Chapter 8 - Kamui Gets a Present
After everything had settled, the two boys bedded down. Despite Fuuma's current fear of becoming too close to something that was no more than a machine, he didn't have the heart to make Kamui sleep on the floor. There was a couch downstairs, but when it had been suggested, Kamui seemed a little fearful of sleeping there, so Fuuma hadn't pushed it. Besides, there wasn't anything that would disrupt the natural order of things; Kamui slept on top of the sheets, and Fuuma kept his back to him. It had worked at the beginning, there was no reason anything should change.
"Fuuma?"
Fuuma shifted, turning over to face the persocon, who was looking at him intently. Kamui never seemed to be tired before he slept; he simply shut his eyes and shut down when he chose. Right now, the persocon seemed content to gaze at Fuuma, wide eyes shining in the darkness. "What is it, Kamui?"
Kamui bit his lip, a mannerism he must have picked up from Kotori. "Kamui can have a job?"
Well, that certainly was not what Fuuma had expected. The idea wasn't out of the question; lots of persocons held jobs in various establishments. Even his restaurant had a persocon as its cashier. But they were all complete, fully functioning models, whereas Kamui.... well, he still lacked something. "Why do you want a job, Kamui?"
"Want to help Fuuma." Kamui stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Kotori says Kamui's software will cost much, and Fuuma is worried."
Fuuma felt his jaw sag. Kamui wanted to go to work to help him? It was both the nicest and most surprising thing he'd heard in a while. Fuuma felt himself smile. "Kamui... thank you." He thought it over for a moment; if Kamui could find the right job, one that didn't require too many responsibilities, it probably would work out perfectly. "I think a job is a fine idea."
The smile lit up Kamui's face, and Fuuma found himself wondering --- not for the first time --- if it was all just a program telling Kamui what to do in any situation. "What type of job do you want?"
Kamui tapped his lips, then reached under the bed, straining his short arms so much that he nearly toppled off the bed. Fuuma held onto his shirt to keep him from hitting the floor, and after a moment of searching, Kamui held up an extremely old copy of a pornographic magazine. Fuuma felt his eyes go wide. Uh-oh....
"Kamui can do." The persocon said, pointing to the girl on the cover. "Make pictures."
"No!" Fuuma snapped, making Kamui jump and surprising himself with his own vehemence. "Ah... no, Kamui," he said again, kinder this time. "I don't want you doing that kind of job." He ruffled the persocon's hair. "You're too good for that."
Kamui smiled, enjoying the attention. "What Kamui can do then?"
"Well, you don't have much to do tomorrow, right? Why don't you walk around the neighborhood and see who's hiring." Kamui could get a job as a waiter, or maybe handing out tissues to the train and subway commuters, something that wasn't extremely complicated. He was cute, and that would definitely work in his favor. "Pick a few you like, and when I get home from lunch, I'll go out with you and we'll see what we can do. Sound good?"
Kamui nodded. "Sound good." He tilted his head to the side as Fuuma yawned widely. "Fuuma must sleep. Good night!" He chirped as he closed his eyes, instantly going limp. Fuuma propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at him, resisting a sudden and very powerful urge to touch Kamui's face, to push the fine black hair away from his unblemished forehead. He's only a persocon, he reminded himself. A machine; something created to be used, not loved. Nokoru had been right, any sort of attachment to Kamui would be bad.
Clenching his hand into a fist, he turned over and waited to fall asleep. It took much longer than he would have liked.
The next morning, Fuuma blearily slipped into his uniform as Kamui watched; the persocon had found a way to avoid having to hear the alarm clock by waking up earlier and making breakfast and the lunches for that day. Since Fuuma had slept a little later than he should have, Kamui had plenty of time to watch him stumble around in an attempt to get dressed.
Fuuma found his jacket and shouldered his backpack, before pausing. "Oh, that's right!" He said as he took the bag off and opened it up. "Kamui, I have something for you."
Kamui blinked, confused. "Have something?"
"Yup," he said as he pulled a large, flat book out of his bag. It had been on the sale rack of one of the bookstores he passed on the way to work, and he thought Kamui might like it. The persocon had gone through all of his manga, and nearly half of Kotori's romance novels, so it was obvious he liked to read. Fuuma held it out to him. "It's kind of deep for a children's' book, but I thought you might want a book of your own."
For a moment, Kamui just looked at him. Then, hesitantly, he reached out and took the book. "A City Where No One Was." He read the title aloud, slowly and in a sort of awed voice. Then he looked up at Fuuma carefully. "For Kamui to have?"
Fuuma just nodded, smiling a little. Kamui launched forward, hugging him tightly as Fuuma fought to keep his balance. "Thank you, Fuuma!" The persocon exclaimed, his face so radiant with happiness, that Fuuma felt his breath catch in his throat. Struck speechless for the moment, he just touched his palm to Kamui's cheek, feeling the skin under his fingers move as Kamui's mouth formed a surprised 'O'. "Fuuma," Kamui breathed, purple eyes impossibly wide. "Kamui--"
"Oniichan! We are going to be LATE!"
