Fan Fiction ❯ Tears of Rain ❯ Tears of Rain ( Chapter 1 )

Tears Of Rain

Rain spattered dismally on the sidewalk as Miaka pulled the collar up higher on her long black trench coat, clutched her bag of shopping closer to her chest and stepped out from under the covered streets of NEW TOKYO and onto the sopping wet back streets leading toward the 'slums' of the prospering, Hi-Tec city.

Eyes lowered with long black bangs covering her face, she hurried quickly down the streets, ankle high boots splashing in puddles and getting muddy water everywhere. Here, in the back streets of the new and improved, computed city; NEW TOKYO, was where the 'outcasts' lived.

Those too old or too attached to the 'old ways' of the second millennia was thrown out here. Only the rich and powerful with the understanding of third millennia technology lived in NEW TOKYO. They, the 'extras' were made to live like beggars their rank no better than that of the working androids which lived there with them.

Even here, in the slums Miaka was glanced at coldly or not at all. Even children in tattered clothing pointed and stared at her, giggling behind their hands as she passed. Hunching further back into her coat she upped her speed a notch and hurried through the alleys.

Lowering her head into her collar to hide her welling tears she attempted to forget the names the children called her as she passed and the names the adults called her behind her back.

'The Weirdo', 'The Queer', 'The Outcast', 'The Freak', 'Unnatural'.

She heard them all, though she pretended not to. Nearing home she ran the last few streets up to her door and fumbled with wet fingers for her keys. Hastily stuffing the key in the lock, she hurriedly turned it, stumbled into the house and slammed the door shut behind her. Slamming out the cold and the rain, she was so unwanted that she had to do her shopping at three in the morning in the biting wind.

As soon as the door was shut behind her she was immediately met with an excited bundle of energy which bounced into her arms, making her drop her shopping whilst chanting her name merrily.

'Miaka! Miaka! Miaka's back!'

Miaka allowed a warm smile to pass her face.

'Elique,' she said, 'how was your day?'

The bundle in her arms stepped back to reveal a shortish young male with bright, cerulean blue eyes wild silver-blue locks strewn all over his head, wearing loose jeans, a turtleneck and a jacket.

'Great! Great! How was yours?' he asked happily.

'It was…okay.' she replied.

'Good, good! Dinner's ready! Hurry, hurry!' he replied before bouncing happily back out the corridor and into the kitchen, which doubled as the dining room.

Miaka smiled a little sadly, taking off her coat as she watched his receding back. Elique, her love and also her pain. She frowned slightly, he was everything to her, yet he was also the reason why she was an outcast of outcasts. He looked almost human, except…except for the little ear-cuff on the shell of his left ear. The identification chip of an android.

Well that and the barcode on his neck, but Elique had long since learnt that it was best to cover it by wearing a turtleneck.

'Idiots,' she muttered under her breath, 'idiots all of them--all of those people who hate us, if it weren't for that chip they wouldn't even know Elique is an--an android.'

'Miaka!,' Elique called cheerily from the kitchen, 'hurry! Dinner's getting cold and you still won't let me use that microwave thing to heat it up again after last time.'

Miaka laughed and went into the kitchen. At least when she was actually with Elique she could forget all the names she was called and all the discrimination she faced for loving an android. Though he was the cause of everything he was also the balm for her injured pride afterwards, he could make her forget, a wry smile crossed her face as she entered the kitchen, he was more human than all those narrow minded people she called her race could ever be.

After dinner Miaka sat in their cramped living room watching one of those olden day 'televisions' whilst turning over problems in her mind. They were running low on money again, and unless she or Elique found work they would be out of food by next week.

She quickly scratched the thought of Elique working out of her mind, the last time that happened he had come home damaged. Apparently the humans had beaten him for being different. Miaka had quietly seethed for weeks afterwards, scaring Elique who didn't know what anger was.

Glancing up at the TV screen she was quick enough to see 'ANDRIOD PROSTITUION MADE LEGAL IN SECTOR: ENGLAND' and 'CYBORG SLAVE WORKERS NOW ON MARKET' curling her the corner of her lips up in disgust she turned the TV off and threw the remote control under the coffee table.

Being so caught up in her thoughts she didn't notice the rather petite android slip in the room. She was only jogged out of her reverie when Elique laid his head on her legs.

'Something's wrong again, isn't it Miaka?'

Miaka absently stroked his silver-blue mop,

'Nothing's wrong Elique, these people just don't understand. They don't believe you know what love is.'

Elique pulled back and looked up at her, innocently blinking wide, cerulean eyes. Miaka stared back into them, yet another clue to the fact he was an android. His eyes were blank blue and didn't shimmer like living eyes.

'Love is that warm feeling you get when you see someone and want to stay with them.'

Elique naïvely informed her.

'I know, but normal people don't believe me.'

Elique fell silent after that, laying his head back onto Miaka's lap. He knew he was the cause of Miaka's problems and it made a weird aching feeling inside of him, he wasn't sure what it was but when he asked Miaka she had told him it was sadness. Remembering something he had seen on TV that day he asked,

'Miaka? What is it when water comes out of your eyes?'

The stroking on his head paused hesitantly before continuing.

