Chapter Three: Breaking Heartstrings
As she lay in bed Aimina could feel her chest tighten and her breathing become very labored. She wondered why the monitor on her phone wasn't beeping. She flailed as best she could in the pitch blackness for it but it wasn't on her bedside stand. How could she have possibly have left it or lost it? That was the only thing that could save her now. She could hardly move let alone talk if she could find another phone for help. It seemed so suddenly that her worst nightmare was coming true... She was dying alone and she couldn't fight the overwhelming sadness overtaking her. Her vision, already distorted by the darkness blurred. Just before she hit the floor she screamed... And the sound frightened her.
In a sweaty fit Otaoko flew up in bed and looked around breathlessly. Once she realized it had all been a terrible dream she felt around on the night stand. She breathed a deep sigh of relief when her fingers brushed over her trusty cellphone. The battered blue device had a special program which monitored her heartbeat and breathing via a device in her chest. It was set to call the nearest hospital in the event of a medical emergency. Unfortunately it had a very limited range. The frightened and shaking woman ran her hands through her sweat soaked hair a minute and held her throbbing head. It seemed as though her bedroom was very stifling so she threw the covers aside and stumbled into the bathroom. She threw her pajamas on the floor and slide into the shower. It didn't matter that the water was only luke warm or that she was sitting in the dark. She just sat there curled up crying. Every so often she would pound a fist on the wall or the floor and choke out, "I don't want to die alone..."
Aimina was still shaken by her dream the night before when she approached her lab. Ariia was already waiting for her with the tray the cafeteria had sent. Even Ariia was unaware of the illness plaguing the Director and she was inclined to keep it that way. Pity was the last thing she wanted right now. With a deep breath she greeted her young assistant with a smile. "Good morning Ariia-kun! How are you?"
"Great!" Tsukiuko chimed standing up and brushing off her pants. "I just got here and was going to call you in a minute." It didn't take her long to notice the company's catalog in her idol's hand. "You aren't going to keep him?" She said in a whisper after leaning in very close. Her voice and face reflected a deep concern. Otaoko just smiled and unlocked the door.
"If you do believe what we talked about yesterday then it then my answer should be obvious. I couldn't possibly ask or expect him to take care of me or my apartment. He'd get bored! Especially if I start into another project and lose myself again. It would be selfish of me to think such a thing." Aimina replied simply as she sat the catalog on her desk. "Good morning Night! How are you this lovely day?" She wondered waving at the smiling screen looking back at her.
"Great! I learned a lot more about what I've been missing the last few years!" He gleamed eying the catalog. "Are you going to look into a figure already?" His face made a pout and his voice sounded a bit sad.
"I thought I'd start trying to decide what I'd like... Do a little browsing after we finish installing the locomotive system chips. We'll have a few hours while the table installs the fluid systems... I might as well start now! I'm very picky!" She added with a teasing tone as she helped took the tray of food from Ariia so she could lock the door.
"You know... I was thinking that it might be good to stay with you for awhile until I get a job and stuff." Night sounded quite meek as if he hated to ask for another favor.
"That's fine... I'll make you clean my apartment as payment! Don't worry it's not very messy!" She teased before digging into a cold waffle.
"I bet your apartment is really awesome! You probably have all kinds of custom electronics and stuff!" Ariia swooned imagining some immaculate domicile with huge televisions mysteriously appearing out of the floor and ceiling and huge sound systems hooked up to him.
"Actually... I don't really have a flashy apartment... Just some very basic stuff..." Aimina replied thoughtfully. "I really should decorate it some time..." Ariia pouted a little in disappointment.
"Totally lost some cool points Otaoko-sama..." She grumbled quietly. Aimina just laughed a little and finished her waffle.
It took them a few more hours of work to finish attaching the delicate locomotive systems. After which they set up the tubing that would act as the circulatory system. The assembly table would take care of fusing all the tubing to locomotive systems and where the nanotech organs would attach. At that time Ariia left to do some grocery shopping for her parents and Aimina sat down to browse the catalog. Night contently watched the machinery work at putting his new body together.
"You seem melancholy... Are you all right Night-kun?" She wondered as she picked apart the different exemplar pictures circling what she liked from them.
"I... I just don't know what I'm going to do without Riiko to take care of... I lived only for her and her happiness before but now she doesn't need me..." He sighed sadly.
"That's not true you know... You gave her this happiness she has now and you still take her of her even now..." Aimina replied not looking up from the red inked pages. She noticed his confused expression out of the corner of her eye and smiled. "Isn't that why you had Gaku-san send that letter to Soushi? You were doing what you knew would make Riiko-kun happy. You were taking care of her by finding someone to care for her. You were providing for her needs by finding someone who could do it when you couldn't. If you hadn't sent that letter Soushi may have never came back... He would have never known and today she could be alone... You are still very much part of her life... No machine could have had that kind of foresight or compassion... And very few humans could have been as selfless to have done what you did... I bet when she opens that box with your rings... She smiles..." The more she talked the more tears started forming in her eyes and the harder it was for her to talk.
