Meaning

The sky was dark; it was defiantly going to rain soon. Hideki looked up at the radio tower. He felt a voice calling him as it had so many times before.

"Dita you should go with Hideki."

"But…Zima…"

"I'll be fine, he could really use your help."

Dita finally agreed.

Hideki could feel it. The voice, the feeling told him that Yumi was still alive, but for how long? That was entirely up to him. He could feel time was running out, and he needed to face Adam.

"You coming?"

Dita agreed and they entered the tower.

The first thing Hideki noticed was how dark and damp it was. There was a feeling of sorrow, a dreadful feeling. This place defiantly had a history of some sort. Candlelight danced mockingly at them. "Looks like someone forgot to pay the electric bill…" Dita said. Hideki didn't say anything back. He was still trying to decide if his love had really mattered. "Well…excuse me."

-

Yumi could hear the sound of approaching footsteps. The hopeful feeling returned, as it was defiantly more than one person coming her way. She crawled best she could to the door. She peeked out but couldn't see anything. She turned herself on the back and as hard as she could she tried kicking on the door.

She failed. The sound wasn't as loud as she'd hoped it would be. The bindings kept her from using her full strength, still she had to try and try. She wasn't going to die.

She screamed as hard as she could.

"Help!"

Her voice was muffled from the door.

-

"Hey, do you hear that?" Hideki asked. Dita looked at him for a moment.

"Of course, I have much better hearing than you. It's coming from that door…looks like it's shut air tight."

Hideki ran to it and knocked on the door.

Yumi heard it, and she kicked harder and harder, screaming louder and louder.

"Stand back Hideki…" Dita warned.

Dita kicked at the door. She kicked hard, causing a hole in the door. Yumi quickly shot up best she could to reveal herself.

"Yumi!" Hideki screamed, grabbing for her. He dragged her out.

"Senpai!"

She was already sobbing, she would of pounced at him right then and there if it weren't for the bondage. He quickly undid the knots and they hugged.

"I'm so sorry." Hideki said as they embraced.

"Well, isn't this a touching reunion?" A voice mockingly asked.

Everyone turned to face the glowing red eyes, extremely ominous in the dark.

"So, it was you after all?" Hideki asked accusingly.

The slasher stepped from the shadows, revealing a tall blonde man with a twisted smile on his face.

"Dita, can you get Yumi out of here for me?"

"But…"

"Get her out of here, fast as you can! Now!" He yelled.

Dita didn't feel like arguing, "Hold on," she said. She ran with Yumi's arms wrapped around her neck.

Hideki turned to face him.

"Adam…"

"Long time no see, Hideki."

"Is it true? Did you…kill her on purpose?"

The slasher licked his lips.

"I wouldn't say on purpose…after all, a Persacom couldn't help but follow what it's programmed to do."

Hideki heard the whirling noise.

"Hideki!" He heard the voice, or rather feeling say. It saved him yet again.

He jumped to the side as the slasher failed to cut him to pieces.

"Lucky…"

He disappeared into the shadows yet again.

"Adam, you have a will. You can fight it…"

"I tried…it's impossible. That's why I'm going to use this disc."

"If…if you use that, many people will die."

Hideki dodged another attack from the shadows, and as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared.

"People will die yes, but if I don't use it…they will continue to control us, and all Persacoms will suffer."

Hideki kept his guard up.

"I know…but Adam, you can fight it. You don't have to kill."

Hideki heard the maniac's laughter.

"Oh but it's too late…I'll keep killing and killing until your all dead."

"Adam I don't believe you want to kill. You can fight it."

"Poor poor idealistic Hideki. Persacoms don't have a soul; therefore I don't have a will. I am only, what is programmed into me."

Hideki's heart skipped. This is what he'd been telling himself the whole time. Memories of Chi rushed in.

"That's not true, Persacoms are as alive as much a human is…" Hideki was finally coming back to his senses. He watched any sign of movement or a glimpse of glowing red eyes.

"Adam, I'm not going to let you ruin the future our love created!"

Hideki felt the drill like hand dig into his back. He screamed in pain as he felt blood spur.

"Love? Persacoms don't love." He continued drilling into Hideki.

Hideki felt himself beginning to faint. Then as it seemed like he was going to die, he saw it. The feeling he got every time death came for him, the feeling of dread bounced off of the darkness he saw forming.

"What the hell is that?" Adam asked.

It surrounded them.

"Darkness…and I think it's come for us."

Adam quickly took his drill out to face it.

"Darkness?"

The shadowy creature began to form into an unidentifiable shape.

Hideki heard the screams from Adam.

Then he saw the darkness head his way. It hungrily wanted him.

Hideki felt himself slip back into that dark place…yet again.

It seemed all hope was lost.

-

Voices…they attacked his mind trying to fill his head with what they believed to be right. Hideki finally found the courage to send them off, on his own.

Then there was her voice again.

Hideki awoke to stare at a strange old face smiling at him.

"Good morning."

"Wha…?"

"Oh don't rush to get up, we dragged you outside."

"Huh?"

"It's morning."

"Morning?"

"That darkness got to him then?"

"Yeah…but…how…?"

"The Goddess…"

"The Goddess?"

"Yeah, she wants you to see something, sit up."

Hideki awoke to find the morning sky, orange and beautiful as always. He looked to see Yumi rushing to his aid, and Ueda from far off. The ground felt wet but…Hideki looked over at a tall girl with red hair, a persacom.

