Empty Apartment
Because I am in PLC, bored, and Subeta is error-ing me non-stop, I decided to write a mini-fic. It took me about an hour, but I am strangely satisfied with it. Feedback would be really, really good. Heh. I want to know if it deserves to exist...XD;
No, it is not disturbing shoujo-ai. It's friends. Being friends.
Chi sat alone in the middle of the empty apartment. It was always lonely when Hideki was away, but usually it wasn’t this bad. Chi wore a beautiful dress Yumi had made for her. It was white and although standing it would normally hang to her ankles, it pooled on the floor around her, making long bumps where her legs were folded in half. It was made of lace, white lace. There was lace on the bottom, lace on the sleeves and lace around the neck (Yumi had said this piece of lace was the best because it brought out Chi’s eyes). The room smelled of stale ramen and sleepiness. From the futon there came a muffled sigh. Chi wouldn’t pull back the covers because she didn’t want to disturb the peace and because she already knew who was sleeping there. Hideki had brought Sumomo with him to get some studying done with Minoru. It had to be Kotoko.
Sighing herself, Chi brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes. She let her thoughts wander to serious things. Was she really thinking or was it just her programming? If she was programmed to do anything, why did she know so little? Maybe if she knew as much as Minoru she could have helped Hideki study and he would not have had to leave for the day. “Chi is not smart?” she asked herself in the quietist whisper, lifting one hand to her cheek and brushing her fingers against it. Sadness quavered in her eyes and, for a moment, it looked as if she might cry.
“No.” Kotoko was sitting on the futon’s pillow. She held the covers over herself, hugging them against her body. “No,” she spoke again, “You’re not stupid, Chi.”
“What is Chi, then? Chi is Chi. Chi is a persocom.”
“You’re learning.” Kotoko sighed, releasing her grip on the quilt. She walked over to Chi and looked up at her. She looked at the way Chi sat, the way her legs stuck out to the sides and she kept her hands on the ground in front of her. It was almost the way a cat would sit, but more clumsy. Kotoko tried not to smile. “You really don’t understand a lot of things, do you?”
“Chi? Chi understands many things. Like when it’s very cold out, you wear a jacket. You only hold someone’s hand if you like them.” Chi paused for a moment, trying to remember any other random pieces of information she had stored. “When someone says goodbye, especially if it’s someone close to you, it hurts right here.” She moved her hands to her chest, closing her eyes and bowing her head.
Kotoko climbed Chi’s sleeve, pulled herself up and sat on her shoulder. “You’re right, Chi. You do understand a lot of things.” She looked hesitant, diverting her gaze to the pattern of lace on the sleeve, paused and scratched her neck. “Sometimes it even feels like you know more than I do.”
“Chi doesn’t understand...”
“No. You shouldn’t understand. But you will, Chi. I promise. You will understand soon enough.” A faint hint of a smile flickered across Kotoko’s tiny face. Chi somehow saw, and as she smiled for the first time since Hideki had gone she held out a hand to Kotoko. Kotoko placed a dainty hand on one of Chi’s fingers.
Chi looked at Kotoko and Kotoko looked at Chi. They spent a long time like that, the only change in their eyes, in the glints and ripples of emotion. It was Chi who finally spoke. “Kotoko.”
“Yes?”
“Is it okay to hug your friend?”
“Of course.”
“Okay,” Chi sighed, embarrassed to be asking questions that must seem so obvious to the smaller persocom. “Then...” she proceeded, “..can I hug Kotoko?”
Kotoko looked at Chi, looked into her eyes and saw the sincerity of her question. She slid down her shoulder and grasped the lace hanging from Chi’s neck. Kotoko pressed herself to Chi’s chest. Chi wrapped her arms around Kotoko, warmly feeling her hair against her forearms. And they stayed like that for a very long time.
God, posting this is scary. So...try not to be too harsh? Don't lie, either. I'd honestly rather you be harsh than lie.
It has some deep meaning, although I'm not sure what.
Thanks for listening.
No, it is not disturbing shoujo-ai. It's friends. Being friends.
Chi sat alone in the middle of the empty apartment. It was always lonely when Hideki was away, but usually it wasn’t this bad. Chi wore a beautiful dress Yumi had made for her. It was white and although standing it would normally hang to her ankles, it pooled on the floor around her, making long bumps where her legs were folded in half. It was made of lace, white lace. There was lace on the bottom, lace on the sleeves and lace around the neck (Yumi had said this piece of lace was the best because it brought out Chi’s eyes). The room smelled of stale ramen and sleepiness. From the futon there came a muffled sigh. Chi wouldn’t pull back the covers because she didn’t want to disturb the peace and because she already knew who was sleeping there. Hideki had brought Sumomo with him to get some studying done with Minoru. It had to be Kotoko.
Sighing herself, Chi brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes. She let her thoughts wander to serious things. Was she really thinking or was it just her programming? If she was programmed to do anything, why did she know so little? Maybe if she knew as much as Minoru she could have helped Hideki study and he would not have had to leave for the day. “Chi is not smart?” she asked herself in the quietist whisper, lifting one hand to her cheek and brushing her fingers against it. Sadness quavered in her eyes and, for a moment, it looked as if she might cry.
“No.” Kotoko was sitting on the futon’s pillow. She held the covers over herself, hugging them against her body. “No,” she spoke again, “You’re not stupid, Chi.”
“What is Chi, then? Chi is Chi. Chi is a persocom.”
“You’re learning.” Kotoko sighed, releasing her grip on the quilt. She walked over to Chi and looked up at her. She looked at the way Chi sat, the way her legs stuck out to the sides and she kept her hands on the ground in front of her. It was almost the way a cat would sit, but more clumsy. Kotoko tried not to smile. “You really don’t understand a lot of things, do you?”
“Chi? Chi understands many things. Like when it’s very cold out, you wear a jacket. You only hold someone’s hand if you like them.” Chi paused for a moment, trying to remember any other random pieces of information she had stored. “When someone says goodbye, especially if it’s someone close to you, it hurts right here.” She moved her hands to her chest, closing her eyes and bowing her head.
Kotoko climbed Chi’s sleeve, pulled herself up and sat on her shoulder. “You’re right, Chi. You do understand a lot of things.” She looked hesitant, diverting her gaze to the pattern of lace on the sleeve, paused and scratched her neck. “Sometimes it even feels like you know more than I do.”
“Chi doesn’t understand...”
“No. You shouldn’t understand. But you will, Chi. I promise. You will understand soon enough.” A faint hint of a smile flickered across Kotoko’s tiny face. Chi somehow saw, and as she smiled for the first time since Hideki had gone she held out a hand to Kotoko. Kotoko placed a dainty hand on one of Chi’s fingers.
Chi looked at Kotoko and Kotoko looked at Chi. They spent a long time like that, the only change in their eyes, in the glints and ripples of emotion. It was Chi who finally spoke. “Kotoko.”
“Yes?”
“Is it okay to hug your friend?”
“Of course.”
“Okay,” Chi sighed, embarrassed to be asking questions that must seem so obvious to the smaller persocom. “Then...” she proceeded, “..can I hug Kotoko?”
Kotoko looked at Chi, looked into her eyes and saw the sincerity of her question. She slid down her shoulder and grasped the lace hanging from Chi’s neck. Kotoko pressed herself to Chi’s chest. Chi wrapped her arms around Kotoko, warmly feeling her hair against her forearms. And they stayed like that for a very long time.
God, posting this is scary. So...try not to be too harsh? Don't lie, either. I'd honestly rather you be harsh than lie.
It has some deep meaning, although I'm not sure what.
Thanks for listening.