who had fallen in love with a Persacom. This was a man who had gone sour, pathetically sour.
Hideki wasn't ready to face a Persacom; much less it's feelings. He'd failed Chi…that was all there was to it.
"Are you going to follow me all day?"
Dita frowned at him, was this really the same guy who helped bring emotions to a Persacom? No, this was an ass that'd been feeling sorry for his pathetic existence. What kind of jerk was this and where had the real Hideki gone?
-
The slasher started for the door when Zima said, "Heh, for a brother…you sure don't know me very well." He looked down at Zima confused; who then side kicked him pushing the slasher to the floor. "I've had a few upgrades since we last met." Zima tried striking another blow but the slasher jumped up and grabbed his arm.
"Guess I'll just tear this off…"
There was a sound of metal ripping. Zima fell to the ground.
The slasher made his way out, confronted by his father. He had been watching him the whole time. He stared coldly into his eyes. "You bastard," he said. "I'm going to tear to pieces." Zima looked up at the two and he tried saying something but it was too late.
The young man clad in white tried to run…
Blood was spilled.
-
Hideki made his way to the apartment. Dita still followed him of course, doing as Zima had ordered. He opened his door, turning to see if that Persacom was still following him. "Your welcome to come in…" he said as he entered the room. She followed to find a cat rubbing up against her leg. "She's not afraid of strangers." He finished.
He made his way to the couch looking at the Atashi book that still lay on the table. He sat down on the couch, making himself comfortable. He pulled out his cigarettes. He savored the taste of death, welcoming the smoke as he breathed it in and out.
Dita stared down at him in disbelief. She'd only been acquainted with him a few times but she knew this wasn't how the real Hideki had acted. He looked up at her, still amazed at how realistic an artificial could be. "Your just a Persacom, why do you care about anything?"
"Because your love with Chi made it that way…"
"Chi died."
"I know…"
"And…?"
"And you are the one," Zima said entering the doorway. Hideki and Dita turned to find him badly damaged. "When Chi chose you, she implemented you into her system," turning to Hideki. "You are recognized by all Persacoms, and because of that you have power over them."
"Power?"
"Chi, she was connected to all Persacoms. Somehow, it seems there was more to her program than anyone might of originally thought. Not only did you allow us to feel emotions but her creator must have seen the person who would love his daughter, that was you, as the proper replacement, his replacement." Zima continued. "What I'm saying is…the moment Chi chose her happiness, you…she gave you power over all of the Persacoms. It is you who will decide our fate."
Hideki watched as Dita rushed to Zima's aid. "Zima, your damaged!"
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine, it's nothing that can't be fixed."
"Hideki…it's because of your love, that Persacoms have a chance at happiness." He frowned at him. "There's also something else you should know, about the night Chi died. Adam's creator lied about it being a glitch…"
"What are you saying?" Hideki snapped.
"Chi's death…was no accident."
Hideki's eyes widened in horror at the statement.
"Let me explain, when Persacoms were still in the design stage, there was an argument between the creator and his subordinates. You've probably heard of this rumor before, and how the syndicate came to be. The father of Persacoms wanted merely to help bring happiness to the world, in his own way."
"However…"
"There was another, my creator…the one who formed the syndicate. He disagreed with the idealistic ramblings of the father of Persacoms. He saw potential in us, to be war machines."
Hideki couldn't believe his ears.
"Adam was made specifically to destroy Chi. Let me explain, after we failed in preventing the program in Chi from activating, this irritated the syndicate. We were a failure, and building upon us…Adam was born. The will in a Persacom at the point…wasn't favorable to our creator."
Hideki kept his eyes locked on Zima.
"So, he had to get Adam close to her…he'd been spying on both of you for awhile. He paid someone to act out several scenes to get Chi closer to Adam. He also didn't want to be connected to any of this, nor did he want to be traced back by Adam so he hired a young man to play father. Not even I know what happened to our creator…he disappeared a year ago." He made his way to Hideki.
"I'm sorry…"
Hideki felt pissed off, angry that someone would take Chi from him. All along, it had been staged. It was no accident, merely a lie. Was Adam a lie too? Had he ever really been a friend to Chi? Was the whole world and existence a lie? Hideki's eyes were full of tears.
"This can't be true…" Hideki felt sick. Adam had attacked him that night but it was a glitch. Something his father had apologized for but now it seemed it wasn't an accident at all. Chi was able to save Hideki from Adam but she died in the process. Then, Hideki felt the darkness again…
His head was pounding and now it seemed life was really pointless.
Hideki fainted; his last glimpse was of the Atashi book.
-
There was nothingness.
"H…i…ki…"
It was cold.
"…dki…"
Life was pointless.
The guilt built, he wasn't able to save Chi. He wasn't able to see that there had been anything wrong. He had failed Chi and that's all there had been to it.
"Hideki!"
He heard his voice being called, but this time he did not follow it. This time he let himself dangerously slip away from life. He was crying, and no one was around to hear it. The dark Hideki appeared before him. "Wasting away is best."
"Yeah…" He agreed.
Then the good Hideki appeared.
"…" He tried to speak, but there was no sound.
Hideki drifted and drifted in the darkness. He didn't feel anything, he felt…relaxed. There were no worries, no pain, and no suffering.
But then…
There was no hope, no pleasure, and no happiness either.
He listened to the darkness for a while, trying to ignore her voice. It called out for him again and again. He started to think, despite his attitude of nothingness and drifting.
"If I go back…I'll have to decide."
"If I let the Persacoms have full control and will…I'll be responsible for any future human suffering. But if I don't give them their will…they will suffer."
"I don't want to decide something like that…"
"They aren't real, they're just artificial."
Then Hideki felt her embrace again. The presence wrapped around him, it was her.
"Chi…? What am I supposed to do, what would you want me to do? Were you even real?"
"Hideki!"
The voice called him back. He opened his eyes to stare at his cat. She was licking his face. He got up to face Dita and Zima, who didn't seem too worried about him. He looked around, it seemed he'd been passed out for a while…it was nighttime.
He sat up.
"You know where he's going to broadcast the signal?"
Zima answered.
"I'm going to face him…for her sake, for the sake of my love for her."
---
Note: Ooh, big plot twist! However,I won't be going into the details of Chi's death, better left to your imagination and go with ya got because I just don't have the heart to write about the graphic destruction of such a innocent character.
One more chapter, and the epilogue... Will it be a happy ending? Stay tuned.
Chobits owned by Clamp, and not me!