http://clampfix.fanworks.net/others/foreveryours5.txt </head><body><pre>Disclaimer: Chobits is by Clamp. Forever Yours By miyamoto yui Chapter 5 - Time is my enemy. "Hai?" Hibiya-san called from behind the closed door as I heard the taps of her feet upon the floor. "I'm coming." When she opened the door, the smell of green tea lightly found itself to my nose. She bowed her head at the same time I did. With uncertainty playing a wistful tune in my head, my smirk had faded as I truly realized the reality of what I was doing because of my agonizing. "Good morning, Hibiya-san," I greeted politely as she greeted me back also with a hand leading into her apartment. "Good morning, Minoru-kun. Please do come in." "Thank you very much," I said as I sat on the table as she sat across me to serve me tea. "What brings you here so early?" she asked as she poured some tea into a cup and got up to get another one from her dish rack. "Is something wrong?" I nodded as I held the cup between both of my hands while looking at the steam rise. Through the steam, I blinked and looked directly at Hibiya-san. "Something is wrong with Yuzuki." My eyes remained looking at Hibiya-san as I let go of my cup. "I don't know what it is, but in my heart, I know that it is serious." She took a sip of her tea and blinked her eyes in concern. "What happened?" "Yesterday, she told me that she had trouble coming home." After taking a slow slip, I then said, "I thought it was just a minor glitch, but then when I checked her, I found that it was more than that." "Why would you think that?" She took another sip of her tea. "Has this happened before?" "No." I shook my head. "Actually, it hasn't." Then, I deeply looked at Hibiya-san as I sighed while saying, "And I have this feeling it will just get worse from here. Somehow, yesterday's events triggered it." "What exactly do you mean?" Then, I explained everything that I had seen in Yuzuki's memory. It made me upset to think that she had gone through that while I was gone, but there was nothing I could do about it. ".and in the end, she told me she has only a little time left." I shook my head again as I sighed apprehensively. "She doesn't know what it is, but she knows it's there." Finishing my tea, I held the cup with shaky hands. "I don't know what to do." With a warm hand over mine, Hibiya-san nodded her head. "Please have her come here then. I will check her." "Thank you so much," I gratefully said as I let go and bowed in deep thanks. Then, I excused myself and quickly went to school. Hibiya-san's glassy eyes flashed in my head as she held my hand. The smile could never have shadowed over her sorrow. With her eyes, I saw the same exact expression she gave when she told me about the history of Chii, her sister and her deceased husband, the creator of Angelic Layer. I knew that she would understand. There was no one else who could. Taking out my cel phone, I called Yuzuki while running. There was just no time for anything anymore, was there? "Hello?" I breathlessly said into the phone. "Yuzuki?" She answered, "Hai. Minoru-sama?" "For today, everything you have scheduled has to be pushed back. Please go immediately to Hibiya-san's house." "Hai." "I'll see you later then." I flipped the phone cover and placed it back into my pocket. When I came to the gates of my school, I was fortunate to get there on time with room to spare. As I pushed the door of my classroom to one side, I kept my eyes focused on my seat, which was the one exactly in the middle of the whole room. The boys in the back where once again annoyingly talking and laughing loudly. I took my seat and took out of my belongings to put on my desk. After yesterday, I had never known. I had not know that Yuzuki also faced the same difficulties as myself. What I had tried to prevent with all my might had all been useless. I took out a literature book and began to read it as they began their row of slanderous remarks at one another, trying to get my attention. I had heard them all before. It wasn't only because of Yuzuki, but for living alone or the case of my missing parents. Why weren't they in my life wasn't any of their business. That didn't even include all the persocoms it took to complete to satisfy my liking. I had made each one to do a specific task, but I had no attachment to any of them. Because _she_ was still here. I'd stick to my sister. But when she went away, there was no one else to cling onto. There was no one else in the world that I could turn to. There was no one to call my name so lovingly. Trying not to lose my memory or my sanity, I didn't go to school. I stayed in my house like a hermit for about two days until I realized that staying would do me no good. My sister would hate me for being such a wimp. I had promised to protect her, but I couldn't in the end. That was beyond our control. I meticulously remained in my shell even more than before. The little boy that had been so shy and quiet, yet was the top of the class, was even more pitiful. For a time, I thought that I had to be the most pitiful thing in the world. In my room and all its darkness, I clung onto my pillow crying and crying. I wasn't a person because I felt so rejected from society. She was the only one that connected me to that world outside. Now, she was no