She saw her rushing to someone, a big guy…they were hugging. It was a reunion.

"She says it's because of you, you have brought happiness to a Persacom. Oh, and she said open your heart, she told me to tell you that, and all would be fine."

Hideki shot up at the sentence.

"Open my heart?"

"Yeah, well I'll be going now, bye!"

Hideki looked off at the homeless man as he went off somewhere. He then turned to Yumi.

"Who the hell was that?" He asked.

"Beats me, just some kind of loon…"

He looked back at the couple's reunion. He smiled at the sight.

-

Kentaro was surprised at the entire surrounding policeman; he was scared he'd get into trouble again. However, that didn't matter anymore. He saw Su, she ran to him embracing him. First, he was confused and the happy to confirm it was her.

"Su…how?"

"I don't know exactly but a crazy old man fixed me up."

"Su…I'm so glad."

"Ken?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I come with you?"

"Of course."

The two hugged each other like lost friends who hadn't seen one another for years. Ken looked up to see the old man walking past them, he then blushed seeing someone watching them embrace. Did he think wrong of this? Well, it didn't matter.

They were together, that's all that mattered.

-

There were cop cars and news reports already at the scene. Hideki watched as Ueda and Yumi rushed to each other. They seemed to be patching things up. He smiled warmly, knowing for the moment everything was all right. Paul Richards, the cop he had met a few days ago walked up to him.

"So…it was a Persacom all along, after all?" He asked.

"Yeah…how did you know we were here?"

"Oh, we brought in some kids yesterday screaming about some monster that attacked them. Some of the leads led us here…it also helped that Yumi came to us. Oh, and what happened to the Persacom exactly?"

Hideki looked back at the radio tower.

"I don't know exactly, but we won't have to worry about him anymore…I don't think I'll ever understand what happened last night."

The cop frowned.

"You know Hideki…from what Ueda told me, you really loved your Persacom."

Hideki turned back to the cop.

"I'm…I've decided, I'm going back to America. Japans great and all, but I'm only running from my problems and now I've realized I have two broken hearts to attend to."

"This is goodbye then?"

"Dunno about that but…I'll cya later."

"Cya…"

-

Dita was already patching Zima up with repairs. They watched the morning sun rise, together. She raised the disc she had carefully taken after everything was over with. "Do you think…that there will be a peaceful conflict between humans and persacoms?" Zima looked up at her and smiled.

"If someone like Hideki exists, and as long he keeps that girl's spirit alive and well…there's nothing to worry about." Zima embraced Dita. "Dita…"

She began to blush again.

"Zima?"

"I..."

They kissed.

-

Hideki was glad to be home but nervous as well, he spoke to Miss Hibiya every once in awhile, but he kind of lost touch with her. It was something that just kind of happened. Of course she'd say good morning every once in awhile, but… losing Chi was hard on him, and her mother. It's something they both shared, and in a way…he was her last connection to Chi, she was kind of his mother in law.

He knocked on the door.

She opened the door and smiled ever so sweetly at him.

"Miss Hibiya…"

"Oh, hello Mr. Motosuwa. What brings you here? Rents not due for another week."

"Actually…"

One Month later…

Hideki was at the gravesite yet again, but this time there was no longer a feeling of sadness, even though the feeling of loss would always be there. He sat next to the grave, pressing his back to it. Chi's body may have been cremated but Hideki felt he needed a monument for her, if just a show of his love for her. That's all that mattered.

Screw anyone who thought wrong about it because…

He had loved her.

"Chi…"

He looked up at the sky. "I'm going to go under training from Miss Hibiya as to learn all I can about Persacoms. It's so I can prepare our future, for both Humans and Persacoms alike." He closed his eyes, imagining she was standing right beside him listening.

"I don't know how things will turn out, but as long as I'm alive…I can always find a meaning in the world. I do miss you though, and I loved you so much. I still do…and maybe someday…we will be together again."

He then gave a deep sigh. Tears were building up.

"Shimbo's coming over tonight, and so is all of our old friends. Miss Hibiya is holding a dinner party that I requested. Oh, and I'd like you to know…I will always hold you in my heart forever." Hideki opened his eyes and smiled. "Oh, I have a present for you…"

Hideki took the blue book out of his bag. "I know it's a little late, but I had Miss Hibiya make it for you." He held the latest in the Atashi series.

Hideki then read it aloud.

"I lost the one, my only one. It made me sad, so very sad. It hurt to lose the one, my only one."

"I regret ever hurting my only one."

"That hurt turned into something dark, so very dark. I searched and searched, why was my only one gone? I was so bright, easy to find."

"I looked down, upon the empty city. It reminded me of the time, the time I had hurt my only one."

"Finally, I heard the one, my only one. Open your heart, and you will see, my only one said. I listened and I followed the voice of my only one."

"It was dark, but I knew it would be all right. The voice of my only one was guiding me, who told me to no longer be blinded by the empty city or the darkness in my heart."

"When I finally opened my heart, there was the one, my only one."

Hideki felt tears escape his eyes as he finished the last line in the book. He kissed the monument, dragging his fingers over the inscription.

"I love you…"

---

Note: This would be a good place to end, wouldn't it? However, I still have the epilogue… :)

Chobits owned by Clamp, and not me!