'Why do you ask?'

'On TV, there was a girl with water coming from her eyes, her mother told her not to be sad. Is it something humans do when they're sad?'

'It's called crying Elique.'

'Can androids do it?'

'No Elique, only humans really do it like that.'

'Oh.'

The hand in his head was moved abruptly. Elique turned questioningly towards her,

'Do you know what day it is tomorrow?'

Elique blinked going over all the dates he had stored in his database memory chip. He shook his head,

'No, what day is it?'

'It's Valentine's day tomorrow! My grandmother told me about it when I was young, she said that when she was still a girl far back in the second millennia it was a famous festival they had. People would tell their lovers or crushes how much they loved them, she said it was like giving your heart away to the one you loved most.'

Elique smiled but then frowned,

'But, I don't have a heart.'

Miaka stood and looked indignantly at Elique,

'Who said that?'

'The other humans--'

'And you believe them over me? Of course you have a heart Elique, look!'

Miaka pulled the android of his feet and placed a palm on his chest,

'It's beating right there! A heart is something that gives life and love Elique, it doesn't have to be a piece of meat. I know you know how to love Elique so you do have a heart!'

Elique placed his own palm on his chest where he felt a steady beating of his 'core piece' the bit of machinery that pumped around the cryo-genetic chemical that kept him alive. True it wasn't a piece of meat, but it was the thing that kept an android 'alive' and he did have that warm feeling for Miaka which she said was love. Elique smiled.

Miaka grinned back,

'We should celebrate Valentine's day Elique! Let's go to the park!'

'Now? But it's six in the morning and the rain clouds are still out!'

'Exactly, it's too early for anyone to be around so we won't be bothered and it won't rain for quite a while yet.'

Miaka smiled happily when Elique bounced excitedly towards the door, picking her coat and key up she slipped out of the door after him.

Racing together down the street they smiled and laughed freely, at this hour no one was awake to yell at them. Miaka slowed as she neared the park gates to regain her breath, Elique however rushed on ahead bounding off into plants with the energy of a hyperactive toddler.

Miaka contentedly watching on whilst Elique laughed happily racing through the maze of leaves and flowers. Nowadays the only places filled with plant life was in 'parks', carefully controlled plants were grown here and here only, everywhere else was covered in unmarred silver metal. All plants were restricted to these 'park' areas only.

Glancing down at her watch she swore, seven thirty-three AM, they should go back soon. Other humans woke around eight in this new millennia, it was a universal time for most. To be in perfect sync as the 'evolved' race of humans.

'Elique! Home! The others will wake soon.'

Obediently Elique ran back up to her side and together hand in hand they walked out of the carefully conserved greenery.

'Damn, damn, damn!'

Miaka glanced down agitatedly at her watch again, it was exactly eight and they were nearly home but people were beginning emerge everywhere. She had to get Elique home now! Already those people already milling around were glancing disapprovingly at her and Elique.

She shot an evil glare at the group she could hear gossiping behind her. Elique, getting the drift of things squeezed Miaka's hand and indicated with his head that they should run.

Hand in hand they raced across the street. Just as they were across and oh-so-close to home a rude voice called out to Miaka who immediately wrenched her hand out of his grip and whirled around angrily, her fists clenched white by her sides.

Elique could only watched as she stormed back out halfway across the street, as she opening her mouth to scream something vile back there was a furious screech and rush of air. Elique watched horrified as Miaka flew backwards in the air, her back snapping forwards as she hit the ground.

A few feet away from her, a sleek new-brand gravitation-car hovered. The owner stuck his head out of the window surveying the damage and grumbled,

'Trash all over the streets nowadays, lucky it didn't damage the car.'

With that he withdrew his head and drove around Miaka's still body and sped into the distance. No one seemed to care that she was lying in the street, she wasn't wearing any identification anyway so she must be an 'outcast'.

Checking if there were any other cars around Elique ventured out across the street. And kneeled next to Miaka, shaking her shoulder gently he asked fearfully in a half whisper,

'Miaka? Miaka, wake up! Miaka!'

Miaka didn't so much as move a muscle. He uncertainly placed a hand on her chest. No sound was coming from it. A wrenching recollection from that morning recalled itself from his memory bank,

'A heart is something that gives life and love Elique…'

Elique bit his lip, no heart meant no life. Carefully his database ran over the newly acquired data. Suddenly he felt a terrible wrenching in his chest and his whole body felt numb and hollow. There was a prickly sensation in his eyes, raising a hand he placed it on his cheek. His eyes widened,

He was crying.

Several wet somethings dropped on his head and slid down his clothing, raising his head he saw that it was raining again. Already many people were bustling back indoors, Elique looked around at their faces, they were all blank with a slight look of irritation at the rain. They weren't crying at all.

The closest thing they had to tears was the rain dripping down their faces. Elique clenched Miaka's cold hand, a cold bitter feeling welling in him. It must be anger, that's what Miaka would describe it as. He was more human than any of them could ever be. They didn't care about anything anymore, they couldn't be human.

But now it was too late, Elique glanced sadly down at Miaka's lifeless body. Now all he could do was cry with nothing but the sky to cry with him.

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I hope you enjoyed it!