Notes: Thanks for the reviews. ^_^ I'll try to keep it up! Anyone interested in making a 'Chobits category' at FF.net?? Er, some time. Btw, 'yobikou' is 'prep school' for certain ronins trying to get into college by preparing for the entrance exams. Harsh stuff! Anyways, here I go!
Hideki reached out his hand as her shadow was moving farther and farther away. There was a man with her, his arm around her waist. Hideki broke into a run, trying to cut the distance between them.
"WAIT!" he yelled, "Chii is mine! She belongs with me!!"
"Hideki," Chii uttered, with saddened eyes as she could do nothing but go with her real master. "Sorry... Chii has to..."
Hideki shook his head, pushing himself to run faster. Eventually he caught up and grabbed onto Chii's wrist, pulling her away from the other man. "NO! I won't let you go!! I found you, so I'm going to keep you! You belong with me!!!" he exclaimed, going to hug her tightly.
Chii looked at him with helpless eyes. "...Motosuwa..."
"Eh??" Hideki blinked. 'Chii never calls me by my family name. What's going on??"
"Oi," Chii uttered, "What are you doing to me, Motosuwa??" Chii's face slowly reverted into Shinbo.
"HEEEEEEEEEH?!?!?"
It was morning already; the two of them were lying in the futon, Hideki's arms around him. Hideki, greatly embarrassed moved away and turned around to see Chii sitting in front of the TV, watching the weather report.
"Ohayou gozaimasu!" Chii said with a big smile, "It's going very sunny today!"
"Oh..." he started to say, but Hideki still couldn't get what he did out of his head. "Waaaaaah!!! It's not like that! I-I didn't mean to...! Shinbo, you bastard! Why were you there in the first place??!!?"
Shinbo was putting on his shirt. "I was so drunk last night I don't remember."
"N-NANI?!?!" Hideki squeezed, "T-Then what happened???!"
Sumomo then blew her whistle. "MINNA-SAN!! TIME TO EXERCISE!!" So Chii, Hideki, and Shinbo got into a line and started doing some aerobics. "That's it!! Now to the left!!"
"Shinbo!" Hideki said over his shoulder as she lifted their arms and legs to their left side, "Nothing happened right?? Right??"
Shinbo made a face. "Of course not. I'm straight. What about you??"
"OF COURSE I AM!!!"
"Then, why are you so worried about it??"
"B-Because...!!!" Hideki exclaimed, with sweat running down his face. He then paused. "Ah ah! It's coming back to me now!! You fell asleep, and then we fell asleep. Nothing happened! I'm so glad!!"
"Cheh, you make it sound like you were worried about it." Shinbo sighed, as the bent to reach for their toes, "At any rate, you'll be late for yobikou if you don't start getting ready now."
"Eh? Aren't you coming too??"
"Not today," Shinbo uttered, "I think I'll skip."
'Shinbo...' Hideki thought, 'You really aren't going to approach Shimizu-sensei... But...' Just the thought about these two not being together made him feel uneasy.
"Daijoubu yo," Shinbo said, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll talk to Takako soon... I just need to figure out some things first."
Hideki nodded. "Fine... Then, I'll go get ready for school." But as he got up, he turned to Sumomo, who was dancing around in her 'waiting mode'. He picked her up and turned towards Shinbo. "Hey, maybe you'd like some company. How about I transfer back the data back and you can have her again?"
"You mean it?" Shinbo asked, smiling a little. Hideki cheerfully nodded. "Sankyuu! You really are a nice guy, Motosuwa!"
"Heeey, don't get into that!" Hideki snapped, waving his hands. He then turned towards Chii. "You have work today, so you better get ready too Chii."
"Un!"
So after getting ready and having breakfast, Chii and Hideki set out. Hideki worriedly stared back at the apartment when they stepped outside. "Daijoubu oi, Shinbo no yatsu..."
"Ohayou gozaimasu!" Hibiya's cheerful voice cut into his thoughts. He turned around to see her holding onto her broom, looking pretty as usual. "Motosuwa-san, is your friend still in your apartment?"
"Aa... that guy isn't going anywhere. Could you check on him later, Kanrinin-san??"
"Of course! I'll do all I can to help. Also..." She held out two small bentos. "I made you two snacks for today. One for Motosuwa-san, and one for Chii-chan."
"Arigatou gozaimasu!!" Hideki and Chii said in unison, lifting their bentos over their heads and bowing repeated. "Arigatou! Arigatou!!"
Hibiya giggled. "Doitashimashite. I'll be sure to bring some snacks to Shinbo-san as well."
"Ittekimasu!" the two said, turning to go and waving their hands.
"Itterashai!" Hibiya replied, waving to them. She watched them leave, a leaf wafting into her hair. 'They are so cute,' she noted to herself as she plucked the stray leaf and turned back to her cleaning. 'If only it could work out, but... there are never any guarantees in life...'
* * * * * * * * *
At yobikou, Hideki could feel the effects of Shinbo's absence.