"Aimina-kun..." Night seemed taken by her show of emotion but didn't quite know how to react to it.
"I'm sorry... I really don't have time for this!" She chirped sniffing and throwing the catalog closed quickly. She wiped her eyes as she stood up. "I should set up the clean room and get it sanitized so we can get your internal systems in place!" She added turning away from Night and quickly walking away.
"Poor Aimina-kun... She's trying so hard to get my body finished because she wants me to be happy too... But I don't know what would really make me happy now... I don't know if I can be happy just watching Riiko and Soushi-kun together growing old..." Night thought to himself as he watched Aimina rummage through one of the boxes for a big plastic wrapped box. The thought made him feel very sad. "I wonder if it makes Aimina-kun sad because she's never had someone love her like Riiko and I love each other? I should try to help her find someone once my body's finished! She said she wanted me to spread happiness! I think that will make her very happy!" The new thought made him smile a little and he tried to force the sadness aside though it was very hard. After a few minutes of silence Otaoko wandered back over to her desk and turned on the radio.
"What should we listen to Night-kun?" She wondered flipping on the radio. As the sound filled the room her face lit up. "Oh I love this song!" She squealed and began singing along. Her singing voice was lovely and her dancing along matched the rhythm perfectly.
"You're very good at that!" Night chimed surprised. This garnered and loud laugh from Aimina.
"I dreamed of being a pop star when I was younger... I took singing and dancing classes until I was in junior high. That's when my Dad got me a model kit and I put a motor on it... The rest is as they say history..." She explained still dancing around her lab. She went back to singing after she finished her explanation.
"It seems there is a lot I need to learn about Aimina-kun! It doesn't seem fair though! You know everything about me!" He pouted sadly.
"Well we could play the question game that you and Ariia-kun played! Only this time you get to ask me questions!" She suggested sliding the empty boxes over to the far wall and setting them up so they took up less floorspace. The suggestion seemed perfect to Night but he wasn't sure where to start so he figured the beginning was best. He asked her first about where she was from and her childhood. He really enjoyed their talk since he never really got to learn so much about a person before. The subject of Riiko's past never seemed like something to bring up given the circumstance under which their relationship existed.
"You're such an interesting person Aimina-kun! You have done so many things I can hardly believe you found time for it all!" Night was reeling after hearing about all the things the brilliant Director had accomplished and done in her relatively short life. "Umm..." He tried to think of another question. "If you could take a vacation... A REAL vacation what would you do?"
"Well pending I had someone to share the time with... I think I'd like to travel the world... See all of the places and things that brought humanity to where it is today..." She spoke in a very romanticized way as if the mere thought of the expedition swept her off her feet. "I may very well do that when this is all said and done... Although you'd have to come with me of course! I wouldn't dream of leaving you alone for that long with no one to keep you company!" She seemed content with that thought like a Mother making plans for her child's future.
"That sounds like a lot of fun!" The former figure cheered happily. About that time Otaoko's phone rang. She hurried over and answered it. From the moment she answered her face melted to pure sadness.
"Yes... Thank you I'll be over just as soon as possible. No no! I'm glad you've kept me informed... No not yet... I do have the next best thing though... Don't worry about it I'll take care of it... Yes... See you soon." The one sided conversation didn't make much sense to Night but he could see the growing concern and sadness on Otaoko's face as it progressed. She slammed the phone shut and tossed it on her desk. She pulled one of the drawers open and hastily pulled a small black cardboard box out of it.
"What's wrong Aimina-kun? What happened?" Night wondered with concern as he watched her open the box and pull a clear one out of it. In side the clear box was the miniature Night figure the company had given Riiko while they took him away for repairs.
"She's gotten sick again hasn't she?" He mumbled sadly as Aimina hooked the figure up to the console of the processor. Otaoko didn't respond she just grimaced sadly and prepared to download Night to the figure.
"I'm sorry Night... This is the best I can do right now... You'll have to take a nap while the download finishes... I'll see you in a few..." Her voice was barely audible as Night's vision went black he saw several tears fall down onto the console. When he opened his eyes again he was warm and laying on something soft. He sat up and looked around and quickly noticed a familiar smell and face.
"Riiko..." He whispered in awe as he put his tiny hands on the side of her face. Seeing her like this made him very sad but he also felt angry that there was nothing he could do to help her. All he could do was be there for her. Carefully he climbed up one of her arms and laid there awhile hugging it. He was only half paying attention to the world around him until he heard Aimina talking to a unfamiliar voice.
