Oh~ Guess what? I know, you're shocked. I'm updating my lovely readers. Because I love you all so very much!

Remember, I eat reviews to make me strong enough to write. OmNOMNOM, delicious. The first is another quote from my version of "Wired Life," and the second is totally original.

Oh look, it's a black butterfly

Dancing wondrously

In the pretty Night sky

All alone in this world,

She's just so dizzy

From flying so long

Chapter 5: Crisis Mode

Diary Entry 005:

It didn't go very well when we went to see the girl. I stood as still as possible, so I wouldn't make any noise, but she still woke up. When she saw me, she started calling my name, but I wasn't sure if I should answer. Did Dr. Lee-Young tell her about me? Why was she so sad? What happened to her legs? Were her legs why she was sad? They were missing from just a little above her knees.

I felt bad that I couldn't answer her correctly. She kept asking about the crash and some fight, but I had no idea what she was talking about. How did she even know my name? Did the doctor tell her?

Of course he did—how else could she know?

I keep thinking she might be broken. Her eyes kept leaking water. Dr. Lee-Young said that was called 'crying'. The doctor told me she was crying because she was confused about me, but I don't know why she was even confused in the first place. He told me I should leave right after that, and so I waited outside for a while.

I leaned against the wall to think, but I just kept hearing the screams again. Now that I think about it, it sounds like her voice. She tries to stop screaming long enough to mumble something. I can hear the words she says; a jumble of foreign phrases that cuts off into more screams. And then a loud, snapping sound echoes through the air.

She just kept screaming.

I wish I knew why I was here. Why the doctor told me he was sorry so many times. Why the girl was also apologizing. I just wish I knew.

...

Minoru sat in his study, tapping at his keyboard with a strange, focused energy directed toward the panoramic screen in front of him. His dark blue eyes seemed to almost twinkle, and his usually stoic face held a subtle wry smile. Beside him, though, was not Yuzuki acting as his computer, but another one of his many Persocoms. Her short hair was a lustrous grey that nearly looked silver, and her light brown eyes held a perpetually bored expression as she stood next to Minoru's chair without moving. Much like the other computers, she had a maid outfit, though this one was considerably more modest, almost like Yuzuki's only slightly shorter and in a different color. To complete her look, however, she wore a pair of large round spectacles.

Flashes of light danced across the screen in epileptic patterns.

After a few more minutes of button-mashing and intense concentration, Minoru sat back in his chair, truly content.

He had forgotten how fun a gaming marathon could be.

Despite his usually cold and calculating demeanor, Minoru was actually a very warm and fun-loving kid. He did have to mature abnormally fast due to certain circumstances, but there were moments he had time to himself where he could be quote on quote "normal" in spite of his staggering IQ.

All in all, today was looking to be a good day.

"Master Minoru," said the Persocom beside him.

"Yes Yuki?" he said, still thinking of his high score of 9,043.

"There are visitors to see you," she intoned. Unlike the other models, she never developed any emotional inflection with her speech. No matter how hard he tried to fix it, she remained so cold compared to the others. He simply concluded that, perhaps, this was to be her personality after all.

"Is it Mr. Motosuwa and Chii?"

"I regret to inform you that it is not," said Yuki. On screen she showed a video feed of outside the Kokubunji estate. "One boy and a girl; teenagers from the looks of it, but not Mr. Motosuwa and Ms. Chii."

Minoru nearly began to laugh, but retained some decorum at least. He coughed into his hand to disguise his newest smile. They had taken their time in coming to visit, hadn't they?

"Please inform Yuzuki and the others to let them in."

...

"So this is Minoru's place," said Garrett, taking in the grounds while they strolled past the now-open gates. "It's nice, very spacious."

"Yeah," said Amber. She wasn't really all there, though. From the time they had arrived, she had been reminiscing about the last time she was here. Jealousy floated in and out of the memories, along with awe.

"And so," said Minoru, typing away at his workstation, "I effectively reorganized these data-clusters in order for the unit to spend less energy with reintegration."