"Ohayou... Minna..." Takako uttered, standing in the front of the room, "Please take out your text books and turn to page 146."
"What's with Sensei??" asked some of the students on why she seemed a bit lethargic. "She isn't her genki self today..."
Hideki frowned. 'Sou sou! Sensei teaches better when she's cheerful. It's like the sparkle has left her eyes.' He turned to the empty seat next to him. 'I know the reason...'
Despite sitting alone and being called on four times in class, Hideki made it through the day. Also, he had the rice balls that Hibiya had made for him that gave him the additional energy. Going outside, he stretched out his arms. 'Now, it's off to work...'
"Matte, Motosuwa-kun!!" called Takako, coming outside to catch up with him, "Can I see you for a little bit?"
"H-Hai, Sensei!" he stammered, turning towards her, "What is it?
"Ano, had you any contact with Shinbo-kun?"
"Ah... well..."
"Please, I need to talk with him right away." She then lowered her eyes to the ground. "It's really important."
"He should still be at my apartment."
"Honto ni? Could we go there now??" she cried, leaping into his face.
"H-Hai!" he stammered, backing away. 'Uwaaah, Sensei is really anxious to see Shinbo. I hope this resolves everything...'
Hideki still had some time before work started, so he brought Takako to the apartment complex. When they went inside, they ran into Hibiya. "Ah, Motosuwa-san, did you forget something??"
"Actually, Shimizu-sensei wants to speak with Shinbo..."
"Oh, Shinbo-san?" Hibiya replied, "He just left."
"Eh?? Where did he go?" Takako asked.
Hibiya bowed her head. "I do not know. Sumimasen."
Hideki turned to Takako. "Gomen na, Sensei. I'm sure you'll meet up with him soon and get this straightened out..."
She slowly nodded. "I just wanted to tell him that I was going back to meet with my husband. It's going to hurt him, but I have no choice. If we are going to be together, we have to be apart first."
Hideki frowned. 'But what if... What if she falls in love with her husband again? What if she doesn't come back? Then what?? It isn't like the love in the movies where everything is a happy ending...'
"Motosuwa-san," Takako said, lifting a smile, "Please don't tell Shinbo-kun what I have just said. I want to say it to him, myself."
Hideki nodded.
"Do you have to go to your part-time job now?"
Hideki nodded again.
"Can I see where this Yorokonde Tavern is??" Takako asked, with a wink.
"Ara, I would like to come too!" Hibiya chimed.
Hideki of course freaked out. "EH?? You two?!? W-Wait a minute!!!!"
* * * * * * * *
Hideki had a difficult time at work. Mostly because his yobikou teacher and landlady were both there, paying extra attention to him. "Ano, Senpai..." Yumi uttered, appearing behind him, "Do you know those ladies over there??"
"A-ah..." he stammered, very red in the face, 'I'm so embarrassed that they're here...'
"Senpai, I saw your persocon today at the Chiroku bakery." Yumi noted, "She is so pretty... And very kind."
"Yeah! Chii is so sweet and cute!" Hideki said proudly, "I sometimes forget that she's a persocon..."
"Really?" Yumi clutched at her tray, "I thought so too... She seemed very much like a human girl... She is different from the other persocons..."
"Eh??" Hideki noticed that Yumi wasn't too depressed like she usually became when she talked about persocons. Today, she appeared thoughtful. 'I wonder what happened... Maybe Yumi-chan has changed her mind??'
"But!" Yumi blurted out, "She's still only a persocon, either way you look at it!"
"Sou da na!" Hideki said with a nod, "Look, we better get back to work or else we'll get in trouble."
"Motosuwa-kun~!"
"Motosuwa-san~!"
Hideki went red again as the two women were waving him over. 'Aaaaan... I'm so embarrassed...'
* * * * * * * * * *
Near closing hours, Takako left the tavern to go home. After all it was a school night. When she arrived at the apartment, Sumomo greeted her.
"OKAERI NASAI~! OKAERI NASAI~!" sang the little note persocon as she flew into Takako's face. "OKAERI NASAI~!"
Shinbo came out, wearing a weary smile. "Okaeri, Takako..."
"Tadaima," she said, smiling back.
"Isn't it a bit late?"
"What about you? You were gone all last night. I didn't get any sleep, because I was worried about you."
"Gomen..."
"Daijoubu, daijoubu yo!" she replied, waving her hands, "But I'm amazed how I didn't figure you went to Motosuwa-kun's place. He's such a nice kid."
"Heheh, sou da na..." Shinbo walked towards her taking Sumomo off her forehead, "De, have you decided on what to do...?"
She nodded, putting her hand on the side of his face; as she went on to tell him...
* * * * * * * * * *
Back at his apartment, Hideki was watching Chii rest. Apparently, it was so busy at the bakery today that Chii worked overtime and looked like she was overloaded. He ran a hand through her hair as head rested in his lap.
'Chii... If I lost you... I don't know what I'd do...'
* * * * * * * * * *
to be continued...