Kotori's shout sent them both jumping, startling them out of whatever spell had settled over the small bedroom. Fuuma backed up hastily, picking up his bag, wondering what the hell had just gotten into him. He waved at Kamui halfheartedly, then ran downstairs. Ignoring his sister, he slipped on his shoes and hurried out the door.
---
"Laundry~ laundry~..." Kamui loaded a basket of clothing into the washer, talking to himself in a sing-song voice. He dumped the soap into the machine and set the dial, then sat down on the floor in front of it to wait for the wash to finish. On his lap, he held the book Fuuma had given him that morning. Running a hand over the wide blue and white cover, he smiled. Fuuma had given him a present. And not just any present, one he had thought about and spent some time considering. Kamui knew that the moment Fuuma gave him the book was the happiest moment of his short life.
"The City Where No One Was." He read aloud, opening the book. On the first page, a small, pink creature stood alone amid towering city buildings, each window colored yellow to show light. Kamui held the book at an angle as he began to read.
"There was no one in that city at all. There were houses, to be sure, and from the windows light was shining, but there was no one in the streets at all."
The creature, who Kamui thought looked rather like a rabbit with big, droopy ears, walked to one of the houses.
"I peeked through one of the windows. There was someone there, but it was with one of THOSE. I looked into the other houses, and the people were always with one of THOSE."
The rabbit-like creature turned back to the street, looking upset.
"This city is just the same as all the others. Being with THOSE is fun. It's more fun than being with people. So no one comes out anymore. There is no one in this city at all."
As he kept reading, Kamui found himself totally absorbed in the book. Everything outside of this little world: the washer humming at his back, birds chirping outside, Kyouga sweeping the leaves off the shrine walk, everything fell away.
Inside the book, the creature began to walk down the street, head bowed.
"I will go on a journey. I will go and try another city. I wish somebody would find me. Somebody for me alone. But if that somebody for me alone should come to care only for me, that will be the moment of our parting."
Kamui's brow furrowed, something about the words echoing within him, though he couldn't place what made them familiar.
"..mu…i..."
Kamui turned another page, this one showed the creature setting off on the road leaving the city.
"Still, I want to meet someone for me alone. I will hold to that thought as I travel again through the city where no one was."
"Kamui…"
At the sound of his name, Kamui jumped to his feet, looking around. He was surrounded by a solid blackness; the furniture and machinery of the laundry room suddenly gone. "Someone called Kamui." He said, squinting into the blackness. "Who?"
"I did."
Turning around quickly, he found himself looking straight at himself. Eyes widening, he reached a hand out to touch the mirror image, to see if it was real. However, his hand met an unseen wall, preventing him from reaching this other Kamui. The other mimicked his action, settling its hand by his own.
The other smiled, but Kamui felt himself want to recoil from it. Something about it made him feel hunted, as if this person wanted to hurt him. "Who?"
"I'm /Kamui/." The other said. "I am you, and you're me."
Kamui frowned. "How are two?"
/Kamui/ pressed his hand forward, and Kamui could feel the wall move. He jumped a little, making his other self laugh. "We were created at the same time, Kamui. We're one and the same."
"How come Kamui never see before?" Kamui asked, yelping soon after when /Kamui's/ fingers closed around his own, pulling him forward. Stunned, Kamui watched his arm pass through the barrier, while the rest of him pressed against it, unable to penetrate it.
/Kamui/ studied him critically. "You really do remember nothing." He shook his head. "How strange." He jerked a little harder, pulling Kamui off balance. He fell forward into the barrier, his head and shoulders passing through. His fear growing, Kamui realized he couldn't move away as /Kamui/ leaned closer, bringing up his free hand to touch Kamui's cheek. "From now on, Kamui, your thoughts will be my thoughts. I will see out your eyes and hear with your ears. I will know everything that happens to you."
Kamui couldn't understand what was happening. This person who looked so much like him, sounded like he did, frightened him more than he'd ever known. And yet, he found something comforting in having met someone so similar.
/Kamui/ rested his forehead against Kamui's, staring deep into his eyes. "You've found your only person, haven't you?" His thumb caressed Kamui's cheek as his smile faded, transforming into a smirk.
"Be careful who you choose, Kamui." He whispered, pressing his lips against Kamui's in a firm kiss. He pulled away as Kamui stared. His other's eyes filled with a darker emotion, one Kamui couldn't recognize. No trace of a smile remained. "If he doesn't return it, he'll be the first one to go."
--- Translation of "City Where No One Was" appear courtesy of Sekai Seifuku (http://sekaiseifuku.net/chobits.html)