Notes: This happens anytime after vol.4 or 3. Considering I haven't read vol.5 and also disregarding the whole plot about Chii being kidnapped, because I don't know how that is resolved. Hope those who don't wished to be spoiled, don't be angry about being spoiled. Please enjoy this fic!
Holding on tightly to what you have
Part2
Shinbo just put another potato chip into his mouth and munched.
"SHINBO! I'm serious!! Sensei is going to be worried sick about you, while you're sitting here in my place watching porn with a pair of persocons!!!!" Hideki yelled, still shaking his finger at him.
The door suddenly opened. "Ara, what a lot of noise," Hibiya said, poking her head in the room. "You left this open."
Hideki's mouth dropped open. "Um... Kanrinin-san..."
"Hai?" she said with a big smile. He knew she could see what was on the TV, as well as hear the noises coming from it too.
"M-My friend is watching it! Not me!! I wasn't!!" Hideki exclaimed in a panic.
But Hibiya slowly moved back into the hallway. "Please don't stay up too late, Motosuwa-san... It's a school night after all." The door then closed.
Hideki quickly locked it. He then turned back to the group sitting in front of the TV watching porn. "That's right, Shinbo! It's a school night! Better stop that and...!"
Now Shinbo was hooking up the cables to Sumomo. "I want to surf some porn sites."
"Porn sites~! Porn sites~!" Sumomo sang.
"OI!! You're only supposed to take orders from me!!!" Hideki cried, "Who is your master??!"
"Kyaaaa!" Sumomo got scared and ran behind Shinbo, "You're too scary to be my master! I want my old one back!"
"Why you little...!!!"
"Kyaaaa!"
Shinbo then held out his wallet. "We're out of beers. Could you get some more?"
"W-What do I look like?! Your servant?!" Hideki snapped. But Shinbo looked so depressed that he couldn't refuse. "All right, what brand you want... Hey, there's not a lot of money in here, Shinbo."
"That's why I came here; I can't afford a hotel."
"I thought you were doing well at work. How come you're broke...?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Shinbo stated in a tone that warned Hideki not to push it any further. "Look, I'm sorry I showed up here, but I haven't anywhere else to go. And I guess I needed a friend... I didn't mean to be a bother."
"It's all right," Hideki said, smiling a little, "I am your friend and I'll be here for you. I... I'll go get some beers okay?"
He then turned for the door and got his jacket. Hideki paused. He quickly came back and grabbed Sumomo. "No surfing while I'm gone! Chii! Unplug the TV and make sure he doesn't do anything weird!"
"Un!" Chii said, "Should I tie his hands together to prevent him?"
"Hmm, good idea..." Hideki started to say, but he stopped himself. "NO! THAT WOULD BE WEIRD!!" He then ran out of there before he got any ideas.
"Heh, that guy..." Shinbo chuckled, as the door slammed close. "He's all right, isn't he?"
"Hideki is... all right...?" Chii uttered.
"I mean, he's a good guy. He's reliable and honest... not like me." Shinbo sighed and dropped his head. "Takako... she probably is very worried."
Chii nodded. She then unplugged the TV. While Chii was putting away Hideki's dvd set, the phone rang. She went to answer it.
"Hello? Chii speaking."
"Ah! Chii-chan!"
Chii smiled. "Shimizu-sensei."
Shinbo went into panic and started waving his hands. Chii blinked and turned towards him.
"Chii-chan," Takako said on the other line, "Is Motosuwa-kun there? I need to talk to him."
"No, Hideki left... To buy some beers."
"What? Drinking on a school night... how dare he! I'll call on him tomorrow in class to read something out loud... Um, by any chance is... Shinbo-kun there?"
Chii opened her mouth to answer, but Shinbo started shaking his head frantically. "No... 'shaking your head' means no."
"Um... yes, that's true..." sensei stammered, "But is he there? In Motosuwa-kun's apartment??"
"'No, Shinbo is not here.'" Chii said, reading off the card that Shinbo had wrote and was waving in her face. "Sorry."
"No, it's okay... I was just checking." Takako sighed, "If you see him, tell him to talk to Shimizu-sensei right away."
Chii held out the phone. "Talk to Shimizu-sensei right away." she said to Shinbo. He shook his head and pushed the phone back to her.
"Well, talk to you later, Chii-chan. Bye bye!"
"Bye!"
Chii then hung up. Shinbo fell over, feeling relieved. Then, the phone rang again. Chii reached to get it, but he stopped her. They watched as the phone rang a few more times and then stopped.
"Why don't you want to talk to Shimizu-sensei?" Chii asked.
"I don't want to hear her say..." Shinbo's voice drifted off. He moved away and faced the wall. "I always said I wanted to move forward. I'm really scared of moving backward."
"Chii... doesn't understand."
"When you find someone who makes you happy, Chii, you will understand."
"Chii has..."
"Then, with that person, hold on tightly as though you'll never let go. Because, if you loosen a little bit, maybe, just maybe..."
"Hold on tightly," Chii repeated, crossing her arms across her chest, "To Hideki..."
Outside, Hideki and Sumomo were arriving with a bag of beer. "I hope that's enough. I wonder why Shinbo's having trouble with finances. It's not like he has a persocon anymore that he has to maintain... Hmmm, I should try to ask him again later..."
"Ai! Want to make memo on that??" Sumomo asked earnestly.
"No, I think I can remember to do that." Hideki noted, as they came inside the building, "I just wish there was something I can do for him... I mean, I was pretty shocked to hear that Sensei's husband still wanted her back. I hadn't even thought about it..."
While Hideki went up the stairs, another thought came to mind.
'So, just like that he can ask for what belonged to him before... What if... What if Chii's old owner showed up and demanded I return her... What would I do?'
"Master?" Sumomo asked.
He looked at her, his face very fearful from the idea that he just had. 'But what if it was true... No, I don't want to think about it... About losing Chii...'
Hideki rushed to get into his room. But when he got there, he saw only Shinbo sitting in the middle of the room. "Okaeri," he mumbled, "Is that beer?"
"OI!!" Hideki snapped, grabbing him by the collar, "Where is Chii!? Did someone...?!?!"
Shinbo just pointed up. Hideki looked up to the ceiling where Chii was hanging on the lights. "I was bored, since you don't let me surf or watch TV, so Chii said she'll entertain me."
"T-That's dangerous!" Hideki exclaimed, flailing his arm again, "Chii! Get down right now!!"
Chii just let go and fell into Hideki's arms. Hideki went red. "Arigatou, Hideki."
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!"
"Oh, this is entertaining," Shinbo said, opening a can of beer with Sumomo sitting on his shoulder.
Chii threw her arms tightly around Hideki as he stared off into space. 'Hold on tightly... to Hideki...'
To be continued...