longer here. The tie had been severed. I began to just spend all my time with my computer. If I didn't eat, sleep, or go to school, I was there in my seat. Researching and researching, I tried to make design for her. It got to the point that I started to have dreams of the persocom I wanted to bring to life. This one called Yuzuki. I didn't know what to call her then, but it was a name that had softly whispered into my ear. "If I were to fall in love with someone, what would I call her?" I had laughed to myself, but at that moment, I looked at the gigantic monitor showing the latest battle of the Angelic Layer dolls. It wasn't the doll that won that had caught my attention, but the one that lost. The purpled-haired one called Yuzu. She stood so quiet, yet so strong. From then on, I put my own thoughts into this name. "Yuuki for courage." I even laughed as I said, "Yuki." Just like Sai-san's Shirohime. My sister's best friend, Sai. That's how her name came about, though it isn't salient to anyone but myself. "Yuzuki," I said as I finished painting her lips. After months of failures, I found a sweet-looking, young woman sitting in front of me. One that resembled my ideal one: my sister. When she opened her beautiful eyes, I knew that it was she. The images of my sister and the girl in my dream eclipsed. But because I was only sociable in the cyberworld, I had drifted from the flow of others around me. Though totally aware of my surroundings and polite to those around me, there was still something that made me so removed from others. In the end, all I really needed was for someone to care for to give me strength to endure all this. And I wanted someone to care for me. Illusion as it was. The existence of Yuzuki had given me much strength. Also, her existence had given me hardship. Falling in love with her put me against myself. And against others. For many, many different reasons. Money, heir, good status, titles. All the selfishness of humanity: Greed, jealousy and power. Yet, I was truly happy with her by my side because she existed. That's all that mattered to me. I would never let her know how much I was ridiculed and bullied because I had made her. They didn't know I was in love with her, but they knew that they couldn't come close to me because I always looked like I had everything. Somehow, it had to do with Yuzuki: a persocom that wasn't counted as 'real'. Those women were right in a sense. I didn't need anyone because of Yuzuki. She sincerely cared for me. And I would never betray that. I sighed as I worried, but then I shot a harsh glance as someone joked perversely, "If I were that rich, I think I'd make myself a woman too. Only, persocoms don't necessarily count as a woman. They can never give what a real one could." "Everyone has their limitations," I answered nonchalantly. "You can't understand because you're so concerned on what's real that you fear that something inanimate may be more real than you can ever be." "You little bastard!" Moshimoto-san shouted as he eyed me with his friends holding him back from jumping me. "You think you're so much better than everyone. Just because your family contributes the most doesn't make you the owner of the school." I shook my head. "I know that very well. Unfortunately, you don't." "One day, no one's going to save you," he said as he sat back on his seat as the teacher opened the door of the classroom. "Never expected anyone to." I turned around and smiled. "I fight alone." Then, the lessons of the day began, and my long days at school began. Only today seemed kind of lighter than usual. Then again, nothing could be worse for me than losing Yuzuki. Yes, that's right, though. I do fight alone. And Yuzuki always hated me for it. She always wanting to do more, yet I didn't want to burden her. Only, we found ourselves keeping secrets from one another, even if we gave everything we could to one another. As I opened the lunch that Yuzuki had made for me, my cel began to beep. Immediately putting my chopsticks down, I answered it. "Hello, Kokubunji desu." "Minoru-kun." Hibiya-san's voice trailed off. "I found it." I sighed in relief with hope in my voice. "That's great! I knew I could count on you, Hibiya-san." Silence. It was then that my stomach churned. "What's wrong, Hibiya-san?" "Yuzuki-san has a program that I can't get into," she said with a concerned voice. Things had taken a turn for the worst. My eyes wandered from side to side. "A secret program?" "It has a self-timer." She sighed and I held the phone even closer to my ear as I stared at the lunch in front of me. "I never put that there." "I figured that out." "Then what is it?" "I don't truly understand yet." My heart beat faster and faster in nervousness. "But unfortunately," she sighed. "The program has already been activated." Tsuzuku. -- Author's notes: Nothing is more sweet as when someone says, "You know I check everyday if you've updated." And so, out of guilt, I write; also, out of flattery. @_@ I didn't realize how much I thought of my stories until I answered someone (several years ago) by saying, "But I put this to mean this and that doesn't even include this. This person's name is a pun for this." In other words, you'll find a lot here. ^^v --;;</pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>