The computer next to him had been flawlessly translating his words into English the entire time, and he never even glanced up from his work once. Mind you, he was only four years old at the time…

"Amber?"

The present snapped back with an alarming severity. Amber realized, by the pain growing in the back of her neck that she'd been looking down at her feet the entire time, contemplating so deeply she hadn't noticed that they were already inside the foyer, surrounded by four other Persocoms. In the middle of the harem of maid-androids was Minoru, alongside him Yuzuki stood, steadfast as ever.

"Minoru-san," she said. "You didn't have to go through so much trouble."

"It's been a long time," said Minoru, the hints of a grin still on his face. "I didn't expect you to be in Japan so soon."

"Nice to see you too," said Amber. Once she and Garrett had entered, her melancholy had begun to lift if only a little. He began to usher them into his office.

When the four of them entered the study, Yuzuki went to prepare some tea and snacks. She placed a simple white tray on the coffee table in front of them and poured some Earl Grey into three empty teacups.

"I don't believe I've met your friend," said Minoru, gesturing to the brunette beside her. Not at all surprised at the straightforwardness he always displayed, Amber giggled and took up one of the steaming cups. If she didn't know any better, he sounded a tad jealous at the thought of Garrett accompanying her.

"The name's Garrett." He extended a hand for Minoru to shake.

"She's spoken of you," said Minoru politely, taking his hand. "Very often, actually."

"Funny, because she never mentioned you." Garrett gave him a 'take that' smirk just to set the younger boy off.

Between them there was a small spark of tension between their equally powerful stares. Amber set down her cup rather loudly and cleared her throat to break them up. She hadn't counted on any rivalry between the boys, and she half-wanted to shake her head and scold them for acting so weird.

"Now, I'm sure we can all get along…." said Yuzuki rather abruptly, which gave Minoru quite a shock, although he didn't show it on his face. But all the same he was surprised at her participation; usually she would get too involved with conversations as a whole, but more often than not she had become a very outspoken moderator in certain situations.

'Thanks Yuzuki,' thought Amber quickly, and the 'com picked up on her appreciative expression.

"So, Minoru-san, what've you been up to lately?" Amber sipped her tea once more, noting the bitter as wormwood taste that mixed with the aromatic, almost woody, nature of Earl Grey.

"Nothing really. The usual." Minoru took a deep drink from his cup of scalding liquid.

Amber pouted, disappointed for the Nth time since they had become acquainted with each other. 'A typical response from him; he never lets me in on his projects'

"Oh. Well that's interesting," remarked Garrett. "What's the usual?" His arms were folded and he sat back on the couch, practically glaring at Minoru. However, his eyes kept on drifting to Yuzuki too often, and Amber had to jab him in the chest with her elbow.

Minoru, though, was too smart to play his childish game of psychological warfare. He kept a cool head and answered his questions without any snark. "Modifying my Persocoms, of course." He looked into his tea cup and sipped. Black tea was always good with a serious conversation, and it was one of his favourite brands too. Yuzuki obviously had gone shopping without him recently. "What I really want to know, though, is why you're here in Japan."

The red plaid skirt Amber kept wringing within her hands nervously: $20

The plush cream carpet below their feet: $345

The pair of black Nine West loafers she wore: $75

The nervous look on Amber's face when Minoru asked that: Priceless.

'Jackpot.'

"O-oh, well, you know," she babbled anxiously, "I applied here at Tokyo U and uh.."

Looking at the eleven year old's poker face was too much to bear. Her lie unraveled like an old moth-eaten sweater. Sighing, she entwined her fingers with one another and held them to her face, leaning forward.

"It's complicated," she said, her expression turning sour.

"Please explain," said Minoru, feeling quite smug. He knew she had good reason to Japan, considering the fact that for all these years he hadn't had much contact with her of her family. Something must have happened, and he assumed it wasn't anything good.

"You've heard of Chobits, I presume?" asked Amber, raising an eyebrow.