"So this was just a mild attack then? Is her prognosis still good?" Otaoko wondered with hope in her voice.
"Her prognosis is quite good at this point. We have found a suitable donor lung for her and we can operate as soon as she is well enough. Unfortunately though... If she doesn't regain her strength in the next day the lung will have to be sent to someone else before it loses its viability." The female doctor responded frankly. Having heard this Night climbed up next to Riiko's ear and sat down.
"Riiko... Wake up silly! It's time to get out of bed!" He cooed in a quiet, soothing voice. "You have to wake up if you're going to get better... If you're going to keep living happily. Remember what you promised me Riiko... Remember you promised to live on and would be happy for my sake... No giving up now... Wake up."
"Night... Would you like to stay with Riiko?" Aimina wondered quietly as she sat down in a chair next to him.
"No... I think we should go now." He replied with a slight smile. She offered her hand to him and he climbed into it and sat down. As they left the room a faint voice stirred from Riiko's chest.
"I won't break my promise... Night..." She let out a faint cough. "I want to... see you... one day..." Aimina stopped and turned around. She didn't need to look at Night to how what he was thinking or feeling. She walked back over and sat him down on the bed next to a still incoherent Riiko.
"I told you..." Was all she said as she turned and walked away. "Hahaha... I'm such a fool after all." She sighed as she left the hospital. On her way out she ran into Soushi coming in from work.
"Ah Otaoko-san... You came to visit Riiko?" He wondered as she greeted him.
"Yes... I brought someone along feel free to call me when you want to get rid of him. And please understand... I'm only doing this because I want him to be able to find his own life and happiness... I don't want to break you two up... Anyways I'll see you around!" She ran off before Soushi could even fathom what she said let alone wonder who she could be talking about.
"Oh hi Otaoko-sama! I wondered if you would want to go back to the lab today after I got your call earlier!" Tsukiuko chirped when she answered her phone. "Is everything all right with Izawa-san?" She wondered as her tone turned more serious.
"If she can get stronger in the next day she'll be having a transplant that well make her completely well again. I left the mini Night there... It seems as though she's missed him." Aimina replied in an almost melancholy tone. "In any case I think we should pick up tomorrow. I'm just going to go and check the status of the program and we can start the UV connections test tomorrow."
"Awe.. All right! I guess that means I'll have to have dinner with my parents after all!" She half whined half laughed. "I'll see you bright and early in the morning then! Good Night Otaoko-sama!"
"Ariia-kun... Call me Aimina please... I think we are more equal than you may believe... Good night!" She hung up before the over-excited girl could deafen her with happy squealing. Once back in the comfort of her lab she pulled on an extra sweater and a pair of gloves and settled in for a long night. This was the second most tedious step in the assembly process. If any of the connections were improperly assembled a catastrophic leak could occur.
"Perhaps it's best this way..." Otaoko thought to herself as she began her task. "I would probably just scare everyone off again or get bored like last time..." She looked up and spied the catalog on her desk next to the pair of uneaten sandwiches the cafeteria sent. Without thought or hesitation she sat down at the desk and unwrapped a sandwich. With red pen in hand she started thumbing through the pages, stopping to circle here and there. Before she knew it she was asleep.
Otaoko was awakened to the sound of here cellphone ringing. Someone was calling her this time, it wasn't the alarm. It was very early in the morning. She flipped open the phone and groggily responded. "Moshi moshi?"
"OOOOOOTAOKO-SAAAMAAAA!!!!" The man's voice on the other end chimed in a super perky and loud voice. "There is a strappingly gorgeous gentleman here saying he has something for you!!!"
"Bashouno-kun?" She wondered kind of confused as she sat up straight. "Are you working the front desk now?" Bashouno had been one of the company's sales representatives since Gaku quit those years ago.
"YES! Isn't it splendid?! When Ari-kun went on vacation they asked me to fill in her shifts. Now come on what should I do about this strange delivery?" He chirped again in a way that screamed gay or metrosexual at least.
"I'll be right down..." Aimina sighed pushing herself up.
"Oh how ghastly did you sleep in your lab again! I swear I'm going bust in there with a bed one of these days!" She heard Bashouno lecture as she flipped the phone closed. To her surprise the strapping young man waiting in the lobby was Soushi.
"Otaoko-san." He seemed miffed when he greeted her but it seemed to be a rouse since he smiled when she opened her mouth to say something. "Thank you for continuing to look out for Riiko's well being. She's going to surgery soon so I don't have much time." He pulled a sleeping mini Night out of his pocket. "It seems this was just the medicine she needed to pick up her spirits enough to get better." He added pulling her hand up and sitting the figure in it.
"What happened when she saw him?" Otaoko wondered excitedly. "She didn't get overly excited in her condition did she?"
