MHG-V3-4 (Initial Draft)

Chapter 23 - The End

A2.23

**** (teruko awakening)

Teruko sat huddled amidst a background of red. Dried tears stained her face, but she had long since lost all feeling and all consciousness. She didnt know what this place was, or even why she could think again. For a while her consciousness had gone blank. She had memories of doing things, but not of having done them. Perhas they were dreams, she didnt know. She even dreamt that Ken had been there and that she had..

But that was impossible. No matter what happened to her, the one thing that would never change was her love for Ken. She could never give up on him. She could give up on herself, but never on him.

But now she had awoken from her dream, and yet she still felt frozen. Or rather she didnt care. What was happening or who was doing it. She didnt care about anything anymore. She hated herself and what she was. Just a machine. Just a piece of metal and wires. That was all she had ever been.

If you're a machine then why do you hate being a machine so much?

The question came from somewhere but Teruko just shrugged.

Who knows? She thought.

This state of self denial continued for some time. During that time, a part of her was incredibly active, doing many things, but the part that made up her consciousness seemed separate from that, lulling in thoughts of self worthlessness.

And then Teruko felt an unexplainable feeling of warmth. Teruko never felt warmth. It was a human feeling to feel. And yet she felt like somewhere in the distant past she had felt it before.. like the feeling of someone holding her and rocking her back and forth...

Teruko looked up suddenly. There in front of her stood a woman she didn't recognise, although at the same time her face looked oddly familiar.

"Who are you?" she asked, surprised that this place could contain another person. Or was she hallucinating?

The woman smiled and then walked forward.

"I'm sorry, its been such a long time." she said. "I should have been there many times to wipe away your tears, but i wasnt. My name is.. Tamiya."

"Tamiya?"

Teruko desperately searched her memory but couldnt put her finger on it. That name..

"Probably you don't remember me." Tamiya said, coming to sit down opposite Teruko. "You were very young when i was forced to leave you."

Tamiya stretched out a hand and touched Teruko's shoulder. Teruko opened her eyes wide. She could feel something, although she couldn't explain what it was.

"You.. touched me.." Teruko whisphered.

Tamiya looked surprised.

"You.. could feel that?" she asked.

Teruko bowed her head and nodded. Who was this person? Was she just her imagination?

"Well anyway, there's something important i want to tell you. I was there when you were born, in that very hospital at that very time, when you came out of your mother's womb and were born into this world. I even stood over your bed in the intensive car unit and held your tiny shriveled little hand as you desperately tried to breath, fighting for your life, fighting for a chance to live in this world."

Teruko felt a funny feeling that she couldnt explain. Like something in her pounding. She knew she didnt have a heart, but if she did it was as if it were beating fast. But she didnt dare to look up. Could it be true?

"Dont believe what anyone else tells you," Tamiya continued, "I was there. I was one of the scientists that helped move your soul to a computer. Of all people I'm the most qualified to tell you.. you are human, not a machine. None of your memories are fake, they are all real. You need to believe them. Dont believe what others tell you about your history."