The child suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"Perhaps." Minoru made sure his tone was as emotionally sterile as he could make it. Possible motives were flying through his mind at once, and for a moment he wondered if he should warn Motosuwa and Chii before—

"I've seen Elda, Minoru-san."

At hearing Chii's real name, the boy felt ice-water wash down his spine. If their reasons for being here were anything but good, then he would do anything in his power to stop them. He was about to open his mouth to caution them against making him an enemy, to leave the couple alone, but something made him pause. Maybe it was the dour expression on Amber's face. Maybe it was the sound of Garrett's laughter. Either way it confused him.

"Don't give us that serious look!" said Garrett , chiding him. "We're not going to hurt them."
'I bet that's what you thought, huh, pretty boy?' His laughter made even Yuzuki eye him strangely. "In reality, we're here to protect them."

"I hid it from you for so long, Minoru-san," said Amber. The boy could see the pain on her face even though she tried to hide it. "I saw her, Min-kun. My Elda."

"Your Elda?" said Minoru. The possibilities were narrowing because of that statement. "You mean—?"

"Yes, I knew about the program. Several years back, my father introduced me to them."

So that was the secret. All these years they had been so friendly to one another, and she had kept the existence of the two Chobits a secret.

"So I take it Ms. Hibiya told you she had let me in on the situation," said Minoru carefully, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"Yes," said Garrett. "This is why we're here to warn you."

Minoru felt anger rising to his cheeks. "Warn us of what?"

"A war, a war, a war is approaching." said Amber. Her lips were trembling slightly as she said the chilling statement. It was barely a whisper, but somehow the word echoed across the room. She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes to shut in the tears. Blood was pounding in her ears so infuriatingly loud.

Bubububmpbump bubububumpbump

"I knew it was coming soon," she said after a moment, when the pain had subsided a little. "And I knew they'd go after Chii first."

"A war to end all wars," said Garrett. His eyes seemed to be far away, in another time. "It might destroy the world if we don't stop it."

It was the way he spoke the phrase that sent shudders quivering down Amber's spine, and she wanted to go back and fix things. If that day hadn't happened, they probably wouldn't have been Identified, and the whole prophecy would've been just a far memory.

But they just had to meet that woman. It was fate.

"So you can stop it," said Minoru. He had no idea what was happening, but he wasn't about to let these two leave unless he was filled in on everything. Why they even were warning him wasn't clear to begin with, but clearly they were distraught over the situation.

"Maybe," said Garrett. "But we'll need your help later on. That's why we trust you to keep our secret until the last second possible."

"But—"

"Please, Min-kun?"

Minoru flinched. There she was, using his nickname. As much as he didn't want to, he composed his face and agreed. He would keep quiet…for now.

"But you have to tell Mr. Motosuwa and Ms. Chii sooner or later about this," said Yuzuki. Her eyes were widened in concern for the two, as well and Amber and her friend.

"Of course," said Amber. From the beginning she had wanted to tell them, but until it was absolutely necessary they had to be ignorant of their danger. "I want them to know, but not right now."

Minoru went back to drinking tea, hoping the warmth would soothe his nerves.

After some moments of silence Garrett decided to lighten the mood.

"So Kokubunji," he said. The boy rubbed his hands together and focused on the young genius before him. For a second he wondered if he shouldn't dump so much information on the kid, but he was having too much fun watching him squirm. "I also wanted you to know that I'm a Chobit."

The look of shock on Minoru's face was even more enjoyable than watching him sputter on the liquid. Minoru coughed for a few seconds before setting down his cup and eyeing Garrett with a look of venom. He hadn't even suspected it at all, which was odd because he could spot a Persocom nearly a kilometer away.

"How is that possible?" asked Minoru. For sure he thought the Garrett she used to always tell him about was human. Thinking back, he remembered the picture she had emailed a few years back. Had it really been six years since the small jpeg had popped up in his inbox? In any case, he had thought that there were only two Chobits in all of existence. After all, that's what Ms. Hibiya had told him.