"She didn't see him actually... He was worried about the same thing so he's been hiding in my pocket since she started waking up." Soushi replied a little surprised himself. "He asked me to bring him back until she was fully recovered and fell asleep on the way back."
"Thank you for taking good care of him." Otaoko smiled and brushed a tiny hair off Night's face. "This little guy contains the only back-up on Night consciousness."
"Otaoko-sama... Do you... really believe that Night became alive because of Riiko?" Soushi seemed concerned and skeptical at the same time.
"If I had any doubts as to his humanity... he dispelled them when he told me one thing..." She took a deep breath and smiled in a way she hadn't smiled in a long time. "He said he would be happy merely watching over Riiko from afar now... He couldn't possibly expect her to be with him now that she has you to make her happy. Her happiness was all he needed..." Soushi didn't seem to have a response at first.
"Wasn't that what he was programmed to do though?" He finally asked after a few moments of silence.
"Not in life as a whole... Only in the bedroom..." Was the response he got in Otaoko's soft tone. "I don't think you have anything to worry about and you should stop letting that doubt eat at you. Night was coming to life long before you found out about him. You didn't lose to a figure... You lost to another man..." She gently tucked Night into one of her gloves and turned to walk away. "What do you think is the hallmark of humanity?" She wondered before walking away.
"Knowing your weaknesses and adapting to them or trying to overcome them..."
"And if you can't?"
"You seek help from others to get through life with them or move past them..."
"Sound familiar?" Was the last thing she said as she walked away with a content smile on her face. Soushi just stood there stunned for a moment.
"That woman... She always manages to make me feel very dumb..." He sighed to himself after a moment.
"Bashouno... Could you please do me a great favor?" Otaoko wondered stopping at the counter but not looking at the obviously intrigued young man. "Could you please have a love bouquet sent to this person at this hospital? You were always so much more talented at picking out beautiful things than I... I know you'll pick out the most beautiful arrangement." She added writing down Riiko's name and hospital room. "By the way Soushi-kun... A kiss isn't going to keep her yours... Just like it didn't keep him hers... If you really are serious about your feelings for her you should prove it... I think it's about time don't you?" Her voice was condescending or hurtful at all. She genuinely wanted them to be happy together because seeing them together made her happy. Without so much as a glance at Soushi though, she walked away. "Keep me posted on Riiko-kun's condition would you please?"
Once in her office again she plugged mini Night into the computer and gave him a quick charge just to make sure he wouldn't shut off anytime soon. She stared down at the catalog again with a melancholy sadness. In the back she began filling out the comprehensive profile section for her yet to be made figure. With a long, drawn out sigh she whispered, "I guess neither of us will really have what we want Night-kun..." And there she sat with that same look until Ariia knocked on the door a few hours later.
"Hey Ota... I mean Aimina-sama! I have breakfast! Hurry the milk will get warm!" She cheered as she obviously kicked the solid metal door. With a slight laugh and half-hearted smile Aimina opened the door.
"You can stop calling me 'sama' anytime you know!" Otaoko jeered pulling the door open. To her dismay there was a menacing face looming behind her assistant. "You would do well to leave my assistant alone and leave... Chief Investigator... This project is funded by my own money and therefore of no concern to the company..." The petite woman growled eying the man almost twice her size.
"I don't think I need to remind you that you are using company facilities here..." The investigator jeered about to force his way in. With a precise jump punch to the throat, narrowly missing Ariia's head, the Director floored her opponent.
"It would do you well to research your facts... I bought this land, built this extension, and furnished everything in it with MY funds from MY independent programming work. Now get off MY property and tell the company I am on vacation and they would do well to leave me to enjoy it as I see fit." Otaoko fumed leaning over the no longer so imposing Invesitgator. "Do we have an understanding?" The Investigator hastily nodded and slide away. "I can't believe my loyalty to the company is coming into question now... After I just handed them the single greatest figure program ever conceived..." She growled pushing Ariia into her lab and slamming the door.
"They weren't kidding when they said the Research and Development Director was crazy..." He grumbled pulling himself up. He was instantly startled by Bashouna smacking him on the back.
"She wasn't kidding though... everything down that hall is hers and she pays for its operations out of her pocket. You really can't touch her unless you can peg her as using company equipment without authorization... But I'll warn you now that would be feudal... If it stays in this hall for more than a week she ends up buying it... I heard she even bought a broken down original figure so she could study it..." He mused walking away. "If I were you I would do as she said and leave her to her vacation... She's not one to lie you know. If she said she's building her own figure she is..." Bashouna had been one of Aimina's biggest supporters ever since one of her figures saved his life at a party. In a round-a-bout way he still felt that he owed her and he promised himself he would protect her from this company if he could. His words seemed to have an impact on the Investigator despite people rarely taking him seriously. Perhaps it was the fact that he was being serious for once that had the most impact.