Most likely, Amber picked up on his thought process, because she saw how his eyes flicked back and forth between Garrett and her.

"My father," said Amber. "In a way he saved him."

"What do you mean in a way?" said Garrett. "He did—,"

For a moment he froze in place, but then shot to his feet.

Amber stood just as quickly, looking into his eyes. "What is it?"

Her answer came in the form of a few small thuds outside the study door. Several shattering noises resounded as well. Minoru and Yuzuki followed the duo as they sprinted outside into the foyer to check out the upheaval.

What they saw was quite disturbing. All of the maid Persocoms that had been walking about were laying on the floor deactivated. Every single one's eyes were darkened, and beside a few of them in the kitchen lay the remains of a tray of glasses that one of them had been holding when the anomaly hit. Minoru faintly heard Garrett swear quietly as he checked to see if a nearby 'com had been damaged.

"She's alright," said Garrett, rising from the crouching position he had taken to kneel by the fallen Persocom. A quick wireless diagnostic had indicated that the tall brunette had only been sent into Sleep Mode, and her circuits were still intact. "We have to get—,"

A pinging noise in the back of his mind made him pause.

"Ilma Repulsio!"

There was a delay after the large booming sound shook the estate. All of the windows before them splintered into millions of sparkling shards, spilling to the floor with the sound of light rain. Minoru and Amber shielded their eyes from the debris, and Garret stood to protect the humans from any other flying objects.

"Show yourself!" he shouted. "I knew there were two idiots following us the other day!"

"Fufufu," laughed the voice from outside. It was loud enough to be heard throughout the home, as if it were magnified by a PA system. "Maybe we weren't trying to hide!"

"Up there!" said Minoru, pointing upwards to his now destroyed window. All of the glass had been removed from the one above the door, and what they say was a peculiar sight. Two girls, one dressed in red, and the other dressed in blue. Each had grey eyes and floor-length black hair, and sticking out from the silky midnight locks were cat ears. Twin Persocoms dressed in elegant Lolita dresses.

Behind them was a heavy set man, balancing in the open window just as easily as the two girls.

"I've found you," he bellowed, "I've found you, perhonen tyttö näössä."

The trio jumped from the height to land without any noise on the ground below, save for the soft crunch of glass beneath their boots.

"You've been out of the Game—," said the girl in red.

"For far too long, fräulein," finished the blue girl.

"It's time to play!" said both of the girls at once.

"Yes, I agree girls," said the mysterious man behind them, "It's been far too long." He spread it branch-like arms wide and raised them toward Amber and Garrett. "Your heart will be mine!"

"Never Kupari!" roared Amber, stepping to stand beside Garrett. She motioned for Yuzuki and Minoru to hide, but he shook his head. He had to watch this.

"In that case, we'll break you—,"

"And your boyfriends!"

"Enough of the chitting and chatting," said Kupari, waving away her anger with a whisk of his hand. "Go Miimii, Go Fiifii! Capture the Kurochō ōjo!"

At his command the girls lunged for the four of them, but Garret rushed at the twins the same moment, kicking one of them and swatting at the other in her face. Of course, they dodged the attacks, but Garrett was just as fast.

"Stand back," warned Amber. She glanced back at Yuzuki and Minoru, who obeyed immediately.

'One breath, Two. Just let the energy flow.'

It had been nearly three years since she last battled these three, and she had thought after the accident her S-signature had faded from the registry. Just another reminder that she should believe Garrett's claim. Their contract really had never ended.

Maybe he was himself after all.

This battle would not be the one to convince her of that though, not yet. She needed more time to think. More time to decide to solidify it in her heart.

A mini-tornado was already forming at her feet as she turned to face Kupari, her eyes burning with derision and tears. How dare he be the one to face her first!

A war, a battle cry,

Things forgotten in the wind.

A prophecy for greatness and destruction,

One that promised eternal life

And all they had to do was find the black butterfly

Flying amongst the others of her kind

Trying to stay unseen

Her wings had been broken once, but it did not stop her

It will never stop her